Student Government to Hold Paint the Town Orange Conference

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MACON — Mercer University's Student Government Association has launched the Paint the Town Orange initiative, an effort to increase engagement between Mercer and the community through job placement and shopping incentives. Today through Thursday, SGA and Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity, are co-sponsoring a student conference to help engage the student body in the initiative.

“By highlighting Mercer students' social and economic impact in Macon, we hope to inspire students of all majors to take advantage of internship and job opportunities in the community and make Macon their home,” said Mollie Davis, president of SGA.

The conference keynote speaker is author Tim Augustine, who will discuss “The Impact of a University on a Community,” on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Stetson room 251. Augustine is the author of How Hard Are You Knocking? The Job Seekers Guide to Opening Career Doors and the owner and corporate officer of Atwell LLC, a consulting and construction management company. He has spoken to over 450 organizations and 150,000 people about their success in the business world.

The conference kicks off today at 10 a.m. in Stetson 233 with a presentation on “Managing your Money,” featuring a representative from Mercer's Office of Financial Planning speaking on financial planning and independence for college students. On Tuesday, Mercer graduates Alex Morrison, executive director of the Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority, and Nadia Osman, director of revitalization and business initiatives for College Hill Alliance, will present “The College Hill Story 'Then and Now'” at 7 p.m. in Stetson 241, with free food available to students. Osman and Morrison will speak on how the College Hill Corridor began as a student initiative and how it has grown into the community foundation it is today. On Wednesday there will be a career fair in Heritage Hall from 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. and “The Questions of Economic Prosperity” at 10 a.m. in Stetson 251. “The Questions of Economic Prosperity” will feature a panel discussion on the benefits of shopping locally, with Dr. Linda Brennan, a Mercer business professor, and representatives from Main Street Macon and the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. Free breakfast will be available at the events.

For students interested in registering for the conference, visit the SGA website at sga.mercer.edu. To apply for a job or internship with a Mercer-friendly business, search Paint the Town Orange listings on BEARLink at studentaffairs.mercer.edu/careerservices, or meet with a Career Services representative.

Paint the Town Orange is a SGA initiative that seeks to place students in job and internships in local businesses in order to connect Mercer to the community. SGA currently works with the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, College Hill Alliance, Main Street Macon and various other organizations. Businesses may partner with SGA to become registered “Mercer-friendly businesses” by providing internships or discounts for students. Businesses interested in becoming Mercer-friendly may visit
sga.mercer.edu for a business interest form.