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\ c MERCER UNIVERSITY, MACON. GEORGIA NUMBER 4 lEcrccr ©luster MONDAY. OCTOBER 30, I9B9 Mercer sells swamp land - nets 2.4 million in deal By DREW NORD On Tuesday. Oct. 17, Mercer University officials finalized a S2.4 million 'sale of 4500 acres of swampland to the U.S. Fish and Game Department and The Nature Conservancy - a national en vironmental group. Bob McKinnon, director of finance at Mercer, said this week that funds generated from the sale will be used toward the cstablt man of an endowment fund benefit Mercer's medical school.' "The land was inherited to Mercer in 1979 from the will of Mary Johnson Ray," said McKin non. "As stipulated in the will, the money from the tale of the land may not be spent by Mercer, rather, it must be invested.” McKinnon explained that the money will not be used in any departments at Mercer other than the medical school and will not be used to help reduce Mercer's cur rent debt. He added, however, that the sale will help reduce future ex- Tsuch as (property) taxes. Mercer currently owns additional properties in North Carolina. Ten nessee and Indiana, as well as several locations throughout Georgia. Along with these proper ties, Mercer still owns 700 acres SEMESTER SYSTEM I Question & Answer Forum with t for Academic Affairs BARS Wednesday, November 1,1989 7 - 9 pm in the Trustees Dining Room adjacent to the tract recently sold. "All these properties can be sold, but the board of trustees cur rently has not plans to do so." said McKinnon. "In the event of the sale of the Tift campus, funds would have to be used in a similar endowment situation as the swampland." The tract involved in the recent sale, which borders the Bibb- Twiggs county line west of In terstate - 16, has been designated the Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. The primary use of the land will be to protect the endangered species that inhabit the area. The two bald eagles and their young, which currently inhabit the area are of special concern. "I'm pleased to see that the land sold is being put to good use." McKinnon said. "1 hope it will be a source of enjoyment for years to come Bond Swamp on 1-16 Is the land that netted Mercer $2.4 million Campus Safety Committee emphasizes student awareness . .a . n... i rvtnher 25 in the Co-op By GWEN POLLOCK Due to the widespread concern of safety around campus, the Student Goverrenent Association has begun a special—committee that deals primarily with campus safety. This committee was formed last spring quarter with the objective of in creasing student awareness of crime problems and the steps that should be taken if a situation arises that endangers the health and security of others. The Campus Safety Committee, headed by David Rushton, has begun a special program called -Student Watch" to promote per sonal safety among the students. Actordby to David Rushton, "The whole focus of the campaign is to make the students realize that there is a safety problem at Mercer University. I'll never be able to make Mercer University complete ly safe, that's impossible, there's no way 1 can do that. But 1 can educate Mercer Unversity students about what goes on here and how they do need to watch their step. The committee has taken the in itiative and begun programs to im prove safety awareness. There arc pamphlets available that explain the "Student Watch" program. It gives students a guide to emergency pro cedures that should be used and also features a map which highlights the safest areas on cam pus to walk and park your car Later on in the year the Campus Safety committee will give all girls who are dorm residents a keychain that has a whistle and the phone number of the Mercer Police. It will give students a resource to use in the event of assault, robbery. or any other difficulties Another major program that the committee recently featured was the "Know Your Rights" forum. On October 25 in the Co-op group of law enforcement officers and legal representatives were available to answer questions from the students concerning their legal tights and the crime activity on University grounds The repre -en- tatives ^eluded Sergeant Washington and Lieutenant Barbee from the Mercer police. Lieutenant Barbee from the Macon police, and Gary Collins, the chief of Mercer police. There were also two assistant attorneys. Mr Bin- ckey and Mr. Simms. Sam Han and Dee Nadkami were represen tatives of the Mercer Judicial Council. After the introduction Mr Binckey opened up the forum with a speech about the effectiveness of the Mercer and Macon police force and the safety problems dial occur on Mercer's campus. The students were then allowed to proceed with Continued on page 3 (