Newspaper Page Text
November, 1985
Spelman Spotlight
Page 11
Homecoming, As We Saw It
What’s a Girl To Do?
by Lisa D. Cook
Morehouse College, Spelman
College. Miss Maroon and
White. Coronation. The
Marching Tigers. The
Homecoming Game. The
Tigerettes. The Homecoming
Ball. Bennett College.
During mid-autumn each year
every Spelman student hears
these words, and a chill of
excitement races through her
body. Sometimes she goes to
Homecoming activities, because
they remind her of the high
school bonfire, dress up days,
pep rallies, and her last
Homecoming game. Other
times her roommate may have
been crowned "Miss MBA,”
"Miss Senior,” or "Miss Physical
Plant,” and she would like to see
her in the parade or in corona
tion. Then still other times she
goes just so that ten years from
now she can return to a
Homecoming game and talk
about how "things just are not
how they used to be.” In any
case, she goes and supports
Morehouse College. She walks
out of the front gate wearing a
Spelman jacket and an “If
MOREHOUSE TIGERS” button.
As she arrives at the cashier’s
window of B.T. Harvey Stadium,
she is charged $8 to attend the
game. As she finds a seat in the
bleachers, she waves to
Spelmanites who are
cheerleaders, majorettes, flag
girls, band members, and the
Maroon and White Court. Dur
ing half-time she stands out of
respect while the guys sing
"Dear Old Morehouse” after the
announcer has dedicated the
show to Morehouse’s real sisters,
the women of Bennett College,
who have travelled such a long
distance to see their brothers
play football. She storms out of
the stadium infuriated, because
no mention was made of the
Spelmanites who practice long
hours to insure that Morehouse
College is properly represented
at every game. She discusses a
boycott of next year’s
Morehouse Homecoming ac
tivities. But it never materializes,
because it is her friends who are
involved in the pagentry, pomp,
grandeur of the festivities.
Dear Ladies:
The Student Government
Association of Morehouse
College is very displeased by the
fact that you have elected to
sponsor a revenue-generating
function on our Homecoming
Day. Your function, as
scheduled, will be held con
currently with the Annual
Morehouse College Homecom
ing Ball on October 26,1985.1 am
convinced that the date for our
Homecoming Ball was chosen far
earlier than the date for your
undertaking was chosen, and I
am also convinced that the date
of your event was chosen with
the knowledge that it would
conflict with the Morehouse
College Homecoming Ball.
It is my understanding that one
of the reasons the date was
agreed upon was last year’s
Morehouse Student Govern
ment Association voiced no
discontent to you when a similar
event occurred last Homecom
ing Evening. Regardless of the
reason the date was agreed to, I
think that a Spelman organiza
tion agreeing to sponsor a func
tion opposite the culminating
event of a Morehouse College
Homecoming Week does not
exhibit optimum taste. We are
voicing our discontent.
The Morehouse Student
Government Association
realizes we have no control or
authority over your sororal
organization; we can only hope
to appal to your sense of proprie
ty and principle, and trust you
will govern yourselves accor
dingly. In that vein, we would
like to ask that you reschedule or
cancel your function.
If you claim that you simply
cannot reschedule or cancel
your function, your claim will
force us to take the following
action concerning your event:
-The Morehouse College Stu
dent Government Association
will publicly denounce and
boycott your function, using the
full strength of its influence
through all available media
thereunto.
-Tickets for your function will
not be sold on any properties
owned by Morehouse College
by anyone.
-No advertisements for your
function will be allowed on any
properties owned by
Morehouse College.
Again, we are terribly displeas
ed that you have chosen to
sponsor an event opposite the
Morehouse College Homecom
ing Ball. We hope that this
obvious lack of regard for our
Homecoming Activity is not a
barometer of our future
relations. Henceforth, all other
correspondence, scriptural or
verbal, should be directed to me.
Sincerely,
Morehouse College SGA
Dear Ladies:
It has been suggested that I
retract my letter of October 10,
1985, which you received earlier
today. I accept this suggestion
with no fear of damage to my
pride, ego, or reputation.
Let me begin by saying that' he
stance of the Student Govern
ment Association is the same —
we are displeased that you are
having your function opposite
our Homecoming Ball. The
Morehouse College Homecom
ing occurs only once a year and
we all look forward to it, in
addition to putting a great deal
of time and money into its
planning. It is very special to us,
and we would like for everyone
to participate in it.
Because of the unique
relationship between
Morehouse and Spelman, we
naturally solicit the participation
and support of every Morehouse
and Spelman student. Anything
incongruous with full
Morehouse and Spelman par
ticipation, we cannot support
and endorse. I trust that you can
fully understand our position
and that no adverse feelings
develop.
I feel that the tone of my
aforementioned letter was too
poignant for the point I wished
to express; for this, I apologize. I
only wished to voice our discon
tent with the fact that a Spelman
organization was not con
tributing to full Morehouse and
Spelman participation in a
Homecoming Activity designed
primarily for Morehouse
students, and to a lesser degree,
with Spelman in mind.
Pursuant to my retraction, we
will not publicly denounce or
boycott your event. We will,
however, strongly encourage
Morehouse students to attend
their Homecoming Ball.
If I have aroused any
animosities or stricken any bad
chords, please forgive me, while
understanding my intentions.
We invite the ladies to par
ticipate fully in our Homecom
ing Activities, including the Ball.
Sincerely,
Morehouse College SGA
(Specific names of organizations
and persons were intentionally
deleted for their protection.)
So what’s a girl supposed to
do? Here is what our president,
Dawn M. Williams had to say in
response.
Dear Morehouse Colleagues,
I think that I can honestly
speak on behalf of the entire
student body in wanting the
Morehouse Homecoming 1985
to be a success. I also believe that
this can only occur if both the
Morehouse College students as
well as the Spelman College
students are aware of the ac
tivities.
The Spelman Student Govern
ment Association has continued
to try to be supportive in every
endeavor. We have tried to keep
communication lines open, and
hope to continue to grow in this
area. In no shape or form is the
student government association
offended by not helping with the
basic planning of the Morehouse
Homecoming 1985, but we do
feel that in order for the student
body as a whole to play an
integral role more information
would have been greatly ap
preciated.
It is with understanding and
knowledge of the planning
process that the Spelman Stu
dent Government Association
realizes that the final calendar of
events was in a tentative stage
until recently, but in order to
operate better in the future
some regard must be given to
what has happened in the past.
It is not a new development for
Spelman organizations to host an
alternative to the Morehouse
College Homecoming Ball, nor
do I believe that there are not
other less formal affairs spon
sored by other organizations
also, but this could have been
dealt with through better
organizational planning. If in
deed Morehouse Homecoming
1985 is planned by Morehouse
Student Government Associa
tion with an extended invitation
Continued on page 12
Disappointment
The Theme of Homecoming 1985
by Anna Ponder
How do we spell disappoint
ment?
H-O-M-E-C-O-M-l-N-G 1-9-
8-5.
From the Monday night
madness of the Whitney
Houston concert, which cost the
Morehouse Student Govern
ment Association an estimated
$20,000.00 to the Friday night
failure of the Maroon and White
Coronation, this year’s
Homecoming left much to be
desired. Yet, the greatest of
disappointment during the
week was that Spelman women
were consistently disrespected
by Morehouse men.
The time is now, Spelmanites,
for us to demand appropriate
treatment and consideration
from the Morehouse man... from
ANY manl It is unfortunate but
obviously necessary that we must
insist upon that which should be
given freely in the name of
human decency. We are bright,
bold, black, and beautiful. We
are special. We are Spelmanites.
We are obligated to respect
ourselves and to ensure that we
are respected.
When asked whether or not he
thought the 1985-86Maroon and
White Court had been treated
respectfully, MSGA President
Adam Smith answered:
“I think they were treated with
the utmost respect.” If Mr. Smith
truly believes this, I truly pity
him.
Fact: The Maroon and White
float pulled out onto Westview
Drive and into the parade
procession with no one on it.
Miss Maroon and White, Kim
Stephens, and her attendants
Phyllis Paul and Kelly O’Neil, had
to run down the street, in their
gowns and heels, to catch the
float; which subsequently, they
had to climb on to.
Fact: Miss Maroon and White
was stood up for the Ball by the
Morehouse College SGA. Mr.
Phillip Howard, MSGA
Treasurer, agreed to pick up Miss
.Stephens, yet, because he was in
a hurry, only from the front gate.
When Miss Stephens got to the
gate in her ball gown and tiara,
she was told that the limosine,
full of MSGA members, had just
left without her. The message
was that they were in a hurry,
that they could not wait, and that
they would come back for her
later.
Therefore, Miss Stephans left
the front gate and went to the
lobby of McAlpin Hall where she
waited for Mr. Howard or any
MSGA member for ap
proximately 21/2 hours. Finally,
McAlpin’s Dorm Director, Miss
Jennifer Wilder, offered to drive
her to the Peachtree Plaza Hotel.
Consequently, it was not until
approxiamtely 12 o’clock a.m.
that Miss Maroon and White
arrived at the Ball which was
supposedly held in her honor.
When asked about the night’s
events, Mr. Adam Smith flatly
claimed to know nothing and
referred me to Mr. Philip
Howard. Mr. Howard claimed
that he had come back for Miss
Stephens but that she had not
been waiting for him at the gate.
I, then, asked Mr. Howard
whether or not he felt his queen
had been worth looking for?
(How difficult can it be to find a
woman in a hoop skirt and a
tiara?) Couldn’t he have made a
few "all calls?”
Continued on page 5