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Drug-free fun club gets new name, new faces
BY KINSEY DANZIS
Staff Writer
Has your lifelong dreani been to learn how to basket
weave underwater? If that is what you have been searching
for, then the Underwater Basket Weaving Club will not be
able to help you out much.
Despite what the name may suggest, the club is actually
dedicated to creating a substance-free, relaxed environment
for anyone who just needs to wind down after a stressful
day of classes.
"(UWBW is) like a college class that doesn't give you
any necessary job skills," said sophomore and UWBW vice
president Connor Wilson. "We thought that (name) fit well
enough with what we were trying to do."
Before this year, the club was dubbed "Am I The Only
One?" or AITOO. After much deliberation and countless
suggestions, club officials changed the name to the
Underwater Basket Weaving Club.
"For a long time, for 'Am I The Only One,' there were
only five or six of us who regularly came to meetings," said
Wilson. "Very slowly, we ended up with 12 regular people
and then around 20, so we were Idnd of like, 'Yeah, we're
not the only ones anymore, so we need to pick a different
name.'"
However, despite a change in name, the club has kept to
AITOO's mission.
"We're an open community for people who don't use
alcohol and drugs," said sophomore Samantha Evans,
UWBW secretary. "We help people who aren't interested in
doing things like that but still want to socialize."
The club meetings are casual and relaxed, creating a calm
atmosphere in which members can play games and watch
movies.
"I like that fact that it's a very laid-back community," said
sophomore and member Laura Todd. "It's social, but you're
not pressured to be social."
Even though the club is a substance-free community, you
do not have to swear off substances forever in order to join;
you can still have your Budweiser, just not at club meetings
or events.
"We don't judge, so if you use substances, it's not a big
deal," said Evans. "We just don't use substances together."
This environment attracts students with diverse interests,
but their reasons for joining the club are more or less the
same.
"(The club meetings) sounded like fun," said Todd. "I
wanted to make sure I had a community where I didn't feel
pressured to drink or anything like that but could still have
fun."
Like Todd, sophomore Eleanor McTigue likes the
atmosphere that the club provides.
"I joined the club because my friend was interested in it,"
said McTigue. "Once there, I found I really liked the people
and the environment they created."
The club meets twice a week in The Hut. On Mondays,
starting around 5 p.m., members go to kick back in a safe,
sober environment and play games like "Apples to Apples"
or "Monopoly."
If your gaming interests lie in places other than the
family genre, they also sometimes play "Cards Against
Humanity."
Fridays at 8:30 p.m., the club hosts movie nights.
Attendees can bring their own movies a few minutes
beforehand and vote on which one to watch. It is like going
to the movie theater, minus the outrageously-priced food,
plus extra legroom.
If you have some time, UWBW invites you to drop by,
even if you do not live substance-free. If you are interested,
either drop by The Hut at the meeting times or email Emily
Albert, Connor Wilson or Samantha Evans for more details.
"We're accepting of anybody, so if you just show up,
you're more than welcome to stay," said Wilson.
If you have been waiting for the opportunity to learn
how to basket weave underwater with a cold beer waiting
for you on the poolside, then you are out of luck. But if you
just want to have a good time with friends in a pressure-free
zone, then the Underwater Basket Weaving Club is for you.
Nontraditional art form blossoms on graffiti walls, shed
BY OLIVIA WERNER
Staff Writer
Wherever you go on campus, you
are bound to find some type of student
artwork, be it one of the campus' numerous
art installations or simply drawn onto a
desk in Sharpie marker.
From art majors to biology majors, many
students find art to be a powerful means of
self-expression, with graffiti standing out as
a popular art form.
"For Christmas, sophomore year (of high
school), I asked for an air compressor and an
airbrush," said sophomore Jackson Wagner,
founder of his high school's graffiti class. "I
don't know if that's a weird request, but I
was so giddy about it."
The term "graffiti" itself can actually
be traced back to 1851 when it was used
to describe the inscriptions that appeared
on the walls of ancient ruins in Rome and
Pompeii. It has since evolved to include any
graphic that is placed in a public area as
an act of vandalism, often done with spray
paint.
Graffiti arose in U.S. culture in the 1960s
as New York City's youth inscribed their
names onto public areas, otherwise known
as "tagging." Thereafter, hip-hop culture
popularized street art in the '70s and '80s,
despite the New York City government's
efforts to combat the art form.
"Graffiti really started making headway
with trains," said Wagner. "It's the ultimate
dream for a graffiti artist. When you put
your tag up on a train, that train is going to
go miles across the country and everyone
will see your tag."
Today, street art is commonly found
in urban areas on buildings, bridges and
railroad boxcars.
"It is art working outside the traditional
framework of the museum/gallery," said
Assistant Professor of Art Mark Dixon in an
email interview. "It is art that is encountered
This artistic form of self-expression enhances the aesthetics and uniqueness of Guilford’s campus.
by people who were not expecting to
encounter art. It is creativity having an
impact on a bland and conservative public
setting."
Graffiti artists typically go through an
artistic process as they plan and create their
piece.
"I have a routine that always involves
listening to classic punk from the '70s," said
Wagner. "I don't worry about anything.
There's nothing on my mind. It's just me
and my canvas."
"I always wear a hoodie no matter how
hot it is, because you don't want to be
noticed or identified by anyone," said a
Guilford College graffiti artist known as
"Tails" via email.
In order for this unconventional art form
to exist on our campus, there are several
designated locations where students may
legally post their artwork.
Guilford's lakeside Graffiti Wall has
proven to be a creative outlet for student
graffiti artists.
"I love that Guilford has the Graffiti Wall
for students to use," said "Tails." "You can
work on your pieces a lot longer and not
worry about your surroundings when you
have a free and legal wall to paint."
Less than 50 feet from the graffiti wall is a
shed, which is also covered in graffiti, acting
as an extension of the wall. Other than these
two designated areas, graffiti can be found
throughout the woods on trees, rocks and
even sewage tanks.
"My inspiration comes from life and
things around me," said junior and graffiti
artist Conway Boyce. "Sometimes I'll look
at trees and get ideas for what lines to draw
based upon branches that I see."
This method of creative self-expression
is important to our campus as it enhances
the aesthetics of the lake and woods area.
Our school is unique in that students have
the ability to artistically express themselves
in this alternative way. It is something you
will not find at schools like High Point or
'.A.
Guilford’s graffiti wall can be found by the lake.
Elon University.
"It's something you can call your own,"
said sophomore and resident graffiti artist
Timmy Barrows.