Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / April 2, 2004, edition 1 / Page 9
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PAGE 6 GREENSBORO, NC Overnight visits canceled for prospective students Eamon Barker Staff Writer In yet another blazingly intelligent decision, the administration has done away with overnight visits for prospective students. That's one of the worst ideas they've ever had. Half the reason I came to Guilford was because of the feeling I had while on cam pus. I overnighted here and I felt at home, comfortable. I was more at ease with college first-years and sophomores than I was with my senior class back home. How are prospectives sup posed to know whether or not they'll fit in at Guilford if they don't have any chance to be among Guilford students? What's so wrong about high school seniors coming to stay overnight at Guilford? We have the Early College pro Kerry should pick an American hero as Vice President Adam Waxman Guest Writer \\J ith the primaries all but over, ▼ * the fall campaign for the Presidency has begun in earnest. The only missing element from it keeps the media guessing: who will John Kerry pick as his running mate? While Kerry's been pretty mum about who is on his short list, the media's been wild with speculation. Will Kerry pick a traditional "safe-bet" like North Carolina's own Sen. John Edwards or Florida's Sen. and ex- Governor Bob Graham? Will Kerry go "outside the box" and select someone like New Mexico Gov. Bill RichaTdson (a Latino), or even independent-minded Republican Sen. John McCain? With all the speculation out there, I'd like to add my own nomination: Congressman and former civil rights leader John Lewis of Georgia. Lewis, in the words of Princeton gram: high school juniors and seniors are on campus all day anyway. How big a difference does spending a night make? Hold on, stupid question. I live in Bryan, party cen tral of Guilford campus. I should know better than to ask that. Beer, the dread- Jt ***** f■ " Jb| J Ed Everclear, pot, and all the wonderful psychedelics that a college campus can provide sound like plenty of reasons not to let high-schoolers spend the night. Professor Cornell West, "embodies the grand legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr." Lewis has literally been on the front lines of some of the most his toric battles for justice in this nation's history. He helped lead the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in its formative years, serving between 1963 and 1965 as its chairman. He helped to lead a de-segregation cam paign in Nashville, Tenn., in 1960; he was on the historic 1961 Freedom Rides; he spoke to the March on Washington in '63; plus he stood on the front lines (again, literally) during the brutal "Bloody Sunday" attack on marchers in Selma, Alabama, in 1965. Later he went on to serve in the cab inet of the Carter Administration as an Atlanta City Councilman, and today is a member of Congress frorr Georgia. His experience in gov . -j\ every level alop" with hi** exoer'ences PIS a ieader in ihe struggle for civii rights, clearly qualifies him to serve as vice president (and president snould the FORUM Provided the administration is smart about things and doesn't bring prospectives "Half the reason I came to Guilford was because of the feeling I had while on campus." ~ Eamon Barker here on the weekend, I can't really see a problem. No one does much partying Sunday to Wednesday, so the campus is pretty quiet, with loads of opportunities to meet and unthinkable happen to Kerry). Lewis continues to fight against all forms of oppression. He was arrested in the late 1980s, protesting support for apartheid in South Africa, and recently gave moving testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in opposition to the pro posed "Federal Marriage Amendment" defining marriage as between a man and a woman. "I have fought too hard and too long against discrimination based on race and color," he told the committee, "not to stand up against discrimination based on same sex marriages." On a strategic level, Lewis brings much to this year's Democratic ticket. His roots as the son of a sharecropper In rural Alabama nicely contrast with Sen. John Kerry's patrician upbring ing. Being the first African-American nominated on a national ticket would help excite black turnout in crucial swing states such as Pennsylvania and Florida. WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM interact with students. Being a little more selective with potential hosts would be a good idea, as would information about which days are bad for a particular host to have company. I've heard a horror story or two about a host who abandoned his prospec tive. That's precisely the kind of person that shouldn't be approved to be a host at all. Put some work into it; match up a prospective with a host who has similar tastes, like we already do with the room- APRIL 2, 2004 mate compatibility forms. Add a few questions to something like that, and you've got a pretty good way to figure out what works and what doesn't. Opening up hosting oppor tunities to volunteers in addi tion to felying on recommen dations. Some students are shy and don't speak up in class much, but they'd make great hosts. I, for one, would love to be a host to a student looking to come to Guilford. Bottom line: prospective vis its are an important part of the college application experi ence because they allow these kids to live the life of a college student, if only for one night. Current students, think back to your visit; was it a major influence in your decision to come to Guilford? I think most of us would say yes; I know it definitely was for me. Lewis is also someone who might help bridge the partisan divide. He's always been committed to, in his words, "the idea of Dr. King's Beloved Community." In these sharply partisan times, Lewis has the credibility reach out across the aisle and work with Republicans to do what's genuinely right for all Americans. It's true that Lewis has some weak nesses on a national ticket; he remains dedicated to nonviolence as an organizing principle for American society, something he'd have to explain to a terrorism-happy public. He.'s also not the flashiest or suave politician,, but I believe the American people will look at Lewis and see a true American hero, someone who is dedicated bringing us together to ere ate King's vision of a Beloved Community. John Kerry and the Democratic Party would do well to place him on the national ticket in 2004. ADAM WAXMAN IS THE INTERIM CHAIR OF THE GUILFORD COLLEGE YOUNG DEMOCRATS
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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