Hurricane Florence Coverage

---

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.”

---

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.”

---

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. 

---

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.”

---

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.

---

LIFESTYLE 5/22/25 8:53pm

Legacy Reception celebrates seniors with alumni relatives

By Megan Walsh

Seniors and their families gathered in McKinnon Hall May 22 to take part in the Legacy Reception, a celebration for students who have had a relative attend Elon before them. The Legacy Reception is meant to honor students who have a family member of any generation who attended Elon before them. As part of the reception, each student received an alumni pin, which was pinned on by one of the student’s family members. 

---

NEWS 5/22/25 6:21pm

Hispanic and Latinx graduating students fly into their next chapter at ¡Celebremos!

By Nia Bedard

Eighteen graduating Hispanic and Latix students were celebrated for their accomplishments throughout their four years at Elon University and honored with a stole decorated with a monarch butterfly at ¡Celebremos!: Graduates Take Flight.  According to assistant director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity, MJ Larrazabal, ¡Celebremos! is an opportunity to not only celebrate the graduating students but to also celebrate those who have helped them on their journey. “This meaningful event uplifts the rich diversity, resilience and the impact of Latinx Hispanic students as they prepare to take flight beyond Elon,” Larrazabal said during the ceremony. 

---

LIFESTYLE 5/22/25 7:47am

Elon seniors toast to graduation at annual Senior Celebration

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Elon University seniors capped off the end of their final semester with a night of celebration, games, food and fireworks on May 21 at Rhodes Stadium during the annual Senior Celebration event. The festivities, which began at 6:30 p.m., featured free food, lawn games and the final gathering of seniors before Undergraduate Commencement on Friday, May 23. Senior Taylor Scott said the event made her feel like Elon is a family. “It’s something that I’m always going to remember,” Scott said.

---

NEWS 5/21/25 11:22pm

Elon University Nursing Program celebrates inaugural cohort’s pinning ceremony

By Megan Walsh

Elon University’s Nursing Program celebrated its inaugural bachelor of science in nursing cohort’s nursing pinning ceremony on May 21 in McCrary Theatre. The cohort is the first to graduate from the undergraduate nursing program since its establishment in the fall of 2021. The program received its accreditation in February 2025. Senior nursing student Olivia Landolfo highlighted the challenges and experiences her cohort faced as the inaugural group. “We built the first committees and clubs, tested out academic schedules and clinical rotations and adapted to constant and significant change,” Landolfo said.

---

NEWS 5/21/25 10:17pm

Elon University graduate students receive master’s degrees at commencement ceremony

By Miles Hayford

In a ceremony marked by the bestowing of hoods and diplomas given by Elon University president Connie Book, 85 students received their master’s degrees at Elon University’s graduate commencement ceremony May 21 in Alumni Gym. The ceremony honored graduates of Elon’s graduate programs within the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education — Master of Arts in higher education, Master of Education in innovation, Master of Science in accounting, Master of Science in business analytics and Master of Business administration. 

---

NEWS 5/21/25 3:53pm

Elon University stole ceremony celebrates first-generation graduates

By Megan Walsh

Elon University’s Center for Access and Success hosted its annual First-Generation Stole Ceremony, recognizing its largest class to date with 63 graduates. The ceremony highlighted the hard work and dedication of first-generation students. Student keynote speaker, senior Archie Tan, highlighted that being a first-generation student means there is no predetermined way to go about your time in college. “There's no guidebooks to your life as a first-gen students,” Tan said. “You have the advantage of being the first to figure out what you want to do with your life, free from others' expectations or limitations today."

---

NEWS 5/20/25 11:08pm

Class of 2025 prepares for Commencement at Numen Lumen: Senior Baccalaureate Reflection

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Friendship, reflection and candles filled Under the Oaks at Numen Lumen: Senior Baccalaureate Reflection on May 20. The event was the first commencement event for all students graduating in the class of 2025. Students were invited to listen and join together to reflect on the past four years before they walk the stage at Commencement on Friday, May 20. Performances, poems, prayers, addresses, and light from candles filled the event. Elon faculty, staff and alumni from the class of 1975 lit candles that spread to the crowd of graduating students.

---

NEWS 5/20/25 7:13am

North Carolina House pushes bill to restrict cell phone access in the classroom

By Abigail Hines

The members of the North Carolina House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted 114-3 in favor of House bill 87, or the Cell Phone-Free Education bill. As it stands, the bill would require all K-12 public schools in North Carolina to adopt a policy eliminating or severely limiting student access to cell phones in the classroom. This bill could make North Carolina the 16th state to ban or restrict cell phone use in classrooms. The bill itself does not specify how each school must implement its own policy.

---

NEWS 5/19/25 10:52am

The revival of downtown Gibsonville: how locals are rebuilding a thriving Main Street

By Lilly Molina

When Neil Bromilow moved to Gibsonville in 1995, one early morning his wife and he drove through downtown Gibsonville and thought it looked “sketchy” and “tired.” It wasn’t until 2005, when he got appointed onto the Board of Aldermen and then chairman of Downtown Gibsonville Revitalization Commission, that a downtown makeover went into effect. For the next six months, he and fourteen other board members and volunteers put together a report detailing 83 initiatives that could be implemented to enhance downtown based on survey responses. The town approved $60,000 for the effort, and it’s only grown since. 

---

NEWS 5/18/25 5:23pm

Elon University appoints new dean of Carol Grotnes Belk Library

By Nia Bedard

Brian Mathews, who currently serves as the associate dean of research and innovation at Carnegie Mellon University, has been appointed as the new dean of Carol Grotnes Belk Library. As part of his role, Mathews will oversee 22 full-time employees, Belk Library, Elon University Archives and Special Collections and the different programs within Belk Library. These include the Library and Instruction Liaison program and the Personal Librarian Program. Mathews will begin his new role at Elon University on August 1.

---

SPORTS 5/17/25 5:50pm

Elon University baseball falls to UNCW in regular season finale

By Miles Hayford

Elon struggled to score early on in its Senior Day matchup against the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, losing its final regular season game 9-5. Elon finishes the regular season with a record of 24-30 and 13-14 in conference play. The loss gave the Seahawks the series sweep as it beat Elon the two previous nights. Elon will play May 21 in the CAA Tournament, hosted by the College of Charleston. Elon enters the tournament on a five-game losing streak.

---

LIFESTYLE 5/15/25 3:31pm

Student Firefighters: The Blend of Education and Emergency Response

By Fiona McAllister

When emergencies strike in Elon, a unique team of heroes rushes to the scene— college students. The Town of Elon Fire Department consists of full and part-time employees and volunteers, covering two stations in Elon. For student firefighters responding to campus emergency calls is about more than fulfilling a duty. It’s an opportunity to connect with peers during moments of need, strengthening bonds and fostering a sense of community. From routine alarms to critical emergencies, these encounters help bridge the gap between professional responsibility and personal relationships on campus.

---

NEWS 5/15/25 10:56am

Federal employee layoffs impact students, faculty

By Kate Gray

Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January, at least 130,000 federal employees have been laid off or accepted buyouts, and there are currently plans to cut at least 149,000 more positions. Trump appointed billionaire and tech mogul Elon Musk and GOP primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new agency called the Department of Government Efficiency. DOGE aims to cut trillions of dollars from the federal budget, eliminate or consolidate hundreds of federal agencies, and decrease the federal payroll by as much as 75%. Federal job cuts came almost immediately after DOGE was established through an executive order on Jan. 20.

---

NEWS 5/14/25 11:17am

Elon Town Council holds public hearings on proposed budget, fire tax increase

By Ruby Burckle

The Elon Town Council held public hearings for the proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year, the proposed fire tax increase and a permit request for an accessory dwelling unit during its meeting May 13. During the public hearings for the proposed budget and proposed fire tax increase, there were no members of the public who wished to comment. The council endorsed an increase the fire tax for the 2026 fiscal year. The council is scheduled to vote on the proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year June 10.

---

LIFESTYLE 5/14/25 9:07am

Alamance Letter Writers Society keeps tradition alive through handwritten notes

By Abigail Hobbs

Denise Schweiss became interested in letter writing as a child, when her grandmother would send her letters at 3 years old. Schweiss has maintained this value throughout her life and continues to do so with the Alamance Letter Writers Society. The Alamance Letter Writers Society was founded in 2022 to share the love and tradition of letter writing. Once a month, the group meets and writes letters to military members serving overseas, retirement communities and friends and family. The Alamance Letter Writers Society meets at 6 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at the Mebane Public Library. 

---