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West Liberty University students to room at Oglebay

A PLACE TO STAY — Richard Lucas, left, president of the West Liberty University Board of Governors; WLU President Stephen Greiner; and David Lindelow, president and CEO of Oglebay Park and the Wheeling Park Commission stand together Wednesday at Wilson Lodge following an announcement WLU students will be staying there this semester. (Photo by Joselyn King)

WHEELING — Thirty-five West Liberty University students will live the fall semester at Oglebay Park’s Wilson Lodge while enjoying amenities the park has to offer in between classes.

Oglebay Park and WLU announced a partnership Wednesday that permitted the WLU students to move into the Chalet Rooms and Kline Wing at Oglebay Park, and they did so on Sunday, according to WLU President Stephen Greiner.

In return, WLU’s digital streaming platform, the Topper Station, will promote Oglebay Park on Channel 14 as part of a discounted room rate deal.

The need for additional rooms for WLU students became necessary this summer as many students requested single rooms amid concerns of the spread of COVID-19.

The WLU is about seven miles from Oglebay Park, administrators calculated. The WLU Foundation has agreed to cover fuel costs for students commuting between the park and campus.

Students staying at the resort are permitted to use Oglebay Park’s pool through Labor Day weekend, and maid service, fresh towels and bed linens are standard with the rooms.

The students, though, still will be taking their meals through the WLU cafeteria.

Oglebay Park will offer the parents of any students being housed at Wilson Lodge a special rate if they wish to visit and stay there.

WLU’s fall semester had been adjusted to end at the start of the Thanksgiving break, and the students are expected to remain at Wilson Lodge through that time.

WLU is presently constructing additional student housing on campus, and it should be completed before students return for the spring semester, Greiner said.

“Since mid-March — when we sent students home because of the COVID crisis — we have been planning for the fall,” he said. “We anticipated we would see a reduction in the number of students wanting to live on campus, while actually the opposite occurred.

“We found out we were going to be full. Every room was going to be occupied, and there was going to be students on a waiting list for rooms. We had a dilemma.”

He said WLU next turned to Oglebay Park, a long-time partner. WLU business students do internships at the park, while zoo science students get hands-on learning at the Good Zoo.

“It was a no-brainer for them,” Greiner said. “They just said, ‘How can we help?'”

Oglebay Park officials said the opportunity to assist WLU came at an opportune time — the “sandwich time” in between summer activities at the park and the start of the annual Festival of Lights there.

The rooms for students are available at this time, they said.

“It has been an interesting challenge to say the least, but it is something our staff has embraced very quickly,” said Herb Faulkenberry, vice president of sales and marketing at Oglebay Park. “We’re pleased to have the opportunity to welcome the students, and to work hand in hand with our great partner — West Liberty University.”

David Lindelow, president and CEO of Oglebay Park and the Wheeling Park Commission, termed both WLU and Oglebay Park “great institutions.”

“It’s a time when we really need to support each other,” Lindelow said. “We are both in Ohio County and the city of Wheeling, and anything we can do to help out we believe it is part of our primary mission.

“If this is an opportunity to support West Liberty in the short term while we come to learn what this crisis means for all of us, we’re happy to do that.”

WLU will offer all virtual instruction during the first week of classes, according to Greiner. Once the first round of COVID-19 testing is completed on campus this could change, he said.

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