Welcome to Elon, Class of 2023! As you prepare to begin your four-year journey under the Oaks, here are a few tips to make your transition to college as smooth as possible.
As you embark on an incredible journey here on campus, we want to help you get to know your new home before Move-In Day. Below, you'll find everything you need to make the most of your next four years at Elon.
How do I get around without a car?
There are several transportation options to help you get around campus and the surrounding areas. Many are free of charge.
BioBus: The Elon University BioBus provides free transportation to all Elon students, faculty, staff and community members. The buses use biodiesel fuel, which is blended with vegetable/animal oils and ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. There are six routes, each with live NextBus tracking, which allows riders to know when a bus will be at their planned stop.
E-Rides: The E-Ride program provides one-way rides for students from on-campus to off-campus residences and from on-campus locations to other on-campus locations within a mile-and-a-half radius from the Moseley Center.
Safe Rides: Safe Rides helps create a safer campus by providing late-night transportation within a one-mile radius of campus for students on weekends. This program is coordinated by a dedicated group of student leaders who involve student volunteers as drivers, navigators and dispatchers.
Burlington Link Transit Bus System: Link Transit is a bus system that serves Burlington, Gibsonville and Alamance Community College. Students are eligible to apply for a Reduced Fare Card, which cuts the fare to 50 cents.
And, that's just the beginning of all your transportation options. For a full list, click here.
Now that I know how to get around campus, how will I know where to go?
Interactive Map: Search for your building, room or venue online, using the interactive map. You can also sort by academics, athletics, dining and other locations.
Self-Guided Walking Tour: Want to get to know campus while you look for your classroom? Download the color map and self-guided walking tour, which give you a 3D view of campus, along with directions to explore on your own.
The Trees of Elon Map: An interactive map of the 125 trees included on a 1.25-mile walk located within the core of Elon’s campus. The walk takes 90 minutes to complete, and the trees on the trail are identified by sequentially numbered plaques that correspond with the numbers on the map.
How will I meet new people once I get to campus?
There are plenty of ways to get connected to the rest of the Elon community. Here are just a few ideas:
College Coffee: College Coffee is one of Elon’s oldest and most appreciated traditions. This weekly, campus-wide event brings Elon faculty, staff and students together to build community and develop friendships. College Coffee offers conversation in a relaxed atmosphere with snacks and beverages. This event is hosted every Tuesday during the academic year from 9:40 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. on Phi Beta Kappa Commons. Table reservations are a great way to promote your organization or event. Tabling is open to groups who complete and submit a request at least one week in advance. Reserve a table here.
Get Involved: Elon offers many opportunities for involvement through a wide range of activities, including more than 280 student organizations and campus programs, academic honoraries, religious and spiritual life groups and organizations, social fraternities and sororities, and more. Check out PhoenixCONNECT to help you plan your time at the "Org Fair" – our student organization fair that is typically hosted within the first few weeks of classes. PhoenixCONNECT is also where you can find out what is happening around campus.
Take the Well Connected Challenge: We have designed the Well Connected Challenge to engage you in positive interactions and events, which will build your connection to the campus community during your first six weeks at Elon. Participating in the Challenge will help you meet other students and get to know Elon and all it has to offer. Prizes will be raffled every week of participation and all first-year students who complete the Challenge will be invited to an exclusive reception with Elon President Connie Ledoux Book to celebrate.
How can I cheer on the Phoenix at sporting events?
Elon is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association and home to 17 men's and women's NCAA Division I sports. Students receive free admission to all home contests when they present a valid Phoenix Card, so be sure to come out and support the teams as they push toward a successful season in the CAA. Here's how to keep up with everything happening in Elon Athletics:
Composite Athletics Schedule: Find every scheduled sporting event for the 2019-2020 campaign in one place. You can sort the printable schedule by sport and location.
Phoenix Social Media: Keep up with every Elon team on various social media platforms. You can also receive updates about Phoenix sports on the Elon Athletics Weekly Podcast.
Phoenix All-Access: Can't make it to a game? Catch all the action online with Phoenix All-Access, the service that allows viewers to stream live Elon home games for free. Phoenix All-Access includes live games for several of Elon's varsity teams, including football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, men's and women's soccer, softball and women's lacrosse.
What about wellness?
We know that student wellness and student success are closely connected and that health is about the whole you, encompassing mental, physical, spiritual and social well-being. Elon provides holistic student health and wellness resources, education and outreach, as well as crisis response.
Campus Recreation & Wellness (RecWell): RecWell provides a breadth of quality fitness and recreational experiences designed to impact your well-being. There are three facilities across campus, as well as outdoor fields. Elon also offers more than 20 intramural sports at various competitive levels.
Health Services: Elon University Student Health Services, provided in partnership with Cone Health-Alamance Regional Medical Center, is your medical home at Elon. Our dedicated, caring staff provide a variety of health services to support student health and wellness. We provide comprehensive evaluation, treatment, and referrals for health maintenance, acute illness or injury, and chronic conditions. All currently enrolled students at Elon University are eligible for services.
Student Care and Outreach: Student Care and Outreach serves students facing crises, life traumas and other barriers that impede success by coordinating prevention, intervention and support across campus and community systems. Staff members are available to provide guidance regarding medical withdrawals, extended class absences, holistic wellness plans and linking with integrated well-being resources.
Counseling Services: Counseling Services uses a brief therapy model to provide psychological support and crisis intervention to address the emotional, social and academic needs of Elon students. Counseling Services offers sessions by appointment, except in situations involving acute mental health crises. Counseling Services offers individual and group counseling, crisis services, access to online resources, workshops and referrals to online resources.
How about campus safety?
Elon's Campus Safety and Police Department is open 24/7, 365 days a year. Call (336) 278-5555 for non-emergencies and 911 for emergencies. Emergency phones and call boxes can be found throughout campus. These phones are answered directly by Campus Safety and Police. Here are other ways to help you stay safe on campus:
Student Life Emergency Response System: Students or parents/family members who have a personal crisis situation that requires a more immediate administrative response or support after hours or on weekends should access the Student Life Emergency Response System by calling Campus Safety and Police at (336) 278-5555.
Register for E-Alerts: The university sends urgent news to cell phones. Once you sign up for E-Alerts, the university's primary source for campus crisis information and the most important service for which to register, Elon can text your cell phone and email you timely information about emergencies, class cancellations and inclement weather information.
Safeline: Safeline is a confidential phone line for Elon community members who have experienced, are experiencing, or have questions about identity-based bias, discrimination or harassment, as well as sexual violence, relationship violence and stalking. Call (336) 278-3333.
Download the LiveSafe app: LiveSafe gives users two-way communication directly to Campus Safety and Police. App users can receive important broadcast notifications sent by Campus Safety and Police. With a built-in SafeWalk feature, students also will be able to invite others to "virtually escort" them by monitoring their location on a map. The LiveSafe app is available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
But wait — there's more.
To learn more about life at Elon and the community you'll soon call home, download the Elon Guides app in your phone's app store. Elon Guides will give you access to the Elon Bound 2019 guide, a summer checklist, orientation information and more.
The Elon Bound website also has a wealth of information to help you prepare for your arrival at Elon and become a part of Elon's vibrant community.