News

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NEWS 4/9/25 4:38pm

SGA to choose vice presidents of finance, communications

By Trista Panagakos

While the new Student Government Association executive president and vice president prepare to be sworn in on Thursday April 10, an SGA interview committee is deciding who will take over the roles of vice president of finance and vice president of communications. Unlike the senate, the president and vice president positions, the two executive roles of vice president of finance and communications are not voted on by the student body. After interviews, the chosen applicants are selected by the incoming president and approved by the new senate.

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NEWS 4/9/25 12:11pm

15 residents apply for open seat on ABSS Board of Education

By Anjolina Fantaroni

The Alamance Burlington School System is reviewing 15 applications from individuals seeking to fill a vacant seat on the seven-member board of education — the most people ABSS has ever had apply for a vacancy, according to ABSS board of education member Seneca Rogers. The seat is open following the resignation of Chuck Marsh on Feb. 24. The board will hear from the applicants during its April 28 meeting and could potentially vote the same night to appoint the seat. 

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NEWS 4/8/25 11:10am

Nonprofit Indigenous organization fights the development of Buc-ee’s

By Abigail Hobbs

North Carolina's first Buc-ee's will be constructed in Mebane on the Occaneechi-Saponi's Great Trading Path. 7 Directions of Service — a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for Native land and rights, particularly for the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation — is fighting Buc-ee’s development. “It's not just a trading path, or it's not just a historical thing, but it still has ties to our people today,” Coda Cavalier, a youth coordinator for 7 Directions of Service, said.

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NEWS 4/6/25 12:13pm

Cracking down on REAL IDs, deadline approaches

By Fiona McAllister

As the May 7 deadline for U.S. residents to get a REAL ID approaches, the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles’ appointments are filling up quickly. REAL ID is a federal law that sets minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards. It is indicated by a star on the corner of the drivers license and it allows citizens to travel and go to government buildings without having to carry a U.S. passport. The REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, was put into effect after the 9/11 Commission Report set standards for safety within the United States after the 9/11 terrorist attack. 

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NEWS 4/5/25 11:23am

Protesters gather outside state capitol in Raleigh against Donald Trump, Elon Musk

By Kate Gray

Protesters are gathering between Raleigh’s State Legislature and State Capitol Building on April 5 to protest President Donald Trump and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk. This protest and hundreds of others across the country are part of a nationwide series of protests known as Hands Off. There are 34 Hands Off protests scheduled for April 5 in North Carolina alone, with the three largest in the state expected to be in Charlotte, Asheville and Raleigh, according to 50501 North Carolina press representative Cole Dragotta. 

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NEWS 4/4/25 2:24pm

Gov. Josh Stein’s first 100 days: Cautious and relief-focused

By Miles Hayford

As Gov. Josh Stein’s first 100 days in office come to a close, his administration has focused on three key areas: Hurricane Helene recovery, a two-year budget proposal and cautiously navigating a Republican-dominated North Carolina General Assembly. Stein released a budget proposal March 19, which is a recommended budget that the General Assembly will take into consideration before passing the budget themselves. After two years of a Republican supermajority, the General Assembly is heavily controlled by the GOP. Republicans currently hold a 30-20 advantage in the Senate and a 71-49 advantage in the House.

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NEWS 4/4/25 12:48pm

500-spot parking lot to open near Francis Center to accommodate freshmen

By Tariq L. Johnson

Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, first-year students will now be required to park near the Francis Center. A new 500-spot remote parking lot will open up around 450 parking spots within the main part of campus, accommodating upperclassmen parking, according to Elon University Chief of Campus Safety and Police, Joseph LeMire. The Elon Express and E-Rides will be available to transport students who park in this parking lot, according to LeMire. The walk for students to the central part of campus will be approximately 20 minutes from the lot. 

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NEWS 4/3/25 9:32pm

City of Burlington opens pickleball complex at Fairchild Park

By Anjolina Fantaroni

The rain couldn’t stop the eager pickleball community from celebrating the grand opening of the pickleball and tennis courts at Fairchild Park in Burlington. From city officials to seasoned and new players, the six new courts were packed with the sounds of the popular sport. The six new courts at Fairchild Park opened April 3 with an event including refreshments, free pickleball keychains and paddle covers, and blue and green balloons to represent the colors of the city. The courts at Fairchild Park are free to the public. Players do not need a membership fee.

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NEWS 4/3/25 8:17am

Elon University’s Love Business School rises to 38th in national undergraduate rankings

By Trista Panagakos

The Martha Love School of Business has risen to 38th in the country for undergraduate business rankings from Poets&Quants, an online platform that ranks undergraduate and graduate business schools. This is a two spot improvement from 2024. The 2025 rankings had the highest number of participating schools with 104 business schools completing the survey. Poets&Quants ranked undergraduate schools based on three categories: career outcomes, admission standards and academic experience. For the categories, the business school has also improved to 24th for career outcomes and improved 10 spots in admissions standards to 54th. 

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NEWS 3/29/25 12:36pm

Stein approval rating mostly positive after first few months in office

By Nia Bedard

Elon Poll published its first poll of 2025 that focused on issues within North Carolina, such as  Gov. Josh Stein’s approval rating, Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, the North Carolina Supreme Court election and concealed handgun permits. The poll found that most North Carolinians are happy with Stein’s performance as governor. With a sample of 800 North Carolina adults, the Elon Poll found that 44% of those polled approve of Stein’s performance as he approaches his first 100 days in office. Despite most North Carolinians polled approving of Stein, 39% are unsure about his performance and 17% disapprove.

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NEWS 3/27/25 10:53am

University yet to make statement to student body on Trump immigration policy, ICE concerns

By Nia Bedard

With President Donald Trump back in office, one of his first of many executive orders was called “Protecting the American people against invasion, ” which is intended to limit the number of people entering the U.S. through the southern border. It grants the Department of Homeland Security new enforcement policies, including expedited removal and authorizing state and local law enforcement to detain and apprehend individuals in the country illegally. Despite this, Elon University, a private institution with less reliance on federal funding, does not plan to issue an official statement on ICE policies to the student body.

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NEWS 3/26/25 9:45pm

Elon University Student Government Association discusses mental health resources at town hall

By Rachel Holley

Elon University’s Student Government Association hosted its annual town hall in East Commons. The discussion focused on the mental health resources that Elon’s campus offers to students. SGA hosted a panel of students as well as Director of Counseling Services, Anita Hodnett. Hodnett spoke about the different services that Counseling Services offers such as individual and group counseling. Another on-campus mental health group on the panel was Peers Empathy, Assistance and Referral Support, also known as Peers EARS. This group allows for student to student conversations about mental health. 

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NEWS 3/25/25 3:25pm

Elon Poll finds North Carolinians are opposed to major federal agency cuts

By Nia Bedard

With the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency and cuts made to 14 federal agencies throughout President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, most North Carolinians do not favor the cutbacks and elimination of federal agencies, according to a recent Elon Poll. This poll, released March 25, found that a plurality of North Carolinians said they favor minor reductions or no change to the 14 agencies experiencing cuts. Out of the 800 North Carolina adults polled, 33% believe there should be an increase in funding for the Department of Education. 

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NEWS 3/25/25 11:08am

Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education passes 2025-26 budget

By Avery Sloan

After nine community members spoke during the budget hearing meeting, the Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education unanimously passed the 2025-26 budget asking for a $5.7 million expansion from this year’s budget — totaling to $59,047,151. The budget will now have to pass through the Alamance County Commissioners. Before the budget hearing began close to 15 community members, mainly a part of the Alamance-Burlington Association of Educators, gathered in the parking lot sharing their own experiences of what brought them to speak out at the meeting.

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NEWS 3/25/25 10:16am

Elon University Student Government Association breaks down budget

By Fiona McAllister

Elon University’s Student Government Association receives an annual budget of $436,000 to fund the over 150 campus organizations eligible for funding, according to Elon senior and Vice President of Finance Clare Ruldolph. The budget for SGA is part of Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley’s budget, made up from student activity fees — which are $292 per person per year. But the $436,000 does not include the additional budget SGA receives that is used up to its discretion. For the over 150 approved campus organizations available to request funding, the 2022-23 academic year had only 557 budget requests approved.

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NEWS 3/24/25 10:32pm

Elon Town Council approves conditional rezoning request for new development

By Ruby Burckle

The Elon Town Council held a meeting March 24 to decide whether to approve or deny a conditional rezoning request presented during a previous meeting, hear public complaints about excessive speeding, and discuss borrowing scenarios for recreational projects. During its meeting on March 11, the council discussed a proposal for a new mixed-use development called “Parc Village” located behind the Schar Center with plans to make a decision on the topic at this meeting. Before making a decision about the development, the council discussed concerns over changing the lengths of driveways to be 18 feet instead of 19 feet.

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NEWS 3/24/25 3:08pm

Search for new Elon Dean of Students made confidential

By Charlotte Pfabe

As the search ramps up to fill Elon University’s new dean of students position, the search team moved to make the process a more private matter, requiring faculty, staff and students who attend the presentations for finalists to agree to confidentiality. In an email sent to faculty and staff the morning of March 20, members of the Elon community were invited to attend the presentations of finalists for the new position, but are prohibited from sharing candidate information, including names, information and any other materials “outside of Elon’s community,” according to the survey form.

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NEWS 3/19/25 3:53pm

Elon Poll finds North Carolinians will unite amid March Madness

By Nia Bedard

New Elon Poll finds that despite in-state rivalries in the Atlantic Coast Conference, North Carolinians will tend to be loyal to their home state regardless of the eliminations during the NCAA March Madness tournament. The poll was conducted March 3 to 11 and included a data set of 800 North Carolina adults. The poll found that when their favorite North Carolina team is eliminated, North Carolinians are 7 to 1 in cheering for in-state teams who are still in the tournament. In addition, 36% of North Carolinians will root for their in-state rival if their favorite team is eliminated. 

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NEWS 3/16/25 11:25am

Elon University faces tornado watch

By Nia Bedard

According to an E-Alert sent out at 9:58 a.m. the National Weather Service has extended a tornado watch to include Alamance County and Elon University. The watch is expected to last until 2 p.m. Another E-Alert was sent out at 7:52 p.m. stating that the tornado watch was extended to 1:00 a.m. The recent tornado watch includes 27 counties in North Carolina as of 7:39 p.m. according to the NWS. The counties under tornado watch include Alamance, Chatham and Durham counties. 

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NEWS 3/16/25 10:40am

Elon University announces 2025-26 speaker series

By Nia Bedard

Elon University announced its 2025-26 speaker series including Olympian Katie Ledecky, common reading author Alejandra Campoverdi, intelligence officer Ret. Lt. Gen. Robert P. Ashley, scholar Kwame Anthony Appiah, and New York Times columnists Zeynep Tufekci and Frank Bruni. Executive director of cultural and special programs, Jeff Clark, who spearheads the selection process for the annual speaker series, hopes the Elon and local communities can come together and take advantage of the speaker series. All of the speaker series events are free to Elon University students, faculty and staff with a Phoenix Card ID and tickets for the public are $15.

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