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Out-going editor looking back

An Editorial by Jennifer McLeod

     Well, it's been a great year. I can't believe that this is the last thing I will write as editor of this paper. As I prepare to step down from my position I look back at what I have experienced these last two semesters.

For one thing I now know what it's like to get Dr. Schmude's stamp of approval (Tweety that is). I've also learned that library science should be worth way more than one-hour of credit. During biology class I saw strands of DNA (okay it was an onion's DNA but it was still pretty cool). With quantitative reasoning I finally found a math class that even I understand. Last but not least, sociology class made me analyze symbolism. Hmm…why do I prefer blue ink?

Moving away from classes, I learned that it is possible to stop the presses mere seconds away from printing when a certain someone decides to hang around (you know who you are). I had the pleasure of watching my lovely partner Jessica Armstrong portray both a sassy southern belle (Steel Magnolias) and a figurative nurse from hell (Misery). I learned that being on the verge of pneumonia is too close for comfort. Oh and I discovered that the jobs of co-editor and guardian angel are interchangeable.

Finally, I must say that the closing of this semester brings sadness. I will be saying good bye to several people who are departing from Gordon. Friends that go back several semesters such as Sara Kruczek, Zack Blanchard, Bryan Pitts and Emily Sheffield are moving on to other colleges. I must also express my sadness over saying goodbye to Dr. Mary Alice Money, a professor, mentor and friend.

I am happy however, at the fact that I will be heaping the responsibility of being Editor-in-chief onto someone else.

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Need to voice your opinion? Got gripes concerning the paper? Tell us about it. Letters to the editor should be 150 words or less in length and must be signed in order to be printed. Submissions may be placed under the newspaper office door or sent by email to gcpress@gmail.com. We would like to hear from both liberal and conservative minded people. *Letters to the editor are not edited for grammar or content*

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There goes the neighborhood

An Editorial by Justin Martinez

With news of Connell Hall being torn down this summer, I can't help but reminisce about simpler times at Gordon, when I was a resident of Connell.

In the fall semester of 2004, Watson Hall, Gordon Hall( now the Gordon Campus Police Department), and Guillebeau Hall were reserved for females, while Melton Hall, a co-ed dorm, was held for second year students with thirty hours or more. That leaves three choices for male Gordon College freshman: first, second or third floor of Connell Hall.

After the initial disgust of finding out that I must share a 12' by 12' cell with another person and have to fight for bathroom or shower stall against nineteen other hall-mates, Connell Hall became home.

Today at Gordon, with the addition of the three new Gordon Commons residence halls, up-coming freshman have plenty of choices of where to live. The Gordon Commons are apartment style dorms include semi-private bathrooms, high-speed internet, cable, a large refrigerator and microwave. But, the main feature of the new dorms is privacy. Every student gets their own bedroom with a lock and key. Connell lacked this feature, which, oddly enough, is the main reason I loved living in Connell so much.

Before the Commons, living on campus here at Gordon, students were forced to become social and make friends. If you weren't getting along with your roommate, you had no choice but to stay in the room and work it out, or to go outside and communicate with other people.

Everyone knew everyone on campus during that time.
Now, it's just too convenient to go to your room and lock the door. Everything you need is right there; cable, internet, bathroom, bed. Why have friends?

Everyday, I see students whom I've never met before, but have been my neighbors for the past ten months.
Surely, for many, there must be great sense of community at the Commons. But, as for the students in the traditional dorms, we wouldn't know.

Before the Commons, everyone was on the same level. We all experienced the same the same joys and frustrations that came with the way we lived. The introduction of the Gordon Commons instantly added segregation to campus life; separated by College Drive. At times, it feels as if a higher social status was established along with the Commons.

I would have liked to propose to the students certain methods to resolve this issue. But, this separation is inevitable. As Gordon inches closer to becoming a four-year school, more students will come and more dorms will be built, exacerbating the situation. Next semester, Guillebeau Hall is reported to become a dorm reserved for students who meet exceptional academic criteria, creating another classification, the "smart kids" dorm.

In order for Gordon College, as an institution, to progress and grow, adjustments such as these must be made. Living on-campus, though still a good experience, can't be what it once was and, without Connell here to remind us of how things were before, I regret not taking as many pictures.

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