Stipend:
Applicants who are chosen to participate in the Summer Institute will receive a stipend of $2100 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (please see “Eligibility and How to Apply” for details). Stipends are intended to help cover travel expenses to and from the project location, books and other research expenses, and ordinary living expenses. Stipends are taxable.
Seminar and institute participants are required to attend all meetings and to engage fully as professionals in the work of the project. During the project’s tenure, they may not undertake teaching assignments or any other professional activities unrelated to their participation in the project. Participants who, for any reason, do not complete the full tenure of the project will receive a reduced stipend.
Participants will be given the opportunity to book lodging and some meals at Elon University; costs for these services will be deducted from the participant’s stipend (see details below).
On-Campus Housing:
Participants are encouraged to use the on-campus residence halls that are being reserved for the Institute. Informal conversations and community building outside of scheduled meetings are highlights of an NEH Institute experience, and living together in the reserved residence halls help to make those happen. The housing offered at Elon University will be modest but comfortable. While the specific residence hall being reserved for the Institute will not be confirmed until February, we know participants will be placed in one of our two newest facilities. Both the Colonnades Neighborhood and the Global Neighborhood are centrally located on campus with nearby parking and close to the Institute meeting rooms, library, gym, and dining options, and either building will provide similar, secure accommodations—estimated to cost $50 per night. We can guarantee that each participant will have their own private room and bathroom. Due to this prioritization, it is possible that some, but not all, participants will be placed in a suite with a small living room. Each room will be equipped with free, fast wireless internet, a bed (XL twin or full), desk, chair, lamp, a small dresser, and a microwave/mini-fridge. Hot plates are not allowed in the residence halls. All participants will be within the same building with access to communal spaces accessible 24-hours a day, including a kitchen (although we cannot guarantee what kitchen supplies will be available at that point in time). Included in the cost per night is a linen package that will be replaced once per week that includes: two sheets, a blanket, a pillowcase, a pillow, and a towel. There will be laundry services available that are either coin or Phoenix Card (provided upon check-in) operated, which participants will need to pay for. We will update this section once the specific residence hall has been confirmed.
Accessibility:
Each floor of the residence hall will have several rooms that are accessible and wheelchair friendly. Service animals are welcome. If you have a comfort pet that you wish to bring, please contact us to ensure all of the proper paperwork is in order to comply with state law. Please contact us if you have an accessibility need not listed here, so we can ensure we have the proper accommodations for you.
Off-Campus Housing:
Those who wish for other housing options may make their own arrangements through Airbnb or the Drury Hotel.
Academic Services:
Participants of the Institute will have access to wireless internet across campus. Belk Library will also be open and available to participants, where they will be able to access librarians, databases, and books for in-library use. Participants will be to access our digital services across campus while connected to Elon’s wireless internet. Physical copies of books that will be used during the institute will also be reserved and easily accessible for participants, likely near the rooms daily seminars are being held. Belk Library will be operating under summer hours, which, in the past, has been Mon.-Thurs. 8am-9pm, Friday 8am-5pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, and Sunday 6-9pm. We are also arranging for printing stations to be set up near convenient locations for participants, as well as looking to arrange a scanning station. Once these details are solidified, we will update this section.
Sport and Gym Facilities:
For no additional charge, participants will have access to the sports facilities at Elon, including the fitness center, racquetball courts, pool, tennis courts, and a driving range. More information about our facilities can be found here. Summer hours will be provided when available.
Meals:
Participants will have several options for their meals:
- Breakfast. Participants can either have breakfast on their own (the dorms will have a central lounge area with a refrigerator, in which participants can store perishable food), or they can sign up for our Institute Continental Breakfast, which will be a simple breakfast prepared each weekday morning for institute participants only. The continental breakfast will be served at Elon’s Hillel House, and will include fresh fruit, coffee, tea, pastries, cereal, yogurt, bagels etc. Continental breakfast participants are permitted to use any of the kitchen appliances during breakfast hours and the charge for the continental breakfast for the two weeks (10 days total) will be $35.00 per participant. If conference attendees choose not to participate in the Institute Continental Breakfast, there is a coffee shop and a breakfast restaurant within walking distance from the university.
- Lunch. The Institute will arrange to have a catered lunch at the conclusion of each morning seminar during each weekday of the seminar. The cost of these lunches will be generously subsidized by the Provost of Elon University and the Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences. The charge for buffet lunches for the two weeks (10 lunches total) will be $50.00 per participant. Vegetarian and vegan options will always be available.
- Dinner. During the two weeks of the Institute, participants will have the opportunity to prepare their own meals at Elon’s Hillel House, which has a fully stocked kitchen (pots, pans, cooking and eating utensils, plates, cups, etc.). Participants who wish to use this facility will need to sign up with Institute organizers for each day they would like to use the Hillel House; the participants who sign up for any specific day will be responsible for respecting the rules of the Hillel House kitchen and cleaning up after the meal. The Hillel House has a dairy kosher kitchen therefore participants will not be permitted to bring meat when cooking individual or group dinners, but dairy products will be allowed. Participants will be expected to clean the space after each use. Additionally, information on the Hillel House and important items inside will be available for participants to review upon use. There is ample seating, both indoor and out, at Hillel House, and participants are encouraged to make arrangements with each other to share meals, etc. All food for dinners prepared at Hillel House must be provided by the participants. There is no charge for reserving Hillel House.
There are several restaurants within walking distance from the university that are also available for lunch and dinner, although some have limited hours during the summer. The surrounding city of Burlington has a wide range of restaurants within driving distance.
Transportation:
Once the institute participants are on campus, all gatherings for the institute will be within walking distance from the dorm. The Institute will provide two airport shuttles from Raleigh/Durham airport on the Sunday before the institute begins, one shuttle to RDU on the final Friday evening of the Institute, and one final shuttle to RDU on the Saturday after the institute concludes. More information about airport shuttles is forthcoming.
Enterprise CarShare:
For participants using the on-campus housing option, Enterprise is graciously providing access to Elon University’s CarShare program at a significantly reduced price. You can sign up to use the service for $1 (typically $35) which will enable you to reserve and access one of three cars centrally located on campus: two Nissan Sentras and one Toyota Prius Hybrid. All vehicles can be checked out for the hourly rate of $9 (estimated cost for 2017) or $65 a day. The costs of renting one of these cars includes insurance and gas. Access to these vehicles can facilitate errands in the nearby town of Burlington, evening activities, or weekend day trips to nearby cities such as Greensboro, Durham, and Raleigh. To access this service, participants will need to utilize the on-campus housing option and provide a .edu email address.
A Note on Facilities:
You may be aware that North Carolina currently restricts restroom use to the gender/sex designation on your birth certification. Please note, however, that this only applies to public institutions and facilities, and thus is not in effect on Elon’s campus. While on campus, you are welcome to use the facilities that align with your gender identity, and you can also access a map of universal restrooms here. If you leave campus, we recognize it is possible that you will encounter a private business or state owned facility that upholds the law. Although the law requires that you use the bathroom that correlates to the gender/sex on your birth certificate, it is not a criminal law and there is no enforcement mechanism in place.
If you were to experience any issue while on or off campus while using facilities according to your gender identity, we welcome you reporting it to either Director Ann Cahill (cahilla@elon.edu) or Coordinator maggie castor (mcastor@elon.edu).
