8
The Official Guilford College
By Colin Berry
STAFF WRITER
Imagine yourself as a junior
at Guilford College. You live on
the second floor of Bryan Hall: the
official party suite.
It is Friday, April 16, 1999.
1:33 p.m. You are woken up
by blaring rays of the spring sun
and a churning stomach, still ach
ing from last night's bash. It was
your 21st birthday, and your
friends took you to taste-test at
every bar in town. You roll over in
an attempt to find darkness again,
but the light is much too bright.
Your mind starts wandering, and
you smile as you think about the
party your suite is throwing to
night.
2:01 p.m. You crawl out of bed
and stumble to the shower. Over
the pounding water you hear your
friend talking to you. "Hey, do you
think you can go by the store and
pick up a couple of cases of beer
for tonight?" "Sure," you say.
You're 21 now. Why not?
5:30 p.m. You have done ev
erything you set out to do today.
Most importantly, you went to the
store for beer.
10:17 p.m.You hear voices
rumbling inside your suite. You
peek out the door and tell your
friends that you'll be out when you
get off the phone. You are on long
distance, a late Happy Birthday
call.
10:29 p.m. You down
your first beer. Then another.
Then another. Then another.
11:43 p.m. Smoke is lin
gering in every corner of the room.
You grab your friend Sarah's arm
and lead her to the third floor bal
cony of Bryan. You were in such a
hurry to get out to catch a breath
of fresh air that you both forgot to
put your beers down. Oh well,
you've done it before.
11:47 p.m. Your R.A.
walks up to see how the party is
going. Unfortunately, he sees your
beers, so he patiently asks you to
pour them out. You don't want any
trouble, so you do what he says.
However, your R.A. tells you that
security is getting tight this year
and that he will have to issue a
written reprimand to both you and
Sarah. You understand and coop
erate.
12:01 p.m. The party is
still going, but by now everyone is
playing drinking games. Circle of
Death. One beer. Another. Did
you just say something? Whoa, you
don't mean to trip over John on the
way to the bathroom.
12:55 a.m. This party is
packed! Some more of your friends
drop by on their way back to their
dorm. You are drunk, you can feel
Features
the music, and you love it.
1:10 a.m. Your R.A. pokes his
head in the door. "Hey guys, you
need to turn the music down and
start to wind up the party. Quiet
hours have started, and I don't
want to have to write anyone up
tonight...especially not you guys."
You turn down the music. A few
people leave. There are still fif
teen or twenty people lounging on
the couches or crowded around the
alcohol stash.
1:42 a.m. Late? It's not late.
The music is back up and you are
dancing. It is too smoky again.
Your stomach is turning and your
head is spinning in directions you
never knew. You inch towards the
door, cradling your last bottle of
beer. Only a sip or two is left.
1:44 a.m. The music must be
louder than you think. As you lean
over the balcony, your R.A. walks
down the hall towards you. Busted.
Your R.A. mutters in disappoint
ment, "What did I tell you earlier?
You can't have an open container
outside of your suite. I'm sorry, but
I'm going to have to give you a full
Judicial Charge now. " Alcohol
isn't the only thing brewing inside
of you now. Anger is surging
through your numbed arms and
legs. "Pour it out," your R.A. says.
"Whatever, you asshole." You are
pissed. He's not going to ruin your
night. Inside, your friend John
hears your slurred words over the
bass of the music.
1:45 a.m. John steps outside
your suite and says, "Thank you.
I'll take care of everything. I'll turn
the music down too. I'm really
sorry about that." Yeah, you are
too. Sorry that you can't drink on
your own balcony. As John ushers
you back into your suit you whine,
"He's nothing but a stupid power
tripping R.A." Before John closes
the door you spin around and fling
your beer bottle out the door. It
shatters into thousands of tiny
pieces as it hits the cold, damp con
crete of the balcony and quad. "Are
you stupid?" John asks. "You could
have just hurt somebody." "I was
just throwing my bottle out," you
slur.
2:12 a.m. John and Sarah help
you to bed. You are completely
wasted. The minute your head hits
the pillow, you fall fast asleep and
begin dreaming of the past week
end and your 21st birthday cel
ebration.
You are charged with:
Consuming alcohol in an un
authorized area, page 30 of the
Handbook
Violation of quiet hours, page
21 of the Handbook
Respect for persons- abusive
behavior (verbal), page 24 of the
Handbook
Endangering Health and
Safety, page 27 of the Handbook
How do your actions travel
through the Guilford College
Judicial System?
Written Reprimand A t
Movement of a j
11:47 p.m. your R.A. issues you and
your friend Sarah a written repri
mand for consuming alcohol in an
unauthorized area. If your R.A.
does not approach you again for
alcohol use in an unauthorized
area, then the Director of Residen
tial Life will send you a letter no
tifying you that you were charged
with a minor violation on April 16,
1999. However, if your R.A. ap
proaches you again for the same
violation that he wrote you up for
earlier, then you will receive a full
judicial charge.
Full Judicial Charge Be -
cause your R.A. catches you again
with alcohol in an unauthorized
area at 1:44 a.m., you are issued a
full judicial charge.
Letter from the Director of
Residential Life Within a
week of your party, you receive a
letter from the Associate Director
of Residential Life. You are in
formed that you have 48 hours to
schedule an appointment for judi
cial advising.
Judicial Advising You
are assigned a judicial advisor who
acts according to your defense.
He/she discusses with you what
steps you should take next. You
can either plead guilty or not guilty
THE GUILFORDIAN
APRIL 1 6, 1999
to any or all of the judicial charges
filed against you.
Your Pleas
Consuming alcohol in an un
authorized area- GUILTY
Violation of quiet hours-
GUILTY
Respect for persons- abusive
behavior (verbal)- NOT GUILTY
Endangering health and
safety- NOT GUILTY
NOTE: Had you pleaded
guilty to all four charges, your case
would have had the chance to go
before the Residential Hall Board
or to be presented in an Adminis
trative Hearing. However, be
cause you pleaded not guilty to two
accounts, the Guilford Handbook
requires that your case be automati
cally sent before the Judicial
Board.
Judicial Board Hearing
Wednesday, April 21, 1999
3:53 p.m. You ner
vously pace as your judicial advi
sor assures you that everything
will work out. You know she's
right, but how did you get yourself
in this situation in the first place?
4:02 p.m. Your palms are
sweating and you are anxious to
end all of this. The faculty advisor
of the Judicial Board comes
around the corner. "It's time. I'll
go get everyone else and then I'll
see you down the hall."
4:03 p.m. You cautiously en
ter the room where the Judicial
Board is seated in a line before you.