Danieley Neighborhood welcomes residents with ‘WhoDANit?’ program

Danieley Neighborhood is implementing a creative "heist" to introduce residents to key neighborhood staff during the first week of classes. Help them find out what happened to the beloved Danieley mascot, Tusky the elephant.

Think about it– the first week of classes is full of introductions!

Between meeting new roommates, resident assistants, orientation leaders, hallmates, classmates, professors, club representatives and others, the sheer number of introductions can become overwhelming!

Danieley Neighborhood and Residence Life know how important it is at Elon University to create and foster meaningful relationships with students. We also know how critical it is for staff and faculty, who are key supports for students in residential neighborhoods, to be visible and available to students. We know that going beyond surface-level interactions and creating ways for students to engage and to relate with us in personal and meaningful ways is a clear path toward fostering mentoring relationships, which is a hallmark of Elon. We want to share pieces of ourselves in order to connect with residents in meaningful ways.

Tusky is Missing!

We brainstormed ways to stand out amongst the tidal wave of introductions, and we thought– what if a live-action Clue game could be combined with a get-to-know-you activity?

We knew we had something exciting on our hands. Tusky the elephant, our neighborhood mascot and lovable stuffed animal, was the perfect rallying point to be the center of Danieley’s very own “WhoDANit?,” in which Tusky mysteriously disappears from his home in the Danieley Neighborhood Office the night of check-in. Who could stand to think our Tusky could be in trouble?!

We enlisted the help of our student office assistant, Carson Pridgen ’23, to act as Danieley’s neighborhood detective. In order to investigate all leads on Tusky’s disappearance, Detective Carson needs to interview all the folks who may have had access to Tusky when Tusky went missing. The suspects are:

Community Director Tanner Gill                 

Graduate Apprentice Aly Weaver

Faculty Director Paula DiBiasio

Program Assistant Joy Robertson

I Think I Can Help!

You think you can help us find Tusky?! Please tell us what you may know! You can watch Detective Carson’s interviews with the suspects on Danieley’s Instagram, @danieleycenter. You can watch them beginning Tuesday, August 23 until Tuesday, August 30, at which point Detective Carson’s case will close and the truth will be revealed!

Submit your tips to Detective Carson if you think you know WhoDANit! Any current Elon student (not just Danieley residents) can fill out this form to cast their vote by Tuesday, August 30 at 10:00 p.m.

Anyone who guesses WhoDANit? correctly will be entered into a raffle drawing for one $50 Amazon gift card. Results will be announced Wednesday, August 31 on Danieley’s Instagram.

Good luck, and thank you in advance for helping us find our Tusky!