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BUDGET
Budget crisis and financiai deiicit make their way te campus
Extra Information:
ta^r and operating budget reductions
totaling $2 million nejtt tv«> years
have been developed by the senior staff.
The College anticipates $U
million in instructional cost savings
for FY 20I2«13 and FT 2013-14.
The current $3 million Founders Hall
protect: funded by a giftfrom McMichael
A one-time reduction In conodbutions
to retirement bendits may occur
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^^errt,
ent
tat
To partly olfeet sacrifices, Guilford
plans^ to take part of pro|ected
surplus for current FT 2011-12
and award all full-time and part-
dme employees one-dme bonuses.
Continued from page i
said Bursavich.
Recognizing the impact the financial
aid cuts would have on students, Guilford
devised a plan to raise over $1 million within
the next two academic years to replace it.
Administrators have had to lay off some
staff and may have to lay off more during the
two-year period
Sophomore Eddie Praley, a business
major, recently shared his thoughts about the
budget cuts.
"I haven't seen any dramatic effects
besides paying an arm and a leg for tuition,"
said Praley.
Some like senior Taylor Teodosio, a
business major, question how administrators
could remodel Founders Hall while letting
go of staff.
The money for the renovation was
provided by a $3 million gift from private
donors and was thus outside the regular
budget stream.
Tom Palombo, athletic director and
head men's basketball coach, said that his
department is dealing with the budget cuts
by making economic^ equipment and travel
purchases and buying items in bulk.
"We are trying our best to have the least
direct impact on the students," Palombo said.
Even though the worse case scenario
seems daunting. Campus Ministry
Coordinator Max Carter shares some words
of encouragement on this issue.
"My constant mantra is that 'we've been
through worse,"' said Carter in an email
interview.
"The Civil War; two different times
when the Board of Trustees voted to close
the school; the Great Depression; first-year
enrollments in the 230s (not that long ago!).
We've always managed to make it through."
Whether students will be able to see the
changes made and the effect that the budget
had on campus is currently indeterminable.
At the end of the day, administrators
assure the community they are making their
decisions carefully and keeping the students
in mind.
"It is all about the students," said
Bursavich.
Fullbright program honors Guilford’s Jeremy Rinker
BY NATALIE SUTTON
Staff Writer
Dinner is served! And it's a big ol’ slice of Indian
culture. '
Jeremy Rinker, visiting assistant peace and
conflict studies professor, will venture to Banaras,
India in the spring to teach and conduct research at
Bdnaras Hindu University.
This life-changing opportunity is funded by a
grant from the U.S. government exchange program,
the Fulbiight Program. Rinker is one of 1,100
professors accepted into this highly competitive
program.
During the four to six months he is abroad, Rinker
will learn more about the relationship between
religion, marginalized groups and commimal
tensions in the area.
"Banaras is a very holy dty for Hindus," said
Rinker. "Part of my research wWle I'm there is going
to be around religion in a place that's thought of as
a Hindu city, but is actually 20-25% Muslim... (and)
looking at how (Banar^) has maintained a relative
zone of peace between these Hindus and Muslims,
when other cities with similar demographics
haven't."
Rinker's former student Ben Heide '12, thinks that
Rinker's work while abroad could help create more
peaceful ways of dealing with conflict in that area.
"In India, you have direct conflict between
Hindus and Muslims," said Heide. "Peace between
these two cultures is really important, and the more
you understand why the oAer person is doing
something, the better you can approach them. So his
work is very much needed."
Another of Rinker's students, senior
Abdulrahman Al-Turki, thinks Rinker's extensive
knowledge and passion for this part of the world
will be an important part of the journey.
"(Rinker) is very familiar with and has a great
deal of interest in the region," said Al-Turki. "I think
he is a great teacher and a very active learner." :
Fellow Peace and Conflict Studies Professor
Amal Khoury is excited for how this experience will
enhance the Peace and Conflict Studies program
and Guilford as a whole. . ;
"I am sure that (Rinker) can bring a lot back to
Guilford — both to the larger Guilford community
as well as to his classes — from his experience
in India next semester,"- Khoury said in an email
interview. "(He) will incorporate aspects of his
experience into his courses, share his research and
cultural experiences with the Guilford commumty, -
and will definitely make new connections that will
benefit Guilford."
Rinker's classes will focus on religion and conflict.
He also plans to lead conflict resolution trainings
and wor^hops.
"I'm hoping these workshops will kind of
legitimize the work of peace and conflict studies,
where in a traditional education system ... it is not
always Seen as a core discipline," Junker said.
This will be his fifth time to India and second time
to Banaras.
In the spring, he plans to, work with a number
of nonprofit organizations and nongovernmental
organizations to better understand how globalization
has affected marginalized communities, and the role
of religion in keeping a relative peace.
"I use the term 'relative peace' because it isn't as
if Banaras has been immune fix>m bomb blasts and
communal violence ... but they haven't risen to the
level of being a trigger event for larger commimal
disorder and riots," said Rinker. "In other parts of
India, when these things happen, it tends to h^e
more shock waves of repercussion. Thats what
I'm interested in. Why is it that Banaras has been a
relative zone of peace and those ripples of communal
violence haven't happened?"
Rinker hopes that his experience and abroad
experiences like this can help lead to a more cross-
culturally understanding society.
"I think bringing back the geographical Uteracy
that our students — and Americans in general lack
— is a really positive outcome if we can get people
to realize that people's lives in different parts of the
world are a whole lot different than ours," Rinker
said. "That's part of what liberal arts education
is about I guess, but I'm not sure that Guilford, or
anywhere else in this country, does that very well.
... A lot of people don't ever really think outside the
box of the United States."
While some Americans might feel trapped in this
so-called box, Rinker is certainly not one of them.
Andrea
Tantaros
Thursday, September 13,2012
7:00-9:00 p.m.
Bryan Jr.Auditorium
Frank Family Science Center