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LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS STUDY IN MOTION or W TO MAKE IT IN TIME ft mmSpwmf'wao.« UNKMT.tcMI Letters To Hie Editor! ■uras QflSKSGiK QidDSDtiS Tht Pacesetter of the Seventies MEMBER GARY JOHNSON Editor JOHNNY TURNER Associate Editor The Swan Song What a Year... Promise Fulfilled Time has passed swiftly this school year. It has seemed only yesterday that my. adminis tration took office. But it has been year past and what a year!. I keynoted my administra- tKH^with the theme," It promises to be a great year". The year has lived up to ■BfljH t his year (he Clutter has faced a period of rebuilding and 9cj|K|B revitilization The studenl body become aware of the B^KB^B (’luster * presence The paper -.**B^ has taken stands on key issues confronting the American public and the American college students. An editonal page has been established; regularity of the papcT has been accomplished; an award winning feature network has been set up. The editorial sheet has been a subject of controversy all year. Editorials have been greatly diversified. Many of you, the students, have not agreed with the stands taken, and this 1 realized. But the paper represents you. If it was nothing, or conservative, or liberal, or radical, that was because you made it so, for the only way that it could have been what you desired was for you, the students, not to criticize, but to work with it and make it fit your desire. To you, the parent, and sub scribers (492), I’m sure you’ve disagreed with some of the subject matter, but I hope you read with thought and care because many things were communicated to you. It should also be mentioned that the paper has not really been representative of Gary Johnson as many of you think (concerning subject matter). Some of the things that have gone in this paper have turned my stomach sour. But they have been printed anyway, only if they were in the good taste of journa listic standards, voicing the opinion of stu dents, and because it was a responsibility of iny office. Much criticism has come from the Greek System expressing their disgust over the lack of Greek news and the papers subject matter. This to me has been a Greek failure, by not cooperating. I’ve personally tried to encourage participation in the paper by send ing correspondence weekly news form. The failure results from non-communication. This I’ve regretted. by Gary Johnson Another disappointment has been my in ability to communicate and to spark a unity in the campus. I thought that when I was elected last year, my administration would heal some of the social wounds on campus. But not so. If anything, wounds have deep ened. It has really been demoralizing now when I think of how I thought of this year as “The Year” and “The Administration”. A Happy Note Last year when I was elected, I thought the greatest problem I would face would be the gathering of a staff. But this has been the least of worries. I’ve gathered a staff with whom, I think, I could work with the rest of my life. This staff has shown me spirit, con fidence, unity and effort that has amazed me. What has really meant a lot to me is the way whites and blacks on the staff have worked with each other. It seemed as though the campus social situation or even the national situation of racial strife did not even exist for them. Many of them, the ocial hangups, were lost and the exposure of each other has done wonders. Like all editors and staff, the Cluster has made errors. I myself have committed some of the worst acts of journalism a journalist can make. One in particular I regret was in my pie ceding editorial on the admission office. Let me note here that the information I communicated concerning the admission office was very inaccurate and I apologize to that office. So as the old fades out, welcome the new horizon with cheer. This administration has developed and has insured top grade leader ship in the years to come. Thus after 3,000 or more miles of travel, 1,000 manhours of labor, over 8,000 pieces of mail in-out, using approximately 4 tons of paper, spending over $14,000, I fade with good cheer. I will work along with the paper the rest of the school year in an executive editor and an editorial consultant capacity. It’s been a great year. This experience has meant the greatest to me. So long and fare well. Mercer Can Create Conflict by Gary Smithey As a senior, 1 am expected to graduate in June and at this stage of the game, 1 am sup posed to just wait out the time. But this is not the case I have sat on this campus and watched the race relations deteriorate, but now 1 feel that 1 must attempt to do some thing to form a Mercer Community. If a suf ficient number of interested students would try to get racial cooperation on this campus, then the racial tensions that exist can be erased There is much talk of the Mercer Commu nity. but there is no community at Mercer, rather a collectivity. There are numerous groups on this campus that stress their own si'If interests, from the fraternities to the black students’ group. Mercer can never hope to be a community until every individual on this campus learns to accept others as his brothers. A true community should be a union of all men due to love and interests for the common good. As long as the people of this campus place their groups above the inter ests of the campus, there will be continued and increased conflict between the various groups. There are people living here, human beings existing in the stagnant setting of a liberal arts college. The individuals that make up the cam pus are selfish, interested only in themselves or their particular group. The racial friction that exists here is uncalled for since we are all people, not Mack people and not white peo ple. but PEOPLE. But due to the friction the white is represented as hating the Mack, so the black justifiably reacts, and he hates white. What of the white that, doee not hate Mack? Since Mack now hatea white, ha win justifiably hate Mack. It is not a very pretty picture Hatred wM destroy. I do not want to THE MERGER CLUSTER • March 12, 1970 • see this campus destroyed or any other thing of beauty. We as Americans can exert a con certed effort to bring a community together, but only if most of the students want this. There is no established answer of how to bring this about. It cannot be forced since any time force is used there will be a reaction a- gainst it. There has been more reaction to pressures now than can be tolerated. A com munity is a volitional action on the part of the people involved. A community allows for differences since it is characterized by variety and intricacy. To form a community we must work together and accept each other as equal. Unfortunately modem man is impatient, and if he will not accept the years that this pro cess will take, then failure and hatred will be the results. The part of the individual can play, is a small one. But if ail people talked of love rather than preaching hate, then a community can be established. A community in which we as Mercer students can live together in har mony. To all students of this Institution, I request that a meeting be called at which time there will be discussion of racial frictions on the campus I would like to see aV students come. If the blacks and whites would sit down toget her and talk out their problems, then we will be able to live together on this campus in a way that all will be happy. But knowing the Mercer student, the turn out will be very slight, so this venture la doomed to failure. But I am willing to tiy, are YOU? I’ll be in the coop at 3 P.M. the day after this issue of the Cluster appears. I hope to see interested people. People who want to prevent an increase in hatred. I don’t want to see Mer cer bum. The Way To A > Healthier You From LaGrange College ' Hilltop Newt, Jan. 22, 1970 The following is published as a humanitarian gesture and doesn’t necessarily (?) reflect the opinion of this A - HOW TO FROM THE COLLEGE “FOOD" LINE. An essential part of college is learning how to survive the food — if possible - and we feel a little advice or encour agement is necessary. Initially the new student should be In troduced to the vocabulary, and some of the more com mon words and daffy nit ions follow as applied to school nourishment. x ■ First, the ever-present mystery meat which Is com posed of anything that could n’t run fast enough and is sometimes disguised as a “Gaines burger”. This should be approached with caution, as contents are in doubt (for antidote, read bottom). Sec ond, we find chicken, occa sionally known as buzzard, which is prepared in numerous ways — boiled, stewed, heat ed, fried — (light, medium, or heavy grease,) and finally baked when all else fails. Third, is fish of which two species are commonly found — Sewer trout and Red-tide bass. This is prepared in much the same way as number two, but usually fried with medium or heavy grease to make its swimming easier. Fourth, and most danger ous, is the sliced muscle tissue of a greasy pig, known to the trade as pork. Sometimes this is baked, but most often im mersed in hot lard for an in determinate time. As numer ous people can testify, this has long lasting effects necessi tating use of our survival kit mentioned elsewhere. Fifth and last (?) are scabs, which are like mystery meat but the contents are either veal or pork occasionally disguised with cheese. This is only a brief look at some of the more common main items found. There is al so dishwater soup, iron bis cuits, S.O.S., S.O.R., and others. Finally, dear friends, some words of advice. Approach ev erything as if it were loaded. Keep a survival kit handy and know how to use it. SURVIVAL KIT 1) cork (large or extra large); 2) a roll of tissue; S) Dear Gary - “Editor” The Dulcimir has finally come out. I submitted to It thinking it would be a true representation of, as David Bottoms said, the best litera ture on campus. I’m sorry to say it doesn’t meet my own expections as a reader or con tributor. I wonder why the contents is basically that of “spring” while it is in the “winter" is sue ... However, most objec tionable is the audacious for ward which cuts sharply at the quality of the Clutter without naming names. A heck of a lot of work goes into our newspaper to find interesting material. Con troversial issues, and write it well within the deadline. The Cluster far surpasses any cov erage on campus in years past. You will note it has been a- warded the best campus and feature coverage in the state, as well as placing in all other areas. All this without a school of journalism. The bottle kopectate or lomitol; 4) fast pair of feet; and, in caae of failure of above, 25 cents in coin for the washing ma chine. For your convenience Sears and Roebuck catalogs are placed in strategic loca tions Clutter is made up of students who, in common, are inter ested In getting Mercer’s nows to Use University community. They are not professionals aa you are, Mr. Bottoms, The Dulcimir and you* Mr.. Bottoms shouldn’t talk. How well did you do without deadline and a censor? jWright Dear Editor Near the heart of most cusahws of student problems on the Mercer campus Bee an issue somehow related to cam pus social orpnlsatlons The Cluster has so far afforded the only public piece for the ex change of ideas regarding these organizations and their contribution* to the Mercer community. Many different groups of students have strug gled over and with this prob lem among themselves in un official or low level talks. We in MIMA are concerned over the nature, role, and pur pose of social organizations in the Mercer community. We are concerned also over the lack of public discussion of this important issue. We be lieve such communication nec essary. Therefore, we chal lenge a representative of the B.S.A., a representative of the unafflllates. wJ a mpreseote- (Continued on Fat 3) Bibb County Suffers From Poor Government by Amid tobacco juice filled cheers and resounding amen*, our local gladiator, Lester G. Maddox stepped Into Porter Stadium arena and proceeded to feed every Christian to a gi ant communist monster that is trying to corrupt our schools. Lsetsr proceeded to yank the hankie* in the crowd when he said that our “chHIun", who were safety slaeping in their little bads, ware depending oh their parents to fight to thsir deaths to protect their God- elementary not be breaking the law if cheers, and the they disobeyed the courts, crowd had become “The courts, the Health, Edu- nerved by cation and Welfare Depart- To me it ment, they are the ones who Salem have broken the law” he In charged. Thompson added that he would use local police to protect there citizen* they broke the law. The or said to stop it aa a