Madison Powers

Madison Powers is majoring in journalism with a minor in Spanish. She is the current News Editor of Elon News Network and enjoys reporting on immigration, the justice system, and education. Powers also loves photography, running, and reading.

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Recent Articles

NEWS 12/12/23 4:29pm

Elon University engineering students model real-world problems like tagging sharks, collecting trash

By Madison Powers

Students from five sections of Elon University’s Grand Challenges I engineering course launched underwater remote-operated vehicles as part of their final project. This course is one of two required for the engineering degree, all of which integrate the National Academy of Engineering’s 14 Grand Challenges in Engineering. This final project exemplifies the 14th: to engineer the tools of scientific discovery. Will Pluer, professor of engineering, said the project revolves around using a design-focused approach to the scientific method.

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NEWS 11/15/23 7:46am

Elon University Student Health Services hires registered nurse

By Madison Powers

After a monthslong gap, Elon University Student Health Services has hired a registered nurse who can provide allergy shots, patient care and other treatment. Becky Amash, who previously worked with the Alamance County Health Department, is joining as a full-time RN after Registered Nurse Cynthia Moore retired at the end of the 2022-23 school year after working at Elon for over 14 years. Dr. Ginette Archinal, university physician and medical director of student health at Elon, said there is a shortage of registered nurses which made it difficult to fill the position at the university. 

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NEWS 11/9/23 6:30pm

Alamance County Board of Elections results show incumbent wins, first Black Burlington city council member

By Madison Powers

According to the Alamance Board of Elections on Nov. 9, results for the Nov. 7 elections will be unofficial until Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. Polls closed at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 for municipalities in Alamance County. Incumbent Jim Butler has a lead in the election for Burlington mayor, beating Beth Kennett. Dejuana Bigelow and Bob Ward are the top two candidates for City of Burlington council members. If elected, Bigelow would be the first Black woman to hold the position. For the Town of Elon council election — of which three seats are available — incumbents Quinn Ray and Monti Allison are the top two candidates with Michael Woods in third.

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NEWS 11/9/23 8:21am

Elon University students to host CANstruction event Nov. 11

By Madison Powers

Three students in EGR 2210: Engineering Design for Service are partnering with Southern Alamance Family Empowerment to promote the nonprofit, collect canned goods and spread awareness about food insecurity in Alamance County. On Nov. 11, the group of Elon engineering students will deconstruct four structures made of canned goods to be donated to SAFE. Griffin Chase, a senior majoring in entrepreneurship with a minor in engineering design, is one of three students partnering with SAFE. Chase said through this project, he has learned about food insecurity in Alamance County.

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NEWS 11/6/23 7:48am

Elon University celebrates NAHM, continues a heritage language revitalization process

By Madison Powers

Elon University, which is situated on land originally occupied by the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi nation, is beginning a process to revitalize the tribe’s heritage language: Yesa:sahį. Randy Williams, vice president for inclusive excellence, said the university is partnering with the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation to revitalize the tribe’s heritage language. The language revitalization is the university’s 14th institutional priority for the 2023-24 school year. November is Native American Heritage Month in the U.S. and was established in 1990. Elon’s Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education hosts events throughout the month including a kickoff, artist showcase and beading workshop.

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NEWS 11/1/23 8:47am

Elon University students share sense of community after Maine shootings

By Madison Powers

Caleb Albert, a freshman sport management major at Elon University, said he heard of the Oct. 25 shootings near his hometown — Auburn, Maine — through a group text of friends from home. On Oct. 25, a gunman killed 18 people and injured 13 others in Lewiston, Maine — the second most populous city in Maine, following the capital, Portland — in shootings at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar and Grille, according to the Associated Press. Albert, who still has friends in high schools and colleges in the Lewiston area, said he was at a loss for words.

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NEWS 10/30/23 8:04am

Elon community reacts to Israel-Hamas war

By Madison Powers

Shaher Sayed, Palestinian imam of the Burlington Masjid, said it is hard to watch the outbreak of fighting in Israel and Gaza after a yearslong conflict. On Oct. 7, Hamas — a Palestinian militant group — attacked the southern border of Israel, resulting in a declaration of war by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Since then, 1,400 people in Israel and over 8,000 people in Gaza have died as of Oct. 29. Sayed has been imam and board president of the Burlington Masjid — the only mosque in Alamance County — since 2000 and moved to the U.S. nearly 40 years ago.

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LIFESTYLE 10/28/23 12:18pm

Junior at Elon University advocates for mental illness by eating rotisserie chicken

By Madison Powers

Every day for 40 days, junior Jack Zapata is eating a whole rotisserie chicken to raise funds and awareness for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Zapata’s goal is to raise $100,000 for NAMI, $10,000 of which he has raised as of Oct. 20, when Zapata hosted a chicken eating contest with university President Connie Book and student government president senior Britt Mobley. At the event — his 28th day of chicken eating — Book won the contest by donating $100 to $200 for every piece of chicken eaten by an attendee, donating a total of $1,500.

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NEWS 10/22/23 7:56pm

Elon University junior promotes NAMI with rotisserie chicken

By Madison Powers

Elon University President Connie Book won a rotisserie chicken eating contest against junior Jack Zapata and Student Body President senior Britt Mobley on Oct. 20 in the Moseley student center. Having started Sept. 22, Zapata is eating a whole rotisserie chicken every day for 40 days to raise funds and awareness for the National Alliance on Mental Illness — a grassroots mental health organization that provides education, advocacy and support for people with mental illnesses. On his 28th day of eating a rotisserie chicken, Zapata said he teamed up with Book and Mobley to expand his reach and achieve his goal of raising $100,000 for NAMI.

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NEWS 10/19/23 8:13pm

Elon University community honors sophomore with memorial

By Abigail Hobbs and Madison Powers

Friends and family of rising sophomore Jason Titunik, who died over the summer in a car crash, recognized his life Oct. 19 by sharing memories and planting a tree in his honor. Over 75 members of the Elon community gathered outside of Hook, Brannock and Barney residence halls — where Titunik lived his freshman year — to express condolences and support. The Rev. Kristin Boswell and Ira Titunik, Jason’s father, as well as friends and roommates described Jason’s personality and memory before planting a tree outside of HBB.  

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NEWS 10/16/23 9:50pm

Elon University Jewish fraternity hosts walk of solidarity for Israel

By Madison Powers

Alpha Epsilon Pi said prayers and hosted a walk of solidarity around Elon University’s campus for the state of Israel on Oct. 16. The fraternity, joined by university community members, prayed for peace and walked around campus to make a stand against terror and violence, according to sophomore and AEPi member Benji Stern. The walk comes a little over a week after Hamas, a militant group, attacked the Israeli southern border on the night of Oct. 7. As of Oct. 16, 2,670 Palestinians have died and over 1,400 Israelis have died, according to the Associated Press. 

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NEWS 9/21/23 11:04pm

Elon University common reading author encourages curiosity, thoughtfulness

By Madison Powers and Emily Stabell

Mónica Guzmán — author of Elon University’s 2023-24 common reading book “I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times,” — said it is vital for communities to have difficult conversations to create connection. Guzmán’s lecture on Sept. 21 was a part of Elon’s speaker series — presented by WUNC North Carolina Public Radio — and explored themes of “creating together.” Guzmán, a Mexican immigrant, said it is important to listen and learn from others.

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NEWS 9/19/23 12:03pm

Elon University expands academic opportunities at Charlotte Regional Center

By Erin Martin and Madison Powers

Elon University officially announced a greater presence in Charlotte through the Charlotte Regional Center. The university held an opening ceremony Sept. 19, where university representatives made various announcements for the future of Elon in Charlotte, including the Elon Law FLEX program, a summer finance program and new events to be held at the center. The Charlotte Regional Center is located at 330 W. Tremont Ave. in South End, which is an expanding Charlotte neighborhood.

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NEWS 9/18/23 4:52pm

ABSS receives bomb threat, Sheriff Office gives all-clear

By Madison Powers

Alamance Burlington School System received threats by email stating the existence of “multiple explosives” in a “district school” this morning, according to a press release by the Alamance County Sheriff's Office. Les Atkins, public information officer at ABSS, said other North Carolina districts, like Alleghany County, received similar emails. Atkins said ABSS believes this email was a “swatting email” — meant to falsely report a situation in order to provoke an emergency response. Atkins also said instructional hours were not severely interrupted.

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NEWS 9/14/23 5:44pm

Former Elon University campus police officer promoted to Town of Elon assistant police chief over operations

By Madison Powers

Town of Elon Police Chief Kelly Blackwelder announced the appointment of Lt. Kedrick King as new assistant police chief over operations. Kind is a former officer for Elon University's campus police. According to the police department, King has previously worked as a patrol officer, master police officer, sergeant and lieutenant with the Elon police department before being promoted Sept. 11.

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LIFESTYLE 9/13/23 2:24pm

Huepa! celebrates cultural expression through traditional Colombian dance

By Madison Powers

Yholima Vargas, born in Bógota, Colombia, has danced since she was young and found safety and self-expression through traditional Colombian dance while living in Montreal, Durham and Burlington. She said as she dances, she yells the Colombian expression “Huepa!” — a declaration of exhilaration. When Vargas moved to North Carolina in 2015, she founded Huepa! Culture and Arts Institute, a dance academy that promotes Colombian performing arts and cultural identity through the CityGate Dream Center in Burlington.

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NEWS 9/12/23 3:17pm

Lane on N. Williamson Ave. to close Sept. 13 on Elon University campus

By Madison Powers

Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley sent an email today informing students of a Town of Elon lane closure on North Williamson Avenue Sept. 13, from West Lebanon Avenue to West Haggard Avenue from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dooley originally said the closure would take place on Nov. 13, but sent a follow-up email two hours later clarifying the closure will occur on Sept. 13. Traffic will be one-way due to construction and Dooley advised drivers to allow for extra travel time or take an alternate route.

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NEWS 9/10/23 1:29pm

Child care development center to open at Elon University spring 2025

By Madison Powers

Elon University will open a child care development center for children ages newborn to 2-years-old of Elon faculty, staff and students. The center is being created because of a child care crisis in Alamance County due to COVID-19. Williams said phase one of the center is scheduled to open spring 2025. According to Vice President for Finance and Administration Janet Williams, Elon hired Bright Horizons, an educational support systems company, to conduct a study in 2022 on the need for child care in Alamance County. Williams said while the study is not yet published, it further illuminated a local child care deficit.

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NEWS 8/23/23 3:51pm

Elon University dean of the College of Arts and Sciences steps down

By Abigail Hobbs and Madison Powers

Gabie Smith, the dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, will step down after the 2023-24 school year and return to a teaching position in the Department of Psychology. Smith stepping down marks the fifth senior staff member to leave their position in the last two years, following Jeff Stein, former vice president of strategic initiatives; Rebbeca Neiduski, former dean of the School of Health Sciences; Rochelle Ford, former dean of the School of Communications; and Aswani Volety, former provost. 

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NEWS 8/21/23 8:47am

Elon University Advancing Equity Requirement courses to educate on societal issues

By Madison Powers

This fall, an Advancing Equity Requirement — approved by faculty in May 2022 — will be integrated into courses across major, minor and core curriculum courses. The new eighth requirement in the core curriculum will begin with the class of 2027 and will also be required for students who change majors or switch to the new curriculum. In AER-designated courses, students will complete four learning outcomes: to interrogate racial identities, connect race and identity to U.S. systems, evaluate systemic inequity and apply solutions to systemic racism. 

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