Lifestyle

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LIFESTYLE 10/31/25 9:03pm

Elon Gender & LGBTQIA Center embraces ‘spooky season’ with Fall Pride

By Elissa Leka

Elon University’s Gender & LGBTQIA Center’s mission is to create an inclusive space for all, where people learn to “support, advocate, and educate around gender and LGBTQIA identities.” For GLC events coordinator and Elon junior Maverick Powell the pumpkin painting table was a personal favorite. “I always volunteer to do the painting because I love painting, and I also love seeing some people come and pull up in their costumes,” Powell said. “I really want to be able to have a safe space on campus for other people to have fun and be comfortable with themselves.”

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LIFESTYLE 10/31/25 2:38pm

Room2Grow ofrece apoyo y educación a padres jóvenes y en situación de riesgo en el condado de Alamance

 

En un rincón de la sala de conferencias del Centro de Respuesta y Recursos para Víctimas de Agresión Sexual CrossRoads, Jekilah Suenu coloca con cuidado una pegatina en un vaso que dice: "¡Creciendo para ser la mejor versión de mí misma!". Mientras tanto, su madre, Brandy Daye-Suenu, prepara la sala para la clase de esa noche. Daye-Suenu es la fundadora de Room2Grow, una organización que ofrece clases educativas y terapéuticas para padres jóvenes y en situación de riesgo, de entre 16 y 30 años. "No contaban con los recursos necesarios para afrontar sus problemas emocionales y comprender cómo equilibrar la paternidad con su vida cotidiana", explicó Daye-Suenu.

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LIFESTYLE 10/31/25 2:38pm

Room2Grow offers support, education for young, at-risk parents

By Anjolina Fantaroni

In the corner of a conference room at CrossRoads Sexual Assault Response and Resource Center, Jekilah Suenu carefully places a sticker on a cup that reads, “Growing 2 Be the Best I Can Be!” Meanwhile, her mother, Brandy Daye-Suenu, prepares the room for the night’s class. Daye-Suenu is the founder of Room2Grow, an organization that hosts educational and therapeutic classes for at-risk and young parents 16 to 30 years old. “They didn’t have the resources to help them deal with what they were dealing with, emotionally, and understanding how to just balance being a parent and being a person in everyday living,” Daye-Suenu said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/30/25 11:39pm

Alamance County Sheriff's Trunk or Treat, builds relationship between community, law enforcement

By Abigail Haapapuro

For the second year in a row, Alamance County Sheriff's Office filled its parking lot with car’s trunks decked out in Halloween decorations and hosted its annual trunk or treat community outreach event Oct. 30. Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said the biggest drive to host the event was the shared desire to create a safe space for the children to celebrate Halloween in their community.“Right now, I think our society is a very dangerous place for our children, so we talked and decided we would host a trunk or treat in our own parking lot,” Johnson said. 

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LIFESTYLE 10/29/25 10:36pm

Elon University celebrates Diwali with lights, trivia

By Virginia Vance

Flickering candles, a Bollywood dance performance and educational holiday trivia characterized Elon University’s celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of light, on Oct. 29 in McKinnon Hall. Multifaith programming and event director Hillary Zaken said she wanted Hindu students to feel the atmosphere of the celebration and non-Hindu students to learn something new. “Part of your college experience is learning about traditions you might not have heard about, you might have celebrated before and don’t know anything about,” Zaken said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/25/25 9:49pm

Altamahaw Ossipee Civitan Club hosts Halloween Hoot-on-the-Farm

By Emma Luckman

The Altamahaw Ossipee Civitan Club hosted Halloween Hoot-on-the-Farm, an event that was specifically created for people with autism and their families on Oct. 25 at Buttermilk Creek Farm. Attendees experienced horseback riding, face painting, pumpkin decorating and live music. According to Steve Smith, the owner of Buttermilk Creek Farm, being one of the few events made for persons with autism, it is a “no-judgment zone” of different characteristics individuals may have. “The parents tell us it's like their state fair,” Smith said. “The kids get to come and have a great time without people staring at them.” 

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LIFESTYLE 10/25/25 8:21pm

Taste of Alamance returns to celebrate food and community

By Mia Torres

More than 15 local Alamance County restaurants came together to host Taste of Alamance, a food festival Oct. 25. There was food and music while people from all over the county and surrounding areas came to support the festival. All of the proceeds from Taste of Alamance benefited United Way of Alamance County which supports programs and initiatives to help families thrive.  “United Way provides community programming,” president of United Way of Alamance County Lacey Dabbs said. “Most people know us for investing money back out in the community. So, for this fiscal year we had 20 nonprofits that we provided funding.”

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LIFESTYLE 10/25/25 5:14pm

Showdown at Schar raises excitement in Elon basketball, Greek Week

By Benjamin Berfield

The beginning of Elon University’s Greek Week was met with anticipation not just for the upcoming events, but for the men’s and women’s basketball season. To kick off Elon’s 2025 Greek Week, fraternities and sororities participated with the basketball teams in an opportunity to earn points in the Showdown at Schar. Freshman guard DeMarco Johnson said he enjoyed getting to interact with some fans. Demarco said it was fun to participate in events such as the men’s basketball dunk contest. “It feels great seeing the atmosphere around, and just getting ready and being excited to play,” Johnson said. 

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LIFESTYLE 10/25/25 12:29am

Gala Latina: Más Que Una Historia empowers the Elon Latine community

By Barbara Duran

Colorful decor, music and laughter filled LaRose Student Commons at the annual Gala Latina. The event was more than just your average gala of people sitting and talking, it was vibrant and lively, full of community bonding and celebration of achievement. Going on its ninth year, the Gala Latina is the closing event El Centro hosts for Hispanic Heritage Month. Since the Gala’s inception, it has created a space for Latine students to come together and share in one another's accomplishments, heritage, and community. Elon University freshman Kimberly Barrera-Paredes said this event highlights Elon’s Latine community. “It really shows the community we have here,” Barrera-Paredes said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/24/25 7:04am

Elon Truitt Center holds Halloween event, creates space for Paganism on campus

By Megan Walsh

Spell bag making, pumpkin painting and tarot card readings were  some of the offerings students engaged in during The Veil is Thin: Spells, Symbols and Stories event. The event was held by Elon’s Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life. Director of Multifaith Programming and Engagement, Hillary Zaken, said the event marked the second event in the center’s effort to bring more Pagan-centered events to campus. “What Paganism is to me is just having this deep reverence and respect for life, but also the way that you live your life, and living it intentionally,” sophomore Finn Hughes said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/24/25 12:48am

Elon Black Alumni Network panel bridges generations through reflection, empowerment

By Lauren McCowan

The Elon Black Alumni Network hosted its annual discussion panel on Oct. 23, welcoming students and alumni into the KOBC room, where they filled it with laughter, honesty, and reflection. Panelists Dyamond Howell ’19, assistant director of Alumni Engagement Initiatives; Alex Bohannon ’17, EBAN president; and Abdul-Malik Harrison ’21, assistant director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, led the discussion. Together, they reflected on identity, community and the importance of bridging the gap between alumni and students.

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LIFESTYLE 10/22/25 11:36am

Ms. Sandra greets students with strength after surviving breast cancer

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Sandra Greeson is a familiar face at McEwen Dining Hall, greeting students five days a week in the mornings and afternoons. Greeson was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer four years ago and was the first person in her family to have it. Even through her diagnosis and chemotherapy in 2021, she still worked the McEwen cash register, which she said gave her a drive. “I wanted to be strong and show others what it was like to be strong when you have cancer. It’s not just something you set back. You can be strong and move on forward with it.”

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LIFESTYLE 10/21/25 10:45am

Elon alumni bring original plays to NYC audiences

By Emma Perman

Two Elon University alumni are making their off-Broadway debut with plays inspired by their own lived experiences. From the halls of a convent in Peru to the reunions in a prison visiting room, these works dive into faith, queerness, familial trauma and complex love. Mallorie Sievert ’24 graduated from Elon with a bachelor of fine arts degree in music theatre. Sievert said she never imagined her undergraduate honors thesis, “The City-Women” would one day be read aloud on a New York City stage. Madelyn Slattery ’24 graduated from Elon with a degree in drama theatre studies and English, bringing her off-broadway debut with “Mom Play.”

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LIFESTYLE 10/19/25 5:20pm

Emotional support animals help Elon college students destress

By Mackenzie Cruz

Abby Martin did not expect to bring Gracie, a 12-year-old British shorthair cat, to school with her for her sophomore year at Elon University. Martin’s mom flew five hours from Houston to meet her in North Carolina with Gracie under the seat in front of her. She initially got a dog in 2020 to help with her anxiety, until she started college. “When I started coming to school, I kind of started experiencing those issues again, and I really just thought it would be helpful to have an animal with me,” Martin said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/17/25 11:53am

Elon University’s fall musical explores life, art, love in Paris after WWII

By Sarah T. Moore and Elissa Leka

Elon’s production of “An American in Paris” will have seven shows from Oct. 31 to Nov. 8 in McCrary Theatre.Based on the 1951 romantic comedy movie of the same name, “An American in Paris” explores the French capital through the eyes of a veteran after World War II. Elon senior Gabe Tobierre said he is looking forward to the audience seeing the team’s hard work.“It has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears from the entire creative team, cast and everything,” Tobierre said. “It's been a labor of love for sure.” 

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LIFESTYLE 10/12/25 2:45pm

Rock the Block brings Elon community together across generations

By Virginia Vance and JJ Duckworth

Across from a speaker-framed stage, a mix of families and students milled about Young Commons. People formed lines for food trucks and caricature portraits made by artists. Kids darted around the lawn or jumped on the bouncy house. George Martin Jr. ‘68 came from Jacksonville, Florida for Homecoming Weekend. “It’s wonderful, we really had nothing much like this,” Martin Jr. said. “If we had anything for Homecoming, we would have a dance in the gym after the football game, and that was about it.”

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LIFESTYLE 10/11/25 4:11pm

Elon7amTailgate kicks off Elon University's Homecoming game festivities

By Emma Luckman

At 7 a.m. Oct. 11 most people are in bed, but for the Elon7amTailgate, their day has already started. Originally beginning about 12 years ago, the tailgate started after Elon University's Athletics Advisory Board had a vision of building an event to create a culture and a more dynamic fan base. Four members of the board, David Oakley, Mike Cross, David Rich and Brian Martindale, took this idea and ran with it, according to Oakley, one of the creators.

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LIFESTYLE 10/11/25 7:08am

Elon School of Communications celebrates 25th anniversary

By Anjolina Fantaroni

With food, live music, and  memories, the Snow Family Grand Atrium in Schar Hall served as the site of the School of Communications’ 25th anniversary. School of Communications Dean T. Kenn Gaither, introduced the event and extended a warm welcome and congratulations to Asha Michelle Wilson '13 with the school's Alumna of the Year Award. “I haven't actually been back to campus since graduation, so it's been 12 years since I've been back,” Wilson said. “I've done a lot of Elon panels in L.A. and coming back and being here for the 25th anniversary of the comm school and seeing everybody has been amazing.”

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LIFESTYLE 10/9/25 4:08pm

Elon students celebrate cultural identity through on-campus clubs

By Gaby Maldonado

From cultural celebrations to social advocacy, identity-based affinity groups shape student experiences at Elon University. These organizations provide students with spaces to connect over shared identities, experiences and interests while fostering inclusion and community across campus. Groups such as the Black Student Union, Asian-Pacific Student Association and Latinx-Hispanic Union give students opportunities to celebrate their culture, raise awareness and participate in meaningful campus events.   “Especially at a PWI, it’s very important that Black students have somewhere to go because there are not many people that look like them,” sophomore and vice president of special events for BSU Damani Grayson said. “It’s really a home away from home.” 

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LIFESTYLE 10/8/25 4:15pm

Elon’s One Phoenix committee holds first annual Phoenix Feud

By Harrison Narens

Elon’s One Phoenix committee of the Student Government Association, which handles the homecoming court, hosted the first-ever Phoenix Feud. A Family Feud-like game tasking teams of two homecoming court candidates and three audience members to work together to win. The event took place at the McBride Gathering Space in the Numen Lumen Pavilion and was separated into multiple rounds, allowing many groups of candidates to play. Additional challenges were added between trivia questions to spice the game up. There was also a Kahoot as the final event to allow everyone to get to know the candidates.

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