Letters to the Editor

NEWS 11/9/11 4:11pm

Creating local fairytales

By David Turkel

Zeta Phi Beta sorority is putting a twist on a classic story with its Cinderella Project. By collecting prom dresses for young women in the Burlington community who may not be able to afford one on their own, the sorority is helping create a fairytale for more than 150 high school girls.

NEWS 11/9/11 3:52pm

News briefs - Nov. 9, 2011

By The Pendulum

Former student dies in fire Connor McKeown, a former Elon University student who was unable to return this academic year died in a fire Thursday night, according to an email from Chaplain Jan Fuller. A gathering of friends was held Wednesday, Nov.

NEWS 11/9/11 3:47pm

International Briefs - Nov. 9, 2011

By The Pendulum

2,000 tourists being rescued from foothills of Mount Everest due to inclement weather About 2,000 guides and tourists were stranded in the foothills of Mount Everest for several days when poor weather grounded flights from the area.

NEWS 11/9/11 3:34pm

Sorry excuse for justice

By Rebecca Wickel

After more than six years pushing for legislation against bullying in Michigan, Kevin Epling thought he could rest easier knowing he helped make a change for troubled youth.

NEWS 11/9/11 3:23pm

Local election results

By The Pendulum

Village of Alamance Mayor Cathera Bundren Village of Alamance, Aldermen Chris Clemmons Barry Crouse Write-in Candidate City of Burlington, Council Member David Huffman Bob Ward Town of Gibsonville, Mayor Leonard Williams Town of Gibsonville, Aldermen Clarence Owen Mark Shepherd Paul Thompson City of Graham, Mayor Jerry Peterman City of Graham, Council Member Jim Albright Lee Kimrey Town of Green Level, Council Member Remonia Enoch Larry McCollum Write-In Candidate Town of Haw River, Mayor Buddy Boggs Town of Haw River, Council Member Lee Lovette Ashley Warren City of Mebane, Mayor Glendel Stephenson City of Mebane, Council Member Everette Greene Patty Phillips Town of Ossipee, Council Member Ernest Bare Billy Carter Danny Sutton Town of Swepsonville, Council Member Virginia Gail Miller Doug Scott City of Burlington, Mayor Ronnie Wall For more specific results, visit the Alamance County Board of Elections.

NEWS 11/9/11 1:45pm

Elon law celebrates 5 years, accomplishments

By Jack Dodson

In 2007, Bernie Brown was a professor of biochemistry at Wake Forest University, 15 years after he got his undergraduate degree in the same field, when he decided he wanted something different: a career in law. Brown enrolled in the second class of Elon University's

NEWS 11/9/11 11:46am

Aldermen elected 2011

By Anna Johnson

The four candidates were whittled down to three aldermen. Both Mark Greene and Ron Klepcyk won re-election with exactly 502 votes each, while John Peterson joined the town of Elon board as its newest member with the highest number of votes at 541.

NEWS 11/8/11 3:14pm

"Death Masks:" students transform their faces through creative design

By Kyra Gemberling

Chip Johnson had his first encounter with using masks and prosthetic pieces in order to become a 78-year-old headmaster in an original play called "Bippus, A, Um" when he was an undergraduate at Rollins College. A few decades later, Johnson, who now works at Elon as an adjunct assistant professor of performing arts, followed his fascination with makeup design to teach classes on the subject.

NEWS 11/7/11 7:58pm

It's Fall! Get outdoors and Run!

By Nicole Esplin

Leaves have changed the tree line from lush green to brilliant shades of orange, red and yellow and are beginning to fall in every direction.  I don’t know if it is the crunch beneath my feet with every stride or the smell of earth from the falling leaves, but there is something about fall that makes running during the fall truly majestic. Maybe it’s those mornings where I can see my breath, feel the cool air entering and exiting my lungs, and really feel my body working to maintain the rhythm of breathing, striding, breathing, striding. It’s an amazing time of year to go out for a run, and yes, runs around campus are perfect for time-crunched days where runs need to be as simple as possible.  But I challenge everyone to find one day this fall and leave Elon for a national or state park to go for a run or even a long hike and see how far away you can feel from school and stress for a few hours. The following parks are within one hour of campus, and all offer at least three miles of trails to explore on your next run … just make sure to read the maps before heading out -- a 5-mile run could turn into 11 miles if you’re not careful! Umstead Park William B.

NEWS 11/7/11 7:37pm

Something's wrong in Happy Valley

By Adam Lawson

Joe Paterno should be glad he’s 84. At least now he can provide a senility defense if somebody brings up the fact that his statement contradicts information in the grand jury indictment of former Pennsylvania State University defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. He can also take solace knowing that after the Sandusky scandal inevitably leads to his resignation/termination as head coach that he can say he coached for 62 years under the façade of doing things the right way. This is the type of thing that stains a legacy.  And I’m not talking about a small ketchup stain – more like gasoline and lit matches being thrown onto the JoePa we thought we knew just last week. Woody Hayes had his legacy tarnished when he punched a Clemson player in the 1978 Gator Bowl.  That poor decision-making led to his firing, and his three national championships were suddenly trumped by one instance of violence.  Paterno stands to lose so much more than Hayes. For those late to the party, Sandusky is being charged with 40 counts of sex crimes against under-aged boys.  Paterno had direct knowledge of an incident involving one of his victims, and he did little about it. In 2002, according to the grand jury’s 23-page summary of the Sandusky investigation, graduate assistant Mike McQueary walked into the Penn State locker room to find Sandusky, in the shower, engaging in anal sex with a boy appearing to be about 10 years old. A distraught McQueary told Paterno of the incident the next day.  Instead of doing the right thing and going to the police, Paterno chose to only inform Athletic Director Tim Curley.  According to Paterno’s testimony, Paterno reported that McQueary had seen Sandusky “in the Lasch Building showers fondling or doing something of a sexual nature to a young boy.” Wait a second. That makes it sound pretty clear Paterno knew SOMETHING wrong went down.  Which begs the question:  Why did Paterno deny knowledge in his statement to the public this weekend? If true, the nature and amount of charges made are very shocking to me and all Penn Staters.  While I did what I was supposed to with the one charge brought to my attention, like anyone else involved I can’t help but be deeply saddened these matters are alleged to have occurred. Paterno went on to say the following: As my grand jury testimony stated, I was informed in 2002 by an assistant coach that he had witnessed an incident in the shower of our locker room facility.  It was obvious that the witness was distraught over what he saw, but he at no time related to me the very specific actions contained in the Grand Jury report.  Regardless, it was clear that the witness saw something very inappropriate involving Mr. Sandusky.  As Coach Sandusky was retired from our coaching staff at the time, I referred the matter to university administrators.  Bull. This is Paterno denying all responsibility.  He claims to not have knowledge of what exactly happened but he TESTIFIED that something inappropriate occurred.  In such a case involving sexual abuse of a CHILD, you go to the police.  Not the athletic director. And why does it matter that Sandusky was retired from the coaching staff?  He still had complete access to the facilities in Happy Valley.  Curley has stepped down.  So has university Vice President Gary Schultz.  Next to lose his job should be Paterno. Because no matter what he says now, he did have knowledge of what went on.  And the fact that the university did NOT inform law enforcement does not excuse Paterno. He had a moral, if not legal, obligation to inform the police.  He is the czar of Happy Valley.  Is it not reasonable to assume he had friends with legal influence in the area?  Somebody who could have launched some sort of an investigation?  Somebody that could have prevented Sandusky from being allowed to continue his reign of terror upon young boys? This scandal is big news, regardless of how much ESPN chooses to cover it.  It will result in the end of Paterno’s 62-year coaching career.  And the stain of this incident will be something Paterno won’t be able to recover from. It doesn’t matter anymore that Paterno has the most wins in Division I football history.  Years from now, when people look back at the JoePa era, the first thing they’ll examine will be the tragedy that was Jerry Sandusky and how Paterno had the power to stop him and refused to do so.

NEWS 11/7/11 2:59pm

Nov. 2 Correspondents' Corner

By Glenn Scott

Glenn Scott is an associate professor of communications at Elon University. He is on leave to serve as a Fulbright visiting lecturer at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan. OKINAWA, JAPAN--Assigning students to groups of three, I had in mind the usual cautionary moves learned as a classroom instructor at Elon. The situation was new.

NEWS 11/7/11 2:46pm

Censored

By The Pendulum

Censorship. It's a word and concept that should send a shiver down the spine of anyone who supports the First Amendment.

NEWS 11/7/11 2:45pm

Topics - Nov. 8, 2011

By Rachel Southmayd

http://stream.elon.edu/pendulum/2011fall/podcasts/opinions/topics_11.8.mp3 Rachel talks about this week's paper, including the editorial about tolerance and nudity on campus, Matt's Safe Schools law in Michigan and a preview about next week's Topics on sex scandals.

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NEWS 02/04/2026 5:47pm
ABSS plans to better district with 6-step rezoning plan

The Alamance-Burlington School System has a six-step plan for its district-wide rezoning, developed in collaboration with SchoolCAMP, a professional consulting firm affiliated with North Carolina State University’s Institute for Transportation Research and Education. The plan, currently in its second phase, is expected to be complete by spring 2026. It includes a land use study, community engagement, zonal mapping, a board vote, family notification and implementation. The rezoning will then take effect in the 2026-27 academic year. 

LIFESTYLE 02/04/2026 3:49pm
Leslie Jones to perform at Elon Day 2026

Elon senior Khoreen Johnson already knows where she will be on March 5. “In the front row is where I plan to be,” Johnson said. “One thousand percent with the rest of my friend group. We already talked about it.” She wants to be front and center when comedian and former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Leslie Jones performs as this year’s Elon Day comedian. 

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