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EC5SK QLODS'O’dE
Joe Hobbs
The Pacesetter of the Seventies
GARY JOHNSON JOHNNY TURNER
ibe« Editor Associate Editor
. CARL BROWN, Business Manager
LYNDON MAYES. Managing Editor
Asst Editors: John Tyler Hammett, Ron Childs
Executive Editors: Tom Cauthorn, Bobby Phillips
(Unsigned editorials ere the opinion of the Cluster end should not be confused with
news stpnes Signed columns end cartoons ere the opinions of the authors and not the
Clutter )
Students Deserve Voice
Mcr< ( 7 /amity Denies Students Admission To Meetings
The /acuity of Mercer University has voted to deny students admission to faculty
meetings The proposal from SC,A only asked for permission to be present and a
voice in the meetings, not voting power. The faculty at Mercer is tending to ex
press an attitude that is prevelanl in many schools where progress and student ideas
are feared The students at Mercer are tired of poor courses, poor departments, and
poor facilities, and it must he pointed out that the students are not looking for an
easy road, hut a better education, hi this respect of allegiance and dedication to
better education, the students seem to be passing the faculty’s own concern When
are the faculty of Mercer going to learn that the students at Mercer give a damn
about their education, with many of its poor qualities at Mercer? The students at
Mercer want change for the belter, while the faculty sits in a tightly snug security
blanket of mediocrity and refuses to hear that many of their courses are a poor
attempt at intellectualism and serve no purpose at Mercer except to provide bread
for the children of some poor professor. Student participation in faculty meetings
would bring many of these poor pitiful teachers to light, and that would be bad.
real bad. even though the students only want a better education for their money,
not being afraid to call black, black, and red. red. With this type of attitude Mercer
is surely to remain on its present level and never see the progress of a first rate
university.
Unwarranted Criticism
Last week the Atlanta Constitution carried an article. "Rights Lawyers Charge
Carswell ‘Hostile’’’, which landed a devastating attack on Mercer's Law School.
Labor Lawyer of the United Auto Worker’s union. Stephen I Schlossberg,
described Carswell. Supreme Court nominee and Mercer graduate (’48), "as a
graduate of the third best law school in Georgia’’. He stated that the Mercer grad
possessed a "pedestrian mind" and "an undistinguished judicial record. "
The Cluster feels that these attacks by Mr. Schlossberg are unwarranted. The
charges degrading Mercer's Walter F. George School of Law are inappropriate and
such mud slinging tactics would not become the basest ward politician. Mercer has
proven its ability to produce capable and successful graduates in the field of law
One needs only to look at the record.
From the Editor
Mercer Needs
Real Community
Concern for the masses is
good, but I think that concern
for the individual is of much
greater value.
Today I see Mereer in great
turmoil as a result of its fra
lernalisin. There is so much
group identity and group con
cern that concern for individ
ual fellow men is frequently
impeded or overlooked entire
ly -
To make the picture more
vivid, let us examine the real
istic situation. Here at Mercer
there is fraternity on one side,
the unaffiliales on the other.
There are Blacks here and
Whites there . . . conservatives
sounder and liberals over here
... faculty in right field and
students in left field.
We are becoming identified
by the group We think as
groups. And instead of a real
community, we have merely a
combination of factions
bunched together in the same
locality.
If I could do one thing
different in my four years
here at Mercer, I would
approach the black-white situ
ation differently. When I came
to Mercer, I attempted to
think of the masses. I
crusaded on the mam scale. It
is only now that I come to
realize the faults in my
approach and the injury that I
hare probably caused. If I had
MERCER CLUSTER
approached the situation from
an individual standpoint, I
think the masses would have
come along.
I think that if Mereer is to
ever merit or achieve this ideal
of a real community, the
inhabitants of Mercer Uni
versity are going to have to
reverse their procedure of
mass first, then individual. If
the individual concern is ever
attained, mass consideration is
inevitable.
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
'I URPefc^TANP THE STUDENT COJNClL BCMNE
BOLD NEW STEP OH iNtW<S«ATlCH u
Black Studies
Since I was involved In the
formulation of the present
Black Studies proposal, I fori
that as a columnist I must
come to its defense against
those w ho
misinterpreted
its mesning,
such as one of
my fellow col
umnists.
There are
two areas con
cerning Black
people that are
totally absent Hobbs
in our present curriculum.
First, there is a total lack of
information (facts) concerning
the Black contribution in our
liberal arts lower division re
quirements. Few or no Black
authors ate discussed In our
English courses, and there is
no adequate covering of Black
people in history, music and
art. Therefore, I can safely say
that Mercer’s lower division
requirements are totally one
sided and white-oriented, leav
ing Black students knowing
that something is wrong and
most white students satisfied
with the same old stuff. I
must agree that total integra
tion of these courses must
occur, but I am afraid that
many people do not under
stand the idea of Black
studies. Mere integration of
the contributions of Blacks
into the present course struc
ture does not in any way con
stitute the idea of Black
studies. This represents what I
consider nothing more than an
attempt to get a true and
accurate liberal arts education.
Black studies is something
entirely different, and I feel
that a lot of people have not
really tried to understand the
true meaning behind this
move.
Black people in this
country represent a unique set
of individuals, who have not
been able to physically melt
into the white American cul
ture because of their racial
origin. Therefore, their social
evolution has been unique and
separate to the trends of the
rest of the country. This is
also true because of institu
tional racism. The Black man
has been placed at the bottom
of everything by his white
counterpart. But even in thli
situation he began to develop
an identity that is in its
appearance American, but the
true basis of which is his
Blackness and new cultural
identity. The movement of
Blackness grew as a distinct
culture apart from the normal
established way. But in this
segregated state of develop
ment, the Black cultural
emphasis was frit throughout
America, and the place wham
the total American aociety is
today is dependent on that
Black Influence.
However, it should be
noted that although the Black
culture has had a great Im
pact, its importance Is still
categorically disregarded. What
everyone must accept is that
Black Americans have had a
different let of experiences as
opposed to thoaa of the white
American. Up until now the
education that everyone got
was a study of the white
American experience. Blacks
may not represent anymore
than 12% of the population
but the Black influence that
has been exerted on the eodal
and cultural development of
this country is of a far greater
magnitude.
In order to study the
American experience, we must
study two systems, one white
and a majority and the other
Black, a minority and ethnic.
Therefore, Black studies must
be defined as a study of a
unique set of experiences
shared by the Black popula
tion of the U.S. and the
development of their social
attitudes and frame of mind.
To encompass this definition,
a new set of courses must
now be a necessity. Present
courses do not and cannot
lend themselves to the task of
interpreting the Black ex
perience because they would
relate that experience on a
white bias. New courses can
be devoted to this study and
taught from a Black bsMs, an
accurate explanation of the
Black experience. The topics
of the Black experience need
the time and study that total
courses and a major can pro
vide. ■ ■
Whether or not the study
of the Black experience
becomes segregated la totally
up to the white studanta at
Mereer. Blacka have had
courses In white studies all
their thras and now will be
enrolled in the Black courses
In order to have a true look at
the Black experience, thus
giving them a hrisawed out
look on the total American
experience. Therefore, Black
students are in the second and i
last section of studying the
total American experience. If
the white students of this uni
versity want a balanced look
at this American experience,
they will also enroll in these
courses. It should be noted
that Black studies’ depart
ments all over the country
attract as many whites as
blacks.
What I do hope Is that
people who are sincere in the
questions about a Black
studies department win talk to
those of us who know what It
really is and the purpose for
which it stands.
Food Funds
Misplaced
by Ron Rogers
America has a $900 billion gross national
product and a $200 billion federal budget.
There are more than six million persons in
families with less than $300 per capita yearly
Income. Three billion dollars annually is paid
in the form of subsidies to relatively few
farmers not to grow food because the United
States can produce far more than paying
customers can eat. About 1/5 of the amount
paid in subsidies is spent oo helping the
approximately 15 million critically poor. Al
though the Department of Agriculture’s pro
grams were advertised as the salvation of the
small family farmer, nearly all of the benefits
have gone to the wealthiest farmers. Io 1968.
the largest 264 commercial farms received $52
million in payments, the same amount allotted
to the 540,000 smallest forms. Only 18 per
cent of the poor make use of either the food
stamp or food commodity programs. A major
issue could be made of the lack of and im
proper implementation of school lunch, beeek-
fast and milk programs. Only two of the mom
than six million school children from families
at the rock bottom of poverty receive free or
reduced price lunches. Last year military re
lated spending exceeded $106 billion which
was more than all federal, state, and local
expenditures on health, hospitals, education,
old-age benefits, welfare, unemployment and
agriculture. Martin Luther King compounded
the immorality of the war and the domestic
social crisis when he pointed out that this
nation spends $60,000 to kill a Vietnamese
soldier and $53 a year to help a poor person.
THE I
February 10,1970 • 4
Manarges Editor .Lyadon Una
New* Editor . Elijah Lightfoot
Newt St.(T K. ShavTxTvyeaT
M. Wetaateia. G. Copetaad. I. Parker! II. Sweat!
D. Wood. EVtact,T- Simeou
Fearer* Editor . . .. . . check Jackaoa
Festar* Staff . . . E. RoMasoa, B. Devin, D. Brawn.
T. Kaadbe. Alice Saras, Jedy Wright VlvSui
aaemwen. Mar*. Matthews, aim wXem.
Cotaaaitta Boa Chide. lot HoMm. Larry
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