An Open Letter To Elon

In researching for this article, I collected quotes from Elon students in all different organizations, majors, and with all different backgrounds because I want this piece to truly be from the collective voice of students who live and learn at Elon University. All names will remain anonymous but I have added the students’ preferred gender and year. 

Dear Elon University,

I write to you today as a third year student who is disappointed in you and struggling to understand your actions in these past few months. 

I want to start by explaining who I am. I am a student who knew I wanted to attend Elon since I was a freshman in high school. I only applied to five schools as a senior, simply because my parents told me I couldn’t just apply to Elon. On paper, Elon was everything I wanted: emphasis on study abroad, amazing communications school with hands-on teachers, and a very involved Greek life. I found most of this to be true my first and second years, but I’m finding that Elon has really lost its way since the pandemic. 

I want to preface this by saying that I understand these are trying times. No one expected a global pandemic and at the beginning of it all, everyone was navigating this unchartered territory together. I am not placing the blame on anyone or anything, but the students of Elon University are begging for change. 

The pandemic has brought to light some points of conflict between students and school policies. Now, Elon students are pleading for change. Design by Leila Wilhelm.

Break Days and Mental Health

I first want to bring up our “spring break” days. I understand that a week-long break isn’t wise for any university right now. Five consecutive days off for students to travel around the country and be exposed to Covid is definitely not a step in the right direction. But, I want you to think about this for a second. We have class every single day (besides weekends) from January until May, with zero breaks. Think about what that does to a student’s mental health, not to mention that many students have a majority of their classes online. This means every day from January to May, students are stuck in their rooms staring at a computer screen attempting to learn. 

The university gave students one day off in February, which I, for one, spent the entire day inside studying, and then two days off in March. I have talked to countless students, and every single one states their professor is giving a midterm the day after our two break days on March 18th. The only consecutive days we have the entire semester will be spent studying since teachers decided to give exams. "Perhaps, a better way to approach this new normal, in which we aren't given the opportunity to take an extended break from our demanding classwork, would be to encourage professors to schedule tests on different days rather than a day after a break.

“It’s frustrating that, even on spring break days, I am stuck doing work for my classes. I feel like this is really taking a toll on the student body’s mental health and we feel overworked.” (Fourth year, female student)

“Elon has negated any relaxation provided to students with breaks. Taking away Fake Break and Spring Break basically keeps students' minds on school from January until May. Break days are no help to me when I have projects and tests on Thursday after a break on Tuesday and Wednesday. Elon seems to care more about their public perception than students’ well-being over the course of a semester.” (Third year, male student) 

It’s time to move forward, Elon. Design by Leila Wilhelm.

Anonymous Tips/Student Conduct

The next issue I want to touch upon is Elon’s new “Shared Responsibility” anonymous tip policy. Under the “Shared Responsibility & Accountability” page on Elon’s website, Elon talks about how you can anonymously report a student conduct incident in order to “support one another during this unprecedented time” and “share accountability.” However, all this anonymous tip policy is doing is pinning students against each other and creating a tattle-tale culture on our campus.

I feel like I’m grasping at straws trying to understand why the school feels the need to control the student body so much, even those living off-campus. The governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, recently eased up on some COVID-19 restrictions, as the number of cases in the state has decreased. With that being said, students living off-campus still face the same restrictions as students on campus. We can’t even live off-campus in Elon or Burlington and hang out with more than nine people in one room without facing consequences from the school. We do not have the same luxury as every other North Carolina resident, even though we are, in fact, North Carolina residents. 

The school has recently begun testing students weekly, which has indeed decreased the amount of cases on campus. So, if cases are decreasing and students are complying with getting tested weekly, why aren’t we seeing any easing up from the university? 

“I have a friend who was reported for having three people in her apartment, but a fellow student just assumed there were more people in the apartment and reported them since an image of two people was posted on social media.” (Third year, female student)

“Pinning students against each other becomes less inclusive.”  (Fourth year, female student)

“[This] does not foster an environment of treating each other like adults and holding each other accountable.”  (Fourth year, female student)

“Tattle-tale culture in such a negative way, I feel like I’m constantly watching my back and don’t let people see into my life anymore.”  (Fourth year, female student)

“There is a loss in translation between students living on and off-campus. Elon police can get off-campus in trouble (for partying) but have told us they can’t help us when we need help with safety matters because it is ‘not in their jurisdiction.’ Administration keeps us in the dark then gets mad.” (Fourth year, female student)

Creating a better Elon will be a team effort, and many students are ready to get started to see progress. Design by Leila Wilhelm.

Greek Life

Being a member of Greek life, I feel punished for my decision to join a sorority. Fraternities and sororities get treated differently than all other clubs or sports teams on campus. We seem to get blamed the most for the spread of Covid and are suffering the consequences of it more than anyone else in the school. In a recent meeting with my entire sorority, we were told that, as a sorority, we were not able to have any informal or formal events in person. Basically, we cannot even eat lunch with a new member of our sorority after Bid Day without potentially getting pulled into student conduct. Countless students have dropped their sororities or fraternities simply out of fear that being affiliated would put a target on their back. 

“Greek life opens so many opportunities and growth and Elon should encourage it, especially since we don’t have the biggest sports-based school. Greek life is our biggest social aspect at Elon. Why is the administration trying to get rid of it?” (Third year, female student)

“Greek life has become such an issue. They make no clear boundaries and straight up tell organizations that they hold us to a different standard. Too much gray area. I specifically have been asking Panhellenic clarification questions and they say they can’t answer them.” (Fourth year, female student)

“Even though the school moved the football season to the spring, they were still allowed to practice and meet as a whole team in person but didn’t have nearly the same repercussions as Greek life does when Covid went around the team. The school also calls out individual sororities and frats that have clusters of Covid but have only called out a sports team once in their emails.” (Fourth Year, female student)

“I find it frustrating that I just walked by the College Coffee and I’m kind of curious how it’s allowed that over 100 unmasked people can eat out there but three of us in a Greek organization can’t eat lunch inside together.” (Fourth year, female student)

“I was at a restaurant the other day and noticed an entire sports team doing their big-little. Every member of the team was there—talking, eating, chatting together—but we aren’t even supposed to get a meal with a new member, let alone do big-little in-person.” (Second year, female student)

In addition to this, the university moved recruitment from over Fake Break to the middle of the spring semester. I participated in recruitment for a total of 33 hours this past weekend, leaving me no time to complete homework or assignments for any class. Not to mention, I was exhausted from being awake from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day. There was no reason to move recruitment, as it easily could have been the same, virtual recruitment, over the weekend after J-term like it always has been in the past. Doing so would have also kept students from traveling that weekend. 

“In regards to moving recruitment during the spring semester, I have an email thread including my teacher and my psychiatrist in which my teacher suggests dropping my Media Law class instead of accommodating my needs (with mental health issues). I gave her a doctor’s note and it seems like the school could not give a care about the physical and mental effects of moving recruitment during the middle of the school year. Elon prides itself on being a university that is accommodating of all needs, but when Greek life and mental illness come around they always turn a blind eye.” (Third year, female student)

Students see many spaces that can be improved for positive change at Elon—Greek life, mental health, and accountability, to name a few. Design by Leila Wilhelm.

What are we moving towards, Elon? I personally feel hopeless here. I feel like I’m in a constant state of unrest. I see no light at the end of the tunnel, no return to normalcy at this school, and I feel my mental health slowly deteriorating because of the way I am treated on this campus—and I am clearly not alone. I shouldn’t feel like I am constantly being watched by my peers. I shouldn’t feel like the school is just waiting for me and my organization to make a mistake. I shouldn’t feel like I constantly have a target on my back just because I am part of a Greek organization.

“There doesn’t seem to be a plan to return to normal or open things back up. The school has a plan to prevent spread, which they have, overall, done a great job with. But, there doesn’t seem to be a plan in place to return to normal. It’s a very narrow-minded approach to only talk about stopping the spread of the virus and not discuss reopening and allowing more freedoms that everywhere else in the country seems to be moving towards. I just want a plan because this just feels endless and that’s not fair to students.” (Third Year, male student)

“I think that if students knew that x amount of cases over y amount of time would mean moving into a new phase of reopening they’d be much more inclined to abide by school rules because then at least we have a goal and we aren’t stuck in this whirlwind of unknown and false promise” (Third Year, male student)

However, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this today if I didn’t think Elon was capable of change. I don’t think it’s a secret that the administration and student body of this university have been divided. I don’t think it’s a secret for either of us that change on this campus is imminent in the coming months. I’m not here to attack Elon—I’m here to propose that we work together to bring back the Elon we’ve always known and loved, and I’m hoping we can do so soon.

Thank you for taking the time to read this,

Avery DeLacey and Elon University students who want to see change