Head to Head: The Debate over the NAS and the Guilford Curriculum, paqe 4
GThe
UILFORDIAN
Guilford Loses Two of Its Best'
Peter Smith
Managing Editor
Members of the Guilford College com
munity were both shocked and saddened
during the week of November 19 over the
sudden, unexpected deaths of Dr. Grimsley
T. Hobbs and John C. Grice.
Both Hobbs and Grice died of apparent
heart attacks.
Dr. Hobbs, who was currently a profes
sor of philosophy at Guilford, died in a
single car accident near Pittsboro, North
Carolina, on November 19 after suffering
an apparent heart attack at the wheel of his
vehicle.
Hobbs had been a member of the Guilford
community since 1964. He also served as
the fifth president of the college from 1964
Plans Being Considered for
Michael Tobkes
Staff Writer
In the Broadway musical Fiddler on the
Roof, the Jewish village of Anatevka is
held together by a single bond, also the
name of one of the play's songs. Web
ster's defines it as "a custom so long con
tinued that it has almost become a force of
law."
What is it? Tradition.
For the second time in two years there is
serious discussion pertaining to making
Milner a co-ed residence hall. To many
this would destroy the tradition and memo
ries behind the all-male Milner, the male
bonding, the guys' games of foosball, the
comraderie, the fraternity-like atmosphere
at a college which forbids fraternities.
At press time a closed meeting of the
Quality of Residential Life (QRL) task
force was being held to decide whether
there will be a forum or survey to listen to
and evaluate student's reactions to the talk
some time next week.
Plans to make Milner coeducational were
first proposed last year by Richard Ford,
director of Residential Life, following the
allocation of $ 1.8 million in bond revenue
for the now-famous Milner renovation. At
the time it was understood that the other
residence halls would all be renovated
after Milner, which was considered the
most wanting. However, plans for im
Vol. 75, No. 9 Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C. Dec. 3, 1990
to 1979.
During his tenure as president, Hobbs
was credited with improving the physical
facilities on campus, expanding the Board
of Trustees by including non-Quakers,
increasing faculty salaries, increasing new
faculty appointments, and improving the
college curriculum.
Hobbs was a native of Greensboro and
graduated from Guilford in 1947. He
received his master's degree in philosophy
from Haverford College in 1948 and a
doctorate at Duke University in 1955. He
also served on the faculty at Earlham
College before returning to Guilford ia
1964.
Grice, who was currently an associate
professor of justice and policies studies,
died on the morning of November 21 after
proving Binford were put on hold indefi
nitely after the Milner project was com
pleted some $400,000 over-budget. Bear
ing this in mind, it was felt that female
Binford residents should be allowed an
equal opportunity at living in a "new" hall,
in a co-educational setting, as their male
counterparts.
According to Ford, incoming freshmen
are, by and large, indicating a preference
for co-ed housing on their request forms,
which are sent in along with their housing
deposits. The percentage of co-ed requests
is between 50 and 60 percent Ford also
feels that males should be allowed more
options, like living among men and women.
Atpresent there are 130 co-ed spaces for
men on campus in Binford (albeit pre
dominantly freshmen space) and Bryan
halls. There are 300 single-sex spaces
available between Milner and English halls,
as well as some of the alternative housing.
If the current plans arc indeed executed
there will be 75 to 80 men, who currently
reside in the second floor of Milner, dis
placed. If the new apartments are con
structed on time and are ready for next fall,
half of the 94 spaces created will be given
to men. Presumably many of those men
will be leaving Milner to make way for the
new women residents.
Ironically, a number of students—both
Milner and Binford residents —are indif
ferent as to the ultimate decision. Several
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suffering a heart attack at his residence.
He was due for heart bypass surgery on
Co-ed Milner
men from Milner said that they would
simply "not mind" having women in their
hall, while others were wholeheartedly
supportive of it. Still, they questioned
whether women would in fact want to live
there, given Milner's reputation as an all
male hall. Of some dozen female Binford
residents questioned, few opposed Milner
going co-ed, yet none were interested in
living there. Perhaps more ironically, the
only females found wishing to live in Milner
were residents of the all-female Mary
Hobbs.
Generally, the strongest opponents are
upperclass Milner residents and residen
tial life staff members. Hall Director Troy
Closson is vehemently against having
women in Milner, where he has lived for
the past three years. When the proposal
was first discussed last year Closson re
calls a "lynch mob in the lounge."
He points to the quarter-century tradi
tion of an all-male Milner and feels that
Hobbs, for example, would never be co
ed. He feels that making English, a hall
with 24-hour quiet hours, the only all-male
building on campus would be unfair.
Assistant Director of Residential Life
Helen Mulhem, who lives in one of the two
Milner apartments, remains non-commit
tal, awaiting the results of the upcoming
see CO-ED on page 9 >■
■
December 3. Grice was 53.
Grice had been a member of theGuilford
faculty since 1966 and was known for his
teaching ability. He received the Excel
lence in Teaching Award of the Board of
Visitors twice in his tenure at Guilford. He
received his undergraduate degree in 1962
from Wittenberg University and his mas
ter's degree from the Graduate School of
International Relations at the University
of Denver in 1976.
Memorial services were held last week
at Guilford for the two distinguished pro
fessors.
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