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VOLUME XX
SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT
SPELMAN COLLEGE, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 1965 NUMBER 2
RELIGIOUS EMPHASIS WEEK - A SUCCESS?
Dr. Manley and Dr. George Kelsey
WHAT HAPPENED ? ?
There was an extensively
planned program of activities in
the A. U. Center during the
week of March 7, under the
chairmanship of Dr. Rufus E.
Clement, president of Atlanta
University. Approximately 5,000
students were possible partici
pants—yet total crowds com
posed not too much more than
a fifth of that number. Some
students even claim to have
heard nothing about it. What
was the problem?
It was not lack of good speak
ers. Dr. George Kelsey, Univer
sity Center speaker who is pro
fessor of Christian Ethics at
Drew University, received com
mendation from many of those
who heard him. Rev. J. Claude
Evans, Clark: Rev. William V.
Guy, Morehouse: Dr. James H.
Cone, Morris Brown; and Rev.
Kelley Miller Smith, Spelman,
all reported good responses from
their audiences.
It could not either have been
lack of diversity. In addition to
a Sunday afternoon service and
two evening services, there was
the evening Communion service.
Meditation and organ music
were available on the different
campuses at varying hours. In
formal discussions were also
programmed as well as a color
slide presentation of “Artists
Concepts of Jesus in Various
Media”. Even in the evening
services, the music was varied.
Featured were the Clark College
Choir, the Spelman Glee Club,
and the A-M-S Chorus. With so
many different times and local
ities to choose from, those ac
tivities should have been avail
able to all of the students in the
system.
Was lack of publicity the
problem? Perhaps — yet an
nouncements were made in all
of the school assemblies and
posters of some activities were
placed. The weekly calendar,
evidently unread by many, also
carried these events. With a
speaker imported especially for
an occasion, it seems difficult
•not to know that the occasion
does exist.
It can not be said that the
week did not involve student
participation. It was found on
planning committees, in the mu
sic, among the ushers, in the
prayers and scripture reading!
and the preparers and offerers
of Communion—in fact in al
most every possible phase.
What, then, caused the poor
attendance of Religious Week?
It would seem to be the con
sensus that lack of student in
terest and knowledge was re
sponsible. Committees may plan,
speakers may speak, but relig
ion can be emphasized only so
far as the students of the A. U.
Center will emphasize it. Only
the yardstick of student interest
can measure the success of non-
compulsory activities.
—Andrea Williams
RELIGIOUS
EMPHASIS AT
SPELMAN
During the week of March 7
Spelman College carried out its
annual Religious Emphasis Week
program. The speaker was Rev.
Kelley Miller Smith, the pastor
of the First Baptist Church,
Nashville, Tennessee. Miss Ger
aldine Lyons, President, Miss
Michael Purify, Miss Ann Go-
lar, and Miss Alice Hines were
the officers of the Religious Em
phasis Committee which was
composed of a representative
number of students with Rever
end N. M. Rates acting as ad
visor.
From the time of his arrival
in Atlanta at six a. m. Monday
until his departure on Friday,
Rev. Smith was involved in the
activities of Spelman and the
center. Many girls have stated
that Rev. Smith captured their
interest as soon as he appeared
on the platform in Sisters Chap
el or when he first began to
speak. He had many attentive
listeners at all the morning ser
vices, as well as at the luncheons
and dinners he attended. These
included the Student Teachers’
dinner on Tuesday and the Fac
ulty luncheon on Thursday.
Quite a number of students ex
pressed special appreciation of
the House Conferences on Mon
day, Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday evenings at Packard,
Morehouse South, Abby, and
Manley Halls respectively. In
fact, Rev. Smith seemed to be a
hit with many Spelman students
—and he certainly felt the same
way about Spelman. He explor
ed the campus, questioned var
ious aspects of life on campus,
and even suggested that he be
invited to return.
Although the speaker was a
central focus, another important
feature of this week was the
Seminar on Wednesday morning
which involved approximately
twenty seminar groups led by
students and resource persons
from several religious groups. It
afforded a chance for discussion
of such topics as Sex and Relig
ion, Cumpulsory Chapel Atten
dance, and many others.
It is difficult to assess the
value of an observance of this
kind. Some appreciated it while
others did not. Yet, to all it
offered an opportunity, an op
portunity of which many took
advantage.
Andrea Jeanne Williams
AULA ORGANIZES
A BEGINNING: On Satur
day, February 13, 1965, the stu
dent assistants of Atlanta Uni
versity’s Trevor Arnett Library
organized themselves into an as
sociation known as the Atlanta
University Library Assistants
(AULA). At the first meeting
of AULA, Mr. Miles Jackson,
Chief Librarian of Trevor Ar
nett, talked to the student assis
tants about the historical devel
opment, function, and current
progress of Trevor Arnett as a
central library for the Atlanta
University Center. Mr. Jackson
also reminded the student assis
tants of their responsibility for
Memorial services for Mrs.
Dorothy Shepard Manley were
held on Sunday, March 14, 1965
at 3:00 P. M. in Sisters Cha
pel.
Memorial tributes were given
by Mrs. Elizabeth Macomson on
behalf of the faculty, Miss Judy
Tillman on behalf of the stu
dent body, and Mrs. Richard
Hacking on behalf of the Wo
men’s International League for
the provision of prompt and ef
ficient service to the students
and faculty members of the At
lanta University Center. Follow
ing Mr. Jackson’s comments,
officers were elected: President
- Terry Dawkins, Morehouse,
Vice-President - Geraldine Ben
ton, Morris Brown; Secretary -
Joette Y. Baker, Atlanta Uni
versity; Assistant Secretary -
Thomas Frazier, Morehouse;
and Treasurer - Deloris Davis,
Morris Brown. The members of
the AULA represent the five
institutions of the Atlanta Uni
versity Center: Atlanta Univer
sity, Morris Brown, Spelman,
Clark and Morehouse.
The primary functions of the
AULA are both social and edu
cational. The social aspect of
the AULA will concern the ga
thering of the members and
their friends for fun and relax
ation. The educational function
takes in four broad areas: (1)
utilization of the members’ ex
perience as library assistants to
provide maximum service to the
Atlanta University Center, (2)
presentation of lectures and for
ums by outstanding intellects,
(Oont. on page 6)
Peace and Freedom. The Spel
man College Glee Club provided
music by singing an adaptation
of Psalm 27 which was written
by Dr. W. L. James in memory
of Mrs. Manley.
After the service, the congre
gation travelled to the Dorothy
Shepard Manley Hall to witness
the unveiling of the building's
lettering.