Newspaper Page Text
Page 2 « SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT September, 1986
Editor’s
Notes
By Jennifer Satterfield
I believe this is the first issue that has ever been released
so soon. It is our intention to produce a “regular current
newspaper” which will be released every first Friday of the
month, with the exceptions of the September and
February issues. So far we have a dyn-o-mite staff and we
are continuously looking for more dedicated people. You
don’t have to have an English major nor a journalism
minor to be a part of the paper. What you need is a desire
to help.
Our motto this year is “If a problem exists and you
aren’t part of the solution, then you are part of the
problem.”
If you look on past issues as well as on this one, you will
find five very important words under the heading. Those
five words are, “The Voice of Black womanhood.” Flow
can the voices of the freshmen, sophomore, junior and
senior classes be heard if no one is speaking up? We need
your ideas, opinions and time to this paper a success.
We have been working on the organization as well as
the quality of the paper. We are planning entertainment
sections, creative articles, coupons, cartoons, crossword
puzzles and a personal and section just to name a few. As
you can tell we have made many adjustments!
It is our goal to produce a good paper that is as in
teresting as it is informative. The paper is “centered
around” Spelman because this is our paper. Yet
“centered around” and “isolate” are two different things.
We don’t want to isolate Spelman from other schools. It is
important to broaden the awareness of events and issues
that occur on other campuses. So we are encouraging
writers from other schools to join our staff. This will
hopefully increase our knowledge about the other
schools.
So if you want to become “part of the solution,” stop by
the Spotlight office (located on the lower level of Manley
Center at the end of the hall next to the S.G.A. offices),
pick-up an application, give a suggestion, share an idea,
voice a concern or buy a personal ad and make our day.
Join up!
By Julie Alexander
Do you see people in your
classes that you don’t know?
Do you wonder why your
Spelman sisters come to class
and then go immediately to
their dorms or home? Are
you a senior and know
classmates who have never
voted in schoolwide elections
since they entered Spelman
as freshmen?
These questions may
sound strange but they are
issues of concern. There are
too many students who do
not get involved in our
school. Spelman offers so
much as a strong Black
woman’s college but some of
us are not taking advantage of
it.
When a freshman, I can
recall not really getting involv
ed in activities. Maybe it was
because I was working or
commuting. Nevertheless,
there was no excuse. Now
when I meet my fellow up
perclassmen, they say they’ve
never seen me before and
wonder if I’m a freshman.
True enough, academics
take priority over everything
else, but we must be women
who are versatile and not
monotonous in our talents.
Spelman has many organiza
tions for us regardless of our
classifications or if we’re on or
off campus. There is one
stipulation. The organizations
will not come to you — you’ll
have to take the initiative. Go
ahead, exemplify your
creative abilities on the year
book staff. Use your writing
talents for our newspaper,
The Spotlight. Flaunt your
leadership capabilities in the
Student Government
Association. Give support to
future Spelmanites as a
freshman orientation leader.
See Join Up, p. 7
Message From
The President
By President
Donald M. Stewart
Dear Returning and new
students:
It gives me great pleasure to
welcome you to Spelman
College following what I hope
was an enjoyable and produc
tive summer. To those of you
who are new to the campus, I
can promise that you will
have an exciting and
challenging set of experiences
before you. As the up
perclassmen will attest,
Spelman expects a great deal
from the young women who
come from around the world
to this unique institution,
which for more than 100
years, has prepared women
to be leaders in the com
munities and in the larger
society.
I strongly recommend that
freshmen make it a point to
meet and talk with their up-
perclassed sisters in order to
begin the process of becoming
involved in the learning com
munity that is Spelman.
These are not easy times for
Black America or black col
leges, but Spelman is strong
and along with Morehouse
College and the other
distinguished institutions of
the Atlanta University Center,
we promise an educational,
cultural, spiritual and social
experience for each of you
that will be second to none.
To the upperclassmen
whom we are so happy to
welcome back again, I say
that we are glad you are back
and hope that Spelman con
tinues to meet all of your ex
pectations. As administrators,
professors and professionals
throughout the college, we
stand ready at all times to
work with you and to be sup
portive of your efforts in all
that you choose to do.
Spelman is truly a family and
we who are fortunate enough
to be members of it, embrace
the ideals and values that
have made this institution one
of the foremost liberal arts col
leges in America and certainly
the preeminent institution of
higher learning for black
women in the world.
May the 1986-87 academic
year be rich and rewarding for
all members of the Spelman
family. It is important to go to
class. It is important to com
plete assignments on time. It
is important to know
yourselves and to give of
yourselves to others.
Mrs. Stewart joins me along
with my faculty and staff col
leagues in wishing all of you
happiness and much success.
Walking Away
By Mike Weaver
Recently, there has been a
great deal of attention given
to the plight of the black
female-black male relation
ship. We have all read about
most of the diagnoses and
some of the hard-to-find pro
gnoses. Even in some of my
writings, I’ve tried to tackle
some of the questions and
answers. I have found it to be
a relationship that is both
delicate and complicated.
In talking to some of my
peers, I have also realized that
we all find ourselves as con
tributors to the problems. The
contributions we make vary
on the complexity of the en
counter, whether it’s confron
ting society’s ol’ double stan
dards or trying to make head
way in career advances. In
each circumstance, however,
we find that experience is the
best teacher.
One facet of the problems
we have to deal with is what
man has deemed as the “sex
ual revolution.” From the
promiscuous sexual activity
derives the heightened pro
blem of unwanted pregnan
cies.
There is an alarming
statistic that in 1983, 86 per
cent of all black babies in
America were born to unmar
ried women under the age of
20 (Ebony, Aug. 1986). Here
we should hope that ex
perience is the best teacher for
both parties involved.
Let’s take the case of
Xavier, a college student, and
Mary an underclassmen. Let
me note here that this exam
ple could happen to any cou
ple of any race.
Xavier and Mary met one
weekend at a college party.
The next night they had sex.
The following weekend they
had sex again. During the first
sexual experience, Xavier
had taken precautionary
measures. The next
weekend, however, no con
traceptives were used. Four
weeks later, Mary found out
she was pregnant. Mary told
Xavier and he walked away
from the whole situation.
Let’s examine the view
from Mary’s standpoint:
Xavier was an amiable per
son. Mary also thought his
physique complemented his
personaliaty. That same
evening, they conversed on
the phone for nearly three
hours. This gave Mary the im
pression that “it must be
something there.”
The next evening when she
went to Xavier’s dormroom,
having sex was only a slight
thought in her mind. After the
encounter took place, she
figured that she probably
wouldn’t hear from him
again. On the contrary,
Xavier continued to call
through out the week. He in
vited her over that weekend.
She decided to go because
the first experience left her
pleased and satisfied. At the
height of their passion, she
saw that Xavier hadn’t used
any protection. They were so
aroused that she didn’t men
tion anything. After this par
ticular escapade, the phone
calls, not nearly as long at
first, continued. Four weeks
later, Mary went to the doc
tor. The doctor informed her
that was pregnant. Mary
always felt that she was a pro
abortionist. She decided to
talk it over with Xavier. Upon
the news, he pretended that it
was Mary’s problem and not
their problem. Mary couldn’t
believe that he reacted in such
a manner. He left her to “bear
the cross alone.”
Xavier, from the beginning,
viewed Mary as just another
quarry to claim. He did find
her attractive as well as in
telligent. By confabulating
with her, he said only the
things he thought she wanted
to hear. The relationship to
him was only physical.
During the four week
period Mary found out she
was pregnant, one of her
friends told Xavier that Mary
was flirtatious and sociable.
Xavier didn’t care whom
Mary dated, he only cared
that she was there when he
“needed” her.
About a week later their
sexual encounter without
contraceptives, Xavier started
experiencing a burning sensa
tion while urinating. He want
to the school’s physician and
was told that he had a mild
form of gonorrhea. He was
highly upset. He knew that
Mary was the only person he
had sex with. He thought
since whe was so
sociable—according to her
friend—she could have con
tracted it from her partners
and transmitted it to him. He
See Walking Away, p. 6