Guilford College is known as a Quaker College, but what does that mean, and how are Quaker values implemented on campus today? 

When I first visited this campus as a prospective student in 2015, the young woman assigned to be my guide was a Quaker. She took me to the Friendship Friends Meeting right across campus. When the initial chattering all came to a halt, the group sat in perfect silence. Honestly, the most prominent part of this memory is how comfortable the silence was. There was no pressure to speak; the room felt welcoming, calm, comfortable, and well… full of light. 

The rest of my prospective student experience was magical. 

We threw a disc with Guilford’s own Biohazard Ultimate Frisbee Club and had a community fire in the woods, where everyone was so excited to tell me why Guilford was great. 

My freshman year was the last year of The Hut, now known as Rachel’s Rose Café, or just Rachel’s. If you have been to Rachel’s for an iced coffee, a pastry, or just to study, know that you have walked on sacred grounds. 

This structure is placed at the heart of Guilford’s campus and was once an informal, spiritual meeting spot for humans of all religions. Its walls were dressed in bookshelves spilling over with religious knowledge. A worn velvet couch sat in the middle, facing the fireplace. The space was open 24/7 for worship, meditation, studying or silence. 

Unfortunately, around the time I came to campus, this space was no longer respected by the community. The pollen in North Carolina is brutal enough. Entering a space that sometimes reeked of weed with the occasional used condom left behind is less than inviting.

When the plans to renovate the space into a coffee shop spread across campus, there were mixed feelings. Some were mourning the loss of a sacred space, some were excited for the potential of its bones cultivating more community, and some felt a mix of the two. 

Though I do believe that The Hut was a sacred space, I now see community being fostered and formed at Rachel’s every day. 

This space may now be more Quaker than it was 10 years ago, even if that wasn’t the goal. Quakerism’s beliefs and practices are not tied to physical space. Quakerism emphasizes seeing God, or The Light, in everyone. Coffee aside, students went to The Hut to quietly focus on their academics, meet with friends or professors, and dive deeper into themselves. Now, some of us journalism students conduct interviews for the Gulfordian on the benches to the side of the café.  

In this very spot, I held an interview with the William R. Rogers Director of Friends Center, Wes Daniels. Daniels has held his position since July 2015. Because of this, he has a great sense of how Quaker practices and values have changed over the past eleven years. 

We spoke about how Quakerism shows up on campus today: specifically, the moment of silence that begins class, led by a handful of professors. 

Many Guilford students may not know that this moment of silence is a Quaker practice. This quiet gives room for spirit to enter the space, an opportunity to connect with God. In essence, silence is a main form of worship, a staple of faith in the Quaker community. 

Recently, Daniels taught a first-year seminar course on boredom. At first this just sounds like sitting in silence, but as the semester went on, it became clear the course was quite profound. 

Daniels said, “silence is a practice of resistance,” especially in an age where our attention is widely consumed with social media. “It’s saying no, our attention is not something to be monetized, to be fracked, to be splintered. We’re going to be embodied together, as a community.” 

“In our silence, we’re listening for the wisdom in the room, not on the device. We’re listening for truth as it arises within us, not because some company tells us that’s what the truth is.” 

This practice in Guilford classrooms has dwindled over time. 

The college once had a much larger Quaker base than it does currently. When Guilford first opened as the New Garden Boarding School in 1837, the student body was made up of all Quakers. By 1847, the student body was only half Quaker. Today, there are only about 25 students who identify as Quakers. 

Though I don’t personally identify as a Quaker, I see a lot of value in its practices. Seeing The Light in others, coming to a decision through group consensus, nurturing community and silence as worship. To get the most out of our education here at Guilford, I think curiosity about its Quaker values and practices is a must.