ISSUED: 3 September 2014
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s debate team and student newspaper have new advisors this year. Dr. Joseph W. Robbins, assistant professor of political science, is taking over as debate team advisor, and Joyce Barrett of Winchester, Virginia, will serve as Picket advisor.
Robbins said he is looking forward to working with the debate team.
“I am very excited about this opportunity and particularly enthusiastic about working with the promising group students we have this semester,” Robbins said. “There is an array of events in which our students will participate, thus providing ample opportunities for students to find something that really appeals to them.”
Robbins has served as a judge for Lincoln-Douglas debates, and is currently a member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Forensic Association’s executive board. The debate team is open to any Shepherd major and he encourages interested students to join.
Barrett will advise The Picket and teach the journalism practicum class. She has served as an international media trainer and spent more than 20 years as a newspaper reporter and editor in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina.
The Picket is Shepherd’s weekly student-run newspaper. Students are encouraged to apply for jobs with the paper, which include writing, photography, layout and design, and marketing.
— 30 —