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See "cardS" on page 2See "Honor code" on page 3

Card changes affect meal plans, Quaker Cash

CCE student Tony Etheridge founded Access Greensboro, a program for students to connect and explore career opportunities post-college.

Nick Bunitsky reviews "Black Swan"

Changes to the use of Quaker Cards by Ashley Lynch

By David Pferdekamper

Coming next week: CAB reform

Meriwether Godsey staff member Lisa Harris swipes a Quaker card in the dining hall. Guilford expects to offer modified meal-plan options to students next year.

This week online www.guilfordian.Com

See "acceSS" on page 3

By Robert Bellstaff Writer

By Abbey Brinkeystaff Writer

By Claire Wardlawstaff Writer

For at least 117 years, Guilford students have been guided by an academic honor code as clear as it is concise: “I have been honest and have not observed any dishonesty.”

Less clear, some students believe, are guidelines for life outside the classroom: Drug use, fighting, hate crimes, overnight guests in dorms — even something seemingly as innocent as gossip.

Now a growing number of students believe that a Social Honor Code is long overdue at Guilford and they are looking into establishing one.

The idea of a social honor code has long been a topic of debate among Guilford students, but the idea gained momentum late last year after separate incidents of vandalism. A swastika was found carved into a student’s Binford Hall dorm room door in November. A month later another swastika was found painted on a trashcan outside Frank Family Science Center.

Imagine not being able to talk for 11 years. Imagine not being able to smell flowers, or taste your favorite foods. Imagine having to carry a machine around so that you could communicate with others. Imagine all this, and you will find yourself in Brenda Charette Jensen’s shoes.

According to CNN, Jensen, 52, was the second person in the U.S. to have

news

world & nation

New medical technology benefits patients, families

CCE student founds Access Greensboro

Social honor code committee

formed

undergone a larynx transplant. Jensen received the transplant in October and after two weeks she heard her voice for the first time in 11 years.

“Good morning.”“I want to go home.”Though simple sentences, it was a

significant leap in Jensen’s life. Jensen spent two months in rehabilitation to help her do the tasks many take for granted, like talking and swallowing

Guilford College, with its many student-run teams, clubs, and organizations, prides itself on stewardship and community involvement. CCE student Toni Etheridge is no exception.

Etheridge founded Access Greensboro last November as a program through which students could socialize, network, and explore what professional life after college could offer, with Greensboro as the guide.

First stirred to action by motivating conversations in classes here at Guilford, Etheridge

vid

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GNN with Ashley Lynch

Quaker Cards. They are the keys to Guilford College, unlocking a variety of uses for students through a variety of means.

“(The Quaker Card) is a lot of things,” said Support Services Manager Rex Harrell, who acts as card manager for the college. “It’s a library card; it’s your security ID; it’s for dining services; it’s tied to copying; it gives you door access.”

However, some of the uses tied to Quaker Cards are not as popular among students.

“We’re told that Quaker Cash is such a great thing when we come here, but not many places actually take it,” said junior Johnathan Crass. “And meal plans just aren’t worth it. I felt limited with meal plans — I’d either come up short or not use enough meals every week.”

Crass’s sentiment is shared by many students. In a survey conducted by The Guilfordian, 48 out of 100 respondents said that they do not have a meal plan. Furthermore, 70 respondents said that they

do not use Quaker Cash (either Community Dollars or Campus Dollars).

Regarding meal plans, many students believe that the plans are not worth it.

“I don’t like how the meal plans don’t roll over from week to week,” said first-

year Will Batchelor. “If you miss a meal, it’s just a waste of money.”

Under the current meal plan system, if one factors out Grill Cash, the cheapest meal plan per meal is the Quaker MAX (19 meals per week), which works out to about $6.50 a meal. The other plans — the 14 meal plan, the 10 meal plan, and the 5 meal plan — work out to about $8.04, $8.75, and $12.31 per meal, respectively.

“The meal plans are a great deal,” said Vice President for Administration Jon Varnell. “Take the 19 meal plan. Try to eat 19 meals a week for the same price for a semester. You’d be eating McDonald’s every meal. For the price, you can’t match the quality, the variety, and the health of what we have at Guilford.”

Varnell also commented on the reasons for the price of meal plans.

“This is about getting the college’s expenses covered, regardless of how that’s charged,” Varnell said. “It’s the same with other things; you don’t just look at the pure construction costs when you build a building. Guilford students need to look at the total cost of education.”

However, Varnell does not see the value in every plan.

“The five meal plan is awful,” Varnell said. “I don’t know why anyone would choose it. It’s going away next year.”

Greenleaf Review by Lindsay Vanderhoogt

RELiGiouS EMphASiS WEEk LiGhtS up hut,

CAMpuSpAGE 3

News2www.GUILFORDIAN.COM

CARDS

ACCeSS

Community dissatisfaction with meal plans, community cash spurs overhaul Varnell referred to tentative new meal

plans Guilford expects to offer students next year. The 5 meal plan is being removed and replaced with a 75 meal block plan for $515. With this plan, students will be able to use their meals at any time during the semester, rather than having a weekly allotment.

Similarly, there will be a 75-meal lunch block plan available to off-campus students and a 25- meal block plan for CCE students. There will be a Quaker MAX-Plus plan, which will include 100 “Dining Dollars” (formerly Grill Cash) and allot 19 meals per week.

The other meal plans will remain, but with slight price increases. Varnell says that these increases are not as substantial as increases at other colleges. Another change is that every student living on campus will be required to have a meal plan.

“Requiring every student on campus to have a meal plan allows Meriwether Godsey to provide better quality food and variety,” said Residential Living Coordinator Kris Gray. “If we don’t have many kids on a meal plan, we can’t pay to get the stuff students want to see.”

Community Dollars is another underused

utility of Quaker Cards.“This type of card is for student convenience

and having (finances) all in one place,” said Associate Vice President for Finance Jimmy Wilson. “It gives you everything on one card. Parents can put money on one card and it’s very convenient.”

Currently, the Guilford website lists seven merchants that accept Community Dollars. Other merchants have dropped.

“ B l a c k b o a r d , our card services provider, is pretty pricey,” Harrell said. “They charge both the college and the merchant per transaction. Jams dropped us because they didn’t think it was worth it.”

With limited options, many students just do not

use Community Dollars.“I don’t use Quaker Cash as much

anymore,” Crass said. “It doesn’t feel as bad as using ‘real money,’ but it’s still not that useful.”

With students expressing concerns about meal plans and Quaker Cash, the administration is aware of the issues. But for now, students can only stay informed and continue to use their Quaker Card to unlock what they need.

Continued from Page 1

Continued from Page 1

decided to turn that inspiration into something tangible.

“We look at the vibrancy of Greensboro,” said Etheridge. “We like to reach out to businesses or organizations to celebrate their existence.”

Students can use Access Greensboro to discover many of the professions that Greensboro has to offer and experience first-hand what life in the business world is like.

“As a community and justice studies major, I think a program that prepares students to leave the tight-knit Guilford community would really empower them as future professionals,” said senior Max MacClennen. “Plus we, as an educational institution, could benefit from linking the Greensboro community to campus in a new way.”

Another distinct dimension of this project is its media-driven existence, as all the interviews with local businesses are posted and predominantly accessible via YouTube.

“The ongoing goal is always to just try to network with businesses and decision-makers to see if they wouldn’t mind us promoting their business,” said Etheridge. “It’s a plus for them as well, because they can maybe target a different audience that they had not been able to access before.”

Etheridge’s idea to involve the popular video-sharing website in her endeavor highlights Access Greensboro’s relevance

to today’s college students through its progressive approach to fostering community dialogue.

“Using YouTube for a Guilford-grown organization is really unique,” said sophomore and psychology major Marisa Bowers. “I’d consider myself a student who is interested in finding volunteer opportunities here, and that definitely grabs my attention.”

Etheridge hopes that students will be motivated by the degree of creative freedom ingrained in the organization and recognize the potential opportunity to volunteer within the community.

“As far as students are concerned, their participation would be rounded into several things: they’d be able to host, they would be doing work in contacting business owners and talking to them, and then there’s an opportunity for them to actually do videotaping also,” said Etheridge.

One volunteer, 14-year-old Aaron Griggs, is Access Greensboro’s current videographer.

Etheridge says that once Access Greensboro has gained the support and participation it needs, she hopes it will make a lasting connection between Greensboro’s students and the professional community.

“I’m still in the beginning, just trying to garner awareness by reaching out to various college communities to get students to develop an interest in it,” Etheridge said.

To learn more about Access Greensboro, visit the YouTube domain accessgreensboro1.

Access Greensboro sparks community involvement

“I don’t use Quaker Cash as much anymore. It doesn’t feel as bad as using ‘real money,’ but it’s still not that useful.”

Johnathan Crass, junior

senior and religious studies major Thomas Eaves. “Although I have a strong sense of what the scriptures

mean and what Christianity is, I feel like I have to describe myself as an agnostic non-Christian, which is inconvenient since I recently began seeking ordination as a minister in the Episcopal Church,” said Eaves.

These reflections show how the unique environment at Guilford has affected students in a variety of ways, ranging from strong challenges to one’s faith to strengthening of faith.

“There is a tendency to forget in the ‘academy’ that students are not just ‘brains on a stick,’” said Carter in an e-mail inter-view. “They also have spirit.”

As the week carried on, many other events highlighted Guilford’s religious diversity, including a Catholic evening prayer, a radical Bible study group, and a Buddhist medita-tion group.

“We may not all be saying the same thing, but I believe that ultimately we are all seeking some sort of truth or purpose in life,” said senior Sasha Lipton-Galbraith, head of Guilford’s Buddhist meditation circle.

On Wednesday evening, the Pagan Mysticism Group dis-cussed Voodoo and Egypt’s religion and spiritual beliefs in the Hut.

Given the variety of personal forms of religion on campus, there was still a sense that the goals of these belief systems were largely similar.

An issue for both the secular and religious is the struggle to integrate science with religion.

This topic among others was touched upon in a lec-ture given by geneticist Lindon Eaves called “Spirituality, Cosmology, and Anthropology” held at Brian, Jr. Auditorium on Thursday evening.

“If you came here expecting answers, you’re not going to

Whether you are Buddhist, Christian, Pagan, Agnostic, or all or neither of the above, Religious Emphasis Week was made for you.

Religious Emphasis Week, which began on Monday, Jan. 24, served as both a forum to spark discussions on religion, and a celebration of Guilford’s wide religious diversity.

The week-long tradition began in 1990 with the Friends Center's creation of the college's first organized Office of Campus Ministry. It has been held and sponsored by GCRO ever since, according to Director of the Friends Center and Campus Ministry Coordinator Max Carter.

“Spirituality and the religious organization of spiritual concerns have a place in a college that prides itself in a ‘trans-formative education,’" said Carter in an e-mail interview. “Especially at a Quaker college, where all of life is seen as a venue for spiritual expression, a week emphasizing the oppor-tunities, importance, and even fun of religion and spirituality is important.”

The panel discussion “Faith After Four Years at Guilford,” held in the Gallery on Wednesday afternoon, highlighted the variety of personal beliefs on campus as well as the students’ perceptions of how religious issues are treated at Guilford.

“I feel that I have grown stronger in my faith since coming to Guilford, a decision that influenced me in choosing to apply to Wake Forest’s divinity school,” said senior and religious studies major Megan Snider.

Another theme discussed by panelists was the struggle to reconcile religious beliefs with academic knowledge.

“A personal issue for me is what seems to be the major dis-crepancy between biblical teaching and modern reality,” said

get them — in fact you’ll probably leave with more questions,” said Lindon to the audience.

In his speech, Lindon offered criticism of both ways the sci-entific and religious communities approach each other.

“The religious folks are notoriously shy when it comes to approaching data — whereas some of the atheists have the hubris to believe that science can console everything — what we need is an engaged conversation between religion and science that addresses who we are as human beings,” said Lindon.

The final note of the week’s mélange of events — a screen-ing of the 1979 film “Monty Python’s Life of Brian,” — pro-vided a humorous tinge in contrast to the serious theological questions raised at the other events. The movie, which features the people of Ancient Judea speaking in exaggerated British accents, sparked laughter in the Hut.

“A remarkable feature of Guilford is its incredible tolerance in terms of accepting different religious beliefs,” said Snider.

The nature of Religious Emphasis events highlighted the distinct way in which members of the Guilford community approach religion, largely in keeping with the college’s core values of equality and diversity.

According to Carter, more than 500 people participated in the more than 43 separate events that spanned the week.

“It (Religious Emphasis Week) was quite a success,” said Carter. “My two regrets are that attendees at most events were the ‘usual suspects’ — folks already active in religious groups — and that the ‘older adults’ in the community were mostly no-shows.”

“Just walking around and talking to different people you can hear at least 10 different religions mentioned — it’s defi-nitely an opportunity to learn about something you may not have known and for others to learn from you,” said Snider.

News 3February 4, 2011

Religious emphasis week promotes dialogue on faith

"The idea behind the social honor code is a simple belief the students shouldn’t be subjected to this kind of thing,” said Ruth deButts, a Senate representative for Binford residents who is heading a social honor com-mittee. “We have guidelines in place for aca-demics — that’s what the academic honor code is for. There are a lot of students who feel that now we should look at how we conduct ourselves within the Guilford community as a whole.”

Colleges have had little problems imple-menting academic codes of honor, but have grappled with social honor codes. Plagiarism and cheating are clearly defined. Less so are problems such as sexual harassment, racism, and underage drinking.

Should an honor code seek to punish stu-dents or guide them? Should they require students to inform on each other?

Haverford and Bryn Mawr colleges, Quaker schools like Guilford, and Elon College have honor codes that govern social interactions. But social honor codes at colleges are rare often because students are unable to find com-mon ground on how to define what is or is not permissible behavior.

Sophomore Justin Bradley doesn’t like the idea of being told what is acceptable at Guilford.

“You’re stepping on a lot of people’s morals when you start talking about a social honor code,” said Bradley, a political science major. “Everyone has their own set of morals. It would be impossible to create a document that would cover everything everybody believes is socially responsible.”

Students lead social honor code debatedeButts, who is heading up a Senate com-

mittee looking into the merits of a code, said any document would ultimately mirror the values of the Guilford community. Her com-mittee has talked to dozens of students and pored over surveys submitted by students about what they would like to see in any pro-posed code.

“Not everyone is going to agree with what we’re doing — we know that,” said deButts. “But by talking to the whole community we’re going to get a good sense of how best to make a harmonic community.”

The fate of a social honor code at Guilford will ultimately be determined by the students, not the college.

Aaron Fetrow, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said the college would help facilitate a social honor code and “would embrace a student-led initiative to implement a social honor code, but would clearly want the students to drive the process.”

deButts said there is no timetable for imple-menting an honor code. She hopes students will attend community forums — tentatively scheduled for Wednesday nights in Founders Hall — this semester so that their opinions can be heard. deButts added that anyone – stu-dents or faculty – can e-mail her their thoughts as well.

Zak Wear, a senior political science major, is part of the committee looking into an honor code. Wear said it might be difficult – if not impossible – to shape a document that speaks to every Guilford student “but it’s worth the effort because it’s important.”

“We do not want to police people’s actions,” said Wear. “There’s a sense of what defines a Guilford student and we want to capture that.

Honor Code

religion

Housing policy and process

(Feb. 8 meeting)

Discussion of Guilford College budget for

2011-12 academic year

Contact: senate@guilford.edu or

Senate President Dana Hamdan

hamdands@guilford.edu

Community center redesign proposal

CAB reform policy

Changes in athletics mascot, the Quakerman

Community Senate meets every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m.,

Boren lounge, Founders Hall

Continued from Page 1

By Laura Devinsky and Omar HamadStaff WriterS

The Guilfordian is the independent student newspaper of Guilford College. The Guilfordian exists to provide a high-quality, reliable, informative and entertaining forum for the exchange of ideas, information and creativity within Guilford College and the surrounding community.

General staff meetings for The Guilfordian take place every Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. in Founders Hall, and are open to the public

AdvertisingIf you are interested in advertising in The Guilfordian, send an e-mail to GuilfordianAds@guilford.

edu for a rate sheet and submission guidelines. We can design a customized ad for you if you need this service.The Guilfordian reserves the right to reject advertisements.

LettersThe Guilfordian actively encourages readers to respond to issues raised in our pages via letters to

the editor. Letters can be submitted via our website (www.guilfordian.com), and should be submitted by 3 p.m. on the Sunday before publication and not exceed 300 words. Letters that do not meet the deadline or word limit will be considered on a space-available basis. Anonymous letters will not be accepted. By submitting a letter to The Guilfordian, you give The Guilfordian permission to reproduce your letter in any format. The Guilfordian reserves the right to editorial review of all submissions.

The GuilfordianEditor in Chief

Managing Editor

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Editorial Board Layout Editor

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Copy EditorsMeredith Brown Kate GibsonAnnetrice Hewitt

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SATURDAY

4FRIDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

Community Senate meeting,

Boren Lounge, 7- 8 p.m.

Calendar of Events

Opening night: "A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant and a Prayer," Dana Auditorium,

8 p.m.

OSLE presents Trivia Night in Milner Hall,

8 - 9 p.m.

SEE YOUR EVENT HERE

E-mail sherkhm@guilford.edu

Photo Club meeting, basement of Hege-Cox,

7:30 - 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

Sunday Jazz brunch,Vintage 301,

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Informational Panel: Revolution in North Africa and the Arab

World, Bryan Jr., 1 - 2:30 p.m.

Community time event: Make a Plush for your

Crush, Founders Lobby, 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Political Activism through Art,

Founders Gallery, 3 - 4 p.m.

Bree' Shepard

Meg HoldenSkylar LarsenBurke Reed

Douglas Reyes-CeronTaylor ShieldsJack Sinclair

Johnathan Smith

Meg HoldenAngie JohnsonTerah KelleherElaine KelloggVictor Lopez Brandy MitchellDavid PferdekamperChris RoeJessie SilvarreyJulia SolheimHannah SwensonClaire Wardlaw

Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market, 501 Yanceyville St.,

6 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Bargain Tuesday at Brassfield Cinema,

$4.25 all day

Thursday Night Cheap Beer and a Movie presents "Harold and Maude,", Carousel Theatre,

7:30, 10 p.m.

Tickets for Lil Wayne's April 8 Coliseum concert go on sale,

10 a.m.

Tate Street Jazz Jam, Tate St. Coffee, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

We have big news: Lit Mag and The Guilfordian are expecting! Get your baby shower gifts in before the due date, Feb. 11. They are double-registered at lit-mag@guilford.edu and sherkhm@guilford.edu, so help them swaddle this lit-baby in your original art, photographs, and poetry. - Greenleaf Review

First Friday downtown art walk, Elm St.,

6 - 9 p.m.

by Adam Watkins

"your eyes only see what you want them to"

CORRECTIONThe sTory on page 6 (Issue 14) "TunIsIan presIdenT forced ouT," was wrITTen by Morgan andrews, noT chrIs roe.

In The capTIon on page 7 (Issue 14) "LIfe before guILford," dave dobson's graduaTIon year was LIsTed as 1969. dobson was born In 1969.

In The sTory on page 10 (Issue 14) "a nIne-year-oLd's dreaM LIves on," Laura devInsky's naMe was MIsspeLLed.

5February 4, 2011world & nation

By Meg HoldenStaff Writer

Kenya finds an off-grid answer in solar energy

Imagine walking two miles to catch a motorcycle taxi, then riding three hours into town just so you can pay to charge your cell phone. Most of us, raised in a developed nation where paved roads, cars, and cheap electricity are the norm, cannot fathom such a herculean undertaking. But until last year, this was the only way for Sara Ruto of Kiptusuri, Kenya, to charge her phone, reports The New York Times.

In February, however, Ruto's family sold some animals and bought a small solar power system for $80, according to The New York Times. Perched on the tin roof of the mud-walled dwelling that houses Ruto, her husband, and six children, the solar panel provides enough electricity to charge the phone and power four overhead light bulbs.

“My main motivation was the phone, but this has changed so many other things,” said Ruto to The New York Times.

With the benefit of electric light, Ruto's children's grades have improved, according to The New York Times. The younger children are safe from burning themselves on a kerosene lamp.

Ruto saves $15 a month on kerosene costs and $20 by not traveling to Mogotio, and is even able to charge neighbors 20 cents to recharge their own cell phones.

The New York Times reports that as small-scale renewable energy becomes cheaper and more available, it provides power to people living far from electricity grids and fuel pipelines.

“Renewable energy becomes more and more important in less and less developed markets,” said Adam Kendall, head

of the sub-Saharan Africa power practice for McKinsey & Company, to The New York Times.

Evans Wadongo of Kenya recognizes the truth of this, having experienced life as a student without electric light, reports the international news agency, AFP. As a child, Wadongo struggled to study by the light of a kerosene lamp

and permanently damaged his eyesight with the lamp's smoky fumes.

At 19, Wadongo created his first solar lamp using funds from a student loan to buy the supplies, according to AFP. Now 25, Wadongo has provided solar lamps to tens of thousands of Kenyans.

“I never thought it would take off on this scale,” said Wadongo. “I just wanted to take one to my grandma.”

According to AFP, Wadongo sees his lamps as “a way to

News iN brief Graphic by breé Shepard

StorieS by alex Miller

burma

In 2007, Ecuador’s PrEsIdEnt, rafaEl corrEa,

crEatEd a Program callEd "WElcomE HomE" that offers incentives for immigrants to return to Ecuador. With a struggling U.S. economy and high unemployment rates, Ecuador’s offers of financial assistance to start businesses, one-way airplane tickets, and waivers on import taxes and fees on property they return with has been looking more appealing and the number returning is increasing, according to The New York Times. Although some Ecuadorians are motivated by the extra support, many are taking the opportunities to return home to their families or retire.

fraNce

ecuador

lift people out of poverty.” Wadongo and his team from the “Use Solar, Save Lives” project identify a community that relies on kerosene lamps. The team provides solar lamps to the community, and even have easy-transport lamps for nomadic communities.

“This is a great example of using technology to liberate people in a way that gives each individual more choice and freedom with their lives,” said Associate Professor of Political Science Kyle Dell in an e-mail interview. “There is also a tangible link between saving money in order to purchase a solar panel or cell phone and the ability to use that technology to then step further out of poverty.”

“Off-grid is the answer for the poor,” said Minoru Takada, chief of the United Nations Development Program’s sustainable energy program, to The New York Times. “But people who control funding need to see this as a viable option.”

According to The New York Times, investors are reluctant to fund projects that serve dispersed, poor, rural consumers. And the lack of a distribution network is keeping off-grid systems from spreading. The lack of a distribution network could be beneficial in the long run, though, according to Dell.

“By decentralizing energy generation, you essentially decentralize economic, social, and eventually political power,” said Dell. “Distribution is no longer a means for a government or corporation to claim an unequal control over the lives of ordinary people in remote places in the world.”

Wadongo told AFP that he believes Kenya's political class wants “people to remain poor so that they can stay in power.” With off-grid solar power, perhaps Wadongo, Ruto, and other Kenyans can regain control and improve their lives.

"This is a great example of using technology to liberate people in a way that gives each individual more choice and freedom with their lives."

uNiTed sTaTesIn HIs 78-PagE rulIng, fEdEral dIstrIct JudgE rogEr VInson dEclarEd that a stipulation within President Obama’s much-debated health-care overhaul that requires Americans to purchase insurance is unconstitutional. Vinson’s ruling claims the stipulation is so “inex-tricably bound” to other aspects of the law that it invalidates the bill entirely, reports The New York Times. Vinson stated that the federal gov-ernment should adhere to his ruling and that all 26 states involved in the suite are henceforth free of any and all responsi-bilities dictated by the bill. Officials within the Obama Administration plan to appeal the ruling, which brings lower-level court rulings over the President’s landmark bill to a tie, with two supporting its constitutionality and two declaring it unconstitutional.

aftEr nEarly 50 yEars In PoWEr, Burma’s mIlItary rulE Has comE to an End. Following a national election in late 2010, the country’s first parliament in over two decades

has convened and effectively initiated a new constitution, reports BBC

News. Though critics claim power will remain in the hands of military officials, a presi-dent and two vice presidents will be elected in the group’s first session, which will last approximately two weeks. The

majority of seats are filled by members of the Union Solidarity

and Development Party (USDP), which is supported by the country’s

military government, while the major USDP-opposition party holds no seats after refusing to participate in the

November election, and only a small number

of seats are held by pro-democracy lawmakers or

ethnic party r e p r e s e n t a -tives.

lEgIslatIon BannIng samE-sEx marrIagEs Was maIn-taInEd In francE on Jan. 25. The decision stated, “The prin-ciple of equality prohibits neither that the legislature regulate differing situations in differing manners, nor that it depart from equality for reasons of general interest,” reports The New York Times. Although gay couples are given civil unions, advocates argue that gay couples are still not granted the same rights as heterosexual marriages.

Kyle Dell, associate professor of political science

WORLD & NATION6WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM

Optimism sets tone for State of the Union Address

With two years in office under his belt, President Barack Obama stepped up to the podium to deliver his State of the Union Address. He focused on recent triumphs and tragedies as well as future plans for the United States.

The President began by highlighting some of the more recent difficulties the U.S. has faced.

“Each of us is a part of something greater — something more consequential than party or political preference,” said Obama, in reference to the Giffords shooting.

However, these preferences are still in place and still contrib-ute to hostility, though many from opposing parties intermin-gled in the audience during the Address. Obama was hopeful that this would extend beyond seating arrangements and could translate into cooperation between parties in the future.

Obama also announced the repeal of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell." “Our troops come from every corner of this country —

they’re black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American,” said Obama. “They are Christian and Hindu, Jewish and Muslim. And, yes, we know that some of them are gay.”

No longer will anyone be prohibited from serving because of their sexuality, which prompted Obama to ask college cam-puses to lift their ban against the military and ROTC.

“Everyone should have the right in America to be able to love each other,” said junior and Resident Advisor Sarah-Jaana Nodell in an e-mail interview. “I believe that it is a really good push in the right direction.”

Of the economic recession, Obama seemed to believe the tides were changing and we are entering a period of economic growth. His take on the economy was optimistic and rooted in

In 1999, Brenda Charett Jensen lost her ability to speak during a botched surgery. 11 years later, thanks to an 18-hour transplant operation, she has her voice back.

— things she was not able to do for 11 years.As with any surgery, there are risks. CNN reports that the biggest risk involves the

immune-suppressing drugs that cause Jensen to be more susceptible to illness.

“I can imagine that your quality of life is much worse without a larynx, but you do have to remember the risks,” said Diego Lorenzetti, visiting instructor of biology. “You are more susceptible to cancer after a transplant, because your immune system is repressed.”

Despite the risks, Jensen declares the surgery worthwhile.

“It was frustrating that I had to live with it,” said Jensen to CNN. “When this opportunity came up, I wanted to talk again, and I’m doing it. It was very much worth it.”

Larynx transplants are not the only medical leaps making headlines.

Dr. Madhav Thambisetty, a scientist with the National Institute of Aging, conducted a study that could diagnose Alzheimer’s earlier, according to Voice of America News. Thambisetty was able to detect beta-amyloid — a protein associated with Alzheimer’s — in blood tests of those with Alzheimer’s.

“We don’t know if this protein is the cause of Alzheimer’s,” said Lorenzetti. “We know it’s a marker of Alzheimer’s. Like, having a fever. A fever is the symptom of some sort of underlying condition. The same can be said for beta-amyloid and Alzheimer’s.”

Currently, MRI and PET scans are what are used to detect Alzheimer’s, reports Voice of America. There is also an alternative test; taking spinal fluid. These tests are either expensive, painful, invasive, or all of the above. A blood test would be none of these.

“Our hope is we will be able to identify the

earliest changes that occur in the brain, how these changes progress over time, so that we’ll be able to target those for drug intervention, and again, eventually we’ll be able to slow the progression and, hopefully, stop the disease in its tracks,” said Dr. Neil Buckholtz, chief of the dementias of aging branch of the National Institute of Aging, in an interview with Voice of America.

With all these medical advancements, it is hard to predict the sheer expanse of options we could be presented with in the future.

Medical advances improve quality of lifeMedical

By Chassidy CrumpStaff Writer

the belief that the economic crisis was ending, according to The New York Times.

As far as the future of the country, the President has goals to improve technology, education, infrastructure, the deficit, and government organization.

“(The speech was) long on vision, (but) short on specifics,” said Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science Robert Duncan.

The President’s plans for innovation included research in medicine, information, and green-energy, with a specific focus on energy.

“Instead of subsidizing yesterday’s energy, let’s invest in to-morrow’s,” said Obama.

However, there were no specific plans outlined to make these changes, said The New York Times.

Obama also said that improvements in education are crucial to the country’s success. He emphasized that education is not only in the school system, but also at home.

“We need to teach our kids that it’s not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of

the science fair,” said the President.Obama touched on Race to the Top, a way to encourage

school systems and teachers to improve their tactics as well as the end of tax subsidies, which allows college costs to be more manageable, both tangible improvements in education.

Another goal set was to change the infrastructure of Ameri-ca, through repair, railway, and the Internet.

“Now that the worst of the recession is over, we have to con-front the fact that our government spends more than it takes in," said President Obama, addressing the deficit. "That is not sustainable."

”The President also explained his plans to do this, proposing a freeze on domestic spending for the next five years. He also had limitations on how far he would be willing to go, refusing to cut funds where they were needed.

The final goal was the Federal government’s reorganization, alluding to a future proposal in this vein from the Obama ad-ministration.

This proposal promises to reorganize the federal govern-ment so it functions more efficiently.

“Overall, the speech was a lot like the Obama presidency: phony bipartisanship, too much spending, unconvincing rheto-ric on fiscal restraint, and not enough attention to foreign policy and national security,” said The Weekly Standard blogger Ste-phen F. Hayes to U.S. News.

As far as foreign policy and national security go, Obama mentioned the New START treaty, revitalizing NATO, and fu-ture plans for relationships with many countries.

“The idea of America endures,” said Obama. “Our destiny remains our choice. And tonight, more than two centuries later, it’s because of our people that our future is hopeful, our journey goes forward, and the state of our union is strong.”

Continued from Page 1

"Everyone should have the right in America to be able to love each other."

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Senior Nina Bollag and her dog, Julius, join fellow students and canines outside the Greenleaf for for some romping and relaxation.

Though the weather doesn't seem to agree, spring is approaching, and with it comes the season of celebrating the people who make Guilford great. The Bruce B. Stewart Teaching and Community Service Awards annually recognize two faculty members — one tenured and one non-ten-ured — and one staff member who make a difference in our community.

The Stewart Awards are named in honor of Bruce Stewart ‘60, who served Guilford in a number of positions, including assis-tant professor of education, provost, act-ing president, and chair of the Board of Trustees, according to the Guilford web-site. Stewart is a current trustee emeritus.

According to Joyce Eaton, executive assistant to the president, the awards began in 2006, using a fund established by Bill Soles ‘81 and Jan Soles Nelson ‘87. Each Stewart Award, presented by President

and Professor of Political Science Kent Chabotar in a ceremony every spring, is accompanied by a $5,000 gift.

“The Soles wanted to recognize Bruce and everything he did for Guilford,” said Chabotar. “The school wanted to recognize excellence among the faculty and staff, and Bruce was always an advocate for excel-lence, so the two ideas came together at just the right moment.”

According to Chabotar, the Stewart Awards address a need that had previously been insufficiently met at Guilford — the need to express thanks.

“It’s a continuing challenge to show appreciation,” said Chabotar. “The Stewart Awards turn our attention to (the winners) and say, ‘Thank you, job well done.’”

Nominations for the Stewart Awards come from many sources within the Guilford community, according to Eaton. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and even parents can and have submitted nomina-tions.

There are three Stewart Awards, includ-ing two teaching awards and one commu-nity service award. The teaching award nominations are reviewed by a committee of faculty and students, and the communi-ty service award nominations are reviewed by a committee of staff and students.

Eaton said that the committees narrow the selection down to two recipients and an alternate for each award. The committees make a recommendation to Chabotar, who is responsible for choosing the final recipi-ent of each award.

“I’ve never turned down a recommenda-tion,” said Chabotar. “I’ve been given two choices and had to choose between them.”

While a committee can suggest to the President that the awards not be given, this has never happened, according to Chabotar.

Assistant Professor of Physics Donald Smith received a Steward Award for non-tenured faculty in 2009.

“The best part was knowing who the

Stewart Awards honor faculty, staff for excellenceBy Meg Holden

Staff Writer

By Kylie GilliamsStaff Writer

Charlie TefftA person’s space often reflects the occupant’s personal-

ity and passions. For Continuing Part-time Lecturer in Art Charlie Tefft ‘97, this rings especially true; shelves of mugs, teapots and jars line the walls of his office, while books about clay and ceramics tools pile up on chairs.

Tefft, Guilford’s ceramics guru, didn’t grow up dream-ing of being a potter and a professor. Like many children, he dreamt of becoming a veterinarian. However, life had other ideas for him.

“At some point between my first year of first grade and my second year of first grade, I was tested, and my parents found out I was dyslexic,” Tefft said. “I ended up going to a school that had a program for dyslexic students.”

This school introduced Tefft to working with clay, but he did not develop a keen interest in ceramics until later.

“One day in sixth grade — I was probably 12 or 13 — I came into that clay studio and there was a tabletop wheel there,” Tefft said. “I thought, ‘I want to learn that.’”

Tefft continued making pots in high school. As part of an SAT prep course, he took a test which matches a person with possible careers.

“I got helicopter pilot, craftsperson or academic,” Tefft said. “I heard from so many people that it was hard to make a living (as a craftsperson); I thought, ‘I don’t want to do that.’ Academic, I thought, ‘How in the world?’ Being dyslexic, being in academia seemed like torture to me … Here I am, sort of in both of those fields.”

After high school, Tefft attended Guilford as a student, but didn’t initially decide to focus on art. He soon changed his mind.

“I took a clay class first semester sophomore year, and at some point over that semester, I realized there wasn’t anything in school that I was going to work harder at,” said Tefft. “It came naturally. It wasn’t for a grade; it wasn’t because someone was telling me to do it.”

Throughout his high school and college careers, he also played team sports.

“I knew Charlie as a very gifted athlete,” said Mark Dixon ‘96, part-time lecturer in art and former classmate of Tefft’s. “Every time we played soccer, he left us in the dust.”

After graduation, Tefft moved to Atlanta to make pots full-time. After almost two years, he came back to Guilford to fill in as the ceramics professor, which ended up being a long-term position, although he originally intended to only stay for five years.

“Over that five years, though, I spent so much time rebuilding the program, rebuilding kilns and building new kilns,” he said. “You start having ceramics majors and having relationships with them and you think, ‘I can’t just leave in their junior year.’”

I didn’t have to look far to see the evidence of Tefft’s hands-on dedication to his students. As I left the studio, he walked over to a student working with a small ball of clay.

“Okay, now get that spinning on the wheel,” Tefft said as he reached over, dipped his hands in slip and guided her hands over the swiftly-whirling clay.

previous winners were, because they were all people I admire,” said Smith. “It is an honor to be on that list.”

Other previous winners include: tenured professors Vance Ricks, Frank Keegan, Jeff Jeske, Robert G. Williams and Carolyn Beard Whitlow; non-tenured professors Heather Hayton, David Newton, Eric Mortensen, and Maria Rosales; and staff members Teresa Sanford, Terry Hammond, Norma Middleton, Lynn Van Horn and Tammy Martin.

“The awards don’t ignore the staff, which is important,” said Smith. “It shows that we are all one community.”

Community is the message, according to Chabotar.

“The awards celebrate two Guilford strengths,” said Chabotar. “Our excellent teaching and our excellent service to the community.”

Nominations for the 2011 Bruce B. Stewart Awards are now being accepted in the Office of the President.

Life before Guilford:

(Top left and right) Charlie Tefft, continuing part-time lec-turer in art, lends a hand to a student in the ceramics studio. (Above) Tefft, front left, with his family before his clay calling.

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Dorm room gourmet: easy meals in the microwave

Points off for talent at Dubious Poetry Contest

The Caf, The Grill, The Caf again. On those days when nothing seems edible, or a change of pace is dire-ly needed, plain Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Top Ramen are over-used alternatives.

Instead of defaulting to the usual choices, consider other options. With only a microwave, bowl and spoon, you can create your own meals and avoid common college food fiascos.

Jeers and booing filled the Greenleaf Coffee Co-Op on the night of Jan. 27. Passersby meandering in for coffee or a place to do homework were greeted by a strange scene: students and faculty mem-bers seated in a semi-circle around an infor-mal stage, openly cringing — and cheering — at the awful taste of the performers in the center.

The event was the first ever Dubious Poetry Contest, brainchild of the Greenleaf Review and faculty sponsor Traci Connor, assistant professor of English.

“It always seems like a good idea to be dubious to me,” said Connor, who was wearing a shirt that read “colonblow: poo-pin’ is cool.”

Senior Paul McCullough, who served

By Amanda Dahill-MooreStaff Writer

By Keyla BeebeStaff Writer

as emcee for the event, also embraced a dubious dress code. McCullough’s shirt featured a teddy bear reading the Bible, and he topped his outfit off with a pair of dark Ray-Ban sunglasses that he wore through-out the evening despite the dim lighting.

“We are taking the ‘try’ out of poetry,” said McCullough in his opening address. “An event that intends to produce work so awful, it wouldn’t pass for toilet paper.”

The performances ranged from unintel-ligible Latinate mumblings to suggestions on how to write a grad school application.

Connor read an excerpt from a 1950s book on snaring a husband, which suggests hatching a plot involving a beetle named McDougal, short “eek-y” screams and a “real man” at the country club.

Before her performance highlighting the accomplishments of President and Professor of Political Science Kent Chabotar, junior

Yezmin Villarreal stuck an unlit cigarette between her lips.

“I’m really serious about writing,” said Villarreal.

The grand prize winner — the most dubi-ous of the dubious — was first-year Paula Martinez for a poem which ended with her writhing on the floor crying, “Why? Why? Why?”

Martinez was ceremoniously awarded a plastic drawer organizer that had been found abandoned outside of Bryan Hall earlier that evening. As she lifted it above her head in victory, the whole thing fell apart and crashed to the ground.

“This is ironic, because I have always won second place in poetry competitions,” said Martinez. “I guess I am the best at being really horrible.”

Martinez was also awarded an honorable mention for the most dubious laugh.

No-bake Oreo Cheesecake:For an extra-special occasion, the Oreo cheesecake is a

delicious treat. While it’s a bit expensive for the average, broke college student, it feeds many and is extremely filling.

Ingredients: - 3 ½ oz butter - 8 ¾ oz Oreo cookies, crushed - 21 oz cream cheese - 3 ½ oz powdered sugar - 10 ½ oz heavy cream, whipped - 3 ½ oz grated chocolate or crumbled Oreo bits

1. Melt butter in the microwave and mix in the crushed Oreos until they have absorbed all the butter. Press into bottom of pan and let set in refrigerator for one hour. You can also use premade Oreo pie crust.

2. Whip cream cheese with fork until creamy. Then, slowly add in powdered sugar.

3. Fold in the heavy cream and grated chocolate/Oreo bits. When the mixture is smooth, spread over crust.

4. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Top with chocolate shavings or crumbled Oreos.

It’s hard to go wrong with sugar, cream cheese, heavy cream and Oreos. While it’s not for anyone counting calories, this cheesecake’s creamy taste makes it restaurant-worthy.

For even more flavor, readers over 21 can add two shots of Baileys to the cream.

“That’s my real laugh,” said Martinez. “I laugh from my gut.”

“I think this was one of our most success-ful readings,” said Meredith Luby, senior English major and editor for the Greenleaf Review. “It totally made my day.”

The goal of the evening was to celebrate bad taste, but also to involve people outside of the English department.

“The Greenleaf Review tries to be not only a showcase for the amazing talent we have on campus, but also to involve as many different people as possible,” said Connor.

Plans are in the works for another night of dubiousness, possibly coinciding with Valentine’s Day. If you have ever ques-tioned your own taste, or just enjoy really bad things, look out on campus for fly-ers announcing more outrageous literary events.

Red Carpet Ramen:

1 Follow instructions on Top Ramen packet to cook noodles

2 When noodles just begin to get soft, add cut up veg-etables and let cook for one minute

3 Break egg over water (boiling or close to it) and cook until egg white turns from clear to white)

4 Add chicken flavoring packet and stir

5 To finish, place slices of cheddar cheese on top so it melts while the ramen fin-ishes cooking

At only 14 cents a package, the college stand-by, Top Ramen, is a staple of my personal diet. The carbohy-drate-heavy noodles only fill your stomach for a mere hour at most, but this recipe makes a meal out of a once bland dish.

Fresh vegetables, protein and the traditional Top Ramen flavoring make a healthy, rounded meal out of a once bland noodle dish.

Warning: The cabbage smells and takes longer to cook, so more sensitive eaters might want to avoid it.

Delicious “Fauxuccine” Alfredo: You don’t need to go to Olive Garden to get your

fettuccine Alfredo anymore. Although not as thick and intricate as the traditional style, this Italian dish provides an easy and filling dinner with only a few cheap ingredients.

1 Follow instructions on Top Ramen packet to cook noodles

2 When noodles just begin to get soft, add cut up veg-etables and let cook for one minute

3 Break egg over water (boiling or close to it) and cook until egg white turns from clear to white

4 Add chicken flavoring packet and stir

5 To finish, place slices of cheddar cheese on top so it melts while the ramen fin-ishes cooking

Ingredients:- 1 package chicken flavored Top Ramen - 1 head of broccoli, chopped - 1 carrot, (pre-sliced from the store is easiest)- ½ cup cabbage, thinly sliced - 1 egg - cheddar cheese

Ingredients: - 2 oz. cream cheese - ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese- ¼ cup milk - 1 cup pasta (fettuccine or any other flat noodle) - 1 ½ cups water - salt and pepper

Don’t judge the dish until it is finished. I was skeptical mixing the chunky cream cheese and milk, but some extra heat to melt it all together completed the dish.

Just make sure to use the cheap parmesan cheese because the real kind won’t melt. This is a good base dish to try and expand on. Be creative and try to add more flavor (bacon, paprika etc …).

“If you came tonight for answers, you’re not going to get them,” said Rev. Dr. Lindon Eaves, an Episcopal priest and geneticist. This statement described what the week was about.

The purpose of Religious Emphasis Week — and religion in general — is not necessarily to be able to say you found the answers to the difficult questions but to search for them. That is why the activities put on by the Guilford Council of Religious Organizations were discussion-based.

Eaves’ role as a scientist and a priest, seemingly contradictory, was eye-opening. During Eaves’

enlightening lecture, “Spirituality, Cosmology, and Anthropology,” he spoke of how both science and reli-gion claim to have a certainty that reality doesn’t necessarily support, drawing a comparison between what many consider to be polar opposites.

“The majority of religion is finding the language of awe,” he said.

Forum 9February 4, 2011

Earlier this month I sent in a let-ter resigning my membership to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon).

This happened with the realization that I needed to do a bit more soul-search-ing. Last semester, I began attending the QLSP Friday wor-ship and just recent-ly joined the Men’s spirituality group.

It was because of all this, that I was excited for Religious Emphasis Week this year. I was hoping to hear a heart-felt discussion of religious val-ues and concerns and was not disap-pointed.

I was deeply struck by the honesty and sincerity of those who joined in the discussions held on campus throughout the week.

By Sage DonpineoStaff Writer

The viewing audience world-wide for the World Cup was 700 million. The viewing audience in the U.S. alone for the Super Bowl last year was 106 million.

Why is the Super Bowl such a big deal? In a way, it seems to recall the primitive days of our

earlier ancestors — men using force to get what they want.

But maybe that is why it is so exciting to watch. The gladia-tor aspect of the game — two teams physi-cally duking it out — brings out our blood-thirsty, frenzied side. It’s action-packed with a side of danger, guaranteed to ramp up the adrenaline and testosterone.

A study by Scientific American shows that watching your team win boosts testosterone, while the fans of the losing team have a decrease in their testosterone levels. This plays into the notion of social domination and com-petitiveness that has ensured our species’ survival — sur-

vival of the fittest. Perhaps we are biologically prone to become somewhat

addicted to these exhilarating and dangerous sports. After all, nobody watches chess for the excitement.

Physicality aside, one has to wonder at the ethics of spending $2.5 million on a 30-second ad which, according to CBS, was the average rate last year. The most watched ad last year was the Betty White Snickers ad, which has more than two million views on YouTube.

I admit I enjoy watching the Super Bowl ads as much as the next person, but I don’t think that’s an adequate justification for indulging in the pomp and circumstance of the Super Bowl. And that's before all the money spent on the halftime show.

America is a land where we do everything big — big cars, big houses, and big sporting events. But while half the country is going big, the other half is going hungry.

What if the NFL used some of the millions of dollars the Super Bowl generated to promote sports in disad-vantaged neighborhoods? I would feel a lot better about

watching the Super Bowl if they made even a small effort to help their less for-tunate viewers use proceeds from their Super Bowl fortune.

All in all, despite its problems, the Super Bowl is something we do together as a nation. It’s something

that unifies us. At the same time, on the same day, a third of our country sits down and watches the Super Bowl, a sporting event that has, arguably, overtaken the World Series. Regardless of your opinion of the event, you have to agree that, in today’s world, unity is something we all need to strive for.

Weighing the value of progress in schools

Kara Thomasforum editor

Seeing Early College students walk through campus on their way to class is not an unusual or noteworthy sight at Guilford. And soon it will be just as accepted at UNCG.

The Guilford County Board of Education recently approved the creation of a middle college program geared towards high school students who are both struggling in traditional high schools and are interested in health-related fields. This program, in addition to helping the students succeed and hopefully lowering high school dropout rates, will also help solidify the recently restructured health sciences program at UNCG.

The creation of this new middle college program may not seem newsworthy by itself. But when you know that, according to Teacherportal.com, North Carolina ranks in the bottom 50 percent of the country for aver-age teacher salaries, the creation of an expensive new program seems less favorable.

And when you know that, according to the News and Record, the salary for the principal of this program — which will open with about 50 students — is going to be $99,000, the creation of this expensive new program seems almost unreasonable. And that doesn’t even include the salaries for the three full-time teachers that the program will open with.

Improving education should always be a goal because the children in school today will become the people making all the decisions tomorrow. But this new pro-gram won’t be a serious improvement when every other higher education institute in the city already has early or middle college programs.

“I don’t think we’ve spent the time molding and shaping and tweaking the existing middle colleges we have,” Deena Hayes, a Board of Education member, said to the News and Record.

With that in mind, this new middle college program will simply be another weight on an overly strained school district. And this new weight will be a costly one.

The program will be funded in part by private funds, but will also draw on federal dropout prevention funds and money from the state budget, according to the News and Record.

“During tough budget times, it’s even more impor-tant to use proven ideas to expand educational oppor-tunities for our students,” said Maurice Green, Guilford County Schools superintendent.

Green refers to Guilford County’s middle and early college programs as “proven” because the school dis-trict is supposedly a national leader for offering its high volume of innovative high school programs, according to Beth Folger, Guilford County schools' chief academic officer.

If that is in fact the case and the beyond basic high school programs that Guilford County schools offer are some of the best nationally, than shouldn’t our teacher pay be some of the best nationally? The people that are the backbone of those seemingly exceptional programs, the people who teach these children and inspire them to stay in school, should also reap the benefits of the innovation.

What is the Super Bowl?

Religious Emphasis Week opens spiritual dialogueThe discussions during these

events gave me hope. I found comfort for my newly

sparked spiritual journey in the panel “Faith after Four Years at Guilford.” Thanks to the absence of a large audi-ence, we were able to sit in a circle and discuss informally.

At the panel, seniors discussed their religious experience at Guilford, both good and bad. They talked of when they felt the same discourage-ment and lack of faith that I have felt recently and how they were changed and strengthened by it.

The lack of an audience made me realize the inaction of large portions

of the Guilford com-munity in taking advantage of these activities designed to help college stu-dents. I understand that in college some-times mentioning “God” is taboo, however, that makes the dialogue all the more needed.

These discussions and activities were made for the students, and without their participation, they can-not be successful. If you consider yourself religious, spiritual, or don’t know or don’t care, you have a voice that needs to be heard. And maybe you’ll learn something about your-self in the process. I did.

By Andrew GlassStaff Writer

America is a land where we do everything big — big cars, big houses, and big sporting events. But while half the country is going big, the other half

is going hungry.

The purpose of Religious Emphasis Week, and religion in general, is not necessarily to be able to say you found the answers to difficult questions but to search for them.

Forum10WWW.GuILForDIAN.Com

Obama’s innovation accelerates growth

By Chris RoeStaff Writer

Staff Editorial

Concern is mounting over whether the Bryan Series is still a student-focused event. Since 2004 changes have been made that are seemingly taking the Series further away from campus and the speakers further away from students. Considering that the lectures are heavily billed to potential students as essentially the college’s gift to students’ minds, these concerns are troubling.

When the Bryan Series began in 1999, speakers came to campus and held small group sessions with students. Their lectures, which were held in Dana Auditorium, were free and open to everyone in the Guilford and Greensboro community. That was in line with Joseph Bryan, Jr.’s vision for his endowment — to expose the Guilford community to insightful, suc-cessful people while exposing the Greensboro com-munity to Guilford in a very positive light.

Ty Bucker, associate vice president for communica-tions and marketing, says that Joseph Bryan, Jr.’s vi-sion is still intact, despite how recent changes make it appear.

In 2004, the Series was moved from Dana to the War Memorial Auditorium, over five miles away. And the lectures are no longer open to anyone who wants to attend. Students, faculty and staff are limited in their number of tickets. And the public now has to buy tick-ets, most commonly through a yearly subscription to the Series.

These changes may seem to contradict the origins of the Series, but Buckner explained these changes as being financially necessary.

“Early on the interest … was pretty high,” Buckner said. “It began to wane, even though the number of speakers increased and the distinction of the speakers maintained.”

By moving the Series and charging the public for attending, the college secured added revenue to guarantee a constant stream of high-quality speakers streaming through Guilford.

Because, even though the speakers no longer speak at Guilford, almost all of them do visit campus to hold a small-group session with students. Buckner tallied that only four out of the 44 speakers the Series has hosted haven’t held a small-group session.

And along with practically guaranteeing interest-ed students the chance to meet these distinguished speakers in a more personal setting is the absolute guarantee that every interested student, faculty and staff member will be able to get a ticket.

Despite running out of the originally allotted 733 tickets for President Clinton’s lecture, enough tickets were eventually produced to accommodate all 917 re-quests. And enough buses were available to transport everyone who signed up.

“If we have more riders, we’ll get more buses,” Buckner said. All of that is budgeted for.

And that budget doesn’t draw a single dollar from campus funds. Never will tuition, student activities fees or anything of the like increase to cover the cost of the Bryan Series. And that’s an amazing thing.

According to Buckner, Guilford is the only liberal arts college in the state that has a lecture series large enough to host the likes of Mary Robinson, Desmond Tutu and Colin Powell.

Yes, it would be wonderfully convenient if the lec-tures were just a short walk through the quad away. But the opportunity to see the movers and shakers of the world speak for free is worth the extra time on a freely provided bus.

Quieting concerns about the Bryan Series

Speaking before a bitterly divided Congress, President Barack Obama renewed his initiatives to reform a nation in jeopardy. Seeking to overcome what had driven the nation to the brink of economic disaster after President Bush, he presented an innovative plan to continue the recovery.

Through advancements in education, healthcare reform, and the economy, Obama brought forth a bold vision of unity and optimism.

“We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world,” said Obama. “We have to make America the best place on Earth to do business. That’s how we’ll win the future. And tonight, I’d like to talk about how we get there.”

The president reiterated his ideas from when he was first inaugurated, consisting of change, invention and getting things done.

His presentation was loud and proud, bringing the issues straight to those who are determined to stop the function of effective government.

Yet the opposition — the Republicans in Congress — are resolute in deploying their agenda, which will not innovate in the slightest.

Republicans pledged to cut $100 billion of domestic spending. According to The New York Times, that means 20 percent budget cuts across the board, which includes education and transportation.

The idea behind this is fundamentally flawed.The Republicans believe that the driving force of the

economy is free enterprise, meaning competition in the market place.

“We need to reclaim our American system of limited government, low taxes, reasonable regulations, and sound money, which has blessed us with unprecedented prosperity,” said Representative Paul Ryan in the Republican response to the State of the Union. “And it has done more

to help the poor than any other economic system ever designed.”

The “unprecedented prosperity” that Ryan describes did not, and does not, exist. The Great Recession was caused by these principles.

Because of this philosophy, there is a record gap between the rich and poor, primarily caused by the Bush administration’s tax cuts for the rich and anti-government policies.

There is a clear distinction between the approaches and tone by Obama and the Republicans. Obama advocates optimistically for the government’s success, while the Republicans drive their ideology through misguided principles and negativity.

“We are poised for progress,” said Obama. “Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. Corporate profits are up. The economy is growing again.”

Despite Ryan’s claim that the stimulus and government intervention failed, the gross domestic product — the measure of economic growth — grew at a pace of 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to The New York Times.

According to The Economist, January was the sixth consecutive monthly expansion.

“First, the policy response to the economic crisis was very successful,” said Mark Zandi, a respected economist, in a testimony before the Senate Budget Committee on Sept. 22, 2010. “Fiscal stimulus was key to jump-starting the recovery.”

Obama, while promoting the success of his policies, advocated throughout the speech the necessity of innovation.

“We’ll invest in biomedical research, information technology, and especially clean energy technology ― an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our people,” said the president.

Innovation is critical in economic development, which stimulates growth in both human and physical capital.

Innovation will provide advancements in our own lives. Obama set goals of more high-speed rails and the accessibility of high-speed wireless Internet for 98 percent of Americans.

Obama, through invention, optimism, and a centered approach, has out-maneuvered the Republicans. Obama’s ideas seem to resonate with the public. In recent weeks polls have been rising, and the speech will certainly help.

I am a first-year at Guilford College and am cur-rently enrolled in Army ROTC through the North Carolina A&T Aggie Battalion. I write this response to last week’s article in the paper, to defend the young men and women enrolled in the ROTC program and give them a voice in defending their decisions to participate in both the Air Force and Army ROTC programs.

ROTC programs around the country are designed to both train officers in the military and to create bet-ter leaders for the future. Yes, after graduation there is a mandatory obligation to be activated in the United States military; however, some cadets do hold non-combat oriented positions and many go on to pursue careers outside the.

Cadets here at Guilford acknowledge the Quaker traditions and have taken the necessary measures to avoid offending anyone on campus. Every Tuesday and Thursday cadets wear their uniforms to and from their class. Upon returning to campus we respectfully take them off to avoid conflict. We don’t get credit for

the ROTC, but we go because we want to participate in the program and give back to a nation that has given so much to us.

ROTC cadets are not here for an alternative col-lege experience with a twist of thrill and adven-ture. We are here because we love Guilford and the education it provides us. As liberal arts students, we learn to obtain and analyze information, inves-tigate all sides of an issue and then make our own informed decisions. Shouldn’t students involved in ROTC be afforded the same tolerance and respect we give other students with different viewpoints?

Being in ROTC means being part of a tradition that is as old as the United States itself. Lt. Col. Doolittle states that, “there is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.” I take this quote to heart. As ROTC cadets, we volunteer to help preserve the American way of life and the values that we hold dear.

Michael Mellinger, first-year

Students in ROTC respect Quaker values, tradition

Letter to the Editor

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SWIMMINGJan. 29 Guilford 76 greensboro 107Jan. 29 guilford 11 Emory & HEnry 0*

WoMeN’S BaSketBallJan. 29 guilford 77 roanokE 85*Feb. 1 guilford 83 randolPH 50

MeN’S BaSketBall Jan. 27 Guilford 50 ranDoLPH 55*

Jan. 29 Guilford 62 randolPH-macon 61*Feb. 2. guilford 72 roanokE 70*

MeN’S BaSketBallFeb. 9 Guilford v WasHinGton and lEE*

WoMeN’S BaSketBallfEB. 4 Guilford v randolPH-maconfEB.5 Guilford v virGina-WEslEyan*

MeN'S lacroSSeFeb. 5 guiLForD v cataWBa!*

WoMeN'S lacroSSeFeb. 6 QuakEr lacrossE cHallEnGE

BASEBALLFeb. 5 guiLForD v PiEdmontFeb. 6 guiLForD v PiEdmontKEy- *= odac GamE HomE tEam in caPs

February 4, 2011

Men's basketball defeat Randolph-Macon in nail-biter

On Saturday, Jan. 29, the Guilford College men’s basketball team faced off in a heated battle against nationally ninth-ranked Randolph-Macon.

The Quakers came alive in the second half due to their strong will to win and got the victory, 62-61, against the Yellow Jackets.

“We only had one day of prep and decid-ed to worry about us and I think we were prepared,” said head coach Tom Palombo.

As Palombo said, the game got started on a good note with junior Gabriel Lowder and sophomore Josh Pittman scoring five points to get the momentum rolling.

The score soon became 13-10 with Guilford in the lead. Lamar Giggetts for Randolph-Macon hit a jumper and the Yellow Jackets took the lead, 16-14.

“We were playing good — we were not getting offensive shots because they were really shutting us down,” said Palombo. “But defensively we were playing pretty well.”

For the rest of the first half, the Quakers were down five points and the crowd

By Morgan Andrewsstaff WritEr

relaxed, waiting for something spectacular. At the end of the half, the score was 27-20 in favor of Randolph-Macon.

“We did not panic and when we put two halves together, we can make it happen,” said Pittman, a Quakers starter.

Guilford returned with a desire to suc-ceed. Pittman contributed six points in the first three minutes of play. The Quakers were back in the game.

“It felt a lot better because in the sec-ond half we were coming off of screens and helping set screens for others,” said Pittman.

The battle for points continued through the second half.

The Quakers and Yellow Jackets were building force, however, the Quakers had an edge due to their superior stamina.

With 15 seconds remaining, Lowder made a jumper from inside the paint. This basket gave the Quakers the lead, 62-61.

“(The shot) felt great; hard work and practice was paying off for us in this game,” said Lowder after the game.

The final seconds ticked slowly and Randolph-Macon called a time-out with 2.5 seconds left in the game. The Quakers' bench had all eyes on Palombo, as he strat-

egized to hold off the Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackets' offense worked hard

to get Adam Desgain open for a three-point shot.

Desgain took the shot which rebounded off the inside of the rim, and it looked as if it was taking a nose dive back into the net.

Luck and hard work seemed to pay off for the Quakers as the ball bounced off the rim and into senior Tobi Akinsola’s hands.

Guilford College players and fans cheered loudly as they celebrated an enor-mous victory over Randolph-Macon.

“Every game is big but it feels even bet-ter after you beat a team that good,” said senior T.C. Anderson.

The next men’s home basketball game is Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.

Wednesday is Jimmy V night so fans can come out and support Jim Valvano and watch the Quakers take on Washington and Lee.

(right) Brad Monroe, junior, soars over randolph-Macon opponents for the rebound.

(below) Fans leap from their seats as the Quakers sink another shot. guilford won the

thrilling game on Jan. 29 62-61.

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Points given up by Guilford in their Jan. 29 swim meet vic-tory against Emory & Henry. The Quakers got the win 11-0.

0Rebounds averaged by first-year women’s bas-ketball players Morgan King and Gabby Ogelsby. Ogelsby has 128 on the year and King has 127.

7.1Record of the Guilford men’s basketball team against teams ranked in the top 25. The only loss of the season came against then-fourteenth-ranked Eastern Mennonite 79-67.

6-1Record of the Madden NFL video game when picking the outcome of the Super Bowl over the last seven years. This year Madden projects the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat the Green Bay Packers.

The Super Bowl doesn’t air on TV in Argentina, as I quickly found out after moving there. Neither do the commercials. This is why I’ve spent the last four Super Bowl Sundays watching limited web casting and looking up old commercials to try and get the full experience.

For me, the Super Bowl and its commercials go hand-in-hand. One is nothing without the other. For those less football-oriented, the ads even become the main reason to watch the game.

These commercials that we absorb without question are the result of months of hard work and planning. And money.

In 2009, The New York Times estimated that 30-seconds of air time would cost a record $3 million. That’s $100,000 a second.

The hearts of corporations around America, if they have them, are hopeful for this year’s turnout as the recession begins to lighten.

Historically, the Super Bowl has been an event to air innovation and originality, such as Apple’s famous 1984 commercial.

Now it seems as if I’ve seen all the ads before. Companies would rather air something tested to be successful than branch out.

Ads during the game can be grouped into three main categories: reports, NPR’s, and here & now's. Animals, babies, and scantily clad women are the most popular.

Indeed, every new commercial for the wildly successful E*Trade babies is always highly anticipated. To get the most out of it, E*Trade now offers outtakes online for material not approved for television airing.

In an age of TiVo and recording, commercials are easily bypassed. The Super Bowl is one of the few events always viewed live. This is the optimal time for advertisers to market their products efficiently and effectively.

The stations and companies are taking every possible advantage of the massive audience as commercial time has steadily increased over the years.

An average of 90 million people watch the Super Bowl each year, regardless of the teams or the location.

Commercials have become a part of the Super Bowl tradition, whether you enjoy them or not. They can be a good source of entertainment, but for the amount they are spending, I would at least like some more variety.

There’s a limit to the number of babies and monkeys I can watch in a single day.

The reality of Super Bowl commercials

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With Keyla Beebe

Despite leading by as much as eight points in the first half, the Guilford College women’s basketball team fell to Roanoke College 85-77 at Ragan-Brown Field House on Monday, Jan. 29.

Once Roanoke had momentum, they didn’t let up in the second half and led for most of the remainder of the game.

The Maroons had a distinct height advantage, playing a center who was 6-feet-2. First-year Morgan King is the tallest Quaker at 6-feet 1.

“We worked hard. We played hard. We did a great job in so many aspects, but it is hard when you are playing against six seniors,” said head coach Stephanie Flamini. “They made big shots and they are a good team. They are an experi-enced team. We’re young, and you can see the difference.”

Junior Jazlyn Gibbs led the Quakers with 24 points and shot 50 percent from the field. She sank five 3-pointers and had three assists along with a steal.

“I think when they got fired up, we had a hard time getting fired back up with them, and that was the main issue,” Gibbs said.

Roanoke head coach Susan Dunagan attrib-uted the Maroons’ win to their comeback from eight points down in the first half to finish the half down 30-29.

“I think when we were able to come back at the end of the first half, we were able to chip away,” Dunagan said.

“We had a lot of turnovers in the first half. We had a lot of unnecessary fouls that we didn’t need to make.

“Then we started to hit a few shots and get a little more momentum and carried it in the half. They knew they could do this, but they had to play smarter,” Dunagan continued.

“The other thing was that Guilford was mak-ing us rush in the first half,” Dunagan conclud-ed. “They got us out of sync, and we were trying to force things. We calmed down and started playing our way.”

A trio of Quaker first-years also had double figures in points. Gabby Oglesby had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Kayla Adams contributed 11 points. She was three-for-six behind the 3-point arc and didn’t turn the ball over.

Logan Terry added 10 points, five assists, and three rebounds.

Fellow King had nine points and four rebounds.

In the first half, Gibbs and the other guards could get open looks at 3-pointers. However, in the second half, the Maroons cut down the Quakers’ shots from behind the arc by playing man-to-man defense.

“We didn’t go back to zone,” said Dunagan. “We started to do it, but they were so hot. (Flamini) has a good offense with the three guards, and we weren’t getting out there.”

Roanoke dished the ball inside to junior Nicci Moats, the aforementioned 6-foot center, who had 21 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks. She was able to get open inside because the Quakers had to respect senior Rebecca Bays’ 3-point shooting ability. Bays also contributed 21 points.

“They came out on us. We have a good inside game,” Flamini said. “We just need to dump it in. We need to share the ball. I didn’t think we played bad, but we just couldn’t stop their inside game. When we did, they played great outside, as well.”

“They had two kids with 21 points. Nothing was working, but that is what happens when you play the top team in the conference,” Flamini reasoned.

“The future of the Quaker women’s basket-ball program looks bright, (Guilford) did a great job. They are young, but they are going to be there. I know that for a fact,” she said.

Roanoke Maroons overcome QuakersAndrew Stewart

staff Writer

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Senior Lauren LeFevers arcs a 3-pointer during the women's basketball game on Jan. 29.

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