the merciad, march 22, 2006

8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 22, 2006

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Seniors, it is time to open that walletone final time and donate to yoursenior gift!

Every year a committee is formed tochoose what the seniors will give to theschool upon their graduation.Three members of this years commit-

tee, Megan Turi, Ashley Masi, and AndyKubinski, explained the process behind

the decision-making of the senior gift

and how it will be used.Members of the Mercyhurst com-

munity suggest different ideas that theschool either needs or wants for thesenior gift committee to choose from,

Masi said.From these suggestions the com-

mittee votes on which idea they likethe most, Turi added. This year Dr.(Heidi) Hosey suggested the academic

banners. The Class of 2006 plans to give

Mercyhurst six academic banners.These banners will represent each

of the five undergraduate schools;Zurn School of Natural Science andMathematics, Walker School of Busi-

ness and Communication, HafenmaierSchool of Education and BehavioralSciences, School of Arts and Humani-ties, and School of Social Sciences.

The sixth banner will serve as a general

Mercyhurst College banner.This gift is more unique than those

in the past, Ashley said.The banners are focused on academ-

ics and can be utilized year after year,rather than something just for decora-

tion, she said.Each of the banners all designed by

Mercyhurst students Katie Marsjanikand Beth Keneston will have threesymbols to represent the colleges

schools. As an example, the Hafenmaier

School of Education and BehavioralSciences banner has a book for theeducation department, the symbol on

the book is the Greek symbol psi for thepsychology department, and the ribbonin the middle of the book is for familyand consumer sciences. The Mercyhurstbanner will have the colleges seal.

If a certain school is hosting an

Please see Seniors on page 3

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MERCYHURST COLLEGE SINCE 1929

SPORTSA & E

Page 10Page 8

Vol. 79 No. 17 Mercyhurst College 501 E. 38th St. Erie Pa. 16546 March 22, 2006

MERCIADTHESenior Art Showdisplays arange of talentedartists

Mens LacrossedominatesSeton Hill

Top: Veterans Craig Smith, Jonathan Morgenstein and Perry Jefferies answer questions from the crowd.

Below: Rob Englert, Ryan Palm, Dan Schuler and Mike Nichols pose with the veterans after the lecture.

Corrie Thearle/News editor

Iraq: In their own wordsVeterans share personal experiences and answer questions about the war

Around 260 Mercyhurst students andlocal Erie residents attended a lectureentitled, Operation Truth given byreturning U.S. soldiers from Iraq, onMonday.

Three soldiers, Craig Smith, PerryJefferies and Jonathan Morgenstein,related their personal experiences of the

war in Iraq to the audience that filledthe PAC on Monday night.

These three men are members ofthe Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of

America (IAVA), a nonprofit organiza-tion that is the nations first and largestgroup dedicated to the troops and veter-

ans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,and the civilian supporters of thosetroops and veterans.

Mercyhurst Student Governmentsponsored the lecture and Vice Presi-

dent Mike Nichols was the force thatbrought this program to Mercyhurst.

Nichols explained that, The IAVAwas accommodating and very easy towork with.

They wanted to share their experi-ences with people and I admire thatthey want to tell it like it is and speakthe truth, Nichols said.

Perry Jefferies began the lecture by

explaining the goals of IAVA. Hesaid, Were trying to get the peoplein this country to listen to the soldiers.

Were pushing to let soldiers talk forthemselves. Every soldier has seen

something different in Iraq.Jonathan Morgenstein explained that,

Im not speaking on behalf of theMarines or the Department of Defense.

These are my own words.

Jefferies was a first sergeant in Iraqduring Operation Iraqi Freedom. Heexplained that IAVA is nonpartisan andnonpolitical. Were not against the war,

were for support of the soldiers.

One of the main problems with theIraq War was the failure to plan for therealities soldiers faced in Iraq, Jeffriesexplained.

He told the audience that he left for

the war weighing 135 pounds, andreturned weighing only 112 pounds.

This dangerous weight loss was because Jeffries and his fellow U.S. soldierswere not provided with enough food

and water by the U.S. military whilein Iraq.The failure of the U.S. government to

appropriately plan centered on a lack ofresources for the soldiers.

Poor logistics, a lack of food, water,Kevlar vests, and protected Humvees,

were many of the necessary items thatsoldiers in Iraq such as Jeffries foundthemselves without.

He went on to explain that, before

we can commit ourselves to a war, weneed a clear mission and planning. Another vital subject that Jeffries

mentioned and that Craig Smith furtherelaborated on was the problem with a

lack of support for returning soldiersfrom the government and military.

Smith served as a specialist in Opera-tion Iraqi Freedom from April toNovember 2003. While in Iraq he

underwent tremendous trials and expe-rienced many hardships.

After volunteering to go to Iraq,Smith arrived in Kuwait in 2003. Heexplained the environment as, Very

hot. It was 140 to 150 degrees everyday. We had to sleep in tents withoutany air-conditioning. The water wedrank was as hot as coffee.

Smith was an all wheel motor vehicle

operator, or a truck driver as heexplained to the audience. He trans-ported fuel throughout Iraq.

During his time in Iraq he explainedthat much of the equipment the military

supplied his unit with was dilapidatedand out of date. We did not get newuniforms until the end of our duty. Wehad to buy ice from local Iraqis becausethe government was not supplying

much needed necessities.

During a mission to Baghdad interna-tional airport in November 2003, Smithwas passing a fuel truck on his right onthe highway. He lost control of theHumvee and it hit the truck, ejecting

Smith from the vehicle which rippedmost of the skin from his arm off.The gunner who was attached to a

pole on the back of the Humvee wasnearly killed. If it was not for a medic

on the scene, Smith would have beenrequired to continue the mission andnot have been sent to a hospital fortreatment.This frightening episode contributed

Please see Iraq on page 3

By Corrie ThearleNews editor

Examples of the graduation banners that wil l commemorate students.

File photo

By Kristen PiquetteContributing writer

Senior class gift will promise to adorngraduation ceremonies in years to come

Mitch Albom is the author of the best seller Tuesdays with Morrie.

Fiile photo

Best-selling author to share

life lessons from his book

Mitch Albom, author of best-sellingbooks, Tuesdays with Morrie andThe Five People You Meet in Heaven

will visit Mercyhurst College Thursday,March 30, as part of the McHale Dis-

tinguished Speaker Series.The speech will take place in the Mary

DAngelo Performing Arts Center at8 p.m.

For Mitch Albom, his reunion withformer college professor, Morrie

Schwartz, who was dying of LouGehrigs disease, taught him more aboutlife than he had ever known.

In his topic, Tuesdays with Morrie:Lessons for Living, Albom will extendthose life lessons to Mercyhurst stu-dents and faculty.Albom became acquainted with soci-

ology professor, Morrie Schwartz, whileattending college at Brandeis Universityin Massachusetts in 1975.

By the end of Alboms college career,a close teacher-student relationship

Please see Author on page 2

By Zoe ContesContributing writer


2/12

PAGE 2 THE MERCIAD March 22, 2006

To contact: [email protected]

A clean-up operation is underway on the north-east Australiancoast hit by a powerful tropicalcyclone on Monday. Tropical Cyc lone Larry

smashed into Queensland atInnisfail, about 60 miles southof Cairns, tearing off roofs andleaving thousands homeless.Troops began moving aid into

Innisfail on Tuesday, as residentspicked their way through thedebris-filled streets.

Packing winds of up to 180mph, the category five storm hitthe coast early on Monday, flat-

tening homes, uprooting treesand destroying sugar and bananacrops. About a dozen peoplesustained minor injuries but noone was killed.

U.S. President George W. Bushhas said he does not believe Iraqhas descended into civil war buturged the nations leaders to con-front sectarian violence.

Bush said Iraqis had a chanceto fall apart and they didnt.Iraqs former interim PrimeMinister Iyad Allawi told theBBC recently that 50 to 60people were dying every day andthat the country was in civil war.Bush hinted to reporters thatU.S. troops would remain in Iraqbeyond 2009.Asked about a timetable for the

full withdrawal of U.S. troops,Bush said That of course is anobjective and that will be decidedby future presidents and futuregovernments of Iraq.

Kenyas President Mwai Kibakihas opened parliament promisingto fight against corruption thathas dogged his fractured coali-tion government.

During the parliaments five-month recess, Kibaki lost sevencabinet ministers to the opposi-tion and another three over acorruption scandal.

He also cautioned the pressagainst publishing falsehoods.

Many Kenyans were shockedby the recent and unprecedentedpolice raid on a national newspa-per and TV station. Kibaki saida record number of people werebeing investigated over corrup-tion allegations and warned thatthe war against graft would befought in all directions.

A U.N. report into the humanitarian impact of Israels West Bankbarrier says it has caused widespread losses to Palestinian farmers.About 5,000 Palestinians currently live in the areas between the

barrier and Israels pre-1967 boundary and they need permits to getin and out.The U.N. says farmers are not being allowed access to farmland,

causing unemployment and loss of income.

The worlds human death tollfrom bird flu has reached 103since late 2003, the World HealthOrganization has said. The latest deaths from the

H5N1 strain occurred in Azer-baijan, where five have died sinceFebruary, the W.H.O. reported. The virus cannot pass easily

from one person to another butthere are fears it could mutate,triggering a pandemic. U.S. sci-entists have confirmed the H5N1

virus has evolved into two geneti-cally distinct strains.

Compiled by

Corrie Thearle

World BriefsInternational news

Kenyan corruption

West Bank barrier causing farming loss

Bush denies civil war

Australian cyclone

Bird flu toll rises

Nigeria begins critical national census

The streets of Nigerias main cities are quiet, as people have beentold to stay at home and wait to be counted in the first census for15 years.The headcount is sensitive, as funding and political representation

depend on the results but questions of religion and ethnicity havebeen left out.There is frustration in many places that the process has started

slowly. Nigerias president has stressed that the five-day census is notpolitical and urged people to remain calm.

Nigeria is Africas most populous country but estimates of itspopulation range from 120 to 150 million.

Although not consecutively, theDepartment of Religious Studies,thanks to the Academic Enrich-ment Grant from the Office ofthe President, has been able topresent The Archbishop OscarRomero Award for 12 years.The award goes to an individual

who most embraces his qualitiesand is a Catholic social activist

who has a deep faith and worksto promote peace and justice.The event organizer, Dr. Mary

Snyder of the Religious StudiesDepartment, said, We want tokeep the memory of ArchbishopRomero alive in the minds andhearts of students as well asthe suffering of the Salvadorianpeople.A few of the past recipients of

the award were Robert Hoderny(Finance Secretary Diane Rut-kowskis deceased brother), Sr.

Christine Vladimiroff (prioressof Erie Benedictines) and DanielBerrigan, SJ. This year, on Tuesday, March

28, the prestigious award goesto Mercyhursts Sister MauraSmith, RSM.

Synder said they chose Smithbecause, she devoted her lifeto praxis of compassion to thepoor, particularly poor women,and the environment, before it

was in fashion.Smith is a member of the

Mercyhurst College Board of Trustees, former principal ofMercyhurst Preparatory School,and helped found the MercyCenter for Women.

Smith also participated in for-mation of Erie DAWN, helpedlaunch the Learning DisabilitiesProgram at Mercyhurst Collegeand helps the Mercyhurst Green

Team.In the 1970s she helped start

an Environmental educationprogram at Mercyhurst.

Snyder said she was, a pioneerin promoting Earth justice wayback in the 1970s. The award will be given in

the Mercy Heritage Hall at 8:00p.m.

Following the presentationSmith will give a lecture entitled,

A Sister of Mercys Journey toJustice.

Smith explained that when she was notified about the awardshe, was amazed. I am bothhonored and humbled to recieveit.

Sr. Maura Smith is honored to receive the Romero award.


By Chelsea BootheCopy editor

Sister Maura Smith to receiveprestigious Oscar Romeo Award

Continued from page 1

was formed, which lasted until1979 when Albom graduatedfrom Brandeis.

Busy building his career as asuccessful sportswriter, Albomneglected to keep his promiseto Schwartz that he would keepin touch.

Contact was renewed 16 yearslater when Albom saw Schwartzappearance on Nightline inMarch 1995. When Albom was finally re-

united with his 78 year-old dyingprofessor he became intrigued bySchwartzs happiness.

For the last five months of

Schwartzs life, Albom set outto discover the meaning of lifeby visiting him every Tuesday;the contents of his best-sellingbook.

Mercyhurst Student Govern-ment selected Albom to be partof t he McHale DistinguishedSpeaker Series because of thephenomenal message he has tooffer.Alboms appearance around

the world have gained praisefrom even the most hardenedlisteners.

MSG vice president MichaelNichols believes that Mercyhurststudents will largely benefit from

Alboms speech.

Ideally, Mercyhurst studentswill leave the lecture that eveningwith a profound reminder ofwhat is important in ones life,says Nichols.

In addition to writing books,Albom is also a sports colum-nist with the Detroit Free Pressand was named the top sportscolumnist in the nation by theSports Editors of America for13 of 15 years.

He hosts two radio programson WJR-AM in Detroit, TheMitch Albom Show and TheMonday Sports Albom.

Each Sunday Albom is seenby a nationwide audience duringhis appearance as a panelist on

ESPNs Sports Reporters.Alboms speech will be free and

open to the public.Tickets will be required and

students will have the first op-portunity to get them.Tickets will be available at the

Mary DAngelo Performing ArtsCenter.

Mercyhurst students can getone ticket each with their collegeID beginning March 21.

College faculty and staff willbe able to get two tickets eachbeginning March 28.The general public can pick up

tickets March 29 and 30.

Author shares life lessons with Mercyhurst

Friday, April 21st

SAC & MSG Present

Masonic Temples Grand Ballroom

6pm -11pm Tickets $20 a personFormal attire is a must!

*This is an alcohol-free eventTickets will be on sale starting March 27th-31st

in the Student Union from 10am-5pm


3/12

NewsMarch 22, 2006 THE MERCIAD PAGE 3



to the onslaught of Post Trau-matic Stress Disorder that Smithexperienced after he returnedhome from Iraq.

Stationed at Fort Carson inColorado, he began to havenightmares and become extreme-ly jumpy in motorized vehicles.

A car door slam would get myadrenaline pumping. I wantedto stay home and not go out. Icouldnt ride in an airplane. I

was aggressive, and I just didntcare about anything anymore,Smith said.

One of Smiths friends told

him he was suffering from PTSDand that he should go to the hos-

pital on the military base.He saw a psychiatrist and was

told he was diagnosed withPTSD, but when he went backto the military hospital to receivetreatment, the paperwork statedthat he did not have PTSD andthat his treatment was a successand complete.

He was given a counselinghotline telephone number andtold to get counseling from thatsource.After this experience Smith felt

betrayed by the government thathe had fought for.

He believed in the Army andthe mission in Iraq, but couldnot believe that he would be dis-

regarded after he returned home.Fortunately, Smith eventuallyreceived treatment from a localhospital and is now trying to getmy life back together.

Smith is an Intelligence Studiesmajor at Mercyhurst.Along with the problems vet-

erans and returning soldiershave faced in Iraq and at home,

Jonathan Morgenstein, outlinedmany of the strategic problemsthe military is facing in Iraq.

Morgenstein was a 2nd (then1st ) Lt and Civil Affairs TeamLeader with Det 3, 4th Civil Af-fairs Group in Direct Supportof the U.S. Armys 2nd BrigadeCombat Team (2BCT), First

Marine Division, First MarineExpeditionary Force.

He addressed a vexing problemof why after three years Iraq isteetering on the edge of civil

war.Were trying to fight an insur-

gency by bludgeoning them overthe head. We cant win that wayand it makes us look foolish,Morgenstein explained.

He outlined many of thevarying problems the military iscurrently facing in Iraq due topoor leadership and training.

One of the large problemsis that there are not enoughtroops on the ground in Iraq.Morgenstein explained thattheoretically almost half a mil-lion troops would be needed to

win the war in Iraq.That would necessitate a mili-tary draft and the Americanpeople would most likely notsupport one. While in Iraq, Morgensteins

unit was trying to gather intel-ligence from the Iraqis about theinsurgency.

Sadly, if a local person told oneof Morgensteins soldiers whereinsurgents were located, in thenext day or two that person maybe found decapitated in the street

with a warning note pinned totheir chest.

Morgenstein also went on toexplain that the Iraqi people havebecome very upset and disillu-

sioned with the U.S. since the fallof Saddam Husseins regime.

Iraqis were promised stability,clean water, food, electricity andin many areas the U.S. militaryhas been unable to fulfill thesepromises.

Democracy is a tough wordfor people who have never dealt

with it before. People will tradethe idea of democracy for sta-bility, food and basic necessitiesin order to survive. Parents are

willing to make a deal with anygovernment that will provide andprotect their children, Morgen-stein explained.These examples illustrate an

important point that Smith dis-cussed. Americans do not un-derstand Arabic, Muslim andIraqi culture. There is a lack ofinterpreters available in Iraq.

When soldiers enter a housescreaming at the inhabitants inEnglish, grab one of the men andpush his nose to the ground (asign of g reat disrespect), we are

only giving these people cause tohate us, Smith explained.

Although there are many prob-lems in Iraq, there has also beensome progress.

Each of these veterans talkedof their personal experiences

with Iraqis and engaged in somehumanitarian programs.

During the question and an-swer session that followed thelecture, many important ques-tions were raised by audiencemembers.

One woman asked about ef-forts that people can undertaketo help support the soldiers.

Morgenstein explained thatpeople need to hold their con-gressmen and governmentofficials accountable.

Write a letter or make a phonecall. If you contact people per-sonally, it makes a huge differ-ence.Jefferies loudly shouted anoth-

er vital way citizens can supportthe troops is to simply exercisethe right to vote.

Smith went on to add that,people need to be informed,and educated about the war inIraq.

You need to gain knowledgeand talk to some veterans whoknow first hand what is happen-ing. Dont rely on the media togive you all your information,he said.

Conscientious objection is asincere conviction that forbidssomeone from participating inorganized killing.

Under U.S. law this convic-tion must be based on religioustraining and belief and mustalso include a deep moral orethical objection to killing.There have been numerous

proposals through Congressto reinstate the draft for theIraq War.

Should the draft be reinstated,a conscientious objector, if

drafted would be assigned to anoncombatant role in churchsponsored programs, or withthe medical core due to theirreligious convictions.You may be asking then, what

does this have to do with Mer-cyhurst College?

Reverend Lyta Seddig andFather James Piszker haveteamed up to sponsor A Rap

On Religion on WednesdayMarch 29at 7 p.m. in the Cam-pus Ministry Lounge.The discussion will focus

the different options for areligious person if the draft isreinstated.

Reverend Lyta believes that intodays world Iran is a dangerand there arent enough sol-diers, and students should knowthat if they have participated inpeace demonstrations they maybe able to claim conscientiousobjector status.

Students have to recognizethat they have to build a trailin order to be considered aconscientious observer.

This means that draftees musthave documentation that theyhave participated in numerouspeace rallies, have a faith thatis morally opposed to killingand probably have the supportof a priest or pastor to providefurther evidence.Also the legal process of

becoming a conscientious ob-jector can take weeks, and if

someone believes they couldbe considered a conscientiousobjector they must begin theprocess as soon as possible.

Reverend Lyta sees it as veryimportant to make this presen-tation at a college, consideringthe average age of draftees.

She also has a special concernfor women in the military, con-sidering a few of the proposalsin Congress have suggestedthat women be drafted too.

She believes that since wom-en can be more vulnerable inmilitary situations, they mayfind this talk particularly ofinterest.

Lastly, Reverend Lyta and

Father Piszker want to stressthat this talk is not anti-war oranti-military.

In fact, it is not really evenpolitical, this is a chance forpeople to get educated, under-stand what options they haveand what they mean, and en-courage everyone to come andcheck it out.

By Jessica KocentContributing writer

Do you feel a draft?Campus Ministry discusses conscientious objection

Jonathan Morgenstein talks about Iraq policies.


Democracy is a

tough word for

people who have

never dealt

with it before.

- Craig Smith

Iraq soldiers tell of their personal experiences


event their banner will be repre-

sented on stage, along with theAmerican flag. We are also tryingto incorporate them into gradua-tion, and Dr. Gamble wants themused during his inauguration,Kubinski said.When they arent being used

for special events, these 3-by-

6-foot banners will hang in theGreat Room (3R) in the Ham-mermill Library.

A plaque will accompany eachbanner on the correspondingbeam where it will be displayed.

The plaque will describe whateach symbol represents in thatparticular banner.The goal for this years gift is

$10,000 and 50 percent class par-

ticipation. So far the committeeis on track with achieving theirgoal; however, there is a long

way to go.A donation link will soon be

on Lakernet.Seniors can also go to Room

402 on the fourth floor of theHammermill Library and makea donation. A minimum of $5 isrequired to donate. Seniors can

make the donation in cash, bycheck, credit card, campus cardor by taking any amount they

wish out of their housing depos-it. Steering committee memberscan also take donations.

They (the banners) will beused at events for years to come,

Turi said. And therefore theclass of 2006 will be rememberedforever.

Seniors give gift of class banners

Nine Mercyhurst College edu-cation majors have volunteeredto teach a six-week course onpersonal economics to local Eriemiddle school students.

Students who are involvedinclude Jessica Miller, JenniferMiller, Katie Schneck, KyleLinehan, Tom Dwyer, StephanieSedor, Brittany Parker, Tiffany

Tobin and Jenifer Maksin.Along with students from Lake

Erie College of OsteopathicMedicine, Mercyhurst students

will teach one lesson a weekthroughout March and April.The personal economics classes

aim to encourage middle schoolstudents to explore career op-tions and discover the value ofeducation.

The classes will also introducestudents to budgets, personal andfamily financial management,and credit card use.According to Dr. Ruth Auld of

the Mercyhurst College Educa-tion Department, the students

will learn practical skills likebalancing a checkbook, how tospend money wisely and how tolive within their means.

The education departmentbecame involved in this programthrough Junior Achievement

Inc., a national partnership ofvolunteers in business and edu-cation.The programs are used across

the nation to help young peopleunderstand personal economicsand to encourage them to strivefor their fullest potential.Auld said the Junior Achieve-

ment programs are most oftenrun through business volunteer-

ing their time in the classroom.J.A. is a really great opportu-

nity. For the Mercyhurst students

it presents an opportunity to gainadditional insights into collabora-tions between organizations andschools, as well as additional fieldexperiences in the classroom,she said.This is the first time that a Ju-

nior Achievement program hasbeen used in Erie.

Students will learn to balance check books properly.


Teaching personal economicsBy Lakyn BiancoContributing writer

Every school offers scholar-ships to students based on merit,

good grades and athletic abilities,but what most schools do notoffer is a scholarship given inthe middle of the year based onemergencies.

Mercyhurst College has re-cently established the AlumniEmergency Scholarship Fund.This scholarship as Gary Bu-

kowski, vice president of insti-tutional advancement at Mercy-hurst, explained is to help those

students who are in need ofmoney for that academic yearand who have exhausted all otherfinancial r esources.

For instance someone may nolonger have money to pay for

school because of a sudden ill-ness or death.This fund, set up in December,

can help students in immediateneed of financial aid.

It is Bukowskis hope that thefund will increase to $100,000so significant amounts can beawarded.

In one month, $10,000 hasbeen raised which is a great startto a long term goal. The idea is

to keep raising money so therewill always be a sufficient amountwithin the fund to be allotted tostudents.Already over 150 alumni and

some parents have contributed

to this fund.Bukowski explained, We want

to help people now, not later on,the whole idea is so the moneycan be utilized immediately.The scholarship is given on a

need based requirement.The Student Financial Office

will look at each case indepen-dently and determine if theindividual truly needs help.

Grade point average will also

play a role but to receive thisscholarship you do not needspectacular grades just be in goodacademic standing.As Bukowski exclaimed, This

is just another way we are trying

to help the students.This fund is an excellent con-

tribution to the many scholar-ships Mercyhurst College alreadyoffers.

Students do not need to worryabout financial problems duringa family crisis and this scholar-ship makes it a little easier.

By Sarah SheehanContributing writer

The Mercyhurst College ServiceHonor Society has established anaward to honor graduating se-niors for their outstanding workin service.The award, centered on the

colleges commitment of ser-vice to others, is an honor thatwill replace the yearly ambas-sador award cords, said VicePresident of Strategic PlanningDr. Heidi Hosey.According to Hosey, the nomi-

nations have already begun, andapplications are due by March

27.To be eligible for the award,

seniors must be full-time under-graduate students, have a mini-mum GPA of 2.75 and obtaina nomination form completedby a faculty member, student oradministrator.

Hosey noted, following sub-mission of all materials, theService Honor Society selectioncommittee recommends nomi-

nees to the president, who ap-proves the final induction list.

The induction recommenda-tions will be based on the quan-tity and quality of a studentsrecord of ser vice, the scopeof the service activities relativeto the students overall studentprofile, the range of serviceactivities, and the resonanceof the students commitmentto the service with the missionof Mercyhurst College and theservice tradition of the Sistersof Mercy, said Hosey. Those inducted will be hon-

ored at a ceremony in May, andwill wear the Mercyhurst CollegeService Honor Society cords dur-

ing graduation.Lots of colleges recognize

leadership and service, saidHosey.

We decided that since lead-ership and service is a core ofMercyhurst, we wanted to awardgraduating students with such anhonor, she said. According to Hosey, nomina-

tions plan to be announced bythe beginning of April.

By Joshua WilwohlEditor-in-chief

Emergency scholarship fund available to students

Service award givento graduating seniors


4/12

College is a time of individuali-ty and personal growth; however,there are a few characteristicsthat link the majority of col-lege students together. Besidesthe obvious procrastination,all-nighters and dreading finals

week, college students are boundtogether by another similarity:

were all broke! Whats more is that the little

money that we do have, eitherfrom summer savings or a part-time job, usually goes towardsmaking sure were not starvingand can actually go out and havea social life every now and then.

After those expenses, littlemoney is left over to buy a newoutfit or the latest shoes. Manycollege students could care lessabout fashion, and in fact pre-fer wearing ratty sweats all thetime. But, for those of you

who still want to keep up withthe trends and look cute, I havegreat news.

Retailers and designers arecatching on to the realizationthat consumers want to still looknice without spending a fortune.Recently, many retail stores havedebuted new lines that featurefashion-forward merchandise at

very affordable prices. Here aremy three favorites:

Wal-Mart is not typicallythought of as a place to gofor a stylish wardrobe; how-ever, the worlds largest retailerlaunched a new line calledMetro 7 this past October. The new brand quickly

gained popularity and was be-ing rumored to be Wal-Marts

new megabrand. Metro 7consists mainly of sportswearpieces ranging in price from

$12 to $25, the highest priceditem being a trenchcoat for $33.

Featured items include beadedcamisoles, cargo shorts,Bermuda shorts,gauchos ande m b e l -l i shedden-im.

S u r -p r i s e dbecause youhavent seen orheard of this new line at

Wal-Mart? Thats because theretailer decided to test Metro 7out in only a few hundred ofits stores.According to sources from the

company, the line is flying offthe shelves and manufacturersare struggling to keep up with

the demand.As reported in Womens Wear

Daily, Wal-Mart plans to haveMetro 7 in 1,500 locations,roughly half of all the domesticstores, by September. So, keepyour eyes open for advertise-ments and new marketing strate-gies hitting the stores to promote

this new line.Another trendy new line is a.n.afrom J.C. Penney. Unlike Metro 7,a.n.a was launched in more than1,000 department stores as ofMarch 5. A.n.a, standing for a

new approach, is char-acterized as be-

ing modern,e asy to

wear,a n d

com-f o r t -

able. T h e l i n e

carries similar mer-chandise as Metro 7, such

as embellished blouses, shrugsand city shorts; however, it ispriced about 25 percent higher.

A two-pieced outfit would typi-cally cost about $50, but thereare still lower priced items likecamis for $18. A.n.a might be slightly more

fashion-forward than Metro 7;however, the price points coulddrag the retailer down whencompeting with Wal-Mart, OldNavy, or Target. One benefit isa.n.a will be available online andin J.C. Penneys spring/summercatalog.

Finally, my last favorite new line

is Luella Bartley at Target. Targethas become famous for usingdesigners to create lower-pricedlines that are more appealing andsuitable for its target market.

Luella Bartleys designs havegained the description, ironicpunk-preppy, and include itemslike pleated schoolgirl skirts,printed button-downs and manycute accessories.

Prices, on the other hand, rangefrom the typical Target price of

$9.99 to the unusual Targetprice of $149 .99 for a jacket.Another downside to Luella

Bartley is that her collec-tion is part of Targets Go

International program ofcollaborating with well-knowninternational designers, and willonly be available through April.Though some of the prices are

considerably higher than lineslike Metro 7 and a.n.a, LuellaBartley is definitely worth check-ing out while its here.With spring and warmer weath-

er right around the corner, theresno better excuse to go shoppingthan getting a cute new wardrobeat an amazing price. So, hit themall, ladies, and stock up on allthe current styles for spring!

FEATURESTo contact: [email protected]

March 22, 2006 PAGE 4THE MERCIAD

Talking Fashionwith

Jen Gildea

$$$

Camille Nischal, Assistant

Professor and Director of theArt Education Department, tookthree of her art education stu-dents to Belle Valley ElementarySchool to give 100 first-graders alesson in art.These elementary school stu-

dents were learning about murals,and their teacher thought it wouldbe interesting, and educational tohave some college art studentscome to the class to discuss withthe students the importance ofmurals in their lives.

Nischal was then contactedand chose Rachel Staley, AmandaKaiser and Kelly Majewski tocome with her.

During their presentation to

the elementary schoolers theystressed how murals can give acommunity a sense of identity bybringing them together throughsimilar images and events thatthe community recognizes andhas experienced.

We explained through wordsand visuals how a mural candecorate a space and create har-mony as public art, explainedStaley.

Majewski added, A mural givesthe viewer the opportunity tosee into a different space. Theimagination of an artist can beseen through someone elseseyes. The project we did withthe students also helped show

how a mural can be worked onby many people at the sametime, which also demonstratescooperation. As an added bonus Staley,

Kaiser and Majewski shared theartwork and their personal storiesof their own artistic develop-ment with the students.

They were very enthusiasticand enjoyed seeing our art.

Watching and listening to theminterpret our artworks throughtheir first grade eyes was interest-ing because of the unique thingsthat they saw, said Staley. After Staley, Kaiser and Ma-

jewski presented to the studentsthey gave them the opportunity

for hands-on experience with

what they had just learned. Theywere challenged to create a muralof their own that representedThings in Their Community.

Majewski said, When weshared one piece of our art each

with the students. The interestthat this created, as well as ques-

tions about how each of us madethe art, generated a lot of creativ-ity amongst the students. Withthe mural portion of the project,it was amazing to see how just asuggestion of an idea allowedstudents to go in so many dif-ferent directions. Children have

fantastic imaginations.Staley added that, since art is

often described as a hobby, theytalked to them about how art canalso be a successful career path.

After all, losing these creativeminds would be an unfortunate

waste.

Satisfy your style withoutbreaking your wallet

If youre still calling hundred-dollar bills C-notes, your slangis outdated. Try Benjamins.

If you have decided to bloot-er, you are about to cry outshrilly, blunder or strike some-thing with great force. (If youreclumsy enough, you can do allthree simultaneously.)And if you should die before

you wake, and have left instruc-tions to be cremated instead ofburied, your loved ones will notbe left with your ashes. Thesedays they are cremains.

So says the latest online editionof the Oxford English Diction-ary. While you still can purchasethe OED as a 20-volume set ofbooks or CD-ROM, 21st-cen-tury lexicographers who really

want to keep up are subscribingto www.OED.com for quarterlyupdates.Any way you look at it, though,

the English language is gigantify-ing (a verb form of g iganticthats been around, surprisingly,since 1841). Paper, plastic orhyperspace, the OED now listsmore than half a million words,

which is updated with thou-sands of new entries every threemonths.

The OED is not a moribund,static collection of words, saysDon Myers, senior publicist atOxford University Press New

York office. Its a constantlyevolving lexicon.The online edition updates

about 2,000 entries per quarter,Myers said, with about 70 percentof those being brand-new terms.

The others are modifications oradditions to existing definitions.

Recent new terms in the OEDonline include supersize, whichnow can mean vastly increasingthe size of anything_althoughit must be noted the word isderived from a fast-food mealoption that corporations such

as McDonalds already havewithdrawn. E-learning_theuse of virtual classrooms andthe like_probably has more stay-ing power. And spyware, theinsidious software applicationsused to monitor our electroniclives, seems here to stay.

How good is the OED? I re-cently spent several afternoonstrying to stump it, plugging insome of the more obscure wordsI could conjure into the latestCD-ROM edition and the online

version.I even enlisted Kansas City Star

art critic Alice Thorson to helpme, figuring the mighty Oxfordcould fall short on specialized

art terms. Thorson fed me terribilita;the dictionary spat it back asawesomeness of conceptionand execution, originally as aquality attributed to Michelan-gelo by his contemporaries. Weplugged in vanitas, and OEDknew the reference was to a typeof 17th-century Dutch still-life

painting. My colleague came upwith tenebrism, and Oxford,haughtily silent as always, dis-played the text indicating thedramatic light-and-shade stylingsof Italys Caravaggio.

Enough of the high, then; letOED try dealing with the low.Over the course of my life, Ihave come across some slangexpressions so degenerate thatit has been impossible for me toforget them.

Dear readers, you will have totrust me on this one. I assaultedOxford with terms I cannotrepeat here_not any of the obvi-ous choices like the F-bomb, butrather, a dozen examples of the

most awesomely smutty wordsIve gathered from my reading.Indeed, my enthusiasm got

the better of me; Thorson stillwas standing over my shoulderwhen I typed out my first andmost twisted example. When thedictionary brazenly flashed itsdefinition, my friend remarked,

wide-eyed, that it was one shenever need have known.

For the dictionary, though,no surrender: I thought Id trya literary reference, panopti-con. Too easy. The OED knewthis word originally applied to

Jeremy Benthams plan for a cir-cular prison in which the inmatescells could be observed by one

centrally placed guard_and thedictionary further knew the ideahad been seized upon by literarythinkers such as William Hazlittas a metaphor for any powerfulperson who took it upon himselfto observe others.

Fortunately, on one of the daysI was battling the dictionary, I waslistening to Steely Dans Aja.On that disc, a guest artist named

Tom Scott employs a Lyricon,a primitive synthesizer developedin the 1970s that could be playedlike a wind instrument.

Success. Beginning with thegratifying phrase, If you do notget the results you want, thedictionary offered me several al-

ternative search strategies. Noneproduced Lyricon.Pop music, in fact, seems to be

an OED weakness. On March10, the online version addedthe proper noun Deadheadto denote a fan of the GratefulDead_nearly 10 years after thebands lead guitarist, Jerry Gar-cia, died. Another thing: If you dont

know how to spell a word, I cantsee that the electronic dictionaryoffers much improvement overthe old print approach. Maybethere is no way to address that,but how about a did you meanfunction for future editions ofthe CD-ROM? I plugged in

spoonge, meaning sponge,and got the same blank stareOED gave me for Lyricon_whenusing the CD-ROM version, thatis. The online edition, with itssuperior search architecture, didglean that it was sponge I wasseeking.

Now thats my definition ofprogress.

By John Mark EberhartKnight Ridder Newspapers

The Oxford EnglishDictionary spells itour for everyone

Piecing the world togetherBy Melissa JackFeatures editor

Photos courtesy of Rachel Staley


5/12

FEATURESTo contact: [email protected]

March 22, 2006 PAGE 5THE MERCIAD

A healthier column

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breastsLight or Fat Free Italian dressing8 oz. whole wheat Bowtie or Rotini pasta4 carrots

3 cloves fresh garlic1 pint cherry tomatoes

With JenUse whole wheat pasta becauseit nutritionally more valuable forits fiber content. It will be slightlymore expensive at the store, but

can be found next to regularpasta. It will have a brownishcolor when cooked, but tastesexcellent.

Protein, starch and some veg-etables are contained in thismeal. Serve with a fruit and sideof non-starchy vegetable (corn,peas, and potatoes are examplesof starchy vegetables).

Although the preparation takesabout an hour, this well-roundedmeal will leave you feeling full offlavor and nutrition.

Do not add salt to taste whenthe pasta is in the large bowl.If salt is desired, add it whenthe meal is on separate plates toavoid adding too much.

For a vegetarian version ofthis meal, replace chicken withExtra Firm light tofu cut into1 cubes. Less marinating andcooking time will be required if

opting for tofu.Although the process on this

recipe seems long, it incorporatessome basic cooking skills that any

student can master easily and isnot difficult at all when made witha partner in thekitchen.

Pasta and Chicken

Directions

1. Trim excess fat off of chicken and rinse withcold water.

2. Place breasts in a large Ziploc bag with cup Italian dressing. Seal tightly and place bag in the refrigeratorto marinate for 2 hours. If desired, you can do this step in the morning before classes and allow it tomarinate all day until you are ready to cook it. However, make sure you do marinate it the entire time in therefrigerator, because dangerous bacteria can grow on chicken which sits at room temperature.

3. Preheat oven to 3504. Pour chicken and marinade out of bag into a glass baking dish, and cover with tin foil. Cook for 30 minutes

or until it reaches an internal temperature of 170. Use an ins tan t re ad thermometer to check thetemperature, you can purchase one for about $10, and should be a staple in your kitchen.

5. While the chicken is cooking, boil 2 quarts (4 cups) water in a large pot. There is no need to add salt to thewater.

6. When the water is boiling, add the box of pasta, stir a little bit, and then let it boil for 7-10 minutes.7. While the pasta is cooking, chop carrots into thin coins. Peel off papery skin of garlic and mince the whiteinside. In a pan, saut carrots and garlic in a little bit of vegetable oil until carrots begin to soften, for onlyabout 5 minutes.

8. Wash and pat dry the tomatoes and basil. Chop basil roughly; just use the leaf, not the stem portion.9. At this point the pasta should be al dente. This means that it should provide some resistance when bitten,

but should not be tough and gummy. Whole wheat pasta has slightly firmer texture when bitten than regularpasta. Remove from heat and drain the pasta in a colander.

10. Place pasta in a large bowl; add tomatoes, basil, carrots and garlic. Sprinkle with cup parmesan cheese.11. Remove chicken from the oven when it has reached 170, and on a cutting board slice into strips about 1

thick.12. Place pasta salad on a plate; arrange chicken strips over the top.

Serves 4.

College life can be tough, sowhen the weekend rolls aroundat Mercyhurst, students look to

relax, unwind and get somethingto eat.Like many students, my friends

and I are always happy to get offcampus and get some real food.

When we found out that anew restaurant opened near theMillcreek Mall, we were excitedto get out of our weekend rutand try something new. Four ofus decided to try Buffalo Wild

Wings Grill and Bar last Saturdaynight.

Buffalo Wild Wings openedthe doors on its newest locationin Erie this month, offering af-fordable food in a sports barsetting.As we pulled up the rough,

almost dirt-like road, we wereshocked to see the entire parkinglot full. Cars were even parkedin the dirt and along the entrance

road. It was a Saturday night, andwe expected the restaurant to bebusy, but we never thought we

would have to engage in an all-out hunt for a parking space.

Once inside, we found that therestaurant was relatively largeand that the wait was only 25minutes.

Buffalo Wild Wings has a largeopen dining room with a rela-tively large bar area. Televisionsare mounted on every wall, sothat no matter where customerssit, they can easily view a numberof programs. The restaurant is decorated

with a somewhat Western motif,

but the atmosphere is definitelythat of a sports bar with plentyof loud people, sports on everytelevision and a bar full of beersand drink options.As we were taken to our seats,

we noticed that the tables arepacked very tightly into the res-taurant. If we were any larger we

would have had to ask the peoplebehind us to move in closer totheir tables. The cramped ar-rangement of the tables madeour dining experience somewhatuncomfortable.We were excited by the menu

which offered a number of appe-tizers, salads, burgers, sandwich-

es, wraps and, of course, wings.The prices were reasonably low,so it was difficult to choose.

I decided on a cheeseburgerfor $4.95, and my boyfriendchose 12 boneless wings in amild sauce for $7.49. Together,

we split an order of Buffalo chipswith cheese, which were basicallycircular potato wedges, that cost$2.89.

Our friends decided on 18 wings in garlic and parmesansauce for $9.99 and a Buffaloranch chicken sandwich for$5.95, as well as six wings inmedium sauce for $3.79.

After waiting for several min-utes, our waiter at last arrivedand hurried us through theordering process. He broughtus our drinks quickly and thendisappeared for approximately30 minutes.

After that, the service steadilyworsened. When our waiter tookmy friends drink to refill, he for-got to bring it back three times.Our food arrived after about 45minutes. The sandwiches werecold, and they gave my boyfriendthe wrong meal.

Once we finally received thecorrect meals, we were happy

with the foods quality. Everyoneenjoyed the wings, and the sand-wiches were pretty good, too.

Our appetizer order of Buf-falo chips came with the mealand turned out to be more like aside than an appetizer. We werealso a little disappointed to findthat the sandwiches came plain

without any sides.Overall, we were disappointed.

The food was good, but the ser-vice was awful.

I had high expectations forBuffalo Wild Wings, but theservice really ruined my experi-ence. Maybe the service will getbetter after the restaurant is openlonger, but for now I wont go

back anytime soon, said DaveMarecic, one of our friends. The best part of our experi-

ence was the Buffalo Wild Wingsatmosphere. It was fun andcasual, and it was a great placeto watch the March Madnessbasketball games.

My advice to anyone that wantsto try Buffalo Wild Wings is toget takeout or visit the restauranton a week night when it is lessbusy.

Buffalo Wild Wings offerswing specials during the week.Tuesdays are 35-cent wing nights,and on Thursday, boneless Buf-falo wings are just 50 cents. Dailydrink specials are also available.The Erie Buffalo Wild Wings is

located at 2099 Interchange Roadacross from Max & Ermas andSmokey Bones. Buffalo Wild

Wings offers its entire menu fortakeout, and its phone number is814-868-9464.

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill andBar is a franchise chain withdozens of locations across theUnited States. According to their

website, the restaurant specializesin a variety of New York-style

wings that can be made in 14different sauces. For more infor-mation on Buffalo Wild WingsBar and Grill or to check out themenu, visit their website at www.buffalowildwings.com.

By Lori LetenderContributing writer

Many college students think of chicken wings as a delicacy,

and now they have one more restaurant to choose from.

Buffalo Wild Wings Promotion

Each year more studentsmove off campus. My room-mates and I moved off campuslast year and live in a house onEast 29th Street.We are good neighbors to

have despite the fact that we

like to party and have a goodtime.

College students who liveoff campus often receive abad rap as being noisy, incon-siderate and sloppy neighbors.My roommates and I think wedeserve an exception from thatstereotype because we are anice addition to the neighborhood.

College students can do several things to make agood impression on their neighbors and be posi-tive addition to the local Erie community.The first, and most important, action is to meet

the neighbors, especially the closest ones. Stu-dents should strive to develop relationships withtheir neighbors and put their best foot forward.Let them know what kind of people you are and

dont patronize them.Edna Roudenburg, 73, is our neighbor. She was

kind enough to answer some questions regardinghaving college students as neighbors.

I loved the fact that you guys came over andintroduced yourselves. I felt much better abouthaving you live next door knowing that if thereis a problem that I can address you more for-mally, she said.

If you plan to host parties, be sure to let theneighbors know. Tell them you are responsiblefor what goes on at your house and that yourlifestyle will not harm or bother them.

Second, is to maintain contact with your neigh-bors. Once students move into their house theyshould not be shut in or cut themselves, butcontinue to interact with them and their familiesif possible.

My roommates and I enjoy interacting with theneighborhood kids by playing games and gettingactively involved with them. I have found that

the best time to meet the neighborhood kids is

on Halloween. Give out candy and dress up forthe kids. They love it.Third, keep up the appearance of the house.

If your house looks unkempt, then your housebecomes an eye sore for the street. Keeping up

with the house includes mowing the lawn, pickingup trash and not letting it collect in the front orback yard, and keeping the driveway and sidewalkclear of the snow. The goal is to let the neighborsknow you are actively involved in keeping theneighborhood attractive.

Parties are the neighbors biggest complaint

regarding college students living off campus. Par-ties cause noise, litter and sometimes damage topeoples properties. Students must be responsiblefor their guests and respectful of their neighbors.

This includes keeping the music down, keepingthe party mainly indoors and, most importantly,

keeping trash off the neighbors property.Sometimes parties can get out of hand and

damage can be done and a mess can be made.In these situations it is the students job to payfor damages and the clean up of any mess that

was created.Finally, a student can be available to help the

neighbors. The neighborhoods around Mer-cyhurst are home to many families and elderlymembers of the community. Make yourself avai l-able to help with babysitting, snow removal andany other help that your neighbors may need.

Wont you be myneighbor?By Chris Van HornContributing writer

These students share a house with the writer and feel

they have a positive impact on the neighborhood.

Photo courtesy of Chris Van Horn

Buffalo Wild

Wings heats upyour appetitebut tries yourpatience

If youve walked passed OldMain on the Preston side thenyou may have noticed almost 400stakes driven into the ground.This is the result of a project

the Peace and Justice Club puttogether to represent the deathseach country involved in the Iraq

War has endured.

Sean OReilly is the coordina-tor of the club and was the maindriving force behind the devel-opment of the project. It isessentially a Memorial of the 3rd

Anniversary of the Iraq War.OReilly went on to say, The

reason why we did this is that we agreed the campus seemsdisenchanted about the war. Wedid not do this for or against,but in memorium. This is to helpthose passing by to rememberthat people are still fighting overthere in a war that was never fullyexplained.

In memorium

By Melissa JackFeatures editor


6/12

Three years have come and gone since the United

States and coalition forces began combat opera-tions in Iraq.The American people were told a lot going into

this war.Iraq was supposedly developing and harboring

WMDs, and 9/11 was conveniently invoked innearly every speech regarding the invasion. Blindedby fear, Americans and the United States media,

were all too ready to jump onto the war bandwagon.The citizens of this nation and our representativesin Congress surrendered their power to a presidentand an administration with grandiose plans and adaunting neo-conservative agenda.We put our faith in their estimates, their numbers

and their statistics.We believed Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld

when he declared the war would take six monthsm a x i m u mand watched

him scoff atthe idea the war wouldcost anymorethan $30-50billion. Well here

we are, threeyears later. Sofar the war has cost America $251 billion. The na-tion is horrifically in debt, with the House recentlysetting our debt allowance to $9 trillion. Thatstrillion, with a t.The war has financially drained the United States,

resulting in a lopsided deficit. Social programs havebeen cut left and right, leaving the most vulnerableout in the cold, literally. Hurricane Katrina exposedour countrys own inability to care for those withinits borders while putting the incompetence of

our government on parade for the entire worldto see.Here we are, three years later. President Bushs

now laughable appearance on an aircraft carrier,not long after the invasion, declaring the end of

major combat operations while standing under a

banner proudly exclaiming mission accomplishedstands as a horribly misjudged example of all thathas gone wrong in this conflict.Three years after the first bombs hit Baghdad,

American soldiers are still falling and Iraqis are stillsuffering. A possible civil war is looming and thepossibility of bringing our troops home for goodare dwindling.Three years later, opinion polls for the war are

falling as fast as the presidents approval rating. Themood is changing, and as I sit here evaluating thesituation, I cant help but be reminded of another

war fought over 30 years ag o.Vietnam holds striking parallels to our current

situation in Iraq. Both conflicts had the UnitedStates, the worlds greatest power, go up againsttechnologically inferior, non-Westernized countries.

Yet, even with all of our manpower and technology,the U.S. was unable to take out the communists in

Vietnam. How could this be?Iraq, like Vietnam, has been racked with poorplanning from the start.

In Iraqs case, an insufficient amount of soldierswere sent into a completely foreign environmentlacking the training and equipment needed to suc-cessfully complete their missions. Because of this,an insurgency has taken hold with guerilla warfarebeing their tactic of choice. The enemy blendsin with ordinary citizens, danger lurks aroundevery corner and with the threat of attack alwayslooming.There are no extravagant battles such as D-day

for todays American soldiers in Iraq. For them,every day is full of stress and apprehension. Suchtactics practiced by the enemy may seem cowardly,but they are terribly effective. In Vietnam, guerilla

warfare proved to be effective, drawing out the warfor nearly a decade, resulting in over 50,000 U.S.

deaths. Three years into Iraq 2,317 Americans havebeen killed and over 17,000 wounded.The lack of planning and equipment our troops

had going into Iraq is a complete abomination.During the Operation Truth lecture last night

at the PAC, veterans talked of Humvees without

doors, vests without ceramic plates and a lack offood and water. To ask an American citizen to riskhis or her life without giving them the proper toolsto do their job and assist in their safe return is anabsolute disgrace.Wars like Iraq and Vietnam are most effectively

fought without the use of guns and weapons.The battle for hearts and minds is quite possibly

more important than any tactical battle. It is es-sential that citizens of the occupied country sympa-thize with your side, not the insurgents or any otheroption presented to them. America failed miserablyin Vietnam regarding this psychological battle, andso far, Iraq seems to be following suit.The large majority of American soldiers do not

understand Arab culture or the Muslim religion.They dont understand their customs and they cantspeak their language.The veterans speaking last night reiterated this

point, saying that passing out flyers Iraqis cant readand handing out soccer balls to children arent go-ing to win the war or hearts and minds. Raiding aMuslims house, dragging him out of bed, forcinghim to the ground and making him touch his noseto the floor is an extreme insult in Muslim culture.

A Muslim only touches his nose to the floor whenhes praying. Practices such as this will only hurt,not help. Coming across as ignorant and unwillingto learn the Muslim and Arab culture will not helpconvince the Iraqi people we truly care.

Iraq is a complex country with divisions thatrun deep.

Divided into three major g roups, the Sunnis, theShiites and the Kurds, ethnic and religious tensionsare rooted in history and culture. These divisionsare being exploited by the insurgents in an attemptto push Iraq into civil war, and if the Iraqi govern-ment doesnt soon step-up, then the insurgents may

get their wish.These complex issues are not easily erased by theWestern push for democracy. Installing democracyin a region where religion is inseparable from thelaw is not an easy task.

Most Iraqi people are thankful that Saddam

Hussien is no longer in power. He is without adoubt a r uthless dictator that deserves punishment.However, that does not mean the Iraqi people areready to embrace democracy. The current situationin Iraq is so delicate and unstable that it is quitepossible the Iraqi people will support any kind ofgovernment that will bring them safety and stability,

whether it is democratic or not.While the idea of being free is a novel one,

the reality of the situation makes it apparent thatfreedom is expendable.Anyone can see and admit that the current situ-

ation in Iraq is far from what American and Iraqicitizens were promised. I do want to make it clearhowever, that our men and women and uniformare not to blame for the mess in Iraq.

Bad policies and a lack of planning have crippledour troops efforts from the beginning. Americantroops are required to obey all orders unless they

are illegal. Many of them know, as OperationTruth suggested, that what they are being askedto do is wrong, but their job is to follow orders,not make policy.Whether or not we should be in Iraq is no longer

relevant . We are there now, and were in up to ournecks.The invasion of Iraq has completely destabilized

the country, and America has a duty to finish whatit started. We owe that to the Iraqi people andto the men and women who have lost their livesfighting in this war.

So here we are three years later. Thousands ofwives, girlfriends, husbands, boyfriends, mothers,fathers, sisters, brothers and children in Iraq and in

America are still waiting and praying for some sor tof resolution. Peoples lives are being shattered,changed and lost, and patience is wearing thin.

Its been three years . . . how many more will it

have to take? And, until we start seeing real results,how much more are we willing to take?

OPINIONPAGE 6 THE MERCIAD March 22, 2006


Iraq: Evaluating three years of war

Opinion editor

AllisonMoore

HAWIJA, Iraq - At precisely 6 a.m. on Jan. 27,my brother and I were awakened by pounding onhis front door. When my brother opened it, we sawthat Iraqi army forces had surrounded the area and

were conducting a sweep of the neighborhood.The soldier asked for our identification cards,

which the soldier showed to a nearby officer.Who is Jasim Mohammed Khalaf? the officer

shouted.Me, I replied.Where do you live?In al-Nida neighborhood, I said.Why are you here in al-Askari neighborhood?

he demanded.I explained that I had sent my wife to celebrate the

Eid holiday with her parents in the southern city ofHilla and that my brother had insisted that I spendthe holiday at his house in al-Askeri in Hawija.The officer continued to question me.What do you do? he saidI am a reporter for the Institute for War and

Peace Reporting, I answered, showing my IWPRbadge.

He studied it for a while, and then told me tocome along with him for further questioning.When I asked why, he told me that my name was

on a wanted list.I couldnt believe it, so I asked him again. He

assured me that my name was on a list of suspectsto be rounded up and told me to hurry and getdressed.After the soldiers tied my hands behind my back

with plastic restraints, they put me in a back of apickup truck and drove me to an area where severalU.S. military Humvees were already packed. Theytold a member of the Iraqi National Guard to keepan eye on me while they returned to continue theirsearch of the neighborhood.The weather was cold, with a light rainfall as I

waited in the back of the vehicle. Hours went bybefore the troops returned with another man theyhad rounded up. Eventually, they drove us to aU.S. military camp located a little more than a mile

outside of Jawija, where we were formally handedover to the American troops.The American forces put bags made of hemp

over our heads and pushed and pulled us as wewalked. We were told that speaking was forbid-den.

For the next two hours we were left sitting silentin the dark, not knowing where we were or what

would happen next. A guard finally arrived andreplaced our plastic restraints with metal handcuffs.I was to remain handcuffed the entire time I wasin detention.The guard also pulled the bag off my head. I

could see that I was in a room that measured about12 feet by six feet with two other prisoners. The

walls and ceiling were made of wood.Eventually, a tall Iraqi soldier and an American

soldier came into our cell. The American asked ifwe had any diseases or were allergic to any drugswhile his Iraqi colleague translated.

Later, the two returned and handed out bagsand small boxes with food, made in the UnitedStates and labeled halal, meaning they compliedto Muslim dietary laws. But we could hardly openthem because we remained handcuffed.

Eventually, I was taken to an interrogation room.The American officer there told me to answer hisquestions frankly and clearly so that I could bereleased as soon as possible. I told him that I wasready to answer any questions.

He wrote down information I provided himabout my family, my relatives and myself. I also pro-

vided him with the names of my IWPR colleaguesso he could confirm that I was a journalist.After two hours of questioning, the officer prom-

ised to check out my story and assured me Id bereleased quickly if it checked out.

Back in my cell with the two other inmates, I wassure Id be released shortly. But that optimism fadedafter two more days in confinement.

On the morning of Jan. 29, a guard kickedopen the door to our cell and shouted, Get up!He threw a breakfast meal at us and ordered usto clean up our cell and put everything in a bigplastic bag.A short time later, another guard entered with

bags to be placed over our heads and we realized

we were going to be moved to another detentionfacility.We were marched out of our cells by guards who

pushed us and laughed as we stumbled though themud. Apparently the vehicles intended to transportus were not ready, however, and we were takenback to our cell.

Fearful of where I might be headed next, I toldone of the guards it was urgent that I see the

American officer who had questioned me.Later that afternoon, they took me before an

American officer but not the same one I had toldmy story to previously.

What do you want? he asked me.I repeated my story, that I was a reporter with an

international non-governmental organization andthat my arrest was a mistake.

He called my editor and confirmed I was whoI said I was.

I suddenly felt much better as they led me back tomy cell. Still, I prayed that night that the authorities

would discover their mistake and release me.Instead, the guards returned the next morning

and put bags over our heads once more. This time,we were placed in the back of a windowless truckthat transported us to a military airfield. From there,

we were flown to Kirkuk.When we arrived at the detention facility there,

we underwent some medical tests, had our photostaken and were issued orange prison uniforms.

Each of us was then placed in a solitary confine-ment in a cell measuring six feet by three feet. Mycell had a light bulb, an iron bed with a mattress,two blankets, a copy of the Holy Koran and aprayer mat.

I was kept in solitary confinement for four days.The isolation and humiliation was terrible. The onlytime I saw any of the other detainees was when

we were led from our cells to use the toilets. Eventhen, speaking was forbidden.The Americans yelled at us and called us names.

They threatened to take away our blankets or pre-vent us from using the toilets. One American guardwas very rough with the detainees, insisting that weface the wall whenever he entered our cells.We had to shower in groups. The hot water ran

out quickly, leaving us shivering in ice-cold water.

On the first day in Kirkuk, I was interrogated forabout two hours. The American investigator wascalm, but the translator was very rude and acted asif I had killed his entire family.

Most of the questions were about my job andrelationships. The investigator told me that as ajournalist, I should play a role in finding out infor-mation about insurgent groups.

I answered that my job was to be a journalist, notan intelligence source.

On Feb. 2, about 20 of us were taken out ofsolitary confinement and transferred to a large cell

where we were held for another five days. This wasa huge relief. After almost a week of silence, we

were finally allowed to talk again and did not haveto wear handcuffs.

I wanted to cry and shout when I could finallyspeak to other detainees. We all introduced oneanother and shared detai ls of how and why we werearrested. We then discussed family affairs.

On Feb. 6, a guard came and issued each of us anumber and said some of us would be transferredto another detention facility. I ended up with thegroup of men who were also arrested in Hawija.

We were glad to be leaving the Kirkuk detentioncenter, but we were all afraid our next destinationmight be Abu Graib prison outside Baghdad.We were told to hand over our prison uniforms

and our own clothes were returned. That eve-ning, we were taken back to Kirkuk airport andflown from there back to the U.S. military basein Hawija.

Later that night, the American officer who hadinitially interrogated me came into my cell andsaid that my arrest had been a simple case ofmistaken identity. He said I would be released inthe morning.

He asked me how they could compensate me formy ordeal. I told him the best reward would be thatthis would never happen again. He promised thatit would not, and made a note in my file that I amnot the man on the wanted list.

I went to bed and hoped that the sun would riseearlier the next day. At 4 a.m., a guard awaked me.I was finally released at 10.30 a.m.

Case of mistaken identity leads reporter to detention in IraqBy Jasim Mohammed Khalaf

The Institute for War & Peace Reporting

Katie McAdams

Sophomore Sean OReilly designed this memorial commemorating the third anniversary of the Iraq war. Each post represents 100 dead from U.S. and coalition forces.


7/12

I dont think it is possible in a short period of

time to fall in love with someone.It isnt possible to really know the important

things about someone within a considerably shortperiod. In my opinion, you are falling in love

with the affection you receive as opposed to theindividual.

Ive even heard stories about relationshipschang ing a

great deal af-ter people getmarried.

I h a v e af r i end th a t

goes to Gen-e s e o w h ostarted dat-

ing a girl andthings went well for a few months. His only major

problem with her was that she clipped her toenailson the floor and claimed they disintegrate overtime.

Personally, that would have been a red flag forme but hey he was in love. The story ends with him buying her some

expensive alcohol for her birthday. She drank asizable amount, proceeded to have an emotional

breakdown, hit him and then iced the cake by pee-

ing in his bed.He broke things off the next day and the girl

went nuts and skipped the rest of her classes forthe semester.

I think it was safe to say that they didnt know

each other as well as they thought and things wentsouth.

In this instance my friend was unaware that he

had involved himself with someone who had alco-hol problems and was an all around psycho.

People drop L- bombs far to frequently in myopinion and people are hurt as a result of it. Loveis a powerful word and an even more powerful

emotion. True love is when you see someonesfaults but you accept them and fail to let them

change how you feel.Ultimately, in adult relationships its important to

know what you are getting yourself into.

Being friends first can really strengthen a relation-ship. Friendship allows for two people to get to re-

ally know each other, all of their wonderful qualities

as well as their shortcomings. I like to know a girlfor a few months at least before consider dating

her. Please refrain from using the L word untilyou are certain you really mean it. Its better for

both of you and the relationship.

OPINIONMarch 22, 2006 THE MERCIAD PAGE 7


MERCIADJosh Wilwohl Editor-in-Chief [email protected]

Corrie Thearle News Editor [email protected]

Melissa Jack Features Editor [email protected]

Allison Moore Opinion Editor [email protected]

Ryan Palm Sports Editor [email protected]

Melissa Brandt A&E Editor [email protected]

Katie McAdams Photo Editor [email protected] Brandt Production Editor [email protected]

Kristen Piquette Advertising Manager [email protected]

Chelsea Boothe Copy Editor [email protected]

Emily Crofoot Graduate Assistant [email protected]

The Merciad is the student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst College.

It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of midterms

week and finals week. Our office is in the Old Main, room 314. Our telephone

number is 824-2376.

The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and

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. Letters are due the

Thursday before publication and may not be longer than 300 words. Submit

letters to box PH 485.

The

KRT

If we are talking about love at first sight Im

going to have to say Im a non-believer. Im prettysure people dont lock eyes for a moment and love

blossoms. Alternatively, I believe in lust at first sight.

Meaning that there can be a physical connectionestablished quite quickly between two people, and

they dont necessarily need to be engaged in a con-versation.

I t h i n k aproblem withthe love at

f i r s t s i g h t phenomenon,

is that manyp e o p l e a r elooking to fall

in love and jump on the bandwagon when theyfind themselves in lust.

Its highly annoying when I see people casuallytossing the phrase I love you around after onlydating someone for a couple days.

This makes it seem that I love you is just an-other nicety that people use instead of goodbye to

spice things up.Despite my pessimistic tendencies, I am not

inclined to toss this possibility entirely out the

window.

When you say a short period of time, I wouldsurmise that it would take a couple of weeks to

really get to know someone enough to developsomething more than affection (and lust).

Ive met numerous people whom I thought were

awesome in the early stages of dating. However,as the weeks wore on and I began to find out moreabout a person, there were times when I wanted

to smack myself upside the head for my initialanalysis.

In this situation, I dont think I can outline aspecific time period that denotes when its okayto fall in love.

Youll know when it happens. It wil l smack you inthe face when you least suspect it. Whether thats a

couple weeks in, or months down the road.I think the biggest indicator is the degree to which

you feel comfortable with someone.

Sometimes you can be with someone for a shortperiod of time, but because theres a high level of

comfort between you, it can feel like youve known

them for years.If this is the case, then I say that after a couple

weeks (at least) it might be possible to fall in lovewith someone. Watch out for lust smothered with

affection though, it can be very deceiving.

Ask the MalarkysIs it possible to fall in love in a short period of time, or do you have to know someone much longer?

Wandering the library one lonesome, dull and

cold Saturday afternoon, I was in awe at the manydifferent subjects people have written about.

On the shelves, everything from women in ar-

chaeology, the many biographies and analyses ofthe works by Virginia Woolf are covered, along

with the exten-sive volumes

o f v a r i o u smagazines inthe basements

stacks.I often hear

students com-plain that ourlibrary materi-

als are often outdated with books concerning ir-relevant information about subjects that no longer

concern the general public, just those who arewriting a paper or are simply interested.

While materials dating back to when our parents

were young may grace the shelves of HammermillLibrary, you must respect the fact that so many

authors have devoted years to wonders of researchand literary works.There are so many subjects in the world, such a

vast history of individual countries, empires andwars.

Every perspective has been written about, manyangles and criticisms given on the various battletactics and whodunnit motives. Also, the various

science subjects, the theories that people in thesefields develop are then put into practice and people

write the details of their research. There is so much knowledge to be absorbed,

read, reviewed and shared. While simultaneously

there is not enough time in the world to absorb all

of the knowledge, and a brief overlook at differ-ent topics is not enough to make one an expert.However, knowledge is power, no matter howmuch or how little.

Simply, knowledge is endless and should beembraced.

Schooling for an undergraduate degree is onlysupposed to last four years, depending on yourfield of study.

Then there are multiple and more specified fieldsthat a person can further develop in graduate school

and eventually a doctoral degree.However, after the initial bachelors degree, the

higher you go in the academic realm the more

specific areas of study become, thus constrictingones ability to encompass the varied subject that

entertain and stimulate them.At some point, the knowledge one acquires must

be applied to real world situations or careers, and

one hopes all of these years of school come inhandy.

You cant know everything, but obtaining knowl-edge doesnt have to end with school.

Of course there is always the option of becoming

a career student, but this option does not sit wellwith my mother, who quite simply replied, become

a professor.

EllenKoenig

Knowledge: a lifelong process

They rail constantly against big government andbloated bureaucracies.

But one of the most startling failures of Presi-dent Bush and the Republican-led Congress has

been their inability to get federal spending undercontrol.

Under President Bill Clinton, enough lawmakers

in both parties seemed to understand the conceptthat the government should take in at least as much

as it spends. When Clinton left office, the govern-ment was running a surplus and had begun actuallyto pay down the publicly held debt the part that

does not include Social Security IOUs.But five years of GOP budgeting have laid waste

to the notion of fiscal responsibility. The samepeople who once decried deficit spending as im-moral and unethical have been heaping debt on

future generations at a reckless rate. They cut taxes(i.e. revenue for the Treasury) by record amounts,

but have spent money even faster than when aDemocrat was in the White House.The Senate on Thursday voted to raise the limit

on the total national debt to $9 trillion, an increaseof $781 billion. That represents about $30,000 for

every man, woman and child in the United States.It was the fourth time during the Bush presidencythat Congress has had to raise the governments

limit for borrowing.When Bush took office, the debt ceiling was $5.95

trillion. Since then, it has increased 46 percent.Few senators were on the floor to debate the debt

measure. Little wonder.

It was an embarrassing roll call and an admissionthat they cannot practice the budget discipline that

so many of them preach.More than half of the total national debt is the

result of cumulative budget deficits. The deficits

for each of the next two years are expected to be

around $400 billion, and even conservative budgetanalysts predict deficits as far as the eye can see.Republican alibi artists claim that unforeseen

emergencies the war on terror and Hurricane

Katrina, for example caused the deficits. Sen. RickSantorum, R-Pa., tried that line on the Pennsylvania

School Boards Association in a speech earlier this

month. Dont buy it; a goodly part of these deficitsstem from political choices.

First, the chief expense in the war on terrorhas been the Iraq invasion and occupation policy

choices that were by no means inevitable. Further,much of the deficit stems from the massive tax cutsenacted by the president and Congress over the last

five years. Terrorism and tropical storms haventhelped, but the core problem has been conserva-tives mania to starve the federal government

of revenue.But theyve never mastered the spending side of

the equation.Contrary to Vice President Cheneys infamous

assertion that deficits dont matter, they do.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke warnedthe other day that prolonged deficits will place at

risk future living standards of our country throughhigher interest rates, weak job creation and other

woes. U.S. Comptroller General David A. Walker

wrote recently that continued borrowing doesntjust threaten our future economy and quality of life,

but also our long-term national security.

One avenue Congress should adopt, but didnt, isto resurrect pay-as-you-go budget rules requiring

that tax changes or new spending do not add tothe deficit. The Republican-led Senate defeated an

attempt to reestablish the stricter rules last week.The president is clamoring for a new version of

the line-item veto, used by Clinton briefly but later

invalidated in court. This tool is worth pursuingagain; most governors have it at their disposal.

But the kind of budget discipline thats neededcannot be achieved with the targeted rejection ofa few bridges to nowhere. The line-item veto alone

cant cure what ails the federal budget, especiallywith a president who has yet to veto anything in

five years.Congress did try to cut spending in the current

budget, but aimed, typically, at the wrong areas _

at health-care for low-income citizens and studentloans.

Until lawmakers begin to rein in spending on trulywasteful projects space-based weapons systems, forexample and until they stop cutting taxes for the

wealthy in amounts that dwarf spending cuts forthe poor, the debt forecast will remain gloomy.

National Debt: Fiscally irresponsible

Philadelphia Inquirer editorialKnight Ridder Newspapers

Its the biggest oil spill ever on the tundra ofAlaskas North Slope: 267,000 g allons of thick

crude spread over two acres in the Prudhoe Bayoilfield complex.

BP (formerly British Petroleum) said the oil

leaked from an aging, corroded pipeline and wentundetected up to five days.

Not cool.

If the industry really wants Congress to approve

new drilling opportunities in Alaskas Arctic Na-tional Wildlife Refuge and offshore areas of the

continental United States, it had best find ways toavoid such incidents.

The Prudhoe spill is far smaller than the 11 mil-lion gallons dumped in Alaskas Prince WilliamSound by the tanker Exxon Valdez in 1989.

Thank goodness.But it just might be large enough to give Big Oil

some fresh political headaches in Washington.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorialKnight Ridder Newspapers

Small problem, big potential for change

Ms.Malarky

Mr.Malarky


8/12

In lieu of no big new releaseshitting shelves this week with theexception of a live album by MyChemical Romance, Ive decidedto do some prep work for one ofthe most anticipated Hip-Hop

albums of the Spring.

That album happens to beNas CD, tentatively titled NAS-DAQ Dow Jones.

I feel like Nas sometimes getsoverlooked by the bigger namesin rap that hit big when he did.Nas, Notorious BIG, 2Pac and

Jay-Z (along with many others)all came into the spotlight in theearly-to-mid 90s.When you look at that list No-

torious BIG and 2Pac stick out asthe two headline grabbers duringthat period and (unfortunately)shortly after as well, with bothof them being killed in the EastCoast vs. West Coast battle. Jay-Z has been everywhere

since the time he came onto thescene and still is, even thoughhe claims to be retired. Well seeabout that.

Maybe the first thing that

should be said about Nas is thatyou arent going to hear a ton ofNas songs in clubs or the like.

Nas is an artist that is morerespected for his lyrical abilitythan the beats he rhymes over.I think that some people areturned off by rappers that usethis approach.

Nasir Jones was only 20 yearsold when he released Illmaticin April of 1994. It immediately

was recognized as one of the bestdebuts ever released, receivingthe highly coveted Five Mic Rat-

ing from The Source Magazine.

None of those Mics werewrongly given out. This is defi-nitely a lyrical masterpiece.After this album, Nas released

It Was Written in 1996. Con-sidered to be almost on the samelevel as Illmatic the CD onceagain has some awe-inspiringtracks, one being I Gave YouPower, which is the story ofa gun told from the guns point

of view.For those of you not totally

familiar with Nas you have prob-ably heard the song featuringLauryn Hill, If I Ruled the

World.In 1999, he released two more

albums, I Am and Nastrad-amus, both being pretty goodalbums in their own respect, butexcept for some catchy singles,they were almost forgettablecompared to other releases by

Nas. These two albums signified

Nas attempt to partake in thebling-bling crossover, as evi-denced by Hate Me Now,featuring Puff Daddy.

Other popular songs off thetwo albums were I Am,Nastradamus, Nas is Likeand Shoot Em Up.

In December of 2001, Still-matic hit the shelves, and was

considered Nas best album inthe past half decade, if not thebest besides his debut.

Stillmatic is possibly bestknown for the Jay-Z diss Ether,

which was countered by Jay withthe song Takeover. Almost a year later to the

day, Gods Son came out andshocked most people.

Easily the most personal workNas had ever done, the album

contained the song Dance, which takes you inside Nasirsmind as he mulls over the deathof his mother.

A bold move in a genre ofmusic where being hard as nailsis not only expected, its thestandard.

I think the song is one of the

best on the CD, a bold statementon an album that also containsI Can, Made U Look andThugz Mansion. After this came The Lost

Tapes (a collection of songsthat were cut from previousalbums) and Streets Disciple,both great as well.

Overall, if you were onlygoing for the top three NasCDs, make them Illmatic,It Was Written and Still-matic. If you just want to geta better idea of what he is allabout, listen to the singles I

mentioned above.

ENTERTAINMENTARTS &

PAGE 8 THE MERCIAD March 22, 2006


Senior art exhibits f

the merciad, march 22, 2006

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