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(08/27/14 10:15pm)
Recent events in Ferguson, Missouri have sent shockwaves through the nation.The growing unrest amongst the population, as a result of the fatal shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown, prompted President Barack Obama to launch an investigation into the use of military equipment by police forces. Many have questioned if the dissemination of surplus military gear to local law enforcement agencies is ethical.
(08/22/14 1:35pm)
Congratulations, you’ve graduated from high school. Those awkward years of bad haircuts and growing pains are behind you. Now, an unknown, scary, inspiring future lies ahead. Throw back your shoulders, keep your head high and prepare yourself for the next four years at Elon University by learning that some college myths are not necessarily true.
The freshman 15
Your newfound freedom is the definition of liberating. Just remember that your meal plan can either consist of endless pizza or balanced, healthy meals. Treat yourself, but also make sure you’re doing what makes your body work at its best. While you can spend all your Food Dollars on ice cream and chips, try to aim more towards grub that will keep your brain going on those particularly long days. Maybe add a Freshii salad into the mix.
Partying 24/7
Freshman year is a lot about socializing with people. This can mean going to a party or chatting it up in your dorm room with your hallmates. Do whatever your comfort level is, and get involved with in what interests you. Friends will fall into your life. Remember to try something new as well. College is all about testing out new ideas and experiences.
Soulmates with your roommate
You’ve either connected over Facebook, or you have a faint idea of his or her name. Your roommate may become a close friend, a strange acquaintance or your nemesis. Nonetheless, you’re going to be living with this person for a year. It is best to set all the ground rules now and be flexible. Go into the year with the mindset that you’ll both have good and bad days and to be respectful. But, if you find after a few weeks that your roommate makes you downright miserable, talk to your RA and get into a healthier environment.
Impossible classes
This isn’t high school, so the classes won’t be the same. But, you’ll quickly fall into step and have your fellow classmates to help if you start to fall behind. Pay attention. Take notes. At least attempt to do the reading and make sure you actually go to class. Also, your professor may just turn out to be the coolest person you’ve ever met. You’re at Elon primarily to learn — try not to forget that.
Must be in Greek Life
Not all social events surround Greek life, and you won’t be socially stranded if you don’t ever want to go to fraternity parties. Try to get to know different people from lots of different organizations, clubs, etc. If you find that a certain Greek organization tickles your fancy, go for it. If it’s not your thing, just keep doing you. Everyone will appreciate that you are just happy being yourself. Also, don’t assume the stereotype of Greek life that you’ve seen on television or in movies is reality. Get to know what it entails before you judge.
Inevitable all-nighters
One of the most important life skills you’ll learn at Elon is time management. Unfortunately, this will probably mean a lot of trial and error. You will leave a ten-page paper until the night before it’s due, and you will curse yourself for thinking that inspiration would hit you in your hour of need. Plan ahead. Read the syllabus, and write down when important tests, papers and projects are due. Ten minutes of planning now will save you sleepless nights and stress later in the year.
Choosing a major decides your fate
Your first year at Elon will be mostly general education classes that you’re required to take. Elon 101 will situate you into the atmosphere and help smooth over some bumps as you transition. Class selection for sophomore year will quickly loom over your head, and the pressure to choose a major as soon as possible will feel like the hardest decision to make. Just know that it’s OK to change your mind. You may start off as a business major and then find your calling as a musical theatre major. Try anything that interests you in your first few semesters. Once you find a subject you really enjoy, stick with it.
GPA is everything
You no longer have to dread the end-of-term report card. While you still get grades at Elon, they do not necessary affect your future. Try your best to learn as much as you can, but remember: what’s more important is what you learned from a class than what your final grade was. It’s OK to get a C every once in a while as long as you tried your hardest, asked for help when needed, and learned something.
(05/07/14 4:21pm)
The state of North Carolina has never boasted strong public school rankings when compared to states such as Massachusetts and New Jersey. According to Education Weekly, both those states post some of the highest graduation rates, as well as some of the highest per pupil expenditures in the nation, while North Carolina sits among the bottom 25 percent of the states.
For teachers, North Carolina ranks among the lowest in teacher salary. The state is in 46th place for teacher salary and 48th place for new teacher salary. These are hardly enticing numbers for college graduates coming out of school with master’s degrees in education.
Although paying teachers a high salary does not guarantee the best education system, statistics show that, if you pay them, they will come. Massachusetts and New Jersey pay their teachers some of the highest salaries in the nation and, as a result, they have very strong public school systems.
In addition to paying their teachers higher salaries, both states listed above also pay teachers with master’s degrees higher wages than those without. This adds an additional incentive for their teachers to seek out the highest degree of education which, in turn, makes their students the best they can be.
Teaching is more than just degrees and accolades. A master’s degree does not mean a public school teacher will be effective in the classroom, but it does mean he or she is well-versed and invested in the role of education in society.
No one seeks out degrees in education to become wealthy. Those who seek to shape and build the minds of the future do it as a labor of love. With that being said, North Carolina needs to meet public school teachers halfway when it comes to salaries if it wishes to regain some standing in national public education.
In 2013, the starting teacher salary in the state of North Carolina was a measly $30,779. This salary falls well short of the national average for teachers of $36,141. Not only does this salary leave public school teachers at a economic disadvantage, but it also affects the states ability to retain teachers.
The 2012-2013 school year saw teacher turnover rates reach 14.33 percent. Of those who departed the public school system here in North Carolina, more than 15 percent cited “personal reasons” such as being dissatisfied with opportunities here in the state or retiring with reduced benefits.
As more and more Millennials graduate and seek out advanced degrees, the state of North Carolina is losing its chance at hiring some of the best and brightest for their school systems. Across the board, the pay for those with advanced degrees is significantly higher when compared to those without, with the monthly income of those with advanced degrees increasing by 23 percent since the late 1980s.
If North Carolina wants to improve its lacking public school system, it needs to seek out the strongest applicants possible for the job. Increasing the pay of those with advanced degrees is a small price to pay when it comes to educating the next generation of North Carolinians.
(04/29/14 9:40pm)
In the weeks leading up to an intellectual climate summit at Elon University, the issue of students’ intellectual experience has been discussed in-depth across campus. In the past two decades, Elon has risen to prominence in terms of admissions standards and national rankings, consistently bringing in high-caliber students with growing ambitions and skill sets. Despite higher incoming GPAs, stronger SAT medians and impressive national rankings for the university as a whole, students still feel that the intellectual climate on campus does not meet their expectations, according to a SGA report.
Although the university has continuously demonstrated efforts to stimulate intellectual conversation outside the classroom, the overall efforts seem to be lost on a majority of the student body. Only 13 percent of students say they frequently partake in intellectual discussions according to the report. It is disappointing for students who expect intellectual conversations to extend beyond classroom walls and guest speakers.
It is a paradox in which ambitious, bright students come in to Elon with high expectations — but then join a campus culture that seems to stifle the inherently intellectual outside the classroom or small intellectual bubbles within the community. Outside of the small select groups within the larger community, such as the fellows programs, specific student organizations and guest speaker forums, students’ expectations are not matching up with their perceived intellectual stimulation.
The on-campus trends, according to the SGA report, demonstrate that the percentage of students whose intellectual expectations are not met increase as they progress from freshman year to senior year. This is completely within the control of the individual students. If students’ expectations are increasingly not met as they rise through Elon, they must take it upon themselves to seek out intellectual situations to bring their experience in line with their expectations. This issue is completely in the students’ hands.
Although the SGA poll offers insight on the overall student perception of the intellectual climate at Elon, the university’s efforts seem to be lost in the shuffle.
The administration, faculty and a select group of students within the Elon community have worked tirelessly over the past two decades to lay the foundation for a climate and environment where intellectual discussion can flourish. Simply put, students are not engaging at the levels they are capable of.
A movement of building a stronger intellectual climate on campus exists at Elon, and, encouragingly, it is primarily student run. After a group of students noticed that Elon lacks opportunities outside of the classroom to have deep, intellectual conversations, they partnered with a group of faculty and administrators to form an intellectual climate working group. From this working group comes two incredibly beneficial programs that will help those seeking deep intellectual discussions: Coffee Klatch and Book Club.
But these efforts will be for naught if students choose to ignore them. If the students can learn to take advantage of the intellectual opportunities at Elon they will be able to reach the potential that so many see in us. Students have to ask themselves what type of people they want to be in college. The Elon student body controls the narrative of their experience here at Elon, but as a campus students are not reaching their potential.
The intellectual climate movement is something every student is capable of taking part in that would benefit each and every one of us. If students actively seek out this intellectual stimulation — the deep conversations on the sidewalk, attending discussions that delve further in to important topics — students can reach the expectations they have for themselves.
Collectively, Elon students demonstrate the potential to make their college experience something special and beneficial that will help prepare them for the real world ahead. Clearly, the student body recognizes that the intellectual climate around campus does not live up to its expectations. This important issue is in students’ hands. The university has made incredible progress in the past two decades, but only proactivity and a renewed sense of engagement will allow the campus to attain an intellectual climate that lives up to the high expectations the Elon community hopes for.
A campus-wide dialogue on intellectual climate will be held at 4:30 p.m. today in Whitley Auditorium.
(04/29/14 6:01pm)
Please see the info on the Emergency and Emergency Response Guide and Campus Wide Tornado Locations and review the following for your safety:
(04/22/14 11:46pm)
The Common Reading program at Elon University has come a long way since its inception in 1992. Starting with the simple goal of nurturing a richer intellectual community, the program has become much more than students’ first official college reading assignment.
(04/22/14 9:05pm)
The Pendulum Editorial Board would like to clarify its stance from the editorial “Lasting effects: sexual assault on college campuses” from April 8th.
(04/16/14 5:22am)
In 2012, the state of North Carolina passed a constitutional amendment, known as Amendment One, which made it unconstitutional for the state to recognize or perform gay marriages or civil unions. After making its way through the North Carolina General Assembly, North Carolina voters approved the amendment, 61.04 percent to 38.96 percent, with 34.66 percent of registered voters turning out to vote. North Carolina is the last state to implement a voter-approved block to gay unions.
(04/09/14 2:51am)
Every two minutes an American is sexually assaulted, according to data collected in a recent study done by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. That means roughly 237,868 American people will fall victim to an act of sexual assault this calendar year. Additionally, 80 percent of those 237,868 victims will be under the age of 30. There are 5,599 students enrolled at Elon University, meaning it is more than likely there are survivors of sexual assault within our student body.
(03/19/14 4:49pm)
Pandora’s Pies and Acorn Coffee Shop are the only restaurants left standing on Williamson Avenue where Elon University students, as well as the local community, can enjoy a meal. Not long ago, the community had a third dining option, but the university did little to keep that restaurant in business. The result of Elon’s inaction is an empty shell of a restaurant.
(03/11/14 3:54am)
Forty-two years ago, a familiar piece of landmark legislation, Title IX, was passed to ensure gender equality at educational institutions. Widely known as the law that bolstered female athletics, its positive effects extend far beyond the playing field, as Title IX has helped women solidify a more prominent place in academia as a whole.
(03/04/14 12:06am)
North Carolina recently passed laws that seek to not only tighten ID verification at the polls but also to shorten the voting period by one week and end same-day voting registration. Supporters of the new laws argue they will successfully curtail the prevalence of voter fraud in the state of North Carolina as well as save the state substantial amounts of money by shortening the voting period. These arguments are simply a weak attempt to mask the true purpose of these laws — to keep certain people from having access to the polls.
(02/25/14 12:30am)
Students who transfer into Elon University come from a wide array of backgrounds. Some come from community colleges, others have completed a full year at another four-year institution, while some transfer after only one semester.
(02/18/14 7:34pm)
On October 18 of last year, Elon University broke ground on its new admissions center that is slated for completion in early 2015. It was an exciting time for the university for it yet again proved that Elon is inching closer to being a top-tier school. In doing so, the school lost a valuable resource that day – parking spaces.
(02/12/14 6:21pm)
Global citizenship, civic engagement and diversity are broad and diluted words on the Elon University campus. Elon’s goal of teaching students how to broaden their horizons is admirable, but current university practices are leaving students without vital background knowledge as to why these concepts are important.
In recent years, Elon has placed a heavy emphasis on promoting these three main institutional concepts. These ideas can be seen prevalently throughout events held at Elon each year. The university brings in a wide range of speakers from all paths of life and holds cultural events pertaining to these ideas.
Elon must recognize that its role in developing engaged citizens extends past simply hosting cultural events. There must be a deeper component to put the importance of panel discussions, dance shows and speakers in a global context.
This context will shed light on why Elon promotes global citizenship, civic engagement and diversity instead of telling students how to embody these broad concepts.
During the month of January, the university held seven official diversity themed events that intended to promote its core institutional concepts. The majority of diversity and global events held on campus are speakers. These lecture style events have become lackluster in recent years. The unvaried diet of diversity that Elon feeds to its students appears to assume that simply attending these speeches will transform students into a more globally-engaged citizens. This is a lazy approach to reinforcing concepts that the university promotes ardently.
All Elon students take “The Global Experience” during their first year at Elon. This course is an attempt by the university to teach its students the value of understanding the world around them. According to one “Global” class syllabus, the goal of the course is “to broaden and heighten your understanding of the world around you.” Despite this worldly goal, these courses are not effective in inspiring students to explore the world around them.
Although every student has taken this course, there is a drastic lack of uniformity in how these courses are taught. This lack of consistency divides the student body. Some students are left with a more enlightened view of the world around them while others walk away from the course with no further appreciation of the global outlook than they had when they entered the university.
To provide its students with a firmer understanding of global citizenship, civic engagement and diversity, Elon should make an attempt to create a homogenous “Global” course. This course would discuss the three concepts of civic engagement, global citizenship and diversity and provide background information as to why the university promotes these concepts.
Although this would not guarantee that all students would progress to become civically engaged global citizens, it would provide every student with the same platform from which to grow.
Elon spares no expense teaching its students about how to live life as globally aware and engaged citizens but does little to provide the reasons why these concepts are so important. Simply bringing in speakers and teaching a one-semester course does not do enough to train students to appreciate living in a more culturally aware world.
The concepts a university chooses to promote and project onto its student body are important. They should be valued in the classroom as well as around the campus. Without Elon professors providing uniformed and detailed explanations about the importance of these pillars, students are missing out on a key piece of the Elon Experience.
Creating a more culturally aware and engaged student body is a timely and modern goal for Elon to have. The university has taken great strides in striving to educate its students about the world around them but there is still work to be done.
The current practices in place do not inspire students to re-envision their outlook on the world around them. The university must take the time to teach its students about the importance of embodying the concepts of global citizenship, civic engagement and diversity if it wants to create a more culturally aware generation.
(02/04/14 6:23pm)
Elon University football head coach Rich Skrosky’s Twitter page often uses the phrase “embrace the grind.” This is a truly fitting mantra, not only for Elon football, but for the entire university. Success will not come overnight, just like national recognition did not happen in a day. Each of us that makes up the Elon community must be ready to “embrace the grind” if we want to see our university attain the status of a top-tier, nationally recognized school.
(01/21/14 10:31pm)
The single-sex residence halls on campus — Smith, Carolina and West — have long been a part of the history of the university. Thousands of students have lived in these halls and have formed lifelong friendships. With that being said, the main purpose single-sex dormitories serve is now in direct conflict with the Elon Commitment to creating a dynamic on-campus living experience.
(11/20/13 4:42pm)
Laptops slamming closed in disgust, incessant complaining between friends, frantic emails to teachers and department heads and swear words ringing out across dorms are some of the side effects of class registration at Elon University. Whether it’s not getting into a much-needed class or having a less-than-ideal schedule, most every student at Elon has felt the downsides of the current registration process.
(11/07/13 11:00pm)
Last week, North Carolina politics made national news. Again.
(10/02/13 10:20pm)
“The world has become an idolator of this god called money.”