Crime Report

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NEWS 8/29/25 12:42pm

Elon University prepares for demographic cliff

By Charlotte Pfabe

Colleges and universities across the country are bracing for the impact of a ripple effect 18 years in the making — the demographic cliff. Triggered at the start of the Great Recession in 2007, the economic downturn Americans experienced caused a drop in birth rates, which never recovered. With fewer babies born after 2007, there are now less 18 year olds going to college. According to a 2024 report from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, the number of 18-year-old high school graduates will peak somewhere between 3.8 and 3.9 million in 2025 and will be followed by a 15-year decline.

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NEWS 8/29/25 12:42pm

La universidad de Elon se prepara para una caida demografica

By Charlotte Pfabe

Universidades en todo el pais se estan preparando para el impacto de un efecto en cadena de 18 años en marcha: El precipicio demográfico. Iniciado al comienzo de la Gran Recesión en 2007, la recesión económica que experimentaron los estadounidenses provocó una disminución en las tasas de natalidad, que nunca se recuperaron. Ahora la educación superior está sintiendo el impacto. Con menos bebés nacidos después de 2007, hay menos adolescentes de 18 años que ingresan a la universidad.

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SPORTS 8/29/25 1:05am

Elon football falls to Duke in season opener, gives up 35 points in second half

By Benjamin Berfield

Elon University’s football team was defeated by Duke University 45-17 in its first game of the season. Despite the loss, head coach Tony Trisciani said he was encouraged by the team’s performance.“When we play hard one snap at a time, and just trust each other, then we can be very successful,” Trisciani said. “We can win a lot of football games.” Next for the Phoenix, they will face off against Davidson College at 6 p.m. on Sept. 7 at Rhodes Stadium.

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NEWS 8/28/25 10:33am

Elon University campus parking expansions set to ‘build capacity’ for campus lots

By Charlotte Pfabe

This year, freshmen are only allowed to park in designated lots marked with an “FY” sign matching their parking permits. Currently, freshman are temporarily parking in additional designated spaces as construction continues for the upcoming freshman lot. Campus Safety and Police announced another delay in opening the freshmen parking lot earlier this month. The lot, located near the Francis Center, was supposed to open at the start of the 2025-26 academic year. Campus Safety and Police Chief Joe LeMire said construction couldn’t be started until they completed a traffic study and addressed some environmental concerns, including taking into account a nearby stream.

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NEWS 8/27/25 3:41pm

Legislatura de Carolina del Norte anula ocho vetos, aún no aprueba presupuesto estatal

By Miles Hayford

En los últimos meses, legisladores de Carolina del Norte aprobaron casi 70 proyectos de ley y le anularon ocho vetos al gobernador Josh Stein, pero todavía no han aprobado un nuevo presupuesto estatal. El nuevo año fiscal comenzó el 1 de julio y sin un presupuesto nuevo, los gastos se han mantenido en los niveles actuales. Tras un receso en verano, los legisladores se reunieron nuevamente el 26 de agosto, lo que inició el proceso de continuar las discusiones sobre el nuevo presupuesto. 

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NEWS 8/27/25 3:41pm

North Carolina legislature overrides 8 vetoes, yet to pass state budget

By Miles Hayford

Throughout the summer and the last several months, North Carolina legislators have enacted almost 70 bills, but have yet to pass a state budget despite the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. The House and the Senate have struggled to agree on a version of the two-year, $66 billion budget. The House’s version of the budget has higher raises for state employees and wants to slow future tax cuts. North Carolina is one of three states that have yet to enact a new budget for this fiscal year. 

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NEWS 8/27/25 11:44am

El Ayuntamiento de Elon analiza la revisión de riesgos del departamento de policía y actualiza a la comunidad sobre los proyectos.

By Miles Hayford

Durante su reunión del 25 de agosto, el Concejo Municipal de Elon discutió una evaluación de revisión de riesgos completada con éxito realizada por la Liga de Municipios de Carolina del Norte, que incluyó una revisión del departamento para asegurarse de que cumpliera con los estándares de la industria. El consultor indicó que aproximadamente 200 agencias del orden público en todo el estado se comprometieron a realizar esta evaluación de riesgos, pero Elon fue una de las nueve que si la realizaron.

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LIFESTYLE 8/27/25 9:50am

Una nueva tienda abre sus puertas en el centro de Elon

By Fiona McAllister

Una nueva tienda de ropa ha abierto sus puertas en el centro de Elon. Se espera que la tienda, llamada Brown, esté completamente operativa en las próximas dos semanas, según el propietario, Justin Duszlak. Brown se encuentra en East Lebanon Avenue, en el local que anteriormente ocupaba la boutique Simply Oak antes de su cierre el 31 de marzo. Duszlak comentó que las renovaciones comenzaron el 4 de julio y finalizaron en aproximadamente un mes. Duszlak indicó que su objetivo era tener la tienda funcionando en septiembre para el nuevo año escolar.

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LIFESTYLE 8/27/25 9:40am

New shop opens its doors in downtown Elon

By Fiona McAllister

A new clothing store has set up shop in downtown Elon. The store, named Brown, is expected to be fully operational in the next two weeks, according to store owner Justin Duszlak. Brown is located on West Lebanon Avenue, in the store previously used by the boutique Simply Oak before its closing March 31. Duszlak said renovations started July 4 and finished updating the storefront in around a month. Duszlak said her goal was to have her store up and running by September for the new school year. Brown opened earlier than expected on Aug. 22 for Elon’s new student move-in day.

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NEWS 8/26/25 6:11pm

Elon University student activity fees fund various organizations, campus events and traditions

By Trista Panagakos

As students prepare for the 2025-26 academic year, they might notice a $146 fee for student activities as part of their fall tuition bill. This fee is charged every semester to full time students, providing funding for different events, traditions and organizations on campus. Part time students are charged $73 each semester. The Student Government Association receives a large portion of the fee — $440,000 annually. They allocate this money to various organizations and activities through funding requests.

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NEWS 8/26/25 1:05pm

Website traffic on first day of classes causes Moodle issues

By Fiona McAllister

An email sent to all Elon University students, faculty and staff from the technology update team stated that Moodle is experiencing “significant slowness and temporary outages” due to the high traffic on the first day of classes. The technology service team said the vendor for Moodle is looking into this issue and is performing emergency maintenance to resolve the issue. The technology service team suggests that if you need to share time-sensitive files, use Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams and print hard copies of materials.

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LIFESTYLE 8/26/25 11:34am

‘First Gen’ memoir inspires Elon University class of 2029 to share first-generation college stories

By Liya Rike

Every year, Elon University picks one book to help incoming students start important conversations. This year’s pick is “First Gen: a memoir” by Alejandra Campoverdi. The book, chosen as part of Elon’s Common Reading Program, dives into Campoverdi’s experience as a first-generation college student. She writes about identity, family expectations and the pressure of being the “first and only” in spaces that weren’t made for her. Associate Director of First-Year Initiatives Paula Patch is the chair of the Common Reading Committee, and said she believes the book is helping freshman students think differently about what it means to start something new.

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LIFESTYLE 8/26/25 6:53am

Elon University Living-Learning Communities host kickoff event

By Trista Panagakos

One of the last events of orientation weekend for members of Elon’s Living-Learning Communities is the LLC Kickoff, hosted in McKinnon Hall. There, all 27 of Elon’s LLCs gathered to engage with each other, play trivia, learn about upcoming events and engage in breakout groups. “I think definitely the community at Elon played a huge part in me coming here,” Emma Luckman, a member of the Communications LLC, said. “I think that the learning living community was kind of an addition to that, in knowing that I was obviously going to have a community and a strong family.”

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NEWS 8/25/25 8:00pm

Elon Town Council discusses police department risk review, updates community on projects

By Miles Hayford

The Elon Town Council discussed a police department risk assessment, awarded promotions to two police officers and gave updates on town projects. The council discussed the North Carolina League of Municipalities’s risk review assessment of the police department. According to a risk management consultant, Chet Effler, from the league, the assessment included a review of the department to make sure they adhered to industry standards and practices. Effler said roughly 200 law enforcement agencies across the state pledged to do this risk assessment, but Elon was one of only nine who ended up doing it.

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NEWS 8/25/25 7:11pm

Elon University Registrar extends Winter Term class times by 15 minutes, morning classes will start earlier

By Nia Bedard

Elon University’s Office of the Registrar is making changes to the Winter Term schedule for the 2025-26 academic year. According to an email sent by the Registrar to some faculty members, Winter Term classes will now be extended by 15 minutes. In addition to the extension, morning classes will have an earlier start time at 8:30 a.m. Morning classes in Winter Term previously started at 9 a.m. During Winter Term, which occurs in January, students can stay on campus and take a class Monday through Friday for the entirety of the term. 

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NEWS 8/25/25 5:02pm

El sistema escolar de Alamance-Burlington se prepara para el año escolar 2025-26

By Anjolina Fantaroni

El 25 de agosto, el Sistema Escolar de Alamance-Burlington dio la bienvenida a los estudiantes para su primer día de clases. Este año, ABSS implementó dos cambios: uno para cumplir con la nueva legislación estatal y el otro para modificar el sistema de información estudiantil que utilizan las escuelas. El primer cambio proviene del Senado de Carolina del Norte, que busca restringir el uso de teléfonos celulares en los cuartos de clase de Carolina del Norte, conocido como el Proyecto de Ley de Educación sin Celulares. El Departamento de Instrucción Pública de Carolina del Norte también votó a favor de migrar todas las escuelas de Carolina del Norte a Infinite Campus tras una filtración de datos previa en su sistema de información anterior, PowerSchool.

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NEWS 8/25/25 4:42pm

Alamance-Burlington School System starts 2025-26 school year

By Anjolina Fantaroni

On Aug. 25, the Alamance-Burlington School System welcomed students back for the first day of school. This year, ABSS implemented two changes, one to comply with new state-level legislation and the other to change the student information system the schools use. The first change comes from the North Carolina Senate, which aims to restrict cellphone use in North Carolina classrooms, known as the Cell Phone-Free Education Bill. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction also voted to move all North Carolina schools to Infinite Campus following a previous data breach, in their previous information system, PowerSchool.

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SPORTS 8/24/25 5:57pm

Freshman football players embrace life at Elon University

By Benjamin Berfield

As the Elon University football team prepares for its season opener against Duke on Aug. 28, freshman athletes are starting to navigate life on the team as well as the campus. Defensive back Tyler Hart and offensive lineman Sean Tanner arrived at training camp with different expectations, but they are each beginning to get a sense of not only being on the team, but students at Elon. “When I came here in January, I knew it was gonna be high intensity,” Hart said. “I used spring ball to help me get used to it.” 

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NEWS 8/24/25 12:34pm

North Carolina politicians begin vying for open Senate seat

By Miles Hayford

After longtime North Carolinian politician Thom Tillis announced that he would be retiring and not seek reelection to a third term as U.S. Senator on June 29, the race for the open seat has attracted significant interest from both parties. The 2026 midterm race is headlined by former Democratic governor Roy Cooper and chair of the Republican National Committee Michael Whatley. Tillis’ retirement came after President Trump publicly criticized him for voting against the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” earlier in the summer.

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LIFESTYLE 8/23/25 7:07pm

Town of Elon Mayor says students make the town different each year

By Alex Nettles

As summer comes to a close in the Town of Elon, migratory freshmen burst into town with new rooms and new questions. Town of Elon Mayor Emily Sharpe witnessed the seasonal turning of the student population since 2021. She said she has hopes for the new Elon students to plant roots here. “I think it is easy to come here and think, ‘Oh, it’s just little Elon.’ But if you don’t care about this you won’t make this your home. You won’t see all of the opportunity that is here,” Sharpe said. 

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