Cross-Cultural conundrum

It happens each semester. We join others in sending off our friends as they begin their Cross-Cultural journeys. Staying on campus while many of our friends travel to the far reaches of the globe reminds us of an important lesson we learned on our own Cross-Culturals last year: experiencing change brings growth. This single truth has become more and more evident in our first weeks as editors of the Weather Vane.

Change comes in many forms. At EMU, Cross-Culturals bring change as students explore new environments. These explorations expand our understanding of the world and ourselves. Thus, Cross-Culturals affect both students abroad and at home.

No matter what situation we face, one of the best ways to confront change is through communication. We need to understand our differences and similarities before we can create change. For both of us, our cross-cultural experiences made us keenly aware of the frustrations caused by the lack of communication.

As editors, our schedules have changed drastically from last semester. Our understanding of hard work has been tweaked. But our commitment to communication has motivated us along the way.

For us at the Weather Vane, communication is a means and not an end. Following the example of past editors, we take seriously our role to provide the EMU community with an accurate, respectable and comprehensive publication. Many of our initial goals were strengthened in the past weeks even as we encountered the limitations of a truly student-produced paper. Teamwork and inclusiveness, though challenging, provide for both a more enriching production process and a stronger finished product.

At times people within the EMU community have felt uncomfortable discussing certain topics or opinions. Our goal is not to drive our own agenda, but to provide reliable news and open dialogue. One way we hope to foster this in the coming semester is to invite all students, including those on Cross-Culturals, to share their own experiences and the issues they are encountering.