CAS students
stage walk-out
By RON LIGHT
Editorial Page Editor
The morning of Friday. Jan. 13.
proved to be one of excitement for
the students of Mercer’s Atlanta
campus who gathered to make the
final plans for that morning’s walk
out to protest actions of the Univer
sity President. R. Kirby Godsey.
Tensions were high as some
students expressed doubt that the
move would work or have any
affect.
As the set time for the event ap
proached, *9:25, Caihi Steams,
editor of the Atlanta school’s stu
dent newspaper, assigned students
morning classes to attend in order
for the walk-out to be announced
in each class.
Around 9:30 a.m.. the walk-out
was in full force as students and
professors alike participated. Dr.
Earnest Zeller, who was teaching
a medieval history class at the time
was one faculty participant who ex
pressed sadness at the way this
whole situation had developed."
Zeller spoke of what he saw as
•childish" behavior by President
Godsey. running down the hal^s of
the Atlanta administration building
during his Wednesday meeting
with Atlanta students.
The rally attracted approximate
ly 150 students to the school’s
cafeteria, where students and facul
ty changed. “Save Mercer. Down
with Godsey.*’
Roger Russell. President ut the *
International Students Association,
announced that the primary pur
pose of the rally was informational
Not many students knew mCich of
what happened in the meeting bet
ween Godsey and students from
their school. That meeting was
restricted to only 20 "student
leaders." and there have been
claims that Godsey did not really
answer their questions and even cut
the meeting to only 45 minutes.
About a half dozen students from
the Atlanta campus attended the
meeting of students with Godsey on
the Macon campus on Thursday,
where their questions of. Dr.
Godsey again went unanswered.
Chris Metzlcr, Atlanta's Student
Government Vice President, asked
Godsey a question regarding the
future of the relationship between
the Macon and Atlanta campuses.
Godsey responded to the question.
saying that he wouid-only answer
questions from the students of the
Macon campus. Godsey said that
the students from Atlanta had their
chance the day before.
After Russell’s introduction at
the rally. Steams led a prayer in
which she simply asked that the
students "be given a chance to be
human, as we arc not being treated
a., humans by others. "
Other speakers included Metzlcr.
who told the group that "the presi
dent of Mercer, while an articulate
speaker, has a problem—the truth
seems to elude him." The crowd
continued w)th its "Save Mercer
Down with Godsey."
During the question and answer
See Walk-Out, page 9
Students seek answers at forum
By 4LA1NE FLORO
Sponsored by the Student
Government Association, the
Presidential Forum on January 12
I allowed Mercer
I students, facul-
I ty. and staff lo
I hear several
■.sides of the
I Mercer finan-
| ctal crisis.
Speakers
I were President
Kirby Godsey.
Dr Samfoye Greer. Dean of Col
lege of Piberal Arts. Dr Carl
Joiner. Dean of College of
Business. Dr. C B Gambrell.
Dean of the Engineering School,
and Dr Barry Jenkins. Dean of
Student Affairs Each speaker was
given no more than ten minutes to
explain their position-and how they
felt about certain issues The
following hour was devoted to
students, faculty, and staff who had
the opportunity to ask questions to
any of the speakers
President Godsey was the first to
address the audience about the
financial status of the school. He
slated that a “thorough process'' is
underway, and the Board of
Trustees has taken action. Godsey
commented that he would try to
unde stand and analyze the jssucs
as well as to shape some directions
for solving those problems.”
Several steps have been taken after
the Dec. I meeting to provide
some solutions. The appointment of
a budget review board committee
by the Board of Trustees, and. by
the finance committee, the hiring of
Pete Marwick, an independent
auditor, to review the last five years
of financial statements of, the
university.
Marwick and the budget review
committee reported to Godsey that
the "financial strength of the
university was sound and-mtact and.
(hat the unrestricted assets of the
university far outweigh the
unrestricted liabilities.” They
stated as well that the "day to day
operations of the university have
never been in danger by this situa
tion."
Godsey inct with the deans of the
university to discuss the academic
programs, and it was decided that
the "programs of the university
have never been stronger." He
feels that academics arc very im
portant to the school and said, "the
h’lghesi priority would be to protect
and to sustain the academic integri
ty and quality of the-university ”
The projected outcome of the
fiscal year, ending on June 30.
1989. was discussed at the
Dec I meeting Godsey com
mented • that “there is no clear
answer to precisely (know) what
See Forum, page 11
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