VOL. XXIV, NO. 5
SPELMAN COLLEGE, ATLANTA, GEORGIA
May 15, 1963
Betty Stevens Elected President
After weeks of listening to the campaigning of twelve
students vying for nine student government offices, the Spel-
man College student body, on May 3, went to the polls to
exercise one of their fundamental rights as citizens of the
college community — the right to vote.
Students went to the polls with a thorough knowledge of the
qualifcations of most of the candidates, for especially during
the last week before elections, there had been intensive cam
paigning on the part of those seeking offices, particularly
those who were running opposed.
There was one party, which
called itself the “Union” party.
Its constituents, and the offices
which they sought were: Caroline
Nicole, President; Charles Kend
rick, Recording Secretary; Elea
nor Hinton, Corresponding Se
cretary; Josephine Dunbar, Trea
surer; Yvonne Woodard. Editor
of REFLECTIONS; Ann Graves,
Parliamentarian; and Dorothy
Jenkins, Publicity Chairman. In
addition to the Union Party can
didates, there were five inde
pendent candidates—Phoebe Bai
ley, running for Parliamentarian,
Ida Rose MCCree, running in ab
sentia for Editor of the SPOT
LIGHT; Joyce Hawthorne, run
ning for Corresponding Secre
tary; Aurelia Brazeal, running
for Vice President; and Betty
Stevens, running for President.
The polls closed officially at
4:30 p.m. May 3, and within a
few hours it was revealed that
the students had made the fol
lowing choices: Phoebe Bailey,
Parliamentarian, Dorothy Jen
kins, Publicity Chairman; Ida
Rose MeCree, Editor of the
SPOTLIGHT; Yvonne Woodard,
Editor of REFLECTIONS; Jose
phine Dunbar, Treasurer; Joyce
Hawthorne, Corresponding Se
cretary; Charles Kendrick, Re
cording Secretary; Aurelia Braz
eal, Vice-president; and Betty
Stevens, President.
The race for President was a
close one, but Betty Stevens
brings to the office a record of
academic excellence and intense
interest as well as outstanding
leadership in student affairs. She
is a graduate of J. W. Ligon High
School in Raleigh, North Caro
lina, where, in her senior year,
she was President of the Stu
dent Council. Coming to Spelman
in 1960, Betty was elected Vice-
president of the Freshman Class.
That same year she worked
with the Student Movement,
spending thirteen days in the
Fulton County Jail as a result
of her participation in sit-in
deminstrations in dowtown Atlan
ta. In her sophomore year, Betty
served as President of her class
and was also chosen to represent
Spelman at the Collegiate Coun
cil of the United Nations Con
ference, held in New York City
to commemorate the visit of
Prime Minister Nehru of India
to the United States.
She was also among the first
group of students selected for
residence in Chadwick Hall,
which was then enjoying its first
year as an “honor dorm’’. As a
junior, Betty holds the position
of Vice-President of the SiSGA;
is an active member of the Cbm-
mittee on Appeal for Human
Rights; a member of WHO’S
WHO IN AMERICAN COL-
and the Pi Delta Phi French
Honor Society.
Betty recently became the re
cipient of a Merrill Grant for
summer study at Harvard Uni-
(Cont’d. on Page 9, Col. 4)
BETTY STEVENS
Today's Colleges Face
Pressures From Within
Dr. Manley Makes Acknowledgements At His Anniversary Dinner
cent years the National Student
Association has been losing rather
than gaining members.
There were 2 reasons for this
drop-out — (1) many schools in
the South objected to the stand
that the National Student Associ
ation had taken for integration,
(2) schools scattered throughout
the nation objected violently to
the emphasis which the NSA
placed on academic freedom.
Therefore, it is apparent that two
of the most controversial issues
of our time center around free
dom — racial freedom on the one
hand, and academic freedom on
the other.
Now academic freedom can be
defined as the right of teachers
or researchers to study critically,
to think independently, and to
teach their students the truth as
they see it, without restraint from
the administrators or from society.
Or academic freedom can be de
fined as the right of students to
study critically, to examine in
dependently and at all times to
question or doubt the validity of
subject matter or rules handed
(Cont’d. on Page 3)
Emory University
Hosts A.U. Coeds
At the invitation of several
Emory University students, seven
Negro and two white students
from the Atlanta University Cen
ter attended a mass meeting on
May 10th. The critical discus
sion, held on the University’s
campus, was on the dilemma of
segregation in the South and
specifically, in Atlanta and Bir
mingham. The students present
at the meeting from the A. U.
Center were: Dorothy Myers,
Anna Jo Weaver, and Elizabeth
Heath of Spelman College; Carl
Arnold of Clark College; Robert
Allen. Wessley Plummer, Ralph
Moore, David Satcher, and Mar
ion Fitchue, all of Morehouse.
The Emory students displayed
an ardent interest in vital issues
(Cont’d. on Page 7)
It is truly with a deep sense of
humility and gratitude that I take
this opportunity to speak in this
town meeting, for I truly feel that
anything which draws people to
gether to discuss the problems
pertinent to their time is a stride
toward freedom and a stride tow
ard progress.
The problem of academic free
dom is a very significant problem
of our time, for freedom in any
area of human life has always
been and shall always be the
goal of those deprived of it.
Strangely enough, pressures upon
academic freedom have not been
limited to pressures from outside.
Indeed, in recent years, some of
the greatest pressures upon aca
demic freedom have come from
within the education institution.
A few weeks ago, Dennis
Shoals, president of the National
Student Association, came South
to visit a number of schools. In
conference with Dennis Shoals I
was surprised to learn that in re
President Celebrates
Tenth Anniversary
On April 11, at the annual
Founders’ Day Luncheon of the
entire Spelman College “family”,
the traditional speech made by
the President of the senior class,
in this case, Cecile Ganpatsingh,
turned out to be a tribute to
“Somebody.” The name of the
“Somebody” was not mentioned
from the beginning, but as Ceoile
progressed in her tribute, it be
came apparent that the person
referred to was our President,
Dr. Albert E. Manley. Her tri
bute pointed up the numerous
forward strides made by Spel
man College during his ten-year
administration.
Dr. Manley’s tenth anniver
sary was formally celebrated on
April 26, at a dinner given by
the Spelman Alumnae Associa
tion. At this time, alumnae,
trustees and special guests joined
the Spelman “family” in honor
ing him in the midst of eye
catching decorations and a
scrumptious menu provided by
the alumnae and dining hall
staff. Dr. Manley was hailed in
the roles of community leader,
colleague, administrator, educa
tor and college president. The
speakers for the occasion were
Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, President
of Morehouse College; Dr. Rufus
E. Clement, President of Atlanta
University; Mr. Lawrence J. Mc
Gregor, Treasurer of Spelman
College and Chairman of the
Board of Trustees; Dr. Oran W.
Eagleson, Dean of Instruction at
Spelman; and Cecile Ganpat
singh, President of the Senior
Class, who described him in the
various capacities.
(Cont’d. on Page 10, Col. 5)
SfJCC fU
The third annual conference of
the Student Non-violent Coordi
nating Committee was held here,
in Atlanta, from April 12 th
through 14th on the old campus
of the Gammon Theological
Seminary. More than three hun
dred fifty students and observers
representing human relations
organizations from thirty-four
Southern colleges and Univer
sities and seventeen Northern
schools attended lectures and
workshops based on the con
ference theme- “Emancipation
Then: Freedom Now.”
Among the outstanding speak
ers were Negro comedian, Dick
Gregory; Spelman College his
tory professor, Dr. Howard Zinn;
and Morgan College historian,
Dr. August Meier.
During the Easter Sunday Ses
sions, new SNCC Executive Com
mittee members were elected.
Charles McDew was reelected as
the Committee’s chairman.
Arrests in Cambridge, Md.
Four anti-segregation demonst
rators were arrested in down
town Cambridge in a massive
integration drive on April 13th.
The picket line was sponsored by
the Cambridge Nonviolent Action
Committee in protest to the
town’s segregated facilities.
Arms in Alabama
The home of Lonnie Brown,
active worker in the Wilcox
County (Ala.) voter registration
drive, was blasted by gun-shot
on Friday night, April 12th, by
“persons unknown.” No one was
home except the four Brown
children.
The morning before, Brown
personally escorted twelve Ne
groes to the courthouse before
the shooting. There was, how
ever, no serious damage.
King Arrested
On April 12th, Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. was arrested
in Birmingham, Alabama, along
with demonstrators from the
Southern Christian Leadership
Conference and Miles College.
Police Commissioner Eugene
“Bull” Connor used police dogs
to disperse Negro masses pray
ing near City Hall. The federal
government was called upon but
did nothing to protect the rights
of the Negro citizens against
police brutality.
Federal Funds
The Civil Rights Commission,
backed by SNCC, requested on
April 18th, that President Ken
nedy withdraw all federal funds
from the state of Mississippi un
til the violations of civil rights,
and terror and intimidation,
cease. As yet, the government
hasn’t made a stand,
, Profs Jailed
Eleven demonstrators, includ
ing two Swarthmore College
professors, were arrested in
Cambridge, Maryland on April
23rd. The group was arrested
on charges of “disorderly con
duct” as they picketed the Air
Pax Electronics Company. The
government contracted company
has only employed two out of
many qualified Negro job ap
plicants. One of the eleven was
freed after paying a hundred.
(Cont’d. on Page 6, Col. 3)
