Group asks Univ. to refuse donations

Members of the Sierra Student Coalition are calling for an announcement from West Virginia University President James P. Clements affirming the University will not be accepting financial donations from controversial energy corporation CEO's.

Scandal surrounding businessmen Robert E. Murray, Murray Energy CEO, and Don Blankenship, CEO of Massey Energy, has caused the student organization to be concerned about the relationships that stem from these donations, said Calvin Smith, outreach coordinator of the SSC.

A coal mine in Utah owned by Murray Energy has received 325 government citations after six employees were trapped and killed when it collapsed in 2008. Smith argues the recently established Robert E. Murray Chairmanship, created to honor Murray after he donated $1 million for energy research, was hastily named.

"It should have been named after the people who died in the mine," he said.

Claims Massey Energy is refusing to provide funds to rebuild Marsh Fork Elementary School, which sits about 300 feet away from a coal silo owned by the corporation, are among the student organization's points of contention.

While the administration understands the concerns of the SSC, it is the task of the institution to locate donations for University research, according to University Spokesman Dan Kim.

"We certainly respect the feelings and opinions of others concerning gifts," he said.

"The University, through its foundation, has a responsibility to cultivate and steward donations that support research, scholarship, and outreach – all of which help the University advance our land grant mission across the state and around the world."

Smith said the student body has supported the concerns of the SSC.

"After people hear what I have to say about it they sign the petition," he said.

In two weeks of petitioning, 125 students have signed Smith's SSC sponsored petition calling for the University to stop accepting donations from the two corporations.

"Our school should not be receiving money from them – it legitimizes what they are doing," he said.

"The school needs to be looking toward bettering our society."

Smith stressed the SSC is not expecting the University to return donations they have already received, only to refuse future gifts.

The SSC is planning to petition again in front of the Mountainlair Thursday at 1 p.m.