51������ dedicated a bench in memory of longtime employee Rena Leath on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

Leath worked at Elon for 30 years, starting as a dining hall supervisor and then moving to Environmental Services. On Thursday, she was remembered as “dedicated, reliable and deeply kind,” as friends and family gathered for the dedication in the Collonades, between Story Hall and Moffitt Hall.

“She made others feel cared for, seen, and respected, often without words — simply through the way she moved through her work,” said Rev. Kirstin Boswell, university chaplain and dean of multifaith engagement, who led Thursday’s dedication. “Rena was not only a devoted member of this campus — she was a woman whose life was shaped by love, joy, and connection outside of these walls. She loved to travel, to be with friends, and to gather with her family around meals, stories and laughter. She understood that joy is a practice, and she embraced it fully.”

Raymond Fletcher, senior director of facilities management, acknowledged how many lives Leath touched in her work at Elon. Friends and loved ones also shared words of remembrance during the dedication, describing Leath as someone who “left a little bit of light wherever she went.”

“This bench is more than just a place to sit, it’s a place to pause, reflect, and remember her kindness, her laughter, and her generous heart,” said Nicki Elliott, a friend of Leath’s and a distribution services associate with Elon’s Environmental Services. “I hope that everyone who stops here will feel even a small part of the warmth and love she gave so freely.”

For more information, contact Melinda Box at mbox@elon.edu or (336) 278-6225.

Scavenger Hunt
Monday – Friday, Feb. 9 – 13

Join in the competition by racking up credits for attendance, safety knowledge, and equipment identification. Win awesome, hand-crafted, collectible prizes.

Hazard Symbol Bingo
Monday, Feb. 9, 7 – 8 p.m., East Commons Lounge

Have fun and learn essential safety symbols while you play. Win Flubber-themed prizes.

Film Festival: “Flubber” (1997)
Monday, Feb. 9, 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., East Commons Lounge

Join us for laughs, Flubber-themed refreshments, and a fun departure from stodgy protocols and esoteric regulations.

Play It Safe!
Tuesday, Feb. 10, 4 – 7 p.m., IQ Atrium

Engage in hands-on safety activities with virtual reality and mood-setting black lights. Test your decontamination skills, firefighting abilities, and safety knowledge, and win collectible event swag.

Film Festival: Meltdown Three Mile Island
Tuesday & Wednesday, Feb. 10 & 11, 8 – 10 p.m., Sato Commons Media Room

Experience the stories of nearby residents who lived through and cleaned up after the worst nuclear reactor accident in the United States history. Learn how close conditions came to a widespread major accident.

Safety First, Coffee Always with International Coffee
Thursday, Feb. 12, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.

Discuss the international comparison of nuclear reactor accidents and their connection to modern practices of lab safety.

Film Festival: K19: The Widowmaker
Thursday, Feb. 12, 8 – 10 p.m., LaRose Student Commons

Become immersed in the world of nuclear-powered submarines with this dramatization of an actual near-miss nuclear reactor accident. Starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, this movie tells the story of the heroic and resourceful efforts of a Russian crew to prevent meltdown and possible explosion.

Lab Mystery Night
Friday, Feb. 13, 7 – 8 p.m., LaRose Theatre (KOBC)

Compete to find out “who done it”! Who left the unlabeled beaker of clear liquid in this random location? Where did it come from, and more importantly, what is it? Be among the first to solve the mystery and win unique prizes.

Film Festival: Radium Girls
Friday, Feb. 13, 8 – 10 p.m., LaRose Theatre (KOBC)

Follow this group of determined watch dial painters as they discover the reality of the hazards they have been exposed to and pursue justice for themselves and workers of the future. Scavenger Hunt prizes will be awarded before the movie screening.

Thursday, Oct. 23, students are welcome to participate in a Halloween Costume Swap Shop and S’mores event at the Colonnades fire pit from 7:30-9 p.m.

Global Fall Festival

The annual Global Fall Festival is on Friday, Oct. 24 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Global quad. Stop by for fall crafts, food, music, Pelican’s and prizes at this great celebration of community.

Outdoor Movie Night

Monday, Oct, 27, East Neighborhood is hosting an Outdoor Movie Night – bring your blanket and friends and come enjoy snacks and a show from 7-9pm on the East quad lawn.

Pumpkin Carving & Painting

On Oct. 28 from 4-5:30 p.m. there will be pumpkin carving/painting in the Colonnades Neighborhood Tea Room.

Spooky Open Mic Night

Also on Oct. 28, Historic Neighborhood will host their annual Spooky Open Mic Night at 8 p.m. on the Mooney lawn.

Trick or Treat on Greek Street

Loy Center Neighborhood is hosting their annual Trick or Treat on Greek Street Wednesday, Oct. 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. Elon faculty and staff are invited to bring their children to Loy Center Neighborhood to trick or treat and enjoy Halloween activities sponsored by Fraternity and Sorority Life.

Some Station at Mill Point residents might receive a spooky sweet treat from staff reverse trick or treating (distributing goodies) on Oct. 29 – be sure to answer the door! The Crest Great Pumpkin carving will be on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 7-9pm in the Crest Clubhouse.

Residents in Oaks and Park Place can participate in a spooky scavenger hunt all day on Thursday, Oct. 30 for the chance to win fantastic prizes.

Halloween Fall Fest

On Oct. 31, Danieley Center Neighborhood will host a Halloween Fall Fest from 5- 8 p.m. All students are welcome to come enjoy free food truck treats, caramel apples, spooky activities, photo booth, potion making and more!

Screams of joy rang through a residence hall Friday, Aug. 22 as Samantha Probst ’29, her roommate Leah Rappaport ’29 and Jonas Hinsdale ’29 came together in a big hug – Probst telling Hinsdale he’s the reason she and Rappaport are now roommates.

“Jonas is one of my best friends from home,” said Rappaport, who is from Westchester, New York. “I knew I wanted to room with somebody who is also interested in the theatre field, and I said, ‘Jonas, do you know anyone in your major who I could room with?’ and he was like, ‘Actually, this girl Sam is perfect.”

Hinsdale connected the two young women, and they clicked immediately.

“From our first conversation, I just knew she was the one,” said Probst, who is a Vocal Scholar from Redondo Beach, California. “She is just so joyful and made me so excited to move to campus and live with her.”

Achieve your dreams

Now all three students are members of 51������’s Class of 2029, who moved to campus on Aug. 22, coming from 43 states and 15 countries, including Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Panama.

The three first-year students are also part of the Performing Arts Living Learning Community (LLC), one of the more than a dozen LLCs at Elon where students live in the same residential area, interacting academically and socially with each other and with faculty that share the same passion, interest, or academic focus.

“When we found out we were living on the same floor, we were so excited,” said Hinsdale, who will be majoring in music theatre. “I’m so excited for our next four years together, and we’re going to have a blast because we’re already such good friends.”

All three students chose Elon for the performing arts, with the university recently ranked #4 “Best College Theatre” by the Princeton Review and named one of the ’25 Best Drama Schools of 2025” by The Hollywood Reporter.

“I knew about the alumni and its reputation and specifically the small class sizes, and the opportunities that came with it,” said Probst, who will major in music theatre. “But then, when I did more digging and research on the school itself, I realized how many opportunities there are with study abroad and having a double major or minor.”

Probst’s parents, Christie and John Probst P’29, say they will be sad to see her leave home but know she will thrive at Elon.

“She’s such a sweet, good kid, and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed having her home, but we’re also really excited for her to take the next step, and we know that Elon’s going to be a great place for her to do that and grow as a person and excel and hopefully achieve all of her dreams,” said John.

No place like Elon

As the university welcomes more than 1,500 new students for the 2025-26 academic year, Elon will now have representation from all 50 U.S. states, but some students like Praise Ogundeji ’29 are not coming from far away. She moved to Elon on Friday from Greensboro, North Carolina, and says, after her first tour at the university, she didn’t want to go anywhere else.

“My tour guide was an eye-opener, she just made me fall in love with the school,” said Ogundeji, who plans to major in international business.

Ogundeji is part of the African Diaspora LLC, which is open to students of all academic interests and racial/ethnic backgrounds. It is the perfect fit for students interested in the expansive, global and interconnected nature of the lived experiences of those who have ancestral ties to Africa.

“The whole experience is exciting to me,” said Ogundeji. “Decorating my dorm, meeting new people and our activities here.”

Elon requires students to live on campus for the first two years of school with first-year students living in one of five residential neighborhoods: Colonnades Neighborhood, Danieley Neighborhood, East Neighborhood, Global Neighborhood and Historic Neighborhood.

The roommate connection

Isabelle Drake ’29 and her roommate, Kylie Mazzei ’29 connected online before coming to Elon, bonding over the color theme of a future room in the Historic Neighborhood.

“We both said blue and white, so I think that was a big green flag,” said Drake, who is from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and is a Change Maker Scholar.

Before Move-In Day, Drake visited Mazzei in her hometown of Essex Fells, New Jersey, where they attended a concert together and were able to bond.

“We hit it off. It was a good connection,” said Mazzei, who plans to study elementary and special education.

Drake is planning to study in the School of Communications, exploring fields in broadcast meteorology or sports reporting. She was drawn to the university for the study abroad opportunities and Elon’s unique Winter Term in January. Julie Drake P’29, Isabelle’s mother, praised the Move-In Day process and is excited for her daughter, her first child leaving for college.

“It looks like the entire community is out. I’m impressed. They really have pulled all the stops out,” said Julie, about Move-In Day. “It’s been a whirlwind. It’s an exciting time for her. It’s definitely going to be difficult for us at home, and we’ll definitely miss her. But we have high hopes. It’s going to be an awesome year.”

Julie says the college selection and touring process was almost like “a full-time job,” but after touring Elon, she knew it was the right place for her daughter.

“We toured a very large university, and I remember they said, ‘If you go three blocks that way, you’ll find that’ and ‘Oh, and there’s a transit bus, you’ll want to use that.’ I just felt so overwhelmed, and I was just thinking, ‘I’m not sure this is the right fit for Isabelle,’” said Julie. “And then we came here, everything is walkable, and it’s beautiful. On the tour, I feel like the tour guide was hugging every third person. You could tell it was a close-knit community.”

While Drake and Mazzei didn’t know each other before Elon, roommates Alessio Vaccaro ’29 and Will Saratella ’29 went to high school together in Needham, Massachusetts.

“I committed to Elon and Will was thinking about it, and I was trying to get him to commit,” said Vaccaro, who plans to study finance. “I’m most excited about meeting new people and getting into classes and seeing what it’s like. It will be a cool, new change-up from high school.”

And as students began to unpack their rooms and say goodbye to family, they are reflecting on their new home and their decision to attend Elon.

“I really wanted that one-on-one personalized experience, and I knew that I would only get that at Elon,” said Probst. “It just seemed to check off every box at the end. It was just the perfect fit, and I made the perfect choice.”

EcoVillage LLC Presentation

Participants learned about the EcoVillage LLC at Loy Farm proposal process and how the LLC integrates with the existing farm and academic initiatives on site. Participants also gained insights on how to potentially kickstart a conversation on tiny house partnerships at their institution.

AI Best Practices in Residence Life

Participants got hands-on with Chat GPT and practiced using it for a few residence life related practices. They also participated in a group brainstorm on other ways they might use AI in current or future work.

Exceptional student employees and staff members were recognized during the annual residence life awards on Wednesday, May 3.

The evening included opening remarks from President Connie Ledoux Book and Vice President of Student Life Jon Dooley.

Student Staff Member of the Year (by neighborhood)

Student Staff Member of the Year is awarded to at least one staff member from each residential neighborhood who has demonstrated excellent teamwork, dedication and positivity in their role.

Student Staff Member of the Year Recipients

• Colonnades – Jasper Serenity Myers
• Danieley – Angel Gutierrez
• East – Lucia Gasalla Plaza
• Global – Bethany Griffin
• Historic – Larissa Moelber and James Seagriff
• Loy – Wise Halverson
• Oaks & Park Place – Ariana Wilson
• Station at Mill Point & Crest – Megan Curling

NRHH Rising Diamond Award

This award recognizes a Residence Life staff member who shows us that leadership inside and outside the department is crucial to continued growth in the 51������ experience. The recipient of this award has demonstrated that their skill set learned here at 51������ has positively impacted their community and will continue to impact whatever community joined after positively. The official symbol of NRHH is a diamond –the world’s most precious gem- to signify the value and beauty one finds in their experiences.

• Delyla Makki

Student Leadership and Community Development Award

This award highlights a student staff member who demonstrated extraordinary leadership in their role and promoted community development by challenging and caring for residents through their Elon experiences.

• Cole Meixsell

Student Employee Excellence Award

This award highlights an hourly student employee who has displayed extraordinary dedication, leadership and service to their neighborhood and/or the Office of Residence Life. They consistently positively impact their neighborhood/office staff and community by going above and beyond what is asked in completing their work responsibilities.

• Carson Pridgen

Julie Justice Faculty Engagement Award

In memoriam of Julie Justice’s depth of service and engagement with her residents during her time as a faculty-in-residence in the Oaks neighborhood, this award is meant to honor a faculty member who has contributed to enhancing the residential campus initiative by engaging with students within the residential community, and broadly developing connections within the neighborhood to enhance the student residential experience.

• Sandy Marshall

Program of the Year

This award highlights a neighborhood program, event, or series that promotes active engagement of residents with faculty and staff over a topic that promotes the intellectual theme of the neighborhood.

• Neighborhood: Danieley
• Program Name: BJs in PJs

Program Assistant of the Year

This award honors a program assistant in Residence Life who utilizes exceptional organization, interpersonal, and customer service skills.

• Mary Harding

Professional Staff Member of the Year (by position)

This award recognizes a professional staff member of the Residence Life team who has demonstrated mentorship, community building and professionalism throughout the 2022-2023 academic year.

• Community Director – Tanner Gill

Community Partnership Award

The Community Partnership Award is presented to an individual who has continuously partnered and supported throughout the school year with Campus Safety and Police.

• Mariann King
• Antonella Tommasi

The events will take place throughout Halloween weekend in the Colonnades, East, Station at Mill Point and Loy Neighborhoods.

East Trick-or-Treat

Join the East Neighborhood for the East Trick-or-Treat on Friday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. The event is open to the community, and Elon faculty and staff’s families. For more information, contact Xavier Bryant, community director, at xbryant@elon.edu.

Trick-or-Treat on Greek Street

The Loy Neighborhood will host its annual Trick or Treat on Greek Street on Sunday, October 30 from 3 to 5 p.m. For more information, contact Rebecca Wiles, graduate apprentice, at rwiles4@elon.edu.

Mill Point Trick-or-Treat

Station at Mill Point welcomes Elon faculty, staff, and the local community for its Trick-or-Treat event on Monday, Oct. 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. Children can go door-to-door to Mill Point residents to receive Halloween treats. Mill Point will provide a map to ensure that kids can freely travel safely throughout the neighborhood to receive goodies. Families will also be able to enjoy games near the Mill Point depot. For more information, contact Casey Enright, community director, at cenright3@elon.edu.

Trick-or-Treat so Others May Eat

The Colonnades neighborhood invites the Elon community to join them for a carnival-style celebration on Monday, Oct. 31 from 7 to 9 p.m. Come out to the Colonnade quad for games and free snacks. The neighborhood asks that all attendees donate at least one non-perishable food item. Donations will go toward families in need for the upcoming holiday season. The Colonnades accept donations from those who cannot attend the event at Colonnades-C, Kivett Hall Office 101. For more information contact Anthony Powe, community director, at apowe@elon.edu.

Carrier joins Elon to help lead the efforts to enhance living and learning at Elon, a signature experience at the university and an important priority in the new Boldly Elon strategic plan.

Carrier has worked at Pitzer College, a residential liberal arts college that is part of the Claremont Colleges Consortium, in a variety of residence life positions since 2014.  Previously she worked at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and started her career at Pitzer.  Originally from Wisconsin, Carrier earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and her master’s degree in higher education and student affairs at Indiana University.

In her leadership roles, Carrier ran a 3-year effort to develop and implement a co-curriculum that brings class-based structure to student learning outside of the classroom, aligning residence life and university priorities. She led a Racial Justice Policies departmental group in creating a new Bias Education and Community Response Team to address bias and hate incidents on Pitzer’s campus, and worked on shared governance structures to better support staff in the community. Carrier helped six affinity groups secure residential space for gathering and growing a sense of belonging on the residential campus.

Assistant Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Campus Life Eleanor Finger said Carrier is “student-centered, able to build cohesive, relationally-focused teams, and someone who values strong campus partnerships to get important work done.”

In her leadership role at Elon, Carrier will connect the residential campus experience to university and community priorities, continue to strengthen faculty engagement with out-of-class student experiences, and will help all students, in their diverse identities, feel at home, empowered, and supported while living on campus. Carrier will provide key strategic leadership for implementing a new 10-year plan to advance living and learning as it aligns with Boldly Elon goals for building a healthier and more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community in a vibrant residential campus environment.

“I’m thrilled to join the Elon community to create supportive and impactful residential experiences for all students,” Carrier said. “After working at a small residential college in California for 10 years, my family and I will be relocating this summer to bring my passion for residence life and student affairs to a new campus on a new coast.”

Carrier was selected for the role following the departure of MarQuita Barker, who departed Elon to become the vice president for student development at Knox College.

Participants will answer questions about each of the four Winter Term themes — health, intercultural engagement, media and politics — among other topics. All who participate in and complete the game in full will receive a voucher good for one free item on the coffee side of the Oak House.

Prizes in the form of Visa gift cards and Oak House branded glasses or coffee cups will be awarded to the top three finishers.

Anyone interested in participating should .

All participants were offered a free coffee-side drink before showcasing their knowledge across a variety of topics. Two teams of students finished first place and won $200 in Visa gift cards. One team comprised Abbi Decker, Jessica Flacksenburg and Seth McKee. The other co-winners were Megan Noor, Kaitlynn Dixon and Mackenzie Martinez.

Finishing second were Annie Lemasters, Jayne Bennett, Emma Siritzky and Jacob Hayward, who won $100 in Visa gift cards. Third-place finishers Emily May, Shannon Rogers and Megan Casner took home Oak House-branded mugs.

“This is the fourth consecutive year we’ve offered a Winter Term-themed trivia event,” said Colin Donohue, the faculty director of the Oaks and the School of Communications director of student engagement and alumni relations. “We think it’s a fun way to reinforce the central thrust of Elon’s Winter Term. The questions help us understand how those themes are central to our lives.”