25 Random Things About Elon (cont’d)

Good evening ETA readers!

Without further ado, I present to you the 12 remaining items of the “25 Random Things about Elon”.

1. Every January, students participate in the traditional “Polar Bear Plunge” in Lake Mary Nell.  This is a time where students literally jump into the lake in the middle of the winter!
2. Like waffles for breakfast?  Harden Dining Hall has a waffle maker that imprints the word “ELON” onto the waffle as it cooks.
3. The new Lindner Building (which should be completed this spring/summer) will be the “greenest building” on campus.  As part of this, the building will have electricity generated from photovoltaic panels and a solar hot water heater, among other features.
4. Keeping with the “green” theme, Elon University also participates in the ZipCar program.  Students can reserve a Toyota Prius to drive off campus!
5. Elon’s average temperatures for the different seasons:
   1. Winter (January) – 38.7 degrees F
   2. Spring (April) – 58.6 degrees F
   3. Summer (July) – 79.3 degrees F
   4. Fall (September) – 70.7 degrees F
6. I am not the only blogger on Elon’s campus!  Read the Dean of the School of Communications’ blog or a CIS professor’s blog or the Isabella Cannon Centre for International Studies’ Study Abroad blogs or some of our alumni Service Learning blogs.
7. There are a few scenes in the 1998 movie “He Got Game” (directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington) that were filmed at Elon University.  There is a scene outside of our Octagon Cafe!
8. Dr. Earl Danieley has been at Elon for over 50 years!  He graduated from Elon in 1946 and was President of the university from 1957 – 1973.  He continues today as a professor in the chemistry department.
9. Interested to learn what student events happen on a given day?  Visit: http://www.elon.edu/e-net/Calendar.aspx  and check out all of the student organizations & their events!
10. The results from The Elon Poll, the university’s student-driven survey center, has often been quoted in local, regional, and national media outlets.  Students call citizens of North Carolina to ask them their opinions about various local, regional, and national issues.
11. Want to know the goals of Elon University for this year?  Check out our 2008 – 2009 Institutional Priorities.
12. For our currently enrolled students, faculty and staff of Elon, as well as parents and alumni, Elon University offers “E-Squared“.  E-Squared is a social networking site for those in the Elon community.

I hope you enjoyed learning 25 new, but random facts about Elon University!

From My Inbox: A Soggy Friday Edition

Welcome to another edition of From My Inbox….

 

Yes, believe it or not, but it does rain at Elon University (as you can guess by the title of this post!) I am asked about the weather in North Carolina quite frequently when traveling and I will say that while Elon does experience all types of weather, blue skies & sunshine often prevail!

Here are this week’s questions:
Q. “How is the Fellows [Program] curriculum different from the regular academic curriculum?”
A. This question is referring to Elon University’s Fellows Program which I like to describe as an enhanced academic experience that has opportunities for study abroad grants as well as scholarship money. Essentially, students selected to participate in one of our 6 Fellows Programs (Honors, Leadership, Elon College, Business, Communications, and Teaching) have specialized learning opportunities that others in their academic field may not have. For example, if a student is a Business Fellow, they will take a class each semester as a cohort that is taught just for Business Fellows. Business Fellows also will study abroad together in their 1st Winter Term, travel to New York City during their senior year to visit the New York Stock Exchange, and have the opportunity to either invest part of Elon’s endowment in the stock market or do consulting work with local businesses during their senior year. These are opportunities that normal business students do not have! Students who are Leadership Fellows participate in a 4-phase Leadership Program that focuses on a different theme every year which include Emerging Leaders, Collaboration, Change, and Common Good. Leadership Fellows also have opportunities for travel, earn a minor in Leadership Studies, and have an opportunity to meet & talk with the Isabella Cannon Distinguished Visiting Professor Leadership. Past professors include David Gergen, Christine Todd Whitman, and Ben Bradlee. And these are only the opportunities available in two of our programs….I would encourage you to look into each program to find out more about each of them! Just click on the words “Elon University Fellows Program” to get started….

Q. “My OnTrack information says that Elon is missing my high school transcript – does that mean that I am not eligible for Early Action anymore?”
A. First and foremost, the most important thing to do is to get us the missing information as soon as possible! If your application was submitted on time, we will work with you if you are missing pieces of your application (up to a specific date). We know that for many of you, your college counseling/guidance offices were SWAMPED with transcript requests, recommendations, etc. Thus we allow for flexibility on receiving this information – although that does not mean that you should not arrange to send those materials to us as soon as possible. Please know that there is a cut-off date of when we NO LONGER will accept missing information to complete an application. At that point, if we are still missing a piece of your application, your application will be moved to our Final Application deadline pool. But for now, don’t panic! If you work on getting that missing information to us as soon as possible, we will work on keeping your application in Early Action.

Q. “I applied to Elon during Early Decision/ Early Action. Is there anything else that I can do at this point?”
A. At this point, the Admissions staff is busy reading files, reading files, and reading more files! We are excited to be getting to know each of you a little bit more in this process. At this point, the best thing that you can do is continue to update us (specifically me if you are an international student or go to school in Massachusetts or Rhode Island) with any achievements since you submitted your application. For example, how did your 1st quarter wrap up? How did your soccer team do in the state tournament? What new projects are you involved? This can simply be done via email! You can also start looking into scholarships programs such as our Fellows Programs. However, regardless of where Elon University falls on your list, I would also HIGHLY ENCOURAGE you to start researching financial aid (if you are eligible to apply) and/or scholarship opportunities. There is a wealth of information on those subjects and I would encourage you to visit http://www.elon.edu/e-web/admissions/FinancialAid/tips.xhtml. Many students wait until Spring to start researching what scholarship opportunities are available to them, but I would encourage you to start now.

That is all from my inbox for now…back to getting to know more of you/reading your application files!

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend!