Bryan Series' Salman Rushdie
speaks on politics and literature
By Mary Bubar
Staff Writer
"Here I am risking my life,
and not for the first time," said
Sir Salman Rushdie to a sold-
out crowd at the War Memorial
auditorium on February 10. In his
Bryan Series speech, the celebrated
author referred to the Ayatollah
Khomeini's 1989 issuance of a
fatwa in response to his novfil "The
Satanic Verses."
"One of us is dead," said
Rushdie about Khomeini, as he
explained that the pen is mightier
than the sword. "Don't mess with
the novelists."
Rushdie conveyed his unique
perspective on life as well as
literature's relation to world
events with a warm and witty
sense of humor, which belied his
controversial statements at the end
of the evening.
Rushdie often touched on the
role of the writer as celebrity, "It
was never my intention to be a
religious or political writer," said
Rushdie to a gathering of students
in the Community Room prior
to the evening event, "The space
between public and private life has
closed completely."
Rushdie spent ten years in
hiding, living with armed guards,
constantly on the move while
evading Khomeini's death threat.
"What happened to me was an
odd and exceptional event, that now,
fits right in with the larger events
that followed it," Rushdie told The
Guilfordian, "Someone compared
me to the canary in a coal mine, and
I quite agree with that."
Being thrust onto the front pages
impinged on Rushdie's career as a
writer.
"It's difficult to be an observer,"
said Rushdie to the Bryan Series
audience, "when you are the one
being observed ... that's the job of
the writer."
Despite his years in seclusion, he
continued to write award-winning
books while defending his voice as
an artist.
"In any open society the argument
over the story is the story," said
Rushdie referring to history as
See "Rushdie” on page 2
Famed novelist, short story writer, and gossip column constant Sir Salman
Rushdie speaks to a sold-out crowd in the War Memorial auditorium as
part of the Bryan Series on Feb. 10.
Senate tries te rid piggy bank’ reqnests
By Jasmine Ashton
Staff Writer
At Guilford, each
traditional student
pays $165 a semester in
student activity fees. This
year student activity fees
amounted to $100,000,
making up Community
Senate's budget.
At the end of each
year. Senate allocates
some of their budget
towards Guilford's 41
clubs. The rest of the
money is allotted for
projects that students
propose throughout the
year, usually for service
trips and on-campus
events.
These proposals are
generally debated for two
weeks, allowing time for
representatives to talk
with their constituencies
and develop an idea of
whether or not students
support the projects
being funded with their
money.
"It is the duty of all
senators to represent
the views of their
constituents," said
Senate Vice President
Dana Ayed. "It is the job
of all senators to carry
this on their shoulders.
Everyone is entitled to
know where their money
is going."
However, there has
been some debate within
Senate regarding how
to best represent the
interests of the entire
student body when
voting on proposals.
Former CAB
Representative Trevor
Coming proposed the
passage of a Senator
Responsibility Acttohold
senators accountable
for talking to their
constituents. This act
would force 10 percent
of each representative's
constituency to sign
an agreement saying
they were informed—
regardless of whether
their constituency is a
small club or Milner
dorm.
When Corning
brought his proposal
before the steering
committee, it was put
aside.
Most representatives
said they talk to their
constituencies about the
more contentious issues,
but overall felt that most
students do not, care
about the day-to-day
proposals addressed on
Wednesday nights.
Some stressed the
See "senate" on page 4
Competition revs recycling efforts
By Peter Kostin
Staff Writer
During the next 10 weeks,
Guilford will be participating
in a huge national college
recycling competition dubbed
Recyclemania.
Leading the charge on behalf
of Guilford is sustainability
coordinator Jim Dees and his
assistant, senior Gabriella Spang.
The pair will attempt to boost
recycling quotas by exploiting
the epic rivalry between Milner
and Binford halls into a heated
"recycle-off."
In the national competition
Guilford is up against huge
schools like Stanford and
Harvard, so efforts cannot sjtop
there. There will also be an
educational "dumpster dump"
on the both Feb. 25 and March
25 at 1:30 p.m,, which is aimed at
radically promoting good waste
habits. A dumpster from campus
will be completely emptied onto
ground near Founders Hall. The
heaps of trash will be sorted into
a visual aid that shows how many
recyclable products students
throw into the wrong bin.
however, there is the possibility
that the message could be
mistaken for a piece of modem art
from Hege-Cox building.
This is Guilford's first year of
Recyclemania. The school just
hired Dees as its first full-time
sustainability coordinator last
"Unfortunately for thrill seekers, I haven't been
hopping into dumpsters as much as I've just been
peeking in them."
Gabriella Spang, senior
"We have never done anything
like this before," said Spang. "But
unfortunately for thrill seekers
I haven't been hopping into
dumpsters as much as I've just
been peeking in them."
In this unorthodox effort.
year. Dees has put Guilford at
odds with 500 other schools to
compile the least amount of trash
and most recyclables over 10
weeks.
See "recycling" on page 9