Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

by Chuck Jackson Cluster Assistant Kditor Freshman task force evokes varying responses The recent curriculum changes passed by the faculty as part of a set of recommendation from the Freshman Task Force have evoked varying responses. The task force, chaired by Dean Trimble, was set up last spring as an ad hoc committee of the College Studies Steering Committee to examine the freshman experi ence. The actual redistribution of required courses within the curriculum came at the end of the study. The recommendations of the task force reflected several general ideas. According to Dean Trimble they took into account the na ture of requirements, the problem of taking a course just to meet a requirement, and the con cern of students who may desire to investigate various areas of study. Other than the basic courses in English (11 and 12) there are no categorical requirements. Trimble said this gives the student more options and helps to make him more responsible for his education. Trimble explained that a loosening of the curriculum would not necessarily endanger the entering freshman who lacks direction. He re marked that the responsibility for giving the student direction would be forced onto the fac ulty advisor. This gives the advisor a motive to sit down and discuss the rationale behind a course. It will also provide for closer relations between the faculty advisor and the freshman, Trimble said. Throughout the extensive debate there was a large concern over categorically requiring lan guages. However, the general consensus was for a definite need for curriculum change. As of summer quarter the changes become retroactive for everyone and a student who graduates next spring may do so under the new requirements. Commenting on the lowering of the mini mum required grade point for graduation to a 1.5, Trimble said this was not a recommenda tion of the Freshman Task Force. The proposal was made by the Registrar and he, Trimble, voiced opposition to it. The curriculum changes will have the mo6t impact on entering freshman. Mr. Johnny Mit chell, director of admissions, feels that the change will help him to enroll more students and help the university retention problem. Mit chell said that the move should have been taken nine years ago. He remarked that high school guidance counselors wonder why more colleges don’t loosen currioulum requirements. Paul Howell, freshman advisor, will have the job of helping the entering freshman make a smooth transition to college life. He feels that the freshman will now have the freedom they seek at college. Paul said the new curriculum will give the entering freshman the freedom to study and choose, especially in the area of lan guages. However, languages seems to be ef some concern to faculty members. Mr. Jerry Win field, instuctor in modem languages, while gen erally in favor of the curriculum changes said that this type of reform could be deceptive, it should cause the students to think but may not. Regarding foreign languages, Winfield said we are living in a time when America can’t be iso lated and there is a need for understanding other cultures. However, he is optimistic that the language department may get better stu dents. He also added that the curriculum redis tribution would allow for structural changes within the language department Dr. Willis Glover, professor of history, was also concerned about the changes in language but in a different light. Dr. Glover said he wished the absolute restriction on foreign lan guage could be removed without de-empha- sizlng their importance. He also feels that too little emphasis is now placed on science and mathematics. Dr. Glover remarked that the movement to redistribute curriculum is general all over the country Dr. Glover said there has been a lot of mis understanding about the lowering of graduation requirements to a 1.5. Dr Glover explained that to graduate a student must have thirty six courses on which he has made a 2.0. If in the course of getting credit for the 36 he must take 40, he can because the overall average does not have to be 2.0. He said the faculty’s intent was to allow a person to make four or five Ps without pen alty. A 1.5 average allows a student to make 12 F’s and still graduate Dr. Glover feels that the faculty should correct this to a 1.8. He added that the whole point of an overall average is to prevent hangers on. The idea of lowering the required grade point average is to remove the penalty F’s for people trying to graduate. Students now attending Mercer for whom the curriculum change will be retroactive also expressed satisfaction. Tom Gordy, a freshman, believes the system is better because there is less chance of a fresh man taking three required courses which he didn’t want and flunking out. However, he said the system may be disadvantageous to the per son who needs help in finding his field of study, (continued on Page 4) THE MERCER CLUSTER "The Pacesetter of the Seventies" EFP STORY PAGE 4 Volume LI MERCER UNIVERSITY, MACON, GEORGIA, MAY 5, 1970 Number 18 Progress reported in study of Mercer athletics The following story is print ed in part from the April 26, 1970 edition of the Macon Telegraph. Mercer’s recently appointed athletic committee, which was handed the task of coming up with recommendations regard ing the athletic program by Prerident Rufus Harris, has been broken down into four subcommittees. Two of them, one con cerned with the scope and or ganization of the athletic de pertinent and the other with coaching programs and effi ciency, met for four hours one night last week. , Dr. Ralph Phelps, Mercer vice president, who is a mem ber of the committee, said he thought a great deal was ac complished and that the overall committee would .develop tome workable recommen dations to present to Dr. Har ris. The other two sub-commlt tees deal with finances and public relations and haven’t met yet. “Their work depends to a great extent on what is done by the two subcommit tees that did meet,” Dr Phelps said, “so they'll get together later.” Dr. Phelps said the overall committee had asked Dr. liar ris for a week's delay in coming up with recommendations, which had been called for by May 1 In an effort to obtain addi tional views and suggestions a uestionnaire has been sent to 0 former Mercer athletes. Mercer, according to budget figures, spends $98,057 on ath letics, includit$ a percentage of salary money paid five coaches. All also serve as teachers and only a share of what they are paid is included in athletic ex penses Salary money reflected in the total athletic budget is $26,053. The total spent on the vari ous sports is broken down in this way: Baseball, $30,427; basketball. $56,343; tennis, $7,019; golf, $5,268. Very little athletic scholar ship money is available at the school. Basketball gets $21,877, baseball. $5,260, ten nis and gulf nothing. The amount of money taken and budgeted for ath letics totals $46,914, meaning there is an expense of $61,143 above revenue. Most of the revenue comes from a scholarship fund for athletics set up by the late Dr. W. G. Lee of Macon, who do nated a great deal of money to Mercer. Quite a few athletes at Mer cer received financial aid from other programs but the total that is used purely for athletic aid is $27,117. Debate team takes first place trophy at Catawba invitational tourney The Mercer debate team won 1st place in the Catawba Invitational Tournament held in Salisbury, North Carolina April 24 through 26. Bill Cragg, Barbara Russell, Lynn Davis and Robert Surrency finished the tournament with a combined record of ten wins and two losses. BillCragg won first place in program. Tuesday, April 28th Honorary Society) Also inter on Channel 41 at 1:00 p.m. Members of the team who were interviewed were Bill Cragg, president of the Mercer debate team, Dan Thigpen, president of Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha (National Forensics the Television Commentary competition which involved making a video tape of a televi sion editorial on pollution. The tape was then judged by a panel of two ecologists and two speech experts. The debate topic was, "Re solve that the Federal Govern ment should grant annually a specific percentage of its tax revenue to the state govern ment.” Bill Cragg and Barbara Russell tied Tor the Out standing Negative Speaker a- ward and won the trophy for the Outstanding Negative team. The five trophies brought home by the team are on dis play in the lobby of the Stu dent On ter The Citadel of Charleston, South Carolina took second place in the tournament Schools from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia participated in the Ca tawba Tournament, which was Mercer’s eight debate touma ment. The team is coached by Mrs. Gerre Price, instructor in Speech and Dramatics, and was accompanied on this trip by Mercer law student, Steven Gower. Team featured on TV The team was featured on the “Helen Popejoy” television INSIDE CLUSTER.. Clutter Policy p. 2 Editorial Exchanges p. 3 Fan tatties p. 4 Fashion ,, p. 3 Indian Musk p. 5 S.G.A. Report p. 2 Sports \.. . . ,p. 6 viewed were Allen Wallace - winner of Mercer’s first Na tional trophy at Delta Sigma Rho — Tau Kappa Alpha Na tional Conference Bill Dodson. Robert Surrency, Lynn Davis and Barbara Russell Alumni Association presents awards A federal judge, an attorney and a former congressman were the first persons chosen by the Mercer University Alumni As sociation to received the Dis tinguished Alumnus Award The presentation highlighted activities of Alumni Day. May Receiving the awards were Judge G. harrold Carswell of Tallahassee, Henry H. (Trot) Ware of Atlanta and former Congressman Carl Vinson of Milledgeville. Judge Carswell, who has an nounced his resignation fron the U. S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Spessard Holland of Florida, is a 1948 graduate of Mercer’s Walter F. George School of law . He was appointed to the ap peals court by President Nixon in June of last year after sen ing 10 years as federal jud^e of the Northern District of Flori da Judge Carswell was United States attorney of the North ern District from 1953 to 1958. Ware is a distinguished member of the Georgia Bar and generous benefactor of the uni versity. He is a member of tin Atlanta law firm of Ware. Sterne and Griffin and of the Mercer class of '23 The Henry Hall Ware Lee tures on Legal History annually brings a scholar to the Campus to speak on this phase of law. They were named for Ware In Judge Ralph H Pharr Chief Judge of the Atlanta Judicial Circuit Former Congressman Vin son served in the United States House of Representatives for 50 years When he retired in 1964 he had served for years as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and was credited with being the father of the modem Navy Vinson was educated at Georgia Military College and was conferred the Bachelor of Law degree by Mercer in 1902 and the Doctor of .Laws in 1946 Mercer's debate team poses with trophies won at the Catawba Invitational Tournament. From left to right, front row: Barbara Russell, Lynn Davis, Bill Cragg; top row, Allen Wallace, Mrs. Price, Robert Surrency.