Shepherdstown, West Virginia – 89.7 WSHC is excited to enter into a new chapter in Knutti Hall with the appointment of a new Chief Operating Officer. Shepherd University alumna and former WSHC Operations Director Jenna Taylor-Tennant has been named to the role, effective July 1, 2025. She will succeed Mike Hurst, who is stepping away from the station to pursue external opportunities.
Taylor-Tennant brings four years of radio experience to the position, having started at WSHC as a student. She continued her radio journey with award-winning WVRC Media stations: WDZN, WDYK, WKLP, WCMD, WQZK, and WDYK in Cumberland, and WLTF in Martinsburg. After graduating from Shepherd University in 2024, she returned to assist Dr. Kevin Williams with the Radio Practicum course and continued contributing to WSHC’s mission.
“I’m looking forward to student involvement growing as we reach out to our fellow Rams and our community members,” Taylor-Tennant said. “I am very fortunate to have a passionate team of students working hard to improve the station and bring WSHC to a new generation.”
For any questions relating to the radio station, please reach out to Jenna Taylor-Tennant at JTAYL03@shepherd.edu.
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.
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
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.
In the latest Student Government Association (SGA) meeting given to us by our reporter Courtney Blank- The EPTA bus service for students has been a topic of debate in recent times. Shepherd administration has been considering getting rid of EPTA buses. Students have been filling out forms to speak their mind on the EPTA bus service online. The buses, Ram Express and Ram Force One, are ideal modes of transportation for many students on campus.
Reporter Luna Barr has let us know about some big Changes that are set to happen on Shepherd’s Campus, with project completion set for June 1, 2026. Shepherd was awarded a grant of $30 million to be used for big projects. Reporter Luna Barr writes “Roughly $23 million of grant money will be used for a new joint dining/athletics facility. The building’s dimensions will be 52,000 square feet by 13,000 square feet including a 7,900 square foot weight room.
$2 million dollars of the grant money will be put towards residence hall improvements. The remaining $3.5 million will be allocated for field improvements. The BOG meeting also stated In and Out of state tuition is proposed to be raised by 3%. Also, West Virginia House Bill 4654 passed, making Shepherd’s Scarborough Library relocate any sexually explicit material to a separate place.
Our next story is given to us by reporter Elayna Sylvester. As you may have noticed, the bookstore location has been temporarily moved. Relocated to the Potomac Place Classroom, as Elayna highlighted,” [With] Midterms week occurring at the same time, students have expressed concerns.” Taking matters into her own hands to hear from fellow students through on the street interviews. To find out what they said and more, check out the picket’s Instagram @supicketgram where there’s a link tree to our other socials as well. The hours of operation at the bookstore temporary location are Monday through Friday from 9 am to 3pm.
Speaking of the bookstore, Attention all first year and seniors don’t forget to fill out the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE for short) to get entered into a drawing for 1 out of 20 Shepherd University bookstore gift cards. Fill out the survey by Friday, March 21, for a chance to win.
A riveting review given by one of The Picket’s talented writers, Fiona Everline, spotlights The Safety Zone. Put on by Shepherd’s Contemporary Theater Studies program on February 20-23rd with a gameshow style and “commercial breaks,” The Safety Zone delved into as Fiona writes,” skits about fears and scenarios.” Thank you to all the students for amazing performances, helping create a safe space of transparency, and helping put on the show.
One student in particular was under the spotlight as the gameshow host, Avery Copenhaver, also known as Cope, online. Avery is a third-year student here at Shepherd. One of two fellow students covered by Elizabeth Walsh starting their stardom and following their dreams as musicians while pursuing their diplomas.
As well as being a theatre student, Avery also has a thriving music career. He has a single titled In Person out, which is available on all streaming platforms. You can follow him on Spotify, Apple Music, and on TikTok at AV.Cope.
Another student artist is Matt Slavinsky who is a performer and DJ. Matt has almost 15,000 monthly listeners, and his hit “Barstruck” with nearly 400,000 hits on Spotify.
Important Dates
1. Holi (Hol-ie) Festival of Lights- held on the Robert Byrd Science Lawn across from the Student Center at 3pm, this Monday, March 3rd.
2.A memorial event for the deeply missed and beloved Grace Ortega will be happening this Tuesday on March 4th. The memorial will be held in the Phase 2 gallery from 5-6pm. Followed by a Gathering of Remembrance held in the Marinoff Theater.
The kickoff for Day of Giving started February 14th, and will end on March 19th the campaign is aiming to raise $200,000
