SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. (WDVM) — Back in April, Congress decided to reinstate Congressionally Directed Spending for the Fiscal Year 2022, and Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia could be receiving almost $6.8 million dollars after Senator Shelley Moore Capito earmarked $242 million dollars for the Mountain State.

On the itemized request list released by Senator Moore Capito’s office, Shepherd University plans to use the funding for 7 projects ranging from infrastructure projects to improving technology on the campus. 

  • Dual enrollment hub sites – $111,000
  • Shepherd university campus security upgrades – Shepherd University Police Department – $4,000,000
  • Equipment and technology upgrades – $36,000
  • Student services – $70,000
  • Technology and equipment to improve broadband access – $135,000
  • Shepherd University east loop: environmental remediation and demolition – $1,475,000
  • Shepherd University east loop: gateway entrance – $936,000

Shepherd University plans to use around $4 million dollars of their almost $7 million dollars for campus security upgrades. However, that doesn’t just mean increasing campus police presence around the school grounds. Funds could be used to make areas of campus safer for both students and visitors by improving lighting or upgrading technology used by campus police to improve overall security.

Kate Warren is a sophomore music major at Shepherd and hopes the funding can be used to update the infrastructure and safety around campus. She says that lights leading from the main campus to the dorm buildings are often out, a problem the sophomore finds very concerning. She also hopes the school will implement more safety measures across campus like call buttons.

“Having call buttons around campus so that we don’t have to have the SUPD number on our phones, so that if we don’t want to walk alone from the other side of campus back to the dorms because they are on two separate sides,” Warren explained. “So, make sure that campus is going to be a safe place for us especially if we don’t feel safe at night.”

Warren also hopes the university will address the dated technology across campus especially within her major. She explained that certain programs necessary to complete coursework for her Music Education major are unable to run properly on the dated computers in the technology lab.

The funding is not yet finalized as Congress must review the requests made by all senators for the Fiscal Year 2022.