PRESCRIPTION DRUG USE ON CAMPUS PAGE 7
»6, ISSUE It // DECBMEER 4, 2009
G UI LFOAD CO I L EG E // W W W, G U I L F O R D 1 A N , C O M // G R E E N S » O RO , N C
QUAKERISM AT GUILFORD
Is Quaker
presence on
campus
decliningP
By Benjamin Sepsenwol
Staff Writer
The meaning of how Guilford should be
Quaker has changed over the college's his
tory.
According to Friends Historical Collec
tion Librarian and College Archivist Gwen
Erickson, the question of whether Guilford
still adheres to Quaker values can be prob
lematic.
"There is no Quaker template," explained
Erickson.
"Quakerism is a very diverse tradition,"
continued Erickson as she pointed at a chart
of the several different branches of Quaker
ism. "An issue such as gay marriage has just
as much dispute within Quakerism as out
side Quakerism."
Erickson said that when Guilford was
founded as a boarding school in 1837, only
Quakers were allowed to attend. As a result,
Guilford could, in some ways, be consid
ered less Quaker today because fewer stu
dents are Quaker.
However, Director of the Friends Center
and Campus Ministry Coordinator Max
Carter said that although the boarding
school was all Quaker originally, it was seg
regated and had no women's sports teams.
"Today, Guilford offers courses on wom
en's studies, African, studies, and queer
studies," said Carter. "We are far more in
touch with the Quaker values than before."
However, Erickson affirms, that Quaker
ism still plays a vital role in the college de
spite the ambiguity of what exactly Quaker
values are and whether Guilford remains
Quaker.
Quakers have values universally agreed
upon, such as stewardship and diversity.
While these values are humanitarian ideals,
said Erickson, Guilford as a Quaker college
holds these humanitarian ideals to a higher
standard.
"The very fact this article is being written
shows that there are people concerned with
whether or not Guilford still is Quaker."
said Erickson.
According to Carter, Guilford is per
ceived by those outside of Guilford as one
of the most strongly Quaker-associated
Quaker colleges in the country, rivaled only
by Earlham.
See "Quakerism" on page 4
See PAGE 4 for the rest of our
MULTI-STORY EXPLORATION OF
Guilford's Quaker
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE.
EMPOWERMENT
INSPIRES AREA HIGH SCHOOLERS
By Eric Campbell
Staff Writer
Colors swirl as dancers perform traditional Mexican dances in Guilford's Alumni Gym.The event
opened the annual Soy Un Li'der Conference on Nov. 21.
"Raise your hands. Who here is a
leader?" asked Latino Community
Program Coordinator and International
Student Advisor Jorge Zeballos in
Spanish.
A veritable forest of raised arms filled
the Alumni Gym.
The Soy Un Lfder ("I Am a Leader")
Conference is an annual event at Guilford
that brings together students of Latin
American descent from all over the
region, this year welcoming students of
Palestinian, Sudanese, and Congolese
descent as well. About 200 students from
over 20 high schools took part.
After addresses from Zeballos and
event organizer and junior Yazmin Garcia
Rico, keynote speaker Raul Granados
See "Soy Un LIder" on page 2
HUNGER AND HOMELESSNESS WEBi
Workshops illuminate realities of
hunger and homelessness in GSO
By Abbey Dean and
Chris Matteo
Staff Writers
Imagine the last meal you ate. Envision the
satisfaction of having a full stomach. More
than likely, you chose what you wanted, when
you wanted, and where you wanted to eat.
Now, imagine not having a choice.
From Nov. 16-22, an array of events
took place across campus to commemorate
Guilford's own celebration of Hunger and
Homelessness Week. Each event was designed
to enlighten the Guilford community on the
reality of hunger, and the people for whom
hunger and homelessness are a daily reality.
The week began with a showing of the
movie "Fresh," which emphasized the
importance of local, organic produce and
advocated the need for a sustainable food
source.
"'Fresh' highlights a more grassroots
activist approach to cure homelessness," said
senior Hunger Fellow and event coordinator
Damian Popkin. "It challenges people to
deal with homelessness from the bottom up,
instead of self-perpetuating the bureaucratic
cycle."
The film was a plea for viewers to become
more knowledgeable about where their food
comes from, as well as conscious of the health
and economic factors that should be taken
See "Hunger" on page 6
Cloud Gamble/Guilfordian
Daniel Woodham, a local organic farmer,
discusses sustainable food options with CCE
student Leshia Marcus. The panel, which
included other locally based hunger activists,
spoke in the Greenleaf on Nov. 17.
Kenyan tribe faces eviction from native land
By Madeline Lambelet
Staff Writer
Disease. Corrupt politics.
Invasive spread of industries.
Disdain from fellow countrymen.
Abusive attacks. The Ogiek
people of Kenya have survived it
all, but a new opponent may be
too much.
The Ogiek have lived in the
Mau Forest for centuries and
are some of the last remaining
groups that live off traditional
hunting and gathering.
Now, a government plan to
evict thousands of people from
the forest is threatening their
cultural existence.
"This is very serious; the Ogiek
have nowhere else to go," said
Kiplanget Cheruyot of the Ogiek
People's Development Program
to Survival International in
an interview. "People are
crying about the eviction. The
government said it would spare
no one, not even a goat or a
chicken."
The eviction plan has already
begun receiving criticism from
Ogiek supporters, as well as
environmentalists. Over the
past 15 years, the forest has
already lost 25 percent of its
trees, according to The New
York Times, which has caused
substantial environmental
concerns and has raised
doubts about the government's
intentions.
See "Eviction" on page 5