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Volume 78 Issue Guilford College / Greensboro, N.C. February 11,1994
SENATE AND UNION
TICKETS NAMED
Special Projects Committee
announced the names of the
candidates seeking office for
Senate and Union. The two
tickets for Senate are:
(in order from Pres, VP,
Treas., and Secretary):
•Richard Ewell
Chris Behm
Brian Burton
Terr an ce Lasterr
•Wade Tomlinson
Gail Kasun
Nick Remmes
Shingai Jaravaza
Union has one ticket
running:
•Megan McSheffery
Andy Swanson
Lehia Sobsey
(Treasurer has not been
named).
BONNER'S
COORDINATOR
NAMED
Cary Eby has been hired
as the Coordinator of the
Bonner Scholars Program.
Having a full-time
coordiantor will help Guil
ford better meet the needs of
its sixty Bonner Scholars.
Eby joins Judy Harvey
Bailey, new Director of the
Bonners Scholar Program.
WHITLOW TO
READ POETRY
Carolyn Beard Whitlow,
associate professor of En
glish, will read from her po
etry Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m. in the
Gallery, Founders Hall.
This is Whitlow's second
semester at Guilford, where
she has played an active role
in hosting and reading of po
etry.
Black history
month begins
Beth Stringfield
Staff Writer
The month of February has been
set aside as Black History Month,
to recognize and celebrate the con
tributions of Africans in society.
Guilford, too, joins in the rec
ognition, with activities sponsored
by the African American Cultural
Society (AACS).
During this month, AACS has
planned discussions, forums, cel
ebrations, and guest speakers ac
cording to Lynn Harris, the group's
president.
These activities include such
things as a program on what it
means to be to be black and pro
black on a white campus, includ
ing misconceptions of black pride.
There will be a continuation
from Martin Luther King Day of
the discussion about racism on
campus. A panel and discussion on
the issue of being a black man at
Guilford by black male students
Guilford
attrition:
More students
leaving while
fewer enter
Christian Scanniello
Staff Writer
Recently released figures
show slight increases in both
Guilford's attrition and aca
demic probation rates.
In 1993, 10.5% of all first
time entrants did not return for
a second semester at Guilford, a
rise from the 9% figure of 1992.
The numbers also show a 3 per
cent rise from 1992, from 11%
to 14%, in the number of stu
dents on academic probation.
Coordinator of Academic Ad
vising Jerry Godard, who com
piled the retention statistics, said
the new numbers are not a cause
for alarm.
will be held.
A program on Martin Luther
King Jr. that was postponed from
MLK Day, with the scheduled
guest speaker, Dr. C. Don Steger,
the assistant city manager for
Charlotte, is also to be held.
Extending beyond February,
AACS plans to continue their cel
ebration into Women's History
Month, emphasizing the contribu
tions of black women to society.
AACS also plans to host a
speaker or to hold a discussion at
each of their regular meetings,
such as the forum on the use of the
word "nigger," which was the topic
of their last meeting. These, they
hope, will be a component of all
of their meetings from now on,
according to Harris.
The long-term goal of Black
History Month, according to
Katrina Wilder, the AACS vice
president, is "to educate about
black history on a predominately
See BLACK HISTORY, page 3
"I think cause for attention is
probably more appropriate,"
saidGodard. "There have been
worse years than this I'm sure."
Godard said the rise in the at
trition rate can partly be attrib
uted to the fact that Guilford ac
cepted a higher percentage of its
applicant pool in 1993, despite
the smaller actual numbers of
first-time entrants.
In 1993 there were 383 new
students, while 1992 saw 401
new entrants.
Of the 45 first-time students
who did not return for the spring
semester, five were on academic
leave and 14 were either dis
missed, suspended, or academi
cally withdrawn.
Students on academic leave
arc those who plan on returning
to Guilford in the fail, but are
pursuing academic interests
elsewhere this semester. These
students are not represented in
the 10.5% attrition figure.
In 1992,34 first-time students
did not return for a second se
mester. Of those 34, ten were
See ATTRITION, page 4
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OSMOSIS: Chris Atack attempts an old learning trick.
He adds a neiv element by sleeping in the sun. How
successful was it? Just ask Chris.
Photo by Daphne Lewis
Celebration of King
holiday discussed
Gail Kasun
News Editor
How will Guilford celebrate the
birthday of Martin Luther King,
Jr.?
This was the question discussed
at the forum concerning King on
Feb. 2, in the Gallery. Provost Dan
Poteet led the forum.
Poteet said that the issue has
been discussed in several organi
zations, but thought that it would
be helpful to offer the community
a forum wherein their ideas "that
may not have already entered dis
cussion" could be heard.
Several faculty, staff and stu
dents provided ideas and asked
questions.
The most debated question was
whether King's birthday should be
a day off for the entire campus.
"The current plan [of activities
and events on a regular class day]
creates a lot of confusion," History
Professor Sarah Malino said. "It's
not a satisfactory solution."
"There are people who say de
claring it a holiday will have a re
verse effect of what the college
intends," Poteet said, explaining
that it would create a three-day
weekend.
Other reasons which could dis
courage the declaration of the day
as a holiday: it would create a dis
ruption in the flow of the academic
calendar, Quaker institutions do
not single out individuals for holi
days, and it would create a logisti
cal problem of when that day's ac
tivities would get done, Poteet
said.
"None of the reasons has any
particularly overwhelming force at
this time," Poteet said.
Students said that they missed
scheduled activities at Guilford on
King's birthday because teachers
had planned quizzes for that day,
and they also did not want to miss
class.
"I think it's important that ev
erybody has the opportunity to
See KING, page 2