THE
UILFORDIAN
Greensboro, N.C.
Volume 92, Issue 8
www.guilfordian.com
November 4, 2005
Doctor - clown Patch Adams visits Guilford
“My house burned down today. Oh, I have a much better view of the lake!”
Warren Parker
Staff Writer
Patch Adams paid a visit to
Guilford on Oct. 25 to speak about
his life, drugs, poetry. The
Gesundheit! Institute, clowning,
his movie, and whatever else any
one was curious about.
Dressed in a shirt that looked
as though someone had flung
paint all over it, a plaid tie, and
colorful baggy pants, his casual
and humorous attitude provided
a comfortable atmosphere for the
students. He gave two talks while
on campus; one in The Hut, the
other in Greenleaf.
Adams, who is 60 years old,
explained in his introduction that
he is an activist whose main goal
is to serve humanity. He believes
that medicine is not necessary to
make people feel better, but rather
spreading joy and dedicating your
life to peace is the only true way to
become happy. This philosophy is
known as "live joy," and as a result
of it, Adams claims he has gone 42
years without having a bad day.
"I am an expert at being
happy," Adams said to his audi
ence at Greenleaf.
His introduction continued
Adams is a self described expert on being happy
with an open invitation to those
who were interested in joining
him on a clowning trip to
Venezuela. The trip takes the vol
unteers to orphanages and hospi
tals. There is no clowning skill
required for the trip.
"These trips are great because
you can be really bad ... naughty
bad," Adams said with a devilish
smile.
If students have any questions
regarding the trip, Adams' son
Lars, who has traveled to several
countries to clown, is a first-year
at Guilford.
He also touched upon the
movie made about his life in 1998
starring Robin Williams.
Unfortunately, the film was a very
inaccurate portrayal of his life and
he cried the first time he read the
script. In addition, the director,
Tom Shadyac, would not let him
be in the film.
When he finished his introduc
tion, Adams opened the floor for
questions. When asked about the
use of prescription drugs as a
means of curing mental health
problems, Adams said,
"Pharmaceutical companies are
evil to the bone! Each person can
make their own mental health. I
have never written a prescription
for psychiatric medication."
He continued by explaining
that the purpose the Gesundheit!
Institute, the first silly hospital in
history, was to dismiss the idea of
prescription drugs and to inte
grate medicine with the perform
ing arts. He sees himself and his
staff more as artists than medical
staff.
"Patch Adams is a man of seri
ous principles who has the
courage and convictions to follow
through on them. It seems like his
life has pretty much become his
message," said sophomore Garrett
Continued on Page 2
Hill recounts experiences
Sevilla Trevisani
Staff Writer
Julia Butterfly Hill had never protested a
day in her life before climbing 180 feet up a
redwood tree in 1997. She remained in the
tree for 738 days, the longest tree-sit to pre
vent deforestation.
Hill is now an activist, poet, author, and
founder of Circle of Life, an environmental
program dedicated to activating people
through inspiration and connection.
In a speech given Oct. 30, Hill spoke
about her childhood and how it affected her
as an adult.
"I was raised very poor," said Hill. "We
wore clothes that other people gave us. And
I was made fun of, because we live in a cul
ture that says money is God and it's all
about the way you look.
"So I was made to feel stupid, ugly, bad,
and ashamed from a very early age. So that
made me decide that I wanted to make
money. When I got to college, I didn't study
anything that had to do with the environ
ment or social justice. I majored in busi-
CSS
When she graduated. Hill and her father
operated a restaurant together. They sold
spent two years in a tree
the business two years later and Hill then
went through what she described as a "self
destructive period." She then became an
independent consultant for the restaurant
and bar industry.
Hill recounted how she felt during the
period of her life before she was an activist.
"I never quite felt full. I never quite felt
alive. I always felt like I was on the verge,
but couldn't quite get there. But then of
course if you look at our media you'll see
that we have a culture that perpetuates that
story of not quite getting there. Right when
you buy the clothes that are in style what
happens? It changes. Right when you buy
Continued on Page 2
Crowded student parking
Turi Dell’Amore
Staff Writer
Enrollment at Guilford College is
increasing. The growth in the ranks of CCE
and traditional students influences the
availability and convenience of on-campus
parking. The increasing number of CCE
students is a large factor in this issue.
Over the last five years, the number of
CCE students has significantly increased.
Out of the 2,700 students currently enrolled
at Guilford, 1,300 are CCE students. Only
five years ago, there were 270 CCE students
attending Guilford College.
Guilford College offers one of the most
renowned CCE programs in North
Carolina. It offers convenient schedules
including a wide variety of courses offered
at night. It provides a broad selection of
programs and adequate parking situations
when compared to other schools offering
CCE programs in the area.
While the CCE program provides an
opportunity for adult students to earn a
degree, the steadily increasing population
is causing conflict on campus. Many of the
traditional students have complained about
the "lack of parking."
"The issue is not about a shortage of
parking spaces, but rather the convenience
of them," said Bill Stevens, Dean for
Continuing Education.
The CCE students typically attend class
es on Tuesday and Tliursday evenings. The
lack of convenient parking spaces affects
them as they run from work to class
between 6p.m. and 7 p.m. By the time they
arrive on campus, the prime spots have
already been taken. Often they arrive late to
class.
Continued on Page 2
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