Letters to the Editor

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NEWS 10/28/24 10:50am

Burlington Police use AI to monitor unchecked body camera footage

By Fiona McAllister

The Burlington Police Department is the first station in North Carolina to use artificial intelligence in its body camera footage. The department’s partnership with Truleo is meant to help officers on their daily routes. Truleo scans hundreds of hours of body camera footage and highlights key points. Captain Dalton Majors of the Burlington Police Department said Truleo has saved Burlington Police Department millions of dollars and is helping both victims and officers. Majors said one aspect of this tool that has been helpful is reviewing the actions of officers.

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SPORTS 10/27/24 4:23pm

Elon University wide receiver embraces switch from quarterback to wide receiver

By Benjamin Berfield

Redshirt sophomore Will Lankford didn’t anticipate a position change would occur before the 2024 season. Lankford had completed his redshirt freshman year for Elon University football as quarterback playing in six games. It wasn’t until preseason camp where he got asked about switching from quarterback to wide receiver. Offensive coordinator Drew Folmar said injuries at receiver and the lack of depth contributed to Lankford’s transition. He approached Lankford about the idea and said all Lankford cared about was whether it would benefit the Phoenix.

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LIFESTYLE 10/27/24 3:27pm

Elon University joins community in hosting Pumpkin Festival

By Lauren McCowan

Tables with pumpkins, hot chocolate, and crafts filled the Elon community garden for the university’s annual Pumpkin Festival on Oct. 25. From the moment it began attendees from the university and local town were greeted with music and activities. Elon’s Sustainability office and other programs took part by setting tables up for people to learn about the importance of creating and maintaining a sustainable environment. Eco-Rep and junior Virginia Campbell represented the Office of Sustainability with a table for guests to make lanterns out of recyclable items.

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SPORTS 10/26/24 11:56pm

Hat trick helps Elon University men’s soccer clinch playoff spot

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University men’s soccer team defeated Northeastern University 4-2 on Senior Night to win their eighth game of the season. After going scoreless  in the first half, the Phoenix responded in the second half with four goals. It was Elon’s first win since defeating William & Mary 2-1 on Oct. 5. The victory guarantees a fourth-straight trip to the playoffs for the Phoenix. They can clinch the CAA title for the regular season with a win against Campbell on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.

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NEWS 10/26/24 9:49pm

Elon volunteers pack meals for hurricane relief

By Charlotte Pfabe

“Everyone deserves to eat” is painted on the warehouse wall of the Second Harvest Food Bank in Winston-Salem. Volunteers from Elon University took that motto to heart as they packaged meals and supplies on Oct. 25 for those impacted by Hurricane Helene — including disaster relief workers — in western North Carolina. In a partnership between Elon University’s Kernodle Center for Civic Life and Second Harvest, students, faculty and staff boarded a bus and traveled to the central center of Second Harvest in Winston-Salem. Assistant Registrar Hannah Southern ’22 volunteered alongside her colleagues from the Registrar's office.

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NEWS 10/26/24 3:39pm

Elon ’24 alumna remembered as devoted friend, hard worker

By Avery Sloan

Juliana Kuhno ’24 is remembered as fearless, adventurous and a fierce friend by her father Chuck Kuhno. Her mother Deana Kuhno said she was creative and always involved — whether she was working on her own passion projects or leading student organizations at Elon. Juliana died Oct. 19 after complications from surgery. She was 22 years old and living in Wake Forest with her family after having graduated from Elon in May. At Elon University, she was involved with Limelight Records, Net Impact and The Edge Magazine on campus.

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NEWS 10/26/24 2:28pm

Alamance Burlington Association of Educators marches to polls at Elon

By Trista Panagakos

On Saturday, Oct. 26, Alamance Burlington Association of Educators organized a march from Elon Community Church to Elon University’s South Gym — which is Alamance County One Stop Early Voting Location. The goal of the march was to motivate voters to support public education and schools when they go to the polls this election season, said President of Alamance Burlington Association of Educators Robert Alvis. “Schools Vote Together” aims to charge voters  all over North Carolina to bring visibility to public education and its importance on the ballot this cycle.

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NEWS 10/25/24 9:06pm

Elon community supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month with mobile screenings, local fundraisers

By Gaby Maldonado

Every October, communities worldwide support Breast Cancer Awareness Month, raising awareness, promoting early detection and contributing to research. Elon University partnered with Cone Health, a nonprofit healthcare network, to bring a mobile screening van to bring awareness and resources to campus. The cancer screening unit, stationed at Koury Parking Lot during HealthEU Day, provided mammograms to 45 individuals. Local restaurant Pandora's Pies also supported breast cancer awareness by donating 10% of its October, garlic knot sales to breast cancer research for the 12th year in a row.

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NEWS 10/25/24 4:10pm

Greek Dance marks end of 2024-25 Greek Week

By Cassie Weymouth

Oct. 24 marked the end of Elon University’s 2024-25 Greek Week with a dance competition consisting of 16 chapters of Elon’s greek organizations. The performance was held in the Schar Center and chapters were judged on creativity and theme, performance and overall stage presence. Judges were senior Robin Falkow from SGA, Elon Mayor Emily Sharpe, the women’s basketball head coach Charlotte Smith and Elon basketball players Laila Anderson and Isaac Harrell. Greek Week also fundraised over $20,000 for Habitat for Humanity and allowed free admission to Greek Dance for the first time.

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LIFESTYLE 10/25/24 1:18pm

Elon Watches: Young Frankenstein

By Rylan Ammerman

A ghoulish castle drenches a hill in shadow. Lightning illuminates the cobweb ridden staircases of its interior. Outside, horses whine as werewolves howl throughout the thick forest of the town below. If this sounds like the introduction to a horror film, that couldn’t be more incorrect. The backbone of the entire project is Gene Wilder. Best known for his role as the titular character in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” Wilder is utterly valiant, delivering the strongest performance of his career here.

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SPORTS 10/24/24 9:39pm

Elon University women’s soccer falls to Campbell despite outshooting them

By Miles Hayford

Despite coming into the game as the Coastal Athletic Association’s best with a chance to clinch the regular season title, the Elon women’s soccer team fell to Campbell University 1-0. Campbell upset the Phoenix thanks to resistant defense, even as Elon outshot them 18 to 5. In the end, Elon played an almost perfect game. Few teams could have found more offensive opportunities than Elon did tonight, and their defense held firm most of the game. It came down to the Camels’ rigid defense and one single moment where Campbell’s offense saw an opportunity and took it.

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LIFESTYLE 10/24/24 5:17pm

Computer canines take stage in ‘Legally Blonde’ at Elon University

By Katharyn MacDonald

Two robotic dogs are making their debut appearance during Elon University’s fall mainstage musical “Legally Blonde." As the production prepares for its opening Oct. 25, Elon engineering students are putting final touches on the robotic dogs, bringing the show’s beloved canine characters — Bruiser and Rufus — to life. Over the past five months, engineering students have done extensive research and work to build the dogs. Senior Zoë Scherpbier built shells of artificial fur and dog features to make the robots’ outsides as realistic as possible without falling into the uncanny valley.

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SPORTS 10/24/24 10:57am

Price of play: Impact of injury on Elon University athletes

By Miles Hayford

Season-ending injuries are an unfortunate, but common staple of collegiate athletics. Around 210,000 college sports-related injuries occurred from 2009-14, according to a Centers of Disease Control and Prevention study. Within that number, almost 4,000 athletes each year experience a season-ending injury, according to a study published in the Journal of Amateur Sport. These injuries are more than just a number, though. Each one affects a student-athlete in a different way, each student-athlete grapples with the absence of sport differently and each recovery process is different.

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NEWS 10/23/24 11:54pm

Elon Mayor discusses community engagement with university

By Liya Rike

Town of Elon Mayor Emily Sharpe joined Elon University students in McKinnon Hall on Oct. 23 for a town hall discussion hosted by the Student Government Association. Alongside Burlington City Manager Craig Honeycutt and Alamance Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Reagan Gural, Sharpe addressed questions and concerns from students — with the event aiming to strengthen the connection between the university and the local community. The discussion also provided a platform for students to engage with local leaders and explore ways to collaborate on community issues.

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SPORTS 10/23/24 11:08pm

Elon University men’s soccer drops fourth straight loss amid tough schedule

By Miles Hayford

Despite a strong start to the season, Elon men’s soccer dropped its fourth straight loss after falling to the University of North Carolina, Charlotte 2-0. After 10 minutes had passed, redshirt junior Ryan Manna had the first shot of the game, but Charlotte’s stalwart goalie Leo Stritter — who has nine shutouts this season — blocked it. That’s where it began to get tough for the Phoenix to climb out of the deficit. Against Charlotte’s nationally ranked defense — the team is first in goals allowed per game with 0.5 — the Phoenix’s offense stalled.

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NEWS 10/23/24 10:53pm

Data Nexus 'Power of Women in Data' series continues with Elon alumna

By Kate Gray

Maggie Macdonald ’15 spoke at Elon University on Oct. 23 as part of the Data Nexus Power of Women in Data series to discuss the role of district boundaries and social media in elections. The assistant professor of political science at the University of Kentucky has research experience in congressional campaigns and elections, specifically concerning strategic online political communication and campaign finances. Data Nexus is Elon’s Hub for data competency, particularly designed to prepare students to understand the role of data and data analysis in society.

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LIFESTYLE 10/23/24 12:07pm

Elon’s Chinese Club creates community

By Megan Walsh

The symbol of rising from the ashes applies to more at Elon University than the fire in 1923 and rebuilding that followed. Elon’s Chinese Club was born out of several failed attempts and a global pandemic. Now, the club hosts a variety of Chinese cultural events — positively impacting students and the Elon community. Featured events include the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lunar New Year, Dumplings Across Cultures event with the Italian club and Latinx-Hispanic Union, karaoke and game night events, calligraphy nights and study abroad information sessions about Chinese-speaking countries.

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NEWS 10/22/24 10:30pm

Democratic Women of Alamance County rally around voter turnout, key issues

By Erin Hroncich

The Red, White and Blue Rally hosted by the Democratic Women of Alamance County brought in a range of community members and candidates looking to increase voter turnout Oct. 22. Around 100 people gathered in downtown Burlington to hear from local candidates and speakers about key issues in the upcoming election, such as education and voter rights. The keynote speech was given by Kimberly Hardy, a professor at Fayetteville State University’s School of Social Work. Hardy emphasized the importance of encouraging lower turnout groups to show up this election.

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NEWS 10/22/24 9:31pm

Elon alumni speaker series continues with political misinformation discussion

By Evan Cooper

Reporter and Elon alumna Maria Ramirez Uribe ’20 spoke to attendees at Elon University on Oct. 22 about disinformation surrounding the upcoming election as part of the university’s alumni speaker series. Ramirez currently works for PolitiFact as an immigration reporter and fact checker. Ramirez started the presentation by explaining what PolitiFact is — a news organization that tracks statements made by politicians and then verifies if they are true or not. Since 2016 and the rise of misinformation online, PolitiFact has also begun to track social media posts and comments.

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NEWS 10/22/24 8:55pm

Elon University hosts deepfake discussion 2 weeks ahead of election day

By Monika Jurevicius

Purdue University doctoral student Christina Walker visited Elon University on Oct. 22 to discuss the impact of political deepfakes on social media users and how labeling could help stop the spread of misinformation. Deepfakes are a form of artificial intelligence that can add someone’s face and voice to another user. Walker and her team capture information on who shares these systems on social media and tracks its original source when available. The main goal of the political deepfake database is to track media users’ understanding of a specific watermark for AI-generated content, which signals the material posted is fake.

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