Campus organization hosts softball game for Paws and Stripes

By Laura Levitt and Monica Yantosh

Three tours in Iraq left Jim Stanek with a traumatic brain injury and chronic severe post traumatic stress disorder, and his transition back to the states wasn’t easy.

“I didn’t want to socialize, didn’t want to go to public,” Stanek said. “I was having a hard time communicating with family members.”

Stanek was put on medication and went to therapy, but he struggled to live a normal life.

“I had an empty tool bag and I needed tools to help me get through civilian life,” he said.

Stanek tried different “tools” to manage his PTSD, but struggled to find one that worked. Then his wife found a stray dog on the side of the highway and gave her a home. At first she was a just a pet, but Stanek realized that the dog was helping him.

“Life with Sarge is not hell,” he said. “It’s like hell light. I’ve still got my issues with crowds, [but] Sarge helps me navigate those.”

Stanek and his wife started Paws and Stripes, an organization that pairs dogs with service men who have PTSD.

“Paws and Stripes has trainers contracted through our program, who have service dogs themselves, for their disabilities, and [we have] found a way that we can train rescue dogs,” Stanek said.

Stanek and Sarge came to campus this weekend to play in a charity softball game organized by Elon’s Team Hero, an organization that works to support military men and women. The softball game’s goal was to raise money for Paws and Stripes.

Stanek is thankful for Team Hero’s help and thinks everyone can learn a lesson from the organization’s work.

“Everyone needs something to do [and] Team Hero is an action,” Stanek said. “Don’t sit with the blinds closed. Open up the blinds and let the sun in.”

Team Hero raised more than $2,000 for Paws and Stripes.

Gas prices affect students but not car dealers

By Monica Yantosh

Gas prices in the Elon area are up as high as $3.80, and according to AAA, the national average is $3.92. With gas prices having the potential to reach $4.00 soon, Elon senior Lauren Remenick is considering downsizing.

“Living off campus and driving to campus, it takes a lot of gas,” Remenick said.  “So especially this year I’m using up a lot of gas and it’s taking up a lot of money that I especially don’t have because I want to graduate and keep my money.”

Remenick says her car gets about 17 miles a gallon, and she feels she fills up her tank more than she would like to.

“I try to find places try to find the places where gas isn’t as expensive, but it’s all really high,” Elon senior Lauren Remenick said. “So, what can you do?”

While good fuel mileage is a major component Remenick is looking for in a new car to keep money in her pocket, statistics show that car dealerships haven’t been hurting from gas prices. Kelly Shirley is the General Manager of Dick Shirley Chevrolet in Burlington and said he has seen how gas prices can impact car sales.

“Ironically it hasn’t really slowed the sales of vehicles,” Shirley said. “It’s gonna be natural for people to seek out better fuel mileage during this time.”

As gas prices have inched up, Shirley said the biggest difference in car sales now lies in the kind of cars consumers look at when it comes to buying new.

“The gas prices haven’t stifled it so much,” Shirley said. “I think what people are buying has changed.”

The change in what consumers are looking for means sales teams now have to be better prepared for the fuel questions.

“It’s a total retraining of how to approach the customer, and what kind of customer is coming in,” Shirley said.

But even if consumers can’t afford to buy a new car with better mileage at the moment, Shirley said there are still things they can do to make their dollar stretch farther. He said to be mindful of tire pressure levels, clean air filters and maintain good brakes to help achieve better mileage in whatever car drive consumers own.

Viral video sparks new interest, criticism in global organization

By Monica Yantosh

The most recent viral video on the web is a movie made by non-profit, global humanitarian aid organization Invisible Children. It was made by one of the founders and focuses on Joseph Kony, a Ugandan guerrilla group leader. The wide success of the movie has sparked a campaign called Kony 2012 whose goal is to bring attention to the issue and raise support for Kony’s arrest.

The Elon Chapter of Invisible Children, led by Co-President Katie Salerno, is working to bring awareness to the situations in Africa.

“I really like the video,” Salerno said. “I think if you aren’t aware of the issue before hand, it’s really easy to get confused.”

However, after the video was posted, critics were quick to say the movie doesn’t give enough information about the situation. Junior Christopher Bosak watched to video, and took time after watching to further research the issue.

“Yes, this dictator seems like a bad guy,” Bosak said. “I certainly don’t like any body who goes out and kidnaps children, but I feel like this is too simple a way to look at it. This seems like a very complex issue and it’s just being glazed over.”

Salerno also agrees that just watching the video is not enough.

“I think that you really need to do your research before because it’s not meant to be informative,” Salerno said. “It meant to promote this idea that this person known, and if you don’t know who this man is you need to go back and look at your facts.”

With attention now on Invisible Children, people are more aware of where the organization spends their money.

Here’s their expense breakdown according to the 2011 annual report: almost 50 percent of donations goes to raising awareness. Thirty-seven percent goes to Central Africa programs. The rest pays for general expenses.

Salerno said the money does go to raise awareness, which is a cause she thinks is just as helpful.

“What people don’t realize is that their money is going to this awareness which is indirectly going into their programs on the ground,” Salerno said. “You can’t have these programs without having people aware of it.”

More than 70 million people have seen the video on YouTube since it was posted March 5.

To get involved with Invisible Children, find them on Facebook. The group will also be hosting a profit share at Mellow Mushroom on Tuesday, March 13 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., an event called “Cover the Night” on Friday, April 20 and a screening of “Kony 2012” on Monday, April 23 at 7 p.m.

*UPDATE

The following is Invisible Children’s video response to criticism the group received following the release of the viral video about Joseph Kony.

 

Super Bowl more than a game for two Elon students

By Monica Yantosh

Senior Jenn Petinge is a New England Patriots fan, and knows more than just the names of the players.

“I don’t think I’m an expert,” Petinge said, “but I know, enough that I can understand all the games.”

And she’s not the only girl who knows the game. Senior Elizabeth Bushelow has followed the Giants for years, and not only watched the game, but followed every play as they happened.

“I would say I’m pretty knowledgeable about the sport,” Bushelow said. “I think there are a few things that my brother and my dad will attest to that I really don’t know anything about, but I know how the game works, I know how penalties work.”

Petinge has been a Pats fan since she was little, and that was thanks to an important person in her life.

“I’m the only girl in my family,” Petinge said. “My brother wasn’t born til a couple years after me, so my dad didn’t really have a son to watch games with or anything. So he kind of recruited me into watching with him.”

And although Bushelow may be rooting for the Giants, she and Petinge are on the same team when it comes to who introduced them to football.

“My dad’s from New York and my mom’s from North Jersey, and my dad’s always been a Giant’s fan,” Bushelow said.  “When we got season tickets I was about nine years old, and we’ve been going to games ever since.”

Bushelow lives outside of Philadelphia, but was able to have a piece of home, and the Giants with her here at Elon for the game, because she was joined by her mom and brother.

“I’m excited they could be here to watch the game with me because watching games with my brother is one of my favorite things to do,” Bushelow said.

And Bushelow was excited to be joined by her family as the Giants won the game by just four points, with the final score Giants – 21, Patriots – 17.

Anonymous Elon Twitter accounts growing in number

While anonymity on the internet is nothing new, it is all a twitter on campus at Elon.

“I follow Only at Elon, Elon Girl Problems, McEwen Problems, XOXO Gossip Squirrel,” said first-year student, Courtney Vaughn.

But these are just a few of the anonymous Twitter accounts that exist about Elon. Some Other accounts include KOBC Problems, Carolina Girl Problem, Elon Anonymous, as well as and others, all of which have varying degrees of activity.

Vaughn enjoys reading the tweets because of the connection they bring to Elon.

“They give Elon it’s own meaning,” Vaughn said. “Someone’s out there tweeting about our own ‘problems.’ We all get to laugh about it. We have our own little Elon bubble.”

These accounts are anonymous, but are believed to be run by students who share their thoughts and observations about other students, events on campus and really anything that happens within the Elon bubble.  Vaughn thinks that can be a good thing.

“I think it just helps to know somebody else is also having that ‘problem’ or that issue, or they think that it only happens at Elon,” Vaughn said.  “I think that it makes us a closer group of 5,000 people.”

Visiting adjunct instructor Adam Hochberg from UNC is here for Winter Term teaching a class on social media and journalism.  He says even an anonymous identity can be revealed.

“One of the lessons for people who think ‘Oh, I’m anonymous, no one’s going to figure out who I am,’” Hochberg said.  “Yeah, there are ways to find out who you are.”

But Vaughn finds the anonymity of the accounts a big part of the enjoyment of reading them.

“It adds a bit of curiosity, and you do want to know, but at the same time it’s just, you get to walk amongst everyone, through the sidewalks between, you know, Moseley and here, and you just know that somebody out there understands you.” Vaughn said. “And that’s all that I really need.”

Even President Lambert joined in the conversation and used the hashtag ‘Only at Elon.’ Though administrators don’t know the identity of those behind the accounts, they know they exist, and don’t mind as long as students keep it respectful.

“The only thing we expect of students if they choose to blog anonymously or tweet anonymously, is to abide by the Elon University honor code…honesty, integrity, responsibility and respect,” said Eric Townsend, Director of Elon University News Bureau. “And so far to date, we haven’t seen any anonymous users of any of the social media platforms really abuse that.”

The Elon Honor Code states that the honor code applies to students during their entire time at the university, from the time they are admitted to the time they receive their degree. It also applies “in situations involving technology as a means of recording or communication.”

To view the full honor code, click here.

But Vaughn thinks that being anonymous shouldn’t mean those tweeting can say whatever they want.

“I think being anonymous, they have to be conscious about what they are saying,” Vaughn said.

Christmas cheer blankets local stores and dorms early

By Monica Yantosh

Traditionally, the Christmas season starts when Santa arrives at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but for some store owners, putting out Christmas apparel and having Christmas sales after Thanksgiving would be too late.

Keith Phillips owns R. Keith Phillips Florist in Burlington and has had to adapt his store’s decor based on customer needs.

“It seems like increasingly, every year people just skip over Thanksgiving and go right on to Christmas decorating,” Phillips said. “I happen to disagree with that.”

The store may be all set for Christmas, but Phillips says his home is not ready for the season just yet.

“I never put up anything until the beginning of Advent,” Phillips said.

But, Phillips says it’s not just for religious reasons that he chooses to wait to decorate.

“You would get a little tired of it if you started before Thanksgiving,” he said.

But before Thanksgiving, his store is filled with Christmas decorations.

“No we don’t mind it a bit in the world,” Phillips said, “ we just try to work with them knowing that seems to be the trend, we just try each year to be a little more prepared for that.”

It’s not just stores that are getting a head start on Christmas decorations, though. Some students are even getting into the spirit.

Meredith Grace is an Elon Sophomore and began decorating for the holiday season back in October. While some could get tired of the decorations if they were up too early, that is not the case for Grace.

“Christmas is my favorite holiday,” Grace said. “For me, Christmas is just so exciting that I can’t wait til after Thanksgiving. Like three weeks just isn’t enough time to get excited for Christmas.”

She doesn’t care what people think of her putting up lights and turning on her music in October, because for her the season is more about family than anything else.

“It’s just a huge family tradition and I’m definitely a huge family person, so I love anything that reminds me of being with my family,” Grace said.

Grace uses the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving as her time to countdown to the official start of the holiday season.

“This is a countdown to Santa coming out…in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” Grade said. “If I’m not prepared for that by being super excited for Christmas before then, you know, it’s kind of not as magical for me.”

Elon alumnus on campus while serving overseas

By Monica Yantosh

ELON, N.C.- Amy DeNenno moved into Hook dorm this weekend, but she is no stranger to campus. Her brother, First Lt. Joe DeNenno, graduated from the school in 2009 and is currently serving overseas in Afghanistan.

Flat Joe, a small cut-out of DeNenno, goes everywhere with the DeNennos.

Flat Joe at breakfast with family and friends

“It was really hard, I miss him a lot, and so like holding Flat Joe just like brought back some emotions,” Amy DeNenno said.

The DeNennos created Flat Joe when First Lt. DeNenno was deployed earlier this year. The paper cut out is a take off of Flat Stanley, a paper man that many elementary school kids send around the world while documenting his adventures.  

Amy has her own Flat Joe here at school, her parents have one, and many of the DeNenno’s family friends have one. They update First Lt. DeNenno with his counterpart’s travels.

“Basically, any kind of thing that we would do together, I would just bring him with, so it’s kind of just like a buddy,” Amy said.

Even though it’s tough for the DeNenno’s to be apart, Flat Joe is their reminder to be thankful.

“It’s a great way to constantly remember Joe, never let him slip from your mind,” Amy’s father, Dick DeNenno, said.

Dick DeNenno has taken Joe on numerous business trips so far, and lets Flat Joe be the reminder of how proud he is of his son.

“Joe’s a very unselfish guy, and he sees it as a privilege and a responsibility. Of course, I’m very, very proud of him,” Dick said.

Elon students help tornado victims

By Monica Yantosh

Elon may not have been affected by the recent tornadoes in North Carolina, but students went out to help those who were hit by the storms.

On Saturday, a group of Elon students teamed up with students from Methodist University to help clean up in Fayetteville, NC.

“To be honest, like I’ve always wondered how people clean up after tornadoes,” Elon Junior Megan Murray said.

Murray was one of the students who spent the afternoon picking up shingles, trees and other debris from yards.

Homeowner Danny Averitt said he felt lucky to have minimal damage happen at his home.

“I’m luckier than most I guess because I heard there are a lot of people who lost their entire homes,” Averitt said.

Methodist had been working in Averitt’s neighborhood since the Tuesday after the tornadoes hit, and welcomed the help from Elon students.