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Editorial
SGA Votes To
Censor Cluster
Being an editor is not an easy job. When I first took the position,
I expected to be busy 2t hours .each day trying to run a newspaper.
I was wrong. TJianks to a lot of help from my friends, running the
newspaper only took 12 hours of my time daily. Unfortunately the
other twel re hours were wasted on such things as the subject of this
editorial.
You see. recently I've been privileged to spend much of my free
Lime running about trying to counteract recent Student
Government efforts to censor The Cluster. That's right, your
eh -ted officials have made and passed a resolution giving the
S.G.A. senate complete control over scholarship funds awarded to
the editorial staff of The Cluater and Cauldron.
A scholarship fund has existed for many years containing a
pittance which was to be divided among* the editorial staff of The
Ouster and the Cauldron Editor. After three revisions at » ™cent
S.G.A. meeting, a motion was passed supposedly further dividing
the small sum between the Dulcimer editor and S.G.A. president.
Surely these two persons deserve some monetary reimbursement
for their labors, but not enough money is in the fund to support so
many people. But that's not my major complaint; after all. S.G.A..
in its usual careful manner, managed to pass the resolution without
knowing how much money was available.
From speaking srith Tracy Ward and Finance Committee
Chairman Norbert Walker before the passage of the resolution. I
became convinced that neither had any knowledge of the
circumstances surrounding the scholarships beyond the fact that
someone on the Cauldron and someone on the Cluater (they
incorrectly assumed the editors-in-chief) were —-raving some
amount of money from somewhere.
At the S.G.A. meeting during which the proposal was passed,
the senators were told by Pres. Ward that approximately *1400
(way off) waa being split between the Ouster and Cauldron editors
each year. Not only did the senate have no idea how much money
was available or how often it Was distributed (they were told once
each year, incorrectly, of course), they were led to believe the
entire sum was being divided between two people.
The Chsster was not invited to speak at the meeting, and
production manager Dan Goodman, who happened to be present,
was refused recognition by the floor.
The ugliest atrocity is the proposal's requirement that the S.G.A.
senste approve the editors' performance at the end of each year's
duty before he/she receives the scholarship funds. It is easy to see
how this immediately leads to a condition of the S.G.A. censoring
the p-hiu-»«irei« ft is my opinion that the proposal was written with
just this in mind, for it calls on tba senate body to decide if the
editor's job waa up to par inatead of the publications board already
existing for that purpose.
This proposal will have no immwlialo effect on me. I will not be
running for re-election next quarter partly because I am fed up with
wasting my time on asmine problems like this one. I would ju* like
to leave office assured that this year, or in some distant year,
who wouki make a good Cluster editor doss not run for
office because of fear* of censorship or because he/she limply
afford to work on the publication during hour* which would
normally
II
Mercer eusdeuta froBc la the a
Winter Quarter Has Its Blessings
It is getting closer and closer
to the end of the quarter, and
there just doesn't seem to Be
enough hours in the day.
Classes are^ getting totally
out-of-hand as far as the work is
concerned. There isn’t enough
of a chai ce to just sit beck and
relax. Pe jple that I would like to
spend a great deal of time with 1
only see once * week, if I adi
lucky. This quarter looks like pt
will be a to*al disaster.
I was thii king these depres
sed thoughts the other day
when I suddenly realized aU of
the good things that have
happened to me this past
quarter.
by Rots Akerman
I was able to return to Mercer
in January very refreshed from
spending Christmas with my
family.
1 went to Tulane and had a
fantastic time with some very
pleasant people.
The AKMF party, which at
times looked like it might never
happen, did happen and was a
big success.
My hall and I have gotten to
know each other a lot better,
and I am very pleased about
that.
The Steelers won their third
Super Bowl, end being a native
of Pittsburgh, that made me
happy.
The Cluster flost that was in
the recent homecoming parade
won third place, even though I
froze my red off while scream
ing 'toga'.
My biggest blear ng is that 1
really enjoy where 1 am but
especially the people that+arp
with.
This short list of things that I
have to be thankful for may no.'
mean much to other people. The
point to remember is that while
you ore cussing at final exams,
upset with the exam schedule or
simply outraged at the high
price of good beer, remember
that there are good things that
occur in everyone’s life.
Pat Keenan Replies To Toor
this proposal
that a body
I guess a reply is necessary to
Mr. Toor's character assassina
tion in last Friday’s Chuter. If
not for my own personal
reasons tMsn only to set the
record straight. In my opinion,
lb not reply to such a tirade
would be to admit its credibility
The whole problem stems horn
a statement 1 made in an article
on the ROTC petrolling eaerdae
which eras intended to be purely
humorous, but waa obviously
misinterpreted by Mr. Toor. For
him and any others who may
. have reed it wrong, hero goes...
Mr. Toor was upset because 1
said. "It's usually pretty tough
on e cadet being around
enlisted people, for some
believe that the only thing lower
than a Second lieutenant is
found at the bottom of the
ocean".-He apparently took it to
mean that cadets, who are
future Second Lieutenants, feel
that enlisted people, their
future subordinates, were the
"undereeakk" that I alluded to
if one roads ! hat
Statement in context, one i
they (the Mercer cadets) all
were welcomed and respected
by the enlisted men and
woman; it's usually pretty
tough on a cadet being around
enlisted peo.ple. for some
believe tfaet the only thing lower
than a .Second lieutenant is
found at the bottom of the
' Read this way. I
the sentence dearly
that the "some" I
referred to were the enlisted
people, they seeing the Lieu
tenants in that moat unflatter
ing way.
I can imagine myself as an
enlisted man; after going
through basic training and the
myriad other things that a
brand new soldier mu* do and
learn, I sure wouldn't take
kindly to a brand new college-
grsduated Second Lieutenant
telling me what to do and how to
do it. You can see the problems
thas will come to us cadets,
especially when in charge of a
platoon of approximately 40
enlisted people. That attitude
certainly isn't the norm among
Second Lieutenants mu* try to
gain the reaped of. The enlisted
person is the backbone of the
Army, end I in no way feel
superior to or hold contempt for
the enlisted ranks, os Mr. Toor
insinuated. Aa a Lieutenant. I
will tty my utmo* to earn their
reaped; in that wayT will try to
build an effective senior-sub
ordinate relationship.
In conclusion, 1 feel that M'.
Toor's "beef waa amewfat
justified in its own way. 1 Jso
feel that he could have .eight
clarification before launching
hi. unfair, and certainly unpro
voked attack. As you ^an see
now. the joke was directed at
we. the cadets. For. if you
cannot laugh * youlself, you
have no right to laugh *
anything, and are in and shape
indeed. I do apologue to anyone
who waa offended by my flight
of whimsy and sincerely hope
that now the record can be a*
straight.
th* it is part of i
7 —~ which reads: It waa
very rewarding, also, in «*«*
ed by the article. Y*. also as I
said, then are some. .
It is this "some”’that the
Spring illusi
on
Watch.