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VOLUME 95, ISSUE 19 // MARCH 2 0 , 2 0 0 9
THE GUILFORDIAN
GUILFORD COLLEGE // WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM // GREENSBORO, NC
TRUSTEES APPROVE TUITION INCREASE. OlVERSITY PIAN
Stories by Deena Zaru, senior writer
Board endorses Diversity Plan as
"first step" toward action
After undergoing its final stages
of revision, the Diversity Plan,
officially known as "Connecting
Communities and Embracing
Diversity: A Plan for Guilford
College 2010-2015," was approved
by the board of trustees during the
weekend of Feb. 27-28.
Board chair Joe Bryan Jr., said
"the Board approved the plan
because it is taking Guilford's goals
for diversity and equality and
putting them in the books."
While the board has approved
the plan in principle, they have not
yet approved or created an action
plan to implement the goals.
"The U.N. resolutions to end
the occupation and inhumanity
in Palestine were passed by
the U.N. many times," said
sophomore Senate vi.ce-president
Dana Hamdan, who attended the
meeting.
"But these resolutions were
worthless because they didn't
bring people land, money or peace.
David Hammond, Holly Wilson,
Jeff Favolise and others have been
doing above and beyond in making
sure that this plan is a reality and
not just another UN resolution."
Multi-cultural scholar Martha
Assefa, a senior, said that many
individuals worked very hard to
write the plan and that it has been a
very long process that began while
she was a first-year.
"Change happens very slowly
at Guilford. People were working
really hard on trying to implement
the diversity plan, and four years
later it is passed in principle," said
Assefa. "This is a good step but I'm
hoping the action will happen a bit
faster."
Assefa said that while a slow
process can be frustrating, it has
been beneficial because there is a
strong sense of consciousness and
knowledge about the campus'
needs.
"Because conciseness about
issues and knowledge are solid,
when actions are proposed, they
will be approved faster," said
Assefa.
Hammond said that the plan
reflects the common agreement that
Guilford should be more diverse
See "Diversity" on page 4
Tuition increase designed to help balance budget
$50M ■
$40M
$30M
Tuition revenue
BY category:
Early College
Summer School
CCE
Traditional student
tuition & fees
Fiscal Year 2009-2010 Budget Projections
$20M ■
Worse
Middle
Better
Expenses
$54.2M
$54.3M
$54.3M
Tuition & Fees
$29M
$29.8M
$30.7M
$I0M ■
Other Revenue
$22.6M
$23M
; $23.3M
Reductions
$2.6M
TBD
TBD
$0M
During the board meetings that
took place during the weekend
of Feb. 27-28, the board's finance
committee heard and approved
the recommendations of the
Budget Committee and approved
in principle a 5.5 percent increase
in traditional student tuition and
a 5.6 percent increase in fees for
CCE students.
"The big issues at this year's
meetings were regarding the
tuition and the budget of 2009-
2010," said Bryan. "We approved
an increase in tuition because it is
necessary to balance the budget."
According to Hay ton, 78 percent
of the college's operating budget
is dependent on tuition and fees
from enrollment.
At this year's February
meeting the Budget Committee
recommended rates for tuition
and fees for fall 2009, unlike recent
Chart by Jeremy Bante.
Data and estimates
COURTESY OF FINANCE &
Administration.
years where they recommended a
full budget.
"This will allow the committee
to have a clearer enrollment picture
before we recommend a complete
budget at the next board meeting,"
said Community Senate treasurer
Will Vormelker, who serves as
the student representative on the
budget committee.
See "Tuition" on page 4
ounfiD
A CLOSER LOOK
AT POPULAR
SPOTS FOR OFF-
CAMPUS LIVING
90
PAGE
(h
Pew study finds imprisonment too costly and ineffective
By Jasmine Ashton
Staff Writer
The federal government can
no longer afford to incarcerate
the 2.3 million people in jails
and prisons across the nation
- another symptom of the
current financial crisis. As a
result, states are beginning
to consider criminal justice
and policy changes in order
to save funds and alleviate
overcrowding.
The new policy changes
are designed to reduce prison
and jail populations through
sentencingchanges,recidivism
reduction programs, and early
release modifications.
"In order to solve a
problem you must work to
prevent it from the root," said
junior Jossie Dowling, the
project coordinator tor the
Guilford Correctional Center
(McLeansville) reading and
discussion group. "I believe
that there are several different
roots to the overcrowding
issue: globalization, the War
on Drugs, and the three strikes
policy."
The War on Drugs is
a prohibition campaign
undertaken by the U.S.
government with the
assistance of participating
countries. It is intended to
reduce the illegal drug trade
- to curb supply and diminish
the demand for drugs deemed
immoral, harmful, dangerous,
or undesirable.
According to Dowling, the
three strikes policy, which
often goes along with the War
on Drugs, has unjustly put
many minor offenders behind
bars.
"It is essentially the idea
that after committing three
crimes it is mandatory that
you serve time in prison," said
Dowling. "So many different
things count as felonies that
people can really get screwed
if they commit three minor
crimes."
According to a Pew study
released on March 2, one in
38 adults is either in prison,
on probation, or on parole in
North Carolina.
The high number of
people being locked up has
consequently caused prison
and jail costs to skyrocket
since the 1980s. This increase
in corrections spending only
See "Prisons" on page 5