Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Sept. 8, 2010, edition 1 / Page 6
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THE PENDULUM PAGE 6 // WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8. 2010 NEWS The Phoenix can rumble, but Elon will rise; Bell in Alamance shows history and progression of Elon University Melissa Kansky Multimedia Editor A 400-pound bell from Elon's old main campus, before the fire that destroyed much of the college in 1923, was placed in the Alamance building rotunda this summer. George Troxler, the university historian, said it symbolizes a past that is honored in the present and promises growth in the future. “It’s a reminder of what our predecessors have accomplished,” Troxler said. Aside from West dormitory, the Old Main Bell is one of the few items at Elon that survived the fire of 1923. The Old Main Bell hung in an octagonal tower in the administration building, located where Alamance currently stands. “That building was the library,it was the auditorium, it was the classrooms and all the faculty offices,” Troxler said. “Students referred to it as the college. When that building burned, they said the college burned.” When the building caught fire, the bell plummeted to the ground, he said. As the fire consumed the building individuals threw cold water on the bell in order to save it. “When you see the bell, you can see where the water hit it, and it dents in on one side and you can tell that’s where it almost split it half,” said Katie Nash, archivist and special collections librarian. The March 30, 1923 edition of the Maroon and Gold, the student newspaper at that time, reported on the incident. “The old bell, which was called to work and play for so many generations of students, was dug from the ruins last Thursday, and its voice was heard again," the article read. “The familiar sound filled the hearts of the students and old memories and it is hoped that the bell will be preserved.” A metal urges from North Carolina State University looked at the ripple and dent to determine the authenticity of the bell that is now displayed in Alamance, close to its original location. The display includes the history of the bell, a description of the administration building, the story of the rescue of the bell and the reconstruction of the university. Nash and Troxler wrote the plaques and coordinated with Brad Moore, associate director of planning, design and construction management. Moore served as a liaison between Nash and Troxler, and the design firm in order to effectively display the history of the bell. “In a sense, the bell tells the story of the school,” he said. “Unquestionably, the fire was the most significant event in the history of the school. That’s how we come to have the Phoenix mascot.” The oldest academic buildings on campus currently signify the college’s reconstruction. Alamance, Carlton, Duke, Mooney and Whitley replaced the administration building, which was once the heart of the college. “Instead of building one building back, they built five,” Troxler said. “So from that stance they built bigger and better.” The inclusion of the construction of the five buildings highlights the college’s resilience, so as not to leave viewers with the story of the fire and negative sentiment, Nash said. Troxler praised the mere existence of the university today. “There was a student body and faculty who looked at the ruins of that building and saw the library gone, the classrooms gone, the offices were gone,” he said. “And the school continued. It was a tremendous leap of faith for a student to see that fire burn and stay on campus.” For Nash, the bell is symbolic of Elon's mascot i.i ? i f * I COREY GROOM | Staff Photographer This summer, the bell that once hung in the Main Building of Elon College, was placed on displayed on the main floor of Alamance. The bell survived wiith some damage the fire in 1923 that destroyed Elon’s first building. and ideals. “It incorporates our whole Phoenix identity and mascot of rising from the ashes," Nash said. “It symbolizes our whole administrative building burned down, but look where we are today." Although the physical appearance of the school has altered, Troxler said he believes the values are still embedded in the institution. “A concept of service, the importance of leadership in our community and moral and ethical values were important reasons for the foundation of the school," he said. “And they continue to be part of the school’s mission.” Those on campus are witnesses to the progression and growth of the university. Even after the fire, Elon preserves its history. At the school’s centennial in 1989 the students created a time Another historic bell on Elon’s campus: The Graham College betl is located on the second floor of Belk Library. It was cast in 1853 and Is representative of state and national history. It was one of the North Carolina railroad bells, so it is one of the few or only surviving bells that is known about, Graham College was the forerunner of Elon University and opened in 1872. Daniel A. Long and William S. Long acquired this bell to use at Graham College. When William S. Long became the first president at Elon, the bell accompanied him. There is no evidence that the bell was ever used on campus. Katie Nash, the Elon archivist and special collections librarian, commented on the rarity of the bell. “If it was cast in 1853, then it sun/ived the Civil War,” she said. “Normally the metal tiell would have been melted down." capsule, located behind the seal in Moseley. This new time capsule replaced the old corner stone box, which is now included in the bell display. Alongside the old main bell, Alamance houses the corner stone box, which served as a time capsule from 1889 until 1989, and original bricks, both of which were also rescued from the fire. “I think it’s a wonderful reminder of our past. It was in the original building in 1889," Troxler said. “It survived the fire and shows the effects of the fire.” Elon School of Law welcomes largest class to date Caitlin O’Donnell News Editor On Monday, Aug. 23, the Elon University School of Law welcomed 132 new students representing the class of 2013 to its campus in Greensboro — the largest class the school has had to date. According to Sharon Gaskin, associate dean of admissions at the School of Law, this increase in students was because of higher quality in applications. And while the number of applications nationwide increased by two percent, the School of Law saw an increase of 16 percent over last year’s numbers. “We have always received quality applications,” Gaskin said. “This year, Elon Law did exceptionally well with receiving more applications.” This could be because more people are becoming aware that Elon has a law school, Gaskin said. Others see that the job market is tight and are looking to continue with school. “1 think that in challenging economic times, people who have been out of work and who thought they would have been reemployed already are looking for changes in their career,” she said. Gaskin said Elon’s campus is also a great place to study law. “I cannot say that people aren't just drawn to this really exciting approach that we’ve taken to studying the law,” she said. According to the mission statement, posted on the school’s website, Elon’s law school strives to complemeVit and strengthen the university's existing programs while also functioning as a distinctive program, of legal education. “(It) will develop exceptionally-educated, well- motivated, technologically-savvy, internationally aware and effective lawyer leaders from there will be a continuing need,” the website said. Gaskins said the admissions department is looking for applicants with a solid academic background and other components such as cumulative GPAs and LSAT scores. “We do a holistic approach to reviewing the application," she said. “We find candidates who we feel would also support the Law School’s mission - two of our hallmarks are leadership and engaged learning.” Gaskin said leadership roles could include anything from applicants' undergraduate campuses to their communities, churches or other organizations. “Similarly to the main campus, they also have to be engaged,” she said. “We look for who will be a good Elon law student. This is a three-year commitment, so we need to be able to get along.” All of the classes that the school has enrolled thus far have exhibited certain indicators of success, Gaskin said. The incoming class is similar in the sense that it has strong service and leadership, in a larger quantity. “All of the classes that we have enrolled have been filled with people with a variety of talents and diversity,” Gaskin said. “What I think is that we’ll continue to attract applicants who will support Elon’s mission and that it will be even more difficult to have to choose. But this is a great problem to have.” BY THE NUMBERS 132 number of students in the class of 2013 121 number of students in the class of 2012 16 percent increase in the number of applications to the Elon School of Law 2 percent increase in the number of applications to Law Schools nationwide
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Sept. 8, 2010, edition 1
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