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WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
F E ATU RE S
RENOVATIONS
Changes come te Guilford campus
Continued from page I
Shore Hall. School officials hope a bicycle
repair and rental shop will bring Guilford
one step closer to becoming a carbon-neutral
campus.
Jim Dees, environmental sustainability
coordinator, said the shop will be popular
with students and staff alike.
"We already have a big bicycling commu
nity here,'" Dees said. "There are even a lot of
faculty that ride to work."
The shop will offer rental bikes and free
tune-ups to anyone with a Quaker Card, Dees
said.
Guilford sophomore Tom Clement is look
ing forward to the shop's opening.
"I'll definitely be using it," said Clement,
who bicycled across the country with friends
last summer. "A lot of other students will too."
number of high school students who would
show up there on weekends and, well, do
what kids of that age do," said Petree. "Our
improvements will hopefully curb their pres
ence."
School officials haven't gone so far as to
ban outsiders from the area. In fact, many
folks from the surrounding neighborhoods
still hike through the woods or fish from the
lake's shore line.
Robert Lambert, who lives off of College
Road, spent a recent Thursday morning cast
ing his rod from under a shady cluster of
cedars.
"No fish, but you can't beat the view,"
Lambert said.
Sprucing up the lake
Guilford College Lake is undergoing a
makeover, too. Workers spent the summer
planting 17 October Glory Maples — fast
growing trees known for their intense red foli
age come fall — along either side of Nathan
Hunt Road.
Workers also removed the gravel road that
led to a fire pit popular with students on
weekends. Relax, a new pit was built closer to
the lake's shoreline.
The changes, said Landscape and Grounds
Manager David Petree, are two-fold: leaders
have wanted to spruce up the lake and the
surrounding woods for years and are trying to
keep unwanted visitors out of the area.
Both the lake and nearby woods have
become an increasingly popular weekend
hangout for teenagers who are not part of the
college community, said Petree.
'The area got a reputation among a good
Pizza anyone?
Guilford already has an award-winning
dining hall and grill on its menu. The school
is hoping the latest addition will be just as
popular with students.
The Quakeria pizzeria is set to open in
the middle of September next to the Grill in
Founders Hall. "The Q," as it has already been
anointed by students, will serve pizzas and
appetizers. The restaurant will be open from
11 a.m. to midnight seven days a week during
the school year.
The Quakeria is Guilford's latest effort to
overhaul the traditional college dining experi
ence of years' past. School officials want the
latest eatery, furnished with chic bar tables, to
be yet another recruiting tool, luring potential
students and their tuition dollars with the
promise of healthy eating.
"Guilford is anything but institutional in
its dining choices," said Leslie Phillips, direc
tor of business development at Meriwether
Godsey, the Virginia-based dining service
company that already runs Guilford's dining
hall and The Grill. "The Q is just an extension
of that.
their online homework done.
Vamell hopes that wireless will help cre
ate freedom not only in the way Guilford
students study but also in the way Guilford
professors teach.
As for any technical difficulties, don't worry
— rr&S has been working around the clock
to get the wireless up and running and will
continue to provide technical support for stu
dents and faculty as the semester progresses.
George Hendrix (left), working for Triad
Sheet Metal, and Jay Fletcher, with Frank L.
Blum Construction, work in the pizzeria kitchen.
WiFi campus
Guilford decided to invest in a new cam
pus-wide wireless installation, largely in
response to the financial contributions of the
student-led Community Senate.
Why did Guilford choose to go ahead with
this project? Vice President for Administration
Jon Vamell put it simply: "Wireless fits the
culture of Guilford."
We have many beautiful outdoor spaces on
campus which are now covered by the new
wireless including the quad, lake area, athletic
facilities, and all tihe residence halls. This gives
students ample space to sprawl in the sun,
socialize, and enjoy the weather while getting
Clearing the air
Over the summer, Guilford's senior admin
istrators and the board of trustees drafted a
revised smoking policy.
According to Dean of Students Aaron
Fetrow, this change came in response to the
"numerous complaints from students, faculty
and staff who simply could not tolerate walk
ing through the clouds of smoke at building
entrances."
Although this change has generated some
controversy among smokers who feel restrict
ed by the new policy, it appears that others
believe that the community as a whole Will
benefit.
"Although as a smoker I'm inconvenienced
by the new policy, I know that it benefits
more people than it hurts," said junior Yahya
Alazrak.
Still, many smokers are concerned that they
are missing out on the social interaction smok
ing used to provide and are concerned about
the harsher weather to come.
Campus Life is ordering materials and
planning construction for small smoking shel
ters around campus. The college is looking for
student input on the best locations for these
shelters.
Overall this change is intended as a positive
step towards the health and wellness of the
entire community.
A fistful of coins: "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
ft
By Nick Bunitsky
& Mitchell Hamilton
Staff Writer
Synchronized flaming kata
na fights, a literal battle of
the bands, constantly flowing
video game references and a
dash of teenage romance? Color
me interested. "Scott Pilgrim
vs. the World" is an ode to the
do-nothing attitude of today's
twenty-some-things.
The movie takes place in
the far away land of Toronto,
Canada where Scott Pilgrim
(Michael Cera) falls in love with
the mysterious Ramona Flowers
(Mary Elizabeth Winstead) — a
delivery girj who just moved
from New York City to get away
from her past. After a brief but
triumphant stalking/courting
period, Scott gets up close and
personal with Ramona's past in
the form of her seven evil exes.
Both the movie and the Brian
Lee O'Malley graphic novel
that inspired it rely heavily on
pop culture references, spe
cifically those involving video
games such as "Street Fighter,"
"Final Fantasy II," "Rock Band"
and more.
Pilgrim's world runs based
on video game logic — 1-Ups
revive people, levels of daily
comfort are measured in bars,
and villains explode into
(Canadian) coins. However, the
references do not dominate the
film. The video game aesthetic
is worked into the dialogue,
visuals, and jokes in a way that
can appeal to anyone.
"They struck a good bal
ance," said Alan Rhodes '08,
a devotee of the comic series.
"(The video game aesthetic)
was well integrated and added
some wonderful kinetic energy
to the fight scenes."
Even if the visuals and sight
gags don't appeal to you, the
acting and writing are worthy
in their own right. While nei
ther deep nor complex, both
serve to tell a surprisingly
enjoyable story.
"I started with high hopes
but low expectations, especial
ly after hearing that Michael
Cera was chosen to play Scott
Pilgrim," said Rhodes. "Despite
my initial misgivings, Michael
made a perfect Scott."
Many fans held the same
expectations due to Cera's
consistent typecasting as an
awkward, socially inept teen.
However, with a heaping help
ing of narcissism, Scott was
brought to the screen. Instead
of pitying Cera (as in his previ
ous roles) the viewer can both
despise and relate to his char
acter.
Unfortunately, the relatable
nature of Scott's character is
expressed in some rather gener
ic teen-drama-styled moments.
These scenes water down the
film between action sequences,
which makes the relationships
feel like shoddy transitions
between fights. No amount of
Michael Cera getting beaten up
can make up for lifeless love.
"The fight scenes got old
because he just kept winning,"
junior Elijah Dacosta said.
"Over time, it boiled down
to another teenage romance
where the main character gets
the girl."
"The women of the movie
are thrown in to further the
story, rather than build actu
al relationships. Even though
the movie revolves around
Ramona's past, we don't actu
ally learn much about her,"
senior and fan of the comics
Olivia Richardson said.
In their own way, these
trite moments can work to the
advantage of the film, as a self-
aware acknowledgement of
how uncomplicated the story
is — similar to Edgar Wright's
other films ("Shaun of the
Dead" and "Hot Fuzz.")
"It was a very straightfor
ward, casual, fun summer film
that delivers on its promises
and then some," Rhodes said.
Ultimately, the flawed
characters and amazing visu
als serve to refresh anyone
tired of capes and spandex.
Groundbreaking may not be
the word to use for this movie,
but cute, funny, exciting, and
awesome-as-hell all fit the bill.