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Volume LI ’ MERCER UNIVERSITY, MACON. GEORGIA. FEB 10. 1970 Number U Cluster Dedicates Paper This issue marks 50 years of publication of the Mercer Cluster. A half century of growth has produced a wealth of styles, formats, opinions and controversies; the paper has at times suffered neglect and lack of interest; and it has often sparkled under brilliant leadership. The many yellow ing, framed documents hang ing up in the office attest to the former periods of glory. Not many college news papers can thumb back through as many distinguished pages as ours and the fact that our history spans 50 yean is a tribute both to the school and the long list of names of stu dents and faculty who have contributed to the Cluster. To attempt to single out any out standing individuals in this lengthy list would be to necessarily omit far too many vital names. It is to ail these persons that we dedicate this anniver sary issue. Their energy, dedication and thought has quite literally made this issue possible. It is only by chance that the present Cluster staff has the honor and responsibility of creating this special issue. We feel especially fortunate to be able to bring out a paper which we believe to be both a reminder of our tradition and a preview of the future. If w.e have accomplished only a frac tion of what we set as our goal, then we have fulfilled our. obligation to the past, and prepared for the coming decade. ihe Mercer University Alumni Association Executive Committee held its quarterly meeting on January 30. 1970 and for the first time students were in attendance. Mr. Gary Johnson. Mr. Ron Childs, and Mr. Robert Potter were in vited to the luncheon and business session attended by Cluster refute to print fraternity if it is not presented, because that of the Cluster is to tend out to each • newt release form each weak, in hope tend in aome newt of Ha activities for ooe rent In has been printed, but do not tend in any news at all. The ■ social organisation send in news, ai- release forms, the responsibility Ilea print article of Jimmy id prints the 1m- nd at sipiemlin hie opinion, aa any Itu the student’s nempaper. pries for tickets for Homecoming at l.D. cards or dates of Mar in the book stem the entire Home- allowed to inter to each a, , - »-*« flUDtcnpuon Man of Stone’s more than 25 alumni. The big event of the meeting was the proposal to change Trustee selection policy to include student representation. Of the following committee reports, the Alumni Trustee nominees report held par ticular interest for the stu dents present. Mr. B. Carl Bince presented the report and nominated twelve persons for the Board of Trustees, as stipulated by the Constitution. He pointed out that these twelve nominees will be pre sented to the Board of Trust ees, who select six. The list of six will then be presented to the Georgia Baptist Conven tion, who will approve two. Mr. Bince stated that this rule was quite antiquated and recommended from the com mittee that it be changed The committee proposal, which would be sent to the Trustees upon approval, was that six persons be nominated by the Executive committee and that the Board of Trustees select .two from the six nominees. This proposal, bypassing the Georgia Baptist Convention, Was approved unanimously. However, a word of caution was added that implementa tion of the proposal might necessarily be a slow process. Next, Bince recommended that the student body elect a student trustee to be a regular member of the Board of Trustees. This proposal, also to be sent to the Trustees for consideration, was passed unanimously by tbe executive committee. This step, initiated by the alumni, is certainly a major move for student parti Faculty Rejects Senate Proposal As Vaidilie's Day approaches, Nancy Toothman. Mi* Freshman and Charles Witzleben, senior, survey the campus from the belfry of the administration building. Homecoming spirits are high as they enjoy Macon’s sunny, but unpredictable weather. Executive Committee Recommends Student Trustee cipation in the setting of uni versity policy. President Rufus C. Harris welcomed the group immedi ately after the luncheon and outlined a few university problems and how they were being handled. He told of the recent Administrative Council meeting which cleared the air for future progress in many areas and mentioned the parti cipation of students, adminis trators, and faculty in these problems. After a short recess. Dr. Ralph A. Phelps, newly appointed Vice-President for Development and Public Rela tions. addressed the. com mittee. He discussed the problems involved in establish ing a sound development pre gram, but offered hope for progress in establishing a long-range program at Mercer University. The committee was quite receptive to Dr Phelps comments and offered Several questions concerning the overall plan and the pre sent relationship between Mer cer and Hit community and Mercer and her alumni. The presiding officer. Mr. Lennie F. Davis, as well as others, emphasized that stu dent participation in. alumni functions is needed and appreciated. Several students will help plan for Alumni Day, set for May 1, ih the hope of coordinating the event with some student activ ities. Mr. Archie Moore, chair man of Alumni Day, has al ready contacted one campus Organization in coordinating events and will work with others as time permits. in their February' 3 meet ing the faculty rejected by more than a two to one margin a proposal by the SGA Senate that six students par ticipate in that body as full voting members. However, a subsequent proposal to sup port the principle of student participation in faculty meet ings was defeated by only a narrow margin of 4 votes. The action came after a month of correspondence, dis cussion, and red tape. At the beginning of winter quarter SGA President Bobby Potter wrote a letter to Dean Taylor, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the faculty, ask ing that the faculty change their policy of closed faculty meetings. Dean Taylor sug gested tha. a concrete proposal be made to the executive committee in this regard. On January 28. Potter met with the executive committee and proposed the following: 1) that three permanent stu dent members be invited tc Ihe faculty meetings (these would be tbe Cluster Editor, the Chief Justice of the Honor Council, and SGA Vice- President) 2) that as many as three additional members to be selected by the SGA Presi dent be invited These stu dents would most likely rotate from week to week 3) that all six of these students would have a voice as regular voting members. Discussion on this motion followed On January 30 Potter re ceived a reply from Dean Taylor to the effect “that it was not the recorded vote of the committee that formal student representation should yet be approved”. However, the executive committee would recommend to the. faculty that efforts be made to establish Student liason committees to parallel all regular standing committees of the faculty. The SGA Senate on February 2 discussed at length the general idea of student representation in the faculty meetings They responded to the suggestion of the execu tive Committee as well as to the previous proposal of Bobby Potter. A motion was passed that the proposal w hich had originally been pre sented to the executive com mittee be presented to the faculty at large in the meeting of February 3. This proposal was to be sponsored by the SGA Senate The SGA President attended the February 3 faculty meet: ing to present the proposal and discuss the thinking of the SGA Senate as to the reasons behind it. Potter said that students all over the country are now taking an active part not only in their education but also in deciding what their education is to be. He pointed out that in the past students have been used as resource persons and have been valuable in this position. Because many of the policy-making decisions such as those affecting curriculum changes directly affect the students, many students would like to participate not only in the discussions, but also in the decisions. After making his presents tion, Potter left and Dr. Gallegos made a motion that the SGA proposal be adopted by the faculty. The motion was defeated by more than a two to one margin. Some of the objections voiced by the faculty were that six is too large a figure, that the idea of appointment instead of direct election was bad. and that the Editor of the Cluster already has an organ to voice his opinion and therefore should not be allowed another voice. Dr McManus then pro posed a substitute motion to support student participation in principle This motion was also defeated, but only by a narrow margin of four \otes (42-38). The matter, however, is not closed, for it can ilow be re ferred back to the executive committee in the form of modified proposals. Inside Cluster. •Cluster Forum ( luster Profile Editorials ifnmei-ilining Jii Tetters to Edilo Social News' Sports The Community Center is on the move. On Wednesday from 3:30 to 4:30 and Saturday from 2:00 to 3:30, the girl’s gym Is the scene of basketball games.