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MERCER UNIVERSITY. MACON. GEORGIA. MAY 9. 1969
New Course
Suggestions
See Page 3
Number 17
Spring Cleanup Planned
Mercer’s Help Needed
President of the sophomore class, Jinx Schwencke, and Resident of the junior class.
Linn Dillard.
Class Presidents State
:ives for New SGA
At the new SGA Senators
begin their administration, many
ideas about the possibilities
which are open to the SGA seem
to be floating around. Last
week, the Clutter asked the
rising sophomore, junior, and
senior class presidents to make a
statement concerning their
outlook for next year and any
future plans for the SGA which
might be coagulating in their
Blanchie Smith, President
of the senior class.
cluttered cranmms. Here is what
they said.
Jinx Schwencke, representing
the rising sophomore class said
this:
"Our sophomore class has
two primary responsibilities in
the coming years. The most
immediate one is to help the
incoming freshmen not only to
adjust to Mercer life but to
become an acthc member of this
university. We must show them
the many areas in which their
participation would enrich their
education. Because of our
awareness of the problems of a
Mercer freshman, we must be
one of the first to extend a
warm welcome to them and to
encourage their involvement in
campus life.”
“The other responsibility is a
long-range one and it is one that
is vital for superior education.
We have witnessed during our
freshman year many advances
made by the SGA and the
RWGA in making Mercer a
‘communiversitywhich is a
community of individuals in an
unrestricted pursuit of an
education that will free them
from their limited scope. Both
the SGA and the RWGA have
begun to eliminate the obstacles
that prevent us from reaching
the communiversity'. The
position paper of the Student
Sterring Committee of the
College Study and the proposed
Code of Conduct, Bill of Rights
and Student Judiciary System of
the Judicial Systems Study
Committee are two excellent
examples of the work being
done by responsible students
who ate concerned about their
education A great many
students are "concerned" but
they don’t know what to do
about it. SGA meetings are open
to everyone and the Senate
welcomes and needs your
. . w
opinions.
“Something is happening at
Mercer. We arc becoming
involved in our education. We
are acting as responsible adults
in search of a meaningful
education rather than playful
children looking for a good time.
This trend must continue and
our class must take this dream of
Draft Information
A draft information center
for the Mercer Macon area
will be operated in the co-op
on Mondays from two to three
P.M. and on Wednesdays from
twelve to three P.M. If you are
interested, see Jo Clifton in
the co-op at the announced
times or make an
appointment.
a 'communiversity' and make it
a reality "
Linn Dillard, of the rising
junior class said this;
“The past year's SGA has
(Con’t. on page 3)
Saturday May 10, will see the
beginning of a long range plan of
slum cleanup in Macon. The help
of all hands at Mercer is needed
The plan, sponsored by tbeC
& S Bank, has as its goal to
enable slum dwellers to buy
their own properry, to free
themselves from the arbitrary
power of the landlord, to
improve and remodel their
homes, and to set up small
businesses For this purpose the
bank has invested ten million
dollars in the Community
Development Corporation. Slum
dwellers will be able to borrow at
very low interest rates to make
down payments, mortgages, etc
The plan is already working with
striking success in Savannah
This is a self-help program
and not the sort of welfare
handout that has become so
damaging to the self-respect of
the poor, white and black.
The opening cleanup day.
May 10. is just the kickoff for
this long range plan It will not
be just a one-shot token gesture
A single 70-block slum area
has been selected for the
opening cleanup This is the
Appointments Made
To Honor Council
The new members of the
Mercer Honor Council have been
selected. They are Frances
Anderson, Charles Bowen, and
Anne Longman Frances, an
upcoming senior, and Charles, a
future junior, have both served
for the past year on the Honor
Committee. Anne, Frances, and
Charles will be filling vacancies
left by Martiel Babbitt, Bob
Collins, and John Winkle,
To become an Honor Council
member, a student must first fill
out an application made
available by the Council. Then
he is interviewed by a
student faculty committee of
three faculty members
appointed by President Harris,
the Chief Justice and the Clerk
of the Honor Council, and the
President, Vice-President, and
Secretary-Treasurer of SGA,
President of the Senior Class,
and chairman of the Honor
Committee
Not only are the student
members of the council
changing, but also new advisors
are taking over Winter quarter
Dr. Platt received the position
left by Dr Glover. This spring
Dr. Hendricks leaves her post to
Dr Sheppard as a faculty
advisor
The new Mercet SGA
constitution has three effects on
the Honor Council. Applicants
may now have an overall C
average rather than the formerly
required B standard. Also the
election committee who made
this year’s selections functioned
under the new constitution.
Formerly the committee
included the same three faculty
members, the top five SGA
officers, and the Chief Justice
and the Clerk of the Honor
Council
worst slum area in Macon,
almost entirely black, and is
known as Tybee. Its borders are
Broadway on the west, 7th St.
and Waterville Road on the east,
Bay St at the north, and Raines
St at the south. The Southern
Railway freight yards run
through the center of it All of it
is within a mile of the Mercer
campus
There arc over 500 homes in
Tybee, in all stages of disrepair.
The area is covered with trash
and litter of all kinds. Some 300
abandoned junk automobiles,
most of them propped shakily
on concrete blocks, are standing
around in back yards and vacant
lots, a danger to children.
Refrigerators, washing machines,
and other junk, too heavy for
people to move without
expense, are all over the area
Fences of jagged tin and scrap
iron run crookedly between lots
Smaller litter attracts rats and
other pests
On Saturday May 10, rain or
shine all volunteer help will be
needed to help the residents
clean up this area Trucks and
cranes from Warner Robins will
be there to remove automobiles
and other heavy junk Fences
will be torn down. Rakes,
shovels, and hoes will be
plentifully supplied for the
residents and teams helping to
clean up the yards. Trucks
loaned by local businesses will
be there to pick up trash
Garbage cans with lids will be
given to every resident who does
anything to improve his lot
Church groups and womens
Bill of Rights Proposed
Senate Reports
Following several months of
extensive investigation,
comparison, and formulation,
the report of the Judicial Review
Committee was presented to the
Senate by Jacob Beil on April
28th. Suggestions for providing
Mercer with a system of uniform
rules and penalties administered
by students were made. Some of
the work was influenced by a
recent Supreme Court Ruling
stating that students have similar
rights in the university as
citizens in the states.
First among the suggestions is
a nine point student Bill of
Rights for possible amendment
to the SGA Constitution. The
proposed Judicial System
includes a Code of Conduct
designed to clearly illuminate
the infractions considered liable
to penalty.
The system would be
composed of students acting to
judge their peers. The present
system, as Jacob reviewed it,
consists of a faculty committee
that only recently admitted two
students Procedure is not
written, making for no uniform
assurity that due process will be
executed (coiu on page O)
clubs will be there to supply
lunch There will be first aid
stations for any minor injuries,
and girls are needed to staff
them
Macon high school students
will be turning out en masse to
help. The high school which
provides the largest percentage
of its student body will win a
$3000 first prize. The Macon
Jaycees and other civic groups
will be organizing the work on
each block.
This cleanup job in Tybee
can't be done without the
consent and co-operation of the
residents. Fences cannot be torn
down or anything removed
unless the owners permit it So
individuals and teams have
visited homes in the area, to
survey what needs to be done, to
find out who the landlords arc.
and to get the tenant's consent
for the cleanup. Two such
surveys have been conducted
If you are willing to volunteer
for The Cleanup Date, please go
to see Peggy Gough at
Commonweal in the Student
Personnel Office She will give
you an assignment
The Spring Cleaning
headquarters is on Third St next
to the Dempsey Hotel
Please give a hand with Spring
Cleaning '69.
ARMED
FORCES
DAY
MAY 17
Mercer students, in cooperation with the C & S Bank are
organizing groups to help cleanup areas such as the
above in a city wide Campaign.
