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Watch your Setups:
Marjani Hall
Staff Writer
Spelman and Sisterhood go
hand and hand, or so I was taught by
my aunts and cousins before I joined
the legacy of excellence that is Spelman
College. In my mind you couldn’t think
one without the other, and until the fa
cade that was New Student Orientation
left me and my fellow “sisters”, I truly
believed that this thing called “sister
hood” could exist unconditionally
within the 2,177 female student body.
But then classes started and
GPAs, organizations, and the boys
across the street became more impor
tant then our “sisters.” Cliques were
formed like we were back in high
school, and that large group of 2,177
sisters, dwindled down to a choice few
close friends and acquaintances. We di
vided ourselves from one another, and
consequently divided our sisterhood.
We became more concerned with ap
plying to PULSE, obtaining that Google
Internship, or being on the executive
board of a prestigious club than being a
good sister. Even our class years divide
us from one another, as we gave other
classes names, like the “Ratchet Class
of 2014.” We sacrificed having a unified
sisterhood between all classes for sole
pride in our own.
Now in my sophomore year at
Spelman it isn’t just about obtaining a
high grade point average or being on
an executive board. Everybody this
year seems to be more focused on get
ting premier internships and
Sisterhood,
Competitiveness, and Gettin’ Ahead
fellowships, and being the interest of big name
organizations.
There is nothing wrong with setting
yourself up for success, that is the whole point
of a Spelman, and any college, education, but
at what cost do we value competitiveness when
it conflicts with the tradition of sisterhood we
portray to the outside world?
When it comes to achieving goals, why
do some of us have it set into our minds that “it
is every woman for herself?” It should be every
woman for one another. Who will be our sis
ters advocates if not us? We are in a time when
competitiveness overarches any previous concept
of sisterhood that we may have had. Some of us
have even learned how far our “sisters” can take
us, if we effectively manipulate them.
I know one woman of Spelman who is
willing to do anything and everything to “get
ahead”, sacrificing her integrity, her values, and
her sisters for her goals. She calls it networking,
and tells me the best way to get ahead and to
achieve my personal goals is to find the person
in charge, suck up to them, “befriend” everyone
they are associated with, and portray yourself as
the person that they want you to be. But every
time I see her I want to ask her: are you using
and manipulating all these people for the sake of
sustaining your future? If you are, are your aspi
rations really as valid as you think they are? Are
you really being true to yourself? And, are these
strategies coherent with the person you strive to
be, rather than the person you think others want
her to be?
She tells me, “That’s what it takes to make
moves”.
So from what I have learned from her,
to achieve we must use a little handwork,
a lot of manipulation, and a mixture of not
being yourself and not valuing your sisters.
For some of us this works and we become
“successful”, until we are confronted by
words like integrity and honesty and that
thing called sisterhood. If instead of snak
ing each other out to “get ahead”, we helped
each other out, and supported one another,
woman of Spelman would once again be able
to develop trust in each other. We wouldn’t
have to “watch our setups”, or watch for
enemies disguised as friends waiting to
backstab us and bring us down. We can use
sisterhood to lead us to genuine success
rather than misusing it to defer us from it.
Many students at Spelman, like
myself, do believe in the power of our sister
hood and its ability to be a positive aspect in
our lives. Those of us that do believe that as
well as the power of honor and loyalty, must
embody these convictions daily. We must
do so not just for our own benefit and to get
ahead, but so that we enable our sisters to
meet us at the top.
The embrace of full-figured bodies has
become a significant trademark among the
African-American culture. Hip-hop culture
in particular has been the main facilitator
for this misleading message of “the bigger
the better” in regards to black body image.
It seems as if black society has become ex
ceedingly comfortable with thick and vo
luptuous physiques to the point where one’s
health and obesity are no longer of concern.
“Don’t Quote
Me on This
but...”
1. Some of our sisters need to re
member that its November, and
even though it may be warmer then
normal, that doesn’t mean break out
the shorts, rompers, and sandals.
2. The cafe food is dog food
3. Dr. Lee is my favorite teacher
4. Dr. Kuumba is the best teacher
on the planet!
5. I love Spelman College with all
my heart!
6. Why do we complain so much
about the obesity epidemic when
all we have in the cafe is unhealthy
food!
7. The cafeteria on the grill should
be open longer.
8. Put some 2-ply TP in the bath
rooms!!!!!
9. A girl from Clark told me classes
at Morris Brown where harder
10. We need more business oppor
tunities other than investment bank
ing!
11. I feel as if the Sisterhood, which
many are attracted to, is something
that must be developed individually
within one prospective group. I wish
this was stressed more within the
students. While competition is fierce
in school and beyond our gates. We
MUST begin to create healthy com
petition amongst our sisters.
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A Chapel By Any Other Name? Marj ani Hall Staff Writer
Sister’s Chapel on Spelman Col
lege’s campus and King’s Chapel on
Morehouse College’s campus are two
of the most historic, respected, and
sacred places in the AUCC. They are
held in reverence by faculty, staff, and
alumnae. But to present students, these
places are more synonymous with the
dread of convocation, and entertain
ment of pageants, concerts, and
comedy shows.
Students have lost total respect
for these sacred places. The Chapels are
no longer thought of as the places they
where truly founded for and should be
more inclined to be called event spaces
rather than “chapels”.
The first time I every stepped
foot into Sisters Chapel was during the
Spel-bound 2010 Welcome Jam. The
Welcome Jam, like every event that
takes place in the AUCC, had a
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Deejay, and with typical (which at the time was
new to me) AUCC flair the Deejay shouted out
each region of the United States, Caribbean, and
International world playing the hottest songs
from each area.Songs such as, You’re a Jerk,
Wasted, Pretty Boi Swag, and Turn’t Up where
played not excluding their profanity or lewdness.
It didn’t dawn on me then that my fellow sisters
and I were dancing to Rap and Hip-hop songs in
a Chapel. We had turned a place of worship into a
club, and to this day AUCC students continue to
do so, and will continue to until we find another
place to host our big social events and recognize
the Chapel for what it really is.
What is wrong with using our
Chapel as a place to host social events? In all
actuality, nothing...until those “social events”
turn into drunken gatherings, where we defame
pageant contestants and talent performers, play
profanity in our Rap music and worse of all “Blow
the Whistle” and say Too Short’s “favorite word”.
We tend to forget what our college was built
upon. Although we have allowed for many of the
old and tired traditions to rest, the fact that our
school’s Chapel is, or once was a sacred place,
should not be forgotten.
During this years pageant season you
were more likely to hear the music of Future and
Tity Boi 2 Chainz in Sisters Chapel rather then
a hymn or gospel. Even if Scooperachi were to
eliminate all the profanity from each song, Spel-
manites would still sing all the lyrics. If N****S in
Paris was played not only would we say, “that shit
Kray”, but we wouldn’t have a
problem asking a friend “what’s Gucci my Nigga”,
even if Nigga was eliminated from the song.
During homecoming this year, the level of disre
spect at events in King’s Chapel got out of hand,
students took shots as they waited for the comedy
show to began, not to mention that one song by
Miguel that had everyone squirming and tweet
ing in their seats.
Even if we as students where to change
our behavior for the betterment of our Chapels,
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No Work &
Have you ever knew of a friend
that barely did work, barely mustered
the will to make it to class, but some
how received an amazing grade at the
end of the semester? Have you ever had
that teacher who was willing to go back
and change your grade at the end of the
semester because of avid participation?
Have you ever wondered where the line
of preferential treatments ended when
your work is judged solely on its merit?
I’ll admit, I have always been
one of those students. The student who
procrastinates until the very last min
ute, and to add insult to injury, puts
minimal effort into the work.
That’s done Yet, somehow, I
would manage to ace the term paper,
exam, midterm and final. While I am
confident in my academic ability in
writing and test taking, I also realize
that I’ve always maintained great
All Play
Alysha Phanord Staff Writer
relationships with my professors. Then a ques
tion popped into my head: Did my personal
relationships with my professors affect the grades
that I was receiving?
When reflecting on the classes
that I have taken, I realized that I received better
grades in the classes that I had developed some
sort of relationship with the professor. And let me
be perfectly clear, by “relationship”, I mean that
I made an effort to talk to them outside of class,
and sometimes during their office hours about
more than just school in a strictly platonic, and
appropriate fashion. Just wanted to clear that
out in case you’ve let your mind wander. I tried
to make personal connections so they could see
me as a person, rather than just another student
handing in a paper. I wanted to make sure my
professors could attest to my character outside of
the academic environment.
I remember in my ADW class I had been
assigned an essay assignment that was due during
Thanksgiving break and naturally, I didn’t start
the paper until an hour before the deadline.
Not to mention, I happened to have not
read any of the assigned texts, and so I haphaz
ardly wrote the paper. While most of my friends
were worried about the grade they would receive
on their respective ADW assignment, I casually
put it out of my mind. Weeks later I received an
“A minus”, while most of them received “B’s” and
“C’s” and had actually read the assigned text and
spent more time on their paper.
While I have never purposely befriended
a professor in order to get “preferential” treat
ment, there are various perks that come with
befriending a professor. For instance, if that pro
fessor teaches a subject in your major, they can
recommend classes that you should take, or that
you might be interested in taking. They are also
an incredible source of help, they
obviously know the material, and usually don’t
mind helping a fellow person who is also inter
ested in learning more about that specific area.
Another added perk is that whenever you need a
what would we do about the people that
perform in them? We can tell an artist
or comedian to “keep it clean”, but we
all know that’s easier said then done. An
artist has the right to express themselves
through their music, however lewd. And
to be honest, we already know what these
entertainers are about before we even
invite them to perform, so it should be of
no surprise the things they say while on
stage.
So do we risk having our “sacred”
Chapels marginalized, or do we find an
other place to hold events? So far I think
we have chosen the former. Or are we just
to preoccupied to care about the destiny
of two of the most important places on
our campuses?
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recommendation letter, they can provided
a personal touch because of the experi
ences you have shared, and because that
line of communication is open. Further
more, professors who can speak on behalf
of your personality as well as your work
ethic will do so with their colleagues and
employers. And if you don’t already know,
networking opportunities are key to suc
cess.
A word of caution is advised
though: befriending you professor might
not affect your grade whatsoever. Tffere
are some people that will only judge your
grade by its quality and quantity. Unfortu
nate, but true.