Download - The Merciad, March 25, 2009
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 1/20
Merciad photoeditor Scoot
Williams wonsecond placein thePennsylvaniaNewspaperPublishing
Association’sCollegiate
Edition.Read more on
Page 4
Merciad
Vol.82, No.17/3.25.09/Free
Read more on Page 4
Four food service providers battle it out
for Mercyhurst’s contract.
WINNER!
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 2/20
NEWSPage 2 March 25, 2009
MSG hosts‘Happy Hour’
When Mercyhurst Student Government hosts a Happy Hour they make sure
they have free food, “mocktails” and a visit from Mercyhurst College President Dr.
Gamble.
Happy Hour with MSG took place in the Herrmann Student Union Great Room on
Wednesday, March 18.
The hour-long event was a new take on the traditional student forum.
Students were able to mingle with Gamble and approach him with any questions or
concerns while enjoying Irish themed “mocktails” and free food.
The event allowed students to skip the usual steps it takes to talk to Gamble and go
right to the source.MSG public relations coordinator Mixa Jovanovic said students asked for this event.
“A lot of students would love to talk to the president but are intimidated to schedule
a meeting one-on-one, and he is a very busy man,” Jovanovic said.
Gamble hopes to make the Happy Hour an annual event and liked exchanging ideas
with students.
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to interact with students in this type of informal
setting,” he said. “[They] brought some good issues to my attention, and I think we
were able to make some progress on them.”
With over 50 students in attendance, MSG President Christina Coovert said it was a
success.
“This is the first event of this kind we have had,” Coovert said. “Since he has taught
classes before, interacting with students comes naturally to him; he is very honest and
genuine.”
Junior Julie Hranica agreed with Coovert and found Gamble very approachable and
easy to talk to.
“I was really happy with the event, because it was great to have a chance to meet
with Dr. Gamble and express my concerns,” Hranica said. “He seemed committed to
immediate resolution, which was refreshing.”
Junior Nadine Beres was also pleased with the event and said MSG needs to have
more like this.
“Because Dr. Gamble is so busy, this is a great way to talk to him and on a personallevel,” Beres said. “I’m glad MSG hosted this event.”
By Amanda Valauri
News editor
Controlled SubstanceWednesday, March 18
3939 Briggs Avenue
College discipline
Liquor Law Violations/Disorderly ConductTuesday, Feb. 24
4009 Briggs Avenue
College discipline/ Erie arrest
TheftTuesday, Feb. 24McAuley HallContinued investigation
Feb. 21 - March 18, 2009Mercyhurst
College
TheftThursday, March 5
TheftThursday, March 12
Intelligence Studies
Continued investigation
Egan Cafeteria
Closed
Mercyhurst College President Dr. Thomas Gamble enjoyed “mocktails” with MSG
President Christina Coovert and other students.
Tyler Stauffer photos
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 3/20
Dr. J. Pablo Chavajay, a devel-
opmental psychologist from
the University of New Hamp-
shire, spoke at Mercyhurst Col-
lege in Taylor Little Theatre on
Monday, March 23.
The presentation was titled,
“Cultural Arrangements of
Learning in a GuatemalanMayan Community.”
The goal of Chavajay’s
presentation was to discuss
his research on how par-
ents interact with their chil-
dren and how that in turn
influences children’s styles
of learning.
Chavajay is a native of Guate-
mala, and his research focused
on San Pedro La Laguna, a city in Guatemala.
His presentation focused on
life in San Pedro La Laguna
from 1940 to 2009. He used a
silent film to display what the
town and people looked like
during the 1940s and 1950s.
Chavajay pointed out that
during the 1940s, children
attended grades one through
three. However, in 2009,the children of San Pedro
La Laguna attend preschool
through grade 12.
He conducted studies to find
out how Mayan mothers and
fathers handled working with
children to solve a puzzle or a
problem. Chavajay focused on
how the parents’ educational
background affected how they
acted in this situation.Based on the results of his
study, Chavajay said, “School-
ing seems to have an impact
on traditional Mayan prac-
tices.”
Chavajay shared his
research on the differences in
grandmothers’ and mothers’
perspectives on generational
changes.
“It was very interesting andintriguing to learn about a dif-
ferent culture and how much
different it is from my own,”
freshman Samantha Colvin
said.
Chavajay’s presentation was
funded through the Diversity
Grant and was sponsored by
the Psychology Department.
Construction of Mercyhurst
College’s newest building is
on schedule to open in August
despite the bad winter, accord-ing to Assistant Vice President
of Student Life Laura Zirkle.
The $14 million project will
house over 300 freshmen. The
100,000 square foot building will
have a convenience store and a
fitness center. Each of the four
floors will have two wings of
dorms, a main common area
and several lounges and study rooms.
Zirkle compared walking into
the bedrooms to walking into a
hotel room. Just inside the door
of these two-person rooms is
an alcove with closets, shelves
for a mini-fridge and a door to
the private bathroom.
“I honestly think people are
going to be awed at the build-ing. It feels like a Mercyhurst
building. The architect made it
so it feels like it belongs here,”
Zirkle said. “Until you’re actu-
ally standing in there it’s hard
to imagine what kind of a place
it’s going to be.”
The new dorm rooms will
cost $300 more per term than
McCauley or Baldwin Halls,
but that didn’t seem to be adeterrent for many future stu-
dents at the March 13th Laker
Live-In.
“It would be worth it,
because they’re just so much
nicer. They’re brand new,”
incoming freshman Julie Stum-
baugh said.
Students will reserve a spot
in the new dorm on a first-
come, first-served basis.
The new dorm will allow for
more single rooms in Baldwin
and McCauley and open the
Mercy Suites for graduate hous-
ing or other uses.
The dorm will also decongest
upper-classmen housing, allow-
ing for three-person housing inmost Briggs and Lewis apart-
ments, according to Assistant
Director of Residence Life and
Student Conduct Dara Zirkle.
Freshman students request-
ing quads will most likely live in
Duvall Apartments.
“It’s good for the freshmen,
but it sucks for us. I don’t like
the idea of having to pay more
for triples,” freshman Scot Bly said.
Sophomore Brittany Wzontek
likes the idea of triples and is
excited for next year’s freshmen.
“It’s cool that they have their
own bathrooms. I wish we would
have had that,” Wzontek said.
Architect Shelane Buehler is
in the process of applying for
Leadership in Energy & Envi-
ronmental Design (LEED) cer-
tification of the new building,
the accepted standard for green
building design, construction
and operation.
“The building will have many
characteristics of a green build-
ing, from appliances and light-
ing to the use of environmen-tally friendly materials in the
interior,” Green Team Faculty
Chair Dr. Chris Magoc said. “We
will continue to aspire to even
greener buildings on campus,
but the efforts of Ken Stepher-
son and the builder to get this
building LEED-certified are
commendable and noteworthy.”
“Hopefully, it really will be
a huge draw for students. It so well represents Mercyhurst that
students who are excited bout
this building are going to excited
about the campus,” Laura Zirkle
said.
Residence Life hopes to have
several rooms open for tours
before the end of summer.
Watch coming issues of The
Merciad for photos of the new
building’s interior.
NEWS Page 3March 25, 2009
New freshman dorm on schedule for next yearBy JoEllen Marsh
Managing editor
Guatemalan psychologist visits ’Hurst
The new freshman dorm, planned for next year, is on schedule
and will be open in time to house incoming freshman this fall.
It will also house a convenience store and workout center.
Tyler Stauffer photo
By Kelly LuomaStaff writer
Vote Wednesday, March 25, and
Thursday, March 26, at the Her-
rmann Student Union from
10 a.m. - 6 p.m. or at
msg.mercyhurst.edu.
Vice President Candidates:
Santina Sgro and Michael Zinn
Treasurer Candidate:
Adam Kostik
Secretary Candidate:
Katlin Hess
Presidential Candidates:
Devin Ruic and Dinorah Sanchez
MSG Executive
Board Elections:
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 4/20
NEWSPage 4 March 25, 2009
Scoot Williams photo
Every year, numerous student
photographers send their work
into the Pennsylvania Newspa-
per Publishing Association, Col-
legiate Edition, hoping to win an
award and receive recognition
for their shots.
Mercyhurst College juniorScoot Williams won second
place in this competition for his
photograph, “Diving Back In.”
The picture was of a soccer
goalie diving to make a save, and
Williams noted he did indeed
block the shot.
Williams said he heard about
the competition through a let-
ter from the Newspaper Asso-
ciation, asking if he would like to
submit anything. “I figured I had
a pretty good chance of placing,
but shooting sports is tough. It’s
not easy,” and he was pretty sure
his shots were a cut above the
rest.
Williams called his shot a
“good blessing…you get lucky
once in awhile. A little bit of skill
and luck came into play, and I
came out with a good photo.”
He gets to travel to Hershey,
Pa., on April 8, and attend the
Hershey Lodge America East
Conference to receive his award.
Williams stays modest though,
constantly referring to his shot
as “mostly luck and a little bit
of skill.”
By Alaina RydzewskiStaff writer
’Hurst student takes second place
Mercyhurst College junior Scoot Williams placed second for his photo “Diving Back In.”
Table for one?
Nine food service companies originally expressed
interest in Mercyhurst College’s food service contract.
Only four have made it to the food fight.
AVI Fresh, Chartwells, Parkhurst and Sodexo are thefinal four contenders for the college’s food service con-
tract, which expires next year. Mercyhurst’s Food Com-
mittee said it hopes to reach a final decision next week.
On March 16, the four finalists came to campus to
each give a presentation to the committee.
“It was an exquisitely thorough process,” Vice Presi-
dent of Student Life Dr. Gerard Tobin said.
The Food Committee is comprised of Assistant
Director of Residence Life and Student Conduct Joe
Howard, Tobin, Director of Administration Tom Bill-
ingsley, Vice President of Finance Jane Kelsey, StudentSenator Trey Zeluff and President of Mercyhurst Stu-
dent Government Christina Coovert, all represent-
ing the Erie campus. Mercyhurst North East Student
Government representative Brittany Fuller and Direc-
tor of Administration Jim Lanahan represented the
North East campus.
Howard said Mercyhurst’s dining services will
undergo many changes regardless of which company
wins the contract.
“We really tried to focus on ways of providing more
flexibility and variety to students,” Howard said. “We
tried to really pay attention to the concerns of the stu-
dents.”
Through the help of Porter Chow Consulting firm
and MSG, students expressed their dissatisfaction
with the college’s current dining services, Tobin said.
Students mainly showed frustration with food quality,
but dining hours and the value of board equivalency
were other concerns. It was decided the school wouldrequest bids and programs from different food service
providers as well as Sodexo, the college’s current pro-
vider.
“We evaluated them on many different criteria,”
Tobin said. “We considered much more than just the
food.”
Before seeking proposals from providers, the com-
mittee set extensive requirements.
“We specified everything down to the number
of veggies in the salad bar, the variety of vegetarian
soup options, the number of proteins offered in eachcourse, the types of cold cereals offered and so much
more,” Howard said.
While quality of food was one of the main priorities
of the Food Committee, Howard said they took an
eco-friendly approach to the decision-making process.
“Along with the food and service quality of the
providers, we also evaluated the companies on their
sustainability,” Howard said. “We looked into their
environmental consciousness as well as things like use
of local farmers.”
By Casey Greene
Editor-in-Chief
Regardless of which company gets the food service
contract with Mercyhurst College, changes are planned
for the next academic year. One of the most significant
will be Egan Hall Cafeteria’s expanded hours.
“We are moving from an all-you-care-to-eat model to
an any-time-dining model,” Tobin said.
Egan will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. or similar
times, according to Coovert. “It will be much more ac-
cessible to students,” she said.
Tobin said he hopes the hours create a more com-
munal atmosphere. “We want it to be more like home,”
he said. “At home your kitchen doesn’t close at noon
and re-open at 4:30.”
Hours at Egan aren’t the only changes. Board equiva-
lency values will also undergo major alterations.
The Laker Grill will no longer accept board and in-
stead will be “a retail-only dining area,” Tobin said. This
means students will have to pay with campus credit
such as dining dollars.
A to-go option will be provided at Egan. The amount
will be limited, but carry-out boxes will be provided for
students on the go. The grab-and-go concept will reach
beyond Egan to the new dormitory building and the
Bookstore.
While the Food Committee has not decided which of
the four food service providers the school will be work-
ing with next year, Tobin said both changes are on their
way regardless.
“Big changes are coming to the dining services on
campus one way or another,” Tobin said.
Big changesfor dining services
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 5/20
NEWS Page 5March 25, 2009
Students looking for aunique way to enjoy the spring
weather and get some exerciseshould join the EquestrianClub at Mercyhurst College.
The Equestrian Club is forstudents who love horses, ac-
cording to freshman Megan White. White is the president of the
Equestrian Club and the cap-
tain of the Equestrian Team. White, who has been riding
horses for ten years, said, “I
have the most showing experi-
ence with horses.”
Members of the club par-take in activities such as going on trail rides, organizing sleigh
rides and volunteering at atherapeutic riding center.
This is the fourth year of
the Equestrian Team at Mer-cyhurst. The team consists of three members.
The team competes in the
Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. “We compete
against really big teams,” ad- viser of the club, Dr. Mary Ann Owoc said.
According to White, theteam does a lot of travel-ing for the competitions. She
enjoys howriding allows her
to get away from the collegecampus.
The team practices at Bren-
ric Stables in McKean, Pa.Owoc explained why she en-
joys horseback riding.
“It’s just really fun, really relaxing and excellent exer-cise,” Owoc said. “It’s like do-
ing yoga with a 1500 pound
partner.”Students who have an in-
terest in horses should check out the Mercyhurst EquestrianClub/Team group on Face-
book or contact Dr. Mary AnnOwoc for more information [email protected].
By Kelly LuomaStaff writer
Members ride, exercise in Equestrian Club
Green energy fundaccepts proposalsBy JoEllen Marsh
Managing Editor
Wondering what happens tothe $5 every Mercyhurst Collegestudent pays to the Green En-
ergy Fund each term? The purpose of the Green
Energy Fund is to increase the
college’s investment in renewableenergy technologies according toMercyhurst’s sustainability stud-
ies Web site.Since the Fund’s creation in
2005, it paid for increased use
of wind energy and three so-lar-powered blue light systems
and budgeted money to build agreen roof on the ceramics laband install water-efficient show-erheads.
“This is something you cando in four years or a year andsee results rather than having to
go through layers of red tape,”senior Zach Pekor, who submit-ted a few proposals, said. “It’s a
good venue for sustainability.” The Green Energy Fund Re-
view Board is currently accept-ing proposals for new uses of
the Fund. All Mercyhurst students can
submit proposals for investing
in green energy, as long as they have a project supervisor.
Proposals are evaluated basedon innovation, feasibility, extentof impact and appropriatenessof budget and schedule and are
expected to cost between $1,000and $25,000.
“Progressive student partici-
pation is the key to the program’ssuccess. Who knows who willcome up with a coherent and
practical idea for how to make
the world— or at least our littlesliver of it— a ‘better’ place,”
Green Energy Review Boardmember James Snyder said.
Similar programs at other
colleges fund programs like en-ergy-efficient lighting, recycling initiatives and alternative energy
generation.Proposal forms and more in-
formation can be found at sus-
tainability.mercyhurst.edu.
’Hurst TV PresentsErie Dance Consortium’s 5th biannual
ERIE FESTIVAL OF DANCEChannel 19
Wed., March 25, 8 and 10p.m. Thurs., March 26, 11a.m., 1 and 5 p.m.
Fri., March 27, 3, 7 and 11p.m.
The Equestrian Club enjoys riding horses even in the snowy
weather.
Contributed photo
Now that spring is here, Mer-cyhurst College students can
look forward to warm weather,the end of the school year andSpringfest.
This year’s annual Springfest will be a weekend long event,according to Student Activi-
ties Council (SAC) Chair Vicky Fleisner. It will take place onFriday, May 8, and Saturday,
May 9. The theme of the event is
Tropical Thunder.
The band, Third Eye Blind,
will perform on Friday night in
the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Third Eye Blind has recordedthree bestselling albums.
Free tickets for the concert will become available to stu-dents one to two weeks prior to
Springfest. The tickets will be distributed
to 1500 students on a first-comefirst-serve basis.
Saturday’s outdoor events willinclude inflatables, a slip n’ slide,
cornhole, horseshoes, volleyballand a barbecue.
“More details about what
kind of inflatables and food willcome,” Fleisner said.
The activities are not final-
ized yet, because SAC and Mer-
cyhurst Student Government(MSG) are still working on thebudget and expenses for the
events.“SAC and MSG are really
excited, because we have been
getting excellent feedback aboutthe band selection,” Fleisner
said.“We are excited it’s going
to be a weekend event,” MSGEvents Coordinator Jax Brown
said. “Students will be able toenjoy the entire weekend.”
Finalized plans for this year’s
Tropical Thunder Spring-fest will be published in alater issue.
By Kelly Luoma
Staff writer
Springfest in the making
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 6/20
FEATURESPage 6 March 25, 2009
Lunch $ 5
Dinner $ 5.50 11:30 a.m. -8 p.m.
Lunch $ 5
Dinner $ 5.50
Broccoli & Cheddar Bites
6” Sub $4 Combo $5
12” Sub $5.75 Combo $6.75
Make any sub a wrap for
no extra charge!
Wrap Combo- Veggie $5
Other Wraps $4
M
T
W
TH
F
S
Ceasar Salad
Steel City Sandwich-
Chicken Quesadilla
General Tso’s
Portabella & Red
BBQ Bacon Cheese-
M
T
W
TH
F
S
2 Slices of Pizza
Home Style Potato
Sizzle Salad
Piero
Buffalo Popcorn Chicken
Chicken Bacon Swiss
S Meat Ravioloi
Lunch $ 5
Dinner $ 5.50
Laker hockey fans show their enthusiasm
The Lakers won the CHA
Championship to advance to the NCAA
quarterfinals, hosted by Mercyhurst
College a mere week and a half ago.
The astonishing win against St.Lawrence University marked college
history as the first time the Lakers would
advance to the Frozen Four.
For the game, groups of Mercyhurst
fans took a trip to Boston to watch the
Women’s hockey team play in the NCAA
Frozen Four tournament.
Some drove eight hours and stuffed
seven people into a double occupancy
hotel room, while others opted to take
the bus provided by Mercyhurst College’s
Athletics Department and Laker Spirit
Club.
The Lakers entered Agganis Arena at
Boston University in the ’Hurst’s entire
blue and green splendor and waved their
flag high – they had nothing to lose.
On Friday, March 20, the Lakers took on Minnesota in a semi-final match.
’Hurst fans got lucky and found seats
behind the Lakers’ bench, giving them
the opportunity to scream and shout and
bang on the glass, showing the girls their
support.
They also had a band.
With students, parents, friends and
faculty members showing their support,
the team fought to defeat Minnesota 5-
4.
For the first time in NCAA history,
the Mercyhurst Lakers became the first
No. 3 seed to advance to the National
Championship, set to play top-seed
Wisconsin.
“We respect the fans for coming out
to every game – that’s dedication. Idon’t know what we would do without
the support and enthusiasm from the
crowd,” Johanna Malmstrom, a junior
on the team, said about the Mercyhurst
crowd.
“The fans are a huge part of the team’s
success – most people don’t realize how
much their spirit really motivates us to
play well and win.”
With an unfortunate loss to the
Badgers, the Lakers accepted the loss
and began the long journey back to
Erie.
But the fact that the hockey team
worked so hard all year was enough
to acknowledge that making it this far
was such a huge feat, and there is no
disappointment in that.Being there was amazing, one fan
said.
The Laker fans waved to the referees
and had their prime seats taken over by
Wisconsin fans.
They were told time and time again
to sit down and shut up by angry fans
who couldn’t stand to be out-spirited by
college kids.
By Alexandra Miniri
Staff writer
The blue and green take over Aggranis Arena at B.U.
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 7/20
FEATURES Page 7March 25, 2009
Do you have a passion for living the
Gospel by helping people in another culture?
Win a free mission trip to
If you are between 18 and 35 years old, Maryknoll
Fathers and Brothers invite you to enter a contestfor your chance to experience a taste of
overseas mission with us!
Just send us a short video that shows you engaged in community service
and you could be the winner of Explore My Mission in Brazil!
Learn more details at
www.exploremymission.org
On Friday, March 21, students
from Mercyhurst College’s
Campus Ministry set up their
cardboard boxes outside of
Zurn Hall and prepared for a
cold night.
This was part of an awareness
campaign called ‘CardboardCity ’ which was geared towards
raising awareness of the
homeless and poverty stricken
people of the world.
Chair of the event, sophomore
Joe Weidenboerner, started this
campaign, because he wanted
to draw attention to the cause
by living the experience and
hardship homeless people go
through first hand.He said he felt by doing
this, it would open the eyes of
Mercyhurst College Students
to the world of poverty.
Weidenboerner said, “It’s a very
sobering experience. Now that
the sun is setting it’s getting
colder and we are struggling to
keep a fire lit.”
Many professors stopped to
look at the site they had set up
and commented on how realistic
the site was.
Freshman Erin Luerstuik also
participated in the event.
“It’s amazing how hard it is
to live like this and how much
the homeless community goes
through on a daily basis,” she
said.
She said the main lesson she
learned was to have respect for
the homeless community.Luerstuik also said that not
many students asked questions;
most just looked curious as they
passed by and only a few asked
what they were doing.
Senior Claire Rowella observed
the demonstration and thought
it was a clever way to present the
issue of homelessness.
“I thought that actually having
the boxes was a creative way of showing how the homeless live,
because you really think about
how they survive the nights in
just a box,” Rowella said.
“It was a good way of getting
people to be aware of the
homeless people and what they
have to endure.”
Junior Kerry Skiver had
a different take on the
demonstration and did not find
it effective.
“Being from San Diego, there
are tons of homeless people.
I think the only way to realize
how they live is to see it for
yourself,” Skiver said.
“It is not very effective to just
have people pretending for the
day. People need to do things
like hand out food or serve at a
soup kitchen. I’ve helped out
homeless people many times.” The demonstrators spent 26
hours living in their cardboard
boxes and there were at least
four participants present at all
times.
In conjunction with Campus
Ministry, Amnesty International
and Human Services also helped
in planning the campaign.
The proceeds will be donated
to Invisible Children, whichaddresses the plight of child
soldiers in northern Uganda.
Weidenboerner is in theprocess of bringing a chapter of
Invisible Children to Mercyhurst
College within the next year.
By Jenna GoldenContributing writer
Cardboard city built inside Mercyhurst campus
Cardboard City was organized by sophomore Joe Weiden-
boerner with the help of Campus Ministry, Amnesty Interna-
tionaland and Human Services.
Jenna Golden photo
Students set up boxes to spend the night in despite the cold
to raise awareness of the homeless and poverty stricken.
Jenna Golden photo
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 8/20
FEATURESPage 8 March 25, 2009
Forming future ‘Amerileaders’ with AmeriCorps
Service Learning is a big
aspect of Mercyhurst College
and its mission.
One of the service programs
offered at Mercyhurst is
AmeriCorps.
This program offers a $1,200
scholarship opportunity in
exchange for 300 or 450 hours
of community service within
one calendar year.
Junior education majors Julie
Hranica and Nadine Beres are
two of Mercyhurst´s students
who started service through
the AmeriCorps EducationScholars program.
They are exceptional
models of campus leaders
involved in higher academics,
extracurricular activities and an
incredible amount of service.
Hranica and Beres work at
St. Luke School, down the road
from the Mercyhurst campus.
They often spend more time
than what they are paid for in
order to help out children and
teachers.
They’ve also had the
opportunities to take their
service across international
borders.
“My freshman year I went
on the Border Awareness Trip
to New Mexico and Mexico,”
Beres said.
“I learned a ton about
different issues going on along
the border. The trip definitely
opened my eyes to different
things going on down there.”Other service centers they
have volunteered at include the
Martin Luther King Center,
John F. Kennedy Center and
Neighborhood Art House in
Erie.
“We have also participated
in Alternative Break Trips,”
Hranica said.
“We both went to New
Orleans last year to help with
the hurricane relief and we also
went to Camden, N.J. for the
Urban Challenge as well,” she
added.
The girls said they enjoy
service, because they love
bringing joy to others.
Besides AmeriCorps, the girls
are involved in various other
on-campus clubs including the
Honors program, Ambassadors
Club, Kappa Delta Pi and
Circle K.
They are also ESO Co-Chairs
for the Council for ExceptionalChildren.
This year, applications for
the AmeriCorps program will
be accepted through May 8,
2009.
This program offers a great
opportunity for students
needing financial aid as well
as for those who want to get
involved with service.
Another benefit AmeriCorpsoffers is that students are able
to count off-campus work-
study as part of their service in
this program.
“Mercyhurst College offers
several off-campus work study
positions,” Service Learning
Director Sister Michele
Schroeck said.
“There’s work at nearby
schools, senior centers andother non-profits for students
who are interested in gaining
valuable work experience in the
filed.”
Students interested in service
learning should contact Sister
Michele Schroeck at extension
2471, or Amelia Diaz in the
Service Learning office.
By Alexandra Miniri
Staff writer
Two model students show model behavior for service
Julie Hranica works hard and plays hard while on her service
learning trips.
Contributed photo
Beres and other students participated in a highway cleanup.
Contributed photo
Juniors Nadine Beres and Julie Hranica pose alongside Mercy-
hurst’s Service Learning Director Sister Michele Schroek.
Contributed photo
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 9/20
FEATURES Page 9March 25, 2009
Mercyhurst College’s newest
addition to the list of clubs andextracurricular activities offered
is the Fencing Club.Freshman Carolyn Carlins,
the club’s creator, said shecame up with the idea, because
she has never been a “go to thegym person.”
“I wanted to do something
more hard core than yoga sothat I could stay in shape,”Carlins said.
The club will be mostly
recreational; a way for friends
to stay in shape while having
fun together.“It’s sort of like Facebook
Super Poke, except with foils,”
Carlins said. As of now, the club has no
competitive intentions, but
Carlins said the Allegheny College’s fencing team hasoffered to help anyone who
wishes to become competitive. The club’s mascot is the
narwhal, a large whale with a
long pointy tooth, and the club was inspired by Inigo Montoya,Zorro and Enchanted’s Prince
Edward.Carlins said she has received
multiple e-mails of interest from
friends and acquaintances.
She said she hopes the club will go far and that participants will be able to “take a stab at
something new.” The club meets once a week
and will have their first official
meeting on Friday, March 27,from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in theexercise room of the MAC.
Members include VicePresident Emily Carlins, Treasurer Emily Alden,
Publicity Manager AnnaKateCornelius and Secretary LizEidner.
Interested students cancontact Carolyn Carlins at
By Alaina RydzewskiStaff writer
A stab at something new
Tom Hubert is not afraid to
get his hands dirty with clay.Hubert is an accomplished
ceramic artist and Associate
Professor of Art at MercyhurstCollege.
From April 5 through May
18, Hubert will feature a polka-dot porcelain teapot piece in the A. Houberbocken 20th Annual
Teapot Show in Chicago’sChiaroscuro Galleries.
To produce a wide range of
decorative effects, Hubert’steapot underwent multipleglazes and firings at different
temperature ranges.“My functional porcelain
pieces are wheel thrown withattention to details regarding utility,” Hubert said.
“The teapot forms examine
the subtle variations of thecombined parts of lid, spout,handle and body.”
Junior art education majorBetsy Morningstar said of
Hubert, “His work is definitely
very unique and incredibly meticulous.”
“There are hours of work
with layering of colors that gointo what he does.”
Colorful and contemporary,
Hubert’s teapot is one of many pieces he has entered into various galleries.
“This is the first time I have
entered this particular show, butI am entering pieces in shows all
of the time,” Hubert said.His professional awards
include a 2007 Jurors Award
and a 2008 Purchase Award inthe Annual Spring Shows at theErie Art Museum, an October
2008 Honorable Mention at the34th Annual Meadville Councilof the Arts and many others.
Hubert’s talent is a reflectionof his extensive education.
In 1977, Hubert received
his Bachelor of Arts in ArtEducation from Mercyhurstand has taught at the ‘Hurst
since 1980.“I like him a lot as a teacher.
He is always super calm and
relaxed,” Morningstar said.
“I think that must come fromall the throwing he does on thepotter’s wheel. It’s a very tranquil
thing.”Despite teaching Ceramics,
3-D Design, Sculpture, Wheel
Thrown Ceramics and CeramicSculpture at Mercyhurst, Hubertis still able to find time to sculpt
by participating in a research
contract.“The research contract
allowed me to have a reducedcourse load and thus more timeto focus on developing new
work,” Hubert said.Such work has been
photographed and published in
articles and books such as the2009 publication of “Working with Clay” by Susan Peterson.
He has also had soloexhibitions featuring his own work.
“I feel it would be hard to getinto those kinds of things [artshows] now with the economy
so bad, art is a luxury not many people are paying attention toright now,” Morningstar said.
By Liz MaierStaff writer
Professor ‘throws’ teapot into Chicago show
F e a t u r e w r i t e r s
n e e d e d !
Paid positions available
for talented writers
For more info.
contact the features
editor at
Mercyhurst’s art professor Tom Hubert won a spot in the A.
Houberbocken 20th Annual Teapot Show in Chicago’s Chiar-
oscuro Galleries.
Contributed photo
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 10/20
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPage 10 March 25, 2009
Students star in ‘Sweet Charity’ musical
This past weekend the Mer-
cyhurst College Student-Run
Musical presented “Sweet Char-
ity,” which was met with gener-
ally good reviews from viewers
each night. Those involved in
the musical enjoyed themselves,
and the audience came away
entertained.
Many of the cast members
felt the shows went well.
“I was so pleased with how
the show turned out. We worked
hard and it showed the three
nights we performed,” fresh-
man Ernest Seldon, a member
of the chorus for “Sweet Char-
ity,” said.
Fellow chorus member fresh-man Christina Mihalic agreed,
saying, “I honestly have to say
that I think the show ran really
well. Even though the practices
were tough, especially since we
all have busy schedules, every-
one still put in a lot of effort. I
wasn’t in the audience, but even
from on stage I could tell that
our hard work paid off.”
Graduate student JessicaProvenzano, who appeared as
Nickie in the performance, has
been involved with the Student-
Run Musical since its inception.
“As a member of the original
production staff that started the
student produced musical six
years ago, I am so happy to see
how the shows just keep get-
ting better every year. When we
started we had no money, wehad limited rehearsal space and
our performances were held at
Mercyhurst Prep. I am so thrilled
that the program actually turned
into something and hopefully it
will continue to flourish in the
future,” Provenzano said.
Senior Kara Stadelman, who
acted as the show’s producer,
was also pleased with the per-
formance.
“My favorite performance
to watch was Saturday night,
because the audience responded
well to the funny lines and the
great talent. I’m very relieved
we had a good turnout and that
the general consensus was that
everyone did a wonderful job
with the production,” Stadel-
man said.
Many of the surveyed audi-
ence members enjoyed the
production and felt that it was
well done, though not always without reservations. More than
one viewer noted that the per-
formances ran rather long, and
others felt that the story was
hard to follow. One viewer also
thought the costuming in some
numbers was “chaotic” and the
musical overall was a bit “fren-
zied.”
“I felt that the musical was
great – the scenery was beauti-
fully constructed, the characters
were vibrant and engaging, and
the overall story was good. The
only setback to the musical, I
felt, was that the story seemed
to jump around a bit, making
the gauge of time elapsed dif-
ficult for the audience,” one
student viewer said.
Another said, “It was difficultto gauge the time period of the
musical – some of the props
and costumes felt old and some
felt current. That aside, the cos-
tumes and props were still g reat,
the scenery was excellent and
the actors and musicians were
wonderful.”
“Out of al l the annual musi-
cals I have seen at Mercyhurst,
this was not the best productionI have seen. Yes, the perform-
ers were good, but something
was lacking; a certain energy or
something wasn’t there. I did
enjoy the dancing and choreogra-
phy, and the performers were all
very good. There was definitely
room for more laughs on the
part of the audience members,
who did not seem that support-
ive or excited,” one Friday nightaudience member said.
Overall, the consensus from
cast and audience seemed to
be that ‘Sweet Charity’ was
another success for the Stu-
dent-Run Musical. Although the
show was described as unusual
and even “weird” and “confus-
ing” by several viewers, the cast
performed well and presented
another great show this year.
By Sarah MastrocolaStaff writer
Freshman Katie Wagner dances atop Vittorio Vidal’s
(freshman Andrew Kopcienski) bed as Charity Hope Valentine
in one of the opening scenes in ‘Sweet Charity.’ Wagner’s
character was buoyant and exuberant throughout the show.
Tyler Stauffer photo
Nickie (grad student Jessica Provenzano) and Helene (senior
Jessica Rudisill) lead a chorus of dance hall hostesses
through the provocative number “Hey Big Spender.”
Tyler Stauffer photo
The reviewsare in:
What students
liked and
didn’t like about
‘Sweet Charity’
last weekend
Sarah Hlusko:
“‘Sweet Charity’ was a fun
show, albeit sensual and
overly dramatic. It was
fun, flirty and very much a
‘Sex and the City’ musical
rendition without Dior. I
adored the dry, promiscu-
ous humor and aloof nature
of Charity. However, I was
confused with some of thescenes. The ‘Big Spender’
scene was fun, yet seemed
too chaotic.”
Christine Wilbur:
“The acting, singing, and
dancing was very good for
the most part. Even though
it was the first show, from
an audience’s perspec-
tive it seemed to go rather
smoothly. [However,] the
fairy on the scooter at the
very end perplexed me to
no end.”
Elizabeth
Clain-Stefanelli:
“The first Act was a little
slow at times, but that is
the story and script, can’t
help that. I thought Char-
ity did a good job, espe-
cially being a freshman and
having to hold the whole
show together. ‘Rhythm
of Life’ was definitely my
favorite piece. [Junior] Gar-
rett [Evans] did a fabulous
job and it really woke up the
show.”
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 11/20
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 11March 25, 2009
Rockers Third Eye Blind to play at Springfest
There aren’t many bands I would travel long distances to
see. Two summers ago, I made
a seven-hour, one-day trip
to Columbus and back withfriends from my hometown tosee one of my favorite bands.
So it comes as no surprisethat I am looking forward tohearing Third Eye Blind per-
form this year at Springfest,held May 8 and 9. The band will perform the night of
Friday, May 8.Most people will probably
recognize the San Fran-
cisco-based band for their
mainstream mid-’90s anthems,including “Semi-Charmed
Life,” “Jumper,” “How’s ItGoing to Be,” “Deep Insideof You” and “Never Let You
Go.”In addition to their most
recognizable material, lead
singer Stephan Jenkins, guitarist Tony Fredianelli and drummerBrad Hargreaves have a reli-
able set of songs they repriseas fan favorites in concert,including “Crystal Baller,”
“Faster,” “Blinded” and “Godof Wine.”
Furthermore, their 2006
greatest hits album “A Col-lection,” features a numberof songs that had not been
released on a previous album.“My Time in Exile” is a
brooding, melancholy musing about the club life, and “Slow Motion,” fast becoming a fanfavorite, is a satire of the hip-
hop culture.“Tattoo of the Sun,” along
with other band cult classics
like “Motorcycle Drive-By,” is asong reserved for dark summernights.
During their performance,
it is likely the band will delve
into new material, since they have an album, “Ursa Major,”coming out in June.
Previously titled “The Hid-eous Strength” and in the workssince 2005, the album will fea-
ture a variety of songs com-prising an album Jenkins called
“more political” in an interview with Tune Lab Music in 2007.
“Ursa Major” is scheduled tobe accompanied by a shorter
album of tracks that did notmake the cut for the finalalbum, tentatively titled “Ursa
Minor.” An EP, “Red Star,” was
recently released for those who
want to preview some of the
songs on the album.It includes three tracks:
“Non-Dairy Creamer,” “RedStar” and “Why Can’t You Be.” All three tracks are available for
full preview through the band’s Web site at 3eb.com/discogra-phy.
“Non-Dairy Creamer” isdescribed through the band’s Web site as being musically
“an ode to Meg White” in the
drums. The song’s lyrics alludeto what Jenkins perceives ascultural shortfalls (“You can
buy yourself some implants/ But you can’t buy a soul”)and supposed ironic paradoxes
(“young gay Republicans”) inorder to ask the serio-comic
question “Are you real to me,or are you non-dairy creamer?”
“Red Star” is a song witha tempo similar to other 3eb
tracks such as “My Hit andRun” and “Danger,” the lastsong Jenkins co-wrote with
former bassist Arion Salazar, who left the band with sub-stance abuse problems.
Jenkins’ lyrics describe a girl
fighting for her beliefs in whathe calls “Dick Cheney’s Amer-
ica, this kind of ‘Stazi-like’environment where oppositionis not only unpatriotic, but it
will get you in big trouble.” The lead-in for “Why Can’t
You Be” on the band’s Web is a
more risqué serio-comic paean, with Jenkins describing a fight with an ex-girlfriend who coun-
tered his argument with the
revelation that her first, purestlove was a shower head.
Despite the content, at
times admittedly coarse, thelyrics at time still dig for depthand meaning, as when Jen-
kins laments, “Why can’t yoube / Like an art house for-
eign movie? / Frank and sexy red balloons and ennui / Andaloof to me / Why can’t you bea little bit more of a mystery?”
Jenkins commented on thesite that he intended the lyricsto alternate between funny and
sad and remarked that his per-sona in this song is closer thanmost songs to his conception
of himself.
When I saw them two sum-mers ago, the band was an
excellent group of showman,particularly Jenkins, who oftendons a top hat and suit jacket,
and Hargreaves, who was givenmultiple opportunities to shine with drum solos.
Their performance shouldbe a worthy capstone toMercyhurst College’s annual
Springfest celebrations.
By Kyle KingA & E Editor
At left, Third Eye Blind lead singer and guitarist Stephan Jenkins plays
at a concert in his hometown of San Francisco. Above is a collage of
the band’s album artwork, culminating in their recent EP, ‘Red Star.’
Images from 3eb.com
Third Eye Blind
fan favorites
A guide to which
Third Eye Blind
songs concertgoers
should expect:
1. e classics - “Semi-Charmed Life ,” “DeepInside of You,” “Never Let You Go,” etc.2. “Faster ” openedthe Columbus show I saw two years ago,accompanied by a greatlights display.3. “ Motorcycle Drive-By ”is a classic ballad to whichevery hardcore fan knowsthe lyrics.4. “Slow Motion” is anunderground classic with acult following. Fans at theColumbus show chanted
for it after every song.
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 12/20
September 3, 2008ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPage 12 March 25, 2009
‘Milk’ replaces ‘Slumdog’ in Guelcher Film Series
Many fans of the Mary
D’Angelo Performing Arts Cen-
ter’s Guelcher Film Series were
excited at the prospect of seeing
“Slumdog Millionaire,” which
was scheduled to air Wednesday,
March 25, at 2:15 and 8 p.m.
After the film reeled in eight
Oscars last month, they rescinded
the school’s rights in order to
financially maximize renewed
interest in theatrical screenings.
Not to fear, however, as the
fast-thinking team in charge of
organizing events, led by Michael
Fuhrman and Michelle Ellia,
scrambled to come up with a
suitable replacement.
They found one in the
multiple-Oscar-winning biopic
“Milk,” starring Sean Penn
(“Mystic River,” “Fast Times at
Ridgemont High”) and directed
by Gus Van Sant (“Finding For-
rester,” “Good Will Hunting”).
The movie chronicles the rise
and election of Harvey Milk, the
first openly gay public official in
California. Milk begins as a gay
rights activist, but he realizes he
can serve his community more
as a politician. Milk was elected
to a San Francisco supervisor
seat in 1977.
In addition to footage shot
with Penn and co-stars Emile
Hirsch, Josh Brolin and JamesFranco, the movie relies on
archival footage and the use of
a statement Milk recorded later
in life.
The film is especially poignant
due to the recent passage of
California’s Proposition 8, which
restricted the definition of mar-
riage to opposite-sex couples
and restricted same-sex couples
from marrying, an overrule of
previous state Supreme Court
legislation.
One character remarks in
a television interview during
the film, “If homosexuals are
allowed their civil rights, then so
would prostitutes or thieves or
anyone else,” and a fellow coun-
cilman quips, “I’m not going to
be forced out of San Francisco
by social deviants and incorri-
gibles,” with reference to homo-
sexuals. The stakes seem high for Milk
and his followers, whose jobs
and lives are threatened, and who
fear the introduction of anti-gay
laws in other states. Of particu-
lar concern is 1978 legislation
that seeks to ban homosexuals
from employment in the state’s
public schools.
In Milk’s victories, both social
and political, Penn, Van Sant and
company engender hope and
courage, the kind of uplifting
arousal that garnered Penn the
critical acclaim to bag his second
Oscar for Best Actor.
Tickets can be obtained at the
PAC box office.
Tickets are free for Mercy-
hurst students with student ID
(limit one per student).
By Kyle King
A & E editor
Josh Brolin (left, who recently portrayed George W. Bush in the
Oliver Stone biopic “W”) portrays Dan White, a conservative
antagonist with whom Milk (right, Sean Penn) is finally able to
make a connection by the movie’s conclusion.
pac.mercyhurst.edu
One of the only things I have ever
valued about the Erie climate is the
first warm, sunny day of spring.
The feet of alienating, depressing
and debilitating snow causes T-shirt
weather to create a frenzy fit for an icecream truck at a fat camp.
Speaking of fat camp, anyone else a
little nervous about the weather turn-
ing warm enough to invite bikini sun
bathing in full view of the public?
Perhaps the affectionate comfort of
a huge plate of spaghetti reared its deli-
cious head a few too many times this
winter. And, after all, for everyone not
living in the Mercy Suites or Baldwin,
the walk to the gym is a long and ardu-ous one.
Besides, is fitness worth the feeling
of putting hoodies and sweatpants
over sweaty shorts and T-shirts to walk
back, into the wind, through arctic
tundra…the perspiration on your brow
instantly turning into icicles? I’m just
not sure the treadmill is that fun.
But, relax. It’s Erie. The weather is
not going to turn to sunbathing condi-
tions in the next week; you have time to
get back in shape.
Plus, you’re talking to the expert. I
left Mercyhurst College my sophomore
year in size 16 jeans at 210 pounds. I’m
currently rocking size 6 jeans at 140
pounds. I am a weight loss expert.People love to look at me, exclaim
that they didn’t even recognize me,
then say “Oh my gosh! How did you
do it? What’s your secret?”
There is no secret to weight loss.
Eat less. Exercise more. Done.
Want to get in shape for summer?
Let the authority help you lose weight
without those Tae Bo videos your
mother sent you in your last care pack-
age after you begged her to buy youjeans in a bigger size. By the way, don’t
even act like just because you would
grab “Rolling Stone Magazine” instead
of “Fitness Today” that you can’t
improve your health. As I think we all
remember from New Years, I’m just as
pretentious as the rest of you (Did you
READ that response letter?) So, here
are my five ways to use Arts and Enter-
tainment to inspire your fitness.
1. The Playlist. This is one of
the most valuable tools in your work-
out. A good playlist can inspire you to
get moving and head out for a run. No
matter your genre: country, indie rock,
goth metal or European house music…
an epic playlist for running, biking orsetting your treadmill on a slight incline
and walking (great calorie burner, fyi) is
a weight-loss key.
2. Go Dancing. Not so much
of a gym kid? Don’t have the match-
ing spandex outfits? Going out with
your friends for an evening on the
dance floor can probably burn more
fat than an hour at the gym…mostly
because you’ll sweat more and push
yourself harder when you’re having that much fun. 21 and older? Check
out Cell Block and The Cornerstone
on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Underage? Peccadillo’s has college ID
night every Wednesday night!
3. Drink less. Don’t take my
previous tip as a license to imbibe
freely. Even light beer is loaded with
calories and sugars. If you’re out on
the town, asking for water with lemon
will keep you hydrated while keeping
your fat counts down.
4. Get off of Facebook. The
Internet is not a real social life. The
sooner you accept this, the better off
you’ll be. Get out of your room, and
out playing Frisbee, going for a walk,playing tennis, using the basketball
court in between Lewis and Briggs that
I only ever see neighborhood kids on.
It was built for students and our stu-
dents are chained to their fake-social-
interactions. Call a friend up and get
out into the world, do something active
to catch up on each other’s lives. Who
knows how many miles you can walk
around an art museum?
5. Just do you. Not all aboutthe gym or heading downtown late at
night? The Mercyhurst Dance depart-
ment offers open classes to people of
all skill levels every Saturday if you’re
looking for a more graceful exercise.
If you have a passion for food and
don’t think you can ever give up your
high calorie favorites, have a dinner
party with your friends and try a new
weight watcher recipe or anything from
hungrygirl.com.
Hazel Jennings offers A & E weight loss tips
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 13/20
OPINION Page 13March 25, 2009The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the v iews of Mercyhurst College, the staff of The Merciad
or the Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be e-mailed to [email protected].
Sunday afternoon, out of
boredom, my boyfriend and I
went to Presque Isle Downs
and Casino.
I won $100,000!
OK, that isn’t true, but I
would be lying if I said we didn’t
talk about the possibility of
it happening .
As we entered the casino, I
noticed the entryway smelled
like a hotel.
I wondered if it made anyone
else feel like they were on vaca-
tion. We walked around the col-
orful room and I was instantly
aware we were the youngest
gamblers there. Most of the
people perched in front of the
slot machines were closer to my
grandmother’s age, many were
smoking, and no one looked to
be having a great time.
I took my chances anyway and
sat down to play my first slot
machine costing 25 cents a bet.
Before I knew it I lost my first
$5, I wasn’t having any fun and
the vacation feeling was gone.
My eyes were beginning to
water and burn from all the
cigarette smoke. I kept putting
money in the machines and
pressing buttons although I had
no idea what they did.
The more I spent, the more I
lost. I realized few people were
socializing or even smiling, and
the whole scene felt depressing.
After an hour we lost around
$40 and realized we’d wasted
our time.
Maybe the regulars were
having fun and winning
more than their expressions
gave away.
I was sure gambling was not
for me. I just couldn’t help but
be disappointed, my $100,000
dreams were crushed and I
didn’t even have a few laughs or
learn how to play the games
I can see what makes people
want to play card games with a
group and gamble for fun, I still
can’t see what draws people to
the slot machines.
You should just throw your
money in a pothole, either way
it isn’t much fun and you will
never see it again.
By Hayley O’Hare
Staff writer
The 1st Amendment allows
college students to write about
abortion, rationalize racism and
condemn classmates.
Of course, restrictions exist:
obscenity is unlawful, inciting
violence is prohibited and truth-
fulness is a top priority. News-
papers are a primary source
of information. Whether a reporter is unearth-
ing Watergate or proposing
indecency within the Catholic
Church, journalists adhere to a
strict set of codes rooted in the
freedom of speech.
But, when it comes to col-
lege campuses are rights
hindered behind the word
‘private’? State-funded institu-
tions report topics of theirchoice without prior restraint,
because state aid reflects govern-
ment involvement based on the
Constitution.
Private institutions rely on
loophole legislation deem-
ing the freedom of the press
adhere to its owners’ views.
Private institution owners are
usually traditional thinking
board members.
This keeps two-sided contro-
versies at bay.
For these students, funding is linked to tuition and endow-
ments. It is apparent the same
liberties their peers at state
colleges have do not exist.
Mercyhurst College, doesn’t
use prior restraint regarding
issues such as abortion, political
preference and religious scru-
tiny. The newsroom’s last check
lies with the student, editor-in-
chief.But, reporters and editors fear
other back lashes as well. Could
the administration revoke schol-
arships, remove the offender
or find a way to take complete
control over publication to the
point of censorship?
Is this already censorship
by fear?
The controversy is clear.
Ideas are being proposedfrom every direction to
college students.
They are taking in an unbe-
lievable wealth of knowledge,
making assessments and coming
to educated conclusions.
Private institutions, so many
of them religiously affiliated,
are keeping a fundamental reli-
ance from their students, faith
to decide for themselves.
By Heather Donovan
Opinion Editor
The current turn of unfor-
tunate events between singers
Chris Brown and Rihanna Fenty
are not only shocking and hor-
rifying, it’s given me something
to reflect on.
The threats on her life, the
picture leaked after the attack
and now the comparison of Brown to O.J. Simpson are more
than just disturbing.
There have been various
interviews from different per-
formers and mutual friends of
the two and different opinions
are being expressed about them
getting back together.
This confuses me.
What does this show their
young fans? How do you justify getting beaten to the point of
becoming unconscious, as the
police report stated on E! News
and it’s love?
The Alabama Coalition
Against Domestic Violence
(ACADV) reported 40 percent
of girls between the ages 14 and
17 say they know someone their
age abused by their boyfriend.
I have witnessed an extremely
abusive and terrifying relation-
ship and have seen what it can
do to a person. There is no way of justifying
what happened.
The statistics also showed
one in three teens, and one in
five college females have experi-
enced violent relationships.
Not to mention, ACADV’s
survey of 500 women between
ages 15 to 24 found 60 per-
cent were currently involved
in an ongoing abusive rela-tionship and all participants
had experienced violence in a
dating relationship.
Do these statistics bother
anyone? I would hope so.
Most celebrities are saying
this extremelty sensitive situ-
ation is between Brown and
Rihanna is between them and
we, the watching public, don’t
know the entire story.
That is absolutely true but
what does it matter?
Under no circumstances
should anyone put their hands
on someone else.
One of the first rules I was
taught as a child was, “keep your
hands to yourself.” It is simple
and true.
This situation has opened my
eyes even more than before to
how prevalent abusive relation-
ships are in society.
I witnessed a girl crash andburn to the point where she
dropped out of school because
of an abusive relationship.
Remembering how she looked
when I went home to have
dinner with her still sends a ter-
rifying chill up my spine.
Girls and guys alike, there is
absolutely no way to justify an
abusive relationship...physical or
verbal. There is no one worth
the amount of physical pain
and psychological damage it
can cause.
Have confidence and
make sure you know there is
never a situation where you
deserve abuse.
Hopefully the celebrity status
on the situation will shed some
light on a subject that needs to
be talked about.
I am just a bystander, and
I have been lucky enough to
never have experienced this ter-
rifying situation.
But I do hope, if it ever came
to that point, I would have
the sense to remember what I
deserve, seek the help I needed
and get away.
It is never OK.
By Jordan
ZangaroStaff writer
Discussing freedom ofspeech: public vs. private
Celebrity spotlight: What justifi es abuse?
Gambling away precious time and money
How the scandal can affect young fans
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 14/20
OPINIONPage 14 March 25, 2009
Flourishing through magical moments
The first note
of music sounds, adrenaline
circulates through my body and
races out of every finger and
toe.
Then, as the red velvet curtain
rises to reveal the audience and
the spot lights brighten, my
heart begins to beat wildly out
of control.
But as soon as I dance out of
the wings and onto the stage,
my nervous energy magically
transforms into a blissful
excitement words cannot
describe. Each and every timeI perform, this same surreal
sensation fills my insides.
When it happens, it is the
most wonderful feeling in the
world - one that stays inside of
me and inspires me for days, or
even weeks, afterward.
It awakens every part of me,
while reminding me how lucky I
am to have had the opportunity to do what I love most: dance.
Perhaps you feel this way when
you make a big accomplishment,
win a game or have an insightful,
stimulating conversation with a
close friend.
Maybe you are enthused
when a brilliant idea pops into
your head or when you are able
to make someone else’s day a
little bit brighter.I like to think each and every
one of us experiences several
magical moments like these
throughout life, and I believethey must not be ignored.
I believe we should recognize
how special they are and share
the joy they bring with others.
Whether we realize it or not, it
is these tiny moments that truly
enrich and color our lives.
If we let them, they have the
power to motivate us to reach
our goals, to
inspire us to
live out our
dreams and
to positively
transform us
into better
people who
are more
g e n e r o u s
t o w a r d s
others. They
should be
shared and
cherished, not
kept solely
for ourselves
and quietly
f o r g o t t e n .
Recently, I
have started
paying more attention to themagical feeling triumphing over
me when I dance or when I
make a difference in someone
else’s life.
I’ve noticed it is what gives
my life meaning and purpose
because it moves me to extend
my happiness to other people. It
also gives me a reason to smile
even when I’m having a bad day.
Most importantly, it reminds mehow wonderful it is to be alive.
It is a feeling I cannot and will
not ignore. That is why despite
whatever path life takes me on— whether I achieve my dream of
becoming a professional ballet
dancer or not— I will continue
dancing, teaching and sharing
my passion for dance with
others for the rest of my life.
Nicole Cerilli is a senior who is a dance major and communications
minor. Her career goals are to dance with a professional ballet company,write for a newspaper or magazine,
publish a book and become a teacher. Her favorite aspect about Mercyhurst:
“I love everything about Mercyhurst (aside from the snow), but the people
here are what have made the last four years so memorable and enjoyable.”
Mercyhurst College’s Ethical Reflection Committee has initiated this
series to encourage reflection within the entire college community on the values by which we live. We suggest that
faculty introduce appropriate essays into class discussion; we encourage students to bring these thoughts to
classes; we invite administrators and staff to explore these in department meetings.
The ERC alsorequests that you let us know how
you have used these thoughts in your life.
Contact Rev.Lyta Seddig,Chair: lseddig@
mercyhurst. edu.
This I Believe” is now linked to the
college Web site. Essays can be found at http://
www.mercyhurst.edu/ne/special- e v ent s/be l i e v e_
essays.
I like to think eachand every one ofus experiences severalmagical moments...
Nicole Cerilli”
“
Dedicated Merciad readers:
Refer to the opinion section weekly
for provocative issues.
@mercyhurst.edu
editormerciad
mgeditormerciad
newsmerciad
featuremerciad
opinionmerciad
sportsmerciad sportsmerciad
entertainmentmerciad
photomerciad
photomerciad
admerciad
copymerciad
apasto22
wwelch
bsheridan
The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of MercyhurstCollege. It is published throughout the school year, with the exception offinals weeks. Our office is in Hirt, Room 120B. Our telephone number is (814)
824-2376.
The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signedand names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the
letters for content, we reserve the right to trim letters to fit. Lettersare due Mondays. by noon and may not be more than 300 words. Submit
letters to box PH 485 or via e-mail at [email protected].
If you don’t want it printed . . . don’t let it happen.Editors
Casey Greene
JoEllen Marsh
Amanda Valauri
Javi Cubillos
Heather Donovan
Brad Moehringer Sam Sellinger
Kyle King
Scoot Williams
Tyler Stauffer
Caitlin Bly
Gretchen Yori
Ashley Pastor
Bill Welch
Brian Sheridan
Positions
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
News Editor
Features Editor
Opinion Editor
Sports Editor Sports Editor
A&E
Photographer
Photographer
Advertising Manager
Copy Editor
General Assignment
Adviser
Adviser
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 15/20
OPINION Page 15March 25, 2009
Women’s ice hockey madeit to their first Frozen Fourcompetition in Boston thispast weekend and advancedto their first ever nationalchampionship game.
Third Eye Blind is per-forming at Spring Fest thisyear due to a dedicated Stu-dent Activities Committee.
Campus is looking moredisheveled than ever after abitter Erie winter. Damagedone to the wooden bridgein the Grotto is just anothereyesore waiting for repair.
The ‘card swiper’ onthe EMTA downtownbus route was aggressively pinned to the inside wallof the bus after disorderly
students boarded Satur-day night. Respecting theperson taking you safely toyour partying destination would be the first step tokeeping these privileges.
Please e-mail any suggestions to
The GB&U is a compilation of
student opinions.
There’s a parable on the Young Americans for Liberty
Web site, that goes as follows: Aprofessor in a large college hadexchange students in the class.
One day while the class wasin the lab, the professor noticedone young exchange student
who kept rubbing his back andstretching as if it hurt.
The professor asked the young
man what was the matter. Thestudent told him he had a bulletlodged in his back. He had been
shot while fighting communistsin his native country.
In his story he looked at the
professor and asked a strangequestion, “Do you know how tocatch wild pigs?”
The professor thought it wasa joke and asked for the punchline. The young man said this
was no joke.“You catch wild pigs by
finding a suitable place in the
woods and putting corn on theground. The pigs find it andbegin to come every day to eat
the free corn. When they areused to coming every day, youput a fence up on one side of
the area. When they get used to the
fence, they begin to eat the corn
again and you put up anotherside of the fence.
They feel comfortable and
start to eat again. You continue
until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in thelast side.
The pigs, which are used tothe free corn, start to comethrough the gate to eat; you
slam the gate on them and catchthe whole herd! Suddenly, the wild pigs have lost their free-
dom. They run around insidethe fence, but soon go back toeating the free corn.
They are so used to it; they have forgotten how to foragein the woods for themselves, so
they accept their captivity. The young man then told the
professor this is exactly what he
sees happening to America. The government keeps push-
ing us toward socialism and
keeps spreading the free cornout in the form of programssuch as supplemental income,
tax credit for unearned income,tobacco subsidies, dairy sub-sidies, payments not to plant
crops (CRP), housing, welfare,medicine, drugs, etc... While wecontinually lose our freedoms
just a little at a time.One should always remem-
ber: A politician will never beable to provide a service for youcheaper than you can provide itfor yourself.
As Thomas Jefferson said, “Agovernment big enough to giveyou everything you want is big
enough to take away everything you have.”
By Thomas KubicaContributing writer
Should Police and Safety
have guns? Although some people may
hastily make decisions based on
fear to assume Mercyhurst Col-lege’s cop squad is the best pro-tector and defender of individ-
ual student, faculty and admin-istration selves, I disagree.
Being propagated to think
Police and Safety should haveguns offends me.
And although I do not have
a right to not be offended, I dohave a right to defend myself and others from such senseless
propaganda. That is an individual right,
much like self-defense is a right
to defend my person and prop-erty against another personusing unjustified violent force
to cause me harm.If Police and Safety is granted
the right to carry guns then I
would also wish to exercise my right to carry a gun to defendmyself from Police and Safety.
I can sympathize with womenfeeling safer by having theoption of an external armed
protective force; perhaps feeling more threatened because of somany drunken males parading
around looking for Lord knows what.
However, the best means of
protection for a woman would
be to arm herself since she her-self is the first and best meansof direct self-protection. Per-
haps it would be second bestto allow her boyfriend a gun incase a direct violence situation
arises where another personbrandishes a weapon.
These options are not out of
hope to resist the violent forceif they themselves can matchthe force, instead of imagining
how help will soon arrive. Asgun rights and the 2nd Amend-ment continue to be eroded by
this type of fear-based decisionmaking that calls out for a pater-nal/nanny state to provide pro-
tection, we should instead stop whining and shape up.
Police and Safety should not
be expected nor called upon toprotect all the citizens in theirhouses along Wayne Street or
38th Street nor PNC Bank,CVS and other private establish-ments.
Perhaps students and others,unable to care for themselvesare currently and becoming, a
greater problem than anything dealing with Police and Safety.
Unarmed students at Virginia Tech were killed despite theircampus police being armed andthe unarmed students at Kent
State were killed by the NationalGuard.
Let us rid this paper of base-
less arguments and get back toreaders with reason and soul.
By JerrodMarkleStaff writer
Have you ever had to end
your workout early because theMercyhurst Athletic Centercloses at 10 p.m. on weeknights?
Or skip the gym because they
don’t open early enough? The
current MAC hours simply don’tserve the students well enough.
Everyone has busy schedules.
We all have classes, work-study,homework, practice, clubs andactivities, not to mention trying
to work out.Fitting gym time in is hard
enough and the gym hours don’t
make it any easier.
Many times I find myself wideawake at 11 p.m. and wishing Icould go to the gym to get my
excess energy out.Other times I want to go
in the morning and get it over
with, but there is not time beforeclass. My feelings on this subjectare not personal; many students
express their grievances with
the gym hours and it was openearlier and closed later. We’renot asking for much.
Colleges are supposed toaccommodate their studentsand cater to their need, and the
current gym hours merely don’tdo this. All we are asking for is alittle more flexibility so the gym
can be used to its fullest extent.
Alaina Rydzewski
Staff writer
Gym hours limit proactive students
Taking a closer look atcommunism in America
Thoughts on Police andSafety carrying guns
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 16/20
Men’s Hockey......................................................Mar. 20, W 5-4 RIT
Mar, 21, L 2-0 Air Force
Women’s Hockey .....................................Mar. 20, W 5-4 Minnesota
Mar. 22, L 5-0 Wisconsin
Baseball....................................................Mar. 21, L 1-0, W 13-2 IUP
Mar. 22, W 6-2, L 6-3 IUP
Softball.........................Mar. 20, W 2-0 Seton Hill, L 2-0 CharlestonMar. 21, W 23-0 Salem International, L 10-7 Shepard
Mar. 22, W 2-1 West Virgina Wesleyan
Men’s Lacrosse.................................................Mar. 17, W 14-3 Pace
Mar. 21, W 17-10 Adelphi
Women’s Lacrosse ...........................Mar. 18, W 19-3 Slippery Rock
Mar. 21, W 16-5 Shippensburg
Mar. 23, W 10-6 IUP
Women’s Water Polo......Mar.21, W 18-8 Washington & Jefferson
Haggerty named to Tewaarton Watch ListMercyhurst College’s senior Breanna Haggerty was named to the Tewaarton Award Watch List for 2009. The Tewaarton Award is
given to the top women’s and men’s lacrosse players in the United
States. Haggerty, a two-time All-American, has a team-leading 268
points in 44 career games and last year posted a third-best single-
season goal average posting 5.00 scores per contest.
Five Lakers earn AHA honorsMercyhurst Colleges men’s hockey team earned five Atlantic
HockeyAssociation honors. The Lakers were headlined by second
team all conference honors going to senior Matt Pierce, sopho-more Steve Cameron and sophomore Ryan Zapolski. Sophomore
Scott Pitt earned third team all conference honors and freshman
Phil Ginand was selected to the All-Rookie Team.
Michael Sciulli-Men’s LacrosseMercyhurst College’s junior attackman Michael Sciulli was namedEast Coast Conference Player of the Week. Sciulli scored seven
goals in victories over Pace University and Adelphi University.
Amanda Norman-SoftballMercyhurst College’s sophomore pitcher Amanda Norman went
2-0 this weekend with a complete game two-hit shutout in a win
over Seton Hill University. She allowed one run on six hits in
seven innings in a 2-1 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan Col-
lege.
Women come up short in Boston
“So where exactly is
Mercyhurst?”
That was the question asked
by many in Boston, Mass., this
past weekend as the Mercyhurst
College women’s hockey team
arrived to participate in the
NCAA Women’s Hockey
Frozen Four.
Up against the Goliathsof women’s college hockey,
Mercyhurst looked to make a
name for itself in the national
spotlight, and the Lakers did not
disappoint.
Friday night the Lakers took
on the Golden Gophers of The
University of Minnesota in the
second semi-final game.
The University of Wisconsin
Badgers dismembered theBulldogs of the University of
Minnesota Duluth in the first
semi-final game 5-1 to advance
to the Championship game on
Sunday.
Despite falling behind 1-
0 early in the first period the
Lakers rebounded quickly and
responded with five unanswered
goals to open a 5-1 lead going
into the third period.Senior Valerie Chouinard
got the scoring started off a
pass from fellow senior Hayley
McMeekin to tie the game at
one. Goals from freshmen
Bailey Bram and Meghan
Corbett, as well as two goals
from junior captain Meghan
Agosta rounded out the rest of
the Laker scoring.
The Lakers held off a late
Minnesota rally making the game
close, but the Lakers were led by
another solid performance by
freshman Hillary Pattenden in
net as she made 33 saves to pick up her 24th win of the year.
With the 5-4 win, the Lakers
advanced to their first ever
National Championship game
on Sunday against the Badgers.
Unfortunately, the Laker’s
impressive run came up just
short as their bid for history
would be stonewalled by senior
goaltender and 2009 Patty
Kazmair Award winner Jesse Vetter of Wisconsin.
Vetter made 37 saves and
finished with 14 shutouts on
the season with her dominate
performance.
The teams were tied at zero
after one period, but Wisconsin
would erupt for five goals in
the next two periods and take
home their third National
Championship in four years
defeating the Lakers 5-0.
Despite the loss, the Lakers
put themselves on the map of
women’s college hockey and
did so with plenty of supportfrom students and faculty alike
in Boston.
Mercyhurst finished with a
final record of 31-6; its first
30 win season ever and plenty
to be proud of. Junior captain
Meghan Agosta had this to say
about the season:
“We made history and I
personally am so proud to be a
Mercyhurst Laker. The schooland the community have done
so much to help support us and
we would like to thank them for
that,” said Agosta.
“The Frozen Four was a
great experience in itself. We
definitely deserved to be there
with the season we had. To
play in Boston and have all
those fans made it that much
more special,” Agosta said.
By Brad MoehringerSports editor
Senior Valerie Chouinard puts a shot past the Golden Gopher’s
goaltender to tie up the game 1-1 in the first period.
Sports Information photo
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 17/20
SPORTS Page 17March 25, 2009
Men’s hockey championship run thwarted by Falcons
Baseball’s ‘Big Three’ power Laker offenseSantora, Denman, Stoll lead Mercyhurst to weekend series split
The Mercyhurst College
baseball team went into the
weekend looking to continue its
success coming off its previous
four-game weekend sweep.
The Lakers had been riding a
high-powered offense to a 12-7
record.
The Lakers have a perfectrecord when they scored five or
more runs, but have not won a
single game when they scored
under five.
They have been led offensively
by freshman Ethan Santora who
is batting .440, ten home runs,
31 RBIs and an incredible .920
slugging percentage.
The offensive surges of senior
Jeff Stoll and sophomore Craig
Denman have been leading the
Lakers.Over the past eight games,
Stoll batted .346 with four
homeruns and 14 RBIs; and
Denman, over the same span, is
batting .392 with one homerun
and 10 RBIs.
When these two can add
their support to Santora, the
Lakers are nearly unstoppable.
“The way the senior leadership
push the younger guys toperform at our highest and the
chemistry on and off the field
we are given that extra push we
need to perform,” Santora said
of the team.
The Lakers started their
weekend off being shut out in
an eight inning pitcher’s duel.
Junior Laker ace Steve
Grife was given the start
against Indiana University of
Pennsylvania, Saturday.
Grife had a nine strikeoutno-hitter going into the seventh
inning until IUP junior Roland
Thiele singled to bring an end to
Grife’s no-hitter.
Grife made quick work of the
last two IUP batters, finishing
the seventh without giving up
a run.
IUP’s junior Cody Betz was
just too much for the Lakers as
he held the Lakers to three hitsand holding, more importantly,
the Lakers offensive big three
Stoll, Santora and Denman, to
just one hit by Stoll.
IUP won the game when
IUP’s junior T.J. Nichols drove
in a run on his game-winning
single off of senior Ryan
Schrieber handing Schrieber his
only loss of the season.
In the second game, the Laker
offense came back to life in a
seventh inning 10-run explosionleading the Lakers to 13-2 beat
down of IUP.
Not surprisingly, the Lakers
offense was led by Santora, Stoll
and Denman who combined for
six hits and ten RBIs.
Stoll and Santora showed
off their power by adding
homeruns.
The Lakers opened up their
home part of the series with a6-2 win over IUP.
Again, the big three of the
Lakers offense came up big
with Stoll and Denman batting
in four of the team’s six runs.
The Lakers’ senior Jamie
Walczak also added a home run
to the Laker’s performance.
Senior John Mang earned a
victory for the Lakers.
The Lakers, however, fell in
the second game 6-3.
The low light of the game wasthe four unearned runs given up
by the Lakers on three errors.
The Lakers offense was again
stymied by a Betz by IUP, but
this time it was Corey Betz,
Colby’s twin who pitched a three
run complete game.
The Lakers are currently in
a tie with California University
of Pennsylvania with a 6-2
record in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West and
have a record of 14-9.
The Lakers will have a
home-and-home series with
Lock Haven University of
Pennslyvannia this weekend.
The Lakers will be at Lock
Haven on March 27 at 1 p.m.
and at then return home to the
Mercyhurst College March 28
at 1 p.m.
By Nick Glasier
Staff writer
Mercyhurst College’s men’s
hockey capped off their 2008-
2009 season with an appearance
at the Atlantic Hockey Associa-
tion (AHA) conference tourna-
ment at the Blue Cross Arena
in Rochester, N.Y. This was the
Lakers’ third conference tour-
nament appearance in their six
years of membership in the AHA.
The Lakers, ranked third in
the AHA, defeated Rochester
Institute of Technology (RIT),
ranked second, on RIT’s home
turf on Friday, March 20. Junior
Chris Risi scored the game win-
ning goal with just over two
minutes into overtime, making
the final 5-4. Risi’s goal sent the
Lakers to the AHA Champion-
ship game for the second year in
a row against Air Force.
However, Saturday night’s
game would be a bitter ending
to the Lakers’ run at the champi-
onship. In a 2-0 loss, the Lakers
suffered a defeat for the second
year in a row at the hands of
the Falcons of Air Force in the
championship game.
The Lakers were awarded
with the runner-up trophy for
the tournament and concluded
the season with 22 wins. Mercy-
hurst was also to tally 117 goals
in 28 games this season, push-
ing past Air Force to the top
of their conference for scoring offense. The men also swept the
58th Annual Rensselaer Holiday
Tournament, beating number
seven Princeton University in the
championship game in Novem-
ber. From record breaking point
totals and unbelievable defense
in the net, the Mercyhurst men’s
hockey deserves recognition for
a successful season.
The team will make one
final appearance this Satur-
day, March 28, to participate in
the Gliding Stars event as the
“Swan Lakers,” where the play-
ers are able to strut their stuff
for a good cause.
By Ashley Pastor
Staff writer
Freshman Phil Ginand (22) attempts to score during the Lakers’ 5-4 OT win over RIT on Friday,
March 20, at Blue Cross arena in Rochester.
Sports Information photo
Page 20Freshman Hillary Pattenden
makes a save against Minnesota
on March 20
SPORTSP 18
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 18/20
SPORTSPage 18 March 25, 2009
Steelers or Packers: Which is the best franchise?
Recently, I was asked what the
best football franchise is, andthough my instincts told me to
yell “da Picksburgh Stillers n’at!”
in my thickest Pittsburghese
accent, I figured I would think
this through.
Most football fans can tell you
about the NFL since the Super
Bowl was created.
The Green Bay Packers
dominated the 1960s, the
Pittsburgh Steelers dominated
the ’70s, the San Francisco 49ers
the ’80s, the Dallas Cowboys
the ’90s, and the New England
Patriots the 2000s.
That gives you no clear
answer, though my Steelers are
still in contention.Many people forget the
Steelers were the “Lovable
Losers” from 1933-1970,
though, and the “One for the
Thumb in ’81” campaign was a
few decades too early.
As I give the Steelers-haters
fuel, I digress.
You could pick a best team
out of there, as the Millennium
Bowl did, where the ’70s
Steelers beat the ’90s Cowboys
using computer simulations and
cleverly edited vintage footage.
To answer the question
ahead of time, the best single
team is by far the completely
dominating and Hall-of-Famer-filled ’70s Steelers, though any
game to decide it would be
mismatched.
If the ’70s Steelers played the
’00s Patriots by the current rules,
the Steelers would be penalized
into oblivion, but by the ’70s
rules, the Patriots would run out
of players due to injuries, and
Tom Brady would be out after
one head slap.
However, that isn’t the
question here, the question is
about franchise.
To answer the question as
prompted, I must go back before
the Super Bowl era and see
which franchises that still exist were good way back when.
The Acme and later Green
Bay Packers ruled the early
NFL through the ’30s and ’40s,
winning nine championships
prior to the Super Bowl.
Though they struggled
through the ’70s and ’80s,
they made at least one playoff
appearance in each decade, and
became a consistent playoff
contender throughout the
15 years of the Brett Favre
era, winning a Super Bowl in
1996.
Though currently rebuilding,
the Packers have always been
a consistently winning team with multiple decades of
unquestioned rule.
Therefore, based upon this
evidence, I must say the Green
Bay Packers, the only franchise
owned by every landowner in
their home city, the team selling
out every game despite the
smallest home population, is
the best NFL franchise of all
time.
By John
Baranowski
Sports columnist
Softball proves talented
The Mercyhurst College
women’s softball team continued
to prepare for their Pennsylvania
State Athletic Conference West
debut over the weekend at the
Salem International Tournament
in Virginia.
The Lakers came away from
the weekend with three winsand two losses, boosting their
win percentage over .500.
“We started strong both
Friday and Saturday, defeating
Seton Hill (2-0) and Salem
International (23-0),” Glomb
said. “We played a tough game
against Shepherd University,
going into extra innings, but
were unable to answer back in
the final ninth inning.”
On Saturday, March 21,
Mercyhurst shocked the host
team, Salem International
University. In a previous
meeting between the two teams
in West Virginia on March 13,
the Lakers suffered a 4-5 loss.
Mercyhurst showed up to play
Saturday, crushing Salem 23-0 in
five innings. Junior Katherine Thompkins,
sophomore Amber Rapose
and junior Megan Houston
each cranked out a home run
against Salem International,
while sophomore Erica Beidler,
sophomore Kara Gorgos and
junior Anna Glomb registered
one double apiece.
Freshman Kristi Janoski
pitched two scoreless innings, while sophomore Kari Amboyer
pitched three scoreless innings.
Mercyhurst held Salem
International to two hits, while
the Lakers had 19.
Glomb felt good about the
weekend games and looks
forward to PSAC play beginning
this week.
“Going into Sunday’s game
the team showed a lot of heart
and were relentless against West
Virginia Wesleyan, a strong
opponent (they had just mercied
Gannon 9-1),” Glomb said.
“Emily Redig came through
with a home run pushing Erica
Beidler over for a 2-1 lead.
“We had outstanding pitching
and outfield performance, but
all together the whole teamplayed a solid game.
“The wins were critical for us.
It proved that when we come out
ready to play we are unbeatable.
If we play our game there is no
doubt in my mind that we can
come out with two wins to start
our conference season,” Glomb
said.
Mercyhurst is hoping to
take away their hard-working mentality and apply it to their
upcoming PSAC Western
Conference games.
The first half of the season
was a good warm-up and test of
their ability for conference play.
They have proved they can
hang with the best and are
willing to work hard.
The Lakers hope to continue
to play strong and have a good
showing in the PSAC in order to
receive a bid in the conference
playoffs which will take place in
late April.
The Lakers are back in
action this Saturday, March 28,
at Lock Haven University of
Pennsylvania at 1 p.m.
By Sarah Powell
Staff writer
Men’s lax wins two
The Mercyhurst College men’s
lacrosse team continued their
winning ways this past week as
they moved to 4-1 on the season
with wins over Pace University
and Adelphi University.
The Lakers took on Pace on
St. Patrick’s Day sporting green
uniforms in honor of the holi-day, and there was no doubt
who was the better team on that
day.
The final score was a 14-3 vic-
tory and the Lakers took control
early and often in the game as
nine different players found the
back of the net in the home
opener.
In the first half alone, the
Lakers outshot their opponent
33-3 and when the game was
over that mark was 53-19, still
in Mercyhurst favor.
Other notable stats from the
game were the 33-16 advantage
in ground balls and a perfect 24
for 24 in clears.
This victory extended the
Lakers home winning streak to
12 games.Next up for the Lakers was
No. 9 Panthers of Adelphi. The
game was fairly even until the
Lakers ramped up the scoring
in the second half, outscoring
Adelphi 11-3.
At the end of the game, the
Lakers beat the Panthers by a
score of 17-10.
Jason LaShomb added six
saves in the victory to pick uphis fourth win of the year.
The two wins this week
earned another Laker an award
for his efforts.
Junior attackman Michael Sci-
ulli was named the East Coast
Conference Player of the Week.
He is currently leading the
Lakers with 13 goals and 16
points, seven of those goals
coming in the Pace and Adelphi
games.
The No. 4 ranked Lakers now
move on to play Wheeling Jesuit
University Wednesday, March
25 and then return home this
Sunday, March 29, to play Dowl-
ing College in hopes of extend-
ing their home winning streak.
By Gary Coad
Staff writer
SPORTS
8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 25, 2009
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-merciad-march-25-2009 19/20
SPORTS Page 19March 25, 2009
HOUSES FOR RENT
Johnson & JohnsonProperties
Starting June 1, 2009
814-860-8817
The winter has come to an
end, and most students are
focused on enjoying the sunny
spring days.
Although most of us
are basking in the beautiful
weather spring has brought, 30
sporty women are working extra
hard.Upon entering Tulio Field at
Mercyhurst College, there will
not be any football, soccer or
field hockey players preparing
and training for next year, you
will only see the most dedicated,
hard-working and energetic
athletes on campus – the
women’s lacrosse team.
Since the beginning of the
spring season, the women’s
lacrosse team has been working
hard together to train and
prepare for the upcoming
battles they will face this
season in the new Pennsylvania
State Athletic Conferenceconference.
With new challenges and
unknown competition, the team
is working hard to play together
as one united to beat the best of
the best in Division II.
“We are playing well as a unit ,”
senior Alisha Guzzo stated.
“The team is looking good
together, and we are putting
things together well both atpractice and during games.”
With large goals on the
horizon, the team is looking
to take one win at a time to
work their way to the Division
II national tournament this
season.
Newly ranked No. 6 in
the Intercollegiate Women’s
Lacrosse Coaches Association
Polls, the Mercyhurst women’s
team is looking to keep moving
up the ranks as they pull out
more victories as the season,
progresses.
Now 4-0, the women have
posted four victories this seasontwo of them PSAC opponents.
The past week the ladies
took on PSAC rival, Slippery
Rock University, as well as
Shippensburg University.
The 19-3 victory over the
rock gave the Lakers a boost
of confidence and excitement
as the true PSAC competition
begins.
Along with the victory overSlippery Rock came a great
battle against Shippensburg
University where the Lakers
scored 16 goals.
With the 16-5 win, the Lakers
are playing well together and
putting the ball into the back of
the net.
As the Lakers move into
the heart of the season, they
look to face Indiana University
of Pennsylvania, Lock Haven
University of Pennsylvania, and
West Chester University this
week.
By Katie Waldin
Staff writer
Women’s lax starting strong
Senior Breanna Haggerty (14) passes the ball at the women’s lacrosse game against Slippery
Rock on Wednesday, March 18, at Tullio Field. The Lakers took the victory, 19-3.
Scoot Williams photo
Waterpolo pulls it together
After four invitationals and
14 games so far this season,
the women’s water polo team
has had their fair share of
struggles.
“Our season has been a good,
yet a tough one so far since we’ve
been playing a lot of Division
I teams with a lot of talent;however, we’ve gotten better
from our tough competitors,”
senior Chrissy Genian said.
Being forced to face big
schools such as Princeton
University and Bucknell
University has provided the
team with excellent experiences,
but has hurt their overall record
of 2-13.
Although the team has only
six games left before the Western
Division Championships, they
are pulling together and working
harder than ever.
Despite their record, Genian
continues to stay confident
about the season and the team.
Out of 15 girls on the team,
only four are upperclassmen.
The water polo team is very inexperienced.
Even if they don’t make it as
far as they would have hoped,this year is great team building
because many of the players
have at least two more years.
“Eight new players (transfers
and freshman) joined the team
this year and have been able to
contribute a great deal of talent
to our team.” Genian said.
Genian also expressed
her excitement for their last
regular season game againstGannon.
“Of course both teams want
to win every time we play each
other, but I think we’ll be able
to take the win for the third year
in a row,” Genian said.
Mercyhurst College is
coming off a big 18-8 victory
over Washington & Jefferson
University this past weekend.
They are hoping to use this
win as a boost to push through
the last few games.
The Lakers are back in action
this Saturday, March 28, at
Grove City College at 10 a.m.
This is the Lakers’ last away
game before they finish off
the regular season with four
games at home, as they look to
finish off the season strong andgain confidence for next year.
By Sarah Powell
Staff writer
L k S