Student Body President Molly Anne Marcotte Running on All Cylinders

Sophomore Molly Anne Marcotte is one of the best distance runners on Guilford College’s track and field team. This year she decided to run for the Community Senate presidency. Marcotte won the race, and now seeks to help usher Guilford through difficult times. She is believed to be Guilford’s first active varsity student-athlete to preside over the student body in at least 25 years. Marcotte hopes her experience as a ballet dancer and identity as a feminist, student-athlete and fitness guru will help her be a successful president. 

As president, one of Marcotte’s goals is to provide equal representation to all Guilford students, which will likely require a bit of a balancing act. Marcotte knows the drill well after being offered a chance to pursue a professional ballet dancing career by Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. The demands of ballet were too high for Marcotte to accept the offer. She wanted to apply her energy elsewhere—namely, humanitarian endeavors and track and field. As an NCAA Division III school, Guilford supports her ambitions and affords her the opportunity to be a proactive member of the community.

Once Marcotte arrived at Guilford she immediately became involved in campus activities aimed at helping others. She is passionate in her roles with the Community Aids Awareness Project, the Sexual Assault Awareness Support group and Community Senate. Marcotte also holds prominent positions as a judicial affairs chair member and a peer health and wellness intern for the Wellness Education Department. These activities reveal her first love: public health. “I’m very passionate about that because when your health isn’t up to par, you won’t function efficiently.” Functioning efficiently is how Marcotte is able to excel as a student, athlete and leader simultaneously.

“If anyone is going to balance athletics and academics [as president], it’s [Molly],” says Guilford assistant track and field coach Kimberly Cash. In her short time at Guilford, Marcotte has taken on increasing burdens without ever losing a step. She was a sprinter at first, but moved into middle distance during the 2014 outdoor season. Marcotte extended her distance as a sophomore, adding the 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs to her repertoire. Next year, Marcotte may take on the most grueling task by running the 10k. Head track and field coach Danny Cash says she has grown from her freshman to sophomore year by absorbing information about athletics and academics and translating it into the person she is today.

A huge part of the person Marcotte is today is her intersectional feminist philosophy. Her beliefs speak for themselves when discussing how her feminist identity might help her as president. “Feminism isn’t feminism unless we are inclusive of all races, genders, sexual orientations, bodies, income levels, ages, occupations, regions, ethnicities—we need to include it all.” Marcotte wants to bring this all-encompassing approach to Guilford’s student politics.

Marcotte’s role as a Guilford student-athlete is also very important to her. “Molly is very dedicated, very goal oriented and one of her best things is she’s very good with time management,” says head track and field coach Danny Cash. He says these skills, as well as working well in a team environment, will transfer to the presidency. As a student-athlete who paces herself on the track and in the classroom, it is not hard to imagine Marcotte adding student-body president to the mix and approaching the responsibility with equal poise.

“Once she [becomes president], it won’t take her long to figure out everything and know what’s going on,” says Danny. With two full years left in her undergraduate experience to affect Guilford’s future, Marcotte’s past experiences have prepared her for the times ahead. “Molly won the presidential race due to her never dying perseverance, intuition, dedication, and her firm beliefs in making sure that Guilford's seven core values are evident in the student body and Guilford community,” says friend Ava Nadel. This description alone reveals a wealth of character.

"Nothing is holding me back from trying to be one of the people on an executive team trying to affect change in the community,” Marcotte says. The desire to change Guilford will come to bear next year. At the top of her list are issues such as administrative and budget transparency, community activism, student representation, the issue of retention and multicultural educational programming. As a former ballet dancer, current student-athlete, feminist and workout warrior, Marcotte is ready to be the change Guilford requires.

- by Jacob Kapp ‘15

Tennis Rackets Saved by Votipka's Spiritual Journey

   Life as a tennis racket early in Turner Votipka’s career was a dangerous pastime. “I went through two a year, at least, in high school,” the Guilford College senior said. He had even broken two rackets in one match before.

“I would let rage overcome me.”

Now a graduating senior, Votipka is Guilford College’s number-one tennis player and much has changed since his racket-breaking days. He is a team captain and received the school’s prestigious Nereus C. English Athletic Leadership Award. His junior year proved a transformation had taken place as he had three rackets at one time. “It was cool. I’ve never had three rackets at once before,” said Votipka.

What changed? Votipka had a spiritual blossoming.

Votipka grew up in a traditional Baptist setting near Rocky Mount, North Carolina. His mom worked for the church. “But my understanding of church growing up was that God loved me…but I needed to do good things to live that life out.” Votipka says he did whatever he was told because he believed that was his ticket to heaven.

Votipka decided to join a Bible study his freshman year at Guilford. “He came to the Bible studies we had, but it seemed like he came because he felt compelled. Trying to have a serious conversation with him was like pulling teeth,” said Mike Gatton ‘12, who helped lead the studies as a campus minister for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Eventually Votipka opened up and was exposed to the radical idea of God’s unconditional love. With this revelation, the seed was planted for a metamorphosis in Votipka’s belief system. He calls it a “holy crap” moment.

After his freshman year, Votipka went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for Summer Beach Project, organized by the campus ministry organization Campus Outreach. For eight weeks Votipka participated in ministry, held a full-time job and did community service. “They pound in knowledge about the Bible,” he said. But this was not the biblical understanding he grew up learning at home, but the radical notion of God’s complete and unmerited love.
Votipka points to a passage from the book of Isaiah as an instance of God’s unconditional love.

“But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.’ Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” (Is. 49:14-16)

Votipka previously believed the verse meant God held believers in His hands only so long as they retained His favor through good deeds. “But once you’re saved…we will sin, but God will bring us back,” Votipka said of his new understanding. After the summer in Myrtle Beach, Votipka realized he may be living a good life, but not the right life.

Following Beach Project, Votipka increased his involvement in Christian-oriented activities over the next few years. Every winter Votipka attended a Campus Outreach New Year’s Conference where he heard various pastors and fellowshipped with students from across the region. “This was where things really started going,” said Votipka. Gatton agreed, noting by Votipka’s third year the transformation was evident.

“There are a lot of guys who are like ‘poof,’ my whole eyes are open,” Votipka said. “But things started revealing themselves more and more to me.” Votipka did not experience an instant change, but gradually shed old beliefs to form a new ideology.

Erik Meiler '16 (l), Turner Votipka '15 (r)

Head coach Dave McCain calls Votipka a ‘grinder.’ His game is not flashy, but relentless, predicated on keeping the ball in play and forcing opponents to make mistakes. “His work ethic transfers to the other players,” said McCain. That’s partly why Votipka is the team captain.

Votipka is a leader in other ways as well and received one of 2015 Guilford’s Nereus C. English Athletic Leadership Awards, the school’s top athletics honor. It is not only his work ethic that transfers, but his religious ethic as well. He began a Bible study on campus and embraced church life as a member of Friendly Hills Church in nearby Jamestown. Now Votipka helps organize church events like a lock-in for youth and is president of Guilford’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter. “He has definitely grown in his maturity and has realized the unique opportunity he has to impact others in this time and season of life,” says Dave Walters, a fellow church member and Guilford’s sports information director.

“I’m no longer doing things so I get a benefit,” said Votipka, “but I’m doing them for God and getting joy and happiness from it.” As a leader and student-athlete this mindset is crucial. Gatton says Votipka isn’t a preacher, per se, but leads by example.

“You have to learn to love the people you’re leading and do whatever for them,” said Votipka. “Whether that’s yelling at them to get straight or sacrificing your time to go out of your way to do something.” McCain says the biggest change he has witnessed in Votipka is his growing leadership skills.

“Every [tennis] match is not an end, but a journey. Something to enjoy,” said Votipka.

The same ultimatum applies to spiritual matters as well. He says he worshipped tennis at one time in his life, but he’s found more fun and purpose following God, which is good news for tennis rackets everywhere.

-by Jacob Kapp '15