Newspaper Page Text
The Mercer Charter, February 7,1977“— Pa^e 3
PEOPLE
Op«uiii/a(iuiK.. Lrrrk**... InUTvieu*... h , niiin>
Still Mercerians After All These Years. . .
By Willie Jenkins
In 1970, the Mercer Charter
was the recipient of the Ga.
Press Association Award. Thai
year the Cluster, had as its
editor a black senior from
Columbus, Ga. It was the first
and only award that the Cluster
has won, it was the first time
that the Cluster had a black as
editor. Thai editor was Gary
Johnson and be . is now an
instructor in Mercer’? political
science, dept.
Gary, as he referred to by
friends and students, graduated
from Mercer in 1970 with the
B.A. Degree in Political Sci
ence. He did graduate work and
received the M.A. degree from
the Fletcher School of Law and
Diplomacy in Boston, an affili
ate of Harvard and Tufts
Universities. He has also
earned the M.A.L.D. degree
and is currently working on his
doctorate. He returned to
Mercer in 1972 as the coordin
ator of the Black Studies
Program, a job he says he didn’t
solicit and expresses bewilder
ment at accepting. Before his
arrival, the program, although
only begun in 1970, had already
had two directors; both white.
Administration officials saw
him as an opportunity to have a
black director and at the same
time integrate the faculty. Gary
was the first black full-time
instructor to be hired by
Mercer.
1966, Gary’s freshman year,
was the first year that blacks
were actually housed 'on cam
pus. Previously, .blacks were
permitted to attend classes, but
were forced to commute. In that
year the administration decided
to desegregate the dormitory.
Approximately 26 blacks were
admitted and as Gary remem
bers, “two blacks to each hall.’'
There were a total of no more
than forty blacks on campus
that year. Gary described that
period of time with such
adjectives as cruel, brutal. Cold
and damaging. This was during
the turbulent years of the Civil
Rights Movement and very
often there were both verbal
and physical confrontations
between white and black
students. 4
When asked if he felt that he
and other black students missed
out on any of the.sod|fixation
particular to a predominantly
black campus, Gary eplied,
“yes, I think we did. We
became divorced from the black
community in terms of living
with it, eating with it, 1 leeping
with R and that changes the way
you think shout things. I think
going to Mercer chang'd most
of the black students into white
bourgeois people wit] black
faces.”
Returning to Mercer as the
first black full-time instructor
wasn’t easy. Although he says
he doesn't feel pressures to
perform anymore, the pressures
were real his first years here.
Gary says, “I felt pressures my
first two years...mainly the
pressures of performing and
performing adequately, pres-
surec *0 press and pressures to
be fair to everyone and not to
display any stint of racism. I
think in some ways that
pressure was so great that 1
over compensated for it in
places. Black students made the
accusation that I was trying too
hard to convince whites that I
was giving them a fair deal in
classes and that as a result, they
were getting the raw end of the
deal...But. now I've lost that
and I think in some ways they
had some points. But, being the
first Black full-time instructor
meant people were watching
you. It meant that if things were
going to get better, if other
black faculty members were
going to be hired and if you
were going to keep your job,
then you had to do an excellent
job. There couldn't be a bad
example from the initial black
faoilty member.”
Upon his arrival at Mercer,
Gary found himself having to fill
several different roles. Al
though he was hired as Black
Studies Director, his field was
International Law and quite
often problems totally out of
domain were laid at his feet.
Black students looked upon him
as “the black messiah.” He was
expected to look, talk and be the
blackest,, while whites looked
upon him as a wealth of
knowledge on black history. The
. Administration looked upon
him as a mediator between it
and black students and anytime
Continued on page 11
By Myra Daria Brown
Aa one of tbe part-time
1 mi as cilnrs for tbe Graduate-
Career Information Center
w£kb is sponsored by tbe
Student Assistance Program,
information frequently arrives
in my office which needs to be
quickly disseminated to the
students of Mercer. With the
class of '77 nervously, contem
plating careers and anxiously
entering the job market, I
thought It helpful to proride tbe
following Uat of questions which
many employers ask. This list of
questions is taken from a report
published by Dr. Frank Endi:
cott. While this list can be used
by seniors to prepare them
selves for interview* for full
time employment, I imagine
that those persona who will be
looking for part-time summer
jobs can also use this Uat to
ta.
range
and jhort range goals and
objectives, when and why did
you establish these goals and
how are your preparing yourself
1. What are your long
to achieve them?
2. What specific goals, other
thgn those related to your
'occupation, have you estab-
Ushed for yourself for the nett
10 years?
3. What do you see yourself
doing five years from now?
4. What do you really want to
do in life?
6. Whpt are your long range
career objectives?
6. How do you plan to achieve
your career goals?
Report on Questions Employers Ask
7. v What are the most
important rewards you Expect in
your business career?
8. What do you expect to be
earning in five years?
9. Why did you choose the
career for which you are
preparing?
10. Which is more important
to you, the money or tbe type of
job?
11. What do you consider to
be your greatest strengths and
weaknesses?
12. How would you describe
yourself?
13. How do you think a friend
or professor who knows you well
would describe you?
14. What motivates you to put
forth your greatest efforts?
15. How has your college
experience prepared you for a
business career?
16. Why should I hire you?
17. What qualifications do
you have that make you think
that you will be successful in
business?
18. How do you determine or
evaluate success?
19. What do you think it takes
to be successful in a company
like ours?
20. In what ways do you think
you can make a contribution to
our company?
21. What qualities should a
successful manager possess?
22. Describe the relationship
that should exist between a
supervisor and subordinates.
23. What two or three
accomplishments have given
you the most satisfaction?
Why? .
24. Describe your most
rewarding college experience.
26. If you were hiring a
graduate for this position, what
qualities would you look for?
26. Why did you select your
college or university?
27. What led you to choose
your field of major-study?
28. What college subjects did
you like best? Why?
29. What college subjects did
you like least? Why?
30. If you could do so, how
would you plan your academic
study differently? Why?
31. What changes would you
make in your college or
university?
32. Do you have plans for
continued study? An advanced
degree?
33. Do you think that your
grade* are a good indication of
your academic achievements?
34. What have you learned
from participation in extra
curricular activities?
36. In what kind of a work
environment are -you most
comfortable?
36 How do you work under
pressure?
37. In what part-time or
summer-jobs have you been
most interested? Why?
38. How would you describe
the ideal job for you following
graduation? *
39. Why did you decide to
seek a position with this
company?
40. What do you know about
our company?
41. What two of three things
are most important to you in
your job?
42. Are you seeking employ
ment in a company of a certain
sixe? Why?
43. What criteria are you
using to evaluate the company
for which you hope to work?
44. Do you have a geogra
phical preference? Why?
46. Will you relocate? Does
rwlnration bother vou?
46. Are you willing to travel?
47. Are you willing to spend
at least six months as a trainee?
48. Why do you think you
might like to live in the
community in which our com
pany is located?
49. What major problem have
you encountered and how did
you deal with it?
60. What have you learned
from your mistakes?
Don’t Wait Until
It’s Too Late
By Eddie J.. Brown
Often times opportunity
knocks once and only those who
answer the door to opportunity
receive the benefits! These
benefits when pursued have
various payoffs such as admis
sion into graduate/professional
schools. The admission require
ments for graduate schools
usually include an official /report
of scores on the Graduate
Record Examination to the
graduate admissions office,
submission of an application
accompanied by an application
fee. letters of recommendation,
and sometimes interviews.
In order to qualify for
graduate admission, deadlines
are set by each university.
These, deadlines are cut-off
dates for receiving applications
and supporting information.
Another important deadline to
remember is the cut-off date for
submission of a separate
application for fellowships, re-
\ search assistants hips and teach-
x "TTfg' assistantships which serve
to assist financially while
providing experience in the
retard areas of study.
Many graduate universities
circulate posters which dest ribe
the areas that offer degrees at
the Masters and Doctoral
levels. Some posters and flyers
are posted in the Grafduaic-
Career Information Center
which is located adjacent to the
Student Activities Offices on the
Third Floor of the Connell
Student Center.
Don't wait until it’s too late!
Wnte off for applications and
meet those deadlines! Don’t let
opportunity pass you by!