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(03/08/17 12:00pm)
In a 3-2 decision, the Warner Robins city council struck down a proposal that would provide paid maternity leave to employees. According to the Macon Telegraph, those who were in opposition to the proposal decided not to comment on why they made their decision.
This proposal would have provided new mothers with 4 weeks of paid maternity leave. With the system that exists currently, employees have to use sick days or vacation days to care for their kids.
Council members Tim Thomas, Mike Davis and Carolyn Robbins voted against the proposal while Chuck Shaheen and Keith Lauritsen voted in favor of it.
During a pre-council meeting, Councilman Davis talked of concerns about how much the new proposal would cost.
The situation in Warner Robins merely reflects a larger narrative that has been taking place on a national level for years.
Local and state governments are not always equipped to handle the costs of paid maternity leave. If this battle is going to be won anywhere, it is going to have to be won at a national level.
According to Politifact, the United States is the only industrialized nation that does not provide paid family leave.
United States law does require that businesses with 50 or more workers must provide 12 job-protected weeks annually to care for newborn children, but these weeks are not required to be compensated with pay.
There are zero leave policies in place for fathers.
In a study conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), they found that amongst OECD countries mothers are given an average of 17 weeks of paid maternity leave.
There are many questions as to why the United States, being the most industrialized nation on Earth, still does not have federal mandates for maternity leave, and not many answers. Only four of 50 states have publicly funded paid maternity leave.
The issue could be a result of the federal government’s reluctance to impose new regulations on businesses. One of the first executive orders that Trump has signed in his presidency requires that for every new federal regulation on businesses, two must be repealed.
The U.S. has a rocky history with worker’s rights, often enacting economic policies that heavily favor businesses over workers. Even today, labor unions face heavy opposition from government and big business.
However, it’s time to stop treating female workers like a liability instead of an asset just because they may become pregnant, and especially when they do.
Entrepreneur and daughter of the president, Ivanka Trump, has been pushing to get a child care reform bill passed that would allow for six weeks of job-protected maternity leave and a childcare tax credit.
Considering how much influence the president’s daughter has in the White House, it is entirely possible that this proposal could gain some traction.
However, with what according to CNN would be a “$300 billion price tag” it is uncertain that Trump’s influence will be enough to get fiscal conservatives to make a move on this proposal.
If the United States is going to claim to be a country that boasts about elevating family values, then that should mean its business practices shouldn’t hinder the ability for parents to raise their kids.
Editor's note: This article was written before the council reversed their decision on March 6. The Warner Robins city council voted to approve four weeks of maternity leave.
(03/03/17 1:00pm)
Led by Keke Calloway’s 20 points, the Lady Bears beat Wofford in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Championships, 67-42.
Both teams had a slow start, but Mercer consistently held the lead throughout the game, outscoring their opponent in each quarter. The Bears were especially hot in the third quarter where they put up 25 points.
"I am pleased with our entire game today. We know Wofford can get hot from three. What a great player Chloe [Wanink] is,” Coach Susie Gardner said in a Mercer press release. “They did hit some 3s on us to start the first quarter but I thought Sydni [Means] did a great job of running our team. Obviously KeKe [Calloway] shot the ball extremely well today. Amanda Thompson did a great job rebounding. One of our focal points was not to be out-rebounded so I am really, really pleased with our effort today."
Mercer’s defense managed to shut down any aggressive offensive play that Wofford attempt. The highest amount Wofford was able to score any quarter was 12 in the third.
The Bears were more efficient than the Terriers from deep, landing 6 of 11 three-point attempts while Wofford only managed to score 5 out of their 17 attempts.
Calloway landed five three-pointers during the game which put her at 60 for her career.
Mercer has an all time record of 9-1 against Wofford and is 2-0 against Wofford in the postseason.
With this win Mercer is 24-5 and will move on to play the number 6 seed Samford tomorrow (Mar. 3).
(02/23/17 4:09am)
When women’s lacrosse player Audrey Allen is on the field, her coaches never have to worry that she won’t play with all she’s got.
Allen said that after discovering lacrosse as a kid, she found it to be the perfect outlet for her intense competitiveness.
“I’m a very aggressive player,” Allen said. “So I think the fact that I got to push people around and beat people up a little bit was appealing to me.”
Allen said she got into sports as a child in the typical way that most kids do.
“Starting off, I was a little chubby kid and my mom was like ‘that’s not gonna happen’,” Allen said.
After spending a year swimming, Allen said she discovered that she wasn’t into the sport. Her mom decided to enroll her into a lacrosse clinic that she hated at first but eventually grew on her.
Allen has played lacrosse from 8th grade onward.
“When I was in high school I didn’t really know where I wanted to go to school but I knew i wanted to be a division 1 lacrosse player,” Allen said.
After being contacted by the coach at the time, she visited Mercer’s campus and decided this is where she wanted to be. She said the beautiful campus and the fact that Mercer was a division 1 school met all of her standards.
During her years here, Allen had to deal with constant transitioning from changing positions, to adapting to a new coach, to attending school in a different state.
Allen is originally from Austin, Texas. She said despite what many people may believe about Texan culture and its relation to the rest of the southern states, she had to deal with adapting to transitioning from Austin to Macon.
“Some people think Texas is the south but it’s not,” Allen said. “We’ve got our own little thing.”
She came to love the city of Macon but often yearns for one thing back in Texas that she can’t get anywhere else.
“Breakfast tacos are the best thing to ever happen in the world but they’re only in Texas,” Allen said.
When Allen first joined the team they were a new program and did not play any other schools.
“The first year we did not compete at all. That was a huge test to how much you loved the sport.”
The current lacrosse coach, Samantha Eustace, was brought into the program two years after Allen joined the team.
“Audrey Allen is one of the two seniors we have here on our team, and she has grown alot over the last year and a half under our current coaching staff,” Eustace said.
Allen originally played midfield but was switched to a defensive position when Eustace came to the program. From what her coach said, Allen adapted to the position quite well, as evidenced by the fact she played in all 18 games last season and started 16 times.
After graduating, Allen has plans on completing an internship with the Salem Red Sox in Virginia, a single A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Before she leaves however, Allen said she wants to leave Mercer with something to be proud of: a conference championship.
“I expect us to go all the way, to go to the conference tournament and not only win the first round, but to go to the second round and even make it to the final round.”
(02/19/17 3:08am)
The Mercer Singers and the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings will have the honor of performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City Feb. 19.
This will be the first time in history that ensembles from the Townsend School of Music perform at Carnegie.
The concert will consist of the Mercer Singers, made up of 48 voices, and the McDuffie Center. Each ensemble will have 20 minutes of separate performance time within the concert, followed by the two groups coming together to perform John Rutter’s “Requiem” as an encore piece.
“We are very excited that our students are going to have the opportunity to perform in one of the greatest concert venues in the world,” said David Keith, Dean of the Townsend School of Music. “This will further help to distinguish the Townsend School of Music as one of the premiere programs in the nation.”[related title="Watch the Video" stories="21013" align="left" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]
Dr. Stanley Roberts is a Mercer alumnus and has been conducting the Mercer Singers for 19 years.
“I was extended the invitation to conduct and bring Mercer Singers as the core choir,” Roberts said. “In consultation… I said, ‘I’d love to be able to bring the Center for Strings as well and do a concert that’s a little different.’”
Amy Moretti is the director for the Center for Strings, and has been with the Center since its inception.
She wrote in an email that the collaboration on this trip was inspired by the experience they had putting together the PBS special “A Grand Mercer Christmas” a few years ago.
The pieces the Center for Strings will be performing include Elgar’s “Serenade for Strings” and the final movement of Mendelssohn’s “Octet for Strings.”
“Having the opportunity to perform on the historic stage at Carnegie Hall with the McDuffie Center students and faculty will be the most exciting part of the trip! I'm looking forward to creating incredible memories with these amazing artists,” Moretti wrote.
The two groups have been preparing for this concert since September of last semester.
Middle Georgia local Olivia McMillan will be performing a soprano solo during the Singers and Strings’ performance of the Requiem. She is currently a sophomore at The Juilliard School.
During the performance of the Requiem, the Mercer performers will be joined by Mercer Singers alumni, musicians from the Chancel Choir of the First Baptist Church of Christ in Macon, the Choral Society of Middle Georgia and the Chancel Choir of Shallowford Presbyterian to total 175 voices.
“We have great repertoire that we’re bringing,” said Bryce Greene, a freshman in the Mercer Singers. “I’m really excited to hear what the strings are playing.”
Joel Terning, a sophomore member of the Mercer Singers, said he is excited for every aspect of the trip, including the different shows that the students will see while they are in New York.
“I think we’re going to do exceedingly well in New York and represent Mercer,” Terning said.
(02/09/17 8:57pm)
If you’ve been following the women’s basketball team this season, you may have noticed two things.
First, they’ve been having a great season, winning 18 of their 23 games, maintaining a 10-2 record at home.
You may have also noticed that the team has been sticking to a small rotation of 7 to 8 players. In their game against Samford on Jan. 28, Sydni Means remained in the game for all forty minutes.
“Teams can come back in less than a minute and win a game,” Coach Gardner said. “We haven’t had 20 point leads where I haven’t subbed.”
Gardner said there are a lot of good players in the league that can turn a game around in the last couple minutes of a game if they aren’t careful.
“I do what I feel is best for this program,” Gardner said.[related title="Related Stories" stories="19860,18623" align="right" background="on" border="none" shadow="off"]
In games that Mercer had a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter, the rotation has expanded to include up to 15 players. For instance, their game against Paine College which Mercer won 93 to 50.
Gardner said she uses each practice as an opportunity to determine who will get playing time.
Gardner said there are many factors that go into her decision, including which players play well together and their individual offensive and defensive capabilities.
“There’s decisions about matchup when we’re playing certain teams that play a certain style,” Gardner said. “Certain players can’t play against certain styles. There’s a laundry list of things that we go through.”
Gardner said that even in the SEC, at this point in the season, it becomes more difficult to change up the rotation as playoff season gets closer and competition increases.
“Look at the South Carolina v. Mississippi State game [on Jan. 23],” Gardner said. “South Carolina is ranked number 4 in the country and they played seven players in that game. They’ve got McDonald's All-Americans up and down their bench.”
Gardner said even as the games intensify she is not concerned with her starters wearing out as they advance into the season.
“We go to great lengths balancing practice time,” Gardner said. “A game is only forty minutes. I don’t think 18 to 22 year olds are wearing themselves out by playing 2 games a week.”
In an email, Mercer Athletics told The Cluster secondary interviews for the story would not be granted.
“The coaching staff does not want to grant any more interviews on this subject be [it] either the coaches or players so we will not be able to fulfill this request,” said Jenny Moss, assistant director of media relations.
(02/09/17 6:56pm)
In the days since he was inaugurated, Trump has signed a string of executive orders meant to expedite the process of fulfilling most of his campaign promises.
The order has been given to start planning construction of a border wall between Mexico and the United States, he has declared that the construction of the North Dakota Access Pipeline will be continued, and he has reinstated an executive order from the Reagan administration that will cut all federal funds to organizations, domestic and foreign, that offer abortion services.
In other words, Trump is acting exactly how it was expected for him to act when he took office; like a businessman.
These executive orders are authoritative, but more importantly, they are expedient. As a businessman, Trump is accustomed to making executive decisions that can deliver results quickly, so we may see the executive order become Trump’s primary means of acting effectively as president.
Congressional Republicans like Paul Ryan have described Trump as a “man of action,” and so the president taking full advantage of his executive powers in order to get things done should be no surprise.
With Republicans having full control of the executive, legislative, and soon to be, the judicial branch, it is not likely that Trump will be met with powerful resistance to his executive decisions.
However, some of these controversial signings have already begun to bring backlash from domestic and foreign parties.
Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto has cancelled his meeting with Trump after facing political backlash in his own country to take a stronger stance against Trump and his border wall.
Mexico and the United States have had a friendly relationship for the past couple of decades concerning trade and other international policies, but this dynamic may shift in upcoming years as Trump takes a more aggressive stance on immigration and antagonizes Mexican leadership.
Another executive order the president has made targets immigrants coming from Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Syria — all Muslim-majority countries. Although Trump denies it, his critics identify this action as his “muslim ban” that he first mentioned during the campaign.
His critics in Washington, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D), and the media have cited Trump’s statement on prioritizing aid to Christian refugees as proof that Trump means to target Muslims specifically with this refugee ban.
To highlight the authoritarian nature of Trump’s unilateral actions, Trump’s own director of homeland security, John Kelly, was on a conference call discussing Trump’s immigration plan while the president was signing the order that would finalize the decision.
Trump is bringing his campaign promises to fruition, and there is little opposition to his plans coming from Washington. Republican senators who rode into office on Trump’s coattails are simply not bold enough to stand against him.
Whatever direction Trump decides to take the country in, most likely that will be its destiny.
However, as demonstrated by the vast number of protests that have broken out during the past couple of weeks, it is self-evident that Trump’s plans still remain unpopular with a vast number of the American people.
The most recent has been the protests that have occurred at airports across the country due to Trump’s ban on Muslim refugees and previously the women’s marches that took place nationwide.
However, in the long run, this dynamic will most likely change as Trump alienates Republicans with what could be considered fiscally irresponsible policies, especially concerning the border wall.
Most estimates for his border wall put the cost of the wall at $20 billion, and that does not include the cost of labor. At this point, the burden of providing the funds that will go toward this wall will fall on American taxpayers.
Trump has suggested that one way he could shift the weight of the cost from taxpayers to Mexico is to impose a 20% tariff on all Mexican imports.
But when goods are imported with a tariff on them, the tariff increases the price for consumers of that good. If Donald Trump increases tariffs on Mexican goods that are going to be sold in the United States, then consumers in the United States are going to be the ones paying the extra tax, not Mexico.
Tariffs are usually implemented to protect domestic goods from cheaper foreign competition.
It’s difficult to cover all that’s been happening because the White House has been a flurry of activity, and it’s difficult to predict what will come next, but it’s urgent for citizens to remain informed about what their representatives are doing.
(01/31/17 11:10pm)
Traffick Jam, a non-profit, student-run organization at Mercer that is apart of the service learning program aims to bring the reality of sex trafficking in Macon to light.
“One of the biggest issues is a lot of people don’t know that sex trafficking is an issue to begin with,” said Zoe Haynes, a business marketing major and member of the public relations team for Traffick Jam.
Tammy Crutchfield is a marketing professor at Mercer and the faculty advisor for Traffick Jam. She has helped lead research into sex trafficking, and used what she has learned to help start a campaign to combat human trafficking.
According to what they have found based on their anonymous survey of about 1,500 students, one in six adolescents from high schools they visited either know of someone who has been a victim of sex trafficking or have experienced it themselves.
The survey asked questions such as: “A parent or guardian has talked to me about the dangers of sex trafficking,” and “I personally know someone who has been forced to sell themselves for sex.” Students would respond to these questions on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the equivalent of strongly disagreeing and 5, strongly agreeing.
When asked if they would know what to do if they found out someone they knew was being sold for sexual purposes, 32 percent of the students responded “strongly agree.”
“[Almost] every single one of the schools has had at least one episode of known sex trafficking,” Crutchfield said.
Crutchfield said that three of the four schools they talked to, including Westside High School, Howard High School, Southwest Magnet High School and Northeast Health Science Magnet High School, explicitly told them of at least one incident they had involving sex trafficking with one of their students.
“Teenagers are very vulnerable,” Crutchfield said. “They want to feel like they are needed, like they are loved, like they are part of a group or a family, so I think that they are prime targets for this.”
Based on what she’s discovered in her time working with Traffick Jam, Crutchfield said the punishments for offenders, even when they are prosecuted, are often not enough of a deterrent.
[pullquote speaker="Zoe Haynes" photo="" align="left" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"][We want] to shed light on the issue and not darken the city.[/pullquote]
“Those who are trafficking our youth get little or no sentencing for trafficking,” Crutchfield said. “They may get a few months. They may get 2 or 3 years. But they are really taking the lives of these young people and destroying their lives, and nothing happens.”
Macon’s relative proximity to the city of Atlanta leaves it a vulnerable hot spot for sex trafficking.
“Macon being in the center of Georgia is a sort of hub for a lot of things: drugs, prostitution, and sex trafficking,” said Lindsey Sherrod, a project manager of Traffick Jam.
Sex trafficking is not an exclusive trait of Atlanta or Macon, but a problem for large urban centers everywhere. For the people of Traffick Jam, it is important they don’t condemn the city, but instead condemn the fact that this issue has been allowed to stay underground for so long.
Zoey Haynes is a member of the public relations teams for Traffick Jam and said her main concern is bringing awareness to Macon residents about how big a problem sex trafficking is.
“[We want] to shed light on the issue and not darken the city,” Haynes said.
Haynes said she hopes Traffick Jam can serve as a bridge between Mercer and the Macon community.
Even though the organization has found in their research that many students in Macon have suffered from sex trafficking, Macon teens don’t know much about the matter.
“A lot of kids don’t know what sex trafficking is,” Haynes said. “They don’t know that they are being sex trafficked.”
Many people are simply not educated enough about the issue to know what it is, even when it affects them directly.
That’s why the 85 volunteers involved in Traffick Jam have taken the time to visit local high schools and educate students about human trafficking.[related title="Related Stories" stories="14943,14688,6668,616" align="right" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]
Traffick Jam defines sex trafficking as forcing anyone to perform sexual acts such as pornography, stripping, and prostitution for money. When minors are involved it can be defined as sex trafficking even when violence is not involved.
Tyler Burch is a student who works for the content team at Traffick Jam. They are responsible for creating and approving any content that goes on their website and on their social media pages.
“We’re looking to expand Traffick Jam not only in Middle Georgia, but to all of Georgia and eventually create a national brand,” Burch said.
Education is the first step, but Crutchfield said her ultimate goal is to bring the entire Mercer community together to tackle this difficult issue that is plaguing Macon.
“I think that each discipline at Mercer has a unique knowledge base and expertise to contribute to the solution,” Crutchfield said.
Crutchfield said that ever since she helped form the organization in 2014, she has gotten encouragement from many high ranking city officials including law enforcement and Macon Mayor Robert Reichert.
It will not be a quick process to resolving the complex issue of human trafficking. Much of it stems from poverty and a situation of desperation.
“Young people are drawn into it because for some they have very difficult lives at home,” Crutchfield said. “Some resort to selling themselves for food or for housing. It’s a really quick way to solve your problems.”
Crutchfield had a very grim term for this kind of sex trafficking. She called it “survival sex.”
The organization wishes to create trust between them and the community. Not just a trust with the victims but with other organizations that Crutchfield said she believes can serve as a means of tackling this problem.
[sidebar title="Get Involved" align="left" background="on" border="none" shadow="off"]
Follow Traffick Jam on Facebook and on Instagram
[/sidebar]
“I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunities to partner with these other organizations to provide these long term solutions to students,” Crutchfield said.
Traffick Jam is starting a donation drive that will culminate in a celebration event on March 28 at the Mercer V. Georgia Tech baseball game.
For more information on Traffick Jam and what they do, like their Facebook and follow them on Instagram @traffickjam.georgia.
(01/25/17 7:57pm)
After months of preparation for the day, on Jan. 20, Trump was sworn in on Capitol Hill and assumed the office of president of the United States.
The new president delivered a 16 minute speech that laid out his plans for the country for the next four years. His speech consisted of a very similar rhetoric to the promises he made on the campaign trail.
For the people who helped him win the office, the speech was an affirmation of the values to which his supporters are holding him.
“We are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another,” Trump said. “But we are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to you, the people.”
An important theme in Trump’s address was calling out the establishment of Washington. Even though he thanked President Obama for a smooth transition, it was as if Trump was pointing the finger at the four formers presidents who were in attendance at the ceremony.
Trump made direct appeals to his supporters during the speech, those who elected him because they feel like their voices are not being heard in Washington.
[video credit="The New York Times" align="right"][/video]
“The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer,” Trump said.
Trump echoed his campaign promises on foreign and domestic policy to put America first whenever a decision is being made in the oval office. His speech was littered with evident nationalist language.
However, there is a concern that Trump may not have accomplished the most important task of the inaugural address, and that is unifying both his supporters and his opposition to support the new administration.
The last few weeks have been plagued with opposition from Democrats as Trump has selected his cabinet and they have been receiving their senate hearings.
There are many legitimate criticisms for his cabinet picks including potential conflicts of interests to concerns about the lack of qualification for his picks i.e. Housing and Urban Development Secretary pick Ben Carson and Secretary of Energy pick Rick Perry.
The largest concern is the fact that Trump has put together the least diverse cabinet in modern history compared to other presidents. Unlike the previous two presidents, Trump has not chosen a single member of the opposing party to represent his cabinet.
The United States have not faced divisiveness like this since the Civil Rights Era. We fail to come to a consensus on any single political issue.
The campaign formed a gap in the American collective, and this gap may turn out to be the biggest issue Trump faces in his presidency. Trump managed to bring together a large base of support by identifying foreign threats and using the fears of the American people to his advantage.
“We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones. And unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the earth,” Trump said.
However, the biggest fight this country faces will not be overseas. It will be right at home, where Americans will have to live together in a country with a president that the majority of the people did not want elected.
These facts cannot be ignored by Trump. It will no longer be enough to make enemies out of his critics, from the press, to fellow political leaders, to even other nations in order to achieve his means.
Now is the time for Trump to reach out to his opposition for the sake of his country where possible, and also where possible, his critics will need to be willing to work with him to help make the best decisions for the American people.
For many Americans it is not the most preferred scenario, but it is the only scenario there is. The next four years will be a trial to determine if the idea of the “melting pot” that is the American experiment can survive without leading to turmoil.
Trump hit an important chord in his speech. We cannot live together in a country that ignores the voices of large segments of its population.
Americans will need to have open ears for the next four years.
(12/04/16 12:34am)
Kahlia Lawrence and Sydni Means -- those are two names you will hear an awful lot if you attend Mercer women’s basketball games. The pair are almost inseparable.
Lawrence and Means both started playing basketball at the young age of five, and both have been in love with the sport ever since.
“I used to play with the boys when I was young, and I was very good at it. I knew at a young age that was the sport I wanted to play,” Means said.
The two players came to Mercer the same year and have played together since they were freshmen. Interestingly, Mercer was not the first time that these two met — they used to face off on opposite sides of the court.
Means said that as a high school player at Greater Atlanta Christian School, she played against Lawrence, then attending Kendrick High School, on two occasions. Both times, her team lost by three points.
“Her uncle was the ref so she really cheated,” Means said, laughing in reference to the second of the two games.
After coming to Mercer, their high school rivalry evolved into a friendly relationship that thrives both on and off the court.
“The relationship we have off the court has done nothing but mold our relationship on the court,” Lawrence said. “We know each other's tendencies.”
The two live together and even have classes together, so between basketball and downtime, they spend a lot of time together.
“We spend about 22 out of 24 hours together,” Lawrence said. “I just really appreciate her on and off the court.”
Means and Lawrence both said they work furiously on the court in order to do right by their team and help win games. Lawrence said that she wants to improve her defense this season, and Means echoed a similar sentiment about her own play.
“I know my strengths, and I know my weaknesses,” Means said. “So I’ve been working on my weaknesses and trying to perfect my strengths.”
Lawrence has shown a steady increase in skill over the first couple of games in the season. In the team’s first game against Emmanuel College, she only scored 11 points. However, on Nov. 18, she managed to score 34 points against Florida Atlantic University.
In that same game against FAU, Means was able to score 14 points and managed to pull out 8 assists. Her consistent number of assists matches her self-described role on the team.
“I want to help my teammates on the court,” Means said. “If I can put them in positions to do well as well as putting myself in a position to do well, I think that we’ll win a lot of games.”
Lawrence said she has modeled many aspects of her play off of NBA players like DeMar DeRozan and Dwyane Wade. She said she wants to live up to expectations that others have set for her and to also exceed the expectations she set for herself.
“Anything worth having is not easy to get,” Lawrence said.
Both players said they are dedicated to defeating their rivals this season and helping the team qualify for the NCAA championships.
Means and Lawrence hope that students will come out to help support them as the season continues.
“Come out to games. We appreciate everyone,” Lawrence said. “I think the start of the season now is a show that it’s going to be a good one this year.”
[related title="Related Stories" stories="19860,18623,20466" align="center" background="on" border="none" shadow="off"]
(11/10/16 9:00pm)
Mercer softball’s mentality can best be described by three words found on the back of their shirts.
“No opportunity wasted.”
The team wasted nothing during their Fall season. The Bears played ten games and managed to win every single one of them.
The team’s pitching staff only allowed two runs during the entire season. They came in the last two games against Georgia Military College.
On offense, the Bears lit it up, often beating teams by double digit margins.
“We want to make it a championship program,” said softball coach Stephanie DeFeo. “Every day we talk about having a standard at practice, always going above and beyond, never accepting mediocrity.”
This is DeFeo’s fourth year at Mercer. She said that giving up two runs in 74 innings has never happened in the program, even during the preseason. The team managed to score 90 runs.
“As far as this being one of the best falls I’ve had since I’ve been here,” DeFeo said. “Absolutely.”
The team’s conference season starts in February, so there is a long break before Mercer softball has the opportunity to play again. However, DeFeo said she is not concerned.
“I find this to be the best part of our season as far as creating really good habits,” Defeo said. “We can really perfect our swings, make sure that we have really good footwork on defense and on pitching, make sure that we’re consistent.”
Maxine Rodriguez is a senior starting pitcher for the team who transferred from DePaul University last year. For her, she said the main difference between the two schools has been the coaching style.
With many competitive teams coming up on the schedule for this year, Rodriguez said the game she hopes to be able to pitch in most this season is Mercer’s game against Auburn.
“I feel like the kind of pitcher I am, I will be able to get [hitters] out and keep them off balance,” Rodriguez said.
Mercer has a couple of games against SEC teams like Auburn and Georgia this upcoming season.
However, in SoCon, the team Rodriguez said she is most excited about playing is Samford — a team that Rodriguez and other players on the team consider to be their conference rivals.
DeFeo said that she does not have any worries about playing any school that they may come across, especially when it comes to conference play.
“We have a really tough pre-season,” DeFeo said. “Having the toughest pre-season will prepare us for our conference because anyone we play then shouldn’t even compare.”
For DeFeo, it isn’t just enough to beat these teams. She wants Mercer to be a dominating force in the conference.
“I want to run through this conference, and I want to crush it,” DeFeo said.
If the team can keep playing the way it did this fall, that just might happen.
Quirisa Magau is a junior on the team who plays third base. In the first ten games of the season, she managed to hit six home-runs, two of which were grand-slams.
“This year I’m more comfortable with my plan at bat,” Magau said. “I think that helped a lot with my results.”
Magau said she hopes that her performance in the fall will translate well into a productive spring season and is not allowing her success in the fall to deplenish her drive.
“There’s always room for improvement,” Magau said. “I think I did well, probably one of my better fall seasons.”
Mercer will have to wait until Feb. 10 to play their first conference season game against Kent state. DeFeo said that until that moment, the team will continue to work on perfecting their game.
“I’m really excited about this group. We have a really great group of softball players that are hungry,” DeFeo said. “They want to win. If you went in our dugout it says ‘attack,’ and it says ‘relentless’. If we do both things, nothing can stop us.”
(11/06/16 12:00am)
For the first time in two years, Mercer University has a new club basketball team that will be playing in regular season games and tournaments with other college club basketball teams in the country.
The new team — started by Mercer student Andre Daniels — has already played several scrimmages to prepare for the upcoming season, including a game against Emory University.
“I thought I’d bring it back because I knew a lot of gentlemen that wanted to ball and a lot of other players that don’t play for the varsity team that still want to play basketball,” Daniels said.
Daniels said he works with Mercer Intramurals to help run the program and personally gets in contact with student coaches from other schools in order to schedule games.
Tryouts for the team took place Sept. 2 and were meant to test the participants’ athletic abilities. Daniels said that the majority of people who came out to the tryouts made the team.
The team already has five tournaments set up for the spring, some of them out-of-state and others in-state.
“We have a couple other colleges and universities in Georgia that want to start a Georgia league with us,” Daniels said.
Daniels said he is looking forward to playing schools like Miami University, University of Florida and University of North Carolina.
He also added that he looks forward to having a rematch against Emory during regular season. During the last tournament the team played, they lost in the first round against Emory, who went on to take the championship.
Elijah Keene, a power forward on the team, said he hopes to accomplish the same thing. Keene is described by Daniels as one of the team’s “sharpshooters.”
Keene said he hopes to spread the team’s name in order to grow the program for the future.
“We’re still just a group of guys out there playing basketball in our own individual ways and not as a team yet,” Keene said. “However, I have seen those moments where we’ve played cohesively together, and we will become a team if we continue to play in that way.”
Keene said that the main struggles of the club team is being able to balance school work while still dedicating himself to the team. The players drive themselves to games and tournaments and professors don’t excuse club basketball events for classes.
“Maybe there will be tournaments that I won’t be able to go to because of tests,” Keene said. “At the end of the day, it’s club basketball; it’s not building my scholarships. But, I’m committed to it.”
The team has played many games around the state of Georgia, but none have been at Mercer so far. Daniels said he hopes to have games in the future at Mercer so that students can come and see the team play.
Daniels also said that in the future he hopes to win a national championship at some point. He hopes to bring more athletes into the program to allow it to grow in order to achieve this goal.
“My goal for this year is to get our name out there and get invited to more tournaments and probably win a couple,” Daniels said. “If we don’t, at least get our name out there so that people know that we’re a force.”
It’s not too late to join the team. Anyone who is interested in joining the team can contact Daniels or anyone else on the team and they will set up a personal tryout.
(11/02/16 11:00am)
The Townsend School of Music will host its annual Kaleidoscope Concert on homecoming day, Nov. 5, in Fickling Hall.
Various departments of the music school such as the organ, opera, and jazz departments will all be performing acts in different sections of the auditorium beginning at 11 a.m.
David Keith, dean of the Townsend School of Music, said the concert is called the Kaleidoscope Concert because of the various performances happening all around the concert hall. The focus of the concert shifts in a way that is similar to a kaleidoscope.
“Normally at a concert, everything takes place on stage, but that’s not true for this performance,” Keith said. “There may be something that happens from the balcony, maybe from the stage, and maybe from behind the audience.”
Keith said that the only challenge in organizing the concert is finding a variety of performers so that everyone finds at least one aspect of the concert they enjoy.
“We hope that we have a great crowd,” Keith said. “Anyone that comes will not leave disappointed.”
Alexander Locke, a viola performance student at Mercer’s Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, will be performing in a string quartet as well as singing as part of the Mercer Singers at the Kaleidoscope Concert.
“[The Kaleidoscope Concert] allows us to showcase all types of different music that we do at this music building. It’s typically a short and sweet concert, so it’s a good one to come to,” Locke said. “I hope everyone comes — it’s going to be a great concert.”
Hannah Loeffler is also a student in the music school and will be singing alto in the Mercer Singers performance in the concert. She is a senior and said she has performed in the concert every year.
“It’s really great and I love being in choir,” Loeffler said. “It’s an awesome experience.”
This is the third year that the music school will host this concert. Every year the school honors a professor in the department. This year’s honoree is Martha Malone, the director of Mercer’s opera department.
Malone has been the chair of vocal studies and director of opera at Townsend since she came to Mercer in 1990.
“I have always loved teaching voice as much as I love to perform, and that is saying something,” Malone said. “There is no greater responsibility and honor than helping someone find and realize her or his potential, and it’s such a pleasure to be part of a person’s artistic journey.”
(10/19/16 12:48am)
In Mercer’s Oct. 4 game against UNCG, soccer player Conner Antley came out ferociously in the first half, scoring the first goal of the game in only a minute and 32 seconds, and helping to lead the team to a 2-1 victory.
Antley said he considers UNCG to be one of their main rivals, and his dedication to beating them showed on the field.
“My philosophy as a player has always been to outwork other players,” Antley said. “If a player is going to beat me, it’s not because they’re working harder than me.”
Antley said he was taught this work ethic at a young age by his father.
Efforts like these are why Antley is the second highest scorer on the team and tied for fifth in goals in the Southern Conference.
When Antley first joined the team he played center-mid, but he has proven himself a capable center-back since being moved to the position midseason.
Antley said that he was attracted to play at Mercer because of the hardworking ethic amongst his coach and teammates.
“They always expect me to come out here, work hard and give my best,” Antley said. “I think whenever we practice, my teammates know that I’m a really competitive player.”
Men’s soccer coach Brad Ruzzo said in an email that he scouted Conner and his twin brother Ian while they were playing for their club soccer team. He was impressed by their competitiveness and their unwillingness to quit.
“They hated to lose,” Ruzzo said. “Competitiveness and passion are extremely important in our program and these players had it and still do.”
Despite the aggressiveness that he shows on the field, Antley’s pregame preparation isn’t so intense.
“I try to keep to myself. I try to listen to a lot of Christian music,” Antley said. “It really calms me down, soothes my soul.”
Antley said he first started playing soccer when he was six years old with Ian, who is also on the team. They have always played together on club teams ever since they were little.
“Even though they are twins they are different people and their own person,” Ruzzo said. “The number one thing I explained to both of them was that I will treat each of them as their own individual. I wanted each of them to have the chance to make their own name for themselves in our program.”
The twins have worked to do just that.
Antley said that his hopes for the season are to win Southern Conference regular season title and the conference title championship. So far, the team is off to a good start, winning two of their first three games.
“A goal for every college program in the country is to make it to the NCAA tournament. I think we really see that this year as a very possible option,” Antley said. “Right now we’re just focusing on each conference game at a time and moving forward from there.”
(10/16/16 4:24pm)
Research that Reaches Out is an organization that aids students with completing projects that help solve local, national, or global issues. The organization will be having their visionary student panel on Oct. 11 from 6-8 p.m.
The major theme for this year is economic freedom and what it means to students.
“Economic freedom is getting students to think about, ‘What does economic freedom mean to them?’” Jave Bjorkman, the market intern for QEP Research that Reaches Out, said. “It’s learning how to budget. It’s learning how to take care of their student loans when they get out and work.”
The objective of Research that Reaches Out is to connect students with the local, national, or global community and put their education to work in the real world. This organization is not one students sign up for, but can use its connections to complete their research projects.
“Research that Reaches Out is not a club. It’s not an organization you can join,” Bjorkman said. “It is an organization that helps students and empowers students to get them to do impactful things while they’re in college.”
Bjorkman said that as students at Mercer, the students are already a part of Research that Reaches Out and are able to contribute their ideas any time.
There are many projects that students are working on right now through the program.
Bridget Trogden, a Mercer University professor who has been directing Research that Reaches Out for three years, has been working with students in the honors program with projects on campus concerning recycling and sustainability.
Trogden said that during the Fall semester, they are looking at recycling and tailgating, as well as taking a measurement of waste and recycling through the academic buildings on campus.
There is also an engineering project called Go Baby Go that that aims to help young children with mobility issues who cannot afford wheelchairs. Their solution is to take “mobility units” off the shelves, like Barbie jeeps, and adapting them to young kids’ specific needs.
“Our students can operate on the national stage, on the global stage, and across all disciplines throughout the undergraduate curriculum,” Trogden said.
She also said that the best way to get connected with Research that Reaches Out is to get to know the faculty. She said that sometimes students have ideas that Research that Reaches Out can offer guidance with when their professors may not encourage them to complete them.
What the program wants is that by the time the students graduate with their bachelor’s degree, at least half of them have engaged and interacted in the community.
“We really want a large number of our Mercer students to have these kinds of experiences,” Trogden said.
(10/09/16 9:11pm)
This election, it seems, has been more about the candidates themselves, and less about the issues that the country faces.
This became obvious after the first presidential debate Sep. 26. A large portion of speaking time was devoted to scandals from the candidates’ pasts.
This is not to say that important issues weren’t talked about in the second debate. Many issues were brought up including economic recovery, race relations, tax reform and energy reform.
However, after a short amount of time, the arguments the candidates delivered from both podiums devolved into personal attacks that could hardly be called issue oriented.
Lester Holt didn’t know how right he was when he said he didn’t expect to cover all the issues in the debate.
The second debate will be in the form of a town meeting. Half of the questions will be pitched at the candidates by citizens while the other half will be given to the candidates based on topics of public interest. With this in mind, here are a few topics to be on the lookout for in the second debate, Oct. 9:
Trump’s Leaked Audio and Tax Returns
This was a huge bombshell that was dropped during the first debate where Trump essentially admitted that he does not pay federal taxes. When Clinton accused Trump of avoiding federal taxes, Trump’s rebuttal was, “that makes me smart.” There is nothing illegal about the loopholes that Trump employed to avoid these taxes, but he is at a disadvantage to Clinton with this new revelation considering that Clinton’s scandals have been open to public scrutiny for a significantly longer time. Very recently, leaked audio from a conversation Trump had with Billy Bush of “Access Hollywood” has revealed vulgar comments that Trump made against women. Even though Trump released an apology for his comments, many Republican leaders have already denounced the presidential nominee, including Trump’s own vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence. Pence said he does not condone Trump’s remarks and “cannot defend them.” Many in the RNC have asked Trump to step down from the ticket and let Mike Pence take over. Trump however has said that he will “never withdraw.” Most people have already formed an opinion on Clinton’s email scandal, Benghazi and the Clinton Foundation. Meanwhile, voters will have to settle their feelings about Trump’s tax scandal and audio scandal only weeks away from election day.
Foreign Terror Threats
This topic made a small appearance at the first debate with the candidates arguing about the other’s plans to defeat ISIS, with Trump even remarking that Clinton had been fighting ISIS her “entire adult life.” This topic is sure to make a reappearance at the second debate considering how national security is such a hot item for the GOP platform. Hillary Clinton has released her plan to fight ISIS on her website while Donald Trump said during the first debate that he has a plan but is keeping it a secret from the enemy. Odds are that there will be an inquiry into the exact details of Trump’s plan while there is simultaneous of Clinton’s defense plans.
Race Relations in America
Race has always been an issue in this country, but during this election season the topic is especially poignant with the discussion of police reform and the rise of the Black Lives Matters Movement. According to a study done by Michael Tesler of the Washington Post, “partisan gaps on race-related controversies are larger in the Obama era” than in previous presidencies before him. When it comes to race, Americans have become more divided. Race will continue to be a hot button issue in this race and a challenging issue for whoever takes the oval office. Both candidates have a shaky history on this issue, so it will be an interesting hurdle for the both of them.
America’s Role in the World
It was after WWII that America first ended its isolationist policies and embraced its role as a global player. Since the decades have passed, American opinions have condemned presidents for deploying troops in areas that are not vital to American security. Lyndon Johnson faced this scrutiny with the Vietnam war, and George W. Bush faced a similar dilemma during the war in Iraq. The conflict in Syria is a serious human rights issue, but many Americans are still reluctant to involve US troops in the conflict. When Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson was asked by MSNBC commentator, Mike Barnicle, what he would do about Aleppo, it was an important question because it showed how there is still an expectation for US presidents to deal with the foreign humanitarian issue. When Johnson responded, “What is Aleppo?” it was a major blow to the Libertarian campaign. If this topic appears in the second debate, the candidates’ responses will reveal much about their foreign policies.
Dealing with President Obama’s Legacy
Both candidates have said how they will deal with the precedents set by President Obama during the last eight years. Donald Trump said on his website that he will “completely repeal” Obamacare and overturn many of the executive orders the president has made. On the other side, Hillary Clinton presented herself during a Democratic Party debate Jan. 18, as the candidate who would be most qualified to continue Obama’s legacy. It will be important to note if Obama’s successes and failures come up in the next debate. Their responses to these types of questions will help define the type of presidency that is to be expected from each candidate, and will most likely be used by both Clinton and Trump to show how the other candidate is unfit for the role of president.
When these two candidates meet for the second time Oct. 9, keep these points in mind to help put the candidates’ talking points in context.
(10/02/16 12:17pm)
The touring cast of the beloved Broadway musical “Fame” will visit Macon’s Grand Opera House as part of its annual Broadway Series. Showings will be October 2-3 at 7:30 p.m.
“Fame” follows the adventure of young hopefuls in dance, music and theater. Conceived from both the Academy Award-winning film and the Emmy-winning television series, Gram Slaton of the Grand Opera House described the show as a “high-energy kickoff to our Broadway Series.”
A saxophone ensemble from Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music will also take part in the production. The quartet consisting of Brayden Hutcheson, Banks Daniels, Brian Tirado and Brandon Mincey will perform a 30-minute set before each night of the show begins.
“The management of [the Grand Opera House] thought it would be very nice to promote some Mercer ensembles,” said Monty Cole, director of jazz studies at Mercer.
The four students are all sophomores and came together to form the saxophone ensemble last year. Cole said this is the first time that something like this has been done at the Grand Opera House.
This production of “Fame” will also include a special opportunity for four young actors and dancers. The Grand Opera House hosted a contest to give four lucky young performers the opportunity to join the cast of “Fame” on stage. The contest was open to students in high school or college, who applied by submitting a video stating “Why I Want to be in Fame.” The selected winners will join the nationally-touring group onstage at both showings, said Meagan Evans, the Grand Opera’s marketing director.
Tickets range from $45-71, and can be purchased over the phone at 478-301-5470, or online at www.thegrandmacon.com.
For Georgia theater and drama departments, there is a 50% off promotion for tickets using the code FAME50.
For more information, visit http://www.thegrandmacon.com/event/fame-the-musical-2/.
(09/21/16 8:53pm)
From a young age, Katie-Rose Alligood said she was pushed to be an athlete. By the time she could walk, her father — a former college football player — had her with a softball and a soccer ball.
Her introduction to sports at such an early age has translated into a success while at Mercer University.
Before coming to Mercer to run track and cross country, Alligood was a five-sport athlete at Trinity Christian Academy, a small private school in Dublin, Georgia.
“I played basketball, softball, soccer, and I ran cross country and track,” Alligood said. “At that school it wasn’t that weird to play five sports.”
Alligood’s coach, Ryan Bailey, described her aggressiveness and competitiveness as a runner as a major part of the reason he recruited her.
“The thing that struck me when I was recruiting her was how tough she was,” Bailey said.
The head coach for both men and women’s cross country as well as women’s track and field said that even though when he first saw her she was not an incredibly fast runner; he saw the potential.
The perfect runner for Bailey is one that, in his words, has an attitude of “controlled fury”. For him that means a runner who can run aggressively but also intelligently.
“I value the aggressiveness,” Bailey said. “It just sometimes makes an athlete a little bit more difficult to restrain. But I’d rather have an athlete I had to pull back then one that I had to push.”
The past three years have been ones of great improvement for Alligood. When she came as a freshman she was eleventh on the team while only ten get to travel for meets. By the end of the season, she was able to prove herself and run at regionals, and has gone every year since.
“I am very competitive,” Alligood said. “I’ve found that I’m not only competitive in running but every area of my life.”
Alligood has proven this statement with her performance in the classroom as well. She maintained a 4.0 average last year and recently earned the Southern Conference Commissioner’s medal.
Alligood was born in Macon and raised in the area, so she knew of Mercer growing up, but it was never her intention to attend the school. In fact, running in college was never part of her plans.
“I was going to leave all that behind and start over,” Alligood said. “My dad, he has come to every sporting event I’ve ever had. He was like, ‘You know you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity and regret it.’”
So Alligood decided to attend Mercer to remain close to her family and to also remain an athlete in college. From her experiences, she said it is a decision she does not regret due to the relationships she’s built over the past several years.
“I could not have picked a better school if I tried,” Alligood said.
Alligood is studying to be a holistic child education major, following her mother’s footsteps in the field of education. After she graduates, she plans on staying in the Macon area to teach in order to complete her master’s degree.
(09/15/16 3:11pm)
Every year, a new class makes their mark on Mercer's campus. Here are some of the fresh faces you'll be seeing this fall!
Lala Cumberbath
Lala Cumberbatch is a freshman working to become a psychiatrist. One of the many impressive things about Cumberbatch is that she is a polyglot — she knows three other languages other than English: Korean, Latin and Greek
Cumberbatch said she hopes to gain much by being at Mercer, both for her major and her personal relationships.
“(I want) to make a community of friends,” Cumberbatch said.
She is also a musician and knows how to play the flute. In addition to her musical talents, Cumberbatch is a member of the Tea and Coffee Club as well as Mercer Asia.
Maggie Kowalchuk
Maggie Kowalchuk is a freshman who originally wanted to attend Mercer because of the environmental studies program, but stayed because of how welcoming the people on campus were.
“I visited a couple of schools and Mercer just really stood out to me,” Kowalchuk said. “They really wanted me here.”
She said she enjoys being at Mercer and is involved with many organizations on campus, including MU Miracle, which is a part of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals that raises awareness and funds for 170 pediatric hospitals, according to the group’s Facebook page.
Robert Lankie
Robert Lankie is a freshman who enrolled in Mercer because he said he enjoyed the prospect of learning at a smaller school.
“It felt like a tight-knit community,” Lankie said. “I felt like I could get better one-on-one focus in my classes.”
He is currently involved in Greek life and intramural sports. Lankie hopes to major in business marketing and his goal at Mercer is to become a better all-around student.
Michelle Wangala
Michelle Wangala is studying to become a biomedical engineer. Her dream is to create prosthetics and work with people with physical disabilities.
Wangala said she was interested in Mercer because of the financial aid package, but she also felt the school took personal interest in the students.
“They look at students as more than just a number, but as a person and really help with making the students feel like family,” Wangala said.
She is involved in MU Miracle and Young Life, a non-denominational Christian ministry organization that reaches out to adolescence. She has also played the viola for six years. Her goals at Mercer are to make new friends and gain more experience in life.
Jordan Boomgaarden
Jordan Boomgaarden is a trombone player in the marching band and has been playing the instrument for six years.
“I wasn’t planning on doing marching band at first,” Boomgaarden said. “I showed up at the orientation and I just decided to join.”
Boomgaarden said he plans on studying nursing while at Mercer.
“It’s a pretty solid school,” Boomgaarden said. “I like it.”
*Editor's Note: This story initially included a photo that incorrectly named Michelle Wangala as the subject. We have replaced that image with a photo of Wangala and apologize for any confusion.
(04/14/16 5:49am)
If you’ve never seen Mercer University lacrosse goalkeeper Mike Nugent play, then you have little time left to witness one of the best in the nation.
It has been an impressive run for Nugent. Ever since joining the team his freshman year, he has started every single year and compiled a list of impressive stats along the way including over a 50 percent save rate. Early in the season against VMI he allowed 0 goals and saved 9 shots on goal.
Nugent is now a senior at Mercer so this is his final season with the team, and he says he wants to finish strong.
“You’ve got to hold nothing back,” Nugent said. “I’m really looking forward to putting it all on the line. Hopefully we make a push at the conference tournament and earn some extra games.”
Nugent first picked up a lacrosse stick in the fifth grade. A friend of his that lived down the street owned a pair of lacrosse sticks and that’s when he first learned of the sport. He later joined a YCC team and that’s when his passion for the sport began.
“I’ve loved it ever since I got a stick in my hand,” Nugent said.
Before coming to Mercer, Nugent was committed to play lacrosse at West Point Military Academy but decided that wasn’t the path for him. Nugent said that he wanted to be closer to home and that Mercer, being one of the few D1 lacrosse programs in Georgia, was perfect for him.
Nugent said that after playing at Mercer for so many years he has come to think of his team as a family.
“My teammates are my brothers,” Nugent said. “Coach (Hannan) makes it pretty clear he wants us to be the best team in the country. Being the best team and coming together and being that family goes a long way. We have a term we say, ‘play for the guy to the left and to the right of you’.”
One of Nugent’s good friends on the team, Colin Massa, a junior defender on the team, described Nugent as being one of the best goalies in the country, but also an amazing person when they’re not playing the game.
“I really think Nuge [sic] is the heart and soul of our team with his skill obviously, but also his ability to get guys going and keep everyone smiling off the field,” Massa said.
In the 2014 season, Nugent ranked 7 nationally in saves per game and ended the season with 163 saves overall.
“It’s going to be a challenge to replace someone as talented as he is,” Massa said.
Nugent is majoring in communications with a minor in business administration. After he graduates, he wants to pursue a career in sports management or medical sales.
“I’m looking forward to the next step now that it’s done,” Nugent said. “You don’t want to think about it too much. I’m just trying to take it game by game but I know when the last whistle sounds at the end of the season part of me is going to be taken, but I’m also really excited to start the last chapter of my life.”