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(11/21/19 10:00pm)
This semester, Mercer Police have responded to a hit and run account, numerous thefts, a domestic violence allegation and two counts of sexual assault across campus. Kyle Sears, director of media relations at Mercer University, provided redacted reports from Mercer Police.
Hit and run
Officer Alvin Bearden of the Mercer Police Department responded on Aug. 25 to a report of a hit and run in the Mercer University baseball lot. Victim Vandrick Halcomb stated that his car had been parked within the baseball lot while he went to watch the football game. The car was struck on the back by another vehicle, leading to minor damages. There were no witnesses, and no injuries were reported.
Theft by taking
On Sep. 12, Officer McCraine responded to a theft of a bicycle from a Mercer student on Canton Street. On Sep. 13, a bicycle tire was also reported stolen by a Mercer student residing at the Lofts. On Sep. 16, another bicycle tire was stolen from a Mercer student at Mercer Landing. Officer Clark also responded to a theft of a MacBook Pro from a student’s vehicle on Oct. 1. The victim was parked on Coleman Avenue when the MacBook was stolen from her Toyota.
Domestic violence
Officer Wilkes was dispatched to Knight Hall on Sept. 17 at 5 p.m. in reference to a domestic violence case. Local Joshua Gadson is wanted for one count of domestic violence/simple battery. Gadson was seen by three witnesses committing domestic violence against a non-Mercer student in Knight Hall.
Sexual assault
On Sept. 12, Officer Blash was dispatched to the Mercer Lofts in reference to a sexual assault and battery case against a Mercer student that occurred between the hours of midnight and 3:00 a.m. This student was Guysen “B.J.” Bohler, a 20-year-old defensive back for the Mercer University football team, according to 41NBC. Bohler was arrested Sept. 13 at 11 a.m. by Mercer Police. The offender was given one count of sexual assault and one count of battery. This sexual assault charge has now been upgraded to aggravated sexual assault, according to Sears. The victim remains anonymous.
(11/05/19 3:00pm)
There are currently 21 students who have been barred from parking on Mercer’s campus. Mercer’s Chief of Police Gary Collins said that students can be restricted from parking in certain places on campus after accruing too many parking tickets in a single semester.
“We try to catch violators who have five tickets,” Collins said. “I don’t like to call it a ban, though. It’s really a restriction, a parking restriction in place to help the students. It really saves them. We don’t want them to build up a huge amount.”
One of those 21 students, a current junior who asked to remain anonymous, said that he didn’t know about the restriction until he was barred from parking.
“I had around ten parking tickets before I got the phone call, however, according to the officer that issued the ban, you can be banned as soon as you reach five tickets,” the student said in an email.
Collins said that all the information could be found on the tickets the students get themselves, as each ticket has a label that says “Repeat Violator” if more than one ticket is placed on their account. The amount of each ticket also increases by $10 for each ticket given.
“The warning is on the ticket,” Collins said. “Any vehicle that has restricted parking can park in the baseball lot or the upper engineering lot,” Collins said. “We never ban anyone from completely parking on campus. The ticket is the warning.”
The ban isn’t permanent, as the student will be allowed to park on campus again starting Dec. 1. The time in which any student can be banned from parking is not definitive, however, as it fluctuates per case.
“We usually ban them for the semester, but if it’s the very end of the semester, like only two weeks left, it’ll carry over to another semester,” Collins said.
While the restriction of parking does limit where the student can park, Collins said it should never keep a student from having access to parking that aligns with their disability needs.
“If a student’s got a disability, and they have a handicap placard, they can still park in the handicap parking spaces. Besides, most of the time, anyone that has a handicap placard isn’t parked on a yellow curb or a fire lane. And for students who have the disability but don’t have the placard, we offer an escort service. You park in the lot, call us, and we’ll come get you and take you anywhere you want to go,” Collins said.
These tickets can be issued by any of Mercer Police’s 17 officers.
“I think that if you look at Mercer as a whole, we’ve got a good portion of officers in an area that comprises Mercer. You could probably go to other police departments, and you wouldn’t see the number of staff per people that we have,” Collins said.
A total of two to four officers work at once, depending on whether a special event is taking place. Collins said that he believes this is enough to help the students on campus avoid fines and stay safe.
“We give out these tickets and do restrictions to cap that limit out so that fees won’t keep amounting to a high dollar amount,” Collins said.
Collins said that the police station does more than just print and distribute tickets.
“We also investigate crimes and do a full range (of services),” Collins said. “Our priority is to keep you safe.”
(10/25/19 3:41am)
Coffee and Culture is a new series created by the Office of International Programs in partnership with the newly-reformed International Bears Association.
“It’s basically a way for international students and professors to share their home countries’ coffee and culture with students and perhaps faculty and staff from around campus,” Rebekah Anaya said. Anaya is Mercer’s study abroad coordinator and the creator of Coffee and Culture.
The first Coffee and Culture meeting was held last month at Z Beans. Two students from England, Renay Miller and Zoe Beasley, were invited to discuss their home country for the first official meeting.
“We invited students who were interested in studying abroad in England specifically to go, in addition to it being a general invitation,” Anaya said.
The second meeting of the Coffee and Culture series was about Vietnam.
“I reached out to Mercer on Mission staff to say that we were doing it about Vietnam and to spread it to all of their students who might be interested in doing a Mercer on Mission in Vietnam,” Anaya said.
Any interested students are eligible to attend the Coffee and Culture events. The last Coffee and Culture series was held on Oct. 24 at the Honors House on the edge of Ash and College Street. Anaya said she hopes to get more student involvement at these Coffee and Culture events throughout the semester.
“There were nine of us for the first one, which actually fit perfectly in that space, but the next one we’re going to have a little bit more space to fit even more students,” Anaya said.
This event representing Vietnam was led by Mercer student Kathryn Nguyen. Vietnamese coffee and pho were sampled at the event.
The next country to be discussed is Nigeria, but the event will be somewhat different because a professor will be hosting it. The event is planned to be held at the Honors House, but the time is yet to be announced.
“The professor is planning to bring banana chips, and we’re going to have coffee and tea available since the event is called Coffee and Culture. But the professor was explaining to me that in Nigeria, they actually don’t drink a lot of coffee or tea because of the hot climate, so it is more of a colonial thing that the British or the Spanish brought to wherever they invaded,” Anaya said. “It will be an interesting aspect of the culture to talk about.”
The country was chosen with help from the newly formed International Bears Association on campus.
“IBA wanted to do a country in Africa because it was a completely different continent than the two that we had already,” Anaya said.
Mercer is home to a total of 75 international students, according to Richard Spivey, who is the International Student and Scholar Services Coordinator for the Office of International Programs. Seventy-one of these students are degree-seeking students while four are within exchange programs from the United Kingdom. These 75 students represent numerous countries including Saudi Arabia, France, Brazil, India, China, Ghana and Canada.
Anaya said she developed the Coffee and Culture program to help incorporate international students further into Mercer life due to her own educational background and interests.
“My bachelor’s is in hospitality and tourism management, and my emphasis was food service. I also have a love for food. Richard had also mentioned the international students and the international faculty were also looking for a way to get more involved on campus,” Anaya said. “It also helps the study abroad side to get more students interested in going overseas when they see all these different cool places they can go.”
Anaya hopes that the Coffee and Culture series can be done once a month, with four events in both the fall and spring semesters.
“We choose our countries we talk about based on who responds to our email first. The two girls who did the England presentation came up to me during Bear Fair, so they were on it. We chose Vietnam because so many students want to do the Mercer on Mission in Vietnam,” she said.
While the IBA is having its own reformulation, the Office of International Programs is also reforming in a new location. The office will soon move from the third floor of Ryals Hall to the Connell Student Center under the breezeway.
“We will be much more accessible because right now, one, a lot of people don’t know where we are and two, there is no elevator. Anybody with disabilities couldn’t get up the stairs. We will always go meet with these students anywhere on campus, but it would be better if we have a spot where everybody can just come on in,” Anaya said.
This transition is important due to the increase in students wishing to travel abroad and gain further insight into different cultures. The Coffee and Culture series is but one way in which Anaya said she hopes to spread this idea of inclusivity of culture and internationalization.
“We want to emphasize a broad perspective of the world,” she said.
(10/14/19 4:33pm)
Christie DeNizio is the most recent artist on display at the McEachern Art Center in downtown Macon. Her exhibit, “How to Fold a Paper Boat,” is full of vibrant, breathtaking, yet simple images made of random objects that still fully grab the audience’s attention. DeNizio has created a world of small, insignificant objects that coalesce into one whole.
“Within a shallow space, pieces of ephemera are arranged into collages and shadow boxes. Ephemera are items meant to exist for only a short time, but often saved for sentimental reasons. Each painting is a poetic record,” according to the description of the exhibit.
With the use of inspiration from famous works, drawings, postcards, tarot cards and other print materials, the details in DeNizio’s art are amazing.
DeNizio currently serves as visiting assistant professor of art at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and as an instructor in the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Upon first examination, her paintings showcase items that may not seem important to all but are important to the person who receives them. The painting “Counterfeit Strawberries,” for example, portrays simple paper materials that are thrown in a pile.
The painting shows order in chaos, as the strawberries shine bright red against the dark green surrounding them. The sun peaks out its head slowly, rising gently from the chaotic pattern to rest in the bottom left corner before the watcher’s eye travels slowly up to the bright, colorful birds that dominate the left side of the painting.
DeNizio uses a metaphor found on a flyer posted in the art center, to explain her intentions: “Imagine a paper boat. We have followed the instructions and spent time carefully pressing edges and folding each plane until transformed. It will float, but not for long. And yet still, we fold out little paper boats and set them upon the waves.”
By looking at the images, I see how DeNizio has chosen to infuse her own memories into her medium. Her work is influenced by where she was, where she is now and where she hopes to be.
I saw the influence of the digitized world in the piece “Body Tapestry.” The urge of female empowerment and strength of women is showcased in the bold orange and the calm blue of “Double Crown Annie.”
You can also see the importance of diving into a history beyond just what is known, looking at the solid material behind the bright, elaborately patterned facade conveyed in “Burial.”
While each piece is different in its complexity, the unifying theme is that there is no unifying theme. This exhibition shows that there is no true whole, for each piece is just a scrap of paper within the much broader fabric of the world. We as humans try to picture this whole. By giving things their meaning, we ourselves make them important.
That is the beauty of the exhibition: the different pictures allowed me to come up with my own definitive ideas as to what the painting referred to, if it referred to anything. There is a secret meaning for every person, which makes discovering that meaning and gazing at the paintings even more poignant.
While I would argue that her work is not necessarily for everyone, what is for everyone is the ability to decide for themselves what the paintings mean and how the paintings affect them. Upon first examination, these paintings show nothing. Upon deeper examination, however, I, and other viewers, can see the ways in which attention was paid to each detail.
DeNizio paints from the heart, using her own experiences to draft an image that bombards the senses and has a unique meaning for everyone. It is this power to create something from nothing that allows her work to shine. Overall, I really enjoyed this art installation. It was different from what I was expecting, but I thought the artist showed tremendous talent and control in what she created.
DeNizio’s paintings will be on display at the McEachern Art Center in downtown Macon until Oct. 19.
(10/09/19 4:15am)
Local library staff are working to bring the Macon community closer together through a love of literature at a local venue.
Jeanne Peloquin, marketing coordinator for the Middle Georgia Regional Library, and Micah Newsome, head of reference at the Washington Memorial Library, joined forces to develop their idea for a monthly book club. To begin with, they decided to focus on finding somewhere in the community where young adults regularly meet.
“We really don’t have a lot of people in that 20 to 30 age range who visit the library,” Newsome said. “There’s a definite gap where people just stop coming to the library, so we wanted to reach out and move somewhere where people would be more comfortable.”
Looking for this comfortable location brought the Washington Memorial Library to Just Tap’d, a craft beer superstore and upscale beer cafe located downtown.
[pullquote speaker="Jeanne Peloquin, marketing coordinator for the Middle Georgia Regional Library" photo="" align="left" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]You can talk about a book you love, a book you hated, a book that changed your life. It is a way to allow people to read whatever they enjoy and also means people are still exposed to books they would not have considered themselves.[/pullquote]
According to the Just Tap’d website, the location in downtown Macon is “giving the local community a neighborhood gathering place to meet new friends, enjoy a good book or spend time with the family.”
Just Tap’d is known for only serving hand-crafted beverages, including over 60 taps of craft beer but also 40 types of wines, ciders and non-alcoholic selections.
On the third Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m., Just Tap’d allows the Washington Memorial Library to have a corner of their bottom floor to host their book club.
“The other thing that makes this book club really unique is, rather than having a predetermined book that everybody has to read, the format of it is that you read whatever kind of book you want that month and come to book club and talk about that book,” Peloquin said.
She said that being exposed to these new books pushes people outside of their comfort zones, allowing more interaction, development and discussion of ideas.
“The knowledge that we tend to lose people in their twenties and thirties caused by the library atmosphere… led to our idea of the book club. We want people to feel comfortable and relaxed. We wanted to break out of that idea of the library atmosphere,” Newsome said.
The first meeting of the Rough Draught Book Club was in September. Those in attendance discussed many books from several genres.
“It’s a place that has comfort and fits into people’s routine,” Peloquin said. “There is a kind of trend in libraries right now to move programming outside the library walls, and this fits into that as well. There’s no stealing in libraries. Libraries can share with each other and borrow from each other to get this collaborative atmosphere in libraries that is just really, really special.”
Another aspect the library looked for was a way to get more civic space in the Macon community.
“There’s less space where people can just get together and associate with one another. We wanted to get a social outlet for people who normally might stay at home. There’s a demand for it. It’s an idea that other libraries have done successfully, so we found a place where the owners and workers were comfortable with people hanging around the tables for a couple of hours,” Newsome said.
This diversity of interest seen within the book club is something Newsome and Peloquin said they hope to expand into the future.
“I hope that it does so well that we have to find other places, expand it to other businesses and try to get more geographical coverage. Hopefully this is just the beginning,” Newsome said.
This idea of community involvement and expanding outside library borders goes strongly with the ideals and beliefs of the library as a whole, Peloquin said.
“We as a library really value being embedded in the community. This is just another way of expressing that vision, and as we grow, not just this program but other programs, we’re always looking at ways that we can bring programming to where people are in a way that is convenient and comfortable to them and really be a true part of the community,” she said. “Any way that we can enhance the sense of community in our area is good.”
(10/08/19 3:50pm)
Amy Borchardt, associate professor of psychology at Mercer University, is hoping to spread the importance of studying abroad and understanding different cultures through her new study abroad adventure in London, England, during the upcoming spring semester.
“Mercerians return from their study abroad experiences with a new sense of self, a stronger focus on their academic pursuits and a deeper appreciation of different cultures, languages and learning environments,” according to the study abroad website.
These ideals that Mercer tries to instill in students about study abroad have led to the creation of a new study abroad opportunity in London, England, led by Borchardt.
“This is a new study abroad hybrid program where Mercer is teaming up with two other American universities,” Borchardt said.
The two other universities involved in this program are the University of Wyoming and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. One professor from each university will work with Borchardt to teach classes in their specific areas.
Many different subjects will be addressed, and they will count towards credit for specific majors as well as — perhaps more importantly for some students — general education requirements.
Some of the courses being offered include Introduction to Psychology and Health Psychology, both taught by Borchardt, as well as classes in art history, English studies and British life and culture.
“All of these classes, including the ones being taught by other professors, will give Mercer students both Mercer grades and credit,” Borchardt said. “It’s like you’re in Mercer in Macon, but you’re actually in London!”
This format is different from many study abroad opportunities, as those taught during the summer by other institutions are oftentimes not counted towards the overall grade point average of the student, according to Borchardt.
“Even if these students are not trying to check a box for general education requirements, these classes can be used as elective courses as well,” Borchardt said. “This is a really great way of getting 12 or 15 credits while experiencing another country and other worldviews.”
This program includes housing in either a shared homestay or apartment, a transportation pass, insurance coverage, a special orientation program, sightseeing in London and more.
The sightseeing component includes day trips to Oxford, Cambridge, Bath and Stonehenge, as well as numerous theater performances, walking tours and sporting events.
Students can also pay an additional $625 to have a four-day weekend in Scotland, including trips to Edinburgh, Loch Ness and the Isle of Skye.
Students who participate in the program will also be granted membership into the Imperial College Student Union.
The Imperial College Student Union is made of Imperial College London students who work to “achieve the best experience for every student and help every member realize their potential. Every one of our members is able to lead, create and influence change in every one of our activities, campaigns and services,” according to the Imperial College Union website.
Tuition to attend the program is the equivalent of Mercer tuition. Program fees come to $10,000 to $12,000 per student.
Borchardt said she hopes that this trip will help teach students “soft skills,” including creative thinking, team work, problem solving skills, being comfortable with unfamiliar situations and just learning interpersonal skills important to the workforce.
[pullquote speaker="Dr. Amy Borchardt" photo="" align="right" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]The benefit of study abroad in general is that they report being more confident afterwards. When they come back, they can say, ‘I’ve been in another country for three months. I got this!’[/pullquote]
"It helps you put your world in perspective and helps you have empathy towards people who are not like you, which is really important. This is something that Mercer itself is very interested in,” Borchardt said.
It is this interest in expanding worldviews and seeing the world that has led to the creation of the new Global Leader Scholarship; students can get up to $8,000 to study abroad for eight weeks or longer.
Borchardt is looking to bring at least 12 students abroad with her in London.
“Some of the biggest obstacles are ... the other commitments students have that interfere with studying abroad, but I think we need to look at the bigger picture. What will be more helpful for you in your career? I just hope students can see the added value of what all study abroad can do. Mercer students are really active and really busy, but every student I’ve talked to has said how much it changes their life,” Borchardt said.
This will be Borchardt’s first trip to London as well.
“My husband and three-year-old daughter are also coming. I am just so thrilled to be in another country to teach my classes because we can really talk about cultural differences about health practices, health insurance systems, health care. Just seeing the difference in London versus Macon and pull all of that into my classes will really make the material just come to life for all the students,” Borchardt said.
This study abroad opportunity in London is something Mercer hopes to continue.
“If this year works well, there are plans to send another Mercer professor to do the program and then do a rotation. This is a long-term goal of continuing this. This is our first try at making a go of it,” Borchardt said.
All students who are interested are encouraged to contact studyabroad@mercer.edu for more information and get further details about the application process.
The application deadline to apply for study abroad in London is Oct. 15. Anyone with further questions may reach out to Borchardt.
(09/12/19 4:20am)
Every year, Mercer University sends out emails with study abroad opportunities that students can apply for. For Mercer seniors, the Peace Corps and the Fulbright program are two of the more well-known postgraduate international opportunities.
The Peace Corps
According to the Peace Corps’ official website,“the Peace Corps is a service opportunity for motivated changemakers to immerse themselves in a community abroad, working side by side with local leaders to tackle the most pressing challenges of our generation.”
With over 230,000 Peace Corps volunteers worldwide, the program has opportunities in 141 countries.
Peace Corps admission guidelines are displayed specifically on Mercer’s website under the international page.
Mercer has a four-year plan on the international page that outlines all the requirements necessary to volunteer with the Peace Corps, and was approved by the Peace Corps to maintain a Peace Corps Prep Program.
According to Mercer’s website, “the Mercer experience is defined by the integration of student leadership, academic research and service to others, the Peace Corps Prep Program is an ideal partnership that aligns with Mercer’s core values and mission.”
Mercer’s Peace Corps Prep Program requires prospective applicants to look into the needs of areas both at home and abroad through 50 hours of required volunteer service.
Recent Mercer graduate Kaitlyn Koontz currently works in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia. Before she left, she told The Cluster in Sept. 2017 about her excitement to live and work with people from another community for an extended period of time.
“The two-year timeline is much more useful when it comes to volunteer missions than short-term trips. You’re able to get to know the community a bit more, and invest in a long-term project that can be continued after you leave,” she said.
Fulbright Scholar Program
Another prestigious international program for graduates is the Fulbright Scholar Program, which places people from the United States with specific host countries through teaching or research positions.
According to the Fulbright’s official site, the U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program offers nearly 470 teaching, research or combination teaching and research awards in over 125 countries. Mercer offers application help for students hoping to get involved.
One of those students is Sarah Grace Hall, a Holistic Child major who graduated from Mercer in 2019. Hall is currently an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in the Czech Republic.
“I learned about the Fulbright program my freshman year, so I had plenty of time to decide if this was an opportunity I wanted to pursue and how to better prepare myself for the opportunity,” Hall said in an email.
Hall said that professor David Davis, Mercer’s director of fellowships and scholarships, encouraged her to pursue the Fulbright ETA Grant throughout her years at Mercer.
She said she credits Davis’ help, along with her interest in international studies and traveling, as the key factors that persuaded her to become a Fulbright Scholar. She also recounted a story that made her decide to choose the position of an ETA.
“I really recognized the necessity of understanding and speaking English to live in America. On one incident, a man named Darian, who served for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, asked a lady at Walmart for a specific lotion for his wife,” she said. “This was all done in broken English. The lady answered Darian very rudely and then when she found out I was a native speaker, she turned towards me, completely ignoring Darian. It made me frustrated that he was humiliated in that way simply because his English was not that good. Thus, I knew I wanted to learn how to teach English to others in the best way.”
Hall will continue to teach English abroad until June 2020.
“Fulbright for me is a culmination of my goals of teaching and dreams of traveling and working abroad. It is definitely not for the faint of heart as I have already had some nights where I miss home ... but I know this is something I have always wanted to do. I’m proud to be a Fulbright Scholar and can’t wait to see what this year will bring!” Hall said.
Anyone interested in applying to the Peace Corps should see the international programs page of Mercer’s official website for more information. Questions pertaining to Fulbright can be directed to Mercer’s Fulbright Program Advisor, Edward Weintraut, at weintraut_ej@mercer.edu.
(09/10/19 9:16am)
In 2013, 26.7% of children living in Georgia were recorded to be living in poverty, according to The Telegraph. Bibb County alone has seen an even greater impact — 44.6% of children were found to be living in poverty that same year.
Further studies in 2016 have shown that the concentrated poverty rate in Macon stood at 44.7%, with the city now having the third-highest rate in the nation, according to USA Today.
While this percentage has decreased for middle Georgia to 37% today, this means that more than 37% of families in Central Georgia — including Bibb County, where Mercer is located — struggle to meet basic needs, such as safe homes and enough food.
The United Way of Central Georgia, in partnership with Mercer University, said they hope to change this.
Mercer University and the United Way have developed a campaign called “All for One, and One for All” that is focused on fighting for health, education and economic stability for all.
The 2019 co-chairs of this United Way campaign are April Mills, director of IT marketing communications and change management for Mercer, as well as Patrick Roche, an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Mercer School of Medicine in Macon since 1996.
“We were selected because of our history of support for the United Way in the past, and because we know a lot of faculty and staff between the two of us,” Roche said.
Roche and Mills split the responsibilities of the program, with Mills set to open the university campus-wide campaign luncheon on Sept. 12 at the Macon campus.
“We do this because of the confidence we have in the United Way’s ability to make a real and lasting difference,” Mills said in a video supporting the campaign.
Beyond the luncheon, Roche and Mills have other responsibilities for the campaign.
“Our role is to select members from all of our colleges and programs in Macon for the steering committee and then to support those persons who will promote the fund drive, emphasizing the great things United Way partners accomplish in Middle Georgia,” Roche said in an email to The Cluster.
Mercer is among the top five contributors to the United Way of Central Georgia campaign; Roche and Mills said they hope to help the United Way of Central Georgia in its campaign to provide food, shelter and education to all citizens of middle Georgia.
“Last year, we contributed over $120,000 to the campaign, and this year, we hope to do that or better. The United Way office is challenged to increase the budget from 5.1 million to 5.2 million dollars. That budget is spread over about 8-9 counties in Middle Georgia and to a number of non-profit partner agencies,” Roche said.
Roche said Mercer students volunteer through the United Way.
“Many of our Mercer students volunteer at one of the partnered charities and learn through these service opportunities. That is a huge part of what Mercer hopes to impart to its graduates. We realize we extend our university when we support the charities that are supported through this campaign!” Roche said.
He said that Mercer and United Way’s partnership aims to show the community that it’s important to fight poverty instead of ignore it.
“We are all in this life, in this home together,” Roche said. “One for all, and all for one.”
(08/14/19 4:16am)
Every summer, Mercer University budgets for new renovations while most students are off campus.
“You have to think about how you renew your campus and make your investments wisely,” said James Netherton, the executive vice president for administration and finance.
After looking into what facilities need renovating, Netherton determines if those renovations are feasible under the time and budget limits. Decisions are then made about which are the highest priorities.
These steps led to one building going through a complete overhaul — Willet Science Center has been completely renovated for the fall semester, and faculty and labs have already begun moving in.
Willet Science Center was set to open by the spring semester of 2019, but due to construction delays, opening day was moved to the fall instead. The building will house the psychology, computer science, public health, environmental engineering and athletic training programs.
Willet received a certificate of occupancy two weeks ago, and Netherton said that, though there is still some work to be done inside, the building is complete.
While the building had a delayed start, he said this extra work was necessary.
“We have created a better, more effective, longer-lasting building than was the case before,” Netherton said.
With new classrooms, more student lounging space and Bear Card-accessible laboratories and computer labs, the new Willet Science Center will offer access for students to do more research as well as enjoy the classes and spaces for study groups.
While the computer science department makes the move to Willet, the old computer science building in the historic quad is scheduled to be removed. Netherton said the building does not have the quality design, appearance or functionality of other buildings on campus.
The goal is to start taking down the computer science building in December, so most of the disruptive work will be completed in January before classes begin. The cleared area will be used as a “green space” with ways for students to travel across campus more efficiently.
“Accessibility on campus and in the buildings is important to us,” Netherton said.
In the lecture hall of Willet, there will be room in the front row and back rows for students who use canes or wheelchairs.
There are also gender-neutral and handicap bathrooms on every floor. A new elevator was installed on the opposite end of the building to accommodate a greater student population.
“We can design these buildings with accessibility in a way where there (are) no first-class citizens that use the front door while second-class citizens must use another door. Accessibility makes it where there are no first- or second-class citizens,” Netherton said.
Across campus, Hardman Fine Arts Hall was also given new windows in order to replace the single pane windows that had been in the building since its original creation. In order to do these renovations, the university needed approval from specific historic agencies.
“It just looks worlds better and functions better. But we retained the historical character of the building,” Netherton said.
Mercer also completed renovations to residence halls.
“We believed that the upperclassmen areas were the ones that needed the work this year,” said Jeff Takac, director of Housing and Residence Life.
Some of the most recent renovations in residence life were in the Adams-Winship Apartments. All Adams-Winship apartments now have new adjustable beds to better accommodate student needs.
“Two of the Adams-Winship apartments, 1884 and 1892, were completely gutted and renovated with new wood flooring, new countertops, carpet torn out,” Takac said. “The goal for the Adams-Winship apartments is to renovate all 10 apartments within the next couple of years.”
These two Adams-Winship buildings, while completely renovated, are only a small portion of the changes made to dorms at Mercer.
The Dowell residence hall also saw the addition of new adjustable beds this semester, while the Roberts and Sherwood residence halls both received new lounge area furniture. Roberts also received new carpet. Many air conditioning units and hot water units were replaced, and most of the residence halls were repainted.
Adams-Winship and Garden apartments with older utilities received new refrigerators and stoves.
While these are the major changes occurring in preparation for the fall semester, Takac said that the Housing and Residence Life Department tries to upgrade whenever they can.
“My goal is for everyone to be happy when they move in. That’s not always possible, but we try. That’s why we’re trying to meet standards across the campus with our cleaning company and are in the process of adding more maintenance positions, with four maintenance men total. This will make any work orders come much quicker,” Takac said.
(04/10/19 1:58am)
Macon’s Ocmulgee National Monument has become Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park due to a larger public lands bill that has affected over two million acres of American public lands nationwide. This new distinction as a National Historical Park also brings along a major expansion with the Ocmulgee Mounds quadrupling in size, according to The Telegraph.
The park began in 1934 during the Great Depression with a total of only 678 acres before increasing to 702 acres; the new expansion will now increase the park size to approximately 2,800 acres. President Donald Trump signed the bill into action on March 12 to change the name.
Jim David, superintendent of the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, said that the designation as a National Historical Park came after much deliberation.
“Several people in Washington D.C. believed that, with only 3,000 acres, we were too small to be a straight National Park, so we came up with the compromise to make it Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park,” David said.
David said that tourists are immensely important to the Macon area and the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. With a total of 330,882,751 total recreation visitors to national parks in 2017, this new status as a National Historical Park marks an important time in Macon’s history, according to the National Park Service.
“We hope that with the distinction of National Historical Park, more people will associate it with the National Park Service to hopefully being more visitors in,” David said.
Future plans are already in place for the new Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park.
“With this expansion, there are opportunities to put additional trails in with the long range plan of the Ocmulgee Heritage Greenway always showing trails going throughout the park, increasing recreational opportunities and access to Lamar mounds,” David said.
The Lamar mounds are named after a culture known as the Lamar, who repopulated the area in the 1300s once the Ocmulgee began to die out. The city center was located three miles south of Macon in the swamps of the Ocmulgee River.
The town site is currently part of the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, but it is closed to the public except during times when specific tours guided by rangers are given, according to the National Park Planner.
These added trails would provide access to this very rarely seen area due to private property between the mound sites.
“Once we acquire the property leading to Lamar mounds, we will have the opportunity to get our equipment into the area and also lead more visitors into that site,” David said.
The expansion will happen mostly along the same side of the river where the Indian mounds are seen.
“The most important thing about that property is that it is an archaeological site,” David said. “The area that everyone knows of is the Great Temple Mounds, where it is believed that the leaders lived. The flatlands along the river is where the everyday workers are living making crops, building pottery, et cetera. By acquiring this land, we protect the area where the everyday society person lived.”
The acquiring of this property is the next step in the continuation of the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. While the bill signed by President Trump did expand the boundaries of the park, it did not include the money to buy the land, according to The Telegraph.
Some of the land will be donated by local supporters, while other land will be bought with help from the Ocmulgee National Park and Reserve Initiative through their fundraising campaigns.
The last part of the new distinction as a national historical park is a resource study that will be conducted along the Ocmulgee River from Macon to Hawkinsville. The study will determine which natural and cultural sites should be preserved and added to the park.
“With these studies, we may see a 40,000-50,000 acre park that will become Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve,” David said. “That is several years down the line, but the bill does call for that special resource study.”
David is set to retire on May 31 after 22 years, making him the last superintendent of Ocmulgee National Monument and the first superintendent of the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park.
“As for what we have now and what we are expanding into, what is so unique about this resource is that this is a site that we can prove has been occupied since the Ice Age. There are very few places in the country that can prove that archaeologically. That to me is a phenomenal story that can be told here that very few other places can tell of human habitation. You can take a beautiful walk while looking at historical resources, and the view on top of the Temple Mound is spectacular. We have a great deal to offer our visitors,” David said.
(02/28/19 6:56pm)
MerServe, a student-led service programming board that offers volunteer opportunities to Mercer University students, will host the annual Spring Break for Service experience March 3-6.
The theme this year will be the needs of children in the Macon community. Student volunteers will help a variety of development and youth engagement programs, according to Mary-Angel Ekezie, a member of the Youth Engagement and Development Team for Mer- Serve.
“Since I am heading up Spring Break for Service, I thought this would be a great way to shine a light on the issues that children in this area have to go through. While this idea developed from a personal desire, it’s also something we haven’t really done for MerServe before,” Ekezie said.
MerServe will be working alongside Project Linus, a group that makes blankets to donate to the local children’s hospital, and the Ronald McDonald House, a charity that provides meals for families whose children are receiving long term care in hospitals.
Ekezie said that all of the work during this program will benefit Macon.
“We’ll be able to see the different perspectives on why these groups do the work that they do and how to get involved more,” she said.
“This will give us more opportunities to serve, like Project Linus, where we can actually make blankets for children going through chemotherapy. Hopefully these new opportunities will help people think of service they can do after the fact, after the spring break program is over.”
Sally Deitchman, a sophomore MerServe board member who helped coordinate this year’s events, attended last year’s Spring Break for Service, which was centered around Hunger and Homelessness.
“I think service in general can be a very humbling experience for people,” Deitchman said. “We always hear about the Mercer bubble and how people at Mercer can be isolated from the people in Macon. Doing things like this helps us see more of the community.”
Deitchman said participating in Spring Break for Service and MerServe can help students bridge that gap.
“They both really cultivate that sense of community both within the people you’re doing service with and the Macon community,” Deitchman said. “You always hear about that gap between Macon and Mercer students, but MerServe does a good job of helping students branch out and see where others are living. We’re all human; there’s this common humanity. Serving within your community really highlights that.”
Although child poverty is the focus for Spring Break for Service this year, Macon has been feeling its effects for much longer.
In 2013, 26.7 percent of total children living in Georgia were recorded to be living in poverty. This percentage increased in Bibb County, where 44.6 percent of children were found to be living in poverty, according to The Telegraph.
Studies in 2016 showed that the concentrated poverty rate in Macon stood at 44.7 percent. The city now has the third-highest rate in the nation, according to USA Today.
“Since a lot of the children here in Macon live in poverty, I just feel like we should be able to provide more for them, more opportunities for success for them that they may not already have,” Ekezie said. “MerServe makes service more available to Mercer students, and Mercer students more available to the community.”
(01/28/19 11:47pm)
Carmen Hicks, Mercer University senior administrative assistant for the English, Mathematics and Africana Studies departments, passed away Jan. 4 when her car collided with a tractor-trailer on Highway 49, according to an emailed statement from the University.
Hicks, 53, was from Warner Robins and worked in administrative positions at Mercer for 18 years. She was also known for her work as a Certified Fitness Instructor at the Navicent Health Wellness Center, according to reporting by The Telegraph.
Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Mercer University Anita Gustafson said in a statement emailed Jan. 8 by Kyle Sears, director of media relations, that Hicks had an important impact on the Mercer community.
“Carmen Hicks was a breath of fresh air,” Gustafson said. “Her dedication to help faculty and students endeared her to so many of us. She approached her work with a positive attitude that was infectious. We are devastated by this loss.”
Students were similarly affected by Hicks’ death.
“I’ve known Carmen since the first or second week of my freshman year,” said Anna Lee, a graduating senior and student worker for the English department at Mercer. “She basically looked out for everyone … She was just like a mom. She actually always referred to herself as my school mom. She really tried to make the students know that they were loved and cared for.”
Lee said Hicks used to rescue mice from glue traps in Willingham Chapel, saving the creatures from starvation and setting them back into the wild.
“She was always helping everyone, even the little mice,” Lee said. “She always took the time to see the students that often got left between the cracks. She knew when someone was struggling; when someone needed someone to be there for them.”
Lee said the most important lesson she learned from Hicks was not to waste time being angry during difficult times but to prioritize kindness to others. She said this message could help those impacted by Hicks’ death to move forward.
“It makes me take an extra minute out of my day to be kind to someone, because that’s what she would do,” she said. “I guess what I would say (to those grieving Hicks) is take a minute and act like Carmen.”
A community memorial service honoring Hicks was held Jan. 12 in Newton Chapel on Mercer’s campus.
(11/11/18 6:56pm)
The philosophy department at Mercer University will offer a new class this spring called “The Gods Must Be Crazy.” It seeks to combine philosophy, religion and different cultural stories from Hebrew, Hindu and Greek traditions from the late Axial Age and earlier in order to show how a common theme can be found among each different story.
Mercer Philosophy Professor Charlotte Thomas, Rabbi Aaron Rubinstein and Mercer graduate Yash Patel will lead the class. While the stories each teacher tells will come from a different background of Hebrew, Hindu or Greek tradition, there will be a unifying theme within each story.
The specific goal of the class is to “illuminate very similar questions about the human condition and the nature of reality,” according to the class description.
The class will consist of a chosen theme for the week where students will do some background reading on the topic. The professors will share cultural stories in order to show how various traditions follow that theme.
Talking through the stories will allow students to learn about each tradition as well as what each theme “may illuminate about our own philosophical attempts to pursue self-knowledge and clearer ideas about the human condition,” according to the class description.
Thomas, Rubinstein and Patel held a mock classroom experience Oct. 19 where they shared Greek, Hebrew and Hindu stories related to the theme of “oops.” Rubinstein told a story from Genesis 29 in the Torah, Patel told a Hindu story from the Mahabharata and Thomas related a story of Greek paganism.
Love, war, jealousy, chaos and deception were a few of the topics discussed to convey the “oops” theme.
“Ancient people had poetic minds and thought poetic characters,” Thomas said. “They told stories to make sense of themselves and the world they lived in.”
Some themes students will explore next semester are “creation, love, family, heroism, war, wealth, poverty and justice.”
“The Gods Must Be Crazy” will be available for registration as PHI 290.004. It is set to take place Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:40 p.m. to 2:55 p.m. in the spring.
(10/31/18 3:00am)
Just over 500 students made the annual trip to Penfield, Ga., Oct. 21 to see the original campus of Mercer University before its relocation to Macon in 1871. This year ’s included a chapel service, speeches from students and faculty, heritage events, fireworks and more.
Pilgrimage to Penfield is a yearly university tradition planned by the Student Government Association (SGA) to bring primarily first-year up to Greene County to see where Mercer University began. The old college grounds still house the original university chapel as well as a cemetery where notable trustees, presidents and leaders of Mercer are buried.
Clark Myers, SGA Senator-at-Large and chair of the Heritage Life Committee, said there were about six months of planning that went into the event“There was a lot of logistical planning that had to be worked through, like legal aspects, liability issues and transporting all of the students”
Many of the students in attendance were first-year experiencing these aspects of Mercer’s heritage for the first time. Shammah Udoudo, one of these freshmen, said the speeches she heard that day inspired her.
“Their experiences told me that you only have to have an idea to start because it doesn’t matter where you come from, only that you have focus,” she said.
The speeches urged students not only to reflect on the past but also look forward to the future. Senior Grant Shelton talked about the importance of “the little things,” Spanish professor Alana Alvarez reflected on Mercer’s history and senior Keegan Moody talked about his growth since his freshman year.
After the chapel ceremony, students gathered outside to listen to music and wait for the fireworks to begin. Jahni Jules, a freshman student at Mercer, said that she enjoyed learning about Mercer’s history and traditions.
“I can’t wait for the next three years of Mercer to be just amazing,” she said.