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The Spelman Spotlight
The Voice of African-American Womanhood
Volume XLVIII NO. 2
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2005 sspotlight2005@yahoo.com
IN THIS ISSUE
NEWS
A Spelman student in
distress calls her sisters
and campus safety to
action.
page 1
Tickets, please: Senior
students spar with
administration over
graduation concerns
page 1
ARTS &
ENTERTAINMENT
Music takes center stage
page 5
FEATURES
The history of Black
History
page 4
Editorials
Family Weekend Gives Parents Glance at Campus Life
Terricha Bradley
Features Writer
Spelman’s students and
their families were kept busy,
once again, during the college’s
annual Family Weekend celebra
tion. This year’s events included
two Lady Jaguars’ basketball
games, and tours of Spelman
College’s museum and historic
Atlanta.
The three-day event,
hosted by the Division of Student
Affairs, offered workshops and
entertaining programs that
focused on the theme of “Mind,
Body, and Spirit.”
On Friday Feb. 18,
workshops on family and spiritu
ality, campus tours, and Cafe
350, a special night of live jazz
and spoken word, were just some
of the events that started off the
first segment of the weekend.
Saturday followed with a wel
come breakfast attended by Dr.
Tatum, and a pre-game tailgate
party for the Lady Jaguars’ bas
ketball game against Fisk
University that led to a Spelman
victory of 72-64. Another popu
lar event for families was the
Morehouse College and Clark-
Atlanta University basketball
game, resulting in a victory for
Morehouse.
Sunday events included
a Sisters Chapel worship service,
featuring a performance by the
Spelman College Glee Club; and
a second Jaguars basketball game
versus Maryville College, a 79-
75 loss for Spelman.
Freshman Nidra Bailey
said she enjoyed spending time
with her mother and sister, who
were visiting from California.
“We went to Cafe 350
and the Morehouse vs. Clark-
Atlanta basketball game, then to
church on Sunday,” she said.
There was confusion,
however, during the registration
process because all events could
not be attended due to pre-pay
ments.
“We really wanted to go
to the mother and daughter pam
per party, but we were not able to
attend without tickets. The
money my mother paid could not
go towards the events we wanted
to attend,” said Bailey.
While the city of
Atlanta served as an attraction
itself, Spelman College’s campus
life was alive with activity and
large groups of families that
attended Family Weekend
events.
Spelmanites and parents on the yard, enjoying a past family weekend.
PHOTO | www.spelman.edu/familyweekend/welcome.htm
We let these ladies
speak
for themselves.
page 6
HEALTH
Did you show your
heart some love in
February?
page 7
Stress+Stress could
equal more weight (and
more stress)
page 7
SPORTS
Women dominating
sports on and off the
court
page 8
Get a load of Spelman’s
new workout plan
page 8
PHOTO | Intiosar Abioto
Officers Keith Amacker and Alphonso Johnson were at the scene.
Student Stopped from
Attempted Suicide on Top
of Parking Deck
Michele Bradley and
Clanci Cochran
Staff Writers
“Not at Spelman. I
can’t believe it,” was the most
common reaction to the suicide
attempt off of the four-story
Spelman parking structure on
Feb. 8.
A distraught Spelman
student attempted to jump from
the top level of the parking
deck. Police officer Alphonso
Johnson and sergeant and super
visor Keith Amacker responded
to the alert. Johnson and
Amacker took the student out of
See Averted Tragedy, page 2
Dr. Tatum Takes on
Seniors’ Concerns
Clanci Cochran
Editor in Chief
“In keeping with deco
rum, we ask that your family and
friends keep all confetti, bal
loons, and noisemakers outside of
the Cathedral sanctuary. No
food, beverages, or rude and dis
ruptive behavior will be permit
ted.”
Although the above
statement seems like common
protocol when attending a col
lege commencement, the
Spelman College community has
had a problem in the past follow
ing these type of rules. This leads
to the college being shut out of
possible graduation locations,
which leads to frustration among
the graduating seniors.
In a senior meeting on
Jan. 25, many students reacted
negatively to news delivered by
Spelman secretary and assistant
to the president Dr. Sherry Turner
concerning graduation. The
majority of the backlash sur
rounded the availability of tickets
each senior would receive.
Although rumors circulated that
seniors would receive ten tickets
for their family members to
attend graduation, Dr. Turner
informed students that each grad
uate would only be guaranteed
Tatum at Williston Northampton
School’s commencement last summer.
eight tickets, with a slight chance
of being issued a ninth. Students
voiced their disagreement with
the announcement. Parents have
begun contacting college presi
dent Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum
with their questions and requests.
On Feb. 13, seniors met
with Dr. Tatum and college staff
members. About 35 students
attended the meeting. Although
there was no set program, the
conversation centered around
graduation.
Bringing food, alco
holic beverages, and rude and
disruptive behavior to com
mencement ceremonies past are a
few of the reasons Spelman is
See Tatum Takes On, page 3