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• THE MERCER CLUSTER
February 10, 1967
WHY NOT AT MERCER ?
Bobby Phillips
While rending the Atlunta paper
this past Sunday, I came upon an
article which not only aroused my
enthusiasm but which also moved
me to raise the question “Why can’t
we do this at Mercer?” I am refer
ring to a column concerning what
is known as "Wonderful Wednes
day" at Emory University. In case
some of you missed this article and
are unfamiliar with "W. W.", I will
explain what it means.
At Emory, as well as at some
other universities, Wednesday night
is celebrated as "over the hump”
night. That is, there are only two
more days to the weekend. As the
tradition grew Wednesday became
a special day—so special in fact,
that some students decided to begin
their celebrating Wednesday morn
ing. After much consideration the
administration at Emory decided
upon an intellectual experiment.
Beginning this quarter classes have
been suspended on Wednesday
(You may be asking. “Is this an in
tellectual experiment? If so I am
willing to experiment three times
as much”—but let me continue).
The administration has further
more banned any organizational
meetings on Wonderful Wednes
day. This is to insure that the stu
dents have complete freedom. Free
dom to rack? to go to the Shine? or
to the creek? Perhaps, but this is
where the experiment comes in
Many conscientious students la
ment that they do not have enough
time to devote to reading, required
as well as outside. Obviously the
Emory University officials have
considered this as well as the per
haps adverse effects and have oome
to the conclusion that the experi
ment was worth attempting.
Now this brings me to the heart
of this dissertation: Why can't this
system be put into effect on n trial
basis at Mercer for Spring Quar
ter? 1 will not attempt to answer
this per se, but rather shall attempt
to present enough stimuli to pro
voke the reader to raise this ques
tion and seek his own answer.
To consider this problem prag
matically let us begin with the as
pect regarding the time lost by
abolishing Wednesday classes. In
the normal fifteen hour course load
the student will lose fifty class min
utes per week. However, if the
length of each class were extended
from fifty to seventy minutes per
day the student would gain rather
than lose class time. (Before you
begin to moan consider this in
crease would only total thirty min
utes a week, a small sacrifice for
an entire day of freedom.) Fur
thermore, this extra time could be
utilized not only in note taking, but
also in question and answer pe
riod^—a vital fucet of learning.
An ‘extra’ day off would be bene
ficial to students in more than one
way. It would present the con
scientious student a day which he
could devote fully to academic pur
suits. (There would be no Saturday
morning “headaches" to sleep off,
no Saturday afternoon movie or
game to watch, and no Saturday
night date to get ready for. In other
words there would be none of the
usual Saturday distractions.) In
addition this would allow the stu
dents a day to work on term papers,
review class notes, or perhaps pre
pare for a test.
Not only would the students ap
preciate this day off but I feel that
the majority of the faculty would
welcome it as an extra day to pre
pare a lecture, to work on a book
or research paper, or just plainly to
break up the week. I realize that
there are some die-hard professors
who will object to longer class pe
riods and who will oppose such a
program. However, in any type of
reform movement there are those
who oppose it for the sake of op
posing change only —status quo for
sake of status quo.
In conclusion I feel that a four
day week could successfully be put
into effect here at Mercer if some
provisionary standards were in
cluded, such as: (1) there would be
no date privileges on Tuesday or
Wednesday night (this would have
to be enforced); (2) no organiza
tion could schedule or hold any
meeting or athletic event on Wed
nesday; (3) the physics, biology,
and chemistry labs be available for
use on Wednesday (some students
would prefer a morning lab to an
afternoon lab and this would be one
method of having this arrange
ment); and perhaps other stan
dards as the administration so de
termines
I have presented my premises as
such but I will offer no conclusion.
I feel that the student body should
consider the proposal and act ac
cordingly. That is, after deciding
either pro or con, write me a letter
of brief explanation. If the response
is adequate, perhaps we can ap
proach a higher echelon with our
request. If the response is inade
quate perhaps the only good that
will come of this editorial is that it
filled space. I hope it amounts to
more than that.
Letters to the Editor . . .
Dear Editor:
This morning at 10:00 I ambled
over to the reknowned Stetson
Memorial Library in hopes that
maybe—just maybe—this time it
would be quiet enough to study.
But, alas! It was again much too
noisy to concentrate on any reading
matter. Allow me, at this point, to
define what I mean by noise. The
noise that I specifically refer to is
that which is created by the li
brarians themselves in the form of
idle conversation which is spoken
out loud! In the first place, any
conversation which is necessary be
tween librarian and student or even
librarian and librarian should be
carried on in unvocalized sound—
much communication can be car
ried on in this manner. Any other
typos of conversation should be re
stricted to the inner recesses of the
library—and even then not in a
boisterous manner which has been
the case many times. When most
students are trying to concentrate
on studying, they do not care to
hear about “the indecency with
which young people treat their eld
ers,” as I was subjected to this
morning.
I do not mean to exclude stu
dents from my accusation because
I am well aware that they also talk
out loud, etc., just as if they were
sitting in their fraternity or sorority
suite. I say “they” because I do not
include myself in the ranks of those
who treat the library as a social
hall. Nor am I the only one who
convenes in low whispers. In talk
ing to many other students, I have
found that they also are unhappy
about the vocalized sounds in the
library.
It is my sincere wish that those
students and librarians who insist
on conversing aloud in the library
will read this letter and that they
will stop the next time they catch
themselves talking aloud.
Thank you,
A Library Whisperer
Last week I picked up a Cluster
and glanced at the front page. The
lend articles were on tribute paid
to President Harris by the Trustees,
on a talk given by a State Depart
ment official on Vietnam (using
some of the longest paragraphs I
have ever seen in a newspaper),
and on u|icoming pianoforte con
certs.
Now tell me: Do these three put
together equal student interest in
Homecoming — of which there was
not one word on the front page? I
mean, Mercer does have the best
team it's had in a decade, with stu
dent .enthusiasm rising, and you
put the box with the Homecoming
events on page 5.
What would have been wrong
with some research into Mercer
basketball greats, scoring and re
bounding records, a rundown (even
if gleaned from back issues of The
Macon Telegraph) on some of
Mercer’s most exciting Homecom
ing games? One could even have
written a short piece about the
festivities during the twenties and
thirties, when the students were
rallying around a football team.
Let me put this another way. If
the Cluster was not free, but was
sold in the co-op for a nickle a
paper, could you interest 100 stu
dents into buying one? In essence,
the paper just doesn’t attract in
terest, catch the eye, make the
student eager to find out what's
from the University.
As long as this paper is by the
students, let’s make it for them as
well.
Yours,
Dan Robison
Mr. Robison:
The CLUSTER staff is so happy
you could pick up and glance at
the front page and page five of
last week's edition. As has been
the policy of the CLUSTER in the
past, any constructive criticism is
greatly appreciated. Certainly a
newspaper is unable to function
without the assistance of those who
can sec her faults.
We regret that your interest was
reflected in such a bitter repraisal
and confined therein. We hope in
the future that you and other
critics might direct your comments
and criticisms as a member of the
staff toward unpublished materials
in order to assume a better
CLUSTER.
In the January 27, 1967, edition
of the CLUSTER, in several para
graphs headlined "YOUR CLUS
TER NEEDS YOU IT. we an
nounced an organizational meeting
soliciting new staff members . . .
where were you?
happening on campus. Inside, the
paper picks up, but that front page
just turns me cold.
It's about time the Cluster realiz
ed the average student is not as
interested in books by the faculty
and speeches by and awards to the
administration as it would like to
think. The paper needs to revive
the “Coed of the Week,” and more
interviews with students. Aim the
paper for the students and stop
relying on the publicity handou
Editors
PE. The CLUSTER is not printed
and distributed free of charge to
the students.
BRANNEN DRUGS
Cherry At Broadway
Phono 745-7965
What a Difference
Two Years Make!
It is really hard to comprehend
(even for a believe-anything-yon-'
hear-or-see person like me) how
remarkable the school spirit was
this past weekend. This campus, it
seems, has definitely been under
estimating itself. For once, practic
ally everyone remained on campus
during the weekend — and even
invited guests to visit. It was, in
short, a homestaying weekend.
I remember homecoming week
end two years ago . . . going to the
game ten minutes before gametime
and finding a good fourth row seat
By 7:gjl last Saturday there was
standing room only. I remember,
last year, coming hack to an empty
room because my roommate — and
half the dorm — had gone home
that weekend. This past Saturday,
there were so many visitors that
there was hardly room to move
around the spacious halls of Dowell
and Porter.
I also remember a Toby-Tot
parade last year that only about
75 students attended. How differ
ent. and ideasantly out of the ordi
nary, it was last weekend to see
everyone just milling around cam
pus — looking at displays and new
lodges, or raving about the concert
the night before or anticipating the
dance that night.
Yes, I can remember quite a few
things about homecomings past and
spirit lost (and just recently
found) — but you know, I'd rather
not think of them at all. Those
kind of memories deserve to be
tucked away and forgotten For
good.
Steaks, Salads,
Sandwiches, Chicken
Shrimp...
and, oh yes, we
even serve 21 varieties of
PANCAKES
Corner Plum end First BtrosH
Open from 7 'til Midnight
Sunday—Thursday
Open until S A.M. Fri. A Sat
— Sue Walker
(Elje JHermr vUlusfo
February 10, 1967
Volume XLVIII, No. *
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Bobby Phillips
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Larry McConnell
MANAGING EDITOR BUSINESS MANAGER
Sue Walker Nancy Barrett
News Editors Richard Smith, Frank Hurd
Advertising Staff Barbara Gantt, Harvey
Ray, Reace Stanford
Sports Editor _ Art Hapner
Soda! Editors Judy MrQuagge, Danny Bailey
Feature Editors Claudia Young. Kim Kieburtz.
Maggie Moran, Clyde Hoover
Copy Manager Barbara Beauchamp
Circulation Manager * 1 Asm Vance
S«-ft Nancy Williams, Rita Waldrop, Jerry
Moore, Ed Bacon, Becky Siam, Andres
Jackson, Lorene Lewis, Joanne Searcy.
Linda McGarrah, Wardtyn Mila, Mkbds
Dubree, Dianna Dufarea, Tsoi Canthors
Advisor
Prof. Anthony Stansfeid