Newspaper Page Text
Mnttt
Cluster
Volume XLVI
MERCER UNIVERSITY, MACON, GEORGIA, MARCH 3, 1966
Number 17
Harris Calls
for Higher
Education
Standards
Dr. Rufus Carrollton Harris, president of Mercer Univer
sity, said Friday that this is a time to “educate or perish,’’ and
asserted that “most of the students in Georgia’s schools and
colleges are not pushed to work near enough to their full
capacity."
Speaking to members of the Ft. Valley Kiwanis Club, he
went on to say that this is not confined to Georgia or the
South. “This natural condition contributes to our national
danger, because good education now lies at the heart of our
hope and purpose,” he said.
The Mercer president added that
there are three primary causes for
this inadequacy of student effort:
1. An indifference of parents to
the unremitting need for disciplin
ed offort by their children.
2. The dissipative power of com
munity trivia, plus the lack of
knowledge by community, church
and political leaders of the differ
ence between good and bad edu
cation.
3 The fact that bo many of the
good educational institutions have
not rearranged their processes to
itimulate the highest, instead of
minimum student effort.
I)r. Harris pointed out that
“honors” programs of work for the
talented student is one way to
produce this improved opixirtunity
lor the millions enrolled in high
schools, colleges and universities.
By-_;honors' programs I mean
special educational programs that
both discover talent and challenge
it," he said. “Such programs can
range from small discussion ses
sions to large interdisciplinary
oourses, and special or regular
(acuity may be used.”
The Mercer president said that
two chief fundamentals of 'honors
programs are a belief in the inter
relationship and interconnection of
all knowledge, and an insistence
that students fulfill their potential.
He added that "the problem is not
necessarily how to give something
to the best students alone . . . but
rather to set in motion a force for
change that will spur the institu
tion as a whole to strive to make
Volunteers
Needed For
Poverty Program
Five hundred college students
are needed to work in the Appa
lachian Mountains in remedial, ed
ucational, community action, and
recreation programs for 9 weeks
this summer. This is part of the
Appalachian Volunteers Program.
The program is administered by
Hie Council of the Southern Moun-
t *ins, Inc., a non-profit organiza
tion, and is financed by a grant
from the Office of Economic Op
portunity.
The Council was organized in
1913 and has been working in the
Appalachian South ever since
through the Appalachian Volun
teers it placed much-needed library
books in one-room schools. The
Volunteers are now obtaining kit
chen equipment for the schools to
Prepare hot lunches.
Mr. Fred Strache will be on the
Msrcer campus on the afternoon
•ad evening of Thursday, March 3,
to talk to interested students. Two
tooottngs will be held at 3:30 and
*t 7:00 in Room 314 S. C.
as many students as possible into
first-rate ones.”
Dr. Harris noted that the idea of
"honors’ work is not new. “What
is new,” he said, “is the scale on
which the programs at this moment
should be designed, in view of their
need.”
The prominent educator (jointed
out that everyone should welcome
in honors work the effort to give
new and significant importance to
the individual.
“The individual in our society
has become lost and too much
ignored,” he added.
He went on to say “the knowl
edge of a nations citizens is a
nation's treasure, and it grows
when it is adequately shared.”
The Mercer president asserted
that the time may come when the
United States cannot fight poverty
and the Viet Cong at the same
time, hut he added that "one of
the distortions coming out of the
Viet Nam debate is the suggestion
that the American contemporary
attack on poverty and ignorance
Continued on page 2 . . .
Mercer In High Spirits
For Homecoming 1966
Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity’s float, built around the theme “Mercer Moves with the
Sands of Time”, won top honors last Saturday in the annual Toby and Tot Parade, held in
observance of Toby and Tot Week-end, climaxing Homecoming Week, Tied for second place
were the Alpha Delta Pi float, depicting a balance between knowledge and school spirit,
and the Alpha Tau Omega entry, showing the Mercer bear pulling the Georgia Baptist
Convention toward the goal of federal aid.
The Lambda Chi float depicted
the progress of Mercer from Pen-
field through the portals of Time
to the present campus and further,
into the future. The float was high
lighted by a nine-foot model of the
Administration building and an
elaborately worked reproduction of
the Mercer seal, formed from black,
orange, and white crepe paper.
Eleven floats sponsored by the
social organizations on the Mercer
campus were entered in the parade,
each depicting some aspect of the
theme, "Mercer on the Move”.
Leading the parade was a car
carrying I^aHose Powell, the cur
rent Miss Mercer, followed by
school dignitaries and the Mercer
cheerleaders. Next came the Toby
and Tot car carrying Steve Moody
this year’s Toby, and the Mercer
Bear. Janie Baker, who was elected
Tot; was unable to participate in
the parade due to injuries which
she received in an auto accident,
Janie is a sophomore from Ft. Lau
derdale, Florida, and Steve, a jun
ior, is a star basketball player from
Blackshear, Georgia. Toby and Tot
are chosen from those students who
are nominated as best exemplifying
Mercer spirit.
Tommy Day Wilcox, director of
the Student Union and a former
Toby, said. “In my judgment this
was the best Toby and Tot parade
in the last five years All the floats
were well constructed and their
themes were unique. This was a
Phi Delta Gains Ground
The Phi Delta society which sponsored yesterday’s speech
es for and against the U. S. commitment in Viet Nam is at the
same time among the oldest and newest organizations on the
Mercer campus.
Organized in 1834, shortly after
the Ciceronian Society, the Phi
Delta Society was recently reorgan
ized. having been disbanded in 1936.
Law Student Sidney Moore has
been elected president of the Phi
Deltas and plans to build the So
ciety's membership and sponsor
discussions and debates on literary
and political topics.
In Penfield days, the Phi Deltas,
like the Ciceronians, had their own
building, a towered “gingerbread"
structure which burned shortly be
fore the university moved to
Macon: and, like the Ciceronians.
the Phi Deltas held frequent meet
ings to debate and discuss litera
ture and politics.
From the beginning, the Phi
Deltas were the chief rivals of the
Ciceronian Society. Both organiza
tions hold debates frequently, re
cording carefully everything that
went on. The library has the min
utes of the two societies going back
into the 1830’s. Among the ques
tions discussed in the early days
were “Was Brutus Justified in Kill
ing Caesar?” and “Should Texas
be Admitted to the Union?” A
list of the society's honorary mem
bers included General Robert E.
Lee.
Wednesday's speeches resulted
from a challenge issued by the Phi
Deltas to the Ciceronians "and
other interested parties.” Phi Delta
president Moore hopes to resume
the rivalry between the societies in
hope of engendering more interest
in both. Membership in the society
is open to all Mercer students who
do not belong to the Ciceronian
Society.
Calendar of Events
MAR. 3:
6:30—Circle K
7:00—Appalachian Volunteers
7:00—SNEA
MAR 4:
10:00—Choir, Chapel
3:30—Phi Mu Founder s Day
Tea
7:30—“North to Alaska”
7:30—BSU Banquet
MAR. 5:
MIMA Car Wash
8:00—Chi O Pledge—Sister
Dance
8:00—MIMA Dance, Jonesco
MAR. 6:
3:00—Choir, “King David and
Bach Cantata”
7:30—Forum, 314 SC
8:00—Newman Club
MAR 7:
3:00—Sponsor’s Day Parade
7:00—SNEA
MAR. 8:
7:00—Eta Sigma Iota
7:00—Ciceronian. 314 SC
MAR. 9:
10:00—IFC. CSF
8:30—Peter Nero, Chapel
MAR. 10:
10:00—Chapel, Dr. Otto
THE BEST: Lambda Chi
Place Tie.
First Place; ADPi and ATO — Second
great show of Mercer school spirit
on the move.”
A large crowd lined the sidewalks
of Cherry Street to view the floats
and to pay tribute to Toby and Tot
After the parade came the job of
taking the floats apart and prepar
ing for the dance at McKenna
Armory, which ended the Home
coming Week. Entertaining at the
dance were the "Orlons” backed up
by the “Embers".
BSU BEGINS
NEW SESSION
Friday evening at 7:00 the Mer
cer Baptist Student Union will
hold its annual banquet at the Tat-
nall Square Church Educational
Building. The guest speaker will
In* E Warren Woolf, Secretary of
Special Mission Ministries of the
Home Mission Board. Also to be
presented at the meeting is “The
Grasshopper, a Tragic Tale, ‘’per
formed by the Mercer Opera Com
pany Tickets are now on sale for
one dollar and everyone is invited.
At the B.S.U. meeting Wednes
day February 23, 1966, the follow
ing officers were elected:
President—Ronnie Jones. Vice-
President—Cathy Talton, Secretary
—Jackie Knox, Treasurer—Bill
George, Enlistment Chairman—
David Clark, Social Chairman—
Laura Helton, lhiblicity Chairman
—Sandra GriHin, Summer Mis
sions Chairman—Carolyn Cook.
Music Chairman—Rocky Davis,
Historian—Hope Slaton. Vesper
Committee Chairman—Nina Bean,
Convention Chairman—Joe Shank.
Cluster Reporter—Billie Uselton.
"Baptist Bear” Editor—Jerry John
son. Faculty Advisor—Dr. Bill
Glover, Pastor Advisor—Rev. Al
bert Cardwell.
Tfre Cluster wishes to ex
press its deepest condolences
to Auburn University upon
the recent death of its news
paper editor.
Whitaker Speaks
On World Affairs
Dr. Urban Whitaker, professor
of international relations at San
Francisco State College, told an
overflow audience in Mercer's Con
nell Student Center that some form
of world government is unavoid
able. His talk last Monday evening
was sponsored by the Macon Coun
cil on World Affairs and was fol
lowed by a lively question and an
swer session.
"We are approaching a basic
unification of mankind.” said the
scholar ami author. "Since econony
ic and political organizations must
match advancing technology, we
are rapidly moving into an era
where world government is inevi
table."
Dr. Whitaker was born in Kan
sas ami took his urnli rgraduate de
gree* at Occidental College in 1946.
He s|jent the next two years in
language study at the College of
Chinese Studies in Peking. He re
ceived his doctorate from the Uni
vorsity of Washington in 1954. In
addition to being professor of inter
national relations at San Francis
co State College, he is the visiting
professor at the 1 niversity of South
Carolina for this year. Aside from
his academic duties Dr. Whitaker
has written six books.
Council President Weyman C.
Huckabee presided at the meeting
and announced the appointment of
nine new members to the Council's
steering committee Among these
were Dean Garland Taylor and
James Arnall, Jr., both of Mercer
The purpose of the Council is to
secure speakers on topics of inter
national interest in order to stimu
late local interest and awareness.
The CLUSTER wishes to
apologise to Lambda Chi Alpha
for failing to include the name
of their Tot candidate In laat
week’s issue.