NEWS
WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
Conscientious student scuipts wave of positive energy
BY EMILY HAAKSMA
Staff Writer
"If there is no struggle, there is
no progress."
Senior Shammia McQuaig, an
athlete-tumed-artist, wrote this
Fredrick Douglass quote on the
toes of her basketball shoes in high
school.
Exemplifying that progress,
McQuaig's "Positivity Wave"
sculpture won last year's Weller
Memorial Sculpture Competition,
and it is now displayed outside of
Hege-Cox Hall until May 2015.
The 15-foot-tall sculpture is
made of welded steel and natural
fiber, and it arches into an elegant
wave that stands poised over
Guilford College's quad.
McQuaig jokes that it was
necessary to make the wave so
tall so that stupid people wouldn't
poke their eyes out.
The sculpting process felt
like a community-won effort to
McQuaig, who enjoyed late night
visits from friends to help her get
through the grueling long hours of
labor.
"I got help from people walking
by when I was worldng on it,"
McQuaig said. "The beautiful thing
about it is that it didn't take a lot.
I'd have people come up and talk
to me at like two in the morning."
Assistant Professor of Art Mark
Dixon, who is also McQuaig's
sculpture professor, has noticed the
community's reaction to the piece's
striking appearance.
"I sit at my window. I can see
the sculpture from there and there's
not an hour that doesn't go by that
someone doesn't slow down and
look (at it)," said Dixon.
"Positivity Wave" is a
captivating, interactive piece.
Students often take pictures of each
other standing beneath the spread
of its heavy metal piping.
"I like the sculpture because it's
like standing under a tree," said
first-year Kate Jenkins-Sullivan.
"It envelops you, which is really
unique."
"Yo, positivity" is McQuaig's
mantra, and she incorporated this
optimistic and fun attitude into the
final product of her work.
"Yeah, we all have our moments,"
she said. "We just have to think of
the positive ones. I wanted to send
last year's graduating class off
with some positive energy. Not just
crashing on our community, but on
their future ones as well."
‘Positivity Wave” was created by Senior Shammia McQuaig.The sculpture can be found in front of Hege-Cox Hall.
Beyond flooding the campus
with good vibes, "Positivity
Wave" marks a huge milestone
for Guilford. McQuaig is the
first Africana student ever to
win Guilford's Weller Memorial
Sculpture Competition.
In 1969, artist and educator
James McMillan was hired to the
Art Department as the college's
first black faculty member. Forty-
four years later, McQuaig's
accomplishment reflects the
school's continual progress
towards an institution that truly
implements its core values of
integrity, equality and diversity.
McQuaig, who was unaware
of the historical implications of
her achievement until she was
awarded with a medal at the
ceremony, described how thfs
accomplishment changed her
outlook on the work's success.
"It wasn't just me winning that
award," McQuaig said. "I felt like I
was doing it for my race."
SYRIA
Senate Update
xxxxxxx>ox>>xxx>x>x>c>>ox>xxx>c>c>xx>
This Week's
Developments
Meriwether Godsey representatives came to speak widi about how to make the
catering process more cost-efficient for students looking to get food for their
events.They also fielded general questions about the food process at Guilford.
Students also brainstormed ways to make founders less “sterile” and community
concerns were brought to the attention of Senate. Notably students wanted
support in making campus more welcoming to trans people and more bike racks.
Next Week's Plans
Senate will be changing its meeting time so stay tuned and keep an eye out for
flyers, chalk, Facebook announcements, and all that jazz with the new meeting
time advertised!
Contact Us
We need to hear your voice! Have an idea? Concern? Great recipe? It’s important
to us.
Questions? Email: senate@guilford.edu or visit
http:,//guilfordsenate.wordpress.com
Compiled by Samir Hazboun, Community Senate President
Syria elicites world, local response
Continued from Page I
conflict, such as through coalitions with
others, embargo, boycotts, working with the
Arab League and the U.N., and applying
Geneva Convention and international law.
Research Assistant Susan Ikenberry, who
attended the discussion, also believes that
intervention needs to be intentional and non
violent in order to reduce the risk of more
violence or continued chemical weapon use.
"The brown bag discussion was helpful in
illuminating the complex human dimensions
of the situation," said Ikenberry in an email
interview. "Conveying the urgency, and
reminding us of the importance of non
violent action by an international community
rather than military intervention by an
individual player."
Associate Professor of English Diya Abdo
echoes Carter and Ikenberry's standpoints
on military action.
"It is difficult to watch innocent civilians
slaughtered by the thousands without crying
out for the world to intervene, but a Western
intervention has proved time and time again
to be much worse for the region," said Abdo
in an email interview.
Hamad, who attended the discussion,
has a direct, more personal connection to
the crisis overseas. He is half-Syrian and has
many family members living in Syria today.
Unlike Carter and Abdo, however,
Hamad struggles with seeing non-violent
intervention as a realistic solution.
"It would be shameful from a moral stand
point if we didn't intervene at this point,"
said Hamad. "Assad is not going to suffer.
even if the rest of his people are suffering,
so he doesn't really care if they're going to
suffer from an embargo."
Hamad feels a targeted attack on Assad
could be more beneficial.
"Strike missiles on his compound ... imtil
he is dead and his advisors are dead," said
Hamad.
There were other opportunities on campus
for the community to ^ to grapple with the
situation.
On Sept. 9 the Campus Ministry Office
sponsored a day of prayer and fasting, while
the Moon Room in Dana Hall was open for
quiet reflection and meditation.
Some students even stepped off campus to
get involved by attending a rally in front of
the Federal building downtown. The protest
emphasized anti-U.S. military action.
Ikenberry thinks there are many actions
the community can continue to take in the
future, such as holding a teach-in, look at
suggestions from peaceful organizations
such as Friends Committee on National
Legislation and American Friends Service
Committee, connect with other colleges
and universities in the area holding forums
or taking actions and discuss the questions
Syria raises in class.
Carter finds it important for community
members to keep world news in perspective
even from our small, enclosed campus.
"I would just encourage people to inform
themselves and not fall into the Guilford
bubble," said Carter. "It's easy not to follow
the news, but this is something that can have
long-range impact, and it's not that distant
from its impact on Guilford." i