News

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NEWS 2/21/24 7:54am

Town of Elon implements hotel tax

By Alexa Citrin

The town of Elon joined the Alamance County Municipal Tourism Development Authority after the town council voted unanimously in a meeting on Feb. 14 to levy a local occupancy tax on hotels with a rate of up to 3%. The Alamance County Municipal Tourism Development Authority is designed to help increase tourism in the Alamance County area, mostly through advertising projects and events to help boost the economy in each town in the Authority. The Inn at Elon is the only hotel affected by the new tax — being the only hotel in the town of Elon.

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NEWS 2/20/24 5:01pm

ABSS suspends deputy superintendent with pay

By Sophie Rosenthal

Alamance-Burlington School System Deputy Superintendent Lowell Rogers has been suspended with pay following recent charges of failure to report a crime against a juvenile, ABSS announced Feb. 20. ABSS Public Information Officer Les Atkins said the school district is cooperating fully with law enforcement and taking steps to address the charges. This comes just one day after chief financial officer Kim McVey left the school district amid a financial crisis and legislative investigation. Rogers had taken on the role of acting chief financial officer yesterday, Feb. 19.

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NEWS 2/20/24 11:37am

Alamance-Burlington School System’s CFO ‘parts ways’ with ABSS amid financial crisis, investigation

By Sophie Rosenthal

Kim McVey left her position as chief financial officer for the Alamance-Burlington School System, according to a statement from Superintendent Dain Butler on Feb. 19. According to Butler’s statement, Deputy Superintendent Lowell Rogers will temporarily oversee finances until an interim can be hired. McVey’s departure from the school system comes about two weeks after State Sen. Amy Galey opened a legislative investigation into the district’s financial decisions. Galey requested the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations look into what the school board has declared to be a financial crisis.

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NEWS 2/19/24 11:42am

New Elon in Los Angeles director focuses on recruitment

By Ryan Kupperman

New Elon in Los Angeles Director Brad Lemack will be visiting Elon on Wednesday, Feb. 21 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Snow Atrium for an informal meet and greet. After a few weeks on the job, Lemack said his primary goal for the program is recruitment. Lemack has been living and working in LA for decades — including as an Elon adjunct professor of strategic communications and entertainment public relations for the last 14 years. With the Elon in LA program being 15 years old, Lemack has been involved with the program for almost its entire existence.

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NEWS 2/18/24 5:53pm

Kernodle launches new volunteer opportunity for Boys and Girls Club

By Aidan Powley

The Kernodle Center for Civic Life started providing a new transportation service for students who would like to volunteer at Elon’s long-standing partner — the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club of Alamance County — on Feb. 16. The Kernodle Center’s transportation service plans to run every Friday from 3 to 5:30 p.m., providing Elon students rides to the Boys and Girls Club of Alamance County. According to Associate Director of the Kernodle Center Kyle Anderson, Elon has given students the opportunity to volunteer at the local Boys and Girls Club for decades. 

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NEWS 2/17/24 11:38am

Alamance Crisis Diversion Center to open later this year

By Cap Henneman

Dr. Mark Quale, an emergency medical physician at Alamance Regional Hospital and EMS medical director in Alamance County, said he estimates that he sees one overdose patient each day on average. Quale said what would have been a normal dosage of heroin for an unsuspecting opioid addict turns lethal when mixed with even the smallest amount of fentanyl. Fentanyl is a drug often other drugs are laced with, it’s difficult to attribute the exact number of overdoses to fentanyl. The Alamance Crisis Diversion Center, a project announced in September 2022 and set to open early this year, is hoping to add more proactive resources.

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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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