Lifestyle

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LIFESTYLE 8/30/25 5:04pm

‘It’s more than just milk’: Milk Club hosts first ‘Cownival’ with Late Night Elon

By Rachel Holley

Late Night Elon hosted a carnival event Friday night with Milk Club on Young Commons. The two hour event, which had over 150 attendees, included games, food, ice cream sundaes and milk shots. Creative director of Milk Club’s outreach committee Eli Hruska says the club is also for those who don’t like milk. “It’s more than just milk. Whether you’re lactose intolerant, whether you just don't like milk, don't believe in milk, you should still come by,” Hruska said.

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LIFESTYLE 8/27/25 9:50am

Una nueva tienda abre sus puertas en el centro de Elon

By Fiona McAllister

Una nueva tienda de ropa ha abierto sus puertas en el centro de Elon. Se espera que la tienda, llamada Brown, esté completamente operativa en las próximas dos semanas, según el propietario, Justin Duszlak. Brown se encuentra en East Lebanon Avenue, en el local que anteriormente ocupaba la boutique Simply Oak antes de su cierre el 31 de marzo. Duszlak comentó que las renovaciones comenzaron el 4 de julio y finalizaron en aproximadamente un mes. Duszlak indicó que su objetivo era tener la tienda funcionando en septiembre para el nuevo año escolar.

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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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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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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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LIFESTYLE 8/10/25 9:39am

Inside the hive: Alamance County Beekeepers and their fight for honeybee survival

By Lilly Molina

Ira Poston begins his day on his farm at 8 a.m. and cares for the over 70 bee colonies on his property. Poston is the Regional Director of the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association, and the former President of the Alamance County Beekeepers for 10 years. The Alamance County Beekeepers is a chapter of the state’s beekeepers associations. It is a nonprofit club focused on educating the community about honeybees by visiting schools, local clubs and even teaching a bee school for aspiring beekeepers. 

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LIFESTYLE 7/1/25 12:30pm

Elon University Year of Service Fellows give back to Alamance County

By Ruby Burckle

Every year, six seniors at Elon University are chosen to participate in the Elon Year of Service Fellows Program; a post-grad opportunity allowing them to live and work in Alamance County, and give back to the community they lived in during the four years of their undergrad experience. “I feel like as an Elon student Alamance County gives us so much and I really liked the idea of being able to give back to the county that we live in for four years,” said Abby Lee, a 2025 fellow.

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LIFESTYLE 6/23/25 8:29am

Elon University students submit album for Grammy consideration

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Elon University students Nailah Ware and Jax Bohnenberger turned their passion for R&B into a project during finals week, creating an album titled “J MAJOR.” Through working together and maintaining industry standard professionalism, they are submitting the album for Grammy consideration this fall. “We said, ‘Let’s do an album,’” Bohnenberger said. Ware is one of 16 students studying in Los Angeles through the Elon in LA program. She said that while working with Bohnenberger, she pushed herself to rap like never before, coming together to make the album cut through the noise — especially in divided times.

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LIFESTYLE 6/19/25 11:07am

Piedmont Shakespeare Company brings audiences accessibility, understandability in production of “Hamlet”

By Megan Walsh

Local theatre organization, Piedmont Shakespeare Company, has begun its inaugural season, performing “Hamlet” across 6 locations throughout the Triad. Piedmont Shakespeare Company is a Shakespeare company that runs in the summer. The company was founded by two Elon University professors — Kim Shively and David McGraw — and a University of North Carolina School of the Arts professor, Carl Forsman. The company aims to bring performances of Shakespeare’s works to communities all over the Piedmont Triad for free. In February 2025, the company announced Hamlet as its first play to be performed in June 2025. 

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LIFESTYLE 6/8/25 4:33pm

Rolling through Gate City: Greensboro’s roller derby revival

By Monika Jurevicius

Abigail Kerr left behind the foam weapons of Dagorhir in search of a new challenge. They found it on the roller derby flat track at the Greensboro Roller Derby in August 2024, where the hits are real, the pace is relentless and they don’t have to hold anything back. Even with no prior experience, roller derby provided a more female-centered and nonbinary community. “It doesn't matter if you’ve never played a sport,” Emly Price, a pivot for GSORD said. “We really welcome everybody — every body type, every gender, every shape. We meet you where you are. 

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LIFESTYLE 6/5/25 7:21am

Elon University alumna makes National Tour debut in “Shucked”

By Sarah T. Moore

Elon music theatre alumna Mallorie Sievert ’24 will spend the next year traveling the United States with the first national tour of Tony Award-winning comedy musical "Shucked." Sievert is one of at least 7 Elon music theatre alumni currently in a national tour. "It's so exciting to be doing what I set out to be doing when I got my BFA and when I moved to New York," Sievert said. "It's like, 'Oh, I did it. You made it.'" As of June 4, she has performed in "Shucked" seven times.

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LIFESTYLE 6/3/25 3:42pm

Elon University graduated seniors move on after building connections through campus, local jobs

By Anjolina Fantaroni

As they prepared to walk the stage at commencement, several graduated seniors still logged hours on and off campus. From downtown Elon businesses to on-campus offices, many graduated seniors balanced academics with part-time employment in the final stretch of their college careers. Off campus, Elon’s downtown and its businesses rely heavily on student workers. For seniors, their final semester may have included academics, job applications, final projects and goodbyes — and for some seniors part-time employment. 

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LIFESTYLE 5/22/25 8:53pm

Legacy Reception celebrates seniors with alumni relatives

By Megan Walsh

Seniors and their families gathered in McKinnon Hall May 22 to take part in the Legacy Reception, a celebration for students who have had a relative attend Elon before them. The Legacy Reception is meant to honor students who have a family member of any generation who attended Elon before them. As part of the reception, each student received an alumni pin, which was pinned on by one of the student’s family members. 

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LIFESTYLE 5/22/25 7:47am

Elon seniors toast to graduation at annual Senior Celebration

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Elon University seniors capped off the end of their final semester with a night of celebration, games, food and fireworks on May 21 at Rhodes Stadium during the annual Senior Celebration event. The festivities, which began at 6:30 p.m., featured free food, lawn games and the final gathering of seniors before Undergraduate Commencement on Friday, May 23. Senior Taylor Scott said the event made her feel like Elon is a family. “It’s something that I’m always going to remember,” Scott said.

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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.

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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. 

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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. 

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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.

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