JMU football made history Saturday with a record-breaking 53-point first half against UNC. However, the Dukes’ defense still allowed 50 points, which redshirt junior defensive end Eric O’Neill called “unacceptable.” Sports Editor Hayden Hundley breaks down if fans should be concerned about JMU’s defense or not.
EDITORS
Mauser & Libby Addison
Rise in local invasive insect population prompts community action, prevention
By JOELLE MCKENZIE The Breeze
Planthoppers resembling moths with red spotted wings have been seen across JMU’s campus: they’re the invasive spotted lanternfly.
The spotted lanternflies can be found on sidewalks, roads and paths throughout JMU and Harrisonburg, dead and alive. However, if seen, these invasive bugs shouldn’t be left alone — the insects should be destroyed if found in any life stage, according to a checklist from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Keala Timko, the volunteer coordinator for the Central Shenandoah Valley Master Gardeners Association (CSVMGA), said the lanternflies excrete a sugary substance known as honeydew that ferments and causes plants around the area to become covered in a “black, sooty mold.” The substance then damages the plants as a pathogen. Plants could become infected and, ultimately, be at risk of dying due to a decreased ability to photosynthesize.
Biology professor Janet Daniel said it’s concerning how much the insect’s presence has increased.
“I have seen smushed ones walking around downtown, so people are definitely actively stomping them out,” Daniel said. “That part of the public message has definitely gotten about them because it’s not a very intuitive thing to squash a bug like that.”
Junior biology major Chelsey Halterman, who lives on the border of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, said she’s seen many spotted lanternflies at her house’s entryway, making it difficult to get inside. To keep these bugs away from her house, she said she made her own insect repellent mixture of natural ingredients that she puts outside her front door.
“I’ve been trying a concoction of lavender oil and peppermint oil because I know that peppermint oil is a natural repellant,” Halterman said.
“I just mixed them both up and that seemed to help as far as repel them away.”
Halterman said this helped for two to three days until it rained, and the mixture of oils washed away.
With fall approaching, the spotted lanternflies are about to start laying egg masses. The checklist says the egg masses are found from September to June.
Timko said the best ways to get rid of egg masses from spotted lanternflies are to scrape them off, smash them or drown them. She added that any tool with an edge, such as a credit card or a knife, could be used to scrape them off. The egg masses have a putty-like consistency.
Adult lanternflies die during the winter, but the egg masses survive the cold, Timko said. These eggs can be found anywhere outside, from trees to the underside of cars, she added, and the masses contain about 30 to 40 eggs.
“The best control for these is human intervention,” Timko said. “The easiest time to get rid of them is when they are in the egg mass form because they’re not moving.”
Spotted lanternflies aren’t native to the U.S., rather to Asia, according to the USDA. The insects were first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014 and have continued to spread since then, according to the same source. Timko said these lanternflies arrived on a shipment of stone to the U.S.
“I think we’re going to be doing the same thing with the spotted lanternfly that we have done with the brown marmorated stink bug, the Japanese beetle and the spongy moth,” Timko said. “We’re just going to have to learn how to deal with it.”
CONTACT Joelle McKenzie at mckenzjl@dukes.jmu.edu. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @ BreezeJMU.
JMU biology professor Janet Daniel said it’s concerning how much the invasive spotted lanternfly has increased in presence. Photos by Adam Tabet / The Breeze
Furious Flower Poetry Conference helps ‘push for more diverse voices’
By CHARLIE BODENSTEIN & EDISON VRANIAN contributing writers
The Furious Flower Poetry Center kicked off its decennial Furious Flower Poetry Conference on Sept. 18 featuring Black poets from around the country — including honorees Kwame Dawes and Elizabeth Alexander — at JMU’s Festival Conference Center to present and hear poetry.
The conference ran for four days and consisted of in-person and virtual sessions in the Festival Ballroom, AUBC Club Room and the Memorial Hall Auditorium. The events included panels, banquets, readings and open mic performances from poets and guests. Featured speakers included Furious Flower Center Executive Director Lauren K. Alleyne, JMU Interim Provost Bob Kolvoord and Dean of JMU Libraries Bethany Nowviskie. The poetry readings and open mic performances were free to attendees.
For Joanne Gabbin, founder of the Furious Flower Poetry Center and professor emeritus in the JMU English Department, the conference is a homecoming.
“It’s like a family reunion for poets,” she said.
The first Furious Flower Poetry Conference was in 1994 when Gabbin founded it as a place for Black poets to share their work at JMU. In 2005, JMU officially chartered the Furious Flower Poetry Center, and the conference has been held there ever since, according to its website. The conference explores contemporary trends in Black literature, culture and thought.
The Furious Flower Poetry Center is the nation’s first academic center for Black poetry, said Haylee Edwards, JMU graduate and editorial assistant for the Furious Flower Poetry Center. As such, its primary goals are “promoting and supporting black poets around the country,” as well as “helping get their voices out there, if they aren’t already out there,” Edwards said.
As a hub for Black poetry, poets convene at the Furious Flower Poetry Conference to share their work and celebrate the conference’s longstanding traditions, Gabbin said.
“It is an opportunity for the next generation of poets,” Gabbin said, adding that young people often describe the conference as “inspirational.”
“I think it’s so important to support color,” Gabbin said. She also said for anyone who believes they are ignorant to the world of Black poetry, these poets “have a special way of distilling knowledge” and “genius that will help as all.”
The Furious Flower works with JMU’s English department and the College of Arts and Letters, Edwards said, with its goals being “awareness of the artform” and to “push for more diverse voices.”
The Furious Flower’s efforts extend into the classroom as well; “The Furious Flower Syllabus Project: Opening the World of Black Poetry” aims to amplify Black poets’ voices in academic settings, according to its website. Resources were compiled by scholars at JMU into a free educational curriculum that will be distributed to classrooms across the country of all ages and levels in order to further education surrounding Black poetry’s history, according to its website.
“We’re trying to push for more diverse voices in general, especially in the classrooms and especially in communities where people feel unseen or unheard,” Edwards said.
Pulitzer Prize winner, professor and Director of Creative Writing at Emory University Jericho Brown said while at the conference, he learned “so much about the world and about myself, and about Black poetry — which is poetry.”
As a Black poet himself, Brown’s work is decorated — he has appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, The Paris Review and The New York Times. His book “The Tradition” has won a Pulitzer Prize, and his first book
“Please” (New Issues 2008) won the American Book Award, according to his website.
Concerning his writing, Brown said he highlights “the intimacy involved, the vulnerability involved quite naturally in the act of writing.” He added that “writing allows you a way to get it right, all the things you can’t say … you can get them right.”
“I think the most important thing is that you be moved, that you have an emotion, and through poetry, have an awareness that you are indeed in the midst of that emotion,” Brown said. “That is the beginning of a real change.”
Brown’s advice for aspiring poets or creative writers is to “read as much as possible” and to “go where writers are.”
“Attend the Furious Flower Poetry Conference,” he said. “Be at the readings, be at the workshops, be wherever you can be that the poets are — and that will help your poetry.”
CONTACT Charlie Bodenstein at bodenscd@ dukes.jmu.edu and Edison Vranian at vraniawe@dukes.jmu.edu. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.
Furious Flower Center Executive Director Lauren K. Alleyne, above, was one of 2024 Furious Flower Poetry Conference’s organizers. The event was held in JMU’s Festival Conference Center.
Photos courtesy of James Madison University
College of Arts and Letters Dean Traci Zimmerman, left, and Interim University Provost Bob Kolvoord, right, both represented the university at the conference on Sept. 18.
International Week keynote speaker cautions audience about AI's dangers
Director Shalini Kantayya plays clips of social media documentary
By JOELLE MCKENZIE The Breeze
At the beginning of JMU’s annual International Week, the Center for Global Engagement (CGE) held a keynote event Monday featuring speaker Shalini Kantayya at Wilson Hall.
Kantayya directs fiction and nonfiction films that “artfully marry” science and storytelling, according to her website. She visited JMU to speak about renewable energy, artificial intelligence ethics, social equity and technology's impacts on society, according to JMU's events calendar.
“Through her films, Shalini challenges us to examine the ethical implications of technology from bias and privacy to the future of human rights,” CGE Executive Director Jiangyuan Zhou said during her introduction of Kantayya.
Before Kantayya came to the stage, a 37-minute excerpt of her documentary “TikTok, Boom!” played. The film is about the social media platform TikTok, discussing its algorithm, competition with Facebook and its history with creator and owner Chinese company ByteDance. The film features multiple TikTok content creators and data experts.
“Global citizenship now means navigating an increasingly interconnected, algorithmically controlled world,” Kantayya said. “In films like ‘TikTok, Boom!’ I explore how platforms like TikTok give everyday people the power to influence culture and spread ideas all
around the world, and at the same time, my work explores how these same platforms can be tools of surveillance, of censorship and the amplification of disinformation.”
During her speech, Kantayya showed clips of “Coded Bias,” another of her documentaries that was shown the following Tuesday night in the Engineering and Geosciences building (EnGeo). One of these clips showed CCTV facial recognition technology misidentifying a 14-year-old student as a criminal in London.
Another clip was of Joy Buolamwini, a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student who encountered a technological racial bias in facial recognition software. The software didn’t work until she put a white mask over her darker complexion.
“It’s there that she realizes that this technology is racially biased and, worse than that, this is not a technology that is being beta tested on a shelf at MIT somewhere,” Kantayya said. “This is technology that’s already being deployed by the FBI — it’s already being used, oftentimes in secret, by police departments all across the country. No one that represents ‘We the People’ is overseeing the implementation of these technologies.”
During the keynote’s question-and-answer portion, one student asked Kantayya where she gets inspiration for her films.
‘TikTok, Boom!’
Kantayya directs fiction and nonfiction films that “artfully marry” science and storytelling, according to her website. She visited JMU to speak about renewable energy, artificial intelligence ethics, social equity and technology's impacts on society, according to JMU's events calendar.
JMU students were offered opportunities to speak during Kantayya's question-and-answer portion of the keynote event. Photos courtesy of Zach Kulzer
Kantayya said she tries to constantly keep herself inspired by reading, looking at the news, and watching documentaries and films.
Another student asked whether there were filmmakers or movies that inspired Kantayya, to which she replied that the films “Gattaca” and “Idiocracy” are “really important” to her. A different student asked a question about the divisive nature of technology. Kantayya said she worries humans are losing their ability “to connect deeply with one another.”
“There might be a time where all of human intelligence is in a subtotal of a robot, but the things that these technologies can’t give are our humanity,” Kantayya said. “What I don’t want us to lose is the messy stuff, the stuff that makes us human. The stuff that makes us flawed. The stuff that makes us scared to speak because we feel like we’re the weird ones.”
CONTACT Joelle McKenzie at mckenzjl@dukes.jmu.edu.
For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.
“There might be a time where all of human intelligence is in a subtotal of a robot, but the things that these technologies can’t give are our humanity.”
Shalini Kantayya
International Week keynote speaker
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During her speech, Kantayya showed clips of “Coded Bias,” another of her documentaries which was shown the following Tuesday night in the Engineering and Geosciences building (EnGeo).
SGA approves $4,000 for student org events, nominates two student leaders
By LANDON SHACKELFORD
The Breeze
The Student Government Association (SGA) Senate passed contingency fund requests for JMU Anime Club and Esteem Models, as well as confirmed the nominations for student representative to the Harrisonburg City Council and sergeant at arms during its regular Tuesday meeting.
$4,000 in contingency funds passed for student orgs
The SGA unanimously passed the Anime Club’s $1,000 contingency fund request.
Treasurer for the Anime Club and sophomore Ryan Nelson said the money will pay for a trip to NekoCon for club members. NekoCon is an annual anime festival in Hampton Roads, he said, and the funds will cover transportation and hotel costs for the club’s 15 members.
Junior and Sen. Jahnavi Muthyala said the JMU Anime Club is good to have on campus at JMU “because it brings Japanese culture to campus.”
The Senate also unanimously passed Esteem Models’ $3,000 contingency fund request.
Esteem Models’ purpose is to “create an empowering space for students to build confidence, boost self-esteem and embrace individuality,” the presenting SGA senator said on behalf of the club’s representative, who was late to the meeting.
The contingency request will finance its Oct. 7 tap show, which will be open to all JMU students.
The funding will cover performers’ tap shoes and other equipment needed for the show.
“It’s a good way for students to be participating in this event as professionals and helping out,” Esteem Models’ representative said.
Appointment of representative to Harrisonburg City Council, sergeant at arms
Each year, the SGA nominates a student to serve as its representative to the Harrisonburg City Council. The student will attend the council’s bimonthly meetings and report to the SGA Senate.
This year, the SGA nominated and confirmed sophomore Nathanael Crouse for this role.
Junior and Senate Speaker Kieran Fensterwald said Crouse “displays dedication and commitment to the Student Government Association” when reading the nomination.
Sophomore Maeve Rensberger was also confirmed as the SGA’s sergeant at arms during the meeting. Rensberger will be in charge of opening and closing the Senate doors and escorting non-members.
“Maeve has displayed enthusiasm and dedication towards the [SGA] and understands the duty of the sergeant at arms,” Fensterwald said.
CONTACT Landon Shackelford at breezephotography@gmail.com. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.
The SGA unanimously allocated $4,000 in contingency funds for JMU Anime Club and Esteem Models. Landon Shackelford / The Breeze
Abby Camp & Sixuan Wu
A quick stitch: Virginia Quilt Museum reopens in Dayton after speedy relocation
By ISABEL LEWIS contributing writer
If you’re looking for the Harrisonburgstaple Virginia Quilt Museum, you’ll notice it’s no longer in its downtown location and is instead located in a quaint renovated mill house surrounded by water and flora.
The Virginia Quilt Museum, which was in its previous building from 1995 to now, relocated to Dayton this summer due to issues with the old building’s HVAC system.
After one of the air conditioning units broke in October 2023, conversations with contractors about revamping the entire HVAC system made it apparent that relocating would be the museum’s best option. Additionally, the old building had wheel-chair accessibility issues, along with needing a new roof.
The museum’s executive director, Alicia Thomas, said the HVAC replacement’s price was close to its annual operating budget, which was why the museum decided to move its operations to the Silver Lake Mill.
“This whole process started a little bit back in November of 2023, but, really, serious talks started [in] late January, early February of this year,” Thomas said.
The mill is located in a comparatively more rural section of Rockingham County. It’s surrounded by acres of farmland and a lake. The building was an event venue and continues to be an important part of the community’s history.
The new building offers larger rooms and taller ceilings, providing room for more quilts to be hung and displayed on walls. Contrarily, the old building in Harrisonburg had radiators and windows that the museum found difficult to work around, Thomas said.
Museum owner Cheryl Lyon said this new site also offers increased accessibility. Lyon paid for an accessible ramp and ADA-compliant lift to be installed into the new location.
“[Lyon] is very much a person who likes history and museums and culture, so she was really willing to work with us and put some of her own money into the building to make it what we needed,” Thomas said.
In addition, visitors have a new experience viewing exhibits. All of the quilts have to be hung at least five inches away from the walls, since the structure is largely wood — which isn’t suitable for the fabric. This allows visitors to peek behind the quilts and see the stitching.
“They can see the back of the quilts now, whereas before, almost everything was up against a wall,” Thomas said, adding that nearly all the quilts expose the backs now, which can reveal several intricacies of the art. “Visitors have really been liking that.”
By the end of September, the Virginia Quilt Museum will relinquish ownership of the older building, and it’s already fully moved into the Silver Lake Mill. Thomas called the transition a quick turnaround since the decision to relocate was made within this past year.
“Making big changes is scary,” Thomas said. “This is not something when I took this job three years ago that I was like, ‘Oh, we’re going to move this museum.’”
Harrisonburg community members also helped with the relocation.
Quilt Museum board member Beverly Evans was the one who showed Thomas the new location — and also and gave her staff to help move the artwork.
see VIRGINIA QUILT, page 11
The Virginia Quilt Museum recently moved from downtown Harrisonburg to Dayton due to a heating and air conditioning issue. Rowan Potts / The Breeze
The museum’s new location is a renovated version of the Silver Lake Mill, which sits on lake and tree-covered land. Isabel Lewis / The Breeze
from VIRGINIA QUILT, page 10
“[Beverly] sent [her] staff that is used to packing up and dealing with antiques to actually put our stubs in vans and move it over, and Beverly was right there packing stuff with us,” Thomas said.
Despite moving away from downtown Harrisonburg, Thomas said the museum continues to see the same amount of visitors — many of whom come specifically for the museum. It’s hoping to continue to see an uptick of visitors during events such as JMU Family Weekend.
“One of the things I’m also curious to see is how we used to be really dead on Saturdays
when there were JMU football games, because people don’t come to town unless they’re going to the football game,” Thomas said.
She said since the museum is no longer located downtown, parking is more readily available, which may allow for more visitors in Dayton during JMU game days when parking is full in downtown Harrisonburg.
Thomas said so far the move has only been good for the museum. As it moved into Rockingham County and away from Harrisonburg, new opportunities arose with the county’s non-profit tourism company, Rocktown History. Its director, Penny Imeson, said the organization is collaborating with the
Virginia Quilt Museum on an audio-visual experience, which is part of a larger project titled “Experience Historic Dayton.”
“You’ll be able to stand in front of a home or a building and hear a narration of somebody who worked or lived there and see images,” Imeson said.
The Virginia Quilt Museum was previously neighbors with Harrisonburg Tourism, with which it worked very closely. Despite moving out of Harrisonburg, the Quilt Museum will still be connected to the city due to frequent collaboration between the local tourism organizations: Harrisonburg Tourism, Rocktown History and Fort Harrison. Still,
Harrisonburg Tourism Manager Jennifer Bell said Harrisonburg Tourism looks to fill the empty space with a new tourist attraction.
“Of course I’m disappointed to have them further away,” Bell said. “But it makes sense for them, and they’re a great museum and the space they’re located is just beautiful.”
CONTACT Isabel Lewis at lewisik@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 Instagram @BreezeJMU.
Dunkin’ Donuts to move into Auntie Anne’s previous campus location in fall 2025
By ASHLEE THOMPSON The Breeze
Next academic year, Dukes will say goodbye to pre-class pretzel nugget runs.
JMU Dining announced Sept. 12 via Instagram that the Auntie Anne’s on the second floor of the Student Success Center (SSC) closed indefinitely and will be replaced by a larger Dunkin’ Donuts in fall 2025.
In an email to The Breeze, Director of Student Engagement & Marketing Jenna Gray said this move will “include a larger footprint, allowing for larger capacity, soft seating and an increased speed of service.”
Located next to Bistro 1908, Auntie Anne’s is an American fast-food chain specializing in various types of pretzels — including nuggets, original and pretzel dogs. Auntie Anne’s was first introduced to JMU’s campus in 2015 as an addition to Taylor Down Under before it relocated to SSC a few years later.
Dunkin’ Donuts is on the SSC’s first floor. At the time of this publication, it’s unknown what will replace Dunkin’s current spot. The Breeze reached out to JMU Dining for more information regarding the renovation, but did not receive comment before the deadline.
The renovation — which Gray said will take place over the 2024-25 academic year — has sectioned off the doors leading into Auntie Anne’s half of the cafeteria with Dunkin’ Donuts-themed building paper. The construction doesn’t affect the operation of Bistro 1908, Gray said.
Sophomore psychology major Charlie Davidson was “shocked” to see Auntie Anne’s blocked off when she returned to campus last month, as she frequented the establishment during her freshman year and would notice a line to order pretzels.
While Davidson said she believes that moving Dunkin’ upstairs is more convenient, she added it will take a while to get used to the lack of on-campus Auntie Anne’s, even though she thought it wasn’t as “accessible” as other food establishments due to the menu’s limited punch options.
“I was very shocked at first because I was so used to seeing Auntie Anne’s,” Davidson said. “I also understood why they would close, since the store only took Dining Dollars or FLEX, which wasn’t as accessible to the student body.”
Davidson foresees a potential problem with acclimating to the new location, however, since students have to scale an added flight of stairs to get coffee. She said this might cause issues since the current location is by the SSC entrance.
Echoing Davidson’s positive sentiments, junior communications major Skye Nemeyer believes moving Dunkin’ Donuts upstairs will be beneficial for holding more students at once, since the space is larger.
“The line can move quicker,” Nemeyer said. “Now it doesn’t block the doors to SSC so people can move in and out easier.”
Although she works at an off-campus Dunkin’ Donuts, Nemeyer still goes to the on-campus location approximately three to four times per week. She hopes a “good” food vendor will take over Dunkin’s first floor spot.
“I don’t really care what kind, but something good and easy to eat,” Nemeyer said. “It would provide more food options and even out the lines. Also, [the SSC] is closer to some buildings on the Quad.”
CONTACT Ashlee Thompson at thomp6ab@dukes.jmu.edu. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on X and Instagram @BreezeJMU.
JMU and Harrisonburg locals helped the museum move, a process which both began and concluded this year. Photos by Isabel Lewis / The Breeze
The new location is larger, making it possible to display more quilts. The museum also gained an accessibility ramp and an ADA-compliant lift with the move.
Due to the high demand for more space in the on-campus Dunkin’ Donuts, the coffee shop will take the place of Auntie Anne’s in the SSC. Kailey Garner / The Breeze
Religious organizations embrace queer communities at Shenandoah Valley Pride
By ISABEL LEWIS contributing writer
Smiling faces and rainbow flags filled Court Square as people gathered downtown for Shenandoah Valley Pride — an annual event celebrating the local LGBTQ+ community featuring performances from drag queens, upbeat music and vendors.
“We go around the various pride events around the seven-state region selling pride merchandise like rainbow flags, T-shirts, and whatnot,” vendor Kenny Proehl said.
The Saturday event was organized by Shenandoah Valley Pride, a non-profit organization dedicated to using outreach and education to help attendees better understand the LGBTQ+ community, according to its website.
The event shut down early due to rain, but there was still enough time for attendees to gather and enjoy the event — which featured an appearance from drag queen Coco Montrese, a former contestant on reality TV competition “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Assorted goodies were handed out from booths, including jewelry, shirts, masquerade masks, stickers, pamphlets and drawstring bags. Booths were run by local and national organizations, such as universities, artists, community programs, religious organizations and even Sheetz. Each booth had its own rainbow-themed merch.
A large number of religious organizations attended the event. Many organizations that were previously indifferent to or against the community are making it known that they’re an inclusive and safe for LGBTQ+ people.
Representatives from the Emmanuel Episcopal Church said it had a history of being non-affirming to the LGBTQ+ community and, by attending at the festival, the church no longer associates with that belief. Many other religious organizations had similar experiences and have been facing the implications of an unaccepting past.
For example, local Christian organizations, such as Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), break down stigmas by attending Pride.
“I love pride because it’s one of the days when people can come out and be their most authentic selves and be welcomed and safe and affirmed,” Sorge said.
Although some organizations have changed their ideals, their history of exclusion hasn’t been forgotten and has caused biases from people unaware of the evolution.
“The first step is just recognizing it, and the church really has done a lot of harm,” Sorge said. “I don’t expect that everybody who’s been harmed by the church would forgive that or get past that, but I think acknowledging how much harm it has done and apologizing for that and then offering a different message of God’s inclusive love and that all are welcome with us wherever you are in your journey, God loves you.”
This change hasn’t been without criticism. Attending organizations mentioned pushback from stakeholders and experiences receiving hate mail because of their open acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I think it’s really important for us to be out here and to be vocal and just letting people know that God loves them and created everybody just as they are,” Trinity Presbyterian Church Pastor Stephanie Sorge said.
Several Mennonite, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Muslim and Unitarian congregations, among other religious organizations, attended the event.
The annual Shenandoah Valley Pride took place in downtown Harrisonburg on Saturday.
Photo illustration by Kailey Garner / The Breeze
Shenandoah Valley Pride celebrates local LGBTQ+ communities. Zada Sudduth / The Breeze
“I think it’s important for organizations to make it known that just because it’s a religiously affiliated place, doesn’t mean that they’re exclusive,” said Mark Gorndo, an attendee of Shalom Mennonite Congregation.
Luke Litwiller, the director of undergraduate admissions at EMU, spoke about the university’s journey to be more accepting to queer students.
“We also have a history of not being an open space for those employees and also those students,” Litwiller said. “I feel like EMU, especially in the last 10 years, has been on the trajectory of becoming a more open space.”
EMU senior Riley Quezada, who uses they/he pronouns, said while they used to be nervous about attending a religious university as a queer student, they later became more comfortable with the environment.
“It took me a couple of months to get comfortable with the fact that EMU, even with being religious, is not in the mindset of, ‘Queer students shouldn’t be here,’” Quezada said.
Quezada is an officer of EMU’s Queer Student Alliance — previously known as Safe Space — where students can find support and opportunities for transformative dialogue. Quezada said with their work in the club, they’ve been trying to eliminate the “stigma” that EMU is not an affirming university.
“We are making ourselves known and telling everyone, ‘we’re not going anywhere, and you just have to accept it,’” Quezada said.
EMU follows Anabaptist-Mennonite Christian traditions, which emphasize peace-making and resolving conflicts with words rather than weapons.
“We have a focus on Mennonite values, but it’s more of the progressive Mennonite values that we believe,” Quezada said. “We believe that everyone is loved and everyone is the way that they are supposed to be. God will love you no matter who you are or how you present. I think that’s a thing that EMU has been focusing on since I started going here.”
This ideology was mirrored by other religious attendants at Shenandoah Valley Pride such as Gorndo, who said, “the basic level of any religious message is a message of love and peace, and I think that transcends sexuality.”
“I’m glad to see more and more religious organizations that are here each year,” Sorge said.
CONTACT Isabel Lewis at lewisik@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.
“We believe that everyone is loved and everyone is the way that they are supposed to be. God will love you no matter who you are and how you present.”
Riley Quezada EMU senior
Booths run by local and national organizations handed out assorted goodies at the event. Zada Sudduth / The Breeze
SPORTS
EDITORS Hayden Hundley & Preston Comer
Analysis| Dukes’ defense not a concern despite UNC’s offensive output
By HAYDEN HUNDLEY The Breeze
With only one chance to beat a Power-4 team this regular season, JMU football beat the tar out of the Heels 70-50 on Saturday.
The Dukes’ offense executed to near perfection, scoring on nine of the Dukes’ 15 offensive drives — outside of the drive that ended regulation. However, until the Dukes’ matchup against UNC, their strong suit was defense.
JMU gave up more yards (616) and four more touchdowns against UNC than the Dukes had in their first two games combined. Much of the Tar Heels’ offensive production can be credited to the Dukes playing a softer defense once they developed a big lead. Still, like redshirt junior defensive end Eric O’Neill said, “50 points, no matter how you put it … is unacceptable.”
“50 points is 50 points,” O’Neill said. “You can’t do that. Usually, I’d say about 99% of the time you lose if you give up 50 points. And we watched it, and there were a lot of mistakes.”
Let’s take a look at what the film tells us about how the Dukes’ defense played against UNC.
Run defense passes the Hampton test UNC’s All-American junior running back Omarion Hampton ran for 139 yards against the Dukes. However, until the fourth quarter, Hampton was only averaging 4.2 yards per carry — the lowest any team has held him to this season. That would be a significant day for anyone other than one of the best running backs in the country.
O’Neill said Hampton is “definitely” the best running back he’s faced in his career. If the Dukes wanted to leave Chapel Hill with a win, they needed to limit Hampton — not completely stop him — and they did that.
O’Neill said the coach’s scheme was the “main part” of how the Dukes held Hampton in check.
“The coaches had a great scheme for him, really, they did,” O’Neill said. “That was a huge part of it, we just went out and did what they told us to do, and it worked out.”
A part of that scheme was baiting UNC into running. The Dukes occasionally used a 3-down lineman set, which is typically easier to run against. However, the Dukes moved an edge rusher into the A-gap — the space in between the offensive guard and center — to plug up the run.
The edge rusher plugging the middle — which was usually redshirt sophomore Amar Thomas or redshirt senior Khairi Manns — didn’t always make the stop, though.
Overcrowding the middle of the line forced Hampton toward the outside, and defensive backs did a solid job containing him — especially sophomore nickel DJ Barksdale, who finished the game with a team-leading 81.3 PFF run defense grade. Senior safety Chris Shearin also made an impressive tackle in the first quarter; however, Hampton bested him on a 28-yard touchdown run two drives later.
“There was that first touchdown that was a missed tackle, that just can’t happen,” JMU defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill said. “I think for the most part, we did a decent job. They got the stretch going a little bit, which we knew was going to show up. I think we took care of that in the second half a little bit better. Then he got the late one for like 50 yards that got him over 100, I think the guys were pretty disappointed about that.”
When going up against a player as talented as Hampton,
teams usually cut their losses, and the Dukes did so effectively and efficiently on Saturday. The scheme wasn’t the only reason the Dukes had success against Hampton, though; redshirt junior defensive tackle Immanuel Bush and O’Neill had strong showings with two run stops against 13 and 11 runs. Barksdale also led the team with three run stops.
Young nickels benefit from growing pains
The two defensive backs with the lowest coverage grades against UNC were both nickels: Barksdale and freshman KJ Flowe. Hemphill told Barksdale after the game that senior tight end Bryson Nesbit is “as good as we’re going to see all year.” Nesbit, who was a 2023 First Team All-ACC selection, had Reese’s Senior Bowl Scouts there to evaluate his fourcatch 71-yard performance.
“If you take this game and you’re critical of your play and you really look at everything you did, from pre-snap alignment to your eyes, to how you play the ball,” Hemphill said, “if you can take all those things and just learn from it, it’s going to make you such a better player.”
Flowe, who Hemphill said “deserved more reps” after playing Charlotte, only played eight snaps on Saturday to Barksdale’s 52. However, despite Barksdale’s struggles in coverage, keeping Flowe off the field for the majority of the game was probably the right choice — as he ranked last with a 41.8 PFF grade.
Hemphill said that Barksdale wasn’t happy with his performance, but he liked that about him.
“It shows a little dog in him,” Hemphill said. “I’m excited about him because he’s one of those kids, he missed an opportunity to show everybody how good he was. And if I can see it, I can see it in his eyes, and I think he’s going to benefit from it.”
Both Flowe and Barksdale have an opportunity to bounce back against another formidable tight end Saturday against Ball State: Junior Tanner Koziol is a 6-foot-7 Preseason All-Mac selection who already has 20 receptions in just three games this season. Koziol is also PFF’s fourth-highestgraded tight end in the FBS this season.
Don’t overreact
Other aspects of the Dukes’ defense that shone Saturday were their abilities to turn the ball over and get off the field on third and fourth downs. Entering the game, the Tar Heels were 20-30 on third downs — and after exiting their defeat, they were 22-48. UNC turned the ball over five times and four of those were forced by the Dukes’ defense.
Despite giving up 50 points and 616 yards, it’s not time to overreact about JMU’s defense yet —and Hemphill doesn’t seem to think so, either.
“It was a tale of two different types of series,” Hemphill said. “Eight series were really good, and eight series were really bad. And that’s where the 50 points came from. In terms of tackling, communication [and] staying on top of some of the receivers, there are things we have to get cleaned up, for sure.”
Tackling is the area where the Dukes’ defense needs the most improvement. JMU ranks 129th out of 134 FBS programs in PFF’s tacking grade, but if the Dukes can clean that up, there’s no reason to worry about their defense.
CONTACT Hayden Hundley at breezesports@gmail.com For more football coverage, follow the sports desk on X and Instagram @TheBreezeSports.
“It shows a little dog in him. I’m excited about him ... I can see it in his eyes, and I think he’s going to benefit from it.”
Lyle Hemphill on sophomore nickel DJ Barksdale’s mindset
coordinator
Top: Redshirt junior defensive end Eric O’Neill said defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill’s scheme was the “main part” of how the Dukes limited junior running back Omarion Hampton.
Bottom: Sophomore nickel DJ Barksdale was the Dukes’ highestgraded run defender Saturday with a 86.8 run defense grade.
Senior cornerback Terrence Spence became the first Duke to have a multi-interception game since 2021 on Saturday. Photos by Grace Sawyer / The Breeze
A special victory
Special teams was keystone of JMU football’s record-breaking win
By PRESTON COMER
The Breeze
When a team puts up 70 points and a quarterback scores seven total touchdowns, most fans will naturally direct the majority of credit to the offense and the quarterback.
Yes, redshirt sophomore quarterback Alonza Barnett III had a record-breaking day — but he has said it was more than just offense contributing to the win.
“The special teams is the heartbeat of this team,” Barnett said. “Those are game-changing plays … that’s really selfless for the guys that are on [special] teams, and I love to see them getting rewarded for their hard work.”
JMU head coach Bob Chesney echoed Barnett and said the Dukes’ “heartbeat” is the special teams, and the win was more than just offense and defense.
“There’s three sides to the coin,” Chesney said. “It’s not just offense and defense.”
In just the first quarter of JMU’s 70-50 win over UNC, the special teams made three game-changing plays to shift momentum in the Dukes’ favor.
The unit only faced one mishap: a blocked punt. And still, redshirt senior punter Ryan Hanson managed to average 45.8 yards per punt with a long of 57 yards.
The game’s first touchdown came off a blocked punt from senior cornerback Terrence Spence at the 10:36 mark of the opening quarter. Redshirt sophomore Jayden Mines scooped the block and took it to the endzone.
“Blocking a punt is not easy to do,” Chesney said. “You could go to NFL rosters — as great of athletes as they are — there’s probably three [players] on a team that can block a punt … The way [Spence] can contort his body, the way he sees it, the way he times it up and understanding the kick point of this [punter] is something we worked a lot on.”
What followed the touchdown came as a surprise to most everyone watching: a trick play. Redshirt junior kicker Noe Ruelas lined up for a routine extra-point. The game had only been going on for a little over four minutes; no one expected a trick so early.
JMU special teams coordinator Drew Canan looked all the way back to UNC’s 2021 matchup vs. South Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl to pull that play out of his sleeve. South Carolina struck first with a touchdown and faked the extrapoint to get the two-point conversion. On ACC Network, the play-by-play announcer said the GameCocks “saw something.” Well, Canan saw something, too.
Canan referred to the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl when watching film to prepare for the UNC matchup. Not only did he see the fake extra-point, but he also noticed how no one had tried that against the Tar Heels since then.
With that knowledge, Canan texted a group chat including Chesney, special teams assistant Matt Moran and assistant offensive line coach Chris Zarkoskie. Canan informed them of the ’21 play and said they all “ran with it.”
The play South Carolina ran just a little over seven minutes into the game: then-sophomore punter Kai Kroeger took the snap on the PAT, rolled out to his right and threw it to then fifth-year tight end Nick Muse, who caught it for the two-point conversion.
The Dukes had planned all week to run this fake after their first touchdown. JMU’s variation was nearly identical — but differentiated since Ruelas took the direct snap and threw the ball to redshirt freshman long snapper Jack Mowrey.
Canan said Mowrey didn’t catch one all week during practice, but he made the play when it actually mattered.
Next offensive possession, Barnett hit senior wide receiver Omarion Dollison for a touchdown. Ruelas actually kicked the extra-point this time, but JMU had another trick up its sleeve for the kickoff.
Ruelas chipped the ball in the air for an onside kick that was recovered by junior linebacker Trent Hendrick. The onside kick paid off, as the Dukes drove down field and scored another touchdown.
“I don’t think you want to leave a game saying, ‘Man, we left some plays out there, we practiced them all week and were scared to call them,’” Chesney said when asked about his aggressiveness with special teams. “I didn’t want to leave this game going back home trying to sleep at night saying, ‘I wish I was more aggressive’ ... our aggressiveness will continue.”
Chesney and Canan have been together for 11 seasons, including their time at Holy Cross. They make quite the coaching duo when it comes to special teams. Not only do both emphasize that side of the ball, but they commend each other’s perspective on how important it is to succeed on special teams.
“[Chesney’s] in every single [special teams] meeting,” Canan said. “I can probably count, over the last 10 years, how many meetings he’s missed on my right hand.”
Both coaches also want to make sure their players are having fun on — or watching — special teams.
“If you look at our sideline, that was a different looking sideline today,” Canan said after the statement win. “There’s 75 guys on their feet — that comes from the head coach. No one’s sitting when we kickoff the ball, we’re all standing, we’re all jumping around … [that] can add value on that kickoff. When the other team looks over and they see 75 guys acting like we did, with a certain edge and a certain swagger, that’s gonna make it fun.”
CONTACT Preston Comer at breezesports@gmail.com. For more football coverage, follow the sports desk on X and Instagram @TheBreezeSports.
LEFT: Redshirt junior kicker Noe Ruelas faked the extra-point attempt after the Dukes’ second touchdown, throwing a completion to redshirt freshman longsnaper Jack Mowrey for the two-point conversion. MIDDLE: Ruelas executed an onside kick after JMU’s second touchdown, which was recovered by junior linebacker Trent Hendrick. RIGHT: Senior cornerback Terrence Spence blocked a UNC punt in the first quarter. The block was recovered by JMU redshirt sophomore wide reciever Jayden Mines who scored a touchdown on the play. Photos by Grace Sawyer / The Breeze
Men’s soccer’s collaborative culture helps international recruits adjust to the U.S.
By KATIE RUNKLE contibuting writer
Senior defender Enrique Garcia Barelles, an internationally recruited athlete from Spain, didn’t think the United States was the place for him — until he found JMU.
“I got offered to come to the United States two years in a row before coming here, and I didn’t feel like this was a place for me because it’s way too far,” Barelles said. “I had other goals and I thought I couldn’t accomplish those goals in America.”
But then, head coach Paul Zazenski reached out to him through a recruitment agency, and he quickly changed his mind. Sophomore defender Luca Nikolai, who’s from Germany, had an experience similar to Barelles.
“The decision for me to come to James Madison was really fast, really easy for me,” Nikolai said.
International recruitment has been on the uptick these past two years, with most program rosters containing 3050% international players, Zazenski told The Breeze.
That being said, it’s not a surprise the Dukes have capitalized on recruiting players like Nikolai and Barelles. Nikolai was named Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team this year, and Barelles was twice named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week.
Although Zazenski’s commitment and strategy to international recruitment hasn’t changed since he joined the Dukes in 2015, the consistent reliance on the international recruits has and will continue to grow as the program does.
“ We’ve always just tried to have a good blend and balance of international players, regional players and then
certainly the state of Virginia players,” Zazenski said. Zazenski and his staff have always traveled for their recruits and plan to continue doing so, he said. They’re open to going anywhere to see a player and currently have players on the roster from Chile, Germany, Finland and Spain, which have proven to be very successful acquisitions.
“We certainly rely on the international market,” Zazenski said.
The recruitment of international players has contributed to increasing international athletes’ awareness of American universities’ offerings.
“[Playing at JMU] is the best decision I’ve ever taken in my life,” Barelles said.
Barelles attributed his decision to be a Duke to his pursuit of a degree. Similarly, when Nikolai was asked why he wanted to come to the U.S., he said, “a degree was first, and the rest is coming.”
In Europe, you have to choose to either play soccer and strive to play professionally, or attend university. The NCAA provides a way for athletes to work toward their athletic and academic goals simultaneously.
The international Dukes say this difference can be understood by discrepancies in what soccer means to American and European societies.
“You grow up playing soccer,” Barelles said. “Everyone plays only soccer. [American children] try a lot of sports before they decide what sports they want to play.” To read more online, go to breezejmu.org.
CONTACT Katie Runkle at runklekr@dukes.jmu.edu. For more men’s soccer, follow the sports desk on X and Instagram @TheBreezeSports.
Sophomore defender Luca Nikolai “didn't feel like” the United States was the place for him until he was recruited by JMU.
Photo by Reed Marchese / The Breeze
EDITORS’ PICKS
OPINION
EDITOR EMAIL breezeopinion@gmail.com
Maya Skurski
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 “not-that-deep” pat to everyone dropped from any form of recruitment this past weekend.
From someone who promises that where you belong will find you.
A “not-the-Duke-spirit” dart to whoever stole the purple bench in the Arboretum.
From staff that really enjoyed that one-of-a-kind bench.
An “are-we-there-yet” dart to this semester for dragging on.
From a student who desperately needs fall break to come as soon as possible.
A “life-saver” pat to the officer who let me off with a warning.
From a student who already has too many speeding tickets and was late to class.
Shadows within sisterhood: an analysis of power dynamics in national sorority culture
ANNABELLE BERRY contributing columnist
Editor’s note: This column intends to highlight and critique hazing practices in sororities nationwide and does not target JMU specifically.
Though often overlooked in comparison to fraternities, sororities nationwide have a long and troubling history of hazing within sisterhoods. Through hazing, young women are intertwined in the dogging of ascendency and superiority, revealing how social hierarchies contradict values sororities claim.
In sororities, established members can exert control over recruits through seemingly innocuous tasks, such as managing the door or acting as designated drivers. At times, these small tasks intensify, and a need to assert dominance over others snowballs. While the hazed individuals undergo embarrassment and emotional distress, hazers feel a sense of joy and control.
“A big reason I didn’t want to try rushing was because of hazing,” one JMU freshman said.
We cannot ignore the reality of social class dynamics, even within colleges
aimed toward fostering ideals of equality and inclusivity. While the notion of a classless society is appealing, it frequently collides with behavior seen in some sororities, creating a toxic environment. Presiding over and belittling anyone is fundamentally wrong; perpetrating habits of fear and insecurity; making it difficult for individuals to express themselves and grow.
Old members declaring authority denies newcomers the opportunity to foster their identities and voices. This imbalance can lead to long-lasting psychological impacts, making individuals more prone to mental health issues such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Some organizations argue hazing generates strong bonds among new members as they endure shared hardships requiring high trust, communication and understanding. However, this rationale ineffectively acknowledges that authentic friendships can be cultivated without mental or physical strain. The benefits that come with sisterhood bonds arise from mutual respect and shared interest — not fear.
Many JMU Greek life members report forming lifelong friendships without undergoing hazing, highlighting an on-
campus culture that differs from the stereotype placed on these organizations.
In the realm of power dynamics caused by hazing, gendered behaviors are also reflected, with men typically resorting to physical harm while women tend to focus on inflicting mental pain. One common exercise in sorority hazing is verbal mortification, during which pledges are subjected to insults and criticism that undermine their worth.
This underlines the compelling philosophy of emotional abuse that transcends gender lines, emphasizing a craving to exert supremacy. Fraternities typically control most universities’ Greek social calendars, leaving women in sororities to maneuver a landscape designed by and for male gratification. This further complicates the vertical relationship at play, as sorority women find themselves battling for approval within a system that inherently favors men.
The feminist ideals of empowerment are impugned when women are caught in a cycle of cursory appraisal based on appearance, wealth and social status. see SORORITY CULTURE, page 19
LTE | Unit head responds to last week’s column critiquing philosophy curriculum
Last week, The Breeze ran a thoughtful column by sophomore English and philosophy major Cali Gilmer on the importance of diverse voices in introductory philosophy courses. I am grateful to The Breeze for beginning a discussion about this important issue and giving me the opportunity to share my own perspective. I agree that philosophy curricula — at JMU and elsewhere — need a broader range of voices. Fortunately, significant progress is being made. One of the aims of philosophy is to challenge and critique our most deeply held beliefs and assumptions. One way it does this is by bringing us into dialogue with people whose beliefs and assumptions are very different from our own. Thus, the exclusion of diverse voices isn’t only an injustice, but also a hindrance to philosophy itself. Philosophers have sometimes recognized this fact and
Editorial Policies
welcomed diverse voices with enthusiasm. Regrettably, though, this hasn’t always been the case.
As Ms. Gilmer noted in her column, we know that there have been women philosophers from the very beginning of philosophy. Yet, as Eileen O’Neill memorably said in a classic article on the subject, women’s philosophical writings have often been “treated as if written in disappearing ink” — perhaps noticed in their own time, but left out of histories of philosophy, and in many cases, lost altogether.
Similar remarks apply to nonEuropean philosophy. The oldest written philosophical texts from India and China are about as old as those from Greece. (Depending on exactly what texts you count as “philosophical,” those from India may be much older). As Lea Cantor documents in a
recent article, the early Greek philosophers themselves didn’t claim to have invented philosophy; they said they learned it from the Babylonians and Egyptians. When information about philosophical ideas from other parts of the world started to become more widely available in Europe in the 17th century, many philosophers were thrilled. German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz and French philosopher Nicolas Malebranche each wrote books about Chinese philosophy. (Leibniz is also notable for the frequency with which he praises the philosophical work of his female contemporaries, including Anne Conway, Damaris Cudworth Masham, Catharine Trotter Cockburn and Queen Sophie Charlotte).
see PHILOSOPHY RESPONSE, page 20
In a rainstorm, JMU panhellenic recruitment commences; girls run around attempting to stay dry. Kimberly Aikens / The Breeze
from SORORITY CULTURE, page 18
Those deemed “top-tier” are often determined by standards that marginalize women of color, those from lower-income backgrounds and women who don’t fit Western beauty standards. On that account, women are influenced to adhere to narrow definitions of desirability.
One female Duke, who requested anonymity on the grounds of potential harassment, said, “I’m thinking of joining, but I don’t want to be around anyone who can’t relate to my ethnic and racial background.”
While JMU can be seen providing 13 culturalbased, but not exclusive, Greek organizations — such as Latinx, Black and Asian fraternities and sororities — national Greek life culture seemingly follows a trend that struggles with instances of racism.
This is caused by sororities being stereotyped to prioritize physical appearance over genuine connection, prompting a superficial selection process. The hierarchy of sororities builds a place to showcase their looks, and another area where the women are ranked on attractiveness by men.
In September 2015, one JMU fraternity brother, Kyle Surehan, was kicked out of Fraternity Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) for creating a list called “Hanson Hotties,” where he would rank freshman girls by how “hot” they were.
According to an article published by WHSV, the list read, “Your goal once you get to the party: meet brothers and get with girls,
we will do whatever we can to try and get you guys laid.”
Greek life nationwide can create a system in which girls are evaluated on factors such as weight and perceived social capital, which can feel dehumanizing and exclusionary. Potential new members of the sorority are reduced to mere objects of judgment rather than be recognized for their full humanity. Therefore, lasting effects of self-esteem and mental health carry with these women.
In the same WHSV article, Erin Miller, a girl listed on “Hanson Hotties” said, “ we’re not objects, we’re actual people. We have feelings.”
But there are efforts to reverse these stigmas at JMU. In response to the negative emphasis on body image, JMU’s Tri Sigma sorority hosts an annual event to honor a sister who died because of an eating disorder. These events provide a safe space for women to share their stories and unite in the fight against eating disorders.
In addition to this, many sororities have their own philanthropic efforts that promote positive values and support mental wellbeing, reflecting a commitment to fostering a healthier community and counteracting the harmful narratives that often dominate their organizations.
Since Virginia’ s implementation of the antihazing Adam’s Law, JMU has been attempting to make significant strides to combat and eradicate hazing — particularly through initiatives like the “Stop the Haze” event, which JMU requires annually for members of any organization where they participate in some sort of intake process. This year, the university is
transferring the oversight of hazing allegations to the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices (OSARP) instead of the Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) office.
The testimonies of those who have hazing experiences within sisterhoods create a clear call for sororities nationwide to reevaluate what sisterhood truly means to them. Greek life must surpass old-fashioned practices that categorize influence over compassion, embrace inclusive values that celebrate diversity rather than enforce conformity and continue to overcome the stigmas tied to such organizations. Engaging in this dialogue will assist in addressing the malicious
elements embedded in sorority culture, executing environments where women can support one another authentically, free from the chains of societal expectations and hierarchies. Only then can people cultivate a genuine sense of sisterhood that empowers all members to thrive as their true selves.
CONTACT Annabelle 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.
Undeclared students should consider majoring in English
KATIE RUNKLE contributing columnist
How many doeeyed freshmen do you know who’ve declared a random major because they weren’t sure what else to do? Too many to count? This is because they’ve been misinformed, they haven’t been told or they don’t know any better.
It’s JMU’s job to show students
otherwise, opening them up to opportunities, and the College of Arts and Letters is its best-kept secret.
“[The College of Arts and Letters] is the heart of the university,” English literature professor Mark Rankin said. “We’re a leader in scholarship, in research and quality teaching. We’re a valued contributor in terms of our general education courses.”
An unfortunate reality of being an English or Writing, Rhetoric and Technical
communication (WRTC) major is the limited advertisement of the degrees’ immense usefulness in the post-graduate professional world. So how can JMU alter its endorsement for these major programs to more accurately honor their benefits?
“[JMU] should talk about how well our English majors are doing once they enter the job market,” English and world literature professor Debali Mookerjea-Leonard said.
The truth is, many jobs don’t have a set major for applicants. For example, a city manager — which Harrisonburg has — could be anyone with any degree so long as they have the necessary skills.
“So what do you have to do to get [that] job? You have to be a thinking person who can communicate clearly, who then persuades, you know, a city council to hire you,” Rankin said.
In this way, an English degree equips you better than most when entering the workforce; it’s a degree that teaches you how to think. Rankin aptly calls it a “soft skills” major: one that teaches communication, information analysis and organization, critical thinking, and various thinking models. All of these skills easily transfer into professional settings — even ones that may seem unconventional.
Rachel Laryea, a researcher in asset wealth management at JPMorgan Chase, studied English at Boston College before entering into finance and said studying English literature better equipped her to for job in a unique way.
“[I] spent a lot of time learning classic literature and the art of storytelling” Laryea said. "What I’m really doing [as a researcher] is storytelling and trying to figure out how to tell really compelling stories in order to get
our stakeholders excited about it, get our product partners excited about it.”
Don’t let fear that you won’t be able to monetize an English degree, or another humanities degree, steer you away from them. It may actually be what prepares you best for success in most professional realms, especially in executive positions.
“The myth that the English major doesn’t lead to a career, that’s the society-wide myth, and it comes from people who think in the box; they want to connect the dots and really not have to think.” Rankin said.
As a senior English major, I've seen firsthand why an English major is so valuable, versatile, useful and hireable.
In my time abroad at the University of Oxford, I felt more equipped to keep up with school work and in conversations with highly intelligent peers and professors through fast-paced critical thinking and extensive vocabulary.
Likewise, my ability to connect with almost anyone is attributable to the close-reading analytical skills I exercised by tying evidence — or even literary works — together to form conclusions.
As I search for jobs, I feel the options are endless thanks to my English degree and the guidance of graduated English majors in my life that have unconventional professions such as government contractors, executives in advertising and marketing, and media producers in the film industry.
CONTACT Katie Runkle at runklekr@ dukes.jmu.edu. For more editorials regarding the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the opinion desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on instagram @BreezeJMU.
JMU panhellenic recruitment occurred over these past few weeks Greek Row was filled with hopeful recruits and vibrant colors. Kimberly Aikens / The Breeze
Student pointing out degree in the ‘The Oxford Thesaurus’.
Photo illustration by Landon Shackelford / The Breeze
from PHILOSOPHY RESPONSE, page 18
European philosophers at this time vigorously debated whether neo-Confucians in China were atheists. They were eager for new texts or information that might shed light on this question and others like it.
After reading Ms. Gilmer’s article, I examined syllabi for each of this semester’s PHIL 101 sections. I found that 89% of students taking PHIL 101 this semester are being assigned texts written by women, and 57% will have the opportunity to learn about non-European philosophical traditions. These include Chinese, Indian, Islamic and Native American philosophy.
We are also seeing a more diverse range of philosophers and traditions represented elsewhere in our curriculum. Our department has long offered courses in feminist philosophy and has recently introduced new courses in the philosophy of race and racism, as well as adding more diverse voices to existing courses.
Clearly, there’s more work to be done. But the trajectory of philosophy, at JMU and elsewhere, is toward a more diverse and inclusive approach. This is important not only for ensuring that JMU students can be challenged by diverse perspectives, but also solidifying that students of all backgrounds
feel they can be part of the philosophical conversation. I am personally committed, in my own teaching and my departmental leadership, to increasing the range of voices included in this conversation, while also ensuring that students continue to have the opportunity to learn from the traditional European “greats” like Plato, Hume and Kant. Allow me to conclude with some advice for students choosing a philosophy course. While all sections of PHIL 101 are built around the official JMU Catalog description and the Human Questions and Context learning outcomes, different instructors take very different approaches. The same is true of our other courses. Instructors have been encouraged to provide their own descriptions of what will be covered in their sections. You can view these descriptions when you search for classes on MyMadison. So take a look, send a question to the instructor if you need to and find the section that’s the right fit for you.
Dr. Kenneth L. Pearce is Professor of Philosophy and Academic Unit Head for Philosophy and Religion. This essay reflects his personal opinions and is not an official statement from JMU or the Department of Philosophy and Religion. Dr. Pearce can be reached at pearcekl@jmu.edu.
Corrections
(09/19/2024): A correction has been made to the online version of the Duke Hall gallery show story. The language of the exhibit title “dlo a rasin” was changed from French to Haitian Creole.
(09/19/2024): A correction has been made relating to JMU field hockey’s inaugural MAC season. There are five returning teams, including Ohio, who weren’t listed.
(09/25/2024): Our BoV roundup has been updated to reflect Brandon Desantis’ correct name and title of associate athletic director of integrated health and sports performance.
(09/21/2024): A previous version of the opinion piece on the philosophy department stated the incorrect general education course requirements. All students have the option to take PHIL 101, Intro to Philosophy, to satisfy the Human Questions and Contexts requirement within the Arts and Humanities general education cluster. Additionally, students have the option to take PHIL 120, Ethical Reasoning, to fulfill the Critical Thinking cluster. Students pursuing a BA require an additional three credits of philosophy, excluding PHIL 120 and PHIL 150. The previous version of the article misspelled Philosophy Department Head Kenneth Pearce’s name. The article has been updated with the correct information.
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CommonWealth One is JMU’s trusted, full-service credit union, and student banking is better here. We’re conveniently located on campus and offer everything you might need financially as a student. What we don’t have? Excessive and unnecessary fees.
When it comes to handling your finances as a student, we’ve got your back with:
The secret is out – CommonWealth One is here to help you thrive financially at JMU.
To open an account or learn more about JMU Student Perks, which include special events, free food and prizes, visit cofcu.org/DUKES or stop by our branch in The Union (next to the post office)
The Union (Next to the Post Office) Monday – Friday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm