News

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NEWS 9/27/24 1:16pm

Photo gallery: Rain sweeps Elon to kick off Family Weekend 2024

By Elon News Network

The start of Elon University’s 2024 Family Weekend was met with heavy rains the morning of Sept. 27 as Hurricane Helene continues to send gusts of wind as high as 33 mph — with chances of thunderstorms hitting the Elon area after 2 p.m., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A wind advisory and flood watch are in effect until 6 p.m. Elon’s Director of Facilities Management declined to comment on the university’s plans in the event of power outages or flooding. The Town of Elon’s Director of Public Works did not respond to Elon News Network’s immediate request for comment.

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NEWS 9/26/24 9:19am

New HealthEU center features new amenities

By Megan Walsh

The new Health EU building will be constructed in the field near the Innovation Quad and is set to open in 2026. HealthEU Director Anu Räisänen said groundbreaking will hopefully occur late this year or early 2025, as soon as the final details of architecture renderings are completed. The new HealthEU building will be the second largest building on campus below Schar Center at 135,000 square feet. Fundraising goals for the building aim to be around $25 million, surpassing the $20 million needed to build the Schar Center — making it the most expensive building on campus. 

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NEWS 9/25/24 8:46am

2024 Family Weekend events calendar

By Elon News Network

Elon University is hosting its annual Family Weekend celebrations from Sept. 27 to 29, bringing parents and siblings to campus to reunite with their students. Elon departments and organizations such as Parent Engagement and Student Union Board are involved in planning for this year. SUB Vice President of Events and junior Josh Tobin declined Elon News Network's request for interview, but sent a statement to Elon News Network stating SUB is approaching family weekend event planning differently this year. Here is a comprehensive calendar of all family weekend events.

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NEWS 9/24/24 8:26pm

Pulitzer Fellows to arrive on campus, discuss global deforestation issues

By Audrey Geib

In New York, 4,000 miles north of the Amazon, Andrew Lehren, a Pulitzer Prize and Emmy-winning journalist for the New York Times and NBC News Investigations, wanted to find a new way to connect U.S. readers to global deforestation issues. As part of Elon’s partnership with the Pulitzer Campus Consortium, Pulitzer Rainforest Investigations Network Fellows Lehren and Wenzel will visit campus from Sept. 24 to 26 to discuss the impact of investigative journalism. On Sept. 25, they will participate in a discussion panel at 5 p.m. in the Jane and Brian Williams Studio in the McEwen Communications Building.

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NEWS 9/24/24 3:02pm

Elon University explores integration of AI in classroom

By Cassie Weymouth

AI has become a topic of debate on college campuses, from professors encouraging and designing projects around the use of AI to others banning it from their classroom. Some classes, such as COM 3340: Politics and Mass Media, have introduced projects that utilize ChatGPT asking it to write analyses based on a student’s notes, while other classes ask that their students refrain from using any AI. Tom Kerr, a political science professor, asks students to refrain from using AI to write papers. Elisa Edwards, a sophomore in international global studies, said she is very nervous about the use of AI.

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NEWS 9/24/24 11:14am

Elon University moves up 12 places in 2025 national university rankings

By Avery Sloan and Ryan Kupperman

Elon placed 121st — climbing  12 places from last year’s 133rd ranking in the U.S. News and World Report 2025 national university ranking, released  Tuesday, Sept. 24. Elon was also notably named No. 1 in undergraduate teaching for the fourth consecutive year and also topped the charts this year for learning communities and first-year experiences. Elon also continues to rank low in social mobility. Having placed 345th out of 433, the social mobility category measures how well schools graduate economically disadvantaged students.

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NEWS 9/24/24 10:51am

Elon Poll finds Attorney General Josh Stein 14 points ahead Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in governor race

By Avery Sloan

The governor race would have been close if Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson wasn’t an unpopular candidate, Jason Husser, director of Elon Poll, said. The most recent Elon Poll came out Sept. 24, showing 49% of voters favor Democrat Attorney General Josh Stein over Robinson. In contrast, the presidential race is still close and are polling less than one point apart. The poll surveyed 800 registered voters in North Carolina between Sept. 4 and 13 — before inflammatory comments Robinson had written on a pornographic site came to light Sept. 19.

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NEWS 9/23/24 11:27am

North Carolina Latino organizations work to mobilize community

By Abigail Hobbs

From 2010 to 2020, the Latino population in North Carolina grew by almost 40%, far more than the national growth of 23%. However, in 2022, Latino voter turnout actually decreased after having increased in the past two midterm elections, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. Kelly Morales is co-director of Siembra NC — a grassroots organization defending the North Carolina Latino community, particularly with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and wage theft. The organization has registered 5,600 Latinos by touring across the state.

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NEWS 9/23/24 9:09am

Red Cross reports lowest blood supply in 20 years

By Charlotte Pfabe

Heather Frazee still remembers the first time she donated blood. Frazee, the executive director of the Piedmont Triad Chapter of the American Red Cross, said she shares her experience to inspire others to donate blood, especially during the current blood shortage. In July, the American Red Cross reported a 25% decrease in its blood supply. According to Frazee, the summer is typically a slow time for blood collection because people are away for summer vacations or school breaks; however, this is the lowest the Red Cross’s blood supply has been in 20 years.

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NEWS 9/22/24 10:29pm

Elon Band Day shows high school students collegiate band experience

By Sarah T. Moore

When Elon sophomore Amanda Draznin was in her high school marching band, she felt disconnected from the group. With over 150 members, Draznin said she barely knew the people outside of her section. Now, Draznin is one of 73 students in Elon’s Fire of the Carolina’s marching band. On Sept. 21, Draznin — who plays tenor saxophone — found herself reflecting on her high school band experience as FOTC was joined by nine high school bands for Elon Band Day. The annual event invites high school students to join Elon’s marching band to participate in a football halftime show.

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NEWS 9/20/24 11:28pm

Elon community gathers to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival

By Nia Bedard

Elon University’s Asian-Pacific Student Association and Chinese Club celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival on Sept. 20 in the McBride Gathering Space. According to senior Ivan Nguyen, co-president of APSA and vice president of Chinese Club, the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates the moon at its brightest and fullest which occurred this past Tuesday, Sept. 17. This is the first time that the Mid-Autumn Festival was held in McBride Gathering Space, while previous celebrations were held in Carlton Commons. APSA’s next event will be a bracelet-making event at 5:45 p.m. Sept. 25 in the CREDE, Moseley 221.

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NEWS 9/20/24 11:27am

Latinx-Hispanic Union commemorates seventh anniversary

By Audrey Geib

The Latinx-Hispanic Union, more commonly known as LHU, celebrated its seventh birthday as an on-campus organization Sept. 17. LHU vice president Carlos Gomez Lopez said even as a first-year attending events, he could tell that the members worked hard to create a comfortable space, making LHU feel like a home away from home. According to Elon’s Diversity Dashboard, more than 78% of the student body identifies as white, making Elon a predominantly white institution. Martinez-Jimenez said having organizations such as LHU, the Black Student Union and El Centro are important to campuses like Elon to ensure that its students feel like they belong here.

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NEWS 9/20/24 12:02am

Elon University common reading encourages students to save planet by uplifting people

By Nia Bedard

Leah Thomas, author of Elon University’s 2024 common reading book, “The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet,” spoke Sept. 19 in Alumni Gym as a part of Elon University’s speaker series. As the author of the 2024 common reading book, which analyzes how environmentalism and social injustices intersect, Thomas spoke to the audience about her decision to delve into environmental communications and what inspired her to write her book. 

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NEWS 9/19/24 10:43pm

Elon alumna highlights importance of food security in North Carolina

By Monika Jurevicius

Elon University alumna Yasmeen Lee ’20 spoke to the Elon community about “food equality” and the historical inequities of the North Carolina food system as part of the Data Nexus “Powerful Women in Data” series. The event in LaRose Commons on Sept. 19 highlighted Lee’s work with the Food Insight Group focused on qualitative community-based research that examined how diverse communities engage with food production. Data Nexus is part of Elon’s quality enhancement plan that focuses on data competency, according to program director Crista Arangala. The program educates students on data literacy, foundational statistical competency and advanced data competency.

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NEWS 9/19/24 4:01pm

Author of 2024 common reading emphasizes compassion in environmental movement

By Ryan Kupperman

Leah Thomas is the author of Elon University’s 2024 common reading book, “The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet.” As an environmentalist and self-proclaimed eco-communicator, her book analyzes the intersection between environmentalism and various social injustices. Elon News Network sat down with Thomas ahead of her common reading lecture scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19 in Alumni Gym. According to Thomas, to be an intersectional environmentalist is to care about both people and the planet. Beyond the role of intersectional environmentalist, Thomas is also the founder of a non-profit organization of the same name.

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NEWS 9/19/24 12:07pm

First class of ABSS Dual Language Immersion program prepares to graduate college

By Nia Bedard

Alamance-Burlington School System’s first class of the Dual Language Immersion program is preparing to graduate college this spring. The program was instituted in some ABSS public schools through Participate Learning, an educational consulting firm focused on global education and primarily teaches students Spanish. Elon senior Annelise Weaver was a student in the Dual Language Immersion program at Elon Elementary after she and her family moved to Alamance County when she was in the first grade.

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NEWS 9/18/24 10:39am

Elon’s faculty union launches petition

By Avery Sloan

Elon’s Faculty Union is looking to increase its visibility on campus — and looking for answers from the administration, Susan Ladd, union president, said. The lack of response from Elon’s administration and adjunct faculty’s names continuing to be left off of OnTrack during class registration has led the union to release a petition, open to all faculty, staff and students to sign. During class the class registration period, adjunct professors were listed as “Staff” on OnTrack for classes they knew they would be teaching. This was not a part of the union agreement and adjunct faculty were not aware this change would be coming.

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NEWS 9/18/24 8:07am

2024 Hispanic Heritage Month events calendar

By Elon News Network

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationally from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year. El Centro — Elon University’s educational and cultural hub for engagement, collaboration, advocacy and more within the Latinx / Hispanic community — hosts a month-long celebration for the community to explore and engage with Latinx and Hispanic cultures. This time period marks the independence anniversaries of several Latin American nations, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Additionally, Mexico and Chile commemorate their independence on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18.

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NEWS 9/16/24 1:29pm

Jarabe Mexicano band brings border stories to life at Elon University

By Lilly Molina

Mexican folk, reggae, rock and roll and cumbia are some of the genres Jarabe Mexicano plans to play at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 in McCrary Theatre. At the heart of the performance, Jarabe Mexicano sings about their experiences of living at the border. Gustavo Alcoser, the lead singer, said there is a lot that goes on in their show, but at the core, it is their experiences at the border. Jarabe Mexicano visiting Elon’s campus is one of many events hosted for Hispanic Heritage Month which lasts from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

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NEWS 9/15/24 1:35pm

SGA cracks down on a cappella funding

By Nia Bedard

A cappella organization Vital Signs is scrambling to find funding for events after no longer receiving usual allocation from Elon's Student Government Association. Aidan Coy, Vital Signs president, said the a cappella presidents were scheduled to meet with the SGA executive board on Sept. 6 to discuss this, but SGA canceled the meeting the day prior. Coy, along with all other a capella presidents, received an email from the SGA Executive Board on May 14 stating “the Student Government Association will no longer allocate funds to support events that require students to purchase tickets.”

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