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The conflict in the Gaza Strip will have no winners Year after year, we hear the same story. Israelis and Palestinians start fighting. After losing lives, money and resources, the two sides eventually stop. Then they repeat the process. in the Gaza war, fighting doesn't serve the interests of either side. It only makes it more difficult to find a workable solution. 'Trom my perspective, both sides lost" said Visiting Assistant Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies Jeremy Rinker. "When you have loss of life, and you have destruction of prop>erty and resources to tiiat extent I don't see how anybody's a winner. It becomes a lose-lose scenario." Yet people on both sides celebrated the most recent cease-fire agreement as a victory for themselves and a loss for their opponents. This year's war saw minimal change for both sides, and it pushed them even further apart This war doesn't serve the goals of either side, so we shouldn't be surprised when neither achieves them. Israel has complicated relationships with its surrounding countries, and many people resent the mere existqice of the Jewish state. Israel could easily face disaster if it ended up on the Israelis have made minimal effort to end the losing side of a war even once, so militarization warring and find that solution, and national security rank among its highest Israel has three options for dealing with the priorities. situation. In the war with Gaza, Israel hurls missiles It can continue this destructive cycle of small over the border as a show of strength and wars with Palestinian forces, it could attempt BY LANDON FRIED Staff Writer invades the reason in force. This hurts the country's national security more than it helps because it only creates more resistance, making it easier for others to side against Israel. "Our smart bombs and our hundreds of planes didn't help us," wrote Gideon Levy in a colunm for Israeli publication Haaretz. "They didn't win the war "When you have loss of life, and you hove destruction of property and resources to that extent, I don't see how onybody's o winner. It becomes 0 lose-lose scenario." Jeremy Rinker, assistant professor of peace & conflict studies to exterminate the entire Palestinian population, or Israelites could begin to slowly live with the Palestinians as neighbors and countrymen while acknowledging their grievances and rights. The third option is obviously the best solution for both the Israelis and Palestinians, but it will take time. This solution probably will not and couldn't have won it" happen within a single year, decade or even a If Israel wants the best option for their century, but it's important that we take steps national security, they need to find a peaceful towards that goal right now. and long-term solution to create stability. Palestinians need to see that solution, too. Fighting doesn't serve the interests of their side. They need to understand and recognize Israel's rights. As long as the fighting continues, the Pdestinian people face as many disaimination and rights abuses as ever. Hamas, the main Palestinian armed resistance group, has chosen to fight on the wrong side of an asymmetrical war, and this has devastated the people of Gaza. Hamas will not gain anything substantial from this war, nor future conflicts, because they simply do not have the musde to overpower Israel. The Palestinian people have faced systematic oppression from the Israeli government for decades, but by targeting Isra^ civilians, they only make their oppression seem legitimate. Hamas needs to show a willingness to communicate and deal with Israel fairly if they hope to gain anything for the Palestinian people in the future. Neither side can claim this war is just. "Are both sides guilty of war crimes?" said Joe Cole, visiting assistant professor of philosophy. "My answer is yes, they are." Both sides have legitimate concerns. Both sides have committed atrocities. Both sides need to work together towards a long-term solution. Two-state solution or one-state solution, both must learn to live with each other as neighbors. Neither side deserves support because as long as they continue to fight, both continue to lose. Extending J-Teim pilot will allow program improvements BY MATTHEW JONES Staff Writer How did you spend your January term last year? Building a chair in woodworking class? Bird-watching in the Galapagos? Sleeping on the couch? According to the faculty, you should be able to continue to enjoy these activities as a part of the J-Term pilot program, which was set to expire after this winter, until at least 2017. Although the first three years of J-Term haven't always been sunshine and rainbows, the longer trial period will give the faculty and administration a better understanding of what needs to change before it is implemented as a permanent program. Since its beginning, the program has been very exciting for faculty and students alike with opportunities ranging from Bloodstain Pattern Amalysic lo UK; Oxford Fantasy Writers. "As an incoming faculty member, I was really excited Guilford had a J-Term," said Karen Spira, assistant professor of foreign languages. "I have heard many stories about exciting, intensive experiential learning opportunities that Spanish professors have developed at other institutions." Another benefit of J-Term is that it has also opened the door to experiences that many students wouldn't have access to at other times of thdyear. "We wanted to give students who couldn't normally do study abroad or study away things a chance to do a shorter one," said Dave Dobson, clerk of faculty and professor of geology and earth sciences. "For CCE students in particular, they are not often able to take a full semester or summer but they might be able to do a trip of two or three weeks." It would be a shame to lose these opportunities for students, and J-Term is uniquely positioned to fill this need. However, J-Term is by no means perfect. Students and faculty have both expressed concern that the prices of some experiences are too high for all students to be able to partake. "For me, there's a concern of equity," said Spira. "If we're going to have this really exciting component of the Guilford curriculum, I think that iPs important that all students can access it." Many faculty members already find it difficult to manage all of the courses they have to teach the rest of the year. "We have to offer classes in the summer, and we have to offer classes in the evening, so many of our faculty work evenings and teach summer school," said Chair and Associate Professor of Business Betty Kane. Asking professors to design and teach a J-Term course on top of that only exacerbates the situation. By extending the trial period and opting to not implement J-Term as a permanent program as of yet, the faculty will allow the program to be more closely studied. In the long nm, this means that the faculty will be able to make a more informed decision in 2017 when it comes time to decide whether or not to keep J-Te‘rm permanently. Also, changes can be made to the program in the meantime to address many of the faculty concerns. If a decision had been made now regarding the future of the program, it is likely that a strong consensus could not have been formed. The faculty would have had to choose between two less than stellar options: cancelling a very interesting program or implementing a program still riddled with problems. "I don't think the faculty was ready to do that," said Kane. "And I think, to the credit of the Qerk's Committee, that they thought that this is the best way to extend and really assess it." his New academic year brii^ new adninistraiion, covers and editors After a summer full of intriguing news and thought-provoking questions. The Guilfordian is back to report it all. From the protests in Ferguson to the ethnic cleansing in Gaza, the world has seemed a tumultuous place for the last few months. However, the U.S. win in the game against Ghana in the World Cup bolstered national pride. Our World and Nation section has a lot of events to catch up on from a summer full of national ones. We also look forward to reporting on-campus news that came to the forefront over summer break. The most important change to our administration that we'll be covering is the transition from former president Kent Chabotar to our incoming leader Jane Fernandez. We look forward to seeing how she brings her own style and administration to Guilford and will be keeping up with her changes to Guilford life. We expect great things. Among our other upcoming stories is the sexual assault list that included Guilford at the end of the last semester. It's a priority for us to include what progress the administration has made to address the problems brought out by &s federal investigation. Other important issues to us in the coming semester will be the budget situation for this year and the departure of many members of our faculty and staff, including former Dean of Students Aaron Fetrow. The Guilfordian also underwent a lot of changes over the summer. We're introducing a multitude of new staff to the department, including a new editor-in-chief, a new managing editor and new editors for all five sections. We have new leaders in our photo, video, and web departments as well. This year we're focusing on integrating social justice into all of our sections to reflect how much we value the unique aspects of our liberal arts insitution. Alexandra Haridopolos, our new sodd justice coordinator, will be overseeing the best way to fit our Sojo blog into the new mainstreaming. The change pervading our campus this year provides a welcome opportunity to bring in a fresh perspective. VS^th new leaders in The Guilfordian and throughout the college, we look forward to hearing from you. Reflecting Guilford College's core Quaker values, the topics and content of Staff Editorials are chosen through consensus of all 13 editors and one faculty adviser of The Guilfordian’s Editorial Board.
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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Sept. 5, 2014, edition 1
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