Newspaper Page Text
Volume XLV, No. 7
April 27, 2001
Florida Elections Part II. Read about the craze that devel
oped from this year’s 2001 Elections and what’s being done to
prevent this from happening again.
See “Students demand a recount!...”
... page 3.
She’s been through it all, and now she’s running things as
web designer for the Okaypiayer.com site. Angela Nissel talks
about her life and her new book, The Broke Diaries, which is a
little something that we, as humble college students, can all re
late to.
See “Angela Nissel speaks the truth.. .”
.. .page 4.
New dining hall? New dormitory residences? Is this
Spelman? Well, yes. The Spotlight staff was at the most recent
town hall meeting and is here to inform you of the possible
changes for this upcoming school year.
See “Final town hall meeting.. .”
.. .page 1.
The bonds of sisterhood prove to be stronger than ever in
one of the most painful ordeals- the loss of one’s mother. A
Senior Spelmanite reflects on the power of true sisterhood.
See “A senior’s reflection. . .”
...page 7.
all that and more
INSIDE
Seniors reflect on Founder’s Day
Mia Radford
EPE/Contributing Writer
Three years ago a small group
of approximately 300girls first stepped
foot onto the campus of Spelman Col
lege. For this group of girls, an entirely
different world was waiting for them.
A new world which consisted of joys
like homecoming and dating in the
AUC and also of unspeakable horrors,
such as, nauseating cafeteria food and
the many headaches of registration. All
of these experiences both the good and
bad have constituted their Spelman ex
perience. However, the time has come
for them to complete this chapter of
their lives. Graduation is near. On May
20, this group of300 girls will become
women, but before graduation they
have already encountered one of their
last memorable stepping stones at
Spelman—Founder’s Day.
For seniors. Founder’s Day was
not just another occasion for them to
put on their white dresses, flesh-col
ored stockings, and black shoes. It was
also the first time for them to be pre
sented to the school in their caps and
gowns. “We were in our graduation
regalia for the first time. It was very
memorable,” says senior art major,
Seniors proceed to Sister’s Chapel.
Crystal Wood, who greatly anticipated
her last Founder’s Day.
April 11 also reminded seniors
that May 20 will be here sooner than
they think. “It was reflective of gradu
ation day,” says senior English major,
Heather Lowery.
For many seniors it seems like
it was not too long ago when they at
tended their first Founder’s Day as
ffeshwomen. These past four years
flew by. Now they can hardly believe
the time has come for them to get their
hair done and put on their white
dresses. Jameta Barlow, a senior En
glish major, remembers looking at the
senior class of ‘98 on Founder’s Day
and thinking how she could not imag
ine being in their shoes. “Wow! I
couldn’t imagine being at that point
of my life but here I am,” she says.
Along with
Founder’s Day, April is
a crucial month for nu
merous seniors, who are
preparing for graduation.
Many are making ar
rangements for their
families to attend. Al
though a number of se
niors have been ac
cepted to grad schools
and others have ac
cepted full-time job positions, many
others are still practicing patience as
they wait to hear back from schools or
about job opportunities.
Not only did April 11 signify
graduation for seniors, but it also sig
nified a new phase of their lives. This
group of sisters has laughed and cried
together. They have studied and par-
tied together. They have worked hard
and they have been there for each other.
Next month they will graduate to
gether, but afterwards they will each
go their separate ways. Founder’s Day
marks this new chapter of their lives.
After graduation this group of seniors
will leave Spelman behind and begin
to embark on new journeys. “It is a
testament of how the real world is
coming,” says Barlow.
Final town hall meeting addresses new dining and housing options for next year
accepted, students will pay the Spelman Dining Services
same price for the apartment as staff announced that Alma
How would you like to live in the apartments of Castleberry Hill?
Joyce Iyamu
Contributing Writer
The last scheduled
Spelman Student Government
Association (SSGA) Town
Hall meeting for the 2000-
2001 academic year was held
on April 10. Among the is
sues addressed were new din
ing and housing options for
next year. The meeting was
moderated by SSGA President
Tamaria Kai Perry and con
sisted of a panel of Spelman
administration including, Vice
President and Dean of Student
Affairs Zenobia Hikes; Resi
dential Life Director Katrina
Dorsey; Dining Services Di
rector Piper Freeman; Dining
Services Supervisor Eugene
LeBoeus; and Director of Stu
dent Activities Pamela An
thony.
The meeting began with
an overview of the residential
life process. Dean Hikes as
sured students that all
Freshwomen will be guaran
teed housing during the 2001-
2002 school year, despite the
upcoming renovation of
Packard Hall. Hikes ex
plained that “the college has
received over $900,000 in a
matching grant from the De
partment of Interior to renovate
Packard. Once an architect is
selected and plans are devel
oped, we will decide whether
the building will become a
mixed-use facility or strictly an
administration building. In the
meantime, Packard will be
taken offline as a dormitory in
the fall.” During the meeting,
students were also informed
that Manley Hall will become
an all-Freshwoman dormitory
next semester.
Students who paid their
$100 tuition/housing deposit
by March 30 were randomly
entered into the housing lot
tery. Yet, every student is not
able to participate in the lottery
even though her deposit might
have been paid by March 30 be
cause of limited spacing. The
Office of Residential Life only
guarantees housing for first-
year and Honors Program stu
dents.
A possible housing pro
posal was also presented that
would give Spelman access to
a nearby apartment complex
accommodating 84 juniors and
seniors in one, two, and three-
bedroom apartments. The pro
posal is still being negotiated
between Spelman and the apart
ment complex. If the plan is
they would for on-campus
housing.
The Office of Residential
Life has scheduled a meeting
to discuss the housing process
for April 12, 2001. The actual
housing selection process is
scheduled to begin at the end
of April. All housing cancella
tions are due by June 1, and all
$500 confirmation deposits are
due by July 1, with absolutely
no exceptions.
Upshaw Dining Hall is defi
nitely scheduled to be remod
eled this summer. The remod
eling will include more dining
space, new chairs, tables, and
other features that will provide
a more appealing dining envi
ronment. Renovations to
Lower Manley are scheduled
for 2002, after the dining hall
project is complete.
A new option to the stan
dard meal plan including “flex
points,” extra money to eat on
campus in places such as
Chick-Fil-A, was also
proposed for the
2001-2002 academic
year. Additional veg
etarian options are
also being considered,
as well as a possible
late night dining op
tion.
Students can
didly discussed the
quality and selection
of the food. In exam
ining more pertinent
issues such as meal
options and student
satisfaction, the din
ing services staff is
making a more appar
ent effort to improve
overall dining condi
tions for students.
The Student Govern
ment Association Food Ser
vices Committee and Dining
Services has also encouraged
increased student input, such
as recipe suggestions.
If you have further ques
tions or comments regarding
this Town Hall meeting, or
other concerns related to the
SSGA, please direct them to
the SSGA office, located in
Lower Manley, Room 104.