Ryan Kupperman

Ryan Kupperman is Managing Editor of ElonNewsNetwork.com for the 2023-24 school year. Kupperman is currently a journalism major and criminal justice studies minor at Elon. As a junior, he is clocking roughly 8 years as a student journalist. With a focus on in-depth news, Kupperman is also interested in pursuing media law. Check out his portfolio to see some of his best work.

---

Recent Articles

NEWS 4/11/24 12:03pm

Campus police responds to reports of suspicious person; declares no danger to Elon University community

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon University Campus Police responded to reports of a suspicious person on campus; the individual was a male, non-student who had tried to make contact with an Elon student he had met online, according to an E-Alert sent by Chief of Campus Safety and Police Joe LeMire around 11:30 a.m. on April 11. Elon Campus Police contacted the Elon student, who was reportedly concerned for their safety, and the individual was investigated by the police, instructed not to return to campus or contact the Elon student again and was issued a written, trespass warning.

---

NEWS 3/12/24 11:05am

East Haggard, North Oak Avenue closed due to gas leak

By Ryan Kupperman

East Haggard was briefly closed from North Oak Avenue to Lawrence Street due to a gas leak, according to an E-Alert. This is the third gas leak near or on Elon University’s campus in three months. According to Dante Howell, construction personnel on scene, one of the construction workers hit an active, main gas line on Haggard Avenue. Following protocol, they called the fire department and closed off the area. As of 11:30 a.m. Howell said the road had been reopened for about an hour — though Howell is managing the flow of one-lane traffic just past Sheridan Place.

---

NEWS 3/5/24 11:14pm

Alamance County primary elections results

By Ryan Kupperman

As of 10:12 p.m. on March 5, 39 out of 39 precincts in Alamance County have reported their votes for North Carolina’s primary elections. The North Carolina State Board of Elections will officially call the results on March 15. The following are each of North Carolina’s candidates after primary elections closed March 5. Most notably, gubernatorial candidates North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will be facing off against each other in general elections in November with nearly opposite campaign platforms.

---

NEWS 2/19/24 11:42am

New Elon in Los Angeles director focuses on recruitment

By Ryan Kupperman

New Elon in Los Angeles Director Brad Lemack will be visiting Elon on Wednesday, Feb. 21 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Snow Atrium for an informal meet and greet. After a few weeks on the job, Lemack said his primary goal for the program is recruitment. Lemack has been living and working in LA for decades — including as an Elon adjunct professor of strategic communications and entertainment public relations for the last 14 years. With the Elon in LA program being 15 years old, Lemack has been involved with the program for almost its entire existence.

---

NEWS 2/15/24 3:28pm

Traffic on West Trollinger Ave; South Holt Ave; West Summerbell; Johnson Street to be blocked Feb. 19, 20

By Ryan Kupperman

Traffic will be blocked on West Trollinger Avenue, South Holt Avenue, West Summerbell and Johnson street on Monday, Feb. 19 and Tuesday, Feb. 20 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to an E-Alert sent on Feb. 15. Residents who live on South Holt Avenue, West Summerbell and Johnson Street will be allowed to access their homes from South Williamson Avenue at West Trollinger Avenue. Residents in the 200 to 600 blocks of West Trollinger will need to utilize Church Street, Summers Drive and Ball Park Avenue.

---

NEWS 2/14/24 8:15pm

Elon life trustee dies at 94, leaves mark on university community

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon Life Trustee Warren “Dusty” Rhodes died at the age of 94 on Monday, Feb. 12, according to an email sent to faculty by university President Connie Book. Rhodes served on the board of trustees for 14 years before being elected a life trustee in 2011. According to Book, Rhodes was “one of Elon’s most dedicated and passionate friends for more than 25 years.”  A celebration of Rhodes' life will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16 at St. Mark’s Church in Burlington, and a burial will follow in the church cemetery.

---

NEWS 2/9/24 6:13pm

Elon Law student camps for seat in Trump’s Supreme Court hearing

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon Law student Landon Eckard left for D.C. as soon as he got out of class on Tuesday, Feb. 6. After arriving at the Supreme Court building around 7 p.m., Eckard waited in line for a seat in former President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court hearing on Feb. 8 — where The Court deliberated if Trump should be barred from the 2024 presidential ballot. With a lawn chair and some blankets, Eckard was third in line and waited for two days.

---

NEWS 2/8/24 11:12am

East Haggard Ave, Antioch closed due to gas leak

By Avery Sloan and Ryan Kupperman

Traffic on East Haggard Ave. is closed from Antioch to Lawrence due to a gas leak, according to an E-Alert sent at approximately 11 a.m. At around 12:30 p.m., another E-Alert stated that traffic had reopened and access to Sheridan Place — which had also been blocked — is once again available. The Utility Company is on scene and repairs may take up to a couple of hours. Elon University facilities management said the leak is not on Elon's property and the town of Elon is working to fix this issue.

---

NEWS 2/7/24 11:39pm

Survivor of Hamas terrorist attack shares his story with Elon community

By Ryan Kupperman

Israeli Rom El-Hai spoke to the Elon community on Feb. 7 about his first-hand account of surviving the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Invited by Chabad at Elon, El-Hai said he shares his story to bring the Jewish community together and spread awareness of the hardships people in Israel have had and are experiencing in the Israel-Hamas conflict. “To be here with you tonight — it’s my therapy. After another presentation after presentation, and I meet you all and get a big hug, and when I came here for any communities, or Hillel or Chabad, I feel like I’m at home.”

---

NEWS 1/30/24 11:54am

Undergraduate tuition, meals, lodging to increase 4.96% for 2024-25 academic year

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon University will increase undergraduate tuition, meals, lodging 4.96% for the up-coming 2024-25 academic year, according to an email sent out to parents by university President Connie Book on Jan. 30. Compared to Elon’s 2023-24 undergraduate costs, this is an anticipated rise in tuition from $44,536 to $46,745 for the year. Food and housing will also increase roughly $800 from $16,121 to $16,921. In total, Elon’s sticker price of $60,657 for tuition, fees, food and housing in the 2023-24 academic year climbs to roughly $63,666 for the 2024-25 academic year.

---

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.

---

NEWS 1/9/24 2:37pm

Roughly 22 vehicles broken into in Mill Point, Town of Elon

By Ryan Kupperman

Approximately 12 vehicles were broken into in the Station at Mill Point and roughly 10 were broken into near West Trollinger Avenue in the Town of Elon around 3:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 8. Chief of Campus Safety and Police at Elon Joe LeMire sent a message to the Elon community stating that the Town of Elon Police and University Police responded to multiple parking lot areas in reference to several vehicle break-ins with stolen property. LeMire wrote that the perpetrators targeted vehicles found to be unlocked in all cases.

---

NEWS 1/4/24 7:33pm

Suspicious person reported in Colonnades B

By Avery Sloan and Ryan Kupperman

Students reported a suspicious individual who followed someone into Colonnades B around 6:10 p.m. on Jan. 4, according to an Elon E-Alert message. The subject entered the building and opened a door to one room before being confronted by a student and leaving. He opened another door and was confronted again before being chased out of the building. The subject was seen running from the area into the wooded area toward Sheridan Place. Anyone with information about this incident should call Campus Police at 336-278-5555.

---

NEWS 12/7/23 7:03pm

Campus police report false rumor of active shooter in Mill Point

By Ryan Kupperman

According to Elon University campus police officer Nick Anders, Elon campus police received multiple reports about an active shooter in Mill Point Station around 6 p.m. Dec. 7. Anders was first on scene and said the reports appear to be just rumors. Anders encourages anyone with information regarding the origin of the rumor to contact campus police at 336-278-5555. Anders also said police are still investigating the source of the rumor, but an E-Alert was sent out at 6:55 p.m. reporting that there was no type of violence committed at Mill Point or anywhere nearby.

---

NEWS 12/6/23 6:55pm

Elon University concludes candidate presentations for dean of College of Arts and Sciences

By Ryan Kupperman

Shawnrece Campbell is the fourth and final candidate in the running for dean of Elon’s  College of Arts and Sciences; she spoke to the Elon community Dec. 6 about the importance of competency-based education. Campbell is currently serving as director and coordinator of competency-based education at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi — as well as co-chair of Latino adult students success, academic affairs liaison and professor of English and Interdisciplinary Studies. Prior to starting at Texas in 2021, Campbell spent 19 years working at Stetson University in Florida.

---

NEWS 11/8/23 1:39pm

Elon University’s Phoenix Policy Institute hosts sustainability discussion

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon University's Phoenix Policy Institute hosted a sustainability discussion where speakers Kelly Harer, Elon University’s associate director of sustainability for education and outreach, the Rev. Donna Vanhook ’07 — Alamance County’s soil and water conservation district supervisor — and professor of political science and policy studies Julianne Liebenguth spoke to nearly a dozen students about barriers to sustainability at Elon and in the community. Vanhook emphasized the importance of race and policy in local change, while Liebenguth related efforts to a global, political scale and Harer reviewed Elon’s sustainability goals and challenges.

---

NEWS 10/17/23 7:57am

Community continues to mourn, honor loss of Elon University sophomore

By Ryan Kupperman

Jason Titunik, a 19-year-old rising Elon sophomore from Sarasota, Florida, was killed in a car crash July 6. A funeral service was held for Titunik in New Jersey over the summer, but the Elon community will be hosting a memorial at 3:45 p.m. on Oct. 19 in the grassy area just north of the Hook, Brannock and Barney residence halls — where Titunik lived his freshman year. According to an email sent by Vice President for student life Jon Dooley, the event will feature an opportunity for the community to share memories of Titunik, as well as plant a memorial tree in his remembrance.

---

NEWS 10/16/23 2:32pm

All ABSS students discharged from hospital following bus crash

By Ryan Kupperman

Alamance-Burlington School System Public Information Officer Les Atkins announced Oct. 16 that the last of seven students were discharged from UNC Chapel Hill Hospital following a school bus crash. According to a report from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, 18 students were aboard the bus on the way to B. Everett Jordan Elementary School the morning of Oct. 12. State Highway Patrol responded to reports of a crash on Highway 87 near Judge Sharpe Road in Alamance County. According to the report, the bus driver was charged with failure to maintain lane control.

---

NEWS 9/13/23 8:06pm

UNC lockdowns spark further concern at Elon University

By Ryan Kupperman

For the second time in roughly two weeks, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill went on lockdown because of reports of an armed and dangerous individual. On Sept. 13, the Alert Carolina system at UNC Chapel Hill reported an individual with a weapon on campus. UNC police later reported the incident to have happened at Alpine Bagel Cafe in the UNC student union just before 1 p.m. Elon University faculty members and UNC students reflected on the recent lockdown regarding an armed and dangerous individual on UNC's campus, as well as advocated for increased policy, legislation and protocol. 

---

NEWS 8/15/23 4:08pm

Severe thunderstorm warning in effect for Elon, Burlington

By Sarah T. Moore and Ryan Kupperman

Elon Alert sent out a severe thunderstorm warning on Aug. 15. The warning advised community members to seek shelter and monitor local weather. According to the National Weather Service, the storm could produce up to 80 MPH wind gusts and ping pong ball sized hail. The severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 9 p.m Tuesday night. Despite this, NOAA predicts clear skies by Wednesday and continuing through Sunday — in time for Elon University's move-in weekend which officially begins Friday, Aug. 18. 

---

More Articles by Ryan Kupperman »

---

Recent Media

More Media by Ryan Kupperman »

---