February 5th edition of The Merciad

Merciad THE

MERCYHURST UNIVERSIT Y

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News ................2-5 Features...........6-9 A&E ............. 10-11 Opinion........ 12-13 Sports ......... 14-15 Laker Living ......16

W E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 2 0

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VOL. 93 NO. 10

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MU Hosts Women In Sports Day Online poll results We asked: What was the best song of the 2010s?

2: Girls and Women in Sports

8: Bauer named Fulbright semifinalist 15: Men’s basketball wins against Edinboro

Rolling in the Deep - Adele (37%) Truth Hurts - Lizzo (32%) Uptown Funk - Bruno Mars (26%)

Cruise - Florida Georgia Line (5%)

This week’s

POLL

What was your favorite online game as a kid?

merciad.mercyhurst.edu

NEWS

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Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Emilie Bock photo

Members of the women’s volleyball team teach the girls how to serve and bump at their station on the annual Women and Girls in Sports Day in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.

Young athletes participate in Women and Girls in Sports Day

By Emilie Bock

Contributing writer

On Feb. 1, the Mercyhurst Athletic Department welcomed young female athletes in grades K-8 for the ninth annual Girls and Women in Sports Day (GWSD) at Mercyhurst University.

Throughout the day, the girls could test their abilities at stations from all 12 varsity sports as well as the three club sports: figure skating, cheerleading and the equestrian team. The three club sports attending were a new addition to the event this year.

For Bethany Woods, Assistant Director of Community Engagement and founder of GWSD, a day like this is important in many different ways. Woods believes the event gives young girls role models and something to aspire to. She hopes that it can give them the desire to stick with their sports longer or at least make them stay active and healthy throughout their lives.

Woods believes it is an important day for the Mercyhurst athletes as well, as the day gives them time to enjoy their sports and celebrate them with young kids.

Steph Oemcke, a senior from women’s rowing, agrees with Woods’ sentiments.

“It is a great way to get the community of Erie together in order to cherish and respect the fact that Mercyhurst has so many inspiring female athletes on campus and give the kids someone to look up to,” Oemcke said.

The couple dozen girls who attended the event were able to try different sports, pet a miniature horse from the equestrian team or learn about athletic training for the first two hours of the event.

The hard work that the girls put into playing the different sports was rewarded with free pizza, before the event was wrapped up by watching women’s basketball take on Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The girls also got

to participate in a relay race at halftime.

When reflecting on the event, Amata Valentini, a sophomore from the women’s soccer team, believes that the GSWD can end up being the reason why girls play a sport in college many years from now.

“It is a good way to show the kids that there are girls who have continued to do their sports through college. This shows the kids that if they start now and keep working, they could end up somewhere like Mercyhurst one day,” Valentini said.

For Emma Nuutinen, a senior on the women’s ice hockey team, the GSWD is a great opportunity to show girls that the sport she plays is not just for boys.

“Ice hockey is not always seen as a girls sport, so my favorite part of the day is when I get girls to try the sport and you can see that they actually enjoy it. I think that is a pretty cool thing.”

When the event at Mercyhurst University is celebrated for the

Contributed photo

Future Laker cheerleaders participating in some stunts with members of the cheerleading team.

Emilie Bock photo

Girls practice soccer drills with the women’s soccer team.

10th time next year, it will be a year to remember as both girls and athletes will be celebrated in special ways, Woods said.

Woods and all of those involved in GSWD 2020 hoped

that they left a lasting impression on the young girls to stay active and healthy through athletics.

Maybe one day some of these girls will be the ones wearing a Laker jersey with pride.

Emilie Bock photo

The women’s water polo team shows girls how to pass and block.

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

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MU North East Dining Series addresses social justice issues

By Marina Boyle

Managing Editor

Students in the Culinary Arts program at Mercyhurst North East are hosting their Spring Dining Series, consisting of eight luncheons on Thursdays this spring. Open to both the Mercyhurst communities and the public, these luncheons have a special twist to promote the core concerns of the Sisters of Mercy.

Besides creating a menu, each student in the Culinary IV class has chosen a social justice topic to advocate for with their meal.

Chosen topics include prevention of suicide in the military, countering human trafficking and highlighting food insecurity.

Senior Rachel Bertolini will kick off the series on Feb. 13 with her menu “Everybody Eats.” Bertolini is making a Moroccan-style meal including halloumi and olives, apricot tagine and Moroccan orange cake.

Bertolini has chosen to highlight the social issue of food deserts, something that is a common problem in Erie. These are areas with limited or no access to affordable food, especially in areas with low-income populations that may not have reliable transport. The opposite is a food oasis, an area with higher access to supermarkets and fresh foods.

Because of poverty in Erie and across the world, the issue stood out to Bertolini.

“I chose poverty/food desserts because I feel that in a world with the means, there is no reason that anyone, anywhere in the world should be starving,” Bertolini said.

Because of her conviction that no one should go hungry, the idea of a social justice theme came about.

“Over Christmas break, I was watching a TV show about

art and one of the contestants said ‘If you are making art and it doesn’t have a purpose then what is the point?’ So I thought that that was something I really wanted to bring to my meal,” Bertolini said. “I wanted to make it a social experience rather than just eating food. Once I brought the idea to our instructor, she loved it and decided everyone should be choosing social issues for their meal.”

On Feb. 20, Jasmine Baideme will continue the series with her menu “5000 Women Strong.”

Her focus will be human trafficking, and she will be serving Three Sisters vegetable stew, fish tacos and a blueberry cake dessert.

In what is a particularly complex issue, Baideme will focus specifically on trafficking of Native American women.

“My idea came from my classmate Rachel’s idea originally, when she wanted to show two different styles of food eaten from the same country. Once she said that, I began to think of what I personally wanted to bring awareness to,” Baideme said.

“I am a Native American Indian and for the last couple of years there has been an epidemic of Indigenous women going missing and/or murdered on and off reservations that result in little to no investigation. Back in 2011 an artist started the Red Dress Project, with a dress symbolizing what the women were last seen wearing. Red is the color of awareness. There have been more than 5,000 cases of this happening and it being pushed under the rug. My meal is to bring awareness to this epidemic and for my lost sisters who haven’t made it home.”

Hannah Alleva will follow her on Feb. 27, serving a menu for the environment. “Mother Earth” will feature pork fried

dumplings, loaded Pho soup and sweet mochi.

“Jamaican Me Enlightened” is the brainchild of Allyson Kraft, who will serve a meal of pepper pot soup, Jamaican jerk pork with black beans and coconut ice cream with Caribbean bananas.

“When deciding on a menu topic, I was lost,” Kraft said.

“Once I found out we were allowed to be more open to other parts of the world as opposed to years past, (which were mostly European and regional American cuisine), I knew immediately I wanted to do a meal of Jamaican food.”

Her luncheon is focused on the issue of education inequality.

“I chose education inequality as my social issue because it happens everywhere. I myself struggled to return for my final semester due to finances, and I want others to understand that even in such a prosperous country, there are difficulties to receive an education, especially in upper level schooling.”

Finally, Kira Holl will close out the semester with “Proud to be an American.” Served on April 23, her American-style menu will be a wedge salad, a grilled bison burger and apple pie with churned vanilla bean ice cream.

Holl seeks to highlight Mission 22 and the tragedy of suicide in the military.

Meals are served at 12 p.m. in the Carriage Way and Stone Chapel Dining Rooms on the Mercyhurst North East campus.

The cost of the three-course meal is $10, plus tax.

Reservations are required for all meals and can be made by calling 814-725-6261. Full menus and more details can be found Contributed Photo at https://www.mercyhurst. edu/sites/default/files/mne_ Senior Culinary Arts students have focused their Spring Dinner Series on being reflectively aware of social justice issues in the world spring20-menu.pdf today, just as the Mercy Values promote.

Mark your calendars for MSG’s second speaker of their annual Distinguished Speaker Series on Feb. 24.

Bryan Terrell Clark is a Broadway star who started a lifestyle brand, inDEFINED, with Robert Raeder in 2017. His talk will focus on how this brand seeks to teach young people to use their voices to erase constrictive labels in society.

Doors will open at 8 p.m. with the talk beginning at 8:30 p.m. in the PAC.

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Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Homeless census gathers Merciad IN A MINUTE ‘You Are What You Wear’ A. Brooke Persons, Ph.D., Director of the Jeffery L. Brown Institue of Archaelolgy and research assistant professor at the department of Social, Cultural and Justice Studies at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will be presenting a lecture entitled “You Are What You Wear: Personal Adornment and Social Complexity in Ceramic Age Cuba.”

This talk will take place in Zurn 114 on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

For questions, contact Dr. Ruth Jolie at rjolie@ mercyhurst.edu.

Valentine’s Day Special

The Roost is offering a Valentine’s dinner special on Friday, Feb. 14, from 5 to 8 p.m.

The package costs $25 per couple and includes a basket of breadsticks (4); two small salads; an appetizer to share (mozzarella sticks, pizza logs, reuben puffs, or fried pickles); choice of steak, breaded shrimp, or vegan stuffed grilled portobello; baked potato or fries; fresh green beans or corn; and a special Valentine’s dessert to share.

Reservations are limited. Stop at the Roost or call 8242402 to make your reservation by Feb. 10.

Apply to be a Laker Leader Want to be a Laker Leader? This dynamic team assists in the implementation of Summer Orientation, Welcome Week, iMU classes and other programs sponsored by the Division of Student Life.

Applications will be accepted until Feb. 17.

Visit the Laker Leader page on the Hub for more information. Email sprzepiora@mercyhurst. edu with any questions.

data to help those in need

By Alex Trabold Staff writer

As part of the Mercy Mission, Mercyhurst takes part in many community service activities here in the Erie community.

One such project is the annual Homeless Census conducted by the Mercyhurst Thomas J. Gamble Civic Institute in contract with the Erie County Department of Human Services to facilitate the Single Point in Time Count. This has been the fourth year doing such a census for Erie.

George Fickenworth is the assistant director of the Civic Institute and explained just how many Erie residents are affected by this census.

“This count is essentially a census count of persons who are identified as being homeless – living on the streets, and those residing in an emergency shelter or a transitional housing program,” Fickenworth said.

“Our office works closely with our partners to facilitate this process.”

A lot of work was done months in advance to set up the logistics. In the past two years students have been involved in this project as well, with Maria Torres, Ph.D. associate profes-

sor and Chair of the Depart- Erie county. ment of Public Health bringing “If we are unsure of the probstudents from her Public Health lem we cannot address it effeccourse and Adam Saeler, Ph.D., tively. Ending homelessness and assistant professor of Criminal ensuring that all individuals have Justice, and his students as well. a safe and secure place to live is As well as the project being paramount, but if we don’t fully mandated by the U.S. Depart- understand the problem, and esment of Housing and Urban pecially the problem from their Development, there are many point of view, we as a communithings that make this proj- ty will continue to struggle with ect worthwhile. First, having a regards to the stated goal,” Saelgood, accurate number allows er said. the community Homelessness to continue reis prevalent evceiving needed erywhere, so the Every resident, in funds to work work done in any location, should Erie is significant with this population. be concerned about on a larger scale Local stakeas well. homelessness, why holders use this “Every resicount as well dent, in any loindividuals find as other data in cation, should be themselves without concerned about their strategic decision makshelter, and if there h o m e l e s s n e s s, ing and program why individuals is anything that they find themselves development throughout the without shelcan do” year. The Single Adam Saeler ter, and if there Point in Time is anything that Count also prothey can do,” vides a great opSaeler said. portunity to bring awareness to Fickenworth’s views on the the community of the issue of homeless population in Erie homelessness. demonstrate how the Mercy Saeler sees this data collection mission is present in all of its as an essential tool in helping to staff members and their work aid the homeless population of for others.

“

“They are people, just like you and I and many of us could be in their shoes,” Fickenworth said.

“We need to be more empathetic to their plight; few are those that choose to be homeless. But once you are, digging out of the situation is difficult.”

Saeler described his role in this year’s census as he and some students drove around Erie to see if there were any homeless people to assist.

“I volunteered to drive a group around a specific area of Erie County to see if we could find any individuals who might be homeless and in need of shelter,” Saeler said. “While my group did not find anyone, which is not unusual, if we had we would then ask if they would like to complete a brief survey; the information from that survey would provide the county with information about Erie’s homeless population.”

The program is always open for more students, but they may need to manage their schedules first.

“We welcome volunteers each January for the street count, students included. We do warn, however, that if you are not a late-night person this isn’t for you. We start the evening off at 10 p.m.,” Fickenworth said.

Distinguinshed Alumni Awards announced for 2020 weekend

By Maria Williams Features editor

On June 12-14, Mercyhurst will celebrate Alumni Reunion Weekend. This weekend started in 2010 and has been a tradition ever since, celebrating all former Lakers, especially those who have reached a landmark year. This year those who were in the class of 1960, 1970, 1980, 1995, 2010 and 2015 are being honored.

The schedule for the weekend has yet to be released but it is scheduled to be posted soon.

There will be fun, engaging activities for the alumni who are also welcome to stay on campus during the weekend. In addition to the more casual events planned for the weekend, there are also awards given out to alumni.

Lindsay Frank, director of Alumni Engagement, is in charge of planning and executing the weekend.

“Each year, we give the awards at Reunion Weekend and we choose six recipients annually for the Distinguished Alumni Awards,” Frank said.

There are several categories for these awards including: service in a chosen field, service to Mercyhurst and service to the community.

“There’s also one award called the Sr. Carolyn Herrmann Award which is our highest alumni award and is only given every now and then,” Frank said. “It is given to someone who excels in all of those listed areas,” Frank said.

One of the alumni being honored is Sr. Rita Panciera ‘53, a Sister of Mercy and a longtime supporter of Mercyhurst.

Panciera graduated from Mercyhurst College with a B.S. in Business Education in 1953, the same year that she professed her vows to become a Sister of Mercy.

Since that time she has contributed to Mercyhurst in a multitude of ways, including as a professor in the School of Business, a pioneer of Mercyhurst Campus Ministry services and the Dean of Students from 1968-1971.

After leaving Mercyhurst, she carried on the work of the Sisters of Mercy by running the House of Prayer in downtown Erie. The House of Prayer has been a huge part of Panciera’s life - when the House of Prayer turns 50 next year, Panciera will be turning 90.

The other recipients for Distinguished Alumni Awards in service to the community will be presented to Barbara Brairton ‘65 and Betsy Hirt Vorsheck ‘77.

Distinguished Alumni Awards for service in a chosen field will be presented to Brian DeFrancesco ‘06, Bea Tomczak Habursky ‘85 and Joel Montminy ‘95.

There will also be additions to the Mercyhurst Athletic Hall of Fame during the weekend including the 2008-09 women’s ice hockey team, Vicki Bendus ‘11 for womens ice hockey, Gregory Bensman ‘12 for men’s lacrosse, Rachel Griepsma ‘11 ‘12M for women’s water polo & women’s soccer and David Lough ’08, for baseball & football.

Also being honored under the Athletics Hall of Fame category is Mike Folga ‘86. Folga obtained a degree in Sports Medicine from Mercyhurst, and later returned to his alma mater as the equipment manager for the men’s hockey team for 18 years.

After his sudden passing last year, Folga is posthumously being honored through this award and through this year’s Senior Class Gift scholarship as well.

There is also a whole list of past recipients in Old Main. All alumni are welcome to celebrate alongside those who will be recognized. This is a weekend alumni will never forget.

If you or friends have any questions about Reunion Weekend, contact Frank at lfrank@mercyhurst.com or go to https://www.mercyhurst. edu/alumni/reunion-weekend-2020#schedule.

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

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NEWS

Scholarships succeed Th i s weekend’s due to crowdfunding campus events STUDENT GOVERNMENT

By Gillian Mazur

Sports editor

For the fourth year in a row, Mercyhurst University has announced its fourth round of crowdfunding projects. This year, the University has chosen to focus on two projects specifically, the Karen Christensen Williams Memorial Scholarship and the Class of 2020 Mike Folga Legacy Scholarship.

Both of these campaign projects are made possible via a “crowd” of donors and will go towards helping students with their greatest need, financial aid.

These scholarships are named after two longtime Mercyhurst employees who passed in 2019.

“We lost two very special members of our campus community in 2019, and felt these were two very fitting opportunities to remember their legacies at Mercyhurst,” Ryan Palm, Associate Vice President for Advancement, said.

Working in conjunction with the academic, athletic and other departments around campus, the Office of University Advancement seeks to find the needs around campus and works to create a solution. Careful consideration is taken when selecting projects, whether physical or monetary, to help provide a better campus experience for the students.

Projects from the past include a 2016 coaches boat for Rowing, a wine bottling lab for Hospitality Management in 2017 and in 2018, a newly renovated space for the Fashion Department.

Differing from a Kickstarter or GoFundMe, all donations made to crowdfunding are still given to its respective program regardless of if the goal is met.

According to Palm, over the past four years, nearly 500 donors have given over $66,000 to the University’s projects.

“It’s amazing to see how wide-ranging the support is each year. We always have brand new supporters as well as our tried and true supporters,” Palm said.

Palm does several jobs relating to the fundraising efforts including supporting the Leadership Giving for the Mercyhurst

Annual Fund, giving donors major gifts when defined by a certain pledge amount.

Palm also oversees the crowdfunding program, working closely with Director of Alumni Engagement, Lindsay Frank.

Between the two scholarship campaigns this year, there have been nearly 100 donors raising over $12,000, beating the $10,000 goal total.

“We love being able to show our supporters just how their gifts are being used,” Frank said.

“We look forward to showing the supporters from this year’s projects the students who receive these scholarships in the future.”

Many people helped to support both of this year’s projects such as Paul Jessup in Information Technology, the faculty and staff who share the projects on social media, as well as the Class of 2020 Senior Class Gift Committee who worked tirelessly to promote the Mike Folga Legacy Scholarship.

“We received support from dozens of alumni, students, parents, employees and friends of the University,” Palm said.

To honor the legacy of the late Professor Karen Christensen Williams, Mercyhurst University has named the Karen Christensen Williams Memorial Scholarship in her honor.

A beloved member of the Mercyhurst Department of World Languages and Cultures, Williams worked at Mercyhurst for nearly 23 years and passed away last April due to breast cancer.

In order to launch the scholarship, Williams’ parents made a generous donation to endow it and the Office of Advancement set a special one-week goal of $5,000 by Jan. 1. This goal was not only achieved but surpassed by 105%, collecting $5,255 in total.

This scholarship will help benefit students majoring or minoring in Spanish with a 3.0 GPA minimum. Preference will be given to rising junior Spanish Education majors, then Spanish majors followed by Spanish minors.

Once again, the Mercyhurst

Community is coming together to help honor the legacy of the late Mike Folga. Last year, the school hosted “Fighting for Folgs,” a fundraising event to help the beloved hockey equipment manager Mike Folga in his battle against cancer. Folga passed last August but his kindness and willingness to serve have not and will not be forgotten.

Moved by his journey, the Class of 2020 chose to name and endow their scholarship after him as their Senior Class Gift. Since 1989, every senior class has historically bestowed a gift to Mercyhurst to bid farewell to their alma mater. In order to give a more sustainable gift, since 2018, the senior class has given their gift in the form of a scholarship.

Starting on Oct. 25, the Senior Class Gift Committee hosted a series of fundraising events to collect enough money. This scholarship will help benefit a student who actively supports Mercyhurst but encounters a major setback that could affect his or her education such as an illness, accident, family problem or financial problem.

Frank, advisor to the Senior Class Gift Committee, meets weekly with the committee to plan fundraisers and events.

Frank worked very closely with the Committee to reach their goal of creating an endowed scholarship.

With the crowdfunding efforts ending on Feb. 1, the Senior Class Gift Committee’s goal was surpassed by 132% earning a total of $6,604.

“I was very pleased to see the wonderful contributions from the Mercyhurst community,” Frank said. “This round of crowdfunding was a bit different than usual because it was two scholarships rather than true ‘projects’ and of course, to honor two of our own.”

Frank was excited to see these to scholarships succeed through the crowdfunding efforts.

“The Mercyhurst community came through because that’s what Mercyhurst people do,” Frank said.

Do you like meeting new people? Come to Speed Dating with MAC/SAC this Friday Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. in the Student Union! Once you make a new friend, make some free friendship bracelets as a memory!

Celebrate Black History Month with MAC/ SAC’s Black is Beautiful event this Saturday Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. in the Student Union. Learn about culture, music and food at this fun experience!

MERCYHURST CAMPUS

CRIME LOG Jan. 30: Harassment at Ice Center.

Feb. 2: Harassment on 700 Block of E. 41st St.

FEATURES

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NEW AT HURST

Authorship leaves student ‘Fulfilled’

By Victoria McGinty Staff writer

By Maria Williams

Features editor

Mercyhurst has welcomed Sidney Rice as the new assistant director of Residence Life and Student Conduct for the Sophomore Area (Ryan Hall and Duval Hall).

Rice was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. She later moved to Butler, Pennsylvania, so she is used to the cold and snow Erie has to offer.

“I love being in Pennsylvania. It is home and it feels right. The Erie area and the snow aren’t anything I’m not used to because of my time in school. I’m excited to see the lake in the summer time though,” Rice said.

Rice attended college in Pennsylvania as well.

“I attended the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, where I received a Bachelors of Science in Psychology.

After graduating from my undergraduate program I spent a year working at an inpatient mental health facility for teenagers,” Rice said.

“I then attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. As I completed my master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration and Higher Education, I was a graduate advisor for four multicultural organizations: BSU’s Black Student Association, BSU’s Asian American Student Association, BSU’s Latino Student Union and Spectrum – BSU’s LGBT student organization,” Rice said.

She later moved back down south and worked at North Carolina Central University. She later found herself missing her family and moved back to Pennsylvania.

She is loving the Mercyhurst community.

“I’m really enjoying Mercyhurst so far. I am finally getting my office all set up and the people are wonderful. Mercyhurst students and professionals are making everything feel like home,” Rice said.

Rice has several other hobbies other than helping students. “I’m an avid reader and I spend a lot of my time playing with my cat Stella. She’s a princess and gets everything she wants. I also absolutely love cooking and baking,” Rice said.

Rice said she is exicted to help students in the Sophomore area.

“College is a time unlike any other and it can be a truly transformative experience if you let it. Always be open to people that have vastly different ideals and values than you do. You can learn a lot from both good and bad experiences,” Rice said.

Rice can be found in her office in Egan Hall 319. Stop by and say hello.

Welcome to the Hurst!

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Each day is a new day. Most days, people go about their routines, while on others, they do nothing at all.

But there are those few rare days in life in which a new person manages to make an impression. Or, perhaps, provide inspiration.

Here behind Mercyhurst’s gates, there are some of the most inspirational people dwelling about the halls. One great example is Elizabeth Rathburn.

A recent graduate student of the class of 2019, Rathburn is now a study abroad assistant in Preston Hall, where she is working on her master’s degree in Organization Leadership.

During her undergraduate days, Elizabeth was a busy body taking part in numerous activities on campus. She was a double-major in Communication and Music, the majority of her time spent being a member of various music ensembles.

What sets Rathburn apart is her accomplishment of publishing a novel — at the undergraduate level.

Her experience all began one day when a professor from Georgetown reached out to her and asked her to join the Creator Institute program.

This opportunity would for-

ever change her life. With confidence, she gladly accepted.

In her senior year of undergrad, Rathburn divided her time between academics, music and writing a novel as a member of the Creator Institute.

This program features students all across America and they all write their own novels.

As a communication major, Rathburn wanted to write something that was important to her YouTube and thus “Fulfilled, Not Famous” was born In today’s world of social media obsession, it’s easy to unconsciously delve deep into the YouTube rabbit hole at one time or another.

Elizabeth’s novel explores the different points of view from various small scale YouTube content creators and how people make a living off of posting on social media.

“While this project did teach me the importance of time management, I ultimately wrote it because there simply are no books about this very topic,” Rathburn said regarding the subject of making a living on social media..

“Fulfilled, Not Famous” was a year-long process for Rathburn, and while in the midst of the chaos that is senior year, she managed to keep this project only known to a few.

As the only Mercyhurst student participating in this pro-

gram at the time, Rathburn juggled schoolwork, music and weekly writing meetings simultaneously and as time went on, her novel came along.

“This book consumed the entirety of this past summer but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Rathburn said.

When the novel was complete, her goal was then to raise as much profit as possible. Her attempt at what is known as the “Indigo Campaign” kicked off in the late summer.

Ending in September, the “Indigo Campaign” helped Rathburn to finalize her novel and ultimately print it. Finally, in November 2019, “Fulfilled, Not Famous” hit the shelves and our amazon shopping carts.

Rathburn’s experience is inspirational because it shows how the sky is the limit behind the gates of Mercyhurst.

When it comes to an opportunity such as this Rathburn’s best advice is to “Do it.”

“Find someone to motivate you, and find the people who will support you through your process.” Rathburn said.

You can now purchase “Fulfilled, Not Famous” on Amazon or for more information on her novel, contact Elizabeth Rathburn in Preston 205 or email erathb51@lakers.mercyhurst. edu.

Parkhurst celebrates the ‘Souper Bowl’

By Rebecca Dunphy Copy editor

On Jan. 26, Erie hosted its own Souper Bowl at the Zem Zem Shrine Club. Rather than competitors sporting jerseys, local competitors boasted aprons and pots of soup.

The 22nd annual Souper Bowl is a fundraiser for Sarah Reed Children’s Center, a local mental health organization that promotes the wellbeing of children and families.

According to Parkhurst manager of catering Jackie Dietrick, they service over 1,700 children and families throughout 44 counties in Pennsylvania, Ohio

and New York.

“The work they provide has a positive impact on the children they serve, their families and community,” Dietrick said.

To raise money for the organization, 10 local companies held a contest of who could prepare the best soup.

Competitors included Sabella’s Catering, Underdog BBQ, Bayfront Grille and Mercyhurst’s own Parkhurst, among others.

Between the ten competitors, 35 gallons of soup were prepared.

Parkhurst’s Chef Cody Brewer prepared Cheeseburger Soup, which Dietrick said tastes like a Big Mac, and Chef Art Catrow made a Chili Relleno.

For only $12, attendees were able to sample 10 different soups and vote on their favorite. The business with the greatest number of votes would be named Souper Bowl XXII champion in addition to winning $1,000.

This year’s winner, as voted by the nearly 1,200 attendees, was Sassy Squash Soup prepared by Sabella’s Catering, followed by Underdog BBQ’s Triple Pig Mac Soup and Skunk & Goat’s Lasagne Soup. Catrow’s Chili Relleno placed 5th.

The real winner, however, was Sarah Reed’s Children Center who received approximately $20,000 from the event.

F O L L O W T H E M E R C I A D O N FAC E B O O K AT @ THEMERCIAD

FEATURES

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

PAGE 7

Hurst discusses mental health issues on campus

By Nick Wendelboe

Contributing writer

Mental health is a growing issue on college campuses across the nation. At Mercyhurst University, students and staff are aware of the mental distress young individuals may face during their four years of study.

A comprehensive study conducted by the American Psychiatric Association shows that mental health diagnosis rates in college students increased from 22 percent in 2007 to 36 percent in 2017.

With college students experiencing increased rates of mental health issues, understanding personal stressors and addressing them directly becomes important.

Gerard Tobin, Ph.D., a psychology professor and former counselor at Mercyhurst University, understands the mental health problems students may deal with.

“While we’ve prolonged life, there are a lot of stressors and without paying attention to them, those stressors take their toll and contribute not only to mental health issues, but to physical health issues as well,” Tobin said.

While mental health issues

could arise from stress caused by school, others believe the rise in technology is another contributing factor to poor mental health.

Solveig Santillano, MFA, a dance professor at Mercyhurst University, believes the growth in global connectivity is creating further anxiety within college students.

“My perception is that there is a larger degree of fearfulness and anxiety that has been surfacing, and I think we’re looking at it in a global way with the many ways we’re interconnected now–we are just now starting to understand the ramifications of computers and the internet,” said Santillano.

Santillano also believes that the growth in technology can cause students to set expectations for themselves which can become unhealthy–especially if they are working towards a career.

“I’ve seen a lot of anxiety and depression, and I think some of it is our age, not all. It’s a challenging time period of finding one’s voice and constantly thinking about a life path, and I think there’s a certain expectation on having your career be a fixed point you’re going to arrive at,” said Santillano.

More specifically, the vast accessibility of social media can also play a significant role in mental health and the spread of its awareness.

Tobin thinks that social media usage can have advantages and disadvantages.

“I think social media has a huge role to play in this. It can be positive and negative,” Tobin said.

“Social media bullying has probably resulted in people choosing to end their life through suicide. Social media stuff can be incredibly positive in the messages it gets out.

There is an opportunity for abuse as well,” said Tobin.

Emma Kleinmann, a sophomore Music Therapy major at Mercyhurst University, recently witnessed how social media can positively influence mental health and its awareness.

“I saw a lot of people post on their Instagram stories about the Suicide Awareness Month recently, and there were a lot of people I wouldn’t have thought would do that,” Kleinmann said.

“It just shows how anyone can have a mental illness, and even people who don’t, can be very supportive.”

As mental health diagnosis rates increase across college

campuses in the United States, it is important to practice self-care and help those who are struggling.

Patricia Kowalski-Colvin BSN, RN, a nurse at the Mercyhurst University Cohen Health Center, provides excellent advice to students who may be struggling with anxiety and mental illness.

“Number one, it is totally okay to talk about your anxiety and important to do so. Number two, get connected with the counseling center on campus.

Number three, medications may be part of the treatment. Many students still feel there is a stigma attached to taking medications for anxiety and depression.

Number four, always know you can contact me,” said Kowalski-Colvin.

For Mitchell Marsh, a senior Hospitality Management major at Mercyhurst University, selfcare involves letting your worries go and taking time to reflect on individual experiences.

“My idea of self-care is spending time with oneself where you’re not worried about the activities that you’re involved in and you’re just reflecting on different experiences; maybe I’m catching up with my friends, my family or I spend time reading a book, because that is something

I’ve decided to get into lately, or if I just go for a walk or consider exercising, things like that I guess. So just spending time on yourself, for yourself,” said Marsh.

Mental health issues can become detrimental to an individual’s well-being and performance in school or at work if not properly addressed.

Two crucial steps of advice are what Tobin tells individuals who are witnessing someone suffering from mental illness.

“Number one, you want to be with them in a non-judgmental way,” Tobin said.

“They are suffering. They don’t need you to be telling them what to do. They need to be supported and cared for.

Whether they are really invested in it or not, you want to try and facilitate getting them some help,” said Tobin.

Balancing a hectic schedule in college can often become stressful and raise the risk of mental illness.

However, the spread of mental health awareness informs students that it is important to talk about their problems and that support is readily available for them.

LAKER MOMENT Senior Class Gift Date Auction

Contributed photo

Larry Staub, Abby Saunders, Grace Simson and Mitchell Marsh auctioning off banners during the Date Auction.

On Jan. 29, the Senior Class Gift Committee held a Date Auction to raise money for the Class of 2020 Mike Folga Legacy Scholarship.

FEATURES

PAGE 8

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Bauer named Fulbright semifinalist

By Laia Santos Oliver Contributing writer

Senior Environmental Science and Spanish double major Maya Bauer from Westlake, Ohio, has been selected as a semi-finalist for the distinguished Fulbright Student Program.

The Fulbright Program is an extremely competitive nationwide competition that awards grants for students to go work in another country on a study or research project that they themselves have designed.

Bauer, who is a part of the women’s soccer team and a class representative for Mercyhurst Student Government, said she recognizes that the application process was “one of the most time intensive and detail-oriented” things that she has ever been a part of.

“I began the application process in May or June, so luckily I had most of the summer to work on this without having to deal with soccer, school and the application altogether,” Bauer said.

“The application was due in October, and it was one of the most stressful days of my life because I had a massive Botany final on the same day.”

Bauer said she is incredibly thankful for professors like Jus-

tin Ross, Ph.D., the director of the Honors Program, Alice Edwards, Ph.D., of the Spanish department and Lucy Thairu, Ph.D., of the Public Health department, who were an immense help to her throughout the whole process.

Ross worked particularly close with Bauer on her application, helping her draft several versions before completing the application.

“Over the summer break, we shared several drafts of her writing, and I saw that her writing improved over the summer months,” Ross said.

“As the start of the fall semester got closer, we started working on the non-written parts of her application.”

Unlike previous applicants Ross had worked with, Bauer was the first one to base hers on a research project rather than applying for a Teaching Award.

Before even being able to start her application, Bauer had to find a professor at a local university where her research is based in who would act as a touchstone during her time there.

For her research, Bauer decided to center her topic around tracking the rate of peat bog loss in Western Ireland.

“Peat bogs are carbon sinks,

which means that they pull massive amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere and greatly help slow global warming,” she explained.

“The complication is that bogs are torn up because peat can be used for fuel (often to heat homes). It takes thousands of years for it to reform, so it is very important to protect it,” she added.

Through her study, Bauer said she wants to learn how fast the peat is disappearing and observe which areas are losing it the fastest as well as explore other areas of investigation within the research.

Bauer has also applied for a Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship that only students who are selected Fulbright U.S. Students are able to be a part of.

Ross encourages any student that might be thinking about applying to a Fulbright scholarship to do so.

He recommends starting the application process as early as Emilie Frederikke Bock photo possible, at least a year in advance. In addition, he advises Bauer, a senior Environmental Science and Spanish double-major, is a students to start to seeking lead- semifinalist for the Fullbright award. ership positions on campus, and volunteering or joining clubs that plication stand out. the different awards that are you are interested in as soon as For more information regard- available visit us.fulbrightonline. possible in order to make the aping the application process and org.

Hurst staff supports students through LGBTQIA Allies program

By Carlena Bressanelli Staff writer

Mercyhurst has long been considered a place of acceptance for many, and a number of staff members have chosen to show their support and acceptance by becoming LGBTQ Allies.

These staff members have plaques near their offices that say, “LGBTQ Allies” and have rainbow colors around them.

This program has been around since 2012 and was started by the Rev. James Piszker, university chaplain, interim director of Campus Ministry and an adjunct faculty of the Catholic and Religious Studies program.

“The Allies program began in 2012 with the approval of the Diocese of Erie and the Gamble Administration,” Piszker said.

The idea for this program came about because Penn State Behrend and Edinboro had a similar program. After this was

Contributed photo

The LGBTQIA Allies plaque is displayed outside the offices of several staff members. To see the full list of those involved, visit the LGBTQIA Allies website on the HUB.

brought to Piszker’s attention, “I set up a committee consisthe decided it was time to set up ing of myself, Judy Smith, Greg a similar program at Mercyhurst. Baker and at that time Trina

Merrero.”

Merrero’s position has since been replaced by Megan McKenna.

“Together we established the curriculum for the training program and invited faculty, staff and administrators to be a part of it. Since then, we have trained over 100 employees and added a second level of training for those who have already been trained,” Pisker said. “All of those currently involved are listed on our Hub site.”

Michael Grasso, assistant director of Residence Life and Student Conduct, has had experiences with programs like this at a different school.

“When I interned in Cleveland State University’s LGBTQ Student Services office back in grad school, I learned a lot about Safe Space programs and even got to help create their program,” Grasso said.

Grasso explained that this was in 2003, when being in the

LGBTQ community wasn’t widely accepted.

“It helped establish a sense of belonging,” Grasso said.

Grasso said he is happy to be a part of the program at Mercyhurst.

“To tell you the truth, I have attended, interned or worked for five colleges and universities now and, hands down, Mercyhurst is the school where I have known the most out LGBTQ+ students,” Grasso said.

“I think starting the program here was a way to erase any stigma and to let our LGBTQ+ students know that they are welcome here and that they are a valuable part of our community,” he added.

For students having any bullying issues on campus based on sexuality, the list of participating staff members in this program is on the HUB site.

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

FEATURES

PAGE 9

Speaker explains the roots of #MeToo movement

RSCO FEATURE

By Rebecca Dunphy Copy editor

Contributed photo

Club members signed a dollar and hung it up in The Brazen Head in Dublin, Ireland.

By Maria Williams

Features editor

Irish Club offers space for students of any national origin to celebrate, experience and live out Irish culture as a member of the Mercyhurst community.

It was founded by junior Communication major, Meghan Gallagher in 2018. Gallagher started the club because of her strong Irish heritage.

“Starting Irish Club at Mercyhurst University was a project of my desire to unite the heritage of those within the university as well as teach the beauty of the Irish culture to those interested in what it has to offer,” Gallagher said.

When deciding on who should be the adviser for the club, Gallagher had to find someone who was just as passionate about Ireland. Averill Earls, Ph.D. of the History department was the perfect fit.

“Her support and assistance throughout the beginning were essential in keeping my passion alive and making this club a reality.” Gallagher said.

Gallagher was not the only person who wanted to get in touch with Irish heritage.

“I studied abroad at Griffith College of Dublin and was there for four and a half months. I have always loved the music and culture from there and always wanted to visit.

I was able to experience what it was like to live there and visit all different parts of the country. I definitely plan to go back again as much as I can because it truly stole a little piece of my heart,”executive board member, Michelle Benedetti, said.

The club commemorates Irish celebrations like St. Patrick’s Day and St. Brigid’s Day and takes part in offcampus events like the Erie Irish Festival.

Plans for this year include a Trivia Night event with the History Club, featuring Irish-themed questions for St. Patrick’s Day. Irish Club also hopes to teach a dance lesson and host a movie night.

Meetings often have Irish food, like traditional tea, scones, brown bread or treats baked by the board members.

Last semester Irish Club also participated in a mocktail event for Alcohol Awareness.

“We created a non-alcoholic version of a shillelagh.

A shillelagh can be two things in Ireland, either a large thick walking stick/club or a drink that has Irish whiskey, rum, sloe gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, raspberries and peaches. Our mocktail was peach juice, lemon juice, powdered sugar and raspberries.” Benedetti said.

In the past, Irish Club has held meetings to give advice to students heading to Dungarvan and to teach them some basic Irish language skills.

“We try to host events which are tradition centric, building an understanding of Ireland’s history within the context of past, present, and future that allows our club members to understand the bread and butter of Irish pride.” Gallagher said.

Anyone interested in joining the club can reach out to the members or to Averill Earls, Ph.D., the club adviser.

On Feb. 4 students, faculty, and community members alike piled into the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center to listen to Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lecturer Danielle McGuire, Ph.D. McGuire, the author of “At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance--A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power,” spoke as a guest lecturer hosted by the Evelyn Lincoln Institute for Ethics and Society.

The lecture entitled “Recy Taylor, Rose Parks, and the Radical Roots of #MeToo” explores the civil rights movement through the long history of black women’s sexual abuse.

She began the night by playing a clip of Oprah’s 2018 Golden Globe speech where she teaches the public about a name that has been dear to McGuire’s heart for years: Recy Taylor.

Taylor is among the unsung heroes of the civil rights movement, whose sexual assault and rape at the hands of white men demonstrated a long history of oppression and abuse.

In 1944, the young wife and mother was abducted by six armed white men while

walking home from church.

Though the men admitted to what they did, they were never charged with the crime. This prompted a huge nationwide campaign, comparable in influence to the case of the Scottsboro Boys.

“She is among a terrifying and inspiring history of black women who stood up against sexual violence,” said McGuire.

These black women were the driving force behind the Montgomery Bus Boycott, though the movement was often thought of as a result of Rosa Parks and her “tired feet.” McGuire emphasized that Parks, and the movement in general, was much more than this.

“The bus boycott had a past and it’s rooted in the protection of black women,” said McGuire. “The Montgomery Bus Boycott is more than a movement about where people sit, it’s really a movement for women and body integrity.”

Even the basic idea of a boycott has a connection to the sexual abuse of black women. In 1951, activists led a successful boycott against a grocery store owned by Sam Green, a white man who raped a young black babysitter. Within a few weeks, the business closed its doors, showing the impact of this form of activism.

The selection of the bus system as the institution of

protest had similar roots. At the time, bus drivers had similar powers to police which led to a great deal of abuse. Black women, who made up 80% of the Montgomery bus-ridership were subjected to violence and abuse on a daily basis.

“When you start to use the lens of sexual violence, you see these movements really differently,” said McGuire.

McGuire brought the conversation back to a modern context, saying that the movement is far from over.

“From the earliest days of America to today, black women have been at the forefront of the movement against sexual assault,” she said. “Too often today, when black women and girls stand up to say ‘#MeToo’ they are too often told ‘no not you.’”

This is made clear with her reference to thousands of untested rape kits in Detroit alone, most of which are belonging to poor women of color.

“We live in a country that makes assault on black womens’ bodies permissible,” said McGuire.

She encourages all in attendance to consider the role of gender, sexuality and race in these discussions of history and to adopt an intersectional view of privilege in a united front.

“Violence against one of us is violence against all of us,” she said.

Contributed photo

Students gather to hear McGuire’s speech on the #MeToo movement.

PAGE 10

UPCOMING EVENTS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FILM REVIEW

Annual concert a hit

By Mary Danko

Contributing writer

Feb. 11 @ 7:30 p.m. at PAC: Yamato: The Drummers of Japan Feb. 16 @ 4 p.m. in PAC: Wind Ensemble Feb. 19 @ 8 p.m. at WRH: Jonathan Moser Faculty Recital Feb. 20-23 at TLT: Babes in Arms Feb. 22 @ 7 p.m. at PAC: Jazz Ensemble Feb. 23 @ 4 p.m. at WRH: Concert Choir Feb. 24 @ 8 p.m. at WRH: Nicholas DiEugenio and Mimi Solomon Roche Recital Feb. 25 @ 12:45 p.m. at WRH: Nicholas DiEugenio and Mimi Solomon Masterclass March 3 @ 7:30 p.m. at PAC: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo March 11 @ 8 p.m. at WRH: Kathy Soroka Faculty Recital March 27, 29 in PAC: Opera Pops and Sizzles April 1 @ 7:30 p.m. at PAC: Brian Stokes Mitchell April 6 @ 8 p.m. at WRH: Maksim Shtrykov and Misuzu Tanaka Roche Recital April 7 @ 12:45 p.m. at WRH: Maksim Shtrykov and Misuzu Tanaka Masterclass April 15 @ 8 p.m. at WRH: Presque Isle Saxophone Quartet April 16 @ 7:30 p.m. at PAC: An Evening with Glenn Close

Wednesday, February 3, 2020

On Jan. 31, the D’Angelo Department of Music presented its 20th annual Tri-State Music Prism Concert in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center.

Students performed wonderful pieces in the Wind and Jazz Ensembles and as soloists.

The first piece, performed by the Wind Ensemble, was called “Haunted Carnival” by Rob Grice.

This eerie piece created an atmosphere of dread and fear that made the audience terrified about what was going to happen next.

The performance ended with a member of the ensemble jumping out of his seat and cackling.

The second piece was “Phantasmagoria” by Jeremy Bell.

This piece had a strong resemblance to a soothing, secure lullaby.

As the piece continued, it created stronger feelings of pain and loss.

This quickly turned into anger, which overtook the piece until near the end, when it returned to the tranquil melody it began with.

Following this was “Shadow Waltzes” by Brian Balmages.

This piece was similar to “Phantasmagoria” in how it went from soothing to anger, but it was more extreme.

It began in a state of serene despondency and then went into a strong, resilient song with both

moods connecting beautifully.

The last piece performed by the Wind Ensemble was called “Voodoo” by Daniel Bukvich.

This piece had the same ghostly feel as “Haunted Carnival” and made me feel cautious about what would happen next.

Despite having a somewhat sinister feel to it, it also had a southern feeling, which made the audience feel as if they were down in Louisiana, complete with Mardi Gras, gumbo and voodoo.

Next on the program for the night were the solo performances by members of the ensembles.

The first soloist was junior Music Education major Morgan Dowches on the flute.

She played “Ballade” by Albert Perilhou, accompanied by Nathan Hess, D.M.A., on piano.

This beautiful piece had a very cheerful melody to it and made me feel like I was walking through a garden on the perfect spring day.

It was truly enchanting and made me feel so incredibly light.

As the piece continued it became quicker and had a more passionate feel to it.

As the piece progressed, the light, peaceful beginning and passionate middle section found common ground in the conclusion.

Following “Ballade” was “a cricket sang and the set the sun”

by Blake Tyson, performed by junior Music Education major Ethan Wicker on the marimba.

The instrument that was used

gave the piece a very unique feeling and had a rather mystic atmosphere.

It began slowly and then became faster in tempo.

The piece throughout the whole performance had a unique rhythm to it; it must have been incredibly challenging to perform.

It ended with the same similar, slow feel that the piece began with.

The last solo piece of the night was performed by freshman Music Education major Kirk Morrison playing “Trumpet Concerto in Eb II. Andante” by Franz Joseph Hayden accompanied by Hess.

This piece had a sense of dedication in it with some longing that later gave way to a sense of melancholy.

It was a piece that made me experience the grief and remorse it projected.

The Mercyhurst University Jazz Ensemble came on stage next to perform “Critical Mass” by Jeff Jarvis.

This piece was very energetic and lively.

It motivated me to keep up with the steady tempo and feel the rhythm in every way possible.

It began the jazz part of the concert in great spirits.

The next piece was “Splanky”

by Sammy Nestico.

This piece had a truly classic swing vibe to it and was played at a medium tempo.

The piece had certain moments

in it in which several soloists were featured.

Following this was “Eleanor Rigby,” which shone new light on the beauty and depth on the classics Beatles hit.

It had a very strong up-tempo rhythm to it while still maintaining a rather calm and relaxed feel.

The arranger managed to put his own, wonderful spin on it while still staying true to the original, including hints of the familiar melody.

The next piece performed was “Soul Lady” by Don Sebesky.

This piece had a very strong, medium speed tempo and was one that really washed over you.

The audience was completely mesmerized by its powerful, vigorous feel.

The consistency in rhythm and beat brought out another element to the song and honestly made me feel like I was in a jazz club.

The last piece of the night was “La Fiesta” by Chick Corea.

This fast tempo style music had a real spanish feel to it.

I went from feeling like I was in Mexico one moment to being transitioned into a jazz club.

This piece was the perfect way to finish out the night.

I felt as if I were at a party and was truly energized.

It was a beautiful song that made me feel the intensity of the piece and appreciate the beauty of jazz.

You won’t want to miss the next performance!

Old Main to replace baby grand piano

By Lauren Ganger

Arts and Entertainment editor

to its new home.

The new piano is a 1908 mahogany Mason & Hamlin piano.

Hess describes this manufacturer as “one of the last great American piano companies.”

Mason & Hamlin is a piano company that has been based in

Havermill, Massachusetts since 1854.

The new instrument will arrive at Mercyhurst on Feb. 7.

Getting it on campus will be a joint effort by Thomas Fabrizio, the Facilities Manager at Mercyhurst University, and Doug Jones,

The baby grand piano in the chapel foyer in Old Main is being replaced.

Donated to Mercyhurst University in 2011 by Bill and Susan Kindler, the piano is no longer in playable condition.

While the costs to repair the instrument have proven prohibitive, the piano was offered to any member of the campus community who wanted it as a furniture piece, as long as he or she was able to pay for the instrument’s transportation costs.

The piano that will replace it is a donation from James Zurn, former chairman of Mercyhurst’s Board of Trustees.

When President Michael T. Victor learned that Zurn wanted to gift the piano to the campus, Victor got in touch with Nathan Hess, D.M.A., chair of the D’Angelo Department of Music and pianist, asking him to test out the piano and recommend a new location for it on the Mercyhurst campus.

Hess calls the new piano a “beautiful instrument” and says he suggested it should go into the chapel foyer.

Plans were immediately set in motion to move the instrument The piano in Old Main will be replaced this week.

a local piano mover.

Those interested in seeing the new piano can stop by the chapel foyer in Old Main sometime next week.

Photo by Lauren Ganger

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 11

Japanese drums come to Hurst

By Alex Trabold

Staff writer

On Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m., YAMATO: Drummers of Japan will be making a return to Mercyhurst’s Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center.

This traditional Japanese ensemble features musician-athletes who perfrom using Taiko drums, traditional Japanese drums that are each made from a single piece of wood.

The drumbeat is believed to be connected to the heartbeat and the spirit.

The drums that these performers use in their shows each weigh anywhere from 10kg to 500kg, and the group travels with about 40 of them.

This group is critically aclaimed and is highly anticipated in its return to Mercyhurst.

Group founder and artistic director Masa Ogawa has said that energy is the hallmark of YAMATO’s performances, and that the groups likes to feed off of audience enthusiasm.

In a press released issued by Mercyhurst University, Ogawa is quoted as saying that “Everything related to YAMATO – the stage, the Taiko drums, every bit of our bodies – has been created from

the energy and passion of the audience.”

“Audiences are overwhelmed by the beat of the music, as their spirits, bodies and heartbeats are uplifted in sync with the powerful sounds,” Ogawa said.

This feedback from the audience is what pushes the group to deliver performances.

This group has been dedicated since its inception to preserving and respecting Taiko tradition while also infusing it with originality and innovation.

In a break from the Taiko traditions, YAMATO has always included female members in its troupe.

Despite rigorous training and the stoic stereotype associated with this ancient art form, YAMATO shows joy and a sense of fun with everyone of their performances.

This performance is part of the troupe’s 26th season.

They have given 4,000 performances in 54 countries, performing for nearly 8 million audience members during this time.

The group also has a long history back in their home country of Japan.

YAMATO was founded in 1993 in Nara Prefecture in Japanese.

It is based in Asuka Village, which is traditionally seen as the

birthplace of Japanese culture.

When they are not on tour, YAMATO members live in the village, practicing and improving every aspect of their performance until the show begins.

The group attempts to follow tradition while still evolving to

find new potential.

This troupe’s arrival presents an opportunity for students on campus to get a taste of different culture’s shows and music.

The Mercyhurst Institute for Arts and Culture will host three more MIAC Live performances

for the 2019-20 season following this concert.

For information about tickets, visit the box office in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center or the MIAC website at miac. mercyhurst.edu.

Contributed Photo

YAMATO: Drummers of Japan is coming to the Performing Arts Center.

FILM REVIEW

Star Wars fan expresses displeasure

By Matt Melish

Staff writer

Ever since I was around 8 years old, the Star Wars films and animated television episodes have been a big part of my life.

When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, I was ecstatic.

New Star Wars films and spinoffs would be in theaters, letting us return to a galaxy far, far away.

After only seeing this movie on its opening night, I now find myself hard-pressed to feel any sort of emotion for this “ending” for the Skywalker Saga.

My problems with the “Rise of Skywalker” come from past installments of this one chapter of the nine-part plotline, and while it cannot be blamed for the mistakes of the past, it is the result of poorly planned storytelling.

Between The Force Awakens and “The Last Jedi,” fans were not given a proper buildup of excitement to long for the final film of this trilogy.

The three disconnected movies do not work together to form one epically crafted plot, which is disappointing for the kid in me who remembers what Star Wars originally felt like.

Having separate directors and writers for each of the new films without a plan for executing this new story and connecting it to

what already exists in the Star Wars universe was a failure from the beginning, especially as it did not directly involve the ultimate master, George Lucas.

I found it hard to enjoy the conclusion of the story when the rest of the narrative was unstructured.

Beyond this criticism, there were many aspects of “The Rise of Skywalker” that I did not particularly enjoy.

The first realization I had while watching the film for the first time was that everything was happening fast.

So fast, in fact, that I could not fully remember parts of the story.

Then I had another revelation, which was that everything I saw was not really a part of the story but instead a distraction from it.

At its best, Star Wars used action to support the plot, even when the graphics were not necessarily optimal because the audience so intrinsically cared about what the characters were doing, that they ignored how it looked.

The original films also took their time to lead up to the climactic battle sequences with lightsabers, but the “Rise of Skywalker” uses these fights as gimmicks to draw upon nostalgia, cheapening the appeal of those scenes.

In a good story, characters drive the plot and have distinct motivations for every choice they make.

The end of “Return of the

Jedi” is satisfying for this reason.

Darth Vader, the menacing force of evil in the galaxy, acts to save his son rather than hold on to the darkness that has drained away every good from his life.

Knowing that he will die, Vader performs this final act of love, the only thing that could redeem him for the atrocities he committed.

In contrast, the current cast of characters from the final trilogy merely acted in response to what the story needed from them instead of acting because their emotions led them to that action.

Rey is never formally trained as a Jedi but she performs feats more powerful than most of the Jedi from the original six films.

She takes on the name Skywalker to take credit for accomplishments that she only succeeded in due to the help of others.

The Rise of Skywalker explains that her powers are strong due to her relation to the most evil man in the universe, Palpatine.

When Kylo Ren announces that Rey is the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine, I actually laughed out of disbelief and still cannot buy into this very strange revelation.

There are two reasons that I did not approve of this plot point.

The first is that there was no plan to bring Palpatine back from the start of this trilogy, and his return is never explained.

Due to this, the plot is driven by the reintroduction of the character, not by the character’s actions.

Secondly, bringing back Palpatine was meant to give Rey a clearer backstory and to provide more answers for the questions the previous movie prompted.

In “The Last Jedi,” it was made very clear that Rey is an ordinary human who happened to be born with unique powers, someone who comes from nothing yet makes a difference.

This powerful theme (one of the only parts of that film I appreciate) is overwritten in “The Rise of Skywalker” with the return of Palpatine, significantly altering what Rey means as a character.

This film also makes changes to one of the most significant characters in the saga.

Anakin Skywalker was prophesized as the chosen one, the Jedi who would bring balance to the Force and conquer the darkside, which he accomplished by defeating the Emperor.

Because he is alive, Anakin loses his title, rendering the first six films meaningless, as this is one of the most important parts of the core story: no matter how corrupt someone might be, there is still hope for redemption.

Although it feels exciting to have a notorious character like Palpatine back on the big screen, it fundamentally sabotages the

rest of the Skywalker Saga.

Apart from this criticism, there were aspects that I enjoyed.

I appreciated every last moment with the legacy characters.

Hearing the voices of old Jedi characters from beyond the grave was enjoyable, although I would rather have seen them appear in more physical glowing forms behind Rey once she turns to face Palpatine in one final showdown between good and evil.

Paying respect to Carrie Fisher and providing a way for Leia to be in this film even after her death was something that I appreciated and found tastefully done.

Luke Skywalker’s return as a force ghost made me cheer and throw a fist pump in the air.

Han Solo being the source of his son’s redemption was one of the most fulfilling scenes of the film.

The fullness of Ben Solo’s character arc is arguably one of the most enjoyable parts of the entire sequel trilogy.

For every complaint that I pose concerning this franchise’s treatment out of the hands of George Lucas, there is always something that I enjoy about this timeless universe.

No matter how old I grow, that kid inside me will always love watching Star Wars.

May the Force be with you, Lakers.

OPINION

PAGE 12

GOOD Our sports teams have been tearing it up this season!

On the passing of Kobe Bryant

By Eva

Philips Staff writer

BAD No Merciad next week because midterms are coming.

Interesting The sun has been shining the past few days! Maybe Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction will be right this year!

The Merciad STUDENT EDITORS Lauren Abbott ..........................Editor in Chief Marina Boyle ........................Managing Editor Kristian Biega ...............................News Editor Maria Williams .......................Features Editor Gillian Mazur ..............................Sports Editor Lauren Ganger ..............................A&E Editor Anthony Miller ..........................Opinion Editor Rebecca Dunphy ...........................Copy Editor Megan Stubbs ............................ Ad Manager Steph Przepiora ...................................Advisor Contact editors at merciad@mercyhurst.edu

The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst University. It is published throughout the school year. Our office is in Hirt, Room 110.

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 Mondays by noon and may not be more than 300 words. Submit letters to box PH 485 or via email at merciad@mercyhurst.edu.

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

On Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, the world learned that basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed in a tragic helicopter crash in California.

The outpouring of grief was immediate.

In a world tired of tragic events, this latest news seemed like the last straw.

Full disclosure, I know nothing about sports.

I have never had any interest in basketball or any other sport for that matter.

So it says something that even I knew who Kobe Bryant was, and when the news notification popped up on my phone screen Sunday afternoon, I was genuinely shaken.

It’s the kind of news that nobody wants to see.

I knew that Kobe Bryant was a sports giant, a basketball legend.

He played with the Lakers for 20 seasons, the longest run of any player in that team’s history.

But his legacy on the court was not what struck me most.

No, what struck me was learning that Kobe Bryant was the father of four young girls, one of whom also perished in the crash.

I do not doubt that the world of sports suffered a great loss on Sunday, but I am even more certain that his family is suffering an even greater loss, one that is unfathomable.

Today, it seems that tragedy and suffering are inescapable.

Turn on the news and that’s all you see, loss, pain and fear.

What our world did not need was more loss.

We did not need to be reminded of the tragedy of the human condition.

What we do need, however, is a reminder of humanity’s capacity for goodness.

And in the aftermath of Kobe Bryant’s death, I see that reminder taking shape.

Our nation is divided, and it seems sometimes that there is no way to heal that division.

But we found common ground this week, when across the United States, people stopped to mourn the death of a good man.

Regardless of political beliefs, everyone can agree on this: the loss of a good man is a blow to all.

And Kobe Bryant was a good man.

He was a father who loved his family, a team player, and a star who used his fame and wealth to bring support and awareness to noble charitable causes.

The fact that our nation and the world as a whole came almost totally together in mourning this past week shows us that all is not lost.

Beneath the divisions and controversies, we are still bound together by our common humanity.

Kobe’s death is a tragedy of the highest degree on so many levels.

Yet it is a reminder to us, a reminder that more unites us than divides us.

And it also reminds us of a difficult lesson, that life is fleeting.

When we inevitably lose a loved one, all we want is more time with them.

So I encourage you, hug a friend.

Call your parents, write a letter to someone you love.

The time we have on this earth is precious, don’t waste it.

Kobe Bryant certainly didn’t, and neither should you.

To the coming decade

facing the 2030s.

We will be graduating, possibly thriving in our careers, and McGinty maybe even settled down and Staff writer married.

As one of those on the middle It seems as if our lives are ground, my 20s are just ahead of flashing right before our eyes. me and I know what I want the It’s hard to believe that 10 years unknown to be. ago, we were all simple children.

I plan to graduate by Spring Back then, we were all 2023 when I will have received a obsessed with our Nintendo B.A. in History. games and spending all of our I hopefully will have gone free time being enamored by through my final year of Disney Channel movies and who education to receive my master’s was getting slimed at the Kid’s degree.

Choice Awards.

Then, after that, I hope that But as the years went on, we I’ll be getting my first job as a grew. teacher.

We went through our awkward From there, I really want to and emo phases and then, out of open my very own photography total and complete nowhere, we business. were in college.

At the same time, I want to While the last decade was marry my high school sweetheart, dedicated to growing up, the who later turned into my college years that lay ahead of us are sweetheart. dedicated to us being grown.

And by the end of the decade, Today, we are on the middle I will be looking back smiling ground, with our childhood just because I was struggling with in our rearview mirror and our something as “simple” as future being laid out on the road Photoshop. before us.

This past decade alone has Before we know it, we will be taught me an incredible amount

By Victoria

of things.

I fell in love, drove a car and by the end of it, I was amid my first year of college and my bad days were behind me and back in Cleveland.

This last year alone has been nothing but a roller coaster of accomplishments, disappointments and huge changes.

It’s almost hard to believe all that has happened in just ten 10 short years.

I know that life happens, and I know I will learn a lot of things about life that I do not know now as we progress through this decade.

I know I’ll be looking back 10 years from now.

Maybe I will even remember this column — the one I am currently writing, and that you are currently reading.

Hopefully, 29-year-old me will remember all that Mercyhurst has done from there, and she will be forever grateful for it.

The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercyhurst University, the staff of The Merciad or the Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are welcome and can be emailed to merciad@mercyhurst.edu

Wednesday, February 4, 2020

OPINION

PAGE 13

Mercyhurst has HURST STUDENTS to recycle more SPEAK UP standards are only a few steps above burning garbage in nearby

By Gianluca dumpsters.

Ianiro We may as well get rid of our Staff writer liquid waste by just cutting out the middle man and pouring it in New Years celebrations Lake Erie directly. are over, and the Super Bowl That may sound a bit extreme celebrations have come to an but Mercyhurst has more than a end. little room for improvement in As a result, garbage cans across this regard. the country are filled to their Walk into Zurn and take a sticky brims with cheap sparkling peek in one of the recycling cider bottles. containers.

Bottles that are, fittingly I have no doubt that after a enough, wrapped in needless quick peek, you will understand ceremonial plastic. what I mean.

On top of the bottles are You may see freshly licked countless celebration banners, envelopes, piles of shredded and on top of those are paper shavings, and a couple crumpled paper party hats. random postcards from a study This practice of scraping all of abroad program. your party trash mindlessly into Spot which one of these items Oscar the Grouch’s living room that can’t be recycled in Erie is a common practice for many county? inhabitants of North America.

The answer is literally all of Most people aren’t paying them! attention to what they’re I have found all of these throwing away. items in recycling containers on Most certainly aren’t thinking campus. about if they’re disposing of their And that is a shame, because waste in the correct place. odds are that whole bag will be But I would like to believe shipped off to the man-made Mercyhurst University students mountain of a landfill located would have a set of higher next to the casino. standards regarding their disposal It’ll be treated like any old bag of waste. of waste.

After all, this university prides Chances are if you’re recycling, itself on its sustainability, and you want to avoid having your posters all around campus waste being treated in that emphasize the importance of fashion. recycling.

This is a clear indication of a However, after living in this lack of recycling education on community for the past year and campus. a half, I have realized that our It doesn’t take a person

with a Ph.D. in environmental engineering to comprehend the reuse recycle program.

But the addition of something as simple as up to date eye catching posters could just start to do the trick.

Most students don’t know that there are actually limits on what you can and cannot recycle in Erie county, and end up throwing actual waste into recycling bins as a result.

Maybe signs showing what you can and cannot throw into a recycling bin would help educate people on where their waste should be disposed.

If you still don’t believe this is a real issue, please stop a person walking through Trinity Green and ask them if they can recycle a glass bottle in a blue recycling bin.

If you can get a person to actually verbally communicate with you then they will most likely not know that you can no longer recycle glass bottles and jars in the blue bins in Erie County.

To learn more on what you can and can’t do with your waste visit Erie County Courthouse’s official website.

I know that the Mercyhurst University community can do better than this.

We pride ourselves on our sustainability, and that’s a good thing to pride ourselves on.

But we really need to live up to our promises both to ourselves and to the environment around us.

We asked: What was your favorite pop culture moment of the decade?

Evan Medvec, freshman Intelligence studies major: “The debut of Hamilton and seeing it with my family.”

Sam O’Connell, junior Early Childhood Education major: “Prince William and Kate Middleton’s royal wedding.”

Mike Solazzo, sophomore Economics major: “When Kanye was going to run for president.”

Caroline Monahan, sophomore Business Intelligence major: “When Solange beat up Jay-Z in an elevator because he cheated on Beyoncé.”

Compiled by Sarah Klein

So, about that Iowa primary election

By Anthony Miller Opinion editor

I am writing this at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb 4.

The Iowa Democratic primary happened yesterday.

Most caucuses were wrapped up by 10 p.m.

If this was a normal election year, we would have gotten election results last night.

If not last night, then early this morning.

Yet, here we are, with less than 2% of precincts reporting as of the time of writing.

How did this happen?

The long and short of it is that the Iowa Democratic Party tried using a new app to record election results.

Said app bugged out and crashed when the time came to record the results.

As a result, beyond the few initial results lucky enough to get through before things came

crashing down, no results have been recorded for the past 20 or so hours.

People have been justifiably pretty upset about this, including myself.

First though, I have to clear the air on a few things.

For one, it hasn’t been the DNC running this mess.

This is largely on the head of Iowa Democratic Party, which holds onto the outdated caucus election model and insisted on trying out this new technology during a vital election.

The DNC didn’t get involved until late on Tuesday.

Also, and I’m saying this as a Bernie supporter, this is probably not a scheme to undermine Sanders.

I know it’s tempting to ascribe this to a conspiracy to undermine Bernie, but that’s probably not what’s happening here.

If anything, a delay like this will probably hurt Buttigieg, as he’s really relying on the momentum from a big Iowa win and the ensuing positive news

cycle to carry him towards the nomination.

No, what’s happening here is, in all likelihood, just general incompetence.

But really, that just makes this all the more baffling to me.

If this was a conspiracy, it would make sense in some twisted, Machiavellian way.

Instead, we’re left with what is likely the depressing truth.

That truth being, the Iowa Democratic Party relied on an untested app from a startup tech company to run what is literally the second most important election of the year.

However, I can’t blame people for being suspicious.

In my opinion, the DNC infamously favored Hillary over Bernie during 2016.

While the claims that they rigged the primary against him are overblown (the DNC literally does not have the power to control state elections, so they couldn’t rig it even if they wanted to), they absolutely did favor Hillary over Bernie.

It took a number of steps to discredit Sanders and was revealed to have attempted to disrupt his campaign in leaked emails.

This all came from an entity that is supposed to be impartial, reflecting merely the whim of the voters.

Beyond that, the app used for this election was made by a company literally named Shadow Inc., and that company is staffed by ex-Hillary campaign staffers.

Yes, they did in fact name it “Shadow Inc.” Yet, as was stated earlier, until late yesterday the DNC had very little to do with this latest mess.

It’s on the Iowa Democratic Party, who actually controlled how this caucus was handled.

If you want to be upset at someone, be upset at whoever it was in Iowa who decided to modernize what didn’t need to be modernized.

Paper ballots work fine.

They’re probably the ideal method for counting votes.

They cannot be interfered

with electronically, they have a paper trail, and they ensure that someone is physically there at the booth, casting a ballot.

I honestly feel terrible for all of the staffers and workers who worked for months trying to make this election a smooth reality, only to have their work undermined by someone thinking their app is the new bright future for elections.

I can only hope that people learn the proper lesson from this mess, that just because you can technologically innovate a process, that doesn’t mean you actually should.

Nevada democrats have actually taken note of this.

Before this mess, they were going to use the same app that caused this whole thing in Iowa.

They’re not going to be doing that now, thank the Lord.

Democrats, now more than ever, can’t afford to waste time and energy on completely needless disasters such as this.

SPORTS

PAGE 14

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Lady Lakers lose to Scots, IUP

By Laia Santos Oliver Contributing writer

Mercyhurst’s women’s basketball hosted Edinboro University on Jan. 29.

After an poor third period for the Lakers, the Fighting Scots took control of the game, wearing down Mercyhurst en route to a 78-61 win.

The Lakers (5-15, 5-9 PSAC), who rank seventh in the conference, have lost six out of seven games. Their only win was a road victory against California University of Pennsylvania on Jan. 25, the program’s first against the Vulcans.

The Fighting Scots (117, 8-5 PSAC), ranked third in the PSAC West, on the other hand, arrived at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center with a three-game winning streak and were ready to make it a hard day for the home team.

Senior forward Amber Renz led the Lakers by scoring 19 points and grabbing three rebounds.

Senior guard Kori Sidwell contributed, increasing the Lakers’ numbers on the scoreboard with eight points and seven rebounds.

Junior guard Vivan Allison and senior guard Lauren Lapertosa both scored seven points for the Lakers.

Unlike the second half of the game, the first 20 minutes of the match-up was a constant back-and-forth from both teams.

The difference be-

Kenzie Grenell photo

Mercyhurst’s Emily Shopene attacks Edinboro defender Rana Elhusseini.

tween the two teams was no greater than three points for the entire first half.

The Lakers, headed by Renz, scored the first nine points for the team.

Lapertosa’s smart runs and fast-paced passes into free spaces allowed Renz to keep up with Edinboro’s Barnes and Elhusseini’s baskets.

For the Fighting Scots, senior guard Michaela Barnes was the top scorer with 43 points, followed

by freshman guard Rana Elhusseini with 24 points.

Combined, Barnes and Elhusseini accounted for 67 out of the 78 points for Edinboro.

The Lakers suffered from too many defensive errors in the second half of the game, which allowed Edinboro to gain an irrecoverable advantage on the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.

Edinboro held a slight 40-39 lead at the half. Ju-

nior guard Rachel Chessar scored a free throw with 30 seconds left to put Mercyhurst up by one.

However, between Barnes and Elhusseini’s performances, Edinboro was able to go on a 13-point run and, with three minutes left in the third period, held a 53-43 lead.

The Lakers struggled to narrow the gap over the final 10 minutes of the game.

Lapertosa had to be tak-

en out due to a possible injury with just over six minutes left, and Renz was substituted after she committed her fourth foul with five minutes to go.

With one minute left, 12 points separated the two teams.

After the game, Sidwell said the Lakers’ defense wasn’t good enough and Edinboro was able to exploit their weaknesses to win the game. She said this is something the team needs to work on if they want to be successful in its upcoming games.

“We try to have the same mentality no matter who we are playing or what point it is in the game, which is to stay aggressive and just take it at the other team,” Sidwell said.

“In the second half, we weren’t as successful in this area after the other team went on a run. We need to have better responses and remain aggressive for the full 40 minutes if we want to win these next games coming up,” she said.

Mercyhurst’s bid for redemption was deferred when the Lakers fell 73-59 to the fifth-ranked Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Feb. 1.

The next home game for the Lakers is scheduled for Feb. 8 versus Clarion University at 1 p.m.

This will also be the Lady Lakers’ senior night in which five seniors will be recognized for their hard work during their past four years.

Kenzie Grenell photo

Mercyhurst guard Stephanie Petery shoots from the free throw line.

HURST RESULTS

Kenzie Grenell photo

The Lady Lakers huddle up during their game against the Edinboro Fighting Scots.

Jan. 31: Men’s ice hockey vs. American International College: 4-3, AIC Feb. 1: Men’s ice hockey vs. American International College: 7-4, AIC Feb. 2: Men’s wrestling vs. East Stroudsburg University: 36-9, Lakers Feb. 2: Men’s wrestling vs. East Stroudsburg University: 36-9, Lakers

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

SPORTS

PAGE 15

Lakers net big conference wins

By Kenzie Grenell

Contributing writer

On Jan. 29, the Mercyhurst University men’s basketball team faced the Edinboro Fighting Scots, pulling off a 93-56 win.

Mercyhurst took the early lead despite the aggressiveness that Edinboro showed from the start.

The Lakers led the game 46-23 at half time.

Four players from Mercyhurst hit double digits in points including sophomore guard MiyKah McIntosh with 20 points, junior forward Cameron Gross (15 points), freshman guard Michael Bradley (12 points) and freshman forward Andrew Seager (10 points).

With a current overall record of 12-7, the Lakers hold a 9-5 mark in the PSAC conference.

Mercyhurst shot 48.6% from the floor, 35.1% from 3-point range and 61.5% on the line, while Edinboro went 36.5% from the field, 5.3% beyond the arc, along with 77.3% at the charity line.

The Lakers dominated off the bench, outscoring the Fighting Scots 32-19. Mercyhurst also held a 44-28 edge in the paint.

Gross lead the Lakers in rebounds (10) along with junior guard Zach McIntire (five).

Mercyhurst put up 47 points in the second half with Edinboro managing only 33 points over the final 20 minutes.

Edinboro guard Trey Staunch scored 18 points to lead the Fight-

ing Scots. Forward Anthony Allen also came off the bench, netting 11 points. Staunch grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds for the Fighting Scots.

This game was also Academic Celebration Night for the Mercyhurst student-athletes.

At halftime, more than 400 student-athletes were recognized for achieving over a 3.0 grade point average in the fall semester during the 2019 school year.

Student-athletes who received a 4.0 GPA were recognized for their academic excellence at half-time during the women’s basketball game as well.

Mercyhurst women’s soccer freshman Bethan O’Donnell is just one of many student-athletes who got to celebrate her achievements by walking onto the court during halftime.

“It was really cool to be recognized at the basketball game. It’s rewarding to see that our hard work off the field gets noticed too,” O’Donnell said.

An undeclared major, O’Donnell earned a 4.0 GPA for the fall semester while in season.

“So many times people just see us as athletes and they don’t realize that we put in as much work off the field as we do on the field,” she said.

The athletes were greeted by athletics director Brad Davis at half court along with other faculty members, who congratulated each individual student-athlete.

After halftime, Edinboro cur-

rently has an overall record of 5-13 and 2-11 in PSAC conference play.

After the game, when asked what worked for the Lakers offensively, Mercyhurst’s coach Gary Manchel said that he thought the players were more open this game compared to past games.

Manchel believes that in order for the Lakers to be more successful on defense, they needed to play a complete game and force turnovers to prevent the other team from completing shots. He thinks that this will help the Lakers in close games when they are not scoring.

Kenzie Grenell photo Manchel also cautioned that if the Lakers did not play great de- Mercyhurst’s MiyKah McIntosh plays defense against Edinboro. fensively, then they’d have no shot against IUP on Saturday,. The Crimson Hawks were ranked fifth in the country and had sustained just one loss all season to Shippensburg.

However, on Feb. 1, the Mercyhurst Lakers bested IUP 68-62.

This game also honored the memory of the late Kobe Bryant with fans dressing in the LA Lakers’ team colors of yellow and purple.

The Lakers’ next PSAC game is scheduled at Seton Hill University on Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

The next home game at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center is Saturday, Feb. 8 versus the Clarion University Golden Eagles at 3 p.m.

Kenzie Grenell photo The Golden Eagles currently hold a total record of 4-17 with Mercyhurst student-athletes were recognized for their hard work in the classroom during the Lakers’ 93-56 win over Edinboro on Jan. 29.

3-12 conference record.

MU alum Agosta part of Canada’s 3-on-3 win ways fierce, but that drive for victory was clearly evident in the News editor 3-on-3 match.

Rebecca Johnston of Team Mercyhurst women’s hockey Canada started the game strong alumna Meghan Agosta gave Lakers a reason to celebrate as part of Team Canada in the 2020 Elite … the 2020 teams Women’s 3-on-3 game that took “managed to showcase place on Jan. 24.

Team Canada scored a 2-1 win their speed and talent, over the USA as part of the NHL their passing ability and All-Star Skills Competition in St. Louis. shooting touch” during Being a part of NHL’s All-Star the game.

Skills Competition is no small NHL Press Release feat, but is a testament to Agosta’s experience and skill.

According to a press release by the NHL about the announceby scoring only 54 seconds into ments of the US and Canadian the first period. rosters on Jan. 15, both combined Melodie Daoust followed with rosters of nine skaters and one another score in the second perigoaltender “have won a comod for a 2-0 lead. bined 39 Olympic and 108 World Team USA returned with a goal Championship medals.” from Hilary Knight at 4 minutes, The roster for Team Canada 24 seconds in the second period, consisted of Mélodie Daoust, but 15 saves from Canada’s goalAnn-Renée Desbiens, Renata Fast, tender Ann-Renee Desbeins’ deLaura Fortino, Rebecca Johnston, fense kept them ahead.

Sarah Nurse, Marie-Philip Poulin, With a final save from DesbeNatalie Spooner and Blayre Turnins, Team Canada took home the bull. win against Team USA. The long-standing rivalry beThe 3-on-3 tournament was the tween Canada and the US is althird year that women participatBy Kristian Biega

“

ed in NHL’s All-Star Weekend.

According to an NHL press release on Jan. 25, women-only events, especially 3-on-3, were rare to see in years past.

However, the 2020 teams “managed to showcase their speed and talent, their passing ability and shooting touch” during the game.

The game consisted of two 10-minute periods with a running clock and was aired nationally NBCSN in the United States and CBS, Sportsnet and TVAS for Canadian viewers.

During her impressive career at Mercyhurst, Agosta set many Mercyhurst and NCAA offensive records including being the leading scorer all-time in Division I women’s hockey history.

While competing for the Lakers, Agosta was twice named a first-team All-American, was Player of the Year in College Hockey America four times, has earned three Olympic gold medals and one silver medal as a part of Team Canada.

Agosta was inducted into the Mercyhurst Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.

LET’S GO,

LAKERS! Feb. 8, Lewisburg, PA @ 10:15 p.m.: Women’s water polo vs. Gannon Feb. 11, Mercyhurst Athletic Center, @ 7 p.m.: Men’s wrestling vs. Gannon Feb. 14, Mercyhurst Ice Center @ 3:05 p.m.: Women’s ice hockey vs.

Robert Morris Feb. 15, Mercyhurst Ice Center @ 2:05 p.m.: Women’s ice hockey vs.

Robert Morris Feb. 15, Findlay, OH @ 7 p.m.: Men’s wrestling vs. University of Findlay

PAGE 16

LAKER LIVING

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

HURST TOON Student-drawn cartoon by the Chuckler