Opinions

NTIM: Rebuilding the African-American Story

For over four centuries, African-Americans have been burdened with a life of toil. Their bodies have been bruised and beaten under discriminatory policies and practices.

BENSON: Party of one, please

We live in a world with 7 billion people with millions of likes, dislikes, experiences, interests and hobbies, and, a lot of times, the very best person to spend time with isn’t far at all—it’s yourself.

O'NEIL: Stand with American Indians in their time of need

“Mni Wiconi,” or “water is life”, has become the slogan for the protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline that is being constructed in North Dakota — on tribal lands I might add.

EDITORIAL: Take advantage of Elon University’s interfaith programming

On Sept. 15, students and community members celebrated Eid Al-Adha, the Muslim celebration of sacrifice, in McBride Gathering Space.

EDITORIAL: Lean on each other to grieve through Derek's passing

It didn’t matter if you knew Derek Winton, the fifth-year senior at Elon who died early Saturday morning. The loss of a community member — less than three weeks into our academic year — is painful for all. And for a campus that often moves too quickly into our own organizational silos, it’s important for all of us to stop, slow down and be there for each other in this time of grieving.

EDITORIAL: Make conversations more accessible to all leaders on campus — not just ‘the most involved’

In its messaging surrounding campus growth — from the construction of Park Place to the implementation of new programs like “Phoenix Fanatics” — Elon University has reverberated one clear, theme: student voices have been central to creating change.

WEHRHAHN: A huge success for feminism is taking place and you (probably) don’t know about It

As nice as it is to recognize progress, equal footing in the workplace and in society should be something that we expect rather than applaud. Let’s save the clapping for when the next champion is crowned.

BROWN: 2020, you don't have to fit the Elon mold

To incoming freshmen: Enjoy the moment. It’s an exciting time for you. You will not only meet many people but also experience different things. This doesn’t just apply to move-in day but to your entire year. So once in a while, put your phone up, look around, and enjoy the moment.

EDITORIAL: If you're calling Elon your new home, treat it like one

Class of 2020: If you haven’t declared it already, you’re likely preparing to call Elon your “new home.” And it’s true — this is your new home. But it stretches far beyond your new lofted bed. When you call this community your home, think about everything you’re embracing. All of it.

Letter from your Black Student Union President

I’ve been staring at this document for days trying to figure out what wisdom I can share in this column, trying to remember what I needed to hear as an incoming first-year.

AAPI Phoenix, we see you for who you are

When I first toured Elon University, it seemed like the perfect school. When I arrived here, it almost was. I loved the small class sizes. I had fantastic professors. I enjoyed the courses that I took. I felt like I was growing as a student. I became involved in InterVarsity, so my spiritual needs were provided for. To top it all off, the campus was beautiful. But despite all of the wonderful things Elon offered, I wanted to transfer a month or two into my freshman year. I’m a first-generation Filipino-American, and I didn’t feel like my ethnic identity was welcomed or supported on Elon’s campus.

Become authors of your own worldview and faith

Oh behalf of the Chaplains — Father Gerry, Rabbi Meir, Chaplain Joel, Muslim Coordinator Shane Atkinson, and myself, Chaplain Jan — I want to welcome you! It is a joy to have the campus teeming again with happy and energetic students. Our presence on campus means that Elon cares about your spiritual self, and your whole self. Our mission, in the Truitt Center, is to provide you resources to explore, consider and deepen your religious or spiritual commitment. We also offer you opportunities to understand and interact with those who follow different paths. And we provide events and moments to support religious and non-religious students to think together and learn from each other.

Validated, valued, and victorious at Elon

As we welcome our LGBTQIA and ally students, faculty, and staff back to campus, we must also take time to reflect upon the national conversations surrounding LGBTQIA events, tragedies, and victories.

It's okay not to bELONg here at first

If your first experience at Elon is one riddled with anxiety and uncertainty like mine, perhaps you don’t bELONg. And that’s okay. The challenge is to find where you do belong. The result may surprise you.

Lessons in humility during times of struggle

Starting college is a fresh start, a clean slate, a blank canvass — but on your first day, you realize that the canvass given to you isn’t blank at all.

HAMZIK: Elon’s student newsroom in transition

The Pendulum and Elon Local News, Elon's leading student news organizations, are merging to create one organization called Elon News Network.

An open letter to Kathleen Parker

"It's unfair, but that was my reality."

Maybe this is the new norm and I have to accept it. Silly me for thinking I was going to inherit a nation that was supposedly “indivisible,” as I robotically recited in the Pledge of Allegiance in grade school.

Peace, love and difficult conversations

The Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life has demonstrated a commitment to multifaith engagement that has been solidified with the construction of the Numen Lumen Pavilion in 2013.  The building itself is a representation of our mission to provide a “safe place for spiritual growth, worldview exploration (religious and secular), and interfaith engagement.” However, our work has been met with criticism on many levels.  Instead of using my breath (or in this case, my keyboard) to try and shout why our work is great and why people should listen, I would like to use this piece constructively to express how we can improve our words and actions. One of the main themes emerging in criticisms of interfaith work is that the crowd that we engage gets lumped together in a giant conglomerate of peace, love and neoliberalism.

Summer blockbuster or bust?

With the highly anticipated release of Captain America: Civil War at the end of this week, the summer blockbuster season is well underway.