Newspaper Page Text
September 28, 1955
THE MERCER CLUSTER
Page Five
FROM SID
An Open Letter
To The Students
Dear Fellow Students:
Once again we embark upon a year of studying; a year of fun; a
year of fellowship. And once again we will renew old acquaintances
and make new ones. In many ways it will be a year no different than
those that we have gone through every year, but of course, there will
be those events and activities that will set this year apart and make it
remembered.
A school year just doesn’t happen nor do successful on£s just come
along from time to time. A myriad of plans is necessary for the
execution of success. And planning there has been to make this year
bigger and better than ever. The administration, the religious groups,
the fraternities and sororities have all spent countless hours perfecting
their various programs to make this the banner year.
And so has Student Government made plans. Our biggest aim—
and biggest problem—is the revision of the student constitution. It
has become outde'ed and inadequate for the job that is to be done.
The revision will ake a great deal of time and it will be a tedious task.
In the light of these facts, I am asking for the wholehearted co-opera
tion of each student and each student group. Let me make it clear
that by co-operation I don't mean acquiescence to any proposed pro
gram. Student Government wants to stay close to the student. We
welcome student opinion and student opposition as long as the opposi
tion is sincere and constructive. The purpose of student government is
identical with the purpose of self government. And the principle of
democracy can never be ignored. Every student can make his voice heard
regardless of his ideas on an immediate question and regardless of
his party affiliations.
I would also remind you of the honor system. We have made great
strides since the initiation of the honor system. The atmosphere sur
rounding it has progressed from one of semi-hostility to a healthy
encouraging one. The principle of academic honesty has swiftly become
an integral part of the student thought. Our progress has been incourag-
ing and sure. I urge you to regard this matter in the serious manner
that you’ve previously exhibited.
On behalf bf the officials of Student Government, welcome, and
welcome back. We are at your service. Let us have your complaints—
and your compliments.
Sincerely,
Sid Johnson
President, S. G. A.
Ray Brewster Returns
As Religious Director
By Mary Etta t’lark
Ray Brewster, former Baptist Student Union director at Mercer,
has returned to the campus after a year’s leave of absence to take once
again his place in B.S.U. work. During the past year he has been
doing work toward his Master of Theology degree at Union Theological
Seminary in New York.
Mr. Brewster, who is from Cedar-
town, Georgia, received the A. B.
degree from Mercer and the B. D.
degree in theology from Yale Div
inity School. Before coming to
RAY BREWSTER
Mercer to join the faculty, Mr.
Brewster did religious education
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and youth work.
B. S. U. plans for the year, ac
cording to Mr. Brewster, will be
slightly different. In addition to
the regularly scheduled activities,
the B.S.U. will also feature council
meetings in which programs of dis
cussion open to all students will
be presented.
During the weekly council meet
ings, the monthly greater council
meetings, and the quarterly gen
eral meetings, one period of about
thirty minutes will be devoted to
business and the remaining hour to
discussion. This discussion will con
sist of topics concerning other
faiths, other religions, certain
theologians, and theological trends.
The discussions will be open not
only to council members but also
to all other students "Who are in
terested.
Introducing . . .
Sid Johnson
Albert Sidney Johnson Jr., a sen
ior from Vidalia, is president of
Student Government Association
this year. During his high school
cureer, Sid pisyed football, was a
member of the Georgia Key Club,
vice-president of Georgia Beta Club,
and was named Student of the Year
in 1950.
Before coming to Mercer he at
tended Georgia Tech where he was
BE
By Brackingham
Well Freshmen, how does it feel to go to classes at eight in the
morning? Stop grumbling, you get out by lunch, or either you have
time to sleep in the morning between classes. So don’t feel too put out.
And you probably have some I
SII) JOHNSON
a member of the Wesley Founda
tion and vice-president of the fresh
man class.
At Mercer he has been an active
member of the Debate Council, is
an officer of Tau Kappa Alpha
National Debate Society, and a
member of Blue Key. Last year he
was junior class representive to
Student Council. He is a member
of Kappa Alpha social fraternity
and has served as treasurer of that
organization and is number Six
man this year.
Perry to Head
News Bureau
More active this year will be the
news bureau which will be headed
by Mr. Jack Perry. The duty of this
bureau will be to send news of
Mercer students to their local pap
ers and radio stations. Plans are
being made to have a wider, more
accurate coverage of student news.
A 1951 graduate of Mercer, Mr.
Perry was very active on the cam
pus. He served as vice-president of
Sigma Nu social fratumity and as
president of Blue Key. He will re
place Professor Henry Warnock.
Nancy Yates will serve as his
assistant. The bureau will he open
every afternoon during the week
ih the economics building. All clubs
and organizations will send all news
of students, such as elections and
awards, to the bureau.
Every student has been given a
public relations sheet to be filled
out. Everyone is urged to return
these to the ofice of the bureau as
soon as possible. It is through these
that the bureau can have informa
tion of all students home towns.
complaints about minor campus
rules that rub you the Other Way.
For you that do have these re
marks, the staff of the Cluster
cordially invites you to the Letters
to the Editor column. One catch:
you muBt sign the letter if you
want it printed, and, anything that
you say will be held against you by
the Sophomores at Rat Court.
Seriously, anytime anyone in
the school, including the faculty,
has anything they would like to
get off their chest, the Letters
column is open wide for them.
DOWN TO BUSINESS
As usually happens, the Adminis
tration asked many veteran stud
ents to come to the campus about a
week early to help in the Fresh
man Orientation program. All, with
the possible exception of one or
two, happily showed up, eager to
assist the college in any way they
could.
The assistance of the upperclass-
' men in orientating the freshmen is
I being used effectively by most col-
, leges today. No one has proposed
j a better method, and there probably
1 is not one.
But one thing during the pro-
J gram seemed highly out of order.
1 An initialed notice was tacked on
the MEP Bulletin Board which read
something like this: “Students,
(meaning Co-eds), may have date
privileges this weekend. Freshmen
girls are to go out with freshmen
boys, and transfer students are to
go out with either freshmen boys
cr transfer students.’’
Now don’t ask where this order
came from. It could have come from
the Dean of Women’s office, the
Pan-Hellenic Council, or even from
the Woman’s Student Government.
Possibly other places. But you can
bet your last Big Orange Drink
that it did not come from the upper
classmen helping the school in the
Orientation.
Had this injunction been followed
(And who says it wasn’t?) what in
the world were these noble lads
going to do over the weekend ? Sit
in the Co-op and play Monopoly?
Because of any whim of the Ad
ministration, the mandate could
have come from the Dean of Wom
en’s office. If it did, probably no
one will ever know r it.
The Pan Hellenic Council might
have thought that by dating an
upperclassman, that upperclass
men might try to influence what
social organization the girl might
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WHERE MERCERIANS
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pledge. That seems most un
likely. For this reason.
Most of the male students have
no favorite female social organiza
tion, unless they have strings at
tached to some girl in one group.
And if a fellow was already taken,
he wouldn’t be over at MEP look
ing for a woman anyway. An un
attached boy would not give two
hoots and a holler about which girl
pledges what. (That is my personal
opinion.)
The Women's Student Govern
ment? Their motive: Protecting
the defenseless girls from the
aggressive upperclassmen. Well,
it failed, for those freshmen boys
aren't the most lackadaisical fel
lows in the world. From talk I’ve
overheard from the new Co-eds,
the eager freshmen really want
to get on with it.
But unless an Official Answer is
given, no one will ever know. Just
another crazy rule that got some
people upset. As it stands, the silly
notice probably robbed some lonely
girl, not to speak of the boy, of a
date her first weekend at college.
And according to Freud, the girl’s
personality will be warped for life.
All because of a whim of some
dictator. Be
MEP Filled,
Overflowing
MEP and all its outposts, Bart
lett, Findlay and Dowell houses,
are now filled to the hilt with old
girls, freshmen and transfers. At
last the confusion of moving and
unpacking seems to be over.
Although new girls may not have
been aware of it, the old residents
got a pleasant surprise when they
sat down for their first meal in
the dining hall. They found the
tables set with new china und shiny-
now silverware.
Cleaning and rearranging in
rooms and sorority suites is a
familiar sight during fall quarter.
Walking down the dormitory halls,
one sees dust flying from the rooms,
trunks being shoved from one place
to another, and furniture being
polished in the hails.
Life in the newly-opened Dowell
House seems to be very pleasant.
It has a cheerful, homey atmos
phere and attractive rew furnish
ings.
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