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Mercer Needs
New Sports
It is very sad that a university the size of Mercer
has only four intercollegiay sports. Many other
schools far smaller than Mercer field teams in not
only basketball, tennis, baseball, and golf, but also
in track, cross country, soccer, wrestling, and
gymnastics. Most of these sports are inexpensive
and generate enthusiasum among spectators
Mercer desperatly needs an increased athletic
program to round out its service to its students.
This is most apparent during the fall quarter when
incoming freshmen are forming their impressions
of college life and the Mercer community. The
absence of a football team turns their attention to
other universities and to the intramural football
games on campus. The result is a noticeable
absence of school spirit and campus identity.
The tremendous expense of a football team
renders that alternative impossible; however, there
are other sports that could achieve the same goal.
The most practical would be a fall quarter
soccer team. Mercer possesses all the necessary
elements to field a varsity soccer team next fall.
Access to Porter Stadium takes care of the
Columnist Larry Finkalstain
by Larry hnkrhtrin
problem of facilities. There is a sufficent number
of talented people on campus who are willing to
devote the time and energy necessary to make the
team a success. Soccer is a relatively inexpensive
sport and the Cluster feels that the cost would be
more than offset by the rewards.
Students have in the past attempted to otganize
a soccer team and the result has always been the
same. The administration has given no assistance
and the idea has been abandoned. If any team is to
be successful, it must have help from the
Administration in the area of coaching and
equipment. The spring quarter intramural soccer
program has indicated that the students are more
than willing to work.
Any person who has investigated the problem of
student retention at Mercer should realize that the
deficiency of varsity sports is one of the reasons
for the problem. The students have expressed their
desire for an increase in this area and it is up to the
Administration and Student Government
Association to respond. The time to begin is right
now, not next quarter.
Maddox Meddles
In Mercer
Financial Affairs
Governor Maddox keeps talking about the
anti-Christ invasion here at Mercer. For a moment
I thought he meant me, but then I read an article
in The Macon Telegraph that set my mind at rest.
He wasn't worried about this poor Jewish boy
after all! It was the evil "bureaucrats in our own
Federal Government” that were pervading the
minds of our campus leaders with the heresies of
financial assistance that would enable Mercer to
stem the tides of teacher desertion, student
desertion, buildings crumbling, stomachs rumbling,
and employees grumbling.
In a speech delivered before hundreds of
witnesses at Reinhardt College in Walcska,
Georgia, Governor Maddox warned Mercer
Trustees against accepting Federal financial
assistance, saying that “This would place areas
where Federal funds are spent under the police
state, and those buildings and the ground on which
they stand would become places in which religious
services are forbidden.” And he’s right tool Don’t
ever forget that the Connell Student Center was
What To Expect
Within the put two weeks a new
administration hu taken over the
operations ot the Ouster. As editor
for the coming year, I Vc made many
promises and the campus community
expects much. At the present time
the Cluster office is booming with
new idcu. innovations, inventions,
and talent. An experienced
administrative staff hu been chosen
backed by qualified, competent
personnel...and the resurgence of the
Mercer Cluster hu begun.
Probably the most important
achievement that this administration
can accomplish would be to face
issues and evoke a campus
community response participation.
The Cluster this year plans to face
such issues u chapel, orientation-tush
week, non-academic workers, Macon
Police Department, the adminstrafion
On Cipltol Hill
expansion program, the Black
Students Alliance organization,
faculty retention and atudent
recruitment, Wonderful Wedaeaday,
pasafail grade system, semester vs.
quarter systems university social
activities. The Ouster will take (lands
on these key issues and will permit
individual stands to be made. In
addition the paper will present week
by week three columnists who will
editorialize on international,
nation si. state, and local subject
matter. We will alto revive the
services of the opinion polls.
Presently the Ouster is the victim
of a great flnincia! crisis. This can be
alleviated by an expansion of our
advertising service, and hopefully a
substantial increase in operations
budget. This emphatically demands a
budget. This emphatically demands a
regular paper and the 1969-70 staff
will work and strive diligently to
produce a newspaper once a
wcekfperhaps twice a week at timet).
Priority will be given to the editorial
page, localizing the voice of the
Mercer student and even the faculty.
Comprehensive news reporting is a
necessity and Tits become a goal of
the News staff. Thus with completion
of this platform format, journalism
excellence in state, national, and
international competition will be
assured.
Senator Young
Strikes Out At
President Ky
by Larry Finkelttain
But everyone knows that the school needs more
money despite the Governor’s often repeated
warnings of the evils that would accompany
Federal funds. But in his infinite wisdom, the
Governor foresaw this minor objection and felt
with it in his usual adroit manner, saying “I know
that private schools at every level must have more
support if they are to survive and 1 can sec nothing
wrong with providing partial tuition grants on the
sate level for students attendiiy private or public
colleges." Under this plan Mercer could retain its
religious freedom and academic integrity like other
schools operating under sate support - like the
University of Mississippi at Oxford - and prevent
itaelf from turning into a police sate. But then I
thought about all the other spending programs
that the Governor had proposed to the legislature
last session and remembered how well they had
fared and came, to a rather
conclusion
influx of
The following was delivered by
Senator Joseph Young of Ohio, on
the floor of the Senate, April 11,
1969; "Mr. President, now that the
flamboyant braggart. Vice President
Ky, of the Saigon militarist regime,
makes public statements that he will
defy the United States and resume
bombing of North Vietnam and that
his regime will unilaterally make the
decision to bomb the north, it would
be good news indeed if this tinhorn
air marshal would carry out his
statement. Ky says:
“Our planes are ready. There is not
any reason why we can't bomb
Hanoi.”
He boasts he will do this "in
retsiiatioa for the nation-wide
Communist offensive in the south."
He further threatens:
I ask for retaliation. If they
continue to shell Saigon we should go
ahead and bomb Hanoi.
This arrogant pipsqueak has never
been bashful about urging
engagements that would cost the lives
of young Americans, but he has been
noticeably reticent in exposing
himself to any danger whatsoever
More Americans have been, killed
in combat in Vietnam than were
killed in combat throughout the
entire Korean war which was fought,
by the way, under the flag of the
United Nations
Mr.
Marshal Ky
Vietnam
misaion
Hitler
has
Air Force of the French Government
in 19S4. and fought against the
forces of his own countrymen
seeking national liberation until the
forces of the French colonial
oppressors were defeated, diould lead
his Air Force in a bombing mission
over North Vietnam and be captured
or killed, I would not experience any
feeling of sorrow. Why not encourage
this tinhorn air marshal to make good
his boast.
Ky delayed the peace negotiations
in Paris nearly 4 months. Then, the
South Vietnamese delegation,
brought to and maintained in Paris at
our taxpayers' expense, did nothing
except hold lavish receptions. After
Ky finally arrived with a delegation
of 100, be first insulted Ambassador
Harriman. making a public atatemeat
calling attention that he wore a
hearing aid While American
taxpayers are bearing die expense of
this social reception in Paris, we
tolerate Ky preening himself,
insulting Avcreil Harriman, a very
great American, and denouncing
Defease Secretary Clark Clifford.
It is a tad atanioa
nations, humiliate
SaGaAa
Having realised the rrap unailiility
which individuals have to
communicate' idem with others,
whether those idem he trite or
unique, I hare accepted the challenge
of writing a bi-weekly column. It is
Dot at al intended to he a focum.
artificially fomenting rtiaatnt amint
polarization; rather this column will
be simply a collage of ideas,
thoughts,, and iwaag touching on
unrclatad and perhaps itrekvam
•objects.
As a new SGA administration
comes in, it seems only appropriate
to offer some words of challenge not
only to the Senators but to the
student body as a whole. To harshly
condemn the apparent apathy of
moat students toward ttudent
government would be comparable to
beating the proverbial dead hone (no
pun intended); however, merely
ignoring the problem will not
alleviate it.
Few people attend Senate
meetings although they are open to
everyone and free discussion is
permitted. Meaningful dialogue
between students and their Senator!
is lacking, and many people are not
at all concerned about this. The
reasons for this disinterest should be
studied (if, in fact, they can be
found) and the situation corrected.
Perhaps the trivia which the Senate
finds itself engulfed in offers nothing
to the average student. The Senators
have the responsibility of deciding
whether they wish the Senate to be a
Clique of elected officials or a
meaningful organization. Attempts to
shift this responsibility to the student
body are lacking in l)Oth
responsibility and integrity.
Nevertheless, the students must
themselves decide whether they want
to be educated (or taught, at the case
might be) in a sterile academic
atmosphere Many students came to
Mercer with the desire to participate
in the curriculum and to do nothing
more; student government to them is
a meaningless entity that dues
nothing really tangible tar them. This
must be recognized and dealt with.
Do persons have the rign (or the
privilege) to seek an education in the
vacuum of academia? This is the hey
question that mutt be faced before
one betim n—king