News

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NEWS 2/15/24 3:28pm

Traffic on West Trollinger Ave; South Holt Ave; West Summerbell; Johnson Street to be blocked Feb. 19, 20

By Ryan Kupperman

Traffic will be blocked on West Trollinger Avenue, South Holt Avenue, West Summerbell and Johnson street on Monday, Feb. 19 and Tuesday, Feb. 20 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to an E-Alert sent on Feb. 15. Residents who live on South Holt Avenue, West Summerbell and Johnson Street will be allowed to access their homes from South Williamson Avenue at West Trollinger Avenue. Residents in the 200 to 600 blocks of West Trollinger will need to utilize Church Street, Summers Drive and Ball Park Avenue.

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NEWS 2/15/24 11:08am

Elon Women’s Basketball, Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority host annual breast cancer awareness game

By Fiona McAllister

Pink was everyone’s favorite color this Sunday, Feb. 11. In collaboration with the Elon Women’s Basketball team, the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority hosted their annual “Play4Kay” in honor of breast cancer awareness. The motto “Play4Kay” is in commemoration of former Elon Women’s Basketball coach Kay Yow. Yow was a huge advocate for breast cancer awareness — as she continuously fought her own battle. In 2009, Yow passed away after struggling with breast cancer for 22 years. The charity proceeds from this event went to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. This cause has raised a total of $65 so far with a goal of $500.

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NEWS 2/15/24 10:33am

Sustainability, shadow of greenwashing

By Cailey Cetani

Though environmentally friendly initiatives have been around for years, we are only now seeing how it is impacting the environment, both positively and negatively. Pew Research Center reported in a 2023 study that around 61% of Americans polled believe that climate change is impacting their local community, although only 37% say that it should be the top issue being addressed by the government. As noted by Matthew Flacksenburg, a sustainability intern at Elon University, there has been an uptick in ethical consumerism, which has played a key role in how products are being marketed and produced.

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NEWS 2/14/24 8:15pm

Elon life trustee dies at 94, leaves mark on university community

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon Life Trustee Warren “Dusty” Rhodes died at the age of 94 on Monday, Feb. 12, according to an email sent to faculty by university President Connie Book. Rhodes served on the board of trustees for 14 years before being elected a life trustee in 2011. According to Book, Rhodes was “one of Elon’s most dedicated and passionate friends for more than 25 years.”  A celebration of Rhodes' life will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16 at St. Mark’s Church in Burlington, and a burial will follow in the church cemetery.

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NEWS 2/14/24 10:17am

Ripple Conference hosts interfaith discussions on Elon University’s campus

By Monika Jurevicius

Elon University hosted 130 people of all religious and spiritual faiths during the ninth Ripple Conference — which was held in McBride Gathering Center — under the theme of “Interfaith Around the World.” Nine total universities, from both in and out of state, attended the event. Conference co-director Lucy Sneader said the event included religions and identities from around the world. Guilford College professor and keynote speaker Diya Abdo spoke about her work with refugees and her initiative to help rehouse them back on her campus.

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NEWS 2/14/24 7:46am

Mediterranean Deli expected to open early March

By Michael Leung

Mediterranean Deli is expected to open the first week of March, according to owner Jamil Kadoura. The original Mediterranean Deli was located beneath Park Place. When it closed in fall 2022, members of the Elon community were disappointed by the facility’s closure. But on July 22, 2023, there was a fire at the Mediterranean Deli location on Chapel Hill. After the fire, Kadoura chose to prioritize the repair of the Chapel Hill location, and pushed back the opening of the Elon location. Now, Mediterranean Deli will replace the Acorn Coffee Shop, which moved to Belk Library.

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NEWS 2/13/24 8:17pm

Sen. Galey requests investigation into ABSS financial decisions by General Assembly committee

By Joseph Navin and Sophie Rosenthal

The Alamance-Burlington School System discussed a revised financial reduction plan at a work session held Tuesday, Feb. 13, days after State Sen. Amy Galey requested an investigation into the school system’s finances. The investigation request comes after a year of financial hardship for the school system. In summer 2023, ABSS spent nearly $26 million on cleaning up 32 of its 36 schools after a mold outbreak. School board chair Sandy Ellington-Graves declared that the school district was in financial crisis in November 2023. At the end of January, superintendent Dain Butler announced a plan to lay off and reduce hours for over 50 employees.

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NEWS 2/13/24 8:32am

‘You’re creating Black history’: Elon’s Black trailblazers inspire new university research

By Naomi Washington

Elon senior Jasper Myers said a common misconception she hears is current students don’t think they are a part of history. That’s why she started a ‘Homecoming History’ submission form for current students, alumni and community members to submit personal photos, videos and documents to the university’s archives. Myers said the goal for this project is to make information from previous research reports — such as the “Black Lumen Project” and the “Elon History and Memory Report” — more accessible to current students. Alongside the project, she created an edited campus tour focusing specifically on Elon's Black history.

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NEWS 2/12/24 7:54am

Elon University’s Advancing Equity Requirement focuses on bringing diversity into education

By Lilly Molina

Freshman Julia Swartz considered herself to be a fairly open-minded person before coming to Elon. Yet when Swartz decided to take WGS 1100: Sex and Gender Studies course her first semester, she found her perspective challenged in ways she hadn’t considered. WGS 1100 fulfills Elon’s new advancing equity requirement which are classes that help promote diversity, equity and inclusion within an educational setting. Through this course, Swartz said she was exposed to historical and modern feminists from various backgrounds — something she hadn’t learned about until coming to Elon.

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NEWS 2/11/24 1:28pm

Elon alumni organize ‘Zetas Have Heart’ Walk-a-thon

By Reagan Sizemore

In the empty Holly Hills Burlington Mall on a quiet Saturday morning, a contagious burst of energy radiates from one room. The loud music, laughter and joy originated from a group of over 19 women, who were all dancing and wearing their brightest blue at 9 a.m. on Feb. 10. Burlington’s local Pi Kappa Zeta Graduate Chapter held their second annual walk-a-thon, where members of the community helped raise money for the American Heart Association. Tonya Stanley ’94 was one of eight members who re-charted a chapter of Pi Kappa Zeta for Burlington graduates in 2013.

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NEWS 2/9/24 4:28pm

Elon University announces Ginna Claire Mason as 2024 commencement speaker

By Naomi Washington

Elon University announced alumna Ginna Clare Mason ’13 as the 2024 undergraduate commencement speaker. Mason graduated from Elon’s musical theatre program in 2013. She starred in Wicked the Musical on Broadway as Galinda and in the two Hallmark Channel movies “A Holiday Spectacular” and “A Heidelberg Holiday.” Elon junior Derick Donato was a student in the virtual musical theatre school that Mason started in 2020 during the pandemic. He said the first thing he did when he heard the announcement was call Mason to congratulate her.

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NEWS 2/9/24 12:28pm

Elon University fraternity recruitment changes provide new opportunities

By Charlotte Pfabe

The fraternity rush process began with all nine Interfraternity Council (IFC) organizations meeting potential new members. While the recruitment process happens at the same time every year, this year’s spring rush looks a bit different. According to sophomore Sam Ades, IFC vice president of recruitment, potential new members — or PNMs — are required to visit every single on-campus house during the first open house day, which was Sunday, Feb. 4. In years prior, PNMs could choose which fraternities they wanted to visit. While visiting every house may elongate the process, most people said they find this change beneficial. 

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NEWS 2/9/24 10:28am

Elon Law's Flex Program receives approval in Charlotte

By Lilly Molina

Elon Law’s Flex program has gotten the go-ahead by the American Bar Association and The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to begin enrollment. The part-time law program is accepting applications and will welcome in their first cohort in the fall. Dean of Elon Law Zak Kramer said that Elon Law had been thinking about branching out into Charlotte with a law program for a while, but it accelerated last year when they applied to the two law school accreditors over the summer.

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NEWS 2/9/24 7:42am

Power, Place Collaborative at Elon University is rewriting history

By Reagan Sizemore

Elon by Design’s project, the Power and Place Collaborative, is creating an extensive record of oral history from Burlington's Black communities. The project is a collaboration between the African American Cultural Arts & History Museum, Elon University and the Mayco Bigelow Community Center.  The project started in 2020 and was created to “record, preserve, and present stories from and about people and places in Burlington’s African American Communities,” according to Elon by Design’s website. Danielle Lake, director of Design Thinking, is the “collaborative catalyst” of the Power and Place Collaborative. She said she is focusing on connecting Elon University to the greater community.

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NEWS 2/8/24 11:12am

East Haggard Ave, Antioch closed due to gas leak

By Avery Sloan and Ryan Kupperman

Traffic on East Haggard Ave. is closed from Antioch to Lawrence due to a gas leak, according to an E-Alert sent at approximately 11 a.m. At around 12:30 p.m., another E-Alert stated that traffic had reopened and access to Sheridan Place — which had also been blocked — is once again available. The Utility Company is on scene and repairs may take up to a couple of hours. Elon University facilities management said the leak is not on Elon's property and the town of Elon is working to fix this issue.

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NEWS 2/8/24 9:27am

Founder of business, teaching fellows passes at 91

By Alexa Citrin

Member of the Elon trustees Jim Maynard passed away at 91 on Dec. 24, 2023. Maynard joined the board of trustees in 1985 after having a successful career as the owner of Tower Mills Inc. — a hosiery company founded by his father and former Elon trustee, Reid Maynard. Jim was elected a life trustee in 2014, and received Elon’s highest honor for service to the university, the Elon Medallion, in 2018. Jim was also a recipient of the Elon Medallion.

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NEWS 2/8/24 8:19am

Elon University History, Memory committee strives for increased visibility on campus

By Avery Sloan

One thing that has always amazed professor Amanda Kleintop is how quickly a place can lose its institutional memory. Kleintop came to Elon in the fall of 2022 — two years after Elon’s History and Memory committee released a report sharing stories from Elon’s history that have been historically overlooked. Since she came to Elon and began teaching with the report, she said few students are aware of Elon’s history and racial injustices that took place. This report was created with the goal of bringing healing to the university and those who have been excluded from its history. 

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NEWS 2/7/24 11:39pm

Survivor of Hamas terrorist attack shares his story with Elon community

By Ryan Kupperman

Israeli Rom El-Hai spoke to the Elon community on Feb. 7 about his first-hand account of surviving the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Invited by Chabad at Elon, El-Hai said he shares his story to bring the Jewish community together and spread awareness of the hardships people in Israel have had and are experiencing in the Israel-Hamas conflict. “To be here with you tonight — it’s my therapy. After another presentation after presentation, and I meet you all and get a big hug, and when I came here for any communities, or Hillel or Chabad, I feel like I’m at home.”

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NEWS 2/7/24 7:56am

Elon University Black History Month Calendar

By Elon News Network

Join the Elon community in celebrating Black History Month with a series of events throughout the month of February. The Black History Month Theme for 2024 is “Rhythms of Resilience: One Soul, One Sound.” This month’s theme centers on the concept that Black history, culture and music embody a tapestry of diversity and interconnection, rather than being a single narrative. The theme underscores the value of fostering unity and solidarity among diverse cultural identities and highlights the role of music as a unifying force that bridges these varied experiences.

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NEWS 2/5/24 5:44pm

Alamance County commissioners approve funding to delay school system layoffs

By Sophie Rosenthal

Alamance County commissioners approved $250,000 of funding to delay potential Alamance-Burlington School System layoffs at their monthly meeting Feb. 5. ABSS announced potential layoffs and reduced hours for some employees in a statement on Feb. 2. Superintendent Dain Butler wrote in the statement that he is planning to propose his recommendations for a reduction in force to the Board of Education at a work session on Feb. 13. If it is approved, the reduction in force would affect over 50 people — including assistant principals, social workers, school nurses and more.

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