Georgia

Middle Georgia area provides internships, economy creates need for work experience

By:
Published Sep 21, in Local

While the economic situation remains stagnate, students will have to find more inventive ways to market themselves. Countless companies around the country stress the importance of work experience on any college graduate’s resume.
Luckily, several local business and organizations offer internships for students to participate in.
Caitlin Donnelly, a junior majoring in Psychology, completed an internship with Crisis Line and Safe House last year. The internship provided Donnelly with a great resume booster and will certainly benefit her job search down the road.
While completing the internship, Donnelly was responsible for several projects. “I specifically worked with the Safe House portion of the organization. I worked with another person once a week for three hours. We worked on several projects to help the women and families who lived in the house,” she said.
One of these projects included making a booklet with activities for the children to do while staying at the Safe House. “They have movies to watch and books to read, but we wanted crafts for them to do,” Donnelly said.
“We also came up with a cookbook with quick and easy recipes, but our biggest project was an updated directory. It included places for them to go get medical help and gave them telephone numbers for any hotline they might need, daycares and housing options. There are also churches and donation centers,” said Donnelly.
Donnelly said that Safe House is the Central Georgia location, so if someone comes in and they aren’t from this area, this directory helps them find the resources they need.
The internship with this particular organization has played a critical role in Donnelly’s college experience. “I learned how poverty plays a really big role in the situations people are in. It kind of determines whether women stay in that situation or not. It’s hard for them to leave an abusive husband when they are in poverty. They are very restricted,” she said.
On the other end of the spectrum, Greta Woods, an Environmental Science major, is working with a private consulting firm that assesses environmental areas on building and renovation sites.
Woods works specifically with Geotechnical and Environmental Consultants (GEC). She began a summer internship with them this year and it has carried over to the fall semester.
During the summer, the company works with developers who want to improve, renovate or build low-income housing. These developers seek federal aid to help with these projects from the Environmental Protection Agency.
In order for the EPA to grant this money to developers, an environmental assessment must be completed. This is where firms like GEC step in.
“This summer I worked on reports and completed mapping projects. I also went on a couple site visits,” Woods said.
The firm includes engineers, wetland specialists, oil scientists, geologists and specialized field technicians.
“I’ve loved going out in the field and getting to travel all over Georgia. I’ve gotten to meet and hear the stories of people in low-income situations. It has opened my eyes to all the different aspects of environment and how specialized people within the field are. I know I need to pick a path and specialize in it,” Woods said.
The private firm offers a few paid internships during the summer and anyone interested should speak to them at Career Fair this year.
“They had 3 interns this summer and it has varied each year,” Woods said.
Life lessons like these are another reason why completing an internship before graduation is critical for most career paths. Both Donnelly and Woods gained real-world knowledge through their exposure to the public sector. Work experience can only catch more attention with a future employer and with the economy in its current state, competition is fierce.

Cherry Blossom Festival coming into full swing

Weeklong international spring festival in Macon starts this weekend

By:
Published Mar 16, in Breaking, City, News, State

 

Photo courtesy of Cherry Blossom Festival: The Cherry Blossom Fesitval will host the annual Bed Race on Saturday, March 19 at 1:00 p.m. Racing above are the current reigning champions, the Macon-Bibb County Fire Dept.

 

Macon’s International Cherry Blossom Festival has been a local tradition for almost 30 years. The annual festivities are held every year in Central City Park and have provided fun for families in the Macon area as well as out-of-state and even international visitors.

This year, more than 300,000 Yoshino cherry trees will bloom and the festival is expected to draw record-breaking crowds. This 10-day festival will feature over 500 events, and 80 percent of them are free.

A good way to socialize, volunteer and enjoy the spirit of Macon? You do the math.

Though the pink décor and wide range of activities typically draw large crowds, many think that the festival only takes place in Central City Park. However, downtown Macon also hosts events for the annual celebration including the crowd-pleasing bed race competition.

On Saturday March 19, starting at 1:00 p.m., teams from all over the Middle Georgia area will show everyone their finest threads while racing down Cherry Street. The competition is popular with local businesses and organizations, each team developing a spectacular theme for their racing model.

This year, judges will evaluate entries based on four categories. The categories include Most Original Bed, Judges’ Choice, Funniest Bed and Fastest Bed on Cherry. The competition is lighthearted and a great way for people in the community to partake in Cherry Blossom festivities.

Last year’s bed race event produced a large crowd of more than 100 street viewers. The racecourse began at Acapulco Mexican restaurant and ended down by Martin Luther King Blvd.
Though there is an initial entry fee of $50, teams are encouraged to sign up early to secure a space to compete. To participate in the race, it is also necessary to sign up for the competition in advance.

Teams are also responsible for designing their own race units. Teams are advised to arrive at 11:30 a.m. to properly prepare for their run down Cherry Street.

One rule for the legendary race that is often hard to follow is that the bed or racing device must be under control at all times before, during and after the race. This may seem like an easy step to follow, but most racers and viewers can agree that the task is daunting.

Though the contest is commonly associated as a true-to-form bed race, mattresses are not a requirement. This event beams creativity and encourages teams to bring their sparkling ideas to life. Some teams in the past have even used materials such as wood, bicycles and objects constructed with paper-mâché.

Contestants are also encouraged to literally show off their finest threads by dressing up according to the theme of their race entry. This feature of the competition has also become an event ritual and has proven to be a massive crowd pleaser.

The International Cherry Blossom Festival has provided many fun events for the Middle Georgia Community, and students are highly encouraged to attend the pinkest party on earth. Whether it’s the prominent street parties, the parade or simply volunteering to lend a helping hand, the festival is a great way to get involved in the local community and reap the benefits of everything Macon has to offer.

 

Planned cutbacks to trim HOPE scholarships by 10 percent

Mercer students would be forced to pay $400 more for 2011 to 2012 academic year

By:
Published Mar 2, in Breaking, Campus, News, State

ATLANTA –  A recently proposed overhaul of the HOPE scholarship could mean that many Mercer students will have to pay at least $400 more for tuition when they return to campus this fall – and possibly up to $1,200 more in the coming years depending on future lottery revenues.

The Georgia House approved a bill 155-22 Tuesday that would reduce the amount of HOPE scholarship funds awarded annually to in-state students attending private universities such as Mercer by a minimum of 10 percent, from $4,000 to $3,600. The bill is now set move to the Senate for a final vote in roughly two weeks.

House Bill 326 is a part of Gov. Nathan Deal’s plan to save the state’s lottery-funded education programs – including the college scholarships and the state’s prekindergarten program – from going broke.

To compensate for the HOPE fund’s currently estimated $400 million budget shortfall, the current bill would slash public and private university HOPE scholarships by 10 percent across the board for all in-state students with a 3.0 to 3.3 GPA.

Current public and private college students with a 3.3 GPA or higher would not be affected by the proposed cuts, however, as they would qualify for a newly-formed “Zel Miller” scholarship that would retain all the benefits of the old HOPE scholarship.

Perhaps most significantly, H.B. 326 would make the amount of future HOPE scholarships dependent on the amount of lottery revenue generated, meaning individual HOPE scholarships could dip to as low as 70 percent of what they are now in the coming years if the funds are not available.

At public universities like the University of Georgia and Georgia State, students with a 3.0 to 3.3 GPA would only receive 90 percent of their tuition payments for the 2011-2012 academic year.

At private universities such as Mercer – where HOPE only pays partial tuition  – students in the 3.0 to 3.3 GPA range would incur a similar 10 percent scholarship reduction from $4,000 to $3,600 for the coming year.

That means Mercer students receiving HOPE who have less than a 3.3 GPA would be required to come up with an additional $400 to cover the cost of the next two semesters, and could be forced to pay as much as $1,200 more for each of the coming academic years if lottery revenues don’t pan out as hoped.

To qualify for the new Zel Miller scholarship and maintain the old HOPE benefits, students must have either maintained a 3.3 GPA in college, or enter in from high school with a minimum of a 3.7 GPA as well as a score of at least 1200 on the SAT or 26 on the ACT.

Mercer President William B. Underwood said in a statement to The Cluster on Wednesday that although he regrets the fact that some Mercer students may lose part of their scholarship packages, he supports the House’s overall aim in passing the bill.

“It is clear that the current level of funding for HOPE scholarships is unsustainable. While I regret that many Mercer students will receive a $400 reduction in their HOPE grant, I believe that the governor’s plan is a reasonable and measured response to the financial crisis facing the HOPE scholarship program,” Underwood said.

The Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant would not be affected by passage of H.B. 326, which means that qualified Mercer students would continue to receive the GTEG funding of $750 per academic year.

WEIGH IN ON THIS STORY:

Poll: Do you think the recently proposed cuts to the HOPE scholarship are an appropriate response to the state's current budget crisis?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

For more on this developing story, read the next issue of The Cluster, or check back in at www.mercercluster.com for updates.

Decision delayed on Music Hall of Fame potential location change

By:
Published Feb 9, in News

The future of a cultural landmark in downtown Macon is uncertain as board members of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Authority struggle with the decision to keep the museum in Macon or move it to one of three other cities.

On Sept. 30, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Authority issued a Request For Proposals for the Operation, Management and Location of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Museum in SB 523, passed by the legislature.

Macon’s Halls of Fame, Inc Athens Economic Development Foundation, Dunwoody Music Conservancy, Inc. and the City of Woodstock each submitted proposals that outlined plans to maintain the museum and make it self-sufficient since the state legislature decided to end funding.

The Music Hall of Fame is currently funded by earned income from ticket admissions, retail sales, rental and events, donations, appropriations from the State of Georgia and public funding from the City of Macon and Bibb County through the local hotel/motel tax.

Dahlonega, the fifth bidding city, dropped its bid before the Evaluation Team, a committee of the Authority, met to score the proposals individually and make its recommendation for which city is the most sufficient location for the museum.

On Jan. 26, the Authority met to decide whether or not to accept the recommendation of the Evaluation Team. Although Macon’s proposal scored the highest in the evaluation, the board voted in a 6-3 decision to not accept the recommendation.

The only votes for the city came from Macon native members Karla Redding-Andrews, Co-Manager, Otis Redding Estate & Project Director, Big “O” Youth Educational Dream Foundation and Vice Chair for the board, Stephen Simpson, President of the Simpson Development Group and Dr. Kirby Godsey, Chancellor of Mercer University.
Other board members decided that Macon’s rank as the highest-scored proposal did not reflect an average high score and that none of the proposals produced a long-term plan for sustainability.

The Georgia Music Hall of Fame opened its doors in Sept. 1996 in downtown Macon, Ga.

Lisa Love, director of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, said the institution of the museum began in 1979 when the Senate Music Industry Committee established and honored its first two inductees, Ray Charles and Bill Lowery.

“Gov. Zell Miller deserves much of the credit for leading the vision to create a permanent repository to house the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and preserve and perpetuate the state’s rich music heritage,” Love said.

Macon’s historical music culture has produced legendary musicians such as Little Richard, Otis Redding, the Allman Brothers and many more.

The building for Capricorn Records, home of albums by The Allman Brothers Band, the Marshall Tucker Band, and Wet Willie, and others, is also located in downtown Macon.

Jessica Walden, Communications and Marketing Director for the College Hill Alliance and Macon native, believes the music and entertainment heritage of the city makes it the ideal location for the Music Hall of Fame.

“There was a reason Macon was chosen—the strong music history,” Walden said. “There is no reason for it not to be here”.

She also believes moving the museum would be devastating to the efforts of the community to revitalize and attract more people downtown.

“We have so much momentum seeing the fruits of our labor, it would really be a blow to the morale in Macon,” she said. “There were a lot of ideas and a vision for a music and entertainment district in Macon so no matter what happens, we still need to find the means to create and support a cultural epicenter downtown”.
The board must make a recommendation to Gov. Nathan Deal on April 15 and a final decision will be made by the state on April 30. Love said no date has been set yet for a meeting to discuss the next steps.

Last month, Macon’s bid proposal to keep the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in the town was accepted.

Mercer graduate elected Ga. governor

By:
Published Feb 1, in News

Mercer graduate Nathan Deal was inaugurated as Georgia’s 82nd governor at a ceremony in Atlanta on Jan. 10.

Deal, a former trustee for the university, is the 7th Mercer alumnus to hold the office of Governor of Georgia and the 11th to become a governor.

Due to inclement weather brought on by the recent winter storm, all public events surrounding the inauguration were canceled, including a morning prayer service at which the Mercer University Orchestra was scheduled to perform.

About 20 students from the McDuffie Center for Strings were able to perform during a private reception at the Governor’s Mansion on Sunday morning.

Members of Mercer’s Student Government Association, Mercer Ambassadors and other students, along with current members and alumni of Deal’s fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega, were signed up to work at Monday’s events before the storm blew in.

Deal, a native of Millen, Ga., graduated from Mercer in 1964 and earned his law degree from the Walter F. George School of Law in 1966. After law school, he joined the U.S. Army and rose to the rank of captain.

Deal was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1992. In April 1995,

Deal changed parties and became a Republican. He announced his resignation and intent to run for governor in March of 2010 but stayed in office long enough to vote against President Obama’s health care reform bill.

The first speech Deal delivered as a full-time gubernatorial candidate was given to students, faculty and staff on Mercer’s Macon campus.

Mercer alumnus Bryant Harden originally became involved in the inauguration because of his job with the Georgia Farm Bureau as the legislative intern. He was later approached by Mercer and asked to take part in the ceremony. Although the events Harden was scheduled to work were canceled, he still traveled to Atlanta with the Georgia Farm Bureau, attended the Wild Hog Dinner and watched the inauguration from his hotel room.

As a Mercer alumnus, Harden feels it is significant that a fellow Mercerian holds such a prestigious office. “This is a great achievement for any individual, and I am proud for Mercer to have reached this pinnacle once again,” he said.

Harden voted for Deal, and said he believes Deal with be a great leader in a tough time. “I believe that Governor Deal recognizes the importance of higher education and that he recognizes the importance of Mercer University to Georgia,” he said.

Although Harden is pleased with Deal’s election, there is one thing the new governor could do to further the approval of the alumnus. “I’d like him even better if he offered me a position on his staff,” Harden joked.