Features

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NEWS 6/10/25 10:08pm

Elon Town Council approves budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year

By Nia Bedard

The Elon Town Council approved the 2025-26 fiscal year budget for the town of Elon during its meeting June 10. With the approval of the 2025-26 fiscal year budget the town of Elon’s property tax will stay at 35 cents for every 100 dollars of assessed property value. However, the water and sewer fees for the town will increase by 7%. “It wasn't an easy task,” Mayor Pro Tem Monti Allison said during the meeting. “No one wants their taxes to go up, everyone wants to make sure they get the same amenities and services year in, year out or more.”

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LIFESTYLE 6/8/25 4:33pm

Rolling through Gate City: Greensboro’s roller derby revival

By Monika Jurevicius

Abigail Kerr left behind the foam weapons of Dagorhir in search of a new challenge. They found it on the roller derby flat track at the Greensboro Roller Derby in August 2024, where the hits are real, the pace is relentless and they don’t have to hold anything back. Even with no prior experience, roller derby provided a more female-centered and nonbinary community. “It doesn't matter if you’ve never played a sport,” Emly Price, a pivot for GSORD said. “We really welcome everybody — every body type, every gender, every shape. We meet you where you are. 

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NEWS 6/5/25 5:02pm

Elon University assistant men’s basketball coach dies suddenly

By Benjamin Berfield

Elon University assistant men’s basketball coach and director of video scouting and recruiting operations Stacey Palmore died unexpectedly on the evening of June 4 according to a statement from the men’s basketball team. The cause of Palmore’s death is currently unknown. Palmore was a part of Elon’s basketball program since joining the team as an assistant coach in 2022. Along with head coach Billy Taylor, Palmore helped contribute to the team’s recent success during their first winning season in eight years. 

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LIFESTYLE 6/5/25 7:21am

Elon University alumna makes National Tour debut in “Shucked”

By Sarah T. Moore

Elon music theatre alumna Mallorie Sievert ’24 will spend the next year traveling the United States with the first national tour of Tony Award-winning comedy musical "Shucked." Sievert is one of at least 7 Elon music theatre alumni currently in a national tour. "It's so exciting to be doing what I set out to be doing when I got my BFA and when I moved to New York," Sievert said. "It's like, 'Oh, I did it. You made it.'" As of June 4, she has performed in "Shucked" seven times.

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SPORTS 6/4/25 4:46pm

Elon Men's Ultimate Frisbee places fifth at D-III National Tournament

By Kathan Gandhi

Elon’s men’s ultimate frisbee team placed fifth in the 2025 USA Ultimate Division III College Championship. It was their first appearance at nationals in 10 years, and their second-best finish in team history. Of the 25 players on Elon’s roster, 23 made the cross-country trip to Burlington, Washington, where the tournament was held from May 17-20. Club president Brady Jackson said that while placing fifth was not what the team hoped for, he thinks the season was a success. "Zooming out and looking at the fact we hadn’t been there in 10 years, getting fifth is a pretty big accomplishment,” Jackson said.

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LIFESTYLE 6/3/25 3:42pm

Elon University graduated seniors move on after building connections through campus, local jobs

By Anjolina Fantaroni

As they prepared to walk the stage at commencement, several graduated seniors still logged hours on and off campus. From downtown Elon businesses to on-campus offices, many graduated seniors balanced academics with part-time employment in the final stretch of their college careers. Off campus, Elon’s downtown and its businesses rely heavily on student workers. For seniors, their final semester may have included academics, job applications, final projects and goodbyes — and for some seniors part-time employment. 

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NEWS 6/3/25 12:46am

Alamance County citizens voice thoughts on proposed county budget at County Commissioners meeting

By Nia Bedard

Firefighters, teachers and concerned citizens of Alamance County packed the historical courthouse in Graham during the County Commissioners meeting June 2 to voice their opinions about the proposed county budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year. County manager Heidi York presented the proposed budget outline for the county during the County Commissioners meeting May 19. The proposed budget included raising the county property tax rate by 1.59 cents; closing library branches of Graham, Mebane and North Park; cutting the budget for the Alamance Burlington School System by 19.7%; and cutting funding for emergency and rescue services in the county. 

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NEWS 5/31/25 5:09pm

Elon University Odyssey Scholars unite over termination of director

By Nia Bedard

On May 29, recent graduate Kai Whiteside and other recently graduated and current members of the Odyssey Scholars program received an email from Marcus Elliott, the former director of the Odyssey Scholars program, stating that he was terminated effective immediately the day prior. "It really started breaking me down," Recent graduate and former Odyssey Scholar Kai Whiteside '25 said. "Marcus Elliott was a person that kind of gave me an opportunity, and not just myself, hundreds and hundreds of kids he's brought into Elon to give them just degrees and opportunities and mentorship and all these wonderful things."

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NEWS 5/31/25 9:26am

Fulbright delays, funding freeze leave Elon University semifinalists uncertain about future

By Liya Rike

There were no Fulbright finalist announcements and clear information at Elon University’s annual celebration for students applying to fellowships, creating a tense atmosphere for the first time in years. It was a harsh reality for Nicole Galante, the assistant director of national and international fellowships. “Since the inauguration, it has been kind of turbulent in the fellowships world,” Galante said. “So many of the awards we work with are government-funded, like Fulbright, and in the midst of all of this uncertainty and changing in the government, students have been a casualty.”

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NEWS 5/30/25 7:48am

LinkedOut: Elon University students face uncertain job market

By Alex Nettles

Elon’s University’s class of 2025 confronts adulthood in a job market influenced with technological development and cautious hiring. Elon seniors graduate to a period of economic uncertainty with less job openings and more applications across most careers. Openings for jobs are down 15%, while applications per job are up 30%, according to a report by the job search website Handshake. The report indicates an environment of “heightened anxiety and competition,” and students applying at a higher rate than years before.

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NEWS 5/29/25 5:37pm

Elon University transitions to eduroam Wi-Fi network

By Charlotte Pfabe

Elon University Information Technology is rolling out a new option for Wi-Fi connection on campus – eduroam. Eduroam will fully replace elonu-secure as Elon’s primary Wi-Fi network by the end of the fall 2025 semester, according to Director of Campus Technology Support Rebecca Beck. “It's just an ease of access from both sides,” Beck said. “I can go anywhere that has an eduroam connection and log in with my Elon credentials, and then I know that I'm logging in securely and connecting to my whole network.”

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SPORTS 5/29/25 8:11am

Elon University football stars headed to NFL, chase dreams

By Miles Hayford

Following the National Football League Draft two of the six Elon University football players that declared were drafted into the NFL. Former Elon University running back Rushawn Baker chose to sign with the New York Giants. Former Elon University wide reciever Chandler Brayboy chose to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Brayboy said he is excited to have fun playing in the NFL and fulfill his dreams of making the pros. “My dream of playing football, living out that dream, I think, is what I’m most excited for, and actually having fun within the game,” Brayboy said.

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NEWS 5/27/25 11:20pm

Elon Town Council denies permit for accessory dwelling, reviews potential traffic calming policy

By Nia Bedard

The Elon Town Council voted on a request for an accessory dwelling unit and reviewed a potential traffic calming policy during their meeting May 27. The council also reviewed a potential purchasing plan for replacing fire engines used by the town of Elon Fire Department and resolved to support the Eno-Haw Mitigation Plan. The council held its sixth closed session regarding the purchase of 112 Orange Drive. This is the location of Labcorp, a testing facility which provides laboratory services used for diagnoses and healthcare decisions.

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SPORTS 5/27/25 12:18pm

Elon University women’s track and field wins sixth CAA outdoor championship

By Benjamin Berfield

After coming up short the previous season, Elon University's women's track and field team won the 2025 CAA Championship by 25 points. They clinched the title with 147 points — 25 more than Hampton, who finished second. It is the sixth championship for the Phoenix in their ten league meets. Director of track and field and cross country Mark Elliston said he loved watching his players rally together. “It was really great to watch everyone feed off each other, knowing that we had the strength and that we were going to make a run at the championship,” Elliston said.

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NEWS 5/26/25 10:45am

6 Elon University faculty members retire

By Trista Panagakos , Megan Walsh and Ruby Burckle

With the 2024-25 academic year over, six Elon University faculty members are retiring. The retiring faculty members include Martin Fowler, Nancy Harris, Betty Garrison, Pieter Swanepoel, Joyce Davis and Mary Jo Festle. These faculty members have worked at Elon University teaching classes, sitting on committees and leading Winter Term trips. As the six retiring faculty members prepare to leave Elon University, they reminisced on their time at Elon Univeristy and how Elon has changed and shared their plans for their future. 

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NEWS 5/23/25 10:40pm

Elon University celebrates 135th Commencement

By Elon News Network

The class of 2025 graduated from Elon University and transitions from students to alumni as Commencement events come to a close. During the 135th annual Undergraduate Commencement student speaker Craig Brandstetter encourged members of the class of 2025 to break out of the "Elon Bubble" and start their next journey. “So class of 2025, let's not fear what's next. Let's not hesitate at the edge of the bubble,” Brandstetter said. “Instead, let's take a deep breath and step through. For it's not about leaving the bubble, it's what we carry through it. Here's to the bubble that held us and to the world that now awaits us.”

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NEWS 5/23/25 9:23pm

Elon University School of Business, School of Communications take the step from students to alumni

By Charlotte Pfabe

Graduating seniors from the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and the School of Communications walked the stage and earned their diplomas during Elon University’s 135th Undergraduate Commencement May 23 at Schar Center. As the graduating seniors sat waiting to process into the ceremony, Durham spoke to the anxious students, connecting with them now as soon-to-be fellow alumni. “I hope, as Dr. Book said, you'll leave here with no regrets,” Durham said. “Because this place gets more special, believe it or not, it gets more special after you attend. Because we are a powerful core unit of people.”

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NEWS 5/23/25 8:57am

Elon University College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Health Sciences graduates walk into new chapter

By Charlotte Pfabe

Elon seniors are filling the Schar Center as they prepare to graduate during Elon University’s 135th Undergraduate Commencement May 23. The ceremony for Elon College, The College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education and the School of Health Sciences will begin at 9 a.m. followed by the ceremony for the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and the School of Communications at 2:30 p.m. Each ceremony will feature an address from University president Connie Book, elected class speaker Craig Brandsetter and Commencement speaker Wes Durham ‘88. 

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NEWS 5/23/25 8:19am

Elon University updates payment system

By Virginia Vance

Elon University’s e-billing system was updated as the 2024-25 school year comes to a close.Bursar Alessandra Gabriel said the update is meant to provide a more modern, user-friendly experience. “Payment plans are on a different portal. Statements are not real time, they’re manually uploaded, so they could be not as up to date with someone’s account activity that may be happening in real time,” Gabriel said. “So we knew it was time to modernize some things and give people access to what they were needing and wanting.”

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NEWS 5/22/25 9:57pm

Elon University’s Donning of the Kente ceremony celebrates graduates’ achievements, African legacy

By Miles Hayford

Cheering, drummers, dancers and heartfelt messages defined Elon University’s ninth annual Donning of the Kente ceremony on May 22. Donning of the Kente is a cultural ceremony designed to celebrate the achievements of graduating students with African roots. Each student receives a stole made of authentic, handmade kente cloth imported from West Africa. Randy Williams, Elon University vice president and associate provost for inclusive excellence, said that the ceremony’s goal is to uplift the graduates. “It is a reminder that blackness is not a deficit, but rather a deep well of faith and hope, of wisdom and joy, and of strength and power that benefits all people," Williams said.

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