Rachel Holley

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NEWS 10/28/25 7:43am

Cone Health to open new hospital in Mebane in 2029

By Rachel Holley

Cone Health, a healthcare network in central North Carolina, has been approved  to move forward with construction of a new hospital in the city of Mebane that is scheduled to open in 2029. The new hospital will be a full-service facility holding 46 beds adjacent to Cone Health MedCenter Mebane. Alamance Regional Medical Center President Chad Boore said the 161,578 square foot facility will have three general operating rooms, one cesarean section operating room, a rehabilitation space, an emergency room, and imaging, ancillary and support services. 

LIFESTYLE 8/30/25 5:04pm

‘It’s more than just milk’: Milk Club hosts first ‘Cownival’ with Late Night Elon

By Rachel Holley

Late Night Elon hosted a carnival event Friday night with Milk Club on Young Commons. The two hour event, which had over 150 attendees, included games, food, ice cream sundaes and milk shots. Creative director of Milk Club’s outreach committee Eli Hruska says the club is also for those who don’t like milk. “It’s more than just milk. Whether you’re lactose intolerant, whether you just don't like milk, don't believe in milk, you should still come by,” Hruska said.

LIFESTYLE 4/29/25 8:49am

Elon University greek councils celebrate diversity, unity of greek life

By Rachel Holley

Elon University’s greek life organizations came together on April 28 on Young Commons for “Greek Fest.” The carnival-themed event was hosted by the four governing bodies of Elon University greek life: Panhellenic Association, Interfraternity Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council and the recently established Multicultural Greek Council. The event had free carnival themed food such as corn dogs, popcorn, cheeseburgers, churros and funnel cake fries. Along with the food, the event also had live music from student bands, games, crafts and an inflatable bounce house. 

LIFESTYLE 4/28/25 8:45pm

Elon Truitt Center celebrates Holi indoors at Elon University

By Rachel Holley

Holi, the Hindu festival of color, was celebrated a little differently this year due to weather. At Elon University Holi is typically celebrated by throwing colored powder. However, due to the chance of rain, the colored powder outside wasn’t an option this year. Inside the sacred space at Numen Lumen, participants threw flower petals in place of colored powder. Each color of the flower petals symbolizes different aspects of life. A few examples being that red symbolizes love, yellow represents happiness, and green signifies new beginnings. 

LIFESTYLE 4/17/25 1:41pm

Elon University’s lack of religious exemption for Easter Monday sparks concern among students

By Rachel Holley

Some students expressed disappointment that Easter Monday is not a religiously exempt holiday. Last year, the last day of Spring Break was on Easter, but for at least the past five years before that, Elon University had Easter Monday off. Easter Sunday, also known as resurrection Sunday, is a Christian Holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. More than 40% of students at Elon identify with Christian denominations that celebrate Easter, according to Elon’s spring 2025 Registrar’s Report. Because Elon University is holding classes on Easter Monday, some students said they can't spend the holiday with her families.

LIFESTYLE 4/6/25 6:24pm

Elon University prepares for its most colorful event: Holi

By Rachel Holley

A Hindu tradition dating back to the fourth century, Holi, also known as the “festival of color,” is about to be celebrated at Elon. While the actual date of Holi was celebrated on March 14th, Elon decided to celebrate the holiday during Elon’s Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The national API month is in May, but because students aren’t on campus for the entire month of May, API month is celebrated in April on Elon’s campus.

NEWS 3/26/25 9:45pm

Elon University Student Government Association discusses mental health resources at town hall

By Rachel Holley

Elon University’s Student Government Association hosted its annual town hall in East Commons. The discussion focused on the mental health resources that Elon’s campus offers to students. SGA hosted a panel of students as well as Director of Counseling Services, Anita Hodnett. Hodnett spoke about the different services that Counseling Services offers such as individual and group counseling. Another on-campus mental health group on the panel was Peers Empathy, Assistance and Referral Support, also known as Peers EARS. This group allows for student to student conversations about mental health. 

SPORTS 4/10/24 10:53am

Elon University Dance Team prepares for nationals

By Rachel Holley

The Elon University Dance Team is making its way to compete in Nationals at the National Dance Alliance in Daytona, Florida. The team won first place in 2022 in the Hip Hop division, yet in 2023 placed second. The team hopes to rank at the top for the Hip Hop and Pom Divisions this year. All teams will compete in preliminary rounds of performances and the top 60% will move on to finals. The team will compete this week April 11 to 13 in Daytona, Florida, and the performances will be live-streamed on the Varsity website.

NEWS 1/15/24 9:55pm

International Civil Rights Center, Museum celebrates MLK Jr. Day

By Fiona McAllister and Rachel Holley

This year, MLK Jr. Day fell on Jan. 15. The International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro hosted a special presentation, including a speech titled “Promissory Note”. According to its website, the International Civil Rights Center and Museum is home to innovative ways that educate visitors about the history of civil rights and its historical figures. Elon seniors Matt Boyle and George Krupkin visited the Museum to learn more about Civil Rights and MLK Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream '' speech. Tour Coordinator of the museum, Dillon Tyler, said MLK Jr. Day is also representative of Greensboro being an important part of the Civil Rights Movement.

LIFESTYLE 9/17/23 4:46pm

Elon University a cappella group, Sweet Signatures, releases album “Bitter Sweet”

By Rachel Holley

Two years in the making, Elon University’s all-female a cappella group Sweet Signatures released their fifth studio album, Bitter Sweet. Sweet Signatures was first established in 2001 by 15 women ready to entertain, compete and further develop their love of singing. It has since grown into the reputation as Elon’s premiere all-female a cappella group. The new album released Aug. 31 and is composed of 12 songs — four of which are live. It can be found on Apple Music and Spotify.

LIFESTYLE 5/1/23 10:48pm

Smooth Progressions hosts 10th anniversary concert

By Rachel Holley

A night full of music filled Whitley Auditorium as Smooth Progressions performed its 10th Anniversary Spring Concert on April 29. The a cappella group invited its alumni back to Elon to celebrate and to perform with them on stage. President of Smooth Progressions and sophomore Nick Edge says the group is unique compared to other a cappella groups on campus — a quality that heavily influences performances like this one. 

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LIFESTYLE 12/04/2025 10:53pm
Elon University’s campus glows as Festival of Lights and Luminaries expands cultural celebration

Elon University’s Festival of Lights and Luminaries took place on Dec. 4 and was hosted by the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life. Luminaries lit up Elon’s campus as students walked around and enjoyed the night. The festival started incorporating themes in 2020 with each year being a new theme. This year it was, “Many Lights on One Night.” “This year the festival is bigger than ever, so the theme represents how all the small lights that each of us bring create one larger light on campus,” Hillary Zaken, the director of multifaith programming and engagement for the Truitt Center said. 

SPORTS 12/04/2025 12:09am
Strong start not enough in Elon University men’s basketball loss to Furman University

The energy in Schar Center was palpable as the Phoenix built an early 18 point lead. However, the Phoenix couldn’t sustain momentum as Furman University surged in the second half to hand Elon a home defeat on Dec. 3. Head coach Billy Taylor said the Phoenix simply didn’t respond well when Furman started to take control. While there were encouraging moments during the game, Taylor stressed the importance of maintaining that level. “When they punched back, we didn’t respond the right way,” Taylor said. “We need more of those moments strung together over the course of 40 minutes.”

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