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(01/26/15 2:04pm)
Macon might have its own government film office in the near future, according to The (Macon) Telegraph. The city has become a hotspot for Hollywood films, and Macon already has the volunteer-based Macon Film Commission. However, Commissioner Elaine Lucas suggested that a government film office could help formalize the process. The office would help with licensing fees for pyrotechnics and making sure appropriate fees are charged for city services. Atlanta and Savannah have successful film offices that could potentially serve as models for Macon.
Greece’s leftist leader, Alexis Tsipras, promised that Greece’s five years of “humiliation and suffering”, imposed by international creditors, are almost over. This was right after the Syriza Party took over in a snap election on Sunday. The Syriza party won 149 seats in the 300-seat parliament. Tsipras will lead a euro-zoned government and is committed to overturning the “budgetary rigor” that was imposed by Greece as a condition to bailout in 2010.
Columbian beauty, Paulina Vega, was crowned Miss Universe 2015 in Miami for the 63rd annual pageant. Vega is in school studying business administration and comes from a large family, according to the The Miami Herald. The pageants leading up to Miss Universe were the first she ever participated in.
It's about to get a little chilly for our friends up North. The National Weather Service on Sunday issued a blizzard warning for the East Coast on Monday afternoon till Tuesday. The blizzard is expected to dump as much as three feet of snow - a historic record. “This could be the biggest snowstorm in the history of this city," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference, saying snowfall could reach up to 3 feet. The largest snowfall on record in New York City was the storm of Feb. 11 - 12, which dropped 26.9 inches.
Mercer’s SGA is holding its first Senate of the new year in CSC Conference Room 2 for its strategic planning report. This is SGA’s time to reflect on its role on campus and “establish tangible goals to which students can hold us accountable this coming semester,” said Victoria Conely, SGA vice president.
If you know of any interesting events going on next week, please email us your submissions to online@mercercluster.com!
(01/25/15 8:26pm)
A $500,000 grant from the National Endowment for Humanities will help bolster the visibility of Mercer’s Southern Studies Center.
The highly competitive grant from the NEH aims to help institutions and organizations secure funding for the humanities programs and resources.
The grant is known as a "challenge grant," which means that the University has to match the NEH's grant. In this case, the funding is 3-to-1 ratio, which means that the University needs to raise $1.5 million to match the NEH grant.
The recipients of the grant can request in their proposal on how the money should be spent. "We had one simple goal," said Dr. Douglas Thompson, an associate professor of Southern Studies, "We wanted to create an endowment for the Center of Southern Studies."
The University will put $1.5 million into a bank account and the NEH grant also will be placed into the same account. The funds will be left in the account to draw interest.
The Center plans on using the interest generated from the bank account towards specific projects outlined in the NEH grant proposal, said Thompson.
The Center has outlined several uses of the endowment, including helping the Center run an annual conference. Before the endowment, the Center applied for grant money from the Georgia Humanities Council, which was sometimes a tedious process. Also, the Center was not guaranteed to receive any funds from the Council.
The endowment will also increase the center’s budget for conferences from $4,000 to $30,000.
In the past, the Center has hosted the Lamar Memorial Lecture Series, which will be open to the public this year. The Center also recognizes a scholar in the field of Southern Studies with the Sidney Lanier Prize for Southern Literature. The 2015 winner will be announced this January.
“(The Center) will invite scholars to come in and work on projects, so they’ll have an idea for writing and area where they can write,” said Thompson. By inviting these scholars to stay on Mercer’s campus for a week over the summer, the Center hopes to attract potential talent, said Dr. Thompson.
“There is no building,” said Thompson on the rumors pertaining to construction plans on a new building for the Center. “But we would be happy to have a place identifiable that was ours,” he said.
The grant’s funds will also buy an internet server dedicated to the humanities in order to encourage open access to material.
“As editor of the 'Journal of Southern Religion', one of the pieces of the puzzle is that we will start to enhance our digital humanities footprint,” said Thompson.
As of now, there are three students majoring in Southern Studies at Mercer University and Thompson hopes to expand the program in the coming years. “We don’t have majors, but we are growing them,” Thompson said.
In the wake of Ferguson, Thompson believes that this is a crucial time for students to delve into Southern Studies and understand the racial construction in the South.
Students who major in Southern Studies can take courses on the “Old South, the Civil War, the New South, African-American history, southern literature and African-American literature, along with topical courses such as Southern Jesus, Black Film History, Southern Foodways and William Faulkner,” according to the University’s course catalog.
Contrary to most students’ preconceptions of the study, the major does not take a romanticized view of the South, said Thompson. Instead, the major strives to provide a critical examination of the region.
“The major lets you know the roots of the problem [in the South] and how we go about addressing them but not that we fix them,” said Thompson. “That’s what the major is.”
(12/11/14 12:12am)
Worried about being stranded on campus during the last leg of finals week without any food options? No fear. We have you covered.
The Cluster has compiled a master list of the times and dates the Cafeteria, University Center Food Court, Bear Necessities, and the University Center will open and close during finals week through Winter Break.
Also, don’t forget that Mercer's residence halls close down on Sunday Dec. 14 at noon. The residence halls will open on Jan. 9 at 9 a.m..
If you want to hit the gym or grab some food, check out this list of holiday hours below.
Fresh Food Company (Cafeteria)
Dec. 11
7 am- 8 pm
Dec. 13
7 am - 9 pm9 am . - 11 am (continental breakfast)11 am - 1:00 pm (lunch)(CLOSED AFTER 1 pm)
Dec. 14 - Jan 10
CLOSED
Jan. 11
11:30 am (OPEN)
UC Food Court
Subway
Dec. 13
9 am - 9 pm
Dec. 14 - Jan. 11
(CLOSED)
Jan. 12
(OPEN)
Burger Studio
Dec. 10
10:30 am - 6 pm
Dec. 11 - 12
10:30 am - 2:30 pm
Dec. 13 - Jan. 11
(CLOSED)
Jan. 12
(OPEN)
Chick Fil A
Dec. 11
7:30 am - 5 pm
Dec. 12
7:30 am - 5 pm
Dec. 13
9 am - 9 pm
Dec. 14 - Jan. 10
(CLOSED)
Jan. 11
(OPEN)
Bear Necessities
Dec. 10
7:30 am - 9 pm
Dec. 11
7:30 am - 8 pm
Dec. 12
7:30 am - 6 pm
Dec. 13 - Jan. 11
(CLOSED)
Jan. 12
(OPEN)
University Center
Dec. 13
10 am - 6 pm
Dec. 14
noon - 6 p.m
Dec. 15-19
9 am - 7 pm
Dec. 20
10 am - 6pm
Dec. 21
Noon - 6 pm
Dec. 22
9 am - 7 pm
Dec. 23
9 am - 6 pm
Dec. 24 - 28
(CLOSED)
Dec. 29
9 am - 6 pm
Dec. 31 - Jan. 1
(CLOSED)
Jan. 2
9 am - 6 pm
Jan. 3
10 am - 6 pm
Jan. 4
noon - 6 pm
Jan. 5 - 9
9 am - 7 pm
Jan. 10
10 am - 6 pm
Jan. 11
Noon - 12 am
Jan. 12
6 am - 12 am.
(11/23/14 3:11am)
Corner concerts will host New Madrid and White Violet to play in Shriner Temple on Dec. 6
New Madrid and White Violet are Athens-based bands. White Violet is an Athens based band that has a guitar-heavy presence with easy vocals and a sound that takes cues from peers in both their hometown of Athens and their new digs in the Music City. 100 Watt Horse gives a face to trendy music.
The Shriner Temple was built in 1929 and was the largest auditorium outside of Atlanta at the time. The story goes that at the time there was much press about the ‘Tomb of Tutankhamen’ that the Shriner’s use the hieroglyphs from the tomb as the model for the paintings. This unique building will host Macon's heritage for one night as Corner Concerts sets up shop on December 6. Come out and explore Macon with Corner Concerts.
Tickets $10ADV/ $15DOS (Available at Just Tap'd and Ocmulgee Traders or CornerConcerts.com)
Show Dec 6. 7:30-10:15
Shriner Temple 745 Poplar St.
(11/22/14 3:47pm)
A shooting this week at a Florida State University has prompted other schools -- including Mercer -- to scrutinize their own campus safety plans.
FSU was praised for their timely response to tragedy. Once the university received notice of the gunman’s whereabouts, FSU's campus police officers stormed into Strozier library and shot the armed gunman after he failed to comply to their commands, according to The Washington Post.
Early Thursday morning, President Underwood sent out an email to University officials with a URL link to the news story.
“He was absolutely on top of it and made sure the senior officers and the University were aware,” Larry Brumley said, vice president for marketing communications. “He periodically asks us updates on our preparedness.”
Mercer University has a detailed campus emergency preparedness plan outlined on the Mercer Police Department’s website. Brumley said designated university officials are in charge of updating this plan and making changes when necessary.
If there were to be an active shooter on campus, there is a specific protocol the campus follows. This protocol involves coordination with the Bibb-County Sheriff Office and other first responders, according to the Mercer Police Department.
Brumley said that the Mercer Police Department periodically conducts “table top exercises” where a Mercer Police officer is given emergency scenario and then acts out a response to that particular situation. After completing the exercise, the officer is critiqued on his response and given additional advice.
However, diligent preparation cannot guarantee that an campus shooting will never occur.
“You can’t plan for every possible thing that could happen,” Brumley said. “There are so many variations for what could happen, but there is a general protocol for how to deal with an active shooter on campus.”
Larry Collins, chief of Mercer police, said that if there was an campus shooting the police officers are instructed to immediately respond and call in reinforcements from Bibb-county Sheriff Office if needed.
Look at Mercer’s emergency preparation plan to learn more about how to respond to a campus shooting.
(11/20/14 4:14pm)
Macon natives and business owners Laura and Steve Bell were tired of hearing the words “Macon” and “potential” being used in the same sentence.
“We heard that word ‘potential’ for so long when describing Macon,” Laura Bell said. “We were so tired of hearing that word, and we were like ‘let’s do something.’”
The entrepreneurial couple, who both own and manage a Macon-based advertising company called Smart Creative Media, wanted to bring a quaint, European-inspired grocery store to downtown Macon.
The perfect opportunity landed into the their laps when they heard about the Macon Mongul business contest. The competition dolled out $50,000 and provided free rent for a year in downtown Macon to help the winner launch the company.
The two channeled their creative business juices and pitched three ideas for the contest, including an incubator, an Irish pub and, lastly, an urban grocery store. The Irish pub and grocery store made it into the second round before being cut from the competition.
Despite losing the competition, the couple trudged forward on their idea of bringing a grocery store downtown.
Steve launched a Facebook page called “Bring a Trader Joes to Macon.” Within 24 hours, the page gained 1,000 likes.
Fortunately, the couple’s efforts caught the attention of College Hill Corridor, which needed to launch a grocery store downtown as a part of its economic revitalization plan.
For the past couple of months, College Hill tried to attract Trader Joes and Harris Teeter downtown to no avail.
“Most of these national stores have a specific business model that considers a variety of factors, including economic demographics,” Steve Bell said. “Macon sometimes does not fit these national business models, considering poor economic communities are very close to downtown.”
With some financial help from College Hill Corridor, on June 4, 2014, the couple opened the $400,000 multi-level urban grocery store and called it Ocmulgee Traders.
Initially, when the store first opened, “business was busier than expected,” Laura said. However, once the newness wore off, business is now “steady.”
The grocery store features rows of organic, fresh grocery items and is outfitted with a café that sells sandwiches and drinks.
Most the company’s best selling products are Georgia-based products such as Savannah Bee Company Honey, The Georgia Olive Oil and King of Pops. During the spring and summer, Ocmulgee Traders generated nearly $1,000 a week from popsicle sales alone.
The couple built their model entirely on community input. The couple will issue out surveys asking people what exactly they want and will then buy the items for their store.
Most of the business comes from residents who live in the Lofts.
“We’re the epicenter of all the Lofts downtown, and most of the data that I saw showed that 90 percent of the Lofts downtown are occupied – that’s huge.” Laura said.
The couple admits that managing a grocery store and ad agency actually has more similarities than differences. Although the couple says that they utilize creative marketing techniques when managing their grocery store.
As the company continues to expand and grow, the owners are considering being consultants to for additional stores in different cities or being bought out by a national grocer. Already, a couple of people have requested opening stores in different cities.
(11/10/14 10:37pm)
The Mercer University women’s soccer team will play No. 8 University of Florida in the NCAA Tournament in Gainesville, Fl.
After third-seeded Mercer beat top-seeded Samford University by 2-1 on Sunday, the team automatically earned a bid in the NCAA tournament.
The victory was even sweeter considering the team lost against Samford in their last season game.
“It’s the perfect revenge,” senior Stephanie Giangiuli said, one of the team’s seven starting seniors.
The Bears won an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament in 2010 and lost against University of Florida. The seniors have made it their goal to make it to back to the NCAA Tournament, Giangiuli said.
“I think the determination that the senior class has [is what sets them apart from competitors],” said Sara Elliot, a graduate assistant for the team and former soccer player. “Everyone wanted it so badly for these girls, and they wanted it so badly for themselves.”
The soccer team had a 14-5-2 record this season, setting a new program record for the most wins in a season.
(10/14/14 6:29pm)
Mercer’s Student Government Association unanimously passed a resolution in opposition to an ordinance intended to forbid people under 21 from entering Macon-Bibb County bars.
“The ordinance is uncalled for because it infringes upon our rights and will negatively affect the downtown business,” SGA Vice President Victoria Conley wrote in a statement. “It also hurts students by profiling all underage bar attendees as obnoxious drunks.”
“In reality, those who do cause an issue are far fewer than those who go into bars to simply hang with friends. SGA has written a resolution because students don’t like this ordinance and have asked SGA to lobby on their behalf.”
The ordinance could also hinder the growth of Macon’s live entertainment industry, said Junior Senator David Wildes.
County Commissioner Scotty Shepard said the ordinance is not only intended to keep 18- to 20-year-olds out of bars but also to prevent loitering in front of them.
SGA plans to send its resolution statement to Mercer’s administration and then present the resolution to County Commission today at a public hearing for the ordinance.
The hearing will be located in the commission chamber of the Macon-Bibb County Government Center, 700 Poplar St. on Oct. 14 at 2:15 p.m.
The first hearing for the case was held on Oct. 7, where about two dozen people showed up and six spoke. Two people favored the ordinance and two people opposed it.
(10/13/14 7:30pm)
Mercer’s business students will have the opportunity to travel to Rwanda this summer and help widows and orphans of the Rwandan genocide launch businesses.
A new Mercer on Mission program to Rwanda will be a two-and-a-half-week blend of service-learning and study abroad experience open to both graduate and undergraduate students. Classes for the program will be held in Henry County, the halfway point between the Atlanta and Macon campuses.
“What I really think is unique is that they are specifically targeting an at-risk group in Rwanda from the 1994 genocide who have very specific issues, that is that they are financially destitute,” McMahan said.
The President of the Republic of Rwanda Paul Kagame came to visit Mercer’s Professional campus in celebration of Stetson School of Business 30th anniversary. During this time, the university also announced its launching of the Rwanda Mercer on Mission trip.
The idea for the program came about from a request for proposals for new Mercer on Mission Programs that Dr. Craig McMahan, the University Minister, sends out to faculty each year.
This year, he received an interesting proposal from two business faculty members from the Atlanta campus, Etienne Musonera and Gerry Mills, who suggested creating a Mercer on Mission program to Rwanda. This particular Mercer on Mission is designed to and find ways to help the aid widows and orphans of the Genocide become more financially stable, primarily through entrepreneurial programs.
What makes the program unique is that this will be the second time that Mercer’s Stetson School of Business will be participating in a Mercer on Mission program.
Although the Genocide occurred nearly 20 years ago, Rwandan citizens are still feeling its devastating effects. The country’s economic infrastructure took a serious nose-dive after the genocide.
“When the tables have been tilted against a people, the recovery is generational because all the resources that people have generally relied on to boost themselves out of a hole are taken away from them,” McMahan said.
These marginalized groups of people who have survived the genocide often find themselves in a difficult position to propel out of poverty. According to the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom, over 80 percent of Rwandans depend on subsistence agriculture.
McMahan expects to admit anywhere ranging from 10 to 14 undergraduate and graduate students into the program.
“They’re going to be looking for majors and minors who have interest in international business (and) who have an interest in entrepreneurial work with a small business and who are willing to travel outside the comforts of Middle Georgia,” McMahan said.
McMahan said that students will receive the chance to work one-on-one with the Rwandan orphans and widows, to help them launch their own businesses and to help lay a foundation for a more entrepreneurial community in the country.
“We really want to bring the University’s intellectual capital and capacity to real world problems,” McMahan added.
Organizing a Mercer on Mission trip to a developing country poses challenges, but in order to ensure that the program is successful, McMahan said that he is working closely with faculty members.
“We have very clear protocols on how we want to run the program in terms in what kind of things we are looking for,” McMahan said. “I’m going to be working especially close with them to make sure that the kind of things that we know that create success in programs are going to be integral to the programs that they run.”
(10/10/14 5:29am)
Beer enthusiasts and music-lovers flocked to Tattnall Square Park this weekend in celebration of the second annual Macon Octoberfest.
The Bavarian-inspired festival, held on Oct. 24-25, featured live entertainment from bands in the southeastern region and served nearly 70 craft beers on tap.
Lisa Harris and her husband Shannon Harris along with her sister-in-law Heather Harris and husband Travis Harris launched the event. The family owns a hiking company founded in 1978 called Alpine Adventure Trails, which leads treks through the Swiss Alps.
The idea for the event began in celebration of their company’s anniversary, said Lisa Harris. The family was inspired by one of the Oktoberfest celebrations that took place in Austria, one of their stops on their tours, and they decided to bring the festival to Macon.
“We just brought it here because… I mean everybody loves a big tent, a good beer and everybody likes great music,” said Harris. “And you’re doing it all having fun and you’re giving to the community.”
All of the food, breweries, performers, and merchants are locally from around the state, according to the nonprofit’s website. The nonprofit doesn’t charge the vendors at the event.
The event proceeds go to the Alzheimer’s Association Georgia Chapter, All about Animals Rescue and L.H. Ecology Center.
Last year, the company gave private donations to charities, said Lisa. As the nonprofit continues to grow, they hope that they will be able to generate more money for the different charities.
“The focus is to bring the community together and provide a local support and drive some economy here,” said Lisa Harris.
The event sold 490 pre-sold tickets meaning that the company could possibly reign in 5,000 people in attendance over the weekend, said Harris. Last year, the nonprofit held the event in downtown Macon at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and had 3,200 people in attendance.
With the move to a new location, Harris said she’s noticed more Mercer students attend the event because of its new central location. Even the Mercer Robotics Club had a tent set up at the event.
“We’ve had a lot of great response from the students,” Harris said. “Last year, the Mercer medical team of them did some volunteering and then called us out again and said ‘Hey, can we be apart of it.”
In order to pull off a successful weekend event, the family plans a year in advance.
Most of the wooden pallets used to make the decorations along with the 140-pallett bar were donated or scouted online at Craigslist Inc., said Heather Harris, who decorated the event. However, Heather’s most treasured find were wooden pallets taken from a house built in the 1800s. She said that she used the wood to decorate the bar.
(09/26/14 5:01pm)
For as long as Mercer University junior Katie Callaway can remember, her younger sister, Maggie Callaway, has suffered from an unrelenting seizure disorder.
When Maggie was born, she received her immunization shots, and then she had her first seizure at three months old.
“Right after she got her shots, she started having seizures,” Katie said.
The seizures have mentally regressed Maggie to the point at which she developmentally functions on a three-year-old age level. She is 17.
The seizures unexpectedly arrive and then usher Maggie into a state wherein she cannot eat, speak or sleep because her body trembles. The doctors told the family that Maggie’s seizures could get better after puberty, but her condition has only worsened.
But there’s hope for Maggie and her family.
A new program is available to provide financial assistance to those who want to seek treatment with medical cannabis oil, which is not currently legal in Georgia but has been shown to benefit children with severe seizures or neurological disorders.
State Rep. Allen Peake launched “Journey of Hope” after a failed attempt to pass legislation in Georgia that would have made medical cannabis oil legal in certain situations.
A close friend of the Callaways told them about “Journey of Hope” and put Maggie on the list.
The cannabis oil’s low levels of THC, a substance found in marijuana, combined with high levels of Cannabidiol (CBD), can have a substantial impact on minimizing seizures, said Maggie’s mom, Beth Callaway.
CBD is a compound found in cannabis that is used for medical purposes. The level of THC in cannabis oil is low, so users are not likely to get a high from it.
After many years of failed medications, unproductive hospital stays and unhelpful diets, the novel medication could possibly be the long-awaited, successful treatment that Maggie so desperately needs.
‘Zombie-like condition’
In the past, Maggie’s seizures only occurred once or twice a month, but now Maggie will have two to three seizures every other night leaving her in a “zombie-like condition,” Beth said.
Beth and her husband, Kevin Callaway, stay up long nights in order to take care of their child and are both emotionally and physically spent.
“It’s just something that has taken a toll on their physical health,” Katie said.
Initially, the Callaway family had its doubts about the medical cannabis oil treatment, especially Beth.
“My mom was just coping with what my sister had, and we weren’t really searching for solutions,” Katie said.
Katie said that her parents have extensively researched the drug and its positive impact on children suffering with seizure disorders and other neurological conditions. This research made Beth less skeptical.
The family was ecstatic to learn that Maggie would get assistance from “Journey of Hope.”
“(My mom) probably cried for two hours because it’s hope for my family and the hope that (Maggie) will stop having seizures,” Katie said.
New Hope
On Oct. 8, Maggie, Beth and Kevin will drive to Colorado, where marijuana is legal, as medical refugees. Maggie will seek treatment for her seizures from a team of doctors and will be referred to a caregiver who will grow a specific strand of medical cannabis and extract the oil for her.
Katie will continue taking classes at Mercer, and her father will also stay in Georgia and continue working at his job as an engineer.
“I personally think that it’s going to be positive, but that’s not something we’ll know till we’re there,” Katie said. “We are fortunate to have this opportunity to go to Colorado, but so many families in Georgia don't, and I, myself, didn’t realize how important and crucial this is to families.”
The program covers housing, rent and transportation but not the treatment. A close friend of the Callaways created a “GoFundMe” for Maggie to try to raise money to cover treatment costs.
Within 24 hours, the page raised $10,000 and was shared on social media over 600 times.
“We were so overwhelmed and overjoyed,” Katie said. “We weren’t expecting that kind of result.”
Spreading Awareness
Before they leave for Colorado, the Callaways are trying to spread as much awareness about medical cannabis oil as possible and to help people see past the political stigma.
Peake has been hosting a series of hearings across Georgia to increase dialogue about medical marijuana and to address misconceptions about the drug.
Mercer recently hosted one of Peake’s hearings, and the Callaway family attended as advocates for the legislation to allow medical cannabis oil in the state.
In the middle of the conference, Beth noticed Maggie’s breathing quicken and goose bumps begin to form on her legs.
Beth immediately recognized that Maggie was about to have a seizure.
The Callaways swiftly exited the conference and were followed by journalists who snapped pictures during Maggie’s seizure.
“I wanted to tell them to go away,” Katie said, “but I didn’t know who would see those pictures and what it could do for the cause.”
The decision to open their private lives to the public wasn’t easy, but the family decided that it was necessary to raise awareness about their daughter’s condition and for other families struggling with similar medical issues.
Maggie’s story has gained attention from all over the state. Katie said that her parents are not used to getting interviewed by the media, which is eager to learn their story.
But for the Callaway family, this is more than a story; the issue is a sobering reality.
“This is something that’s been a part of us for 17 years; it’s emotional,” Katie said. “We’ve never known a Maggie who hasn’t had seizures, so the chance of her beginning a healing process… we’ve never been given that opportunity for that.”
The next few months will be an exciting yet nerve-wracking time for the family.
If the medication works, “there is no way we are going to stay in Georgia,” Katie said, “so I guess they are going to wait and see.”
(09/08/14 6:01pm)
Nashville-based performer Ben Rector will headline the “Turn Out to Vote Concert,” an event designed to promote civic engagement in Macon.
Ben Rector, who is known for his alternative contemporary pop music, made waves in the music industry with two of his albums, “The Walking In Between” and “Something Like This,” landing No. 16 and No. 41 spots, respectively, on Billboard 200.
The free event will held in Mercer Village on Sept. 19 starting at 8 p.m. Both college students and community members are invited to attend.
The College Hill Alliance, Mercer University’s Student Government Association and TurboVote have teamed up with Middle Georgia College’s Student Government Association, Wesleyan College’s Campus Activity Board, Mercer University’s Quadworks and Mercer’s Student Bar Association to organize the “Turn Out to Vote concert.”
“Turn Out to Vote” is targeted at higher education institutions to tackle the problem of low voter turnout among college students by allowing students to register to vote at the concert, according to a news release.
“We get the opportunity to register to vote and see Ben Rector?” said Katie Callaway, junior senator for SGA. “He’s such a big emerging artist and I know we are all excited to see him. This event is a win-win situation,” Callaway said.
The partners are using TurboVote, a nonprofit service with a mission to increase citizen participation by making voting easy through its user-friendly application.
“We are hoping to remove barriers to voting for our students and increase voter turnout.,” said Joey Wozniak, president of SGA, in a news release. “Many out-of-state students are unaware of Georgia’s voting laws, such as the voter ID law. With this partnership, we’re taking a fun, unique, multi-tiered approach to educate our students on these issues and ultimately create civically engaged students.”
Access collegehill.turbovote.org to sign up for the service
(08/27/14 6:04pm)
Mercer Student Government Association recently launched Mercer Mobile, a mobile application that aims to connect students and the local community to Mercer University and Macon.
The application is available for download on iOS and Android web-enabled phones or devices. Using Mercer Mobile, students can keep updated with the university calendar, news, social media accounts, campus alerts, emergency numbers, course schedules and online purchasing of tickets for athletic events.
Mercer students also can get plugged into Macon’s community calendar by downloading the application, which features Ovations 365, an online source for arts, and culture and community events in central Georgia.
“We’re trying to give the [Mercer] faculty, staff and administration a tool to actually communicate with our 21st-century-technology-driven students,” said Joey Wozniak, SGA president.
Mercer’s SGA and Information Technology department teamed up with the Virginia-based company, Dub Labs, to help develop the application.
Plans for launching of the campus-wide Mercer Mobile app began in 2012 and was spearheaded by Melina Hettiaratchi, SGA senior class president. SGA president, Joey Wozniak and SGA vice president, Victoria Conley, joined the project this past year and have assisted in the development of the application.
Mercer Mobile not only includes what Mercer students want featured on the app, but it has now become more about creating a cohesive application for the surrounding community, too, Hettiaratchi said.
Mercer’s freshman class has already downloaded the app and SGA will be examining reviews in the app store, and plans to scrutinize data to know which links in the app are most popular.
(03/19/14 9:47pm)
As 26-year-old Evan Ayoub biked up one of the many steep hills in Anniston, Ala., he came to two realizations: his knee was in excruciating pain and he was only 200 mi. into his 4,850-mile tour.
For the Macon native, his chances of tasting the salty Pacific Ocean air were beginning to look slim.
“I remember getting up that hill was so painful,” says Ayoub. “I just had to push and push. I mean, I was in my easiest gear standing and pulling on this bike as far as I could and barely could ride up this hill.”
With some dogged determination followed by a period of rest, Ayoub continued toward the Pacific Ocean.
The dream to bike across the United States found its roots during Ayoub’s middle school years when he marveled at his next-door neighbor’s bike.
After pleading with his mother, Ayoub finally got a bike. He’s been pedaling ever since.
For seven years, Ayoub worked at Bike Tech, a bike shop located on Vineville Avenue, where he heard constant talk of bike touring from customers and staff. This fostered Ayoub’s dream of one day touring the country.
After graduating from Mercer University in 2010, Ayoub started making plans for his epic bike tour. An unfortunate hip injury forced Ayoub to press the brakes on his dreams instead of on his bike.
For three years, Ayoub juggled a job working computers for an air conditioning company and another job working at a local bike shop on weekends.
After years of waiting, Ayoub started buying essential bike parts for his tour. “And, finally, I was like ‘it’s time to go,’ and bought all the stuff I needed and put it all together,” says Ayoub. “I gave my bosses the heads-up and then said, ‘this is what I’m doing.’ And they said, ‘when you get done, head back.’”
On June 5, Ayoub loaded his Cannondale T4 with 115 lbs. of basic living essentials, including a sleeping bag, tent, food and water.
Ayoub biked to Savannah, Ga., where he snapped a photo of himself on Tybee Island near the Atlantic Ocean. He then biked back to Macon to rest for couple of days before leaving Georgia’s red-clay hills behind.
From Macon, Ayoub worked west toward Peachtree City, and then 80 mi. in a day to Alabama. That’s when his knee started to hurt. “You should (prepare), but I really didn’t, and I paid for it pretty bad with my knees,” says Ayoub.
Ayoub continued his tour through the Southeast, managing to breeze through Mississippi in a day. His next physical challenge: Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains.
“Arkansas - it’s neat, but I felt like I was getting hazed,” says Ayoub. “You ride, and they would just go vertical, and you would just climb a thousand or two-thousand feet in just a couple of miles. It was just awful.”
In Kansas, Ayoub came across his first group of touring cyclists, a group of missionaries called the Anti-Baptists, a religion influenced by Mennonite and Amish philosophy. “For a touring cyclist, I had a very large load, but these guys were stacked because they lived on their bikes,” said Ayoub.
The bicyclist navigated his way using ACA maps, or Adventure Cycling Association maps. He found free camping sites on the map to set up his tent. Ayoub mainly lived off of fast food, peanut butter sandwiches and Swedish Fish.
After braving a hail storm on top of a 11, 542 ft. mountain at Hoosier’s Pass in Colorado, Ayoub made his way to Fairplay, Colo. where he met Sarah and Pedro Sousa, a Portuguese couple, who were on a two-year honeymoon tour, and Gary Loughlin, an Irish bike rider. The group of bikers steadily grew to 10 people.
The group of cyclists visited Glacier Park. “Everything is just on an epic scale. The mountains are just tall, jagged, and there is a big, blue sky,” says Ayoub.
Ayoub decided to ride through the park. “Part of my philosophy is riding every inch,” says Ayoub. He later enjoyed a scenic lunch on the top of Logan’s Pass and rode down the Pass alongside wild horses.
The rest of Ayoub’s trip went downhill from there. As the bicyclist rode through Washington, he said he hated the gloomy weather. “I got rained on every single day. If it didn’t rain, it was so humid that I had so much condensation inside my tent, it was raining in my tent,” Ayoub said.
Things soon went from bad to worse. When Ayoub entered the customs office in Canada, he was interrogated by the customs official, and his spirits were dampened. “I’ve never been treated like a criminal before, and that’s exactly how he treated me, and that really bugged me,” says Ayoub. Customs permitted Ayoub to visit for only one day.
The bicyclist left Canada and continued south through Washington. As he was riding through congested traffic in Seattle, Wash., a car came too close causing him to veer his bike off the road into a traffic cone. The cone got stuck in his back wheel and the drive chain exploded. Ayoub thought his trip was over.
“I’m about to get a cab to catch a flight home when this guy stops and says there is a bike shop down the road. When I got there, he bought all the stuff.” It was moments like this that restored Ayoub’s faith in humanity during his trip.
After 70 days on the road, Ayoub finally reached Greyland, Ore., his final destination. He was ready to go home and take a shower. He flew down to Macon and met his girlfriend, Krissie Campbell.
“He had one major setback, but he was lucky to not have even more. I just felt lucky to be a part of this,” Campbell said.
Now that he’s back in Macon, Ayoub misses having the vast stretches of asphalt ahead of him. “I sit in a windowless office and a bit of my soul dies every day,” says Ayoub.
But don’t worry, he will be biking cross-country again - one day. “It’s going to be a long time before I go on a tour again because I have to save up money.”
(03/04/14 11:22pm)
Mercer University SGA is utilizing social media in order to provide a voice for the student body with the new their Facebook campaign called “#Mercerprobs”
On Feb. 10 Senior Senator Allie Straka created the Facebook page “#Mercerprobs” in hopes of providing a platform for students to voice their concerns. The page encourages students to fill out student input forms and tell SGA about their problems on campus.
As of now, the page has 350 likes on Facebook and over 60 posts from students. The most popular complaints from students are about the limited food options from Aramark and lack of parking on campus. However, students are welcomed to file complaints that pertain to any of SGA’s campus life committees.
“We’ve already gotten some really great input, and it’s awesome to see so many students who have thoughtful and well-written responses to the Google form. People are thankful that they have this opportunity and I feel like it’s long over due,” Straka said.
When it comes to filling out the student input forms, specificity is key in guiding the senators in the decision making process and who they should talk to.
Straka wants to make sure the student body is aware of the active effort SGA is taking to create a voice for students. “If students want something to happen, we can speak to those people who can make it happen,” Straka said.
The SGA senate has talked about possibly introducing the hash tag onto Twitter, but as of now, Straka plans on focusing her efforts on the Facebook page
Overall, Straka said that the Facebook page could be an effective tool in linking students to campus. “I think if we (SGA) don't keep our thumb on the pulse of what students are saying about campus and different ways to improve Mercer’s community then I think we are losing sight of who we are as SGA.”
(11/13/13 7:30pm)
SGA President Raymond Partolan announced his decision to keep SGA’s invocation, a prayer said before each senate meeting, for the rest of the year in response to last week’s proposal for its removal.
Partolan said that he conferred with the executive SGA officers before reaching his decision on Monday.
“We’re a faith-based institution and we have convocation before athletic events, before special convocation and regular convocation,” Partolan said. “To do away with invocation at senate, it just doesn’t seem like it’s consistent with our identity as Mercerians.”
The SGA invocation began at the organization’s inception and was called to be removed by Senator Caleb Maier last week. An hour-long discussion followed, which concluded in leaving the decision up to Partolan.
Maier wasn’t present at Monday’s senate meeting, but Senator Joshua Whitfield, who also backed the proposal to remove the invocation, acknowledged that while he respects Partolan’s decision to keep invocation, he still feels disappointed.
“I feel like since the invocation is such a powerful, symbolic representation of the Christian faith, we are doing a bit of a disservice to religious minorities on campus,” Whitfield said. “I think as a Baptist school we should be very careful to preserve religious liberty.”
Some of the other senators were pleased with Partolan’s decision. “I think that he (Partolan) gave it proper timing and proper thought,” Senator Peyton Fanning said. “ I think he heard all of the opinions, and his reasoning behind it is very good. Since we are a private institution and it is a staple at all events that we do, doing it in student government is a fine thing.”
SGA will continue opening senate with invocation every Monday at 5:30 p.m. in Conference Room III. Meetings are open to the student body.
(08/28/13 7:00pm)
With a $17,000 grant fueled toward tailgating equipment, the new student-led organization, Mercer Maniacs, plans to amp up the student body’s excitement for Mercer University Athletics.
“Mercer Maniacs is a student-led organization designed to increase and encourage the involvement of the student body in what’s great about Mercer and a lot of times that’s our athletics,” Mollie Davis, with Mercer Maniacs, said.
The grant, given by Quadworks, covers monetary expenses for tailgating events such as food, tents, posters and grills. “Most of the money spent is for the students. All of the money comes back to the students,” said Laurel Duvall, special events coordinator for Mercer Maniacs.
The organization originated as Hoffman Hooligans, which was a fan-based, student-led organization named after Mercer’s basketball coach, Bob Hoffman.
Members of Hoffman’s Hooligans regularly attended Mercer basketball games and painted their bodies with black and orange paint to cheer on their team. Last year, Hoffman’s Hooligans vigilantly supported the Mercer basketball team who was undefeated in the regular season. The Hooligans’ dedication even led them to take a bus to Knoxville, Tenn. last year to cheer on the basketball team.
This past March, Quadworks made a proposal to create a student-led organization which would eventually oversee any future Mercer athletic- and fan-based organizations.
“Mercer Maniacs is now the over arching umbrella term for what we are trying to do now. We will try to be at football games, but we will also be a lot of Mercer athletic games too,” Davis said.
The organization foresees big changes on Mercer’s horizon for athletic events. “There is a culture shift that we are trying to implement. We are trying to get the study body to be more aware of games and get them to where they are participating and having fun,” said Andrew Eck, membership, recruitment, and spirit chair for the Mercer Maniacs.
Mercer Maniacs currently has six students on their executive board. All students are invited to join the organization.
Before becoming a member, each student must attend at least three football games and get a T-shirt signed by any of the executive board members of Mercer Maniacs. Students are also guaranteed membership if they attend six Mercer basketball games, Duvall said
“We are very inclusive. Anybody who wants to be a member can be a member but we ask people to be involved because we give them perks like front row seats or priority seats on a bus,” Eck said.
Eck believes that increased student presence at athletic events will help to bring in some Mercer wins. “There is a direct correlation with student participation at events with success of the athletic teams themselves,” Eck said.
Mercer Maniacs wants people to know that not only do Mercer students work hard, but they also play hard too. “Mercer is very much an academic school and it’s really cool because we also have awesome sports too. It’s just another way to support our Mercerians. It’s important to who Mercer is,” Duvall said.
(08/28/13 7:00pm)
When students walk into Sarah Webster’s apartment, they will more than likely gawk at her perfectly decorated living room.
However, the real jaw-dropper is the fact that most of the living room decor is homemade craft projects or thrift store purchases.
After being assigned to live in Adams/Winship Apartments, Webster and her roommates each chose to decorate a space in their apartment. Webster chose to decorate the living room.
The sophomore welcomed the challenge of decorating on a low budget. She opted to browse the isles of the thrift store rather than settle for furniture department purchases.
Upon learning that the living room was furnished with blue sofas, Webster decided to create a blue color scheme for the room. She tackled the decorating project during her summer vacation and worked on it as a side project.
“The whole idea of it was that we were going to do every shade of blue. Just kind of not really ‘matchy matchy,’” said Webster. “What I like to do is choose one color and do the entire spectrum of that color and throw it all together.
“The floral ottomans were the jumping off point, as they would say on HGTV, then everything else came together,” Webster said on her inspiration behind the dorm room.
Some of the furniture pieces came together by fate, such as a shelved cabinet, which stands on the far side of the living room.
Webster found the shelved cabinet on the curb of her neighbor’s driveway ready to be thrown away as trash, but Webster decided to salvage the piece of furniture and use it for her living room. She repainted it and refinished it with a striped pattern.
“Most everything is bought second hand, or is from my house, or I made it,” Webster said. The only decor items that Webster bought for the apartment were two floral ottoman cushions from Target, three wooden initials on her wall and the fabric for the living room’s curtains and pillows.
The blue and white rug, was originally listed for $70 on Craigslist, but Webster bargained to purchase it for $30. Most of the wall decor and art are things that Webster painted and crafted.
“Be creative on how you spend your money because it is really easy to go Target or Bed Bath & Beyond and buy the whole set. I think that is such a waste of money and that it is not nearly as fun because you don’t have you use your brain. You just let them do it for you,” Webster said.
Webster said that she prefers to do her homework in the living room rather than her bedroom upstairs because of its cozy environment. “Everyone says it’s homey. That’s what I get a lot because it doesn’t look like a dorm room,” Webster said.
Although Webster doesn’t claim to have any interests in pursuing a career in interior design, she has received some job offers to revamp her friend’s apartments.
“One boy has given me $60 and the key to his apartment to do it for him. I got hired. There isn’t a whole lot you can do with $60, but he thinks that I’m going to transform it for him,” Webster said.
Webster challenges college students to think out of the box when it comes to decorating. “I think think you can make your money go a lot farther if you try to get things from different places like thrift stores and Goodwill. It’s a lot easier and more fun when you can put something together and not just buy the box,” said Webster.
(08/14/13 6:45pm)
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="500"] Photo Credit: Marin Guta[/caption]
One of the most challenging feats a college student can undertake is transforming their dorm room into a cozy living space. Cramming your life into a tiny living area takes organization and talent.
No matter how daunting the task appears, it’s achievable.
Here are a few affordable ideas on how to organize and personalize your college dorm room.Almost every college student brings in this staple item on move-in day: a plastic storage drawer. A plastic storage drawer is useful because it is compact and portable, but a lot of plastic storage bins can easily overwhelm a dorm room.
To avoid crowding your dorm room with plastic containers, try lofting your bed. Lofting your bed allows a little extra storage space to stow away those plastic containers.
Some college students even decorate the plastic containers by decoupaging the inside of the container with fabric. This helps add a unique touch to the room and personalize the living space.
One essential piece of dorm room furniture, which many incoming freshman overlook, is a desk hutch. A desk hutch is something you can use all four years at college and is a great way to organize your desk place. Furniture stores like IKEA, P.B. Teen or Staples most likely carry a hutch that can fit over your desk.
Feeling the need to be crafty? Try channeling those crafty inspiration juices into creating a picture frame chalkboard. A picture frame chalkboard is useful to write down funny messages or quick assignment reminders. This is one of the easiest homemade crafts for a dorm room. All you need is a glass picture frame, paint, a paintbrush, chalk and a can of chalkboard spray paint.
Take the glass out of the picture frame and paint the frame the color of your choice. While the paint is drying on your frame, take the can of chalkboard spray paint and spray the glass from the picture frame. After both the picture frame and glass are done drying, place the glass back into the frame, and it’s finished!
Write fun messages for your friends to see or homework reminders on your picture frame chalkboard.
Decorating your dorm room with accessories or jewelry is also a good way to personalize your space. Draping necklaces on a small mannequin not only organizes your jewelry, but it also gives off a subtle French vibe.
Another option to showcase jewelry is on your own homemade wall-mounted coat rack. Just buy a plank of wood, sand it and then stain it. Browse the isles of Lowe’s to gather a collection of eclectic knobs. Using a screwdriver, screw in the cabinet knobs into the plank and it’s finished.
Searching for more ideas? Try browsing a local thrift store or scrolling through Pinterest to get more inspiration.
(08/14/13 6:45pm)
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="500"] Photo Credit: Patrick Hobbs / Cluster Staff[/caption]
Freshman entering college have probably already heard a precautionary warning from their parents: Don’t gain the Freshman 15.
According to a study published in Social Science Quarterly, freshmen gain only 2.5-3.5 pounds during their first year of college.
Is the Freshman 15 a myth? Maybe. However, gaining two to three pounds can easily grow into a couple more if you don’t take precautionary health steps.
The best advice is to eat right and exercise, but here are a few helpful hints on how to avoid gaining the Freshman 15:
Don’t Stress Eat
“Stress, anxiety and homesickness can all lead to overeating,” warns registered dietitian nutritionist Kristi King, spokeswoman with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Before snacking, make sure to ask yourself why you’re eating. Instead of snacking, make sure to take a study break at the gym or chat with friends. Don’t associate food as a reward for hard work.
Smart Snacks
A lot of college students claim they get the munchies at ungodly hours of the night. Their cravings ultimately lead to midnight snack runs to greasy fast food restaurants.
Instead of joining in on the high cholesterol escapade, stock your dorm refrigerator with healthy snacks to avoid being tempted.
Eat Breakfast
“Breakfast wakes up the metabolism and provides energy to the brain and muscles for the day’s activities,” says King. “People who eat breakfast tend to eat less throughout the day.”
For breakfast, make sure to eat some carbohydrates along with some protein. A hard-boiled egg along with a piece of toast will do the trick.
Cafeteria Catastrophes
Although the cafeteria is full of tempting high-calorie foods, there are some healthy options to consider. Opt for foods that are baked, broiled, steamed, roasted or grilled instead of that fried southern food.
In order to avoid getting bored with eating veggies, try adding some pepper or hot sauce on vegetables. Another trick is to drink some water between bites of food. This will help fill your stomach more quickly.
Go to the Gym
Regular exercise helps keep weight in control and gives you an extra endorphin boost that improves your mood and controls stress.
The hike up the stairs to Mercer’s University Center is a great pre-workout in itself. The university fitness center is fully equipped with weights, cardio equipment, and an inside track.
Before entering into the first week of school, establish a gym schedule that is flexible and attainable.
Get a Workout Buddy
According to a study done by the Stanford University of Medicine, 80 percent of people who try to lose weight tend to stick to their routine when they exercise with a friend rather than trying it alone.
Also, a study done by the University of Pittsburg showed that women were more likely to lose a third more weight than those who exercised alone.
It’s important to have a support system and someone who will hold you accountable for mistakes. Try to find a friend who makes working out and staying healthy a priority and make a gym schedule together.