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GMDS'O’SK
The Pacesetter of the Seventies
GARY JOHNSON JOHNNY TURNER
member Editor Anociate Editor
CARL BROWN, Business Manager
LYNDON MAYES, Managing Editor
Asst. Editor*: John Tylar Hammett, Ron Childs
Executive Editor*. Tom Cauthorn, Bobby Phillips
(Untigrwd •ditotislt lh* opinion o( Cluster and should not be confused with
news stpnes Signed columns end cartoons ere the opinions of the authors and not the
Cluster )
Student Union Board
THE STUDENT UNION BOARD SHOULD BE COMMENDED FOR THEIR
EXCELLENT IDEA OF USING SHUTTLEBUSSES TO CARRY STUDENTS TO
THE MACON COLISEUM FOR MERCER BASKETBALL GAMES. PLAYING
THE GAMES IN THE COLISEUM GIVES OUR TEAM AN IMPRESSIVE IMAGE
EVEN IF THEIR SCORES ARE NOT VERY IMPRESSIVE. THE SHUTTLE-
BUSSES HAVE MADE THIS POSSIBLE AND HAVE PROVEN TO BE VERY
POPULAR WITH THE STUDENTS. SOME OF THE BUSSES HAVE BEEN
PACKED.
IF THIS TYPE OF IMAGINATIVE THINKING IS ANY INDICATION OF
WHAT IS PLANNED FOR THE FUTURE. MERCER STUDENTS CAN EXPECT
ONE OF THE BEST HOMECOMINGS WE HA VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME. THE
STUDENT UNION BOARD SHOULD BE CONGRATULATED FOR THEIR
WORK SO FAR THIS YEAR.
The Cafeteria...Again!
"THE FOOD AT MERCER IS BECOMING WORSE. AND THE CHOICE
OFFERED IS A LWA YS LIMITED. ’’ THIS STA TEMENT HAS BEEN A COMMON
HOUSEHOLD WORD AROUND CAMPUS LATELY EVEN MORE THAN SPIRO
AGNEW. THE STUDENTS ARE TIRED OF NOT BEING ABLE TO DECIDE
WHETHER OR NOT THEY CAN PURCHASE A MEAL TICKET OR EAT OFF
CAMPUS. THE CLUSTER DOES NOT FEEL THAT THE FOOD AT MERCER IS
"COMPLETELY" INDIGESTIBLE. BUT WE DO FEEL THAT THE STUDENTS
HAVE BEEN TREATED LIKE PAWNS ON A CHESS TABLE TOO LONG.
THERE ARE SOME MERCER STUDENTS THAT WOULD LIKE THE OPPOR
TUNITY TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A MEAL TICKET AND EATING OFF
CAMPUS. BUT THEY ARE DENIED THIS PRIVILEGE AND RIGHT. WHICH
THEY HAVE HAD IN THE PAST. ALL THE TALK OF BRINGING A CATER
ING SERVICE TO CAMPUS HAS REMAINED JUST THAT - TALK. WITH THE
FOOD UNDER SO MUCH CRITICISM WHY DO THE STUDENTS HA VE NO
CHOICE BETWEEN MEAL TICKETS OR OFF CAMPUS FOOD. IT IS OBVIOUS
THAT IF THIS CHOICE WERE AVAILABLE. MANY STUDENTS WOULD
CHOOSE TO EAT OFF CAMPUS AND THEN THE ADMINISTRATION WOULD
LOSE ITS MONOPOLY IN THE CAFETERIA. IN OTHER WORDS IT WOULD
BE CONSIDERED BAD BUSINESS. NO MATTER THAT THE STUDENTS WANT
A CHOICE. IF IT'S BAD BUSINESS THEN IT CAN NOT BE DONE. THIS TYPE
OF THINKING CAN NOT HELP BUT MAKE THE BAD TASTE IN THE STU
DENTS’ MOUTHS EVEN WORSE. THE CLUSTER HOPES THAT THE ADMINIS
TRATION WILL RE-THINK THEIR POSITION ON THIS MATTER AND GIVE
THE STUDENTS A CHOICE OF MEAL TICKET OR OFF CAMPUS FOOD. AND
DO IT BEFORE THE SITUATION GROWS WORSE.
Mercer Soccer Team
IT IS A VERY RARE THING ON THIS CAMPUS WHEN A GROUP OF STU
DENTS CAN GET TOGETHER AND START SOMETHING FROM SCRATCH
WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE ADMINISTRATION. THE FOREIGN STUDENTS
UNION HAS DONE THIS AND SHOULD BE CONGRATULATED FOR IT.
THEY HAVE ORGANIZED AND SUPPORTED THE LONG DISCUSSED IDEA
OF A MERCER UNIVERSITY SOCCER TEAM AND THEIR EFFORTS ARE
NOW BEGINNING TO BE REWARDED. WITH THE HOPE OF AN ALLOCA
TION OF FUNDS FROM THE ADMINISTRATION. IT APPEARS LIKELY THAT
NEXT YEAR WILL SEE A MERCER SOCCER TEAM TAKE THE FIELD
AGAINST OTHER SCHOOLS. IF THIS COMES ABOUT IT WILL BE BECAUSE
OF THE DEDICA TION OF THE PLA YERS AND THE ENERGY AND DETERMI-
NA TION OE THE FOREIGN STUDENTS UNION. ALL MERCER STUDENTS
SHOULD SUPPORT THIS EFFORT. THE CLUSTER SALUTES ALL THOSE
WHO HA VE CONTRIBUTED TO THE NEW MERCER SOCCER TEAM!
Freedom of Choice Was
Slogan of The Day|BiJ|
It was carnival time on a pleasantly warm
Sunday afternoon In Macon, Georgia. The
mayor had iaiued the call, and hi* flock had
obediently responded by aawmblylng at the
Macon Coliseum to protest the de segregation
rulings of the Supreme Court Popcorn, Cokes,
cotton candy, and peanuts were sailing wail as
the people took their mats to bear high school
students and the Mayor speak.
Lest anybody should mistake the true
meaning of the assembly, a neatly lettered
sign proclaiming “Racism is not our platform"
was attached to the speakers' podium. And
after a Mack student spoke, reprimanding the
whites for their delay in implementing de
segregation programs (a talk interrupted re
peatedly by booing and Jeering), the modera
tor unabashedly yelled into the microphone
“Racism is not an issue here". A Manning
ovation followed. Oh yes, perhaps I should
mention that the Mack student was greeted
with applause as she stepped to the rostrum,
but the crowd was amazingly mute as she de
parted.
Most of the speakers were high school stu
dents, and there was a noticeable lack of in
formation regarding Supreme Court rulings,
but veracity has always taken a bock east to
emotion. The speakers had apparently listened
well to Georgia politicians, for they made
good use of all the polemical phrases and
slogans employed over the years to condemn
the Court. Socialism was mentioned; but I
waited in vain to hear the Court linked with
Communism, although the Mayor came dose
to doing this. One student told the audience
that “racial intergrity” was at stake in forcing
the Bibb County schools to integrate, but un
fortunately he never exactly explained what
that interesting phrase meant.
Freedom of choice waa the slogan lot the
day. I was somewhat surprised to loam that
my forefathers had fought for Ikesdcwn ot
choice In the Revolutionary War (as the flat
speaker informed me), but it has been some
time since I studied American
History in Ugh aohooi, and I
L have been absent when this
matter waa damaged. Aa foe
students each In turn dadoed
that schools could not Auction
without freedom of choice, I
wondered If any had ever
WUace realised that they had been
denied freedom of choice for years by the
Bibb County Board of Education, since the
schools in Macon are separated on the bads of
sex as well as race.
The meeting could have bean almost
humorous ware it not for foe fact that foe
participants were deadly serious. It la frighten
ing to consider what emotion-charged T"*"***
can do to an aroused audience. Bach tfa— a
speaker rales* hie voice, foe crowd bunts Into
applause. I am frightened whenever I hear
young people, especially, use time-worn
phrase* calculated to provoke irrsapondble
actions rather that responsible conduct. I am
frightened whenever I see emotion tfoe the
place of reasons.
A person oboe said that we tend to invoke
divine sanction for our own Mates and pre
judices. On* speaker at the rally celled for
God’s blearing in tasking to overturn rulings
of the Supreme Court no fewer than twelve
times. Juxtaposing God with any philosophy
automatically gives credence to that school of
thought; and if, as one speaker said: "We
don't know whether God is black or white”,
we can at least be sure that Ho supports free
dom of choice.
Is Change Possible In
Our "Establishment"
Recreation
SENA TOR CHARLES BOWEN. SGA SENATE. HAS PROPOSED THAT THE
SGA SET UP AN INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE TO STUDY THE FEASIBI
LITY OF IMMEDIATE ACTION TO IMPROVE THE RECREATIONAL FACILI
TIES OF THE UNIVERSITY. THE PROPOSAL CONCERNED SPECIFICALLY.
THE FURNISHING OF NIGHT LIGHTS FOR THE TENNIS COURT. AND THE
PURCHASING AND A VAILABILTTY OF BILLARD TABLE AND PING-PING
TABLES TO STUDENTS.
THE CLUSTER ENDORSES THE IDEA AND SUGGESTS THAT THE AD-
MINISTRA TION TAKE HEED AND IMPLEMENT THE PROPOSAL IMMEDIATE
LY (AT LEAST BY SPRING QUARTER). FACILITIES NOW ON CAMPUS ARE
FAR INADEQUATE TO SATISFY THE RECREATIONAL QUENCH OF THE
ACADEMIC COMMUNITY. IF THE UNIVERSITY CAN SPEND OVER $200 000
TO LIGHT UP THE CAMPUS AND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO SMARTLY
DECORATE ADMINISTRATOR S OFFICES. THEN THE LEAST IT CAN DO IS
TO UPDATE RECREATIONAL FACILITIES FOR STUDENTS AS A FRIENDLY
QE2IURL
THE MERCER CLUSTER . January 27,1970 • 2
It appears to me that this I
University has developed the j
sterile habit of substituting con-1
venation for dialogue; lest them [
be any misunderstanding, let)
me distinguish between the [
two. Conversation merely in
volves a process of speech]
w he re as dialogue involve* an |
exchange of ideas as well as FheubMiR
words. ( \
You will recall my commitment to serve
-his student body through tenaciously dinging
to the accomplishment of a single god at a
time; you will further recall that the first goal
stated was the improvement of student recrea
tional facilities beginning with the procure
ment and placement of half a dozen ping
pong table*. The fact of the matter is, I feel
as though I have accomplhhed absolutely
nothing es of yet.
The question is why? I spoke with Mr.
Haywood, I spoke with Jerry Stone, I spoke
with members of the Student UMon Board, 1
spoke with members of the SGA. Yet in all
this speaking, not once did I receive a con
crete reply to the specific proposal that I was
seeking to present
Instead, Mr. Haywood told me storiee
about the difficulties with foe budget, Jerry
Stone told me about foe lack of spec* in the
Student Center, the Student Union Board re
presentative told me about foe difficulty and
necessity of having the full committee meet to
coorider the problem, and the SGA member,
though sympathetic and atocer* In bk effort*
to help get something done, could only shrug
his shoulders and tell me that it looks Hke a
commmittee will be appointed to Investigate
the matter for the next ten years.
Wall how In the good Lord's name is one
to be taken seriously? How, pray tall, is one
supposed to work quietly within the frame
work of foe “establishment" when one ia
asking foe acoompUehmeot of a simple goal
and encountsn nothing but evaaive action on
1* possible that I alone detect the
absence of such things as ping pong tables in a
Student Center? I* then no one ads on
If there are thorn among you, dear readers,
who agree with any portion of what I any or
what I've said, then my so. And any It over
and over again until you feel that you’ve been
heard. And only then will others begin to
listen. And only in listening can you honestly
proclaim that you have taken a crude! step
away bom mete conversation, into the direc
tion of true dialogue.
And dialogue my friends does in no way
indude the evasiveness that so frustrate* me in
my present task: if there be any Kteement
with the goal-I embrace — then write to the
CLUSTER, talk with your friends, stop pro
fessors in the halls and enlist their support.
Go to Jerry Stone and tell him what you
think. Write to Mr. Haywood and let him
know what it is you want And hi foe mean
time, I shall continue In my present efforts
until somethin! it done.
Draft Expands
ROTC
The Pentagon recently announced a plan
for the improvement of the draft system ia
hopes of removing all of the inequities of the
present system. This plan centers around
doing away with all deferments except those
students who at* pre-medical students This
plan would, according to Pentagon officials,
tend to squabs* the body of men who turn
nineteen, not allowing for student determents
thus penalizing students who do not attend
who would loin we la <
such tedhtie* he provided? I beg of you,
Marcoten*. stand up together and demand ia
a dngls voice that them fob* be given to ua.
•hnari and y* shall aeeelv*; mumble, and
your requests shaft go
Also announced with this plan was the con
tinued exemption* for R.O.T.C. students, and
a plan for the future which would allow only
pre-med students and R.O.T.C. cadets to he
exempt from the draft while atteodiag college,
This program, said one Pentagon official,
would peatiy Increase the anroihnent of stu
dent* In the R.O.T.C. propam. Thh is
probably the understatement of the year. It la
true that this type of determent program
would enhance the R.O.T.C. progmn, hut
what about the roftagee?
American tepawad, foe ooflagse of
■IBttry carets. ftTfoTpetriepMoflwriida^riio
hero come up with this briOkant plan lor en
hancing foe R.O.T.C. program, whwe dew foe
studaot who daw not want to tdle R.0.T.C,
come In? Ia he peneftied and not slewed to
attend college w R.O.T.C. students? The In-
teWgsoee of the Pentagon Is ap