Page 5 - Spelman Spotlight
SSGA Meeting Brings Bad News
by Pam D. Moore
At the first Spelman Student
Government Association (SSGA)
assembly, Sept. 28, in Sister’s
Chapel, Spelman SSGA President,
Ms. Kathy Carter, discussed the
SSGA budget, the problems and
how they would affect students.
Ms. Donna McQueen, SSGA
treasurer, presented the budget
report to the students, which
consisted of basically bad news.
According to Ms. McQueen, the
voting that took place last spring
and resulted in a majority vote to
raise activity fees from $30 to $40
was invalid because it did not meet
the specified voting deadline. This
deadline was in October of last
year, before the meeting of the
Board of Trustees.
In addition, the treasurer
informed students that last year’s
SSGA overspent by about
$7,355.99, and the yearbook ran a
deficit of $2,653.94. This left a total
deficit of about $10,000 that has to
be paid by this year’s SGA.
In order to pay the budget, Ms.
McQueen told the assembly that
the SGA cabinet was asking
students to vote on proposal to
decrease organizational allotments
by either 10% or 15%. In addition,
the $3,194 contingency (surplus)
left by the Spotlight from last year
will be transferred to pay the
deficit of the yearbook. According
to Ms. McQueen, this action is
within the power of the SSGA
cabinet. She also said that
regardless of which percentage cut
students decide to take, the SSGA
will have to still pay a greater share
of the debt. If students decide to
take the 10% cut, she said, the
SSGA would have a working
budget of acout $5,000. If students
took the 15% cut, she said, the
SGA would have a working budget
of about $6,614.63.
After business concerning the
budget was handled, Ms. Carter,
spoke to the students in response
to rumors spread around campus
Morehouse and Spelman students.
The first rumor, according to
the SSGA president, was that
Spelman students could have
gotten in free at Morehouse games
if Spelman’s SSGA had coope
rated. Ms. Carter said Spelman’s
SGA “had nothing to do” with the
decision to charge Spelman
students at Morehouse games.
Morehouse, she said, made that
decision in 1975.
Another rumor cited by the
president as being untrue was that
85 tickets given to Spelman’s SGA
was to be divided among the AUC
schools. Ms. Carter said the tickets
were given to her by Ms.
Earnestine Brazeal to give out as
she saw fit.
Morehouse’s SGA, she said, is
upset with Spelman because “we
didn’t give them any money for
homecoming.” But this was
because Spelman did not have the
money to give, and also because
Morehouse has had a reputation of '
“messing over” Spelman on joint
projects requiring that each give
money, said Ms. Carter.
Morehouse’s SGA, she said, has
an inferiority complex from the
Spelman SGA in terms of profes
sionalism and efficiency. “I have
been doing a very good job,” she
said. “I will continue to do a very
good job.”
The president’s last comment
was for those who ran for office
and lost or had friends who ran
and lost. Ms. Carter said, “I was
hoping you’d realize over the
summer that you did not win.
Queens Highlight
(continued from page 1)
a new reign has begun with
Ms. Jerri Lynn Devard.
Ms. Devard is a senior econo
mics major, originally from New
York, but currently she is a resident
of Atlanta. She stands a statuesque
5'9-l/2" and has a personality of
such warmth and sincerity that she
often leaves passers-by and friends
in awe of the radiance of her being.
Ms. Devard’s philosophy of life is,
“nothing is ever thought to be of
great value - that is not won as a
result of great sacrifice.” This
motto is reflected in her great
stamina and strength to achieve
excellence. A tall, svelte model’s
delight, Ms. Devard takes great
pleasure and pride in being Ms.
Maroon & White. In addition to
preparing for her royal debut in the
coronation, she has also been
asked to enter the first annual Ms.
Black College of America contest,
the title of which she is well
deserving.
First attendant to Ms. Maroon
& White is Ms. Tracy Willard.
Ms. Willard is a native of Pase-
dena, California, majoring in mass
Please do not target your frustra
tion at this year’s SSGA. Your
actions are only natural for those
persons who are of such a low level
and caliber; therefore, your
attitude is understandable but not
justifiable, especially when it might
interfere with the benefits students
might receive.”
In other business at the meeting,
the SSGA:
1) announced the appointment
of Karen Moore as co-chair of the
AUC Student Council and Betty
Meshack as secretary of the AUC
Student Council and as a voting
representative to the AUC Board
of Trustees.
2) presented reports on the
snack shop, cafeteria and food
committee, and
3) presented the new housing
policy, which raises the deposit fee
from $100 to $200, and asked
students to vote on whether to have
the payment period from Novem
ber to February or from January
to March.
Please Note
Results of SSGA election
concerning housing and SSGA
budget: Students voted to have an
across the board cut of 15% for the
SSGA money allotments for all
clubs and organizations. Also,
students voted to pay the housing
deposit of $200 the third week of
January.
communications and she someday
hopes to become a writer. Being
the soft-spoken, demure member
of the trio, she often allows her
captivating smile to convey the
message for her. Ms. Willard feels
deeply honored to be chosen as a
member of the Court and she
stated, “it makes your personal
objectives much more meaningful,
to find out a certain group of
people acknowledge the way you
carry yourself.” A petite 5'2", she is
a beauty in her own right.
Last but not least, introducing
Ms. Sharalyn D. McClain, the
second attendant to the Maroon &
White Court. Sharalyn is a
sociology-criminology major from
Boca-Raton, Florida, bom under
the sign of Aquarius. Her personal
motto for life is, “God is my
concept and foundation, every
thing roots from that.” Some of
her hobbies include playing the
piano, chess, sewing and cooking.
Describing herself as conservative,
individualistic and a unique
person, it is easy to see that she is a
truly down-to-earth person.
NAACP Inauguration Inspires
Spelman’s Chapter President
by Pam D. Moore
According to Spelman’s NAACP
President, Ms. Deidre Calcoate,
the Atlanta University Center,
NAACP first college chapter’s
ceremony held Oct. 1 at Clark’s
Vivian Henderson Gymnasium,
was a good show of unity.
“I thought it was a very beautiful"
ceremony, because it was the first
center-wide ceremony that I had
ever seen and been a part of, and I
thought that it was good that we
should be united on certain
things,” she said.
According to Ms. Calcoate,
Georgia State Senator Julian
Bond, key speaker at the affair,
gave a speech “appropriate for the
occasion.” Bond told the audience
that “this is the year the racial tide
has turned.”
Bond said that this was not the
result of a single act in 1978, but
was the climax of a series of moves
began long ago to once again give
Neo-Confederacy the upper hand.
The removal of the blatant
forms of American apartheid,
Bond said, has made it easy for
many to believe that struggle is
over.
But since 1968, according to
Bond, moves have been made to
“roll back the gains of blacks,” by
changing the Supreme Court from
liberals to “protectors of the
privileged and powerful,” and
by cutting aid to education and to
the poor.
In 1976, blacks thought Carter
was the “hope of the future,” said
Bond. Now, he added, a “great
many must conclude that we voted
for a man who knew the words to
Ms. Deidre Calcoate, president of Spelman chapter NAACP.
Photo by Ruth Cauthen
our hymns but not the numbers on
our paychecks.”
In terms of Bakke and Proposi
tion 13, Bond said, “Each wrongly
insists that yesteday’s efforts will
insure equality” and that America’s t
indigents can do for themselves.
The Bakke decision, he said,
enforces 200 years of a racial
system in which “only the male and
the pale” can make it. And those
who voted for Proposition 13
objected not only to high taxes, but
also high welfare rolls.
Ms. Calcoate said, ‘The mes
sage that I received from his speech
helped me to see where Spelman’s
chapter needs to initiate certain
programs to help black children
not only gain a knowledge of their
heritage, but also of the basic
fundamentals of education.”
Presently, Spelman’s NAACP
chapter is about 50 members
strong. But, said Ms. Calcoate,
“Our goal is 150.” She said that the
chapter is new on campus and
welcomes any help that they can
get.
“I think there’s a need for
students to become involved in
prominent programs that deal with
blacks. I think that the level of
political awareness is not high
enough here on campus,” she
concluded.
Other officers of the Spelman
chapter include Ms. Karen Moore,
vice president; Ms. Minnie
McCloud, treasurer; Ms. Karen-
Hawkins, secretary; and Ms. Holly
Smith, chairperson of the member
ship drive. Ms. Smith stays in 209-
Howard-Harreld.
Ms. Calcoate encourages those
“who are discriminated against in
any instance” to come see the
NAACP.
New Tech Director Sets Goals
by Rolanda G. Watts
For those of you who saw The
Ode of Oak Oracle presented by
the Morehouse-Spelman Players,
and sat there astounded by the
beautiful set as I did, probably
wondered just who was in charge
of putting it all together. Who was
it that made the screen-painted
bamboo rods appear so real and a
paper mache oak tree stand in such
majestic dignity? It was the Spel
man College stagecraft crew under
the dynamic supervision of Spel
man’s new technical director and
in-house theater designer, Tom
Brown.
Tom, (for that’s what he prefers),
is a 24-year-old native Atlan
tan. He studied arts and theater for
two years at Rollins College in
Florida and two years at the Uni
versity of Georgia with a major in
drawing and painting with interest
in drama in the area of scene design
and technical work. Since then he
has done sets for local community
theaters such as Town and Gown
and The Athens School of Ballet.
Tom’s goal for the department is
to teach people how to work in the
theater building and designing sets.
At the same time he also wishes to
show people about themselves.
“When people see their thoughts or
what’s on paper in front of them,
built by their own hands, they gain
a great deal of confidence in what
they can do.” He goes on to explain
that now and here is the place to
learn the background needed for
those interested in theater.
