Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

®" 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.