On this episode of Community Spotlight, Jenna sits down with Tara Zabriskie, president of the Brunswick Arts Council, to talk about their upcoming event, BAM! (Brunswick Art Market). This is the second art market hosted by the Brunswick Arts Council (BAC), the first having been in December. The BAC is very new, having just started in October of 2024. The best way to get involved is by attending their monthly meeting on the second Saturday of every month at 10 a.m. at the Brunswick Branch Library.
The art market will feature over 30 vendors, including authors, craftsmen, photographers, and jewelers. There will be a craft table specifically for children, allowing them to experience the art hands-on. There will be a juggler for a portion of the day and local musicians.
After the BAM!, don’t forget about the afterparty from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Smoketown Brewing Station. Local band Living Fossils will be performing, capping off another great BAM!
In a March SGA meeting, members of the Student Government Association outlined blueprints and concept designs for the proposed dining hall/multipurpose facility that will be built on Shepherd University’s West Campus.
The building will house meeting rooms, locker rooms, training and treatment rooms, offices, and a state-of-the-art weight room that will accommodate the athletic department. Along with this, the building will feature a new dining hall to offer more dining options to students living on campus.
According to Hans Fogel, Executive Director of University Communications, moving forward with the construction of the new dining hall/ multipurpose building aligns with Shepherd’s “strategic plan” to give students on west campus more dining options and to meet the needs of student athletes.
Shepherd University’s School of Music will offer summer camps again this year. The camps include a one-level string orchestra camp and a two-level jazz camp that will run concurrently from June 23 to June 27. A junior string camp is open to intermediate-level string musicians in grades 3-12 for the current academic year and to intermediate adult musicians. All students should have basic note-reading skills. The cost is $150.
Junior and senior jazz camps are also available, with students in grades 6-8 during the 2024-2025 academic year invited to junior camp and students currently in grades 9-12 invited to the senior level camp. Both levels include jazz band rehearsals, individual and group coaching, combo/improvisation classes, theory classes, and faculty performances. Senior camp also includes master classes. Both camps conclude with concerts on June 27 and cost $310. All three camps culminate with concerts on June 27. To learn more or to register, visit www.shepherd.edu/musiccamp.
Shepherd University students in the Stubblefield Institute Civility Club selected one student, one staff member, and one faculty member to recognize for their dedication to civility on the Shepherd University campus. This year’s student awardee is Joshua Molina; the staff awardee is Rachael Meads, director of Student Activities; and the faculty awardee is Dr. Craig Cline, associate professor of Social Work. These individuals engage in constructive interactions, show respect despite disagreement, and inspire others to be civil.
A Student Government Association meeting took place on March 25. SGA applications ended on April 4. Shepherd Students had the chance to vote on Rampulse. Nobody applied for the Junior and Sophomore Class President position or the Student Life Council position. Those spots will be appointed by the President and Vice President. The applications for the SGA Executive Board will remain open until April 7.
As fellow reporter Courtney Blank writes, “In April, the Rude Mechanicals are performing four plays. One is Hrothsvita’s The Conversation of Thaïs. The other three were written by Shepherd students from Dr. Carrie Messenger’s Creative Writing: Drama Class. Rachel Carroll wrote Earth Boys are Easy. Caitlin Carson wrote The Galathea Effect. Hannah Tinsman wrote Blood and Garlic. There will be performances on April 4 and 5, as well as April 9 through the 12 at 7:30 pm. There will be a performance on April 6 and April 14 at 3:00 pm.”
A recent string of hot dog-themed vandalism has taken place in parking lots across campus. Users have been posting to location-based, anonymous site, YikYak, photos of their cars, hotdogs skewered on antennas. One user even posted where The Mystery Meat Marauder had taken a bite out of the sausage before placing it on the user’s car. Rain or shine, parking lot to parking lot, hot dogs continue to appear on people’s personal vehicles. Contact the Shepherd Picket Newspaper with tips.
Author Denise Giardina will be talking about her novel, “Saints and Villains,” on Tuesday, April 8 from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Robert Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education Auditorium.
Hannah Williams-McNamee, director of Student Support and Transfer Pathways, announced on April 2 that the next selection for the Shepherd University Common Reading Program is Black Bear Creek: Stories by Shepherd English alumnus Dr. Joshua Cross. Cross is the first Shepherd graduate whose book will serve as a common reading selection at the University.
Set in the fictionalized town of Black Bear Creek in West Virginia’s Coal River Valley, the book explores a community that has been ravaged by the declining mining industry. The characters in Cross’ debut story collection struggle to survive against poverty and environmental degradation; ultimately, they find ways to have hope and resistance.
Sutton, who graduated from Shepherd in 2019, is now a contemporary adult fiction writer based in Colorado. She published her debut novel, “Running Out of Air,” in November 2024 through HarperCollins Publishers.
Wicked will be screening at the Shepherdstown Opera House on Thursday, April 3. The Opera House is located on 131 West German Street. Admission is free for the first 50 Shepherd Students. Non-Students can get in for $13.
The Bookstore is reopening in the Student Center on Monday, April 7. In the meantime, scantrons and Greenbooks will be available in Ram’s Den at the information center.
Scheduling for the Fall 2025 semester starts on April 7th.
On Saturday, April 12, the Relay For Life event will be taking place in the Wellness Center Parking lot. Parking will be available in H-Lot for participants.
Friday, April 4, the Stubblefield Institute will host their annual Civility Ball in the Storer Ballroom from 7p-9p
From March 9th to the 19th Alternative Spring Break happened. This annual initiative lets Shepherd students engage in a week-long service program during spring break. This year, the group partnered with the Appalachia Service Project, an organization dedicated to home repair and replacement in Central Appalachia.
Students traveled to Jonesville, Virginia, where they worked to improve the living conditions; tackling critical home repair projects, including installing new flooring, plumbing, insulation, and underpinning the home to provide a safer and more stable living environment.
Shepherd University invites the community to participate in this year’s Relay for Life on April 12 at noon. The University and Jefferson County are again partnering to host the event through the American Cancer Society (ACS). ACS provides resources to cancer patients and their families. Come enjoy, engaging with Shepherd students and community members who will be hosting fund-raisers and fun activities around the Relay track.
Funds raised through Relay for Life events help provide money for critical cancer research. Participants will also experience local food trucks, engage in fundraising, and experience educational activities. Members of the community will be walking laps in honor, memory, and support of our friends and family who have or have had cancer.
Important Events:
On Monday, March 24, Pizza and Politics will be happening in the Cumberland Room in the Student Center from 4 to 5 pm.
Greek Week will take place this week, starting March 24. This is open to all campus co-curriculars and organizations as well as Greek Life.
On Feb 27, the Shepherd University Student Government Association and student volunteers worked on taking out furniture in the Little House to begin the process of removing lead paint from its walls.
“Hopefully the Little House will be open again later this Spring. We’re aiming for April,” said SGA Communications Director Joanna Schoonover.
The team of both students and staff worked on removing the furniture, assessing it for future use, and making sure the interior of the house was clean. The furniture of the Little House is being stored in the basement of Eric’s accounting firm, CMI2, previously the old HR Building.
A number of SGA officer positions have been open for application since Feb. 28. All the following positions are open: SGA President, SGA Vice President, Senior Class President, Junior Class President, Sophomore Class President, Transfer Senator, Resident Senator, Commuter Senator, SLC Representative.
“Serving on the SGA is a great way to represent your fellow students and advocate for their needs and concerns, build leadership skills, and become more involved on campus,” stated the email sent by Student Affairs.
The deadline for most applications is March 18. However, Communications Director, Campus Relations Officer, Treasurer and Parliamentarian positions will remain open until April 7.
Shepherd’s annual Day of Giving will take place on March 19. Organizations that wish to participate should make a custodial account soon through the Shepherd Foundation. If a group is not sure if they have a custodial account, they should contact the Director of Donor Engagement and Strategic Initiatives Meg Patterson. Organizations that wish to make a video to promote their group should do so before March 19 to get it approved by the Shepherd Foundation.
Our very own reporter, Luna Barr, sat down with renowned local business owner, Garth of LostDogCoffee. Check our website to see the article and listen to the full interview.
This past weekend, at the Butcher Center, the Shepherd Men’s Basketball Team hosted the PSAC playoffs. The basketball teams played a great season and enjoyed this opportunity to open their court to the rest of the conference.
Important Dates
Shepherd University’s spring break is this week, March 10th through March 14th.
The Blessings Closet will host a Prom Dress Giveaway on March 22, 2025.
Join Avery Cope as he talks music, life, and growing popularity every Friday at 11. From his own music to larger artists known nation wide, Avery brings his own perspective to the current world. Each week, Avery brings on a new guest to talk life and Shepherdstown happenings. Be sure to tune in on 89.7 WSHC, the WSHC website, or even Avery’s TikTok, AV.Cope.
Rhythm Roulette is a music-heavy show focused on highlighting and understanding the many different types of music created throughout various decades through a fun, witty, and thoughtful deep-dive. At the beginning of each week, listeners will experience the spinning of the rhythmic roulette wheel that chooses the decade and genre for that week’s show. Each week, Elayna focuses on fun facts pertaining to the decade, artist, and trends happening during that week’s decade. This show takes listeners through the historical setting(s), the music scene, where the bands/artists are now, and present-day bands/artists who have a similar sound.
Covering News from three different series of motorsports, Formula One, World Rally Championship/American Rally Association, motorsports-related TV/movies and throwback races from all three series. In between segments is music that drivers are known to listen to before the races start, also known as their “Hype Music.” Join Liz on this wild ride of international racing.
Club Carter transports you to a gay club on Thursday afternoons in an attempt to escape the monotony of the workweek. Every week there will be a quick rundown of celebrity of gossip à la Wendy Williams. Club Carter is camp; Club Carter is clumsy; Club Carter is C U Next Thursday.
