Politics

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NEWS 3/7/22 11:37pm

Elon Board of Aldermen discusses new zoning laws, announces resignation of planning director

By Gram Brownlee

In the March 7 planning session, the town of Elon’s Board of Aldermen announced that Pamela DeSoto, the assistant town manager and planning director, will be resigning March 25. The board also discussed plans to add alternative zoning laws, improve police relations with the community and change the Board’s meeting dates and name per the town charter. 

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NEWS 3/4/22 3:13pm

North Carolina, Alamance County primary candidates finalized

By Avery Sloan

The primary for the midterm elections is May 17 with a total of 76 candidates who have declared their candidacy. 

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NEWS 3/4/22 10:03am

Elon University Student Government Association’s joint committee votes to raise executive board stipend to $8,000 each term

By Avery Sloan

For the next term the pay will break down to $15 an hour, working 10 hours a week over a 53 week Senate term. The term was also extended by a week to allow the executive board to be paid for the transition week when the new board is sworn in. SGA’s joint committee, made up of their finance board and judicial committee, voted unanimously with nine students present to make this change. 

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NEWS 3/3/22 10:41am

CHEAT SHEET: Unpacking increased political polarization

By Avery Sloan

Journalism professor Susan Ladd talked about the state of political polarization in the United States. Ladd worked at the News and Record in Greensboro for 34 years in many roles, most notably as a politics editor and news columnist before she began working as a professor.

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NEWS 3/2/22 8:40pm

North Carolina’s new districts change expected election outcomes

By Avery Sloan

North Carolina’s redistricted maps have been approved by the state's Supreme Court, but North Carolina Republicans have appealed to federal courts— a process that will take an uncertain amount of time. For now, the districts will remain as the state’s courts have approved.  

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NEWS 2/25/22 3:31pm

Graham City Council suspends event, protest approval process until further notice

By Ryan Kupperman

Graham City Council voted to temporarily suspend the event-approval process — a procedure usually done through a government-appointed committee designed to make decisions around approving or denying protest permits.

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NEWS 2/24/22 2:28pm

Alamance County’s rising costs reflect larger trends

By Gram Brownlee

Interest rates, gas prices and a high demand for home building. For Tonmoy Islam, professor of economics at Elon University, these are all casualties of the current state of inflation in the United States. Increased gas costs and home prices in Alamance County are following trends throughout the country, and that’s because inflation is more than just a regional issue. 

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NEWS 2/17/22 11:30pm

Elon University SGA passes election packet, establishes judiciary for next term

By Avery Sloan

SGA’s next business meeting will be March 3, and the election packet will open March 1, beginning the election process.  

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NEWS 2/15/22 11:32pm

Town of Elon approves new holiday, decriminalizes land development

By Gram Brownlee

Juneteenth will now be an official holiday in the town of Elon, after a unanimous vote in the Board of Aldermen meeting on Feb. 15. The board also passed a new land development ordinance. 

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NEWS 2/14/22 9:12am

CHEAT SHEET: Elon University political science professor breaks down gerrymandering

By Kyra O'Connor

Elon News Network spoke with Professor of Political Science and Policy Studies Thomas Kerr to explain gerrymandering and how it impacts North Carolina. 

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NEWS 2/10/22 2:02pm

SGA leaders set goals to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion, promote class and community unity

By Ryan Kupperman

With SGA elections approaching in March, the organization will also prepare for a new student constitution, new SGA bylaws, a new judicial process and a new advisor — once the current SGA advisor, Jana Lynn Patterson, steps down from her role in April.  

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NEWS 2/4/22 12:22am

Elon University Student Government adviser to step down

By Avery Sloan

Following Tuesday’s cabinet session, SGA cabinet members will meet again next Tuesday to vote on changes to the student handbook and there will be no SGA business meeting next week. Instead there will be a financial literacy training next Thursday Feb. 10 open to the student body.

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NEWS 2/1/22 11:43pm

Elon University student government seeks student feedback for student handbook review changes

By Ryan Kupperman

According to Executive President of the Student Government Association Jack Corby, the Office of the Dean of Students will begin reviewing student handbook suggestions for the next academic year on Feb. 14, so SGA will have to submit their suggestions by Feb. 11. 

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NEWS 12/14/21 8:13pm

New town of Elon Mayor Pro Tem Mark Greene sworn in

By Avery Sloan

Current Alderman Mark Greene was sworn in as mayor pro tem on  Dec. 14 at the town of Elon regular session Board of Aldermen meeting where the town approved a pedestrian walkway and new COVID-19 sick leave policy. 

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NEWS 12/7/21 1:09am

New town of Elon mayor, board members sworn in

By Kyra O'Connor

The next board meeting will be Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. The town of Elon town hall will be closed Dec. 23, 24, 27 and 31 in observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. 

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NEWS 11/19/21 12:21am

Phoenix Cards to be turned off over break for over 500 students who haven’t submitted flu shot records

By Avery Sloan

During the Nov. 18 Elon University SGA business meeting, members heard an update about flu vaccination rates on campus, the new E-alert system and the updated registration process for the upcoming academic year.

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NEWS 11/11/21 12:07am

President Book says university aims for $15 minimum wage for student employees

By Avery Sloan

Elon’s Student Government hosted a fireside chat event with President Connie Book and Vice President of Student Life Jon Dooley to answer student questions regarding student pay, COVID-19 and green initiatives on campus. 

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NEWS 11/10/21 2:13pm

CHEAT SHEET: New vaccine eligibility effect on professors

By Avery Sloan

Jessica Merricks, assistant professor of biology, discusses how the approval of the Pfizer-BioTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 through 11 is helping professors with young kids feel safer being back in person. 

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NEWS 11/10/21 12:32am

Board of Aldermen discusses issues of paying sewage bills, town accessibility

By Avery Sloan

The Board of Aldermen met for a regular meeting on Nov. 9 to discuss issues of water and sewage bills, as well as projects to help improve accessibility in the town of Elon.

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NEWS 11/5/21 12:36am

Elon University students have one week to submit flu vaccination records before Phoenix card deactivation, disenrollment

By Avery Sloan

SGA members heard the flu vaccination update from Dean of Students Jana Lynn Patterson during a Student Government Association meeting on Thursday, in addition to hearing from Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Jeff Stein, who informed students there would be a clinic on campus after Thanksgiving for students to receive booster shots of the Pfizer-BioTech COVID-19 vaccine. 

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