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January 23, 2020
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W E AT H E R VA N E
VOL. 66 No. 11
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Students reflect on past, advocate for just future Safe Zone training delves into LGBTQ+ experience, exclusion
“Good Trouble” a theme on MLK Day Avery Trinh Staff Writer
Classes were canceled on Jan. 20 to celebrate and honor the life of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There were over a dozen events on campus, as well as opportunities to celebrate King’s legacy with JMU and Bridgewater, participate in service projects, and take a trip to Historic Anacostia in Washington DC. This second annual MLK Day celebration was not only a way to remember King; it was a day of action, a day of getting into good trouble. “Good trouble,” a term coined by U.S. Representative John Lewis, was the central idea of Dr. Jalane Schmidt’s keynote address delivered during convocation Monday morning. Schmidt, who is both a religious studies professor at the University of Virginia and an activist, discussed the good trouble she and last year’s MLK Day keynote speaker, Reverend Sekou, helped create by joining the anti-racist protests in Charlottesville during the white supremacist Unite the Right rally in 2017. She discussed the extensive and challenging work that goes into social activism. Despite resistance from the government, the alt-right, the police department, and many religious communities in Charlottesville, Schmidt and other activists led Black Lives Matter protests to resist white supremacy and to get into good trouble. EMU created good trouble on MLK Day, especially during Monday’s student panel composed of JD Richardson, Maya Dula, Earnest Kiah, and Kiara Kiah. Together they answered questions from the audience and discussed racism on campus. Richardson, CoPresident of EMU’s Black Student Alliance and a member of the MLK Jr. Committee, said the panel was the highlight of MLK Day for him because the participants did not hold anything back, and panelists’ experiences were well-received in the sizable audience. BSA is also planning a town hall, in which students will again have the opportunity to share their stories and concerns about any pressing social issues on campus.
Clara Weybright Staff Writer
Junior Liz Miller holds up the sign she made at the Washington D.C. Women’s March on Saturday, Jan. 18. Miller and four other students joined several EMU students studying at WCSC for the day of marching in D.C.
Review: “Music To Be Murdered By” throws music world into frenzy Adam Moyer Managing Editor
He self-identifies as an unevadable inflatable en route to breaking his own record for fastest rap verse. He’s in your house eating carrot cake while he sits there and he marinates. The more his students study his music, the more he’s reminded of eyeballs: he’s watching his pupils get cornea. Eminem is back with his 11th studio album, titled “Music To Be Murdered By.” The 47-year-old threw the music world into a frenzy
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FRIDAY High of 41° with a chance of rain. But don’t worry, Prince Bellerose is performing in Common Grounds at 8 p.m.!
Allison Shelly
on Friday with the surprise release. Fans have speculated for months that a new album was coming, but the midnight announcement by Tweet was shocking nonetheless. “It’s your funeral…” Eminem wrote. The project features big names like Ed Sheeran, Royce Da 5’9, Skylar Grey, Anderson .Paak, and Young M.A. Late rapper Juice WRLD makes a posthumous appearance. “Music To Be Murdered By” has so far been received
Interscope Records
SATURDAY
High of 47° with a chance of rain. Stay in and decorate a pot for your new succulent, courtesy of CAC, at 8 p.m. in Northlawn Great Lounge. Plus, open gym!
SUNDAY
Partly cloudy with a high of 42°. Make sure to check for any open spots for the progressive staff and faculty dinner! See Tyler Goss’s email for more information.
differently by the media and by different groups of hip hop fans. Metacritic gives it a 6.6 while the average User Score is 9.0. On Saturday morning, media outlets reported “disgusted” Ariana Grande fans after Eminem referenced the 2017 Manchester bombing on a song. #EminemIsCancelled and #EminemIsOverParty were trending over the weekend. Eminem eats criticism for breakfast and controversy for dinner. Some like it, some hate it. Many in our generation of hip-hop listeners see Eminem as bitter and out of touch after he took shots at several young rappers in his 2018 album “Kamikaze.” Eminem voiced his frustrations with the Lil Pump, Lil Xan type of “mumble rap,” a microgenre growing increasingly popular among hip hop artists and fans. Meanwhile, Eminem has become somewhat of a meme online, his fans lumped into one group of obnoxious white Continued on Page 4
MONDAY
Partly cloudy with a high of 44°. Also, don’t miss the climate town hall at 10:10 a.m. in the Suter Science Center.
One opportunity to expand Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day to other issues of inclusion appeared in the form of a Safe Zone Training on Monday, Jan. 20. Education professor Kathy Evans and residence director Emily Powell led the event. Both are advisors for the club Safe Space, which focuses on issues related to the LGBTQ+ community. Students, faculty, and staff gathered in a circle in one of the library basement classrooms to discuss gender, sexuality, and the justice issues that accompany those topics. The gathered group represented a spectrum of experiences and identities. In this space, participants were invited to draw, journal, and process verbally as they listened to stories about the experiences of LGBTQ+ people. Additional time was devoted to discussing how Continued on Page 2
PREVIEW: SPORTS
EMU’s Diamond Royals: A first look The Diamond Royals are ready to begin the 2020 baseball season under a new coaching staff.
Jeremy Blain
“I am excited to see us compete at a high level against some of the hardest teams in the conference.” —Junior Brett Lindsay PREVIEW: CANVAS
Women’s March This week’s Canvas page features photography from the Washington D.C. Women’s March by sophomore Allison Shelly.
TUESDAY Partly cloudy with a high of 46°. If the evening gets too chilly, warm up by spending some time at the climbing wall in the gym!
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NEWS & FEATURE T h e Weat h er Va n e
EMU Bike Club supports alum on summer trip Kate Szambecki Editor in Chief
Previously published on EMU News. Through paved roads, switchbacks, hail, and snow, EMU alumni Ryan Swartzentruber ‘16 and his fiancée Rita Cohen biked from Mexico to Canada this past summer. After Swartzentruber finished his master’s degree in agricultural and resource economics at Colorado State University and Cohen completed her first year of teaching high school math, the pair wanted to celebrate their accomplishments and have something exciting to look forward to. EMU’s Bike Club helped make that happen by sponsoring the pair. From May 28 to July 14, they rode approximately 2,900 miles (on a Diamondback Axis Comp and a Surly Karate Monkey, respectively) with 200,000 feet of climbing on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. “We more or less followed the
Adventure Cycling Association route, but there is also a race route called the Tour Divide that diverges a handful of times from our route,” Swartzentruber said, adding that they weren’t alone, but met or saw approximately 150 people riding the same route or a portion of it. Though incredibly difficult, the journey proved rewarding. The pair formed new relationships, experienced immense beauty, and reflected on life and biking. For example, having Cohen along for the trip made Swartzentruber realize just how male-dominated the biking world is and how important it is to celebrate women who pedal. Swartzentruber’s favorite parts of the trip were “the people, nature, simplicity, and the reward,” he said. “As with any similar trip, we met such wonderful and kind people while riding on the road that 99.99% of the US population will never see… Seeing the world on a bicycle is such a different lens than a car or hiking. It’s addicting.” However, the trip was not without its challenges. The
Divide trail was often covered in snow, and most of the Tour Divide leaders dropped out due to a snow storm that dropped two feet on the route. “We were largely lucky with weather (and everything, really) but did run into snow a handful of times, the worst of which was hiking a bike through Brazos Ridge in northern New Mexico. The drifts were huge and the snow was slushy. It took us five hours to push our bikes through approximately 10 miles of snow.” Machinery also played into the challenges they faced. “It is impossible to ride your bike for any amount of time without feeling vulnerable to some extent,” Swartzentruber said. They were crowded by many drivers who often did not know how to share the road. “Add to this the challenges of consuming enough calories and staying hydrated, sleeping on the ground, and being subject to every change of weather. Now repeat this every day for six weeks and add some sleep deprivation to it. Feeling vulnerable to this extent led to some of the most meaningful
Dr. Schmidt believes this uncomfortability is, in fact, difficult for most. In her keynote address, she claims that people are, by nature, conservative when it comes to standing up for social issues. While some people think they would have been marching with Dr. King in the 60s, Schmidt argues that whatever one is doing now, at this moment, is what they would have been doing then. Hence, if someone is not involved in activism and speaking up in the present time, then they likely would not have been present during the march on Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma with King. Good trouble is not limited to marching on the front lines. Jalane Schmidt noted how the elderly women baking casseroles, and her daughter babysitting for activists, all played their part in making the anti-racist
protests happen, but one must get involved in some fashion in order to be advocates of peace, equality, and love. Schmidt believes young people are overrepresented in social movements; they have more energy and, professionally speaking, may have less to lose. In the convocation, she begged students to find a place to plug in and lead others in social change. “You’re morally on the hook; you know better; you go to EMU; they’re teaching you this stuff.” As EMU’s second annual MLK Day is wrapped up, the hope and challenge to the EMU community is that the seeds planted on Jan. 20 will continue to grow, fostering new practices and visions on campus. Schmidt’s words will continue to echo: “Getting in good trouble is what can bring change because it’s the best hope we have.”
about [last year] when [Thomas] approached the Safe Space advisors and asked for some sort of LGBTQ+ inclusion training,” said Safe Space advisor Emily Powell. “Celeste, Kathy [Evans], and myself have similar lenses on our vision of social justice work, which is intersectional and complex. Statistically, the most dangerous identity in the United States to have in a lot of ways is a queer trans woman of color. We want to
recognize that multi-faceted reality of oppression in our work as activists through naming those sorts of truths and hard data.” The gathering concluded with a poem read by both Evans and Powell. The poem was a compilation of written experiences from people within the LGBTQ+ community. Read in a style that used overlapping phrases, the poem described the diverse and shared experiences of real
“Good Trouble” on MLK Day Continued from Page 1
Richardson, a vital organizer for MLK Day, notes that the fight to cancel classes for this day was “years in the making.” Richardson has firm beliefs on why taking this time is necessary at EMU: “MLK was a peacebuilder… he follows in the ways of Jesus… this day needs to be off in order to take on what it means to be like MLK.” The need to make good trouble does not end on Jan. 20. Richardson urges everyone at EMU to be advocates of equality and peace and to keep our peers consistently accountable when it comes to calling out racism. He also encourages everyone to learn to be comfortable in uncomfortability. “The fight for peace, equality, and love is uncomfortable ... learn how to be uncomfortable and accept that it is part of growing.”
interactions we had. Kind words and actions meant more than you could know.” And they got those in high supply—whether that be important advice from a woman named Grace outside of Salida, Colorado, or strangers stopping to give them Gatorade. “We got valuable information about road conditions from local strangers and other riders. Riders are extremely vulnerable on the Divide and interactions become much more meaningful.” Swartzentruber and Cohen met a memorable woman named Kirsten, who owns and operates Brush Mountain Lodge in Colorado. She simply asks for donations, but turns no one away, feeding all who pass through. Kirsten offered to pick up the two if they couldn’t make it through the hail and sludge on their way to the lodge, and that offer got them through. “We were at our height of vulnerability of our trip. We wouldn’t have been able to make it over the pass without knowing that Kirsten was there just in case, but taking the road to the Lodge made us become
more vulnerable than ever before. Kirsten’s kindness stands in such contrast. She gave us a hug, a warm place to stay, food, more food, and even more food. This kindness would not have been understood in the same way if we were not so vulnerable.” Vulnerability was a common theme for the pair. “Reflecting on our trip, the most memorable portions result from our vulnerability,” Swartzentruber said. “It reminds me of the cross cultural program at EMU. However, we can’t always take a semester or summer to take a trip like this nor do we need to. My takeaway from the trip is to find ways to be vulnerable with others in my privileged life and be aware of when others are in vulnerable situations.” Swartzentrubers’s advice to others hoping to do a similar trip? Do research, watch the documentary “Tour Divide” and lastly, “Take your time and enjoy it. Stop and talk to others on the trail. Make the trip what you want it to be and don’t be afraid to diverge from the mapped route.”
Nik Tucker
Students and staff participate in several diversity workshops on campus for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Allison Shelly
Safe Space hosts training on LGBTQ+ experience Continued from Page 1
LGBTQ+ youth, in particular, can be supported. While most events on MLK Day centered around racial justice issues and educational events on activism, the Safe Zone training took the opportunity to explicitly delve into the experience, and exclusion, of people from within the LGBTQ+ community. “The first training came
people. “The poem was honestly my biggest takeaway,” said Heidi Grossnickle, reflecting the feelings of many other participants. This event was a starting point for further conversations about creating more safe spaces on EMU’s campus. Powell and Evans will be leading a convocation breakout group to discuss these issues further. Powell encouraged students to attend
this new group. “Anyone who’s looking to work towards interacting with others in a more inclusive way [is welcome to] join us for our future convocation breakout sessions,” Powell said. The first breakout session is slated for Jan. 29, at 10:10 a.m. in the Blackbox Theater. To learn more about the work that the club Safe Space does, contact club president Anali Martin, Emily Powell, or Kathy Evans.
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EMU students participate in D.C. Women’s March Seth Andreas Staff Writer
EMU was well-represented at the annual Women’s March in Washington D.C., which kicked off on Saturday morning as thousands of people gathered in the freezing weather to make their voices heard. A group of five EMU students made the trip to D.C. to take part in this worldwide event. The students traveling together were juniors Liz Miller and Anisa Leonard, sophomores Isaac Andreas and Allison Shelly, and firstyear Seth Andreas. Leaving on Friday, the group packed themselves, along with sleeping bags, pillows, and warm clothing into the small car they would be taking to EMU’s Washington Community Scholars House (WCSH), which currently houses several EMU students while they work and study in D.C. They arrived Friday evening in time for a warm welcome and a home cooked dinner. After dinner, they made signs and chatted. They brought along posters and each of them made a sign for the next day. In the morning, they all bundled up in their warmest clothes to take on the harsh weather and set off for the metro, joined by a number
of the students living at the WCSH. Wielding their crisp new signs, they ascended out of the metro and into the sunlight, where people with pink hats and volunteer vests pointed them in the right direction. They knew they were headed in the right direction as vendors trying to sell Women’s March pins, hats, and shirts filled the sidewalks. The students arrived around 10 a.m., about an hour before the march would officially begin, yet the crowds were already covering the plaza and blanketing nearby streets. Signs bobbed above the heads with a range of messages including those calling for reproductive rights, worker’s rights, racial equality, immigrant’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental justice, gun control, and more. Shelly said that the signs were her favorite part of the march. “Having a platform of a rectangular piece of cardboard to write anything that I really believed in felt quite special,” she said. Also present were counterprotesters with megaphones and large signs—gruesome images of bloody aborted fetuses. Most of the protesters didn’t take much notice of the shouts commanding the marchers “repent for their sins.” Anisa Leonard, a junior
at EMU, said, “I wasn’t really surprised that they were there, they seem to show up to everything,” but she said it did not bother her too much. “I did find irony that I was there with my Mennonite classmates, most who love God a whole lot, and the lady was yelling about how we … don’t know God,” she said. At 11 a.m., the event officially started. Martin Luther King III introduced his wife, activist Arndrea Waters King, who delivered a speech. To the delight of the shivering yet energized crowd,
created by who we are today. Sawin also views history as the stories we choose to tell others about and heritage is the way we chose to tell the story. This is familiar in many historical events, for instance the idea of looking at women’s pasts was not as popular in the past as it is today. Sawin defined that as we are adding or changing the stories we tell because we changed our future goals. “Everything has history,” but
it is hard to talk about all the events that occurred; Sawin thinks there are some things that are more important in history which help his students to understand and move towards what he hopes will be a better future. “Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” Mark used the quote from George Orwell’s “1984” to make the statement that
the march set off soon after the speeches, streaming slowly in the direction of the white house. Different chants were repeated as people walked. “I loved one of the chants we did, in both English and Spanish: ‘Y la culpa no era mía, ni donde estaba, ni cómo vestía’,” Miller said. “‘And it’s not my fault, not where I was, not how I dressed.’” The march ended in front of the White House, where people continued to chant and wave their signs for a while in the light rain. Several of the students felt they had
A group of students from EMU attend the Washington D.C. Women’s March on Jan. 18.
gained something special from the march. “I had never been to a political march before, much less a political march in Washington D.C.,” Shelly said. “I expected the experience of seeing so many people gathering in one place to be powerful, and it was.” The students returned to EMU feeling invigorated and hopeful. “I thought it was powerful the way so many people came together… celebrating our shared humanity and dignity,” Miller said.
Allison Shelly
Sawin gives lecture on Confederacy, writing history Fatimah Subhi Staff Writer
“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” —Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor Mark Sawin began his MLK Day presentation with this quote to emphasize the importance of the past. He then moved into talking about monuments, and about how people represent their support for or learnings from an event with them. It could be as big as building, a whole statue like the Lincoln Memorial, or naming a school after someone—Turner Ashby or the black knight for instance. Sawin, history professor and department chair, talked about the importance of history, how it shapes our lives, and who in history hasn’t been remembered for their work during the Civil War, like John R. Jones. Sawin started by telling the audience about how some people view time: “The past is behind us, we are living in the present, and we are moving towards the future.” Sawin disagrees with that and thinks history is
people in power are the ones who control how history is told. That’s why it’s easier to find the history of loyalty in the past, and in presidents. “One of the biggest things in the Civil Rights movement is retelling the American history,” Sawin said about the different approaches to understanding why the civil war started. One of the claims in the Southern States was fighting for their rights. “They are
History professor Mark Sawin presents for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Common Grounds. Sawin aimed to bring the forgotten confederate history of Harrisonburg to light, including general John Robert Jones.
Jeremy Blain
absolutely right: they were fighting for the right to have slavery,” Sawin said. He said that Confederate history is similar to the rebellion that happened in United States against England. After the Civil War ended, both sides wanted to tell the story of why they lost or why they won. Sawin talked about why we do not have any monuments of John R. Jones and why that is odd. Back then, he was celebrated as a future military leader. He also trained as a school teacher and was a principal of male and female education—“for the time period, he was weirdly liberal,” Sawin said. He ran several organizations for the poor and the community which included African Americans. He became a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he became a merchant and later served for decades as a commissioner in chancery in Harrisonburg. Sawin ended his presentation by answering audience questions about Jones and monuments in Harrisonburg.
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REVIEW T h e Weat h er Va n e
Eminem’s new album controversial yet powerful Continued from Page 1
teens named “Kyle” who wear saggy jeans and Monster Energy snapbacks. Yet taking a step back, Eminem is one of the most accomplished music artists ever, and he’s widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. His 220 million album sales are the most by any rapper in history, not including his new album. He holds the world record ahead of Drake by 70 million. Eminem has had an enormous impact on the music industry since his first studio album dropped 24 years ago. That he is still releasing albums at 47 years old is by itself a remarkable achievement. The Detroit rapper is approaching 12 years sober after nearly dying from an overdose in 2008. Since then, Eminem has turned his life around and drastically changed the style and content of much of his music. Now, in 2020, “Music To Be Murdered By” combines elements of his Slim Shady alterego with newer ingredients from his last two albums. The resulting product is genius. The album is an opportunity for hip hop fans to appreciate one of rap’s most dynamic artists blow up like an inflatable as he defends his legacy, rips his critics, combines old and new styles, and raises all sorts of controversy in a 20-track project. The artistry, cleverness and overall content presented in this album make it one of his best projects to date. Here are some highlights from the first few songs. “Premonition—Intro” The album opens with the sound of a brutal murder followed by an intense bass drop. Eminem goes straight at critics in his opening line. “They said my last album I sounded bitter, no I sound like a spitter.” After his 2018 album “Kamikaze,” some perceived Eminem as sounding
bitter toward the media and other rappers who didn’t like his previous album, “Revival” (2017). Eminem paints artists like himself, Tech9, Jay-Z, 2Chainz as victims of unrighteous criticism. “Instead of us being credited for longevity and being able to keep it up for this long at this level, we get told we’ll never be what we were.” He brags, “If I’m half as good as I was I’m still twice as good as you’ll ever be.” Eminem feels like he can’t please today’s rap fans, no matter the music he puts out. “They said I’m lyrically amazing but I have nothing to say, but then when I put out Revival and I had something to say they said that they hated the awake me. I lose the rage, I’m too tame. I get it back, they say I’m too angry.” “Premonition” is one of the best tracks on the album. The beat goes extremely hard, the flow is crazy, and Eminem defends his honor as one of the greats while blowing off his frustrations with critics and the media over the past few years. “Unaccommodating” ft. Young M.A. This is one of two tracks that really got blood boiling last Friday night. Eminem compares himself to the bomber who terrorized Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester, England in 2017. “I’m contemplating yelling ‘bombs away’ on the game, like I’m outside of an Ariana Grande concert waiting.” Right after this line, Eminem refers to himself as Sadam Hussein, Ali Khamenei, and Osama Bin Laden. While some are upset, others are busy decoding Eminem’s lyricism in “Unaccommodating” with lines like: “I don’t smoke but I got paper, to be blunt I’m rolling Indo.” Marshall subtly brags about his fortunes while making marijuana jokes. He’s got “paper,” and to be “blunt” he’s “rolling Indo” (in dough).
“You Gon’ Learn” ft. Royce Da 5’9 It’s always lethal when Eminem and Royce Da 5’9 combine forces. Royce spits out a ridiculous tongue-twister in his opening line: “I’m a product of properly hoppin’ up out of that poverty profitin’ all for coppin’ and swappin’ that property out for a possible monopoly.” He mocks white politicians who are debating reparations but can’t understand the difference between segregation and separation, spelling it out for them: “Segregation is bein’ told where I’m gonna go, separation is bein’ woke and goin’ wherever I wanna go.” Two lines especially stuck out from Eminem’s verse. He recounts how writing rhymes got him out of the gutters in Detroit as a teenager. “As I got a little bit older, my hate was making me get cold, and began to get a chipped shoulder. Started to spit vulgar, my ZIP code had been skid row, but I ate every single beat that I spit over, the s***hole I escaped, then I began to explode, detonate, now the Eastside went schizo.” Now a multimillionaire, Eminem’s hellish childhood story is often forgotten. He talks more about this part of his life later in the track “Leaving Heaven” featuring Skylar Grey:
treat the paper like I’m choppin’ a letter. Dre will tell you I shred, so when you refer to the guy next to the document shredder.” Dr. Dre, aka Doc, is Eminem’s producer; the one who helped him come up. Eminem “chops letters,” so when you refer to the guy next to the Doc-you-meant-shredder? Document shredder? Come on. “Godzilla”ft. Juice WRLD Besides the awesome Juice WRLD feature on the chorus, the best part of this song is the last 30 seconds. Some calculate Eminem as rapping 10.97 syllables per second. If accurate, that’s his fastest rap of all time. His previous fastest raps were 9.6 syllables per second during a 16-second stretch on his 2013 track “Rap God,” and a 2018 feature on Nicki Minaj’s “Majesty,” where he notched 10.3 syllables per second over 12 seconds. “Darkness” Hands down the best song on the album. Eminem tells two stories at one time through double entendres. One details Eminem’s past struggles with depression, anxiety and substance abuse. The other describes Stephon Paddock on the night in 2017 when he terrorized concert-goers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, killing 58 people. In a wildly creative plea to end
Another line from “You Gon’ Learn” maybe takes the award for most clever line on the album. “I
gun violence in the United States, Eminem applies double meanings to almost every line.
The music video shows a graphic depiction of the Vegas shooting, closing with TVs stacked on top of each other forming the shape of the United States. Each TV shows footage of news reporters updating viewers on mass shootings. Incrementally, the reporters are replaced by pieces of the American flag. A message appears: “When will this end? When enough people care. Register to vote at vote.gov. Make your voice heard and help change gun laws in America.” The way Eminem created a first-person perspective from the Las Vegas shooter in such grim detail is naturally questionable to some. A conversation about how celebrities, news outlets, and musicians should respond to mass shootings in a helpful way is welcome. But outrage at Eminem is misplaced. He chose to use his platform to speak out against gun violence, and the uneasy feelings created from the song are meant to be translated into outrage toward the normalization of mass shootings in the United States. Elsewhere, Eminem similarly tells two stories simultaneously on “Never Love Again,” one about his past drug addiction and another about his dependency on his exwife. The rapper goofs around on “Farewell,” the catchiest song on the album. He speaks from the perspective of his second-grade self inconfronting his abusive stepdad in “Stepdad.” Eminem’s longevity in the rap game can only be admired. “Music To Be Murdered By” is one of his most artistic, creative albums to date, a testimony to his longevity. Overall, the album captures what makes Eminem great, what makes him controversial, and what makes him who he is as an individual. In “Godzilla,” Eminem claims he has “no plans to retire” as we forge into a new decade of music.
once shy man has found a family of fellow mycophiles, fungi foragers and mycologists, and is leading scientific research on the medicinal properties of various species of fungi. ‘Fantastic Fungi’ combines science and conjecture, musing over the “stoned ape theory,” shared by ethnobiologist Terrance McKenna in 1990, a hypothetical explanation for the inexplicable doubling of human brain mass over a relatively short span of evolutionary time. Stamets backed McKenna’s hypothesis at conferences for psychedelic sciences in 2017 and continues to do so in Shwartzberg’s film. It goes like this: Early humans found and consumed Psilocybe Cubensis growing in piles of animal dung, serendipitously creating potential for new
neural pathways, expanding the possibility to learn and adapt. As the theory goes, the act of sharing these psychoactive fungi amongst groups for generations could have, hypothetically, awakened humanity, leading to the creation and advancement of art and language and religion, the things that make us human. Psychoactive mushroom experiences have been shown to, at least for the span of a few months, cure depression, anxiety, and even bring peace to the minds of the terminally ill as they grapple with the inevitable and ever approaching: death. There is no way to prove McKenna’s theory, but mycophiles like Stamet are convinced. Far beyond a fun and colorful documentary, “Fantastic Fungi” reaches below the forest floor to the mycelium,
heart of the fungi and catalyst for the life and death processes that allow nature to move forward. The exploration of psychoactive properties and potential therein was the vibrant backdrop for Shwartzberg’s deep dive into the magical world of mushrooms through the colorful community of mycophiles whose lives have been changed by the mysterious fruit, and who continue to change the lives around them through mycological research. A cinematic masterpiece and an amusing exploration of mycological potential in ecology and medicine, “Fantastic Fungi” is a trip you’ll want to take. Until converted for at-home viewing, you can watch the mystery of mushrooms unfold at the Court Square Theater Jan. 23, at 4:30 p.m.
“Okay, so while Macklemore was keeping his room nice and neat I was getting my ass beat twice a week Looking for a place for the night where I could sleep … Just tryna see If I could find some change and scrape up a bite to eat If Denaun and me find a couple dimes a piece 25 cents each’d get us a bag of chips We’d be glad to get that even if we had to split We do backward flips looking back at it I think that would fit with the definition of not having s***”
“Fantastic Fungi” documentary is a real trip
Amanda Hergenrather Editor in Chief
Like an iceberg masking its mass below dark waters, the mushroom unfurls from beneath forest brush, forbidden fruit of the mycelium’s silent labor. “Fantastic Fungi,” at the direction of Louie Shwartzberg, dives beneath that forest floor into the mystery and magic of mushrooms. The hour-and-ahalf film combines time-lapse cinematography, eccentric mycologists and mushroom foragers, beautifully telling the story of fungi, which at times intersects with humanity’s story. Once an introverted and quiet stutterer, Paul Stamets turned from casual mycophile to mycologist, his journey into the fantastical world of fungi beginning with a book about
altered states consciousness, burned by a childhood friend’s father. What was meant to deter Stamet was the catalyst for his eventual experience with one of the most famous and ancient medicinal fungi, Psilocybe Cubensis, also known as magic mushrooms. With no one to guide his experience, Stamet took roughly ten times the normal dose of shrooms, launching him unexpectedly, into a terrifying evening of overwhelming emotions; he experienced sensations of interconnectedness, love, fear and awe. The following morning, whereas years of speech therapy had proven hopeless, Stamet’s stutter was gone, cured in a single night seemingly through sheer strength of will. Now the
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SPORTS T h e Weat h er Va n e
Baseball: Diamond Royals gain new coaching staff Bri Miller Contributing Writer
The Diamond Royals are ready to begin the 2020 baseball season under a new coaching staff. EMU alumni and former assistant coach Adam Posey was named head coach last May. It has been a smooth transition, as Posey was the EMU assistant coach for five seasons prior. Ryan Tierney will also remain a part of the assistant coaching staff while assistant Jordan Miller and graduate assistant Eli Sumpter are two new faces to the program.
Junior Jonathan Nagle said, “The new coaching staff provides a different pace that brings energy into our program. With this faster pace, practices are enjoyable, and each player is more engaged.” As the former assistant coach, Posey already has experience with the players. “Knowing their personalities and character, I know how to work with them,” Posey said. “As their coach, my main goal is to see them become one unit and create an identity for themselves. That’s one of the more rewarding aspects of my job.”
Coach Tierney also had prior experience with the team. “As the pitching coach, I am able to take it towards the direction I want it to go with our guys,” Tierney said. The Diamond Royals will look to senior pitcher Bailey Hall as a team leader. Additionally, Tierney expects a handful of underclassmen to play key roles this year. “Gage Riddick had a little bit of time on the mound last year as a freshman, but will be relied on heavier this season,” Tierney says, “Freshmen Tyler Bagent and Skylar Lacks also have electric stuff, and I am
eager to get them out there.” Riddick added, “Each year has a different story and our coaches are really focused on player development this season. I feel like we are beginning a new era with the young coaches.” Finishing last season 1623-1 overall and 10-12 in the ODAC, EMU earned a tournament bid for the first time since 2015 and tied the program record of conference wins. The team did not advance past the first round, getting swept by top-seed RandolphMacon; however, with a team composed primarily of
upperclassmen, the players look to redeem themselves this season. “Each veteran player on our team demonstrates a lot of leadership,” said junior infielder Brett Lindsay. “With a team full of older guys who know what to expect, I am excited to see us compete at a high level against some of the hardest teams in the conference.” The Diamond Royals begin their season on Feb. 8 and 9 in Rocky Mount, N.C., where they will compete in a threegame series against North Carolina Wesleyan College.
First half energy not enough as basketball women fall to 2-14 on season
Adam Moyer Managing Editor
EMU’s basketball women battled at home Tuesday evening against a tall, talented ODAC neighbor in Randolph Macon. The 89-56 defeat spells the Royals’ eighth conference loss this season. What the final score doesn’t show is the intensity and effort the EMU women displayed on the court Tuesday night, especially in the first half. The same matchup ended in a 96-50 RMC victory in December. With that experience in the past, EMU entered Tuesday’s game knowing they would have to shut down Kelly Williams, a 6’3” Preseason All-American guard. Williams recorded 21 points and five blocks against the Royals in December. EMU senior forward Chrissy Delawder suggested doubleteaming Williams. Head
Coach Jenny Posey agreed. “Chrissy did a great job with [Williams] one-on-one, and the double really helped, too,” said the second-year women’s basketball coach. “Then it seemed like when they took [Williams] out, even though she’s their best player, our defensive intensity dropped.” EMU double-teamed Williams aggressively inside the three-point line. The Royals wouldn’t let the Yellow Jackets get comfortable early on, countering their opponents’ buckets with quick scores of their own. The scoreboard read 8-8 through the first six minutes. Sophomore forward Constance Komara sunk a 3-pointer and tied the game 17-17 with a breakaway steal with four minutes remaining in the first quarter. RMC led just 23-22 after one. A lucky fan at Yoder Arena won a free bag of Shirley’s
Junior guard Chloe Roach prepares to shoot, going on to make eight crucial points in the first quarter against the Yellow Jackets. Roach led all scorers with 12 points and five rebounds.
Kiana Childress
popcorn, and the second quarter was underway. RMC jumped out to a lead, but senior guard Lexi Deffenbaugh nailed a 3-pointer to bring EMU back to within one at 28-27. Delawder tied the game at 30-30 with another bucket from downtown. A few plays later, Delawder laid a ruthless block on an RMC layup attempt. From there, the Royals fell into a scoring drought as RMC jumped out to a 12-point lead before the teams entered halftime at 46-36. EMU couldn’t mirror their first half energy and lost their composure in the second half. The drought continued. RMC quickly turned a 20-point lead into a 30-point lead. EMU fought for 20 total points in the second half as RMC coasted to an 89-56 win. Junior guard Chloe Roach led the Royals with 12 points.
The team went 4-14 (28.6%) from 3-point range and 6-15 (40%) from the free throw line. They turned the ball over 14 times by the final whistle. The defense held RMC’s Williams to 12 points. “The first half we played together as a team really well, and the intensity was up,” Delawder said after the game. “But then in the second half we didn’t have as much energy, and it just kinda went down from there.” With a 2-13 record and nine games left on the schedule, Delawder says she is looking to get better in practice every day and to translate those improvements onto the court in EMU’s last nine games. EMU senior Christian Newborn said he was impressed by first-years Anya Kauffman and Tiffany Carey. The team “is just lacking a lot of size right now,” he
said. Looking ahead to the program’s future, Newborn hopes Coach Posey “can encourage some more power forwards to come join the program.” Also a manager for the EMU basketball men’s team, Newborn said he thinks the women could take advantage of their speed on the court by trying full-court press on defense. “They gotta continue to believe in their small ball play,” he said. “I think they should try out more full-court press because they have to deal with the fact that they’re gonna lose a lot of offensive boards and second chances. So trying to get more stops on defense and using their speediness to their advantage would help them out.” EMU’s basketball women play at home again on Saturday, Feb, 25 at 4:30 p.m. versus Washington and Lee.
Senior forward Chrissy Delawder drives to the rim and shoots. Delawder finished with 7 points and 10 rebounds.
Kiana Childress
theweathervane.org
January 23, 2020
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OPINION T h e Weat h er Va n e
Editorial: The myth of nice girls and acquiescence
Kate Szambecki Editor in Chief
When I am bored on long car drives, I listen to books. Sometimes, an ordinary road trip turns into a transformative, thoughtful experience, even if it is a comedian’s memoir. In Amy Poehler’s book “Yes Please,” she talks about “the myth of nice girls.” She says this, which has had my head spinning ever since I read it: “I do not mean the, well, nice definition of
nice, which is cordial, courteous and personable. I mean the kind of ‘nice’ that really means ‘pushover’ or ‘selfless to the point of martyrdom’ or ‘always willing to acquiesce to the requests of others, no matter how last-minute, unreasonable or inconvenient, for fear of people thinking you’re not nice.’” For the purposes of this article, when I say “nice,” I mean Poehler’s second definition. When I read this section of the book, I felt the kind of rush that only happens when you hear something defined that you’ve never quite been able to place yourself. It perfectly encapsulates an idea that I have been aware of my whole life, at least to some extent, and something I have only recently reflected on in my own life. Women are constantly, whether explicitly or not, taught
to be “nice.” I know I feel the pressure to say yes constantly, or to go out of my way to make others happy. Sometimes that is just kindness, and it is great and feels good. But sometimes it’s because of the same divide that causes men to be seen as assertive and women as bossy or pushy. Stepping into leadership roles recently throughout college and even in high school, I have begun to sense this expectation so much more. It breaks my heart to see the strong, intelligent women in my life stay silent or complacent for fear of not being seen as nice. There are so many better, more important things to be than nice or well-liked. I would so much rather be called strong. Or kind. Or intelligent. Or genuine. Or earnest, strong-willed, driven, hard-working, creative. I feel like this is important to hear
for teenage and college-age girls. This myth is perpetuated, incessantly when girls are growing up. I’ve watched my friends acquiesce to the needs of boys without even realizing they are doing it. It’s ingrained in the framework of our society, but it can sometimes be so subtle that we miss it. I’m not saying I condone meanness. I certainly don’t— that is why I bring in Poehler’s clarification. Quite frankly, I think that there are very few, if any reasons to be mean to another human. But the opposite of mean is not this kind of nice, as I think it may so often be mistaken for. Complacency and kindness are not interchangeable. This idea is illustrated perfectly at my job at an afterschool program, where I work with a lot of kids—ones who
often like to break the rules. Time and time again, it had become clear that the best youth leaders (my position) are the ones who love the kids and show them patience and compassion daily. But they are also not “nice”—you will never hear the kids call them that. They are the strongest disciplinarians, but they are still the kids’ favorites. Being “nice” wouldn’t actually be nice. If we don’t help them to learn from their mistakes, if we don’t push them to be their best selves, then what are we there for? Because of Amy Poehler and because of my experiences every day, I have begun to tune in a little more to “niceness” and to consciously shift my habits as well as the characteristics I place value in. It is my hope that at EMU and everywhere else, other women may start to as well.
“Let your humanity work better than any religion”
Thoreau Zehr Staff Writer
The headline quote has stuck with me since my cross-cultural to the Middle-East last spring as the best comment on religion I have ever heard. My roommate’s host dad, Jalal, said it to him during our three-week stay in Palestine; he is a Christian man living in the town of Beit Sahour just outside of Bethlehem. The comment was particularly impactful due to this location because of the proximity to the birthplace of Jesus. This locational significance was due to the fact that despite being a Christian living in the heart of the holy land, Jalal believes that if one’s religion becomes a negative attribute in treatment of others,
then they should place humanity first. Religion means to give a moral compass to those that require it; however, this can lead to negative perspectives despite the positive intent. The negativity comes in the formation of ingroups and out-groups; when religion becomes exclusive, it loses its potential for positivity and becomes yet another structure that serves to divide humanity. Thus, Jalal urges that if an aspect of organized religion causes the oppression or ill-treatment of anyone in that moment, the religious perspective should be overlooked. The other reason this comment was so instrumental to my understanding at the time was the context in which it was given from a political perspective. After all, Jalal is a Palestinian living in the West Bank. Luckily, Beit Sahour residents in general were not displaced during the creation of Israel due to their location on the West Bank, but they have certainly felt the strain that every Palestinian feels under the occupation.
In this context, the assumption becomes that the comment applies exclusively to Israel and the Jewish population. However, given further discussion with Jalal, it is just as applicable to the Muslim and Christian Palestinians as the Jewish Israeli population. Both sides are traumatized and hurt, and many respond with radicalism. From the Israeli side this comes in the form of the border wall and soulcrushing checkpoints (I can attest first-hand that they are awful), as well as general military presence in all aspects of Israeli life. On the Palestinian side, radicalism takes the form of terrorist attacks such as suicide bombings and knifings. Often these events or structures are justified at least in part by religious ideals, and therein lies the significance of putting humanity first. If not properly questioned and analyzed, religion can blind us and give us false justification for inhuman acts, despite its purpose being to better humanity. Without the borders created by radicalism and religious fervor, a
better, unified way of life could reveal itself to those involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, indeed, in many conflicts the world over. This is of course an oversimplification of the conflict, but it does describe one
aspect that I witnessed. However, we still must ask ourselves: are we doing things because we truly believe that good human beings would do the same or because we have found religious justification and deem it an acceptable evil?
SGA Updates
EMU Climate Change Conversations with President Susan Schultz Huxman
SGA met with Irene Kniss, director of EMU health services, to ask for student input to improve the health center. They also discussed the opportunities of the upcoming Green Dot Bystander training. SGA voted in favor of a funding request made by ISO for the spring gala. Two first-year senators will join a committee regarding advising at EMU.
10:10 a.m. in Science Center 104 on Monday Jan. 27 Panel Participants: Emma Yoder, Doug Graber Neufeld, President Susan Schultz Huxman
On The Sidewalk with Amanda Hergenrather
“What’s your ideal sandwich?”
“Bread lightly toasted with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, turkey, provolone, and chips on the side.” -Chrissy Burchette, senior
“A Mr. J’s bacon, egg, and cheese bagel.” -Joy Parakuo, first-year
“A whole wheat, ham, mozzarella, and pesto panini.” -Cora Sawin, sophomore
“The Popeye’s chicken sandwich with Chickfil-A sauce.” -Jakiran Richardson, junior
theweathervane.org
January 23, 2020
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OPINION T h e Weat h er Va n e
Cursing can be an inconvenient habit to pick up
Brynn Yoder Copy Editor
If you grew up in a household or school similar to mine, swearing was not tolerated. This begs the question, where and when do we learn to swear? One way is though movies. G-rated films will not have cursing because they are meant for all ages. For PG-13 movies,
the guidelines say, “Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.” Lastly, I want to talk about PG. PG is the unsure place where parents can decide if their children should see these movies. In these movies, there can be cursing. But cursing could not have been introduced by movies. Saying, “he/she swears like a sailor,” predates even that. The question is, “why do we even curse in the first place?” Most schools, except universities, ban cursing. Judy Whitson is quoted in a National Education Association article saying that, “Our district handbook lists bad or obscene language as a Level lll offense, meaning that a student can be punished with anything
from a student conference to suspension.” Now, this school district is an extreme case, but it gets the point across. Cursing in schools, in general, is not tolerated. Here, at college, I hear a lot of swearing, from people who do curse like a sailor to people who don’t curse at all. The reason I don’t swear is because I am thinking into the future. If I make a habit of cursing now, I will have a hard time breaking out of that habit if I am around small children, whether they are mine or not. In the professional world, I don’t want a curse word to just slip out. Cursing is a habit. There are good habits and there are bad ones. In some settings, cursing is just fine, but there
Weather Report SUNBEAMS •
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EMU took a break from regular classes to celebrate MLK Day through a variety of events and student panels. Thank you for all of the hard work to those who made it happen! It was a valuable time for remembrance, connection, and learning from each other. The Women’s March on Washington was this past Saturday. Who run the world? GIRLS! Prince Bellerose, boasting two of our own EMU community members, is playing at Common Grounds on Friday at 8 p.m. Make sure you see them here before they hit it really big and are too cool for you! There are only 3 months, 10 days, 3 hours, 42 minutes, and 52 seconds until graduation (as of writing)! I’m not saying that I’m panicking, but I’m panicking. It’s the first Weather Vane of the semester. That means it’s the last semester for this Weather Report writing team to write these for y’all.
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My friends from the north are making fun of me because of how cold I am all the time. Thankfully, the cold has made me numb to the pain their words cause. My southern friends keep looking to me for leadership in this cold weather. Little do they know that under my parka, I too shiver. The Patriots didn’t make it to the Super Bowl. This is only a storm cloud for, like, four people, but still. This is the second full week of the semester. I’m told this semester is a marathon, not a sprint, but I haven’t run since eighth grade P.E. class. Two of our editors’ ovens smoke every time they are used. The smoke sure lends to the overall aesthetic, but, boy, not what we were trying to cultivate. World War III almost broke out over Christmas break. But who’s counting? There was hardly any snow at Massanutten for EMU ski night. Climate change was all fun and games before it took the skiing away. Now, it’s personal.
are some places where cursing is sometimes unacceptable. This is why I want to put cursing into a different category entirely; an inconvenient habit to pick up. Inconvenient because there are instances when it is not appropriate. It is a moral gray area that many people struggle with. If you want to argue that cursing is an integral part of your life, go ahead, but look up the literal definition of every curse word. There’s a reason those words are curse words. Why other profane words are not curse words is a question I do not have the time nor the interest in discovering. So, if you argue that words about someone being a slave, or words about genitalia are nice things
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to say, you’re simply wrong. It is a cultural precedence in your friend group, family, or work place if they are acceptable to you. Those definitions that curse words have are why they are potentially harmful. If someone does not come from a culture of cursing but understands the definition of the curse words, it is quite confusing. Culturally, curse words have acquired different meanings than their literal definitions. I’m not saying you have to stop cursing. Instead, I challenge you to take a hard look at the habit it can form and the possible negative side effects curse words can have. Ask yourself what you are losing if you stop cursing.
W E AT H E R VA N E Editors in Chief Kate Szambecki Amanda Hergenrather
Front Page Editor News & Feature Editor Review Editor Sports Editor Opinion Editor Canvas Editor
Seth Andreas Jenna Lile Erin Beidler Kiana Childress Rachael Brenneman Adam Moyer
Managing Editor Adam Moyer Copy Editors Amanda Hergenrather Kate Szambecki Brynn Yoder Anali North Martin Silas Clymer Photography Editor Web Manager Business Manager Circulation Manager Faculty Adviser
Jeremy Blain Silas Clymer Amanda Hergenrather Fatimah Subhi Kirsten Beachy
The Weather Vane is published weekly by undergraduate students of Eastern Mennonite University. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the university or its affiliates.
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The Honey Dewdrops, an americana duo of Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish, are returning to Pale Fire on Jan. 25 with $10 tickets at the door starting at 7 p.m. Little Women, the musical, is being presented at Eastern Mennonite School. Based on Louisa May Alcott’s classic, the musical focuses on the four March sisters along with a full ensemble cast. Including a “pay what you will” dress rehearsal Jan 23 at 3 p.m., there will be a total of four performaces, Jan. 24 and 25 at 7 p.m. and continuing until Jan 26 at 3 p.m. General admission tickets are $12 for adults. The Woodshedders, an indie band of five, is performing live at Pale Fire Jan. 24 from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. The Woodshedders hold four all-original albums and have performed at hundreds of venues and other shows. The Friendly Fermenter is hosting its own Winter Festivus 2020 Jan. 25 from 3 p.m. - 11 p.m. There aren’t many details yet, but The Friendly Fermenter promises “fresh beers, fresh tunes, and some good eats.” Don’t miss Noches Latinas with DJ Guate playing upstairs in at The Golden Pony for a night of Latin music and dancing every Saturday. Genres of salsa, merengue, bachata, reggaeton and more! Live music with Randy Black at Bluestone Vineyard Jan. 24 from 6 p.m. - 9pm. Black is a talented musician who has developed several different styles and often writes his own music. There’s no charge and no table reservations, just show up! “Murmuration,” an exhibition series, is opening at New Image and ArtWorks galleries Jan. 29 from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. EMU’s Margaret Martin Gehman gallery is showing Michael and Alden Hough’s work Jan. 24 from 4 p. m. - 5 p.m.
theweathervane.org
January 23, 2020
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CANVAS T h e Weat h er Va n e
Women’s March 2020 Saturday, Jan. 18 Washington D.C. Photos by sophomore Allison Shelly