News

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NEWS 8/18/23 12:25pm

Elon University freshmen move into East Neighborhood amid expansion

By Sarah T. Moore

East neighborhood, Elon's newest residential housing space, hosted a flurry of emotions as incoming freshmen met their roommates and residence assistants — many for the first time — on Move-In Day 2023, Aug. 18. Freshman Neve McGowan traveled to East from Raleigh and is the oldest of three siblings. "“t’s surreal. It's weird, being the oldest and not knowing how my siblings are feeling and not being with them anymore,” McGowan said. “But I'm excited to start a new chapter.”

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NEWS 8/18/23 11:33am

Elon University staff greet incoming freshmen, parents at Schar Center

By Abigail Hobbs

Elon University staff were up before 8 a.m. to greet the class of 2027 as they began checking into their residence halls at Schar Center on Aug. 18. University President Connie Book was present, along with assistant director of regional alumni engagement Katie Kuczkowski ’17. Kuczkowski said she arrived on Elon's campus as a freshman in 2013, and Move-In Day was her favorite event of the year. "To be a part of the start of their Elon experience is just so special and it is not something I take for granted," Kuczkowksi said. 

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NEWS 8/18/23 6:59am

Elon University welcomes class of 2027 to community

By Elon News Network

Elon University officially welcomes the class of 2027 to its campus on Friday, Aug. 18, amid one of the hottest summers on record — according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The class of 2027 joins the community with 20% identifying as either African American, Latino/Hispanic, Asian Pacific Islander, Native American, Alaska Native or multiracial. In addition, 10% identify as first-generation students, 12% as members of the LGBTQIA community and 7% as international students. Compared to the class of 2026, this is a 1% increase across each group. 

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NEWS 8/17/23 1:14pm

North Carolina General Assembly overrides Gov. Cooper’s veto of bills directed toward LGBTQ+ communities

By Sarah T. Moore

The North Carolina General Assembly voted Aug. 16 to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's vetoes of HB574, HB808 and SB49, which restrict transgender education, healthcare and participation in sports. Republican lawmakers hold supermajorities in both the state House and state Senate, giving them the ability to override vetoes made by Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper. Republican State Sen. Amy Galey, who represents Alamance and Randolph Counties in District 25, voted in favor of all three bills. Galey was also a cosponsor of Senate Bill 49.

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NEWS 8/15/23 4:08pm

Severe thunderstorm warning in effect for Elon, Burlington

By Sarah T. Moore and Ryan Kupperman

Elon Alert sent out a severe thunderstorm warning on Aug. 15. The warning advised community members to seek shelter and monitor local weather. According to the National Weather Service, the storm could produce up to 80 MPH wind gusts and ping pong ball sized hail. The severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 9 p.m Tuesday night. Despite this, NOAA predicts clear skies by Wednesday and continuing through Sunday — in time for Elon University's move-in weekend which officially begins Friday, Aug. 18. 

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NEWS 8/14/23 7:35pm

Elon University President Connie Book stresses importance of mentorship, relationships

By Abigail Hobbs

Elon University President Connie Book stressed the importance of mentorship and relationships at the 2023-24 President's Address in Alumni Gym Aug. 14. At the address, co-chairs of the Mentoring Initiatives Design Team Buffie Longmire-Avital and Emily Krechel also announced six pilot programs, which will include developing awareness on how to recognize meaningful relationships, integrating meaningful relationship learning outcomes and supporting retention efforts by connecting incoming students with a peer who is trained as a student success coach.

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NEWS 8/14/23 7:15pm

Exclusive interview with Elon University president

By Naomi Washington and Ryan Kupperman

Elon News Network sat down with Elon University President Connie Book for an exclusive interview before the start of the 2023-24 academic year. Book discussed plans for campus-wide expansion, as well as impacts on the admission process after The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action earlier this summer. Book also said Elon's continued expansion is grounds for the trend of tuition increases over the last few years, and will likely continue into the following school year.

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NEWS 8/8/23 1:42pm

ABSS assistant principal arrested for alleged sexual misconduct

By Madison Powers

James Tyler Kelly, assistant principal at Southern Alamance Middle School, has been arrested for alleged misconduct with a student. He was charged with one count of felony sex act with a student and his bond is set at $50,000. This is the Alamance-Burlington School System's second alleged inappropriate conduct incident between within four months. In May, Ivan Danilo Ardila-Perez, former Southern Alamance Middle School Spanish teacher and soccer coach, was charged with two counts of indecent liberties with a student and two counts of indecent liberties with a child. 

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NEWS 8/3/23 4:36pm

Construction begins for downtown Elon plaza

By Avery Sloan

After announcing plans to create a permanent outdoor structure in downtown Elon two years ago, construction for the project began Aug. 3. According to town manager Rich Roedner, construction is scheduled to finish near the end of November.

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NEWS 8/1/23 6:14pm

Lawsuit settled against Alamance County sheriff

By Avery Sloan

Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson settled a lawsuit for $430,000 on July 28. Two parties, Aris Hines and Brandi Thomason, filed their suit against Johnson in 2019 after being arrested in 2016 for falsifying documents to enroll a student at Eastern Alamance High School. The student played basketball and football for the school — causing the school to be stripped of 28 football and basketball wins. Hines and Thomason alleged offenses of Felony Common Law Obstruction of Justice and Felony Obtaining Property by False Pretenses.

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NEWS 7/26/23 5:12pm

Elon location of Mediterranean Deli to open six months later than expected

By Joseph Navin

Elon's Mediterranean Deli location will now open roughly six months later than expected due to a fire shutting down the business' Chapel Hill location July 22. After closing its Park Place location at 202 W. Haggard Ave. in 2022, Mediterranean Deli was set to open this summer in Acorn Coffee’s former location at 116 N. Williamson Ave. — while Acorn Coffee Shop is still set to reopen inside Elon University’s Belk Library this fall. Owner Jamil Kadoura said the deli will be begin operating out of The Story Venue on West Franklin Street this Saturday, July 29, while the original 410 W. Franklin St. location is unusable.

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SPORTS 7/20/23 1:51pm

CAA changes name

By Mason Willett

The CAA announced it's changing its name from the Colonial Athletic Association to the Coastal Athletic Association on July 20. According to the CAA, the name change comes from its expansion across the East Coast and its goal of  ‘United in Excellence.' Despite this, George Washington University announced last year that it would be dropping all “Colonial monikers” because of the name's glorification of colonialism. 

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NEWS 7/15/23 4:47pm

Elon University students encourage community to come together following anti-trans legislation

By Sarah T. Moore

Elon University students brace for the impact of three major pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation working their way through the North Carolina General Assembly. Despite Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of these bills on July 5, the General Assembly is scheduled to vote on overriding his veto July 19. House bill 574, senate bill 49 and house bill 808 would restrict transgender students from participating in school sports, gender affirming healthcare for minors and classroom instruction surrounding gender identity and sexuality. In 2023 alone, 413 pieces of anti-transgender legislation have been proposed or passed in the U.S. 

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NEWS 7/12/23 8:11pm

Elon University students impressed by University of North Carolina, Duke University’s recent tuition policies

By Abigail Hobbs

Elon University students reflect on the announcements made by Duke University and University of North Carolina, offering free tuition for in-state students who make less than $80,000 and $150,000 each year, respectively. These financial aid policies were announced within weeks of UNC losing their Supreme Court case on affirmative action, in which it was ruled that no higher education institution may consider the factor of race in its admission decisions. UNC's new tuition policy will come into effect at the start of the 2024-25 school year, while Duke's will begin in the upcoming 2023-24 year.

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NEWS 7/11/23 8:54am

Elon University sophomore remembered as ‘sincere’, ‘feet on the ground’ kind of person by friends and family

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon University sophomore Jason Titunik died in a car crash July 6 at the age of 19. His friends and family described and will remember him as a sincere, funny and compassionate person. Titunik is from Sarasota, Florida and his funeral will be held in New Jersey July 11. A memorial will be held on campus at the start of the school year, though further details are to come. Titunik was a history and political science major and enjoyed music, nature and fashion.

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NEWS 7/10/23 4:41pm

Elon University to discontinue COVID-19 quarantine protocols, reporting positive test results

By Avery Sloan

Elon University will discontinue its COVID-19 quarantine protocols, as well as reporting positive test results, for the 2023-24 school year. According to an email sent by Jon Dooley, vice president of student life, Elon is changing its testing protocol to reflect the federal emergency and World Health Organization’s declaration for COVID-19 — which ended in May. Dooley also clarified that COVID-19 related absences will now be addressed by individual faculty according to their syllabi.

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NEWS 7/7/23 3:17pm

Elon University sophomore killed after car crash in Salisbury, Connecticut

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon University sophomore Jason Titunik was killed after a car crash in Salisbury, Connecticut the evening of July 6. Titunik was a passenger in a vehicle driven by 19-year-old Robert Steinmetz, when state police reported that Steinmetz lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a utility pole on the shoulder of Route 44. The incident occured at the intersection of Canaan and Twin Lakes Road while the two were traveling east. Titunik was transported to Sharon Hospital with life-threatening injuries, but was later pronounced dead.

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NEWS 7/3/23 12:29pm

Local train schedule excludes Burlington Station from two of its routes

By Naomi Washington

Raleigh and Charlotte train schedule is set to revise its current routes starting July 10, excluding Burlington Station from two of its routes. Under the new train schedule, a stop at the Burlington station will not be included on Train 71 and Train 76, which are two out of 10 of the routes. Under the current schedule, the first train from Raleigh arrives at Burlington Station before 8 a.m. After July 10, the first opportunity for commuters to get off at Burlington Station will be after 11 a.m. 

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NEWS 6/30/23 11:36am

Supreme Court rules against student loan forgiveness

By Ryan Kupperman

The Supreme Court ruled against President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan. The proposal, introduced in August 2022, would waive up to $430 billion in student debt for over 40 million Americans nationwide by forgiving up to $20,000 per person in student debt. The federal government put student loan repayment on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, but is now set to resume in September. This decision comes just one day after the court ruled to end affirmative action.

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NEWS 6/29/23 10:51am

Supreme Court rules to end affirmative action

By Avery Sloan and Abigail Hobbs

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled to end affirmative action in the admission decision process of all universities and colleges, meaning institutions will no longer be allowed to consider race in the college admissions process. The Supreme Court has been debating affirmative action since 1978, when the court previously ruled that while universities could not make quotas, they could consider race in the admissions process. The court’s decision today goes against the precedents previously set. 

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