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(01/25/17 7:36pm)
Nancy Grace, current publisher of the website Crime Online and former television host on HLN, is set to speak at this year’s Founder’s Day on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. in Willingham Auditorium.
“When searching for a speaker for Founders’ Day 2017, Heritage Life knew that we would have to find someone who would not only exceed our expectations, but also break the mold for what Founders’ Day [has] been,” said Committee Chair Reed Jones.
Jones explained that at Founder’s Day 2016 speaker Chancellor R. Kirby Godsey, “recounted his time as the longest serving President of the University and did an exceptional job.”
After having Chancellor Godsey last year, the committee searched for someone who would deliver a speech with a new perspective. “We chose Nancy Grace for several reasons, one being she has a unique outlook on Mercer University,” Jones said.
A Mercer University press release announced that Grace would be the speaker this year. Grace is a “Double Bear;” she earned her bachelor’s degree from Mercer’s College of Liberal Arts in 1981 and Juris Doctor from Mercer Law School in 1984. She also serves as a member on the Mercer Board of Trustees.
After her time at Mercer, Grace was “a powerful force behind CNN Headline News’ (HLN) top-rated Nancy Grace,” according to her biography on the website.
The biography listed that she has also made appearances on many television shows including “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The View,” “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America,” “Dr. Phil” and “Larry King Live.”
Aside from her legal work as a prosecutor, Grace the executive producer of a series of Hallmark films based on her New York Times bestselling mystery novels, according to her biography. It also said that in 2011, “Grace was named one of the most impactful and powerful women in entertainment by both leading industry trade magazines, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.”
Junior Tori Aina, who is planning to attend the speech given by Grace, said that it is sure to be an “exciting” event.
“When I applied to Mercer, I looked up people [Mercer alums], and I saw Nancy Grace, and I was like, ‘Oh that’s cool!’ It’s really cool that someone who made it in life and is a real adult wants to come back and speak to us,” Aina said.
The SGA Heritage Life Committee is continuing to plan the festivities for Founders’ Day 2017. Jones said the group is looking forward to Grace’s address.
“We know that she [Grace] will deliver a service that will inspire our fellow Mercerians, and not soon be forgotten,” Jones said.
(12/04/16 7:58pm)
Students around campus, like junior Grace Johnson, have been asking the question: Where does the recycling at Mercer go?
Chinekwa Obidoa, Johnson’s environmental health class professor, said that they discussed the problem with recycling at Mercer in class and couldn’t find an answer as to where recyclable materials from Mercer end up.
Recycling falls under the building maintenance section of the Physical Plant’s list of duties which also include custodial services, ground maintenance and shipping and receiving.
The recycling at Mercer goes from the small recycling bins located in and outside of buildings around campus to large recycling containers located near the soccer field.
Cliff Brown, a worker at the Physical Plant Department for Mercer University, said that the recycling is processed behind Auxiliary Services here on campus.
Brown’s job is to coordinate with the Physical Plant’s vendor, Advanced Disposal, a garbage collection service, when the recycling bins on campus are full. Advanced Disposal is paid to transport the recycling from behind Aux Services to Schnitzer Steel, which sells it to different buyers.
Schnitzer has locations at lower Poplar Road and 7th Street. The 7th Street location accepts paper, glass and other materials while the lower Poplar Road location accepts large scraps, appliances and whole automobiles.
“The center was formerly the Macon Iron and Paper Stock until 2010 when Schnitzer bought us out,” said Mike Totes, a worker for Schnitzer. Before 2010, the Macon Iron and Paper Stock had been recycling since 1919.
When asked if he knew who the buyers of the recycling from Schnitzer were, Totes said, “I do, but we don’t give out that information.”
The Physical Plant Department also works with the Environmental Health and Safety Office at Mercer. The EHSO’s website provides some information on what materials can be recycled on campus, through a section of the Environmental Management Systems manual.
According to EHSO’s website, the manual was written in 2011 after the EPA conducted an audit on Mercer’s Macon and Atlanta campuses. The manual was “developed for the Macon and Atlanta campuses to complete the formal agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”
After being developed by EHSO and the Physical Plant, it was “reviewed and endorsed by a faculty committee, the Environmental Concerns Committee,” according to the website.
The manual mentions that “individual schools, departments, and, offices that generate Solid Waste Recycling are encouraged to establish onsite storage with properly labeled containers compliant with program requirements,” hence the recycling bins placed on many different parts of campus.
“The recycling program accepts plastic, mixed paper, regular paper and cardboard,” Brown said.
The manual contains detailed information on how and what kind of each type of solid waste can be properly recycled. Section four also contains photos of the types of recycling bins on campus, and the equipment and containers that each type of recyclable material is separated and placed into before being transferred to Schnitzer by Advanced Disposal.
For example, when it comes to cardboard, the website states “cardboard consists of brown Kraft paper, corrugated brown paper board, and brown paper boxes. No pizza boxes, cereal, cookie, oatmeal or granola boxes.”
“We get a fairly decent amount of office paper and cardboard . . . plastic, not very much,” Brown said.
Although the Physical Plant has to pay an outside vendor to recycle their materials, Brown said that recycling isn’t done for the money.
“We aren’t concerned about what it costs us to recycle. It's about making our landfills better,” Brown said.
(12/04/16 7:47pm)
In a warehouse space at the edge of downtown Macon sits Ampersand Guild Hall. The bright white door with the bold black brackets and ampersand sign pops out from the street, engaging the curiosity of passersby.
For Mercer student Mahima Sultan, walking through the door of Ampersand Guild Hall was a reassuring experience. Sultan, an art and music lover and writer, said she felt as though she had found a new place to express herself.
[pullquote speaker="Mahima Sultan" photo="" align="left" background="on" border="none" shadow="off"]When I walked in here, I just knew that this is where I belonged, and Mercer and Macon was the perfect place for me.[/pullquote]
"When I walked in here, I just knew that this is where I belonged, and Mercer and Macon was the perfect place for me,” Sutan said.
Ampersand Guild Hall first opened its doors at 503 5th St. almost five months ago on June 25. The guild is a creative, artist-run space, started by artists Becca and Gabriel “G.K.” Balmes.
The space is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and provides a basic cafe with a simple and small menu. Some of the different drinks served either iced or hot include coffee, tea, handcrafted soda, cafe au lait, chai lattes, Mayan hot chocolate and cinnamon roasted pecan cafe au lait.
It also includes studios for painting and digital arts, a stage area and a lounge area. The lounge area and cafe are open to the public while the studios are reserved for members of the guild.
Guild members pay a monthly fee of $12-38 to use the studios to take classes and have other events with fellow members. Ampersand Guild currently has over 150 members.
Artforms for sale include jewelry and other goods made by the members, paintings turned into greeting cards and photographs. The hall also features three main panels on the wall that display artists’ work including paintings, drawings and other mediums.
The featured artwork is switched out monthly, and G.K. said December’s featured work will have a community involvement aspect to it. Two of the panels will feature artwork from two members of the Guild as usual, but the third panel will be an installation that leads to the creation of a rug.
“We are going to invite everyone to come in and add something to it, so when it’s done, it will have been a community project,” G.K. said. “We’re going to actually place it as a rug in the guild hall when it’s finished.”
G.K. said the inspiration for the featured artwork for December is the diversity among artists at the hall. G.K. said the guild members include painters, illustrators, actors, writers, musicians, graphic designers, photographers and fiber artists.
“It’s from campus. It’s downtown. It’s Northside. It’s Eastside. It’s Warner Robins. It’s Forsyth. Everybody is coming together,” he said.
By having such an assortment of artists, the Guild Hall is able to host many different events like open mic nights, arm weaving workshops, music and art lessons and photography sessions. At least one session is held almost everyday at the Guild Hall, with many days having several different events. The schedule of locations and events can be found at the Guild Hall or online at ampersandguild.com/calendar.
[pullquote speaker="G.K. Balmes" photo="" align="right" background="on" border="none" shadow="off"]We’re only limited to whatever we limit ourselves to.[/pullquote]“We’re only limited to whatever we limit ourselves to,” G.K. said.
G.K. said that he and his wife were inspired to open the Guild Hall because they were looking for a space like it, but Macon didn’t have one. Both are artists of several flavors and had planned on opening a gallery before the idea of the Guild Hall came to mind.
“We were looking for this sort of artist neighborhood, looking for where people could go to connect with artists, where there was a place where you could work, a place where you could meet that was kind of like a home base.”
In the time Sultan spent there during her first visit, she was able to connect with the artwork from the different artists, test out the Mayan hot chocolate and witness a session with a local photographer. She said the space definitely achieved the goal of being a place where people could connect with artists.
“Seeing people create art makes me want to create art and write more and become more of myself. In that way, I think this a place where you can find something and get inspired,” Sultan said. “I would recommend anybody to come here because it’s beautiful and awesome.”
(11/09/16 10:49pm)
The Mac Party that was rescheduled from its previous date in early October is taking place Nov. 11.
Scotty Rainwater provided a glimpse at the list of restaurants, businesses and activities that students will be able to explore at Rosa Parks Square during the event.
“Dough Boy’s Pizza is coming, and they are bringing bite-sized pizza things for us,” Rainwater said.
He also said that Just Tap’d, Bear’s Den, Francar’s and Marble Slab Ice Cream will be contributing food and drink samples.
Businesses at the event will include Hometown Yoga and Academy Sports + Outdoors. Rainwater said that students can enter a raffle for a chance to win a gift card to Academy.
Other local shopping options include Pink Chief and Karats and Keepsakes.
A few of Macon’s volunteer organizations, including Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia and Rebuilding Macon, will be providing students with information on how to get involved with them, Rainwater said.
Music entertainment for the night will feature DJ Kevin Nichols. Nichols is a part of the DKH Entertainment Group, who according to their website, provides the Southeast with “quality Disc Jockey, Photo Booths and Lighting design.”
Students will also be able to participate with Stunt Jumps.
“If you’re not familiar with it [Stunt Jumps], it’s where you climb up this two story ladder thing and then you jump off of it into this giant air pillow,” said Rainwater.“It’s a lot of fun.”
Another special form of entertainment that students will be able to participate in is the chance to be hypnotized. Quadworks has recruited a hypnotist, Matt Grisham, for the event.
According to his Facebook page, Grisham, has won many awards as a magician and hypnotist, while performing at different venues all over the country. “His shows feature a unique blend of sarcastic humor, wit, and mind-blowing stunts.”
Mercer’s clubs and organizations aren’t the only ones contributing to the planning of the event. Wesleyan and Middle Georgia State have also been working to bring businesses and people in.
“It's been a collaborative effort,” Rainwater said. Mercer’s Student Government Association, Wesleyan's Campus Activities Board and the staff members at each school are responsible for reaching out to the community, since College Hill Alliance has dissolved and is therefore not in charge of the event.
Lauren Buice, a sophomore who attended the Mac Party last year, said she isn’t worried about the Mac Party not being run by College Hill.
“SGA and Quadworks have great relationships with Mercer students and always throw great events, so I do not see how this will be any different,” she said.
Buice also said that she thinks having organizations and staff from the three schools involved in the Mac Party is better because it will “Involve more direct interaction between the businesses and the colleges themselves.”
The way the team goes about contacting the business, restaurants and vendors has a specific process.
“We had a list based on who came last year and just some other ones, [like] new businesses or ones we haven’t reached out to before that might be interested,” Rainwater said.
Those who reach out to businesses will ask if they are willing bring something to give away to the students. Rainwater said that businesses are asked to bring anything from food, prizes, or promotional products to get students interested in their business.
“If they don’t want to give stuff but want to still come and set up a table, that’s fine too,” Rainwater said.
He said this is especially true with the local museums and some of the outdoor recreational trails, like the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail.
“They don’t have anything to necessarily give away but they do have information they can give out to students to use their services,” Rainwater said.
Madilyn Grace Harrell, a freshman, said she’s excited about the Mac Party because it’s “something [different than] sitting in a library.”
She also said she wants to go because it will be a chance to socialize.
“Seeing other people from other college campuses will be nice. I feel like I study a lot and am hard on myself so getting out and going to a party would be nice,” Harrell said. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about it.”
(11/03/16 9:28pm)
Alumni of Mercer University will soon begin making the journey home as homecoming week and weekend kick off on campus.
Homecoming is Nov. 4-6, with the homecoming football game taking place Nov. 5.
The first documented homecoming by The Cluster was November 14, 1924. The article was written by M.C. Townsend and was titled “Mercer Alumni have Returned to Alma Mater.”
The day was called “Homecoming day,” and over 3,000 Mercer alumni were expected to make their journeys back to Mercer.
The Bears played against the University of Florida. A week later in the Nov. 21 edition of The Cluster that Mercer had won the game 10-0. The game was said to have been “one of the greatest games ever witnessed on a local gridiron.”
However, football was not always a part of the homecoming tradition, because the university didn’t even have a football team for over 70 years.
After the 1941 season and at the height of World War II, the Mercer football team was disbanded.
Almost a year later, an article from Oct. 30, 1942 said the “Pan-Hellenic Council, in cooperation with the Greek Letter Association of Macon, decided to continue the tradition of homecoming this year, even though there is not football team on the campus.”
The Nov. 13 edition of The Cluster from 1942 featured an editorial on the front page about complaints given about the celebration still being called “Homecoming.”
It said, “The main objection seems to be in calling it homecoming, when there is no football game, and little chance for any old grads to come ‘home’.”
The editorial went on to say how homecoming in the past had been about more than just a football game. There were parades, dances, and fraternity parties in the past, but most of those events had been canceled as well.
Homecoming 1942 was then asked to be “dedicated to those who can’t come.” The editorial read, “[the alumni] are doing something far more important, and many of us who are now here will be helping them before long.”
The next homecoming in 1943 saw a series of homecoming dances as the spotlight of celebration.
Fast forward to 1949, homecoming day was held on Jan. 29 — as opposed to in the fall in previous years. Festivities included a parade, bonfire and a basketball game against the University of Georgia. This was one of the first years (if not the first) that homecoming at Mercer was highlighted by a basketball game instead of football.
The first homecoming football game was finally held after 72 years on Nov. 23, 2013.
John Russ, who started the homecoming game as a redshirt freshman quarterback in 2013, is now a senior this year. Russ said that homecoming “absolutely” changes the atmosphere of the game.
“It’s changed in the first half especially. I enjoy having students there, and I’m sure the other guys do too.”
Russ pointed out that after halftime and the crowning of homecoming queen and king, the crowd dwindles down. “I wish they’d stay,” he said.
This year’s game is set for 3 p.m. on Nov. 5 against East Tennessee State in Five Star Stadium.
Many students, like senior Victoria Yrizarry, are preparing to experience their last homecoming before they become alumni. Yrizarry took the time to look back on her favorite homecoming memory. Yrizarry is a member of the Mercer Singers, along with a long list of other positions held during her time at Mercer.
During last year’s homecoming, past and current student members of Mercer Singers performed the national anthem at the football game.
“There were people who sang in the choir decades ago and we had the unique chance to make music with them. I remember walking onto the football field as one massive choir and it really made me realize that we are all a part of this amazing Mercer legacy and our love for Mercer will always be something that we have in common,” Yrizarry said.
(10/13/16 2:40pm)
The second annual Mac Party has been rescheduled: the event, which was supposed to take place on Oct. 14, has been moved to Nov. 11.
Scotty Rainwater, assistant director of Campus Life, said this is because Rosa Parks Square, where the event was held last year, was not reserved quickly enough to secure the Oct. 14 date.
He said there then came a debate of whether the date or the location should be changed.
“We decided we really liked the location, so we decided to push it back,” Rainwater said.
Rosa Parks Square is right in the middle of downtown and is a central location for students from Middle Georgia State, Mercer University and Wesleyan College. It is also close to one of Mercer’s trolley stops, which makes it more easily accessible for students traveling between campus and downtown.
The Mac Party is an event started last year by College Hill Alliance to allow students from Middle Georgia State, Mercer University and Wesleyan College to come together and experience downtown Macon.
“Since College Hill has sunsetted, Middle Georgia State, Mercer University and Wesleyan College have taken [Mac Party] on as an event that we would like to continue,” Rainwater said.
Rainwater said that each of the schools has a group of students that are working on different projects for the event.
“At Mercer, the Student Government Association is working on getting businesses to come out, set up tables and give away free food,” he said.
“I think Mac Party is a great way to integrate students into the Macon community and explore many of the different local businesses and vendors that Macon has to offer,” said Elizabeth McKay, SGA president.
Rainwater also said that the Weekends at Mercer committee of Quadworks is working on funding to buy t-shirts and tote bags to give out at the event.
Sam Dunklin, a member of the Weekends at Mercer committee, said, “We hope that students will feel a sense of community in the place they call home away from home and will want to discover more about this historic city once they see all it has to offer.”
Rainwater said this year the Mac Party will be expanded beyond downtown to include all of Macon.
[We want] to just get students engaged and [help them] feel like they are a part of the community,” Rainwater said.
(10/03/16 8:53pm)
Hunger strikes during a midnight study session, and there are no snacks in your room.
The vending machine glares at you from across the room, beckoning for you to come buy a treat. However, you remember you have no cash because you’re a broke college student.
Never fear, you remember that your bear card is here!
You go to the vending machine to purchase your honey bun or trail mix and try to use your bear card.
It doesn’t work.
Ken Boyer, the associate vice president of Auxiliary Services, said this is because even though bear cards allow students to purchase snacks, the new technology, released July 15 of this year, hasn’t been added to all machines yet.
Machines from the Coca-Cola Company are already running and Aux Services hopes to have the snack machines up soon as well, Boyer said.
He explained that the technology was released to Canteen Corporation and Coca Cola through Blackboard and USA Technologies. It works by sending cell signals to transmit the data that allows the machine to take credit and bear cards.
“Before wireless we used to literally have a wire to each individual machine,” Boyer said.
Bear card usage before wireless depended on the construction of the building and sometimes was not practical because of the expense of getting it there.
Boyer explained that the cost of the new technology has come down so much that the plan is to roll it out to all of the machines.
“If you didn't have the wire, it couldn’t talk back to the campus server,” he said. “But this technology will allow us to do a lot more.”
There is no fee to use the bear card on compatible machines. Credit cards have a ten cent surcharge, but it’s not billed to the customer.
“Instead of raising the price of the product in the machine, Five Star Canteen Franchise has the surcharge,” Boyer said. “It charges them 3.8% for every credit card transaction.”
The bear card currently only works for the machines if bear bucks are loaded on the card. This can become a problem for students like pre-med track student Maddie Jean Armona.
“It isn’t convenient unless you’ve put money on your bear card. If I had money on my card then I would use it,” she said. “I just never think to add money to my card.”
However, frequent soda buyer, Eryn Lee, said she thinks it’s really smart to use the bear card.
“It's just more convenient since there are machines everywhere,” Lee said. “You don't have to go run and get a dollar.”
This type of bear card usage for vending machines is only available for the Macon campus.
“If it works well then we will deploy it to other Mercer campuses around the state,” Boyer said.
(09/21/16 12:43pm)
The face minding the net for the Mercer Bears women’s soccer team this season is new, but not unfamiliar.
Cristina Mursuli is Mercer’s new full-time keeper, but she has plenty of experience with the program, including being on the team in 2014 when they brought home a Southern Conference Championship. She has even bigger plans for this year.
“My goal for women’s soccer is to win conference, make it to the conference tournament, win the conference tournament, and make our mark in the NCAA tournament,” she said.
Mursuli has played in 15 games for the Bears from 2013-15, including two starts in 2014. Her career history has included 47 saves, three shutout appearances, and at the end of the 2015 season, she ranked fourth on Mercer’s career goals-against average leaderboard with a 1.59 GAA, according to statistics from Mercer Athletics.
Mursuli is replacing Maggie Cropp, who holds the Southern Conference’s all-time record with a .82 goals-against average. By the time her Mercer career was over, Cropp had posted 14 wins and had five shutouts in two different seasons.
“I definitely have big shoes to fill. We have a new volunteer on staff, Connor Terry, who is just working with us so I think that I’ll get the proper training I need,” Mursuli stated.
During the offseason, Mursuli said that she kept in contact with coaches at her club team, Eclipse, back home in Chicago. She trains with them and does workouts on her own. The whole team also comes to Mercer for a camp where they all work out together in order to prep.
Mursuli ended up over 800 miles from her home after receiving a soccer scholarship from Mercer.
One of the former coaches at her home soccer club, Eclipse, went to college with Mercer women’s soccer head coach Tony Economopoulos.
He traveled to Illinois to watch her play, liked what she was doing and they talked about her possibly going to Mercer. As she said, it all worked out.
Some of Mursuli’s highlights from the 2016 season include a 6-0 shutout against Alabama A&M in which she had four saves and a 4-0 shutout against Presbyterian College.
As a senior, looking back on her past three years with women’s soccer, Mursuli said her best game was when she split halves with Cropp, in the pre-season Auburn game last year. Cropp played the first half, while Mursuli played the second half.
“I kept a shutout and then we ended up winning the game. It was a huge win for us and a good step going forward. It showed that we were ready to go.”
(09/20/16 10:55pm)
Mercer students will have the ability to bowl a strike at a brand new bowling facility beginning in mid-October.
Pin Strikes Macon will be located at 4318 Sheraton Drive, just 13 minutes from campus.
Regional Operations Director of Pin Strikes, Tim Mullen, said it is because “Macon was a good location, had property available, and the area had a need for entertainment.” Sheraton Drive is filled with hotels, restaurants, and is right off I-75, and therefore a good place for entertainment.
Pin Strikes currently has two other locations, in Stockbridge, Georgia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, with Macon becoming the third.
Freshman Kaliya Ware, who was on her high school’s bowling team, is excited about having a familiar place to bowl.
“I like that Mercer will have a Pin Strikes so close to campus because my town has one and it’s really fun,” Ware said.
Ware is from Tennessee and has bowled at the one in her home town of Chattanooga. She frequented Pin Strikes once a month when it first opened to bowl and do the other activities such as laser tag, her favorite.
Pin Strikes Macon will have 28 lanes, eight of them being VIP lanes. Group package deals will be available on the VIP lanes for birthday parties, sports team banquets and other groups such as businesses and companies. The deals range from two hours of bowling with food and drink included, to an hour of bowling and then an hour of any interactive game. Package deals vary in price depending on the event.
Bowling leagues will also be welcome at Pin Strikes, but not during the afternoon. Mullen said this is so families and the community will feel welcome to come in the bowling alley.
Along with the lanes, Pin Strikes will offer a full restaurant/lounge, bar, an outdoor patio, more than 70 arcade games, bumper cars, one of the state’s largest indoor laser tag games, a rock climbing wall and interactive games such as Balladium.
Balladium is a game played with two teams in a black-lit, carpeted arena armed with mounted Ball Blaster Cannons that shoot soft, foam balls.
Students will have the opportunity to visit the facility from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Mullen and Pin Strikes Macon look forward to working with Mercer University, its students and the community.
“I hope that the Macon community will see that this is a good, controlled environment for fun, food, and fellowship. They won’t have to worry about the weather because there will always be 72-degree weather and sunshine,” he said.