Staff Editorial: Make your voice heard — save Guilford

This year we have faced difficult truths: the COVID-19 pandemic will not end as soon as we expected, the climate crisis is worsening, political uncertainty fuels animosity and Guilford College is changing, leaving behind programs and professors which fostered the institution’s liberal arts education.

The program prioritization process announced earlier this semester, put in place to resolve financial issues the College is dealing with, has come to an end. According to Rockingham Now, the process enacted by the Board of Trustees and interim president Carol Moore has manifested into the loss of 23 professors, 16 of which were tenured, and the discontinuation of 19 major programs, including mathematics, chemistry, community and justice studies and political science. 

Among the changes Guilford College has experienced, including building renovations, the removal of the Bonner House and the furloughing of key Bonner staff members such as James Shields and Susan May, and the implementation of the Guilford Edge, this latest change seems to have brought into question the validity of the mission statement and values of the College. 

Community has gathered in the midst of these changes, creating a Facebook group titled “Save Guilford College,” starting Instagram pages with the usernames of @nathanhunt1837, @studentsreclaimingguilford, @guilfordintheknow and @saveguilford, and participating in student demonstrations all to preserve the liberal arts identity long cherished by Guilfordians.

The financial crisis of the College has prompted many difficult decisions by the Board of Trustees and Moore, but at what cost? Is it the loss of the liberal arts beloved by those who choose to attend the College? The loss of the Quaker values embedded in the foundation of the College? The lack of transparency by the administration? The few efforts done to hear the pleas of the community?

If you care about preserving what attracted you to the school, now is your time as Guilfordians and community members to make your voice heard. Join the social media groups, sign the petitions and demonstrate all that makes this college Guilford.