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The Eastern Echo Tuesday, June 30, 2026 | Print Archive
The Eastern Echo

Sports

Kevin McGill

Los Angeles Chargers pick up Kevin McGill

By Charles Post · Tuesday, April 28, 2020

The Los Angeles Chargers have signed Kevin McGill, a former defensive back at Eastern Michigan who was named to the 2018 All-MAC Second Team and 2019 All-MAC Third Team. McGill was one of the best defensive backs in the MAC during his college career and he will now compete for a spot on the Chargers’ roster. 

EMU flags fly in endzone

Steven Nielsen gets signed by the Jaguars

By Charles Post · Monday, April 27, 2020

Steven Nielsen, a former Eastern Michigan offensive tackle has signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars following the 2020 NFL Draft which ended on Saturday, April 25. The 6’8 offensive lineman played in 49 games at Eastern Michigan over the last four seasons and started all 13 games last year. He earned 2018 Third Team All-MAC honors. 

Murphy sideline

Eagles welcome transfer guard Bryce McBride

By Charles Post · Monday, April 20, 2020

Bryce McBride, a 6-2 point guard out of Jackson, Tennessee, announced his decision to join the Eastern Michigan men’s basketball program on Wednesday, March 28 on Twitter. He attended Dyersburg State Community College last season and was named First Team All-TJCCAA after averaging 24.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. 

EMU football versus Toledo

3-star OT Coleon Smith signs with EMU after decommitting from Indiana

By Charles Post · Saturday, April 18, 2020

Coleon Smith, a 3-star offensive tackle according to ESPN and 247 Sports, has signed with head coach Chris Creighton and the Eastern Michigan Eagles football program. Smith signed with the team on Wednesday, April 15 via Twitter. He previously committed to Indiana on February 5, 2020 before changing his mind in EMU’s favor.

Jenna Annecchiaro

Looking back at the EMU women's basketball team's top moments

By Charles Post · Saturday, April 11, 2020

The Eastern Michigan Eagles women’s basketball team had an up-and-down 2019-20 campaign, which came to an abrupt end due to the coronavirus pandemic, just as they were starting to play to their full potential. The Eagles finished with a 16-15 (9-9) record, including a 9-6 record at home, and a number of outstanding individual and team performances. Looking back, here are Eastern Michigan’s top five moments from this past season. 

Damari Parris

EMU guard Damari Parris enters transfer portal

By Charles Post · Friday, April 10, 2020

Damari Parris entered the transfer portal on Thursday, March 19 as he has one year of eligibility remaining. Parris has already transferred once during his college career as he played for Western Kentucky during the 2016-17 season before coming to Eastern Michigan. Parris only played for the Eagles during the 2018-19 campaign. 

Latest Podcast

Eastern Michigan University’s “Enlighten U” has been ranked the top mental health podcast in Michigan by FeedSpot, a platform that compiles blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels, newsletters and other sites in one location.

“Enlighten U” is a podcast geared toward students who are experiencing mental health challenges. Melissa Thrasher, EMU's executive director of media relations and social media, and Lolita Cummings, an EMU public relations professor, serve as the co-hosts. Each episode is released around the 15th of every month and features a student or alum and a subject-matter professional.

Lolita Cummings in an interview with The Echo said that this is not the first time the No. 1 mental health podcast in Michigan has been awarded to "Enlighten U."

"We've been the No. 1 mental health podcast in Michigan from the very beginning," Cummings said. "I think it's an indicator of the fact that what we are trying to do, we are doing well, and that is important."

At the start of each "Enlighten U" episode, Cummings and Thrasher state that the "Enlighten U" podcast is an award-winning show.

"A couple of years ago, I won the best in PR for good campaign from Public Relations Society of America for the marketing and promotions program, because it's important that we get this, the word, out to everyone and about the podcast," Cummings said.

Thrasher and Cummings are both extremely proud of their podcast, but these awards and recognitions are not why they continue with it.

It is important to Cummings that she serves all of her students' needs. She noticed that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of many of her students was declining. When the students came back after the pandemic, Cummings noticed that her students' mental health was even worse. Due to this, she began brainstorming with one of her students about how she could help.

"She [the student] said to me, 'We watched a lot of podcasts while we were off.' So I said, 'Okay, I don't know anything about podcasts, but I will meet you all where you are.' So that's where the idea came from," Cummings said. "I am able to not just serve their academic needs, but I'm also able to serve their mental health needs. And to get the feedback from them, that is really helping, and is everything to me because the students are the ones who tell us what issues are impacting the most. Those are the issues that we bring to the table at 'Enlighten U.'"

Cummings encourages students to not only watch and listen to "Enlighten U" but to also spread the word about the podcast.

"One of the things we want to do is get the word out about this podcast to as many people as possible, across the nation, across the world," she said. "The need is not limited to our campus — the need is universal; it is worldwide. My goal at this point is obviously to continue to produce quality shows that reflect the mental health challenges that students are facing, but also get it out to wider audiences so we can help more people."

For those who are interested in engaging with "Enlighten U," the podcast can be found on YouTube and Spotify.

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