Mercer University BearSign offered a space for students to connect to deaf culture and learn American Sign Language at their second meeting on Oct. 16. With a turnout of around 20 students in Stetson Hall, BearSign Vice President Eliza Penfield '26 guided students through signing the alphabet. Soon after, the executive team explained how to express emotions, majors and minors using ASL.
Christiana Watts ‘26, who is majoring in psychology, and Mars Carstens ‘29, a southern history major with a concentration in Africana studies both practiced signing their majors.
BearSign spiced up the meeting with an interactive game titled “Sign A Phone,” inspired by the auditory game telephone, in which participants whisper a message along a line in an effort to keep the message consistent from person to person. Executive members began the chain, signing sentences to the person next to them. The message chain continued until the last participant guessed the original phrase.
BearSign, previously known as the American Sign Language Club, was founded to “raise awareness about deaf culture, history and the importance of learning American Sign Language,” according to the club’s mission statement. BearSign encourages students to join regardless of experience level.
Executive President Desiree Banks ‘27 said she proposed starting the club because the university lacked an active organization for the deaf and hard of hearing. Brenda Curtis from the Middle Georgia Association for the Deaf assisted as a club mentor over the summer and aided the BearSign executive board, helping them host their first meeting on Sept. 16.
“Whether members are beginners or already know some ASL, everyone can expect a supportive space to learn, connect and grow while having fun and making new friends,” Saundra Harris ‘27 said.
While the organization is composed predominantly of hearing executive members, Keyana Hunt ‘26, deaf advocacy coordinator for the club, is hard of hearing. Before concluding meetings, she presents a “Hot Takes” list for students to become allies to the hard of hearing and deaf community.
“I was never able to be around other people apart from the deaf and hard of hearing community,” Hunt said. “So I knew I wanted that when going into college,”
In addition to meetings on campus, BearSign hosts off-campus events, including an ice cream social last month, where Curtis taught members how to sign different ice cream flavors.
“Our overall goal is to spread awareness about deaf culture, create a supportive space to learn ASL and promote getting classes or even one day getting a major/minor at Mercer,” Banks wrote in an email.
Precious Clark '26 is a Law & Public Policy major with a minor in Political Science. She works at the circulation desk in Tarver Library and Auxiliary Services. When she is not writing for The Mercer Cluster, she enjoys reading, drawing and listening to Tame Impala.
