Newspaper Page Text
®" Hlemr Cluster
Gkrutma6 Edition
YYlume XLIX
MERCER UNIVERSITY, MACON, GEORGIA DECEMBER 6, 1967
Number 8
Students Reject U.S. Viet Policy
GCu&tez (jizt
. Pam Gray, this weeks Cluster Girl, a sophomore
I ADPi wishes a smooth examination week to all students
and joins the Cluster staff in wishing you a very Merry
t hristmas.
Peace Corps Will Aid
In Draft Deferments
Washington — The Peace
Corps lias announced it will in
tervcne on lie half of Volunteer*
•eekirig draft deferment* for two
years of oversea* service.
Agency Director Jack Vaughn,
concerned by mounting induction
call- to Volunteers serving over-
•ete-. said he will take an "active
Kile in seeking future deferment
caws before the Presidential Ap
Peal Hoard—the court of last resort
lor draft reclassification*.
In the past the agency performed
a largely informational function —
advising Volunteers and trainees of
Seine live Service luws and proce
dure* an d confirming to local
boards the fact of the Volunteer’s
service.
In future appeals, Vaughn will
write letters to the board describing
circumstances in each case and
ur Kmg hoard members to grant a
deferment until completion of the
Volunteer's overseas tour.
“We have a serio&s situation,’
be said. “The problem of induction
"“tiees to overseas Volunteers is
becoming a major concern for us.
billing a Volunteer off a produc-
* tv *‘ job at mid-tour is unfair to the
“•bon, the host country, the Peace
^ or l>s and the individual.”
Vaughn said Peace Corps Volun
teers have lost about GO deferment
appeals before the three-man board
in the last six and one-half years.
While adverse rulings by the na
tional lioard have involved less than
one-half of one |>er rent of the es
timated 15.000 draft-eligible men
to have served in the Peace Corps,
“virtually all of these have occur
red in the past year,” he said.
Of the approximately '25 Volun
teers who have already returned to
the United State's for draft induc
tion. two were disqualified for phy
sical reasons and returned to their
overseas assignments.
The vast majority of Peace Corps
Volunteers are granted deferment*
for two years of overseas duty be
cause their service is deemed by
their local hoards to he “in the na
tional interest,” as recommended by
Lt. Gen Lewis R Hershey. the
draft director.
However, some local Selective
Service boards refuse deferments
even though Peace Corps service
does not relieve Volunteers of their
draft obligations. If the local board
is upheld by the State Appeal
Hoard, the case may reach the
Presidential Appeal Board which
makes the final decision.
79 PER CENT STUDENTS REJECT
JOHNSON'S VIET NAM POLICIES
Hershey Calls For
Draft Of Protestors
By Walter Grant
Collegiate Press Service
WASHINGTON (CPS) — Stu
dents who protest the war and the
draft by disrupting army induction
centers or keeping military recruit
ers from conducting interviews
should be drafted first, according to
Selective Service Director Lewis B.
Hershey.
Hershey has sent a notice to all
members of the Selective Service
system which says deferments
should he given only to individuals
who are acting in the national in
terest. Students and others who in
terfere with the military process
are not acting in the national inter
est, and therefore their deferments
should lie discontinued, Hershey
says.
“There can be no question that
an individual who is engaged in vio
lating the very law that deferred
him cannot very well be acting in
the national interest," Hershey
said in a telephone interview.
The new Selective Service direc
tive could affect thousands of stu
dents at campuses across the coun
try who have been involved in re
cent protests designed to physically
disrupt the military machine, speci
fically rec ruiting and induction.
Hershey admitted his letter to
local draft boards is a reaction to
the “disruptive and destructive"
trend which protests have been tak
ing There is a growing weariness
on the part of the public, and Con
gressmen and a lot of others have
been saying why in the devil don’t
you do something about these peo
ple,” Hershey said.
However, the Selective Service
director said hi* letter offer* no new
policies. "The law has been there
all the time, and we are just en
couraging that it lie enforced."
Hershey said the direc tive is aim
ed only at those protesters who en
gage in “illegal activities and law
lessness We are not trying to stop
anybody from thinking or doing
anything else a* long as they are
within the law "
Hershey’s letter does not mention
college students in particular nor
-pocific anti-recruiting incidents,
hut the [mint is dear since most of
the demonstratioas which fall into
the "disruptive" category have oc
curred on or near college campuses
However, Hershey said, "We are
not just picking on college students.
This applies to all persoas who have
deferments for any reason "
The authority for Hershey’* di
rective come* from a section of the
Selective Service law which pro
vides penalties for individuals who
"knowingly hinder or interfere or
attempt to do so in any way by
force or violence or otherwise" with
the Selective Service system.
For several years administrators and students alike have
said they know how the Mercer student feels about Viet Nam
and the United States’ involvement there. With this in mind
the Cluster editorial staff decided to sound out the student
pulse over Viet Nam and received some interesting “Additional
Remarks” and even more interesting results.
Most of the "Remarks" ex
pressed a desire that the United
States bring thy war to a 8|>eedy
end by whatever means |>ossible.
Although many of the statements
tended toward the humorous side
they reflected the attitude that
Mercer students, especially the
male students, who were the main
respondents to the poll, do not sup
port the seemingly lazy attitude of
the Federal government toward im
mediate and speedy victory
POLLED RESULTS
Of the almost 500 student* |x>lled
58 per cent feel that the United
States is stopping Communist ag
gression in South Viet Nam hut an
overwhelming 79.2 per cent do not
favor the United States' present
Viet Nam policy.
In the poll, those- students that
did not favor the U.S.'s pre-sent
policy in Viet Nam were given
seven alternatives) to choose from,
they were to choose only one of the
seven alternatives or write- their
alternative as additional remarks
Of the 79.2 per cent that do not
favor the U.S.'s policy over 23%
favor the complete blockade of the
harbor at Haiphong, over 21°,', favor
direct bombing of Hanoi, about I8°,j
favor the invasion of the North by
American troops and favor the
use of low yield nucle-ar weapons
Over 13 per rent favor a gradual
withdrawal from South Viet Nam.
around 8% want a temjxirary cessa
tion of bombing and over <ifeel a
iwrmanent cessation of hinging is
necessary
Editor’s Note: The reception
of the poll was healthy and it
probably indicates a substan
tial case for the fact that the
Mercer student leans toward
the hawk camp on the national
level. The Harris and Gallup
pollsters are always content
with a one per cent sampling
of Americans to reach their
conclusions and with this in
mind we feel very confident in
the results which reflect the
attitudes of over 30% of the
Mercer students.
Blue Key And
Cardinal Key Tap
By Gary Johnson
The Blue Key National Honor
Fraternity tapped eight new mem
bers into its order this week in spe
cial chapel ceremonies, character
ized by solemnity and dignity. The
new elected members include two
seniors, Roger Dunaway and Leon
ard Bone, two juniors, Ed Bucon
and Rober' Collins, and three law
students Bell Cetti, Lee Rampey
and Jerry Sanders.
The fraternity taps new members
each fall and spring quarter of the
school term. Members ore chosen
on the basis of their academic and
leadership achievements To be
eligible for membership, a student
muust attain points from at least
three of five fields inclusive of the
areas of: ()) social organizations,
(2) athletics, (3) departmental or
ganization. (4) honor, and (5) aca
demics.
The Blue Key National Frater
nity was organized at the Uni ve r-
sitv of Florida in 1927 and founded
at Mercer in 1928. In parallel, a
sister sorority. Cardinal Key was
also established on campus Pri-si
dent of the local chapter is Ron
Jones.
(Continued on Page 3, Col. 1)
Hall Of Fame Honors Former
Bruin Great Of Thirties
By M. J. Zmistuwski
Charlie Morgan, Mercer alumnus and one-time Freshman
basketball coach will be inducted into the Georgia Athletic Hall
of Fame on December 9, in Atlanta. He was a basketball and
track great at the Macon YMCA, an All-State basketball and
baseball player and a track star at Lanier, and a baseball and
basketball whiz at Mercer.
Five of Georgia's most famous
athletes have been named to the
Georgia Hall of Fame and will be
enshrined on Dec. 9. The five old-
time great* include Frank Sinkwich,
immortal Georgia football star of
the early 1940’s; John Heisman.
former Georgia Tech football
coach; Forest (Spec) Towns, Geor
gia track coach and former Olym
pic record holder; Nap Rucker,
baseball great of a previous era, and
Charlie Morgan, Sr., one of Ma
con's most illustrious athletes.
Morgan, who was born in Macon
on June 12, 1887 gained member
ship on the basis of a remarkable
career in athletics, which saw him
star in baseball, basketball, foot
ball, track and swimming at various
times. He has served as a coach,
athletic director, fight promoter,
baseball scout and basketball and
baseball official. Only two other
Maconites have been chosen to be
honored at the Hall of Fame.