Newspaper Page Text
february, 1970
The Spelman Spotlight
by the students of Spelman College
Spelman Spotligm
Politically
speaking...
page 2
Vine city breakfast
prog
ram
Editor .joyce m. horton
Exchange Editor sharon warbington
Fashion Editor melva wilder
Poetry Editor barbara nicholas
Career Columnist janice white
Political Columnists gail charleston, marjorie duncan
Cartoonist roberta wolfe
Photographers gail davenport, june hay ward, janice white
Staff Assistants and Reporters elizabeth birdsong,
denise, flemming, jacqueline franklin,
gina frazier, harriett geddes, brenda gregory,
kathy jackson, sylvia me griffe, gloria robinson,
wanda smalls, gwendolyn solomon, bernadette
weston, sarah Williford, yvonne bryant
Corresponding Secretary barbara buckley
Business manager marjorie duncan
Faculty Advisor .dr. richard carroll
EDITORIAL POLICY
The Spelman Spotlight is published monthly by students of
Spelman College. Signed letters and columns do not necessarily
reflect the opinion of the spotlight staff. Unsigned editorials reflect
the opinion of the majority of the editorial staff. ... „„ ,,, ...... .
The Spotlight welcomes letters expressing views and opinions on We were told by the supporters
anv subject Letters and articles must be typed and double spaced of Mr. Nixon’s Draft lottery that
and must be signed by the author (name can be withheld from
publication upon consent of the editor). Once articles and letters are
received they become Spotlight property
A hot meal for a hungry child
By jacqueline franklin
was given a number from 1-366.
New food directors arrive,
students face change
Spelman students seem to have
ulcerated stomaches when it
comes to keeping over-spiced
dining hall managers and
assistants.
Within the past four years
students here have managed to
worry and complain three
managers into quitting. When
their complaining was too slow,,
they reverted to tray-walk-outs
and petitions. Whether their
reasoning was justified or not,
they managed to remove any
threatening ulcerous managers.
The common complaint four
years ago as well as today, centers
around three basic problems: (1)
no variety of food, (2) serving
left over foods and (3) unsanitary
eating conditions.
mitchell mccain
Attempts to
john sims
remedy these
problems were many, but none
met with student satisfaction.
Another year has come and
students are getting ready to
“fire” their fourth set.
Meanwhile, John Sims, newly
appointed Food Service Director
here and Mitchell McCain,
Assistant Director have set up
what looks like permanent
housekeeping.
“I intend to stay here as long as
Spelman allows me,” vowed
Sims. “I’ll be around as long as I
see a need, he said.
In an interview with The
Spotlight, Sims and McCain were
prepared and anxious to respond
to the various attacks made on
the dining hall.
students socialize, eat under
improved conditions
When asked about the major
problems that they’ve run into,
both agreed that during their
three weeks here there have been
no problems.
“What we did encounter,”
McCain said, “was a reluctance
on the part of the students to
follow rules and regulations of
college administration.” But this
condition has greatly improved,”
he continued.
Sims was most anxious to
respond to the attacks "on the
dining hall. It is his feeling that
help in solving some of the minor
problems should come from the
SSGA as well as the office of the
Dean.
“As far as attacks on the food
is concerned, we can’t serve steak
every day,” Sims said. “We are
here to supply a service and the
students will receive a daily
balanced meal,” he emphasized.
“They will just have to be able
to accept a change,” McCain
interjected.
Many plans for improvement
are underway in the service of the
food as well as genera! rules and
regulations.
The need for dual co-operation,
students and dining hall staff and
personnel was a constant subject
with both men.
Sims and McCain agree that
working at Spelman is an honor.
Their “open-door-policy” should
offer students an opportunity to
bring their suggestions,menus and
open minds and empty stomachs
to Campus Chefs.
By gail charleston
This January when President At first none came , then three and on a cold Tuesday morning 20
Nixon's Draft Reform was beautiful black little children shyly eased through the doors of the
enacted he and his supporters felt Army church on Maple Street.
assured that the new lottery They came so that they might leave feeling like little children
method would remove problems should - wanted, full of life, aware and no longer hungry,
created by the old selective You have heard much about Vine City and the work that needs to
service procedure. he done there. Groups of Spelman students have also heard of the
Indeed, for a brief moment in deploring conditions there and have actively begun to answer the call
history the lottery seemed to be for help and conee rn.
the most fair and logical method p or two or three days a week, groups of black women leave this
of selecting men for the armed campus a t 6 a.m. and walk to Vine City, where they participate in the
services. Vine City Breakfast Program.
Those of us who had brothers, These black women, although surrounded by mental and physical
cousins, fiances and others, were wa [[ s here, do not isolate themselves from the larger black
eager to learn their draft status, community. Vine City is as much a part of the Spelman community
Every male between 19 and 26 as j s a par t 0 f Georgia. It is an even larger part of the community of
black sisters and brothers. Without every part the whole cannot
meaningfully exist.
Most of you are aware of what is going down. There is no way that
you can be ignorant of the facts. You see little black children running
around barefoot and sparcely dressed in 10 and 20 degree weather.
Meanwhile there is a continual wasteful flow of money into West
End stores and downtown stores frequented by the black sisters.
These same black sisters have pregnant closets with little less than
hanger space.
Down in the Ghetto of Vine City there are children who would be
happy if they had one coat to keep off the ‘hawk’; one pair of shoes
to cover their hard crusted and bottle-glass cut feet.
You see little blacks suffering from malnutrition, while you
consciously dump food irrthe garbage cans.
No, this picture of ill-fed and ill-clothed black children does not
only exist in Biafra, but right down there in Vine City.
Perhaps you can forget the looks of hunger and despair on their
faces, but there are students here who cannot forget. These students
thrill at the sight of a happy face smiling over a hot breakfast.
The number of participating students is small, very small. We few
feel that rising at 6 a.m. for one or more days a week is worth
sacrificing a few hours sleep for.
There is joy in knowing that for the first time maybe some child
can study better because he has had a well balanced meal. Hopefully
this black child can function better and see a new hope because of
black sisters who care in words and action.
The Vine City Breakfast Program is underway. But we need more
volunteers to keep it going.
Help us to provide a hot meal for a hungry child.
those who had numbers between
1 and 222 would certainly be
called.
On the other hand, those with
numbers between 242 and 366
would not be called. Those in the
middle one-third may or may not
be called.
All of this sounded very good
to the men who pulled high
numbers. Yes, Mr. Nixon the plan
of the lottery was working
perfectly - on paper. The living
facts are telling another story.
When the February call of
19,000 men was made, many
states were having difficulty
filling their quotas. The Selective
Service office in Washington
issued an order not to exceed the
number60 for the first draft call
of the year. For some states the
order came too late. They had
already exceeded number 200.
It appears that all the existing
deferments have been swallowed
up. Those men who would have
normally been called in February
will not have to comply.
The men in Washington are
continually saying that they
forsee no difficulties in fulfilling
the national quota each quarter.
To no great surprise, the southern
states are saying just the
opposite.
It looks as if it’s back to the
drawing board for Mr. Nixon and
his boys.
WHAT’S INFLATION?
Someone ought to remind Mr.
Nixon that all Americans are not
as naive as those who elected him
in 1968.
Recently Nixon vetoed a $19.7
billion appropriation for the
departments of Labor and
Health, Education and Welfare
(HEW) and the Office of
Economic Opportunity. His
reason?The bill was inflationary.
That bill could have helped
many poor black people in this
country and even in this very
community.
Nixon, in the following week
asked congress to pass an
appropriation of $50 billion for
an anti-ballastic missle system.
Oh come now, Mr. Nixon!!!'
POLITICAL MESSIAH?
Vice Mayor Maynard Jackson
was priming his audience this
month for someone who might
well be our black political
messiah.
It is very conceivable that
Jackson was alluding to a black
political messiah. Perhaps
himself?
Overnight guest anybody?
Dear Sisters,
Have you ever wanted to see a dear ole friend from another college
or university?Have you ever wanted to invite that special girlfriend
to share a weekend with you?If so, why not do something about it?
We hear so much about sisterly love, but when we attempt to
express this sisterly love we find many obstacles. Obstacles that most
college and university students are not confronted with. Living in the
dormitory is evident that we’ve paid room and board. After we ve
paid our room and board we should be allowed to use our room as we
see fit, as long as there is no inconvenience to our roommates and no
damage is done to the room.
There arises the question as to where that guest will sleep for the
night. Two people sleeping in a single bed is not new under the sun.
Most of us, at some time or another have slept in a single bed with
brother, sister or friend. So, why is it that we hear, there is no place
for that guest to sleep?’
Where is Spelman’s sisterly hospitality?We are forever trying to be
a part of the “in-crowd”, so, let’s get “in” and spread our sisterly love
to our fellow college and university girlfriends.
Yours for an overnight guest,
Harriett L. Geddes
Spelman college
founders day
ap
ril 11
the time for shuckin’ and jivin’ is over!