Newspaper Page Text
Tuesday, March 7, 1960
THE SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT
Page 3
Spefmanites at
Wesleyan
Magnolias and dogwood blooms
will not have greeted the two
Spehnan girls upon their arrival
in Bloomington, Illinois. Alas and
alack, they will most likely have
to forego the pleasure of grits
for breakfast every morning also.
However, I can say with assur
ance and pride that they will
have been greeted with sincere
friendliness and will be spending
the next few months in a colleg
iate and permissive atmosphere.
Illinois Wesleyan is a co-edu-
cational school having an enroll
ment of approximately 1200 stu
dents. It is to some extent an in
tegrated institution since a small
percentage of the student body
is made up of racial strains other
than Caucasian. There are thirteen
Greek organizations both frater
nities and sororities—on campus
which house about 50 per cent
cf the student body; the remain
der of the students live in dormi
tories, private housing, or in
their own homes.
Although Wesleyan is a church
affiliated institution, there are
few demands made concerning
adherence to religious obligations.
Chapel is held once a week. At
tendance is not mandatory. Wes
leyan women may have dates at
anytime during the day and until
10:30 on weeknights and 12:30
on Friday and Saturday. (Soro
rities and fraternities sometimes
see fit to place restrictions on
these privileges in cases of poor
scholarship.) Permission is re
quired for overnight and week
end leaves; otherwise Wesleyan
women can go where they please
with or without male or female
companions. A comparison can
not be made between Spelman
and Wesleyan on this basis be
cause the two social and environ
mental settings are at varience.
The majority of the students
at Wesleyan have expressed
themselves as being in favor of
integration. In relation to sorori
ties and fraternities, the situation
is, however, rather different. The
basic structure of these social
and professional organisms is one
founded on discrimination especi
ally in the choosing of their mem
bers.
In a purely subjective sense, as
I see it, the problem arises when
the sororities and fraternities are
discriminated against from with
in. By this I mean that because
of ritual statements (sometimes
dating back many many years)
through the influence of alum
nae, members of Greek organi
zations are given no choice as to
which ethnic groups they may
choose their members from. In
the hope that the following will
not prove to be too generalized
a statement, I would conclude
from my experience in living in a
sorority and from my acquaint
ance with other members of fra
ternal organizations that the col
legiate members of these groups
have relatively few qualms con
cerning the matter in question. A
more biased view is expressed
by the older generation of alum
nae and national officers—in view
of this fact, many chapters are
helpless in trying to change tra
dition even though a chance is
desired.
On the whole, the racial ques
tion is viewed very favorably at
Wesleyan, and thus the Spelman
student will be incorporated into
the full swing of collegiate activi
ties: the usual campus clubs, and
organizations, Campus Chest Car
nival, Greek Week activities, con
certs, and lectures. The challenges
have been presented and from
what I know of Spelman women,
it wil be accepted and won.
Jackie Walker
A New Idea
At Spelman
At Bethel College, North New
ton, Kansas, the exchange stu
dents to come to Spelman were
chosen from an interested group
of students. A committee set up
by the faculty members chose the
girls. This committee evaluated
statements made by the girls on
why they wanted to come to a
college in the South and what
they thought they could contri
bute to this college. The records
of the girls were checked, and
two were chosen to participate in
the exchange program.
Bethel College is a denomina
tional school. About seventy-five
percent of the students at Bethel
belong to the Mennonite Church.
Mennonites are a conservative
group of people. The General
Conference Mennonite 'Church, of
which the two exchange students
are members, is the most liberal
group of Mennonites. The Men
nonites in America, linquistically
and culturally, have been mainly
Germans. Some unique aspects
of their faith are adult baptism
and non-resistance.
One of the exchange students,
a junior at Bethel College, comes
from southeastern Iowa. She is
Anna Marie Peterson.
Her major is elementary edu
cation, and her minor is English.
During the summer months
Anna does volunteer service
work. She has worked in Gulf
Port, Mississippi, in New York
State with the migrants, and last
summer on a mission field trip
she went to Columbia, South
America.
Of chapel, Anna says, “It is a
fine way to start the day. At
Bethel, compulsory chapel attend-
dance is three days a week.”
Anna is extremely impressed
with her teachers and the stu
dents.
She thinks that the exchange
program is a very valuable ex
perience and that it is one step
forward in the understanding of
each other by the different races.
She hopes that she can carry her
experiences and the atmosphere
found here at Spelman back to
Bethel in order to promote bet
ter race relations.
In Dr. Charles Wesley’s speech
during National Negro History
Week, he mentioned The Associa
tion for the Study of Negro Life
and History as one of the repre
sentative agencies organized to
publish the truth about the Ne
gro race. This organization is not
discussed very often, but it is one
which, I think, requires our at
tention.
On September 9, 1915, the As
sociation for the Study of Negro
Life and History had its organ
ization meeting in Chicago. The
associatio nwas incorporated un
der the laws Of the District of
Columbus on October 2, 1915.
On January 1, 1916, The Jour
nal of Negro History began pub
lication as a scholarly quarterly.
In 1921, The Associated Pub
lisher was organized as a publica
tion and sales agency for schol
arly monographs, text books, and
pictures by and about Negroes.
In 1926, the observance of Ne
gro History Week was initiated.
The date is always the week in
which fall the anniversary birth-
dates of Abraham Lincoln (Feb
ruary 11) and Frederick Doug
lass (February 14).
(Continued on page 4)
Anna Peterson — Bethel
Martha Thiessen — Bethel
Martha Thiessen, the other ex
change student from Bethel Col
lege, is a native of Leamington,
Ontario, Canada. Actually Mar
tha is closer in distance to On-
traio here at Spelman than she
was at Bethel. Martha also likes
the Spelman community.
Martha is a sophomore and has
attended Bethel only one semest
er. This is because of the five-
year high school plan in Ontario.
As her major, she has decided
on biology.
Martha’s hobbies are bowling,
reading, and listening to records.
She has recently read From Here
to Eternity, On the Beach, and
Death Road. She is interested in
the Social Science Club and
plans to become associated with
it.
She thinks of the exchange
program as a wonderful idea and
a good opportunity for the per
sons chosen.
The SSGA is in the process of
developing a Fine Arts Club for
the enjoyment of each student. Its
purpose will be to enhance the
college experience by “saturating”
the campus air with the liveliness
of the liveliest arts.
The organization program will
encompass drama, music, litera
ture, and the plastic arts of
painting and sculpture—something
for everyone. No less enthusiastic
about the club plans are our fac
ulty members, who have pledged
their allegiance to our little “Re
naissance.”
President Roslyn Pope is in
terested in seeing the students re
gain interest in attending city
cultural affairs such as the At
lanta Symphony concerts. A trip
this month to see the musical “My
Fair Lady” at the Municipal Au
ditorium is being considered as
a possible opening project.
For your own enjoyment
JOIN IT!
Mary Frances Watts
Students at North Central Col
lege, Naperville, Illinois who
were interested in the exchange
program, were asked to volun
teer. Two of the volunteers were
selected by the student coordina
tor on the basis of grade level,
scholastic achievement, participa
tion in school activities, and per
sonality which would enable her
to fit into the situation.
North Central is a denomina
tional school. About one-half of
the students who matriculate at
North Central are members of
the Evangelical United Brethren
Church. This denomination re
sembles the Methodist Church in
its line of thought. Both girls
from North Central are members
of this denomination.
Sharon Passow, a native of
Wisconsin, comes from a family
of five and lives op a dairy farm.
She is a sophomore, majoring in
zoology and minoring in chemis
try and German.
Sharen’s hobbies are reading,
swimming, and playing the piano.
She has recently completed read
ing Marjorie Momingstar. Shar
on has a singing part in “Finian’s
Rainbow.”
Sharon says that our campus
is beautiful and that she loves
being here and feels as though
she has been here for years. She
likes the idea of an exchange
program and thinks that it is a
wonderful experience. Sharon
says, “Being a Northerner with
no Negroes within miles, I have
had no previous contact with the
race problem. This experience
will help me to learn more about
the Negro.”
Sharon Passow — North Central
Mary Miller, an English major
from North Central, is also a
sophomore. Her father is a mini
ster.
Mary thinks that this exchange
program will be a good personal
experience for her. This is the
first time she has ever been in
The AMS Players
The AMS players under the di
rection of Dr. J. P. Cochran will
present a hilarious play entitled
Finian’s Rainbow. This play will
be presented on the evenings of
March fourteenth through fif
teenth for the Spelman students.
On March sixteenth, seventeenth,
eighteenth, and nineteenth, the
play wil be open to the general
public.
The play has an Irish air and
takes place in Mississitucky. It
features Sharon, who acts and
sings, played by Judith Owens;
Finian, played by William Green
III; and Susan, the girl who talks
with her feet, played by Marilynn
Pryce.
Finian’s Rainbow promises
color and gaiety with Miss Loren-
zi as choreographer and Mr. Wen
dell P. Walum as musical direc
tor. This production will display
an abundance of talent and con
siderably variety. It will offer
gratifying entertainment for those
interested in plays.
Patricia Smith
The Association For The Study
Of Negro Life and History
Fine Arts Club
Mary Miller — North Central
the South.
Her hobby is collecting and re
cording folk songs. She likes to
bowl and is playing on one of
the intramural basketball teams.
Mary likes to try to know about
everything. She likes to study
and finds it fascinating to learn
foreign languages. She is taking
German at Morehouse. She likes
to read and to memorize poetry.
Mary says that the atmosphere
here at Spelman is more relaxed
than at North Central. She doesn’t
mind attending chapel every
morning at eight. Incidentally, at
North Central, classes begin at
seven-thirty.
Jackie Walker — Wesleyan
One of the exchange students
comes from Illinois Wesleyan, \
Bloomington, Illinois, and is a na
tive of that state. Illinois Wes
leyan is affiliated with the Meth
odist Church. The majority of
students at Wesleyan are Metho
dists.
Jackie Walker, who is the only
senior among the group of ex
change students, preferred to
come to Spelman as an exchange
student rather than spend her
last semester at Wesleyan. She
considers the exchange program
an enriching experience and feels
that there is much to be gained
through participation in such a
program. She volunteered to par
ticipate in the program.
Jackie belongs to Alpha Omi-
cron Pi Sorority and lives in the
sorority house. Approximately
one-half of the students live in
sorority and fraternity houses at
Wesleyan. She feels that, besides
the enriching experiences incurr
ed from living with a group of
girls of your own interest and
ideals and working toward com
mon goals, sorority living broad
ens the sphere of social activities.
Jackie’s major is elementary
education, and her minor is Eng
lish.
Her hobbies are water skiing,
bowling, tennis, and reading. Her
favorite spectator sports are bas
ketball and baseball. She has at
tended a few of the Morehouse
basketball games and is amazed
at the enthusiasm shown by stu
dents at the game.
Jackie finds the academic stan
dards here at Spejman compar
able to those at Wesleyan.
Bettie Hurrah