Feb. 18, 2005 www.guilfordian.com Talk back letters to the Editor In response to 'Challenges to Safety from F | 1 o the editor: Elizabeth Minehart, a Guilford student, made allegations of unprofes sional conduct by Public Safety staff in a letter to the editor of The Guilfbrdian published Feb. 4. On behalf of the Public Safety Department, I want to personally apolo gize to Elizabeth Minehart if any officers, staff, or student conduct ed themselves unprofes sionally in anyway. I am inviting Elizabeth to meet with me to dis cuss her concerns. It would have been far more productive to meet with me first before launching such a serious and unprovoked attack in our campus newspaper, but that seems to be the way that a diminishing but still substantial num ber of students prefer to deal with their concerns. The "new" Guilford College that is emerging believes in direct dia logue and data driven decision making rather than fact-free public trashing of individuals and departments. After an intense inves tigation of my depart ment, I can only find evi dence to support one of her allegations. In response to 'Sex and th * j 1 o the editor: Do college students at Guilford really need advice about sex? College students and administrators need to take responsibility in encouraging students to stay out of bed. With hormones raging, co-ed housing, and alcohol abuse, do students really need newspaper articles on proper technique? How about a cold shower of reality to wake them up to the consequences of casual sex? How about a column exploring the statistics on sexual transmitted diseases among students at Guilford? That certainty would make for interesting discourse. Or how about an article on the pain associated with sex without long range com mitment? Or an interview with former students who had abortions while at Guilford or who live with pain caused by engaging in casual sex? Sure wear a condom. But the really sad fact is there is no condom for the heart. Kristie Hollifield Parent 'O5 1. Elizabeth alleged that an officer gave "atti tude" in response to an inquiry about parking. Public safety officers are trained to deal sensitive ly with anyone they encounter. Any depar ture from that practice would indeed be unpro fessional. No officer recalls having such an encounter with Elizabeth. 2. Elizabeth alleged that an officer discussed "busts that the Greensboro Police Department had made on campus that evening." Public Safety has a policy not to dis cuss such matters pub licly. No officer recalls discussing any matters of this type with Elizabeth. 3. Elizabeth alleged that she was told by a Public Safety officer escorting her to the alter native houses that she could "walk the rest of the way" at some point en route. Public Safety has a policy to accompa ny those requesting an escort to their destina tion. No officer recalls failing to complete an escort assignment with Elizabeth. 4. Elizabeth alleged that a Public Safety offi cer unlocked the art stu dio to allow an unautho FORUM rized person to enter and deposit some materials. Public Safety has a poli cy not to unlock rooms for unauthorized per sons. The art studio is used by various people with the authorization of instructors. No officer recalls unlocking the stu dio for an unauthorized person. 5. Elizabeth challenged me to hold open office hours. I have been hold ing open office hours in the lower level of Bauman each Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon and welcome students, faculty and staff to visit without appointment to discuss Public Safety operations. 6. Elizabeth stated that she received a parking ticket in error. This is, in fact, true and as a result of a clerical mistake by a Public Safety staff mem ber. The situation has been resolved. Public Safety has a goal of fostering positive interaction and two-way communication between its staff and the campus community. Come see me if we do not meet that standard 24/7. Reginald Hayes Director of Public Safety rhayes@guilford.edu 316-2907 In response to 'Campus Li changes,'from Campus Life would first like to thank Kristie Parmenter for an informative piece regarding the pro posed housing changes for the 2005-2006 academic year. We also appreciated student feedback during the Jan. 20 and Jan. 26 forums. Campus Life would like to remind all readers that the changes present ed at the forums were proposed changes and were brought to the forum for the precise reason of gar nering student feedback. With that feedback, the Campus Life staff is in the process of making appropriate recommendations for policy changes that will affect students during the 2005-2006 school year. Any other feedback and suggestions can be e mailed to afetrow@guilford.edu or can be directed to Aaron Fetrow at x 2149. Earlier this week, Residence Life placed flyers outlining important facts and dates for the upcoming housing selection process in your campus mailboxes along with a let ter outlining the changes made as a result of the community forums. Those who attended the forums will notice that the letter does not include the $2OO contract breakage fee that was proposed during the open forums. The fee was removed from consideration as a direct result of student feedback obtained during the forums. Campus Life would also like to Introducing the New 2005'2006 Itinerary: China, Thailand, India, Qreece & Italy • Pursue your academic interests in religion, anthropology, f L and international studies through participating in and i| experiencing various religions & cultures • Live in a Buddhist temple, a Tibetan monastery, or a I f KBk Hindu mission and participate in religious rituals WV and festivals * Earn 30 undergraduate credits * All are welcome to apply FRIENDS WORLD PROGRAM Admissions Office iDNrISTAND Friends World Program • Long Island University T TNTVFRSnVr 239 Montauk Highway, Southampton, NY 11968-4198 (631) 287-8474 liu.edu/friendsworld/crc • fw@liu.edu Greensboro. N.C. respond to the questions raised regarding wheelchair access. Binford, Milner, Bryan and English do have wheelchair access ramps allowing access to the first floors in those buildings. Students requesting accommodations for wheelchair accessible living arrangements are handled on an individualized basis pursuant to the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The existing campus apartments are not wheelchair accessible; how ever, the apartments currently under construction will comply with federal regulations as set forth in the ADA and will be wheelchair accessible with access to first-floor apartments. Finally, all requests for accommo dation, or questions regarding the accommodation process, can be addressed by visiting the ADA sec tion of the Guilford College website at http://www.guilford.edu/campus/inde x.cfm?ID=800001000#IV. The appropriate Disability Disclosure forms can be downloaded from the "Related Links" section of the pre ceding web page. All student requests for accommodation will be handled on an individualized basis. Sincerely, Aaron Fetrow Associate Dean for Residence Life Page 9