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Page 5 - Spelman Spotlight
Spelman Calendar
Of Inaugural Events
SUNDAY, OCT. 16
3 p.m. - Preinaugural Con
vocation. Speaker: Dr. James
Perkins, Chairman,
International Council for
Educational Development-
Sisters’ Chapel
5 p.m. - Opening art exhibit:
Selected works from the
Spelman College collection
and by the Spelman faculty-to
run all week-Fine Arts Theater
MONDAY, OCT. 17
8 p.m. - Spelman-Morehouse
Players. “The Death of
Chaka” by Seydou Badian-
Fine Arts Theater
TUESDAY, OCT. 18
11 a.m. - Lecture: Ms. Lois
Rice, Vice-President, College
Entrance Examination Board-
Sisters’ Chapel
8 p.m. - Morehouse-Spelman
Players. “The Death of
Chaka” Fine Arts Theater
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 19
8 p.m. - “An Evening of
Entertainment,” featuring
Atlanta alumnae - Fine Arts
Theater
THURSDAY, OCT. 20
11 a.m. - Lecture: Ms.
Eleanor Holmes Norton,
Chair, Equal Employment Op
portunity Commission
Sisters’ Chapel
8:00 p.m. - Maria Alba Dance
Company - Fine Arts Theater
FRIDAY, OCT. 21
10 a.m. - Symposium. “The
Future of the Women’s Liberal
Arts College” Sisters’ Chapel
1:30 p.m. - Divisional Sub
symposia. “The Future ofthe
Woman’s Liberal Arts
Colleges in: Education; Fine
Arts; Humanities; Social
Sciences; Natural Sciences”
3:15 p.m. - Recapitulation
session - Sister’s Chapel
6 p.m. - Organ meditation.
Dr. Joyce F. Johnson, organist
- Sister’s Chapel
SATURDAY, OCT. 22
5 p.m. - Open house for alum
nae and guests - Reynolds Cot
tage
SUNDAY, OCT. 23
2 p.m. - Inaugural Exercises -
Sisters Chapel
Followed by Reception - Albert
E. Manley College Center
Get Re-Involved Through NBSA
by Dorothy Williams
On Saturday, September 24,
the National Black Students’
Association (NBSA) held its
annual conference at Dean-
Sage Hall, located on the cam
pus of Atlanta University.
“A FORCE FOR
LIBERATION” was the theme
of the conference. Under the
leadership of Kojo Owusu,
chairperson of the Southern
Regional Coordinating Com
mittee, the meeting began with
his opening presentation of
what the NBSA is about.
Owusu began by stating
that the low turnout (ap
proximately 40 people were
there) does not reflect the
strength of NBSA. He said
that NBSA was not as strong
as it should or needs to be, but
its strength is forever growing.
Owusu talked about the
President. “Many black
persons tended to think that
Jimmy Carter was going to be
our great white hope. However,
he said, “even conservative
black folk like Vernon Jordan,
director of the National Urban
League, had openly admitted
that we have been tricked
again.”
Owusu said that many
people have been fooled by the
mediocre progress that black
people have made in the past
few years into thinking that
black people have “made it;”
however, Owusu contends that
blacks still lack in the basic
necessities of food, shelter,
education, and politics. He
says that the movement has
been set back due to different
fads—the disco and the
superfly era (early years of the
seventies). “Even though the
black movement has been set
back,” he said, “it has not been
killed.”
Owusu calls on black
students to get re-involved and
for those students who are
community service, 3) resource
already involved with the
progress of black people to step
up that involvement even
more. He asks students to
return to their communities
upon receiving their degrees.
He said that there is a need for
young people in the com
munities because they add
body to the movement, they
have more energy, and they
have fresh minds.
Owusu sees a trend toward a
reinterest in the movement. He
said that at the National Black
Student Solidarity Conference
held at Tufts University in
Medford, Massachusetts on
February 17-22, 1976. The
students at that particular
conference declared that they
were tired of students being too
busy partying to get involved;
they’re tired of students believ
ing in the falsehood that
blacks have progressed as a
people. Hence, Owusu
commented that it’s a very
hard job doing something
when you’ve been doing
nothing. “Students who do
believe that black people have
progressed are sleepwalkers
and are totally oblivious to
what’s going on around them.”
Owusu also said that there is
a strong belief among black
students that they should not
associate with the black com
munity. Owusu feels that there
is a strong need for students to
associate with their brothers
and sisters on the street.
Owusu closed his speech by
stating that NBSA is growing
and that there is a cliche that
“once an organization is big
and powerful everyone wants
to join it and get involved.” He
seems to feel that this is going
to happen with NBSA.
Several workshops were
held after Owusu’s opening
remarks. The workshops were
as follows: 1) student rights, 2)
development and 4)
organizational development.
The workshops delt with
every facet of the black com
munity. Discussed in the
student rights workshop was
the Bakke decision as it relates
to black people. Although
Owusu said that Bakke is a
symbol of racist schemes, he is
not the primary issue. The is
sue to be dealt with is the whole
educational system, with a
focus on admission policies.
Also discussed in student
rights were the biased stan
dardized tests, and how those
tests affect blacks.
The community service
workshop covered ideas such
as tutorial programs and a
means of resources (money) for
those programs. Hence, things
such as physical location,
human resources, and reading
materials were also taken into
account in order to strengthen
the programs. The programs
would include tutorial lessons
on the college level —- benefit
ing all students.
Discussed in the community
service workshop was the idea
of prison support—support in
terms of moral support and
political support.
Resource development dealt
mainly with the idea of solicit
ing funds for UBSA in order to
establish an economic base for
the organization. Bake sales,
cultural and social affairs were
taken into account as a pos
sible means of soliciting those
needed funds for the
organization.
The organizational
development workshop in
volved ideas such as the direc
tion UBSA is taking in terms
of national programs and pro
jects, and means of inspiring
students around the country to
join the Organization.
Death Of Chaka
The Spelman-Morehouse
Players, born of two
institutions steeped in a
tradition of black awareness,
pride, and heritage, opened its
1977-1978 theatre season with
an historical African play,
“The Death of Chaka”. This
intense and enlightening
drama was written by Seydou
Badian and it centers around
the reign of the great Zulu
leader Chaka.
Powerful, cunning, and
prophetic, Chaka took a small
tribe and built a mighty and
feared nation of proud Zulus.
But toward the end of his
reign, the weary battles, the
loss of lives, and the spread of
rumors, caused discontent
among his generals. In the
end, Chaka is murdered by
them - stabbed with three
spears - but not before he
proclaims the fate of his people
by warning them of the com
ing of the white man.
Dr. Baldwin W. Burroughs,
in directing the play left no
emotional stone unturned. He
evoked from his actors a com
manding level of intensity,
and every moment of the play
demands the attention and
respect of the audience. The
powerful, exacting, difficult
role of Chaka was expertly
played by Afemo Omilami, a
Morehouse graduate who lived
in an African-styled village in
South Carolina for two years.
Excellent depictions came also
from supporting actors
Jonathan Peck, Joseph Kelly,
Jule Lassiter, Whittaker
Howell, Charles Mann,
Edward Billups, and Kevin
Clements.
“The Death of Chaka”
dedicated to Spelman’s sixth
president, Dr. Donald Stewart,
proved itself a success in every
aspect of theatre. Didactic,
moving, highlighted by
traditional African music and
dancing, it Was a beautiful
experience not only for avid
theatre-goers, but for anyone
interested in learning more
about his roots.
Job Seekers
The BLACK
COLLEGIAN’S Collegiate
Pocket Calendar (CPC) is once
again available for job seeking
students in need of a call to
order in the bustling job
market. The Collegiate Pocket
Calendar features a monthly
appointment calenda;
interview follow-up forms;
interview travel expense
forms; a telephone book for
personal use and note pages
for jotting down anything else
you may need to remember.
In addition, the CPC offers
jobs; a listing of major
corporations with job
openings .... and .... yes,’
there’s more .... the Eastern
Airlines’ Student Trip
Program which acts as a
student travel agent from con
firming your trip with the
recruiter to having your ticket
waiting for you at the airport.
All this with one toll free call.
The Collegiate Pocket Calen
dar is your compact to carry
you through a successful job
hunt. Get your’s today. They
are available in your
placement office.
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