AUG 20, 2004
GREENSBORO, NC
Wal-Mart
Continued from previous page
eyeglasses store by offering them a
management position at Wal-Mart
Optical.
At what point are we willing to over
look past evil in favor of a superficial
new leaf? If, as a Time magazine car
toon once suggested, the Ku Klux Klan
began promoting children's literacy, who
would applaud? Tuition increases be
damned, I won't spend money that
ought to be in someone else's pay
check.
Please think about this when you're
riding Guilford's shopping shuttle this
Saturday, and think about it even hard
er when the van pulls up in front of Wal-
Mart. Last year, Guilford's motto was
"Be the change you wish to see in the
world." Do you care enough about
changing the world to spend a couple
more dollars buying your thumbtacks,
pens and batteries someplace - any
place - else?
If not, then what are you doing at
Guilford?
Welcome, Freshmen
Continued from previous page
The concept has been sucked dry.
Student Health: Great for dispensing
cold medicine and the occasional
antibiotic, not so good for unusual ail
ments and emergencies. It would be
wise to locate an Urgent Care center
that works with your insurance.
Academic Skills Center (ASC):
You've proven you're smart enough to
get into college. Now swallow your
pride and go here for help with any
thing academic. By no means is this a
resource for dummies - the staff really
knows their stuff.
Classes: If you're thinking that an
8:30 won't be so bad, stop now. It will
be that bad. Don't do it. Want to read
more about classes? Then go pick up
a handbook. This is MY survival guide.
Welcome to college, kids. Now, who
wants to go to Wal-Mart?
Editorial Policy
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als and letters to the editor. They must be signed, with the phone
number of the author or artist included and recieved by 5:00 on the
Sunday before that Friday's publication date. Editorials must be no
longer than 400 wordsand letters to the editor must be no longer than
250 words. The Guilfordian reserves the right to edit for grammatical
correctness and brevity.
By mail: c/o Student Activities, 5800 W. Friendly Avenue, Greensboro,
NC 27410. By phone: (336)316-2459. By e-mail:
guilfordian@guilford.edu
Vole Has your lie depends on it
Staff Editorial
Since 1972, every state has allowed
persons aged 18 and older to vote in
local, national, and presidential elec
tions. Those first young voters, 18 when
the laws were changed, are today see
ing their fiftieth birthdays.
Back then, more than 72% of the
country's population was registered to
vote. Only 58% of the U.S. citizens
aged 18-20 were registered to vote and
not even half of them exercised this new
right, accounting for six percent of all
ballots cast. !
Richard Nixon won that election.
Isn't it funny that this is the group that
has decided that we, the current batch
of 18-to-20-somethings, are the most i
politically apathetic generation ever? i
But maybe they have a point. How i
many of us can honestly say we have I
consistently exercised our right to 1
choose our leaders to govern us and I
represent us to the rest of the world?
Only 18 million (of almost 59 million i
total) people in the 18-to-25 age group
voted in the 2000 presidential election,
Can't Wait
To Complain?
Go online to
www.guilfordiarLC
om and click on
"Forums"
FORUM
.accounting for about 16% of all the
votes cast.
That's substantially better than the
stats from 1972. But how effective are
we in using our votes?
Because so few in our age demo
graphic are voting, politicians are pass
ing us over. They see no reason to court
our votes, because it's obvious we're
not going to help them get elected-or
get them kicked out of office.
Are we really politically apathetic? We
certainly hear plenty of political opinion.
So what is it that's keeping us from
going out and voting?
Whatever it is, that's the biggest fail
ing of our generation.
We proclaim that our one vote won't
make any difference, citing Gore's pop
ular vote victory but the fact that Bush is
in office. However, if something similar
happens this election, politicians will be
forced to fix the system, to make sure
that it never happens again.
That's something your vote can
accomplish.
When you vote and your age demo
graphic is noted, you give us clout. We
I The Guilfordian
Staff Members
1
Taleisha Bowen
Editor-in-Chief
Seth Van Horn
News Editor
Kathryn Spangler
Vorld and Nation Editor
Holly Butcher
Features Editor
Matt Haselton
Forum Editor
Aaron DeMoss
Sports Editor
WWW.GU I LFORDIAN.COM
all give each other clout. When 54% of
people aged 50-65 are voting, politi
cians promise things like social security
funds and Medicare.
When it's shown that 48% of the 18-
25 age group voted in the 2004 election,
maybe they'll start promising funding for
higher education and reducing the
national deficit.
Register to vote
and learn more
about voting at
these Web sites
www. rockthevote. com
www. declareyourself. com
www.vote.wwe.com
www.vote-smart.org
www.registerandvote2oo4. org
www.justvote.org
Kevin Bryan
Visual Arts Editor
Kathy Oliver
Columnist
Rachel Chaffin
Cartoonist
Dylan Black
Brooke Davis
Layout Staff
Jeff Jeske
Faculty Advisor
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