WWW.GUILFORDlAN.COM
VIOLENCE
NEWS
Investigating on-campus violence at Guilford
Continued from Page I
that it's an impossible space for P-Safe to completely patrol.
You need to know when to turn around and walk away."
According to the U.S. Department of Education,
between the years of 2007 and 2009, the Guilford campus
experienced one reported robbery, four reported forcible
sex offenses, and 49 reported burglaries. Compared to most
other schools, particularly large institutions, Guilford is a
safe campus.
However, according to Director of Public Safety Ron
Stowe, it is still important for students to realize that
Guilford is not a closed campus.
"The Guilford woods are both a blessing and a curse,"
said Stowe. "It's a beautiful place for people to meditate,
go running, or whatever. It's the 'whatever' that we worry
about."
Director of Student Judicial Affairs Sandy Bowles
stressed the importance of student awareness on campus.
"I think this community needs to find a balance between
shutting down and not paying attention at all," said Bowles.
"We all get lulled into complacency, and that's when these
kinds of issues happen."
According to Student Success Counselor Meagan Jolliffe,
it is also important to not stay in the Guilford bubble for
fear's sake.
"Closing the bubble is not a way to deal with this," said
Jolliffe. "We'd be missing out on a lot and not fixing the
problem. Shutting down is not a way to be safe."
On Sunday, April 17, Guilford's Sexual Assault
Awareness Support and Advocacy Group (SAASA) hosted
Take Back the fslight to recognize April as Sexual Assault
Awareness Month.
Although the t-shirts strung between the trees outside
WEBSITE
King Hall demonstrated a different method of raising
awareness about campus violence, it was nevertheless
equally poignant.
"SAASA started because of a lack of communication
between administrators and students, and students to
students," said senior and SAASA co-president Mary
Hackett. "We are trying to bridge the gap about sexual
Callboxes placed around campus are a method of student security.
awareness on campus.
Guilford students, faculty, and staff gathered in front
of Founders Hall to hear speakers including Assistant
Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Julie Winterich
and sexual assault survivor Elaine (Dberto.
"We lose the spotlight when we blame women for being
alone, drinking or wearing short skirts," said Winterich.
"We have the right to walk in the night ... to drink, to not
worry about friends at a party."
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National
Network, every two minutes someone in the U.S. is sexually
assaulted.
"Rape is often called the 'act of silence' because it goes
unreported, but it goes beyond that," said Oberto. "People
just don't talk about it."
According to Stowe, safety awareness and community
dialogue are the common denominator when addressing
the possibility of on-campus violence.
"Take this with you: we want you to be safe and we
want to do all we can do," said Stowe. "However, we can't
protect you from everything; there is also a level of personal
responsibility involved."
The Office of Public Safety recommends that students
save Public Safety's number in their cell phones in case of
emergency and to not wander around the woods alone.
The sophomore who was assaulted echoed this advice.
"The attack could have been worse; it could have
happened to someone who was smaller than me," said the
student. "Enjoy the woods, but be safe and be smart."
Stowe also stressed the importance of following your gut
instinct in potentially dangerous situations.
"Humans are the only animal that will have that gut
feeling, but then ignore it," said Stowe. "We need to be
aware of these feelings and follow them."
GuilfordNet aimed to
streamline student access
Continued from Page I
Bolgiano. "At least the school website
doesn't change as often as Facebook,"
The website was also designed as part
of an integrated marketing plan to recruit
new students. According to Buckner,
college websites are critical to student
recruitment.
"We wanted the material on the
website to reflect who we are to the
world, or essentially what makes Guilford
Guilford," said Buckner. "This is about
showing off what Guilford is, especially to
people who are not familiar with us at all."
Some students have mentioned that
the website does not accurately reflect
Guilford's demographics.
"The website reflects a diversity that's
disproportionate to the actual campus,"
said Seitz. "I'm not exactly complaining,
however. I love diversity and people from
different cultures."
Another innovative addition is the
GuilfordNet, which is geared more
towards current students and faculty.
Anyone with a Guilford username can log
into this section of the website.
Many sections of the old website
which were password protected are now
consolidated on the GuilfordNet, along
with the Buzz, the Student Handbook,
important contact information, and other
resources.
With the website still in construction,
developers are planning to work with
individual faculty members to personalize
their web pages. There is a tip list available
on the new home page of the website to
guide students and staff throughout the
transition.
"We realize there are some corrections
and modifications that need to be made
and the web team is addressing those
immediate issues," said Buckner in an
email interview. "There are sections of the
site that will be more fully developed over
the summer and into the fall."
Some faculty members have stressed
the importance of tailoring the academic
department pages to match the individual
departments.
"We are a herd of cats around here and
everyone has a strong opinion and a fierce
interest in attracting and retaining the best
students, as well as keeping our alums
involved in the life of the community,"
said Visiting Instructor of Art Maia Derry
in an email interview. "But those opinions,
that interest, and the energy fueling them
are precisely what makes this place such a
great college."
With even more improvements and
additions looming in the horizon, the
Office of Advancement will continue
to work on perfecting the website and
intranet system throughout the following
months.
Experiential Learning
Students & Service
Learning
If you are interested in
a steering committee
position, applications
are at the info desk,
we ask to have them
returned there by April
27.
: MiefiMe::.
Approval of Budget
Recommendations
Approval of Social Honor
Code foundational
document
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&1MWT
Contact:
Senate@gullford.edu
or
Senate President
Yahya Alazrak
alazraky@guilford.edu