Newspaper Page Text
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MERCER CLUSTER
ZdlitosUali
What are the results of the
JAN. 31, 1H9
RWGA Poll?
finally ready to take a
stand and find out just
what RWGA is doing?
Mercer's President has
said on several occasions
that the women that live
under the rules at Mercer
should make them. This
should illustrate that it is
not the President that
makes women's rules at
Mercer hut RWGA.
The Cluster has liecn
given such excuses by
RWGA as that they can
not see the right jieople
and that they only meet
lor one hour each week
and that there is just so
much that they can do in
one hour. Other jieople on
campus do not have this
, great difficulty in see
ing |>eople; why should
RWGA? In answer to the
only one hour a wpek
meeting, the SGA and
several other organizations
only meet an hour or so a
week hut still get things
done Ixtween meetings.
With excuses like these we
have only the recourse to
Ixdieve that RWGA is try
ing to do something lie-
hind our hacks. If RWGA
is interested enough in
women's lights they should
involve as many women as
jMissihlc through ojx-n in
vitation meetings to all
girls and the publication
of all the deliberations of
RWGA.
The Cluster would like
to publish the results of
this poll so that if visitors
want to go to RWGA they
will know the over all
opinion of the resident
women and w h a t the
RWGA is doing about it.
The Cluster is of the
opinion that mai>v women
are not happy with the
hours hut liecause the
RWGA will not release the
result of the poll, for as
far as we can determine
invalid reasons, we can
not take a jiositive stand
nor tan any of the women
on campus. The Cluster
realizes that the RWGA
has many, problems con
cerning hours, such as dif-
leient hours for house
mothers, more senility
guards, more desk girls
and salaries for these extra
ixuple. The Chister recog
nizes these difficulties but
it feels that the RWGA
would report its progres
sion or lack of progress to
the students. The Cluster
feels it is the DUTY not
the privilege of RWGA to
re|>ort the results of their
meetings and (Mills to the
students.
The Cluster wishes to
tiling this matter to the
attention • of the resident
women so that the women
will know that the poll
did not just disap|>ear but
rather that RWGA wishes
to keep the results of the
|xil! a secret.
and Credits in Viet Nam
Some two weeks ago the
women in all of Mercer’s
dot ms were called into
their res|xctive halls to
take an opinion poll. The
pin pose of this (Mill was
to determine the over all
siew of the icsident wom
en on such malleis as go
ing to apartments and
women’s hours.
A lew class after the |xill
was taken it was requested
that The Cluster put a
hold on lesults. It was
agreed. The Cluster now
feels, however, that RWGA
has had time to start work
ing on the problems at
hand and we feel it is time
that the RWGA re|xirted
its findings to the student
bcxlv. Although The Clust
er realizes that RWGA
stands lor Resident Wom
ens Government Associa
tion and that RWGA
should lie res|ionsible to
the resident women, it also
feels that RWGA should
lx res|xinsible to a few
-other—people on campus
who would like to know
what is going on.
The Cluster would like
to know just what RWGA
is afraid of? If they publish
the jxill are they afraid
that women are going to
start asking questions; start
taking an interest in what
RWGA is doing? Since the
RWGA is the voice of
resident women on campus
arc the women at Mercer
Debts
Where are the realities
and where are the assur
ances tcxlav as our govern
ment Ix'gins peace nego
tiations with the VC and
the North Vietnamese?
T h e s e negotiations arc
over a war that has never
been declared and is with
an enemy that one cannot
see nor derisivciv defeat
but with an enemy that our
govrmment claims to lie
the spearhead of world
communism in Southeast
Asia.
How will these, confer
ences adequately deal with
the National Liberation
Front which carries on the
breadth of the war within
South Viet Nam?
One suspects that the
realities of this peace con
ference are somewhere be
neath the propaganda and
Iximbast of the opposing
sides. And as the confer
ence drags on from inde
cisive to indecisive day the
American college youth
realizes more and more
that those individuals that
we knew that fought and
died on that tiny nation’s
soil have probably died in
vain. We can see no real
results for the blood of
countless thousands of
American men.
Each spring across this
nation thousands of men
graduate from college only
to lie carried away to boot
ramp and prepared to fight
in this long and meaning
less conflict. The college
graduate who for four
years has been taught
never to accept anything
without adequate reasons
is immediately ordered to
lay his life on the line for
something that has no clear
reasons and no apparent
solutions.
Tlie questions at stake
to the youth of today over
Viet Nam are not questions
of patriotism but questions
of value. Have we now
reached that dynamic level
in civilization that we can
demand that our youth be
slaughtered with no appar
ent reasons or justifications
in mind?
Our grandfather* fought
to keep the world safe for
democracy in a war to end
all wars. Our fathers fought
in a global conflict to save
the world from inhumane
dictators; but what is our
generation fighting for in
Viet Nam?
The answers have ranged
from the sublime to the
ridiculous but none of the
reasons over the past five
years have had even the
slightest suggestion of va
lidity. Perhaps the reason
is a compilation of thou
sands of secondary reasons;
but if this is the case no
one in the United States’
government has made it a
|ioint to elucidate this
conglomeration of reasons.
One could ask; why is it
necessary for our govern
ment to justify its conflicts
with other systems? The
answer to this question is
pitifully obvious: It always
has before.
The debits of Viet Nam
far outweigh the credits.
We ask why is this so
we demand that this never
be the case again.
4ftercer Cluster
Editor-in-Chief s- — Linda McNeal
Associate Editor 1—Tom Cauthom
News Editor _. Marie Agglcson
Business Manager Bob Lanier
Managing Editor Gary Johnson
Cartoons Roger Poston
Photographer —Bob Johnson
Circulation Joanne Hoinowslu
Carol Ison
News Staff Peggy Sullivan, Elijah Lightfoot, Angie Hayes,
Nancy Andrews, Debbie Hewell, Anna Dixon
Advertising . , .Cornelia Benneit
Editorial Staff John Guthrie
MEMBER
Layout ..._
Proofreading Claire Jordan
Bob Staunton, Judy Irving
Exec. Editors _ Bobby Phillips, Wright Davis
Sports Editor . Louis Johnson
Sports Staff Jo tin Kidd
Feature Editor .— Jeffrey Salter
Feature Staff Julian Gordy, Andrea Frost,
Debra Rogers, Johnny Turner, Lyndon
Mayes, Tyler Hammett, Lochlyn Kennedy
Social Editor Jarl Baugh
Jeffrey Salter, Debra Rogers, Lyndon Mayes,
Tyler Hammett, Kay Rhodn
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
The Student Appropria
tions Committee has pro-
|ioscd to increase each stu
dent's tuition fee by five
dollars. This would do
away with the need for
extra season tickets to pay
for certain portions of the
entertainment program.
The present design offer
ing a separate season ticket
purchased from the student
government fulfills the
needs of those students de
siring additional entertain
ment. Yet those students
not wishing to attend the
supplementary entertain
ment are not penalized for
having other interests.
However the new pro
posal would remove the
student's option and fur
nish entertainment for
some at the expense of
those not wishing to at
tend. Such a required fee
would make little differ
ence if everyone attended.
But not everyone wishes to
do so.
The separate program
for season tickets was ini
tially installed as a free
option. The small admin
istrative details necessitat
ed by the program have
found positive vindication
in the program's benefits
to the students. After all,
that's what the administra
tion is for! The personal
likings, the sanctimonious
cravings, and the job and
monetary aspirations of
any particular administra
tor should not penalize
those students who through
choice or through a lack
seats may wish to stay at
home.
Jerry Holder
Apartment 71
5721 Gulf ton Street
Houston, Texas
January 25, 1969
Dear Sir:
I am a junior at the
University of Houston and
also one of several hundred
thousand college students
who hold an Airline Youth
Fare Card.
I am writing you and
many other college new
paper editors in the hoje
that fellow students may
be alerted through the edi
torial column of their
newspaper about the re
cent happenings concern
ing youth fates. Several
days ago a Civil Aero
nautics Board examiner
ruled that "youth fares
should be dropped.” I am
enclosing a copy of the
article. UNLESS THE
BOARD DECIDES TO
REVIEW THE DECI
SION, IT WILL AUTO
MATICALLY BECOME
EFFECTIVE IN 50 DA^
I don’t think that many
students know of this and
I urge them to rise to pio-
tect their youth fares. Most
of us have limited budgets
and receive our spending
money from part-time join
I URGE EVERY STU
DENT TO CONTACT
THE CIVIL AERO
NAUTICS BOARD, 1825
Connecticut Avenue, NAV,
Washington, D.C., 20009
and voice their protest
against this unfair deci
sion against youth fares. It
is important that this I*
done within the next 90
days so that a new he.tr
ing will be set, otherwise
the ruling will automatical
ly become law.
I am told that Western
Union has a new opini-a
telegram and for 90c
which can be charged to i
student’s telephone, a I!
word telegram could bi
sent from anywhere in tht
U.S. to your own congress
man, the f>residem ant J
VicePresident. ,
I hope that you wil j
print the above letter it j
the editorial section a I
your paper, since I fee 1
students should be in ‘
formed of this injustici *
and that this issue is on
that you are obligated ti «
present to your readers. j
Sincerely yours, c
Stephanie Southgai j