Other Projects of the Appalachian Institute

Appalachian Orientation Each year, dozens of students from
Jesuit institutions come to the region for service projects. The institute
has recently begun to offer orientation sessions to help these students
make the most of their time in Appalachia. The sessions take place at
WJU’s campus and at Lantz Farm, located in rural Wetzel County. Institute
staff and guest lecturers review the region’s history and social and
economic structures -- in the process, debunking the widespread myths
about Appalachia. Students come away better prepared for their experiences
in Appalachian communities.

Alternatives to Incarceration This project emerged from the
institute’s focus on education. The chief problem with education in
West Virginia is lack of money. At the same time, the state’s prison
population has skyrocketed in recent years. The institute recognizes
that if this trend could be halted, more resources would be available
for education. Led by research director Fr. Brian O’Donnell, SJ, the
institute produced a report in 2005 that found “day report centers” an
effective and much cheaper alternative to incarceration. Pioneered
in the state’s Northern Panhandle, DRCs allow people convicted of
non-violent crimes to hold jobs and be part of the community, while
remaining under close supervision. A follow-up report was issued in
January 2007, expanding on the earlier study to examine opportunities
to reform the juvenile justice system.

Economic Development The institute has partnered with several
other organizations in the Northern Panhandle to establish Valley Ventures,
a support group for new entrepreneurial businesses in the upper
Ohio Valley. This part of Appalachia has been primarily industrial, but
thousands of jobs have been lost in recent decades. The institute is
playing an important role in providing research on regional economic
development models created elsewhere to tackle similar challenges,
upon which Valley Ventures can build.

Coal Impoundment Inventory After coal is mined, it has to
be processed before it can be burned in modern power plants. This
processing, which often takes place at the mine, creates vast quantities
of watery sludge contained in so-called impoundments. Hundreds
of them are scattered throughout the coalfields, yet even long-time
residents may be unaware of them. They are major environmental and
public health hazards. In 1972, an impoundment collapse killed 125
people and left thousands homeless along a 17-mile stretch of Buffalo
Creek in Logan County, W.Va. The institute has collected information
on 125 impoundments in West Virginia, including location, size and
emergency evacuation plans, accessible via an Internet site
(www.coalimpoundment.org). The project is also exploring ways to
“remine” and eventually dismantle impoundments, and other longterm
solutions to eliminate these hazards.