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THE SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT
April, 1967
Reflections from Spain
by Delores Lanier, Merrill Scholar, University of Madrid
Alumnae
Corner
THE MISSING LINK
by Kathleen Billups
Spaniards have a popular saying: Had he come and seen
Julius Caesar would never have reached his legendary stature.
For Spaniards believe that everyone who treads on their soil is
conquered by the land, its art, and that famous affability for
which Spaniards are so famous. The figures of Don Quixote
and Sancho, inflamed with the desire to help humanity, may
lead one to think that the Spaniard is imbued with nobility
and dignity. True, he no longer fights duels, but every Spaniard
still feels a kind of nobility. Then, when one thinks of Spain,
there comes in focus the bullfights, celebrations and festivals,
spicy foods and flamenco dancing, all marking Spain as a land
of gaity. However, one cannot overlook the contrary view that
Spain is a country etched with asceticism. Foreigners are im
pressed by the profundity with which the Catholic religion
penetrates the life of great numbers of Spaniards. That all
foreigners are conquered is debatable, but certain characteris
tics of Spain and her people do weave a web of enchantment
around the foreigner.
The figures of Don Quixote and Sancho, silhouetted against
the endless plain of La Mancha, may lead one to think that
Spain is plain, severe, and treeless with the sun beating straight
down. But as it happens, Spain is very mountainous. The aver
age height above sea level is 1,950 feet, a level unbeaten in
Europe save by Switzerland. Leaving aside the stretches which
link Spain with Portugal and France, Spain is bordered every
where by sea. A tour of the Spanish coast is an endless dis
covery of untouched beaches and charming scenes, unsur
passed by those of Florida and California.
For many people, Spanish art has been one of the greatest
factors in the history of humanity. Greece and Rome influ
enced Hispanic art, and traces of their colonization remain on
the soil (well preserved is the famous aqueduct of Segovia,
built by the Romans). The Moslem art of Cordoba influenced
Christian Spain, producing Mudejar style. In the North, which
remained free from Moslem conquest, fine Romanesque build
ings were raised. Gothic cathedrals were built in the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries. Of Spanish painters, the world has
revered such famous ones as El Greco, Valazquez, Goya, and
Picasso. The Prado gallery in Madrid has a great collection of
famous masterpieces. All visitors to Spain are impressed with
the great treasury of art to be found there.
One concludes with the prototype of the Spaniard as an af
fable person. The average Spaniard is sincere, natural, warm
and welcoming. He loathes hypocrisy, pedantry, and snobbish
ness. To the average Spaniard, the degree of honor, politeness,
and friendliness a man exhibits determines his worth. This is
one reason why there is little racial discrimination and preju
dice to blemish the wonderful brotherly feeling toward all men
that most Spaniards feel.
Conquered or not? At least, enchanted.
OPEN HOUSE
FOR PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS
Representatives from the
NEW YORK CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION
will visit
ATLANTA
This is your opportunity to learn first hand about the
rewards of a teaching career in the New York City schools.
You are cordially invited to attend and to meet with
our representatives who will be on hand to answer questions.
Open House will be held at the Marriott Motor Hotel
on May 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 from 3:30 P.M.-8:00 P.M.
DETAILS OF NEW YORK CITY TEACHING LICENSE
EXAMS, SCHEDULED TO BE HELD ON MAY 13, 1967 IN
ATLANTA WILL BE AVAILABLE AT YOUR TEACHER
PLACEMENT OFFICE OR AT THE OPEN HOUSE SESSION.
Successful applicants are guaranteed teaching assign
ments for the 1967-1968 school year.
Those unable to attend may obtain further information
by writing to:
Bureau of Recruitment, Dept. B
New York City Board of Education
110 Livingston St.
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201
An Equal Opportunity Employer
This is the third in a series
of feature articles dedicated to
the achievements of former
students and graduates of
Spelman College. Many Spel-
man women have distinguished
themselves in the career world
—proving that a well edu
cated woman need not be re
stricted to a home and chil
dren, but can use all her tal
ents fully.
Elizabeth Kent, chosen by
Detroit Skyliner magazine as
one of the five outstanding
working women employed in
downtown Detroit, is director
of nursing at Lafayette Clinic.
She is a registered nurse and
holds the Ph.D. She serves as
ambassador of the Clinic to
the community and assumes
responsibility for the care of
patients through her planning
and direction of the profes
sional staff.
Dr. Juanita Collier, associ
ate professor at Wayne State
University, was chosen one of
the Ten Top Working Wom
en in Detroit for 1967.
Marian Wright, ’60 is
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Attorney in Mississippi and
handles the Fund’s statewide
docket of cases pending before
the Federal Court. Though her
job has led to occasional jail
ing and physical attack, Miss
Wright claims, “When you
reach someone, know you
have gotten through to him,
made him think for himself,
made him realize that he has
the freedom of choice, then it
is all worth it.”
Seven Spelman alumnae
are principals of elementary
schools in the Atlanta area.
They are Mrs. Cecile Long
Edwards, Mrs. Lula Faye
Smith Hanks, Mrs. Florence
Morrison Hogan, Miss Dor
othy E. Hornsby, Mrs. Gwen
dolyn Hinsley Howard, Mrs.
Mamie Cabiness Hubert, and
Mrs. Cornelia Wallace Robin
son.
Calendar Date
Don’t Forget! The Sunday
School is giving a Barbecue
this year on the school
grounds Saturday, May 6,
1967. You’re all invited to
come out and share a day of
fun with your fellow Spelman
Sisters, the Faculty and their
families, and the Administra
tion. There will be games and
recreational facilities provided
for your entertainment. Make
this event a part of your
Spring schedule.
☆ ☆ ☆
Perhaps the best way to distinguish a wise man from a
fool is to ask them both to criticize their own works. A fool
will undoubtedly praise his accomplishments until one tires of
hearing him while a wise man will immediately find fault,
even in his masterpiece. He will lose not a second in seeking
ways to improve himself and the works that bear his name.
Any student who is at all devoted to her college is con
stantly seeking new ways to improve it. Our competitive so
ciety does not ask its institutions to improve. It demands im
provement and those of us who are fortunate enough to be in
a position to improve can not afford to let the opportunity
slip through our fingers. Death smiles at wasted minutes.
A fascinating challenge has been thrown to the students of
the Atlanta University complex. The challenge is the successful
employment of a university-wide radio station. Atlanta Uni
versity does not need a radio station simply because other
schools have one, for what is good for the goose is not neces
sarily good for the gander. But the structure of the A.U.com
munity makes a radio installation imperative. A community is
a unified body by definition and the six colleges of this area
are not yet a unit as far as good relations are concerned. A
centralized medium of communication can bring unity. Many
students don’t participate, not because they are apathetic, but
because they simply are not aware of what is going on. For
those of us who have had to go through the drudgery of mak
ing posters, for those who belong to the “read the same notices
over and over again everyday” club, and for those of us who
are just plain tired of hearing the same commercials and songs
repeatedly on other stations, a radio broadcasting our chosen
programs would be a welcome relief.
The Collegiate Broadcasting Group (CBG), the owners of
the station, are willing to finance fully and install the radio
system into each dorm in the center by way of carrier current,
using transmitters which will be coupled directly to the power
lines of the dorms. If the proposal is accepted, the station will
operate tentatively from 10:00 a.m. until midnight daily. The
advantages are:
1. The students determine the programs.
2. The station will be owned by an outside source which
will avoid the bickering over finance and control among
the colleges.
3. The station will have the use of professional broad
casters as guides.
4. The students will be exposed to the experience of
broadcasting which will be beneficial to all in every
field.
5. Each student functioning with the radio will be paid a
salary commensurate with that paid to students who
work on campus, according to Mr. Richard Harris, a
member of the CBG.
I have yet to find the disadvantages. As Miss Laura Burton
has so aptly stated, “It would be a beautiful thing.”
I talked with Mr. Tony Trauring at Emory University, who
is the chief announcer of the Emory station WEMO. He re
vealed the humerous beginnings of their station. It seems to
have begun as a figment of a boy’s imagination. This ingenious
young student built a make-shift radio and broadcasted it all
over his dorm. Unfortunately neither the FCC nor the ad
ministration appreciated his project and the student caught
considerable reprimanding] But the brave soldier managed to
drum up enough support from the student body to get the
administration to allocate funds for a station. The FCC ap
proved it and a kitchen was converted into a station center.
However, certain problems arose. The minimum budget that
can be used to operate such a station is $1500-$2000 and
Emory was getting by with only $900. When the transmitters
died, the treasury was depleted and they, as of now have no
source of revenue. They did not have the use of professional
advisors and they started off playing only “garbage music” (I
have permission to quote Tony). Now that the station has
folded, they have a double problem of trying to persuade the
student body that the station is desirable while also having to
get the cooperation of record distributors who have not been
too sweet. Poor WEMO. All of these problems will be avoided
under the proposed system if we take advantage of the CBG
offer. The radio can be the link that connects the colleges. I
challenge the six institutions to become a community.
-—Kathleen Billups