April 10th Edition of The Merciad

Merciad THE

MERCYHURST UNIVERSIT Y

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W E D N E S DAY, A P R I L 10 , 2 01 9

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

VOL. 92 NO. 16

Students take on the Big Apple PAGE 5

Online poll results We asked: If you could have one super power, what would it be?

8: Student work showcased in Mosaic for Life show

11: Artists needed for an Arts Salon 15: Women’s lax bounces back with two wins

Invisibility (41%) Telekinesis (35%) Flying (18%) Super Strength (6%)

This week’s

POLL

What is the best thing about spring?

merciad.mercyhurst.edu

NEWS

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Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Healthy body, healthy mind Mercyhurst hosted the annual Wellness Fair on April 3 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Union.

The Wellness Fair is a chance for students to use the resources of the school to promote both mental and physical health. There were many tables with representatives from the Cohen Health Center, Academic Support, Residence Life, the Bystander Intervention Committee and Service Learning.

Along with university representatives, student tables were set up each with free activities for visitors of the Wellness Fair to try.

Activities included things such as T-shirt bag making, aromatherapy, an ROTC workout challenge, and make your own slime and glitter jars.

The fair also raffled three baskets that supported the well-being of the entire body — each had a prize representing physical, emotional, social, occupational, environmental, spiritual and intellectual health. By taking part in each of the table activities, students earned tickets for the baskets.

Overall, the Wellness Fair was a successful way for students to relax and rejuvenate before finals.

Walking the Labyrinth in the MSG Chambers during the Wellness Fair was a great way for students to focus and relax amid a hectic schedule.

Junior Rae Jonna Pascerella and senior Lacey Netti served healthy options of foods such as berry crumble at the “Taste or Waist” table.

The Wellness Fair had student and department tables throughout the Student Union featuring free food, activities and prizes to promote healthy living.

Both floors of the Student Union were filled with tables and activities for students to interact with and learn more about the services available to them on campus.

Students made reusable crafts such as T-shirt bags and anti-stress crafts such as stress balls, essential oil cotton balls, and glitter jars.

Photos by Gianluca Ianiro

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

NEWS

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Career Fair offers practice

By Michael Mongera

Staff writer

Mercyhurst’s annual Career Fair provides job and internship prospects as well as professional practice in networking for students each year.

The fair took place in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on April 4 from noon to 4 p.m.

Recruiters and representatives from varying companies, graduate schools, post-grad service programs and other organizations filled the booths.

Organizations such as Penn State Behrend, Taco Bell, the American Red Cross, the Catholic Diocese of Erie, BNY Mellon, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Erie Insurance Group were in attendance, scouting for potential employees and interns.

The Career Fair provides students with an opportunity to explore possible career paths and demonstrate their professional skills to employers.

Heather Balas, director of the Career Development Center, organized the event. She said she finds great value in the opportunities it provides for students.

“There is something at the fair for everyone,” Balas said. “Even if you aren’t ready to job search yet, you can have your résumé viewed by an employer and see what they think about it. Practice your elevator pitch over and over again.”

Students such as Maria Ortega, a senior English major, understand

Michael Mongera photo

Representatives of many companies and organizations in the region filled the Mercyhurst Athletic Center for the annual Career Fair on April 4. More than 150 students turned out to network with professionals and apply for jobs and internships.

the numerous perks that the Career Fair provides for someone on the hunt for jobs after graduation.

She has attended the career fair every year and falls more in love with the companies she goes to.

“I want a way to present myself professionally to people,” Ortega said. “But there is also an opportunity for me getting an interview or a job.”

The entirety of the Career Development Center coordinated the event, along with help from Academic Support.

“It takes a village to run these things, but they’re fun,” Balas said.

This year, about 150 students at-

tended the fair, a little less than in previous years. There was steady traffic from students throughout the event. While there was not congestion, the vendors noticed a difference in the usual turnout rate.

Kerry Fels and Michelle Rits from the Marriott Cleveland booth noticed the numbers.

They said that while the students were receptive, there was a slower turnout this year than in previous years.

Balas predicts that this is due to scheduling conflicts with the students as well as marketing tactics for a new generation of students.

“Our students are very busy.

That makes it difficult to fit things in,” Balas said. “We’re seeing a new generation, and a lot things are being marketed in a way millennials wanted to see things. We need to revamp and think how we can attract our current students and the way we market to students.”

To help improve turnout rates for years to come, the Career Development Center has implemented a new app called Handshake.

This career networking app for college students was employed to assist students in getting their cre-

dentials to the public. In the vein of LinkedIn, Handshake’s interface is based on social media apps like Facebook.

Career fairs are also run through the app, allowing students, organizations and companies to connect and attend local opportunities.

The app had a test run through Mercyhurst and was well received by the students.

“Students who are on Handshake can take advantage of that resource. They are able to go in and see who’s registered for the fair, look at their company pages to see who’s working there and what jobs are open,” Balas said.

Hurst campuses celebrate spring tradition with Mercy Week festivities

By Rebecca Dunphy

Staff writer

Spring is a time of renewal and new life.

Mercyhurst University uses the fresh breath of spring to remind the school of the founding ideals of the Sisters of Mercy in the Mercy tradition.

Across both the Erie and North East campuses, students, faculty and community members are celebrating Mercy Week from April 8-12.

“My primary goal for this week is for people to recognize that our Catholic, Mercy Mission is not merely a historical heritage. It is alive, active and creative,” Greg Baker, Ph.D., vice president of Mercy Mission Integration, said.

Since 2008, this celebration of Mercy has been an annual tradition, though it has changed its form throughout the past 11 years from a month to a week-long event.

The week’s events are planned and sponsored by the University

Mission Committee, a collaborative group of students, administrators and faculty from both of the Mercyhurst campuses.

The Mercy Mission is not merely confined to the university and the community of Erie.

It is crucial that Mercyhurst lives out the Mission outside of the gates.

“Most importantly, our Mercy mission is important for the world. A rigorous education infused with this mission can bring forth exactly the sort of students that this world needs, especially those people who live on the margins and are too often forgotten about,” Baker said.

This year, events are centered around special guest Sister Marilyn Lacey, the founder of Mercy Beyond Borders.

“This is an international charity that makes education available to women and girls in South Sudan and Haiti,” Baker said. “Sister Marilyn has extraordinary stories to share and her writings, especially her book ‘This Flowing Toward

Me,’ are beloved to our community.”

Students may be familiar with her work as many senior ethics capstone courses utilize the text.

The week kicked off with “Encourage an Employee” on April 9. “‘Encourage an Employee’ is an opportunity for employees to click on a link and send an email to encourage another co-worker on campus,” Campus Ministry assistant director, Jenell Patton said.

“We’ve done it a few years now.

People enjoy sending them and receiving them. It is another form of mercy as people take the time to invest in someone else through an act of kindness.”

On Wednesday, the “Reflections of Mercy” Prayer Service will be held in the Christ the King Chapel at 2 p.m., planned by Religious Studies associate professor Richard McCarty, Ph.D. Lacey will be speaking at the event, as well as junior Integrated Marketing Communications major Abigail Staub and senior Intelligence and Religious Studies dou-

ble major Christian Copper. Both of these students will be sharing what the Mercy tradition means to them as students.

On April 11, students have two opportunities to hear from Lacey at a storytelling and question-and-answer session. The first event will be held from 9:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m., at the Mercyhurst North East Student Union with coffee and danishes provided.

Later in the day, the same event will take place over sandwiches from noon to 12:45 p.m. in the Erie campus’ Student Union Great Room.

Students also have Dog Days to look forward to from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Trinity Green. This annual event is co-sponsored by Campus Ministry and the Student Athletic Advisory Council.

Another annual tradition will be held the following afternoon, on April 12: Tour and Tea at the Mercy Motherhouse at 3 p.m. This event, planned by Mission Associate Sister Lisa Mary McCartney, is open to all students. Those at-

tending should plan to arrive at the Motherhouse on East Grandview Boulevard no later than 3:15 p.m.

“I hope they will see that there are still plenty of Sisters around who care about Mercyhurst University, and, more importantly, about our students,” Baker said.

“I hope the students will recognize that these Sisters are real, down-to-earth people, just like our students, who have found their particular path for living a meaningful life in service of others.”

Though the week promises lots of fun and education, Baker hopes that the week renews community members appreciation of Mercy as a gift.

“It is first and foremost given to us by God,” Baker said. “We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Sisters who have given so much to this institution. We have the choice as to whether we allow our hearts to be transformed in such a way as to extend that gift to others as well.”

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Merciad IN A MINUTE Tryouts set for cheerleading Do you have school spirit? The Mercyhurst cheerleaders would love to hear it!

Tryouts for the 20192020 season will be held on April 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Mercyhurst Wrestling Room.

Please bring a pair of cheer shoes to change into. Males and females are welcome to join.

Contact Coach Paulina Wielandt with any questions at pwielandt@ mercyhurst.edu.

MU provides with pantry

In response to a growing awareness that food insecurity is a real challenge for students across the country, including Mercyhurst’s campuses, a team of MU employees have created the “MU Pantry” to offer free nonperishable food and hygiene products to students in need.

Students can use an order form to request specific items, with weekly orders due by the end of the day each Tuesday during the academic year.

Students who have made requests will pick up their pantry order each Thursday or Friday.

Confidential pick-ups will take place in an area near Police & Safety.

Email mupantry@ mercyhurst.edu with any questions.

Time to swap spring clothes Want to get rid of clothing you no longer wear and freshen up your wardrobe?

On April 23, the Mercyhurst Fashion Council will host a Spring Clothing Swap from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Student Union Great Room.

Bring clean, gently used clothing to swap with others for free! You will receive one swap ticket for each item of clothing that you bring.

Swap to help the planet!

Have a news tip for Merciad In a Minute? Send an email to newsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Free speech in college

By Rebecca Dunphy

Staff writer

On March 21, President Donald Trump signed an executive order into action that he calls a “historic action to defend American students and American values that have been under siege.”

Surrounded by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and over 100 students in the White House East Room, the president enacted the “Improving Free Equity, Transparency and Accountability at Colleges and Universities” order for the purpose of protecting college and university students’ First Amendment Rights.

The order directs 12 agencies that work with the Office of Management and Budget to ensure that colleges, whether public or private, comply with law and policy for free speech. For public institutions, this rests on the First Amendment, while private colleges must comply with “stated institutional policies.”

Though this does not prompt much change in what was already expected to receive federal research and education grants, the

president is adamant that schools that break these rules will not receive funding.

“If a college or university does not allow you to speak, we will not give them money,” Trump said.

“It’s that simple.”

Since the announcement, there has been great controversy over the order’s necessity and overall ambiguity. Though some organizational leaders, like Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk, are in support of the president’s actions, others — such as Ted Mitchell, president of the nonpartisan American Council on Education; Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Landgrant Universities; Julie Schmid, executive director of the American Association of University Professors; and Mercyhurst’s own Randy Clemons, Ph.D., professor of Political Science and the associate dean of the Ridge College of Intelligence Studies and Applied Sciences — find the order to be questionable or unnecessary.

Largely, the order simply asks colleges to do what they were already expected to do and there is very little consideration as to how this will be carried out.

“No matter how this order is

implemented, it is neither needed nor desirable, and could lead to unwanted federal micromanagement of the cutting-edge research that is critical to our nation’s continued vitality and global leadership,” Mitchell said.

Clemons called it a “baseless attack on higher education.”

“It is designed to solve a problem that doesn’t exist and to appeal to the president’s political base,” Clemons said. “As is so often the case for attacks on higher education, the arguments for this are based on: anecdotes, urban legends, rare exceptions to the norm and a lack of understanding of, and appreciation for, the values and practices of higher education.”

Looking locally, Clemons does not believe this order will have any bearing on Mercyhurst students, largely because a problem with censorship does not exist on campus.

“At Mercyhurst, unlike some other historically religious institutions, the Sisters and the various administrations have never sought to impinge on education in the classroom—and it is impossible to imagine that changing, especially due to something as insignificant as this act of political

theater,” Clemons said.

The basis for this order can be traced back to an incident at University of California, Berkeley on Feb. 1, 2017, where fires were set on campus in protest of conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos, who was scheduled to visit the campus.

Soon after that incident, Trump tweeted, “If UC Berkeley does not allow free speech and practice violence on innocent people with a different point of view-NO FEDERAL FUNDS?” Though protection of conservative voices on campus has been an issue often spoken about by Trump, formal mention of this order was not until March 2 at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Also under this order, the Education Department is urged to promote transparency regarding financial information through the publishing of data on the College Scoreboard. This information includes student outcomes such as earnings, student debt, default rates and loan repayment rates. By 2020, the department will produce a website that gives students access to information about their total debt, loans and payment options.

Gossett becomes Walker chair

By Kristian Biega News Editor

The Walker College of Business is in the process of restructuring its administration. With these new changes, Kristofer Gossett, DBA, has been appointed chair of the department by Dean Heidi Hosey, Ph.D. “My job is to try to represent the students and the faculty in the business department the best I can,” Gossett said. “I’m excited.

It’s a way for me to help my fellow faculty members as a voice for them as we try to champion for change in the department.”

Gossett served as interim chair last year with Brenda Ponsford, Ph.D., serving as dean. This year,

he was nominated and accepted the position moving forward.

The role of chair is primarily to make sure the day-to-day operations of the department are accomplished, to work with all of the faculty personally and help students with any administrative issues such as classes and graduation that they may need help with.

“It’s a fun position in the sense that you get to help with change and you feel like you’re more active in having a voice for change,” Gossett said. “You get that ability to have some ideas that you’d like to see and work towards those changes if they are beneficial to students and faculty.”

Although the position has a steep learning curve with partic-

ular policies and paperwork to understand, Gossett feels that his position as interim chair greatly helped with his transition into the full time role.

“When you’re interim, you are stepping in mid-stream. It’s like trying to put out a bunch of fires at once,” Gossett said. “It’s calmed down by now where I have more of a feel for the job, but you walk into a lot of things at once.”

Gossett is looking forward to being a voice for the department and working with all of the faculty as opposed to the more individual responsibilities of only being a professor. He hopes to use the position as a servant leadership role, focused on helping build up the department as a whole based

on listening to the needs of students and faculty.

“The part of the job that I am most excited for is more of the collaborative environment than just being worried about my classes and those type of things. It’s a different challenge, but one that I think is really good for me,” Gossett said.

Even among the restructuring of Walker, Gossett is still very positive about how the department will grow and change.

“It’s been a juggling act of sorts,” Gossett said. “But as long as day-to-day operations are getting done, that’s what we really need moving forward and we will wait to see how the rest of the administration shakes out in the fall.”

SpringFest is rapidly approaching! On April 26 Jesse McCartney and special guest DJ Holiday will perform in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center at 8 p.m. Be on the lookout for ticket sales starting April 15!

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

NEWS

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Faculty scholarship This weekend’s on display in Old Main campus events STUDENT GOVERNMENT

By Jordan Kessler Staff writer

The works and achievements of featured Mercyhurst faculty are now on display outside of university President Michael T. Victor’s office.

The university has had a faculty scholarship display for many years, first being in the front hall of the chapel, then on the second floor of Old Main before making its home on the first floor of Old Main.

This past winter, the Faculty Scholarship Committee asked Leanne Roberts, Ph.D., Provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, if they could have a more viewable spot on campus to showcase the works of fellow faculty members. Roberts agreed to allow the Faculty Scholarship Showcase to be moved into the glass cabinet next to President Victor’s office on the first floor of Old Main.

“In this current selection, our first display is selections from Dr. Mary Hembrow Snyder, professor of Religious Studies and the director of the Center for Mercy and Catholic Studies,” Alice Edwards, Ph.D., professor of Spanish and member of the Faculty Scholarship Committee, said. “It showcases her scholarship, including a book she recently edited about Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, that was referenced by Oprah during her interview of Joan.”

Snyder’s focus on liberation theologies, specifically feminist theologies, led her to the book about Chittister and is why she is displayed in the scholarship display. Her scholarship was up for viewing for Women’s History Month.

Chittister was a 1962 Mercyhurst graduate and has been an influential religious leader for more than 40 years. The fourth floor of the Hammermill Library, at the entrance from the bridge from the Center for Academic Engagement (CAE), is a Memorial Archive dedicated to Sister Joan Chittister.

On April 11, the Faculty Scholarship Committee is hosting the Celebration of Scholars in the Mercy Heritage Hall. From 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., the event will honor the faculty scholarly work from 2018.

These works include performances, exhibitions, conference papers, publications, book chapters and more.

“The event coordinates with the student Illuminations event that emphasizes the vital importance of scholarship to the life of the university,” Edwards said.

Edwards believes that these three results from active faculty research are what makes Mercyhurst University the university that it is.

“Active faculty research enriches the classroom, gives students valuable experience in their field

that prepares them for graduate school and professional work and contributes to the creation of knowledge,” Edwards said.

After the event, sections will be displayed in the glass cabinet outside of President Victor’s office. Students and other faculty and staff around Mercyhurst will be able to see these works after the event is over.

The Faculty Scholarship Committee consists of a diverse group of Mercyhurst professors representing many different departments on campus.

The committee includes Edwards; Nicholas Lang, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of Geology and co-director of Environmental Science; Joseph Johnson, Ph.D., assistant professor of Physics; Adrienne Foos, Ph.D., assistant professor of Marketing; Orlandrew Danzell, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of Intelligence Studies; Richard McCarty, Ph.D., associate professor of Religious Studies; and Thomas Hubert, MFA, chair and associate professor of Art. The Faculty Scholarship Committee focuses on the celebration of research through the celebration of scholars in the university.

They believe that it is important to acknowledge the professors that make great positive impacts on their students and to display their work for the entire campus to see.

Bueller? Bueller...?

Take Friday night off! Join SAC/MAC for a showing of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” at 9 p.m. on April 12 in the Student Union Great Room!

Laker Asset Management Club visits Wall Street

By Kristian Biega News Editor

On April 2, The Laker Asset Management Club (LAM) had the opportunity to travel to Wall Street in New York City to attend meetings with large financial firms in order to gain handson experience with what life in today’s corporate world is really like.

The trip was initially an idea from the club so that its members could network and gain valuable experience for potential careers. Senior Accounting and Business Economics major Cleary Johnston coordinated the trip for LAM. A club trip to Wall Street was a goal of LAM’s for a while, so the ability to make it happen was a great achievement for its members, especially the graduating seniors. Johnston and Grace Sloop, a senior Accounting and Economics major, commented on how “seamlessly the trip came

together” as well, making for an even better experience for everyone.

“As a club we got the opportunity to talk to tenure professionals who have made a career doing what we inspire to do some day,” junior Business Competitive Intelligence major Arseniy Sklyarov said.

The group of Mercyhurst students attended meetings with corporate giants Goldman Sachs, BlackRock and Federated Investors that were both instructional and interactive.

“We were able to get a clear look into each company’s corporate culture and an expansive amount of information relating to their products, services and career advice,” Johnston said.

They were able to ask questions and gain insights into these business careers as they talked with senior members and professionals from all areas of the companies.

“The best part of the trip was

getting career advice from the financial professionals who all continue to be extremely successful in their own careers. The view from the offices weren’t bad either — Goldman Sachs overlooked the Upper New York Bay and the Statue of Liberty,” Sloop said.

LAM members found the trip to be fun and a positive, educational experience that will help prepare them for their futures in business.

“The trip revealed both the highlights of such careers but also the obstacles that stand before us. I think I speak for the club when I say it was an eye-opening experience,” Sklyarov said.

The Laker Asset Management meets Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. in CAE 311.

LAM manages $100,000 of the school’s endowment and keeps up with all market trends, carefully researching the best outlets to invest in.

Have you ever visited Niagara Falls and Buffalo, New York? This Saturday is your chance! SAC/MAC is providing transportation for the April 13 trip as well as a Tim Hortons gift card to everyone who signs up. Secure your spot at @MSGLakers on social media!

MERCYHURST CAMPUS

CRIME LOG For the Week of April 3 - April 10:

No crimes reported.

FEATURES

PAGE 6

Ask Mia Anyone have a problem that they need help fixing?

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

Dear Mia, Summer is getting closer and closer, and I’m worried about saying goodbye to all my college friends.

I’ll be far away from all of them for the summer, and I don’t want to lose touch.

How can we stay connected for these long months?

Sincerely, Solo for Summer

Dear Solo for Summer, First of all, don’t worry about this time apart too much. Distance makes the heart grow fonder!

A lot of the time, it is useful to get a break from college friendships so that you come back next semester with a renewed appreciation for your roommates and friends.

Also, summer is a wonderful time to be able to spend with your friends from home. Even if you’ve grown a lot as a person this year, I’m sure people at home have too and you’ll have plenty to catch up on.

For staying in contact, there are lots of creative options. Schedule time for calling your college friends, text them updates and maybe even send a postcard.

We all miss people when we’re not with them, so your friends will be happy to stay in touch.

And remember, sometimes a little time alone is just what you need!

Sincerely,

Mia

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Stress is combated through community

By Rebecca Dunphy Staff writer

Stressed? Overwhelmed? Don’t know where to turn? Look no further than “How to Survive College with Ashlee” — a six-week group counseling series running from March 21 to April 25.

Ashlee Harris is a group leader and master’s-level intern at the Cohen Health & Counseling Center.

“This is a very busy time for students with exams and projects building up, interpersonal relationships forming and separating, scheduling and so on. The list can go on for a while,” Harris said.

“The spring semester can bring you another ‘s’ word, stress. So to try and alleviate some stress that college students go through, the Counseling Center figured it is a great time to assist students to help them finish the semester strong by having groups held each spring semester.”

Having worked with Residence Life and Housing at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Harris has extensive knowledge in what it takes to be a college stu-

dent. She has given numerous presentations on what is needed for success in the classroom, socially and beyond, so students can feel as prepared as possible upon graduation.

She utilized these skills and knowledge to develop six different events, each with changing topics and activities.

“I customized each week to tailor it to things that seem to be prevalent struggle areas for college students,” Harris said. “It is intended to provide skills to help those that may have a more difficult time adjusting to college or those who may want to brush up on a skill.”

The series kicked off with “The Journey Begins” on March 21, where students met to destress and have fun. Students were also taught tools for success at this initial meeting.

The following week was “Pizza and Procrastination” on March 28, an event that gave students the opportunity to learn study tips, discover different learning styles and enjoy deep-dish pizza.

Yet to come are “Cake and Communication,” “Better Sleep,

Better Pizza, Papa Johns” and the final event, “That’s All She Wrote,” to wrap up the semester.

All events are held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Ryan Hall thirdfloor conference room. Though not all students have key card access, Harris will be in the front lobby, along with RAs who will be able to escort students.

With no sign-up necessary, this is an open group that all students are encouraged to attend.

“This group benefits the college student that is struggling getting out of their comfort zone, the college student that may toss and turn because they overthink, the college student that feels the pressure to have it all figured out, the college student who may say ‘I’ll get to it later’ or the college student that may not know where to start,” Harris said. “This is to help the students expand their skill base and to take that step into growing into the person that they want to be. Holistically, the students will benefit by learning, growing and engaging.”

For more information, email Harris at aharris@mercyhurst. edu.

Lakers take time to ServErie community

By Jordan Kessler Staff writer

ServErie is a volunteer organization that runs directly out of Erie.

The mission of the organization, according to its website, is “restoring communities by connecting people in need to resources.”

Similar to Mercyhurst, the core values of ServErie are all about service to the community with Jesus as a guide.

On April 6, ServErie hosted ServErie Saturday Central.

This event occurs several times throughout the year and creates an opportunity for volunteers from across the city to meet in one location and carry out projects around the city for two to three hours from that base.

This past Saturday’s event was from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and was particularly geared toward Mercyhurst students due to the meeting point of St. Luke Catholic Church, just next door to Mercyhurst.

Volunteers for this trip were di-

vided into 20 groups to volunteer at 20 different locations around Erie.

Bethany Brun, director of Service Learning, works directly with members of the ServErie organization to provide students on campus an opportunity to serve their city.

Students who want to get involved in future Saturday projects should talk to Brun in her office in the Student Union or to other Campus Ministry staff members.

Volunteers can sign up in groups or as individuals on the organization’s website, www. serverie.com.

Additionally, ServErie has a Summer School Initiative, for which it seeks volunteers during the summer months.

For anyone focused on working with children, this program and other ServErie events could be ideal. Children are a key focus of the project as the future of our Erie community.

ServErie is a unique organization on this part because volunteers with children can bring their kids to volunteer with them, and

if necessary ServErie volunteers will help to take care of them throughout the day.

For those who are interested in the next ServErie Saturday Event, the general itinerary for the day of service looks similar each time.

In the morning, volunteers arrive at the meeting site at the given time for their group. If you have registered children for the childcare services, you can drop them off.

Then, look around the meeting site to find your volunteer placement for that day’s services.

Finally, load the buses or other provided transportation and be on your way to serve Erie.

For students in need of volunteer hours or the urge to help the Erie community, working with ServErie would be a great fit. Students and faculty are encouraged to sign up for future volunteer events.

The foundation of Mercyhurst is built from faith and service, which are the two top priorities for ServErie as well — to go out beyond the gates of our community into the city that is our home.

FO L LOW T H E M E R C I A D O N FAC E B O O K , I N STAG R A M & T W I T T E R AT @ T H E M E R C I A D

FEATURES

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

PAGE 7

RSCO FEATURE: PSYCHOLOGY CLUB

Meghan Maker photo Contributed photo

Members of the Psychology Club board attend their Christmas party, which is an annual tradition for the club.

By Jordan Kessler

Staff writer

This week’s issue of The Merciad features the Psychology Club. The Psychology Club’s mission is to promote high standards among the Psychology department’s students in order to encourage growth in their careers and learning.

Additionally, the club provides opportunities for members to get involved with faculty and professional members of the psychology field.

Robert Hoff, Ph.D., is the current adviser for Psychology Club. In addition to being the adviser, Hoff is also a member of the Mercyhurst University honors faculty, representing the Psychology department on campus.

The current board members for the club have just been recently elected at the end of March. The president is junior Julia Detota, and the vice president is junior Quinn Cooley. The social media coordinator is junior Tyler Decosse. The secretary and treasurer positions are being held by sophomore Sydney Zajac.

“Psychology Club is great because the people who run the club are really awesome and try to make the club as fun as possible,” Zajac said.

The Psychology Club has been a part of the Mercyhurst community for several years. Past events have included offcampus trips to Skyzone, destress events, pizza socials and more.

“At many meetings, we have free food such as pizza or Moe’s,” Zajac said.

They also participate in the Mercyhurst Involvement Fair at the start of each school year. In addition to these events, the club hosts holiday parties for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day each year.

Senior Psychology Club member Alyssa Kerns has been a part of this club her entire time at Mercyhurst.

When asked about her favorite part, she had much to say.

“My personal favorite event was Noodle Night where we got to eat and paint noodles. It was a nice and creative outlet, and who doesn’t love pasta?” Kerns said.

She remembers painting ornaments at the Christmas parties and dressing up for Halloween each year.

In the next school year, students can expect similar events such as holiday parties, pizza socials and off-campus trips. This club is a fun way to get involved on campus and to meet new people with the same interests as you.

For more information on the Mercyhurst Psychology Club, students can visit their Facebook or Instagram page at @mercyhurstpsychology.

Students and staff compete in the knockout game in front of their supportive fellow seniors. Jordan Murray, shown shooting, prevailed.

Students win for Living the Dream

By Meghan Maker

Managing editor

the @MoesMercyhurst Twitter account.

The senior team was comprised of Cole Prots, Marissa Barbata, Sydney Phelan, Jordan Murray, Diana Schmitt, Isaac Berg, Tyler Bueme, Amelia Kanonczyk, Anthony Lanfranchi, Jimmy Szefler, Kyle Weber, Jeremiah Tarnowski and Anne St. John.

The staff team featured Leena Clint, Ryan Palm, Travis Lindahl, Troy Teresak, Bethany Brun, Lauren Stafford and Jeff Laskey.

“It was definitely a lot of fun through teamwork and being with my fellow seniors,” Bueme said. “It was definitely a good time, especially since we won. It always feels good to get a victory for the seniors.”

The volleyball game is the most recent of a myriad of events organized by the Senior Class Gift Committee to support its class gift of the “Living the Dream” scholarship.

The last event of the year for the committee will be the Spring Bar Crawl on May 4 for those who have pre-ordered a shirt.

In a hotly contested volleyball battle to benefit the Senior Class Gift Committee, a group of Mercyhurst seniors defeated a staff volleyball team in the Athletic Center on April 2.

The final score in the best of three contest was 25-16, 21-25 and 16-14 to the students.

Although the students won the first game of the knockout tournament easily, the staff reigned supreme in the second game.

Students then managed to take back the win in the final game for the overall title.

With the event partly sponsored by Moe’s Southwest Grill, the night included free chips and queso for all who paid the $3 admission fee.

A game of knockout occurred after the second game, allowing seniors, staff and spectators to compete for a Moe’s mystery gift bag. A second Moe’s gift bag was raffled off.

The event also featured all participants and Staff writer Marco Cicchino contributed to this spectators shooting a promotional video for piece

JOIN THE MERCIAD Do you like the content you are seeing in the Merciad? Would you like to help us out with articles or photographs and earn money for your work?

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

FEATURES

PAGE 8

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Lauren Rogus photo

This piece, “Unity Among Erie’s Youth,” by Anne Borofski, made use of colored handprints from local Erie children to create a community-focused poster board.

Mosaic for Life displays diversity of Hurst students through art

By Lauren Rogus

Staff writer

The Mosaic of Life Art Show took place April 4 as a way to express diversity through the arts.

The exhibition is in its second year and is run by the Cohen Health & Counseling Center.

The art showcased in the Student Union throughout the afternoon was as diverse in itself as the themes it portrayed, with pieces that differed in media, color and artist. The show included written pieces, video of dancing/acting, paintings, drawings, collages and much more.

The Mosaic of Life show also had a wide variety of art and culture for patrons to enjoy during their time there, such as the art of Henna and homemade food from around the world.

The people in charge of this creative undertaking were Heather Denning, professor of Art Therapy; Jessica Macrino, a psychologist at the Cohen Health Center; and Tyler Brentley, Multicultural and Inclusion coordinator.

“Mosaic of Life is a showcase of our school celebrating the themes of diversity are all over campus. It was open to all students whether or not they were an artist to give them an outlet to express themselves in these themes,” Denning said.

Macrino, who has worked on the show for two years now, shared this sentiment.

“This year was a huge difference in the amount of people who participated. Last year, we had four rectangular tables, and this year we have more than 30 pieces. We appreciate all the artwork we get submitted and are happy and excited about all the works,” Macrino said.

Demi Eadie, a junior Art Therapy major, said, “Being part of any art show is exciting, but I like this one because it’s collaborative and you get to work with other people or you can have an individual piece. It all comes together and it’s a lot like art therapy where it is more about the process than what is produced. It was fun to be part of a club collaborative piece

because we got to work on the piece both inside and outside the studio.”

Eadie’s favorite part of the show was seeing everyone’s pieces, especially the ones that were not made by art majors but still brought a new flair to the art world.

She stressed that when working through some struggles in life, one option is turning to art.

The diversity in the pieces alone gives the exhibition another level of personality that does not show through in other art show with rigid requirements or structure.

This is an art show for the people to get their voices heard and to show that diversity can mean many different things.

Macrino said the overall message of the show was to demonstrate the range of identities we have on campus.

“Students can see that there is so much more diversity than what you might think, and we just Lauren Rogus photo thought that having the opportunity to be artistic and creative is a This mixed media piece, “Autism: The Puzzle of Life,” was created by Kaitlyn Stark as an ode to Mercyhurst’s autistic community. good way to showcase that.”

Lakers attend business intelligence boot camp

By Sarah Klein Staff writer

On March 27-28, eight Mercyhurst students attended the Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) Competitive Intelligence Boot Camp in Baltimore, Maryland.

This year marks the first time Mercyhurst students were given the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with competitive intelligence professionals at an educational boot camp. Mercyhurst’s Competitive Intelligence Club is the only SCIP-affiliated student organization in the country, with SCIP being the largest competitive intelligence trade association in the US. It was this unique relationship that provided this opportunity.

The two-day conference was intended to provide both

undergraduate and graduate students with learning, interaction and professional development to prepare them for their future careers. The conference workshops have a mix of leaders within the competitive intelligence industry who travel from all around the world to do boot camp activities in one location.

It is this practical application process that students saw as critical to the event.

In addition, the attendees were given the opportunity to network and develop mentorship relationships with industry professionals.

Representatives from Mercyhurst included Ryan Brooks, senior Intelligence Studies major; Young Hoon Choi, junior Business Intelligence major; Logan Ford, junior Intelligence Studies major; Connor Jones, junior Business Intelligence major; Bryant Kimball, graduate Intelligence Studies major; Thomas King, graduate Intelligence Stud-

ies major; Annabel Klatil, sophomore Intelligence Studies major; and Jeffrey Sisk, junior Business Intelligence major.

“I wanted to learn about applications of competitive intelligence in the real world in a different industry,” Choi said. “We learned about CI and about advanced strategic intelligence techniques with CI professionals. Some were things we learned in class, and some weren’t, which was helpful.”

In May, nine competitive intelligence students will be traveling to Orlando, Florida, to attend the SCIP International Conference & Exhibition. Here they will be able to attend as some of the only students invited to the event, so long as they volunteer to help the event organizers. At the conference, they will interact with thousands of CI professionals.

It is hoped that they will learn key skills and meet people who can advance their careers in intelligence.

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

FEATURES

PAGE 9

Gillian Mazur photo

Student Sarah McDonnell cleaned up the area outside the home of Mary Hembrow Snyder, Ph.D. Volunteers managed to collect five bags of leaves in order to beautify the area.

Gillian Mazur photo

Students Claire Werynski and Gillian Mazur picked up leaves and did other yard work for Alice Edwards, Ph.D.

Students will spring clean your home

By Gillian Mazur

Staff writer

Throughout the month of April, Mercyhurst University’s Habitat for Humanity Club is hosting its biggest fundraiser, “Rent-a-Habitator.”

The fundraiser is semi-annual and sends out different groups of Habitators to professors’ homes to participate in some spring cleaning once each semester.

The club’s president, Morgan Stacey, a senior Economics and Finance double major, oversees this special event.

“The purpose is to help raise money to send club members on our spring break trip to serve with Habitat for Humanity Chapters in different parts of the country,” Stacey said.

While the fundraiser was initially only meant for Mercyhurst professors, the club opened it up to other community members this past year.

“The fundraiser is now also an awesome opportunity for us to be able to give back and help ‘beautify’ our local Erie community,” Stacey said.

Volunteers typically help clean up yards from the harsh winters in preparation for spring. As well as yard work,

they may also do spring cleaning indoors, help with planting or weeding gardens, clean cars or furniture and help with DIY or repair projects.

Staff or faculty members who seek their help give a donation to Habitat for Humanity in return based on how many volunteers they choose to ‘rent.’

Freshman Political Science and History double major Trey Catalano volunteered on April 6 for Mary Ann Owoc, Ph.D. Owoc, an associate professor in the Anthropology and Archeology department, sought the Habitators help with raking leaves in her backyard.

“My favorite part of volunteering for Rent-a-Habitator was being able to see professors outside of class and help them out around their house for a good cause,” Catalano said. “Dr. Owoc was incredibly kind and I really enjoyed working with her. Plus the fact that I was helping raise money for such a great organization like Habitat for Humanity was what made my volunteer work even more fulfilling.”

Other volunteers went to the home of Alice Edwards, Ph.D., Spanish professor in the World Languages and Culture department.

“I think this is my fourth year participating in the program. Of course, in part I participate because I want to support the good work of Habitat. But there are always tasks at home that are done better with more hands. This year we cleaned out the front yard and if I had not had the help of my two students, I’m not sure I would have found the motivation to do it,” Edwards said.

The Habitat for Humanity Club will gladly accept help from any volunteers regardless of whether or not they are active club members.

“We couldn’t do the fundraiser without our awesome volunteers and the commitment from the Mercyhurst women’s ice hockey team, football team and wrestling team,” Stacey said.

“Overall it was a fantastic experience that I’m extremely grateful for and I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” Catalano said.

Members and nonmembers alike are all welcome to volunteer and help serve those in the Erie area. The upcoming dates to volunteer are April 27 and April 28 from 10 a.m. to noon or from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Any interested volunteers should contact Stacey via email at mstace30@lakers.mercyhurst.edu.

LAKER MOMENT Campus Ministry Formal Mercyhurst students took part in the first ever Campus Ministry Spring Formal on April 6 in the Mercy Heritage Room. The event marked a unique opportunity for students and staff from all facets of Campus Ministry to gather together and dance the night away.

This picture shows the some members of the Catholic Devotions leadership team.

PAGE 10

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Students perform opera in PAC

By Carlena Bressanelli Staff writer

University photo

DANCE REVIEW

Raw Edges show was ‘en pointe’

By Lauren Abbott

Editor-in-chief

Every year, the Dance department puts countless hours into preparing student-choreographed works to be showcased in a yearly performance called Raw Edges.

This year was the 21st season of Raw Edges, and I can truly say it was an absolutely amazing experience.

I was blown away by the depth of the performances and how each piece made you think about the theme, the atmosphere and the movement.

From the very first dance, the audience was captivated by the dancers.

I particularly enjoyed how every piece was unique and each one varied from the last.

It was refreshing to get to see a whole range of dance styles and emotions performed. From dramatic to upbeat to whimsical, the show had a little bit of everything.

Every year, I am in awe of how creative the students are when coming up with their pieces.

During the intermission of each show, a few of the choreographers came out on stage to tell the audience a little about their

piece, their thought process and their overall experience while creating their performance.

It was really nice to get this extra little insight into a few of the pieces and was really interesting to see how many of the students had connected their pieces to other areas of study that they major or minor in.

While some pieces came with a short quote or explanation about the inspiration for the piece, the pieces were spectacular in that while you were given a theme they allowed the audience the space to think about that theme in whatever way the dance came across to them.

It was interesting to interpret the dances and their meanings based on the short information given.

Not only were the choreographers great with their creative ideas, the dancers also deserve a huge round of applause.

They put their very best into every piece and that was clear to the audience, which cannot be easy after being in multiple pieces.

The pieces were dynamic, thought provoking and engaging and kept the audience entertained and excited throughout the entire performance.

Like the arts?

How about writing?

You should write for the A&E section of the Merciad! Join us at our reporters’ meetings Mondays at 7 p.m. in Hirt 103, or email us at artsmerciad@gmail.com. You’ll even get paid $10 an article!

If you are looking for something to do at the end of April, come see the student opera “Don Pasquale.”

This opera was composed by Gaetano Donizetti in 1842 and premiered in 1843.

It is now a staple of the operatic canon.

This show will be performed April 26 at 8 p.m. and April 28 at 2 p.m. at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center.

Tickets are $15.50 for adults and $12.50 for students/youth.

This production of “Don Pasquale” is set during the Roaring ’20s.

It tells the story of Don Pasquale, an old man who wants to disinherit his nephew, Ernesto.

Ernesto and his fiancee, Nori-

na, with the help of Dr. Malatesta, hatch a scheme to teach Don Pasquale a lesson.

In addition to featuring current Voice students and alumni of the D’Angelo Department of Music, this opera is the second collaboration between the Opera program and the Mercyhurst Civic Orchestra.

Students and community members in the orchestra are working hard to provide the accompaniment for this opera.

It is being conducted by Jonathan Moser.

When asked why she picked this opera, director Louisa Jonason said, “I picked this opera because I had Voice majors who were capable of singing these very difficult roles — vocally and dramatically:” These students are Patrick Smith, senior Contract major,

who plays Don Pasquale, and Lydia Bolin, junior Vocal Performance major, who plays Norina.

Jonason said, “We, of course, didn’t know last year in May, when we cast the opera, that the basketball team and Patrick specifically, would be among the ‘Elite 8’ and not be available to rehearse.”

Because of this, the entire opera was staged without Smith, who is now being “put in” since the basketball season is over.

Jonason says that “Patrick is a quick study and a fine musician, so it is working,” and that the cast “are very happy that the team and Patrick did so well.”

Jonason knew the opera because it was her New York debut.

She sang the role of “Norina” when she was a student at Juilliard and a member of the American Opera Center.

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 11

Artists needed for salon

UPCOMING EVENTS

By Lauren Ganger

Arts & Entertainment Editor

The application deadline for the “Work in Progress: An Arts Salon” is fast approaching.

Any student involved in dance, music, theater, creative writing or visual arts is welcome to submit an application by April 12 to be included in the performance on April 28.

Artists of any skill level from any discipline are welcome to apply, as long as they are comfortable with performing in front of a crowd.

Megan Lay, Dance Club co-president, has been in charge of the event this year.

Lay said, “This event hopefully provides a voice to artists in the Mercyhurst community that may not be associated with their art through their major or minor.”

“It is allowing creativity to blossom and inviting collaborations to spark between all art forms at Mercyhurst,” she said. “Furthermore, we are encouraging artistic exploration in a relaxed environment so artists are able to showcase their talents with little to no pressure.”

Planning the event has been an important job for Lay and fellow seniors Dominic Fortunato and Meg Rebuzzini.

They have had to reserve the danceSpace and create a timeline for applications.

Their biggest challenge has been trying to get people from all of the artistic disciplines on campus involved, because in the past it has been a very Dance-dominated salon.

April 2 in CAG: 2019 Senior Art Thesis Exhibition opens April 10 @ 8 p.m. in WRH: Scott Meier Faculty Recital April 13 @ noon in PAC: Die Walküre April 25 @ 8 p.m. in TLT: Lumen Unveiling and Student Awards April 26-28 in PAC: D’Angelo Opera Theatre “Don Pasquale” April 27 @ 7 p.m. in TLT: Jazz Ensemble May 1 @ 7 p.m. in WRH: Small Ensembles Concert

Lay said, “We are hoping to decorate the space with visual art including photography, ceramics, drawing and painting.”

In addition, she says it would be great if any visual artists are interested in sketching the performers during or before the show.

Join an ensemble!

Contact the ensemble director about scheduling a short audition to demonstrate proficiency.

Wind Ensemble Dr. Scott Meier, 0-1 credit MWF, 3-4:20 p.m.

Jazz Ensemble Dr. Scott Meier, 0-1 credit MWF, 10-10:50 a.m.

Civic Orchestra Jonathan Moser, 0-1 credit Th, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Concert Choir Thomas Brooks, 0-1 credit MWF, 1-2:20 p.m.

If three semesters are taken for 1 credit (totaling 3 credits), it will fulfill a REACH Expression requirement.

This event has been called the Black and White Salon in the past, but this year it was decided that it be renamed so more artists will be encouraged to apply.

It honors Jenni-Lyn Watson, a Mercyhurst Dance major who was tragically killed in 2010.

A collection will be taken for

the Jenni-Lyn Watson Scholarship Fund during the event, a scholarship fund which helps graduating Dance major cover the costs of auditions.

This event is free and open to the public.

Come out to support all of the talent Mercyhurst has to offer.

May 2 @ 7:30 p.m. in PAC: Patti Lupone: Don’t Monkey With Broadway May 4 @ 7 p.m. in PAC: Wind Ensemble

CONCERT CHOIR REVIEW

Lenten Choral Celebration

By Marina Boyle Features Editor

On April 3, the D’Angelo Department of Music hosted a Lenten Choral Concert featuring the Mercyhurst Concert Choir and Chamber Singers at St. Luke Catholic Church.

This was my first time attending one of the choir’s concerts, despite the fact that I have many friends in the choir.

The concert had a Lenten theme that focused on preparation for Easter time.

The composers of each of the pieces had a Lenten theme in mind, which was explained to the crowd.

In particular, choir conductor Thomas Brooks spoke at length about the legacy of Heinrich Schutz, whose songs “The Seven Last Words” and “Christ, Be Thine the Glory” opened the show.

Other songs included “The Fawcon,” “Were You There?” and “Lamentations of Jeremiah.”

The songs gave me a musical history of the Lenten season.

Some of the chosen pieces dated

from as far back as 1645, and some were contemporary, creating a very diverse body of music for the show.

I also enjoyed how Brooks spoke about many of the songs in detail and gave some of their history.

As someone who has yet to take a music class at Mercyhurst, this context was a very helpful addition.

My personal favorite song was the Chamber Singers’ beautiful performance of “Mercy.”

Each song featured Paul Caram as the accompanist. Caram was excellent and really added to my enjoyment of the show.

One of the best parts of the evening was seeing how many parents had come to support their performing children.

I saw lots of families tear up as the choir sang, with good reason.

St. Luke’s Church was a very relaxing fitting and location for the occasion, especially because of the Easter symbolism throughout the church, such as the purple cloth and the stations of the cross.

A special point of the evening came at the end of the concert when Brooks invited all Mercyhurst alumni in the audience to stand.

It was wonderful to see how many there were.

Lots of them were very elderly and had still made the trip to St. Luke’s for the show.

Brooks also asked for a round of applause for any previous choir members in the audience.

Three members of the crowd who varied in age all came forward in a very heartfelt moment.

The programmed concert concluded with the Lenten favorite “Here I Am, Lord” and a standing ovation from the crowd.

The choir then performed an encore piece of “The Lord is My Shepherd,” which Brooks did not conduct, instead stepping back to watch the choir sing the piece together.

It was a truly fantastic performance and I would gladly attend a choir concert again.

OPINION

PAGE 12

GOOD Next week is finally Easter Break!

Have a good time off, everyone.

Job fairs, other career services worth your time

By Anthony

Miller

Opinion Editor

BAD The Merciad won’t be running an issue next week due to the break.

SAD Murkade, the Merciad’s plastic pet lizard is still missing one of his legs.

We may need to attempt surgery with hot glue.

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, April 10, 2019

Mercyhurst University has a great deal of career services available to its students.

One of these services is the multiple career fairs that Mercyhurst University holds every year.

The experience of going to a career fair is very hard to describe.

It’s even more so for myself, because, being a junior, I couldn’t exactly submit anything while I was there.

I still have an entire year of schooling left, so it’s not like I could just apply for jobs.

Companies at career fairs, generally speaking, want people who can start working in a few months, not an entire year or so.

I went to build connections and get experience networking and talking to job recruiters, not to apply for any jobs.

The experience felt casual on the whole.

Still, there was a certain formality to the proceedings that you don’t find every day at Mercyhurst.

I made sure to dress well, and go through all the various steps you go through when talking to a job recruiter.

While it wasn’t exactly the most important thing I’ve done in my junior year, I think it was still a valuable experience that helped me see just how valuable of a service the career fair is for students.

At a job fair, students can converse and apply to jobs directly, without the middle man of technology or paper.

It gives students a quick and efficient way to apply to a great number of jobs at once, while allowing them to get a better handle of where they’d like to work after graduation.

Beyond that, I think that the fair had a friendly and cordial atmosphere.

You’d think it would be intimidating, talking to all the job recruiters at the fair, but it really wasn’t.

Everyone was friendly, and wanted to openly engage with the students that approached their booths.

Even if you’re not a senior looking for employment, I think you should consider attending the next one.

It’s a good learning experience on the whole.

You get to learn how to present yourself in that kind of atmosphere, and you better learn how to make a good first impression, both of which are vital.

While I do wish that there was a greater variety of companies available at the fair, I thought it was still a valuable experience.

But the career fair is only one part of a larger whole.

And that larger whole is the current status of career services here at Mercyhurst.

Career services has come a long way in the past few years.

In the long-forgotten past of four years ago, Mercyhurst University’s career services was a bit infamous.

From what I’ve been told by seniors, not nearly as many opportunities were available back then.

For instance, the career fairs were far more limited than they are now.

But everyone seems to agree that it has improved immensely over the past few years, and I would have to agree.

One thing I think Mercyhurst University has gotten much better at in recent times is career services.

Career services is all about helping students understand what they want to do after they graduate.

Over the past year or so, a multitude of options have been made available for me after I graduate.

Some of these paths include going to graduate school, going into the workforce, doing a year of service and many others.

A few years ago, from everything I have heard, it seemed as if not much attention was paid to guiding students into paths they may want to pursue after graduation.

Things like the more expansive career fairs show how things have improved.

I still think some things could be improved.

Many students have no idea of all the career services available to them. As a result, many of them end up stumbling a bit blindly into their life after graduation, not entirely knowing what they’re going to do.

I think that Mercyhurst could take additional steps towards correcting this.

Perhaps juniors and seniors

could have some day equivalent to Advising Day, where they can discuss potential future options with their adviser or career services.

Or maybe services such as Handshake, a networking service promoted by Mercyhurst, could be better advertised.

If they did this, more students could get acquainted with such services, and better understand how they play into the job search nowadays.

Knowing how to use job networking sites like Handshake is vital for success in the digital job market.

Nowadays, the way in which many recruiters find you is through those sites.

Even just teaching students how to build a LinkedIn profile would be a huge step.

It wasn’t until I tried applying for internships last year that I started to learn about all the intricacies of building a portfolio and brand for yourself.

I think that Mercyhurst could benefit by teaching its students the ins and out of applying for jobs post graduation.

Or even just making students more aware of the options they have available to them after graduation.

Maybe it could be tied into the IMU experience, or maybe even the senior projects somehow.

The important thing is that it should be taught.

It’s an incredibly valuable and practical skill in this digital age we live in.

With all of that being said, I do think things are heading in the correct direction in regards to career services here at Mercyhurst University.

While there are still ways in which things could be improved, such as teaching students more about networking, things are much better now than they were before.

This is all especially if the horror stories I’ve heard from seniors are true.

I hope that Mercyhurst University can continue to improve its career services program going forward.

Trying to learn what you want to do after graduation is incredibly difficult.

It’s easy to get caught in paralysis and stall out.

The career services should be the antidote to this, and it’s good to know that they are greatly improving.

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, April 10, 2019

OPINION

Why I personally love basketball team to swing the ball and look for an open pass.

By Nash The players hear the roar of Greeven the crowd and the screams of Staff writer their coaches.

However, in the moment of Basketball is one of the most the game, all the noise blends exciting sports to watch, in large together. Ultimately, it fades out part because of the sense of into nothing. competition.

It comes down to two teams There’s so much competition giving it their all hoping to make surrounding basketball. It has the a three-pointer, and everybody is kind of excitement that brings all on edge. the fans in cheering.

Needless to say, this The game of basketball is atmosphere is one of the big an exciting sport in large part reasons I love the sport. because of the screaming In basketball, a split second sidelines. decision can determine the entire The game starts, and the first game, but it’s far from the only thing you hear is the roar of the factor. fans, yelling from both sides of There are so many factors to the court. winning a game.

Fierce rivals face off and One is how the teams’ defense cheer for their team. and offense play.

Each crazed fan is chanting There’s also how well the unit along, hoping it will help their executes the plays. team win the victory.

Then there is how many fouls It creates an infectious energy, a specific team makes, as well as that’s for sure. the opposing teams free throws.

But above all the screaming Limiting fouls and making fans, the one to listen for is the their free throw shots is crucial coach. in basketball.

If you listen closely, you can All these make a significant hear one of the coaches as they impact on winning or losing the scream for their team to hustle game. back on defense.

They make the game dynamic This is going on while the and exciting. No two matches other coach screeches for their will be the same.

I was very excited when I saw the March Madness bracket this year.

To me, it is the best feeling filling out your brackets and competing among all your friends.

Then, the next day is finding out your bracket has gone down the trash.

I feel basketball is a sport for everybody.

People can come together and enjoy the sport without much knowledge of how the game operates at all.

You can even find a team to root for.

Personally, I am a fan of the Lakers.

I know that everyone has their fair share of opinions about the Lakers.

But as I said before, I’m a definite fan.

I was super sad when the Lakers went on a losing streak, but I get it. Losing streaks are a reality of basketball, after all.

However, its amazing when you get to watch an underdog team come together, and rise the basketball ranks that you never saw coming.

Like Auburn in the NCAA bracket, for example.

I never saw it coming, but it happened!

PAGE 13

HURST STUDENTS

SPEAK UP We asked the students: “How did Advising Day go?”

Tricia Shullick, junior Graphic Design major: “My Advising Day went well, it was exciting planning for senior year.

On the other hand, it’s surreal that it’s already here.”

Carly Holtzman, sophomore Biology major: “I had Advising Day over email, but overall I liked it and enjoyed the day.”

Amanda Brodie, sophomore Biology major: “Advising Day gives me a day to look forward to, so I can relax and plan my schedule. I also enjoy the talks with my adviser.”

Abby Stevens, junior English major: “I think my Advising Day went well. I didn’t get all the classes I wanted, though.”

Compiled by Kristian Biega

The problems with the MU proud of AIM scheduling system required for my major.

I was sent into a panic.

By Michael I rushed directly to my adviser’s Solazzo office, not knowing all the while Contributing writer if he would even be available.

Fortunately enough, he was.

It’s that time once again.

He was able to calmly get It is time to schedule for next me through the complicated semester’s classes. scheduling process.

As a freshman, class scheduling The two of us went on, was one of the most stressful cleaning up the scheduling fiasco experiences of my first semester. that this school has dumped on I recall leaving my final my shoulders. advising meeting feeling I was one of the lucky few confident in my class choices. who was able to get a hold of In fact, I was actually excited their adviser easily. for my schedule.

And even with all of that, I still What a mistake that was. didn’t even make it into all the I began hearing mutterings and classes I wanted. rumors among the student body On this recent Advising Day, about classes filling up. the tension was palpable.

It was at this time that I I could see the stress in decided to go and take a look at everyone’s eyes while they my own schedule. desperately told their friends, “I I found that not one, not two, only have two classes. I can’t find not three, but four of my classes any more.” had been filled, and my backup Advising Day quickly devolved classes hardly looked better. from a bad to a downright To make it even worse, there barbarous situation. were 30 people on the waiting The major injustice of the list for microeconomics, which is system is that I and hundreds of

other students are getting closed out of the classes that we want and need.

The system is so poorly designed that it verges on total incompetence.

What respectable institution routinely leaves everyone wanting classes they’ll never take?

I’m not a student athlete who gets everything delivered to them on a silver platter, and my mother never starred in an iconic sitcom.

So, I guess the best solution would be to pay my local community college more money to pick up Mercyhurst’s slack and fill the gaps in my education.

This scheduling problem rears its ugly head every semester.

There’s no way the administration does not know about it.

The only explanation is that they simply can’t be bothered to fix it.

This really begs a question.

If our college doesn’t even care about whether or not we’re taking the classes we want and need, what are we paying them for?

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

so many others, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the diverse, energetic and dynamic autistic Boyle population we have here at Features Editor Mercyhurst University.

However, more than the This past week, I have actual events, I was awed by been truly in awe of how well the feelings expressed by fellow Mercyhurst has celebrated its students. autistic community.

So many people in this world For those who don’t know, hide what is different about April is Autism Awareness themselves.

Month.

They end up covering Mercyhurst has had a series anything that can make them of activities over the past week unlike their peers, for fear of to commemorate the month. standing out.

The first event was holding a Our students are proud session where students could get to share that they are on the their thumbnails painted blue, spectrum. which I happily attended.

They embrace it for this The next way in which whole campus to see.

Mercyhurst celebrated Autism The fact that they can be so Awareness Month was by open about diversity inspires having the Old Main tower be lit me. up every night.

Our AIM program’s strength The color of the lighting was is not only admirable, it’s blue, which is also the color of refreshing.

Autism Awareness Month.

In a political climate and Saturday brought the band time period when people with Rock Autism! to the Great different abilities are still not Room. They put on a great fully accepted, Mercyhurst has performance. made strides.

On top of all of this, many I am so proud of all my students across Mercyhurst autistic peers this month. wore blue this week.

I will celebrate this month While seeing these events and along with you.

By Marina

SPORTS

PAGE 14

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

3-1 weekend for MU baseball

By Jack Butler

Contributing writer

The Mercyhurst University Baseball team hosted fellow PSAC West school Indiana University of Pennsylvania on April 7 at the Mercyhurst Baseball Field.

Mercyhurst entered the day having swept the Crimson Hawks on their home turf Saturday in two close-fought games.

Prior to the weekend’s home and home doubleheaders, the Lakers were ranked No. 1 in the NCAA DII Atlantic Region Poll.

“I prefer not to be ranked in those polls and stuff,” Head Coach Joe Spano said. “The only things that really matters to me is that you know we’re ranked when it counts like for the NCAAs and things like that. But it is nice for recruiting.”

Starting off the day was a 10-3 rout over the Crimson Hawks in the first game of a twin bill.

Laker pitcher Tyler Garbee allowed a solo home run by the Crimson Hawks’ Markus Cesta, but that was all.

During the Lakers’ half of the first, they scored five times as 10 men stepped to the plate and Matt Schneider, Hunter Snyder and Josh Surowiec plated three runs.

The Lakers’ offense kept on producing in the bottom of second with an Alex O’Donnell single and a Schneider two-run homer to extend their lead to 7-1.

In the fourth inning, Garbee got the first two Crimson Hawks, then yielded a walk to Luke Hollander but managed to get out of it by getting him at first base with an unbelievable pick off move.

Trey Fahsel photo

No. 21 Jack Elliott swings for the Lakers while at bat against Indiana University of Pennsylvania on April 7.

The fifth was Garbee’s last inning on the mound, which started promising.

However, he walked a batter after getting two outs, then the Crimson Hawks’ Chris Eisel clobbered a ball beyond the fence to cut into the deficit.

But two innings prior the Lakers batters were clinging on all cylinders again when Surowiec led off the third with a solo shot and outfielder Kenny Robinson scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jack Elliott.

An inning later, Matt Gibson connected with a solo homer, the third homer of the game for the Lakers, to give them a 10-3 lead.

The Lakers’ offense went quiet

for the rest of the first game, but Mercyhurst’s relief pitching was superb with Laker Ryan Smerkar followed by relief pitcher Tyler Passmore to get the last three outs in the top of the seventh.

In the second game of the twin bill, Coach Spano handed the baseball to senior Russell Lamovec.

Unfortunately, Lamovec had an off day on the mound, and although he finished the inning, the Crimson Hawks scored seven runs.

During the Lakers chance at the plate the Crimson Hawks’ Tyler Adams retired the first two batters, but there were two runs from loaded base walks.

With the score at 7-2 in the bot-

Close loss, win for MU women’s tennis

By Marina Boyle Features editor

Women’s tennis suffered a 4-3 loss to Slippery Rock on April 2, but came back to defeat California University of Pennsylvania in the following game on April 5.

Head Coach Jerome Simon was impressed by both performances this week against the schools, both Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponents.

“We made a great effort but just came up a little short against SRU,” Simon said. “When you compete there are two results, you either win or learn, and against Slippery Rock we learned. Traveling to California we were clicking on all cylinders and were very prepared and it showed.”

Slippery Rock, ranked No. 5 in the Atlantic region compared with the No. 3 Lakers won, both doubles matches on the court each by a margin of 7-5, taking a 1-0 lead for the match.

The Lakers then won three of

five singles contests but came up one point short of a win. The final score was 4-3, Slippery Rock.

On April 5, the Lakers bounced back, defeating California University of Pennsylvania with a 6-1 win in another PSAC West matchup.

The women played with only five players, but the Lakers won in both doubles matches and the five singles contests.

The Lakers forfeited one doubles match and one singles point for their lack of a sixth competing player.

Kayla Frost and Sangeeta Roopan won the first doubles match with a 6-1 final score. They were followed by Athina Tsagkaraki and Naomi Jahr who won 6-2.

In singles, the women dominated by winning each match in straight sets.

“It was a tough loss against Slippery Rock, but we battled back on Friday against California University of Pennsylvania,” Roopan said.

“We are in good shape and we feel

that we have the potential to do well the rest of this season.”

Both Coach Simon and the team share these high hopes for the rest of the season.

“The season has had its ups and downs, but we are on the right track now,” Simon said. “We set our expectations high every year and an NCAA appearance is expected. We hope to make Nationals and the Sweet 16 along with hopefully a conference championship on the way.”

The Lakers will be in action again this Wednesday, when they host Indiana University of Pennsylvania at Penn State Behrend, rounding out a trio of back-toback PSAC opponents.

IUP is 6-7 for the season and 2-0 in the PSAC standings and is 2-2 on the road.

The Lakers are currently 5-1 when hosting teams this season.

“We hope to do well in the coming matches and hopefully make it to the conference tournament,” Jahr said.

tom of the first, the Lakers were unable to cut the deficit.

Lamovec then found his groove after the rocky start when he retired nine Crimson Hawks in a row but following a two-out single and walk, Jared Kapturasky entered the game for the fourths end.

Kapturasky made the situation scarier when he walked the first batter he faced but bounced back with striking out the Crimson Hawks’ Austin Vigolitti.

During the bottom half of the frame, the Lakers tacked on a third run when Zach Mitchell was hit by the pitch, then Elliott doubled, and O’Donnell hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Mitchell.

The Lakers could have done

more damage, but Crimson Hawk reliever Mike Klingensmith got Schneider to pop out to second.

Kapturasky entered the top of the fifth getting the lead off man but yielding two consecutive walks.

Lucas Folmar then came in for the Lakers with runners on first and second, one with one out, and produced a fly out and a pop out to end the Crimson Hawk threat.

The Crimson Hawk’s Klingensmith then retired the next three Lakers in the fifth.

Folmar entered the top of the seventh, but the Crimson Hawks had other ideas as Colin Williams led off the inning with a walk; then Folmar was able to eliminate Nick DiAndreth but another pitching change was in order.

Adam Jeannette then entered to pitch for the Lakers, with a man on second and one out gave up a RBI single adding to the Crimson Hawk’s 7-3 lead making it 8-3.

Unfortunately, there would be no victory for the Lakers, as Crimson Hawk pitchers shut down Lakers hitters in the second contest, limiting them to only two hits; in the end, the Crimson Hawks took it 8-3.

Nevertheless, the Lakers won three out of four in the series.

“It’s always a positive thing to win a series in our conference,” Spano said. “It is a really difficult thing to do. Every team in our division is really talented this year and you always want to win as many games as you can but we’re always happy to win a conference series.”

The Lakers, now tied for No. 1 in the division, will be back at the Mercyhurst Baseball Field April 13 vs. Seton Hill University.

HURST RESULTS April 6: Men’s lacrosse vs. Seton Hill University, 11-13, Seton Hill April 7: Women’s water polo vs.

Monmouth College, 13-3, Lakers (7-15) April 7: Softball vs. Seton Hill University, 1-2, Seton Hill and 5-4, Lakers (7-22, 3-5) April 9: Men’s lacrosse vs. Walsh University, 19-8, Lakers (8-3, 4-1) April 9: Baseball vs. Notre Dame College (Ohio), 16-5, Lakers (18-5)

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

SPORTS

PAGE 15

Two wins for women’s lax

By Marco Cicchino

Staff writer

Laker Lacey Netti said it best — there’s no stopping now for 25thranked Mercyhurst.

After running into their first three-game losing streak since April 2013, all the Lakers needed to do was get back to Tullio Field and return to their high-octane play that has suited them masterfully for this entire decade.

The Lakers avenged last year’s Top 25 loss at Lock Haven Unversity by splitting 15 goals on opposite sides of intermission on Saturday against their archrival, the Lock Haven Bald Eagles.

Earlier in the week, a nine-goal first half against the Gannon University Golden Knights proved to be the catalyst for this current hot streak, with a 16-4 rout by the Lakers.

“We need all the wins we can get now,” Netti said. “We can’t afford to lose much any more, so this was a good bounce-back game.”

The Lakers got off to a typical quick start against the Golden Knights (2-8, 0-6) with Netti finding her favorite target in Emma Hubert twice in the opening three minutes.

The Golden Knights’ defense then clamped down. Golden Knight Alexa Bower responded with a score to get on the board.

Laker Jenna Hagen responded 90 seconds later off the ensuing clear, but again the Golden Knights’ defense prevented more scoring, leading to a Jessica Hudak score for the Golden Knights.

After the Bower won the ensu-

Trey Fahsel photo

Mercyhurst’s No. 10 Paige Cocina blocks Gannon University’s No. 3 Caroline Mauck during their April 2 contest at Tullio Field. Behind them, No. 25 Kaitlyn Lippert is in goal for the Lakers.

ing faceoff, Laker Goalie Kaitlyn Lippert got her hands on a loose grounder and launched it into a clear that eventually found Brenna Fosco with 8:21 before half, sparking a dominating Lakers possession for the rest of the half.

A save on Erin Rotondo launched into a clear with the Lakers’ Kira Kolb and Marissa Comerate launching shots wide before Erin Renwick (2-7, 14.58; now 2-8, 15.25) stopped Hubert before Netti cleaned up the rebound.

Then Angelina Simon coaxed Eileen Kehrig into a turnover be-

fore finding Hagen 52 seconds later, then Hagen for a Hubert score with 2:49 left in regulation.

Paige Cocina then scored for the Lakers, then assisted Payton Cook to round out the half.

That seven-goal lead would only inflate when Cook opened the second-half scoring 3:47 in, but after Lippert stopped the Knights’ leading scorer in Rotondo, Hudak picked up the loose grounder allowing the Golden Knights’ Rachel Tufts a score.

But Kolb won the ensuing draw, and Netti regained posssession and coaxing Emma Ivory into

PHOTO FINISH

a giveaway, then finding Hubert before a Cocina score 50 seconds later.

Tufts then had her second in less than eight and a half minutes for the Golden Knights, but Cocina responded a minute later for the Lakers.

A clear off a stop on the Golden Knights’ Bower once again allowed Netti to play favorites before she drove home the last two of the game unassisted, ending the game for a Laker win.

Against Lock Haven (3-8, 1-5), Netti needed just 1:16 into the game to find Hubert for her first

of six on the day, before Bald Eagle Caitlin Morrow responded three minutes later.

“We had our offense generate a lot of points, and we pushed the ball really well,” Netti said.

Hubert and Netti connected again at 6:27, and then Netti scored unassisted.

The Lakers’ Brenna Fosco then got into the action, finding teammate Julia Rescott at 15:04 before Hubert and Netti combined again to precede Morrow doing the same with Kate Hooper at 18:56 to take the deficit back to three.

But the Lakers’ Fosco responded and found Marissa Comerate with 4:28 left before half to retake the four-goal lead, though the Bald Eagles’ Reddinger coaxed Laker Molly Meegan into a turnover and a score by Morrow.

Comerate then responded for the Lakers by finishing off her first career hat trick unassisted on opposite sides of intermisison and beating the Bald Eagles’ Lauren Girardi (1-5, 15.57) a minute into the second half.

But after Girardi stopped the Lakers’ Kolb three minutes later, Bald Eagle Reddinger benefitted from the clear and sandwiched two goals between a Hubert-Netti Laker connection.

Rescott then responded 39 seconds after Reddinger’s second goal with a grounder.

From here, the Lakers maintained command of the scoreboard, with Comerate, Hubert, Rescott and Meegan each getting one more score.

Two tallies from the Bald Eagles’ Hooper rounded up the scoring, with the Lakers finishing their comfortable lead 15-8.

LET’S GO,

LAKERS! April 10, Mercyhurst Softball Field @ 3 and 5 p.m.: Softball vs. Lake Erie College April 10, Tullio Field @ 4 p.m.: Women’s lacrosse vs. Seton Hill University April 13, Cathedral Prep Event Center @ 12 p.m.: Women’s water polo vs.

Gannon University April 13, Mercyhurst Baseball Field @ 1 and 4 p.m.: Baseball vs. Seton Hill University Trey Fahsel photo

Laura Gregory pitches for the Mercyhurst softball team against Seton Hill University on April 7. The Lakers split the doubleheader, falling 1-2 in the first game but coming out on top 5-4 in the second.

April 24, Tullio Field @ 4 p.m.: Men’s lacrosse vs. Roberts Wesleyan College

PAGE 16

LAKER LIVING

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

HURST TOON Student-drawn cartoon by Periwinkle