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(03/04/15 11:30pm)
In honor of the art history department’s 10-year anniversary, discussions on transhistories of the visual echoed through the halls of Elon University’s Koury Business Center during a two-day symposium.
Between, Among, and Across: Transhistories of the Visual was the theme of the two-day on-campus conference Friday and Saturday.
Approximately 50 Elon students, faculty and staff members as well as visiting guests attended the event, which featured 17 lecturers and presentations.
Alumni of the department and nationally accredited and acclaimed scholars gathered to share their research and opinions.
Erin Day ’11 presented Friday on the topic of “The Corporeal and the Contemporaneous: Screen Dance and the Matter of Media.” She said she was pleased to see how the art history program made strides and hosted a symposium.
“A conference is so essential to discussion,” Day said. “It’s how scholarship happens.”
Melissa Spencer ’09 said it’s great Elon is doing something as big as a two-day symposium.
“It’s good to see people from outside of Elon [come and speak],” Spencer said. “Having an art history speaker is another key perspective for students and scholars.”
Dr. Jill H. Casid, professor of visual studies in the Department of Art History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, presented the keynote address, “Art History on the Hyphen,” Friday evening.
Her presentation was based on the idea that the history of art is positioned on an altering and transitive hyphen.
Casid demonstrated how re-versings of a Roman imperial text’s metamorphic scenes across a range of media work relate to the transformative properties of hyphenation.
“I think it was fruitful to see [Casid] talk,” Day said. “It had a good overarching statement about the discourse of art theories.”
Kirstin Ringelberg, Elon professor of art history who co-organized the event, said the speech was a great example of a challenging art history talk.
“The ideas were complex and far from easy and within the talk was a challenge to art historians to rethink the way we do what we do — to be more directly engaged with the interconnections between and across our normal ‘tidy little boxes’ of categorization and method,” Ringelberg said.
Casid received her B.A. with honors from Princeton, her M.A. from the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London and her Ph.D. at Harvard. She went on to serve as the first director of the Center for Visual Cultures at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her academic background impressed many of the event’s attendees.
“Dr. Casid is one of the early developers of the study of visual culture in our country — she’s a major international figure in that regard — so it was also exciting to have someone on our campus with that stature supporting our curriculum’s and discipline’s self-critical questioning,” Ringelberg said.
An art history minor was formally introduced to Elon in the 2004-2005 academic catalog. In 2007, an art history independent major graduated, and the first official art history degree was received in 2008.
In the past 10 years, the department has graduated 40 majors and more than 60 minors.
The department has also dramatically changed the curriculum from teaching primarily Western-focused surveys to teaching almost exclusively discussion-based classes and seminars that look at more than just one continent.
Ringelberg said she sees the student involvement in the program as a key to success.
“We also really enjoy our program — we love our students, we all get along really well and we think art history is both complex and exciting — so we have a good energy that I think students really do respond to,” she said.
Ringelberg added that a demand to grow will not decrease the rigor of the department’s coursework.
“We refuse to lower our standards in terms of the quality of our classes and undergraduate research projects to make ourselves more popular, however, and we know that means we might not always satisfy the drive for greater numbers,” she said. “That’s a chance we’re willing to take, but we’re of course also looking at ways to grow.”
(03/04/15 6:07pm)
Ben Hannam, an Elon University associate professor in the School of Communications, sheds light on how net neutrality will impact the Elon community.
Q: What is net neutrality?
A: It’s kind of a large, ambiguous, term kind of like evolution. It can mean so many things. For me, net neutrality is the principle that all content on the Internet is delivered at the same speed at the same rate.
Q: How would you describe how net neutrality was addressed before and after the John Oliver clip?
A: I think the John Oliver clip put a face on it and made people feel like there was a threat. Before, it seemed like things nerdy people were just talking about behind closed doors. I feel that John Oliver’s HBO rant made people say ‘There’s something really at stake here.’ After that, you see people beginning to talk about it more. He was part of a catalyst for people who really didn’t have a position on it and bringing it to the forefront.
Q: Where’s your level of optimism and trust with cable companies and Internet service providers?
A: I would love to have options, to be honest with you. I would love to be able to price out my Internet service providers the same way that I do car shopping or the same way that I do when I’m picking a computer and an operating system. I want to be able to compare and contrast and look at reviews and look at service calls and look at ease of setup and how quickly they go together with the components in my house. As an entitled American with first world problems, I want to have choice. When you have Internet service providers and they talk about Time Warner and Comcast, and they’re basically carving out geographic regions that they service and they don’t service, so when your option is them or nobody, it doesn’t seem fair, does it? I’m for net neutrality because I’m hoping that it will generate more competition and that as needs for consumers increase, there might be other options to fill those needs.
Q: Last week, the FCC decision was 3-2 in favor of net neutrality. Did you expect the vote to go that way?
A: I was cautiously optimistic. It falls into election years. It falls into political scenes. It falls into financial things. It’s not a singular topic. Comcast was out ringing the bells and fighting the good fight. To be honest, the FCC said they weren’t going to regulate it [net neutrality], and Comcast’s argument was valid… I’m happy with the decision, but I can certainly see how they’d be [upset].
Q: How will this decision affect Elon students? What should students understand about net neutrality?
A: Right now, content has been locked into an Internet service provider. You’ve got AOL and Time Warner packages and you’ve had to upgrade to get HBO, and it comes packaged with 100 channels nobody wants. You’ve had to pay for the content that you want and the content that you don’t want. They act like, ‘Oh, we’re giving you 250 channels,’ and you’re like, ‘Yeah, but there’s only 10 good ones.’ If ESPN falls next and offers services a la carte, it’s a game changer for the way we distribute the content that we want. The people who are putting out good content will rise to the top and the people offering 190 channels that you don’t want are going to go the way of the buffalo. Nobody wants to pay for QVC if they’re not going to use it. What [the FCC’s decision] does is put the consumer in the driver’s seat, which is great because it could spawn a whole new generation of business, a whole new generation of content, and we don’t even know where it’s going to go yet… There’s an optimistic future about where the Internet is going next.
(03/04/15 5:42pm)
A recently formed Elon University cultural organization called Israel Dialogue, Education and Advocacy (IDEA) brought two Israeli reservist soldiers to campus Friday through the national non-profit organization Stand With Us.
(03/04/15 5:32pm)
From “permanent job contracts” to “holiday tickets,” a tenure status has been assigned many labels. But not all are true.
(02/28/15 10:01pm)
Are you intimidated by the idea of picking up heavy objects then putting them back down?
(02/27/15 11:00pm)
How did ISIS begin?
The history of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) can be traced back to the Iraqi faction of al-Qaida, a Sunni terrorist organization. Before his death in 2006, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi led al-Qaida and major bombings, kidnappings and beheadings in Iraq.
Al-Qaida became weaker after al-Zarqawi’s death, especially with the Sunni Awakening, an alliance of Iraqi Sunni tribes supported by the United States fighting in opposition.
In 2011, al-Qaida used the Syrian conflict to its advantage and moved into Syria from Iraq, their current base. By 2013, influence spread back into Iraq, where the group’s name changed to ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
What have they done?
ISIS made its way from Syria into Iraq toward Baghdad thanks to a combination of a shrewd military and unfathomable brutality. The organization is known for social media accounts that have shown disturbing videos of their fighters torturing and executing masses of unarmed prisoners. They have also taken advantage of trained Iraqi government forces who lack the motivation to put up a strong fight against ISIS.
Who is involved?
The CIA estimates that ISIS’s total fighting force could have more than 30,000 people, about half of them foreign fighters who left their native country to travel halfway around the world in order to join the terror group. It has been estimated that more than 1,000 of the foreign fighters are from the western hemisphere, with around 100 of them American.
Is ISIS part of al-Qaida?
ISIS was originally an al-Qaida affiliate, but after ISIS leader Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi’s 2014 public falling-out with al-Qaida core leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, the two went their separate ways. A February 2014 letter obtained by the Long War Journal showed the disdain of al-Qaida’s senior leadership toward al-Baghdadi and implied that all ties with ISIS had been cut.
Is ISIS a threat to the United States?
In the past, ISIS has mainly focused its attention on its regional neighbors, but the August 2014 execution of U.S. journalist James Foley might be evidence of change. Foley’s execution followed U.S. involvement in recapturing the Mosul Dam. The Mosul Dam is an Iraqi dam that, if not given proper attention could flood more than 65 feet deep in the city of Mosul, resulting in significant loss of life and property. The United States provided airstrikes to take back the dam. In Foley’s execution video, an ISIS fighter addressed Obama directly, saying that Foley’s death was a retaliation for the airstrikes against the dam.
The latest ISIS News
Turkey launched a military operation in northern Syria Feb. 21 to rescue Turkish soldiers surrounded by ISIS. The Turkish soldiers were guarding an Ottoman tomb that houses the remains of important historical figure Suleyman Shah. To ensure ISIS didn’t interfere, Turkey moved its 38 guards and Shah’s remains.
Why should I care?
Many people believe that recent Muslim hate crimes, such as the triple murder in Chapel Hill, are a result of an ISIS mentality in the United States.
(02/27/15 7:00pm)
Elon University is working with Campus Kitchens across the country to “Raise the Dough,” a weeklong national competition to raise money for educational efforts and food contributions.
Elon’s chapter’s goal is to raise $1,800 by Feb. 27 to implement solutions for food insecurity in Alamance County. Forty-two other Campus Kitchens in the nation are participating in the competition.
The top three Campus Kitchen chapters that raise the most funds will win a cash prize that will help to continue impacting their community.
Feeding America estimates 1-in-5 people in North Carolina struggle with hunger.
Abbey Riesett, program coordinator for Elon’s Campus Kitchen, said the organization decided to enter the competition primarily so it could expand education efforts regarding nutrition to residents of Alamance County.
Campus Kitchen is accomplishing those educational objectives by providing weekly nutritional handouts to the John Robert Kernodle Senior Center and the Graham recreation Center. This is done through the nutritional services program provided to senior citizens of Alamance County through the Alamance County Community Services Agency.
“Our goal is to be able to bring fresh produce to the seniors when we make our presentations so they have food to take home with them,” Riesett said. “We are also beginning to develop nutritional handouts and presentations for Allied Churches of Alamance County.”
The organization has encountered challenges regarding the competition, mostly because not everyone at Elon is familiar with it yet.
“A lot of people on Elon’s campus have never heard of Campus Kitchen or do not realize how big of an impact we have in Alamance County,” Riesett said.
Even so, Elon’s Campus Kitchen is deeply involved in the community. The organization, composed of 15 student leaders and approximately 180 volunteers, makes and delivers 1,000 meals to residents of Alamance County each month.
During the 2013-2014 academic year, the Campus Kitchen collected 11,151 pounds of food from Aramark and additional donations from students, faculty and staff. The organization went on to collect 2,344 pounds of food from fraternities and sororities during Greek Week in 2014. That food was distributed to Allied Churches’ food pantry.
Riesett said that the Campus Kitchen at Elon has the capacity to become more effective in the community with the “Raise the Dough” competition because of the potential influx of donations.
Likewise, the competition helps other chapters learn new strategies to grow more influential in their individual geographic region.
“It is interesting because every Campus Kitchen is unique even though we all have the same mission and operate under a similar model,” Riesett said. “We all have to be unique because we all serve different communities, and those communities have different needs and resources.”
One of the resources unique to Elon’s Campus Kitchen is Loy Farm, which the university bought in 2000 to use for humanities, social science and natural science courses. Elon’s Campus Kitchen has been increasing the level of fresh produce in its meal packages thanks to its established relationship with members of Loy Farm.
The partnership also serves another purpose. Campus Kitchen is an educational resource, not just a nutritional one, for the Alamance County community. With the produce from Loy Farm, community members know the nutritional value of the food they are consuming from the farm.
Melanie Seidman, president of Elon’s Campus Kitchen, said the competition could allow the organization to develop stronger ties with Loy Farm. In addition, the company could inform members of the community and provide the best quality of foods to the county.
“The increased education will hopefully help the community members to begin to be able to make their own food and make smart choices about what they’re cooking,” Seidman said. “The extra money could go to helping out the farm or to higher quality ingredients to use in our cooking shifts.”
(02/27/15 3:00pm)
During his visit to Elon, Ross Szabo, CEO of the Human Power Project and co-author of “Behind Happy Faces: Taking Charge of your Mental Health,” urged a crowd of Elon University community members to move past the social stigma against mental health and recognize the importance of seeking help for themselves and peers.
“Mental health isn’t a problem,” he said. “It’s something we should all have.”
The social stigma he refers to is one that affects college students across the country.
The American College Health Association National College Health Assessment found that while an estimated one in five Americans 18 and older, which translates to more than 54 million Americans, will experience mental health problems in any given year, fewer than 8 million will seek treatment. The study also found that 30 percent of college students reported feeling “so depressed that it was difficult to function.”
To further Szabo’s discussion about peer support in early prevention and treatment, the Elon University Department of Health Promotion initiated Helping Students in Distress: Signs, Strategies & Resources.
The series of conversations and Q&A sessions address the signs, strategies and resources needed to support students suffering from distress or anxiety.
The Q&A is one of the many initiatives the department has provided for students, faculty and staff this year by placing an emphasis on providing resources for peers who notice signs of distress, as well as community members who are experiencing signs of distress.
The department has strived to bring mental health to the forefront of discussion on campus through various educational opportunities, platforms for dialogue and resources.
When Bruce Nelson, director of counseling services and Whitney Gregory, director of promotion and student concerns outreach, designed the program, they hoped to reach as many students, faculty and staff members as possible. On the day of their first discussion, they stood in front of an empty room.
They raised an important concern: students may not be aware of the initiatives and resources provided by the department of health promotion.
For those more aware of the extent of the problem, social stigmas could be holding back their comment.
Senior Kally Lavoie said that though she has never been to the counseling offices herself, she has heard about their efforts, which she thinks attest to the counselors’ attempt to spread the awareness about the resources.
“There are times where I was interested in visiting but was intimidated because I didn’t know exactly what services were provided or how the center worked,” Lavoie said. “I do also think the distance plays a factor. Some mental health issues could hinder motivation or ability to walk such long distances across campus.”
Gregory said the ways in which these initiatives are discussed play a large role in generating participation.
“I don’t know a student who doesn’t connect with the idea of stress reduction and focusing on coping skills and finding ways to support one another to be less stressed,” she said.
Help starts with peers
According to Gregory, research has shown that the primary resource that mitigates negative outcomes or worsening mental health conditions is person-to-person contact.
She said that one of the department’s major goals in these types of conversations is to intervene at a systemic and organizational level.
“If we can have these conversations with students who may be in the early stages of anxiety or who know somebody who may be showing signs of distress, then we can spread the word that with the right resources and support, the problem can often be resolved,” she said.
With student-run groups such as Active Minds, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the stigma that surrounds mental health, and SPARKS, a team of responsible student leaders who provide health-related programming and serve the Elon community as health resources, it’s clear that Elon is making space for peer-centered discussion about mental health.
According to Gregory, these discussions need to be supplemented by an awareness of resources and strategies to provide support for peers in need on a campus-wide level.
“Elon students are incredibly involved,” she said. “But a culture surrounding staying up late at night to complete assignments or attend meetings can lead to high levels of stress, lack of sleep and impact on emotional health.”
Breaking myths and stigmas
There are a variety of rumors about counseling services at Elon, especially related to their cost.
Another is matching the student with the counselor, which requires careful compatability and planning to ensure a good fit in which both parties are comfortable talking candidly.
“We are fully licensed, trained and have years of experience working here and elsewhere,” said Bruce Nelson, director of Elon Counseling. “But our No. 1 priority is to get students what they need and if that means looking for resources within a 40 mile radius, then that’s what we will do.”
Sophomore Matthew Sheehan said breaking stigmas begins with students.
“A lot of individuals view counseling as an admittance of weakness, but it isn’t,” he said. “It takes great courage to make the decision to go and then actaully attend a session.”
Sheehan added that he felt intimidated while in the Health Services waiting room with everyone else as the only person there for counseling.
“I view it as positive but didn’t want to be judged by others,” he said.
Sheehan said his experience was positive and that the people he met were caring and connected him to the right resources.
Gregory encouraged students who may be thinking about making an appointment to simply try.
“It’s not about diagnosing some sort of disorder. It’s about identifying a problem,” He added. “It’s about finding the solutions for yourself and the resources you need to get to a better emotional state.”
Helping Students in Distress will take place on March 4 at 1:30 p.m. and March 19 at 5 p.m. in the Psychology building, Room 102.
(02/26/15 7:00pm)
The 2015 Housing Selection process, which begins Feb. 25 and continues until March 11, will direct students to certain neighborhoods by class, unless they apply for a Living and Learning Community (LLC).
According to MarQuita Barker, associate director of residence life for operations and information management, sophomores can expect to find their future homes in Danieley flats and apartments. Some sophomores will be in the Global Neighborhoods, Colonnades and the Loy Center, and a few will be in the Oaks.
Barker said a majority of juniors can expect to be in The Oaks and some will be in the Station at Mill Point. Seniors can prepare to be mainly in the Station with a few in the Oaks.
“We really want students to focus on the experience in each neighborhood,” Barker said. “It’s really about who you live with and your experiences and not so much about the actual building.”
The division of classes by neighborhood comes after recent years of freshmen being scattered across resident halls from Danieley to Historic Neighborhood.
Now, Residence Life look to be more purposeful with where students live and when they live there.
Freshmen are placed in Historic to be near the center of campus, allow them the opportunity to take part in link courses through the Global Neighborhood and form connections with live-in faculty, Barker said.
She added that the Danieley flats and apartments suit sophomores well because it is not the traditional hall of Historic, but it’s also not quite the apartments juniors and seniors occupy in the Station.
“We try to be intentional of students’ on campus experiences,” Barker said. “We try to do our housing based on those needs.”
With more than 20 communities, LLCs are another way students can remain in on-campus housing. According to Barker, even though deadlines for LLCs have passed, it’s not too late to inquire about open spots.
Junior Michael Nedvin has lived in an LLC for the past three years and plans on continuing to live in one for his senior year.
“I didn’t want to worry about housing off-campus so applying for an LLC was a good option,” Nedvin said.
Another benefit of living in an LLC is that there are many opportunities for older students and even faculty members to form bonds and mentorships with each other.
It’s something supporters say can be hard to come by elsewhere, in other living situations on campus.
“LLCs are nice because it’s good to have older students to go to when you have questions about different Elon-related things,” said junior Jacquelyn Lanphear.
LLC RAs also see the benefits of having freshmen and older students live together.
“I personally feel that the mix of first-year students with sophomores is incredibly beneficial, especially for the first-year students,” said communications LLC RA Riley Billman. “These students can more easily find student mentors than those who live on an all first-year hall.”
Billman said she has heard from her residents that the housing selection process can sometimes be confusing, but she appreciates that Elon rewards students who have been academically successful by using students’ GPA to partially determine housing selection.
“I’ve also heard from other schools that [their] housing process is much more convoluted and difficult,” she said. “I appreciate Elon’s system compared to these other schools.”
Looking ahead. Barker said the goal is to be able to house as many people on campus as possible.
“We’ve made strides to provide enough beds,” she said. “We would love to see 75 percent of students living on campus within the next five years.”
(02/26/15 1:00am)
Contrary to popular belief, Smith Jackson, vice president for student life, does not have the final say on when Elon University gets a snow day.
The power to close the university ultimately rests with Steven House, university provost, and Gerald Whittington, senior vice president for business, finance and technology.
But they rely on a lot of help — from Physical Plant, Elon University Police and the input of a slew of other campus departments and organizations.
As the provost gets each to weigh in, it’s not uncommon for House to hit the roads in the pre-dawn light and see for himself, according to Dan Anderson, vice president of university communications. Physical Plant workers and Elon University Police officers also beat the pavement to assess conditions early, he added.
“I think it’s our responsibility to make an informed decision about how to conduct the university’s business, and it’s important for every individual to take responsibility for themselves to get around safely,” Anderson said.
Though a late-arriving storm dumped a coating of snow and ice around campus Tuesday, the university opted to stay open, drawing the ire of certain students who said they ice-skated their way to class.
“I was really shocked that it wasn’t canceled,” said sophomore Taylor Hoerr., a former Pendulum staff member. “I went to ‘Sunrise Yoga’ this morning, and when we walked out, the paths weren’t cleared. I feel like they didn’t prepare at all, unlike last time.”
Unlike winter storm Octavia — which brought North Carolina plenty of warning before it hit last week — Tuesday’s wintry mix took the university by surprise.
By 6:47 a.m. Tuesday, when Jackson emailed campus, much less snow had fallen than would pile on during rush hour. Ideally, that email should be sent out around 6 a.m., Anderson said.
“What happened during the commute made it more slick than anyone would have anticipated,” Anderson said. “So, it’s not a flawless process to make this decision. Things change, and you can’t anticipate weather.”
Though no car accidents were initially reported around Elon, there were injuries, as well as some close calls.
“I was crossing the tracks near West End Apartments and lost control, slid into the curb and bounced off into the road,” said junior Lindsey Metcalf. “When I got out of the car to see if there was any damage, I almost slipped on the ice. I got back into my car, and another car making the same turn lost control and just barely stopped in time.”
For its part, Elon asks students, faculty and staff nervous about their commute to stay home, saying there will be no penalty for students who skip class out of safety concerns.
But not all students buy in.
“I feel like no teachers will uphold and respect it if you don’t make it to class,” Hoerr said.
The responsibility is actually with the individual student, not with the university, to make arrangements with the teacher, Anderson pointed out.
“Students should approach each teacher one-on-one, and I think faculty members will understand if they explain the particular situation,” he said.
Anderson added, “It always is a judgement call, and it’s always going to be second-guessed by people. Every school system in the world has the same issue.”
(02/25/15 11:10pm)
Elon University awarded the Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership to Guy Harvey in a packed LaRose Digital Theatre Monday night. Harvey — a renowned marine life artist and scientist and conservationist briefly summarized his near 30-year history as proprietor of Guy Harvey, Inc. and how he quickly discovered the value of wildlife conservation.
“I learned early on conservation is good for business,” Harvey said.
Although he has long been committed to marine life conservation, it wasn’t until 2008 that Harvey established the now-thriving Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. The foundation funds scientific research and educational programs to ensure a mutually beneficial future for marine life and their ecosystems.
“As the population grows, [society] places more and more pressure on limited resources,” Harvey said.
Most recently, Harvey partnered with Richard Branson and his company Virgin Group in the effort to conserve the world’s oceans and marine life.
The Entrepreneurial Leadership award, of which Harvey is the sixth recipient, honors industry leaders who exemplify Elon’s values of integrity, innovation and creativity, passion for lifelong learning and a commitment to building a dynamic community. Elon chose Harvey to receive this award because of his unique blend of expertise in the fields of entrepreneurship, science and art, said President Leo Lambert, who presented him with the medal.
“I really don’t deserve this,” Harvey said upon receiving the award. “I really have a team of people who help me do this.”
Harvey first signed commercial licensing for his artwork in 1986 in Florida when he was still teaching at a university in the West Indies. It was then, he said, that he first learned the importance of copyrighting his work. From there, Harvey spent his time at trade shows and consumer shows trying to gain momentum for his artwork and ideas.
In 1999, in partnership with the Oceanographic Center at Nova Southeastern University, Harvey launched the Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) to research deeper into the world’s marine life and their ecosystems. The institute, he said, acts as a strong liaison for collaborating with universities in marine life education and has produced 80 peer-reviewed papers to date.
An eleventh generation Jamaican, Harvey said he draws inspiration for his artwork from his roots in the Caribbean. The island of Panama is an optimum setting for Harvey, he said. It’s here — where the fishing is consistent and the film opportunities are plenty — that he is able to find inspiration.
“The bigger animals are the ones I really love to paint,” Harvey said.
He has experience with pen and ink, watercolor, acrylic and oil painting as well as underwater photography and cinematography.
Still, Harvey credits much of his recent success to his social media team.
“It’s good to remain highly visible on the road all the time... Social media has become a very important medium,” said Harvey, who has over 760,000 likes on his Facebook page. In addition, Harvey’s team compiles and publishes a quarterly print magazine that features visually rich photography and artwork, he said.
Ultimately, Harvey said he would like to bring attention to marine life.
“Wildlife artists are kind of considered the red-headed stepchild of the artist community,” Harvey said.
But, he advised aspiring artists to make use of modern social media tools to promote their artwork.
(02/25/15 10:51pm)
The number of Elon students completing internships or co-ops has significantly increased over time, though there have been some growing pains.
(02/25/15 9:00pm)
Elon University’s second-annual TEDx pushed the ideal that changing the world starts with the individual.
Nearly 125 students, faculty, staff and community members gathered in Yeager Hall Feb. 22 as six speakers presented ideas on a range of topics pertaining to this year’s theme, “Waiting on the World to Change.”
The event, directed by Elon students Johanna Rosen and Meredith Berk, was organized to bring TED’s mission of “ideas worth spreading” to Elon.
“We live in a society where so much change is either not happening at all or is happening much too slowly,” Rosen said. “So I felt having a wide variety of speakers address some of these issues would make a powerful statement. And if you ask me, it definitely did.”
The afternoon’s first speaker, Jennifer Thompson, a New York Times best-selling author and judicial reform advocate, recounted the story of her brutal rape as an Elon senior nearly 30 years ago. The man Thompson accused — Ronald Cotton — was tried, convicted and jailed. Ten years later, DNA proved Cotton was innocent, so he was exonerated and released from prison.
Together, Cotton and Thompson now lobby to abolish the death penalty and revise police eyewitness line ups, as well as fighting for rights for the wrongly convicted. The man whom she wanted to die for what she thought he had done to her, Thompson said, was the only person who could help her heal and begin to fight for change.
“What are we waiting for? Who are we waiting for?” Thompson said. “The time is now. [The person] is you.”
Joining her in the effort, Duke University professor of law Theresa Newman took the stage to discuss her love of law and her fight to eliminate the hundreds of wrongful convictions that occur every year in the United States. Because of DNA testing, Newman said, about 325 people have been exonerated to date. This fact is something prosecutors must accept, she said, because the justice system is changing.
“We’re all waiting on human nature to change, but the change is a return to justice and a return to truth,” Newman said.
According to speaker Emily Greener, co-founder and CEO of the nonprofit I Am That Girl, the only way to make change happen is to be a leader.
“If we’re going to be champions of changing the world, we need to go first,” Greener said. Her nonprofit exemplifies this through its dedication to inspiring and empowering girls to become their best selves while leading others to do the same.
Elon University’s I Am That Girl chapter boasts more than 550 Facebook likes and has a weekly meeting attendance of more than 50 girls, said Katherine Korol, an Elon sophomore and member of I Am That Girl Elon who attended TEDx to hear Greener’s talk.
Leading with vulnerability is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves because it establishes connection and trust with others, Greener said.
“We’re a follow-the-leader society,” Greener said. “Will you choose to be a leader? Will you choose to be known?”
There are two types of leaders in our society, said speaker Harry Cohen, a psychologist who works with management leaders and organizations to teach the principles of “heliotropic” leadership. The term, often used in reference to plants, means the growth or movement of a fixed organism, Cohen said.
“The heliotropic effect tells us that all living systems tend to move toward self-sustaining systems, not depleting ones,” he said.
His experience with company executives has proven the more positive and gratuitous leaders are, the more their employees and their company succeed.
When people make an effort to be positive energizers — attentive listeners who are compassionate and encouraging — it’s contagious, Cohen said.
“Be the sun, not the salt,” Cohen said.
Innovator, application designer and recent Vancouver Film School graduate Ian Brady is the leader of a platform he calls “Vision.” The idea began after he realized the college climate had changed drastically since the World War II era when college was for scholars and free thinkers alike. Colleges are standardizing everyone, Brady said, because they can’t keep up with the sheer number of students they’re admitting.
Brady created a graphic presentation illustrating the need for individualization of students and a return to a liberal arts foundation.
“The goal is to promote the individual and shape the future,” Brady said.
David Levy applied a similar argument to the financial sector. The Elon parent and chairman of The Jerome Levy Forecasting Center, a macroeconomic forecasting and consulting firm, positioned his talk around the question, “Where do profits come from?” Profits are rewards for innovation and raising standards of living, he said.
“You don’t have to be a mathematician or an economist to understand it,” Levy said. “The world needs to look at a new perspective.”
(02/25/15 6:55pm)
Drop/add — at least as current Elon University students know it — will soon be a thing of the past.
Beginning with the 2015 summer/fall registration period, the university’s registration process will switch to a 24/7 model in which students’ schedules can be swapped anytime.
It’s a move that has been in the works to minimize the impact of administrative red tape on student scheduling, according to Elon’s Registrar Rodney Parks.
“It’s definitely one we’ve been working on for a while,” Parks said. “Registration here at Elon was put in place at a time when Elon was a very different place, and it followed a very historic way of processing registration.”
That “historic way” gave upperclassmen a scheduling advantage by allotting them the earlier drop/add slots. Now, students will still have set registration times based on credit hours earned, but by not closing afterward, underclassmen ought to stand more of a chance at snagging coveted courses.
After the drop/add period begins later this spring, it will remain open until August 31 — except for a chunk of the summer from May 31 to August 11 to register incoming freshmen.
The registration change will not affect matriculating students, who will still be assigned courses by the university.
Elon would like to get to the point where freshmen can register themselves, Parks said, but it’s challenging for a school comprised of 78 percent of out-of-state students.
Pointing to his native University of Georgia, Parks said larger state schools are able to funnel incoming freshmen onto campus for registration over the summer. By squeezing advising appointments and an orientation of sorts into one day, it is possible for new students to have some say over their schedule, he said.
But that’s not a reality for Elon.
“We’re at this point in the process where they’re still being registered for a lot of first-year specific classes,” Parks said. “For some of these classes, we’re reserving seats specifically for first-years that we want them to be able to pick up.”
Over the course of this school year, the university has conducted networking tests to ensure its servers could handle the increase in students who could access drop/add at any time with the new policy.
It lengthened the process, but it was necessary to make sure the servers could handle the additional load without crashing and adding to students’ frustration, Parks said.
“You’ve certainly seen a ton of initiatives, so this is one of those that was in the line,” he said. “One of the things that students may not be aware of is that we have to make sure the technology is in place to handle the load of students.”
(02/24/15 3:38pm)
Cleanup is underway in the aftermath of a frozen pipe that burst in the attic of the neuroscience lab on South Campus last week, adding another item to Physical Plant's mounting weather-related to-do list.
(02/21/15 10:58pm)
Elon University's budget for next year places particular emphasis on giving students with demonstrated financial need more opportunities to study abroad.
(02/21/15 10:45pm)
In an era in which the cost of college climbs higher and higher each year, Elon University recently delivered a bold statement with the rollout of its 2015-2016 fiscal year budget. Slashing the tuition increase to a 27-year low of 3 percent — down from last year’s 3.96 percent bump — the new spending plan was said by senior university officials to toe a hard line on the cost-quality conundrum.
(02/21/15 10:22pm)
Valentine’s Day this year brought a variety of celebrations to Elon University —one of them being a performance of “The Vagina Monologues.” Written by playwright Eve Ensler and first performed in 1996, the play was created through Ensler’s interviews episodic play with more than 200 different women.
The women ranged from 6 to 72 and were interviewed about their views on relationships, sex and violence against women. Raising awareness for violence against women was one of the main focuses of the play for Ensler.
The play has carried that focus into 2015. The proceeds of Elon’s performance went to Crossroads Sexual Assault Response and Resource Center. According to its website, Crossroads serves “child and adult victims of sexual abuse through confidential counseling, advocacy, child medical treatment, education, and community awareness.”
While the play features some serious monologues highlighting sexual violence — including those about rape and child molestation —the humorous bits stole the show, especially the performance titled “The Angry Vagina.”
The monologue, highlighting the many ways people find to change and “torture” women’s vaginas, inspired shouts and applause from the audience in agreement.
“When something is hidden, it goes along with being guilty,” said Sharon Eisner, professor of gender studies and communications. “When something is spoken of, we’re able to take a sense of empowerment, and women should not feel that they have to hide who they are, a very basic part of who they are. We shouldn’t feel like [a vagina] can’t be spoken of, like it’s a dirty word.”
Acknowledgement is a huge part of “The Vagina Monologues.” While introducing the monologues, the narrators, senior Brianna Duff, freshman Zaria Zinn and sophomore Sarah Wright, explained that when the original interviews were conducted, women were reluctant at first to discuss the questions. But as the interview proceeded, they found it hard to stop talking.
The interviewees were reluctant because they had never been asked about it before. As Eisner said, “The Vagina Monologues” hopes to increase the conversation and acceptance of discussion about vaginas and women themselves.
“We need to acknowledge our bodies,” said the narrators at the end of the play. “Our vaginas.”
The monologues included quite a few perspectives, including a 6-year-old, a Bosnian rape survivor, a vagina workshop participant, a 72-year-old who had never seen her own vagina and a woman who was just happy to have found a guy who “liked to look at it.”
Male involvement in “The Vagina Monologues” is important. The first monologue in the show, titled “Hair,” is about how women feel the need to change their own bodies to fit the expectations of men.
“We live in a culture where women routinely perform surgery to be more attractive,” Eisner said. “Many people prioritize the experience of being looked at over experience in their own bodies. It’s hard for men to get these issues unless they hear true stories. One or two will really make a difference in their world view.”
“The Vagina Monologues” strives to push these issues to the front of people’s minds. Audience members walk away with a different view of the female body — a view that emphasizes loving your body for what it is.
“I think it’s a great way to spend your Valentine’s Day,” said sophomore acting major Emily Collins, who performed in the play last year. “The show contains material that is funny, sentimental and powerful.”
Collins also believes that “The Vagina Monologues” addresses issues that are especially prevalent on college campuses.
“The pressures and issues of assigned gender roles and insecurities about physical appearance are present at most, if not all, college campuses,” she said. “So, on the day to celebrate love, [“The Vagina Monologues”] reminds us to love each other for who we are. The show encourages women to embrace all that makes them unique and beautiful.”
Eisner also believes it is important for men to see women and vaginas in a different way than they see them in pornography.
“I really, really feel strongly that a lot of our culture experiences vagina as a part of porn rather than as a life experience,” she said. “I am of the opinion that it would be good if men would watch [the show].”
In a society where porn is readily available at all times on the internet, the need for plays like “The Vagina Monologues” has become more significant. Gender professionals think both men and women need to have a more respectful and realistic view of the female body.
When the play was first performed almost two decades ago, people were skeptical because of the discussion of controversial subjects. As society rapidly continues to change, some critics accuse “The Vagina Monologues” of not being inclusive enough.
Though the play seeks to achieve such basic goals, it has received acclaimation for its exclusivity and honest approach to such harsh topics.
The play was canceled this year at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts for excluding the experiences of transgender women who don’t actually have vaginas.
Elsewhere, it was well received at Elon. Audience members laughed throughout the performance at appropriate moments and fell silent at moments when tough issues were addressed.
Senior and narrator Brianna Duff attributes her decision to the uniqueness of the opportunity and how it addressed issues that affect her personally.
“I wanted to challenge myself to be a part of something that pushed me outside my comfort zone and in how I spoke about women’s issues,” Duff said.
The acknowledgement of these issues is something Duff thinks “The Vagina Monologues” approaches in a unique way.
“‘The Vagina Monologues’ is an unapologetic examination of a number of things burdening women all over the world,” she said. “I think ‘The Vagina Monologues’ is an amazing way to bring awareness to these issues without feeling too technical or too removed from those who are affected.”
(02/21/15 10:15pm)
This semester, Elon’s Hillel chapter experienced a leadership transition when the director stepped down.
Ginny Vellani has been named the new director of Elon University’s Hillel chapter. Before accepting the position, Vellani had previously been involved with the Jewish community on Elon’s campus.
Rebecca Joseph, former Hillel director, assumed her position summer 2014 to replace Nancy Luberoff. Luberoff had been director of Hillel since 2008 and was influential in building Hillel’s presence on campus.
Junior Rachel Garrity, the current president of Hillel, said one of the primary reasons Luberoff resigned was because she felt her strength was in establishing organizations.
“Once Hillel was flourishing, she decided to hand the reins over to someone else,” Garrity said.
Joseph, an ordained rabbi, took over after Luberoff left. But, the position was not an ideal match.
“It was not a good fit either way — both for Becky and for students,” Garrity said. “She went on personal leave over Winter Term, and it was announced that she was stepping down at the end of Winter Term or beginning of spring semester.”
“She has worked very closely with the Jewish students and the Truitt Center and religious life,” Garrity said. “She has been very involved in Jewish life, and I think she was kind of the obvious choice when Becky stepped down.”
This transition of leadership extends beyond just those involved with Hillel. The Jewish community on Elon’s campus is very interconnected, and the few Jewish organizations often share many of the same members.
Sophomore Elena Goldman, one of Hillel’s engagement interns who helps integrate freshman Jewish students to Jewish life on campus, explained that Vellani will be working with the Jewish community as a whole, not just Hillel.
“The Jewish community on campus has always been extremely connected, and that will not change this semester,” Goldman said. “There are student leaders for each individual organization, but we all work together as a whole and with Ginny to support each other.”
These organizations include leaders of the Jewish fraternity, Zeta Beta Tau, Call for Hunger and the Israel Dialogue and Education Advocacy. The transition has impacted each of these organizations in some capacity.
“There’s just the baseline that we’re all Jewish-based organizations,” Garrity said. “We do a lot of co-sponsorship and programming and events together. It has really affected all the Jewish entities on campus.”
Students leaders in the Jewish community are looking forward to Vellani’s role in Hillel.
“I think Ginny will do an excellent job as the director of Hillel. She knows the majority of the students and is eager to get to know as many people as possible,” Goldman said. “She also had a lot of experience with our Hillel and really wants to do whatever she can to make her students happy.”
(02/21/15 9:59pm)
A university professor from Paris shed light on issues confronting Muslims in contemporary French culture Thursday in front of dozens of attentive Elon University students and faculty.
