OPINION
FEBRUARY 14, 2014
And I still do.
Thus, the issue of
compensation at the College
matters to me beyond
the material. It matters to
me because it is a stark
representation of how we
are failing to live up to our
core values, the very heart of
what makes Guilford special
and worth fighting for.
When our faculty salaries
are in the bottom percentiles
compared to administrative
When our faculty salaries are in the hottom
percentiles compared to administrative
salaries...we are failing to live up to our
core values of Equality and Integrity.
Diya Abdo, choir and associate professor of English
an associate professor who
makes less than the above-
mentioned College average
for assistant professors
and is the sole wage-earner
and financial caretaker of
a family of four — then we
are failing to take care of our
own and hence failing to
live up to our core value of
Community.
Let me be clear that
the ideal and promise of
Guilford are still alive and
BY KINSEY
DANZIS
Staff Writer
salaries, which are in the middle and sometimes near the top, vibrant to me. I experience them every day when I enter
and when, in a supposed salary freeze, promoted faculty cio a classroom, speak with my colleagues, walk the beautiful
not receive raises while promoted administrators do, we are grounds and engage with my students. My love for and
failing to live up to our core values of Equality and Integrity, commitment to Guilford are unflagging.
When many associate professors are compensated less than I am not special in this; so many at Guilford are like me.
the Guilford average for assistant professors of $50,000 and Such dedication and devotion should not be exploited,
when an associate professor can be compensated less than an
assistant professor in the same division or department, we Diya Abdo, chair and associate professor of English
Too much technology for children?
Many of us know at least something
about the movie "The Matrix," right? You
know, the one where machines control
our lives, but we aren't aware of just how
strong a grip they
have on us.
There's also the
small detail that they
submerged us in
tanks and we live our
lives in a simulation.
Nuanrs.
Though we aren't
held captive in a
computer program,
the fact remains
that technology
has become more prevaloit in our lives.
The effects of this increase seem to hit
the youngest generation harder than the
others.
The question isri't who is being
affected, but if th(^ effects are pc«itive.
Unfortunately, the answer isn't a simple
yes or no.
'Technology for children and teens can
be very good, providing new avenues
for socialization and education," said
Kirsten Li-Barber, assistant professor of
psydiology at High Point University. "But
I also thiiSc that it opens up new risks for
them and, in some cases, can limit their
ability to interact with a person one on
one."
Let's look at toddlers and elementary
schoolers. Some argue that too much
screen time can affect a child's educational
success. Now, that might not be true.
"Evidence suggests that exposing
children to technology, especially
television, at a young age doesn't really do
much in terms of intellectual and language
development," said Li-Barber.
Technology in education has been
controversial for a while. On one side, you
New technological devices, such as tablets, may have positive and negative effects on youth.
have those who say it detracts fix>m the
classroom experience. On the other side,
you have fhc^ who believe technology
reveals new opportunities.
'Technology is a broad opening of
perspective," said Rob WhitneU, professor
of chemistry and former T&S head. "It
helps (students) realize what they can do."
within reason, technology helps
with education. What about outside the
curriculum?
"Students want to know that they
can use technology effectively in their
education," said W^tneU. "But I think they
can use a safe space where their technology
doesn't connect back to coursework."
These "safe spaces," such as Twitter and
Facebook, are only safe in one sense of the
word. Technology provides opportunities
for harassment that can affect the
development and behavior of people of all
ages.
Despite the dangers, it can be an
important part of a teen's life.
"When children are older, rdiance on
scxial media like Twitter and Facebook can
provide them with different opportunities
to ^tablish and maintain contacts with
other people," said li-Barber.
Wiffi so many conflicting views, it's
no wonder there are so many different
answers to the question, "How much is
too much?"
"I think it is very important to set limits,"
said Stacy Lipowskt, assistant professor
of psychology at High Point University
in an email interview. "Children may get
used to a sedentary lifestyle if they get in
a pattern of spending too much time with
electronics."
With technology, the effects are ever
changing. We're not living in a Matrix yet
— not by a long shot. If we aren't careful,
though, it's hard to say what could change
in the future.
"We can't make a sweeping judgment
on whether technology is good or bad,"
said li-Barber. "It's just inescapable."
Letter to die Editor hculty salary system needs attention
When, almost exactly six years ago, I took a 12-hour flight are failing to live up to our core value of Justice,
to interview at Guilford College, I realized very quickly When such compensation practices result in problems in
that this could be the place where my traumatic experiences recruiting and retaining excellent faculty who can maintain
with an unjust academic institution and its administration and sustain the rigor of the institution, we are failing to live
in Jordan could begin to heal. And when I accepted the job, up to our core value of Excellence and hence Stewardship of
said goodbye to all I held dear, crossed the Atlantic Ocean the College.
and relocated my family nearly 6,000 miles, it was because I When colleagues are financially hurting because they are
believed in the ideal and promise of Guilford College. struggling to make ends meet — I can speak for myself as
P
Guilford spoke,
Chabotar heard,
APSA^s finalized
If you thought hearing the word "APSA" buzz
across campus was a thing of the past, think again.
It is only the beginning. .
With forums, multiple drafts and revisions
behind us. President and Professor of Political
Science Kent Chabotar's decisions on the
Administrative Program and Services Assessment
recommendations were finally made public on Jan.
31.
The response from us at The Guilfordian?
Pleasant surprise.
We feel lucky to attend a school where the
APSA committee and the president listened to the
community's suggestions and concerns and made
decisions keeping in mind where our hearts lie.
After all, it reflects the beautiful core values our
Quaker institution strives to uphold.
We wish this reflection of core values had been a
little more consistent, however.
When the president stated in his memorandum
that "(s)ome of the discussion does not bode as well
for our future," it ruffled our feathers.
It just did not align with all that we know and love
to be true about Guilford College — a place where
transparency in administrative processes should
be the norm, a place where open, honest dialogue
should not only be tolerated, but encouraged, a
place where we should value aU voices equally.
Mth words like "too much panic" and "drama,"
it felt like the commxmity's reactions were belittled
in the memorandum. Given that APSA does not just
deal with numbers and statistics—that these are, in
fact, people's jobs; that these are, in fact, resources
that directly affect the quality of education and life
here on our beloved campus—it seems reasonable
that the community just wanted to be included
in the process. Emotional responses to something
you deeply care about should not be labeled as
dramatic.
We at The Guilfordian appreciate all of the hard
work, dedication and time spent in constructing
such a difficult report. We are so grateful we
were eventually given the chance to make our
voices truly heard. We understand that there is no
magical band-aid that will easily and painlessly
fix the complex, daunting budget issues in higher
education today.
We, along with many other community members,
were glad to see that our voices were heard, and
that the changes in this final draft held us in the
light. We hope that all of this will lead to more open,
transparent dialogue amongst administrators,
faculty, staff and students in the future.
Refleqing Guilford College's core Quaker values, the
TOPICS AND CONTENT OF StAFF EDITORIALS ARE CHOSEN THROUGH
CONSENSUS OF ALL 16 EDITORS AND ONE FACULTY ADVISER OF
The Guilfordian’s Editorial Board.