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(01/23/13 3:54pm)
As Opinion Editor of the Cluster, you would probably be surprised to know that I have a strong opinion against opinion column writing.
I’ve never been able to wrap my head completely around the concept, at least not in the way that the Cluster presents opinions.
In a larger run newspaper, an Opinion section makes sense. The Opinion Editor would write a column, alongside many of the other members of the editorial staff.
That way the reader of the newspaper will be able to get a good grasp of the type of viewpoints that the staff writers maintain in their own writing.
In the Cluster, we don’t really have that luxury. If you have been following the Opinions section last semester, you would have noticed that I wrote the majority of the articles, begrudgingly so.
We have a small editorial staff, but much of the time each staff member has at least two, maybe three stories they have to write in addition to the rest of their lives and layout.
I rely on the student body to write opinions pieces. I’m not always very lucky.
Near the end of last semester, I received a flood of “Letters to the Editor” and possible opinions pieces.
That was a nice gesture and I was able to fill my section with ease for this issue, but where were all of these opinions during the semester?
Because I did not receive many submissions regularly, I wrote a few fluff pieces. These pieces inevitably ignited a fire in the bellies of my readers. A few arguments were started and people questioned the validity of the news the Cluster was providing.
The arguments were good, in a way, because they showed that some students, as well as a few faculty and staff members, cared about something. However, questioning the validity of the Cluster was unfair when the Cluster relies on submissions of Mercer students to run effectively.
Personally, the Opinions section in the Cluster is lacking because Mercer is filled with very apathetic people who may have opinions, but don’t feel the need to share them. Ever.
Mercer, as a whole, doesn’t really feel too strongly about any issue, including the way we represent our sports teams.
I’m okay with lumping myself into the apathetic category because I struggle to come up with legitimate Opinions pieces from week to week.
There are those occasional students who we go to class with, attend sporting events with, and see complain on Facebook who feel very strongly about certain issues. My response? Write an opinions piece about it.
However, as soon as the Cluster enters the conversation, people start backing up and coming up with excuses not to write an opinion piece. Here are a few: “I don’t have time.” “I’ve never written for the paper before, I don’t know how to write an article.”
Writing Opinions pieces do not take experience in Journalism. I was a math major when I started writing for the Cluster.
I still don’t have any classroom journalism experience. I have learned throughout the process. So my message to you, reader, is this: If you have an opinion on anything -- albeit, school appropriate -- submit it to opinions@mercercluster.com.
The worst that can happen is that the editorial staff doesn’t run it, but at least your opinion has been read by someone. Take a stand and share it!
(11/28/12 11:00pm)
Okay, okay, so Morgan Freeman does not exactly constitute the voice of God, but technically, he did play God in two movies. Ever since the movie Bruce Almighty, I have associated the voice of Morgan Freeman with what I would assume God would sound like if he were to talk to me. Can you blame me?
Talk about an effective campaign tactic. The Human Rights Campaign put out an ad to aid the fight for marriage equality.
Using Morgan Freeman is genius. After all, he is associated with the alpha and the omega, with the beginning and the end, with eternity - come on, Morgan Freeman seems to be eternally old.
Even when he was young he looked just as old as he does now. The only thing that has really changed is the color of the man’s hair, and even since then it has not changed an incredible amount.
The ad itself is, in my opinion, a pretty well executed ad. It features clips of iconic images from the women’s suffrage movement, as well as the civil rights movement - specifically an image of Martin Luther King, Jr. giving a speech, all while asserting that the fight for same-sex marriage is the next battle for equality that we, as Americans, must stand up and fight for.
In the ad, Morgan Freeman says, “Freedom, justice and human dignity have always guided our journey toward a more perfect union. Now across our country, we are standing together for the right of gay and lesbian Americans to marry the person they love. And with historic victories for marriage, we’ve delivered a mandate for full equality. The wind is at our back, but our journey has just begun. Join us.”
Now, I have seen the ad. I have heard Morgan Freeman’s voice say those words, but I cannot help but get a little turned off by the words of the ad in textual form. They seem too pointed. I feel like I somehow got tricked.
Don’t get me wrong, I have always been a supporter of gay marriage.
After all, gay people getting married does not affect my daily life, just as any other marriage does not affect my daily life.
However, my friends’ happiness does affect my daily life. Our government preventing their happiness hurts me just as much as it hurts my friends who are gay.
To go back to the ad, the words this ad uses bother me when they are flat and not being said by Morgan Freeman.
The words in the ad, when stripped of the background images and Morgan Freeman’s voice, remind me a lot of the message that the Capitol plays for each of the districts at the Reaping Ceremonies in the Hunger Games series. Sinister and manipulating, this ad gives me the creeps.
However, put Morgan Freeman’s voice back into the mix, and the ad isn’t so bad. Now why is that?
Have we been trained to respond positively to actors’ voices, especially ones that are well liked across different groups of people?
I would like to think I’m not that susceptible to persuasion, but apparently I am. This ad is a testament to that fact.
Like I said earlier, the ad itself is pretty well-executed. Broken down into parts, not so much, which is unfortunate. But it’s amazing what adding an iconic voice can do to persuade us either way.
Overall, I’m happy that this same-sex marriage campaign is gaining ground, especially now that famous people such as Ellen Degeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, Megan Rapinoe, and now Morgan Freeman are standing up for the cause. Hopefully, these persuasive techniques continue to aid their progress.
Who knows, ad campaigns using these techniques often enough could really put a dent in the future of this country.
(11/28/12 11:00pm)
On Nov. 8, Mercer faced off against East Tennessee State University in the Atlantic Sun Men’s soccer championship semifinals at the FGCU Soccer Complex. Mercer men’s soccer came out on top against all odds with a 4-2 penalty kick shootout.
Having won against ETSU, the bears advanced to the A-Sun Championship final for the eighth time in the program’s history and for the second time in the last four years.
In a recent interview, Brad Ruzzo reflected on the game’s result, “We knew this was going to be a tough game because ETSU has a great program and Scott Calabrese and his staff are great coaches.”
The A-Sun Coach of the Year continued, “I give our team credit though. They battled and fought and even played a man down for 15 minutes. I am tremendously proud of our team and the effort they put forth to get a result tonight.”
Mercer had their first real chance at gaining the lead in the 24th minute of the game when senior Richie Edmondson slipped past the ETSU defense and fired a left-footed shot that sailed just wide of the far post to keep the game at a neutral standing.
The game entered halftime tied at 0-0, but ETSU came out of the half dominating game play and nearly scored on a pair of chances. To Mercer’s favor, Mercer goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh valiantly defended the goal to maintain the 0-0 score.
The Buccaneers held possession of the ball and their offensive pressure managed to break through a gap in the Orange and Black’s defensive line in the 75th minute. This break through resulted in a deflection off a Mercer defender and into the back of the net to give ETSU a 1-0 lead.
The Bears came back fighting with a counterattack resulting in a goal just minutes later. Senior Josh Shutter served a free kick that Will Betts received and passed onto freshman David Murtaugh who obtained the goal in the 78th minute of game play to tie the game at 1-1.
For the rest of regulation gameplay, both teams had chances to take the lead. However, by the end of the 90 minutes, the score remained tied at 1-1.
In the 95th minute of overtime, Mercer received a red card which forced the Bears to play a man down for the last 15 minutes of play. Despite the advantage for ETSU, the Orange and Black kept the Buccaneers at bay; ultimately forcing the game into a penalty kick shootout.
ETSU’s man and Shutter were both good on their respective penalty kicks to keep things square through the first round. Ranjitsingh then came up big for the Bears, stopping the next two penalty kicks in rounds two and three, setting up sophomore Carl-Oscar Andersson who converted the game-winner in round four.
Betts and fellow senior Sharpe Sablon also converted their penalty kicks for the Bears, who went into mass hysteria and mobbed Andersson after he converted his penalty kick chance that sent Mercer into the finals.
Ranjitsingh made eight saves in the match for the Bears while ETSU goalkeeper Ryan Coulter stopped three shots in a losing effort.
Mercer played the winner of the other semifinal match between FGCU and Lipscomb in the 2012 A-Sun Championship final on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
After winning their semifinal match, FGCU and Mercer met in the 2012 Atlantic Sun Championship title game where Mercer men’s soccer team battled into extra time, but eventually lost in overtime with the final score reading 1-0.
Mercer ended their season with an 11-7-2 overall record, its most wins in a single season since tallying 11 victories back in 2004.
The first quality chance of the match came from Mercer during the fourth minute of play when a corner kick by David Murtaugh went directly to teammate Will Betts, whose mid-air volley reflected off the post and back into play.
In the 32nd minute of play, the Bears had another scoring opportunity when junior Ryan King ran onto a free kick from midfield and got a diving header. Unfortunately, the ball was corralled by FGCU goalkeeper Nathan Ingham to keep the score null 0-0, going into halftime.
After halftime, the Bears had one more chance in regulation play, but Murtaugh’s turning pivot shot went just wide of the left post to keep the score tied at 0-0 after 90 minutes of gameplay.
For the second time in three days, both Mercer and FGCU faced an overtime scenario in the Atlantic Sun Championship. Unfortunately for the Bears, the Eagles prevailed and came out on top in the end. In the 95th minute of play, a cross shot was deflected past Ranjitsingh into the back of the net to give FGCU a 1-0 win and a second straight A-Sun Championship.
Shutter, Ranjitsingh, and Andersson were named to the All-Tournament team in postgame ceremonies.
This game was also the final collegiate contest for Betts, Shutter, and fellow seniors Richie Edmondson, Sharpe Sablon, Bryson Jones, and Vaughn Thomas.
Reflecting on the Bear’s season, Brad Ruzzo, fifth-year head coach says, “It’s very rare to have a season in which you come up just short of the ultimate team goal of making the NCAA Tournament and still feel satisfied and fulfilled with the way the year went.”
Despite losing in the Atlantic Sun Championship title game for the second time in the last four years, the positives and steps in the right directions out-weighed the heartbreak.
The Orange and Black finished the season with an 11-7-2 overall record and a 6-2 mark in conference play. The 11 wins the Bears received were the most in a single-season since 2004. Mercer was rewarded for their success by being ranked in the NSCAA South Regional poll for five weeks during the season, including a No. 6 ranking on the week of Oct. 2, the highest regional ranking in program history.
Mercer loses six seniors from this year’s squad in Shutter, Betts, Edmondson, Sablon, Thomas and forward Bryson Jones. However, the 2013 season looks just as promising with seven starters returning to Macon for Coach Ruzzo and the Bears to make another run at the program’s first Atlantic Sun Conference title since 2002.
(11/28/12 11:00pm)
Now that Thanksgiving break is over, we only have two weeks of classes left until finals, which only means one thing: it is crunch time, folks.
We are in a sprint to the finish with papers, annotated bibliographies, projects, presentations, and tests, all within the next two weeks. It’s enough to make your head spin.
Unfortunately, there are only two ways to get through it all. One, you can pretend the work does not exist and party like there is no tomorrow. This is a relaxing alternative, but altogether unproductive.
Or, two, you could be the responsible, or just incredibly driven student, put your nose to the grindstone and get your work done until it is all finished! This is not exactly the most appealing option, but I would choose this option if given the choice between the two; but that’s just me.
In order to accomplish the second of the two options, one would most likely require late nights of doing homework, along with copious amounts of caffeine. Social interaction might be minimal, but we do what we can to survive. Late nights are what we have come to live for.
But hey, this is what we’ve spent the whole semester training for, right? Those late night runs to Jittery Joes, Kroger, Walmart, Downtown Mactown, and Waffle House, among other places have served as training sessions for these next few weeks until we obtain sweet freedom from the chains of this semester.
Part of these long nights is finding an adequate place to study. There are always places off campus that are open for 24-hours like Waffle House or IHOP, but sometimes those are not the most convenient of options.
Closer to home, the main library is open until midnight on most nights of the week, but sometimes midnight is not enough. After all, most of our homework doing does not start until around ten o’clock. Two hours in a decently crowded library is not always the best of circumstances for ultimate productivity.
Fortunately for us Mercer students there are 24-hour locations on campus.
The student center is one, but if you are already in the library there are the 24-hour study rooms available downstairs to students. Not in the library before midnight? No problem! Just use your bear card to access the area and bam! Study area, just like that.
However, while super convenient, these study rooms are definitely not in the best of shape.
I haven’t spent much time in the 24-hour study rooms, mostly because I usually find other places to study that are not on campus, as I mentioned before. I usually frequent off campus coffee shops and IHOP because of what they offer: coffee, free wi-fi, sustenance, and a 24-hour space for those all nighters I happen to pull all too frequently.
On the few occasions I have studied down in the belly of Tarver Library, I usually found people sleeping or having intense study sessions.
On occasion I find people having ‘study parties’ that don’t include much studying; that’s cool. Party on! Just try not to party too hard - did I mention that the walls are pretty much paper thin?
During my last trip to the study rooms, I finally took a look around at my physical surroundings rather than the transient company that changes throughout the night.
In a few of the rooms, there was writing on the walls, kind of like the wooden desks in Willingham. You know the ones, the desks with all of the greek symbols and abstract doodles carved into the wood.
I digress. In addition to the writing on the walls, there are weird smudges all over the walls from people who have tried to erase what they have written or maybe what other people have written.
There are also holes in multiple walls, and the furniture is in an appalling state. For the most part, I didn’t even want to sit in the seats.
They looked so repulsive, and the stains altogether looked quite questionable.
Perhaps, as students, we don’t take care of the things we use unless there is a contract with money attached to the consequences, especially when the places aren’t regularly inspected. I would hope this isn’t the case, but I’m pretty sure it is.
Most Mercer students take advantage of the 24-hour study room at least once during their college career.
Just because this area of campus isn’t frequented by outsiders or alumni doesn’t mean that we, as students, should be subjected to studying in an unappealing space.
The 24-hour study room needs a makeover, but as a donated space, who is the one to take care of this problem? Are the students supposed to take control? If so, a makeover might take awhile.
From the state the study rooms are in, it is apparent that most of the student body is rather apathetic about the situation.
We sit back, as students, complaining about problems but rarely doing anything to fix the state we find our surroundings in.
There haven’t been any improvements to those study rooms that I have noticed since I first started coming here four years ago, and I doubt there will be anything done in the near future, since there are so many other projects happening around campus.
As a school that prides itself on the importance of academic achievement, we should have a study space we are proud of; not a study space that is forgotten and used as a last resort.
Since the 24-hour study room isn’t a top priority on anyone’s list, we, as students, should preserve what we have. We, at least, shouldn’t make the state of things any worse.
(11/07/12 11:00pm)
Furby made its upgraded technological comeback earlier this year, and I could not be more afraid. Can you imagine the type of destruction that this thing can do if released into human society?
I remember in third grade, my best friend had a Furby. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. My friend hated the thing, but I couldn’t understand why. She told me never to turn it on. I obeyed, and we moved on with our lives.
However, I was stubborn and was fixated on wanting to know what that mysterious furry thing did. Not quite a bird, but resembling a baby owl - sort of, I had to have one.
A short time later, I got my wish. Looking back, I wish I hadn’t. That stupid Furby tormented me. Sure the first few days were cool. I named it, I talked to it, and of course I put my finger in its mouth when it was hungry. Hearing the iconic “YUUUUUMMM” sound it makes was like music to my ears.
The novelty of having a Furby faded fast. That stupid Furby would not shut up. Any bump or cough or sneeze would wake the Furby from its slumber. Mine had the audacity to get mad at me if it hadn’t slept long enough.
I shoved the thing in the back of my closet only for it to start talking in the middle of the night. I had nightmares. My last resort was to take the batteries out, but even after I did, the Furby KEPT TALKING. How that is even possible, I still have no idea.
Right now, my Furby is probably in the deep dark recesses of my attic making friends with the other demonic figures that lurk up there.
So when I heard that the Furby was coming back, I freaked. Too many nightmares. After looking at the descriptions and random preview videos that are floating around the Internet, there is plenty of reason to run the other direction. But something about the Furby draws kids in, and those demonic devices are sure to make top sales, yet again.
There are many reasons why I think the whole Furby idea should have been locked in a vault, never to be released into human society again. I even compiled a list.
1. The furry exterior is the ultimate disguise for a terrorist attack. I’m not talking about a 9/11 type of terrorist attack - I’m talking about a horror film, Gremlin type thing.
They may look cute and innocent, but I’m pretty sure if Furby was able to get itself banned from the Pentagon as a threat to national security, there is something wrong...just saying.
2. The new Furby has big, white, glowing LED lit eyes that take up about a third of Furby’s body. While these eyes may significantly contribute to the range of emotion that Furby can convey, the eyes are also rather intimidating LED pools of infinite depth indicating where the soul should be.
3. The darn thing talks back to you. Sometimes it is incredibly angry and will growl and snap at you in its Furbish language. Other times it is so happy that it won’t shut up -- more often the case than not.
4. There’s a Furby app. You know when something is truly taking over the world once Apple buys in. They created a Furby iOS app that offers a translator and a way to feed your Furby. It’s kind of like a Tamagotchi, but it won’t die if you don’t feed it, that’s good…not. I’d rather my Furby starve to death after I get mad at it.
5. Furby has NO OFF SWITCH. WHAT THE HECK!? It’s not fair. Something that annoying should definitely come with an off switch.
They say if you leave it alone long enough, it will eventually fall asleep, but any type of loud noise or jostling would wake it up in a heartbeat. The Furby is kind of like a baby. However, unlike a baby, you can throw and jostle this little fur ball around and slam it against the ground if you really wanted to. The unfortunate thing is that the Furby might not even break...a child would.
Since I couldn’t say it more eloquently myself, a review on Gizmodo stated that the Furby is for, “Children. Lonely children. Neglected children. The children of criminals. Evil babies. The senile. CIA black site prisoners. Skeletons. Hated cats. Madmen. Other robots. The hounds of hell.” Accurate.
Also featured in that interview was the unforgettable line, “The Furby is like an electronic frat party stuffed into a faux-fur chassis.” I’m not really sure what that means, but I will leave it to you to interpret.
6. The Furby undergoes schizophrenic-like personality changes. In one product testing instance, the Furby underwent a ‘change’ after having its tail pulled over and over again. Its eyes turned into cows and he said “I CHANGING” followed by “wild vibrations and seizure-inducing eye flashes.” The Furby’s voice changed in addition to his personality. The product tester hated the Furby after that since there was no pleasing it. She became a slave to the Furby.
7. Furby can provide a fairly accurate simulation of what effects long-term psychological and physical abuse can have on a psyche. In a medical school environment this toy could be useful. Not appropriate for children, if you ask me.
Overall, the Furby would provide some good amusement every once in a while for a few minutes at a time. Prolonged exposure actually makes you want to hurt it, so that you could punish it for its very existence. The longer you have it, the more it bothers you, the more it makes you feel like a bad person for hating it. You want to destroy it but doing so would make you too much like the Sid from Toy Story, and no one wants that.
(11/07/12 11:00pm)
Procrastination fully set in and after checking Facebook one too many times, I began perusing the internet for random things to occupy my time.
As I was clicking link after link, I came across a photograph of a receipt where a single mother wrote, “single mom, sorry” where the tip amount should be. The amount for the bill was
$138.35. At the bottom of the receipt, the mother wrote, “Thank you it was great.”
Since the photo of the receipt has gone viral, the question surrounding this photo has been whether or not being a single mother is a sufficient excuse for not leaving a tip.
Of course, the argument has been made that the mother shouldn’t have even been eating at a place where a meal costs that much if she couldn’t afford the tip.
However, the counterargument has been made that maybe she has a lot of kids and wasn’t expecting the meal to cost so much.
I can see how both sides of the argument are valid, but to make this scenario more relatable, I thought about how different the scenario would be if the quintessential broke college student pulled the same stunt.
With all of the random expenses that we college students seem to find ourselves paying, food can sometimes become the rarest of all commodities.
I don’t believe it was acceptable for the woman to use her single motherhood as an excuse not to leave a tip, just as I don’t believe it is acceptable for college students -- or anyone for that matter – not to leave a tip when eating at a restaurant; especially a restaurant where you spend roughly $140.
In fact, some states allow restaurants to pay their servers as low as $2.13 per hour.
When I was looking for more information on this matter, I found a few personal accounts of how tipping and a $2.13 per hour wage go hand in hand.
One man said, “I have been a waiter for several years and my pay is $2.13 per hour. At the end of the night, I have to tip out a percentage of how much total sales I made.”
Essentially, this waiter, like many others, has to give a portion of his tips to hosts, cooks, food runners, etc.
After that distribution has been made, he makes the equivalent of about 10% worth of tips a table. In the grand scheme of things, if business is slow, he could wind up walking home with less than minimum wage.
The logic behind the $2.13 per hour salary is that it is inexpensive for the restaurant to give employees. This practice is allowed because of the understanding that the employees are expected to make up the difference in salary with the tips they earn.
Another personal account was from a man explaining the distribution practices that waiters have to implement.
He said, “we have to tip out a percent of our sales to a support staff: bartenders, busboys, expediters, runners, and hostesses. So if I don’t get tipped on a $100 check, I pay out of my pocket to wait on you.”
To go back to the lady who left a ‘nice note’ on the receipt instead of an actual tip, the lady wasn’t legally required to pay a tip.
However, under the circumstances that the evidence provided, this single mother was in the wrong. I’m not going to deny that as a college student, money has gotten tight at times, and I have failed to leave a tip.
After going through my Sociology class and realizing the type of money these hard working people make, I was appalled.
Just the other week, I was out eating a late night dinner with a friend and after receiving the check, I didn’t feel like leaving a tip.
I went through my running list of how much money I had spent in the past few days and how much more money I was going to spend in the upcoming weeks until my next solid paycheck.
When I came to the decision that the amount of money I had left to spend was too little to justify leaving a tip, I got out of the booth and was heading towards the door of the restaurant.
My bill was roughly $5, a rather insignificant amount in the grand scheme of things. Just as I was about to leave, I thought back to a conversation I had with our waitress and how selfish I was being for wanting to hold onto a measly dollar.
Of course, my situation wasn’t nearly as noticeable as a $140 bill, but every cent counts. As college students, we should know that.
Next time you’re out at a restaurant and it comes time to leave a tip, remember to actually leave a tip.
Don’t make an excuse, especially one that tries to earn sympathy points with someone you may never see again.
There isn’t an excuse big enough to cover for the indecency of not leaving a tip. If you don’t want to leave a tip, fast food is always a good alternative.
(11/07/12 11:00pm)
Now that it is getting colder outside (finally), I think this is an appropriate time to make the generalized statement: leggings are NOT pants! If they were pants, then they would be called PANTS.
Ok, that last sentence may have been a little too circular in thought, but I think the logical point I wanted to make was there. But to attempt to clarify what I just said, leggings do not fall into a pants category.
Leggings show way too much and are kind of the middle ground between stockings/tights and regular pants. It’s a sketchy middle ground that no one should tread lightly.
I do not particularly care what size you are, leggings just do not work as pants, especially ones that are the same color as your skin. In most cases, wearing leggings may not be embarrassing for you, but for the rest of us, it is just flat out uncomfortable; even more so when the leggings make you appear to be wearing no pants at all. Um, that is just gross. People still do it - please do not be one of them.
Another variant of the leggings phenomenon is the oversized shirt or sweater, leggings combo. Just because we cannot see your butt doesn’t mean that you should do it. An oversized shirt is still a shirt. Wearing the oversized shirt or sweater with just leggings looks dumb...like you forgot to put something on. During the winter I see the combo all the time, and all I can do is shake my head.
I’m not claiming to be some sort of fashion expert, because I know I’m not the most fashion-forward person around. But when your outfit makes other people uncomfortable, you should consider changing.
If your friends let you out of your house wearing something that could potentially make other people uncomfortable, you should consider changing your friends. I say that last part jokingly...sort of.
I do think that leggings are a helpful item of clothing, especially in the winter months - whatever those might be. Wearing leggings under athletic shorts to work out outdoors is a sensible combo that I’m definitely a fan of. I’m pretty sure the most common combo is the Nike Tango shorts with leggings underneath and a t-shirt/hoodie. Talk about comfortable.
Another way to utilize leggings is to wear them under skirts to add another layer to an outfit, just don’t use jeggings. Those things are just awkward in the best of circumstances.
A practical way to use leggings is to wear them under jeans or another form of pants to keep your leg warm on those blustery winter days.
I’m not completely opposed to leggings. I’m just opposed to leggings being worn in the place of pants or other appropriate forms of ‘bottoms.’
I understand that everyone’s sense of style is different, and I can appreciate that fact. I just think that some styles need to go away and never come back again.
Leggings as pants is one of those styles. It may be easy to throw on some leggings, but it’s just as easy to throw on some sweat pants and those are way more socially acceptable.
So ladies... and men, the next time you decide to pull on those leggings, think about how you are using them and how other people will see them.
If you decide that you want to try and pull off the leggings as pants look, odds are you probably won’t.
If it’s comfort you’re going for, there are pants out there that are just as comfortable as leggings, if not more. Please, just be cautious. Leggings as pants are just not a good look, on anyone.
(11/07/12 11:00pm)
The next biggest news story going around these days, outside of the election of course, has been Hurricane Sandy, the second most expensive hurricane since Katrina.
As far as damage is concerned, besides Katrina, no other hurricane has come close to causing this much economical damage.
Here in the south, we have experienced a little bit of unusually cold and hot weather, but nothing entirely too earth shattering. No flooding, power outages, or fires have made our local headlines.
The northeast, however, has been flooded, flipped, blown away, torn apart, and isolated both by physical restrictions caused by flooding and the inability to connect to other people via internet and phone lines.
I don’t have any family living in the northeastern area of the country, but some of my friends do have family members and friends who have been heavily affected.
The concern on my friends’ faces as they tried to get in touch with their family members was genuinely moving.
Until you really experience the type of destruction that hurricanes can do to those you love first hand, you don’t really understand what mother nature is capable of.
To me, in my ignorant state, Hurricane Sandy was just another bad storm. Once the pictures started rolling in, I quickly changed my mind.
Hurricane Katrina happened back in 2005, and while the Gulf has recovered considerably, there is still a lot of damage left to clean up.
I took a trip with my family to Mississippi a year after Katrina invaded the gulf coast and the destruction that I witnessed was awe inspiring, but not in a good way.
I wanted to do something to help them, I wanted to reach out and help rebuild an area I have traveled to rather frequently.
This year I have an opportunity to go on a mission trip over winter break with Wesley Foundation of Macon to help clean up and rebuild a gulf area in Louisiana that was badly affected by Hurricane Katrina.
It has been around seven years since Hurricane Katrina hit and the destruction is still noticeable.
Now, considering the recent state of the northeast, I would hope that the destruction that has been caused by Hurricane Sandy is not still around seven years from now.
As of Nov. 1, Bloomberg reported at least 40 U.S. deaths had been reported. Economic losses were expected to climb as high as $50 billion.
Eight million homes in the northeastern U.S. were without power. Hundreds of thousands of people evacuated various affected cities.
More than 15,000 flights were grounded from all airports in the path of Sandy. To be dramatic, Bloomberg also stated that Lower Manhattan was “dark, silent, and underwater.”
Most of the iconic New York skyline was in the dark, leaving an ominious feeling in the air as Hurricane Sandy made her way across the city that finally went to sleep.
More recent news via The New American says, “‘Frankenstorm’ Sandy may be remembered as the storm with the proportionately worst aftermath in American history.”
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is offering help, but limited amounts of help. As a result, most of the cleanup and relief is going to fall on the shoulders of individuals who will selflessly give their time and man power to help.
With the understanding that cleanup and relief efforts are falling to the shoulders of average citizens, I think we, as Mercer Students, should start an effort to help our northern counterparts.
Our Local Engagement Against Poverty (LEAP) efforts have grown dramatically in just one year, why shouldn’t we expand our efforts to the northern part of the United States?
Mercer on Mission would also be a great way to reach out. A trip to New York, New Jersey, or another affected area shouldn’t be too terribly hard to conduct over the various upcoming breaks
Disclaimer: This notion is coming from a student who has never been actively involved with Mercer on Mission. So the full extent of what goes into a trip like this is beyond me.
With the destruction done by Katrina having taken seven plus years to clean up, Mercer students can form relief efforts in the areas affected by both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy that will hopefully continue over the next few generations of Mercer.
As I mentioned before, I’m not entirely sure what kind of avenues to go through to get this idea set in motion, but I think this idea could get our campus more interconnected with the greater area just outside our backyard, so to speak.
My hope is that those of you involved with LEAP and Mercer on Mission can make this idea happen. If you do, I would love to be involved!
(10/24/12 9:00pm)
News has been buzzing with the story of Lance Armstrong stripped of all seven Tour de France wins he secured from 1999 to 2005. I have mixed feelings about his reaction as well as the reactions of others in the media.
Personally, I looked up to this man. I’ve always been interested in cycling, but I never got involved with racing. When I was younger, I used to get on my own bike and pretend I was in a stage of the Tour de France, using cars as my competitors. I was somewhat of a spunky little kid.
When the Livestrong campaign got started, I totally bought in -- literally. I sported one of those iconic yellow Livestrong bracelets everywhere I went. I wore the shoes, the shorts, the bike gear.
I believed in what he stood for and I aspired to be in as good of shape as he was after his battle with cancer.
Maybe I was sporting rose colored glasses along with the Livestrong bracelet during those years that Armstrong was competing.
After all, the allegations he’s currently fighting, but not quite opening up to, do not make an ideal idol.
Growing up, my first and foremost idol was Mia Hamm. Once she retired, I still loved her, but she kind of dropped off the radar to start a family.
Around the time Mia Hamm stepped out of the spotlight, all eyes were on Armstrong.
I obviously latched on. I’m not one to spend a prolonged amount of time obsessing over one specific thing, people included, so after a while I started focusing my interest to other things like Michael Phelps, “How I Met Your Mother,” “House” and Megan Rapinoe, just to name a few.
People aren’t perfect and Lance Armstrong exemplifies that fact. We put him on a pedestal because of everything he has overcome and accomplished.
At the end of the day, though, we uncovered a nasty truth: Lance Armstrong isn’t really the person he made himself out to be. Then again, who is? The higher we put our idols on pedestals, the harder they fall when we discover something unpleasant.
According to several news articles, the U.S. anti-doping officials say that the systematized doping they uncovered is “more extensive than any previously revealed in professional sports history.”
The International Cycling Union accepted the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s decision, stripped Armstrong of his seven Tour titles, and banned him from the sport for life. Armstrong also stepped down from chairman of Livestrong.
It’s unfortunate to see Lance Armstrong take such a fall, but then again, he isn’t saying anything. He hasn’t confirmed these allegations, nor has he apologized to the sport.
I find his silence in the matter a little disconcerting. Some articles I have read have commended Armstrong for his humbling silence. I don’t think this silence is a display of humility, I think he’s embarrassed he finally got caught.
I may be contradicting myself, but I still look up to the man. Sure he didn’t win his titles in a ‘clean’ way, but the hesitancy that the International Cycling Union has towards what they want to do with the titles makes me question the validity of this whole argument against Armstrong.
Sure the man was actively doping, but doping was a major part of the sport when he was at the top of his game.
The ICU’s hesitancy is because they are almost positive that the second runner up in any of the seven Tours would most likely be just as guilty of doping as Armstrong.
I’m not condoning shady behavior like Armstrong, but I can still appreciate what he did for cycling.
He became the face of cycling, worldwide, for a long time.
That’s a good thing. I can only hope that the interest in professional cycling continues to rise despite the negative light that Armstrong has been reflecting during this time.
(10/10/12 4:01pm)
On Sept. 26, the Mercer men’s soccer team dominated UNC-Asheville offensively to come away on top with a 4-0 win at Bear Field.
Mercer out-shot UNC-Asheville 19-8 and held the advantage in corner kicks, 7-2, during the match. The Bears’ 4-0 result matches their shutout win over Presbyterian on Sept. 8 for the most goals in a single game this season.
In the post game interview, Head Coach Brad Ruzzo commented, “It’s a great win for us. It’s a great result for us. UNC-Asheville is a well coached team and they battled all the way through. I was happy with our performance both off the ball and on the ball. I thought our movement off the ball was really good today, especially in the first half. We’ve been talking a lot about that this week. It’s always good to score some goals and keep a clean sheet.”
Mercer’s scoring streak didn’t take long to get started. In the eighth minute of play, sophomore Carl-Oscar Andersson fed a ball to junior Ryan King. King immediately snapped a pass across the box to sophomore Ashani Samuels for a one-touch goal to gain the 1-0 lead.
A little over 10 minutes after the first goal, Andersson and King both played their part in assisting another goal. With the help of Andersson and King, senior Richie Edmondson gave the Orange and Black a 2-0 advantage over UNC-Asheville.
When commenting on the early lead, Samuels said, “playing from the front normally allows a team to play more comfortably. On the other hand, the team who is down is now chasing the game and commits numbers forward which leaves them open to counter attack. Our strikers were on point and when the opportunities presented themselves, they took full advantage.”
The Bears received their third goal of the evening by way of freshman forward Juan Jose Morales in the 66th minute. King played a ball to Morales’ feet and from about 30 yards out from goal, fired a quality strike into the upper-left 90.
Ruzzo mentioned that he was happy with Morales’ performance. “I think it was just a matter of time for him to get on the board, get a shot off. He’s a great finisher, so he just needs that one little opportunity and it was a great shot,” said Ruzzo.
The fourth and final goal for the Orange and Black came off of a set piece. Junior Brady O’Brien took the corner kick. Samuels, ready to battle it out in the box, jumped and headed the ball into the back of the net for his second goal of the match.
When asked if anything has changed in the way set pieces are executed since Heavner’s injury, O’Brien said, “there really have been no major adjustments to our set pieces other than giving our team a chance to score and as a team having a strong mentality to do so.”
During this match, King had a career-best three assists, falling short of the Mercer single-game record of four set by Marshall Eckford in 1981.
Mercer goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh tied a season-high with six saves to pick up his 12th career shutout, moving him into a tie for seventh for the most shutouts in Atlantic Sun Conference history.
The Mercer men’s soccer team traveled to Tennessee to face East Tennessee State University and came away with an impressive 2-1 win in their Atlantic Sun Conference opener.
This match marks a perfect 5-0-0 in A-Sun Conference openers under fifth-year head coach Brad Ruzzo. This match also signified the Buccaneers first home loss of the 2012 season.
Both teams got off to a quick start. In the 17th minute of play, sophomore Ashani Samuels flicked a corner kick to Ryan King, who then swung the ball to Ehjayson Henry for a quick touch on the ball into the goal to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.
Going into the second half, Mercer retained the 1-0 lead. Within two minutes, ETSU mounted an offensive attack to secure an equalizer.
The Orange and Black responded quickly and regained the lead in the 50th minute of play. Senior Sharpe Sablon played a give-and-go ball to Henry who placed a finisher right between ETSU goalkeeper’s legs.
Ranjitsingh tied his season-high with six saves in the win. Mercer’s defense as a whole held strong for the rest of the match after the 50th minute of play to improve the record to 6-1-1 over their last eight contests.
According to Andersson, “The win over ETSU was a very good win, they are a very good team and we are the first to beat them at their place. In that game, we were very very efficient and scored on our chances, while being great defensively.” O’Brien added, “Every time we play ETSU it is a very close game and it is especially tough to get a result at their place. We were able to get an early goal and we responded well to get another after allowing them to tie it in the beginning of the second half. Our team was able to stay strong and not allow another goal after that.”
Mercer returned to Macon to continue its A-Sun Conference slate against Lipscomb on Oct. 4th at Bear Field.
During this match, the Bears equaled its best start dating back to the 2002 season with a 2-1 Atlantic Sun Conference win over Lipscomb.
Ashani Samuels was asked how game play changed after gaining a 2-0 lead over Lipscomb early in the first half. He said, “For the past couple of weeks, conference games were what we were preparing for so everyone was amped and ready to play. The goal in starting conference away from home is always to come back with a result. You never have to recover from a good start. Although the game was tough, the guys dug deep and came out with a win. Going two up on lipscomb gave us more control of the game. It also put us in comfortable position and it forces the opponent to chase the game.”
Due to the issuing of a red card late in the first half, Mercer played the entire second half with 10 men and still protected a one-goal lead for its fourth-straight home win.
When commenting on the effect the red card had on the team, Ruzzo said, “It’s tough. You always deal with these types of things and you’ve got to fight through it. Just like adversity on the road, or bad refereeing or whatever it may be. It happened for us tonight that it happened to be a red card. That’s why we train, and that’s why we train the guys on the bench that don’t get a lot of minutes because we need those guys. In particular, Mark Riggins, Michael Lewis, and Bryson Jones really came in and gave us a good 10 minutes to give those other guys a break and to finish it off.”
In the eighth minute of play, the Orange and Black got on the board first thanks to a quick decision by senior Richie Edmondson. The Jamaican native launched a snap throw-in to junior Ryan King who flicked a header to Andersson who then promptly buried a header of his own into the back of the net to give the home team a 1-0 lead.
In the 24th minute, Brady O’Brien served a free kick into the box that Samuels leaped up and flicked past the Lipscomb goalkeeper, Miguel Hof, to put the Bears out in front with a 2-0 lead.
According to Andersson, “To get the first goal is always important, and to get it as early as we got it really put us in the driver’s seat. Ashani Samuels also helped us by scoring the 2-0 goal, and after that we just had to try and manage the game.”
When also commenting on Samuels performance, Ruzzo said, “Ashani has really come on these last couple of weeks you can see his attitude and mentality in training and he just gets better every time I see him play. He’s kind of the unsung hero right now.”
In response to Mercer’s 2-0 lead, the Bisons used a beautiful set piece of their own in the form of a one-touch volley to cut the lead down to 2-1 with 17 minutes remaining in the first half.
Upon returning to the field after halftime, the Bears valiantly defended their lead through the duration of the second half, despite playing a man down. Mercer never allowed any quality chances for Lipscomb up until the final horn. Redshirt junior Bryson Jones, redshirt sophomore Michael Lewis and freshman Mark Riggins all came on as subs and played excellent individual defense to help aid the fight in securing the win.
When asked about how the red card changed game play, Andersson said, “The red card was obviously very unfortunate for us, and changed the game totally. Lipscomb was already hunting the equalizing goal, and with us being one man down we had to work even harder. To be able to win a game like that you need to fight very hard all over the field, and our team is filled with players who do that.”
Mercer returned to the pitch when it welcomed Stetson into town on Oct. 7 at Bear Field.
The Orange and Black won its fourth-straight match with a 1-0 win over Stetson and is 3-0-0 to start Atlantic Sun Conference play for the first time since 2009.
This match also marked Mercer’s fifth-straight win in a home match over a rested Stetson’s team, having not played a match in 11 days, allowing Mercer to retain sole possession of first place in the A-Sun Conference standings.
The amount of time Stetson had between matches is important because, “With us playing down a man for 50 minutes, you could tell a little bit that we were tired today and we really had to grind this one out because we weren’t really clean in a lot of aspects of it. Proud of the guys for fighting and sticking in there and defending well today,” said Ruzzo.
The Bears took the lead early courtesy of another first half goal, the seventh time they have scored in the first 45 minutes of a game this season. After a header by sophomore Ashani Samuels was deflected by the keeper, senior Josh Shutter was ready and waiting. Shutter hammered home the rebounded attempt to give Mercer a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute of play.
When asked about the Shutter and Samuels combination play, Ruzzo said, “It was a good goal from us. Set pieces are important part of the game and Ashani, fortunately, the last couple of weeks has been getting his head to things. He’s just keeping it alive in the box and it just happened to fall to Josh. I think if it falls to Josh, 9 out of 10 times it’s going to the back of the net because he can strike pretty good balls. We were fortunate to get that goal.”
For the remainder of the match, the Orange and Black settled in and fended off Stetson’s offensive pressure.
Ruzzo commented on the overall result, “When you’re at home and at conference games, you have to try to get as many points as you possibly can and we knew it was going to be difficult today. Stetson has notoriously been one of the top teams in this league.”
The man of the match, without question, was Mercer sophomore goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh. Ranjitsingh made a career-high 10 saves, including a diving one-handed stop of a Stetson free kick with 35 seconds left in the match to preserve the win.
Ruzzo recognized Ranjitsingh’s efforts when he said, “Greg Ranjitsingh today was unbelievable in goal and really saved us, particularly in the first half.”
Senior Richie Edmondson paced the Mercer attack with three shots, while Samuels records at least one point with an assist for the fourth-straight match.
When offering final comments on the match, Carl-Oscar Andersson said, “Today’s win was very important against a strong Stetson team. We have won all of our home games so far, and continuing to be very hard to beat at our place. Once again, we got the first goal and after that we just had to defend our lead, which we did. They put a lot of pressure on us, but Greg Ranjitsingh was massive in goal for us today, and he kept us in the game.”
Things don’t get any easier for Mercer next time out, as it travels to Tampa to take on No. 15 South Florida on Oct. 10.
(10/10/12 4:00pm)
On any given day, I don’t typically pay much attention to the way I’m getting around campus. Sometimes, when the buildings seem farther away from each other I think about bringing my bike to campus. However, past experience with bikes being stolen has made me think twice. Instead, I stick with walking.
Walking is a healthy activity. When the weather is particularly nice, walking around campus can be very pleasant. Walking allows me to clear my head, catch up with friends, or just get me from one class to the next.
During my sophomore year, my walking capabilities were severely compromised when I sprained my ankle playing soccer and was stuck in a boot for two months. I could still walk up stairs and such, but getting around campus was more difficult than I liked. Fortunately, at that point I was only on crutches for a week, mostly because I found them unnecessary.
Anyway, this year, I ended up injuring myself on the soccer field, once again, but this time my knee took the blow.
Ligaments can only take so much stress until they tear, and boy did mine tear. Rupture was the term the doctor used.
I’ve been hobbling around campus, trying my best to avoid stairs and uneven pavement as much as possible. I can go up and down stairs, but it usually takes me about five times longer than before I hurt my knee.
There aren’t many ramps around campus, and the elevators make me really nervous so I usually bite the bullet and take the stairs anyways.
I’m scheduled for surgery this week and will be on crutches for an undisclosed amount of time. Not that I’m trying to keep anything from the reader, the doctor just doesn’t know how long I’m going to be on crutches.
The worst I’ve heard is about eight weeks. All I could think was, “I can barely get around campus now! How am I supposed to get around campus on crutches for eight weeks?”
The truth of the matter is, Mercer has made the executive decision to go for an aesthetically pleasing campus rather than making an effort to accommodate the handicapped.
I will only be temporarily handicapped -- and I’m not the only one. I know of at least two athletes in two different sports who have the same injury as mine. Students becoming handicapped by sports injuries and other similar activities that interfere with normal walking are not isolated.
Plus, there are students on campus that can’t get around the campus due to their own physical limitations. These limitations are not necessarily their fault, but Mercer’s campus is not making it any easier for them to get around.
I have classes in both Ware and Willingham, and both of these building will be nearly impossible for me to navigate on crutches.
Maybe it’s my independent streak in me, but I don’t necessarily like people holding the door open for me with a look on their face that says, “I feel sorry for you so I’m going to be an upstanding citizen to hold the door open for you.” I apprectiate the kind gesture. I hate the forced appearance sympathy.
I’d much rather just press a button that opens the door for me. I get through the door and move on with the rest of my day. Unfortunately, the older buildings on campus don’t have these automatic door opener buttons, nor do they have elevators.
I have class in Willingham on the second floor. While the department is moving the class to the classroom downstairs to accommodate my lack of mobility, my professor hurt her ankle and has difficulty going up stairs. Her office is on the second floor and the lack of an elevator makes going to and from her office rather inconvenient. For what? For the building to maintain an aesthetic beauty? The building is old. We get it. But the aesthetics don’t necessarily need to be destroyed just by adding a little bit of modern technology.
MEP, the girl’s freshman dorm has “handicap” rooms on both the second and third floor. However, none of the elevators work in the building. The elevators are stagnant and a little creepy if you really think about it.
Sure the history of the building is cool and we want to maintain that, but there comes a point when having “handicap” rooms becomes a joke. Those rooms shouldn’t be a joke. They are built for the use of people restrained to wheelchairs, but I don’t think I can remember a time when there has been a person in a wheelchair on the second and third floor of MEP.
My freshman year, one of my friends ended up getting sick during her Chemistry lab and they had to call the ambulance.
Unfortunately, the EMTs spent most of their time trying to figure out how to bring the gurney up to the top floor of Willet. They couldn’t figure out a way, so they brought their medical equipment to her in hopes that she wouldn’t need to be taken to the hospital on the gurney.
There’s something wrong with this picture. Everyone can complain about how outdated all of the science equipment is in Willet, but there’s a safety hazard involved the EMTs can’t even get their gurney into the building.
There are several buildings around campus that have made themselves accessible to handicapped. Tarver Library is rather accessible, if not the most accessible.
Stetson is fairly accessible, Knight is easy to navigate, and Mercer Hall. The rest of the buildings are rather difficult to get into.
The University Center is a hit or miss. The ramps are sort of easy to use, but the incline is rather steep. Upper body strength is definitely a must when one’s lower extremities stop working as well.
These buildings are the newer ones on campus, but even the student center has a working elevator - an elevator I will definitely not be using. I used it once and I thought I was in a horror film. But I guess functional is better than nothing.
The other, older buildings on campus seem to have chosen aesthetics over remodeling to accommodate those who can’t get into the buildings as easily.
Take Ware for instance. I recognize that this building is very old, one of the oldest on campus, but the doors are difficult to open for even the able bodied person.
Trying to open the door on crutches and then having to immediately take a step up into the building is rather difficult. That’s just the front of the building.
The side door is even worse.The door opens out, so you have to pull the door towards you in order to get inside. Now, think about getting up the five or so steps on crutches, then having to figure out how to get out of the way of the door when you are trying to open it -- on one foot.
I wouldn’t use this entrance while I’m on crutches, because it’s not practical. However, the difficulty of getting into this building is real.
Willingham has one main entrance that is equally difficult to get into. Getting up the brick paved path is difficult on crutches, and even more difficult when it’s wet.
Those bricks get slick when they get wet and even my able bodied self slips from time to time. Getting up the stairs is daunting, especially when, once you get to the top, you need to brace yourself for other people coming out of the building.
A couple of my friends have gotten hit by the door on multiple occasions.
I’ve used myself as an example through much of this article, but I haven’t even been on crutches for very long, yet.
Sure Mercer Police offered to give me rides whenever I need them, but I’m not the only one on campus that is on crutches.
People are in wheelchairs, have their arms in slings, or just have difficulty walking. These people aren’t necessarily students. Professors get hurt. We have visitors.
Mercer is always telling us to “Be the Bear” and much of what that means is impacting the world. How are we supposed to impact the world when we give the first impression of restricting what people who are already restricted can do?
Of course, when I say that, I don’t mean temporary handicaps like my knee injury. I’m talking about potential students, prestigious visitors who may have physical limitations, professors, and so on. We need to be welcoming, we need to be able to show them that we want them here, that we accommodated them, instead of isolated because they can’t get somewhere. After all, aesthetics aren’t everything.
Comments on this opinion can be sent to opinions@mercercluster.com
(10/10/12 4:00pm)
As opinions editor, I fully realize that this section has not really addressed many political issues this year -- an election year.
A couple of people, that I know of, have complained about the lack of political pieces in the opinions section this year.
There have been a few political opinions spread out over a couple of issues, but I agree that there has not been a strong enough political presence in this section.
I sincerely apologize for the lack of political pieces, but I did not feel comfortable writing the political pieces myself.
Without writing the pieces myself, I had no way of remedying the situation without berating my politically-minded friends. They have lives, too.
Just as a general comment, if there is something you want to see in the opinions section, write about it! You don’t have to be a staff writer for the cluster in order to submit something. If you send a piece to opinions@mercercluster.com, chances are you will end up printed in the paper.
So far, I have avoided doing a political opinions piece. I had originally planned on avoiding doing one all together, but I think it’s necessary for me to give reasons why I didn’t want to write one.
You see, I have been living under a rock since our last presidential election. In high school, I was very well informed about what was going on in the political sphere because my teachers were required to keep us informed.
I knew who was running, I knew what each candidate was running for, I even had an opinion about who I would vote for if I had been old enough to cast a ballot.
Fast forward four years, I have no idea what is going on in the political world. Maybe I’m being an irresponsible American, but I doubt I’m alone when I say that I’m lost.
I kind of equate this scenario to falling asleep in class or completely zoning out towards the beginning of class and then, near the end, your professor calls on you to answer a question. She expects an answer, and you have no idea what is going on.
I feel this way towards the upcoming election. I zoned out near the beginning, four years ago, and all of a sudden I’m expected to come up with a response. I have to answer the ultimate question, “Who do I want to be America’s next top candidate?”
Ok, I kid about the whole next top model reference, but in all seriousness, I have no idea who is running. I could give you my best guess from having read various facebook statuses or random news articles, but I wouldn’t be very confident in my answer.
I know Obama is running again. No surprise there. However, I have no idea what ideals and plans he is campaigning this go around. That ignorance, my friend, is a problem.
The upcoming election is making me feel panicked. Kind of like when I haven’t even started studying for a test, and the test date is quickly approaching. This late in the game, how do I choose who I want to vote for?
I don’t really watch tv, but I’m assuming those ads are starting to pop up where celebrities and the like are asking us to get out there and vote.
Well, sure, I can show up on election day, submit a ballot, and be on my way. But, an uninformed vote is a vote that does not necessarily aid the country in becoming better. Ideally, we should have a president that best represents our personal values. In turn, the country will then reflect our personal values.
Of course, everyone doesn’t have the same personal values. So, how do we have productive conversations with each other about who we want to represent us for the next four years?
Do we all gather in groups where we all share the same ideals and decide which candidate lines up with those ideals the best? Sure, that could work, but at the same time the idea seems preposterous.
To make an informed decision, we should keep other people’s values that are different from our own in mind. Their opinion counts, too. Plus, we should have discussions about how our values line up with values that may disagree with ours.
This scenario, however, brings about an interesting issue. What are our values? We’re adults now. Do we blindly adopt our parents’ values? Do we latch onto our friends’ values because they seem nice?
Personally, I’m still trying to decide what I value and how to define those values in a nice, neat way. I don’t think I will ever be able to, but my struggle is a real one.
Our president, who ever we, as a nation, choose, will not represent each of our values in a nice, neat way. We may love him in some ways, and strongly dislike him in others. But before he even enters the role of president, we should already know what to expect -- generally.
I missed the political debate the other night on account of I’m a tired college student and fell asleep, but even my friends who managed to watch the political debate didn’t really watch it. Many paid rapt attention, but mostly for completing a game of Bingo or to one up each other in another type of drinking game.
As college students, we are at the prime of our lives and can make a definitive impact on how our country runs. Many of us, myself included, throw this opportunity away just because we are uninformed.
For those of you who are informed, I applaud you. You are a better citizen than I am. It’s not too incredibly late to become informed. The election season is upon us, embrace it. Become informed and vote!
Comments on this opinion
can be sent to
opinions@mercercluster.com
(10/10/12 4:00pm)
As opinions editor, I fully realize that this section has not really addressed many political issues this year -- an election year.
A couple of people, that I know of, have complained about the lack of political pieces in the opinions section this year.
There have been a few political opinions spread out over a couple of issues, but I agree that there has not been a strong enough political presence in this section.
I sincerely apologize for the lack of political pieces, but I did not feel comfortable writing the political pieces myself.
Without writing the pieces myself, I had no way of remedying the situation without berating my politically-minded friends. They have lives, too.
Just as a general comment, if there is something you want to see in the opinions section, write about it! You don’t have to be a staff writer for the cluster in order to submit something. If you send a piece to opinions@mercercluster.com, chances are you will end up printed in the paper.
So far, I have avoided doing a political opinions piece. I had originally planned on avoiding doing one all together, but I think it’s necessary for me to give reasons why I didn’t want to write one.
You see, I have been living under a rock since our last presidential election. In high school, I was very well informed about what was going on in the political sphere because my teachers were required to keep us informed.
I knew who was running, I knew what each candidate was running for, I even had an opinion about who I would vote for if I had been old enough to cast a ballot.
Fast forward four years, I have no idea what is going on in the political world. Maybe I’m being an irresponsible American, but I doubt I’m alone when I say that I’m lost.
I kind of equate this scenario to falling asleep in class or completely zoning out towards the beginning of class and then, near the end, your professor calls on you to answer a question. She expects an answer, and you have no idea what is going on.
I feel this way towards the upcoming election. I zoned out near the beginning, four years ago, and all of a sudden I’m expected to come up with a response. I have to answer the ultimate question, “Who do I want to be America’s next top candidate?”
Ok, I kid about the whole next top model reference, but in all seriousness, I have no idea who is running. I could give you my best guess from having read various facebook statuses or random news articles, but I wouldn’t be very confident in my answer.
I know Obama is running again. No surprise there. However, I have no idea what ideals and plans he is campaigning this go around. That ignorance, my friend, is a problem.
The upcoming election is making me feel panicked. Kind of like when I haven’t even started studying for a test, and the test date is quickly approaching. This late in the game, how do I choose who I want to vote for?
I don’t really watch tv, but I’m assuming those ads are starting to pop up where celebrities and the like are asking us to get out there and vote.
Well, sure, I can show up on election day, submit a ballot, and be on my way. But, an uninformed vote is a vote that does not necessarily aid the country in becoming better. Ideally, we should have a president that best represents our personal values. In turn, the country will then reflect our personal values.
Of course, everyone doesn’t have the same personal values. So, how do we have productive conversations with each other about who we want to represent us for the next four years?
Do we all gather in groups where we all share the same ideals and decide which candidate lines up with those ideals the best? Sure, that could work, but at the same time the idea seems preposterous.
To make an informed decision, we should keep other people’s values that are different from our own in mind. Their opinion counts, too. Plus, we should have discussions about how our values line up with values that may disagree with ours.
This scenario, however, brings about an interesting issue. What are our values? We’re adults now. Do we blindly adopt our parents’ values? Do we latch onto our friends’ values because they seem nice?
Personally, I’m still trying to decide what I value and how to define those values in a nice, neat way. I don’t think I will ever be able to, but my struggle is a real one.
Our president, who ever we, as a nation, choose, will not represent each of our values in a nice, neat way. We may love him in some ways, and strongly dislike him in others. But before he even enters the role of president, we should already know what to expect -- generally.
I missed the political debate the other night on account of I’m a tired college student and fell asleep, but even my friends who managed to watch the political debate didn’t really watch it. Many paid rapt attention, but mostly for completing a game of Bingo or to one up each other in another type of drinking game.
As college students, we are at the prime of our lives and can make a definitive impact on how our country runs. Many of us, myself included, throw this opportunity away just because we are uninformed.
For those of you who are informed, I applaud you. You are a better citizen than I am. It’s not too incredibly late to become informed. The election season is upon us, embrace it. Become informed and vote!
Comments on this opinion
can be sent to
opinions@mercercluster.com
(10/10/12 4:00pm)
Georgia hasn’t quite gotten to the point where the weather screams fall, but the fact that pumpkin spice is everywhere means that fall is finally upon us.
For a minute there, the weather dipped down to about mid-60s, so the question of whether to choose hot chocolate or pumpkin spice is a rather legitimate one. With forecasts of upper-80s, low 90s, we need to figure out a way to cool ourselves down some how. Fortunately for us, there are such things as frozen hot chocolate and pumpkin spice frappuccinos.
I do love to indulge in a cup of hot chocolate on a cool autumn evening, but pumpkin spice has recently entered my radar.
I’m not sure if I was just oblivious for the past few years, but I didn’t understand what the big deal about pumpkin spice was. I mentioned in a previous issue that I love Starbucks and I have been going there rather frequently since the semester started.
Of course, Starbucks seems to be the biggest advertiser of pumpkin spice. Once pumpkin spice comes around, fall is officially here.
My usual drink at Starbucks is a Mocha, in both hot and frappuccino variety.
However, my tastebuds were singing a different tune when I discovered that pumpkin spice lattes could be turned into frappuccinos.
For about a week or two, pumpkin spice was the only thing I ordered.
After discovering pumpkin spice lattes, my housemate brought home pumpkin spice kisses and used them to make pumpkin spice cookies.
Everywhere I turn, pumpkin spice this, pumpkin spice that. I’m not so sure I’m head over heels for this seasonal development.
Hot chocolate is a tried and true favorite. Once I got over my obsession with pumpkin spice, albeit brief, I returned to my usual mocha at Starbucks.
I have a box of swiss miss hot chocolate packets waiting for me in my room.
Hot chocolate is a classic. Pumpkin spice is a fad. Don’t get me wrong, pumpkin spice is delicious. Sometimes, though, a classic like hot chocolate is just what we need when the weather gets a bit colder than we’re used to, and we need that sense of comfort that we used to get when we were children.
In a season when we become split down the middle between, pumpkin spice drinkers and non-pumpkin spice drinkers, I stand on the side of the non-pumpkin spice drinkers.
I will occasionally indulge in a pumpkin spice latte or pumpkin spice frappuccino, but if I had to choose, hot chocolate is where it’s at!
Comments on this opinion can be sent to cecilia.villagomez@live.mercer.edu
(10/10/12 4:00pm)
To go along with my rant about our Internet usage featured in the last issue, our need for instant gratification and our dependence on our electronic devices has not only affected the intimacy of social interaction we have with others, but has also affected the quality of sleep we receive each night.
Many of us turn off our electronics and turn in for the night. But not before turning to our phones for the final glimpse of what is going on in the world before finally settling down to sleep. Many of us also use our phones as alarm clocks and keep the volume up so that we don’t miss a thing when it comes to incoming text messages, facebook notifications, or twitter updates. We feel the need to be constantly connected and our sleep often suffers.
Messing with sleep means entering dangerous territory. There are a slew of health issues that result from sleep deprivation.
Most people would define sleep deprivation as not receiving the suggested eight hours of sleep in one sitting. However, the typically suggested eight hours a night isn’t necessarily the only way we can ‘properly’ receive a good night’s rest.
As college students, we are very accustomed to only getting five to six hours of sleep a night - on a good night. The ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ mantra often fresh in our minds. Whether its because of those endless all-nighters, partying a little too hard, or just flat out insomnia due to stress or having something better to do, there is always at least one night that throws the rest of the week off when it comes to our sleep schedules. Most of us nap fairly regularly. Some of us even schedule nap time in. After all, sleep is important.
Fortunately for us, our bodies have been wired to sleep in two separate cycles as opposed to just the one we have been taught to embrace. According to this idea of sleeping in two stages, the body sleeps for four hours or so, wakes up for an hour or two and then falls back to sleep for another four hours or so. Waking up in the middle of the night has been proven to be the period of time when the mind is most apt for critical thinking and reflection.
To go along with this idea, as college students, we can adopt a five to six hours of sleep pattern, catch up on sleep during nap time, and still be considered well rested. The only problem I have with this idea of nap time is not having time to nap. Our schedules get busy, and the further into the semester we get, the busier we get. I have to physically tell myself when to go to sleep by setting a bed time and sticking to it.
Hopefully, with fall break just around the corner, we are able to catch up on all the sleep we have lost. But if you aren’t receiving the eight hours of sleep you have been told you should be getting, don’t worry. Embrace nap time! You’ll be caught up before you know it!
Comments on this opinion can be sent to opinions@mercercluster.com
(09/26/12 9:41pm)
On Sept. 16, the Mercer men’s soccer team battled in-state rival Georgia State and came out on top with a 2-0 win.
This match signified five-straight matches in the Bears’ favor, going 4-0-1 in their last five games. This match was also Mercer’s second-straight victory over an in-state opponent, after winning the match against Georgia Southern, 1-0, earlier in the week.
During the game against Georgia State, the first half gave the Bear’s one quality scoring opportunity by Senior Richie Edmondson. The ball, going on frame, was met by a Georgia State defender just off the line.
The game entered halftime with the score tied at 0-0. Head coach, Brad Ruzzo, commented after the game, “I think we were a little unlucky in the first half. We were just missing that final ball, that final service. I think in the second half, certainly we dodged some moments, but we got the first goal and I think anytime you get the first goal [in a game] that changes the game. Fortunately for us, [that goal] change [the game] for us.”
In the 59th minute, the Bears gained a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Carl-Oscar Andersson chipped a ball into Ehjayson Henry’s path. He, in turn, controlled the pace of the ball and set up a cross where Senior Sharpe Sablon met the ball and slipped the ball right past the keeper and into the back of the net. The crowd of over 450 fans responded and generated even more momentum for the Orange and Black.
When asked about his role in the game, Andersson mentioned, “in the attack, my role is to find open spaces and create chances for our forwards. I need players who cover and make runs for me. I certainly had that in the Georgia State game. I [usually] play just in front of Ryan King and Will Betts, and their hard work is what’s making it possible for me to be creative on the ball.”
This first goal was important for Mercer, and Coach Ruzzo said in response to the goal, “I think that was a really nice goal. [Andersson] set that up perfectly, [Henry] had a little composure in the box and [Sablon] ran the far post. That was a great goal in my opinion.”
Within the next three minutes, Junior Brady O’Brien stepped up to take the corner kick set piece. Originally planning to set up an opportunity for a header into the goal, O’Brien put just the right bend on the ball and the ball went over the arms of the Georgia State goalkeeper and just inside the far post for his second career goal.
O’Brien recalled, “The corner kick wasn’t exactly how we drew it up, but set pieces are a vital part to our program. We had an unfortunate injury to Joey Heavner, who is our usual set piece taker. I was asked to fill this role along with fellow teammate David Murtaugh.”
Coach Ruzzo hasn’t seen many goals off of a corner but he said, “I was happy to see it tonight. It’s certainly not something we’re working on. O’Brien’s usually not on those and we had to make some changes tonight. It was a quality kick.”
By the end of the game, Mercer goalkeeper, Greg Ranjitsingh made the clean sheet a reality. He secured his 11th career shutout, moving him into a tie for 10th place for the most shutouts in A-Sun Conference history.
Overall, “the Georgia State game was a great result, especially after suffering a close defeat to them last year,” says O’Brien.
On Sept. 22nd, the Mercer men’s soccer team’s five-match streak of remaining unbeaten was put to an end after a heartbreaking 2-0 defeat at Central Arkansas at the Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex.
Central Arkansas shut out Mercer for the first time this season and pulled a 1-0 lead just before going into halftime.
In the 76th minute, Central Arkansas scored yet another goal to put the match out of the Bears’ reach. This goal secured Central Arkansas’ 2-0 win.
When asked about the difference between the Georgia State match and the one against Central Arkansas, Carl-Oscar Andersson said, “Against Georgia State we had such good movement in the attack that we forced them to run a lot. Eventually, they got tired. In the game against Central Arkansas, we were too static and we made it too easy for them to defend us.”
O’Brien commented “[Central Arkansas was] a good team and we just didn’t pull out the away result we were expecting to get. We are however looking forward to Wednesday’s game at home against UNC Asheville and hopefully get another win.”
Mercer returns home for its next match when it welcomes UNC-Asheville to Macon on September 26. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Bear Field.
(09/26/12 8:55pm)
If you’re like me, you have established your series of ideal study places and know exactly which places works for what type of studying you’re doing.
If one of your study places is an establishment where you can order food or drinks, you may have even become one of the regulars -- those loyal customers that everyone recognizes. If you’re lucky, the establishment of your choice may have your drink or meal ready for you as soon as you walk through the door.
I’m not that lucky -- I keep changing my mind. The baristas never know what to expect from me.
When it’s time for me to hit the books, coffee shops are usually my first stop before I consider anywhere else. Coffee shops, in general, usually have long hours that accommodate the average college student’s sleep/study habits and they have caffeine right there waiting for you.
There used to be three main varieties of coffee shops around macon, but sadly Joshua Cup is no longer a thing. That coffee shop, in my opinion, is what the quintessential college town coffee shop was supposed to look like. It’s a shame they closed down.
However, I digress. This article isn’t about Joshua Cup. As the title states, this article is This or That, implying the comparison of two different things, the things in the subhead.
This is a battle between Starbucks and our neighborhood Jittery Joe’s.
Plus, the argument for this article would have been a lot more complicated if I had three boxers trying to duke it out and only two spots in the boxing ring.
Just to be fair, I go to Jittery Joe’s and Starbucks frequently, but I will definitely drive the fifteen or so minutes across town to Starbucks when I really need to get some homework done. I prefer Starbucks for a multitude of reasons.
When I study, I try to make myself as anonymous as possible. That means going to a place where I will run into the least amount of people that I know or know me as possible.
Best case scenario, I don’t recognize a single person where I am. Of course, the longer I stay in Macon, the harder this task becomes, but I manage.
Starbucks is perfect for becoming anonymous. Not many of my friends or Mercer brethren take the trek to Starbucks, so I’m able to get a lot done.
At Jittery Joe’s, I usually end up running into at the very least two people I know and we always start up conversations. I’m usually doing homework so I’m much more likely to take advantage of the opportunity to procrastinate and chat it up with the people I know.
To go along the same lines as making myself anonymous is the issue of environment. I love the environment of Starbucks. Jittery Joe’s is almost always packed. There are way too many people in there and just not enough space to fit them all in. Plus, the decor is too dark that it feels like walking into a cave.
Now caves are great, I love the cave like atmosphere to do reading and relaxing with a cup of coffee, but for my study needs I need a bright, airy space. Starbucks does that for me.
The coffee is much better at Starbucks, or at least it’s more tolerable. Nothing against Jittery Joe’s coffee, but it is so strong that it’s a turn off.
The strength of this coffee is enough to turn me into a shaky mess only after a few sips. I can’t focus. I’m all over the place -- it’s dangerous. Plus, Starbucks has that new rewards program. I’m half way to gold membership. Need. More. Coffee.
I would choose Starbucks over Jittery Joe’s any day. I do love that Jittery Joe’s is so close to campus and it’s a nice place to relax, have class, or class meetings. But for the hardcore studying and/or coffee drinking ventures, Starbucks is my coffee shop of choice.
Comments on this opinion can be sent to cecilia.villagomez@live.mercer.edu
(09/26/12 8:50pm)
It seems to me that social networking sites and fast Internet connection have taken over our lives. I recently got an iPad for my birthday and I haven’t been able to be away from it for more than an hour...if that much. It’s my new favorite toy, so it makes sense that I have been guarding it with my life. However, I don’t have it hooked up to a cellular network so without Internet, the device is rendered almost useless.
Once I got out of range of a free wi-fi service, I started to think about how dependent I have become on the need for instant a gratification by way of the Internet.
Most of what I use the Internet for when I need that instant gratification fix is silly stuff like a YouTube video that my friend mentioned or seeing a familiar face in a new movie that I have to look up on imdb.com to see where I know the actor is from.
What worries me the most about the instant gratification phenomenon the Internet and social networking sites have created is the significant decrease in my capacity to remember things.
I remember the time before being attached to an electronic devise that had Internet capabilities, I was able to remember the addresses of all of my friends, their phone numbers, and I actually did well in spelling bees because I could actually remember the spelling of things without the reliance on spell check.
Now, I can’t spell anything and the only numbers I really remember are my parents’ cell phones, the house phone, and my own cell number. Beyond that, I have to refer to my cell phone’s address book.
I know that isn’t entirely Internet connected, but most of the phone numbers I have in my cell phone are because Facebook automatically connected to my address book and downloaded all of the available phone numbers. How nifty, right? Wrong.
I would much rather ask someone for their phone number and give them mine in person rather than have them automatically have my number and I automatically have theirs. While I’m on this tangent, this personal disconnection we have with other human beings is becoming more and more of an issue.
Sure the world is getting smaller and we are able to talk to people on the other side of the world within seconds, but what about the people in the same room with us, or the people walking along the sidewalk next to you on the way to class.
If you just sit on the quad and watch people walk by between classes, you will see at least 70% of the people that pass you with headphones in, texting, or talking on the phone even though they are walking with a group of other people. I know I’m guilty of this same gesture, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.
At one point last year, I made it a point to not look at my phone directly after class. I even started wearing a watch.
Of course, neither of those things lasted very long, but that was mostly because peer pressure is often the strongest when actions instead of words are used.
People can ask me to do something I don’t want to do until I’m blue in the face, and I won’t budge, but if you expect me to walk alongside you and not talk to me for the duration of our walk, of course I’m going to whip out my phone and busy myself.
This could be a radical suggestion, but what if we all just put away our phones for an hour. What if the entire campus went without a phone or a device that sends any type of messages for an hour.
Could you imagine what campus would be like? I’d venture to guess that people would actually talk to other people.
I’m well aware that people talk to each other on campus and in other environments, but most of our conversations are now spent on taking about Internet related things. I can be in the same room as my friends, no words are being said out loud, but an entire conversation is being had online amongst the people in the room. Houston, we have a problem.
By no means am I suggesting we should get rid of Internet all together. I can’t seem to work up enough gumption to delete my Facebook account, let alone the entire Internet.
I realize that the Internet has become such a large part of the way our daily lives function, but there comes a time when you just need to take a break for a few minutes of every day.
Play a game of cards, using actual cards instead of electronic cars. Open up a board game, talk to your friends, play with play-doh or Legos. Go outside and read a book, play a pick up game.
In many ways the Internet and the type of tools it has created have hindered healthy lifestyles of the past.
Now that I’m getting older, I’m beginning to realize the importance of true connections with other human beings. And by true connections I mean face to face conversations.
Nothing beats seeing the emotions flash across a person’s face during a conversation. Those emotions can’t be recreated over the Internet, even though we try with emoticons.
After a while, those emoticons just get ridiculous. But the Internet had changed us.
Facebook and twitter have significantly changed the way we interact with each other, and other Internet related activities have altered the way we approach education or everyday activities.
I’m excited about the level of technology that we have reached and the direction it’s heading. However, I’m not excited about the prospect of losing our humanity in the process.
Comments on this opinion can be sent to opinions@mercercluster.com
(09/26/12 8:44pm)
Recently, Yahoo! posted an article titled “Stars who embrace their imperfections.” This article essentially selects a few Emmy nominees and tears them apart for looking, well, like the rest of us.
The article’s author, Jason Owens, states, “We all know the Hollywood look. Certain shapes, sizes and hair colors pop up more than others.”
Sure that’s true for the most part, but that doesn’t mean that people are imperfect just because they don’t want to change the way they look in order to look like everyone else.
After a slew of public backlash, Yahoo! changed the title of the article from “Stars who embrace their imperfections” to “Not your average Hollywood lookers.”
Nothing about the article content has changed, but the different title made all the difference.
In the Hollywood business, appearance is everything. Well, in the news world, appearance also matters a whole heck of a lot.
I try to be very careful about what titles I give articles, because in all honesty the readers look to the title and decide whether or not the title makes the article seem interesting enough to read.
It’s like the whole, “don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” Well the title is essentially the cover in the book versus article world.
The title is the first impression and it better be a darn good one! There’s another reason why I try to be very careful.
The tone of the title can completely change the reader’s perspective of the article. If the tone of the title is pointed in one way or the other and doesn’t accurately represent the content of the article, the reader will be expecting one thing and receive something completely different.
Most often, the reader gets upset and thus, public backlash. The relationship between the writer and the reader can turn ugly really fast.
Now, if I return to the Yahoo! article, with the original use of “imperfections” in the title, the author changed the reader’s perspective of the content and jaded the reader into believing that the 8 Hollywood stars featured in the article have something wrong with them.
The use of imperfect in this context was wrong and the backlash from the public came as a result of the audience’s perspective of what is considered imperfect.
We see parts of ourselves in the “imperfect” actors and actresses and their imperfections are what make them real.
Sure, some of us want to see movies where the actors are all perfect and almost plastic, but sometimes you just want to see something where everything is real.
In fact, when actors and actresses emulate what feels the most realistic to the viewers, that experience tends to generate the strongest emotional response.
The article features 8 actors and actresses that are all just a little different than the ‘cookie-cutter’ depiction of Hollywood stars the public expects to see.
With the new title that the author gave the article, “Not your average Hollywood lookers,” the reader is able to conclude that these stars may be different, but they are still beautiful.
Each of these stars embrace their individuality in a positive way.
They don’t plan on changing themselves to fit a certain mold and in the positive tone the title gave, the reader is guided in the direction of believing these 8 unique stars are beautiful because of their differences, not in spite of them.
There used to be a lot of focus on the super skinny, bones sticking out, model figure.
I believe there has been a definitive shift away from that definition of what society views as beautiful. This is good.
Being super skinny to the point where someone looks emaciated or even like one of those starving African children they feature on those late night infomercials is not healthy by any means.
Personally, I’m a huge fan of people like Christina Hendricks, featured in the Yahoo! article.
“She has always embraced her sexy figure - ‘Sure, I’d be happier with 10 pounds off - wouldn’t every woman? But at the same time, when I looked at myself [at the Emmys], I thought I looked beautiful’” writes Owens.
Fully embracing who we are in the face of adversity is beautiful. Labels, however, are powerful.
They have the ability to completely uproot our foundations, no matter how strong, especially if they are negative -- like imperfect.
Personally, my life has become a series of labels. Some labels are good, others not so much.
The word crazy has definitely taken on a different connotation; not necessarily bad, just different.
The funny thing about labels is that people can say all they want about us, give us labels, give us names, but we have the power to choose to accept or deny these labels.
Shakespeare was really onto something when Juliet, in Romeo and Juliet, says, “What’s in a name?”
Comments on this opinion
can be sent to
opinions@mercercluster.com
(09/12/12 4:02pm)
The Mercer men’s soccer team is now 3-2-1 after going unbeaten in their last four matches.
On Aug. 31, Mercer men’s soccer secured the first win of the Hotels at Grand Prairie Classic at Shea Stadium during the opening game against Nebraska-Omaha. The 2-0 result came out of two set piece goals and a fierce defensive line.
In the 31st minute, the Bears earned a crucial set piece in Nebraska’s end of the field. Junior, Joey Heavner bent a free kick into the box where Ryan King was waiting. King headed into the back of the net to give the Orange and Black a 1-0 lead.
Head Coach, Brad Ruzzo, stated, “[The success of set pieces] starts with [our team’s ability] to earn those set pieces in their end which was great.”
Also commenting on the importance of set pieces, Will Betts says, “Set pieces are a massive part of any game. Over half of all goals scored at the professional level are done so within three passes of the initial ball on a restart. Our ability to score on set pieces this year is going to go a long way in dictating our success, and this weekend was proof of how important they are.”
Ruzzo, in his post game interview added, “The balls that Joey Heavner played today were just phenomenal on their service….We probably could have had a couple more goals and set pieces early in the first half, but obviously, we’ve been stressing that and I’m certainly happy to see that come to fruition.”
Heavner’s playmaking ability stands out, but a few other players stand out. According to Betts, “Carl Oscar is a phenomenal playmaker and plays clinical through balls and opens the field up for us. He’s continuing to prove himself as an elite player. Ryan King is also a huge workhorse for us on both sides of the ball. He wins the ball for us in critical areas and allows us to take advantage of opponents being out of shape defensively.”
Play slowed down at the start of the second half due to the Bears’ more conservative game play having entered the half with a 1-0 lead over Nebraska. Game play picked up in the 62nd minute when freshman David Murtaugh fired a shot wide of the goal. Two minutes later, the Bears earned another set piece, allowing another chance to score a goal. Off of a free kick service, Heavner provided senior Will Betts an opportunity to slide the ball past the keeper and into the goal to give Mercer a 2-0 lead.
When asked what changed about the team’s dynamics in this game compared to the loss in the season opener games, Will Betts says, “We got back to our roots as a team and defended tenaciously from front to back and that was ultimately the key to our games. The locker room felt a lot more comfortable when we knew that we could do the necessary things to get wins.”
Ruzzo, in response to the result of the game, stated, “We’re happy with the result, obviously. Anytime you can score two goals and get a clean sheet on the road, we’re certainly happy with it. The guys just worked and ground this one out today.”
On Sept. 2, the Bears engaged in a hard fought battle for 110 minutes to earn a 2-2 result against Hartwick and eventually win the Hotels at Grand Prairie Classic Tournament title on Sunday afternoon at Shea Stadium.
Mercer finished the tournament with 1-0-1 record for the event. Junior Ryan King was named Tournament MVP, while seniors Joey Heavner and Will Betts and sophomore Ashani Samuels were also voted onto the All-Tournament team.
According to Ryan King, Tournament MVP, “tournament games have more energy to them. We always try to win, obviously, but there was a sense of urgency that was lacking in the first weekend [of our season], and in the tournament that urgency came back. We had to win. [Winning} is
always in our minds, but this time we had something to prove and we all wanted this championship.”
Will Betts, voted onto the All-Tournament team added, “A tournament always adds some extra incentive because you have a tangible reward on the line and [the tangible reward] helps you keep the two games in perspective. We were able to use it as a motivator to give us the urgency and focus that we needed to get two results.”
In response to the individual recognition that members of the team were awarded, King said, “I didn’t even know there were awards for tournament MVP. All I wanted was to win and I did whatever I could to make that a reality.” Betts commented, “We had 11 guys on the field at any given time that turned in all-tournament performances. I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to tuck two goals away, but as long as we’re getting goals and keeping the ball out of our net, it makes no difference to any of us who it is that’s scoring.”
In an interview after the Hartwick game, Ruzzo commented on Mercer’s performance throughout the tournament. Ruzzo said, “I think at this point we’re satisfied. We wanted to come [out of the tournament] 2-0….We go home 1-0-1 and we learned some lessons but we did it without losing this weekend.” However, “I felt we let the [Hartwick] game slip away from us a little bit in the beginning of the second half, but if you look at the box score, I think we had 8 shots in overtime. I felt we were the aggressive team trying to go for the win,” says Ruzzo.
Just over a minute into the Hartwick match, Mercer struck first courtesy of another well placed set piece. Freshman Juan Jose Morales fired the corner kick set piece into the mixer where senior Will Betts redirected the ball past Hartwick goalkeeper and into the back of the net to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.
The Bears had a quality chance in the 42nd minute when senior Richie Edmondson sent in a cross that freshman David Murtaugh headed just over the bar to keep the score 1-0 in favor of Mercer.
Hartwick redeemed themselves at the start of the second half with a counter attack goal in the 56th minute to tie the game at 1-1.
The Hawks took advantage of the momentum generated by their recent goal and scored another goal in the 65th minute to give Hartwick a 2-1 lead.
Wasting no time, the Bears used a shot from Heavner that deflected off a Hartwick defender into the back of the net in the 71st minute to tie the game back up at 2-2.
Ruzzo commented that the Bears walked into the game wanting to “make sure we were the aggressive team. That we were going after [the ball] and not on our heels. We did that, I felt, through the entire first half and I just felt like we got a little complacent in the first 20 minutes of the second half where [Hartwick] ended up scoring their two goals. After they scored their second goal and were up 2-1, I felt like we took over the game a little bit then really pushed and got our second goal. So it was certainly a plan of ours to try and go after it today.”
At the 90th minute of game play, the score remained at 2-2. The game went into overtime where neither team was able to secure a definitive win.
Ruzzo, after the game, said, “We had a lot of chances. It’s just hard to score three goals in a college soccer game, so it was unfortunate, a bit, for us to not get the third goal, the winning goal. But I’m proud of our team for fighting back, for playing the Hartwick team, which I think is a pretty good team, well-organized.”
When asked how the Mercer men’s soccer team was planning on utilizing the momentum of the first successful weekend in future games. King said, “This success obviously gave us a lot to build upon in terms of momentum. Now that we have momentum, we are playing with a confidence about us that says we truly believe we are going to beat whoever we play. Whenever offense falters, great teams have a way of manufacturing goals. In our case, when our offense falters, we have set pieces that helped us win giving us 3 goals in two games.”
Betts added, “We got a great glimpse of what it takes to win games. Great team defending and taking care of our chances in front of the goal are imperative to our success year in and year out. We’re looking to build on doing things the right way to ensure results from our remaining games.”
Coming out of a successful tournament the previous weekend, the Mercer men’s soccer team exploded offensively to secure a 4-0 victory over Presbyterian in its 2012 home opener on Saturday evening at Bear Field.
In the 9th minute of play, Mercer scored the first goal of the game. Multiple players were involved in the effort.
Senior Joey Heavner played a well placed ball to Richie Edmondson who made a great run into the box and set up the final ball to senior Sharpe Sablon who slid the ball past Presbyterian goalkeeper to make the score 1-0.
In the post-game interview, Ruzzo said, “[Sharpe Sablon] has been a kid that’s been with us from day one and bought into this program. He probably hasn’t gotten the minutes he’s wanted, through his three years, but now he’s become a quality player for us and he’s started here in the last six games. I’m happy he got our first goal for us.”
The Orange and Black kept the game moving and doubled their advantage in the 30th minute thanks to a set piece. Senior Josh Shutter took the free kick from about 30 yards away and pummeled the ball into the upper left hand corner of the goal to take a 2-0 lead.
Commenting on the progression of the game, Ruzzo said, “the guys were resilient tonight and trying, after that first goal, to get that second goal. At half time, we really talked about getting that third goal within the first 15, 20 minutes so we could put the game out of reach.”
Mercer came out of halftime fired up, and dominated play for the remainder of the game. Both Will Betts and David Murtaugh scored goals to insure the game was out of reach for Presbyterian.
After the game, Ruzzo commented, “I felt that we deserved this win. Certainly we had some sloppy moments, but the guys were resilient. I think [our perormance] came down to working hard, and being fresh. We had six days to prepare for this game and certainly we were trained hard but then we tailed off about Thursday and Friday [leading up to game day] to be fresh and ready to go.”
Leading into the Mercer versus Georgia Southern game, Head Coach Ruzzo anticipated this to be a difficult game. “Georgia Southern doesn’t have lights on their facility so it’s going to be at 4 p.m. so heat will be a factor, I’m sure.” The goal for the Bears, going into the game, was to “recover, rejuvenate, get our bodies and our legs underneath us and go. It’s always a one goal game with Georgia Southern. It’s an instate rival and there will be a quality side.”
As Ruzzo predicted, the Mercer men’s soccer team secured it’s fourth result in a row with a well-deserved 1-0 shutout victory over Georgia Southern on Monday afternoon at Eagle Field.
Both teams were evenly matched and prevented each other from generating much effort offensively throughout most of the first half.
The best chance of the half for Mercer came in the 27th minute. Sophomore Ashani Samuels headed a corner kick service on the net. The ball was almost immediately corralled by Georgia Southern goalkeeper to keep the score tied at 0-0 going into halftime.
Georgia Southern had the first promising chance of the game at the start of the second half.
The Eagles fired a shot from about 35 yards away. Mercer goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh made a diving save to keep the contest nulled in the 50th minute.
Mercer continued to dominate offensively with frequent forward runs. In the 78th minute, these forward runs paid off. Sophomore Carl-Oscar Andersson collected a stray ball and played a cross into the box. Senior Richie Edmondson was ready and waiting. Edmondson headed the ball into the back of the net to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.
Mercer goalkeeper, Ranjitsingh maintained the 1-0 lead for Mercer by making a season-high of six saves to achieve his 10th career shutout.
Mercer returns home and looks to continue their winning streak this Sunday when it welcomes in-state rival Georgia State into town. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Bear Field.