Vaccine roulette: breaking the myths to the controversy
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Timeline by Bryan Anderson via Timeline JS.
The recent economic recession has dramatically impacted several industries. While the economy is growing in the midst of recovery, the memory of financial difficulty has left its stain on individuals, families and businesses. One area was hit particularly hard by the 2008 recession—the arts. James S. Russell, adjunct professor at the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York, wrote in the New York Times last November that investment in the arts is on the rise again, particularly among college campuses. “Elite campuses across the country have emerged from the recession riding a multibillion-dollar wave of architecturally ambitious arts facilities, even as community arts programs struggle against public indifference,” Russell wrote. Elon University is no exception. In the past several years, Elon’s campus has made significant strides in promoting the arts, especially when it comes to accommodating students by providing proper facility space. Michael Fels, associate professor of art, explained one of the most effective changes for immersing students in art has been the construction of Gallery 406 in Arts West. Gallery 406, which opened in September 2013, was previously an ordinary hallway in the Arts West building. Now, it is a space used for community events. When students walk in, they see the various works of art on the wall. Fels said this sparks intellectual conversation about art. “Students are in here talking,” he said. “It’s been a great community. It’s changed the culture of what we do.” The gallery was a gift from Barbara Rhoades, an adjunct assistant professor of fine arts, given in honor of her great-aunt, Katharine Nash Rhoades, and her father, John Harsen Rhoades. The conversion of the hallway to a gallery doubled the space. This past Monday, the space was used to host printmaker Lisa Bulawsky, an associate professor of art in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. It highlighted some of Bulawsky’s mixed media work, and she spoke to audiences about her growth, development and history as an artist. But Gallery 406 is not the most recent update for the arts at Elon. Scott Studios, a building next to Arts West and intended for the performing arts program, opened in September 2014. Fred Rubeck, chair of the performing arts department, described the two sister buildings as an “arts corner” in a September 2014 interview with the Pendulum. Scott Studios includes six practice spaces to accommodate piano and voice students, while also providing a rehearsal space with equivalent dimensions to McCrary Theatre. “It gives them an appropriate set of spaces,” Rubeck told the Pendulum after Scott Studios first opened in September 2014. “It will allow us to do different kinds of shows than we would have in the smaller studio.” While the economy did not impact the arts at Elon as drastically as other college campuses, it did limit which artists were brought to campus. “It had a definite impact on our access to artists,” Fels said. Because many artists were struggling financially, those from the West Coast and farther did not want to spend money traveling to Elon. However, Elon has recently scheduled artists from New York, California and Washington to visit campus. “That geographic circle is widening,” Fels said.
Phil Kaye, the only two-time recipient of the National College Poetry Slam award, opened his performance in Whitley Auditorium Thursday evening by explaining how he began to write his poem, “Surplus.” The Liberal Arts Forum at Elon University brought the award-winning poet to campus for a spoken word performance as the first event of the spring semester. “I am not a strong boy, but I am trying to learn what it means to build,” Kaye said. He then introduced himself to the audience. “I’m going to tell you some stories — some bad jokes. All I want you to do is sit back and relax,” Kaye said. Kaye did not hold back on the expletives. He often assumed a specific character throughout the performance, whether that was himself or the Geico gecko. But not all his poetry was light and humorous — he addressed serious issues, too. In one poem, “Repetition,” he addressed some of the challenges he encountered during his parents’ divorce. He spoke about how his mother taught him to repeat something enough times and, eventually, the words or phrase would lose their meaning. He said the same is true in life. “They whispered to each other ‘I love you’ so many times over that they forgot what it meant,” Kaye said. Kaye also took questions from the audience. “Those poems are really deep, and I was like, ‘What?’” said one student in the midst of asking a question. Kaye laughed and said he wished he could put the quote on his website. He also addressed his relationship with poetry and explained why he found it to be a rewarding career. “It’s a humbling art form,” Kaye said. “There’s always more work to be done. There’s always farther to push yourself.” Jessica Bilecki, education and outreach coordinator at the Office of Sustainability, said she loved the performance. She noted that many small aspects of Kaye’s poems resonated with her. “I think there were a lot of little parts,” Bilecki said. “That’s sort of how my brain works. It won’t remember specific words, but I remember feelings.” Freshman Jackie Pascale said the performance was relevant for college students. “I thought he was really relatable,” Pascale said. “I thought he got on our level.” Earlier in the performance, Kaye mentioned that he often performs for younger elementary students. But, freshman Olivia Hays noted the content of this performance was more appropriate for older audiences. “It seemed like he had been waiting to perform these poems for college students,” Hays said. “I think this was kind of a chance for him to take advantage of it.” Hays also acknowledged Kaye’s animated performance and his ability to draw on personal experiences, while also adapting to the various moods of the poems. “I think his facial expressions — the way he talked about his grandpa — [were] different than the way he spoke about his daily writing,” Hays said. “It was nice that he shared that with us.”
The start of a new semester comes with an exciting new addition in the School of Education: A SMART Board lab has officially been added to Mooney 206.
The 2015 Elon University SGA Elections listed only five candidates for the four 2015-2016 executive positions.
Elon University students enjoyed the first snow day of the school year Tuesday, but not without some flip-flopping on the behalf of the administration. Winter Storm Octavia blanketed the area with a troublesome mixture of snow, ice and sleet, which prompted administrators and students alike to voice safety concerns about getting to and from campus.
THIS WILL BE UPDATED AS THE STORY DEVELOPS
Fifty-four Elon University seniors are student teaching this semester in preparation for careers in elementary, middle and high school education. This year, principals have the opportunity to offer job contracts to student teachers prior to graduation. “In the past, they’ve had to wait until the school board approved the budget in June or July, which meant we often lost a lot of the student teachers to other counties that were already hiring,” said Marna Winter, lecturer in education and director of education outreach at Elon. Winter works closely with local, private and charter schools in Alamance and surrounding counties to build relationships with the schools to which Elon students are later assigned. “The principals [in Alamance and surrounding counties] really want our students there,” Winter said. “They know they’re well trained.” Last week, student teachers began their semesters at 21 different elementary, middle and high schools in the Alamance-Burlington School System, one high school in the Guilford County Schools and one middle school in the Orange County School System. Elon’s student teaching program is unique because it places its students at one school for the entirety of their student teaching period. All programs begin in the fall with a practicum and an average of 100 hours in the classroom. When student teachers begin full-time student teaching in February, they’re already familiar with the schools, classrooms and students, Winter said. “The way Elon structures student teaching is very beneficial in that you really get to immerse yourself in the process,” said Sally Day MacLeod, a senior who is student teaching a kindergarten class at Marvin B. Smith Elementary in Burlington. Student teachers begin their spring semester by gradually taking over subjects from their cooperating teacher in their assigned classroom, MacLeod said. She also said it’s important to plan for lessons thoroughly and have them approved by the cooperating teacher in advance, as the students thrive off of consistency. “I come home from school each day and spend at least two hours working on all aspects of the lesson plans,” MacLeod said. Eventually, student teachers take on the responsibility of teaching all subjects to their class. After about six weeks, they begin handing the responsibilities back to their cooperating teacher in preparation for the end of the semester and Elon graduation. Although MacLeod isn’t set on teaching in North Carolina after graduation, students who choose to remain in state must apply for a teaching license after completing Elon’s yearlong experience of student teaching.
Elon University's chapter of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity is currently under investigation for alleged hazing in its new member education program, according to a statement by Vice President for Student Life Smith Jackson.
An increasing student body and recent plans for the construction of multiple buildings in the last few years all point to Elon University’s growth, evidence Elon is attempting to become a more diverse campus nationally, internationally and culturally.
Danieley Center residents were notified Feb. 3 that construction was officially underway on two new facilities in the Danieley Neighborhood. In October, Board of Trustees approved plans for an expansion of the Violet Hoffman Daniel Commons Building, as well as a proposal for a 14,850-square-foot recreation center located on the north edge of Danieley Center, between University Drive and the residence halls. The 4,000-square-foot addition to the east side of Daniel Commons will feature a larger common room, a possible classroom area, neighborhood offices, Einstein Bros. Bagels, a demonstration kitchen and an outdoor patio for residents and the existing Qdoba Mexican Grill dining area will stay. The new multipurpose facility will house a 1,200-square-foot fitness center, staff offices and recreation space to be used for sports and social events, according to Brad Moore, university architect and director of planning, design and construction management. Elon construction workers put up a fence around Daniel Commons last week that closes off all but one entrance to the building, but students aren’t bothered. For Danieley residents, the benefits outweigh the costs. “The only inconvenience is really the noise literally right outside our windows in the HIJK area in the morning,” said sophomore Alexa Lowey, a Danieley Center RA. Still, despite the noisy construction, Lowey predicts residents will be happy to have a new common space that will enhance the community feeling in Danieley Center neighborhood. “Being in Danieley, we all know the struggle of feeling like we’re on the other side of the world,” Lowey said. “I’m excited to be able to have more things happening on this side of campus, especially having somewhere to get breakfast.” As long as neither project is delayed by winter weather, Moore said, both new facilities should be in use by the start of the fall 2015 semester.
For many Elon University students, maintaining a job is an integral part of the college experience. Students face a wide variety of choices, ranging from on-campus employment opportunities to employment outside of campus. Students at Elon have options — it’s ultimately what works best for them, given their interests and schedules. In August 2011, Elon established the starting minimum wage as $9.00 per hour. One of the primary objectives of the policy was to attract students to seek employment on campus rather than off. Tom Brinkley, executive director of corporate and employer relations at Elon, believes the higher minimum wage rate contributes to the competitive nature of on-campus jobs, which are often filled soon after being posted to the Elon Job Network. “I think the wage rate is very appealing to students,” Brinkley said. “The jobs off campus… are not going to pay that rate, so students are more inclined to seek these jobs if they are looking for employment.” Typically, students interested in on-campus employment submit a resume and a cover letter and then complete an interview, a practice intended to mimic the job application process after graduation and prepare students for their careers. “It is a competitive process, so [when] they are interviewing for jobs, they are required to have a resume,” Brinkley said. “It’s just like having a job outside. They are employed and evaluated and subject to expectations.” As a result, students with on-campus jobs are constantly honing their professional skills. Brinkley said students’ professional growth is facilitated faster when they are employed during college. According to him, on-campus employment complements student development. Nancy Carpenter, Elon’s on-campus student employment coordinator, agreed. She noted students who have a job listed on their resume are more attractive candidates for internships and jobs after graduation. She believes the training and structure students receive from on-campus jobs is significant and contributes to the professionalism of on-campus jobs. “There have been surveys that indicate that employers are attracted to students who have had an on-campus job,” Carpenter said. “I think we have a structure here that may or may not be present off campus.” Sophomore Jordan Lockhart recently accepted a job as a student office assistant in the School of Communications. Because she doesn’t have a car at school, an on-campus job was a must. As a Communications Fellow, she was interested in a job to boost her resume. Additionally, she recognized the networking possibilities of placing herself in an environment where she could connect with others. “It’s a more professional level of responsibility,” Lockhart said. “Everyone comes through the school at some point.” Students who have off-campus jobs also recognize the benefits their employment opportunities have provided. Sophomore Sarah Reynolds has worked consistently for six months at Amber’s House of Dance as a tap and ballet teacher. Reynolds said her job has certainly helped her time management skills. She also said she was attracted to her job because it allowed her to continue a passion of hers from high school, an opportunity that was not available on-campus. Reynolds also appreciates working with people off-campus. She said interacting with her students and their parents is “comforting,” and she appreciates the support she receives from them. “Having that outside family is something that not a lot of people get to experience,” Reynolds said. Senior Caleigh Erickson, who has worked at LOFT in Alamance Crossing for about three years, has a similar perspective. She said she enjoys entering the “real world” each week. “It’s nice to be with people who aren’t students and come from different walks of life,” Erickson said. “Some of the types of people I work with I may have never met through any activity at Elon, so it’s really broadened my perspective and given me a glimpse into other lifestyles.” Erickson also works on-campus as a French tutor, so she has control over her hours. Her job at LOFT and her job as a tutor have allowed her to prioritize academics while simultaneously earning an income. Overall, students who are employed on and off campus are challenged to accommodate both their academic and professional obligations. “It is smart to put school first if you can and look for a job that accommodates your academic goals. My work schedule is very flexible and allows me to put school first,” Erickson said. “It is nice to have a job that I enjoy and that lets me be a full-time student first, because that’s why I’m here in the first place.”
The Student Government Association (SGA) recently announced the launch of a $200,000 initiative to further student innovation outside of the classroom. The new endowed program, dubbed the “Acorn Fund,” is said to support projects that have a positive impact in the community — both nonprofit and for-profit business models are eligible. Funding for the project came from SGA’s so-called “rollover fund,” or money left over at the end of each academic year. The same pool of capital created the “Fun Fund,” best known for bringing camels to campus on Wednesday — “Hump Day” — last spring. “While there are many mechanisms of monetary support for students interested in undergraduate research and implementing events for the student body, SGA felt there was a need to provide financial support to individuals pursuing other projects and ideas,” wrote Executive President Joe Incorvia, a senior, in an email. With any lump sum of money, though, there are bound to be questions about its regulation, said Kyle Porro, a sophomore SGA senator who helped lead the Acorn project. A rigid application process ought to ease student concerns, he added. “They need to get their acts together,” Porro said. “They need to know this is a lot of money, and they need to document every single thing that they do.” A consistent criticism of the “Fun Fund” and some other SGA initiatives has been the notion that student’s money could be spend more shrewdly or go to better use. After taking in student activity fees, SGA distributes funds to organizations in a massive budget process in the beginning of the year. What’s left over after that can be drawn on from organizations that submit special, or one-time, allocation requests. What’s left over at the end of the year goes into SGA’s “rollover fund,” from which they are free to distribute as they see fit. The “Acorn Fund,” then, does come from the tuition dollars of students — but some of it is tied up in those who have long since graduated. It can lead to misconceptions about how SGA’s budgeting process works, Porro said. “When people say that this is their tuition dollars going into this, kind of, but it’s also money that has been sitting there and accumulating over the years,” he said. Though the fund is still in its infancy, some ambitious students have already begun vising how to capture the funds. Junior Kellen Sorenson, along with his partner, junior Robert Paxton, have for some time now been devising a compostable gardening product that they believe will expedite the planting process for trees. Already, the pair has secured funding from a first-place finish at the Elon-sponsored Triple Impact Challenge last fall, among other investment sources. “Obviously, if you’re going to start up a company, you need a lot of funding to get going, and this seemed like a really good way to do that,” Sorenson said.” Successful applicants should not expect to have to deal with much micro-managing on the behalf of SGA, according to Porro, who emphasized a need for minimal regulation after applicants are given grants from the fund. To him, and other members of the eight-person team who out the fund together, accountability is at the core of it all. “I feel like if you or your group is ready to get into this type of thing, you realize that this is not only a lot of money but you want to make a business out of this,” he said. “You’re not expecting to have that money sit in your pocket. It’s a little different.” That’s just fine to Sorenson and Paxton, who already have a clear vision and a concrete business plan. They’re only in need of the missing piece: funding. “If we don’t get the Acorn fund, we would definitely be seeking another source of funding,” Sorenson said. “Especially for a startup, funding is everything, and it’s the most difficult thing. This sort of money isn’t easy to come by.” Porro and the rest of SGA say they don’t want to get in the way of that kind of vision —but they do want to keep an eye on their investment. “Since we didn’t want to be watching over them the whole time, we will probably have them come present to the Senate on an infrequent basis,” he said. “But we won’t be asking for weekly updates. It’s not going to be that intense. The thought is that the committee will have picked a group that will be on top of their game and they will not need our guidance — nor will they want our guidance, really.” The fund, which will begin accepting applications this spring, is open to all majors and all students, save second-semester seniors. “One thing we’ve really been emphasizing is that this is not a business school initiative,” Porro said. “We want to make sure that this is for any student that might have any interest for anything that might fall into this.”
Brian Williams, NBC News anchor and past Elon University commencement speaker, has gone from delivering headlines to making them. Amid an escalating scandal around the accuracy of his reporting on an Iraq War mission in 2003, Williams announced Thursday he would be temporarily stepping down from his duties. Speculations around Williams’ 2003 claims were sparked Jan. 30, when NBC Nightly News posted a clip to Facebook of Williams recounting stories of his reporting of the U.S. Invasion of Iraq. In one recollection, he claimed he was aboard a helicopter that was forced down after being struck by a grenade. The story was blasted by U.S. soldiers who remembered the event quite differently. Chris Simeone, who identified himself as the pilot of the helicopter that carried Williams and other reporters during the invasion, called the anchor a “liar.” “He was on my aircraft and we were NOT shot down. That was a sister ship and a friend of mine,” he wrote. “Brian Williams has been knowingly lying since that mission to boost his credentials.” Flight engineer Lance Reynolds, who was verified as being on the actual helicopter that was shot down, was also among those who took offense. “Sorry dude, I don’t remember you being on my aircraft,” he wrote on Facebook. “I do remember you walking up about an hour after we had landed to ask me what had happened.” Williams responded to the controversy last Wednesday when he admitted his mistake. “I feel terrible about making this mistake, especially since I found my OWN WRITING about the incident from back in ‘08,” he wrote on Facebook. “I was indeed on the Chinook behind the bird that took the RPG in the tail housing just above the ramp.” But Williams’ woes do not end there — as days progressed, commentators pointed to other instances of fact-checking errors including Williams’ after-action report on Hurricane Katrina in which he claimed he saw a corpse floating by his hotel in the French Quarter. This, skeptics pointed out, was near impossible as the French Quarter was largely dry at the time. As tension rose and NBC announced it would be launching an internal investigation, Williams announced his “temporary leave” on Friday, saying that he had “become too much apart of the news” as his main reason. Despite the growing controversy, Elon University has maintained they will continue to maintain a close relationship with the renowned anchor. “He has explained his mistake and taken responsibility for it,” Dan Anderson, vice president of university communications, said Thursday. “I don’t anticipate there being any changes.” Williams fostered a strong relationship with the university over the years. He was a commencement speaker in 2013, when his son Douglas graduated from Elon, and also serves as the national chair of the School of Communications Advisory Board. In late October, he was the primary host of Elon’s New York Gala where the new School of Communications fundraising campaign was announced. Williams is a significant donor to the campaign — one of the television studios in the remodeled McEwen will include his and his wife Jane’s name.
The opening of Elon University’s new admissions center, The Inman Admissions Welcome Center, provided the opportunity for offices to merge in one central location.
From a nationwide pool of thousands dreaming of record deals, freshman Lowell Oakley has made the cut to advance to the blind audition portion of the NBC hit singing competition, "The Voice."
Brian Williams announced Feb. 7 that he would briefly step down from his role as anchor of NBC Nightly News as the network investigates whether he accurately reported some of his experiences during the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina, among other events.
Many Elon University students, like college students across the country, use a website called Rate My Professors when selecting their classes. Rate My Professors has become popular by providing an online forum for students to rate their teachers on several factors. The overall score, which students pay attention to the most, is an average. Freshman Cal Dougherty said that for the most part, the ratings lined up. “There were certainly some that seemed unnecessarily low, but I think that’s just because students personally have bad experiences with certain professors,” he said. But not all students use Rate My Professors when selecting classes. “I have never used Rate My Professors,” said freshman Sara Carlson. “I think a lot of the reviews are from jaded students with bad grades. It’s much easier and reliable for me to just go to the first day of class. ” The professor matters for class selection. “I think the teacher is the No. 1 indicator of how interesting or how hard a class will be,” said freshman Christy Smith. “I love Rate My Professors [because] it provides a candid forum for students who have had a certain professor to assess their experience.” Teachers also have mixed feelings. “Sometimes it is a bit disconcerting that students can rate me before they even meet me,” said assistant professor of communications Vanessa Bravo. “But at the same time, I don’t think it’s a huge distraction. Most kids I’ve talked to don’t use it that much – at least they don’t usually not take a class because of a bad review.” Students can also look up biographies of their teachers on Elon’s website. Every professor and instructor has a profile on Elon’s website that features a brief biography, links, news and notes about the professor’s education, employment history, courses taught, leadership positions, publications, presentations, skills and awards. This profile may not be as helpful to students as Rate My Professors, though. “It doesn’t provide the candid nature and genuineness of a Rate My Professors profile,” Carlson said. “It only speaks of them in a superficial, professional capacity. I think kids want to know what a teacher’s personality is like, what assignments they will give, how they will grade. Elon.edu just doesn’t seem to provide that.” Rate My Professors is not just a place to dish the dirt. “Overall, I think students still like to have personal contact with a teacher before they make a decision about staying in the class,” Dougherty said. “[This site] is certainly indicative of technology derision in general. While people use this specific website as a tool, it doesn’t necessarily override human contact.”
Christina Lewis was a naive New Jersey high-schooler searching for colleges in North Carolina that had a yearbook staff and a strong education program. After deciding she would attend Elon University and decline a full scholarship from another college, a large cloud of debt followed her wherever she event.
At Thursday night’s SGA Senate meeting, 11 students were unanimously voted and sworn in to new positions as senators and executive board members.