Newspaper Page Text
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Volume 59 I kb ue 10 February 10, 1978 8 Pages
SGA Votes For Increase In Student Activities Fee
The Student Government Senate voted
to recommend to the administration that
student activities fees be increased $16
per student annually, at their meeting
Monday night, Feb. 6.
The proposed increase, which now
goes to the Budget Committee for
consideration, is to provide more money
for entertainment and recreation for
Mercer students. The Budget Commit
tee is comprised of President Rufus.
Harris, Vice President William Hay-
r-flews
Brtefs-
MUSIC TALENT SOLICITED
The Entertainment Committee
of the S.U.A.B. is .interested in
sponsoring an ‘'open mike"
session'll! the Co-op featuring the
musical talent of Mercer students.
Anyone interested in participating
in the session should contact
Student Activities Director Whit
Hollis.
CLASS PHOTOGRAPHS
Students who have not received
the proofs of their class photo
graphs should go by the Cauldron
office. Rm. 320, CSC, during
Chapel Break to pick them up.
<.
CPR COURSE TAUGHT
Eight Mercer students com
pleted a ten hour course in
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation on
Saturday, Feb. 4. The course was
taught by certified CPR instructors
Ron Gay and David Thompson
under the auspicis of the Macon
Chapter of the American Red
Ci jm and the Mercer Human
Relations Committee.
PROFESSOR COMMENDED
Dr. Edwin D. Johnston, a
professor of Bible in Mercer's
Christianity department, has
been awarded a certificate of
appreciation for his significant
contributions to a National Security
Management Course conducted by
the National Defense University m
Washington, D.C.
The award was in recognition of
Dr. Johnston's service as a group
leader in the course for the 3294th
U.S. Army Reserve School in
Macon during the past two years.
—Inside: —
Opinion p. 2 l
Sports P 4
Entertainment P ^' 7
wood, and the deans of the various
schools of Mercer.
Student Activities director Whit Hollis
said that if this increase is approved he
hopes tht the Student Union Activities
Board would approve a plan to spend
some of the additional money for
concerts, which would be held at the
Macon Coliseum, to raise additional
money for student activities. Hollis told
The Cluster that, should Student
Activities be successful in making a
Denied Job
Reprint from The Macon Telegraph
By Steve Bums
Telegraph Staff Writer
Mercer University and two top
officials have been accused of sex
discrimination by a former employee.
Leila C. Stevens, in a suit Bled in U.S.
District Court Tuesday, claims she was
denied the job of personnel director
because she is a woman.
Mrs. Stevens further claims that she
was "harassed and embarrassed” into,
resigning after she filed a charge of
discrimination with the Equal Employ
ment Opportunity Commission.
William T. Haywood, vice president of
business and finance at Mercer, and
Robert A. Skelton, business manager
and treasurer at Mercer, were named
co-defendents in the suit.
“I have no comment whatsoever at
this time,” Haywood said Tuesday.
Ske'ton could not be reached for
comment.
Mrs. Stevens' suit claim* Mercer
violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act
(protection of minorities) and the
Fourteenth Amendment by passing her
Mercer
Debaters
Place First
Mercer varsity debaters Gerald
Brogden and Ronald Hill placed first
pvarall in the nationally prominent
Vanderbilt University Debate Tourna
ment held February 3-6 in Nashville,
Tennessee.
This first place win marks the first
"Nationally rocognixed” varsity tourna
ment win for Mercer in a number of
years.
Hill and Brogden won first place over
universities from Michigan, Tennessee,
Kentucky, Florida. North Carolina,
South Carolina. Mississippi and Ala
bama. In addition. Hill was awarded a
silver cup for being ranked fourth
speaker in the tournament. ^
profit from sponsoring concerts at the
Macon Coliseum, S.U.A.B. committees
would be able to increase thier budgets
to Ihe level of money made from
concerts. Hollis added that the present'
method of having fixed sums of money
for the committees to work with would be
changed to a more flexible procedure
where the committees would make
budget proposals to S.U.A.B.
Hollis indicated that he has no definite
over in favor of a lesser qualified person.
Nfrs. Stevens applied for the job of
personnel director at Mercer in
November 1976 after the job had come
open, the suit says. At that time, she was
assistant personnel officer.
In December 1976, E. Clyde Wilson
was appointed personnel director over
Mrs. Stevens, ‘‘solely because she is a
female,” the suit says.
"He (Wilson) is not qualified for the
job,” said Robert E. Steele Jr., attorney
for Mrs. Stevens. “1 don't know why
they appointed him except that they
didn't want her (Mrs. Stevens).”
Wilson could not be reached for
comment Tuesday.
Four months after Wilson was
appointed personnel director, Mrs.
Stevens filed a iiscrimination complaint
with the EEOC that apparently is still
pending.
. plans for spending the additional money,
should it become available, for big-name
concerts, but said this would be one
possibility for raising more money for
student activities.
If the proposal is approved by the
Budget* Committee a referendum will
be held for students of the College of
Liberal Arts to vote on the matter. The
Board of Trustees will then be the final
step for approving the proposal.
result, resigned her position with Mercer
University on Sept. 2, 1977, and
accepted the position of personnel
director with a -local firm (Taylor Iron
Works).”
Mrs. Stevens is seeking among other
things, an order "requiring the
defendants (Mercer) to offer the position
of director of personnel or a comparable
position” to her.
The suit also asks that:
• Mercer pay to Mrs. Stevens back pay
to which she may be entitled as a
consequence of alleged discriminatory
practices.
• Mercer provide pension credit
compensation and employment benefits
to Mrs. Stevens for losses she suffered
as a result of alleged discriminatory
practice.
Hit wood and Skelton both are
involved with employment practices and
procedures governing non-academic
personnel at Mercer.
The suit says Mrs. Stevens then was
harassed, embarrassed and, as a
Msroer isn't so bsd is wtaSss, is it? PWo*o b, LWta- M.
Woman Charges Mercer
With Sex Discrimination