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THE SPOTLIGHT
February, 1971
editorial
87% of polled students believe
sororities relevant to sisterhood
The idea of “relevancy’ on
the college campus is more
widespread than the fad of wear
ing raccoon coats was in bygone
years. Yet, the purpose and use
of the term is far more vague
than the purpose and use of the
raccoon coat.
This point is in reference to
sisters on Spelman’s campus who
preach about irrelevancy of so
rorities. What they fail to see
is that relevance is not a general
term which can be used to
blanket the entire campus, but
it is one which each student in
terprets differently. And if a
student can relate to becoming
a part of an organized, function
ing sisterhood, then that sister
hood has relevance for her.
Because there are over 60 stu
dents on Spelman’s campus who
belong to sororities, these organi
zations must be relevant to some
degree to college life. There have
been no recent studies by those
who decry sororities as being
dangerous to Spelman sisterhood.
But a poll was taken last De-
By Barbara Buckley
cember during a required chapel
program where only 72 out of
534 students polled did not be
lieve sororities should have the
right to operate on campus. This
means that only 13% of those
polled were against campus so
rority chapters.
There is a potential for strong
college organizations in the event
that sororities ever become legal
campus organizations. Primarily,
sororities would provide an able
combatant to the volatile campus
menace called apathy. There is
so much of it on the campus that
it overwhelms the beginning
student, and usually subdues her
by the sophomore year.
Yet sororities have already
added a new dimension of inter
est to the campus. For those who
would like to join, there is a
struggle to maintain a good av
erage add to find out just what
these organizations do in the
community. There is also an in
terest among students who are
sorority-inclined to become ac
quainted with those already in
sororities.
In a recent meeting of student
advisers and student leaders,
Dean Chivers sa'id, “If we get
functioning organizations, we get
a functioning campus.” Sorori
ties on campus have already be
gun to operate unofficially by
sponsoring open parties, contrib
uting to the Spelman Thanksgiv
ing Day Rally, ahd awarding
scholarships on Awards Day.
Even in their unofficial state,
sororities have created more in
terest and generated more activi
ties than organizations which
have been accepted on campus
since the founding of Spelman.
One of these non-functioning
organizations is the YWCA. The
risk in chartering sororities at
Spelman will not lie in being
stuck with them after they are
organized, but with the admini
stration, students and sororities
working together to activate
Spelman College to a' greater de
gree than it has ever been. To
this extent, sororities are relevant
to Spelman students.
^pefman
BY THE STUDENTS OF SPELMAN COLLEGE
Editor Wanda Smalls
Associate Editor Harriett Geddes
Business Manager Cordelia Taylor
Copy Editor Barbara Buckley
Exchange Editor Harriet Miller
Layout and Design Sylvia McGriff
Cartoonist Roberta Wolfe
Faculty Advisor Dr. Richard Carroll
Reporters and staff assistants — Gail Charleston, Shirlene Evans,
Marna Hale Gaston, Paula Hicks,
Waltina McElroy, Cynthia Patter
son, Sheila Shaw, Denise Smith
EDITORIAL POLICY
The Spelman Spotlight is published monthly by students of
Spelman College. Signed letters and columns do not necesarily
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 any subject. Letters and articles must be typed and double
spaced and must be signed by the author (names can be with
held from publication upon consent of the editor). Once articles
and letters are received they become Spotlight property.
Pan-African Forums held Thursdays
in Brawley Hall at 7 P.M.
con’t from page 1
6 Just like a firing squad 9
CPS: What is being done to involve people in
Angela Davis’ defense?
MOORE: Defense committees are being set up
abound the country to educate people, and her
family is speaking throughout the country. Black
people are already concerned. This is just another
episode in the repression of black people. There
is literally no differenc between what happened
to Julian Bond, Stokley Carmichael, and H. Rap
Brown, and what has happened to Angela Davis.
They all share one common thing: they took a
stand on questions of national importance.
CPS: How long do you think the trial will last? 1
MOORE: Well, tl^pretrial proceedings should
take at least , four to five months. The trial itself
could take anywhere from two days to six months.
CPS: The indictment itself doesn’t say much
about what she is supposed to have done, does it?
MOORE: Well, you don’t have to say she did
much in California. The conspiracy indictment is
a capital crime in itself and can be satisfied by
showing sufficiently “significant circumstances.”
In California a jury can say that these facts — if
proved — show her guilt of conspiracy. In respect
to the other charges, they are based upon the
California law of principals which simply says
“all persons CONCERNED in the commission of
a crime” are as guilty as if they actually did the
act. How does one evidence his concern in the
commission of -a crime.
CPS: Will you be allowed to see the grand jury
minutes? (California refused to let Davis’ lawyers
see the minutes of the proceeding for use in at-
taking the indictment in the New York extradi
tion proceedings.)
MOORE: We have the grand jury minutes now
and we have raised a challenge to the sufficiency
of the evidence as demonstrated by them. If that
motion is successful I imagine that will be the
end of it. It’s sort of a ticklish thing because the
test is whether there’s a reasonable suspicion of
guilt. A reasonable suspicion however is not con
jecture, surmise, or speculation, but is based on
reason.
CPS: What’s in those minutes?
MOORE: The minutes are still sealed (mean
ing their contents can’t be revealed to the public).
There’s a protective order on those minutes that
doesn’t expire until the middle of January at
least. You see one of the defendants, Ruchelle
Magee, still has a problem with his lawyer. He
attempted to dismiss his lawyer.
CPS: Was Magee one of the parties to the case
where they had the kidnapping of the judge,
which caused all this?
MOORE: Brother Magee was a witness on the
stand at the time Jonathan Jackson was reported
to have entered the courtroom and taken control.
He, along with Jackson and two others, then left
the courthouse with the judge and entered a' van
to drive away. It's claimed that Magee shot the
judge. But I think the state’s going to have some
trouble showing that he shot the judge.
CPS: From what I’ve read in the straight press
it sounds like the police shot the judge.
MOORE: Yeah, I think that’s one argument
that could be made; it seems unlikely Magee shot
the judge.
CPS' Was Magee’s lawyer court-appointed?
MOORE: Yes. He’s twice attempted to have
himself designated as his own attorney and he’s
twice lost that.
CPS: Is the Angela Davis Defense Committee
interested in his case, and will you be doing
any work for him?
MOORE: We certainly support him and will
give him every help that is possible, but we are
not in the position, as Angela Davis’ counsel, of
acting as counsel for Brother Magee.
CPS: What about the international interest that
has been shown like the protest of the Russian
scientists? President Nixon said one could come.
MOORE: It’s obviously a propaganda ploy, de
signed to bait worldwide opinion condemning thjs
vicious trial of Miss Davis. I think that Mr. Nixon
should be concerned about American citizens get
ting into the courtroom and being treated fairly
rather than VIP treatment for a person from the
Soviet Union. This is a' concern he hasn’t demon
strated since he has been in public life.
CPS: Will Angela participate in her own de
fense.
MOORE: We really don’t know yet. The judge
hasn’t ruled yet. We hope she will be allowed to
participate. If she is allowed it will be an inte
gral part of the defense by counsel and it will be
at appropriate times when her own participation
should be most effective in terms of what the
ultimate outcome will be.
CPS: To what extent are you and the other
lawyers able to confer with her in the jail?
MOORE: We have unlimited rights to confer
with her up until 9 at night. It’s a bit of a hassle
to get m to see her. You haVe to be subjected to
a personal body search. Angela’s conditions of
detention are not very good; they have been
treating her as though she were a convicted felon
rather than one awaiting trial.
CPS: Do you feel like you can carry on ahy
significant communications anywhere in a jail?
MOORE: Well, there are different kinds of
communication — oral, written and by sign.
CPS: Well, doesn’t it hamper your consultation
not to be able to have full oral communicalton?
MOORE: Yes, but that seems to be the restric
tion of the day. There is no place in America
where you can talk orally about important mat
ters when you are a political personality.
CPS: Can she correspond with people other
than lawyers freely?
MOORE: Her ability to correspond beyond a
limited list is nil. She is not able to have press
conferences. Jet, Time, Der Spiegel, LeMonde, and
a Scandanavian magazine have requested inter
views, but have been denied. We intend to take
appropriate action if things don’t change.
CPS: Under what conditions was she removed
from the Women’s House of Detention in New
York?
MOORE: She was taken under military condi
tions — top secrecy. The Holland Tunnel was
closed; she was put on an air national guard plane
for California that took twelve hours. Even when
she went to the toilet the matron went with her.
That’s the kind of mentality existing around
this case. It seems their pride is really hurt by,
one. the rip-off ahd then the blow-off.
CPS: What are the chances of Angela getting
out on bail?
MOORE: I don’t see how she can miss getting
out on bail, but I don’t decide the question.
CPS: What sort of defense are you going to
raise that you can talk about this far in advance?
MOORE: WeR, it’s too early to tell. The case is
in constant development. We have a real heavy
kind ot investigation going on now. We are trying
to marshall every strand of evidence.
CPS: What do you think will be necessary to
get her a fair trial, or is that possible?
MOORE: I would tend to think, as she thinks,
that it is very doubtful she can get a fair trial.
However, we have go to look forward to getting
a trial, and trying ot get a fair trial. Without a
trial it is just like a firing squad. Through some
miracle maybe we can get twelve people who
have common decency and some sense of justice,
who will take the jurors oath seriously and find
her not guilty.
CPS. Why do you say “by some miracle”?
MOORE: There is an overwhelming amount of
publicity that has gone out — a lot of it unfavor
able. And then there’s the fact that she’s black.
Anytime a black person goes to trial, the likeli
hood of a fair trial is far less than for a white
person. Then she’s a Communist, and Commun
ists don’t fare too well. You put being black and
being a Communist together and you have one
hell of a pickle.
Then the judge that was ripped off isn’t the
kind of thing that is going to lead people to rea
son coolly. It’s the kind of thing that is likely to
inflame passion.