Letters to the Editor

---

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. 

---

SPORTS 5/13/25 4:34pm

Elon University softball captures first-ever CAA Championship

By Miles Hayford

Elon softball's win over Campbell on May 10 secured the program’s first ever CAA Championship and the second ever league title since joining Division I in 2000, with the last one coming in 2010. Senior Kaitlyn Wells was red-hot at the plate, getting a tournament-high eight runs batted in and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the tournament. She joined redshirt junior Chloe Hatzopoulos, senior Allee Seering and fifth year Meredith Wells on the CAA All-Tournament team. Elon’s conference championship earned them an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

---

SPORTS 5/12/25 7:14pm

Elon University men’s ultimate frisbee makes national tournament for first time in 10 years

By Kathan Gandhi

Elon men’s ultimate frisbee has qualified for the Division III Men’s National Tournament for the first time since 2015. Teams will compete in warm-up play before starting the national tournament on May 17 in Burlington, Washington. The Bomb held the No. 1 position in this year’s regionals. A dominant 15-12 victory over the University of Richmond, who beat them two years prior, earned the team an automatic bid to nationals. The tournament will be streamed live on the USA Ultimate's Facebook and YouTube pages. 

---

LIFESTYLE 5/12/25 1:39pm

Elon University student writes, produces original play, ‘CelEXbration’

By Katrina Holtz

The Black Box Theatre was filled with laughter and music as students staged a reading of “CelEXbration,” a new play written, produced and directed by senior acting major Sarah Cadol. With shows on Saturday, May 10 at 2 p.m and 8 p.m, the production brought audiences into the world of Cierra, a queer teenager confronting her past relationships on her 18th birthday. The staged reading was a fully staged performance; however, actors were still reading from scripts. The production featured basic sound design, props and costumes, with minimal set and little lighting. 

---

OPINIONS 5/11/25 2:38pm

Behind the Curtain with LG: Carpets

By Lily Gooding

This is a talk about carpets — well, sort of. This talk about carpets addresses something more than that used-to-be-white 5x8 shag rug you’ve had since freshman year. This carpet isn’t made from polyester, it’s made from the threads of relationships you’ve made in your time at Elon — so actually yes, maybe there are some threads from freshman year. Every thread is a relationship in your life that weaves together to create the carpet in which you dance on through life. And as you cut-up-the-rug, per say, you reveal old threads (aka reconnect with some old pals).

---

NEWS 5/11/25 10:08am

North Carolina LGBTQ+ communities cope with increase in federal anti-trans legislation

By Nia Bedard

Since the start of 2025, 869 bills regarding transgender people have been filed across 49 states and 37 bills are active at the national level, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization tracking bills that impact trans and gender-diverse people across the U.S. As the number of bills regarding transgender people increases, organizations across North Carolina, such as the LGBTQ Center of Durham, are ramping up efforts to help and educate. One of the resources that the center offers is a quarterly name change clinic to help attendants gather resources needed to undergo the process. 

---

LIFESTYLE 5/10/25 11:08am

Elon University senior art thesis exhibition breaks norms, encourages critical thinking

By Karsyn Vann

Audiences will leave the Arts West Gallery 406 with a newfound sense of what is artistically possible in Elon University’s senior art thesis exhibition, entitled “Breaking the Frame.” The exhibition seeks to showcase the six senior artists pushing the boundaries of traditional art and how it is perceived by society, according to Elon professor of art Ryan Rasmussen. Rasmussen said the exhibition is the culmination of ART 4970 and ART 4971: Senior Seminar I and II, a two-part course spanning the whole year. The exhibition will be open until May 23.

---

NEWS 5/10/25 8:41am

Elon community honors ‘silent teachers’ in annual anatomy program remembrance ceremony

By Anjolina Fantaroni

The Numen Lumen Sacred Space was filled with memories, stories and remembrance to honor the individuals who donated their bodies to science — referred to as “silent teachers” — as part of the undergraduate human anatomy program. The memorial service is a tradition held once a year, designed to reflect on the invaluable role body donors play in medical and anatomical education. Students and faculty gathered to express gratitude and reflect on the lessons learned from those who donated their bodies for anatomical study.

---

NEWS 5/9/25 11:12pm

Elon University celebrates largest Lavender Graduation to date

By Megan Walsh

Elon University’s Gender and LGBTQIA Center hosted its 13th annual Lavender Graduation on May 9 in Alumni Gym, recognizing 87 students across the undergraduate and graduate programs. Lavender Graduation serves to recognize undergraduate and graduate seniors who have contributed to LGBTQ+ inclusion throughout their time at Elon. Director of the Gender and LGBTQIA Center Luis Garay said in an interview that the concept of a Lavender Graduation began in the 1990s, and Elon students brought the ceremony to campus in 2012. This year’s ceremony celebrated 87 graduates, the largest class to date. 

---

NEWS 5/9/25 10:40pm

Federal judge rules in favor of Democrat Allison Riggs, orders certification of election for North Carolina Supreme Court

By Fiona McAllister

A federal judge ruled that Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs will remain in the final count for the undecided 2024 race for the North Carolina Supreme Court. Republican Jefferson Griffin conceded this race after the months-long legal battle. U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina Richard Myers emphasized in his ruling that removing votes six months after Election Day would infringe upon the due process and equal protection rights of affected residents. He ruled in favor of Riggs, asserting that recent state appeals court decisions to remove potentially thousands of ineligible voter ballots would violate the U.S. Constitution.

---

NEWS 5/9/25 9:56pm

New pickleball complex opens at Burlington City Park

By Abby Gravely

The grand opening of Burlington City Park’s new 17-court pickleball complex featured a ribbon-cutting, beginner classes, raffles and more. With 17 courts, shaded areas and special events such as clinics and tournaments, residents are looking forward to the complex becoming a community hotspot. The day featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, beginner classes, raffles and more. The courts are open to all Burlington residents, though those who pay for memberships get special privileges such as court rentals, a ball machine and merchandise discounts. 

---