Whitley Auditorium reopens: Historic
building back in operation after renovations
Elizabeth Sudduth
The Pendulum
After several months of
renovations, Whitley Auditorium
reopened on Sept. 21 to nearly
200students, faculty and staff of
the Elon College community gath
ered for College Chapel.
The project to restore the
building began last year and will
be fully completed this coming
spring.
“We will have the opportu
nity to use the building for the rest
of the fall and a couple of weeks in
February,” said College Chaplain,
Richard McBride. “The rest of the
restoration will be completed in
March and April when a new
Casavant Pipe Organ will be in
stalled in the building,”
The restorations to the build
ing thus far, include a new lobby
adorned with chandeliers, new tile
flooring and spacious restrooms.
A heating and air conditioning unit
along with a new sound system and
comfortable seating has also been
added to the building.
Nearly 77 years old now,
Whitley is a symbolic feature to
Elon’s campus and one the college
wanted maintain. First built in
1923, the building was given by
Colonel J.M. Darden in memory of
his father-in-law, the Reverend
Leonard Hume Whitley.
It not only served as the col
lege auditorium, but also housed
the music department. The main
floor of Whitley, along with the
side seating and balcony could seat
several hundred people.
The stage, equipped with
maroon draw curtains under a
matching valance inscribed with a
large gold “E,” were adequate for
all the college’s exercises and per
formances.
Rooms behind
the stage were used for
offices and studios to
the music department.
The building also
housed a four-manual
Skinner Pipe Organ in
the auditorium, which
at that time was known
as the “largest Skinner
Organ in any southern
college.”
Although the
music department is no
longer housed in Whit
ley, the auditorium has
been preserved over th e
years as a place for spe
cial services, events
and lectures. Whitley
has always been the
meeting place for College Chapel.
“Chapel has taken place in
Whitley since the beginning,” said
McBride. “It used to be that students
iim
Photo By:Jennifer McCort/ The Pendulum
Seventy-seven-year-old Whitley Auditorium stands tall after remodeling.
were required to attend chapel twice
a week.” Although College Chapel
is no longer required, it is one of the
oldest student traditions at Elon, held
in Whitley Auditorium, weekly on
Thursdays from 9:50 - 10:20 a.m.
Elon ranks tenth in nation for individual academic attention
Jessica Rivelli
The Pendulum
Elon College ranks in the
top ten with Stanford and Brown
universities in the most recent
Kaplan Newsweek list of U.S. aca
demic institutions offering the
highest level of individual aca
demic attention from faculty.
The annual Kaplan
Newsweek College Catalog ranks
colleges and universities based on
a national survey of guidance coun
selors. Public and private high
school counselors are surveyed
regarding which colleges are
known best for having such posi
tive attributes.
“Guidance counselors know
a lot about what students are look
ing for, so their endorsement to our
academic program carries a lot of
weight,” said Dan Anderson, Elon ’ s
director of college relations.
The catalog, which offers
over 1100 profiles of colleges and
universities nationwide, also hsts
colleges in sections for their unique
characteristics. In addition to “in
dividual academic attention,” the
lists include schools: most respon
sive to individual student financial
aid needs; that offer the best value
for your tuition dollar; that offer
the best career services; that are
“hidden treasures” (not as well
known); known to be “hot” or
“trendy;” the guidance counselors
would attend if they could repeat
college; and that are academically
competitive.
The publication divides col
leges and universities into national
and regional lists. The national lists
are primarily for schools that are fre
quently cited by counselors. Elon was
named both in the national list and the
regional list.
The top ten schools ranked na
tionally for individual academic at
tention from faculty were Elon, Brown
(Rhode Island), Emporia State Uni
versity (Kansas), Kalamazoo College
(Michigan), Kansas State University,
Lindenwood College (Missouri),
Northern Arizona University, St.
Mary’s College (Califomia), Stanford
(Califomia) and University of the
Pacific (Califomia).
“Elon and Brown are the only
top-ten schools on the East Coast.
The other schools are more toward
the West. That is an important fac
tor, ” Anderson pointed out.
In the last edition of the cata
log, Elon was named in three other
categories. Two of the categories,
best study abroad program and best
liberal arts education, were not pub
lished this year. Elon didn’t make
the list for this edition’s “Hidden
Treasure” category because it is no
longer under wraps.
“Elon is no longer a secret
nationally,” said Anderson. “This
catalog puts Elon in the national
scope for academics, which is ex
actly where we want our program
to be.”
•Opinions
“Student Rights in
Dorms” pg, 6
•Focus
Sexuality at Elon Col-
legepgs. 10-11
•Arts & Entertain
ment
‘‘Six Degrees of Kurt
Cobain” pg. 13
•Sports
“Elon Beats A&T
Two Years in a Row”
pg. 23