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Spelman Spotlight December 18, 1979 Page 2 Editor-In-Chief - Roionda 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 News Editors - Kiron Kanina Skinner Adele Sheron Newson Photography Editors - Ruth Cauthen Pamela Scott Public Relations Manager - Sheron Covington Religion Editor- Angela Benson Literary Editor - Michelle Dacus Photographers - Kirby Ayers Collette Laviolette Samuel Matchette Reporters Cynthia Williams Robert Young Samuel Matchett Linda Fritz Arnell W. L. Hayes Adele Newson Michelle Dacus Tracey M. Willard Anthony R. Smith Sheron L. Covington Marcella Coverson Caroline Ita Vivian Fannings Will the Real Khomeini Please Come Forward? By Pamela D. Moore Associate Editor It is hard for most Americans to conceive of the gall that the Ayatollah Khomeini must have to challenge a nation as mighty as the United States.“Surely this man must be crazy”, is the usual comment that most seem to have. Such a comment must also have been thought by the Phillistines upon learning that a small shepherd boy named David was willing to singlehandedly challenge their hero, the colossal Goliath. But David slew Goliath- easily, and his key to succcess was that he had God on his side. Perhaps the Ayatollah Khomeini also has divine guidan ce and inspiration. Maybe the Lord has promised the Ayatollah Khomeini that he will deliver his enemies unto his feet. Maybe the United States will fall at the feet of tiny Iran just as Goliath fell at the feet of little David. But on the other hand, the Ayatollah Khomeini can also be seen as a fanatical, power- obscessed, and ego-driven man, but nevertheless, a brilliant political strategist. It has been reported that the Ayatollah had planned to over take the U.S. embassy two days before the Shah arrived in the United States. The underlying motivation of those plans is said to have been the desire to prevent pro-Communist Iranian students from becoming too powerful. Thus, Khomeini’s strategy seemed to have been related to Machiavellian prin- ciples--to create an enemy around which the country could unite in opposition, thus further formenting the power and stability of the established leader. And the plan worked. Thirty days after the initial captivity of the hostages, the Iranians, elected Khomeini to rule for life. It seems that in their eyes he is the Lord’s servant sent to deliver them from the evil, imperialist, satanic U.S. power. But in the eyes of those on the other side of the fence, he ap pears to be a vindictive, in flexible, uncompromising, and ruthless leader, who by using all the demagogic powers he can amass to create a kind of unity based on hate instead of love, is bent on the destruction of an already disposed leader who is thousands of miles away from Iran while he should be taking care of business in his own backyard. Should the AUC Schools Merge? ... No! By Carolita V. Jones It seems to me that the thought of merging the six institutions in the Atlanta University Center is a popular issue being discussed on the campuses. Therefore, I decided to do a little research on the idea of a merger and have discovered a merger would be ineffective and unnecessary and these are the reasons why: (1) It would be a merger of financially unequal institutions. Spelman and Morehouse have greater resources both monetary and otherwise than the other un dergraduate schools. An economics professor explained to me that merging would produce no unit reduction. He noted the only way money could be in creased would be through the elimination of faculty and ad ministrative positions that are duplicated. For example, there would be no need for five presidents, deans of students, deans of academic affairs, depar tment heads, etc. (2) The strength of each school lies in its individual differences. Each school has a separate history and mission with its own identity and distinct academic traditions. For instance, Morehouse’s primary purpose is to educate men, Spelman on the other hand focuses on women’s educational needs and problems in entering traditionally male dominated fields. Clark and Morris Brown are both liberal ar ts institutions, however, Morris Brown is directed towards many technical fields with a Methodist religious background. Whereas each school may have a similiar goal, their approach towards that goal differs. There is a need for diversity in higher-education in stitutions along with their goals in education. (3) At this time, the Atlanta University Center is the largest consortium of black colleges and universities in the nation. Those students attending the un dergraduate schools now have the benefits of small schools as well as a larger school. The very personal level of communication between the teachers and stu dents could easily diminish if expanded. If the concern for merger is due to increase the strength of the Atlanta University Center, then why not improve our center co-ordinated programs. For example, construct a larger cen ter-wide computer science cen ter, increase the centralized security force, support the new library and have a centralized commissary to cut costs on sup plies and food. Looking on a larger scope, a center-wide student union or student cafeteria would prove to be beneficial. My arguments against a merger could be expanded on but these three basic reasons I have stated can be justified. As long as the undergraduate colleges are so financially unequal they should remain individual institutions each with their own distinct traditions that have survived through the years. The ad vantages of attending one of the small colleges in the center with the opportunity to utilize the other schools is a policy I don’t want to see changed. If ever there is progress in the move for merger, I will oppose it. On Individualism By Tracy M. Willard The thought of finding true un derstanding and acceptance, to me, is one of Life’s most treasured gifts. As I glance around me and project my thoughts out into my enviroment, I notice a similar ex pression held in all my fellow human beings eyes. I sense a feeling of a never-ending search. A journey that many of us are not even aware that we are pursuing. But as it has once been stated: “The eyes are the mirror to the soul.”, and my brothers and sisters, as mine meet yours, our souls share in a common con versation. They speak to one another, “We ned understanding, we need meaning, we need truth.” We often think that our lives have direction and purpose, because we may hold the top position among our class, or we may be that beauty which all men and women seek. But the further we climb the ladder, of success the “step for lasting rest”, grows further and further out of our sights. We find there are numerous others who also seek the same as ourselves. The reality of prestige and honor, becomes oh, so tight, as the competition grows. Thus, we lamelessly drift away from ourselves and from one another because we believe Life has nothing to offer us and we have nothing to offer it. But inside of our beings, there is a vibration which generates through us, a feeling we seldom seem to recognize. This feeling simmers from a compartment which holds our infinite poten tials; diverse and indepth as they might be. New ones are con stantly being uncovered. Oh, and how I, myself, cherish them, for they fill my own life with variety, inspiration and hope. Each of us must respect our in dividual callings, I refer to them as the secrets to our hearts. We all know, or better yet, have keen ideas, visions, or instincts to what we would like to do or be in Life. These feelings must be recognized and accepted, for they are the key to understanding ourselves, and the separations; the distinctions of everyone’s dif ferent personality. These feelings lead to the core of our individual creativities, for we are all born to be artists. Each of us has an individual ex pression to offer Life, when it is rendered, our blinded search will cease, and a meaningful ad venture begins. Prospects and Problems for Black Education By Manning Marable One of the principle “success stories” for the 1960s was the ad vance of black Americans in the area of education. At every academic level, from high school to graduate study, more AfoAmericans were enrolled than ever before. Obscurred within these rosy statistics, however, are hidden problems which have been solved neither by traditional white and black academicians, nor by their black nationalist critics. To grasp the significant impact the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements had upon black educational opportunity, we need only to review AfoAmerican history prior to 1960. About one fifth of all blacks were illiterate as late as 1930. Over one third of all black children between the ages of 5 to 20 were not enrolled in school in 1940. Only seven per cent of all black adults had a high school education in 1940; less than one percent of all black adults had completed four years or more of college. W.E.B.DuBois’ “Talented Ten th”, those blacks who had received a university education and were trained in the arts, humanities and natural sciences, was considerably less than 10 per cent of the total black population. The demand for an end to J im Crow restrictions in public ac commodation swiftly became a general critique of segregationist civil society, especially its educational institutions. All- white universities, medical and technical schools were forced to admit black pupils for the first time. Private foundations and the federal government gave scholar ships and grants to black studen ts. Thousands of AfoAmericans completed college and sub sequently were able to become more competitive in various job markets. Affirmative action programs, racial quotas and aggressive recruitment policies were largely responsible for these and other progressive changes. The ststistical evidence on overall black educational ad vancement for the past twenty years is impressive. From 1960 to 1973. the percentage of black adults over 25 years old who had completed high school rose from 20 percent to 43 percent. Median school years completed for this group climbed from an average of 8.2 to about 1 1 years. Six per cent of all black adults had received four or more vears of college. These educational advances were acquired by persons bet ween the age of 25 to 34. In 1960, for example, the median school years completed for blacks and whites between 25 to 34 was 9.3 years and 12.1 years respectively. Whites were over twice as likely to finish high school and college as blacks. By 1975, whites still held a lead over blacks, but the distance had diminished con siderably. About two thirds of all blacks and 78 percent of whites in the 25-34 age bracket finished high school. Twelve percent of all blacks and 20 percent of all whites have college diplomas. The median school years com pleted for blacks is 12.3 years and 12.7 years for whites. DuBois’ Talented Tenth appears to have become a reality. The price for these gains was unclear at first, even to most black educators. Even in the 1960s, the great majority of black students attended traditionally black colleges. Most of these in stitutions are located in the South, established during or im mediately after Reconstruction. Tuitions were relatively low, and student enrollments rarely ex ceeded one thousand. These small black colleges were respon sible for developing scholars like DuBois’, John Hope and Charles J ohnson; they were, and remain, the bedrock for black academic and cultural life. Today, over one million bleaks attend white colleges and univer sities, about four times the num ber attending the traditionally black institutions. Most of the better qualified black students prefer Harvard and Berkeley (See BLACK EDUCATION, p. 31