Page Two
A Word to the Wise
School is quite evidently in full session. Gone are the flurry and
confusion of Freshman Week, registration, and the first class meetings.
The signs of the routine activities of the regular session are ever present.
The students are taking their unexcused cuts, the professors are giving
"tests and assigning term papers and research projects. The Union is
crowded and smoky during the day. The football team is trying vali
antly to win despite the lack of popular support. The Revelers are re
hearsing for their first major production of the year. Chapel attendanc
is still required two days a week. No, nothing has changed much as far
as the daily functions of the school and the student body are concerned.
The Convocations Committee is continuing to attempt to fill its
agenda with a variety of good speakers and performers representing
fields of general interest to the whole student body. The students are
continuing their response to these efforts in the manner of past years.
The same discourteous, crude, distracting inattention pervades the at
mosphere of the auditorium from the time the organist finishes playing
until the speaker or performers attempting to inform or entertain the
audience conclude their remarks or performance and the crowd is once
again released. An innovation has occurred in this respect, however.
Now, along with the usual artificial coughing, uncalled-for groaning,
shuffling of feet and rustling of papers and pages audible throughout
the room during the piogram, tne students who find it necessary or
amusing to cause this commotion are beginning to react to the an
nouncement.; and introductions as if they were attending a melodrama
of the early 19(X)'s, or viewing a Shakespearean comedy from the "pit'
at the Globe by hissing and booing.
It seems as if nothing can be done about beginning the program on
time with the whole audience assembled, for there are always those who
will make a last-minute dash to the post office for mail, or linger on the
front steps of the auditorium furiously puffing their cigarettes down to
the filter and, hence, always arrive after the program has commenced.
Once again, however, it becomes necessary for something to be said
about the needed alteration in the conduct of the chapel audience as a
whole. So far this year the Convocation Committee has provided sev
eral very interesting, informative and entertaining programs. The stu
dents do not seem to have noticed this, however, because the response
is still the same, if not worse. At times the commotion is so noticeable
that the committee has felt it necessary to apologize to the speaker for
that day. This is appalling. There is no valid excuse for the antics of a
small number of the students who persist in distracting the audience
from the program, making the task of the speaker much more difficult,
and embarrassing those who are directly responsible to the visitors for
the conduct of the students. Because of the unwillingness of the remain
der of the students who do not usually cause the chapel commotion to
admonish their peers, thus effecting a natural form of discipline, the
faculty and administration officials who are directly involved find it
necessary to propose methods of discipline for those who disturb th'
proceedings. If a decision is reached concerning what method of disci
pline shall be used, there is certain to be a great uprising of indignant
protest on the part of the student bodv which has professed its auton
omy. It is certain that this group of administrators would like to see an
autonomous body of students, but when no initiative action is taken on
the part of the students to control the situation, it is not thev, but the
administrators who are held responsible for the atrocious conduct. If we
are actually able to govern ourselves, let us now take the responsibility
ourselves to single out those of us who would revert to childish antics
during chapel and exercise our pierogative in controlling and improving
the audience response to and participation in the convocation programs.
On a Deceiving Dogma
Late this summer, a bill was introduced into the General Assembly
of North Carolina which prohibits anv state-supported college or uni
versity from allowing its facilities to he used for speaking purposes by a
person who is a known communist or advocates the overthrow of the N
C. or U. S. Constitution or who has pleaded the Fifth Amendment of the
U. S. Constitution in refusing to answer questions put by a legislative
committee, court or executive or administrative board concerning al
leged subversive activities. Needless to say, this bill was ratified into law
after a last-minute frantic protest by a few of North Carolina s most re
sponsible senators, and it is now illegal for any person who has ever re
fused to answer questions about his alleged conduct to speak on North
Carolina state-supported campuses. Unfortunately, the law-makers of
this state realized too late the implications contained within the law.
After one reflects a bit, I believe that he will see what I mean bv ' im
plications;" at least, in as much as this law vitally concerns college stu
dents. Did not the makers of this law imply that college students are
like "sitting ducks" to communists because of their naivete and gullibil
ity? Did not they assume that if a speaker had ever had any affiliations
with any subversive organization that it was dangerous for students to
listen to him because they are so impressionable that anyone with un
healthy political doctrines who comes along can talk them into subver
sive activities —even if the speaker happens to be talking about botany?
If this is the lawmakers' assumption, is it not an admission that the
democratic process is reserved for people who are at least past college
age? Isn't it also saying that the dogma of democracy could not with
stand the mumbo-jumbo-fake-paradise-by-any-means philosophy of the
communists?
If we are not allowed to listen to both sides of an argument and de
cide for ourselves what is right and good for us, how can we declare
that we are being governed democratically?
Moreover, if we, as students, are silent on this matter, we are saying,
in effect, that we actually are children and have no voices of our own.
We are saying that we do not know our own minds and could not effec
tively argue against communistic ideas if they were presented to us by a
speaker.
Therefore, in answer to this law, we as students should not only pro
test the fact that we are being limited as to which speakers we can listen
to, but assert that we do know our own minds and are capable of decid
ing for ourselves what is right and what is wrong.
—VANCE ROCKWELL
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Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor:
7he school's handling of the drainage
of the college lake is just another example
of the inefficiency that encumbers the
maintenance department. It is a real
tragedy that so many fish had to die
while the lake was being drained. An
attempt was made to save a few of the
fish, but with better planning on the
par: of the school more adequate facili
ties could have been on hand to reclaim
the fish. This could have meant also
more fish with which to restock the lake
when it is refilled. One cannot help but
feel remorse at seeing such senseless
destruction of wildlife.
—DICK LOOMIS
Dear Editor
Why must a certain group of our stu
dents insist on spoiling chapel for the
rest of us? This kind of behavior in
chapel has to stop or we will see a sharp
drop in the quality of our chapel pro
grams. Admittedly we have not always
had great programs, but many of the
good ones have been poorly accepted.
What person would care to stand in
front of a group of students who hiss,
boo, snap their fingers and give forth
with tubercular coughs at inappropriate
moments? No one can take this treatment
for long and, for this reason, if we want
good chapels we must give our speakers
a better reception.
Does this childlike activity have some
thing to do with the fact that as sup
posedly mature college students, we are
being treated as if we were children?
Look at the chapel programs of two or
three years ago. Ihe programs were
never very good, but it was rarely if
ever that one heard a hiss or a boo. What
could be the reason? Either our students
were more mature or we were treated
that way.
This attitude of accepting the students
as somewhat immature is something that
the faculty has just started the last year
or two. It seems that each year the fac
ulty thinks up some new idea to dis
cipline the students. These disciplines
may be coming in the wrong areas. We
definitely need something done in chapel
bus discipline at meals and in the dorm
(with such things as unannounced room
inspection) are not needed.
The "new frontier" of our administra
tion and the "new look" in discipline
The Guilfordian
Second-class postage paid at Greensboro, N. C.
Published bi-weekly except during vacation and examination periods
by the students of Guilford College.
Editor Karen Baldwin Advertising Dick Ward
Associate Ed Don Smith Lee Milner
Managing Ed. Gary Lnr E? H=
News Ed Chris Browne Typists Carlton Sterling
Office Manager Mike Holt Dianne Swaine
Layout Doug Taylor Cartoons John Lindsey
Circulation Rosalyn Ivy Advisors Gene Key
Stu Marks Forrest Altman
Administration Ann King
STAFF REPORTERS
Why isn't YOUR name here?
seem to go hand in hand. I don't mean to
tread on any toes, but the attitudes of
both the students and faculty are some
what depressing. I myself don't like
some of the things that are happening
and perhaps we had better take a good
look at ourselves in this our 127 th year.
—A STUDENT
Records on Sale
Two record albums of the Broad
way musical, Plain and Fancy, pre
sented on this campus last spring
are available to everyone. The price
will be determined by how many
orders are received, i. e., if we re
ceive 25 orders the records will be
$5.50 each, making the album
$ll.OO, but if we receive more or
ders, needless to say the amount
will be less.
These records are of high qual
ity, recorded by the Copeland
Sound Studios, Inc., Greensboro,
and will be printed by the same
company and placed in white jack
ets. All records are monoral, 12-
inch, 33 1/3 R.P.M.
Any interested persons please
contact Patrick Larracey, Frazier
Apt. 26, or in the admissions office
any time before November 15th.
DIRT ON YOUR CAR?
The freshman class has made
tentative plans for a car wash ses
sion to be held either in the Student
Union parking lot or behind the
New Men's Dorm on November 8.
The car wash will be held all day
and the charge will be one dollar
per car. The proceeds will go to
finance other freshman class activi
ties. Final plans will be announced
at a later date.
October 25, 1963
Program Purposes
Under Scrutiny
The essential purpose of the In
stitutional Self-Study and Periodic
Visitation Program of the Commis
sion on Colleges of the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools
is the improving of the educational
effectiveness of colleges and univer
sities. The self-study procedure is
designed to help colleges and uni
versities reassess their objectives,
measure success in attaining them,
explore ways and means by which
educational efficiency may be im
proved and prepare for the ever
increasing demands upon institu
tions of higher learning. The pro
gram of Self-Study and Periodic
Visitation constitutes a process that
has proved effective. It is one that
permits each institution to measure
itself qualitatively and to be meas
ured by an evaluating visiting com
mittee through identification of
strengths and weaknesses, prob
lems and solutions.
Participation in the Self-Study
and Visitation Program is a re
quirement of all member institu
tions. A self-study is required as a
part of the application from all in
stitutions seeking initial accredita
tion by the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools.
As specified in the Standards of
the College Delegate Assembly, in
each ten-year period, member col
leges and universities will partici
pate in the Institutional Self-Study
and Periodic Visitation Program.
Institutions participate in this pro
gram according to a schedule pre
pared by the central office of the
Commission on Colleges. Experi
ence has demonstrated that in most
cases an institution should allocate
approximately eighteen months for
the study and visit.
The self-study is to be compre
hensive and institution-wide in
character. It should examine and
evaluate the past and the present in
resources, faculty, students, pro
grams, and clientele. All of these
elements should be studied in terms
of purposes and objectives. The
orimary focus of the self-studv
however, should be upon the long
range goals necessary to full reali
zation of the institution's role in
higher education. This type of
study is far more penetrating than
a self-survey, which merely gathers
information. It is conceivable that
the results may involve revising the
purposes and objectives of the in
stitution.
Guilford College had as one of its
original purposes the training of
young men and young women of
the Society of Friends to return to
their local communities as leaders
and teachers. Soon non-Friends
were accepted. The original pur
pose became one aspect of the more
inclusive goal: to provide a basic,
broad, and integrated educational
program.
Such a liberal education has two
fundamental goals: first, it sho -'
prepare each student to live an in
telligently directed and purposeful
life; second, it should help him dis
cover and develop his unique inter
ests and abilities, so that he will
make his maximum contribution to
his fellow man.
Fundamental to Guilford's edu
cational philosophy is the belief
that, on the one hand, knowledge
cannot be divided into unrelated
segments, but on th° other hand
equally fundamental, is th" belief
in academic freedom for students
and faculty. No dogma is forced
upon students or facultv. Rather, it
is hoped that the thorough and
honest exploration of all academic
disciplines will enhance the appre
ciation of beauty, truth, and good
ness, leading to a closer, more
meaningful relationship with God
We believe that sniritual and
moral values cannot be divorced
from the educational process. We
are, therefore, dedicated to the goal
of providing an atmosohere in
which both students and faculty
can devote themselves to the pur
suit of intellectual, sniritual. and
moral values to the end that the in
dividual can take his place as a
constructive force in our complex
society.