Guilford I
Graffiti I
" urn nun in iirim " ;
VOLUME LXVVII, NO. 8 GUILFORD COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, N.C. 27410 FEBRUARY 19,1986
By Richard Weinblatt
I'ftffile Pt'rnon Profiler
At a presidential press con
ference (of one reporter) the
Guilfordian got a chance to catch
up with the chief executive of the
massive public service organiza
tion known as the Guilford Col
lege Community Senate. James
D. Freeman, a Guilford senior, is
coming to the end of his term as
president and agreed to be inter
viewed at his private table in the
elegantly appointed dining room
of the college.
He shoulders the respon
sibilities of political life well, hav
ing not lost the boyish grin he had
when he began his term in 1985.
So many other American
presidents have aged inordinate
ly while in office.
With the able bodied assistance
of his executive officers, his
Senators, and his First Lady of
three years, Donna Arning, Jim
has managed to make the
Freeman administration one of
the most effective in recent
years. Rounding out his prece
dent, setting ticket of four (up
from three) are Vice President
Nathan Bohn, Treasurer Cliff
Tatum, and Secretary Renee
Godard. These three staffers
form the nucleus of a bevy of ad
visors vying for the ear of power.
Also, heavily influencing Jim's
share of influence is Bo Markley.
This was evident as Bo was sit
ting one table away during the
press conference, ever vigilant
and ready to answer any
presidential question.
Bo has been very helpful. He is
busy working on the year book
and therefore can't devote his full
attention to the Senate," explain
ed Jim.
This young man granted the
voice capable of swaying a col
lege is doublemajoring in math
and English, quite an unusual
combination.
"I feel that these skills will help
me in the future. Math involves
problem solving and English re
quires skills in communication
and writing."
The oldest of three, Guilford's
21 year old president was born
and raised in Philadelphia in a
modest Victorian style house.
Hail To The Chief
The son of a retired high school
social worker found himself ac
tive on his school's swim team.
But his interests shifted as his
adult person began to emerge.
"I came to Guilford because it
did not have a swim team," the
affable politician joked.
He found his calling in college
to be the rough and tumble world
of Guilford politics. He became a
freshman senator and, in 1984, co
chaired the Senate Service Auc
tion raising over $6,500, doubl
ing the previous year's total. He
has also chaired the Student Af
fairs Committee. Jim describes
his general perspective as being
liberal and not of the Ronnie
mold.
Jim is a consumate politician.
He is able to engender confidence
in his abilities through his honest
appearance and open personali
ty. His job is filled with meetings
of all types which demand a
receptive and confident style. He
needs to be able to shift from
dealing with students to dealing
with trustees at a moment's
notice.
He recently went on a three day
trustee retreat at Guilford's ver
sion of Camp David in Pinehurst.
He describes fellow campus
president Bill Rogers as a great
asset for the school and that he
"sets the tone."
In the midst of his busy
schedule this high office holder
has continued to place himself on
the Dean's List and is a Dana
Scholar. He has been able to exer
cise his quest to excel for the good
of the school as well. He is proud
of his administration's efforts in
the co-ed housing issue.
"It will be decided in the near
future. The trustees have already
approved it and it needs to be ap
proved by a dorm on campus," he
said, "Co-ed housing will provide
better security for the residents."
He is not sure what he will do
when he retires from office and
leaves Guilford. Giving up the
Presidential limo and Nathan for
an unknown future will be a
challenge, although not an insur
mountable one for Guilford's
own political tiger. He may even
have to get himself a personal car
and drive it himself.
"I think I'd like to work for a
large company so that they will
Cafeteria I
Defense I
pay me to go back to school in a
few years, maybe for an M.B.A.
or a law degree," he speculated.
Is Jim Freeman destined for
another office formed in an oval
shape?
Jim Freeman poses after lofty thoughts
photo by Rolf Orsagh
Flag Stands
By Christopher Schelin
Hnm**r 1 .**rrvnfHmdent
The post office has got one. The
fire department has one. Even
McDonald's has one. So does
Guilford College, but unless you
know where to look for it, you
could easily miss it. What? The
American flag.
Guilford's American flag hangs
in the Fieldhouse. Why there?
Why not snapping proudly in the
breeze outside of Founders? Are
we ashamed of our national iden
tity? No, we're not. According to
Guilford College President,
William Rogers, "Flags have
been the source of some debate
among the religious society of
friends. The Quakers place a
great emphasis on the
brotherhood of the world, hence
there is less attention to na
tionalistic emblems & more on
the sharing of the human condi
tion on a global basis. This is why
we also have the flags of all the
nations of our student body in the
Music to I
Listen For I
"I'm not really that ambitious.
Maybe when I'm 40 or 50," he
answered.
But Jim, would you really run
for president of the United
States?
Even that says a lot. Those
other flags are demonstrating a
faith in America; a faith that
we've got something in this coun
try that's good enough to attract
people from all over the world. Is
it a fluke, a coincidence, that
millions flocked to our shorn in
the 18 and 1900's? No, they came
here for opportunity, an oppor
tunity that this country is very
generous with. We didn't have to
accept all those immigrants. We
didn't have to go over to Europe
in 1914 and then again In 1940. We
didn't have to offer economic
help to the governments of
Western Europe after Hitler
ravaged the continent. But we
did, because these are the ideals
i jthatj\m^^
"If nominated, I may run," he
joked evasivly as our president
carried his own tray and disap
peared into the crowd of political
admirers on that historic Satur
day afternoon.
up with, and will continue tc
teach, even in the face of ter
rorism and communism. That's
something that we can be proud
of. Very proud
Apparently the State of North
Carolina feels the same way,
because Governor Martin has
declared this week "Patriotism
Week in North Carolina." While I
like to believe that every week is
patriotism week, I think I see the
thrust of the Governors Pro
clamation. Let's use this week to
consciously recognize all the
things that make America what it
is. And you know, when you come
right down to it, we don't really
need flags or parades or such to
feel good about and proud of
America. All we need to for
America to keep up the good
work She may stumble occa
sionally, but deep in my heart, I
know that she would never
deliberately let us down. May it
always be a proud thing to say, "I
am an American."