the merciad, march 26, 2008

8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 26, 2008

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STUDENT GOVERNMENTS FUTURE CollegesuspendspoliticaladsMercyhursts presidentsuspended politicaladverstisements afterreceiving a policy fromBishop Donald Trautman.

| Merciad staff editorial 10

Youre fired!

Candidates for Mercyhurst Colleges Student Government executive board debate Tuesday evening in

the Mercy Heritage Room. President and secretary positions are unopposed. | Profiles on page 2

Merciad photo

SPEAKER PROFILE

Apprentice star

Bill Rancic to speak

at Walker Recital Hall

| News 4

Sports 12


2/16

NEWSPAGE 2 March 26, 2008

MSG elections under wayThe future of Mercyhurst Student Government lies in the hands of student voters this weekas only two of the four executive board positions are contested. Those up for board positionsinclude Christina Coovert, Erik Penn, Dinorah Sanchez, Jacquelynne Brown, Adam Kostik, andSantina Srgo. Each candidate and their position is profiled below. Students can vote online athttp://msg.mercyhurst.edu until midnight on March 27.

Christina CoovertJunior, business mgmt.

Presidential candidate

Erik Penn

Junior, social work

Dinorah Sanchez

Junior, forensic science

Jacquelynne BrownSophomore, intl. business

Adam Kostik

Freshman, political science

Santina Srgo

Freshman, R/IAP

Vice presidential candidate

Vice presidential candidate

Treasurer candidate

Treasurer candidate

Secretarial candidate

In the future, I would like to seeMSG work with other departments

on campus to increase school

spirit as Mercyhurst enters into a

new conference. I also would like

to increase communication with

the college constituents through

innovative and amplified public

relations... I truly enjoy participat-

ing as a member of MSG and I

would appreciate the support of

my fellow students in my endeavorfor the president position.

I want to see MSG more incor-

porated into the daily lives of the

students - more dialogue between

students and the people that are

supposed to represent them. I

want to do this by making meet-

ings more accommodating for

students, placing reps in more

convenient locations for student

engagement and getting back to

our roots of representing all stu-

dents campus wide, not just those

in clubs.

(I plan to) restructure the financialresponsibilities of MSG in relation to

the process through which RSCOs

request money. This would involve

bringing the requests directly to

MSG and simplifying the process for

student club leaders. (I also want

to increase) the communication

among administrators, faculty and

students by reinforcing the new con-

stitutional changes and addressing

apathetic views that exist within thecollege community.

(I am ) in a complete concur-

rence with the movement toward a

greener campus. (I) supported and

voted yes on the Green Energy

Fund Proposal(I want to) work

with other student organizations

on campus to reduce the student

apathy that MSG has created in the

past(I am) involved in multiple

RSCOs and (I) know the impor-

tance of funding to reduce student

apathy... (I plan on) stopping waste-

ful spending by MSG.

I would really like to see MSG

work toward changing the stu-

dents apathy on campus. I hope

to work on projects that not only

show the student body what MSG

is capable of doing, but also for

the world in general. Along with

making sure normal maintenance

is taken care of and exciting events

are brought in for students, I hope

to push MSG in a direction that

gives back to the greater commu-nity as well.

I willseek to have a better

connection and communication

with the administration, therefore

meeting with them and letting

them know what students need

and want. Finally, I will be put-

ting the student back in student

government, in which (student

government) will not just sit back

and wait for students to come to

them but (student government)

will go out to the students andseek their input.


3/16

PAGE 3March 26, 2008 NEWS

The Teaching Excellence Award

is given each year to a professor for

being inspirational, compelling or

simply excellent.

The Office of Academic Affairs

is asking students to give their

opinion and nominate the fac-

ulty member who [they] feel has

had a transformative effect on hisor her students, says the award

Web site.

This is the students award,

said Dr. Mary Breckenridge, asso-

ciate vice president for academic

affairs. We want to know who has

inspired them.

This year, the Office of Aca-

demic Affairs wanted to increase

student response making it pos-

sible for students to submit nomi-

nations via the Internet. We

received more responses withinthe first 24 hours this year than we

ever have in previous years, said

Kelly Mattes, graduate assistant

in the office of academic affairs.

We currently have tripled the

number of responses from previ-

ous years.

Nominating a professor is not

about vote tallying. The nomina-

tion form includes a section that

allows students to explain theirvote. Often applications are sent

in with nothing but the nominees

name, said Mattes. Sometimes

it just says He or she is great. A

compelling narrative weighs more

than a vote with no explanation.

Breckenridge said she encour-

ages students to include an expla-

nation with their application.

The more concrete and explan-

atory the narrative the better,

said Breckenridge. The narrative

validates the vote.While the Office of Academic

Affairs monitors the award pro-

cess, it is not responsible for select-

ing a winner. Past recipients of

the award choose the next winner,

said Breckenridge.

After nominations are collected

from students, faculty and admin-

istrators, the selection committee

meets to discuss the nominations,

said Dr. Michael Federici, a profes-sor in the political science depart-

ment and 2004 winner of the

Teaching Excellence Award.

This committee is comprised

of previous winners and an admin-

istrator from Office of Academic

Affairs, said Federici. The com-

mittee places the most weight on

student nominations but it also

adds what is known by the faculty

about the candidates.

Dr. Phil Belfiore, a professor in

the education department, is the2005 Teaching Excellence Award

winner and will be part of this

years selection committee.

I am looking more closely at

the student nominations and their

rationale. I look for a combination

of rigor, respect and commit-

ment to learning between student

nomination and faculty member

nomination, he said. For me, it

is less about the quality of teachingas reflected by faculty nominations,

and more about the quality of

learning as reflected by the student

nominations.

Dr. Randall Clemons, profes-

sor and chair of the department

of political science, will take part

in the selection for the first time

this year.

Certainly, the bottom line for

me is about results, not method,

said Clemons. Teaching is ulti-

mately about what students takeaway from their interactions with

their professors in terms of knowl-

edge, skills and the opportunity to

consider their values.

The award winner receives a

Teaching Excellence Award certifi-

cate as well as a $1000 check.

According to Breckenridge this

award is about honoring profes-

sors who have positively affected

students.We would like students to par-

ticipate, said Breckenridge. I can

still remember the professors who

inspired me, made me think differ-

ently or changed my life direction.

We want to honor those type of

professors.

A link to the online nomination

form is available on Lakernet. Stu-

dents may also turn in a hard copy

to Old Main 104.

By Casey GreeneManaging editor

Excellent teaching rewarded at Mercyhurst

Ambassador club inducts new members

While many Mercyhurst Col-

lege students see the Ambassa-

dor Club providing campus tours

to prospective students, they

may not know how much time

and effort is required to actually

have the honor of wearing the

green jacket.

On March 30 a ceremony willbe held for 16 students who will

be inducted into the Ambassador

Club.

The new inductees for 2007-

2008 are: freshmen Cynthia

Dixon, Santina Sgro, Brittney

Haladyna, Amber Kissman, Jo-

seph Krajcik, Stephanie Lacher,

Charlene Lichtinger, Spencer

Miller, Christopher Nagy, Col-

leen OHara and Meghan War-ner; and sophomores Sarah

Heuer, Cerissa Lynch, Andrea

Moncada, Alicia Rankin and

Michelle Simpson.

In order to become a mem-

ber of the Ambassador Club,

students must go through two

pledge processes, one in the fall

term and one in the spring.

Dinorah Sanchez, co-chair

of the pledge committee, said,

The pledge process as a whole

is to provide the pledges with

a history of Mercyhurst and

vital information highlighting

different aspects of the col-

lege.

Sanchez is one member ofthe pledge committee, which

consists of co-chair Christina

Coovert, club advisor Jim Ru-

disill and one Executive Board

officer, Jessica Kocent.

The purpose of the committee

is to encourage students to pledge

for Ambassadors during the fall

term, and also to determine which

students will eventually become

Ambassadors.In order for the committee to

make these decisions, the pledges

are required to do work during

fall term.

They must write a 200-word es-

say about their reasons for want-

ing to become an Ambassador.

They also must attend an inter-

view with the committee mem-

bers and present a three-minute

speech about one aspect of the

college, which are scored by cur-

rent Ambassadors.

The students must complete a

written exam at the end of the fall

term pledge process.

The exam focuses on the

information that the studentslearned throughout the fall term,

which is garnered through class-

es which are held one night a

week.

At these lectures, the students

must be dressed profession-

ally and attend each one, as each

lecturer presents a different

aspect about the college that

the students must know about,

such as the history of theschool.

After fall term is over, the

pledge committee reviews each

pledge on their performance and

dedication and makes cuts.

The students are notified if

they were selected or not to

continue with the process in the

spring.

During this time, requirements

to become an Ambassador are a

little more intense.

The students must still attend

lectures, complete a written

exam, shadow two tours led by

Ambassadors, present a five-

minute speech about an aspect

of the college, complete 15 hoursof community servi ce by the

end of the term and complete

a solo tour.

After this process is complete,

the committee meets again to

review the scores and determine

which students will become

Ambassadors.

Throughout the process the

students are supported by cur-

rent Ambassadors, who act asmentors to their assigned pledges

and are required to help them

through the process.

After the spring term pledge

process, the students are again

notified through a letter that ei-

ther welcomes them to or denies

them from the club.

If denied, the students are

encouraged to try again next

year. If accepted, the students

are expected to attend the annual

induction ceremony, known as

the Spring Tea.

There the inductees receive

their official green jacket, sign the

Ambassador oath and sing the

anthem with the other membersof the club.

The families of the inductees

are invited to the Spring Tea,

along with the Sisters of Mercy,

faculty members and adminis-

trators.

The inductees are considered

full Ambassadors at the beginning

of spring term. They are expected

to complete the required 34 hours

of service, said Sanchez.In addition to receiving

the green jackets, Ambassa-

dors also receive a scholarship

for their help with tours and

college events.

By Julie Hranica

Staff writer


4/16

PAGE 4 March 26, 2008NEWS

If youre a fan of the televi-

sion show The Apprentice,

then Bill Rancic is no stranger

to you.

Rancic will make his appear-

ance at Mercyhurst College on

Thursday, March 27, at 8:30 p.m.

in Walker Recital Hall.

Rancic was the winner in the

shows first season and has goneon to be the youngest entrepre-

neur in the United States at the

age of 23.

He started his Internet-based

company, Cigars Around the

World, in his small apartment.

Its now a multi-million dollar

corporation, and Rancic is on the

board of directors.

He was mentored by Donald

Trump and often works in col-laboration with him.

Rancic has appeared on

several television shows including

NBCs Today Show, the Tonight

Show with Jay Leno, CNBC, Fox

News and CNN.

When he is not making appear-

ances on television shows and

hobnobbing with Trump, Rancic

travels around the U.S. and other

countries like Malaysia, Ireland,

New Zealand and Ecuador,

speaking to businesses, sales

teams and universities, informingyoung business professionals to

follow their dreams and advising

them on how to pursue the career

they want.

Rancic has written two books

that made the New York Times

best-seller list: Youre Hired!

How to Succeed in Business

and Life and Beyond the

Lemonade Stand: Starting Small

to Making it Big. When told about Rancics

upcoming visit to Mercyhurst

and his numerous accomplish-

ments, sophomore Randy Whit-

ling was quite impressed.

It takes a lot of skill to get that

far in life so early, and its very

commendable, he said.

Sophomore business major Jeff

Hultgren shared a similar view.

I see Rancic as somewhat ofa role model for students coming

out of college, he said. He was

able to get into the world at a

young age, and go straight to the

top. Thats quite an accomplish-

ment.

The event is sponsored by the

colleges Walker School of Busi-

ness and Office of Academic

Affairs. Admission to the event

is free.

By Emily GrabowskiContributing writer

Apprentice champ

comes to Hurst

The first season Apprentice winner, Bill Rancic, is often

seen spending time with friend and mentor Donald Trump.

googleimage.com

Mercyhurst Colleges Social

Work and Art Education depart-

ments invite those willing to pick

up the spoon to join in the fight

against hunger on Sunday, April

6, at the third annual EmptyBowls Meal and Auction event

at the Masonic Temple, 32 West

8 Street.

Empty Bowls project began

in 1990 when a Michigan high

school teacher and his students

made ceramic bowls in which

to serve soup and bread as a

means of raising funds to address

hunger.

Senior public relations coordi-nators of the Empty Bowls event,

Katie Zinn and Mel Peters, said

the event is a senior project for

the departments.

In the past it has been run

by the Social Work and Art

Education Clubs but has devel-

oped into the Social Work

Departments senior class proj-

ect, Zinn said.

Last year we raised $6,000 andthis year we would like to increase

that amount, Peters said.

Advising the Empty Bowls event

is Dr. Laura Lewis, a professor in

the social work department, who

said 100 percent of the proceeds

will be donated to Second Harvest

Food Bank of Northwestern

Pennsylvania.

For every dollar that we raise,

they can purchase $17 worth of

food and supplies to aid in the

community, Zinn said.Second Harvest Food Bank

feeds approximately 52,000

residents of Northwest Pennsyl-

vania annually.

Beginning at 3 p.m., partici-

pants may choose a hand-carved

bowl crafted by students from

Mercyhurst Preparatory School

and the colleges art education

department.

They keep this bowl as areminder of the many bowls that

often go empty as a result of pov-

erty within the Erie community,

Peters said.

According to Zinn and Peters,

restaurants and food chains will

donate various soup.

All soups are a reflection

of the restaurants that have

donated, Zinn said. They all

resemble the diverse populationthat food banks like Second Har-

vest are involved with.

Zinn and Peters said that

an art auction, featuring artists

from Mercyhurst College and the

greater Erie community, begins at

4:15 p.m., along with live music.

Throughout the event, people

will be entertained by Easystreet,

a band of Mercyhurst College

students, Zinn said.

The Empty Bowls event is

supported by a Mercyhurst Col-lege Academic Enrichment Grant

and Mercyhurst Colleges Student

Government. Approximately 30

students helped organize this

years event, Peters said.

Peters said participation is

expected to increase compared to

previous years with the increase in

student participation and the well-

known reputation of the event.

Volunteers for the event arenot needed because students in

Mercyhurst Colleges Hotel and

Restaurant Management program

will prepare and distribute the

soup at the event.

Tickets are $15 and cover

admission and a handcrafted

bowl.

For children, excluding a bowl,

admission is $3.

All tickets must be purchasedprior to the event by contact-

ing Shirley Greene at (814)

824-2266.

By Liz MaierStaff writer

Empty Bowls battle hunger

Police logCriminal Mischief

Parking Lot 2

March 13

Pending investigation

Rape

Off-campus

March 13

Closed

Liquor Law Violation

3925 Briggs Ave.

March 14

College discipline

Simple Assault

Sidewalk

March 15

Closed

Liquor Law Violation

West Main Drive

March 16

State citation

Criminal Mischief

Parking Lot

March 16

Closed

Simple Assault

Parade St. Blvd.

March 16

Pending investigation

Disorderly Conduct

McAuley Hall

March 18

College discipline

Larceny/Theft

Egan Hall

March 18

Closed

Students eat to raise money for food bank


5/16

FEATURES PAGE 5March 26, 2008

The Fashion MerchandisingClub will be the host of a fash-ion show to benefit the MercyCenter for Women in Erie. The

show is planned to take placeon April 11 in the Taylor LittleTheater at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased atthe cost of $1 per student and$2 per non-student.Tickets will be sold April 7 to

April 11 in the student unionfrom 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Mercy Care Center is

a local organization that was

founded by the Sisters of Mercyin 1994.The Care Center functions

as long-term transitional hous-ing for homeless women andmothers.The building itself is a former

convent that has 13 rooms andcan house up to 27 residentsat a time.

Besides offering a safe and

welcoming environment, theshelter also holds a variety ofweekly seminars.

These workshops and classes

are suited to benefit residentsemotionally, spiritually andmentally. The show, titled Rock the

Runway, was inspired and isfocused on a variety of notablemusicians that were and still areprevalent in the 20th and 21st

centuries. The viewer will see howcertain musicians signaturelooks are reinterpreted througha modern and contemporaryfashion lens.

Individual male artists thatare featured in the show includeBob Marley, Michael Jack-son, Jimmy Buffett, KennyChesney, Jimi Hendrix and

Snoop Dogg.Individual female-artist looks

range from Dolly Parton toGwen Stefani.The Beatles, Grateful Dead,

Spice Girls and New Kids onthe Block are a few of thegroups of artists that will befeatured in the show.Junior Carly Emery, secretary

of the Fashion Merchandising

Club, is excited about the up-coming show.

This show is going to bea really good time, Emery

said. I encourage all to comeand check out the fun wayswe interpreted musical iconsthroughout history.

Styles and looks for theshow will be donated fromBuckle, Urban Behavior and

JC Penney.Since the show has a vintage

flair, most of the looks will behand selected from thrift stores

or provided by members ofthe club. The inspired lookswill be modeled by Mercyhurststudents.

Students interested in help-ing a good cause and show-ing off some ridiculous good

looks, contact Caroline Boyceat [email protected]. Junior Boyce is heading up

the show.

Everyone who attends willlove to see the various fashionmusic icons we have includedin the show, she said. Manylocal stores have been generousand let us borrow clothes forthe show, which have made it

possible to put it together. Itwill be an event that everyone will enjoy and definetely beworth attending.

Rock the catwalk

The fashion show will chronicle style inspirations from several music legends, including

the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley.

http://img.dailymail.co.uk

By Sandy WatroStaff writer

April Fools Day brings out the prankster in us all

Aprils Fools Day is one ofthe most light-hearted days ofthe year.The origin of this custom

is not certain, but there is ageneral consensus as to howthis tradition may have comeabout. Ancient cultures celebrated

the New Year on or around

April 1 until Pope GregoryXIII decided in 1582 to replace

the old Julian calendar withthe Gregorian calendar, whichcalled for the New Year to becelebrated on January 1 insteadof April 1.According to popular belief,

many people refused to acceptthe new date or were not awareof the change and continued tocelebrate on April 1.

People began making fun ofthese traditionalists and sent

them on fools errands, ortried to trick them into believ-

ing something false.Eventually the practice spread

into what we know of today asAll Fools Day.

Unfortunately if you forgetthe date, you may just findyourself at the bad end of apractical joke.

Some embrace the day whileothers simply hope to just makeit through without being thelaughing-stock of a joke.

Mercyhurst College studentsare not exempt from the joke-

filled holiday.Freshman year, al l my

clothes were wrapped up inshrink wrap and put back intomy drawers, senior Jeff Lewissaid. Funny thing about it wasthat it was my shrink wrap.

Ive never been pranked orreally done anything to anyoneelse, but I do recall this onetime back in high school whenmy friends and I were going

to a Britney Spears concert onApril 1 and all over the radio

we heard that it was cancelled,said senior Brittany Castle. Weall thought it was a practicaljoke and called all of the newsstations to find out if it wastrue or not.

So beware because April 1 isright around the corner. And toall those pranksters out there,enjoy the one day of the yearyou can guiltlessly make a foolof those around you.

By Stacey Minchin

Staff writer


6/16

FEATURESPAGE 6 March 26, 2008

THE LAKER

Spring Term

Galley Grill

Lunch:M - Club SandwichT - Chicken CaesarW - Chicken QuesadillaTh - Breakfast for LunchF - Tuna Melt or Grilled

Portabella SandwichS - Sloppy Joe

Board SpecialsLunch $4.75Dinner $5.50

Dinner:S - Turkey BurgerM - General Tsos Chicken over rice w/ broccoliT - Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes andveggiesW - Veal Parm over pastaTh - Buffalo chicken sandwichF - Fish Sandwich or Grilled Portabella

SandwichS - Pepperoni Pizza Sub

Hours of Operation:

Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m.

Saturday 1:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Sunday 5:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Look for New Menu Items!Mac & Cheese Bites Black Bean Burger

New Salads:Chicken BLT-Veggie(no cheese)-Spinach-Asian Chicken-

Greek-Caesar

Subconnection6 Sub $3.75 Combo $4.75

12Sub $5.75 Combo $6.75

Baja and Buffalo Chicken Subs:

6 Sub $4.00 Combo $5.25

12 Sub $6.00 Combo $ 7.00

Special FeaturesWrap combo-Veggie $5.59

other wraps $5.79

Wrap It Yourself- Veggie $3.99

other wraps $ 4.19

Hours of Operation:

Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

Saturday 1:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Sunday 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Laker ExpressBoard Equivalency Available:11:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.

Board Specials

Lunch $4.75

Dinner $5.50

Look for Laker Express

Minute Meals!

Hours of Operation:

Mon.-Thurs. 11:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.

Friday 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday Closed

If creating catchy names for

Internet service sites was a con-

test, these two would certainly

take the cake.The new ChaCha search engine

and Hulu video site are two

recently released sites that offer

great services to their users.

It is a fairly well-known fact to

Internet users that if in the event

a question goes un-answered,

they can simply Google it to find

out more information.

As we have seen search engines

try to compete with Google andYahoo, one must ask just what it

takes to give these sites a run for

their money.

However ChaCha actually

offers something that these other

search engines do not.

While one aspect of the site

is the typical automated search

engine, the other component

consists of paid guides to search

your topic for you.Heres how the guides work:

Users simply tells them for what

information they are looking and

the site will generate links to Web

sites that it feels would be most

helpful in the search.

In order to be a part of this

service of the site, one must

register an account first.

While most feel that the guided

search is much more effective,they also admit that it sometimes

takes an extra two or three min-

utes in comparison to traditional

search engines.

To find your preference, check

out this new site for yourself

the next time you find yourself

bored and surfing the Web.

The second emerging site is the

newly developed Hulu video site

which was released to the public

on March 12.

This site anticipated to give

iTunes and YouTube competi-

tion, as they offer many of the

same services.

I really enjoyed using hulu.

com, and was pleasantly sur-

prised to see such a wide varietyof high quality videos, senior

Kevin Szczepanski said. But I

noticed an excessive amount of

advertisements shown through-

out each program.

The large quantity of advertise-

ments is due to the fact that the

site is run solely off of revenue

from their side.

Unlike iTunes and some videos

on YouTube, no log-in or regis-tration is required for this ser-

vice.

Hulu offers over 250 TV series

shows as well as over 100 full-

length films.

The most popular shows

viewed from this site include

The Simpsons, Family Guy and

Saturday Night Live.

Some sporting events will also

be available, such as action fromthe NBA, NHL and NCAA.

Students are already taking a

liking to the new site.

I like it because if you miss an

episode of a TV show or dont

want to pay $10 to see a movie,

you can just go on Hulu and

watch it for free, junior Jason

Weslager said.

The s ite is said to have

expanded four times the numberof programs that it had originally

anticipated.

So next time you are looking

for something to watch during

down time between classes,

check out ChaCha.

These sites are surely going to

take off, freshman Chris Boyes

said, as long as they can gain

as much hype as Google and

YouTube.

By Nicole McIntyreStaff writer

New sites prove

entertaining


7/16

PAGE 7March 26, 2008 FEATURES

Food FixWithMeg

Ingredients

Directions

IERI

Get to know...

Matt Patcher

As a college senior there are

a lot of stresses that have taken

over both mine and my friends

thoughts.

These include trying find a job,

leaving home after graduation, or

even the stress of relationshipsas a senior.

So to remedy this stress I sug-

gest making one of my favorite

comfort foods to share with your

closest friends: chocolate chip

cookies.

This recipe is very easy to make

and is also very quick.

There are a lot of ways to alter

the recipe, too.

For example, senior Katie

Sammon suggests adding half of

a cup of coconut and chopped

pecans.They are my special secret

ingredients that just add a little

something to the cookies, she

said.

-Meghan Dolney

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.2.) Stir the flour, salt, baking soda and baking

powder together in a medium bowl.3.) In another bowl, mix the sugars and the

butter until they are smooth. Then add the eggsand the vanilla.

4.) Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredi-ents slowly until they are all mixed together.

5.) Drop the cookies onto an ungreased cookiesheet and bake for about 10 minutes or untilgolden brown.

cup white sugar cup brown sugar2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 cup butter2 cups all purpose flour1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda teaspoon baking powder2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Name: Matt PatcherYear: SeniorMajor: Intelligence StudiesHometown: PittsburghFavorite thing about Mercyhurst: Foam

dance partiesLeast favorite thing: StreamlineCampus activities: Intramural sports, the

BOC

Looking for an eatery thatsclose to campus, fast in service

and uses fresh homemade ingre-

dients?

Directly across from the

beloved Cornerstone is a little

place called Teresas Italian Deli-

catessen.

Opening six years ago, the

restaurant serves the east side

of Erie with homemade breads,

classic deli meats, salads, wings,soup and sides.

Owned by Bed Szumigala, the

deli specializes in fine foods that

are imported and domestic.

Teresas employee Chris Nick

says that Teresas really caters to

the college student.

We offer more reasonableprices compared to the chain sub

shops in the area, he said.

Many Mercyhurst students

agree with Nicks statement,

including junior Carly Emery.

Teresas is conveniently

located with fast service that is

true to Italian cooking, she said.

My favorite items on the menu

are the wedding soup and buffalo

chicken sandwich.Senior Nick Pecon says his

item of choice is the classic roast

beef sandwich with no tomato.

Great subs, great prices, he

said. I love it.

The Classic subs are priced

at $3.59 for a small, $4.99 for a

medium and $6.59 for a large.Grande subs, including the

Philly Cheese Steak, are priced

at $3.99 for a small to $6.99 for

a large.

Teresas salads are also freshly

made and reasonably priced.

The antipasto goes for $3.59

and is big enough for two sit-

tings.

If youre looking for a quick

pick up then be sure to call inyour order ahead for carry-out.

Laker Loot is also accepted for

your convenience.

Teresas serves up classic favoritesBy Shelley TurkStaff writer

Teresas offers fresh salads and dinners.Contributed photo


8/16

The Mercyhurst CollegeMary DAngelo Performing

Arts Center could not think of abetter way to dazzle your eyes andlighten your heart than to bring

one of the worlds mostimportant and

exciting moderndance companies to ourstage .

Presented by the Paul

Taylor Dance Foundationand sponsored in part by thePennsylvania Council on the Arts

(PCA), the Paul Taylor DanceCompany will launch a state-wide tour crisscrossing more

than 20 communities with

26 different performancesbeginning right here in

Erie.By comparison, the

companys own City Center

home season in NYC this March

includes only 19 works.

The tour of PA by the TaylorCompany is also supportedthrough funding from the

American Masterpieces pro-gram at the National Endow-

ment for the Ar ts, w h i c h bel i eves a

g r e a t nation deservesg r e a t art, and the Penn-sylvania Council on the Arts.

For us at the PA Council

on the Arts, the choice of Paul

Taylor for this American Master-pieces tour was a no-brainer,explains Jim Woland, a program

director at the PCA.For more than 50 years, Paul

T a y l o r members haved a n c e d i n more t ha n

500 cities and in over 60countries. Bridging the distantgenres of ballet and modern

dance, the Paul Taylor Dance

Companys choreography creates

an unforgettable and beautifulperformance.

The San Francisco Chronicle

and San Francisco Examinerpraised the marvelous show,saying, Paul Taylor is without

question the great-est living American

choreographer.

Taylor has proven to be

talented but also has a veryinteresting way of coming

up with inspiration for thechoreography.

He reads people

simply by the way they

w a l k ,

gaining infor- ma ti onabout individuals from theirgait.

Come see Taylors works andthe insight he puts into each ofhis shows. Student tickets are

$15. Call (814) 824-3000 formore information.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPAGE 8

tHeBuZz

MARCH 26. Avril Lavi-gne, Boys Like Girls. Wol-stein Center, Cleveland.

MARCH 27-30. BebeNeuwir th. BenedumCenter, Pittsburgh.

MARCH 28. Ice skat-ing. Smuckers Stars onIce. Mellon Arena, Pitts-burgh.

MARCH 29. TrippinBillies: Tribute to DaveMatthews Band. Houseof Blues, Cleveland.

MARCH 29. Avril Lavi-

gne, Boys Like Girls.HSBC Arena, Buffalo.

MARCH 29. Over theRhine. Mr. Smalls The-atre, Millvale.

MARCH 30. Three DaysGrace, Breaking Ben-jamin, Seether. TullioArena, Erie.

APRIL 3. Explosions inthe Sky. Beachland Ball-room, Cleveland.

APRIL 3, 4. GladysKnight. Fallsview CasinoResort, Niagara Falls,Ont.

APRIL 4. Explosionsin the Sky. The Tralf,Buffalo.

APRIL 12. Keith Urban,Carrie Underwood. BryceJordan Center, State Col-lege.

Courtesy of Goerie.com

March 26, 2008

Jordan ZangaroContributing writer

Photo courtesy of www.ptdc.org

Its here: Paul Taylor Dance Company

The Alternative Press Tour(APT) hit the road on March14 with a set full of feel-good,

toe-tapping music in hopes ofspreading joy to new fans andold.

The tour features co-headlin-ers All Time Low (Baltimore,

MD), and The Rocket Summer(Dallas/Fort Worth, TX).

Joining them are Forever theSickest Kids (Dallas, TX), The

Matches (Oakland, CA) andformer From First to Last frontman/vocalist Sonny Moore

(CA). All Time Low are theirown brand of pop-punk, draw-ing influences from heavyweights

like Fall Out Boy, Blink 182 andGreen Day. Mix those signature

sounds with a little bit of East

Coast punk flair, and you havethe Baltimore-area natives.

The Rocket Summer, a soloeffort by multi-instrumentalist

Bryce Avary is a positive, uplift-ing project that has gained anenormous fan base through the

release of two critically acclaimedstudio albums Hello, GoodFriend, and Do You Feel.

Avary will bring along a

backup band to perform on themonth-long tour. Newly signed

to Universal Records, Foreverthe Sickest Kids (FTSK) is setto release their debut full-length

album in the spring. Meanwhile,the EP Television Off, PartyOn can be heard on the bands

MySpace page, myspace.com/foreverthesickestkids.

FTSK blends disco synthesiz-

ers, pop-punk guitars and blast-

ing drums with impressive lyrical

hooks to create a style that enticesevery listener to start moving tothe beat of each song.

Singles like Hey Brittany,

Becky Starz and Shes a Ladyare sure to make even the moststubborn stiff in the crowd start

to dance. The Matches, an eclec-tic art-punk band, seem to be arather interesting choice of tour

mates to the rest of the bands

on the bill for the AlternativePress Tour.

The newest release from TheMatches features songs that seemdestined to grace the soundtrack

of Tim Burton films. The Epi-taph Records recording artistsincorporate industrial synthesiz-

ers, circus-themed guitars andeerie vocals into a mix of highlyunconventional punk rock.

Sonny Moore is best known as

the irritable scene king from

horror punk outfit From Firstto Last. The 19-year-old vocal-ist/guitarist/programmer leftthe band last year on bad terms

due to personal issues within thechemistry of the group.

Now pursuing a career as a

solo electronica artist, Sonnyjoins the tour. It is more thanlikely that his solo effort will

open each show on the month

long tour of the United States. The tour kicks off in Hous-

ton, TX, hits both coasts andfinally concludes in AlternativePress hometown of Cleveland,

Ohio. The APT is sponsoredby Rockstar Energy Drink, TheKeep a Breast Foundation, Hot

Topic and Glamour Kills Cloth-ing.

For more information head

to myspace.com/theaptour.

By Greg SummyStaff writer

Feel-good tour of the year hits the road


9/16

PAGE 9OPINIONMarch 26, 2008

As the cell phone was passed

among my various relatives

with me on speaker, it was as

though I was right in the action

of avoiding crazy great-aunts while strategically coordinat-

ing with cousins who would

mediate parental conversation

to avoid ancient sibling rivalry

flair-ups.

Among the advice and anec-

dotes I received from my rela-

tives the one I specifically took

note of was to diversify my

financial portfolio.

The status of full-time stu-dent is soon coming to an end

and, as of this publish date, 53

days remain until graduation

for the class of 2008.

Pretty soon those of us still

on parental health insurance

will no longer be covered and

the excuse of poor college stu-

dent will be pushed out of our

lingo.

Despite this development

we also gain the sense of inde-

pendence, although avoiding

the questions of What are

you doing next?

Avoiding this conversa-tion with one uncle, I quickly

switched the conversation to

current events; army affairs

and finance specifically fills

both his occupation and hob-

bies.

I brought up the fall of the

market early last week that hurt

everyone from Bear Stearns to

individual investors pockets.

While younger cousins yelledat each other in the background

I simply focused on his advice

to invest now and to diversify.

In short he rambled on

about the importance of sav-

ings and investing yearly in an

IRA.

In retrospect in case you are

unaware, the U.S. economic

market is drastically ill.

The dollar is at an all-time

low and the price of gold shot

up to over $1000 per ounce

last week.

During recessions is the time

to invest in long-term stocksand to diversify your portfolio

with investments in savings,

money markets and, yes, the

stock market.

If you have the time, hire

a broker, review a website or

read the finance section of a

newspaper and seek further

advice.

Maintaining assets at an

earlier age may ensure finan-cial security in the not so near

future.

Simultaneously it is good to

listen to what older relatives

tell you; sometimes the infor-

mation is worth a listen.

Some women complain that

chivalry is dead; they say that

men have lost the charm, the

kindness and the compassion

that was once prevalent in an

era long ago. An era where menawrote

women love letters, bought

them flowers for no reason,

gave them their lettermens

jacket to wear and were proud

of their girl.

Although I dont think anyone

can really deny that many of

these things arent done often

today, I think that the blame on

this occurrence has been placedon the wrong gender.

Over the last century or so,

women have fought strongly to

be seen as equals to men; they

want the same opportunities in

the work place and dont want to

be stereotyped as housewives.

Is it out there to think that

this evolution of women as

equals to men may have some

correlation with the demise of

chivalry?

Think about it; women

wanted to be seen as equals to

men.

Well, men dont buy their

buddies flowers or write themlove letters, do they?

Is it fair that women wanted

to be seen as equals, but also

wanted to choose in which

areas?

Dont get me wrong, I think

that men could definitely step it

up a bit, but we have to be care-

ful which way we are pointing

our fingers.

We wanted so badly to betreated as equals to men but

when it happened, not exactly

like we wanted, the complain-

ing and the blaming began.

Ladies, like they say, we cant

have our cake and eat it too.

By EllenKoenigStaff writer

By MichelleLaSlavicStaff writer

Women complainchivalry is dead

Diversify financial portfolio

College student is not an excuse

Breaks are always an excit-

ing relief to get away from

Erie, Pa., and the monotonous

schedules of college.

However who ever said that

travel is fun? When schedulingplans for breaks, little thought

goes into travel and the pain

it takes to get from point to

point.

Every break I try to visit a

different family member.

The problem is that each

member of my family lives in a

different state due to employ-

ment.

As I make plans, I find

myself looking for the hot

Internet deals on travel, espe-

cially in times where gas is

priced upwards of $3.40 a

gallon.

I am left with the travel

options of airfare and, most

recently, train.

When arriving at this depot,

there is no surprise to find

major delays, congestion ofpeople and the daunting task

of getting through security.

When one finally arrives

via his or her means of trans-

portation it can only be more

frustrating to be seated next

to another human being like

a piece of cattle ready to be

shipped to a butcher.

It seems consistent that I

always am seated next to the

chatty Cathy who offers

me her life story about her

three kids and seven husbands

unwillingly.

Even in light of iPods and

books, it seems there is no

stopping these people from

engaging in a long-winded

conversation.

While being engaged in a

conversation over my EasterBreak travels I could only laugh

to think of some great stories

to end the over-conversing seat

mate.

What if in the middle of the

conversation you just stated

that you had just been released

from prison or something truly

disturbing?

Truth is, that probably would

not end the painful speaker

next to you.

So is there any way around

public transportation and the

pains that come with it?

By the time you arrive at your

final destination, you quickly

forget about the painstaking

process it took to get there.

In the hindsight of things, it

really makes for good laughs.

Maybe soon, gas will comedown in price or we as Ameri-

cans will find a cheaper energy

source to use in our privately

owned vehicles.

Until then I guess we are

stuck with public transporta-

tion for what it is worth: Pains-

taking, but allows us to see the

ones we love, which makes us

ultimately forget the pains of

travel.

By BillSwaffordStaff writer

Take a Facebook

break.

Catch up on

news that isnt

featured on your

Mini-Feed.

See photos thatsay more than

Im with stupid.

merciad.

mercyhurst.edu

Travelers stuck with mass transportation


10/16

OPINIONPAGE 10 March 26, 2008

Joshua Wilwohl Editor-in-Chief [email protected]

Casey Greene Managing Editor [email protected]

Amy Zielinski & Amanda Valauri News Editors [email protected]

Jen Gildea Features Editor [email protected]

Merissa Frank Opinion Editor [email protected]

Chris Davis & Brittany Jackett Sports Editors [email protected]

Nicole Cerilli A&E [email protected]

Scoot Williams Photographer [email protected]

Tiffany Cook Production Editor [email protected]

Leslie Ruchala Advertising Manager [email protected]

Noelle Lelakus Copy Editor [email protected]

Ashley Pastor General Assignment [email protected]

Lenore Skomal Advisor [email protected]

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

published throughout the school year, with the exception of finals week. 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 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.

In the March 19 issue of the

Merciad, an advertisement paid

for by Obama for America ran

on page five, encouraging voter

registration to specifically target

the Pennsylvania Primary to be

held on April 22.

In the days that followed, we

were informed of a policy put

into place on Feb. 26 by the

Bishop of Erie, Rev. Donald

W. Trautman that states, No

political advertisements of any

kind are to be accepted for pub-

lication in any Catholic publica-

tion originating in the Diocese

of Erie.

Mercyhurst College President

Dr. Thomas Gamble informed

the Merciad via the colleges

marketing director on Tuesdayevening that its right to run paid

political advertisements has

been temporarily suspended.

Sheila Coon, the colleges

director of marketing, said

Mercyhurst currently does not

have a policy regarding political

advertisements.

Coon said the college looks to

convene a committee to deter-

mine an acceptable advertisingpolicy for the Merciad.

However, Coon also said in

a telephone conversation that

Mercyhurst doesnt have a clear

line to the bishop under the

diocese, such as Gannon Uni-

versity.

As the editorial staff, we

understand that the bishop has

a certain responsibility, but we

dont understand how it appliesto our newspaper.

Running the advertisement

does not mean the Obama cam-

paign was specifically endorsed.

Obama for America paid the

Merciad an advertising rate, as

would any business looking to

advertise in a newspaper.

The procedure carried out

by the Merciad to publish the

ad vertisement would be the

same for any other political

party or candidate, provided

they approached us to place an

advertisement.

The bishops policy fur-

ther states, the law clearly

requires that if we accept politi-

cal ads from some candidates,

e.g., pro-life candidates, then we

must accept them from all can-

didates. The Merciad is an unbiased

newspaper and has represented

both sides of many issues

regarding our college, city, state

and nation.

The policy goes on to state,

We cannot place ourselves in a

position whereby we would be

forced to advertise for persons

whose position that are con-

trary, often gravely so, to ourfaith or morals.

We believe, as a liberal arts

institution, Mercyhurst strives

to embrace all students and their

opinions.

The Merciad does the same

on a weekly basis by encour-

aging students to voice their

beliefs via open forum.

As clearly stated on our

masthead, we are the Officialstudent-run newspaper of Mer-

cyhurst College.

A huge part of our education

has been to analyze all given

sides of any issue, so as not to

make any rash decisions.

To underscore our under-

standing of the colleges mis-

sion, we need only to look to last

week, when the college hosted a

debate among four Democratic

congressional candidates.

This does not mean Mercy-

hurst endorses the Democratic

Party, but rather provides stu-

dents a means by which to

gather information they seek

about the candidates.

We are sure Mercyhurst would

also accept Republican candi-

dates for debate if their party

approached the college.

Gamble stated in an e-mail

to Merciad editors: We main-

tain a longstanding policy of

not endorsing or opposing any

particular political candidate,

but when and where possible,

and upon formal request, we

have made Mercyhurst avail-

able to candidates to share their

views

The Merciad staff is ques-

tioning this recent decision by

the president, and in light of

our sense of purpose and mis-

sion, will uphold the ethics of

journalism and make sure all

sides are represented.

It is our intent, and we have

been assured that we will have

a voice, by having a member on

the committee that will decide

what is an acceptable policy for

political advertisements in the

newspaper.

Joshua Wilwohl, editor-in-

chief

Casey Greene, managing

editor

Noelle Lelakus, copy editor

Merissa Frank, opinion

editor

Amanda Valauri, news

editor

Brittany Jackett, sports

editor

Jen Gildea, features editor

Scoot Williams, photogra-

pher

Grab your AP Stylebook and trusty

pen.

Wanted: copy editor for 2008-09

Contact [email protected]

President suspends paid political ads

Mercyhurst looks to construct committee to develop policy


11/16

While reading the Merciadlast week, I was shocked to find

out the details of PresidentGambles big announcement.

It shocked me, as the school

has decided to raze some of

the best housing on campus inorder to build a new Business/

HRIM/Intel building.I am not able to speak for

the other majors listed, but

why would the school suddenlythrust the offer of a buildingupon RIAP?

From articles hung up in theWayne Street building, it seemsthat the answer is purely eco-

nomic. The Business Intelligence

sector of the RIAP major is

bringing businesses back toErie.

Money for Erie means more

money, and student tuition,being put into the Hurst.

Although this is not a path

taken by the majority of intelli-gence studies students, it is now

being given its own separatearea.

On top of this, the intelli-gence building just added new

labs and offices that are onlyaccessible to Intel students.

So, we destroy the good hous-

ing, build a whole new facilityand go into massive debt, butwhy isnt Mercyhurst fixing the

housing everywhere else that is

falling apart?

PAGE 11LETTERS TO THE EDITORMarch 26, 2008

The Good

Seniors, as of Friday,there are only 50 days untilgraduation.

All the Easter candy isat least 50 percent off atCVS, so stock up on sweetswhile they are cheap.

The Bad

We accidentally misla-beled Seung-Hui Cho asa gun on page one of theMerciad last week.

Overeating, as always, is aphenomenon over breaks.Chase the Easter Bunny tokeep the weight off.

The Ugly

QuickLinks is no longerfeatured on the Hurstshomepage, making it moredifficult to navigate.

After a relaxing longweekend, midterms areabout to spring up onus within the next fewweeks.

Settle in for the long

haul. There are no morebreaks until school is outfor summer.

Please e-mail any sugge-tions to [email protected].

The Good,the Bad &

the UglyId like to begin by saying that

I find Mr. Markles curiosity andinterest in political matters very

refreshing in an age plagued byapathy and general political leth-argy.

That said, I think Mr. Marklesand my opinions diverge fromthat point forward.

Mr. Markle seems to have arunning vendetta against theIntelligence Studies Department

that, for all the flowery (albeitslightly skewedvision is not averb) language, fails profoundly

in its assessment of my currentfield of study.

I do not claim to be as well

read as Mr. Markle.

I have no idea as to his depthof knowledge regarding the

subjects he treats, save one.It is clear that aside from Mr.

Markles brief foray as an Intel-

ligence Studies student, he hasonly a vague idea of what it iswe do.

We are not the black-hatted,dagger-wielding, freedom-crushing neo-Hitlers he seems

to believe we are.Indeed, the work we do is rel-

atively benign, useful and inter-

esting, but benign.I cite the example of a recent

analytical project that assesses

the infrastructure of three coun-tries in the Horn of Africa.

Clearly this is not the sinister

machinations of an army offuture automatons.

I am further mystified by Mr.Markles repeated claims of aweb of disinformation spreadby the Intelligence Studies pro-

gram. To what could he be refer-

ring?

The pursuit of truth is thehighest standard to which ourstudents, in the role of analysts,

aspire.

We even sport t-shirts, yes t-

shirts rather than the swastika-adorned Class As Mr. Markle

seems to suspect, that bear theslogan Speak Truth to Power.

Mr. Markle is correct in his

assertion that areas of the Intel-ligence Community are plaguedby politicization and activities

of a questionable ethic, but weare exactly the grassroots, liberalarts-educated movement that

the Intelligence Communityneeds.

To regard our department

with the same revulsion as oneregards that which we seek toreform is to paint the cure with

same brush as one paints thedisease.

After all, you wouldnt criti-

cize biochemistry students fortheir close association withcancer, would you?

Granted that analogy is aflawed one, it still serves to illus-trate my point.

Mr. Markle seems so wrappedup in his pursuit of Truth thathe fails to consider the very

things that make up the pathwayto that endfacts.

If Mr. Markle had stopped by

our department, he would havea more accurate picture of our

little community. We do not sit around, con-

templating the best ways tosubvert the opportunity for free

thought, but rather employ that very ideal in our quest for anaccurate portrayal of the world.

Mr. Markle claims that theCenter for Strategic Communi-cations will arise as a govern-

ment and military cheerleader,

yet the Intelligence Communityoften finds itself the sole voice

of dissent in a government oft-dominated by groupthink.

The Intelligence Community

faces a problem analogous tothe horse and the water: Onecan bring the truth to power, but

one cannot make them listen. We are constrained by our

inability to control policy.

Were we to proscribe to Mr.

Markles accusation of back-room political deals and anti-

free speech activities, we wouldbe comprising the very founda-tion of our way of thinking.

We are taught that the analystmust aspire to become an insularbeing, free from the trappings

of politics, and in my humble(but experienced) opinion, weare, for the most part, achieving

that goal. We are chosen, not for our

ability to lay prostrate at the feet

of authority, but rather for ourability to cut to the heart of aproblem, and our willingness to

present honest assessments. We are not an underground

spy academy, but a community

of technicians trained in the artof information gathering, analy-sis, and presentation.

We are not cogs in the politi-cal machine, but a refreshingbreath of unstained, financially

apolitical, ordinary students. There are no microchips in

our heads and there are no bar-

codes on our necks, nor willthere be.

We do not oppose free speech,

after all, weve left you alive sofar, havent we Mr. Markle?

The Mercyhurst IntelligenceStudies Department is no moresinister than the Archaeol-ogy Department or the Math

Department, and deserves nomore unfounded suspicion thanthey do.

For all your calls to cometogether, Mr. Markle, you cer-tainly seem to regard a signifi-

cant portion of the Mercyhurst

student body with a level ofcontempt I find disturbing.

We value our freedom andindividuality just as much as youdo, and I resent the implication

that we stand for anything lessthan the pursuit of truth.

I refuse to be maligned

because of half-formed opin-ions and the wide-eyed mutter-ings of tin-foil hatted conspiracy

theorists.

By Drew HendersonContributing writer

Intel response: We come in peace New Intelbuilding

economicmove:fix otherhousinginstead

By Nick Gutowski

Contributing writer


12/16

SPORTSPAGE 12 March 26, 2008

Submit completed

brackets for the

NCAA Sweet 16and

WIN A CASH

PRIZE OF $20.

Brackets must be

e-mailed to

sportsmerciad@

mercyhurst.edu

by

Thursday at 7 p.m.

In the event of a tie,

winners will be selected

at random.

Think you know

college

basketball?

F

I

N

AL

F

O

U

R

S

T

AF

F

P

I

C

K

S

NCAA

MARCH MADNESS

March Madness has begun as

teams such as Western Kentucky,

San Diego, Siena, Villanova and

Davidson have made noise

by recording upsets in the

NCAA Division I basketball

tournament.

Davidson made the biggest

upset as they knocked off

Georgetown, a Final Four

member from last year and the

Big East Conference regular

season champion, 74-70 to

reach the Sweet 16.

The Wildcats have been led

by sophomore guard Stephen

Curry, who dropped 70 points

in two games with 55 coming in

the second half.History continued to repeat

itself as a 12th seed defeated a

fifth seed in the first round.

In fact this year two 12

seeds, Villanova and Western

Kentucky, knocked off the

higher seed to advance to theround of 32.

The Hilltoppers provided

the most dramatic finish in the

tournament thus far, as they

blew a 16-point lead with eight

minutes to play against Drake.

The self implosion by Western

Kentucky was extended as the

game went to overtime but with

less then five seconds to play

and down 99-98, Ty Rodgers hit

a desperation 26-foot 3-pointer

as time expired to give the

Hilltoppers the 101-99 overtime

victory.

It kind of worked out good,

Rodgers said when asked about

hitting the big shot.

Western Kentucky advanced

to the Sweet 16 after they

defeated San Diego 72-63, whoupset Connecticut in the first

round.

Many analysts have down

played the Toreros win over

the Huskies because UConns

leading scorer was sidelined in

the first half with a knee injury.College basketball guru Jay

Bilas coined San Diegos victory

as the worst break because of

the injury to the Huskies A.J.

Price.

With 13th-seeded Siena

knocking off Vanderbilt and

12th-seeded Villanova beat

Clemson it marked the seventh

time No. 12 played No. 13 in

the second round, including

the Western Kentucky and San

Diego game.

Villanova dominated Siena

and became the second 12

seed to advance to this years

Sweet 16.

Not to be out done was

seventh-seeded West Virginia

who beat a talented Arizona

team in the first round 75-65and knocked out perennial

powerhouse Duke 73-67 to

advance to the Sweet 16.

The Blue Devils were ousted

in large part due to their

lackluster shooting that carried

over from the first round inwhich they shot 38 percent and

missed 15 straight 3-pointers.

No matter how well or how

hard youre playing, youve got

to put the ball in the basket,

said Mike Krzyzewski, Dukes

head coach. We didnt do that

today.

Ironically with all the upsets

all four No. 1 seeds remain in the

tournament, however Memphis

and UCLA narrowly advanced

to the Sweet Sixteen.

The Madness will resume on

Thursday, March 27 at 7:10, as

West Virginia tips-off against

Xavier in Phoenix, Ariz.

Other match-ups include

North Carolina versus

Washington State, Louisville

versus Tennessee, Memphisversus Michigan State, Stanford

versus Texas, Kansas versus

Villanova, Wisconsin versus

Davidson and UCLA versus

Western Kentucky.

By Kirk CampbellStaff writer

March Madness makes history

One again, it is one of the

most anticipated times of the

year.

To what am I referring? March

Madness of course.

With an exciting season

capped off with an exciting set

of conference championships,

this year promises to be one ofthe most exciting runs through

the bracket in ages.

While I am by no means a

bracketologist, I do feel like Ive

seen my fair share of college

basketball and feel that the

bracket selection committee has

done an excellent job picking

and choosing the teams they feel

fit in this years bracket.

With North Carolina,

Memphis, Kansas and UCLA

each earning a No. 1 seed in theirrespective regions, its safe to say

that the road to the Final Four is

going to be rather tough for the

remaining 16 teams.

North Carolina and Texas

each have their road set for them

as long as they can continue to

win through each round.

North Carolina has the luxury

of playing every game in its home

state, with the first rounds beingplayed in Raleigh and the Elite

Eight being played in Charlotte.

Texas has this luxury as well as

long as they can get to the elite

eight.

They will have the opportunity

to play in both Houston and San

Antonio if they are able to get

that far.

Two teams to look for in the

first round are the University of

Georgia as well as Pittsburgh.

Each team won their respectiveconferences with each being a

long shot.

I believe that Georgia will

carry its momentum from their

SEC Title into an upset over

Xavier.

Pitt, who carried momentum

through the Big East tournament

and finished with a No. 4 seed

against Oral Roberts, shouldnt

run into trouble until they meetMemphis in the Sweet 16.

The odds of picking the

perfect bracket are one in 18.5

quintillion, so I will leave those

to the experts.

This year I expect UNC from

the East and Kansas from the

Midwest to make a clean run to

the Final Four with Kansas only

challenge possibly coming from

Georgetown in the Elite Eight.

In the South it is a toss up

between Memphis and Texas asto who will make the Final Four.

I believe, though, that Memphis

will be routed by Pittsburgh and

Texas will use its home court

advantage to squeak past Pitt to

represent the South.

Finally the West looks to

be the most exciting region in

the bracket with both UCLA

and Duke competing for

representation in the Final Four.Unfortunately UCLA has

stumbled quite a bit this season,

as has Duke. Im going to have

to go out on a limb and give

No. 4 Connecticut the last Final

Four spot.

No matter what happens, the

NCAA Tournament guarantees

to have several upsets making

it the most exciting post-season

in sports.

By Kyle CraigStaff writer

Upsets make tournament exciting

Kirk Campbell

UCLA**

Texas

Louisville

Kansas*

Chris Davis

Wisconsin

Texas

UNC**

UCLA*

Brittany Jackett

UNC **

UCLA*

Texas

Memphis

Christine Mersch

UNC

UCLA*

Kansas**

Texas

Andrew Schonhoff

UConn

Memphis**

Kansas

UNC*

*Team in Finals

**NCAA Champion


13/16

PAGE 13SPORTSMarch 26, 2008

National Athletic Training Month: They are more than just waterboys

By Kyle Craig

Staff writer

Have you ever been to an

athletic event or watched one

on TV and wondered who are

those crazy people, enduring

the cold weather and crazy

elements, and helping the

athletes?

Those are your dedicated

and knowledgable Certified

Athletic Trainers; perhaps one

of the most misunderstood and

misconstrued professions.

With that in mind, the

students and faculty, as well as

the Certified Athletic Trainers

at Mercyhurst College, will

join with the National Athletic

Trainers Association to host

its annual National Athletic

Trainers Month.

One of the most common

misconceptions about theprofession is that it is the same

as a personal trainer. Brad

Sage, from the Mercyhurst

Sportsmedicine Department,

points out that this is not

the case.

A personal trainer is one

who assists people with their

exercise fitness goals, while

the scope of an athletic trainer

goes well beyond this. Anyone

with a client, regardless of

education, can call themselves

a trainer, whereas becoming a

certified athletic trainer requires

a minimum of a Bachelors

Degree from an accredited

education program.

The profession also goes far

beyond the myth that athletic

trainers are waterboys.

Students in the program who

are looking to become certifiedare taught proficiencies in six

separate domains, including:

Athletic Injury Prevention and

Risk Management; Recognition,

Evaluation and Assessment

of Injuries and Illness;

Immediate Care of Injuries;

Treatment, Rehabilitation

and Reconditioning; Health

Care Organization and

Administration and

Professional Development and

Responsibility.

In addition to the many

hours that athletic training

students have to spend in the

classroom, athletic training

students at Mercyhurst must

have a minimum of 1,000 hours

of clinical experience working

with teams, clinics and general

medical hours with Millcreek

Community Hospital.Senior Emily Dietz loves the

thrill of working to get athletes

back on the field.

Athletic training is different

from other medical professions

because... you see and have

contact with your athletes

everyday and form relationships

that you might not get being a

doctor or a nurse. There is no

better feeling than seeing one of

your injured athletes go back on

to the playing field and seeing

them succeed, Dietz said.

Sophomore Jacquelyn Phillips

agrees with Dietz.

I got into athletic training

because I like being able

to work with athletes and

bringing getting them back into

competition, said Phillips.

The Mercyhurst Athletic

Training Students, with the helpof their advisors, also work

to carry out the mission of

Mercyhurst College.

In accordance with the

Mercy mission of the college,

athletic training students are

engaged on a daily basis in the

act of helping others, Sage

said.

Athletic training students

devote a significant portion

of their day to helping these

individuals get back to optimum

health.

In addition, the students

work hard to help out in the

community by baking cookies

on Sundays for the Emmaus

Soup Kitchen, as well as raising

money for several foundations.

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DEALERS AND TOYOTA FINANCIAL SERVICES. SEE DEALER OR VISIT WWW.TOYOTAFINANCIAL.COM/FINANCE FOR DETAILS. COLLEGE GRADUATE PROGRAM IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR TERMINATION AT ANY TIME.

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14/16

SPORTSPAGE 14 March 26, 2008

Laker Sports Quick Hits

This weeks results...

Womens lacrosse.......................................Mar. 19, W 23-9, Seton HillMar. 22, W 18-3, Queens

Mens lacrosse..................................................Mar. 22, L 10-7, Dowling

Baseball.................................................................Mar. 21, L 3-2, Findlay

Mar. 21, L 6-1, Findlay

Mar. 22, W 2-1, Findlay

Mar. 22 L 2-0 ,Findlay

Mar. 24, W 9-7, Clarion

Mar. 24, W 4-0, Clarion

Softball.....................................................Mar. 20, W 4-3, Shippensburg

Mar. 20, L 4-3, West Virginia Wesleyan

Mar. 21, W 3-2, Charleston

Mar. 21, W 11-3, Salem InternationalMar. 22, W 8-1, West Liberty State

Mar. 22, L 4-3, Shepherd

Mens volleyball.............................................Mar. 20, W 3-0, DYouville

Walczak/Haggerty athletes of the week

Junior baseball player Jamie Walczak and junior Breanna Haggerty of

womens lacrosse have been named this weeks athletes of the week.

Walczak is hitting .351 with three homers and 11 RBIs on the season,

including batting .571 with a .727 on-base percentage this past

weekend in providing a spark for the Lakers.

Haggerty leads the country in goals per game, with 39 in seven games,

as she scored 14 goals on the weekend, including a career-high nine

goals in a 18-3 victory over No. 9 Queens College on Saturday. Earlier

this season Haggerty became the Lakers all-time leading goal scorer.

Womens lacrosse named team of the week

Womens lacrosse, ranked No. 8 in the nation, picked up two victories

this weekend. On Wednesday the Lakers defeated Seton Hill 23-9

and than followed up that with a 18-3 victory over No. 9 Queens on

Saturday in their home opener. It marked head coach Cecil Pilsons

first ever victory over a ranked team at Mercyhurst.

Cottreau has an impressive debut in AHL

Former mens hockey player Ben Cottreau scored twice as he made his

American Hockey League debut in helping the Albany River Rats to a

3-0 victory over Wilkes-Barre Scranton on Friday.

Agosta falls short of Patty Kazmaier Award

Womens hockey player sophomore Meghan Agosta was nipped by

Harvards junior forward Sarah Vaillancourt who was the winner of the

2008 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. This has marked the second

straight year that Agosta has finished as a runner-up for the honor.

Baseball goes 1-3 against Findlay, sweeps Clarion

The baseball team, which has been battling some injuries, managed

to finish .500 on the weekend after going 1-3 in their opening GLIAC

series against University of Findlay at the Mercyhurst Baseball

Field. The Lakers then knocked off unbeaten Clarion University in a

doubleheader sweep on Saturday to improve their record to 12-7 on

the season.

Womens lax wins two straight games

Mercyhurst College womens

lacrosse team picked up two

more wins on the road against

Seton Hill and Queens.

At last Wednesdays game, the

Lakers defeated Seton Hill 23-9,

with 10 players scoring at least

one goal.

Coming off of a two-game

losing streak, it was a team

effort that enabled Mercyhurst

to win.

Our transition game was

very tight and helped our

offense have a number of

scoring opportunities, said

junior Breanna Haggerty. We

played solid defense all over the

field and played together as a

team for a full 60 minutes.Haggerty scored the first goal

just 40 seconds into the game,

which helped the Lakers take

early control.

Senior Courtney Olevnik and

juniors Katy Miller and Jessie

Horeth followed with goals

that made the score 4-0 seven

minutes into the game.Seton Hill was able to get

the occasional goal, but with a

couple of runaway goal streaks,

Mercyhurst had no problem

earning the win.

Sophomore Maeve McGoff

played the first half in goal,

making five saves, and

sophomore Jessica Raniero

added five saves in the second

half.

The Lakers 18-3 win

against No. 9 Queens

was one to celebrate.

This win marks the first time

that the Lakers have beaten a

ranked team under head coach

Cecil Pilson and with 139 wins,

Haggerty is now the all-time

leading scorer in the history

of the program. It was alsothe teams first home game this

season.

All-American candidate

Haggerty has played a strong

season and is working hard

to help her team and become

a well-rounded player. She is

happy with how the team is

progressing this season.We play each team with

only that game in mind and are

working towards the final four,

step by step, said Haggerty. We

have the opportunity to have a

very successful season.

Haggerty scored the first

goal, and spurred the team to a

7-0 lead just 15 minutes into the

first half. Queens only scored

one goal during the half and by

the end, the Lakers had scored

four more, leading 11-1 at the

break.

Just two minutes into

the second half, freshman

Kimberley Masterson scored.

Another three Mercyhurst goals

were added to the board before

Queens picked up its next goal.

The Lakers defense playedat the top of their game, and

was led by McGoff, who had 11

saves and four goundballs.

After a great week, the team is

ready to take on IUP tomorrow

at home.

By Samantha Sellinger

Staff writer

Mens lacrosse drops third

straight game on the road

The Mercyhurst College

mens lacrosse team opened East

Coast Conference play, falling to

No. 5 Dowling College 10-7 on

Saturday.

The Lakers dropped theirthird straight game and now are

2-3 on the season.

We played very tough against

a very good team, said sopho-

more Charles Saylor. We played

a great first half but just could

not come away with a win. We

are making signs of improve-

ment with each game.

Mercyhurst junior Mike Thon

led the Lakers with three goals

and opened the scoring 2:37

into the game to give them an

early 1-0 lead. Mercyhurst would

take a 2-0 lead into the second

period.

The Golden Griffens would

battle back to tie the game 2-2 in

the second and at halftime the

game stayed tied 4-4.

After Lakers sophomoreZach Manuel gave Mercyhurst

a 6-5 lead, Dowling scored the

next five goals behind Kyle

OBrien, who scored two of

his game-high four goals during

that span to help gain momen-

tum to give them the victory.

Mercyhurst will look to pick

up its first conference win as the

team travels to Dominican Col-

lege on Saturday.

By Chris DavisSports editor


mens volleyball team won

its fourth game this seasonagainst DYouville on Thurs-

day, raising its record to 4-15.

The Lakers dominated

all night and won in three

matches, 30-18, 30-27, 30-28.

In the first game, we

simply took charge, said coach

Ryan Patton. After that, we

were able to try some differ-

ent things with our lineup

and everyone did a fine job.

By Samantha SellingerStaff writer

Volleyballpicks upfourth victoryof season


15/16

Mercyhurst Colleges womens

softball improved its season

record going 4-2 at the Salem

Invitational in Salem, Virginia

last weekend.

The women had at least one

win everyday at the tournament,

improving their season record

to 10-8.

The Lakers started off on

the right foot, defeating the

Shippensburg Raiders 4-3 in

eight innings.

Senior captain Jessica

McNurlen homered to score

the first run of the game, which

was followed by a run scored

by sophomore Megan Houston

from an RBI by freshman

Michelle Schmitz. With both teams tied at the

end of the seventh inning, an

extra inning resulted in a second

homer from McNurlen scoring

herself and fellow senior Erin

Ratajczak to win the game.

The victory gives the

Lakers their second win over

a Pennsylvania State AthleticConference team so far.

Later in the evening the

women faced off against West

Virginia Wesleyan but could not

manage to start a winning streak,

dropping the contest 6-4.

The next day the Lakers swept

the field defeating Charleston

3-2 in eight innings and then

Salem International 11-3 in just

five.

The Lakers continued their

streak with a dominating

performance over West Liberty

State 8-1.

The Lakers ended the

weekend with a disappointing

loss to Shepherd.

It was a frustrating loss

because theyre a beatable team,

senior catcher Annie Dragolichsaid.

Junior Danielle Zubek

agreed.

This game was not a good

reflection of how well we

can play versus our complete

performance the whole

weekend.McNurlen stood out and led

the team over the three-game

stay, while contributing a career-

high two homers in one game.

McNurlen currently leads the

team with a .429 batting average

and an impressive 20 RBIs.

In addition to leading byexample, McNurlen also inspires

with her words.

Shes a very inspirational

captain that can really get us

pumped up in the huddle,

Zubek said.

Even if you have a bad

inning she can talk to you, get

you motivated and youll have abetter inning afterwards.

Shes a good leader on and

off the field, said Dragolich.

Following games at Gannon

on Thursday, the Lakers begin a

four-game weekend to kick off

GLIAC conference games.

The Lakers go up against the

strong offense of the Grand

Valley State Lakers on Saturday

in Allendale, Mich. GVSU is

currently 15-6 on its season.

Afterwards the Lakers travel

to Big Rapids, Michigan to play

the Ferris State Bulldogs on

Sunday to end the weekend.

The Bulldogs are currently 7-8

in their season and also begin

conference play against the

Lakers.

With important gamescoming up, the Lakers will look

to the leadership of McNurlen

and the continued success of

all the players as they face off

against cross-town rival Gannon

University on Thursday.

SPORTS PAGE 15March 26, 2008

First-ever SAAC Showdown talent show has great success


Student Athletic Advisory

Committee (SAAC) has

been working hard since the

beginning of the year to involve

student athletes in more than

just sporting events.

The main SAAC event of theyear, the first annual Showdown,

took place on Tuesday, March

18 at the Mary DAngelo

Performing Arts Center.

Showdown was the first-ever

athletic team talent show that

the SAAC will look to continue

in future years as a means of

fundraising.

Keeping with the Mercyhurst

spirit of charity, the committee

decided to donate a portionof all proceeds from shows

to various foundations. For

the first show, however,

the SAAC decided to give

all of the proceeds to the

Special Olympics.

The rowing team won for best

costume and the field hockey

and softball teams shared the

award for most participation.

The overall winner of thefirst-ever showdown was the

inspiring performance by

freshman Jamie Schroter and

sophomore Braedyn Ordway

both of the womens soccer

team.

Thirteen teams put on

10 performances for the

show. While each team was

required to perform with

teammates only, some teams

like water polo, cross countryand rowing decided to put on

a coed show.

To judge each teams

performance the SAAC

managed to get three guest

judges: Sister Mary Paul,

Athletic Director Craig Barnett

and the Executive Director of

the Erie Playhouse, Almitra

Clerkin.

Despite this being the firsttalent show for SAAC there

is hope that it will become

a strong tradition for future

athletes.

I think that this year will be

a big success and it can only go

up from there, SAAC Secretary

Danielle Zubek said.

Each year we will be able to

grow on years past and make

improvements.

Now that some of the otherathletic teams see what other

teams are doing they will want

to be a part of it in years to

come, she said.

Athletic Director Craig

Barnett has frequently

encouraged the SAAC to

increase their work with the

athletic department in future

years.

In addition to the Showdown,the SAAC has been working

year round toward collecting

donations for other causes.

Teams continuously collect

money for UNICEF, as well as

complimentary toiletries from

their hotel rooms during away

games to give to the Hospitality

House of Erie.

SAAC has already had a hand

in developing ways to increase

student attendance at sportsgames with the Lake Effect

initiative.

Associate athletic director

and womens softball head

coach Sarah Headley has

worked during her first year

as the SAAC advisor toward

reaching a goal of increased

involvement.

This year has definitely seen

more student involvement ascompared to past years, Zubek

said.

We seem to be more than

just the advisory committee. I

like that more teams are being

involved and given jobs so that

everyone can help out.

Thats the point of SAAC;

to bring together the athletic

groups to make us better and

stronger as a whole.

By Rhonda MarableStaff writer

By Rhonda Marable

Staff writer

Winning weekend for softball in West Virginia

The Mercyhurst College softball team celebrates a victory

during a game earlier this season.

Contributed photo


16/16

SPORTS

Laker sports

PAGE 16 March 26, 2008

Sports Information photo

Womens lacrosse knocks

>> Page 14

off No. 9 Queens, Seton Hill

the merciad, march 26, 2008

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