8
THE GUILFORDIAN
Senator's
Notebook
James Green
Senate calls for
student involvement
The meeting on this Wednesday was
no ordinary Senate meeting. We kicked
tilings off with a spectacular laser light
show and moved right into our band of
the week, Pink Floyd, playing live.
Yes, Boren Lounge was really rock
ing on Nov. 21. Following that we had
our standard moment of silence.
The meeting began and we approved
the minutes from last week's Senate
meeting with no problem.
From there we downshifted into the
Senate executive's Officerßeports when
Brian Piatt, our Senate secretary, re
ported on tuition increases on which the
Strategic Long Range Planning com
mittee decided.
Drum roll please, tuition will increase
9.75 percent, and room and board will
increase 8.75 percent for a grand total of
a 9.5 percent increase.
Under Committee Reports the Stu
dent Services Committee reported that
within days we should have a
wafflemaker in the cafeteria for student
use.
The Environmental Concerns Com
mittee announced that recycling of glass
bottles will start soon in the Under
ground.
Carried over from last week was the
Proposed Sexual Harassment Policy
which we discussed in great detail again.
We had a lot of good discussion and
we're making progress towards getting
this policy approved and into the hand
book.
We still need to have the community's
views so talk to your senator about this
issue.
Also under old business was the keg
policy which we also discussed. A new
keg policy proposal was introduced in
Senate on Wednesday so it is important
that we get everyone's opinion on this
new policy as well as on the one's that
have already been proposed.
Please talk to your senator about this
issue and also about the sexual harass
ment policy.
Senate meetings are always a blast
and they're better than a grocery store
for meeting eligible singles.
So come on out and join us at 2:30
p.m. Wednesdays in Boren Lounge—
and bring your breath mints.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed
by the author of this column do not
necessarily reflect those of The Guil
fordian or of the Community Senate.
Amnesty speaker decries death penalty
Susan C. Roberts
Staff Writer
A presentation followed by a discussion
about the death penalty took place in the
Guilford College cafeteria Wednesday,
Nov. 13. Norman Smith, who is an attorney
and member of the community Chapter of
Amnesty International, spoke about the dif
ferent aspects of the death penalty through
out its history.
Analyzing the application of the death
penalty throughout the world, Smith con
cluded that this form of punishment has
been reduced, if not abolished, from many
countries. In the United States today only
first-degree murders are punishable by death,
and, even then, only in certain cases. Many
years ago, a person who committed robbery
was subject to the death penalty.
Smith also gave a short explanation of the
history of the gradual decline of the death
penalty in the world. Looking at different
nations and their laws concerning the death
penalty, Smith noted that many countries
have abolished this form of punishment.
Even among communist countries efforts
have been made to eliminate the death pen
alty. East Germany was the first communist
country to abolish it, and many others fol
lowed their example.
Focusing specifically on the United States,
the number of executions has also been
reduced drastically. There were 200 execu
tions in 1935. By the 1980s the death pen
Internships
>• continued from page 1
to report to the Academic Dean for credit
bearing internships and to the Dean of Stu
dents for Career Development. Irene
Harrington, a newly hired administrator,
also serves as a full-time assistant director
to Kaplan.
Despite the elimination of Keith for bud
getary reasons, two full-time administra
tors remain within the program.
However, according to President Bill
Rogers, Guilford could afford to maintain
two full-time administrators within the In
ternship and Experiential Learning Program
as a result of additional revenue provided by
a grant from the Bonner Foundation.
Although the future structure of the pro
gram is still undetermined, the Experiential
Learning Committee is currently consider
ing three options for the program.
One of the options would leave the cur
rent interim structure unchanged. Another
option would involve a continued split be
tween career development and internships
and experiential learning, representing vir
tually the same model as last year. A final
option would involve more faculty repre
sentation, reducing the current full-time
administrative Assistant Director position
into a part-time job, and creating a part-time
News
alty was applied less than 15
times per year. Likewise, many
states gradually abolished the
death penalty, the first one
being Michigan in 1846. In
many countries, and even in
some states within the United
States, efforts to reestablish
this form of penalty have been
mostly unsuccessful.
Smith explained that torture
was a common form of pun
ishment many years ago, but it
gradually disappeared from
society. Corporal punishment,
too, has been abolished. Smith said that
today the death penalty is not a form of
torture anymore. Laws have mandated greater
compassion towards prisoners who have been
sentenced to capital punishment. In most of
the states where the death penalty still exists,
the electric chair is no longer being used; it
was seen as very painful for the person.
States now use painless lethal injections to
execute convicted murderers.
In analysis of the death penalty's conse
quences, Smith said that it is not a deterrent
for crime. Studies have proven that execu
tions have the opposite effect on society than
they are intended. After an execution takes
place in a city, the crime rate actually tends
to increase during the following weeks. It is
seen as an example of the government utiliz
ing "crime and brutality." Smith said, "It
cheapens life." In an effort to prevent this
position to be handled by f"
a faculty member who
would be responsible
solely for credit-bearing
internships and experien
tial learning.
In outlining the three op
tions, the Experiential
Learning Committee con
sidered a variety of con
cerns including the need
for an emphasis on cost
effectiveness, the impor- ____________
tance of liberal arts and
service learning elements within intern
ships, and the importance which career de
velopment plays within the internship role.
The committee also wanted to achieve an
effective integration of internships, experi
ential learning, and career development,
avoiding unnecessary duplication of re
sources within the various elements of the
program.
During Jim Keith's stint as Director of
Internships and Service Learning, it was
argued that internships involving various
pre-professional departments were not fully
developed and that there existed a bias in
favor of internships involving the traditional
liberal arts.
It was also suggested that unnecessary
duplication of resources was occurring and
students were confused as to which director
to consult when considering various intern-
Did you know...?
•In the United States only first degree murders are
punishable by death.
•Years ago robbery was punishable by death.
•Even among communists countries the death pen
alty is being used less.
•After an execution takes place in a city, the crime
rate actually tends to increase in the following
weeks.
unwanted backlash in society, executions
today are not made public.
Another point presented by Smith was the
fact that death is final and can not be undone
by any means. There is always a risk of
human error involved in judging a person,
and it is not possible to say that the judgment
is going to be 100 percent fair or just. There
have been cases in which authorities and
police officers proved that the already ex
ecuted person was innocent. Then in other
cases, the lawschange, making specific forms
of crime no longer punishable by death, only
after many people had been killed for com
mitting those crimes.
Since the death penalty is not intended to
be a form of revenge, and it does not have an
apparent utility, Smith indicated that an in
creasing numberof people are growing skep
tical about the capital punishment issue.
Three options being explored by
The Experiential Learning Committee:
•Maintain the current interim structure, which is employ
ing two full-time administrators.
•Support of a continued split between career development
and internships and experiential learning, virtually the
same model as last year.
•More faculty representation, reducing the current full
time administrative Assistant Director position into a
part-time job, and creating a part-time position to be
handled by a faculty member.
ship opportunities. The Experiential Learn
ing Committee hopes to address these con
cerns while at the same time maintaining a
cost-effective program as a result of the
current budget restraints.
In addition to the open forum, three Guil
ford committees will have the responsibility
of exploring various options concerning the
future of internships and experiential learn
ing at Guilford. These committees include
the Clerk's Committee, the Enrollment Man
agement Committee, and the Experiential
Learning Committee. All three committees
will be forwarding their recommendations
to Administrative Council which is respon
sible for making the final recommendation
to the Board of Trustees. A final decision is
not expected until the middle of spring se
mester.
November 25, 1991