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Volume 79 Issue 8
Retention
a"Serious
Problem"
Cory Birdwhistell
News Editor
Guilford's historic problem of
student retention has reached a
new level of concern. With the rev
elation that only 70 percent of last
year's entering class returned for
their sophomore year and because
federal law will soon require col
leges to publish graduation rates,
administrators struggle to deter
mine why students leave Guilford
in order that they can act to raise
the percentages of returning stu
dents.
According to Cyril Harvey, in
terim academic dean, Guilford's
low retention rate is a "serious
problem." It is also a complex one.
Through a series of articles, the
Guilfordian will dissect the num
bers, reasons, opinions and effects
of the issue.
PART ONE:
Two rates, freshman and sopho
more retention, are vital to under
standing the dilemma. While
freshman retention fluctuates with
curriculum changes and the aca
demic quality of the particular
class, consistently for twenty years
approximately 20 percent of
sophomores have not returned.
These numbers impede the bud
get process because when fewer
students return than expected, the
lost tuition creates a revenue short
fall. The cost of recruiting more
people for the next class also
strains finances.
In order to remedy this problem,
Harvey, Dean of Student Life
Mona Olds, Professor of Manage
ment Bill Stephens and others are
studying the reasons students
transfer or drop out of school.
While none believe dramatic im
provement in retention will occur
soon, they are working toward
gradually improving the rate.
Harvey comments, "It's striking
that, in exit polls, students are
mostly satisfied with Guilford. 60
percent are more than satisfied
with the education they received
here, but that doesn . keep them
from leaving." He theorizes, al
though cannot prove, that espe
cially as far as sophomore reten
tion is concerned, students enter
Please see RETENTION page 4
Quakers' streak snapped at 7
Joe Wallace
Sports Editor
On the heels of a 5-tumover per
formance, the Quakers received
their first defeat of the season at
the hands of the ODAC defending
champion Randolph-Macon Yel
low Jackets, in Ashland, VA by a
score of 28-14.
After jumping out to a 14-7 half
time lead, the Quakers committed
4 of the 5 turnovers in the second
half that allowed the Yellow Jack
ets to score 21 unanswered points.
Randolph-Macon was also suc
cessful in containing conference
leading rusher and punter David
Heggie, who had 17 rushes for
only 46 yards, and 5 punts for 26
yards.
With the loss, Guilford, now 7-
1 (3-1 in the ODAC), has probably
lost its chance to compete in the
16-team NCAA Division 111 na
tional playoff tournament, and
now must win Saturday's Home
coming game against Washington
& Lee to clinch at least a tie for
the ODAC crown.
Winnett remembered
by community
Kitson Broadbelt
Features Editor
Merry Moor Winnett died ear
lier this month after a long battle
with breast cancer. She was forty
three years old.
It is a difficult responsibilty
which newspapers and journals
carry, that of recording the deeds
of an individual who has passed.
Too often these final reflections
become larger than the person
they describe, trying to fill a void,
an emptiness that has been left.
For Ms. Winnett, this job seems
rather unnecessary. In a world
where all of us struggle for im
portance, Ms. Winnett provided
the two most important things of
all. She gave us art and she was
our teacher.
She first came to Guilford over
ten years ago, starting photogra
phy classes both here and at the
Sawtooth Center in Winston-Sa
lem. She had one-woman shows
Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C.
Freshman William Rochelle scampers through the Emory & Henry defense.
See related stories in the Sports section on page 13.
of her photography all over the
country including regional and in
ternational exhibits; all the while
winning award after award.
"She really got a kick out of
teaching," said a former student
Steve Grimes. "She got a lot out
of life. She saw humor in every
thing."
Another former student, John
Mottern, added, "Somehow,
through a divine function, many
of Merry's students experienced
the moment when an image leaves
the realm of craft and becomes art.
Merry was a teacher of art, and
many of us are better artists be
cause of her willingness to share
her vision."
Her colleages agreed. Said
Adele Wayman: "Merry Moor
Winnett was a spark in the lives
of the art department."
Two and a half years ago, Ms.
Winnett was told she had breast
Please see WINN EN page 3
Laster Resigns as
Senate Secretary
Corv Birdwhistell
News Editor
Secretary Terrence Laster an
nounced his resignation from
Community Senate after
Wednesday's regular Senate
meeting, citing personal reasons.
President Rich Ewell ex
pressed his sadness at Laster's
decision. "I'm very sorry he's
going." Ewell says, "I appreciate
what he's done this year. I want
to stress that he's done a very
good job... it will be hard to find
someone as thoughtful and ar
ticulate, who expresses himself
and takes part with the decision
making process."
The Executive Council plans
on nominating a replacement at
the Nov. 2 Senate meeting for
senators' consideration.
November 1,1994
A
I n
P * i
Hiiinil, , 1MHB ijiiii, ,13
Laster
4 1 will be fulfilling my duties
[as Secretary] until a replacement
is found." Laster explains, "and I
will be helping with the transition
to help them learn my organiza
tional system." He also plans on
remaining a member of institu
tional committees.
Scott Shaffer
Heather Glissen