i /^THE iPCiUILFORDIAN Greensboro, N.C. Volume 92, Issue 4 www.guilfordian.com September 23, 2005 Christian Coaiition’s Raiph Reed speaks in Rryan Series Sevilla TrevisanUBrittany Bumgarner Staff Writers Guilford surprised many people on campus with the announcement that Ralph Reed was coming to speak dur ing the Year of Spirit and Spirituality. His Sept. 15 speech, entitled "The Role of Faith in the Renewal of America," focused on conservative, religious, and political viewpoints, many that clash with Guildford's fundamental ideas. Reed, former Executive Director of the Christian Coalition, is now the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia. He served as Chairman of the Southeast Region for the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign and has worked on seven other presidential campaigns. His background in politics and religion made him a prime candi date to come speak about conservative ideas for the Year of Spirit and Spirituality. Some wonder why Reed, with such conservative views, was asked to speak at what many consider a liberal Reed preaches at Grace Baptist church in Powder Springs, GA, in 2004. college. Dave Walters, who is openly conservative and leads a student-ath lete bible study every Sunday, believes that having more diverse speakers gives everyone a chance to see things from another perspective. "I think there is great value in true diversity where there is freedom and safety to express different opinions, and in,that place is where I think true learning can take place," said Walters. "At Guilford, some people struggle to feel safe and to feel free and therefore their opportunity to learn, and others' opportunity to learn from them, is diminished." Reed, who holds a Ph. D. in American History, spoke in detail about the nation being founded on specific moral principles. He believes that the U.S. created the Constitution with cer tain moral standards in mind. In his presentation, Reed quoted the nation's second president, John Adams, by saying, "Our Constitution was designed for a moral and religious people only. It is wholly inadequate for any other." Reed affirmed that he believes in the separation of church and state, but that religion does play a role in government. In his article, "Democracy and Religion are not Incompatible", he criticized rul ings of the federal government which prohibit prayer in schools and the pub lic display of the Ten Commandments. "I believe in the right under the First Amendment to freedom of speech, including speech with religious con- CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 LD. teaches wemen self-defense Megan Fell Staff Writer Though there does not seem to be anything prevent ing a sexual assault, there really is: preparation. A recent ly implemented program on campus, R.A.D., offers one such opportunity. In the past three years, Guilford has had a decline in reported sexual offenses. There were five in 2002, two in 2003, and only one in 2004. However, the threat will always be present. In fall '04, a group of male students, in response to vari ous rape cases around North Carolina, questioned Public Safety about what they do to help protect their female friends from threatening situa tions. At the time, there wasn't much. Keifer Bradshaw, Security Coordinator, took the issue under his wing. Researching the web, he discovered a pro gram called R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense) Systems. As Crime Prevention and Field Trainer, Bradshaw took the initiative to become certi- A R.A.D. student knees her practice aggressor. Continued on page 3 Community center onens for students Tori Moffitt Staff Writer On Sept. 17, a dedication ceremony signaled the open ing of the Community Center. Located behind the Student Apartments South, the center will serve as a social and recreational gathering area for members of the Guildford community. "This structure now gives our students another place to meet," said Randy Doss, Vice President for Enrollment and Campus Life, at the ceremony. Construction for the center began last fall after the Board of Trustees approval of the project in October 2004. Capstone Development Corp. was chosen as the develop ment team and completed construction on-time. "As construction goes, it went very well," said Jon Varnell, Director of Facilities and Campus Services. The funding for the facility, which cost an estimated $6.5 million, came from the rental income of the Guilford resi dents. The center includes a lounge section, a formal room for reserved events, and a meditation room for those who wish to satisfy their spiritual needs. In the lounge section of the center, students can expect an area that will feed their enter tainment cravings. The area includes a 62 in. plasma flat screen TV v equipped with Direct TV, and cost around $87,000. Three gaming sta tions with 32-inch plasma monitors have a variety of top- quality games installed. "There's an air hockey table in there, too. It's a Jammin' place," said Rex Harrell, Continued on page 2