FORUM
September 2, 2011
The first year: a time for exploration
By Ryan Gordy
Staff Writer
Class is again in session at Guilford.
Students have their class schedules
ready and are excited for what the
new semester will bring. For the many
that spent their summer away from
Guilford, the campus is a familiar site.
Except for first-years.
Meagan Jolliffe, student success
counselor, put being a first-year student
into perspective: "Being a first year is
like a dream — everything is complete
ly different. You're the leader of your
life with so many opportunities."
Guilford offers a new and exciting
environment, free of parents and set
schedules, for all of its first-year stu
dents. College is the start of something
great and should be cherished. I still
remember moving into Milner in the
fall of 2007 and have great memories
from that year.
However, there are things that I
know now that I wish I had known
back then.
BesideS'fhe mundane "eat right and
get enough sleep" spiel, the biggest
piece of knowledge that I can pass
down after being at Guilford for four
years is this: Guilford is an accepting
place, so try out new activities and
experiences.
Director of Student Leadership and
Engagement Erin Fox echoes this point.
"Your first year of college is all about
exploration," said Fox. "Don't be afraid
to look outside your box and try new
things."
This can be playing intramural
sports, taking a music class, working
in the Greenleaf, joining a club, or
asking a classmate to hang out after
Guilford offers a new and
exciting environment, free of
parents and set schedules, for
all of its first-year students.
class. Whatever it is, get outside your
comfort zone and explore Guilford for
all it's worth. I promise you won't
regret it.
"You have to test your boundar
ies and be open-minded," said Hall
Director and Student Success Mentor
Justin Shreve. "I wish I_had gotten
involved with Guilford a lot earlier
than I did. The Guilford community is
very accepting, and I'm grateful for all
the opportunities given to me here."
Another key piece is that students
need to find a balance between social
life and school work. Everyone is
different. This is why the Learning
Commons is so vital.
"The Learning Commons isn't a
scary place to be," said Jolliffe. "Seeking
help is a strength; the essence of the
Learning Commons is to cultivate criti
cal thinking."
Even if a student just picks up a
handy semester calendar to map out
their work for the semester (which I
still do), the Learning Commons is here
to help.
Faculty members are here to help
students as well. I strongly encourage
first-years to get to know their pro
fessors. At Guilford, you aren't some
number who will never be recognized;
you will get to call your professor by
his or her first name and be invited to
their house for dinner. The professors
here care about you and want to push
you to succeed.
"Being on a personal level with
teachers is great," said junior Karyle
Miller. "I can talk to my professors
about academics, life, and what's going
on in the world."
The last piece of knowledge that I
can give is simple: be true to yourself.
Everyone at Guilford is here to help if
you need it. Even though Guilford may
seem smalh there is a.avor-ld^ oppor-
tunities waiting to be grabbed.
In the words of Erin Fox, "Don't be
at college, be in college."
I
*
J4
1
B 4
A call for awareness, safety
By Ron Stowe
Public Safety, Director
With another year at
Guilford College beginning,
and a new group of students
arriving, the Department
of Public Safety would like
to welcome both new and
returning students. Along
with this welcome, we'd like
to take the opportunity to
point out something to you
in hopes of making you safer
and making Guilford a safer
place in general.
Guilford is typically a safe
place — one that everyone
in our community can, and
should, take pride in. Along
with that, though, it is impor
tant for us to remember that
being "typically safe" does not
mean there is a magic bubble
surrounding us that makes
us immune to bad things. We
were all reminded of that after
a couple of serious incidents
occurred last spring.
One of the many things
that sets Guilford apart is the
woods on campus. While the
woods can be a great place for
legitimate activities, they can
also be a place that attracts
undesirable and dangerous
is the scary part, and what
we wish to impress upon our
community.
First, neither the victim nor
the assailant were Guilford
students or even had con
nections to Guilford, but just
heard about this party and
decided to attend. That brings
up something we all must
remember: when large gath-
We beg the community to think about this,
to realize that things can get out of contro
very quickly.
people and activities.
Last spring, such an inci
dent took place when a young
man was stabbed after a large
party in the woods. The vic
tim was not seriously injured
and the Greensboro Police
quickly arrested the assailant.
At first glance, that appears
to be good news — no serious
injuries and the suspect was
arrested — but the informa
tion learned after the incident
erings take place there is little
control over who attends.
This opens the door for unsa
vory and unwanted guests,
who often appear just like us.
Second, the person arrested
for this incident had a lengthy
arrest history and was recent
ly released from prison after
serving time for kidnapping
and robbery. If that isn't con
cerning enough, he is also
a registered sex offender —
clearly not a person we want
mingling witii our commu
nity
The Guilford community
averted tragedy in this case.
Things could have been dif
ferent, though, as the victim
could just as easily have been
a student. Crowd dynamics
are often such that a person
driven to committing a vio
lent act like this often isn't
discriminatory, and the sus
pect could have just as easily
lashed out at anyone at the
time of his alleged provoca
tion. Instead of what turned
out in this case to be an event
of basically no consequences
for our community, we could
have been dealing with a
tragedy where a student — or
worse yet, students — had
been injured or killed.
We beg the community
to think about this, to real
ize that things can get out of
control very quickly. Be aware
of the circumstances you find
yourself in, and be aware of
those around you. Unknown
visitors can very quickly
become unwanted visitors
that can bring undesired and
unexpected consequences —
potentially dire consequences.
J
The air is thick with hairspray and
empty promises. Red, white, and blue tour
buses are crisscrossing the country. This
can only mean one thing — the presiden
tial campaign season is upon us.
With only 431 days left until the next
president is decided, politicians are but
toning their suit jackets, donning their flag
lapel pins, and chowing down on regional
delicacies. And most of the country
Guilford students included — is watching
with rapt attention as these politicos spout
soundbites. ^
Staying up-to-date on all the candidates
and campaign moves can be a full-time job
in and of itself. That being said, you still f
need to follow MTV's advice and "Rock
the Vote."
For those who aren't inclined to follow
each-^candidate en Twitter it becomes all
too easy to be apathetic, or worse, to sim
ply toe the party line.
A quick survey of bumper stickers
around campus will reveal that the party
line at Guilford is almost undeniably pro-
Obama, but a mass of bumper stickers
shouldn't be enough to win your precious
vote. Your vote should be awarded on::
the facts and hopefully not empty prom
ises ,and not on how a candidate orders a
Philly Cheesesteak.
■ That's where this column comes in.
; Rather than expecting each of you to give
up studying and socializing in favor of
scouring the Internet for the latest updates,
we'll do it for you.
f From candidate meltdowns to polls and
"primaries, it is our job as the news orga
nization at a politically-minded college to
keep you up-to-date.
More than just delivering the facts,
though, we hope to put them in perspec
tive. We hope to provide you with knowl-
|edge about all the candidates, even the
i ones you don't like or didn't know existed,
and a frame of reference with which to
view them.
At a time when so many things seem
to be going wrong for America and party
lines are being drawn deeper than ever, it
is imperative that we remember that politi-
? cians aren't trying to destroy us.
■ Whether you realize it or not, under
neath those strangely white teeth and
baby-kissing lips is someone who genu
inely thinks he or she has America and her
citizens' best interests at heart.
It is in that spirit that this column will go
forth. It is that spirit that we as reporters
hope to uphold. And it is that spirit that we
hope to impress upon you.
Let the games begin.