News

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NEWS 4/26/24 1:28pm

Elon Dining celebrates Earth Week with Earth Festival

By Ruth Cruz

Elon University Dining Hall celebrated Earth Week with its annual Earth Festival to highlight important aspects of the environment. The community came together for an afternoon of fun and dining services collaborated with local vendors and student organizations. Elon students had the opportunity to enjoy live music, local food and pet farm animals. The Earth Festival took place on Medallion Plaza on April 25. The event also featured environmental education and entertainment to inform Elon students about the Earth. Tables were set up with information on how to manage students’ ecological footprint and minimize resource consumption.

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NEWS 4/26/24 9:48am

Elon seniors launch STEM Outreach program for ABSS high schoolers

By Liya Rike

Elon University seniors Samuel Ramirez, president of the Biology club, and Chris D'Inzeo, president of the American Chemical Society Club, led an outreach program aimed at inspiring local Alamance-Burlington School System high school students. The initiative was funded by Elon’s Student Government Association and Elon Innovation Fund. This resulted in 41 undergraduate volunteers and faculty. The program exposes ABSS high schoolers to STEM fields to spark interest and potential career paths. Offered on Saturday, April 20, the free event included transportation and meals to ensure accessibility for all participants. They’re hoping it becomes a once-a-semester event called “Stem Saturday.”

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NEWS 4/25/24 10:27am

Elon continues DEI commitments despite national backlash

By Lilly Molina

After a recent national trend of defunding Diversity, Education and Inclusion efforts, Naeemah Clark, associate provost for Academic Inclusive Excellence, wants to ensure Elon’s DEI efforts remain strong. Clark specifically said she is frustrated with institutions such as the University of Florida which are now defunding or taking away DEI departments or initiatives entirely. Last week the UNC Board of Governors Committee voted unanimously to strip away its DEI policies. Some people fear learning about DEI will further the “divide” of this idea of the oppressed v. the oppressor, but when students embrace DEI they can feel empowered, Clark said.

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NEWS 4/26/24 2:21pm

ENN: Exclusive Interview with Ginna Claire Mason

By Mason Willett

Elon News Network sat down with the class of 2024 commencement speaker Ginna Claire Mason ‘13 ahead of the 2024 graduation ceremony. Mason toured all around campus and saw all the changes that have been made since her time as an undergraduate at Elon University. Mason spoke about her experiences at Elon, from mentorship from her professors to having many opportunities on campus, and said she is grateful for the chance to come back.

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NEWS 4/24/24 10:49pm

2024 Earth Week keynote speaker offers advice on coping with climate anxiety

By Lilly Molina

Britt Wray, author of “Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in the Age of Climate Anxiety,” spoke to Elon University on April 24 as the 2024 keynote speaker for Earth week. Wray began by linking the idea that major fossil fuel companies, powerful lawyers and lobbyists choose to ignore damages inflicted by businesses. These efforts, according to Wray, have hindered people from taking action to stop them — which Wray deemed a global crime scene. She said by 2070, an estimated 19% of the planet will be inhabitable due to increases in global warming.

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NEWS 4/24/24 3:34pm

Office of sustainability hosts events across campus

By Avery Sloan

Elon’s office of sustainability plans events throughout the year in collaboration with other student organizations, according to Kelly Harer, associate director of sustainability for education and outreach. Elon is focusing on improving sustainability efforts specifically waste reduction. A system Elon uses to measure its sustainability efforts is the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System. Based on data from Elon’s submission Feb. 11, 2022, which is valid until March 16, 2025, Elon received a silver rating, earning 59.12 points out of 100. The points are broken down in different categories across academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration and innovation and leadership.

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NEWS 4/24/24 11:35am

Elon announces 2024 Lumen Scholar winners

By Elon News Network

The Lumen Advisory Committee has announced Elon University’s 2024 Lumen Scholar winners. Lumen Prize winners are granted $20,000 to support their mentored research and creative projects over the next two years. “The competitive level was extraordinary this year and these winners deserve admiration for the creativity, thoroughness, and potential impact their proposals represent,” Mike Carigan, director of the Lumen Prize, wrote. There are 15 prize winners for the 2024 Lumen Scholarship.

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NEWS 4/24/24 10:57am

Pilot program passes through SGA Senate, brings Narcan to campus

By Aidan Powley

Legislation to fund a $5,000 pilot program unanimously passed Elon’s Student Government Association, bringing Narcan to the campus in the fall of 2025. Generically known as “Naloxone,” Narcan is a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. The commonly referred to as “opioid antagonist” quickly restores normal breathing to a person whose breathing has slowed or stopped due to an opioid overdose. The legislation is still in the approval stage with campus leadership. Chief of Campus Safety and Police Joe LeMire declined to comment until a final approval is set.

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NEWS 4/24/24 8:12am

Elon Earth Week 2024 events calendar

By Elon News Network

For earth week, the office of sustainability gets a lot of attention for its events. But, Elon’s office of sustainability plans events throughout the year in collaboration with other student organizations, Kelly Harer, associate director of sustainability for education and outreach, said. The goal of collaborative events is to help make sustainability accessible across campus, Harer said. This year, earth week takes place April 21 to April 27. In addition to events it hosts throughout the year, Elon University is hosting a variety of environment-themed events for the university and town communities.

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NEWS 4/22/24 6:23pm

Elon University collaborates on large-scale solar facility

By Elon News Network

Elon announced on April 22 that it will be collaborating with eight other universities and colleges to create a large-scale solar facility supported by a Power Purchase Agreement. The project will be located in Robards, Kentucky and will power roughly 24,000 homes each year. The site is set for construction in early 2025. Elon joined the project, which has been deemed “Sebree Solar Project II”, in hopes of reaching its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2037. This goal is just one of many parts under Elon’s Sustainability Master Plan 2025.

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NEWS 4/19/24 6:21pm

Elon Board of Trustee member honored with Elon Medallion, renaming of Colonnades E in his honor

By Avery Sloan

Noel Allen, after serving 40 years on the board of trustees, was honored with an Elon Medallion on April 19, the highest honor given by the university. Allen grew up in the town of Elon and then was a student at Elon where he served as the student body president.  Allen has witnessed Elon’s growth as an institution, joining the board when enrollment was under 3,000 students. Allen has been a part of every long range strategic plan, since he was a student member of President Emeritus J. Earl Danieley’s first planning committee in 1966, University President Connie Book said. Allen also served as board chair from 2001 to 2003, when Elon transitioned from a college to a university and adopted the Phoenix as its mascot, Book said.

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NEWS 4/19/24 4:12pm

Elon University expansions leave off-campus residents scrambling

By Avery Sloan

Her first night at Elon, junior Kelsey Eshleman was invited by members of Elon Young Life to a bonfire event at an off-campus house, affectionately nicknamed Full House. That night, Eshleman said she remembered thinking how cool it would be to live there with her newfound friends. Now, Eshleman is still close with many students she met her first night and is one of five people living in Full House. But after living in the house for this past year and signing her lease renewal for next academic year, Eshleman and her roommates received a message from their landlord in February — the house that had been a pass down in Elon’s Christian community for 15 years was no longer available to rent. 

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NEWS 4/18/24 3:25am

Elon University adds new cybersecurity management minor

By Maggie Reetz

Beginning this fall, Elon students will be able to minor in cybersecurity management. This addition to the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business comes at a time when demand for professionals with training in cybersecurity is at an all time high. Many North Carolina universities, including nearby schools like High Point University and University of North Carolina, Greensboro, have offered cybersecurity training for years.

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NEWS 4/17/24 7:17pm

Elon adjunct faculty raise concerns over missing professor names on OnTrack

By Audrey Geib

With the approach of spring semester’s end, students scour OnTrack to build their academic schedules, looking at the times available and selecting their preferred professors.  Senior Alex Campbell said she noticed this past semester that adjunct professors, who are hired on a contractual basis each semester or year, she previously had classes with were not appearing on OnTrack.  “It’s pretty upsetting because two of my favorite professors are adjuncts that I’ve had classes with in the past,” Campbell said. “Since the change, I can’t purposefully take classes with them because I don’t know what classes they’re even teaching because they don’t show up.” 

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NEWS 4/17/24 10:56am

Elon University no longer offering Google accounts to alumni

By Miles Hayford

Earlier this month, Elon University sent out an email notifying all Elon employees that as of April 15, Elon will no longer offer Gmail, Google Workspace, or Google file storage to alumni not employed by the university.  Previously alumni were allowed to use their account to use the storage and stay connected to Elon. 

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NEWS 4/15/24 8:21pm

Elon Town Council discusses 2025 budget

By Miles Hayford

The Elon Town Council met on April 15 in a special work session to discuss Town Manager Rich Roedner’s proposed $10.9 million 2025 fiscal year budget. The council began the session by discussing the proposed fees for the 2025 budget. As a result of Burlington planning to raise their water fees by 4%, the council plans to match that raise. However, taxes would not be increased to cover these heightened fees.

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NEWS 4/12/24 2:48pm

Elon University president issues statement following Palestinian speaker event on possible solutions to the Israel-Hamas War

By Cassie Weymouth

Elon University President Connie Book today acknowledged the controversy surrounding a speaker whose talk "Is Peace Possible in the Middle East?" earlier in the week left some audience members rattled. In an email to the university on April 12, Book said that Jonathan Kuttab's remarks "left the agreed-upon format on the anticipated topic of peace building, and he provided additional views and opinions on the conflict." "Several members of the community in attendance deeply disagreed with his divergent comments," Book wrote. "Not anticipating the changes to the speaker’s planned remarks, the event’s design did not include plans for opposing views to be offered at that moment, and limited time did not allow for all submitted questions to be heard.”

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NEWS 4/11/24 1:38pm

Elon University receives “A” from ADL on protecting students against antisemitism

By Nia Bedard and Avery Sloan

Elon University was one of only two schools to receive an “A” from the Anti-Defamation League, based on policies protecting Jewish students from antisemitism on campus, Jewish student life and other factors. The report was released on April 11 and graded 85 universities and colleges in the United States. Thirteen schools received an “F,” including University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The ADL focused on how Elon provided opportunities for students and faculty to learn about the Hamas’ attack following Oct. 7, 2023. As of the spring 2024 semester, 9.2% of Elon’s total student body population is Jewish.

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NEWS 4/11/24 12:03pm

Campus police responds to reports of suspicious person; declares no danger to Elon University community

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon University Campus Police responded to reports of a suspicious person on campus; the individual was a male, non-student who had tried to make contact with an Elon student he had met online, according to an E-Alert sent by Chief of Campus Safety and Police Joe LeMire around 11:30 a.m. on April 11. Elon Campus Police contacted the Elon student, who was reportedly concerned for their safety, and the individual was investigated by the police, instructed not to return to campus or contact the Elon student again and was issued a written, trespass warning.

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NEWS 4/11/24 11:06am

Early Spring Break presents problem for Elon University Catholics

By Miles Hayford

This year April 1 was Easter Monday, a holiday that marks the second day of Easter celebrations for many Christians. Typically, this has been a day that Elon students have had off in the past because Spring Break was usually scheduled earlier in March. However, with Easter Monday taking place directly after Spring Break this year, it was not counted as a day off. Because of this many students had to travel back to campus on Easter. This affected the Catholic community at Elon, in particular members of CCM.

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