Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / Feb. 4, 2011, edition 1 / Page 10
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i 4 10 WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM FORUM Staff Editoriat Quieting concerns about the Bryan Series Concern is mounting over whether the Bryan Series is still a student-focused event. Since 2004 changes have been made that are seemingly taking the Series further away from campus and the speakers further away from students. Considering that the lectures are heavily billed to potential students as essentially the college's gift to students' minds, these concerns are troubling. When the Bryan Series began in 1999, speakers came to campus and held small group sessions with students. Their lectures, which were held in Dana Auditorium, were free and open to everyone in the Guilford and Greensboro community. That was in line with Joseph Bryan, Jr.'s vision for his endowment — to expose the Guilford community to insightful, suc cessful people while exposing the Greensboro com munity to Guilford in a very positive light. Ty Bucker, associate vice president for communica tions and marketing, says that Joseph Bryan, Jr.'s vi sion is still intact, despite how recent changes make it appear. In 2004, the Series was moved from Dana to the War Memorial Auditorium, over five miles away. And the lectures are no longer open to anyone who wants to attend. Students, faculty and staff are limited in their number of tickets. And the public now has to buy tick ets, most commonly through a yearly subscription to the Series. These changes may seem to contradict the origins of the Series, but Buckner explained these changes as being financially necessary. "Early on the interest... was pretty high," Buckner said. "It began to wane, even though the number of speakers increased and the distinction of the speakers maintained." By moving the Series and charging the public for attending, the college secured added revenue to guarantee a constant stream of high-quality speakers streaming through Guilford. Because, even though the speakers no longer speak at Guilford, almost all of them do visit campus to hold a small-group session with students. Buctoer tallied I that only four out of the 44 speakers the Series has hosted haven't held a small-group session. And along with practically guaranteeing interest ed students the chance to meet these distinguished speakers in a more personal setting is the absolute guarantee that every interested student, faculty and staff member will be able to get a ticket. Despite running out of the originally allotted 733 tickets for President Clinton's lecture, enough tickets were eventually produced to accommodate all 917 re quests. And enough buses were available to transport everyone who signed up. "If we have more riders, we'll get more buses," Buckner said. All of that is budgeted for. And that budget doesn't draw a single dollar from campus funds. Never will tuition, student activities fees or anything of the like increase to cover the cost of the Bryan Series. And that's an amazing thing. I According to Buckner, Guilford is the only liberal arts college in the state that has a lecture series large enough to host the likes of Mary Robinson, Desmond Tutu and Colin Powell. Yes, it would be wonderfully convenient if the lec tures were just a short walk through the quad away. But the opportunity to see the movers and shakers of the world speak for free is worth the extra time on a freely provided bus. Obama’s innovation accelerates growth By Chris Roe Staff Writer Speaking before a bitterly divided Congress, President Barack Obama renewed his initiatives to reform a nation in jeopardy. Seeking to overcome what had driven the nation to the brink of economic disaster after President Bush, he presented an innovative plan to continue the recovery. Through advancements in education, healthcare reform, and the economy, Obama brought forth a bold vision of unity and optimism. "We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world," said Obama. "We have to make America the best place on Earth to do business. That's how we'll win the future. And tonight. I'd like to talk about how we get there." The president reiterated his ideas from when he was first inaugurated, consisting of change, invention and getting things done. His presentation was loud and proud, bringing the issues straight to those who are determined to stop the function of effective government. Yet the opposition — the Republicans in Congress — are resolute in deploying their agenda, which will not innovate in the slightest. Republicans pledged to cut $100 billion of domestic spending. According to The New York Times, that means 20 percent budget cuts across the board, which includes education and transportation. The idea behind this is fundamentally flawed. The Republicans believe that the driving force of the economy is free enterprise, meaning competition in the market place. "We need to reclaim our American system of limited government, low taxes, reasonable regulations, and sound money, which has blessed us with unprecedented prosperity," said Representative Paul Ryan in the Republican response to the State of the Union. "And it has done more to help the poor than any other economic system ever designed." The "unprecedented prosperity" that Ryan describes did not, and does not, exist. The Great Recession was caused by these principles. Because of this philosophy, there is a record gap between the rich and poor, primarily caused by the Bush administration's tax cuts for the rich and anti-government policies. There is a clear distinction between the approaches and tone by Obama and the Republicans. Obama advocates optimistically for the government's success, while the Republicans drive their ideology through misguided principles and negativity. "We are poised for progress," said Obama. "Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. Corporate profits are up. The economy is growing again." Despite Ryan's claim that the stimulus and government intervention failed, the gross domestic product — the measure of economic growth — grew at a pace of 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to The New York Times. According to The Economist, January was the sixth consecutive monthly expansion. "First, the policy response to the economic crisis was very successful," said Mark Zandi, a respected economist, in a testimony before the Senate Budget Committee on Sept. 22,2010. "Fiscal stimulus was key to jump-starting the recovery." Obama, while promoting the success of his policies, advocated throughout the speech the necessity of innovation. "We'll invest in biomedical research, information technology, and especially clean energy technology □ an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our people," said the president. Innovation is critical in economic development, which stimulates growth in both human and physicd capital. Innovation will provide advancements in our own lives. Obama set goals of more high-speed rails and the accessibility of high-speed wireless Internet for 98 percent of Americans. Obama, through invention, optimism, and a centered approach, has out-maneuvered the Republicans. Obama's ideas seem to resonate with the public. In recent weeks polls have been rising, and the speech will certainly help. Lener to the Editor Students in ROTC respect Quaker values, tradition I am a first-year at Guilford College and am cur rently enrolled in Army ROTC through the North Carolina A&T Aggie Battalion. I write this response to last week's article in the paper, to defend the young men and women enrolled in the ROTC program and give them a voice in defending their decisions to participate in both the Air Force and Army ROTC programs. ROTC programs around the country are designed to both train officers in the military and to create bet ter leaders for the future. Yes, after graduation there is a mandatory obligation to be activated in the United States military; however, some cadets do hold non combat oriented positions and many go on to pursue careers outside the. Cadets here at Guilford acknowledge the Quaker traditions and have taken the necessary measures to avoid offending anyone on campus. Every Tuesday and Thursday cadets wear their uniforms to and from their class. Upon returning to campus we respectfully take them off to avoid conflict. We don't get credit for the ROTC, but we go because we want to participate in the program and give back to a nation that has given so much to us. ROTC cadets are not here for an alternative col lege experience with a twist of thrill and adven ture. We are here because we love Guilford and the education it provides us. As liberal arts students, we learn to obtain and analyze information, inves tigate all sides of an issue and then make our own informed decisions. Shouldn't students involved in ROTC be afforded the same tolerance and respect we give other students with different viewpoints? Being in ROTC means being part of a tradition that is as old as the United States itself. Lt. Col. Doolittle states that, "there is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer." I take this quote to heart. As ROTC cadets, we volunteer to help preserve the American way of life and the values that we hold dear. Michael Mellinger, first-year
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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