February 6th Edition of The Merciad

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W E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 01 9

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News ................2-7 Features........ 8-14 A&E ............. 15-17 Opinion........ 18-20 Sports ......... 21-23 Laker Living ......24 |

VOL. 92 NO. 10

Sp iss ecia th ue l e w , 24 ea tha -pa th nk ge er s t de o lay !

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Online poll results We asked: What is your favorite Christmas song?

6: Dating Doctor speaks to Mercyhurst students

10: Mercyhurst alum designs the campus Roost 17: Faculty recital full of love

Deck the Halls (37%) All I Want for Christmas is You (29%) Silent Night (26%) Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (8%)

This week’s

POLL

What is your dream vacation destination?

merciad.mercyhurst.edu

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NEWS

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Forensics team aids in hurricane relief

By Rebecca Dunphy Staff writer

In September 2017, Puerto Rico endured what would become known as the most destructive hurricane to hit the country in modern times: Hurricane Maria. In just over two weeks, the storm took more than 3,000 lives and cost the country more than $3.9 billion in damages, the effects of which are still felt to this day.

Budget cuts and depleted professional staff have left the country unable to identify many of the bodies in their overcrowded morgue, prompting the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) and National Association of Attorneys (NAAG) to reach out to forensic anthropologists throughout the country.

Among this group of highly sought-after professionals is Mercyhurst’s own Dennis Dirkmaat, Ph.D., of the Applied Forensic Science department. Dirkmaat donated his time and talents in a recent trip to San Juan morgues, accompanied by Rhiann Dunn and Andrea Ost, two graduates of the master’s degree program who are now teaching at Mercyhurst, Jan. 13-18, the team joined board-certified forensic anthropologists across the country, including those from Louisiana, Texas, Missouri and Washington, D.C. Experts from other fields of forensic science, including trace evidence, DNA and firearms, were also in attendance.

Contributed photo

Dennis Dirkmaat, Ph.D., of the Applied Forensic Science department , accompanied by Rhiann Dunn and Andrea Ost, both graduates of Mercyhurst’s master’s degree program, assisted the staff of the San Juan morgues to identify victims of Hurricane Maria.

“The experience working with them was an incredible one,” Ost said. “It was very educational standardizing methodology and report templates between multiple individuals who work in different contexts. It was a pleasure to work with these board-certified forensic anthropologists to assist Puerto Rico.”

During their stay, the group assisted with analyses for the identification of unidenti-

fied individuals at the Forensic Science Institute of Puerto Rico.

“This work was important not only to assist the Forensic Sciences Institute in catching up on their case backlog, but also for implementing procedures in the morgue and establishing contacts,” Ost said. “Any of the board-certified forensic anthropologists who assisted on this trip would be happy to assist with identifications in the

future, which could help Puerto Rico immensely until they are able to hire forensic anthropologists.”

With the Mercyhurst team now back on campus, Dunn, who teaches Human Skeletal Biology II, said the experiences will be useful in providing examples for their students.

“The experience we had in the past week is especially informative of what is expected of a forensic anthropologist and how different strategies are needed to approach cases in different contexts,” Ost said.

For Dirkmaat, who has been in the field for more than 30 years, this trip will only add to his arsenal of experiences to share with students.

Beyond the educational opportunity, this trip served as an application of the Mercyhurst University Mission Statement.

“We were socially merciful, as we were able to help others in need. We were globally responsible, as we were able to help a territory of the U.S. and assist when their own resources were so low after the last year,” Dunn said. “Overall, we were able to show, especially in the case of Andrea and me, that our education from Mercyhurst University enabled us to have the skills to assist with such a mission and to help those in need.”

Though the team does not have any immediate plans to go on another trip, they remain “on call” should another disaster occur.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

NEWS

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Contributed Photo

Members of Mercyhurst Campus Ministry, from left, Maria Montoya, Maggie Kovach, Allie Schweiger, Olivia Gaffron, Erin Almeter, Kristian Biega, Sarah Shade and Collin Davis attended Mass in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with Michelle Scully, campus minister.

Pilgrimage to Panama in the Capital

By Erin Almeter Staff writer

Every two to three years, thousands of young Catholics gather to share in their faith with one another and with the pope in celebration of World Youth Day. World Youth Day 2019 occurred in Panama City, Panama, as a weeklong event Jan. 22-27. For those who could not make the pilgrimage to South America, Catholic University of America hosted a stateside festival called Panama in the Capital or World Youth Day D.C. Panama in the Capital was a one-day event Jan. 26 in Washington D.C. This event was created with the intention of showing young Catholics that they are not alone, that the Church needs them and the world need them.

Mercyhurst students and campus minister Michelle Scully were fortunate enough to attend World Youth Day in Washington D.C. The theme for this year was the Virgin Mary’s “Yes” when God asked her to bear the son of God, Jesus. The specific verse comes from Luke 1:38, “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

This theme is meant to center those attending World Youth Day in finding their own mission that God has called them to in their own lives.

The places in D.C. helping to host the festivities included Catholic University of America, Saint John Paul II National Shrine and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Allie Schweiger, a sophomore English major, showed her appreciation for the stateside opportunity.

“I really liked the sense of community at the event,” Schweiger

Erin Almeter photo

The Grufolpawa Panamanian Dancers showed those in attendance of World Youth Day D.C. many traditional Panamanian dances.

said. “It was also nice to be surrounded by other Catholics my age. It gives me hope for the future of the church.”

It was a day filled with musicians and speakers, where the youth of the Catholic Church shared in celebration.

The breakout speaker sessions included topics including “How to Take Your Prayer Life to the Next Level,” “How Ordinary People Do Extraordinary Things” and “Is Religion Opposed to Science?” in the first time block. Topics on “Holiness & Hollywood,” “How to Listen to the Voice of God in Daily Life,” “Finding Healing and Wholeness as a Catholic” and “Is Lifelong Love Possible?” were examined during the second session.

In addition to the speaker sessions and musical performances, a Vigil Mass was held in the Basilica of the National Shrine with Archbishop Christopher Pierre, Apostolic nuncio to the United States, celebrating. There was also time for candlelight Stations of

the Cross, confession and Adoration and a vocations coffeehouse where priests, religious and seminarians gathered to speak with those who may be discerning their vocation.

Music performances by Christian artists Marie Miller, the Restless, Los Capuchinos, Hillbilly Thomists and Jorge Zurita could be attended throughout the day.

Collin Davis, a sophomore Hospitality Management major, voiced his opinion on the music.

“My favorite part of WYD was listening to different songs from the Restless,” Davis said. He also valued the emphasis on a commitment to “setting 15 minutes out of your day to pray,” which was based on one of the speaker presentations.

To close out the festivities, those attending the event were invited to watch a live dance performance by Grufolpawa Panamanian Dancers and finally, enjoy live music by the Hunts.

Each World Youth Day is at a different location around the

Erin Almeter photo

Panama in the Capital was hosted by Catholic University of America.

globe, with other years being hosted in places such as Krakow, Poland (2016), Paris (1997), Rio de Janeiro (2013) and Toronto (2002) since it was initiated by Saint John Paul II in 1986. The pilgrimage is intended for ages 15 through 35,

though everyone is welcome to attend.

As for the next World Youth Day, those interested in attending should book their plane tickets now to Portugal for the 2022 celebration.

NEWS

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Merciad IN A MINUTE Circle K Talent Show Mercyhurst’s Circle K Club will host its annual Talent Show on Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. in Walker Recital Hall. Admission is $3.

Dr. Kirchner, Dr. Scharff and Rhonda will be the evening’s celebrity judges.

Prizes will be awarded for: People’s Choice, Judge’s Choice and Person Most Embodying Mercyhurst.

Contact Amelia Kanonczyk with questions at akanon935@lakers. mercyhurst.edu

Business Club hosts speaker The Business Club will be hosting Michael Martin, president of Printing Concepts, on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. in Zurn 214.

Martin will discuss his experiences as a successful entrepreneur and businessman by running his own printing business.

This is a Professional Development Seminar for all freshman Business majors. All are welcome to attend.

Prepping for Career Fair

Need some tips on how to be prepared and make the most of this year’s Career Fair? Join the Career Center at three workshops in Old Main 208 Feb. 18-21.

“Navigating a job fair” will take place Feb. 18 and 20 at noon “Professional Dress” will take place Feb. 18 at noon and Feb. 20 at 2 p.m.

“Résumé workshop”will take place Feb. 19 and 21 at 2 p.m. “Elevator Pitch” will take place Feb. 19 and 21 at noon. “Interview Workshop” will take place on Feb. 22 at noon.

The Career Center will be hosting walk-ins all week from 8 a.m. to noon and 3-5 p.m.

Have a tip for Merciad in a Minute? Want to tell others about your club’s events?

Email us at newsmerciad@ mercyhurst.edu

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Erie homeless census assisted by CJ students

By Rebecca Dunphy

Staff writer

The end of January brought brutally cold temperatures, heavy snow storms and white-out conditions, leading Lakers to take to their apartments and residence halls to avoid the winter weather.

Unfortunately, not all members of the Erie community are this lucky, with the homeless population especially susceptible to these potentially dangerous conditions.

The need to learn about the homeless of the community and provide supportive services is what prompted the Single Point in Time Count, an annual survey that collects data on the homeless population, specifically regarding demographics, previous places persons have stayed, veteran status and other census topics.

As mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the census is a requirement of any community receiving funding for emergency shelters and transitional housing.

Though designated to occur in the last 10 days of January, this year’s survey was postponed

from its scheduled date of Jan. 25 to Feb. 1 due to the Erie mayor’s declaration of a snow emergency.

“Unfortunately, there are many individuals and families throughout our community that have no safe and stable housing,” George Fickenworth, assistant director of the Mercyhurst Civic Institute. “Many reside on the streets or take short-term residence in emergency shelters or transitional housing, and most are in need of supportive services. Many of these persons are out of sight and often forgotten about.”

For the third year in a row, the Erie County Department of Human Services contracted the Mercyhurst Civic Institute to facilitate the survey for the Erie County Home Team Homeless and Housing Coalition.

Volunteers from Erie Veterans Affairs, Erie United Methodist Alliance, Erie County Department of Human Services and the Housing Department all assisted in this year’s survey. Members of the Mercyhurst community also donated their time, including students in the Social Determinants of Health class taught by Maria Torres, Ph.D., and Adam Saeler,

Ph.D., from the Criminal Justice Department.

Though some students may question safety, Saeler explains that there is little to worry about.

“I think many of us have this inherent bias or inherent feeling that somehow homelessness and crime are somehow correlated or interrelated, and that is just not the case,” Saeler said. “At no time did I ever feel in danger while participating in the count on Friday.”

From 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., teams take to the streets to gather a “Street Count,” or unsheltered count, focused on those who live on the streets. These efforts are focused on “known locations” that have been identified as commonly occupied by homeless persons.

Data is collected by interview, if they agree, or an observation form.

In addition to the forms, volunteers are also sent out with food, clothing, first-aid materials and information cards on how to obtain help.

Luckily, only a limited number of people have been found on the streets over the last few years because of the prevalence

of emergency shelters and shortterm housing programs such as Our Neighbors Place and the Warming Center.

This leads to the second part of the census: the Sheltered Count. After the initial count date, local agencies and providers of bed space identify their count for the evening and enter client information into the Homeless Management Information System.

This step identifies the largest portion of the homeless population.

Though the census proves to be greatly influential, especially in gauging the needs of the homeless community, the most difficult part of this project is finding volunteers.

“It is definitely a challenge to recruit individuals to volunteer for a count of the homeless that is mandated to take place in January,” Saeler said. “Who would want to go out at night in January in Erie if they don’t have to?

That is the issue though, as many of those without shelter do not have the option and that is why it is so important to have volunteers because the count is tied to federal funding.”

MU receives 2018 Trailblazer award for Mission integration

By Donny Bryant III Staff writer

On Dec. 17, Mercyhurst University received an award celebrating the Mercy Mission of the school.

The Trailblazer Award is given to universities for the effective integration of their mission into undergraduate population.

This award recognizes universities that are innovating and developing best practices in education.

This annual award is given by Campus Labs, which is a company that uses assessments, analytics and integrated data to determine a university’s success in terms of an effective mission and education.

“This award, presented by the educational company CampusLabs, is awarded to only a few campuses each year, and we are honored to be among them,” Dyan Jones, Ph.D., associate provost for Institutional Effectiveness, said.

Jones was extremely pleased about receiving this award because it represents a university

focused on its mission and dedication to living it beyond Mercyhurst’s gates.

“Mercyhurst won this award because of our work in assessing mission. As we all know, the Mercy Mission is essential to all that we do here at the Hurst,” Jones said.

The Mercy Mission is integral in all that the students and staff do at Mercyhurst and seeks to foster the values of Catherine McAuley.

The mission statement of Mercyhurst University is as follows: “Consistent with its Catholic identity and Mercy heritage, Mercyhurst University educates women and men in a culture where faith and reason flourish together, where the beauty and power of the liberal arts combine with an appreciation for the dignity of work and a commitment to serving others.

Confident in the strength of its student-faculty bonds, the university community is inspired by the image of students whose choices, in life and work, will enable them to realize the human and spiritual values embedded in

everyday realities and to exercise leadership in service toward a just world.”

In order to receive this award, the values laid out in the statement had to have been seen throughout several facets of campus life.

“Dr. Heidi Hosey and I worked together to design a system to fully integrate mission into the REACH curriculum, and most importantly to measure how our students were acting out the mission,” Jones said.

The Mercy Mission is integrated into the undergraduate population through the curriculum in Introduction to Mercyhurst University (iMU), Beyond the Gates and Senior Capstone Ethics that each provide students with an opportunity to engage the Mercy Mission overtime to share their experiences through a series of reflections.

“We need to be able to demonstrate the ways that students interact and engage with the mission throughout their academic and REACH programs,” Jones said.

Jones was thrilled with how the

students participated in the study and encourages more students at Mercyhurst University to join in to accomplish the big purpose for Mercy Mission.

“It is this method of integration and assessment of mission in the curriculum that truly makes Mercyhurst unique and was the impetus for the Trailblazer Award,” Jones said.

Hosey, Ph.D., dean of Global Programs, also had a hand in the university receiving this award.

Both Jones and Hosey helped to examine students’ growth in adapting the Mercy Mission in their daily lives, utilizing the principles in each of their practices.

Hosey and Jones were pleased to hear that Mercyhurst was recognized for this award because of the focus it puts on the Mercy Mission and to the entire outlook of the university.

“Both Dr. Hosey and I were delighted to win the award,” Jones said. “Not because of the award itself, but rather because of the focus it puts on the Mercy Mission which is dear to the University as a whole and to both of us personally.”

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

NEWS

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16 small businesses This weekend’s to get Beehive boost campus events STUDENT GOVERNMENT

By Delvin Ergott

Staff writer

Mercyhurst University, Gannon University, Penn State Behrend and Edinboro University are continuing their collaborative work in 2019 to increase entrepreneurship in the Erie area through the innovations and specialties of these four colleges.

This year, the Beehive network plans to help even more companies in small business start-ups.

According to Brad Gleason, Ph.D., director for the Center for Information Research Analysis and Training (CIRAT), the Beehive projects are a “huge collaboration unequaled in the area.”

Mercyhurst’s contribution is centered around its intelligence programs capacity for market research.

Just last semester, the group helped seven startup companies adjust their strategies to fit trends within their industries.

The Beehive program began with funding from the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority under a program called “Ignite Erie.” According to Gleason, this was “a special pot of money for the schools to come together to support Erie County entrepreneurship.”

The Beehive plans to help another 16 companies in the next

year. Gleason reached out to four economic nodes in Erie — the City of Erie Economic Development Office, the Idea Fund Erie, Gannon’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Ben Franklin Technology Partners — that he saw as good sources for potential clients. The clients were scored and prioritized through a custom matrix meant to objectively determine which businesses would benefit most from the Beehive project.

Recently, the network received a $1 million grant that will be evenly divided among the four schools. Mercyhurst’s $250,000 is to be dedicated toward 23 market studies, including the seven that were completed this Fall semester. Each team in charge of these projects includes two Mercyhurst students joined by a student from Edinboro, Gannon and Penn State Behrend who are the other universities in the partnership.

So far, the inter-collegiate initiative is running smoothly and helping to keep new, innovative small businesses in Erie. It is also a great opportunity for students to get involved in real-world projects, developing their time management and teamwork skills and allowing them to actually see the results of their work.

“When the final product is briefed to the customer at the

end, they can go back to their business tomorrow and implement what comes with that report,” Gleason said.

Initially, only Mercyhurst and Penn State Behrend were partners, with Gannon and Edinboro University joining more recently.

For three years, Mercyhurst and Penn State Behrend used Quickstarter, a crowdfunding program run by Kristan Wheaton, JDD. The program had a 93 percent success rate.

Quickstarter was sold, but the success of the Beehive model and some dedicated representatives from Gannon and Edinboro led to a broader and more robust partnership that has initiated rebranding as well as new and exciting Beehive network developments.

Gleason wanted to credit the efforts of Beehive partners to include Gannon, Penn State Behrend, and Edinboro.

“The thing I like the most in the larger Beehive is one school takes the lead and in this case its Gannon University and decided to be the applicant and they have been great to work with,” Gleason said. “Having a good partner is half the battle, and Gannon has been a wonderful partner on this. If it weren’t for power of all the university nodes, I think the region would be in a different place than they are.”

Are you a trivia junkie? Come test your knowledge with SAC/MAC this Friday, Feb. 8, at 8 p.m. in the Student Union Great Room.

‘WeatherCheck’ checks out Erie ID

By Erin Almeter Staff writer

Erie weather is known for being one of the most intense in the United States.

This reputation makes it fitting for the weather data analysts at WeatherCheck to become a part of the Erie Innovation District along with eight other companies in July 2018.

WeatherCheck was welcomed to become part of Erie as part of a 10-week Secure Erie Accelerator program.

Originally based in Louisville, Kentucky, WeatherCheck is a small but rapidly growing company. The CEO and co-founder of this business is Demetrius Gray. The CTO and co-founder is Jermaine Watkins.

The hope behind WeatherCheck is to help homeowners recognize weather damage, prepare for it and recognize when to call for help from an insurance company after severe weather.

The Erie Innovation District prides itself on welcoming new

technology companies to Erie as part of its commitment to promoting economic growth and job opportunities to the community. The Erie Innovation District’s website states that it seeks to help replace low-wage jobs with family sustaining jobs, and revitalize downtown Erie.

Mercyhurst University was asked to help lead this initiative in September 2016 when the university received a $4 million grant to work in collaboration with corporate partners.

WeatherCheck will partake in intensive training in and funding from the district. It hopes to become an established presence in Erie over the new few years.

An update given in September 2018 explained that they will be taking big data from forecasts and adding the Realtor spin to it so that every property in the nation can see how their homes have been affected. This helps owners act immediately when damage has been done.

WeatherCheck is focused on sharing data about potentially

dangerous and damaging weather address by address, before the weather even hits the area.

The most recent update on Jan. 8, 2019, shows that WeatherCheck has earned national recognition. Forbes has named WeatherCheck as one of 22 startups to watch in 2019.

Perks of WeatherCheck include seeing data for specific properties that could not be seen before, safety when preparing for bad weather, and saving thousands on repairs.

To see the previous year of potential damage and another year of monitoring, costs $120 per structure.

WeatherCheck automatically lets homeowners know about the damage, but one still has to file a claim with their insurance company. It also assists in providing documentation to support insurance claims.

For more information on WeatherCheck and how to find how your property may have been affected, go to https:// weathercheck.co.

Show off your slick skating skills this Saturday at Erie Bank Sports Park at 10 p.m. with SAC/MAC. Space is limited, so sign up today!

MERCYHURST CAMPUS

CRIME LOG Jan. 27: Harassment, 3900 block of Lewis Avenue.

Jan. 27 : Possession of drug paraphernalia in Baldwin Hall.

Feb. 2: Theft in the Student Union.

Feb. 4: Criminal Mischief on 3900 block of Parade Street.

NEWS

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Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Kristian Biega photo

David Coleman, the “Dating Doctor,” spoke about dating, relationships and love at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center as the second installment of the MSG Speaker Series.

A prescription for dating

By Gillian Mazur Staff writer

On Feb. 4, MSG invited relationship consultant David Coleman, the “Dating Doctor,” to speak about dating, relationships and love at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center as the second installment of the MSG Speaker Series.

Coleman provided an interactive, honest and inclusive environment for his audience as he talked about relationships, intimacy and self-love. Coleman stated that his purpose for giving advice on relationships to the students of Mercyhurst was to impact the lives of the people in the room with his mission.

“Sexuality, gender and relationships are a spectrum, thus it is impossible for me to have experienced every variance in every possible relationship combination,” Coleman said. “My intention is to help you develop the confidence and skill set necessary to command the respect and love you deserve and teach you about healthy relationships to benchmark as well as unhealthy relationships to avoid.”

His goals for the evening were to “give students the mentality

that they deserve to be in a great relationship” and “give students the skill sets to build a better and more healthy relationship.”

Coleman tacked all sorts of questions and issues about relationships in a humorous way.

One of the first pieces of wisdom Coleman offered was that “You won’t find the right person until you’ve become the right person.” He encouraged students to tell themselves that self-doubt and lack of confidence would stop today.

“No one is out of your league unless you’ve convinced yourself that they are, and if you’ve done that, then they already are,” Coleman said. “Successful relationships begin with the proper mindset.”

Throughout the night, Coleman shared his theories on attraction and healthy relationships. He began by explaining the “Hmm Theory,” which is a when one sees another person they find attractive at first sight, causing them to say “Hmm.” People may never have the courage to talk to their “Hmm,” but he encouraged the audience to “be the Fat Penguin” and break the ice.

Another theory he shared was the Puppy Theory of Relation-

Gillian Mazur photo

David Coleman’s dating and relationship advice inspired the 2005 movie “Hitch” starring Will Smith.

ships, which equates relationships and respect to house-training a new puppy. One will metaphorically poop on your floor unless you train them that it is not OK. He used this analogy to explain that it is the person who is least invested in the relationship that is in control, much like the puppy. It is up to the other person to show that the negative behavior is not acceptable for the relation-

ship so they stop doing it.

The audience also received several acronyms for successful relationships such as the ABCs of Initial Interest, T.R.I.P.C. and D.A.T.E. The ABCs stand for Attraction to others, Believability of other’s sincerity, Chemistry, which is all types of attraction except for physical, Desire to know the person and Energy spikeage or drainage. T.R.I.P.C.

lets one know the five aspects to a healthy relationship and D.A.T.E. allows one to “DATE” their way through a bad break up.

Lastly, Coleman shared helpful tips, tricks and signs to look for when discerning whether a relationship is healthy or not. One tip he gave is if someone is attracted to someone, spend one hour of social time with the person because with the wrong person the hour will drag on and on, with the right person, the hour will fly by. If the two people are right for each other, one hour will leave both parties wanting more. He also gave six subtle signs to tell if someone is interested, as well as four major online dating mistakes to avoid. Most importantly, Coleman provided his advice on red flag signs that will most likely lead to an unhealthy relationship.

Coleman is a 14-time honored National Speaker of the Year as well as the only speaker to ever be honored as the National Entertainer of the Year. Coleman has also been featured in People Magazine, the New York Times, CNN and FOX. Among his other achievements, Coleman is also known as the real-life “Dating Doctor” that inspired the 2005 movie “Hitch” starring Will Smith.

SpringFest artist announced!

After David Coleman’s speech on Feb. 4, the 2019 SpringFest artist was announced. Pop artist Jesse McCartney will headline at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on April 26 with special guest DJ Holiday.

McCartney is best known for his 2004 album “Beautiful Soul” and the song “Right Where You Want Me.” His new projects include “Wasted” and “Better With You.” Look for tickets to be released in March!

Kristian Biega photo

Jesse McCartney and DJ Holiday will perform at SpringFest 2019.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

NEWS

PAGE 7

RCR to join MSG Senate

By Kristian Biega News Editor

Last April, Mercyhurst Student Government proposed an integration of RSCO (Recognized Student Clubs and Organizations) into the Senate, giving them more representation in decision-making and in communication with students.

The proposal initially failed, causing push-back from both sides over the issue.

This year, a similar proposal, spearheaded by MSG President Vince Marrazzo, focused on providing RSCO members with seats on Senate. The revised proposal was presented to MSG and passed with overwhelming support.

“We want to holistically transform our ability to do outreach to clubs since there are so many students involved in clubs on campus,” Marrazzo said. “This integration will make that easier, better, more efficient for MSG to serve the interest of the student body.”

The original proposal on April 9 contained several different changes to the constitution as well as the integration of the RSCO Council of Representa-

tives (RCR). This year, the proposal focused only on the question of RCR in Senate, allowing for Senate to vote separately on the other constitutional changes.

“The proposal ultimately failed last year because we had a lot of constitutional changes and we voted on them in one big batch. Some students didn’t like one thing, so they didn’t pass the whole thing,” Marrazzo said.

“That is the main reason it didn’t pass, in my opinion.”

Marrazzo sees great value in having student clubs and organizations formally integrated into the Senate because of the large majority of students that are involved in clubs and organizations on campus.

“In years past, MSG struggled in terms of outreach and getting students interested in giving us their feedback and ideas and concerns,” Marrazzo said. “Since the creation of the RSCO Council of Reps, we have seen drastic increase in level of involvement in terms of involvement in clubs coming to student government.”

According to a recent poll done

by MSG, more than 75 percent of the student body is involved in at least one club on campus, making

them an integral part of student life.

Representatives from clubs could come to MSG with ideas and concerns on an individual level, but there was no formal way for someone to come on behalf of their RSCO to bring up issues to the Senate.

“This will allow more opportunity for clubs to have a voice in what the student government is doing as well as help us allocate our time and resources based on their needs and interests,” Marrazzo said.

Emma Kindschuh, senior hospitality management major and MSG representative for the Walker College of Business, was one of the original members of RCR in 2017 and is still a presiding member on the council. She feels that the collaboration between the two groups will allow for more mutual support “administratively and financially.”

“With the two governing bodies joining, it creates a stronger bond and flow of command as to who students can go to, making communication and action easier,” Kindschuh said.

Some initial concerns about this proposal were that with the new seats being filled by RSCO

Hurst gets ‘It’s On Us’ grant for third year

By Donny Bryant III

Staff writer

For the third year in a row, Mercyhurst University has received the Pennsylvania “It’s On Us” grant to continue the university’s work to help spread awareness and end sexual assault and violence.

It is the only state grant that is dedicated specifically to addressing sexual assault on college campuses.

Gov. Tom Wolf launched the “It’s on Us” grant in a statewide campaign that he created on Jan. 29, 2016.

Wolf invited education leaders and all people of Pennsylvania to play a role in ending sexual violence, building off of the national “It’s On Us” movement.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education website states that the Pennsylvania grant and movement “brings together college and university presidents, superintendents, administrators, teachers, students, families, and community members to reframe the conversation around sexual

violence and pledge to be part of the solution.”

Mercyhurst also has an empowerment and prevention project in collaboration with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, the Erie Police Department, the Crime Victim Center of Erie County and other resources that can aid sexual assault awareness.

The grant provided the school with $300,000 that will help continue the work that Title IX Coordinator, Alice Agnew has helped implement at Mercyhurst.

According to a news release by the university, the money has been used “to engage campus speakers, train employees and hearing boards, issue the campus climate survey and offer the Coaching Boys Into Men program, among others.”

In a news release by the university, Agnew credits the support of grants director Matt Sanfilippo and project manager Ariel Dodick for their work in “implementing the grant elements and encouraging the climate change necessary to reduce

sexual violence on campus.”

Agnew has taken multiple steps on campus to make sure that sexual assault awareness is spread throughout campus.

According to a press release

by Mercyhurst University, one of the steps will be to encourage students to use a new app called “UASK” that will provide students with resources for sexual assault and dating violence protection, reporting and bystander intervention.

Agnew believes that this outlet will be more effective than the Mercyhurst Portal for reporting incidents because of the accessibility of and time spent on cell phones for college students.

Mercyhurst has also begun a new program this year for students called Step-Up. Step-Up will be giving specific training to help prevent sexual violence for the Mercyhurst community.

Students have also expressed interested in creating a student-organized anti-sexual assault club to help raise awareness and empowerment among peers.

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

Representatives, MSG Senators’ seats would decrease from 3 to 2 per class and college.

“Having three representatives per constituency is more of a new concept for MSG and it has not hurt or drastically improved going up to three per constituency in the past few years,” Marrazzo said. “We will have eight new students who represent those clubs, so if anything it is going to diversify the Senate.”

The elections of RCR will remain the same as they will be elected by standing members of RSCOs. Each college and class senator can only be elected by members of the college or class, so this means that election of RCR members in the Senate falls in line with current MSG procedures.

“Those on the RCR have just as many stipulations to become elected representatives as those in MSG, if not more since they must be both in a club and on the executive board of their club in order to run for RCR, so their position is extremely valid and will be nothing but helpful to MSG in connecting with the student population,” Kindschuh said.

Oscar Collazo, senior political science major and member of the

RCR, has been a supporter of the integration since last year’s proposal. He was pleased with the revisions of the proposal and that it passed in the Senate this year. His only regret is that, as a graduating senior, he will not be able to see the changes in action in coming years.

“I think RCR as a part of MSG is important as a tool to reach out to students to say that we care about you and we are working to help you. I hope it will create a better dynamic between everyone on campus,” Collazo said. “I hope that it will increase communication between the student body and MSG and then eventually everyone on campus will know their senators and representatives, start going to more meetings and be more involved.”

Marrazzo and many other members of MSG and RCR are optimistic in moving forward with this change to the Senate.

“My hope is that we start hearing from clubs and what their issues and concerns are and what ideas they have not only for themselves but for MSG to help facilitate. RSCOs will now have a direct link to Senate and executive board will encourage clubs to speak up more.”

SAC/MAC February events Sign up today for a spot on the Peek’n Peak trip or to showcase your special skill at Hurst’s Got Talent

FEATURES

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Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Hurst celebrates Ask Mia legacy of MLK Anyone have a problem that they need help fixing?

Ask for Mia’s advice at: askmia.merciad@gmail.com ******************

Dear Mia, I’ve been having a difficult time after coming back for the spring semester.

Winter break was wonderful and I got to spend some quality time with my friends and family, but now I’m back at school taking 18 credits and have a lot on my plate.

By Paul Cohen Staff writer

On Jan. 21, students and faculty braved the freezing temperatures and marched with other Eriebased groups and politicians in support of Martin Luther King Jr.’s cause for social justice.

The march began in Perry Square and ended at the Martin Luther King Center on Chestnut Street.

Colin Hurley, director of Community Engagement, organized transportation for students wishing to attend. He was very pleased with how it went.

“I would say the annual march for MLK Day was a good opportunity to gather as a diverse community and to be reminded

of MLK’s legacy,” Hurley said.

“That is, working toward justice and peace for all.”

Greg Baker, Ph.D., vice president for Mission at Mercyhurst, also participated in the march.

For him, the march was a sign of hope for the future in Erie’s divided community.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout. I thought the cold weather would keep people from going. I found that the energy surrounding Erie’s new mayor was very hopeful,” Baker said. “The diverse community of Erie has found the new mayor to be very inclusive. It points to a bright future in an area that has a history of bad race relations.”

Indeed, the multitude of people in attendance was a sign of

change in Erie’s community. Few students went, but those who did enjoyed the opportunity, despite the freezing cold.

One such student was Chris Wagler, a junior Forensic Science major.

“I enjoyed it personally. It was really nice to see different groups of people there,” Wagler said.

For those who did not make it to the march, activities also went on in the Student Union.

The march gave everyone an opportunity to express their passion for social justice.

“It was awesome to see so many people from different backgrounds coming to support MLK’s dedication to social justice,” Nate Myers, a junior Education major, said.

Sincerely, Adjusting Back

Dear Adjusting Back, Don’t worry! It may take some time to jump back into college life, but you’ll get the hang of it again.

Taking 18 credits is a lot, but it’s doable. Having a regimented schedule will help you to get into the swing of things.

Make sure to write down all you assignments in a planner and stay organized and on top of your assignments.

Block out chunks of time to study, hang out with friends and some time to yourself.

All three of these things are crucial to staying stress-free for this spring semester!

Sincerely,

Mia

MU students win big in voting district contest

By Rebecca Dunphy

Staff writer

Congratulations are in order for Mercyhurst University students Elise Lashinsky, Sophia Jensen and Logan Ford, who were recognized as division and district winners in the Draw the Lines PA contest.

Draw the Lines PA is a nonpartisan initiative to provide Pennsylvanians with the tools to draw a valid election map. In doing so, they learn about gerrymandering and advocate for a larger voter role in redistricting.

Nearly 100 Mercyhurst students entered the contest and created maps as part of the Political Theory class taught by Joseph Morris, Ph.D. “Before this was an official assignment, we were planning on submitting it just because we found it fun and interesting,” said Jensen.

Fellow classmate and History major Ethan Wagner explained the process by which students divided the districts.

“Using the interactive tool, we were able to go through the state map and click on either whole counties or sometimes very specific communities in order to determine how to split up congressional districts,” Wagner said.

“We attempted to strike the most perfect balance possible between equal population numbers for each district, competitiveness, compactness and continuity, among other factors.”

Wagner realized quite how difficult redistricting can be.

“Oftentimes this took quite a bit

“

If people are elected from unfair districts, the actions of the government may be less representative of the population’s needs and desires.”

Sophia Jensen, junior

of back and forth adjusting and moving individual communities from one congressional district to another in order to meet the equal population requirement,” Wagner said.

Lashinsky, a senior Political Science major, earned first place in the Central Division in the Draw the Lines PA contest, while Ford and Jensen, both junior Political Science and Intelligence Studies majors, won second place for the Western District.

“I certainly didn’t expect to do so well in the competition,” Lashinsky said. “I really just thought it would be a fun learning experience for me, and to do as well as I did was a delightful surprise. It just goes to show that anyone can participate in contests like these and really have an active role in effectuating positive change in the political system.”

All three students will be advancing on to final judging, where they will be competing for statewide prizes, ranging from $2,000 for runner-ups to $4,500 for the champion.

“Making it this far in the competition has been a wonderful sur-

prise,” Jensen said. “It feels great to be recognized for our work, especially because it’s such an important topic.”

Ford shared similar sentiments.

“For me, being recognized for such a meaningful project at this level is a truly an honor and a highlight of my collegiate career, especially because it’s about something I’m passionate about,” he said.

Winners will be announced Feb. 6 in an event in the Rotunda of the State Capital building in Harrisburg.

While winning would be exciting, the students agreed that the most important takeaway from this experience is the recognition of the influence of gerrymandering.

“Gerrymandering is something that affects every aspect of politics, because politics is ‘done’ by the people elected,” Jensen said.

“If people are elected from unfair districts, the actions of the government may be less representative of the population’s needs and desires. On that same note, politics is something that all should care about, especially at a local level, because it does affect all aspects of our lives.”

Ford applauds the competition for its ability to educate the public on this important issue.

“The Draw the Lines Competition made the issue of gerrymandering and the difficulties in overcoming it accessible and understandable to the public,” Ford said. “The biggest takeaway from the competition is just how difficult it is to create a fair, balanced district.”

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

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Jordan Kessler photo

Mercyhurst now has more than 90 RSCOs to cater to the diverse programming needs of the campus population. Almost 50 of them were featured at the fair this year.

Students get involved for Spring

By Jordan Kessler

Staff writer

The Spring Involvement Fair was held in the Student Union Great Room on Jan. 23 and featured more than 50 Recognized Student Clubs and Organizations (RSCOs) that are available to all students.

The strong turnout resulted in the expansion of the fair to the top floor of the Student Union this year, with much involvement despite the freezing weather.

Even Luke the Laker managed to come by to make an appearance.

Some RSCOs featured included Figure Skating Club, MYRACLE, Fashion Council and Colleges Against Cancer.

The Figure Skating Club was represented by sophomore Sports Medicine major Autumn Martin.

Martin said she has a passion for figure skating that started when she was just six years old.

“When I came to college, I knew I wanted to continue to skate, and I hope that’s the case for others, too,” Martin said.

When asked why she was at the fair, she said, “we are recruiting today because one of our co-presidents is leaving and we need more board members.”

The MYRACLE group was represented by sophomore Psychology major Emma Farrell, a newly inducted leader. This club holds retreats in and around the Erie area.

“The retreats are for high school students and current members. I recently went on a retreat and it was a lot of fun. It made me want to become a leader and get involved,” Farrell said.

The Fashion Council was represented by freshman Shannon Gotham, a member of the Executive Council. Gotham is a Fashion Merchandising and Political Science double major.

“Fashion Council is fun and brings people together. I want to give people the same opportunity that the club has given me,” Gotham said.

Colleges Against Cancer was represented by senior History major Paul Cohen. Cohen is the current president and revived the club in August of 2018.

When asked why he was recruiting, Cohen said, “I care very passionately about this club and I’m looking for someone to maintain the club after I graduate.”

In the Great Room, clubs like Cultured Coffee Club, the Martial Arts, Strength, Conditioning and Fitness Club, and Fencing Club were represented.

Cultured Coffee Club is brand new and was represented by president Joel Basenback. Basenback is a sophomore Biology major with a passion for coffee.

“I started this club for the purpose of educating people on different types of coffees throughout the world and what they taste like,” Basenback said.

The Cultured Coffee Club just held its first meeting.

Senior Molly Vonk, an Intelligence Studies major and president of the Martial Arts, Strength, Conditioning and Fitness Club, represented her table.

When asked why she originally joined the club, she said, “I came in my sophomore year of college as a black belt and wanted to help expand the membership of the

club. I want to teach people how to defend themselves.”

Vonk describes the Martial Arts, Strength, Conditioning and Fitness Club as a “melting pot of different art forms” because not all members come from the same background or any background of martial arts.

Lastly, senior Intelligence Studies major Peter Ruhling, vice president of the Fencing Club, encourages people to join his club.

“You don’t need to have any experience.

Our board members teach the basics, and our goal is to pass on our knowledge. We like to emphasize that fencing is an art form and that it teaches respect,” Ruhling said.

Fencing Club meets once a week on different days, so that students with night classes still get the opportunity to learn how to fence.

The Spring Involvement Fair was successful and very busy. Many students came and signed up to try new things. For many students, being a Laker and trying new things is what Mercyhurst is all about.

Student-Trustee Social scheduled

By Rebecca Dunphy

Staff writer

On Feb. 16, some lucky Mercyhurst students will be given a unique opportunity to voice their campus concerns, questions and ideas at the fourth annual Trustee-Student Social.

Organized by Mercyhurst Student Government President Vince Marrazzo, university staff and the Board of Trustees, this event allows for students to have direct contact with those who will ultimately be making the decisions that affect their campus experience.

Marrazzo, who will be attending the event for a third time, describes this as one of his favorite and most memorable experiences as a student.

“The trustees have a true passion for Mercyhurst and want to do everything they can to make the college experience positive,” he said.

The event came to fruition through the efforts of the Student Life and Athletics Committee, a group dedicated to the quality of student life at Mercyhurst.

“The committee charter calls for trustees to periodically meet with students, so we established this student trustee engagement session four years ago, and each year learn more about student needs, interests, reasons why they chose and remain at Mercyhurst and their future goals,” committee chair Lev Kubiak said. “The direct student input we receive helps us shape the work we do to continuously improve Mercyhurst for current and future scholars.”

Board of Trustee members, which range from student parents to alumni and other professionals, come with an arsenal of business, government and nonprofit experience.

Coupled with diverse student perspectives, this allows for a comprehensive view of the Mercyhurst experience.

“Our goal with this event is to ensure that there is at least one student from every area of campus represented, so the trustees have an opportunity to hear from the many diverse student perspectives that are present on our campus,” Marrazzo said.

Students will be able to not only voice their concerns, but also to arrange follow-up conversation to address longer-term problems.

In the past, topics of discussion included maintenance concerns and questions about campus safety.

As a whole, this event serves as a connection between the student population and university leadership in a way that is unique to Mercyhurst.

“I have not heard of another university that provides such an opportunity, and I think it demonstrates how much the Mercyhurst community cares about students,” Kubiak said.

Marrazzo expanded on this sentiment.

“This event shows that our university’s leadership has made an active commitment to bettering the lives of students and provides these individuals with direct feedback to affect positive change on campus,” he said.

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Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Mercyhurst alum to give Irish flair to Roost design

By Carlena Bressanelli Staff writer

This coming semester, we will experience something new on our campus — our own Mercyhurst pub.

Named The Roost, it is set to open this March. Its name references a chicken coop situated behind Zurn Hall during the 1930s that Mother Borgia Egan allowed a group of young women to transform into a campus lounge, where they would be allowed to smoke.

The students redecorated the coop with proper plumbing, a snack bar and a fireplace. That was the beginning of the Student Union.

Fast forward to 2019, and our Student Union is being renovated once again. Alongside the former Laker Inn, the university is in the process of building and designing The Roost.

To help give the new space an Irish flavor and connect it to the roots of Mercyhurst, alumnus and successful Erie restaurateur John Melody is lending his expertise to the project.

Melody is a graduate of Mercyhurst’s Hospitality Management program and a native of Ireland.

The founder and former owner of Molly Brannigan’s Irish Pub in downtown Erie, Melody now owns four U-Pick-6 establish-

Mercyhurst University

Mercyhurst alum and Erie restaurateur John Melody is working with Betsy Frank, director of Executive Office Projects and Events, on the design of Mercyhurst’s new pub, called The Roost.

ments across Erie County.

Melody has been involved in the life of Mercyhurst and the greater Erie area since moving to Mercyhurst in 1986 to play soccer. He has since worked at the university and is now making his

mark in a different way with his designs.

Melody will be choosing a design that reflects the Irish heritage of Hurst and will be adding elements of tartan, plaid and leather for a cozy college atmosphere.

The pub will be open to all guests, but will only serve alcohol to those age 21 and older.

In a press release from the university, President Michael T. Victor explained what he sees as the advantages of the pub.

“I see a number of advantages, foremost among them, student safety. Having a pub on campus could deter students from drinking and driving; reduce the opportunity for drinks to be spiked or drugged, and provide more direct oversight of potentially dangerous behaviors like binge drinking.”

There will be seating for 50 to 60 people inside the pub, with various beers on tap and a full food menu.

“I was hired to design the pub, and it’s going well,” Melody said.

“I’m delighted to be a part of it.

We have been able to incorporate some salvage pieces from Ireland into the design. I’m very excited to watch it develop into the vision that Mercyhurst has, and I’m confident that the unique Irish feel will fit well into campus.”

Melody also said that other unique features of the space will include imported parts on the back bar and the use of Irish décor pieces and stained glass throughout the pub.

MSG President Vincent Marrazzo said that this is going to be a great way for students to meet and hang out in a new location on campus.

“I think it will be a really unique experience for students, something that isn’t offered by other colleges or universities in the area,” Marrazzo said.

Four colleges compete JOIN THE MERCIAD in plastic bag collection

By Gillian Mazur

Staff writer

Whether giving students free reusable tumblers or providing a straightforward recycling system, one thing Mercyhurst University prides itself on is that it is generally known to be a green and sustainable campus.

This semester, Mercyhurst’s Sustainability Office, MSG and the Sustainability Club have partnered with Trex for a special sustainability project.

Trex is the maker of eco-friendly deck supplies and creates benches made out of plastic bags for college campuses.

If Mercyhurst can recycle at least 500 pounds of plastic bags, the university can win a free, eco-friendly bench made out of the bags from the students.

The person behind the exciting new project is Sarah Bennett, Ph.D., who oversees the sustain-

ability efforts of the college.

“In many conversations I’ve had with students, they’ve asked if we could have a plastic bag recycling location on campus since these cannot go in the single-stream bins,” Bennett said. “I was able to find this program that Trex offers and thought it would be a fun way to introduce the campus to plastic bag recycling.”

Freshman Vocal Performance major Abigail Wise is looking forward to the project.

“Everyone on campus goes shopping at one point or another. I think the competition is great because every student ends up with a plethora of plastic bags in their room. This gives the students the opportunity to help the environment, and free up some space in their room,” Wise said.

Additionally, the university knows that students are not shy to competition. The Sustainability Office, MSG and the Sustainability

Club have decided that a fun and friendly competition between the four different colleges is a good way to get more people involved.

The winning college will not only receive bragging rights, but also an engraved plaque with the college name.

When asked about predicting the winner, Bennett was unsure.

“Zurn has the environmental science major, but the Walker bin is located closer to many staff offices, and Hafenmaier and Ridge are really big colleges. I think it will depend on how well we can motivate each college.”

This program will allow students to recycle plastic items that cannot normally be recycled by the mainstream system.

However, for Bennett this is ideally a short-term initiative.

“I’d like to note that recycling these bags is great because it keeps them out of landfills and the environment, but it would be

even better if we could encourage everyone to reduce or eliminate their use of plastic bags by purchasing reusable grocery bags.

That could be a good next step,” Bennett said.

Faculty, staff and students alike are encouraged to participate.

The Hafenmaier College will located on the main floor of Hirt.

The Ridge College will use the location of the first floor of the CAE. Zurn College will use its lobby, and the Walker College will use a space in Old Main.

It is requested that all recycled items be dry and free of dirt, food and other debris.

The items that may be recycled in the special bins include grocery bags, stretch film, bread bags without crumbs, package wrap, dry cleaning bags, bubble wrap and Ziploc bags.

Donations will be accepted through the end of the semester in the spirit of sustainability.

Do you like the content you are seeing in the Merciad?

Would you like to help us out with articles or photographs?

Would you like to earn money for your work?

We are still looking for writers and photographers, and this semester is the perfect time to start!

Join us at our reporters’ meetings on Mondays at 7 p.m. in Hirt 103.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

FEATURES

PAGE 11

Contributed photo

Students on the trip to Greece and Italy enjoyed seeing the ruins of the past and marveling in the complex architectural talents of the ancient civilizations they had studied.

Hurst goes beyond the gates

By Katy Vaccariello

Staff writer

Over winter break, some Mercyhurst students and faculty members spread their cultural wings.

Under the Mercyhurst Study Abroad program, two groups embarked on trips to Europe. One group spent their 11-day journey taking in the ageless beauties of Italy and ancient Greece. The second group spent their nineday trip exploring the history of Ireland.

The Italy and Greece group took off from Buffalo Niagara International Airport to land in the city of Florence. The first activity was a walking tour, followed by a day spent sightseeing. One of the first sites was the Duomo and Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral.

Following the few eventful days in Florence, the group took off on a bus to the capital of Italy, Rome.

They also managed to make a short stop in Tuscany to sample some of the delicacies: chocolate, coffee and wine.

Before the trip to Greece, there was also time for the Colosseum and St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. By the last day in Italy, there were a few important architectural landmarks left to see, including the famous Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.

For tour supervisor Heidi Hosey, Ph.D., dean of Global Programs and Experiential Learning, there was one clear highlight.

In the city of Ostia Antica, the group visited the famous Roman theater ruins.

“We had the site almost to ourselves, and it was a magnificent

sunny day. At the ruins of the theater the students stood on the center stage platform and sang, and the rest of us at the top of the seats listened to incredible acoustics designed and still perfect after nearly 2,000 years,” Hosey said.

After the visit to Italy was completed, it was time to take flight to Athens, Greece. The first stop was Delphi to see the famed Oracle and the ruins of the Temple of Apollo. Soon enough, the group was back to Athens catching a glimpse of the Pantheon. This was followed by a visit to the Temple of Athena Nike and the Olympic Stadium.

The last day was free time, which many took as an opportunity to see the Theatre at Epidaurus, Cape Sounion or the Temple of Poseidon.

Meanwhile, the group that traveled to Ireland began their adventure in Dublin. While in the capital, they took in the picturesque sights and sampled the delightful food and drinks offered by the city.

The Ireland group was given the opportunity to tour an active medium-security prison, Mountjoy, which was an incredible experience for the Criminal Justice students on the trip. It was also a great complement to the courses the students took in preparation for the trip.

Following the day at the prison, the students took the long drive to Northern Ireland for two individual trips. One day was spent experiencing the city in a black cab tour of the Catholic and Protestant murals that divide neighborhoods.

The second day in Northern Ireland was spent on the scenic side

visiting the Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.

The group moved to Galway and western Ireland as their next stops, visiting the 6th century monastery of Clonmacnoise, the Cliffs of Moher and a 13th century castle.

Jordan Kessler, a sophomore Intelligence Studies major, particularly enjoyed these parts. “My favorite memory was visiting the Cliffs of Moher,” Kessler said.

“The scenery was breathtaking and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

At the end of both trips, each individual left Europe with a whole new experience.

Jacob Tretinik, a junior Biology major who traveled to Italy and Greece, had plenty to say.

“The most exciting part about the study abroad experience, regardless of where you go, is the opportunity you have to be exposed first hand to the cultures of the world,” Tretinik said. “Learning about history, traditions and society over all of a country, besides your own, is a humbling act that I am truly blessed to have been a part of for Italy and Greece.”

For Averill Earls, Ph.D., assistant professor of History, the most enjoyable part of the trip to Ireland was “every moment with these students.”

“I think seeing their awe and appreciation for the prehistoric stops – the Causeway, the dolmens and the Cliffs – was pretty special,” Earls said. “And their enthusiasm came through in those Contributed photo moments most, like when they spelled out Mercyhurst with their Some of the highlights of the trip to Ireland were the many castles, bodies at the Giant’s Causeway.” such as this one, that the group got to visit.

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Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Academic centers recognized

By Michael Mongera

Contributing writer

Michael Mongera photo

The Tutoring and Writing Centers are located on the main level of the Hammermill Library and both help and employ students.

Both Mercyhurst main campus and the North East campus have qualified for CRLA Training and certification.

CRLA stands for “College Reading and Learning Association,” a group that trains and equips collegiate professionals such as student tutors with more effective learning strategies to help other students. The program operates like an open forum and allows different colleges to apply their core values within their respective programs.

Back in 2016, the tutoring directors of Mercyhurst submitted their training regimen to the CRLA to have it approved. It was recertified in 2018. Mercyhurst’s training program has been highlighted for its excellence and was drawn out by Writing Center Director Justin Ross and North East Coordinator Jeanette Long.

They were both inspired to help their tutoring staff to achieve the best training and assure that students get the best assistance possible.

Each CRLA training program is customized to the core values and standards of the university. The attainment of CRLA certification adds to the credibility of college academics. The CRLA has also helped to set standards for tutoring and academic practices internationally.

Training has already started for both campuses. Tutors will undergo three two-hour sessions of classroom training and a minimum of four hours of online training.

Long explained the process more thoroughly.

“After these six hours, there is online training available for tutors that can add to what they learned in person. These modules are set up on Blackboard for them. The topics covered during these train-

ings are wide reaching, with everything from adult learning theory and deep processing, to smaller things like how to start and end a tutoring session,” said Long.

“Once (the tutors) have started training, they have to do 25 hours of tutoring. So there is an experiential part of it,” said Ross.

Not only does this program help students tutees, but it also provides structure and leadership skills to tutors.

“For the tutors, it enhances their leadership capabilities. When you’re trained and certified to do something, it boosts your professionalism,” Ross said.

Those who complete the training will be able to train aspiring tutors as well.

The CRLA reflects positively on the programs we have at both Mercyhurst campuses and cements the fact that our tutoring practices are effective. Congratulations to the Tutoring and Writing staff.

International Office welcomes Fischman

By Ruairidh Fraser

Contributing writer

Mercyhurst’s community has welcomed Brooke Fischman as a new International Enrollment Counselor.

She arrives after the departure of Eric Evans from the role and following a rigorous interview process.

In the position Fischman will tackle issues relating to the recruitment of international students to Mercyhurst from around the globe. This means that the main focus of her role will be to identify countries that can be recruited from and then to coordinate the efforts to get students from these communities to choose Mercyhurst.

Fischman is from Buffalo and studied French Literature at the State University of New York in Oswego. After that, Fischman followed her passion for traveling and moved abroad to study at University College Dublin in Ireland, a country which she holds very dearly.

“

Knowing what a special place it is motivated me to work here. ...

I am very happy to be able to call Mercyhurst home.”

Brooke Fischman

Fischman became an avid supporter of the Galway Men’s Hurling Team during her time there and soaked in the local culture.

Fischman has much experience in the international field, having lived in Ireland, France and central Africa.

Before arriving at Hurst, Fischman specialized in J-1 visa programs, student services and translation work.

“Knowing what a special place it is motivated me to work here. After liv-

ing abroad for many years, I am very happy to be able to call Mercyhurst home,” Fischman said.

Having grown up in Buffalo, Fischman had heard about Mercyhurst many times, and when the opportunity to work here arose, she was determined to get the job.

She joins current counselor Angela Phillips.

Fischman said that the possibility of growing the international community at Mercyhurst is one of the things that she is most looking forward to, as well as working with the international students that are already here.

The addition of Fischman to the International Office will give students another resource regarding visas and the difficulties that can come with being a student in a foreign country.

Fischman’s office is located in Contributed photo Egan Hall 203, and her door is always is open. We wish her all the best in Brooke Fischman says that she is most looking forward to getting to know the staff and students at Mercyhurst. her new role in our community.

LAKER MOMENT Students get cuts for cancer

Katy Vaccariello photo

Students who have been growing out their hair in preparation for the Fighting for Folgs event were able to donate it to those suffering with cancer on Jan. 26. The MAC/SAC event, Kickin’ Cancer, allowed students to receive a free haircut in exchange for hair donations to those in need. Kenzie Grenell, a sophomore Sports Medicine major, was one of the students who donated at least 9 inches of hair.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

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Contributed photo

The group of AIM program students with their staff and student chaperones visit the southernmost tip of the continental United States. This successful trip to the Florida Keys will be likely be the first of many to follow for AIM students and others alike.

AIM set sail on winter break

By Katy Vaccariello Staff writer

Over winter break of this school year, there were several fun and exciting trips.

One trip was specifically for AIM program students to go out and expand their horizons offshore.

This trip took the students out on the water learning something new.

As the year changed from 2018 to 2019, six lucky AIM students were sailing on the Lettie G. Howard along the coast of Florida with four student and staff chaperones. The Flagship Niagara crew joined the students for this incredible excursion.

The opportunity was open to all AIM students and is part of the regular opportunities planned by the director of the program, Bradley McGarry. He chooses a variety of vocational experiences to present to the students so they have a variety of experiences during their college life.

This specific vocational experience was influenced by the recently introduced Brig Niagara class taught in May by Ben Scharff, Ph.D., assistant professor of History.

The trip was a partnership with the Flagship Niagara League, which operates the Lettie G. Howard, and is an example of the ways Mercyhurst has been working to increase the number of collaborative programs offered for the students of the school.

Once the group joined the crew on the ship, there was no getting off, except for two land excursions taken when stopping for port calls.

While on the ship, every student on the trip was welcomed into the crew as a fully functioning crew member.

The new crew members were responsible for several important tasks, including standing at the helm to steer the ship, standing lookout overnight, sail handling and hourly boat checks. This last station was the greatest responsibility because they were watching for any water intake that would cause the ship to sink.

The two stops made were in Key West

and Tampa Bay, Florida. There were two other stops that had been planned ahead of time, but the challenge of wind currents slowed the ship down, forcing them to move directly to their end destination.

While stopping in Key West, the students were left to explore on their own and took the time to visit the southernmost point of the continental United States.

For Paul Cohen, a senior History major, Key West held one of the most exciting experiences. He explained his favorite experience was seeing a manatee.

“There was a manatee right next to the dock in Key West. I have never seen a manatee up close in person before,” Cohen said.

Scharff found the funniest moment to be getting the manatee to drink from a hose.

After the day was complete, it was back on the ship to continue sailing. The ship moved to the second port of call in Tampa Bay, specifically St. Petersburg. The two major visits there were the Siesta Keys and the Ringling Museum.

Collin Davis, a sophomore Hospitality Management major, explained that his highlight of the trip occurred here.

“One of my favorite parts of the trip was going to Siesta Key Beach, the number one in the United States, and always seeing the sunrise in the morning when I was not asleep.”

After this last exciting port call came to a close, it was time to drive off to the airport and start the journey home.

In the end, every person walked away with incredible memories and newly developed skills.

When asked about his favorite memory, Scharff said, “For me, the best part was watching the students get on board completely uninformed and by the end being totally involved and newly skilled after the new experience.”

After the success of this trip, the hope of the school is to introduce more sailing programs. One idea is an alternative spring break trip for hurricane relief, using a ship to sail students directly to the areas unreachable by road transportation.

Contributed photo

While it may have been windy onboard the Lettie G. Howard, students were lucky enough to get a break from the Erie winter at each of their port calls in Florida.

Contributed photo

Seeing a manatee was a favorite memory for several participants on the sailing trip.

PAGE 14

FEATURES

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Alumna gets creative RSCO FEATURE: for children’s book Hurst Bowling CluB

By Gillian Mazur

By Marina Boyle

Staff writer

Features editor

One of the newest clubs on campus is the Hurst Bowling Club Started this semester by current club president Andrew Dulya, the Bowling Club hopes to add to the social sphere of Mercyhurst with another noncompetitive athletic outlet.

Dulya is an MSG senator and freshman Biochemistry major.

“The purpose of Hurst Bowling Club is to give students the opportunity to get off campus and bowl in a semi-competitive nature and improve people’s bowling skills. People should join Hurst Bowling Club because it’s one of the few clubs that enables students to get off campus and socialize,” Dulya said.

The other officers include vice president Genevieve Burgess and treasurer Hailey Wilson. The club’s faculty adviser is Chris Lewand, assistant director of Residence Life, who bowled in high school.

The club currently plans to meet every other week in order to grow attendance and adjust accordingly.

“I’m really excited to start bowling and see how many people want to show up,” Burgess said. “At the Spring Involvement fair, we got over 35 signatures.”

“The level of interest shows that we could be a really good club. We got a good mix of people who signed up from all of the classes,” Dulya said.

Currently the club has a carpool sign up for those who are willing to volunteer to drive members.

Students also have the option of providing their own transportation.

When asked why he wanted to start the club, Dulya said, “As an MSG senate member, people said there weren’t enough clubs that met regularly throughout the week. One day I went bowling with some friends and said, ‘Wow this could be fun.’”

As of now, the club plans on putting four people to one lane to see how many they will need in the future.

Rather than focusing on specific or competitive teams, the club will focus on the social aspect of bowling together.

When asked about their bowling skills, the board members showed that having a good time is higher on the agenda than having a good game.

“I wouldn’t say good, but I wouldn’t say terrible. For people who aren’t good, there is still a place for them in this club because we can get bumpers. We started this club more for the social atmosphere,” Dulya said.

With regard to her bowling skill, Burgess felt the same way.

“It depends on the game. I can play a really bad game and then turn around and play a really good one afterward. I’m not the best bowler, but it’s fun.

I like bowling, and Andrew told me that he needed help with the club, so I volunteered. I want to get more involved with more groups, clubs and events on campus. I figured this would be a good way to start doing that,” Burgess said.

For those interested, the club will be bowling at 9 p.m.. each week at Eastway Lanes in Harborcreek Township, about a 10-minute drive from campus.

To go bowling, signups are on the club’s Google Doc on the Tuesday before each meeting. Elections for the club’s officers for the Fall semester will be held in April.

The cost will be $7 each night, which includes shoe rental and three games of bowling. Every once in a while, the club plans on providing pizza.

For more information on joining the club, contact club president Andrew Dulya at adulya10@lakers. mercyhurst.edu.

Mercyhurst alumna Kristin Pierce has gained recognition this winter with the release of her newest book, “Mayva O’Meere, Creationeer.”

Pierce is a 2008 graduate who majored in Sports Medicine and played volleyball at Mercyhurst.

Following her education, she worked for some years in less creative fields, but ultimately found a passion for writing that stemmed from her time as a Laker.

Pierce is a self-awareness educator whose mission is to empower others. Her life has included many triumphs, including a battle against ovarian cancer during her time at Mercyhurst in 2007. “Mayva O’Meere, Creationeer” is her second book for children, following the release of “Your Inner Compass That Could” in early 2018.

Pierce credits Mercyhurst for influencing her writing with its liberal arts curriculum.

“I was actually a Sports Medicine major at Mercyhurst, which was an integral part of my journey to where I am today,” Pierce said.

“However, it was the required core classes at Mercyhurst which have influenced my writing the most, as these classes expanded my understanding of the world in general in many different facets.”

“Mayva O’Meere, Creationeer” is a story of self-discovery that focuses on a creative mind and imaginative thinking. In particular, Pierce remembered her Art Appreciation class at the Hurst as inspiration for this book.

“When I first began writing “Mayva O’Meere, Creationeer,” I had the idea to add Starry Night into the text. My daughter who, as a toddler, finger painted with yogurt all over her high chair tray and told us she was painting a starry night,” Pierce said.

“In the process of creationeering this book, my love of art history was reignited. In particular, the Art Appreciation class I attended at Mercyhurst had a significant impact. Despite having

Contributed photo

“Mayva O’Meere, Creationeer” follows the story of a young girl with a big imagination and an insatiable desire to create.

to memorize and regurgitate titles, artists and eras about more artwork that my brain could retain, I was in complete awe of the minds of these artists. It was this fascination that led me to add a historic art element to ‘Mayva O’Meere, Creationeer.’”

The book contains 19 historic art references within the illustrations of the picture book. There is also a creative art reference guide which gives children information about each work of art.

The story’s initial release was on Nov. 13. It is a 44-page story recommended for children ages 4 to 8.

Pierce said that she is most excited about the skills the book can nurture in children’s development and how it can encourage children to think outside the box.

“I am most excited to share the power of creativity with children in a way that inspires them to follow their dreams,” Pierce said.

“Creativity is a potent gift that we all possess and one which is often undervalued. It is my hope that the book will empower parents and children alike to exercise their creative muscles and pursue their passions.”

When asked about advice for current students considering pursuing writing, Pierce had lots of inspiration to provide.

“My best advice is to write about what you are passionate about. Write about what lights up your face and makes you so excited that you can’t stop talking about it,” Pierce said.

In addition, Pierce encouraged all students to never underestimate the power of editing and to appreciate every class they take.

“Remember that no learning or education is ever wasted, even if you think you’re being forced to take a class. See everything as an opportunity to learn, gain perspective and grow. You can always change your mind, redefine yourself and try something new,” she said.

Pierce lives in Saskatchewan, Canada, with her husband, two children and their dog. She is now working on future projects and continuing to inspire others.

For all those interested in checking it out, her book can be found on Amazon or Barnes & Noble online as the perfect gift and educational tool for any inquisitive child.

FOLLOW US! Twitter: @TheMerciad Instagram: @mumerciad Facebook: The Merciad

Tag us in your newsworthy Hurst moments!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

PAGE 15

Surprise party for Hunter

By Megan Lay

Staff writer

During the afternoon of Jan. 18, around 25 alumni of the Mercyhurst Dance department snuck into the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center dressing rooms.

Their objective: surprise the soon-retiring Tauna Hunter, professor and former chair of the Dance department for 24 years.

Hunter will be retiring this spring after accompanying a group of Dance majors to Ireland during Mini 4.

Alumni from around the country traveled into a snowy Erie to surprise their favorite mentor by arriving in time to take a ballet class.

On Saturday, everyone ate brunch in the Grotto Commons, and participated in a cocktail hour and dinner on the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts stage.

Around 30 alumni attended the dinner to celebrate the impact that Hunter has had on the dance community during her time at Mercyhurst.

During the event, Hunter was lauded for her accomplishments at Mercyhurst and awarded her name on a PAC chair next to her husband and retired Dance professor, Michael Gleason.

UPCOMING EVENTS Feb. 7-10 in TLT: Six By Tenn Feb. 8 @ 8 p.m. in PAC: Tri-State Band Festival Feb. 9 @ 2 p.m. in PAC: Honor Band Concert Feb. 11 in CAG: Sophomore Review Feb. 13 @ 8 p.m. in WRH: Kathy Soroka Faculty Recital

Contributed photo

Current and former Mercyhurst dancers pose with Tauna Hunter on the PAC stage.

Furthermore, an endowed scholarship fund has been created in Hunter’s name to eventually empower even more women in the field of dance and arts management.

Throughout the weekend, sup-

port flowed all over Facebook and social media as alumni who could not be physically present sent kind words Hunter’s way.

Hunter said, “I’m a very grateful woman to have had a blessed journey with so many amazing

students/alumni who have delighted me this weekend with their presence.

“I give thanks every day for having each and every one of them as a part of my journey. Thank you all for your love and support.”

CHECK OUT THESE MERCYHURST UNIVERSITY MUSIC ENSEMBLES!

Feb. 17 @ 4 p.m. in PAC: Wind Ensemble Feb. 23 @ 7 p.m. in TLT: Jazz Ensemble Feb. 25 in CAG: Patricia S. Yahn ’50 Juried Student Art Show Mar. 13 @ 8 p.m. in WRH: Hilary Philipp Faculty Recital Mar. 28-31 in TLT: “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” Mar. 30 @ 1 p.m. in WRH: Lacey Shumake, Voice, Senior Recital Mar. 31 @ 1 p.m. in WRH: Elizabeth Rathburn, Oboe, Senior Recital

Mercyhurst Civic Orchestra

Mercyhurst Jazz Ensemble

April 2 in CAG: 2019 Senior Art Thesis Exhibition April 5-7 in PAC: Raw Edges XXI April 10 @ 8 p.m. in WRH: Scott Meier Faculty Recital April 26-28 in PAC: D’Angelo Opera Theatre “Don Pasquale”

Mercyhurst Concert Choir

Mercyhurst Wind Ensemble

PAGE 16

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, February 6, 2018

Competition winners announced

By Jenny Sabliov

Staff writer

On Dec. 2, 2018, the Mercyhurst Civic Orchestra hosted its third annual Concerto/Aria Competition.

Two winners were announced — Hannah Byard, violin, and Maria Dombrowski, voice.

Byard is a homeschooled high school senior.

The winner of the high school division of the Concerto/Aria Competition, she will perform French composer Camille SaintSaëns’ Introduction et Rondo capriccioso, Op. 28, alongside the Mercyhurst Civic Orchestra.

“I picked this piece because I found its beautiful and fiery character very appealing and I’ve been wanting to do it for the last several years, ever since I heard it,” Byard said..

Byard began playing the violin at the age of 5 and has played for 12 years.

She has been taught through the Suzuki method, a style of teaching that reformed classical music instruction through its be-

lief that everyone can become a musician through practice, not just those who are naturally talented.

Her past teachers were Sue Tillotson and Joe Kneer, D.M.A. She now studies with James Reinarz.

Even though Byard has been playing the violin for over a decade, she is still undecided with what she wants to do once she graduates.

“I love music, enjoy playing, and will continue to play for my entire life, but I may not study music in college as it may then become a job/duty instead of something I enjoy,” Byard said.

This was Byard’s first time auditioning for the Mercyhurst Civic Orchestra Concerto/Aria competition.

Her preparations for her solo performance with the orchestra are similar to her preparation for the upcoming concert as a member of the ensemble.

“I am practicing and listening to as many different performers as I can,” Byard said.

Her favorite performer is Jin-

joo Cho, who has performed at Mercyhurst in the past for the D’ Angelo Department of Music’s Roche Guest Artist series.

According to Byard, “people should come to this concert as it has many very different and beautiful styles of pieces which are not often performed.”

The second winner is Dombrowski, a senior contract major, who will sing two arias from operas by Mozart.

One of these is the well known “Der Hölle Rache” from “Die Zauberflöte” or “The Magic Flute.”

This aria is sung by the Queen of the Night and is a coloratura soprano aria, a style that features a wide range of notes, flexibility and agility.

Dombrowski was unavailable to comment on the upcoming concert.

The concert will take place on March 17 at 4 p.m. in the Mary D’ Angelo Performing Arts Center. The ticket prices are $5 for adults, and $2 for faculty, staff, students and youth 12 and under.

Contributed photo

Violinist Hannah Byard won the high school division of the competition.

Williams’ one-act plays on display Sophomore juries PREVIEW

By Gabrielle Bejarano

Staff writer

Those on campus who have enthusiasm for theater will have the chance to experience a special showcase of the Mercyhurst Theatre program’s Tennessee Williams One-Acts Feb. 7-10.

This festival features six one-act plays by the American playwright Williams, which will be performed in sets of three on alternate days.

“This Property is Condemned,” “I Can’t Imagine Tomorrow” and “The Case of the Crushed Petunias” will be performed on Feb. 7 and Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

“Hello from Bertha,” “Lord Byron’s Love Letter” and “Autoda-Fé” will be performed on Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 10 at 2 p.m.

The one-acts will be performed in Taylor Little Theatre and will feature the talents and expertise of six student directors: Alexis Webb, Monica Tinsley, Jacob Tretinik, Abby Whitman, Tessa Sayre and Elizabeth Shewan.

The students have been working hard to bring the spirit of Tennessee Williams alive with the assistance of the Theater program’s director, Brett Johnson, Ph.D., who has been actively supervising the upcoming production.

The process, although exciting, has been deliberate.

Whitman, a junior Music Therapy major who is directing “Hello from Bertha,” said that it has “been an incredibly positive experience to direct (her) one act play.”

She said that she is “so thankful for the opportunity to direct a work of Tennessee Williams, one of America’s greatest playwrights.”

Senior Dance and Public Health major Nina Hollopeter, who plays the Matron in “Lord Byron’s Love Letter,” said, “Williams’ work is distinctive and there are plenty of little details and meanings behind certain things that seem miniscule in nature but actually have a deeper meaning.”

The cast of the Tennessee Williams one-acts is composed of 18 Mercyhurst students, a colorful assortment of varied majors and years, unified for the purpose of theater.

Mark the dates in your calendars and come support the Mercyhurst Theater Program Feb. 7-10 in Taylor Little Theatre.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for Mercyhurst students with their I.D. You will need to come to two performances to see all six one-act plays.

showcase student art

By Jillian Marcellin

Staff writer

As Spring semester begins to pick up, many Mercyhurst departments are preparing for Sophomore Review.

The sophomores in the Art Department have been gathering some of their best works to be reviewed by a committee of Art Department faculty.

The sophomore review uses an advising process where sophomores are able to present eight to 10 examples from their portfolio.

As the students prepare for the show, they are looking at all of the past works they have created while at Mercyhurst.

Each student hangs their work in the Cummings Art Gallery in whatever arrangement they chose, allowing them to demonstrate their ability to organize a presentation.

Every year, students gather their work and put together their presentations on their own.

One of the rules about the show is that they are not allowed to ask the faculty for help.

Like the arts?

How about writing?

The Cummings Art Gallery will open during daily hours so all Art majors and the public can view these student displays.

The students are expected to give an oral presentation that includes describing their selection of art work using the vocabulary of art including processes, materials and techniques as well as design concerns such as the use of elements and the principles of design.

This gives them the opportunity to get feedback from the faculty at the review.

Students receive both an oral review by the faculty board the evening of their review and a written summary from those faculty members.

This helps the students understand the strengths and weakness with their works so they can grow as artists.

The review aims to help the students generate ideas about their future goals and plans.

Thomas Hubert, one of the Art Department faculty, explained that the show is “always a surprise and a fresh experience for us to view.”

This year there are 18 students from the Studio Art, Graphic Design, and Art Therapy and Art Education Departments participating in the sophomore review show.

Aubrey Dietzel, sophomore Graphic Design major, said that the students are enjoying “having the opportunity to put our work we have done over the past two years in the gallery.”

Hannah McCall, Graphic Design major with a Photography minor, explained: “I’m not really nervous. I feel like the Art Department prepared well with my photography and design class.”

This is an important opportunity for these students.

The student sophomore review show is open Feb. 11-15 in the Cummings Arts Gallery in the lobby of the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center.

The Cummings Art Gallery is open Mondays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, contact gallery director Jessica Stadtmueller at 814-824-2092 or jstadtmueller@mercyhurst.edu.

Maybe you should write for the A&E section!

Join us at our reporters’ meetings Mondays at 7 p.m. in Hirt 103, or email us at artsmerciad@gmail.com.

Wednesday, February 6, 2018

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 17

Songs of love for Valentine’s Day

By Jenny Sabliov Staff writer

On Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. in Walker Recital Hall, just in time for Valentine’s Day, Katherine Soroka, mezzo soprano adjunct voice faculty, will present a recital full of love songs in six different languages.

According to the Post Gazette, her singing has been acclaimed as “masterful” and with “heartfelt vocalism.”

As a proponent of contemporary music, she has performed at a variety of festivals, concert halls and universities.

She has performed an extensive range of repertoire over the years, including performing with a variety of orchestras.

Soroka has also worked in the senior management of the New York Philharmonic as well as in a variety of other administrative positions.

One of her most recent performances was as Baba in “The Medium” this past Halloween, hosted by the D’Angelo Opera Theatre.

The works on her recital hail from 15 different composers and span over three centuries.

Soroka considers this recital “an old-fashioned recital” consisting of art songs that honor the power of communication through poetry and music in miniature.

“Without fanfare and costumes, in three minutes of music the art song creates an entire world with four elements: poet, composer, singer and accompanist,” Soroka said.

Contributed photo

Katherine Soroka will perform Feb. 13, accompanied on some songs by pianist Nathan Carterette.

For this recital, Soroka draws on her early inspirations of internationally renowned singers from the Columbia Artists Community Concert Series who would perform art song recitals on the stage of her high school gymnasium in North Dakota.

She fell in love with the art form through this series.

While she enjoyed popular music and the bands of the day, she fell in love with poetry set to music by classical composers.

Soroka and Nathan Carterette,

piano, will open the recital with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s concert aria “Chi’io mi scordi di te,” which is a dual concerto for voice and piano that premiered with Mozart himself on piano.

Following this piece will be “Élégie” by Jules Massenet, with cellist Kellen Degnan, instructor of cello, accompanying Soroka.

Carterette will accompany Soroka on Georges Bizet’s “Adieux L’Hotesse du arabe,” Maurice Ravel’s “Nicolette” and Francis Poulenc’s “Violon.”

Soroka’s performance of Ravel’s “Kaddisch” will be in honor those who died in the Tree of Life tragedy in Pittsburgh, which deeply affected her.

Following this, Carterette will give a solo performance of “L’isle Joyeuse” by Claude Debussy before the recital pauses for a brief intermission.

After the intermission, Soroka and Carterette will perform four of the five songs from the fivesong cycle from “Rückert Lieder”

by Gustav Mahler.

Mahler wrote this song cycle of five Lieders (a type of German romantic era songs) based on poems written by Friedrich Ruckert.

Following the work by Mahler, Jonathan Moser, violin, will join the duo for “O Cease thy singing”

by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Soroka and Carterette will resume their duet with Nikolai Medtner’s “Night Song.”

Visiting artist Mark DuBois, English horn, from the State University of New York at Fredonia, will join them to perform the “Wedding Song” by Judith Shatin, which is based on Marlowe’s “A Passionate Shepherd.”

The final four songs were chosen due to Soroka’s fondness for cabaret and musical theatre. They are: “This house” by Leonard Bernstein, “My Funny Valentine,”

by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, “Hello Young Lovers” by Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and “I Carry Your Heart” by Kesselman.

This is not the first collaboration between Soroka and Carterette.

They began collaborating in Pittsburgh, performing Johannes Brahms and then an all-Mahler concert and solo art song recital including songs by Medtner, with “fiendishly difficult” accompaniments.

“He is a consummate colorist at the piano and loves the song literature. With Nathan, any repertoire is possible,” Soroka said.

This recital will last a little over an hour including intermission.

It is free and open to the public.

Crowd goes wild for PMJ Twenties 2.0

By Gillian Mazur

Staff writer

On Jan. 29, the Mercyhurst Institute for Arts and Culture hosted Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, widely known as PMJ. Racking up over 1 billion views on YouTube and 1 million subscribers, this band is known for converting modern pop music into older genres such as swing and jazz.

The musicians were greeted with a warm welcome from the full house at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center.

This concert, in particular, was Postmodern Jukebox’s “Welcome to The Twenties 2.0” tour and lasted for around two hours with a brief intermission.

The musicians performed over a dozen songs throughout the course of the evening.

At the concert, attendees were able to experience it all.

From renditions of classics such as Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” to tap dances of Nintendo’s “Super Mario Bros” theme songs, they performed a variety of pieces in many different styles.

Postmodern Jukebox started

right out of the gate with vocalist and emcee Michael Cunio singing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

After a song or two, Cunio made sure to recognize the backbone of PMJ, the band, which consisted of Corey King (trombone), AJ Kluth (clarinet and saxophone), Tom Jorgensen (drums), Adam Kubota (bass), Mike Chisnall (guitar) and Logan Evan Thomas (piano).

Spectators watched and heard the spectacular rhythms created by tap dancer Matt Shields throughout the evening.

The audience was also blessed to hear the silken tones of vocalists David Simmons Jr., Dani Armstrong and Robyn Adele Anderson, in addition to Cunio.

While all of the songs performed by PMJ online are all incredible in their own right, the songs chosen for the Twenties 2.0 tour were perfect for the audiences’ collective age.

A few crowd favorites included renditions of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass,” Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” and OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” The audience also was dazzled with over a dozen outfit changes between songs.

Many of the songs performed

Photo by Gillian Mazur

Postmodern Jukebox’s concert featured many costume changes.

by PMJ had to do with love and its ups and downs, such as The Chainsmokers’ “Don’t Let Me Down,” George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” and Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.”

Cunio said, “So thank God for

music right? Because there’s nothing else in the world that can help us process the hurt and the tough times quite like a beautiful song.”

A very interactive experience, throughout different points in the evening the audience was encour-

aged to snap photos, clap, sing and even dance along.

Near the end of the concert, Cunio gave a bit of a history lesson by stating the parallels between the times before the 1920s to now.

“Hear me out, see the decade prior to 1920 was one marked by economic chaos, social upheaval, war, conflict. ... I know, sounds familiar right? But without those events, the flourishing of great ideas, art and songs that came to define the 1920s may never have happened. So our message to you is as we collectively enter the 20s 2.0 appropriately comes from the title of the 1920 hit song, ‘Look for the Silver Lining’ because if history does repeat itself we know that the clouds of conflict, negativity, fear, that have characterized our past few years will gradually roll away and our country — right, left and center — will come together, ushering in the future doing what we do best. Dancing to hot jazz, and drinking bootleg gin, baby.”

Postmodern Jukebox finished off the concert with an encore of “What is Love” by Haddaway and asked the audience to take one big group selfie.

OPINION

PAGE 18

GOOD This is the first edition of the Merciad in 2019!

On setting goals for the new year

By Marina

Boyle

Features Editor

BAD We have no days off all February.

WEIRD Mercyhurst closed last week for two days due to the cold — and as a result, the Merciad delayed publication a week! That means this week is a mega edition. Enjoy!

The Merciad Editors Lauren Abbott Meghan Maker Kristian Biega Marina Boyle Bernard Garwig Lauren Ganger Anthony Miller Maria Williams Megan Stubbs Kristin Bowers

Positions Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Features Editor Sports Editor A&E Editor Opinion Editor Copy Editor Ad Manager Adviser

@mercyhurst.edu editormerciad editormerciad newsmerciad featuremerciad sportsmerciad entertainmentmerciad opinionmerciad copymerciad admerciad kbowers

The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst University. It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of finals weeks. Our office is in Hirt, Room 110. Our phone number is (814) 824-2376.

The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the letters for content, we reserve the right to trim letters to fit. Letters are due Mondays by noon and may not be more than 300 words. Submit letters to box PH 485 or via email at opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

New year, new me?

New year, same me.

I am a true skeptic when it comes to New Year’s resolutions.

Most people make them fervently or see them as the best way to start a new year.

It’s not that I don’t get it or see the point; it’s the fact that I think they don’t work.

By the time you read this article, most of you will have forgotten your resolutions, abandoned them or given up altogether.

Most of us start the year with a lofty goal in mind and end up disliking ourselves when our resolve slips.

I feel it is so much healthier to go into a new year with a mindset of progress, not perfection.

We often need to coax ourselves into changing longstanding habits and do this in a kind way that doesn’t uproot us from our established day-to-day normal lives.

Resolutions ask too much of us because they come at one of the

most difficult times of the year.

The timing is all wrong in terms of the weather.

The worst time to establish a resolution is when the weather around you will be pushing you to break it.

We are often far too vague in planning how we will achieve the goal we have set for ourselves.

On top of that, many New Year’s resolutions have no clear endpoint.

One reason that something like Lent tends to work better for people is that their goals are normally more clear.

An example of this would be having a goal like, “no chocolate for 40 days” rather than a more general, less specific goal like “lose weight.”

Having a time limit on my restrictions and knowing when I will be rewarded has always worked better.

For example, most people find it much easier to stick to Dry January than to take on the broad, vague challenge of “drink less this year.”

Resolutions such as these are particularly problematic because less is subjective.

Less than what?

Less than last weekend or than all of your friends combined?

Most people need a lot of structure so that they can carry out something specific over a period of weeks to make it a developed habit.

On top of that, I think that most New Year’s resolutions tend to fail because the goals are set to be done alone.

Going it alone doesn’t help you.

A goal is so much easier to stick to if you have someone in it with you.

Most of us require accountability to get something done day after day.

Unfortunately, we usually do not have someone checking up on us.

In reality, life is really about attitude.

We need to want to do something enough to make it happen, be it in January or July.

For the people who have made resolutions and stuck to them, I salute you. I admire your drive.

I hope we can all find satisfaction in the experience of bettering ourselves throughout all points of the year rather than just focusing on a single towering goal of 2019.

To the next semester

Even though the cold, snowy weather makes it difficult to leave my apartment and go to Klein class, I find it easier to focus Staff writer on homework when I am not distracted by nice weather.

Heading into the spring, I’m Weather like this encourages glad my first semester is finally me to stay inside and get my over! work done.

Even though the weather is This is contrasted by fall cold and snowy for all but a few semester, when there’s nice weeks during this semester, I weather until at least early don’t mind because I know it November. won’t last forever.

Another perk of the spring I always prefer the spring semester is that it is slightly semester because it feels like shorter than the fall.

I’m on a downward slope and Even though it is not summer is right around the significant, we have frequent corner. breaks such as Martin Luther Also, it always takes me a bit King Jr. Day, Spring Break and of time to get used to the new Easter Break. academic year, so a few months These breaks help to make the in I have had a chance to get semester fly by, and it keeps me settled into my yearly routine. from feeling too overwhelmed by I’m also much more class and homework. comfortable living with If I’m ever being crushed by roommates. work, it comforts me to think My roommates and I have that I’m not too far away from gotten used to living with one another break. another.

I always know that if I just On top of that, I am also fight through a few more weeks comfortable with my extraof work, I can get to the next curricular routine, which involves resting spot. things like writing for The To me it feels as though fall Merciad. semester drags on longer than

By Sarah

the spring, in large part because we have more time in between breaks.

Looking forward to the next semester, I’m also excited for some of the big changes and events that are coming to campus.

This semester I am looking forward to the new pub and the renovated Laker Inn being opened.

I am also excited about the upcoming Spring Fest and the return of trips to Presque Isle with my friends!

I know that once I am done with this semester, I will officially be halfway done with college.

It is certainly a huge relief knowing that I only have a few more months instead of two semesters.

All in all, I would say that I prefer spring semester in large part because I am closer to the yearly finish line.

I can always look ahead and know that summer is coming just around the corner.

That’s true, even if I’m being absolutely drowned in work.

I can’t wait to see what the sprint to this year’s finish line brings!

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 opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

OPINION

PAGE 19

Travel abroad HURST STUDENTS is enlightening SPEAK UP Additionally, Grafton Street, the shopping district in Dublin,

By Jordan was my next favorite.

Kessler It reminded me of a smaller Contributing writer Manhattan shopping area in New York City.

Grafton Street had more of I often hear students ask if the high-end stores like Louis taking a trip abroad is worth it.

I can safely say that it’s one of Vuitton, Swarovski, Michael Kors and other retailers. the best things that a student at Another thing that I loved was Mercyhurst can do. that we went just after the holiday This past winter break, I went on the trip of a lifetime to Ireland. season, which meant that the city’s holiday lights were still up I went with 17 other students and glowing. and two staff members, Dr. Each of the main streets had Averill Earls of the History lighted designs hanging across Department and Dr. Emmaleigh the streets in between buildings.

Kirchner of the Criminal Justice The gorgeous visuals made Department. walking through the city so much Our trip started in Dublin, more enjoyable. went on to Belfast and then Also, at nearly every corner, ended in Galway. there was a singer, and although I think my favorite city out of they were singing and playing the three was Dublin.

We spent most of our trip here their music for money, it made the experience so much more and did so much sightseeing.

My favorite place we visited in real.

Hearing the music playing Dublin was the legendary Trinity while we walked under the lights College. at night was so cool.

Trinity is a sight to see and if After Dublin, we spent two you are interested in books, it is days in Belfast, Northern Ireland. definitely the place to be.

There, we did a little bit more The library is so mesmerizing. sightseeing.

It has books upon shelves that I realized that Belfast is still reach from the floor to the nearly segregated in certain parts 30-foot ceiling.

The books are not available to because of religion.

I won’t say anything more look at or to touch, but that was in case you want to visit for fine with me. yourself.

Just being able to look at the After Belfast, we went on our incredible amount of history way to Galway. in front of me was more than This was one of my favorite enough.

places for seeing the sights, because just two hours away was the Cliffs of Moher.

If I had only just one word to describe it, it would be breathtaking.

Not only was it amazing because of the cold and the wind, which actually wasn’t too bad that day, but because it is something that I had not seen before.

The way the waves crashed against the cliffside was so majestic.

Also, for the Harry Potter fans reading this, the start of Harry’s journey looking for horcruxes with Dumbledore was in the side of a cliff.

Well, we got to see that famous cliff from a distance because it was a part of the Cliffs of Moher.

It was something that I didn’t realize until we had gotten there but I realized that I could not think of much else while I was there.

Overall though, I would say this trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I would love to do it again.

I personally would highly recommend this trip to all students, even if it isn’t in a study abroad program.

Seeing the sights and being able to go somewhere completely different was a perfect getaway from the stress of school right before the new semester started up.

We asked the students: What is your favorite winter drink?

Brenna Nelson, senior Marketing Major : “My favorite winter drink is a cinnamon almond milk latte.”

Tricia Schullick, junior Graphic Design Major : “My favorite winter drink is a coconut milk vanilla latte.”

Brenden Jackett, sophomore Intelligence Major : “My favorite winter drink is a peppermint mocha. ”

Ethan Wagner, sophomore History Major : “My favorite winter drink is hot chocolate.”

Compiled by Sarah Klein

Student shares extensive thoughts on his experiences over winter break

We usually go see a movie that is playing in the theaters or go out for a few drinks somewhere Cohen downtown.

Staff writer When I was not out and about, I was relaxing at home with my Everybody I know loves winter three cats. break.

I rarely get to be with them, It gives us time off from our but when I arrive, they recognize schoolwork, and gives us time to me, even if it takes them a little connect with family and friends while. over great food.

Once they remember me, they In particular, my winter warm up to me and allow me to break experience this year was hold them. wonderful.

Once you feel their soft fur When my last final ended, I set and listen to their purrs, you will off for my hometown, which is never go back. six hours from Erie.

Being with those cats never I arrived at my house late at gets old, especially because I do night, and so began my long not get to see that often. vacation.

Seeing family is another The first half of the vacation blessing, especially my gave me a long time to relax, but grandfather. also have fun.

Every Sunday, my parents drive I spent the second half of him from his home to our house, December catching up with old where we eat brunch. friends, including some who I Every Christmas, my mom’s had not seen in years. side of our family goes over to

By Paul

his house, even though he lives in a retirement home now.

Even though my aunt and uncle live there now, to me, it will always be his house.

There is always a huge dinner with countless desserts.

You’ve never tasted better food, I can promise that.

The desserts seem never ending, and I know that I never want them to end.

Every Christmas, we start the day by opening up our many presents.

When everyone has arrived at my grandfather’s house, we get to open even more.

Eating my favorite food with my cousins is another highlight of my time back home.

Eating good food, meeting old pets, and reconnecting with distant relatives, what’s not to enjoy?

My dad loves to take my cousin and me to an oyster bar, and every time we go, each of us

ends up eating at least 50 massive oysters.

Oysters never get old for me.

They are my favorite meal so I can always eat an infinite number of them.

During my spare time, I visited the local zoo and the many museums.

Many of them are owned by the federal government, but I made sure to visit them all before they got closed during the shutdown.

My parents and my sister got to go to this new restaurant that serves Afghan cuisine.

It is a very popular and beloved restaurant so it is hard to get a reservation.

From what they told me, the food was great.

That was only the first half of my winter break.

The second part of it involved an unforgettable excursion.

I spent the first half of January sailing on a sailboat made in

the 1890s, the great Lettie G. Howard.

This was a trip sponsored by the AIM program.

We sailed from Miami to St. Petersburg, Florida.

We even stopped in Key West for some sightseeing!

While we were sailing, we took turns steering the ship and keeping watch.

While in St. Petersburg, we got to go to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota and the Siesta Key Beach.

The journey was an incredible experience.

Seeing all those different beautiful places and getting to experience the journey was magical.

On the whole, I would say I enjoyed my winter vacation very much.

It gave me a chance to get in touch with my family, along with giving me time off from my schoolwork.

OPINION

PAGE 20

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Student offers thoughts on recent government shutdown Both Democrats and Republicans blamed President

By Donny Trump for the shutdown, calling Bryant it pointless.

Staff writer President Trump is also losing favor with his core constituents because of this blunder.

For approximately 35 days, I do give Trump some credit President Donald Trump shut in that he is persistent and down the government over a financial battle for border security. stubborn, which can be good qualities when you are fighting Around 800,000 federal for something in which you employees all over the United States of America were forced to believe.

But what he and others go to work without pay for the forget when talking about this duration of the shutdown. shutdown is that there are two Keep in mind, some of these sides to every story. employees live paycheck to On one side, they will say paycheck to raise money for their President Trump is holding the families, and to put food on the country hostage and abusing his table. power.

For almost four and a half The other side states that weeks, federal employees Trump is only trying to face repeatedly received checks of down a massive issue that other zero dollars.

Lives were changed and altered, presidents haven’t gone the extra mile for. tempers flared, and catastrophe Some of you might not have seemed to be upon America. family members that were This latest government impacted by the shutdown, but shutdown put America in a I have multiple members of my vulnerable state. family who have been affected by Most of us who don’t have government jobs were sitting on this recent turn of events.

I saw the ways in which their the sidelines, conversing about lives were impacted by this different aspects surrounding shutdown firsthand.

President Trump and his With the shutdown now being administration.

temporarily over, state workers started receiving pay once again in late January.

But I feel that people missed the bigger picture that emerged during this conflict.

A metaphorical war between the two parties regarding border security has risen.

I believe that another shutdown is coming.

President Trump has stated in multiple interviews, even after the partial shutdown ended, that there could be another government shutdown.

As we have seen, any negotiations can be complicated and uneasy if Trump is at the bargaining table.

If he does not feel like something is going his way, then he will continue his stubbornness until he reaches what he feels is a satisfying conclusion to the situation.

This is largely why I think there is another government shutdown on the horizon.

To put it frankly, let’s call this upcoming event Shutdown 2.0.

Before 2.0 arrives, keep in mind that President Trump stated in his first meeting with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi when this mess started, was that

Pats win once again at Super Bowl LIII

By Ruairidh

Fraser

Contributing writer

Well, the Patriots won once again.

In what turned out to be a rather dull affair in what was promised to be a battle between the new and old, Tom Brady and company successfully won another Super Bowl.

The game never really got going, in large part because both teams’ defenses were on top throughout the game.

The difference in the end was one brilliant pass made by Brady to the ever reliable Rob Gronkowski.

This is compared with one massively under-thrown ball from Jared Goff competing in his very first Super bowl that was picked off.

This was just my second Super Bowl experience, having only recently moved to America for college.

It was, needless to say, a strange day.

Normally, fans of sports teams not competing in the final of a competition wouldn’t watch

their rivals, let alone actively root for one of them.

And the game was in sharp contrast to the matchup last year, in which the Eagles came out on top of an incredibly high scoring game.

One thing that I really liked about the game this year was the way the teams matched up between the old experience of Bill Belichick and his trusted methods against the youth of Sean McVay and his third-year quarterback Goff.

This made it a fascinating game between two totally different teams.

The Rams have been one of my favorite teams to watch this year because of the offense that they run and the way that they are able to call so many plays at the line.

However, what the Rams lacked was that bit of knowledge of how to deal with the pressure of competing in the championship game.

While Brady seemed unfazed by his stray passes, it seemed that Goff was rushing more and more as the game went on, trying to unlock the Pats’ defense.

This was a shame to see because the Rams have been

scoring for fun this season, and a high-scoring game is always more entertaining.

As frustrating as it is to say, credit has to be given to the Patriots who have been able to defy the odds this year and the doubts that have surrounded their older generation this year to have come out on top just as it seemed like the older generation were falling away.

Other quarterbacks of the Brady era struggled this year, like Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger, but Brady has so much protection that he was able to continue to make the right plays.

The last thing to talk about in this year’s Super Bowl is the halftime show.

This year, I felt that the show was a little bit confusing and strange.

Apart from the lanterns and the “ONE LOVE” message, it really didn’t impress me a whole lot.

Maroon 5 are really good performers usually, so it was a little disappointing that they tried to fit so much into the short amount of time.

Here is hoping that 2019 is the year of Josh Allen and the Bills!

he would take the mantle and responsibility for the government shutdown.

Once the shutdown had officially started, he repeatedly avoided any responsibility for the mess it put the United States of America in.

Instead, he continually blamed the Democrats, who tried repeatedly to resolve the problem.

One thing that should stand out in this dilemma is that Nancy Pelosi is definitely one tough customer.

She has stood her ground and made her mark assuring the president that she is not a pushover.

When this partial shutdown ended, people questioned what exactly the point of all this chaos actually was.

Let me say first and foremost, I am not blaming the whole government shutdown on the Republicans, nor am I blaming the Democrats.

Let it also be said that the president abruptly rejected a deal on Dec. 19 that would have temporarily averted the shutdown, giving bargainers time to seek a deal for better border security.

I am totally with the Republican party in that there does need to be a better system of border security.

However, a wall is extremely useless.

Our border security system is broken and needs to be a top priority to fix it, but a wall is not the way to do it.

Immigrants need to come into this country legally and need to be treated as dreamers instead of “illegal aliens.”

America, in my opinion, is by far the greatest country that this planet has to offer.

Individuals from outside the country realize this.

They want to experience the opportunities that those who were born in this country enjoy.

The president doesn’t keep in mind that you can never choose who you are, where you come from or where it was that you were born.

We as Americans, both Democrats and Republicans, must understand that nothing is so black and white.

But let the record show that even with the government reopening back up, the people’s faith in the government is damaged.

Cash 4 Books disappointing

By Anthony

Miller

Opinion Editor

Last semester, I decided to try out the Mercyhurst Bookstore’s Cash 4 Books program.

For those who don’t know, Cash 4 Books is a program where you can return the books you’ve bought from the bookstore for money.

I normally don’t buy any of my books from the on-campus bookstore.

I usually get them for a fraction of the price from Amazon or a similar site.

Last semester though, there were several texts which I needed to buy from the bookstore, either due to their exclusivity, their cost or due to my needing them immediately.

Obviously, I wasn’t expecting to get a fortune back when I went to Cash 4 Books.

They need to make money somehow, after all, but I was expecting to get something back.

Evidently, I set my sights just a bit too high.

I spent around $60 to $70 on books from the university

bookstore last semester.

I want you to honestly guess how much they offered me for my haul.

Eight dollars.

They offered me eight solitary dollars for a haul of $70 worth of books.

I didn’t even take the money, I just kinda walked out of there.

I can’t imagine how angry I would be if I bought one of the truly expensive textbooks from the bookstore under the impression that I could at the very least return it later for a little cash.

If you turned in one of those $100 books under this program, you’d probably get back just enough money to get a medium-sized lunch at the Arby’s down the road, or, more appropriately, a few drinks at the Cornerstone.

I understand that you can’t give students all the money they spent back.

If you did that, you couldn’t make a profit, and the bookstore is ultimately out to make money for the university.

But this is just a ripoff that undermines the trust that Mercyhurst students put into the faculty.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

SPORTS

PAGE 21

MU hockey squads go 2-1

By Marco Cicchino

Staff writer

With conference showdowns looming at the end of February, both Mike Sisti and Rick Gotkin knew the best way to respond to pressure this past weekend, where their teams were able to add wins to their seasonal tallies.

The Laker hockey action started Friday night at a packed Mercyhurst Ice Center, where three first-period goals and five overall helped the men’s hockey team stave off a furious Canisius College Griffins comeback.

The action then raced up Interstate 90 to see women’s hockey’s Summer-Rae Dobson find an overtime winner against the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers two weeks in the making.

With the game in-hand behind them, women’s hockey’s margin is just one point shy of leading the College Hockey America conference.

For the men’s squad, they are one point shy of the second seed in the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) tournament, with major conference rivals Robert Morris and Air Force hosting them later this month.

Dobson’s game-winner came at 3:33 of overtime for her sixth of the campaign after teammate Vilma Tanskanen began a rush down the right side with pressure from the Tigers’ Hunter Barnett.

Tanskanen sent a quick pass to Kyra Thiessen at the left point before she skated up to the left circle, where her pass went under the stick of the Tigers’ Madison Farrand and allowed Dobson a quick redirect from the right of Tiger’s goalie Terra Lanteigne to beat her.

The Lakers’ Alexa Vasko had originally forced overtime eight minutes into the third period off a draw to the right of the Tigers’ Lanteigne.

Sarah Nelles sent the puck out of the right corner to Vasko at the goal line before a quick pass to Samantha Isbell to the right of the goal trapezoid, sending Vasko to a similar spot from Dobson’s later redirect and catch Lanteigne in the same area to become the second Laker (12-10-3, 9-3 CHA) this season with nine goals.

The Tigers (9-13-4, 5-7 CHA) originally had to rebound from a slow start against a Laker squad entering the game with a -11 first-period differential, doing just that on an interference call against

Morgan Stacey at 11:05 of the first, allowing the Tigers’ Brittany Gout to send a saucer to teammate Jordan Marchese and slide a backhand past Sarah McDonnell (10-3-1, 2.05) for her fourth of the campaign.

Three and a half minutes later, the Tigers’ Taylor Sims found Kandice Sherriff in the zone before Barnett’s initial shot was blocked but found the rebound for her seventh of the season.

Vasko preceded this sequence at 6:57 of the first to open the scoring after Laker teammate Emily Pinto drove to the net off the draw to the left of the Tigers’ Lanteigne.

The shot reached the Lakers’ Emma Nuutinen back at the circle before Vasko redirected the shot off Lanteigne’s left pad into an open net.

On the men’s side of the games, four Lakers found the back of the net to open the scoring.

However, a strong third period was needed to prevent the Griffins (9-15-3, 6-13-2 AHA) from escaping their position at the bottom of the AHA. The game-winning sequence began four and a half minutes into the second period on a trip-

Women’s bowling team announced

By Katy Vacceriello Staff writer

Mercyhurst University recently announced the creation of an all new sports team, the Women’s Varsity Bowling team.

The creation of this women’s bowling team is lined up with the recently introduced new Director of Athletics on campus, Bradley Davis.

Upon the hire of Davis, a consulting firm working with Mercyhurst advised that the addition of a new team would a great boost to expand the athletics on campus.

“It is exciting to introduce a new program,” said Davis. “There hasn’t been a new program introduced to Mercyhurst in 10 years.

We’re excited to introduce a new program in a bowling-rich community like Erie. We’re also excited to introduce new opportunities for women athletes here at Mercyhurst University.”

The closest Mercyhurst was towards a new program was the announcement of heavyweight rowing last year.

That, however, is not a separate sport, but rather a new addition to the already existing rowing program.

For Davis, the perfect fit for the school was a bowling team.

Bowling was a nice fit for the need to expand the sports pro-

gram. The sport is different from most colleges around the Erie area.

The forthcoming Laker bowling squad will be the only collegiate team of its kind currently in the area.

It also provides simplicity for the campus because there is no need to build a facility.

With bowling being quite popular in the area, there are three nearby bowling alleys ready to sign an agreement with the school, according to Davis.

To top off the wonderful addition the bowling team provides for the school, it works hand and hand with Title IX to provide women with a sports platform all their own.

For the women’s bowling team, the premiere season will be 20192020.

As of now, there are no registered team members, but formal recruiting will begin in preparation for the upcoming school year.

There will also be tryouts for anyone who holds a passion for bowling.

Ultimately, the announcement for the coach will also reveal the finalized home facility to the wider community.

This facility will host the regular practices, as well as being the potential future home for tournaments hosted by Mercyhurst.

One final step in the works is finalizing the conference Mercyhurst bowling will fall under.

Unfortunately, the current conference for the school, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, does not sponsor bowling.

A conference request has been made by the Mercyhurst athletic department, but they are patiently waiting for the response.

Coinciding with the announcement of the women’s bowling program was also the formation of a bowling club here on campus.

However, there is no collaboration or concrete connection, as both efforts are independent.

The only connection between the varsity bowling team and the bowling club is the goal to strengthen Mercyhurst with the introduction of a new sport to the campus community.

In a way, the new team and the club will be expanding the world of sports and competition for Mercyhurst, starting at the club level being less competitive than the official Varsity team.

At this point, there is no men’s bowling team in the works currently at Mercyhurst.

The introduction of a women’s team is important to set the ground work for any future sports endeavors on Mercyhurst’s campus.

ping call against the Griffins’ Tucker Weppner.

This came before the Lakers’ Wes Baker found Josh Lammon for his 10th of the season a minute later, the second of four consecutive power-play goals between the squads.

The first of these power-play goals came at the 13:26 mark of the first after the Griffins’ Felix Chamberlain was booked for interference, allowing the Lakers’ offense to combine and find Dalton Hunter for his ninth of the season and chase the Griffins’ Blake Weyrick (5-9-3, 3.15), his 19 points entering Saturday’s game tied for second among Atlantic freshmen.

The Lakers had opened the scoring at 8:54 of the first, with Michael Bevilacqua finding his third of the season on assists from Laker teammates Wes Baker and Geoff Kitt, then at 12:24 on James Anderson’s eighth of the campaign.

But the Lakers’ Derek Barach was booked for holding 48 seconds after Lammon’s tally, allowing Dylan McLaughlin to get the Griffins on the board, a feat he would repeat with 34 seconds left in the second on a holding call

against the Lakers’ Bevilacqua.

Barach’s goal, his team-leading 16th of the campaign and the only two of a 12-shot second period to beat Stefano Cantali (6-7-1, 3.33) on the way to a 40-save night, a tally just five off his season-high.

Sandwiched in between this sequence was a kneeing misconduct on the Griffins’ Nick Hutchison at 15:03, allowing Owen Norton to find his first career collegiate tally at 16:01.

The Griffins would strike again with 4:01 left in the third on a 5-on-3 with both Barach and Hunter booked for respective tripping and holding calls at 14:55, the second-to-last bookings of a game featuring a combined 35 penalty minutes.

The next time women’s hockey plays will be against Syracuse University. The contests are at home for the Lakers, and will be on Feb. 8-9.

For the men’s hockey team (1314-3, 11-9-2 AHA), the next game is a bit further out, as the Lakers have a break in their schedule this weekend.

The Lakers will be traveling Feb. 15-16 to West Point, New York, to take on the academy’s hockey squad.

HURST

RESULTS Feb. 2: Women’s basketball vs. Indiana University of Pennsylvania: 56-81 (Lakers are now 8-13) Feb. 2: Men’s basketball vs. Indiana University of Pennsylvania: 64-63 (Lakers are now 15-4 and have now won seven in a row) Feb. 2: Wrestling vs. Seton Hill University: 24-14 (Lakers are now 8-3) Women’s water polo: Lakers poll in at sixth for the Western Water Polo Association, two spots above Gannon.

SPORTS

PAGE 22

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Hurst b-ball dunks Porreco

By Ruairidh Fraser Contributing writer

The Mercyhurst Lakers men’s and women’s basketball teams were both victorious over their downtown rivals the Gannon Golden Knights in the Porreco Pride of Erie Cup. The Mercyhurst women’s team got the Lakers off to a great start in the fixture by posting a 72-66 victory over the Golden Knights.

Despite trailing for a large portion of the first half, the Lakers were able to go into the break leading by 2 points in a closely contested matchup.

In the second half, the Lakers managed to hold off the spirited challenge of the opposition to close out the victory.

They managed to come up with key defensive stops at the right times and were clinical at the other end of the court.

“In the second half, we started communicating better on defense and we were able to execute on the offensive end to keep the lead,” junior Lauren Lapertosa said. “Down the stretch, we played smart and composed, so we were able to come away with the win.”

The Lakers were led by Amber Renz and Emily Shopene, who

Trey Fahsel photo

The Lakers’ No. 33 Patrick Smith aims to shoot as Gannon University’s Joe Fustine moves to block. The Lakers were victorious with a 51-35 finish, taking home the 2019 Porreco Pride of Erie Cup.

each scored 14 points. Renz was also awarded the Game Changer award for the most influential player on the court.

In the second matchup at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center, the men’s team defended extremely well from the start in an intensely fought game.

Through 15 minutes of play, the Lakers limited their opponents to just 5 points and ultimately led 2715 at the half.

Senior Patrick Smith credited the “good defense throughout” despite their own “offensive struggles” and gave a special mention to teammate Edvaldo Ferrei-

ra who provided the “much needed spark when he came in.”

Into the second half of the game, the Lakers were able to keep their rivals at bay and limited their offensive rebounds as one of the keys to victory.

The players also highlighted the “brilliant scouting report” by

Coach Manchel that helped them massively on the defensive end of the court while Jason Massey was able to keep up his tremendous scoring efforts, adding another 15 to his season total.

The game ended with a 51-35 score line, which was also the largest lead of the game.

Senior Nelson Maxwell praised the support that the team received from the Hurst community.

“We appreciate the whole school coming out to support us,” Maxwell said. “And it was great to have a solid fan base there, and we hope that you guys are able to come to more games.”

Women’s basketball is 8-13 entering their matchup against Clarion University at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.

That game is Feb. 6, with a start time of 5:30 p.m.

The next opportunity to see the Lakers men’s squad at home comes also on Feb. 6 when they host Clarion after the women.

That 7:30 p.m. game will be another vital PSAC match up for the Lakers.

The men’s basketball team currently is 15-4, and have won seven games in a row.

Clarion is 7-14 for women’s basketball and 4-14 for men’s.

2 from MU nominated Under Armour for NCAA hockey award picked for new

By Marco Cicchino

Staff writer

It was announced on Jan. 16 that Mercyhurst forward Derek Barach and defenseman Joseph Duszak have been included in initial nominations for the 38th annual Hobey Baker Memorial Award as part of 14 overall Atlantic Hockey players and 81 from around college hockey.

As nominated by the Mercyhurst Athletic department, the two have combined to help lead the Lakers to a current 10-9-1 record in Atlantic Hockey play and 12-14-2 overall.

Duszak, a junior from Franklin Square, Long Island, currently leads Atlantic Hockey in scoring with a 14-23-37 line through 22 games, second in the nation to Michigan State’s Taro Hirose (13-29-42).

Duszak leads the country among defensemen by 8 points, over Quinnipiac’s Chase Priskie (13-16-29).

The Lakers are 6-2-1 when Duszak finds the back of the net, and his 11 power-play points are tied for fourth among Atlantic defensemen with his 89 shots on goal third nationally among blueliners.

The 21-year-old has registered four game-winning goals this

“

They’re both great players and great kids.

They’re both great leaders.”

Rick Gotkin, men’s hockey head coach

year, tied for second nationally among defensemen, including an overtime winner Nov. 16 in Connecticut against Sacred Heart.

Duszak is also the only defenseman nationally to record both a hat-trick (Jan. 4 against Holy Cross) and a shorthanded goal (Dec. 8 in Colorado Springs).

His 14 road assists place him second nationally, while his 11 third-period helpers lead the nation.

Meanwhile, Barach’s 11-18-29 line place him in a tie for ninth nationally and third in Atlantic Hockey, eight behind Duszak and one behind American International College’s Blake Christensen, who moved ahead of him after the Jan. 26 “Fighting for Folgs” game.

The Glenmont, New York, native is one of only five Lak-

ers to play in all 28 games this season and is tied with Duszak at fifth place in the Atlantic conference with nine power-play assists.

Barach is also third in faceoff wins, behind co-captain Joshua Lammon with 292 faceoff wins.

Registering an 8-4-1 record when credited with an assist, Barach’s 18 assists place him third among Atlantic forwards.

Barach and Duszak are the only conference players with 18 points on the road this season, with Barach’s nine goals on the road leading the conference and making him one of only five players nationally to boast this feat.

“Having both of these guys nominated is the right thing to do,” head coach Rick Gotkin said. “Because they’re both great players and great kids.

They’re both great leaders.”

The two Lakers will aim to become the first Atlantic Hockey players to win the award and are now among a handful of recent Atlantic Hockey Top 10 finalists.

Fans are allowed to vote daily online until March 10, with a second round beginning March 20.

The winner will be announced at the Men’s Frozen Four in Buffalo over the weekend of April 11.

school apparel

By Katy Vacceriello

Staff writer

There is an all new adventure at Mercyhurst University — the signed partnership with Under Armour.

The topic is talked about all around campus, hyped up by athletes and staff together.

“The goal for Mercyhurst is to expand our reach as a university and to use a brand like Under Armour to do that,” Director of Athletics Bradley Davis said.

Before signing with Under Armour, Mercyhurst was the biggest school in Pennsylvania without an official school apparel partner.

Although paperwork is in the works, Under Armour will not be present on campus until the 201920 school year.

The partnership will allow for more consistency when recruiting new players and connecting with alumni and current students alike.

When searching for a partnership, Under Armour was not the only possibly proposal.

A committee of three people — made up of Davis, Associate Athletic Director Lauren Packer Webster, and head basketball coach Joe Spano — were given the initial responsibility of screen-

ing all possible partnerships.

Once the screening process was complete, it was time to present all potential opportunities to the Mercyhurst coaches.

The coaches, along with the committee, came to a conclusion of the top two proposals.

These top two companies were then given the opportunity to visit the school to share their pitch directly to the coaches.

The coaches were given the responsibility to report back to the committee, which leads to the ultimate partnership decision.

In the end, Under Armour was the best fit.

With a new apparel partnership comes new designs for sports uniforms and school apparel.

The design aspect of new gear is left up to the creative minds of Jungle, a licensed partner of Under Armour.

They work collaboratively with Under Armour on a pricing strategy, the style of apparel created and working hand and hand with coaches creating uniforms and warm-ups.

Staff and students are patiently awaiting the fun and thrilling entrance of all new Mercyhurst unity, with the assistance of Under Armour gear.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

SPORTS

PAGE 23

Hurst unites to support Folgs

By Marco Cicchino Staff writer

Mike Folga is certainly not alone in his fight. Nor is anyone else battling cancer.

Such was the overarching theme and message Jan. 26 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center, arguably one of the biggest events for the Mercyhurst hockey programs in seven years.

Uniting the entire Laker community via a well-coordinated effort on all sides on a day nearly two months in the making, a bustling afternoon put a bowtie on the massively successful “Fighting for Folgs” fundraiser and culminated in what many believed to be a fantastic experience.

“I think Mike ... has made an impact on this whole campus,” men’s ice hockey head coach Rick Gotkin said. “I can tell you, just in our little world of men’s hockey, he’s made a tremendous impact.

He’s an absolute great guy, our players love him, we as coaches love him. He’s made a tremendous impact, not just here with our hockey programs, but he’s made a great impact all throughout campus and even into the community of Erie and beyond.”

The fundraiser was the brainchild of new athletic director Brad Davis, in office since July 12, who initially proposed the idea of a GoFundMe or a game but was ultimately found a weekend where both teams were playing at home — the women vs. Lindenwood and the men vs. American International College — allowing the fundraiser to gain momentum.

According to Gotkin, Folga’s friend of two decades and coworkers for the program since 2001, the women’s program was also united in the effort as it stemmed from them also playing at the Ice Center on Saturday, recognizing the large amounts of “moving parts” that needed to come together and ensure the event was successful.

The program and several other organizations then brought the idea to the attention of the SAC/ MAC committee, who were responsible for organizing events and donations and also able to change the date of a pre-planned cancer fundraiser to match the date of the Lindenwood/AIC doubleheader, the crux of the fundraiser, according to Gotkin.

Folga, Mercyhurst’s longtime hockey equipment manager, spent 11 years in the NHL after graduating as a Laker, serving as equipment manager of the New York Rangers for their run to the Stanley Cup in 1994.

Folga was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma on Nov. 21, and was on hand Jan. 26 with his family for two pregame ceremonial puck drops, both involving the teams’ captains with special mention for AIC player Eric Otto, also battling cancer.

Both ceremonies also featured a poignant moment of silence for victims of cancer, with fans

Gillian Mazur photo

Students show their “I Fight For Folgs” signs at the men’s hockey game on Saturday Jan. 26

Marina Boyle photo

Katy Vaccariello photo

SAC/MAC held a Kickin Cancer event featuring arm tattoos and haircuts in the Student Union.

instructed to display an “I Fight for Folgs” placard on the back of their programs.

Elsewhere on campus, Parkhurst hosted a soup crawl in the Athletic Center, while Student Government representative Grace Siwinski was able to bring a local hairdresser for 8-inch-minimum hair donations, with all proceeds again benefitting Folga and the American Cancer Society.

Siwinski was inspired by a similar event at Lancaster High School near Buffalo, where the hairdressing represents solidarity for those affected by cancer.

“A lot of people with cancer may be going through treatment that make them lose their hair,” Siwinski said. “It shows that just because they lose their hair,

Both Mercyhurst hockey teams sported purpose made uniforms for the Jan. 26 “Fight for Folgs” game.

they’re not weak, they’re not in this battle alone, we’re with them together in this battle. From a MAC/SAC standpoint, I hope (this campaign) shows that every organization on campus right now is fighting with (Folga), and it’s not just the hockey teams, everyone here is in support of him because we’ve all been touched by someone with cancer.”

The fundraising spilled over into the McCormick Strength and Conditioning Center, where simultaneous silent and Chinese auctions occurred during both of the contests.

A testament to Folga’s NHL career, the program received donations from all areas, with no fewer than 12 signed jerseys up for auction stemming from the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Ryan Shazier,

Evgeni Malkin, Alejandro Villanueva, the entire Predators and Canucks organizations and three jerseys with the design of the women’s game uniform.

“It felt great to contribute to such an important cause and we really felt like we were making an impact,” Student-Athletic Advisory Committee representative Abigail Vietmeier said.

Initial reports from Hurst Athletics indicated a combined attendance of more than 3,500 for the two games, leading several fans to seem very impressed by the entire organization of the event from a consumer standpoint.

Several Mercyhurst sports teams were also in attendance, supporting the hockey program and Folg’s.

“It was really exciting,” said

sophomore lacrosse player Megan Fitzpatrick. “I think it was for a good cause, and a lot of people from the Mercyhurst community came out and supported.”

A postgame meeting involving both teams at center-ice after an 8-5 AIC win ended the festivities Saturday night and allowed for an overall message moving forward.

“It was pretty cool to see how many people came out and supported a good cause, obviously there to see how many people (Folga) has touched throughout not only the Mercyhurst community, but the hockey community, so it’s very special,” junior forward Brendan Riley said. “Obviously, you feel a little bit of responsibility to perform for [Folga] being on the ice.”

PAGE 24

LAKER LIVING

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

HURST TOON Student-drawn cartoon by Periwinkle