THE INQUIRING PHOTOGRAPHER
First-year students: Why did you choose Guilford?
I §
V
■p
BP:
■ w
R : '
■fe -.-•> ■ ,v * ♦ j-,
-• ,
Libby Hinsley
Morristown, TN
"I wanted a small college,
and when I visited last year
the atmosphere just seemed
right for me. I think this place
has a lot of great things to
offer, it's beautiful and I'm
glad to be here."
Avanti: Keeping with Quaker tradition?
by Adam Lucas
Guilford College is an institution that
prides itself on its Quaker heritage, a
legacy that emphasizes equality for ev
eryone and the eliminaton of "cliques."
If all-inclusiveness truly is the hallmark
of a Guilford education, why then has
the college allowed its incoming fresh
man to be exposed to such a blatant ex
ample of one group being given a head
start on the college experience?
Avanti was supposed to ease the tran
sition to college and foster togetherness
of a group of students. Unfortunately,
the desire ot create comraderie achieved
its goal all too well. While the program
was made available to all incoming
freshman, the reality is that some stu
dents simply could not attend.
The most common reason for miss
ing Avanti was the fact that many stu
dents had summer jobs. At a private in
stitution costing $20,000 a year such as
Guilford, every little dollar helps, and
some freshmen felt they needed to work
as much as possible to be able to afford
attending the school. Little did they re
alize that their desire to make money
would actually end up hampering them
once they arrived at school.
The first day at any school is always
September l, 1995 forum The Guilfordian
Kara Champagne
Bethesda, Maryland
"Because I'm Quaker, and I like
small schools. Guilford's
a nice place to be."
A
• l\f f.' 4 • i"V • •
hard, but the first day of college is es
pecially difficult. As a private school,
Guilford attracts a mix of people from
all over the United States. The wide va
riety of people attending the institution
makes it highly unlikely that an incom-
Avanti is what Guilford
supposedly hates most—a
fraternity of people who
already know each other...
ing freshman will know anyone else at
Guilford when they arrive. However, the
apprehension of being new is eased for
most students by the knowledge that
everyone else is enduring the same prob
lems. This year at Guilford the Avanti
program rendered that statement mean
ingless.
Avanti is what Guilford supposedly
hates most —a fraternity of people that
already know each other and have no
need or desire to look for more friends.
To make matters worse, freshman ori
entation groups were mixed with both
Avanti students and non-Avanti mem
bers, immediately splitting the group
into two factions. While the true
"new"students were left to wonder what
was going on and how all these people
Ezra Benson
Syracuse, New York
"Because of the Lacrosse
team, the sports medicine
major, the size, and because
prettier girls come down
South!"
Cory Birdwhistell/The Guilfordian
already knew each other, Avanti mem
bers were busy laughing and joking with
their two-week old friends.
It may not be necessary to totally get
rid of Avanti. Administration should
consider making the program compul
sory while also eliminating the extra
cost. By doing this, Avanti would be
come an extension of the regular orien
tation program and also make the Guil
ford orientation method a leader among
universities. What college would not
want to have an orientation program that
created friendships that lasted through
out the college years?
While it is true that it would be very
costly for the college to provide this pro
gram free, in a few years Avanti would
pay for itself by drawing more and more
students to Guilford as word spread of
the wonderful new orientation program
at the institution.
Had the program innovators stopped
and thought about the program they
were creating, however, they would
have seen that it violates the principle
that Guilford College holds most dear —
the idea that everyone is equal and has
an even opportunity to succeed socially
(and academically). To the directors of
Avanti—is there not a more inclusive, a
more Quaker, way to lead the students
through orientation?
Mouthing
off: it's
everyone's
responsibility
by Keir Bickerstaffe
Please don't leave me hanging on this
one.
My job as Editor of Editorials, while
time-consuming and unhealthy, is a rela
tively simple one. It consists of two
parts —first of all, personally speaking
my piece, which you will undoubtedly
grow very used to in the following
weeks. And secondly, of much more
importance as well, collecting all the
thoughts, both the criticisms and the
kudos, that the student body has to of
fer.
Now, while I have a certain amount
of control as to how interesting and full
this page is—well, I can only talk so
much. This page, with regards to Uncle
Sam, needs you. The importance and
power of a publication like this, and the
opportunity it presents its readers, can
not be underestimated. There is no bet
ter forum available to you that can ex
press your views as accurately and as
publicly than the school newspaper.
• It's easy. Presently there is a drop
box outside the Publications Suite, and
there will soon be one in the lounge. We
also take, for those of you unable to strip
yourselves away from Bauman, entries
by e-mail addressed to
GUlLFOßDlAN@rascal.guilford.edu
• It's effective. The Guilfordian is put
in racks around campus every Friday,
providing students, faculty, alumni, and
other members of the community a
chance to read your thoughts.
• It illustrates the student body. Your
words give Senate members, assorted
faculty members and other such authori
tative figures, who may occasionally
lose touch with whom they stand for, a
dose of reality.
• It's necessary. The paper and the
students are a true symbiosis. You may
not be able to keep up with the surround
ing world without us, and we certainly
can't accurately portray the school with
out you.
So if you find yourself questioning a
regulation, muttering under your breath
about campus bureaucracy, feeling bit
ter about portions in the cafeteria, any
thing —write to us. Put the student body
in the limelight. Make your feelings
known. Keep me busy.
11