“Our priority is to keep you safe”: Campus parking restrictions possible after five tickets
Natalie Yaeger, Lead News Writer
November 5, 2019
There are currently 21 students who have been barred from parking on Mercer’s campus. Mercer’s Chief of Police said that students can be restricted from parking in certain places on campus after accumulating too many parking tickets in a single semester.
“Macon Peace”: Local organizations aim to decrease youth violence
Sterling Neill, Contributing Writer
September 28, 2019
Organizer and creator of the community organization LJ Malone said he believes that the citizens of Macon desperately need a new approach to handling violence. He got the idea to start this organization while advocating for music artists in the Macon area.
Upcoming walk for domestic violence supports the cause in Macon
Mary Helene Hall, Contributing Writer
September 27, 2019
The walk is hosted in memory of Crystal Harris, a nursing student who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in an act of domestic violence Oct. 3, 2005. Organizer Lekeshia Henderson said there has been a decent turnout in the past, but she has higher hopes for this year and that Mercer students will get involved.
Pro-Bono Mercer Law program set to begin its thirteenth year
Zaira Khan, Contributing Writer
September 10, 2019
The clinic, since its conception in 2006, has assisted with over 90 cases in Georgia and won over half of them. The clinic is the only one of its kind in the state.
Mercer Police looks to clear parking confusion
Rylee Kirk, Lead News Writer and Advertising Manager
April 10, 2019
Mercer University Police, or Merpo, have responded to student concerns throughout the semester about parking rules and tickets on campus. In an email to students March 8, Merpo said that fines were being placed on students’ accounts in advance of course registration, which began March 11. “Many of these...
‘Justice for Jibri:’ Two sentenced in 2016 killing of Mercer student-athlete
Emily Rose Thorne, New Editor
March 27, 2019
Nearly three years after he took on the homicide case of 23-year-old Mercer student and basketball player Jibri Bryan, District Attorney David Cooke said he feels justice has finally been served. “Our number-one goal in this was to get justice for Jibri, his family and the community,” Cooke s...
Police Blotter: harassing communications, theft by taking, entering auto and fraud
Emily Rose Thorne, News Editor
March 27, 2019
Mercer Police have responded to three car break-ins, two instances of harassing communications and other crimes, such as theft by taking and fraud, across campus in March 2019. Harassing communications Chief of Police Gary Collins responded to a report March 5 that the complainant had received ...
Increased security, new cameras, police radios and more: how Mercer has improved campus safety since 2018
Emily Rose Thorne, News Editor
March 11, 2019
The day after a Macon man fired six shots at a group of students and a recent graduate walking in Mercer Village in January 2018, University President Bill Underwood said that the school would increase its security measures. Underwood said in a statement following the shooting that “for the foreseeable fu...
Police Blotter: Car break-ins, theft by taking, sexual battery and more
Emily Rose Thorne, News Editor
March 2, 2019
Mercer Police have responded to 16 crimes on Mercer’s campus so far in 2019, according to reports provided to The Cluster on Feb. 25. Car break-ins constituted the majority of crimes. Entering auto: Adams St. The first car break-in of 2019 occurred in the Adams St. parking lot Jan. 11. “I w...
Mercer student threatened with gun near Stadium Drive Bridge
Emily Rose Thorne and Katie Atkinson
September 24, 2018
An earlier version of this article mentioned an armed robbery. This statement has since been corrected to reflect a robbery did not occur. This article has been updated to include information about the University’s policy on campus-wide alerts. A student reported being threatened with a gun n...
Her Story: Sexual assault victims raise concerns over reporting process
Katie Atkinson and Summer Perritt
April 12, 2018
TRIGGER WARNING This article or section, or pages it links to, contains information about sexual assault and/or violence which may be triggering to survivors. Two victims of sexual assault on Mercer University’s campus have raised concerns over the way their cases were handled....
What happens if you’re a victim of crime on campus?
Jenna Eason, Editor-in-Chief
April 12, 2018
TRIGGER WARNING This article or section, or pages it links to, contains information about sexual assault and/or violence which may be triggering to survivors. The number of rape reports on the Mercer University campus increased steadily from 2014 to 2016, according to the university’...