WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
NEWS
Workers have broken ground at 811
Dolly Madison Road and plan to finish
construction in the fall.
The Guilfordian has been covering the
controversy and progress of Hodgin's
Retreat, the soon-to-be-completed off-
campus apartment complex, for the last
two years. Finally, after multiple building
delays, half a dozen Guilfordian articles
and a neighborhood's personal battle with
the college, workmen arrived just a few
weeks ago.
At the site itself, almost every tree has been
cut and stacked into ten-foot high piles. The
driveway is covered in huge stones sturdy
enough to support the huge backhoes, and
there is a two-story mountain of dirt. All of
this is visible from the Dana parking lot.
Hodgin's Retreat, when constructed, will
offer a unique living situation for students.
It is off campus, but only by a couple of
hundred feet, and a road wfill connect
FACULTY -
Hodgin's to campus via George White
Road.
Some excitement circulates in response.
Sophomore Katie O'Donnell said -she
likes the way paying rent will be structured
at Hodgin's; similar to when living in an
on-campus residence, students are only
financially responsible for their room.
O'Donnell wants to live off campus in the
future, but is concerned about finding an
apartment mate who will not bail on the
rent.
Another plus for sports fans is Hodgin's
location next to the stadium. No doubt some
students' rooms will double as box seats at a
few of the more important football games in
time for the fall debut.
"It will be pretty good for games because
people will probably being hanging out
and playing loud music," said senior
Guilford lacrosse player Gates Benson,
who remembers how Keiser House would
volunteer itself as a morale-enhancing
jukebox for players.
However, Hodgin's has not won complete
support.
Residents of Foxwood Drive took issue
with the college in 2007. They formed
a coalition and attempted to negotiate
less intrusive options with the school.
Senior Gabriela Spang, also a Foxwood
Drive resident, claims the school largely
overlooked their efforts.
"VVe have always been there for the
college," said Spang. "We have even
donated money, but this time we feel like
the school is not being a good neighbor."
Spang described the long battle with
the school as a painful one for Guilford's
neighbors who will experience a change in
their lifestyles.
One of the main concerns for these
residents was a dramatic increase in traffic
volume. Eventually the school agreed to
build a road connecting Hodgin's Retreat to
George White Road (near the Dana parking
lot next to Campbell house),- which would
take care of the congestion that Foxwood
would have suffered,
However, this compromise will come
at the expense of pedestrian safety on yet
another quiet street: George White Road.
"The buzzword here is safety and crime,"
said Guilford theatre studies professor and
George White Road resident Jack Zerbe.
Zerbe also pointed out that the Early
College headquarters is located on George
White. Automobiles from 150 students will
soon take to that street.
There are currently no plans to build
speed bumps.
For now, some are preparing for the
worst. Back at 811 Dolly Madison, a very
busy site manager named Harold Starling
is preparing to lay Hodgin's Retreat's first
brick in February.
Cuts cause ripple effect throughout Guilford community
Continued from page I
salary so that no cuts would have
to be made."
He added that such voluntary
reductions should be made
within the context of organizing
community activities that would
help offset some of the loss of
income: community gardens,
community potlucks, and a
community woodpile.
Carter believes that developing
this attitude would foster
community and build relationships
that are part of the foundational
principles of the college.
"I think many people crave
community as much as they
need large salaries. There are
ways to have a very enjoyable
life without having the big bucks
in a community when you are in
a community where people are/
looking out for each other," said
Carter.
Aware of the^ggestions made
by Carter, Israel also shares in the
concern for the individuals whose
contracts were not renewed. She
said, "These cuts do not mean that
persons are not loved and cared
for, and asking people to take cuts
would not solve the problems."
Israel understands how it feels
to be a non-tenured faculty and
realizes the problems that come
with that position.
"I am personally sensitive to
the feelings that go with being a
temporary faculty member," said
Israel. "In 19821 was working at the
University of (Maryland) Baltimore
County as a contracted faculty
member with no job security. It
was emotionally difficult to leave
and to take a pay cut. I took the job
at Guilford for $16,000, which was
$2,000 less than I was making, just
so that I could be on tenure track,"
Two of the faculty members
without renewed contracts.
Visiting Professor of Justice and
Policy Studies/John Motsinger
and Visiting Associate Professor
of Education Studies Nancy Yoder
also understand the insecurities of
temporary faculty positions.
"One of the appeals of Guilford
was the expressed valued sense
of community," said Yoder.
"I have experienced this in
education studies, so I expected
the whole campus to be involved
in community-wide decision
making."
She believed that as part of the
community, all involved parties
would be able to offer input
and suggestions in decision
making and problem-solving
in an economic downturn that
would not result in loss of jobs or
positions.
Because Yoder is one of two
professors in secondary education,
she feels that the students will
suffer.
"There is simply too much
for the one remaining person to
maintain the secondary education
program, let alone grow it into a
larger program," said Yoder.
Yoder's other concerns lie with
severing the relationships that she
has built with public high school
administrators. Yoder said that
these relationships are essential
to placing students in the right
internships and student teaching
positions.
Motsinger also explained that as
class schedules are planned, fewer
faculty will mean fewer courses.
Junior Sam Connors has already
noticed the reduction in choices.
He said, "There aren't nearly as
many classes to choose from this
semester. I can tell that they have
been cut. Usually there is an excess
and I normally have a hard time
choosing, but this semester I am
just trying to find one."
Besides the effect the faculty cuts
will have on students, Motsinger
expressed personal concerns.
"What is probably the most
devastating for me is access
to employment-related group
health insurance, said Motsinger.
"One member of my family has
a pre-existing health condition
that would be uninsurable or
prohibitively expensive on the
private, individual market."
Motsinger continued, saying, "it
becomes especially hard for older
people like me, almost 62, who
suddenly find themselves on the
job market during a time of rising
unemployment and the effects of
ageism on hiring decisions."
When budget cuts are made^
students feel the impact, personal
concerns exist, academic
departments feel the crunch, and
college-wide concerns abound.
Israel assures that with seven
tenure-track searches continuing,
the faculty will not grow weaker,
but stronger. The administration
is committed to the strategic plan
for the college, which states a 16-
1 student-teacher ratio and a class
size of 20 or less.