For the past couple of weeks about 45 to 50 students from EMU have been gathering to go “shredding” on the slopes of Massanutten. These students find a ride every Wednesday evening to travel to the ski resort for a snowboarding or skiing class. For four straight weeks these students, mixed with a few “gnar-dogs from Bridgewater and some brodies from Blue Ridge,” as put by sophomore Stuart Landis, meet in small groups based on their skill level and receive instruction from 7 to 8:30 p.m. For example, in the beginner snowboarding class pupils learn how to stop, stay on their board, and turn. From 8:30 to 10 p.m., the small groups break up and are allowed “shred time” (lingo for “going snowboarding on your own”). After this four-week period students have their remaining two weeks to snowboard or ski on their own. No instruction is given on these Wednesdays. The class is then over for the semester as the snow season ends as well. Continue Reading...

Students at EMU constantly complain about lack of funds. Little do they know, the Student Government Association (SGA) controls a budget in excess of $78,000. The money, which is drawn from a student fee of $50 per semester per student, goes exclusively to student organizations.

At some point in the spring, itemized budget requests can be submitted by all clubs on campus that have existed for more than two years. In order to determine their validity, the SGA Executive Committee, which includes the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, peruses these requests for two to three hours and then takes the proposed budget to the SGA Senate, where further debate occurs. Eventually, it is voted on and solidified, then submitted to the President’s cabinet for approval.

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Ushering in the start of black history month is the showing of Glory, an inspirational film based on the true story of the first all-black military company in the Civil War.

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In the past few years, the game of poker has taken its place in the realm of the sports world. Despite all the high-tech gaming systems and competitions of today, this card game has maintained and even gained popularity. Poker games are played anywhere, at anytime of the day. Even ESPN covers most of the major poker tournaments, and many successful players are recognized in today’s popular culture.

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This article was created out of a class discussion on the last day of Mark Metzler-Sawin’s History of Recent America, last semester. Most, if not all, of the good ideas in this article are from members of that class.
A lot of discussion has been going on lately about how and when and where EMU should build a new dorm. Money, obviously, is a major consideration in the process but so is, thankfully, the environmental effects of the dorms we plan to build. Rarely, however, is simplicity a major factor in these discussions. The assertion that, “Obviously, Roselawn and Oakwood need to be torn down,” seems to be taken as fact – but is it?

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