The Breeze 2.15.24 by The Breeze

The Breeze JMU’s award-winning newspaper since 1922

February 15, 2024 VOL. 102 NO.19 BREEZEJMU.ORG

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

Vol. 102, No. 19

The impact of alumni giving is all around you at JMU. In addition to tuition and state funding, donations of all sizes make JMU the place we know and love. Giving Day is an opportunity to show gratitude for members of the JMU community who “Give Like a Duke.”

THURSDAY, FEB. 22 Special stuff for you >

Visit Giving Day Headquarters.

Write a few thank you notes and get some JMU swag at Leeolou Alumni Center’s Great Room from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Stop by a cookie station.

Grab a sweet treat and learn what makes your Madison Experience complete!

Find a hidden “Mad Money” box.

Students that find a box get to keep the JMU swag and pick which fund receives a donation.

GIving Day 2024 theme text

Enjoy Late Night Breakfast.

University leaders will serve breakfast from 10 - 12 p.m. Stay for a special midnight celebration.

Vol. 102, No. 19

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

On the cover This week’s front page story highlights 7 Brew, Harrisonburg’s newest coffee spot. Regional and operations manager Turner Garza said he wanted Harrisonburg to be home to the first 7 Brew location in Virginia because it reminded him of his hometown, Bentonville, Arkansas. Although Garza was nervous about the traction the spot would get in a relatively small town like Harrisonburg, he was quickly reassured. Between mailing out coupons to off-campus housing and partnering with the sorority Phi Mu, 7 Brew is doing about double the business it did when it first opened in November, Garza said. One employee, Emma Post, described the 7 Brew environment as an “eclectic melting pot,” and others noted it’s positive work place.

What’s inside...

For the full story on 7 Brew, see page 10. For more 7 Brew photos, see page 21.

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Sophomore attacker Maddie Epke skies for a loose ball in No. 3 JMU lacrosse’s 17-5 win over Virginia Tech on Wednesday. The Dukes, now 2-0, will look to maintain momentum in a neutral-site contest against No. 24 UConn (0-1) in Sparks, Maryland, on Saturday. Kimberly Aikens / The Breeze For more on JMU’s win, check out the recap on page 14.

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JMU’S AWARD-WINNING NEWSPAPER SINCE 1922

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MISSION The Breeze, the student-run newspaper of James Madison University, serves student, faculty and staff readership by reporting news involving the campus and local community. The Breeze strives to be impartial and fair in its reporting and firmly believes in First Amendment rights. Published on Thursday mornings, The Breeze is distributed throughout James Madison University and the local Harrisonburg community. Single copies of The Breeze are distributed free of charge. Additional copies are available for 50 cents by contacting our business office. Comments and complaints should be addressed to Grant Johnson, editor.

NEWS

EDITORS Eleanor Shaw & K. Mauser

EMAIL breezenews@gmail.com

@BreezeNewsJMU

Sexually explicit materials still present in RCPS despite book removals Read more about RCPS book bans here

Students, teachers and parents gathered in Court Square Theater on Feb. 3 and took turns on stage addressing fellow protesters about their distaste for the book bans. Photos by Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

By K. MAUSER The Breeze

What brought us here? Eleanor Shaw / The Breeze

Despite a push to protect children from sexually explicit content through the temporary removal of 57 books in January, Rockingham County Public Schools (RCPS) still uses sexually explicit materials in its curriculum, according to RCPS’ “List of Sexually Explicit Materials.” During a work session held Jan. 30 to discuss future plans for a book removal policy, District 5 Representative Hollie Cave said each book removed from RCPS library shelves last month exhibited some form of “sexually explicit” content and cited Section 2.2-2827 of the Code of Virginia when defining what constitutes sexually explicit material. “We’re responsible for everybody that’s less than 18,” Cave said at the work session. While the school board has stood by its position that children should be protected from sexually explicit material, specifically within school libraries, RCPS students, librarians and community members objected to the board’s removal of 57 books because there are still sexually explicit materials on the shelves — not only in libraries but also in classrooms.

RCPS’ reconsideration policy procedure

Historically, policy IIAC — the county’s media reconsideration policy — “has been used in the past for library book challenges,” school board representatives Matt Cross and Sara Horst wrote in a statement to parents in January explaining the board’s decision to temporarily remove a list of books from public schools. They added that there was no policy solely for library books, which is what compelled the board to quickly remove these books for their sexually explicit content. Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) “Model Policies” for Virginia schools emphasized the notification of parents if sexually explicit materials are being used during instruction, but Cross and Horst wrote that these policies did not extend

to library materials. Rather than notify parents of the sexually explicit material found in these books — as modeled by the “List of Explicit Materials” sent to all parents — the board removed them entirely and indefinitely. Sandra Parks, a retired librarian whose children attended Rockingham County schools, said RCPS has used policy IIAC to review both library books and other media for decades. “Every school division has a reconsideration policy,” Parks said. “Rockingham has one; they chose not to use it.” The reconsideration policy procedure begins with the opportunity for the parent, principal and librarian to discuss the challenged material. Then, a media complaint form is filed, and a committee of six members is created to review the material in question. If no conclusion can be reached, the superintendent must then propose a solution, which, if not accepted, is taken to the school board. Policy IIAC states “once the formal complaint has been filed, the principal shall convene and chair a committee including two patrons and three staff members to review the material in question to see if it conforms to the County textbook/materials selection policies.” This challenges Cross’ statement during the Jan. 30 work session, when he said only the librarian of each school decides whether to remove materials from schools, and that schools “need to have more than just one person’s thoughts or feelings” on what is “acceptable” for the community. At the bottom of the media complaint form, there is a list of possible actions the school may take to resolve the issue, one being “do not allow my child to sign it out of the library or use it any time during school,” which Parks said is a clear indicator that policy IIAC was intended to be used for library books. “The standard … is that the book not be taken off the shelf during the reconsideration process,” Parks said. “That would allow parents to tie up books without actually banning them.”

NEWS

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

ABOVE: Attendees at the protest told The Breeze their main gripe with the book ban is it “so obviously” works against certain groups, specifically the LGBTQ+ community. BELOW: Caitlin Morris, a junior at Spotswood High School, organized the presentation and rally.

Follow the QR code for updates on the developing story

In case you missed it... Implications of book removal

Ashley Pérez, former English teacher and author of the removed book “Out of Darkness,” said RCPS’ temporary book removal puts the quality of each child’s education at stake. “‘Out of Darkness,’ like literature more broadly, engages with the whole complex reality of human experience,” Pérez said. “That includes racism; that includes violence.” The temporary removal of her book follows the “pattern” across America of school systems citing sexual content as their concern but also censoring themes such as racism, civil rights or LGBTQ+ relationships, Pérez said. She also said most of the temporarily removed books passed the Miller test, a set of standards determined by Miller v. California in 1973 that determine whether something is obscene. For a work to be obscene, it must meet all three requirements: the average person, considering the contemporary community standards of an area, is influenced by this work; the work is patently offensive as defined by state law; and the work lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value, according to the case’s record on Oyez. Cave said none of the 57 books removed, when taken as a whole, exhibited serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for juveniles, which is why they were considered obscene and taken off the shelves. Contrarily, Pérez said she believes RCPS is ignoring this “clear legal framework” for

determining whether a work is obscene or pornographic, and added that because the removed library books do all contain scientific, literary, artistic or political value when taken as a whole, she thinks the term “obscene” should not be applied to them. “The fact that it has a diagram of reproductive organs, or it has a sex scene, does not make it pornographic,” Pérez said.

Students object to ban criteria

Caitlin Morris, a junior at Spotswood High School who organized a presentation and rally in protest of the RCPS temporary book removal on Feb. 3, said the books the county chose to take off shelves are “so obviously” working against certain groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community. She said the book “Twilight,” which has graphic sexual imagery throughout the series, remained on the shelf of Spotswood’s library, while other books with much less obscenity were removed from all shelves. “If we’re using the same guideline [to remove books], why would we not use it for every book?” Morris asked. “And if this is the start of that policy being created — where we’re using this guideline for every book — why did we start with these topics?” CONTACT K. Mauser at breezenews@ gmail.com. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @BreezeNewsJMU.

By ELEANOR SHAW The Breeze

Sophomore Teagan Sloan received a text just after 9:10 a.m. from the JMU Police Department that said her car, parked in the R13 student lot across the street from Memorial Hall, was totaled earlier that Friday morning. Harrisonburg Director of Communications Mike Parks said a driver traveling northbound on South High Street lost control of their vehicle around 3:37 a.m. and veered into the R13 parking lot. The driver first struck a road sign, then wrecked five parked cars, including Sloan’s vehicle. Parks said the driver was not a student, had not been drinking and was not injured in the incident. The driver was charged by JMU PD with failure to maintain control of their vehicle, he said. Sloan said she read JMU PD’s text at 10 a.m. and walked to the parking lot soon after. She said there was “so much debris” left from the car that had caused the collision, including the driver’s license plate. After arriving at the parking lot, Sloan said she spoke with two JMU PD officers who described what happened and said the license plate identified the driver. “They explained how the cars had been lined up and were hit, and that it had been a hit-andrun situation,” Sloan said. “My car was probably the fifth car that had gotten hit and had gotten

pinned between two other cars.” Sloan said the officers were “very helpful,” and her vehicle has since been removed by her insurance company. “I’m just trying to focus on is that it could have been a lot worse,” Sloan said. “I’m just glad that no one was hurt.” Want to know more? Track this developing story at the QR code below. CONTACT Eleanor Shaw at breezenews@ gmail.com. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @BreezeNewsJMU.

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

NEWS

Students to develop software through worksite internship in Northern Va. By ABBY CHAMOT The Breeze

JMU’s X-Labs, a center for engaged interdisciplinary research, partnered with the global education technology company Ellucian to create a pilot internship program that leads students to develop a software. Ten students with varying majors and years form the “Reimagined Internship,” which gives students the opportunity to solve “realworld problems through courses, fellowships, workshops, and other initiatives,” according to the X-Labs website. Each student is enrolled in a prep course this semester through JMU to prepare them for the internship. After the semester’s end, the in-person, paid opportunity will take place in Reston, Virginia. “The unique part of the Reimagined Internship is that the students form a team from the moment they’re selected for the internship,” X-Labs Executive Director Connie Frigo said. The team consists of two product managers, four developers, two designers, one ethicist and one storyteller. This team takes the prep course to consult the challenge it will face and learn about Ellucian, Frigo said. The roles are selected from majors and students' chosen paths, from computer science to media arts and design. Students enrolled in the course will learn from their peers, who have different backgrounds of

knowledge due to the diverse range of applicants accepted from various majors. “I think we’re already being exposed to each other’s different ways of thinking,” junior Bonnie Pohland said. “I think that unique perspective is really important in a team-based project like this.” The team will collaborate with Ellucian employees and learn how the company works by meeting staff who speak to the group throughout the semester, Frigo said. This is to ensure students understand the company and are comfortable at Ellucian before they begin their internship, so they can hit the ground running. “It always comes down to communication and collaboration,” said Bill Blackford, vice president of global talent acquisition at Ellucian. “That’s another reason for creating this space, because it’s really serving as a forcing function to create a real-world experience.” Blackford said he wants students to enter the program with creativity in mind, supplemented by initiative, curiosity and high energy. Students will have problems thrown at them and need to possess the skills to solve them, he said. Blackford said he also wants students to feel enabled and empowered through their different levels of experience and said students can contribute the same ideas. The application process for the internship was selective, beginning with 73 applicants.

Twenty-seven people recieved in-person interviews; 10 were called back by the end of December, Frigo said. Frigo said the chosen students possess a desire to learn and a growth mindset. “I think sitting there, realizing that we’re all going towards one mission, is really the purpose I realized,” said senior Hamid Elias, a member of the intern team. “I think it definitely

grew on me more, and seeing that I do need to collaborate with people that are different than me." CONTACT Abby Chamot at chamotar@ dukes.jmu.edu. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @BreezeNewsJMU.

Out of 73 applicants for the X-Labs internship, only 10 students were selected. Abby Chamot / The Breeze

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Vol. 102, No. 19

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

NEWS

JMU welcomes 2 students from Africa into new refugee program

U.S. Department of State-led initiative to debut on campus in the fall By K. MAUSER & LIBBY ADDISON The Breeze

In the fall, JMU will welcome two East African refugees, who will enroll as part of a new program run by the U.S. Department of State designed to help some students access higher education and resettlement. University communications spokesperson Eric Gorton first announced JMU was accepted into the “Welcome Corps on Campus” program in a press release on Feb. 8. Religion professor Christina Kilby, who has been “very involved” in the program, said JMU is one of the cohort of schools enrolled in it; the full list is yet to be revealed. Kilby said she’s been working for years with the university to “participate in meaningful ways to the displacement crisis.” She said the students will be considered freshmen and will meet a private sponsor group of at least five faculty members and staff volunteers who will take care of their government paperwork and provide them with educational resources, such as laptops and clothes. Last year, JMU became a chapter of Every Campus a Refuge (ECAR), which is a program created to assist refugees in resettlement. Since then, Kilby said the new Welcome Corps on Campus program caught the university’s attention when it was initially announced by the U.S. Department of State in January. “It’s very much a way for JMU to be a national leader,” Kilby said. Although the list of universities participating in Welcome Corps on Campus has yet to be published, Kilby said she knows Virginia Tech is participating, and added she’s “excited about collaborating with them.” Ma n y y o u n g p e o p l e e n c o u nt e r i n g displacement want to continue education, Kilby said, but cannot enroll in a university or college. Only 7% of refugees have access to higher education, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Junior communication studies major Kildea McMahon said in an email that opportunities to study among different cultures, such as her experience abroad in Ireland, helped her personal and academic growth by allowing her

to get out of her comfort zone to experience something new. McMahon participated in the “Communication, Conflict, and Culture” study abroad program in May through her major. “I’ve gained a lot more insight into the culture and history of Ireland,” McMahon said in the email. “Although I have an Irish background, I’d never been to Ireland and wasn’t very knowledgeable about its history prior to this course.” McMahon said she wasn’t able to speak to her family often while abroad because of the different time zones — something that the two incoming students may struggle with while at JMU. “I made an effort to speak to them when I could and put most of my energy into the experience,” McMahon said. Kilby said she’s excited for JMU to benefit from the African students’ global perspectives on campus and hopes it’s a chance to bring more global issues into the university’s curriculum. “There are lots of really cool opportunities on the horizon,” she said. Kilby said most refugees can’t leave their camp to work or to attend college, and that being a part of the Welcome Corps on Campus program will “change their lives.” “We’re doing our little part in our corner of higher education to be part of the solution,” Kilby said. CONTACT K. Mauser at breezenews@gmail. com and Libby Addison at addisoen@dukes. jmu.edu. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @BreezeNewsJMU.

JMU has raised awareness for the refugee crisis in the past. “Anon(ymous),” a play about a refugee's journey to America, took place at the Forbes Studio Theatre in the fall. Photo courtesy of Alex Tuszynski

“We’re doing our little part in our corner of higher education to be part of the solution.” Christina Kilby, religion professor

Kilby said many young people encountering displacement want to continue their education after high school but cannot enroll in a university or college. Only 7% of refugees have access to higher education, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Breeze file graphic

NEWS

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

SGA approves over $5,600 for African Student Organization Decision comes after Senate approved $20,000 in funding at last meeting By K. MAUSER The Breeze

CentralValleyHabitat.org/ReStore

J M U ’s S t u d e n t G o v e r n m e n t Association (SGA) Senate unanimously approved a program grant request of $5,603.18 on Tuesday to go toward “Taste of Africa,” a “banquet-style showcase” of African fashion, cuisine, music and dance hosted by the African Student Organization (ASO). This comes after the SGA approved over $20,000 in student organization funding and grants for Chabad House, Student Ambassadors, Madison Consulting Club, JMU Anime Club and Relay for Life on Feb. 6. Before hearing funding requests on Tuesday, the SGA had used $30,000 of its program grants fund — 60% of its budget — leaving $20,000 available for program grants. It had also used $29,101 of its contingency funds — 60.6% of the budget — leaving $18,899 available for Senior Executive Treasurer Matt Haynicz presented the request for program grant funds on behalf of ASO because its representative could not

make the meeting. He said ASO had already fundraised $396.82 out of the total $6,000 needed to hold the event. Haynicz said ASO has 25 due-paying members who hope to bring “diversity and awareness of African culture” to JMU with this event. “They put in a lot of time and effort to find a good venue for Taste of Africa,” he said. Like in years past, the event will be held in the Union Ballroom from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Haynicz said, adding that the event has historically welcomed an average of about 200 people composed of students, faculty, family and friends. “This is a pretty big event,” senior Sen. Zach Fox said in support of the request. “I think it’s important to have 200 attendees, especially [at an event] that has a lot of cultural expression.” CONTACT K. Mauser at breezenews@ gmail.com. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @BreezeNewsJMU.

SHOP.

Taste of Africa will be held in the Union Ballroom and has historically welcomed an average of about 200 guests. K. Mauser / The Breeze

e Abb eez y Pare des / The Br

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CULTURE

EDITORS Morgan Blair & Evan Moody

EMAIL thebreezeculture@gmail.com

@Breeze_Culture

‘Eclectic melting pot’: 7 Brew cultivates kindness in Friendly City By KAIDEN BRIDGES The Breeze

Regional and operations manager Turner Garza beats the sun most mornings, waking up around 4 a.m. to hit the road. Getting to work around 5:30 a.m., he arrives at the franchise he’s called home since 2019 — greeted with a brightly lit drive-thru coffee stand, loud music and coworkers grinning from ear to ear. While Garza knows it will be another day of making a vast variety of drinks for people, he also knows 7 Brew is not an ordinary midday coffee pitstop. While he’s there, it’s more about “cultivating kindness” to 7 Brew’s customers and the JMU and Harrisonburg communities. “The drinks are good,” he said, “but it’s the people that are there that make it completely different.” With 191 stands and a plan to continue growing, 7 Brew has stretched across the nation providing avid caffeine drinkers a variety of beverages with over 20,000 flavor combinations. At 7 Brew, customers can choose from smoothies, coffees, teas, milkshakes, flavored “fizzes” — with its own brand of energy drinks called “Seven energy” — and sparkling water.

Early inroads

7 Brew, which was founded in 2017, celebrated its seventh birthday on Wednesday by offering free small drinks from 7-8 p.m. Photos by Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

Garza’s devotion to 7 Brew started in 2019 as a loyal customer when a stand popped up in his hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas. He visited frequently, building relationships with the workers until they knew his name. Soon after, Garza got a job as a barista at that location. After a few months and making thousands of drinks, another 7 Brew opened in Joplin, Missouri, and Garza was asked to help

7 Brew partnered with JMU sorority Phi Mu, donating hundreds of coffees to the organization and money to its philanthropy, the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

kickstart the location and train the new workers. Garza was a shift leader in Joplin for about three months when 7 Brew realized it would need more people to open more locations as the brand continued to grow. 7 Brew titled the workers “ballers” and moved them around the country to new stores. Garza soon became one of them. Garza spent a year as a baller and shift leader before being introduced to franchise training in 2022. From there, he spent time at the Tennessee locations before landing in Harrisonburg in October as a regional and operations manager.

First in Virginia

Garza said when he arrived to open the first 7 Brew in Virginia, Harrisonburg’s small town feeling reminded him of his roots in Arkansas. But because of the smaller community and JMU, he said he was concerned at first about how much traction the franchise would receive in the Friendly City. “I know how hard it can be to kind of reach every person on campus, which I knew would be a large part of our customer base,” he said. Soon after Harrisonburg’s 7 Brew opened in early November, Garza said he knew he was wrong. Immediately, the store worked on connecting with the JMU community. 7 Brew sent coupons to off-campus housing units, including buy-one-get-one free drinks and free small drinks, and partnered with the sorority Phi Mu, donating hundreds of coffees to it and money toward its philanthropy, the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. “Partnering with Phi Mu … was an enormous help,” Garza said. “Then we had the mailers sent out and that’s when it really kicked off. We’re now doing about double the business that we were when we opened. It’s phenomenal.” Alongside finding partners on JMU’s campus, there are also a plethora of student employees working at 7 Brew as well as customers enrolled at the university. “I would say 90% of our customer base is college students,” manager Jas Brasier said. “7 Brew gives them a place to come and get their coffee but also have fun as well. I love talking to all the college students, and I feel like they come through and have a good time with us.” Sophomore nursing major Emma Post said she was searching for a job on Indeed when she came across 7 Brew’s application for baristas. Post was a barista at her hometown coffee shop and decided to apply. “I had a little bit of experience, and so it was just a casual find,” Post said. “But the more I’ve been working there and finding out their mottos and stuff, the more I fell in love with it and decided to spend more of my time doing it.” Sophomore media arts and design major Sloane Helmich also found 7 Brew’s application on Indeed. She added that when she went to interview in person, it was a process unlike any other job she’d applied for before and, because of this, she knew she wanted to work at 7 Brew. “The interview process is kind of what sold me on it,” Helmich said. “It was a group interview rather than an individual interview, which is different from any interview that I’ve ever been to. It was kind of just like a group conversation more than a formal meeting. They told us to just dress comfortably in whatever would showcase our personalities, and then they kind of just asked us silly questions, like, ‘If you could only have one condiment for the rest of your life, like what would it be?’ Just stuff to kind of get to know our character and our personality.” Post and Helmich said working at the drive-thru coffee stand always feels inviting with the diverse group of people making drinks and taking orders there — Post described the environment as an “eclectic melting pot.”

CULTURE

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

“You interact with people that maybe [are] in other circumstances you might not have,” Post said, “At school, you could be like, ‘Oh, I’m in a soccer club, but everyone there plays soccer’ versus I’m working in a place, and you have people who love soccer; you have people who like to write music. It’s such a melting pot for so many people and it builds everyone up, and it appreciates everyone for their uniqueness versus getting a job done.” Shift leader Taylor Gentry (’23) said working at 7 Brew doesn’t always feel like a job because the staff has fun while serving others. “I think what makes it differ from other workplaces and what draws in college students of all kinds is the freedom to actually be yourself,” Gentry said. “There are very few rules and stipulations in terms of how you have to dress or how to act as long as you are friendly.” Gentry said not only does the workplace feel different from other businesses, but so is the service. While at 7 Brew, there’s always loud music playing when people are in line waiting for their drinks, and workers are striking up conversations with them, attempting to brighten their days. “Our drive-thru experience is really unlike any other one, at least in Harrisonburg, but I would argue a lot of other places, too,” Gentry said. “It’s really meant to be an experience. It’s not your typical s-word coffee place … If you are having a bad day and come through our line and we visibly notice that, we are going to do what we can — we will have a 30-minute conversation with you if we feel that it’s necessary.”

Celebrating kindness

7 Brew is celebrating the franchise’s seventh birthday this week, and on Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, it gave out free small drinks from 7-8 p.m. On Saturday, the company will acknowledge Random Acts of Kindness Day by passing out free “cultivate kindness” stickers with every purchase — that being its slogan — along with gifting free drinks to random customers and those who go to 7 Brew for the first time per a recommendation card. Gentry said she’s glad 7 Brew has promotional days like the ones this week because she knows the workers make people feel special, and she wants customers to know 7 Brew isn’t just a transaction but rather an interaction between humans. “We are trying to take it like a step above coffee,” she said. “A lot of that also has to do with everyone motivating each other to be better people and go out into our community outside of 7 Brew and to have that same impact on Harrisonburg.” CONTACT Kaiden Bridges at breezesports@gmail.com. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on X and Instagram @Breeze_Culture.

The coffee shop employs multiple JMU students and alums. Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

‘Oldest and boldest’ improv troupe on campus takes TDU stage By KAILYN HARDY contributing writer

Students poured into Taylor Down Under on Feb. 8 to watch the New and Improv’d club’s first show of the semester. Laughs filled the room when the show began as the actors took the audience through an array of scenes. The New and Improv’d club is a studentrun organization at JMU that gives students the opportunity to not only express their talent through improvisation (improv) but to share their artistry with students and staff. Improv is

the art of creating and performing spontaneously without a significant amount of preparation. “The most important thing about improv is the connection between members on the team. Before every show, we do this ritual where we slap each other on the backs, saying ‘I got your back,’” said Ben Carthron, senior computer science major and New and Improv’d president. Carthron said this ritual is important because if a scene is going downhill, performers know they’re not going down alone. The team consists of 10 members ranging from freshmen to seniors who practice twice a week.

New and Improv’d’s first show of the semester was a “doppelganger,” in which members of the troupe dressed as other members. Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

During practices, New and Improv’d prepares for shows by playing an array of improv games that will eventually be performed in front of an audience. The team prides itself on creating a humorous experience for audience members. “Improv is a great way to improve public speaking, especially if you struggle to speak in front of a crowd,” Carthron said. “If you can make jokes in front of a crowd, you can definitely be a public speaker.” Show night operates on a laid-back, timed schedule. The actors are told what games they’ll be performing before the show once they arrive at the venue, so there’s no time to prepare. New and Improv’d creates an interactive atmosphere for its audience by asking them for different skit scenarios, such as time, place, a personality trait, an occupation and more. T h e Fe b. 8 p e r f o r m a n c e w a s t h e “Doppelganger” show, in which each actor dressed up as a different member of the club. They each introduced themselves as the person they were portraying by naming their personality traits, which earned an eruption of laughter from the audience. The first game of the night, led by Carthron, was called “Octo-square.” The actors performed in pairs and had their own distinct scene given to them by audience members. At the ring of a bell, they panned left or right and the scene changed. The audience requested New and Improv’d performers be on an airplane, at a wedding or be a software developer. Suddenly, the first game formed while participants moved in a square, cracking jokes left and right. A fan favorite of the night was the fifth game out of seven, titled “Meanwhile.” The scene began with two actors, sophomore Julia Finkler and freshman Justin Monroe. While other team members sat in a row of chairs that lined the back of the stage, Finkler and Monroe were given the location of a roller coaster by the audience.

The remaining actors could jump into the scene and switch with another actor by yelling “meanwhile!” This went on for several minutes as different team members added their own story twists, one being the roller coaster was on fire. Audience members described the show as humorous, electric, amusing and entertaining. As the show came to an end, the attendees erupted into applause for the performers as they wrapped their first show of the semester. “The improv team is like an infinity bottle of comedy,” Carthron said, referring to an infinity bottle of whiskey. “No matter how long you were on the team, your legacy is preserved based on how the people you perform with keep on your comedy.” Carthron describes this legacy as something he has been working on with his performers, that each of their own will be carried on through their performances with the club. Carthron said he prides himself not in managing people but pushing them in the right direction. New and Improv’d describes itself as the “oldest and boldest improv troupe on campus.” It was founded in 1999 — over the years, the club has performed with troupes from other universities, at charity events and traveled to North Carolina and Washington, D.C., for comedy art. “Improv’s kind of like a universal language where everybody who speaks it is a like-minded individual,” Carthron said. CONTACT Kailyn Hardy at hardy3ka@ d u k e s . j m u . e d u . Fo r m o r e o n t h e culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on X and Instagram @Breeze_Culture.

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

CULTURE

Songs among stalagmites: Artists perform inside Grand Caverns By EVAN MOODY The Breeze

The concerts are hosted in Cathedral Hall, a 300-foot room. Photos by Evan Moody / The Breeze

As three voices harmonize, Palmyra vocalist and musician Sasha Landon raises their eyes to ancient crevices above, as if to watch their sound waves bounce around the formations of the cave. “That’s f*cking cool,” Landon said, smiling as the audience erupts in cheer. This scene from Saturday night is only a fragment of Grand Caverns’ newest development, the Subterranean Sound series, that hosts concerts from Virginia-based bands underground. The idea for the series has been floating around the parks department of Grottoes, VA for the past few years, the town’s parks and tourism director Austin Shank said. Inspiration was drawn from Caroling in the Caverns, a fundraising tradition featuring a cappella at the same venue. “It was the first time we changed the format to where it would be an individual concert, and I think the light bulbs went off for all of us,” Shank said. “There’s something to this that’s really special.” Recently, reinvestment and policy changes allowed the program to begin. At the beginning of the month, Staunton-based band The Judy Chops performed at the premier of Subterranean Sound with two back-to-back shows. Guitarist and vocalist of the group Bill Howard, also known by his stage name Reverend Bill Howard, said the caverns is one of the most unique venues his band has played. “It was an honor to kick off that series,” Howard said. “It breaks the barrier between artist and audience.” Multiple members of The Judy Chops, including Howard, have worked at the Grand Caverns through the Upper Valley Regional Park Authority. Returning to perform at the venue was a full-circle moment, he said. While the group typically integrates electric sound into its

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act, Howard said The Judy Chops’ “intimate” acoustic sets at the caverns were “otherworldly.” During the show, Howard walked among guests in the audience, and he stayed in the cave during intermission to speak to attendees while playing his guitar. The space where concerts are held, Cathedral Hall, is about 300 feet long and 70 feet high. While this space can fit more than the 75-attendee cap, Subterranean Sound wanted to focus on cultivating an experience for guests and hoped artists would speak throughout the sets. During its performance, Palmyra cracked jokes or gave heartfelt sentiments between nearly every song. The events also featured local beer and wine in “adult sippy cups” for those looking to drink and dance. Acts sourced for the series are “fairly local” as well, with all bands based in Virginia, Shank said. When reaching out to groups, Shank said he prepared for a slew of rejections but was met with the exact opposite. Every band responded with something similar to “Yes, absolutely.” Landon said Palmyra is “so stoked” to be playing in one of its favorite parts of Virginia again, and the group is proud to have met in the Shenandoah Valley. While at JMU, Landon as well as bassist and vocalist Manoa Bell were part of the band Gryzzle. After guitarist and vocalist Teddy Chipouras ended up in the same songwriting class as the other members, they began forming their act. In between songs, Bell mentioned how fortunate it was that the group met. “You don’t know how lucky you are,” he said. Over the group’s lifetime, Palmyra has played multiple shows at Crayola House, and both in-person and virtual shows at MACROCK music festival. Although the band now resides in Richmond, it’s on the road constantly, playing around 120 live shows in 2023 alone. On a trip to Harrisonburg last year, the group recorded its latest song collection, “Belladonna.” A year prior, Palmyra recorded

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CULTURE and released three songs from the Sill & Glade Cabin, a recording studio and creative arts space half an hour outside Harrisonburg. Attendee CJ Metz recorded Palmyra at the cabin and said multiple JMU bands and alums have taken advantage of the studio. At the moment, the studio is finalizing tracks for Not A Saint, a student band featured in April’s Purple Reign Festival. On Saturday, Metz was trying to get a “better feel” for Cathedral Hall’s acoustics. In less than a month, he will do a live recording of Harrisonburg-based band Strongwater’s performance at the Grand Caverns. Metz applauded Palmyra’s use of the environment in its set and said it was a “pretty unique” way for music to highlight natural landmarks. With the Grand Caverns shows coming amid Palmyra’s first tour of the year, Bell said it was nice to be playing in an unfamiliar environment. Prior to the show group members warmed up in the hall and rethought their setlist for the night. To accompany the cavernous atmosphere, the band decided to play more of its emotional cuts. “We’re all going to be sad in a cave, together,” Landon said to the crowd. Shank said artists have total license on what music they want to play, how long their sets are and ticket pricing. Subterranean Sound was announced to the public over Christmas weekend, with ticket sales beginning the day after the holiday. Shows sold out within the first two hours. This led the parks department to contact groups about another set, including Palmyra, which will be playing its second show at the caverns on Friday. With both sets sold out at the Grand Caverns, Bell said everyone who attended was “really excited” to be there. Second show tickets for the series were

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

released on Jan. 13, and all shows sold out within four hours. Said shows also had the 75-attendee cap. “It’s been really reaffirming for my entire department, for all of us that have poured themselves into this project,” Shank said. “We’re grateful and flattered.” Feedback following the performances has been delightful, Shank said, mentioning compliments and validation throughout the whole process. As the top tourist attraction for Grottoes, “the more the town can shine light on the Grand Caverns, the better,” Shank said. He said he’s hoping others will begin to recognize the Grand Caverns for the “treasure” it is. While once considered the “best cave,” as he said, the site isn’t recognized by the National Park Service. Now, Grottoes is working to receive a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. Proceeds the department collects from events are reinvested back into the series and are set aside to replace the outdoor stage at Grand Caverns park. Shank also described the series as Phase 1 for several ventures planned to revitalize the caverns as a venue. Future endeavors, he said, will include more common concepts of venue space usage, possibly even “Subterranean Cinema” or corporate events. As for now, the Subterranean Sounds series will run into late March, with each event selling out. Shank, band members and attendees agreed they would love to have more concerts in the future at Grand Caverns. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Bell said. CONTACT Evan Moody at thebreezeculture@ gmail.com. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on X and Instagram @Breeze_Culture.

To accompany the cavernous atmosphere, Palmyra decided to play more of its emotional songs from its catalog.

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No. 3 JMU lacrosse picks up decisive 17-5 win over Virginia Tech By HAYDEN HUNDLEY The Breeze

No. 3 JMU lacrosse defeated the Hokies Wednesday night, moving to 2-0. Photos by Kimberly Aikens / The Breeze

Senior midfielder Taylor Marchetti defends junior attacker Olivia Vergano who, as head coach Shelley Klaes said, “won the game for them against us two years ago.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Caitlin Boden finished with eight saves against Virginia Tech.

After JMU lacrosse’s 19-18 overtime win over North Carolina on Saturday, head coach Shelley Klaes said she would “never forget” the Dukes’ 10-9 loss to Virginia Tech in 2022. On Wednesday, the No. 3 Dukes did not hold back against the Hokies, winning 17-5 — their biggest victory over Virginia Tech since an 18-5 win in 2016. Even with a short turnaround from Saturday’s game, the Dukes had two full practices in preparation for Virginia Tech. JMU wasted no time securing a 2-0 lead with a goal from senior attacker Isabella Peterson at the 13:33 mark in the first quarter — assisted by sixth-year attacker Kacey Knobloch. Earlier, Peterson assisted Knobloch, who opened the scoring 34 seconds into the game with a behind-the-back goal, which she had “never done before.” Knobloch, who missed the entire 2023 season with a knee injury, registered eight points and tied her career-high in goals in Wednesday’s game — shooting 86% on the season so far. “It feels great, but this is definitely a team win,” Knobloch said. “We all set each other up really well. We were up 7-0 very quickly, and that’s an offensive game. So having everybody play well together really lets people shine, and Shelley talks about that a lot: It’s not an individual sport; when teams play well, individuals do.” Klaes said JMU “took the wind out of their sails” after jumping up to a 7-0 lead, “frustrating” the Hokies for the rest of the game. Despite the score deficit, Virginia Tech had three quality chances on goal in the first quarter, but sophomore goalkeeper Caitlin Boden stuffed the Hokies all three times — finishing the game with eight saves. “I think I have a really good defense behind me,” Boden said. “We were working on communication a lot, so I think we’re communicating better. Having two captains [seniors Nicholle Marshall and Lizzy Pirisino] on defense is just really supportive and helpful.” Sophomore attacker Ella Rishko scored the Hokies’ first goal of the game to make the score 8-1 with 11:10 to go in the second quarter. Virginia Tech added another at the 6:27 mark from junior attacker Olivia Vergano to make it 9-2, but a 3-0 run sparked by Peterson’s fourth goal at 5:10 gave the Dukes a 12-2 lead at the end of the third quarter. Vergano finished the game with one goal and seven draw controls. Klaes called Vergano a “special player,” and Peterson said the junior Hokie was a focal point when preparing for Virginia Tech. “She won the game for them against us two years ago,” Klaes said of Vergano. “So we were locked in on that number, and I thought we did a great job on the draw. We really held her on the defensive side and, her being the spirit leader of their team, getting draws was not enough. They needed her to score goals as well and that did not happen today.” JMU outscored Virginia Tech 2-1 in the fourth quarter; Peterson finished as the Dukes’ leading scorer with five goals and three assists, while Week 1 Division 1 USA Lacrosse Magazine Player of the Week sophomore attacker Maddie Epke was limited to only draws after getting her left thigh wrapped early in the first quarter. Katelyn Morgan, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime against North Carolina on Saturday, had three goals and two assists. JMU was a perfect 20-for-20 on clears compared to Virginia Tech’s 15-for-17. But the Dukes turned the ball over 17 times, which was six more than against the Tar Heels on Saturday. Virginia Tech committed 15 turnovers. On Saturday, the Dukes (2-0) will face No. 24 UConn (0-1) at a neutral site location in Sparks, Maryland, while Virginia Tech travels to Macon, Georgia, to face Mercer. “It’s time to win them all, but I really want this team to be consistent,” Knobloch said. “Last year, we went up and down a few times. We played a really bad game against Virginia Tech, and we also didn’t play a great game against UConn last year. So now I think we’re just trying to go up and up and up and get better instead of just leveling out.” CONTACT Hayden Hundley at hundlehf@dukes.jmu.edu. For more sports coverage, follow the sports desk on X @TheBreezeSports.

Senior attacker Isabella Peterson led the Dukes with five goals against the Hokies.

Sophomore attacker Maddie Epke won seven draws.

The Dukes face No. 24 UConn (0-1) on Saturday at a neutral site location in Sparks, Maryland, at noon.

SPORTS

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

JMU superfan supports athletics with ‘lasting impact’ By JACK FOSTER The Breeze

In the Atlantic Union Bank Center, occupying Section 103, Row 1, Seat 20, stands a man dressed as the iconic figure of Zorro, a dashing cavalier featured in the fictional works of Johnston McCulley. Game after game, fans find him dancing to the music of the JMU Pep Band and cheering on the Dukes from the opening of the gates to the final horn. That man is Derek Vander Voort, a senior sports and recreation management major who attends JMU sporting events religiously with the aim of drumming up support for the teams. A former member of the pep band, Vander Voort was first inspired to assume the title of “superfan” during a 2018 trip to the CAA men’s basketball tournament in Charleston, South Carolina. “[Drexel] sent an entire student section all the way from Philly, and we just had the pep band,” he said. “I thought, ‘Why can’t we have that?’” Following this revelation, Vander Voort left the pep band to take on his superfan persona. He wore his Zorro outfit for the first time at the men’s home opener of the 2018-19 season. Although the outfit has become iconic for Vander Voort, it was initially somewhat of an accident. “We had a [Kappa Kappa Psi band fraternity] event, and I didn’t have time to change out of my formal wear,” Vander Voort said. “I had a black hat, suspenders, button-down shirt, tie, black pants, black shoes … I just liked the vibe.” In addition to his outfit being coincidentally color coordinated, Vander Voort took inspiration from Precious Hall (2012-16), JMU women’s basketball’s second all-time leading scorer. “In 2016 at the CAA tournament semifinals, we could have worn white,” Vander Voort said. “But [Hall] requested to [head coach Sean O’Regan] that we wear black to show that we mean business.” JMU placed Vander Voort on academic suspension following the 2019 spring semester, but he returned in fall 2021. “I fought every day to come back from my suspension,” Vanderbilt Voort said. “I needed to get back to cheer for my teams.” He returned just in time to experience what he described as his favorite JMU sports memory: men’s basketball’s victory over U.Va. and storming the court after the game — this being the Dukes’ first win over the Cavaliers in program history. Though he is no longer an official member of the pep band, Vander Voort still participates in all of its chants and occasionally mimes conducting when it plays. “He’s not a member of the band anymore, but he’s a band kid,” senior pep band member Katie Cozzens said. “We treat him like one of our own.” Cozzens, a trumpet player, is an expressive fan in her own right. She wears a purple widebrimmed hat and is one of the loudest fans in the building. She and Vander Voort hold up signs that lightly admonish the referee whenever a call goes against the Dukes; Cozzens’ sign reads “I Respectfully Disagree,” and Vander Voort’s says “Shenanigans.” “We don’t really do it for fan engagement,” Cozzens said. “We just do it because it’s fun.” Vander Voort’s fandom, as well as his antics, are not exclusive to basketball. At soccer games, fans may find him in the stands wielding yellow and red cards and brandishing them in an attempt to persuade the referee. At baseball games, he is known to bring a broom to the ballpark whenever the Dukes have a chance to sweep a series. These acts have earned Vander Voort recognition beyond his friends and JMU fans. “I was at a Harrisonburg Turks game and a kid came up to me and said, ‘You’re the guy who jangles the keys,’” Vander Voort recalled. Baseball is where Vander Voort may make his greatest impact. He is such a consistent presence at JMU baseball games that head coach Marlin Ikenberry knows him by name. “He was always there on the third base side, and he would collect people to come with him,” Ikenberry said. “He would stay after the game and give all the guys fist bumps.” Vander Voort has also made trips to road games enough to catch Ikenberry’s eye. As Ikenberry said, if there’s a road game, Vander Voort will be there. Vander Voort cherishes every moment he has left as a student. Even though he will graduate soon, he said he hopes that he’s inspired the next wave of JMU sports fans to turn out in droves. “We need all the support we can get,” he said. “It leaves such a lasting impact.” CONTACT Jack Foster at foste2jr@dukes.jmu.edu. For more sports coverage, follow the sports desk on X @TheBreezeSports.

Senior Derek Vander Voort said the origin of his outfit was an accident, as he was running late to a basketball game from a fraternity event and didn’t have time to change. Photos by Kaiden Bridges / The Breeze

Vander Voort’s fandom sparked after seeing Drexel’s students pack the 2018 CAA men’s basketball tournament.

Vander Voort brings a sign saying “shenanigans” to every basketball game.

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

SPORTS

Drafted, but not done Pitcher forgoes pro baseball in favor of unfinished business at JMU By JACK FOSTER The Breeze

JMU senior pitcher Joe Vogatsky’s phone suddenly buzzed. The notification was from Hunter Entsminger — a redshirt senior pitcher for JMU and Vogatsky’s high school teammate — congratulating him on the big news. What Vogatsky didn’t know was he had just been selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 14th round of the MLB Draft. “When I texted him ‘Congrats,’ he goes, ‘What are you talking about?’” Entsminger said about his July 11 message. “I go ‘Dude, you just got drafted.’” Vogatsky’s college baseball journey has been one of continuous adaptation. He began his JMU career as a starter and displayed impressive velocity early on. However, he had to learn to manage his energy output. “We noticed he would get to the second time through the lineup and be running out of gas,” head coach Marlin Ikenberry said. “We decided to move him to the bullpen … and he did that really well.” Vogatsky’s change in role paid off. In 20 appearances with seven starts across his first two seasons, he allowed a batting average of .333. As a full-time reliever in 2023, however, Vogatsky allowed just a .217 batting average

across 21 appearances. He also recorded career highs in strikeouts (36) and in wins with four. “I’ve just been developing my mentality,” Vogatsky said. “[As a closer], I’ve developed that mindset of giving it all I have to finish a game.” That closer's mentality might explain why Vogatsky turned down the Blue Jays’ offer and returned to JMU for his senior year. Ikenberry described Vogatsky as a hardworking player who finishes what he starts. “He’s one of those guys that has to complete one task to move on to the next one,” Ikenberry said. “He knew that he needed to graduate from college before going into the pro ranks.” Beyond the security of having a college degree, Vogatsky has on-field aspirations for himself and the Dukes in his final year. He said he believes that advancing beyond the conference tournament is a real possibility. “With the atmosphere we have, I really think we can go far,” Vogatsky said. “[We’re going to] try to go to regionals and into Omaha.” Vogatsky and his teammates are looking forward to reaching new heights this season. “He said he wasn’t done with what he wanted to accomplish here,” Entsminger said. “Being drafted was cool [for him], but he’s got bigger things to do to help the team win.”

Senior pitcher Joe Vogatsky allowed just a .217 batting average across 21 appearances in 2023. Photos courtesy of JMU Athletics

SPORTS

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

Vogatsky’s aspirations for the Dukes will be no easy feat. In 2023 — JMU’s first season in the Sun Belt Conference — the Dukes defeated No. 10-seed Old Dominion before losing consecutive games to No. 2 and eventual conference champion Southern Miss and No. 6 Appalachian State in the conference tournament. This season, Coastal Carolina, which was eliminated in the semifinals of the Sun Belt tournament, is ranked in five national preseason polls, with Southern Miss receiving votes in three of them following a run to the NCAA Super Regionals. Vogatsky’s leadership will be important if the Dukes hope to make a championship push. “He’s one of those guys that you follow by watching him go about his business,” Ikenberry said. Having played with Vogatsky since high school, Entsminger appreciates the value of having a teammate and friend also going through a developmental experience, even though the two have developed different pitching styles. “Over time, our mechanics have changed … he’s a highspin guy who throws as hard as he does, and I’m trying to sink the ball a bit more,” Entsminger said. “But we can still go to each other and ask questions.” Though he’s already found success at the collegiate level, Vogatsky said he’s looking to further refine his pitching techniques. He’s also developing another pitch to expand his arsenal. “I’ve always had a curveball, but I wanted to fine-tune it and make it better,” he said. “That’s what we did this offseason. It’s a great third pitch to have.” Vogatsky will once again enter the MLB Draft after the 2024 season, and he said he’s hopeful his accomplishments this spring will lead to an improved draft position. He said he’s already talked with multiple teams leading into this season. No matter what Vogatsky’s future holds, the Dukes will benefit from having their fireballing closer for one more season. “Of all my guys that have been drafted as juniors, he’s one of the few that have come back,” Ikenberry said. “That’s a great trait of his. It’s really special.” CONTACT Jack Foster at foste2jr@dukes.jmu.edu. For more baseball coverage, follow the sports desk on X @TheBreezeSports.

Vogatsky was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 14th round of last year’s MLB Draft but opted to return to JMU, believing the Dukes can go further than the conference tournament this season.

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Want to praise someone or get something off your chest? Darts & Pats is the place to do it. Submit your own at breezejmu.org. An “I-challenge-youto-ask-a-question-wedon’t-know-the-answerto” dart to sideline sports reporters. From a viewer who is weary of the inane “How do you feel?” questions asked in postgame interviews with athletes and coaches.

An “I-didn‘t-know-youcould-do-that” pat to my professor who let our class pick how many questions would be on our quiz. From a student who will take any advantage they can get.

A “pleasant-surprise” pat to the employees of the Madison Square Starbucks. From someone who appreciated the Valentine’s Day notes they left on people's orders.

A “how-do-you-lose-acar?” dart to the towing company that couldn’t locate my totaled car for three hours. From someone who had enough to deal with at the time.

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Students should use both LinkedIn and Handshake to look for jobs MAYA WINDER | contributing columnist

In a perfect world, young adults would only need to use one job search system to help find the career of their dreams. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, so students should be actively using both LinkedIn and Handshake. Depending on one platform is inefficient, and not using any is a waste of resources. Searching for a job is something many people struggle with. From newspaper advertisements to various job board websites, the process has changed overtime. A common similarity throughout the years, however, is something we have all heard: The key to landing a job is who you know. To cover all their bases, students must use LinkedIn and Handshake together in order to find a job or internship. One advantage to LinkedIn is it provides social networking opportunities. According to research by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, networking not only shortens the duration of a job search but also lasts longer and leads to higher wages. LinkedIn was created by Ryan Roslansky and launched in 2003 when the internet started to take off. Today, according to LinkedIn, it’s “the world’s leading professional network.” Making a LinkedIn profile allows users to follow companies, universities and other institutions as well as employees or fellow students — just attending JMU gives students a way to connect with others on the site. The best way a JMU student can take advantage of this is to connect with graduates. Colleen Waller, associate director for career advising at the University Career Center, discussed the benefits of using LinkedIn but advocated for students to also use Handshake when possible. “I think LinkedIn’s networking piece is stronger, so it is an amazing tool,” Waller said. “I would say that for anybody’s job search, they need to use the platforms together.” Handshake complements LinkedIn’s networking feature with the understanding that it acts as a bridge between companies and college students. Handshake is a job search platform for students or recent graduates created by Garrett Lord, Ben Christensen and Scott Ringwelski in 2014. Their intent was to “give all students the chance to build the career they want, no matter where they’re from or what school they attend,” according to Handshake’s website. Handshake is beneficial for students because it increases the chance of getting hired by a company that is actively recruiting from your college. Since Handshake has over 900,000 employers on its site, it gives students exposure to a vast number of hirers while narrowing the path for them to notice your beautiful, early

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career resume. It’s also the system used by JMU’s University Career Center to showcase career events and make appointments at the center. Waller also explained why the University Career Center promotes the use of Handshake among students at JMU and why students should take advantage of the university’s partnership. “We use the platform at JMU for employers to post jobs and internships that they are specifically interested in making sure JMU students see,” she said. “Employers have to proactively post there.” Something that Handshake doesn’t have, however, is LinkedIn Learning. It’s a feature that allows people to develop skills they may not have learned or practiced in the classroom. If someone completes a lesson series there, they get a little badge on their profile showing employers a skill’s learned, and this can increase their chances of getting hired. On LinkedIn and Handshake, users can both

follow and research companies. When looking for a job, you don’t want to take any old job, so both platforms provide data and resources to help research a company. Additionally, these platforms make it easy to reach out to someone who has, or is working there, to help enlighten the prospective employee on what it's like in the industry, and maybe even give them some advice along the way. No one said looking for a job would be easy, so we should all use the best resources available to us to get ahead. You can always try and connect with your favorite professors in person, but go ahead and connect with people on LinkedIn or Handshake as well — it’s good to stay involved when searching for jobs. Just message people through the sites and watch your network grow, trust me.

The Breeze reserves the right to edit submissions for length, grammar and if material is libelous, factually inaccurate or unclear. The Breeze assumes the rights to any published work. Opinions expressed in this page, with the exception of editorials, are not necessarily those of The Breeze or its staff.

Letters and guest columns should be submitted in print or via e-mail and must include name, phone number, major/year if author is a current student (or year of graduation), professional title (if applicable) and place of residence if author is not a JMU student.

CONTACT Maya Winder at windermm@

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OPINION

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

To avoid stress, students should delay declaring their major

Entering college undecided or as an exploratory major allows unsure freshmen to explore their options instead of committing to one field of study EVAN WEAVER | Breeze columnist In college, you meet plenty of people who claim they’ve known what they’ve wanted to do with their life since elementary school. I don’t doubt their conviction, but I’m not one of these people, and I often find myself envying them. I applied to JMU as a math major. During the fall semester of my freshman year, I declared a computer science major, then I switched to physics the following semester and finally settled on English my sophomore year — I couldn’t have landed further from where I started. As I approach graduation, I often wonder if I would’ve benefited from starting at JMU undeclared, or even opting for a gap year between high school and college, but that assumes a measure of restraint and foresight my 17-year-old self surely lacked. Had I entered JMU undeclared, however, I probably would’ve avoided taking numerous classes to satisfy the degree requirements of a STEM major, which had no application in my eventual pursuit of a humanities degree beyond counting as General Education or elective credits. I suspect many other students enter

college with a similar sense of uncertainty about what they want to major in. In fact, when I began my sophomore year in fall 2021 on the heels of my second major change, there were 605 undeclared students at JMU according to JMU institutional research. Additionally, according to a Breeze Instagram poll of 65 respondents, 52% of them changed majors at JMU. One respondent, freshman Andrea McCoy, suggested that “coming in most people have a different idea of what they think their desired major will be … they’ll take an intro class and sometimes decide it’s not what they expected.” Fortunately, many universities don’t require students to declare a major until after their freshman year. At JMU, the deadline to declare a major is the third Friday of a student’s third semester. However, many incoming students declare a major through JMU’s One Book process before freshman orientation. University students weren’t always expected to decide between majors. The first university to offer individual fields of study instead of requiring all students take the same courses was U.Va. when it first opened its doors in 1825, according to the Encyclopedia of Education. At the time,

U.Va. allowed its students to pick between eight areas of focus including ancient languages and medicine, among others. Since then, most universities have adopted this model and diversified their program offerings significantly. Today at JMU, there are 70 different majors, 114 minors and countless concentrations. Of the 70 majors offered at JMU, the undecided, or exploratory, major is among them. JMU is one of the few large universities in Virginia that offers an undecided track for incoming students who don’t know what they want to major in. Students who declare an exploratory major at JMU choose between eight areas of interest ranging from arts, business, education, health, humanities, social sciences, STEM and an exploratory area for the most unsure students. In the exploratory major, students work with advisers to develop a schedule that exposes them to a variety of courses with the hopes that the experience aids them in deciding on a final major. One in 8 students choose the exploratory option before deciding on their final major according to the programs webpage. While other universities in the state allow underclassmen to remain undeclared and

some even encourage it until students are sophomores — many of them lack the framework JMU has to help students settle on a major. One exception to this is Virginia Tech, which has five exploratory majors — each corresponding to one of five different colleges at the university. There’s only so much a university can do to encourage incoming freshmen to take their time when deciding the path they want to take in college, and for some students who truly know what they want to study, a university shouldn’t get in the way. However, as one of the few universities in Virginia to support undecided students with an exploratory major, JMU demonstrates that it’s not interested in simply churning out degrees but actively seeks to help students identify their passions. If this wasn’t the case, it wouldn’t dedicate the resources to facilitate an exploratory program and instead would hope undeclared students figure it out themselves. Though the exploratory major can be helpful for many students, others may have trepidation about putting off deciding a major for fear of falling behind in a program. I can sympathize with the fear, having taken my first English class in the spring semester of my sophomore year. Admittedly, the English degree requirements are less demanding than some other majors, but graduating on time is possible and taking an extra semester or year isn’t the end of the world, nor is it that uncommon. In fact, for students who entered JMU in 2017, 12.5% of them — 585 students — graduated between four and five years according to JMU institutional research. It can be tempting to think that spending thousands of dollars on tuition and other costs to attend college without knowing what you want to study is pointless. Looking back, though, I wish I was been able to admit that I didn’t know what I wanted to study, and allowed myself to take the time to explore my options. For incoming freshmen or students who feel lost, starting with the exploratory major or delaying when you declare until after your freshman year is a good option, even if you have a good idea of what you want to study like I thought I did. Doing this allows you to take a wide range of classes without the pressure of committing to one field of study. It also gives you the opportunity to prove yourself wrong — it’s vastly better to find out you were wrong about what you wanted to study as a freshman than years down the line. CONTACT Evan Weaver at breezeopinion@

Many students at JMU declare their major the summer before their freshman year through the university’s One Book process, which determines the college orientation they attend. Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

gmail.com. For more editorials regarding the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the opinion desk on Instagram and X @Breeze_Opinion.

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

OPINION

Phi Beta Kappa has sent out Invites! Be sure to check your emails as of February 12th www.jmu.edu/pbk/

MULTIMEDIA

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

A taste of heaven

Three months after the opening of 7 Brew in Harrisonburg, the business has became a staple of many JMU students’ routines. Photos by Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

For more photos of 7 Brew, view the full gallery online at breezejmu.org/multimedia.

This week on Breeze TV Top Stories College of Business offers assistance with taxes from students, professors Softball returns to Veterans Memorial Park for first home games of the season against Villanova, Lehigh Community members gather on the Quad, call for end to global violence East Campus pollinator garden highlights environmental issues Weekend weather forecast

Tune in to Breeze TV LIVE from the Alison B. Parker Studio every Friday at 3:30 p.m. Scan the QR code to view our YouTube livestream. CONTACT Landon Shackelford at breezephotography@gmail.com. For more multimedia content, visit breezejmu. org/multimedia.

Vol. 102, No. 19

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 12, 2024

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Patti Varol

2/12/24

By Amanda Cook

68 Tragic fate 69 Online artisan marketplace DOWN 1 Life-saving donation 2 Enemies-tolovers movie genre 3 Like some bagels 4 Got a C, say 5 NHL whistle blower 6 __ de parfum 7 Ed of “Elf” 8 Protégé 9 Tour de France mountain 10 Gather in the fields 11 Boulangerie loaf 12 Supervises 13 Hi-__ photo 19 Date component 21 Health insurance, paid time off, etc. 25 “Here goes nothing” hashtag 26 Oktoberfest quaff 27 One straying from the norm 29 FanDuel stat 33 Downsides 34 Exo- opposite

Saturday’s Puzzle Solved

stumpe

find the answers online

ACROSS 1 Nudge 5 Photocopier unit 9 __ Day: treeplanting occasion 14 “The Real” co-host Love 15 Ill at __: troubled 16 “Make like a tree and __!” 17 In the thick of 18 Sunday comics locale 20 Shaggy’s sidekick, familiarly 22 Season for the 2024 Olympiques 23 Brita rival 24 Pull-apart breakfast treat 28 That, in Tijuana 30 “Russian Doll” co-creator Poehler 31 “There’s __ in team” 32 Built 34 Conger catcher 36 Did one’s civic duty 37 Sign outside a new store, or what the first words of 18-, 24-, 52-, and 59-Across can do? 42 Language of India that derives from Sanskrit 43 Cuba y Cozumel 44 All together 47 Go through dots like Pac-Man, e.g. 48 Amiss 51 Happy Greek cry 52 Broadway number that brings the house down 55 Turn __ dime 57 Endeavour astronaut Jemison 58 29-Down, for example 59 High roller 63 Corgis and collies 64 Like seven candles on the first night of Hanukkah 65 Volcano associated with Hephaestus 66 Litter’s littlest 67 Fitbit units

www.breezejmu.org/ site/crossword_ answers/

35 Cleanup hitter’s stat 37 Pro Football Hall of Fame location 38 Zero in on 39 Get wrapped up in a sticky situation 40 Doesn’t waste 41 Bedframe part 45 “Alas ... ” 46 Gave temporarily 48 Say “I pass”

2/12/24

49 Pretends 50 Snowman with a magic hat 53 Joined with 54 San Diego slugger 56 Small taste of liquid 59 Magic vehicle for Ms. Frizzle 60 TD’s six 61 Brian of Roxy Music 62 Male sheep

Vol. 102, No. 19 DUKE DOG AUTO ALLY LOCAL AUTOS FOR SALE

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

MADISON MARKETPLACE Madison Marketplace is open for business, and all text-only listings are FREE! Post job listings, announcements, rentals and more using our online placement tool. Ads run two weeks online and in two print editions.

DOG SITTER

JOBS

Career Opportunity - Athletic Program Coordinator

Dog sitter in townhome Looking for a pet sitter of 3 dogs. Ideal person would stay in our townhouse on the couch for the days we are gone. We are going away March 26th to March 31. With several other small trips in the summer. Text or call 540-746-7946 (text preferred)

HOMES FOR RENT

Do you want to utilize your organizational and administrative skills to plan, organize, coordinate, implement, and supervise all varieties and aspects of the City’s athletic programs and sports activities? If so, consider applying for the Parks and Recreation Department’s Athletic Program Coordinator position! Find out more/apply online: https:// www.harrisonburgva.gov/employment. EOE.

Are you looking for a seasonal position in a friendly golf course environment while working on a variety of projects at the course? If so, consider applying for the City of Harrisonburg’s seasonal Golf Course Maintenance Laborer position! Find out more/apply online: https:// www.harrisonburgva.gov/employment. EOE.

Are you looking for a seasonal job that allows you to work primarily outdoors and utilize your maintenance skills to upkeep various park grounds? If so, apply to the City of Harrisonburg’s seasonal Park Grounds Maintenance Laborer position! Find out more/apply online: https:// www.harrisonburgva.gov/employment. EOE.

Seasonal Job Opportunity - Recreation Aide (Youth Services)

3br, 1.5 bath Updated Kitchen & Bathroom Rent: $1575/ mo (Term 1yr) Available Aug 1 1341 Devon Ln Harrisonburg, VA 22801 Please contact John Tel: 240.388.5507

Jason Gray in Concert Nashville singer-songwriter Jason Gray. In concert 7 PM Friday 2/16. Horizon Christian Fellowship - Harrisonburg. Students $15. www. songsforvalley.org

Career Opportunity - Athletic Program Coordinator

Seasonal Job Opportunity - Park Grounds Maintenance Laborer

3br, 1.5 bath ($1575/mo) for rent

MISC.

Do you want to have fun at work while also providing a safe and engaging environment for youth? If so, the City of Harrisonburg’s seasonal Recreation Aide - Youth Services position may be the right job for you! Find out more/ apply online: https://www.harrisonburgva. gov/employment. EOE.

Post-Birth Control Support Post-Birth Control Support: Learn options for birth control including natural methods, side effects from each form of hormonal birth control, and how to get off birth control safely. Introductory Gathering at Cyanwood Natural Lifestyles Center on Feb. 13th at 7pm. Cost $12 with code 2024Free- https://Drcope.as.me/ BirthControl STUDENT JOBS

Vol. 102, No. 19

Thursday, February 15, 2024 | breezejmu.org

TT BAELUS EA V

JMU

• RENOVATED CLUBHOUSES • • NEW HARDWOOD FLOORS • • UPDATED APARTMENTS •

APPLY FREE ONLINE

THEHILLSJMU

540.432.0600 | LIVE-THEHILLS.COM