WORLD & NATION
Hurricane Irene
sparks climate
change debate
THE INCREASING HEAT OF THE
ATMOSPHERE MAY CAUSE MORE
AGGRESSIVE AND FREQUENT
STORMS
By Charlotte Hudson
Staff Writer
The 2011 hurricane season kicked off
with its first major hurricane on Aug. 20,
causing widespread damage throughout
the Caribbean and the Atlantic Coast,
reaching up to eastern Canada.
Hurricane Irene started as a category
three hurricane, first hitting the Bahamas
on Aug. 24 and moving northward
throughout the East Coast and beyond,
reaching up to New York and Vermont.
According to The New York Times, 55
million people were affected, and transit
systems in New York City, Philadelphia,
and Washington D.C. were shut down.
Having left at least 44 people dead in
thirteen states, Irene is the most serious
hurricane to have occurred so far this year.
"Mother nature takes no prisoners,"
Visiting Assistant Professor of Political
Science Robert Duncan said.
The severity of Irene has raised a hotly
debated question; was Irene caused by
global warming? ,
"It's hard to say," said Associate
Professor of Geology David Dobson in an
email interview. "In the simplest terms,
heat is the fuel that drives hurricanes,
so having more heat in the atmosphere
and ocean means we'll likely get either
more frequent or more intense storms (or
both). Global warming has affected and
will continue to affect hurricanes, but it is
impossible to assign an individual storm
to global warming."
However, the debate rages on as those
See "Irene" on page 6
This week online
Exploring the relationship between Public
Safety & students
See page 8
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FEATURES
SLRPII to improve study abroad at Guilford
Marissa Dungan *12, Lauren Schloss *12, Ruby Doherty-Di I worth
*12, and Justin Kirchner '12 smile and pose in Northern Ghana last spring.
SECOND STRATEGIC LONG RANGE PLAN WILL
EMPHASIZE INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS
By Meg Holden & Adrienne Mattson-Perdue
Features Editor & Staff Writer
Some want to study animals in their native habitats.
Some want to practice a foreign language. Some just want
to get out of Greensboro for a semester.
Whatever their motivations, Guilford students love
taking advantage of the study abroad options available
through the school. Most students who have studied abroad
praise the experience as both intellectually and culturally
stimulating.
"Being able to live in community with another group of
people who were not from America helped me to grow as a
person," said senior Kieran Brackbill, who studied abroad
in London, in an online interview. "It forced me to get
outside of my American customs a bit and learn new ways
of seeing the world."
For others, the experience of studying abroad was
valuable but could have been improved.
"My experience studying with nine Guilford students
and no native Germans seriously limited my ability to
integrate into German society," said senior Ryan Sanders,
who went to Munich with a Guilford-led program. "I think
it would be great if we had a program in Germany through
a university so we could experience a German education
and form friendships with Germans our age."
See "Abroad" on page 7
NEWS
House and Senate bills may prohibit same sex marriage
By David Pferdekamper & James
Williamson
News Editor & Staff Writer
The North Carolina legislature
will convene on Monday, Sept. 12 to
consider Senate Bill 106 and House
Bill 777. The bills would make a
constitutional amendment to ban
same-sex marriage, an issue on the
ballot for the 2012 general election,
in addition to an amendment to only
legally recognize opposite-sex unions.
"It's an issue for everybody and
will directly affect LGBTQA, civil
unions, and common law marriage,"
said Justin Shreve '11, a hall director
and co-advisor of Pride. "North
Carolinians, regardless of identity
and sexual orientation, need to stand
up and fight for basic human rights."
Opponents say that this legislation
will perpetuate inequality and
prolong regressive Southern policies.
"Part of Southern hospitality is
to live and let live and that social
contract is being broken," said Visiting
Assistant Professor of Sociology
See "Legislation" on page 2
North Carolina residents in Charlotte ignore the rain to pro
test the bills that are being reviewed in Senate and the House.
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