See also r/shenandoah, r/VirginiaNews, and r/VirginiaDems

Sorry if this post isn’t allowed, this is my first ticket too if that’s relevant.

Free admission to JMU students with current ID

Hello I have 5 JMU football concession voucher booklets available that were given to football season ticket holders.

DM me if interested.

More than a decade in the making, James Madison’s elevation from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2022 was methodical, tortuously so to some donors, fans and alumni.

Indeed, when Old Dominion made the same jump eight years earlier, some Dukes faithful were envious of their rival and dismayed with their own leadership.

But the wisdom of then-JMU President Jon Alger, the university’s Board of Visitors and then-athletic director Jeff Bourne is evident by the Dukes’ unprecedented ascension within the FBS and Sun Belt Conference, a rise capped by last season’s College Football Playoff bid.

JMU’s current administration, led by President James Schmidt and AD Matt Roan, can only hope the Dukes’ impending move to the American Conference, the antithesis of methodical, pays similar dividends.

There’s no apparent reason to believe it won’t.

“You don’t want to wake up (from the dream), but you have to wake up long enough to keep pouring gasoline on the fire,” Roan said during a 45-minute conversation this week. “And I think that’s the wisdom of this place. We waited to join the FBS until that transition could be seamless and we could have the success that we did.

“Time was not our friend this go-round. So, it’s really kind of been a little change in philosophy. But I think the reality, and commonality, is, it’s the pursuit of excellence.”

Already an affiliate American member in women’s lacrosse and women’s swimming — the Sun Belt doesn’t sponsor those sports — JMU has long had informal discussions with American officials about full membership. But time accelerated those talks for several reasons.

Most pressing: Sun Belt officials are considering a significant increase to the league’s exit fees, currently $5 million with at least one year’s notice — the Dukes are scheduled to depart no later than July 1, 2028.

On the horizon: Higher education writ large is bracing for an “enrollment cliff,” an expected 13% drop in high school graduates during the next 15 years, a trend that reflects the nation’s declining birth rates. As JMU aspires to grow enrollment from 23,000-plus to 30,000 by 2040, joining a conference with greater television exposure and members in Tampa (South Florida), metropolitan Miami (Florida Atlantic), the DMV (Navy), New York (Army) and Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) was appealing.

Then there is football, the driver of virtually all conference realignment.

Click the link above to read more.

I went to Mason Street Deck recently and noticed that the commuter parking signs that used to be at the beginning of the 5th floor are now at the beginning of the 4th floor.

Does anyone know if this means the 4th floor is now also available for commuter parking 24/7? I've tried looking online for some sort of official confirmation, but I haven't been able to find anything about the change.

I'm a little hesitant to park on the 4th floor because I don't want to risk getting a ticket. Just wondering if anyone knows for sure or has heard anything from JMU Parking Services.

Help Dukes design a new transportation app for fellow Dukes to use! We need YOUR personalized experience, desires, wants, and needs to shape our research so we can create a brand new app concept for potential users! This app can range from college commuters, people going to and from work on the daily or during car-problems, locals wanting to attend near-by events, and more!

If you have interest, filling it out would help the researching stage we're in! https://forms.gle/rnZ9C6wcKZPjSACf7

Hi all! Our coding class is designing a new app concept for transportation! Below is a google form link that will ask a few questions from your personal experience and preferences. Depending how much you want to share, it can be anywhere from five to ten minutes.

https://forms.gle/NgfJz5628s969NvD6

I'm curious how different universities have their own culture and identity.

If you could pick just ONE word that instantly makes students and alumni think of JMU, what would it be?

Conference realignment has quieted down at college football’s Power 4 level recently, but it has been a constant in the Group of 6 ever since the Texas-Oklahoma-SEC earthquake of 2021. That trend continued Monday when James Madison announced it would join the American Conference by July 1, 2028.

It was just four years ago that James Madison moved up from the Football Championship Subdivision to join the Sun Belt. The Dukes found immediate success and last season reached the College Football Playoff as the fifth-highest ranked conference champion.

Why make the move now? And what else could happen in the Group of 6? Here’s what we’re hearing. Some people engaged in the process spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on realignment strategy publicly.

Will the American add more?

JMU’s move will put the American at 15 football-playing members by 2028, an awkward odd number that conferences typically avoid. Adding another football-playing member would make for a cleaner schedule. But as with almost any conference expansion, adding teams splits the revenue pie further. Exorbitant entrance fees are often used to counteract diluted payouts for the rest of a conference.

JMU will pay $23 million to the American and receive a share more in line with recent additions to the conference, according to someone briefed on the move. Per the American’s 2025 tax filing, that share is worth around $7 million annually, which is less than the $12 million-plus that longtime American members receive but much more than the estimated $2 million JMU received from the Sun Belt.

Among other recent moves, North Dakota State paid $12.5 million to the Mountain West to join the league this year while taking a lesser share. Sacramento State paid $18 million to join the MAC and will forgo any MAC revenue for five years.

But entrance fee money gets split up and spent quickly. Long-term brand and health are more important to American Conference decision-makers. They feel JMU brings that.

Miami (Ohio), Liberty and UConn are among other schools that have shown interest, according to people briefed on the conversations. UConn, a member of the American from 2013 to 2019, left the league to join the new football-less Big East in most sports, while the football team began playing as an independent. UConn had hoped to remain a football-only member of the American, but the league denied it.

That relationship is different now. UConn athletic director David Benedict told The Athletic in September that he and American commissioner Tim Pernetti go way back and have had conversations since Pernetti got the job in 2024.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DeUlHjSxgSD/?mdxt=MWowYzQyY2V4czk2NQ==

I’m a freshman here and me alongside probably thousands of others didn’t finish the first year trainings (I got through well over half of them), will I be able to register for classes at a normal time, some people are saying there’s a hold others say nothing happens

You should come to our dance tonight at Turkish Art & Café! No experience? No problem! Beginner lesson at 7:30. Come make some new friends! We'd love to see you there :)

Custom JMU quilt! Turned out great!!

Pretty disappointed tbh, i understand that the majority of people go home during the break, but to charge the people that go there to eat is shocking.
Before people mention dining dollars, they are meant to last the full semester, not take a detrimental toll on ur balance just because u want to eat over fall break.
$18 to get into Dhall is what ive heard, disgusting.

My boyfriend is planning on visiting me for the weekend of the football game (Fr-Sun) and I was wondering where he should park for the weekend? I know there’s regulations for game days so I’m not really sure where he needs to park his car particularly on Friday night. Please help!!

In its history, has JMU ever had any incidents like the Cornell Chi Pi rape story? We’re their fraternities that had a known similar reputation? Does any of that exist at University today?

i’m considering JMU/fall ‘27. i play electric guitar as a hobby and would definitely still want to play in between going to games, social life etc
is there a rec center on campus where anyone plays during free time. thanks