News

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NEWS 9/9/23 8:04pm

ALCOVETS hosts second hot air balloon festival in Burlington

By Erin Martin

For the second year in a row the Alamance County Balloon Festival is taking place at Cedarock park in Burlington from Sept. 8 to 10. ALCOVETS — a nonprofit and veteran organization based in Graham — is hosting the event through Sept. 10 to raise funds to support local veterans and fund the Chesnut Ridge Retreat campus building, a veterans’ retreat campus at the peak of Bass Mountain. According to Hudson Hot Air Affair, optimal wind speeds are between 4 and 6 mph.

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NEWS 9/7/23 8:18am

Elon University student, professor frustrated over Buc-ee’s overconsumption

By Isabella DeJong

Buc-ee’s, a chain of gas stations and convenience stores in the southeast U.S., submitted an initial site plan to Mebane City Council in June to construct a 75,400 square feet store featuring 120 gas stations on 32.49 acres of land on I-85/40. Buc-ee’s is a Texas-based gas station and retail location that is well known for its large scale design and cartoonish beaver mascot. Elon University psychology professor Mat Gendle wrote an opinion piece that appeared in the Charlotte Observer outlining his concerns about the company’s overconsumption of resources and land. Gendle said Buc-ee's is not solely responsible for overconsumption, but is one of the many contributors.

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NEWS 9/6/23 8:13am

ABSS offers free lunch for students after delaying school for second week

By Sophie Rosenthal

ABSS delayed the start of the 2023-24 academic year twice after finding mold in 26 of the system’s 38 schools. Now set to have students back in school Monday, Sept. 11 from the original Aug. 28 date, ABSS opened sites for students to pick up free lunches in an effort to provide some relief for students and parents who were counting on children being in school already. At a meeting Sept. 1, the Alamance County commissioners also reappropriated funds amounting to nearly $17 million to pay for mold remediation, cleaning air ducts and cleaning Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems.

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NEWS 9/4/23 7:49am

Elon University LGBTQ+ students seek acceptance in gender inclusive housing

By Sophie Rosenthal

For the first time this year, students had the choice to opt into Elon’s new gender inclusive housing program on the general housing form. According to the class of 2027 admissions profile, 12% of the class of 2027 identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ communities — the largest portion of a class at Elon to date. As a transgender woman, freshman Grace Luebbe applied for inclusive housing this past spring in order to ensure that she would be living in a safe environment. Before she stepped on campus as a student this fall, Luebbe said she felt welcomed and included.

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NEWS 9/2/23 6:48pm

ABSS delays school year again; new start scheduled for Sept. 11

By Sophie Rosenthal

The Alamance Burlington School System has delayed the first day of school a second time after finding mold in more than half of the system’s 38 schools, according to a press release Sept. 2. Schools are now scheduled to open on Monday, Sept. 11. The first day of the school year was originally planned for Aug. 28, but after mold was found in Andrews Elementary in July, ABSS began testing all 38 of its schools. Now, all schools have been tested and 26 are currently being cleaned.

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NEWS 9/2/23 11:22am

Elon University welcomes 4 new majors, minors

By Abigail Hobbs

Elon University introduced four new majors and minors at the start of the 2023-24 academic year, which include a mechanical engineering concentration and a financial technology major, as well as expressive arts and health communications minors. According to designer of the mechanical engineering concentration and professor of engineering Jonathan Su, mechanical engineering is in high demand as one of the broadest and oldest engineering sectors. Similarly, professor of strategic communications Julie Lellis said the health communications minor can be applied to a variety of professions as an interdisciplinary avenue, including government, healthcare and community settings.

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NEWS 9/1/23 11:35am

Elon University prepares for annual sand mandala ceremony

By Jenna Rudolph

Tibetan Buddhist monk Geshe Sangpo is scheduled to arrive at Elon University on Sept. 6 for the ninth year to construct a sand mandala — an intricate piece of art created with marble dust and sand used to symbolize several Buddhist philosophies, such as impermanence and the deconstruction of ego. Sangpo, a member of the Kadampa Center for the Practice of Tibetan Buddhism in the Gelugpa Tradition in Raleigh, has visited Elon each year since 2013 — with the exception of 2020 — to create a Green Tara Sand Mandala.

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NEWS 9/1/23 10:14am

Elon University approves Glean for 2023-24 academic year

By Michael Leung

After a pilot program last year, Elon University has approved Glean, a browser-based note taking application, as an additional accommodation resource for the 2023-24 academic year. Students with approved note taking accommodations through Disabilities Resources will have access to Glean, which records the audio of the professor’s lecture and maintains notes in a centralized area for more efficient studying. According to Associate Provost of Academic Affairs Jennifer Platania, students with note taking accommodations were reliant on peer notetakers before Glean was introduced to Elon. 

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NEWS 8/31/23 4:47pm

UNC Chapel Hill holds vigil for professor as classes resume

By Joseph Navin

University of North Carolina faculty member Zijie Yan was shot and killed Aug. 28. Gun shots were reported in Caudill Labs at roughly 1 p.m. on Monday. Tailei Qi, a 34-year-old UNC graduate student, is the primary suspect and is in custody on charges for first-degree murder and possession of a firearm on education property. The university held a vigil for Yan inside the Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center and estimated 5,000 in-person attendees, along with 10,000 viewers on its livestream. UNC canceled classes Aug. 29 and Aug. 30, but resumed them Aug. 31.

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NEWS 8/30/23 12:02pm

North Carolina declares state of emergency as Hurricane Idalia makes landfall

By Joseph Navin

North Carolina declared a state of emergency due to expected hazards from Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall in Florida the morning of Aug. 30. Idalia is projected to weaken to a Tropical Storm and hug the southeast coast of Georgia and the Carolinas on Thursday. The National Weather Service in Raleigh reports that North Carolina's worst of  effects will take place on the southeast coast, east of I-95. NWS Raleigh also issued flood watches in both Orange and Chatham counties, which border Alamance county, for Aug. 30.

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NEWS 8/30/23 8:45am

UNC Chapel Hill students share experiences in lockdown

By Abigail Hobbs

Two University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill seniors describe their experiences in lockdown and hearing rumors, news and university communications differ. “That was the most nerve-wracking part,” Ava Dobson said. “It was pretty scary — just the initial hour — because there was so little was known about what exactly was going on.” Elon University Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley advises students in an email to update their contact information and review safety protocols.

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NEWS 8/28/23 2:30pm

Faculty member killed in shooting at UNC Chapel Hill

By Abigail Hobbs

A faculty member has been killed in a shooting at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill on Aug. 28. Tailei Qi is in custody on charges for first-degree murder and possession of a firearm on education property. Classes and non-mandatory operations on campus are canceled for Aug. 29. The weapon and the motive have not been identified by police. 

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NEWS 8/26/23 9:12am

Elon University Station at Mill Point residents frustrated at parking permit prices

By Naomi Washington and Sophie Rosenthal

For the first time, Elon University students living in the Station at Mill Point have to pay for a parking permit — which already began for the 2023-24 academic year. Previously, students were not required to pay anything. Now, Mill Point parking permits cost $160, and students will be permitted to park in Colonnades, Innovation Quad and Schar Center Hunt B lots in addition to their own. According to program assistant Marcia Dodson, campus police began ticketing cars without parking passes on Aug. 22 and ticket fines have increased from $50 to $100. 

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NEWS 8/23/23 3:51pm

Elon University dean of the College of Arts and Sciences steps down

By Abigail Hobbs and Madison Powers

Gabie Smith, the dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, will step down after the 2023-24 school year and return to a teaching position in the Department of Psychology. Smith stepping down marks the fifth senior staff member to leave their position in the last two years, following Jeff Stein, former vice president of strategic initiatives; Rebbeca Neiduski, former dean of the School of Health Sciences; Rochelle Ford, former dean of the School of Communications; and Aswani Volety, former provost. 

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NEWS 8/23/23 10:11am

Elon University admissions implements new application questions, initiatives after Supreme Court overturned affirmative action

By Abigail Hobbs

Elon University will focus on new initiatives and recruitment resources after the Supreme Court overturned the consideration of race in the college admissions process in June. According to Vice President of Enrollment Greg Zaiser, Elon will focus on different sub-groups of incoming applicants to maintain diversity, including first-generation and low-income students. Though the University of Michigan and University of California have been practicing race-neutral admissions for roughly two decades, both universities stated to the Supreme Court that the practice has led to a drop in diversity on campus.

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NEWS 8/23/23 7:23am

Elon University common reading starts conversations, prepares students for new perspectives

By Sophie Rosenthal

Elon University's common reading book committee chose “I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times” by Mónica Guzmán as its 31st common reading book. The committee is comprised of 17 faculty, staff and students who meet over a span of 15 to 18 months. According to Paula Patch, chair of the reading committee and English professor, “I Never Thought of It That Way” will spark meaningful conversation on campus and prepare incoming students for new perspectives. 

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NEWS 8/22/23 7:43pm

ABSS delays academic year to Sept. 5 after recurring mold issues

By Joseph Navin

The Alamance-Burlington School System announced that the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year will be delayed to Sept. 5, as opposed to Aug. 28, following reports of pathogenic mold inside over a dozen ABSS facilities. These facilities include Cummings High School, Williams High School, Broadview Middle School, Andrews Elementary School and Newlin Elementary School. Andrews Elementary School has been clean from mold as of Aug. 18, while an Alamance County Health Department Report shows molds issues inside of Cummings High School and Broadview Middle School dating back to 2017.

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NEWS 8/22/23 12:45pm

Harris Teeter introduces 10% discount, 20%-off sale day for Elon University students

By Alex Nettles

Harris Teeter, a grocery store chain located along the East Coast, announced a 10% brandwide discount for various university students — including Elon University — that will run through Oct. 3. To claim the offer, students must bring their Phoenix Card. The local location on south Church street in Burlington will also host a College Night Aug. 30 from 5 to 8 p.m., at which the store will provide any student with a college ID and VIC card 20% off on all store goods. The event will also feature a gas discount, a live DJ, wine and food samples and 10% off all Starbucks drinks.

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NEWS 8/21/23 4:00pm

ABSS discovers mold inside schools

By Joseph Navin

The Alamance-Burlington School System discovered mold inside multiple schools across the county, including Cummings High School, Broadview Middle School, Newlin Elementary and Andrews Elementary School. According to ABSS Public Information Officer Les Atkins, ABSS aims to clean the mold before its 2023-24 school year begins Aug. 28. While Newlin Elementary is being cleaned, students are scheduled to transfer to Ray Street Academy until Labor Day. Contingency plans for Cummings and Broadview will be made after the district determines how quickly both schools can be cleaned.

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NEWS 8/21/23 8:47am

Elon University Advancing Equity Requirement courses to educate on societal issues

By Madison Powers

This fall, an Advancing Equity Requirement — approved by faculty in May 2022 — will be integrated into courses across major, minor and core curriculum courses. The new eighth requirement in the core curriculum will begin with the class of 2027 and will also be required for students who change majors or switch to the new curriculum. In AER-designated courses, students will complete four learning outcomes: to interrogate racial identities, connect race and identity to U.S. systems, evaluate systemic inequity and apply solutions to systemic racism. 

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