Phoenix14News: Students discover items stolen from vehicles

Elon students respond to theft around campus
By Brian Mezerski

As seen on Elon University's Phoenix14News

More than $5000 in property have been stolen from 11 Elon University students’ vehicles, according to Elon Town Police reports.

Thirteen reports of larceny have been filed since April 13, with 10 reports involving theft from a motor vehicle.

“I’ve been checking my locks all the time lately and I’m always re-checking my car door,” said senior Jena Eisenberg, who had items stolen.  “I kind of had a nightmare about it.”

Elon Town Police say the theft happened to unlocked vehicles on West Trollinger Avenue, Brookview Drive and Woodale Drive.  Students had items such as GPS units, iPods and other audio equipment stolen.

“These are financially motivated,” said Lt. Lyle Anibal of Elon Town Police.  “Someone just went on a run.  They went to different areas and tried to get as much or many of these little electronic devices as possible.”

Junior Bobby Renner had several items stolen from his car on Friday, April 13.  Renner said the items stolen were valued at more than $250.

“There was a mess in the car,” Renner said, “and I looked in and noticed a couple of things were missing.  They’re definitely going to make some money off of them if I don’t get them back.”

Students have not had their possessions returned or know who stole the items, since the incidents are still under investigation.

Eisenberg said she now makes sure she locks her car doors and says it’s a lesson learned.

“In the end, I actually think it was good,” Eisenberg said.  “I needed a little reality check before I left college and now I’m definitely taking my stuff out.”

Police say there are several ways students can keep their property safe in the parking lot:

• Always close their windows and lock car doors.
• Be aware of their surroundings and call Elon Town Police immediately if they see a suspicious person.
• Keep serial numbers to all personal items.  Police said that it is easier to track and find missing items if they know the serial numbers.

Read More

Colonnades residents concerned over plumbing

Colonnades residents concerned over plumbing

By Brian Mezerski

Students in the Colonnades residence halls have been concerned about inconsistent water temperature, the water pressure when toilets are flushed and odd pulsing of shower-heads.


Freshman Taylor Davis said she noticed at the beginning of the year that there was something unusual about the wall next to her bed.


“There was a banging sound anytime someone flushed the toiled,” Davis said.  “It kind of sounded like a canon going off next to my head. It rattled my bed and it woke me up when I slept with earplugs. It was really loud and it echoed through my room.”


Davis and other residents of the Harper building in Colonnades filed out multiple work requests to Physical Plant throughout the year, prompting Physical Plant to perform water tests which meant shutting off the water supply to the building for short periods of time.


“There are, and were, no health risks involved with the new Colonnade’s facilities in regards to the water testing that the physical plant recently performed on Colonnade’s C, D & E [sic],” Curiazza said.


According to Physical Plant Plumbing Supervisor Jimmy Curiazza, Physical Plant performed two water tests, and after the second test, Curiazza said that there were erratic pressure fluctuations during times of multiple toilet flushes within the building.


Curiazza said that because of these fluctuations, the hot water valve would not stay locked, which explained the inconsistent hot water temperature and

Students were warned by signs Tuesday and an email saying that water would be cut off in Colonnades Harber building.

pressure problems with shower heads. Because of this, Physical Plant installed a new water pressure tank, which solved the problems.


However, the banging pipes continued to be a problem for Davis.


“As the months went by, it got so aggravating,” Davis said. “I started hitting the wall back. This was affecting how stressed that I was when I was doing work and how much sleep I was getting. It was affecting my academic performance.”


But since the problem has been fixed, Davis does not have to hear any more banging pipes.


“It feels so good,” Davis said, “I’m so happy that it’s gone.”
Since Physical Plant did have to look into the issue, Curiazza said the water testing and research in Colonnades has proven invaluable for the consideration and design of future buildings.


And Director of Residence Life, Elaine Turner, said that Residence Life does not want any problems to be an annoyance. She said that students should submit work requests no matter what the problem is in their residence building in order to increase the quality of all current buildings on campus.


“Residence life would rather have multiple requests of the same thing than nothing at all,” Turner said.


Turner said if students feel like they have a real issue with something in their residence building, they should fill out the online FixIt work request form atwww.elon.edu/fixit.

Read More

Prayer station volunteers seek to help community

People at the Trinity Worship Center on South Church Street in Burlington are taking their ministry outside of the church walls.


Cars passing by the church can see signs telling them to stop by if they need prayer. But the place where prayer happens is not in the church building itself, but under a tent.


There is nothing fancy or elaborate in the prayer station’s set-up. But what visitors will experience are the people under the tent and the work they are doing.


Jack Hensley and his wife first put up the tent 40 years ago.


“It’s very simple,” Hensley said. “You just see the need, put the station out, put a sign up and pray.”


Carolyn Kingman, one of the volunteers at the station, had personal motives for prayer at first, but now she says her focus is somewhere else.


“We wanted to setup a prayer station ministry for people with needs that would come in prayer,” Kingman said.


“For about three months it was all about me,” she said. “And then I realized one day that I was praying for others’ circumstances and other people, and I haven’t prayed for myself in a couple of weeks. From that point, I though, ‘now it’s time to pray for others and help others pray.”


But Kingsman doesn’t want the praying to stop there.


“Hopefully it gives them the inspiration that they too can pray for others,” Kinsman said. “They don’t even need a sign, or a tent or a chair. They can just do it.”


The prayer station is open every Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to dusk and every Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Read More

Elon student organization raises awareness of veteran’s service

I reported on Team Hero, an organization that makes care packages for soldiers overseas

More than 20 students and community volunteers spent their Veterans Day helping the Team Hero organization build care packages to be sent to veterans.


Team Hero is a student organization that raises funds for veteran and military support. Clara Martin started the program last year and is grateful for the help at the drive.

“I loved how excited the volunteers were and it was heartwarming to see them share my passion for supporting members of the military,” Martin said. “It was great to see how much they really cared to put together a care package for a total stranger that they will probably never meet.”

Vietnam veteran David Burnett Jr. joined the volunteers because he remembers receiving support when he was overseas.

“It makes me feel proud that people are thinking about troops overseas,”  Burnett said. “It felt good to know that somebody back home was caring about us.”

But Martin has a greater purpose for Team Hero than simply hosting events.  She hopes students involved gain a better appreciation for those involved in the military.“The goal of this event was to remind students, faculty and staff that Veterans Day needs to be remembered, and the least we can do is say ‘thank you.’” Martin said.

Team Hero raises funds for Paws and Stripes, a nonprofit organization in New Mexico.  The nonprofit provides service dogs for wounded veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury at no cost.  Martin set a goal last year to raise $2,000 for Paws and Stripes, enough to sponsor a veteran to enroll in the program.  She said they raised more than that, allowing not only a veteran but also a dog to enroll.

Reaching her goal encouraged Martin to organize this month’sVeteran’s Day care package drive.

They used close to 450 student donations, which were assembled into over 70 packages. She also plans to host a softball tournament to generate more support for Paws and Stripes.

“The more people that know about Team Hero, the more veterans and active duty service members receive the attention and care they deserve,” Martin said.

To learn more about joining Elon’s Team Hero, visit their blog at elonteamhero.blogspot.com.

Read More

Anchoring: Phoenix14News, January 23rd Newscast

Watch me anchor in the Phoenix14News January 23rd newscast.


Part 1

Part 2

Read More

Anchoring: Phoenix 14 News, January 16th Newscast

Watch me anchor in the Phoenix14News January 16th newscast.

Part 1

Part 2

Read More

Anchoring: Phoenix 14 News, January 9th Newscast

Watch me anchor in the Phoenix14News January 9th newscast.

Part 1

Part 2

Read More

New Student Professional Development Center

I took a tour through the new Student Professional Development Center at Elon University. The space is home to Career Services.

Career Services has moved into the new Student Professional Development Center in Moseley Center. With the move to the heart of campus, the office has a new energy to help students. The upgrades will propel the center to be the best in schools similar to Elon.


“The visibility of career services has improved, and we should see more interaction from students because of that,” Tom Brinkley, Executive Director of Corporate and Employer Relations, said.  


The 5,000 square foot Student Professional Development Center is the new home to Career Services. It is located in the former campus bookstore. The space contains a welcoming lobby, the Elingburg Room for large-scale events, a recruitment lounge, sufficient offices for their growing staff, and more.  


Several interview rooms are an important addition to the new center, where employers can conduct interviews with students for potential job positions. Two of the rooms will be equipped with web cameras for remote interviews. A classroom has even been added for job-enhancement courses. Career Services has expanded their selection of transition courses to about 25 classes, with a plan to add more in the fall.  

“Our goal is to address the needs of the students at a higher level than ever before,” Brinkley said. “We think again, the combination of all these developments and all the effort and commitment the university has made will help prepare students for a long-term career, not just a first job.”


“It’s a very good resource to tap into,”  senior Kristin Greene said about Career Services. 


Greene has been taking advantage of Career Services since freshman year, and she has been visiting for an important reason.


“I am a first generation college student, so I didn’t know where to start and I didn’t really know what kind of direction I needed to be taking.  I come from a small town in North Carolina.  I was raised by my grandparents, neither of whom went to college,” Greene said.  


Greene started out needing help with career-oriented tasks, such as creating a cover letter or resume. Now she also gets life-advice from the Development Center staff.  


“This entire area of college and moving into the professional world were very new to me so I needed that extra push into the right direction and put on the right track,”  she said.
Thanks to the help she’s received at the center, Greene says she feels confident about entering graduate school very soon.  


“I want to make sure I’m getting as much help as possible in making sure I’m doing the right thing and staying on top of the things I need to be doing,” Greene said.


The staff of the new Student Professional Development Center encourages all students to make a trip into the office and schedule appointments for career help.


If you would like to see the new space yourself, an open house for students is scheduled for February 8, 2012.

Read More

Anchoring: Phoenix14News - Nov. 17, 2011 Thursday Update

Watch me anchor in the Phoenix14News November 17th Thursday update.

One of my first opportunities to anchor for Phoenix14News.  The Thursday Update is a quick online-only opportunity for the campus to get the week's news. 


November 17, 2011; Elon University, First-year student

Read More

1.24

Grateful Experience


I had the opportunity to experience something else new this month:  news anchoring.  I auditioned and was selected as one of two positions for winter term anchor.  This position is for our campus-wide news program, Phoenix14News.


I will start by saying that the business is definitely team-oriented.  Without the work of reporters, producers, directors, and the complete staff, nothing productive would get accomplished for the show.  It is so awesome to work with many great people to put together a quality show.  Thank you, producers, for the opportunity to gain experience and learn more about the news business.


I had so much fun during my three shows to anchor.  I enjoyed writing, reading, and learning about all stories in the newscast.  The experience has helped me to already improve my talents, and I have now found more stuff to refine.  Advancement is a continual process.


My favorite aspect is actually two:  the excitement in the hour before show and putting on the show.  The chaos of news really happens right before the show begins, as everything and final details are being put in place.  Also, once the time has come, finally getting to show off the team's work is outstanding.  There is nothing better than seeing the complete, final product.


My anchoring definitely shows that if you want to get involved, you can.  At a point, it's time to stop thinking about something and actually do it.  Every little piece of involvement does help.


Contemplation is good for a while, but experience is greater proof.






Links to newscasts for viewing and critiquing pleasure:

• January 9, 2012
• January 16, 2012
• January 23, 2012

     [BAM

Read More