Columns

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NEWS 3/12/24 11:05am

East Haggard, North Oak Avenue closed due to gas leak

By Ryan Kupperman

East Haggard was briefly closed from North Oak Avenue to Lawrence Street due to a gas leak, according to an E-Alert. This is the third gas leak near or on Elon University’s campus in three months. According to Dante Howell, construction personnel on scene, one of the construction workers hit an active, main gas line on Haggard Avenue. Following protocol, they called the fire department and closed off the area. As of 11:30 a.m. Howell said the road had been reopened for about an hour — though Howell is managing the flow of one-lane traffic just past Sheridan Place.

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LIFESTYLE 3/12/24 9:06am

Elon women’s track, cross country proud to be female athletes

By Keely Garcia

Sophomore track and field sprinter Mya Joy Lee has run track and field since she was in fourth grade and said always knew she always knew that she wanted to be a college athlete. While she has faced some setbacks, including an injury her freshman year, she is grateful to have had the support of her teammates along the way. Elon’s award-winning track and field team is made up of 59 female athletes, while the cross country team — that holds two conference titles — has 28 female members.

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NEWS 3/12/24 12:15am

Elon University Liberal Arts Forum hosts Olympic athlete, filmmaker, writer

By Nia Bedard

Elon University hosted a liberal arts forum March 11 where Olympic athlete, filmmaker and writer Alexi Pappas talked about her experiences as an Olympic athlete. According to Pappas, one of the first things she learned after her games is that a lot of Olympic athletes fall into depression after they finish competing. Pappas said she believes that this depression was an aftermath of her mindset at the time; she had reached her peak athletic ability by breaking a national record in the 10k for Greece and was questioned constantly about what would be next for her.

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NEWS 3/11/24 3:24pm

Elon senior delves into black holes: Journey of code, curiosity, cosmic phenomena

By Liya Rike

Elon University senior Jordan Wels is uncovering the mysteries of black holes, fueled by a Lumen Prize scholarship and guided by his mentor: Elon professor of astrophysics Chris Richardson. Wels' research explores the evolution of these celestial objects and their potential impact on the Milky Way galaxy and beyond. Wels said Elon has played a crucial role in supporting his research. Richardson said he and Wels found a new connection between how big a black hole can get and the kinds of elements found in the galaxy that the black hole is located.

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LIFESTYLE 3/11/24 10:37am

Women beyond borders: Students navigate experiences abroad

By Cassie Weymouth

Elon has been ranked first in undergraduate students who participate in study abroad for the 18th time. Many of these students are women with varying experiences, often dependent on the culture within the country of their choice. Allegra Laing, executive director of the Global Education Center, encourages all female-identifying students to study abroad. She advises them to engage with other female-identifying students from the country they are staying in to learn how to safely navigate that specific culture. Laing also takes into consideration that other identities, such as race, religion, socioeconomic status and sexual orientation, can also play into a student’s experience abroad.

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NEWS 3/10/24 1:56pm

Burlington Animal Services invites community to Hike with Hounds

By Naomi Washington

Hikes with Hounds started in spring 2015. The group meets every month at different park trails across Alamance County, which allows community members to not only meet one another, but also dogs from the shelter. The hikes happen with a group of no more than 12 volunteers and between two and five dogs. Beyond the hikes, the Dog Day Out Program is another chance for dogs to get outside for a few hours. Program Manager for Burlington Animal Services Sydney Herron said Elon University students are primarily the ones who participate.

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NEWS 3/10/24 1:52pm

Photo Gallery: Elon Day 2024

By Elon News Network

Elon University received more than $2.6 million in donations and roughly 6,126 gifts for the 11th annual Elon Day on March 7. Throughout the day, four new endowments were created and donors gave to approximately 224 different campus funds. These donations put the total amount of money given to Elon at just under $20 million over the last 11 years — all provided by alumni, parents and grandparents, faculty and staff, friends or students.

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LIFESTYLE 3/10/24 1:29pm

Elon University’s first fashion club promotes education, awareness, inclusivity

By Nia Bedard

Phoenix Fashion is Elon University’s first fashion club whose mission is to educate others about the fashion industry, promote sustainability, create clothing pieces and showcase garments. Sophomore Brooke Gustafson established Phoenix Fashion to create an organization that could educate others on fashion and sustainability, but still be a place where people can look and feel good regardless of their skill set, knowledge of fashion or gender. Though Gustafson is studying abroad and was unavailable for comment, Interim President of Phoenix Fashion Tia Wohl and the club’s artistic director, Elise Whitaker, said the club is still upholding Gustafson’s vision for the organization.

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NEWS 3/9/24 3:52pm

Elon’s International Women’s Day panelists encourage inclusion, support

By Charlotte Pfabe

Hosted by the Elon Gender and LGBTQIA Center, Elon students, faculty and Alamance County residents came together to celebrate International Women’s Day with a panel discussion focused on inclusion. The three panelists, Crystal Cavalier-Keck, Ashlie Thomas and Kristen Powers, discussed the importance of creating safe spaces for other people within their communities March 7 in the Lakeside Meeting Rooms. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day was “Inspiring Inclusion.” Elon University President Connie Book also attended the event and said it is important for women to be outspoken about their accomplishments.

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SPORTS 3/9/24 2:44pm

Elon University’s sport management LLC fosters lasting relationships

By Mollie Lund

When Senior Max Casey applied to live in Elon’s sport management living learning community during his freshman year, he thought it would be a good way to meet like-minded individuals. He didn’t think much of the decision, and he didn’t expect to forge relationships that would define the rest of his time at Elon. Max lived in the LLC in 2020 when pandemic restrictions prevented his hall from participating in many of the LLC’s activities and opportunities. Despite this, Casey said he was grateful for the connections he was able to make through the LLC.

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LIFESTYLE 3/9/24 1:10pm

Elon Performing Arts explores complexities of identity

By Ruth Cruz

Elon Performing Arts students explored the beauty of the spring season with their Spring Dance Concert in McCrary Theatre on March 8. The performance focused on family and diversity within the constructs of society. The concert also allowed students to create a unique style and explore their passion for dance. Senior Isabella Sessa said she began her dancing career at a young age when her mother signed her up for dance classes. Sessa said she fell in love with the beauty and creativity that exemplifies the art of dance.

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LIFESTYLE 3/9/24 11:02am

Vital Signs a cappella concert raises over $10,000 for Make-A-Wish

By Abby Gravely

Elon’s Vital Signs a cappella group hosted its 11th annual Make-A-Wish benefit concert and raised over $10,000 for local kids. The concert welcomed over 300 audience members, and was founded by Vital Signs alum Nick Cook ’15 to honor his sister Bella. Bella is a Leukemia survivor who was granted a wish by the foundation. All proceeds from this event went directly to the Make-A-Wish foundation of Central and Western North Carolina, which was able to grant a record-breaking 430 wishes in 2023.

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NEWS 3/8/24 3:43pm

Former NC Supreme Court chief justice earns first Justice Sandra Day O’Connor professorship at Elon Law

By Aidan Powley

The Hon. Cheri Beasley has joined the Elon University School of Law faculty as the university’s first recipient of the Justice Sandra Day O’Connor endowed professorship. Beasley, who in 2019 became the first African-American woman to serve as chief justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court, will teach courses on appellate practice at Elon Law for one year beginning in fall 2024. The Justice Sandra Day O’Connor professorship was established to bring distinguished legal figures to Elon University, whose contributions to society reflect the values of the first woman who served on the Supreme Court of the United States. 

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NEWS 3/8/24 11:39am

Rocket Phoenix provides rocketry education for students

By Ruth Cruz

When Freshman Murilo Ferreira Lopes founded Rocket Phoenix in February, his goal was to educate students about rocket building. Lopes said rocketry has always been one of his interests at Elon. He sought a place to explore his fascination with rockets. Lopes is the president of Rocket Phoenix — an organization that allows students to build, design and launch rockets. He said that he collaborated with his physics professor to jumpstart the program. The organization plans to launch its rockets March 21. To contact members of Rocket Phoenix, visit their page on PhoenixConnect.

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NEWS 3/8/24 9:54am

Elon becomes largest university contributor to Daffodil Project in US

By Lilly Molina

The Daffodil project is an initiative from Am Yisrael Chai, a nonprofit Holocaust and genocide education and awareness organization. With over 900,000 planted, its mission is to plant 1.5 million daffodils across the globe to honor the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust, according to the founder of the Daffodil Project Andrea Videlefsy. The project began in 2010, but the conception of the idea formed in 2008. Elon joined the project as a partner in 2013 and as of 2024 has planted approximately 30,000 bulbs across campus, making Elon its biggest contributor compared to any other university in the country.

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LIFESTYLE 3/7/24 3:05pm

Elon Watches: Dune Part 2: A Modern Day Epic

By Harrison Saini

The novel "Dune" was labeled as “unadaptable” by many, but in 2021, Denis Villeneuve tried and delivered an incredible science fiction film the likes of which I had not seen before. It was one of the best films of that year and swept at the 2022 academy awards. Villeneuve accomplished a miracle and I was unsure, if not doubtful, that he could recapture that magic for a sequel. As it turns out though, my reservations were completely unfounded as “Dune Part 2” is one the best science fiction films ever made.

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NEWS 3/7/24 11:09am

First-generation LLC hopes to give sense of belonging to Elon University students

By Lilly Molina

Sophomore Carlos Gomez Lopez could have decided to live off campus next year as many upperclassmen chose to do, but instead, he wanted to live in the First Generation Living Learning Community. Lopez moved into Colonnades his freshman year and noticed his peers knew a bit more of what college would be like because their parents had already been in their shoes. Lopez said he felt like he was going in blind because he couldn’t go to his parents for advice. Paula DiBiasio, professor of physical therapy education, will be one of the advisers for the LLC and said she had been working on this idea since 2022.

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NEWS 3/6/24 10:47am

Elon University sees record numbers for Scholarship weekend

By Mason Willett

Elon University hosted scholarship weekend, its largest admitted students event, March 2 and 3. Over 2,300 people total registered to attend the event, including more than 900 prospective students, according to Vice President for Enrollment Greg Zaiser. During the event, finalists for the eight fellows programs — honors, business, communications, Elon College, engineering, leadership, nursing and teaching — and for the honors and accelerated programs visited campus to interview with faculty and current students. Tours, open houses, information sessions and more were also held throughout Friday and Saturday.

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NEWS 3/5/24 11:14pm

Alamance County primary elections results

By Ryan Kupperman

As of 10:12 p.m. on March 5, 39 out of 39 precincts in Alamance County have reported their votes for North Carolina’s primary elections. The North Carolina State Board of Elections will officially call the results on March 15. The following are each of North Carolina’s candidates after primary elections closed March 5. Most notably, gubernatorial candidates North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will be facing off against each other in general elections in November with nearly opposite campaign platforms.

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NEWS 3/5/24 8:59pm

NC Democrats, Stein campaign prepare for election results in Raleigh

By Joseph Navin

With just under 2% of ballots cast in, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, the Associated Press called the Democratic Gubernatorial race in favor of North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein. The Republican governor race was also called in favor of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. The two will face off in the general election in November. With primary election polls having closed at 7:30 p.m., NC Democrats hosted a watch party at the Maywood Hall & Garden in Raleigh to welcome the Democratic gubernatorial nominee to the general elections ballot.

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