Campus Life for Traditional-Age Students

Campus life at Guilford is influenced by the college’s Quaker heritage. College policies and regulations are designed to create an ordered environment conducive to learning and development in an atmosphere marked by personal integrity and respect for others. Campus living demands of students a sense of responsibility for their own actions and an awareness of their roles in the community.

Specific guidelines for campus life are available online at www.guilford.edu. It is the responsibility of every student to be informed of college policies and regulations and to abide by them in good faith.

Student Government

Student government at Guilford College is organized around a Community Senate composed of representatives from various segments of the student body, members of the administration appointed by the president and faculty members selected by the faculty. Executive officers of the Senate are chosen each spring in campus-wide elections.

The Community Senate, within the policies and regulations established by the Board of Trustees, derives authority from the president of the college to govern the student body and to coordinate and direct the several subsidiary organizations of student government. The president of the Community Senate, with the consent of its members, appoints student representatives to Board of Trustees committees and to faculty committees. The Senate acts as a forum for campus concerns and determines the amount and distribution of student activity fees.

 

Residence Life

Residence life is a vital part of the Guilford’s educational mission. Residence life provides many points of interaction with others for friendship, the formulation of values and the exercising of communal and personal responsibility.

Because Guilford values the community of students in a residential setting, students are required to live on campus and eat in the dining hall. Local students may commute from their homes but must specify when they apply that they intend to live at home with their parents and commute. There are no opportunities for married or CCE students to live on campus.

During fall and spring breaks and Thanksgiving, residence halls are open; no meals are served at these times. The residence halls are closed during the winter break.

Upon notification of admission to the college, new students should reserve rooms by filling out the housing application online. Housing assignment requests become effective with the signing of the contract and payment of the admission deposit.

A subcommittee of Community Senate provides a forum for residence life issues and encourages student involvement in improving the quality of residential living at Guilford. Each residential hall or area has a hall council that sponsors activities for residents supported by the students’ activities fees.

For additional information on residence halls, please refer to the campus life Web site or the Student Handbook.

Residence Halls

• Binford Hall, (average room size:17 ft. 4 in. x 11 ft. 9 in.), a coed residence hall completed in 1962, contains rooms for approximately 155 students, with lounges on each floor. Binford is the first hall on Guilford's campus to implement the Community Agreements Initiative. It houses predominantly first- year students and features an entire floor dedicated to a healthy living/substance free environment.The hall has air-conditioning, carpeted roomsand central laundry facilities. The building is designed in a T-shapeand hasbathroom facilities, lounges and kitchens in the center of each floor and the room furnishings are all built-in.

• Bryan Hall, (average room size:13 ft. 7 in. x 11ft. 1 in.) a coed residence hall completed in 1968, is designed to house approximately 215 students in suites of eight. The hall isair-conditioned and isdesigned for eight students per suite (4 bedrooms) who share a bath and a common area (common area is unfurnished). Students may elect to smoke in their suite if all the occupants of the suite are in agreement. There are also central laundry and lounge facilities and a small kitchenette on the second floor. The central courtyard houses many social activities throughout the year, including quad dances. Bryan Hall is a mixed-class hall.

• English Hall (average room size: 16 ft. 4 in. x 11 ft. 8 in.), built in 1957, is an all-male designated quiet hall with approximately 50 students. The hall isair-conditioned with carpeted floors and has rooms on either side of a corridor with central bathroom facilities. Each room has a sink and there are kitchen, lounge and laundry facilities.Residents of English Hall are required to sign the Quiet Hall Agreement. Although a mixed class hall, it mainly houses upper-class students.

• Mary Hobbs Hall, (average room size: 13 ft. 6 in. x 12 ft.), built in 1907 and with more recent renovations in 1977, 2004 and2005,houses approximately 54 female residents. This unique building is not only the oldest residential facility on campus, but home to a coffee cooperative in the recently renovated basement. The hall is air-conditioned with rooms on either side of long and short corridors with central bathroom facilities, a kitchen in the basement and three lounges. The lounges are carpeted and the halls and rooms have hardwood floors.

• Milner Hall, (average room size: 11 ft. 1 in. x 18 ft. 5 in.), completed in 1962, is a coed residence hall with approximately 250 students. The rooms are air-conditioned, carpeted and have sinks. Most bedrooms have a lofted bed set-up. There are rooms on either side of a corridor with central bathroom, kitchen, lounge and laundry facilities.The first floor of Milner is completely substance-free and students who desire a substance-free environment are required to sign the Substance-Free Living Agreement.Milner Hall is the largest of the residence halls and houses all classes of students.

• Shore Hall, (average room size: 13 ft. 7 in. x 11 ft. 9 in.), built in 1954 and recently renovated in 2003, is an all-female residence hall housing approximately 60 students.Shore is air-conditioned and has tiled floors on either side of a corridor with central bathrooms, kitchen, laundry facilities and a spacious lounge. Shore is a designated quiet hall, and residents of Shore Hall are required to sign the Quiet Hall Agreement.

• Student Apartments North. These 23 student apartments, completed in 1991 and housing 96 students in air-conditioned single rooms, are available for upper-class students. The apartments, shared by four students, are carpeted and feature furnished bedrooms, fully equipped kitchen and furnished dining room and living room. They are located in a wooded area north of Milner Hall.

• Student Apartments South.  These 35 student apartments, completed in 2005, house 140 students in air-conditioned single rooms.  The apartments, shared by four students, are carpeted with furnished bedrooms, fully equipped kitchen and furnished living room; they contain two bathrooms per apartment. They are located between the Apartments North and Milner Hall.

        All traditional residence halls feature air conditioning and at least one kitchenette for use by residents.

Alternative Houses. Guilford offers the opportunity for groups of students to live together in special interest housing or alternative houses. There are fivehouses that accommodatesix to 13 students and are organized around common social or academic interests, such as the study of languages, science or cultural themes. Studentsmay apply each spring for special interest housing for the following academic year. The houses are not available for first-year students. Students living in the alternative houses are not required to participate in the college meal plan.

 

Student Services

Orientation

The orientation of new students and their parents begins just prior to the opening of school with a two-part program called CHAOS–Community, Health, Advisement, Orientation and Services – giving students and parents an opportunity to meet faculty, administration and staff.

The first two days of the orientation program consist of intensive small-group community-building experiences designed to challenge students, help them think about themselves as learners and break down barriers by interacting in an experiential setting with several faculty members and upper-class students. Options include outdoor adventure experiences, service projects and leadership experiences.

During the remainder of CHAOS, new students work with trained student leaders in groups of 18 to get acquainted with campus resources, meet with their academic advisors, participate in social events and become acquainted with campus life so that they may begin college as smoothly as possible.

Student Health Service
Prior to attending classes, each new student is required by North Carolina law to submit certification of immunization to the Student Health Service. The required physical and immunization record must be completed by a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner. Students who fail to comply with this state law must be suspended.

The Student Health Service is located in Founders Hall. The service keeps daily hours during the week, and a physician assistant holds clinic visits on a scheduled basis. Emergency care is available after clinic hours at local walk-in clinics and hospital-based emergency rooms. The medical service included in the tuition charge for full-time traditional students covers routine illnesses and the cost of sick calls in the Student Health Service. An additional charge is made, however, for X-rays, lab work or off-campus referral.

An optional student health insurance plan is also available. See Chapter X.

Counseling Center

The Counseling Center is based on the premise that every person has the potential for continuous personal, intellectual and social growth. Seldom is that growth more accelerated or more vulnerable than during the college years. The Counseling Center is available to provide support to the student throughout this all-important period.

Located in the basement of Founders Hall, the Counseling Center is staffed by certified clinical social workers trained in personal and group counseling and crisis assistance.

The service offers a confidential setting for students to plan life goals, resolve academic or personal difficulties and learn about new dimensions of themselves through workshops or individual and group psychotherapy. It also provides a referral service to sources of assistance in the Greensboro area.

Student Employment Service

The Office of Student Employment Service (SES), a part of the Career & Community Learning Center, assists students seeking part-time (on and off campus) and summer employment.  Students have access to the on-line OPTIONS conference, which lists part-time opportunities in the greater Greensboro area as well as nationwide summer positions. SES also posts available on-campus jobs for students who have been awarded work-study as part of their financial aid package.

 

Services for Students of Diverse Ethnicity

Many services are available to students of diverse ethnic heritage.

The Office of African American Affairs serves as a primary point of contact for African American students regarding their curricular and co-curricular needs. The director provides administrative leadership in the development, coordination and delivery of a comprehensive range of social, cultural and educational services and activities.

The Native American Program provides for the recruitment, retention and support of Native American students. The director is also a member of the teaching faculty. In addition to providing support in all areas of campus life, the program also plans social activities and promotes cultural events which increase visibility and knowledge of native cultures.

The Multicultural Resource Center, located in Founders Hall, preserves and promotes the ethnic cultures of all Guilford community members, with a special focus on historically underrepresented populations. In order to achieve its aims, the center provides advocacy and educational programming and functions as a clearinghouse for culturally specific information. It is staffed by a part-time coordinator working collaboratively with student employees and volunteers.

Additionally, the college’s Cultural Pluralism Committee supports and promotes an appreciation of the value of cultural and intellectual diversity at an institutional level.

Cultural Opportunities

Campus Activities Board

Campus Activities Board (CAB) is a student organization that sponsors campus social, recreational and cultural programs. CAB committees (Novelty Acts and Movie and Live Performances) plan recreation, films, concerts and dances. CAB’s purpose is to encourage community and provide a variety of out-of-the- classroom activities. The Guilford Formal in the fall and Serendipity in the spring are major weekends that CAB coordinates.

          

Campus Organizations

Guilford has 50 clubs and organizations funded by Community Senate and supervised by the Office of Student Activities and Leadership. These clubs fall into six categories: religious, educational, awareness, club sports, publications and social. The clubs are all have representatives on the Inter-Club Council (ICC) and attend ICC meetings once a month.

A few of these clubs include:

The Performing Arts

The Revelers, Guilford’s extracurricular arts group, supports theatre and other art forms produced entirely by students. Activities include theatrical productions of all kinds, art festivals, trips to arts events and seminars with visiting artists. Projects are chosen on the basis of proposals made to the organization’s officers. Membership is open to all Guilford students.

The Guilford College Choir performs numerous concerts each season both on and off campus in addition to major concerts at Christmas and during the spring. The choir makes an annual tour, bringing the members into contact with varied audiences and communities. Membership in the choir is open to all students by audition. Choir scholarships are available to students meeting specific criteria.

       

Students interested in broadcasting maintain and operate radio station WQFS-FM (90.9), licensed to Guilford by the Federal Communications Commission. Annually recognized as one of the country’s best student-run college radio stations, the programming of WQFS-FM includes music, news, lectures and a variety of offerings providing an educational service to the people of Guilford College and the surrounding area.

Blacks Unifying Society. (BUS) Previously the African American Culture Society (AACS), BUS was organized by the Guilford African American student community to foster unity among African American students while encouraging full participation in the academic, social and policy-making processes of the college community. BUS is open to all members of the Guilford community as it strives to sponsor projects and cultural activities that foster greater awareness of the African American experience in the United States and abroad.

The International Relations Club. (IRC) provides an opportunity for students of various nationalities to interact and exchange ideas. Speakers, outings and special programs such as the International Fair and International Dinner offer a broader understanding of other cultures and world issues. In addition, the club attempts to aid international students in their adjustment to the United States and Guilford. IRC is open to all students.

Other Special Interest Groups. There are approximately 60 other special interest groups on campus including Amnesty International, Guilford Pride, Hillel, The Native American Club, Quaker Concerns, Forevergreen, Women’s Awareness and the Websterian Pre-Law Society. Information about these and other student groups is available from the Office of Student Activities and Events Planning in Founders Hall.

Departmental Clubs. Majors and other interested students in various departments such as biology, foreign languages, geology, history, physics, psychology, sociology and anthropology and sport studies have organized clubs for discussion of issues relevant to learning in their fields. Beta Beta Beta Biological Society endeavors to cultivate an interest in the life sciences and recognizes academic achievements in biology.

Student Publications

The Guilfordian, a newspaper printed for and by students, serves as a forum for student and faculty opinion through its editorials, columns and letters to the editor. Each issue covers campus news events and provides publicity for various activities and cultural programs. The student staff, working with a faculty advisor, gains practical journalism experience in writing, editing, layout and publishing.

The Quaker, the college yearbook, is compiled by students and published annually. As a pictorial and literary representation of Guilford, The Quaker attempts to interpret and evaluate graphically campus activities and aspirations.

The Greenleaf Review, published by a student staff, features original poetry, prose and graphics contributed by students and faculty. Its purpose is to promote creative writing, develop artistic talents and provide opportunities for critical dialogue in the arts.

Other Publications

The Journal of Undergraduate Research in Physics, a publication of the American Institute of Physics, disseminates distinguished undergraduate student physics and physics-related research throughout the world. It is produced by the Guilford’s Department of Physics.

The Southern Friend: Journal of the North Carolina Friends Historical Society is a semi-annual periodical sponsored by the only Friends historical society in the Southeast. Edited by Carole Treadway, librarian of the Friends Historical Collection, the publication carries scholarly articles on various aspects of the history of the Religious Society of Friends.

Religious Life

Guilford at first might appear to be a secular institution. No chapel dominates the campus; no religious symbols adorn the buildings and rooms; no religious services or courses are required. Upon closer scrutiny, however, one quickly learns that even the absence of overtly religious symbols is part of the college’s Quaker heritage. Friends seek to encourage an inward experience of religion within a community of respect for spiritual receptivity.

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) originated in a radical 17th-century Christian movement that sought to turn from an experience of God based on external authority to an inward experience of the Divine with the power to transform lives and society. Guilford remains committed to the importance of inward spiritual development. The college sustains Quaker principles of community service, respect for individual integrity, global understanding, moral decision-making and the fostering of equality, peace, simplicity and justice. Governance of the college is by the Friends’ tradition of seeking a “sense of the meeting.”

Consistent with Quaker faith and practice, Guilford seeks to enable students to harmonize their lives with their own religious tradition or to explore other forms of spirituality. Guilford dedicates itself to recognizing the universality of divine guidance and to fostering an awareness of the many ways in which spirituality is developed. The campus welcomes communities of many faiths.

The Office of Campus Ministry, located in the Hut, in cooperation with a student organization, the Guilford Council of Religious Organizations (GCRO), facilitates campus religious life through regular worship opportunities, small-group discussions, forums, speakers, service projects and an annual Religious Emphasis Week. Max Carter, director of Friends Center and campus ministry coordinator; Deborah Shaw, assistant director of Friends Center; Scott Pierce Coleman, director of the Initiative on Faith and Practice; and Frank Massey, gifts discernment coordinator; are all available to meet with students.

Active student organizations include the Guilford Catholic Community, Hillel, Guilford Christian Fellowship, Quaker Leadership Scholars Program, Pagan Mysticism, Muslim Students Association, Guilford Council of Religious Organizations, and Buddhist meditation. Quaker worship occurs daily and College Meeting for Worship is held weekly on campus. Bible studies, Vespers, community prayer, and other opportunities for spiritual community abound on campus. Many students become active in the more than 400 churches, meetings, temples, mosques, synagogues and other congregations in the Greensboro area. New Garden Friends Meeting, First Friends Meeting and Friendship Friends Meeting, located near the college, welcome students of all faiths.

Community Involvement

Guilford recognizes the educational value of participation in the larger world of which the campus is a part. The college encourages students to use Greensboro and the surrounding community as an adjunct to the classroom.  More than 300 students make a weekly commitment each semester in the wider community through internships, field work linked to an academic class or volunteer service.

Project Community, a student-run community service office, promotes a campus-wide ethic of service by sponsoring special service events on and off campus and by connecting students with opportunities in non-profit and community organizations. More than 50 agencies attend the Volunteer Fair held each fall to recruit Guilford volunteers to their programs.

Guilford students have made an ongoing commitment at 10 sites where they volunteer on a weekly basis, with transportation provided.  Each of these ongoing commitments operates with a student project coordinator, who works with the volunteer training coordinator to recruit, train and support Guilford student volunteers. Ongoing commitments include: Pathways Shelter for homeless families; Prison Literacy at a minimum security prison; English as a Second Language tutoring with refugees at the Montagnard Dega Association and the Greensboro Buddhist Center; a.i.d.s. (acquiring information, destroying stereotypes) about AIDS; Environmental Outreach at High Point Environmental Center; HOME (repairs for low-income home owners); and Shelter Outreach working with adults who are homeless.

Some students gain practical experience by working with local political parties and political action groups. Other campus organizations, such as the African American Cultural Society and Forevergreen, an environmental organization, also pursue their special interests in the community at large.

Athletics & Recreation

Guilford considers physical activity, growth and the well-being of the individual student to be important components of the educational mission. The college values participation, sportsmanship, quality competition, skill advancement, achievement and striving for excellence. The coaches take personal interest in every player on their teams and strive to create positive experiences for all team members.

Student athletes are amateurs and receive financial aid based only on need and academic excellence. Guilford and the Athletics Department share the philosophy of the NCAA Division III.

NCAA Division III Philosophy Statement

Colleges and universities in Division III place highest priority on the overall quality of the educational experience and on the successful completion of all students’ academic programs. They seek to establish and maintain an environment in which a student-athlete’s athletics activities are conducted as an integral part of the student-athlete’s educational experience. They also seek to establish and maintain an environment that values cultural diversity and gender equity among their student-athletes and athletics staff. To achieve this end, Division III institutions:

• Place special importance on the impact of athletics on the participants rather than on the spectators and place greater emphasis on the internal constituency (students, alumni, institutional personnel) than on the general public and its entertainment needs;
• Award no athletically related financial aid to any student;
• Encourage the development of sportsmanship and positive societal attitudes in all constituents, including student-athletes, coaches, administrative personnel and spectators;
• Encourage participation by maximizing the number and variety of athletics opportunities for their students;
• Assure that the actions of coaches and administrators exhibit fairness, openness and honesty in their relationships with student-athletes;
• Assure that athletics participants are not treated differently from other members of the student body;
• Assure that athletics programs support the institution’s educational mission by financing, staffing and controlling the programs through the same general procedures as other departments of the institution;
• Provide equitable athletics opportunities for males and females and give equal emphasis to men’s and women’s sports;
• Support ethnic and gender diversity for all constituents;
• Give primary emphasis to regional in-season competition and conference championships; and
• Support student-athletes in their efforts to reach high levels of athletics performance, which may include opportunities for participation in national championships, by providing all teams with adequate facilities, competent coaching and appropriate competitive opportunities.

The purpose of the NCAA is to assist its members in developing the basis for consistent, equitable competition while minimizing infringement on the freedom of individual institutions to determine their own special objectives and programs. The above statement articulates principles that represent a commitment to Division III membership and shall serve as a guide for the preparation of legislation by the division and for planning and implementation of programs by institutions and conferences.

                — 2003-2004 NCAA Manual

Guilford sponsors 16 intercollegiate teams. Men may participate in baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer and tennis. Women may participate in basketball, cross-country, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball.

The following teams have participated in national tournaments: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, golf, volleyball and men’s and women’s tennis. The men’s basketball team and women’s tennis team were national champions in 1973 and 1981, respectively. The golf team won the NCAA Division II national championship in 2005 and 2002, finishing second in 2001, and the NAIA national championship in 1989, finishing second in each of the years 1985-1987.

Guilford is a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

Students who are interested in other sports or in a less demanding time commitment may choose to participate in one of the Guilford club sports programs.  The Office of Student Activities, located on the first floor of Founders Hall, manages these activities. Men's rugby, women's rugby, track and ultimate Frisbee are the club sports currently offered. Anyone interested in another athletic activity, however, is invited to initiate a new club sport by working with the Office of Student Activities.

Family Association

All parents are members of the Guilford College Family Association, which was formed in 1984. The association initiates programs related to Guilford families and assists in fund-raising and student recruitment. The association provides a direct channel of communication among parents, college faculty and staff via the Guilford Magazine, the Guilford Web site and the weekly e-mail edition of The Beacon. The Family Leadership Council assumes the leadership role of the Family Association. Parents, grandparents and other family members are invited to visit their students for the fall Family Weekend, which includes seminars, cultural and sporting events and the association’s annual meeting.

Motor Vehicles and Parking

A Guilford student may operate a motor vehicle on campus provided it is properly registered. Students who operate motor vehicles on campus are required to pay a registration fee and park in a designated parking area. Students are required by law to comply with North Carolina state motor vehicle insurance requirements and all local, state and federal ordinances. Temporary parking permits may be obtained free of charge at the Office of Public Safety for vehicles operated by guests and visitors to the campus.

The Office of Public Safety is responsible for reporting violations of college motor vehicle regulations to Guilford officials. The Greensboro Police Department, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department and the North Carolina Highway Patrol enforce North Carolina state laws pertaining to the operation of motor vehicles.

Details of traffic and parking regulations are included in the Student Handbook.