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(02/21/14 1:01am)
As of Monday, the Mercer University Board of Appropriations approved the funding for a new Mercer smartphone application. The first stirrings of this idea came approximately one year ago, and the idea is finally becoming a reality.
The app, called Campus Access, by Dub Labs, will include many things that the current Mercer app does not. “This app will have tabs for alumni, prospects and current students. Current students will see certain things whereas alumni will see where alumni events are, and you can have news feeds on there,” said SGA vice president Melina Hettiaratchi.
She also said that the app will be able to link to Mercer Twitter and Facebook pages, which Hettiarachi said is a big deal for the university, because a lot of people currently don’t use those pages. The app will also have access to Blackboard, the Mercer directory and a page that has cafeteria hours and menus, as well as possibly integrate with Mercer Village. “Anything that is already an app can be put in, anything that is already online can be fed in directly,” said Hettiaratchi.
“Everything will be actionable links,” said Hettiaratchi. “So you can click on a link and it will open up in google maps and show you the fastest and easiest ways to get around campus. It’s a lot more capability and versatility than we had before.”
The app will be kept up by a company known as Dub Labs, a company that is based in Washington, D.C. “It’s their job to maintain the app, so really any changes that need to be made will go through them and they’ll be prompt to fix them or add things. It will always be pertinent information, always kept up to date,” said SGA senator Sarah Webster, who heads the Contract Services committee.
“It will be free for students, which is a big deal because students have to pay for Blackboard,” said Hettiaratchi. “There’s so many things this app could do.”
Now that the funding has finally been approved, Webster says it will be only six weeks before the app is released for student use. The app comes with a two-year contract, which Webster says will give SGA time to gauge student interest, as well as what needs changing or fixing. Like owning a page on Facebook, the app will come with a data analytics feature, in order to track what pages students are using the most.
“We’re really excited about it,” said Webster.
(02/21/14 1:00am)
The Vietnam Mercer on Mission trip is looking to expand its program, and perhaps even establish a full-time presence. This past December, volunteers including Mercer University president William Underwood and donor to the program Chris Sheridan traveled to two cities in Vietnam in order to fit prosthetics on some of the landmine victims. However, the trip also served the purpose of finding partners for this expansion. Mercer on Mission Vietnam currently has two organizations that it collaborates with in order to do the work that it does in the country. One, a Catholic agency named Caritas in Ho Chi Minh city, has provided both volunteers and a workspace for the Mercer volunteers. The Mission’s other partner is Dr. Nguyen Quoc Lap, a Vietnamese government official and renowned orthopedic surgeon. Lap is the director of the Can Tho Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Center in Can Tho, Vietnam, which is the other city that volunteers visited.
“Since 2009, we’ve been going every summer. We first did 35 prosthetics, and this last year we did 272, so we’ve been able to improve the prosthetic and now we’re faster than we’ve ever been,” said Dr. Craig McMahan, the director of the Mercer on Mission program. “And while 272 is a large number, 2,000 people step on landmines every year in Vietnam and blow their legs off. And even that doesn’t account for the 10,000 that are already there, so 272 is just a drop in the ocean. What we’re trying to do is establish a full-time presence in Vietnam, so that we can make a bigger dent in the issue.”
One of the troubles that face the program, is trying to find the right partners. While working with Caritas, the volunteers deal with some of the richer citizens of Ho Chi Minh city who want a prosthetic that looks like an actual leg. However, while partnering with Lap, the people that benefit from the prosthetics are rice farmers who don’t care for the cosmetics of the prosthetic, instead preferring durability. McMahan has said at this point, the program is favoring partnering with Lap, since as a government official and surgeon, he offers the program a credibility and makes it easier to do the work that they do.
Lap wrote a letter, telling about the recent Harvard Medical trip to Vietnam. “Everybody was all excited about Harvard Med. We rolled out the red carpet for them. They came, they palpated a few people, made a few diagnoses, took lots and lots of pictures, and then they left. Mercer comes, you guys work twelve hours a day, you fit 272 people with a prosthetic. Harvard’s not the number one university, it’s Mercer!”
McMahan said that it was important that Sheridan and Underwood were able to participate in the trip, since it allowed the two to experience first-hand what was actually going on in Vietnam, and gave them a new understanding of the program.
“The main thing about the program is the impact and the difference it makes,” said McMahan. He described one patient, a man who had lost both legs. He told the volunteers that he was treated like a dog because he had to crawl everywhere. He worked in the rice fields by making kneepads out of chunks of tires to provide for his three daughters, and when he was finally able to stand on his new prosthetics, he told the volunteers that they had made him a man again.
Though the program is still deciding on which direction to go, those in charge are already looking into moving into Cambodia and Laos. “The fact is that it’s a terrific prosthetic,” said McMahan. “And we can make them for $200-- normally they’re $8,000-- so very cheap and very good prosthetics. We’re really proud of the work that we’re doing and really proud of our students, who are helping with the fitting and continuing to raise money in different ways.”
(02/21/14 12:55am)
For those of you who watched the Super Bowl, you know that some people watch it for the sports, and some people watch it for the advertisements. I myself didn’t watch it all, for either reason, but I did watch one of the ads later when it was put on Youtube. The ad I’m talking about is the Coca-Cola ad, which features the song “America the Beautiful” sung by people of different cultures and different languages. When I first saw this on the “Trending” part of my Facebook, I was skeptical. The tag on the link was “Come see what makes America beautiful.” Though I’m jaded to the idea of “America” and its supposed beauty, I clicked on the link anyway, and watched the ad. And I was happy. Because it seemed like finally, the big named companies were getting the hint that the world isn’t white-washed, like we’re led to believe. And Coke was finally playing on the “Great American Melting Pot” idea that made this country what it is today.
However, then I had the misfortune of scrolling down to the comments, I knew I shouldn’t, but I did anyway. And then all faith in humanity was once again lost. “I’m just saying, a song written in English should be sung in English,” commented one user, who clearly doesn’t understand that English is pretty much the illegitimate child of several languages.
Another user posted, “Yeah, immigrants settled America, but if you look, 90% of them were Europeans and white, and the rest were black. My family served in two wars, your family didn’t do [crap]. Immigrants today get the red carpet treatment.” This was my queue to get off Youtube before I read even uglier comments.
To me, these comments are not only rude and uncalled for, but also extremely ignorant. Regardless of what the race of the first American settlers were, it doesn’t change the ideal of America. America is not a one-race nation, nor should it ever be considered to be. So what there was a same-sex couple? There are many same-sex couples living all over America. I think Coke hit the nail on the head in this ad, and much like the Cheerios ad that featured an interracial couple that got a lot of flack when it first aired, Coke stuck to their guns. They’ve even aired an extended version of the ad, which I saw playing during the Olympics. What some people need to understand is that America may be featured as a white-washed society where people of different races are called “thugs” or “terrorists” simply because of a racist fear, but that is not what America truly is.
America has become more than the land that our founding fathers could have ever dreamed of. Though it is far from being perfect, it has the potential to be a wonderful place of welcome and personal freedom. But since there are people like the ones I quoted above, there is currently no way that can happen. There are still people who would deny others the rights and privileges they themselves enjoy, all because they were born in a different country or to a different race. To those people, and the people who are considering boycotting Coke because of the ad, I say that though they have a right to their beliefs, those beliefs don’t entitle them to be right. Coke gets a huge shout-out from this reporter.
(02/06/14 9:50pm)
Junior Oliver Snaider is not only a tennis player here at Mercer University, but also an international student. He is the only child of his parents to be born in Paraguay, while the rest of his family was born in Germany. He has been playing tennis for 12 years. “Mainly in South America, people always pick soccer,” said Snaider. “I was thrilled about tennis and that it’s a very individualistic sport.”
Snaider has been living on his own since he was 16, which he says has made him more independent.
Snaider is an international business major who plans to get a Master’s degree in the near future. When asked what he planned to do after college, he replied that though he’s keeping his options open, the main plan is for him to take after his father’s company. Snaider’s father owns an import and export company, as well as a tent rental company and a workshop that he outsources. “I want to stay here for a bit, look for a nice job, maybe in Europe, because my family’s from Europe,” said Snaider.
When asked what he thought was the hardest part of being a student athlete, Snaider responded, “Managing times, and the sport with the classrooms. Mainly when you’re in season, you train a lot, because you have early workouts that make you tired before the next class and then when you have projects. It’s just the price you pay to keep doing the sport you like.”
In addition to being an international student, Snaider is also a transfer. Before he came to Mercer last semester, Snaider attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in South Georgia. He said that he came to the United States to study because his parents wanted him to. “My older sister came, and there was a year I didn’t play tennis much. I got exhausted of it, pretty much every athlete does,” Snaider said. “And I don’t really like being in the same place for long. So I said, okay, my parents want me to come, I’ll try to go. I really like America.”
When asked who his favorite faculty member at Mercer was, Snaider said that it was Ray Tatum, assistant vice president and director of admissions. “It was hard to get here because of NCAA rules and I didn’t know much,” said Snaider. “He does a really good job by following up with us international students and making sure we don’t need anything. He helped me a lot.”
Snaider said that one advantage that he thinks he has in life is the ability to adapt to cultures very easily. He’s lived in Italy, Argentina. He has family in Germany, where his brothers are currently living. “The culture shock doesn’t really affect me,” said Snaider.
When asked if he had a special routine to pump himself up before a match, Snaider replied that he typically listens to music. “If I’m nervous, I like to listen to slow music, if I need to chill out and relax, I listen to more hard music.”
(02/06/14 9:28pm)
Macon is thriving, and people are noticing. In addition to being selected for the C-SPAN Cities Tour, Macon was recently one of seven cities selected to be a part of the Strong Cities, Strong Communities initiative. This initiative is a pilot program launched by the White House that, according to the official White House blog, “aims to strengthen neighborhoods, towns, cities and regions around the country by strengthening the capacity of local governments to develop and execute their economic vision and strategies.”
One of 51 cities to apply, Macon made it all the way to being selected for this opportunity to have two federal helpers stay for at least a year in order to help develop jobs and other projects that the mayor’s office has planned for Macon.
“A lot of our projects are very long-term. Some are five to 10 years, and some are 20 to 30 year projects,” said director of public affairs for the City of Macon, Chris Floore. “But what we’ve seen in the past six to seven years is we are getting more and more attention for the work we’re doing, and recognition for the success we’ve had.”
Some of those plans include lengthening the runway at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport in order to attract industry, as well as economically developing the Second Street Corridor. “What we’ve heard throughout the process is that they were very impressed with the Mayor’s Office having strategic plans and having identified how to overcome the challenges we face,” said Floore.
The federal staffers will work in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office to help move some of these plans along, whether it be through finding money or providing the technical assistance that the local government may need. The initiative was introduced in 2011, and has had great success in the previous cities that have been chosen. Other cities chosen with Macon include St. Louis, Mo.; Gary, Ind.; Flint, Mich.; Rockford, Ill. and Rocky Mount, N.C.
Mayor Robert Reichert says he wants to use this help to work on jobs, schools and places around Macon, even if it’s not quite clear yet how much financial support the federal staffers will be able to bring in. “We’re changing 40 years of decline,” said Reichert. “We are reversing what’s going on in our community.”
The initial application was submitted at the end of May 2013, and was about the needs of the community, as well as its strengths. Macon was then one of 15 cities to receive a conference call with the Strong Cities, Strong Communities team, which resulted in its being chosen with six other cities to be visited on site.
“We still have a long way to go,” said Floore. “But even the attention we’re getting from national media outlets, you can see internally, everyone is on board to work together and make things happen. We all recognize that everyday if we’re going to make an improvement, it has to have a long-term impact. To have the consolidation on Jan. 1, and two weeks later announced we’re part of a government initiative and then a week later have C-SPAN come to talk about our great city, this has been an exciting time for our community.”
(02/06/14 9:21pm)
One of Mercer University’s own faculty was chosen to be part of a conference in Tehran, Iran, in hopes of continuing to normalize relations with the Islamic Republic. Dr. Rob Nash, who is associate dean and Arnall-Mann-Thomasson professor of missions and world religions at Mercer’s McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta, is a member of U.S. Academics for Peace, which is “a loose-knit group of professors from various universities in the United States.” Nash said that the group has engaged in this sort of work before in places like Syria and the Sudan.
The conference was held in wake of the meetings held at the Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, where the first formal agreement between the United States and Iran in 34 years was signed. The First Step Agreement freezes key parts of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief of economic sanctions.
Nash said the reason that the U.S. Academics for Peace chose to accept the Iranian Ambassador to the United Nation’s invitation was to act toward a peaceful solution “before the players at the center of the decision-making process change and the forces on both sides that prefer conflict are able to gain the upper hand again,” said Nash. “It is our conviction that professors and university administrators can sometimes accomplish what politicians cannot by creating a context in which we deepen our friendships and connections with each other
“Of course, we went into our meetings with our eyes wide open about the ways in which both the United States and Iran can mislead the public about their intentions,” said Nash. “Governments never have only the best interests of their populations in mind in such conflicts. There are always other concerns and motivations that are difficult to discern.” The main purpose of the visit was to meet with other professors from universities in Iran and Iranian “think tanks” to discuss matters like the tensions between Islam and Christianity and the nuclear energy policy of Iran. While there, the group was able to meet the chief Iranian negotiator for the Geneva agreement.
The group represented professors from prominent U.S. theological schools and universities such as Harvard, Bucknell and New York Theological Seminary, and included experts on Islam, Middle East studies, political science and Iranian studies and anthropology.
Nash wrote a blog post during his trip after visiting the former U.S. embassy in Tehran, which he said describes his feelings about the events related to the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran. While he stood in front of the former embassy, a bazaar stall owner came up to him and struck up a conversation. Upon Nash telling him that he was from the United States, the stall owner said, “We have been waiting for you for 35 years! Where have you been?” Nash said that these words perfectly captured the reception that they’d received from the Iranian people.
“And then it came to me. I wasn’t looking at an active hotbed of anger and hostility toward America. I was standing in front of a museum, a place people came to reflect on a moment in history that was painful, yes, but that was also long past,” said Nash in his blog post. “It was like standing at the Berlin Wall or at the Hanoi Hilton. Important, horrible events happened here, but I was clearly aware of the pastness of those events. And of the need to understand them as events that have shaped our lives but that no longer have to define us as Americans or as Iranians.”
When asked what he thought the group accomplished, Nash said that a few things came to mind. “We were able to see for ourselves what impact the imposition of sanctions by the U.S. and other nations has created in Iran. To be perfectly honest, what we saw was that it is the poorer elements of society that suffer,” said Nash. “Once again, sanctions tend to harm the very people that we least want to harm.” Nash also said that the group was able to help their hosts understand the United State’s perspective on the issue of Iranian nuclear power and continued to encourage them to strive for a peaceful solution. Nash was invited to teach a two-to-three week course on Christianity in America to the students at Al-Mustafa University in Qom, a school that prepares Muslim clergy for ministry in much the same way that the McAfee School of Theology prepares Christian clergy for ministry. “I really hope to be able to take advantage of this opportunity,” said Nash.
(02/06/14 9:20pm)
Corey Zeller, head of the Campus Safety and Improvements Committee within the Student Government Association, is currently leading a project to improve the historical room that all visitors go into before ascending to the tower. “The room is dated,” said Zeller, so the committee is using the funds appropriated to them to reframe and organize the documents and pictures currently hanging on the walls, as well as to put new and more recent pictures up to “showcase modern Mercer, as well as past Mercer.”
Zeller and his committee are in partnership with Vonne Sheffield, the administrative assistant to President Underwood, and Zeller recently met with her to finalize details before the committee begins its work this week.
“Climbing the tower is a tradition for all Mercer students and alumni that return, so we want to make sure that this room is up to date, and it’s up to the standards of a private university, especially a university as good as Mercer.”
Zeller said that the committee is still in the early phases of the process. Other members of the committee include senator Sarah Richardson and student correspondent Lidia Debesay.
(01/22/14 9:00pm)
At Mercer University, students are encouraged to explore all aspects of the world, including religion and spirituality.
One religious organization on campus is the Mercer Catholic Newman Ministry, which provides opportunities for learning more about Catholicism and participating in Mass and other events.
Catholic Newman’s name derives from the name of the founding priest, John Harry Newman, who saw the need for Catholic groups at college campuses so that students might grow in their faith and worship of God.
He began the Newman Ministry to help prevent college Catholic students from becoming less active in their religion while away from home.
The first Newman groups were located in Oxford, England, and the University of Dublin, Ireland. Mercer’s Newman group was founded in the fall of 1991.
“We definitely have an inclination to try to reach out whenever we can, through any means we can,” said the group’s historian and spiritual leader Joseph Jackson.
The group meets on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Newton Chapel, where the members gather for Bible study every other week before their meeting in the Religious Life Center at 8 p.m.
“Each semester we do a different series,” said Campus Minister Advisor, Christina Cambre.
“The Bible study meets every other week, and afterwards, we have a guided discussion on the study series.”
This semester, the group will be completing a series on prayer and how to get the most out of it.
“We try to do one far away event a semester. In the past we’ve gone to Savannah and visited the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. This semester we’re going to Conyers, to the monastery,” said Cambre. The group also has two retreats planned for this month.
Currently, the Newman Ministry here at Mercer has about 15 active members, a number that has grown since the group’s last reinstatement.
“I know it has formed and disbanded a couple of times due to not much student involvement,” said Jen Tyra, who is the social chair for the group.
Five years ago, at the last formation of the group, there were only four or five active members.
“For some odd reason, it seems like every other year we get a burst of people,” said Tyra.
“It mainly flows with people’s schedules. Some years are more intensive than others. I run cross country, so balancing that in the fall with this is almost impossible because practice doesn’t end until 7:30 p.m., when this is just starting. It all depends on the person’s schedule and where they’re coming from, major-wise,” said treasurer Robbie Wilkins.
“The pool of Catholics at Mercer is pretty big, but due to outside activities, obviously we have people who don’t have time to meet that obligation right now in their lives,” said Jackson.
On Sundays, the group attends Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church. On the days when they have Tuesday Mass, the group meets for dinner.
The group is led by Father David Kwiatkowski and president Edwin Vazquez, who also serves as the music coordinator for the group.
Though the ministry is targeted toward the Catholic students attending Mercer, Middle Georgia College and Wesleyan College, the organization is open to all college students of any faith to foster and share Christian ideals.
(01/22/14 9:00pm)
C-SPAN, in partnership with Cox Communications, announced at a news conference yesterday that Macon is its latest stop on the 2014 Cities Tour. Macon is one of 24 cities chosen for the tour, and will be featured for its rich history and literary heritage.
“The purpose of the Cities Tour is to make small cities accessible to the rest of America,” said C-SPAN producer and representative Ashley Hill. “We try to teach the people in these cities something they might have forgotten about their own home, or something they didn’t know about their own home.”
The 2014 Cities Tour features such cities as Salem, Oregon; Chattanooga, Tennessee and Tallahassee, Florida. The videographers travel in specially outfitted Local Content Vehicles (LCVs), which include cameras, laptops, lights and everything that the reporters need in order to tell the local stories.
“One of the reasons we’re in Macon is because of our partnership with Cox Communications. We look for cities that have a rich history. We’re already telling the music history here,” said Hill. “Music has always been a sign of the times and always been able to weave itself into the tapestry of American life to tell the story of the people, and so that in itself in Macon is huge. We also look for cities that have a great literary story as well, so Macon had a lot to offer in both of those realms.”
The stories C-SPA N plans to cover include the Museum of Aviation’s efforts to restore an F-100 combat plane used in Vietnam, the area’s earliest settlers at the Ocmulgee National Monument, and the history of the Hay House.
Because of the Hay House’s history, Hay House Director Jonathan Poston calls it “Macon’s House.”
“The Hay House, we think, is a fitting place to begin this tour, because it has seen a majority of the history of Macon’s events while it has stood here on Georgia Avenue,” said Poston. The house was built between 1855 and 1860 by William Johnston and his wife Anne Tracy Johnston, with some of the more advanced technology and architecture of the day. It passed to the Hay family in 1926, who lived in there until the 1960s, when it was then given to The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation."
“We are fiercely proud of our history and our heritage,” said Mayor Robert Reichert. “And we are very anxious to show you more about Macon. Not just its past, but also its present and most importantly, its future.”
Macon, in addition to being featured on the Cities Tour, has also recently been selected for the Strong Cities, Strong Communities initiative. “I think it’s going to be a big boost for us,” said Reichert. “I think a lot of people will learn a lot more about Macon.”
Cox, C-SPAN’s partner on the tour, was one of the early investors in C-SPAN. “It’s my understanding that that’s why they chose us,” said executive field director of Middle Georgia Market, Lynn Murphey. “We have a long history, we’ve been bringing them to Middle Georgia with the C-SPAN Bus Tours.” In addition to visiting local historical sites, C-SPAN will also look into the literary heritage of Macon, including interviewing one of Mercer’s own: Dr. Sarah Gardner, who wrote the book “Blood and Irony: Southern White Women’s Narrative of the Civil War, 1861-1937.” Other authors on the list include Loretta Hannon, author of “The Cracker Queen: A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life.”
“We’ve come a long way, baby, as they say,” said Reichert. “This is about the city of Macon and how excited we are to have C-SPAN, such a prestigious organization come to Macon and to include Macon in its Cities Tour.” Reichert is a graduate of the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer and has totalled approximately two decades of public service in Macon.
The tour will also include several talks at local schools, including Mercer University. Hill will be speaking about jobs in journalism, covering politics and working in television at 5:30 p.m. in the Center for Collaborative Journalism on Wednesday.
The Macon Cities Tour will be aired on Feb. 15 and 16 on C-SPAN2 (Book TV) and C-SPAN 3 (American History T V).
(01/22/14 9:00pm)
For the first time in history, the Phi Beta Kappa Society is considering Mercer University to shelter a chapter. This oldest and most widely-known academic honor society was the first college society to use Greek letters for its name, and includes members such as Condoleezza Rice, Bill Clinton and Glenn Close within its ranks.
In the College of Liberal Arts at Mercer alone, there are approximately twenty faculty members who were inducted into PBK when they were in college.
“This is a major initiative on part of the university,” said Dr. David Davis, one of the faculty who helped prepare the application for shelter status. “This is reflected in the university’s strategic plan.” Mercer has been applying for shelter status since 2000, and this year marks the first time that the university has ever been accepted past the preliminary application phase. This past week, visitors from the society’s Committee on Qualifications visited the Macon campus to assess the university.
“Phi Beta Kappa is one signifier of an excellent university,” said Davis. “The most compelling reason to do this is to make it clear to everyone that Mercer’s best students are among the very best students in the nation. That’s why we’ve put years worth of time and thousands of dollars worth of money into this process. Because we believe our students are among the best.”
The application committee consisted of the following Mercer faculty: Dr. Jeffrey Denny, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts; Dr. Mary Alice Morgan, senior vice provost; Dr. Miranda Pratt, professor of psychology; Dr. Katharine Northcutt, professor of biology; Dr. Sarah Gardner, professor of history and Dr. Lori Johnson, professor of political science. However, all of the university was involved in gathering data for the application.
“All across the university, everyone has really come together on this, and has been a single push forward,” said Denny.
“It’s normal for a university to apply multiple times before sheltering a chapter. If anything, our progress has been very good along the way,” said Davis. “We’ve made very, very good progress.”
However, this is not just something wanted by the faculty and administration. “There are students involved in the process,” said Denny. “[The members of the committee] are especially interested in meeting and speaking with the students and getting to know the students. That’s what we think is one of the best things, because we believe in our students and we want them to meet our students.”
After the site visit, the committee members will convene at a later time and discuss whether they are able to recommend any schools to the Phi Beta Kappa Senate, which will meet in December 2014. Any schools who are given an affirmative recommendation from the Senate, and are later voted in by a two-thirds vote by the representatives of the current existing chapters and associations will then be granted shelter status. If that happens, Davis has confirmed that Mercer would be ready to begin inducting students as soon as shelter status is granted. “The class of 2016 would be our inaugural class.”
Though membership in Phi Beta Kappa is restricted to those who are pursuing a liberal arts track in college, there are benefits for those in other schools. “The benefit I would say is the stamp of excellence that you get when you have a chapter,” said Denny. “So I think that’s important to realize, so that even if you’re not eligible, not doing the liberal arts course of study, you still benefit.”
“This has been a difficult and long and time-consuming process, and Dean Denny deserves an enormous amount of credit that he’s never going to ask for, but he really deserves, for running this process.” said Davis. “ I think that any person would look at our application and think this is a school that deserves this image.”
(11/10/13 3:31am)
Ocmulgee Traders is making history in downtown Macon as the only grocery store in downtown. This new urban market has been in the works for almost two years now, and has finally found its home in the Dannenberg Building on Third Street. Owned by Steve Bell and his wife Laura Bell, this new grocery store will meet a need that has been around for almost 30 years, said Bell. Bell believes Ocmulgee Traders to be the first ever grocery store in Georgia to be included in a building along with loft residential areas.
“A larger grocer wouldn’t come down because it doesn’t fit their model, but it does fit our model because we built the model to fit the community,” said Bell on Thursday at a press conference just outside the new location. This location, for him, was perfect. “We’ve got 100 people living above us, we’ve got all the loft developments and we’re going to be sustaining all the growth in downtown.”
Exclusive products such as organic and regional foods and the family-friendly atmosphere set it apart from large chains. With over 2,500 fans on Facebook, the community expressed a high demand for Ocmulgee Traders by showing their excitement for this new development on the store’s page. Residents of the local lofts have left suggestions for products to carry and even sent their resumes in to Bell. “We’ve been so overwhelmed with support from friends, standing by us as we make those little steps towards the finish line,” said Bell. He hopes that with the opening of the store, the rapport that has already been established over the Facebook page will roll over into the personal interactions. “Besides making it a grocery store, we’re making it a destination.”
The products aren’t the only things that make this store more community friendly. With three split levels, Ocmulgee Traders will offer a restaurant and coffee shop to shoppers. The top level will include the restaurant and deli area, as well as a coffee area, while the lower level will be where the community can pick up their essential foods. The building will also have an old-school look, said architect Gene Dunwoody Jr. “We’re repurposing a lot of the materials in the building, like the old tables from the old Dannenberg store.” At 5,247 square feet, the building is about a quarter the size of Kroger, or half the size of CVS, but will have a more varied selection and more convenient location than either of these chain stores.
“The success of this business will demonstrate that downtown is a lot more viable than people think,” said current Macon city councilman Rabbi Larry Schlesinger. “All of us have a stake in the success of this business.” Construction within the building started last Tuesday, and Dunwoody projects that the store will be completely finished by the end of the year. “It’s going to go really fast.”
The grocery store is only a few blocks from Mercer’s campus and is along the normal trolley route. Having Ocmulgee Traders so close will offer students easy access to organic, local and healthy food options that they might not be able to find at Kroger.
(11/10/13 3:30am)
The Lofts at Mercer are expanding again! Phase III was announced over the summer, but the breaking news is the all-new announcement of Phase IV, which is an accompanying retail center for Phase III.
“It’s the biggest development to date,” said Joshua Lovett from the College Hill Alliance. The retail center will take up 13,000 square feet, and will contain even more restaurants and businesses than Mercer Village. According to Lovett, the building will be a more modern style that will still compliment the old structures around it. “It’s just one next step up to the Corridor,” said Lovett.
The Corridor itself is a two-square-mile area that will connect Mercer University to downtown, meant to add vibrancy to the local community. Already, the businesses in Mercer Village (Phase II) have created over 150 jobs and given the university students more options for food. Phase IV will allow for even more options. The College Hill Alliance is already taking suggestions for the businesses that should inhabit Phase IV, such as The Brick, a restaurant in Milledgeville. The Brick offers an experience comparable to Margaritas mixed with the Hummingbird, says Lovett.
Having successfully completed Phases I and II of the master plan, builders broke ground over the summer to begin the construction of Phase III. Phase III is an apartment complex specifically for students attending the medical or law schools as well as seniors, according to Lovett. Consisting of one to two bedroom apartments, this new residential building will be located on College Street, across from the historic Tattnall Square Park. This will put the building within walking distance of the Mercer campus, and help spread the “college town cool” vibe that the College Hill Alliance is shooting for.
“It’s not a dorm, it’s a living space,” said Lovett, also explaining that the new buildings will feature a 21st century design that comes fully furnished with items such as granite countertops. Since living in Phase III allows for university students to fulfill their three year requirement, but also take in the Macon community that Mercer is embedded in, said Lovett. “It’s a great partnership that allows students to experience the best of both worlds.”
Lovett also explained that the College Hill Alliance was in the process of revisiting their master plan, where they take suggestions for what students and other residents want to see in the Corridor. People can offer ideas by talking to the Macon Connections chair Joey Wozniak, or going onto yourcorridor.com. This website allows anyone to drop a pin on the virtual map and summarize what they want in a few sentences. The idea will then be considered for the new master plan.
When asked whether the construction would stop after Phases III and IV, Lovett said that “there are always rumors of Phases V and VI,” but that at the moment, the focus is on the completion of Phase III. The College Hill Alliance hopes to break ground for Phase IV in the spring.
(11/10/13 3:25am)
Out of all the organizations that Mercer has to offer, there is one in particular that has stuck out the most to me this past year: Her Campus Mercer. Started in 2009, the group has only recently become an official organization by Mercer standards. This year they are recognized by SGA and Campus Life, which gives them the funding they need to host spectacular events such as last week’s Halloween photo booth. The group provided props for students to dress up with however they wanted and took pictures in front of a banner that Her Campus Mercer had decorated. The pictures were then printed, and distributed to the students via the mailbox, or were available via the Facebook page.
Her Campus is actually a nationwide organization, of which Mercer’s chapter is only a small part. With over 300 contributing chapters, the organization’s goal is to provide a place for college women to get knowledge that would not normally be provided to them. The group was originally started by Harvard students who were presenting at their school’s business week. They realized that there were no websites that were dedicated to the experience of a college woman, and so they submitted Her Campus and won the competition. Originally just a Harvard organization, the group has grown tremendously.
“We’re different because we write for our viewers and readers, and we try to reach out and tell them that if you need anything, we’re here,” said section editor Sameera Yusuf. “We try to reach out with things like the photo booth.”
“It’s fun to really push it, to get more people to know who we are,” says Olivia Brayan, who edits for Her Campus Mercer. “We’re like a family. Her Campus isn’t a competition.”
What I think is interesting about Her Campus is the way that it promotes the female college student and empowers her. There is so little of that anywhere, that to see it on the Mercer campus is definitely a welcome sight. For instance, the website brings to light something that was in the news recently: the Daisy Coleman case. The article that was written does a great job of explaining the facts before the author gives her two cents. But it’s not just for the purpose of social justice. The website also has links to articles about seasonal tips, the campus style blog, and basically everything else a college woman could want.
Basically, I chose Her Campus Mercer because it has caught my eye as an up-and-coming student organization that I think will be hugely beneficial to the Mercer campus. From their cute photo booths to their amazingly well-written articles, Her Campus Mercer is an organization that deserves the attention of the masses.
Brayan says that the group hopes to do one last big event around the first week of December to celebrate the Christmas holidays. They’re already planning events for the spring, but details are unavailable as of right now.
(11/10/13 2:18am)
Students and campus religious leaders gathered in Penfield Hall to celebrate their love of God through a debut worship service. The atmosphere of the service was one of meditation as students gathered around an altar covered in candles. Guitar music played before the service commenced, and was also used for the worship songs. The building was dark, to promote the meditative environment where the students could encounter God in stillness and in quiet. Students were encouraged to make themselves comfortable, which included bringing pillows or cushions, and even taking off shoes.
Taize worship originated in 20th century France through a monk named Brother Roger. Roger formed this style of service during World War II, under the belief that worship could aid the victims of the war. Following the war, Roger took a long retreat where he then wrote the “Rule of Taize.” The name Taize itself comes from the monastic community in southeastern France that Roger settled in during the war. What distinguish this form of worship from other forms of Christian worship are the qualities of repetition and silence. According to the songbook of the monks, “Using just a few words, [the worship] expresses a basic reality of faith, quickly grasped by the mind. As the words are sung over many times, this reality gradually penetrates the whole being.”
The idea for this service at Mercer was spearheaded by current Emory seminary student Ted Goshorn. Goshorn, along with other students such as senior Allison Harrison, wanted a way to bring all of the campus ministries together in a time that wasn’t simply dedicated to lecture. Harrison said that Mercer’s Wednesday morning services are primarily centered on lecture, which detracts from the worship aspect. The Taize worship provides a reflective and individual experience. “It’s a really nice way to start off the week,” said Harrison.
Reflection is an ideal concept of the Taize form, as it allows for the meditation on the repetitive songs and the periods of silence that are interspersed throughout the service.
“I’m really glad I brought my journal, since I’m a reflective person,” said Taylor Feeney, a senior English major and participant at the event
Mercer has always been open to new student ministries, evident by the variety of organizations that are on campus. From Christianity to Islam, Mercer is a place where any student can worship and be with other students who worship with the same faith.
Harrison said that the service was a chance to see how large the student interest was, and that further planning could go from there. Since there was an attendance of roughly 30 students, another meeting was announced at the end of the service. All who are interested in volunteering or attending this service should attend the Nov. 10 meeting at 9 p.m.
(10/26/13 3:47am)
In today’s society, it seems that more and more problems are arising that weren’t as popular or as newsworthy as they might have been several years ago. One such problem is rape, and the perpetuation of rape culture in our very own society. We live in a world that finds it entirely too easy to blame the victim of rape for even daring to mention his/her assault and to sympathize with the rapist who suddenly finds themselves with their lives ruined due to jail time or the like. Most people, of course, don’t even see this as a problem; they generally try to find every excuse to say that the rapee brought the assault on themselves, and that it’s really not the rapist’s fault.
However, before I go into what’s inherently wrong with the previous assumption, I should define what is considered rape culture. According to Force: Upsetting Rape Culture, rape culture is where “people are surrounded with images, language, laws, and other everyday phenomena that validate and perpetuate rape.” This can include such things as jokes, musical lyrics, TV and words that make such violence seem so normal that people believe it is inevitable. An example of rape culture would be the way that society teaches women not to get raped instead of men not to rape. Because clearly it’s women’s fault that these men cannot control their desires.
How disturbing is it that women should have to learn how to defend themselves against attackers that could come from anywhere? Should we not be teaching our young people NOT to rape? Instead of having the example that was set by the Georgia Tech Phi Kappa Tau email of “Luring Your Rapebait,” should we not be teaching those young men to take care of others without thinking of their sexual desires first? With this perpetuation, we are only continuing to say that such violence will go unpunished, and that is not the kind of world that anyone should want to live in.
What is so disgustingly wrong with the assumption that a man or woman “brought the rape on themselves” comes in two parts. One is that someone could even be accused of having such a crude and violent action brought upon them, as if they asked for it. Because, let’s face it, who asks for that kind of thing to happen to them? Who wakes up and thinks that they feel like being raped that day? The answer to that, ladies and gentlemen, is absolutely nobody.
To go into a general situation (which is typically the norm, though there are exceptions) of a man-on-woman rape crime, the culprit is obviously the woman. For whatever reason, she decided that she wanted to look nice that day, and clearly (insert heavy sarcasm here) she did it just to get the attention of the men around her. Not at all because she felt like dressing up, which is an urge that women have every now and then, just so you know. Now, say said woman decides to go to the club, because she’s had a hard day and she wants to unwind. A man sees her there and thinks she’s pretty hot and he wants to go home with her that night. He starts buying her drink after drink and gets her drunk enough that she’ll stumble away with him, or he will possibly even drug her drink to get into her pants that much faster. Let’s stop here to cover a few things.
One: Unless there is a sober “yes” then I would consider it taking advantage. Two: A drunk “yes” does not count. Because seriously, nobody is making good decisions when they’re drunk. Three: Just because a “no” is not uttered does NOT mean that it is okay. Learn from this lesson, boys and girls, and it’ll make the world a better place in some singular way: Always ask first, and only go forward if the answer is a sober yes.
Going back to the story, the woman might be blamed if she tried to come out and tell about her assault. The stupidest argument for this is “If you put a piece of meat in front of a shark/dog/other animal, you wouldn’t expect them to hold back.” Well of course I wouldn’t, because they happen to be animals, and according to our incredibly messed up society, animals are a class lower than us. So I would EXPECT for these men and even women to exhibit self control and learn to keep it in their pants unless they have a specified “yes” from the other person.
Ladies and gentlemen, I encourage you to report your attackers. If it happens here at Mercer, there are policies for that, which can be found on the Judicial Education webpage. Under Title IX, you have the right to “prompt resolution of [your] complaint, to have the University conduct a thorough investigation, and to have interim steps taken to ensure the safety and wellbeing of individuals involved and the University community.” Don’t let your attacker win. Don’t let them destroy your life. Report them.
http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/bozemandailychronicle.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/f3/df35ba3a-20a5-11e3-ad42-0019bb2963f4/523a154e075ca.preview-300.jpg (this would be cool to put in, if we can)
(10/26/13 3:46am)
As part of their Job Ready Fall 2013 Boot Camp series, the Mercer University Office of Career Services held a Resumes and Cover Letters workshop last Tuesday. The workshop covered the essential do’s and don’ts of marketing to an applicant’s intended audience, so applicants can get the job that they really want.
Two of the most important aspects of a resume is the format (how it looks) and the content (what it says), according to director Steve Brown, who led the workshop. A standard resume should be roughly a page long, and Brown advises that employers are “looking at potential” and that “longer is not better.” “What you put into your content is what makes that one page effective,” he says.
The key part of resume-making is to do research, since applicants are playing the matching game with the company, lining up skills they have with the qualities the employer is looking for. What applicants should remember, however, is that even if they don’t have all of the qualities that a company is looking for, they should still apply. It is possible that they could have something else that makes them stand out to the potential employer. “Focus on what you do have, not necessarily what characteristics you don’t have,” says Brown.
Applicants should let the reader understand that they have what the employer is looking for, and engage them from the very beginning. Instead of using complete sentences to communicate, use short and quick statements, for easier reading.
Some important areas that an applicant should have on their resume is their education and soft skills. “Education is your most valuable asset,” Brown advises.
Soft skills typically includes leadership ability, oral and written communication skills, as well as working well in a team setting. These two areas should be separated into two different sections of the resume, typically titled “Education” and “Skills.”
However, skills also includes any experience that the applicant has had, generally in the field they are hoping to go into.
In contrast to the resume, which is about the applicant only, the cover letter is about the applicant and the organization. The format of a cover letter is typically set at about three paragraphs: first, why the applicant is writing the letter; second, what appeals to the applicant about the company; and third, asking for an interview. “Always have someone review your cover letter,” says Brown.
One of the resources offered by Career Services is Bearlink, which is Mercer’s career services management system for any student, alumni or employer. This is how students keep up with the new events being held by Career Services, as well as any job and internship opportunities that could pop up in the future. Another similar service that was recommended by Brown was CareerShift, which, like Bearlink, helps students find jobs for the future.
For any students interested in this workshop, it is being held once more, Nov 6, from 12-12:50 p.m., and more information can be found by contacting Career Services, located on the third floor of the Connell Student Center.
(10/26/13 3:45am)
Last Thursday, approximately 85 graduate schools gathered in Heritage Hall for the Graduate School Fair 2013, hosted by Mercer University’s Career Services. Some of the schools that were represented included the University of Georgia, Florida A&M University, and even Mercer’s own Stetson School of Business and Economics.
The event was open to any student interested in furthering an education beyond the undergraduate years. Most of the schools there could be grouped into three categories: law, business and engineering. There were exceptions to the rule, though.
Goodies were available for the students who attended, such as cups, sticky notes and pens. At the table for Becker Professional Education, there was even a chance to apply for a $3,000 scholarship to be used for undergraduate or graduate studies.
A survey of several different schools yielded varying responses about the need to take the Graduate Record Examination or the Graduate Management Admissions Test, as well as the standard GPA for admissions. There was roughly a half and half ratio on the need for a GRE/GMAT score, and the scores for those tests were unlisted.
The average GPA required was between a 2.5 and a 3.0, but a low GPA shouldn’t get an applicant down. The representative from Brenau told of one applicant who had a GPA lower than their standard limit.
However, the applicant included his story with his application, and since it was so intriguing, the dean approved his admission into the college. The Career Services website has a page dedicated to helping students learn about graduate school, and to figure out if it’s right for them.
According to the page, a student should go to graduate school if “you have a clear sense of the career you want to pursue, and if an advanced degree is the ticket to entry into that field.” On the other hand, graduate school is not right if “you are doing it to postpone the inevitable job search.”
Graduate school could also be right for someone years after they have left undergraduate school, and could be used to “progress up the the corporate ladder,” according to the website.Occasionally, such a degree renders the holder overqualified and leaves the person struggling to find a job.
The website also has links for the prospective student to find graduate schools, as well as links to find financial aid for the school. A schedule is provided for those looking to continue their education, so that they can stay on track with the search.
Other helpful features of the page include a general basis of what schools are looking for in a potential candidate, and what particular types of financial aid are available.
Any who are interested in attending graduate school should contact the office of Career Services in order to get help with their applications and resumes. The office is located on the third floor of the Connell Student Center, and an appointment can be scheduled by calling 478-301-2863.
(10/13/13 11:58pm)
Doctor of education and director of career services, Steve Brown, hosted an event for searching for and applying to graduate schools. Career Services is there to help with the next steps in this process. First, though, students must decide whether graduate school is the right path for them.
Then, one must first check for programs and the terms of the different application processes. One should also keep in mind what to include in one’s application, like a personal statement and letters of recommendation.
When is graduate school the right way to go? Sometimes it depends if you have a certain program already in mind, like law or medical school, or a research program.
Some students pursue full-time graduate school for the wrong reasons: avoiding making career path decisions. They think grad school will make them more competitive in the job market, or that grad school will give them a better starting salary.
According to statistics of Mercer graduates, 35 percent of graduates attend graduate school, while the other 65 percent go into the workforce. Most students attend graduate school because their career path requires post-bachelor’s degree work in order to enter the field. A master’s degree is not always better than a bachelor’s degree, though. To put some things into perspective, the unemployment rate in the nation is about 7.3 percent, but the unemployment rate for college graduates is only 3.8 percent. There will also be a 7.8 percent increase with employers hiring college graduates.
There are some key points to identify the right graduate program for you. Some influential factors include location, size of the college or university, size of the program, competitiveness of the program, financial considerations, graduate assistantships, and tuition waivers.
Some good search sources that can help students are “Peterson’s Guides”, research publications, and your professors and advisors. After your search, Brown recommends that you identify three to five schools or programs to apply to.
For the application process, one must first determine deadlines and take the appropriate entrance tests, like the GRE, GMAT, LSAT and MCAT. Most of these tests can be registered for online and there are also prep guides and courses for them.
In the application, you might have to send in a statement of purpose, letters of recommendation or a resume. You might also have to make a campus visit or do an interview, where you can also ask questions.
Your chief goal with your application is to convince the school or program that you understand what the program is about, what it is looking for, and why you are a good candidate.
These understandings can also be seen in your statement of purpose and letters of recommendation. These documents can make you more competitive with what schools are looking for. They want good matches with people who will succeed and do well in their programs. Remember to say how you understand what the program is about and how it will help you achieve your goals.
Your statement of purpose should address three issues: why you want to pursue the degree, how it will help you achieve your career goals, and what has influenced you to pursue you your goals. Your prospective schools need to know how you got to this point and why you are interested in their specific program. Also, check for the length requirements for the statement.
They are usually supposed to be between 800 and 1700 words. Then, check for errors and have someone read it carefully. With letters of recommendation, you want to get one from someone who can speak to your academic preparedness.
This would usually be one of your professors. Also, provide them with a copy of your resume to help write your letters of recommendation. Some schools may want it as a part of your application, but your resume should be more academically focused. It can include projects, papers, presentations, study abroad, etc.
Brown wants to remind students to start as early as possible with their graduate school search, be aware of deadlines, and ask for help. Career Services is there for their benefit. Students should not be afraid to keep their options open. There is graduate school, but there is also the option of working full-time.
Some people pursue both. There are also the Peace Corps, Vista Corps, and other gap year programs.
He goes on to say that a lot of people are frozen in their senior year, but that one choice will emerge as your preference over time. He also advises to not let indecision paralyze you.
(10/13/13 11:56pm)
A junior here at Mercer University, Caroline Carlton plays on the right side for the Mercer University volleyball team. She is a political science major with a minor in secondary education, and hopes to be a high school volleyball coach someday.
Her favorite artists right now are Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney, and she originally hails from Nashville, Tenn. When asked what she thinks is her best feature, she says it’s her ability to talk to anyone, even if she has a tendency to talk too much and too fast.
In the struggle of college students everywhere, she hasn’t got as much time to read as she would like, but her favorite book is “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and her favorite author is the infamous Nicholas Sparks.
Carlton began playing volleyball when she was 10 years old, and continues to play it now because it’s “where she found her identity,” she says. “It’s as much a part of me as my family or my religion.”
When asked what her favorite part of being on the team was, she cited the competition and the team aspect. She enjoys having what she says is an “extended family;” 14 people she knows that she can count on to be there for her no matter what.
The volleyball team is currently in their indoor season, but will move to the sand volleyball season in the spring, which Carlton confirms she will also be playing.
Every athlete has their own pregame ritual. For Carlton, this mostly consists of arranging her thick, curly locks so that they stay out of her face. She wears it in a different style every game, simply because she has not yet found a magic trick to make it work. She also pumps herself up by listening to music and talking to herself.
When asked why she chose Mercer, Carlton mentioned how she went on several college visits, but nothing “clicked.” She liked the conference that the volleyball team is placed in, as well as the fact that she gets playing time. Another draw of Mercer was that, for her, it’s far enough away from her hometown that she has space to breathe, but is also close enough to let her go home when she wants.
Her favorite professor here is Dr. Jordan because he “involves the students.” She said that he has never made a student feel stupid for having a wrong answer, and he is very interactive, even when he doesn’t have to be.
Sports are something that runs in her family, as her older brother and sister also played sports in college. But it was never forced on her, Carlton said. Her parents were always very supportive of what she chose to do, and still are. Carlton also mentioned how she enjoys being the baby of the family, since it comes with the perk of being spoiled.
The Bears will be playing this weekend in Nashville, Tenn., at Lipscomb University and in Newport, Ky., at Northern Kentucky University.
(10/13/13 11:29pm)
As of this past week, Mercer University has signed on with another college for the study abroad program. The agreement with Regent’s Park, a college in the Oxford system, was signed Tuesday, Sept. 24, with Dr. Lynn Robson as a representative. In a meeting on Thursday, Sept. 26, for those interested in this opportunity, Dr. Eric Spears confirmed that Mercer could be ready to send students over as early as next fall.
Oxford is ranked as the second best university in the world, behind the California Institute of Technology, says Robson. It is classified as a collegiate university that consists of 37 different colleges which act as a republic.
Racking up a full 800 years old, Oxford is home to the Regent’s Park College. It specializes in humanities and the social sciences, and is home to 200 students. Lying in the heart of campus, Regent’s Park has a welcome reputation as the friendliest of all the colleges at Oxford.
Some of the perks that it has to offer its students is the ability to lounge on the college quad. As Mercer students, we may find the fact that some of the other colleges don’t allow this shocking, which makes Regent’s Park all the more appealing.
They have a campus turtle that races annually in the Inter-College Tortoise Race. For those who are intrigued by authors such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, the Eagle and Child pub is only a short distance away from the campus. This pub is the infamous meeting place of the Inklings, the informal literary discussion group associated with Oxford.
On a more serious note, the academic rigor was also a key factor in the presentation. Where here at Mercer, students go through two seventeen week semesters, at Regent’s Park there are three eight-week trimesters. It is ideal for interested students to go in their junior year, Robson says, as Oxford students only go to school for three years.
Each term consists of a major and a minor “tutorial”, the school’s style of teaching, which adds up to roughly 12 hours a trimester. The tutorial format is a more one-on-one format that features a one hour meeting every week with your “tutor” (translate as professor) to discuss the paper that you wrote for the week.
Once that’s done, the tutor gives you assigned readings to work on for your next paper, due the following week. There is a heavy emphasis on independent study, so it’s not for the weak of will.
A GPA of 3.7 or above is required for those interested in studying at Regent’s Park. In Robson’s words, this shows that “students are self-motivated” and proves that they belong there at Oxford.
“If the question ‘why?’ is your favorite question, your place is at Oxford,” she says. Their motto, “Test everything, hold onto what is good,” symbolizes the inherent reason why all students should travel abroad and should feel free to check out this opportunity. Interested students should get in contact with Dr. Eric Spears for more word on this study abroad trip.