It started as a conversation between friends. A memory from the Ecuadorian Amazon. A question asked after a trip that left them curious about guayusa, a leaf long consumed by Indigenous communities for focus and energy. It had become months of supplier calls, product tests, faculty feedback, formulation decisions and late nights spent figuring out how to turn a shared vision into something real.

Now, the plant-based energy drink they built together is ready for distribution and is being sold at The Oak House at Elon.

For Vargas-Lopez and Chiriboga, the milestone carries them back to McEwen Dining Hall on campus, where their friendship began during their first year at Elon in 2022.

Chiriboga, an entrepreneurship major from Quito, Ecuador, and Vargas-Lopez, a sport management major from Austin, Texas, quickly connected over language, culture, soccer and a shared curiosity about the world. They became close friends long before they became business partners.

The idea for YAPA came later, after Chiriboga brought Vargas-Lopez to visit his home country during Thanksgiving break of their sophomore year. It was Vargas-Lopez鈥檚 first time in South America, and the trip included time in the Amazon rainforest, where the two were struck by what Chiriboga describes as the 鈥渋mmensity鈥� of the Amazon, from its abundance of life to the plants that have long shaped daily living in the region.

鈥淲e came back from visiting the Amazon forest and were just talking through the trip,鈥� Vargas-Lopez says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when the idea came out. What if we took one of those plants and built a drink around it?鈥�

That question became YAPA, a plant-based energy drink made from guayusa and a larger idea of giving people something more than expected.

The company鈥檚 name comes from an Andean expression. In Ecuador, 鈥測apa鈥� refers to a small token added with generosity. At a market, it might be an extra piece of fruit. At a family table, it might be a little more food on someone鈥檚 plate.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a little extra you were not expecting,鈥� Chiriboga says. 鈥淭hat is what we want the product to feel like.鈥�

Building From the Ground Up

Once the idea took hold, Vargas-Lopez and Chiriboga began studying the beverage industry, talking with community members in Ecuador, seeking feedback from mentors and testing whether their concept could become a real business.

They were drawn to the growing interest in cleaner, more transparent beverage options.

鈥淚 think the issue we were looking at was the energy drink industry and what a lot of those products contain,鈥� Chiriboga says. 鈥淲e saw people looking more for clean-label, natural ingredients and more transparency in what they consume.鈥�

That focus helped define YAPA鈥檚 direction. They describe the drink as plant-based and made without preservatives, with an emphasis on ingredient transparency, quality and sourcing. Its ingredients include guayusa along with hibiscus, turmeric, ginger, prebiotics and electrolytes, each chosen with a purpose.

For the founders, the product also carries a connection to the place that inspired it.

We came back from visiting the Amazon forest and were just talking through the trip. That鈥檚 when the idea came out. What if we took one of those plants and built a drink around it?聽鈥斅燘ernardo Vargas-Lopez 鈥�26

In the Amazon, Chiriboga says, guayusa is traditionally consumed in community. People gather early in the morning, drink together and share their dreams before beginning the day. The leaf is associated with focus and energy, but not the jittery rush often linked with conventional energy drinks.

鈥淚t gives you that mental clarity and that energy that you need without being hyper,鈥� Chiriboga says.

Turning that inspiration into a company required more than enthusiasm. The two spent months working through sourcing, formulation, packaging, shipping, pricing and compliance while balancing college life.

They also made early decisions about where they would not compromise, even when higher standards meant harder financial choices.

鈥淲e decided there were a few strategic points where we would not go for lower quality,鈥� Chiriboga says. 鈥淪tarting from ingredients and sourcing, we were not going to sacrifice what the product stands for.鈥�

Asking the Right Questions

Both founders say their experience in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business gave them the confidence to approach YAPA not as a finished idea, but as something to test, refine and keep improving.

They turned to faculty members including Sean McMahon, professor of entrepreneurship; Elena Kennedy, associate professor of entrepreneurship; and Brittany Mercado, associate professor of management and chair of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship.

鈥淭he ability to communicate clearly with people who know a lot more than we do has been huge,鈥� Vargas-Lopez says. 鈥淭he Love School of Business does an amazing job of making professors approachable.鈥�

As YAPA developed, informal conversations became intentional. They stayed after class, brought specific questions to faculty and connected what they were learning in their courses to the choices they were making for the company. The feedback was not always easy, and that was part of its value.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 need people to just cheerlead,鈥� Vargas-Lopez says. 鈥淲e need people who will tell us what worked, what didn鈥檛 and how to improve. That鈥檚 what has really helped us move forward.鈥�

Their time studying abroad also shaped the venture. Chiriboga was in Japan while
Vargas-Lopez was in Australia, making day-to-day operations difficult, so they used the distance to listen.

鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 really work on operations, so the only thing we could do was talk to people,鈥� Chiriboga says.

They spoke with people in the Amazon, professionals at large companies and mentors in finance, gathering insight before returning to campus.

鈥淲e were sponges during that time,鈥� Chiriboga says. 鈥淲e just gathered as much information as we could.鈥�

A Friendship First

Before they were co-founders, Vargas-Lopez and Chiriboga were friends. They built the kind of trust that later became essential to starting a company together. When one person could not take on a task, the other stepped in. When the work became overwhelming, the friendship helped steady them.

鈥淚f I cannot do something right now, I know Juan Daniel can do it, and vice versa,鈥� Vargas-Lopez says. 鈥淭hat trust was built before the business.鈥�

Living together strengthened that rhythm. It also taught them the importance of boundaries.

鈥淲e鈥檝e gotten really good at knowing when to talk business and when not to,鈥� Chiriboga says. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 not working time, we try to focus on being friends and being present with other people.鈥�

For Vargas-Lopez, the partnership has been less about dividing every task evenly and more about sharing responsibility over time.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not always 50-50 all the time,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut we know we鈥檙e in this together, and that makes it easier to handle everything that comes up.鈥�

For Chiriboga, building YAPA with his best friend has been one of the most meaningful parts of the experience.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be more grateful that my best friend is also my business partner,鈥� he says.

Now based in Austin, Vargas-Lopez and Chiriboga are carrying YAPA into its next stage. The venture that started as a conversation between friends has become something people can open, taste and share.

The process has changed how they think about risk, learning and what it means to build something from scratch. It has also reinforced the value of starting before everything feels certain.

鈥淒on鈥檛 be afraid to start,鈥� Chiriboga says. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 believe in yourself, no one else will.鈥�

Vargas-Lopez says the venture has taught him to stay open to what others know and humble enough to keep asking questions.

鈥淯se your resources,鈥� he says. 鈥淎sk questions. Learn from every conversation. We haven鈥檛 had a single meeting where we didn鈥檛 learn something.鈥�

The article, 鈥�,鈥� was published Sept. 8 in the Journal of Sport Management, a leading scholarly journal in the sport management field. Dabbs and Burton collaborated on the research with Jeffrey Graham of Texas A&M University and Anton Schulz of Texas Tech University.

Using in-depth interviews with 16 women NCAA head coaches, the researchers explored how coaches responded to unexpected career-defining moments, primarily termination or institutional investigations. Their analysis identified three interconnected themes: an abrupt and isolating separation from the professional world; an attack on personal and professional identity; and lasting consequences affecting finances, health, families and future plans.

Rather than viewing forced job loss simply as a professional transition, the research frames the experience as a broader life crisis and points to the need for more humane off-boarding practices within sport organizations, including compassionate communication and access to independent mental health, financial and career-transition resources.

鈥淭his topic is important to me because the experiences of women coaches following an investigation or forced exit are rarely discussed openly,鈥� Dabbs said. 鈥淭hese women entrusted us with deeply personal stories about losing not only their jobs, but also their professional identities, financial security, relationships, and sense of belonging.鈥�

Dabbs said she hopes the findings will draw greater attention to the experiences of women coaches and encourage sport organizations to reconsider how they handle difficult career transitions.

鈥淚 wanted this research to give them a voice, shed light on a serious problem within college coaching, and encourage sport organizations to develop more ethical and humane exit strategies,鈥� she said.

The publication also represents the culmination of a faculty-student research collaboration between Dabbs and Burton, who worked on the project while an Elon student. Burton played a pivotal role in the study鈥檚 qualitative data analysis, working with the 16 interview transcripts and collaborating with the research team to examine, code and organize the coaches鈥� experiences into the themes ultimately presented in the article.

Dabbs mentored Burton throughout the process, teaching her how to conduct qualitative data analysis and write the methodology section of a scholarly article.

鈥淗er careful engagement with the participants鈥� stories contributed meaningfully to both the rigor of the analysis and the development of the manuscript,鈥� Dabbs said.

For Dabbs, Burton鈥檚 involvement illustrates the value of providing students opportunities to participate directly in research. Such collaborations allow students to apply concepts learned in the classroom while gaining firsthand experience with how scholarly research is conducted and developed.

鈥淭hey learn to work carefully with evidence, recognize patterns, question their assumptions, and communicate findings responsibly,鈥� she added.

Another benefit? The experience can also reshape how students view their own place within an academic and professional community.

鈥淪tudents gain confidence from knowing that their work can contribute to meaningful conversations in their field,鈥� Dabbs said. 鈥淢entored research helps them see themselves not only as students, but also as scholars and professionals whose ideas and contributions matter.鈥�

Sarah Gustafson, assistant professor of politics at The Catholic University of America, led the discussion, titled 鈥淭he Declaration of Independence and the American Political Imagination.鈥� Gustafson鈥檚 research is focused on 19th century political thought, particularly the work of French political thinker, Alexis de Tocqueville, whose writings on American democracy became a central focus of her presentation.

Gustafson described the Declaration as an urtext of the American story. Although the Constitution and Bill of Rights carry greater legal authority, she said the Declaration continues to have 鈥渞hetorical and sentimental force.鈥� Its language, she explained, has been repeatedly used by Americans to discuss the country鈥檚 ideals, including in Martin Luther King Jr.鈥檚 鈥淚 Have a Dream鈥� speech and 鈥淟etter from Birmingham Jail.鈥�

Rather than treating the Declaration as an isolated historical document, Gustafson used Tocqueville鈥檚 observations to explore the political culture that existed around it. Tocqueville traveled through the United States in the 1830s and later published 鈥淒emocracy in America,鈥� a detailed study of American democracy and political life.

One of the examples Gustafson highlighted was Tocqueville鈥檚 experience in Albany, New York, on July 4. He witnessed military demonstrations, Revolutionary War veterans being honored, and copies of the Declaration being printed in the street. The celebration concluded with a public reading of the document.

Tocqueville found the experience had 鈥渟omething deeply felt and truly great about it.鈥� For Gustafson, the celebration showed how Americans are able to pass down history and traditions through local communities and organizations rather than relying on institutions

Gustafson compared those formal institutions to the first floor of a house, supported by a basement made up of families, clubs, religion, ethics and other informal institutions.

鈥淭hey provide the dynamism, strength, and support, without which that first floor would not hold.鈥� said Gustafson.

During the question and answer session, Gustafson encouraged students to apply those ideas locally rather than focusing exclusively on national politics.

鈥淕o build something,鈥� Gustafson said. 鈥淕o work with your hands. Go work with other people.鈥�

For Gustafson, civic education is about more than memorizing founding documents. It is about developing a 鈥榩olitical imagination鈥� that connects the words of those documents to the communities, relationships, and traditions that give them meaning.

The Constitution Day program came during a year of national attention on the Declaration鈥檚 250th anniversary. The event was supported by a grant from the Jack Miller Center for Teaching America鈥檚 Founding Principles and History and organized with support from the Department of Political Science and Public Policy.

鈥淭he research I do has nothing to do with dance,鈥� says Scherich, the A.L. Hook Emerging Professor in Science and Mathematics and assistant professor of mathematics and statistics at Elon. 鈥淒ance is just the mechanism in which I communicate my research.鈥�

Scherich鈥檚 research focuses on topology, a branch of mathematics that studies flexible geometric shapes that remain preserved through deformation such as twisting, stretching or bending without opening holes, tearing or passing through themselves. More specifically, her research centers on knot theory, a field examining mathematical knots and braids.

Advanced mathematics requires years of foundational knowledge and technical language that can be difficult to explain to those outside the discipline. This challenge prompted Scherich to think creatively about how to share her work with broader audiences in an accessible way.

鈥淢athematics can be very abstract and uses a lot of specific jargon language,鈥� Scherich says. 鈥淚t can be difficult to tell somebody about your work, because first you have to define years鈥� worth of math before you can even get started. I was looking for ways to explain what math is in a way where you do not necessarily understand the technicalities, but you can get a flavor for what we are studying.鈥�

Dance allows her to bypass that barrier, not by simplifying math but by translating it into a story with motion and emotion.

鈥淒ance is a really effective way to emotionally story-tell,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really think in terms of dialogue. I think in terms of movement.鈥�

Scherich鈥檚 work intentionally challenges stereotypes surrounding mathematics. Many of her videos feature female dancers and traditionally feminine aesthetics, in contrast to what has historically been a male-dominated field.

鈥淲hen you think of a ballet dancer, you think of a woman,鈥� Scherich says. 鈥淲hen you think of a mathematician, you probably don鈥檛.鈥�

The intersection of dance and mathematics flows into her work with students. She collaborated with Sol Addison 鈥�25 and Lila Snodgrass 鈥�26 on research examining how dancers move across a stage over time to define a new knot invariant called the danceability index.

In the classroom, Scherich uses videos of her dances as part of a larger narrative. She might begin a lecture by introducing different branches of mathematics such as algebra, geometry and topology through movement, giving students a conceptual framework before diving into formal definitions. One of her recent pieces uses , a foundational result in knot theory. The videos do not replace traditional instruction but provide students with another way to grasp complex ideas.

Scherich鈥檚 path to mathematics was far from linear. Growing up in California, she left high school early to pursue performance opportunities and began college at 14, initially planning a future in performing arts. Encouraged by her father, a high school math teacher, she also enrolled in math courses as a backup plan.

I was looking for ways to explain what math is in a way where you do not necessarily understand the technicalities, but you can get a flavor for what we are studying.聽鈥� Nancy Scherich

She changed majors several times 鈥� performance, French, biochemistry, chemistry 鈥� before mathematics finally stuck. The turning point came during a calculus class when she learned how to calculate the volume of a three-dimensional shape created by rotating a two-dimensional object.

鈥淚 was like, 鈥業 think I just became a mathematician; this is so cool. I鈥檓 in,鈥欌�� Scherich says.

For years, Scherich kept dance and math separate. That changed during graduate school at the University of California, Santa Barbara when she learned about Science magazine鈥檚 鈥淒ance Your Ph.D.鈥� competition. Encouraged by a friend, she spent an entire summer creating a dance video inspired by her dissertation research. The project went on to win the competition.

鈥淚 feel like the video I created is probably my life鈥檚 masterpiece,鈥� Scherich says. 鈥淪o much love and passion went into that dance video. Since then, every time I am doing research or learn a new piece of mathematics, or I鈥檓 having trouble explaining math to someone, I think 鈥楥an I make a dance about this?鈥欌��

While the approach is unconventional, Scherich says the response from the mathematics community has been overwhelmingly positive.

鈥淧eople will come up to me at conferences and say, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e the math and dance girl, right?鈥欌�� Scherich says. “They appreciate that it鈥檚 making math accessible and fun.鈥�

The 2025-26 academic year also marked major milestones in Scherich鈥檚 career. She was named the A.L Hook Emerging Professor in Science and Mathematics and received a $125,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to support her research and community building within Elon鈥檚 Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Through her work, Scherich continues to demonstrate that mathematics is not limited to formulas and symbols on a page. By combining movement, storytelling and research, she offers students and audiences a new way to see mathematics 鈥� as dynamic, creative and deeply human.

How well is the United States living up to the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence?

Which moments in the nation鈥檚 history represent American democracy at its best?

How do Americans assess the country鈥檚 current condition?

What do people expect the nation to look like when it celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2076?

Those were some of the questions behind one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by the 福利亚洲国产精品 Poll. The findings were cited in nearly 600 media stories and opinion pieces across the ideological spectrum and contributed to public discussion during the nation鈥檚 semiquincentennial.

Established in 2000, the 福利亚洲国产精品 Poll is among the country鈥檚 longest running university-based public opinion polling organizations, with a reputation for accuracy in measuring public opinion on elections, public policy and issues affecting North Carolina and the nation. The America250 project built on that foundation to explore questions that are rarely included in national polling.

Professor Jason Husser, director of the 福利亚洲国产精品 Poll, coordinated with a group of faculty and staff to dig deep into the American psyche, stepping away from typical questions related to current events to explore how Americans think about their nation鈥檚 past, present and future. The result was a comprehensive report released just weeks before Independence Day that offered a broad portrait of how Americans view the United States at one of the most significant milestones in its history.

Husser, a professor of political science and public policy, said Americans鈥� divergent views in the survey results were not surprising. 鈥淧luralistic, democratic societies rarely generate true consensus about public affairs,鈥� Husser says. 鈥淣onetheless, when we read the findings in their totality, especially considering the optimism of young Americans, we see an underlying theme of perseverance perhaps best reflected in three-quarters of Americans who agreed with President Abraham Lincoln: 鈥楪overnment of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.鈥欌��

Proud of the country, concerned about its direction

Taken together, the results revealed a public that remains strongly attached to the United States while expressing considerable concern about its democratic institutions.

Nearly seven in 10 Americans said they are proud to be American, and two-thirds said they would not want to live in another country. At the same time, 52% said the nation is not successfully living up to its founding ideals, while 73% rated the overall health of American democracy as only 鈥渇air鈥� or 鈥減oor.鈥�

Forty percent said that at least once a week they have felt the nation is on the brink of a major crisis, and 70% said the current period is more turbulent and unstable than average across U.S. history.

Those findings echoed a theme that appeared throughout the survey: Americans expressed confidence in many of the country鈥檚 enduring ideals while offering a more cautious assessment of its present condition.

That pattern appeared in one of the survey鈥檚 most widely discussed results: 69% of respondents said they believe the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be more disappointed than proud if they could see American democracy today.

Reflecting on the nation鈥檚 history

The survey also invited Americans to think about the nation鈥檚 defining moments and leaders.

Asked which event best represented American democracy at its highest ideals, respondents most often selected the Civil Rights Movement, followed by World War II and the end of slavery. Abraham Lincoln was named both the historical figure who best exemplified American democracy and the nation鈥檚 greatest president. Other top presidents, in order of popularity, included Barack Obama, George Washington, Donald Trump, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.

Looking ahead

If Americans found inspiration in parts of the nation鈥檚 past, they expressed greater uncertainty about its future.

Sizable majorities predicted that by 2076 the country will be more politically divided, have more polluted air and water, and less freedom for citizens. Only about one-third expressed confidence that American political institutions would make mostly good decisions over the next 50 years.

Yet the survey also uncovered a notable generational pattern. Across many questions, younger adults expressed more optimism than older Americans. Respondents under 30 were more likely to believe the nation is living up to its founding ideals and more confident that American institutions will make good decisions in the decades ahead.

Toward a 鈥榤ore perfect union鈥�

福利亚洲国产精品 President Connie Ledoux Book wrote in the report鈥檚 introduction that civic engagement has long been central to the university鈥檚 mission.

鈥淓lon was founded in an era when American higher education increasingly saw democracy itself as dependent on an informed and engaged citizenry,鈥� Book wrote. 鈥淭hat conviction remains central to the university today.鈥�

For the 福利亚洲国产精品 Poll, the America250 project demonstrates a broader role that universities can play in public life. Beyond measuring elections and political campaigns, polling can also document how Americans understand their democracy, their history and their future. As the nation looks forward to its tricentennial in 2076, this survey provides an important benchmark as Americans continue to strive for the 鈥渕ore perfect union鈥� envisioned in the U.S. Constitution.

The America250 survey, conducted April 30 through May 4 with field work by the international polling firm YouGov, included responses from 1,000 adults nationwide and was designed to represent the U.S. adult population. For the survey report, full data and methodology, visit elon.edu/elonpoll.

The study, 鈥�,鈥� looked at whether the growing availability of generative AI has changed who enters the video game market and how developers use AI in the creative process.

Kim and his co-authors analyzed more than 66,000 developers whose first game was published on Steam between 2014 and 2025. They found that more indie developers entered the platform in 2024 and 2025 than earlier trends predicted, while new non-indie developers remained within the expected range.

Key findings

• More indie developers entered the market after generative AI became widely available. The increase was greater than researchers鈥� models predicted based on previous trends.
• Images were the most common use of AI. Both indie and non-indie developers most often reported using AI to generate images, while use for music, voice and coding was lower.
• Indie developers used AI differently. Compared with non-indie developers, indie developers were more likely to use AI for music and coding.
• AI was associated with shorter indie games. The researchers say this may reflect AI鈥檚 usefulness in helping developers quickly develop and test ideas.
• The study shows an association, not causation. The researchers do not conclude that generative AI caused more indie developers to enter the market.

Kim plans to bring the research into his business analytics courses.

鈥淚 will use this paper in class to demonstrate the positive role of AI in facilitating human creativity by enabling individuals to quickly prototype and implement their ideas,鈥� Kim said.

The research was published in ACM AI Letters by the Association for Computing Machinery and co-authored with Seonbin Jo and Woo-Sung Jung of Pohang University of Science and Technology and Jisung Yoon of the KDI School of Public Policy and Management.

Kim joined 福利亚洲国产精品 in Fall 2023 from Boston University. His expertise includes business analytics, innovation, misinformation, and computational social science. He is currently the director of the Center for Applied Analytics and AI at Elon.

Executive Director of the Core Curriculum and Associate Professor of Music and Education Matt Buckmaster was invited to join a panel to share insights on general education assessment using the AAC&U VALUE rubrics.

Part of AAC&U’s VALUE Week webinar series, the panel was titled “Doing the Work: How Institutions Are Using VALUE Rubrics to Understand Student Learning.”聽 Buckmaster shared Elon’s process and design to student learning assessment in the Core Curriculum, including the successes and challenges encountered in the process.

Elon’s emphasis on engaged learning and student-centered curriculum led to very positive outcomes, and areas for continued improvement were able to be identified as well. The investment Elon has made in assessment in the Core Curriculum will inform faculty development opportunities, course and assignment design resources, and potentially future curriculum revisions.

福利亚洲国产精品 is a member of the .

Constitutional Amendment 鈥� Photo ID

Likely voters in the November general election are strongly in favor of changes to the North Carolina Constitution to require a photo ID for all forms of voting, including absentee mail-in ballots. The 福利亚洲国产精品 Poll found that 63% of likely voters favored this constitutional amendment compared with 25% who opposed it and 12% who were unsure. The amendment reads as follows:

Constitutional amendment to require all voters, not just those presenting to vote in person, to present photo identification before voting.

Following an April 2023 ruling by the North Carolina Supreme Court, absentee voters must include a photocopy of their photo IDs with their mailed-in ballots or complete an ID Exception Form. This constitutional amendment would lock that requirement into the state鈥檚 constitution so it could not be changed by lawmakers.

Constitutional Amendment 鈥� Income Tax

Likely voters strongly favor changes to the North Carolina Constitution to lower the maximum allowable state personal income tax rate from 7% to 3.5%. In this survey, 67% favored this constitutional amendment, compared with 18% who opposed it and 16% who were unsure. The amendment reads as follows:

Constitutional amendment to keep the State income tax rate from being raised higher than three and one鈥慼alf percent (3.5%).

North Carolina鈥檚 current individual income tax rate is a flat rate of 3.99%, down from 4.25% in 2025. The rate is to 3.49% in 2027 and 2.99% in 2028. This amendment would set a constitutional cap at 3.5% starting in 2027.

Constitutional Amendment 鈥� Property Tax

Likely voters are strongly in favor of changes to the North Carolina Constitution requiring the General Assembly to limit increases in property taxes levied by local governments. In this survey, 72% favored this constitutional amendment, compared with 14% who opposed it and 14% who were unsure. The amendment reads as follows:

Constitutional amendment requiring limits on property tax increases by local governments.

This amendment would not set a specific cap on property tax increases but would require state lawmakers to pass laws that limit how much local governments can increase total property tax revenue from one year to the next. The amendment calls for a 鈥渓evy limit鈥� to cap growth in total dollars collected by a local government, rather than a 鈥渞ate cap,鈥� which would limit the tax rate for property owners. If the amendment passes, the General Assembly would need to enact laws defining the revenue limits and any exceptions.

鈥淔ollowing a long history of most constitutional amendments on the Noth Carolina ballot being approved by voters, the three 2026 amendments all have multiples more 鈥榝or鈥� than 鈥榓gainst,鈥� said Jason Husser, director of the 福利亚洲国产精品 Poll and professor of political science and public policy. 鈥淚n the case of the 2026 amendments, all three lock in current status quo rather than leading to immediate policy change, which decreases their potential for controversy in an election cycle currently focused on the politicians on the ballot.鈥�

North Carolina constitutional amendment process

All three of these questions were put on the ballot by the General Assembly, which has sole power to pose constitutional questions to voters. In this poll, 58% of likely voters favored creating a process for citizens to introduce constitutional amendments, with 15% opposing citizen-initiated amendments and 27% unsure.

鈥淪tate constitutional amendments impact state law and policy in complex ways,鈥� Husser said. 鈥淗owever, ballot language that voters see on election day is often short. Our poll very closely replicated the ballot text that voters will see. If the ballot language differed or provided more detailed summaries for each amendment, we would likely find different results.鈥�

Marijuana laws

North Carolina adults were strongly in favor of legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes and also supported legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in the state. Medical use of the substance was favored by 75% with only 11% in opposition. For recreational use, 55% were in support of legalization compared with 30% who opposed it and 15% who were unsure.

These levels of support for marijuana legalization are mostly unchanged from an 福利亚洲国产精品 poll in January 2021.

There was a significant partisan divide on the legalization questions with Democrats far more likely to support loosening marijuana laws. Eighty-nine percent of Democrats favored legalizing medical marijuana compared with 57% of Republicans. For recreational use of marijuana, 74% of Democrats favored legalization compared with only 33% of Republicans.

Related to hemp-derived products like seltzers and gummies with THC levels that can cause intoxication, 53% supported legalization and 28% said those products should be prohibited, with 19% unsure. Among Democrats, 62% favored legalization of these THC products compared with only 35% of Republicans.

An overwhelming majority of all adults (82%) favored prohibiting the sale of hemp-derived products to anyone under the age of 21.

Husser pointed out that the 福利亚洲国产精品 Poll has tracked marijuana attitudes over the last decade in North Carolina. 鈥淲e found a significant increase in support for legalization between 2017 and 2021 as North Carolinians saw legalization occurring in other states,鈥� Husser said. 鈥淥ver the last five years, support for legalization has largely been stable with a large majority supporting medical legalization and a small majority favoring recreational legalization. In turn, support for allowing hemp-based THC has similar levels of support and high correlation with support for recreational marijuana. However, North Carolinians are largely unified in wanting hemp consumables restricted to those 21 or older.鈥�

Poll Methodology

Access the poll topline and methodology at:聽. The survey was developed by the 福利亚洲国产精品 Poll and fielded by the international marketing and polling firm YouGov as an online, web-based survey, self-administered through online panels. Between August 21 and August 31, 2026, YouGov interviewed 1,121 North Carolina adults aged 18 and older. These respondents were then matched down to a sample of 800 to produce the final dataset.

The matched cases were weighted to the sampling frame using propensity scores based on age, gender, race/ethnicity, years of education, and home ownership. The margin of error for likely voters in this survey is +/- 5.5%, for registered voters in this survey (adjusted for weights) the margin of error is +/-5.05%, and the margin of error for all adults in this survey is +/-5.09%.

Marna Winter,聽teaching聽professor of education and associate director of 福利亚洲国产精品鈥檚 Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL), will present two聽projects聽exploring student reflection, joy and engagement at the (SoTL) Summit, held聽virtually Sept.聽16-18.

The conference brings together educators from colleges and聽universities聽across the United States and internationally to share聽SoTL聽research and approaches to teaching.聽Since its beginning in 1993, the summit has developed into a space for both experienced and emerging teacher-scholars to exchange research across disciplines and explore聽new approaches聽to student learning.
In 鈥淲hen Students Wonder, Instructors Learn: Building a Metacognitive Feedback Loop,鈥� Winter will present聽alongside聽聽professor聽of psychology and聽director of聽SoTL聽at the United States Air Force Academy.

Their work grew from the 鈥淚 Wonder鈥� project,聽an activity聽originally used聽by聽Winter聽at the end of a semester to encourage students to reflect on lingering questions about their learning. Winter found that聽those reflections could also reveal misconceptions, gaps in understanding and areas of curiosity that could inform teaching.聽After presenting initial work at the 2025聽SoTL聽Summit, Winter connected with Scharff, leading to a contribution to the聽聽blog and ongoing collaboration.聽At the summit, Winter and Scharff will share new findings聽and introduce a metacognitive instructional cycle for using student reflection to inform pedagogical decisions.

Winter鈥檚 second presentation, 鈥淔rom Play to Pedagogy: Reflective Inquiry into Joy and Student Engagement,鈥� explores how聽brief, intentional 鈥渕ini play sessions鈥� at the beginning of class can help students pause,聽connect聽and transition into learning.聽Drawing on student reflections and survey data, Winter鈥檚 ongoing聽SoTL聽inquiry considers how small moments of play can foster curiosity, focus and engagement, positioning joy not as an addition to learning but as part of creating the conditions for meaningful learning.

Together,聽Winter鈥檚聽two presentations reflect a broader focus聽on聽her聽active聽scholarship on creating learning environments that are responsive to students and attentive to how they experience the classroom.

For Winter, presenting at the聽SoTL聽Summit offers an opportunity not only to share what she has learned through her own teaching,聽but also to continue developing that work through conversation with educators examining聽similar questions聽about student learning and engagement.

This August,聽福利亚洲国产精品 hosted university and college educators from across the region and around the world for the聽22nd Annual Teaching and Learning Conference. A free, hybrid event sponsored jointly by the聽Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (颁础罢尝),听Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT), and the Office of the Provost.

Nearly 70聽educators attended the conference on Elon鈥檚 campus, including faculty from Queens University of Charlotte,聽providing an opportunity for educators聽to connect and exchange ideas. Hundreds more聽participated聽virtually from聽institutions across the country and beyond.

Rather than simply streaming the in-person conference, the fully hybrid format offered distinct programming for virtual and on-campus participants throughout the day. The two groups came together聽virtually for聽the聽conference鈥檚聽keynote, while other sessions were designed specifically for each mode of participation.

This year’s conference, themed “Teaching for Tomorrow: Building Transferable Skills and Lifelong Learners,” encouraged attendees to reflect on how today’s teaching practices shape students’ abilities to adapt, think critically and thrive in the future.聽Presentation submissions聽addressed聽one of聽four related sub-themes: Technology and the Future of Learning, Foundations for the Future, Building Transferable Skills for Tomorrow, and Teaching Innovations.

The聽keynote聽address聽was given聽by聽director for curriculum transformation initiatives at聽,聽titled “Boldness by Design: Reimagining our University from the Classroom Out.” McGowan聽shared聽how universities might move from preserving tradition to designing new models, structures, and pathways toward the learning outcomes they聽seek聽for students, drawing on her experience leading institution-wide educational transformation initiatives.

Following the keynote, McGowan and Jill McSweeney, assistant director of CATL, led an in-person workshop for on-campus attendees, “Envisioning Structures of the Possible,” which invited participants to imagine a new, fully experiential core curriculum requirement for the year 2032. The workshop asked educators to consider experiential learning as a holistic, emergent and relational response to the complexities of higher education today.

Throughout the day, presenters shared research, practices, and teaching strategies aligned with the conference鈥檚 themes, creating opportunities for both virtual and in-person participants to connect with colleagues and exchange ideas about the future of teaching and learning.

The Teaching and Learning Conference is held annually at Elon and聽remains聽free for registrants.聽Information about the 2026 conference schedule, past conferences and future calls for proposals is available on the CATL and TLT websites.