Columns

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LIFESTYLE 9/11/24 1:37pm

Elon University’s bingo tradition brings students together

By Sarah T. Moore

When Bunny Ingram first became an Elon student, they knew they were going to play bingo. They had initially heard about the monthly games from their older sister, who had also attended Elon. Since freshman orientation, the now-junior has only missed games for three reasons: attending a funeral, having COVID-19 and studying abroad. On Sept. 5, Ingram was one of 333 players at the first bingo night of the 2024-25 academic year. Swarms of students filed into McKinnon Hall after swiping their Phoenix Cards to receive bingo boards.

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NEWS 9/11/24 12:39am

Elon Votes hosts presidential debate watch party

By Nia Bedard

Fifty-six days away from the election, Elon Votes hosted a watch party for the first 2024 presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in Moseley Student Center on Sept. 10 to get students engaged in the general election. This is now the 10th year that Elon Votes has hosted watch parties for Elon students, Lindsay Bialecki, Elon Votes student coordinator, said. Bialecki said Elon Votes was excited by the student turn-out for the event; around 100 students were at the event — with both the student center and the Oak Room filled with people.

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NEWS 9/10/24 9:57pm

Elon Town Hall tackles community growth, unity

By Cassie Weymouth

The town of Elon held a town council meeting on Sept. 10 to address community events and ongoing initiatives. Key highlights include the approval of a five-year agreement which outlines staffing support and possible funding for downtown development, upcoming community events, progress on designing and building a local skatepark and hiring for an administrative position within the Elon Police Department. A resolution was also approved to investigate an annexation petition, which is a petition to add an unincorporated piece of land to the town. This step is crucial for obtaining any approval on upcoming construction projects.

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SPORTS 9/10/24 9:09pm

Elon University volleyball pulls out four-set win

By Miles Hayford

Elon volleyball defeated Norfolk State University in a difficult, four-set affair on Sept. 10 at Schar Center. The Spartans got off to a hot start, jumping to a quick 7-3 lead thanks to a flurry of kills to begin the match. A lengthy point at 8-6 got Elon’s motivation back up, and after a strong serve by senior Sydney Love, the Phoenix tied it up. After Elon tied it up, the two teams traded points in a back-and-forth volley. Despite Elon’s comeback to tie it up, Norfolk State didn’t relent their attack, notching 11 kills to Elon’s three halfway through the first set.

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NEWS 9/10/24 3:51pm

Class of 2028 candidates campaign for SGA elections

By Alexa Citrin

Three weeks into their first year on campus, 24 freshmen have decided to run for Student Government. Voting opens on Sept. 17, and students will have the opportunity to vote for their president, treasurer and six senators. Elon News Network spoke to each candidate and asked what their motivations were for running. Official campaigning will take place for the rest of the week.

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NEWS 9/9/24 10:26pm

Elon Athletics investigates football player for alleged offensive remarks

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Elon University Athletics is investigating a football player after accusations that he yelled racial slurs and curses at a North Carolina Central student during an away game Sept. 7. NC Central freshman Samihya Love, who is Black, said she was watching from the stands when a white Elon player repeatedly shouted at her from the sidelines. Associate Athletics Director of Strategic Communications Jason Knavel wrote in an email to Elon News Network that Elon Athletics is aware of the accusation and is looking into it.

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LIFESTYLE 9/9/24 8:47pm

Artist showcases consumption habits through art

By Abigail Hobbs and Megan Walsh

David Hamlow has been collecting his own trash for almost 40 years, taking up space in his attic, basement and storage locker. He uses the trash — typically clear plastics, paper cardboard and thicker cardboard — to create art installations. Hamlow said he considers these pieces self portraits because most of it is his personal trash. Hamlow created an art installation for Elon’s Arts West Gallery 406 and hosted an artist talk Sept. 9. The exhibit will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday until Sept. 27.

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LIFESTYLE 9/9/24 11:53am

Nonprofit hosts book sales to fund library programming in Alamance County

By Sarah T. Moore

After moving to Alamance county from Long Island 30 years ago, Debbie Gunyan was quick to notice the differences between the public libraries. Long Island has over 200 public libraries across the Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk county systems. Alamance County has four public libraries — one in Graham, one in Mebane and two in Burlington. Friends of the Libraries next book sale will run from Sept. 6 to 15 at the May Memorial Library in Burlington. Friends of the Alamance County Public Libraries is a nonprofit that funds the library system’s programming.

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LIFESTYLE 9/9/24 10:17am

Squirrels to songbirds: Elon professor shares tips to observe wildlife

By Sarah T. Moore

While they are frequently seen across Elon, squirrels aren’t the only critters on campus. For those interested in learning more about local wildlife, biology professor Dave Gammon said getting familiar with songs and calls is a good way to identify the animals on campus, especially the birds. American robins, eastern bluebirds, cardinals, northern mockingbirds, Canada geese, mallard ducks, tufted titmice and crows are some of the birds Gammon said he commonly spots. Beyond bird calls, Gammon said once people know the sounds and stop to listen, they’ll often hear cicadas and “Katydids galore.”

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NEWS 9/8/24 2:47pm

ABSS hires new chief finance officer amid financial crisis

By Monika Jurevicius

The Alamance-Burlington School System hired Tony Messer as its new chief finance officer immediately following a financial crisis that came to the forefront in summer 2023 and continues to impact the school system. Messer was previously the CFO for Chatham County Board of Education before joining ABSS. ABSS also recently announced that it is in a $2.4 million deficit for the 2024-25 school year — as it overspent its budget for last year, according to a report released July 22. Former ABSS CFO Kim McVey left her position Feb. 19 after investigations began for the financial crisis. 

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NEWS 9/7/24 7:04pm

Elon Volunteers partners with Rise Against Hunger

By Abby Gravely

Over 23,000 meals were shipped from Alumni Gym to South Africa on Sept. 7, according to campus kitchen student director junior Lillian Argabrite. The meal packing marked this year’s edition of a tradition started in 2008 — Elon University’s partnership with Rise Against Hunger. The event was sponsored by Elon Volunteers! and featured two shifts of meal packing. Over 190 students and community members helped pack the meals, including teams from Elon Athletics.

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NEWS 9/7/24 6:20pm

Photo gallery: scenes from the weekend at Elon

By Elon News Network

The Elon Community came together in multiple ways on Friday, with the Town of Elon hosting its 2024 Social District Block Party. On Sept. 6, members of the university and town came together from 6 to 9 p.m. for live music, food and vendors, an inflatable obstacle course, face painting and more. Later that evening, the Student Union Board hosted its annual carnival, where students enjoyed similar festivities of games, food and more.

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NEWS 9/5/24 10:47pm

Elon community voices concerns amid election season

By Monika Jurevicius

At the student issues forum hosted by the Student Government Association and Elon News Network on Sept. 5, students and faculty discussed concerns they had about the election and what was at stake for them personally. Political science professors moderated and provided further commentary on responses about media, immigration and DEI initiatives. The forum was described as a way to engage in topics focusing more on issues and less on candidates. Political science professors Julianne Liebenguth and Matthew Young moderated the session, beginning with questions about the emotions felt during this presidential election.

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SPORTS 9/5/24 4:48pm

2024 Fall Sports Preview

By Benjamin Berfield and Miles Hayford

Elon University's football team seeks to claim a conference title alongside starting quarterback Matthew Downing — who just started his seventh year in collegiate football. Men's soccer also has its sights set on conference, while women's soccer welcomes back graduate student defender Katie Lowe for her fifth year. The volleyball team prepares to make the 2024 season better than last year's, while the cross country team adapts to a new head coach. And after a first place finish at nationals in 2022, followed by two, consecutive second place wins in 2023 and 2024, the dance team seeks to continue its momentum. Check out Elon News Network's fall 2024 sports preview for more insight.

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NEWS 9/5/24 9:14am

Oak House celebrates 10 year anniversary

By Fiona McAllister

The Oak House, a popular Elon coffee house and bar, is celebrating one decade of being in business. Ten years ago on Sept. 5, owner Phil Smith opened its doors to the public. He said time has flown by faster than he could have imagined. This celebration is set to have specials all day, including birthday cake and some “trinkets” to give away, Smith said — along with “Cheers to 10 years” pint glasses and coasters. “The goal would be to keep going until it's ready for somebody else to take over. But it's been a great 10 years and I could see another 10.”

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NEWS 9/4/24 1:24pm

HealthEU introduces specialized rooms for students to de-stress

By Reagan Sizemore

Elon’s HealthEU program has opened two new spaces on campus for students to take a break from their daily stress: The Serenity Suite in Ellington Center and the Mind Body Connection room in Koury Center. Anita Hodnett, Elon director of counseling services, said the new spaces have been built to encourage students to practice mindfulness. The spaces feature a number of tools designed to help students de-stress and provide an environment to learn new self care techniques. The rooms come from funding provided by an endowment from Andrew G. Bennett ’08, which previously funded “Safe Rides,” a service that was suspended in 2019.

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LIFESTYLE 9/3/24 4:12pm

Sophomore brings Music For Dementia to Elon

By Abigail Hobbs

Her hands were the only thing in frame, dancing across the keys as she played a complex, classical piece on the piano. She hadn’t played in 20 years, and though there was no songbook on the music stand, she remembered the piece clearly. Sophomore Aidan Fishkind received a video of their 90-year-old aunt with dementia playing the piano from her live-in caretaker. Fishkind, who was involved in Music For Dementia in their high school, brought the organization to Elon — officially creating its first out-of-state chapter in spring 2024.

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NEWS 9/3/24 11:18am

Classroom to polls: Elon offers election events across campus

By Alexa Citrin

As the November election approaches, student organization Elon Votes and professors are leading seminars, organizing voter registration drives and other educational events. Dillan Bono-Lunn, professor of political science and faculty fellow of civic engagement, said creating an environment of mutual trust and respect is vital for faculty when teaching during election season. Bono-Lunn also said she believes faculty including election content in class can be important for student success, and hosted an event Aug. 19 for faculty about how to include election content in upcoming classes properly.

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NEWS 9/2/24 11:03pm

Jewish community mourns loss of hostages in Gaza

By Nia Bedard

Elon’s Jewish community gathered at Speaker’s Corner to mourn the lives of six hostages whose bodies were found in an underground tunnel in Gaza. The six victims were among the 200 people taken by militants into Gaza on Oct. 7. Elon Chabad’s Rabbi Mendy Minkowitz said he is heartbroken over the loss of these lives and the events that have occurred in the last 11 months. Junior Sam Khavinson, Chabad’s co-president, said he wanted Jewish students to have a moment where they could grieve together.

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NEWS 9/2/24 10:54am

First-Generation student initiatives empower students at Elon

By Sarah T. Moore

The First-Generation Society was established in 2021 as a student-driven organization to support, build community with and advocate for first-generation students on campus. Starting this semester, the First-Generation Society will have an office on the first floor of the Moseley student center in room 105E. Senior Ja’Mya McKoy is the organization’s president, but said she didn’t always understand the way her first-generation identity impacted her college experience. As a first-generation mentor, McKoy said she noticed first-generation students at other colleges don’t always have the community and advocacy resources that Elon does.

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