Volume U me'WER UNIVERSITY. MACON, GEORGIA. May 12.T970
photo by Johnny Turner
Security officer Calhoun lowers f1a( to half mast as students
watch. This action resulted from a student request to President
Harris. For details, see lead story on this page.
Flag at
half mast
Last Tuesday morning, May
6, Dean Trimble, Assistant
Dean of the College of Liberal
Arts, told a crowd of approxi
mately 150 Mercer students
and faculty that violence is not
the answer to the problems in
this country
TT>e statement came after
President Harris, at the request
of a small group of Mercer stu
dents, had ordered the lower
ing of the flag to half mast as
an expression of sympathy for
the deaths of the four students
killed in demonstrations at
Kent State University.
Around 9:30 A.M. a small
group of six or seven students
lowered the flag. One of the
university officials walking by
asked a law student who was
with him to put the nag back
up. He then asked the students
to see President Harris in order
to obtain official comment on
the matter.
Committee reviews
AWS rule proposal
Dr. John B. Sheppard an
nounced on Monday, May 4,
that President Harris’s Ad Hoc
Committee on Women’s Regu
lations had deliberated the
change of regulation proposed
by the AWS (formerly RWGA)
and had made several recom
mendations. The committee,
chosen by Dr. Harris to be re
presentative of the faculty and
administration, included Mrs.
Hooper, Mrs. Wilder, Miss
Fuquay, Mr. Mitchell, Mr.
Stone, and Dr. Sheppard, chair
man. Dr. Sheppard explained
that the proceedings of the
committee were confidential
and could be revealed only by
Dr. Harris upon whom ultimate
responsibility for a decision
rests.
The committee investigation
was prompted by an attempt
by AWS to get new regulations
for Mercer co-eds approved by
the proper authorities. The
proposals were first presented
to Helen Glenn, Dean of
Women, on March 2.
Dean Glenn met with AWS
on April 6 and April 13 during
scheduled meeting time, but
when no progress was made,
the women students realized
that they were not actually the
aaif governing body they were
supposed to be. An assertion of
independence In which AWS
declared itself to be a govern
ing body Independent of the
office of the Dean of Women
and dependent for its powers
upon the women studenta was
passed by a majority vote by
all resident women students on
April 6, 1970. The following
night a rally Was organized in
order to give the women stu
dents an opportunity to
demonstrate their support for
the statement, and after Dr.
Harris's temporary approval,
the co-eds followed the pro
posed rules on a trial basis.
The rules change proposals
which were presented to the
committee were as follows:
Doors of the dormitories
will be locked at mid
night, Sunday through
Thursday, and at 200
A.M. on Friday and Sat
urday. Only upperclaaa
men may return after
hours. To do so, they
must present their ID
cards to the security
guard on duty..
Dress regulations on
campus will be set by
AWS. Dress regulations
in class will remain with
in the prerogatives of the
individual instructors.
The doors of the Fresh
man Dormitory will be
locked at 12 00 midnight
Sunday through Thurs
day. and at 2:00 A.M. on
Friday and Saturday.
A statement accompanying
the proposal claimed that
Mercer is an educational insti
tution, therefore, it should pro
vide both the necessary en
vironment and the sanctioned
possibility for its students to
become more responsible and
mature individuals. AWS feels
that the proposed rule changes
will allow women residents to
couple increased freedom with
responsibility, thereby in
creasing their progressive edu-
by Marsha Matthews
Feature Editor
cational development. AWS
also feels that since a woman’s
conduct is indicative of her self
respect and her mature judg
ment, the proposed rule
changes give the woman stu
dent the opportunity to exer
cise and develop her powers of
judgment.
When Dean Glenn was asked
why she objected to the pro
posed curfew regulations, she
replied that her main concern
(Continued on Page 5)
The students found Presi
dent Harris extremely coopera
tive. They said he called the
action “an appropriate thing’ ’
and gave his permission to
lower the flag all day Tuesday.
At 10:35 the students left
the President’s office looking
for Columbus Posey, the uni
versity registrar, who is in
charge of the flag. Mr. Posey,
after checking with President
Harris, called a security guard
and ordered^the flag lowered.
The students then gathered
around the flag pole to watch.
Originally there were less than
ten persons involved, but the
number grew as word of the
actions passed throughout the
campus. A sign posted in the
post office bulletin board
earlier in the morning an
nounced a prayer vigil to be
held in the quadrangle during
third period. Several faculty
members released their classes
to allow attendance of the
vigil.
The group of faculty and
students who assembled were
quiet and sitting on the grass or
standing around talking. Many
wore black arm bands.
At 10:51, the flag was
lowered by security guard,
Calhoun. One of the students
then attached to the flagpole a
copy of the Tuesday morning
Macon Telegraph which fea
tured the Kent State story.
Shortly thereafter, a group
of approximately fifteen law
students approached the flag
pole, removed the newspaper
and started to raise the flag.
They were reminded by the
students that President Harris
had authorized the placing of
the flag at half mast. The law
students decided to secure the
flag as it was. They then sent
their own group to talk with
the president.
The law students proceeded
to President Harris’ office
where they were greeted
cordially and conferred for 15
minutes. Saying that* he
thought there was ample rea
son for putting the flag at half
mast. President Harris made it
clear that he 'had authorized
the action as “an expression of
sympathy for the death of
those students who were killed
at Kent State.”
Harris admitted the possibi
lity that he might have made
an error. He said, however, that
matters sucii as these must be
measured by the probable
cause. Also, Tuesday? action
was for one day only.
Addressing Gene Harrington
as spokesman for the group,
Harris told them that if any
by Tyler Hammett
Managing Editor
further question arose about
lowering the flag, he would
contact Mr. Harrington to
ascertain the feelings of the law
students. He also stated his
secretary would arrange a
meeting to discuss the events
of Tuesday morning.
The disguntled students
returned to the quadrangle and
stood abound talking. There
were numerous comments.
“1 don’tHhink it ought to be
lowered . . . you’ve got to stop
rioting somehow.”
“I swear to God, I think
those guys (the National
Guard) knew what they were
doing ”
“I don’t blame the National
Guard, just the few that killed
them.”
“Mob rule is dangerous.”
(Continued on Page 4)
SGA endorses
publication board
The SGA in the regular meeting Monday May 4, voted unani
mously to endorse the proposed Board of Publications designed
to regulate campus publications. Both John Lowry. editor of the
Cauldron and Johnny Turner, editor of The Cluster, stated that
the proposal as submitted by the committee would be beneficial
in that it would provide workable means of regulating and pro
tecting student editors.
No further action can be
taken toward incorporating the
proposed Board into the con
stitution of the University
Council as a standing commit
tee until the Council meets fall
quarter. Approval of the pro
posal is expected at that time.
The proposed Board would
be made up of five students
and four faculty members. It
would have authority to
suspend funds from any stu
dent publication which “fla
grantly or persistently violates
agreed standards of taste,
decency, or accuracy.” The
Board would also have the
power to recommend the
removal of an editor and to set
standards of eligibility for
candidates for editorships.
Chairman of the ad hot
committee, Professor William
A Lane, pointed out that the
(Continued on Page 6)
photo by Johnny Turner
Faculty tto held April 5, In front of ROTC buddings defaced the night before by unknown vandala.
Prayer vigil held
for 4 Kent students
