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Georgia Baptists Hear Report A report from the Mercer University Board of Trustees will be a highlight of the Geor gia Baptist Convention which will be bald Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at the Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta. The report wiU be given in the afternoon seaaion Tuesday by a trustee, the Rev. Ches Smith of the First Baptist Church of Tifton. It will ex plain the position of the board in applying for federal granta to assist in the construction of a performing arts auditorium, physical education buUding and Infirmary. On February 7 the Mercer trustees voted unanimoudy to apply for the federal grants au thorized by the Higher Educa tion Facilities Act of 1965. The Executive Committee of the convention meeting at Toccoa April 1 requested the trustees of Mercer to report to the convention at its annual meeting explaining their action in authorizing applications for the grants. The convention in 1966 and 1965 tailed to ap prove Mercer’s request to build the science building with the aid of a low-interest govern ment loan. As a result of the conven tion’s vote, the university was forced to borrow funds for the science center at a commercial rate of 7 percent while the government loan would have been made at 3 percent. By this action the university will have to pay additional interest of $125,000 over a period of 15 years. Dr. Walter L. Moore, pastor of Vineville Baptist Church of Macon and a member of the university’s Presidents Council, Is president of the convention which will represent some one million Baptists in the state. Recommendations from the Executive Committee which will be voted on by the conven tion, expected to attract mote than 2,000 maaaangsrs from over the state, are: A record budget of $5,648,000 for Southern Bap tist and Georgia Baptist missionary, educational, and benevolent causes. An expansion program for the Georgia Baptist Hospital at an estimated $11,800,000 to be financed in part by a loan of not more than $6,000,000 from commercial lending insti tutions. A proposed counseling and referral ministry for Baptist pastors as an expanded service of the Georgia Baptist Hospi tal. A statement of purpose of Georgia Baptists In giving sup port to Baptist colleges. Provision for equal minis terial education funds for all students preparing for church vocations. Currently, students for the preaching ministry re ceive $100 per quarter, while students preparing for minis tries in music and religious ed ucation receive $50 per quar ter. Proposed constitutional changes, which would increase maximum number of messen gers churches may send to the convention from eight to 15; retain the minimun of two messengers from each coopera ting church; permit one additional messenger for each $1,000 contributed through the Cooperative Program (Cur rent provision is one additional messenger for each $60 given to Convention causes.). Another constitutional change would reduce the maxi mum service for convention president from three years to two years in keeping with actual practice. Tradition has limited presidents to two one- year terms. A proposed by-laws change calls on all boards, commis sions, and committees of the convention to submit audits prepared by certified public ac countants. (Current by-laws call for audits.) A proposal for all institu tions to submit “unqualified” audits to the convention an nually. Keynote speaker for the three-day meeting will be Dr. W. A. Criswell, pastor of First Baptist Church from Dallas, Tex., and president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Other speakers include Brooks Hays, advisor to Presi dents Eisenhower and Kennedy and former U.S. Congressman from Arkansas, currently director of Wake Forest Uni versity’s Ecumenical Institute; Dr. William Holmes Borders, pastor of Wheat Street Baptist Church in Atlanta, and Nation al Baptist leader Also Dr. Warner Earle Fusselle, president of Truett McConnell College in Cleve land, Ga.; Dr. Millard J. Ber- quist, president of Mid-western Baptist Technological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo. Rear Admiral James W. Kelly, chief of Navy chaplains, will address the convention's youth night service. Wednesday at Georgia Tech’s Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The Rev J. David Fite, returned Cuban missionary imprisoned by the Castro regime, will also be fea tured on the youth program. Volume U MERCER UNIVERSITY. MACON, GEORGIA, NOV. 11, 1969 Number 7 Members of the cast rehearse in preparation for the production of Mac Beth to be given November 13 and 14 Special Newt Report New Library Hours The Library Committee, after meeting with members of the Student Library Commit- t ee, has recommended to the librarian that regular Library closing time be changed to 11 P.M. Sunday through Thurs day, and 5 P.M. Friday and Saturday. The last three week ends before finals the library would be open to 11 P.M. on Friday and Saturday. It should be noted in this re port that often student sugges tions as the above are shelved by a Faculty or Administration Committee, but the students owe a thank you to Mr. Metts the Librarian, for his response to student suggestions wi complete and swift coopera tion. Mr. Metts hopes that stu dents will take advantage of the later closing hours of the library. INSIDE CLUSTER.. Beil P.2 Childs P.3 G. Johnson P. 2 L. Johnson P 4 J. Wright P. 3 Southwell P. 3 Turner P. 2 Wallace P. 2 Wednesday Is In Jeopardy The Wonderful Wednesday Committee is alarmed at the pattern of irresponsible be havior which is becoming in creasingly evident on Tuesday evenings. Chairman Dean Trimble said that the commit tee is especially concerned about the behavior in the area of the men's dormitories and fraternity lodges. He said some of the personnel officials feel that there is more disorder and frivolous activity on Tuesday evenings than on Friday and Saturday evenings combined, and there is little doubt that this is adversely affecting re sponsible use of Wednesday. Trimble said the committee will probably have no alterna tive but to recommend that Wonderful Wednesday be dis continued if there is not im mediate, dramatic improve ment in this situation. Trimble added that the committee has been pleased with student use of the library on Wednesday and with the sizeable number of students working as volunteers in com munity agencies. However, he said, participation in free uni versity classes and other forums seems to have deceased. Debate Team Opens Year with two wins The Mercer Debate Team has started the year out with two big Tournaments. The first was at Aubum. the latter in Winston Salem, N. C. sponsor ed by Wake Forest University. The trip to the Wake Forest Novice Tournament was at tended by 6 Mercer representa tives. The coach who acted as a judge, and Bill Cragg. the Presi dent of Mercer Debate Club, served to encourage the other four. The four man team was made up of people with little debate experience. The Wake Forest Tournament is annually t he foremost Novice Tourna ment in the country The four novices attending were John Pafford, Julian Gordy, Bob Thompson, and Ted Kandler. Accompanying were Mrs. Gem Price and Bill Cragg. Leaving Winston Salem, the team stopped in Atlanta to see the famous Peachtree Debate Finals, sponsored by Emory University. The knowledge acquired by seeing this portion of the tournament was a great help to all members of the team. Harvard and UCLA de bated in the Final round. On Nov. 14 & 15 the debate team will attend the Southern District Tournament sponsored by Delta Sigma Rho — Tau Kappa Alpha (the national honary society for forensics). Thirty universities from throughout the South will b< represented. Debaters going LarTy Tinkles tern, Bill Cragg, Julian Gordy and Dan Thigpen (president of the local DSR-TKA Chapter). Members of the team prepare for debate. Left to right are John Pafford, Julian Gordy, Bob Thompaon, and Bill Cragg.