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Page 2 November 11, 1960 THE SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT T)he Spotlight Stall Editor-in-Chief Venecia P. Gardner Managing Editor Roberta A. Smith Associate Editor Joycelyn McKissick Business Manager Patricia Smith Art Editors __1 Johnny Price and Beverly Pratt Typists Estrelita Holloway Callie Herndon, Gwendolyn Greene Literary Staff Patricia Nicholas, Nellie J. Kelley, Barbara Adams, Lucia Holloway, Alice Morgan, Kercenna McChristan, Eleanor Hinton, Norma J. Wilson Faculty Advisor—— ; Marjorie Spring Chairman of Publications Norma J. Wilson Publications Office, Lobby of Packard Hall Phone: JA. 4-3005 The opinions expressed in The SPOTLIGHT are not neces sarily those of the editors and staff. From The Editor's Inkwell The fall semester has been in session for almost nine weeks, and the SPLEMAN SPOTLIGHT at least is making its debut. We have managed to overcome many of the obstacles placed in our path by both the student body and the ad ministration. In keeping with this latter statement, I wonder if too often we aren’t contented to “let George do it”. We want in- tergation, but we do not want to fight for it. We seek more privileges through the S. S. G. A., but we do not want the responsibility that goes with them. We fight for the right of the Negro to vote. But how many of those with this right fail to exercise it. An finally, we want a newspaper, but we do not want to support it. We are very contente, too content in fact, to sit back and watch the procession go by. Most of us will not even utter a word of encouragement. We have been very apathetic and sadistic. Our pleasure is no longer derived from achieving victory, but in heckling and criticizing those who are active in the fight It is early yet, and many of these roads have “U” turns. I ask that we take more of an interest and play a more active role in the world around us. First, let us register for the forth coming elections. Secondly, let us give more support to the cause of the Negro. Let those who cannot demonstrate, at least give the demonstrators encouragement and cheer them on, and support the cause through the NAACP. Third, help the S. S. G. A. to help you. Help your student leaders assume the re sponsibility for student government. The S. S. G. A. is you, and its success is dependent upon you. Last but not least, we have said that we want a newspaper, our own organ of ex pression. Since the SPOTLIGHT is published in the interest of the student body, I wonder why the student body has failed to support its voice of expression. Let the newspaper be one of the main links between the student body and the adminis tration. We need your support to exist. I have traveled from the national scale to our own campus. The inkwell is dry. HUNTER COLLEGE, THE BRONX By Pauline Winkelman The Negro in the South and in the Harlems of the North has had only limited contact with white people. Similarly, the white group has known few Negroes as equals and friends. The ever-present conspicuous factor of color has kept both groups from seeing each other as human beings first. Out of this separation has developed racial myths that each group be lieves about the other, even though it is impossible to charac terize a whole group as musical, or lazy, or superior. There are many barriers set up against a change from a segregat ed to an integrated school sys- barriers, and the ones which are the hardest to get rid of, are tradition and the role of the school. Traditional prejudices based on ignorance and rumor are so much a part of our lives that we accept them as truths and do nothing to root them out. The school is a great socializing institution; here children learn to get along with others in the group. As the children get older, the school involves them in more and more social activities—parties, dances, picnics, athletic events. TWO WORDS FROM HUNTER COLLEGE Segregation is a yery difficult topic to write on for two reasons: 1) one should write on what he actually feels and not on what he thinks he should feel; and 2) be ing honest about his true feeling. It has been said that the color of a person’s skin does not matter. This is nonsense — of course it does. What is important is not (Continued on Page Four) This is what parents and obser vers fear as they view the inter mingling in the school of children of various creeds, races and ori gins. The task of desegregation is large. The Supreme Court realiz ed that as it also realized that times and needs change and with them institutions designed to serve these needs will be required to change, whether through changed laws or through pressures of public opinion or both. It based its 1955 decision on this. A start has been made a start accom- > plished by informed, sensitive, and intelligent leadership dedicat ed to democratic processes in solv ing problems. With this start, and with this leadership, all barriers will be surmounted. The Student As A Cooperating Consumer I find myself haunted by a student in a discussion period, following a lecture on What is Creative Teaching? The student was a young woman with a bril liant academic record, making her plans for a career in medicine, via one of our great Eastern medi cal schools. The comments had followed the easy pattern of talk on what can a student get from the normal college experience. Then came her lightening flash: “How can a student help a tea cher to be his creative best? I suspect there was a surge of resentment on the part of some of the faculty members present: . . . presumptuous! . . . ridiculous! . . . impertinent! But on second and third reflection the question was not presumptuous but rather a question of a cooperative con sumer; it was relevent not ridi culous; intendedly helpful not impertinent. It is interesting to speculate how the climate of an academic community might be changed if [the (entire stucfent body made their specfic contri bution to helping the faculty to be the most creative teachers and counselors and scholars, their ca pacities gave promise of being. "How can a student help ..." If the student holds high ex pectations of the teacher, both as man and teacher, and also of him self as man and student, he helps to build a climate of expectation within which ideas are more easi ly pummeled into shape and hopes fulfilled. It is not simple to speak to an unexpectant audience; a class of students with low hopes for the course for the instructor, for themselves as students, makes little demand for the instructor’s maximum response. The Biblical admonition, Ask and ye shall re ceive, has its application in the classroom: the interior urge of desire must precede the open capacity to receive, and expecta tion can whet desire. "How can a student help . . . ? An easy but important answer is, my hard work; by the kind of concentrated effort which engen ders new interest, arouses new enthusiasm, and begets intellect ual curiosity. Any teacher born to teach responds to such a stu dent, with a fuller offering of him self and his gifts of substance and inspiration. The creative teacher is a hard working teacher. Nothing is so encouraging to him in his hours of labor as the hard working stu dent, offering the cloak as well as the cost of endeavor, going the extra mile beyond the mile-post of the examination. There is an association of hard work, which affords its own kindly illumina tion to concentrated labor. "How can a student help A third suggestion calls for the act of acceptance. It may be doubted whether genuinely crea tive teaching, summoning the give and the take of the classroom, and then the counter-give and the counter-take, can penetrate through the barrier of complete impersonality. The method may be brilliant lecturing from which much is learned; factual learning, according to research, can take place as successfully from lecture teaching as discussion-teaching, but it is doubtful whether in either method the learning goes beyond facts to become truly within a climate of personal dia logue. (Continued on Page Four) iNVUVUMfAMW/WWWVWIMWWWW SUPPORT THE S. S. G. A. UVUVMNVVVVVWVVVVVMMVt From The President's Desk— WHAT MAKES A COLLEGE GOOD? By Albert E .Manley Through the years, since 1881, Spelman College has endeavored to provide a strong liberal arts program. Thus, the institution has, at all times and under dif ferent administrations, been con cerned with the question, “What makes a good college?” I want to examine this question briefly in this first issue of the SPOT LIGHT for the 1960-1961 academic year. People make a good college. Three groups of people make up the college constituency. These groups are classified as students, teachers, an alumae. The Per formance of each of these groups determines whether a college is rated as good, average, or below average. A college is a good one if it has a student body with the na tive ability to do college work and if these students have been throughly prepared for college. Given native ability and solid preparation in such fundamental subjects as English, social sciences, mathematics, and the natural sciences, students readily grasp the ideas that are basic to intel lectual growth. Thus it is possi ble for them to perform satis factorily in general and specializ ed fields. Students contribute to the making of a good college when they have the desire to learn and the determination and the will to succeed. Since native ability varies students who are less able than others can make up for some lack of ability through determination to do their very best work. This often means that extar hours must be spent studying and preparing assignments that will be accatable to the teachers as well as to the students, themselves. As students progress from a lower class to a higher one, there should be evi dence of increasing ability to do independent study and to make mature decisions. Students also make their contribution by having clear and definite goals. Early in their college careers,: they should identify the fields in which they wish to specialize; thus saving valuable time which could be lost by hesitance to make up their minds. Faculty members are important members in the academic com munity. If a college is to be rated as a good one, the persons who stand before the student in the classroom must fulfill an extreme ly important role. They must have a deep interest in their sub jects and must have thoroughly WHY SPELMAN? THIS QUESTION WAS ASKED OF SEVERAL FRESHMEN WHO GAME A GREAT DISTANCE TO MATRICULATE IN SPELMAN, "THE PRIDE OF THE SOUTH" Elizabeth, Parnell, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania .... “I came to Spelman because it is a college recognized throughout the coun try as a fine liberal arts college, and I felt that being part of the University System would give me the type of education and experience that would be help ful to me later. Ridgely Renwick, Claveland, Ohio .... “My brother inspired me to come to Spelman because one is now at Morehouse, and the other is a graduate of More house. At Spelman, I feel that I will have more personal con tact with my instructors than I would have at another school, since Spelman is known for its friendliness and close relation ship.” Luciile Wilkins, Los Angeles, Cali fornia .... “I chose Spelman because I believe t hat small schools with the many close re lationships . possible can help the individual more. And after reading and hearing about Spel man, I felt that she could offer me what I wanted. Also my aunts attended Slepman, and they wanted me to come.” Vera Norman, Galveston, Texas .... “After evaluating a num ber of highly accredited col leges, I chose Spelman because its offerings seemed to have the greatest potentialities for my chosen vocation, and because of its affiliation in the University program.” Michaele Barnes, Ohio .... “I wanted the experience of being in an all-girls school and felt that Spelman was the best choice.” Lorna Hosein, Hartford, Connecti cut (Trinidad) .... “I came to Spelman because of its reputa tion as being one of. the best Negro colleges and because it’s in the South. I also wanted to associate with people of my own race because I have been going to predominantly white school”. LaJoyce Henderson, Clarksdale, Mississippi .... “I came to Spelman because of the Uni versity System and the cultural life I hope to participate in here.” mastered them, for no teacher is any better than his background in his area of specialization. Having mastered their subjects, teachers should enrich their background by evidencing or expressing in- (Continued on Page Four) Bare foot boy uditVi Cha^Rs of tan, BLissmys oh th<z,<M LittLe. man.