Newspaper Page Text
by Amelia K. Hamilton
Summer in Africa
Claudia Kelly - Extreme Right At Women Conference in Dabar Senegal.
INADEQUACY
of
Spelman Library
by Jetta Edwards
That Spelman library is inadequate might appear to
be a strong statement; nevertheless, it is true. Over the
past three years there has been little change in the
efficiency of the library. The library is too small; the
collection of books is not varied enough to meet the
total needs of Spelman students; the reference books
and periodicals are limited, and it is not atypical to find
missing sections of a periodical collection. Not to
mention that though Spelman has the best Black
collection in the Atlanta University Center, it does not
have the array of books that a Black institution should
have and the floor squeaks so that it is difficult to study
without external noises.
But it is not enough to state the malfunctions of the
Spelman library. We must investigate how and why the
library got in its present state and why many four year
Spelmanites have not seen any progressive change in the
library’s development.
Most students are not aware of the fact that the
library listed in the Spelman College Comparison of
Ms. Claudia Kelly, who is pictured at the far left in
theabove photo is an economics major at Spelman
College and was one of the ten participants in the
1974 Africa-Aid Cooperative Work Study Program this
summer. The Africa-Aid program is co-ordinated by
the Agency for International Development at the State
Department in Washington D.C. and according to Ms.
Kelly it consists of three phases. Phase one of the
program is a three week economic development course
at North Carolina A & T State University in
Greensboro, North Carolina. Phase two involved a job
experience for Ms. Kelly at the State Department for
three weeks. In this position she attended economics
seminars and studied the economic developments and
general data of Dabar Senegal, the African country to
which she was assigned. In the final phase of the
program Ms. Kelly was sent to Dabar, Senegal, on the
coast of West Africa for 4!h months. In Senegal she
worked at the A.I.D. mission with the Regional
Department Officers as a regular employee and was
given various assignments from the agency.
At the close of the 4Vi month period this fall, Ms.
Kelly returned to Spelman College to complete her
requirements for graduation; whe will be eligible to
apply for the 2 year graduate program with the State
Department. The Program has inspired her to pursue a
career in economic development in the African Bureau
with the Agency for International Development.
Good Luck Claudia Kelly, we at Spelman know you
will make it.
SPELMAN
THE VOICE OF BLACK WOMANHOOD
SPO TLIGHT
VOL. XLII, NO. 2
ATLANTA. GEORGIA
OCTOBER, 1974
Revenue and Expenditures by Percent of Budget is only
allocated three percent of the revenue or money capital
over a four year period. It has the lowest amount of
expenditure of the school budget.
What this means is that the Spelman library which
goes under the title of “Academic Support” is at the
bottom of the administrative priority list.
Administration apathy is not the only factor that
perpetuates the condition of the library. The Spelman
faculty as a whole has not exploited the resources
available. Faculty members can order any books
necessary for classes or for expansion of the book
collection. Many instructors do not do this. If an
instructor requests that a student go to another
institution to get material, it is the student’s
responsibility to ask. the instructor if he or she has
requested the Spelman library to get the material. A
student’s library need should be met by the institution
in which the student is enrolled.
Mrs. Mickleberry, the Spelman librarian since 1943, is
the first to agree with the fact that Spelman’s library is
no where near its potential. She has worked diligently
within a bureaucracy where her cries are seldom heard or
listened to. She has lead the schools in pushing for better
library service but she is plagued with a limited budget,
under-staffed with professionally skilled persons in the
area of library science and gets little cooperation from
the faculty.
An inadequate library can hinder intellectual inquiry
which is what an institution of higher learning should
stimulate. We, Spelman Women, have a responsibility.
We must not be apathetic for apathy represents
stagnation and to become stagnant is to become dead
and unchanging like the library has been for many years.
Let’s push to make Spelman better. Voice your opinion
to the library, to SGA and to our college president.
Write descriptions of what’s wrong and how it can
become better. Let’s not cry like babies . . . let’s be
heard!
Communications
on the Yard
In the recent years the field of Communications has
opened new career avenues for Blacks, particularly Black
women. Each year more and more Black women enter
the communications field or take an interest in some
area of the work. It’s quite natural these days to turn on
a T.V. set and see a Black female anchor-person, news
reporter or show hostess; or to turn on radio or pick up
a magazine and see or hear the works by or under the
leadership of Black women. Here at Spelman an
increasing number of sisters are involving themselves in
communications and making noteworthy
accomplishments in the field.
Clark College Communications Department is rapidly
gaining recognition and popularity, and moving along
with its growth are numerous Black women particularly
the women of Spelman College. At the opening of Clark’s
F.M. radio station WCLK, 91.9 F.M., last year the highest
staff position to be held by a student was held by a woman
from Spelman College-Shelby Allen. Shelby like many of
the students on the yard interested in communications,
spent half of her class time at Clark in the media class
rooms of McPheeters-Dennis studying and becoming an
expert in some aspect of the field. She also had an
opportunity to do professional work which she was able
to obtain through Clark. Ms. Allen’s case is an outstand
ing one for a young Black woman in media but it is also
rather common for women in media on the yard.
There is an endless list of Spelman Women who are
doing fantastic things in communications which is one of
the highest paying job fields. Belba Davis, Brenda Siler
and Terry Cornwell all host shows on WCLK and work
in other areas of the station. A number of Spelman
women served and are presently serving internships in
places like WSB-T.V. station, advertising firms, etc.,
Amelia Hamilton, who is well known in the
communications department .at Clark has served
internships at WSB and the Coca-Cola Company. She has
had several opportunities to be exposed to all facets of
the professional media world. Ms. Hamilton lias written
and produced a professional T.V. show, a documentary
film, a commercial and a number of class projects. Yet as
Ms. Allen her accomplishments are just a few of the many
that Spelman women have performed.
The women of Spelman along with sisters of Clark
formed a professional organization, College Women in
Broadcasting, which is a little sister chapter to American
Women in Radio and Television - a national organization
for women in media. There is no doubt that these sisters
that are working so hard, will go a long way in media. In
a short time we will all be looking at their names in
lights, but it is a pity that right now despite their efforts
and accomplishments Spelman College has given them
little or no recognition. It’s perhaps a sad thing to say
but the sisters in communications at Spelman College
have only one thing they can surely look to from
Spelman and that is when their names do make the lights
that Spelman will then be among the first to claim them.