Hurricane Florence Coverage

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LIFESTYLE 8/27/25 9:40am

New shop opens its doors in downtown Elon

By Fiona McAllister

A new clothing store has set up shop in downtown Elon. The store, named Brown, is expected to be fully operational in the next two weeks, according to store owner Justin Duszlak. Brown is located on West Lebanon Avenue, in the store previously used by the boutique Simply Oak before its closing March 31. Duszlak said renovations started July 4 and finished updating the storefront in around a month. Duszlak said her goal was to have her store up and running by September for the new school year. Brown opened earlier than expected on Aug. 22 for Elon’s new student move-in day.

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NEWS 8/26/25 6:11pm

Elon University student activity fees fund various organizations, campus events and traditions

By Trista Panagakos

As students prepare for the 2025-26 academic year, they might notice a $146 fee for student activities as part of their fall tuition bill. This fee is charged every semester to full time students, providing funding for different events, traditions and organizations on campus. Part time students are charged $73 each semester. The Student Government Association receives a large portion of the fee — $440,000 annually. They allocate this money to various organizations and activities through funding requests.

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NEWS 8/26/25 1:05pm

Website traffic on first day of classes causes Moodle issues

By Fiona McAllister

An email sent to all Elon University students, faculty and staff from the technology update team stated that Moodle is experiencing “significant slowness and temporary outages” due to the high traffic on the first day of classes. The technology service team said the vendor for Moodle is looking into this issue and is performing emergency maintenance to resolve the issue. The technology service team suggests that if you need to share time-sensitive files, use Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams and print hard copies of materials.

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LIFESTYLE 8/26/25 11:34am

‘First Gen’ memoir inspires Elon University class of 2029 to share first-generation college stories

By Liya Rike

Every year, Elon University picks one book to help incoming students start important conversations. This year’s pick is “First Gen: a memoir” by Alejandra Campoverdi. The book, chosen as part of Elon’s Common Reading Program, dives into Campoverdi’s experience as a first-generation college student. She writes about identity, family expectations and the pressure of being the “first and only” in spaces that weren’t made for her. Associate Director of First-Year Initiatives Paula Patch is the chair of the Common Reading Committee, and said she believes the book is helping freshman students think differently about what it means to start something new.

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LIFESTYLE 8/26/25 6:53am

Elon University Living-Learning Communities host kickoff event

By Trista Panagakos

One of the last events of orientation weekend for members of Elon’s Living-Learning Communities is the LLC Kickoff, hosted in McKinnon Hall. There, all 27 of Elon’s LLCs gathered to engage with each other, play trivia, learn about upcoming events and engage in breakout groups. “I think definitely the community at Elon played a huge part in me coming here,” Emma Luckman, a member of the Communications LLC, said. “I think that the learning living community was kind of an addition to that, in knowing that I was obviously going to have a community and a strong family.”

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NEWS 8/25/25 8:00pm

Elon Town Council discusses police department risk review, updates community on projects

By Miles Hayford

The Elon Town Council discussed a police department risk assessment, awarded promotions to two police officers and gave updates on town projects. The council discussed the North Carolina League of Municipalities’s risk review assessment of the police department. According to a risk management consultant, Chet Effler, from the league, the assessment included a review of the department to make sure they adhered to industry standards and practices. Effler said roughly 200 law enforcement agencies across the state pledged to do this risk assessment, but Elon was one of only nine who ended up doing it.

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NEWS 8/25/25 7:11pm

Elon University Registrar extends Winter Term class times by 15 minutes, morning classes will start earlier

By Nia Bedard

Elon University’s Office of the Registrar is making changes to the Winter Term schedule for the 2025-26 academic year. According to an email sent by the Registrar to some faculty members, Winter Term classes will now be extended by 15 minutes. In addition to the extension, morning classes will have an earlier start time at 8:30 a.m. Morning classes in Winter Term previously started at 9 a.m. During Winter Term, which occurs in January, students can stay on campus and take a class Monday through Friday for the entirety of the term. 

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NEWS 8/25/25 5:02pm

El sistema escolar de Alamance-Burlington se prepara para el año escolar 2025-26

By Anjolina Fantaroni

El 25 de agosto, el Sistema Escolar de Alamance-Burlington dio la bienvenida a los estudiantes para su primer día de clases. Este año, ABSS implementó dos cambios: uno para cumplir con la nueva legislación estatal y el otro para modificar el sistema de información estudiantil que utilizan las escuelas. El primer cambio proviene del Senado de Carolina del Norte, que busca restringir el uso de teléfonos celulares en los cuartos de clase de Carolina del Norte, conocido como el Proyecto de Ley de Educación sin Celulares. El Departamento de Instrucción Pública de Carolina del Norte también votó a favor de migrar todas las escuelas de Carolina del Norte a Infinite Campus tras una filtración de datos previa en su sistema de información anterior, PowerSchool.

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NEWS 8/25/25 4:42pm

Alamance-Burlington School System starts 2025-26 school year

By Anjolina Fantaroni

On Aug. 25, the Alamance-Burlington School System welcomed students back for the first day of school. This year, ABSS implemented two changes, one to comply with new state-level legislation and the other to change the student information system the schools use. The first change comes from the North Carolina Senate, which aims to restrict cellphone use in North Carolina classrooms, known as the Cell Phone-Free Education Bill. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction also voted to move all North Carolina schools to Infinite Campus following a previous data breach, in their previous information system, PowerSchool.

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SPORTS 8/24/25 5:57pm

Freshman football players embrace life at Elon University

By Benjamin Berfield

As the Elon University football team prepares for its season opener against Duke on Aug. 28, freshman athletes are starting to navigate life on the team as well as the campus. Defensive back Tyler Hart and offensive lineman Sean Tanner arrived at training camp with different expectations, but they are each beginning to get a sense of not only being on the team, but students at Elon. “When I came here in January, I knew it was gonna be high intensity,” Hart said. “I used spring ball to help me get used to it.” 

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NEWS 8/24/25 12:34pm

North Carolina politicians begin vying for open Senate seat

By Miles Hayford

After longtime North Carolinian politician Thom Tillis announced that he would be retiring and not seek reelection to a third term as U.S. Senator on June 29, the race for the open seat has attracted significant interest from both parties. The 2026 midterm race is headlined by former Democratic governor Roy Cooper and chair of the Republican National Committee Michael Whatley. Tillis’ retirement came after President Trump publicly criticized him for voting against the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” earlier in the summer.

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LIFESTYLE 8/23/25 7:07pm

Town of Elon Mayor says students make the town different each year

By Alex Nettles

As summer comes to a close in the Town of Elon, migratory freshmen burst into town with new rooms and new questions. Town of Elon Mayor Emily Sharpe witnessed the seasonal turning of the student population since 2021. She said she has hopes for the new Elon students to plant roots here. “I think it is easy to come here and think, ‘Oh, it’s just little Elon.’ But if you don’t care about this you won’t make this your home. You won’t see all of the opportunity that is here,” Sharpe said. 

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LIFESTYLE 8/23/25 4:58pm

Families prepare to leave campus as new Elon University students settle in

By Sarah T. Moore

The family picnic Aug. 23 gave families the opportunity to share a meal during move-in weekend. For many students this will be the last meal they have together until fall or Thanksgiving break. The picnic was spread across campus with tables near the alumni center, Koury Athletic Center and Medallion Plaza. One common topic of conversation across the tables was how streamlined Elon’s move-in day was. “It took the stress out of it,” parent Susie Elster-Sarachek said. “It was just a well-oiled machine.”

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NEWS 8/23/25 1:20pm

Elon University welcomes class of 2029 with Convocation

By Kate Gray

Student Government Association President Anya Bratić and university President Connie Book encouraged students to learn from their failures and be curious at New Student Convocation on Aug. 23. “I want to talk about something that I’ve spent most of my life trying to avoid: failure,” Bratić said in her address. “I know you just got here and you don’t want to talk about failing, but I also don’t want you to think that I ended up here on this stage because everything magically went right for me or that I knew what I was doing from day one.”

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NEWS 8/22/25 1:16pm

Elon University welcomes incoming freshmen to Global Neighborhood

By Evan Cooper

Elon University freshmen moved into the Global Neighborhood on the morning of Aug. 22. Reese Kimball, a freshman from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, said she enjoyed the welcoming environment of Elon. “It just felt really friendly, very welcoming,” Kimball said. “It really felt like people wanted you to be there, and I think that kind of really stuck with me.” Kimball is a Nursing Fellow and said she is excited to get nursing experience in her freshman year. “I've been wanting to start nursing school for four years, and I get to do stuff with nursing students earlier than I was expecting to." 

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NEWS 8/22/25 1:15pm

The class of 2029 moves into Elon University

By Elon News Network

Elon University was filled with cars, faculty, staff and student volunteers greeting new students and unloading packed cars as the class of 2029 moved into campus. The parking lot of Schar Center was transformed for move-in day Aug. 22 with license plates from across the country as cars were funneled into different lines depending on what neighborhood the incoming student will be living in. The class of 2029 consists of 1,517 students, with the top 10 most represented states in the class being on the east coast. 

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NEWS 8/22/25 11:56am

Freshmen students move into Elon University’s Colonnades Neighborhood

By Benjamin Berfield

As freshmen move into their dorms in Colonnades Neighborhood at Elon University, many are experiencing a range of different feelings. With plenty of energy during the morning, families are navigating their way around the neighborhood for the first time. McKinzie Alexander, a freshman from Maryland, said she’s especially looking forward to meeting new people in her building. “I’m definitely excited about meeting my new roommate, and also just my resources for helping me out with everything,” Alexander said. 

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NEWS 8/22/25 10:48am

Elon University class of 2029 arrives to Historic Neighborhood for move in

By Kate Gray and Trista Panagakos

Student volunteers welcomed the class of 2029 to Elon's Historic Neighborhood Aug. 22. Student volunteers stood outside residence halls to unload arriving cars. Rylan Shibley, a member of the football team, is an incoming freshman who already moved into his dorm. He spent his morning helping other freshmen move in and said he was looking forward to meeting fellow freshmen.“On the football team, we had a little bit of a head start, so I kind of know what everyone’s going through, kind of what to expect, but I think it’s good that we get to meet and greet other people."

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NEWS 8/22/25 10:11am

Families arrive on campus for Elon University’s new student move in day

By Sarah T. Moore

The parking lot of Schar Center was transformed for move-in day Aug. 22. There were license plates from across the country as cars were funneled into different lines depending on what neighborhood the incoming student will be living in. The Vander Greind family was excited to be checking in, one step closer to seeing Lucy’s dorm room in the East neighborhood. “Ever since I visited, I fell in love with it and couldn’t stop thinking about it,” Lucy said. “I’m so excited to be back.” 

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NEWS 8/22/25 9:31am

Elon University freshmen move into East Neighborhood

By Miles Hayford

East Neighborhood on Elon University’s campus was bustling with energy and new students on Aug. 22 as the freshmen class began to move into their dorms. Olive Steadman, a freshman from North Carolina, said she was thankful for the help student volunteers were providing. “Everybody was really helpful,” Steadman said. “We had eight people bring our stuff into the elevator and they were all cheering.” Steadman chose Elon largely because she got accepted into the Communications Fellows program, but said the welcoming atmosphere made her feel at home here.

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