Editorials

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LIFESTYLE 2/25/24 6:22pm

Elon University music department promotes passion for jazz

By Ruth Cruz

Elon’s Jazz Festival launched a new program for middle and high school students to explore the history of Jazz. Musicians gave students an opportunity to enhance their skills in the jazz field. Director of Jazz Studies Alex Heitlinger is head of the recruiting Jazz program at Elon. He said the program allows students to gain new perspectives about Jazz education. Heitlinger hopes these experiences will inspire students to pursue a jazz profession. The Elon Jazz Ensemble performed in McCrary Theatre on Feb. 24, having been mentored by award-winning artist Kris Johnson.

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NEWS 2/25/24 2:08pm

Mebane City Council approves construction plans for North Carolina’s first Buc-ee’s

By Audrey Geib

Mebane City Council unanimously voted to approve the rezoning and special use permit of North Carolina’s first Buc-ee’s. Currently, the closest Buc-ee’s to Alamance County is over two hours away in Florence, South Carolina; however, the new building site for this Buc-ee’s is half an hour from campus. Mebane local and Elon sophomore Leann Beckham said that the new Buc-ee’s has been a topic of conversation in the community since June 2023 when it was proposed to zoning officials. The Mebane City Planning Council voted 6-3 to reject the permits; however, the permits were ultimately approved by City Council on Jan. 8.

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NEWS 2/25/24 9:42am

Elon Wheels rolls into new era, helps design skatepark

By Miles Hayford

Two years ago, then freshman Kai Whiteside was the only student skateboarding through Medallion Plaza. Now, after the creation of Elon Wheels, Whiteside is at the forefront of a growing skateboarding community that is working to create Alamance County’s first public skate park. Elon Wheels as an organization has undergone a transformation over the last three years. Building a skate park has always been a goal of the town, according to Elon Mayor Emily Sharpe. The town will begin working on this goal now that this year’s fiscal budget has $250,000 to be spent on building a skate park for the community.

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LIFESTYLE 2/24/24 5:38pm

Elon University a cappella group hosts 11th annual Make-A-Wish concert

By Jordyn Forni

Vital Signs, an a cappella group at Elon University, will host its 11th annual Make-A-Wish concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24 in Whitley Auditorium. Vital Signs will perform alongside all seven of the other established a cappella groups at Elon, as well as two visiting ones. The organization aims to raise $10,000 through donations and ticket sales to donate to the Make-A-Wish foundation. President of Vital Signs Aidan Coy said this event was started 11 years ago by a Vital Signs Alum whose sister was a Make-A-Wish kid.

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NEWS 2/24/24 7:32am

Elon University adopts new global strategic plan

By Aidan Powley

Elon University has adopted a new global strategic plan aimed to maintain and expand its national reputation as a leader in global education, which includes its 18-year recognition as #1 in study abroad by the Institute of International Education. In 2011, Elon introduced a draft of a plan to improve global education. Until now, the university did not have any global strategic plan in place. The 2011 drafted plan laid out the groundwork for what is seen at Elon today, according to Dean of Global Education Nick Gozik.

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LIFESTYLE 2/23/24 9:08am

NPHC organizations provide service for Black students at Elon University

By Kymani Jackson

Sisterhood is a big appeal of Greek life for Aleezah Adams, president of the Black Student Union and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Adams crossed Delta Sigma Theta in the spring of 2023 of her junior year. Her sorority is a part of the National PanHellenic Council. NPHC, also known as the Divine Nine, is a collection of nine historically Black greek letter organizations. It comprises five fraternities and four sororities, and on Elon’s campus, there are six active chapters. Adams said the support NPHC organizations provide the Elon community, especially the Black community, is crucial.

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LIFESTYLE 2/22/24 10:46am

Student-run LGBTQ+ arts festival aims to uplift LGBTQ+ communities at Elon University

By Sarah T. Moore

When sophomore Sophie Verrecchia remembers dancing in “Luminosity,” she thinks about the community she found and how everyone she worked with was warm and welcoming. Now, Verrecchia and 81 other students are working together to bring Elon’s student-run LGBTQ+ arts festival back for a second year. “Breakthrough” — this year’s festival — hopes to continue Morrill’s legacy, building off of their research and showcasing student creatives. The festival will have events from Feb. 23 to 25, starting with a kickoff celebration at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 23 in the Center for the Arts Isabella Cannon Room.

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NEWS 2/22/24 8:16am

Elon University changes selection process for 2024 student commencement speaker

By Reagan Sizemore

Elon’s Student Government Association is making a change to the student commencement speaker qualifications. In previous years, the student speaker has always been the senior class president; however, SGA announced that all seniors will have the chance to apply to speak at the 2024 graduation ceremony if they meet the following requirements: Applicant must be a graduating, full-time student who has been at Elon for at least five semesters; have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher; must be in good standing with the university and may not be “a present or former SGA executive or senior class officer.”

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NEWS 2/21/24 9:35am

“Klan Whisperer” encourages respect, understanding to resolve conflict

By Nia Bedard

Elon University's Liberal Arts Forum invited musician Daryl Davis who famously befriends members of the Ku Klux Klan in order to change their beliefs to speak on campus as a part of the forum's speaker series. The Liberal Arts Forum is a student organization that brings academic speakers to Elon to discuss interests that are prevalent on campus. The Liberal Arts Forum's next event will host Greek-American filmmaker and Olympian runner, Alexi Pappas at 7:30 p.m. on March 11 in Whitley auditorium.

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NEWS 2/21/24 7:54am

Town of Elon implements hotel tax

By Alexa Citrin

The town of Elon joined the Alamance County Municipal Tourism Development Authority after the town council voted unanimously in a meeting on Feb. 14 to levy a local occupancy tax on hotels with a rate of up to 3%. The Alamance County Municipal Tourism Development Authority is designed to help increase tourism in the Alamance County area, mostly through advertising projects and events to help boost the economy in each town in the Authority. The Inn at Elon is the only hotel affected by the new tax — being the only hotel in the town of Elon.

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NEWS 2/20/24 5:01pm

ABSS suspends deputy superintendent with pay

By Sophie Rosenthal

Alamance-Burlington School System Deputy Superintendent Lowell Rogers has been suspended with pay following recent charges of failure to report a crime against a juvenile, ABSS announced Feb. 20. ABSS Public Information Officer Les Atkins said the school district is cooperating fully with law enforcement and taking steps to address the charges. This comes just one day after chief financial officer Kim McVey left the school district amid a financial crisis and legislative investigation. Rogers had taken on the role of acting chief financial officer yesterday, Feb. 19.

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NEWS 2/20/24 11:37am

Alamance-Burlington School System’s CFO ‘parts ways’ with ABSS amid financial crisis, investigation

By Sophie Rosenthal

Kim McVey left her position as chief financial officer for the Alamance-Burlington School System, according to a statement from Superintendent Dain Butler on Feb. 19. According to Butler’s statement, Deputy Superintendent Lowell Rogers will temporarily oversee finances until an interim can be hired. McVey’s departure from the school system comes about two weeks after State Sen. Amy Galey opened a legislative investigation into the district’s financial decisions. Galey requested the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations look into what the school board has declared to be a financial crisis.

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LIFESTYLE 2/20/24 8:09am

Netflix series ‘My Life with the Walter Boys’ features Elon University alum

By Sarah T. Moore

Greensboro native and “My Life with the Walter Boys” actor Jaylan Evans remembers going to see plays and musicals at Elon University throughout high school. As he was applying to music theatre programs across the country, Evans said he continued to find himself drawn to Elon. Evans graduated from Elon in 2020, amid a global pandemic, and moved to New York a year later. He had two roles under his belt by then, one as a guest star in an episode of “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” and the other as a voice actor in a Netflix animated children’s show.

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NEWS 2/19/24 11:42am

New Elon in Los Angeles director focuses on recruitment

By Ryan Kupperman

New Elon in Los Angeles Director Brad Lemack will be visiting Elon on Wednesday, Feb. 21 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Snow Atrium for an informal meet and greet. After a few weeks on the job, Lemack said his primary goal for the program is recruitment. Lemack has been living and working in LA for decades — including as an Elon adjunct professor of strategic communications and entertainment public relations for the last 14 years. With the Elon in LA program being 15 years old, Lemack has been involved with the program for almost its entire existence.

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LIFESTYLE 2/19/24 11:11am

Abusua dance concert at Elon University explores Black narrative

By Ruth Cruz

Elon University’s Performing Arts department presented “Abusua” in honor of Black History Month. The performers reflected a narrative of the struggles within the Black community. They incorporated realistic experiences that captivated the audience with a mixture of contemporary and Jazz. The dedicated and passionate performers explored the beauty of Black culture through traditional African dance at McCrary Theater on Feb. 16 and 17. They used the term Abusua to represent their idea of family, according to artistic director Keshia Wall. This was a recurrent theme throughout the performance which reflected their values as a diverse group.

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SPORTS 2/19/24 7:23am

Online sports betting comes to North Carolina in March

By Miles Hayford

Starting in March, sports wagering in North Carolina will be undergoing a historic transformation. After being signed into law in June 2023 by Gov. Roy Cooper, House Bill 347 will be put into effect on March 11, and online sports betting will be legal for those 21 and older in the state for the first time ever. After almost 40 states legalized online sports betting, North Carolina has joined the rest of the country. Sport management professor David Bockino said he always expected for the state to eventually legalize sports betting.

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NEWS 2/18/24 5:53pm

Kernodle launches new volunteer opportunity for Boys and Girls Club

By Aidan Powley

The Kernodle Center for Civic Life started providing a new transportation service for students who would like to volunteer at Elon’s long-standing partner — the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club of Alamance County — on Feb. 16. The Kernodle Center’s transportation service plans to run every Friday from 3 to 5:30 p.m., providing Elon students rides to the Boys and Girls Club of Alamance County. According to Associate Director of the Kernodle Center Kyle Anderson, Elon has given students the opportunity to volunteer at the local Boys and Girls Club for decades. 

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NEWS 2/17/24 11:38am

Alamance Crisis Diversion Center to open later this year

By Cap Henneman

Dr. Mark Quale, an emergency medical physician at Alamance Regional Hospital and EMS medical director in Alamance County, said he estimates that he sees one overdose patient each day on average. Quale said what would have been a normal dosage of heroin for an unsuspecting opioid addict turns lethal when mixed with even the smallest amount of fentanyl. Fentanyl is a drug often other drugs are laced with, it’s difficult to attribute the exact number of overdoses to fentanyl. The Alamance Crisis Diversion Center, a project announced in September 2022 and set to open early this year, is hoping to add more proactive resources.

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LIFESTYLE 2/16/24 10:59am

Phoenix Flavors vending machine opens in Truitt Center

By Jordyn Forni

The Truitt Center, located in the Numen Lumen Pavilion, is introducing a new dining option to Elon University's campus which includes kosher, halal and pareve food: the Phoenix Flavors vending machine. The machine is currently in a pilot period, but there is already a lot of excitement from students — according to Interim Assistant Dean of Multifaith Engagement Hillary Zaken. Kosher is a dietary restriction that is based on the Jewish religion, while Halal is based on the Islamic religion. Pareve foods — which are often vegan except for fish products — can be eaten with either meat or dairy products and still be kosher.

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LIFESTYLE 2/16/24 8:03am

African Diaspora LLC creates community on campus

By Kymani Jackson

Freshman Adrianna Stapleton was skeptical about what her social life would look like at Elon University due to the lack of diversity. That’s why she applied to live in the African Diaspora Living Learning Community for her first year. Elon’s African Diaspora LLC provides a residential space where students can live while learning about the Diaspora. The African Diaspora refers to the descendants of Africans who have migrated across the world, whether voluntarily or forcefully. This LLC highlights African American, Black and African cultures worldwide. 

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