Millsaps College - Bobashela Yearbook (Jackson, MS)

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[n Search of the Truth iy Kimberly Waggoner A questioning, critical spirit searches for truth. This attitude is at the heart of the Millsaps ' liberal arts education, a school of thought which balances the importance of one ' s scholarship with one ' s social growth. It is no surprise, then, that the faculty and the students of Millsaps actively question established ideas both in and out of the classroom. Currently, an example of this spirit is seen in the formation of the Consultation on the Status of Minority Students at Mill- saps, a committee which responded to the inquires presented by various groups in 1987 concerning the treatment of Millsaps ' minorities. The Consultation that was formed attempted to deal with many prob- lems which face minorities daily, such as alienation, a lack of support structures, and the seemingly weak recruitment procedures for minorities. The Consultation, which met on October 9 and 10, 1987, was direct- ed by the distinguished United Methodist Church leader Reverend Jack Loflin. It was attended by one hundred and sixteen representatives of various constituencies of the college: the six academic divisions. Board of Trustees, Executive Committee of the college, the Millsaps Alumni Associ- ation, the Boards of Higher Education of the two United Methodist Conferences in Mississippi, and members of campus orga- nizations. The Millsaps ' Chaplain Don For- tenberry, the overall director of the Consul- The silver trump of freedom had roused my soul to eternal wakefulness. Freedom now appeared, to disappear no more forever. It was heard in every sound, and seen in every thing. It was ever present to torment me in a sense of my wretched condition. I saw nothing without seeing it, I heard nothing without hearing it, and felt nothing without feeling it. It looked from every star, it smiled in every calm, breathed in every wind and moved in every storm. — Frederick Douglass Left: Kim Bruce, Jimmy Carr, and Chuwanda Thigpin discuss important issues in a small group discussion of the Consultation. Above: Rev. Jack Loflin guides the group by letting them know what their goals for the day should be.

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Presenting the Olin The Olin Building is the product of a seven-year quest by the Science Faculty and Ad- ministration of Millsaps Col- lege. It was funded by a $5.5 million grant by the Franklin M. Olin Foundation which is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The interesting thing is that the Olin Founda- tion gives most of its grants to schools in the Midwest and Northeast; Millsaps is one of the two Southern Schools that las been awarded a grant. When the Olin Foundation ? unds something like a science Duilding, they insist that the Duilding be furnished with new jquipment. The new equipment was founded by a grant from :he National Science Founda- ion and money from the school, rhe new equipment cost a total )f $400,000 and includes the most advanced technology available to any college or uni- versity. Dr. Allen Bishop asserts that all of the hardware and software are on the cutting edge of technology. The list of chemistry equipment, which sounds like it is straight out of Star Wars, includes a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spec- trometer, a Fourier Transform which identifies organic com- pounds, an Atomic Absolution Spectrophotometer which ana- lyzes metal ions in solutions, a graphite furnace, and fourteen new computer terminals to name just a few. The new equip- ment for the Biology Depart- ment includes an electron mi- croscope which has a magnifi- cation capability of 200, 000X, an Environmental Chamber, equipment which separates genes, physiology equipment which is more advanced than that of the University Medical Center, and much, much more. The Olin Building itself is well-thought-out and well built. In contrast to what usually hap- pens to other colleges and uni- versities, the Biology and Chemistry faculty at Millsaps were allowed a great deal of in- put in the design and construc- tion of the building. All of the lecture rooms are very comfort- able and quite luxurious, and the laboratories are top-notch in design and function. The fac- ulty states that the building is a great deal in terms of usabi- lity, space, and opportunities for research. Dr. Allen Bishop said that the Olin Building is the most advanced undergrad- uate science facility in the na- tion, and it ' s exciting to be able to do all the things we wanted to do, whereas in the past, all we could do was wave our hands and talk about it. It is unfortu- nate, however, that even with all this wonderful equipment, the professors cannot conduct any appreciable amount of re- search because they are so en- cumbered by the excessive number of teaching hours the administration requires them to teach. Johnny Mitias Above Left: Rebecca Cook. Jay Wiygul, Scott Cloud, and Su- san Boone. Above Center: Pant Jones and Anne Verret study outside the Olin. Above Right: Kip Kirby and his Honors Pro- ject at the Olin Building Dedi- cation. 17

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tation, states the scope and purpose of the group: To me, the central purpose of this organization is to increase the number of minority students and to effectively mini- mize the racial and ethnic differences that limit full participation in the college. At the meeting, the various comments which were submitted revealed that people at Millsaps are divided by race just as peo- ple are elsewhere. Clearly, a rift that sepa- rates Millsaps, Mississippi, and the United States is based upon the color of one ' s skin. However, the self-worth of an individual should be emphasized instead of irrational- ly concentrating on the race to which one belongs. Many at Millsaps question the ar- tificial barriers drawn by race and ask just exactly why such barriers exist. In addition to simply questioning these problems, members of the Consultation have set im- mediate and long-range goals to destroy these barriers. Unmistakenly, any solution which was proposed at the Consultation must occur through a change in attitude and not only in reformed policy. Although policies of this committee, the Admissions Department, or the Administration itself may be written to help minorities, they will face opposition unless a change of heart occurs first. This involves a partnership between the policy- makers themselves and the Millsaps ' popu- lation: if we are to become a community, one cannot override the other. Junior Edie Hall emphasizes the importance of continu- ing this open attitude: Even though the Consultation is over, we must stay aware of this problem to make any changes for the future. We can work to immediate goals to plant the seeds of the long-range goals. Let ' s not let this issue die. Presently, the task groups of the Consul- tation ' s Steering Committee work to change existing problems on minority stu- dents. The members of the Consultation, along with others on campus, have an op- portunity to make a difference for the fu- ture. Just as the treatment of minorities was questioned in the past, today students can question their own attitudes to see if they are willing to risk a change. 19