Welcome, fellow humans, you academics, athletes, creators, activists, adventurers, curious thinkers, questioners, advocates, and friends. 

Welcome, those of you who are energized and those who are tired; those who are curious and those whose inquisitive spirit has been squelched; those who are hopeful and those who are fearful; those who dwell in physical community on campus and those who form this community from all parts of the world. 

A special welcome to you, into this space, with whatever you carry with you in this moment, this day, this year, this lifetime. EMU’s community is complete because of you, because all of us join together to make this body. 

This space is for you. The words that fill these pages are students’ stories, written by you and for you. These stories are artifacts: Documented, guarded, and carefully-held remnants of campus life as we experience it in 2020. 

Yes, in the midst of two pandemics and an election year. 

We recognize that systemic racism is real, it’s been around for a long time, and it happens at EMU.

We walk with our noses and mouths covered to protect others and ourselves as we share this common neighbourhood. We smile with our eyes. 

We honour the physical space we share together by physically distancing. We give the biggest air-hugs. 

We make wise choices that keep in mind the well-being of our entire community. We have the most creative, safe fun right here on campus thanks to our amazing Campus Activities Council.  

We take those class discussions and apply them to what’s happening right before our eyes. We say it and mean it when we say that Black Lives Matter. We incorporate our shared language into our vocabulary, thanks to the incredible work of our peers who organized the Race Matters orientation session.

We commit to being anti-racist and inclusive in our work at The Weather Vane, as well as in all facets of our lives. And because we exist within a Predominantly White Institution, we must keep learning what anti- racism and equity look like.

We, as the Weather Vane, are here for you. We’re here to highlight your achievements, showcase your writing, show up to the tough conversations that are happening around campus, and celebrate you.

Here are some of our guiding principles as we seek to hold these people and this place with utmost grace:

Honesty: Give shoutouts to our sources, keep quotes in context, actively fact- check our content, publish corrections to our mistakes.

Comprehensiveness: Gather information from all angles possible, focusing on how and why involved parties were impacted. We will take care to share narratives that are traditionally overlooked or ignored.

Impartiality: We will be “pro-truth”, doing our best to report truthful information. We will not share content that is not fact- checked or that is offensive just for the sake of having multiple perspectives. We will not sensationalize the news for the sake of greater readership.

Professionalism & Sensitivity: We will not use discriminatory language. We will minimize harm toward cross-sections of our community that have been historically marginalized.

Accountability & Responsibility: We’ll make mistakes along the way. And when we do, we’ll own them. Hold us accountable, EMU.

We recognize where we have fallen short in the past and we commit to doing better. This year holds and will continue to hold unprecedented challenges. It is The Weather Vane’s job to keep EMU informed, but also to hold wrongful actions and flawed systems accountable. It is our job to lift up the voices of historically marginalized people. It is our responsibility to bring you fair, truthful, and meaningful reporting.

So this is us, The Weather Vane, committing to do just that. We will honor and celebrate this community and work together to keep each other safe. We hope that you will do the same.