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PAGE Z-THE CLUSTER, NOVEMBER *, 1W
-Editorials
Letter To The Editor
Dear Editor,
Protest, protest, protest! What is
it all about? Are students really that
unconcerned about their education
that they want a six week “party
time?" Do Mercer Administrators
understand how unique Mercer has
striven to be or are some of them
too “new” to the job to understand
the traditions?
Well, to be frank, the protests are
not solely about the six week break.
Instead, these protests are targeted
at the implementation of the
policies here at Mercer Universi
ty. For the past few years, there has
been a break-down in communica
tion between the students, faculty
and administration. Let me clarify,
however, that this break-down does
not include the Administration
members whose offices sit where
there is direct contact with students.
No, the Administration that I speak
of are those who never come out of
the beautiful building, which most
students haven't seen accept during
orientation. These are the people
who feel it is their duty to make the
education process better through
their ideas and policies. However,
these same people have not sal in
a classroom at Mercer for years. In
my philosophy class, we discuss
ed the difference between great
ideas, like those of Carl Marx, and
their actual implementation, like
Marxism. The Administration
needs to learn that their great ideas
are good in theory, but may en
counter problems in actual practice
at Mercer.
The problems that will occur
with the six week break have been
stated many times, but let me
restate them and give a new insight.
The first and most obvious is that
most students work to pay for a
portion of their education here at
Mercer. Granted, the new schedule
will give more time in the summer,
but only two more weeks. The
downfall is that not many students
will be able to get a job during their
two week Christmas break due to
job competition. Considering that
one of those weeks is broken up by
Christmas in the middle (when
most stores will be closed) students
will have little more than a week
to work.
Another problem is in the admis
sions department's attempt to get
students from distant states to at
tend Mercer. With the high price
of air fare, to make one extra trip
will mean that any money made
during the break will go towards
travel expenses.
Aside from these obvious con
cerns. I have many other questions
that the Administration has ap
parently not thought about the
Thanksgiving break. Will the
dorms be open during this
Thanksgiving break? If so. will
students need to move rooms
around or will Mercer pay to keep
all dorms open over the break?
What about the R.A.s having to
stay. Who will control the halls?
For those who are unfamiliar
with the reasons for this new
policy, let me see if I can explain
correctly the position of Bill Miller,
V.P. of Enrollment and a major ad
vocate of the new policy. Accor
ding to the extensive (and expen- '
sive) studies that he has done on
Mercer’s retention rate, students
decide to leave Mercer during that
six week break. Miller argues that
the break allows too much time in
which Mercer students can visit
friends at other Georgia schools
(which are in session during our
break). He claims that when seeing
how much fun their friends are hav
ing. students decide*) transfer. So.
Mr. Miller has decided instead of
tackling why these other schools
are more attractive or dealing with I
Mercer’s many internal problems,
he will propose a change in the
calendar that will blind the Mercer
students’ eyes of other schools.
My argument to Mr. Miller is
that with the present calendar, *
Florida students stan at Mercer two
weeks after University two weeks
after University of Florida, Florida
State and University of Miami. The
proposed change in the calendar
will allow a full month for Florida
students to visit friends at these in
stitutes and “see what they're miss
ing." If his theory of the danger of
the long break works for the j
Christmas break, he must also I
realize that it may allow incoming
Freshmen to choose a Florida i
school over Mercer to begin with. |
Does this mean that Mr. Miller is
compromising the Florida students
for the Georgia students? Strange-
since the average SAT score for
Georgia students is lower than most
ocher states, including Florida.
The issue of the six week break |
is a single issue and not entirely
what the protests are about. In the
words of a dose friend of mine,
‘Let this issue (the six week break)
not be the place in which we stand,
but let it be the straw that broke the
camel's back.” When we look at
two so the high Administration
positions, we realize that the peo
ple who are making the new
policies have not been here as long
as the sophomores. Although they
may have a lot of data and ex
perience. I would argue that the
faculty and the older students have
more expen knowledge about
Mercer than they do. So. does it
make sense to listen and blindly
follow two "new guys on the
block" or should the policies be
made by the faculty and students?
The protest is a demand for those
who make the policies to listen to
the students ideas. Let’s hope that
the Administration does not
become a "totalitarian party" that
does what it believes is best for
students and professors. Students
and faculty are quite compliant in j
making sound decisions regarding i
their owd education and future
X Maybe the Administration will for
| once listen.
Respectfully, j
David Lee Rushton
These squirrels get a birtbeye view of Mondays protest.
260-47-8205
By HEATHER KIMBLE
How many of you came to Mercer because it is a relatively small school?
This is a major consideration for me when I chose what college to attend.
Why? Because, 1 like many other students have a phobia of becoming a
nuxriber. The mere though of walking into a lecture hall with 499 other students
at a large University gave me the “weebee geebees.” Somehow, I can’t see
how such a situation can be conducive to learning. Much to my delight. I've
never been faced with a problem like this at Mercer.
Mercer, true to form, has provenS to be the small, personnal. Liberal Aits
college that 1 hoped for. I don't walk around seeing hundreds of strange faces
everyday. I don’t worry about getting lost on the way to my 8:30 class. Best
of all, I don’t sit in classes being taught by professors who do not know,
nor care to know, my name.
Do I seem to be writing an essay for Admissions to use for recruiting
students. Well, actually I’m not. Instead. 1 just want you to briefly consider
some of the benefits of not being a number. For example, if you’re having
trouble with a psychology project, what do you do? You walk straight Over
to the psychology department and ask your professor for help, right? If you
don’t you’ve got no one to blame but yourself. To the best of ray knowledge.
this rule of accessible, personable professors holds true for most departments
at Mercer. Also, being at a small school should ensure you of having a say
in what goes on around campus.
I feel that this atmosphere of individuality is a major part of Mercer, as
well as a Liberal Arts Education, in general. Unfortunately, there seems to
be an emerging trend that threatens Mercer’s dedication to individuality. This
v ill tan is competition. I’m referring to the all out effort that are occ ruing
to bnng Mercer into sync with other schools.
At the beginning of the quarter, I sat through numerous presentations on
how Mercer is updating its recruiting procedures. Although there is nothing
wrong with wanting Mercer to be the best it can be, there is something
drastically wrong with sacrificing the special aspects of Mercer for the sake
of competing with Stetson. During these various presentations. 1 saw how
perspective stduents were reduced to numbers on charts and reports. Although
this attitude was a bit discomforting, 1 can accept, or at least understand this
procedure as being the simplest way to organize students for recruiting tactics.
However, what 1 adamantly refuse to accept is how a price is being put
on education at Mercer. Throughout these same presentations, Mercer was
made to sound like nothing more thgn a business investment. Sure, every
student at Mercer ends up sinking $40,000 or so into their four years here.
But, what about the four yean of your life that is invested. What about the
knowledge and experience that you accumulate. Try as you may, that aspect
of Mercer can’t be figured on any adding machine.
1 think that this attitude that students are merely investors is greatly respon
sible for all of the conflict that is currently occuring at Mercer. Many of the
students that 1 have talked to lately are outraged that they are quickly becom
ing numbers. They argue, for example, that there is something wrong with
the rationale behind changing Mercer's calendar for the sake of preventing
students from transferring. What about the students that don't transfer and
have no intention to transfer. Is it fair to manipulate a system that they've
grown accustomed to for (he sake of keeping the number of students at Mercer
constant? Well. I personally don't think so. Considering that this is a Liberal
Arts College. I reserve the right to have my own individual opinion on the
Mtrm Cluster
Editor-In-Chief
Umi her KimMt
Managing Editor
Aaaodote Editor
•Spounr Prlf i
Activities Pane Editor
* —-*» NmI
Features Editor
f|—r—•—
Fotartoltantni Editor
Rich Benson
Sports
CM*
Anthony Hooker
Phi Khoyai
. Gregg Franklin
Gory Blackburn
. David Tucker
Staff Writers
Bryant Chitwood, Gwen Pollock, Chuck Junkins. Jeff Bowers. Hcrsbeh
® nr ^* J°dB Evans, Tobtr Goat, Tanunt Robinson, Travis Graved, Wttfaun
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