www.elonnewsnetwork.com
facebook.com/elonnewsnetwork
@elonnewsnetwork
Elon News Network
THE PENDULUM NLRB REAFFIRMS RIGHT TO UNIONIZE Wednesday, february 24, 2021 Volume 50, Edition 19 Elon, North Carolina
The decision comes nearly two years after the certification of Elon Faculty Forward, the Elon University faculty union
Elon University and SEIU Workers United Southern Region Case 10–RC–231745 (via National Labor Relations Board)
Kyra O’Connor
Enterprise Story Coordinator | @ko_reports
On November 29, 2018, SEIU Workers United Southern Region (the Petitioner) filed a petition to represent a unit of all non tenure-track faculty members, including all visiting faculty, limited-term faculty, and adjunct faculty teaching at least one credit-bearing undergraduate course at the Employer’s College of Arts and Science, School of Communications, School of Education, or the Martha & Spencer Love School of Business. On February 5, 2019, the Acting Regional Director issued a Decision and Direction of Election in which he found that the petitioned-for faculty members are not managerial and that the petitioned-for unit constitutes an appropriate unit under the Board’s community-of-interest test.
T
HE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS Board ruled on Feb. 19 that Elon University non-tenure track faculty members have the right to form a union. This decision ends a nearly yearlong legal back-and-forth between the university and the faculty union, Elon Faculty Forward. Mark Iwinski, adjunct assistant professor of art and a member of the union, said he was surprised to see a decision so early, but is excited to see what will happen next. “I think it’ll be to the benefit of the university and the students,” Iwinksi said. “I’m excited about it, very excited. It kind of came out the blue, and the fact that it was so decisive was also something that I wasn’t expecting, so this is more than what one could have hoped for.” In an email to all faculty and staff, Provost Aswani Volety said the university is carefully reviewing the decision made by the NLRB. “We are carefully reviewing this very complex decision and will consider all available options in support of our collaborative model of shared governance before making a decision about next steps,” Volety wrote. “As always, we remain committed to working with all faculty with respect, transparency and collegiality.” A university spokesperson declined to comment further on the ruling. Eric Fink, associate professor of law at Elon Law, said both parties “now have the duty” to begin bargaining. However, if the university is still not satisfied with the decision, it can refuse to bargain, according to Fink. The decision to refuse to bargain would be an unfair labor practice, Fink said, which would allow the union to file unfair labor practice charges, similar to charges filed by former Elon faculty members against the university previously. From there, the university can assert that the decision made by the NLRB was incorrect, which can be appealed to the labor board and a federal appeals court. The University of Southern California followed a similar path in 2017 when the university refused to bargain with a union. The next steps in the process are up to the university’s decision, Fink said. “Do they, at this point, decide they’ll accept the board’s decision and bargain, or do they still maintain that some or all of these teachers are in fact managers and they want to get it to an appellate court, so then they would take that refuse to bargain, unfair labor practice route,” Fink said. Iwinski said the union hopes to begin bargaining soon. Their requests include changes in salary, the ability to be part of retirement and health care programs, research funding for adjunct faculty and longer, more stable contracts. “Elon has a philosophy that’s inclusive and progressive on so many levels,” Iwinski said. “Negotiating and bargaining with the adjuncts is going to, in a sense, make that very visible to the community. It’s going to say ‘Hey we’re, we’re matching our actions to our philosophy.’”
See UNION | pg. 5
In comparison to the excluded faculty, the petitioned for nontenure-track faculty have substantially less expectation of continued employment. Adjunct faculty have contracts that are renewed on a semester-tosemester basis. Limited-term faculty have their contracts reevaluated on a yearly basis and are barred from serving for more than 4 years. Similarly, visiting faculty have their contracts renewed on a yearly basis, usually for a term of up to 3 years, with a potential extension up to 6 years. At any point during the contract renewal process, visiting faculty may be converted to a tenure-track or lecture-track position, should the university wish to keep them on permanently; limited-term and adjunct faculty cannot be converted in the same manner. While adjunct faculty have no minimum number of hours they are expected to teach per year, visiting and limited-term faculty teach full course loads of 24 credit hours per year.
Aside from the one seat reserved for limited term or adjunct faculty and the three at-large seats, only tenure, tenure-track, continuing-track, lecture-track, and visiting faculty are eligible to serve on the Academic Council, due to restrictions on certain seats
In this regard, Provost House acknowledged that, because limited-term and adjunct faculty do not have the same year-to-year expectation of employment as other faculty, it presents a “practical hurdle” to serving on committees such as the Academic Council.
To the contrary, assistant professor Dr. Catherine Bush, who served as an adjunct faculty member from 2012 to 2018 and became a limited-term faculty member in 2018, testified that she has never served on any committee, departmental or otherwise. Adjunct faculty member Sharon Eisner, who works in the School of Communications, similarly stated that, while she tried to attend departmental meetings, she was “not a part of the voting process.” She further testified that, when she tried to join departmental committees, she was told that they were “not for adjuncts.”
The question, therefore, is not whether a particular faculty subgroup at a university has a mathematical majority in some relevant part of the university’s decision-making apparatus, but rather whether the subgroup has an “effective voice in the formulation and determination of [the university’s] policy”—i.e., whether it is structurally included in a collegial, managerial body. In this matter, the Employer has failed to meet its burden to establish that the petitioned-for faculty members serve on any of the Employer’s committees that oversee the five areas of consideration under Pacific Lutheran. Limited-term and adjunct faculty, who constitute 176 of the approximately 181 petitioned-for faculty members, are categorically barred from serving on 9 of the Employer’s 14 standing committees.
We emphasize, however, that the determining factor in this case is not that the petitioned-for faculty constitute a minority on the Employer’s shared governance bodies; rather, it is that, based on the evidence as a whole, the Employer has failed to demonstrate that they are structurally included in these bodies.
For the foregoing reasons, we find that the petitioned for non-tenure-track faculty are not managerial employees, and we therefore affirm the Acting Regional Director. Accordingly, we remand the case to the Acting Regional Director for further appropriate action.
FROM NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD REPORT
The report from the National Labor Relations Board on the decision to review the Elon University non-tenure track faculty members’ right to form a union.
NEWS • PAGE 6
LIFESTYLE • PAGE 10
SPORTS • PAGE 16
Panhellenic organizations
Certain study abroad
Athletics works to
move to virtual events
programs continue
increase diversity
2
extras
Wednesday February 24, 2021
THE PENDULUM MACKENZIE WILKES A PUBLICATION OF
GRACE TERRY JACK NORCROSS
Elon News Network is a daily news organization that includes a newspaper, website, broadcasts and podcasts. Letters to the editor are welcome and should be typed, signed and emailed to enn@elon.edu as Word documents. ENN reserves the right to edit obscene and potentially libelous material. Lengthy letters may be trimmed to fit. All submissions become the property of ENN and will not be returned.
News Director of Elon Local News
Social Media Coordinator
THOMAS DENOME
Chief Copy Editor
AVA GIRARDI
New Member Coordinator
NYAH PHENGSITTHY
Design Chief
CLARE GRANT
Photo Editor
KIERAN UNGEMACH
Politics Editor
MIRANDA FERRANTE
Lifestyle Editor
KYRA O’CONNOR
Enterprise Story Coordinator
BEN MUSE
Analytics Coordinator
ANNEMARIE BONNER
Sports Director
The Pendulum publishes weekly on Wednesdays
Elon Local News broadcasts Mondays at 6 p.m.
ELN Morning broadcasts Thursdays at 10 a.m.
ENN Radio Podcast publishes Friday at 8 a.m.
CORRECTIONS POLICY:
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ENN is committed to accurate coverage. When factual errors are made, we correct them promptly and in full, both online and in print. Online corrections state the error and the change at the top of the article. Corrections from the previous week’s print edition appear on this page.
Jacob Kisamore, Ted Thomas, Andrew Zagari, Henry Zinn, Caroline Bunder and Emma Farrell contributed to the design of this edition. Amelia ArcaroBurbridge, Max Crider, Madalyn Howard, Mary Jenks, Kyra O’Connor, Olivia Romano and Sophie Rosenthal contributed to the copy editing of this edition.
Facebook Elon News Network
Twitter/Instagram/Snapchat @elonnewsnetwork
YouTube Elon News Network
Contact corrections@elonnewsnetwork.com to report a correction or a concern.
crossword
corrections
Themeless
There are no corrections from the last issue of The Pendulum.
By Thomas Denome | @tddenome
Across
1
1. River transport 5. Bungle
Comic
WHEN WE PUBLISH:
EDITORIAL POLICY: ENN seeks to inspire, entertain and inform the Elon community by providing a voice for students and faculty, as well as serve as a forum for the meaningful exchange of ideas.
Managing Editor of The Pendulum
ELLIS CHANDLER
Established 1974 Volume 50, Edition 19
Executive Director of Elon News Network
13 17
9. Internet peacekeepers 13. [see other side] 14. Hindu queen 16. Many a tournament 17. Diner's card 18. Some mine passages 19. Pants mogul Strauss 20. Hi-___ 21. Comparative type of speech 23. Eye sores 25. Neckwear wear 26. Some Islamic court decisions 28. Garden floras SCAN FOR29. ANHit ANSWER KEY TO THE or ____ FEB. 17, 2021 CROSSWORD PUZZLE 30. Hebrew equivilant
2
40. Makes wicked 43. Go one way or the
48. Private eye 50. Saga
56. Hankering 57. Some TV rooms 58. Expires 59. Its symbol is Pb Down
4
5 Across
6
7
8
14
1. River transport 5. Bungle 18
1
15
2
3
9
10
4
5
16
13 17
11 6
7
14
19
18
12 8
9 15
16 19
9. Internet 20 21 22 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Across peacekeepers 20 21 22 23 24 25 13 14 15 16 1.13. River [seetransport other side] 26 27 28 5.14. Bungle 17 18 19 Hindu queen 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Across 29 30 9.16. Internet Many a tournament 20 21 22 13 14 15 16 1. River transport peacekeepers 31 32 33 17. Diner's card 28 26 27 23 24 25 5. 13.Bungle 17 18 19 other side] 18.[see Some mine 37 38 39 26 27 28 9. Internet 14. Hindu queen 30 passages 20 21 22 29 40 41 42 43 peacekeepers 29 30 16. tournament 19.Many Pantsamogul 23 24 25 13. 44 45 [see other side] Strauss 31 32 35 33 34 17. Diner's card 32 31 33 34 36 26 27 28 14. Hindu queen 20. 46 47 48 Hi-___ 18. Some mine 37 38 39 29 30 16. a tournament 21.Many Comparative type of 50 51 52 37 passages 38 39 40 41 42 43 speech 31 32 33 34 17. Diner's card 19. Pants mogul 54 55 56 44 45 Strauss 23. Eye sores 18. Some mine 37 38 39 43 40 41 42 57 58 59 passages 20. 46 47 48 25.Hi-___ Neckwear wear 406 417 428 43 1 2 3 4 5 9 10 11 12 Across 19. mogul 21. Comparative type of 26.Pants Some Islamic court 50 51 52 45 14 44 44 45 13 15 16 1. River transport Strauss speech decisions 54 55 56 20. 7. Squad 19 48. Private18eye 46 47 48 by a 40. Eated 5. Bungle 23. Eye soresfloras 28.Hi-___ 17 Garden 46 47 48 57 58 49 59 21. 8. Post-alpha 50. Saga 21 50 41. Bring 9. Internet type20of 25. stage Neckwear wear 29.Comparative 52 to a Hit or ____ 22 51 speech peacekeepers 1 2 3 4 5 acid 6 used 7 9rioter 10 weapon 11 12 51. Amino 42. Leader bo 26. in8 25 9. Street55 Islamic court 30.Some Hebrew equivilant Across 54 23 24 50 51 53 Georgia 56 23. 13. [see other side] Eye sores of52 choice neurotransmitters decisions of November13 14 15 16 1. River transport 57 58 59 26 27 December 48. 40. 7.10. 25. a Squad 52.Private 43.Eated 14. Hindu queen Neckwear wear 28. Met productions At the eye peak of 28 A fewbydub Garden floras 5. 17 18 19 55 56 54Bungle 31. Santa Claus feature 29 30 50. 41. 8. to aexa b Post-alpha 11. 54.Saga 45.Bring 16. Many a tournament 26. 29. Some Gadget stage Protection Us, for Hit or Islamic ____ court 9. Internet 20 21 22 decisions 32.Hebrew Bottomequivilant line 1 31 2 3 455.Amino 5 acid 6 bird 7 8 9rioter 10 weapon 11 35 12 36 42. 51. 9. used in Leader born Street 12. 32 33 34 47. 17. 30. Makes some "Snowy" Norse god Diner's card Across peacekeepers 58 59 57 40. Eated by a h Squad Private eye 28. neurotransmitters Georgia ofincisions choice Garden 23 48. 24 25 7. fate of33. NovemberLa ___floras opera house 56. 18. 13 14 38 15 Some mine 1.13. River transport 37 Hankering 39 16 [see other side] December 41. 8. 50. a bo Post-alpha stage 52. Saga 43. 10. 29. the peak of 28 AChewed fewtodubl Met productions 15. 49.Bring or ____snare Observation st passages 37.Hit Portable 26 27 57.At Some 5.14. Bungle 17 40 18 TV rooms 19 Hindu queen 41 42 43 31. 11 feature 22 33 51. 44 Amino 55 acid 66 used 77 in88 9. 99 10 11 10 11 12 12 42. Santa Claus drums Leader born Street rioter weapon 54. 45. 11. Across Across 30. Protection Us, for exam Gadget 22. 53. 19. Pants mogul Hebrew equivilant Some blasphemy Third degr 58. Expires 29 30 9.16. Internet Many a tournament of 21 22 44 20 45of choice Georgia neurotransmitters 32. NovemberBottom line 39. Charged 13 14 15 16 13 14 bird 15 16some 47. Norse godd 12. 55. "Snowy" 1. 1.Strauss River River transport transport 24.Makes Rigging supports peacekeepers 59. Its symbol 31 32 is Pb 33 34 35 36 17. Diner's card December 43. 10. 52. Met productions At the peak of 23 24 25 fateA few dublo incisions 20. 33. 46 47 48 49 Hi-___ La ___ opera house 40. Makes wicked 56. Hankering 5. 5. Bungle Bungle 26. Presidents' 17 18 19 17 18 19 Day mo. 13. other side] 18.[see 31. Some mine Santa Claus feature 37 Protection 38 39 45. 11. 54. for exam Gadget 49. Us, 15. Chewed stim 21. Down Comparative type of 37. 26 50 or 27 the 28 43.Portable Go one snare way 51 rooms 52 there yet?"53 57. 9. 9. Some21 TV Internet Internet 27.Observation "___ we 14. Hindu queen 20 22 20 21 22 passages 32. Bottom line speech drums other 47. 12. 40 41 42 55. 43 Makes Norse godd some 53. "Snowy" bird 22. Third degre Some blasphemy peacekeepers peacekeepers 1. CD-___ 29 54 58. Expires55 30 28. Levels56 16. tournament 19.Many Pants amogul 24 25 23 24 25 incisions fate 33. 23.[see 39. ___ opera house23 Eyeother soresside] Charged 44.La Some inner 56. Hankering 13. 13. [see other side] 2. 44 organ 45 24. Rigging supports Profess Strauss 59. Its symbol is Pb 30. 33 31 32 Brains59 34 35 36 49. 17. Diner's card 57 58 fibers 15. Chewed stim 26 28 26 27 27 28 37. 25.Hindu 40. Portable snare Neckwear Makes wicked 57. TV rooms 26. Observation 14. 14. Day49mo. queen Hindu queen wear 3. Some Bone opening 20.Some 46 47 48 Hi-___ 34.Presidents' Cordial 18. mine 37 38 39 drums 45.Go Performs street 53. 22. Third degre Some blasphemy Down 26. 43. Some Islamic court one way or the 29 29 30 58. 27. "___ we there yet?" 16. 16. aa tournament Many tournament 4. Expires Reliability 30 passages 21. Many Comparative type of 39. 35. Jack-in-the-box 52 53 music part Charged 4050 41 42 1. CD-___51 decisions other 43 Rigging supports 24. 59. speech 31 32 33 34 symbol is Pb 31 32 33 34 35 35 36 36 17. 17. Levels Diner's card Diner's card 5. Its 19. picture holders 28. Pants mogul 46. 36. Containing DNA Air hero 40.Presidents' 7. Some 48.Makes Eated Squad55 Private eye 54organ 56 by a horse 40. 28. Garden floras 44. wicked Some inner 26. Day mo. 44 45 2. Profess Strauss 23. Some Eye sores 30. Brains 18. 18. mine Some mine 6. Puts on from another organism 37 38 37 38 cargo 39 fibers 38. 39 Hound 8. Post-alpha 50.GoSaga Down Bring stage 43. 29. Hit or ____ one way57 or the 58 59to a boil? 27.41."___ we yet?" 3. Bone passages passages opening 20. 46 47 48 there 49 25.Hi-___ Neckwear wear 34. Cordial 40 41 42 43 40 41 42 43 45. other Performs street 42. 9. 51. 1. Street rioter weapon Amino acid used in Leader born in CD-___ 30. Hebrew equivilant 28. Levels52 19. 19. 4. Reliability Pants Pants mogul 21. of music 26.Comparative Somemogul Islamictype court 35. 51 53 Jack-in-the-box part ofProfess choice Georgia 44.neurotransmitters Some inner50 of November44 45 44organ 45 2. Strauss Strauss speech decisions Brains 5. Some picture holders 30. 46. fibers 36. December Containing DNA Air hero 54 55 56 10. Met productions 52. At the peak of 43. A few dubloons 3. 20. 20. 46 47 49 46 47 48 49 Hi-___ Hi-___ 7. Bone 48. Private 40. Cordial 23. Squadopening eyeorganism Eated48 by a horse soresfloras 28.Eye 34. from another 6. Puts on cargo 31.Garden Performs street 38. Santa Claus feature 45. 11. 54. 45.Hound Gadget Protection Us, 59 for example 57 58 4. 21. 21. Reliability Comparative type of Comparative type of 8. 50. 41. 25. Post-alpha stage Saga 50 51 52 53 Bring to a boil? 50 51 52 53 29.Neckwear 35. Jack-in-the-box or ____wear part music 32.Hit Bottom line 12. Makes some 55. "Snowy" bird 47. Norse goddess of speech speech 5. Some picture holders 51. Containing 42. Air 26. Amino acid used in 9.incisions Leader born in Street rioter weapon 36. Islamic court 46. 30.Some Hebrew equivilant hero DNA 54 55 56 54 55 56 fate 33.Eye La sores ___ opera house neurotransmitters 56. another 23. 23. Hankering Eye sores Georgia of Puts choice decisions of Novemberfrom organism 6. on cargo 38. 57 58 59 57 58 59 15. 49.Hound Observation Chewed 37.Neckwear Portable snare 57. December 25. 25. TV rooms 40. 48. 7.10. wear Neckwear wear a stimulant horse Private Squad 52. 43.Eated 28. AtSome the eye peak of A fewbydubloons Met productions Garden floras drums 22. 53. Some blasphemy Third degree? 31. 58. Santa Claus 26. 26. Hit Expires 41. 8.11. Some Islamic court Some Islamicfeature court 50. to example a boil? Post-alpha Saga 54. 45.Bring 29. Protection Us, for Gadget stage or ____ 39. Charged 24. Rigging supports decisions decisions 32.Hebrew 59. Bottomequivilant line Its symbol is Pb 42. 9. 51. Leader born in of Street rioter weapon Amino acid used in 55. 47. 12. 30. "Snowy" bird Norse goddess Makes some 40.Garden Makesfloras wicked 40. 7. 40. 48. 7. 48. Private Eated Squad Eated by by aa horse horse Squad 26. Privateeye eye 28. Presidents' Day mo. Georgia 28. Garden of choice fate incisions of 33.NovemberLa ___ floras opera house neurotransmitters 56. Hankering Down 43.Hit Go way or the 52. December 41. 8. 41. 50. 8. 50. Bring aastimulant boil? Post-alpha Bring to boil? Saga Post-alpha stage 27. Saga 29. "___ westage there yet?" 43. 29. 10. or ____ orone ____ few to dubloons Met productions the peak of 49.A 15. Chewed Observation 37. Hit Portable snare 57.At Some TV rooms other 1. CD-___ 31. Santa Claus feature 42. 9. 42. 51. 9. 51. Leader born in Street rioter weapon Leader born in Amino acid used in Street rioter weapon 28. Amino acid used in drums 30. Levels 30. 45. 11. 54. Hebrew equivilant Hebrew equivilant for degree? example 53.Us, 22.Gadget Third Some blasphemy 58.Protection Expires 44. Some inner organ neurotransmitters Georgia of choice Georgia of choice neurotransmitters 2. of of NovemberProfess 32. Bottom line 39.November30. Charged Brainssome 47. Norse goddess of 12. 55. "Snowy" bird Makes 24. Rigging supports fibers 59. At Itsthe symbol December December 43. 10. 43. A 52. 10. Met 52. productions A few few dubloons dubloons peak of productions the peakis ofPb 3. At Bone opening fate incisions 33. ___ opera house 56. 40.La 34.Met Makes wicked Cordial Hankering
51. Amino acid used in neurotransmitters of November1. Open your phone December 52. At the peak of camera 31. Santa 2. Focus the QR code Clauson feature 54. Protection 3. Click the pop-up link 32. Bottom line 55. "Snowy" bird 33. La ___ opera house 37. Portable snare drums 39. Charged
3
7. Squad 8. Post-alpha stage
40. Eated by a horse 41. Bring to a boil?
9. Street rioter weapon of choice 10. Met productions
42. Leader born in Georgia 43. A few dubloons
11. Gadget 12. Makes some incisions 15. Observation
45. Us, for example 47. Norse goddess of fate 49. Chewed stimulant
22. Some blasphemy 24. Rigging supports
53. Third degree?
26. Presidents' Day mo. 27. "___ we there yet?"
extras
| PHOTOS OF THE WEEK |
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Joey Baughman scrambles away from blitzing Davidson defenders in a game on Feb. 20. The Phoenix won 26-23.
Wednesday february 24, 2021
3
LUCAS CASEL | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
FRANCES O’CONNOR | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Ice forms on a tree after a winter storm swept through Elon on Feb.18. Elon junior outside hitter Leah Daniel serves the ball against the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams on Feb. 23 in Schar Center.
FRANCES O’CONNOR | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
CLARE GRANT | PHOTO EDITOR
Elon freshman guard Darius Burford attempts to convert an alley-oop against William & Mary on Feb. 22. The Phoenix won 73-54.
4
NEWS
Wednesday february 24, 2021
BREAKING DOWN THE NEW SGA CONSTITUTION CURRENT SGA STRUCTURE
PROPOSED EXECUTIVE BRANCH STRUCTURE
SGA
Student Body President Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
Senior Representatives
At Large Council
Vice President of Finance
Assistant Vice President of Communications
Academic Council Organization Council
Vice President of Communications
*Cabinet is appointed by the Student Body President, but must be confirmed by twothirds of the senate
Junior Representatives Sophomore First Year Representatives Representatives
Cabinet Members Chief of Staff
Finance Board Members
Inclusion Director
Civic Engagement and Service Mental Health and Wellbeing Director Director
Student Body President
Executive Vice President & Speaker of the House
Chief of staff Speaker Pro Temp
Executive Secretary
Executive Treasurer Finance Board
Judicial Branch
Diversity Director
Assistant Comptroller
Finance Board Member
First Year Class Treasurer
Finance Board Member
Sophomore Class Treasurer Finance Board Member
Sustainability Director
Junior Class Treasurer
Community Outreach Director Student Engagement Director
Finance Board Member
Senior Class Treasurer
PROPOSED JUDICIAL BRANCH STRUCTURE Chief Justice
Elon’s SGA is scheduled to convene on Thursday to vote on the major changes to the constitution. Joseph Navin Elon News Network
The Elon University Student Government Association is ready for a final vote on their modified constitution after more than six weeks of work and deliberation. The proposed constitution comes after a committee determined the previous constitution allowed everything to be done internally, which didn’t include the rest of the student body in their decision making. The new constitution structures SGA in a similar way to the United States Government, with three branches: legislative, judicial and executive. The executive branch will now include an eight-member cabinet made up of qualified students and senators which will serve under the leadership of the student body executive president. “The cabinet that will serve under the executive President made up of directors. Each director oversees a goal oriented task force that works toward the overall betterment of Elon University. Directors can be anyone from the student body, not just senators,” Class of 2022 President and Chief of Staff Hailey Jurgens wrote in an email to Elon News Network. “Some of the director positions include: Mental Health and Wellness, Sustainability, Diversity, Inclusion, Student Engagement, and Community Outreach.” An ad hoc committee called the Governing Documents Review Committee — which was composed of 19 senators — created the initial draft for the constitution beginning in November. “There was a need to go in and kind of modernize our constitution,” senior Jonathan Stettler, executive vice president and speaker of the SGA senate, said. On Feb. 18, SGA held their weekly meeting, where the group discussed the
new constitution. The members of the ad hoc committee were able to get input from the other senators. Another large change includes a restructuring of the judicial committee. Currently, some members of the senate are also members of the judicial committee and it does not operate separately from the senate. SGA Class of 2022 Secretary Jack Corby said that this new constitution will eliminate bias due to senators sitting on the judicial board. “We wanted to model a judicial branch to try to take away as much bias as we could,” Corby said. “We wanted a fair and unbiased process.” Another significant change is that the Organizational Council will be cabinet-oriented. Originally, the board was created to help organizations get the proper funding that they needed. That role was transferred to the Finance Board two years ago. Now, the remaining roles of the Organizational Council will be delegated to the Student Engagement Director, a role in the cabinet. SGA will hold another meeting on Feb. 25. The leadership of student organizations are invited to attend and respond to the draft of the new constitution. “On Thursday, I hope to see many students show up and ask questions about the constitution and voice their opinions on the proposed changes,” Jurgens wrote. “I also hope to see a great discussion between Senators on the document.” If the SGA senate passes the modified and updated constitution on Thursday, the issue regarding the constitution will be added to the SGA ballot, which will be sent to the Elon student body. The entire student body will be able to vote on the new constitution on Mar. 18 and 19. Depending on whether the vote by the student body passes and the new constitution is ratified, the constitution will go into effect in April of 2022. However, if the final vote fails to pass, the constitution will be sent back to the senate, where it will be evaluated by SGA in the 2021-22 school year.
Associate Justices
Clerk of the Judiciary
PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE BRANCH STRUCTURE Speaker of the Senate Speaker Pro Temp
Parliamentarian
Senators
Freshman
Sophomore
Senior
Junior
Freshman Class President
Sophomore Class President
Junior Class President
Senior Class President
Freshman Class Treasurer
Sophomore Class Treasurer
Junior Class Treasurer
Senior Class Treasurer
Freshman Senators
Sophomore Senators
Senior Senators
Juniors Senators
Academics Academic Senators
Academic Senators
Academic Senators
Academic Senators
Academic Senators
Academic Senators
Academic Senators
Academic Senators
= Elected position
= Appointed position
vv
NEWS
Wednesday february 24, 2021
5
NLRB affirms Elon Faculty Forward’s right to unionize BY THE NUMBERS
UNION | from cover Unpacking the decision
In 2019, 112 of the 238 eligible nontenure track faculty members voted to unionize, and the union was certified later that year by the regional NLRB. Under the 1935 National Labor Relations Act, once the regional director certified the union, collective bargaining negotiations would take place, but this process was delayed by the university’s objection, officially titled “Request for Review.” The request was also filed in 2019 and claimed that non-tenure track faculty roles are managerial, which would not allow them to be represented by a union. On Feb. 19, the NLRB decision affirmed the acting regional director’s decision in 2019 that the petitioned-for faculty members — which include visiting faculty, limited-term faculty and adjunct faculty — are not managerial employees. To certify the union originally, acting regional director Scott Thompson used a precedent set in a former case involving Pacific Lutheran University in 2014. Based on this case, the board evaluated nontenure faculty members’ participation in five areas — academic programs, enrollment management policies, finances, academic policies and personnel policies and decisions — to determine whether or not non-tenure faculty are managerial positions, as the university “Request for Review” stated. Thompson determined that because non-tenure track faculty members did not make up a majority of any of the shared governance committees, “there was no danger” that there would be any non-tenure track faculty members who could also act similarly to university administration. The NLRB decided to adopt a proposed framework that combined the Pacific Lutheran Standard and standards from the University of Southern California case to conclude in the final decision that because non-tenure faculty members are unable to serve on nine out of 14 academic committees, they are not structurally
112
of the 238 eligible non-tenure track faculty members voted to unionize, and the union was certified in 2019 by the regional NLRB later that year.
“
ELON HAS A PHILOSOPHY THAT’S INCLUSIVE AND PROGRESSIVE ON SO MANY LEVELS. NEGOTIATING AND BARGAINING WITH THE ADJUNCTS IS GOING TO, IN A SENSE, MAKE THAT VERY VISIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY. IT’S GOING TO SAY ‘HEY WE’RE, WE’RE MATCHING OUR ACTIONS TO OUR PHILOSOPHY.’ MARK IWINSKI ADJUNCT ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ART
ANTON DELGADO | ENN FILE PHOTO
Catherine Bush, then-assistant professor of biology, prepares for her opening speech at the movement’s first public event in Phi Beta Kappa Commons on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018.
included in the university and cannot be considered managers. According to the final decision, no non-tenure track faculty members sit on the long-range planning committee, strategic planning committee or the budget committee. Only five of the university’s 14 standing committees allow non-tenure adjuncts — considered “faculty” rather than “teaching faculty” in regards to membership — to serve. Academic Technology and Computing, Admissions, Athletics, Religious and Spiritual Life and Student Life all allow faculty seats to be filled by any faculty member, including non-tenure track faculty members. The decision also said that the university did not prove any non-tenure track faculty have served or currently serve on any working group or advisory committee. Faculty meetings allow all faculty to attend. However, only faculty teaching 18 credit hours or more may vote on any decision at the meeting, such as a previous decision on the creation of the engineering major or the creation of new permanent faculty positions.
Non-tenure track faculty also only have the opportunity to serve on the academic council as the representative dedicated to limited term or adjunct faculty — which is a non-voting position elected by “part-time faculty” — or as one of the three at-large members elected every three years. Only two representatives have ever served in the limited term position: Leigh Ann Whittle and Billy Summers, who currently serves in this position. Two inquiries were needed to determine managerial status of employees. The first inquiry, whether a faculty body “exercises effective control” over decision-making, was not the “determining factor” in the case, according to the final decision document. The second inquiry was whether the non-tenure track faculty, based on the faculty’s “structure and operations,” are included in the managerial faculty. The final decision said Elon University did not meet “its burden” to prove non-tenure track faculty members are structurally included in the university’s faculty bodies, and the NLRB affirmed the union’s right to organize.
TIMELINE OF ELON UNIVERSITY’S UNIONIZATION OF ADJUNCTS Adjunct professors at Elon University first reaches out to members of SEIU's project Faculty Forward in July 2016. However, at that time SEIU was committed to Duke University and the formation of Duke Faculty Union.
Scott C. Thompson, acting regional director of the National Labor Relations Board in Region 10, certifies the Elon Faculty Forward union.
SEPT. 3, 2019
JULY 2016
MARCH 2019 With the eligible faculty now decided on, the vote is held. Out of 283 eligible faculty, 112 voted for the union, 68 voted against it and 20 cast non-determinative challenged votes.
The National Labor Relations Board rules on Feb. 19 that Elon University non-tenure track faculty members have the right to form a union. This decision ends a nearly yearlong legal back-and-forth between the university and the faculty union, Elon Faculty Forward.
FEB. 19, 2021
SEPT. 17, 2019
Elon University files a “Request for Review” with the headquarters of the NLRB in Washington, D.C.
6
NEWS
Wednesday february 24, 2021
Greek life organizations forced to pause in-person activities The decision follows multiple reports of parties and unmasked social gatherings
“I think a lot of freshmen and sophomores going through recruitment right now are looking to go on those sister dates,” Hess said. “[They’re] looking to create this, you know, not even necessarily in-person connection, but I mean, it’s hard to find like a greek family when you’re only talking to them via Zoom.”
Jack Norcross
News Director | @JNorcrossNews
Greek life organizations, the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Councils, are now working to revise their plans for recruitment after Elon University ordered all fraternity and sorority activity to move to completely virtual environments. The order, issued to greek organizations Sunday, aims to limit small group interactions amid the coronavirus pandemic after multiple reports of parties and unmasked social gatherings. The decision comes one week before sororities are set to begin spring recruitment. While most of the recruitment process was supposed to occur virtually, bid day — the time when sororities offer an invitation to women to join — had an inperson element. Greek organizations still have the opportunity to host other smaller, approved in-person events that are registered through Phoenix Connect for service and scholarship. Dean of Student Development Jodean Schmiederer said the decision to keep bid day virtual stemmed from recent reports of parties and unmasked gatherings hosted by greek organizations. “When you do individual chapter activities that are in-person, it means you’ve got one chapter doing something and it’s much more manageable [than] having 700 to 600 women all on one day trying to come together,” Schmiederer said. Delta Delta Delta president Sam Hess, who is a reporter for Elon News Network, is disappointed the decision to move bid day online came so late. “I also think there’s this frustration of, we’re putting on a recruitment that we have had a month to work on on a completely new platform,” Hess said. “We want to get to know our new members. We want them to have the best new member experience
“ ENN FILE PHOTO
Greek life organizations events have been forced to stop after reports of parties and unmasked gatherings.
possible. But now with this information a week before recruitment starts, it’s kind of like, OK, how do we adopt this plan that we already had in place to give them the best new member experience possible?” Another element of the new order restricts opportunities for members of a greek organization to meet with new members. Schmiederer said there is concern about introducing new members to existing social circles, potentially further spreading the virus. “Our hope is that we can lift this as we go throughout the semester, and you’ll be able to meet in-person with the new members and your social group will be able to expand, even in-person,” Schmiederer said. “But we need to do it in a way that’s respectful of the dangers that the virus presents.” Since the start of the fall semester, a significant number of cases have been
tied to at least four fraternities and four sororities. Several greek organizations have also been identified as clusters, when five or more individuals are epidemiologically linked to a virus outbreak. While other student organizations have also had to pause in-person activities, Schmiederer said sororities and fraternities pose a particular challenge as they are larger than most organizations. “More students are impacted because more students are involved in a fraternity or sorority in that cluster than in other activities,” Schmiederer said. Hess said she acknowledges individuals in greek life have significantly contributed to the rise of coronavirus cases on campus. However, she said she’s concerned about the new member experience moving forward now that there are restrictions on meeting them in-person after recruitment.
OUR HOPE IS THAT WE CAN LIFT THIS AS WE GO THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER AND YOU’LL BE ABLE TO MEET IN-PERSON WITH THE NEW MEMBERS AND YOUR SOCIAL GROUP WILL BE ABLE TO EXPAND, EVEN INPERSON. BUT WE NEED TO DO IT IN A WAY THAT’S RESPECTFUL OF THE DANGERS THAT THE VIRUS PRESENTS. JODEAN SCHMIEDERER DEAN OF STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
Schmiederer said potential new members’ expectations of the recruitment process is different than the experience upperclassmen have previously had with the process. “[Potential new members] will have a very good experience, and they’ll get a chance to meet people and feel connected,” Schmiederer said. “It just looks different than what our upperclassmen may hope that it would look like.”
DoorDash drivers now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine Essential workers such as food handling workers can receive a vaccine starting Feb. 24 Alex George
Elon News Network
DoorDash workers will be considered essential workers in North Carolina’s Phase 3 of the vaccine distribution, as of Feb. 24. Phase 3 will give priority to teachers, as schools prepare to re-open for in person teaching. Grocery store workers and food carriers will also be included, Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Wednesday. According to the DoorDash website, DoorDash workers and other food delivery drivers are essential workers by rule of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This puts them in line for the vaccine during Phase 3 of North Carolina’s plan. Elon freshman and DoorDash driver Sophie Jones said she is excited about potentially being able to receive the vaccine. “The only way to get money is to go out to different stores where you don’t really know if they are going to be wearing masks,” Jones said. “It’s nice to have that extra level of safety.” North Carolina is currently providing vaccinations to individuals in Group 1 — which includes health care workers and long-term care staff and residents — and Group 2 — which includes anyone 65 years or older, regardless of their health status or living situation. So far in Alamance County, only 6% of the general population has received their first and second dose of the vaccine, which is only about 10,000 people. 71-year-old Samuel Darn, a resident
DoorDash Drivers are eligible to receive the vaccine in Phase 3 of North Carolina’s vaccination distribution.
of Alamance Health Care Center in Burlington, has already gotten both doses of the vaccine, and, as a result, feels safer. Darn said he believes essential workers, including food delivery drivers, should receive the vaccine in the near future. “I’ve used apps such as DoorDash and Grubhub but have always been skeptical of catching the virus through non-contact
delivery,” Darn said. “Therefore, they should be vaccinated along with the rest of the essential workers,” Darn added he still wears his mask out of respect for others and to set a good example. At Elon, DoorDash is a popular option among students for ordering takeout meals is a big part of life. Around 60%
CLARE GRANT | PHOTO EDITOR
of students are signed up for a meal plan through the university each year, leaving a portion of students to rely on grocery stores, restaurants and food carriers for their meals. Elon’s campus recently moved to “Level 2 – High Alert,” continuing to limit student activities and dining options for the spring semester.
NEWS
Wednesday february 24, 2021
7
Elon virtually celebrates Love Your Body Week as it coincides with National Eating Disorder Awareness Week Love Your Body Week has shifted to virtual programming, expanding community outreach Annemarie Bonner
Sports Director | @annemarie_bon
Feb. 22 through 26 is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, which will coincide with the sixth year of Campus Recreation and Wellness’ Love Your Body Week. Campus Rec is working in partnership with Counseling Services, Elon Dining, the Produce Box and several other sponsors to create a week of events to promote all aspects of loving one’s body mentally, physically and emotionally. About 95% of eating disorders are diagnosed in people ages 12 to 25, according to research conducted by the Recovery Village. Leslie Williams is a nutritionist who specializes in eating disorders, and has an office just across the train tracks from Elon University’s campus. She said one of the largest trends she sees is students purposely skipping meals. This is one of the most common warning signs of an eating disorder, according to the National Association of Eating Disorder Awareness. Williams said this has become common in the Generation Z population, which loosely includes people born between 1996 and 2010. Williams said the common trend she sees is the thought process of knowing one needs food for survival, but choosing not to eat to consider themselves strong. She said this behavior normalizes disordered eating behaviors. Associate Director of Campus Recreation and Wellness for Student Wellness Charlotte Williams is on the planning committee for Love Your Body Week. She said the mission of LYBW is to provide education on eating disorder awareness, mindful eating, diversity and inclusion through their events. Leslie Williams said LYBW and Eating Disorder Awareness Week are an opportunity for college students to consider the way comments concerning physical appearance can be interpreted. Making comments about somebody’s weight could trigger past or present struggles with eating or body image, she said. Even particular statements that connect an eating disorder
with a certain body type can have adverse effects. “‘You look so good’; that implies that you didn’t look good, or that person didn’t look good before, and that it’s not possible to look good unless you’re smaller,” she said. SPARKS Peer Educator, a program for students to advocate holistic wellness, Alex Covello blames social media and television for glorifying eating disorders and representing them with one physical look. People in today’s society make a certain physical assumption when they think of the phrase “eating disorder,” she said.
“
OUR HOPE WOULD BE THAT THEY LEAVE THE WEEK LOVING THEIR BODIES A LITTLE BIT MORE, OR HAVING A BETTER APPRECIATION THAN THEY DID GOING INTO THE WEEK. CHARLOTTE WILLIAMS ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CAMPUS RECREATION AND WELLNESS
“They look for a face, they look for a body type, they look for these telltale signs and these telltale comments that they’re like, ‘OK, this person has an eating disorder.’ And that is not [it] at all,” she said. “Most of the people that I have either helped or know of, it’s like, very behind closed doors because they’re either embarrassed or feel XYZ about it.” Covello said the culture centered around eating disorders on campus is misinterpreted and believes that comes in part from being on a predominantly female-identifying campus. 59% of students on campus identify as female, whereas 41% identify as male, according to the Elon University website. The Child Mind Institute reports that eating disorders are more common in females than males due to biology, puberty and cultural
factors. “I feel like a lot of people don’t recognize that it actually is a disorder. It’s not a diet or a way of living or necessarily even really a choice. It is something that’s tied into everything else, mental, physical, et cetera,” Covello said. Students sometimes also neglect the fact that this is not only an issue in women, Covello said. It can also affect the male population. “Because we’re such a female-dominated campus, we don’t remember that men can have this too. And it’s very, very real for men. It’s even more severe in men in certain cases,” she said. For this reason, the Love Your Body Week committee decided to reach greater parts of campus and expand their community outreach to include former MLB player and advocate Mike Marjama, who once struggled with an eating disorder. Marjama said his overarching goal through his work is to shift the conversation and mindset when discussing topics such as mental health, suicide and eating disorder awareness. He described his eating disorder as a symptom of a deeper issue like posttraumatic stress disorder, for example. However, it is not the cause. “My mission, more or less, is flipping the script on some things and saying, ‘You know what, it’s not your eating disorder,’” he said. “Let’s stop villainizing the eating disorder. Let’s start looking at, ‘OK, what is it that’s deep down inside of you, that makes you you and makes you very successful?’” Past traumas, genetics, psychological health and emotions can all be related to eating disorders. SPARKS Peer Educator Emily Burgess said disordered eating awareness is also about listening to your body. She said disordered eating can relate to when you do not provide your body with fuel when it is asking for it. Oftentimes people do not remember that everybody needs different amounts of food to maintain their health, Burgess said. This is something she has noticed on Elon’s campus, along with skipping meals while operating on a busy college student schedule. NEDA reports that 35% of normal dieters progress to unhealthy dieting and 20 to 25% develop a full or partial eating disorder. 2021 is the first year much of the Love
BY THE NUMBERS
50%
of students who report eating concerns are above the national average in Oct. 2020, according to Alison Agresti.
20%
of students worked on body image issues, according to Alison Agresti.
95%
of diets fail, according to Alison Agresti.
EATING DISORDER HOTLINE National Eating Disorders Association Helpline: 1-800-931-2237 This helpline offers support Monday–Thursday from 9 a.m.–9 p.m. EST and Friday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Your Body Week programming has shifted to a mainly virtual platform. However, Charlotte Williams said this came with the opportunity to expand their community outreach beyond what they had done in the past. She hopes the week gives students a better understanding of how to love their bodies through emotional, mental and physical wellness. “Our hope would be that they leave the week loving their bodies a little bit more or having a better appreciation than they did going into the week. And that, possibly, they will discover something about them that they can carry on into their lifelong health journey, self-care practices and mindfulness practices as it relates to our body and wellness,” she said. Love Your Body Week will conclude on Friday, Feb. 26, but student resources can still be accessed through Campus Recreation and Wellness.
VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUPS WITH THE ALLIANCE FOR EATING DISORDERS AWARENESS Registration closes one and a half hours before check-in, and you will be emailed the link to join the check-in at that time. Register at allianceforeatingdisorders.com/recovery-programs-and-support/
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
PRO-RECOVERY
WEDNESDAY EVENINGS | 7 P.M. EST
MONDAY EVENINGS | 7 P.M. EST
Friends & Family support groups are 90 minutes and open to loved ones of individuals who are experiencing and/or on the journey to recovery from an eating disorder.
Pro-Recovery support groups are open to individuals ages 18 and up who are experiencing and/or are on the journey to recovery from an eating disorder.
LGBTQ+ PRO-RECOVERY
PRO-RECOVERY
MONDAY EVENINGS | 7:30 P.M. EST
SATURDAY MORNINGS | 11 A.M. EST
LGBTQ+ Pro-Recovery support groups are open to individuals in the LGBTQ+ community ages 18 and up who are experiencing and/or are on the journey to recovery from an eating disorder.
Pro-Recovery support groups are open to individuals ages 18 and up who are experiencing and/or are on the journey to recovery from an eating disorder.
8
NEWS
Wednesday february 24, 2021
Staff, students integrate selves into online learning Between the lack of community, financial problems and inequity, online learning has impacted students Abby Goretsky Elon News Network
Online learning has generated concern among parents and students all over the country as they worry whether or not they are still receiving a quality education. Elon University, which has hosted in-person classes for the entire 2020-2021 academic year, is not immune to such concern. At Elon, 432 students were approved for remote learning either for this semester or during Winter Term.
Online engagement
According to Ann Bullock, the dean of the School of Education, the overall results of students in both online and in-person learning are not that different. The biggest challenge, in Bullock’s opinion, is keeping students engaged online. “It takes a bit more to be engaged online because you have to think about how you’re going to do it,” Bullock said. “But, I mean, all I’m learning is the outcomes can be very similar, and the success of students can be very similar.” While online, it is easier for students to disappear behind their screens. Plus, participating in multiple Zoom classes can lead to Zoom fatigue. Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy define Zoom fatigue in the Harvard Business Review as when people find themselves more exhausted at the end of the day than they used to be now that many people are working online. The biggest threats to student engagement are distractions. Rochelle Ford, the dean of the School of Communications, said students can be distracted not only by their surroundings but also by notifications on their screens. It’s easy to drag another window over Zoom and look through emails or shop online while still portraying the illusion they are paying attention, Ford said. “When you’re online, it’s very easy to have your emails pop up,” Ford said. “It’s very easy for your Instagram to binge or, you know, go shopping.”
Inequities in education
The digital divide — the gap between students who have access to the internet and those who do not — impacts a student’s ability to participate in remote instruction. Audrey Williams June, the news-data manager for The Chronicle of Higher Education, wrote in an email to Elon News Network that she believes the inequality in technology and accessibility is a downside to remote learning. “A key disadvantage of online learning is that not every student has access to the technology needed to participate,” June wrote. June said the pandemic has “shut some students” out of higher education, particularly low-income and students of underrepresented or minority backgrounds. She wrote that data has shown that the number of Black, Hispanic and Native American students who enrolled in college for the first time dropped significantly this past fall. “There’s some concern that the longer these students are out of school, the less likely they will be to ever enroll in college,” June wrote. June also believes that the pandemic will not only affect future enrollment in colleges, but also college budgets. “Estimates of the financial impact of the pandemic on colleges (loss of revenue and money spent on things like coronavirus testing, quarantine facilities, online learning, etc.) have come in at more than $120 billion,” June said. “More than a few colleges have said the pandemic has triggered the biggest financial crisis in the history of the institution.”
Elon’s remote students
With remote instruction, students can learn wherever they are and can interact with their teachers even if they are states apart. However, some students, like Elon senior Ashley Billie, have found it challenging to create the sense of
Senior exercise science and public health major Madeleine August works on camera in her anatomy class’ Zoom room on Feb. 22.
community they would feel on campus while learning remotely. “I find it really hard to have a sense of community being remote,” Billie wrote in an email. “There is a lot of isolation that comes with quarantining, so it gets lonely.” While Billie, who chose to learn remotely this semester for safety reasons, said she has been struggling with the social aspect of learning remotely, she does appreciate the flexibility that comes with her asynchronous, online classes. “I personally love asynchronous learning and going at my own pace, and it’s nice to have that option now,” Billie wrote. Even though a lack of community can be a disadvantage to remote learning, the inability to work with classmates can also affect remote students. Sophomore Katie Cox found that her classmates think it’s a “hassle” to work with her.
“
IT TAKES A BIT MORE TO BE ENGAGED ONLINE BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT HOW YOU’RE GOING TO DO IT. BUT, I MEAN, ALL I’M LEARNING IS THE OUTCOMES CAN BE VERY SIMILAR, AND THE SUCCESS OF STUDENTS CAN BE VERY SIMILAR. ANN BULLOCK DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
“Kids in my classes are way less likely to want to work with me since I’m ‘less accessible’ to them, making it harder to make any new connections and relationships,” wrote Cox. Cox, who chose to learn online both for financial reasons and to help with work around her house, found the switch from in-person to remote learning to be “easier than anticipated.” Online learning also offers students who would otherwise not participate in class a chance to join the discussion through chat features, polls and the ability to “react” with emoticons on their screens. Ford said the chat feature in Zoom allows students who may not normally feel comfortable speaking in class to make a comment or ask a question without even unmuting their microphone.
Cost of college
While Ford believes there are advantages and disadvantages to online learning, some people’s opinions have changed from the start of the school year to December. New America and Third Way conducted a survey of current college students’ perspectives on online learning. They surveyed 1,008 college students nationwide and 207 high school seniors first in August 2020 and again in December 2020 to see how their views changed. A majority of students surveyed trusted their colleges to keep them safe in August, although slightly fewer believed so in December. Even though their trust remained, students began to question if the cost of their higher education is worth it with remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. In August, 49% of the college students surveyed agreed that “higher education is not worth the cost to students anymore,” while 51% disagreed. However, only four months later in December, 57% of those students agreed while only 43% disagreed. Billie said she does not think college is “anywhere near worth the cost it is now,” whether it be in-person or remote. “While I believe online learning is still a legitimate form of learning, I think there should be some sort of tuition discount, or at least waiving the ‘student activities fee’ we get every year,” Billie wrote. Cox said she thinks tuition is “still super expensive.” She also said there should be a discount for students who are remote because they are “helping Elon in a big way.” “We are reducing the number of students on campus, meaning we are helping reduce the number of COVID-19 cases on campus as well as the virus spreadability, using less of their resources such as food, COVID-19 test[s], quarantine rooms, and so on,” Cox wrote.
Adjusting the curriculum
The switch to online learning is easier for some classes and majors than it is for others. A writing class can move online much easier than
GRACE TERRY | MANAGING EDITOR
a science lab can, as each class needs different equipment and settings. Senior exercise science and public health major Madeleine August said she believes both of her majors have adapted their courses well to the pandemic while also maintaining as many of the hands-on activities as they safely can. While her public health classes were able to easily switch to a hybrid format, the in-person labs for her exercise science classes had a more difficult time. “In my ESS major, we have in-person labs that don’t run the same as they did in nonCOVID times,” August wrote in an email. She said she does, however, believe the department is doing the best they can to adjust to this new normal. August said the science department is working hard to design protocols that allow students to still do exercise testing in a coronavirus-safe manner. The School of Communications has had to get creative with some of their courses that require hands-on learning with equipment, according to Ford, because remote students may not have access to the same professionalgrade equipment that students on campus have. “It’s amazing what you can do with a DSLR camera, a low-end one, or what you can do with your iPhone or your [An]droid,” Ford said. “You can still have quality work.” Ford said one benefit of the shift to online learning is the new, interactive media limited residency master’s degree program. The way the program is structured now allows for people all over the country to complete their master’s degree online at Elon. While this graduate program is normally offered in-person, the strength of the remote version showed the school they can offer an online cohort in addition to the in-person cohort from now on. The students would come to Elon for a one-to-two-week intensive program, go home and complete the course, complete a weeklong hands-on project with their class, then come back for a graduation. The School of Communications has found some success in the few changes that came with online learning. The School of Education, on the other hand, has had to adjust their curriculum to accommodate the switch. Dean Bullock also believes preparing students to possibly teach online for the foreseeable future is also important. “The school of education has a different level of responsibility, because we’re preparing students that are going to go out and are currently now teaching in virtual environments,” said Bullock. June said that she believes this “new normal” of online education is “here to stay.” “It’s not clear what the ‘new normal’ will be for higher education once the pandemic is behind us, but whatever it is will include some form of teaching online,” June said.
9 Joseph LeMire chosen as Elon chief of campus safety and police NEWS
Wednesday february 24, 2021
The former University of WisconsinMilwaukee police chief will begin his service March 29 Kyra O’Connor
Enterprise Story Coordinator | @ko_reports
Joe LeMire will serve as Elon University’s chief of campus safety and police starting March 29. The university chose the former University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee police chief after restarting the search process in the fall. The first search was conducted last spring but was paused and ultimately stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic. LeMire has spent 28 years in policing, beginning his career in the Hannahville Indian Community in Wilson, Michigan. He then spent 13 years in the department of public safety in Escanaba, Michigan, where he served in multiple roles. Before transferring to the University of WisconsinMilwaukee, LeMire was lieutenant and then chief of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh police department. LeMire presented on-campus Feb. 1 as the final candidate in the search for Elon’s next chief of campus safety and police. He presented his background, leadership philosophy, vision for campus policing and the challenges and opportunities in campus policing to students, faculty and staff as part of the fifth and final stage of the interview process. “If you do a lot of law and rule enforcement, and you don’t engage in the community, then you build up this reputation of negativism that when an officer arrives, and only there for negative reasons, they are
only there to do some kind of enforcement,” LeMire said during his presentation. “If all you do is community engagement, you don’t enforce the law, then you don’t have a lot of accountability in your community.” Elon students and staff members have previously said that they want LeMire to build relationships and engage with students on campus, particularly with Black students and students from marginalized communities. LeMire led the University of WisconsinMilwaukee emergency operations center and served as co-incident commander for the university’s COVID-19 plan. “We’re trying to prevent the large gatherings from happening in the first place,” LeMire said during a press briefing, according to ABC News. “The message for students wanting to attend large parties is don’t do it. That has to be the message.” According to LeMire’s personnel file from University Wisconsin-Milwaukee there were no disciplinary records against him. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee does not maintain a database of complaints on campus, according to Public Records Custodian Kathryn Amato. In January, LeMire was awarded a 1.8% pay increase. His final salary was $140,718. Jessica McBride, senior lecturer in the journalism, advertising and media studies department at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee, wrote in an email to Elon News Network that LeMire enjoys a positive reputation on campus. “In my experience, Chief LeMire has always been helpful and open/transparent with student journalists,” McBride wrote. “As an instructor, I have also found him to be helpful and communicative.”
COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE
Joseph LeMire has been chosen as Elon University’s next chief of campus safety and police.
GOT OPINIONS? ELON NEWS NETWORK WANTS YOUR VOICE TO BE HEARD. WHY JOIN:
NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED. RELEVANT & TIMELY TOPICS.
ELON UNIVERSITY NEEDS STUDENT INPUT MORE THAN EVER IN THESE WILD TIMES, AND I CAN THINK OF NO BETTER FORUM THAN ELON NEWS NETWORK TO MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD IN DISCUSSIONS SURROUNDING THE SCHOOL.
BECOME PUBLISHED. SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES & VIEWS.
THOMAS DENOME CHIEF COPY EDITOR
SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY.
EMAIL US: ENN@ELON.EDU
Wednesday, february 24, 2021 | page 10
LIFESTYLE
STUDYING ABROAD AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC Elon students share their experiences while studying abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic Caroline Donohue & Cate McCahill Elon News Network
Elon University junior Heeba Chergui was studying abroad in Jordan last spring when she and many other students across the globe were sent home at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Determined to get her full experience abroad, Chergui is currently in Jordan for the second time. “Yeah, we’re in the middle of a pandemic, but why should I limit myself to just staying in America where I’m probably going to feel worse about this pandemic?” Chergui said. “I feel like no matter where I go, I’m going to be safer there than I am in the United States.” However, study abroad programs were not guaranteed for Elon students during the 2020-21 academic year. While most study abroad trips have been canceled or pushed back, students like Chergui and Elon junior Maggie Finley are still abroad despite the pandemic. The university decided which programs could proceed spring semester based on each country’s border restrictions and whether study abroad programs in each country advised them to continue. “Honestly, I wasn’t nervous about going abroad other than the possibility of it being canceled before it happened,” Finley wrote in an email to Elon News Network. Finley is currently in Florence, Italy — the most popular destination for students abroad this spring. A total of 52 Elon students were still able to participate in study abroad programs this spring — 12 of them in Florence — compared to last spring’s 245 students, according to Elon’s communications manager of global education Shanna Van Beek. This is nearly an 80% decrease.
“
YEAH, WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC, BUT WHY SHOULD I LIMIT MYSELF TO JUST STAYING IN AMERICA WHERE I’M PROBABLY GOING TO FEEL WORSE ABOUT THIS PANDEMIC? HEEBA CHERGUI JUNIOR
Most of Elon’s study abroad programs were suspended or delayed either due to the severity of COVID-19 in specific countries, border restrictions or overall safety concerns. Van Beek said New Zealand is one of the usual spring destinations for Elon students to study abroad, but due to the country’s border restrictions, programs there were canceled. Some students were convinced that the opportunity to study abroad would never occur during the pandemic after many students had been sent home during the spring 2020 semester. Elon junior Kate Dempster said she was wary of whether or not her abroad trip would proceed as planned, especially when on-campus students were sent home last spring and online learning commenced. “We still held out hope that we would still be able to go in the fall, but when summer happened and not much had changed, we realized we would not be going abroad in
COURTESY OF HEEBA CHERGUI
Elon junior Heeba Chergui looks out at the country of Jordan from Ajloun Castle on Feb. 12.
BY THE NUMBERS
12,481
COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Italy on Feb. 21, according to Our World in Data.
2,354
COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Jordan on Feb. 21.
the fall,” Dempster said. Dempster’s study abroad program was pushed back until the spring of 2021 and then by the spring semester, it was canceled entirely. She said for many students, the decision to study abroad was personal and based on if they felt comfortable traveling abroad during the pandemic or if they would rather stay on campus and study abroad at a later date. Van Beek said the Global Education Center was transparent with students about the facts, concerns and risks that accompany studying abroad during a pandemic. “What we care about is making global engagement happen where it’s safe, where it’s responsible, where it’s the best decision for each student, but recognizing that it’s not the best decision, especially right now, for every student,” Van Beek said. “Also recognizing that some students and some families are going to have a different risk threshold or risk tolerance than I might as an individual or the GEC might as well.” The study abroad experience has not been “normal” for students who did choose to do so this semester. Students still face the many impacts of a pandemic and resulting regulations in various countries. Finley said Florence has a color zone system that describes the severity and restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 cases in the Italian city. Florence reevaluates the color zone systems every few weeks and currently is in the yellow zone. Florence is also strict about masks needing to be worn everywhere while in public. There is a region-wide curfew of 10 p.m. Some restrictions in Florence are similar to the ones in the United States — restaurants and bars close early for dining; retail stores take customers’ temperatures; and tourist spots are open to a small capacity of people. “Being in Italy, a place known for their excellent food and extensive dinners, is challenging when they have to close at 6 p.m.,” Finley wrote. “Of course, we can still get takeaway food, but I think that so much
Chergui sits on the steps of the Roman Theater in Amman, Jordan on Feb. 2.
of the greatness has to do with the overall experience of an Italian meal and learning about the cultural differences of eating.” There are many similar regulations in Jordan as well, according to Chergui, which also include an evening curfew. Chergui believes Jordan is taking physical distancing and mask regulations very seriously, as individuals face legal consequences for not wearing masks in public. These strict rules help Chergui feel safer when going out. “If I’m at a cafe, I won’t really have to worry about someone sitting next to me,” Chergui said. “I feel like people are taking social distancing seriously so they might be at a table with their own friends and even if they’re not wearing a mask, they’re, like, at the other side of the cafe, so I don’t really worry about them coming near me and ... getting germs all over me.” Chergui also said that Jordan is not experiencing nearly as many COVID-19 cases or deaths as the U.S., though Jordan is a much smaller country. As of Feb. 19, Jordan’s rate of COVID-19 deaths is 13.6 per 1 million people, in comparison to the United States’ rate of 1,951.7 per 1 million people, according to Our World in Data. Most students attend study abroad programs with the hope of visiting neighboring countries as well, but traveling with restrictions during a pandemic makes
COURTESY OF HEEBA CHERGUI
that goal more difficult to achieve. “I originally decided to study in Europe because of the accessibility of traveling to other countries by a quick plane ride or even a train,” Finley wrote. “Obviously, right now, traveling is not an option, but I do think there are quite a few benefits. Since I will not be leaving Florence every weekend, I will be spending much more time in the city and really getting to know the people, the streets and the culture.” The GEC is providing students with an additional opportunity to experience international culture this year with the onetime May Term due to the cancellation of all Winter Term abroad programs in 2021. The rolling deadline for these programs is Feb. 25. However, five of the nine programs have already been canceled, and one has been waitlisted, leaving three programs with openings. Updates on these programs can be found on the GEC website. Van Beek said she believes study abroad opportunities are looking more promising for the upcoming fall semester. “We’re hopeful. We’re moving ahead. As [of] fall, we’ll be back to our normal, robust numbers,” Van Beek said. “We’re normally in the 500s for study abroad and Study USA, and we’re hopeful we’ll level out, but of course, we are watching this day by day, and taking it day by day, as everyone else is.”
lifestyle
Wednesday february 24, 2021
11
BURLINGTON WOMAN PUBLISHES CHILDREN’S BOOK TO
RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH Mental health advocate Adrienne Barr’s book “Dancing with Butterflies” examines anxiety in children Jinger Callwood
Elon News Network | @jingercallwood
Adrienne Barr watched with pride as her daughter, Leah, completed her cheer routine. The single mother knew performances were not always easy for Leah, who often experienced stage fright before she took the floor. 15-year-old Leah is now a successful and confident dancer because of her focus on mindfulness, according to Barr, who was inspired to share her and Leah’s personal battles with anxiety to help others and uplift members of the Black community. This passion led to the creation of her book, “Dancing with Butterflies: Discovering Mindfulness Through Breathing.” Between motivating her mother to pursue writing and providing feedback in the publishing process, Leah has been integral in bringing the book to life. The main character is named after her and is a ballerina who overcomes her performance anxiety with breathing and mindfulness exercises she learns from her mother. Barr said her experience as a single mother has affected her career and inspired her to push forward with her book. “Having Leah’s support and just letting her see it come to fruition, it’s just reinforcing everything that I’ve ever taught her,” Barr said. “You can be responsible, and you can still live your dreams, regardless of what your circumstances are.” Barr, who was born and raised in Burlington, is a human resources business partner at JR Cigars, a tobacco company in Alamance County. Her best-selling book, awarded teacher’s pick on Amazon, was published in September 2020. Barr said both she and her daughter experience anxiety, which is one of the reasons she addresses the topic in her book. Her writing highlights the importance of a supportive environment by creating a judgment-free space when addressing children’s mental health. “We need to make sure that we have an open space for children to be able to communicate with us and to describe their feelings without them feeling like they’re going to be belittled or attacked,” Barr said.
“
I THINK THAT FIRST AND FOREMOST, US AS A COMMUNITY, WE NEED TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT [MENTAL HEALTH] AND BE MORE OPEN ABOUT IT AND LESS JUDGMENTAL ABOUT IT. ADRIENNE BARR AUTHOR OF “DANCING WITH BUTTERFLIES”
Creating awareness for Black mental health
Barr graduated from Johnson C. Smith University — a historically Black college in Charlotte — and is an outspoken advocate for mental health in the Black community. On the back cover of her book, Barr wrote, “This book encourages African-American children to recognize the beauty in body awareness, so they can have the confidence to dance their way to their dreams!”
Author Adrienne Barr wrote “Dancing with Butterflies,” a children’s book that advocates mental health.
“I think that first and foremost, us as a community, we need to have more conversations about [mental health] and be more open about it and less judgmental about it,” Barr said. Barr said in times of strugle, she draws on her religious faith and prayer, but also encourages seeking professional mental health treatment. “I’m a Christian. But I also believe that the good Lord placed every human on this earth to be a helpmate to one another,” Barr said. “And we do have mental health professionals as human beings to help us get through those thresholds.” Black mental health advocate Gabrielle Lee — who faced criticism from her family when she was diagnosed with depression — also emphasized the importance of having open discussions in the Black community. Lee runs the Black Mental Health Matters blog and social media account and provides wellness resources to the Black community. “I realized that they’re so many people like me that go through this, and they can’t tell their family or feel judged by them,” Lee wrote in an email to Elon News Network. “My pain inspired me to start this page to help anyone who’s struggling and feel alone. I believe we can eliminate the stigma by actually acknowledging that it can happen to any of us despite our race.” Barr said in addition to having open conversations, seeking mental health resources from professionals can help to relieve issues. “A lot of times, there are a lot of resources
that maybe we don’t even think about,” Barr said. “There are free grief counselors in your area; you can also go to [The National Alliance on Mental Illness] ... and you can get some free mental health resources there.” The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a non-profit organization and the U.S. largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to providing resources to Americans affected by mental illness. Virginia Hamlet Rodillas, the helpline manager for NAMI of North Carolina, said NAMI’s mission is to provide mental health care. “It is important for everyone that needs mental health care to have access to it. Being able to receive treatment and support early will allow an individual to get on the road of recovery earlier and increase their quality of life,” Rodillas wrote in a statement to Elon News Network. “Treatment and support is available. Individuals may not know how to get the help they need or where to turn. NAMI NC’s Helpline Team assists individuals and families every day in navigating the complicated mental health system in our state.” As mental health awareness gains more recognition, Barr hopes to continue her mission to inspire others through her writing which promotes mental health initiatives and spreads positivity, as her book aims to do. “Believe in yourself,” Barr said. “First and foremost, make sure that you take care of your mental health and don’t let anyone stop you from doing that.”
JINGER CALLWOOD | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
RESOURCES FOR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT If you are concerned about your mental health or want to talk to someone, contact Elon Counseling Services at 336-278-7280.
NAMI NC’s Helpline Team provides free mental health resources and support 1-800-451-9682, helpline@naminc.org, or text 919-999-6527.
lifestyle 12 Theater looks to reopen with focus on ‘new and exciting’ future Wednesday february 24, 2021
The management at Burlington’s Paramount Theater has canceled all in-person events for the past 11 months. In a normal year, the venue hosts at least 240 in-person events.
Burlington’s Paramount Theater has been closed since March with only a few uses within CDC guidelines Sara Merullo
Elon News Network
When the lights of Burlington’s Paramount Theater went dark last March, managing director Dave Wright vowed to keep the spirit of local theater alive in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. In a typical year, the Paramount hosts a minimum of 240 events, including performances, meetings and auditions. The past 11 months, however, have been different. Wright was forced to furlough all Paramount employees and cancel in-person events, a process he said has been a “sad situation.” Local performers have now turned to Zoom to fill the void of losing theater. Wright, who also serves as artistic director of the Paramount Acting Company, has been with the theater since its reopening in 1998 following a renovation by the Burlington City Council, which took control of the theater in the mid-1990s. “I have a staff of 14 ‘part-time’ employees,” Wright said, “and some of them have been with me for all 23 years that the Paramount has been open. The city was very kind to us, and we put in $25,000 worth of new stage lighting, where we brought in our techs to help with that process. But for the most part, these good folks are at home, and I miss them a lot.”
Theater reimagined amid COVID-19
Jane McLelland has been a local performer for 30 years, and works with the Gallery Players, a Burlington-based theatrical company. The Gallery Players is one of the biggest user groups of the Paramount Theater, and McLelland starred in its final production before the pandemic. She often thinks about her last performance. “The last show I did was indeed in the Paramount, and it was ‘Driving Ms. Stacy,’ and I was Ms. Stacy,” McLelland said. “It was a lot of fun and very educational.” To continue performing throughout the
JAKOB REUTER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
pandemic, the Gallery Players have had to reimagine their 2020-2021 theatrical season on a virtual platform. They have put on several productions over Zoom, and while different than the setting of the Paramount, McLelland said Zoom performances are good opportunities that she will continue to participate in until restrictions are lifted.
“
ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT WE’VE HAD IS EVEN WHEN WE REOPEN, THERE MAY BE PEOPLE WHO ARE RELUCTANT TO COME TO THE PARAMOUNT. DAVE WRIGHT MANAGING DIRECTOR
Harriet Whitley, vice president of production for the Gallery Players, said there is “nothing better” than a live audience. “We are all missing it very much, and it has been a major hole in my life,” Whitley said. The Gallery Players will perform their latest production, “Virtually Ever After,” via Zoom, Feb. 26-28 and the weekend of March 5. However, Whitley said the performers and crew yearn for live shows. “Every one of us is absolutely dying to get back to where we can all be together doing musicals and things that require all of us being on stage,” Whitley said.
The Paramount looks to the future
With no shows happening at the moment, Wright said the Paramount Theater Acting Company has not yet chosen to perform on a virtual platform. Instead, Wright said he is using this time to plan for the future of the Paramount and prepare his team for when
JAKOB REUTER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Recently, the Paramount came to an agreement with the Alamance County Court System to use the theater for civil court cases.
the time comes to reopen the theater. He has written three new plays to help jumpstart the Paramount when it is safe to hold in-person performances again. As of March 2020, no user groups have occupied the Paramount for performances, but in January 2021, the theater reached an agreement with the Alamance County Court System granting space for civil court cases. Though no sessions have occurred there yet, they are fully prepared. Wright’s main focus is getting the Paramount open again for theatrical purposes.
“One of the concerns we’ve had is even when we reopen, there may be people who are reluctant to come to the Paramount,” Wright said. The Paramount Theater has no set date for when it will reopen for events, but Wright said he is hopeful for their future ahead. “We have some new exciting things going on that we are not ready to announce quite yet,” Wright said, “but if people can keep their fingers crossed, we can get the Paramount open for more great nights in downtown Burlington.”
13 Burlington baker creates cakes, sweets at Black-owned business
lifestyle
Wednesday february 24, 2021
Alicia Wingate, owner of Alicia’s Homemade Cakes in Burlington, is part of the 23% of minority business owners in North Carolina Brian Rea
Elon News Network | @brianmrea
Right next to the hustle and bustle of Route 49 in Burlington stands a gray brick house, separated from the road by a lawn, with a sign in the window that reads “life is sweet.” Inside, Alicia Wingate is living her childhood dream. “My mother was a baker, so she taught me all the skills I needed to know,” Wingate, the owner of Alicia’s Homemade Cakes, said. “Turning it into a bakery allowed me to do what I love every day.” Alicia’s Homemade Cakes opened in 2013 in Fayetteville before relocating to Burlington. Wingate, with her staff of two, bakes everything from dinner mints to
“
I MAKE EVERYTHING WITH LOVE … WE’RE NOT JUST TAKING ORDERS, WE’RE NOT JUST PUTTING CAKES TOGETHER. WE’RE CREATING, WE’RE DESIGNING, WE’RE BRINGING PEOPLE’S VISIONS TO LIFE THROUGH OUR ART. ALICIA WINGATE OWNER, ALICIA’S HOMEMADE CAKES
THE ELON BITE
BRIAN REA | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Business owner and baker Alicia Wingate creating a cake in her store, Alicia’s Homemade Cakes, on Feb. 21.
wedding cakes. “I make everything with love,” Wingate said. “We’re not just taking orders. We’re not just putting cakes together. We’re creating, we’re designing, we’re bringing people’s visions to life through our art — through our cake art, is what we call it.” In North Carolina, 23% of business owners are minorities and 35% are female, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. As a Black female business owner, Wingate said she has faced some challenges. “I had what I thought was a customer come in and say like, we needed to leave the area and all this stuff,” Wingate said. “That we’re in the wrong side of town to be opening a bakery. And it’s just like, ‘Oh that kind of hurt.’ But at the same time, I know what I have to offer my community is a lot more than what one or two people are saying.”
As small businesses are taking a hit from the coronavirus pandemic, more Blackowned businesses are closing than whiteowned ones, according to a study from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Since the start of the pandemic, 41% of Blackowned businesses have closed compared to 17% of white-owned businesses, the study said. Alicia’s Homemade Cakes has not had to fully shut down operations, according to Wingate. The bakery is closed to daily traffic, but is still running on online orders and deliveries — including free deliveries within Alamance County. Wingate is planning to reopen to in-person customers on March 9. Wingate said she feels blessed to be among the businesses staying afloat, but stressed the need to support minority-owned businesses. “There is a need to support them,” she said.
IF YOU GO Address: 2103 Maple Ave., Burlington Hours: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday - Friday
“A lot of what they do, they put back into the community, they put back into their families, so we definitely try to support the minority businesses out here.” Looking back to when Wingate learned how to bake from her mom, she encourages aspiring Black and female business owners to take the leap. “You just gotta keep motivated, you gotta keep pushing your dream,” she said. “Because if you don’t love it, you can’t expect anyone else to love it.”
THE ELON BITE IS A COLUMN THAT REVIEWS RESTAURANTS AND FOOD VENDORS IN THE LOCAL AREA
Sour weather gives rise to homemade loaf of bread
Jack Chambers
Senior
Due to the inclement weather that moved through the area this week, I was unable to go out and try a new local restaurant. I didn’t want to put delivery drivers at risk during the wintery conditions, so instead, I made sourdough bread. I wanted to show you how easy it is to make if you have a day off. Baking sourdough bread has been “rising” in popularity since the pandemic started and people spent more time at home. Although time-consuming, the satisfaction of pulling a freshly baked loaf of bread out of the oven is second to none. The process is quite straightforward. The key ingredient is a sourdough starter, which is a baker’s term for equal weight flour and water that is fermented to create lovely air pockets when the bread is baked. YouTube is filled with different tutorials on how to make and maintain a sourdough starter; I personally like videos from Joshua Weissman and Patrick Ryan, because they are straightforward and comprehensive. When you are ready to use it, the starter should smell sweet and tangy and have lots of bubbles forming. Actually making the dough requires little more than bread flour and warm water. Combine your flour and water, then add the starter and let it ferment all day (I recommend starting early in the
morning, around 7 a.m.). While it ferments, fold it periodically, then shape it and let it rise in the fridge overnight. The next morning, you bake. Believe me, if you have a free day and want to really impress friends and family, this is so easy and hands-off when you get the hang of it. You can also freeze the loaves for up to six months if you want to have a big bake day. To bring it back, just warm up your oven and spray the loaf with a little bit of water before rebaking. Once it’s done, the bread has so many uses. My personal favorites are making homemade avocado toast with a poached egg and balsamic vinegar or with chili flakes and sriracha sauce for some spice. Another favorite is a homemade grilled cheese sandwich. Because Friday was the first Friday of Lent, I could not eat meat. Instead, I made a caramelized onion jam that I stuck between the bread in the grilled cheese for a sweet and savory combination that is to die for. And if you have time to make bread, go ahead and make some homemade tomato soup. The bread makes for good sandwiches or on its own as a quick snack. All you need is some time, an oven and a willingness to get your hands dirty, and you will be rewarded with what I think is one of the most satisfying sights in life: a freshly baked sourdough loaf.
Homemade sourdough bread created by Jack Chambers.
JACK CHAMBERS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
lifestyle 14 ELON ALUMNI’S PODCAST TAKES A LOOK AT THEATER INDUSTRY Wednesday february 24, 2021
GRACE BARDSLEY ’20
MAEVE RILEY ’20
CHARLIE FREEDMAN ’20 Elon alumni created The Systemic Stage podcast to focus on activism and the theater industry
SCAN TO VIEW THE SYSTEMIC STAGE OR VISIT THESYSTEMICSTAGE. WORDPRESS.COM/
Sophie Rosenthal
Elon News Network | @sophrosenthal
Just after Grace Bardsley ‘20 graduated virtually from Elon University last spring, George Floyd’s killing sparked the Black Lives Matter protests that took place throughout the summer of 2020. Inspired by the movement, Bardsley decided to take time to examine her own biases and the biases in the theater industry. She did so by creating a podcast, the Systemic Stage. “In the BLM uproar, I felt a sort of silence in the theater community,” Bardsley said. “So I thought, what better way to educate myself and to educate others than to … reach out to these scholars, these professors, actors, writers, all of these people who explore these issues within our industry, and ask them about it.” After Bardsley posted in Facebook groups about her idea, co-host Maeve Riley ‘20 and editor and producer Charlie Freedman ‘20 joined the team, and the three of them have been working on the podcast since July 2020. All three graduated from Elon in 2020 with degrees in fields of performing arts. “We recognize that we ourselves are privileged in being cis, white women who are college educated, so we try to have conversations that are difficult,” Riley said. “Along with every industry that exists right now, theater has its own very specific issues and topics that we need to combat, and we really just mainly need to talk about because a lot of people just don’t hear about it.” Though the idea for the podcast came about because of the Black Lives Matter movement, the trio covers all types of activism on top of anti-racism. Recent episodes focused on theatrical intimacy education, addiction and community based theater. They find guests from around the theater industry to talk about their focus within the industry and how to make it a more equitable place. “We take theater makers and theater scholars and people that specialize in other realms of the theater and we try to interlace their identity with it,” Bardsley said. “‘What is it like for you in this industry, and how can we make it better for you in this industry?’” Bardsley and Riley have been taking advantage of the network they have through Elon to kickstart the podcast. They’ve recorded interviews with assistant professor of performing arts Kim Shively and current Elon junior and music theater major Kali Clougherty. “We are fortunate in that we have had access to lots of theater faculty and students at Elon,” Riley said. “We started really with our alma mater.”
1. Open your phone camera 2. Focus on the QR code 3. Click the pop-up link
The logo for The Systemic Stage, a podcast about activism and the theater industry.
“
ALONG WITH EVERY INDUSTRY THAT EXISTS RIGHT NOW, THEATER HAS ITS OWN VERY SPECIFIC ISSUES AND TOPICS THAT WE NEED TO COMBAT AND WE REALLY JUST MAINLY NEED TO TALK ABOUT BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST DON’T HEAR ABOUT IT. MAEVE RILEY ‘20 CO-HOST
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SYSTEMIC STAGE
In their most recent episode on Feb. 12, Bardsley and Riley spoke with Clougherty about gun violence on the stage. Clougherty, an alum of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, was a senior in high school when 17 of her classmates and teachers were killed in a mass shooting. “I knew what we were going to talk about, I just didn’t know where the conversation was going to go. But it ended up being really, really fun,” Clougherty said. “More fun than I had expected, because I don’t necessarily enjoy talking about the situation and just bring back a lot of trauma memories, but it was actually really lighthearted and easy to talk about with them.” Clougherty said going on the podcast was a great experience for her, and she would do it again. “I didn’t even think about it as a podcast, I thought about it as a discussion just about things that we care about,” Clougherty said. As graduates of the class of 2020, it has been difficult for the group to find performing arts work. Since live theater is closed due to the pandemic, they have had to be creative with their involvement in the industry. This
podcast is a way for them to do so. “That’s one of the reasons why we’ve dedicated so much time and effort into this podcast,” Bardsley said. “Because we’re like, you know, focusing our efforts and our passions into something when we can’t do it in a way that we would like to without the pandemic.” The podcast isn’t just something for Bardsley and Riley to do while theaters are closed. The group joked about becoming “podcast famous” but said when it comes down to it, they just want to share the important and educational conversations they’ve been able to have. “The ultimate goal for this podcast is to do whatever we can and use our platform to make our industry and our society a more antiracist, more equitable, more representative place,” Bardsley said. The group also wants to make it clear that the Systemic Stage is not just for theater people. Freedman, whose degree is in music production and recording arts, said even though he’s not a “theater nerd,” he enjoys and learns a lot from editing the podcast. “It’s been cool for me, and it’s been really rewarding to learn about stuff that I really didn’t have any knowledge about,” Freedman said. As of now, the co-hosts and their editor live at home in different states due to the pandemic. The podcast is currently being recorded over Zoom. The first episode of the podcast was posted on Dec. 31, 2020, but the group has been recording episodes since October. They currently have four episodes available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
lifestyle
Wednesday february 24, 2021
15
Tough topics inspire art, celebration of Black History Month
COURTESY OF ELON PERFORMING ARTS
The “Guinea Fare” number in “Redemption for Our Skin” features a live drum performance from students and the band. There are West African musical and dance influences in some of the performances in the show.
“Redemption for Our Skin”touches on current events and hard conversations surrounding race in the United States Ellis Chandler
Social Media Manager | @ellis__chandler
The 2021 Black History Month Dance Concert came with long hours of rehearsal and conversations that left dancers in tears of mixed emotions. The concert features numbers in dance styles like West African dance, a poet laureate of North Carolina and a live band. Unlike in past years where a recital occurred live, the cast and crew filmed the show in November, and the significance of the performance has only increased since. Elon University sophomore Eileena Boyce said even though the show will be presented virtually this year, the emotions felt by the cast will still be apparent. “It’s definitely had an impact on me,” Boyce said. “Even during the rehearsal process, we all had to have really deep conversations about how we felt about current events and be very raw about what we were feeling.” Boyce said the performance will address sensitive topics regarding race that people sometimes avoid discussing. “Sometimes it’s hard to have a conversation with people because they are afraid that their opinions [are] gonna get judged or that people aren’t gonna see eye-to-eye so they’d rather not have conversations or just don’t want to learn about things that they should learn,” Boyce said. The concert also initiates the hard conversations that happen when people address sensitive topics, as well as current events like the murder of George Floyd. Boyce hopes both will change perspectives and create newfound connections. Seeing the emotion behind the movement and learning from that is something she said cannot be found in a book.
Creating art for Black America
Keshia Wall is the director of the concert and wants people to start asking difficult questions after viewing the performance. The show’s title this year is “Redemption for Our Skin,” and Wall emphasizes the dehumanization of black people and oppressive systems in the United States. One of the events in mind was the automobile parade supporting then-President Donald Trump that drove through Elon University’s campus in September and left some students concerned for their safety.
“As we were creating these works, we were thinking about the motorcade that went through Elon and thinking about all of these things that the president at the time was speaking from his platform,” Wall said. “I’m literally looking at my students in the face and seeing the pain and agony that they’re facing as they’re learning all of these truths about how the world works.”
“
ON THE ONE HAND, WE’RE REALLY THINKING ABOUT SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION, BUT ALSO THE RESILIENCE OF BLACK PEOPLE IN AMERICA AND HOW WE HAVE TO ADAPT, AND HOW WE’RE STILL GREAT AND AMAZING ARTISTS AND PEOPLE OF COLOR. KESHIA WALL CONCERT DIRECTOR
Wall said all participants were more invested in the concert this year than ever before — especially Black women. “There are numbers and numbers of women just this year that have been killed at the hands of police brutality and others for other reasons, and their names are almost never hardly mentioned in [the] media,” Wall said. Choreographers in the show considered both systems of oppression and the resilience of Black people in the United States when crafting their performance. “On the one hand, we’re really thinking about systems of oppression but also the resilience of Black people in America and how we have to adapt, and how we’re still great and amazing artists and people of color,” Wall said. As the movement against police brutality and racism continues amid the coronavirus pandemic, Wall believes the Black community only gets stronger. “Our world got really small really quickly,
COURTESY OF ELON PERFORMING ARTS
Elon senior Jenna Kulacz during her last time performing in the Black History Month Dance Concert.
but internally, we had to grow and get a lot bigger and still be resilient, despite everything that’s been going on, all the horrific acts of violence that have been going on in America,” Wall said. “And so that really is just kind of the framework for the entire show this year.”
Building community
Elon senior Jenna Kulacz said being a white dancer in the concert held a lot of meaning to her because she had to be careful in the way she executed the movements. Kulacz wanted to dance in a way that made Wall, her peers and the university proud. She said race does not cross her mind while performing. “We’re just smiling at each other through our masks, feeling that energy and dancing as one,” Kulacz said. “That’s the way I feel when I’m dancing, but I definitely am aware of my whiteness and I do want to make sure that I’m being respectful in every sense of the word.” This will be her third and final year performing in the concert, and Kulacz said she is absorbing every last second with her fellow dancers and faculty. “It’s really meaningful to me,” Kulacz said. “I really wanted to just make the most of it and make sure that I’m in the moment each and every rehearsal and taking it all in because this is really when it counts the most, because it’s going to be what I remember when I graduate, which is so sad, but it’s really exciting.” The Black History Month Dance Concert will stream on elonperformingarts.com on Feb. 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. Boyce said even when the concert was in-person, it did not get as much of a large audience turnout as other productions in the performing arts
department. The Friday performance will be followed by a question and answer session on Zoom that can also be found on elonperformingarts. com. Wall hopes viewers will bring questions, concerns and good conversation to the session. “We are human,” Wall said. “We believe the same way. We cry the same way. We have fears, we have triumphant moments, we’re amazing. We’re dope, right? We’re dope people and there’s going to be things that lead you, I think, throughout the concert, [to] some very teachable moments and very thinkable moments.”
SCAN TO WATCH “REDEMPTION FOR OUR SKIN”
1. Open your phone camera 2. Focus on the QR code 3. Click the pop-up link
16
sports
Wednesday february 24, 2021
Elon Athletics surveys varsity athletes about diversity
COURTESY OF ELON ATHLETICS
The Elon University men’s basketball team huddles up while wearing anti-racism shirts before a game.
Elon Athletics says it will collect feedback from student athletes to create a more inclusive environment Margaret Faust
Elon News Network | @margaretfaust5
Elon Athletics sent an anonymous survey to all athletes last week about diversity and inclusion in the school’s varsity athletics programs, according to Associate Director of Athletics Faith Shearer. Shearer also serves as the deputy Title IX coordinator and oversees diversity and inclusion efforts in Elon Athletics. “One of the big focuses is going to be for us to know and be sure that we have a climate where students can feel comfortable — where they’re not afraid to be who they are 100%,” Shearer said. This survey is part of many equity initiatives planned for Elon Athletics, which formed a diversity and inclusion advisory committee in August to promote equity within athletics. The committee is made up of athletes, coaches and administrative staff. “Do they feel comfortable in their locker rooms?” Shearer said, listing some of the questions the survey asked. “Do they feel that they can express themselves? Do they feel that they have support in expressing themselves? Do they think that they feel comfortable having conversations about diversity and inclusion within their teams, with their coaches, with athletic staff?” Junior football player Cole Coleman, a Black athlete, helped create the climate survey. He said the football team is a good example of a diverse and inclusive environment. “We go out on the field, and we fight for each other, but we also come back and take the pads off, and then we fight for each other off the field as well. So I think my experience has been nothing but great support from my guys,” Coleman said. Students sent emails to Shearer over the summer with ideas on how to create a more diverse and equitable environment. She said it was amazing to see the students so engaged in the world around them and trying to think about what they can do to make things better. There are four subcommittees within the program: an education and development subcommittee, a policies and procedures subcommittee, a group that works to support student-athletes and a climate and assessment subcommittee. Shearer said the subcommittees will present
their findings and recommendations to Athletic Director Dave Blank and his senior staff. “We really want to gauge sort of how open this environment is to having the kind of conversations that we need to have,” Shearer said. Shearer said she expects the results of the survey to be in by March 1. Then, the committee will pick specific goals to accomplish based on those results.
“
IT’S IMPORTANT IN LIFE THAT PEOPLE BE ABLE TO BRING THEIR WHOLE SELVES TO SOMETHING. AND IF OUR STUDENTS CAN’T DO THAT, THEN THEY’RE NOT MAXIMIZING THEIR POTENTIAL ANYWHERE, INCLUDING THE ATHLETIC FIELD. FAITH SHEARER ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ELON ATHLETICS
The Elon Football unity logo.
BY THE NUMBERS
67
is the number of Black or African American
Coleman said this survey is only the beginning. “My hopes would be that diversity isn’t something that has to be, you know, forced upon its students any longer or has to be strived for so much or are focused on to where it would naturally be a more diverse environment.” There are 67 Black or African American varsity athletes at Elon, and at least 26% of athletes are students of color, according to data from Shearer. There is also one Native American varsity athlete and one whose race and ethnicity are unknown. Shearer said appreciating diversity in athletics can build a team’s camaraderie. “It’s important in life that people be able to bring their whole selves to something,” Shearer said. “And if our students feel that they can’t do that, then they’re not maximizing their potential anywhere, including the athletic field.” Elon Athletics has already taken steps toward a more diverse and inclusive
COURTESY OF ELON ATHLETICS
varsity student athletes at Elon.
department, according to Shearer. The football team has formed a unity council. Shearer said other teams have also read books, had conversations and invited Vice President and Associate Provost for Inclusive Excellence Randy Williams and staff from one of the other identity offices on campus to facilitate conversations surrounding identity, diversity, equity and inclusion. Shearer said educating students and creating an equitable experience for athletes once they arrive on campus is important. But the issue is out of Elon’s hands before the athletes reach the university level. “It’s hard because students are specializing so early in their sports. There are all kinds of issues that are happening in youth sports,” Shearer said. “It’s hard for us to impact the makeup of our recruiting pool. It sort of is what it is.”
SCAN TO READ MORE SPORTS COVERAGE OR VISIT ELONNEWSNETWORK.COM
1. Open your phone camera 2. Focus on the QR code 3. Click the pop-up link