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WJBtM Guest editorial "Tht Pacesetter of the Seventies" JOHNNY TURNER TYLER HAMMETT Editor Managing Editor MEMBER CHUCK JACKSON, Assistant Editor DON NOTTINGHAM. Business Manager Executive Editors: Gary Johnson, Tom Cauthorn, Bobby Phillips (Unsigned so.tonsil art the opinion o* the Cluster end should not be confused with news itpries Signed columns and cartoons are the opinions or the authors and not the Clustar.) The Cluster welcomes letters from individuals expressing their views and opinions on any sub jects. The letters (1) must be 500 words or less, (2) must be typed double space, (3) must be signed by author, name can be withheld from publication upon consent of the editor, (4) onoe letter* are received, they become Cluster property. The Ouster reserves the right to re-edit or not to publish any letter not in good journalistic form and style. Out of Vietnam The time when we c«n remain piously aloof and undecided about Vietnam has long since passed. Within about twenty days there will be an official rod call vote on the McGovem-Hat- field Amendment to end the war in Southeast Asia. This action by Congress would in effect cut off fundi for the Invasion of Cambodia an provide for the termination of the Jnited States military operations in South Vietnam, except, for the purpose of withdrawing troops safely and systematically, the exchange of pri soner*, and an asylum for Vietnamese who might feel threatened by our withdrawal. It is vital that Mercer University students make a decision about this war and take con structive action based on their choice. The Clus ter urges you to support this legislation pending before Congress. The only effective way to turn administration policy around and disentangle the U. S. from Vietnam is through Congression al action. Protests and March at are helpful In that they provide a visible means of expressing concern and disgust with Nixon’s war policy. Letters to Congressmen, petitions, telegrams etc. are an even better means of obtaining swift action to end the war. It has always been inherent in the nature of protests and demonstrations that they provoke reaction, and in OUR days the reaction is often violent and repressive. Action through Congress is the traditional, legal, established method of change. If the legis lative system fails America is dead as a nation. It is the responsibility of those people who are concerned about the future of America to sup port the system by expressing their views. One way of doing this is the current petition sup porting The Amendment To End The War. The petition states: “The war in Viet Nam hat gone on too long. We demand that Congrem exercise its Constitutional responsibility to end a war that has not been declared. We, the undersign ed, support The Amendment to End Hie War which will stop appropriations for the war in Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam.” The Cluster urges Mercer students to sign this petition. It is the biggest step a single per son can take toward ending the war. Going down? In order to help further the cause of a con structive education, we urge that the Waverfy Conference recommend that the university set aside some time next fall quarter to allow stu dents to work in political campaigns. This has already been done by many schools scrota the nation, notably, the California university sys tem. Such action by the university would only provide a “safety valve” but would also allow the entire Mercer community to participate in the business of a democracy. In the meantime, we as students could all get back to the business that we came here for ... that of getting an education. A suggestion According to President Harris’ report to the trustees dated 16 April, 1970, Mercer is losing ten faculty members next year and has hired only two to replace them. A recent check with Dean Taylor’s office indicates that there are now eleven faculty members leaving. We can talk all that we want to about cur riculum changes. Freshman Task Force resolu tions, Black Studies and what have you, but if Mercer doesn’t hire the faculty to teach the new courses (not to mention the old ones), the academic revival of Mercer won’t get off the ground. Many people. Including the administra tion, seem to have forgotten that people come here to Mercer to get an education. That’s ED UCATION, E. D.U.C.A.T.I.O.N.. Mercer is a good school .. . one of the best liberal arts colleges in Georgia. But that doesn't mean that we will always be. And right now the situation looks ominous, to say the least. You can ay that the lowering of the grade point average required for graduation was the product of faculty fatigue after two days of meetings. And you can rey that Mercer doesn't have a lot of money and therefore must bargain extensively in order to get good faculty mem bers. But sooner or later, there things add up. Did you read Use above paragraph? Oat the merest*? OK? Let us repeat ... SOONER OR LATER THESE THINGS ADD UP. The Cluster Staff Advertiuni Msnifer ■„ Marion Mumy Advertising Staff . . Mary DeFreese Bryant Durham News Editor Elijah Ughtfoot Newi Staff Charter Carter Lien da Copeland Feature Editor . . Manha Mathewi tretue Stiff Jody Wright Ma^Murrey, Lou Swain, Wtdey Smith. Gem Cogah Editors . .• Tom Robinson (hag Stiraaon, Charier Wagoner EdMarisBsts Ted Kandter CM Gough, Larry FlnkeUretn Columnist Audi Frost Copy Editor! Jos Parker Ed Fisher Layout Consultant i Lynn Mayes Photopaphen Joe Cook Bob Johnson Advisor .Mr. Michael Cass Tbs Mercer Onsttr is t weekly MU drat publication published by the students of Mamas IMvantty The phone number te 74J-1J11, exteaMon 221. The addsssr is Box 24, Mercer UuharMty. Office room 326 and 32B CSC. Office hows aw 9«EJ‘:00, Monday through Friday- Subscriptions re* S3.00. Military obligation : r% should be equal for all by Gary Johnson There are not many things I agree with in regard to Presi dent Nixon’s policies, but his recent moves to aiimlnata de ferments, especially student de ferments, I think will set this nation on the right road. The Rational* I use is this: the bulk of the load re tar at manpower is concerned has come from the lower dees of the American Society. The sons of rich parents have been saved The lower dare has ask- This Idea of military obliga tion should be breed on a system of human Ufa against human life and not human Ilf* against talent. Hie person who did not make it to college has the earn* value re the parson who did make It to college. Every human Iif* must be measured oh an equal bade. After all a Itte ia a life. If a few Rockefellers, Fords, Vanderbilts and Eterahowan ware drafted and rent to the war, there would lead to be e little more sympathetic under Mandlag to the cry for panee. Decrements hare bean used re a rehide by the appre dare re a way of avoMtaig the draft and military obligation. BUM- tlon of dereanaata would render a data of notional equality and almost a attain guarantee of jb* eufaMWthm of the war. *d for the war to end but has not been heard. The upper dare has repeatedly made the decisions of the war and hare Radio station urged its continuance at the ex pense of the common man. S.G.A. report A by Marcy Hobbs ^'inHUMut' The SGA meeting of May 11 opened with the introduc tion of Dr. Ralph Phelps, Vice President for Development at Mercer, who had asked to be given time to speak to the Sen ate regarding his views on the newly approved Publications Board. The board, constructed for the primary purpose of re viewing aH literary efforts and for the protection of student editors, is not agreeable to Dr. Phelps, who claims that the ra tio of students to (acuity repre sented on the board should be equal, or, in order for the board to fundion produc tively, the faculty should com prise a majority. He empha sized, however, that he was not attempting to change the vote of the Senate regarding the matter, but wished only that his opinion be recognised. Also mentioned by Dr. Phelps was the formation of the Greater Mercer Development Commit tee for the purpose of devising a type of thirty-year progress plan for the university. Five students will be selected by the SGA to serve on this commit tee. A very interesting addition to the regular buslnere was a re port given by John May, one of the approximately 30 students from Mercer who traveled to the Washington, D. C. demon stration last week. John, in- duded among the many Mu- dents hoping to participate in a protest in which violence would be reduced to a mini mum, found the situation “moA like a war in the street tbsn a peaceful demonstra tion.” Apparently this was caused in greet part by the use of tear gas and other forms of appeasement by well-meaning authorities when this wee ac tually unwarranted. Concern ing our own situation at Mar- car, President Harris was com mended in writing by the SGA for hie action last Friday in lowering the U, S. flag. Letters will also be received by Dr. Otto and Deane nimble and Hendricks In relation to their work with tbs student* during the days immediately following the Kent State inddenL An excellent and much aaedad Section Code was pre sorted by its author, Aileii Wal lace. Ia the peat, quart iona that hare arisen either daring the riretto*. Raatf or dart* the qnaHflcation period hare ban aasweted without sufficient (Coatinued on Pag* 4) to be reality by Ted Render Late in Winter Quarter, the idea of a student radio station: began to materialise. To a great extent this was a remit of the work of finite Robinson, now President of SGA. Oa March 9, 1970, a com- mitts* of Students made a report to the SGA coo- earning the proposal of the sta tion. One of the basic needs for having the radio station ia an old problem that bps affected the Mercer Community for a long time — communication. Prerent facilities — bulletin boards, Cluster news, an nouncements in the cafeteria — are not sufficient to meat the needs of effective communica tion. Thus a student operated radio station broadcasting only on the campus through the electrical system of the campus seem* the most effective mode possible. This Idea has been ac cepted with a greet deal of In terest by the administration along with offers of aaristance. Some people probably wonder why the Unhrarrtty should interest Itself In a radio station. Dssldw communica tion, it would provide for the students easily attained enter tainment. To add to the feasi bility of a station here on cam pus, we can look to tbs first radio station In Macon — WMAZ. WMAZ was created bare on the campus with its broadcasting facilities in the tower of the chapel. It was in 1926, that the University teas ed the station to a group of Macon dtiaene, but its pro grams were still subject to the University. Dr. Dowell further said in hie book A History of Mercer University “It was de signated radio station WMAZ, ‘Watch Mercer Ascend to Zenith’.” The station Is to be located in on* of the meat dorm* broadcasting to the Student Center and al! the dorms initi ally. Later expansion is hoped to include the whole campus. To receive the station a student will only need an AM Radio. Onw the riatioo Is sst into operation It wtt become part of the duties of msrehrea of the Publicity oommittre of the SGA. One of the points of im portance about the radio sta- ttoa Is that It wffi not be brood- reet to peopte off the campus. ■9 thl* nature It w« leave the porefiffitte* for dteorertou open without any poartbflty of hurt ing Dr. Pteips job. The renter currant or Indue- tien fltU broadcasting syetam gate the bmmdamt dbuetty Into tbs AC distribution system of a building or group of huddlnp This method Is just fora small geographical area and con sequently Is the moat prectic- abte for Mercer’s dartres. In this system the AC Una* work as carrier for electricity and al so to carry the radio rignals. The remit la an antenna paten throughout the buddies. Elec tric radio pick up the bwadrert through the riecirtdty, where as battery operated radio can pick up the signals bom the an tenna system of the wiring of the hufldiqpi within a does dte- tance of the building. Hie programming of tba ria tioo will directed through the Publicity Committee. This committee will choose a super visor to serve as taping editor, program director and be In stalled as manager of the ela tion. The programs for the ria tioo win tentatively be catego rised In three areas: 1) Morning Program 6:30-9:90 A.M., 2) Daily and special Programs 3:00-11:00 P.M., and 3) Evan ing Programs 11:00 PJI.-2:00 AM. The morning programs will be particularly concerned with providing the student's with news of campus and com munity that It te pertinent to the student’s interest. Indarire in the morning program era: 1) News - meetings events that are to happen during the day, student activities; 2) Thought for the day — this will be given by different individuate re ■elected by the gowning com mittee; 3) Sports - along with the cooperation of the Ouster staff and News ssrriew sporta ■vents will be publicised; 4) Weather - th* teat Itam of thte programming period wffi bn the weather ettalaahte through the weather bureau. The Daily and epactel pro grams wtU Include mostly en tertainment la th* auric ana. Also than wtt he Internet pro pane aaeh as intervtewa con cerning a project of a particular department, or critiques af art teres, or debates on onmpue Issues. Th* evening pro- pammhri time wffi ha dtr triad aoiety to the entertainment by Th# Idea of the radio station has come a long Way, yut Ik rtfi has a long road ahead. Inetrite- tioa rtfl has to be oompletsd, buying of sqatpasai, retting up of the programs and findfog people who a* sriffing to work. A great dart Kre aimed, but with th* hopes that the rintion wffi bainftffi npwation by the bapaalag af ffhB Quar ter. THE MERCER CLUSTER • May 19, 1970 • 2