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MEHCER CLUSTER
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RWGA, The Resident Women,
We are writing this
article in hopes of improv
ing communication be
tween RWGA and the
student body. In past years.
Women's Student Govern
ment has been accused of
allowing itself to lie used
as a tool by the Office of
the Dean of Women.
Many of the rules passed
by WSGA, and to a lesser
extent, by RWGA, were
not representative of the
wishes of the women stu
dents, but reflected the
wishes of the Dean of
Women. This year, changes
are being made: RWGA is
becoming more sensitive—
and more receptive to the
demands of women stu
dents. Smoking and dress
tides have been liberalized,
in accordance with the de
mands stated by the wom
en in the poll taken re
cently. The very fact of the
existence of the poll is
indicative of the desire of
RWGA to fairly ascertain,
and to act in response to,
the wishes of resident
The opinion was voiced
on the editorial page of
the Cluster some weeks ago
that RWGA was dragging
its feet, failing to live up
to its responsibility to
make known to the student
body the results of the poll.
We feel that that charge,
while understandable in
light of Women's Student
Government's past bad rec
ord, is not entirely in ac
cordance with the facts in
this case for two reasons:
First, the Rules Cununillee
is not composed entirely
of RWGA representatives,
nor does the main body of
RWGA exercise control
over the content of the
jxdl, or over decisions re
garding the use of the in
formation. Secondly, the
poll was complete in three
parts. The Rules Commit
tee did not feel that any
thing would be gained by
releasing the results of the
poll section by section.
Instead, they chose to wait
until the results of the
entire poll were tabulated,
and all of the information
could be released at once.
It is probably fortunate
that the information was
not given out prematurely,
since the results of the
first section of the poll
proved to be ambiguous
enough to require clarifi-
cation in a later section.
We regret that me mm
not in once complete com
munication with. Mhs
McNeal and dm Outer am
By Barbara Marshall and Jails Hulsmy
this issue, and we hope
that this article, and future
articles, will help to fill
in the gap.
The |x>ll has been re
leased, and new rules have
been passed which, in the
areas of smoking and dress
regulations, reflect the
wishes of the majority of
the resident women, as
ascertained by the poll. It
must be evident now, .if
there was room for doubt
before, that neither the
Rules Committee nor
RWGA is trying to sup
press the facts- We do not
claim that we have accom
plished everything the
women asked for. RWGA
is now trying to extend the
weekday hours to 12 mid
night for Upperclasswom-
en and 11 P.M. for Fresh
men, and to abolish week
end curfews for Juniors
and Seniors. The difficul
ties we have met with are,
seemingly, of a financial
nature. RWGA tunani-
mously passed a resolution
to extend the hours some
three weeks ago. Since that
time, more than one
RWGA representative has
tried repeatedly—and un
successfully — to see Mr.
Haywood to discuss the
problem of funds for desk
girl’s and security guards
salaries. The new budget
for the fiscal year 1969-70
will be before the Board
of Trustees in a matter of
weeks. The urgency of our
need to see Mr. Haywood
and to discuss with him the
problems of funds without
which we cannot pass Uu
rules the women want, has
gone unnoticed by his of
fice. He apparently cannot
spare the time. RWGA
will pass the new hours
as soon as the obstacles
erected by Mr. Haywood's
office are removed. We do
not understand why Mr.
Haywood cannot find SO
minutes over three weeks
to discuts a matter which
concerns every resident
woman student at this
school.
Mitt Helen Glenn, Dean
ol Women, aid., at aa
RWGA meeting that the
Celt that the *156.00 need
ed for detk girl’* salaries
• if the dorim are to be kept
open the extra dare (taring
the week, amid net be
ntited- At tbit point we
do not know whether the
money k available dr not
because no one . from.
RWGA can get an ap
pointment with Mr. Hay
wood; The only figures
which have been made
available to us were given
by Mr. Shelton, through
Miss Glenn. No official
reply has been made by
Mr. Haywood, who in fact,
says that, to his knowledge,
RWGA has not tried to
contact him. If the money
cannot be raised, why not?
We are repeatedly told that
the rules governing women
students are made by the
women, through their elect
ed representatives, yet we
are met with the possibility
that the Mercer budget it
not flexible enough to al
low the women to have the
rules they want. RWGA
has a dear mandate from
the women on the question
of hours—but, as it now
stands, our hands are tied.
We, in RWGA, are trying
at this time to work with
the Administration — in
this case, Mr. Haywood’s
office—to reach tome solu
tion satisfactory to all; we
are getting no cooperation.
At the RWGA meeting
of Monday, February 10,
the rule was passed that
slacks, jerseys, and similar
casual attire be allowed
anywhere on campus, ex
cepting chapel and classes.
After the rule had been
passed, Miss Stewart, As
sistant to the Dean of
Women and Advisor to
RWGA, suggested that the
approval of Mbs Glenn be
secured before the rule
went into effect This pro
posal was clearly contrary
to policy: nowhere in the
RWGA Constitution is it
stated that the approval of
any administrator is re
quired before a rule passed
by RWGA goes into effect
Nevertheless, Dean Glenn
was summoned. She ob
jected to the ride and
stated that President
Harris might also have
objections. The tide was
passed contrary to Mbs
Glenn’s wishes, but she
stated that if Dr. Harris
had any serious objections,
the rule would be revoked.
It b not dear exactly what
was intended by her state
ment if RWGA has the
sole HaponsibOity for mak
ing and -onioning rules
governing women students,
mid if administrative ap
proval is not a condition
of the passage of any rule,
then it k doubtful that . •
RWGA am be required to
* rale botiumo of
administrative disapproval.
It k possible that Mila
Glenn meant that a rale
could bo poand by har
or could be mode
a policy of the University,
which forbid the casual
attire permitted by the
RWGA rule. But would
that not be an admission
that RWGA does not make
the rules for the women?
All of thb is, of course,
conjecture; the fact is that
the rule was passed.
RWGA did its job; it up
held die wbhes of the
women students.
to, Women’s Government
to help in give the women
dm- rules they have said
they am best live under.
It however, RWGA b a
figurehead, sire are faced
with the disheartening.fritt
that an entire segment of
the Mercer community —
the resident women—exist
here for the convenience of
a few Administrative of
fices.
We have gone into some
depth in our consideration
of some of the problems
faring RWGA in its at
tempt to pass more work
able rales, rules which
represent the desires of the
resident women students.
We feel that it b benefi
cial, especially at this time,
to keep the students in
formed of developments,
and to make them aware
of our problems. RWGA
wants to represent the
women students. The Ad
ministration b being called
upon to show its good
faith, and its desire to give
the women in fact, what it
has always said that we.
have—self-government At
thb time, the meat of stu
dent life controlled by
RWGA. and thoae con
trolled by the Administra
tion, have not been dearly
defined. We do not really
know where we stand. In
thb lack of definition lies
our chief problem. Who
docs govern resident wom
en students? If the answer
b Resident Women’s Gov
ernment, then Mr. Hay
wood’s and Dean Glenn’s
offices have a responsibility
Thb year's RWGA has
changed. It b unlike any
’ Women’s Student Govern
ment that we have had at
Mercer. RWGA b trying
to give the women the
freedom they demand.
Many of us feel that only
when the students of . thb
or any other University are
as free as passible can they
also learn to be responsi
ble- RWGA needs the sup
port of the women. The
next few months will be
determinative of the char
acter of RWGA, and de
finitive of the scope of
RWGA's influence and
power. If women students
are displeased with the
delay in the passage of
- rules they have said they
want, and if the very real
possibility of the failure of
these rales b dismaying to
them—they have the re
sponsibility of making th^ir
demands known, not only
to RWGA, but also to
thoseAdministrators whose
failure fo act b the only
cause of the delay. The
resident women must be
willing to stand
RWGA—if they are not.
we can do nothing.
fflu
Editor-In-Chief
Associate Edita
Editor
News Editor
Linda McNeal
Cartoons
Editor
—Tom Cau thorn
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Wichtennan
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