EDITORS EMAIL
Drake Miller & Emma Notarnicola breezenews@gmail.com
By EMMA NOTARNICOLA The Breeze
After JMU’s Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) chapter announced March 27 that self-identified Islamophobe Robert Spencer would speak on campus April 12, a change.org petition called “JMU: Say No to Hate SpeechReject Robert Spencer’s Invitation” was created April 12, petitioning JMU to prevent the event from happening.
YAF is a national organization aimed to be “a leading organization for young conservatives” and assist students to “find support, promote conservatism, and take action,” according to its website. JMU YAF has invited speakers to campus each year since its founding in 2022 — including Liz Wheeler in 2023, who spoke on “The Ideology of Transgenderism.”
In 2025, YAF chose to invite Spencer — an author and the cofounder of Stop Islamization of America, also known as the American Freedom Defense Initiative. ADFI is a “news organization” with the mission “to go on the offensive when legal, academic, legislative, cultural, sociological, and political actions are taken to dismantle our basic freedoms and values,” according to its website — particularly with “the reason being committed by national, state, and local government officials, the mainstream media, and others in their capitulation to the global jihad and Islamic supremacism.”
Spencer wrote books “The Truth about Muhammad,” and “Did Muhammad Exist?”
Currently, Spencer directs the Jihad Watch blog, which looks to ensure “deeds done in the
darkness for so long will not continue to be done. The light of world attention is anathema to the proponents of jihad and dhimmitude: Stop Islamization of America,” according to its website.
The petition encourages JMU to acknowledge the “harm caused by his rhetoric and commit to protecting marginalized students,” and guarantee future speakers “align with JMU’s values of inclusivity, respect, and intellectual integrity.”
Spencer is a “notorious anti-Muslim extremist,” the petition reads, known for “spreading Islamophobic rhetoric, promoting misinformation and fueling hatred against Muslim communities,” and the speaker event compromises Muslim students’ wellbeing on campus.
Five days after the initial posting of the petition, it has garnered over 500 signatures.
“[Marginalized groups] are already feeling threatened,” Harrisonburg resident Dale Diaz said, “they don’t need somebody who hates them coming in.”
When asked about the petition, Chairman of the JMU chapter of YAF Tristan Jackson wrote, “we [YAF] encourage all members of the community to exercise their first amendment rights and engage in civil discourse regarding any issue.”
Jackson said the 500 signatures aren’t “an accurate representation of the JMU community,” adding that YAF has received “a huge amount of support from the Jewish student community.”
The change.org petition further said having this speaker attend contradicts JMU’s values of diversity and inclusion.
“Hate speech has no place at JMU,” it reads. “We stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters and demand action.”
However, YAF sees this differently, Jackson said classifying this speech as hate speech is “inherently false and misleading.”
Jackson said by attempting to shut down this speaker or opposition is “squashing the voice of your fellow JMU Duke and limiting free speech on campus.”
One change.org signer and commenter wrote the Spencer speakership will “go against the values of JMU.”
“This event coming to pass would only serve to foster more division,” the comment reads, “promoting bigotry does not serve to uphold the right to freedoms of speech and expression but rather to silence the
marginalized by emboldening those who discriminate against them.”
Though there are fears of disunity within campus, YAF encourages Dukes to attend the event, welcoming all members of JMU and Harrisonburg communities to attend the event and Q&A afterward.
“We are not changing anything regarding the event,” Jackson said. “The only thing we have seen from the opposition is our flyers being taken down from designated open posting boards … and with that, we’ll simply keep putting more flyers up.”
CONTACT Emma Notarnicola at breezenews@gmail.com. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.
By KAIDEN BRIDGES The Breeze
For Jeremy Harold, his desire to help his community starts with what’s in his backyard.
With over 20 years of experience in forestry programs across Virginia and Harrisonburg — now working as the city’s Public Works’ Green Space manager — Harold has always known where his passion and purpose are rooted: in trees.
Harold worked for the Harrisonburg Parks and Recreation Department for 16 years, but as it grew, the Urban Forestry Program formed — where the group would work on improving the community’s tree canopy status and greenspace.
Harold transferred to Harrisonburg Public Works in 2020, where he made the Urban Forestry Program a city-wide establishment.
Harold said the program is important for him and the department to “think globally but act locally” when crafting its Urban Forestry Management Plan.
“The management plan’s more like a roadmap or a guide that allows us to move forward and have a better plan in place,” he said.
The plan includes proposals to increase the tree canopy percentage in Harrisonburg, he said.
“We did our first tree canopy study in 2018, and we were at 26% tree canopy citywide,” Harold said. “That’s an average nationally, but it’s kind of low for our part of Virginia. So we want to plant more trees to increase tree canopy and all the good benefits that trees bring us.”
Planting more trees and increasing canopies in Harrisonburg would help to improve water pollution rates while also decreasing the heat islands — which are developed areas that experience higher temperatures than nearby rural environments.
While there have been efforts during the last seven years to increase the canopy, a major setback hit the Harrisonburg forests a year prior to the study as the emerald ash borer — an invasive beetle that attacks and kills ash trees — made its way to the valley.
“We had 14% ash trees in our city, and we had to remove 1,500 ash trees from Harrisonburg City Parks alone,” Harold said. “So that’s what kind of brought on the management plan was planning how to take down all these 1,500 trees, but then how do we go about replanting and managing trees in a more proactive way rather than a reactive way?”
Harold said while implementing its management plans, the Urban Forestry Program works directly with the Stormwater Management Program, which is facilitated by the stormwater compliance specialist Shayna Carter.
Growing up in the area and having a background in agriculture, Carter said she’s always been passionate about keeping the community, the waterways and the Chesapeake Bay clean.
With her job in stormwater management, Carter specializes in cleaning the water and sewer systems in Harrisonburg.
“We have an MS4 permit — municipal separate storm sewer system — so that means our sewer pipes that run through the city and our stormwater pipes are two different things,” Carter said. “The sewer gets treated at a plant in Mount Crawford, but stormwater, whatever comes off of our roads, parking lots, roofs, all you see running around is going to make its way to our local waterways, untreated, and eventually the Chesapeake Bay.”
The stormwater management team is responsible for meeting annual pollution reduction goals based on a Virginia benchmark established during the early 2000s. Each year, the team works to achieve a complete reduction target for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment as part of their commitment to improving water quality.
Carter — who’s been part of the Public Works’ staff for three years now — said she and her team frequently collaborate with the Urban Forestry Program as their lines of work often coincide.
She said as trees absorb water through their roots or canopy interception as it rains, it minimizes stormwater runoff, and the trees will act as a water filter, cleaning out sediment.
“We work really closely with Jeremy for tree plantings,” Carter said. “It helps us meet our goals and make our water cleaner — so the more trees we plant, the more water that’s intercepted, pollution that’s reduced.”
The departments working hand-in-hand is a dream team for public works, outreach and communications specialist Brittany Clem-Hott said. The “Green Team” is crucial to Harrisonburg and what goes on behind the scenes in the environment. With a large team working in multiple departments, it becomes easier to host outreach programs and events in the community.
“The daily work of our ‘Green Team’ plays an essential role in enhancing the air that we breathe, improving the health of our local waterways, reducing the heat island effect, enhancing the health of our people and building a strong community; the list goes on,” she said. “This team provides many resources and opportunities to share in strengthening our green spaces, benefitting our local urban ecosystem, residents and visitors.”
Clem-Hott said by collaborating with departments across Public Works, the employees are able to expand outreach efforts further into Harrisonburg with more community engagement, aiming to spread environmental awareness.
Some of the recent projects have included the Pollinator Program, the Harrisonburg Conservation Assistance Program (HCAP), building three outdoor classrooms for students at Keister Elementary School, and the upcoming annual Blacks Run Clean Up Day and Arbor Day Tree Planting event both happening Saturday at 9 a.m.
“[Annual Blacks Run Clean Up] It’s a large community event,” Carter said. “We have about 500 volunteers preregistered right now for a cleanup day, so picking up trash out of our people’s streams and streets, but part of that is the Arbor Day celebration, so Jeremy and his team have organized a tree planting.”
CONTACT Kaiden Bridges at bridg4ke@dukes.jmu.edu. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.
By ISABELLA DUNN The Breeze
JMU commemorated this year’s Disability Advocacy Week theme of “Unlearning Ableism Together” with activist Imani Barbarin’s speech about the effects of ableism and the power of self-advocacy in Holland-Yates Hall on April 3.
Senior Hayley Goldstone, the Office of Disability Services’ social work intern, said JMU’s Disability Advocacy Week started in 2009 when a student expressed to a former ODS director she thought her friends should know more about disabilities.
“Disability Advocacy Week gives individuals with disabilities a voice to share their lived experiences,” Goldstone said, “it also provides students without disabilities an opportunity to learn about disability through a variety of engaging programs and events.”
ODS director Brittany Dioszeghy said her office is meant to “provide accommodations that remove barriers faced by students with disabilities,” and also said ODS's job is to educate through events like Disability Advocacy Week.
“Together, we can continue to learn what access means within each of our contexts, and we can continue to build a campus where the college students of today have the opportunity to achieve their full potential,” Dioszeghy said.
Disability education is “crucial” for educating about disabilities because 11% of JMU students are registered with ODS and 20% of college students nationwide are reported as having a disability, she said.
“When we think about the disability community, we’re talking about a massive population of people,” Barbarin said, adding that disabled people make up about 28% of the U.S. population, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Disabilities impact an individual’s identity, Barbarin said.
39% of transgender individuals have a disability, 27% of LGBTQ+ individuals have a disability, 30% of indigenous individuals have a disability and one in four black people have a disability. Barbarin said this causes ableism to be “weaponized” against these communities.
“We think that disability is in its own little category, but disability impacts so many more communities,” Barbarin said.
Disability is not just “a list,” she said, because it can be developed throughout any point of someone’s lifetime through a variety of circumstances.
“Disability is rooted in everything, because ableism is rooted in everything,” Barbarin said.
Her keynote touched on the history of disability and how “we [people with disabilities] were quite literally barred from the public,” including how disabilities are used against marginalized groups to “strip them of their inherent value.”
“In this world, disability will play a central role in how we are able to organize, how we are able to show up for one another, and how we are able to move forward,” Barbarin said. “I always say that bigotry may be the goal, but ableism is the toolkit.”
Self-advocacy means knowing “accessibility is your right,” Barbarin said, particularly in academic spaces because, there, value is often placed on performance ability.
“Self-advocacy is my greatest comfort as a person with a disability,” Barbarin said, “It’s my ability to say this isn’t for nothing and that I can actually change what happens in the rooms that I enter, as long as I speak up.”
She said disability is dynamic and listening students shouldn’t assume someone’s “capacity” and ability when discussing how to better advocate for others.
“I want you to go around campus and really just kind of take in the ways in which you’re interacting with space, with time and with one another,” Barbarin said, “what more can be done to advocate for disability for the disability community on your campus, and who and how can you start to advocate for those things?”
Despite stigma around accessibility, Barabarin said, JMU has one of the “most robust” programs for students with disabilities she has seen.
“I was actually impressed by some of the initiatives that your university has already taken when it comes to disability accommodations,” Barbarin said, “You all are already ingrained in this conversation about disability because of [ODS's] leadership.”
Vice President of Student Affairs Tim Miller, who attended the event, said Barbarin’s keynote aligned with JMU’s “Dukes hold doors” culture.
“Know that our efforts to elevate the voices of people with disabilities are not just about making accommodations but about fostering a culture where accessibility is the right thing to do,” Miller said.
Supporting students, colleagues and community members with disabilities should be the “lens for all of our work in
creating a more accessible experience,” Miller said, reflecting Barbarin’s words:
“Disabled people should not just be included in organizing work but should be the lens through which all advocacy should be viewed,” Barbarin said during her speech.
CONTACT Isabella Dunn at dunnie@dukes.jmu.edu. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.
By SIXUAN WU The Breeze
The Student Government Association (SGA) approved requests for the 2026 fiscal year from four Front-End Budgeted (FEB) groups, voted on contingency fund requests from Chabad Jewish Student Group and a cappella group Exit 245, and it passed a resolution recognizing interim President Charlie King’s services during its Tuesday meeting.
The SGA also received a presentation from JMU Dining Services and introduced a bylaw amendment adjusting the Chief of Staff’s office hours.
The SGA unanimously approved budget requests for the 2025-26 academic year from four FEB groups — Madison Equality, ResQED, Students for Minority Outreach (SMO) and the University Program Board (UPB) during its Tuesday meeting.
Madison Equality made “very minimal changes” to its budget from this academic year, senior Executive Treasurer Carson Tighe said, who presented the requests on behalf
of the FEB organizations. The biggest change Madison Equality made was an increase its budget for its charity ball by roughly $2,500.
The second organization, ResQED — a new FEB organization that certifies JMU students as lay rescuers under Virginias Opioid Overdose and Naloxone Education program — proposed a budget of nearly $20,500, with the majority of the budget — $13,000 — targeted toward purchasing Naloxone, a nasal spray that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses that’s commonly referred to as Narcan, which will be offered to organizations during Narcan-administration trainings offered by ResQED.
SMO, another new FEB organization, proposed a budget of roughly $6,000. Most of its budget will go toward events, such as its orientation, Thanksgiving celebrations and events commemorating different heritage and history months.
The biggest change from the final organization, UPB, is an increase of roughly $50,500 in student fees — a 15% increase from its current budget.
The budget isn’t yet finalized, junior Senate Speaker Kieran Fensterwald said, as a lot depends on the university president.
By EDISON VRANIAN & JACIN GARNICA The Breeze
The Student Government Association (SGA) first made moves to prevent on-campus overdoses after it approved two resolutions last year: one encouraging yearly Narcan training for fraternities and sororities, and the other encouraging the Office of Residence Life (ORL) to install NaloxBoxes containing Narcan in residence halls.
Narcan, reverses opioid overdoses, and its overthe-counter form is administered as a nasal spray.
Narcan Training Bill of Opinion’s history at JMU
According to the Narcan Training Bill of Opinion submitted by the SGA’s thenlegislative-affairs-chair Marcus Rand (’24) and then-vice-president and current Class of 2025 president Faith Forman, the commonwealth saw a 257% increase in the death rate from fentanyl and synthetic opioids from 2018 to 2022, according to a Virginia Department of Health Report.
The 2024 bill was also
the drug. Alternatively, the SGA worked with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and ResQED to provide training to interested students and organizations.
The 2024 bill encouraged JMU’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL), along with the Center for Multicultural Student Services, to implement annual Narcan training for students participating in FSL and require all risk management officers within Greek organizations to complete a drug overdose and Narcan administration training. It also looked to “ensure that each organization is prepared to handle opioid-related crises and create a safer campus community,” the bill reads.
During the March 5, 2024, SGA meeting, the proposed bills were opened to the SGA to hear opinions from senators.
Although the bill was approved, there is no official date for Narcan being provided to residence halls and FSL.
“Right now we don’t have an exact date, just because of the logistic aspect of it,” Forman said. Forman and the SGA are working with University Health Center director Anne Brenneman and the ResQED club in providing the Naloxone boxes in dorms and training FSL risk managers and RAs. They currently are “stuck at funding” for the Narcan boxes, Forman said.
During the Tuesday SGA meeting, the SGA approved ResQED’s roughly $21,000 budget request for the 2025-26 fiscal year — over half which will be used to purchase Narcan from the health center for ResQED’s’ Narcan-administration trainings, senior and SGA Executive Treasurer Carson Tighe said. Rand wrote the FSL Narcan training bill, while Forman wrote the residence hall installation bill.
Forman said her and Rand’s experiences with FSL on campus motivated the pair to propose the bills.
“There were no disagreements among Greek groups; everyone is excited to work alongside Marcus,” junior Sen. Kenzie Crosby said, according to the 2024 meeting’s minutes.
Before sending the bill to the SGA, Forman and Rand wrote the proposal and got 10% of the student body to sign a petition in support of the bill.
introduced a year after former SGA Sen. Emily Butters (’23) introduced a similar bill during her time with the SGA, which encouraged JMU to install Narcan in residence halls. When originally introduced, there was concern that resident advisers (RAs) would feel uncomfortable administering
The SGA unanimously approved a $3,000 contingency fu nd request for the Chabad Jewish Student Group’s Unity Shabbat event.
Unity Shabbat is “a celebration of Jewish pride and solidarity,” according to the group’s presentation slides. Chabad will co-host this event with two other Jewish organizations on campus — Hillel and Alpha Epsilon Pi.
“This event is a way of bringing in a lot of people to just be together, celebrate their Judaism together and just kind of give them an opportunity to join, if they’ve ever been before,” club representative and junior Tamar Guberek said.
Most of the contingency funds will go toward purchasing kosher food and transportation costs, as the group purchases the food from Baltimore, Maryland, Guberek said.
Junior Legislative Chair Mason Hoey asked whether Chabad’s contingency fund request violates SGA’s financial procedures, since the food isn’t supplied through JMUapproved vendors, such as Aramark.
Junior Finance Committee Chair Jahnavi Muthyala said the request follows all financial procedures, as the SGA can allocate money for food at on-campus events that require dietary restrictions — in this case, kosher. She added the SGA’s finance committee unanimously approved the request. The senate also unanimously approved it.
The SGA also allocated $1,300 to Exit 245’s spring concert. Freshman Matthew Thompson, who represented the a cappella group, said the expenses will go toward concert sound and advertising.
“Exit 245 spring concert is our performance where we sing the entirety of our repertoire for the first time,” Thompson said. “It’s a great opportunity for our community, friends and family to come and hear our sound in its entirety.”
Although the date is unknown, the ResQED club — a club that trains students on recognizing opioid overdoses and using Narcan, according to Brenneman. She is currently experimenting with NaloxBoxes, aiming to install them in residence halls by the end of fall 2025.
“The club ResQED has a bunch of NaloxBoxes that we’re testing out,” Forman said. “We hope to have [...] the residence hall[s] equipped with one [NaloxBox] by the end of Fall 2025.”
The SGA unanimously approved a resolution recognizing interim President Charlie King’s service to the JMU community.
The resolution highlighted King’s impact as a university leader overseeing JMU’s capital projects — including adopting the Okanagan Charter —, his engagement in student events and the support both him and his wife Sherry have provided students.
“I think it speaks volumes that President King was coming out of retirement and did everything that was set on that and more,” said junior Sydney Stafford, student representative to the Board of Visitors and one of the resolution’s submitters.
Health and Wellness Manager Hanna Serrano and Culinary Director Seth Kondor gave a presentation during the meeting on behalf of Dining Services.
Serrano highlighted upcoming dining events during the presentation, including this semester’s last Taste of Downtown — an event where local restaurants are featured at D-Hall — and Bistro on the Breezeway — an event that serves food at the breezeway in front of Bridgeforth Stadium.
Serrano also said Dining Services will host sustainability events in celebration of Earth Month, including a “Farm to Fork” dinner at E-Hall on April 22 and an expanded Farmers’ Market on April 23, which will include more vendors.
Bylaw amendment introduced
The SGA introduced a bylaw amendment, which would require the SGA’s chief of staff to host a minimum of four office hours each week. The amendment will sit for one week and be voted on during next week’s Senate meeting
CONTACT Sixuan Wu at thebreezeweb@gmail.com. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.
“We hope to have [...] the residence hall[s] equipped with one [NaloxBox] by the end of Fall 2025.”
Although there are no known opioid overdoses at JMU, students believe there should be preventative measures against opioid overdoses, Rand said, according to the SGA meeting notes.
Forman said the main concern facing the bill was funding. Luckily, the administration wouldn’t face a significant cost burden either, Rand said during the 2024 meeting, since the Narcan’s costs are low.
ORL also showed concern with overworking its RAs, compromising to require the 5-minute Narcan training, as opposed to a 2-hour-long alternative, Forman said. She added, some administrators were concerned that the accessibility of Narcan may encourage drug use, to which the SGA provided research showing Narcan is a net positive.
“This is a single up-front cost and anyone with connections to the state is able to maintain these boxes at very little cost,” Rand said, according to the 2024 meeting notes.
Despite barriers, Forman and the SGA communicated with different organizations to ensure the proposed Narcan implementation is achievable by the end of 2025.
“It’s not an easy thing to do,” Forman said. “We really wanted to make sure we were communicating with administration the whole way through so that it would actually be able to be implemented.”
Despite the worries of overworking RAs with the Narcan training, junior and Eagle Hall RA Layla Bacchus supports the NaloxBoxes.
“I don’t see how it can be negative,” Bacchus said. “In my opinion, I think just having it readily available in the event that it’s necessary is great.”
Having Narcan on campus will be “very beneficial” for those living in residence halls
Tanner / The Breeze
and Dukes at large, Bacchus said.
“You never know when you may need to have access to something like Narcan, and if it’s available to be used in an event where you need to use it, it could save someone’s life,” Bacchus said.
Brenneman also supports the two bills passed and confirmed that RAs will receive training in administering Narcan before fall 2025.
“Narcan, or Naloxone, is a medication that can save lives,” Brenneman said. “Even if you think you know what you’re taking, it could be laced with fentanyl.”
While there’s a lot of support, some students, like Bacchus, still have concerns and questions about Narcan's accessibility in the dorm rooms.
“Where would the Narcan be located? Can anybody use it? Or is it just RAs that are able to have easy access to get it?” Bacchus said.
Though these questions are currently unanswered, Naloxone can be purchased from the Student Success Center’s (SSC) pharmacy for $26, and training in identifying overdoses and administering Narcan is also available by reaching out to jmurevive@gmail.com or via its Instagram account, @resqed.jmu
CONTACT Edison Vranian at vrainiawe@ dukes.jmu.edu and Jacin Garcia at garnicja@dukes.jmu.edu. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.
EDITORS EMAIL
Isabel Lewis & Charlie Bodenstein
By ISABEL LEWIS The Breeze
Salamanders don’t have vocal chords; however, in JMU’s arboretum, their song is brought to life through a JMU alumna’s picture book.
On Saturday, the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum will host picture book author, illustrator and JMU education alumna Ginny Neil (’83) and Master Naturalist Chris Asquith. Neil will read her recently released picture book “Salamander Song” — a STEMcentered illustrated picture book, which aims to teach children about salamanders’ natural habitats, vernal pools, while relating them to children at school. Asquith will be guiding amphibian-aimed walks through the arboretum.
Vernal pools are a seasonal wetland. In the winter and early spring, it is similar to a puddle, or small pond. Other times of the year, the land may be dry or flowering.
Arboretum education coordinator Katie Rankin said the arboretum has been preparing for this event since last December. She said several specialists have contributed to organizing the event’s contents.
“We are always trying to encourage wonder about nature, inspire outdoor engagement, expand engagement with the natural world, and help everybody, kids, adults alike, to better understand the natural world, whether it’s animals, plants or whatever, and so we’re hoping they’re going to come away with some better knowledge about salamanders,” Rankin said.
Though this event is geared towards children and their families, JMU students are welcome to volunteer or participate.
After Neil’s reading of “Salamander Song,” at 11:15 a.m, Asquith will lead a herpetology walk through the arboretum for children and families and a second walk for adults at 1 p.m. During these strolls, Asquith will guide participants on how to find different reptiles in their natural habitats.
With experience in elementary and middle school education, Neil knew she wanted to become an author of picture books that educated youth and fostered love for the outdoors.
“I fear that kids are missing out on things that I took for granted growing up — going outside and seeing these things — partly because habitats are being lost, and partly because there are a lot of distractions that keep kids inside these days, and so I want to tease them into wanting to go outside and look around,” Neil said.
Neil was an author and illustrator for her first picture book “The Glorious
Forest that Fire Built,” which was also commemorated with a release party in JMU’s arboretum, so she continued the tradition by holding her second book release in the same spot.
“Salamander Song,” published March 18, is Neil’s first book she did not illustrate herself, instead illustrated by Charli Vince, based in England, and it’s her first story published through Tilbury House Publishers.
Neil left teaching in 2015 to pursue her picture-book dreams, but becoming a published author took Neil longer than she had expected.
“I told my kids in middle school when I left that I was leaving to be a published writer, and I really thought that it would only take me a couple of years to do it,” Neil said. “They’ve graduated, and now I’m finally there.”
To gain experience, Neil initially wrote and illustrated for a back-page column with Blue Ridge Country Magazine. She still contributes to the column.
“Persistence and continually learning to perfect your craft will get you where you want to go no matter what it is,” Neil said.
launched her first book, “The
When her first book was picked up by a publisher, she “was blown away,” she said. She got to illustrate and write her first book. Her second publisher, Tilbury House Publishers, wanted to have someone else illustrate the book to widen market appeal.
The lyrical amphibian-focused book is geared towards 4- to 8-year-olds. “Salamander Song” demonstrates one character’s journey into their habitat of the vernal pool — a seasonal wetland — as winter turns to spring. Neil paralleled this to how students and teachers navigate school.
Neil’s book aims to not only stoke kids’ curiosity about the outdoors but also expose them to the possibilities of citizen science — a type of data collection that can be done by anyone, including children. Neil said these projects can be as simple as counting the bugs they find in the school yard or measuring rainfall.
Big Night — the amphibian migration and mating, which “Salamander Song” stories — is a major event that can extend many opportunities for citizen science.
Virginia Vernal Pools’ principal consultant and ecologist Mike Hayslett said he has seen firsthand how young people can be motivated to take environmental action.
Hayslett once took a group of students to a vernal pool that was going to be removed and replaced with a business center. The students did studies there and learned about the significance and types of animals in the vernal pool. Once the students understood the importance of the vernal pools and knew what kinds of creatures the pools housed, they were passionate enough to ask their county board of supervisors to protection of their school’s land.
“The fact that they’re a young person gives them more power, in some cases,
than adults do,” Hayslett said.
Similar to Neil, Hayslett said he worries young people are more disconnected from nature than generations before them.
“Without the intimacy, without the familiar, without the engagement of kids in these natural phenomena, not only will they not understand that it exists, what happens with spotted salamanders happens at a time when you know we’re in bed, typically,” he said.
Hayslett said he encourages children to learn more about nature, and he remarked a children’s book is a good gateway to that world. He remembered playing outside as a child and finding a vernal pool, which sparked the interest that led to his career. He lived in a small mountain town with access to various ecosystems, like rivers, forests and caves. But one environment struck him the most: the vernal pool.
“When I was just a child, and it made such an impression upon me because it was such a neat and interesting environment, a fascinating environment,” Hayslett said.
Neil’s book reading and “Salamander Song” look to offer children a chance to see themselves in nature and introduce curiosity about the outside world, providing the spark Neil and Hayslett share.
CONTACT Isabel Lewis at thebreezeculture@gmail.com. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.
By ASHLEE THOMPSON The Breeze
Changing your eID password only once per year
Changing your eID password around every three months
Creating a password of at least 16 characters
Recommending
Obtaining
Obtaining
When students and faculty returned to campus after spring break, they noticed something different when logging into JMU websites and services.
Instead of the familiar green Duo prompt, they were hit with an entirely new login screen — and some students are struggling to get used to the change.
This new service, Okta Verify, was officially implemented into JMU websites March 17 as a cloudbased Identity and Access Management (IAM) platform. JMU Information Technology (IT) said Okta protects accounts and is “more than” a replacement for Duo, according to its website.
Okta is similar to Duo, with students logging on to a JMU service, such as Canvas or MyMadison, and being prompted to authenticate that it’s the correct student logging into the account. Dukes’ eIDs will also change for future students, transforming into a non-identifiable format.
According to a Breeze Instagram poll, 94% of respondents (274 of 293) said they prefer Duo over Okta, although JMU has had the service for nearly a month.
The main reasoning behind the change is to implement stronger security. According to JMU IT’s Okta site, the software manages, assigns and protects JMU eIDs and passwords in one secure system, monitoring a student’s login behavior to make safety decisions for their account.
JMU IT uses the late-night login example to help illustrate their point. In its newsletter, the IT department said if a student logs in at 4 a.m. — an abnormal time to do so during their schedule — Okta may ask for additional information from the student, such as completing a number challenge to ensure no bot activity is present.
“Once Okta has adjusted to your patterns, it will make decisions to better balance security and usability, but it will probably always ask you to complete authentication a bit more often than Duo did,” the newsletter reads. “It’s doing all this to improve the security of your account and data.”
The constant authentication is something many students have voiced frustration over, and said even though they select the option for Okta to keep them signed in, it seems to prompt them even more frequently than Duo.
Sophomore industrial design major Lucy Sherrier was initially excited for the rollout of a new system because of all the advantages JMU advertised. After the switch happened, she said she didn’t think it was better than Duo.
“It makes me authenticate every time I log in and it won’t remember me even if I click the box to remember my sign in,” Sherrier said. “Half the time it sends me a push and I accept it, but it won’t go through.”
Freshman English major Jozie Bognar agreed, and said she didn’t notice a huge difference between the two services until it came to frequency.
“For Duo, I only had to [authenticate] every so often,” Bognar said. “It feels like every time I sign into anything JMU-related, Okta always goes off. There’s no wiggle room with that.”
Okta provides a website, mylogin.jmu.edu, that acts as a dashboard where you can access all of the JMU-specific sites and services and will minimize the number of times individuals have to log in.
While this new dashboard website is up and running and can be logged in to, the IT department says the multisite access feature is coming soon on its website, which may explain the frequent authentication happening to students and faculty campus-wide.
In another effort to provide further security for current and future Dukes, JMU IT is switching up how eIDs will look. Instead of a username based on last names, initials and possibly a number, such as “abthomp1”, eIDs issued after March 17 will consist of randomly generated letters and numbers, such as “a4g99b”, according to JMU’s website. This new identification will not include any information about you for security reasons and is permanent, meaning it cannot be changed.
By CHARLIE BODENSTEIN
The Breeze
If you’re looking for new indie tunes, head over to Festival Lawn on Saturday from 3 to 8 p.m. to meet the two groups performing at JMU’s annual music festival: The 502s and Sun Room.
The University Program Board (UPB) announced the artists March 26 during the leadup to its Purple Reign event. Let’s take a peek at what this year’s artists bring to the table:
The 502s
Hailing from Maitland, Florida, The 502s use a mix of bluegrass, roots and rock to create a folk sound.
Lead vocalist Ed Isola is one of six current band members. Because of its distinct folk sound, each player has a diverse arsenal of instruments including acoustic and electric guitar, saxophone, trombone, banjo and bass.
The 502s’ music offers a celebratory and bubbly experience, incorporating its members’ wide array of instruments. Most of its songs include catchy guitar riffs and basslines layered with cheerful, buttery vocals.
Its most popular track, “Just a Little While,” has over 110 million streams on Spotify. The roughly three-minute song sees Isola reminisce about a past relationship with a girl he calls “Miss Hollywood.” Isola urges the woman to wait for him because he misses the things they used to do together during their relationship. The song also went viral on TikTok, garnering millions of views.
The 502s currently have four albums and four EPs released on streaming services. Its newest self-titled album was released last April and accompanied by a North American tour.
Isola, a wrestler at Davidson College, was looking for something else to do after the
season ended. So, he started writing songs with his roommate’s banjo and guitar, Isola said in an interview with The Triangle. After graduating in 2015, he enlisted his cousins’ help and formed the band a year later.
Before it released any official music, the band performed at Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival alongside Kendrick Lamar and Mumford and Sons. Shortly after, Isola and his bandmates released “The 502s” — its debut EP.
Since then, the band has performed at various other music festivals and its work has been lauded by multiple newspapers and magazines.
“The 502s encapsulates these good-time feelings in their music — turning fun, Florida sunshine-soaked vibes, into a reality,” The Huntington wrote in their review of thei Boston concert.
Starting in May, The 502s is slated to begin its second tour at the Lovin’ Life Music Fest in Charlotte, North Carolina, and wrap up in Denver, Colorado, in November.
No matter where it performs, The 502s are guaranteed to bring an exuberant
performance that will have the audience dancing all throughout the night.
If you’re a fan of Wallows, then you should give Sun Room a listen.
A product of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Southern California indie band uses “surf rock” — a genre unique to its region’s music scene — to express its creative, loose music, according to Euphoria Magazine.
Pioneered by the Beach Boys and Dick Dale, Encyclopedia Britannica categorizes surf rock by its rhythmic electric guitars, heavy reverb and zesty and upbeat vocals. Basically, it’s supposed to sound like the beach. Imagine the bright sun soaking onto your skin as you lie on the golden sand watching blue waves crash into the shoreline — that’s what surf rock is.
While the band hasn’t released any albums yet, it currently has five EPs and 10 singles released. Its most popular song, “Sol Del Sur,” has over 25 million streams on Spotify.
Lead vocalist Luke Asgian and his friends founded the band in 2020, according to San Diego Reader. Soon after, it released its first EP, “Sol Del Sur.” Moreover, the band records almost all of their music live — a statement against inauthenticity in the music industry.
Asgian said in an interview with Flaunt Magazine that Sun Room gets its roots from Long Beach — where he grew up. He was heavily involved in Southern California’s experimental and unfettered garage-rock scene. Consequently, Sun Room’s discography has a diverse catalog of genres that hearken back to the familiar beachy vibe.
Asgian cites TikTok as a key contributor to its success, according to Atwood Magazine. Since 2020, Sun Room has amassed over 160,000 followers on the app, with one of its videos receiving over 660,000 views. Fittingly, it also has multiple songs featured on Netflix’s “Outer Banks.”
Even though the band is still relatively new, it has already garnered global success, performing in multiple European venues. In 2022, the band was the opener for One Direction alumnus Louis Tomlinson’s world tour and joined him for his Away From Home Festival in Spain. Additionally, Sun Room opened for Dayglow — who headlined last year’s Purple Reign — on the latter’s tour last fall
Sun Room’s music is engineered to radiate good vibes wherever it plays. Although Harrisonburg doesn’t have a beach, Sun Room will make you feel like it does.
CONTACT Charlie Bodenstein at thebreezeculture@gmail.com. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.
By ELEANOR SHAW The Breeze
3/5 stars
“Minecraft”: an essential part of nearly every Gen Zer’s upbringing.
Many young adults can fondly reminisce on afternoons spent playing the block-based game, which is built upon two verbs that make up its name: mining and crafting. The game is entrenched in 2010s nostalgia with a stunning soundtrack evoking memories of simpler days.
Finally, in an age of seemingly never-ending adaptations, reboots and sequels, “Minecraft” had its turn in 2025.
“A Minecraft Movie” was dealt the difficult task of creating a story out of a plotless video game. The writers opted to trap its human characters in the “Minecraft” world rather than invent a new lore. This choice keeps many of the source material’s elements intact and maintains many of the game’s mechanisms, such as redstone, crafting and building.
The most significant plot device was the earth crystal and “orb” of dominance — which is actually a cube, surprise, suprise. When combined, the crystal and orb open a portal between Earth and the movie’s main setting, the Overworld. The main cast has to keep the orb from the movie’s antagonists — the piglins and their evil leader Malgosha, who want to use the crystal to control the Overworld and destroy creativity.
Despite the ominous plot, this movie was a knee-slapper. Helmed by Jack Black as the iconic Steve, who’s joined by a supporting cast
visit jmu.edu/stormwater.
including Jason Momoa and Jennifer Coolidge — the movie’s IMDb preview alone suggests a movie packed with laughs.
Several scenes were inevitable to provide giggles. If you’ve recently used social media, you’ve likely encountered a sped-up, incharacter Black wearing azure attire and dramatically saying “crafting table,” “flint and steel” or “release!” TikTok’s obsession rubbed off on viewers, with the new trend being theater-goers reciting the lines alongside Steve.
However, despite the ironic appeal, the movie’s true delight is its accessibility.
There’s plenty of slapstick for the kids, with the occasional grown-up joke sprinkled in for parents. In my theater, older attendees had plenty to cackle at — mostly thanks to Coolidge (despite her criminally low screen time) and Momoa.
All around, “A Minecraft Movie” is a standard Hollywood kids’ film: fast-paced, light on depth and with plenty of well-done animation (not including the uncanny villagers). It charms with endearing acknowledgements to the movie’s namesake — the film even begins with the map loading the animation you see when booting up a new world in the game.
Moments that tugged most on my heartstrings were the orchestral renditions of C148’s original “Minecraft” score accompanying the movie’s establishing shots. It captured the feeling of booting up the game on a lazy summer afternoon and being enthralled by its wondrous, neverending opportunities for creation.
Unfortunately, as the wonder waned, the movie began to drag. After the main cast enters the Overworld, they are constantly pursued by the evil piglins. Even when the main cast is split up after successfully evading the primary antagonists, they battle other familiar threats such as zombies, skeletons, vindicators and, of course, a chicken jockey — a baby zombie riding a chicken.
The action was unrelenting save for the few minutes of downtime, making the movie’s pacing reminiscent of a sprint. Even then, these periods of calm were filled with jokes, giving few breaks to meditate on the story. My favorite scene was the cast’s emotional reunion before the final battle. Finally, a breath, until Steve cuts in with, “First, we mine, then, we craft. Let’s minecraft!” — yes, this is an actual line.
If it wasn’t already obvious, “A Minecraft Movie”’s dialogue isn’t in the upper echelon of all films ever put to screen. However, the goofy, borderline cringeworthy script is part of the movie’s charm. The plot is anchored by the young protagonist, Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen), who has the most screen time (second only to Steve) and his character development. Throughout the film, Henry has to come to terms with his outsider nature.
Henry is joined by his sister, Natalie (Emma Myers), who’s trying to parent Henry after their mother’s death. Natalie’s arc is one of the most compelling, but she gets some of the least screen time. She’s a young woman who gave up on childhood to take care of her brother but feels overlooked in favor of more humorous moments. Most of her development occurs off-screen, where she’s joined by Dawn (Danielle Brooks), another little-seen character.
Dawn steals the screen and balances the
humor. But like Natalie, I mourn how underutilized she was. While she fit into ensemble scenes, the writers didn’t know what to do with her (or Natalie) while they were alone.
That said, Henry holds the film together. He’s exploring the world of “Minecraft” for the first time — a situation many audience members can relate to. It’s easy to empathize with his wonder while crafting and his fear when confronting monsters.
My nostalgia goggles may cloud this
grew up playing the game, I thoroughly enjoyed my theatrical experience. For an hour and 40 minutes, I returned to my 9-year-old self.
“A Minecraft Movie” doesn’t take itself seriously, evading the sins of other adaptations such as “Battleship” (2012) and “Super Mario Bros.” (1993). The movie knows it’s an animation-dependent “Minecraft” film starring comedians. It’s not focused on providing audiences with a profound experience, and opts for a kitschy approach with a focus on fun instead.
The Overworld is beautiful, the soundtrack pulls your heartstrings, the cast members are hilarious and most blocky characters aren’t horrifying (besides the villagers, as previously mentioned). “A Minecraft Movie” is blissfully uncomplicated entertainment
CONTACT Eleanor Shaw at breezeeditor@ gmail.com. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.
from OKTA, page 12
If an individual’s eID was issued before March 17, they may request a one-time change to the new, non-identifiable format. Changing eID is optional and not required.
On a Breeze Instagram poll, all of respondents (239 out of 239) said they wouldn’t change their eID to the new format. Both Bognar and Sherrier said they don’t feel the need to change their eID since they're used to theirs.
“I really like the way it is done with the names. It’s really intuitive and easy to remember,” Bognar said. “I don’t understand why anyone would want to change.”
As the campus becomes more familiar
with Okta, JMU IT says the department will make adjustments and updates to Okta to ensure a better experience.
Bognar and Sherrier have both heard peers in classes voice their negative frustrations with the new system, but Bognar understands that it takes time to get used to change.
“I’m pretty used to it at this point,” Bognar said. “It’s still going to be annoying — that won’t ever stop — but I understand it.”
CONTACT Ashlee Thompson at thomp6ab@dukes.jmu.edu. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on X and Instagram @BreezeJMU.
Monday, April 14, 2025 at 6:30pm
Wilson Hall Auditorium
Sen. Majority Leader
Scott Surovell (D)
Sen. Minority Leader Ryan McDougle (R)
Facilitated by
Dr. Kara Dillard, Madison Center for Civic Engagement
Dr. David Kirkpatrick, Office of the President
Adanya Moyer leans on faith through journey to become JMU’s starting
By ZACH MENDENHALL The Breeze
March 1 marked the fourth time in two seasons JMU lacrosse faced Florida — a team the Dukes lost to three times straight.
Senior goalkeeper Adanya Moyer started her morning like any other game day. She ate a good breakfast, prayed for peace and strength, and listened to music — such as Kendrick Lamar and GloRilla. After long preparation and “revenge on her mind,” her first career start was just hours away.
“I was just making sure I knew myself … and really adrenaline took me the rest of the way,” Moyer said. “I had the ability to add the skills, and in game, I just prayed for that anxiety to be released, and for peace.”
Despite conceding six goals during the final quarter, the Dukes built a solid lead throughout while Moyer saved half of the 32 shots she faced. JMU defeated Florida 17 to 16, and a locker room celebration ensued.
“That was like a roller of emotions, I didn’t even know how to feel and [head coach] Shelley [Klaes] was like ‘are you ready,’ and I said, ‘I sure am,’” Moyer said. “It was just an amazing feeling, having my teams back and going against one of the top 10 teams, and I had fun doing it and I think that was the biggest part.”
From sitting on the bench freshman year to controlling the cage her senior year, Moyer said she’s grown into her fitness, composure and leadership more than anything — shifting from someone who led by example to having her voice be heard. Although her climb to her starting position wasn’t easy, she said it was “definitely worth it.”
After serving as a backup goalie for three and half seasons, assistant coach Matt Snyder said Moyer has found success and her role on the team through communication and drive.
Through Moyer’s constant spark, she’s exemplified how a player can make an impact from the bench, with Snyder calling her a “big driver for JMU lacrosse.”
“We’ve been lucky enough to have really strong goalkeepers, and Adanya is going to absolutely leave a legacy here on how to handle yourself,” Snyder said. “It’s a big mental game, and that’s where Adanya is so mentally strong, and I think she teaches other goalies to be that way,”
Snyder said Moyer “chipped away” more each year as a backup, improving while understanding what it takes during the offseason. Snyder said he and Moyer have “grown up together at JMU,” as she has continued to build on JMU’s legacy as its goalkeeper.
“That’s kind of where she’s at, she’s found success in that backup role, helping the offense get better, helping the shooters get better, and she’s really bought in to JMU lacrosse and Shelley’s message,” Snyder said. “It’s understanding that’s what she can do for the team, and now she’s found success by continuing to work better.”
Before this season, Moyer received roughly 54 minutes of playing time during her first three seasons. This season, that number stands at 450 minutes having played five of the Dukes’ 11 games in their entirety, holding a 5-2 record with 66 saves.
From Silver Spring to the ‘Burg
Moyer grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, and began playing lacrosse as a defender in fifth grade until her recreational team, Prince George’s County Pride, needed a goalkeeper. Her dad recommended she step in to be the team’s “backbone,” and after some time, she enjoyed it and shone in her role, leading her to keep the position.
“The rec team that I was on was really fun, and it just helped me fall in love with the sport, ” Moyer said. “As I went to camps, and as I grew in the sport, I just got better and better, so we found out that I could actually have a future or go to school for it, and that could help pay for my education as well.”
Moyer wanted to pursue lacrosse in college and looked at in-state schools like Maryland and Johns Hopkins. She discovered JMU’s lacrosse program after it defeated Boston College to win the 2018 NCAA Championship.
Remaining the Dukes’ ‘backbone’ was Moyer’s goal even when on the bench during freshman year she looked for ways to spark energy for the starters.
As a freshman, Moyer was “just happy to be [at JMU]” and looked for new ways to learn under alumnae Molly Dougherty (2017-21) and Kat Buchanan (2019-23).
Snyder said learning firsthand under Dougherty and Buchanan helped Moyer find her role as a leader.
“I think she learned that from the talent ahead of her, but also through a lot of personal work,” senior attacker Savannah Derey said.
As freshman, Moyer and Derey arrived at JMU together in 2021 and have been roommates the past three years. With the two hoping to live close together in the future, Derey said it’s almost certain they’ll extend their connection long into the future.
Derey said she can’t help but feel bonded to Moyer from the other end of the field as she understands the value of connections and the ups and downs of the game.
“We say every goalie is a little bit crazy, because to want to get in front of that many shots, you might have to be a little bit, but I would say Adanya is the opposite of that,” Derey said. “She’s very level-headed, and she knows what she’s doing, and she’s very unafraid. I think that’s the way she differs from any goalie that I have played with.”
Despite waiting until senior year for her first start, Moyer didn’t let that set her back. Derey said Moyer displayed extreme patience, and accepted the coaches’ decision to keep her benched.
“I think that’s really what led her to be completely ready for this,” Derey said, “because most people would be told no a bunch of times, and then kind of just become a little bit apathetic to the process, and she stayed throughout.”
Off-the-field
Moyer has worked to grow the game by helping Snyder with a free lacrosse clinic in Harrisonburg called Try Lax Clinic — where she volunteered at local elementary schools and taught sports weekly. She collected sticks for children to take home, while the pair donated any extra sticks they had.
“We teach lacrosse, basketball, football, soccer, whatever sports,” Snyder said, “she’s been doing that with a lot of the lacrosse players, as well as helping pack. We call them love packs, and it’s bags of food that kids can take home over the weekend when they’re in need of nourishment for their families, so she’s had an impact.”
This past summer, Moyer interned at Top Threat Tournaments, where she helped Snyder run girls’ lacrosse tournaments.
“That was a great experience for her to see what’s after playing and how she can still have an impact on the game,”
Snyder said.
Along with remembering her why, Moyer works to lead with confidence, and said it crushes her doubts and anxiety and heightens her skills. Her confidence is also contagious, allowing teammates to feel the same way and helping build the team around her.
“I play for my family, I play for my friends that have poured into me, I play for the haters that say I would have never been here, I play for the little girls that look like me who have never gotten that representation in lacrosse or in their sport,” Moyer said. “On days like that, when I’m feeling down, just remember your why, and it’ll keep you going, I promise.”
From just being happy to be a part of the team freshman year and waiting three seasons for her opportunity, Moyer is happy to finally be the “backbone” of JMU.
“I feel so supported, and I know that they have my back and I play to have their back, so it just gives it a family feeling, like I know everyone is rooting for me,” Moyer said. “I just feel like every time they call my name or chant my name, it feels like a big hug, and it just makes me play even harder for them.”
As the bittersweet feeling of graduation approaches, Moyer helped Derey deal with the upcoming change, as it’s something Moyer embraces with excitement. Moyer has remained a large encouragement to Derey in assuring her the world won’t end when it’s time to graduate and leave JMU.
“She’s just someone you look at and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to be a little bit like her’ so I think she’s made me patient,” Derey said. “Just watching her makes [me] want to emulate those characteristics I admire in her. She’s helped me a lot grow as a player and a person, mentality wise, character wise and everything else.”
By PRESTON COMER
The Breeze
NFL Draft hopefuls anticipating selection during the early rounds are invited to attend it in person every April — the majority of players, however, will stay at home with family and friends, anticipating a phone call from an NFL team’s front office.
Jacob Dobbs isn’t the majority of players.
The 6-foot, 233-pound former JMU football linebacker made Bruce Feldman’s 2024 Freaks List, meant to highlight college football players with anomalous physical tools. Dobbs isn’t just unique on the field but off it as well.
While there’s no certainty of Dobbs being drafted or signed to an NFL team as an undrafted free agent, he plans on watching the draft — not with family or friends, but alone in his basement.
“I’ll probably hide away in my basement somewhere by myself,” Dobbs said, “allow God’s plan to take its course and then whatever is next is what’s next.”
Dobbs entered his name into the draft coming off his lone season with JMU football after spending five seasons at Holy Cross with now-JMU head coach Bob Chesney.
Coming back from late-season obstacles
After starting the first eight games of the season, Dobbs was sidelined during JMU’s Oct. 26 matchup against Southern Miss with an adductor tendon strain.
Although he was out until the Dec. 18 Boca Raton Bowl game, Dobbs said he was itching to return before the bowl game.
“That’s what I was telling the coaches,” Dobbs said. “I thought I was going to be able to get out there for the Georgia State game with the bye weekend; I didn’t realize how much [the injury] was affecting my ability to play and move at a level I’m used to playing.”
Dobbs continued to try and prepare week-by-week, in hopes of playing in the final regular-season game vs. Marshall. Unfortunately for Dobbs, he “thought [he] was good but wasn’t.”
With a break between the end of the regular season and the Boca Raton Bowl, Dobbs had time to rest and prepare. However, despite the off-time and eventually playing in the bowl game, Dobbs said he wasn’t close to full capacity.
“I’d say I was at about 60%,” Dobbs said. “I was extremely locked in mentally because I knew I had to be perfect to do my job, just because I wasn’t there physically. I was able to gut through it and by the grace of God did enough where I was able to play.”
Following the bowl game, Dobbs spent time at home before heading back to Florida on Jan. 6. There, he trained in
Miami with trainer Pete Bommarito to rehabilitate his injury and prepare for Pro Day.
“The first couple of weeks I got a lot of medical advice, got a lot of evaluations from their physical therapists,” Dobbs said. “I was able to get back to unrestricted activity by the second week of training.
When focusing on rehabilitating his injury, Dobbs said he did a lot of “groin-isolation” exercises such as Copenhagen’s.
Outside of Dobbs’ injury, he worked with Bommarito and his staff in preparation for JMU’s Pro Day, which took place on March 27. Dobbs said he focused a lot on the 40-yard dash, as well as prepared for other drills on the field or in the weight room.
“[You’re] focusing on all of those drills and kind of turning yourself into a track runner and a combine warrior,” Dobbs said. “Combine warrior workouts is what I call them and that’s what you do to focus and get your body in the right spot to show what you can do physically.”
Dobbs’ NFL agent, Brad Blank, was transparent that Dobbs’ height could hurt him in the draft, just as it does many players under 6-feet.
However, while competing at Pro Day, Dobbs leaped to a 39.5-inch vertical and ran a 4.60-second 40-yard dash with a 1.58-second 10-yard split. Dobbs also leaped to a 39.5-inch vertical.
Afterwards, Dobbs said concerns regarding his official height of 5-foot-11 should be ignored since he “jumped out of the gym.”
Blank has told Dobbs and other players he’s represented that just because a measurable hurts your draft stock, it doesn’t mean it has to hurt your playing career.
In conversations with Dobbs, Blank has also referenced former New Orleans Saints linebacker and NFL Hall of Famer Sam Mills, who stood at just 5-foot-9.
Mills wasn’t selected in the 1981 NFL Draft and started his career in the USFL.
“I said [to Dobbs] he was literally less than 5-foot-10, and he was a middle linebacker, and there’s many others,” Blank said.
Dobbs said former Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly was a star he loved watching while growing up, but seeing his former Holy Cross teammates is what really inspired him to work towards a professional career.
“I played linebacker next to [Indianapolis Colts linebacker Liam Anderson],” Dobbs said. “Seeing him make it inspired me. Watching him work and go through this process and get his shot and make the most of his shot was awesome to see.”
Special
Blank said special teams will also benefit Dobbs, because rookies trying to make an NFL roster need a way to contribute other than just playing from scrimmage.
“I think he’s going to be a really good special-teams player; he already is,” Blank said.
Dobbs started playing punt protection at De La Salle Collegiate High School in Michigan. During his freshman season at Holy Cross, he was a backup punt protector.
“There were a couple older guys in front of me for punt protection that I was able to learn a lot from,” Dobbs said.
Even though Dobbs started on defense his freshman year, he said he still wanted to play special teams. The next season, he started in punt protection as the personal protector, where he made all of the communication calls on the field.
“That’s when that really took off for me and I found the love for it,” Dobbs said.
JMU’s special teams unit struggled during Dobbs’ absence, allowing three blocked punts in four games. The Dukes only allowed one blocked punt before Dobbs’ injury.
“You’ve got to be gritty,” Dobbs said on what it takes to play special teams. “You really have to be selfless in terms of your body, because when you have a guy running full speed at you trying to block a punt, it’s not the most fun thing in the world to do. It’s definitely not the easiest thing in the world to do.”
Special teams success may not be the unique ability Dobbs could bring to an NFL roster. Dobbs competed at the New England Patriots’ and Detroit Lions’ local pro days.
The Lions invited Dobbs to not just work out at linebacker, but at fullback too.
“He’s the right size and he has the willingness,” Blank said at the thought of Dobbs playing in the backfield. “These days, if you can do more than one thing, it makes you more desirable. If he was a linebacker/fullback/special-teams player, I think that would add to his appeal.”
Blank said he talked to the Patriots after Pro Day and Dobbs “did well,” and “they like him.”
Dobbs will now wait for the NFL Draft from April 24 to 26. He’s “extremely confident” in his abilities on the field, but also recognizes there are a lot of talented players in the draft.
“I’m going to be the best version of myself,” Dobbs said. “If the best version of myself is that guy who’s a gem in the late rounds, then that’s the best version of myself. I just want to be the best Jacob Dobbs can possibly be, it’s that simple … At the end of the day, I’ll be able to look at myself and be extremely happy with how the cards fall.”
By JACOB WISSOT
The Breeze
JMU baseball assistant coach Brendan O’Donnell said he believes nothing in life is guaranteed.
“You don’t earn success, you earn opportunities,” O’Donnell said.
Since his freshman year of college, he had to work his way up to gain opportunities, which led to his success on the field.
O’Donnell said as a player he had to learn this message the difficult way, and now, as a coach, he wants to ensure all his players understand to not take anything for granted.
The former JMU player has made his way onto the coaching staff after playing for the Dukes last season.
O’Donnell’s transition from player to coach first entered his mind during his junior season at Rider University in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. He decided that if his dreams of becoming a professional baseball player didn’t work out, he’d like to coach. One of the biggest influences on his decision was his coaches' impact of his coaches on his development as a player and a person both on and off the diamond.
“Seeing how my coaches were able to impact my career made me want to do the same for other young players in the future,” O’Donnell said.
After four years at Rider, O’Donnell entered the transfer portal, still chasing his dreams of becoming a professional baseball player.
He played a prominent role in helping the Dukes punch their ticket to the 2024 NCAA Tournament Regionals in Raleigh, North Carolina, for the first time since 2011. Although JMU’s appearance in the tournament was short-lived, O’Donnell said playing in the regional was one of the best experiences of his life.
He said that throughout his one year with JMU, he was viewed as a locker room leader, holding himself and everyone else to the highest regard. A competitor to the core, O’Donnell enjoyed travelling to Coastal Carolina, where he’d experience immense trash talking in right field — which in turn inspired him to play better.
“I really enjoyed it — having fun and bringing the competitiveness out of you,” O’Donnell said.
Despite the Dukes getting eliminated from the NCAA tournament earlier than they had hoped, O’Donnell moved on to play independent baseball for the Ottawa Titans of the Frontier League during the summer, and achieved a batting average of .294 with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs.
“There’s nothing like getting up every day knowing that all you have to do is play baseball,” O’Donnell said.
Unfortunately for O’Donnell, he didn’t receive a call during the 2024 MLB draft.
“I know I’m good enough to play at the professional level,” O’Donnell said, “there’s no doubt in my mind that I can compete with anyone on the field.”
He understood the option to go further was no longer in his hands. But this didn't deny him a future in baseball.
“I wasn’t going to let other people determine my career,” O’Donnell said.
After assistant coach Alex Raburn’s departure to UNC Asheville, JMU had a coaching spot available.
“I wanted to find the right guy, and [O’Donnell’s] name kept coming to the front of the board,” JMU head coach Marlin Ikenberry said.
Ikenberry said he looked for someone with passion and a grind mindset. Through research, Ikenberry and the JMU coaching staff searched for someone willing to spend time developing talent and creating relationships with the players.
see O'DONNELL, page 22
from O’DONNELL, page 21
While O’Donnell was putting in hard work on the field during the summer, associate head coach Michael Roberts approached him about a future in coaching. Initially, O’Donnell said no to the idea — he wasn’t ready to hang up his cleats.
“I’m too good to give this up,” O’Donnell said.
After summer ended, O’Donnell got a call in September from Ikenberry asking him to come coach. He was not expecting the call, but after a while, he simply asked himself, “What more can I do?”
That’s when O’Donnell decided to make the switch. Soon after receiving the invitation, he decided to return to the purple and gold, only this time to share his wisdom from the dugout permanently.
“The beauty of coaching Brendan for a year was watching his leadership on and off the field, and knowing I could get that same leadership as a coach was very important to me,” Ikenberry said.
With the addition of O’Donnell, Ikenberry now coaches alongside two of his former players: O’Donnell and Roberts.
As O’Donnell began coaching, he realized creating his own material for players to work on was difficult.
“It’s tough to come up with things on your own at this level because there are so many pieces,” O’Donnell said.
He first learned by observing other coaches handle situations to get hands-on experience working with players.
The people on and coaching the baseball team helped O’Donnell develop his mentor personality and provided him with a better understanding of how to impact players.
“Coach Ike always held me to a very high standard, which elevated my game,” O’Donnell said. “His mentorship and
ability to guide me to his expectation have been very helpful.”
Coming off his playing career, O’Donnell said he’s put himself in the players’ shoes to understand what they need from him as a coach.
Early into pre-season, O’Donnell had to establish a new relationship with his former peers who used to play beside him. He said he still has a very close relationship with players and former teammates who are closer in age, such as senior infielder Coleman Calabrese and senior outfielder Ryan Dooley. However, as a coach, he knows he has to be professional.
“We still have a fairly personal relationship, but when we’re on the field, it’s all business,” O’Donnell said.
Although he set a line of professionalism, his former teammates noticed his locker room leadership transferred into his coaching mentality.
“He’s been amazing,” Dooley said. “You could tell from his role last year that he would be a great coach one day.”
Ikenberry has noticed O’Donnell’s efforts to separate relationships from his job on the diamond.
“He is mature beyond his years and represents himself very well in the coaching role,” Ikenberry said.
While he was the one to break Rider’s home run record, O’Donnell said he wants to see someone else surpass it because he wants all players to succeed.
“The past is the past; you can impact the present and change the future,” O’Donnell said.
CONTACT Jacob Wissot at wissotjr@ dukes.jmu.edu. For more baseball coverage, follow the sports desk on X and Instagram @TheBreezeSports.
The best place for banking isn’t a bank at all!
CommonWealth One is JMU’s trusted, full-service credit union, and student banking is better here. We’re conveniently located on campus and offer everything you might need financially as a student. What we don’t have? Excessive and unnecessary fees.
When it comes to handling your finances as a student, we’ve got your back with:
The secret is out – CommonWealth One is here to help you thrive financially at JMU.
To open an account or learn more about JMU Student Perks, which include special events, free food and prizes, visit cofcu.org/DUKES or stop by our branch in The Union (next to the post office)
(Next to
Caroline McKeown
EDITOR EMAIL breezeopinion@gmail.com
Want to praise someone or get something off your chest? Darts & Pats is the place to do it. Submit your own at breezejmu.org.
A “thank-youZuckerberg” pat for the ability to use Facebook to find a roommate for next year.
From a student graduating in December.
A “please-respond-tothe-groupchat” dart to that one person in my final project group.
From a girl who cannot afford to repeat this class.
A “tow-mater” pat to my car for still kicking it after thousands of dollars of repairs.
From a broke college student who really should’ve just started to take the bus.
A “use-your-brain” dart to the President of the United States.
From a college student who understands how tariffs affect the economy.
Starting my freshman year, I was unprepared when selecting my class schedule, leaving me feeling lost and confused. My boyfriend, on the other hand, was breezing through his course selection benefiting from an older brother already established at JMU who could advise him. As I watched him enroll, I noticed him switching between tabs. When I asked what he was doing, he told me he was checking reviews on Rate My Professor before committing to a class to see how the professor grades, teaches and takes attendance. He was selecting 8 a.m. classes he knew could be more difficult to wake up early for, but he didn’t mind the sacrifice for a professor with good ratings. He told me to do the same to ensure I would thrive in my classes. Except I brushed off the idea of Rate My Professor and instead prioritized my class times over the professor’s quality. I was determined to curate a schedule with back-to-back classes and some
weekdays free. Therefore, the only thing I looked at when picking my classes was the times, emphasizing a flexible routine. I thought I was making my life easier in doing so, but I soon realized I didn’t connect with some of the professors or the material. I didn’t understand where I went wrong — I thought I chose a schedule that would be the most convenient for me. I kept telling myself it’s okay to not enjoy every class or every professor’s method of teaching and I continued to sit in those classes, bored out of my mind, thinking about anything other than what my professor was saying.
When my second semester rolled around, I knew I didn’t want to relive this feeling, I wanted to feel motivated to learn and enjoy my time in class. As course scheduling came up again, my boyfriend brought up the idea of checking Rate My Professor so I didn’t make the mistake of enrolling in classes I’d dread. Once I began using Rate My Professor, I never looked back. I don’t know how I went without it previously and recommended it to everyone around me. I gained perception from the ratings about course material, grading policies and the
types of assignments, essays and projects involved. It felt like a trial run, and I was kicking myself for not implementing it into my class registration process sooner.
“Over the past four years, I’ve consistently used Rate My Professor to help guide my class selections,” senior hospitality management major Rebeka Dalton said. “It’s been a valuable tool in giving me insight into different teaching styles and helping me choose professors whose approaches align with my learning preferences.”
As an underclassman, you hear countless stories about classes to steer away from or professors to avoid. Rate My Professor is the all-access pass to these upperclassmen’s opinions.
“I’ve recommended Rate My Professor to students as a general consensus on the professor,” Madison Academic Advising Peer and sophomore Paul Blome said. “I’d say use it, it’s a solid baseline for how good the professor is, but it shouldn't be an end all be all.”
see RATE MY PROFESSOR, page 25
This is a particularly valuable tool if you don’t know many people at the college yet who can guide you. It’s an excellent resource for making informed decisions about your schedule. For example, I once added an online class to my schedule, thinking it would be low-maintenance and easily fit into my schedule, or so I thought.
I thought I could miss out on checking Rate My Professor just this once. After all, it was an online Zoom class on a topic I was familiar with. What could possibly go wrong? However, when the class started, I quickly noticed the professor didn’t use Canvas at all. Instead, everything was done through email — quizzes, assignments, grades, you name it. This was very uncommon for me as I’m the type of person who is reminded of my due dates by Canvas notifications and my calendar. I can’t go without a set schedule, planning or seeing that my submission was checked off my to-do list in Canvas. This is how I’ve always learned, it’s been engraved in me since elementary, even when we had Schoology.
Yes, I agree it’s proficient to step outside of your comfort zone, especially in college when you’re navigating a higher stratum of education. But this learning style just forced me into a loop, I was riddled with anxiety 24/7 by not seeing my assignments pop up on my Canvas app. Without a transparent system in place, I felt like I was constantly forgetting something or going
to miss a submission deadline. I was also persistently checking my grades. With this online class and my professor only utilizing email, I couldn’t see my grade on Canvas or MyMadison. I felt as if not checking Rate My Professor this one time would cost me either a withdrawal (W) on my transcript or a drop in my GPA. I attempted to push through the course even though I wasn’t used to the learning style, yet it just became too much stress for me, worrying about my grade, as the quizzes were worth 100 points and had to be answered in a single sentence. Even when I followed the instructions, my responses were marked down for not being detailed enough. I felt I was doing everything right, but it was never enough.
This experience opened my eyes. I didn’t want anyone else to go through the same frustration, chiefly if they had a similar learning style to mine. So, I decided to write and tell everyone who may not know about the application or importance of using Rate My Professor to please check and corroborate that the ratings match what you’re seeking before selecting a class.
“While I understand that some reviews, especially negative ones, might not always fully reflect a professor’s capabilities, I’ve found that the majority of my experiences have matched what I read in the reviews. Overall, referencing Rate My Professor has played a significant role in helping me make informed decisions throughout my coursework,” Dalton said.
Not to mention, when I checked this instructor’s Rate My Professor rating, after it was too late for me to switch out of the online class, I saw ratings on his attendance policy,
grading and the fact that he never used Canvas. He also had a five out of five star rating for difficulty, which would’ve shown this course isn’t a simple online Zoom that will ease into my established routine. If I had checked the reviews before it was too late, I could have saved myself a lot of worry.
“I believe Rate My Professor can be used as a resource to see the style of teaching each professor uses,” said an anonymous Madison Peer Advisor. “For example, if you would like a class with heavy assignments but not a lot of tests you can look at Rate My Professor to see which professors have heavy assignment classes.”
Everyone has a different learning style and preferences when it comes to coursework. That’s why taking a few extra minutes to check Rate My Professor can make all the difference in finding the right fit. Don’t make the same mistake I did — always do your research first.
CONTACT A nnabelle Berry at berry3aj@dukes.jmu. edu. For more editorials regarding the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the opinion desk on X @ TheBreezeJMU and on instagram @BreezeJMU.
SHISHIRA NAKKA Contributing columnist
When I arrived on campus, I assumed finally being a college student was the great, big thing we were all trying to do. I figured picking a college, and then a major was the hard part, so we must be one step closer to our dreams coming true. What a thing to celebrate!
As the second semester of my first year of school comes to an end, I realized some people think their struggle is worse than others. Allow me to explain. What I mean is, I’ve encountered this “one-upping” of trauma, if you will. In the academic sense, this idea that one person’s major is “harder” than someone else’s was unbelievable to me — I mean, I thought the thing that united us was that we struggled together, but apparently, it’s a competition, and I’m probably already losing!
I’ve noticed this mindset the most from the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors
toward any liberal arts student, actually (please don’t pull my life support plug out when I’m not looking. I swear it’s not a diss). From these students, I hear comments like, “SMAD (media arts and design) isn’t even a real major,” or “What even is a communications major?” People seem to think that anyone who isn’t in a science or math-related field has it “easier,” but I beg to differ — that’s not to discount any of the work those students do, you guys are brilliant. But your genius doesn’t take away from anyone else’s — I believe being able to put a laptop together or sew an arm back on is just as important as any of the work someone with a SMAD major might do.
To explore this feeling and sentiment that cannot be denied, I wanted an educator’s perspective, then the educated, if you will. I interviewed SMAD professor Ryan Alessi — or just Alessi to those who know him — for his thoughts on the matter.
“[SMAD is] helping us figure out what it is to be human, to understand the society and the earth around us and all that it entails,” Alessi said. “Our SMAD majors are multimedia storytellers, and what that means is they are all focusing on not only how to tell a story in a compelling, meaningful, accurate way, authentic way, but also doing that in different media.”
A common comment chucked toward SMAD students wrapped in barbed wire and insecurity is that the major is “easy.” While I took it as a challenge or insult (and I’m not even a SMAD major), Alessi saw it differently.
“We have our own experiences, and we’re most familiar with our experiences, and we know we’re experts on how difficult the challenges are right in front of us as individuals, it’s oftentimes difficult to understand what goes in to a different field, or what a different area requires people to know or skills to develop,” Alessi said. “And probably the theme or the similarity that runs through all disciplines is that the people who are typically the best at that area, make their area look the easiest, and that’s actually a compliment”
At SMAD’s core is storytelling, as Alessi would put it, and yet, I believed there was still something more. That thing turned out to be humanity, but more specifically, perseverance.
“[Students have] found that the skills and the knowledge that they cultivated [in school] translate [to] the ability to crack a problem or to have the fortitude to stick with a tough mathematical problem,” Alessi said. “Developing those skills are no less or more important than the ones that you know our friends in math and science are doing.”
As Alessi said that, I was intrigued. The deeper you think about it, the clearer it becomes: Science and art are connected in many different ways, and I think the main thing they have in common is their reliance on asking questions.
“I think questions are our most powerful tool, and that’s what every major is exploring anyway, and the most cross-disciplinary thing we can do is ask questions about somebody else’s area of expertise,” Alessi said.
I wanted another perspective on this “SMAD isn’t real” epidemic, so I turned to senior SMAD and WRTC major BriAnna Thweatt — who is also a former Breeze news writer.
“You may just see me reading a story, [but] I have to go in here and analyze everything in the story to make sure I understand it, and then spit it back out in my own way,” Thweatt said. “We have a lot of comprehension on our side that fuels us into what we do.”
Thweatt made an excellent point about where this perspective may stem from (no pun intended, unless you liked it like that.)
“I think it comes from gen eds,” Thweatt said. “We’re missing half the population on campus not being able to experience [SMAD] classes, or these kinds of opportunities within these majors, and we’re not presenting them in the right light. I feel they’re foundational, and of course, they’re useful, but at the end of the day, they’re not really making the necessary impact for a
A STEM student working in the lab. Breeze file photo
STEM major to be like, ‘maybe this is pretty interesting.’”
Like every STEM-related conversation, Grey’s Anatomy became a topic but not in the way you may think. “We need these doctors and all these scientists to help us with the world, but at the same time, we need these journalists and advertisers and movie makers and web designers to be able to help those scientists, to be able to tell [their story] to the world,” Thweatt said.
“We need shows like Grey’s Anatomy to help pool entertainment to want to inspire a little girl or a little boy or whoever, to go into wanting to be a doctor or to inspire them to want to make a show about doctors, because that inspired them. I think it goes both ways that we kind of depend on each other, quite honestly.”
We depend on each other. SMAD and STEM majors, no matter chemistry or cinema, because behind the major, we are all people. Friends, even. Ultimately, both majors help us determine what it means to be human, in more ways than one. Who is anyone to judge? Being here, going to class, putting yourself out there — this is the great, big thing! You even having a major is the impressive part. Science is an art, and art is a science, and personally, all of it is beautiful.
CONTACT Shishira Nakka at nakkasl@dukes.jmu.edu
For more editorials regarding the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the opinion desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on instagram @BreezeJMU.
KATIE MAE YETTER Breeze columnist
Have you ever had a JMU burning opinion and didn’t know where to share it? Well, JMU students are using Yik Yak. A platform where you can share any and all opinions you have throughout your day. The catch? None! It’s completely anonymous.
Yik Yak is the ultimate scrolling app. People take their qualms throughout the day and post them. However, sometimes I find myself disgusted by just how much they chose to share. You can really say whatever you want on Yik Yak as long as it doesn’t reveal your identity. Some people take too much liberty with this.
Whether it’s people asking who’s throwing or people complaining about the tours, the content is very versatile. However, I can’t count the number of times I’ve been scrolling on it and seeing people posting the most bizarre things. For example, I don’t want to know if you decided to get blackout drunk on a Wednesday. That’s your business; keep it to yourself. You wouldn’t believe how many people take to Yik Yak to share about their sexual endeavors. Just because it’s anonymous doesn’t mean you should share it. Freshman Hannah Foley said she sees those most often.
“The most bizarre thing I’ve seen is people asking for hookups. Like all of the time” Foley said.
Yik Yak is there when someone’s parking makes you mad or someone takes your unassigned assigned seat. It’s there to share your daily inconveniences. But why is it that students find Yik Yak as such a good outlet for emotions? It makes me wonder why you would feel so safe sharing this with the people of your college community. Does anonymity make you feel less judged? When people resonate with what you said and upvote it, does it make you feel validated? I can only imagine it does the same thing other social media does: Make us feel wanted.
Which leads me to the question: Why trust random people you don’t know with this information? I can understand feeling embarrassed and not wanting to share. Yik Yak can be an outlet for you to share the things you feel like you can’t. However, some of the information on there should be shared with your trusted friends, not strangers in your college community.
Is this healthy for us as students? I can see how Yik Yak could be a community builder, getting students on the same forum and agreeing with each other’s ideas. But there
are some things that you just need to keep to yourself. I’m not saying remove yourself from Yik Yak completely, just think about what you post before you do it. How would you feel if you looked someone in their eye and said what you typed? Little frustrations don’t need to be spread to the public, they can just be your little frustrations.
Sometimes it’s not what’s said, it’s how you say it. Just because something is anonymous doesn’t mean it can’t be traced back to you. The thing is, nothing can stay anonymous forever. How could we even be sure this is a safe way to let out feelings without it coming back to bite us?
I’m not saying you can’t share your feelings and inner thoughts on Yik Yak, but be careful how you do it. Maybe the next time you are conjuring up your next post, think about the person reading it on the other end. You're think about how it would feel if they knew exactly who you were.
As highly stressed college students, sometimes you just need to vent. I understand using this completely anonymous platform in front of you, but this cannot be a healthy way to cope with those little frustrations. The little things that bug you in a day don’t need to be publicized to the entire JMU student population. Some things need to be dealt with personally. So the next time you see a tour and say “let me heckle them on Yik Yak,” think of how they would feel if those words left your mouth to their face.
CONTACT Katie Mae Yetter at yette3km@dukes.jmu.edu . For more editorials regarding the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the opinion desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.
You don’t have to lift a hammer to help build and preserve affordable housing in the Central Shenandoah Valley. SHOP, VOLUNTEER or DONATE at the ReStore and help families realize their dreams of homeownership. All proceeds help to fund housing provided by Central Valley Habitat for Humanity.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Eleanor Shaw breezeeditor@gmail.com
NEWS EDITORS
Drake Miller & Emma Notarnicola breezenews@gmail.com
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SPORTS EDITORS Preston Comer & Gavin Avella breezesports@gmail.com
AUDIENCE EDITORS Ella Warren & Madeline Buynak thebreezesocials@gmail.com
(4/3/25): The photo on page 24 was incorrectedly credited. The photo was taken by Adam Tabet, not Ashley Dondes as originally indicated. The website has been updated to reflect this.
(4/3/25): In the headline on page 13 the word “Harrisonburg” is mispelled.
OPINION EDITOR Caroline McKeown breezeopinion@gmail.com
ART DIRECTOR Julia Tanner thebreezeartdirector@gmail.com
TV NEWS DIRECTOR Alexa Bonilla jmubreezetv@gmail.com
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Patti Varol
By Jill Weiskopf Brufsky & Rachel Fabi
Jon Foreman In Bloom Tour with Jordy Searcy
Jon Foreman IN BLOOM tour at 7 PM on Friday March 7 in Harrisonburg! Jon, lead singer of the Grammy Award winning band Switchfoot, will also be joined by singer-songwriters Jordy Searcy & special guest Graham Jones. Tickets are available at songsforvalley.org.
NOW HIRING! Dance Teachers
Wanted - Fall 2025 to Spring 2026
Seeking teachers with extensive dance training, performance experience and love of teaching! Send your resume to dancecompany@gmail.com and call 540-810-3631 to begin interview process Interviews begin in March - Dont wait! Call Now!
2 Bedroom Townhouse - Close to JMU campus!
2 BEDROOM - Two bedroom townhouse for rent starting in August 2025. The townhouse is 0.5 miles from the JMU campus. Contact me at (540) 435-7861 if you are interested.
Downtown Harrisonburg
one-bedroom loft available for sublet August 2025 – January 2026
1BR/1.5BA loft in downtown Harrisonburg available Aug 1, 2025 –Jan 30, 2026. $1,600/month. Must be employed, no pets, lease required. Includes parking. Beautiful, modern, well-lit space. Serious inquiries only – email vivianvk17@gmail.com with your details and availability to meet with the tenant and landlord.
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.
Help Wanted in Church Nursery
Mt Olive Brethren Church seeks a Nursery Care Provider during the hours of 8:45am-12:15pm each Sunday. For more information, contact Laura Waldron (540-820-7235, laura@ mtolivebrethren.org)
Career Opportunity - Police Recruit - $10,000 HIRING INCENTIVE AVAILABLE TO NEW OFFICERS
The City of Harrisonburg is currently accepting applications for non-certified individuals interested in joining HPD, which offers a rewarding career plus an excellent benefits package, including enhanced hazardous duty through the Virginia Retirement System (VRS). $10,000 HIRING INCENTIVE AVAILABLE TO NEW OFFICERS* ...
*Find out more/apply online: https:// www.harrisonburgva.gov/employment. EOE.
Are you searching for your next career move with an organization that values your subject-matter expertise while leading strategic transportation planning efforts? If so, consider applying to become the Public Works Planning Manager with the City of Harrisonburg! Find out more/apply online: https:// www.harrisonburgva.gov/employment. EOE.
SUMMER STUDENT STORAGE SERVICES. Going home for the summer? Leave your belongings in storage We will pick them up, store them and deliver them to your new place in August. Call 540-810-1196, email MikePackett@aol. com or check out www.Adventures-NTravel.com for details. Local business and competitive.
SwiftHaul: Your Affordable Moving Solution for JMU Students!
Hey JMU Students! SwiftHaul Moving Services makes your move easy and affordable! From dorms to storage, apartments, or home, we’ve got you covered with the best prices and friendly, reliable service.
Contact us today at 434-665-1259 or maceevan03@gmail.com for a stressfree experience!
Bojangles is a proud and active part of the JMU community and the official Tailgate Sponsor of JMU Athletics.
Join us for the Bojangles Book Fest , where up to 150 FREE books are given to the community. Each event doubles as a Fundraiser Night for local schools , featuring a local author and supporting education.
On Thursday, April 29th from 5 to 8 pm, a book signing at the Bojangles in Harrisonburg with the proceeds going to The Promise of Tomorrow Scholarship Fund.
The Bojangles Promise of Tomorrow Scholarship is here to help brighten the future for students in Augusta County. The scholarship supports hardworking individuals pursuing their dreams, with a commitment to education and community. Apply today by scanning the QR code
