News

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NEWS 9/9/25 3:10pm

Burlington Animal Services installs pet microchip scanning systems across Alamance County

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Burlington Animal Services has installed 10 pet microchip scanning stations at fire departments and sheriff’s offices across the county, giving residents a quick tool to reunite stray animals with their families. Jessica Arias, animal services director at Burlington Animal Services, said the shelter has wanted to implement the scanning stations for several years because about 80% of lost pets are found within a mile of where they live. “We know that often, pet owners have their pets microchipped for good reason,” Arias said. 

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NEWS 9/6/25 4:12pm

Rise Against Hunger, Elon University Kernodle Center host annual meal packaging event, package over 21,000 meals

By Kate Gray

Over 170 student volunteers gathered in Alumni Gym on Sept. 6 to package more than 21,000 meals for people facing food insecurity and malnutrition around the world. The annual event is held in partnership with Rise Against Hunger and Elon University’s Kernodle Center for Civic Life. Michaila Minto, an event facilitator with Rise Against Hunger, said volunteering is an important way to give back to the community. “Food is a safe cause,” Minto said. “It doesn’t matter what religion or what background, as humans we all have to eat.

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NEWS 9/6/25 6:33am

Town of Elon block party builds community between residents, students

By Alannah Klingsporn

Elon University students and residents of the town of Elon gathered Sept. 5 in downtown Elon for the annual block party, which included vendors, inflatables and live music. Town of Elon Downtown Development Director Jill Weston said the block party started three years ago when they launched the social district downtown. Community events like this just bring everybody together,” Weston said. “And we're a very unique community. We have senior citizens, we have families and obviously we have students. So this is the type of event that has appeal for everybody.

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NEWS 9/4/25 7:12pm

Elon University Student Organization Fair postponed

By Nia Bedard

Elon University's Student Organization Fair, which was supposed to occur on Sept. 4, has been postponed due to inclement weather. Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley wrote in an email to undergraduate students that the event was also postponed in order to prioritize safety. The Student Organization Fair has previously taken place on the first Thursday of the school year. This year the event was move back to the second week of classes. According to Dooley, Student Involvement will be working to schedule a new date for the event as soon as possible. 

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NEWS 9/4/25 3:17pm

Tree removal crane lowered after blocking West Lebanon Avenue

By Charlotte Pfabe and Sarah T. Moore

A tree removal crane was vertical on West Lebanon Avenue after tipping backwards around 2:10 p.m. Sept. 4. Massey said the fire department is assisting in lowering the crane by using a ladder truck to pull it to the ground. According to Massey the tree removal crane was still running.  At 9:24 p.m. the crane was lowered and is no longer upright. The Town of Elon Fire Department left the scene at 9:55 p.m. Town of Elon Police and tow trucks are still on West Lebanon Avenue, which is still closed.

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NEWS 9/4/25 2:03pm

Q&A: Orange-striped oakworms: why you probably don’t need to worry

By Lilly Molina

As orange-striped oakworms cover Elon University, professor of forestry and environmental resources at NC State Kelly Often sat down with Elon News Network to discuss these leaf eating critters. She specializes in forest health and posts content on NC State’s Extension Forestry website about bugs impact on trees. "We like trees for the shade they provide and all these other ecosystem services, but they generally don’t impact the long term tree health," Oten said in an interview with Elon News Network.

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NEWS 9/3/25 11:30pm

Elon students, community come together at Harris Teeter College Night

By Nia Bedard

College students and Burlington residents filled the Harris Teeter located off of South Church Street for the store’s College Night, with a live DJ, food samples and a 20% discount on groceries. Elon senior Emily Dvorak also said she was excited to go to College Night and step outside of Elon’s campus. “It's a great way to show that Elon isn't necessarily just tied to the Elon campus,” Dvorak said. “We do participate in the community, and the community hopefully likes us.”

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NEWS 9/3/25 4:38pm

Kappa Sigma regresa al Consejo de Fraternidades en la Universidad de Elon

By Anjolina Fantaroni

El capítulo de Kappa Sigma de la Universidad de Elon regresará oficialmente al Consejo de Interfraternidades de Elon después de seis años de haber sido removido del campus universitario. El capítulo de Kappa Sigma fue eliminado de la IFC de Elon en 2019 después de que se encontrara responsable de múltiples violaciones del Código de Honor, incluyendo incidentes de conducta desordenada, uso no autorizado de alcohol, poner en riesgo el bienestar y los estudios de los nuevos miembros, y destrucción y vandalismo de propiedad.

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NEWS 9/3/25 4:38pm

Kappa Sigma returns to Elon's campus after 6 years

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Elon University’s Kappa Sigma chapter will officially return to Elon’s Interfraternity Council six years after being removed from campus. The Kappa Sigma chapter was removed from Elon’s IFC in 2019 after the chapter was found responsible for multiple Honor Code violations, including incidents of disorderly conduct, unauthorized use of alcohol, compromising the well-being and academics of new members, and destruction and defacement of property. “The Kappa Sigma Fraternity is excited to announce the reorganization of the Lambda-Lambda Chapter at Elon University during this academic year,” Kappa Sigma national, Senior Vice-President and Chief Recruitment Officer Leo J. Brown IV wrote. 

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NEWS 9/3/25 7:15am

Elon University students, faculty adjust to updated Moodle interface

By Evan Cooper

As fall semester classes start at Elon University, students and professors are getting their first look at Moodle 4.5, the latest update to the learning platform. Kelly Reimer, senior director of Teaching and Learning Technologies, declined an interview but wrote in an email statement to Elon News Network that the new update improves accessibility, modernizes the text editor and improves the user interface — also known as UI. According to Reimer, Moodle 4.5 refined workflows for instructors to better manage their courses. “Students will benefit from a more consistent, user-friendly experience that’s easier to navigate, especially as courses evolve with new learning tools,” Reimer wrote.

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NEWS 9/2/25 1:05pm

CNBC names North Carolina top state for business in 2025

By Fiona McAllister

North Carolina was rated the number one state in the country for business. According to CNBC, North Carolina has a “solid economy, a world-class workforce and a wealth of corporate hospitality” — therefore, North Carolina was ranked the highest overall. Assistant teaching professor of economics at Elon University Devon Hawkins said North Carolina,  received this ranking because of affordability within southern states. “The scarcity of money, the scarcity of choice, affordability, the balance of how much I can afford and my lifestyle here — the more choices we have in life, the more happiness that correlates to that,” Hawkins said.

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NEWS 8/31/25 6:09pm

Alamance local organizes fundraiser for summer flood victims

By Lilly Molina

Lemon Ninjas, a lemonade company owned and operated by a local family in Alamance County, hosted a flood fundraiser to help raise funds and donations for those affected by Tropical Storm Chantal. From vintage cars to a pygmy goat named Oliver, the fundraiser at Straightway Baptist Church included gospel performances, car shows, a petting zoo, vendors and, of course, lemonade. “We wanted to give back to the people that were closer to us too,” owner of Lemon Ninjas and coordinator of the event Christine Jordan said. 

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NEWS 8/29/25 12:42pm

Elon University prepares for demographic cliff

By Charlotte Pfabe

Colleges and universities across the country are bracing for the impact of a ripple effect 18 years in the making — the demographic cliff. Triggered at the start of the Great Recession in 2007, the economic downturn Americans experienced caused a drop in birth rates, which never recovered. With fewer babies born after 2007, there are now less 18 year olds going to college. According to a 2024 report from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, the number of 18-year-old high school graduates will peak somewhere between 3.8 and 3.9 million in 2025 and will be followed by a 15-year decline.

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NEWS 8/29/25 12:42pm

La universidad de Elon se prepara para una caida demografica

By Charlotte Pfabe

Universidades en todo el pais se estan preparando para el impacto de un efecto en cadena de 18 años en marcha: El precipicio demográfico. Iniciado al comienzo de la Gran Recesión en 2007, la recesión económica que experimentaron los estadounidenses provocó una disminución en las tasas de natalidad, que nunca se recuperaron. Ahora la educación superior está sintiendo el impacto. Con menos bebés nacidos después de 2007, hay menos adolescentes de 18 años que ingresan a la universidad.

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NEWS 8/28/25 10:33am

Elon University campus parking expansions set to ‘build capacity’ for campus lots

By Charlotte Pfabe

This year, freshmen are only allowed to park in designated lots marked with an “FY” sign matching their parking permits. Currently, freshman are temporarily parking in additional designated spaces as construction continues for the upcoming freshman lot. Campus Safety and Police announced another delay in opening the freshmen parking lot earlier this month. The lot, located near the Francis Center, was supposed to open at the start of the 2025-26 academic year. Campus Safety and Police Chief Joe LeMire said construction couldn’t be started until they completed a traffic study and addressed some environmental concerns, including taking into account a nearby stream.

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NEWS 8/26/25 6:11pm

Elon University student activity fees fund various organizations, campus events and traditions

By Trista Panagakos

As students prepare for the 2025-26 academic year, they might notice a $146 fee for student activities as part of their fall tuition bill. This fee is charged every semester to full time students, providing funding for different events, traditions and organizations on campus. Part time students are charged $73 each semester. The Student Government Association receives a large portion of the fee — $440,000 annually. They allocate this money to various organizations and activities through funding requests.

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NEWS 8/26/25 1:05pm

Website traffic on first day of classes causes Moodle issues

By Fiona McAllister

An email sent to all Elon University students, faculty and staff from the technology update team stated that Moodle is experiencing “significant slowness and temporary outages” due to the high traffic on the first day of classes. The technology service team said the vendor for Moodle is looking into this issue and is performing emergency maintenance to resolve the issue. The technology service team suggests that if you need to share time-sensitive files, use Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams and print hard copies of materials.

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NEWS 8/25/25 7:11pm

Elon University Registrar extends Winter Term class times by 15 minutes, morning classes will start earlier

By Nia Bedard

Elon University’s Office of the Registrar is making changes to the Winter Term schedule for the 2025-26 academic year. According to an email sent by the Registrar to some faculty members, Winter Term classes will now be extended by 15 minutes. In addition to the extension, morning classes will have an earlier start time at 8:30 a.m. Morning classes in Winter Term previously started at 9 a.m. During Winter Term, which occurs in January, students can stay on campus and take a class Monday through Friday for the entirety of the term. 

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NEWS 8/25/25 5:02pm

El sistema escolar de Alamance-Burlington se prepara para el año escolar 2025-26

By Anjolina Fantaroni

El 25 de agosto, el Sistema Escolar de Alamance-Burlington dio la bienvenida a los estudiantes para su primer día de clases. Este año, ABSS implementó dos cambios: uno para cumplir con la nueva legislación estatal y el otro para modificar el sistema de información estudiantil que utilizan las escuelas. El primer cambio proviene del Senado de Carolina del Norte, que busca restringir el uso de teléfonos celulares en los cuartos de clase de Carolina del Norte, conocido como el Proyecto de Ley de Educación sin Celulares. El Departamento de Instrucción Pública de Carolina del Norte también votó a favor de migrar todas las escuelas de Carolina del Norte a Infinite Campus tras una filtración de datos previa en su sistema de información anterior, PowerSchool.

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NEWS 8/25/25 4:42pm

Alamance-Burlington School System starts 2025-26 school year

By Anjolina Fantaroni

On Aug. 25, the Alamance-Burlington School System welcomed students back for the first day of school. This year, ABSS implemented two changes, one to comply with new state-level legislation and the other to change the student information system the schools use. The first change comes from the North Carolina Senate, which aims to restrict cellphone use in North Carolina classrooms, known as the Cell Phone-Free Education Bill. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction also voted to move all North Carolina schools to Infinite Campus following a previous data breach, in their previous information system, PowerSchool.

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