FEATURES
March 29,2013
Bonner Center for Community Learning and Service embodies core values
BY SHELBY SMITH
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"Access to education; opportunity to
serve."
This is the motto of the Bonner Center for
Community Learning and Service.
"We are a scholarship program," said
Elizabeth Baloff-Bird, Bonner Scholars
Coordinator. "We give students who are
passionate about community service the
opportunity to attend college when finances
don't allow them to do so."
There are 60 Guilford students in the
Bonner program. During the school year,
each Bonner Scholar completes 280 hours
of community service. The total outcome
is 16,800 hours of community service per
school year.
This accounts for 90 percent of the
community service hours completed by the
entire Guilford student body.
But the Bonner program is about more
than just numbers. It's about growth.
The community service performed by
Bonner Scholars goes deep in an attempt
to solve the problems in the community.
What they call "Band-Aid service" is never
enough for the students.
"I want to incorporate service into a
regular thing in my whole life," said first-
year Bonner Scholar Ben Evans. "I love the
feeling of making someone's day better
Lu. "It's improved my vocational skills,
which I didn't think I had before entering
(Bonner), and I want to keep improving
those skills."
These vocational skills are what make
Bonner Scholars so successful. The retention
"Bonner has taught me a lot about the real world and how
messed up the world is. I have learned that in order to make it in
the world, I need to know the real issues and how they affect my
community, myself and other communities."
Marielena Del Pozo, senior Bonner scholar
through my service."
Personal growth also comes with the
territory of being a Bonner Scholar. Every
student experiences it differently.
"Bonner challenges me to see how far I
can go," said junior Bonner Scholar Mandy
rate of the program is 89 percent, higher
than the retention rate of Guilford . College
as a whole. Those students, in most cases,
walk away from graduation with a secureci
internship or job, as well as a new way of
looking at life.
"Bonner has taught me a lot about the real
world and how messed up the world is,"
said senior Bonner Scholar Marielena Del
Pozo. "I have learned that in order to make
it in the world, I need to know the real issues
and how they affect my community, myself
and other communities." T
"People think we're community service
snobs, but we're not," said Bird. "We want
the entire campus to get involved in the
community."
Efforts to get students involved continue
to grow. Sports teams are more regularly
participating in fundraising and serving
charitable causes. Student organizations
and clubs are doing the same.
Ultimately, Bonner wants to promote an
involved campus and fight against apathy
in the student body, while remaining true to
Guilford's values.
"Bonners live the core values of the
college," said James Shields, Bonner Center
Director. "We've got 21 years of Bonner
graduates out in the world doing the same."
If Bonner were to deliver one message to
the campus, it was summed up by Evans:
"Get involved."
PROFESSORS
Why teach at Guilford College?
Continue from Page I
Nevertheless, despite all of this, professors
still choose to work at Guilford.
"I didn't think about the salary when I got
into this profession, and I still don't," said
Professor of Foreign Language David Limburg.
"For me, there are other benefits like the tuition
waiver for my son, sabbaticals, teaching abroad
opportunities and the freedom to teach and
contribute the way I choose."
Between Guilford's irreplaceable
awkwardness, our very own farm and the
friendliness that lingers around campus, it is
clear as to why professors choose to stay despite
a lower pay.
"I stay because of things that are dear to
me such as the passion and dedication of my
colleagues and the liveliness and originality here
at Guilford," said Visiting Assistant Professor of
English Myltoe Dressier.
Who would enjoy going to work with people
they didn't like?
Associate Professor of Accounting Garland
Granger also finds joy in teaching and in watching
his first-year students and CCE students mingle
and learn from one another.
"Traditional students gain more of an
understanding of the work place while CCE
students are exposed to youthful enthusiasm
which can be lost with age," said Granger.
According to Professor of English Jim Flood,
his colleagues are one of the many reasons he has
stayed committed to Guilford.
"The people I work with are people that
I cannot imagine ever getting tired of being
with and talking to," said Hood. "Coming to
work here is fun because the people are just so
spectacular."
Guilford did not seem to be the ideal choice for
Professor of Psychology Richard Zweigenhaft,
but he, like many other professors, succumbed
to Guilford's unique and accepting atmosphere.
"I knew when I came that the salary I was
being offered was low, but salary was less
important to me than finding the right fit," said
Zweigenhaft. "I will say that if I was a young
faculty member and thinking of raising a family
on the salary Guilford now offers, it would be a
harder decision to come here."
Supporting a family on a below-average salary
is something Assistant Professor of Justice and
Policy Studies Sanjay Marwah struggles with.
Although he is motivated to stay at Guilford
due to the many advantages of a small college
and the ability to teach and integrate different
disciplines in his classes, the below average pay
is taldng a toll.
"I don't think the salary allows me to maintain
and raise a family," said Marwah. "My own
family situation in terms of financing has been
rough, but I understand Guilford has gone
through financial troubles."
Even though the salary for professors is below
the average, they still put their hearts and souls
into teaching and caring for students.
"The people I work with are people that I cannot imagine ever getting
tired of being with and talking to."
Jim Hood, professor of English
YOU'RE INVITED:
Early Black Alum '62 - 77 Portraits
and Profiles Exhibition
As part of 'Journeys in Blackness: Commemorating 50
Years of Integration,' portraits and profiles of Black alumni
and past activists of Guilford College will be featured at the
exhibition.
This exhibit includes: audio recordings of interviews,
interactive components, profiles, and portraits taken by
photographer Adam Watkins '13. The exhibit will be open
for the remainder of the 2013 spring semester.
Food & refreshments will be served.
Location: Guilford College, King Hall 126 & 127
Guilford
COLLEGE
Center for Principled Prot»!rm Solvmg
Contact Judy Harvey
for more information
Jharvey@guilford.edu
or 336.316.2180