Elon Pendulum 3/23/12: Parents of Lauren Astley to visit campus to commemorate her life, discuss healthy relationships. Elon University will welcome the parents of Lauren Astley Monday and Tuesday for a week-long celebration of her life, including a gathering of friends in her memory and discussions about dating violence. The Wayland, Mass. native was found dead of apparent homicide July 4, two months before she would have arrived at Elon as a member of the Class of 2016. Grief can bring communities together, according to Elizabeth Nelson, associate director for health promotions and coordinator for inter-personal relations and community wellbeing at Elon, who was instrumental in bringing Malcolm Astley to campus. “Part of that is by honoring those who survive Lauren,” Nelson said. “By hosting her parents, we are giving witness to their deep loss, as well as embracing the complexity of loss by bringing people with a variety of connections to Lauren’s story together in conversation.”