NEWS RUNDOWN: Mercer expands med school, Tarver installs commuter lounge and students phone bank for Biden
Emily Rose Thorne, Editor in Chief
September 26, 2020
Mercer University and its students have been busy since the fall semester began. Here’s a rundown of some of the top news stories from campus and beyond.
Great Books program implements three-year diversity plan
Mandi DeLong, Contributing Writer
September 25, 2020
The new director of the Great Books program, Charlotte Thomas, is working on a three-year plan to incorporate more works written by female authors and authors of color into the Great Books curriculum.
Pilgrimage to Penfield to stay on campus
Henry Keating, Contributing Writer
September 22, 2020
Every fall, first-year students load onto charter buses and make the “Pilgrimage to Penfield,” where students go to the site of Mercer’s founding. This year, however, new students will be attending a reimagined version of Pilgrimage to Penfield Oct. 17 in Five Star Stadium as a result of the COVI...
Student files lawsuit against Mercer over spring coronavirus response
Mary Helene Hall, Managing Editor
September 15, 2020
A Mercer University senior filed a class-action lawsuit against the school on behalf of all students who paid tuition for “in-person, hands-on educational services and experiences” in the spring 2020 semester.
Mercer begins undergraduate COVID-19 surveillance testing
Mary Helene Hall, Managing Editor
September 13, 2020
Mercer University began surveillance testing on the Macon campus for undergraduate students on Sept. 1. The university previously began this testing procedure in graduate and professional programs in Macon and Atlanta on Aug. 25.
Mercer University updates mask guidelines
Mandi DeLong, Contributing Writer
September 9, 2020
Mercer University updated their COVID-19 policies surrounding face masks Aug. 24. While Mercer first put into place a mask requirement during its second summer session, the policy was expanded in mid-August after fall classes began. The original policy, sent out in July, did not specify what kind of masks were acceptable or how users would be required to wear them. The updated policy now specifies that all individuals on-campus are required to wear masks that cover their nose, mouth and chin.
BREAKING: Forty-five students, two employees test positive for COVID-19
Lars Lonnroth, News Editor
September 4, 2020
Mercer University saw an additional 47 positive coronavirus cases during the week of Aug. 28 to Sept. 3.
Mercer University updates COVID-19 protocols following new CDC guidelines
Emily Rose Thorne, Editor in Chief
September 1, 2020
Mercer University quietly changed its COVID-19 protocols in a document posted to its coronavirus page Tuesday. The document is an updated version of one that was released in June. The updates reduce the amount of time a student who tests positive for COVID-19 must be fever-free before ending their self-isolation and removes a previous suggestion that a student test negative twice before ending self-isolation.
UPDATE: 103 students, 15 staff test positive for COVID-19
Lars Lonnroth, News Editor
August 27, 2020
The Mercer University administration announced Aug. 21 that 118 people — 103 students and 15 faculty and staff — tested positive for COVID-19 across Mercer’s four campuses, coming on the heels of mass testing for Macon residential undergraduate students.
Mercer opens COVID-19 testing lab on campus
Emily Rose Thorne, Editor in Chief
August 22, 2020
The lab, operated by Mercer’s School of Medicine and affiliated primary care practice Mercer Medicine, staffs three technicians and can conduct about 740 tests per day with results released within two business days.
BREAKING: 103 students, 15 staff test positive for COVID-19
Lars Lonnroth, News Editor
August 21, 2020
The Mercer University administration announced Friday that 103 students across Mercer’s four campuses tested positive for the coronavirus.
With fall semester approaching, SGA survey finds many students on the fence
Lars Lonnroth, News Editor
August 8, 2020
A survey conducted by the Student Government Association indicates that 70% of students think a hybrid reopening model — offering a blend or a choice of in-person and virtual instruction — is the best choice for the upcoming Fall 2020 semester.