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Mercer University’s Faith in the Vaccine Ambassadors and OneMacon will host a vaccine town hall and clinic at the Rosa Jackson Community Center on Sept. 11 at 11:30 a.m.
Mercer University has announced the introduction of “Second Saturday,” with the first event coinciding with the University of Alabama v. Mercer football game Sept. 11.
Mercer announced an updated COVID-19 mask and vaccination policy Aug. 12. The school now requires masks for unvaccinated students, employees and community members in indoor public spaces, but for individual departments and classrooms, the guidelines are a bit vaguer.
Mercer’s Student Government Association (SGA) released results for their annual senatorial elections earlier this evening.
The Mercer Bears volleyball team kicked off their 2021-2022 season Aug. 27 and just wrapped up their latest games Saturday. The Bears currently have an even record of 3-3 so far in the regular season. Here’s a look at how those games unfolded. Mercer v. Stetson
Mercer University’s Executive Forum will hold its 42nd annual dinner presentation Tuesday hosted by seven-time Emmy award-winning sportscaster Ernie Johnson Jr.Founded in 1979, the Executive Forum aims to connect students and faculty to the outside business world with events ranging from networking opportunities to live seminars hosted by professionals hailing from corporate Georgia.As per the wishes of its founders, alumnus William H. Anderson II, former President R. Kirby Godsey and founding dean of the Stetson-Hatcher Business School Charles H. Andrews, the Executive Forum continues to provide a myriad of opportunities for the Mercerian business community as they invite Ernie Johnson Jr. to the stand.Originally based at Macon’s WMAZ-TV, Johnson now hosts Inside the NBA on TNT. His experiences in sports coverage range from the national NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on CBS all the way to the international stage at the Olympics.In addition to sportscasting, Johnson authors his new book, “Unscripted: The Unpredictable Moments that Make Life Extraordinary,” which gives readers a glimpse into his personal life. Johnson discusses the adoption of his and his wife’s six children, the death of his father, sportscaster Ernie Johnson, and his battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the immune system.Allen London, the director of the Executive Forum, discusses the selection process for the Executive Forum presenters and talks about how the Forum chose Johnson.“The Executive Forum has strived to select regionally and nationally known speakers representing a wide variety of topics of interest to our members including, but not limited, to leadership, broadcasting, politics, finance, and healthcare,” London said. “We chose Ernie Johnson Jr. due to his broad appeal, his inspirational story, and for his local connections.”Speakers are selected by an internal group consisting of London, Senior Vice President for University Advancement John Patterson and Mercer Business Dean Julie Petherbridge. An external committee of co-sponsors and trustees also aid in speaker selection.As the Executive Forum continues to work in conjunction with the Stetson-Hatcher Business School and the Office of University Advancement, their events are invitation-only to members ranging from corporations to individuals that can join by paying an annual fee. According to London, faculty and students may attend as well under certain conditions.“Since The Executive Forum is a partnership between the Office of University Advancement and the Stetson-Hatcher School of Business, all business school faculty are invited to attend any and all Executive Forum programs,” London said. “The Executive Forum is a membership-funded organization and, as a result, we are limited in our seating but often invite students to attend when seats are available.”The event will take place Sept. 7 at 6:30pm in the President's Dining Room. For more information, visit the page for the Executive Forum on Mercer’s website.
Over 70 cases of COVID-19 were reported on Mercer University’s Macon campus this week according to the weekly testing summary. The number has nearly doubled each week since students began moving back on campus.The week freshmen moved in for Bear Beginnings, August 13-19, the Macon campus reported 18 positive cases. The next week, which was the first week of class, there were 29.This week, 71 students and 5 faculty members tested positive on the Macon campus. One Macon graduate student is hospitalized, according to the university's report.An accurate positive test rate for the Macon campus is unable to be calculated, as Mercer does not break down the number of tests administered on each campus. Only a total number of tests across all campuses is provided, which was 945 this week.Mercer is currently requiring surveillance testing of all unvaccinated students, faculty and staff, and masks are required for members of the Mercer community who are unvaccinated.According to an email from University President Bill Underwood, “more than 81%” of students have completed or begun the process of being fully vaccinated. However, the university failed to provide information that makes that metric significant. Neither a campus-by-campus breakdown nor the total number of students on each campus was provided.The Cluster reached out to the Provost’s office to request more in-depth vaccine data for each campus, but the office declined to provide any new information.To schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment with Mercer Medicine, visit the scheduling website.Members of the Mercer community are directed to call Mercer Medicine at (478) 301-4111 or the Student Health Center 24/7 hotline at (478) 301-7425 if they begin displaying symptoms. Students who are enrolled in a course in which a student has tested positive will receive an email notifying them of their risk.
Football opened up their season at home against the Point University Skyhawks and did it in spectacular fashion.Not only did the Bears dominate the scoreboard, but they gained a total of 778 yards, 539 of which were rushing. They broke the school record for total yards gained and the record for rushing yards in a game.The Bear’s defense let up only 115 total yards and DJ McDaniel recorded an interception.Quarterback Carter Peevy went 9-for-12, passing for 139 passing yards before being relieved by junior Dylan Fromm after the first half. Fromm went 5-for-7 passing for 46 passing yards before he too was substituted for junior Fred Peyton. Payton went 4-for-6 with 54 passing yards.The first touchdown of the night came early in the first quarter after running back Brandon Marshall made a 4-yard run into the end zone. The second touchdown of the first quarter was a 15-yard pass from Peyton to sophomore Ethan Dirrim.Peevy kicked off the second quarter with a 47-yard touchdown pass to receiver Ty James. Receiver Devron Harper went for a 25-yard run into the end zone for another Mercer touchdown.Running back Fred Davis completed two back-to-back touchdowns, one a 6-yard run and the other a 2-yard run. The impressive two quarters left the bears up 42-0 at the half.Even with the big lead, the Bears did not let up on offense.Fromm connected with Tayshaun Shipp less than a minute into the second half, then Nakendrick Clark made a 4-yard run to end the third quarter. Tommy Pollack finished off the game with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The first was a 1-yard run and the second a 42-yard run.Devin Folser made all 10 extra-point attempts and Caleb Dowden attempted a field goal kick in the fourth quarter, but missed right. The game ended 69-0.The Bears head on the road next week to face the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sept 11.
Mercer Panhellenic will begin the first round of fall formal recruitment virtually via Zoom Friday.Each round was scheduled to be in-person originally, but three members of Panhellenic sororities reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 Monday and Tuesday, according to the Office of Campus Life in a Thursday email.During the first round, also known as “open house,” participants in recruitment visit each of Mercer’s four Panhellenic sororities: Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Chi Omega and Phi Mu. This means there is a potential for high transmission of the coronavirus if it were to be held in person.The latter two rounds and the bid day celebration on the final day are still scheduled to take place in person. Masks are required both for members of sororities and potential new members during recruitment.If more cases are reported, Campus Life says they plan to move rounds virtually as necessary.If students participating in recruitment have a preference to participate in each round virtually, Campus Life says that is an option for them.“Students who participate in the recruitment process virtually will be at no disadvantage to those participating in person,” a representative of Campus Life said in an email to The Cluster. “Mercer Pan has put policies in place that exceed Mercer’s event policies and is prepared to host as safe of a recruitment process possible during this continued pandemic.” Editors’ Note: Mary Helene Hall is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta at Mercer University. This article was edited by staff members of The Cluster unaffiliated with Greek Life.
By now, you’ve moved into your dorm, and you’ve probably done some minor engineering to make your space functional and cute — a Command hook by the door for your keys, a photo wall to remember all your friends and family back home, a corkboard to display your jewelry.But if you really want to make your dorm uniquely yours as well as a fun place for your friends to hang out, read on for some zesty ideas!Beaded CurtainsMy roommate and I bought one mega bucket of beads and a reel of fishing wire from Walmart, which made 21 bead strands that cover half of our three living room windows.We strung them at random, intentionally not instituting any patterns in the bead arrangement, so each strand is unique. We also embedded little secret messages in some of the strands using letter beads.When the sun shines just right, tiny rainbows are reflected on our living room wall.This may be the most meticulous craft on this list, as it took several hours to complete all the strands — and likely many more if we’d done the whole length of the windows — but the beaded curtains are my favorite thing in our living room right now.GarlandsOn the topic of stringed things, garlands are a personal, versatile touch to any living space. In a corner of my own room, I have a garland of origami butterflies and stars folded out of old book pages. I’ve also made a couple strings of rainbow origami cranes for my best friend and origami frogs for my girlfriend.If origami isn’t your thing, there are tons of other items you can attach to a garland.Picture dried oranges brightening up your kitchen area, or a wreath of dried flowers dangling above your bed, or your favorite crystals hanging over your dorm’s entrance.Don’t forget that flat items attached to walls aren’t the only way you can liven up your living space!Clay MagnetsThis is a great, affordable activity for a couple of evenings with your friends.My friends and I used air-dry clay, a package of small, circular magnets and acrylic paint to complete this project. Then, we got to work! We shaped snails, frogs, fairies and mushrooms out of our clay — let your imagination guide your hands!While the clay was still moldable, we embedded the magnets into the backs of our creations so we would not have to glue magnets on later.The next night, after the clay completely dried, we got together again and painted them.Our magnets do look cute up there on our fridges, but truly the best part is that we swapped our little creations amongst each other. Now I can smile at my friends’ art when I’m reaching into the fridge!Vinyl BowlThis one is a little more complicated because you need an oven, but if you or a friend lives in one of the dorms with a full kitchen, then it’s a pretty simple and funky DIY.It’s easier to explain with visuals, so I’ve linked the tutorial I followed.In the end, you’ll have a retro bowl you can stick by the door as a catch-all, or you can pull it out and fill it with snacks for a themed party!Smartphone ProjectorThis is also a more complex project, so check out the link for instructions.Once you start, though, you’ll find that you probably already have all the items you need except a magnifying glass. And once you finish, you’ll have a groovy smartphone projector you can use for movies or photo shoots with friends.Happy crafting!
This past summer, eight Mercer students from the Stetson School of Business and the School of Engineering were selected to participate in the new Blue Bird Scholars program. The program is part of a larger university initiative to enhance corporate relations at Mercer, according to Kimberly Meredith, director of Mercer’s Center for Career and Professional Development. “The Blue Bird Scholars program is a win for students, the university and the employer,” Meredith said. “The program is a perfect demonstration of purposeful actions put in place to fulfill the Mercer Mission. Everyone involved in this program experienced various ways to learn, to create, to discover, to inspire, to empower and to serve.” The students participating in the Blue Bird program each completed a 12-week internship at the bus manufacturer and were offered $2,500 upon completion. Mercer has high hopes for expanding its corporate partnerships in the coming years. Mercer is a part of the Network of Academic Corporate Relations Officers which provides a framework for national standards and professional development opportunities. Mercer’s career offices are also looking to set up a corporate partners program or corporate engagement program, according to Senior Associate Vice President for University Advancement Allen London. This program creates a simpler process for university relationships, London said. When a company wants to partner with Mercer, there will be a “centralized, one-stop-shop” they can reach. These offices are working on a website that will fulfill this purpose. Mercer also recently established a Corporate Relations Council designed to focus on Mercer’s corporate connections. While corporate relations at Mercer are expanding, they have long been an integral part of Mercer. One important partnership, according to London, began in the 1980s with Robins Air Force Base and resulted in the creation of Mercer’s engineering school in 1985. This has opened the door for a variety of relationships for Mercer. “The beauty of Mercer is that we're small and nimble,” London said. “We can turn on a dime and we can make some decisions faster than sometimes larger public institutions can make.” Meredith said that the Center for Career and Professional Development is also seeing developments in terms of corporate employers. “The Center for Career and Professional Development is experiencing high levels of engagement with employers at this time,” Meredith said. With the university’s recent relationships in mind, Meredith advised students to create a Handshake account to fully utilize the college-to-career resources that are available to them at Mercer.
The transition to college can be tough, and getting used to a new school and a new environment contributes to that. One of the most important parts of starting college is developing an efficient study plan. Luckily, there are lots of beautiful places to study on Mercer’s campus. Tarver Library Tarver Library is one of the most popular study spots on Mercer’s Macon campus, but there’s a lot more to it than a newcomer might expect. The building consists of three floors with plenty of places to get some homework done. The first floor is open 24 hours a day and is equipped with an Einstein Bros. Bagels and lots of private study rooms. The second floor is where you will find the library computers and printers. The third floor, dubbed the “quiet floor,” has several study rooms with large windows overlooking Mercer’s campus. Make sure you show up early during finals and midterms, though — the study rooms will fill up quickly. CSC Lounge The Which Wich Lounge located in the Connell Student Center is a popular spot for students to study. With Which Wich, Brewed Awakenings and the CSC Pod located in the same area, you can grab something to eat before studying. This is a great option if you like studying in busy areas, but it can also be a quiet study spot when Which Wich is closed. Z Beans Located in Mercer Village right next to Mercer’s campus, Z Beans Coffee is perfect for anyone who loves studying in coffee shops. It was even founded by a Mercer alum. Z Beans boasts a wide array of coffees, teas and sandwiches. You can see their full menu here. Historic Quad and Cruz Plaza For those who prefer to study outside, the Historic Quad and Cruz Plaza are great options. Located just a short walk away from the freshman dorms, the Historic Quad is home to many of the humanities departments and is a central part of Mercer’s campus. It has some benches available, but you can also bring a blanket and have a seat on the grass. Cruz Plaza is another great spot to sit on a blanket and offers a little more open space, residing between Tarver Library and the University Center. Godsey Science Center Godsey Science Center is one of the newest buildings on campus, and it’s equipped with plenty of study spaces useful for STEM students and non-majors alike. With a designed study space on its first floor and seating areas set up outside the classrooms, it’s a great place to get some last-minute studying in before class or review the materials after class.
Mercer’s all-new Outdoor Recreation Complex got a warm welcome from students during the annual Recreational Sports & Wellness “Rec the Night” event last Thursday. Rec the Night typically takes place in the University Center, but the opening of the ORC gave those behind the project the chance to show it off for the first time. The event featured free food and shirts, games, a water slide, athletic club booths and more. “We're trying to make sure that students know where we're at,” RSW Director Todd Thomas said. “I think once students see the facility with their own eyes, I think they'll really see that it's a state-of-the-art facility." The new facility will serve as the home of RSW programs as well as outdoor club and intramural sports such as soccer, ultimate frisbee and flag football. The ORC is located just off-campus next to the Macon Dog Park in the College Hill Corridor. It has one large field that is larger than a soccer field, one small “warm-up” field, and a building with restrooms and an office space. The project cost “approximately $1 million,” according to RSW. ORC fields are going to be put to use immediately — several intramural groups have seasons that begin throughout September. “We're really excited to have a place that is just for intramurals, club sports, rec sports — a place that is just for Mercer students to come and recreate,” RSW Graduate Assistant Brenna Wortham said. “This is a place specifically designed for the average student, not student-athletes.” To learn more about RSW activities including club sports, intramurals and more, visit their page on Mercer’s website.
Football head coach Drew Cronic will join host Rick Cameron for the second season of The Drew Cronic Coach's Show. The show will air Monday, Aug. 30 at 5 p.m. before airing once a week every Thursday at 7 p.m. The weekly talk show offers viewers game previews, special guests including players and university dignitaries, and a #AskCoachCronic section for viewers to enjoy. Football began their Drew Cronic Show last year with the first installment airing Oct. 8, 2020. The show ran consistently through the 2020-2021 season and returns now as the 2021-2022 season gets underway. Athletic Director Jim Cole and women's lacrosse Head Coach Samantha Eustace are examples of the many guests that appeared on last year's series. Each episode lasts about an hour and is posted on Mercer Football’s Facebook page. The show is filmed live at the Wild Wing Café in The Shoppes at River Crossing, and fans can watch old episodes on Facebook. Fans have been fairly reactive to the Drew Cronic Show with each episode receiving a few comments, around a dozen likes and a question or two. The upcoming special episode includes prizes such as free “Mercer Swag,” free appetizers for Mercer students, a 55-inch TV and more. Mercer students and fans alike can attend Monday's episode and future Thursday episodes in-person at 5080 Riverside Dr. Suite 100 or online on Mercer Football’s Facebook page.
Mercer football game days feature many activities, but it can be overwhelming if you’re not sure where to go. Here’s a look at how a typical game day unfolds and what events to look for. Gameday for Mercer usually involves tailgates on the Black Field next to the football stadium and fun activities for students on Cruz Plaza. These events will all be present when the Bears open their season at home Sept. 2 against the Point University Skyhawks. The game will also include Mercer’s “478 Day” promotion. This event is designed to highlight local businesses and communities in Middle Georgia, according to Mercer Athletics. A key feature of “478 Day” involves changing the cost of general admission tickets to $4.78, but a ticket package is also available. The ticket package costs $20 and also includes a 478 hat. While Mercer students get tickets to games for free, they can still purchase the ticket package to get a hat. Local entrepreneurs will be allowed to showcase their businesses, which means food and games for students and fans alike during the pre-game tailgate on Black Field. The tailgate begins with Toby Town at 12 p.m which gives fans a chance to take photos with Toby the Bear. Kids aged 12 years and younger can enjoy the bounce house and other inflatables. Another part of game days at Mercer is the Ford Concert Series. The Ford Series is a set of concerts organized by Mercer Athletics that runs throughout the season. Multiple concerts will take place Sept. 2 for the first game, including Ethan Payne at 3 p.m., Floco Torres at 4 p.m. and Molly Stevens at 5 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets online or at the University Center ticket window. Students can attend games for free.
Volleyball is returning to action Friday in a home opener against Stetson University. The game against Stetson is part of the Mercer Bears Classic tournament, a three-game homestand where Mercer will play Steston, the University of New Hampshire and Murray State University. Mercer’s volleyball team closed out last season with a Southern Conference Championship game loss to Samford University, but the Bears looked better than ever despite the loss. Merer received their first-ever share of the regular-season title last season, and expectations are high as the SoCon coaching poll projected Mercer to place second in the SoCon. This preseason saw middle hitter Jaida Howell and outside hitter Annie Karle receive Preseason All-SoCon nods. Karle led the Bears in kills with 285 while Howell led the team in blocks with 90 last season and seem primed to have great seasons for Mercer. Volleyball added outside hitter Morgan Verheyen who transferred from the University of Buffalo. Verheyen did not play last season due to COVID-19 but recorded eight spikes, four digs and three kills for Buffalo in 2019. Middle hitter Rayanne de Oliveira is returning after averaging .36 service aces per set, sixth-best in the SoCon, along with libero Megan Smith who was also sixth in the SoCon averaging 4.17 digs per set. After the Mercer Bears Classic, volleyball will have three more tournaments before entering conference play: the Denver Tournament, the Elon Tournament and the Georgia Southern Tournament. The full volleyball schedule can be found at mercerbears.com.
Coming soon to a vacated hair salon near you: an all-new, unique movie theater with Mercer ties. Jay Black, a Mercer professor, Carl Fambro, owner of Francar's Buffalo Wings, and Bill Ackerman, a recent Veterans Affairs retiree, have begun converting the former Indigo Salon & Spa next door to Francar’s and Georgia Public Broadcasting into “Black Bear Theater” for Mercer students and the local community. The Macon-Bibb Planning & Zoning Commission just approved the new business, and a local designer has already begun the renovation phase of the facility. The idea is to show second-run movies, partner with local schools and provide a more social atmosphere for movie-goers. “We think with the limited run concept, we can actually bring what we call ‘art films’ to Macon,” Black said. The Black Bear Theater will provide the classic movie staples: soda, candy and popcorn. In addition to the basics, it will also provide a selection of beer and wine for patrons to enjoy before, during and after the production. “This is an experimental theater, there is nothing like this as far as I know,” Black said. “We’re having a dine-in theater, but with no kitchen. We will allow food in -- where other theaters don’t -- but you just owe me five dollars to bring it in for what we call the uncorking fee. You can bring your mother’s lasagna in.” Outside, the large patio that Black Bear will share with GPB and Francar’s will be a beer garden, a large outdoor eating area with plenty of tables for moviegoers to eat and drink while waiting for their film to start. When the time comes to enter, they pick up their remaining food and head inside to enjoy the film. “We’re going to be putting chairs and tables outside,” Black said. “We’ll open the concession stand early, and we’ll be serving beer and wine. We’ll have a beer garden going from here at the theater all the way over to Francar’s. You can get beer and wine from us and wings from Francar’s.” The hope of the new theater is that there will be “no bad seats,” as Black put it. Instead of a traditional stadium seating arrangement, there will be a variety of seats available to moviegoers, some as close as five feet to the screen. The movie will not be projected from a traditional booth, but rather from a ceiling-mounted projector. “I’ve always wanted to run or own a theater,” Black said. “I put myself through undergrad and master’s degree by being a projectionist or theater manager, so I have the manager background, but I never started my own theater.” The theater is planning to be ready to open before January.
The Mercer shuttle has announced new routes, times and an additional pick-up area for the 2021-2022 academic year. The shuttle, managed by the university and the Macon Transit Authority, is a service to allow students a safe method of transportation. Each route has three pick-up and drop-off locations: Mercer bridge inside the Stadium Drive campus entrance, Greek Village side entrance near the Mercer Police Department and the corner of College Street and Coleman Avenue. The pick-ups and drop-offs run in that order each time. The downtown evening route runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. in 30-minute loops. The sole downtown stop is the corner of 3rd Street and Cherry Street. The final shuttle returns to campus by 3 a.m. On Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m., the shuttle loops each hour. From campus, the stops are the corner of 3rd Street and Cherry Street and the Grey Highway Walmart. To campus, the stops are the Baconsfield Kroger and the corner of 3rd Street and Cherry Street. The Wednesday route is no longer available due to a lack of riders, according to Director of Campus Life Carrie Ingoldsby. “I think the Saturday daytime route will be a better option for students that need to grab groceries or hit Walmart or downtown Macon,” Ingoldsby said. The shuttle can be tracked via the “Trolly Tacker,” available as a website or apps for iOS and Android. Students must wear masks on shuttles at all times regardless of vaccination status, and passengers must be seated at all times. Students may request alternative disability accommodations by calling the Macon Transit Authority at (478) 803-2500. “I am excited that we have the shuttle fully operational this year,” Ingoldsby said. “I hope that students take advantage of this option.”
The Macon Violence Prevention Program has sent a call-to-action for local Macon nonprofits and community efforts: send us an idea to reduce violent crime, and we will fund it. “Macon-Bibb county is experiencing an unacceptable spike in crimes like murder, aggravated assault, especcialy during these past two years,” Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller said. Miller gave a speech in June asking for the community to help. According to Miller, the sheriff cannot protect Macon-Bibb “by himself.” “One person can’t do it, one mayor can’t do it, one commission can’t do it. Our team can,” Miller said. “You can’t sit back behind a monitor and a keyboard every time Macon-Bibb County has an incident and complain about what they should have done.” Miller changed tack shortly after, presenting an invitation for collaboration to the community and a call for aid. The hope was to kick-start community engagement in stopping the rising violence in Macon-Bibb County. During his speech, the sheriff’s department was responding to a fatal shooting less than three miles away. “Of course it’s disheartening to hear that, especially during a time when we’re there to do something that takes action about it,” Miller said regarding the death in an interview with WGXA News. “It’s another life that’s gone. But we’ll get over it.” Macon-Bibb County has held multiple forums all over the community, holding up to the mayor’s promise, and has been holding in-person forums as well as producing an online 13 question survey for people to pitch ideas. According to The Macon Telegraph, a typical suggestion is to involve youth early, but they never seem to show up at the forums. “I do think we still need to be able to touch the youth,” a forum attendee said. “I hadn’t seen many youth at these forums, and when we’re talking a lot of things, a lot of ideas that come up are based in the youth, and so we need to get the youth to the table, and so that’s one of those things that I just hadn’t seen in these forums yet.” The final forum will be held Aug. 19 at the Methodist Home for Children for city District 4. Macon-Bibb County Commissioner Mallory Jones III will be hosting the forum. According to Macon Violence Prevention’s Facebook page, the event is expected to run for an hour and a half.
When you are packing for college, you have your list of essentials and non-essentials. And then you have your hidden third list — your essential non-essentials. These items aren’t necessarily as critical as shirts and body wash, but they sure do make acclimating to college much easier. Ottoman At Mercer, there are dorms like Legacy, where you’d have to be an Olympic pole-vaulter to get on the tall bed smoothly. Or, you might live in Plunkett, where every inch of floor space matters, so you put your bed as high as it can go to fit items underneath. Either way, getting to sleep can be more difficult than you anticipated. A storage ottoman is a great investment, as it helps you step into bed while keeping some of your items stored away. Bedside storage caddy Along with getting into bed, putting things like your phone or diary beside the bed is a challenge when the dresser is miles below you. Having a bedside storage caddy was an immense benefit to me. Bonus: when I was already oh-so-comfy in bed, I could just drop my book next to me instead of getting up to put it away at night! HDMI cord It’s a problem as old as modern technology has been at college: one roommate has a subscription to a streaming service, the other brought a television and both want to watch a show while they eat. Neither of them brought an HDMI cord. Save the disappointment later and make the trip to the store now. Ethernet cable With so many students all using the Wi-Fi at once for texting, video games, TV and sometimes homework, the network is bound to slow down. An Ethernet cable ensures that you’re getting the highest-speed connection you can. Mini garment steamer I considered my freshman year roommate a genius and a lifesaver when she pulled the garment steamer out of her suitcase. Living in cramped quarters and having to fold most of my clothes into the dressers meant that they were bound to get wrinkled, and I couldn’t run a dryer every time I needed a fresh shirt. It was an easy addition to my morning routine. Foldable drying rack Something that has been on my dorm wishlist forever is a drying rack. Many people start washing their own laundry for the first time when they move away to college, and they realize — sometimes too late — that not everything can handle a drying cycle. However, strewing clothes about your dorm to dry can make moving around inconvenient for you and your roommate. A drying rack will keep everything safe, clean and out of the way. Plus, when you are done using it, it collapses for easy storage. Stain remover stick Speaking of cleanliness, your clothes probably won’t be spotless after every meal. But sometimes, you’re in a rush to class, or all the washing machines are taken. A stain remover stick is a quick fix in a pinch. Sewing kit When you’re on a tight college student budget, you can’t always afford to throw out something just because it has a hole or rip or doesn’t fit quite right. A sewing kit is a simple and sustainable solution to small clothing malfunctions. House slippers Shoes can be such a bother to put on and off, especially if you’re just doing a quick task like visiting your hall neighbor or switching your laundry. Slide-on shoes are a simple luxury you’ll thank me for later. Coffee maker Of course, having a small coffee maker will save the caffeine-addicted college student money they’d be spending in a cafe, but it can also be used to cook small meals like ramen and macaroni and cheese. Tupperware containers In my four years here at Mercer, one thing that has surprised me is the number of people who don’t have plastic food storage containers. Every year, friends ask to borrow my Tupperware sets to put away leftovers for later, and I don’t blame them — they’re definitely one of the handiest items I own, and I recommend you do, too!
Solutions by The State News