Students filled Cruz Plaza with blankets and chairs as Bearstock started around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 and came to an end at 7:30 p.m. The annual concert, put on by QuadWorks, featured three separate student acts and professional band Hot Chelle Rae and Decatur-born and Grammy-nominated artist B.o.B.
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Presidential candidates debate ahead of polls opening Wednesday
By Kaylee Buchanan | March 11Mercer’s Student Government Association held its 2026 presidential debate Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Willet Auditorium, where about 60 students attended to hear from candidates running for SGA president and vice president.
Freelance photographer Lenhardt finds true passion in wake of torn ACL
By Livvy Kerr | March 6Carly Lenhardt ‘26, a journalism student and Mercer beach volleyball player, has been building her photography business for seven years. The freelance photographer specializes in graduation photos every spring semester while balancing her craft with the responsibilities of being a student athlete.
BearSigns hosts BASL & Brushstrokes to preserve the language
By Isabel Froula | March 4BearSigns, Mercer’s sign language club, held a meeting to spotlight the history of Black American Sign Language during a painting activity on Wednesday. The presentation screened a report from ABC News, “Celebrating and preserving Black American Sign Language," which showcased and explained the history and preservation of BASL.
8 students prepare for 2026 Senior Art Exhibition
By Hannah Mock | February 28Eight senior art students will be showing off their work at the McEachern Art Center in downtown Macon for the department’s 2026 Senior Art Exhibition April 10-21.
Kimora Williams crowned first Miss NSBWM in pageant show
By Nathaniel Jordan | February 26Mercer’s chapter of the National Society for Black Women in Medicine hosted its first annual Miss NSBWM Pageant, crowning Kimora Williams ‘27 Sunday evening.
'Everyone deserves a piece of cake': The story behind Cake It With Chloe
By Hannah Mock | February 25Chloe Paulk ‘26 started her first business, “Chloe’s Sweets,” selling baked goods when she was a 10-year-old saving up for a car once she turned 16. But what started as a side gig became a passion project that Paulk has carried throughout grade school and college.
MerServe hosts Hunger and Homelessness Week during its 10th year at Mercer
By Clara Kurczak | February 24MerServe, Mercer University’s student service organization, hosted its annual Hunger and Homelessness Week last week as the organization celebrates it tenth year of service on campus. MerServe was created by Margaret Rooyakkers '19, who is now the assistant director of service and civic engagement at Mercer, in 2015.
Mercer assumes ownership of 129-year-old downtown theatre
By Laura Corley | February 23Macon’s historic Capitol Theatre — built as a bank in 1897, converted into a cinema house two years after the start of World War I and most recently operated as a performance venue — has changed hands once again. Mercer University has purchased the building on Second Street from the Moonhanger Group, a local restaurant and catering company owned by Wes Griffith.
As AI booms, Mercer professors provide their take on the technology
By Geetanjali Angara | February 23While Mercer has a strict policy on the use of generative artificial intelligence in the classroom, professors at the University have differing opinions on AI overall.
Georgia governor and lieutenant governor candidates speak at Mercer
By Precious Clark | February 21Michael Thurmond, who is in Georgia's gubernatorial race as a Democrat, and lieutenant governor candidate Richard Wright spoke at Mercer about navigating predominantly white institutions as Black people on Feb. 17. The panel was part of a series commemorating Black History Month and was hosted by the Mercer University National Council of Negro Women.
B.o.B, Hot Chelle Rae to perform at Bearstock 2026
By Jacob Hossler | February 19QuadWorks announced American rapper and record producer B.o.B. as the headliner act for the annual Bearstock concert Wednesday afternoon in the Connell Student Center.
Mercer students 'create a positive environment' in Bibb schools
By Ryleigh Sandefur | February 19Mercer’s Tift College of Education provides undergraduate and graduate students alike a unique way into the education field through field placements across Macon's Bibb County School District.
Robotics club searches for a NASA research balloon after launch
By Nathaniel Jordan | February 10The Mercer Robotics Club is planning a retrieval mission for a weather balloon they launched from lawn of the Godsey Science Center into the atmosphere in partnership with NASA on Saturday, Feb. 7.
Teach-in lecture series draws hundreds, fosters conversations
By Precious Clark and Gabriel Kopp | February 9A consortium of experts in political science and authoritarian states spoke Friday in Toney Auditorium during a “teach-in” event organized by Mercer Associate Professor of English Elizabeth Harper.

















