THE PENDULUM
Volume 29, Issue 2
August 28, 2003
If it matters to you, it matters to The Pendulum.
www.elon.edu/pendulum
‘You will leave Elon someday, but Elon will never leave you.”
—Leo Lambert, president
Tim Rosner / Asst. Photo Editor
Students prepare for academic journey
Freshmen students listened closely as President Lambert addressed the audience at convo
cation Saturday. More than 1,200 new and transfer students joined the Elon community at
the ceremony held “Under the Oaks” on Elon’s historic West campus. For story, seepage 11.
Elon graces charts
in national rankings
Adam Smith
Reporter
The Princeton Review and
U.S. News and World Report both
released their annual college
rankings last week. Elon placed in
both issues, scoring highly in sev
eral categories.
According to the Princeton
Review, Elon is ranked second for
most beautiful campus and third
for schools where professors
make themselves accessible. Also
under “quality of life,” Elon was
ranked No. 11 for having happy
students. Under the “parties” cat
egories, the university received a
high ranking for its fraternity and
sorority scene.
The Princeton Review, which
also publishes five regional vol
umes, ranks Elon as one of the
“Best in the Southeast.”
The review, which publishes
test preparation courses and other
education services, has been con
ducting the survey since 1992.
This year, students at 351 colleges
took more than 106,000 surveys.
The survey consists of 70 ques
tions concerning student life, as
well as politics and study hours.
Nearly all data came from student
opinion. Out of the 63 lists, only
three include data gathered direct
ly from the institution.
“We present ranking lists in
multiple categories for one rea
son: To help college applicants
and their parents decide which of
these great colleges is best for
them,” said U.S. News President
Robert Franek in a press release
from Aug. 18.
Other colleges that made the
list include Bowdoin College for
best campus food. University of
Colorado at Boulder for top party
school and the students at
Brigham Young are ranked “most
religious.”
While the Princeton Review is
See RANKINGS p. 8
Recording industry targets file-sharers
Weak economy takes
toll on the local market
Steve Earley
/s/ews Editor
Share, and we’ll all get along.
It’s a typical childhood lesson.
With respect to online peer-to-
peer file sharing, however, the
word takes on a criminal connota
tion. And “getting along” can
mean tens of thousands of dollars
in settlements.
In June, the Recording
Industry Association of America,
a trade group representing major
record labels, started a new phase
in its ongoing campaign against
the online sharing of copyrighted
music. They are now targeting
individual users, including col
lege students.
Previously, the RIAA has gone
after network administrators.
RIAA action has effectively sunk
popular networks such as Napster
and Audiogalaxy. However, new,
more decentralized file-sharing
alternatives, would soon take their
place.
So the industry turned to a
new plan.
Armed with a provision in the
Digital Millennium Copyright
Law that allows for up to
$150,000 in damages per copy-
righted-song, and a District Court
ruling saying that Internet service
providers must reveal the names
of subscribers alleged to be shar
ing copyrighted music, the RIAA
has sent hundreds of file-sharers
scrambling for their lawyers.
According to a July Associated
Press article, the RIAA has won
See ELITE p. 9
Jessica Patchett
Reporter
Though national officials
report the end of the worst reces
sion in years, Alamance County
leaders say they are still waiting
for a breakthrough in a two year
economic backslide that only con
tinues to grow worse.
Since June 2001, Alamance
unemployment rates have soared
above 5 percent and have been
continually increasing. The July
2003 rate rested at 7.5 percent, 1.1
percentage points above North
Carolina’s unemployment rate
and 1.3 above the national rate.
Historically, Alamance County
has held a relatively low unem
ployment rate: a 10-year average
of 4.9 percent between 1990 and
2000, which was far below
See ALAMANCE p. 8
T^-| ^ m Onnicron Delta Kappa Chapter wins national lead- 1)-| yi • Pi Kappa Phi brothers complete summer-long
Jt ership award. JL I » Journey of Hope.