Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

—p. 4 • - -• . Calvin & Hobbes ~P- 6 | Mercer Tennis f -P- 7 | ttttt Cluster VOLUME 72, NUMBER 13 MERCER UNIVERSITY, MACON, GEORGIA FRIDAY, APRIL 20. 1990 Pope Proposes Suspension Of Women’s Basketball Program By DREW NORD According (o Bobby Pope, | Mercer athletic director, a proposal has been sent to the administration concerning the suspension of the I women's basketball team in the I order “to make our women's | athletic program more com- I petitive." Pope added that as of yet “no decision has been made on I whether we will have women's I basketball program here in the I future." Pope claims his proposal will benefit Mercer’s women's ■ by re-allocating the funds used for the women's basketball team to other programs involved in women's athletics at Mercer. Pope claims the reason for this propos ed suspension is to make more ef ficient use of the money budgeted for athletics since the women's team has not been, in Pope's view, competitive. Pope stressed that this proposal is his idea and that “whether or not the administration will approve of it is uncertain at this point. For us to bejompetitive in di is going to re- > good deal more money" tthews Named Dean At Mercer Pharmacy School Mercer University President R. Kirby Godsey today announced that Dr. Hewitt W. “Ted” Mat thews has been named Dean of Mercer's School of Pharmacy in Matthews has served as acting dean of the school since Sept. 1, 1989, and earlier was associate dean and professor of phar maceutical sciences at the school. The appointment is effective May 1, 1990. A University search com mittee made up of representatives of Mercer's Board of Trustees, faculty, alumni and students recom mended the appointment after an extensive search. Matthews' appointment marks the first time in the University’s 157-year history that a minority has been appointed to serve as dean at the University. He is the only black to hold the position of dean of a school of pharmacy in a majority college or university in the nation. “Ted Matthews’ strong academic background, as well as his knowledge and understanding of the programs of the School of Pharmacy, were significant factors in his selection to this position.” said President Godsey. “He is a highly respected member of the faculty of the School of Pharmacy. Continued on page 3 says Pope. Pope explained that he believes it would benefit the com petitiveness of women’s atheletics at Mercer on the whole more if money were transferal from the funds now alloted for women’s basketball to funds for the other women's sports. Pope also stress ed tf&t this newly allocated money, under his proposed plan, would go to women’s sports only. Although no decision has been made yet concerning this proposal, questions have been raised over the legality of the proposed suspension. These legal cooccms deal with possible violations of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. According to June 21, 1989 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education in an article concerning Title IX. colleges that operate in tercollegiate athletics or clubs or in tramural sports must “provide equal athletic opportunity for members of both sexes. ’ ’ Title IX also requires that equal oppor tunities include such areas as: ac comodating the athletic interests and abilites of female as well as male students; equipment and sup plies; scheduling; traveling and per diem allowances; locker rooms and other facilities, and other factors. In an article in the April 18 issue of the Macon Telegraph and News, Dr. Dan Quisenbcrry, acting direc tor of the College of Liberal Arts faculty athletic committee, stated that the committee proposing the suspension of the women's basket ball team “have not talked to the students or to the athletes that are going to be involved.** Quisenberry claimed that suspen ding the women’s basketball team is oot the only option open to the committee. A second option would be to keep the women's basketball team, but at a cost to the total athletic program. This option would likely cause the other sports to suffer. A third option would in clude dropping out of NCAA Divi sion I, saidQuinsenberry. Mercer, however, would still be at a com petitive disadvantage in Division I, where women's basketball teams are allowed 12 scholarships. Last season, Mercer awarded the equivalent of 8.2 women's basket ball scholarship. Quisenberry also remarked that the financial pro blems of the women’s basketball team is not in itself a good enough reason to suspend the team because this argument can be applied to any Mercer team sports. Mercer’s teams do not bring in revenue ex cept the men’s basketball team with about $100,000 per year. “If you take what Mercer is now spending on men’s basketball and subtract that $100,000 that they bring in. it still costs us more than the women's program docs,*' Quisenberry said. “The argumer; to drop women because they’re not paying their own way and use the money elsewhere could just as easi ly be applied to the men.” Lawson-Rushton Victorious In Wednesday’s Election SGA elections for the fall of 1990 proved to be a succession of close races. After the closing of the polls Wednesday April II. the Hugh Lawson/David Rushton ticket emerged victorious in the Presidential/Vice-presidential race with 391 votes over the 345 votes for the Kevin Walton/Patrick Lee ticket. In the race for Scnator-at- Large, Anthony Snipes and Bert Bowden each received 338 votes. Candy Ellington 324, Jay Stroman 301, and Matthew Getz 290. For Senior Senators. Susan Eakes claimed 85 votes. Karen Pollard 78, Andi Pollard 76. Tracey Miles 63. and a tie resulted between Charlie Bailey and Charles Odom with 57 votes each. A run-off for this position will be held April 18. The race for Junior Senators. Nichole Glisson emerged with 171 votes. Jennifer Dawson 157, Willie Banks 131, Patty Jo Geisel 130. and Mylo Carbia 108. During the debate on Tuesday night. April 10, several issues were brought up and addressed by the candidates concerning the entire Mercer community as well as the students themselves. One of the most prevalent issues was the lack of continuity within the organiza tion of Mercer and within the students. Among these problems were listed the lack of traditional campus-wide unity, a problem of racial tension among students, a communications breakdown bet ween faculty/students/administra- tion, and law standards of admis sions. Incoming President Hugh Lawson slated during the forum that his platform would seek to alleviate these problems by setting up round tabic meetings between the different organizations of Mercer to help coordinate events more efficiently. Lawson added that SGA will seek to “work through new channels such as faculty and other divisions in order to accomplish our goals because of students' lack of confidence with the president." The Lawson/Rushton platform also in cluded plans to monitor admissions with the help of Bill Miller and set up an inter-racial council at Mercer similar to that existing already in the city of Macon. The n^jority of the candidates for the Senatorial positions expressed similar ideas with much emphasis placed on uni fying Mercer and solving the pro blems with the administration. An thony Snipes stated that a problem exists in the relationship between the students and their represen tatives." Snipes slated that this relationship needs to be stronger in all offices of SGA. Finally, many of the candidates were asked what the most important issue facing SGA is for next fall. The responses varied including such topics as lack of unity, Mercer's academic stature, communication problems, rod racial unification.