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$. THORPE & SON loadquartors for Young Mon >0—CtICKETEEE—AUSTIN HILL—SIRO BRITISH WALKER SHOES Sociai corner Alpha Gamma Delta Week end was held April 24-25. Friday night Lamar Sizemore was presented Alpha Gam’s first Man-of-the-Year Award at a aemi-formal dance held at Ba oonsfletd Park. A casual party was held Saturday night at Kraft’s Lake. On April 18 Alpha Gams from Mercer met with Alpha Gams from over the state at their annual International Re union Day. The Luncheon was held at Athens, Ga. with the Gamma Alpha Chapter hostess ing the event. Several Alpha Gama stayed in Athens Satur day night as the guests of Gam ma Alpha Chapter and at tended the Sigma Chi Derbies. Alpha Gamma Delta has been having several candlelight- ings recently. Ann Dee Part- wood is engaged to Andy Campbell, and Patsy Matthews is engaged to Steve West pres ently at Georgia Tech. Lynn Harris is laveiiered to Richard Foster of Kappa Alpha, and Diane Davis is laveiiered to Joe Plckhart of Sigma Nu. Alpha Gam pledged Deborah Helene Sandison of Albany, Ga., Au drey Louise Bigelow of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Elizabeth Jane Bryon of Winter Park. Fla., and Virginia Lee Byrd of Memphis, Tenn. during Spring rush. Phi Mu Fun in the sun to say the least' How about a shrimp (continued on Page 6) Mirza performs music of India by Johnny Turner E. L TAVUM CMP0MTI0R Freeport. Mama 04032 Beginning with Ravi Shankar’s first appearance in America in 1957, Indian music and the Si tar In particular, have become wildly popular in many parts of the country. He has become a deity and his albums have sold millions. Other Indian performers have become little sub-deities, some what eclipsed by the reputa tion of Shankar, yet still repre senting that Grange mystical devotion and diacipline which is so sppealing to American au diences. Mr. Mahmud Mirza is such an artist. From the age of eleven he has been a performer and a recognized master of the Si tar. And his concert perform ance here at Mercer April 22, was a phenomenal display of the power and complexity of the Indian traditional music. From the moment he and Mr. Fayyas Khan walked onto the stage and began tuning their in struments, until the end of the concert, the audience was im pressed with the absolute se renity and concentration with which they handled their music. Indian classical music is very complicated and unconven tional to the Western mind. It is baaed on the Rags and the Tala, which are the melody and rhythm respectively. The Sitarist begins the Rags with an Alap which is a slow solo treat ment of the chosen Rags. In this section of the piece the ob ject is to extract the finest pos sible tonal quality from each note of the main theme. Mr. Mirza was able to achieve some Incredible sounds from the basic pattern. But the unbelievable part of the Rap came when the sec ond phaee or Gat began. The Gat is when the TabU or drums join the 81 tar to produce a quicker, more rythmic sound. It is this portion of the Raga that is most Indian and for that reason, hardest to understand and describe. As the tempo picked up s wild grin came over the face of Mr. Khan and Mr. Mirza acquired a serene, re laxed bearing which was totally Inoonpous with the furious movements of his hands. Both performers were completely immersed in their music. Bonks gets fellowship J. Reed Banks of Dalton, a senior at Mercer University, is one of 70 persons in the nstion to be awarded a Rockefeller Trial Year Fellowship for the coming year. The fellowship, awarded by the Fund for Theological Edu cation, Princeton, N. J., makes possible a trial year in an ac credited theological institution for one who would not have gone to a seminary otherwise. TTm student who receives it apses to consider seriously the possibility of the ordained min istry as his vocation. Banks is s resident of 523 McAfee Street, Dalton. Drop your socks, grab NOtOX The now shoes mede aspect e% «o be worn without sox. Wear NOSOX anywhere anytime. They re always correct Always in la aril Oft. So light end so comfortable youl hardly know you re wearing shoes. NOSCK TAYLOR or MAME The first Raga was “Bageshri” and the audience was s bit surprised at its length. Mr. Mirza played for forty min utes before Mr. Khan joined him with the Table and to gether they continued for another 35 minutes. The length of the Raga Is not a fixed num ber of minutes like Western music. The musicians continue until they feel it Is appropriate to end the Raga. If the condi tions are right they may play for hours without stopping. Apparently many of the people who were curious enough to come were afraid that Mr. Mirza and Mr. Khan would do just that so they left aLthe in termission. There were only a few dedicated enthusiasts re maining for the second Raga which if anything, was even more Incredible than the first, although it lasted only about thirty minutes. The Table en tered soon after the Rags be gan and the two musicians quickly moved into the very fast second phase. What was left of the audience was vir tually hypnotised by the fusion of the two instruments and men into a single intense pat tern of notes, each one alter nately taking the basic struture and improvising on it, then at the exact moment fusing back into the rhythm, almost as if the music were a conversation between the Sitar and Table. When the concert was over Indian music had another small handful of converts People left the Chapel with silly grins on their faces and kept asking each other “Did you believe that?" And backstage Mr. Mirza and Mr. Khan were po lite and serene, yet unmis takably exhausted. And It seemed that they wanted to apologize for not playing longer! Roecker Receives Pilots Wings Richard L. Roecker of Rockledge, Fla., has been pre sented pilot’s wings on com pletion of the Army ROTC flight program. Instruction was given over a four months period. It in cluded 35 hours on the ground and 36 hours in the air. Roecker can qualify for an FAA-approved private pilot's license with an additional 3 to 12 hours of instruction. The presentation of the winp was made by Col. Joseph H. Jones, professor of military science at Mercer University where Roecker is a member of the senior class. Freshman Task Force (continued from Page 1) Another freshman, John Lowery, feels that some of the groupings are nebulous. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the lowering of the required grade point Lowery pointed out that the changes did not include any recommendations on Physical Education or ROTC. Dr. Warfel Gives Lecture Dr. Harry R. Warfel of the University of Florida lectured on Southern writers and litera ture in Ware Music Hall on April 20 and 21. Hie two part lectures dealt with the poetry of Sidney Lanier and the roots of Southern literature with emphasis on William Faulkner as a major Southern writer. Army ROTC Leadership Award The Department of the Army has approved the presen tation of the Army ROTC Leadership Award to the top honor graduate of each ad vanced ROTC summer camp. Selection will be based on results of the platoon evalua tion rating (leadership quali ties), platoon peer rating and military proficiency rating. The latter consists of the physical combat proficiency tests, field problems test, comprehensive test, map reading and compass test and rifle marksmanship score. The Data Systems Division of Litton Industries will donate $2,400 in the form of U. S. Savings Bonds annually to be divided equally among the win ners. The award will be pre sented to the winning candi dates by the Army Chief of Staff at the Army Commanders Conference held at the Penta gon each year, beginning in 71. “00! lADIfS Rf ADY TO WEAR Country set, Jonathan Logan, Hinson Kickemkk Pstiles. Juniors, Ladies, Misses The only persons that the changes will not effect are seniors who graduate this June, nevertheless they are always opinionated. Bobby Potter, a senior and past SGA president, said the new curriculum would pro bably help provide for a higher student retention rate. It will also not force a student to take courses in a department where he has no interest. A major concern of Allen Wallace as a graduating senior is the lowering of the required grade point. Wallace tends to see the 1.5 as detrimental “to the integrity of the Mercer degree. I hope the faculty will reconsider this move,” he added. As debate over the curricu lum changes continues perhaps the best comment was made by Mr. William Nelson, instructor in modern languages, “Mercer is a liberal arts college, we ought to be willing to expert ment. OPTION Contemporary Gifts 360 First St. 745-3717 Tho Oxford Shop features a complete line of FRATERNITY AND SORORITY GIFT ITEMS LAVALIERS—MUGS—PADDLES— PLAQUES For unusual, quality gifts of distinction |(f\\lord5*lioj) Use Your Student Charge Account tux rentals available ALBEIT JONES, CAMPUS RSPKESENTATIVE NOSOX is even able In Rusticane in hand-sewn sNp one. boots with buckles cap toes and ties or buckles Boots also available in golden or chocolate suede with leather or cuehion-crepe votes THE MERCER CLUSTER • May 5, 1970 • 5