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6 I May 1,2015 The Guilfordian QPINION WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM/OPINION The Greenleaf spreads its roots across campus despite adversity BY CLARE FORRISTER Staff Writer Since this time last )^ear, the Greenleaf has been transplanted, grafted, cut and trimmed, all without its say-so. It has yet to stop growing. Unexpected changes began at the end of the spring 2014 semester, when the student-run coffee co-op moved out of the basement of Mary Hobbs due to renovations. This year, the Greenleaf has sprouted up new locations in various parts of campus, refusing to give up in the face of turbulence. As hopeful as it sounds that the Greenleaf can’t be chopped out of life at Guilford, I am concerned that there was ever a possibility. The Greenleaf promotes important principles such as direct trade, social justice and sustainability. It is an essential community on campus, helping us live up to our values, and should have never been put at risk. The problems began with the move to the Greenleaf s new location in the Milner Hall basement. The Greenleaf members kept their spirits up, and worked with the school over the summer to open the new location as soon as possible for the new semester. When I first joined the Greenleaf in the fall of this year, members were rallying after delays in opening. Everyone was excited to get started. Through the rest of the semester, I grew used to the cozy new space that the Greenleaf called home. I learned to make drinks and provide good service to customers. Even when I was not on shift, like many other Greenleaf m^irtbers. I spent time in the space. More importantly, I grew to appreciate the community in the Greenleaf, as well as the mission of social justice and sustainability shown through the Greenleaf s purchases and messages. Just when the Greenleaf was getting used to its new soil, it was uprooted again. Due to failures in getting permits from the city by those overseeing the renovations, the Greenleaf s main location never reopened for the spring 2015 semester. The members of the co-op first had to find out why, working with little information from the administration, and then had to decide what to do next. “At the beginning of the semester we had no space, so we decided to do the mobile Greenleaf, more for having any kind of presence on campus.” said sophomore and Greenleaf training committee clerk Nellie Vinograd. “It wasn’t very successful, and it was difficult to have that as a consistent presence.” The Greenleaf struggled to regain ground. “Due to the nature of it closing, I think that, sadly, we’ve had a bit of a reputation for unrehabihty,” said sophomore and Greenleaf events committee clerk Becca Mellon On April 14, the Greenleaf ended the temporary Greenleaf on Wheels and opened a second permanent branch at Hege Library. “The hbrary opened its doors in so many ways,” said junior and Greenleaf member Addy Allred. However, the library space does not sell specialty drinks, and functions more as a normal cafe than the Greenleaf s usual unique presence. Last Sunday, the Greenleaf held an all co-op meeting to discuss the reopening of the Milner space. Members discussed recruitment and plans for next year. “It’s a really exciting time to be joining the Greenleaf, with two spaces opening in the fall,” said senior and business intern for the Greenleaf Irene Jacobson at the meeting. Plans are in the works for showing the campus the Greenleaf s potential, after all the changes and inconsistency of this year. Despite everything the members had to go through, they have high hopes for the future. ^ - “We are coming back next year, and we are coming back strong, with members who really care about this environment and care about our mission,” Allred said. It looks like the new Greenleaf sprouts will thrive. “I felt like Guilford didn’t take care of us. when (the Greenleaf is) very meaningful to the Guilford community,” said sophomore and Greenleaf member Timmy Barrows. “But at the same time ... because the Greenleaf closed, it really showed the Greenleaf members’ true colors.” Wherever the Greenleaf is headed, it needs new members. “Join us,” Vinograd said. “We can use all the help we can get, and also the patience and understanding that we are a student- run group ... Each of us brings something to the table that makes the Greenleaf a very interesting community.” » Allred also had a message for Guilford. “I hope you’ve been patient with us, and I hope that you can understand what we’re going through,” Allred said. “I also hope that you can patronize us in the future, and know that we’re growing along with you.” COFFEE GROWERS COFFEE ORIHKERS CLOSER TOGETBW it FROM SMALL farmers TO THEIR CO-OPS TO EQUAL EXCHAHSE COFFEE co-op TH« CONVENTIONAL COFFtE KHi 1 222 Sg A sign and a flyer in the Hege Library announced the Greenleaf's return to a permanent space. Staff Editorial A note from next year's Editor-in-Chief My first day at Guilford, I walked into Dana Auditorium on the way to my first college English class, anxious and worried about what would be expected of me. The previous night, before even going to a college class for the first time, I had received the pitch list for the newspaper and learned that I would have to write my first article that week. I stepped into the classroom and, with the professor and students in that room, found my home at Guilford. Going to college intimidated me, but joining the newspaper lifted so much weight off my shoulders, even though it meant that I had more responsibilities to take care of and had to talk to people I didn’t know, two things that I wasn’t entirely sure that I wanted to do. Regardless, I fell in IdVe with journalism and The Guilfordian. My. three years at Guilford have been defined by my involvement with the newspaper. I love this publication and I love journalism. The Guilfordian has a unique position in our community. We get to showcase the concerns of our community and give voices to movements and individuals who may not have ones of their own. This is one of the things I love most about journalism. I promise that next year we will continue to highlight voices of the community. Next year we will also continue to focus on social justice. While we enjoy reporting on fun topics like theatre productions and Serendipity, we also think it is of the utmost importance to showcase social justice issues, especially ones that are underreported. I’ve watched three editors-in-chief before me write these letters, but I never really expected that I would one day actually get to write one. The opportunity to serve as the leader of this organization is an honor, and I hope that I will do the job, and our community, justice. Allison DeBusk Reflecting Guilford College's core Quaker values, the topics and content of Staff Editorials are chosen through consensus OF ALL 14 EDITORS AND ONE FACULTY ADVISER OF ThE GuILFORDIAN's EDITORIAL BOARD. To survive budget crisis, we must talk BY NICOLE ZELNIKER Features Editor Guilford College has a $2 million deficit, and no one seems to ^ow how we got here. Due mainly to a drop in enrollment, cuts will be made and no one is safe. i ■iiiifii - years,” f Instructor of English Caroline McAlister. “There should be some sort of labor protection for people who have spent that much time in a place.” The root of the problem is that the Guilford community needs to communicate. “There’s a lot we don’t know in terms of what our administrators do,” said the Bonner Center for Community Service & Learning Director James Shields. For those of us who don’t know what happens at the administrative level of the college, it’s hard to say what’s really going on. It works both ways. Administrators can’t know the effect budget cuts have on the students and programs such as the Bonner Center. “Not having a coordinator position right now, I certainly see the effect it has ... on the work of the Bonner Center,” said Shields. “It is adversely affecting what we do.” We can’t be blamed for the deficit that has aheady happened. However, if we don’t bring the community together, it will be our fault if we still have a deficit. “If the community all got on board behind a leader that was willing to show that kmd of commitment, we could do what now seems impossible,” said Matt Armstrong, former adjunct professor at Guilford. "We could close the deficit.” According to Professor of History and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean Adrienne Israel, the administration cuts positions based on student need. “We’re trying to make sure we have the courses we need and not offer as many as we did last fall,” said Israel. But that’s not what professors are seeing. “I’ve gotten emails from six or seven students saying they needed to get into an HP class and they couldn’t,” said McAlister. “Here, that’s what you’re paying for, to get into the classes you need.” A lot of the anger about the budget crisis came from the 990 tax forms released earlier this semester revealing administrator bonuses, though they may not be an entirely accurate representation of administrator salaries. “It looked like salaries for administrators had jumped,” said Professor of Geology and Earth Sciences Dave Dobson. “It’s pretty clear now that those are bonuses, one time things. “The 990’s are a crude reporting tool.” This year, the administration is working to facilitate better understanding, including President of Guilford College and Professor of English Jane Fernandes. “In Guilford’s past, when similar cuts have been made, they’ve just been announced and folks have had to respond to it, but not had a chance to change it,” said Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Todd Clark. “Jane had promised to the community a chance for feedback.” The students advocating for administrator pay cuts may also be surprised to know that certain members of the administration stand behind reductions. “I would support voluntary salary reductions if it would enable the lowest-paid employees at the College to earn a living wage,” said Israel. Currently, Fernandes is looking at ways to minimize community impact when cuts are made. “As we proceed with the messy, painful process of making the sausage of budget balancing, let’s approach it with a sense of trust in each other, whose points of view inform and enlighten our collective thinking,” said Fernandes in an email to the community. “And let us always remember that it is the good and the betterment of Guilford College that we all wish to achieve together.”
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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