November 15, 1991
Community means communication
Blair Fingerhut and Stacie Boggs
Guest Writers
In seeking to free ourselves from bias,
respect for the right to have differing points
of view is crucial. We are concerned that this
respect and the following section from the
"Statement of Purpose" from the Guilford
College catalog (1990-1991) are not being
completely fulfilled:
'The college desires to have a 'commu
nity of seekers,' individuals dedicated to
shared and corporate search as an important
part of there lives. Such a community can
come about only when there is diversity
throughout the institution- a diversity of
older and younger perspectives, a diversity
of racial and cultural backgrounds, a diver
sity of beliefs and value orientations. Through
experiencing such differing points of view,
we seek to free ourselves from bias" (p.ii).
Respecting somebody else and their
rights to believe what they choose does not
necessarily mean accepting what they be
lieve. One may disagree with another, yet
they should still respect one another's rights
to believe differently. We are here to learn
from one another. In order to learn from one
another, discussion (talking and listening)
needs to take place. This discussion can take
place only if we are willing to respect
another's right to hold their point of view
Class of 1991 gift honors faculty
Editor's note: The following are letters
intercepted by The Guilfordian concern
ing the class gift by the Class of 1991.
With the help of Vance Ricks, Bill Guy
and Jim Newlin, the 1991 class gift has
finally arrived. After Bill, Vance and I
consulted with our fellow seniors, we real
ized that we came to Guilford for a variety
of reasons. The one reason common to
everyone was a desire for a good educa
tion. Guilford provided just that We there
fore decided to dedicate our class gift to the
professors who made it happen.
Letters
>■ continued from page 2
by Margaret Atwood? It is frighteningly realistic,
although fictional, account of what happens when
the individual woman is stripped of the right to
control her reproductive system, when someone
else decides what is morally correct for her. I am
disgusted and insulted at the pro-lifer's implica
tion that he can decide for my body better than I
can. That is specifically why the pro-life move
ment will never succeed.
At the same time, I highly doubt that the pro
choice movement will win over the pro-lifers.
Whatis the solution? Itwillnotbereachedifboth
sides remain mired in their bickering. It will only
be attained when the right problem is addressed:
the occurrence of unwanted pregnancies.
Tanya Stiegler
and only if we are willing to try to under
stand the other's point of view. In construc
tive discussion we can agree to disagree.
Communication is the vehicle in which learn
ing about differing points of views occurs.
Without communication learning cannot
happen.
As a Jewish woman, I, Blair, think that
this respect for other's diversity and the
right to hold onto their uniqueness are some
things that we need to honor. I especially
feel this way concerning Israeli politics and
anti-semitism.
I don't feel like we are taking the oppor
tunity (especially in such a small commu
nity) to talk constructively about the issues
that concern us. By making uninformed
decisions, one is building an extra wall of
stereotypes and prejudices; these are then
much harder to break down. Surrounding
ourselves with more walls of stereotypes
and prejudices inhibits us from being open
to hear and listen to what others are saying.
No one, including myself, is perfect in
achieving this kind of communication all
the time. We need to at least try and uphold
Guilford's"Statementof Purpose" and strive
to be a "community of seekers" that learns
from our diversity.
As a Christian, I, Stacie, have often felt
that there is a respect and tolerance for
certain, but not all, viewpoints on campus. I
Each full-time professor from last year
will receive a gross of forty-three dollars.
This salary supplement should appear as a
separate item on your voucher. As a class,
we wanted some way to recognize your
importance to us. This is not the ideal ex
pression of our gratitude, but is instead a
symbolic gesture. Thank you again for ev
erything you have given us.
Glenn Lissner
Senior Class Rep. 1990-91
The following Minute of Appreciation
to the Class of 1991 was approved by the
faculty at its Nov. 6, 1991, meeting:
New idea proposed
for keg policy
To the editor.
I am writing to discuss the keg policy. I feel
I have a solution that will solve the whole thing.
Here it is. Use a 12-pack rule. The rule is as
follows: for every student 21 or over, there may
be no more than one 12-pack in a room. That
means that if two 21-year-olds room together,
they may have 24 beers in their room. For a suite
wilh all legal age tenants, a keg will be allowed.
The same for an apartment with at least six legal
age tenants. The reason is simple.
If one 21-year-old has a 12-pack of beer,
than he/she is unlikely to share it, needing all that
beer to get a good buzz going. If you are too big
Perspectives
have often seen a lack of respect or tolerance
for the Evangelical Christian perspective.
This bothers me because this intolerance is
contrary to the "Statement of Purpose" of
the college.
I can learn a lot from those whose beliefs
differ from mine, and vice versa. Learning
from one another does not require agree
ment with one another. For example, I be
lieve that Jesus is God and Blair believes
that Jesus is not God. By discussing this
issue with Blair, I can better understand her
position and in the process, better under
stand my position.
We have not given up our beliefs but we
have learned how each other thinks about
these beliefs. This is learning, this is discus
sion. Without this discussion, had we avoided
talking about these issues, I would not have
had as full of an understanding of my own
faith.
I believe that there are always going to
be conflicting views, and that is okay. We,
as a community, need to respect, not avoid,
that expression of differing views. At the
same time, we need to avoid the stereotypes,
hostility and rumors that, 1) have in the past
stemmed from these expressions and 2) could
hinder the community that we are striving to
create.
These are some important points that we
have been concerned about.
One reason why we have all chosen to
work at Guilford College is our shared
desire to participate in the endeavor to
provide a good education to thoughtful
students. The unexpected decision by
members of the class of 1991 to dedicate
their class gift to us is therefore especially
heartwarming and touching. We accept
that gift with gratitude and with a renewed
sense in our own commitment towards our
students and their education. We send you
our warm wishes for a fulfilling and pro
ductive future.
Sincerely,
The Guilford College Faculty
to get drunk on a 12-pack, either lose weight or do
not get drunk...or go to a bar.
The idea here is that if every 21-year-old
were allowed only a 12-pack at a time in his/her
room, then there would be less beer to provide to
minors. For you minors who wish to get drunk,
buy a fake ID and get arrested. The time behind
bars will do you some good.
I personally would like to see a dry campus.
If it could be enforced that no alcohol came on
campus, I would be a very happy man. However,
that being unrealistic, I think a 12-pack rule
would do nicely.
If by chance that rule were broken, I think
immediate removal from the dorms would be a
good step to take. If enforced, this rule wold put
a halt to anyone trying to hold wild drunken
parties.
Ben Rose
THE GUILFORD IAN
Let's end
the war
concerning
homophobia
Ben Rose
Staff Writer
My fellow students, it is I again, and I
am angry. I wrote you a nice editorial about
homophobia. I said let's stop it. I made it
quite clear how I felt. It has not stopped in
my opinion. It has just become a stupid
war. I am sick of it. I want it to stop.
Without mentioning names—l was
asked by some people not to —I would like
to tell everyone that trying to educate people
about sexuality on National Coming Out
Day is ill-timed and downrightsilly. People
are out to celebrate those who choose to
own up to being sexually attracted to the
same sex or both sexes. It is hardly a time
to be discussing sexuality with anyone, for
it will only lead to misunderstanding. I
assumed that, as college students, we had
sense enough to know all this. However,
that is clearly not the case, and so now you
know. Do not let it happen again please.
As for the letter writers, good for you
for expressing your opinions, not so good
that you choose to use other people as your
weapons. I do not think that is cool. In fact,
I think that is wrong. I feel that if you wish
to use your own life as an example of how
your opinion is correct, then do so. By all
means go ahead. But do not use someone
else's life to prove points.
I personally do not stand on either side
in this issue. I am neutral. I know what the
Bible says, and I know what my con
science says. I do not judge anyone. I mean
hey, maybe it is a sin, but to cast a verbal
stone against it, I must first be without sin
and I am not. I therefore do not choose to
take sides. You are all wrong in my view.
I would like to make this clear. I am
here to get an education. I have friends
here. My friends also need to get an educa
tion. If my friends get hurt it interferes with
their mental processes and they cannot
function at full capacity. I am obligated to
help them, and thus I can not function at
full capacity. I beg you, stop hurting each
other. Love one another. Be good to each
other. Too many people are getting hurt,
and I do not like it. I am now really upset.
If you must write in and comment on this
stuff, write to this editorialist. Write to tell
me I am wrong. Write to tell me to go to
Hell. Write to tell me you hate me. Just stop
writing to hurt each other. I do not care
what you write to say about me, I am an
editorial writer. If you make me mad, I will
write about you and let you know. I am
supposed to take anger and heat. You all
need to love each other. Please end this
senseless stupidity before someone really
gets hurt beyond repair.
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