They traveled thousands of miles, donned the gold and blue and now more than 100 international students have decided to take their West Virginia University spirit one step further as a member of the Mountaineer Maniacs.

The WVU Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) and Cassie Werner, the director of the Mountaineer Maniacs, are proud to announce that international students from more than 35 countries have joined the organization for the 2009-2010 academic year.

“We are constantly looking for ways to quickly integrate international students into the WVU social community on campus as they arrive for the first time, and what better way can there be than to rely on existing powerhouse student organizations like the Mountaineer Maniacs,” said OISS Director Michael Wilhelm.

Coupled with the addition of international students, maniacs membership is nearing 6,000 members for the first time in WVU history.

“I am really looking forward to seeing how this dynamic can continue to improve the Mountaineer Maniacs as an organization,” Werner said.

The maniacs, the largest student organization on campus, are the official student booster group for Mountaineer athletics. They offer a wide variety of events and opportunities to show school spirit throughout the school year. Members receive a T-shirt, invitations to game watch parties, 20 percent off merchandise and in some cases are guaranteed football tickets.

The maniacs are also very active in the local community and participate in many events including blood drives to support the American Red Cross, the annual United Way fundraising campaign and the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

For more information, visit http://maniacs.wvu.edu.

-WVU-
09/02/09

CONTACT: Michael Wilhelm, Office of International Students and Scholars
304-293-8626, ext.2594, mwilhelm@Mail.wvu.edu

Cassie Werner, Mountaineer Maniacs
Cassandra.Werner@mail.wvu.edu