Newspaper Page Text
VOL. XXV, NO. 6
SPELMAN COLLEGE
»/•
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
FEBRUARY 28, 1969
THE DUKE ARRIVES
Demonstrating all the skill
and talent of artists who
have survived the obstacles of
changing times and taste were
Duke Ellington and his band.
Everyone who had tagged the
Ellington band as “old school”
was made to retract his words
on Tuesday night, February 4
at Archer Hall Gymnasium on
the Morehouse College camp
us. The concert was sponsored
by the complete Atlanta Uni
versity Center.
Duke Ellington, a well
known musician, showed the
secret of a successful band.
The band must be stressed be
cause Mr. Ellington featured
practically all of his musicians,
numbering approximately 16,
and proved that each was a
musician in his own right. Al
so traveling with the band was
a very impressive singer, Tony
Walker and a dancer, whose
name, to the best of anyone’s
recall, was Tricia. Both of
these performers added to the
modern image the band sur
prisingly conveyed.
Mr. Ellington, who is in his
late sixties, plays the piano
and also writes music. Al
though he cannot be compared
to Jimmy Hendrix, Charles
Lloyd, or even Feliciano, he
showed the true timelessness
of music played well and skill
fully.
Bernadine Moses
Exchange Program
Is It Fair?
By Linda E. Patterson
What may appear to out
siders as a harmonious situa
tion between the seventeen
exchange students from St.
Teresa in Winona, Minne
sota and the Spelman women
should be looked at more
closely. September, 1968
brought a new look to the
Spelman college campus, for
what had previously been a
non-white campus, until sec
ond semester set in and two
or three whites would come
on exchange, now looked in
tegrated. These seventeen stu
dents are regularly students at
The College of St. Teresa,
an all girls Catholic college
situated in the little snow
bound community of Winona,
Minnesota. The little town is
“all white” except for one
black family, the Rouses, for
there was once an unwritten
rule that no Negroes could
live there. The tension over
the exchange program is due
to the combination of the
white students’ ignorance of
blacks and the blacks’ new
self-awareness. Most of these
students have had no direct
contact with blacks before,
and some had never seen them
except in books, magazines
and on television. The combi
nation of Spelman’s black con
sciousness movement and an
exchange program with whites
of this sort of background,
makes their reception inter
esting.
The young women from St.
Teresa say that they are
happy here. Although the pro
gram was not highly recom
mended by many of their de
partment chairmen because of
correct sequence of courses,
fear that they would not do
well academically because of
teachers’ racial prejudices, and
fear that they would become
involved in demonstrations,
they find it really an experi
ence, for they are coming
from a totally all girl’s school,
to our “girl’s school” with the
added convenience of being in
a co-ed university center. They
all agreed that they are of
fered more here academically
because of a wider choice of
course offerings. The teachers
are more down to earth and
their discussion-type lectures
are ideal, for before they have
not had many chances to
voice their opinion in class.
Some feel that they are bene
fited from black oriented
classes, for they “now realize
how one-sided education has
been. We’re being helped to
acquire an identity of our
own — an American identity.
Heretofore, we’ve only known
a white environment.” They’re
all happy, but they are a lit
tle homesick — homesick for
some social sports that they
have not found here, such as,
tobogganing, bluff climbing,
skiing, boating and ice skat
ing.
This is the first exchange
program that St. Teresa had
had. Many of those students
were not happy there and
wanted to transfer, but de
cided that exchanging would
be new and different. They
were all fascinated with the
idea of coming south and dis
covering regional differences.
They have not only discovered
regional differences, but also
the differences in attitudes
about their being here. They
feel that there is a generally
warm atmosphere, but some
people are accepted more by
the Morehouse men and other
men of the center than by
Spelmanites — “maybe be
cause of stereotypes of ex
change students or of white
girls. Many feel that we are
here for an experience and
they want to give it to us.”
Some noted that the attitudes
depend on the individuals, and
indeed this is true, for there
have been many incidents be
tween “individuals,” much ha
rassment and hurt feelings,
but there have been a few
friendships made that will not
be forgotten.
Everyone had been looking
forward to a chance to air out
their views about the exchange
program. When a speak out
was announced, everyone was
shocked when the signs were
mysteriously taken down and
the meeting cancelled. The
“discussion” about the pro
gram was held when Sister
Joyce, dean of instruction at
St. Teresa came along with
our president, the exchange
students and their roommates,
Continued on Page 4)
Dr. Manley presents award to Duke Ellington.
Students Unaware
Of "Liberation"
On Monday, January 27,
Spelman students haggled
about “orange” cards and
“blue” cards unaware that
they were being liberated.
The three-page pamphlet
began by stating that “Stu
dents from all six institutions
in the Atlanta University Cen
ter have moved to an impor
tant act of liberation. ... We
have liberated the A.U. Cen
ter and established the Uni
versity of New Africa. We
now consider ourselves . . .
fully in control of its major
buildings . . . The backers of
this new concept in the edu
cation of Black people would
no longer recognize such
foundations as Ford and
Rockefeller.” Since this “act
of liberation was a step to
ward revolutionary political
change,” there is no need to
turn to violence.
Apparently the sole pur
pose of the carefully prepared
paper was to present a list of
“demands” to the administra
tion and faculty in the A.U.
Center. The demands were
based on the principle that
the newly established univer
sity is to “struggle for the lib
eration of oppressed people.”
On the subject of cultural
and political identity, the au
thors of the “green sheet” re
ferred to the term Negro as
one of racism and demanded
that it cease to be used in sit
uations which concern Blacks
or Africans. It called for the
renaming of all buildings in
honor of Black heroes and
asserted that names like More
house, Spelman, Rockefeller,
etc. are taboo. Also a major
and minor program of studies
in African “experiences,” of
fering B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.
degrees, must be developed by
February 15. Since under the
new administration, courses,
faculty, and funds (what
funds?) would be controlled
by students, it was exacted
that “Brother” Russell Wil
liams be recalled from his
position as Director of Black
studies. Additionally, all stu
dent exchange programs are
to be cancelled, as well as
military recruitments.
Concerning student power,
all committees of the univer
sity must consist of mostly
students with complete voting
rights, especially those regard
ing the evauation of faculty
and administration, admis
sions, and grading disputes. It
is required that all members
of the security force be re
placed by students who will
also take all disciplinary ac
tions hereafter.
The main purpose of the
academic programs must be
to prepare students for the
“liberation struggles of Afri
can peoples . . . and the strug
gle against racist colonialism
(Continued on Page 3)