The Breeze 8.31.23

The

HEY DUKES

WHAT TIME IS IT?

Letter from the editor

The Breeze sends condolences to UNC, applauds Daily Tar Heel coverage

The life of a college student is hard enough. Class during the day, homework at night and extracurricular activities dotted throughout, with an invisible expectation to maintain both good grades and a social life through it all.

For some of us, that extracurricular becomes more than “extra.” It consumes our college experience — our days, our nights. Overseeing the campus newspaper — and, for many more, student media in general — is one of them.

Some editor-in-chief days are easier than others. Some are more exciting than others. Our photographer might beautifully capture the one shining moment at the football game, or we might see a writer improve right in front of our eyes. Those are the days that make you fall in love with this job. The joyous days.

And then, sometimes, the joy just isn’t there. Or it’s there, and then gone the next

instant. Sometimes, serving our community becomes a frighteningly bigger burden than it already is — like when duty calls us or a colleague to a violent breaking news scene.

Let alone an on-campus shooting.

That’s what happened Monday, just one state south of us, after a professor at the University of North Carolina was fatally shot by a graduate student. UNC went into a threehour-plus lockdown Monday afternoon, instructing students to go inside and close windows and doors.

It’s then on the student newspaper to cover the devastation and encapsulate the horror — all while the reporters grieve with fellow students, in classrooms, on the floor, huddled up in the dark.

No one should have to experience this — in college, or ever. No journalist should ever have to report on this.

But the student-run newspaper at UNC,

Editorial Staff

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF GRANT JOHNSON breezeeditor@gmail.com

NEWS EDITORS ELEANOR SHAW & LIZZIE STONE breezenews@gmail.com

COPY EDITORS

EMMA JOHNSON & WILLIAM MORAN breezecopy@gmail.com

Advertising Staff

EXECUTIVE EDITOR MICHAEL RUSSO breezepress@gmail.com

CULTURE EDITORS MORGAN BLAIR & EVAN MOODY thebreezeculture@gmail.com

AUDIENCE EDITOR ALI MCCALEB thebreezesocials@gmail.com

MANAGING EDITOR AVERY GOODSTINE thebreezeweb@gmail.com

SPORTS EDITORS

KAIDEN BRIDGES & JACKSON HEPHNER breezesports@gmail.com

PHOTO EDITORS ABI MIDDLETON & RYAN SAUER breezephotography@gmail.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR AD DESIGNERS

ALEX CANDELIER TRISTAN GAONA & MEGAN GOLINSKY

the Daily Tar Heel, had to. And just saying it covered a shooting would be a disservice. The Daily Tar Heel did so much more: It informed a grieving community when it needed it the most. It provided quick and timely updates, and is continuing to follow the aftermath, using its voice to call for change along the way. And not 48 hours after the shooting, the Daily Tar Heel curated the most gutwrenching front page of a newspaper possible featuring text messages such as "Are you safe? Where are you?" that students sent and received during the shooting. Joe Biden took note, amplifying his vow to reduce gun violence in America.

That’s the power of journalism — forget “student” journalism.

The Breeze sends love and support to the Daily Tar Heel and the entire UNC community during this incredibly difficult time.

Students and staff at UNC, JMU and

COVER ART BY: BEN MOULSE / THE BREEZE

COVER PHOTOS BY: BREEZE FILE PHOTOS

OPINION EDITOR EVAN WEAVER breezeopinion@gmail.com

ART DIRECTOR BEN

MOULSE thebreezeartdirector@gmail.com

beyond: Take care of yourselves. Look out for one another, and lift each other up when it seems like it can’t get worse.

And to the Daily Tar Heel’s staff: It’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to grieve — and there’s no right or wrong way to. Lean on each other. Take breaks — the sun will rise tomorrow, whether or not your next story meets your editor’s deadline. And when it feels like those joyous days in journalism won’t come around again, remember your “why.” Remember what made you fall in love with this thing in the first place.

Together, united, there is a way forward.

Sincerely,

Grant Johnson Editor-in-Chief

The Breeze

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The Breeze, the student-run newspaper of James Madison University, serves student, faculty and staff readership by reporting news involving the campus and local community. The Breeze strives to be impartial and fair in its reporting and firmly believes in First Amendment rights.

Published on Thursday mornings, The Breeze is distributed throughout James Madison University and the local Harrisonburg community. Single copies of The Breeze are distributed free of charge. Additional copies are available for 50 cents by contacting our business office. Comments and complaints should be addressed to Grant Johnson, editor.

JMU embarks on year without central AI policy

Decisions about guidelines left to individual professors, departments for now

By ELEANOR SHAW & LIZZIE STONE The Breeze

As school kicks back into motion across the country, professors and students are navigating the new frontier of generative artificial intelligence (gAI) and its unpredictable potential inside and outside the classroom.

At JMU, professors have been instructed to create and enforce their own guidelines pertaining to gAI — which generates content, including text and images, based on preexisting data, according to the New York Times.

gAI use in instructors’ hands

Provost and Senior Vice President Heather Coltman emailed a statement to JMU faculty members and staff on Aug. 15 that addressed gAI-related concerns. The next week, Aug. 23, Coltman emailed students, directing them to “ask your professor” about what gAI policies apply class to class. Notable gAI software mentioned by Coltman include ChatGPT and DALL-E.

“At JMU, we are trying to understand how best to use gAI in teaching and learning, as well as to prepare you to use it in your chosen profession,” Coltman said in her email to students. “Technology changes quickly, though, so there aren’t a lot of definitive rules.”

In the statement, Coltman acknowledged students may be given contradictory guidelines by separate professors — she said professors have been advised to remain patient in an emailed comment to The Breeze on Aug. 23.

“[Professors have] also been asked to be aware that students may be trying to keep diametrically opposed guidance straight, as some classes actively incorporate the technology and others restrict its use,” Coltman said to The Breeze.

Several professors have integrated gAI guidance for students into their syllabi, Department of Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) professor David McGraw said in an email to The Breeze on Tuesday. McGraw also works as an assistant director for ISAT and is organizing the October Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum conference at JMU. He said he believes there’s no short or easy answer to gAI’s place in higher education. However, he continued, the adjustment of teaching methods while gAI evolves will yield a greater understanding of its benefits and drawbacks.

“I don’t think we can ignore the existence of AI tools and try to prohibit them from the campus,” McGraw said. “I think we need to learn to find ways to adapt the learning experience to take advantage of the benefits of AI, while also avoiding the way that AI might harm the learning process.”

gAI in JMU classrooms

McGraw said there needs to be a balance between adapting education to include gAI tools while protecting the learning process because graduates will face gAI in their careers. He said graduates’ skills and expertise will still be needed, but ISAT fields will change because of gAI.

McGraw acknowledged gAI’s potential as a tool for learning in his syllabus. Rather than totally restricting gAI, McGraw asks students who use it to include a separate, written “AI Statement” in their assignments — the statement would be used to evaluate students’ experience and findings.

Professors are developing policies to balance the potential of gAI use with any potential harm to the learning process. Some professors are asking students to include an “AI statement” if they use it. Image generated by DiffusionBee

Graphicsby Kaleb Nute/The Breeze

Because JMU professors are developing their own individual guidance for gAI usage, students may be trying to adjust to an array of contradictory rules. Image generated by DiffusionBee

Graduates will be facing gAI tools in almost any field they enter. Professors emphasize the need to prepare students to use tools in an ethical, meaningful way. Image generated by DiffusionBee

McGraw said he sent his syllabus to 50 colleagues in his department, the School of Integrated Sciences (SIS), which contains the ISAT, geography and intelligence analysis programs. Of the 50 colleagues, five notified McGraw they are using his gAI policies, he said, most with some modifications.

“These insights should be on par with what you might have learned had you completed the assignment without AI assistance,” the syllabus reads. “The assignment will be graded in light of your explanations in the AI statement, thus it is important to persuade the reader that your use of the AI tools provided a valuable learning experience.”

In his classroom, McGraw said he’s already begun to integrate gAI, even using it to assist in crafting his syllabus’s AI statement.

McGraw has also started using gAI to formulate test questions, something he said can be used to “enhance productivity.” However, McGraw said these questions were not as difficult or thought-provoking as questions he would typically author.

An example of a Chat GPT-generated question that McGraw provided The Breeze from one of his most recent quizzes:

According to Paul Feyerabend, what should science be limited to?

1. Flexibility and openness in inquiry (Correct Answer)

2. A single methodology or set of rules

3. Rationality and empirical evidence

4. Linear trajectory towards truth

“Our students need to be on top of understanding AI tools and their potential uses both to enhance their own productivity, and also to be effective in recommending the best state-of-the-art technical solutions to clients in the workplace,” McGraw said.

McGraw also turned to gAI to prepare for the aforementioned conference, which is themed around gAI. Professors will speak and attend sessions about ethical gAI use in higher education. The conference program will include summarized session descriptions written by gAI and approved by presenters, McGraw said.

These descriptions were derived from 250-word abstracts given to McGraw by the presenters, he said. After being cut

and paste ChatGPT, the program condensed them into 65-word summaries. McGraw said he ran each passage by their respective presenter and all were approved.

“I offered the presenters the option to re-write these ChatGPT entries,” McGraw said. “Some have done so, but the majority responded and said, “No, I think the ChatGPT version is pretty good.”

Sessions at the conference will explore ethical issues with gAI in higher education, and with practical applications of the tools in a variety of fields, but specifics haven’t been finalized, McGraw said.

In the field

Professors in the College of Education (CoE) released a survey to JMU students and faculty members on Aug. 17 “to learn more about your ethical considerations and understanding of generative artificial intelligence tools (e.g., ChatGPT),” according to the email invitation. Respondents are given open-ended prompts about their familiarity with gAI tools, their thoughts on the ethics of the tools and the possibilities for use in the classroom. No action is planned yet for the survey results.

“I’m not quite sure what [the survey] will be,” said Chelsey Bollinger, a JMU associate professor of early, elementary and reading education and member of the research team. “It depends on the things that come out of it.”

The survey is part of a detailed guidance plan the department has been building, which has been focused around its own students. As they look toward the entire university, Bollinger said information gathering is the first step in any kind of plan.

“Some of the responses I think will give us a better idea of what we want to take a look at,” Bollinger said.

The CoE has distributed department-specific guidelines for gAI use in the classroom, such as acknowledging that professors have varying levels of experience with the technology. Department faculty members are advised to give clear instructions on whether gAI is or isn’t allowed for an assignment.

“I think we’re unique at JMU in that our College [of Education] has united to come up with these best practices,” Director of

Educational Technology Graduate Program Michele Estes said.

The guidelines suggested to integrate gAI into classrooms through brainstorming, finding more perspectives or generating drafts and outlines for assignments. Estes emphasized that students should always turn generated content into their own work by fact checking and polishing drafts.

Developing guidelines was a priority for the CoE. Its students graduate into a field where their own students could be using AI, Estes said.

gAI outside JMU

Like JMU, VCU and Virginia Tech have taken on the task of deconstructing AI’s role in the classroom.

According to an email sent to The Breeze by VCU’s Associate Vice President for Public Relations Mike Porter, VCU provided its professors with written and spoken guidance, including two seminars and a resource tool, which includes a terminology list and general guidance.

The document encouraged professors to experiment with gAI and “recognize and involve students as experts.” Later sections of the document discuss points to consider when designing policy, including take-home versus in-class assignments, copyright and plagiarism issues.

VCU’s document emphasizes problems with outright banning gAI software. It acknowledges that students are likely to use the tools regardless of guidance and points to potential problems with identifying gAI-influenced work and enforcing the honor code.

Similarly, Jill Sible, Virginia Tech’s associate vice provost for undergraduate education, said the university won’t be banning gAI because of the versatility it can offer across different curricula.

Virginia Tech has had gAI on its radar since December, Sible said, and throughout last semester, she hasn’t seen “too many” cases of gAI being used to plagiarize, if any.

After reviewing its Honors Code and consulting members of their community, Sible said Virginia Tech didn’t see reason to make alterations, though, like JMU, it has provided guidance to professors.

Some professors are trying to find a way to allow students to use gAI in assignments but turn it into their own work. Professors say gAI can be used for brainstorming, planning and writing rough drafts to make work happen more efficiently. Photo illustration by Ryan Sauer / The Breeze

“I don’t think we can ignore the existence of AI tools and try to prohibit them from campus.”

David McGraw, integrated science and technology professor

Department of Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) professor David McGraw’s gAI policy in his syllabus this fall. Ben

Grant Johnson contributed to this report.

CONTACT Eleanor Shaw and Lizzie Stone at breezenews@gmail.com. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on Twitter @BreezeNewsJMU.

Moulse / The Breeze

JMU celebrates new resource center for military veterans in opening ceremony

By The Breeze

making, a military resource center in the basement of the Union officially opened Tuesday, welcoming retired veterans,

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DUKES WIN e

now be found in Taylor Down Under (TDU), in the basement of the Union.

“JMU VALOR represents over 1,200 JMU students who are veterans, active military and dependents,” Miller said as he opened up the ribbon-cutting ceremony for VALOR. “We are excited about what this new space and resource will be for them in the future.”

Within VALOR, the center will be open 24/7 for students, staff, faculty and the community to use and provide snacks, free printing, massage chairs and more.

During the opening ceremony, it was announced that VALOR will also house an office of Virginia’s Department of Veteran Services (DVS) on campus within the center itself. For JMU students and the Harrisonburg community, DVS provides veterans with care and support services alongside federal and state benefits according to its website.

The physical location now gives military students a resource while also “opening us up to the rest of the world,” Miller said. JMU President Jonathan Alger coined VALOR as a resource “for students, staff, faculty and the community.”

Alger continued, saying the center represents the culmination of years of discussions and planning, and it was “a big moment for all of us.”

“Veterans are sometimes one of those hidden populations on a college campus that students don’t see and recognize,” Alger said. “So I think to have a specific space that is visible … is a really important statement of our values here at JMU.”

Student Veterans Association Vice President Jacob Nadler, a veteran himself, also spoke, congratulating those involved in planning the center. Nadler said that although having the center and “swag” is nice, his focus is on the collaboration that was happening.

“I think that the resource center is going to provide a space for relationships to form,” Nadler said. “As a vet, having that camaraderie in the service and then being able to now find it here is fantastic.”

After the ceremony, Nadler said the center’s goal is to “keep fostering those relationships and really provide a space where anyone can come in.” He said he hopes resources will then trickle down into JMU students’ experiences so “they can be successful and get good grades and a good job.”

CONTACT BriAnna Thweatt at thweatbf@ dukes.jmu.edu. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on Twitter @BreezeNewsJMU.

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CHICKEN SANDWICH™ COMBO

Photos by Ella Stotzky/ TheBreeze

TOP: Members of the JMU community flocked to The Union on Tuesday, Aug. 29 to celebrate the opening of the JMU VALOR Resource Center. There, attendees were addressed by several speakers, including President Jonathan Alger.

BOTTOM: Speakers spoke to an audience that included veterans from all military branches. Student Veterans Association Vice President Jacob Nadler, a veteran himself, reported feelings of camaraderie during the ceremony.

JMU students search for on-campus alternatives to closed Carrier Starbucks

By GRACE REED contributing writer

Because of the renovation and closure of Carrier Library and the Starbucks inside it through fall 2026, JMU students must seek out alternative locations to fulfill their coffee fix. Sophomore Taylor Gauthier was a regular at the Carrier Starbucks, going about two or three times a week, she said. The Starbucks was the closest on-campus spot to Apartments on Grace so, to adapt, she’s been making her coffee at home. Gauthier said she thinks a great place for a coffee shop would be Apartments on Grace, where “a lot of students park … and could grab a coffee or breakfast on the way to class,” she said.

Gauthier said she believes the Carrier Starbucks comforted many students. She said it was a motivating factor for her to study at the library as well as a way to spend time with friends. Now that the closest library, besides the Music Library, to Gauthier is Rose Library on East Campus, she said she feels she won’t have the same motivation Carrier provided — worried about the “huge possibility” Rose Library will be too crowded throughout the year with Carrier out of service.

Although the Carrier Starbucks has been closed, there are two smaller Starbucks options on campus: the truck between D-Hall and Gabbin Hall, and a new station inside Mr. Chips, which sits next to the train tracks between the Village residence halls and the Union. The Starbucks at Rose Library reopened Aug. 28 after a one week closure for an expansion the previous week.

Jason Blomstrom is a Starbucks barista at JMU and was an art student in 1979, the last year he attended the school. After working

at both the Rose and Carrier locations, Blomstrom said he’s already recognized regulars trying out the Mr. Chips Starbucks.

The Starbucks inside Mr. Chips, part of the P.O.D. Market, opened on Aug. 21 and serves a limited menu without any food items and most of the regular drinks. Blomstrom said he’s noticed a “steady increase” in customers, with plenty of surprised faces at the new coffee addition.

Sophomore Julie Pietrak is also stationed at the Mr. Chips Starbucks and she’s noticed Mr. Chips is already starting to become more of a hangout spot rather than the quick grab-andgo market it was in the past. She’s also noticed more people also taking the time to sit down around Mr. Chips since the Starbucks opened. Blomstrom and Pietrak said they believe Starbucks’ customer experience and reputation have made the coffee staple such a necessity to campus, adding that the Starbucks franchise has an atmosphere that cannot be so easily replicated or replaceable.

Still, there are a variety of coffee shops on campus apart from the Starbucks locations, including: Merge Coffee at Taylor Down Under in the Union, Dunkin’ at the Student Success Center, Java City in D-Hall, Lakeside Café in the College of Business complex and Panera at Dukes Dining.

Off-campus options

There are also plenty of off-campus coffee alternatives for JMU students, though they may be too far out of the way for those living on campus without a car.

Grace + main coffee shop is just barely off campus as a part of Hotel Madison, located across the street from Apartments on Grace. Greenberry’s Coffee & Tea Co. features small batch, craft-roasted

coffee and is just across the street from Memorial Hall. Only a five minute drive away from the JMU Bookstore is Coffee Hound, a dog-friendly coffee shop. Black Sheep in downtown Harrisonburg — at a new location off E. Market and S. Mason streets that debuted Aug. 7 — offers a variety of coffees, roasted beans and foods. Broad Porch Coffee Co., located at Agora Downtown Market on S. Main Street, is covered with plants and coffee beans from many countries, while Drifters Cafe features a horchata latte and mexi mocha latte.

Merge Coffee Co. has both an off-campus location in addition to its spot in TDU. Heritage Bakery & Café on S. Main Street has coffee and bakery items such as cakes with dried flowers and intricate detailing. Cinnamon Bear Bakery and Deli on University Boulevard. has a variety of sandwiches and baked goods to go along with their coffee. The Maple Cafe on E. Market Street recently opened in the Valley Mall and has a variety of flavors to add to your coffee. Chestnut Ridge on W. Gay Street has a wide variety of coffee beans from all over the world to choose from. Sugar & Bean Cafe on N. Main Street has specialty drinks like a matcha latte and bourbon caramel latte.

Carrier Library is scheduled to reopen in fall 2026. Although the library previously had a Starbucks location, there is no confirmation the Starbucks will return. JMU Library’s website does say there will be “a café and social space,” but exactly what business will be running the café has not been revealed.

CONTACT Grace Reed at reedlg@dukes.jmu.edu For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on Twitter and Instagram @Breeze_Culture.

There are two Starbucks options on main campus following Carrier’s Starbucks closing: the Starbucks Truck between D-Hall and Gabbin Hall and the Starbucks Station at Mr. Chips.

Photos by Abi Middleton / The Breeze

A WEALTH OF HEALTH A WEALTH OF HEALTH

How to return back to school life, from a psychology professor

By HANNAH LIFRIERI The Breeze

As students return to campus, there are feelings of excitement and joy, but also stress. Whether you’re a returning student or a first-year, feeling anxious about classes or homesickness is normal, but there are ways to combat it, JMU psychology professor Ben Blankenship said.

When returning to JMU, it may take a couple of weeks to adapt back to school, social life and living more independently. Creating a routine as quickly as possible can help students feel more accustomed to school, Blankenship said. A routine is unique to each student, and Blankenship proposed having a consistent time to wake up and go to sleep is beneficial for students when getting back to school because it allows for more energy during the day.

Along with a steady sleep schedule, Blankenship suggested that working out regularly at the same time can also help with routine. He calls a routine a “skeleton.”

“Have a skeleton, the pillars of your schedule, [implement] the important self-help and wellness: eating, sleeping, exercise and spending time with friends,” Blankenship said.

Blankenship said these aspects of a “skeleton” come first and then are filled in with school responsibilities because, without wellness, it can be hard to give your best effort in class.

As the semester comes into full swing, Blankenship said it’s important to set goals and intentions for the semester, and to “remind yourself what you want to get out of your time,” he said.

Blankenship also said to keep a gratitude journal nearby as classes become more challenging and the stress builds, since this can help with seeing the good when the draining days come. Writing down a couple of things you’re grateful for can help set a different perspective and see the things that are going well. Read

Dreams of Nashville

JMU alumna set to release first song, hopes to pursue larger country music career

By ASHLEE THOMPSON The Breeze

In the bustling Country Music Capital of the World sits Maddie Lenhart, who eagerly awaits the Sept. 8 release of her debut single “Sober.”

The song showcases a tragic one-sided love between two people. After the pair shares a romantic night together, the song’s narrator believes the feelings are reciprocated. This all changes when the narrator receives a discouraging call from their crush the next day.

Lenhart (’17), a Warrenton, Virginia, native and former political science major and communications minor, said she’s always had a passion for music. But, she didn’t realize she could pursue the music industry as a career until attending JMU — or that she’d end up in Nashville, Tennessee.

Spending her childhood writing songs and performing for her family and in talent shows, Lenhart joined the JMU a cappella group Unaccompanied a group she stayed with for her entire three years at JMU. Lenhart said performing with Unaccompanied gave her the “musical fix” she needed in college while she studied political science, so she could obtain a “real job” after graduation.

“I think I lacked the confidence to recognize that [music] could be a career at the time,” Lenhart said. “I didn’t really think I was going to do music seriously after I graduated.”

As graduation quickly approached, Lenhart realized she needed to make a decision: go to law school or move to Nashville to pursue music. She said she felt like she would regret not pursuing what her heart truly wanted, so she followed her instinct to Tennessee’s capital.

“Nashville is country music Mecca,” Lenhart said. “Even as a kid, I had always dreamed of moving to ‘Music City’. Now that I live here, I’ve realized that it’s more than country music Mecca, it’s songwriting Mecca.”

While Nashville is known as a country music hub full of

success stories such as Taylor Swift and Dolly Parton, Lenhart said she felt unprepared and full of panic, almost to the point of returning home to Virginia. Instead of jumping right into songwriting and recording upon her arrival to Nashville, Lenhart took a job as a Music Licensing Representative with the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, a performance-rights organization that collects royalties and licenses music.

“Before I really tried, I just kept talking myself out of it,” Lenhart said about pursuing a songwriting career in Nashville. “I got a job in the music industry and stayed there for a couple years but I was unhappy with it.”

During the pandemic, Lenhart had an epiphany — songwriting could be made into a full-time career. After quitting her licensing job in 2021, Lenhart dove head first into songwriting and has been focusing full-time ever since. She expressed her immense gratitude toward her friends and family for their continued support.

Lenhart was starstruck over meeting her “biggest inspiration,” singer-songwriter Natalie Hemby, in April of this year. Hemby, a two-time Grammy Award winner, helped Lenhart realize being a songwriter can be someone’s career.

“You don’t necessarily have to be front-facing a crowd and touring the U.S. and putting out records to have a really fulfilling music career,” Lenhart said. “I think before Hemby, I didn’t know that was possible.”

After writing hundreds upon hundreds of songs for practice and for other artists such as Maddie Consoer, Julie Eddy and Margaret Haynie, Lenhart stumbled upon a song she wanted to keep for herself.

“He said ‘Hey, Sunday was a drunk mistake / ‘If I could unkiss your lips I’d take it all back / It makes more sense this way,’” Lenhart’s “Sober” chorus goes.

The narrator ends the chorus with a devastating question: “He was five drinks in when he came over. / How do I tell him that I was sober?”

When facing graduation, Maddie Lenhart had to decide whether to pursue a law degree or a music career in Nashville.

Photos courtesy of Maddie Lenhart

The song, which took a couple of months to complete, Lenhart said, was produced by Brad Hill. Hill has worked on projects with Brothers Osbourne, Brett Young and Maren Morris, the latter being one of Lenhart’s biggest musical inspirations, she said. Lenhart has been teasing “Sober” on Instagram and TikTok, where it’s received a swarm of positive comments anticipating the release.

“I’VE BEEN WAITING MY WHOLE LIFE FOR THIS,” one comment said on Lenhart’s single announcement post that has amassed 121 comments.

David Cottrell, the music industry coordinator at JMU, encourages students to get started in the music industry as soon as possible, and he points them toward local resources and opportunities such as University Program Board (UPB), Macrock — an annual DIY music festival in Harrisonburg — JMU a cappella groups and the local radio station WXJM.

“We have graduates in all phases of the industry,” said Emmy-winning composer Cottrell, who teaches classes in the School of Music. “We have graduates who work on major Hollywood movies and in major recording studios.”

Some notable JMU alumni in the industry are Brian Nolan (’02), a senior director at Columbia Records; Kristina Johnson (’11), the director of Copyright at Universal Music Publishing Group in Nashville; and Zach Peters (’09), a manager at Red Light Management, where he oversees artists such as Chris Stapleton.

Although Cottrell doesn’t know Lenhart personally, he said he commends her ability to

chase her dreams and take action.

“She is following her path and this is the time for her to try that,” Cottrell said. “She needs to do this. The only people that [chase a music industry career] are people that need to do this.”

Ceciliana Scott, senior justice studies major, has been a part of Unaccompanied since the fall of her freshman year. Scott, who has never met Lenhart personally, believes joining an a cappella group gives people the opportunity to learn all aspects of the music process, build confidence and create long-lasting friendships.

“Being in Unaccompanied has helped me find my voice and given me the confidence to also release my own music, so I’m confident Maddie would say the same,” Scott said. “We always encourage each other to pursue our passions and be the absolute best versions of ourselves which has been a common thread through all generations of Unaccompanied.”

Lenhart said she wants aspiring songwriters to believe in themselves, which is something she struggled with in the early stages of her career.

“I have been my biggest obstacle my whole adulthood,” Lenhart said. “I have sat in my way more than others. Don’t wait for the confidence to show up.”

CONTACT Ashlee Thompson at thomp6ab@dukes.jmu.edu. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on Twitter and Instagram @Breeze_Culture.

Lenhart advises aspiring songwriters to believe in themselves early on, something she said she struggled with.

“We have graduates who work on major Hollywood movies and in major recording studios.”

David Cottrell

Music industry program coordinator at JMU

ESPN CONTROL ROOM IN AUBC DEBUTS FOR JMU SPORTS NETWORK

By HAYDEN HUNDLEY & JACKSON HEPHNER The Breeze

One of the benefits of JMU’s move to the Sun Belt Conference two years ago was a broadcasting deal with ESPN. The transition allowed for better equipment, a larger audience and a more recognizable name. However, the broadcasting crew for the past few years has been operating, for the most part, out of a van. Even after the Sun Belt jump, JMU still wasn’t up to par with the standard of high-end sports broadcasting — until now.

Debuting this fall in the Atlantic Union Bank Center is a brand-new control room for the ESPN broadcasts that the JMU Sports Network team will use to broadcast nearly every JMU athletic event live on ESPN+. The project cost around $1 million, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications Kevin Warner said, but it was a “significant need” in order to meet ESPN’s standards.

Warner said JMU started looking into an expanded broadcast system five years ago. At the time, the campus network infrastructure wasn’t able to handle it and it was cost prohibitive, but Warner knew this was where college athletics was headed.

“As TV environments have evolved, doing your own broadcast is really kind of the way things have gone, and I wanted to put us in the best position to be able to do that,” Warner said.

So when JMU began to reevaluate its broadcast facilities ahead of the move to ESPN, Warner said he knew expansion would be the best option, especially now that

JMU’s network infrastructure can handle it due to the telecom office improving the system over time.

The Sun Belt put the department in contact with Alpha Video, which worked with other schools previously on similar projects. JMU was particularly interested in Alpha’s project with Temple, which has a fiber-connected central control room, just like the one in AUBC now.

Moving the production to a set location instead of operating in a van helps cut down on labor costs and limits “wear and tear” on equipment, according to director of JMU broadcast services Curt Dudley. The production team will also have more time on their hands because it won’t have to worry about moving said equipment, setting it up and then tearing it down again. They can instead use their time to improve the production itself, either in preparation with the likes of graphics and storylines or just in the case of even getting additional stories or pregame videos, Dudley said.

“Those are the main areas I think this will have a big impact on, which it means that when we finish a game, you know, at football or whether it’s at Sentara Park or over at Memorial Park, then you don’t have to spend all night kind of bringing all that stuff and securing it once again,” Dudley said.

Nobody is better versed in the new broadcast room than JMU’s Director of Live Productions Kelly Bowmaster, who Warner called “an expert in what he does.” Bowmaster is the mastermind behind everything a fan sees on their television when watching a JMU game.

JMU’s Director of Live Productions Kelly Bowmaster (‘04) said that the equipment JMU Sport Network now uses in the control room is “definitely top of the industry.” The equipment also allows for Bowmaster to direct broadcasts directly from AUBC, even when they may be located at another facility such as the Convocation Center, rather than parking a van outside of facilities, which he did in the past. Photos by Ryan Sauer / The Breeze

EDITORS Kaiden Bridges & Jackson Hephner EMAIL breezesports@gmail.com

“This is it, man. We used to say ‘We’re doing the same thing ESPN is doing but just to scale, like we’re just a little bit smaller’ but now this is it,” Bowmaster said, gleaming as he pointed out the replay monitor, stations for graphics, audio, directors, producers and more. “This is the same, if not better, than a lot of what they’ll call ‘bread truck’ productions that have this or less in their truck, putting on the show. State of the art is a thing, but it’s definitely top of the industry.”

Bowmaster and Dudley also front the JMU Sports Network practicum that sports communication minors can take as an accredited class. All broadcasts on ESPN+ outside of football and basketball are 100% student run. Bowmaster stressed just how important the new control room is to students, even saying “You can get a job anywhere” if a student learns the ins and outs of the new technology.

“Don’t underestimate what this is,” Bowmaster said. “If you even get half a grasp on any of this, you are a whole working year, if not two working years, ahead of anybody.”

JMU Sports Network puts students directly into the real world of sports broadcasting right away. Bowmaster said he thinks his program gives students more hands-on experience than anywhere else, stating that “there’s no internship that’s going to let you touch as many buttons and get as involved.” The updated control room will help students in the program get more experience with industry-standard technology. Warner added that working at JMU could help students get positions at other schools.

“We rely on students quite a bit, and this is just one more example where we can provide really good opportunities to a student and they can make a career out of what they would learn with us,” Warner said. “We’re not the only school in the country that’s building these broadcast network infrastructures and that takes people to run it. And so you could come and get good experience and find a real job after that.”

Warner added that JMU Athletics is having further conversations with the School of Media Arts & Design about potentially making sports broadcasting an integral part of the SMAD curriculum.

“We’re not there yet, but we’re having those conversations right now with the SMAD leadership of ‘How could we work together here?’” Warner said.

As for JMU Sports Network, Bowmaster and Dudley have been managing the program since it was called Madizone, which was established in 2012. JMU belonged to the then-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) back then, and the games were broadcast on a website rather than streamed on a

major platform such as ESPN. Dudley called the progression “an evolutionary process” and mentioned there were conversations around JMU investing more into JMU Sports Network around 2010-11, but it “wasn’t quite in a situation to do that” just yet.

“Now with ESPN+, everything that we do, we know is going to be seen by a lot of eyeballs when we weren’t necessarily sure about that in years past,” Dudley said.

However, with the move to the Sun Belt and the ESPN deal that coincides with it, it was as good a time as ever to update the program.

“Of course, when the Sun Belt comes along and ESPN+ as part of that contract you know, that pushes that needle along pretty quickly,” Dudley said.

Dudley and Bowmaster said they recognize the financial returns that now apply to being in a competitive nonautonomous conference. With all the attention JMU is putting into JMU Sports Network, Dudley said the expectations “put pressure” on the staff to develop a consistent and impressive product.

On the other hand, Bowmaster said he is looking at how JMU Sports Network can run with this opportunity.

“We’re on ESPN. We’ve got their graphics. We’ve got their resources, support and branding, so how can we pick that up and really run with it?” Bowmaster asked. “So administration was like ‘We got to flip the page and invest in the product’ because we want to do more, so they made a choice to invest in all this equipment.”

After a rebrand a few years back and a move to the Sun Belt, JMU is evidently taking notice and putting faith into its broadcasting. Bowmaster and Dudley said they realize the level of urgency that brings. Bowmaster said he thinks the new control room will be “stupendous” for students as well as himself and Dudley, who only sees bright skies for the reputation of JMU sports broadcasting.

Dudley said he believes that the broadcast may even be playing a part in the school’s national popularity, as out-of-state first year applications increased 46% last year.

“This is a big key factor in maintaining that brand image, and you can see the impact already,” Dudley said. “That national exposure makes a huge difference in what we do from a video standpoint from athletics. And not taking not just the front porch of the university, but also casting a wide net for its brand across the country.”

CONTACT Hayden Hundley at hundlehf@ dukes.jmu.edu and Jackson Hephner at breezesorts@gmail.com. For more sports coverage, follow the sports desk on Twitter @TheBreezeSports.

FROM TOP: Production assistant Ty Comer works with one of the control boards in the Atlantic Union Bank Center’s production room. With the full support of ESPN behind him, Director of Live Productions Kelly Bowmaster (‘04) said he’s looking for ways to “really run with” the branding opportunities the network presents. The control room will also provide students with valuable opportunites to gain real-world experience with top-of-the-Industry equipment.

Breeze file photo

Redshirt freshman ‘separating from the pack’ at QB, Cignetti says

Head coach’s comments seemingly end monthslong battle, putting Alonza Barnett III into spotlight

By JACKSON HEPHNER The Breeze

The biggest question mark of JMU football’s offseason has finally been answered — or at least, it presumably was.

Head coach Curt Cignetti, who said during the Sun Belt’s coaches call Monday that JMU’s Week 1 starting quarterback wouldn’t be named until “maybe an hour” before kickoff, unsuspectedly hinted Tuesday that redshirt freshman Alonza Barnett III would be JMU’s starter on Saturday versus Bucknell.

“You know, I think Alonza has separated himself from the pack pretty significantly,” Cignetti said. “Always was a talented guy. It was just a matter of when everything would click.”

While this isn’t a confirmation, the coach’s message was clear. He went on to praise Barnett’s progression throughout the offseason and his confidence in himself. Cignetti even began to look beyond Week 1, commenting on how Barnett will face tough opponents on the road early. The Dukes face U.Va., Troy and Utah State, back-to-back-to-back, in weeks 2-4.

It all seemingly confirms Barnett, so long as he stays healthy and plays up to Cignetti’s billing, will be the starter for the foreseeable future.

As a true freshman last season, Barnett played in just two games, therefore able to be redshirted to retain a year of eligibility. This offseason, Barnett competed in a quarterback battle against Arizona transfer and redshirt senior Jordan McCloud, Wake Forest transfer and redshirt freshman Brett Griffis and last year’s backup, redshirt sophomore Billy Atkins.

Cignetti said Barnett first practiced with the ones on Day 2 of fall camp and, since then, has been with them every day.

“After about a week, you could see the progression and the kid’s confidence and belief in him,” Cignetti said. “We were definitely looking for that.”

Teammates have confidence in the redshirt freshman, too. Redshirt junior defensive tackle James Carpenter said Barnett is young but he can do it all.

“He can run, he can pass. He throws a really good ball. Super quick, super elusive and super smart,” Carpenter said.

“So he’s got all the intangibles that we’re looking for. We’ve seen him grow a lot this camp, and yeah, I’m excited for him.”

Senior running back Latrele Palmer said what he’s noticed most about Barnett is his maturity level, calling him a great leader. He added that he didn’t see a difference between having a redshirt freshman be the starter compared to the previous quarterbacks he’s played for — such as Cole Johnson and Todd Centeio — who were upperclassmen.

With Barnett in the starter spot, the next question is who will be his backup. Cignetti said Tuesday that the decision would ultimately come down to who gives the team the best chance to win, but he did give another hint as to what to expect Saturday.

“If we had to play an hour from now, I would say Jordan McCloud would be the backup,” Cignetti said.

Analysis | McCloud and Centeio are similar, but not the same

signal caller

By JACKSON HEPHNER

The Breeze

Graduate quarterback Todd Centeio arrived in January 2022 at JMU, his third stop after transferring from Colorado State (2020-21) and, before that, Temple (2017-19) — five years filled with different coaches, losing seasons, and 23 total touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

But when he put on the purple and gold, his impact was profound.

Centeio started 10 of the Dukes’ 11 games in 2022, en route to being named the Sun Belt’s Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. In his debut against Middle Tennessee on Sept. 3, Centeio tied the school record for most touchdowns in a game with six, on top of passing for 287 yards and rushing for a career high 110 in a 44-7 win. Against Georgia Southern on Oct. 15, he set the JMU single-game passing record with 468 yards while rushing for a careerhigh three touchdowns in the 45-38 loss.

All in all, Centeio went 181-for-284 with a 63.7% completion rate on the season. He tossed 25 passing touchdowns, the sixth most by a JMU player in a single season, with just five interceptions. His 2,697 yards are the seventh most in a single season in school history.

Bringing in a veteran transfer quarterback like Centeio worked, and on Nov. 25, just one

day before JMU’s final game of the season against No. 23 Coastal Carolina, the Dukes landed a commitment from another one: redshirt senior Jordan McCloud.

Like Centeio, McCloud had previously spent time at two schools, starting his career at USF (2018-20) before transferring to Arizona (202122). Also like Centeio, McCloud is a dual-threat quarterback, capable of keeping plays alive with his legs on top of being an efficient passer.

But that’s where most of the similarities end, both in terms of how the two play and how both got to JMU.

“They’re two completely different people with two different skill sets,” head coach Curt Cignetti said in April.

Just because both are dual-threat quarterbacks doesn’t mean they play identically, and it starts with how the two are built. While both signal callers stand at 6-feet, Centeio weighed 221 pounds, which allowed him to run over defensive backs in the open field and pick up extra yards. McCloud, on the other hand, is 199 and relies more on speed and elusiveness to avoid defenders.

However, the two do share a few other similarities — notably, both quarterbacks have struggled with injuries in their career. In just his third game at Arizona, McCloud suffered

season-ending knee and ankle injuries. It was the last game he played for Arizona. In contrast, Centeio played a portion of last season with a pulled oblique muscle that led to him sitting out JMU’s 26-12 loss against Marshall.

While it’s impossible to know whether injury will sideline McCloud in 2023, Cignetti has hinted that McCloud, unlike Centeio, won’t be the Dukes’ Week 1 starter. During media availability after practice on Tuesday, Cignetti said that redshirt freshman Alonza Barnett “has separated himself from the pack pretty significantly,” in the quarterback battle. More bluntly, Cignetti added that if the game were to be played that day, McCloud would be the backup.

While these comments make it uncertain when we will see McCloud take the field, if he plays, he’ll provide JMU fans with something familiar — a dual-threat skillset like last fall — but also a level of speed at the position that fans maybe haven’t seen since the Vad Lee (2014-15), one of the fastest JMU quarterbacks in the last decade.

CONTACT Jackson Hephner at breezesports@gmail.com. For more football coverage, follow the sports desk on Twitter at @TheBreezeSports.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Alonza Barnett III has practiced with the ones since Day 2 of fall camp. Breeze file photo

On Tuesday after practice, head coach Curt Cignetti said “if we had to play an hour from now, I would say Jordan McCloud would be the backup.” Breeze file photo

While both are mobile, two-time transfer quarterbacks, the likely 2023 backup is smaller than last fall’s

CONTACT Jackson Hephner at breezesports@ gmail.com. For more football coverage, follow the sports desk on Twitter at @TheBreezeSports.

OPINION

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 “dreams-shattered” dart to the pumpkin cream chai latte from Starbucks.

From someone who expected the world but only got the taste of a gorcery store cookie.

An “I-feel-betrayed” dart to the roads in D.C. for not going where they say they're going.

From a directionally challenged college grad who is new to Northern Virginia.

A “good-idea” pat to Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance for hosting a summer concert series.

From someone who enjoyed the events.

SELI | Breeze columnist

The Supreme Court continued its slew of unpopular rulings when it repealed the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan in June. Students and borrowers alike across the country will be negatively impacted by Biden, President of the United States v. Nebraska — yet another monumental Supreme Court ruling.

In early June, prior to the court’s decision, Congress set in motion a bill preventing the extension of student loan payment pauses, which started and continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, borrowers are set to resume payments this October.

The bill, S.506, known as the Stop Reckless Student Loan Actions Act of 2023, was introduced to the Senate in February. It was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and has not yet passed through the Senate and House.

An “I-guess-I-couldwalk” dart to the parking decks filling up so quickly during the first few weeks of class.

From someone who has to leave for class an hour early.

Under Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona’s plan, borrowers had the ability to apply to have up to $20,000 in loans canceled. The case originated in a U.S. district court and was brought before Judge Thomas Ludington of the Eastern District of Michigan. The case was dismissed because it had no sufficient legal standing, Ludington said in August.

Biden v. Nebraska moved to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals when six Republican states — Nebraska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and South Carolina — challenged the administration's student loan forgiveness plan. The case moved its way up the U.S. federal court food chain, eventually arriving at the Supreme Court’s doorstep.

The decision was 6-3, split along party lines. Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the court’s majority opinion, supported by his fellow conservative justices — Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh — with Justice Barrett

submitting a separate concurring opinion.

The dissenting opinion was delivered by liberal Justice Elena Kagan, joined by justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. The liberal justices were ultimately beaten by the court’s conservative supermajority; however, this turnout is expected given the Supreme Court’s recent partisan track record.

The question of the case was whether Cardona had the statutory or regulatory authority to cancel or reduce such a significant number of student loans under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The act was established to provide prospective students with more opportunities in higher education; this includes financial assistance for student loans. The act authorizes the secretary to cancel or reduce loans, but only in certain limited circumstances and to a particular extent.

However, the 2001 HEROES Act was introduced after 9/11 in response to the terrorist attacks, which eventually led to the 2003 HEROES Act. The 2003 act awarded the secretary of state with certain discretion in such national emergencies, including wars and, more recently, pandemics.

Missouri’s argument rested with the Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri (MOHELA), which is a statecreated corporation dealing with student loans. In its lawsuit, the state claims MOHELA would’ve been personally injured by the secretary’s forgiveness program. Hence, the state of Missouri would also be harmed by the legislation. Yet neither Missouri nor the Supreme Court’s majority “claims that MOHELA’s revenue loss gets passed through to the state,” Kagan’s dissenting opinion said.

In fact, the state’s treasury would in no way be harmed by the debt cancellation plan that Kagan suggested. Any potential revenue loss would burden MOHELA alone. The case was brought by Missouri, not MOHELA, therefore the state’s personal injury argument is invalid. However, if the suit was brought by MOHELA

alone, the argument and outcome of the case would’ve been valid.

The Biden administration’s defense centered on the 2003 HEROES Act, which former President Donald Trump invoked in 2020 to pause student loan payments and the accumulation of interest. When Biden moved into the White House after the 2020 election, he fell in line with Trump’s decision and continued the pause. Along with Trump’s suspension of these loans, the former president executed a $1.4 trillion spending bill and a $900 billion relief package, including stimulus checks, to aid citizens and small businesses.

These pieces of legislation originated amid the COVID-19 crisis, as economies around the world crumbled before our eyes. The U.S. was no exception, and to provide economic relief to student loan borrowers and other low-income citizens, the Trump and Biden administrations enacted multiple pieces of legislation. One of which was the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which passed through Congress and was signed by Trump in March 2020.

The conservative court invalidated Biden’s HEROES Act defense, regardless of Trump’s use of the legislation to pause student loan payments and his administration spending trillions of dollars in much-needed emergency aid.

The court’s biases and politically motivated decisions clouded the justices’ ability to produce a fair ruling. Rather than viewing the case through an objective lens, the court instead chose to strike down a policy they simply disagreed with. So, it's no wonder why the conservative majority struggled to issue an opinion with a valid argument.

Despite the long-standing constitutionality of the use of executive orders, especially in national and international emergencies, the Supreme Court questioned Cardona’s authority to pass such significant legislation without Congress’s approval.

EMMA

The Supreme Court's Biden v. Nebraska decision will hamper a generation of students

Abigail Paredes / The Breeze

What does this mean for undergraduate and graduate student loan borrowers?

Tens of millions of students in the U.S. continue to drown in thousands of dollars in student loans, averaging $28,950 per borrower. Biden’s plan would have canceled over $400 billion in these loans. If passed, it would’ve been among the most expensive executive actions in history and reduced the $1.75 trillion that Americans owe in federal and state student loans.

The legislation, including the pausing of student loan payments, provided a brief relief from the suffocating amount of student loans, but it merely applied a bandaid to a much more serious, deep-rooted issue.

So, how will this decision affect borrowers?

Besides the unbearable fact that payments will resume in October, the ruling will disproportionately impact lower-income people. In reality, forgiveness is extremely costly, and wealthy students benefit more than disadvantaged ones.

According to a study by the Brookings Institution, measured appropriately student debt is concentrated among high-wealth households, and loan forgiveness is “regressive, whether measured by income, education attainment or wealth.”

In a Breeze Instagram poll, 38% of the respondents said they applied to get their loans erased or reduced, compared to the 62% who noted they didn’t. When asked if users were hurt financially, 43% said “Yes,” and 57% said it had no effect.

However, the results varied significantly when respondents were asked whether or not

they believe the Supreme Court was biased in its loan forgiveness decision, with 72% agreeing it was and 28% disagreeing. It’s no surprise the majority of respondents hold little trust for the court and its justices, considering the role that the court’s personal opinions and unethical behavior play in its rulings.

The repeal of the Biden’s administration’s student loan forgiveness plan will no doubt affect borrowers and prevent future significant student loan cancellation or reduction policies, narrowing the scope of the secretary’s authority to aid borrowers.

Despite the court’s unsavory ruling, Biden has persisted in his search to reduce student loans across the country. In July, Biden said his alternative income-driven repayment plan, known as SAVE, would be “the most effective repayment plan ever.” The plan will lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers struggling with debt, but it will probably face opposition as well.

College students are the next generation to hit the job market, and overwhelming loan payments can drag us further into the dark unknown. With the rapidly approaching 2024 presidential election, another battle on student loans is on the horizon, and the country’s partisan divide only continues to widen.

CONTACT Emma Seli at seliek@dukes. jmu.edu. For more editorials regarding the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the opinion desk on Instagram and Twitter @Breeze_Opinion.

Misinformation is dividing Gen Z and reducing its faith in the government’s integrity

ELIOT ZEDD contributing columnist

Generation Z faces a new kind of political weapon — social media misinformation.

We are the first generation to grow up in this heavily unregulated digital realm. During one of the most significant political divides this country has ever seen, the use of social media plays a nasty role in pitting us against one another.

A study done at Harvard in 2021 found that 75% of respondents ages 18-29 receive political information regularly from social media. Some JMU students are no different: Sophomore Audrey Goldman said she primarily sees political information on TikTok but remains skeptical.

“I know it’s biased, but that’s where I see most political information,” she said. “I try not to take anything away from it.”

It’s worth noting that social media has shown signs of empowering some young people to express their political beliefs. During the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, many eyes turned to social media as an outlet for civic discourse.

According to a 2020 study from Tufts University, 45% of young people polled “engaged in one of three forms of media creation about social and political issues: creating content for submission, sharing their own experience, or creating visual media.” Sixty percent of them said making political content has made them feel more informed and empowered. Goldman said she agrees that social media can be a good place to spark discussion and help people understand opposing views. Still, 37% feel unqualified to voice their political opinions online, the Tufts study found.

In the 2020 presidential election, we saw a massive spike in misinformation. The false

election fraud allegations by former President Donald Trump are one of the biggest cases of social media misinformation ever. His election-overturn efforts have partly led to his multiple indictments, which include 44 federal and 47 state charges as of Aug. 28, according to The New York Times, such as conspiracy to obstruct justice and corruptly concealing documents.

Social media has been weaponized and has caused unprecedented division among American.

A poll by Monmouth University conducted this year found 30% of respondents believe the outcome of the 2020 election was rigged, while 59% say Trump won the election “fair and square.”

The 30% that believed Trump lost because of voter fraud has barely changed since Monmouth’s November 2020 poll (32%).

An investigation done by the Associated Press found that in the six states Trump challenged the results of, there were only 475 potential instances of voter fraud out of over 25 million casted votes.

In addition, according to the Brookings Institution, the National Intelligence Council found no indications of foreign involvement in the technical aspects of the 2020 election’s process, such as voter registration, ballot casting, tabulation or reporting.

In fact, it found that Russian President Vladimir Putin allowed his people to launch “a multipronged campaign” specifically meant to attack Biden’s presidential bid

The 2021 Intelligence Community Assessment report showed that Iran used propaganda on social media during the Black Lives Matter protests to depict “perceived civil unrest.” We can see that not only was there no fraud committed by the Democratic party but foreign countries were working in Trump’s favor and to divide our nation. They were brutally successful.

Okay, with all that being said, we can ask: How does 30% of the country still believe the election was rigged? Well, my friends, Trump and too many others use social media to manipulate, deceive and indoctrinate their notions in American citizens.

Trump has been denying election outcomes since the 2016 Republican primaries. He tweeted, without providing any evidence, “Ted Cruz didn’t win Iowa, he stole it, that is why all of the polls were so wrong and why he got far more votes than anticipated. Bad!”

Even after he won the presidential election, Trump was still claiming there was fraud because he lost the popular vote. On Twitter, now known as X, he stated, “In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.” These claims were also debunked.

Trump had already begun talking on social media in August 2020, months before the election, that “the only way we’re going to lose this election is if the election is rigged.” After election day in November 2020, he continued his attack on election integrity. “This was a stolen election,” Trump said on Twitter the day after Joe Biden was announced as the president-elect.

Trump’s lies lit a fire under his supporters. According to Associated Press, words such as “steal,” “fraud,” “dead” and “rigged” increased in tweets and retweets by over 2,800% from Nov. 2-6, 2020, in reference to the election. There were 1.6 million retweets containing some of those words on Nov. 6 alone.

Here, we can see firsthand how lies can spread like wildfire in the digital world

Over the next few weeks, Trump, his family and other GOP members pushed voter fraud nonsense. Trump’s son, Eric Trump, posted on social media

that ballots filled out with Sharpies in Michigan, Illinois and Arizona were thrown out, and that the number of ballots cast in Wisconsin was higher than the number of registered voters. Again, no proof was provided.

In the coming days after the election, prominent Republicans and Trump’s allies pushed a lie on social media that “hundreds or thousands of dead people voted in key battleground states like Pennsylvania or Michigan.” One tweet, retweeted over 50,000 times, claimed that a dead woman named Donda Brydges voted in the election. The AP confirmed that “Brydges is very much alive” after speaking to her at length on the phone.

In the six days following the election, there were about 5 million mentions of “Stop the Steal” across social media platforms, and election protests with that rallying cry form. A Facebook group called “Stop the Steal” had 350,000 people join in just a day, but the platform was down because of the talk of planning violent acts that went against Facebook’s community guidelines. Twitter also took down several tweets by Trump that were false or included unproven claims about election fraud.

After these platforms started taking down the misinformation, many Trump supporters moved over to Parler, which is a far less moderated social media platform compared to Twitter or Facebook.

Between Nov. 3 and 9, 2020, Parler was downloaded over 2 million times and became the No. 1 app on Apple. Kate Starbird, a University of Washington professor and misinformation expert, told the AP she believes the moderation done by Twitter and Facebook “is commendable, which is why people are moving to other platforms.”

Chief Justice John Roberts (left) issued the majority opinion joined by Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett for the Biden v. Nebraska decision. Associate Justice Elena Kagan (right) issued the dissenting opinion joined by justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Tribune News Service

from MISINFORMATION, page 19

This is all unprecedented and affecting how young people view our government. According to a Tufts 2022 study, 55% of 18 to 29 year olds think the country is “heading in the wrong direction,” and less than a third say they trust the two major political parties. The youth is losing faith in the government, and you can’t blame us. A separate study done by Tufts in 2020 shows nearly a quarter of those polled said they didn’t believe in the outcome of the 2020 election.

The lies are working. They’re dividing us. Our government needs to step up its safeguards against misinformation. Colorado has already established a team called the Rapid Response Election Security Cyber Unit that works to monitor misinformation being spread about election integrity such as voter fraud and absentee ballots. Foreign nations have also shown that they will not ease their efforts in the spread of misinformation on American citizens.

Gen Z needs to be taught media literacy to evade misinformation. According to The Digital Informers at Howard University, the most effective way to stop the consumption of misinformation is by teaching media literacy. It won’t have as much of an immediate impact as increased cyber security, but younger generations who are most susceptible to misinformation must know how to protect themselves. States such as Illinois, Colorado and California already require media literacy courses in high schools.

Gen Z must be able to sniff out bad information. We deserve to be properly educated and not pitted against each other for someone else’s political gain.

CONTACT Eliot Zedd at zeddej@dukes. jmu.edu. For more editorials regarding the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the opinion desk on Instagram and Twitter @Breeze_Opinion.

As of Aug. 28, former President Donald Trump has accumulated 91 charges. Some of them are related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, as he and his supporters spread false theories that it was rigged. Tribune News Service

Something for everyone

THIS Week in BREEZE TV

TOP

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Students swarmed to the Atlantic Union Bank Center on Friday to explore a variety of on-campus organizations.

Student Org Night featured hundreds of clubs and their representatives, who spoke with attendees.

Photos by Ryan Sauer / The Breeze

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Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Lewis

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