News

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NEWS 9/14/23 8:38am

AI hits the road, high tech highways emerge in NC

By Tucker Price

North Carolina Highway Patrol announced in July it would implement an artificial intelligence-based system meant to catch violations of the Hands-Free Law and seatbelt use in commercial truck drivers. According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, over 10% of the 1,658 traffic casualties in 2020 involved collision with a large truck. Elon University computer science professor Scott Spurlock said that these innovations in artificial intelligence were previously unheard of, and shared his thoughts about the developing technology.

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NEWS 9/13/23 8:06pm

UNC lockdowns spark further concern at Elon University

By Ryan Kupperman

For the second time in roughly two weeks, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill went on lockdown because of reports of an armed and dangerous individual. On Sept. 13, the Alert Carolina system at UNC Chapel Hill reported an individual with a weapon on campus. UNC police later reported the incident to have happened at Alpine Bagel Cafe in the UNC student union just before 1 p.m. Elon University faculty members and UNC students reflected on the recent lockdown regarding an armed and dangerous individual on UNC's campus, as well as advocated for increased policy, legislation and protocol. 

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NEWS 9/13/23 1:38pm

Alert Carolina reports armed and dangerous individual at UNC

By Sophie Rosenthal

The Alert Carolina system at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill reported police say there is an armed and dangerous individual on or near campus. UNC Alert Carolina sent an all-clear update at 2:11 p.m. 

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NEWS 9/13/23 7:02am

Hispanic Heritage Month events calendar

By Elon News Network

Hispanic Heritage Month is annually celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Elon University hosts a Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off Festival in Medallion Plaza each year, with various events throughout the month that celebrate Hispanic food, music, performers and more. Sept. 14 and 15 mark the beginning of community-wide celebration with the kick-off festival and book display beginning Sept. 15. Here is a comprehensive list of Hispanic cultural events on or around Elon's campus over the next month.

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NEWS 9/12/23 3:17pm

Lane on N. Williamson Ave. to close Sept. 13 on Elon University campus

By Madison Powers

Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley sent an email today informing students of a Town of Elon lane closure on North Williamson Avenue Sept. 13, from West Lebanon Avenue to West Haggard Avenue from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dooley originally said the closure would take place on Nov. 13, but sent a follow-up email two hours later clarifying the closure will occur on Sept. 13. Traffic will be one-way due to construction and Dooley advised drivers to allow for extra travel time or take an alternate route.

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NEWS 9/12/23 7:31am

North Carolina DMV no longer issues, renews Confederate flag license plates

By Cassie Weymouth

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a 2021 North Carolina Department of Transportation ban on issuing or renewing specialty license plates with the Confederate flag. According to the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, North Carolina offers three standard plates and over 200 specialty license plates, representing more than 100 civic clubs and interest groups. In 2021 the Sons of Confederate Veterans sued the North Carolina Department of Transportation. A lower court dismissed the case and a federal appeals court agreed with that decision in 2022. Elon Law professors Luke Bierman and Enrique Armijo shared mixed opinions about the Supreme Court refusing to review the case.

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NEWS 9/10/23 1:29pm

Child care development center to open at Elon University spring 2025

By Madison Powers

Elon University will open a child care development center for children ages newborn to 2-years-old of Elon faculty, staff and students. The center is being created because of a child care crisis in Alamance County due to COVID-19. Williams said phase one of the center is scheduled to open spring 2025. According to Vice President for Finance and Administration Janet Williams, Elon hired Bright Horizons, an educational support systems company, to conduct a study in 2022 on the need for child care in Alamance County. Williams said while the study is not yet published, it further illuminated a local child care deficit.

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NEWS 9/9/23 8:04pm

ALCOVETS hosts second hot air balloon festival in Burlington

By Erin Martin

For the second year in a row the Alamance County Balloon Festival is taking place at Cedarock park in Burlington from Sept. 8 to 10. ALCOVETS — a nonprofit and veteran organization based in Graham — is hosting the event through Sept. 10 to raise funds to support local veterans and fund the Chesnut Ridge Retreat campus building, a veterans’ retreat campus at the peak of Bass Mountain. According to Hudson Hot Air Affair, optimal wind speeds are between 4 and 6 mph.

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NEWS 9/7/23 8:18am

Elon University student, professor frustrated over Buc-ee’s overconsumption

By Isabella DeJong

Buc-ee’s, a chain of gas stations and convenience stores in the southeast U.S., submitted an initial site plan to Mebane City Council in June to construct a 75,400 square feet store featuring 120 gas stations on 32.49 acres of land on I-85/40. Buc-ee’s is a Texas-based gas station and retail location that is well known for its large scale design and cartoonish beaver mascot. Elon University psychology professor Mat Gendle wrote an opinion piece that appeared in the Charlotte Observer outlining his concerns about the company’s overconsumption of resources and land. Gendle said Buc-ee's is not solely responsible for overconsumption, but is one of the many contributors.

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NEWS 9/6/23 8:13am

ABSS offers free lunch for students after delaying school for second week

By Sophie Rosenthal

ABSS delayed the start of the 2023-24 academic year twice after finding mold in 26 of the system’s 38 schools. Now set to have students back in school Monday, Sept. 11 from the original Aug. 28 date, ABSS opened sites for students to pick up free lunches in an effort to provide some relief for students and parents who were counting on children being in school already. At a meeting Sept. 1, the Alamance County commissioners also reappropriated funds amounting to nearly $17 million to pay for mold remediation, cleaning air ducts and cleaning Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems.

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NEWS 9/4/23 7:49am

Elon University LGBTQ+ students seek acceptance in gender inclusive housing

By Sophie Rosenthal

For the first time this year, students had the choice to opt into Elon’s new gender inclusive housing program on the general housing form. According to the class of 2027 admissions profile, 12% of the class of 2027 identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ communities — the largest portion of a class at Elon to date. As a transgender woman, freshman Grace Luebbe applied for inclusive housing this past spring in order to ensure that she would be living in a safe environment. Before she stepped on campus as a student this fall, Luebbe said she felt welcomed and included.

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NEWS 9/2/23 6:48pm

ABSS delays school year again; new start scheduled for Sept. 11

By Sophie Rosenthal

The Alamance Burlington School System has delayed the first day of school a second time after finding mold in more than half of the system’s 38 schools, according to a press release Sept. 2. Schools are now scheduled to open on Monday, Sept. 11. The first day of the school year was originally planned for Aug. 28, but after mold was found in Andrews Elementary in July, ABSS began testing all 38 of its schools. Now, all schools have been tested and 26 are currently being cleaned.

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NEWS 9/2/23 11:22am

Elon University welcomes 4 new majors, minors

By Abigail Hobbs

Elon University introduced four new majors and minors at the start of the 2023-24 academic year, which include a mechanical engineering concentration and a financial technology major, as well as expressive arts and health communications minors. According to designer of the mechanical engineering concentration and professor of engineering Jonathan Su, mechanical engineering is in high demand as one of the broadest and oldest engineering sectors. Similarly, professor of strategic communications Julie Lellis said the health communications minor can be applied to a variety of professions as an interdisciplinary avenue, including government, healthcare and community settings.

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NEWS 9/1/23 11:35am

Elon University prepares for annual sand mandala ceremony

By Jenna Rudolph

Tibetan Buddhist monk Geshe Sangpo is scheduled to arrive at Elon University on Sept. 6 for the ninth year to construct a sand mandala — an intricate piece of art created with marble dust and sand used to symbolize several Buddhist philosophies, such as impermanence and the deconstruction of ego. Sangpo, a member of the Kadampa Center for the Practice of Tibetan Buddhism in the Gelugpa Tradition in Raleigh, has visited Elon each year since 2013 — with the exception of 2020 — to create a Green Tara Sand Mandala.

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NEWS 9/1/23 10:14am

Elon University approves Glean for 2023-24 academic year

By Michael Leung

After a pilot program last year, Elon University has approved Glean, a browser-based note taking application, as an additional accommodation resource for the 2023-24 academic year. Students with approved note taking accommodations through Disabilities Resources will have access to Glean, which records the audio of the professor’s lecture and maintains notes in a centralized area for more efficient studying. According to Associate Provost of Academic Affairs Jennifer Platania, students with note taking accommodations were reliant on peer notetakers before Glean was introduced to Elon. 

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NEWS 8/31/23 4:47pm

UNC Chapel Hill holds vigil for professor as classes resume

By Joseph Navin

University of North Carolina faculty member Zijie Yan was shot and killed Aug. 28. Gun shots were reported in Caudill Labs at roughly 1 p.m. on Monday. Tailei Qi, a 34-year-old UNC graduate student, is the primary suspect and is in custody on charges for first-degree murder and possession of a firearm on education property. The university held a vigil for Yan inside the Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center and estimated 5,000 in-person attendees, along with 10,000 viewers on its livestream. UNC canceled classes Aug. 29 and Aug. 30, but resumed them Aug. 31.

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NEWS 8/30/23 12:02pm

North Carolina declares state of emergency as Hurricane Idalia makes landfall

By Joseph Navin

North Carolina declared a state of emergency due to expected hazards from Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall in Florida the morning of Aug. 30. Idalia is projected to weaken to a Tropical Storm and hug the southeast coast of Georgia and the Carolinas on Thursday. The National Weather Service in Raleigh reports that North Carolina's worst of  effects will take place on the southeast coast, east of I-95. NWS Raleigh also issued flood watches in both Orange and Chatham counties, which border Alamance county, for Aug. 30.

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NEWS 8/30/23 8:45am

UNC Chapel Hill students share experiences in lockdown

By Abigail Hobbs

Two University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill seniors describe their experiences in lockdown and hearing rumors, news and university communications differ. “That was the most nerve-wracking part,” Ava Dobson said. “It was pretty scary — just the initial hour — because there was so little was known about what exactly was going on.” Elon University Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley advises students in an email to update their contact information and review safety protocols.

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NEWS 8/28/23 2:30pm

Faculty member killed in shooting at UNC Chapel Hill

By Abigail Hobbs

A faculty member has been killed in a shooting at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill on Aug. 28. Tailei Qi is in custody on charges for first-degree murder and possession of a firearm on education property. Classes and non-mandatory operations on campus are canceled for Aug. 29. The weapon and the motive have not been identified by police. 

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NEWS 8/26/23 9:12am

Elon University Station at Mill Point residents frustrated at parking permit prices

By Naomi Washington and Sophie Rosenthal

For the first time, Elon University students living in the Station at Mill Point have to pay for a parking permit — which already began for the 2023-24 academic year. Previously, students were not required to pay anything. Now, Mill Point parking permits cost $160, and students will be permitted to park in Colonnades, Innovation Quad and Schar Center Hunt B lots in addition to their own. According to program assistant Marcia Dodson, campus police began ticketing cars without parking passes on Aug. 22 and ticket fines have increased from $50 to $100. 

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