Newspaper Page Text
I
I '
I
From tha Editor
"Hi>■ South's Musi Indr/K iulml Luth^iute Svutpaiivr''
GARY JOHNSON
MEMBER EdiiOf
JOHNNY TURNER
associate Editor
CARL BROWN, Businen Manager
Executive Editors: Tom Cauthorn, Bobby Phillips
lUnsignad tditoriah are tha opinion ot tha Clunar and should not be oonfuaad with
naws stpriet. Signad columns and cartoons ara tha opinions ot tha authors and not tha
Clustar.)
Deferred Rush Would
Benefit Freshmen
The Cluster commends the sororities for de
laying their rush until the freshmen girls have at
least begun to orient themselves to college life.
Unfortunately the fraternities were too impa
tient to delay their rush, and as a result many
freshmen boys were unfairly forced to hastily
decide on the merits of going fraternity.
Fraternities have been an Integral part of col
lege life for many years, and it is only recently
that unaffiliates in any appreciable number have
been able to attain positions of leadership and
status at college. The number of freshmen pledg
ing fraternities at Mercer has declined in the past
few years, and it is difficult to determine
whether this is the result of disinterest or disillu
sionment.
The first weeks, and indeed the first quarter,
of college life are rough. Having to cope with
new freedoms and new ideas, coupled with hav
ing to meet the criteria of college professors is
formidable. Add to this the difficult task of
An Answer to the
Cafeteria Problem
by Emm Robinson
“Oh Joy! 5 O’clock. Once again I may
feed my little body.”
Rushing down to “The Cafeteria” I
find a long line of similarly famished
friends, mostly freshmen, awaiting the
delicacies. Yum, mystery meat. So what if
it takes fifteen napkins to drain it of its
pungent greases, THERE’S MEAT.
Now let me say I’m not the type of guy who
needs to feed a gigantic football machine: in
fact I’m more the traditional “90 pound weak
ling” who gets sand kicked in his face on the
beach. I also get hungry — eating in “The
Cafeteria.” My soul aches for the many starving
stomach
increase in meal
costs to students most pro
bably went toward combat
ting the inflation bugger; cer
tainly we can see it didn’t go
for quality or quantity. I try
to eat all I’m allowed, good
ness knows with the buzzards
Robin ion hanging above you as you are
interrogated at the end of the line you couldn’t
get more, yet like so many others I find myself
complaining of genuine insufficiency.
Nature demands a remedy to the dreaded
“stomach growl” disease so my friends and I
engage in a migration to the Pancake House
nearly nightly. Not only is this solution costly,
but also consuming of valuable study time.
Mr. Krakow cannot be expected to provide
more food for the same charip without sacrifi
cing whatever quality we now have at Mercer.
Some solution outside the Co-op or Greater
Macon Establishment must be sought I propose
to you now, and will later to the Senate Auxili
ary Services Committee, the placement of con-
Hk
i ne consequence
Of A Decision ^
deciding whether or not to pledge and the
pledge duties of thoee who do pledge, and many
freshmen find the demands too exacting.
The Cluster advocates a policy of deferring
rush for one quarter. This would enable the
freshmen to properly orient themselves to col
lege life and at the same time allow them to aee
the fraternities in their day-to-day operations
rather than being forced to select a fraternity
solely on the basis of the beat rush party. If the
fraternities sincerely have the best interests of
the students in mind, they should not object to
delaying rush and giving the freshmen more time
in which to make a more objective appraisal of
the Individual fraternities and the fraternity
system itself.
The Waverly Conference (attended by Greeks
and non-Greeks) unanimously adopted a resolu
tion calling for an in-depth study by the SGA to
determine the feasibility of deferring rush. The
Cluster hopes this study will get underway soon.
In its
ium Call
definite stand. The tend
position and muddle the imue was reminiscent
of Senate’s extended debate over the Steering
Committee’s Report last
sprfcg.-
Being an independent or
ganization representing the
student body, the Senate
cannot afford to lend Itself to
indecisive actions and middle-
of-the-road positions.
Last week a proposal for
the restructuring of the intra
mural program came to the
floor and was tabled for reconsideration. This
action would have been understandable if an
active study were to be made. However, the
come
Senate has got to come
to the question at !
OPEN LETTER TO STUDENTS
“Wonderful W«dn«doy” Versus “Free Friday**
THE MERCER CLUSTER • October 21,1969 • 2
venient, appetizing, inexpensive vending
machines in the dormitories.
Machines dispensing sandwiches, soup,
deserts, ice, et cetera should be operated by the
Student Government Association. Why would
we, as SGA members, want them? Well, we
could regulate the prices to keep them minimal
and use low profits for funding student projects.
Yes, a small profit would be realized.
We as Mercer students demand many services
not now provided. All these take money from
the University Budget. While some Administra
tive priorities and funding might not necessarily
meet with student (or faculty) approval we as a
University are facing a monetary crisis due to
Federal cut-backs in student aid. Therefore, we
students cannot presume to leech upon our
selves, as we pay the majority of Mercer's
revenue, for some projects not directly relating
to educational activities.
Money coming from vending machines is a
legitimate source of Income. Not a tax, the
profits are on low cost convenience services.
Should this proposal be adopted in some
form and profits be realized from operation, one
of the expenditures we might consider is for a
student radio station. WMAZ (Watch Mercer
Achieve Zenith) began on our campus some
years ago. Today without convocation we are
without a truly effective communicative device
on campus The station need not be very power-
fkit, just sufficient to broadcast clearly over the
campus Georgia Tech has several low coat in
stallations operated privately by students
admirably serving their campus community.
Mercer’s station would provide entertainment
of the variety most sought by students without
commercial interruption. Educationally our
Speech and Drama Department would benefit
by its practice. The Insight Series and Concert
productions could be made available to students
comfortably situated in their rooms Announce
ments an possible to inform Mercerians of the
information we claim so often to be lacking
Other projects could also be accomplished
with student’s controlling certain of our own
hinds not already committed. A radio station
may not even prove to be priority. 'However, by
opening the SGA to this source of income we
(1) enhance the food service at low costs; (i)
relieve the burden of begging Administrators far
certain non-academic improvements; (S) author
ize some responsibility to ourselves as students
without need tar radical interruption of campus
affaire; (4) prove our capacities to reluctant
Administrators and faculty; (6) bring our com
munity closer togMbsr at during partners in
Mercer Untverdty’s progress.
In addition to the potential danger of losing
Wonderful Wednesday, as previously discussed
in the Cluster by Doug Hightower, there’s a
nasty rumor going around that Wonderful
Wednesday may be replaced by Free Friday. I
personally have heard several faculty members
as well as several students suggest that although
four days of dam per week is better than five
days of clam per week, a further improvement
would be to make the “off-day” Friday rather
than Wednesday. 1 do not agree with tills
opinion and furthermore feel that If the stu
dents wish to keep a four day dam schedule
then they must also decide whether Wonderful
Wednesday or Free Friday has the most to offer.
Once the students have formulated a common
goal in regards to the future of Wonderful
Wednesday, the student body will be in a posi
tion to make appeals in the event that the
administration acts contrary to the students’
opinion. Keeping the need for unified student
action in mind, I will proceed with what I con
sider to be a logical argument in favor of Won
derful Wednesday m opposed to Free Friday.
One major argument in favor of Free Friday
is presented by the faculty members who com
plain that everyone “cuts” on Friday, anyhow.
However, I hypothesise that if Wonderful
Wednesday wm replaced by Free Friday, the
situation of “mam cufeday” would merely be
shifted to Thursday or Monday. More impor
tant, how is “mam cut day” hurting the teach
ers? There are universities where every day is
“mam cut day”; granted, Mercer is not one of
those universities. On Mercer’s campus, the
general consensus in regard to “cuts” seems to
be that three absences per course an allotted to
each student However, 1 know of no rule that
tells the student he is not permitted to take one,
two, or all three of hie “cuts” on the last day of
classes in any given week.
Having disposed with the faculty’s major
argument in flavor Of Free Friday, (will proceed
to describe a few definite advantages which
Wonderful Wednesday holds over Flee Friday.
Wednesday occupys a position on the weekly
calendar which is midway in the “American
work week.” For several decades now, man has
been referring to Wednesday as the “hump of
the camel” In other words, If you can dhnb
over Wednesday, the rest of the week wfll pre
sent no problems. Basically this seems to be true
and I personally fed that the exceptions to this
rule are in the minority. In effect, I am making a
claim that Wonderful Wednesday has a favorable
psychological effect by releasing “mid-week ten
sions.’’
If you ate one who favors a “long weekend,”
1 ask you to carefully consider my next point
The “Saturday night fling” bat become almost a
ritual in American society. Furthermore, the
proximity of Friday night to Saturday has
caused the formation of “frivolous Friday.” If
Friday wm a “free day”, Thursday would be a
day of proximity and “Thursday tantalising"
would result If you as an individual am In this
world for nothing but fun, habitually long week
ends are great but if you want to really do
something — like getting grades now — long
weekends may prove to be more of a distraction
than an advantage.
Thus far, I have presented my two moot logi-
. cal arguments In favor of Wonderful Werkreeday:
(1) freedom from the bump and (2) the dilem
ma of having your fine time all at once. Finally,
I wish to state that I like Wonderful Wednesday!
Wonderful Wednesday gives me time for things
which just don’t fit in with weekend parties and
weekday classes.
Perhaps I am self-prejudiced but at least I’m
standing up for what I believe. I hope that l am
not alone in principle or in theory.
Claudia J. Bicht
Thank You, Dr. Harris
Thank you President Harris for your recant
statement concerning the Vietnam Moratorium.
In your statement you defended Everyman’s
position in the controversial issue, and this In
sures the lasting position of Mercer’s good name
mmmMM in tire community. It would
be very bad if you came out in
support a Moratorium
which has caused so mud)
MM controve raey- You must be
commended on keeping Mer-
cer out of controversial isauas,
because we am having eoough
WWW trouble with tbs Georgia
qUMs Baptist Convention and some
widow or elderly man might not give Mercer
money in their will. It b not the duty of the
President of a university to stand up and apeak
out on a war of ao much contaevenay, but the
President should rather praaant a view that
would keep anyone from getting pud at him.
Some people my that a President of a eahrar-
slty must speak out on such hues, became ot .
the immense Importance of the War, borauao a
country is. being slowly devastated by a giant
military force, became the peppie are not allow
ed to eiect their own isadraa, because
you til Is piRtiitiQi Is Um stmts,
msa m igjiiin fettU*
tasting the War, or becasn
O/PIs oui uww people ire wrong, ana rrmaeai
by Ron Childs
Hattie is right, es always, for war ie last a thing
that Everyman must accept; betides, the U. S.
miltary h doing Ite beet to end tbe war by a
Pmtident Harris, you have spin riaen to the
occasion as a great leader, for you bare riiown
the tactftiiness and aeeourceflilnasa that one can
learn from a good education. People da not
appreciate a good education In them days, but
you have shown them bow to am thair educa
tion tg gst around making a stand oo them con-
trovartial haunt. Whan am goes to cob*, ha
mmt laam how to aoaapthh potitton la aociaty
and ha a beneficial pamon, not one that ie
always going around stirring up trouble about
was war. Ons should accept tha American way
of life or have it, for many psat men, at Patrick