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(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.
(02/25/15 3:00pm)
Correction: This article originally reported that Danieley, Global and Colonnades have disparate laundry facilities. The article has been changed to show that each location provides laundry services, but they require payment for each use. Stand-alone singles in Global and Colonnades C, D and E provide free laundry. The article has also been amended to show that the Oaks and Danieley require students to purchase a meal plan through their sophomore year.
(02/19/15 6:00pm)
Elon University faces a supply and demand issue when it comes to providing on-campus jobs for students who qualify for the Federal Work-Study Program.
Put simply, the number of qualifying students outweighs the number of jobs available. But the issue is not the number of jobs. It’s that some students and their parents rely on that income, and there’s no guarantee for them it exists.
If a student who qualifies for work-sudy does not get hired, he or she is expected to make up the difference.
For example, if they qualify for $3,000 in financial aid via work-study and are not employed on campus, the remainder must be filled through private loans or another source. Some students are forced to pay out of pocket.
Still, the amount students are expected to earn through work-study is calculated into the total financial aid package before freshmen step on campus.
The website for the Office of Financial Planning acknowledges no guarantee of finding work on campus, even for students qualified for work-study. Roughly 1,388 Elon students — 24 percent of the student body — qualify for the program.
Ideally, Elon would be able to offer jobs to every student who needs one, but that’s not a realistic goal, especially considering the size of Elon’s campus.
The number of jobs available on campus varies slightly each semester, but there are around 1,100 student employment positions at Elon — enough for 20 percent of the student body.
Even if on-campus employers exclusively hired students with work-study, there still wouldn’t be jobs available for 289 of them. Though some employers hire only students with work-study, not all campus employers hire solely from that pool.
The resulting competition for on-campus jobs leaves some students or their parents cutting a check they thought financial aid would cover.
To qualify for work-study, students must receive financial aid that does not pay for their tuition in full.
Work-study isn’t the only chance for students to earn financial aid money. The Providing Aid through Campus Employment (PACE) program guarantees on-campus employment to students who require a lesser degree of financial assistance than those qualified for work-study. The PACE Program accepts a completely different pool of applicants, and provides student loans, but no other financial aid.
Students in the program are ensured a job on campus, while students with work-study — whose need was determined greater by the Office of Financial Planning — compete with the rest of the student body for employment.
Given the reality of how the work-study program works at Elon, the Office of Financial Aid needs to be more forthcoming about the percentage of students who qualify but can’t find a job.
(02/12/15 3:06am)
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.
(02/11/15 4:18pm)
The Greek system at Elon University is a social force to be reckoned with.
It occupies too much of a presence on campus, and the pressure to rush has never been more intense.
Many freshmen have fallen victim to the notion — whether it’s true or not — that they must pledge to a Greek organization or kiss their social life goodbye. The resulting demand for spots in these organizations is too much for Elon to accommodate.
We would expect recruitment numbers to increase proportionately along with Elon’s undergraduate enrollment.
But Greek Life growth is outpacing enrollment. While undergraduate enrollment is up 23 percent since 2005, the number of women registered for sorority recruitment has increased 55 percent in that time.
When sorority recruitment began Jan. 28, a record-high 638 people had signed up. At the end of the process, when bids had been given out, students involved in Greek Life accounted for 40 percent of Elon’s student body. That percentage is entirely too high.
Shana Plasters, the director of Greek Life, said in an email that a university-wide committee has begun discussing how to deal with the ballooning interest. She said the size of the individual organizations were a consideration in these discussions.
But certain parts of the Greek system are out of the control of Elon officials. Quotas determining how many people must join the organizations are governed by the National Panhellenic Conference, which doesn’t necessarily see the scope of Greek Life’s presence on campus.
The disproportionate number of people involved in Greek Life is a problem now but could easily work itself out as the university grows.
Allowing Elon to expand independently of the Greek system will reduce the impact of the institution as well as its relevance on campus. As the number of non-affiliated students grows in proportion to affiliated students Greek Life will become a less dominant social force.
Service, scholarship and sisterhood — three of the main pillars of sororities, for example — are central to scores of other organizations on campus. Values like these are common in organizations like InterVarsity, Campus Outreach, and I Am That Girl. But freshmen don’t flock to these organizations in the same numbers as sororities.
What stands between those alternative organizations and each new class of students is the overwhelming and deeply human need to feel a sense of belonging.
Students understandably want to make the most of their four years in college, and Greek Life seems like a one-stop-shop. But not all students who go through recruitment emerge with a bid.
The Office of Greek Life’s website explains that young women who do not receive a bid either chose to withdraw from the process at some point or were unwilling to consider membership in one of the sororities that was not within their top choices.
This explanation blames individuals who don’t make the cut for being too choosy. Granted, some people do choose to withdraw from recruitment, but the website severely understates the fact that people going through recruitment can be dropped from all potential organizations at any point before the final round, which is a much more common cause of heartbreak for those who don’t make the cut.
Plasters said the Office of Greek Life aims to maintain a high-quality experience for students in various Greek organizations. Of the 133 students who did not receive a bid during sorority recruitment this year, more than 68 percent of them had been invited back by at least one chapter, she pointed out.
But whether a pledge could truly have a high-quality experience after accepting a bid from her second or third choice is questionable. College students are told to make the most of their four years. It’s not surprising people choose to drop out of the process when their top choice is no longer an option.
Greek Life is undoubtedly beneficial for the women who are involved. It encourages philanthropy and provides a platform for networking. It occupies an important role on Elon’s campus.
But that role is too large. And although it’s a great way to make friends, it’s not the only way. The solution is to squash the idea that going Greek is the end-all be-all of having a good time in college.
(02/06/15 7:02pm)
President Barack Obama has big goals regarding American education standards. A major part of his plan includes making the first two years of community college free for any student with a C+ average or better.
By 2020, Obama hopes that the United States will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world, and that community colleges will produce an additional five million of them.
His desire for an additional population of community college graduates stems from the increasing perceived need to have at least an associate’s degree in the professional world. Many community colleges also have pre-professional programs that liberal arts colleges lack.
To achieve his goal of a community college-educated United States citizenship, Obama has laid out several distinct strategies.
He has called on Congress to make the first two years of community college free for students, which would ensure participants an associate’s degree.
His plan for financing involves using federal government funding for 75 percent of the tuition and individual states funding the remainder.
This proposal is a controversial one. Opponents have called it a “Robin-Hood”-like plan that “borrows from the rich to give to the poor,” in the style of the cartoon vigilante.
For this reason, the program is likely to die on the floor of Congress. It is the first big push by the Obama administration towards affordable college.
There are stipulations to this proposal though. Students must maintain a 3.5 GPA in order to sustain the grant.
But the free tuition would still be an enormous help to students across the country. The White House estimates it would save 9 million students about $3,800 per year.
The program, however helpful, is not simple. Many questions have arisen. What impacts will the plan have on Obama’s annual budget? How will this proposal interact with the Pell Grant, a grant which is given to the socioeconomically disadvantaged college students who comprise 38 percent of community-college students?
There is sentiment from opponents of this program that suggests the initiative wouldn’t help its target population. The Pell Grant covers the most financially needy students. Obama’s program would primarily help students who come from middle-class families.
College has become increasingly hard to pay for, especially for members of middle-class families who fall through the cracks of financial aid.
The number of students who borrow money, most often via loans, to pay for college has increased 70 percent in the past 10 years. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the total amount of student debt in the U.S. has more than tripled in the past 10 years, from $363 billion in 2005 to more than $1.2 trillion today.
Obam’s is based on a three-part plan: Helping more students go to college (access), helping them pay for it (affordability), and making sure universities do their best to make college affordable (accountability).
The program is modeled after a current, working initiative: The Tennessee Promise, Tennessee’s free community college program. It has drawn 58,000 applicants, almost 90 percent of the state’s high school seniors, and more than twice as many as expected.
But many Republicans remain skeptical.
“With no details or information on the cost, this seems more like a talking point than a plan,” said Cory Fritz, a spokesman for House Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, through the New York Times.
The Obama administration was quick to rcounter.
“It’s something that we can accomplish, and it’s something that will train our work force so that we can compete with anybody in the world,” Obama said in a video posted by the White House.
All in all, it is a bi-partisan sentiment that community college is a large part of the American education culture, and one that needs to be at least somewhat subsidized by the federal government.
According to the New York Times, 7.7 million U.S. community college students attend community college for credit, 3.1 million of whom attend full time.
The federal government provides about $9.1 billion to community colleges, about 16 percent of the total revenue the colleges receive. Tuition from students provides about 30 percent of the revenue.
Governmental funding of community-college endeavors is no new issue, but has drawn mixed views from the general public. Time will tell if Obama’s proposal can be deemed a success.
(02/04/15 6:09pm)
The crowd at the racial injustice open forum Jan. 26, held in response to an incident in which a racial slur was allegedly yelled at a black student from a car on North O’Kelley Ave, was not representative of Elon University’s student body. And that’s a problem.
(01/21/15 6:15pm)
Talking about suicide saves lives, and we’re too often too quiet on the subject.
(11/19/14 5:16pm)
Elon University’s recent suspension of the Epsilon Theta chapter of Sigma Pi has been an important decision in upholding policies against hazing.
(11/19/14 5:14pm)
The power and influence of the Internet has changed the world in just a few decades.
(11/12/14 3:20pm)
A huge issue many students might not think about often is climate change. It’s an important issue that has been over- shadowed for decades. Now, the world needs to listen.
(11/12/14 3:16pm)
Elon Community Church is having an Open and Affirming vote (ONA) Jan. 18 to determine if it should officially fully accept LGBTQIA members into the ministry.
(11/05/14 7:44pm)
One in five women and one in 16 men has been or will be sexually assaulted while in college. Eight in 10 victims know their attackers. These statistics, from the It’s On Us campaign website, illustrate that sexual assault is a crucial issue on all campuses.
(10/30/14 1:31am)
It’s that time of year, and the midterm elections in North Carolina are drawing national attention. In the most expensive race in the state’s history, the stakes are high. For North Carolina college students, these midterm elections are especially crucial.
(10/22/14 2:47pm)
The North Carolina State Fair is a quintessential American experience. With rides, games and tasty food have all been a part of the experience since it opened in 1853.
What have never been a part of the state fair are concealed weapons. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture banned guns on the premises of the fair in 1928, when the fair moved to its current location in Raleigh.
New legislation
In 2013, the North Carolina General Assembly voted to expand the rights of concealed-carry permit holders which meant those with permits could now carry guns at any assembly where a fee is charged — like the state fair.
But this ruling comes into direct conflict with the long-standing, no-guns policy the fair and N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler have enforced for many years now.
Later, on Oct. 13, Wake County Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens rupheld the decision.
According to a recent article by North Carolina Public Radio, WUNC, the predominant concern is not about someone purposefully using weapon to do harm to those around them but about accidental discharges or misfires while roaming the densely crowded fairgrounds.
With the exception of BB guns and squirt guns found at various games and stands throughout the property, a fair is no place for a guns.Nearly a million people visit the North Carolina State Fair each year, which suggests the fair is a safe and family friendly attraction.
The biggest threat to a person’s well being at the fair should be the consumption of too many fried foods before going on a ride.
Moving away from old laws
The Constitution of the United States was ratified in 1788, a few years after our forefathers fought off the armies of the tyrannical and oppressive British Monarchy.
The United States was a young nation, and the key to our independence relied upon private citizens having arms of their own since we did not have a strong standing army. There was also no police force to protect citizens from crime. Life was very different from how it is today.
It is time for gun owners to step into the 21st century.
Fast-forward more than two hundred years to 2014. More than a million men and women make up our army which is the second-largest standing army in the world. Every town and city has a police force to protect citizens from crime. The biggest threats to the safety of U.S. citizens are in other corners of the earth — not at a state fair.
The right to bear arms is not threatened by the decision of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture to ban guns at a family-friendly fair.
North Carolina is one of the most gun-friendly states in the country.
This year at the state fair, if gun-owners wish to protect themselves and create a safer world for their children, they should put down their guns and pick up a turkey leg instead.
(10/01/14 2:36pm)
The recent disappearance of University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham has sent shock waves through the country. Graham’s disappearance serves as a tragic reminder that college students must use extreme caution when walking around after dark.
At Elon University, the easiest and most effective way to keep safe at night is to travel around the campus with a group of friends. If, for some reason, you become separated from your friends or find yourself walking alone, Elon Campus Safety and Police offers a security escort service every day of the week from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
It is a common misconception that walking home alone is safe as long as you are on the phone with someone. The office of Campus Safety and Police strongly disagrees. This practice does more harm than good.
If you are talking on your phone, it leaves you unaware of your surroundings and more likely to be approached by someone. Being distracted makes you an easy target for burglary or assault.
If you find yourself in an unsafe situation, seek out the blue lights around campus, which serves a twofold purpose. First, it allows students, faculty and staff to raise alarm and connect with security during an emergency. Secondly, it is to give the campus a secure feeling.
While in the presence of blue lights, students know there is a way to get a rapid response when needed.
According to Dennis Franks, the director of Campus Safety and Police, Elon’s campus has 35 blue lights across its campus. New blue lights are added as needed, and Frank’s office evaluates requests for new blue lights from the community.
Recent additions to the blue light system include Loy Farm and Arts West.
Typical to any college, most on-campus crime at Elon results from Liquor Law Violations. With that said, the campus is not immune to violent crime. During the 2014 spring semester, a local man was charged with rape and burglary at an off-campus house party on West College Avenue.
Although the administration and campus security make every effort to keep Elon safe for all its students, it is important to remember that incidents like the Graham case can happen to anyone, anywhere.
No matter where you are on campus, it is critical to practice caution and to be aware of your surroundings.
(09/24/14 11:14am)
In 1889 North Carolina legislature issued a charter establishing Elon College in one of North Carolina’s oldest counties – Alamance County. Seven of Elon’s eight presidents were born in the South and U.S. News and World Report ranks Elon as the top regional university in the south. The rest of the school’s make up, is distinctly less southern.
When asked to explain Elon to an outsider, one might mention that the mascot is the Phoenix or that the school has a high study abroad rate. However, describing Elon as a northern school in the south has become a more prominent defining trait.
While it is true that the highest percentage of students hail from North Carolina, the majority of Elon’s students come from states located above the Mason-Dixon line. More than 55 percent of students in the two most recent incoming classes reside in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic regions of the country. States such as Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut are among the most common states where Elon students reside.
Northern students are exposed to some new ways of life. Southern cuisine, like sweet tea, grits, and barbecue, are regional staples. The pace of life in the South can be considered a bit slower. The classic Southern drawl from locals also becomes a telltale sign of where the university is situated. The laid back tone contrasts with the more hectic pace of Northern life.
Some students may even be a bit thrown by some Southern terminology, such as calling a shopping cart a “buggy” or a winter cap a “toboggan” or saying “grocery” instead of “grocery store.”
Some Elon students have already been exposed to the mixture of Northern and Southern cultures. Students who call the Washington, D.C. area home have had a taste of both world. The Mason-Dixon line, which lies right above Maryland, calls everything below it the South. While drawn in the late 1700s, this line still holds some truth about how the regions’ cultures slowly divide.
Culture shock can go both ways for Elon students. There is a large influx of students from the North, yet those from the South also experience an exposure to a more Northern culture. This makes Elon a quintessential melting pot. Although Elon may not be as racially diverse as other schools across the country, the unique location of the university provides students with a platform from which they can mingle with people from parts of the country that they would not otherwise interact with.
College is a time when students work, live and play side by side with thousands of people around their age. At no other time in their lives are people living in such close proximity with so many people who are all pursuing the same goal.
It is true that Elon, despite its location, is not a southern school. However, this is not a bad thing. For although Elon isn’t as southern as a school like Appalachian State University, it’s lack of classic southern values means that its campus is a strong blend of Northern and Southern cultures.
To take full advantage of attending school in the South, go and immerse yourself in the community. Talking to people and getting to know them can make the Southern university experience more vivid.
Elon is a great place to understand something new and get to know a different way of life. In fact, the school encourages it heavily by promoting the idea of “global citizenship” – which students can easily start by embracing their southern surroundings.
(09/17/14 9:57pm)
The small collection of universities that mention sexual orientation and gender identity on their admissions applications grew this week. Elon University has provided an optional question for applicants to check a box indicating whether they identify as a member of the LGBTQIA community.
The addition of the item on the application makes it clear these topics, which high school seniors may be reluctant to share, are open for discussion at Elon.
As more campuses across the nation strive toward a more inclusive community, adding this component to the admissions application is the next logical move.
Traditionally, applications have asked for information about race, religion, gender and income. Giving LGBTQIA students the chance to specify their sexuality and gender identity legitimizes aspects of their lives that have historically been discredited. The question offers an entry point into a discussion that didn’t exist previously.
Opponents of this action have argued that students who aren’t ready to be forthcoming with that information will struggle to respond on the application. But the question is optional. No applicant should feel obligated to answer.
From an admissions standpoint, not asking about sexual orientation and gender identity on the application marginalizes applicants from the LGBTQIA community and can dissuade them from choosing Elon. Sexuality wasn’t explicitly off-limits in the college application process beforehand, but it also wasn’t openly recognized. Acknowledging LGBTQIA students before they arrive at Elon generates an environment of inclusion, from the time of admission until graduation.
Asking about LGBTQIA identities on the application allows Elon to quantify its progress in regards to creating a more accepting campus. Without a method of tracking how many students identify along the spectrum, admissions officers can’t address what demographic is being excluded.
Elon has become more inclusive of the LGBTQIA community with the recent addition of the Gender and LGBTQIA Center (GLC) as well as resource rooms for Hispanic/Latino, African American and Asian communities. Now, incorporating sexuality and gender identity into the admissions application solidifies Elon’s efforts toward a more diverse and accepting campus.
Episodes of intolerance at Elon, including incidences of racial slurs that incited the “Not On Our Campus” movement and the debate over Chick-Fil-A’s presence on campus, remind students that discrimination is still a reality at Elon. The administration’s actions toward inclusivity will encourage a dialogue among students and build a more educated, accepting student body.
Elon’s LGBTQIA task force, a group of 14 students and alumni, surveyed members of Elon’s LGBTQIA community. Some participants said those who weren’t “out” before college may not feel comfortable answering the question. The majority of others said they were in favor of the change and would have chosen to respond, according to Matthew Antonio Bosch, director of the GLC.
The same survey indicated that Elon’s admissions process needed to do a better job of reaching the LGBTQIA demographic. The effort to reach out to Class of 2019 applicants from the LGBTQIA community shows that Elon’s administration cares about strengthening its admission process.
Inside Higher Ed reports that in 2012, when the University of Iowa added a similar question to its application, 353 of its 21,600 applicants checked the box. The second year, 870 of 24,000 applicants chose to respond. That increase indicates that including the LGBTQIA community in the admissions process and initiating a conversation before these students arrive on campus will increase the willingness to be more open in the applicant pool.
The change to Elon’s application is reflective of progress nationwide. Duke University announced earlier this month that it would prompt applicants to share experiences relating to cultural background, specifically mentioning sexual orientation and gender identity, in an optional essay question. Duke will be the first university to add this component to the Common Application.
Elon’s new question adds to the traditional, heteronormative demographics section of the application and sends the simple message: All are welcome.
(09/09/14 11:08am)
Though it may be only the second full week of classes at Elon University, Greek life is back in full swing. Sororities have begun their weekly chapter meetings that include the process of training their sisters in recruitment policies and practices.
Sorority recruitment does not officially begin until January 2015, now is the time when many first-year female students begin learning about the different sororities at Elon. Although there are many beneficial aspects to joining a sorority, those wishing to go through the recruitment process should be fully aware of all that is expected of a member of Greek life.
With roughly 55 percent of women on the Elon campus affiliated with Greek life in some way, Elon faces realization it needs to add more sororities to accommodate the growing numbers of those involved. Before they move in that direction, the Office of Greek Life and the Panhellenic Council plan to teach potential recruits about the whole package of what it means to be Greek.
It is well-known that sororities offer a platform from which women can meet other like-minded women and make Lifelong connections. However, other aspects of sorority life are lesser-known by many going through recruitment.
The fact that the Office of Greek Life is making an intentional effort in seeking to inform this year’s recruitment class about what it means to be in a sorority is exactly what was missing from the recruitment process in past years. The office has made efforts to educate women about what it is like to be a member of a sorority in the past, this new initiative should better prepare women for Greek life.
This winter, women going through recruitment will know that there is more to being in a sorority than simply making new friends. Academics is another focus of Greek life that is not always at the forefront of the discussion when talking about sororities. Everyone involved in a sorority is held to a certain standard which is dictated by both Elon and the organization they get invited to join. In order to participate fully in Greek life, one must maintain consistent academic success.
Another major aspect of being involved in a sorority is philanthropy. All of Elon’s sororities work with charities and focus a great deal on philanthropic work. Such work is a true time commitment in addition to academic expectations. It is impossible to know where people will end up at the end of the recruitment process this winter. The Office of Greek Life encourages and reminds all those who wish to go through the process to keep an open mind while meeting with the various organizations. With that being said, it is possible for potential new members to educate themselves about the process beforehand so that there will be no surprises after bid day.
The hope is that through this new educational initiative led by the Office of Greek Life the hundreds of women who go through recruitment will know exactly what will be expected of them. According to Greek life directors here at Elon, since 2009, the involvement in sororities has skyrocketed. Across the country, more and more women are choosing to go through the recruitment process and get involved with a certain sorority.
The Office of Greek Life has said that this more aggressive educational process will cut down the numbers of those going through the recruitment process while increasing the knowledge of what is expected of a sorority member.
Elon’s decision to modify the recruitment process instead of creating a new sorority and bulding a new house in the Loy Center is a wise plan. The addition of a new organization would be costly. This new educational effort led by the Panhellenic council should cut down the number of women involved in the process.
Not only is this plan financially beneficial to the university, but it is also beneficial for all the sororities on campus, because they are now choosing from a better-educated group who know what it means to be in a sorority.
(09/03/14 10:59pm)
Elon University is known for its global mindset. We have a Global Neighborhood, a high percentage of study abroad participants and multiple internationally minded courses. As Elon expands its worldview it should also focus on what goes on in the areas immediately surrounding the university.
All students at Elon have the opportunity to volunteer at some point in their undergraduate careers. With one of the largest incoming freshman classes to date, expanding its engagement in the Burlington community should not be a problem for the university.
With 17.3% of all persons in Alamance County below the poverty level, the need for volunteers to help combat hunger in the area is very real.
While Elon’s volunteering responsibility rests at least somewhat on the university itself, it is also up to students to take advantage of the opportunities offered.
Abbey Riesett, director of Campus Kitchen at Elon, puts it simply. “It’s a benefit from a liberal arts education,”
In the 2013-2014 school year, a total of 3,100 total student volunteers completed 127,656 hours of service. That’s a 23 percent increase from the previous year. These numbers need to continue rising until just about every able-bodied Elon student has volunteered by the time they graduate.
The Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement is a resource just waiting to be tapped by students. It is home to Elon Volunteers! and more than 130 students leaders. Mary Morrison, assistant dean of students and director of the Kernodle Center, believes that service gets students outside the Elon bubble.
Members of Elon Volunteers! encourage students to explore outside Elon and understand the needs of the community around them.
Elon senior Brooke Faison, a cooking shifts coordinator for Campus Kitchens and a coordinator for Special Olympics, finds that to be a beneficial plus of volunteering.
“You get to see a different perspective of the Burlington community and burst out of that ‘Elon bubble,’” said Faison. “It’s important preparation for the real world outside of college. Elon is not real life. It’s important to know that there are other people who are out there.”
The Kernodle Center’s theme this year is digging deeper. This year, student’s experiences will be examined further, when looking at the larger picture of social justice and the long-term effects of service. The root causes of social issues will be discussed after volunteer projects and students are invited to get creative with addressing community needs.
Alamance County also has a very high rate of children living in poverty. The state percentage is 25 percent while Alamance County has a 26.3 percent rate of children living below the poverty line.
Elon Volunteers! offers about 30 programs. Some of its events throughout the year include blood drives, a poverty simulation, and more.
With such a spread of programs, a student is bound to find a program with which they connect.
Many courses at Elon also incorporate service into their curriculum, and Elon is working towards having a service-oriented course in most majors.
For those who aren’t quite sure what they want to do or how they can help, programs like Get on the Bus encourage a less intensive volunteer experience. Get on the Bus allows students to have the chance to try multiple types of service and become more comfortable with the community. Students take a bus to different organizations and charities around Elon and Burlington. If you can sign up ahead of time, do.
Recently, Elon students packaged 40,000 meals to fight hunger. Not only will these meals help families both locally and abroad but pakcaging and preparing these meals teach students new and sustainable ways to combat hunger.
Elon provides it students with many chances to volunteer in the community. Not only do these opportunities help the surrounding area but it teaches students the importance of helping those around them which has long been an integral part of the Elon vision.