Newspaper Page Text
Page 3 - Spelman Spotlight
SURVEY
By Tandra L. Dawson
The Spotlight recently
circulated a poll containing
questions in various areas.
Through this questioning, it
was hoped that a general idea
of student attitudes on possible
campus centered controversies
and student interrelations
could be acquired. Regretfully,
a limited number of polls were
available and the returns were
even fewer.
However, the poll did offer
some interesting results. For
example, of the students ques
tioned, although many (about
98%) admitted to having com
plained about poor services
and facilities at Spelman’s din
ing hall, most have plundered
its eating utensils and have
used milk, sugar and/or butter
(etc.) outside of the designated
mealtimes. Recognizing that
those cafeteria losses aren’t
replaced without cost, one
could further conclude that
perhaps students have been a
partial (possibly even a
substantial) cause of the
cafeteria’s shortcomings (due
to the financial deficit they
create).
There were other interesting
findings. The tallies show that
most students are more
mindful of their major areas of
study, cheating only on non
major exams. Only one third or
less have plagiarized or forged
someone else’s paper, project
or report for a class as
signment.
The results also implied that
Spelman sisters are fairly ac
tive (hold membership) in
clubs and organizations
within the Atlanta University
Center. Many sophomores and
freshmen indicated an interest
in pledging a sorority.
The poll confirmed the
general apathetic attitude
students have towards the
Spelman Student Government
Association (SSGA). One third
could name the officers of the
SSGA. About the same
amount could identify their
class representative, except for
the freshmen (their’s was an
increase in the ‘yes’ response).
Over two thirds of the students
do not attend student body
meetings.
I’ll note one final en
couragement. At least ninety-
five per cent of the sisters ques-
tioned, read A.U.C.
publications!
The questions, as they
appeared on the poll, and the
tallied results are offered
below.
1. Have you ever ‘borrowed’ or
broken any of your dorm
mate’s belongings without her
knowledge?
freshmen 3-yes, 18-no
sophomores 3-yes, 20 no
juniors 1-yes, 10-no
seniors 1-yes, 2-no
2. Have you ever claimed cloth
ing (or other articles from the
laundry room which wasn’t
your own?
freshmen 21-no
sophomores 1-yes, 22-no
juniors 11-no, seniors 3-no
3. Do you make certain that
you leave clean areas in the
public spaces (bathrooms, kit
chens and lounge) of the dorm
after your use?
freshmen 18-yes, 3-no
sophomores 20-yes, 3-no
juniors 8-yes, 3-no
seniors 3-yes
Are there any additions to
your decor which have been
‘borrowed’ from another sec
tion of the dorm or campus?
freshmen 7-yes, 14-no
sophomores 5-yes, 18-no
juniors 1-yes, 10-no
seniors 3-no
5. Have you ever taken any
plates, glasses and/or eating
utensils outside of the dining
hall?
freshmen 15-yes, 6-no
sophomores 19-yes, 4-no
juniors 11-yes
seniors 2-yes, 1 no
6. Are you planning on ac
quiring a sample of the new
china?
freshmen 8-yes, 13-no
sophomores 4-yes, 19-no
juniors 4-yes, 7-no
seniors 3-no
7. Does the cafeteria supply
any of the milk, sugar and
butter (etc...) that you use out
side of the designated
mealtimes?
freshmen 15-yes, 6-no
sophomores 15-yes, 8-no
juniors 8-yes, 3-no
seniors 3-yes
8. Do you voice complaints to
fellow students concerning
various inadequacies of the
dining hall (availability and
quality of food, etc.,)?
freshmen 17-yes, 3-no, 1-no
reply
sophomores 23-yes
juniors 10-yes, 1-no
seniors 2-yes, 1-no
9. Have you ever cheated on an
exam in your major area of
study?
freshmen 4-yes, 17-no
sophomores 8-yes, 15-no
juniors 5-yes, 6-no
seniors 3-no
Would you cheat, if the
circumstances allowed?
freshmen 6-yes, 15-no
sophmores 9-yes, 14-no
juniors 6-yes, 4-no, 1-no reply
seniors 1-yes, 2-no
10. Have you ever cheated on
an exam outside of your major
area of study (either by giving
or receiving information)?
freshmen 15-yes, 6-no
sophmores 20-yes, 3-no
juniors 10-yes, 1-no
seniors 2-yes, 1-no
11. have you sometimes
plagiarized or used someone
else’s paper, project or report
for any class?
freshmen 4-yes, 17-no
sophomores 8-yes, 14-no
juniors 4-yes, 7-no
seniors 3-no
12. Has winning the affections
of an instructor ever been a
goal as a means of insuring a
good grade?
freshmen 3-yes, 18-no
sophomores 1-yes, 20-no, 1-no
reply
juniors 1-yes, 10-no
seniors 3-no
13. So you challenge an
instructor’s view if it seems (to
you) wrong or is different from
your own?
freshmen 5-yes, 16-sometimes
sophmores 8-yes, 15-
sometimes
juniors 2-yes, 1-no, 8-
sometimes
seniors 3-sometimes
14. Can you name the officers
of the SSGA?
freshmen 6-yes, 15-no
sophomores 6-yes, 17-no
juniors 2-yes, 6-no, 3-
sometimes
seniors 2-no, 1-yes
15. Is the name of your class
representative familiar to you?
freshmen 14-yes, 7-no
sophmores 8-yes, 15-no
juniors 4-yes, 7-no
seniors 1-yes, 2-no
(Federick Arkhurst, U.S.
Foreign Policy Toward Africa,
pg. 99.)
It is under the above
philosophy that whites in
South Africa continue to exist
while many Blacks continue to
die.
It is under this philosophy
that the Black worker in South
Africa must survive daily. In
fact, without the Black worker
in this racist white regime,
South Africa would come to a
complete standstill. Though
the survival of South Africa
depends on the Black worker,
very little attention or credit is
given to the Black worker. In
fact, because the South
African Government practices
apartheid most truthful in
formation concerning the
inhuman treatment of the
Black worker is not allowed to
be published.
For the average Black
worker under the apartheid
system life becomes a constant
battle to survive, for the daily
problems that he or she must
face are many. The Black
worker lives with the constant
fear of being fired from a job or
not being able to take care of
their families with the meager
wages that are received.
Besides the fact that the Black
worker is not allowed to join or
form trade unions, the Black
worker is also not allowed to
strike. Further barriers are
placed on the Black worker in
South Africa due to the
limitations that exist for
educational growth. This is
done by not providing free
compulsory education for
16. Do you attend any student
body meetings?
freshmen 9-yes, 12-no
sophmores 6-yes, 17-no
juniors 2-yes, 9-no
seniors 1-yes, 2-no
17. Are you planning to attend
the student body meeting that
was held on January 27th?
freshmen 9-yes, 10-no, 5-no
reply
Sophmores 8-yes, 15-no
juniors 6-yes, 4-no, 1-no reply
seniors 2-no, 1-no reply
18. Do you attend any con
vocations?
freshmen 15-yes, 6-no'
sophmores 11-yes, 22-no
junior 8-yes, 3-no
senior 3-yes
19. Are you planning to join a
sorority?
freshmen 13-yes, 8-no
sophmores 16-yes, 7-no
juniors 3-yes, 8-no
seniors 1-yes, 2-no
20. Are you a member of any
sorority?
freshmen 1-yes, 20-no
sophomores 1-yes, 22-no
juniors 22-no
seniors 3-no
Continued from page 2
Blacks and by not allowing
Blacks to attend white
universities and professional
schools.
In perpetuating the
apartheid philosophy, most
Blacks employed by the
government have jobs that re
quire a limited amount of skills
and they receive the lowest
possible wages. This is in ac
cordance with the fact that all
skilled and managerial jobs
must be reserved for whites.
The great disparities that
exist between the Black worker
and the white worker are
evident in a wide variety of em
ployment areas. In 1971 there
were 272,000 Blacks employed
in construction fields receiving
49 rand (the equivalent to the
U.S. dollar) a month while
there were 60,000 whites em
ployed in the same area receiv
ing 326 rand a month. The
same year there were 5,269
Blacks employed in banks
receiving 61 rand a month
while 43,778 whites were em
ployed receiving 258 rand a
month. Blacks employed by
the South African Railways
and Harbours numbered 96,-
345 receiving 52 rand a month
while 111,006 whites were em
ployed receiving 295 rand a
month. (South African
Institute of Race Relations, A
Survey of Race Relations
in South Africa). As reported
by the Sunday Tribune
(Durban) September 12,1971 a
family of five required 67 rand
a month to rise above the
poverty subsistence line.
A large majority of Blacks
employed in South Africa are
21. Do you have any
membership with any other
clubs or organizations in the
A.U. Center?
freshman 6-yes, 15-no
sophmores 11-no, 12-yes
juniors 7-yes, 4-no
seniors 2-yes, 1-no
22. Do you read any A.U.C.
publications?
freshmen 19-yes, 2-no
sophmores 20-yes, 3-no
juniors 10-yes, 1-no reply
seniors 3-yes
23. Are your friendships con
fined to a particular cirlce of
folks?
freshmen 5-yes, 15-no, 1-no
reply
sophomores 1-yes, 22-no
juniors 6-yes, 5-no
seniors 1-yes, 2-no
24. Do you entertain any
sterotypes about freshmen?
freshmen 5-yes, 19-no
sophomores 10-yes, 13-no
juniors 5-yes, 6-no
seniors 3-no
...about upperclassmen?
freshmen 7-yes, 14-no
sophomores 7-yes, 16o
juniors 4-yes, 7-no
seniors 1-yes, 2-no
employed by various
corporations, especially min
ing corporations. Black
workers in these capacities
receive possibly the worse
treatment of all Black workers
in the apartheid system.
The Anglo-American is a
large perpetuator of apartheid
in South Africa. Mr Harry
Oppenheimer, Chairman of
the corporation, employs 110,-
000 Africans a year. He is the
largest employer of Black mine
workers, but the average
worker receives approximately
45 rand a month while whites
receive approximately 210
rand a month. As can be seen
the disparities are great
between the white worker and
the Black worker. (Gurney,
The South African Connec
tion, pg. 66-67).
Every year a quarter of
Oppenheimer gold miners are
brought as new workers to
work in the mines. These
workers are separated from
their families and live in com
pounds on the mines, sleeping
in barracks on concrete bunks,
at least a dozen men to a hut.
The jobs these men have is one
of the hardest and most
dangerous jobs in the world.
Approximately one hundred
Africans die every year in
Oppenheimer’s gold mines.
(Gurney, The South African
Connection, pg. 211).
The great disparities that
exist between the Black and
white worker in South Africa is
evident by the following
figures. In 1970 there were
386,113 Blacks employed in
Continued on page 7
Black Workers in Africa