In her freshman year, now junior Uwera Izabayo found herself at the Maker Hub working on Halloween costumes with her friends. While she was there, one of the student workers, Jakob Reuter ’23, taught her how to make rings from metal spoons. 

“We became friends and then he helped me start off the business,” Izabayo said. 

Now whenever she has the time, Izabayo goes to the Maker Hub to create more inventory for her business, Uwera Ring. She started selling at Oak Originals pop-ups alongside other student-run businesses after learning about the program through Reuter. At an Earth Day pop-up sale with Oak Originals and the office of sustainability, she said she realized the impact of making her art out of unconventional materials. 

“I don’t know if people really think about where they’re throwing away their utensils, or if people don’t even really think to recycle their utensils,” Izabayo said. “I just want them to think about uniqueness and sustainability and hopefully it inspires them to think outside the box and be like, ‘What else can I take that’s an everyday thing that I can refurbish into something else?’”

Izabayo said one of the most rewarding parts of running a business on campus is getting to see classmates wearing her jewelry around campus. 

“People who wear rings every day, like Uwera Ring, gets to be one of those rings that they just put on every day without even thinking about it,” Izabayo said. “That’s the coolest part about it all.”

Freshman Jackson Bennett was convinced to audition for Rip_Chord after seeing the a cappella group’s table at the Fall Student Organization Fair. After going to the audition and meeting the students involved, Bennett said he knew joining Rip_Chord was the right decision. 

“I instantly knew in my head, like, ‘This is the group I want to be a part of,’” Bennett said. “I was just super excited.”

One of the club’s co-presidents, sophomore Wyatt Zsiga, said while it is important they sound their best, the group also prioritizes their bond.

“Rip_Chord is a group of guys who really, really love music and we love getting to perform, but we also are a friend group,” Zsiga said. 

Bennett — who hadn’t been in an a cappella group before Rip_Chord — said these relationships make their concerts not only enjoyable for the audience to watch, but also for the students to perform. 

“Going up on stage, it can be very nerve wracking,” Bennett said. “But when you have people who are your genuine friends like beside you, your confidence is raised, your performance quality in general. You have way more fun.” 

Rip_Chord’s next concert will be in May, but the group will also be involved in other a cappella concerts this semester and doing singing telegrams throughout February.

“I mean a lot of college a cappella, some of the hype from that can definitely be boiled down to Pitch Perfect, and we are aware of that and understand that.” Zsiga said, “While there may not be any riff offs coming up in the future, I do think that we are still able to highlight what we can do with our voices.”

The Wallace L. Chandler Fountain was voted best fountain by the campus community. When it’s in full spout mode, the fountain has over 30 water streams.

Junior Ivan Nguyen said out of all the campus fountains, Chandler Fountain — also known as ‘KOBC Fountain’ to students — is his favorite to admire. 

“It’s so aesthetically pleasing and clean compared to the other fountains on campus,” Nguyen said. “I just love it.”

The fountain is named after Wallace L. Chandler ’49, an Elon life trustee and board of trustees member. Chandler was an adviser for three past Elon presidents, J. Earl Danieley, J. Fred Young and Leo M. Lambert. 

Construction on the fountain was completed in August of 2006 and is made up of three levels. There are multiple jets of water that originate from both the top level and the main pool. Chandler died on Aug. 25, 2021, at the age of 94. His legacy remains on this campus through the Chandler Fountain and Plaza and Wallace L. Chandler Residence Hall.  

Nguyen said Chandler Fountain is a campus staple that’s hard not to recognize. Besides its picturesque appearance, it is tradition for students to take graduation and formal dance photos in front of the fountain. 

“If you take a picture of it, people know you’re at Elon,” Nguyen said.