Women are a force to be reckoned with, in the world as a whole, and in our smaller Mercer community. There are women that teach some of Mercer’s most difficult subjects and that study in some of the most challenging fields. A Lady Bear does not shy away from a challenge. This is quite evident when you look at Mercer Media. All of the news outlets and publications on campus are run by women. The editors-in-chief of The Cluster, Mercer’s newspaper, Her Campus Mercer, and literary magazine, The Dulcimer, are all women. In addition, a woman is the station manager of the Mercer 99, the campus television station.
All of these women are smart, strong, and successful. Although they all interested in different things, they come together and have made Mercer Media the strongest that it has been in a very long time.
Emily Farlow, the editor-in-chief of The Cluster, has known she wanted to be a journalist since before she got to Mercer. She came in ambitiously by attending the first Cluster meeting of her freshman year. Shortly after, she was hired and wrote as a staff writer. During her sophomore year, she served as Features Editor, and she applied for Editor-in-Chief, the role she currently holds as a junior. She plans to be Editor-in-Chief again next year! Farlow and her staff have overhauled The Cluster, changing the layout and updating section headings.
Photo by Patrick Hobbs
“I think The Cluster has improved a lot this year, especially considering we’ve had very few staff members to help out this year. If we can get more students involved in writing for The Cluster next year, the paper will improve even more,” Farlow said. She says that to maintain the quality that The Cluster is at now, students need to get involved. Students run The Cluster, so without them, there is no Cluster. The Cluster needs editors for next year, and if you or someone you know is interested, you can contact Farlow at editor@mercercluster.com.
Steffiny Kallickal, one of Her Campus Mercer’s editors-in-chief, is not surprised that women run all of the media outlets at Mercer.
“I find it interesting that the publications have had women running them for a while, because this year is not the first,” Kallickal said.
The goals that Kallickal has for Her Campus next year include really expanding the organizations name to the campus. Like The Cluster, Her Campus Mercer is student run, and without student involvement, there would be no publication. Her Campus Mercer is an important asset to the campus. With it being marketed for women on campus, it is only fitting that its leaders are women.
The Dulcimer is Mercer’s literary magazine, and its Editor-in-Chief, Jennifer Champagne, has so much passion for the magazine. It’s success is no surprise. It boasts a myriad of awards, and there are sure to be more to come. Champagne is plenty busy, acting as vice president of the Society of Colligate Journalists, writing for Her Campus Mercer, and serving as a member of Common Ground.
“I guess I would say that my college experience holds true to the “work hard, party hard” motto, but maybe more like “work hard, sleep less.” Still, because I love everything I do, it doesn’t feel so much like work, but more like having the opportunity to do what I enjoy,” Champagne said.
Champagne is a senior this year, so she will not be editor again next year. But she feels privileged to have been a part of The Dulcimer. She has made sure her staff share her passion and has made sure they are educated in the programs that are used in making the magazine, as well as expanding the online presence of the magazine.
Raquel Offield was this year’s Mercer99 program manager. She is a senior and will not be running the Mercer99 next year. She did help the organization have a good year this year. She’s made changes that are taking the Mercer99 in the right direction.
“I have reached out to more organization this year. We had seven other organizations participate in our annual spring film festival through presenting awards or performing during intermission,” Offield said.
The women at Mercer play no games, when it comes to getting things done. This is highly evident in Mercer Media. With these women in charge, changes and new feats have been reached. Hopefully, this trend will continue in the coming years!