Out of all the conferences I have presented at, I enjoyed the symposium the most. It felt a lot more like an academic presentation, even if the actual proceedings were a little less engaging than my experience with the Great Books conferences I had been to.
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OPINION: The ‘Save Girls’ Sports Act' is an attack on women’s rights disguised as empowerment
By Rose Thorne | March 12This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster. On March 3, as Women’s History Month began, the Higher Education Committee of the Georgia State Senate passed a bill — SB 266 — that would bar transgender girls and women at ...
OPINION: College students aren’t getting enough breaks without a formal spring break
By Mandi DeLong | March 9This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster. Back in 2017, the National College Health Assessment released a report that said over 50% of students experienced above average or tremendous stress. That was before anyone had even ...
OPINION: Our post-COVID world needs to see more women in positions of power
By McKenna Kaufman | March 8This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster. The 2020 election was a historic progression of women’s rights and a victory for American feminists with the election of vice president Kamala Harris. As Harris became the first ...
OPINION: People of color are not your teachers
By Ashley Pemberton | March 6This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster. The Black Lives Matter movement raises the question of whether Black people should bear the weight of being the world’s educators on racial discrimination and microaggressions. The ...
OPINION: New Year's resolutions are more important than ever after 2020
By Mandi DeLong | February 8This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster. Most people can agree that 2020 was not the best year. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, the turbulent political climate and devastating daily news, New Year’s Eve was more relieving ...
OPINION: Biden should press for a second lockdown
By Keith Holmes Jr. | February 4This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster. The emergence of COVID-19 in the United States over a year ago sent average daily life grinding to a halt. Because of the speed at which the virus spreads and the damage it can do, ...
OPINION: Studying genocide during the Trump administration
By Serena Golden | November 5This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster. This semester, I’ve been reading about genocide. In Comparative Genocide with David Gushee, we study how genocide occurs and how the international community responds to it. Perhaps ...
OPINION: Social media arguments are not social justice
By Mariyka O. Sich | October 12This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster. Mercer University students pride themselves in the motto, “at Mercer, everyone majors in changing the world.” But since March of this year, it has been incredibly difficult for ...
OPINION: Homecoming during a pandemic isn’t worth it
By Sydney Roe | October 10This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster. Homecoming is intended to be a positive experience. As a Mercer community, we are supposed to come together to celebrate the impact that our school has had on us and our world since ...
OPINION: Labor Day should not be for labor
By Macee Palmer | September 6This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster. We are a few weeks into the semester, and Mercer’s undergraduate students are settled into their new living spaces on campus — or at least, I hope they are. With the changes to ...
OPINION: Mercer students, please stop partying
By Sarah Moore | August 28This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster. To be honest, I shouldn’t have to write this. Like many Mercer students, I was nervous about coming back this semester. On our campus, around 4,000 people eat, sleep, go to class ...
Letter from Ansley Booker: How Mercer will promote diversity and inclusion this year
By Ian Henshaw | August 26This is a letter to the editor submitted to The Cluster by Dr. Ansley Booker, director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, and Dr. Douglas Pearson, vice president and dean of students. Dear Mercer University Community, Mercer University strives to be a Community of Respect where everyone is ...
OPINION: Mercer has good reasons to reopen this fall
By Savannah Smith | July 31This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster. As Mercer students, we are united by a similar experience. After spending our junior and senior years of high school combing through college websites and going on campus tours, we ...
OPINION: Mercer is making a big mistake re-opening in the fall
By Caitlyn Patton | July 22This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster. What happens when a university opens in a pandemic? Apparently, Mercer University plans to find out. In-person classes at Mercer University during the spring semester ended March ...