Take any stranger walking on West Friendly Ave. and place them in the Guilford College cafeteria. Ask them to sit down and observe for a while. It’s safe to say they’ll pick up on a very obvious pattern in the way our student body congregates. Play a sport and you’re destined for a spot at the round tables. If you’re not a member of this exclusive club, sit anywhere but with the athletes. It’s the norm here, and it’s been that way for a while.

Sitting in the cafeteria, I sometimes forget that I left the clique-filled halls of high school two years ago.

I’ve given this issue a lot of thought. Why is there so much tension and segregation between athletes and non-athletes? I can’t really pinpoint one specific reason, but I do know this: At Guilford College you’re either one extreme or the other. If you don’t use a paintbrush or climb trees, chances are, your passion lies on the playing fields.

Of course there are always exceptions.

I for example do not play a sport, nor am I an activist or a potter. But I do know people from both sides of the spectrum. I’m not trying to make myself the model for what a student at Guilford should be, but I’m a fairly accepting person. I hold my own when it comes to enjoying the company of a variety of people.

It all comes down to tolerance. Neither side is doing a good job of promoting the act. During parents weekend, some football players decided to harass a group of harmless nudists. A fight broke out between the two parties.

I was told of another incident that happened near the end of last semester, involving the old inhabitants of English Hall, the baseball team, and one bench. English hall dwellers (all non-athletes) at the time were frustrated to find that the dorm would be frequented by a large group of baseball players in the fall semester. As an act of aggression they proceeded to steal a large bench from the baseball field and use it for their porch.

Consider the stupidity of these two incidents. So some drunken naked kids were grossing a bunch of drunken football players out. There was an obvious solution if it bothered them that much: look away.

Big deal if a few baseball players are invading “your turf.” Boohoo. I’m pretty sure there are a few lepers that would kill to have that problem.

Guilford will always have its share of Republicans, Democrats, place kickers, tree-huggers, naked guys and clothes enthusiasts. If only people realized there’s nothing wrong with that. Problem solved.