The Breeze 4.3.25

‘I

just want a home’: Living without permanent shelter in Harrisonburg

Three individuals rely on community, faith, friendships while awaiting housing

By LANDON SHACKELFORD

The Breeze

EDITOR’S NOTE This story contains descriptions of suicide and domestic abuse. Dial 988 for the suicide and crisis hotline or +1 (800) 799 - 7233 if you or a loved one are victim of domestic violence.

Heather and her boyfriend had lived in her car for almost three years before it was taken.

Buck, a double-leg amputee, spends his days on a friend’s porch.

Spider splits time between shelters and her mountain campsite.

These are just three stories of the unhoused people in Harrisonburg.

According to Data USA, the 2023 poverty rate in the city is 25.6%, and during the same year, 22.6% of the Harrisonburg population lived with “severe housing problems.”

But these people are more than just statistics.

Harrisonburg and neighboring communities work to provide resources for these unhoused individuals so they don’t have to navigate their situations alone. One of Harrisonburg’s largest community centers offering housing assistance and food is Our Community Place (OCP). Its Executive Director Matt Tibbles said getting affordable housing is “hard and complicated.”

“You can apply for subsidized housing through the Harrisonburg Rockingham Housing Authority (HRHA), and with that you need documentation,” Tibbles said.

The difficulty with providing the necessary documentation is that it most often requires government-issued identification a significant number of unhoused people don’t have. After applying, the next step is being evaluated by a system that determines the applicant’s need for affordable housing and places them on a list accordingly.

“If you score high, you will be closer to the top for getting housing sooner,” Tibbles said.

The list’s effectiveness depends on housing

voucher availability, which is how the government subsidizes rent, and is dependent on a landlord’s willingness to accept said vouchers. Tibbles said the HRHA owns several units in Harrisonburg — Hawaiian Lever, Harris Gardens and Commerce Village — but spots are limited.

After receiving an ID, completing the application and getting placed on the list, Tibbles said it takes anywhere from a couple of months to three or four years to receive housing

“At that time you’re waiting for a letter,” Tibbles said. “This letter will say if you’re close to the top. But even if you get this letter, it doesn’t mean you have [an affordable housing voucher] yet.”

This letter allows two weeks to gather all required documentation and sign the lease.

“There are currently over 5,000 people on the waiting list for housing in the city of Harrisonburg alone,” Tibbles said.

Heather, Buck and Spider are all on that list.

Heather’s story

For three years, Heather and her boyfriend Damon — both of whom declined to give their last names to prevent harassment or emotional strain — lived out of her car. In January, after leaving the hospital from a prolonged sickness, the car — and all their possessions — had disappeared. They are currently living in the Valley Open Doors shelter in Harrisonburg.

Before experiencing homelessness, Heather was renting an apartment in Newmarket and commuting to Harrisonburg, where she worked two service industry jobs. After being let go from one, she could no longer afford her rent and moved into her red Toyota Hatchback.

After living in the car for almost two years, one summer night in 2024, Heather said, “we became stuck” when the car died in the McDonald’s parking lot on Carlton Street.

“Cops ran us off from there, and we had to push the car across the street,” she said.

The couple stayed there for a few days until someone threatened to tow the car.

She and her boyfriend then moved the car to a parking lot off East Market Street until January, when it went missing. For the summer, fall and winter, they lived in that broken-down car. Damon slept next to her before heading to MARTIN’S grocery store, where he’s worked for over a year.

Heather is currently between jobs — she was most recently employed at Tacos 4 Life off East Market Street. This winter, Heather’s biggest worry was surviving freezing temperatures without her car’s heat.

“I am just so scared,” she said in January. “If we don’t get into housing soon, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

A stranger had paid to fix Heather’s car’s heater — an act she referred to as “a miracle.” However, the heater only stayed on for a few weeks before dying again.

“It felt like my body was just locking up,” Heather said. “It hurt so bad to wake up every day in the cold.”

Frost and ice developed inside the car, leading to the couple falling ill and eventually needing to be hospitalized.

“I didn’t even make it into the emergency room, I just passed out right outside,” Heather said.

After recovering, the two returned to the parking lot to find the car was missing, meaning they’d lost everything: their clothes, cash, food and belongings.

“All I could do was just stand there and laugh when I saw it was missing,” Heather said.

Although she contacted police departments and towing companies, there was no trace of the car.

“We lost everything in it,” Heather said. “But truly, it’s been awfully less stressful. I’m not worried all the time about losing [the car] or anything in it anymore,” adding that she feels safer in the shelters without it.

The two moved into Harrisonburgs Valley Open Doors shelter for winter’s remainder. The shelter’s policy is that unless it’s 20 degrees below freezing, residents must leave in the “morning” and may return at 6:30 p.m., Heather said. There, she and Damon would travel to other locations, such as OCP or the Massanutten Regional Library downtown.

“Without a place to stay, there is not much to do … It got so hard and so cold,” Heather said. “I mean, Damon and I made it through, but at the shelter, there are some people in their late 70s, and they are just put out to wait all day in that f—ing cold weather.”

The shelter wasn’t free of struggles, with Heather experiencing the closure of the women’s bathroom one day and a faulty fire alarm that caused the shelter’s evacuation on a Sunday, when no public transport was available.

“I just want a place of my own, I just want a home,” Heather said.

In mid-March, after living in the shelter for approximately three months and entering her fourth year of homelessness, Heather expressed desire to live privately with her boyfriend in a home of her own while speaking to The Breeze at The Massanutten Regional Library.

“I miss just being able to be with my man Damon the most. In the shelter, he is in the men’s section and I am in the women’s section.” Heather said, “I just want to fall asleep next to him in a

big old bed.”

After being let go from one of her two former jobs, Heather couldn’t afford rent and moved into her early-2000s Toyota hatchback. Photos by Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

Our Community Place offers free meals and assistance with the affordable housing process among other services for people local to Harrisonburg.

Buck’s story Downtown in a wheelchair, wearing his favorite “USA” sunhat, Donald Lee Rexroad, Jr. — who asked to go by Buck — has been homeless and living on his friend’s porch for a few years.

Buck had lived in the country and camping in a large field in the George Washington & Jefferson National Forest, but after being diagnosed with diabetes and losing both legs to the disease, he moved to Harrisonburg for a more comfortable living situation.

Buck first got involved with OCP when he moved to Harrisonburg and before finding jobs in town. Before his condition prevented him from working, Rexroad purchased a home in Harrisonburg, which he couldn’t afford after he lost his job, making him once again unhoused. Buck has struggled to find accommodations since.

In the winter, Buck left his friend’s porch and moved into the same overnight shelter as Heather. The men’s section is on the building’s second floor, and Buck often sleeps downstairs due to elevator malfunctions. At least once, he’s had to be carried by firemen down the stairs during an evacuation.

Despite his circumstances, Buck remains cheerful and optimistic — and is writing a memoir.

“I sleep alright. I have a roof over my head,” Buck said. “In the summer, I have the breeze all night long, and if I roll over and look up, all I can see is the stars. It’s pretty good, but some days I just really want a couch. Like a loveseat to rest on inside somewhere.”

Spider’s

story

Stephanie — who declined to give her last name to prevent harassment or emotional strain and asked to go by Spider — splits her time between Staunton’s Salvation Army

Family Services and Emergency Shelter and her tent in the nearby mountains. But due to car issues and the cold winter, it had been a few months since Spider has returned to her campsite.

Currently, Spider frequents Harrisonburg, where she works with an OCP case officer assisting her with getting housing vouchers and other needs.

“I come to Harrisonburg a few times a week for OCP because they have better resources; I can check my mail and get a meal,” she said. “They have got better services there, too. I’m working on my resume, and they got me help for a brain injury I had.”

Spider also volunteers at OCP and shares her story at galas and offering help to community members experiencing homelessness.

“I can practice my activism and still give back at OCP,” she said.

Spider was sexually assaulted at 6 years old by her mother’s boyfriend and survived her first suicide attempt at age 7.

“I still struggle with it today,” she said. “I probably will, too, for the remainder of my years. It’s hard to explain, but it’s like I live in a suicidal mode all the time, it’s like this horrible load of pain I carry everywhere.”

After her father died in 2013, she became homeless in Harrisonburg.

“I remember that first night, Saturday, August [4]. It was lightly misty or raining and had been for days,” she said, adding that she had “just the clothes on my back” when she travelled to Harrisonburg.

Eventually, she said, she got her own apartment and started working at a gas station and as an activist for OCP. However, after an altercation with her neighbor, she was evicted from the property and charged

with assault, which is why she can’t receive a housing voucher until 2025.

“The lady had bumped me, and I had been in such an overload for so long, so many things had been done to me, that I grabbed her by the collar and scared her,” Spider said. “I never hit her or anything.”

Spider said she struggles to find any work on top of her cleaning job in Staunton. She has a running car and her tent site in the woods. There, Spider said, she’s the happiest and doesn’t fear being hurt as she had in the past.

“Going up there in the mountains, where I don’t see anyone else,” Spider said, “it’s freedom. I feel like I am a person again. Not a homeless person or something that people look down on, just another person God made. And, man, I see God so clearly up in the mountains. Just the wind and the peace of it all.”

Spider said people also share their stories with her, adding one community member even referred to Spider as his “best friend.”

“It was so strange,” she said, pausing, “a person can break your last nerve, get in your personal space, but they are harmless and sweet, and I care for him.”

But Spider’s experiences have given her a deep appreciation of isolation.

“Human beings are dangerous creatures,” she said. “I love them. I like to deal with them. With their issues and stuff even, but as far as being part of the tribe, I’d rather be on the outskirts.”

In the Staunton shelter, Spider shares a room with 30 other women who all sleep on bunk beds. It’s currently at capacity.

“You don’t get any sleep in that room,” she said. “I try not to spend any time when I don’t have to at the shelter.”

Spider said she’s known 10 people in the Staunton shelter who have received housing

this winter.

“I am happy for them, I am so extremely happy for them. I’ll be glad when it’s my turn,” she said, “but I like seeing anyone get out of here. I am most looking forward to the day where I can cook in my own kitchen — I’m going to make ribs — and I’ll have my own space, too, my own room to sleep in. I’m going to pump gospel music, dance around my own space, and cook ribs and collard greens.” Spider credits her faith for getting her through most days.

“I found faith at about 6 years old and I’ve kept it,” she said. “The Bible says it best: the birds have the trees, the animals the field but the Son of Man has no place to rest his head.”

CONTACT Landon Shackelford at thebreezephotography@gmail.com. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.

Spider feels the most comfortable in her mountain tentsite. Buck’s

JMU joins universities, nonprofits across nation in data rescuing efforts

By SIXUAN WU The Breeze

An error prompt wasn’t what Emily Bouza was expecting when she visited one of her favorite research websites on the afternoon of March 3.

“We cannot show you this information right now,” WAC Clearinghouse’s webpage read — an open-access education website for interdisciplinary communications housed through Colorado State University. Dazed and slightly confused, Bouza refreshed the page. No more than 30 seconds later, the information returned.

“I should have [taken a] screenshot, because then all of a sudden, now I can see that information again,” Bouza said, disciplinary writing coordinator for the University Writing Center. “So within less than 30 seconds, it was changed — what I had access to or not.”

This rapid shift in what information is accessible to the public occurs not only on websites sponsored by public universities but also across government websites.

As The New York Times reported on Feb. 2, a collection of government webpages has been either taken down or modified to comply with President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders. Topics typically subject to data removal or modification include diversity initiatives, healthcare guidelines, environmental policy initiatives and census data, among others.

Researchers left in the dark Bouza’s work involves supporting students and faculty in writing across different disciplines. Her research focuses on linguistic justice — how people from different backgrounds can access discourse communities through writing and communication, which leads to frequent visits to scholarly websites on writing studies, such as the WAC Clearinghouse, a provider of peerreviewed open-access journals, books and academic materials for educators and students.

Bouza said the rapid changes to what data is publicly available haven’t only affected her research, but those of her students as well.

“One student said they’ve been working on a paper for over a year now, and they’re trying to get it published, but the sources that they were originally using to cite are now not available,” she said.

Research remains a core component of JMU, with the Carnegie Commission recognizing JMU as a Research 2 (R2) university for the past three years.

This year, the criteria for an R2 university include the institution spending, on average in a single year, at least $5 million on research and development and awarding at least 20 research doctorates.

Bouza said the concern is, even if there are other ways to find certain removed data, how long the data will stay available remains a question. She added that now having to take these extra steps to preserve data is an “additional labor” that’s affecting her work schedule.

“Since I couldn’t access some information on one of my favorite places to go and find research, I’m wondering, should I try to download and save that [data] somewhere? Do I even print it out?” she said. “I’m worried about what this means broadly, but also it’s an additional concern I would just add to everything else I’m very concerned about.”

Importance of reliable data

Tobias Gerken, an Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) professor and climate scientist, said while his personal research hasn’t been impacted by a lack of data, he now needs to put in more effort to locate reliable data due to frequent changes to government websites.

“A lot of the data I rely on is very fundamental climate data, and I don’t think that’s necessarily going to go anywhere,” Gerken said. “But more broadly speaking, because there’s just a lot of disruption in many of the agencies that are collecting this data, it’s more effort to make sure you’re still finding what you need.”

He said other research topics are more affected than others — including social justice issues or renewable energies — because some datasets have been removed from government websites.

This increased difficulty in finding reliable data has also impacted Gerken’s teachings in the classroom.

He said for some of his classes, he now has to go through the materials to see if certain resources still exist or have been changed on government websites. This also creates the question of what sources can be considered as authoritative or unbiased, he said.

“At the moment, you cannot rely on government websites to look as if they looked like a year ago, because information is being removed,” Gerken said. “This is certainly a concern because a lot of the information may no longer be as easily available … it may no longer be available from an official government source, or it may no longer be available where it used to be, so [this] just creates a set of unnecessary confusion.”

Gerken said that as a scientist, his studies rely on continuous data, so he’s more concerned with how this would influence long-term collection of government data, especially since data affects daily life. For example, weather data is used to produce quality weather forecasts, and ecological datasets are used to reduce the negative impacts of natural disasters.

“If you stop collecting this type of data, you can’t undo that,” Gerken said. “It’s clear that the changes are being made and the consequences are not well understood by the people who are making them.”

Gerken said a lack of transparency on why certain data is removed is another problem he has noticed. If data is factually incorrect, it should be taken down, but the public should be notified of the reasons for the data’s removal, he said.

“If you want to be a good steward of federal money, then I think the prudent, responsible thing would be to maintain access to these things, unless you can show that they are wrong, and then you should either make them better or replace them or take them down,” Gerken said. “But you need to have an open discussion about that, because otherwise it’s like the money that went into creating these datasets is wasted.”

Tracking and rescuing data

In response to recent changes with data access, JMU Libraries has created a Tracking Government Data & Access guide alongside other universities, such as the University of Virginia and American University, to archive and provide access to government information resources.

“It’s a resource to help people find various sources of information, depending on what their information need is,” said Yasmeen Shorish, a librarian specializing in data services and the guide editor. “When public information is no longer available in the way it once was, libraries do their best to help folks find the information they need.”

The main data source used by the guide is the Data Rescue Project — a coordinated effort among several data organizations on data rescuing and providing data access points to the public.

The guide’s other features include news tracking resources that provide updates related to government data sources, archives of government websites and alternative resources that provide free access to some government data.

Public data access is now a “very dynamic space,” Shorish said. While the guide serves as a hub of information, she added, its content can be subject to change.

“It’s very difficult to predict what changes will look like, even in a week, because this kind of activity that’s occurring and the pace at which it’s occurring has not happened before,” Shorish said. “So we don’t have any past practice to be a future predictor in this country.”

Aside from faculty and students using government information sources for teaching, researching and grant writing, as listed by the guide, many other aspects of higher education depend on access to government data. In an emailed statement to The Breeze, Lynda Kellam, an organizer of the Data Rescue Project, wrote that the lack of access to public data impacts the services higher education institutions can provide.

“For instance, if you do not have access to the Dept of Ed data it will be hard to plan for student services in the future because we won’t know the general demographics of incoming students,” she wrote.

Beyond higher education, many other aspects of daily life also rely on federal government data, Shorish said, such as public health policies being reliant on daily data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“We don’t see the workings of these decisions,” Shorish said. “We’re not privy to how this research is done and how it gets out in the world and how policies get enacted, but it’s always happening, and so when you no longer have that kind of access, you’re not able to answer questions.”

Navigating uncertainty

As the federal government continues to adjust its policies, what information the public can access from the government remains susceptible to change. Bouza said as an educator, she believes an essential aspect of her job is teaching her students about how to make informed decisions and using trustworthy information to support these decisions.

“You need to have access to more information to be able to make these choices,” she said. “You need to be able to see the data behind everything, to be able to interpret that for what you’re doing. So it’s definitely beyond just, ‘Oh, do I trust this one little piece or not?’ It’s being able to do the whole matrix of thinking.”

Shorish said the best step someone can take to navigate this period of rapid change is stay informed, whether that’s staying on top of news by following a credible news agency or creating a list of resources that address changes to particular areas.

JMU Libraries’ data access guide is also a resource to help people stay informed, because the guide serves as a hub for different types of information, Shorish said.

“We’re information professionals, and we are here to help the campus community, help anybody find information that they need to understand, how to critically evaluate it and use it effectively, and that includes data, written word, media and so on,” she said.

As government data doesn’t hold copyrights, it remains publicdomain information, Shorish said, adding, “it’s your right as a resident of this country” to access government information.

“I think that broad information, access and availability is a hallmark of a healthy democracy,” Shorish said. “And when we see restrictions put on the ability of people to access information and read things for themselves, that has a negative impact on democracy.”

In her emailed statement, Kellam encouraged students and academics to voice their concerns and take action in their local or professional communities.

“If what is happening concerns you, which it should if you care about democracy, then talk with your family and friends,” she wrote. “Encourage people to care about what is happening. Access to information and data shouldn’t be a political issue. This is the people’s data and we should have access in a democracy.

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.

According to a Feb. 2 New York Times report, a collection of government webpages has been either taken down or modified in compliance with President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders. Photo illustration by Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

SGA Town Hall raises concerns, cultivates solutions with JMU and Harrisonburg communities ’ relationship

By EMMA NOTARNICOLA The Breeze

The Student Government Association (SGA) partnered with the Madison Center for Civic Engagement to put on a town hall event panel in Taylor Down Under (TDU) to kick off the center’s civic engagement week.

Attendees heard from a variety of panelists — including professors, JMU faculty and leaders in the Harrisonburg community. The group spoke on the current relationship between JMU and Harrisonburg and solutions to issues it’s experiencing — such as increased community events that involve both the Harrisonburg community and JMU students.

The event’s goal was “build the education, that knowledge base, that’s the first step in being an effective person who is really engaged,” senior and Student Body President Brielle Lacroix said. Getting students engaged civically and with the community was another of the event’s goals, junior, Democracy Fellow and SGA Speaker Kieran Fensterwald said. Harrisonburg affects JMU and vice versa, Lacroix said, “so encouraging students to be civically engaged locally is super important for us.”

Junior, Democracy Fellow and SGA Legislative Vice Chairperson Mason Hoey said the SGA and the Madison Center hoped to utilize these panelists and this event to strengthen the JMU and Harrisonburg communities’ relationship and to teach students how to become more involved with the city.

“There is no Harrisonburg without JMU, and there is no JMU without Harrisonburg,” panelist and Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed said, “[the townhall] had community leaders that could speak with JMU students to see how we can partner together better, live in this community better and engage with each other.”

The population of Harrisonburg is 56,000 — half of which are JMU students, Reed said.

“Harrisonburg is my homework, and I love being a part of this beautiful city,” Reed said. “Being able to live together with the university and community is important.”

Andrea Dono, the executive director of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance (HDR)

— an organization that works to increase awareness for the city’s attractions — said JMU helps HDR achieve its goals.

“We want to work with the university so much because we have so many ties, and our origin story starts there,” she said.

JMU Arabic language professor and City Councilman Nasser Alsaadun said the university and city jointly provide resources in assisting marginalized groups when they need it — such as providing funding for community programs.

“Community is family,” he said.

Getting a job at JMU was a “blessing from God,” Alsaadun said, and it allowed him to advance his career and eventually give back to the community. With funding from the university, he volunteers with and helps manage the Church World Service in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.

Without the funding and assistance from JMU, Alsaadun said he wouldn’t have been able to help with these organizations.

“JMU is an incredible institution, and there’s an incredible amount of goodwill here,” JMU political science professor Abe Goldberg said. “We do not have to look far from this campus to see that there are some really significant issues that families and children are dealing with every single day.”

Issues and solutions within the community

Throughout the town hall, panelists addressed three major issues within the community: homelessness, transportation and the separation between JMU and Harrisonburg.

Because public transportation is shared with the university, with most resources going toward students, Reed said some members don’t have access to the reliable public transit they need.

Alsaadun said currently Harrisonburg is attempting to model a system based on Charlottesville as a solution to these issues — one that calls for transit 24 hours in advance, a contrast to the current five-day minimum advance notice.

Though the council has proposed this plan for the last two years, the County Board of Supervisors didn’t approve it either year, Alsaadun said.

Unfortunately, Alsaadun said, is that the council relies on federal funding for transportation, so it’s currently unsure of the improvements’ future.

“The biggest challenge as JMU grows is housing,” Reed said. “We really feel the pressure in our housing market.”

When JMU students move off campus, developers convert housing some families and community members need into student housing, she said.

“We have community members that are living paycheck to paycheck, so rent is high in the city, and buying a house is hard for community members,” Reed said.

Alsaadun said the council is also working to make housing more accessible to Harrisonburg community members and lift the burden from aspiring homeowners.

Dono added that some community members believe that as JMU grows it’s “consuming Harrisonburg.” JMU students increasing their involvement in the community could curtail some of these beliefs, and create a better relationship between the city and JMU, Dono said.

Another area of improvement is “being better neighbors in our community,” Reed said, which the panelists said should be achieved by increasing involvement between students and Harrisonburg residents.

“I feel like there’s missed opportunities out there because we just haven’t met each other yet,” Dono said, “sometimes it feels like the community is not involved in decisions made … and the community finds out after the fact.”

There is a loneliness epidemic, Dono said, and students can get involved with community events to give back to Harrisonburg residents while enhancing their own experience in the city.

“We want you to know that you’re wanted here,” Dono said.

Reed said more events would bring more involvement from the community.

“It’s not as easy to get on this campus as you think,” she said, “they may not feel as welcome.”

Goldberg said one of the most successful events he experienced in bringing together the community was an author speaker

event held at the Massanutten Regional Library downtown where there were Eastern Mennonite University Students, JMU students and faculty, city council members, and Harrisonburg citizens in attendance.

“It’s a huge difference to have a program, a university program, at the public library at Downtown Harrisonburg than it is in the building that we are in right now,” he said.

Communication between the university and city residents is currently limited with many events such as festivals and community-wide events lacking student attendance, Reed said.

“I think often it is a matter of people not knowing what each other are doing,” said Monica McEnerny, the Madison Center’s interim associate director.

Reed said JMU students need to make an effort to engage with the community, host events open to Harrisonburg residents and be good neighbors to reduce this issue. To solve this issue, Reed said she hopes to create a liaison group between the city representatives and the student body.

“You may have to meet us where we are,” she said. “There’s more ways that I do believe that we can be in the same space together.”

This event is the first of many this week, Lacroix said, and she encourage students to attend more of the Madison Center’s events throughout the week. These include an informed engagement panel on Tuesday, and a day of deliberation roundtable on Wednesday, with more events listed on the center’s Instagram.

“It’s going to be important for us to continue,” Reed said, “to have discussions and dialogues and to get students more involved in community and our boards and our commissions in our schools, that is what’s going to naturally and authentically bring us together.”

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.

Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed spoke on the imortance of the relationship between JMU and the Harrisonburg community at the SGA’s Townhall in Taylor Down Under. Emma Notarnicola / The Breeze

Virgina Young Democrats elects new caucus at annual convention, first held at JMU

By EMMA NOTARNICOLA

The Breeze

The Virginia Young Democrats (VAYD) met at Hotel Madison on Saturday for its annual convention to bring young democrats together, elect a new VAYD executive board and vote on resolutions and network.

The Harrisonburg/Rockingham County Young Democrats and JMU College Democrats were chosen to host the convention because the VAYD wanted to “bring the convection to the valley and to signal that young democrats

fight for rural Virginians,” former VAYD College Caucus Vice Chair, JMU College Democrats’ President and senior Daniel Green said.

“Today, we had a historic race,” newly elected Outreach Director Oriella Mejia said

During the convention, Malena Llanos was elected as the VAYD’s first Latina president.

“I never thought something like this would happen,” Mejia said, “we have a record amount of Latinos now on the board.”

Increasing diversity in the Democratic Party and the VAYD was one of the most

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popular campaigning points among the caucus’ new members.

“My biggest goal is community,” Llanos said, adding she wants to guarantee the VAYD is “a lot more inclusive.”

Many attendees were happy with this change, including Green, who said the organization is becoming more representative of Virginians.

With this new caucus comes new methods of organization and outreach, which looks to “reach the corners that we’re not already in” and “bring in a lot more diversity,” Llanos said.

VAYD City and County Chair Trenton Fisher said the new caucus’ members are talented and will uphold VAYD and the nation’s collective values and visions.

“We’re going to be in good hands moving forward,” 2024 - 25 VAYD President and JMU alum Matt Royer said, and described the new caucus as “young, diverse and energetic.”

This group has many “fresh ideas,” newlyelected VAYD College Caucus Vice Chair and sophomore Malachi Drumgole said, and he will work to connect Young Democrat chapter presidents to create a collective effort.

The VAYD met at Hotel Madison on Saturday to bring young Democrats together, elect a new executive board, vote on resolutions and network. Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

Through this position, JMU Democrats will continue to have a voice in the organization and show support.

“We are keeping ourselves within leadership,” Green said. “The future is bright.”

Beyond elections, Royer said the convention was a great success, bringing in one of the largest numbers of attendees in the last decade. Drumgole said chapters from Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Virginia and George Mason University attended.

“This is all walks of people,” Drumgole said This convention allowed Young Democrats to discuss changes they want to see in their party, U.Va’s University Democrats president Brianna Sharpe said.

“It’s really great to see how many people are so passionate about the Democratic Party and changing it,” Sharpe said, especially since many young people are currently “a little bit dissatisfied” with the party.

This convention encourages young people to get involved with politics and support their party, Royer said, “it ’s clear that young folks are fired up and ready to be involved.”

With a whole new caucus comes new plans for the future. Mejia said the VAYD is already “planning exciting events across Virginia to flip more seats for Democrats and ensuring that there’s a blue wave.”

After losing the 2024 presidential race, the VAYD hopes to increase Democratic

presence across local, state and national levels, Mejia said.

“We’re here, we’re strong, because this is personal now,” she added.

Many members of the caucus are pushing for increased cohesion and communication between the different chapters, Trenton said, since “the biggest thing that we can all do is get on the same page.”

The VAYD is also pushing for an increase in young voter participation and involvement. Currently, 23 VAYD members are elected into state and local offices, Royer said, adding he wants that number to increase.

VAYD plays an important role in mobilzing young voters, Trenton said, since “a lot of young Democrats don’t feel like they have the power or the voice, and that is not the case.”

“If young people actually want to be involved and have their policy voices heard, they need to get involved,” Green said. To voice their concerns, young voters can join party chapters and attend conventions similar to the VAYD’s, Llanos said.

“If you want to be the change, don’t leave it, you know, dig into it and be the person that changes it from the inside,” Llanos said

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.

The VAYD hopes to increase Democratic presence across local, state and national levels, newly-elected Outreach Director Oriella Mejia said. Photos by Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

CULTURE

EDITORS EMAIL

Isabel Lewis & Charlie Bodenstein

Four food trucks to delight your tastebuds

By MICHAELA POWELL & ISABEL LEWIS The Breeze

Food trucks provide an easy option to start a business and a simple way for students to become exposed to different cultural cuisines.

Oh my gordita!

Al Pastor Co., a Mexican food truck, offers a small venue but an expansive menu. Junior computer information systems major Mahir Azam discovered this hidden treasure from his roommate, and he continues to frequent it and recommend it to others.

“I will definitely recommend the tacos to someone who’s going for the first time, specifically the taco birria,” Azam said.

In addition to taco birria, the food truck — located on South Main Street in the Bargain Style parking lot — features various flavors of tacos, huaraches, enchiladas, gorditas, tortas, sope, empanadas, quesadillas and burritos. The truck’s variety affirms its authenticity, as it provides options many non-Mexican Americans would be unfamiliar with, especially if they don’t come from an area with a large Hispanic population like Harrisonburg.

This allows adventurous eaters to become exposed to more types of food beyond the Americanized options fast food chains serve, while providing familiar options for those who don’t like to experiment, such as tacos and quesadillas.

The food truck also provides some outdoor seating, such as picnic tables, but the urban location isn’t conducive to eating there.

“There are some benches to sit, but I have mostly taken the food home,” Azam said.

While this might be farther away than

most food options in Harrisonburg, Azam said he believes it’s worth it.

Comfy Korean cuisine

Kangnam Style offers a wide array of

traditional Korean comfort food including meat, vegetables and a side of fried rice. Its website, where you can also order online, lists bulgogi with fried rice and hosi fries as

their most popular menu items.

“For someone going for the first time, I would recommend my favorite meal that I’ve tried — bulgogi,” senior business management major Ioanna Astroulakis said. “This consists of marinated beef and vegetables, served with white rice, a fried egg and kimchi.”

There are eight pictures of meal options displayed on the truck, while the website shows more options.

You can find this Korean-style food truck on Reservoir Street near CVS. Its location definitely boosts its popularity, as it naturally markets itself to Dukes driving to class and facilitates spread by word-of-mouth.

“I had driven by it multiple times previously but never thought too much of it until I received the recommendation to try it. I have been back multiple times since,” Astroulakis said.

Taco ’bout it

Started by a couple from California, Tacos El Primo provides Dukes with another Mexican food truck option. Like the aforementioned food trucks, Tacos El Primo has gained its popularity through word-of-mouth.

Senior business management major Kevin Kaldes discovered this food truck through his fraternity brothers two years ago. He has been a loyal customer ever since, in part because of its competitive pricing.

“They have a very well-priced menu. It includes tacos for $2 each, $8 burritos as well as quesadillas,” he said.

Although Tacos El Primo limits itself to only four meal options — burritos, tortas, tacos and quesadillas — it provides more than enough protein options to give variety

Located just off campus, this Korean food truck offers a different option than the dining hall for students after class. Photos by April Weber / The Breeze

Mexican cuisine makes up a predominant portion of Harrisonburg’s food trucks.

The owners chose the bright blue color so that the truck would stand out.

to one’s meal. This includes steak, chicken, fried pork, spicy pineapple pork, chorizo and beef tongue, making it ideal for friends with a wide range of taste preferences. The large menu didn’t deter Kaldes from choosing a favorite, though.

Kaldes recommends the five tacos for $9, and he usually gets a soda and grilled jalapeño to complement his meal.

Kaldes noted the lack of good seating options, which seems to be a common theme among Harrisonburg’s food trucks. It begs the question of whether this is an issue or merely an unavoidable part of food truck etiquette and culture.

“There is a table outside there, but I usually take it home and enjoy it with my roommates,” Kaldes said.

Located right next to Kangnam Style on Reservoir Street, it provides Dukes with a convenient and quick food truck option. Tacos El Primo expedites its business further by providing a number to order ahead on its website, demonstrating how the convenience of food trucks meshes well with the fast-paced lifestyles of college students.

Southern food you Ott to try

For a flavor profile native to the South, look no further than downtown

This culinary destination was cultivated through a love of entertaining and cooking for neighbors on its owners’ home street, Ott Street. Owners John McMurray, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, and Leigh Anne McMurray, a caterer, married in 2011 and retired to create their own dining establishment in 2020.

“Ott Street Eats grew out of a love for sharing the good food we’ve created in our home kitchen with family and friends,” according to its website.

The truck provides the familiar southernstyle comfort food, with an elevated flair. Jambalaya, pulled pork with mac and cheese, and Old Bay biscuits with country ham are just a few of this week’s menu offerings. Its dishes are made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients, and served with predominantly sustainable cutlery such as recyclable utensils.

The truck, located on South Main Street, is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. It rotates its menu offerings every week, updating its Instagram page and website accordingly.

“They look forward to meeting many new friends at their food truck, Ott Street Eats, where good neighbors and good food meet,” according to its website.

CONTACT Michaela Powell at powe25me@ dukes.jmu.edu and 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.

Bulgogi is Kangnam Style’s most popular dish.

‘The Antipodes’ holds up mirror to its audience

By CHARLIE BODENSTEIN The Breeze

Have you ever thought your mundane office life deserved to be portrayed on stage? If so, “The Antipodes” offers the experience of a lifetime.

Created by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and director Annie Baker, the play follows a group of writers led by the vivacious and virulent Sandy. Throughout the play, the group is situated in a conference room sharing peculiar fables and adventures in hopes of telling something unfathomable. In this satirical comedy, JMU’s “The Antipodes” uses a seemingly banal office workplace as a vessel to investigate storytelling’s effects on an ever-changing world.

The play runs from April 1 to 5 in the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts Studio Theatre, directed by associate professor Ben Lambert and senior theater major Erin Webber.

The play’s central themes revolve around “authority” and its relationship with race, age, gender, wealth and employment, Lambert said.

Specifically, the play examines the role of women in these spaces. Lambert said that even though the play predates President Donald Trump’s first term and the #MeToo movement, it’s a mysteriously accurate reflection of the societal discourse at that time.

“It feels like it’s responding to both of those things … it’s very prescient,” Lambert said.

Lambert adds that the play can’t be boiled down to specific messages — rather, it evokes a “kinesthetic response that is … beyond something that they could easily put into words.” This is partly due to Lambert’s urging the actors to play their characters threedimensionally so each is as dynamic as possible.

Even though the play is satirical, Webber said that it brings important societal issues to the forefront.

“You’re looking at the problems that you might be enforcing, you might be making worse or you might just notice and be a bystander,” Webber said. “It’s so much about the things we don’t want to talk about.”

Both Webber and Lambert said the cast’s relationship was a key component to putting on this production. Throughout rehearsals, actors frequently discussed with the directors about how to interpret and enhance their performances to convey the play’s themes to its audiences.

Baker, who wrote her first play in 2008, won a Pulitzer Prize for her play “The Flick” in 2014. She teaches at numerous universities, including New York University. She also has worked on multiple television shows and movies as an actor, producer and director.

The New York Times describes Baker as “one of the freshest voices in American theater.”

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.

Catalog

• “Body Awareness” (2008)

• “Circle Mirror Transformation (2009)

• “The Aliens” (2010)

• “Nocturama” (2010)

• “Uncle Vanya” (2012)

• “The Flick” (2013)

• “John” (2015)

• “The Antipodes” (2017)

• “Infinite Life” (2023)

Recognition

• MacDowell Colony Fellow (2009, 2014)

• United States Artists Fellow (2011)

• The Steinberg Playwright Award (2013)

• Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (2013)

• Pulitzer Prize for Drama (2014)

• MacArthur Fellow

• Independent Spirit Award Nominee (2024)

What others say

“[Baker] wants life onstage to be so vivid, natural, and emotionally precise that it bleeds into the audience’s visceral experience of time and space.” — The New Yorker

“Baker’s works are not for those who want easy, A-leads-to-B plots, and spoon-fed meanings... Baker, as all great playwrights do, is holding a mirror up to us all.”

— The Daily Beast

“[‘Body Awareness’]” creates normal individuals coping with everyday issues in their small-town lives”

— Time Out New York

Julia Tanner / The Breeze

“The Antipodes” runs from April 1 to 5 in Forbes’ Studio Theatre.

Annie Baker won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2014 for her play, ‘The Flick.’ Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

Let’s get active: five hiking trails around Harrionsburg

By NIMRAT KAUR

The Breeze

Harrisonburg is surrounded by assorted hiking trails that vary in difficulty — there are beginner trails for those who are new to hiking, and there are more difficult trails for those who are looking for a challenge.

However, these trails aren’t just made for hiking. If you’re looking for something fun to do while you walk, keep an ear out for the chirping and bird songs from the various bird species that roam around the paths. Many trails are also home to birdwatchers, so make sure to keep a pair of binoculars handy.

If you’re looking for something more relaxing than bird-watching, many trails provide picnic tables and cliffs to unwind on. Bring a basket full of your favorite snacks and drinks to help you get energized before your hike or to cool down after you’re done. If you’re enjoying a bright sunrise or sunset, don’t forget a blanket for laying down on.

No matter what you’re looking for, there’s a trail perfect for you.

Hone Quarry Cliff Trail

Located 30 minutes west of Harrisonburg is the Hone Quarry Cliff Trail. It has a beginner to moderate rating and is steep but short in distance. The quick length makes it ideal for children and those who are just starting their hiking journey, as it only takes

around an hour to complete and isn’t as laborious as more moderate trails. There are nearby trails the main path feeds into if you decide to extend your hike.

“I don’t really care for the athletic part,” senior finance major Kelly Mansfield said. “I just love being outside and enjoying the outdoors.”

At the trail’s peak are two clifftop locations where hikers can view vibrant sunsets or sunrises. The path is also ideal for bird watching, as it’s home to many different wildlife species, including various birds. Hikers can enjoy a picnic by the parking area near the trail, where the pavilion is located.

It provides shade and a place to sit, eat or relax.

“I love to do a picnic after a hike,” junior elementary education major Ava Kelly said. “I also love to watch a sunset or sunrise and bond with my friends.”

Elk Run Trails

Thirty minutes east of Harrisonburg, you’ll find the Elk Run Trails in Elkton. Unfortunately, elk aren’t a part of the wildlife around the trails like the name suggests.

The trails range from beginner to moderate since there are various trails for walking, running or even biking. The paths are mostly flat and surrounded by dense greenery. The trails also have a creek that can be used to wade around or fish.

see HIKES, page 14

Paul State Forest has running trails and picnic areas. Breeze file photos High Knob Fire Tower is on

National Historic Lookout Registry. Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

For history buffs, the trails pass by the historic Kite Mansion — named after William Edgar Kite, the architect who built the home in 1948. He was a descendant of Elkton’s early settlers, and the mansion is on. the National Register of Historic Places. The home is now used as a community meeting space by Elkton residents.

Paul State Forest

A location closer to Harrisonburg is Paul State Forest. The trail is 15 to 20 minutes west of the city. The forest houses a dirt and gravel path and is considered an easy course for runners and walkers. If you’re looking for an activity to do after your hike, there are picnic tables located towards the end of the trail, which Turner Ashby High School’s Future Farmers of America Chapter donated.

Paul State Forest also has a rich history. In 1962, federal circuit judge John Paul donated the area, and it became designated as a state forest.

Hidden Rocks

Another trail west of the city is Hidden Rocks Trail in the George Washington National Forest. The trail is around a 30-minute drive away. Alongside the path, the Rocky Run stream passes through the area and allows people to relax and wade where the stream ends.

In its early spring, heavy rainfall can make the stream difficult to cross and cause it to overflow, so check the weather before heading over. The trail is a mostly singletrack path with moderate difficulty, as it can get rocky towards the cliffs and near the stream. If you’re looking for more than just a hike, the base of the cliffs is a beautiful spot to lounge. Many also go rock climbing

on therocks and cliffs towards the trail’s end. The path to the rocks can be steep and bumpy, but fairly short. Climbers are advised to be careful and not drop anything from the cliff tops to ensure hikers and other climbers aren’t hit by any objects.

High Knob Fire Tower

Also located in the George Washington National Forest, High Knob Fire Tower stands at 643 feet tall. The tower and trail are around 30 minutes away from Harrisonburg. High Knob is on the moderate end of the difficulty spectrum because of its high elevation. The hike takes around 2.5 to 3 hours to complete and is mostly a singletrack footpath. The trail leads you towards the tower, which provides views of vibrant sunsets to the west and early sunrises to the east. The balconies outside the tower also offer a clear view of all the lush greenery surrounding the paths, which is ideal for bird watching.

“My favorite trail is probably High Knob because the hike is so pretty,” senior geography major Emma Enright said. “Once you make it to the end, it’s super cool getting to go up into the tower and getting an amazing 360 view.”

The fire tower is distinctive from others in the area. Fire towers are typically made of metal or wood, but this tower is uniquely constructed out of stone.

“Since there are so many trails around the Harrisonburg area that are less than an hour away, it makes it much easier to plan for a hike and fit it into my schedule,” Enright said.

CONTACT Nimrat Kaur at balgk@dukes. jmu.edu. 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.eezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.

visit jmu.edu/stormwater.

The High Knob Fire Tower trail takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to complete. Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

JMU club brings film history to big screen

By KAYLA KATOUNAS The Breeze

Have you ever not understood a movie reference or been intimidated by others’ seemingly extensive knowledge of cinema? You’re not alone. JMU’s new Classic Film Club is a film-loving Duke’s remedy to this problem.

The Classic Film Club exists “to discuss and promote film and other media released before 1980,” according to its club constitution on its BeInvolved page. This is the organization’s first semester at JMU and hasn’t yet had its first meeting.

Sophomore writing, rhetoric and technical communication (WRTC) major and club president Liam Murphy is a transfer student who sought a film club after coming from a school without one, he said.

Cinemuse, an existing on-campus film club, screens movies with weekly themes ranging from Japanese movies to ‘men who can’t move on,’ according to its Instagram.

“[Cinemuse is] more casual and doesn’t really focus on exploring film movements from the past or doing things analytically … or talking about the craft, how it’s made, which is just something that I really enjoy,” Murphy said.

The Classic Film Club plans to devote each of its meetings to a different film movement, showing a film from each movement and discussing it afterwards, Murphy said.

“A lot of people … have a hard time sitting down for older stuff because they think it’s dated or not worth their time,” Murphy said. “But a lot of the reason why these classics are classics is because they were very contemporary in thought, and they would push the boundaries.”

Murphy has detailed plans for the club’s future, compiling a list of film movements to cover and potential films to watch within each of them. He plans to choose films he hasn’t already seen.

“I want our discussions to not go super in-depth, like a film class would, but I just wanted to inform and educate on more of a surface level and get people like, ‘oh, this is French New Wave,’ for example, ‘why did this happen?’ ” Murphy said.

When trying to define what constitutes a “classic film,” Murphy said he considers “contemporary film” to be from 1967 — the start of the New Hollywood movement — to the present, but the club will show films through 1980 to include influential films of the ’70s beyond the most well-known ones, like “Jaws” (1975) or “The Godfather” (1972). Focusing on film movements further draws attention to the specific historical periods that they come from.

“I like [films] because they’re kind of windows on the past. I particularly like older films,” said history professor Michael Seth, the club’s faculty adviser.

Seth has also been the adviser for the Madison Historians, a history club, for 20 years, he said. As an adviser, he can help the club with more technical aspects, like reserving rooms or signing and approving documents, he said, but can also provide some historical context for some of the films and movements covered in meetings.

FILM CLUB, page 16

The Classic Film Club aims to educate while also entertaining. Julia Tanner / The Breeze

from FILM CLUB, page 15

“I think people are overwhelmed with the contemporary, and it’s good to look back and fortunately, now films have been around for over 100 years, so we can really see how the world has changed and how people’s views of things and worries and concerns have changed,” Seth said. “It’s all in the films"

Seth said he had Murphy as a student, which is how they discovered their mutual interest.

“When [Murphy] came in to talk about some of his work, he asked me about films and then we started talking about films and different directors, and I was really impressed for a young person how he could know so much about films,” Seth said. “I mentioned one Polish director that I liked, and he was familiar with it, and I thought, ‘Well, he watches Polish films, he must be really a film buff.'”

Along with providing technical and contextual support, Seth also helps the club deal with copyright issues that arise from showing certain films. Murphy said the copyright has expired on some films he plans to show, which will help solve this issue.

“I’m going to try to assist them now to find ways that they can show these classic films without violating any copyright laws because I absolutely want to adhere to all the legal regulations” Seth said. “I’m not gonna be associated with anything that breaks the rules.”

When describing the Classic Film Club's ideal environment, Murphy pictures a room of people watching and discussing.

“I watch movies for a big reason ’cause I can get off my phone and I can kind of escape into another world and not have to worry about any of my problems,” Murphy said.

What distinguishes the Classic Film Club is its eye toward education. Members can almost guarantee there will be something to watch that they’ve never seen before.

“A lot of people are afraid to push themselves out of their comfort zones, and I want to create a club that’s all about pushing people out of their comfort zones and showing them that even if you didn’t like this type of art, at least you know that this type of art exists now and you’re a more educated and more wellrounded person for it,” Murphy said.

Murphy said he hopes to create a safe space for cinephiles to not only get out of their comfort zone but feel free to discuss films without fear of being judged.

“I also just don’t wanna yap incessantly to people who don’t care,” Murphy said. “So I’m trying to create a community that actually does care.”

CONTACT Kayla Katounas at breezecopy@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.

SPORTS

EDITORS Preston Comer & Gavin Avella EMAIL breezesports@gmail.com

Ten transfer portal targets for JMU men’s basketball

By TYLER CHINN The Breeze

Even though JMU men’s basketball’s season is over, the transfer portal is rapidly heating up.

Five former Dukes entered the transfer portal on the first day it opened — redshirt freshman guard Bryce Lindsay, junior guard Xavier Brown, freshman guard Redd Thompson, junior forward AJ Smith and junior forward Jerrell Roberson.

On top of players entering the portal, JMU is graduating two starters — guard Mark Freeman and center Elijah HutchinsEverett — and two more rotation players — guard Noah Williams and forward Ebenezer Dowuona.

The Dukes have 10 scholarships available to give out in the portal.

JMU has already contacted a handful of players in the portal:

Deuce Turner, guard, UC Santa Barbara

The 6-foot-2 graduate averaged 9.6 points in 19 minutes per game this past season. Turner scored a season-high 28 points during the Gauchos’ last regular-season game against UC Irvine. Per The Portal Report on X, JMU has shown Turner interest.

Seth Hubbard, guard, Toledo

As a senior, the 6-foot-4 Hubbard averaged 8.4 points and has already visited Harrisonburg, his agent Ryan Murphy of Endurance Sports told The Portal Report. Hubbard is familiar with the Dukes, playing them early this season in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge, where he scored five points and grabbed three rebounds.

Derrin Boyd, guard, College of Charleston

The Princeton, Kentucky native averaged 13.9 points in his lone season with the College of Charleston. Before his stop with the Cougars, Boyd played at Lipscomb, where he averaged 17.6 points and earned All-Atlantic Sun honors. Boyd told 247Sports reporter Luke Chaney he’s received interest from JMU.

Carmelo Pacheco, guard, Mount St. Mary’s

The 6-foot-5 sophomore could be making his way back to Harrisonburg. Pacheco graduated from Spotswood High School. During his lone season with Mount St. Mary’s, Pacheco averaged 9.5 points on a solid 46.8% from the field and an even more impressive 46.4% from beyond the arc, good for fourth in the nation. Pacheco told The Portal Report he’s heard from JMU.

Here are six more players that could be targets for JMU due to their Virginia or Kentucky ties:

Patrick Wessler, center, Virginia Tech

The North Carolina native started his career along Interstate 81 with Virginia Tech but has since entered his name into the transfer portal. The 7-footer has appeared in 44 career games and started just one.

Keeyan Itejere, forward, Northern Kentucky

The Northern Kentucky forward has an unequivocal effort to get to the rim, averaging 7.3 points and 5.5 rebounds on an efficient 59.2% shooting from the field this past season. The former three-star recruit was once committed to Texas, highlighting his potential and clear ability, and formerly playing in Kentucky bodes well for the Dukes, who have recruiting ties to the Kentucky area thanks to head coach Preston Spradlin’s time with Morehead State and Kentucky.

Max Green, guard, Holy Cross

After winning the Patriot League Freshman of the Year, Green could receive interest from many mid-major teams. Green, a Kentucky native, averaged 14.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in his lone season with Holy Cross. Being 6-foot-6, the guard can potentially bolster the Dukes’ height in the backcourt.

Alphonzo Billups III, guard, VCU

The Richmond native played three seasons at VCU before entering his name into the transfer portal. Standing at 6-foot-7, the dynamic wing would add size and help stretch the floor for the Dukes. The former VHSL Class 4 Player of the Year has been linked to JMU in the past, and recieved an offer from the Dukes out of high school.

Chris Fields Jr., forward, Norfolk State

Fields had a solid sophomore season, averaging 8.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and could bring depth to the Dukes’ frontcourt. Fields is a Petersburg native.

Eli

DeLaurier,

forward, Providence

The redshirt freshman who stands at 6-foot-10 can help reinforce JMU’s frontcourt, which will see Hutchins-Everett and Dowuona graduate. The former 3-star hails from Shipman — just one hour away from Harrisonburg. DeLaurier appeared in 11 games last season and scored a career-high six points against Seton Hall on Jan. 11.

CONTACT Tyler Chinn at chinntc@dukes. jmu.edu. For more basketball coverage, follow the sports desk on X and Instagram @TheBreezeSports.

TOP: Rising-junior guard Carmelo Pacheco shot 46.4% from beyond-the-arc last season with Mount St. Mary’s, the fourth-highest mark in the nation. Courtesy of Mount St Mary’s Athletics BOTTOM: JMU has had five players enter the transfer portal with 10 scholarships to give out. April Weber / The Breeze

What JMU AD Matt Roan is saying ahead of House v. NCAA settlement

By PRESTON COMER The Breeze

The landscape of college athletics is ever-changing — especially since July 2021 when it became legal for players to be paid for their name, image and likeness (NIL) — but the evolution of college athletics and athlete payment isn’t stopping there.

The House v. NCAA settlement — named after former Arizona State swimmer Grant House — will allow student athletes to be paid through revenue sharing, meaning they can be paid directly by their universities.

Each university opted into the settlement is also expected to pay a set amount for the next decade. This will pay athletes that competed from 2016 to 2024 about $2.6 billion in total.

Through revenue sharing, schools can pay no more than 22% of the average Power Four school’s athletics revenue.

The first year’s cap for revenue sharing is $20.5 million per university. Revenue sharing will start July 1 if the House settlement is approved during the April 7 hearing.

While many Power Four schools are expected to come close to the cap during the first year, most Group of Five school’s revenue-sharing plans are projected to be around $5 million per year.

JMU athletic director Matt Roan announced the university would opt into the settlement before March during February’s Board of Visitors (BoV) meeting.

Damage payments

Every university opted into the House settlement must contribute to the $2.8 billion in damages, over the next decade, to NCAA athletes that competed from 2016-24 and missed the benefits of NIL.

The NCAA will pay 60% of the damages. The remaining 40% will be split 60% from non-autonomous conferences, and 40% from Power Five conferences. For JMU, that means paying about $325,000 per year.

During February’s Board of Visitors meeting, Roan said he’s “very comfortable with how [JMU’s] been able to manage that impact.”

The presiding judge for House v. NCAA said 75% of the $2.8 billion settlement will be distributed to football, 15% to men’s basketball, 5% for women’s basketball and 5% for Olympic sports.

Revenue sharing

Most universities, including JMU, use the same percentage for damage payments to distribute revenue-sharing.

“This is how we’re going to use those numbers moving

forward as well, with certain variances — probably a bit of wiggle room in that,” Roan said.

Roan said a revenue-sharing figure hasn’t been committed to yet, but that number could be decided upon following April’s tuition and fees meeting.

“April’s board meeting is where tuition is set, and is largely focused on budget,” Roan said. “That times up well with the House settlement’s anticipated date.”

Despite not having an exact number for revenue sharing, Roan said JMU has planned for different scenarios in preparation for the House settlement.

JMU’s athletic budget last year sat around $76 million, but $55 million of that came from student fees, which can’t be used to pay athletes through revenue sharing.

Roan said JMU’s “ability to be competitive” in revenue sharing without student fees is going to be “contingent upon [JMU’s] ability to generate more revenues.”

Even though football and basketball players generate revenue by playing in games that sell tickets, Roan said JMU still expects those athletes to participate in outside “quantifiable” activities to earn their part of revenue sharing.

“It would be sharing revenue in exchange for revenuegenerating activities, above and beyond just participating in that respective sport,” Roan said.

Roan said he meets with other JMU personnel biweekly to try and find a “magic number” of revenue-generating activities for athletes and what those events would look like. When listing examples, Roan included “thank you” calls from athletes to season ticket holders, as well as athletes participating in events like Coaches Caravan and Friday Night Flights.

“Some of it’s building participation into the programming we already have,” Roan said. “We’re certainly anticipating building it into programming we might have and are planning to have.”

During the Feb. 14 BoV meeting, Roan mentioned athletes becoming more involved in CHOICES events — an open house for admitted students to learn about JMU. Roan said that the possibility has been discussed a lot.

“When students are here on campus in the summer, and they’re doing a tour of [Bridgeforth] stadium or the [Atlantic Union Bank Center], having our student athletes talk about how important their support is, their attendance at games is, we think those things can go a long way,” Roan said.

see HOUSE, page 20

JMU will have to pay about $325,000 per year towards the House settlement’s damage payments. Photos by Kailey Garner / The Breeze

JMU athletic director Matt Roan said JMU hasn’t committed to a revenue-sharing figure, but he said it’s likely to be discussed during April’s tuition and fees meeting.

Title IX, scholarships and roster limits

Roan called JMU “somewhat of a unicorn” when satisfying Title IX. JMU has 18 athletic programs — 12 women’s and six men’s.

Title IX has three parts: Participation, the notion of financial aid and what Roan calls “the laundry list,” which consists of access to coaching and sports medicine, as well as how teams travel, feed and outfit.

The first part, participation, has “three prongs” to comply with Title IX.

“One is that your student athlete participation rates are substantially proportional to that of your student body,” Roan said, “that is where we’ve maintained Title IX compliance for two decades. The second prong is that you have a history of adding to the underrepresented sex, so you’re adding sports ever so often. The third prong is that you administer a survey and that you’re responsive to what the survey responses might be.”

Roan said JMU complies with Title IX through the first prong of participation — standard proportionality.

“Our student-athlete participation rate has to be within 1% of our student body,” Roan said. “The numbers we have for next year are right along those lines.”

56.33% of JMU’s 2024-25 student enrollment is female. JMU’s projected female athlete participation through 2027 is about 58%, accoriding to statistics Roan presented during the Feb. 14 BoV meeting. JMU needs to stay within a 1-2% differential with its unduplicated student-athlete participation rates.

Roan said he’s “very confident in [JMU’s] approach to meet those numbers and protect as many opportunities as possible.”

JMU hasn’t complied with the provision of financial aid, but only because it was awarding the maximum number of scholarships the NCAA allows.

The House settlement sets roster limits for sports but allows universities to give out unlimited scholarships. If JMU kept giving out the maximum number of scholarships, it would add about 200 new scholarships, worth $8-9 million in total.

Roan said that JMU will be managing scholarships with dollar amounts, instead of the number of scholarships given out.

“Coaches are going to be given scholarship budgets, and they’re going to be held accountable on scholarship budgets,” Roan said.

Schools can now give out unlimited scholarships because the House settlement will implement roster limits for every team.

“When we talk about reducing numbers, we want to be very transparent,” Roan said. “We hope that largely it’ll be natural. So we’ll lose student athletes, we’re just not replacing them with as many.”

Collectives

As of December 2024, the Montpelier Collective — a 501(c) (3) non-profit launched in May of 2023 — stopped taking donations to go towards supporting JMU student athletes in the NIL era. Why? Roan said it best: “With the House settlement, there’s effectively a salary cap.”

“Unless you’re going to be at that $20.5 million cap, I don’t see the value in collectives as much as they were once there,” Roan said. “A collective will really exist for those at that 20.5.”

On Oct. 29, the collective aligned with JMU, becoming a pillar of the university’s “unified NIL approach,” Honors1. The program was developed to connect student athletes and stakeholders to boost JMU’s NIL opportunites by launching the Dukes Exchange for athletes to partner with entities or individuals.

Honors1 also originally brought JMU closer to the Montpelier Collective during a time when the university wasn’t officially affiliated with the non-profit.

“For those of us that have relied on a collective, in our case the Montpelier Collective, as much as we have, we’re really going to stand as an institution and as a department in the place of the collective,” Roan said. “We’re shifting some of that burden and opportunity internal to the department instead of relying on that group of volunteers. Phenomenal group of people, but they’ll support us as opposed to us supporting them moving forward.”

CONTACT Preston Comer at breezesports@gmail.com. For more athletics coverage, follow the sports desk on X and Instagram @TheBreezeSports.

If the House settlement is approved on April 7, JMU and other universities will have to comply with new roster size limits. Breeze file photo.

JMU football prepares for House settlement decision and impacts

By HAYDEN HUNDLEY The Breeze

JMU football is preparing for extensive changes to its program, such as roster size limits and revenue sharing, with the university opting into the House v. NCAA settlement, which has its final approval meeting on April 7.

If the lawsuit is passed, it will limit the Dukes’ roster size from a previously unlimited number to 105 players, but all players will be eligible for a scholarship — compared to the former 85 eligible players. The typical FBS roster size before the settlement hovered around 128 players.

JMU athletic director Matt Roan said the football team will roll out 85 scholarships, which is the general normality across the country — at least for now.

“I think for all of us … for all schools, our plan in the 25-26 academic year is our best bet,” Roan said. “It’s what we hope and plan for success but whether it proves to be successful … remains to be seen.”

Roan said JMU has done “a lot of homework,” to ensure all sports’ roster sizes will fall in line with the settlement and Title IX. While there is a more structured rule on how many scholarships to distribute compared to the amount of revenue to share, Roan said both will be a “constant evaluation.”

Roan is also not ready to disclose how much money the Dukes will share with athletes but has been adamant that none of that revenue will be from student fees. Sportico reported last year that JMU set a record by a public school in student fees used to fund athletics in 2022-23.

On-the-field impact

Football currently has 105 players on its 2025 spring roster but will be adding 10 players during the summer that have already committed out of high school or through the winter transfer portal. They will also likely add a few more players through the spring transfer portal, which opens on April 16.

The Dukes will need to cut down to 105 players by its season opener against Weber State on Aug. 30, which means roster spots for plenty of walk-ons are at stake during this offseason. With the spring practice season starting to near its end on April 12, the coaching staff is starting to get an idea of who it’ll likely have to push off the roster soon.

FOOTBALL, page 22

LEFT: JMU football will have to comply with the House settlement’s 105-player roster limit.

RIGHT: JMU head coach Bob Chesney said the Dukes will have to cut players they like since they won’t have roster spots for them. Photos by April Weber / The Breeze

from FOOTBALL, page 21

JMU football head coach Bob Chesney said the “nature of the beast” during this era of college football is that the Dukes will have to move on from players they “like a lot,” but no longer have room for — likely making this spring season the most competitive in NCAA history.

“When you get to July 1, things will change,” Chesney said. “That new fiscal year starts a whole different set of obligations within the entire university. We just got to see who’s still around come July 1, and make sure that we’re positioned and prepared to make sure that all works out.”

During the Feb. 14 JMU Board of Visitors meeting, Roan said he met with Virginia’s 6th congressional district Rep. Ben Cline in anticipation of counter-lawsuits regarding players who lost their roster spots because of the House settlement.

Roan, like the rest of the NCAA’s athletic directors, said he hopes the settlement will end lawsuits against the NCAA.

“There is speculation … that the next class of lawsuits will be those who are impacted the most by the House settlement whether that’s high school, junior college, four-year student athletes, who are either not having opportunities to matriculate, or who are having opportunities taken away from them because of these roster limits,” Roan said. “My hope is that if we handle this the right way … that a lot of what happens here will be natural.”

Coaches having tough conversations with student athletes about their roster spots isn’t a new development, but the settlement will increase frequency. Roan said JMU’s coaches are doing a “phenomenal job” of being transparent about their student athletes’ roster spots.

Future staff expansions in play

JMU football is one of six teams in the Sun Belt that currently doesn’t have a general manager, but is alongside App State as the only team without a chief of

staff to fill in the gap of a GM. However, App State’s staff is equipped with a director of recruiting operations, assistant director of player personnel and a director of high school relations.

Some competing schools, such as Southern Miss and Marshall, have both a chief of staff and a general manager. The Dukes have neither — at least not yet.

“It’s easy to look and say ‘those staffs are expanding,’ but what you are sometimes seeing is titles just being reworked and reimagined as well,” Roan said.

An obvious explanation is that JMU is the only Sun Belt program that has recently transitioned from the FCS to the FBS, and the program has had the shortest amount of time to reap the financial benefits of the jump.

Roan said that Chesney, himself and assistant AD for football administration Matt Transue have had “several conversations” about adding more front office roles to the football team’s staff.

Right now, according to JMU football’s website, Transue, director of player personnel Nathan Applebaum, director of on-campus recruiting Hannah Ross and Director of Football Operations Jordan Smith are the only personnel in front office roles.

“When we do a head coaching search or an assistant coaching search, people want to be associated with JMU,” Roan said. “That’s competitive success, that’s operational success, that’s organizational success … but I think the second piece is you can invest in talent in the form of student athletes, but you can’t abandon investing in talent and the people that are coaching and supporting those student athletes.”

Chesney said there’s a lot of planning behind the scenes about how the Dukes may implement “GM-, chief of staff-type roles” after July 1 when the new fiscal year starts.

CONTACT Hayden Hundley at hundlehf@ dukes.jmu.edu. For more football coverage, follow the sports desk on X and Instagram @TheBreezeSports.

JMU is one of six football teams in the Sun Belt that doesn’t currently have a general manager. April Weber / The Breeze

Caroline McKeown EDITOR

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 “what’s-wrong-withyou?” dart to the judgy old person who asked me that when I accidentally bumped into them.

From someone who lacks spatial awareness and didn’t see you there.

A “begging-on-my-knees” dart to people who are holding onto extra graduation tickets.

From a senior with a gigantic sized family.

A “hope-your-pillow-iscool-tonight” pat to my new adviser who actually does her job. From a senior who was worried if they could graduate.

A “thank-god-forhealth-insurance” pat.

From a girl who was throwing up all night long from vicious food poisoning.

The distraction epidemic extends to JMU classrooms

ANNABELLE BERRY Breeze columnist

After settling into dorm life as a freshman, I had a picture in my head of what college lectures would look like. I imagined everyone’s eyes fixed on the professor, pen to paper, keyboards ready and taking detailed notes. Nowhere in that vision did I imagine college students risking missing information in lectures, on which they would be tested. This is because college has been instilled in me as a privilege. As a senior in high school, I understood that not everyone in my class would have the chance to continue their education beyond high school. As college students, we are privileged, which leads us down the path to better career opportunities and financial stability. It’s this privilege that makes me feel guilty whenever I entertain the idea of skipping class. I hear my boyfriend’s parents urging him to take full advantage of his college experience and engage in the amenities and resources JMU has to offer. Then, I remember my grandpa’s words about grants and scholarships available for graduate school if you perform well in undergraduate. All of this makes me wonder: Why do we skip class? Why do we zone out? Why aren’t we fully participating in the opportunities our university offers?

Of course, some of this comes down to personal desire and motivation — we choose our majors and fields of study, after all. So why doesn’t that motivation always translate into showing up and fully engaging in class? When we do make it to class, why are we distracted by texts, games or puzzles, instead of focusing on what we came to learn? Why is it so hard to concentrate on our professors and the material they have to share? Every time I attend a lecture, I’m happy I did — I walk away with new perspectives and often find myself texting my parents, sister or boyfriend to share with them something they may not already know. It feels rewarding to be fully present and attentive in class, like I’m really working toward a degree and getting my money’s worth.

When I asked freshman social work major Karen Reyes her thoughts about students skipping class because a better opportunity arises, she agreed that it’s a main cause.

“If I need to lock in in other classes, I may skip a class that I’m already at a good spot in,” Reyes said.

Yet, when I look around to find every screen in front of me occupied with anything but the lecture, I feel the need to stare at their screen or pull out my own phone. A few rows up, someone is deep into their daily Wordle game, eyes darting between

the screen and the professor, another was playing Connections and another played Clash of Clans on their phone. I’ve even seen someone with both AirPods in and a Netflix series streaming, not looking away from her show once during the entire class.

The expectation of a serious, no-nonsense learning environment quickly faded into a scene of quiet defiance, where it seemed that despite all the rules, every student was on their own mission to get through class however they could — distractions and all.

“We are constantly looking for instant gratification and so if things in class are starting to get boring, we are just going to hop to the next thing rather than waiting to see if the lecture gets better or not,” junior elementary education major Tyler Fernandez said.

Honestly, it wasn’t like this in high school.

“Probably just because phone rules were stricter and the class size is usually smaller in high school. In bigger lectures, you can pretty much get away with anything because the professor can’t pay attention to everyone,” Fernandez said.

There was never much downtime, and we were always busy. Sure, we had lunch to scroll through our phones, but when class started, we were working. We took notes, did assignments and engaged in group activities. There were consequences for zoning out, and teachers would call you out if you weren’t paying attention. You could tell everyone was involved because you could hear their voices in discussions or see them working together on projects. But now, it feels like all we do is sit through lectures where we’re just being talked at, no real interaction. The lectures feel disconnected with over 100 students and lack engagement, some professors wait for two minutes in silence, waiting for a hand raise. It makes it so much easier to zone out, check your phone or slip into autopilot. The sense of belonging, that energy from working with classmates, is missing, and it’s no wonder our attention spans are shot. You typically only find group work in college if that’s specifically what the class

JMU students may play Minecraft instead of participating in class.

Photos by Ashley Dondes / The Breeze

is for, like SCOM or Business 160, where you work in groups for the final project. However, in your everyday lectures without that connection to the material or each other, it’s hard to stay focused.

But the problem doesn’t solely lie with technology’s constant presense. We have to also ask: Are professors making learning engaging enough to warrant our attention? In many cases, the answer is no. It’s easy to get lost in a lecture when the material is dry, the pace is slow or the teaching style feels outdated. Let’s be honest — many of us would rather play a game or scroll than sit through hours of monotone explanations. This issue isn’t necessarily about students being lazy or unfocused — it’s about the division between the way we learn and the way our brains crave novelty and interaction.

Take movie days in class, for example. Why is it that students can sit still, captivated by a movie on the projector, but can’t focus for more than five minutes during a lecture? The answer lies in the way our brains are wired. Our brains are wired for stimulation and excitement. When presented with something that feels dynamic — like a movie or video — we can’t help but engage. The visual, auditory and emotional stimuli keep us focused. On the other hand, traditional lectures, which rely mostly on spoken words and passive listening, can feel less stimulating and harder to stay engaged with. The result? We end up checking our phones, getting lost in daydreams or seeking out distractions.

We need to stop expecting every class to be like a movie marathon or a TikTok scroll. Learning needs to adapt to the way our brains work today. Professors should consider incorporating more interactive elements, multimedia and technology that engages us on a deeper level. I can recall my sociology class where the professor played a Key and Peele skit and real-life documentaries related to our lecture. You could literally see everyone looking up, eyes glued to the content, some even raising their hands to speak up and discuss what they saw. Similarly, in my

women’s gender studies class, the professor showed a YouTube video and I noticed every laptop around me immediately closed. Imagine classes that aren’t just dependent on listening but also about participating, discussing and collaborating with peers. That’s how we learn best. That’s how we stay focused. Until then, we’ll probably keep sneaking in a few rounds of Wordle during class — and who can blame us?

Is it our fault? Not entirely. There are systemic factors at play, including the way technology is designed to capture our attention and a culture of constant busyness.

However, we do have some agency over how we manage our time and attention. The struggle is real, but it’s not a reflection of personal failure. Many people, even those in later generations, deal with similar issues.

So, what does this mean for our education system? We need a shift in how we approach learning. Rather than continuing to deliver information in a one-size-fits-all lecture format, educators must find ways to incorporate technology, multimedia and interactive elements that make learning more engaging. This doesn’t mean turning every class into a Netflix episode, but it does mean embracing how our brains learn best in the digital age. Interactive activities, collaborative projects and even games can help capture and hold our attention in ways that traditional lectures often don’t.

In the end, it’s about balance. Technology has undoubtedly altered our attention spans, but it also holds the key to making learning more engaging. As students, we need to take responsibility for our distractions, but we also need to push for a classroom environment that recognizes how our brains have evolved. It’s time we reclaim our attention, not by resisting technology but by using it to our advantage in the classroom. Until then, we might just keep watching movies instead of taking notes.

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.

The Cost of Waiting

Oftentimes, people associate procrastination with laziness or lack of self-control, but in reality, procrastination is a form of selfpunishment — the act or instance of punishing oneself, according to the Collins English Dictionary.

Procrastination falls under the category of selfpunishment because it’s basically a coping mechanism gone wrong. The process of procrastination does more harm than good. It often leads to stress, lower self-esteem and increased anxiety. It can lead to missed deadlines and decreased productivity, leaving students in a tricky situation.

For sophomore Colin Anderson, being a procrastinator causes him to be stressed around the clock.

“Being a procrastinator keeps me busy and stressed 24/7 because I constantly have deadline after deadline for various assignments,” Anderson said.

In the moment, procrastinating the work that needs to get done may seem like the better option because it can always be completed later, right?

Wrong.

Truthfully, prioritizing one’s present self over their future self ultimately causes much more stress in the long run.

“I’ve always been a procrastinator, but college has definitely made it worse as I am now living on my own and making my own schedule,” Anderson said.

Anderson isn’t alone in this, as procrastination is an issue affecting college students worldwide.

It can stem from many different sources. Living on your own for the first time and having the freedom to create your own schedule can make it easy to procrastinate. There are fewer external pressures to stay on track and many more tempting activities to fill your time.

see PROCRASINATION, page 26

from ATTENTION SPAN, page 24

EMMA CURRIE Breeze columnist

JMU student turn off their computers to use their phone

JMU student looking at notifications instead of class.

For some students, it comes from coping with challenging emotions such as the fear of failure or perfectionism, for others, it comes from distractions. The anxiety that comes with college can prevent a lot of students from completing their work, either at all or on time.

After a long day on campus, the last thing most students want to do is come home to a stack of homework and a list of chores. Unfortunately, that is the reality that most students have to live in. Living alone means being responsible for all tasks, which means no one else is there to complete the task for you. Things still have to get done on difficult days and nobody likes performing difficult tasks.

Fuschia Sirois wrote in the website Big Think, that, “tasks that are key for the maintenance of good health may be put off if they are viewed as difficult or unpleasant.” For many students, putting off tasks isn’t just about avoiding work.

Statistically speaking there’s typically an underlying issue for why students choose to procrastinate.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), anywhere from “80 to 95 percent of college students procrastinate, particularly when it comes to their coursework.”

This range represents at least four out of every five students enrolled in college. While procrastination in school is common, these numbers are alarming.

While these statistics highlight just how widespread procrastination is among college students, the reason

behind it all can vary.

For Anderson, procrastination means putting off anything he doesn’t want to do until the last moment possible. He shared that he sometimes works better under the pressure of submitting an assignment close to the deadline or completing a task later than he should, but he doesn’t think the tradeoff for increased stress is worth it.

“It definitely causes me more stress, however, I have noticed an interesting side effect from basically conditioning myself to always be stressed,” he said.

Anderson realizes he can typically handle stress well, especially in situations where other people are usually stressed.

“I am typically unfazed and just start addressing whatever the problem at hand is,” he said.

Anderson feels that because of his usual heightened levels of stress that come from being a procrastinator, he feels he’s able to think quickly on his feet.

While Anderson has found some sort of routine within his habit of procrastinating, he has yet to find a specific strategy that works well to combat this issue. Anderson stated it’s a mix of finding a way to combat this issue and having a specific personal mindset, “it honestly just depends on the day and how productive I feel or not.”

The reason that procrastination doesn’t work is that it’s set up to bring feelings of guilt, dread and stress upon yourself. With this being said, whenever you procrastinate, you ignore your own desire to feel good about yourself and your life. You’re neglecting yourself.

Breaking the cycle of self-punishment isn’t easy. Everyone is raised differently, which causes everyone to view procrastination differently. The fear of failure and

the idea of perfectionism may play a major role for some, but truthfully, it seems to depend on the individual student.

Anderson recommends fellow procrastinators take a moment to step back and, “look at all the things you need to do and make a to-do list.” Set small, manageable goals instead of trying to complete everything at once, as it’s easy to get discouraged or sidetracked.

“Incentivize these goals to reward yourself, as silly as it may seem,” he said.

Anderson also suggested limiting distractions as much as possible, as well as using noise-canceling headphones and working in quiet environments.

As previously stated, the reasons behind why we procrastinate differ. Procrastination poses a serious challenge for students. As we all try to combat our own desire to be procrastinators, we must attempt to make a conscious effort to motivate ourselves. Nobody is there to do it for us. Waiting to complete tasks that need to get done will only make your to-do list longer. It may take some time, but it’s possible to overcome procrastination. It all starts with the first step, according to the article Mind Games Procrastinators Play by Jane Burka and Lenora Yuen: Awareness.

CONTACT Emma at currieeg@dukes.jmu.edu. For more editorials regarding the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the opinion desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on instagram @BreezeJMU.

Separating the art from the artist

CAROLINE MCKEOWN Opinion Editor

In today’s world of social media and cancel culture, is it wrong for listeners to not stop listening to morally gray artist’s art?

Without a doubt, “kinda” has been the overarching answer to that question. Depending on the severity of trouble with the celebrity, this leads to a more negative answer. Yet, there are still artists like Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, who still has a fan base even after repeated antisemitic claims.

Overwhelmingly, Ye has been a sore subject in both today’s media and conversation, questioning whether we can separate who he is from the music he created. Half of the argument lies in appreciation and connection to his music. But should the album “Graduation” excuse accountability for his actions today?

One side of the argument lies with the idea that if you support an artist so much, you also believe the ideas and values they do. The other claims that just because someone likes a form of art, it doesn’t mean they value the artist’s ideas. Music, as an art, helps listeners connect their experiences and heavy and complex feelings to someone else. Listeners use the music as an extension of themselves, meaning they can also find personal connections to the artist. Some peers see the listener as someone proud of being a fan of, therefore someone who supports the artist. The people we look up to reflect back onto ourselves, both in social interpretations and actions through influences.

Even in cases people claim to not support the artist even when listening, seeing or experiencing the art, each listen or view supports the artist financially. So even if you aren’t buying concert tickets or merch, you still like memes and mindlessly listen to throwback playlists — keeping morally gray artists relevant.

“No, I don’t think we can separate them completely,” senior Katie Pilcher said. “I think you can appreciate the art without affirming the artist’s actions, but it doesn’t change what they’ve done or what they believe.” This brings up the question of how we can appreciate the artists’ positive impacts without enabling poor behavior.

The clearest answer is that we cannot appreciate it without supporting the artist. Even music that’s played on the radio — those stations buy the rights to play artists’ music and we in turn support them by listening.

Although it’s not just music artists under fire for missteps; actors, professional athletes, political leaders and everyone

else who falls in the public eye are all at risk of cancel culture in this way.

Although it’s not just music artists under fire for their missteps; actors, professional athletes, political leaders and everyone else who falls in the public eye are all at risk of cancel culture in this way.

Pilcher brings up a valid point: “In our culture, [cancel culture] affects celebrities, mainly actors, directors, maybe because we see their faces more.”

The emotional connection and fondness for a television celebrity crush creates more layers to the issue where you’re not only a fan of the art they produce but also the image they present of themselves.

It once again reflects on fans, that their support isn’t just for celebrity crushes but also for the corrupted image they promote to the public.

Kanye West is an example of an infamously problematic music artist . Courtesy of Tribune News Service

“I think you can appreciate the art without affirming the artist's actions, but that doesn’t change what they’ve done or what they believe.”

Katie Pilcher

JMU senior

A common celebrity crush, the actor Mark Wahlberg’s past consists of attempted murder charges on two Vietnamese men and hate crimes as he chased and threw rocks at Black children. A case can be made that if social media had been more prominent then, society would never have let him move on and rise to fame as he did. The fact that it was absent allows most of his viewers to not know his repetitive poor actions and allows him to hide it.

Yet it’s not just who the public chooses, but who the American media decides to support. For example, swimmer Michael Phelps — who represents the U.S. at the Olympics — has two Driving Under the Influence (DUI) charges yet is depicted by the public as a wholesome American we all supported during his Olympic reign. Once again, we see a lack of social media in 2004 and 2014 when he was arrested.

Michael Phelps, another problematic celebrity, wone a gold medal in 2009 between his two DUIs.

Courtesy of Tribune News Service

Media today has shifted into a vigilante form used to target those who have made mistakes and hold them accountable. Whether a person enjoys that shift of media, it’s useful to today’s culture as it can weed out those who have made mistakes versus those who purposefully intend to harm.

For most celebrities, if they get caught as a victim of cancel culture, they come back issuing an apology to the public and then are slowly seen again in their line of work.

Yet where the media is a useful tool in its new methodology: It also rags on celebrities who refuse to apologize or take accountability. In that case, or cases like Ye, society repeatedly tells us it’s not okay to support people who act like that without any accountability or societal understanding,

which is the situation where we cannot separate the art from the artist.

Even if the artist acknowledges their mistakes and faults, it’s the same case where we cannot separate the artist from their art — but that’s a good thing in their case. The artists can give us a more human form of themselves because humans make mistakes. It’s the question of if the artist is strong enough to admit that they might not be perfect, which allows us to relate and have empathy as they own up to their mistakes.

CONTACT Caroline McKeown at breezeopinion@gmail.com. For more editorials regarding the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the opinion desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.

Mark Wahlberg is an example of a celebrity with a controversial past.

Courtesy of Tribune News Service

The Breeze

Editorial Staff

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Eleanor Shaw breezeeditor@gmail.com

NEWS EDITORS

Drake Miller & Emma Notarnicola breezenews@gmail.com

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ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Sixuan Wu thebreezeweb@gmail.com

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MADISON MARKETPLACE

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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.

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Wanted - Fall 2025 to Spring 2026

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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.

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

JOBS SERVICE

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.

Career Opportunity - Public Works Planning Manager

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.

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!

Storage Services

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.

25 Wonderful Years! Special Happy Birthday Wishes To an Exceptionally Talented Duke at RISD!

Love You Mom & Dad