Newspaper Page Text
■ ELECTION SPECIAL
MERCER CLUSTER
Volume U
"The Pacesetter of the Seventies"
MERCER UNIVERSITY, MACON GEORGIA. APRIL 8. 1970
RumCSr 16
SGA
President
Ernie Robinson, Tommy Maddox
Danny Brogdon
(The Mmmv Cluster Canqislgn
Platform for Ernie Robinson,
Candidate, SGA Pretitont
March 31,1310.)
SOME PEOPLE CAN GET
THINGS DONE!
Ernie Robinson can. He
doesn’t work amid a lot of
publicity, but rather aeeks dlli
gently to diecem the tore* and
apply salve immediately,
thoroughly and finally. At
Mercer, and long before, Ernie
has bean a hard worker who
tries to do the bast without
regard to personal gain.
This past year while a
Senator be has endeavored to
represent the students in
diverse fields of campus activi
ties. Ernie’s accomplishments
have been astonishing. Looking
backward, Ernie has most re
can tty originated the idea turd
chaired a committee to provide
for a student radio station. His
efforts promise to bring to
gether the various facets of stu
dent life in communication and
entertainment The station will
begin broadcasting in a profes
sional manner by next fkdi with
equipment valued at approxi
mately $2,000.00 - yet not
one dime of the cost will come
from the University or the stu
dents. Ernie has promised to
raise the funds off campus, as
he did for the Mias Mercer
Pageant And he wUI too! Not
only will students have a new
point on their radio dials, but
interested students wil have an
opportunity to work directly
with the station as announcers,
technicians, programmer*. and
many other capacities.
THor to ads, Ernie Robin
son aided in a petition for
voluntary mealtickata. He has
mpuees to
food services and
private corporations who
haadte cohage cafeterias. Ernie
has made suggestions for
vending machines, buffet
nt poll utilixa-
antertalament, sanitary Im
provements, and other con
crete proposals to enhance
dfcire* Still than is a con-
aldanhla amount to be done in
the Gafstnpa and Co-op. Ernie
can do R. As Chairman of
fiscal Reviaw le has had ideas
that heretofore could not be
enacted. Shortly, at the Waver
ty Conference, die tide will
turn on poor food service.
cheek «a food quality, a right
that should be thain under the
American free enterprise
Bl Brule has pssltlee argu-
j favoring a return torstu-
dticretion In purchasing
i hsa proven that ha can
(Continued an pegs 4)
Dear Folks,
This paper is a statement of
position and concern prepared
by me and some of those folks
who are responsible for my
feelings about Mercer and stu
dent life here. 1 would hope
that this may answer any of
your questions and present an
accurate picture of our feelings
on what student rights and stu
dent responsibilities are and
how student government can
get it together.
GENERAL POSITION
„ We feel that It Is important
that each Mercer student
understand what Mercer is and
what Mecer can and should be.
Affecting each of us is the
philosophy that Mercer is and
should remain a snail liberal
arts college more Involved in a
quality educational experience
and less Involved with thoughts
of expansion, more involved in
the acquisition and retention
of a high quality faculty and
Ism involved with building and
profit.
The very university must be
prepared to accept its students
as individuals recognizing their
rights and allowing for their
steady growth as responsible
citizens.
The student body must be
prepared not only to work for
their rights as students and
Individuals but also to be sensi
tive to the needs of the entire
university and especially to the
needs of the student body.
We feel that because of car
tain circumstances within the
university the students must
take much of the initiative and
responsibility for making
Mercer a great place to go to
school with the best learning
experience, the best faculty,
the best food, the best rules
and regulations for all concern-
ad, and the bast entertainment
Understanding our dif
farences and the problems they
create we can work together
for the needs that are common
to us all as students at Mercer.
We can be patient when
patience is the best course yet
firm and unwilling to allow riu-
dent proposals to die in the
complex of faculty-
administrative-student commit
tees.
We all should understand
that we will never be free from
one another but that we can
laara to be free with one
another.
PLANS AND THOUGHTS ON
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
1. Strength - the peat pos
abilities for strength He In the
fret that actions by the Senate
command a great deal of in-
fruoce with the faculty and
administration. The channels
that have been opened by past
asnatas can be used to direct
moat student proposals to the
(Continued on par 4)
Ouster Editor
Johnny Turner
Dear Students,
It is a pi assure and a priri-
iege to announce my candidacy
for Prasident of the Student
Government Association. I
have been very fortunate in
being able to serve as your
Representative in the pest two
years, and it is through this
axpariance and with a vision of
what the S.G.A. can become
under the right leadership, that
1 seek this office.
My platform consists of
pledging to you my efforts and
my abilities to create a student
government which is open,
frank, and sensitive to the
many needs of the students. It
is. In my ppinlon, the duty of
every member of the Senate to
find out how their constituents
feet toward the many issues
that they will be voting on and
begin to stand up and represent
these people.
At present, there is much
apathy and unrest on this
campus. Hie causes are pretty
evident but solutions are few
and far between but I feel that
the S.G.A. could truly become
the voice of the students and
the medium by which things
can be debated and differences
settled. If elected, 1 will work
toward this end; the Student
Government Association is or
should be, a sample of Mercer's
most responsible and mo6t con
cerned students, and it is in
this body that I place the con
fidence and hope of a better
Mercer.
In the way of campaign
promises I fee) ae though I can
speculate that the atmosphere
at Mercer necessitates more
student involvement in every
area. The spirit of self-
government is seen through the
open dorms, the new policy
concerning women’s rules, and
the creation of the university
judicial committee, which is
now composed of students.
These are the results of many
hours of hard work and
planning by the students and it
is with these experiences that I
see the challenge and the need
to continue such work in the
areas of a voluntary meal
ticket, a wider curriculum
which meets the needs of more
students, and in providing
more recreational activities for
the benefit of Mercer students.
There are many other anas
that I could list, but let me just
simply say that, if elected, I
will be sensitive to the needs of
all the Mercer students and I
will be working with you and
for you to accomplish than
goals.
On April 10, you will have a
choice to make. Realising the
time and the work that this
office demands. I am asking for
your support and for your
vote. In the meantime, I urge
(Continued on page 4)
It has always seemed to me
slightly unfortunate that
aspiring editors of Mercer’s
publications must become poli
ticians for a few brief days in
order to become editors for the
list of the year. This is s situa
tion not found on many uni
versity campuses. Usually edi
tors are selected on the basis of
prior experience, and campus
popularity has little to do with
such s selection.
Your Kiection of an editor
for the Cluster should of
course take into consideratin
such things as experience and
ability to perform the many
different aspects of producing
week after week, a consistently
good newspaper. My ex
perience on the Ouster staff is
a matter of record. I spent one
year as a feature writer cover
ing campus events. This past
year I have served as Asaociate
Editor and in that position l
have been involved in just
about every single aspect of the
production of the Cluster.
I fully realize that being the
editor Involves more than writ
ing a column once a week.
Very few people have a com
plete picture of the demands of
the position of Cluster editor -
I do.
As editor one of my first
priorities shall be to balance
the Cluster with material from
every facet of the Mercer
campus. Any student familiar
with the history of the Cluster
must realize that this has been
a consistent failure in the past.
My editorial policy shall also
center around balance and
flexibility. Most of all the
Cluster must continue to be
the student’s newspaper.
Rocky Wade
The office of Cluster Editor
requires a most complex in
dividual — be must be ex
perienced enough to operate
the paper and get it out. he
must be able to represent all
facets of the Mercer
community, and he must be
forward looking enough to
help Mercer progress In the
70’s. I think that some facts
speak as to why I feel that 1 am
the candidate able to bridge
that complexity:
I have had more experience
than my opponent in the field
of news and mass media. I am
not restricted to just the jour
nalistic field arid therefore, 1
will be able to add new per
spective and insist to the
Cluster and its' philosophy.
I can reunite the Mercer
campus by mvetal concepts I
plan to initiate such as advisory
boards, referendum*, new ways
to select division editors,
seminars, and such.
I have just finished
managing a multi-thousand
dollar pageant that has proven
my ability to manage a sound
fiscal budget and to reunite the
straining ties between the
Macon community and Mercer
Univertity. Due to these facta,
I feel that I can operate the
paper financially rtabe and
(Continued on page 4)
Turner
Wade
Freshman Advisor
Paul Howoll
Oreintation Week for the
Freshmen has become an
integral part of thair first year
at Mercer. Very few of us for
get the experiences we had dur
ing that first week. That week
is s time of meeting college
free to free for the first time,
for making new friends and
becoming adjusted to life at
Mercer. Because of Orientation
Week’s great importance and
because the Freshman Advisor
is largely responsible for what
goes on during that week his
job is of great importance.
i understand the importance
of his job and the great respon
■ability that accompanies it and
if elected 1 will put all my
effort into making Orientation
week next year a meaningful
experience. This can not be
done by me alone, so I ask that
if I am elected that each one of
you will lend your assistance to
me
If elected the first thing I
will do is form a committee of
Freshmen and some of last
years workers to iron our prob
Lems we might have encounter
ed last year. From there we
will begin to plan for next
years orientation. Thank Yoi
Joe Cook
The purpose of any Flash
man Orientation program must
be to acquaint new students
with the environment which
they are about to enter. In the
past the scope of this acquaint
ance process has been limited.
Freshmen are faced with a host
of decisions to make and prob
lems to solve individually.
Their decisions concern their
roles In the Mercer environ
ment. An effective orientation
program must encompass all
the major aspects of this
environment. First, Freshmen
must be introduced to the
academic community, the main
reason for Mercer’s existence.
Second, they must be intro
duced to the social aspects of
the Mercer community. Third.
and encompaaring the other
two, they must be oriented to
the problems that they will
have to solve — problems such
as the lack of unity on campus,
the changing role of social
organizations, curriculum
reform, faculty and student
retention, and even the
cafeteria.
Mercer is no “peaches and
cream” situation. Tbase prob
lems, and others, are a very real
part of Mercer. We cannot
show only the sunny side of
Mercer. If Freshmen ve to
know Mercer, they must do
two things: (1) meet the
people who make up the Mer
cer community, and, (2) meet
the Mercer community as a
whole, with its strengths and
weaknesses.
Therefore, I propose a pro
gram of PREPARATION FOR
PROBLEM SOLVING whereby
new Merceruns can become
acquainted with Mercer as a
whole, and can be given & chart
and compass by which to steer
their own couraes through their
college experiences
Respectfully yours,
Joe Cook
A recreational area provid
ing hlltard and ping pong
tables wil be constructed on
the pound Qoor of the Connell
Jan ter in space now
by the U. S. Post
OOlce.
WBMant T. Haywood, vice
president tor business and
finnnas, aid the Euonttwe
Oirandtiii of the Hoard of
of the in
«■ to sanity for nw by the
npanlng of «to ooHapa for tto
M quarter -
Haywood toM tto port
odBea wH to rae—4 to tto
Howoll