Jesse Mercer in 1810. The Cluster's website went live in 2011, and both print and digital publication were maintained until 2022, when the news publication announced it would be transitioning to digital-only. Today, The Cluster's website publishes consistently throughout the academic year.
=== Debating Societies ===
Founded in 1897, Mercer's debating society is the oldest organization on Mercer's campus as well as the oldest debating society in the entire state of Georgia. In 1898, Mercer's champion orator, John Roach Straton, won the first Intercollegiate Oratorical Championships in Atlanta. Debate continued to be a significant intercollegiate sport for many years after that, with Walter F. George, namesake of Mercer's law school, leading a team to victory over the University of Georgia at the Mercer-Athens Debate in 1899.
In March 2018, the student team of Jazmine Buckley and Kyle Bligen became the first all-African-American duo to win the National Parliamentary Debate championship at the nation's largest …
