Local

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NEWS 3/18/24 1:27pm

Three individuals trespass on campus; false rumors circulate

By Elon News Network

Last night, multiple Elon resident assistants sent messages to their halls warning students about going outside alone, as there were rumors circulating about three individuals targeting girls on campus. Elon University Campus Police Chief Joe LeMire said three individuals were found making rude comments and “racially charged words.” Elon News Network reached out to the office of campus police for comment at roughly 11:30 p.m. on March 17, and was told police were actively dispatched and unavailable for comment. Elon News Network then reposted the messages sent from RAs to Instagram and Facebook.

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NEWS 3/18/24 9:51am

Elon upperclassmen face challenges with on-campus housing changes

By Monika Jurevicius

Elon University upperclassmen face challenges with housing following residence life’s announcement no longer allowing all residents in the Crest, Danieley and Oaks apartments to renew their leases. Students living in Park Place and Station at Mill Point apartments were allowed to renew at designated times earlier this semester. Students living in Crest, Danieley and Oaks are able to participate in the housing selection process, the same as students who did not previously have leases in these neighborhoods. This is the first year the change will be implemented.

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SPORTS 3/17/24 9:52pm

Photo gallery: Elon Baseball wins weekend series over Minnesota

By Will Moss

The Elon University baseball team hosted the University of Minnesota team at Latham Park over the weekend on March 15, 16 and 17. Elon opened the series with a 2-1 win on March 15, followed by a 6-5 win on March 16. The series then wrapped up on March 17 with a 9-7 loss for the Phoenix. Elon’s Latham Park will host another game on March 19, with a game against East Carolina at 4 p.m.

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NEWS 3/17/24 6:29pm

Student Government Association hosts spring 2024 elections: meet the candidates

By Elon News Network

After extending the deadline for applications to run for a Student Government Association race, 44 candidates applied across all 60 spots. The deadline was extended twice — as no one applied to run for student body president. Voting opens on PhoenixConnect at 8 a.m. Monday, March 18 and closes 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 19. Elon News Network asked each candidate what they hope to accomplish in their role if elected, as well as how they plan to accomplish it.

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OPINIONS 3/17/24 1:49pm

OPINION: Elon University's silent streets: Closer look at lack of public activism

By Alex Nettles

On a small corner of green in Young Commons lies the Speakers’ Corner. All public demonstrations are supposed to be concentrated here. Events can be planned and registered to the university, but it rarely happens. The corner is virtually always empty. The campus is too. In 2024, we face an election and global upheaval. There has been the occasional protest, but they are not part of the daily rhythm of the university. Elon’s administration has fostered debate, but you don’t see overwhelming input from the students.

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LIFESTYLE 3/17/24 1:33pm

Professors handle students' mental health issues with university resources

By Jordyn Forni

Allen Russell, a professor of mathematics, has recognized a shift in campus mental health. Russell has been teaching at Elon for 27 years. While he saw its presence, he said mental health didn't appear to be a larger issue on campus until the 2000s. Russell himself struggled with anxiety during his return to campus after teaching virtually, and he believes that many students share in this experience. He has encountered students in tears stressed about "college life," he said. Sociology professor Karen Wirth attributes the uptick in the need for mental health resources partially to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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NEWS 3/16/24 3:34pm

Elon University’s Student Professional Development Center helps students with job, internship opportunities

By Emilio Nunez

Junior Chris Murphy has been searching for internships that would fit for his major in music or his minor in communications. One way he has been trying to find these options is through the Student Professional Development Center with Brooke Buffington, assistant vice president for the SPDC. Buffington said the SPDC has always had the goal of getting 85 to 90% of graduating seniors to work with the office in one way or another. 

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LIFESTYLE 3/15/24 12:08pm

Student dance concert at Elon University explores connection, female stereotypes

By Sarah T. Moore

Senior Madeline Trigilio has always expressed herself through movement. After receiving a Rhoades Research and Choreography Grant, Trigilio is processing and expressing her emotions through dance — while also presenting her research. Through performances of the Rhoades Grant Dance Concert from March 15 to 16, Trigilio and senior Jessica Werfel will explore their respective research topics through dance in Roberts Studio Theatre. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. on March 15, and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on March 16. The March 15 performance is currently sold out, but tickets are free and can be reserved online for the remaining performances.

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NEWS 3/15/24 11:02am

Elon downtown development department to open on 104 N. Williamson Ave

By Michael Leung

Richard Roedner, town manager for the town of Elon, announced that the town government is renting the building on 104 N. Williamson Ave, in downtown Elon. The town will be relocating its new downtown development department there, as well as establishing the Elon Police Department’s community outreach program. The location used to be Elon’s town hall in the 1960’s before moving to their current town hall across the train tracks at 104 S. Williamson Ave. Now, according to Roedner, the town government is reclaiming the spot to expand their office space. They are renting the location from the property owners at $6,000 per month.

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NEWS 3/14/24 9:34pm

Elon University hosts multi-sided discussion on Israel-Hamas War

By Audrey Geib

Elon University hosted Mira Sucharov, professor of political science at Carleton University, on March 14 as part of Elon's initiative to promote discussion and foster understanding of the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. The event was called "Identity, Trauma, and Justice: The War between Israel and Hamas," and led by Baris Kesgin, Elon professor of political science and policy studies. Sucharov emphasized the importance of defining the terms people use in a discussion about the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Sucharov’s discussion takes place two days after students joined together to march in solidarity and support of victims of oppression.

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NEWS 3/14/24 12:51pm

Stein holds campaign event in Burlington

By Joseph Navin

On the heels of winning the Democratic gubernatorial nomination on March 5, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein spoke at Persnickety Books in Burlington on March 14 as part of a  “Real Time with Stein” campaign event. This marked Stein’s first campaign visit to Alamance County since winning the primary election. Burlington’s Persnickety Books is no stranger to political events. In 2021, the store hosted an election night watch party for former-Burlington Mayor and Elon University alumnus Ian Baltutis.

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LIFESTYLE 3/14/24 11:43am

Juxtapositions, Asian American Composers challenge historical European stereotypes

By Ruth Cruz

Elon’s Department of Music collaborated with Soprano Jennifer Lien to present Juxtapositions: European Orientalism, Asian America, & Asia in Whitley Auditorium on March 13. The program explored the stereotypes portrayed by European Musical Orientalism and created a platform for Asian American voices. The performance emphasized the challenges Asian women endured under European colonialism. Soprano Jennifer Lien and Pianist Douglass Jurs presented a beautiful sentiment of Asian culture within historical contexts. Lien is known for her presence in contemporary and chamber music. As a Classical Western European Opera singer, Lien said she noticed a lack of Asian voices in her studies of European composers.

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SPORTS 3/14/24 7:51am

Freshman guard for Elon women’s basketball takes court by storm going into CAA tournament

By Benjamin Berfield

Going into her first season for Elon University women’s basketball, freshman point guard Maraja Pass didn’t envision herself taking on a significant role for the team. In 29 games this season, Pass has started 19 of her last 23 games. Her 8.9 points and 4.2 rebounds are currently second best for Elon’s women’s basketball, while her 3.7 assists lead the team. Only four other players in the Coastal Atlantic Conference averaged more assists this season than Pass.  The team's first game of the CAA Tournament will be on March 14 at 12 p.m. against Campbell University at Entertainment & Sport Arena in Washington D.C.

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NEWS 3/13/24 5:03pm

Elon University webinar highlights AI’s effect on academia, future of thought

By Tucker Price

Elon University President Connie Book and Elon’s Imagining the Digital Future Center hosted a webinar titled “AI in Academia: Transforming Teaching and Learning in the Digital Era” to discuss issues involving artificial intelligence in higher education. Panelists included Lee Rainie, the director of the Imagining the Digital Future Center; Ethan Mollick, a faculty scholar at the University of Pennsylvania; Udo Sglavo, the Vice President of Applied AI and Modeling R&D at the SAS Institute; and Hoda Mostafa, the director of the Center for learning and teaching at American University in Cairo, Egypt.

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SPORTS 3/13/24 10:58am

An analysis of Elon University's athletic budget

By Miles Hayford

As a private institution, specifics about Elon University’s athletic budget aren’t public; However, the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act — passed in 1994 — requires universities and colleges to make gender equity information about their athletic programs available. This is to give prospective students a chance to judge a school’s ability to have equitable opportunities for both its male and female student-athletes. As a result of this, it is possible to analyze Elon’s athletic budget from a broad perspective. According to Elon professor of sport management Alex Traugutt, Elon’s athletic budget is in a good place right now due to their spending and return on investment.

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NEWS 3/12/24 11:27pm

Elon Town Council deliberates solutions for student concerns regarding noise citations

By Lauren Winslow

Elon Town Council discussed alternatives to criminal noise ordinance citations on March 12 following Elon University students raising concerns about the harsh penalties. Currently, issuing citations following a noise complaint is left to the discretion of the Town of Elon Police Department officer responding to the noise complaint. If a citation is issued, Elon considers this a criminal violation, not a civil one. In response to students voicing their concerns over receiving a criminal noise citation, Elon Police Chief Kelly Blackwelder compiled research on alternatives to issuing criminal citations. 

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NEWS 3/12/24 8:09pm

Elon students walk in solidarity for victims of oppression

By Monika Jurevicius

Members of the Elon University community gathered on campus March 12 to walk in solidarity with and for victims of oppression. The march was organized by Students for Peace and Justice roughly one week after the International Day of Action, during which protestors gathered worldwide to demand an immediate ceasefire of the Israel-Hamas War. Participants at Elon met together with signs and traditional Middle Eastern shemagh scarves. They marched twice on the designated route through Global and Loy neighborhoods. During the event, demonstrators started yelling “stop killing women, stop killing children” upon the second time of walking the route.

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NEWS 3/12/24 6:51pm

No students initially applied for student body president, application extended

By Avery Sloan

Despite Elon’s Student Government Association working to recruit members to run in elections, no student applied to run for student body president. The application closed at 5 p.m. March 11. The organization met for a special meeting March 12 to amend the bylaws and extended applications for all SGA positions until 10 a.m. March 13. SGA initially extended the deadline to 10 a.m. March 12, but according to SGA election bylaws, the organization was not technically allowed to extend it without an election amendment approved by the senate, and no applications were accepted by the second deadline. 

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NEWS 3/12/24 4:13pm

Friends of Alamance County Public Libraries hosts spring book sale

By Naomi Washington

Books are spilling off the shelves and into the bags and baskets of avid readers at this year’s spring book sale. The event is hosted in the basement of May Memorial Library in Downtown Burlington from March 8 through March 17. The Friends of Alamance County Public Libraries is a nonprofit organization that hosts a book sale every fall and spring with the help of more than 50 volunteers. Board member Debbie Mann said the money from book sales funds all children and adult programs across all Alamance County Public Libraries.

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NEWS 3/12/24 11:05am

East Haggard, North Oak Avenue closed due to gas leak

By Ryan Kupperman

East Haggard was briefly closed from North Oak Avenue to Lawrence Street due to a gas leak, according to an E-Alert. This is the third gas leak near or on Elon University’s campus in three months. According to Dante Howell, construction personnel on scene, one of the construction workers hit an active, main gas line on Haggard Avenue. Following protocol, they called the fire department and closed off the area. As of 11:30 a.m. Howell said the road had been reopened for about an hour — though Howell is managing the flow of one-lane traffic just past Sheridan Place.

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