AGNES SCOTT ALUMNAE MAGAZINE SPRING 1986 "We are at war with ignorance and disease, and thirst and hunger. People say behind our backs that we cannot win. All we know is that there can be no losing." ISAouhoussine ISJacro Burkina Faso, West Africa "Global awareness will mean more than mere learning, it will mean global cooperation, going beyond cultural narrowness to mutual sharing and respect— even to love. For Agnes Scott, this is a beginning." John Studstill Director of Qlohal Awareness Agnes Scott College OUT THE WINDOW After the Decatur delegation's institute, agronomy had not October visit to Burkina, emphasized research until recently. Agnes Scott welcomed a The math and physics departments high-level visit froin four Burkinahe could not afford to import necessary educational leaders in February. scientific equipment, so the secon- Under the auspices of the U.S. dary schools are now making scales, Information Agency, these educators compasses and other items in the from the University of Ouagadougou classrooms." spent a month touring American At first the tive-year-old medical educational institutions. They school also resembled European-style named Agnes Scott College as one of programs in Dakar and Senegal, but the first three institutions they "We are now tailoring them to meet wished to visit. the needs ot the country," said Dr. Our guests were Dr. Ambroise Ouiminga. "Our primary objective is Zagre, vice rector; Dr. Akry Coulibaly, to train general practitioners and director of the Institute of Mathe- public and community health profes- matics and Physics; Dr. Moumouni sionals." Under the old system, doc- Rambre Ouiminga, director ot the tors were trained abroad, and re- School ot Medicine and Public turned to practice in urban medical Health; and Ms. Maimouna Sanoko, centers. Now Burkina stresses health librarian-in-chief. They stayed at the support for rural areas, and medical Alumnae House several days while they visited with the school graduates must serve several years in one of campus community. these community-built facilities." Another thrust. Dr. The 10-year-old University of Ouagadougou is Coulibaly noted, is building schools so all children have Burkina's first and only university. At first it resembled a chance to learn. the French system of education first established by In a formal ceremony one evening. Vice Rector Zagre Catholic missionaries. But now, 10 percent ot its 5,000 spoke on behalt ot his country: "Thanks, joy, for your students are women. Ot the 200 faculty members, now support of a people who are struggling tor a better life." 60 percent are Burkinabe. He described his hopes for Burkina and his boundless When the Sankara government came to power in appreciation for the triendships at Agnes Scott. "We 1983, the university drew sharp criticism as a "bastion need cooperation between Agnes Scott and Burkina to of elitism," and university leaders set out to prove their improve the lot of Burkina women. Of course it is not worth to a revolutionary government desperate to meet easy tor us men to share power with the 'weaker sex,'" he basic human needs in a poverty-stricken economy. Now said, as the audience laughed. "But no country can de- the university offers a school of medicine and public velop without having the participation of women, and health, an advanced agricultural research institute, and that's why we attached a lot of significance to mutual another institute to train professional clerical and ad- understanding and mutual affection. ministrative workers. "We'll tell Burkina people that Decatur people are As Dr. Coulibaly explained, "The faculty has realized open-minded to dialogue and have a great heart. I hope the verocity of those attacks and organized seminars on that the community ot heart and spirit that we share training to give new directions and applications to the today is symbolic ot that community ot heart and spirit to needs ot the country. For example, in the agricultural which the whole ot humanity should aspire." —Lynn Donham Editor: Lynn Donham, Associate Editor: AlisaWendorpli, Editorial Assistant: Ann Bennett, Student Assistants: Sliari Ramcharan'89, Patricia Roy '89, Editorial Advisory Board: Dr. Ayse llga: Garden '66, Caroline McKinney Clarice '27, Laura WhitnerDorsey '35, Sandra Cluck, Mary Kayjarhoe'68, Margaret Mizell Lauderdale '46, Mildred Love Petty '61, Lucia Howard Si:emore '65, Elizabeth Stevenson '41, Dr. William H. Weber Copyright 1986, Agnes Scott College. Published three times a year by the Office of Publications of Agnes Scott College, Top Floor, Gymnasium, College Avenue, Decatur, Georgia 30030, 404/371-6315. The magazine is published for alumnae and friends of the College. Postmaster: Send address changes to Office of Development and Public Affairs, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA 30030. TURNABOUT Thank you tor reprinting my Atlanta Agnes Scott Spring 1986 lournal article on the U.N. conference Alumnae Magazine Volume 64 Number 1 and tor your editorial comments (Fall AGNES m5 issue, Page 2). Your remarks about Mrs. Roose\-elt (one ot my heroines) made my point. The tact that delegates to international scon conferences must "represent the national interests of their countries" doesn't mean that those national interests necessarily conflict with international interests, only that even Mrs. Roosevelt, with all her personal influence, did not operate 8 as a woman at a women's conference but One Tough Job as a U. S. Delegate and chair of the U. N Managing an embassy residence, caring for three children and Commission on Human Rights, address- meeting the social engagements ot a diplomat are all in a day's ing her appeal to the General Assembly, work tor Julia Cole Botihahih. By Carey Roberts not to an ad hoc conference. As a White House staff member with some liaison duties with the State Department during the period prepara- tory to the Nairobi Conference, 1 was 12 astounded at the work simply to prepare Quest for Curriculum an agenda that was acceptable to the The move to a semester system offered a chance to re-examine 100-plus members. Each government the curriculum. The faculty rose to the task. had to coordinate activities of various agencies, which had to agree internally. B>' Ellen Wood Hall Each set of such recommendations then had to be reviewed by various U.N. working parties and then worked into a document which was acceptable to all. My position is not against international 20 efforts, simply that efforts made within Burkina Faso & Agnes Scott the mainstream of the U.N. are more The Global Awareness Program kindles a friendship fruitful those which try to represent than with the "Land ot the upright and dignified people." half the world population as a special By Gar}' Gimderson and Lynn Doiiham interest group. It is my generation that survived Nazism, established the U.N. , and conceived and gave life to a Declaration of Human Rights. I don't know how Dorothy Douglas proposes to achieve 30 Dr. and maintain peace (which after all, can McNair come about in many ways). I'd like to ask Teacher, Historian, Advocate, Friend. her, does she propose U.S. unilateral By Man 'in B. Perry ]r. disarmament, unilateral nuclear dis- armament? Does she think the U.S. should ever, under any circumstances, go to war? 32 '38 Eliza King Paschall A Distinctive College Atlanta, Ga. It's impressive to see a girl become a self-possessed young woman. Professor Richard Parry tells why that's an everyday occurrence at Agnes Scott. Continued on page 19 Lifestyles ... 4 Finale 38 AGNES SCOTT ALUMNAE MAGAZINE 31 LIFESTYLES The eldest of six, three debate. It also taught me to girls and three boys, she listen. Much of what I do grew up in Lakeland, a for the governor is listen to small town in southeast people who have good Georgia. She graduated in ideas and are interested in a class of 50 from the local helping the state." public high school and was With her new bachelor's the first person from Lake- degree in 1955, Gracie land to go to Agnes Scott. started an executive retail Why? training program but left "Because my daddy told after two years to marry me that's where 1 should Barry Phillips, an attorney. go," she says. No second One year as a sixth-grade thoughts there. Why did teacher completed her Mr. Greer want her to go to "paid" work experience. Agnes Scott? No second Then for 26 years, Gracie thoughts there either, he had a career familiar to says: "1 wanted her to have many Agnes Scott gradu- the best. She was a smart ates: being a homemaker girl. and rearing a daughter and To Gracie, Agnes Scott three sons. She did the '"'***'*»<«^ is the best. "They teach usual things, PTA, Scouts, you to think, to recognize social service. Then with Hi: problems, to focus on solu- her children all over 20, tions, to organize your she moved easily into a new work and your thoughts. career. Coming from a small high An old friend of her school, 1 really had to work. husband's wanted him to Phillips succeeds at second career 1 studied most of the time." meet another friend who She majored in political was going to run for Gover- hen Joe Frank woman who serves as press science, but she remembers nor. So Barry and Joe Frank Harris took office officer, have equal and ready classes with Dr. Catherine Harris had lunch and as governor of access to the governor. Sims, Dr. George Hayes, started forming a campaign Georgia in January 1983, Gracie is at home with and Dr. Walter Posey. She committee. Gracie ended Gracie Greer Phillips '55 poUtics and politicians.