Lilly Molina

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Recent Articles

NEWS 4/25/24 10:27am

Elon continues DEI commitments despite national backlash

By Lilly Molina

After a recent national trend of defunding Diversity, Education and Inclusion efforts, Naeemah Clark, associate provost for Academic Inclusive Excellence, wants to ensure Elon’s DEI efforts remain strong. Clark specifically said she is frustrated with institutions such as the University of Florida which are now defunding or taking away DEI departments or initiatives entirely. Last week the UNC Board of Governors Committee voted unanimously to strip away its DEI policies. Some people fear learning about DEI will further the “divide” of this idea of the oppressed v. the oppressor, but when students embrace DEI they can feel empowered, Clark said.

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NEWS 4/24/24 10:49pm

2024 Earth Week keynote speaker offers advice on coping with climate anxiety

By Lilly Molina

Britt Wray, author of “Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in the Age of Climate Anxiety,” spoke to Elon University on April 24 as the 2024 keynote speaker for Earth week. Wray began by linking the idea that major fossil fuel companies, powerful lawyers and lobbyists choose to ignore damages inflicted by businesses. These efforts, according to Wray, have hindered people from taking action to stop them — which Wray deemed a global crime scene. She said by 2070, an estimated 19% of the planet will be inhabitable due to increases in global warming.

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LIFESTYLE 4/23/24 11:07am

Ines Bakery: from street corner to big dreams in every bite

By Lilly Molina

Ines Roets smelled the hints of tobacco on the streets of Calle Ocho in Miami as she sold her empanadas to tobacco rollers and other businesses. With one hand guiding a stroller, her infant son inside, and her other hand holding a cooler filled with savory empanadas, this is where Roets got her start.  Every morning and afternoon Ines returned to Calle Ocho and people couldn’t get enough of her empanadas. This is when she realized there was something special here, so she held onto it. 

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NEWS 4/8/24 9:24pm

Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Dean announces departure

By Lilly Molina

Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Dean Raghu Tadepalli has announced his departure from deanship after 12 years in the role. His deanship will conclude after the 2024-25 academic year and the university will begin its search for a replacement in fall 2024. This is the sixth senior staff member to leave their position within the past two years. Despite his departure from this role, Tadepalli will be returning in the 2026-27 academic year after a yearlong sabbatical to serve as dean emeritus and special assistant to Elon University President Connie Book.

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NEWS 4/3/24 9:00pm

Elon University launches Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month

By Lilly Molina

George Dou, assistant director for the Center of Race Ethnicity Diversity Education, said that the first time he got to explore his Asian roots was during Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Though API Heritage Month is typically celebrated in May, Elon changed the month to April to avoid conflicting with exams and have the opportunity to celebrate it fully. Dou and others within CREDE organized the kick-off event on April 3 at Medallion Plaza. This is the second annual kickoff and Dou said he hopes that API students get a chance to further explore their identities.

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NEWS 3/20/24 11:35am

HealthEU moves toward new wellness center

By Lilly Molina

Elon officials noticed there were different programs dedicated to students' well-being for years, but they were all scattered across campus, Elon University Dean of Students Jana Lynn Patterson said. In August 2022, the University launched HealthEU, Elon University’s health and wellness initiative, to organize those already existing organizations, but also promote them to students. Patterson said HealthEU is not only for students to take advantage of, but also for faculty and staff. The initiative consists of six pillars: community, emotional, physical, financial, purpose and social well-being. Patterson said all of these pillars are interconnected and centralized.

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NEWS 3/8/24 9:54am

Elon becomes largest university contributor to Daffodil Project in US

By Lilly Molina

The Daffodil project is an initiative from Am Yisrael Chai, a nonprofit Holocaust and genocide education and awareness organization. With over 900,000 planted, its mission is to plant 1.5 million daffodils across the globe to honor the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust, according to the founder of the Daffodil Project Andrea Videlefsy. The project began in 2010, but the conception of the idea formed in 2008. Elon joined the project as a partner in 2013 and as of 2024 has planted approximately 30,000 bulbs across campus, making Elon its biggest contributor compared to any other university in the country.

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NEWS 3/7/24 11:09am

First-generation LLC hopes to give sense of belonging to Elon University students

By Lilly Molina

Sophomore Carlos Gomez Lopez could have decided to live off campus next year as many upperclassmen chose to do, but instead, he wanted to live in the First Generation Living Learning Community. Lopez moved into Colonnades his freshman year and noticed his peers knew a bit more of what college would be like because their parents had already been in their shoes. Lopez said he felt like he was going in blind because he couldn’t go to his parents for advice. Paula DiBiasio, professor of physical therapy education, will be one of the advisers for the LLC and said she had been working on this idea since 2022.

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NEWS 2/26/24 9:06pm

Elon Town Council votes to open green space to public

By Lilly Molina

Elon's Town Council hosted their second work session of the year, where they unanimously decided to make the green space on North Holt Avenue open to the public in order to bring more people into Elon. Monti Allison, mayor pro tem, said he wanted to open the greenspace — previously a beer garden for Toasty Kettlyst — as a place for special events, such as more beer sales. This in turn would call for the expansion of the social district. Downtown Development Director Jill Weston also announced that Med Deli would be opening Thursday, Feb. 29.

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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 2/9/24 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 1/28/24 1:51pm

Sororities, fraternities gear up for recruitment at Elon University

By Lilly Molina

Lindsey Palazzolo is the recruitment chair for Tri Sigma at Elon University. She said that before COVID, roughly 700 Potential New Members were registered to rush. Though numbers had been down since the pandemic, Palazzolo said she is excited to see numbers rising again. She said this year there are roughly 560 PNMs. The rushing process for sororities happens from Saturday, Jan. 27 to Wednesday, Jan. 31 — Bid Day. According to Palazzolo, so much preparation goes into the recruitment process that she has been planning rush logistics since August 2023.

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NEWS 1/9/24 3:17pm

Severe thunderstorm warning in effect until 3:15 p.m., Tornado watch in effect till 9 p.m.

By Ryan Kupperman and Lilly Molina

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Alamance-Burlington area has a severe thunderstorm warning in effect until 3:15 p.m. and a tornado watch in effect until 9 p.m. A flood watch and wind advisory is also in place for the rest of the night. E-Alerts were issued for the tornado watch around 1:30 p.m., but an incorrect statement was issued about a tornado warning. To be prepared for the severe weather, Elon recommended monitoring weather forecasts, ensuring students’ current cell phone numbers are in OnTrack to receive E-Alert notifications and review emergency shelter locations.

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NEWS 12/26/23 6:17pm

Elon University’s Whitley Auditorium turns 100 years old

By Lilly Molina

Whitley Auditorium was one of the five buildings constructed after the famous 1923 fire burned down Elon’s administration building. The year of 2023 marks Whitley’s 100th anniversary of being a space where students can come together and make memories. According to Elon’s archives, Whitley was dedicated to J.M. Darden’s father-in-law Deacon L.H. Whitley. Darden financially backed the project and was the one to approve all the plans. The cornerstone of Whitley was laid on May 23, 1923. Sophomore Wyatt Zsiga said Whitley holds a significant historical meaning to him and his a cappella group. 

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NEWS 12/17/23 2:35pm

Mebane Planning Council votes no to Buc-ee’s

By Lilly Molina

Before the Mebane Planning Council voted no, Buc-ee’s was set to construct a new location in Mebane off of Interstate 40 on Trollingwood Hawfield Road. According to the planning council, a representative from Buc-ee’s was hoping for approval on the proposed zoning area of 31.37 acres. Buc-ee’s shared that their migration into North Carolina would increase economic prosperity, but opponents at the meeting expressed concern that Buc-ee’s new arrival will increase traffic. Though rejected by the Mebane Planning Council on Dec 11, city council will have final say on the future of Buc-ee’s in Mebane during its next meeting Jan. 8.

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NEWS 12/6/23 5:14pm

Third candidate for Dean of College of Arts and Sciences visits Elon

By Lilly Molina

The third of four candidates, Hilton Kelly, for the dean of Elon's College of Arts and Sciences presented to the Elon community on Dec. 4. Kelly is currently the Dean the College of Liberal Arts and Education at the University of Wisconsin, Platteville. Before his current role, he was the department chair of educational studies at Davidson College where he was a professor of Educational studies and Africana studies. Kelly said that besides teaching in North Carolina, he was born and raised in Sharpsburg, North Carolina — a little over two hours from campus.

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LIFESTYLE 11/20/23 9:13am

Irazú supports Elon University community with family values

By Lilly Molina

Irazú started out as a dream for Rod Salazar. He had pitched the idea of opening a coffee shop in the Burlington community to his mother Rosario Villalobos in 2004. The pair quit their jobs and rented a space on Church Street that required intense renovations. Villalobos said at the time, there were no coffee shops in Burlington, so they were eager to open the shop and fill this need in the community. However, when they opened in 2004, so did the Starbucks on Church Street. Becky Villalobos, Rosario’s daughter and current manager of Irazú, said how this deeply hurt the business. 

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NEWS 11/14/23 1:21pm

Haggard Avenue expected to close for 3 weeks

By Lilly Molina

East Haggard Avenue — from North Williamson Avenue to North Antioch Avenue — will be closed for three weeks starting on Nov. 15 and opening again on Dec. 6. In addition, part of North O’Kelly Avenue located north of East Haggard will be closed as well. Dooley sent an email from Senior Director for Facilities Management Raymond Fletcher, who said the closure is due to a project conducted by the Town of Elon focused on water system improvements. During non-work hours, the roadways are expected to resume back to normal, and most of the sidewalks will remain untouched by the roadwork.  

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NEWS 11/14/23 7:58am

Elon University students welcome Wawa expansion into North Carolina

By Lilly Molina

For Emma Puleo, an Elon senior from Maryland, Wawa was her life. Wawa is a major gas station chain that sells food and beverages such as hoagies, club sandwiches, milkshakes and smoothies.The company originated in Pennsylvania and has since expanded all over the East Coast but has bypassed North Carolina, until now. Wawa announced its expansion into North Carolina on Oct. 25 at the Greenville Convention Center and Casita Brewing Company in Wilson. In a statement, Wawa said they plan to open 15 more stores in North Carolina by 2025 and are investing $7 million for each store.  

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LIFESTYLE 11/4/23 11:57am

Elon University art festival showcases local art

By Lilly Molina

The Alamance Artisans Guild hosted its annual Art Extravaganza at the Inn at Elon University. The free art show gave 21 local Alamance County artists the opportunity to display their artwork to the community. The festival took place Oct. 28 and 29 and was Elon’s first time hosting the event. Cindy Biles, an artisan who founded her sculptures and hypoallergenic jewelry business called Out of Fire, said her artistry journey started at Elon when she signed up for a pottery and ceramics class. She said that she has been a part of the Art Extravaganza since the beginning.

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