Anthony Thaxton

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  • Eastern Michigan University Reverts Decision that was supposed to help Adjust to Enrollment Decreasing

    Eastern Michigan University Reverts Decision that was supposed to help Adjust to Enrollment Decreasing

    Eastern Michigan University ended its deal with LAZ Parking on Oct. 26, 2025, revoking the ability for LAZ Parking to facilitate the campus’s parking operation. A deal that was put in place to help EMU adjust to decreasing income and enrollment. 

    Enrollment at EMU has decreased by 42% since 2013, as said in a message to employees on April 30, 2024. In that statement, The President’s Office at EMU described this as a substantial financial impact. Many efforts were announced by the university in the message and made to adjust to these challenges, including reducing employees, partnering with third parties, and demolishing buildings.

    Emilly Cuellar, a senior at Eastern Michigan University, has had three classes cancelled so far due registration not reaching the required number of students. “I’m fresh out of luck.”

    The operating revenue from tuition in 2014 was $215 million, as of 2025, that revenue has dropped to $160 million, both are according to Eastern Michigan Universities financial reports from the correlated years. This decrease in tuition income is due to their decreasing enrollment. In 2013, EMU had 19,084 undergraduate students, and as of 2025 has 10,034 undergraduate students, shown in the EMU Data Book for the correlated years.

    One part of EMU’s strategy was to reduce employee headcounts without layoffs. Mathew Kirkpatrick, the president of EMU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, has noticed these changes through professors leaving and being replaced.

    Another strategy taken was to privatize certain operations on campus. Parking, dining, and energy have all been moved over to third party companies. The energy deal with CentrioEnergy is a 50-year-deal that brought $115 million to EMU, as explained on Eastern Michigan University’s website. E | Dining has suffered this early into the fall semester with multiple locations closing their stores. From a poll by The Eastern Echo, 78.6% of students see the changes that E | Dining has made to be negative. 

    Kirkpatrick sees privatization on campus as a bad idea. He says that it interferes with the “little city” feeling that EMU gives him. With the reacquisition of the campuses parking Kirkpatrick questions whether these strategies are properly helping the university.

    EMU has also begun demolishing buildings that have become obsolete on campus. The Brown and Munson apartment buildings, and Jones and Goddard Residential halls both completed demolition in fall 2024.

    Kirkpatrick believes that with these buildings gone the campus has become more green. With more open space for a pretty campus.

    Though with these buildings being demolished, new buildings have been built. With a $200 million investment from 2022 to 2024, Lakeview and Westview apartments have been constructed with the goal to meet 21st-century standards for university students, as said on the EMU website promoting the new apartments..

    Kirkpatrick says about the future of the University, “People still want to go to college.” 

    Kirkpatrick is optimistic about the future of EMU. He hopes that the new president, Brendan Kelly, after current EMU President James M. Smith steps down, can bring a new vision to EMU. He commends the beautiful campus, passionate staff, and good students, that he believes will keep EMU thriving in its own way.
    The Department of Education agrees with his optimistic view. The Department of Education predicts a 9% increase in college enrollment by 2031, as studied by the National Center for Education Statistics.

  • Eastern Echo Podcasting is Kicking off the Fall Semester

    Gray Connor is taking the helm for podcasting at the Eastern Echo, Eastern Michigan University’s student-run news organization, and they’ve proven their place as podcast editor with an increase in viewership as opposed to recent years.

    Last year, Gray joined the Echo as a third year student and began as a staff writer after being inspired by taking Professor Christine Uthoff’s Feature Writing course. At the time Gray had little experience in news reporting, only with a background from their high school news organization. After changing their focus from political science to journalism, Gray “fell in love” with it and put their all into the Eastern Echo.

    Through Gray’s first year at the Echo, they occasionally worked with fellow Eastern Echo staff member Alex Crebs, the former podcast manager for the Echo, who had a strong focus on building and maintaining the image of Eastern Echo podcasting with popular hosts like Queso Tone. With Alex graduating it was time for Gray to take over.

    Gray has taken on the new experience of leadership with no similar background. Gray delegates staff members and continues to direct, edit, or host amongst all the shows the Eastern Echo provides. Gray has focused on consistency of weekly content to publish, with 12 new episodes published so far since the start of the semester. 

    Gray is also focusing on adding new shows under the banner of the Eastern Echo, currently with 5; Living Lanterns, The Factory Report, Weekly Round-up, Winging It, and Next on Deck. While still working on two more additions in the future.

    Another focus for Gray, which has shown a lot of success when viewing the increasing viewership on Spotify, is the change in marketing tactics for the podcasts. Gray chose to bring the Eastern Echo Podcast group into the same instagram as the rest of The Eastern Echo, making it more accessible for students that are already following The Eastern Echo.

    Gray’s idea of the podcasting section of The Eastern Echo has worked out especially well for the two current most successful weekly podcasts; Living Lanterns with Josh Nieman and The Factory report with Caleb Henderson.

  • Dreadnoughts Table Top Games at EaglesFest

    In 2021, a first-year student showed up to her first EagleFest, the first of many. Crowds of people huddled shoulder to shoulder around the well known clubs and fraternities. Students enjoyed food and drinks on the lawn, while the smell of the food stalls wafted over the pond. 

    This first-year student wasn’t browsing for a possible club; she knew exactly what she was looking for. As soon as she got there she scoured around the event for one club in particular, Dreadnoughts Table Top Games. 

    Four years later, at EagleFest in 2025, that same student, Kitty Blasko, now serves as vice president of the Dreadnoughts.

    While other organizations gathered large crowds, sometimes more than 10 people, to listen to their leaders, Dreadnoughts members waved down potential newcomers whether they seemed interested or not. 

    Kitty Blasko is the vice president of the club, the largest student organization dedicated to tabletop gaming at Eastern Michigan University. Every Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., they play a variety of board games in room 300. Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, Ultimate Werewolf, and even games as common as chess and checkers. 

    For Kitty, the Dreadnoughts is more than a board game club. She’s been a member since her first year and is now in her senior year as vice president. She emphasized that the club isn’t like other organizations that require specialized skills or a strong commitment—you just need to be yourself.

    “Dreadnoughts is a place to relax, make friends, and have fun.” said Kitty when asked what the club was about.

    Dreadnoughts is a place to be yourself, relax, and make friends. All around, it is a great place to just have fun. The organization held its first meeting Wednesday, Sept. 3, and will meet every Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.