National

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LIFESTYLE 11/17/25 11:33pm

Vietnamese-American writer breaks down poetry’s role in society

By Nia Bedard

For poet, essayist and novelist Ocean Vuong, there is no right or wrong answer about what you should take away from his work. “The beauty of writing is that everything is open to interpretation, and I'm never an author who can sit here and says to a reader, ‘you got it wrong,’” Vuong said. Former member of the Liberal Arts Forum, Emerson Garon, pitched for Vuong to come to Elon after being a long-time fan of his work and wanting to share his work. “His work needs to be shared, he is just so inspirational,” Garon said.

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SPORTS 11/17/25 2:59pm

Phoenix forward embraces confidence on court

By Lilly Molina

Between last season and this one, junior forward Isaac Harrell “had to grow up.” “This offseason really forced me to become a leader for this program,” Harrell said. “I think with everyone leaving, it made me become like a different person, as in, I had to grow up.” With the nine transfers that left Schar Center last year, Harrell and four others were the only returning players. Harrell is the only returning player who spent time in the starting lineup last year. “It was definitely a hard time when everyone left, just because those become your best friends,” Harrell said. “But I figured that staying was best for me because I love the coaching staff.”

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LIFESTYLE 11/17/25 2:28pm

Community Closet ofrece a los residentes de Burlington ropa profesional gratuita

By Megan Walsh

La Biblioteca May Memorial de Burlington se llenó de percheros con ropa nueva o en buen estado donada para que los miembros de la comunidad la tomaran gratuitamente durante el evento "Armario Comunitario" de la Biblioteca Pública de Alamance. El evento, celebrado el 8 de noviembre, ofreció vestimenta profesional a quienes la necesitaban para cualquier necesidad profesional o transición laboral. Según la bibliotecaria y coordinadora del programa, Christina Rhone, este evento sirve como clausura del programa anual "Brújula Profesional" de la biblioteca, diseñado para ayudar a las personas a encontrar nuevos empleos o prepararse para incorporarse al mundo laboral.

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SPORTS 11/16/25 8:13pm

Elon University men’s soccer wins CAA Championship in shutout

By Sam Weiss

Under the North Carolina sun, a new Coastal Athletic Association Champion emerged on Elon University’s Rudd Field. Maroon and gold confetti flew as Elon’s men’s soccer team won the CAA Championship, beating Stony Brook University 3-0. “We’ve just stayed with it,” head coach Marc Reeves said. “We’ve got a little bit more energy, maybe a little more decisiveness. Yeah, we work on these things all the time.” Elon will now advance to the National Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament with an automatic bid. The full tournament standings and bracket will be announced on Nov. 17 on ESPN. 

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NEWS 11/16/25 4:23pm

23 individuals arrested for crimes against children, including former Elon student

By Reagan Sizemore

The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office’s Invictus Task Force announced the arrest of 23 individuals after a two-week long operation they titled “Operation Ghost Wire.” The Invictus Task Force is a multi-agency task force that works to reduce internet crimes against children, sexual abuse, trafficking and the exploitation of children. The two-week operation combined cyber tip investigations and undercover chats, where officers posed as minors. Eighteen of the arrests were made in Alamance County. Fourteen of the 18 individuals arrested in Alamance County were residents of Alamance County.

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SPORTS 11/16/25 10:27am

Elon women’s basketball falls to Howard in physical matchup

By Blair Mitchell

After a much needed bounceback win against Presbyterian College on Nov. 10, the Elon women’s basketball team went head-to-head against the Howard University Bisons Nov. 15 to play their fourth game of the season. Despite the hard fought effort and back-and-forth intensity brought forth by the Phoenix, Elon ultimately fell to the Bisons 56-46. Howard’s control of the game started from the opening minute with a knockdown 3-pointer right out of the gates. The Phoenix travel on the road to play Georgetown University on Nov. 24.

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SPORTS 11/15/25 11:43pm

Elon University men’s basketball beats Gardner-Webb, fueled by 3-pointers

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University men’s basketball team defeated Gardner-Webb 95-84, thanks to a bevy of 3-pointers leading the Coastal Athletic Association in points and 3-pointers per game. Graduate student Chandler Cuthrell scored a career high 29 points during the game. ”This game, I wanted to make sure I made more of a paint presence and establish more dominance in the paint rather than just setting around the three point line, just making the defender's job easier to guard me,” Cuthrell said.

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SPORTS 11/15/25 10:37am

Transfer additions get accustomed to Elon men’s basketball team

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University men’s basketball team may be trying to replicate last year’s 17-16 record, but they will have to achieve that feat with an entirely different roster. This offseason, the team lost nine players to the transfer portal. Some of the notable departures included TJ and TK Simpkins, along with Nick Dorn, among other contributors. To compensate for the losses, the Phoenix added eight new transfers before the season.  Half of their additions from the portal are graduate students, as forwards Chandler Cuthrell, Kacper Klaczek and Bryson Spell, along with guard Ja’Juan Carr, all provide a ton of experience.

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SPORTS 11/14/25 11:20pm

Elon women’s soccer falls to Duke, dream season ends in shutout

By Benjamin Berfield

Elon’s dreams of extending their season following their Coastal Athletic Association championship were denied against Duke in the first round of the NCAA Division I Tournament. The Blue Devils shut out the Phoenix 3-0 with three goals. “We went up against a good team, but I’m really proud of the way we performed all season,” head coach Neil Payne said. “It wasn’t about tonight, it was about the entire season. I couldn’t be more happy with our response over the last month and postseason play.”

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NEWS 11/14/25 2:39pm

Elon University anuncia la creación de una escuela privada para niños con dislexia

By Elon News Network

La presidenta de la Universidad de Elon, Connie Book, anunció que la Academia Roberts se incorporará al campus en otoño de 2026. La Academia Roberts será una escuela privada para niños con dislexia. Será la primera escuela privada en Carolina del Norte ubicada en un campus universitario y dedicada a atender a estudiantes con dislexia. La Academia Roberts abrirá sus puertas inicialmente en una sede provisional en West Trollinger Avenue, con admisión para niños de tercero y cuarto grado. Un nuevo edificio en East Haggard Avenue abrirá sus puertas en otoño de 2028, ampliando la matrícula para incluir a estudiantes de primero a sexto grado.

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SPORTS 11/14/25 2:10pm

Elon women’s basketball team aims to take next step after last year’s improvement

By Benjamin Berfield

There is plenty of anticipation for the Elon University women’s basketball team heading into the 2025-26 season. After going from 11-21 in 2024 to 15-15 in 2025, the Phoenix is looking to take another significant step this year. In the CAA’s preseason power rankings, Elon is projected to finish fifth, which is their highest spot since the 2022-2023 season. Elon also boasts plenty of experienced players such as seniors Laila Anderson and Ruby Willard along with redshirt senior guard Kamryn Doty.

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NEWS 11/14/25 11:07am

Miembros electos del consejo municipal de Elon y alcalde reflexionan sobre las inquietudes de los votantes y planifican para el próximo mandato

By Kate Gray

El concejal Randy Orwig, que buscaba la reelección, y el recién llegado Steve Exum fueron elegidos para el consejo municipal de Elon, obteniendo el 31,97 % y el 39,88 % de los votos, respectivamente. Emily Sharpe, actual alcaldesa de Elon, ganó su reelección sin oposición con el 98,18 % de los votos. ”No es como una campaña en la que te presentas a un distrito y la mayoría de la gente no te conoce personalmente, solo han oído hablar de ti”, dijo Exum.

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NEWS 11/14/25 10:56am

Elon town council member-elects, mayor reflect on voter concerns, plan for upcoming term

By Kate Gray

Incumbent Randy Orwig and newcomer Steve Exum were elected to the Elon town council, winning 31.97% and 39.88% of the vote, respectively and Emily Sharpe, current town of Elon mayor, won her unopposed reelection bid with 98.18% of the vote. “It’s not like a campaign where you’re running for a district and a majority of people don’t know you personally, they just know of you,” Exum said. “A lot of these people knew me, and I got a lot of good responses. I felt like it was a fun, celebratory unfolding of the day as a new friend would come up, or someone I had worked for or worked with. That small town vibe is pretty satisfying.”

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LIFESTYLE 11/13/25 9:06pm

Animatronic dinosaurs, deep-dish cookies bring families to Lowe’s parking lot

By Anjolina Fantaroni

The Lowe’s Home Improvement parking lot in Mebane wasn’t just filled with cars Nov. 13 — it was filled with animatronic dinosaurs and deep-dish cookies. Hosted by the traveling food truck I Heart Cookies, the event paired a dinosaur-themed attraction with cookies baked from scratch at the company’s bakery in Wichita, Kansas. “I was like, ‘What is this?’” Burlington resident Nicole Parker said. “I have never seen this before. It is really cool.“

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NEWS 11/13/25 1:22pm

Federal cuts pull $156 million in solar funding from North Carolina

By Elissa Leka

In August 2025 the Trump administration rescinded the funding as part of its reconsideration of former EPA regulations. This action was met with attorney generals of 23 states, filing a $7 billion lawsuit against the EPA, amongst them was North Carolina’s Jeff Jackson. Elon University associate professor of geography and environmental studies Ryan Kirk said it wasn’t just money that was lost in these cuts. “This is stimulus and jobs and economic activity in these communities,” Kirk said. “Which is just one step not being placed for trying to help these communities.”

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SPORTS 11/13/25 9:51am

Elon men’s basketball seeks to maintain standards despite new roster

By Benjamin Berfield

Chemistry has been a core emphasis for the Elon University men’s basketball team. They’ve stressed building camaraderie over the offseason and into training camp with the 2025-26 season now underway. “We’ve been working hard since June,” Men's head basketball coach Billy Taylor said. “The eight weeks we had in the summertime of workouts and then our preseason have all been building to this moment.” The team will look much different compared to last year’s roster, which went 17-16 for the program’s first winning season since 2016-17. This past offseason, Elon lost nine players to the transfer portal.

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NEWS 11/12/25 11:27pm

Elon SGA hosts fall town hall event, showcases individual actions, community transformation

By Kate Gray

The Elon University Student Government Association hosted their fall town hall. More than 80 people attended the event, which was cosponsored by CrossRoads Sexual Assault Response & Resource Center in Burlington and several on-campus organizations, including the Gender and LGBTQIA Center, Department of Health Promotion and Panhellenic Association. “Tonight I saw so many different students from so many different organizations, and that made me so happy to see just a full room of people that were all eager to be here and learn from people who have created such impactful changes in their communities,” SGA Executive President Anya Bratić said.

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NEWS 11/12/25 10:07pm

NC state representatives discuss state budget, redistricting at town hall

By Miles Hayford

Democratic members of the North Carolina House of Representatives engaged with local residents and Elon University students during a town hall hosted by the NC House Democrats, Alamance County Democrats and Elon College Democrats at the Elon Community Church on Nov. 12. Key points of discussion included the state budget stalemate, Medicaid funding and redistricting. “One of our core jobs is simply to pass a budget,” Representative Vernetta Alston said. “So we've left ourselves without doing our jobs, and without a comprehensive fiscal plan for the state. It's really, really tragic and neglectful.”

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NEWS 11/12/25 2:28pm

Future of athletics uncertain with Elon, Queens University merger

By Miles Hayford

Elon University’s planned merger with Queens University of Charlotte could have lasting impacts on the two schools’ Division I athletic programs. According to Travis Smith, a consultant for intercollegiate athletics at Higher Ed Consolidation Solutions, the NCAA will consider a number of factors. Smith said that the NCAA will look at whether the campuses have different registrar offices, financial aid offices and other distinguishing features beyond the distance between the two campuses. “There has to be a pretty blatant separation to justify having more than one athletic department,” Smith said.

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SPORTS 11/12/25 9:35am

From professional basketball to the classroom: Elon athletes pursue education beyond the game

By Monika Jurevicius

A new internship opportunity in Florence will give Elon students the same chance to learn through basketball — connecting academics with the professional game. A shared commitment to education has brought together Elon University’s School of Communications; Accademia Europea di Firenze, the host institution for Elon in Florence; and Italy’s Pistoia Basketball to create a new internship program for students in Florence beginning in fall 2026. “Players are like students,” Head of University Relations for the team and Academia Europea di Fienze professor Marco Bracci said. “They are learning by doing. They are learning by practicing. I think that is a mutual, reciprocal, learning process.

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