Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / Sept. 23, 2011, edition 1 / Page 7
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F E ATU RE S 7 September 23, 2011 There's ne place like Hemecoming: aanual event celebrates Guilierd By Natalie Sutton Staff Writer Funnel cake. Vendors. Live music. Alumni on campus. It can only mean one thing: Homecoming is approaching Guilford College. From Oct. 5 to 8, our campus will transform into a carnival, packed with students, faculty, alumni, and our Greensboro neighbors to celebrate athletics, art, and, most importantly, our commuruty. Kimberly Barnes, assistant director of event planning and communication, is in charge of managing all of the Homecoming events. She has been working with campus organizations to come up with a range of different activities that both alumni and students will be excited about. "If you love the school that you go to, if you love the people here, or if you love what Guilford stands for, you're definitely going to find something that you will enjoy at Homecoming," said Barnes. The Guilford community can look forward to engaging in activities such as powderpuff football, the street festival, acclaimed alumni speeches, and a live performance from the band The Good Lovelies. Of course. Homecoming wouldn't be Homecoming without the big football game against the Southern Virginia University Knights at 1:00 p.m. on Oct. 8. The team is fired up and hoping to see a lot of enthusiasm from fans on game day. "I'm hoping we'll have a good fan turnout," said senior Joseph Parrish, part of the defensive line for the team. "They pump us up, which will help us get the big win." Another big event happening during Homecoming is "The Element." On Oct. 6, at 7:00 p.m., there will be an open mic and talent extravaganza in the Community Center where students can take the stage and express themselves artistically through poetry, music, dance, or anything else. "We're opening up the stage for anyone who wants to par ticipate," said Africana Community Coordinator Jada Drew. "It's a place for students to be introduced to vendors outside of Guilford. We have t-shirt companies, record labels, and student activist groups ... It's a huge networking opportunity for students." "The Element" will feature the popular local deejay B Man, as well as a royal purple, "Hollywood-style" carpet. "It's an event you don't want to miss," said Drew. Another central event planned for Homecoming is the con cert in Dana Auditorium on Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. There are 200 free tickets available for students on a first-come, first-serve basis. Karrie Manson, associate director of alumni relations, thinks that The Good Lovelies, an upbeat folk band from Canada, will be appreciated and enjoyed by both alumni and current students. "I'm really excited about the concert," said Manson. "They will be a redly fun live performance. We tried to pick a band that would attract people of all ages, so that alumni, faculty members, and students will all want to come." An important part of Homecoming is the presence of Guilford alumni back on campus. Steven Shapiro, associate professor of physics and academic advising director, is arrang ing this year's Sheridan A. Simon Distinguished Alumni Lecture. Shapiro has been organizing reunions on behalf of the Physics Department since 2000. "Alumni present what they've been doing since they gradu ated," said Shapiro. "They give current students an idea of what possibilities are out there and what kinds of things they might consider doing as a student, given the hindsight the alumni are able to provide." This year's lecture, "Faith in the Future: Changing Earth and Learning to Live with it," will be given by Dail Rowe '90 on Oct. 7 at 4:00 p.m. Rowe works for a company that makes some of the most accurate weather predictions anywhere. He will discuss global climate change models and how we can learn to live with this climate change that we're experiencing. Shapiro is enthusiastic in encouraging students to come listen to alumni speakers and converse with them during the alumni lunch. "Alumni are incredible resources for students," said Shapiro. "Any time a student can talk with an alumnus, they get a sense of what's out there after Guilford. Creating and maintaining connections with alumni is difficult for students to know how to do, but coming to reunions is a great way to start." Although there are many activities that attract alumni, Manson ensures that there are plenty of Homecoming events planned for students, faculty, and community members as well. "We're making sure it's not a 'just-for-alumni' weekend," said Manson. "We have something for everyone this year. My biggest hope is that people will feel like there was some thing for them to do and a place for them to plug back into Guilford." To sign up for‘The Element,” email QNAtheelement@gmail. com. For a complete schedule of all the Homecoming events, go towww.guilford.edu/homecoming Students harvest the fruits of their labor in on-campus garden By Charlotte Cloyd Staff Writer Ever wonder about those signs above some of the veggies at the salad bar in the cafeteria? Those delicious sungold or slicing tomatoes and bell peppers come from Guilford's very own farm on campus. Students have been tossing around the idea about starting a production garden on campus for years. When Jim Dees, the farm manager, was first hired as sustainability coordinator. Director of Community Learning James Shields gave Dees a proposal from the '70s about creating a farm in the meadows. In the fall of 2010, several students met with Dees along with Vice President of Administration Jon Varnell and Gifts Discernment Coordinator Frank Massey. "We convinced them that the farm was something that students wanted," said senior and weekly farm volunteer Courtney Mandeville. Once the administration was aware that students were invested in the creation of a farm, they stood behind the idea and fully supported the creation of the students' dream. The next critical step was to find someone who could bring sustainable agri cultural knowledge to the front of the project. Luckily, agricultural consultant Korey Erb met Dees and was hired shortly thereafter. "I talked to Jim a couple of times; the next day I was offered the job," said Erb. "It was very serendipitous." After beginning in spring 2011, construc tion of the farm proceeded rapidly. Now the Senior Courtney Mandeville (L) and agricultural consultant Korey Erb work in the new pro duction garden on campus.The garden provides fresh, local vegetables to Guilford dining services. rows of plants are heavy with ripening pep pers of rich shades of green and red, as well as deep purple eggplants, and let's not forget about the tantalizing tomato plants. More important than the extremely good looks of the vegetables is the fact that as soon as Erb and student interns and volunteers harvest these gorgeous veggies, they are taken directly to the dining hall. "You can literally taste the difference when you grow your own food," said Director of Dining Services Snehal Deshmukh. "From the farm to the fork, it's not anything that travels." "Our goal is to have a good, decent, con stant supply of high-quality produce to the caf that they can integrate into their pro duction," said Erb. An important aspect of providing food for the cafeteria is the means by which the plants are grown and nurtured. "(The farm) is definitely using more than organic practices; it's (using) sustainable practices," said Erb. Erb and his assistants do many types of work in the garden. Every morning, Erb makes a list of jobs to accomplish, from watering and weeding to deciding whether the plants should be sprayed, and noting what plants are ready for harvesting. "Every day you've got to be thinking about everything," said Erb. "That's what's so fun about it. Every day there's a new problem." Erb's team of enthusiastic helpers includes first-year Aiden Whitney-Johnson, who worlds on the farm four days a week. "I really like being outside and having soil in my hands," said Whitney-Johnson. "I really like the knowledge that Korey brings. I see it as a class." Both Dees and Erb are excited about the prospect of the farm becoming an integral part of the academic side of Guilford. The farm presents a service-learning opportunity for all students and could someday become incorporated into the curriculum on campus. "We would like to offer a whole course on sustainable agriculture," said Dees. The farm provides CCE senior and farm worker Erica Bratz an opportunity to learn about sustainable farming and agricultural practices that she can use in her future. "I'm committed to the idea of eating local ly and doing it in an environmental and sus tainable way, and having us contribute to that is really meaningful," said Bratz. The farm will not only directly benefit the school by providing locally grown, organic, and sustainable foods, but the farm will also help the school work towards its goal of being more economically sustainable. "We intend to expand the production gar den to a point where the economies of scale allow it to be profitable," said Director of Environmental Sustainability David Petree. "We grow healthy vegetables in our garden that get served in our cafeteria. We compost the leftovers and put it back in our soil. It completes the circle."
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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Sept. 23, 2011, edition 1
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