When the last lecture had been given, the last final exam taken and the last diploma handed out last spring, many Elon students went their separate ways for the summer. Although most weren't living directly within the infamous Elon bubble, life at the university continued on. And this past summer, perhaps more than others, there were quite a few events that drew us all together, even though we were thousands of miles apart.

Matt Hill, a 2008 Elon alumnus, disappeared in D.C. at the end of May, prompting an outpouring of support to his friends and family. Thankfully, he was found unharmed several days later.

Then there were more serious events. Melody van Lidth de Jeude, a beloved professor in the School of Communications, passed away May 27 from an illness that no one seems to have known about. David Edmond Wesley Schlosser, who had graduated just two weeks earlier with a degree in computer science, died suddenly on June 2. On June 24, Verona Danieley, wife of former Elon president and campus icon Dr. Earl Danieley also passed.

And most tragically for the incoming Class of 2015, on July 4, incoming freshman Lauren Astley was found dead, her life cut short allegedly at the hands of a former boyfriend. The 18-year-old man has since been indicted on murder charges.

It has undoubtedly been a mournful summer for the Elon University family.

This is not to say that we have spent all summer wiping the tears from our eyes. There has also been much to celebrate and much to look forward to as the new semester approaches.

The Elon Town Center finished construction on schedule, and we all look forward to a wonderful new bookstore and additional spaces for commercial ventures. On a personal note, The Pendulum can celebrate its return to the corner, this time on the third floor, in a beautiful new facility.

The green construction fences that stood behind the Koury Business Center for a year have finally come down, revealing three new dorms and another quad to join the plethora of beautiful lawns that decorate our campus. Story Center has begun to crumble to make room for even more new dorms, and we are all excited about a Moseley Center that's nearly doubled in size in just over a year.

We have all these thrilling things to look forward to when we arrive on campus, and faces, new and old, to see. Our campus may be made up of thousands of people from every walk of life and corner of the world, but we also have so much in common. We are all connected by this place, this school, this tiny slice of the universe. And this inherently bonds us, and makes us capable of mutual joy over new experiences and discoveries and empathy and compassion toward the friends and colleagues missing and lost for good.

Jokes may be made about the Elon bubble during the four years spent as an Elon student. You may even grow sick of living in it. But when you're sitting at home during the summer and you get a Smith Jackson email telling you a professor has died and you feel that ache of loss, you can seek comfort in the countless others who are feeling that same grief, because they know the uniqueness of feeling like a part of something that matters.

So, new students, welcome to the circus, the fray, the family, the bubble, the whatever-you'd-like-to-call-it. There are no promises this is going to be a smooth ride and in fact, there is a guarantee you will experience disappointment and heartbreak among the adventure and happiness that you find here. But we'll be here, all of us, through it all.

And we're glad you're here, too.