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SPORTS 11/28/25 7:00pm

Elon University punter declares for NFL Draft

By Benjamin Berfield

Elon University punter Jeff Yurk has declared for the NFL Draft following his redshirt senior season. Yurk announced his decision on his Instagram account Nov. 28. Yurk has totaled 9,645 yards punting throughout his collegiate career at Elon. During his freshman season in 2021, Yurk played all 11 games. The following year, Yurk was named to the third team all Coastal Athletic Association. Yurk’s performance in 2022 helped the Phoenix qualify for the Football Championship Subdivision playoff. During the last two years, Yurk also led the conference in punt yards per game at around 48 yards.

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SPORTS 11/27/25 9:54am

Running toward opportunity: NIL helps Elon athlete build personal brand

By Max Wallace

Imagine a college student having 5 million dollars in the palm of their hand. For some student athletes like AJ Dybantsa — the point guard for the BYU Cougars — it is not something they have to imagine thanks to the NCAA’s Name, Image and Likeness policy. Caden Strickland, a senior on Elon University’s men’s cross country team, said it wouldn’t be possible to put the amount of hours into running that he does each day if he wasn’t able to make money from just being himself. “To have the opportunity to put my name out there and make money off of what I love doing helps me a lot financially,”  Strickland said.

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SPORTS 11/26/25 11:06am

Women’s soccer team reaches its goals with CAA championship win

By Benjamin Berfield

In just two years, Elon University’s women’s soccer team has transformed from a three-win team in 2023 to Coastal Athletic Association champions, winning Nov. 9 against Stony Brook in a 1-1 match that came down to penalty kicks, where Elon prevailed 6-5. Their turnaround not only earned an NCAA Division I Tournament berth against Duke University, but it also came as a rewarding accomplishment for everyone who spent the last two years changing the team’s fortunes. “I’m so proud of how far this group of players have come because there were a lot of players on that team,” head coach Neil Payne said.

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SPORTS 11/23/25 10:26am

Elon University graduate student finds fulfillment beyond the court

By Lilly Molina

Graduate student and redshirt senior Kamryn Doty stood at the end of the call line. At the beginning of a basketball game, the announcer tells the audience who is in the starting lineup. Those players run through a manmade tunnel before waving to the audience. Except, this time, Doty was waiting for them at the end, giving them a high five and wishing them good luck. “I’m just really thankful that I had the opportunity to come back,” Doty said. “I’m really just hoping to get a sense of fulfillment out of it.”

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NEWS 11/22/25 9:35am

North Carolina budget stalemate enters 4th month

By Miles Hayford

Over four months after the fiscal year began, the North Carolina General Assembly is still yet to pass a state budget. The GOP controls both the House and Senate but disagreements over scheduled tax cuts and state employee raises have divided the two chambers for months. “There’s an old adage in politics, that the other party is the opposition and the other chamber is the enemy and I think you're seeing that,” Western Carolina University political science professor Christopher Cooper said. “Just because you're a member of the same party doesn't mean that you necessarily see eye to eye on some major issues.” 

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LIFESTYLE 11/21/25 4:23pm

Festival of Lights and Luminaries illuminates Elon year after year

By Megan Walsh

An event with roots as a traditional tree lighting in front of the Alamance Building, the current Festival of Lights and Luminaries celebration continues to light up campus. This year’s festival will be held Dec. 2 across the Historic Neighborhood and the Academic Pavilion. “A certain number of people couldn’t gather in the same place, so having everyone gathered in front of Alamance for that lighting simply was impossible,” Director of Multifaith Programming and Engagement Hillary Zaken said. “As it turns out, this is a much better way to celebrate the campus that we are and are becoming.”

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NEWS 11/21/25 10:37am

Tiny home community for formerly incarcerated women breaks ground

By Fiona McAllister

Benevolence Farm in Graham will be the first tiny home community in North Carolina for formerly incarcerated women. These seven new tiny homes will house one person per unit. The Benevolence Farm goal is to cultivate leadership and promote sustainable livelihoods with individuals impacted by the criminal legal system in North Carolina, according to its website. “It is pretty surreal to see this tiny home groundbreaking ceremony happen today,” Executive Director of Benevolence Farm Kristen Powers said. “We just didn't know if this would even be possible.”

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SPORTS 11/20/25 11:28pm

Elon men’s soccer falls to UNCG in penalty kicks

By Benjamin Berfield

In a thrilling, hard fought, matchup between the Elon University men’s soccer team and UNCG Spartans, one team had to lose and that was the Phoenix. Elon was defeated in penalty kicks 4-3, ending any chance of advancing in the NCAA Division I Tournament. head coach Marc Reeves said he could not be more proud of what his team accomplished. “I’m proud of our group,” Reeves said. “You can only win three trophies in a season – regular season, tournament championship and NCAA National Championship. To have two of them sit in our locker room is an incredible achievement by the boys.”

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NEWS 11/20/25 6:12pm

Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation hosts language revitalization conference, builds community

By Barbara Duran

Elon University’s department of Native American and Indigenous Studies held an Indigenous language revitalization conference in LaRose Commons on Nov. 20, filling the space with open discussion and community building. The conference was in partnership with the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation and led by assistant professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies and professor of the Yesa:sahį language revitalization course Corey Roberts. Chief of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation Tony Hayes shared the significance language has for indigenous communities. “It identifies you as a person, it identifies your culture, it identifies traditions,” Hayes said. “And the language brings all of that together.”

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SPORTS 11/20/25 12:40pm

Elon men’s soccer looks to ride hot streak in NCAA tournament

By Trevor Brader-Araje

Rudd Field’s full crowd erupted in cheers as confetti rained from above. Elon University men’s soccer lifted the Coastal Athletic Association championship trophy, winning for the first time. But the celebration didn’t last long. The Phoenix quickly shifted their focus to the next obstacle: a high-stakes NCAA tournament matchup against in-state opponent University North Carolina, Greensboro. Senior Colin Veltri believes that the Phoenix can beat UNCG and push through the tournament. “I feel like we can really make a push,” Veltri said. “And everyone does too.” 

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NEWS 11/20/25 8:07am

Elon officials warn students about ‘phishing’ cyber-scams

By Lily Mosbacher

A new survey from the Pew Research Center found that 73% of U.S. adults have experienced some kind of online scam or attack. On college campuses like Elon University, the threat of these scams, often called phishing, is increasingly prevalent, especially when it comes to targeting student emails. Gary Sheehan, director of Elon Information Security, said scammers have grown more convincing by using artificial intelligence to craft realistic-looking messages.  “Phishing scams are fake messages designed to trick you into giving away personal information, like your password, bank details, or student ID,” Sheehan wrote. “These attacks have become more common at Elon, and AI has made these attacks more dangerous.”

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NEWS 11/19/25 1:48pm

Alamance County Sheriff’s Office to stop housing ICE detainees amid new state law requirement

By Anjolina Fantaroni

The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office will stop housing those detained by  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement effective Nov. 16, according Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson in a press release Nov. 19. According to the press release, Johnson sent a letter to ICE and said the decision comes from changes to state law taking effect Dec. 1. North Carolina House Bill 307, known as “Iryna’s Law,” tightens rules on pretrial release, electronic monitoring and detention of individuals charged with violent crimes. 

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NEWS 11/19/25 11:01am

Elon University fire alarm system repaired

By Nia Bedard

The fiber optic line that alerts the authorities if a fire alarm at Elon University goes off has been repaired, according to an E-alert sent out around 8:15 a.m. Nov. 19. According to Elon University Chief of Campus Safety Joe LeMire, the line had been cut in Greensboro on Nov. 18. According to an email statement from LeMire sent to Elon News Network the system is now up and running. Fiber lines can accidentally be cut for a few different reasons, LeMire said in a previous interview with Elon News Network, such as construction or severe weather.

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NEWS 11/19/25 9:08am

NC sheriffs must work more closely with ICE under new law

By Lilly Molina

House Bill 318 now requires North Carolina sheriffs to work more closely with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Originally vetoed by Gov. Josh Stein, the NC House of Representatives and Senate overrode the veto and the bill took into effect Oct. 1. The Criminal Illegal Alien Act requires sheriffs to contact ICE if a person without legal immigration status is to be charged with a felony, such as certain sexual offenses or DWI. It also requires local sheriffs to notify ICE two hours after the time they would normally be released. “It forces some sheriffs that didn’t want to work with ICE to have to work with ICE,” Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said.

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NEWS 11/18/25 9:21pm

NC senator visits 6-month-old Medicaid patient amid cuts to insurance and in-home services

By Monika Jurevicius

Paige Davis and her husband Clayton thought they wouldn’t have a baby to bring home when six-month-old Harper Davis was first born, but she's defied the odds since then. NC Senator Amy Galey visited Harper’s home in Burlington on Nov. 17 to learn more about Medicaid cuts that are impacting the family’s access to receiving in-home services for their daughter. “It’s a political issue that feels like innocent families are being caught in the crossfire and that breaks my heart,” Galey said. 

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NEWS 11/18/25 5:52pm

Elon University fire alarm system may not alert authorities per campus police

By Charlotte Pfabe

Elon University fire alarm systems may not alert authorities if they are activated, according to an E-alert sent out around 5:15 p.m Nov. 18. The E-alert wrote that if a fire alarm goes off, evacuate the building and choose someone to call 911 once in a safe area. According to the E-alert, a fiber optic line was cut in Greensboro, which may cause issues with the alert system. Elon Campus Safety and Police, who control E-alerts, wrote they will share an update once the issue is fixed. 

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NEWS 11/18/25 12:54pm

Death penalty advocacy organization screens Racist Roots

By Alannah Klingsporn

The North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty screened a 25 minute documentary in Turner Theater on Nov. 17. The film showed the racial history in North Carolina death penalty cases in the past and present. After the film screening there was a panel with death row exoneree Alfred Rivera. “The newly passed law adds execution methods that we have not used in North Carolina previously,” NCCADP executive director Noel Nickel said “So it's really important for people to understand that reality.”

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NEWS 11/18/25 9:51am

Cable Square residents flood Elon Town Council meeting to voice concerns about dangerous dog

By John McAllister

Elon Town Council’s meeting on Nov. 17 was filled to maximum capacity with many Cable Square residents airing grievances surrounding a deadly dog attack that occurred last week in the neighborhood. Elon Fire Department engineers Austin Durham and Wes Hunt, Lieutenant Isaac Faucette and firefighter James Torbett were awarded with certificates for saving an unconscious Elon University student through CPR. Town council members also discussed the capital investment plan for the town of Elon. The plan goes over the budget for the next 10 years. Town Council member-elect Steve Exum will be sworn in at the next meeting on Dec. 9. 

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LIFESTYLE 11/17/25 11:33pm

Vietnamese-American writer breaks down poetry’s role in society

By Nia Bedard

For poet, essayist and novelist Ocean Vuong, there is no right or wrong answer about what you should take away from his work. “The beauty of writing is that everything is open to interpretation, and I'm never an author who can sit here and says to a reader, ‘you got it wrong,’” Vuong said. Former member of the Liberal Arts Forum, Emerson Garon, pitched for Vuong to come to Elon after being a long-time fan of his work and wanting to share his work. “His work needs to be shared, he is just so inspirational,” Garon said.

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SPORTS 11/17/25 2:59pm

Phoenix forward embraces confidence on court

By Lilly Molina

Between last season and this one, junior forward Isaac Harrell “had to grow up.” “This offseason really forced me to become a leader for this program,” Harrell said. “I think with everyone leaving, it made me become like a different person, as in, I had to grow up.” With the nine transfers that left Schar Center last year, Harrell and four others were the only returning players. Harrell is the only returning player who spent time in the starting lineup last year. “It was definitely a hard time when everyone left, just because those become your best friends,” Harrell said. “But I figured that staying was best for me because I love the coaching staff.”

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