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(09/11/18 6:28pm)
Z Beans, a social entrepreneurship company founded by recent Mercer graduate Shane Buerster, now has a physical store in Mercer Village.
The coffee shop replaced Jittery Joe’s and opened on Aug. 27. The line to enter the store spilled onto the sidewalk on opening day.
“Our biggest reasoning behind wanting to open up our own coffee shop is because we have a story to tell, you know, and a story can easily be told through a retail setting,” Buerster said.
The coffee shop imports coffee from Ecuador and offers a choice of coffee from small farmers Milton or Angelino. Milton’s blend has notes of chocolate, and Angelino’s has a floral base.
Pastries, muffins and cheesecakes are offered from Macon area companies, including Bistro To Go.
The menu has a few new options for coffee, most notably the “4 Loco.”
“We pronounce it ‘quatro loco’ so we don’t have a problem with copyright or anything like that, and all that it is just four shots of espresso, and I’ve seen a lot of people get it,” Buerster said.
The new coffee shop is a continuation of the business Jittery Joe’s conducted, Buerster said.
Buerster has partnered with another recent Mercer graduate, Carter Varga, who started working for Buerster as an intern and now works in the retail side of the business.
“Quickly I realized ‘man, this guy cares about Z Beans just as much as I do,’” Buerster said.
He approached Varga about working for him full-time after graduation, and Varga accepted.
“It just all kind of paralleled, and Carter seems to be extremely happy with it,” Buerster said.
Buerster said customers seem satisfied, but there have been some complaints about pricing.
“People need to take into consideration with the pastries and muffins and stuff like that, there's a cost that is to be assumed by us to source everything local,” he said.
Many people were skeptical about Z Beans replacing Jittery Joe’s, but Buerster said the most skeptical were the employees.
All of the employees at Jittery Joe’s were offered jobs with Z Beans, and many asked Buerster questions about the company.
“I respected the heck out of the fact that they had so much intrinsic appreciation for Jittery Joe’s. If they have that for Jittery Joe’s... I feel if I’m transparent and we continue to do things the right way, they can continue to have that same thing about Z Beans,” Buerster said.
Kristen Black is an employee who transitioned from Jittery Joe’s to Z Beans and said she likes the new store.
“I think there’s people that miss Jit Joe’s, but I’m not sure if they’ve come to try Z Beans yet, because I think they would be happy,” Black said. “A lot of the things are similar and also the people that like Z Beans, I think they really like the mission that Carter and Shane have started.”
Hannah Warren, a junior creative writing major, said she was skeptical at first but has come to like Z Beans.
“I went to Jittery Joe’s almost every day last semester,” Warren said.
Warren said she cried when she heard Jittery Joe’s was closing, but was relieved to hear Z Beans was replacing the store.
“I tried Z Beans for the first time last week, and though it’s no Jittery Joe’s, I’ll definitely be back for more cold brew soon,” she said.
Buerster hopes people will let him know what they think.
“If there’s any question regarding a menu, or what we’re doing, or why we’re doing something, please just reach out to me and ask, because if it’s not something that I have thought about then I’ll start thinking about it, and taking it into consideration, and I appreciate all feedback whether its constructive, or a pat on the back.”
(08/30/18 4:00pm)
Maconites drank beer to help raise money for Pints for Prostates, a national campaign aiming to educate men about prostate cancer at The Macon Beer Festival on Aug. 25.
The festival is “a health fair disguised as a beer festival- it’s a party for a cause,” according to the official festival website. Georgia is ranked fourth in the number of prostate cancer cases reported nationwide.
The charity was founded after “beer journalist” Rick Lyle was diagnosed with and defeated prostate cancer, according to the Pints for Prostates website.
The festival will feature local beers and breweries as well as those from other states. The national brand, Sierra Nevada, will also be featured.
Free PSA blood tests will be offered to men age 40 and over.
A PSA test is a blood test evaluating the prostate-specific antigen. Elevated levels of PSA is found in the blood of men with prostate cancer, according to the National Cancer Institutes website.
“Another great thing about the beer is that it doesn't affect the PSA blood test, but it does help grease the wheel to get men to get tested,” Steve Bell, organizer of the festival, said.
Last year the festival gave 35 thousand dollars worth of free blood tests, Bell said.
One in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and in 2017 there were 161,360 new cases, according to the Pints for Prostates website.
Bell organized the Macon Beer Festival after he defeated prostate cancer, and read about Lyle’s Pints for Prostates organization.
“I saw an opportunity to say to people that prostate cancer was not an old man's disease,” Bell said.
The festival offers other events including music, a 5k and a river float.
During the race, children are encouraged to dress up like superheroes to “remind their heroes-Dad, Grandfathers, Uncles, and other males in their life – to not let this villain, Prostate Cancer, get the best of them,” according to the festival website.
A “Virtual Race” will also be offered to enable participants to run and walk a 5k in their own time and at their own location.
“It's an easy way to have people involved in what we do and gives them an opportunity to work around their busy schedules,” Bell said.
Virtual racers will receive a medal in the mail after completion of the race.
When detected early, there is a 100 percent five year survival rate, according to the Pints for Prostates website.
“Men cannot put their heads in the sand when it comes to their health,” Bell said.
(08/15/18 2:09am)
Mercer University Professor of English, 2018 Guggenheim Fellow and Macon-based poet Anya Silver passed away this month from inflammatory breast cancer, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Silver’s academia included topics related to Victorian British literature, women’s literature, poetry and women’s and gender studies, according to her Mercer Women’s and Gender Studies faculty biography.
Silver’s battle with breast cancer began in 2004 and was in remission until the cancer returned in 2010, according to a WMAZ article.
The returning battle with cancer while being pregnant became the subject of Silver’s second of four books of poetry, “I Watched You Disappear,” published in 2014.
Silver’s poems about cancer were “lyrical verse that gave readers an exquisite, intimate and sometimes angry account of her illness,” according to an obituary by the New York Times.
Along with her poetry, Silver authored several books and essays, including “Victorian Literature and the Anorexic Body” and “The Ninety Third Name of God.”
Amber Jablonki, a junior psychology major, took Silver’s Introduction to Poetry class in fall 2017.
“She always challenged her students to look at life through different perspectives,” Jablonski said. “She always made a point to talk out about the injustices of the world.”
Walker Gibbons, a sophomore computer science major, was in Silver’s Integrative Studies 101 class, Understanding Self and Others.
“She was a wonderful person and professor,” Gibbons said. “One of the most powerful people and most impactful professors I’ve ever had.”
Silver was married to another Mercer University English professor, Andrew Silver.
“Irrepressible spirit, be free. The world is cracked open, your light spilling everywhere but here, where I held you every day and every night,” Andrew Silver wrote on his Facebook page over a photo of his wife, her arms flung wide as she smiles standing in a wave on the beach.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article stated that Anya Silver lost her battle with cancer. The Cluster has since been informed that Silver rejected the phrase "lost battle" in reference to her illness. To respect her wishes, we have changed the headline and caption on the photograph.
(08/14/18 2:47am)
Mercer University will relocate undergraduate commencement ceremonies from Hawkins Arena to Five Star Stadium this year due to increased class size.
Instead of the usual starting time of Saturday at 3:30 p.m., commencement will now take place at 8:15 a.m. Monday, May 13.
“For several years now we have been holding a morning commencement on the Atlanta campus that draws 9,000 participants, so we have experience staging large outdoor ceremonies,” Larry Brumley, senior vice president for marketing communications & Mercer chief of staff, said in an email.
Changing the time of the ceremony to the early morning was in order to avoid thunderstorms and combat the heat, Brumley said.
The change of location will also allow students to invite eight to 10 guests to attend commencement.
Parking will remain in the same location, and guests will not have assigned seating.
“Mercer is following the practice of many other prestigious institutions that hold outdoor ceremonies, including Emory University and the University of Georgia,” Brumley said.
The decision was made “based on input from students and after considering a variety of scenarios,” according to an email from Provost David Scott Davis.
For Arlette Hernandez, a senior global health studies major, the change means her eight to 10 seats will be empty as she receives her degree.
“I’m sure a lot of other students have parents who work regular full-time jobs who do not have the income or ability to take a day off work,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez’s parents both work full-time jobs, Monday through Friday. Mercer’s commencement has typically been held on Saturdays.
“Instead of being able to celebrate with my parents, I will be alone when your graduation should be a time celebrating with your family, especially since they helped you so much along the way,” Hernandez said.
Clark Myers, a senior biology major, welcomes the change and ability to invite more guests.
“One of the most stressful parts of graduation that students face is trying to find additional tickets beyond the few they are given, or try to figure out who is going to get left out,” Myers said.
The decision was “not arrived at lightly,” Brumley said. “There is no perfect date or time that will accommodate everyone’s preferences.”
(04/22/18 9:00pm)
The Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the year is seemingly lacking luster.
Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad” disregards the title of the book for most of the plot, as well as creating immense confusion with vast plot holes between chapters.
“The Underground Railroad” details a young slave named Cora and her adventurous escape from a plantation in Georgia. Cora utilizes the Underground Railroad during her escape. In the book, the underground railroad is an actual system of locomotives underneath the ground.
Cora spends more time off of the railways than on. After traveling one stop to South Carolina for several months, she takes the railroad to North Carolina and ends up in Tennessee and Indiana. However, Cora does not travel to Tennessee on the railroad. When she travels to Indiana, there is a minute mention of it. There is more focus on Cora’s potential suitors than the railroad.
The chapter flow of Whitehead’s story is quite jumpy. One chapter finishes with Cora arriving in South Carolina, and the next jumps to a focus on a character absent from the preceding chapter. The reader often needs to get their bearings due to the drastic shift because some of these chapters are unnecessary.
There is one chapter on Ethel, the wife of an underground railroad conspirer. This chapter details Ethel’s childhood dream of “delivering savages to the light.” The plot of the novel gains little from the explanation behind Ethel’s life-long angst. Frequently, these chapters begin in lackluster ways.
The chapter entitled “Ridgeway” begins with the snooze-fest of a sentence: “Arnold Ridgeway’s father was a blacksmith.” These jumpy, pointless chapters and boring lead sentences hinder the quality of Whitehead’s novel.
Whitehead does craft some dimension to Cora’s character. Amongst a seemingly magical group of fake characters, Cora has some depth. At a young age Cora is stigmatized on the farm due to the behaviors and actions of her mother and grandmother. Cora fends for herself on the plantation amidst enormous alienation. The stigma she wore for so long shapes her throughout the story often showing her inner voice and thought process.
Cora also receives dimension through her previous traumas. Cora has bad flashbacks and associations, when reminded of the atrocities of the plantation. The haunting of her former life makes Cora seem real. Some of the written traumas are purely for shock value. However, Cora has tangible phantoms, some of which modern day readers unfortunately can connect with.
The novel seems to be a highly exaggerated account of an escaped slave. There are too many times when Cora gets lucky or has a good break, that it borders on sci-fi. The execution of the plot is poorly constructed.
The concept of the Underground Railroad being a railroad is phenomenal. However, Whitehead ignores what makes his book special. The plot lacks climax and ends as a story continuing on. The plot idea is worthy of a Pulitzer; however, the construction is not.
(04/16/18 11:26pm)
A former Mercer University adjunct professor was arrested April 14 on charges of simple battery, according to the Bibb County Jail inmate information system.
The arrest came after Judy Tucker allegedly had an altercation at Cheddars on Riverside Drive with two female soldiers over a handicapped parking space, according to WMAZ.
Tucker’s son, Robbie called the two soldiers “black lesbian b*****s,” according to reporting from WMAZ.
A video obtained by 11Alive shows Tucker snatching at the soldiers’ phones, saying “Don’t you take a picture of me. You do not have the right to take a picture of me.”
In the video, one soldier can be heard replying to Tucker saying, “I’m pregnant.”
In the fall semester of 2017, Tucker taught “Fundamentals of Design and Color” at Mercer University.
Tucker is no longer employed by the university, according to Kyle Sears, Director of Media Relations at Mercer University.
“She has occasionally taught an art class in the past, but will not be teaching at Mercer in the future,” Sears said.
(03/27/18 4:00pm)
Adam Penland, current sophomore and class president and Shruthi Vikraman, current junior and senator at large, built their platform on three main themes; funding, registration and transparency.
Funding
For funding Penland-Vikraman plan to re-allocate $8,000 to the Fiscal Affairs Committee budget according to their platform.
The duo also plans to speak to Board of Appropriations to ask for a 15% increase in SGA’s budget.
The larger budget aims to give more funding to student organizations.
“We approve between 8 to 12 new organizations a year yet our budget never seems to increase, well that’s a problem,” Penland said.
Penland-Vikraman also have an alternative plan in case they do not receive the budget increase from the Board of Appropriations.
“We’ve reallocated $8,000 to the fiscal affairs committee so they would have over $102,000 to give back to student organizations,” Penland said.
The $8,000 is money SGA already has.
“That's just from internal discretionary funds that we’ve allocated towards the committees that already are implemented in SGA,” Vikraman said.
Registration
According to the platform, Penland-Vikraman plan to “bring our campus’ brightest tech minds and policy makers together into the same room to formulate a solution.”
According to the platform, these minds include the Mercer IT department, members of the computer science department, SGA and university administration.
Transparency
A renewed focus on transparency comes from to students feeling a barrier with the organization according to Penland-Vikraman’s Facebook page.
“When I’ve talked to different people they’ve asked me ‘cool you know you’re a senator, but we don’t really know what you do,” Vikraman said.
Vikraman plans to give students a more transparent view of SGA and make the organization more accessible to the student body with Senate meetings on Cruz Plaza and live streams of the meetings as well.
“Those are not the only issues we will tackle,” Vikraman said.
The Penland-Vikraman platform also includes changes to campus dining services, including new vegan and vegetarian options.
One planned way to implement this change is by adding to the menus at Chick-Fil-A and Panda Express.
Planned items at Chick-Fil-A include The Superfood side, salads with beans and corn substitutes and plain biscuits. Eggplant tofu would be included at Panda Express.
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Another issue the campaign plans to tackle is housing. Penland-Vikraman plan to refurbish and update Garden, Adams/Winship and International House apartments.
According to the email, the planned refurbishments include exterminating mold and fungal growth.
They also aim to create better communication and transparency with the student body and residence life office.
Penland-Vikraman also have plans to tackle campus parking issues by “advocating to bring back plans for new parking deck” and to “limit parking areas that are closed-off during game days.”
“We want to represent student concerns no matter what it may be, no matter how small it is, no matter how big it is on campus,” Penland said.
More information and the Penland-Vikraman full platform can be found here.
Voting
Voting will take place March 28-29.
(03/20/18 2:37pm)
Parades are float after float of colorful decorations. There are Christmas parades, St. Patrick’s Day parades and Macon even has its own Cherry Blossom Parade. In Middle Georgia, one man constructs these floats for a living.
For Kip Dingler, building parade floats is in his blood.
“This was my dad’s business, he started in the mid 50’s and of course passed away. Jan. 1 of 1981 I just took over,” Dingler said, seated on a Cherry Blossom float in his Bolingbroke warehouse.
Dingler has worked as a float builder for 36 years. His family settled in the Middle Georgia area after his father’s 15-year career in the circus.
Originally, Dingler had no interest in the family business. He attended the University of Florida, where he received a scholarship for pole vaulting, and intended to work as a track and field coach, according to his website.
After Dingler’s father passed away, he returned to the float building life.
“I had other aspirations, but after he passed away, my mom asked me to try it just for a little while and see if i’d like it,” Dingler said. “I have grown to love it.”
One reason Dingler loves float building is because it allows him to spend time with his daughter, Carson, a competitive pole vaulter herself.
“When she was growing up, we traveled all over the United States. We’ve been to Germany, Poland and South America for her pole vaulting,” Dingler said.
Most of Dingler’s workflow occurs in October, November and December. Lately, Dingler said he has been working on St. Patrick’s Day floats as well as floats for the Cherry Blossom Festival.
“I’ll probably sleep 15 hours for the week, but next week, I have nothing to do. In fact, we’re going to Texas to see Carson,” he said.
The floats are constructed from farm wagons, and then the sponsor can select what basic design or theme they would like, Dingler said.
Dingler’s large float and supply warehouse includes a giant dragon, a spinning world, reindeer Dingler’s father made, as well as a velociraptor. The numerous props Dingler owns have overflowed his warehouse, causing him to fill a cargo container in addition to his space.
Dingler purchases some props, but he said he also makes some by hand using paper maché. One example is a mouse riding a unicycle that has a spinning globe and uses a hidden mechanical component.
Dingler’s floats cost $800 to rent while custom designed floats start at $6,500.
If you’ve attended the Macon Cherry Blossom Festival, then you have seen Dingler’s work. Since he took over the business, Dingler said he has had floats in the parade every year.
Dingler is now the “certified” float builder for the festival, according to the Cherry Blossom Festival Website.
“We are proud to have his talents represented in our parade,” Hannah Moore, marketing and sponsorship coordinator for the Cherry Blossom Festival said. “He and his talents are well-known in Macon, so it was a perfect match.”
After making almost half a million parade floats, Dingler said he hopes to retire soon, but he said he has enjoyed his time as Middle Georgia’s float builder and the life it has given him.
“I do (it). I like the challenge,” Dingler said.
Editor's note 4/4/2018: This story previously featured a photograph of the float for Alexander II. However, this float was not constructed by Dingler-- it was constructed by Alexander II -- so we have replaced the featured image with a float that was constructed by Dingler.
(02/26/18 1:18pm)
The Student Government Association is holding a free social for students who may be interested in the way the Student Government Association functions and its upcoming election process.
The social will be held on Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. in the Connell Student Center, conference room three.
Senators will be available to speak with students and there is a possibility of light refreshments.
In addition there will be an informal panel according to Faiz Aly, the chairman of public relations and elections for SGA.
“This will be very discussion based and no formalities,” Aly said.
SGA encourages all students to attend.
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“Any Mercer student should seriously consider attending if they want to be part of Senate and speak on the student body’s behalf in all areas of campus life,” Aly said in an email.
Olivia Buckner, President of SGA, said the social functions as a way for all students to ask any question they may have about SGA.
“This is going to be a casual get together, so to speak, for any concerns that can be raised,” Buckner said in an email.
This event was held last year, but was moved earlier to help inform students about SGA and the election process. Last year’s event broke attendance records, according to Buckner.
One of the reasons SGA holds this social is because the information needed to run a successful campaign may not be available otherwise.
“We will also go over the process of how to prep for the presidential and senatorial elections that will begin very soon.”
The event was not in existence when Aly and Buckner both ran as freshmen.
“I totally forgot to campaign,” said Aly about his first election process.
For presidential and vice presidential elections, the deadline to qualify is March 14, with the election on March 27 and 28.
The general elections date to qualify is March 29, with elections on April 3 and 4. These dates are subject to change, depending on a run off election.
“The purpose is for students to come and voice their concerns to senators, so I hope they talk,” Buckner said.
(11/02/17 5:55pm)
When people think of Girl Scouts, they think of cookies. Their stomach grumbles, thinking of the delicious mint-chocolate flavor of a Thin Mint on their tongue. A Samoas’ caramel coconut scent fills their nose, but they do not think of the girls and women empowered by those cookies.
My mother forced me to join the Girl Scouts 15 years ago. I was a shy, scared 5-year-old who never spoke to my peers, or raised my hand in class. I was the youngest child in my neighborhood so when the older girls would come to our door to sell cookies, I would stand behind my mother’s legs and ogle their khaki vests, covered proudly in pins and badges.
After my first Daisy Girl Scout meeting, I was excited. I was proud to be a Girl Scout. At the end of the Scouting year I was no longer nervous. I would raise my hand, ask questions and participate. I introduced myself to people in the checkout line at the grocery store. I did not know it then, but I was feeling empowered.
As I grew older my Girl Scout experience enabled me to sing, dance and speak in front of crowds as large as 5,000. I gained the ability to lead girls who were older and younger than me through programs and tours. I traveled to Washington D.C, flew a plane, volunteered, camped, shot a gun and lead several camps for other girls. Even my first job was through Girl Scouts as a tour and program guide at the Girl Scout First Headquarters museum.
On Oct. 11, 2017, the International Day of The Girl, The Boy Scouts of America announced girls would be able to join Boy Scouts. When I read the numerous articles, I felt like I had been slapped in the face.
The Boy Scouts of America’s decision results from a lack of direction from the national office. Instead of changing the program and focusing on the many problems the Boy Scouts already face, they are deciding to avoid the issues by creating even more problems.
There is no need for the Boy Scouts to include girls. Girl Scouting already exists for us. Besides, there are already girls in Boy Scouting in the form of additional programs like Venture Scouts and Sea Scouts. Girls are able to join these crews and there is a way for girls to be involved.
Part of the Boy Scouts argument is that now “Scouting will be available for the whole family.” Scouting is already available for the whole family. Boys, and some girls, can go to Boy Scouting or Venture. All Girls can go to Girl Scouting. This comment is a blatant insult to the Girl Scout Movement.
When Robert Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scouts in England in 1910, he hadn’t expected the numerous amounts girls to secretly join. In response, he asked his sister Agnes to help him with a solution. Agnes and Juliette Gordon Low helped to found Girl Guiding. Low returned to her home in Savannah, Georgia and founded the Girl Scouts. Needless to say, neither founder would be happy with today’s decision.
But, Girl Scouting and Boy Scouting has always differed. Low wanted girls to have skills. In the early 1910’s the girls learned knots, Morse code, first aide and riflery.
Girls started to learn skills that would better enable them to enter the workforce. During the Space Race, girls visited NASA. Martin Luther King Jr. called the Girl Scouts “A force for desegregation.”
They assisted with Army recruit training, and now there is a concentration on STEM badges. With these diverse opportunities, Girl Scouts wants to make sure that every girl can achieve her dreams.
But many still complain that Girl Scouts don’t do what the Boy Scouts do. Personally, this confuses me.
I was a member of Troop 30519, in Historic Georgia Council. We would tell our troop leader what we wanted to do, we camped when we wanted to camp, and I have friends who hiked part of the Appalachian Trail with their troops.
Even from the very beginning, Low always stressed the importance of doing what the individual girls said they wanted to do.
When people complain that they “did not do the same activities as the Boy Scouts,” it is often seen that Girl Scouts do not partake in the same sort of “high adventure” as the Boy Scouts. If that is what a former member wished to do, then they should have voiced their wishes.
With the new inclusion, girls will be able to earn the Eagle Scout award by 2019, but Girl Scouting already has an equivalent honor , the Gold Award. It is just as prestigious as the Eagle Award and requires a number of prerequisites before creating and completing an 80-hour sustainable project. Both the Eagle and Gold are recognized in the same ways by the government. If you earn either one, you’re automatically a rank—and pay grade—above in the military.
Perhaps if the Gold Award was as well known as the Eagle Scout Award, then there would be no need for girls to earn an Eagle, and there would be even less of a reason for girls to join the Boy Scouts.
The Boy Scouts are running away from their problems. The official Girl Scout statement said, “The Boy Scout’s house is on fire,” and I wholeheartedly agree.
The organization has countless issues with sexual assault and finance management that they do not seem to be concerned with fixing, nor are they focusing on recruiting the other 90% of American boys not involved with Boy Scouting.
In an effort to combat declining membership numbers, the organization decided to allow homosexual scouts in 2013.
This sudden decision to allow girls is just another attempt to reverse the declining membership numbers. By widening their audience they are allowing this “house fire” to grow even larger and to spread, which isn’t good for boys or girls.
(10/02/17 2:12pm)
Like most universities, Mercer University requires students to take a religion course. However, the selection of courses at Mercer are miniscule and seem to be less diverse than most other course catalogs.
Mercer offers six classes to fulfill the required religion section; English 225, Philosophy 240, Religion 110, 130, 150, 170. Only one of these course descriptions, English 225, does not state that the course focuses on Christianity or the roots of Christianity.
At a university that is rated “above average” for diversity by collegefactual.com, should we not have more diverse religion courses?
The University of Georgia offers “Any courses taught from or cross-listed with Art History (ARHI), Religion (RELI), ARTS or Philosophy (PHIL)” according to the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences website. In addition to these classes there are 97 other classes that are eligible to fulfil this requirement.
These classes include interesting and diverse topics such as “Dance History,” and “African Cinema.” However the University of Georgia is not only a state school, but is bigger than Mercer, and therefore able to offer more classes.
A private, smaller school such as Brenau University has more in common with Mercer. Brenau actually does not require a religion course at all. Middle Georgia State University, a college very close to Mercer does not require religion classes either. Even Wesleyan College, a private Methodist-affiliated women’s college does not require a religion course.
Is it time for Mercer to drift away from required religion classes? Most students complain and gripe about their classes, and personally I’ve never encountered anyone excited to attend their religion course.
Mercer also needs to step away from the concentration on Christianity. Every course seems to touch on Judaism, mainly due to the commonality of the Old Testament and Abraham with Christianity. “Why Religion Matters” looks at the start of all religions in the world, but still focuses on Judaism and Christianity very heavily. There are several classes that focus just on Christianity.
At the beginning of July 2016, the department changed from Christianity to Religion. However there are still only five courses not primarily focused on Christianity. The Mercer “Religion” department still seems to be a “Christianity” department. Why isn’t there a class concentrated on Hinduism? There is plenty to read and analyze from the Vedas and Upanishads.
How crucial is a religion course? Most students won’t need to know about Abraham or Moses. When will I ever be grateful for having read the Old Testament? Perhaps a course on dealing with cultural differences, or better living would better help students more. I would rather learn about wellness, healthy eating, cooking or general life skills than be studying religious texts.
Tradition is a big part of life at Mercer. Mercer started as a Baptist school and still holds onto some old Baptist traditions. With changing times and changing students, it is time to rewrite this Mercer tradition.
(05/08/17 1:50pm)
Ellen Gilchrist was awarded Mercer’s Sidney Lanier Prize for Southern Writing on April 22.
The prize is awarded in recognition of a “significant career contribution to southern writing,” according to the Mercer Southern Studies website. Past recipients include Ernest Gaines and Spencer B. King Jr.
Gilchrist has a career spanning seven decades and has focused her writing on “her life, the lives of Southern women and the changing South,” said David Davis, chair of the Sidney Lanier Prize Committee. At the award ceremony Davis described Gilchrist as having a “Kaleidoscopic vision of the South.”
Davis also described Gilchrist’s writing as peeling away the “gentile veneer of the South.”
Gilchrist was born in Mississippi and has written 23 books in genres including poetry, short stories and fiction. She was first published in 1981 with her book titled “The Land Surveyor’s Daughter.” Her latest book, published in 2016, is a collection of autobiographical essays titled “Things like the Truth: Out of My Later Years.”
At the award ceremony Gilchrist received a large bronze medallion from Davis.
“I can put that with the only time I ran a marathon,” she said while getting the award. “I am honored to be here. I don’t know how many ways to say that.”
After receiving the award Gilchrist read her short story “Revenge,” which is about a young girl named Rhoda who wants to pole vault like her brothers and cousins.
“You can get revenge through writing,” Gilchrist said before beginning her story.
She also gave writers advice.
“Don’t dream it. It’s as simple as walking down a tree-lined street,” she said. “The more you write, the more you know.”
Gilchrist thanked the audience for the “pleasure of [their] company.”
After the ceremony and reading, Gilchrist signed books.
(04/19/17 7:36pm)
Artists will compete against each other by creating chalk murals along the sidewalks in Tattnall Square Park, April 29th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This event was originally scheduled for March 18, but was cancelled because it started to rain on the artwork. “Ironically, the remainder of the day was beautiful” stated Macon-Bibb Parks and Recreation Department representative Dominique Lewis, in an email.
Admission is free for all spectators. For artists who wish to compete, it is $5 per sidewalk square for kids age 7 to 13. For older competitors, the fee is $10 for a square, according to the online flyer.
If an artist chooses to work with a partner, then that partner must also pay for registration fee and will receive a box of chalk. Registration opens at 9 a.m. on the day of the event, but you can register early in the Recreation Administrative Office at 150 Willie Smokie Glover Drive. There are currently 5 artists registered.
The spaces are 4’ by 4’. All artists must remain in the boundaries of their space and may not touch any artwork other than their own.
One box of chalk, containing 30 pieces, will be given to every artist upon registration. Additional boxes can be purchased for $5, according to the event page on Facebook. Other tools, such as “water, paint brushes, blending nibs and additional chalk” are allowed.
The subject material of the art may not pertain to “religious, moral, political or controversial opinions,” according to the event page. “Commercial advertising messages, business logos and alcohol/tobacco themes” will also not be allowed. Due to the event being a family friendly event, “nudity, vulgar or explicit language or expression” is also not permitted in the artwork.
There will be prizes for first, second and third place in the categories of kids, high school, college and professional. Judging will occur at 2 p.m., with awards distributed in the pavilion at 3 p.m.
This is the second time this event has been hosted and is an annual event. It was created by the Macon-Bibb Parks and Recreation and is sponsored by The Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences, Spark Macon, The Creative Alternative and The Ampersand.
Freshman finance major Logan Culver said that the festival would be “something cool to see.” “It’s something that would be easy to mess up,” Culver said.
Bailey Noon, a junior public health major, said she would be interested in the artwork and that it is a very hard task to accomplish. “It must be super hard. I can’t even draw a stick figure!” Noon said.
(03/18/17 7:49pm)
Betty Cantrell and Jonathan Wyndham are two southern artists who have recorded new songs to help restore the historic Capricorn Studios.
Former Miss America and Mercerian Betty Cantrell recorded a cover of Ray Charles’ “Georgia on My Mind.” Jonathan Wyndham, a South Carolina native who was featured on The Voice, recorded a cover of The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See.”
These artists became the first to record at Capricorn Studios since the building was donated to Mercer last fall. The producer of the recordings was Grammy-nominated Mercer alumnus Steve Ivey, who reached out to both artists for their assistance.
Cantrell and Wyndham followed in the footsteps of famous bands like the Allman Brothers Band and the Marshall Tucker Band. Both of these groups recorded in Capricorn Studios, which is credited as the “birthplace” of Southern Rock.
Both singers said they were excited to help.
“It was such an honor to record where the Allman Brothers and so many others have recorded their music.” Cantrell said in an email. “As an up-and-coming country music singer, I was thrilled to stand where such famous and accomplished artists have stood.”
Wyndham, who grew up on the Allman Brothers and The Marshall Tucker Band, said “it was a blast” to record “one of my favorite songs.” Wyndham cut the song using Dwayne Allman’s 1957 Goldtop Les Paul that Allman recorded the first Allman Brothers album with.
The artists were joined by former Capricorn musicians Paul Hornsby and Leroy Wilson, who performed with the Marshall Tucker Band. They were also joined by radio personality Charles Davis, and local music producer Rob Evans.
Both songs are available for purchase on iTunes and can be found under the name of the artists or under “Save Capricorn.”
The profits from both the songs will go towards the “Save Capricorn” fund, which was created by Mercer University through a partnership with Newtown Macon, Sierra Development, Southern Pine Plantations and Piedmont Construction. All proceeds will help build lofts and renovate the studio, which will be used by the university.
A representative from the Office for University Advancement, Larry Brumley, said in a phone interview, “Students will have the opportunity to work in the studios and even have internships there.” The studio will also feature offices for “music-related businesses such as MaconPops,” and 13 practice rooms offered for musicians to rent for the month.There will also be a venue for concerts and a mini museum on the history of Macon and music in Macon.
“Capricorn Studios will become a vibrant music center,” said Brumley. “Construction will be done in about 12-18 months.”
Mercer is also helping to raise money for the “Save Capricorn” fund. Mercer has committed to raising an additional 1 million dollars. This will be funded primarily through donations, which can be made at www.savecapricorn.com.
There are opportunities to name various parts of the studios if you donate. These opportunities include the ability to name instruments, recording rooms, stages and equipment. These donations start at a minimum of $15,000.
Capricorn Studios is now part of the “largest market-rate residential development in the history of downtown Macon,” according to a Mercer University press release.
(03/16/17 1:11pm)
The music of W.A. Mozart, Kalevi Aho and Johannes Brahms will be performed on March 21 as part of Mercer’s ongoing Fabian Concert Series.
The evening’s ensemble will feature Osmo Vanska, the conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra, on clarinet, Minnesota Orchestra concertmaster Erin Keefe, and Mercer faculty members Amy Moretti, Elizabeth Pridgen and Becca Albers — a violinist, pianist and violist, respectively. Together the ensemble will play the Brahms Clarinet Quintet.
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Mercer sophomore cellist Atticus Mellor-Goldman will also play as part of the program.
Vanska and Keefe will perform a piece written especially for them by Finnish composer Kalevi Aho.
Amy Schwartz Moretti, who will be playing Mozart’s “Duo for Violin and Viola in B Flat” with Albers, stated in an email that the concert “promises to be a lovely evening.”
The concert will be recorded by Performance Today, the most listened-to classical music radio program in the United States. The program has an audience of 1.5 million.
The host of Performance Today, Fred Child, will be present as the event’s emcee.
There will also be two master classes preceding the concert, which will both be free and open to the public. A master class with Vanska will take place at 4:00 p.m. on March 20 in the Bell House Salon. Another master class will be taught by Erin Keefe on March 21 at 4:00 p.m., also in the Bell House Salon.
This concert is free to all Mercer students and $15 for members of the public. It will take place in the Townsend School of Music’s Fickling Hall at 7:30 p.m.
(02/22/17 9:26pm)
After Nancy Grace’s Founder’s Day speech on Feb. 8, Student Government Association President Elizabeth McKay announced a new Mercer tradition: a student speaker at graduation.
”No one can better relate to the class than someone that is graduating with them,” said McKay.
The idea was brought forth by a student and received “positive feedback from students and President Underwood,” McKay said.
Senior and global health major Andrew Hearn agrees.
“I think student speakers have the potential to keep graduation lively with a familiar face you frequently pass on Cruz Plaza,” Hearn said in an email.
Hearn also wrote that having a student speak at convocation will “communicate that new Mercer graduates have thoughts worth listening to.”
Applications to speak at commencement were sent out the week Feb. 13 and are to be sent to Dean Hammond. The application includes some short questions including why the student wishes to speak. Applicants will also have to submit a general outline of what they wish to say.
The speaker will be selected by three faculty members and three senior students. They will examine the applicants and select someone who will not only be well spoken but also has “a compelling message or story to share with their fellow peers.”
When this idea was brought forward it was noted that students did not wish to add to the length of commencement. The additional speaker will speak for three to four minutes, which will be “enough time to add that personal touch to the ceremony without dramatically increasing the length” McKay wrote.
The application was attached to an email sent to all seniors by the Senior Class President, Millie Smith. The application is due by Feb. 28 at 5 p.m.
(11/18/16 2:04am)
Darby Rich’s cheerleading career of nine years is drawing to a close.
Rich started cheerleading in seventh grade after quitting gymnastics. “The next logical step to keep up my skills was to participate in cheerleading,” Rich said.
Rich has been a cheerleader at Mercer for four years and says she has loved her time cheering.
Rich says that cheerleading helps her “combat the stresses of school.” Rich is very involved with Mercer, being on the orientation team, cheerleading and school work.
Rich’s coach, Penny Pitts, said that she is “an impeccable cheerleader,” and known for “being the girl that walks all the way across the basketball court on her hands during time outs.”
Rich’s favorite part about being on the cheer squad is being the motivator when Mercer is on the “cusp of a win.”
The cheerleading team travels with the football team to most SoCon games as well as cheering the Bears here at home. The team also attends every home basketball game and attends some soccer and volleyball games. The cheerleaders also make special appearances at events for Mercer, and may even travel to the NCA Nationals Cheer Competition this year.
“I really like keeping the spirit,” she said. “It’s really important to Mercer’s atmosphere.”
Coach Pitts says Rich “has a passion for promoting the whole Mercer experience.”
Rich’s favorite memory of being a cheerleader here at Mercer was being one of three freshmen to cheer at the Duke game.
“I’ve put so much hard work into it. Being a senior and a captain . . . it’s just . . . sad.” Rich said when asked if she would miss cheerleading. “But, it’ll be good to see what sort of legacy I leave.”
(10/19/16 12:40am)
Justin Hanson, a sophomore on the Mercer cross country team, has made a strong return after suffering several injuries.
Last year, Hanson rolled both ankles in one race, and this year suffered from tendonitis in one knee. Hanson said that these injuries have given him a “mental setback.”
“You have to deal with not practicing with the team which is very hard,” he said.
Hanson said that one of his favorite things about cross country is the “team aspect.”
“There's a huge sense of camaraderie. Everyone knows everyone hurts. You really rely on your teammates for support,” he said.
Friends are the reason Hanson joined cross country in the first place. Hanson joined in 8th grade because two of his best friends were in cross country and he wanted to hang out with them.
“I realized that I wasn’t that bad, and I kept going in high school until it dawned on me, I might be able to in college.”
Hanson enjoys running, especially the “mental reset” it gives him.
“If you’re in a sport like running, it’s because you love it,” he said.
Hanson’s coach, Ryan Bailey, said one of the most impressive things about Hanson’s running is his “very good leg speed,” and that Hanson “is able to close his races very well.”
Despite Hanson’s injuries, he still placed in the top five at his last meet with a time of 29:17 for the 8k.
“This was really rewarding because I put in a lot of work and then lost it because of my injuries. It was rewarding to come back in that race.”
(10/02/16 12:17pm)
The touring cast of the beloved Broadway musical “Fame” will visit Macon’s Grand Opera House as part of its annual Broadway Series. Showings will be October 2-3 at 7:30 p.m.
“Fame” follows the adventure of young hopefuls in dance, music and theater. Conceived from both the Academy Award-winning film and the Emmy-winning television series, Gram Slaton of the Grand Opera House described the show as a “high-energy kickoff to our Broadway Series.”
A saxophone ensemble from Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music will also take part in the production. The quartet consisting of Brayden Hutcheson, Banks Daniels, Brian Tirado and Brandon Mincey will perform a 30-minute set before each night of the show begins.
“The management of [the Grand Opera House] thought it would be very nice to promote some Mercer ensembles,” said Monty Cole, director of jazz studies at Mercer.
The four students are all sophomores and came together to form the saxophone ensemble last year. Cole said this is the first time that something like this has been done at the Grand Opera House.
This production of “Fame” will also include a special opportunity for four young actors and dancers. The Grand Opera House hosted a contest to give four lucky young performers the opportunity to join the cast of “Fame” on stage. The contest was open to students in high school or college, who applied by submitting a video stating “Why I Want to be in Fame.” The selected winners will join the nationally-touring group onstage at both showings, said Meagan Evans, the Grand Opera’s marketing director.
Tickets range from $45-71, and can be purchased over the phone at 478-301-5470, or online at www.thegrandmacon.com.
For Georgia theater and drama departments, there is a 50% off promotion for tickets using the code FAME50.
For more information, visit http://www.thegrandmacon.com/event/fame-the-musical-2/.