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(05/01/14 12:57am)
A new student political organization is aiming to join the likes of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) and the Elon College Democrats next fall.
Democracy Matters, a national nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that seeks to “get big money out of politics and people back in” is in talks with Elon University to establish a chapter.
The organization’s National Field Director, Anita Kinney, said it’s important not only to educate young people about politics, but to mobilize them and harness their energy also.
“We strive to tell college students that there is always something you can do,” Kinney said. “You can raise awareness, not just money. You can take your congresspeople to task for what they should be doing.”
A group of a half-dozen students are working with the Student Union Board (SUB) to get initial approval for the new organization. From there, they plan to work with Jana Lynn Patterson, assistant vice president for student life, to finalize details before presenting to SUB’s Student Life Committee, which grants the final approval for student organizations on campus.
Freshman Kelsea Johnson, who has been involved in the planning stages of the hopeful Elon organization, said students are generally aware of political issues, but not necessarily comfortable with taking political action.
Johnson said the campus dialogue could use direction and a bit of organization.
“At Elon, you see a lot of people interested in and talking about the issues,” Johnson said. “But this is not only to spark the conversation, but to encourage serious action.”
Though Democracy Matters doesn’t endorse specific candidates or party positions, it has aligned itself firmly against the landmark election Supreme Court Case, Citizens United v. The Federal Exchange Commission (FEC), which found that money is the same as speech in a 2010 decision.
In the minds of many, the ruling rendered people the same as corporations, which Kinney said can lead to “explicit corruption.”
“We want to get private money out of politics via campaign finance reform, and that issue relates to every single other issue that we deal with,” she said.
More recently, in McCutcheon v. FEC, the Supreme Court ruled April 2 that aggregate limits on individual campaign contributions are a violation of free speech.
“This lends itself to explicit corruption,” Kinney said. “This is not the type of corruption that they can regulate, which inherently means some precedent is OK.”
Kinney said Democracy Matters would like to see a bill passed on the national level that incorporates “some adequate level” of public funding for congressional and presidential elections.
Kinney went on to say that restructuring voting laws may require a change in elected officials nationwide, which can be brought about by educating young people about the issues that matter.
In the meantime, Democracy Matters sponsors student internships for both high school and college students, where interns spend their time engaging with the public and government officials in an effort to spur campaign finance change.
In talking to interested Elon students who may get involved with the organization, Kinney said she was impressed by the level of discourse and knowledge students displayed about politics.
“Their experience and knowledge about local politics and engagement on that community level were very sophisticated in their understanding of how the community interacts with Elon and why that matters,” she said.
(05/01/14 12:41am)
Elon University will add a Teaching and Learning minor to its course catalog next fall for students interested in public education but not necessarily in teaching as a profession.
The 20 credit hours required aim to train students to teach outside the classroom — ideas ranging from teaching adults how to build mobile applications to accommodating special needs in an office setting.
The minor is designed to teach non-education majors how to translate educational principles to society. Through a combination of internships and real-world teaching experience, students in the minor may meet at least one Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR).
The course offerings for the minor are currently composed of courses within the School of Education and the Department of Psychology, but in the future the minor may add options that fulfill upper-level General Studies (GST) requirements.
According to Richard Mihans, associate professor of education and chair of the department of education, the minor is tailored to the educational needs of interested students in a world that may be moving away from the traditional classroom.
“We’re very open to making this work best with the professional goals that students have,” Mihans said. “We’re small enough in order to be really in tune with what students needs are and address those rather quickly.”
Mihans said students leaving Elon for places like Teach for America and the Peace Corp are being asked to be educators for the first time, and he said that without any formal training, the job can be difficult.
When more than 70 percent of Elon University students are studying abroad or taking courses online, it’s important for the School of Education to re-examine its goals and offerings to reflect the changing educational and workplace environment, Mihans said.
Non-education majors are being asked to assume the role of educators in the workplace, a role those without teaching experience may be hesitant or even afraid of filling.
A July 2013 Pew Research study found that teachers surveyed at the high school level are using more digital tools to teach inside the classroom. The study went on to state that technology is being used by teaching majors and non-teaching majors alike to educate their peers in the college setting, as well as later on in the workplace.
Mihans recalled a non-education major and recent graduate who was asked to teach adults how to use computer applications in a job at Google. The student in question didn’t know where to start, and Mihans said the minor could have gone a long way to help.
“We’re seeing this as a very viable option for a lot of students,” he said. “We want to get feedback to continually revise the minor to meet student goals and needs. We want to have more and more options that really work for students.”
(04/24/14 2:39am)
A gentle giant was mourned Tuesday morning, as hundreds of Elon University students, faculty and staff gathered to celebrate the life of Ed Watkins, a seven-year Physical Plant employee who died April 18 in a Caswell County boating accident.
(04/24/14 1:42am)
During the spring of 2013, Elon University became one of the few institutions of higher learning nationally to allow students to use a preferred name on campus records including email address and diplomas. Additionally, the office of the Registrar has worked to clarify the documentation for students to change their gender marker in the Elon student system.
(04/16/14 12:04am)
Correction: One portion of this article that referenced "mental disabilities" was corrected to more accurately reflect the nature of the disabilities that Disability Services works with and make accommodations for.
(04/15/14 11:43pm)
Elon is going to the Big Apple Fall 2014.
(04/09/14 10:23pm)
Chants of, “Yes means yes; no means no” echoed around campus April 3 as Elon Feminists for Equality, Change, and Transformation (EFFECT) led the university’s first Walk Against Victim Blaming. The walk was part of a weeklong effort to raise awareness of such issues on campus and in the world.
(03/14/14 2:03am)
In the SGA's final Senate meeting of the 2013-2014 legislative year, the Senate approved their operating budget for the 2014-2015 academic year, as well as four special allocations.
(03/11/14 11:41pm)
In an effort to impose a fair national test-taking standard, the SAT will drop the required timed essay, eliminate the more obscure vocabulary questions and return to the 1600-point scale. Though Elon University has in the past embraced the addition of the 800-point writing section, the university follows the guidelines of the College Board when it comes to standardized testing.
(03/07/14 7:05pm)
In the wake of a massive regional ice storm that brought freezing rain to North Carolina last night through today, the university canceled Fellows Weekend event Friday, as well as all other campus events. Elon is preparing for the worst: a power outage that may last more than 24 hours.
(03/05/14 4:31am)
A walk across Elon University’s campus in the middle of the night is never completely pitch-black, thanks in large part to the 31 blue light emergency response systems that illuminate the darker reaches of campus.
(02/28/14 6:53pm)
With the passing of the 2014-2015 fiscal budget, Elon University reaffirmed its commitment to a slow growth model, increasing tuition by 3.69 percent and bringing the total cost of an Elon education to $41,914 per year for students living on campus. Students living off campus can expect to pay $30,848.
(02/28/14 6:49pm)
Conservative commentator S.E. Cupp visited Elon University Thursday, Feb. 27, to challenge students’ views of the United States’ “fractured political system.”
(02/28/14 5:30pm)
Elon University Police have arrested and charged a man suspected of indecently exposing himself to a female student Feb. 18.
(02/20/14 6:54am)
GRAHAM - Firefighters from the Graham and Haw River fire departments responded to reports of a fire shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday inside the auditorium of Graham High School.
(02/20/14 1:14am)
A female student reported a man exposing himself to her around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 near the intersection of O'Kelley and Haggard Avenues, according to an email sent by Smith Jackson, vice president for student life.
(02/18/14 6:33am)
A group of aspiring Elon University student government representatives convened Monday, Feb. 17 in McEwen to deliver speeches in favor of their canidacies, followed by a spirited debate between the two executive president hopefuls.
(02/11/14 9:55pm)
After months spent writing their congressmen, banging on doors throughout the capital and launching a massive social media campaign, an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 marchers converged on Raleigh for the “Mass Moral March” Feb. 8.
(02/10/14 5:09am)
An Elon University freshman was arrested Friday, Feb. 7 inside his Danieley I apartment for five drug-related charges.
(01/22/14 1:07pm)
Elon University's opening this morning has been pushed back until 10:00 a.m., according to an email sent by Smith Jackson, vice president of student life. In a separate announcement made via its web site, the Elon University School of Law will also open at 10:00 a.m. today.