10
if
editorial board
Cory Birdwhistell
Keir Bickerstaffe
Kari Albertson
Susan Allen
statement
of purpose
The Forum exists to
facilitate dialogue and
expression on matters of
importance to Guilford
College and its mission.
Toward this end, active
community
participation in these
pages is vital.
editorial policy
Every effort will be made
to print appropriate
submissions of editorials,
cartoons and letters to the
editor. They must be
signed, with the phone
number of the author or
artist included. Editorials
must be no longer than
400 words and letters to
the editor must be no
more than 250 words. The
Guilfordian reserves the
right to edit submissions
for grammatical
correctness and brevity.
The Guilfordian forum- September l, 1995
Enthusiasm and spirit of new class
permeates campus, its newspaper
They did it. After all the discus
sion last year of the first-year expe
rience and ways to ease the college
trasnsition, many Guilford leaders
took the initiative to improve this
experience. Thanks in part to their
efforts, the musings and creations of
first-year students overflow from this
first issue of a new Guilfordian.
We hope that you will capture their
spirit and enthusiasm for this school
and for each other. We trust their
voices will continue to stir, touch,
inspire, madden, and tickle us all.
As the newspaper grows with their
involvement, change will be natural.
Demand that we give you what you
need and want in a newspaper—that
we hold true to our purpose.
College promotion must expand to video age
by Jaime O'Sullivan
Upon my journey in life 1 have met
many forks in the road, one of course
leading to my choice to attend Guilford
College. And as the great poet Robert
Frost once did, I also took the road less
travelled. But with every choice comes
the consequences. This road to Guilford
College has left me with quite a few up
set stomachs, to say the least.
Being a first-year student can't be de
scribed as simply hard or easy. I think
the grand thing about being a first-year
student is the fact that I can observe, and
make judgement calls, on every single
aspect of my first few weeks here at this
institution of higher learning. Of course,
since I have spent much of my precious
time observing, I have found a few
things I would like to see altered.
In the process of previewing and ap-
In college, no need to prove you're the smartest
by Amanda Cogar
Quoting the words and wisdom of Greek
philosophers is certainly not proof of a su
perior intellect Neither is knowing intri
cate details about Nietzche, Marx, Freud or
any other brilliant and infamous historical
figures. Nothing is wrong with being able
to do so, unless that knowledge is used to
hurt and belittle others.
At this point in our young lives, proving
to others how smart we are is no longer a
priority. At least it shouldn't be. After all,
we are in college, the place where tolerance
This purpose, as detailed in The
Guilfordian's statement of purpose,
begins, "The Guilfordian. . .exists to
provide a high-quality, reliable, in
We trust the voices of first
year students will continue
to stir, touch, inspire,
madden and tickle us all.
formative and entertaining forum for
the exchange of ideas, information
and creativity in the Guilford Col
lege community."
The key words in this sentence are
informative, entertaining, and forum.
Thus we perceive our mission as
plying for college, 1 noticed one mar
velous, helpful item which either made
me like or dislike the college I was pre
viewing. A videotape. Yes, a videotape.
Being a California native I liked seeing
what other schools looked like, in ac
tion, on the East Coast. I was sent many
tapes to either view and return or keep.
Schools from all over the East Coast sent
me these wonderful things. Guilford did
not. Guilford sent me a viewbook, which
to say the least was extremely helpful,
but still no videotape.
The solution to this is very simple. All
we need are some students interested in
media, and we have it covered. Just
think of how it would make our incom
ing freshman class feel if they saw a
video with Dick Dyer and his motivat
ing speeches, the Playfair, highlights of
sporting events, the reggae concert at
Sternberger or whatever else the stu
and free-thinking are encouraged, where try
ing new things and discovering our own
identities are served in the caf next to the
pasta pronto. As adults, we are to begin the
forward motion towards an uncertain future.
And we are all in almost exactly the same
boat.
That is why it is so disappointing to see
some students putting down other students'
ideas in order to feel superior. Making an
other person feel small is a great ego boost.
Why let the other person's disappointment
bring you down? The classroom forum is a
great way to share ideas and develop inter
being to inform and entertain, and as
designated under "forum," to en
lighten and challenge.
The statement concludes, "Toward
this end, the Guilfordian shall always
strive to remain true to the facts, to its
ideal and mission, continually
recognizant of its integral and influ
ential role as a part of Guilford Col
lege."
Just as the benches around campus
foster an essential community, so too
does this paper. The pages are the
benches upon which writers, artists,
sports enthusiasts, intellectuals, pho
tographers, business-minded people,
arguers, jokers and any and everyone
else converse.
Come on over.. .we will always keep
a seat for you.
dents feel is necessary to make the de
cision for that indecisive high school
senior or junior.
All of this and more would be topped
off by the fact that students made the
video and it wasn't the administration's
attempt to beef up the college. We need
to do something to change the horrible
statistic of a twenty-five percent turn
over ratio. We need to stop losing so
many students to other colleges due to
the fact that Guilford wasn't quite what
they had expected.
In every case of complaint, solutions
should be offered and at least attempted.
If this attracts some people's attention,
I should hope the faculty or some other
interested students try to go with this
plan. It will work if we try and it will
also help people like me, who like to
see a college in action before deciding
to become part of the playing field.
personal and skills, but when that great en
vironment turns hostile under the guise of
pseudo-intellectual dribble, very few people
benefit.
Every Guilford student is here for a rea
son. Ideally that reason is to get the best
education possible. But that can be difficult
for those still trying to prove she/he is the
smartest person in the room.
When still trying to cling to the high
school "big fish in a little pond" status she/
he once held, so much more is missed. The
real key to intellect is clouded over by an
enormous ego fed on cynicism.