The College announced earlier this month that it would be holding an in-person Commencement Ceremony Saturday, May 8, at 11 a.m. which is still the plan. However, the location has changed to the Keyser High School Alumni Stadium, One Tornado Way, in order to meet the physical distancing requirements as mandated by state regulations for graduation ceremonies. The new venue will also allow the College to increase the number of guest tickets to four per graduate. Masks will be required. The event will be held rain or shine.
Included in the Class of 2021 will be the first graduates from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. The College will also welcome back our May, August and December 2020 graduates who registered to participate with the May 2021 graduates.
West Virginia University in Morgantown and Beckley will pause administration of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine based on a joint recommendation released today (April 13) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. Out of more than 6.8 million doses administered in the U.S., six reported cases of a rare and severe blood clot in individuals who have received the J&J vaccine are being monitored.
(Note: To date Potomac State College has utilized only the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines on campus with second vaccinations to be administered in upcoming weeks.)
“The finding of abnormal blood clotting is extremely rare in citizens receiving the J&J vaccine, and in response to FDA and CDC guidance, and acting out of a great amount of caution, we will pause vaccinations with the J&J product for now, "Dr. Clay Marsh, vice president and executive dean of WVU Health Sciences and West Virginia’s Coronavirus Czar, said. "The fact that CDC and FDA are acting out of caution for 6 clotting episodes in 6.8 million doses given should reassure West Virginia residents that we are watching any and all associated findings in those vaccinated to make sure safety is our priority.”
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is convening a meeting on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. Until that process is complete, WVU will pause in the use of the J&J vaccine on all campuses out of an abundance of caution. WVU will work with those who have appointments to receive the J&J doses, including a clinic scheduled for Wednesday, April 14, to reschedule for Pfizer and Moderna doses based on availability.
WVU administered 846 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine during a clinic held on Thursday, April 8 at the Student Recreation Center on the Morgantown Campus. All other clinics held at WVU have administered doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine.
The type of blood clot observed is called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) and is seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia). All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered. Usually, an anticoagulant drug called heparin is used to treat blood clots. In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given. People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.
“We know that the key to saving lives and improving outcomes from COVID-19 in West Virginia is continuing to choose to be vaccinated,” Marsh said. “We have sufficient Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to continue our goal of vaccinating all West Virginia residents, and the key to our success or failure to save lives and protect West Virginia citizens is the number of people choosing to get vaccinated.”
WVU strongly recommends all students and employees be vaccinated for COVID-19. If you have questions about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, the University suggests speaking with your primary care physician or a representative from WVU Medicine Student Health.
Reprinted with permission from The Cumberland Times-News.
SCRANTON, Pa. — WVU Potomac State College volleyball is firing on all cylinders
at the just right time. The Catamounts overcame a defeat in the first set to
win the next three and defeat Raritan Valley to win the NJCAA Division II East
District championship, sending Potomac State to the national tournament for the
first time since the school made back-to-back appearances in 2016 and 2017.
University Potomac State College’s anatomy and physiology courses and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing curriculum will get the opportunity to engage with 3D anatomy technology.
Potomac State College was recently awarded a grant to purchase 100 subscriptions to Complete Anatomy (3D 4Medical) through the West Virginia (W.Va.) Rural Health Initiative: W.Va. Public Undergraduate Programs Grant Opportunity sponsored by the W.Va. Higher Education Policy Commission.
The WVU Energy Express program will provide a great opportunity for college students interested in helping to bridge the reading gap this summer for youths. As an AmeriCorps member, you can earn money toward college while helping to enhance literacy skills for students in Mineral County.
Energy Express is an award-winning, a six-week reading and nutrition program. This summer the program will help children entering 1st through 3rd grades overcome the ‘summer slide’ that occurs when youths fall behind academically, while also providing nutritious meals for the students.
West Virginia University strongly encourages hosting virtual events, programs, activities and gatherings when possible to help contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Alumni and friends of West Virginia University made over 5,000 gifts totaling $11.9 million Wednesday (March 3) during the University’s fourth Day of Giving, setting new records for the 24-hour online fundraising event held across the University system. The final numbers surpassed $11.3 million raised and over 4,000 gifts in 2019, the last time the event was held.
I wanted to share with you a letter I sent to members
of the West Virginia Senate earlier today regarding
the potential campus carry legislation being contemplated
by the West Virginia Legislature. This is an important
issue for our campus and we will continue to share
updates and information so I encourage you to monitor
email, UNews, MOUNTAINEER E-Newsand upcoming editions of Under The Dome. If you wish to share your thoughts on the potential
legislation, call or email West Virginia State Senators.
Dear Members of the West Virginia Senate,
There have been no less than four bills introduced
during this legislative session that would limit
the authority of our Board of Governors to regulate
the presence of firearms on our campuses. Providing
a safe learning environment for students is the
supreme responsibility of any university. For that
reason, West Virginia University opposes these
pieces of legislation, which in varying forms would
allow individuals licensed to carry concealed weapons
to carry them on college and university campuses.
We believe that deadly weapons have no place on
our campuses, except in the hands of law enforcement
personnel or others authorized by the University.
And we have always believed that local control
by our Board of Governors is the best basis for
decisions about security on our campuses around
the state.
Under the current system that bans weapons, our
well-trained law enforcement staff does an excellent
job keeping campuses safe for students, faculty,
staff, campus visitors and all those who attend
athletic events. Many law enforcement officers
believe “campus carry” policies endanger their
own lives and make it much more difficult for police
to protect the safety of all.
Young adults, who comprise most of our 30,000 students,
are still developing emotionally and often engage
in conduct that would be made significantly more
dangerous by concealed weapons. In this environment,
the right to carry concealed guns can increase
chances of homicide and suicide. Suicide is the
second leading cause of death for college age young
adults.
At a time when we are seeing more students facing
mental health challenges and needing additional
mental healthcare, now is not the time to insert
firearms into what are already trying situations
on campus.
A passionate interplay of ideas enlivens higher
education institutions. The presence of guns would
have a chilling effect in many situations, from
contentious classroom discussions to meetings with
faculty members about grades. According to research
published in the American Journal of Public Health,
“right to carry” laws have been associated with
higher rates of firearm workplace homicides.
I have heard firsthand that the presence of guns
on campus would discourage many talented students
and faculty members from joining our learning community
or have those who are here look elsewhere.
We also note that some of these pieces of legislation
do not protect our most sensitive areas, including
classrooms, patient care areas, large-capacity
arenas, areas with research involving chemicals,
and campus residence halls.
West Virginia University does currently permit
guns on campus in some situations, always with
awareness and oversight by the University Police
Department. For example, guns are essential to
certain academic programs, such as Forensic and
Investigative Science, and in athletic competition
by our Rifle Team. In unique circumstances, such
as a specific and immediate death threat against
an individual, the president and the University
Police Department can grant a waiver allowing someone
to carry a weapon.
Another authorized gun on campus is the traditional
musket that our Mountaineer mascot carries at University
events. The Mountaineer represents West Virginia’s
heritage, and our University takes pride in honoring
that heritage and the rights of everyone on campus.
Above all, as our state’s land-grant university,
we advance the right of all Mountaineers to learn,
teach, work and speak without fear in a safe, secure
environment.
We urge state lawmakers to reject these pieces
of legislation.
Kylee Timbrook, right, got the opportunity to touch a snake during one of Mineral County’s prior STEM Festivals. Jim Freganaro, wildlife biologist with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, left, will be a presenter during this year’s Virtual STEM Festival, to be held Saturday, March 13. Participants will get to “hear” like a snake and will learn the differences between poisonous and non-poisonous snakes.