The first day of classes on Tuesday, Aug. 27, offered a chance to celebrate the opening of Elon's newest building, and to mark the occasion by adding items to a 10-year time capsule.
Elon University celebrated the opening of its newest building by closing the door on a time capsule that will remain sealed for the next decade.
Members of the university community gathered at East Neighborhood Commons on the first day of classes to add meaningful items to the time capsule, which will be stored in the building until it is reopened in 2034, and to tour the new addition to East Neighborhood. Those in attendance were offered the chance to snap a Polaroid of themselves to contribute and to write a note to future members of the university community before the capsule was sealed and stored away.
The three-story, 45,000-square-foot East Neighborhood Commons has 90 residential rooms primarily for first-year students along with faculty/staff apartments and office space. Central to the new commons building is the “forum,” a large multipurpose room for class, meetings and social events.
“Truly it was engagement we were thinking about when we aspired to build this building,” President Connie Ledoux Book said to those gathered around the building’s main entrance Monday afternoon. “Today we’re celebrating the commitment to relationships that we know start here and change students’ lives. … It’s a great addition to our vision of what residence life here at Elon can accomplish.”
The East Neighborhood, which opened in 2018 with three residential buildings, is the residential hub for civic engagement and social innovation where students gain a greater awareness of social, cultural and political issues through engagement with faculty and staff. It’s home to Paideia, the politics and active citizenship living-learning community and is where first-year Change Makers Scholars live. Associate Professor Jane O’Boyle and Assistant Professor Karen Lindsay serve as faculty directors for the neighborhood, with Lindsay serving as faculty-in-residence at East Neighborhood Commons and living in the building. The commons building is home to the main neighborhood office, with Jasmine Hill Evans serving as community director.
But until the opening of the commons building, the neighborhood had not central gathering space for its residents, noted Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley. He expressed his optimism that the residents of the commons building and the neighborhood will “jump in and bring this space to life” this semester with their own plans for programming and activities on top of those planned by the university.
“This new facility will really be an important hub for the neighborhood,” Dooley said. “We really want where you live to be more than just a place where you sleep, but to be a thriving residential community that is marked by meaningful interactions with faculty and staff.”