PAGE TWO MARS HILL COLLEGE HILLTOP WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1974 A As a result of the mini-term course. Was God an Astronaut?, an interest group called "Soup and Saucer" has been formed. Soup stands for Study of Unusual Phenomena, and Saucer stands for Study of Aerial Un knowns by the Commit tee for Extraterres tial Research. We will be meeting one Wednesday a month during the second se mester and will be discussing such things as Tarot card readings, palm rea dings , flying sau cers, ESP, etc. The meetings will be open to all who are inter ested. Meeting dates and times will be placed in the Announ cer in advance. This group will have no dues, officers, or constitution—just a ccanmon interest in the strange and unu sual. Bob Kramer for each player, new travel shirts for each player, new shoes for each play er. Just think—all of this for our men's team within a few month's time and what do the women get? Nothing, except the $800 provided for the few away games they have. REMEMBER, these women represent your school—is it worth it??? Concerned Women Athletes of MHC We are writing out of concern for the welfare of our wo men 's athletic pro grams . To date, these programs have suffered because of lack of funds. We realize that the Phy sical Education De partment has contri buted as much as is possible and some times extra, yet this is not the point. The Varsity program should be included and funded by the Athletic Department just as all of the men's programs are funded. The Varsity Wo men's Basketball team must limit their num ber of games to thir teen because "we just don't have any more money." Donning old men's warm-ups, old uniforms, and using old basketballs, the team performs very well in representing our school. Think a- bout it: 24 new bas ketballs, 2 sets of new practice uniforms HOAX or REALITY by John Campbell Much information has surfaced recently which indicates that the fuel shortage this past summer was really "orchestrated for political and e- conomic benefit by the oil industry." That comment was made by John S. Knight, chairman of Knight newspapers, in a col- lamn which appeared on November 18, 1973. It is available for a stamped, self-ad dressed envelope from the Promotion Depart ment , Detroit Free "Staff Study of the Oversight and Effi ciency of Executive Agencies With Respect to the Petroleum In dustry, Especially as It Relates to Recent Fuel Shortages." It is available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Gov ernment Printing Of fice, Washington, D.C. 20402 and costs $1.00. When ordering ask for report Y-4. G74/6:P44/3. Parade also notes Press, 321 West La fayette, Detroit, Mi chigan 48231. Parade magazine In a time when the Federal government and its citizens are having to pause and re-evaluate a nimiber of our priorities, I feel it is imperative that the students of Mars Hill College do likewise. Just where are we headed? Are we to continue to allow the administration to render football the top financial priori ty while academics lags a distant sec ond? While football wallows in a series of losing seasons, other departments continue to struggle against mediocrity. The Music Department, the school's largest, is striving to make ends meet with a lack of practice rooms (which are not venti lated) , a shortage of professors, and a subsequent schedule which is often impos sible to keep. The Audio-Visuals Department is but an other segment of the college which cer tainly has its share of problems. Anyone who has tried to use some of their materi als knows that they do not have a suffi cient supply of ma terials. This is due basically to a simple shortage of money. A list of further shortcomings is for midable . One cannot receive ETV or PBS stations on this cam pus . The videotape machine is outdated offers this comment: "The federal govern ment and the major oil companies are re sponsible for this country's oil cri sis." They ask doub ters to send for the 40,000 word report that a three part re port entitled "Oil— The Created Crisis," is available for 25: from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Box 8380, Philadelphia, Penn sylvania 19101. It was written by repor ters Don Barlett and James Steele and was originally published in July, 1973. Time magazine re ports growing suspi cion that the Arab world never cut pro duction as much as they said they had, and also has repor tedly uncovered evi dence that Arab pet roleum had been lea king into the U.S., despite a supposedly total embargo. All of these re ports and more point to the fact that the U.S. consumer is bearing the brunt of yet another tactic by large industries to increase their prof its . Exxon, the lar gest oil producer in the U.S., increased its profits during the third quarter of 1973 by 80%. During the first nine months of 1973, while we were supposedly un dergoing a fuel shor tage, the oil indus try exported 1.5 mil lion barrels of dis tillate fuel to for eign countries. Ac cording to Barlett and Steele, the five Continued on page 2 and in constant need of repair. The rea son for these and de ficiencies are again simple; the depart ments suffer from a critical lack of funds. In addition to the departments, Moore Auditorium is in very poor condition. The Light Board is in a ridiculous state. The counterweight system has been in need of repair and reconditioning for at least three years. Moreover, the sound room is in need of extensive repair. Why? You guessed it! Why doesn't the Art Department have a place to display their works in the Student Union Buil ding? Why is the heating system in O- wen Theatre, which is the original system, allowed to continue to break down and on some occasions smoke up the interior of a refurbished theatre, when the press box at Meares Stadium is air-conditioned? The choice for the future of Mars Hill College appears sim ple. Either drop the football program and have an excellent college, or drop the college and have an excellent football _team. There is a great need to examine our priorities. Are we to continue to place "Emphasis on Excell ence" in football and settle for a "Decline in Excellence" in ac ademics? Are we "competent" in allow ing the problems men tioned above to ex ist? The "college" has adopted an education program which they wish to refer to as College was built is weakened. C. Bryan Rice "progressive" rather than "liberal." I realize that for pro gress to occur some thing must be torn down, but when it is the academics which are being "torn down" the very foundation on which Mars Hill The HILLTOP pro vides the opportunity to students and fa culty of Mars Ei'i'l' College to exp>ress their opinions through letters to the editor. Ths HILLTOP staff re- serves the right to edit all letters for libelous statements and good taste. Al'l' letters should be H” mited to 250 words and must be signed by the author. All let ters can be delivered to the HILLTOP office in the Publications Area of Wren College Union or placed i^’ the mail for BoX 1148-C. Hilltop Staff EDITOR ERIC GARNER THE STAFF MARCIA COPE,JIM BAKER TONI WHITE,JUDY SMILEY GENE HOLDWAY,LEWIS WILLIAMS CONNIE MONTAGUE,BEN SPROUSE MARTY SANDERS,DIANE KING JON RIDDLE,ANDY STEFANICK ADVISOR JOHN CAMPBELL The HILLTOP is published on a fortnightly basis by the students at Mars Hill College- Mailing address is Box 1148-C Mars Hill College, Mars Hill, N.C. 28754. Rates for subscription are calculated at $2.00 per year and advertising rates at $1.50 per column inch. . Continu largest tions have s many b to fore than home. Alth of cru dropped t^efined ®id-Dec tunning tember the Ar pumping how mu have product sible however of oil World t er than sible a 25% cut put. We h told t fuel limited ignored of supf Solar If itiends ting t( Pts anc siderii pos choice, ^dmissj hrospec °ften informc Office handle. terviev ®ions Often r ®tudent ^out ac tre ^dfes. Office ^isit, appoint ^^ngem€ »»ade onl