How often is The Weather Vane updated, and who writes it?

Updated

The Weather Vane is published weekly, and its content is written by undergraduate students at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU). It operates as an independent student newspaper rather than an official outlet of the university, so its coverage reflects student reporting and student perspectives on campus life.

Who writes it

The publication describes itself as "published weekly by undergraduate students of Eastern Mennonite University." That means the writers are current EMU undergraduates, not professional staff or university communications personnel. The stated mission is to offer "an accurate and representative account of campus" life.

Because it is independent from official university communications, the paper can cover topics from a student angle — including opinion and criticism — rather than only institutional announcements.

How often it updates

The publication schedule is weekly. Individual articles carry their own dates, and the site's front page shows a mix of recent and older pieces grouped by section. For example, dated items include:

  • Sep 26, 2026 — "Thirty One Acres Sold to VMRC in New Partnership," "PATH 103: Pathways Curriculum & the 'Value Major'," "EMU's Housing Should Feel Like Home," "Seasonal Sips Showdown Scrutiny," "Trickle Down Effects of Eligibility Update"
  • Apr 25, 2026 — "EMU ACE Festival Presents A Year of Student Work," "Student Petition Drives Historic Meal Plan Changes," "SEEDS Revamps EMU's Campus Chicken Coop," "The Best Cafe by a Latte," "Men's Volleyball Defies Expectations And Makes It to the ODAC Championship Finals"
  • Apr 10, 2026 — "EMU Hosts Passover Seder"
  • Mar 27, 2026 — "First Two Rounds of March Madness Bring Chaos"

The clustering of several stories on the same date is consistent with a weekly issue: multiple articles are published together rather than one at a time each day.

What it covers

The paper organizes content into recurring sections, which tells you what kind of updates to expect each week:

Section What appears there
News & Feature Campus and institutional news, e.g. the VMRC land sale, curriculum changes, meal plan petition
Campus Life Student life and cultural events, e.g. Ethiopian students feature, Passover Seder, chicken coop project
Opinion Student columns and editorials, e.g. housing, pedagogy, an editorial on change
Review Reviews of local and campus offerings, e.g. coffee shop comparisons
Sports Athletics coverage, e.g. volleyball, disc golf, March Madness, NCAA eligibility

Is it a good regular source for EMU campus news?

Use it if you want student-reported, student-written coverage of EMU campus life, including opinion and review content that official university channels typically don't publish. Expect a weekly rhythm rather than continuous daily updates, and expect the perspective to be that of undergraduates rather than administrators.

If you need official institutional statements, enrollment figures, or policy announcements, treat The Weather Vane as a complement to — not a replacement for — official EMU communications, since it is independent by design.