News

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NEWS 11/19/24 4:11pm

Oct. 7 survivor, hero comes to Elon, shares how he saved 750 people

By Fiona McAllister

Rami Davidian, once a farmer, saved 750 people from the Hamas attack Oct. 7, 2023, at the Nova Music Festival in Israel. Elon Chabad, in collaboration with Elon Hillel and Elon Jewish Life, invited Davidian to speak at Elon University on Nov. 18 in Whitley Auditorium. Davidian stopped at Elon as part of his U.S. speaking tour. Joining Davidian was Millet Ben Haim, a survivor of the Oct. 7 attacks, who translated Davidian’s story from Hebrew to English. On the Oct. 7 attack at the music festival, Davidian helped Ben Haim escape from Hamas militants.

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NEWS 11/18/24 12:32pm

Daycare to open in psychology, human service student building

By Avery Sloan

A senior student who wishes to remain anonymous found out in a meeting with his research mentor that his psychology research will need to be conducted in Lindner Hall instead of the psychology building. Next fall, the building on South Campus that currently houses the psychology and human service studies majors will become a child care facility. Originally, the student said he was told he, along with other researchers, would be asked to move by the end of October, but the move has now been pushed back until the end of the semester.

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NEWS 11/12/24 10:04pm

Elon Town Council to continue partnership with Link Transit, moves forward with energy audit of town facilities

By Nia Bedard

The town of Elon held a town council meeting Nov. 12 and discussed energy audits and voted to continue the town’s partnership with Link Transit. The council also welcomed the first inaugural class of the Elon Police Citizens Academy. Town planner Isabell Cooper presented the council with potential options to conduct an energy audit on town of Elon facilities. The facilities include Town Hall, Public Works Main Building, Parks and Recreation Building, Fire Stations 8 and 18, and the Fire Tower.

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NEWS 11/12/24 9:29pm

Elon University department of political science hosts ‘After the Vote’ forum

By Trista Panagakos

On Tuesday, Nov. 12, the Elon University Department of Political Science hosted a panel of political science professors in East Neighborhood Commons to discuss the results of the recent election. The event was part of the Active Citizen Series, which held multiple forums and panels in the lead up to the national election about different issues within politics. This event is the last scheduled Active Citizen Series event for the semester, but there is another post-election discussion being held in Lakeside Meeting Room 212-214 on Nov. 14 at 4:30 p.m.

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NEWS 11/12/24 8:56pm

Martha and Spencer Love School of Business dean candidates present to faculty, staff

By Kate Gray

Since the outgoing dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, Raghu Tadepalli, announced his retirement in April 2024, a search committee has evaluated a pool of applicants and identified four final dean candidates. They were each hosted on campus in late October and early November to tour classes and present to Love School of Business faculty and staff. The presentation involved a 40-minute response to a prompt on how to respond to the demands of changing perceptions of the value of higher education and the increasing needs for both social responsibility and workforce readiness.

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NEWS 11/12/24 5:42pm

Elon Bursar worker remembered for caring spirit, philanthropy

By Monika Jurevicius

Elon University student account specialist Susan “Sue” Harris was the “resident essential oil expert” and masterchef of the Bursar’s office, her coworker Alessandra Gabriel said. Coworkers remember her as someone who was always willing to help out when someone needed a hand.  Harris died unexpectedly due to complications with pancreatic cancer Sunday, Nov. 10., according to an email sent by Elon President Connie Book to students and staff. Harris’ best friend Leesa Holley said she was diagnosed with cancer three months ago, having had a heart attack three weeks prior to her diagnosis. She died at 57-years-old.

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NEWS 11/11/24 11:35pm

Q&A: Retired admiral shares ways to support veterans, hopes for next administration

By Charlotte Pfabe

As a part of the Veterans’ Day events --- Elon hosted retired Adm. Mike Mullen to kick off the Carol Ann Walker International Lectureship Series. As Mullen spoke to veterans and other Elon community members in McCrary Theatre on Nov. 11, he shared the ways in which the U.S. can better support veterans as they transition from active duty service to civilian life. Mullen sat down with Elon News Network to discuss his views on the current state of support for veterans. 

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NEWS 11/7/24 5:30pm

University president outlines plans for diversity, student support, campus growth

By Liya Rike

Elon Student Government held an event with Elon University President Connie Book and Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley to discuss topics such as raising the federal Pell Grant threshold and how election results might affect university plans. Dooley addressed the university’s approach to balancing activism and safety on campus. He emphasized that Elon encourages students and community members to engage in activism and voice their opinions on difficult or contentious issues in ways that align with the university's values. Freshman Olivia Glover said she came to the event to ensure students feel supported and safe enough to express themselves.

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NEWS 11/7/24 12:46pm

Elon invites hope through public art display post elections

By Avery Sloan and Anjolina Fantaroni

Hugs, smiles, tears and words of encouragement filled Haggard Avenue on Nov. 6 following the election results between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, former President Trump was elected the 47th President of the United States. Elon University invited students, staff and faculty to express words of hope on the portion of Haggard Avenue in front of Young Commons — closing the road from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to showcase and work on their public art display.

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NEWS 11/4/24 1:51pm

oSTEM returns to campus after 2 years

By Neil Parmar

With senior Maria Ledin leading as president of oSTEM this year, they aim to change the status of the organization to have more presence on campus. For the past two years, oSTEM was not active on Elon’s campus. After complications with the COVID-19 pandemic and a leadership team that had mostly graduated, the organization temporarily disappeared. Ledin said they were inspired to jumpstart the organization in part because they knew of individuals on campus that could and would benefit from the space that oSTEM provides.

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NEWS 11/2/24 12:26pm

Elon Club Baseball dedicates dugouts to former player who died 2 years ago

By Avery Sloan

Scott Yelle said it is always bittersweet returning to Elon’s campus, because he wouldn’t be visiting club baseball’s game Nov. 2 if his son was still alive. His son, Jackson Yelle, was a former junior at Elon who was killed in a hit-and-run in April 2023 on a beach trip with the rest of the club baseball team. Scott and his wife Andrea Yelle have been back to campus multiple times to see members of the club baseball team and other friends of Jackson’s. This time, they came back to see the dedication of the field’s dugouts to their son before the team played against William and Mary.

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NEWS 11/1/24 4:03pm

Town of Elon Police releases statement regarding Halloween festivities at Oak Hill Apartments

By Nia Bedard

Ahead of Homecoming and Halloween festivities, town of Elon Police released a statement to the residents of Oak Hill Apartments stating they have been made aware of a planned, large-scale party rumored to take place within the apartment complex Nov. 2. The memorandum, released Oct. 28, also stated that if such a gathering occurs, those who are responsible may be subject to legal action including criminal charges and fines. Assistant Elon Police Chief Kedrick King said the decision to release the memorandum was based on previous incidents that have taken place at Oak Hill.

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NEWS 11/1/24 3:19pm

Alamance, Guilford juvenile detention rates reach highest in more than a decade

By Ryan Kupperman

Steven Isaiah Bradshaw was 11 years old the first time he went to Guilford Detention Center. He was detained again at 13, 16 and 18 years old for various robbery and gun charges. Matthew Cappello, Alamance County’s lead juvenile court counselor, said recidivism — or the likelihood of criminal offenders reoffending — is one of the state’s biggest concerns within the juvenile and criminal justice systems. In 2023, recidivism reached 80% for prisoners with juvenile records in the United States. To combat this, Cappello said North Carolina has made it a priority to invest in diversion and restoration resources rather than punishment and deterrence techniques such as detainment.

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NEWS 11/1/24 12:34pm

Elon University launches Law Flex, sports management programs in Charlotte

By Leela Cherukuri

Elon University's campus in Charlotte has launched its new Flex Law Flex Program this fall. Alan Woodleif, vice dean of Elon Law, said the program has already exceeded its enrollment goal of 35 students for the first year. Sitting at 36 students, Woodleif said the program projects a class size between 35 and 40 for several years to come. Woodlief also said in order for the program to be successful, he wants to focus on incremental, slow growth.

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NEWS 11/1/24 10:44am

Shots fired in Elon; suspect identified

By Ryan Kupperman

Matthew Dylan Earnhardt, 23, of Winston Salem, was arrested Nov. 1 and faces five misdemeanor charges — including discharging a firearm, concealing a weapon, possession of marijuana and marijuana-related items, and communicating threats. At 1:41 a.m. Nov. 1, an E-Alert reported that shots had been fired in the area of Elon University. A follow up was sent at 1:54 a.m. saying law enforcement had “suspects in custody” and there were no further threats to campus. Court documents also indicate that Earnhardt had made threats to an individual — identified by Elon News Network as an Elon University student.

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NEWS 10/31/24 5:53pm

Hurricane Helene relief through lens of Black Hawk mission

By Alex Nettles

After Hurricane Helene, rural communities continue to struggle with isolation in western North Carolina. A National Guard Black Hawk crew delivered generators to the Bull Creek community, a valley banding together in the aftermath of the storm, on Oct. 8. The National Guard has been working to sustain the recovery of western North Carolina’s fragmented pockets. After Hurricane Helene hit Sept. 27, much of the infrastructure throughout North Carolina was severed. At the storm's peak, there were hundreds of closures. Sections of I-40 still face significant damage, while power and clean drinking water are still issues.

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NEWS 10/31/24 11:44am

Board of Trustees appoints first graduate program alumna as youth trustee

By Megan Walsh

Elizabeth “Liz” Kwon L’23 has been named the new youth trustee for Elon University’s Board of Trustees. Kwon found out she was nominated by a faculty member when she graduated in December 2023. She is the first alum of a graduate program to be appointed to the board and will serve a two-year term. As the first graduate student to be elected as a youth trustee, Kwon said she hopes to bring the graduate student perspective to the table — as well as her personal experiences in the law program.

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NEWS 10/30/24 9:57am

Elon students, staff look forward to Homecoming 2024

By Kate Gray

A busy schedule of tours, reunions and open houses will kick off Nov. 1 at Elon University for Homecoming Weekend 2024. Elon’s Student Union Board runs on-campus programming and one of its divisions — Late Night — offers evening activities for students every Thursday through Saturday. With Halloween parties and Homecoming falling on the same weekend, Late Night chair and junior Katherine O’Connor said their programming for Homecoming will include similar activities. Click here for a comprehensive calendar of the weekend's events.

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NEWS 10/28/24 12:04pm

Elon University’s ResFest shows off neighborhood competitions initiative

By Megan Walsh

Festival foods, crafts, partnership tables and live music filled Young Commons for Elon University Residence Life’s first ResFest event. ResFest was created as part of a new Residence Life initiative to increase engagement between the different residential neighborhoods on campus. The event took place Oct. 25 and featured a competition to see which neighborhood and Living Learning Community had the highest attendance while fostering pride in students’ individual neighborhoods and meeting new people.

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NEWS 10/28/24 10:50am

Burlington Police use AI to monitor unchecked body camera footage

By Fiona McAllister

The Burlington Police Department is the first station in North Carolina to use artificial intelligence in its body camera footage. The department’s partnership with Truleo is meant to help officers on their daily routes. Truleo scans hundreds of hours of body camera footage and highlights key points. Captain Dalton Majors of the Burlington Police Department said Truleo has saved Burlington Police Department millions of dollars and is helping both victims and officers. Majors said one aspect of this tool that has been helpful is reviewing the actions of officers.

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