Since 1939, The Weather Vane has served the campus’s and the greater EMU community of English speakers, but neglected the other languages represented by members of our community—so we reached out to the students at the Intensive English Program (IEP). Just as much a part of our student body, these students navigate learning through a language outside of their native language, through a language many consider to be one of the hardest to master. These students understand multilingualism and navigating the complex world of linguistic politics in a unique and compelling way, and we want to highlight their stories.

To do this, we created Global Voices, a multilingual affiliate of The Weather Vane. This publication features the stories of almost 30 IEP students and has been a dream of ours since we assumed our co-editorship of The Weather Vane in May, 2023. With the launch of this project, we echo sentiments we published in our editorial of the September 2023 edition:

“According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, ‘welcome’ derives from the Old English ‘wilcuma,’ which means, ‘one whose coming suits another’s will or wish.’ Your inclusion here suits the wish of The Weather Vane to support and uphold under-represented voices, identities, and even languages. Along with informing and holding accountable, we understand another facet of our mission to be the acknowledgement and celebration of the many languages spoken and cultures represented on campus and in the broader EMU community… Humbly, [we] open this space for you.”

… and in The Weather Vane Constitution:

“The purpose of The Weather Vane is to be the on-campus Eastern Mennonite University newspaper, by the students and primarily for the students. … To facilitate the sharing of stories and ideas among students, faculty, staff and administration. To act as the student voice, representing the opinion and conscience of the student body and amplifying the voices of those who have been historically underrepresented on EMU’s campus. …To preserve a historical record for the campus from a student perspective.”

We invite you to share in the celebration by reading and sharing Global Voices papers, distributed around campus in The Weather Vane racks—don’t worry, if you feel most comfortable using English, we have summaries of each contribution written in English on the back of the paper. We are so proud of and grateful for everyone who has made this project possible—you and your unique linguistic experience are welcome here.