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WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
OPINION
First-yeai* responses
to the question
“What has your O
experience at
Guilford been like so
"Once I got here, I’m
constantly reminded I made a
good school choice.”
Gabe Pollack
You've been moving fof days now.
You have no doe where you are. You
stumble into what appears to be a quaint
college campuS/ but under the surface
it seems much more
terrifying. This is only
the beginning.
This sounds like
the plot of an, exciting
new TV show, but for
many here at Guilford
this year, it's a reality.
Whether you're a first-
year, a transfer, a new
CCE student ora fugitive
on the lam, the first few
weeks at Guilford are
daunting. You're going
BYjpSH
BAkiARD
Sta^pWritsi
to have to wise up if you want to survive'
— and fast
"Keep Calm and Carry On" is a
common phrase nowadays* It was adapted
from a British propaganda poster during
World War II, and has been emblazoned
on everyihing from notebooks to colKee
mugs. We even see variations of it bene
on campus, from "Keep Calm and Go
to the Hut" to "Keep Calm arid Find an
On-Campus Job*"
In this short time, you have to figure out
where everything is. You have to immerse
yourself in a campus' culture that can eat
you alive if you're not careful. You have to
Imow whatheteronormative means.
All of these factors could fluster anyone,
but if you "Keep Calm and Carry On,"
you'll begin to realize that Guilford is not
a terrifying place, but instead a wonderful
community in which to leam and socialize.
Voull start to make friends with people
in your classes. YouTl learn that the
library, the Hut and oiher quiet places will
help you with your homework as much as
the internet does. You'll even discover a
higher level of distaste for Canadian geese
than you ever thought possible.
All of these factors and more will
hopefully convince you to stay the
course and continue your education here
at Guilford. If you stick around, you're
certain to And your niche within the
community and make a difference, even
if some of your views don't coincide with
the majorit\'.
Tliat's what makes this college so great.
We're an amalgam of different views and
groups combining together under a shared
set of values, t^ing to make sense of
this ridiculous world. Remember that
generations of students have come before
you and have succeeded in their own
ways* It may not have been quick, easy or
the way they planned, but it happened,
1 survived living in Milner, I survived
my first 300-leveI course, and Fm going to
survive this year as a senior and die next
as a "super-senior*" If you just "Keep Calm
and Carry On," you'll be back on the run
in no time.
Then the next batch of new students will
be trying to keep up with you. Good ludc
and welcome to Guilford.
Russia’s Pussy Riot: Just a kangaroo court-room drama
When the Russian punk band Pussy Riot was sentenced
to two years imprisonment for "hooligsinism," the question
that I, and much of the free world, asked was: "Why?"
"Hooliganism," as defined by Article 213 of the Russian
Criminal Code, is "a gross violation
of the public order which expresses
patent contempt for society, attended by
violence against private persons or by
the threat of its use, and likewise by the
destruction or damage of other people's
propert}^"
While Pussy Riot's protest was
disruptive and contemptuous, the
group did not physically or lyrically
threaten violence. Instead, the four
women, wearing brightly-colored masks,
genuflected, threw their fists in the air,
and implored the Virgin Mary to "be a
feminist" and "banish Putin."
A week later, three members of Pussy Riot were arrested.
Although Pussy Riot's crime was victiinless, the defendants
were held in solitary confinement for five months and placed
BY ANTHONY
HARRISON
Staff Writer
in a glass cage during proceedings, like violent rapists or
murderers.
To me, five months in solitary confinement seems like
excessive punishment for a "crime" which Americans consider
a right. Just as in the U.S. Constitution, the Russian Constitution
guarantees fi:eedom of speech and assembly, however, it
also prohibits "agitation which arouses national or religious
hatred." In her verdict. Judge Marina Syrova stated, "The
actions of the defendants reflected their hatred of religion."
Even so, during closing statements,' Nadezhda
Tolokonnikova, one of the members of Pussy Riot, insisted that
the protest was purely political.
So, why are these women being imprisoned?
During sentencing. Judge Syrova outlined three parameters
for finding guilt: the choice and timing of the venue. Pussy
Riot's continued performance and resistance to be taken
outside by security and cathedral parishioners, and the
defendants' and their accomplices' conduct after the fact.
While they did resist expulsion, and many churchgoers
were offended, the cathedral was essential to Pussy Riot's
message. They wanted to engage Christians in their dissent
towards Putin.
Article 2 of the Russian Constitution reads, "Man, his
rights, and (his) freedoms shall be the supreme value. The
recognition, observance, and protection of human and civil
rights and freedoms shall be the obligation of the State." 'This
article is essentially a rewording of ihe preamble of our own
constitution. It should stand as a mission statement, yet it is
one which is not being observed in Pussy Riot's case.
Since Pussy Riot should enjoy the same freedoms we do, leFs
imagine the events through an American lens. If three women
marched to the altar of the National Cathedral in Washington
and started dancing and screaming, "Obama is Satan," I feel
that there would be no repercussion aside from being led out
quietly by priests. Forget tihe notion of arrests or a trial; judges
would laugh the prosecution out of the courtroom.
1 am appalled that this perversion of justice is taking place
anywhere. I am outraged Ihat it is occurring in a nation which
claims to espouse justice, freedom and demoaacy. The Pussy
Riot trial has -shown Russia to be a hotbed of bias, repression
and tyranny.
Though they refuse to seek official pardon. Pussy Riot's
attorney stated that they would be seeking an appeal. I hope
another judge will impart proper justice.