8 I February 6, 2015
The Guilfordian
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Local students j oin new city commission
BY MATTHEW JONES
Staff Writer
Guilford College. University of North Carolina at
Greensboro. Greensboro College. Guilford Technical
Community College. Bennett College. Elon University
School of Law. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical
State University.
Greensboro’s seven colleges and universities have joined
with the City of Greensboro to create a new commission of
students from each of the schools. The Greensboro College
Commission will advise the Greensboro City Council about
issues relevant to college students, among other things.
“I don’t know of any other time when we’ve been able
to unite all the seven colleges and universities on one
platform or one thing,” said Wade Walcutt, interim director
of Greensboro Parks and Recreation, who oversees the
commission. “I’m not sure how many college commissions
in the country actually exist this way.” ,
Each institution selected two applicants from their
student body for the commission. Guilford appointed
sophomore Jose Oliva and first-year Caleb Anderson.
“I want college students to feel at home in Greensboro
and have all the opportunities they need to grow in the
professional fields they choose,” said Oliva, president
of Community Senate and Bonner Scholar, in an email
interview. “I want to participate in making the college
experience better.”
Anderson hopes that by serving on the commission, he
can make a difference as well.
“It looked like a good opportunity to do something
outside of the Guilford bubble,” said Anderson, a member
of Community Senate and the men’s cross-country team.
“It looked like something that could benefit the entire city
of Greensboro and something I would definitely want to
be involved in.”
The new commission fills a gap in the city’s programs
for younger residents such as the Greensboro Youth
Council, targeted at middle and high school students, and
Action Greensboro’s synergy program, targeted at young
professionals.
“We have all these college students in town, but we never
really capture any of them while they’re in town and allow
them to help us guide legislation in Greensboro,” said
Jamal Fox, City Council member, former adjunct professor
at N.C. A&T and liaison to the commission. “It was one of
the things that I said we had to do when I ran for office in
2013: really engage the college students, give them a voice
and allow them to advise council on what it is we need to
do to keep them in town.”
The commission held its first meeting on Jan. 27. Because
it was the first meeting, the commission devoted most of its
time to orientation, but Fox says commissioners could not
wait to get to work.
“There were people already putting forth resolutions,”
said Fox. “It was great to see the excitement, great to see the
folks who are the founding members of this commission
really going and setting the pace for what it’s going to be
in the years to come.”
Although the city has given the commission a lot of
leeway, one item that may fall to it is a new internship
program called the Ambassador Program. According to Fox,
the commission would select college students to participate
in an internship with the city government, giving students
invaluable experience with local politics.
Other things the commission may do include developing
events for college students and advocating for students in
the area on issues such as public safety and transportation.
“There could be all kinds of different issues that we
could look at,” said Walcutt. “It’s really going to be up to
the commissioners. Then we’ll help guide them.”
Although the commission will dedicate most of its first
months to creating bylaws and a brand for the commission,
it has already excited people throughout the city.
“There is a lot of energy,” said Walcutt. “At our first
meeting, the manager’s office was there supporting us and
several deputy chiefs from the police department were
there.”
The commission will hold public meetings on the fourth
Tuesday of every month at 6:00 p.m. at the Parks and
Recreation headquarters on 1001 Fourth St.
Black History 4
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Month 20i.q
Wedn esday4„^
Brothers and
Sisters in Blackness
Welconne Back Kick
Back - Black Culture^
Worldwide
Contact mrc@guilford.edu to register for the All Black Everything Symposium
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4:30 p.m.-6 p.m. King Hall 127
IEric^
Wednes'dAyC
The Who Is
Black?
Panel Discussion
Power, Colorism &
Identity
6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Joseph M. Bryan Jr. Auditorium
liRibAY^
.s'
The Element
Poetry Contest
7 p.m.
Community Center
Movie Night
I’ 6 p.m. King Hall 127
^ Contact bus@guilford.edu
for details
Mosaic Leadership Series
Featuring: Senator Floyd B. Mckissick, Jr.
& Floyd B. McKissick, III '04
IWedNIsdWi
Brothers
and Sisters ■
in Blackness Welcome!
Back Kick Back -
0 Activism
5:30 p.m.-7 p.m.
Gilmer Room of Cafeteria
Founders Hall
FridAYIMndAy
Atlanta Civil Rights Tour
ly/EDNESpAYl
The Who Is
Black?
4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.
King Hall 127
FiRiDAYcrzir ‘
Atlanta, Georgia
Contact mrc@guilford.edu to sign up
Panel Discussion
Power, Colorism &
Identity
6 p.m.-8 p.m.
I Joseph M. Bryan Jr; Auditorium
All Black
Everything
Symposium
Featuring: Sudie Nallo,
professor of social work
at the University of
South Caroling
9 p.m.-3 p.m.
I Joseph M. Bryan Jr. Auditorium
SATURDAY
7?
Saturpay|( March )|
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I
1
Brothers and Sisters
in Blackness
Caribbean Dance Party ■
Time To Be Announced
Community Center
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»
1
Our City Tour: Civil
Rights & Mural Tour of
Greensboro
Only 75 seats available
** Contact mrc@guilford.edu
to sign up
Sponsors: Multicultural Education Department, African American Suoies, Office of Student Leadership & Engagement, Bonner Center for Community Learning,
Brothers & Sisters in Blackness, CCE-SGA, Student Senate, Center for Principled Problem Solving, Justice & Policy Studies, Faculty Development