Campus

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NEWS 10/26/23 11:18am

Founder of Girls Who Code expresses importance of failure, bravery to Elon University

By Erin Hroncich

Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code, spoke in McKinnon Hall at Elon University on Oct. 24. She is a lawyer, author, activist and founder and CEO of Moms First — her most recent endeavor that seeks to provide more employment benefits and childcare for mothers. Saujani also said she is an advocate for equal pay between men and women. In her presentation, she said her background with two refugee parents played a pivotal role in her activism. Saujani also said her work has been focused on underserved communities, especially women.

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LIFESTYLE 10/26/23 11:15am

Elon University alumna wins ‘Best Student Short Award’ at Grand Rapids Film Festival

By Maggie Braswell

Elon University alumna Emily Prins ’23 produced a film titled, “Not without a Trace” during this past summer. The 14-minute film premiered at the Grand Rapids film festival in Michigan and captured the audience, leading her to win “Best student short" award. Prins' movie is an authentic retelling of the 1981 incident when 14-year-old Deanie Peters went missing. More than four decades later, the suburban community near Grand Rapids remains haunted by the lingering impact of her disappearance.

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NEWS 10/25/23 8:42am

Elon University CREDE promotes cultural sensitivity during Halloween

By Monika Jurevicius

Elon’s Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education held its second “Culture is not a Costume” campaign to educate students about culturally appropriated costumes before Halloween. Posters and yard signs with the phrase, “You wear the costume for a night ... I wear the costume for life” were posted around campus starting the second week of October to promote the campaign. Students who are part of minority communities on campus are pictured on the campaign’s signs as they hold pictures of culturally appropriated costumes from cultures.

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SPORTS 10/24/23 11:51am

Elon University women’s soccer dominates Charleston in regular-season finale

By Jack Prahinski

The Elon University women’s soccer team put on a dominant performance against the College of Charleston during their regular-season finale at Rudd Field Oct. 22. An early goal by junior forward Kelly Degnan gave the Phoenix breathing room from the outset. Impressive second-half goals by freshman forward Grace Gelhaus and freshman midfielder Gabby Hoschek put Elon in position to cap off their 2023 campaign with a 3-0 victory. Both teams sat near the bottom of the Coastal Athletic Association standings entering the match and there were no outcomes that would allow either squad to clinch a postseason berth to the CAA tournament.

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NEWS 10/24/23 11:26am

Elon University students share political involvement following second Republican debate

By Alexa Citrin

As municipal and U.S. national election campaigns ramp up — with Alamance County municipal elections being held Nov. 7 — Elon civic engagement organizations such as Elon Votes arrange events to get students involved. The next Republican primary debate is scheduled for Nov. 8. As of Oct. 24, there are no Democratic primary or general election debates scheduled for the 2024 presidential election campaign. Senior Tori Kelleher, an involvement ambassador for Elon Votes, said watch parties are hosted at Elon for both Republican and Democratic debates and are meant to foster discourse.  

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NEWS 10/23/23 3:26pm

Elon University faculty struggle to navigate new NC train schedule

By Naomi Washington

It wasn’t until Elon University Human Service Studies professor Monica Burney tried to buy a train ticket over the summer for her usual train route that she discovered her stop no longer existed. Burney enjoyed occasionally riding the train from Durham, where she lives and grew up, to work in Burlington. Burney said she didn’t know anything about the upcoming changes to the schedule. The North Carolina Department of Transportation changed the NC By Train daily schedule in July. NC By Train is the train service operated by the NCDOT, and Amtrak workers staff its trains.

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NEWS 10/22/23 7:56pm

Elon University junior promotes NAMI with rotisserie chicken

By Madison Powers

Elon University President Connie Book won a rotisserie chicken eating contest against junior Jack Zapata and Student Body President senior Britt Mobley on Oct. 20 in the Moseley student center. Having started Sept. 22, Zapata is eating a whole rotisserie chicken every day for 40 days to raise funds and awareness for the National Alliance on Mental Illness — a grassroots mental health organization that provides education, advocacy and support for people with mental illnesses. On his 28th day of eating a rotisserie chicken, Zapata said he teamed up with Book and Mobley to expand his reach and achieve his goal of raising $100,000 for NAMI.

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NEWS 10/21/23 5:36pm

Toasty Kettlyst Beer Garden opens in downtown Elon

By Alex Nettles

The Toasty Kettlyst Beer Garden introduced an outdoor beer garden on North Holt Avenue. The outdoor drinking spot is an expansion of the Toasty Kettlyst Beer Company in Gibsonville. Sitting behind the College Street Taphouse, the addition expands the town of Elon’s social district, which launched in April. The bar opened its space Oct. 12, and is open Thursday through Sunday. Outdoor lights are strung over picnic tables and craft beer is served from a kiosk on a small patch of green.

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LIFESTYLE 10/20/23 2:53pm

Student-run dance production ‘Semicolon’ offers hopeful narrative to Elon University community

By Sarah T. Moore

“Semicolon,” a student-run dance production three years in the making, will make its debut Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. in Roberts Studio Theatre with two additional shows Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Directed and choreographed by junior Pheriby Bryan, the free, 40-minute show explores different, intertwining narratives of those impacted by suicidal ideation. Junior Meredith Peck said she remembers the moment in their freshman year when Bryan walked into her room to tell her the idea for the project. 

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NEWS 10/19/23 9:13pm

Contextualizing the Conflict: Elon University students, faculty discuss Israel-Hamas conflict

By Cece Ebora

Elon University hosted Contextualizing the Conflict: Conversations About the Middle East — a collection of roundtable discussions about the Israel-Hamas conflict — on Oct. 18. The event, organized by the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society, the International and Global Studies Program and the Department of Political Science and Policy Studies allowed students to hear from other students and faculty experts. In response to the conflict, Elon President Connie Book said it is vital for the Elon community to participate in civic discussion.

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NEWS 10/19/23 8:13pm

Elon University community honors sophomore with memorial

By Abigail Hobbs and Madison Powers

Friends and family of rising sophomore Jason Titunik, who died over the summer in a car crash, recognized his life Oct. 19 by sharing memories and planting a tree in his honor. Over 75 members of the Elon community gathered outside of Hook, Brannock and Barney residence halls — where Titunik lived his freshman year — to express condolences and support. The Rev. Kristin Boswell and Ira Titunik, Jason’s father, as well as friends and roommates described Jason’s personality and memory before planting a tree outside of HBB.  

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NEWS 10/18/23 11:11am

Permanent plaza in downtown Elon expected by early December

By Miles Hayford

A permanent plaza has been under construction since Aug. 3 in downtown Elon, and will be complete by early December. The plaza, which will cost roughly $450,000, will be located on West College Avenue and North Williamson Avenue. According to town of Elon downtown development director Jill Weston, the purpose of the plaza is to create a gathering place for events such as a dining space, a place for live music and somewhere to hold holiday events.

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NEWS 10/17/23 7:57am

Community continues to mourn, honor loss of Elon University sophomore

By Ryan Kupperman

Jason Titunik, a 19-year-old rising Elon sophomore from Sarasota, Florida, was killed in a car crash July 6. A funeral service was held for Titunik in New Jersey over the summer, but the Elon community will be hosting a memorial at 3:45 p.m. on Oct. 19 in the grassy area just north of the Hook, Brannock and Barney residence halls — where Titunik lived his freshman year. According to an email sent by Vice President for student life Jon Dooley, the event will feature an opportunity for the community to share memories of Titunik, as well as plant a memorial tree in his remembrance.

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NEWS 10/16/23 9:50pm

Elon University Jewish fraternity hosts walk of solidarity for Israel

By Madison Powers

Alpha Epsilon Pi said prayers and hosted a walk of solidarity around Elon University’s campus for the state of Israel on Oct. 16. The fraternity, joined by university community members, prayed for peace and walked around campus to make a stand against terror and violence, according to sophomore and AEPi member Benji Stern. The walk comes a little over a week after Hamas, a militant group, attacked the Israeli southern border on the night of Oct. 7. As of Oct. 16, 2,670 Palestinians have died and over 1,400 Israelis have died, according to the Associated Press. 

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NEWS 10/16/23 2:32pm

All ABSS students discharged from hospital following bus crash

By Ryan Kupperman

Alamance-Burlington School System Public Information Officer Les Atkins announced Oct. 16 that the last of seven students were discharged from UNC Chapel Hill Hospital following a school bus crash. According to a report from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, 18 students were aboard the bus on the way to B. Everett Jordan Elementary School the morning of Oct. 12. State Highway Patrol responded to reports of a crash on Highway 87 near Judge Sharpe Road in Alamance County. According to the report, the bus driver was charged with failure to maintain lane control.

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LIFESTYLE 10/14/23 2:28pm

‘John Proctor is the Villain’ asks Elon University students, community to stand up for themselves

By Sarah T. Moore

Elon University’s 2023 fall play “John Proctor is the Villain” is a critique of pop culture, the patriarchy and “The Crucible.” With six shows Oct. 6 to Oct. 10, the cast and crew of Elon students worked together to tell the story of students in rural Georgia learning to stand up for themselves — and each other — as their community is impacted by the rise of the #MeToo movement. While there are no remaining showings of the fall play, the Elon performing arts’ fall musical will have six showings from Oct. 27 to Nov. 4 at McCrary Theatre.

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NEWS 10/13/23 1:26pm

‘Anti-Woke is Anti-Black’ : Elon University students, panelists explore state of Blackness

By Cece Ebora

Sandra Reid, a lecturer in human service studies at Elon University, said the fight for civil rights and racial equality will never end until actual reform is made. On Oct. 3, Elon University's African & African American Studies program hosted an educational discussion through a State of Blackness Panel. Reid said the main purpose of the panel discussion was to explore the importance of what it means to be Black today. Wendy Scott, the associate dean of special projects and professor of law at Elon, criticized this summer’s Supreme Court decision in which colleges and universities can no longer consider race in their admissions process.

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NEWS 10/12/23 2:22pm

Burnout trend poses challenges for Elon University’s school of education

By Alex Nettles

Following concerns about the Alamance-Burlington School System mold problems and high rates of teachers quitting their jobs, senior education major Ally Shibata said she has doubts about entering the field of teaching due to burnout. Shibata teaches part-time at Central Park School for Children in Durham. She said she often feels flustered as a student teacher, and balancing an education along with a college social life she feels is already difficult. K-12 workers showed the highest rates of burnout of all professions in the U.S., according to a 2022 Gallup Survey.

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NEWS 10/11/23 8:33am

NC Jelly Donuts temporarily closes because of malfunctioning equipment

By Michael Leung

According to the automatic voice messaging system of NC Jelly Donuts, the fryer at the 3260 S. Church St. Burlington location started to malfunction — causing the business to temporarily close. The new fryer will be arriving on Oct. 16 and the store is scheduled to reopen Oct. 17. Owen Crider, an Elon University sophomore, said he was more than disheartened when he heard NC Jelly Donuts is temporarily closed, which has been the case since Oct. 3.

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NEWS 10/10/23 10:45pm

Elon Town Council voices concerns over conditional rezoning on Manning Ave

By Lauren Winslow

The Elon Town Council heard a conditional rezoning petition for Manning Avenue, in which Anthony Hezar, the developer for the project, said he wants to build duplexes on two currently vacant parcels of land. Manning Avenue houses the Oaks apartment complex and leads away from Elon University’s campus and into residential neighborhoods. The proposal occurred during a council meeting Oct. 10. Due to the location of the parcels of land near a stream buffer, three waivers would need to be approved by the council in order for construction to start. 

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