Campus

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LIFESTYLE 3/28/25 9:47am

Elon hosts Datafest to advance data competency on campus

By Sarah T. Moore

From making curated recommendations on streaming platforms to targeted advertisements and weather forecasts, there is a growing demand for data competency. From April 10 to 14, Elon University’s Data Nexus will host its second Datafest. The four-day event will contain workshops, a “Hack-a-thon,” a creative artificial intelligence contest, a keynote speaker, networking opportunities and the American Statistical Association’s DataFest Data Challenge. Elon is one of over 100 colleges and universities across the world participating in ASA’s DataFest this year. Workshops, a hack-a-thon and other elements of this year’s Datafest are expansions from Elon’s inaugural event last year. 

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SPORTS 3/27/25 12:33pm

Graham girls soccer falls to Northwood 10-1

By Christian Holland

Graham High School’s girl's soccer team fell to Northwood, 10-1, in conference play on March 26 at Graham High School. While the score was lopsided, the determination and teamwork in communication has significantly improved for Graham as the team entered the game 1-4. The victory against Graham was a solid bounce back for the Chargers after falling to Seaforth in such a lopsided score. The win improves Northwood to 5-5 overall and 4-1 in conference. Meanwhile, Graham falls to 1-5 overall and 1-4 in conference. The Red Devils will reevaluate and take lessons learned into their next match. 

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NEWS 3/27/25 10:53am

University yet to make statement to student body on Trump immigration policy, ICE concerns

By Nia Bedard

With President Donald Trump back in office, one of his first of many executive orders was called “Protecting the American people against invasion, ” which is intended to limit the number of people entering the U.S. through the southern border. It grants the Department of Homeland Security new enforcement policies, including expedited removal and authorizing state and local law enforcement to detain and apprehend individuals in the country illegally. Despite this, Elon University, a private institution with less reliance on federal funding, does not plan to issue an official statement on ICE policies to the student body.

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NEWS 3/26/25 9:45pm

Elon University Student Government Association discusses mental health resources at town hall

By Rachel Holley

Elon University’s Student Government Association hosted its annual town hall in East Commons. The discussion focused on the mental health resources that Elon’s campus offers to students. SGA hosted a panel of students as well as Director of Counseling Services, Anita Hodnett. Hodnett spoke about the different services that Counseling Services offers such as individual and group counseling. Another on-campus mental health group on the panel was Peers Empathy, Assistance and Referral Support, also known as Peers EARS. This group allows for student to student conversations about mental health. 

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SPORTS 3/25/25 10:14pm

Elon University baseball falls to Wake Forest 10-0

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University baseball team was mercy ruled in its yearly home matchup against Wake Forest 10-0. The Demon Deacons, who are ranked 16th in the country, notched 13 hits, while preventing Elon’s starting lineup from gaining any momentum. Its win comes after two consecutive seasons in which Elon pulled off upset wins at Latham Park. The loss gives Elon a 9-15 record. It will open a three game series against Delaware at 6 p.m. March 28 at Latham Park.

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SPORTS 3/25/25 6:19pm

6 Elon University men’s basketball stars enter the transfer portal

By Miles Hayford

Elon men’s basketball’s star duo, junior TK Simpkins and sophomore TJ Simpkins, have officially entered the transfer portal, and sophomore Nick Dorn is reportedly entering the transfer portal, he told the recruiting database On3. Both redshirt sophomore Andrew King and junior Deandre Smart announced on social media on March 25 that they have also entered the transfer portal. Entering the portal does not guarantee that they will leave Elon, but it would grant a release so that other schools are allowed to contact them about playing for other teams next season. 

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NEWS 3/25/25 3:25pm

Elon Poll finds North Carolinians are opposed to major federal agency cuts

By Nia Bedard

With the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency and cuts made to 14 federal agencies throughout President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, most North Carolinians do not favor the cutbacks and elimination of federal agencies, according to a recent Elon Poll. This poll, released March 25, found that a plurality of North Carolinians said they favor minor reductions or no change to the 14 agencies experiencing cuts. Out of the 800 North Carolina adults polled, 33% believe there should be an increase in funding for the Department of Education. 

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NEWS 3/25/25 11:08am

Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education passes 2025-26 budget

By Avery Sloan

After nine community members spoke during the budget hearing meeting, the Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education unanimously passed the 2025-26 budget asking for a $5.7 million expansion from this year’s budget — totaling to $59,047,151. The budget will now have to pass through the Alamance County Commissioners. Before the budget hearing began close to 15 community members, mainly a part of the Alamance-Burlington Association of Educators, gathered in the parking lot sharing their own experiences of what brought them to speak out at the meeting.

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NEWS 3/25/25 10:16am

Elon University Student Government Association breaks down budget

By Fiona McAllister

Elon University’s Student Government Association receives an annual budget of $436,000 to fund the over 150 campus organizations eligible for funding, according to Elon senior and Vice President of Finance Clare Ruldolph. The budget for SGA is part of Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley’s budget, made up from student activity fees — which are $292 per person per year. But the $436,000 does not include the additional budget SGA receives that is used up to its discretion. For the over 150 approved campus organizations available to request funding, the 2022-23 academic year had only 557 budget requests approved.

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NEWS 3/24/25 10:32pm

Elon Town Council approves conditional rezoning request for new development

By Ruby Burckle

The Elon Town Council held a meeting March 24 to decide whether to approve or deny a conditional rezoning request presented during a previous meeting, hear public complaints about excessive speeding, and discuss borrowing scenarios for recreational projects. During its meeting on March 11, the council discussed a proposal for a new mixed-use development called “Parc Village” located behind the Schar Center with plans to make a decision on the topic at this meeting. Before making a decision about the development, the council discussed concerns over changing the lengths of driveways to be 18 feet instead of 19 feet.

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NEWS 3/24/25 3:08pm

Search for new Elon Dean of Students made confidential

By Charlotte Pfabe

As the search ramps up to fill Elon University’s new dean of students position, the search team moved to make the process a more private matter, requiring faculty, staff and students who attend the presentations for finalists to agree to confidentiality. In an email sent to faculty and staff the morning of March 20, members of the Elon community were invited to attend the presentations of finalists for the new position, but are prohibited from sharing candidate information, including names, information and any other materials “outside of Elon’s community,” according to the survey form.

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LIFESTYLE 3/24/25 8:41am

3 Burlingtons compete in ‘Battle of the Burlingtons’

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Burlington, North Carolina; Burlington, Massachusetts; and Burlington, Wisconsin; are facing off in an epic battle — of reading. With 27 Burlingtons across the United States, these three are logging readers’ minutes to claim the title of the most book-loving Burlington in the country. Participants from each town are tracking their reading and submitting their minutes, contributing to their hometown’s total. There are over 57,000 library card holders in Alamance County, and as of Thursday, March 20, Burlington, North Carolina, has the most logged reading minutes with 147,314 minutes but is ranked third overall. 

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SPORTS 3/23/25 3:46pm

Mitrovich’s mindset, execution and excellence

By Lilly Molina

When junior Justin Mitrovich stands firm on the mound one word is going through his head: execution. He scans the field and remembers his set plan for every single person on his opponents team. Mitrovich researched and studied the team a few days before and now watches as the team’s next hitter took their place at the home base. All he can do now is hope he can execute and perform his job as the Friday night starting pitcher for Elon’s baseball team.

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SPORTS 3/23/25 9:42am

Women’s tennis senior embraces journey as a social media influencer

By Benjamin Berfield

Senior Miray Konar can be seen doing two of her favorite interests on the tennis court since coming from Izmir, Turkey. During games, she is contributing to the Elon University women’s tennis team’s 8-3 record. When the tennis team isn’t playing, she is attracting a huge following online as a social media influencer. Konar regularly posts content of her daily life on her Instagram and TikTok accounts which have generated over 320,000 combined followers. Her reels on Instagram regularly get hundreds of thousands of views, sometimes millions.

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SPORTS 3/22/25 11:05am

Icelandic golfer tees off final season

By Monika Jurevicius

Elon women’s golfer senior Andrea Asmundsdottir is one of six international students on her team, but the only one who has played Iceland’s midnight golf. From the hometown of the “world’s most northerly 18- hole golf course,” the Icelander has teed off her final collegiate season. Golfing didn’t start as a personal interest for Asmundsdottir. Her grandfather started playing golf and brought her grandmother onto the range as his team member for partner golf. At the age of 6, Asmundsdottir began playing with her family, transitioning to competitive tournaments at 12 years old.

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SPORTS 3/21/25 3:13pm

Art of the draw: Elon Lacrosse draw specialist poised for sophomore leap

By Miles Hayford

Elon Women's Lacrosse draw specialist MJ Santa Barbara is coming off a spectacular freshman campaign where she was one of the best draw specialists in the country. She was named the Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Year after breaking school and conference records with 151 draw controls on the season. She also broke Elon’s single-game draw control record with 15. She was ranked seventh in the country with 8.88 draw controls per game — which was the highest average for a freshman in the country. She was recently named an honorable mention preseason All-American.

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SPORTS 3/20/25 10:55am

Softball team aims to bounce back after rocky start to the season

By Benjamin Berfield

With the season underway for the Elon University softball team, the Phoenix has undergone a tough schedule against nonconference teams after starting the season with two non-conference tournaments at Hunt Softball Park. They have a 7-10 record, as of March 3, but head coach Kathy Bocock believes there is still room for growth. Bocock said hitting is one particular area where Elon needs to grow going forward. Elon’s 12 home runs ranks second in the Coastal Athletic Association; it has had a boom or bust style as the team is sixth in RBIs and second in strikeouts. 

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NEWS 3/19/25 3:53pm

Elon Poll finds North Carolinians will unite amid March Madness

By Nia Bedard

New Elon Poll finds that despite in-state rivalries in the Atlantic Coast Conference, North Carolinians will tend to be loyal to their home state regardless of the eliminations during the NCAA March Madness tournament. The poll was conducted March 3 to 11 and included a data set of 800 North Carolina adults. The poll found that when their favorite North Carolina team is eliminated, North Carolinians are 7 to 1 in cheering for in-state teams who are still in the tournament. In addition, 36% of North Carolinians will root for their in-state rival if their favorite team is eliminated. 

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LIFESTYLE 3/19/25 2:12am

Limitless trailblazes hip-hop out of scarcity

By Alex Nettles

Limitless started at Elon University because of a drought of hip-hop and R&B on campus, now it has blossomed into a scene running alongside an institution where 78% of Elon Undergraduates are white. Nailah Ware and Chris Murphy brought culture and creativity to Elon despite barriers of doubt. Limitless is Elon University’s student rap and R&B organization. It took two years for Limitless to grow from a handful of beatmakers, rappers and stage technicians to a community of 40 members. After its genesis in a predominantly white institution, Limitless seeks to expand to other North Carolina colleges. 

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SPORTS 3/18/25 2:41pm

Men’s tennis hopes to serve up a strong season

By Kathan Gandhi

Following Elon Men’s Tennis former head coach Michael Leonard's two-decade coaching legacy, the new men’s tennis coach Maciek Sykut has big shoes to fill. Sykut adds a plethora of experience to the Phoenix team. The former pro played for three years on the Association of Professional Tennis tour, reaching a career high doubles ranking of 145. After leaving the pro-circuit, Sykut became an assistant for the North Carolina State University and University of Arizona tennis team. In 2020, he joined the staff at Duke University, where the team competed in the NCAA tournament four times during his tenure at Duke.

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