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Staff Editorial
Electricity and soy sauce:
acting environmentayy-
conscious on the go
Here's a sobering fact: Americans create 250
million tons of solid municipal waste per year,
according to the National Resource Defense
Council. That's about one and a quarter tons
per person, per year.
And not all of our waste goes to a landfill;
have you ever considered the water that just
flows through the pipes while you wait for the
shower to warm up, or the heat that seeps out
the gaps around your dorm room window?
When we're not paying electricity bills or
throwing away the packaging for our food,
it's easy to lose sight of how much waste is
created at Guilford.
That's why every spring, Guilford
participates in Recyclemania, a program that
measures how much waste is generated and
how much is recycled.
That's also why residents of the North
Apartments and theme houses have caps on
the amount of electricity they can use, why
the dining hall composts its food waste, and
why Guilford makes an effort to buy recycled
and compostable products when possible.
Simply sitting back and assuming that the
school will do everything it needs to in order
to mitigate the waste we create isn't enough,
though.
What do you do with the endless packets
of soy sauce you get when One Wok delivers
your food — just throw them away? How
many of us are guilty of turning on the TV,
then getting distracted and leaving it on while
we visit a friend down the hall — or worse,
go to class?
These seem like small actions, but they
add up. One of our college core values is
stewardship, and that includes stewardship
to the earth. We should all make an effort to
use our planet's limited resources responsibly.
Whether that means taking only one
hamburger in the Caf when you're not sure
you can eat two, or simply recycling this
Guifordian when you're done with it, spend a
few moments today trying to actively reduce
the amount of energy, food, plastic, heat,
aluminum, water, glass, or any other resource
that you use.
The planet will thank you for it.
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REPRESENTING GUILFOf© COLLEGE’S CORE VALUES.
Guilford remembers Angus, the free spirit
asking imtil he would understand. He helped me raise my
game. I knew that if he wasn't getting it, I wasn't doing my job."
Angus' seriousness of purpose never weighed down his
demeanor.
"He was hugely fun," said Mark Sparling '92 in an email
interview. "I remember sliding on the icy slick roof of the gym
with him late at night (there may or may not have been several
bottles of King Cobra involved) ... He's one of the few people
I've met louder than I am. He was never malicious, mean, or
in any way caused harm (although his intensity could at times
By James Williamson be overwhelming). He enriched the lives of everyone around
Staff Writer him."
To complement the rock, Angus' friends dedicated a white
"In remembrance of Angus Armstrong McLees, class of oak tree. The tree grows while the rock remains permanent.
1992. At Guilford, Angus was a rugby player, honors student, "We picked the rock and tree as classic symbols of strength
philosopher, beer drinker, tree climber, resident advisor, and and resilience, and life and growth," said Spiling. "The rock
friend. After graduation he joined the Peace Corps, studied was intended to be large — not a small brick with a small
religion, became a djembe teacher, arborist, husband and father, plaque, but something as large as Angus was in personality and
On this campus and in the world,
Angus lived the Guilford tradition
of constructive action to make both
better places. May his warm and
generous spirit run naked through
this majestic wilderness. Peace and
Love."
Just before the hilltop that
overlooks Bryan Hall rests Angus'
memorial. Angus' rock is a Guilford
gem tucked by the comer of Milner
dormitory and Founders Hall. Some
students stroll past it and discover the
awesome description of a man who
embodied the true Guilford student.
physique.'
Perhaps the tree will provide
enough shade so that a student and
Angus can relax together.
"Maybe one day you would be
able to sit on the rock and eat a
sandwich," said Glenn Lissner '91.
Like Angus, one could be a
remarkable athlete and at the same
time write an honors thesis in French
or liven up the party atmosphere
0 and engage in Community Senate.
1 Are current students cookie-
^ cutting themselves into particular
^ expectations of certain majors or
while others see the memorial as just Angus McLees (left) inspired all he met while a student athletics? We must ponder whether
a big rock. at Guilford. Friends planted a tree and placed a rock so Guilford students are generally
"I pass this rock every day and I'd his memory would live on in this community. losing the Angus spirit a spirit of
never read it," said hrst-year Kyndall openness and diversity.
Kelly, "but it looks like he knew how to party and study." "I don't know if anyone could mn naked through the
Small memorial plaques and tall paintings exist all around majestic wilderness, said Sisk. That takes a special person.
^2mpus. Angus has the rock. Angus Armstrong hlcLees died of an illness on Oct. 7, 2003.
"That's the king of rocks," said senior Jamie Sisk. "Usually He exemplified a lightness of being and to us today represents
people get plaques, he got a rock. I wonder what the geology a kind of genuine student essential to Guilford's quirkiness,
department thinks about that." "He was a rare combination of all of the best of people.
The inscription describes to us a man who flourished in tolerant and giving, combined with all of his mental and
the many spheres of Guilford, whether it was academia, physical gifts, a total lack of ego, and his work and play hard
socializing. Community Senate, or athletics. Angus had an ethic and positive attitude are still inspiring," said Sparling,
ability to balance life's variety of fields. He was a renaissance We need more like Angus.
j^an. “h's important to have people like Angus everywhere," said
"I remember that Angus would bring out the best in his Vance Ricks '92, associate professor of philosophy,
teachers," said former Guilford Professor of Philosophy Tom As Angus signed his letters:
Powell. "If he didn't imderstand a concept, he would keep Peace and Love.
Letter to the Editor: RA response
IN RESPONSE TO THE LEHER TO
THE EDITOR PUBLISHED SEPT. 30,
2011
Even though we're only six weeks into
the school year, a lot has been going on.
student safety.
As RAs, we exist in a sort of no-man's-
land. We are more accountable than our
residents, but without the commanding
authority of the administration. It is
understandable that there are often
tensions between residents and RAs, but
From attempted assaults to the (recently it is important that students recognize
apprehended) flasher on campus, it is the position we are in. No 1^ wants
understandable that students might be to document infractions--we just want
wondering: what
is the school doing
to keep us safe?
One of the
earliest lines
of protection
for on-campus
protection is your
We are just doing our jub. We
are students, just like you.
to make sure all
students are acting
responsibly. It isn't
our job to "get
people in trouble."
It's our job to
keep people out of
trouble.
local resident advisor. RAs are hired to We are not your enemies. We are not
not only host awesome hall programs spying on you in case we need to report
and build community on campus, but to TASC. We are not waiting outside
also to monitor their halls and residents, your door at 10.59 p.m. to make sure you
enforce college policies, and ensure respect quiet hours. We are not recording
everyone we see smoking outside of a
smoking area. We are just doing our job.
We are students, just like you.
So instead of walking the other
direction when you see an RA, try
making friends. Drop by a hall program
just to say hello. You might be surprised
to find out that we can be pretty cool,
too.
The RAs of the North and South
Apartments
• ■ A CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS LETTER IS A MEfffiER OF THE
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