Criminal doctrine claims to distinguish morally culpable action from conduct driven by severe mental disease or defect. Yet in practice, society remains deeply resistant to extending even minimal grace when punishment is at stake. We love to punish, and we distrust anything that resembles an excuse. The defendant before me needed treatment; he needed help. But within a system oriented toward retribution, illness collapses into guilt. The institutional response becomes predictable: contain, control and confine the beast.

Nothing in a casebook prepared me for the raw immediacy of a mind splintered long before the law judged him.

His delusions dominated the evidence. I listened to voicemails he left after beating his mother beyond recognition with the leg of a table. He referred to himself as a Navy SEAL and carried on a conversation with someone who existed only in his mind. The forensic psychiatrist explained how his inward and outward projections tethered him to an alternate reality. In that reality, CIA agents listened through devices in his teeth and loved ones were replaced by alien spies.

The murder scene reflected this fractured world: He believed he had killed the alien inhabiting his mother鈥檚 body and attempted to give her a new one. He called his family and described the event in a chilling voice that even his social worker said didn鈥檛 sound like him.

As the psychiatrist detailed the defendant鈥檚 psychosis, the voices that commanded him and the delusional system shaping his actions, I felt the weight of the law鈥檚 expectations pressing against the limits of human cognition. We ask jurors 鈥� ordinary people with no psychiatric training 鈥� to translate hallucinations and delusions into legal categories.

Mental illness exists on a scientific spectrum. Insanity, by contrast, is a legal term of art. South Carolina, like many states moving away from the insanity defense, is taking a giant leap in the wrong direction.

A finding of 鈥渘ot criminally responsible鈥� due to paranoid schizophrenia should carry substantial moral and legal weight, yet it rarely moves a modern jury. Cultural narratives about personal responsibility and dangerousness prime jurors to distrust the very concept. To compound the problem, South Carolina provides no instruction about the consequences of a verdict. Courts warn that 鈥渇ocusing on outcomes could prejudice the jury,鈥� leaving jurors to choose among vague constructs like 鈥淕uilty but Mentally Ill鈥� (GBMI), a verdict functionally indistinguishable from guilty. GBMI reflects a deeper cultural shift: Mental illness itself is becoming morally blameworthy.

That trial stayed with me. It revealed the limits of our current system and the urgency of reform. It pushed me to study GBMI, juror misunderstanding and the consequences of sanism in criminal adjudication. If justice is to mean anything for defendants whose minds break from reality, the law must bridge the gap between doctrine and science.

Tarrah Casey L鈥�26 is a third-year student at Elon Law and presented her research on how courts evaluate remorse in sentencing autistic defendants at the 2025 Autism Law Summit. She completed her Residency-in-Practice, Elon Law鈥檚 signature experiential learning program in which students learn the law by praticing it, at Sarratt & Horta Vorse, P.A., in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

This summer, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy Safia Swimelar teaches New York City: Living in the Global Community using the city as a microcosm to help students understand the diversity and complexity of global humanity. The course explores the meaning of NYC as a global city and how cultural, political and economic aspects of globalization are reflected and visualized there.

鈥淓ven though I teach political science, we鈥檙e talking about the globalization of hip-hop, food, 9/11, identity and culture,鈥� Swimelar says. 鈥淭hey all fit the idea of New York as a global city.鈥�

Students spend Monday through Thursday interning in industries ranging from finance and marketing to communications and graphic design. On Fridays, everyone comes together for weekly seminars, encouraging students to connect their workplace experiences with broader discussions around globalization, identity and culture.

In true Elon fashion, learning extends beyond the classroom. 鈥淲e try to match the academic topic with some kind of hands-on experience, whether that鈥檚 a museum, a tour or meeting people in the community,鈥� Swimelar says. This summer鈥檚 experiential learning opportunities included a visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, a World Cup watch party, a Juneteenth celebration in Central Park, a performance of 鈥淩agtime鈥� on Broadway, the Pride Parade, a tour of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, an international food tour in Queens and a private tour of the New York Stock Exchange, to name a few.

At its core, the course is about helping students understand the world from a new perspective. 鈥淚 really want them to understand that the United States 鈥� and every city in it 鈥� is inherently connected to the rest of the world,鈥� Swimelar says. 鈥淭he global is everywhere.鈥�

By the end of the summer, students bring home much more than academic knowledge and internship experience. Living in Brooklyn, navigating the subway and working full-time internships provide a realistic glimpse into life in one of the world鈥檚 largest cities.

鈥淔or many of them, this is the first time they feel like they鈥檙e actually living here instead of just visiting,鈥� Swimelar says. 鈥淲hen I read their journals each week, many are saying, 鈥業 think I really do want to move to New York.鈥欌��

Whether students pursue careers in business, the arts, communications, finance or public policy, Swimelar hopes they leave New York with a deeper appreciation for the people, cultures and ideas that shape communities both locally and globally.

福利亚洲国产精品 the Professor

Professor Safia Swimelar has taught political science and policy studies at Elon since 2008. Her teaching and research focus on international relations, human rights, European politics, global studies and film and politics. As a former Fulbright Scholar, Swimelar draws on her international experience to help students better understand global politics and contemporary issues.

Recommended Materials

• 鈥淭he Colossus of New York,鈥� by Colson Whitehead
• 鈥淗ip hop鈥檚 Enduring Echo: From New York鈥檚 Streets to Global Beats,鈥� The Elephant, 2023
• 鈥淎merica After 9/11,鈥� PBS Frontline documentary

Vision 鈥� the creation, then pursuit of it 鈥� changes the world.

In recent months, I have had the pleasure of experiencing the culmination of faculty vision for student success in profound moments. One was this past spring in New York City鈥檚 Carnegie Hall, where the Elon Wind Ensemble performed the closing act of the 24th Annual New York Wind Band Festival. Faculty members worked closely with students to produce a magnificent performance that filled the hall with breathtaking joy and marked the university鈥檚 first appearance in the storied venue 鈥� a historic and wonderful realization of our vision for excellence in the performing arts.

This summer, sitting in the heart of the Medici Palace in Florence, Italy, I watched another vision come to life as students, joined by Italian and American performers, brought a first to the city: a production of the musical 鈥淭he Light in the Piazza.鈥� Associate Teaching Professor of Music Polly Cornelius first imagined the idea two years earlier, then worked with our partners in Florence and her colleagues in the Department of Performing Arts to make it a reality. Her vision was felt by us all as we watched the students and actors perform to the sold-out audience.

These are among the many visionary moments inspired by our mission to engage and mentor students throughout their learning journeys and help them achieve more than they imagined for themselves during college. Possibility begins with learning and experience, and it ultimately leads to growth.

This year I鈥檝e also been working diligently with the university鈥檚 trustees on a different kind of vision 鈥� one that adds another pillar to our foundation, looks out ahead to the next century and asks how we can prepare 福利亚洲国产精品to meet the emerging landscape of higher education from a continued position of strength and innovation. Our merger with Queens, successfully approved by our accreditor and now in process with the Department of Education, brings that vision closer to reality.

Faculty and staff members from both campuses have been imagining potential programs together, and the growing list is full of exciting possibilities.

When people imagine innovation, they often think of a single 鈥渆ureka鈥� moment, like Alexander Graham Bell鈥檚 first telephone call or Thomas Edison鈥檚 filament beginning to glow. But scholars have shown that innovation is more often one idea leading to another until, further downstream, someone shouts 鈥渆ureka!鈥� and a vision becomes reality, perhaps in Carnegie Hall or the Medici Palace.

Most importantly, through bold vision and shared commitment to our mission, ideas advance, lives are transformed and the world becomes a better place.

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 .

Over the course of the retreat, fellows practiced listening across difference, questioning their assumptions and engaging perspectives that challenged their own. The goal was not to make disagreement disappear. Students explored how curiosity can create space for people to stay engaged when they see an issue differently.

For Elon fellow Audrey Schultz, Elon’s Better Together Coordinator, that is one of the most important lessons she is bringing home.

鈥淥ne thing I plan to bring to Elon from the Viewpoints Fellowship Retreat is the promotion and facilitation of dialogue and curious disagreement in spaces that don’t typically focus on them,鈥� Schultz said. 鈥淟eaders, in any capacity, can learn these skills and should understand their significance.鈥�

Through structured exercises, case studies, and facilitated dialogue, fellows had opportunities to practice those skills in real time. They considered how assumptions shape conversations, how people respond when they feel challenged, and how curiosity can open the door to perspectives that might otherwise be dismissed.

Sanai Crosby of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority found the experience particularly useful for thinking about how to remain engaged across disagreement.

鈥淚 learned how to create curious and intentional dialogue, share my perspective, and respectfully disagree with others while still working toward understanding,鈥� Crosby said.

That learning extended beyond the retreat sessions themselves. Fellows met students from universities around the world and encountered experiences and perspectives different from their own.

For Crosby, the experience reinforced an important principle about dialogue: understanding can exist even when people disagree.

鈥淚t challenged me to learn from perspectives and experiences different from my own. 鈥淭he retreat reminded me that meaningful conversations do not require agreement,鈥� Crosby said. 鈥淏ut they require openness, curiosity and a willingness to understand.鈥�

For Hillary Zaken, director of multifaith engagement at Elon鈥檚 Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, who serves as campus advisor to the cohort, that willingness to remain in conversation represents an important shift in campus culture.

鈥淲e want to help shape a campus culture where students feel empowered to come to the table, even when they know they may disagree,鈥� Zaken said. 鈥淐uriosity gives students a way to stay engaged with one another, ask questions, and consider perspectives they may not share using the techniques of active empathetic listening. That space is where meaningful learning and personal leadership development happens.鈥�

That approach to dialogue is central to the work of the Viewpoints Project, a nonprofit that empowers young people to approach disagreement with curiosity. Through the Viewpoints Fellowship, students develop practices for navigating difficult conversations and bring those practices back to the communities where they lead.

The partnership also reflects the Truitt Center鈥檚 commitment to helping Elon students engage meaningfully across difference. By connecting student leadership development with dialogue education, the program allows fellows to practice these skills within the organizations and communities they already serve.

Elon鈥檚 2026-27 Viewpoints Fellows are Brayden Morrison, Club Ultimate Frisbee; Audrey Schultz, Better Together; Emily Wright, Asian Pacific Student Association; Addison Anderson, Leaders in Interfaith team; Rachel Bermont, Hillel; Skylar Winter, Student Government Association; and Sanai Crosby, Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Sasha Stanley, a 2025-26 Fellow, has returned to the Viewpoints Fellowship as a Peer Mentor, helping fellows on campuses across the country engage in curious disagreement.

Their work at Elon will continue throughout the academic year as they bring ideas from Minneapolis into the clubs and organizations they lead. The fellowship culminates with a campus-wide capstone project in the spring.

For the Truitt Center, the retreat represents an ongoing investment in students as facilitators and leaders who can help create space for meaningful engagement across difference. The experience in Minneapolis gives these seven students a shared set of practices to draw on as they continue that work at Elon.

Plain White T’s聽headlined last year聽with over聽2,000聽alumni, students and friends聽in attendance!聽As a fan-favorite Homecoming event,聽Rock the Block will once again transform into a full music festival experience featuring a variety of food trucks, a bar, activities and an end-of-night fireworks show.

O鈥橬eal聽will聽perform聽from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Rock the Block and the Homecoming聽Concert are open to all members of the Elon community for free, so register for today!

鈥淲e invite the Elon community to join us in celebrating and honoring Hispanic Heritage Month by immersing ourselves in the vibrant art, music, food, and traditions that unite and inspire the community,鈥� Amy Gutierrez-Luviano, assistant director of the CREDE, said. 鈥淏y doing so, we are creating supportive spaces focused on mental, physical and holistic health that uplift the community.

Observed annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes and honors the histories, cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latinx communities in the United States. Established by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week, the celebration expanded to a month-long observance under President Ronald Reagan in 1988 and became law on Aug. 17 that year. The month highlights the lasting impact of Hispanic and Latinx individuals across various fields, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of their vital role in shaping American society.

The celebration begins with the independence anniversaries of several Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, with Mexico and Chile following shortly after on Sept. 16 and 18.

Hispanic Heritage Month programming at Elon will run from Sept. 10 to Oct. 30. Highlights of this year鈥檚 events include the annual Hispanic Heritage Month kickoff and 鈥淐rossing Borders: Images of Migration and Voices of Minorities,鈥� featuring film producer and poet Fran莽oise Nieto-Fong, sponsored by Latin American Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, the Department of World Languages and Cultures, the Center for Advancement of Teaching nd Learning, and Belk Library.

Hispanic Heritage Month 2026 events at Elon

Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff

Tuesday, Sept. 15

5:30 p.m. | Medallion Plaza

Crossing Borders: Images of Migration and Voices of Minorities

Wednesday, Sept. 16聽

2-3:40 p.m. | Turner Theatre

Campus Screening: Sunset over America and The Return-Family Separation

Sponsored by Latin American Studies; Peace and Conflict Studies; the Department of World Languages and Cultures; the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning; Belk Library.

Noche Latina

Tuesday, Sept. 29

7 p.m. | Rudd Field

Perspectivas

Wednesday, Sept. 30

5:30-7 p.m. | McKinnon Hall

Soccer Tournament

Friday, Oct. 2

4-8 p.m. | Intramural Fields

Perspectivas

Thursday, Oct. 8

5:30-7 p.m. | McKinnon Hall

Caf茅 con Leche Homecoming Edition

Friday, Oct. 9

3:30-5 p.m. | El Centro (Carlton 114)

Caf茅 con Leche w/ friends!

Monday, Oct. 19

5:30-7 p.m. | Iraz煤

Gala Latina

Friday, Oct. 30

5:30-8 p.m. | McKinnon Hall

Explore the detailed schedule of events for Hispanic Heritage Month on the CREDE website. For questions or more information, please contact Amy Gutierrez-Luviano at agutierrezluviano@elon.edu.

For Jacob Bradshaw ’27, the answer turned out to be milk.

During his first weeks at Elon, Bradshaw was eating lunch in McEwen Dining Hall with two new friends when they noticed that all three happened to be drinking glasses of milk. They joked about making it a regular gathering. Days later, Bradshaw brought the idea to Elon’s Organization Fair. Armed with little more than a handwritten interest sheet, he collected 68 signatures in two hours.

What began as a spontaneous idea has since become an award-winning student organization whose events have brought hundreds of students together. But as Bradshaw and President Connie Ledoux Book discuss in the latest episode of “Elon Beyond the Bricks,” Milk Club has never really been about the milk.

“The real magic of the Milk Club is that it’s the relationships that form,” Book said during their conversation. “Milk is really just the vehicle for forming the relationship.”

That vehicle has taken many forms, including Spilled Milk Poetry Night, the Cownival and the Milk Soir茅e, where roughly 300 students dressed formally to listen to live jazz and drink milk 鈥� and dairy alternatives 鈥� from wine glasses. The organization also collaborated with Student Union Board on Milk Bingo, filling Sato Commons with roughly 500 students. Book remembered the event, too, because she announced a few of the rounds that evening.

Behind the playful names, however, is something Bradshaw and his fellow club leaders have taken seriously: cultivating an inclusive environment that gives students a reason to spend time together.

Bradshaw said the club’s executive board often begins with an activity and asks a simple question: How can they make it milk-related? Those conversations have helped the students create events around a theme almost anyone can join, regardless of whether they prefer whole milk, chocolate milk, oat milk or no milk at all.

That low barrier to participation has helped Milk Club become a place where students can form friendships and shared memories without needing a particular academic, professional or athletic interest to bring them together. It also connects closely with Elon’s broader focus on well-being.

During the episode, Book connected Milk Club with HealthEU, Elon’s university-wide initiative centered on six dimensions of well-being. For Bradshaw, those ideas have shaped more than the organization he founded.

An Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellow studying neuroscience and psychology on a pre-med track, Bradshaw has also served as an Orientation Leader and biology teaching assistant. He said conversations about the dimensions of well-being through Leadership Fellows helped shape how he approaches his different roles at Elon.

“Trying to integrate all of that has been one of the most valuable things that I have been able to take away from my Elon experience,” Bradshaw said.

That intentionality extends into his everyday life. During the episode’s recording, Book noticed a wall behind Bradshaw covered in colorful sticky notes. For roughly a year, he had been writing down one thing each night that made him happy or grateful that day. The practice gives him another reason to stop and reflect on the people and experiences filling his life.

Milk Club operates on a similar principle. Milk may provide the theme, but the reason students return is the opportunity to laugh, participate and spend time with one another.

As Bradshaw begins his senior year, the organization that started around a dining hall table has become part of his Elon legacy, serving as an example of how even the simplest idea can give people the reason they need to come together.

Learn more about “Elon Beyond the Bricks.”

The HEED Award is a prestigious honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to academic excellence, belonging and community-building across all levels of campus life.

Elon will be featured, along with 60 other recipients, in the October 2026 issue of Insight Into Academia magazine. This latest honor recognizes the work Elon as an institution, and its students do to make a more inclusive community.

“What continues to distinguish Elon is that inclusive excellence is central to how we define educational excellence. We put people, relationships, and human differences at the heart of learning and at the foundation of a meaningful personal, professional, and civic life,” said Randy Williams, vice president for inclusive excellence. “Across the university, we share responsibility for creating an environment where people are seen, valued, and affirmed in their identities and can experience a genuine sense of belonging.”

The magazine uses a detailed scoring process, a holistic approach and a team of experienced higher education professionals to review each application.

“Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where academic excellence and belonging are woven into the work being done every day across their campus,鈥� said Lenore Pearlstein, co-publisher of Insight into Academia magazine.

Over the past several years, Elon has expanded its SMART mentor program (which connects first-year students with upperclass students) to support and mentor more students. The university has also expanded use of Living Learning Communities, including the new Mi Casa community. International student support efforts have also increased with the addition of a new staff member in that office to better support students with visas at Elon.

In the summer of 2026, Elon will also begin the Elon Launch program, a 6-credit, 3-week residential transition program to give incoming students an intentional start on college life. Elon Launch is intentionally designed to meet the needs of neurodiverse students, including those with ADHD, autism spectrum conditions, anxiety or executive functioning challenges.

The university’s fly-in program, ElonYOU, is specifically designed to open access for students who would otherwise not be able to visit campus. The program fully funds travel and an overnight stay at Elon. Additionally, the program offers up to $250 in travel support for parents/guardians/supporters.

Williams acknowledged the following 福利亚洲国产精品 faculty and staff who contributed information and suggestions for the award application:

• Naeemah Clark, Associate Provost for Academic Inclusive Excellence
• Mike Haskins, Vice President for Marketing and Communications
• Monica Isbell, Director of Academic Accommodations and Accessibility
• Kimberly Romero, Assistant Dean of Admissions for Inclusive Excellence
• Rob Springer, Senior Advisor for Institutional Effectiveness
• Paul Tongsri, Assistant Dean for Student Success and Retention

For more information about the 2026 HEED Award, visit .

福利亚洲国产精品 Insight Into Academia

Insight Into Academia magazine is the leader in advancing best practices in higher education excellence. Through thought-provoking print and online articles, we share expert advice, valuable resources, in-depth profiles of top programs at colleges and universities, headline news, and much more to help keep our readers informed and empower them to advance initiatives at their institutions. Current, archived, and digital issues of Insight Into Academia magazine are available online at insightintoacademia.com.

CAP provides eligible Elon undergraduates with the opportunity to complete their undergraduate degree and the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling on an accelerated timeline. But the program is designed to offer much more than a faster route to a graduate degree. From the beginning, CAP students are invited into a community where they can explore the counseling profession, build relationships with faculty and peers, and begin developing their professional identities well before entering the graduate phase of the program.

Kicking Off the CAP Community

The inaugural CAP cohort gathered in Belk Library on August 24 for the program鈥檚 first CAP Kickoff, an opportunity to meet one another, connect with faculty and advisors and talk about what the next several years will look like.

The CAP program is led by an interdisciplinary faculty team representing the undergraduate programs from which students enter the pathway as well as the graduate counseling program: Judy Folmar, interim program director of Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Bilal Ghandour, associate professor of psychology; Amanda Davis, assistant professor of psychology; and Tony Reyes, associate professor of human service studies.

The kickoff brought students, staff and faculty leaders together as a community for the first time. Students learned more about the CAP experience, upcoming opportunities, advising and ways they can begin preparing now for graduate study. Steve Folger from the School of Health Sciences also welcomed the CAP students. Just as importantly, the gathering gave students an opportunity to begin forming relationships with others who will travel a similar path.

Although CAP students remain fully engaged in their undergraduate majors and the broader Elon experience, they are also beginning to see themselves as future members of the counseling profession.

Advising for both the present and the future

Individualized advising is a central part of the CAP experience.聽Students are paired with CAP faculty advisors who can help them navigate their undergraduate programs while also keeping the accelerated counseling pathway in view.

With faculty leadership spanning Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Psychology, and Human Service Studies, students benefit from advising that bridges their undergraduate education and future graduate training.

These conversations extend beyond simply determining which course to take next. CAP advising provides space for students to think intentionally about their academic progress, interests, experiences, professional goals and readiness for graduate-level counselor preparation. As students progress, advisors will help them connect the pieces of their Elon experience鈥攆rom coursework and co-curricular involvement to professional development and their eventual transition into the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program.

Beginning Professional Development Early

CAP students will also have opportunities throughout the year to begin exploring what it means to become a professional counselor. Planned experiences will bring students together with CMHC faculty, graduate students, practitioners and community partners for conversations and activities related to the counseling profession.

Professional development will include opportunities to explore counseling specialties and career paths, connect with professionals in the field, develop professional communication and networking skills, learn about graduate school preparation, and consider wellness and sustainability in the helping professions.

Students will also begin building an emerging counseling portfolio, providing a place to document meaningful experiences, reflect on their developing interests and skills and see their professional growth over time.

The goal is not for CAP students to have their professional identities figured out as undergraduates. Instead, CAP creates intentional opportunities for them to ask questions, explore possibilities, make connections, and gradually discover the kind of counselors they hope to become.

Building the path together

As the inaugural cohort, this year鈥檚 CAP students are not simply participating in an established program鈥攖hey are helping shape what the CAP experience will become for future Elon students.

The kickoff was only the beginning. Through advising, community gatherings, professional development and ongoing connections with the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, CAP students will continue building relationships with one another, their faculty mentors, and the profession they are preparing to enter.