November 9,1976
remarkable ability to imbue the people from top to bottom of the the society
(that distance no longer being very significant in social terms!) with a sense of
"co-responsibility." Everyone is responsible not only for himself, but for the
success of the social effort, the ultimate extension of the "I am my brother's
keeper" philosophy. Evidently this has been done in a way which we can
hardly grasp, a way which seems to make criticism of self acceptable to the
self (or at least go a long way towards that goal).
These social changes do not conflict with Quakerism, I believe. I believe
that a sense of co-responsibility is the one most vital missing ingredient in
America today, a pervasive desire to make the system work, to perfect,
improve ... in a word, "to promote the kingdom of God on earth." I believe
the national attention to leisure, to self-indulgence (called alcohol, drugs, and
such other "foods" which tend to dull the human perceptions), the tendency
toward sloth, to sexuality, to self-pity, towards making life easy and materially
richer ... all of these things detract from any serious attention to the higher
goal. I believe that "fun' (a sophomoric term when used as in "Fun City" or
"fun house") can and should be replaced by joy in creative accomplishment,
joy in heightened perception of the world around us, joy in human relation
ship.
If what Jay Smith said about China is not true, if there are dark sides of the
Chinese life which we cannot abide, then I believe we should still do what we can
to synthesize into our system those sides that are clearly good. Most especially
we should try to implement those aspects of the society which so closely coincide
.with Quaker ideals, implement them right here at Guilford College. We would
see a rise in honesty, consideration fo the rights of others (that means if you
want to be loud, or drunk, or socially unacceptable in any way, do it in a
way that doesn't impinge on those who don't at that time appreciate your
behavior!) . . . and a rise in the seriousness with which we approach the
enormous task of making this a better world to live in.
I firmly believe that an understanding of this sort of subject should be an out
standing part of any person's stay here at Guilford college.
Damon Hickey
Guilford College is an academic community which was founded and is
operated by the Quakers and which has teaching and learning as its primary
purpose. I think members of the community should be concerned about
teaching and learning and about whether the quality of community life is
supportive of it. Quakers have always been very concerned about the community
and the individual. The community listens carefully to each of its members
because it values their particualr insights, but each member is expected to be
supportive of the purposes for which the community exists.
Dave Maclnnes
Every individual in the Guilford College Community should acquaint themselves
with Quakerism. Attend Quaker Meeting several times and talk with those you
find there. Make your knowledge of Quakerism and Quakers first hand, not
just what you read. Guilford claims to be Quaker and to do things in the
Quaker way. If it is to do this its members must have an awareness of Quakerism
and the way it works.
Don Millholland
I cannot speak with authority on this subject since I am not a member of the
Society of Friends. I can, however, give you my impressions after more than ten
years of teaching at Guilford College. I believe Quakers are notable for their
affirmation of individual expression and a strong sense of toleration. Their deep
sense of community is made possible by their common commitment to what is
inexpressible. No community is possible unless there is a common basis for it.
Guilford College emphasizes toleration and a concern for individuals, and this is
due, in large part, to Quaker influence; but so many people complain that Guilford
is not a community. Apparently we lack a common basis for it. Since most of
us are not Quakers in the formal sense, we must find a basis for community
in something which is expressible.
I believe I am at Guilford both to learn and to teach, informed by standards
of intellectual honesty. What I am here to learn and teach about is the
advancement of knowledge. This has specific implications for our classrooms,
academic standards, offices, dormitories, laboratories and libraries. I do not
want us to neglect our need for rest and recreation, but I would like to see
us give academic concerns our highest priority. I do not believe that a deep
concern for truth is incompatible with a religious commitment. I believe it is
entailed by it. We should, I think, make academic concerns our highest
priority. This is my concern and I hope that others will express theirs so we
can proceed to find a common basis for community and community responsibility.
Fred Parkhurst
It seems to me that there are two tendencies within the Religious Society
of Friends. One group of Quakers places emphasis upon matters of personal
integrity, simplicity, faithfulness in family life, both marital and premarital sexual
fidelity, keeping clear of intoxicants, the avoidance of pride in material things,
and generally a strong witness for individual virtue and upon personal moral
The Guilfordian
values. Another group of Quakers places emphasis upon social concerns,
such as promoting appreciation for the ultimate kinship of all human beings,
racial equality, the peace witness, conscientious objection to war, the problem of
poverty and the right sharing of resources, and for the right use of resources.
I favor both of these approaches, moral values and social concerns. I think
that this is one of the unique features of the Quaker approach to Christianity,
and which ought to be one of the unique aspects of the Quaker approach to
education at Guilford College.
Because Quakerism is unique we have a special responsibility to make
prospective students aware of our uniqueness. They should not expect to find
at Guilford a carbon copy of a state school or another private college. We are
not a public univeristy, and we are not just an excellent small liberal arts college.
We are a Quaker college and that ought to mean something very special and
different. This difference, in both our academic program and in our social
policy, ought to be made available to students when inquiries come to us. We
should send propective students not only a copy of our catalog, but a copy of
our student handbook. Students ought to know, for example, before they
come to Guilford that we have a testimony against alcohol. They ought to have
an option not to come to Guilford if that policy is offensive to them. It is only
fair that they come with full understanding of what we expect as part of the
community life on this campus.
We need to confront the prospective student with Friends testimonies,
ideals, principles, practices, and concerns. I admit that this may be extremely
difficult to accomplish unless we ourselves set the example. This means that the
administration of the college and the faculty committee on recruitment need to
employ instructors at Guilford who are willing to serve as exemplars. We need
to practice what we claim to be. Rather than saying, "a college is not a
church," Friends believe that all of life is sacred, and that education is not
complete without sensitivity to concerns arising out of deep-felt religious
convictions. These convictions need not require a prospective faculty member to
be a Quaker, but there must be more than a commitment to intellectual
competence. In addition to institutional support for academic values, there must
be at least an equal commitment to moral values, personal integrity, and
individual responsibility.
Dave Stanfield
Although it may be risky to make the assumption, I shall assume that any
one electing to join the Guilford College community as a student, teacher or
staff employee comes knowing Guilford is a Quaker-related institution. Not
enough may be stated in the catalogue or discussed in an employment
interview about Guilford's Quaker values, but it is remiss on the part of the
College if anyone enters the community entirely ignorant of Guilford's Quaker
heritage and current practices. At least enough should be said to arouse the
new member's curiosity about what effect Quakerism may have on the College's
policies and expectations.
The first responsibility, then of an individual contemplating coming to Guilford
is to ask, "What difference does it make?" Such a question should be addressed
to more than one person presently in the College community in order to benefit
from more than one limited perspective. Of course, ask persons at Guilford
who are themselves Quakers, or Friends, who can respond out of personal
experience with the influence of Quaker faith, and not simply from reading about
Quakerism. Engage in conversation with persons in the community who are
personally committed to Quaker values and who can go beyond discussing
"at arm's length" Quakerism as an interesting social or religious phenomenon.
A second responsibility of an individual inquiring about Quaker principles
and practices at Guilford is to test their validity by vigorous questioning and
perceptive observation of those who attempt to personify these values. If
Quakerism is any good it should be able to stand up to the kind of tough,
rigorous situations that would threaten to unravel our lives or allow us to lapse
into a routine, mediocre existence.
The third responsibility, after becoming informed about and testing the
validity of Quaker principles and practices as shared at Guilford, is to accept
them to whatever degree they may enhance the individual's experience at two
levels.
first, at the level of personal development and character growth;
second, at the level of developing positive social relationships.
If, however, the individual finds that his personal scale of values seriously
conflicts with the personal and social expectations of Quaker principles and
practices at Guilford, then he may conclude, that for him, at least, the conflict
will be resolved by leaving the community.
Mark Waldman
The concern of the faculty with Quakerism should be a broad one which
focuses primarily on the acquisition of self-knowledge as well as an understanding
of one's discipline. On the basis of all knowledge gained faculty members may
also lead students towards the development and expression of their individual
human spirits.
Perhaps the most important aspect of this entire process is the development
in the student of the realization that the overcoming of egotistic drives remains
the primary problem on a world scale as well as at the level of the individual.
It is in the realization of this great problem that I feel a Quaker institution
can make its most significant contribution to the development of its students.
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