Features

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NEWS 5/11/25 10:08am

North Carolina LGBTQ+ communities cope with increase in federal anti-trans legislation

By Nia Bedard

Since the start of 2025, 869 bills regarding transgender people have been filed across 49 states and 37 bills are active at the national level, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization tracking bills that impact trans and gender-diverse people across the U.S. As the number of bills regarding transgender people increases, organizations across North Carolina, such as the LGBTQ Center of Durham, are ramping up efforts to help and educate. One of the resources that the center offers is a quarterly name change clinic to help attendants gather resources needed to undergo the process. 

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LIFESTYLE 5/10/25 11:08am

Elon University senior art thesis exhibition breaks norms, encourages critical thinking

By Karsyn Vann

Audiences will leave the Arts West Gallery 406 with a newfound sense of what is artistically possible in Elon University’s senior art thesis exhibition, entitled “Breaking the Frame.” The exhibition seeks to showcase the six senior artists pushing the boundaries of traditional art and how it is perceived by society, according to Elon professor of art Ryan Rasmussen. Rasmussen said the exhibition is the culmination of ART 4970 and ART 4971: Senior Seminar I and II, a two-part course spanning the whole year. The exhibition will be open until May 23.

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NEWS 5/10/25 8:41am

Elon community honors ‘silent teachers’ in annual anatomy program remembrance ceremony

By Anjolina Fantaroni

The Numen Lumen Sacred Space was filled with memories, stories and remembrance to honor the individuals who donated their bodies to science — referred to as “silent teachers” — as part of the undergraduate human anatomy program. The memorial service is a tradition held once a year, designed to reflect on the invaluable role body donors play in medical and anatomical education. Students and faculty gathered to express gratitude and reflect on the lessons learned from those who donated their bodies for anatomical study.

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NEWS 5/9/25 11:12pm

Elon University celebrates largest Lavender Graduation to date

By Megan Walsh

Elon University’s Gender and LGBTQIA Center hosted its 13th annual Lavender Graduation on May 9 in Alumni Gym, recognizing 87 students across the undergraduate and graduate programs. Lavender Graduation serves to recognize undergraduate and graduate seniors who have contributed to LGBTQ+ inclusion throughout their time at Elon. Director of the Gender and LGBTQIA Center Luis Garay said in an interview that the concept of a Lavender Graduation began in the 1990s, and Elon students brought the ceremony to campus in 2012. This year’s ceremony celebrated 87 graduates, the largest class to date. 

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NEWS 5/9/25 10:40pm

Federal judge rules in favor of Democrat Allison Riggs, orders certification of election for North Carolina Supreme Court

By Fiona McAllister

A federal judge ruled that Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs will remain in the final count for the undecided 2024 race for the North Carolina Supreme Court. Republican Jefferson Griffin conceded this race after the months-long legal battle. U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina Richard Myers emphasized in his ruling that removing votes six months after Election Day would infringe upon the due process and equal protection rights of affected residents. He ruled in favor of Riggs, asserting that recent state appeals court decisions to remove potentially thousands of ineligible voter ballots would violate the U.S. Constitution.

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NEWS 5/9/25 9:56pm

New pickleball complex opens at Burlington City Park

By Abby Gravely

The grand opening of Burlington City Park’s new 17-court pickleball complex featured a ribbon-cutting, beginner classes, raffles and more. With 17 courts, shaded areas and special events such as clinics and tournaments, residents are looking forward to the complex becoming a community hotspot. The day featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, beginner classes, raffles and more. The courts are open to all Burlington residents, though those who pay for memberships get special privileges such as court rentals, a ball machine and merchandise discounts. 

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SPORTS 5/9/25 9:09pm

Elon men’s basketball starting center transfers to Marshall

By Miles Hayford

Elon men’s basketball’s starting center Matthew Van Komen is transferring to Marshall University. He announced his decision on social media May 9. Van Komen, who stands at 7-foot-4, was dominant in the paint for an Elon team that heavily relied on his size. He led the team in rebounds per game with an average of 7.9 and an impressive 75 blocks. That block total ranked in the top 20 in the nation and he was top 10 in blocks per game. He also added an average of 6 points per game.

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NEWS 5/8/25 2:08pm

Alamance County approves warning label for books with sensitive content

By Miles Hayford

Some books in Alamance County libraries may be marked with a bright, yellow sticker in the near future as the Alamance County Commissioners approved a content warning labeling policy. These “parental guidance” stickers, which were approved April 21, will only apply to a book if a patron fills out a form, expressing their reasoning for why it isn’t fit for young readers. From there, a board of high-ranking library staff members will review the patron’s request based on criteria such as sexually explicit content, depictions of substance abuse, references to suicide, underage drinking, graphic violence and profanity. 

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NEWS 5/8/25 12:01pm

University to increase yearly contribution to Elon fire department

By Ruby Burckle

In the proposed town of Elon budget for the 2026 fiscal year, Elon University is reportedly increasing its contributions to the fire department from $86,598 to $423,524. As detailed in the proposed budget, Twin Lakes, a local retirement community, is also increasing its contributions to the fire department from $56,000 to $60,000. In order to help pay for the cost of the ladder truck, the fire department has also proposed an increase to the fire district tax rate from $0.0865 to $0.10.

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SPORTS 5/7/25 7:28pm

Elon University Athletics, town of Elon collaborate on sports-driven economic planning

By Monika Jurevicius

The town of Elon’s Downtown Development Director Jill Weston said one of the town’s missions is to produce more involvement with the students and Elon University — and is starting with Elon Athletics. As a town of under 12,000 residents, Weston knows there will be challenges as more people and traffic come into Elon as the school grows, but the town’s leadership is receptive to balancing what the town’s needs are for the future. Sport management professor Alex Traugutt, who researches college athletic finances, said the cross-collaboration between athletics and the town hasn't been ingrained in Elon yet. 

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NEWS 5/7/25 12:45pm

Cracking down on REAL IDs

By Fiona McAllister

As the May 7 deadline for U.S. residents to get a REAL ID arrives, the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles' appointments are filling up quickly. REAL ID is a federal law that sets minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards; the ID is indicated by a star on the corner of the driver’s license or identification card, and it allows citizens to travel and go to government buildings without having to carry a U.S. passport. A North Carolina REAL ID will have a star in the upper right corner of the driver's license. 

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SPORTS 5/7/25 9:13am

Elon softball enters CAA Championships as 2 seed

By Miles Hayford

Elon softball finished its regular season on May 3 with a series win over Campbell University, ending the regular season with a record of 29-18 and were 21-6 in conference play. Its strong conference play earned the team the No. 2 seed in the CAA Championships — the second time it earned that seeding. Elon’s seeding gives it a bye, allowing it to start play a day after the tournament starts with a May 8 matchup against the winner of No. 3 College of Charleston and No. 6 Hofstra. 

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LIFESTYLE 5/6/25 9:21pm

Elon students produce original play centering female friendship

By Sarah T. Moore

With purple posters around campus promoting senior Laney Lynch’s original play “Sororophobia,” cast member and sophomore Josie Milner said she’s seen people assume the play’s title refers to a fear of sororities. While the “soror” root — meaning “sister” in latin — is the same in both words, “sororophobia” refers to the way women often seek out and recoil from relationships with other women.There were three performances of “Sororophobia” across May 2 and 3 in Elon University’s Center for the Arts Black Box Theatre.

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LIFESTYLE 5/6/25 8:29pm

Elon University’s Black Student Union hosts annual Coolin' on the Commons

By Alannah Klingsporn

On Saturday, May 3, Elon University’s Black Student Union Board hosted its annual Coolin on the Common in the Academic Village in partnership with Elon’s National Pan-Hellenic Council and Student Government Association. This year included a step show, food trucks and a bounce house. Eight out of the nine Black greek letter organizations that are a part of Elon NPHC competed in the step show, including Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, Sigma Gamma Rho sorority and Zeta Phi Beta sorority. 

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LIFESTYLE 5/6/25 7:27pm

Student commencement speaker to share his Elon experience

By Megan Walsh

Craig Brandstetter, a member of the first official cohort of Elon University’s accelerated 3+1 business dual degree program, will share his perspective as undergraduate student commencement speaker for the 135th Commencement ceremonies on May 23. During his time at Elon, Brandstetter said he has been involved all over campus including being a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, a tour guide for the Love School of Business, a team lead for the Center for Organizational Analytics and a member of club spikeball. 

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NEWS 5/6/25 5:44pm

Elon University Student Government Association president signs petition opposing federal government overreach

By Charlotte Pfabe

Elon University Student Government Association executive president Anya Bratic signed onto a petition which opposes federal government overreach in U.S. higher educational institutions. The petition, “Sign On: National Letter from Elected Student Leaders Defending Higher Education,” was created by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Student Body president Adolfo Alvarez on April 22 and shared with student leaders across the country. According to The Daily Tarheel, Alvarez modeled the petition after a similar petition created by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Neither UNC Chapel Hill nor Elon University’s university leaders have signed AACU’s petition.

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SPORTS 5/6/25 2:31pm

Rocket League sparks connection at Elon

By Erin Martin

Founded in 2015, Elon’s esports scene has been growing steadily over the past few years, along with the rest of the world. This year marked a major step forward for Elon’s Rocket League program. The team competes under the Collegiate Carball Association and played in a Collegiate Conference Series tournament with other schools from the Coastal Athletic Association. The team also recently competed in the ZCL — a community based, independently managed tournament. There, Elon dominated the competition, sweeping through the bracket to take home the championship title.

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NEWS 5/5/25 2:56pm

Elon University SGA president works to create connections, plans for next year

By Trista Panagakos

Student Government Association’s Executive President and junior Anya Bratic said during her campaign that she wanted to be a connector for students on campus. After being elected, Bratic still believes her role as executive president is to be a liaison between students and the resources Elon University offers. Together with the senate, Bratic said she wants to better communicate with the student body on information they may not be aware of. After the election, some of the senate seats were left vacant, but Bratic has appointed 10 senators who have all been unanimously voted on by the senate.

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LIFESTYLE 5/5/25 9:52am

Togetherness in nature on display at Elon Strawberry Festival

By Katharyn MacDonald

Student-grown flowers, herbs and vegetables now occupy numerous dorm window sills and apartment living rooms after over 100 were adopted at the 16th Annual Strawberry Festival on May 2. The plants, which were grown by students through a hands-on, gardening-focused environmental studies course, have made a long journey since being first planted in January and February. For the first time, plants were able to be reserved online with a suggested donation amount. From atomic grape tomatoes to drama queen poppies, there were 63 plants to choose from, and many were sold out before the festival started.

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LIFESTYLE 5/4/25 4:13pm

‘Ryan’s Coffee’ builds career one cup at a time on TikTok

By Anjolina Fantaroni

A hazelnut iced latte with oat milk from The Oak House in downtown Elon has received a high rating from  TikTok coffee creator, Ryan Keane, known as “Ryan’s Coffee.” This coffee connoisseur is attempting to find the best coffee in North Carolina — and he’s made it pretty far. Keane, who lives in Charlotte, has traveled all over North Carolina and has reviewed over 50 coffee shops on his TikTok account, @ryaankeane. He said his idea began after filming himself trying a coffee shop he’d always wanted to visit. 

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