55 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(09/12/12 4:00pm)
The Story of Apollo exhibit is on display at the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences in the Newberry Hall Science Gallery. Mercer University Alumnus Rob Sumowski loaned about 25 pieces from his personal collection of prints signed by Apollo era astronauts.
“I was sitting in Dr. Walter Shurden’s Christianity 108 class in Knight Hall on a morning January 1986 when a fellow student burst though the door and announced the space shuttle Challenger had just exploded a few minutes before,” said Sumowski, “Dr. Shurden held class anyway, but afterward we all raced to my room- 202 Sherwood- to watch the breaking news on a little 12 inch black and white TV I had there.”
Sumowski is a professor of education at Georgia College and State University. He began collecting autographed space memorabilia in 1996.
“The exhibit at the museum is maybe one tenth of my collection,” said Sumowski.
Sumowski was too young to see the Apollo 11 moon landing on TV, but grew up during the progress of the following missions.
“My whole youth, we wanted to be astronauts,” said Sumowski.
In the early 1990’s many of the Apollo astronauts were just starting to retire. Most of them were writing books about their experiences and many still responded well to the public spotlight.
“These guys were accessible,” said Sumowski, “You can still write to John Glen and get a response.”
Sumowski has met most of the “gentlemen” who walked on the moon. He has also met many of the still living Mercury and Gemini astronauts.
Much of Sumowski’s collection comes from simply sending the retired astronauts large print photos. The astronauts would usually return the prints signed.
Alan Bean of Apollo12, the fourth person to walk on the moon, is an avid painter. In his correspondence with Bean, Sumowski helped Bean locate obscure lunar photos in NASA’s online archive. Bean would use the photos as referenced for his oil painting, valued at $50,000.
They’re engineers, but have a lot of personality,” said Sumowski.
According to Sumowski, the smallest subset of the human species are the 12 men who walked on the moon. He says that even the rarest disease has affected more people.
Unfortunately for collectors like Sumowski, the rarity of astronauts’ autographs is ever increasing. Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin will not sign anything unless paid upwards of $500.
Frustrated by the capitalistic exploits of people selling his autographs as soon as they are signed, the late Neil Armstrong stopped signing memorabilia in 1994.
In 2004, President George W. Bush mandated a return to the moon by 2020 which manifested into the Constellation program. Though President Obama originally supported the program in 2008, he let the program wallow by not approving NASA’s budget.
“[The cancellation] broke my heart. For the first time, we don’t have a manned space program,” said Sumowski, “who would want to be an astronaut when there’s nothing to fly?”
NASA currently spends $22 million a seat to send astronauts to the International Space Station on Russian Soyuz capsules. China is most likely going to be the next country to send a manned mission to the moon.
“I think the Chinese are going to wax our butt in [space exploration], and I hate to say it.”
Currently, NASA is focusing on sending a mission to an asteroid and to Mars. However, missions are not planned until the 2030’s.
“Imagine if we went to the new world and said ‘well that was great’,” said Sumowski, “How can you just stop?”
The Story of Apollo will be on display until September 30.
“I just want other people to know that this was an amazing period in history,” said Sumowski, “I don’t want the next generation to not know about that”
(08/29/12 4:05pm)
The Mercer University Ballroom Dance Club hosted its first meeting on Monday in the Aerobics room of the University Center. Ballroom Club started recruiting members during last Monday's Bear Fair.
“We got a lot of interest [at Bear Fair]. Almost 90 people signed up,” said Debbie Harris, Mercer University's Ballroom Dance Club President and female instructor. Interest in ballroom dancing has peaked due to television shows like “So You Think You Can Dance?” and “Dancing with the Stars”.
Harris started ballroom dancing in high school after learning salsa from a Spanish teacher. The experience inspired her to seek lessons outside of school.
New members of Ballroom Club are initially taught simple dances that fit with popular music. These ‘party’ dances, such as swing and hustle, go with a wide range of contemporary music.
“[The hustle] is something easy you can do in a dance club besides grinding,” said Brittani Howell, “[It’s] flashy, fun and makes for a better connection between you and your partner.”
When learning a new dance, Harris teaches the women their steps and Steve Hussung, the Vice President, teaches the men theirs. After five minutes of individual practice, the two groups join together to practice with a partner.
“We’ve brought several professional dance instructors from Macon and the surrounding area to teach less common dances and to help us polish [our existing dances],” said Hussung.
Members with more dance experience are willing to help new members as much as they can.
“Many of the moves I’ve learned are from dancing with other people [rather than from an instructor],” said Hussung.
Though ballroom dances increase in difficulty and variety with each meeting, basic dances are still revisited for new members.
“This year we are catering to veterans as well as beginners,” said Brittani Howell.
Historically, Ballroom Club has had a problem keeping their male ranks filled, sometimes reaching a ratio of one boy to every five girls.
“Regardless of the gender balance, we rotate every five to ten minutes, so everyone gets a turn to dance,” said Steve Hussung.
Ballroom club hosts several special events a semester. Ballroom Club hosted a Halloween and Valentine’s Day themed dance last year. This year, Ballroom Club is expanding their events to include Christmas and Decades dances.
“We always have a few people show up [at dances] because it’s fun and there is free food,” said Harris. Line dances, such as the Electric Slide, are fairly easy to pick up.
Ballroom Club also organizes trips to dances in downtown Macon on weekends, most notably to Middle Georgia Dance. These trips are more social, because it gives the Ballroom Dance club a chance to show off their moves and hang out.
“Ballroom is a place to meet people, learn to dance in the Ballroom style and have fun,” said Steve Hussung.
Anyone interested in joining Ballroom Club can attend meetings every Monday at 8 p.m. or join the Mercer Ballroom Club Facebook group
“I have yet to meet a person with two left feet,” said Debbie Harris.
(08/29/12 4:05pm)
On August 25, the Middle Georgia Derby Demons held open practice at the Bibb Skate Arena. The roller derby team is preparing for an official bout (a roller derby competition) on November 10th.
Roller derby is played on a track with two opposing teams of five players in a jam, which is two minutes of play. A team consists of one pivot, who acts as a captain, three blockers, and a jammer.
The two opposing teams travel as a pack around the track and vie for control so that their own jammer may get through the pack. Once a jammer gets ahead of the opposing jammer and laps the pack, they score three points for each successive lap of the pack.
The Derby Demons hold three-hour practices every Saturday and Tuesday. The first hour is open to beginners and focuses on general derby techniques, such as proper stance, agility and dynamic stretching.
Dynamic stretching is reminiscent of yoga on skates. Other agility practices include hard stops, direction reversal, jumps, and falling practice.
The women practiced falling on one knee, two knees, backward (called the rock star) and all fours (called the porn star). Being able to recover quickly from falls is essential for pack cohesion and prevents penalties.
Roller derby is a full contact sport and injuries are inevitable. In the past, the Derby Demons have broken two ankles and a collarbone. The Demons’ motto reflects their injuries: “We bruise Black and Pink.”
The vice president of the Derby Demons gave her derby name, Nellie Shovit, in lieu of her real name. She instructed other team members to do the same. However, women without a derby name – not members of the team- were under no restriction.
New players must pass a bout assessment before they may join the team and earn a derby name. Earning a derby name is a badge of honor for new members of the team and is similar to lettering in a varsity team.
“I started back in March, and I couldn’t even stand on my skates,” said Katheryn Thompson.
Thompson, a Mercer law student, has been attending the open practices for several months and aspires to join the Middle Georgia Derby Demons. Her plans were delayed after breaking her wrist during practice in the Spring.
“We’re flying at each other on wheels,” said Shovit. “We teach every precaution that we possibly can.”
The last two hours of practice are reserved for team strategy and scrimmaging for the official team members.
The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is the governing body of women’s roller derby in the United States. The Middle Georgia Derby Demons is not a certified league of WFTDA but follows their rules and guidelines. The Derby Demons hope to become a full-fledged league by next season, which starts in February.
The Middle Georgia Derby Demons started in April 2011 as a group of women who were simply interested in forming a roller derby team.
“We’re basically a bunch of women who got together, formed a small business and hit each other,” said Shovit.
Most derby names are plays on words. Examples from the team include: Stephoenix, the president and coach, Painsley, Kim chi, Smash Monkey, Idle Vice, Pelvis Breastly and Ctrl Alt Defeat.
“We’re a bunch of misfits,” said Vice.
All players on the team are amateurs and provide their own equipment. Also, the referees are all volunteers. The Derby Demons are actively recruiting members and referees.
“It is a very big time commitment and can be very expensive,” said Monkey. Quad skates can cost anywhere from $100 to $600, depending on the material.
“I love skating; I love the aggression; this is a group of very strong women,” said Shovit.
Mike Skelly, the owner of the Bibb Skate Arena, has been hosting the Middle Georgia Derby Demons since last October. He stocks all their equipment and sells it to the women at cost or at a reduced price.
“I’ve always been open to try something new,” said Skelly. “I’m not making any money off of this, but they enjoy it.”
“[Mike] loves skating for skating,” said Stephoenix.
(08/29/12 4:05pm)
On Monday evening the Student Government Association held an elections qualification meeting for all students aspiring to run for a seat in the senate. Elections will be held next Tuesday, Sept. 9.
A total of 68 students expressed interest in senate positions at SGA’s Bear Fair table. Five freshman seats and one sophomore seat are going to be filled by the coming election.
SGA president Mollie Davis, vice president Josh Lovett, and Public Relations chairperson Brandon Ryan met with 29 students who showed up at the preliminary qualification meeting for candidates.
“I could not be happier about the large number of students who have decided to run for election,” said Mollie Davis, “Our efforts to promote SGA at orientations, Bear Fair, and through social media have paid off.”
Candidates were given an informational packet that included an eight page document covering the election code of SGA. All candidates were required to sign a positive campaign pledge, dissuading candidates from vandalizing others’ ads.
To further drive home the message, all candidates paid a $10 safety deposit. At the conclusion of the election period, the candidates will each receive their $10 safety deposit.
“We are the decision making body of campus,” said Ryan.
Senior Brandon Ryan addressed the candidates about campaign rules such as a $250 spending limit on campaigns and restrictions on the number and locations of political signs. Each candidate is allotted to post four signs and a banner or eight total signs around campus.
However, candidates are allowed to distribute an unlimited amount of handbills or palm sized ads.
As soon as the meeting concluded, senator candidates were allowed to start campaigning.
Any candidates found to be violating the election code of SGA are subject to the ruling of an Election Appeals Board. SGA’s Election Appeals Board has never been implemented and will likely be repealed after the coming election.
“I am looking forward to getting to know the freshman and sophomores running and cannot wait to work with a new crop of senators,” said Mollie Davis.
Students may only vote for their own class representative. Each student has five unique votes that much be used for five different candidates.
“I truly believe this is an exciting time for Mercer and I’m looking forward to seeing what the new senators will bring to the table. The number of freshmen who signed up is spectacular and bodes well for the future of the university and student government,” said Josh Lovett.
(08/15/12 4:02pm)
The Peyton Anderson Foundation awarded $1 million on July 29 to the University’s Center for Collaborative Journalism to help fund a newsroom in Phase II building of The Lofts. The newsroom, which occupies about half of the ground floor, will be named the Peyton Anderson Newsroom in honor of the Foundation’s founder.
“The trustees are especially pleased to be working alongside the Knight Foundation to support the establishment of the new Center for Collaborative Journalism at Mercer University,” Karen Lambert, president of the Peyton Anderson Foundation said. “The decision of the University to name the Center’s newsroom for Peyton Anderson seems a fitting tribute to Mr. Anderson, who was the face of journalism for many years in this region and whose generosity will continue to make Macon and institutions within Macon, such as Mercer University, stronger for years to come.”
The Peyton Anderson Newsroom will be primarily used for Macon’s newspaper, The Telegraph. The Telegraph’s staff began moving into the newsroom August 14.
The Center for Collaborative Journalism is a partnership between Mercer’s Journalism and Media Studies Departments, The Telegraph and Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB). The Center for Collaborative Journalism employs a model similar to a teaching hospital. Student journalists and media studies majors will work and study along side professionals from GPB and The Telegraph.
Within the Peyton Anderson Newsroom, journalism and media studies students from Mercer will experience a real-world newsgathering. The money from the Peyton Anderson Foundation will be used to give students and professionals access to a high-tech working environment.
Once established, the Center for Collaborative Journalism will reach out to engage the community in an unprecedented public forum. A pilot program of the center will be a thorough student-led coverage of the Macon Miracle and its effects on the community.
The Center’s facility will also include classrooms and offices for Mercer’s Journalism and Media Studies Department. Journalism and Media Studies students have first pick for housing in the level above the center.
“Even with all of the communication tools available, there is no substitute for face-to-face collaboration,” Tim Regan-Porter, the center’s director, said “Having students work and study in a daily newsroom fosters an energy, creative spirit and real-world knowledge acquisition that we believe will benefit students, The Telegraph, GPB and the community.”
The $1 million from the Peyton Anderson Foundation is being awarded in addition to the $4.6 million the University received from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
“We are deeply grateful to the trustees of the Peyton Anderson Foundation for funding the Center’s Peyton Anderson Newsroom, a key component of this nationally significant initiative in journalism education and community engagement,” Mercer President William D. Underwood said. “These two foundations have made it possible to launch the Center in new facilities designed to take full advantage of this unique partnership.”
(03/28/12 8:06pm)
Renovation proposals are currently being discussed for the Connell Student Center old Co-op and 24 hour room.
On March 26, Carrie Ingoldsby, Director of Campus Life and Student Involvement, and Dr. Steve Brown, Associate Dean of Student Services, discussed proposed renovations of the Connell Student Center to the combined class sections of Technical Communication 341 at a conference in the Science and Engineering Building.
Dr. Brown and Ingoldsby, respectively are interested in moving the post office from the second floor of the Connell Student Center to the first floor, where the Admission offices currently reside.
The Admissions office move is still tentative, but proposals are being drafted in anticipation.
The space left by the Admission Offices provides ground level access to mail trucks, allowing mail to be sorted and delivered to boxes without moving between floors.
The extra space will also allow enough room for Mail and Document Services to be moved from the Auxiliary building, allowing all mail services to be in one building.
“It is conceptual at this point,” said Dr. Brown. “We’re all waiting for the puff of white smoke.”
Another separate proposal is to be drafted, prompted by Ingoldsby.
By using the extra space left behind by the post office and mail room on the second floor of the Connell Student Center, Ingoldsby hopes to renovate the Co-op into an open, flowing, modern design.
Aramark paid to have the cafeteria renovated and the exterior of the Connell Student Center was painted last year.
The old Co-op has not been renovated since the 1970’s and Ingoldsby said the wood paneling is showing its age.
From the construction of the Connell Student Center to the opening of the University Center in 2004, the old co-op was the hub of student life. It provided a casual eating and meeting area for students.
“The old co-op was the center of academic activity where students and faculty came together,” Brown said.
Since the opening of the University Center, use of the co-op has gone down.
According to a worker from Mercer’s physical plant department, Connell Student Center was built in 1959.
The biggest obstacle to any renovation is asbestos, a common construction material in buildings built before the 1980’s.
“The student center is full of asbestos,” Brown said.
A worker from the physical plant confirmed that asbestos was in the tiles of the floor, the glue for the tiles, glaze on the windows, and in the walls of the building.
Rather than draw from the project’s proposed budget of $110,000 to finance the removable of the harmful material, Campus Life wants to mount drywall over the wood paneling in the Connell Student Center.
Design goals for the renovation include spaces for students and campus organizations to meet and an open computer lab.
Provided that the post office is moved, the co-op would also have access to the adjacent concrete patio. Most of the proposed design is to be determined by the students’ drafts in the coming weeks.
However, clients are under no obligation to follow students’ specific plans.
Technical Communication 341 students are also drafting a proposal for an expansion of the 24 hour study room in the ground floor of the Tarver Library.
The specifications were given to students by Janet Van Bibber, Circulation Manager for Jack Tarver Library.
“It is not uncommon at midnight, and through the night, for the place to pack out,” said Van Bibber. “We need space.”
The 24-hour study room is currently 1,740 square feet with six group study rooms.
Her specifications call for expanding into the first floor library bringing the total size of the room to 2,440 square feet.
The plans also call for the installation of another wireless access point and an additional camera.
The proposed budget for the renovation is $50,000.
(03/14/12 8:32pm)
On February 24, the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Ga. issued severe weather and tornado watches to 334 counties across the southeast, including Bibb. Due to the severity of the storm system, the National Weather Service utilized the Georgia SKYWARN Linked Repeater System, a radio network on which amateur radio operators can report hail, tornadoes, lightning and damaging wind to the National Weather Service. The National Weather Service uses information gathered from these trained spotters to supplement in-house meteorology equipment and to refine public weather broadcasts.
A Boy Scout Troop from was backpacking on Pine Mountain Trail, west of Macon, the day of the severe weather. One of the scouts was able to use his hand-held radio transceiver to contact the National Weather Service using the Georgia SKYWARN Linked Repeater System. The SKYWARN net control operator, in conjunction with the meteorologists from the National Weather Service, informed the troop of the incoming storm system’s potential to produce high speed winds, hail and frequent lightning strikes. Other amateur radio operators listening to the situation joined in, guiding the troop to the nearest evacuation point. The scouts’ radio stopped working due to the heavy rain. Concerned by the silence, radio operators contacted the park rangers who were able to meet the Boy Scouts at the coordinated evacuation point.
Cliff Brown, a Physical Plant employee at Mercer University and amateur radio operator was monitoring the rescue operation from campus. Brown manages a portion of the Georgia SKYWARN Linked Repeater System known as the Cherry Blossom Intertie which extends 300 miles from Brunswick to Atlanta running through Macon. The Intertie uses eight repeaters whose signals overlap. If one repeater goes down due to severe weather or power outage, coverage is preserved and messages can still get through.
“The Cherry Blossom Intertie is a system that is built around the idea of ‘what if the internet goes kapooey?’” said Brown. Amateur radio transceivers have the ability to transmit not only voice, but data as well. As long as one radio in the network has internet access, all radios linked to the Intertie could use the same internet access point, potentially from hundreds of miles away. 3G and 4G Cellular towers only have a range of a few miles and signal could easily be disrupted during an extended power outage.
Since the widespread use of digital radio systems, emergency services such as police and fire departments are reliant on proprietary software and hardware. This means that while digital radio systems have streamlined the emergency dispatching process, they have lost the ability to communicate with emergency departments from other cities who use another company’s radio system. Jones County police cannot talk directly to Macon Police over radio, hindering rescue operations in a combined response to a natural disaster. Also, because these systems are purchased rather than built, they have a designed operating life of roughly10 years and are difficult to fix due to the lack of interchangeable parts.
As reported in the Mercer’s Cluster, the Macon’s 911 system went down last October due to a hardware failure. Civilians were able to call 911, but the dispatchers had no way of contacting officers on duty. Cliff Brown says that in such a situation it would be fairly easy to implement a temporary ham radio net over Macon allowing officers to communicate in real time with the aid of volunteer amateur radio operators. “We believe that the Cherry Blossom Intertie serves as a complement and a backup to existing communications systems,” said Brown.
Mark Wynn, Deputy Director of the Emergency Management Agency in Macon, said that in a situation where communications would go down due to a natural disaster, Macon would rely on local amateur radio clubs. If the problem was beyond the capabilities of the local clubs, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service would be implemented. Members of the organization are encouraged to certify themselves with both the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Community Emergency Response Team. “We never tell a served agency how to do their job. Rather, we tell them how Amateur Radio can help them perform their mission,” said Lynn Bianco. Bianco is the Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) in Georgia.
Bianco emphasizes that the greatest advantage amateur radio has over other systems is the amount of radio spectrum available to amateur radio operators. This means that while emergency systems are locked into specific frequencies by design, and therefore cannot talk to each other, amateur radio can switch between the frequencies freely. “One of our local contingencies is to send ARES communicators to each fire station in the event normal 911 communications goes down,” said Bianco.
Macon has not had a damaging tornado touch down since May 11, 2008. More recently, on April 5, 2011, Macon was threatened by severe weather, with the potential to spawn a tornado. No tornadoes touched down, but an estimated 12,000 people in Macon were without power after the storm passed.
In an emergency situation, such as a school lockdown or severe weather emergency, residential assistants are responsible for making sure all students are present and accounted for. Mercer Police has a tornado response plan available on their website, posting the best locations for taking shelter in nearly every building on campus. Mercer’s Police Department also sends out severe weather alerts to the student body via text message and student email.
(01/25/12 9:29pm)
Mercer’s Video Game Club is an alternative source of fun on Friday and Saturday nights for the casual gamer. The Video Game Club (VG club) started in the spring of 2011. The club meets every Friday and Saturday night at five o’clock in Sherwood Hall’s lounge.
Kirkland Dent, VG club’s president, said, “[VG club is] for anyone who likes to play video games, wants to take a break, relax.” Dent admits that while some of the competitive games can get “a little serious,” VG club is more about the social experience than anything else. “Games are a great way to break the ice,” said Dent as he played Super Smash Bros. on Sherwood’s big screen TV.”
VG club uses money provided by Mercer and member dues to buy technology such as consoles, extension cords, controllers, games, projectors, and even novelty board games. Dent stresses that you do not have to be a serious gamer to have fun.
When Sherwood lounge is too small or otherwise occupied, the group moves to room 314 in the Connell Student Center. The bigger room has more than enough space to hold 50 people and has several TVs, a surround sound system for ambient music and stores the club’s projectors.
VG Club’s access to projectors and consoles makes them an asset to other campus organizations. According to Dent, other clubs, RA from others dorms, sororities and fraternities request the use of their equipments on a regular basis.
Despite its name, VG club is not limited to electronic games. Board games and turn based trading card games like Yu-gi-oh! are also very popular within the club. One board game, Settlers of Catan is essentially a more complex version of Monopoly with a board that changes every game.
The group uses Facebook to plan, organize and coordinate meetings. Currently, their Facebook group has 66 members. According to Dent there are roughly 40 regularly attending members. “Our officers are friendly, kind, and willing to help out,” said Dent.
VG club regularly hosts events and is planing a super bros. tournament in early February. In the Fall, VG club coordinated with Blockbuster to host a release party for the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
Members of the VG club were some of the first people in the nation to play the brand new game. VG club also plans to host an “old school” game night using a classic 90’s console, the Nintendo 64. On Halloween nearly a dozen people gathered around a lone player of Amnesia, a horror game notorious for its campaign. If a single player campaign Uncharted, is engaging enough, members will even make popcorn and watch others play like a showing of a movie.
An ultimate goal of VG club is to encourage video game clubs to be formally recognized at other colleges and universities across the state. VG club hopes to coordinate with the other clubs and host cross university video game tournaments.
Members of VG club must maintain a decent GPA in order to remain in the club. This serves to prevent the obviously negative effects of games: neglecting school work.
Members with too low of a GPA get a warning for their first time infraction and then are kicked out of the club until their GPA improves.
(12/07/11 11:03pm)
On the Saturday Nov 19, the organization Macon’s Artisans United hosted a “Bazaar Affair” on Napier Ave.
Vendors sold homemade and homegrown products to benefit local and national charities.
In total, six vendors pitched tents displaying goods such as sculptures, potted herbs and spices, paintings, jewelry, crochet, and baked goods.
Lita Rutland, a former trucker turned soap-maker, organized the first Bazaar Affair in September at her house to act as an alternative to the local Market on the Green. Rutland chose to start Bazaar affair to take advantage of the days when other local markets are not operating.
Her house on Napier Avenue also has heavier traffic and, therefore, more exposure than other markets. However, Rutland admitted that it is hard to get people to stop.
To generate interest, she posted fliers to various Macon websites and venues.
Rutland then invited several vendors that she met through Market on the Green to partake in the now monthly event. Most of the vendors at the Bazaar sold original art, but a few sold produce as well.
“Farming and gardening is an art form too,” said Rutland adding, “[and] these people are serious about their art.”
Every vendor at Bazaar Affair had a special charity to which a portion of the day’s profits benefited.
Ten percent of Lita’s proceeds went to benefit the battle against breast cancer. Other beneficiaries of the Bazaar Affair include the American Lung Cancer Association, American Red Cross, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, United Way, Alzheimer’s research, and Jay Jay’s Miracle.
“Everyone of them hits home, everyone knows someone who’s been affected,” said Lita, “we gotta give back to the community.”
Barbara Edwards, a friend of Lita, sold perennials and a spicy pepper plant whose fruit is affectionately named by another vendor (Jason Fowler) as the “China Cherry Bomb.”
Jason Fowler’s aunt, Polly Fowler ran the “Jewelry by Design” table. Polly Fowler, made her first piece of jewelry from a shoe medallion two years ago.
A friend encouraged Polly to continue her work. “She told me I had a gift from God,” said Mrs. Folwer.
Polly has been making necklaces, bracelets, and earrings from found items ever since.
Marlene Still started selling blueberries to supplement her family’s income after her husband was diagnosed with cancer.
Still expanded her enterprise as blueberries went out of season to include cakes (pumpkin spice maple cake with pecan glaze), peppers, collard greens, boiled peanuts, sea salt, and home cut fat lighter, a type of kindling.
Darlene Murphy, Lita Rutland’s sister and Mercer University employee, ran the studio ‘Freestyle art and design’. Murphy’s talents include painting, drawing, sculpting, and metal working.
“I do it for the joy,” said Murphy. She has taught art before and loves teaching children that art design is everywhere.
Nassira Love and her two daughters, displayed several pop art pieces along with homemade hats and bags.
Proceeds from her table will fund “Youth Handcraft Lessons,” a personal project in which she plans to teach children entrepreneurship through selling their crafts.
Lita Rutland also had a table set up to sell produce grown in her backyard alongside a separate table displaying more than thirty kinds of homemade soap.
The Next Bazaar Affair is scheduled for December 17 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, at 3356 Napier Avenue.
(10/19/11 10:32pm)
The Macon Telegraph reported on October 5th that NW Technologies’ associate director of operations, Grace Chu, met with the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority to discuss the possibility of developing a green-energy plant that is also involved in wind/solar manufacturing located in Ocmulgee Industrial Park.
NW Technologies, based out of Norcross, Ga., was recently created as a subsidiary of an Asian manufacturing company. The firm hopes to supplement its supply base and to fulfill a backlog of orders in Japan and China.
Chu said that the new plant will create up to 150 new jobs for Bibb County both directly and indirectly.
The U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services manage the Immigrant Investor Program, which passed through congress in 1990. It is now a sub-unit of the Department of Homeland Security.
Under this program, foreign investors are granted special EB-5 visas if their contributions help preserve or create ten jobs within the country.
The program was developed in response to the economic slump in America during the late eighties and early nineties. At the time, the recession was limited to North America. Countries such as Japan and Germany fared well, and Congress hoped to take advantage of the potential foreign investments in the United States to stimulate the economy.
NW Technologies wishes to reap the benefits of the program and claims to have several investors already lined up to finance the new facility, reported the Telegraph.
The company will use the land for three distinct operations: a manufacturing facility for fabricating wind turbines and solar panels, an energy ‘farm’ for supplying power to nearby lots and a research and development center.
The company wants to hold payments for the land until the plant can make revenue from producing and selling electricity. Construction could begin as early as 2012 if the company’s plan is approved.
According to the Immigration and Citizenship Services government website, “a qualified employee is a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or other immigrant authorized to work in the United States.”
The Department of Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that Macon’s unemployment rate is hovering around 10.4%, a difference of 1.3% when compared to the national average of 9.1% unemployment. The manufacturing and energy farm would require a lower skill level than that of the Research and Development center, which would employ both mechanical and electrical engineers.
Solyndra, a manufacturer of solar panels based out of Fremont, Ca., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sept. 1 of this year. As a recipient of a $535 million federal loan and benefactor of a $25 million tax break, the company has become a focal point of government waste in uncertain green energy ventures. Specifics of NW Technologies’ proposal still have to be ironed out with the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority, but the county government should not bear any of the financial burdens of the energy plant, save for the cost of the available lot.
If construction progresses as scheduled, the plant should start producing power by mid-2013.
The Bibb County Properties Committee will meet on Thursday to discuss NW Technologies proposal.
(09/21/11 10:08pm)
QuadWorks held a Music Trivia Night in the Bear Rock Café of the University Center Sept. 17.
Featured on the WAM (Weekends at Mercer) program, the trivia night targeted students staying on campus over the weekend. While some questions tested students’ knowledge of classic rock, most of the questions focused on the most popular bands and singles of the nineteen nineties.
Unlike other trivia nights, this event was completely student led by Mercer’s QuadWorks organization.
About 50 people organized themselves into several teams of three to five people. There were five rounds of five questions each. In the first four rounds, each question was worth ten points while the fifth consisted of a bonus round where each question was worth twenty points apiece.
Prizes awarded at the end of each round included energy drinks, snacks, movies on DVD, dry-erase markers, dry-erasers and capped coffee mugs.
After each round a winner was determined by a cumulative point total. However, every single traditional point round required a tie-breaker. Ties were settled via “finish the lyric” competitions using popular songs. At the conclusion of round three, five teams were tied. The Quadworks judges initiated a dance-off, where the winner was determined by the volume of audience cheer. Ultimately, Team Beast won the dance-off.
While all teams scored relatively low when compared to the total possible points, Team Winning was in first place at the end of the competition. Team Winning actually missed the first round, costing their score 50 potential points.
“We was [sic] in it to win it,” said Winifred Kennebrew. Earning just 190 points out of 300 possible points, junior members Sarah Murihia , Melanie King, Winifred Kennebrew and Belsy Garcia, were ecstatic with their victory, especially after finding $25 iTunes gift cards inside their prize mugs.
Almost every QuadWorks meeting is open to the public. Individuals wishing to suggest activities for Quadworks should attend one of the weekly meeting in Conference Room one of the Connel Center.
(09/21/11 10:01pm)
This past Saturday, Mercer’s LEAP (Local Engagement Against Poverty) initiative hosted the annual ‘Super Service Saturday: Be a Good Neighbear’ event across the surrounding community in an effort to actively reduce poverty and strengthen the relationship between Mercer students and the surrounding community. That morning, about 200 volunteers arrived in the Historic Quad of Mercer’s North Campus. After a eating a small breakfast of doughnuts and reciting a common prayer, the students were divvied up into several color-coded teams. The teams then traveled by trolley, car, and foot to predetermined locations around Macon where they picked up trash, painted a house, spread mulch, and leveled foundations for houses under construction.
Be a Good Neighbear originally started as a small-scale trash pick-up in public areas around Macon and Mercer’s campus but grew in scale over the years to take advantage of larger crowds of volunteers. The Pink team traveled across town to a neighborhood currently under development by the Macon Area Habitat for Humanity. Once on the property, the group of ten students were distributed shovels, hard rakes, gloves, and wheel barrows and were directed by Volunteer Coordinator Monty Cheshire in leveling the dirt floor in the crawlspace of a house still under construction. Cheshire, a former industrial engineer, turned Papa John’s Franchisee, turned philanthropist has worked with Habitat for Humanity for three years.
“This whole neighborhood needs help,” said Cheshire, referring to the ongoing efforts. The volunteers also worked to remove scrap concrete and trash from the lot. After two hours of leveling, a portion of the students went down the street to a completed Habitat house, occupied by Wendy Orellana and her three children. There, the students to spread mulch around the yard’s flower beds and briefly talked to one of Orellana’s children. Cheshire later commented that the volunteers from Mercer did several days worth of work within four hours.
During initial construction, vandalism of Habitat houses was common, but as time passed, the homeowners in the Orellana’s neighborhood began turning in vandals and looters. “We are revitalizing the neighborhood,” said Cheshire; “it’s safe now.” The Macon Area Habitat for Humanity plans to construct 46 new homes with a minimum of four houses under construction at any one time. Orellana’s house was house 26 and will be dedicated on October 3rd.
Across town, nearly 50 student volunteers laid ladders against the walls of an old three-story house and gave it a fresh coat of paint. “It’s nice to know student in such prominent fields [of study] are humble enough to do something like this,” said Mercer graduate student Tammy Hotchkiss. The owner of the house, Mr. Jimmie, and his recently deceased wife, have raised nearly two dozen foster children to adulthood since buying the house in 1970. Mr. Jimmie recently tried to have his house repainted in 2003, but the contractor took the down payment and left the job unfinished.“It’s nice to give back to people who deserve so much more,” said freshman Aaron Brantley when asked about his role in painting the house.
“Of course, we can’t change all of Macon by painting a house, but in a small way we are making a difference,” said freshman Amanda Pugsley.
(03/30/11 2:57pm)
Last Sunday concluded the Mercer Innovation Chase, a three-day competition held by the Mercer Entrepreneurship Engineering Education Program (MEEEP) where teams designed prototypes and proposed business models on a given topic. During the course of the event, two teams participated in rapid series of development and research labs followed by a presentation of their findings and immediate judging. The winners of the weekend will go on to compete in the Chicago Innovation Chase in September for the chance to win $2,500.
The Chicago Innovation Chase was created in 2008 by two Illinois Institute of Technology students, Adam Berg and Gustaf Josefson, who wanted to design a program which would put students through an accelerated business and design experience “like no other”. Since then, the Chicago Innovation Chase has swelled from eight universities in 2009 to 20 universities in 2010. This year the competition was redesigned so that schools emulated the Innovation Chase at a local level to act as semifinals and to consistently prepare teams for Chicago. This is why MEEEP and adviser Dr. Radharaman organized the Mercer Innovation Chase. The teams were prompted to develop a product or business model that would work to aid those affected by poverty and natural disasters.
Joseph Dunn, Joshua Smith and Ethan Garrett of “Team Entre” proposed a Residential Vocational Educational Center, or “RVEC”: a cross between a trade school and homeless shelter that offers residents the chance to earn certification in agriculture, welding, auto repair, cooking or typing.
“I volunteered in a soup kitchen for three years, and the same people would come in again and again,” Garret said. Team Entre hopes that incorporating the homeless and underprivileged into a permanent and stable community will reduce the need for other welfare options.
The second team was composed of Phi Delta Theta brothers Mark Benfield, Justin Griffis, James Edwards, Thomas Evans and Kyle Eastis. They designed and prototyped a portable, low-cost shelter that has a smaller carbon footprint than traditional tents. The shelter includes a plastic hygiene workstation as part of its structure, a feature unique to their tent.
Scott Nutgrass, a small-business owner from Warner Robins, acted as the final judge for Mercer’s Innovation Chase. “I thought both teams were very good,” Nutgrass said. “Even if they had a week, [going from] a broad concept to presentation in forty-eight hours? Good luck.” The judging was very close, with Team Entre receiving only .8 more points than Phi Delta Theta.
(03/29/11 2:27pm)
On March 17, the Student Government Association hosted the second annual “Luck of the Irish: A taste of the Village” event, a St. Patrick’s day-themed extravaganza aimed at increasing student and local foot traffic at the Mercer Village.
Partygoers were given the opportunity to enter raffles for the chance to win Mercer apparel and participate in a shamrock scavenger hunt. Francar’s Buffalo Wings, Jittery Joes, Ingleside Pizza and Barnes & Noble offered student discounts as well as interactive Ireland-themed games.
SGA Senator Jordan Locke, who co-chairs the Heritage Life Committee, cited the need to encourage interaction between Mercer students and the local Macon community.
Last year’s event was confined to a party at the Jittery Joe’s coffee shop. As luck would have it, this year’s St. Patrick’s Day fell on College Hill Alliance’s regularly scheduled “Third Thursday: Party in Mercer Village”. The two organizations collaborated to expand the reach of the St. Patrick’s celebration to the entire Village.
Local businessowners Christyanne Gaspar and J.J. Hobbs chose St. Patrick’s Day to hold the grand opening of Rodeo Beach, a new outdoor enthusiast retail store in Mercer Village. Rodeo Beach formally was an Internet store based out of Tampa, Fla. Gaspar and Hobbs felt that for their first physical store, they should return to their roots in Macon.
“We came back for the positive atmosphere especially, because of College Hill Alliance,” Gaspar said.
Inside, Mechel Mckinley and Joseph Stanford of the Macon Money social game distributed halves of bonds to the crowd. When paired, the bonds could be exchanged for anywhere from $10 to $100 Macon Money bills, a local currency accepted by more than 40 business in Midtown and Downtown Macon.
“Macon money was created by the ‘Area/Code’ organization in New York as a social game to promote community involvement and economic development,” said local project manager Mckinley. Macon Money is funded through the John L. and James S. Knight Foundation’s Games for Engagement Initiative.
The community-building atmosphere was echoed across the Mercer Village. Between the Francar’s and Rodeo Beach storefront, a representative of Macon Roots handed out flyers advertising the relatively new not-for-profit organization. Macon Roots consults Middle Georgia farmers in an effort to “promote a diverse, sustainable, and local food system.”
Ultimately Macon Roots hopes thier local farm network will displace other food suppliers from outside of the region, boosting the local economy and reducing dependency on foreign farms.
In addition to the business sales and discounts, friends Caleb Thornley and Johnathan Wisdom were invited to perform on guitar and keyboard for the crowd.
Just before sunset the Mercer University Pipes and Drums ensemble marched towards the Village from Greek Row, playing traditional folk tunes of Irleand. Towards the evening, self-proclaimed resident leprechan Jack Branan handed out candy to passersby.
(02/23/11 8:30pm)
Mercer’s ROTC program hosted the local Warner Robins High School JROTC for a paintball event in an effort to boost interest in pursuing military careers in college on Feb. 16.
About 30 Warner Robins High School JROTC cadets were driven to On Target Paintball where Mercer cadets demonstrated basic squad STX (situational tactical exercise; pronounced “sticks”). Later the JROTC cadets took part in the STX lanes themselves.
Second Lieutenant Alexander Wieberg, who acts as a Gold Bar Recruiter for Mercer, relies on the interest generated by similar recruiting events throughout the year.
“We used to recruit by geographic region, visiting high schools across Georgia, but our efforts were less than fruitful,” Wieberg said.
Due to large competition with military schools such as North Georgia, Wieberg specifically targets schools with high academic ratings and existing JROTC programs. His goal is to draw in students who want to pursue a civilian professional degree as well as join the military.
Teams of five junior cadets, each led by a Mercer cadet, were pitted against each other in an elimination-style game of attack and defend in three separate courses. Afterward, squads performed mock first aid on eliminated players.
“I didn’t expect it to be so intense—my gun jammed, but I’d definitely do it again,” said JROTC cadet Sean Rogers.
“It was very exciting,” said Austin Sanders, another JROTC cadet. “Paint balls were constantly whizzing overhead.” Sanders also participated in a medical evaluation of an enemy soldier after his team won an engagement.
While the recruiting event focused on building teamwork for the JROTC, Mercer cadets benefited as well. Hosting squad STX at On Target Paintball allowed the Mercer cadets to practice their leadership skills on individuals with whom they were not familiar.
“It is great experience for the Juniors to teach novices,” said Cadet Captain Uebel.
As a senior cadet at Mercer, Uebel was tasked with grading underclassmen Cadet Sergeant Reed and Cadet Sergeant Kim in their strategy. Uebel’s grade will ultimately affect their national standing as cadets.
“In a lot of ways, it is a student-run organization,” said Cadet Recruitment Officer Mike Davis. “The cadets handle all the day-to-day stuff. When a project or recruiting event comes up, the Cadre [Professors of Military Science] turn to us.”
Davis is a senior who plans to attend seminary upon graduating. He organized the majority of the paintball recruiting event and allocated jobs to his fellow cadets.
“This event gives us a chance to let local kids know that ROTC is a great way to pay for Mercer and play paintball at the same time,” Wieberg said. “Who wouldn’t want to do that?”