Trista Panagakos

---

Recent Articles

NEWS 4/3/25 8:17am

Elon University’s Love Business School rises to 38th in national undergraduate rankings

By Trista Panagakos

The Martha Love School of Business has risen to 38th in the country for undergraduate business rankings from Poets&Quants, an online platform that ranks undergraduate and graduate business schools. This is a two spot improvement from 2024. The 2025 rankings had the highest number of participating schools with 104 business schools completing the survey. Poets&Quants ranked undergraduate schools based on three categories: career outcomes, admission standards and academic experience. For the categories, the business school has also improved to 24th for career outcomes and improved 10 spots in admissions standards to 54th. 

---

LIFESTYLE 3/13/25 12:27pm

US Navy Concert Band celebrates centennial anniversary with tour, stops at Elon University

By Trista Panagakos

Elon University hosted the United States Navy Concert Band in Alumni Gym on March 12. This is the second show in the band's southeastern tour to celebrate the 250 year anniversary of the Navy and the 100 year anniversary of the Navy Band. Throughout the concert, narrators introduced a new era within the Navy by describing advancements in technology, traditions and the Navy’s presence on the world stage. The band will travel to South Carolina next and finish in Washington D.C. The concerts are free to all attendees. 

---

NEWS 3/11/25 9:32pm

SGA announces election results for the 2025-26 school year

By Trista Panagakos

Over 2,000 students voted in the SGA elections for the 2025-26 school year, only 28% of the student body. A higher turnout from last year's election which saw only 1,308 ballots cast. Anya Bratic was elected student body president with 1,382 votes. Sammy Azua was elected executive vice president with 1,082 votes compared to Morgan Minoff’s 838 votes. In the election, three semi-finalists were chosen for senior class commencement speaker: Craig Brandstetter, Drew Fetterolf and Marques Walker. The three semi-finalists will share their speeches with a selection committee who will make recommendations to Elon University President Connie Book.

---

NEWS 3/1/25 6:17pm

CHEAT SHEET: Economic professor details how tariffs raise the price of foreign goods

By Trista Panagakos

Throughout his 2024 presidential campaign to take back the White House, President Donald Trump outlined how tariffs would be used in his economic goals as well as his political ones. While on the campaign trail, Trump promised to put 60% tariffs on goods being imported from China, and 10% tariffs on goods from all other foreign countries. Elon professor Brandon Sheridan has provided an insight on how tariffs affect consumers and the price of their goods, how tariffs have been used in the past and how retaliatory tariffs may affect consumers.

---

LIFESTYLE 2/14/25 5:27pm

Elon University Truitt Center to host Ripple Conference, engage attendees through interfaith work

By Trista Panagakos

Elon University will be hosting the Ripple Conference, an annual interfaith and spirituality conference that includes people from across the country to meet in small breakout groups, hear from a keynote speaker and panel, and work on an art and service project. The conference will be held from Feb. 21 to 23, is the largest interfaith conference in the southeast and this will be its tenth year. This year the theme of the conference is the art of interfaith. This theme will explore the ways art is used by faith and religious communities and how that unifies the different spiritual communities.

---

NEWS 2/12/25 7:28pm

Assistant vice president of SPDC leaving Elon University in April

By Trista Panagakos

Assistant vice president for the Student Professional Development Center, Brooke Buffington, will be leaving her position in mid-April to become the associate vice president for career and professional development at Mary Baldwin University in Virginia. Buffington, who started her career at Elon nine years ago as an associate director of career services in the Love School of Business is described by senior vice president for Advancement and External Affairs Jim Piatt as “a great contributor to the Elon community.” Buffington added to the Elon community through her contributions to the Boldly Elon Strategic Plan.

---

LIFESTYLE 2/6/25 9:12am

Elon encourages students to celebrate Black History Month at campus-wide events

By Trista Panagakos

As Black History Month begins, Elon’s Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education has planned nine events for students to celebrate and educate themselves about the month and their identity. The Black History Month celebrations will end Feb. 28 with the Black Solidarity Conference. Other events include a Black Table Talk about legacy on Feb. 12 and a Health and Hustle event meant to teach students how to eat healthy on a budget while also maintaining their mental health. The CREDE is bringing a Carnaval celebration to Elon, with steel pan performers Feb. 26. 

---

NEWS 1/20/25 3:21pm

Elon Votes hosts inauguration watch party

By Trista Panagakos

On Monday Jan. 20, Elon Votes hosted a watch party of the second inauguration of Donald Trump in Moseley Student Center as part of a year-long Active Citizen Series. The series aims to host events that foster civic engagement among students on campus. Previous events include the presidential and vice presidential debate watch parties, also hosted by Elon Votes. Director of Outreach for Elon Votes and senior Allison Durand said Elon Votes wanted to provide a space for students to watch the inauguration and enhance civic engagement on campus. She noted how all of Elon Votes events have a similar goal in creating an open space for students to gather and experience political events together. 

---

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.

---

NEWS 10/26/24 2:28pm

Alamance Burlington Association of Educators marches to polls at Elon

By Trista Panagakos

On Saturday, Oct. 26, Alamance Burlington Association of Educators organized a march from Elon Community Church to Elon University’s South Gym — which is Alamance County One Stop Early Voting Location. The goal of the march was to motivate voters to support public education and schools when they go to the polls this election season, said President of Alamance Burlington Association of Educators Robert Alvis. “Schools Vote Together” aims to charge voters  all over North Carolina to bring visibility to public education and its importance on the ballot this cycle.

---

NEWS 10/22/24 1:29pm

Former President Trump makes campaign stop in Greensboro

By Nia Bedard and Trista Panagakos

Former President Donald Trump has held multiple rallies in North Carolina in the weeks leading up to election day. On Tuesday, Oct. 22, Trump is campaigning in Greensboro at Minges Coliseum. He is expected to speak at 7 p.m., but attendees have been gathering as early as 11 a.m. Trump gathers in the Tar Heel state as early voting began last Thursday, Oct. 17 and election day is exactly two weeks away. North Carolina is a swing state with 16 electoral votes, and polls have shown Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris virtually tied in North Carolina.

---

NEWS 10/17/24 5:04pm

Gubernatorial candidate hosts virtual press conference for North Carolina student media

By Trista Panagakos

As early voting started across North Carolina on Oct. 17, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein held a virtual press conference for student journalists across the state. Throughout the press conference, Stein focused on issues such as public education, the economy and LGBTQ+ rights. He also heavily contrasted his own campaign with his Republican counterpart’s, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. Stein said he has made it a priority to energize college students to vote in this election cycle. Stein’s final message to readers of student publications: vote.

---

NEWS 10/3/24 9:46am

Elon University community reacts to Mark Robinson controversy

By Trista Panagakos

After what began as a close gubernatorial race, now Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson does not seem like he has a high chance of winning, Carrie Eaves, political science professor, said. These comments include Robinson expressing support for reinstituting slavery, calling himself a “Black Nazi,” a “perv” and saying he enjoys transgender pornography. The gubernatorial race between Robinson and Democrat nominee Josh Stein has opened up with a recent Elon poll conducted between Sept. 4 to 13 finding Stein up by 14 points — before the comments came to light Sept. 19.

---

NEWS 10/1/24 11:22pm

Elon Votes hosts vice presidential debate watch party in Moseley Student Center

By Trista Panagakos

Elon Votes hosted a watch party for the vice presidential debate between Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Oct. 1 in Moseley Student Center. Director of Outreach for Elon Votes and senior Allison Durand said she believes the organization can help to create a community on campus by providing a place for students to gather and talk about issues involving the election. Student turnout was only about half of the presidential debate watch party at around 50 — with many leaving before the end of the debate.

---

More Articles by Trista Panagakos »

---

Recent Media

More Media by Trista Panagakos »

---