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WWW.GUILFORDlAN.COM
FORUM
Webpage redesign: raising awareness or mis
leading students about Guilford's diversity?
By Charlotte Hudson
Staff Writer
The glossy new website has been one
of the more evident changes made over
the summer and has garnered both
negative and positive attention from
members of the Guilford community.
However, the most talked-about issue
has to do with the issue of diversity.
The new website features a select
group of students that may have made
Guilford seem more diverse than it
truly is.
According to CollegeStats.org,
about 70 percent of the student body
is Caucasian, about 20 percent African-
American, and the rest is (Asians,
Latinos, etc.) about 10 percent.
However, the people featured on the
website are so predominantly ethnic as
to make it seem like the percentages of
the minority races are higher than they
really are. For instance, Mahlet Abera
'08, an Ethiopian, has been prominently
featured on the website, which makes
the prospective student glancing at the
website believe that there is a significant
number of students from African
countries that attend Guilford.
While it is true that there are students
from those countries that make up our
student body, they are not the main
representing group.
We should be proud that such a large
number of countries in Africa and Asia
(particularly China) are represented in
Guilford's student body, which is not
the only draw to Guilford. There are
While it is true that there
are students from those
countries that make up
our student body, they are
not the main representing
group.
also many students of varied religions,
sexual orientations, social classes, and
races that attend Guilford.
And above all, we have to be aware
that diversity represented to attract
prospective students and diversity
actually represented on campus is
completely different.
The issue with colleges and diversity
is prominent around the nation. Many
colleges and universities, particularly at
bigger, wealthier universities, fare worse
with diversity than Guilford does. Many
minorities in America, particularly
those of immigrant families, may not be
able to afford to attend many of those
universities.
So, it is a problem for both the
universities, who are not able to attract
a more diverse group of prospective
students, and the minority students
who just want to be educated both
academically and socially.
Guilford, being a small, unique
school founded on Quaker values, is
luckier due to its reputation as being
a college that values the importance
of diversity. It is one of its core values,
after all.
The Guilford College website
states, "We are committed to creating
a community that acts with honesty
and forthrightness, holding ourselves
to high academic and ethical standards,
and dealing with everyone with
respect."
Perhaps the choice of students
to feature on the website is a way
to convince prospective students,
particularly those from other cultures,
that anyone can succeed at Guilford no
matter where they come from. However,
this kind of marketing for prospective
students may not be so forthright.
VIGIL
North Carolina residents at vigil plead for Senate to
examine bill with tolerance, courage
Continued from Page 9
The simple fact that this amendment
exists shows the emphasis we put on this
institution, this mold of marriage.
We all seek happiness in our
relationships. And happiness, as well
as love, comes in many different forms.
This happiness and this love will not
always manifest itself in a heterosexual
marriage.
It is preposterous then, that one group
is banned from entering the institution
of marriage at all, while another group is
forced to assume a union of marriage in
order to have any chance of partnership
recognition.
Where has the choice gone?
This question lingered and resonated
in the Vigil for Equality crowd on Sept
12. reflected in the flickering of lit
candles upon nightfall.
I could not help but notice that, like the
voices of the people, these small flames,
when faced with the threat of being
extinguished by the force of surrounding
wind, still retained their heat; shrinking
momentarily to their blue base and
fisifig. V.
I, and certainly an overwhelming courage to provide choice of lifestyle to
majority of North Carolinians and all citizens, even if some of these choices
Americans only ask that lawmakers may not adhere to those they might
retain their courage in determining the make themselves.
Once the night fell, members of the Greensboro Vigil for Equality lit candles despite the wind
and listened to speakers.The vigil was to fight the North Carolina bill against gay marriage.
extent of freedoms allowed to their For everyone's sake, stow away the
citizens, courage to look past their own fear and do the right thing. As Rabbi
values and judge love on its apparent Fred Guttman said, "Let not fear conquer
'exist^e/jTot".ife*.^pdsed'J'egaHty//.u5.'iet'us'rTat^oihere.'L*-.-.^.--
Know your Gmits: drink
responsibly
College. It's a unique time in our lives when
we are handed freedom and independence,
given the chance to form an identity, push
ourselves to the limit, develop tolerance, and
discover our passions.
This sounds great, until we apply it to
college drinking habits, where testing our
limits and pushing our tolerance can quickly
turn into a dangerous game.
Less than a month into our first semester,
this precarious dynamic has become difficult
to ignore. Ambulances and fire engines have
responded to numerous reports of alcohol
poisoning on campus, and several students
have ended up in the ER.
Dean of Students Aaron Fetrow reported
that already an estimated five to six Guilford
students have required emergency medical
services as a result of excessive drinking,
a notably higher estimate than in past
semesters.
"We are acutely aware of the increase in
abusive use of alcohol early in this semester
and are making every effort to continue
educating students on the dangers of binge
drinking and irresponsible behavior with
regard to alcohol," Fetrow stated.
Ih addition to preventative efforts coming
from the top, however, it's important that
we,- as individuals, turn a mirror on our
community and demand more of ourselves as
responsible adults.
Drinking is undeniably a part of most
social scenes, and it'd be naive to suggest
that Guilford is any exception. But there's a
big difference between throwing back a few
beers with friends and drinking yourself into
a hospital.
The typical "college scene" is often more
closely associated with the latter. But Guilford
is not a typical college, and as a members of
the community we all have a responsibility to
lift Guilford up.
In other words, we need to be smarter and
more conscientious, not only as we approach
our studies, but also as we approach our
weekend partying.
Probably one of the most important things
to think about as you hunker down for a
Friday night is your alcohol tolerance. It's
important to know your limits and not to
push them beyond a safe level. If you don't
yet know your limits but intend to drink, take
it slow and surround yourself with people
you trust.
It's also important to be self-aware while
drinking. This is true not only on a social
level but also on a chemical and physical
level. Alcohol naturally relaxes us, but it's
important to be conscious of how much you
have had to drink and how strongly it is
affecting you.
In efforts to prevent alcohol from
negatively impacting our community, the
Guilford administration has established rules
and charged public safety and other authority
figures with enforcing the rules and keeping
us safe.
Ultimately, however, it's up to us as,
individuals to lift up the values of this
community and hold ourselves to the
standards that make this place great.
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