NEVlfSPAPenOF 7HB ftTUDENTS
OF MEREDITH COLLEX
VOLUME LXIII NUMBER 17
THE TWIG
Staley Lecturer to speak February 25*27
FEBRUARY 18, 1985
by Mallnda Britton
managing editor
Dr. Samuel p. Proctor, VlsiMng Sta
ley Lecturer, will speak FAniary 25*27 at
Meredith College.
Pastor of the Abyssinian Batist
Church of New YofK City. Dr. Proctor
also tield the King Memorial Chair In the
Graduate School of Education at Rutgers
University, New Jersey. Upon his retire
ment from Rutgers in 1984, he was
named Martin Luther King Professor
Ern^tus and received the Rutgers Medal
for distinguished senrice.
A nativeof Norfolk, Virginia, Proctor
attended Virginia State College, the Nor
folk Naval Apprentice School and grad
uated from Virginia Union University. He
received his Master of Divinity from Cro-
zer Theological Seminary and his Doctor
ate of Theology from Boston University.
Additional graduate study was dcK>e
at the University of Pennsylvania and at
,Yale University. Dr. Proctor has also re
ceived honorary doctoral degrees from
twenty-two different colleges and univer
sities.'
The distinguished lecturer Is author
of two books also. Vis Young Negro In
America 1960^ was published in 1966,
and Sermons From the Black Pulpit
(with Dr. William D. Watley) in 1^.
Dr. Pnxtor’s schedule for his time at
Meredith is printed as follows:
“Education and the Pursuit of Genu
ine Community"
Monday, Feb. 25, 10:00 a.m
Jones Chapel
Dinner with Association for Block
Awareness
Monday, Feb. 25, 5:00 p.m.
President's Dining Room
Forum with Students
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 8:00 p.m.
Chapel Comnton Room
“The Recovery of Human Comipass'
ion"
Wednesday, Feb. 27, 10:00 a.m.
Jones Chapel
Special music-Meredlth Chorale
Faculty/Staff Dialogue vWfA Dr.
doctor
Wednesday Feb. 27, 12 noon
President's Dining Room
[resen/ations due by Wed., Feb. 20]
Dr. Sarhuel D. doctor
Staley Lecturer
February 25-27
Hailey makes impact on Meredith
by Beth Blankenship
atafi reporter
As he stands at the podium adjust
ing his gok] wir&-rim glasses, Alex Hai
ley waits for the laughter of the audience
to subside t>efore going onto another
story about his family or his past.
As he speaks the audience can feel
the intense warmth and respect he has
for his family, especially his grand
mother.
"Grandparents seem to sprinkle
stardust over the lives of little chlldrenr,"
he says with a smile.
Haliey recalls that It was his grand
mother wlx> actually got him started,
thinking tracing- his roots. His
grandmother had invited t>er six sisters,:
whom she had not seen ^nce their girl
hood, for a vtsit. AS'ttie sisters sat on
tr^r rocking chairs a^er supper, they
talked of their father; Tonn, the black
smith and his father. Chicken George.
They spoke of Miss Kizzle and her father,
Kunta Kinte.
"I stood by my grandmother’s chair
and listened to these stories,” Hailey
said. “I rememtser after going to Sunday
School and hearing atwut Devid and Go
liath and about Moses' I would get these
Tories confused with my grandmother’s.
I connected Moses arxl Kizzle and David
and Chicken George.”
It was while Alex Haliey was in the
Coast Guanj that he began to think of
writing as a career.
- ' ‘ Because he-wrote-so msry letters
white away to friends and family, he t«-
carra known on the ship as a g^ letter
writer. Subsequently, Hailey be^ to
write tove letters for hi's shipmetas to
send to their girlfriends.
“I had my own racket. I’d write down
all The informatics about the girl - hair,
ayes, lips - and then I’d write the letter.”
“I got so that I was making more
money writing letters than being in the
ABA'S speaker makes impression
by Beth Blankenship
staff reporter
This is a thank-you to V\fendetta
Brown and all of the members of the As
sociation for Black Awareness. Thank
you for giving Meredith the opportunity
on February 11 to hear such a gifted
writer and speaker as Alex Hailey. I can
say that I have never been so enthralled
by any guest speaker on campus before
as I was by Mr. Hailey. I could feel his
warmth as he spoke of his family and
their past generations who have become
familiar to many of us through the televi
sion miniseries Roots. I was impressed
by his slnce(e hope for the institution of
tlW family and his faith In the youth of
America.
On a technical level, he was poised
and precise in his speech. His v/ords
were simple; his message was clear. The
colorful language which he used in his
ancedotes enenated from the colorful
characters of his hometown. I could viv
idly picture each character and house in
the little town of Henning, Tennessee:
his grandnmther in her wicker rocking
chair telling about the past generations
and the post office where a young Alex
went with his grandmother sometimes.
Black Emphasis Week w^ a major
success this year. Meredith College not
only experienced a feeling of unity
among all students. It experienced the
ENERGY that is Alex Hailey.
Hubbel Award Contest announced
Suzanne Newton, visiting wrlter-in-
resldence, would like to encourage Mere
dith students to enter the Hubt>el Award
contest. Contrary to what some may tie-
lieve, English n^ors are not the only
people who are eligitjie to try for this
cash award, presented each spring to a
student who tias demonstrate a sus
tained effort and interest in creative
writing over a period of time.
Rules for submission of manu
scripts may be found on the bulletin
board out^de of Ms. Newton's office
(201 Joyner), on the English bulletin
board on first floor Joyner, and at THE
ACORN office. Deadline for suttmlssion
is Mardi 29.
Students may select frpm poetry
and-or fiction .vt4iieh they have written,
since comif\g to Meredith.' Contestants
are asked to include, along with their
writing, a half-page autobiographical
«ssay ouilining the duration and inten
sity of their interest in creative writing.
Coast Guanj.”
H was not long, however, that Alex
Hailey began writing for himself.
"I could make words woi1(,” he said.
‘To be a writer you must...be
serious. Writirtg is difficult...you need at
least eight to ten years to start earning."
V\/rltlng has brought fame to Hailey,
not only from ftooft but from his arti
cles In holer’s Digest artd his inter
views, of Malcolm X and Dr. King in
Rayboy.
“Fame Is t»oth good and bad,” ex
plains Hailey. He admits that too much
recognition makes his life somewhat
hectfc arxJ sometimes pttfrrful.
“My family has become somewAiat
distant...but it's died down now.”
Hailey stresses that the nane of the
game for the family of theSO’s Is survival.
“We live in a changing society,"
says Hailey, "There are new facets...new
forms of family.”
As he looks at his watch, he is re
minded that he has several other ap-
pointtT>ents to keep.
Alex Hailey steps away from the
podium'leaving a certain Impact on his
listeners. They are not quite sure whether
they go away wHh a delightful pal of a
history, a sobering piece of advtee, or a
hope for the future.
Moat left with all three.
SENATE NEWS
Freshman curfew update
by
Paula Tomlinson
Senate Member
The Senate met on February 5 and
approved the following legislations:
1) the wording distinguishing the
voting and non-voting members of Stu
dent Life Committee w^ revised for
clarification.
2i the weeing of the memtjership sec
tion of the Student Activities Board was
clarified as to the voting status of Its
mentors.
3) the two freshman representatives cur
rently in the Residence Hall Association
were deleted from the n>embershlp sect-
k)n of the RHA.
Although the legislation of Self De
termining Hours (SDH) for freshmen was
not approved as proposed, there was a
second proposal that was approved for
SDH for second semester freemen. This
legislation was proposed to the Student
LifeCommitteeonTuesday, February 12.
H was briefly discussed and it was post
poned until the SLCs next meeting. A
vote will be taken then.
Elections turnout poor
by Kim Tansky
Election Board Chairman
Where is the enthusiasm about
electlons?Whydidon/y 35peopleshow
up for first slate speeches? Why did so
many people run unopposed? Out of
1200 resident students, why did only 258
vote? Why did only 2 non-residents
vote? the answers to all of these ques
tions should concern all of us.
Every student at Meredith has the
opportunity to choose the leaders she
thinks will do the jobs tsest. However, the
Meredith student body Is neglecting this .
privilege by their lack of participating in
voting. It is sad to think that only 260
students on this campus £are enough
about their Student Government to take
the time to vote.
As chairperson of electtons board,
this matter concerns me deeply. Mere
dith Is lucky to have a govemment run by
their students. Why aren't we taklf>g ad
vantage of this?
Please take the time to vote on
Tuesday, Febaiary 19, for s^nd slate
^ectic^. Let's hope there will be a
great Increase in the nunr^ of votes. It
Is your school, and it is your govern
ment: Show your concern!
The TWIG would like to apologize to
Sharon Knight for not recognizing her as
Co-Ch^mian of Elections Board.
Congratulations Pam Vann and
Sharon Knight Co-ChainDsn of Elections
Board!