Welcome back one and all to the greatest show on earth! That’s right, readers: Eastern Mennonite University’s very own independent, student-run herald of all things newsworthy is back and better than ever, and this time (drumroll please) it’s under new management. We, Caleb Stoltzfus and Josiah Esch, now have the opportunity to take over as leaders following the productive semester under Hannah Landis and Zack Furr’s impeccable leadership, and readers, we hope you’re just as engaged and excited as ever. 

In this 85th year of Weather Vane Publication, we hope to continue to provide a safe place where everyone can feel comfortable sharing their opinions and where every news story feels relevant and for the betterment of campus life and knowledge. In the paths of editors who have come before us, we hope to be a reliable and trustworthy source of information. We know that this newspaper probably isn’t how you are getting your news and entertainment and that’s fine. That being said, we welcome you to make us a part of your weekly or biweekly routine. Come and see what your campus is up to! Come see how EMU students are processing the changing world we live in! Come see what gets us excited, what gets us annoyed, what makes us tick! Help us continue this fine tradition of EMU student journalism, by contributing something you find important, by being a faithful reader, maybe even by making a little paper hat out of the paper and wearing it around. We can’t choose how you engage with us, but all we ask is that you do. We are here for you after all. 

I (Josiah Esch) am a junior history major from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I have been working with the Weather Vane since the start of my sophomore year, working in a plethora of facets, including but not limited to both opinion and news and feature writing, page editing, and being one half of the inaugural Pass-a-fist/Pacifist advice column. I just got back from the Europe Intercultural program this past semester and I look forward to continued reflection on my fulfilling and exciting time abroad. Being back on campus takes some getting used to and so I am grateful to have Caleb alongside me as co-editor to bridge the transitional gap. I hope to help guide the rest of the Weather Vane team as best I can to make this a fruitful semester for the paper and the community at large. I hope that we can provide an impartial and responsible voice for this community during a complex and polarizing season domestically and internationally. But I also hope that the Weather Vane can  be a place for variety and fun, where people can review their favorite movies, play some crosswords, and criticize the interior design of campus elevators. 

I (Caleb Stoltzfus) am excited to help forge this path for the Weather Vane through this next semester. I am a fourth-year political science and history double major. I joined the Weather Vane in the spring semester of my third year here at EMU and wrote for the Weather Vane last semester. I started writing news and features, and then my friend and former co-editor Doran Kennedy asked if I could do a regular political opinion column. I wanted to become a co-editor to help further the Weather Vane and continue this institution that  many before me have built and expanded. I want this paper to be where students can express themselves and feel safe. As a bisexual man, I want to make sure that this paper helps to defend the marginalized at EMU. I want to help give a voice to people who historically have not had as loud a voice. Also, as a history major, I want to help shed light on the history at EMU and show people how far we have come and how significant of a journey is still ahead.

Welcome, readers! We are glad you’re here!