FORUM
13
Choosing a table for one
By Kara Thomas
Staff Writer
While some singles lamented this past Valentine's Day
as Hallmark's way of pointing out their disappointing love
lives, others didn't vow to dress in black or eat their weight
in chocolate because being single is a choice, not a curse.
But, when you can barely turn on the TV without see
ing a reality show about a bachelorette finding her Prince
Charming, that can be
supposedly-significant other was more annoying than
heart-wrenching. And I could certainly do without the
quasi-interrogation that sometimes succeeded those nights.
Another less common, but still valid, motivation for
maintaining solo status is school and work.
People with this set of priorities may sound like a bunch
of uptight, party poopers who would rather spend a Friday
night in the library than out painting the town red. Or, they
could want to have every opportunity to let loose in their
free time without the added stress of having to incorporate
a plus-one.
Other people, like first-year Claire McCarty, would
rather sample from a buffet than order an entree. To some
people, college should be more about playing the field and
experimenting, not finding The One or getting your MRS
or MR degree.
"I would have killed for a boyfriend in high school,"
said McCarty. "But
now, I just want to
have fun."
McCarty is not
alone in that mind
set. The evidence is
there whenever you
see people at a party
swapping spit in a
way that makes it
seem they are as con-
To some people, college should be more about
playing the field and experimenting, not find
ing The One or getting your MRS or MR degree.
hard to believe. Yet,
there are some people
who enjoy being unat
tached and make a con
scious effort to stay that
way.
There are several
perks to going stag. A
desire to maintain my
independence is one
reason I've had over the years. cemed with romance as with each other's middle names
To me, a Facebook-official, attached-at-the-hip relation- Not all of those people have emotional or self-esteem
ship conjures images of straightjackets. The idea of not problems. Sometimes people just enjoy flirting. And mak-
only having to call or see someone every night, but of ing out. And hooking up.
having to want to call or see someone every night, seems This may come as a shock to the people who view
ridiculous. Valentine's Day or their Facebook relationship status as a
The guilt I used to feel when I would miss a call or measurement of their self-worth, but not everybody needs
choose to spend a night with girl friends instead of my a hand to hold in order to keep walking forward.
-- - - L , ^ ■ ■ r » r , r r i ' ' ' ’*" ~^ *** ~ '**’ '^
Guilford College Republicans a safe
haven for conservative students
By Crosby Blair
Staff Writer
Calling all elephants — there's
a new Republican organization on
campus. It's called Guilford College
Republicans, and, as of last week, it's
an official club.
Some believe the establishment of
this club symbolizes a shifting stu
dent demographic. While this may
be true, let us not forget some of the
values that our school holds dearly:
diversity, equality, and justice. It's
only fair that there be a Guilford
College Republicans club since there's
already a Guilford College Democrats
club.
"I'm a Republican on a noticeably
liberal campus and I wanted there
to be a place for Republicans to get
together and discuss their thoughts
and opinions," said sophomore Claire
Massagee, one of three chairpersons
for the organization.
As a senior. I'm well aware that
there has never before been a per
vasive presence of Republicans on
campus. All past attempts to establish
a club have been foiled by lack of
interest and numbers. So why is this
Republican presence emerging now?
It could have to do with the elec
tion of Republican Scott Brown in
Massachusetts, in what some are
calling a "Republican resurgence." It
could have to do with the obvious
shift in student demographics. There
are more athletes and in-state stu
dents now, some of whom seem to be
more conservative.
But, in all honesty, I'm not sure
where all the Republicans are coming
from or why. Truth be told, it doesn't
matter.
the organization will actively seek to
understand other political leanings,
rather than seek solely to be under
stood."
If that doesn't fit in with the toler
ant and open-minded values of the
school, I don't know what does.
Now, don't get me wrong — I'm
definitely a liberal. I voted for Obama.
One of the main reasons I chose
Guilford specifically was because it
has a largely liberal student body.
But, I also believe in fairness and
impartiality. It's only right that the
college harbor a Republicans club,
even if the club's presence represents
It's only right that the college harbor a Republicans
club, even if the club's presence represents a coming
apocolypse for some.
The core question is this: at a col
lege that promotes and cherishes such
values as equality and justice, why
has it taken so long for there to be a
respective counter-part to Guilford
College Democrats?
In an unofficial constitution submit
ted to Senate, the new club included
the following in their mission state
ment: "Despite the conservative foun
dation of the College Republicans,
a coming apocalypse for some.
Establishing this club is a step in
the right direction if Guilford is seri
ous about upholding its core values.
Where past attempts have failed, this
one may too. Yet, with almost 30
members already, Guilford College
Republicans have already proven that
they will give conservative students a
place to call home on this predomi
nantly liberal campus.
FEBRUARY 19, 2010
staff Editorial
Graduation statistics
essential to college's
commitment to diversity
In the Jan. 29 Guilfordian article "Football coaches
discuss graduation rates, diversity on football team,"
we asked the coaches how the football program pro
vides necessary social and academic support for its
black ^student-athletes, citing statistics about lower
graduation rates for black male athletes at Guilford.
On a national level, black male athletes are statistically
less likely to graduate than white male athletes. When
we asked these questions, we were operating under
the assumption that the national data about graduation
rates applied to this institution.
Shortly after printing the article, we learned that
Guilford is in the beginning stages of developing a sys
tem to track the graduation rates of black male athletes,
but that they don't have the data to complete these sta
tistics yet. Some of the interview questions were flawed
since they assumed that this statistic existed, and that it
reflected national trends. We acknowledge our mistake
and it cannot be excused.
Since no concrete statistical data currently exists on
the graduation rates of black male athletes at Guilford, it
is hard to investigate whether or not black male athletes
graduate at a lower rate than white male athletes do.
Guilford's situation is not unique. Most division-
three institutions, Jncluding tho^in th^Qld Dominion
AthTeHc Conference X(515A(!X*^o not l^eep track of the
rate at which their black male athletes graduate. Most
division-one schools, on which the national data is
based, do keep these numbers.
Guilford has not been remiss in its dedication to
diversity. Many steps have been taken to increase our
quantitative understanding of diversity, and a continu
ing emphasis on qualitative aspects continue to improve
diverse experiences in our community. Knowing the
retention and persistence rates of all demographics is an
important step in this process. Not collecting data on the
graduation rates of different demographics of athletes
limits our ability to assess how well we as a commu
nity are succeeding in our efforts at being a supportive,
diverse community.
We have stated in previous staff editorials that a
sound commitment to diversity must be both quantita
tive and qualitative. In order for this institution to pro
actively bolster diversity quantitatively, any statistics
that could reveal possible trends concerning a segment
of the student population's success should be gathered.
While this institution works toward a comprehensive
analysis of the graduation rates of not just black male
athletes, but of all demographics. The Guilfordian will
continue to report on how diversity affects the com
munity, and how the community affects diversity. Our
commitment to a qualitative understanding of diversity
remains steadfast, even as we emphasize the necessity
of grounding our understanding in concrete data.
.The EDITORIAL board of the Guilfordian con
sists OF FIVE SECTION EDITORS, A PHOTO EDI
TOR, LAYOUT EDITOR, WEB EDITOR, MULTI-MEDIA
f MANAGER,’'EXECUTIVE.'‘COPY EDITOR,,MANAGING
f, EDITOR, AND THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.
1^
Reflecting'Guilford College's core Quaker
t. ., VALUES, THE TOPICS AND CONTENT OF STAFF EDI
TORIALS ARE.CH0SEN THROUGH CONSENSUS OF
ALL-12 EDITORS.