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(02/11/15 11:16pm)
Elon University is ranked ninth by the Princeton Review for its study abroad program, and students certainly take advantage of it. According to the university’s Global Education Center (GEC), 72 percent of Elon’s 2014 graduating class studied abroad at least once.
Compared with a national average of less than 10 percent, this earned Elon a No. 1 ranking in the Institute of International Education’s 2014 Open Doors report for the number of students who studied abroad in the 2012-2013 school year.
This fall, more than 400 students engaged in study abroad programs, doubling the figure recorded for fall semester international study in 2009. This winter, more than 700 registered to study abroad for January, in countries such as Costa Rica, India and Ireland.
Though Elon’s numbers for international study continue to grow, there is still a stark contrast between figures for semester programs and Winter Term programs. Both options have differences in their advantages, disadvantages and impacts on students.
Senior Morgan Kimbel knows firsthand that Winter Term and semester study abroad experiences are not created equal — she’s done both. Fall 2013, she studied abroad in London at the Foundation for International Education, one of three Elon Centers Abroad. This winter she studied abroad again, this time in New Zealand with the adventure-based ecotourism program.
Each study abroad program varies in time and place, as well as impact.
“I left my Winter Term experience in New Zealand feeling like I was capable of anything,” Kimbel said. “This trip made me a stronger person and made me closer to the people who I had these experiences with.”
The GEC describes Winter Term study abroad courses as “intensive three- to four-week courses … taught by Elon faculty.”
More than 30 of these courses are available each year, and class sizes range from 16-30 students, all of whom participate in a 1-credit seminar course together during the preceding fall semester.
The preparation and camaraderie developed during that time allow groups to hit the ground running as they explore a particular part of the world over a short period of time.
“This course pushed me outside my comfort zone [by] doing adventurous activities with people I did not know well prior to the trip,” Kimbel said.
One of the major attractions of a Winter Term study abroad is that each day is a bit different, and all are busy.
This is often reflected in the cost of Winter Term courses, which ranges from $4,000-$9,000. A schedule full of adventures often requires students to incur high costs of transportation, dining, lodging and class activities that accumulate quickly on such a fast-paced course that often includes travel to multiple cities or countries, along with additional meals and personal costs.
In Kimbel’s case, the course led students and faculty all around New Zealand. During this time she developed such a passion for the country that she wants to go back for a longer stretch of time.
“I definitely would have gone there for a semester,” Kimbel said. “I loved the adventure-based elements of the country’s culture, and I think it would have been a wonderful experience to spend a whole semester there instead of only three weeks.”
She said a longer time in New Zealand would be valuable, but it would not replace her time in London. She experienced more significant growth during that fall semester abroad.
“My experience there taught me so much about myself,” Kimbel said. “Spending a whole semester in a place had a longer-lasting effect on me, while studying abroad for a Winter Term changed me in a short period of time.”
This analysis, reflection and introspection are part of what the GEC wants students to get out of study abroad programs. At a school like Elon where most students approach international study as a question of “where” rather than “why,” this is an important concept to keep in mind.
The GEC’s answer on its website is long, but the part Kimbel said resonated with her says, “Study abroad gives you the chance to look at life through a different perspective, to learn more about colorful individuals and the idiosyncrasies of cultures. You’ll be surprised how much you learn about yourself, too.”
Students have to decide how they can continue to benefit from a valuable experience abroad in the rest of their time at Elon and after. Kimbel may have figured it out.
“[London] truly grabbed hold of my heart,” Kimbel said. “In fact, I have chosen to move to London for a year of grad school after I graduate in the spring.”
Kimbel’s experience living in London has helped shape her post-graduate path. While she is unable to decide which country she liked best, she found that the semester abroad gave her more opportunity for long-lasting growth and connection to a new country.
In that way, studying abroad is very similar to attending Elon. Not only is the experience what students make it, but also the more time and energy students invest in the experience, the more they have to gain.
(02/06/15 6:32pm)
As Elon University, students return to campus for the spring semester, a relatively unknown on-campus dining option could replace Acorn in students’ hearts. Whether they are returning from abroad courses or just looking to try a new food option, students can find more lunch options than ever at Argo Tea Cafe in the Global Neighborhood.
Argo Tea may sound like a beverage-only cafe, but it has expanded its food options to accommodate Elon’s student body and faculty.
Manager Dan Tart was surprised by the demand from students.
“I have contacts in Chicago, where Argo is from, and they are baffled by how much food we are selling,” Tart said. “Even UNC Asheville, American University and William & Mary — their food sales aren’t nearly what ours are.”
Tart suggests the accommodations Argo makes for students with a meal plan have caused the increased food sales.
“We have everything open to [students],” Tart said. “We give them different combinations for retail swipes, but really, they can combine pretty much anything, and it’s something they can afford.”
Other options on campus are more rigid with their retail swipe combinations. For instance, at Acorn a sandwich can’t be paired with a specialty coffee drink unless students are willing to pay extra.
Freshman Molly Spero frequently finds herself at Argo for lunch after her morning classes.
“[At Argo Tea] you are able to combine any pastry or sandwich type with a large drink,” Spero said. “It’s a really nice deal.”
While there is a substantial number of food and drink combinations, some students would like to see Argo Tea’s hours change. Argo is currently closed on the weekends and is only open 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Friday. Tart agrees.
“We want to work on the hours we’re open,” Tart said. “I don’t see anything changing this semester, but maybe next semester, after we get a year under our belt.”
Though the hours are limited, some students are willing to sacrifice convenience for quality.
“I go to Argo all the time,” freshman Hannah Sicherman said. “I really wish it was open more often though, because I feel like it’s a healthier food option than a lot of places on campus.”
Currently, Argo carries a variety of tea-infused salads, paninis and baked goods that students can munch on between classes. Catering to each student’s preference, beverages can be made with the customer’s choice of 2 percent milk, skim milk, soy milk or almond milk without an additional charge.
The cafe is now promoting a specialty drink for Valentine’s Day — the Valentea. The drink, made with hibiscus flower and passion fruit, is available for a limited time. Continuing with the festivities of the month, students can try the new dark truffle brownie or macaroons.
As a new option on campus, the cafe is still testing the waters while continuing to update tea and food options for the seasons and the students.
“Kids can sit here and do their studies,” Tart said. “People can have meetings out here. We’re not Lakeside, we’re not Colonnades. We’re a little off the beaten path. To get them down here, we have to have that great customer service.”
(02/06/15 6:16pm)
The Super Bowl’s major players weren’t new to the field — both the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots have made Super Bowl appearances before — but the halftime performer certainly made an explosive debut. On Sunday pop singer Katy Perry brought one of her trademark kooky performances to the stage, with mixed results.
From the start, the show seemed “Hunger Games”-inspired. During the first song, “Roar,” Perry rode onto the field atop a robotic tiger while wearing a Katniss Everdeen-esque dress of faux flames. Perry even stole Lenny Kravitz, who plays Everdeen’s stylist and friend Cinna in the movies, for her third song, a fiery (literally) rendition of “I Kissed a Girl.”
The second song, “Dark Horse,” was a drastic change from the upbeat “Roar.” Perry sauntered across the field-turned-chessboard, which flashed as the turf appeared to change shape and size. Perry’s dancers were dressed as futuristic chess pieces, which brought a surreal element to the performance.
The intense mood lasted through “I Kissed a Girl” but ended quickly as the show turned into something meant for “Nick Jr.” As “Teenage Dream” blasted, Perry reappeared on stage dressed as a beach ball, accompanied by dancing sharks, palm trees, surfboards and more beach balls.
This “Yo Gabba Gabba”-esque spectacle was swiftly replaced by a Beyonce-inspired hip-hop performance of “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” complete with oversized jackets and a guest rapper. Perry hyped up this number and its special guest in the weeks leading up to the show: Missy Elliot.
“When you hear the first chord, I think jaws will drop and faces will melt,” Perry said in an interview before the show.
Although Missy has not had a hit since 2008, she still killed the stage and managed to capture the large Super Bowl audience, bringing to light the once popular artist.
After “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F),” Perry climbed onto a shooting star and rose above the stage. She sang “Firework” as she flew across the stage and obligatory fireworks exploded overhead.
Even people who aren’t fans of Perry’s music can’t deny that the show was nothing less than different. This was the first, and possibly last, Super Bowl halftime show to have lions and sharks on stage, and Perry will be remembered for years to come for her bizarre blend of intensity and lightheartedness.
Compared to past halftime performers, Perry was tolerable, though the songs were prerecorded to allow for her movement around the stadium. While it may have offended purists, this lip-synching made this year’s halftime show one of the few that are bearable, instead of being filled with off-key vocals.
The show’s themes were all over the place, but they seamlessly flowed together and catered to every interest. Despite the range of moods, though, Perry never strayed from her childish, bubbly brand. She isn’t Beyonce, but Perry has made a name for herself, and she managed to put on a good halftime show.
(02/05/15 1:11am)
Early in the morning on a cold day in late January, 600-plus eager young women prepared for a process that could change the course of their college careers. Their collective enthusiasm filled the air as they lined up outside the nine sorority houses in Elon University’s Loy Center. Inside, sorority sisters were ready to greet the potential new members and introduce them to their respective organizations.
Elon’s formal Spring Panhellenic Recruitment ran Jan. 28-31. Each day, potential new members learned more about the various sororities and selected which houses they wanted to return to the next day.
Recruitment at Elon operates on a mutual selection process. Women going through recruitment rank the sororities they visited that day and select the ones they would most like to return to the next day. The sororities decide which candidates they would like to invite back. According to the Office of Greek Life’s website, this process is designed to work in favor of new members to give them the best chance of returning to as many houses as possible.
Still, a significant number of women did not receive bids — or invitations to join — from one of the sororities they visited over the four days, either because they chose not to continue the process or because the sororities chose not to invite them back.
“I know a few people [who didn’t complete the recruitment process],” said freshman Zaria Zinn, who just received a bid from Kappa Delta. “I think it’s a combination of the number of people rushing this year, but I also think some people decided that [Greek Life] wasn’t for them, and some people also just decided that Greek Life was maybe for them but there wasn’t an organization on campus that they felt at home at.”
Candidates chose not to complete the recruitment process for a variety of reasons.
“The majority of women who do not receive an invitation withdraw from the process at some point,” the Office of Greek Life’s website says. “Many of those students had their hearts set on a particular organization, and when that chapter is no longer an option for them, they choose to withdraw rather than look at the other organizations. There are also a small number of women who complete this process and do not receive a bid. This is usually because a student did not ‘maximize her options,’ meaning that the student was unwilling to consider membership in one of the sororities that was interested in her.”
Bids are given out on Bid Day, the end of the formal recruitment process, and for 505 women, it was a day of celebration. But Bid Day wasn’t a day to celebrate for many others who left empty-handed
Of the 638 freshmen and sophomores who began the process, 505 received bids. This left 133 women who didn’t receive bids or chose to drop from the process. These women made up 21 percent of the original group, meaning 1-in-5 did not receive a bid.
The number of women registered for recruitment has risen over the last 10 years, since 392 registered in 2005.
Ten years ago, about 44 percent of female freshmen went through recruitment. Of the 928 female freshmen in the class of 2018, 532 — or 57 percent — went through recruitment.
The number of women registering for recruitment has increased at a much faster rate than the general student population. The increase since 2005 in the number of female freshmen going through recruitment is more than double the increase in the size of the freshman class in the same time period: 55 and 21 percent, respectively.
Currently, around 38 percent of Elon’s female undergraduate population is involved in Greek Life. Women going through the recruitment process noticed.
“It was overwhelming,” said freshman Lizzie Conley, who received a bid from Alpha Omicron Pi. “It was a lot.”
Though the number of students going through recruitment has grown, the number that receives bids hasn’t kept pace. Regardless, the large number of girls going through recruitment has effects beyond Elon’s Greek community.
“I was working during the recruitment process,” said unaffiliated senior Alisha Carter, an admissions tour guide. “We give tours out of Moseley, and Moseley was just filled with girls. It kind of overpowered what we were trying to do.”
The effects spread beyond campus. Michaelle Graybeal owns All That JAS, a store that sells primarily Greek wear. Graybeal said, regardless of the number of girls going through recruitment, JAS seems to get the same amount of business.
“Insanity would probably be the best way to describe [this time of year],” Graybeal said. “After Bid Day you have 600-plus girls that have just gotten in, and they’re very excited about being able to be in a sorority and they’re very excited to wear letters. It’s pretty insane for us — in a good way. The day after Bid Day is crazy. They were out the door this morning buying stuff.”
Of the increased number of women going through recruitment, Graybeal said it didn’t affect the final result.
“What I’ve seen is that the groups buy Bid Day packages from us, and numbers have gone up a little but not a lot,” Graybeal said. “I don’t know that they ended up with that many more girls.”
If Elon continues to grow, Greek Life organizations may have to adapt to accommodate increasing numbers of freshmen and sophomores eager to join sororities and fraternities.
Senior reporter Danielle Deavens contributed reporting.
(01/26/15 4:56pm)
Every new year, people make the same resolutions, with typical goals such as losing weight, volunteering, getting a better job, eating healthier, traveling and being more eco-friendly. But this year it seems like the new trend is for people to neither make resolutions nor stick to one of the traditional “exercise more, eat less” resolutions.
Those who don’t make resolutions feel that they shouldn’t use the New Year as an excuse to make lifestyle changes.
“I make healthy-eating resolutions year after year — however, I really do struggle keeping up with them,” said Elon University freshman Katy Bellotte.
Bellotte plans to work on two resolutions this year: take better care of her skin and improve her vocabulary. Bellotte discusses her motivations in more detail on her YouTube channel, “HelloKaty.”
“When I got home from college three weeks ago, I decided to change my skincare regimen and just focus on keeping my skin bacteria-free and clean,” Bellotte said. “Also, I think having a very good vocabulary is key to succeeding in life, and I hope in 2015 I can learn more big words. I’m very excited about it. I think that if I learn one new word a day, it’ll help me in the long run.”
Resolutions are said to be opportunities to work on a new and improved self with the beginning of a new calendar year. They start with the best of intentions, but can be difficult to follow through on over the course of the year.
“This year, I intend to actually complete and follow through with my resolutions,” Bellotte said. “I’ve made half-hearted resolutions in the past, but this year I hope I’ll stick with them.”
Sophomore Hailey Fleishman hopes to use her resolution for 2015 as a way to get out of her comfort zone. She said being in college has made her branch out and try new things, something she wants to continue to embrace in the New Year. Her ultimate goal is to have a happier, healthier year than the last.
“For 2015, my New Year’s resolution is to venture out of my comfort zone, try new things and go to new places,” Fleishman said. “I plan to enact my resolution by writing down my goals for the year and making lists of the places and activities I want to do.”
Traveling more is a popular category for resolutions, which can influence specific goals of visiting new locations, learning new languages and investigating new cultures.
“I was inspired to make this resolution because I will soon be studying abroad and I want to take advantage of every opportunity I have now to travel to new places,” Fleishman said. “I want to explore more of North Carolina, hopefully get an internship in Atlanta, and I’m really hoping to study abroad next spring in Perth [Australia].”
To Fleishman, a New Year’s Resolution is a “commitment to oneself to find what will make life meaningful and striving to work towards that moving forward.”
Real Simple magazine found that only 8 percent of people actually keep their resolutions. The magazine explained how the top tweeted goals for 2014 were to be happy and to exercise more. They advised readers to put extra thought into resolutions to make goals more attainable.
“If you want to make a positive change in your life, you shouldn’t have to wait until Jan. 1 to begin living your life differently,” Bellotte said.
(01/26/15 4:36pm)
In a dimly lit green room in the back of Elon University’s McCrary Theatre, artist, spoken word performer and filmmaker Kip Fulbeck described a vivid memory from his childhood.
“I remember a girl in fifth grade saying, ‘I know you like me. Why would I like you? You’re brown,’” Fulbeck said.
It is this side of Fulbeck that the audience glimpsed when he performed “Race, Sex and Tattoos” Jan. 15, part of the 2015 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Celebration event series.
Fulbeck explored the contemporary United States’ role in celebrating diversity through the spoken word and other media.
“I think every kid doesn’t feel accepted for some ways, you know,” Fulbeck said. “It could be for economics, it could be for physical stature, whatever it is. But certainly race and ethnicity played a big role for me.”
The 49-year-old grew up in a time when his parents’ interracial marriage was considered illegal in many states. It was only in 1967 that the Supreme Court overturned laws prohibiting such unions.
“My family is full-blooded Chinese from China, so I grew up as the white kid at home,” he said. “I was the kid who didn’t get the language, like the food. … Then I go to school, and I’m like the Asian kid at school, and they’re like, ‘Let’s put the Chinese kid in the trashcan, yeah!’”
From these pieces, Fulbeck channeled his questions and thoughts about identity into the Hapa Project. Photographs of more than 1,200 volunteers laid the foundation.
“[Hapa is] a Hawaiian word for ‘half,’ and I first heard it when I was three or four years old in California,” Fulbeck said. “When I was a kid I thought it just meant Asian-white, because that’s what I knew.”
Beginning in 2001, Fulbeck photographed thousands of volunteers who self-identified as Hapa, someone with mixed ethnic heritage with partial roots in Asian and/or Pacific Islander ancestry.
He photographed every person the same way: bare skin from the shoulders up, natural expression and minimal makeup.
After taking the photos, Fulbeck posed a simple question: “What are you?”
The results were greater than he ever imagined.
“I would do a shoot in San Francisco and get there at 6 o’clock for a 7 o’clock shoot, and there would be 45 people waiting outside,” Fulbeck said. “I think when people have lived in a time where no one is telling your story, no one is acknowledging your existence, and you’re given an opportunity to say something, you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve got something to say.’”
Fulbeck has since transformed these pictures and written statements into an exhibition that has been showcased in museums across the nation. People passing through have the opportunity to take a picture of themselves and compose a written statement. The idle museumgoers become active participants in creating art and celebrating identity. In one museum, the walls were filled with pictures after a mere four hours.
“I was hoping [the walls] would fill up in four months [with pictures],” Fulbeck said. “That was my goal. I had no idea it would fill up like that. I’ve always been surprised by how many people will gravitate toward my projects,” Fulbeck said.
Fulbeck is no stranger to holding the attention of a room. When he isn’t creating collections, Fulbeck teaches for the University of California at Santa Barbara. He established high standards for those who enroll in his classes.
“I hope that they leave more conscious. I drop them if they don’t,” he said. “They have to be aware of what’s around them. I want them to understand their place and pick their battles, especially the politically active ones.”
Fulbeck extended the same expectations to his children. Upon the completion of his tour, Fulbeck’s immediate future plans are to be a dad to his two children for a while and to take a break from constantly working and traveling for his pieces.
As for the girl in fifth grade who didn’t like him, she seems to have moved on.
“The hardest part for me is looking back, and it wasn’t that she said that,” Fulbeck said. “I mean, we’re friends on Facebook now. The problem was that in my head I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that makes total sense, why would you like me?’ It’s that acceptance and the self-hate — that’s the hard part. That’s the reason I do this work with people, to explore their own identities, their own words.”
(01/26/15 4:18pm)
A little more than 50 days ago, a Missouri grand jury decided not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the death of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown. People across the country tuned in the evening of Nov. 24 to hear St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert P. McCulloch announce the verdict.
A handful of those viewers were Elon University students sitting in the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education (CREDE), who watched in shock and disbelief. The silence of mixed emotions lasted only a short time — the students, including sophomore Kennedy Ojimadu and junior Jonathan Glover, quickly launched into a discussion about what could be done.
“With the release of that information we were all frustrated, surprised,”Ojimadu said. “There were a lot of emotions in the room. But we wanted to put it toward something productive, something that we could possibly do here on campus.”
Word of a potential protest spread quickly around Elon, with students brainstorming via text message and social media and CREDE acting as an unofficial command center. When senior D’Netria Spear joined students in CREDE, she made a suggestion that would be the impetus for a string of actions on campus.
“[Spear] really is the one who kind of came up with the ‘Let’s take it from having this discussion to an action,’” Glover said.
The frustration of the students initially led to ideas for controversial chants and signs, but the group decided another way might be more effective.
“It became the question of, ‘What’s more important, showing how angry you are or getting your point across?’” Glover said. “And that’s when it got toned down into a silent protest.”
The protest was held during Elon’s annual Luminaries celebration Dec. 6. Students held signs and candles but remained silent. Spear said the message seemed unclear.
“There were some negative comments that came from it,” she said. “Out of the negative, I saw that a lot of people felt like it was too aggressive, or was an inappropriate time to protest.”
The feedback gave her the idea for an event that would allow students to showcase artistic representations of their opinions on social justice in the United States and beyond. She decided to call it “Let Us Breathe,” a phrase that trended on social media. It later became the mantra of protestors upset by a lack of indictment against the officer involved with the death of Eric Garner.
“‘Let Us Breathe’ was an idea that I had to say, ‘We’re not going to protest, we’re just going to talk about these issues, but let’s talk about them artistically,” Spear said. “Let’s dance, let’s sing, let’s do spoken word, let’s show you art.”
“Let Us Breathe” will be a safe space for students to express their own experiences or perform songs, dances or poetry. Spear has reached out to a cappella groups, performing arts students and other talents to reach a broader audience for this event, which is set for Feb. 5.
In planning this event, which is co-sponsored by CREDE and Elon’s National PanHellenic Council, Spear has developed a clearer view of why diversity remains an unresolved issue at Elon.
“I feel like ignorance is a big issue on Elon’s campus,” she said. “People just don’t know how to deal with other people that aren’t like them. Oftentimes it makes us uncomfortable. So I think that if we can promote awareness about this issue in particular, then it will give that space for people to know how to communicate about it in the future.”
She hopes this event will lead to greater understanding of why people nationwide were upset by the deaths of these men.
While the event aims to allow students to express themselves and their opinions, Spear will see each act that signs up. This screening process was put into place to ensure the event remains respectful and, above all, aims to include the Elon community in a discussion instead of placing blame.
“I want people to understand that this event is not to target anyone,” Spear said. “It’s not to say, ‘This is your fault.’ It is an event to stress that point of awareness. That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t want it to be an open mic event. I want it to be [about] awareness and to provide understanding.”
Glover agreed, adding that he aims to continue the momentum of the initial protest and the upcoming artistic showcase. He and a few other students plan to stage another peaceful protest this spring. He said these actions are in protest of the system responsible for these deaths and grand jury verdicts — they do not aim to place blame on members of the Elon community.
“We’re not mad at Elon,” Glover said. “They didn’t do anything. We came to the conclusion that we’re not upset at Darren Wilson either. We’re disappointed in the system that allows him to get away with it. So that’s the point that we really need to bring across.”
Spear and Glover, who are leading plans for “Let Us Breathe,” invite students from all backgrounds to attend. They welcome those who support the protests as well as those who do not.
“I want enlightenment. I’m not asking for you to agree. I’m asking for you to understand,” Spear said.
“Let Us Breathe” will be held at 7:30 p.m Feb. 5. in the Numen Lumen Pavilion’s McBride Gathering Space. Prospective showcase acts should contact student coordinator D’Netria Spear at dspear2@elon.edu before Jan. 29 to sign up.
(01/15/15 4:28pm)
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcLIICFm9Sw[/embed]
(12/01/14 5:59pm)
Thousands of residents of Alamance County, North Carolina, don’t know where their next meal is coming from. They are a part of the one-in-six Americans who are food insecure.The USDA defines food security as “access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life.” But many Americans don’t have this privilege.
(11/20/14 10:20pm)
As November temperatures drop, the scruff of Elon University men has begun to change into full-grown beards. But it isn’t the Polar Vortex causing the shift in facial hair quantity.
November has become a month dedicated to avoiding all razors, resulting in the phrase “No-Shave November.” This month has become iconic and is now the latest cultural tradition among men and women.
“I feel like it became a social trend, and everybody started to hop on the bandwagon,” junior No-Shave November participant junior Alex Buppert said.
But the reason behind these facial and body hair endeavors is more than a stylish trend-it is to raise awareness for cancer. According to the official No-Shave November organization, the goal of this month is to “grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose.”
They also recommend participants donate the money usually spent on shaving and grooming to educate ohers about cancer prevention, save lives and aid those fighting cancer.
For some, No-Shave November is just a time to experiment with a new bearded look. But other Elon students have embraced the underlying meaning of growing facial hair for a personal cause.
“It is important to always be aware that cancer isn’t cured yet,” said first year Alexander Ball. “When I was in middle school, I had two friends who passed away from leukemia.”
Ball’s willingness to raise awareness was sparked from the loss of his fifth grade best friend, Craig. Their friendship began while both of their families lived in Singapore, but when Craig moved back to his home state of Texas one year later, he was diagnosed with leukemia.
“We were close friends,” Ball said. “I was very upset when I received the news.”
Two years later, his friend passed from the disease. Since then Ball has been inspired to participate in cancer awareness and fundraising events.
“When he passed away, my life was turned upside down,” Ball said. “My experiences have made me want to participate in No-Shave November.”
Trend with a cause
No-Shave November, a web-based, nonprofit organization, began the trend of a shave-less month for cancer awareness. They partnered with the American Cancer Society in 2013 to raise funds through donations and ensure that the funds raised would be used in all areas of fighting cancer: research, prevention, education and continuing care. Their online statement concludes with, “With every whisker grown and dollar raised, No-Shave November celebrates the hair that many cancer patients lose and gets one step closer to eradicating the disease.”
The No-Shave November site mentions several other ways to be an active participant. Their website posts flyers, brochures and team donation options.
A mustache approach
Although most have the intention of participating in the shaving protest, some find it more difficult than others because of their inability to sprout a worthy beard.
“My sideburns are growing pretty well,” Ball said. “I just wish that I could grow a full beard.”
But for those who cannot grow full beards, there is an alternative: Movember. Compared to No-Shave November this is an opportunity in November for men to grow mustaches to raise awareness for prostate and testicular cancer and promote men’s mental health. The Movember Foundation, an international nonprofit organization, is using mustaches to spark conversation as well as raise funds for its men’s health programs.
According to the foundation, $559 million has been raised and used to fund more than 800 programs in 21 countries. The foundation works to establish a period focused on men supporting other men, similar to how women work to raise awareness and support of each other during breast cancer awareness month in October.
With various outlets to make a change and be active in educating about the harms of cancer, awareness is a goal for Elon students.
Elon organizations such as Colleges Against Cancer and Elonthon work to educate students on the harmful effects of cancer and the various ways students can be involved. Elon sponsors events similar to No-Shave November such as Relay For Life and Dance Marathon to expose students to cancer’s effects.
Through these organizations, students can be educated and be a part of a group dedicated toward eliminating cancer. But for the remainder of November, communication between students is the best way to raise awareness and educate others about the hairy month.
“Although people may forget what it started off as, there will come a time where somebody will ask how it all began and learn the true origins,” Buppert said.
(11/20/14 9:00pm)
Traveling around campus throughout the day, Elon University students can hear chimes from the Elon Community Church. What they may not know is that these sounds are not actually bells. Instead they come from a machine called a digital carillon that echoes through speakers.
Funding for this machine came from the will of Kenneth Hughes, in which he donated $18,000 to the church. His daughter, Kay Elder, had executive decision of where the money would go with permission of the church, resulting in the installation of the carillon in 1990. The carillon was installed using only a tape deck, a machine used for playing and recording audio on compact cassettes.
Instead of real bells, which cost more than $100,000, Elder settled on mimicked ones. Now, a black computer-like screen sits on the balcony of the sanctuary under lock and key to prevent anyone from meddling with it.
The church uses a Verdin Sonata Digital Carillon, complete with a 7-inch color touch screen for quick and easy use. The carillon plays hundreds of hymns, seasonal and general music from an extensive library in traditional cast bronze bells, bells with harp accompaniment and American bells.
Although her father was not necessarily interested in music, Elder said the carillon would be a great addition and something he would have liked to hear.
“My sister had [a carillon] at her church,” Elder said. “That’s where we got the idea from. [After it was installed] my mother would always come to campus and listen from the street.”
The Hughes family has been a part of the church for decades. Elder herself grew up attending the church, watched it expand on campus while she attended Elon and continues to volunteer her time there today. Her biggest contribution is the carillon.
Every weekday at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., the carillon chimes three different songs in approximately 10 minutes. The carillon is also played each Sunday for services. They are never played on Saturdays for fear of interrupting students or graduation ceremonies.
These songs are pre-programmed each week with a different combination of song choices for each time slot. The church’s minister has executive decision on what songs are played but takes recommendations from church members. Elder assisted in choosing this music.
Additionally, the minister has a wireless remote, allowing him easy access to the carillon during church services, funerals and weddings.
When Elder moved back to Elon for the first time in 40 years she found that the carillon was broken and the bells were silenced. Elder knew she had a responsibility to repair them and put $4,000 of her own money to upgrade it to a digital system. She said the quality is much better, and it has not broken since.
Although the upgrade was pricy, to hear the ring echo again was worth the cost to Elder.
“They are important to me because they are in memory of my dad,” Elder said. “They remind me of him whenever I hear them. There is so much grief and loss, and this is one of the ways to connect to the past.”
Now that the machine is up and running again, she can listen and remember through each song that rings throughout the day. Her favorites include “Amazing Grace” and “How Great Thou Art” as well as other popular hymns and the Christmas music that plays during the season.
Elder has noticed that the carillon has benefitted not only the church but also the community.
“People are always telling me how pretty they are,” Elder said. “I think people are appreciative that we have them. If the air is right, sometimes I can hear it from my house a few blocks away.”
Elon students appreciate the sounds of the carillon, too. Sophomore Rachael Morton is brightened by the music she hears on her way to class everyday.
“There is something about music that makes people happy and smile,” Morton said. “The bells are a form of that, adding a soundtrack to our day and lifting our spirits. I’m glad we have them.”
(11/20/14 6:10am)
Be it a football stadium, a field or a canvas, everyone has a place where they can share their passion and expertise with others. For Elon University senior Matthew Zimpelman, that place is the front of a classroom, sharing his knowledge of financial literacy training.
Zimpelman is a member of the local chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, an international honor organization for financial information students and professionals. Serving as the financial program coordinator, Zimpelman has designed a presentation that captures the fundamentals of financial literacy in a unique and engaging manner to be presented to Alamance County high school students. Since then, 28 members of BAP have joined the effort to share the significance of financial literacy with their surrounding community.
The 45-minute session has reached 420 high school students in Alamance County since October. From relating credit scores to report cards, to using “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” as a way to analyze the value of investments, Zimpelman said the members try to make financial literacy as comprehensible and fun as possible.
“This isn’t like a lecture. It’s coming from a much younger voice,” he said. “That’s the most important thing. They can associate with us at a much greater level.”
The program emphasizes the value of a college degree by providing students with a breakdown of average starting salaries of those with a high school degree, community college degree and four-year college degree. Students then contextualize these numbers by exploring their own current household budget and spending patterns–an activity Zimpelman said demonstrates how furthering their education will truly impact their financial future.
“The gap between the average starting salaries between a high school graduate and college graduate is said to start at $17,000,” he said. “Comparing their current spending with average starting salaries really makes these numbers meaningful.”
According to Zimpelman, the most significant aspect of the program is it provides information on the consequences of financial decisions to students who may not have had the opportunity to receive that knowledge.
“You don’t realize the demographics of the surrounding area until you step out there and see it,” he said. “That’s why it’s important for us to reach the students who may not have access to financial literacy-related classes.”
Zimpelman recalled a particular instance during his summer internship when he had to hold presentations in local high schools around his hometown. He used going on a field trip as an example, to which a student responded, “We don’t go on school trips.”
“Some of these high schools are very different from the ones we went to,” he said. “And it’s important for us to move beyond Elon to see the demographic changes and emphasize the value [of being financially literate].”
Because of the success of the program, Zimpelman and two other BAP members are planning to bring the program to Elon by offering a Burst the Bubble course this winter, making presentations in various classes and hosting a session in the business school.
“We’re going to take what we used in high school and accelerate it,” he said. “The point is that we’re sharing our knowledge with people who wouldn’t necessarily receive it as non-finance or accounting majors.”
Richard Segel, president of Elon’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, said the program has not only impacted the greater community, but also has strengthened the bond between members.
“They have not only put in effort to go make a presentation, but they’ve also spent time preparing for the presentations and giving us feedback on how the students respond to our presentations,” he said
Segel stressed the program’s success is reflective of the local teachers who have allowed the members to take class time.
“We really appreciate all the local teachers in the area who have allowed us to take some valuable class time to present on financial literacy,” he said. “All the teachers have definitely been instrumental in the success of our financial literacy program.
Zimpelman said by sharing their decisions to become accounting and finance majors with various people through these presentations, members also help to break the common stereotype of accounting and finance majors, who are often painted as boring people who are expected to eventually end up in desk jobs.
Patty Cox, assistant professor of accounting and faculty director of BAP, said there is no ounce of truth to the stereotype.
“Through various service projects this semester, our students have shown that accountants are where the action is,” she said. “[They] have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, gone to area high schools to give financial literacy training, and tutored students in introductory level accounting classes.”
Cox added she couldn’t be more proud of her students for finding a way to use their expertise to give back to the community which, she stressed, is an area that BAP places great emphasis.
“Our students have shown that it is possible to find time in a busy schedule to be involved in a project that one feels passionately about,” she said.
(11/13/14 4:13pm)
Amy Wolf had fluid in her lungs. She had fluid surrounding her heart. And her lymph nodes were enlarged and full of cancerous cells. The Elon University sophomore was only 16 years old in October 2011 when she was diagnosed with Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma.
(11/12/14 10:00pm)
It’s 4:50 a.m. The sun isn’t even up yet, the birds aren’t chirping and Elon University sophomore Austin Hughes’ alarm begins to buzz. Rolling out of bed, he puts on his camouflage uniform and heads to North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro for physical training at 5:50 a.m.
Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday he participates in a variety of physical activities, from running four miles to pushups and burpees, switching up exercises to keep all parts of his body trained. Training ends at 7 a.m., and he returns to Elon’s campus, avoiding traffic if he’s lucky.
Hughes is part of Elon’s Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) program, which trains future commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. After Elon, he will serve eight years as an officer in the U.S. Army.
“Both my parents served [in the US Army], and both had great careers, so they encouraged it,” Hughes said. “Originally, I wanted to enlist right after high school, but they told me that if I wanted to serve I should be an officer.”
Currently, Hughes is contracted with a four-year scholarship from the Army. To keep this scholarship, he needs to graduate on time, maintain a 3.0 GPA and sign with the Army for eight years.
“I always knew I wanted to do it, but the scholarship made it the easiest decision ever,” Hughes said.
Hughes is a triple-major in finance, accounting and management. In addition to taking four classes to fulfill these degree requirements, he is also required by his program to take a classroom session Tuesdays from 3:20 to 5:10 p.m., as well as a leadership lab Thursdays from 3 to 6 p.m.
To attend these labs, he drives back out to Greensboro, where he will crawl on the ground, weapon in hand, walk through an ambush, or strategize how to cross a river with a one-rope bridge. Often times, he won’t return until 7 p.m., where he has more work to do.
“We have physical training tests once a month,” Hughes said. “Instead of having homework for these classes, I need to go to the gym every day.”
These additional classes can make scheduling difficult, especially because students in the ROTC program do not have priority scheduling. This semester, Hughes is taking all of his classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to make this schedule work.
Hughes said the hardest part of the program is balancing it with a college life, especially when his day starts much earlier than the average college student’s.
“The college kids’ dream is to have all classes starting after 12,” Hughes said. “I can’t do that. On a Friday morning, I can be waking up when my roommates are going to sleep.”
There is a clear distinction between the professional appearance he upholds with his ROTC instructors, using “sir” and “ma’am,” compared to goofing around with friends, but he has found a balance. Recently, Hughes pledged with the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity to add more fun to his life.
Hughes said that although he needs to learn information about the fraternity like another class, the brothers are really understanding about his ROTC conflicts.
“Having a group of people that understand what you are trying to do and support you is really nice,” Hughes said. “With ROTC, I can’t join a lot of clubs. It’s nice to go to a place for fun where I don’t have to call you ‘sir’ or ‘sergeant.’”
Even though this balance can still be difficult, Hughes said the program’s benefits outweigh the challenges.
“They teach you things you will not learn in the classroom,” Hughes said. “I have learned leadership skills, time management skills, communication skills and discipline that will carry over to any job you apply for.”
Hughes’ suitemates have also learned from his ROTC lifestyle.
“Living with an ROTC student, I have been given a first hand look at just how dedicated the students are and it truly inspires me to live up to that standard of excellence in all aspects of my life,” said sophomore Jared Melanson.
Unlike most Elon students, Hughes needs to think about a twelve-year plan, rather than a four-year plan, considering the time he will spend in the army.
Although he will not find out where he will be stationed and what branch he will be in until mid-November, he would ideally like to go into the infantry. Hughes would lead a platoon of about 40 men, carrying out the orders of a plan on the field. If he says go left, his squad will all go left, no questions asked. However, with a degree in finance and accounting, they might want him to have a desk job in a financial department of the army. Hughes may end up working in finance while in the army because of the amount of money and energy devoted to him through ROTC.
“If they are investing $200,000 dollars on you, they don’t want you getting blown up,” Hughes said.
No matter where he ends up, the ROTC program has given Hughes leadership skills he can apply to any situation.
“You really develop your character,” Hughes said. “I now have self discipline. When your alarm goes off at 4:55 in the morning, you’re the only one who can get yourself up, and you do.”
(11/12/14 9:26pm)
Elon University senior psychology major Jenna Gilder has been seeking assistance for her undergraduate research from the Makerbot Replicator 2—a tool that speaks in a series of whirrs and chirrups.
(11/06/14 8:43pm)
Junior Chris Coble has reached new heights.
(11/06/14 8:37pm)
An Elon University student ambles through campus on a sunny afternoon. She is many years older than most of her classmates. Students in the class may wonder if the person sitting beside them is their classmate’s mother, but she is in fact their classmate. Not only that, but she is an Elon professor’s wife.
(11/06/14 8:30pm)
North Carolina, like the United States at large, has gone through an unprecedented change in the past decades when it comes to attitudes toward people who identify as LGBTQIA. But like the spread of acceptance in the United States, North Carolina has not been affected evenly.
(11/05/14 10:36pm)
Tony Crider hopes one day the virtual environments he has worked on and played with his entire adult life will touch lives outside of the computer screen.
(10/29/14 5:18pm)
For 10,891 days Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC) has represented North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives. After 47 years of service in local, state and national government — 30 of those years as a U.S. Congressman for the state’s sixth congressional district — Coble announced his intent to retire at the end of his term.
