Theodore Brian Yoder (class of 2012) had cancer first at age 10, then again at 17 and 21. Then this past Christmas break he was told he again had cancer, inoperable this time, and he was given 3-6 months to live. Theo died at his home Thursday evening (April 12) around 10 p.m. surrounded by Lynn and Brian (mom and dad) and his two brothers, Josh (20) and Rex (15).

How does a Mennonite write a fantasy novel? It seems like the punchline to a joke you might overhear at a cocktail party (or perhaps a church potluck). But the punch line takes serious form in Sofia Samatar’s book “A Stranger in Olondria,” to be released this fall. I met Samatar at the recent Mennonite Writer’s Conference, where she read a selection of her upcoming book.

Students opened their mailboxes last week to find a letter from the administration that stated the cost of tuition would increase by 5.9% for the 2012-2013 school year. The letter stated that compared to other universities in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, EMU has the lowest tuition cost.

“I think I’m going to take my pants off.” That is the first thing I heard Trent Wagler, lead singer and songwriter of The Steel Wheels, say as I joined the band and a few other students for a short but strenuous bike ride through the beautiful Shenandoah countryside the morning of their performance. The concert in the MainStage Theater came as the consummation of the CAC’s Performing Arts Series on the evening of Thursday, April 12.

On Saturday, April 14, the EMU women’s softball team took on the Wasps of Emory & Henry. Numerous incidents off the field led to a couple players being dismissed from the team for a few prior games, but on Saturday all of the players returned and dressed in uniform. The question before the game was: Would these disciplinary measures be problematic for the Royals? Or would they be able to push through the off-field drama to earn a win?