Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME XVII NO. 3 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2003 www.spelman.edu/spotlight
IN THIS
ISSUE
NEWS
Spelman students
protest the
Playaz Ball,
the annual
party that glori
fies the world of pimping.
PAGE 3
ARTS & LIVING
The Spotlight
staff spent days
swimming in
sodas and pop
corn to bring you
reviews on three block
buster films. See how these
flicks fared as Spelman
Goes to the Movies.
PAGE 8
FEATURES
It’s that time of year again!
Love it or hate it, it’s
Valentine’s Day. Read true
confessions of some struck
it rich and others blew it big
time in the love department.
PAGE 4
The Spelman Spotlight
celebrates Valentine's
Day with Words for
Lovers and Others,
messages from AUC students.
PAGE 4
PERSPECTIVES
Every man thinks
he knows what a
woman really
wants. How accu- XL
rate is your man? ™
Charli Penn breaks \
down the myths of women
in relationships in Women
for Dummies.
PAGE 7
Ever won
dered why
you never
saw a face
like yours on
the couch in
Central
Perk?
Jennifer
Jenkins explores the eva
sive minority character in
television sitcoms.
PAGE 7
As America prepares for
battle, Perspectives Editor
Nkechi Olisemeka recalls
her life as a child in a war-
zone.
PAGE 7
Theft in 13 Rooms of Abby Hall over break
Nkechi I. Olisemeka
Perspectives Editor
Abby Hall was robbed dur
ing winter break and Spelman’s
public safety is working along
side the Atlanta Police depart
ment to find the culprits.
The building was immedi
ately assessed by the police for
fingerprints. In addition, prior to
the arrival of the students an out
side company was hired to clean
the building in order to minimize
the shock of the damage.
There have been four meet
ings held to discuss the situation.
Three of the meetings were
between the residents of Abby
Hall and the vice-president of
student affairs, the counseling
center, public safety, physical
plant and, the office of business
and financial affairs. The last
meeting that was between the
residents and Dr Tatum.
"The general consensus is
we feel unin
formed," said
Jatrean Sanders, a
resident of Abby
Hall.
According to
Vice-President of
Student Affairs Dr.
Zenobia L. Hikes,
there has never been
an incident of this
magnitude on
Spelman’s campus Abby Hall
and the college is
deeply disturbed. Dr. Hikes
wants to ensure the public that a
lot of behind the scenes work is
taking place in addition to inves
tigation. A counselor has been
assigned to each student who lost
items to help them deal with any
concerns that they may have
concerning the situation.
The Resident Director of
Abby Hall, Ms. Mitchell, con
firms that there are already
changes taking place, such as
improvement with patrol pat
terns, installing a better lighting
system around the hall and mov
ing the large trucks that impede
the vision of the street.
"I don’t take this just as an
Abby situation but a violation of
the campus," said Dr. Hikes. The
investigation is still going on
and, police are not ruling anyone
out as suspects.
Ending ‘Bip Pimpin” in Atlanta
Scenic downtown Atlanta host numerous pimps and prostitution rings
Protesting the
‘Player’s Ball”
an annual party
for pimps in
Atlanta
Clanci Cochran
News Editor
Did you know that pimping
in Atlanta used to be a misde
meanor? That selling women for
sex would only get you a slap on
the wrist and a fine? That pimps
could walk the streets freely
while the prostitutes, even inno
cent children as young as 10 years
old, would serve jail time?
Not anymore. Members of
the Atlanta community protested
the Player’s Ball held at the
Mirage Saturday, Feb. 8, claiming
that the event was just an oppor
tunity to glorify pimps. The ball,
which is an annual event and
takes place in several cities
around the U.S., took place
amidst the NBA All-Star weekend
events.
"Nothing is socially, cultural
ly, or morally acceptable, nothing
is good about glorifying pimps,"
says Atlanta Councilman Derrick
Boazman. He has been working
along with other concerned citi
zens to stop pimps from exploit
ing young girls. Boazman says
that pimps target ladies between
the ages of 12 and 14 because
they are easily impressionable
and have usually not yet contract
ed HIV, AIDS, or other sexually
transmitted diseases.
Pimps exploited the girls in
Atlanta as well as sending them
across state lines to Tennessee,
Alabama, Florida, and other
states. (Atlanta Journal-
Constitution). Boazman recalls
one instance when a girl was sent
out by her pimp to Los Vegas.
They had to work with Nevada
police to return the girl safely to
her mother.
Boazman reported that
around 200 people showed up to
protest the party. Although a
larger crowd was expected,
Boazman believes the protest was
successful. No one has protested
the Players Balls before, and the
event has been taking place for 30
years.
Local Atlanta radio station
Hot 107.9 was at first supporting
the event by giving away free
tickets. After Boazman and those
working with him contacted the
station, they not only stopped
handing out tickets but also
pulled the event’s advertisements
off of the air. Radio station V-103
broke contact with the event as
well. Scheduled guest Puff
Daddy’s publicist stated that the
rap start did not intend to partici
pate as the Player’s Ball, as well
as other guest listed on the event
flyers.
The government is beginning
to crack down on pimps. For
example, Charles Floyd Pipkins,
Andrew Moore, Jr. and Terrance
Ramsey were convicted of partic
ipating and running in a huge
prostitution scheme June 2002.
Pipkins and Moore will serve 30
and 40-year sentences, respec
tively. Both men pleaded their
innocence, but to no avail. This
has been the strictest punishment
of pimps to that date; before this
trail, pimps were rarely arrested.
(Atlanta-Journal Constitution).
Boazman hopes the protest
will raise the level of conscious
ness among Atlanta citizens and
help young women realize the life
of a prostitute is not a good way
to live. He also believes that the
successful Atlanta protest will
prompt other cities to do the same
with the Players Ball rolls around
to their town.
Spelman
reserves
“called in
1J
Danielle Wright
Health Editor
Thoughts of lying on the
desert sands of Iraq, or being
dressed in camouflage with trees
in the forests of Kuwait with a rifle
in one hand and a bayonet in the
other ever plague the minds of
Spelman students who are mem
bers of the United States Army
Reserves.
Spelman students Latasha
Hinton and Martha Adelaja were
called upon last Friday at approxi
mately 11a.m. to report to their
base on Monday morning at 7 a.m.
The two were forced to withdraw
from school and will be deported
for a year.
LaTasha Hinton joined the
United States Army Reserves to
help her mother pay her college
tuition. "Now that 1 am in my jun
ior year of college, what I joined
for is the reason I am being taken
away from my education," she
says.
Martha Adelaja, who calls her
rationale in joining the United
States Army Reserves her destiny,
tells students to "be thankful for
the tests that you have failed in
economics, or the argument you
had with your roommate, or with
your poor financial status. Things
could be worse".
Students like Hinton and
Adelaja ponder issues far more
extensive then grades, money
problems, and boy trouble. They
fear that their lives may be taken
away from them.
Hinton was misled by her
recruiter to believe that in the
event of a war, the very fact that
she was a student would refute her
candidacy to fight in war.
However, the call she received
Friday caused her to no longer
believe this to be so.
An event like makes the daily
worries of a college student seem
trivial in comparison. These
Spelman women have developed a
new appreciation for life because
they have seen how quickly and
easily their comforts can be dis
rupted.
"Don’t take anything for
granted," says Hinton.
"Imagine your own mother
checking the mail one evening
after a hard day at work. She
receives a military posted white
envelope and proceeds to open it.
Inside she finds that the dog tags
that you wore around your neck,
because those were the only
remains of you in Afghanistan.
Would you like to switch your bag
of troubles with me? I thought
not," said Martha.