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WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
^Snowmageddon^ bombards Greensboro with snowfall
BYADITYAGARG
Staff Writer
Add "Snowpocalypse" or
"Snowmageddon" to the list of
events you have now survived.
Feb. 13 marked the first of a two-
day snowstorm that swept across
the state, dumping a near-record 8
inches of snow on Greensboro.
Among many circumstances of
this storm, Guilford College classes
were cancelled from Wednesday
afternoon through the weekend,
the Bryan Series event featuring
Itzhak Perlman was postponed, the
"None of the Above: Dismantling
the School-to-Pipeline" art exhibit
opening reception was postponed
and the "Who is Black Panel" was
cancelled.
The inclement weather
unleashed a flurry of activity as
administrators deliberated on
whether or not to cancel classes.
"(The) president has ultimate
authority to close the College
and/or cancel classes, but he
has delegated this responsibility
to me," said Vice President for
Academic Affairs and Academic
Dean Adrienne Israel in an email
interview. "I decide based on
reports from the staff who maintain
the groimds ... a range of weather
reports and predictions ... (and)
from the state highway patrol and
police department about driving
conditions."
Israel went on to explain that
the target for announcing class
cancellations and campus closings
is 3:00 p.m. for evening classes and
6:00 a.m. for day classes.
Among those involved with the
decision are Dean of Students Vice
President for Student Affairs Aaron
Fetrow, Director of Environmental
Sustainability David Petree and
occasionally Vice President of
Administration Jonathan Vamell.
Two consecutive closings are
somewhat xmusual for Guilford.
"(The College) never closed
for two days straight due to snow
since I arrived in 2002," said
President and Professor of PoUtical
Science Kent Chabotar in an email
interview.
Coordinating the Bryan Series
event proved especially tricky.
"Decisions about the Bryan Series
are generally made independently
because they impact people who are
not associated with the College,"
said Ty Buckner, associate vice
president of communications and
marketing, in an email interview.
Due to the snow, the Bryan
Series event featuring Perlman will
now be held on March 17, which
displeased many.
"Perlman is by far my favorite
violinist, and I was really looking
forward to seeing him at the event,"
said Early College junior Porter
Jones. "It's a shame the event was
postponed another month."
Early College senior Parth
Vaidya agreed.
"I don't think I'll be able to see
him now," Vaidya said. "March 17
is during our spring break, and like
many oSiers, I already have plans.
I certainly was disappointed by the
outcome."
Much of Guilford's staff was
forced to work long hours to ensure
students' safety and provide them
with services.
"Since we are considered
essential personnel, we have
to be here," said Public Safety
Coordinator Rhonda Johnson.
"Public Safety is here 24/7. If
somebody does not show up, the
officer on duty has to stay until
Students used the abundant snowfall and free time to create this snowman.
someone else can get in."
Johnson was among the few
that spent both Wednesday and
Thursday night on campus. Many
of the groimds crew also stayed
overnight, lodging at Campbell
House, while they worked into
the night and rose early to dear
sidewalks and roads.
Despite the inconveniences,
many students foimd^the snow
enjoyable, as Guilford's hills turned
into sledding moimds and snowball
fights overran the campus.
"Snowmageddon ... allowed me
to be five years old again," said
junior Edward Praley. "Snow day
equaled snow ball fights."
SENATE UPDATE
this week’s develooments
Students prepared for the
upcoming Board of Trustees Town
Hall on Thursday. Feb. 20 from
4-5:30pm in Joseph M. Bryan
Jr. Auditorium. Questions were
collected and students were
encouraged to turn out. Also, a
crafty sign was created!
next week’s plans
Angela Reiter and the website
development team will be coming
to Senate to get feedback and
suggestions for the new Guilford
Col 1ege website!
contact us
We need to hear your voice. Have an
• idea? Concern? Great recipe? It is
important to us.
Email: senatei^gul 1 ford.edu
or visit
guilfordsenate.wordpress.com
Compiled by Samir Hazboun. Community Senate president
Society of Physics Students defies
gravity by raising the bar ever higher
BY SUKYUN CHUNG
Staff Wrther
When you look back on elementary
school days, memories of standardized
tests and recess may swarm your mind.
The Guilford College chapter of the
Society of Physics Students, however, is
helping create memories that go above
and beyond at Jefferson Elementary
School.
For over two years, Guilford's physics
students have volunteered at an after
school science enrichment program at
Jefferson Elementary.
The chapter has been recognized for its
efforts in the study of physics. Guilford's
SPS has been selected as an Outstanding
Chapter of the Society of Physics Students,
an honor given to less than 10 percent of
SPS chapters.
"Personally, I was part of our program
to introduce the students to computer
programming," said senior Flenry
Corbett in an email interview. "Other
students from the SPS have taken
physics demonstrations and activities
(to Jefferson), ranging from electronics to
maldng simple telescopes."
Introducing these students to
equipment not already available at
Jefferson increases their involvement
in experimentation. SPS hopes to get
children more excited about science.
"I think that kids are born as
experimenters and explorers," said
Professor of Physics and Guilford
SPS Advisor Steve Shapiro. "If there
are opportunities for them to explore
scientific ideas rather than just read about
it, I think their inter^t in science will
greatly increase."
Alongside Shapiro and Corbett are
student officers: senior Nolan Dwyer,
senior Emma Taylor and junior Justin
Ouellette.
One Jefferson student's mother, who
requested to remain anonymous, has
witnessed the effect of SPS's dedication
firsthand.
"I've never seen my son this enthusiastic
about an academic field before," said the
mother. "It was always just video games
and football untO Guilford College came
in with their demonstrations."
Some members of SPS volimteer as
judges in the Jefferson Elementary and
Guilford County school science fairs.
While this year's science fairs have come
and gone, her son looks forward to next
year's fairs.
"I can't wait to show them how much I
learned," he said.
SPS also hosts a yearly open house
for Jefferson students at Guilford's
observatory.
"The first year we did it, we had an
overflow crowd," said Shapiro. "It was
really quite impressive."
Although Corbett is honored to receive
the award, he maintains that SPS is about
more than just awards.
"It's always nice to be recognized for
what we do, but it's not really why we do
it," said Corbett. "T^ese are the kind of
experiences that I wish I would have had
at that age, that I feel would have been
informative for me, and I am glad we get
to help create them for others."