The elections are over,” said Richard Kimball, president of Project Vote Smart (PVS), about the upcoming national elections, at the annual convocation on Sept. 7 in Dana auditorium.
Kimball added a political flavor to the convocation, which marked the beginning of Guilford’s 168th academic year and was attended by professors, staff, visitors, and students.
His 30-minute talk focused on the role of special interest campaign contributions in the corruption of contemporary politics. “Factions delicately drew the lines,” he said. “They decided which citizens would get money to advertise themselves and others who would be left in obscurity.”
During his talk, geared at promoting introspection in collegiate voters, Kimball emphasized the importance of an informed electorate. “Democracy is a weird system,” he said, noting that every election, we let millions of strangers decide the fate of the country and its political future.
He pointed out that “in a 30-second commercial, I can not push your mind about an issue. So we don’t even bother trying,” and reiterated the futility of political ads.
“People [politicians] don’t talk about issues. They talk about how to move people emotionally, not intellectually. It’s the game and it’s cheaper,” he told The Guilfordian.
During his speech, Kimball invoked humor.
He recounted how Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of American democracy, was once was mingling at a party, unaware that his pants zipper was only partially closed. When an abashed observer brought this to his attention, Kimball quoted Franklin as having responded, “A dead bird does not fall out of its nest,” and left the auditorium roaring in laughter.
Vice-President and Academic Dean Adrienne Israel introduced the speakers. “Convocation is a time to come together as a community,” said Israel, “[It’s] a time to get way from the routine. (A time) to talk about our purpose.”
College President Kent Chabotar expressed excitement at the record-breaking enrollment. He welcomed the first-year class and asserted that it is an exciting time to be at Guilford.
“I am pleased with this growth,” he said as he pointed out the fact that the college grew faster than any of the other 51 four-year colleges and universities in North Carolina, with enrollment increasing by 68 percent since 2001.
Addressing concerns about the shortage of parking spaces and increased class sizes, he said, “These are good problems to have. They indicate our strength and that we are a good place to be.” He added, “Let’s not obsess with what’s wrong. Let’s focus on what’s right.”
Chabotar detailed college renovations and additions and stressed their aesthetic and functional appeal.
“Rocking chairs are wonderful things,” he said, referring to the new chairs placed outside Hege Library’s entrance. “Where else can you sit down and exercise at the same time?”
As he made way for the next speaker, Kimball, Chabotar underscored the importance of the political process by criticizing political repress ads. “This stuff has got to stop. Let’s talk about real issues,” he said. He encouraged students to reference the user-friendly PVS site (http://www.vote-smart.org/) as a guide in the upcoming elections.
“I did not like the process of running for office,” said former state senator and democratic senate-candidate Kimball, who formed PVS in 1992 with the help of politician friend Barry Goldwater, a former presidential candidate.
PVS is a non-partisan organization that profiles political candidates. Like the Peace Corps, it is staffed solely by volunteers.
Republican, democrat or independent, “if you make the ballot, you get equal time from us, be it Lord God Almighty, who registered on the ballot in Las Vegas, NV,” Kimball said in an earlier interview.
PVS has grown much in the 12 years since its creation. Now, about 10 percent of the U.S. population accesses its databases daily. They rely on PVS for unbiased and non-partisan information. According to Kimball, PVS has “basically everything on it (regarding candidates), every piece of factual information.”
“Convocation this year was a big improvement over the past few years,” said Guilford senior Mark Davis, who enjoyed the speakers.
Senior Carolyn Westlake also spoke positively of the convocation. “I loved that guy,” said Westlake referring to Kimball. “He was so casual.”
Abdul-Qawiy (A.Q.) Abdul-Karim, Community Senate president, concluded the convocation with a relatively short talk. He instructed students to take interest in college activities and challenge themselves in academics. He stressed the importance of an active education and the importance of being involved in one’s learning.
Israel ended the convocation by saying, “please come back year after year after year. It only gets better.