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Letter irom the Editor
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tion and fear and disbelief were
staples of the Guilford Campus
for nearly an entire semester.
When all was said and done,
the Bryan incident - the alleged
"hate crime" that landed Guil
ford in newspapers around the
country and as far away as Eu
rope and the Middle East— in
stead boiled down to three acts
of violence. Violence among in
dividuals drawing blood. Vio
lence to the tenets of Guilford
College. And violence to the
pictures in our heads of who
as a community we thought we
were.
Violence doesn't belong any
where. In our community it
should never be tolerated and
when it occurs it should be treat
ed with the same course of med
icine faculty, staff and students
apply regularly to the challeng
es that confront us — question
ing, open minds, and trust in the
power of full understanding.
I don't intend to use the Guil-
fordian to preach to the com
munity. But it is important for
those of us who experienced
last year to remember what hap
pened and to learn from the
wounds we encountered. For
those of you who are new to
our community, it is important
to understand the impact of the
past. Upsetting tenure decisions,
racism, and student violence are
now part of our community.
The newspaper staff will make a
particular effort this year to help
each of us understand the cam
pus world we think of as home.
The violence of racism and stu
dent confrontation, rules that
govern the faculty and effect the
students, and our community's
response to them are important
issues with valuable lessons.
These issues and others will get
the coverage they deserve in our
pages.
The Guilfordian exists to serve
the community, but the commu
nity has a responsibility as well.
It is our goal at the newspaper to
cover relevant and significant is
sues and events using the high
est standards of journalistic eth
ics and integrity to serve as the
foundation for strong discourse.
I cannot stress how important
it is for you, the readers of The
Guilfordian and the members
of our community, to contribute
to the conversation. If you have
something to say, add your voice
with a letter to the editor or a
full-blown contributed article.
I'll listen. If the newspaper's job
is to spark discussion, then my
own task as editor is to invite
you into that discussion. Con
sider this an invitation.
A new year brings a new perspective
for Guilford students
For those arriving for the first time ...
Hannah Richards I Staff Writer
After four colorless, un
eventful, and plain horrendous
years of high school, Guilford
is a refreshing new experience
that I would never want to give
up.
Guilford was my first and
only choice. I applied for ear
ly admission and was ecstatic
when I got in. I adored every
thing about Guilford from the
first time I saw it: the green
trees, the sense of community,
the value of equality, the na
ture-friendly vibe, the cafete
ria's vegan option, the teachers
I met. It reminded me of the
only place I ever felt at home,
the arts camp in New Jersey I
attended for two years, Appel
Farm.
Growing up in Takoma Park,
a small town just outside of
Washington, D.C., I got the best
or the worst of both worlds, de
pending on how you spin the
story. My town was full of old D.C. area, including teachers
hippies, vegetarian foods, and from schools that claim to be
organic produce while D.C. Quaker but really do not care
was getting more and more cor- about Quakerism or Quaker
rupt each
day. Slow
ly, though,
my home
was filled
with mon
ey-hungry
lawyers
who did
not yet
have the
money to
pay for a
D.C. town-
house in
George-
town, grad
students
studying to
be doctors
"I jeel tliiit I m Imiie n complele
educition here liy not only being tought
otodemkolly bnt olso becoming more
sodnily owore. It’s deligbtfnl to
reoliie tbot not everyone here is
solely here betnnse they wont to
mnhe money in ten yenrs..."
I
values.
As
grew older
and decid
ed to apply
to college,
I knew
only this: I
didn't want
a school
like any of
the D.C.
private
schools,
even
though
some have
redeeming
qualities.
I wanted
because their parents told them somewhere open minded and
they needed to make money where I could be happy with-
as a career, and teachers from, out worrying about my fu-
every unethical school in the ture earning potential. When
I stumbled upon Guilford, I
knew it was just that.
I hate to be cliche and say
Guilford College was all I
wanted and expected, but it is,
and better. For the first time
since I left Appel Farm, last
summer, I feel at home and I
feel hope for the future. I feel
that I can have a complete edu
cation here by not only being
taught academically but also
becoming more socially aware.
It's delightful to realize that
not everyone here is solely here
because they want to make
money in 10 years and that not
everyone here will care how
well paid you are in ten years.
It's comforting that you're
not alone and there are other
people out there that who care
about the world. Guilford, so
far, has been full of hope and
some of the best people I have
ever met in my life. I hope ev
ery other first-year feels the
same way I do.
For those returning for one of their last times ...
Jake Blumgart | Staff Writer
When I look back at my time
at Guilford, I will remember my
three years in the Old Apart
ments, largely due to the fact
that my first year was spent
in a hazy soporific state due
to my abnormally susceptible
immune system, bolstered by
near-toxic doses of Colt 45.
I've learned a thing or two
since those halcyon days when
the New Apartments were a
venerated bamboo patch, you
could smoke pretty much any
where, and the Greenleaf was
but a twinkle in the eye of one
of the more socially conscious
potheads.
But rather than waxing po
etic about the freshman days
of yore. I'm going to attempt to
pass on my hard-won (and du
biously named) wisdom to the
next generation.
As I've clawed my way up
the collegiate hierarchy, a few
lessons have been branded into
the forefront of my Foucault-
saturated brain alongside the
dates of the Thirty Years War
(1618-48) and the exact price of
the cheapest box of macaroni
and cheese available at Harris
Teeter (59 cents before tax).
Lesson the First: Every se
mester is different. This may
seem obvious but even now, en
tering my senior year, I am con
stantly amazed at how different
each semester is from the one
that preceded it. College is not
a static social
environment.
People get
kicked out,
go abroad,
drop out and
graduate.
Guilford has
a constantly
shifting cast
of characters.
The folks
who are on
"(ollegeiinotostotksodol
environment. People get hiMont,
go obrood, drop ont ond gnidunte.
Cuilford bos o (onstontly shijting
(ostofthonicters.
its way up your esophagus and
into the sweet freedom of your
roommates' lap. People who
don't learn this lesson don't
last.
Lesson the Third: This can't
be emphasized enough. Treat
the cafeteria workers, house-
keepers.
II
public safety
officers, li
brarians and
other staff
with the same
respect you
give your pro
fessors. They
make your
experience
here possible
and don't de
campus are
subject to any number of vari
ables that will affect the spirit
of a semester: classes, dating,
living situations, etc. You nev
er get the same thing twice.
Lesson the Second: If you
party hard, be prepared to
work harder. You can't escape
the consequences of last night's
actions. Attempting to concen
trate on your studies is near im
possible if yesterday's dinner is
making valiant efforts to claw
serve to put
up with your crap.
Lesson the Fourth: Live in
Mary Hobbs Hall or the Old
Apartments (theme houses are
great too). Of all the gender-
specific housing, Mary Hobbs
Hall is my favorite. It's beau
tiful, with communal poten
tial, a coffee shop in the base
ment, and wood paneling on
the floors. It doesn't smell like
jock-strap (English Hall) and it
isn't reminiscent of one of the
more stringent Victorian sani
tariums (Shore Hall). If you
have the unfortunate handicap
of being male, date someone
who lives there and'(assuming
she will let you) sleep there.
The Old Apartments are su
perior to the New Apartments
in nearly every way. They
have dishwashers, porches, a
patch of woods in the middle
and your friends don't have
to swipe in to see you. The
biggest problem with the Old
Apartments is that when you
have sex everyone knows about
it. Those walls (and floors and
ceilings) are thin. You'll know
the grunts, moans, squeals
and roars of everyone in your
building by years end. Is that
too high a price to pay for clean
dishes? I thought not.
But Guilford is a pretty great
place no matter where you live.
This time next year I'll (God
and Heather Hayton willing)
be graduated and I'll be more
then a little misty-eyed about it.
So take it easy on the Colt 45,
takes classes you actually like,
try not to breathe in too much
if you live in English and you'll
be just as teary when your time
comes.