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For Those Who Missed It Stewart’sOpeningConvocationSpeech President Donald M. Stewart It is a pleasure to welcome the Spelman family to the All- College Convocation as we open our 1977-78 academic- year. I have seen from the program that I am giving an address entitled “The Challenge before Us.” I do want to discuss what I think are the challenges before us, but I want to change the format a bit and make my remarks relatively brief. Then, I want to have a group dis cussion, because I think this is a time for us within the Spelman family to he talking to one another about who we are and where we are going as an institution. In part, I am in fluenced by the title in last year’s yearbook, Reflections, which developed the theme “A Search for Identity.” I think this year in the College, we will be asking about a number of things that will help us in the. questioning that we are currently undergoing in the search for our “identity.” I am looking forward to this year. It should be an exciting one. We are filled to the rafters. We have approximately 1300 students. About 400 new students are entering this year either as freshmen or readmits or transfer students. I am particularly pleased to welcome our Centennial Class, which we have been talking about a great deal. It is a very interesting class - - one that is very diverse geographically and in terms of interests. Half of the students are from the South. A good number is from the northeast, and the rest come from across the United States. The largest number of this entering class seems to be determined to go into the natural sciences, with the social sciences running a good second. I had planned to say a bit more about the class, but perhaps we should get into the points that I would hope we Continued on page 7 SPELMAN /w KTcqH Np r" THE VOICE OF BLACK WOMANHOOD SPO TLIGHT Yol. 31 No. 2 Atlanta, Georgia October 1977 Ms. Iris Little, A Song For You By Robyn Mahone On October 21, 1977, when Ms. Iris Little is crowned Ms. Maroon and White 1977-1978, a song, written and produced especially for Ms. Little, will be heard. This is the Spelman woman that the Morehouse men stood up for when she walked into the room where contestants for the title of Ms. Maroon and White were gathered. “I’ve met a lot of good people through Morehouse,” Ms. Lit tle said, “My first contact with Morehouse was through the glee club back in 1972. They sang in Harrisburg, Pa. They were a very impressive group.” Ms. Little is a junior and a drama major here at Spelman. Her hometown is Harrisburg, Pa. and it is also the home of her parents, Dr. and Mrs. George Little. She is the third of three children and was born the only girl-child. “We have a tight family,” Ms. Little said describing her family’s relationship. “We are very close. I think that being the only girl makes it easy for me to communicate with men and is probably why I get along with the brothers at Morehouse.” Ms. Little appears to be a very direct person. As she sat in the yearbook office where she had been visiting her friend La Gretta Stebbins, a sense of down to earthiness was emitted by this student, this queen designate. Her hair was a bit mussed, it has been a long school day. She took out a cigarette, lit it, and inspected her nails. She was Ms. Kappa Alpha Psi last year. “My experience with the brothers of Kappa was very rewarding. The goal of Kappa is achievement and this goal has been achieved in a lot of my goals.” Ms. Little rushes on to say, “My relationship (with Morehouse men) is not one that is flighty and loose, noth ing that I’d be ashamed of. It’s not about dating Jo Blow this week and so and so next week, it’s not about that,” she said. She says, “Being Ms. Maroon and White means that I have the respect of the entire student body and that my personality reflects the quality of the men at Morehouse.” When asked why, of all the other Spelman women, she was chosen to be Ms. Marron and White Ms. Little replied, “I could answer that in two ways. Number one, I have the respect of a lot of the men at Morehouse. Number two, not only did I have the support, but I wanted to win, I wanted to run. I think that those two forces, together, made it inevitable.” Queen designate—Ms. Iris Little (Photo by Terrance V. Smith) Ms. Little is fair skinned. Her complexion is what some folks call “high yallar.” Her hair is what some folks call that “good” hair. She is very attractive in her own right. Very human. A small pimple on her chin makes her even more so. She advises Ms. Maroon and Whites of the future, “don’t trip on your looks, your God given shade of blackness or the grade of your hair, be yourself.” She said that lightness of skin and grade of hair was a big deal when the nominations were announced. Some folks even chided her because she cut her hair. “In my heart I don’t believe that’s why I was nominated. It’s a sad stereo-type. I Believe and hope that we’re all grow ing out of that,” she said. She added assuredly, “I never apologize for the way I look because there is a lot more to me than meets the eye.” There is certainly more to Ms. Little than meets the eye. Many of you may remember her for her role of Dolly in the play “Hello Dolly” performed by the Morehouse-Spelman players. She was highly ac claimed by many. Or perhaps you may remember her in the role of the mother-in-law in the Spanish classic “Blood Wed ding,” performed by the Proposition Theater. Or “Ophreus Decending” in which she played the role of Sister Temple. The memory of that role causes Ms. Little to laugh. “She (Sister Temple) was an old woman. It was the first speaking part I had at Spelman. I laugh because she was such a wild character. She was a nosey old lady. I laugh because she was such a con trast to myself.” Ms. Little is very excited about her upcoming role in the play “Seagull” which will be performed by the Proposition Theater. She sees the role as a Continued on page 7