Newman Center Offers Glimpse at Elon’s Future

A little red brick house sits adjacent to Holt Chapel and in front of the driving range. It could easily be overlooked when driving by for intramural sports. This house however is a glimpse into the Elon of the future. This Elon stretches out to south campus. This Elon has several houses like the Newman Center.

This Elon makes religious life a priority.

Inside the house is quaint and warm. A decorated living room to your left. A room with long folding table on your right. To the Catholic’s students on campus this is their new home.

This past summer Elon’s Holland House was moved to south campus to become the Catholic Newman Center.  The house now serves as the main hub for Catholic Campus Ministry. It is the first identity house on Elon’s campus.

Two catholic students and one peer ministry coordinator currently live in the Newman Center. Six other local universities have similar houses for Catholic students. The Newman Center has a library, kitchen, dining area, and several meeting spaces. The bedrooms are on the second floor.

The Newman center is used for several activities during the week. Every week three small groups bible studies meet in the house. Monday Night Football games are watched together in the house. It is a place of refugee and congregation for Catholic students.

The Newman Center represents a new direction for Elon. In the ten year strategic plan Elon has highlighted Religious Life as a facet of campus that needs improvement. Elon hopes to make religious life a more noticeable part of the Elon experience by building a multifaith center and more identity houses.

Catholic Campus Ministry president Justin Sposato supports the building of more identity houses. He thinks identity houses and the multifaith center will help to bring all the different religious life groups together on campus.

The idea for the Newman center was formulated last fall between Sposato and Elon’s Catholic priest Father Gerry Waterman. Elon modeled the Newman Center after Catholic centers from other universities.

CCM is not selfish with their house.  Baptist Student Union and Hillel use the house from time to time for programming.

The house has bought more people to CCM because of the increased amount of programming. Sposato said, “the other ministries would definitely benefit from it as well cause of the increased amount of programming you can hold here. We don’t have to reserve any of the space. It’s ours.”

CCM plans to have three people living in the house next year with the peer ministry coordinator. Elon’s Catholic Campus Ministry website states “we are a community of people open to the power of the Spirit and striving to live the Gospel of Jesus in our modern world as members of the Catholic Church. We believe that faith gives life, and sharing faith gives life its meaning. We invite Catholics and those interested in the Roman Catholic Church to join us in living and celebrating a life grounded in faith, nurtured by hope, and sustained by love.”

Catholic Catholic Ministry continues to grow every year. Now with the Newman Center they will be a even bigger force on campus.

Multifaith Center Forum

Elon University’s ten year strategic plan highlights an initiative to build a multifaith center. Dec. 1 the multifaith center and identity houses committee held a forum. Discussion was facilitated to decide the direction and the purpose of the center.

The three main focuses for the center are:

1. Understanding Self: Spiritual & Personal Growth
2. Understanding Others: Interfaith Dialogue & Understanding
3. Understanding the World: Role of Religion in World Affairs

About 25 faculty, staff, and students voiced their opinion on the direction of the center. The main debate was the purpose of a center. Should the center be a safe zone or a place of debate? A “safe zone” multifaith center would be a place for students to reflect. A debate focused center would push students to question others religions and be ready to justify their own. Some felt a safe haven would better serve the students. Those of minority faiths could come and pray or fellowship without feeling stigmatized. Others felt debate would create a civil discord that would foster spiritual growth and knowledge. Under this umbrella, fall the display of religious symbols, the name, the location and the overall atmosphere of the center. These topics were discussed in small groups.

Co-committee chair Todd Coleman feels the center will help Elon define what direction faith is going on campus. The multifaith center is under the diversity platform in the ten year strategic plan. President Lambert wants there to be a “shared value of diversity” when moving forward said Coleman. Students, faculty, and staff will all be polled in the upcoming months. The university through fundraising will fund the center.

After the forum, the actual direction of the center is still at a crossroads.

Travels in Bad Weather

When Elon freshmen, Jeffrey Williamson stepped out of his dorm, he was disappointed to see the rainy weather. It would be another day of riding the biobus.

Elon is most often portrayed with sunny weather year round. North Carolina does have a fairly mild climate. Rainy days cannot be avoided.

On days rainy days, Williamson prefers to take the biobus. The biobus is packed with 40 or more people, but it is better than walking.

“Elon has sidewalks that catch water in huge puddles.” Said Williamson. These puddles can make travel to class difficult.

Puddles form more frequently around the library and in where bricks are removed from the path. Students can get their feet stuck in holes.

Williamson lives in Danieley. He suggests Elon run a more efficient biobus schedule to combat the problem. One night he waited thirty minutes for the biobus and eventually just walked to Danieley.

The sky has been overcast the past two days. The temperature did not reaching higher than 61°. Without galoshes and a sturdy umbrella Elon students are left to fend Mother Nature on their own.

The sloping brick sidewalks don’t help much either.

Elon Students learn from Elon Alumna Erin Mahn

By Jessica Turner

When Erin Mahn graduated from Elon in 2007 she didn’t expect to go back home. Mahn began working for The Daily Banner in Cambridge, Md. a newspaper 40 minutes from her home.After working in the industry for two years, Mahn talked to Elon students about the lessons she’s learned during her career

1.Treat Everyone With Respect. Mahn stresses networking through stories. It can help in the future for information and sources.

2.Check You Ego At The Door. Learn from other journalists. Read their stories and look at their ledes.

3.People Will Not Like You. People are skeptic of the media. They believe you have a bias. When Mahn covered a story about a city council commissioner getting a DUI he pulled all his advertising from the paper.

4.People Tell You When You Make A Mistake. Mahn has been screamed at for the mistakes she has made. She takes in it stride. “Atleast they are reading you’re byline.” Mahn said.

5.Ask People How To Spell Their Name. Ask once at the beginning. Ask again at the end. There are million ways to spell names, even the simple ones.

6.Have Fun. Mahn has been able to fly a plane and go on yachts. Her press pass was ticket to new adventures.

Mahn worked 12-14 hour days covering a wide range of stories. Her personal favorite was a story about the 64^th National Outdoor Show. She had to write the article in 30 mins. Mahn knew she wanted to focus on a family story. Mahn remarks you “have to be a good actress” while reporting. Some city council meetings she covered last 3 hours.

Reconstruction of American Journalism

After scanning The Reconstruction of American Journalism, I focused on the demise of newspapers. Downie and Schudson highlighted smaller cities and towns where newspapers are not at risk. The newspaper in my hometown is a real life example. The Fayetteville Observer caters to a very small population in southern North Carolina. The paper is able to do in depth stories that the local Raleigh news does not cover.

Recently the paper has started doing a weekly insert in the sports section profiling one big local high school football game a week. Residents of Fayetteville will buy the paper to read about the local high schools. No other news organization covers that topic. The daily paper can be viewed entirely online with a subscription. Local businesses and restaurants also buy advertising in the paper. It is the only paper that serves the Fayetteville area. This monopoly gives the paper resilience in the changing landscape of news print.

Another idea highlighted by Downie and Schudson is a service where the user would log in and be able to view several newspapers by buying them digitally. In theory this idea sounds like a solution. In practice I feel users will not pay to view information on the internet that they could probably find for free if they searched long enough. Because the internet has created an array of free services and information asking users to pay would take adjusting.

I view itunes as a similar model. Instead of going to a record store and searching for your artists and flipping through cds just to find they are sold out, you can find music digitally through your computer in the comfort of your home. Even though the majority of downloads are ninety-nine cents, I know a lot of people that illegally download instead of pay and music has always cost money.

Overall I think the article brought up good points for discussion among young journalists who are entering a rapidly changing profession.

Chicago’s Bid to Host 2016 Olympics

By: Jessica Turner

Article Anaylsis

The article I chose to analyze was “Would Getting the Olympics Be Good or Bad for Chicago?” from Time.com. The article has a strong opening about President Obama. The president’s name immediately draws in readers. They want to know what the president is supporting and why. In this article the president is supporting Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid. I had a layover in Chicago this summer and it is very apparent within the city, they want to host the Olympics. When I saw this article, it peeked my interest immediately.

After the lede, the writer immediately presents the problem. He goes on to state problems that past Olympic hosts have faced. By emphasizing the problems, the reader wants to keep reading to find the solution. The use of exact costs of the Olympics also strengthens the article. The writer took time to research instead of guessing or making estimate. This diligence shows the reader this is a serious article.

I liked how the writer went in depth with examples of past Olympic host cities. I did not know hosting an Olympic game cost so much. To me the Olympics bring prestige and publicity, not debt and disgrace. The article makes a point to note the success of Atlanta’s 1996 Olympic game, but it was privately funded. When I think of the Olympics I think of the greater goodwill of man. If the Olympics is privately funded it is almost as if it is owned by a business. How can a business own the Olympics? The article brings up the question if it is justifiable for the Olympic to be privately funded if it will save cities and states from going into debt?

I have always been in awe of the Olympics. One of my life goals is to attend an Olympic game. I do not think many Americans know that Chicago is in the running to host an Olympics. This article not only brings that to the forefront, but it asks the hard questions. Is it worth it? Should Chicago transform its city for the Olympics?

I think the writer does a good job at showing both sides of the debate. It is expensive. Past host cities have gone into debt, while hosting a successful Olympics. Atlanta is an exception. They found a way to host a successful Olympics without much debt.  I like how he leaves it up the readers to make their own decision. He understands if you put one plus blank equals two, the reader can fill in the blank without your help.

Overall, I liked this article. After I read this article. I’m excited to see if Chicago will make it to the next round and what their plans are if they host the 2016 Olympics.

If You Want to Volunteer, Get on the Bus

By: Jessica Turner

An eerie silence sits in the gym. Two lines of kids stand facing each other. They are ready for a battle. The silence is broken when the children scream “Giants, Wizards, Elves!” A parade of children run after each other letting out shrills of joyful laughter. Elon students are caught and dragged back to the other side.

Ten minutes earlier about ten Elon students stepped off a biobus ready to make a difference. The overcast weather did not deter them. They were participating in the Get on the Bus program. This six-week program is run through the Kernodle Center for Service Learning. Every Friday between two and three students can sign up by the east entrance of Moseley. At three the biobus departs to a location where the students volunteer. The students return to campus around six.

Get on the Bus Volunteer Locations

October 2 Kopper Top October 9 Positive Attitudes Youth Center October 16 Loaves and Fishes October 23 Allied Churches

On Sept. 25 Elon students spent quality time with the kids at the Boys and Girls Club. Children and volunteers face painted and played sports. Elon freshmen, Elise Noyes was taught bumper pool by one of boys. “The little boy totally beat my butt,” she said. She enjoyed the experience and plans to participate again. Other Elon students face painted with the children. One volunteered even painted the bat mobile on a little boy’s hand.

Children grades kindergarten through eight attend the afterschool program. The program has eighty-five children. In the afternoons, the children play games, finish homework, and watch movies. It is a safe place for children who may have nowhere else to go. Mrs. Gee, a cooking instructor at the Boys and Girls Club, welcomes the students. “Volunteers make the kids feel special,” she said. Mickia, a fifth grader in the program said she “enjoys it when the volunteers are here.” Joy and happiness beams from their faces as they play with the volunteers.

The idea for “Get on the Bus” was first proposed at a conference attended by students in the Kernodle Center last spring. Interns of the center decided the idea was right for Elon. “The purpose of the program is the introduce people to community partners,” said Mary Morrison the director of the Kernodle Center. It is hoped Elon students will continue to volunteer in the community when the program is over.

During the first week forty-five students participated. There is a growing interest in the program in the Elon community. Morrison encourages organizations to “Get on the Bus.” Participants can report their volunteer hours to the Kernodle Center. The hours will be validated and count toward ELR.

Oct. 2 Get on the Bus is going to Kopper Top. This is a horse stable that gives lessons for children with and without disabilities. Although the location changes every week, the opportunity to make a difference remains the same. “Two hours a week can be very special to that child,” said Mrs. Gee.

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A version of this article will appear in The Pendulum on September 30.