OPINION
10
WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
Transfer talk amongst first-years shows lack of fulfillment within community
BY IAN PENNY
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You might have heard the grumbling. Someone in
your life at Guilford has probably talked openly about
transferring, especially if you are a first-year student like
me.
While I am not bothered too much
by the comments themselves, they do
indicate something boiling under the
surface — I think Guilford might not be
doing its best in retaining students.
S "The retention rate we speak of,
to be clear, is of all full-time first-year
students that begin one fall (are here as
of Oct. 1) and return again for the next
fall (Oct. 1)," said Assistant Academic
Dean for Academic Support Barbara
Boyette in an email interview.
In 2008, the retention rate dipped to a
10-year low of 68 percent. The following
year, the same measure spiked to 80 percent. Recent years
have seen retention hover above 70 percent.
That means around 30 percent of incoming students each
year are leaving, and Fm willing to bet there are plenty
more students imhappy with their situations but unable to
leave.
It definitely is not a black-and-white issue, as indicated
by the withdrawal survey administered by Campus Life.
"From the withdraw^ survey, one of the top reasons
students leave is financial," said Boyette. "Some leave for
medical reasons, others for 'fit' or athletics."
The right "fiF' is primarily what is the most troubling.
"I thought going to Guilford — going to a small school
— would create community," said first-year Amaris Prince,
who plans on transferring. "Community on campus is
lacking."
What I have foimd — both through on-the-record
interviews and off-the-record discussions with students —
is that there is disconnect between what is advertised and
what students receive.
"They do a good job of telling you they don't sell this
place and then sell it," said first-year Danny Wang.
While all tuition-funded colleges are within their right to
brand themselves, no student should feel cheated. Guilford
should hold an even higher standard for itself as a member
of Colleges That Change Lives.
"Yes, Guilford pushes students, but what are they going
to do afterward?" said Prince. "This school has no balance
between academic and campus life."
The Executive Summary of the 2012 National Survey of
Student Engagement found similar results.
"Guilford students, both first-years and seniors,
outperform students at our peer institutions in nearly
all academic/intellectual items related to collaboration,
creativity, writing, making presentations, studying and
synthesizing ideas," the summary stated. "On the other
hand, Guilford students, especially first-years, are less
engaged in the college's co-curricular experiences such as
student organizations and intramural sports."
Outside the classroom, there does not seem to be much
to do.
"I have two older sisters; their colleges had extra
activities," said Catalina Garcia, another first-year planning
on transferring. "Here, you finish a class and you have this
big gap with nothing to do."
It bothers me to know that many great organizations and
programs exist on campus. The heart of the matter is we, as
a school and a community, must figure out a better way to
integrate more first-year students.
If we do not address the issue, everyone loses.
"So many people leaving has totally changed the
dynamic of the hall," said first-yecir Chris Honein.
By his count, five people from Honein's First Year
Experience class — a living learning community — have
left Guilford, impacting his daily routine and life.
The burden f^s partly on administration and partly on
the students themselves to come up with solutions.
On an institutional level, Guilford should look for ways
to modify FYE classes. Student-run clubs should look to do
a better job of announcing and putting on events.
Though I am concerned, I am confident the Guilford
community can pull together and tackle the complex beast
of first-year retention.
CVS pharmacies eliminate tobacco, show societal trends
Bravo, CVS, bravo.
CVS Caremark Corporation recently
made the decision to remove all tobacco
products from all 7,600 CVS pharmacies and
800 Minute Clinics by
Oct. 1,2014.
This is estimated to
take a $2 billion dent
out of their earnings,
$1.5 billion fi-om tobacco
products and $500
million in non-tobacco
products bought by
tobacco buyers.
As the first national
pharmacy chain to end
the sale of cigarettes,
CVS has taken a fantastic
step to solidifying
their presence in the
healthcare market.
'Tobacco products have no place in a
setting where healthcare is delivered," said
Larry Merlo, CVS president and CEO, in
a video announcing the move away from
tobacco products.
CVS will also begin backing and funding
a smoking cessation program. The hope is
to help the one in seven smokers seeking
help to fiftally quit while they are still free of
many of the harmful side effects of smoking,
such as limg cancer and COPD.
Coming from a family with 10-plus
prescriptions to cash in each month, I feel
better knowing that a company in charge
of keeping my family sane and healthy is
looking out for me in whatever tiny form
that may be. I also recognize that I lucked out
in relation to smoking.
With a huge history of smoking and
addiction in my family medical tree, having
such easy access to cigarettes and tobacco
producis made it increasingly difficult to say
no.
CVS's move not only promotes their stance
in the healfticare market, it is also in line
with a few major cities like New York City
and Chicago who have harmed cigarettes in
public spaces.
Smoking is one of those few acts not
possessing positive effects to outweigh the
bad. It relieves stress, sure, but with such a
high chance for addiction and rising prices, it
ends up causing more stress than it relieves.
BY CONNOR
WILSON
Stmt Wiirm
Smoking cigarettes in their modem form
hold no other real potential than killing. CVS
is making the right move by actually making
the move towards creating a healthier world.
People who are anxious about this
removal of cigarettes, as well as the rising
number of cities banning smoking in public
places, have argued that this will only create
a dangerous black market for cigarettes.
The argument doesn't make sense though.
The homegrown tobacco, fi«e of additives
and massive marketing campaigns, would
be much safer and will be considerably less
endangering to the majority of the populace
than the form we have now.
Those who have said they are against the
ban of cigarettes are the same who are afi-aid
of the government regulating American
lives. We need regulation though, so that
we do not mn into the same situation as
Virginia's water supply.
They need not worry, though — this
removal of cigarettes is not a government
choice but a societal one. It shows that
opinions on smoking are turning, that people
are ready to quit smoking. _
So bravo, CVS. Thank you for making sure
that my generation and the next will be one
step closer from being rid of COPD and lung
cancer caused by cigarettes.