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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. x>oooooooooooooo •>x><x>o<x>oooo<x><>o<x><x>c>oo<x><>ooo<>o<x>o<>oo<x><>o<x>o<><x>ooooc-: - ^x><x>o<xx>o<x>o<xx>c><xxxx><x>c><x><>o<x><>o<x>c>oo<><x><xxx><><x>oo<><x>oo<x><>oo<x><x><>o<x><>o<><x> 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 0<X><X-0<X>0<-<X>C<><><X<><X><X><X><XxX>C<><>X><><><X><X>000<X><X><X>0<><><X><X><><X>00<>C><X><X>C<>00 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, KxX>0<*X>C<><X>C-<X><><><X><>0<><>0<><X>0<X><>C><><><>C'<X><><X>0C><X><X><><X<>>X^ 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? X><.<X><>0C><><>C><X>0<X><X><X><X><X><X<><X>C><XX><>CkX><XXX><X>0<X>0<X><>C<><><><X><XXX><X>C«>X><><>0ChXXX><> 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.