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%• The BluePrint
SpelmanPaper@gmail.com Nov/Dec 2013
For a complete listing
ot events taking place at
Spelman College, check
the Student Life and
Engagement section of
Spelman.edu
Oates, times and locations
may change without advance
notice.
CAMPUS LIFE & Events
Who Let The Dogs Out?:
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Probate
By: Erin Gloster C2015
Students, alumni, friends, and family
joined outside of Morehouse College’s
Kilgore Campus Center to watch as 14
men of Morehouse participated in arguably
the one of the most
important moments
of their lives thus
far. Dressed in
army fatigue and
gold painted boots,
the F.A.T.A.L. 14
stomped out of
the U-Haul truck
(usually called “Q-Haul” during probates)
and into the center of the circle of the
eager audience.
That night, the fourteen men pubiically
introduced themselves as the newest
members of the Bloody Psi Chapter of the
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated.
The chilly night air filled with a putrid smell
and constant barking meant only one
thing: the Atlanta University Center needs
to prepare for a new addition to the yard.
The F.A.T.A.L. 14,
in true Omega Psi
Phi fashion, put
on an amazing
show.
With a
combination of
hopping and
reciting of the
history, the Omega neos showcased their
dedication to the fraternity. Ending the
probate by gathering in a circle and singing
their fraternity hymn, “Omega Dear”, the
F.A.T.A.L. 14 depicted a brotherhood like
no other.
Spotlight on Spelman Professors Novel in
Honor of Novel Month
By: Dedra Mitchell C2014
In honor of National Novel Writing Month,
The BluePrint would like to pay homage to one of
Spelman College’s very own novelists, Dr. Tarshia
Stanley. In August, Stanley, who uses Carolina
Knight as her pen name, published her first novel,
The Book of Ephesus. The following interview
provides a little insight about Dr. Stanley’s process
and what she hopes readers will take from her
premier novel.
Tell us about your novel and where your
inspiration to write it came from
I teach a Sunday school class and I really like
the literature and the references that are in the Bible.
One of my strategies for teaching, because I teach
adults, is to get them to think about how would
those stories look today. The novel is inspired by
the Bible’s book of Hosea, where a priest marries
a prostitute and it’s a demonstration of God’s love
for Israel. I just started thinking about what would
that look like today.
Then of course, I started thinking about what
would it look like if the priest were a woman, and
how would that play out if this woman who had
dedicated her life in a particular way, all of a sudden
is responsible to her community, people had great
expectations for her and then she met someone
whom those people didn’t agree with. Which would
she choose?
In many ways I think it might be reflective to
many women of color who sometimes have more
education than a lot of their partners might, and
thinking about how much of a difference that might
make. Even though, for my protagonists Cornelius
and Ephesus it’s not about a difference in education.
It is about the difference in their lifestyles.
I was teaching Representations of Women in
Literature, and one of my students asked me did
Black women write books that had happy endings?
And I looked at my syllabus and I thought ‘I
certainly don’t have anything on here that has a
happy ending.’ I really started thinking about that
and I accepted it as a challenge to really think about
how can you tell a deep story that has many lessons
and nuances, but may also have the opportunity to
make you feel good.
How was your writing process?
[I write] whenever I’m not working so it took
me seven years. I love to write when it rains, so I
used to only write on Friday nights if I was home
and it was raining. That’s why it took me so long.
Then I realized I had to develop a new strategy. I
couldn’t just write when I was in the mood. I had to
create the mood at all times. I couldn’t just wait for
the optimal writing mood to hit.
What would you like readers to take from
your book?
“ just hope they have a good time. I hope they
fall in love with the characters. As Cornelius and
Ephesus fall in love I hope they do too and go
on that journey with them. I hope it brings back
memories. It very much has many of the memories
I have as a child growing up in a very small town
in North Carolina and having people be all in
your business, and really be invested in who it is
you’re going to be. I also hope that for people who
haven’t had that kind of experience that it might
provide some possibilities in terms of the kind of
communities they want to build and the ways they
want to interact with other people.
Dr. Stanley hails
from Four Oaks, North
Carolina and is an
associate professor
and chair of Spelman’s
English department.
The Book of Ephesus
is available online via
Amazon, Kindle, Nook
and Ibooks. In addition
to making sure you get your copy of The Book of
Ephesus, also check out some of these other great
novels.
Holiday Reads
Sister Souljah
The Coldest Winter Ever
Paule Marshall
The Chosen Place, The Timeless People
James McBride
The Color of Water
William Faulkner
Light in August
Ayn Rand
Atlas Shrugged
Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games
Bapsi Sidwha
Cracking India
Ralph Ellison
Invisible Man
Maryse Conde
I, Tituba Black Witch of Salem
Joseph Conrad
Heart of Darkness
Sharon G. Flake
The Skin I’m In
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby
Earl Lovelace
The Dragon Can’t Dance
Alice Walker
The Third Life of Grange Copeland
Purebred Poodles:
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Probate
By: Courtney King C2015
On the chilly night of October 17, 2013,
five glamorous poodles—decked in black
dresses and heels, blue scarves, and
gold hats—introduced themselves as the
newest addition to
the “Exceptional”
Epsilon Eta
Chapter of
Sigma Gamma
Rho Sorority,
Incorporated.
These glamorous
poodles are
Lashon Blackwell, Elizabeth Jenkins,
Lisa Carter, Briana Hill, and Brandy
Edmondson. The Sigma Gamma Rho
Sorority, Inc. probate was full of cheers,
balloons, and posters as friends, family
members, and fellow AUC Greek
fraternities and sororities showed their
enthusiasm and love for the five ladies.
All five women were in synch as
they recited the sorority’s history from
memory and stepped out to introduce
themselves before receiving a line jacket.
Their movements
and precision
showed the crowd
why the Epsilon
Eta Chapter is
exceptional.
The neos
impressed the
members of
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. with
mesmerizing shimmy dedication. The
Kappa men better watch out because
these women gave them a run for their
money. Based upon their performance
at the probate, it looks as if the newest
sorority members of SGRho are a force to
Kq \A/i+h
Maroon Tiger
Body Issu
By: Jasmine M
Stripping away the layers of uncertainty,
Morehouse and Spelman students brought
a transparent perspective on body image in
The Maroon Tiger. The issue titled, MT Body
Issue included both Morehouse and Spelman
students who shared their stories of how
they overcame obstacles and learned to love
themselves regardless of the opinions that
the media and society portray.
Receiving both national and local
attention from various media outlets such as
EPSN, which originated the idea of the Body
Issue, and Black Entertainment Television.
While ESPN’s publication of the Body Issue
served as inspiration behind the MT Body
Image issue, The Maroon Tiger’s edition took
a different angle for the Atlanta University
Center (AUC) community, was a difference
in the angle that was presented to the AUC
Community.
“It was great to see an issue that focused
on body image and healthy self-image, as
this has been a personal peeve of mine that
the ESPN Body Issue does not cover,” said
Tiffany Solomon, senior English major.
It also sparked conversation about
African-Americans on body image that
had been absent from dialogues. A topic
of conversation that the African-American
community refrains from speaking on has
influenced dialogue amongst students in the
AUC such as Educational Studies Major,
Alicia Cole-Quinlan C’2016.
“This conversation is important to discuss
because of the relevance it bears, particularly
in the AUC Community,” Cole-Quinlan said.
“So many college students in this community
have body images and do not care to share
them.
“Those brave individuals that shared their
stories are trailblazers and catalysts for social
change in this community of college students.
This issue has helped to spark conversation
about body image and issues concerning
body image, which is a good thing. Hopefully
this issue has helped to address these issues,
and create a sense of community around the
topic of body image, and allow students to
feel more comfortable about themselves. I
learned that this issue is extremely prevalent
in the AUC.”
As Cole-Quinlan points out, this topic is
very relevant among students in the AUC.
Review
i. Ellis C'2015
However it is still not usually talked about
amongst the male population. In this issue,
Morehouse students decided to be honest
about sensitive topics including eating
disorders and self-acceptance. Biology
major, Delanie Jones C’2016, took notice of
this fact when reading the issue.
“This conversation is important because
at an early age, most of us were constantly
reminded that we were different because
of our skin color,” Jones said. “Before I
came to college, I thought that coming to an
environment like Spelman and the AUC was
a gateway to acceptance.
“I soon realized that as people of African
descent, we continue to find things that
separate rather than unite us. Before reading
the Body Issue, I knew that men struggled
with body image, but not nearly to the degree
in which it was expressed in this paper. I know
that body image is important to everyone. But
it is more important to focus on health as a
way to gain self-satisfaction as opposed to
seeking the approval of society.”
Psychology major, Emma Jackson
C’2015, was featured in the issue. She
shared her personal story of questioning her
own image as it relates to her career path.
Reflecting on sharing her truth and the stories
that were told in the Body Issue, a specific
segment of the publication spoke volumes to
Jackson.
“I loved the fact that it gave people an
opportunity to move outside of their comfort
zone,” Jackson said. “Students were able to
tell their stories about their own bodies which
can help others in the AUC about their own
view of body images. My favorite piece of the
issue was the two pages that show how molly
and alcohol can affect the body.”
While the issue has gained popularity
throughout the AUC, there have been critiques
on the issue. Throughout the years, hair has
become a prevalent subject of debate in the
African-American community, but the Body
Issue did not include much about it.
“There is nothing that I disliked. However,
it would have been nice to see more about
hair,” Jones said. “There were students who
spoke about locks and being bald, but straight
hair, natural hair, relaxed hair, and weave
are definitely things that we factor in to our
perceptions of beauty, too.”