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Ed ft or- in- Chief - Rolonda G. Watts
Associate Editor - Pamela Denise Moore
Editors
Advertising Manager - Phyllis Sawyer
Art Editor - Ellen Robinson
Arts Editor - Claire Henry
Business Managers - Trevonia Brown
Angela Nickerson
Circulation Manager - Lavita J ohnson
Copy Editor - Adele Sheron Newson
Literary Editor - Michelle Dacus
Photography Editors - Ruth Cauthen
Pamela Scott
Public Relations Manager - Sheron Covington
Religion Editor - Angela Benson
Photographer
Kirby Ayres
Reporters
Debra Benton
Kimberly L. Browne
Angela Cumberlander
Chris Hamlin
Susan Hart
Carolita B. Jones
Phillip M. Jones
Victoria McMillan
Sam Matchett
Melony Matthews
J osie Pearson
Sheila Reid
Kiron Kanina Skinner
Lorenzo A. Taylor
Letter
from the
Editor
Dear Readers:
The year has already begun
' buzzing with excitement and with
that excitement I extend an of
ficial hearty welcome to the new
and old members of this Atlanta
University Center family.
The Spotlight is already in full-
gear and ready to start the year
off with an “organized bang.” I
have a marvelous staff of highly
dedicated workers who aim to
give you quality in your
newspaper.
Because the Spotlight is the
only communication outlet that
Spelman has, we’d like this year
to be a learning experience for
everyone involved. Our first
workshop was September 15
whereby our publisher, D. L. In
man, discussed newspaper
layout. We invite you to in
vestigate our monthly workshops
which will encompass everything
from photography to bettering
your writing skills.
The Spotlight will be
distributed every third Monday.
We strongly urge any and
everyone interested in newspaper
production to stop by our office
in the lower concourse of the
student center to fill out an ap
plication.
Our aim is to inform you, en
tertain you and represent you
with a paper you can be proud of!
Happy Reading!
Rolonda G. Watts
Editor-in-Chief
Letter to the Freshmen
By Sheila Reid
Dear Freshmen,
In the future you will discover Spelman has many advantages as
well as disadvantages. However, we seem to recall the short
comings a little more often. These are the times when you have to
muster up all of your patience and not let your frustrations get the
best of you. At some time in your career here you may even hate
Spelman. This feeling comes and goes for all of us, so don’t think
they’re just tormenting you—it’s nothing personal. To illustrate my
point, here are a few examples of when, why and
Who Hates Spelman!
The girl fighting the guard to get a key.
The guy they won’t let in without an I.D.
The teacher with students that can’t stay awake.
The student with too many finals to take.
The cook in the kitchen making up new names for food.
The dorm mother that is always in a bad mood.
The Greeks that Spelman will never let step.
The folks at Mo Brown with such a bad rep.
The girl who has lost her meal card at lunch.
The commuter that suffers the daily gas crunch.
The men at the house that can get no play.
The poor thing being forced to eat in our cafe.
See! Everyone feels these frustrations from time to time. But
there is one thing I left out—Spelman must be doing something
right if after all this, we’re still here!!
Spelman Spotlight Septjember 24 L9J9,--Page 3
Letters to You:
Dear Ladies of Spelman,
It is both a pleasure and a
privilege to be able to extend to
the class of 1983 sincere words of
welcome and to express to the
ladies returning a joyful
welcome. From my heart, I must
say that I am looking forward to
working with Spelman College
because you, as a student body,
have a leader in Donna Dunlap
who is dedicated and depen
dable, serious and sincere.
As a leader, I realize that
Morehouse and Spelman
produce the black leaders of
tomorrow. But more important is
the fact that we are the Black
learners of today. Therefore, we,
as young people, must continue
to have the determination to ex
ceed and the desire to excel.
As a concerned student, let me
say that none of us are sure about
the length of time we will attend
these institutions. Therefore, we
must learn to dedicate our desires,
to our destinations and we must
do whatever we can, when we
can, while we can, the best we
can.
As a friend, I wish to say that,
we, the men of morehouse, are
determined to create a family
type atmosphere all over the
A.U. Center. For in times like
these, we need to come together
and realize that we are family.
Let us work together as brothers
and sisters. Let us work together
and prepare to lead this nation.
Let us wor, together to build the
bridges tht will bring our people
closer.
Finally, across the way from
’Spelman there are some young
men, Black men, learning to live
and give, learning to care and
share. At Spelman there are some
young women, Black women,
learning to live and give, learning
to care and share. We must all
come together and join hands
and sing-our song. We are family,
all together and our love will
keep us strong.
Sincerely yours,
Liton Tyrone Crider
President S.G.A
Morehouse College
A Letter from SSGA President
As a new year begins tne
Spelman Student Government
Association hopes to portray a
positive image that would
generate an interest among the
students in all aspects of Spelman
life. Many feel as though the suc
cess of the New Student Orien
tation Week has set a precedent
for the 1979-1980 academic year.
The Spelman Student Govern
ment Association desires to meet
more than the social needs of the
student body. We hope to
provide more cultural and
educational programs for stu
dents through a newly established
Cultural and Educational Affairs
Board. The Student Government
will also be working with the
department chairpersons to co
sponsor programs which will be
of genuine interest to the studen
ts. ■
The members of the S.S.G.A.
cabinet are a dedicated group of
students who are anxious to ac
cept the challenges and to
achieve the goals set before
them. The Spelman student body
appears to be moving away from
a catatonic state of apathy and
are directing their energies
toward • becoming actively in
volved in the S.S.G.A. Hopefully,
student involvement will
strengthen and grow, because it
can bring forth changes and im
provements.
We hope that the students will
not hesitate to come to the
Student Government office with
questions as well as ideas. The
first student body meeting has
been scheduled for Sept. 27, at
11:00 a.m. in Sisters Chapel.
Your attendance would be much
appreciated and it would signify
your concern. We are looking
forward to having a successful
year together.
Sincerely Yours,
Donna Dunlap
S.S.G.A. President
Did You Vote?
By Sam Matchett
“The biggest stumbling block
to increased voter registration is
still voter apathy. If we are to
elect black officials, it is up to
every black citizen to decide
what is being done to us and
what is being done for us. One
way to take control of our lives is
through the ballot box.”
—Julian Bond, 1969
Last year Atlanta University
Center students paid a very poor
tribute to the much fought for
privilege to register and vote free
from harassment and ridicule. To
illustrate by taking a look at the
resulting percentages of the 1978
general election; less than 30 pen
cent of Georgia’s registered
voters actually voted. Less than
35 percent of the Atlanta
registered public voted. Less than
5 percent of the registered
student population voted and less
than 10 percent of the registered
Atlanta student population
voted.
There appears to be various
reasons for why students do not
vote. Primarily, and as alluded to
in the introductory quote,
APATH Y reigns unrestricted
amongst us. Though the first to
defame and complain about the
burdensome plight of our black
race, we as collegiates are the last
to turn constructive criticism into
positive action. The proverbial
phrase “...more bark than bite”
certainly applies to us in this
situation. There are three notable
problems concerning voter tur
nout in the Atlanta University
Center. First, some students
register and then fail to vote on
election day, (such as in the 1978
general election). Secondly,
registration of students when
held on campus has had in the
past the misfortune of not getting
all the names of registered voters
on the campus downtown.
Though this latter problem is
significant, it is not a true hin-
derance to the prospective voter
on election day. And thirdly,
many students do not realize that
one need be a resident of Georgia
for only 30 days before being
eligible to register and vote.
Without knowledge of the fact,
many students have simply
pushed the thought of voting out
of their minds.
After presenting the problems
it is only fair to offer an answer
and according to Mr. Carey
Wynn, professor of history at
Morehouse College and Chair
man of Election Procedures for
the Democratic Party of Fulton
County, a solution to the problem
is easily disclosed. There is at the
present time a dire need for
student volunteers to assist in the
registration of potential voters.
For students interested in an
swering this call for assistance,
contac t Wynn at 681-2800, ex
tension 249 before November 1,
1979. Participants will be asked
to attend a three hour learning
session to acquaint them with
correct procedures and regula
tions concerning registration; this
session may be arranged and con
ducted in the Atlanta University
Center. Thereafter, participants
will have been prepared to go
through out the Center to solicit
potential voters.
At this point, a. special in
vitation is extended to all serious-
minded sororities and fraternities
to take part in the three hour in
struction session and also render
badly-needed assistance to the
very worthwhile voter-registra
tion endeavors.
As a parting note, there has
most definitely been a downward
trend in voting since the 1973
(See VOTING, pg. 5)