The Breeze Family Weekend Edition 9.28.23

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By HANNAH KENNEDY contributing writer

For guests on campus for Family Weekend, there are dozens of free events hosted by the university, intended to welcome and reassure those closest to students they are in capable hands. Below are activities at no cost to participants and do not require pre-registration:

Friday

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

SADAH Faculty Exhibition

The Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Arts is hosting an exhibit of faculty works in room 1022.

It will remain open until Oct. 17, featuring art from professors across the School of Art, Design and Art History (SADAH).

2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

GenEd conference

The General Education Student Conference, led by professors across the university, will showcase student works as well as provide insight into the general education curriculum. It will take place in Rose Library and Festival Conference and Student Center.

3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Let's Play D-U-U-K-E-E-S

The JMU Occupational Therapy Clinical Education Services (OCTCES) has an event for families to compete with one another in games that emphasize the importance of occupational therapy. A photo booth will also be located at 131 West Grace St.

4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

6 p.m.

Women's volleyball

JMU (9-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) plays Texas State in the Convocation Center.

CoB open house

The College of Business Learning Complex open house and tours will take place for families, students and staff — refreshments included. Tours take place every 30 minutes beginning at 4 p.m. in Hartman Hall.

6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

UREC open house

University Recreation Center (UREC) family hours will allow guests to experience the amenities of UREC and UPARK, located off campus featuring a disc golf course, multi-activity turf and several tennis, basketball and volleyball courts. A student must be present, and photo ID is required for all involved.

6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Student bands in TDU

Beach Tub and Shady Face, bands made up of JMU students, will perform at Taylor Down Under, which is in the basement of The Union.

7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Movie night

“Spider Man: Across the Spider-Verse” will be shown at Grafton-Stovall Theater. Complementary popcorn will be served.

Saturday Sunday

9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

UREC Open House

UREC family hours resume; same requirements as Friday.

9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Fan Zone

A family-friendly festival to celebrate the JMU volleyball 2022 Sun Belt championship team will take place on the Godwin Hall patio. Games and music will accompany the spirited festivities, and players will sign autographs from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m

10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

JMU photo booth

It will be open at Hanson field, which is in the Village. There will be gold and purple beads and pom-poms for photos.

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

SADAH Faculty Exhibition

The Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Arts resumes its exhibition.

2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

UREC open climbing

It will take place at the Adventure Center inside UREC, available to all skill levels. Admission requires a student with a JACard.

2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Planetarium movie night

“Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity” will be shown at the John C. Wells Planetarium inside Miller Hall, where viewers can witness the life cycle of a black hole and experience the intricacies in real time. The film is 25 minutes, and the trailer can be viewed online.

9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Study abroad reception

It’s on the third floor of D-Hall in the Hall of Presidents. It will be held with the study abroad staff, global Dukes (study abroad alums) and semester program directors to answer questions. Breakfast and coffee will be provided.

11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

UREC open house

UREC family hours continue. A student must be present, and photo ID is required for all involved.

CONTACT Hannah Kennedy at

dukes.jmu.edu. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @BreezeNewsJMU.

7 p.m.

JMU men's soccer

The Dukes (4-3-2) play South Carolina at Sentara Park.

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Eleanor Shaw / The Breeze

Where to answer your questions without blowing up Tim Miller’s notifications

By K. MAUSER The Breeze

Sometimes, parents will automatically refer to Facebook groups — specifically, asking Vice President for Student Affairs Tim Miller — when their student needs help with something on campus

While Miller said he’s happy to interact with parents on social media, he can’t answer everything.

“It’s not the most direct or probably appropriate place to go for real urgent things,” said Miller, who added that there’s a Student Affairs Facebook page that will direct parents to the proper resources to answer their questions.

Instead of contacting Miller, here’s a list of where students and parents can find better resources on campus.

Residence Life

• What do I do if something in my dorm room is broken?

The Office of Residence Life (ORL) suggests the student submit a maintenance request on the ORL website using their eID and password. If the student has no heat or power, has flooding, shattered windows, doors not securing or anything else that poses a threat to their safety, they should either contact their resident advisor (RA)/hall director or call 540 568-7576 during 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for emergency maintenance.

• What do I do if I suspect there’s mold in my room?

Per ORL: “If mold is suspected on any indoor surface, it should be reported using the maintenance request form to be cleaned as soon as possible to limit further growth.” The maintenance request form can be found on the ORL website under the “Resources” and “For Students” tabs.

• What should I do if a vending machine is broken? Contact vending services at 540-568-6363.

• Who should I report a broken washer or dryer to? Call Caldwell-Gregory at 1-800-927-9274. Then, the student should place an “out of order” sign on the machine and contact busops@jmu.edu for a refund on their JACard. If cash was used rather than JACard, they should contact Caldwell-Gregory for a refund, according to the ORL website.

• Who do I contact if my internet isn’t working? Call MyResNet at 1-855-410-7377, or email support@MyResNet.com, or to chat, visit www. MyResNet.com/support.

Student Health

• Where should I go if I’m sick?

Students are encouraged to make an appointment at the University Health Center (UHC). The UHC offers a general medicine clinic (for illness, eye and ear problems, abdominal pain, chest pain, skin conditions and more), a gynecology clinic, a nurse clinic, an urgent care and Get Yourself Tested (GYT) center for sexual wellness. All of these resources can be found on the UHC website or by calling the UHC at 540-568-6178.

• Where do I go to pick up a prescription?

Many prescriptions can be dispensed and picked up at the on-campus pharmacy in the Student Success Center (SSC) on the first floor. According to the UHC website, most prescriptions are written by licensed medical providers from the UHC itself, Counseling Center and the athletics department; however, the pharmacy also fills some prescriptions written by offcampus medical providers. To refill a prescription, the UHC website says students can call the Health Center pharmacy at 540-568-5553 or log into MyJMUChart and fill out an online pharmacy refill request form.

• What should I do if I need mental health services? Students can receive both virtual and in-person mental health services during their time at JMU. JMU partnered with TimelyMD last year for students

to have access to virtual mental health and wellbeing services for free through the app TimelyCare. With this app, students have 24/7 access to mental health professionals, psychiatry referrals and health coaching, and up to 12 scheduled counseling visits. Students are also able to visit the Counseling Center at any time, located on the third floor of the SSC, for a walk-in or to schedule an appointment.

• Myself or another student is having a mental health crisis. What should I do?

Students are encouraged to call 911 if themselves or others express thoughts to harm themselves or others. If the student is not in immediate danger, the Counseling Center website says students can either walk into their office from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and request services or contact the Dean of Students about their concern.

• Myself or another student has a disability. Can I receive accommodations for this?

Yes. According to the Office of Disability Services (ODS) website, students can fill out a JMU Accommodate Application, or they can visit the ODS office on the first floor of the SSC. According to the website, students eligible for services include, but are not limited to, those with learning and psychological disabilities; attention deficit disorder; mobility, orthopedic, hearing, visual and speech impairments; as well some medical conditions.

When in doubt, Miller said most of the resources parents are looking for are online rather than on social media.

“Sometimes, it’s easier to Google the question first,” Miller said. “But I will never shortchange the value of my relationship with families and how valuable Facebook has been to build that. I appreciate that.”

CONTACT K. Mauser at mauserkk@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 @ Breeze_Culture.

THEY WON’T TELL YOU WHAT’S HAPPENING... BUT WE

Students share favorite Friendly City foods

By LIZZIE STONE & ELEANOR SHAW The Breeze

Campus too crowded this weekend? Looking to explore Harrisonburg while you’re here? We asked students about their favorite restaurants in the city via Instagram to help guide you to a good spot, and based this list off of 28 responses.

Bella Luna

Located in downtown Harrisonburg, Bella Luna offers an array of wood-fired pizzas, including its Ring of Fire — topped with hot sauce — and Pesto Verde options. The farm-to-table restaurant also has a selection of salads, sandwiches, craft beers and artisan cocktails. The restaurant is located at 80 W. Water St.

Clementine's

A jazzy downtown cafe, Clementine Cafe is well known for both its brunch and karaoke events. With southern-inspired breakfast, lunch and dinner menus and a popular arcade, Ruby’s, downstairs, Clementine’s remains a hot spot for many JMU students. The restaurant is located at 153 S. Main St.

Jimmy Madison's

Jimmy Madison’s, a whiskey bar highlighting Southern comfort food, features rooftop seating and an industrialfeeling brick and wood interior. A popular choice is the wafflewich — a fried chicken sandwich complete with bacon and cheese, stacked between two waffles. The restaurant is located at 121 S. Main St.

Vito's

Italian striking your fancy? Check out Vito’s Italian Kitchen, a beloved spot for pizza, pasta and appetizers. The diverse menu has entrees for every family member, young and old. The restaurant is located at 1047 Port Republic Rd.

Billy Jack's

With its selection of craft beer and comfort food, Billy Jack’s Shack is a popular downtown spot day and night. Customers can enjoy burgers alongside nachos, wings and donuts in the eclectic, wood-paneled interior. The restaurant is located at 92 S. Main St.

Cinnamon Bear Bakery

Cinnamon Bear Bakery offers baked and deli goods and is located across from the Atlantic Union Bank Center. With plenty of plants and a cozy vibe, it’s a suitable place for a cookie, quiche or coffee. It’s located at 600 E. University Blvd.

Mr J's

Shopping at Walmart and in need of a meal? Mr. J’s Bagels & Deli offers a menu full of sandwiches, cream cheese and pastries — and it even supplies JMU with bagels. There are multiple locations around Harrisonburg, with the closest to campus at 1635 E. Market St.

Urgie's Cheesesteaks

A popular postgame destination, Urgie’s Cheesesteaks has a simple theme — order a beer, and eat a cheesesteak. The downtown spot also offers a variety of fried sides, burgers and sandwiches, which its customers often eat while catching a game. It’s located at 245 E. Water St.

offers mom hugs to students

By ARIANNA TAYLOR contributing writer

Standing with a friendly face and open arms, JMU Department of Health Professions Manager Marissa Zane comes to campus once a semester to give out “free mom hugs.” She typically spends about three hours at Warner Commons to spread love through the physical form — most recently on Sept. 19.

No matter their age or distance from home, some students feel homesick throughout the semester. Some may also have a difficult time adjusting to college life, while others fully embrace it. Some students may have a great relationship with their parents, while others may not.

But all students can seek support through a high-quality hug.

Moms across the country have noticed this and took action to support college students. Therese Kingrey Walters, event and community relations coordinator at Virginia Tech University Libraries, started “Hugs for Hokies,” a program

for Virginia Tech students to get hugs of their own, according to Virginia Tech News. They have formed groups or just gone by themselves to give hugs to the student body. Media quickly picked up these heartfelt stories and shared them online.

Then, Zane said she found her inspiration specifically while driving and listening to the radio, hearing about someone who did it in Tennessee.

“It’d be cool to do that here,” Zane recalled thinking.

In the past, Zane has teamed up with other moms, but this year, she gave the hugs by herself. Doing it alone allows for a more “one-on-one interaction rather than a production,” Zane said.

After having five children of her own, Zane has had plenty of practice giving hugs. To some, she said she’s considered an expert at it. In order to start “Free Mom Hugs” at JMU, she said she had to receive permission from her supervisor in the Department of Health Professions and book her spot at Warner Commons. She’s been doing it since 2021.

JMU Department of Health Professions Manager Marissa Zane, a mother of five children, has been offering free hugs to students since 2021. She typically gives out hugs once a semester for three hours at a time. Photos by Abby Allard / The Breeze

Zane said her favorite part about giving the hugs is “blessing the kids.”

Freshman Will Fennelly is from Pennsylvania and said he hasn’t seen his family since move-in day on Aug. 18. Like many other freshmen, he regularly talks to his parents, but this is the longest time he’s spent away from home.” Fennelly said.

“Her hug is not the same because it’s not my mom,” Fennelly said, “but it still has that maternal love feeling.”

Freshman Maddox Lewis also praised Zane’s comfort on campus.

“Her hug was so motherly with all of the care behind it,” Lewis said. “I definitely needed that.”

Lewis also said not everyone needs a “mom hug” — some just need a hug. While Lewis said he’s missing his family, he loves his life at JMU.

“I’m the youngest, so I watched my siblings leave, and I was beyond ready to go when the time came,” Lewis said.

Even though Lewis was prepared for the change, he said he still feels overwhelmed at times in his new environment at JMU. Zane allowed for Lewis to decompress through the hug. Like many other students, Lewis is feeling the pressure that comes with exams, he said. When Zane came to campus, Lewis was experiencing stress about upcoming exams, he said.

Lewis went to the JMU 2027 community Snapchat to share his positive experiences with other students.

“I posted about it because she gave such a good hug, and it made my day better,” Lewis said. “I knew other people were in need of a hug as well.”

His post sparked a chain of other students reposting as they shared their experiences with Zane. Some said “shout out to this

woman,” and others reacted with different variations of “best hug ever.”

Freshmen aren’t the only ones benefiting from the free mom hugs. Students of all ages can miss their families.

A JMU senior passing by Zane said, “I may be a senior, but I still miss my mom.”

Zane specializes in giving hugs but occasionally talks to the students if they need it. But most of the time, as she said, “all they need is a hug.”

Free Mom Hugs is a nonprofit organization founded by Sara Cunningham in Oklahoma City. Her son coming out as a member of the LQBTQ+ community inspired her to travel to pride festivals in Oklahoma City.

Cunningham hugged young adults whose parents weren’t as accepting of their sexuality. Since then, the group has reached a national level with moms and dads everywhere going to pride festivals to show their support. According to this organization’s website, “Our goal is to change the world simply by showing up.” The group focuses on reconciling families that have been divided as a result of a child coming out as LGBTQ+.

Zane is not affiliated with any group, she said, and her message isn’t to support one specific demographic.

“I’m all-inclusive,” Zane said. “I’l give a hug to anyone who needs it.”

CONTACT Arianna Taylor at ariannafaitht@gmail.com. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on X and Instagram @Breeze_Culture.

Zane said she was inspired to start giving hugs on campus after hearing about the practice on the radio.

Veteran resource center to host events for Family Weekend and beyond

By ABBY CHAMOT The Breeze

The JMU VALOR Center — a resource for active military students, veterans and dependents recently relocated to the basement of The Union in Taylor Down Under — is welcoming visitors into the space during Family Weekend through the Student Veterans Association (SVA).

The center provides a quiet study space with chairs and couches is provided, along with snacks and drinks, free printing, massage chairs and, as VALOR coordinator John Jornlin said, a group of people with shared experiences for students to connect with.

“[VALOR] gives you an opportunity to identify other veterans and other military-related individuals,” said Derek Dye, an independent studies major in JMU’s adult degree program and Marine Corps veteran.

The SVA will host a tailgate in the C4 student lot for football games after Family Weekend. It will be open for students and their families to be with a community of people with military ties, SVA President Gabriel Chapman said.

Tim Miller, vice president for student affairs, said he’s excited parents will have the opportunity to see VALOR with their students on Family Weekend. Miller said he hopes families will leave pins in the center’s map, indicating where they have been during their time in the military.

“The multigenerational aspect of this is having local veterans come in and get support and then meeting other student veterans, and I’m just really excited about what that interaction is going to look like once it starts happening,” Miller said.

The next big event for the VALOR Center and the SVA, Chapman said, will be the “Veteran’s Day across campus” event, which will take place on East Campus, in both dining halls and in athetics’ facilities. The specifics of the athletics component have not been decided, but Chapman said it will probably be similar to last year, when veterans walked onto the football field to be recognized. The Quad will host SVA’s annual Veteran’s Day flag display to honor fallen soldiers.

The VALOR Center is available for militaryconnected students and faculty to succeed in their time at JMU and find a sense of belonging without fear or judgment, Chapman said.

Sophomore Makayla Cawley, whose mother served in the military, said she believes VALOR has connected students to a variety of assets provided by the center.

“I think it’s really nice to have a separate study space with people who share similar experiences,” Cawley said.

VALOR provides resources to all students who have military ties such as Cawley.

“I think what’s unique about this program is that it’s inclusive to family members of the military, which can be an overlooked population,” Dye said. “There are a lot of benefits for active duty military members and veterans, but it is rare that you see something that includes the families, and families sacrifice a lot. I think they deserve recognition, and the center does that.”

CONTACT Abby Chamot at chamotar@ dukes.jmu.edu. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @BreezeNewsJMU.

TOP: The VALOR Resource Center provides a physical space for JMU’s community of veterans and military-associated students. BOTTOM: The center will host an office of Virginia’s Department of Veteran Services.

Photos by Malia Sunderlin / The Breeze

Student band amps up indie rock sound for weekend festivities

Shady Trace set to perform in Taylor Down Under

By EVAN MOODY The Breeze

Shady Trace, a local student band, needs parents to mosh at its show.

More specifically, the band needs it at its set on Friday at Taylor Down Under (TDU), in the basement of The Union. The show is featured as an official Family Weekend event as an indie rock concert.

“We had no idea that was Family Weekend,” senior CIS major and guitarist Jonathan Lee said. “Then Oliver [bassist] said parents are going to be there. I was like, ‘Oh, wow. I guess that’s pretty cool.’” University Program Board (UPB) employee and senior Angie Wiederock began the JMU Underground Sound program that will host Shady Trace. When planning the concerts over the summer, she said she didn’t know the show would fall on Family Weekend, but it was a “happy coincidence.”

“There’s going to be a lot more people around,” Wiederock said. “I’m hoping a lot of people will bring their parents.”

While a show by Underground Sound occurred during Sibs and Kids Day on April 22, this would be the first Underground Sound set during Family Weekend, she said.

Shady Trace was recommended to Wiederock by a resident while she worked as a Resident Advisor (RA). The band will be accompanied by The Beach Tub, an indie band of the similar style from Wilmington, North Carolina, after Lee reached out to Underground Sound to make the collaboration happen. While student bands are typically sought out for Underground Sound events, it is not a necessity, Wiederock said.

Shady Trace consists of four current and former JMU students: Lee, senior international affairs major and guitarist JP Green, senior integrated science and technology (ISAT) major and bassist Oliver Hite and Brandon Carroll (’22) on drums.

The group, in some form, has had experience playing at JMUaffiliated events. The band has been featured at Give Volunter’s fall and spring events, Haydown and Leidown, and Relay for Life’s main event this past spring, playing alongside Doghouse. According to the organization, the event includes participants walking laps around a track while enjoying entertainment and fundraising for the American Cancer Society.

Shady Trace has also played at off-campus venues. After a show at Crayola House, a DIY music venue, the band also performed a set at a show with Mostly Outta Line and Sierra Lambert at The Golden Pony. This November, the band will return to The Golden Pony for a set, opening for Mo Lowda & The Humble.

Playing sets at venues on campus can provide a different atmosphere and vary the interactiveness of the crowd, Lee said. People will be more inclined to sit down because of the access to seating, something that is lacking at Crayola House and the basement of The Golden Pony.

“Playing on campus is still fun, just completely different from playing in a dive bar,” Lee said.

Wiederock said the Underground Sound events are a good alternative for those who want the experience of live music without leaving campus. She also said there are “regular reliable” events for those who want to go out without a party atmosphere.

As a self-described indie-rock, pop-punk and alternative group, Lee said parents will adapt to Shady Trace’s sound. At the Ipanema Cafe in Richmond, Hite’s parents attended a Shady Trace set and brought all their friends and they all enjoyed it, Hite said.

Lee said the band will probably not change their setlist for the Family Weekend show, which consists of three songs released on streaming services and more originals. Most recently, Shady Trace released a single, “We’re Changing With Time,” on April 21.

As with every show, performing at TDU on Family Weekend is “pretty important” and “pretty meaningful” to Shady Trace, Lee said. “It’s another opportunity to play, just practice our craft, get the music out,” Lee said. “To go out there and jam.”

CONTACT Evan Moody at thebreezeculture@gmail. com. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on X and Instagram @Breeze_Culture.

Shady Trace consists of current and former JMU students. The band released the single “We’re Changing With Time” in the spring. Courtesy of Jonathan Lee

Tailgating offers Dukes community, unity

By MORGAN BLAIR The Breeze

With changing leaves and cooler weather in the Valley comes the revival of a JMU tradition, tailgating before football games. Whether its an elaborate tailgate spread under a tent overflowing with fans or a simple truck bed and cooler, many JMU alums can be found participating in festivities of some kind before every home game and even some of the away matchups

As a part of the JMU experience, tailgating has been embraced by the university itself, giving rise to a list of policies that tailgaters must follow to be allowed to join in on the gameday fun. These policies can be found on the JMU Athletics website, under the “Tailgating” section within the “Game Day Central” tab.

According to the site, the school allows tailgating in general lots to start four hours before the game. It doesn’t allow open flames and requires student tailgaters to show their JACards and game tickets. JMU also only allows non-alcohol related tailgating activities, among other rules.

JMU offers multiple parking lots for tailgating that members of the JMU Duke Club can reserve. These are detailed in a map on the JMU Athletics website. Each lot requires a certain donation number to get a spot, with the minimum donation being $75 and the maximum at $2,000 — though F Lot, located between Showker and Godwin Halls, is reserved for seasonticket holders.

From bacon to DJing

According to multiple JMU alums who spoke to The Breeze, tailgating has only become a recent tradition at the school. Rob Jones (’95) said when he first tailgated in the ’90s, there were not a lot of people who did it.

“[I started tailgating] about 15 years ago now,” Jones said. “We didn’t really get season tickets for football until 2008. When I bought season tickets, we started tailgating again. That was just really a much smaller experience, but it was fun to be around people that also were big supporters of JMU.”

Jones said he now has his own tailgate. He tries to get a start on the festivities as early as possible, often 8 a.m. sharp, exactly when lots open. He said he plans to arrive at the Family Weekend tailgate as early as possible.

“This coming week, because it’s an early game, we might be frying bacon and eggs on the grill,” Jones said. “It all depends on what time of the day the game happens to be happening when it comes to what we have at our tailgate.”

Food plays a big part in many participants tailgating experience. For Joseph Antoni (’01), food isn’t all that’s on his tailgating checklist — he also brings his DJ set. Antoni, who started DJing while he was a Marching Royal Duke (MRD) and continues to do it “on the side” to this day, said he usually fills up his max-size Ford Expedition with his equipment.

“Obviously, being an MRD and doing DJing, it’s important to me that our tailgate has good music,” Antoni said. “So, we fill up the expedition with the equipment to deliver really good music at the tailgate.”

All three tailgaters interviewed by The Breeze agreed: They find the sense of community at tailgates to be the best part of the experience. Courtesy of Rob Jones

Being a former MRD, Antoni didn’t get to experience tailgating as a student. But in 2002, after being an alumnus for just one year, he participated in his first tailgate with his fellow former MRDs.

“That was kind of a one-off tailgate,” Antoni said. “2017 is when we actually started doing real-deal tailgating.”

Antoni said 2017 was the year his friend and fellow JMU alumnus Eric Kuester (’92) invited him to his tailgate, which inspired Antoni to start his own. Conducting a tailgate was a bit of a struggle for Antoni at first, he said, considering he lives right outside Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the town of Brighton. But he’s since endured the eight hour and 20 minute drive to tailgate at every JMU home game.

Every Friday before a home game, Antoni leaves for Harrisonburg at 7 a.m. sharp. While the trip could seem daunting to some, Antoni said it’s “a very easy drive, believe it or not.”

For both Jones and Antoni, an influential experience in their years of tailgating came before the 2020 FCS National Championship in Frisco, Texas, seeing how into tailgating the opposing team, North Dakota State, was. Antoni said the Bison faithful made him see what tailgating had the potential to be: an exciting and unifying experience. For Jones, a tailgating experience he really treasured was when he did it in the snow in Frisco before the 2016 title game.

“We started tailgating down in Texas at around 5:30 a.m., and it started snowing,” Jones said. “We had a bunch of Duke Club folks who came and hung out with us and a bunch of fans. We had our two really big tents, and it was windy and snowing and it was just a lot of fun — it was a big party. We probably didn’t know three-quarters of the people that were at our tailgate that day, but it was just a great time hanging out with folks.”

Christina Crist (’94), the co-vice chair of JMU’s Parent’s Council, also finds the people and sense of community to be the best part of tailgating, especially when watching her son, junior Brett Kaster, tailgate with his own friends from JMU

“[My favorite memory] was the first tailgate

of my son’s freshman year,” Crist said. “He had tailgated with us for many years, and it was our first time tailgating with him as a student. What was so, super cool was his roommate was the son of my friends from JMU, so it was like the next generation. It was fun to see my son at a tailgate as a JMU student — it doesn’t get better than that.”

Crist said, for her, tailgating enhances the school spirit of a JMU football game and a tailgate at JMU is a show of not only Duke pride but Duke hospitality.

“JMU is, you know, the most welcoming place I think on Earth,” Crist said, “and I just love that that extends to our tailgates, and I would also include that it extends to our opponents. I always make a point whenever we see the visiting parents, the visiting families, the visiting fans, to always offer for them to come to our tailgate and to experience the JMU hospitality.”

While Antoni, Crist and Jones said they’ve enjoyed tailgating, all three said, to them, the game is still the biggest part of gameday. As former MRDs, Antoni and Crist both said they find arriving to the game before it begins and supporting the Dukes on the field an essential part of a Saturday watching the Dukes.

Overall, for all three alums, the best part of tailgating and the gameday experience is the opportunity to support their fellow Dukes, whether they’re fans, students, alumni or just JMU-adjacent people.

“For me, [tailgating] means having the ability to give back, to create a good atmosphere to prepare for the game,” Antoni said. “I like that tailgating gives me the ability to talk with the students, to talk with the parents and to really provide guidance as required, in addition to having a really good time.”

CONTACT Morgan Blair at thebreezeculture@gmail.com. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on X and Instagram @Breeze_Culture.

Many tailgaters bring a large spread of food and beverages to their tailgates as well as one or multiple tents. Courtesy of Joseph Antoni

For JMU mother and alumna Christina Crist (left), watching her son, Brett Kaster (middle right), at his first tailgate as a JMU student was a favorite tailgating memory. Courtesy of Christina Crist