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(04/19/15 7:33pm)
Elon University gamers gathered in Duke building for the Interactive Software Association (ISA) and the eSports club’s signature campus event of the semester: the Super Smash Bros. Tournament.
Saturday evening, the 45 participants played six rounds to determine who was best in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the latest of Nintendo’s popular fighting game franchise.
“We were really impressed with the turnout,” said senior Zach Wellman, president of Elon’s eSports Club. “It just shows how passionate of a Smash Bros. community we have here.”
The ISA and the eSports Club partnered with SPARKS Peer Educators for the tournament to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving. SPARKS provided funding for food and accommodations at the tournament.
“Our main message here is to not drive under the influence, and this is a good way for people to pay attention to that,” Wellman said. “Plus, if you’re really drunk, you can’t play the game well, either. That wouldn’t be good for these guys.”
Entrants displayed dedication through their play and their assistance with the event.
Players provided every Wii U console, controller and copy of the game used in the tournament, according to ISA president Davis Rumley. One player even brought his own TV.
“The crowd here wasn’t that stunning because the game is so popular,” Rumley said. “The Super Smash Bros. Tournament has been well-received every semester we’ve had it.”
Rumley said another key factor in the number of participants was the organizations’ marketing strategy.
“We used a lot of social media to advertise the event, especially Facebook,” he said. “Pure word of mouth on campus also got more students interested.”
With matches being played simultaneously in several different rooms, event-goers played non-tournament matches whenever there was an opportunity. That quickly changed in the semifinals — all eyes were on the two massive projector screens in Duke 303.
Elon’s first official Super Smash Bros. Tournament took place spring 2014. The fall tournament took the next step with a larger crowd and three editions of the game. This was the first tournament with the Wii U edition.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U has sold 3.39 million copies worldwide as of January. The game, along with its predecessors, has become a staple of college dorm rooms across America.
“It’s how we build friendships,” said junior Tyler Lehmann. “Most of us here have been playing since the original, which came out in 1999. It’s the best fighting game out there.”
College Super Smash Bros. tournaments are a frequent occurrence because of the series’ popularity. Nintendo had the Wii U edition “tour” college campuses in October and November of last year, pitting different universities against each other for bragging rights.
Senior Tucker Jepsen took home the grand prize of $50, defeating sophomore Zach Johnson 3-1 in a best-of-five series.
Jepsen took the first two games before Johnson made a late comeback in the third game and beat him with one life remaining.
Jepsen won a fourth game as the unassuming Villager, a character that attacks with umbrellas, bowling balls and other random items. That was enough to prevail over Johnson’s Lucario from the Pokémon franchise.
The Villager surprised the crowd by hitting Lucario with a batch of fireworks to launch him off the top of the screen, clinching the series for Jepsen.
“It’s an honor to be named champion with so many great players here,” said Jepsen, who has played the game since he was in grade school. “I hope to have more matches with these guys and other students in the future.”
Senior Takasuke Tsuji, who lost to Jepsen in the semifinals, topped freshman Grant Jones to nab the third-place prize: a $25 GameStop gift card.
Jepsen, now king of Elon Smash Bros., gets to decide how he’ll spend his $50.
“I’ll probably buy some more Amiibos,” he said, referring to the collectible figurines that can interact with the game.
Any Smash Bros. player would approve.
(04/18/15 11:40am)
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the national unemployment rate lingers at 5.5 percent, with 126,000 jobs added in March. But the unemployment rate for college graduates fell to 2.5 percent, the lowest in nearly six years — a bright outlook for the Elon University Class of 2015.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) said employers are expected to boost hiring 8.3 percent from last year because of an improving economy and an increasing number of baby boomer retirements.
Despite the number of jobs available, students often feel overwhelmed by the job market when they’re first starting out.
“It seems like every job you need experience for — even entry-level jobs,” said senior Katharine Fredricksen. “I feel like it’s really hard sending applications out into this void.”
The U.S. job market is yielding more employment prospects for college graduates across most areas of study, including architecture, social science, education and law. But a study released in February by Georgetown University revealed journalism and communication majors were the only two to post higher unemployment rates than previous years.
Still, college graduates have a much better chance of finding work than their peers — even those with experience — without college degrees. According to the study’s analyses, about 18 percent of young workers with only high school diplomas were unemployed — a 15.5 percent increase from their counterparts with college degrees. These numbers indicate a major shift in economic times. Additionally, the higher number of job openings for college graduates demonstrates the increasing importance of technology in the economy and the value of college-learned skills.
“I think college students are becoming more competitive, and thus some jobs are becoming harder to attain,” said senior Megan Porter, who will work in MetLife’s recruiting department after graduation.
The NACE survey also shows that recruiters are putting stronger emphasis on using technology to reach graduates. This year, about 65 percent of respondents plan to use more social networks, and a little more than 60 percent plan to use more technology in general.
Elon’s Student Professional Development Center provides several resources for students seeking internships and jobs. According to Elon’s website, 87 percent of students complete an internship before graduation, increasing their chances of landing a job that requires previous experience.
Simply Hired, a California-based technology company, used its own research and analytics to report that the fields with the most permanent, full-time openings for recent graduates are sales, marketing and public relations, customer service, human resources and engineering.
But some of these fields are seen as luxuries to companies, said Susan Martindill, director of demand generation at Simply Hired. The fact that companies are hiring anyone for these positions — let alone recent college graduates — indicates a strengthening economy.
The survey also showed that Still, the rate varies among the major worker groups — the unemployment rates for adult men is 5.1 percent, adult women 4.9 percent, teenagers 17.5 percent, whites 4.7 percent, African Americans 10.1 percent, Asians 3.2 percent, and Hispanics 6.8 percent. These numbers showed little or no change in March.
Additionally, there were 738,000 discouraged workers or persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them.
(04/18/15 3:32am)
Elon’s commitment to diversity manifests itself across campus — one of the most popular platforms being food.
In addition to Lakeside Dining Hall’s “country of the week” program, which features an international station that serves dishes form a designated area of the world every week, Elon Dining hopes to continue hosting “special events,” throughout the year. These events, which are scheduled to occur three times every school year, celebrate cuisine from a region of the world by enticing all senses: sight, sound, taste and touch.
Last week, Lakeside hosted “Bollywood Night,” an elaborate celebration of Indian food and movie culture. Students were greeted with a decorated entrance, adorned with colorful fabrics, lanterns and artifacts. Loud Bollywood music blasted throughout the hall as people ate under fabric tents and a cloth painting of Shah Rukh Khan, a famous Bollywood actor.
The dining hall offered six food stations to try from, each offering a themed aspect of Indian cuisine and ranging from beverages, deserts, street foods and main course meals.
Partnering with Sterling Events, a Raleigh-based special events decorating organization, the event was planned in early January. It took a total of three hours to bring the “portal to Bombay” to life.
To Pulkit Vigg, resident district manager of Elon Dining, the event — especially in the Elon context — is a necessary part of his job working at a university that places emphasis on global citizenship.
“It’s our duty as dining services leaders on campus to educate students so that when they leave campus and go around the world they can say, ‘I’ve had Indian food,’” he said. “Hopefully, they feel comfortable eating with other nationalities and other cultures.”
Vigg, who intentionally places himself next to the dishwasher during dining events, said the number of empty plates that returned at the end of the night reflected the event’s success.
“The best part of the day was seeing how clean plates were being returned,” he said. “Let’s just say there was very little composting going on that night.”
Sophomore Taylor Douglas, who was waiting in an ever-growing line to get a Henna tattoo, which are temporary and used commonly in South Asia, said the event represents Elon’s collective commitment to emphasizing the value of studying abroad, even while at Elon.
“I was initially overwhelmed. It’s a lot to take in,” she said. “But Elon does this a lot, in that they try to promote opportunities to engage with culture.”
To Vigg, food is at the focus of culture.
“All of us as humans, we eat food and in all cultures, food is the center of everything,” he said.
The event was also intentionally not heavily advertised.
“If you know something is coming, then you’ll be expecting something,” he said. “I think people still like being surprised in a good way.”
But still, there were criticisms.
Junior Allie Barteldt noted the existence of an upside down “om” sign, an important religious symbol for Hindus.
“It’s clearly the most sacred symbol in many Eastern religions and in a way, they defaced it by keeping it upside down,” she said. “I thought everything else about it was great except that one slip-up.”
Vigg said the upside down sign was an honest mistake.
“Obviously, we weren’t paying attention, that’s it,” he said. “The staff are highly trained about what food their serving and what cultural significance it holds.”
This was indicative in the staff’s heavy involvement in explaining the food being served. Francine Light, a server at the international station, made a point to stand in front of the beverage selection and explain the health benefits of each Indian drink to students, encouraging the students to try.
“Our main hope is to get people thinking about different cultural foods,” he said. “It takes time to adjust your taste buds to food from different cultures. The point we emphasize is that we get you to try.”
(04/16/15 2:17pm)
In recent weeks, political figures from both sides of the aisle have come forward and announced their campaigns to run for president in the 2016 elections.
Clinton runs for second time
Stating what was expected for months and confirming the beliefs of pundits everywhere, Hillary Clinton announced Sunday she will seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2016.
Clinton posted a video announcement to her campaign website Sunday. John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman, said there will be a formal kickoff event next month.
In 2008, Clinton ran for president and became the first woman to win a presidential primary contest. She pulled out of the campaign in June 2008 and pushed support for now-President Barack Obama. During Obama’s first term, she served as Secretary of State.
Her announcement doesn’t come as a shock. Since running in 2008, she’s given a number of hints at another campaign.
Sophomore Rachel Echevarria wasn’t surprised about Clinton’s announcement but doesn’t think she will win.
“I don’t think people are going to vote for her because she’s a woman,” Echevarria said. “I don’t think America’s going to do it yet.”
According to Jason Husser, assistant professor of political science and assistant director of the Elon University Poll, Clinton’s long history in the public eye as a first lady and then Secretary of State gives her an advantage no candidate has had before.
“You’d have to probably go back to Dwight Eisenhower to find a more well-known presidential candidate,” Husser said. “You could argue that Al Gore or George H.W. Bush were better-known or similarly-known, but really you’d probably have to go to Eisenhower.”
Husser added that Clinton’s popularity will give her an advantage unlike any candidate has had in the past.
“In some ways, she is the best-known presidential candidate ever,” he said. “We’re going to have some unexpected things because of that.”
As of publication, there were no other Democrats who had announced their campaign to run for president in 2016.
Husser said Clinton is essentially a lock for the Democratic nomination.
“Unless something fairly cataclysmic happens, she’s probably going to get the nomination,” Husser said. “At this point, there would be very few circumstances I think that would lead her to not get the nomination. One would be some kind of scandal we’re not aware of right now. That said, it’s pretty unlikely.”
Clinton’s been in the public eye since her time as the first lady during her husband’s terms from 1992-2000.
Sophomore Katie Condon isn’t sure about whether Clinton will win, but said her prominence is a big asset.
“The fact that she’s known so well will help in name recognition,” Condon said. “It can work in her favor or against her. People know her better. People know her past.”
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) predicted Clinton will win, saying she would “be one of the best-prepared leaders to preside in the Oval Office.”
Husser said since Clinton is so well-known, there wasn’t much to say when she formally announced.
“Historically, there’s never been a presidential candidate whose record has been sifted through as much as Hillary’s,” Husser said. “It’s almost like this has been a foregone conclusion for months now.”
Husser said while earning the Democratic nomination will be manageable, winning the election will be much tougher. Currently, Husser said, Jeb Bush is the favorite for the Republican nomination.
“If you look at economic voting models, you can usually predict a presidential election, even at this point, within a few points based on economic performance of the party,” Husser said. “Right now, we’re in a slow recovery still. The economy’s not terrible, but it’s not great. It’s really anyone’s shot. Whoever’s got the Republican nomination has just as good of a chance as Hillary does.”
Republicans make run for White House
Within the last month, a trio of Republican senators — Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida — announced their 2016 presidential runs.
Cruz first announced his run for president on Twitter at midnight March 23 and then verbalized it during a speech at Liberty University that morning.
“I believe in you,” Cruz said in his speech. “I believe in the power of millions of courageous conservatives rising up to reignite the promise of America, and that is why today I am announcing that I’m running for president of the United States.”
The second Republican put his name in the ring for the party’s nomination April 7 when Paul announced during his campaign launch in Louisville, Kentucky, that he would be seeking the Republican nomination for president.
The 2010 elected senator and former opthamologist operates on a platform that the Republican party needs to broaden its appeal to a more diverse group of voters.
Rubio was the most recent Republican to announce his run for the White House.
During an April 13 speech in Miami, Rubio, 43 — the youngest candidate in the race thus far — based himself on taking the Republican party into the future as a next-generation and forward-looking leader.
“It’s really anybody’s shot,” Husser said. “Whoever gets the Republican nomination has just as good of a shot as Hillary does. Because Hillary is not going to face a really tough nomination process, she won’t be as well vetted and as practiced as she would if she had faced like a 2008 challenge.”
(04/16/15 3:15am)
Senior Daniela Nava has been thinking about food trucks since sophomore year.
(04/16/15 12:13am)
Hilary Corna ’07 told everyone in the room to stand up, and asked for a student to come forward.
(04/14/15 1:34pm)
With increasing numbers of digital resources right at individuals fingertips, new skills to process that amount of information must be developed. T. Mills Kelly, a history professor at George Mason University, broke this down in his presentation, “Digital Humanities and the End of Selective Ignorance” at Elon University in a recent talk.
Kelly defined selective ignorance as the choice of what information to ignore. Humans are bombarded with this issue every day, particularly when too many things are oncoming at once and the information is dense.
Selective ignorance is not a novel concept. In fact, Kelly said people in the humanities have been exercising selective ignorance for decades. Kelly cited card catalogues as a place where there is an abundance of information, but not all the information will be used.
Because of the digitization of sources and objects, such as posters, there are approximately 75 million sources available to those conducting research.
“What am I going to do with 75 million sources?” Kelly said.
While Kelly could be selectively ignorant when he was in graduate school, prior to the digitization of sources, that is not an option for students anymore.
“You can’t be selectively ignorant anymore,” Kelly said. “You are faced in a world where you can’t get away with that.”
As a result, Kelly said on April 13 that students must learn new skills to sift through and appropriately digest the material they are confronted with throughout the research process.
Metadata — data that describes other data — is critical in this learning process.
“You’re going to have to start learning about metadata,” Kelly said. “We’re going to have to include learning about these kinds of topics.”
Additionally, Kelly said students must develop their distant reading skills.
“[Distant reading’s] looking at a huge pile of information and making sense of that,” Kelly said. “You need both skills, but right now, we don’t teach much of distant reading.”
Additionally, Kelly said students need to be familiar with linked open data, a form of a database with open content, and be familiar with data visualizations.
As an audience member clarified, the humanities can be enlivened by this digitization.
“What you’re doing is showing us how the humanities can be enlivened by this digitization,” said a member of the audience.
Overall, Kelly said this access to more information is beneficial for students.
“I think the more information we have, the better,” Kelly said. “I don’t think there’s a negative to providing more information.”
Even so, the downsides include sifting through information without developed metadata and distant reading skills.
Amanda Sturgill, associate professor of communications, said that more skills than just interpreting texts are required now, because of the surge of information available.
She said her main takeaway from Kelly was that the skills learned throughout college are applicable for the future.
“I think you have to learn whole different kinds of skills now,” Sturgill said. “I think it is that you’re in school is going to be accessible to you for the rest of your life.”
(04/13/15 3:21am)
More than 1,400 students — approximately 25 percent of Elon University’s student body — participated in the 12th annual Elonthon dance marathon, raising $180,068.58 for Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center.
“This number represents more than just a number. It represents hope, and it represents Elon, and it represents the kind culture that we’re trying to cultivate here of selflessness and philanthropy,” said Elonthon’s Executive Director Kaylyn Weller when the total was revealed. “I really think that this total right here is something to be proud of.”
Fundraising for the event has gone on for several weeks, but significant strides were made the week of the event. Just three days before Elonthon, a campaign to raise $15,000 in one day was launched. In just 24 hours, the campaign, #15KinaDay, collected $30,176.
“We were overcome by how much support we received that day, how much the kids received that day,” said Alaina Schukraft, marathon relations chair. Schukraft credited the support of the Elon community as the reason such an accomplishment was possible.
Throughout the 24-hour marathon, dancers had the opportunity to hear stories of various children who had been positively impacted by Duke.
Kennedy Goodwin was born with Goldenhar syndrome, a condition that affects the development of the ears, eyes and spine.
“What brought her to Duke was wanting to be like all her friends and have two ears,” said her mother, Amy Goodwin.
Cartilage from Kennedy Goodwin’s ribcage was used to construct another ear. She underwent this procedure twice, and both attempts failed after infections in the area destroyed the new ear cartilage.
Kennedy Goodwin’s doctors decided to try a prosthetic implant that would be attached to the bone of her skull. After four months of waiting for the implant to heal, the prosthesis was attached and Kennedy Goodwin officially had a new ear.
“What I can tell you about Duke is that they never let you leave without hope,” Amy Goodwin said. “They give you hope, they make sure that you keep the hope. And within time, they made sure that Kennedy got her ear.”
Hayla Remines had another story to share. After undergoing several tests at Duke, Remines was diagnosed with kidney disease at 3. She received multiple treatments to keep her healthy, but the fact remains that kidney disease is incurable.
“Eventually, I will have to have a transplant — but not today,” Remines said.
Now 22, Remines has been a Duke patient for nearly 20 years. The hospital has been a huge part of her life and has proactively sought out new treatments to help.
“Every time that I’ve gotten severely out of remission and I’ve regressed further in my condition, they’ve always been there,” Remines said.
Because of her experiences at Duke, Remines is currently in nursing school so she, too, can make a positive impact on children’s lives. She hopes to help others in the same way she was helped and hopes to work at Duke someday.
“I love the community and the team, the healthcare team that’s there at Duke, from the nurses who are absolutely amazing and there every step of the way, and the doctors who will come into your room every morning and check and talk,” she said.
At Elonthon, 21 “miracle children” shared stories of their experiences with Duke Children’s Hospital, including current Elon student Tessa Kroninger and former student Leigha Martinelli.
As one of the largest dance marathons in the United States, Elonthon makes a difference in these patients’ lives. Just before the total number of money raised was announced, dancers heard from Dr. Daniel Wechsler, a hermatology and oncology specialist who discussed how medicine at Duke is advancing.
Wechsler said that, 30 or 40 years ago, many cancers seen in children had low recovery rates. But things are changing.
“Since then we’ve made incredible progress, and currently about 75 or 80 percent of kids who are diagnosed with cancer are actually cured because of our treatments,” Wechsler said.
Furthermore, certain cancers, such as leukemia, have even higher recovery rates. Wechsler congratulated Elon students on their participation and role in facilitating this success.
“Elonthon goes above and beyond the call of duty, serving the patients of Duke,” Wechsler said. “It brings us closer to finding cures for all different kinds of diseases, and your support helps give kids the change to grow up and live a healthy life.”
While things are improving and medicine is advancing, Elonthon participants are dedicated to actively supporting the patients at Duke Children’s Hospital.
“We strive for a day when we don’t need a dance marathon, but until then, we’re going to fight with all we have for them,” Schukraft said.
(04/09/15 7:55pm)
UPDATED: Friday, 1:48 p.m.
(04/09/15 4:16pm)
Greek life regulations don’t discriminate, pressure to hide sexuality originates from within organizations
When Samantha Jones came out as a lesbian, she found comfort in her close friends but a letdown in a Greek system that was less than welcoming.
A sister of the Eta Zeta chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha at Elon University, Jones, ’13, said some of her sisters offered a supportive environment when she came out in 2012, but others did just the opposite.
“I had some people who were really uncomfortable with me afterwards,” she said. “I don’t think I necessarily lost friends, but I think some people certainly distanced themselves from me. I had a lot of people move away from spending time with me.”
Inclusivity takes priority in Elon’s mission and policies, but the Greek system hasn’t necessarily kept up. Students in Greek organizations who have come out as members of the LGBTQIA community are often treated as anomalies within the system.
But advocates say it’s better now than it once was.
Matthew Antonio Bosch, director of the Gender and LGBTQIA Center (GLC), said as the general conversation around sexual orientation and identity has become more common over the years, he’s seen an increase in the number of people who are out in Greek organizations at Elon, though there’s no concrete way to determine how many.
From 1990 through the early 2000s, Bosch said more people were openly gay in fraternities than in sororities. Then, for about 10 years the number of women out in sororities grew. Now, he said, there are more males who openly identify as LGBTQIA in Elon’s fraternities than females in sororities.
Allies emerge in Greek life
Shana Plasters, Elon’s director of Greek life, said the university has no way of tracking how many LGBTQIA students are involved in sororities and fraternities, noting some members may be out in certain circles but not in others.
There are no policies in the Greek system that restrict LGBTQIA people from rushing or participating in Greek-sponsored activities. But Plasters said some organizations have rules requiring guests at Greek functions to be approved by a committee or a standards board. Though this rule exists so dates who might have had problematic behavior in the past can be barred from events, a standards board could potentially shut out dates of the same sex.
“Although these policies were not designed to be discriminatory towards LGBTQIA students, there could always be the chance that student members could use this veto power over dates to discriminate based on sexual identity,” Plasters said in a statement.
But as Jones found with her sisters in Zeta Tau Alpha, subtle attitudes within individual organizations are more often the source of discrimination. She suspected some people were disturbed when she brought her girlfriend as a date to a sorority function.
“A huge part of being in a sorority and fraternity is the social aspect,” she said. “Most of that social part is tied to straight interactions. You get invited to those things because guys want to have sex with you. When you’re out, it kind of limits you a little bit.”
Plasters said regardless of the sexual orientation of their members, all organizations have an expectation of brotherhood and sisterhood.
“Certainly we expect our fraternities and sororities to be supportive environments,” Plasters wrote. “If a student doesn’t feel supported by their peers, that can be concerning.”
The Office of Greek Life has partnered with the GLC to provide LGBTQIA Ally Training for organizations who have requested it. Bosch guided all of the sorority Pi Chis — students from all nine of Elon’s sororities who counsel potential new members through the recruitment process — through the Ally Training sessions. The Pi Chis come from all nine of Elon’s sororities.
Bosch has also provided training sessions for individual sororities and the National PanHellenic Council.
Challenging Greek norms
Many of those who are out in Greek organizations are challenged by certain conventions of Greek Life — stereotypes Jones said hold true at Elon.
“People that are different aren’t always celebrated,” she said. “They kind of hold a standard of white, straight, pretty, skinny, blonde, brunette. I wouldn’t say that it’s really a conducive environment to being out or alternative in any way.”
Other social challenges LGBTQIA brothers and sisters encounter stem from the historically heteronormative activities sponsored by fraternities and sororities. Jones found that aspects of the Greek system, like date parties and formals, are traditionally geared toward straight couples.
“When people ask what the typical Elon girl looks like or acts like, people describe things that are aligned with sorority culture,” Bosch said. “It’s in the way people dress, the way their hair is presented and the way they see the world — both external and internal.”
He said people generally know which sororities and fraternities are more affirming and progressive, and students interested in joining those specific organizations lean toward them during the recruitment process.
Jones said her sorority did not fall into that category.
“I think there are some very open, kind sororities that are known for being more accepting,” Jones said. “I don’t know if the one I was in was necessarily. Zeta and Phi Mu are where most of my friends were, and in general, I think they’re more of an exclusive club.”
Gay visibility in Greek Life
Greek life accounts for about 40 percent of Elon’s student body, but gay visibility within the system is little more than a whisper.
When she came out, Jones didn’t know of any other openly gay women in her sorority, and she only knew of a handful in other Greek organizations. This lack of representation was obvious in the curiosity of her peers, which at times bordered on insensitivity.
“It made my social life a little bit more awkward,” she said. “People would ask me all types of incredibly inappropriate questions.”
Senior Brittany Wenner, a sister of Sigma Sigma Sigma, encountered similar questions when she came out to her sorority her sophomore year. Wenner said she welcomed some of the curiosity, but not when it was clearly rude.
One night, when she was out with friends at West End, a fraternity member she knew asked her if it was “gay night at West End.”
“I don’t really understand why you think you can speak to anybody like that,” Wenner said. “And it was a person I was friends with.”
This wasn’t an isolated incident. When she came out, Wenner said she received nothing but support from her sisters. But she experienced more negativity from men in the Greek system.
“It was just people who wouldn’t normally talk to me about my sex life or who wouldn’t normally approach me at a party,” she said. “The conversation would quickly go in that direction, just asking me questions that you wouldn’t ask someone who was straight.”
Wenner partially attributes this treatment to ignorance, acknowledging that not everyone has interacted with LGBTQIA people before entering college, and they might not be as accepting.
She said these are the members who keep negative stereotypes of Greek life alive.
“I think some of the preconceived notions about Greek life can be correct in situational ways,” Wenner said. “Open-mindedness needs to be embraced through the university.”
And for the most part, she found, it has been embraced by the other women in her sorority. When it came to taking that first step out of the closet, Wenner said she was no more apprehensive about giving her sorority sisters the news than she was anyone else. It was more important for her to be true to herself in her sorority than it was to hide her sexuality.
“I think that when anybody who comes out faces that fear, not just within the Greek system but at Elon in general,” she said. “I do believe that, especially within my organization, it was OK to be myself. I felt like my sisters were very welcoming and supporters.”
Conforming to Greek life
Junior Evan Candler, said he joined Zeta Beta Tau because he saw an opportunity to be part of a fraternity that distinguished itself from other organizations on campus by redefining traditional values of masculinity and brotherhood.
As an openly gay brother, he chose to take another man to a date party because he thinks it’s important to challenge norms within his fraternity. No one openly condemned their attendance, but not everyone was enthused.
Candler said his experience falls in line with a larger attitude in Greek Life that fraternity brothers should conform to the standards of their organizations despite their sexual orientation.
“There’s a level of discomfort, and I feel like I have to be as hetero as possible,” he said. “You can be gay, but just don’t talk about it.”
Through conversations about inclusivity with Zeta Beta Tau’s leadership, Candler has seen gradual progress in this area. But, he said, the closeted population in Greek life still outnumbers those who feel comfortable opening up about their sexuality.
For closeted freshmen and other students thinking about rushing, Greek life has a specific appeal — Candler said joining a fraternity can serve as a way to hide being gay.
“I think there are people who might want to join Greek life because they think joining a fraternity might make them more straight or something,” he said. “Maybe if they do go through rush, they just know that they can never come out.”
The need to conceal their sexuality is something some LGBTQIA brothers and sisters have in common, but they agree the need to do so shouldn’t exist.
“In terms of a sorority, you’re supposed to look at those people like they’re your family,” Jones, the Zeta alumna, said. “You’re supposed to love them and care about them no matter what.”
Correction: The print version of this story, published in the April 8 edition of The Pendulum, included a graphic that did not accurately represent Greek Life at Elon University. The original graphic omitted the National Pan-Hellenic Council, which is one of the three main branches of Greek life on campus. The Pendulum regrets the error.
(04/09/15 1:27am)
Like any freshman, Maddy Gross began her school year in the fall filled with flurries of nervous, eager anticipation. The only difference was that her heart beat three times faster than everyone else — literally.
(04/08/15 10:54pm)
On any given day, junior Shahad Haswa can be found speaking with student groups, faculty or administrators on Islam, a faith she and just 1.7 percent of Elon University students practice.
According to the Elon Factbook, 10 students identified as Muslims for the 2014-2015 year, but Haswa is only aware of five students who are practicing and involved Muslims.
Elon students and administrators are working to address this difference in an effort towards improving diversity on campus.
As an executive intern to the office of the president, senior Carley Gaynes worked to advance the presence of Muslim students on campus.
Gaynes said she thinks an increase in support and resources would help grow the population.
“I think that there are a number of reasons why the Muslim student population isn’t as well represented as others, but largely, I think that it boils down to a need for support,” Gaynes said in an email. “In order for a community to thrive and succeed on their own, they must first receive the necessary support and resources from their surrounding community, and that is our job, as Elon students, faculty, staff, and community members who all proclaim our love, appreciation, and desire for diversity on campus.”
Filling the gap
Since arriving on campus her freshman year, Haswa has acted as an ambassador for the religion that is significantly underrepresented in comparison to Catholicism — more than 1,600 identifying students — and Judaism, a religion that has almost 400 identifying students.
“It’s not like I need a Muslim right next to me,” she said. “But we need to be able to recruit more people from the Muslim faith to represent on campus. It seems like every other faith is very much represented, very well funded and supported. But how can you have one of the biggest religions on Earth not represented? And that’s the gap we’re trying to fill.”
The junior marketing and entrepreneurship double major was born and raised in Amman, Jordan, with Islam in her blood.
After she had already looked at universities in the United Kingdom and Canada, a college counselor brought Elon’s liberal arts education to her attention.
The recipient of Elon’s King Hussein scholarship — an Elon scholarship given to Jordanian students — Haswa took the leap and chose Elon not only for the academics and opportunities but because of the opportunity to experience a different country.
“If I stayed home, I wouldn’t experience the abroad aspect of college,” she said.
She did not take into account the university’s religious life and culture, though.
“I know there are huge Muslim communities across the United States, but for me, I don’t need the community for me to practice,” she said. “If I believe what I believe and I have it with me, then that’s enough. My faith is just with me, wherever I go.”
Haswa said she was curious, though, to see what Muslim-based clubs, organizations and communities Elon had to offer.
But when Haswa got to Elon, she was surprised by the great disparity in Muslim representation compared to other religions.
“I don’t like to be critical, but the thought was more like, ‘OK, now what can we do about it?’” she said.
As a freshman, Haswa surrounded herself with a community of 10-15 older Muslim students who started the Muslim Student Association (MSA).
Haswa got involved with Elon’s MSA chapter by joining its executive board, to increase the group’s awareness and presence on campus.
When the majority of the MSA’s executive group and involved members graduated at the end of Haswa’s sophomore year, she said she was left with only a small handful of involved students who were practicing Islam.
“I first got to Elon and we had a little Muslim community, but by the end of my sophomore year they were gone,” Haswa said. “It was me, two other girls and one guy. They try to count the Muslim community on campus, including faculty and staff, but it’s almost nonexistent.”
Today, Haswa is the president of MSA and acts as a Muslim student representative to the Elon community.
“I’ve started representing Elon’s Muslim community,” Haswa said. “If someone needs a Muslim to talk, interview or recite verses from the Quran, I will. There are some students who don’t care, but for the ones who do, I’ll be the anchor.”
With a small Muslim population on campus, many Elon students are not aware of tenants of Islam. So when they do encounter people of the Muslim faith, they bring a laundry list of questions.
Some students attribute others’ inquisitive nature to the lack of Islamic presence on campus.
Sophomore Soad Ibrahim, a Muslim student from Kuwait, said she sometimes receives simple and even ignorant questions regarding her faith.
“It’s not students’ fault because they don’t know,” she said. “They just ask questions because they don’t know, but Elon can’t do anything about it because the population isn’t here.”
Resources available at Elon
As a part of Gaynes’ executive intern project to advance the presence of Muslims on campus, she created a website for Muslim Life at Elon, which is now live through the Truitt Center Website.
“One of the major issues that I (and others) noticed was that there was no one place that information on Muslim life at Elon could be accessed by the Elon community, or by prospective students.”
The Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life provides prayer rugs and prayer rooms in the Numen Lumen pavilion for daily prayer.
Elon does not have a mosque. The closest mosque is the Pakistan Islamic Foundation in Gibsonville, minutes away. But the Truitt Center does hold events throughout the year to support the community.
Every year, the Truitt Center hosts an event that honors the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, a feast holiday that celebrates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. Elon’s event incorporates food from different countries and cultures, as well as students who share their Eid al-Adha stories.
Looking to the future
Many students feel that a larger Muslim presence on campus is a necessary step in strengthening Elon’s commitment to diversity.
Sophomore Ben Lutz, who is concentrating in the Middle East with his International Studies major, said he hopes to see more diversity on Elon’s campus.
“I would like Elon to have more Muslim students to add to the richness of Elon’s community, as well as have better balanced discussions about current issues with all sides better reporesented,” Lutz said.
While support is needed to make the religious group’s presence on campus grow, Haswa understands that it will not happen overnight.
“Because we don’t get the attention and support we need, it’s hard for us to grow,” she said. “So right now, we’re just trying to stabilize it and be there whenever we can.”
Haswa believes breaking the stigma and stereotypes associated with Islam is a step in the right direction.
“When we talk about Islam we have to make sure we’re not just associating it with the Middle East,” Haswa said. “There are Muslims in Africa, Asia, Raleigh. They’re everywhere. It’s not like they’re just not attracting one ethnicity or country. It’s a whole nation.”
(04/03/15 1:52am)
Two Elon University faculty members were granted Fulbright awards — one of the highest honors in academia that comes with grants and living stipends — to explore religious practices in India and neighborhood revitalization practices in the United Kingdom.
The awardees, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Amy Allocco and Adjunct Assistant of Political Science and Policy Studies Professor Patrick Harman, plan to use the opportunity to live abroad and further their existing studies in their respective interests.
This July, Allocco is set to travel to India, where she will remain for up to one year to observe and interview Hindu families who conduct complex ceremonies in an effort to communicate with dead family members. Intended to call the deceased back into the mortal world to safeguard those they left behind, Allocco hopes to explain the practice to a Western audience through both recording rituals and interviewing participants.
Harman intends to embark for the United Kingdom in January 2016 to work alongside social scientists at Durham University to identify neighborhood-rebuilding projects deemed most effective by politicians, nonprofits and members of the communities represented.
"I hope to gain an understanding of what strategies and policies are effective for community revitalization and for which sets of stakeholders (community organizations vs. policymakers)," Harman said in an email. "Ideally, I would gain some insight into how these differing strategies and policies can be aligned in a revitalization effort."
Administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, along with the U.S. State Department, the Fulbright Scholar Program each year sends about 800 U.S. faculty and professionals to more than 150 countries to lecture, research or participate in seminars, according to the program website.
(04/03/15 12:18am)
Pacing around the stage, all but antsy to get started, Neil deGrasse Tyson raised his voice a little bit. So he apologized.
(04/01/15 11:01pm)
NBA legend Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school basketball team. Physicist Albert Einstein didn’t speak until he was 4 and didn’t read until he was 7. Elon University’s newest Student Body President Avery Steadman ran for class historian in high school but was defeated.
“I was extremely devastated that I didn’t get it,” Steadman said. “I never thought I would get the courage to do it again. It’s really putting yourself out there to have different opinions.”
Her fortune changed when she stepped foot onto campus in 2012 to begin her freshman year.
On a whim two weeks into her first year at Elon, Steadman decided to run for a position on SGA. With the help of friends and roommates, she knocked on random Danieley apartment doors to collect the 200 signatures needed to run for freshman class treasurer.
“I have grown to love SGA and found that the organization has an ability to reach all students and change Elon for the better,” she said. “I am so excited to see what this year has in store for me, the Senate and Elon.”
Steadman changed her student government streak and won the September 2012 election.
“Her decision to run freshman year was spontaneous, and it’s pretty amazing to see how far it has taken her,” said close friend and junior Jenna Hall. “Avery’s passion for SGA is inspiring and it is clear that she found her niche at Elon.”
The 21-year-old junior advanced with a polished look, confident smile and firm handshake from freshman class treasurer to sophomore class treasurer before being elected executive treasurer in 2014, the first female in that position in 22 years since Megan Maxfield in 1994.
As executive treasurer, Steadman oversaw a budget of more than $650,000 and took the initiative to refund the budget hearing process.
One of the more tedious tasks Steadman performed was making the executive treasurer’s manual more organized and clearly laid out.
“I think there will be a lot more transparency between student government and the student body,” she said. “I made the process for reimbursements a lot easier. It’s now one sheet.”
When it came time for the most recent elections, Steadman considered running for executive treasurer again — the thought of president didn’t really cross her mind until discussing it with a friend.
“A friend asked me what I would regret more: running for executive treasurer again or not running for president,” she said. “I then had my answer. I knew I would always wonder and had to give it a shot.”
Officially inaugurated as student body president March 12, Steadman is currently wrapping up her duties as treasurer and will hold her first meeting as president Thursday, April 2.
Through her work with SGA, Steadman has made an impression on her peers.
“I have known Avery from the first week of classes her first year here at Elon,” said former executive president Joe Incorvia. “Avery is very competent and hardworking and I have seen her really grow during her time on SGA. She is interested in helping others and really makes an effort to do her best to make sure students achieve what they hope to.”
Life outside SGA
The avid Harry Potter fan, who keeps a special 8-disc set of the films in her apartment, ready to watch for when she magically has free time, grew up in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York, and spent her summers sailing in the waters of Lake Erie.
Her true passion, though, wasn’t on the waters but in ice skating rinks.
She had only been walking on her own for a little more than a year when her parents laced her up in skates and into the world of figure skating.
“Ice skating was my life for 16 years,” Steadman said. “I had dreams of becoming a professional skater, but once I turned 12, I realized that wasn’t going to happen.”
When her dreams of becoming a figure skater were dispelled, she saw herself as was a teacher. But after doing an internship her senior year of high school shadowing teachers and working with children, Steadman realized it was not the career for her and went back to the drawing board.
She said she unknowingly fell into accounting and finance after entering Elon. She’s never looked back.
Looking into the future
Thinking ahead to the future, Steadman hopes to lead the SGA senate and the student body in a way that fosters cooperation, communication and passion.
“With the senate I hope that, as a leader, I can listen to them and they can listen to me,” she said. “I try to make people feel excited for what they’re doing instead of making it feel like a chore.”
While her remaining time at Elon is solidified with her position as SGA executive president and involvement with Campus Recreation and Alpha Xi Delta, Steadman is open to what lies after the maroon robes in May 2016.
“I think I would have never, ever planned for this, so while I’m going to work hard to get whatever internship and job I think will fit for me, my guess is what I think is going to fit is going to change so I’m just going to go forward and see what happens,” she said.
(04/01/15 9:50pm)
Through the tears and the heavy air, thick with the loss of a beloved wife, mother and friend, there was laughter, joy and love.
Even in death, Robin Russell’s ceaseless spouts of warmth and kindness, captured through memories shared by Elon University community members, permeated the room.
Robin Russell worked at the Elon University Bookstore and was heavily involved in activities related to the Colonnades Neighborhood.
She died in her sleep March 28, the night of her 47th birthday. In a “Gathering of Friends,” held Monday, staff, faculty and students gathered in the Numen Lumen Pavilion’s Sacred Space and united through sharing memories, moments and thoughts of her.
Her husband, Alan Russell, associate professor of mathematics, lived in the faculty apartment in Colonnades E – Harper Hall as part of Alan Russell’s service as faculty director of the Colonnades Neighborhood.
“I went home and asked her [if she would be willing to move to Elon], and her entire face just lit up,” Alan Russell recalled. “Since we moved that Fourth of July weekend until now, she began breathing life through the students.”
But, it became clear that so many community members breathed life through her contagious joviality.
There were memories of her singing along to Bon Jovi and Boys II Men on the sales floor at the bookstore, teaching love languages, cheering for Elon during basketball games and decorating a co-worker’s office with “Lordy, Lordy, look who’s 40!”
Her daughter, Michelle Russell, was also in attendance and noted how her mother was always filled with joy and never failed to decorate anything and everything.
To her co-workers at the bookstore, Robin Russell’s legacy will be one of humor, warmth and kindness.
“Robin had a wonderfully bubbly laugh that seemed to fill the room, and she made sure to laugh often,” they wrote in her honor. “When she wasn’t laughing, Robin was singing.”
Sophomore Katie Soraghan, a resident assistant in Colonnades Neighborhood, said Robin Russell was one of the nicest people she knew.
“Everyday when I walked to Acorn, she waved to me from the bookstore window,” she said. “I got the opportunity to get to know her throughout the year as she lived in Colonnades — she invited us to dinner and made us feel so much at home.”
Soraghan shared how Robin Russell would consistently call her “cookies-n-creme” after she asked specifically for the flavor during one of their ice cream parties.
“I’ll always have that with her,” she said.
Other members of the Colonnades Neighborhood staff shared how they always felt like they had been gifted with two faculty directors and how she worked tirelessly to organize events and support the students in as many as ways possible. Her tendency to work above and beyond to make everyone feel at home was apparent in all that she did.
“Robin was very much a part of the campus and was proud to represent and serve Elon,” Carly Mayer, Store Manager said. “She was a loyal employee, a lovely woman and a great friend who will forever be missed.”
(04/01/15 7:02pm)
A utility tower, bedecked with get-well soon cards from members of the community, stands near the site of the accident. Hundreds of well-wishing emails, letters and social media posts have been written and shared. Numerous hospital visits and generous donations to cover medical bills have been made. And the love, thought and prayer for Gabriela Rosales keeps pouring in.
Two weeks after Rosales was struck by a car while crossing N. Williamson Avenue, the Elon community continues to send outpouring support for recovery from her critical injuries.
In response to the community’s assistance and care for Rosales and her family, Chaplain Fuller announced Monday the creation of a CaringBridge account, a forum that will provide updates on her condition. The Chaplain’s Discretionary Fund, a designated Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life account that provides assistance to members of the Elon community experiencing difficulties, will also direct funds toward some of Rosales’ medical bills. Members of the community have been invited to donate to the account in honor of Rosales.
With the support of her family, who traveled from her hometown in Nicaragua, and Elon faculty and staff, Rosales continues to receive care at UNC Hospital. As of Monday night, the CaringBridge account reported that Rosales remains stable with CAT scans yielding positive results and doctors slowly working to take her off the ventilator machine. According to a representative from UNC Hospital, Rosales is still in critical condition.
As the community continues to monitor her progress, strangers, classmates and professors have united in support of Rosales during this difficult time.
But the news hit Elon alumnus, Toorialey Fazly ‘14, especially hard. In the news of Rosales’ accident, he was reminded of an ordeal he faced four years ago.
Only 15 days after arriving on campus in 2010, Fazly was struck by a car near the intersection of Haggard and Williamson. Thrown off his bike, he collided with the car’s windshield and fell to the ground, sustaining several critical injuries including a broken neck and a broken leg.
“At first, I could not speak, but I could see,” Fazly recalled. “The woman [who hit me] came out of the car, asked if I was okay and then drove off.”
As an international student from Afghanistan, Fazly said despite having no family members in the continent and only a few established friends at Elon, the extensive support from strangers and peers alike helped bridge the distance from home.
Receiving more than 250 cards on the first day of the accident, he quickly realized he was far from alone. During his four month recovery period, hundreds more letters, emails and text messages from friends and strangers came pouring in. Classmates took notes on lectures he missed, countless people visited him during his recovery, and friends and strangers alike sent him homemade baked goods.
“I had to deal with the pain, that was something else,” he said. “But knowing I had the support made this environment home for me.”
Fazly said he wanted the community to know that as a victim of a similar incident, he truly and cordially appreciated the help and support he received during his recovery.
“More than anything else, the support was what helped me most in the process of getting better and healed,” he said. “It mattered to me back then and it will continue to matter to me for the rest of my life.”
As it did for Fazly, the support for Rosales from the community was immediate. Only three days after her accident, the community came together to raise funds for Rosales’ medical expenses through a series of profit shares held on March 19.
Vivian Splawn, a worker at All That JAS, said the support was heartwarming.
“We were getting Internet orders from schools all around the country,” she said. “We had a broad-range of people coming together to support Gabriela.”
The store, which specializes in Greek merchandise and customizable gifts, raised a total of $1,200 for Rosales’ recovery.
“It could have happened to anyone and it could have happened anywhere,” Splawn said.
The Oak House also participated in the profit share, making an exception for their rule to avoid profit shares for their first year.
“We initially started this year ruling out profit shares because we felt we are new and still learning the business,” said co-owner Phil Smith. “But because of the situation and the support her family needed, we did not hesitate to make an exception for Gabriela.”
The coffee shop directed 10 percent of every order on March 19 to Rosales’ family, raising a total of $250.
“A lot of people came and said, ‘This is for Gabi,’” Smith said. “I thought that all the support was really indiciative of the kind of community we have at Elon.”
(03/29/15 6:48pm)
Elon University staff member Robin Russell died in her sleep March 28, according to an email from Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Steven House. Russell worked at the Elon bookstore and lived with her husband, Alan, associate professor of mathematics, in Colonnades E.
(03/26/15 8:57pm)
Elon University’s Campus Safety and Police will launch LiveSafe, a smartphone safety application, March 30.
(03/21/15 7:58pm)
Elon University, in conjunction with the national office of Pi Kappa Phi, closed the Epsilon Alpha chapter of Pi Kappa Phi March 17 until January 2017, according to an email to The Pendulum from Smith Jackson, dean of students.
