Features

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LIFESTYLE 10/25/25 5:14pm

Showdown at Schar raises excitement in Elon basketball, Greek Week

By Benjamin Berfield

The beginning of Elon University’s Greek Week was met with anticipation not just for the upcoming events, but for the men’s and women’s basketball season. To kick off Elon’s 2025 Greek Week, fraternities and sororities participated with the basketball teams in an opportunity to earn points in the Showdown at Schar. Freshman guard DeMarco Johnson said he enjoyed getting to interact with some fans. Demarco said it was fun to participate in events such as the men’s basketball dunk contest. “It feels great seeing the atmosphere around, and just getting ready and being excited to play,” Johnson said. 

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LIFESTYLE 10/25/25 12:29am

Gala Latina: Más Que Una Historia empowers the Elon Latine community

By Barbara Duran

Colorful decor, music and laughter filled LaRose Student Commons at the annual Gala Latina. The event was more than just your average gala of people sitting and talking, it was vibrant and lively, full of community bonding and celebration of achievement. Going on its ninth year, the Gala Latina is the closing event El Centro hosts for Hispanic Heritage Month. Since the Gala’s inception, it has created a space for Latine students to come together and share in one another's accomplishments, heritage, and community. Elon University freshman Kimberly Barrera-Paredes said this event highlights Elon’s Latine community. “It really shows the community we have here,” Barrera-Paredes said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/24/25 7:04am

Elon Truitt Center holds Halloween event, creates space for Paganism on campus

By Megan Walsh

Spell bag making, pumpkin painting and tarot card readings were  some of the offerings students engaged in during The Veil is Thin: Spells, Symbols and Stories event. The event was held by Elon’s Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life. Director of Multifaith Programming and Engagement, Hillary Zaken, said the event marked the second event in the center’s effort to bring more Pagan-centered events to campus. “What Paganism is to me is just having this deep reverence and respect for life, but also the way that you live your life, and living it intentionally,” sophomore Finn Hughes said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/24/25 12:48am

Elon Black Alumni Network panel bridges generations through reflection, empowerment

By Lauren McCowan

The Elon Black Alumni Network hosted its annual discussion panel on Oct. 23, welcoming students and alumni into the KOBC room, where they filled it with laughter, honesty, and reflection. Panelists Dyamond Howell ’19, assistant director of Alumni Engagement Initiatives; Alex Bohannon ’17, EBAN president; and Abdul-Malik Harrison ’21, assistant director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, led the discussion. Together, they reflected on identity, community and the importance of bridging the gap between alumni and students.

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NEWS 10/23/25 11:28pm

Elon University Liberal Arts Forum guest says every American is a survivor

By Mia Torres

Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, was hosted by Elon University’s Liberal Arts Forum on Oct. 22, a student organization that researches and pitches speakers throughout the semester.Watts started her journey as an activist for ending gun violence after the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting. “I sort of just sat down and watched this horrific tragedy and it was truly unfathomable at that time,” Watts said during the event. “You know we’re all vicarious survivors of trauma in this country, whether you’re a gun violence survivor or not, you’ve experienced these shootings individually.”

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NEWS 10/22/25 11:19pm

Burlington, Guilford County announce $860 million Ahold Delhaize USA partnership

By Alice Morrissey

The City of Burlington and Guilford County announced a partnership with Ahold Delhaize USA to build a distribution center in Burlington during a press conference Oct. 22. According to a spokesperson for the company, Ahold Delhaize USA is investing $860 million into the project, and the distribution center is estimated to bring around 500 or more jobs to the area. “There's going to be somebody they can provide for their family in a meaningful way. That's going to be their first trip to Disneyland. That’s the first home that they buy,” Burlington Mayor James Butler said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/22/25 11:36am

Ms. Sandra greets students with strength after surviving breast cancer

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Sandra Greeson is a familiar face at McEwen Dining Hall, greeting students five days a week in the mornings and afternoons. Greeson was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer four years ago and was the first person in her family to have it. Even through her diagnosis and chemotherapy in 2021, she still worked the McEwen cash register, which she said gave her a drive. “I wanted to be strong and show others what it was like to be strong when you have cancer. It’s not just something you set back. You can be strong and move on forward with it.”

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NEWS 10/21/25 10:27pm

Elon town council candidates discuss policies, answer residents’ questions at candidate forum

By Miles Hayford

As the Nov. 4 Alamance County municipal elections inch closer, candidates for the two open seats on the Elon Town Council answered residents’ questions, talked about their stances on key issues and discussed their backgrounds during a candidate forum hosted by Town of Elon Mayor Emily Sharpe on Oct. 21 at The Oak House. The candidates for town council are current town council member and pastor at Elon Community Church Randy Orwig, Steve Exum and Michael Ratigan. Sharpe began the forum by asking each candidate to tell the crowd of about 30 residents about their background.

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LIFESTYLE 10/21/25 10:45am

Elon alumni bring original plays to NYC audiences

By Emma Perman

Two Elon University alumni are making their off-Broadway debut with plays inspired by their own lived experiences. From the halls of a convent in Peru to the reunions in a prison visiting room, these works dive into faith, queerness, familial trauma and complex love. Mallorie Sievert ’24 graduated from Elon with a bachelor of fine arts degree in music theatre. Sievert said she never imagined her undergraduate honors thesis, “The City-Women” would one day be read aloud on a New York City stage. Madelyn Slattery ’24 graduated from Elon with a degree in drama theatre studies and English, bringing her off-broadway debut with “Mom Play.”

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NEWS 10/20/25 8:33am

Burlington Fire Department intends to expand amid city’s growth

By Miles Hayford

Amid the city of Burlington growing by about 8% from 2010 to 2020, the Burlington Fire Department is aiming to build more fire stations. The department currently has six fire stations with 11 response units and Lawrence said adding more fire stations across the city in strategic locations will help because their response time is directly correlated to where their fire stations are located. “We want to make sure that our response time is what it needs to be,” Honeycutt said. “We need to make sure that the stations are in the right location, and we're given equitable service across the city.“

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LIFESTYLE 10/19/25 5:20pm

Emotional support animals help Elon college students destress

By Mackenzie Cruz

Abby Martin did not expect to bring Gracie, a 12-year-old British shorthair cat, to school with her for her sophomore year at Elon University. Martin’s mom flew five hours from Houston to meet her in North Carolina with Gracie under the seat in front of her. She initially got a dog in 2020 to help with her anxiety, until she started college. “When I started coming to school, I kind of started experiencing those issues again, and I really just thought it would be helpful to have an animal with me,” Martin said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/17/25 11:53am

Elon University’s fall musical explores life, art, love in Paris after WWII

By Sarah T. Moore and Elissa Leka

Elon’s production of “An American in Paris” will have seven shows from Oct. 31 to Nov. 8 in McCrary Theatre.Based on the 1951 romantic comedy movie of the same name, “An American in Paris” explores the French capital through the eyes of a veteran after World War II. Elon senior Gabe Tobierre said he is looking forward to the audience seeing the team’s hard work.“It has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears from the entire creative team, cast and everything,” Tobierre said. “It's been a labor of love for sure.” 

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NEWS 10/16/25 4:36pm

Elon University Poll finds 39% of North Carolinians approve of President Donald Trump

By Nia Bedard

The Elon University Poll published its third report this month showcasing a steady decrease in Trump’s approval rating in North Carolina over time. This most recent poll found that 39% of North Carolinian adults surveyed currently approve of the job President Donald Trump has done so far. “When he has the level of control of Congress that he has right now, it makes it a little bit harder for him to effectively frame himself as the person fighting the system,” Director of the Elon Poll Jason Husser said.

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NEWS 10/15/25 12:46pm

Elon University AAUP issues statement asking for transparency on Elon, Queens merger

By Nia Bedard

Elon University’s chapter of the American Association for University Professors issued a statement Oct. 15 asking both Elon and Queens University of Charlotte to include faculty from both institutions in the planning and decision making process of the proposed merger. According to the statement from Elon’s AAUP chapter, questions about how faculty will be involved in the merger have not been answered. “Faculty have been invited to submit questions at town halls, but direct questions about how faculty will be integrated into the decision-making prior to the approval of the merger remain unanswered in these forums,” the statement said. 

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NEWS 10/15/25 9:31am

Alamance County gears up for municipal elections

By Elon News Network

Candidates across Elon, Graham, Mebane, Burlington, Green Level, Swepsonville, the Village of Alamance and Gibsonville prepare for elections in mayor, council and alderman races. Election Day for Alamance County municipal elections will be on Nov. 4. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. In-person early voting will on Oct. 16 at the Alamance County Board of Elections office. The deadline for absentee ballot requests is Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. In-person early voting ends Nov. 1 at 3 p.m.

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NEWS 10/14/25 11:50pm

Elon Town Council schedules code enforcement, discusses disputes over pavement on East Haggard Avenue

By Alannah Klingsporn

The Elon Town Council discussed updates to retirement bonuses, the Elon Fire Department’s 100th anniversary and scheduled code enforcement during their meeting Oct. 14. Town council members voted to schedule code enforcement every January for tenants and landlords to abide by. Kristin Cummings is the code enforcement officer for Elon and patrols the area for violations of Elon residents' properties. “The ultimate goal is to change behavior and prevent it from happening in the first place.” Mayor Emily Sharpe said. 

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NEWS 10/14/25 9:51pm

Elon Poll finds North Carolinians concerned about public safety following recent incidents

By Nia Bedard

A recent Elon Poll, published on Oct. 14, found that North Carolinians are concerned with public safety following the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on Aug. 22 in Charlotte, N.C. and a mass shooting on Sept. 27 in Southport, N.C. With a sample of 800 North Carolina adults, the Elon Poll found that 61% of respondents were very or someone concerned about their own safety from crime in outdoor areas with large crowds. 59% of respondents were very or somewhat concerned about their safety while on public transportation. 

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SPORTS 10/14/25 7:33am

Elon University Poll, Knight Commission of Intercollegiate Athletics finds NCAA worried over House settlement

By Benjamin Berfield

A recent poll published by the Elon University Poll and the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics showed concerns from National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I presidents, administrators and athletic directors about the state of college sports following the House vs NCAA settlement this past July. College athletes could previously get endorsed by other brands, but the House ruling now allows schools to contribute to NIL. The settlement gave colleges the right to directly pay their athletes. In the aftermath of the ruling most of the respondents surveyed think this could result in a currently flawed Division I sports system getting worse over time.

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SPORTS 10/13/25 8:39am

Elon University men’s club rugby coach reflects on longtime position

By Benjamin Berfield

Ryan Bays has coached club rugby at Elon since 2003. While all teams are expected to have a coach, Bays’ position is unique compared to other club sports, which are coached by students serving as club presidents. Bays said the rugby program has meant a lot to him and he wants to give back to it as much as possible. “I have a lot of pride in the program,” Bays said. “I felt like I got a lot out of it when I was here. Being able to anchor a university club is a big deal.”

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SPORTS 10/12/25 9:18pm

Intense Elon University men’s soccer match ends in 1-0 win

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University men’s soccer team concluded Senior Night with a dramatic 1-0 victory against the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Head coach Marc Reeves said it felt extra good to win for the seniors after a tough stretch that included opponents like No. 10 the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Duke University and Clemson University. “Sometimes you can have lapses where you don’t win games, but this is an incredibly tight conference game against a really good opponent on a night where you just have to dig in for your seniors,” Reeves said. 

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