THE PENDULUM
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012 // PAGE 5
. » I ■ * ^ MERISSA BLITZ ] Staff Photographer
‘lo?” "Vote against!" “When are we Mnna
do It? May 8! at Elon s Race to the Ballot event, urging students to register to vote.
Students raise their voice
against NC amendment
during Race to tlie Ballot
Katherine Blunt
Senior Reporter
United, they pledged to vote in
opposition.
Elon University students and
community members registered and
vowed to vote against Amendment
One during Race to the Ballot, an event
dedicated to educating voters about a
controversial state legislation, Feb.
15 in McKinnon Hall. Nine campus
organizations, including SPECTRUM,
the LGBTQ office and Better Together,
welcomed a team of activists from the
Coalition to Protect North Carolina
Families dedicated to educating North
Carolinians about the consequences
of the proposed amendment, which,
if passed, would recognize only
the legal union of one man and one
woman as constitutional within the
state. The amendment will appear on
the stae ballot May 8.
The coalition is comprised of more
than 75 statewide organizations
united against the amendment,
which would invalidate all unmarried
partnerships and civil unions, both
heterosexual and homosexual.
All four of Elen’s a cappella
groups performed while individuals
circulated around the room,
collecting information about the
amendment. More than 140 people
registered to vote and signed pledges
to “Vote Against.”
“Better Together wanted to
sponsor Race to the Ballot because
we are an interfaith organization
at Elon, but that does not limit us
to just religious backgrounds and
philosophical backgrounds," said
Mason Sklut, co-president of Better
Together. “One of the key things that
we like people to focus on is having
mutually respectful relationships
between different groups.”
Voter registration began in
Moseley Center the morning of Feb.
15 and remained open throughout
the evening of information and
entertainment. Representatives
of university organizations that
sponsored the event promoted
awareness and social equality while
the Race to the Ballot team members
continued to register voters and
collect pledges to vote against the
amendment.
In an on-stage presentation at
the start of the event, Jen Jones,
communications director of the
Coalition to Protect North Carolina
Families, explained that Amendment
One would directly affect not only
the rights of gays, but the rights
of women, families and senior
citizens as well. The passage of the
amendment could complicate the
legality and enforcement of child
custody rulings, domestic violence
— , MERISSA BUTZ | Staff Photographer
Twisted Measure, an Elon co-ed a cappella group, sang at Race to the Ballot Feb. 15.
claims and the wills and trusts of the
deceased, Jones said.
“The issue that we’re trying to
tackle is one of the most important
things facing our state in modern
times," said Cameron Williams,
member of Quality North Carolina,
a Greensboro-based advocacy group
for gay rights. “If we pass this
amendment, it will be darn near
impossible to reverse. I don’t think
we should take that kind of risk.”
The Race to the Ballot team began
its journey across North Carolina in
January and will continue traveling
until early March. The group has
scheduled events at 26 college
campuses, towns and cities, from
Asheville to Wilmington
The Race to the Ballot movement
is part one of a three-part effort to
raise awareness and ultimately foster
solidarity against the passage of
Amendment One. The second part
of the movement will commence
next month by providing college
students with information to share
with friends and family over spring
break and the effort will culminate
in a collective march to the polls on
April 19, when the early voting period
begins.
Jones encouraged students to
vote early because the voting period
in May coincides with finals and
graduation.
“We really believe that early voting
is going to be pivotal to defeating this
discriminatory measure come May 8,”
Jones said. “(The march to the polls)
is a huge part of Race to the Ballot.
The first people who get there win."
French club celebrates Mardi Gras for a cause
Adriana Miano
Senior Reporter
This year, the French Club
will celebrate Mardi Gras with
festivities for a cause close to
its members’ hearts.
Mardi Gras, which is
closely associated with the
French holiday Carnival, is
an important time to call
attention to those in need,
according to Christie Goyette,
French Club publicity chair.
“The holiday is a good
time to raise awareness of
causes such as the Avalon
Refugee Center because (the
celebration) is often very
extravagant, which is a sharp
contrast to the way the people
at Avalon live,” Goyette said.
Since it was founded
in February 2009, the
Avalon Community Center
has provided a home for
hundreds of international
refugees. Still, the families
housed at Avalon live in
poverty and the children
don’t always have access to a
quality education.
In response to the needs
of the refugees at Avalon,
the French Club has become
involved in volunteer work
to benefit the center. Club
members frequently visit the
children to socialize with
them and to provide tutoring.
“Since we’ve gotten so
involved with the center and
personally know so many of
the people who live there, we
felt that it would be fitting to
donate the proceeds from our
Mardi Gras party to benefit
(them)," Goyette said.
Raising funds for Avalon
is a great way to get students
to think globally and act
locally, said Sarah Glasco,
assistant professor of foreign
languages and faculty adviser
to the French Club.
“We have taken on Avalon
as our home charity so that
we can make an impact here,
one that students can see with
their own eyes,” Glasco said.
To raise money for Avalon,
the French Club will charge
a $5 entry fee for the Mardi
Gras benefit. Festivities will
include New Orleans-inspired
gumbo, cookie decorating and
prizes throughout the night.
The Mardi Gras benefit
When: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 21
Where: Carlton Kitchen
Why: Funds raised will be
donated to the refugees at the
Avalon Community Center.
Choosing a major based on happiness, not price
Erin Valentine
Reporter
In today’s world, college degrees
are the way to add more figures to a
salary. According to a recent study by
Georgetown University, majors that have
higher earnings are gaining popularity.
But students at Elon University are still
choosing the majors that interest their
curiosity.
Students’ choice of field of study
represents their interests, although
financial concerns are still evident.
I feel all students have these fears,”
said freshman Devon Gailey, a media arts
and entertainment mcyor. “I decided to
pick an unprofitable major. However, it’s
something I find myself to be passionate
about. 1 wouldn't change my major. Even
Top Majors at Elon University
strategic communications
• Psychology
• Media arts and entertainment
• Finance and marketing
Infomiation courtesy of Mary Wise,
associate vice president of academic affairs
if it’s not as prosperous as I’d want it to
be, I’ll still be proud of what I do.”
In choosing her minor, though, Gailey
said she is looking toward a subject that
could possibly bring her more revenue
and more opportunities in the future.
“Chinese would be an idea because
it’s a language often used in the business
world, and since business is in general
more lucrative than film, I could use my
knowledge of Chinese to open up a lot
of new opportunities for myself,” Gailey
said.
Regardless of the major, internships
enhance a student’s marketability.
according to USA Today Educate. The
survey also said that graduate degrees
can add to yearly earnings in any career,
as long as the difference between that
and the cost of graduate school even out.
To Elon freshman Josh Kaufmann,
money does not factor into his decision
to major in psychology, he said.
“Money has been one of the last
things to motivate me,” Kaufmann said.
“I want to be well off enough to have my
basic needs met, but I've always lived by
staying true to myself. I honestly just
want to be happy, and money won’t make
me happy.”