WVU marching band alumni disappointed over university’s new plan to build practice field off campus

MORGANTOWN, Wv. — The West Virginia Mountaineers are set to kick off their Bowl Game Wednesday night in Charlotte. But a staple to the football games is the marching band, “The Pride of West Virginia.”

“People who started out in the marching band are now the directors at major university bands all over the country — South Carolina, University of Cincinnati, Auburn,” said John McPherson, who’s a WVU Band Alum living in Pittsburgh.

The one thing this group of over 300 music players has never had is a practice field on campus. Currently, the band uses the parking lot of the Coliseum to rehearse. It’s something the alumni wanted to change.

“We decided we would raise money ourselves for a Pride of West Virginia Practice Facility that we could give to the band,” McPherson said.

It was time to build after $1.5 million was raised. The architectural renderings from the University showed the facility right by the Coliseum on campus, but that’s now changed.

“They will get a field, but it won’t be on campus. It’s going to five miles away at a private recreational facility,” McPherson said.

McPherson told Channel 11 he and a group of alumni who worked to get these funds are upset as the band is a class and the university has no plans at the moment to even provide transportation for the students, which he believes will limit the amount of participation.

“We firmly believe a class should be on campus,” McPherson said.

Channel 11 reached out to the University and WVU Foundation about the location change and Bill Nevin with Donor Engagement gave the following statement.

“On behalf of the WVU College of Creative Arts, the Foundation commenced fundraising efforts to support the construction of a much-needed practice facility for the WVU Marching Band approximately four years ago. At that time, the Foundation was informed by WVU that the facility would be constructed at the former WVU baseball complex known as “Hawley Field”, and the Foundation conducted its fundraising efforts accordingly. Recently, we were informed that WVU has determined to construct its practice facility at a location other than Hawley Field. None of the Foundation’s fundraising activities have been conducted under false pretenses.”

Nevin did confirm that the Foundation is allowing donors to get their funds back if they are not happy with the location change or have the money benefit the marching band in other ways.

“Band is family, you want the very best you can get for your family and you want the next generation to do better and better but suddenly you find the current generation is having that dream taken away from them that hurts and you fight against it,” McPherson said.

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