News

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NEWS 2/26/24 8:19am

AI and Elon University: grappling with generative AI in, out of classroom

By Tucker Price and Katharyn MacDonald

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released guidelines on generative AI use on Jan. 16. According to the NCDPI, implementing these guidelines and familiarizing students with AI is essential to preparing them to enter the workforce. But as a private institution, Elon University is not obligated to follow these guidelines. The university instead created a set of its own principles as a framework for AI literacy at the UN's Internet Governance Forum this past October. Elon put forward six principles, spearheaded by university President Connie Book and Pew Research Scholar Dr. Lee Rainie, a scholar-in-residence at Elon.

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NEWS 2/25/24 11:08pm

Candlelight vigil commemorates Wyatt Outlaw, held behind Graham courthouse

By Avery Sloan and Joseph Navin

Wade Harrison, member of the Alamance County Community Remembrance Coalition, said the lessons of Wyatt Outlaw are as relevant today as they were 154 years ago when he was lynched on Feb. 26, 1870 in Graham. Close to 70 people gathered at sunset on Feb. 25 on the eve of the anniversary of his murder. In 1869, the White Brotherhood, the white supremacist group that lynched Outlaw, made a show of force in Graham which demonstrated their power and disdain for law enforcement. Outlaw interfered with the event by firing shots into the air. One year later, he was lynched by the same group.

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NEWS 2/25/24 2:08pm

Mebane City Council approves construction plans for North Carolina’s first Buc-ee’s

By Audrey Geib

Mebane City Council unanimously voted to approve the rezoning and special use permit of North Carolina’s first Buc-ee’s. Currently, the closest Buc-ee’s to Alamance County is over two hours away in Florence, South Carolina; however, the new building site for this Buc-ee’s is half an hour from campus. Mebane local and Elon sophomore Leann Beckham said that the new Buc-ee’s has been a topic of conversation in the community since June 2023 when it was proposed to zoning officials. The Mebane City Planning Council voted 6-3 to reject the permits; however, the permits were ultimately approved by City Council on Jan. 8.

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NEWS 2/25/24 9:42am

Elon Wheels rolls into new era, helps design skatepark

By Miles Hayford

Two years ago, then freshman Kai Whiteside was the only student skateboarding through Medallion Plaza. Now, after the creation of Elon Wheels, Whiteside is at the forefront of a growing skateboarding community that is working to create Alamance County’s first public skate park. Elon Wheels as an organization has undergone a transformation over the last three years. Building a skate park has always been a goal of the town, according to Elon Mayor Emily Sharpe. The town will begin working on this goal now that this year’s fiscal budget has $250,000 to be spent on building a skate park for the community.

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NEWS 2/24/24 7:32am

Elon University adopts new global strategic plan

By Aidan Powley

Elon University has adopted a new global strategic plan aimed to maintain and expand its national reputation as a leader in global education, which includes its 18-year recognition as #1 in study abroad by the Institute of International Education. In 2011, Elon introduced a draft of a plan to improve global education. Until now, the university did not have any global strategic plan in place. The 2011 drafted plan laid out the groundwork for what is seen at Elon today, according to Dean of Global Education Nick Gozik.

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NEWS 2/22/24 8:16am

Elon University changes selection process for 2024 student commencement speaker

By Reagan Sizemore

Elon’s Student Government Association is making a change to the student commencement speaker qualifications. In previous years, the student speaker has always been the senior class president; however, SGA announced that all seniors will have the chance to apply to speak at the 2024 graduation ceremony if they meet the following requirements: Applicant must be a graduating, full-time student who has been at Elon for at least five semesters; have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher; must be in good standing with the university and may not be “a present or former SGA executive or senior class officer.”

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NEWS 2/21/24 9:35am

“Klan Whisperer” encourages respect, understanding to resolve conflict

By Nia Bedard

Elon University's Liberal Arts Forum invited musician Daryl Davis who famously befriends members of the Ku Klux Klan in order to change their beliefs to speak on campus as a part of the forum's speaker series. The Liberal Arts Forum is a student organization that brings academic speakers to Elon to discuss interests that are prevalent on campus. The Liberal Arts Forum's next event will host Greek-American filmmaker and Olympian runner, Alexi Pappas at 7:30 p.m. on March 11 in Whitley auditorium.

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NEWS 2/21/24 7:54am

Town of Elon implements hotel tax

By Alexa Citrin

The town of Elon joined the Alamance County Municipal Tourism Development Authority after the town council voted unanimously in a meeting on Feb. 14 to levy a local occupancy tax on hotels with a rate of up to 3%. The Alamance County Municipal Tourism Development Authority is designed to help increase tourism in the Alamance County area, mostly through advertising projects and events to help boost the economy in each town in the Authority. The Inn at Elon is the only hotel affected by the new tax — being the only hotel in the town of Elon.

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NEWS 2/20/24 5:01pm

ABSS suspends deputy superintendent with pay

By Sophie Rosenthal

Alamance-Burlington School System Deputy Superintendent Lowell Rogers has been suspended with pay following recent charges of failure to report a crime against a juvenile, ABSS announced Feb. 20. ABSS Public Information Officer Les Atkins said the school district is cooperating fully with law enforcement and taking steps to address the charges. This comes just one day after chief financial officer Kim McVey left the school district amid a financial crisis and legislative investigation. Rogers had taken on the role of acting chief financial officer yesterday, Feb. 19.

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NEWS 2/20/24 11:37am

Alamance-Burlington School System’s CFO ‘parts ways’ with ABSS amid financial crisis, investigation

By Sophie Rosenthal

Kim McVey left her position as chief financial officer for the Alamance-Burlington School System, according to a statement from Superintendent Dain Butler on Feb. 19. According to Butler’s statement, Deputy Superintendent Lowell Rogers will temporarily oversee finances until an interim can be hired. McVey’s departure from the school system comes about two weeks after State Sen. Amy Galey opened a legislative investigation into the district’s financial decisions. Galey requested the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations look into what the school board has declared to be a financial crisis.

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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.

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NEWS 2/18/24 5:53pm

Kernodle launches new volunteer opportunity for Boys and Girls Club

By Aidan Powley

The Kernodle Center for Civic Life started providing a new transportation service for students who would like to volunteer at Elon’s long-standing partner — the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club of Alamance County — on Feb. 16. The Kernodle Center’s transportation service plans to run every Friday from 3 to 5:30 p.m., providing Elon students rides to the Boys and Girls Club of Alamance County. According to Associate Director of the Kernodle Center Kyle Anderson, Elon has given students the opportunity to volunteer at the local Boys and Girls Club for decades. 

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NEWS 2/17/24 11:38am

Alamance Crisis Diversion Center to open later this year

By Cap Henneman

Dr. Mark Quale, an emergency medical physician at Alamance Regional Hospital and EMS medical director in Alamance County, said he estimates that he sees one overdose patient each day on average. Quale said what would have been a normal dosage of heroin for an unsuspecting opioid addict turns lethal when mixed with even the smallest amount of fentanyl. Fentanyl is a drug often other drugs are laced with, it’s difficult to attribute the exact number of overdoses to fentanyl. The Alamance Crisis Diversion Center, a project announced in September 2022 and set to open early this year, is hoping to add more proactive resources.

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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.

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NEWS 2/15/24 11:08am

Elon Women’s Basketball, Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority host annual breast cancer awareness game

By Fiona McAllister

Pink was everyone’s favorite color this Sunday, Feb. 11. In collaboration with the Elon Women’s Basketball team, the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority hosted their annual “Play4Kay” in honor of breast cancer awareness. The motto “Play4Kay” is in commemoration of former Elon Women’s Basketball coach Kay Yow. Yow was a huge advocate for breast cancer awareness — as she continuously fought her own battle. In 2009, Yow passed away after struggling with breast cancer for 22 years. The charity proceeds from this event went to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. This cause has raised a total of $65 so far with a goal of $500.

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NEWS 2/15/24 10:33am

Sustainability, shadow of greenwashing

By Cailey Cetani

Though environmentally friendly initiatives have been around for years, we are only now seeing how it is impacting the environment, both positively and negatively. Pew Research Center reported in a 2023 study that around 61% of Americans polled believe that climate change is impacting their local community, although only 37% say that it should be the top issue being addressed by the government. As noted by Matthew Flacksenburg, a sustainability intern at Elon University, there has been an uptick in ethical consumerism, which has played a key role in how products are being marketed and produced.

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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.

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NEWS 2/14/24 10:17am

Ripple Conference hosts interfaith discussions on Elon University’s campus

By Monika Jurevicius

Elon University hosted 130 people of all religious and spiritual faiths during the ninth Ripple Conference — which was held in McBride Gathering Center — under the theme of “Interfaith Around the World.” Nine total universities, from both in and out of state, attended the event. Conference co-director Lucy Sneader said the event included religions and identities from around the world. Guilford College professor and keynote speaker Diya Abdo spoke about her work with refugees and her initiative to help rehouse them back on her campus.

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NEWS 2/14/24 7:46am

Mediterranean Deli expected to open early March

By Michael Leung

Mediterranean Deli is expected to open the first week of March, according to owner Jamil Kadoura. The original Mediterranean Deli was located beneath Park Place. When it closed in fall 2022, members of the Elon community were disappointed by the facility’s closure. But on July 22, 2023, there was a fire at the Mediterranean Deli location on Chapel Hill. After the fire, Kadoura chose to prioritize the repair of the Chapel Hill location, and pushed back the opening of the Elon location. Now, Mediterranean Deli will replace the Acorn Coffee Shop, which moved to Belk Library.

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NEWS 2/13/24 8:17pm

Sen. Galey requests investigation into ABSS financial decisions by General Assembly committee

By Joseph Navin and Sophie Rosenthal

The Alamance-Burlington School System discussed a revised financial reduction plan at a work session held Tuesday, Feb. 13, days after State Sen. Amy Galey requested an investigation into the school system’s finances. The investigation request comes after a year of financial hardship for the school system. In summer 2023, ABSS spent nearly $26 million on cleaning up 32 of its 36 schools after a mold outbreak. School board chair Sandy Ellington-Graves declared that the school district was in financial crisis in November 2023. At the end of January, superintendent Dain Butler announced a plan to lay off and reduce hours for over 50 employees.

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