In a dark corner of East Campus, not far from Ikenberry itself, lies a building akin in looks to something from the Chernobyl disaster. An empty swimming pool, long drafty hallways, an abandoned gymnasium, and the musty smell of disuse encompass the structure that is still home to two remaining groups: campus police and The Picket.
Despite its honorable title, Sara Cree Hall is on a countdown to destruction.
Built in 1952, Sara Cree Hall has surely seen happier days than its current mode of decay.
According to the university’s master plan, 90 percent of the occupied space in Sara Cree Hall has been mothballed and shut down mechanically; the infrastructure is in disrepair and the building can “no longer serve the long-term needs of the university.”
“The two remaining occupancies should be relocated at the earliest opportunity,” reports the 2014 master plan which “assumes that Sara Cree Hall will be demolished and the remaining functions relocated.”
Unwanted, unaccepted, and useless, Sara Cree bears no likeness to the name that is displayed on its brick exterior.
Sara H. Cree was a prominent physical education professor and initiator for what has now become the women’s intercollegiate athletic program. A humble daughter of cattle farmers, Cree grew up in Carmichael, Penn. and obtained degrees from both West Virginia University and Penn State University. In 1970, Cree was honored as one of the most outstanding educators in America and in 1990 was inducted into the West Virginia University Hall of Fame for Academic and Athletic Excellence. The original wellness center, Sara Cree Hall, was renamed in 1975 after the woman who immensely furthered the education of her students during her time at Shepherd College.
Though Sara Cree Hall is on an ever-shortening demolition list, the exact date of its transformation into rubble is uncertain.
Deborah Judd, vice president for administration and finance, and a member of Shepherd’s budget advisory board, provided insight into Sara Cree’s fate. “We do not have a date to remove Sara Cree… It has been determined that the cost to re-purpose the building would be more than to tear it down and use that space for other items in our facilities master plan,” reported Judd.
According to Judd, several things must take place before Sara Cree can actually be demolished.
First, a new facilities and maintenance building must be constructed on West Campus. After moving the facilities and maintenance offices from their current location behind Ikenberry Hall to the new building on West Campus, the old maintenance structure must be remodeled to fit the needs of both campus police and The Picket. Once remodeled, both groups will be moved from Sara Cree to the new location.
“Many items in our master plan are in a sequential order because doing one allows for the next item to happen,” said Judd.
The demolition of Sara Cree Hall has been on the budget for many years, but due to lack of funds, a new facilities and maintenance building has not yet been built.
So, how do the remaining residents of Sara Cree feel about their forced relocation?
John McAvoy, chief of campus police, stated, “I like where the office is now, and I am sure if we are ever moved, the new location would work just as well. The officers are out around campus most of the time and the office is mostly used for parking and business matters.”
Chelsea DeMello, editor-in-chief at The Picket, believes The Picket should be easily accessible to the student body. “A lot of students don’t even know where we are located, and that is a shame. We should not be hidden. As the voice of the student body, we should be easily accessible to any student on campus,” said DeMello.
In its current form, the old maintenance and facilities building seems as though it may meet the needs of campus police. However, The Picket’s fit in such a building is questionable.
Dow Benedict, dean of the school of arts and humanities, has faith that the master plan’s choice to relocate to the old maintenance building will work; however, he also sees better alternatives that may not be feasible for the University at this time.
“I do see some great possibilities with the current facilities building. It actually has far more space than most realize and, with the right redesign, could become a great space,” stated Benedict.
“Personally, I would love to see a new College Center (Student Center) that would include space for both The Picket and WHSC (Student Radio). Placing them in the center of campus activity and a gathering space would increase the profile of both and, to my thinking, make our campus stronger and more vibrant,” said Benedict. “While I would love to see this happen soon, I am not sure it can happen now. State regulations, as I understand them, prevent us from using state funding for non-classroom buildings. That means we can only build a Campus Center with money we raise. We can use funds from bonds as we did for the apartments and the Wellness Center and we can try to find a donor or donors.”
According to Thomas Segar, vice president for student affairs, the facilities master plan actually places The Picket right where Dow Benedict, Chelsea DeMello and many others want it: in the Student Center.
“The master plan states that the University Police and The Picket Office will be relocated to the existing Facilities Management building after Facilities Management is relocated to a proposed new facility on West Campus. There are no established plans in place to execute this aspect of the facilities master plan at this time. I cannot stress this enough,” said Segar.
Segar pointed to an opposing statement in the facilities master plan that states, “The Picket will be permanently placed in a new and larger Student Center.”
“I think this is a great place for our school newspaper,” said Segar. “The existing Student Center does not have the space to accommodate The Picket or any additional offices.”
But, the big question still remains. Where will The Picket live?
Exiled to a facilities building in the master plan and committed to a currently unattainable Student Center in the facilities master plan, The Picket presently has no reasonable option.
So it remains here at the end of a shadowy hallway, in a building booked for destruction, the student voice cries out from the darkness.
Will it be heard?
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