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Features
NEW AT HURST
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By Bella Lee Staff writer
“Hurst is Home ‘’ is a phrase often used on campus. Mercyhurst remains home for current and past students. This year we are fortunate to welcome back several alumni, especially from the class of 2020. Of the many recent graduates that have returned back to campus this fall, this week we re-introduce the Mercyhurst community to recent graduate Tessa Sayre.
Sayre is the Public Services Manager at Hammermill Library. She’s in charge of overseeing the Circulation Desk and working with other library staff on special projects.
“I attended Mercyhurst University beginning in 2016,” she said. “At the time, my major was just Psychology. I went on to add a theatre minor that year and a Creative Writing major my junior year. I graduated in 2020 amidst the Covid-19 crisis and celebrated with a Netflix marathon,” she said.
Sayre’s experience with extracurriculars at Mercyhurst was extremely rewarding for her.
“As a student, I was most heavily involved in the Theatre Program,” Sayre said. “I found it incredibly rewarding to participate in the shows in any capacity— whether performing on stage, assisting the stage manager or running spotlight. I’ve not found such a wonderful group of people anywhere else, and many of the friends I made in the theatre program as a student I remain in contact with today. I also was a part of the English Honors Society (Sigma Tau Delta) and submitted work to the Lumen.” It ended up being that very experience that drew her back to Mercyhurst. “I chose to come back to Mercyhurst because I was quickly growing tired of pursuing a life path that I did not enjoy,” Sayre said.
Overall, her experience as an employee rather than a student has been great.
“As a new staff member, I am most thankful for the community here at Mercyhurst,” Sayre said. “I’d been acquainted with the library staff as a student and when I returned as Public Services Manager they were all very welcoming and friendly. It’s nice to work on a team that collaborates so well together.”
Sayre is still just as involved in the Mercyhurst community, recently being cast in the Theatre Program’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Be sure to say hello to her if you see her at the library.
By Samantha Weber Managing editor
Mercyhurst has implemented a new Conversation Assistance Program for students. The department reached out to several international students who speak a primary language other than English. The International Student Office and the Department of World Languages partnered together to create this opportunity for students to take advantage of.
“We began offering this program as a way to expose our student’s authentic speech from native speakers of the target language. We also wanted them to have the opportunity to learn about culture firsthand from international students,” Sherez Mohamed, Ph.D., assistant professor of Spanish, said.
The World Language Department sees the program as an opportunity for domestic and international students alike.
“We wanted international students to have the opportunity to share their language and culture with students, as the purpose of having international students on campus is not just for them to learn about US culture; but rather, it’s highly beneficial that we learn about where they come from as well,” Mohamed said.
This program offers a variety of different activities that students can take advantage of including tutoring, conversation tables, and communicative classroom activities. Some courses might require students to attend a few of the conversion tables to better help students work on small speak in their language of study.
Mohamed sees great value in having an international student work with an American student.
“They can offer authentic cultural and conversation experiences to their counterparts from the US,” Mohamed said. “They can help develop the development of listening and speaking skills.”
Valentine Budin, a sophomore cyber security major, is from Paris, France, and her primary language is French. She was recruited by Douglas Boudreau, Ph.D. associate professor of French, to help other students who are learning French get to practice it in a more casual setting. “I took the spot quickly because I was looking for this kind of job on campus,” Budin said. “Indeed, I wanted to share my culture and knowledge about my country.”
“I’m looking forward to is being able to help others expand their knowledge on more than one different dialogue of Spanish,” Another member of the program, Yisela Reyes, said. “There is much more to get out of these programs than just helping other students improve their language skills. I also hope to educate foreign language learning students on different cultures and being able to cross-cultural connect.”
The program is also a way for students to make new friends.
“I wanted to meet new students,” Budin said. And there is no better way to do that than to meet people who speak a language not commonly spoken in the United States and bond over the language aspect that everyone has in common.
Mohamed hopes her students can get a lot out of this program.
“I hope all students make cross-cultural connections, expand their horizons, build friendships and of course I hope the US students develop their foreign language skills.”
The Conversation Assistance program is great for world language students to get involved in. To find out more information about the program or to get involved contact Dr. Sherez Mohamed at smohamed@mercyhurst.edu.
LAKER MOMENT
On Sept. 14, the Starbucks kiosk located in the Mercyhurst bookstore held a promotion for anyone who bought a coffee. With the purchase of a drink, you received a free cream filled donut with chocolate frosting! The lovely Parkhurst staff worked diligently through their morning rush in order to get the caffeine-deprived MU students their coffee and complimentary donut. It was incredibly uplifting to see the surprise and made everyone’s day.
Laker Side Hustles: Hearts and Crafts by Han
By Elphena Elsar Staff writer
Running a small business is not an easy task especially if the only employee you have is yourself. You are forced to play the role and do the tasks of every employee like financial management, planning and strategy, daily operations, sales and marketing, customer service, and more.
Now imagine being a college student with a major and a minor in two completely different fields of focus, which come with loads of classes along with great responsibilities plus maintaining a personal life, a family and other things.
Hannah Dragan, a junior dance major and fashion merchandising here at Mercyhurst owns and operates a crafting business. Her small business, ‘Hearts and Crafts by Han’ is hosted on Etsy where she sells her handmade jewelry online. The store sells unique earrings, rings, necklaces and bracelets from new and vintage beads and other materials.
Dragan’s products range from a variety of prices, but have a unique style. Her earrings range from $5 to $22 while the rest her products fall under a similar range.
Her style flourishes in her products. The earrings in particular, show an array of floral patterns and beading arrangements. Dragan has a variety of patterns and styles that fit anyone’s interests and styles.
She currently has 70 items in her store and her page is very easy to sort through to find any and all of her products.
“I have always been a very crafty person and having a passion for making clothing, I decided I wanted to try making jewelry for myself and friends, too! I had so much free time over our long winter break last year and was inspired by jewelry I had seen and loved made by others online. After selling to many friends last semester, I worked on making an Etsy account over the summer to reach more people,” said Dragan.
As daunting as it sounds being a college student with great responsibilities like Dragan, her inspiration to keep going comes from making people happy with the crafts and fashion she creates.
“Creating new and unique pieces for others who love fashion makes me incredibly happy and it serves as a really great outlet
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A sample of a few of many products made and sold by Hearts and Crafts by Han.
for me to be creative!” said Dragan, “making jewelry has quickly become a hobby of mine and I can’t wait to grow my business and share my creations with more lovely people! I love playing a small part in making others happy and feel like their beautiful selves with my jewelry!”
If you are interested in checking out the unique jewelry made by Hannah, find her on Etsy.com, and search her online store name, “Hearts and Crafts by Han” then make sure to follow the Instagram page @ heartsandcraftsbyhan.
For any college student out there who is inspired by the work Hannah Dragan does or maybe you have interest in starting your own small business but you’re intimidated by the thought of it, here is what the amazing Hannah has to say:
“Though college can be a very busy time in our lives, I have found it to be important for me to find time to do things that I truly love.”
Beautifully said, but do not let the words be just words. Instead use the words as a driving tool that inspires and guides you in allowing yourself to be creative with the hope that the innovation will come to fruition. Remember to have fun while on your journey to self-discovery.
If you have a small business or know a friend who has one and want to have it featured in the newspaper, email merciad@ mercyhurst.edu or message @merciadmu on Instagram to have your business featured.
Alternatively, one can also email the current Features section editor, Victoria McGinty, at vmcgin82@lakers.mercyhurst.edu to be featured.
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Junior Dance major and owner of ‘Hearts and Crafts by Han,’ Hannah Dragan
RSCO Feature: Fashion Council
By Abigail Eyler Staff writer
Are you interested in fashion? Do you enjoy meeting new people? How do you feel about new fashion trends? If one of these statements applies to you, come check out Mercyhurst’s Fashion Council.
The Fashion Council is a club that is run by the Fashion Department for majors and non-majors. It focuses on how fashion is an important part of society. As pop culture is reliant on trends, the fashion industry is majorly affected by the world. Fashion is used to convey social issues as clothing is able to relay messages. The fashion industry is also one of the largest industries with high-end brands, athletic brands and fast-fashion stores. Since trends start with high fashion and eventually go to fast-fashion brands, it is important to note how the industry relies on trend-setting, and how fashion is a huge part of daily life. Fashion Council Co-President, Margaret Gonas, is a junior fashion merchandising major.
“Fashion council reflects society today because everyone within the club is different. Though most members are passionate about fashion, one can simply look around as see how different everyone’s personal styles are,” said Gonas.
The goal of the fashion club is to allow non-majors to connect with the fashion department. It’s also a great way to meet and see people in different classes as Gonas said that upperclassmen and underclassmen often do not have classes together making it difficult to meet members of the department and outside the department.
“We also love it when non-majors join the club so that we can connect with even more perspectives,” said Gonas.
The Fashion Council has several events planned for the Fall semester including a sleepover party, plans to see House of Gucci, a Halloween Scavenger Hunt and a Christmas Party. The sleepover will consist of members showing up in their pajamas and playing sleepover games, trivia or a Kahoot and showing a movie. The games could include prizes. The Halloween Scavenger Hunt is similar to Hurst Day where there are teams of 3-4 competing, clues are spread around campus and there will be prizes for the best costumes and the winners of the scavenger hunt. The plans for House of Gucci currently consist of renting a movie theater, partnering with the Modern Cinema Club and rides would be provided for members who do not have a car. The Christmas Party, an annual event hosted by the Fashion Council, could consist of a gingerbread decorating contest, and members will probably be dressed in ugly sweaters or Christmas pajamas.
Other plans for the spring semester include a Galentine’s Day Party, St. Patrick’s Day event and an Easter event. The Galentine’s Day event will include a competition, pictures and candy. The St. Patrick’s Day event will include making a t-shirt that represents the spirit of the holiday. The Easter event may feature an egg hunt.
The Fashion Council meets twice a month and the next meeting will be during the week of Sept. 27.
“It [the meeting] will probably be that Thursday. We try to keep the meetings during the week, so people can go to them in case they go home on the weekends,” said Gonas. The general meeting includes competitions and allows club members to enjoy a positive environment where they can speak about fashion and socialize.
If interested you can DM @mercyhurstfashion on Instagram or you can email Gonas at mgonas95@lakers.mercyhurst.edu.
HURST CLASS CATALOG
Contributed photo Christina Riley-Brown, Ph.D., American Literature course professor and Dean of the Hafenmaier College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Science
By Sarah Beck
Staff writer
If you are interested in American Literature, historical context, as well as engaging in thoughtful conversation, the Seminar in American Literature taught by Christina Riley-Brown, Ph.D. might just be a class that you should take.
Riley-Brown is the Dean of the Hafenmaier College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. She has been teaching at Mercyhurst University for the past fifteen years teaching a few courses in pre-1865 American Literature that focus on the beginning of print culture, American literary culture, and southern literature. American Literature is a 300 level class that is offered to all students although it is primarily taken by English majors. If you are an English major or minor, this class is certainly one to consider. American Literature is focused on specifically southern literature in the essence of southern writers and writing. Throughout the class you will analyze the geographic, historical, and racial complexity of the American south throughout history.
The bulk of the syllabus and exploration of the south is done through reading a variety of books such as William Faulkner’s “The Sound and the Fury,” Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” Randall Kenan’s “Let The Dead Bury Their Dead,” and Jesmyn Ward’s “Sing Unburied Sing.” Intermixed with these pieces of literature, you will get the opportunity to listen to blues music to understand the idea of how the arts culture was shaped in the south.
According to Riley-Brown this class analyzes a lot of work that is known as “southern Gothic” which is a form of work that dwells on violence, the complications of history, and the suppression of the population in the south. This form of writing goes through the process to deconstruct the notion of the myth of the great old south.
In this American Literature Seminar course, you will engage in daily discussion to talk about the identity of the south through realistic conversations on social class, race, gender, religion, and how writers are often speaking to these topics even in today’s society.
“Within the southern Gothic you see a lot of these darker themes emerging but you also see a lot of humor as well. It’s themes are oftentimes about loss, repression, struggle but at the same time the music is beautiful, transcendent,” Riley-Brown said. “Sometimes it’s really joyful and has moments of great fun and hilarity, at times, really dark humor. That’s the way that southern literature is as well.”
One of the most impactful things about this class in American Literature is the perspective that you will receive.
Modern Cinema Club alumni travel to Toronto Film Festival
By Bella Lee Staff writer
Every year, the Modern Cinema Club has the opportunity to attend the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). While some things were different, this year was no exception.
“This is one of the best events we are involved with every year and we were glad to go back in 2021 in a limited capacity,” said Kristofer Gossett, DBA, Associate Dean of the Walker College of Business and advisor of the Modern Cinema Club.
Due to the pandemic, changes had to be made to ensure that the club could have the safest and most rewarding experience.
Gossett stated that normally the trip consists of a variety of Mercyhurst students and friends including current students, alumni, family/friends of alumni and a few faculty and staff members. This year the TIFF trip was made up of 14 Mercyhurst alumni.
“This year we were not able to bring current students, so the trip actually consisted mostly of alumni of the Modern Cinema Club who have been coming on the trip since we started back in 2017,” Gossett said.
“Ken Henning and his wife (bus driver), a family with an alumnus flew in from Philadelphia to attend, eight other alumni came back and then myself. In comparison, we had over 30 people go on the TIFF 2019 trip when we were able to take students as well,” said Gossett.
Additionally, everyone had to make sure they were safe to cross international borders.
“The planning to get everyone across the Canadian border was extensive,” Gossett said. “Every person had to be fully vaccinated prior to the trip and we all had to have a negative COVID-19 test result seventy-two hours or sooner from the time we crossed the border. Everyone also had to fill out the ArriveCan app with all of our COVID-19 history and documentation before we could cross.”
Despite the hardships to make the trip work, it was an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.
“The trip is a whirlwind for all of us,” Gossett said. “We arrived Friday around noon and immediately some of us (me) we already heading to movies.”
Attendees typically see somewhere between four and eight or nine movies between Friday afternoon and Sunday evening.
“We attended a TIFF Honors Press Conference which highlighted individuals who were receiving awards from the festival this year. That included the likes of Dionne Warwick, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jessica Chastain, and director of Dune Denis Villeneuve. It was quite an experience,” Gossett said.
Most all the films watched were either world premiers or North American premiers of films that don’t come out to the public anywhere from a week or two to sometimes years.
The range of films is always expansive and gives attendees the ability to watch movies that they are interested in from filmmakers around the world.
“It was almost like COVID wasn’t happening. The favorite part of the trip for me every year is watching great films with other people from the group,” Gossett said.
The pandemic may have changed the landscape of the entertainment industry, but it did not weaken movie-lovers’ passion for film.
“Even standing in line waiting on films is fun as you are around people from all over the world who love film as much as I do,” Gossett said.
Hopefully next year current members of the Modern Cinema club will be able to have these experiences, but this year’s trip was a unique one for everyone involved.
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Actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Dionne Warwick spoke at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Honors Press Conference.
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Leadership Workshop nomination forms now accepting applications
By Victoria McGinty Features editor
With the fall semester in full swing, the campus is lively once again after a long summer. While retuning students have settled into old routines, the incoming students are slowly settling into campus life.
Of the many exciting things occurring on campus, the Emerging Leaders Workshop is one of many.
Facilitated by Steph Przepiora, the newly instated Director of Campus Involvement, the workshop is set to occur in the near future.
The Emerging Leaders Workshop is an event where students are nominated by faculty, staff and other student leaders to participate. While it is open to all years, the event is mostly targeted towards underclassmen, specifically freshman and sophomores. Students can be nominated by professors, facilitators and current Leadership Development Program students.
According to Przepiora, “We are asking for you to nominate any students that you know would benefit form an introductory leadership workshop.”
The nomination form is currently live and will be accepting nominations until Sept. 24.
The Workshop itself is run by students in the third level of the Leadership Development Program. The Leadership Development Program, or “LDP” for short, is an organization on campus that is dedicated to identifying and improving student’s leaderships qualities. The goal of the program is to prepare students across all majors to exercise their leadership assets in the professional world.
Both the Emerging Leaders Workshop and LDP go hand-inhand to encourage students to exercise their leadership traits and consider applying for LDP.
In the past the Workshop has been successful and has hosted students across all majors and concentrations.
The workshop consists of a three-hour exploration of leadership qualities and styles and how they make up qualities of a strong leader.
The workshops held in the past have been incredibly successful and perfectly demonstrate the diverse variety of student leaders we have on campus.
Students who have taken the workshop in the past have gone on to take on various leadership roles on campus such as an e-board position in a campus club or have even been apart of the Laker Leader organization or Student Government.
Sophomore Cyber Security major, Ethan Houk, has taken part in the Emerging Leaders Workshop in the past and deems his experience successful.
“I really did not know what to expect going into the experience. I was thrilled to be nominated. The workshop was a blast and I feel like I learned a ton about myself and how to become a successful leader,” said Houk.
Like many students who have taken part in the workshop, Houk went on to take on a leadership role on campus such as becoming an Ambassador and an RA in McAuley Hall.
Anyone interested in learning more about leadership opportunities either on campus or about the Leadership Development Program can contact Steph Przepiora at sprzepiora@mercyhurst.edu or stop in the Campus Involvement Department located on the second flood of the Student Union.
Steph Przepiora, Director of Campus Involvement
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
By Victoria McGinty
Features editor
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In this week in history.....
Historical Event: Sept. 15, 1978
Ali wins the world heavyweight championship for the third time-- which set an impossible record. He fought against Leon Spinks. The fight was held at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Following this victory, Ali retired from boxing.
Top 3 Songs This Week:
According to Spotify’s Global Charts 1. STAY: the kid, LAROI, Justin Bieber 2.INDUSTRY BABY: Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow 3.THATS WHAT I WANT: Lil Nas X
On the Charts This Week Fifty Years Ago: According to Billboards Charts 1. Take Care of my Baby: Bobby Vee 2.The Mountain’s High: Dick and DeeDee 3. Michae: The Highwaymen Top Grossing Films: This week: Cry macho Top Musical Artists This Week Male: Lil Nas X Female: Doja Cat Top Artist 20 years ago Male: Usher Female: Jennifer Lopez
Phi Eta Sigma plans an exciting year
By Gillian Mazur, Samantha Weber Editor-in-chief, Managing editor
Nationwide, Phi Eta Sigma is one of the oldest and largest honor societies for first year college students. The Mercyhurst Chapter is one of the 386 chapters throughout the United States. 1,250,000 members are a part of PES throughout the United States since it began. PES was founded at the University of Illinois in March 22, 1923.
Within the past few years, the Mercyhurst Phi Eta Sigma (PES) Chapter was revived once again. Previous President, Ethan Wagner ’21, was one student who took on the challenge of transforming Mercyhurst’s PES Chapter with a new vision.
Part of the new vision of the rebooted PES Chapter at Mercyhurst was to get students more actively involved in service, academics and leadership. PES is now arguably one of the largest organizations on campus with around 400 members.
For students who remain an active member, by the time of graduation one can receive honor cords as well as Scholarships while at Mercyhurst.
More than $300,000 in scholarships are awarded annually to students through the national organization. Students are eligible to join PES at Mercyhurst if they retain a 3.5 GPA out of a 4.0 scale. Qualifying students are invited after their freshman year to join the honor society once the required GPA for the year is held.
In order to get one’s cords at graduation, one must remain an active member. At the end of each school year in April, one must write a “letter of intent” explaining why the student in question should keep their “active” status. These letters are then reviewed by the board officers of the Mercyhurst chapter.
In addition, all members must attend at least one general meeting each year, one offered in the fall and spring. Students also get the choice to demonstrate active participation in two out of three chosen areas which are service, leadership and academics. Two PES-sponsored events are held per each semester. One of the events sponsored by PES annually is the Erie Polar Plunge.
In order to get a scholarship through the organization, one must participate in local chapter activities through the community, evidence of creativity, potential success in one’s own field of study and have letters of recommendation.
PES is once again holding its campus clean-up events and Lake Erie Polar Plunge.
Junior HR major, Erin Sopher, is one of the members of the Mercyhurst PES chapter.
“My favorite thing about Phi Eta Sigma is being able to do different things and service on campus and out in the community. I also love to meet new people through the organization,” said Sopher.
Senior Music Therapy major and PES Historian, Tori Altsman, said, “We are super excited to able to give back to the MU community through service again. We have a lot of new members eager to start serving and we look forward to being able to demonstrate the pillars of our society again.”
Students pose for a photo during the 2019 Polar Plunge. From left to right (top row) Gianluca Ianiro, Victoria Riina, Rachel Ritz, Mary Claire Cousins, Morgan Patterson, Kenzie Grenell, (bottom row) Gillian Mazur, Laren Reesman.
