Illegal and Unidentified
On the last Friday in September, Father Paul stands in front of a small crowd of Latinos and Hispanics at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Burlington. They wait patiently to hear what he has to say.
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On the last Friday in September, Father Paul stands in front of a small crowd of Latinos and Hispanics at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Burlington. They wait patiently to hear what he has to say.
On Tuesday night, the North Carolina House concurred changes the Senate made to House Bill 318, also known as the Protect North Carolina Workers Act. As of Wednesday, Sept. 30, it had been presented to Gov. Pat McCrory, but had not been signed.
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Five and a half minutes left in the half. The goalie dives to her left to block a shot. It deflects off her, but she cannot get to the rebound shot in time. The ball rolls just underneath her and into the net.
She grew up running through the streets of Damascus, surrounded by family and friends. Now, the streets she walked on as a young girl are minefields, covered in rubble from bombings and explosions. Palmyra, a place she visited often in her youth, lays in ruin, destroyed by the fights of the Islamic State group.
Members of the Elon community gathered Tuesday evening in McCrary Theater for the first cultural event of the year.
As conflicts rage across Northern Africa, South Sudan, Syria and Iraq, refugees* are trying to find a way out. Countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey have taken in millions of refugees and they no longer have the space or resources to take in anymore. Turkey has also experienced several bombings in the past few weeks that have scared people from seeking refuge there.
By the time Einstein Bros. Bagels opened late Monday morning, the line in Daniel Commons already wrapped around the large wooden table to the back door opening to the newly renovated Danieley Center.
At 9 a.m. February 2, 2013, I received the worst call of my life. It left me speechless. My youngest brother had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) the day before and was being admitted to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia that day. Weeks later, friends at Pennsylvania State University texted me during their famed THON, telling me they were dancing for my brother, dressed in orange. At first I was touched by their thoughtfulness. I was blessed to have such solidarity. But after watching my brother and several others battle cancer in that hospital, I became deeply cynical of any Dance Marathon — whether it’s Penn State’s or Elon University’s. Dancing didn’t save my brother’s live. My bone marrow did. All the money in the world wouldn’t have helped him at the exact moment he needed it — even with friends dancing for him at Penn State’s THON. That money never touched him. Not even close. But because I donated my bone marrow, he’s been in remission for almost two years now. For that reason, I do not donate to or participate in Elonthon or any Dance Marathon for that matter. The money those events raise benefits large medical institutions instead of the families that are affected by cancer who need immediate help. If I do donate money, it goes to organizations who donate the money to families directly. And, in all honestly, there’s something better than donating and fundraising money. Donate time. Donate blood. Donate bone marrow. Dance Marathons don’t generate this type of aid. They benefit a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. The funds go to that hospital for whatever it may need. It does not benefit those suffering only from cancer. THON, on the other hand, is specifically Penn State’s. It benefits the Four Diamonds Fund, which was started in 1972 and provides 600 child cancer patients with care every year. Elonthon benefits our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, which is Duke Children’s Hospital. It does not go directly to families but to whatever Duke needs it to go to. While we’re dancing, Duke University researchers, who write grants to get money for their research from the tax-payer-funded National Institutes of Health, recently announced a potential breakthrough in the treatment of brain cancer. It may sound harsh, but I don’t agree with the idea that dancing and fundraising money will eventually lead to a cure — for cancer or for any disease. Scientists in labs and hospitals around the world receiving aid from government organizations will lead to cures. Elonthon’s website says the money goes to Duke to help families regardless of their ability to pay. But the hospital has discretion over how that money is used. The hospital’s website says donations from Dance Marathons go to equipment, patient and family programs, and research. People need solutions now. Yes, the money might go to helping the masses in the future, but what about those suffering now? Would you donate money if you heard a loved one was dying? Or would you take every test possible to see if you could donate something of yourself? My sister has done just that. Yes, she participates in Temple University’s Dance Marathon, but she also does a lot more than that. She donates blood once a month and platelets every two weeks — the most-needed donation for patients undergoing chemotherapy or organ transplants. She switched her career path from veterinary medicine to nursing. She volunteers at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia as a Bedside Buddy, a role in which she plays with kids to give the parents a much-deserved break. Actions like that are what make a difference in the present. And for a family dealing with cancer, or any other life-threatening disease, the present is what matters. So go sign up for the blood drive at Elon. Volunteer at Duke Hospital. Write cards to the kids. Arrange a “Be the Match” event and register yourself. See if your dog can be a therapy dog. Donate your hair to Locks for Love. Call or write Congress to increase the percentage of funds from the National Cancer Institute that goes toward childhood cancer (currently at 4 percent). If you’ve done these things — great. But don’t just dance and raise money. There is more that you can do, and there are kids suffering now who need a miracle. You can give it to them.
This post will be updated as more information becomes available.
Elon University has not banned the use of the word freshman, and there is no policy dictating that the school uses the term “first-year” in place of “freshman,” according to Dan Anderson, vice president of University Communications.
Bill Gortney stood on the deck of the USS Roosevelt in Mayport, Florida, preparing himself for takeoff. It was spring 1975. He climbed into a carrier plane with “United States Navy” plastered on its side. The engine started; the propellers whirred. Soon the USS Roosevelt was a tiny dot below him.
Phil Smith and the staff of The Oak House have started to settle into their routine as the bar and coffee lounge’s opening month on campus draws to a close. The month has gone better than Smith expected, despite some of the challenges that come with running a business. “We’re still learning what works and what doesn’t work,” he said. “Every single day I learn something new.” Opening hours have already shifted from 7 to 7:30 a.m. during the week. After the first week, there were only a few people coming in between 7 and 7:30, so management made the change. The half-hour change saves The Oak House money and allows student baristas an extra 30 minutes of sleep. Technological issues with the router and point-of-sale system prompted Smith to invest in Square, an iPad, iPhone and laptop service that makes buying and selling faster and more efficient. The POS system has shut down multiple times, preventing customers from paying with credit cards. Paying with Phoenix Cash has not been an issue because it runs on a different system. Although it takes several minutes to fix the system, a backup option keeps the line of customers moving. Even with the setbacks, technology will serve as an important communication tool when student staff members are only working two or three hours a day. “There’s not a lot of consistency with people coming and going a lot,” Smith said. “We don’t really have shifts.” Smith said he wants to use the Notes app on the iPads in The Oak House more effectively, which will allow the constantly rotating staff to stay updated throughout the day. As the bar and lounge continues to “put out the fires,” business continues to grow. Customers have started to request items like breakfasts sandwiches and omelets. But both Assistant Manager Alex Ward and Smith have said they are not ready to offer a full menu. “As much as I love an omelet and would love to serve it, we are not in a position right now to serve from raw to plate,” Smith said. Ward explained that expanding options at The Oak House means hiring more staff, including chefs. The Oak House, he said, focuses on specialized drinks and the space, not on food. Both Ward and Smith also understand that adding too much too soon could put The Oak House in the same position as the restaurants before it. Smith wants to be the place that makes it. “We want to meet people’s needs, but we don’t want the idea of The Oak House to be compromised,” Ward said. Fewer food offerings and a less complex menu makes the staff more versatile. They can move from the bar to the coffee line based on need, prepare appetizers, clean the equipment and close up without Smith. Peter Walpole, a barista at The Oak House, said the staff juggles multiple roles well. “We’re always asking ourselves, ‘What can we do to serve customers best, to be more efficient?’” he said. Walpole said he sees the same customers several times a day and has started to form relationships with them. Smith has picked up on customer habits and patterns, too. In just one month, The Oak House already has regulars. There are the guys who come in on Tuesdays and Thursdays, drink a beer and talk about philosophy before heading to their philosophy class. There’s the group of girls who eat dinner at Pandora’s Pies, enjoy a half-price bottle of wine at The Oak House and head down to the Fat Frogg for Trivia on Tuesday nights. And there are the cooks from The Root who end their Thursdays with a beer at The Oak House. Smith did not think the lounge would be as busy as it is; in fact, he thought he’d be closing early. He has the opposite problem now: students do not want to leave. Representatives from student organizations have even started to approach Smith and Ward about hosting events at The Oak House. Student Union Board SUBLive co-chair Charles Racioppo met with Smith to plan the SUBLive Open Mic Night held during Family Weekend. After the event, students asked Racioppo when The Oak House would host the next SUBLive event. “There’s nothing definite for next semester,” Racioppo said, “but we want to go out of the box and expand a bit. We want to do something we haven’t done before.” At the moment, The Oak House is working on ways to attract the community outside of the university. Winter and summer breaks can hurt small businesses at Elon. Smith wants locals to come in, but with floods of Elon students, faculty and staff, he worries that they may not have the best experience. “We need to plan in thoughtful and intentional ways,” Smith said, “so as to achieve balance without turning away the crowd, but also welcoming the folks outside the Elon community.”
Elon University students and community members explored the cuisine, arts and recreational activities Alamance County has to offer through Welcome to Your Neighborhood, an event sponsored by the Elon Community Church. The event was created last year after discussions between the church’s university relations committee and Elon faculty and staff. “When we formed in January 2013, we met with faculty and staff at Elon,” said Committee Chair Sherry Scott, “We asked what the needs of the students were.” According to Scott, University Chaplain Jan Fuller said students need to learn what the area outside of Elon has to offer them. She wanted to come up with a way to help students find restaurants off campus. That proved to be a difficult feat for the committee. “We had no way of helping students find restaurants,” Scott said. “So we decided to bring the restaurants to students.” Scott and the rest of the university relations committee sought out a variety of restaurants from Italian-American to Southern to, of course, North Carolina barbeque. Next, they reached out to local recreational facilities like Burlington Parks and Recreation, Alamance Battleground Friends and the Burlington Velo Club. Scott explained that Welcome to Your Neighborhood not only introduces students to food and recreation, but also to local artisans. If a student likes to paint, they can talk to an artist who gives lessons. Students who want to act or volunteer can look into Stanfield Walker Studios and Studio One, the two theaters in Alamance County. “Everyone’s happy with who they’re meeting,” Scott said. “And they’re finding out things they wouldn’t otherwise know.” First years Lea Silverman and Micaela Soucy did not know the Burlington Co-op took Phoenix Cash until they were directed to the church on their way to Acorn. “I don’t know the restaurants in the area, so it’s good to get take-out menus,” Silverman said. Sophomore Kelly Reagan agreed. “It’s good to see what’s in the community,” she said, “Especially since I have a car this year, and I don’t really know what’s around.” The gathering is also a good way for local businesses to find support from the Elon community. Antioyne Rone lived his whole life in the town of Elon and has watched the university grow. He left the area for Atlanta in 2001, and when he came back, he was surprised at how much Elon had increased in size. “It needed people,” he said. Now, Rone said he hopes the growth will benefit his family’s new restaurant Delightful Soul, a Southern-style restaurant that opened five weeks ago. The business had been a catering company for 10 years, but customers clamored for a restaurant. One of the organizers of Welcome to Your Neighborhood approached Rone at Delightful Soul and asked if he would set up a stand at the event. He jumped at the opportunity. “We needed exposure,” he said. “We cook from our heart and soul, and it shows in the food.” Reagan, Silverman and Soucy want to support Rone and the other small business owners in the area. “It makes us more aware of what’s in the community, especially since Elon is a bubble,” Reagan said. “We need to support Alamance County.”
Dan Tart sat on a cushy, green couch in the lounge of Argo Tea, reflecting on an opening week in which demand exceeded supply on more than one occasion. Mid-sentence, a group of students in search of a snack interrupted the manager of Argo Tea and Winter Garden Cafe. Peering through the closed steel shutters to catch a glimpse of the menu, the half-dozen students complained loudly about the closure before leaving, still hungry.
Depression claimed her prisoner and made her bed the cell.
The Oak House, a bar, lounge and community gathering space imagined and co-owned by Phil Smith, is expected to open this week after being delayed two weeks because of pending health inspections and the approval of temporary liquor licenses to serve beer and wine. Despite the delays, Smith is unfazed. “I would have preferred to open when I thought I was going to open,” he said. “But if it’s only two weeks, we’re not going to call that a loss.” Others see the delayed opening as an opportunity. “It builds some excitement,” said Alex Ward, an Elon University graduate who now works as assistant manager for The Oak House. “It builds some hype for it [with] the delay.” According to Smith and Ward, students are intrigued by the idea of the lounge. They said students walk by and press their faces to the glass, hoping to catch a glimpse of what’s inside. Plenty have tried to open the door. Junior Bobby King is one of the many students who have passed by the new building and with the renovations, he said, “it’s like night and day.” The Oak House will be the fourth business to occupy the space next to Acorn Coffee Shop in eight years. At least half of the student body remembers Town Table, which was owned and operated by an Elon alum and restaurateur, which closed allegedly because of financial issues. The two eateries before that were operated by Aramark. “I don’t know how it’s going to run,” King said. “But I’ve seen good places shut down because of bad running.” Some students are less optimistic. “Bars have been going in and out of business here,” said junior Connor Cummings. “I like the idea, but I don’t think it’ll work on a college campus.” But Smith and his team have been working hard to get Elon and the community involved in the making of The Oak House. First, Smith pitchedhis idea to alum Ryan Vet, who came on board as a co-owner. Vet graduated from Elon with a host of business experiences. During his time at Elon, he also started uCondition, a software company. Vet and Smith launched a two-week Kickstarter campaign from July 23 to Aug. 14 to raise the last 10 percent of the funds needed to open The Oak House. In that two-week period, The Oak House raised 14 percent more than they wanted, all thanks to Elon faculty, students, staff, alumni, parents, friends and community members. “We needed the money, but it was also a really good marketing tool,” Smith said. “And it helped people get behind it and be a part of it.” Smith even used the delay to his advantage during move-in weekend. “Since we weren’t open for Move-In Friday, we sat out front and gave out free bottles of water,” he said. It gave him a chance to explain what The Oak House would be to new Elon parents and invite them to come in during Family Weekend. In addition to these innovative marketing ideas, Smith has also taken the traditional approach. During move-in, he placed coupons for a free coffee in new students’ orientation packets. He also placed coupons in race packets at a 5K for Habitat for Humanity. The Oak House will market itself with print, web and broadcast advertisements with IMG, a college sports marketing firm, and Phoenix Athletics. “Our main goal is to attract the whole Elon community,” Vet said. The Oak House offers something for everyone in the community, from the community. Those of legal drinking age can enjoy one of nine craft beers on tap from North Carolina. They can select from an “extensive bottled wine” list at varying prices. Or, they can pair a glass of wine starting at $6 with cheeses from the town of Elon. Those not old enough to enjoy a beer or a glass of wine can order Cheerwine or a Boylan soft drink on tap. They can walk down the coffee line, where the Town Table kitchen was, to sip on a drip coffee locally roasted by the same company used by Irazu, a mocha or hot tea. They can nibble on baked goods from Tasty Bakery in Graham or chocolate from Hillsborough. Even the old dining area is full of tables and chairs made from reused and repurposed wood from North Carolina. “It allows for a balance,” Ward said. “You can’t just see it as a bar, and you can’t just see it as a coffee lounge. It’s a unique spot that can’t be categorized.” Smith hopes that people are not just coming for the drinks or the food, but for the space itself. To do that, though, people need to get in the door. And while there are some students who wonder if such a space can exist at Elon, or if The Oak House can outlive the three other restaurants that have been housed in the same space, others are intrigued. “I really like the fact that they’re trying to combine academics with social life,” said senior Ana Preciado. “I think it’s going to be very interesting.”
Elon recently signed onto a new Institute for International Education (IIE) initiative designed to double the number of U.S. students studying abroad.
Tom Mould, associate professor of anthropology and sociology, explained in LasRose Digital Theatre Tuesday night how people create, show and change stories through cultural narratives.
Since the middle of February, the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life has hosted a Whirlwind Tour of world religions with lecturer LD Russell.