SGA announces 24-hour library space, approves new club and grants first seed money request
Emily Rose Thorne, News Editor
March 18, 2019
Filed under News, Student Government
Updates to Tarver Library The Student Government Association (SGA) announced in an open meeting March 11 that construction is underway in Tarver Library to provide more 24-hour study space for students. Junior Senator Michaela Jones, chair of the SGA academic affairs committee, said the library...
New accelerated nursing program coming to Mercer’s Atlanta campus
March 17, 2019
Mercer University Georgia Baptist College of Nursing (GBCN) will welcome its first class in the Accelerated Bachelors of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program in May 2019. The program was created in response to Georgia’s ongoing nursing shortage and is designed to be a cost-effective way for students with a non-nur...
Claudia May delivers keynote address at Beloved Community Symposium
March 14, 2019
Claudia May delivered the keynote address for the first installment of Mercer University’s fifth-annual Beloved Community Symposium Feb. 26. May is a professor at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she teaches reconciliation studies. The Beloved Community Symposium is an annual event founded by pa...
Department of Education investigation into Mercer University still ongoing
Emily Rose Thorne, News Editor
March 14, 2019
Mercer University is still under investigation by the Department of Education under its Office of Civil Rights (OCR) in Atlanta for an alleged act of discrimination on the basis of age. A student on Mercer’s Atlanta campus filed a report Jan. 10, 2017 that said a professor refused to give her an extensio...
MU Miracle plans fundraisers for new children’s hospital in Macon
Rylee Kirk, Lead News Writer and Advertising Manager
March 14, 2019
MU Miracle, a student service club that supports Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH) through dance marathons and other fundraisers, aims to raise $100,000 for the new Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital in Macon. The facility is part of Navicent Health and is designated a Miracle Hospital by...
Increased security, new cameras, police radios and more: how Mercer has improved campus safety since 2018
Emily Rose Thorne, News Editor
March 11, 2019
Filed under Campus, City, Crime, News
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...
Opportunity Scholars program expands, increases role of student mentors
Rylee Kirk, Lead News Writer
March 11, 2019
Changes and expansions have come to the Mercer University Opportunity Scholars (OS) program this year. The program is catered to incoming first-generation college students, students with disabilities and students from low-income families to help them transition to college life. It originally lasted...
Southern Poverty Law Center reveals Nuwaubian “hate group” still active in Macon
Emily Rose Thorne, News Editor
March 11, 2019
Macon is still home to a religious sect designated a “black nationalist hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), according to a report the SPLC recently released naming all active hate groups in the United States. This is the fifth year that the Nuwaubian Nation of Moors have been reported in...
FORGE to head to state capitol for advocacy day
Rylee Kirk, Lead News Writer
March 11, 2019
Filed under News
The Mercer University Fighting for Our Rights & Gender Equality (FORGE) club is heading to the state capitol for Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity’s (URGE) Advocacy Day March 21. URGE, a national organization, oversees collegiate FORGE chapters and facilitates events such as Advocacy Day....
New “blight tax” could discourage investment in Macon, according to Mercer professor
Rylee Kirk, Lead News Writer
March 7, 2019
Macon-Bibb’s county commissioners approved a new tax on blighted homes Feb. 19, according to an article by WGXA. This tax will charge the owners of blighted properties seven times the current millage rate, according to an article by the Macon Telegraph. A millage rate is the number that is multip...
A guide to the confirmed 2020 presidential candidates
March 2, 2019
Filed under News
With the 2020 elections fast approaching, candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties have begun asserting their bid for the Presidency. Although President Donald Trump announced his run for re-election, the number of Republican challengers remains slim; however, the Democratic side s...
Police Blotter: Car break-ins, theft by taking, sexual battery and more
Emily Rose Thorne, News Editor
March 2, 2019
Filed under Crime, News, Showcase
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...