April 6, 2007
Volume 93, Issue 22
UILFORDIAN
The Independent Student Voice of Guilford College
s 8 & 9
W W W . G Ul LFOR D I A N . C OM
Akimana, Reilley,
Zavaleta-Jimenez and
Aberle win Senate election
Amanda Pressley | Staff Writer
O n March 28, the Senate Execu-
pve Council ticket of juniors
\^tal Akimana, Irving Zavaleta-
Jimenez, Brennan Aberle, and liz Reil
ley was announced as the winner of the
Community Senate race, defeating the
opposing ticket of Malcolm Kenton, Jo-
harma Breed, Evan Drahzal Gasster and
Kieron James.
Of the 407 ballots cast on March 27,
the winning ticket received 331 votes
— winning with 81 percent of the vote.
"I congratulate Vital, and I agree
with the of his platform," said de
feated presidential candidate Kenton.
"We are very excited that the stu
dents of Guilford College chose us as
their next Senate executives," said Sec-
retaiy-Elect Reilley. "We have already
begun preparing for next year."
Consisting of six interrelated con
cepts, ranging from community build
ing to empowering the student body,
Akimana's platform rested on the prem
ise of improving relations and efficiency
among students. Senate and the admin-
istratioa
"We are angry about the current
state of the Guilford College communi
ty," said a campaign platform pamphlet
'It's time to let the administration know
that we can elect a ticket who will tal£ a
firm positicjn on making sure students'
voices are heard and represented."
The pamphlet outli^ the winning
ticket's frustrations with perceptions of
Senate as a source of mon^ and noth
ing else. It outlined the candidates' plat
form and defined their plans for digg
ing Senate.
"This campaign is about creating
ways for Senate to be able to better hear
and represent ALL student voices," said
the campaign dcxument "We would
like Senate to support students' ideas
and policy changes as opposed to sim
ply baddng^monetary proposals."
The pamphlet continues by stating
dedication to the addicting of student
concerns and being open to inno vaticn.
"We are committed to seeking out
and addressing any and all of your
ideas that you want Senate to handle,"
said the platform dcxument
'Tm going to take this straight from
the Senate Web site; I'd like for us to be
the voice of the student bcxiy, for real,"
said Treasurer-Elect Aberle.
"Basically, we want to be visible,"
said Vice President-Elect Zavaleta-Ji
menez of the group's intention to stay
actively involved in the Guilford com
munity througfi open dialogue and
other methods of communication.
"Communication in Senate is a two-
way street" said Reilley. "We are creat
ing as many mediums as possible to do
that communicating."
These mediums of communication
indude a TV in Founders lobby that
will run information and updates via
The Buzz and e-mail.
The new senators are encouraging
student input
"An important point to note is that
students are more likely to be involved
in something they feel like they built
that they had a part in shaping," said
Aberle.
A comment box, monthly polls on
policy issues and actual fest-p>erson
interaction with possible designated
"Senate lunch days," where officers will
be available in the cafeteria, will all offer
opportunities for students to conned
■ with senators and officers.
Their platform demanded account
ability from bofii Senate itself and the
coU^ administration.
"We wantSenate tobe constructively
critical of Guilford Cbllege's administra
tion, strat^c long range plan, mission
statement its commitment to core val
ues, and its polides," said tire campaign
pamphlet
The candidates also demanded that
the administration be held responsible
for "every decree they pass during exam
weeks."
"We need to diow the administra
tion what students imlly want and they
need to listen," said Akfinana "Weneed
to hold them acxxxintable, because we are
doing our part they should do theirs."
"We're taking where they (the cur
rent Senate) left off and moving forward,
definitely building off of them," said Za
valeta-Jimenez.
Phase two of Armfield renovation begins
Carl Farlow j Staff Writer
fter the completion of the new press box
and stands at Armfield stadium, the second
.phase of renovations is now imclerway. The
bleachers for visiting teams have been removed and
construction of newer and safer seating has begun.
"The visitor's bleachers were rusting and in a
state of disrepair," said Athletic Director Marion
Kirby. "They've been there since before I came
here. The new bleachers will probably not be as
wide, but the new seats will be elevated and more
to the middle, like the seating we put in with the
press box."
The replacing of the old bleachers is part of
Phase Two of the Armfield Athletic Center renova
tion plans. Phase One included the construction of
the new press box and scoreboard. The next step in
Phase Two, after replacing the away bleachers, is to
add lights to the stadium.
"With the lights, we can start scheduling games
in the evening, so it's not quite as hot for the play
ers," said Kirby. The lights will be optimized so
that there is minimal off-site spill and an efficient
monitoring system implemented to ensure that
bulb outages are quickly fixed.
The estimated cost for the bleachers and lighting
is $350,000 and the entire project is estimated to cost
$25 million. Since no part of the school's budget
is allocated to this project, all of the money used
to renovate the stadium comes from alumni dona
tions
"Alumni are continuing to give to Armfield with
a goal of improving the playing surface for men's
and women's sports," said Anne Hurd, director of
development.
Currently, the sports played in the stadium in
clude football and men's and women's lacrosse.
The men's and women's soccer teams play in the
Haworth Fields located in the northwest comer of
Guilford's campus. Phase Three of the renovation
plan would allow for all sports to be played in the
stadium.
"We want to put in a new synthetic turf so we
can play all our sports out. there," said Kirby. "(The
new turf) would also allp^v us to have a place to
practice after heavy raini^; without hurting
the fields."
"When we decided to renovate the
stadium, we went to the Armfield family
and proposed that we needed some up
grades," said Kirby. "Some other alumni
got involved, and we started
raising money. We
could only do this
through
donations."
Ifc.
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11
Proposed U.S. withdrawal undermines Iraqi stability
Jake Blumgart | Staff Writer
I n a March 22 press conference,
Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-
Hashemi warned American
policy makers that a premature
American withdrawal from Iraq
could be disastrous.
"Many of the Demo
crats are now pushing the White
House for a quick withdrawal of
troops from Iraq," Hashemi said
to The Middle East Times. "This
is not going to benefit either Iraqi
or Western interests. If troops are
pulled out on short notice, it will
create a security vacuum in Iraq
that carmot be filled by troops that
have not been trained well enough
and are not available in sufficient
numbers."
"I don't think that any
thing the Iraqi government says
will affect our policy at all," Assis
tant Professor of Political Science
Robert Duncan said. "The Bush
administration will use it for pro
paganda purposes, but it's not go
ing to change the attitude of Con
gress. It's not going to change the
attitude of the American people.
The last time I remember reading
an opinion poll, the Iraqi people
wanted us out of there too."
In the week since Hashe-
mi's statement, the U.S. Senate has
passed a bill that approves $122
billion for the continued war ef
forts in Iraq and Afghanistan, but
includes clauses strongly urging
the President to begin removing
U.S. troops within 120 days of the
bill's passage or by March 2008.
Continued on page 5
Zimbabwe Energy Film Fest Poetry Reading SLRP Questioned Softball Redux
The Mugabe government has-
cracked down on activists from a
rival party. A cycle of violence has
erupted, with government forces
killing and arresting many Zim
babweans.
World & Nation Page 4
: The Sierra Club and Forevergreen
are sponsoring the Energy Film
Festival, a three-part film series that
presents documentaries focused on
energy-related issues. High quality
filnrs, low attendance.
Features Page 6
Award-winning poet Judy Jordan
returned to her native North Car
olina to join students and faculty
in poetry readings, book signings,
tea at the Greenleaf and a poetry
workshop at UNCG..
Features Page 9
One observer's close reading of
the Strategic Long Range Plan's
goals for diversity and anti-racism
suggests dubious use of statistics
and a commitment more rooted in
marketing than in core values.
Forum Page 11
In a rebuilding year fraught with
many problems, the softball team
finds a new coach, Dennis Shores,
wins five games, establishes a
new home run record, and looks
to the future.
Sports Page 12