Okulforbian
Volume LXVIII, No. 5
Disturbance
Involves Firearm
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About 4:15 am. Saturday
morning, several students
residing in Bryan Dorm's
western quarter awoke suddenly
to shouting coming from the road
between Bryan and the Frazier
appartments. Minutes later, at
about 4:20, more Bryan residents
were aroused, this time, they say.
by a loud crashing sound.
Many rumors began cir
culating after the disturbance,
and it is difficult to pinpoint the
exact sequence of events or who
perpetrated them. But a compila
tion of information given by those
involved and witnesses has led
the Guilfordian to construct this
basic sketch of what may have
happened.
About 4 a.m. on Saturday, two
black students from A&T parked
their car in the road alongside
Bryan, and entered the dorm,
allegedly looking for a specific
Guilford student.
Upon entering the dorm, the
two men encountered several
male Guilford students, and ask
ed them where they could find the
student. Words were exchanged
by the two parties, although the
exact content of their conversa
tion is not known.
It is the understanding of the
Guilfordian that a possible cause
for the violent events that came
about is that the A&T students us
ed the term 'homeboy' in
reference to the white students
present. Supposedly the meaning
of the word was misunderstood,
and the Guilford students took it
for a derrogatory label.
At some point, all of those in
volved moved out to the street
between Bryan and the Frazier
appartments. Verbal exchanges
between the two parties got
louder.
He is alleged John Motta, a
Guilford junior, kicked one of the
black men. This may have been
the action that touched off a fist
fight between the two A&T
students and approximately six
Guilford men. Many of the
Guilford students were later iden
tified as lacrosse players.
About 4:15 the first Bryan
residents were awakened. Two
witnesses who woke up at this
time later stated that they went
to their window on the third floor
of the dorm, surveyed the situa
tion, called security, and return
ed to the window to watch the
events that followed.
Both witnesses also made
references to what they
understood as racial slurs being
tossed about.
Moments later, one of the A&T
students was seen with a gun in
his hand, which was grabbed by a
Guilford student.
About 4:20, several more
students suddenly woke up to the
sound of a loud crash, which was
evidently caused by the Guilford
student's breaking the car wind
shield with the stock of the gun.
The residents who awoke to
see this incident also called the
security guard immediately, and
returned to their window to see
what was going to happen.
They say that the next thing
they saw was the same Guilford
student pounding on the ground
with the stock of the gun. Two of
the witnesses then say that they
saw what appeared to be large
sticks being held by Guilford
students.
At this time two witnesses
state they were able to identify
John Motta, Kyle Kesselring and
Stewart Nichols as students
among the group.
While this was going on, three
witnesses state that they saw a
light-colored truck pull up to the
street by the dorm. They iden
tified the driver as Curtis Stabler,
and state that they saw him get
out of the truck with another gun.
Whether or not this object was
indeed a fully intact fire-arm or
just a portion of one has not yet
been determined.
The witnesses say they saw
Stabler approach the group with
the gun, and exchange some
words with them. About a minute
later, he put the object back in
the car and left the scene.
Greg Gwyn, a junior, heard
the noise and went out to the
street to find the group of
Guilford students standing over
and yelling at one A&T student
who was on the ground. Gwyn
tried to pull the students away in
an attempt to stop the fight. He
then proceeded to a nearby group
that was engaged in a scuffle and
tried to break tham apart.
On Monday, Gwyn com
mented that he "didn't want to
see a fight, and did everything I
could to calm them down."
Arriving at about the same
time as Gwyn was Doc Roberts,
continued on page 3
Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C. 27410
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Despite high temperatures in the old gym the Halloween Dance October 27 was generally considered
successful. Photo by Andrew Stuart
Library Fir
Found Inadequate
By Tracey Clark
The fire system installed in
the College Library has been in
spected by Greensboro officials
and found to be inadequate. The
system does not meet the most
recent North Carolina Fire
Codes. Pending a more thorough
investigation the College will be
required to do additional work in
the Library to insure the system
meets Code.
Following the Guilfordian ar
ticle of September 26 in which the
library's new fire system was
described, Steve Marks, a
Guilford student with an interest
in fire prevention, phoned the
Fire Prevention Bureau inquir
ing about North Carolina Fire
Codes. Marks was referred to
Captain Jim Smith of the
Greensboro Fire Department.
Smith was unaware of the system
installed over the summer.
The North Carolina Fire Code
states that is a building is
existing before a certain date the
owners of the building are not re
quired to install fire safeguards,
such as emergency exits of fire
alarms, that are specified in
modern regulations.
However, by law if any
system which is to provide fire
protection for the building is in
stalled, that system must meet
present day regulations. This is
to say that a 1912 system installed
in a 1912 building is not adequate.
If any system is installed in the
1912 building it must be consis
tent with 1984 systems.
approximately $7,000.
All of the buildings on Campus
with the exception of the Field
House were built prior to the new
codes. The College is not legally
bound to install fire protection
systems whatsoever.
Yet over the past two years
the College has voluntarily equip
ped all of the dorms with fire
alarms, exit markings and fire
extinguishers. These systems
meet present day Codes.
Alternative housing has been
equipped with smoke detectors
and fire extinguishers and also
meet code.
In these instances the
necessary permits were obtained
and the systems were approved.
The cost of these systems has
Prof. Courtney Dies
Fred Courtney, The Jefferson-
Pilot Professor of Management,
died of a heart attack Sunday, Oc
tober 21.
Courtney came to Guilford
from Industry in 1965 and found
ed the management department.
As he wished there was no
memorial service, but the college
has established the Fred I. Court-
ney Scholarship Fund in Manage
ment, in memory of him.
October 31, 1984
been somewhere between five
and ten thousand dollars.
The new system in the library
was installed without the re
quired permit from the Fire
Department at a cost between
S7OO and S9OO. The system is in
tended to provide interim protec
tion.
Following Marks' inquiry
Captain Jim Smith inspected the
system which had been installed
in the Library. Smith is sym
pathetic but is required to en
force the stipulations of the code.
The College has discussed the
planned addition and the com
prehensive fire systems to be in
stalled at that time, three years
from now.
The College may be forced to
spend the estimated S7OOO to
upgrade the system.
Courtney was described as a
"professor with a following
among the students" by Ed
Caudill, another management
professor. Caudill also described
Courtney as a "private" man.
A native of Salem, Mass.,
Courtney was survived by his
wife, four children, two grand
children, mother and sister.
Courtney's classes have been
picked up within the department.