The average student, walking briskly through Founders Hall on a Wednesday afternoon, is often in a hurry, moving too quickly to really notice the ground beneath their feet. A few, however, might stop for a moment to gaze down the steps toward a chalk outline of a tree stump on the sturdy brick terrace.The stump they’re looking at (though its chalk outline is all that remains) is a symbol of the public forum and its importance at Guilford. Maybe it’s the representation of community they read about when they applied that catches their eye, or maybe it’s the reminder of Guilford’s Quaker heritage.

What we know for sure is Campus Ministry Coordinator Max Carter’s stump speeches represent an open forum at which to stand up in front of others and let your voice be heard at one p.m. every Wednesday outside Founders Hall.

The stump speech is part of Quaker tradition in that it promotes awareness of each participating individual’s opinion.

“Like many other students, I’ve heard of the stump speeches, but I never prepared anything. Still, I’m glad they happen every week,” said junior Olivia Richardson as she sat down to this week’s speech.

Back in the summer of 2000, just before the presidential elections, a devastating storm stuck Guilford, knocking down several trees between Duke, Archdale and Founders. After the storm, many faculty members came to campus to help clean up the mess.

Among them were Carter, Associate Professor of Philosophy Vance Ricks, and Professor of English Jim Hood, all of whom saw the scattered stumps left by the storm as an opportunity.

“We were talking about how students don’t get a lot of training in public speaking anymore,” said Max Carter at the Dec. 2 stump speech. “It’s a skill that’s been kind of lost on this generation, and there was lots of talk about whether there was real community here at Guilford. We thought this might be a good way to address all of those concerns.”

As clean-up activities continued, it was decided that the stump outside Founders would be used for public speaking opportunities.

Over the years, the stump has undergone quite a few changes, from an actual stump, to a makeshift soapbox, to its current incarnation as a chalk outline. The stump’s declining form corresponds with the activity’s declining presence on campus.

“The past couple years it’s been virtually moribund,” said Carter. “But even the most mundane of things can lead to interesting discussions.”

Carter went on to tell a tale of a young man successfully using the stump to start a dialogue about room searches with Dean of Students Aaron Fetrow.

Today, the stump is still being used for a similar purpose, although it has never attained the prominence it had in the weeks following 9/11 and the Bryan incident. Themes have been advertised in the past in order to promote discussion and variety in topics. The Dec. 2 theme was the escalation of military activity in Afghanistan.

After reading a poem written by Mary Hobbs regarding living through times of war as a Quaker, Carter opened the stump to discussion. St. Mary’s House Reverend Kevin Matthews was quickly pulled into the opportunity.

“Can you imagine if we pulled out of there and then years from now the Taliban was back in power and we were watching all that on the news?” asked Matthews. His question sparked an hours-long debate about pacifism as a Quaker.

But despite lively discussion among the four or five students that stayed, Carter’s voice still rang out across the Founders terrace every few minutes.

“Stump speeches! Do you have a word? The stump is open!