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;ThE MERCER. CLUSTERS;
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Volume Llll
Mereer University Macon, Georgia , November 19, 1971
No. 8
Students take books,
dramatize problem
A group A concerned students
took almost 200 books illegally
from Mercer’s Stetson
Memorial Library last week.
“We did this to focus attention
on the problem of theft and the
need for some checking system
in the library,” said a
spokesman for the group. The
books were taken in a total
period of less than two hours
over seven days.
According to the spokesman,
“Several times a student would
walk in empty-ha n-ied and walk
out with eight or nine books,
stopping at the desk to talk just
to see if he would be
questioned.”
^ne books were taken out the
front door in full view of at least
two library officials behind the
front desk. Only books which
appeared infrequently used by
students were taken. Included
were a few copies of Bums’
works, an 18" by 24” United
States Atlas, and a 12" thick
unabridged dictionary. No
microfilm, records or
magazines were taken.
The students taking the books
figured "if a few honest
students could walk out with
that many books, through the
front door without being
New blood bank
needs donations
Mercer has opened a blood
bank at the Medical Center of
Central Georgia (formerly The
Macon Hospital). Anyone who
meets the requirements set by
the American Red Cross can
donate blood. Each unit donated
will deposit one credit toward
Mercer’s account which can be
U\en used to cover any student
member or the faculty or his
family Credits can be tran
sferred through the Red Cross
to other hospitals. In order to
t withdraw credits from the
bank, persons should contact
Rocky Wade or Iinda Ogle,
Mercer’s Blood Bank
Representatives.
The bank has been open since
October 25. So far, not one
person has donated blood for
Mercer. This may be due, in
part, to ignorance, and in part,
to misinformation printed in the
October 30 edition of the
Cluster. Contrary to that ar
ticle, anyone v donating blood
must not have consumed an
alcoholic beverage in 24 hours,
must weigh over 110 pounds
and, if he has had venereal
disease, be released from his
doctor's car»v He also must not
be taking any type of hard drug.
These precautions are designed
to prelect the recipient and the
dor. or.
The Macon area is full of
persons needing blood donors. A
patient at the Medical Center
pays 532 for each pint of blood
he receives, unless he can
replace it with donations. The
Medical Center requires 2 pints
to replace the first pint
received, and one for one
thereafter. Hemophiliacs must
replace each unit of hemophil
received with two donor pints.
Insurance rarely covers the
cost of blood and will not cover
hemophil. Bibb county is not a
county by covered the Red
Cross blood service.
Mercer is in a position to help,
not only itself, but needy per
sons in the Macon area.
questioned a r .u without
anyone’s even noticing that the
books were missing, this would
maybe say something to the
people whose business it is to
protect the library."
The group appealed for some
type of checking device through
a letter sent to several
university officials as well as to
Student Government and the
Cluster. Mr. Metts, University
librarian, sent a proposal for a
checking system to the
University Council last year.
The University Council, which
is the highest legislative body
within the university, passed#
the proposal. Since that time it
has been held up in some high
administrative office.
An inventory last summer
uncovered the loss of 1040 books
worth almost $13,000. A total of
3307 books have been found
missing or Stolen in the past
three years averaging in cost at
about $10 per book plus $2 each
for processing. Mr. Metts stated
that it takes time to replace
stolen books and constitutes a
greater expenditure to the
university than would the in
stallation of a some checking
device.
When asked what type of
checking system the group
would favor the spokesman
stated, “Machines do not make
friends. They can look into
people’s pants and coats
without undue embarrassment.
However, even hiring more
students to check at the door
would constitute some im
provement and make more
opportunities for student em
ployment available."
Last year Bu dings and
Grounds Depart ent sealed
most of the libra’ windows at
the request of Mr. Metts, in
order to cut down possibilities
for thefts from the library.
These are part of the almost 206 books taken from Mercer's library
last week to dramatize the problem of theft in the library. They were
returned this week. (Photo by Tyler Hammett)
“Rock” Johnson
wins on Jeopardy
Mercer’s new assistant
student Union Director "Rock”
Johnson is ‘he eighth Annual
Jeopardy gi and charapio.i.
Johnson, 29, a native of
Alabama, won over $3,000 and a
Caribbean cruise on the show’s
Tournament of Champions
aired this week.
The "Tournament of
Champions" is the popular NBC
game show’s yearly contest for
undefeated five time winners.
The championship, which
includes nine undefeated
winners, is being aired Monday
through Friday from 12-12:30
p.m. over WCWIi-TV, channel
41, in the Macon area. Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday are
elimination days, while
Thursday and Friday are
reserved for the final round.
Three players will play each
day and game totals will be
carried over during the entire
week.
"I enjoy trivia games,”
Johnson told interviewer Ed
Corson last June. "I read a lot,
and all my life I've tried to be
fully conscious of the world
around me. Quick recall ability
helps, too."
He was able to formulate
questions to give answers over a
wide range of topics during his
five-day winning streak last
June. The shows on which
Johnson appeared were aired
June 25 through July 1. They
involved three separate trips to
New York for him ; first to be
tested, then to put the sessions
on t«pe. At the time he was
assigned to the Naval Air
Tactical Training Command at
Glyncoe NAS as an instructor.
One of the most controversial
programs ever to be shown on
television will play on this
campus from November 30 and
December 2. The closed-circuit
presentation of “Do You Own-*
Your Own Body?” examines the
conflict between the law and the
individual’s right to control his
own body, and features a nude
interview with a commune
arrested for going naked in
their own home. Bill Baird’s
crusade for a change in our
abortion laws, and the first
videotape of an actual abortion
ever presented to th^ general
public.
"Do You Own Your Own
Body?” will be shown on
Tuesday and Thursday at 7 p.m.
in Room *314 of the Connell
Student Center.
The program begins with a
brief look at some of the nearly
unbelievable state laws con
cerning “lewd and lascivious
co-habitation" and unnameable
“unnatural acts.”
The next segment features
some victims of those laws, a
Cambridge, Mass., commune
who were arrested for the “lewd
ehavior" of going nude in their
home, whence they derive their
half-humorous name: “The
Lewd Commune." The com
mune members explain how
nudity fits in with their lifestyle
and relate the details of their
battle with the law: “The court
found that we did have naked
bodies, and that the neighbors
were correct in their ob
servation. and that a naked
body was equivalent to a crime
against the state."
One of today's techniques for
freeing the body of the con
straints of the past is the body-
awareness class. The program
includes a ser^ioA conducted by
Professor Buryi Payne, who
contends, “In our society, we
are never allowed to be un-
sane." Professor Payne argues
that our bodies and cur minrls
have become frozen inti at
titudes that other people srt we
should have.
"Do You Own Your Body?"
focuses on the question of
abortion law reform, with birth
control and abortion-on-demand
crusader Bill Baird presenting
his controversial views. Baird
recounts the story of his arrest
at Boston University for
displaying birth control devices
to a college audience, and ex
plains how his jail sentence
eventually resulted in the
Supreme Court overturning the
law. At a street demonstration
outside the AM A coonvention,
Baird details why abortion must
be performed on request
regardless of age: “Of the 3,000
teenagers I help, ninty-three
percent could not go to their
moms and say, “Mom, I’m
pregnant, will you sign on the
dotted line? Most moms don't
even think their daughters have
a sexual drive, let alone have
intercourse."
The case against abortion-on-
demand voiced by Catholic
theologian Fr. William Burke.
S.J., and by the president and
Coat. On Page 12
New consciousness film showing