Welcome back Royals and all other Weather Vane readers, or if you’re new, welcome! As we kick off the year with a new issue of the Weather Vane, EMU’s student-run newspaper for 86 years and counting, we wanted to introduce ourselves.
Now, you may be wondering who we are, which is totally understandable. We, Zack Furr and Lauryn Moore, are the Weather Vane co-editors for the spring semester. As seniors entering our final semester at EMU, we’re excited to take the reins of a paper we’ve had the privilege of contributing to for years and hope the work we do this semester will continue on after we step across the stage during graduation.
I (Lauryn) am a Political Science and Sociology double major with minors in Journalism and Criminology & Restorative Justice (it’s a lot, I know). I’ve been with the Weather Vane since the first semester of my sophomore year, originally joining due to my interest in journalism. Throughout my time, I have mainly stuck to the opinion and review page, but this past semester I threw myself into feature writing with my WCSC Reflection series that I wrote while spending the semester in DC.
While I wasn’t on campus last semester, I tried to stay up to date with EMU and was surprised, like I’m sure many of you were, to learn about the various challenges EMU was facing and the plans to fix them. As we enter this semester, it’s my goal for the Weather Vane to report on the “reimaginings” happening on EMU’s campus to ensure our student body isn’t kept in the dark when it comes to changes that will likely impact their college education and experience. While I hope to report hard hitting news, I also want the Weather Vane to be a place where students can share their opinions on anything, and I mean literally anything. So, if you’re reading this and have something you want to share with the world, or just our EMU community, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you! All in all, I’m excited to serve as co-editor for my final semester at EMU and can’t wait to get to work!
I (Zack) am a Digital Media and Communications and Photography double major, with a minor in Journalism, and have been writing for the Weather Vane since the second semester of my first year. I initially started as a sports writer, and over time have been a staff writer, photographer, page editor, photography manager, and co-editor-in-chief in the fall of 2023. My love for journalism has grown over that time, from being a hobby and college job to being my desired career path, after wanting to be a sports commentator for the better part of a decade.
In the four years with the Weather Vane, I have seen the paper grow tremendously, both in staff and in the quality of what makes up our paper. From a small staff of around six to ten staffers my sophomore year to around twenty to twenty-one staffers this year. All of these staffers, and you, the reader, help keep this 86-year-old paper going. This is a space for any student to share their beliefs, insights, and feelings on campus happenings, world events, and anything in between. The Weather Vane is, and always will be an open space for any student on our campus to share their stories. We hope to keep this open space open, no matter what part of our campus
community you feel a part of.
I also hope to see this paper grow further. This is my last year not only with this paper but also at this institution. It feels looming, and I, ever anxious, am concerned for the future. However, I know once we are gone, this paper will remain in the hands of not only great writers but great people as it has for the last 85 years. My goal has always been to leave this place better than it was when I arrived. That is a goal I wish to further see out. If you think you’d like to write, copy edit, be a photographer, or any other roles on staff, reach out to us. This paper is yours as it is ours. No matter who you are, there is a place for you here.
I am so excited to share this space with all of you, for one last time.