Couch Burning Is No Longer Encouraged At West Virginia

WVU students burn couches. They burn them because the basketball team won. They burn them because the football team won. They burn them because the football team lost. They burn them because Bin Laden was killed. They burn them because it snowed. WVU students burn couches. It's what they do.

The practice, immortalized in song in generations of carbon patches on the roads of Morgantown, may be nearing an end. Until now, couchburning has been a misdemeanor, with only a $1000 fine to back it up. Now, it'll be a felony arson charge, which carries the possibility of up to three years in prison.

Because this is West Virginia, there's a rhyming educational and awareness campaign. Students will "Learn Not To Burn" from stickers, magnets and flyers around campus, and presumably 3-6 credit hours in the freshman core curriculum.

Morgantown makes couch burning a felony [AP]