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February 6, 1968 • THE MERCER CLUSTER • 2 Editorial Recruiting Crisis A Guest Editorial By The President of SGA Three years ago, students could be found arguing that Dr. Ebey was a better professor than Dr. Snipes (English) or vice-versa. When Dr. Ebey leaves at the end of this year, both will have left Mercer. Dr. Snipes left two years ago and will not be replaced until next fall (two new English teachers have recently been hired for next year). But the question is — will we have to wait two years before there is a replacement in Math? The whole speech and drama staff left at the end of last spring. Dr. Thornton is said to have left an abundant list of names of possible replacements. No replacements have been found and our debate team is subsequently coachless and with out a drama coach, there have been no plays. Will it be another year before we can enjoy student drama? The modern foreign language staff will be in need of seve ral faculty members at the end of this year. Will it take two years to find suitable replacements for them? Mr. Jack Jones will be leaving the Music department at the end of this year. Although there may never be a replacement for his talent, will his position be filled by 1970? In addition there are needs for additional faculty in Economics, Psychology, Chemistry, and Biology. One hesitates to think how long these vacancies will exist. The strength of our fine school lies in its qualified and personable faculty and administration. Although it is under standable, though not desirable, that we sometimes will lose in the competitive college market; it is not understandable why these vacancies cannot be filled. Surely we have not misplaced our priorities to the extent that we spend thousands on campus lights and underground wiring, carpets for the dining hall, color TV’s for the dorms, etc. (all of which are desirable but not first in necessity) and fail to get a good professor because Mercer will not give him an adequate salary. Surely money, then, is not the problem. One good professor is worth 500 miles of new sidewalk. Why then do I write this article? I write it because I am personally concerned and also because the Student Govern ment Association is concerned. It is our hope that all the stu dent body will share this dissatisfaction over the present dismal rate of action. We also hope to alert Mercer “officialdom” to our interest and to the support and appreciation we offer for the continuing improvement of this situation. Disintegration Is Here? During the past several weeks the student leadership has become acutely aware of the present and possible faculty vacancies, and the apparent problems that have post poned the recruitment of replace ments The SGA has in its meet ings voice 1 strong opposition to what has in some cases seemed an interminable delay We realize that there are topics that are out of the purview of stu dent concern and questions But we realize even more as the news of each new faculty departure reaches our ears that Mercer, if she is not at the moment, may at some rela tively early date, find herself in a chasm of want and lack of ability to get out of her academic jicrson- nel problems, if we can do no more than make it clear that we see the problem and do not understand it, that we see Mercer as somewhat unique in its puqiose and do quite idealistically question the troubles of ri cruitment and that we do not see any necessity in the problem continuing for one single year more If some academicians question our right to assert ourselves on this topic we can only answer that whatever good intentions may be possessed by the University become instantly irrelevant when one rea lizes that Universities are in the business of education and a failure to do this results in a bad return on our investment as students We have heard statements from administrative agents in confer ences such as Waverley and have talked in private: and from behind all of the good intentions come sounds not unlike those of Winston Churchill as he so skillfully guided England, while at the same time for whatever reasons there were, pre sided over the disintegration of the British Empire. It seems vain to make excuses and plot causes for Britain's demise. The point is that through all the blazing rhetoric the Erppire as Mercer may do simply and so irreverently disintegrated. IPfgDDgau»i4-fi 1 The Draft: A Legal Escape by Steve Darby Monthly Review recently announced the release of a new, thought provoking book — How to Stay Out of the Army: A Guide to Your Rights Under the Draft Law. The author is a Negro, Conrad Lynn, an attorney for draft resisters and civil rights. His purpose in writing the book is “so that those that wish to resist may be aided in having all their rights that might help them to refuse induction into the armed forces.” The first half of the book lists the five basic classifications and the divisions under them, and presents the rights and privileges given to an individual who falls under that particular classification. The second half shows the methods and tech niques used to gain the conscientious objector deferment and if all fails, how to gain entrance into Canada. The basic section of the book is the latter half which dis cusses the “open door” to Canada and the court procedures used to defend a draft objector. It tends for the most part to be directed toward certain minority groups rather than the draft delinquents as a whole. Mr. Lynn points out that since Canada is sparsley popu lated, it has no objection in allowing young men from the United States into the country. Also since Canada is indepen dent in world politics, it has nothing to lose. Mr. Lynn states that the best procedure to follow in entering the country is to enter as a “landed immigrant” which is one seeking pemament residence. Even as a Canadian citizen it would be dangerous to re-enter the United States because the U. S. has draft laws regarding aliens also. The chapter concerning the rights of the conscientious objector constitutes the main section of the book. And this chapter evolves from the case of Daniel Seegar which appeared in the Supreme Court. Daniel Seegar was a college student that was classified as II-S. He requested a Special Form No. 150 for a deferment as a conscientious objector. When he came to the question: Do you believe in a Supreme Being?, he chose to leave it blank and instead stated that although he did not believe in a Supreme Being, he did “ believe in and was devoted to goodness and virtue for their sake, and a religious faith in a purely ethical creed. “He was refused a deferment simply be cause he did not believe in God. The United States Court of Appeals, though, found Seegar not guilty of turning down his induction order on the grounds “that religion was obediance to an external entity, whereas Seegar held an allegiance to an ‘inner voice’.” The court felt that the first should not have been favored over the second. The case then appeared in the Supreme Court upon an appeal by the U. S. Attorney. The Supreme Court found in Seegar’s favor. Justice Clark states “that men may believe what they cannot prove. . . . Religious experiences which are as real as life to some may be incompre hensible to others. Local boards and courts in this sense are not free to reject beliefs because they consider them ‘incomprehen- able’.” Thus was an important decision handed down because now an individual did not have to belong to a particular reli gious sect or be a pacifist in order to become classified a con scientious objector. While the main purpose of the book is to show ways for legal draft-evading, it also gives moral and political reasons why the U. S. involvement in Viet Nam is wrong, and it is in this context that I recommend the lxx>k since it does bring up serious questions concerning American presence in Viet Nam; but it is also nice for anyone planning a Canadian weekend. (Elje iHercrr Cluster EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tom Cauthorn Wright Daria Roger Poaton. Haywood Turner COPY EDITOR Paul Kirk BUSINESS MANAGER MANAGING EDITOR Cartoona Photographer News Editor Staff Bob Johnson Dianne Downer Wardlyn Milla, Don Ripley, Gary Johnaon. Ginny Scherer, Mary Riddle. Carolyn Hamilton, Carolyn Braun, Anna Dixon Special Correspondents Gary Brenner, Ed Faculty Adriaora Prof. Anthony Stanafeid. J. O. Paine Bob Lanier Stare Darby Contributing Editors Becky Sima, Ed Beckwith Business Specialist Christy Tyler Exchange Editor Karan Riven Executive Editor Bobby Phillips Sports Editor Claudia Young Sports Staff John Kidd. Leonard Bona, Art Hapnwr Feature Editor IUmi Newell Feature Staff Chris Greia, David Sibley. Ixxie Sodth, Anne Gentry Social Editor Carol