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NEWS Christina Repoley '02 returns to promote launch of new Quaker Voluntary Service March 16, 2012 By Ali Krantzler Staff Writer "We've been talking about something like this, dreaming about something like this and praying about something like this for about nine years now," said Christina Repoley '02 as she described the Quaker Voluntary Service program. The program, started by Repoley, will launch its first pilot experience in Atlanta, Ga. this August. The mission of the program is to engage young adults who are interested in "intentional Quaker community. Friends worship and process, and questions of faith and service." Six post-graduate students from the ages of 21 to 35 will live in a house for 11 months from August through June. Being Quaker is not a requirement, but the "volunteers who are not Quaker should have a genuine interest in exploring and learning about the Quaker way." The inspiration for the idea came to Repoley after she graduated. While at Guilford, she majored in religious studies and was an active member of the Quaker Leadership Scholars Program. After graduating, she was determined to continue practicing her Quaker values of social justice and service. Specifically, she wanted to do Quaker justice work and to bridge her Quaker faith with her core values. She was curious to learn what it would mean to do this type of work in the world of non-profits. However, when she was unable to find the community she was searching for, she created her own program. Junior Paula Skandis responded to the idea positively. "I've never been a part of intentional service work before, and I think it would be a good experience," said Skandis. "It would be nice to learn more about Quakerism and have the opportunity to reflect more on my own spiritual path and understanding." The students will each have their own full-time internship at a variety of different work sites. The service "Being open to sharing about your religious experience, whatever it is, is really the important thing... that's going to be a big part of the program." Christina Repoley, Class of '02 sites range anywhere from local schools to small non profits. All of the internships will focus on social issues such as education and immigration. The participants will also have a mentor along the way helping guide their experience. Additionally, the interns will receive "housing, a work stipend, health insurance, training and spiritual support." The application for the program consists of several different short answer questions, involving explaining one's experience with community, how they define service, their experience with personal transformation and the role of religious faith in their life, among others. "Being open to sharing about your religious experience, whatever it is, is really the most important thing ... that's going to be a big part of the program," said Repoley. The QVS program is also going to be working with the Atlanta Friends Meeting, which is an "unprogrammed meeting." The Atlanta Friends Meeting is also the largest of these types of meetings and has the most resources to offer the (2VS students. "QVS as a larger organization is committed to engaging across the Quaker spectrum," said Repoley. In 2009, Repoley organized a consultation group based around faith, service, and Quakers. Assistant Director of Friends Center and Director of QLSP Deborah Shaw served on this original committee and expressed her excitement. "It will be a wonderful opportunity for six young adults to engage in service and social justice work from the grounding of a faith community," said Shaw. "To be able to engage in a full-time position which offers direct service to' marginalized persons with the spiritual support of a local Friends meeting, with housing and health insurance provided, is a tremendous opportunity." If you are interested in applying to the program, go to http: / / www.quakervoluntaryservice.org / apply /. Community Senate Update Stuff we did APPROVED a proposal to push for a full Student Trustee. APPROVED allocation of $35k towards scholarships and the process for allocating the funds. Figuring out how to narrow down the list of organizations and funds we can give scholarship money too. EXTENDING DEADLINE for Executive Applications until Monday 3/19 @ 9 p.m. Get them and turn them into the info desk if interested. Stuff we're doing Stuff we're gonna do NEXT WEEK: conversation on the judicial system at Guilford, and the culture around itThen: Dick Dyer Awards, eleaions, scholarship allocations, and budget hearings. Yakety Yak — please talk back: for suggestions, contact senate@ guilford.edu. Full Senate meets at 7 p.m. in BOREN on WEDNESDAYS! Stuff you wanna see done By Yahya Alazrak Community Senate President/Clerk Sold! Board of Trustoos movos forward with land sale By Meredith Brown Executive Print Copy Editor The Board of Trustees approved the sale of a piece of Guilford's campus near the meadows, as well as a new tuition increase and next year's budget, at their Feb. 25 meeting. 'The spirit of the meeting was, number one, the property — the trustees want to make sure the college does what's best long term in dealing with our assete," said Ty Buckner, associate vice president for communications and marketing. The trustees approved the contract for the property to be sold to a medical services provider, but it is not officially sold yet. A certain company made an offer, and the trustees have now accepted and approved the contract to be drawn up. The college has maintained an easement right between the piece being sold and the edge of the meadows so that the college can still maintain full access to the meadows at any time. The trustees were sure to point out that the property being sold is piece of property that the college bought in 1996. "This is not the start of a trend," said Chair of the Board of Trustees Joe Bryan, Jr. "Someone made an offer we could not refuse for a piece of property that was not part of the original campus." "If the contract goes through to completion, and the project we have been told about is built, there will be other benefits to the college and the community," added Chair of the Finance Committee Carole Bruce. Because the property is being sold to a medical company, there will be an obvious health benefit to students. Both Bruce and Bryan believed that the project shouldn't take too long to finalize, but certain things like land and environmental surveys might lengthen that time. The money made from the sale of this property will ultimately be added to the endowment. Also on the agenda was the approval of the budget for the 2013 fiscal year and the approval of the tuition increase for the next school year. The approval of the budget is currently a budget in principle, which essentially means the budget will be used next year, but only after another round of review and approval in July and then again in October once the schooj knows the final enrollment numbers. "It's exactly the same process that (President and Professor of Political Science Kent Chabotar) established for budgeting when he got here," said Bruce, "l^^'e're taking it slow so that the trustees can make the best decisions and have all the best information." "But we work with the budget as if it were final as of the July 1 meeting, because it doesn't change much usually," added Bryan. The trustees also raised tuition. The increase comes on the heels of budget cuts across the board for all colleges in the state. "(The increase) is the lowest percentage increase we've had in about 15 years at three percent," said Bruce. "I've never done an increase this low in my 30 years on the board," added Bryan. Buckner explained that Chabotar has a strong commitment to making sure that the college does not end up running an operating deficit, and will help the trustees do that by making sure the college and the trustees look at the long term in regards to the budget, not just the short term. Also, while the impact of the budget reductions is significant, the trustees are committed to making sure that Guilford remains as affordable as possible to both traditional and CCE students. Bruce pointed out that the real question is how it all affects the students. "We'll be a better college if we can have a more diverse student body, not just racially but also intellectually and socioeconomically, and all of those things are affected by net tuition," said Bruce. "The core of tire discussion was trying to reconcile all of the things like the cut with Guilford's core mission as a Quaker college."
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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March 16, 2012, edition 1
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