Lifestyle

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LIFESTYLE 9/17/23 4:46pm

Elon University a cappella group, Sweet Signatures, releases album “Bitter Sweet”

By Rachel Holley

Two years in the making, Elon University’s all-female a cappella group Sweet Signatures released their fifth studio album, Bitter Sweet. Sweet Signatures was first established in 2001 by 15 women ready to entertain, compete and further develop their love of singing. It has since grown into the reputation as Elon’s premiere all-female a cappella group. The new album released Aug. 31 and is composed of 12 songs — four of which are live. It can be found on Apple Music and Spotify.

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LIFESTYLE 9/15/23 9:41am

History of El Centro, Elon University's Latinx, Hispanic center

By Lilly Molina

Located on the first floor of Carlton, El Centro is an immersion space on campus for Latinx and Hispanic students to feel supported, according to Center of Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education Director Sylvia Muñoz. Muñoz came to Alamance county from Costa Rica in 1995 and, in her free time, taught Spanish to the Board of Trustees. Muñoz said she later shared the idea to create an Hispanic immersion space at Elon University, which soon became El Centro de Español. 

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LIFESTYLE 9/13/23 2:24pm

Huepa! celebrates cultural expression through traditional Colombian dance

By Madison Powers

Yholima Vargas, born in Bógota, Colombia, has danced since she was young and found safety and self-expression through traditional Colombian dance while living in Montreal, Durham and Burlington. She said as she dances, she yells the Colombian expression “Huepa!” — a declaration of exhilaration. When Vargas moved to North Carolina in 2015, she founded Huepa! Culture and Arts Institute, a dance academy that promotes Colombian performing arts and cultural identity through the CityGate Dream Center in Burlington.

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LIFESTYLE 9/11/23 12:17pm

Elon University professor publishes award-winning poetry collection

By Nia Bedard

Shaina Jones came to Elon University as an English professor in fall 2022. Though she wrote her initial manuscript in 2022, which won the Millers Williams Poetry Prize and allowed her to be published through the University of Arkansas press, she later published her collection "To Be Named Something Else" as a book under the name Shaina Phenix. Jones celebrated her book's publication Sept. 5 in the Numen Lumen Pavilion. According to Jones, Black "femme-hood", celebration and Harlem are common threads throughout her work.

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LIFESTYLE 9/9/23 10:22am

Elon University senior researches Black history in Alamance County

By Mollie Lund

From the moment Elon University senior Jasper Myers first opened L’Tanya Richmond’s master’s thesis earlier this summer, she said she knew she had found something remarkable. Through Myers’ work at Elon’s Archives and Special Collections, she was first introduced to Richmond’s thesis, titled “Elon’s Black History: A Story To Be Told." Myers dove deeper into Black history at Elon and discovered that, before Richmond wrote her master’s thesis, she received her undergraduate degree from Elon University in 1987. After working in the admissions office, Richmond became the director of Elon’s multicultural center, which would later become the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education. 

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LIFESTYLE 9/8/23 10:48pm

Buddhist monk completes sand mandala at Elon University

By Jenna Rudolph

Tibetan Buddhist monk Geshe Sangpo of the Kadampa Center joined Elon University for three days from Sept. 6 to 8 to create a Green Tara Sand Mandala — only to destroy the piece after completion. According to the Kadampa Center, the Green Tara sand mandala is created for compassion and peace. The sand mandala specifically is an ancient form of Tibetan Buddhist art and represents the wholeness and harmony of the universe. The act of destroying it represents the universe’s state of impermanence. This was Sangpo’s 11th creation on Elon’s campus.

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LIFESTYLE 9/7/23 2:07pm

Elon University students create, publish video game

By Sarah T. Moore

Six Elon University students worked together to create “Samira: Taken From Time” for their game design minor capstone during their Winter Term class at the start of 2023. What started as ideas written on sticky notes, became a published video game just a few months later. “Samira: Taken From Time” is a free, narrative-driven, puzzle-solving adventure game featuring an animal companion, a post-apocalyptic world, time travel, ancient gods, supernatural powers and futuristic technology. Interactive media student Morgan Chisholm said the most rewarding part of creating the game was figuring out how to incorporate everyone’s ideas and seeing it all come together in the final product.

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LIFESTYLE 9/5/23 9:06am

Elon University engineering students to build a race car from scratch

By Naomi Washington and Sophie Rosenthal

At the start of the 2023-24 school year, eight Elon University engineering students spent their time each day after classes and throughout the weekend working on a project in the Innovation Hall lab. What they’re building: a race car. Elon’s chapter of the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers, or Phoenix Racing, is a student-run engineering team who are currently collaborating on building an electric Formula 1 race car. With the completed car, the club intends to compete against other universities in the collegiate electric division of FSAE. 

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LIFESTYLE 9/1/23 8:51am

Elon University students, professors value syllabus despite Moodle, courseware sites

By Betsy Schlehuber

Students have historically relied on syllabuses for assignments, readings, due dates and more. But with the introduction of coursework technology such as Moodle, where students can check assignments and due dates virtually, School of Law professor Sara Ochs said she mostly relies on trusting her students to read the syllabus.  Since she started teaching six years ago, Ochs said she has observed that college syllabuses have gotten longer and more complicated — tempting students to skim or skip reading vital information.

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LIFESTYLE 8/28/23 8:22am

Elon University alum shares accomplishments, journey as a professional musician, producer

By Betsy Schlehuber

Elon University alum Matthew Clanton ‘18 shared with Elon News Network his accomplishments and journey as a professional musician and producer in Los Angeles. Clanton is Elon a cappella group Rip_Chord's former music director and vice president. He said he attributes his skills and his role as a freelance, self-employed musician to his time and experience in Rip_Chord. In 2021, Clanton collaborated with German EDM artist Neptunica, which blew up and is now sitting at roguhly 39 million streams. The two collaborated again in 2022 on a song that now sits at around 11 million streams.

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LIFESTYLE 8/25/23 9:16am

Elon University counselors, students advise freshmen on transitioning to college

By Sarah T. Moore

Itumeleng Shadreck, counselor and outreach coordinator for Elon’s Counseling Services, gave advice to new students as the incoming class adjusts to college for the first time. According to Shadreck, newcomers should take time for themselves and students struggling academically, socially or emotionally should give themselves grace — especially since, for many, college is their first time living away from home. Shadreck also said new living arrangements, classes and classmates make adapting to college a difficult task.

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LIFESTYLE 8/24/23 7:41am

Elon University art exhibit showcases consumer culture with “The Forgotten”

By Abigail Hobbs

Todd Jones developed an interest in consumer culture and materialism while experimenting with nylon and paint skins in graduate school at Ohio University during the COVID-19 pandemic. The collection of carved, discarded paint named “The Forgotten,” of which Jones has created over the last two years, is now on display in Arts West from Aug. 22 to Oct. 19 and breaks off from his traditional paintings. Jones said he noticed an influx of mistinted house paint in 2020, when people were stuck at home doing renovations.

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LIFESTYLE 8/17/23 4:39pm

Elon University 2023 move-in, orientation calendar

By Elon News Network

Elon University will kick off its Move-In Day and New Student Orientation festivities this Friday, Aug. 18. Events will last through Monday, Aug. 21 and classes will begin Tuesday, Aug. 22. Elon News Network compiled a list of all move-in and orientation events for the weekend. Check in for freshmen begins at 8 a.m. on Friday at Schar Center, while the New Student Convocation will take place Saturday, Aug. 19 at 9 a.m. Under the Oaks.

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LIFESTYLE 8/8/23 2:02pm

Elon University community supports WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes

By Nia Bedard

With the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists on strike together for the first time in 63 years, Elon University CTA professors and students support the unions — especially those who are in LA this summer as a part of the Elon in Los Angeles Program. 

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LIFESTYLE 8/4/23 12:07pm

Elon University students impacted by entertainment industry strikes

By Halli Harwood

May 2 marked the start of the Writers Guild of America strike, which was joined by the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists on July 14. With Elon in Los Angeles being one of Elon University's most popular Study USA Programs, Elon students abroad in LA this summer have had to deal with the challenges of navigating their internships in the midst of an entertainment industry shutdown. Yet, many Elon interns and Elon alumni maintain supports for writers and actors.

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LIFESTYLE 7/19/23 12:44pm

Assistant director of Elon University’s first generation support services begins position building relationships

By Abigail Hobbs

Kenneth Brown Jr. ’19 began his position as assistant director of Elon University’s first generation support services program in June. Brown said he aims to progress the program through building relationships and expanding the First Phoenix Mentoring Program. Though he began his career at Elon as a communications major, Brown said he switched to human service studies because he felt it would allow him to follow his passions in making higher education more accessible.

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LIFESTYLE 7/3/23 9:38pm

How to stay safe this 4th of July

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon University Police Sgt. Richard Hooks offered tips and resources for staying safe this 4th of July. According to Hooks, July 4th is the second-most-deadly holiday period of the year — just behind New Year’s — due to impaired driving and fireworks cause over 11,500 injuries and almost 20,000 fires across the country each year. 

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LIFESTYLE 5/13/23 12:08pm

Always Dancing: A Photo Story

By Clare Grant

Charles Richardson grew up in Brooklyn, New York, with his parents and sister, but he moved to Burlington, North Carolina, in 2012 when he was 15 years old. Throughout his life he was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit disorder and delayed learning disability, but nothing ever felt right with his mom, Yvonne Whitley. It wasn't until he transferred to Southern High School in Graham, North Carolina, she said, that he was diagnosed with high-functioning autism. 

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LIFESTYLE 5/10/23 2:27pm

Guide to Elon University commencement, senior activities for class of 2023

By Elon News Network

A comprehensive and interactive calendar for Elon University's class of 2023 graduation and commencement events. The bulk of events occur from Tuesday, May 16 to Friday, May 19. Commencement guest parking will open at 7:30 a.m. and Schar Center parking will only be available for guests during the ceremony they are attending. Participating graduates must ensure that tickets are in the possession of the guests who will attend the diploma ceremony by May 19.

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LIFESTYLE 5/8/23 11:49pm

Burlington community celebrates return of Carousel Festival

By Ellis Chandler

The Burlington community celebrates  32nd annual event and return of Carousel Festival held May 6 to 7 at City Park. The 100-year-old landmark site sits inside a newly built carousel house. The last time the festival occurred was in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and construction and renovations. The carousel is now open for the spring and summer on Friday, Saturday and Sundays and costs $1.50 a ride.

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