VOLUME 94, ISSUE 5 I SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
UILFORDIAN
The Student-Run Newspaper of Guilford Collepe
WWW.GUILFOR D I A'N .COM
GREENSBORO
N C
JINAeOWTI
Conviction overturned;
BeD still in jail
By Pascale Vallee
W & N Editor
It has been more than nine months
since a white student was beaten up at a
high school in Jena, La., longer since three
nooses were hung from a tree. It's also
been more than two weeks since Mychal
Bell's conviction was overturned - and yet
he still sits in jail.
Judge J.P. Mauffray declined a defense
motion for a writ of habeas corpus seeking
to have Bell, one of the group dubbed
"Jena Six," released from jail, where he
has waited for nearly 10 months for an
assault against Justin Barker.
The Jena Six story begins in September
2006 when a group of black students at the
Jena High School wanted to sit underneath
a traditionally "whites-only" tree. The day
after the vice principal told the students
to sit wherever they wished, three nooses
painted in the school's official colors were
foimd hanging from the tree.
Scott Windham, the school's principal,
expelled the three white students
responsible. However the superintendent
overruled the decision, allegedly stating
that the nooses were "a youthful prank."
The white students received a three-day
suspension.
"Those nooses meant hatred," said
Robert Bailey's mother, Caseptla, in a
telephone interview. "They send a clear
See "Jena Six" on page 7
Annette Griffin/Guilfordian
The VOX meeting held on Thursday, Sept. 20, focused on promoting support and raising political awareness.
Vox validates sex education
New Planned Parenthood group
offers women reproductive advice
By Jake Blumgart
Senior Writer
"It's very important to have an open
dialogue about sex," said sophomore Hailey
Moses at Guilford's first Vox (Voices for
Planned Parenthood) meeting. "Because
people do it a lot. And they don't need to be
afraid to talk about these things."
Vox (which means "voice" in Latin), is
a new campus organization that seeks to
educate people about their reproductive
rights and freedoms. It provides support for
people dealing with reproductive issues on
campus and will soon offer free car rides to
Planned Parenthood.
"I thought it was ludicrous that a college
like Guilford didn't have a Vox program,"
senior Co-President and Co-Coordinator
Beth Tyson said. "The idea is to educate peo
ple about safe sex, sexual health, the right
to choose and where to get the resources to
ensure those things."
But Vox wants to reach beyond the
Guilford College campus. With a presi
dential election coming up. Vox wants to
raise political awareness about reproductive
issues and help promote pro-choice candi
dates.
"Vox is a great way to get involved
with contemporary politics," said senior Co-
President and Co-Coordinator Ana Martinez.
"We can focus on things like George Bush's
global gag order. Guilford can be a very
insular place, but with Vox we can try to
raise awareness about bigger issues outside
the campus setting."
While the political aspect of Vox is impor
tant to the foimders, some members have
become involved for reasons that are more
personal.
"I'm a single mother and I know how dif
ficult it is for young women out there," said
junior CCE Vox member Adrienne Martin. "I
have a cousin who is 21 and is pregnant and
in college and it has been very hard for her.
She has to finish out her senior year and start
being a mom all at the same time. I want to
help out other people and help set up sup
port for them."
Providing support and guidance to
Guilford students will be Vox's bread and
butter. Martinez plans to work with the
Health Center to provide information to
students about Plarmed Parenthood. She
is particularly interested in combating the
widespread misconception that Plarmed
Paren^ood only deals with abortion issues.
"People thiiik that Plarmed Parenthood
See "VOX" ON PAGE 12
Hoiiywooil stats at home in War Memorial AudRorium; panel tacMes social service Issue
By Alana Gibson
Staff Writer
RYAN SERIES KICKS OF
Liz/a Vachon'Guh f OHntAN
On Sept. 18, the first major
event ofthisyear'sBryanSeries
brought together three vet
eran actors: Louis Gossett Jr.,
Jane Seymour, and Kathleen
Turner. The heart of the mat
ter was not Paris Hilton or
Britney Spears, but social ser
vice, one of Guilford's imof-
ficial core values.
Seymour, a contestant on
this season's Dancing with
the Stars, sat in an elegant
posture stage left. Turner,
voice of the seductive Jessica
Rabbit, emitted a contagious
energy as she laughed boister
ously in her seat, stage right.
Gossett, wirmer of an Emmy,
Academy Award and Golden
globe, sat casually between
the two ladies.
The moderator began by
asking how the actors' pro
fessions contributed to their
social change efforts.
"I really believe everyone
should do what they can do,"
said Seymour. "When you
have a voice that can reach
many people, you should use
it to bring their attention to a
positive cause."
Seymour's response led the
moderator to ask, "should a
celebrity take a political stand
once they have a platform?"
Turner, chairperson for
Planned Parenthood of
America, warned that celebri
ties tend to imintentionally
influence people.
"What I say and do in my
own life is separate from my
work ... I feel when the two
mix, it creates a sort of propa
ganda," said Turner.
Seymour aimounced that
she is careful to conceal her
political stance, preferring
to associate her name with
issues, such as child abuse
for which she is an activist,
instead of candidates.
Gossett, who runs the
Shomba Center, a mentorship
program for youth, believed
that concealing your vote was
irresponsible.
"We have a duty to tell
what we think," said Gossett.
"Whether you agree or not is
different. We travel all over
the country and the world.
We see things that you guys
can't see."
The moderator then asked
if the actors' passions for social
change stemmed from their
careers or were instilled ear
lier. The three actors agreed
that service was instilled in
them first and they began to
discuss the need to impart the
duties of service to following
generations.
Turner remembers learn
ing as a child that service
was a step to enhancing com
munities.
Seymour shared that she
prefers service because vol
unteers can see the benefits
of their labor. Often it is hard
to ensure that donations
See "Bryan Series" on page 5