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THE MERCER CLUSTER
PAGE 11
From tl
bench
by Ton Robinson
This is the last time that this
column, or at least this writer,
shall appear in this paper. A lot
has happened in three years, but
then again, a lot of things usually
happen In threenyear-spans.
Going over it again in a re
view, Mercer’s athletics have
expanded greatly-owing to ti c
greah amount of success the
basketball team has experienced
since Dwane Morrison became
coach. How much success Joe
Dan Gold will have is hard to tell,
but his credentials indicate that
more success for
Mercer's basketball efforts
would not be totally surprising.
In spite of Morrison (and his
fiery assistant, Jay Nidiffer)
leaving Mercer for Georgia Tech,
there remains at Mercer the man
moat responsible for getting the
two men-Athletic Director Jerry
Stone.
There are a lot of people who
don’t like Stone. They seem to
dislike his participation in many
activities around the Mercer
campus. But, then again, there
are a lot of apathetic dead beats
on this campus, too. People who
go to one basketball game or one
baseball game, sit like a lump on
a log, and then claim themselves
to be ‘school-spirited.’
Those same dead-beats’ ar
pretty much the same people who
dislike Stone. I, personally, like
the guy. He gave me a job on the
campus that I liked, that of
keeping the stats together, and.
really, he neverbroke his word to
me-which is more than I can say
for some other people I know
He has been patient with me in
spite of my journalistic bunglings,
which at tmes, would have made
me, if I had been in his position, a
lot madder than he was.
I’m not trying to brown-nose
the guy, to build him up to
something he isn’t. He has his
shortcomings; what the heck,
he’s human. But I think that we
should all realize what be has
done for this school. Don’t forget,
Dwane Morrison's first year as
coach was also Jerry Stone's first
year as Athletic Director.
Morrison, of course, had the
experience in pushing a
basketball program, while Stone
had, and still has, the drive for
seeing that that job gets done.
Not only that, but Stone has
had to try to appease several
other students who have interests
in other sports, such as wrestling,
soccer, and track. and
who wanted to get these sports on
Mercer’s varsity roster.
Also, Stone has several other
positions-such as the student
union board advisor, audio-visual
, and several others. Sometimes
that can be a handi-cap when
you’re trying to get a sport, like
basketball, national attention.
So, the next time you feel like
criticizing Jerry Stone, because
you think his name is
everywhere, just remember that
somebody around here h*»d to get
involved. And if that somebody is
a guy who graduated from
Mercer seven or eight years ago.
that isn't saying very much for
the present obident body-and I
include myseK in that, of course.
Not to dwril on this point so that
everyone gets tired of it but just
remember howmany sports
there were on Mercer’s in
tercollegiate schedule. If you
weren’t a giant or quick as a cat,
or if you didn't like shooting
bullets through paper, then you
had to chose either golf or tennis.
Now you have wrestling, track,
soccer, girls' tennis, girls’
basketball, as well as a much
improved intramural program
So, thank you. Jerry, for at
least getting Mercer started on
the road to recognition, and for
giving people a chance to par
ticipate..
Another man in the ad
ministrative faculty who has
been wrongly criticized has been
none other but the President of
the school. Dr Rufus Harris. I
know I am stepping out of line by
writing about a person who u\ not
usually associated with the
Ahletic part of the school, but
then again Dr. Harris, as
president, is a part of all of the
things that go into Meroar.
He has been sometimes called
the "Phantom President”,
because certain students claim
that he is never seen in between
greeting freshmen and handing
out diplomas to seniors.
That is bologna, to put it
bluntly. Ever since I have t>een
here. I have seen Dr and Mrs.
Harris on the campus, strolling
around or heading for a meeting.
And the times that I have heard
Dr. Harris talk he has impressed
me as a very intelligent man who
is involved, and who wants to
help people.
So, the next time you feel hke
calling Dr Harris the "Phantom
President", open your eyes the
next time you walk across
campus.
Again going to polilitics, which
I relalize I shouldn't, but will,
anyway, the realtionship between
the Blac v . and White students on
this campus is rather bad. It is
better than when I was a fresh
man, but that is not saying very
much.
In the first place, the frater
nities ought to grow up. They
should allow minority groups,
specifically those of African
descent, into their holy grounds'
If they have so many drunks
running around, surely they can
allow some worthy people in,
without looking at their skin
color.
Hopefully, a lightning bolt will
strike the KA house. (With no one
in it at the time) so that that spot
will be gone.
As for the Omega Psi Phi. or
the "Black Fraternity", I say it is
a long time overdue, but one thing
puzzles me. For all the talk,and
justifiably so, about eradicating
the memory of the curse of
slavery, it seems paradoxical to
me that men should allow
themselves to be branded, in the
same manner as their un
fortunate forefathers, just to be
‘cool’, or to allay the pressures
brought on by peer group
pressure. I’m quite sure that if
Frederick Douglass. Harriet
Tubman, Dred Scott and Nat
Turner had their choice, they
would just as soon ha ye been
brand-free.
Coatfnaed From Page 1
Gandy And Wood Honored
level w.tA .. isoners rather than
ripping o t people as doctors and
businessmen do, or helping the
society continue on its present
course to destruction, it would be
a much more practical and
humane use of education than
we know experience "
Ms. Wood also stated that in
retrospect, the Alternate Fresh
man Program and the op
portunities it opened up in terms
of interpersonal relationships
were undouhtubly her moot
rewarding experiences at
Mercer She stated that for her,
Mercer had proved to be an
educational experience
"Although I do not believe that
education can be equated with
the structure of institutions or
with a degree, I think that Mercer
has offered not only opportunities
for experimentation but also
opportunit.es to be with people
which have really helped me to
learn to live in this world?”
Bruce Gandy appeared to be as
overwhelmed as was Ms Wood
when the Cluster talked with him
on Wednesday Said Gandy, “I
really don’t know what to say.
Perhaps the best word to
describe the feeling is ‘num
bing’.” Gandy stated that his
plans for the next year will call
him to graduate school at Duke
University. Gandy is an Englsih
major and plans to do further
study in this field.
When asked what he felt were
the most rewarding aspects of
Mercer University, he stated that
educationally AFP was the most
interesting program in process
"I think that AFP reflects the
basic intellectual climate of the
university. It addresses the
difference between education and
Continued From Page 10
Victorian Homes
I would like to see one of these
ol houses renovated ad used as a
center for folk life and Georgia
Folk Culture. In it would be a
collection of material folk objects
such as quilts, coverlets, pottery,
farm implements, musical in
struments, clothing, toys, etc.
Also there is a need to record
much of the folklore of the state
before it disappears. The house
could serve as a central agency to
help research projects and to
provide equipment needed to
record folk processes.
A restored Victorian cottage
would be the ideal setting for
such a venture, and would serve
to incrAase interest in social
history among the students and
townspeople as well.
Sincerely yours.
Joy Carter
Ilv r*c*p» of oil motori«l loctor.
• p«n» *• PUnt Monitor Salai
licioaft tonndorobi*
overtime employment per-od May » to
>n operating plant of ttiu peach
formation, call collect to Plant Man««or.
Mo.mrtl* Wme Company. HoSort* Oa.
training." he said
Gandy also expressed great
concern over the proposed
medical school. ”U is not the fact
that I am against medicine, or for
that fact medical schools, he
said, my concern is that there are
so few small Christian Liberal
Arts Colleges left in the world.”
The Cluster asked Gandy what
he liked most about Mercer. The
fact that it is a small private
Christian Liberal Arts College, he
said.
He also added. "At Mercer it is
possible to feel that the faculty
offers comradeship and not just
lectures as we try and investigate
the culture. Mercer is small
enough that students can be
aware at the end of four years of
all the differing intellectual
currents on campus. You t come
Coatiaued From Psge 1
aware of the tension and conflict
on callus which is something
you mi s at even a little larger
instituti m, because there is no
dialogvj between departments.
At Mercer the specialization and
isolation of departments does not
end communication as well The
tension on campus is what makes
this Mercer community a family.
It is only in a family that ac
ceptance and respect is offered
without stipulating conditions
other than healthy growth."
When asked "What don't you
like about Mercer?" He replied,
"I have really regretted Mercer's
not having a fountain on campus.
They provide wt only humidity
*nd babbling sounds, but they are
such perfect symbolic
representations of institutional
education.”
SGA Waverly Plans
Affairs, Student Life, and Fiscal
Affairs, break into discussion
groups
Tuesday Afternoon- Presen
tation by Academic Affairs to
General Session.
Tuesday Night- Presentations
from Student Life A Fiscal Af
fairs.
Wednesday Morning- Review,
Town Meeting, Awards
ceremony
Below is a list of the Ad
ministration, Faculty, and
Students who have been invited to
the Waverly Conference:
Administration: Dr. Rufus C.
Harris, Dr. Garland F. Taylor,
Dr. William Haywood, Mr
Robert Skelton, Mr, Ed Bacon.
Mrs. Dori Bonner, Mr.. Joe
Hendricks, Mr. John Mitchell or
Mr. Jim Whitlow, Mr Jerry
Stone, Mr. Tom Trimble, Mrs.
Carolyn Sanders. Mr Bob
Davies. Mr Robert Neal. Mr
Julian Gordy.
Faculty: Dr Alpha Bond, Dr.
Michael Cass. Dr. Thomas
Glennon, Dr. Theodore Nor-
denhaug. Mr Louis Becker. Mr.
Gary Johnson. Dr Henry War-
nock. Dr Marvin Dawson. Dr.
Mary Wilder.
Students: Ken Bryant. Joe
Davis. Kay Cole, Tim Estes, Jan
Suffolk, Mac Bond, Duncan
Hitchcock, Karen Murphy. Sam
Heaton, Jorge Vega, Rick
Johnson. Ben Valde*, Cindy
Redmond. Allen Baldree,
Margaret Car lock. Frank Bragg.
Katie Cantwell, Bill Keithcart,
Robert Alexander, Barbara Ann
McIntosh. Bob Kelly, Louis
Johnson, David Price. Bob
Goodwin. Doug Hardy. Leon
Larke. Brian Carney. Marilyn
Allgood, Judy Williams, Tracy
Highsmith, Felice LaMarca,
Mike Streetman, Chris Edwards.
Jools Lusk. Bruce Gandy,
Martha Ham. Fred Niemann.
Linda Pitta.
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