Newspaper Page Text
(Ebe (JHercer Cluster
December 9, 1966
Volume XLVII, No. 4
TEMPORARY STAFF
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Diana Denton
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Paul Kirk
BUSINESS MANAGER
MEMBER Nancy Barrett
New. Editor , Bill Wehunt
Feature Editor - . . . Sue Walker
Social Editors Da rid Wanaley
Martha Wamley
Advertising Manager Sherri Clark
Circulation Manager Ann Vance
Bonnie Lawrence
Executive Editor Bill Dayton
New. Staff Jimmy Hagler, Tom Cawthom,
Don VanBuskirk, Shirley Mitchell,
Sarah June McRae, Mary Mlddlebrooks,
^ Suaan Smallwood, Sandra Clinton
Feature. Staff John Guthrie, Peggy Green,
Kaye Johnson, Jack Kaaeewitx
Letters to the Editor
Dear Miss Denton:
This ia my first Letter to an
Editor, but I feel I muat .hoot a
few hole, in your editorial of No
vember 18. It in indeed unfortunate
that a Mercer coed wax .truck by
a vehicle a. .he attempted to cross
College Street on her way to clam
—or a meal, or whatever—never
theless, it is hardly the duty of Ma
con motorist, to limit their travel
on College St to those times when
student, are not likely to be in
clined to cross the thoroughfare. It
is quite noble of you to defend the
right, of student, to crm. the street
"as they see fit”, but it so happens
that this is in violation of a City
Ordinance and is punishable by a
fine.
If the individual is to be law
abiding and cross at the crosswalk
provided, it is to be auumed that
a person who is old enough to go
away to college ha. somewhere en
countered instruction in the fine
art of crossing streets, looking both
ways, etc.—or perhaps this should
be included in Freshman Orienta
tion? I thought even kindergarten
Supper Calls In Poor Taste
Well, if there’s one thing in poorer taste than the Mercer menu has become of lite, it
seems to be the menus students improvise at their fraternity tables to call to each other at
supper time. (“Fried chicken, roast duck. . . ”, “the oyster song. . . .”) While the Cluster
would be the last to condemn student spirit of any kind, we can hardly condone such a dis
play of commonness, particularly in such a place as the school cafeteria.
If the gentlemen involved feel they must liven up the evening meal, they would be
much better advised to apply themselves to more constructive cheers—such as supporting their
team before (or, better still, af) basketball games.
II
'Experimenting" With
The Honor Code
One area of Mercer’s academia that seems immune from the Honor System is the science
laboratories. It seems an old and respected custom that students should cheat in science
courses, with little fear of punishment or even censure. Sometimes, over half a lab notebook
can be copied from another course, and the professor does no more than sadly shake his head.
Yet at the same time, other students with perfectly honorable intentions are called down for
plagiarisms that they were not aware of committing.
The problem is that no one knows exactly what constitutes cheating in a lab course.
Presently, there is no criteria for honesty, just one for expediency. If it’s fast, it will prob
ably be acceptable.
For example, all frogs are supposed to have gall bladders. But perhaps a student cannot
find the gall bladder, even when he takes EVERYTHING out. So the professor, instead of
looking for the organ himself or instead of even offering another frog, says blandly, “Copy
it from the plate in the book.” This does great things for scientific integrity.
Or take a chemistry course in which the freshman has to count the number of particles
shooting off from a piece of radioactive material. This is rather difficult, since the lab manual
estimates these at about 50 per second. So, all the people at one table will pool their guesses
and take the average .adding a few particles here and there for variety. Again, this really
develops a precise scientific technique. If someone encounters trouble in completing his ex
periment ,the professor might say, “Don’t worry about it, just copy your neighbor’s data.
We don’t have time for you to do it over.”
Expediency.
What’s the point of taking the course anyway? To learn from it, or to get through it?
Students aren’t always eager to be educated, but there ought to be some opportunity.
Clarification of the rules and regulations concerned with lab practices is necessary on two
counts. One, no student is ever going to respect a teacher who lets himself be duped, or
one who condones the flagrant violation of bis science’s ethics. Two, those persons who
conscientiously wish to Ieam find it incredibly difficult when there are two standards, and
something other than the truth is accepted and—sometimes—taught.
The idea of academic integrity must either be completely accepted or completely drop
ped. And the decision needs to be made now.
Need Finals Be "The Last Wore/”?
Perhaps at the present time it would not be unwise for the Mercer faculty and ad
ministration to take into consideration a policy for several years in effect at such schools
as Ga. Tech and others throughout the state and nation-Namely, the exemption of Seniors
from finals their last quarter in school in those courses in which they have maintained a
satisfactory average throughout the quarter (perhaps a B or better in the particular class).
Such a program would eliminate considerable strain from professors as well as graduating
Seniors. We are all too familiar with the customary final week of school and the strain
placed on those instructors who must make out and administer tests, grade them and tabulate
averages, in the day or so between the final class and the time that Senior grades are due in
the Registrar’s Office
The exemption would not free any large number of students from finals, but it would
give last-quarter Seniors an added incentive to maintain a laudible record throughout that
final quarter at least—instead of the customary coasting of those about to graduate. At the
quarter at least—instead of the customary coasting of those about to graduate,
same time, such B-or-better students are customarily those who write the longest finals
which must be carefully read to be fully and adequately comprehended. This move
would
thereby free the faculty from a considerable amount of reading, and would make it easier on
the Registrar’s Office in the last-minute struggle to figure grades for honors reripiants.
Further, if accepted, this policy would make things much easier for certain Seniors who are
already pushed to pack and set everything home for the last time, say a final good-bye to
old friends and memories, and do that last “extra good** paper or test to finish applying for
graduate school.
Overall, it appears at least to merit consideration from the Meroer administration.
children were taught such thing.
Ax for traffic “whitting by the uni-
venity” — I should like to see an
example of that, as I have often
found it difficult to negotiate the
street at all, let alone at any speed
remotely resembling a ‘‘whit’’. At
most time, during the day, there
i» two-way traffic on the stretch in
question, not to mention open
door, on the street side of students’
cars parked on the street—another
unlawful act
And Oh, Dear Editor! Absorb the
street into the campus
only student, will have a chance at
each other? How selfish can you
be? And besides, what alternate
route do you suggest for all the
nasty citizens of Macon who must
go back and forth to Warner Robins
and other points South?
Come, now, Mias Denton, no let
ter, magazine, newspaper, or claas
note is so important that one is to
walk into the path of an automobile
while absorbed therein, and any
one who is too hungry to resist
dashing in front of a car en route
to the cafeteria would be as well off
starved as splattered on the pave
ment. College students are general'
ly credited with more intelligence
than that—misplaced, in
cases, apparently.
It is my opinion that if Mercer
students displayed (1) the intelli
gence which they have, by defini
tion, (2) the training, that, surely
they received sometime during
their home or scholastic lives, and
(3) the common courtesy that pre
vents one, even when he has the
pedestrian’s right-of-way, from
wantonly using a busy thoroughfare
to play cat-and mouse with motor
ists, there would be no need for es
corted tours across the street.
Very truly yours;
A Mercer student who learn
ed a long time ago how to
keep from getting
killed.
Editor’s note: Well, of all the ar
ticles in last week’s paper, I least
expected the one regarding the traf
fic light to beoome a source of con
troversy. But since that ady dra
gon has raised its head, I suppose
I shell raise my singed pate and
rally to the defense.
Madam: in regard to your insin
uation that without the
Freeway Warner Robins
would have no means of wsndfag
their way home—the duller staff
(an intrepid lot of newepups, see!)
has made a careful and thorough
survey and found that there are at
least 3 major routes from Macon
to Warner Robins besides that
through the Meroer campus, and
any number of small, invidnous
subsidiary routes (not that we
know what the words mean, either)
that likewise skirt the camptn and
yet lead out of town.
We have even taken a few of
these to prove it can ha dona, and
next week will include a firilMauttj
colored center-fold-out with exits
clearly marked, plus Officer Dent
fully illustrated “How to Grom the
Street Without Getting Yourself
Killed." (For . herd bound copy
send 25 cents to The Cluster, Box
29. Mercer University of Macon.
Georgia and allow 3 days far dafiv-
«ry. Offer void where iiriMNtsf
by law).
But seriously, tbs Isss
have swuslonsd a bit of
and one or two alternatives
bsan proposed to which Men
the city of Macon might give
boon the]
for
-9 —■ *- * ,
aoagen trying to»
Third: the speed Bmit throuj
the Mercer arse should be radon
to 16 ratios per boon Approachh
the campus In one (fraction, a Bn
of 30 miles per boer Is i
limit of 16 milm par boor
out the school area and see to
that the
dearly
Dear Editor:
As a resident of the Mary Et
Porter dormitory enswpley, housii
all resident upperclassmen warns
I have what I believe to be a legil
mate gripe: Parking facilities
there just aren't any!
The curbs around the dorm
rarely vacant This is very inca
venient when your date
you to the dorm and wants to wsl
you to the door—“old standby
the crosswalk (pity the
trians), is handy to only one
pie in the hundreds zeroing in
the dorm at curfew.
Even more inconvenient is hevi
one’s own car and using it
taring the great search for a pla
to park as well as the walk back
the dorm.
Yet this problem could be solve E
Between the Freshman Wornei
Dorm and Dowell ia an unused <
cant lot Why not plant Dr. T*
lor a hedge for privacy, pave
space, and voila—no more parkii
problem?
If that is unacceptable, the pat
ing spaces on either aide of
crosswalk in front of M. E. P. cob
be restricted to “5 minutes onl)
parking. I hope something will
done.
Sincerely,
Miss Inf nun Porter
Dear Editor,
Yesterday, while trying to find
way to avoid studying, I ran acre
an article on a religious privi
up north. There the studei
six in the morning, thn
the wood on the fire, do th
chores, heat their water to bat)
and, in short, lead a very shn|
and rough life. While I can’t see
Mercer student getting up at 6
unless he has a test, other simila
rim do appear—that concern!
heat and water, at least for ths i
idents of Shorter HalL
Meroer does supply heat in
dorms, all right, but only when
one is there, in the afternoon,
seven in the morning, whan
one is getting up. there is no ha
and no way to start a fire,
though I did notice one boy bm
ing bis textbooks on one cold :
ing. As though this isn't
chippsd his way through the ice
Bm shower, he finds the water 1
the heat cold. One weak, th
were only two days of hot
Those who didn’t have the court
to take the plunge on ths od
days, went around crying, “l
risen, unclean."
It would sesm that with rim I
that we pay, heat could be M
pled every mo
r. I guess I shouldn’t compk
though limy might do Shorter
the freshman dorm—there 1
e so mock heat that ths i
deem ass kept open in the mi
of
to do—with ths IMhMrsl
see that "many are cold.