Newspaper Page Text
Lettero
<>to the
Editor 4
Dear Editor:
Your previous issue of the Spotlight was very inter
esting. I say RIGHT ON, to you and your staff. There
were a couple of articles in the last issue that should
awaken many Spelman sisters. The articles on “Apathy
Can Kill’’ and “The Wasting Away of an Education’’
were precise and to the point. The sisters who wrote
these articles definitely have an open mind toward the
atmosphere in which all Spelman sisters live. Not only
that, but they realize the destruction that many of the
Spelman sisters are headed for. It is time for the sisters
here to wake up and see what is happening to them
and solve the problem of apathy. They should portray
an attitude that is constructive and objective. That’s
the problem now; sisters are too narrowminded to
face reality. We all live here together and in order for
the atmosphere to become unified, sisters must do
more than just look Black. They must come out of the
dark and face certain realities, because time is running
out.
Black on,
Kunene
(Georgette Woodward)
Spelman Family:
myth or reality??
by Cathia
At all major campus assemblies as well as in all
publicity material, there is much talk of a “Spelman
Family.” In the Spelman Community, all of the phy
sical components are present to make us a family, but
there is a hard-core absence of the cohesive force of
unity.
More important than unity, there is also an absence
of communication. How can we exist as a family unit
if there is no communication, which in turn means no
unity? The problem is that we are merely existing and
not progressing. We are all here, thrown together
under the common bond of the Spelman Family, but
each remaining “cut off from the mainstream.”
The head of this so-called family unit sits back in a
leather chair, and, along with many of the instructors,
has the elitist characteristic of invisibility. In order to
get an “audience,” you must go through the “com
mittee for the committee for the committee” to make
the connection. Is this campus so large that we must
go through all of this? As for the invisibility of in
structors, if office hours were actually put in practice
and were not merely posted on the door for show,
part of the student-teacher communications gap
would be bridged.
In regard to the size of the college, this should
work to the students' advantage rather than disadvan
tage. We are not of such magnitude that a properly
submitted request to Buildings and Grounds in Sep
tember should be tabled with no action taken — even
in April. Does this represent a failure in communica
tions or does this represent no desire for communi
cations?
Maybe the problem lies in conflicting priority
placement? If this is true, more than unity and com
munication is absent. There will always be conflicting
opinions and attitudes, but within a family unit, they
can always be dealt with adequately — before the ties
become severed or the welfare of the family jeopard
ized.
Here, within the Spelman Family, there are many
factors that need to be dealt with quite seriously be
fore we can ever become a truly cohesive family unit.
The time has come for us to stop merely existing as a
family and not progressing as one. When one member
of this unit achieves, we should be proud, but more
often than not, we reflect the attitude, "Well, she
should have gotten it, she’s a yes-man.” We cannot
be truly proud if there is no unity. Now is the time
to make serious repairs in the Spelman Family
structure and order if we are to survive as a whole.
The
Misunderstood Men
In Green
There is no end to the complaints and criticisms
students have about the campus security system.
“They just aren’t efficient” is the statement most
often heard about the men working on the security
force.
“Only one or two are doing their job,” says one
student, “and the rest of them flirt.”
“When you need them, they’re not around,” some
one commented, regarding the availability of guards
in emergency situations.
Can these, along with the many other problems, be
remedied? Are students being fair when they utter
these grievances? Or are both sides in the dark about
what is expected from each other?
There is no denying that the security force is not
functioning as smoothly and efficiently as it could,
but there are specific reasons for this.
“We don’t have enough guards on the force,” ex
plained one guard who has been on the force for 18
months. This in itself answers the complaint about
having only one gate open when it would be more
convenient to open two. None of the guards stay on
the job for any great length of time because of low
pay. Hiring qualifications are not unusual (high school
diploma, no police record). The problem lies in salary.
One former security worker mentioned he only in
tended to keep the job until he could find a better
paying one.
When asked about his experiences with the stu
dents, the aforementioned guard stated that after his
18 months on the job, he sees lack of communication
as the biggest problem. “Students should have the
chance to sit down and discuss the rules and regula
tions with the guards. For it seems as though they’re
not aware of all the rules.”
So often students complain about not being able
to drive beyond the guard house. They say that this
is unfair, especially when on some other occasion,
they were allowed to do so. “Unregistered cars are
not supposed to be on campus at all.” he explained.
“We break our rules for the students by allowing them
to ride on campus in unregistered cars.” When the
•weather is bad, when students have luggage to carry
or other such conditions, the guard on duty might
permit her to ride on campus.
Another guard who has been working for five
months says he has trouble with the students every
day. “The young ladies’ attitudes are not right,” he
says. “Not all of them, but a certain few.” He feels
that the students know the rules, but “just don’t
want to do right.”
“I try to assist students whenever I can,” one
guard replied, when asked about the function of the
security force in emergency situations. However, stu
dents testify to certain incidents that cause them to
believe otherwise. “We waited an hour for help last
year when a girl passed out in Morehouse Hall,” one
student recalled. Security guards attribute such com
plaints to the lack of communication, shortage of
manpower, and so forth.
So the relationship between guards and students
will remain the same or possibly get worse unless
something is done to inspire students to have more
respect for the position of the security guards.
STAFF
Paula Hicks. . .
Kathy Johnson .
Amelia Hamilton .
Belva Davis. . .
Greer Geiger . .
Helena Humphrey
Arita Okon. . .
Georgette Jones .
Yolanda Jones
Marion Cobb . .
. . . editor
associate editor
. layout editor
. photographer
. . cartoonist
. . .reporter
. . .reporter
. . .reporter
. . .reporter
. . .reporter
Gynecology Service
On Campus
Spelman is not always sympathetic to the demands
and needs of the Spelman woman. But this past Sep
tember, Spelman became aware of the medical needs
of the students and instituted a gynecology clinic on
this campus.
The clinic is housed in McVicar Infirmary and was
the brain-child of Dr. Audrey Forbes Manley, pediatri
cian, Spelman graduate and wife of President Manley.
During the period before the clinic was opened, Dr.
Manley made several visits to the dormitories inform
ing students about the clinic and the services that it
would perform.
Dr. Manley says that similar clinics are on other
college campuses in the United States and that these
clinics are limited to undergraduate colleges only.
The Spelman clinic recently expanded its facilities.
Yet the facilities and size of the personnel staff at
Spelman’s clinic are not large enough to treat other
female Atlanta University students.
Spelman students are required to make appoint
ments and in some instances, appointments have to
be made two weeks in advance. On the first visit, a
patient can receive a kit with various birth control
devices.
However, the clinic is not limited to offering just
birth control methods. Students may be tested for
venereal diseases, Pap smears, and other medical
problems in the area of gynecology.
The clinic is staffed by Dr. Jacob Adams and Dr.
Elijah Jones. Clinic hours are Monday and Thursday
nights from five to seven.
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