Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / Sept. 24, 1981, edition 1 / Page 1
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G uil£ordian Vol. LXVI, No. 2 ' r ifttiiiifir- - •' —"• - Flocks of wild-eyed students wait forlornely at tne library entrance after a frivolous quest for academic retreat. Herbe Poole steps up search for study space. Diversify in jeopardy Few black students enroll, fewer graduate By Martha Massie Autumn. Guilford College. The air is crisp, the leaves are just beginning to turn. Students recline on the grass. A pic turesque scene, yet it is not quite complete. There are very few black students among those on the lawn. No black faculty members are visible. The people who make up this community are of many hues, yet black is one color which is conspicuously absent. This year's freshmen class contained exactly ten black students. Last year's black freshmen enrollment totaled six, while the previous year there were 23. The attrition rate for black freshmen is 90 percent. Many questions have been raised concerning the college's commit ment to a genuinely integrated student body. Why are there so few black freshmen? According to Herbert Poole, Special Assistant to the President for Administration and Financial Aid, it is a "matter of circumstance." "If there is any one area in higher education which is the most competitive, it is the market for black students," he said. With the impostition of governmental quotas for the black students, the state schools are offering financial aid packages which Guilford College can not match. Although efforts at finding and attracting "qualified" blacks for enrollment continue, few potential freshmen can afford to ignore the offers of better-endowed, more prestigious private schools, or state schools which are trying to meet quotas. A similar situation exists for Guilford's faculty. There are currently only three blacks in all of the college's administration and faculty. Dissatisfaction with the small percentage of black faculty members has often been expressed. Poole explained that there is a great demand for black college teachers and that they can command approximately double the salary of white professors at Guilford College. The ad ministration feels that it would be both impractical and "unfair" to hire black professors at this elevated salary. Many people feel that the size of the black student and faculty population in the Guilford community reflects a general lack of commitment on the part of the college towards in tegration. It is probable, too, that many perspective black students opt against attending Guilford, a predominantly white school, Guilford College, Greensboro, NC 27410 when they can find a more comfortable environment elsewhere, such as a better racially balanced state school. Claudette Franklin, Assistant to the Dean of Students for Minority Affairs at Guilford points out that the absence of black role models on the faculty conveys the attitude that the black student "is not good enough." Living in an en H • I Sounds and silence. Strokes and tokes. Taylor and Arterberry. Check out the details of how T. and A titillated a Guilford audience last Sunday in an article on page 3. Changes deplete study space By Bob Gluck Students have returned to Guilford College this Fall to find that many spaces previously used for quiet study have now been set aside for other purposes. In addition, some areas which are still designated for study are now open fewer hours per day. This cutback in space and hours for study has caused concern among students and members of the administration alike. Plans are already being made to compensate for the study areas which were cut. Founders Hall was one of the areas in which study space disappeared Several rooms in that building which were previously set aside for studying are no longer available to the students due to rearrangemnt of photo by ttandy Kosenmai vironment where one is con tinually "the only dark spot in the classroom can be both in timidating and alienating," she said. These attitudes may well explain the 90 percent attrition rate. The realities of economics and competition seem to have distorted the Quaker ideal of a diverse student body. The racial composition of Guilford's faculty ■ i September 24, 1981 administrative offices. Many offices were moved into study rooms when Student Services were moved from Bryan Hall upstairs to Founders Hall. Rooms 203-A, 203-B, and 204 are still available to students "most of the time," according to Hugh Stohler, Director of Student Activities. Stohler also said that desks are being placed in the basement of Founders Hall beside the rehearsal room. Though there are currently only five desks in place, Stohler said that more desks and "better lighting" will be installed "as soon as possible." The basement study area will be reserved for quiet study. Access to all these study areas and to Founders itself will, Continued on page 7 adds to that imbalance. Mallyvean Teah, a former Guilford student summarized the situation: "Guilford College is not acclimated to the black stu dent." With few blacks entering, and 90 percent of those who do enter leaving within four years, the immediate future offers little improvement for this dilemma.
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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Sept. 24, 1981, edition 1
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