Newspaper Page Text
Page 3 - Spelman Spotlight
Students Protest Housing PolicyChange
by Robyn D. Mahone
On February 18, 1978 some
students received notices
(others received them later)
from the Dean of Student Af
fairs, Ms. Sadie Allen, stating,
in part, that room reservations
could be made as soon as room
deposits were paid.
This move by the ad
ministration came as a
surprise to many students
who, when they found out,
were very much against it.
Housing reservation usually
takes place in April.
“We just heard about this '
last night by way of the
grapevine,” said Patricia
Bennett, junior. “Your parents
can’t just get $100 out of the
hat.”
Apparently, the students’
main cause for alarm was the
fact that those students who
had money readily available to
them would have first choice
over the dormitories and
rooms which were thought of
as most desirable. Those
students who were not finan
cially solvent would get what
*vas left over.
Petitions were passed
around and brought to the of
fice of Dr. Donald M. Stewart,
president of Spelman College.
When the more than 29
students reached the
president’s office to present
him with the petitions they
were told, by presidential
secretaries, that he would be
out shortly and would meet
with students in Howe Hall.
While many of the students
went to Howe Hall to await the
President’s arrival, five
students stood vigil outside of
his office in an attempt to in
sure his presence at the
meeting. Meanwhile, more
than 50 students were
gathered in Howe Hall after
being advised by word of
mouth and dormitory intercom
that a meeting on housing
would be taking place.
While awaiting President
Stewart, Janice Sistrunk, vice-
president of the Spelman
Student Government As
sociation (SSGA) dictated the
way in which the meeting
would he conducted to insure
order. Many questions were
posed by students in regards to
the “whys” of the change in
housing policy.
One of the questions Ms. Sis
trunk was asked was, why
didn’t the administration
confer with the student body
before the decision was made?
Ms. Sistrunk told the students
that SSGA president, Paula
Spence, was asked her opinion
and told the administration
she did not think the idea was
a good one. Despite this, ac
cording to Ms. Sistrunk, Ms.
Spence’s opinions were
ignored.
When the president arrived a
statement was read by Ms. Sis
trunk summing up the basic
reasons for student dis
satisfaction with the new
housing policy. President
Stewart’s initial response was
that the decision “does reflect
that of the administrative com
mittee. We don’t have enough
housing. Each year that I have
been here we have had a
problem of how to house
students in a manner that was
fair to all.”
President Stewart stated
that the problem was how to
make supply meet the demand.
He said, “At least we have
created a process for everyone
to have an equal chance to get
the rooms we do have.”
President Stewart stated
that last year rising seniors
had first preference, rising
sophomores and rising juniors
signed up for rooms together
and freshmen were assigned
dormitories as they have been
in the past.
Two years ago, and prior to
that, rooms were obtained by
class with the rising seniors
having first preference, then
rising juniors and so on.
President Stewart maintained
that this year the logic of last
year was extended.
“We are making it open.
What this is is a democratic-
process. It deprives the rising
seniors of their seniority, but
we thought that it was fair. We
still think it’s fair,” said
President Stewart.
“People were saying things
were better two years ago,"
Continued on page 8
(Newsreel Makes Debut I
Students’ Housing
Proposals Accepted
| Have you noticed the signs,
I banners and flyers, lately,
| proclaiming the advent of the
1 Atlanta University Center
(AUC) Newsreel? Many
| students do not know what the
I AUC Newsreel is all about but
I could have found out if they
had attended the premiere on
February 28, 1978 in room 201
of McPheeters Dennis on the
Clark College campus.
AUC Newsreel is a relatively
new phenomenon designed to
inform the AUC community of
the happenings within and
around the complex. AUC
Newsreel brings you, the
student and constituent of the
AUC, pertinent information of
importance, in an attempt to
keep you informed.
With an air of television
news reporter professionalism,
student news reporters and
correspondents were projected
onto the screen and shown
covering such events as the
Clark Founders Day, Rep.
Hosea Williams speaking
against the “King” movie at a
mass rally at Sale Hall on the
Morehouse College Campus.
I Coverage was given to
1 Wallace D. Muhammad of the
| World Community of Islam,
| speaking to a mostly student
| audience of the problems of
land aspirations he felt
1 Bilallian (black) people'should
I have. The coverage of the An
il nual Communications
I conference, by Newsreel
I reporters, at Howard
I University in Washington,
I D.C. informs students of the
I success and areas of needed
1 improvement as stated by
students interviewed by |
Newsreel reporters on 1
Newsreel film. §
The AUC Newsreel will soon |
he available, daily, on projec- I
tor, for your viewing pleasure |
and information attainment in |
the lobby of McPheeters Den- |
nis. Be on the lookout for in-1
formation regarding its exact |
day of installation. |
The students of Newsreel |
have worked hard to keep you 1
informed of the many 1
speakers, programs and ac- |
tivities coming to the AUC |
every day. Despite much |
publicity by the Newsreel
public relations committee,
student turnout for the
premiere was very poor.
The current Newsreel staff
includes Sidney Simmons, §
producer, Morehouse senior;
Machael Banner, news direc
tor, Clark senior; George “Gen
tle” Folkes, AUC Newsreel
coordinator, Morehouse
senior; Tracy Willard, co
public relations director,
Spelman College sophomore;
Pam Jackson, reporter, Clark
senior; Denise Green, reporter,
Clark junior; Neive Wead,
reporter, Clark junior; Lamont
Smith, special correspondent,
Clark senior; Jerome Bailey,
reporter, Clark senior; Sheely
Zan, reporter, Morehouse
junior; Spike Lee, cameraman,
Morehouse senior; Allison
Howard, camerawoman,
Clark sophomore; Reggie Man-
son, cameraman, Clark senior;
and Herb Echelberger, Clark
communications instructor
and executive producer of
AUC Newsreel.
On Wednesday February 22
at 3:30 pm, student represen
tatives met with the ad
ministrative committee to
present their proposals for
policy regarding the
reservation of rooms.
The proposals were com
posed by more than 100
students at a student body
meeting in Sisters Chapel on
Saturday, February 18 at
1:30pm. The meeting was
moderated by Spelman
Student Government As
sociation Vice President,
Janice Sistrunk. SSGA
President, Paula Spence was
present. The meeting
convened for three hours.
At the student body meeting
the following proposals were
decided upon and were
accepted, with some revision,
at the student/administration
meeting:
1)-The deadline for paying the
$100 deposit would be 4:00 pm,
March 31, 1978.
2- The registration for spaces
would take place on Saturday
April 11, 1978 beginning at
8:00 am in Read Hall
3- Rising seniors will register
for rooms between 8:00 am and
11 am; rising juniors and
sophomores will register from
11 am until 6 pm with rising
juniors having first preference
over McAlpin and Morehouse
James halls between 11 am
and 1 pm; from 1 pm until 6
p.m., all remaining spaces will
be available to all
4- After April 1, registration for
spaces will continue in the
Dean of Students’ office until
all spaces have been assigned
5- After all spaces have been
assigned a waiting list will be
established and spaces will be
assigned in the order in which
names are listed.
6 - The deposit is not refundable
after July 1,1978. Cancelation
of a reservation prior to this
date entitles a student to a re
quest of one half of the housing
deposit upon receipt of a
written notice of cancellation.
The proposal initially stated
that rising sophomores would
register last. This proposal
was revised by the ad
ministration who said that it
would decrease, significantly,
the rising sophomore’s
chances of obtaining the room
of her choice or even a room on
campus.
It was discovered, at the
student body meeting, that
many students do not have
faith in their elected class of
ficers. Though it would have
been simpler to send the
presidents of each class to the
administrative meeting
students vetoed this idea,
many echoing, “the class of
ficers don’t do anything,”
meaning, apparently, class
presidents-are not responsible
to their perspective classes.
As a result hand votes were
taken and representatives
came from within the student
body. Those elected were Avis
Bynum, freshman class;
Donna Dunlap, sophomore
class and Susan Woodard,
Continued on Page 12
Bitter Pill
Continued from Page 2
public’s psyche is through
television programming.
Many whites will, probably
argue that black people should
be grateful for having several
television shows on television.
However, does that mean that
we must continue to suffer
through its injustice, just to be
seen on the screen?
All in all, it might be a long
time before blacks are ever
treated fairly; there are a
whole lot of black families who
have fathers living at home, or
who are intelligent and stable.
But until television shakes off
its own brand of racism, we
will have to take television like
a bitter pill.
Burke
Continued from Page 1
very self-confident, he cannot
relate to me in a male-female
way.” This is something that
all assertive black women
should realize, she said.
On The Family
According to Congress-
woman Burke, all career
woman are faced with the
dilemma of reconciling the ten
sion that exists between being
a mother and a career woman.
She further stated that the
problem is not totally a
“female problem” and that if
men were more concerned the
problems would not be as bad.
Congresswoman Burke feels
that a person should reconcile
the differences between home
and work according to
personal preferences. As for
her, she considers her
daughter and husband as im
portant. Furthermore, she
comes from a background in
which the family is important.
This is why Congresswoman
Burke has decided to return to
California to work.
On Career and Job
Performance
In terms of her career as
pirations and job performance,
Congresswoman Burke claims
that she would never have
been elected i f she h ad n ot been
able to effectively utilize the
fact that she is black. She
stated that being a woman is
also advantageous because
everybody seems to become
concerned and involved when
women address themselves to
certain issues.
On President Jimmy
Carter
After a full year in office,
President Carter has done lit
tle to address himself to the
problems affecting blacks, the
people largely responsible for
electing him to the office of
president. In spite of this,
Congresswoman Burke still
maintains confidence in him
but feels the “administration
has to be constantly
reminded” to keep black
interests in mind.
The administration, she
said, is being torn between
directions, priorities and
resources. “Everybody wants
to be number one,” she said.