The Merciad November 3 Issue

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

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WEDNE SDAY, NOVEMBER 3 , 2021

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VOL. 95 NO. 6

To reduce the spread of germs, please take this copy with you or recycle after reading.

Haunted Hurst haunts campus PAGE 2

Online poll results

We asked: What did you

Photo Credits: Contributed photo

think of Haunted Hurst?

Fun Scary

9: MSG teams up with Fitness Center

Intriguing

11: Mercyhurst Theater to Perform “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” 14: Rowing wins the Charles Regatta

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My favorite part of the fall season!

This week’s

POLL

What is your favorite fall holiday?

merciad.mercyhurst.edu

PAGE 2

NEWS

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Haunted Hurst returns

By Elphena Elsar

Staff writer

Haunted Hurst is one of the many annual campus-wide traditions which was hosted this year by the Multicultural and Student Activities Council (MAC/SAC).

The event began at 6 p.m. on Oct. 30 and ran through until midnight.

Dating back to 1994-1997, the Criminal Justice Club was the first to introduce the haunted house idea on campus. In 1994, the haunted house was open for the entire weekend—from 7 p.m. to midnight on Friday and 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

For the three years the Criminal Justice Club ran a haunted house , the event was held in the school’s parking garage. The haunted house hosted by the Criminal Justice Club was monetized, which is no longer the case today. Haunted Hurst is now free and open to all.

Although funds were collected by the Criminal Justice Club in the past, the funds were used for a good cause—to cover a weeklong stay at the National Criminal Justice Convention for members of the club.

Admission prices ranged from one dollar for students with a college ID, to three dollars for regular adults and one dollar for children under 12 (when accompanied by adults).

Things look a lot different today; the tour takes place in the different buildings around campus where hauntings were said to have happened, and there is no admission fee for the students who attend. It is now also hosted

by MAC/SAC instead of Criminal Justice Club.

Before the event, attendees were asked to RSVP using Laker Launchpad, which directed them to a Signup Genius website where attendees could choose from tours set at 15-minute intervals.

The were two options for the tours—sensory friendly and non-sensory friendly tours. The sensory friendly tours went from 6-7 p.m. while non sensory friendly tours went from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. The sensory friendly tours did not have active scarers, instead students dressed in spooky costumes passed out candy to those on the tour. All tours began and ended in the Student Union Great Room and featured the same Mecyhurst ghost stories read at specific locations throughout the tour.

“Although Haunted Hurst’s main organizers included Janiece Withers and Joey Franz, MAC/ SAC co-chairs, people from all over campus helped to work the event. MAC/SAC programmers set up, made sure it all ran smoothly and tore it down after. Ambas-

sadors were the tour guides for the event, and MSG Senators also helped with some setup, scaring and running of the event,” said junior Holly O’Donald, a MAC/ SAC programmer.

Julia Kearns, was one student-athlete who attended the event. “[I] had a fun experience at the Haunted Hurst tours,” said Kearns.

Kearns was one of the few students that went in both the sensory friendly tour and the non-sensory friendly tour.

“I went on the sensory tour where I was able to hear the spooky stories while being brought around the most haunted spots on campus,” said Kearns.

“On the non-sensory tour, it was fun. We helped each other during the tour. They read the spooky stories during the tours as the scarers did their jobs allowing for a fun night!”

MAC/SAC as well as MSG and Ambassadors collectively put great efforts into making Haunted Hurst a memorable event. In addition to the tours students could enjoy arts and crafts, food and drinks either before or after their tour.

Everyone who assisted in making the Haunted Hurst event a success deserves the highest commendation.

Contributed photo

Students could draw and paint on reusable bags in the Great Room.

Contributed photo

MAC/SAC programmer, Tessa Korchak decorates her bag with flower paintings. There was also an option to make your own bracelet with the beads and string provided.

Photo by Elphena Elsar

Before and after photos of Haunted Hurst decorations in the Great Room!

Photo by Holly O’Donald

Contributed photo

MAC/SAC programmers Holly O’Donald and Juliana Bablak stand ready to scare students in the Old Main foyer.

NEWS

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

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“I Stand With Immigrants” celebrated

By Bella Lee Staff writer

Mercyhurst University is no stranger to helping immigrants in the United States and around the world achieve better opportunities at life.

As a campus that has welcomed students from over 44 countries, Mercyhurst has seen hundreds, if not thousands, of international students walk through their gates.

This year, as they have done for the past four years, Mercyhurst showed their support with the event “I Stand With Immigrants.”

The I Stand With Immigrants Initiative is a campaign that works to “empower immigrants and their allies to share stories and drive action

that demonstrate immigration is good for our communities, economy, and country,” according to their website.

I Stand With Immigrants is powered by FWD.us, a pro-immigration lobbying group that advocates for prison reform, status for undocumented immigrants, particularly for DACA recipients, and higher levels of immigration visas.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was one of the founders of FWD.us, and the group helps run I Stand With Immigrants to celebrate and raise awareness for Immigrant Heritage Month, celebrated every June.

“We do this in recognition of the Sisters of Mercy’s critical concern for immigrants and refugees and to bring awareness to the importance of immi-

grants to our Erie community,” said Alice Edwards, Ph.D, Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures.

This year, students had the opportunity to take part in two separate events. On Oct. 27, the Russian, Arabic, Spanish and French Clubs all joined forces to participate in a service project at the Multicultural Community Resource Center (MCRC), where they met to do a neighborhood cleanup.

The MCRC works with immigrants and refugees to help by offering legal support, ESL (English as a second language) classes, job training and more.

The following day, on Oct. 28, Multicultural Student Services, Campus Ministry and the Department of World Languages and Cultures part-

Contributed photo

Students from the Russian, Arabic, Spanish and French clubs banded together for a service project.

nered up to bring Watan, a group of Syrian and Palestinian artists that perform Arabic music, onto campus.

This event took place on the bottom level of the Student Union in Luke’s Landing and students that attended had the opportunity to sample foods from the region while listening to beautiful music played by the visiting musicians.

I Stand With Immigrants generally focuses on three campaigns, #ToImmigrantsWithLove, #ImmigrantHeritageMonth and #CelebrateImmigrants to “allow space for immigrants and their allies to share stories demonstrating how immigration benefits our communities, economy, and country,” says the I Stand with Immigrants website.

“These campaigns provide new avenues for individuals, companies, organizations, and public leaders to take action in support of their immigrant employees, colleagues, constituents, neighbors, and friends — not just during our campaigns like Immigrant Heritage Month, but every day of the year.”

Since most students are not on campus in June to observe and celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month, they have the opportunity to attend events like these at other times of the year to spread that awareness and celebrate immigrants across campus.

This is an annual event, so be sure to look out for the next time the campus holds activities for I Stand With Immigrants.

Contributed photo

T-shirts were on sale to benefit refugees and immigrants in the Erie community on Oct. 28.

Contributed photo

Students work together during the community clean-up on Oct. 27.

Contributed photo

Students and faculty enjoyed hearing Watan’s music on Oct. 28.

Contributed photo

Students participate in the community clean-up service project.

Contributed photo

Hummus and pita chips were served as part of the “I Stand With Immigrants” event starring Watan.

NEWS

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Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Mercyhurst Cybersecurity Merciad IN A MINUTE New hours at The Roost The Roost has announced its new hours of operation.

On Fridays, The Roost will now be open from 11 a.m. until 12 a.m.

The menu will remain the same as the regular dinner menu, meaning you can still get a pretzel!

Thanks to these new hours, students will be able to go to The Roost for lunch on Friday if they so choose.

ranked #3 grad program

By Laren Reesman Staff writer

recommendations by the Accreditation Body for Engineering and Technology as well as the Intelligence Community.

The fully online graduate program also incorporates several courses in preparation for major industry certifications like Cloud and Web Security as well as Ethical Hacking Penetration Testing Skills.

Another plus of choosing Mercyhurst’s convenient online format is the added $10,000 or more in income with a completed master’s, according to Intelligent.

In a time when turning on the news results in daily reports about breaches, attacks, ransomware and identity theft, Mercyhurst is in a good position to meet the need for cybersecurity professionals.

“Cybercriminals target every sector from financial, health, government services to retail, manufacturing and education” said Mansour. In response, these areas all need qualified and trained individuals to protect data and respond to these attacks.

Intelligent is an education-centered news site looking to inform prospective and current students

and enable them to make smarter choices to produce the greatest advantage, utility and satisfaction.

The main goal is to rank U.S. colleges and programs with opensource aggregated data compiled completely void of advertising or having relationships with the schools, guaranteeing unbiased assessments and results.

Articles apart from the program rankings include topics in College Life, Student Finances and Career Prep.

Intelligent evaluates nearly 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities for its assessment categories.

Intelligent also ranks degrees based on the largest career fields like Art and Design, Business and Management, Criminal Justice and Legal Studies, Education and Teaching, Nursing and Healthcare, Science and Engineering and more, plus the Best Online Degrees and other factors.

Three key criteria are necessary for consideration of a college or university. It must be nonprofit, accredited and flexible in terms of class format.

Intelligent then looks at each school for program strength, stu-

dent readiness, returns on investment, costs and student engagement using public evaluators like the U.S. News and World Report.

Finally, these elements are scored numerically on a scale from 0-100 with a higher score being the better program.

Mercyhurst’s online Master of Science in Cyber Security program received a 98.4 where the top program had a score of 99.58, a 1.18 difference.

Looking at Jacksonville State University’s Master of Science in Computer Systems and Software Design, the cost is lower, but the degree is offered on-campus only.

It also requires six fewer credits and has accreditation from the ABET while Mercyhurst does not.

For a relatively new and growing program, Mercyhurst will continue to develop its cyber program and seek to improve on a few of these factors.

Congratulations to the Cybersecurity grad program on all of their hard work and dedication to the education of Mercyhurst students.

Reach out to Dr. Mansour if you have any questions regarding the graduate program.

“Day-In” Events

On Oct. 18, Intelligent.com released a report naming Mercyhurst’s Graduate Cyber Degree third in 2022 Internet Security Degree programs. In addition, Intelligent recognized Mercyhurst for having Best Class Format for this degree.

The ranking analyzed 160 universities and formed a list of the Top 30 Best Master’s in Internet Security, including Cybersecurity, Information Security and Cyber Defense.

Since the cybersecurity field is expected to grow more than 30% through 2029, Mercyhurst is in a good position to provide a reliable and applicable career track and expertise.

Assistant professor of cybersecurity Christopher Mansour, Ph.D, confirms Mercyhurst’s advantage, claiming students “get their hands dirty from day one” using industry tools and software for defending against and thwarting cyberattacks.

Mansour said the program aligns with specific guidelines and

Mercyhurst Dining at 1000 Followers

National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week observed

Mercyhurst is hosting “Day-In” events where prospective students can check out what Mercyhurst has to offer.

Nov. 4 will be Day in Hospitality Management, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and Nov. 5 will be Day in Art, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

If you see anyone touring campus, be sure to give them a Mercyhurst welcome!

The Mercyhurst Dining account on Instagram posted last week that if they get 1,000 followers, then students will receive a special nacho lunch.

And the account did indeed reach their goal of 1000 followers, so keep your eye out for a special nacho lunch in the upcoming days!

Jeans for a Cause The Staff Senate is hosting Jeans for a Cause this fall.

Faculty and staff can participate by making a donation and picking one or more Fridays over the course of this project to wear jeans to work.

This year, the proceeds from Jeans for a Cause will go to the ANNA shelter.

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

Email us at merciad@ mercyhurst.edu

By Hannah Brooks Staff writer

Mercyhurst took part in the National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week (NCAAW) during the week of Oct. 17 through Oct. 23.

NCAAW takes place at thousands of campuses and universities across the country every year. The week at Mercyhurst was coordinated by Cela Veitch-Beck, Activities and Spirit Coordinator.

“Mercyhurst University participates in Alcohol Awareness Week with the purpose of educating students, encouraging them to develop safe drinking practices and responsibilities surrounding alcohol,” said Veitch-Beck, The Campus Involvement Center, Office of Residence Life, Student Conduct and Athletics all worked together and hosted three major events on campus for students. The events included Mocktail Night on Oct.19, the Laker Healthy Pace Race on Oct. 20, and Drink When.. Movie Night on Oct. 21.

The first event to take place on campus was Mocktail night on Oct. 19. Eight RSCOs and other campus organizations took part in this event, serving themed mocktails and played pseudo-drinking games.

The organizations competed

for prizes such as Best Mocktail, Best Costumes, and Most Creative Theme. The event took place in the Student Union and also included a drunk goggle obstacle course and the opportunity for students to “try their hand” at pouring a standard drink.

The Renaissance Club won Best Costumes, the International Student Association won Best Mocktail and Best Theme was Art Therapy Club.

Additionally, the Lakers Healthy Pace Race took place on Oct. 20, and on Oct. 21, Monsters Inc. was played in the Great Room at the Student Union.

Students played pseudo-drinking games and ate snacks while watching the movie and seeing what their blood alcohol content (BAC) would be.

Veitch-Beck says that the events were well attended by students.

“This is an event that we had hosted in previous years, but due to COVID-19, we were unable to do so in 2020. It was awesome to bring the tradition back to campus in 2021,” said Veitch-Beck.

NCAAW is currently the largest event in all of academia because of the fact that students are granted the opportunity to do the planning, designing and implementing for their campuses. Campuses are able to promote healthy lifestyles

to students that are free from the abuse and/or illegal use of alcohol, as well as squash the negative stereotypes of college drinking.

NCAAW is promoted by the Coalition of Higher Education Associations for Substance Abuse Prevention.

Per the NCAAW website, “This coalition is dedicated to promoting education, prevention, research, networking, and national incentives to help eliminate substance abuse and the problems it causes on our college and university campuses.”

Students who partake in the events of this campaign are encouraged to share experiences on social media, including any strategies that they have to stay safe and responsible, avoid excessive drinking and avoiding driving after drinking, or being the passenger in the vehicle of a drunk driver.

In addition to NCAAW, the Campus Involvement Center also offers alcohol free programming and other alcohol safety tips at other times of the year.

The NCAAW takes place in the fall term each year, while the spring term focuses mainly on Saint Patrick’s Day and ensuring that students have a safe week.

All of these alcohol awareness initiatives are often fun and meaningful events for students, includ-

ing social events, educational lectures, pledge signing, games and giveaways.

While in college, it is important to remember the signs of alcohol poisoning. They are confusion, slurred speech, loss of coordination, slow or irregular breathing, blue-tinted skin caused by hypothermia, vomiting and unresponsiveness. In a worst-case scenario, the person with alcohol poisoning will be unconscious.

If you are at a party and see someone with these symptoms, make sure they are lying on their side, and immediately call Police & Safety instead of trying to handle the situation yourself. Mercyhurst has a Good Samaritan policy which provides potential amnesty from conduct sanctions for those who help other students in dangerous situations. These actions could save someone’s life. You can view more about this policy in the Student Handbook.

For more information about National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, you can visit the website at https://coheasap.myacpa.org/ncaaw.

As always, remember to drink responsibly Lakers.

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

NEWS

The history of fall holidays

By Francesca Divincenzo

Staff writer

For many, Halloween is about being unique, not being the cookie-cutter person that everyone is expected to be on every other day of the year; people can be whoever they want to be.

Halloween is not all about costumes and candy; many other cultures have different traditions.

Halloween originated in Ireland, and to this day Halloween is still celebrated as much as it is celebrated in the United States.

In rural areas, bonfires are lit as they were in the days of the Celts, and children get dressed up in costumes and spend the evening “trick-or-treating” in their neighborhoods.

After trick-or-treating, most people attend parties with neighbors and friends. At the parties, many games are played, including “snap-apple,” a game in which an apple on a string is tied to a door frame or tree and players attempt to bite the hanging apple.

In addition to snap-apple, parents often arrange treasure hunts, with candy or pastries as the treasure.

The Irish also play a card game where cards are laid face down on

a table with candy or coins underneath them. When a child chooses a card, he receives whatever prize is found below it.

When Halloween night comes to a close and costumes are being taken off, a different holiday is just beginning in Mexico. El Día de los Muertos or “Day of the Dead” is a three-day celebration that begins on All Hallow’s Eve. El Día de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated in Mexico, Latin America and Spain.

All Souls’ Day, which takes place on Nov. 2, is commemorated with a three-day celebration that begins on the evening of Oct. 31. The celebration is designed to honor the dead who, it is believed, return to their earthly homes on Halloween.

Many families construct an ofrenda, an altar, to the dead in their homes to honor deceased relatives. They decorate it with candy, flowers, photographs and samples of the favorite foods of departed loved ones. Often, a wash basin and towel are left out so that the spirit can wash before indulging in the feast. There are often parades in which people dress up and celebrate other’s lives.

Although death can be very morbid at times, it is honored and celebrated on All Souls’ Day. The

day gives everyone a chance to appreciate life.

In England, Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated. On the evening of Nov. 5, bonfires are lit throughout England. Effigies are burned and fireworks are set off.

Although it falls around the same time as Halloween and has some similar traditions, this celebration has little to do with Halloween or the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.

The English, for the most part, stopped celebrating Halloween as Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation began to spread. As followers of the new religion did not believe in saints, they had no reason to celebrate the eve of All Saints’ Day. Guy Fawkes Day festivities were designed to commemorate the execution of a notorious English traitor, Guy Fawkes. Like El Día de los Muertos, death is commemorated and celebrated, the English commemorate Guy Fawkes, a notorious English traitor.

Many different traditions all around the world are celebrated while America is celebrating Halloween. It is a day to remembering those who have passed on and appreciate life.

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STUDENT GOVERNMENT

This weekend’s campus events

Underground fire causes damage

By Hannah Brooks Staff writer

An underground fire in downtown Erie at the beginning of October left downtown businesses and residents without electricity for several hours.

Businesses such as the Renaissance Center, Big Bar, Cloud 9 and a Verizon Wireless office location found themselves operating on limited power for a few days.

The Renaissance Center even had to close to all but one residence due to the lack of utilities, air conditioning and elevators.

The fire started on Sept. 28. A switch on an underground vault located at East Tenth and State Street failed, which caused a flash of electricity.

Due to the location of the vault being underground, the flash of electricity was unable to dissipate into the air as it would if the line was above ground.

The fire caused extensive damage and also left residents without power for an extended period of time. Although it had originally been restored, Penelec needed to shut it off again for additional repairs.

As reported by MSN, contractors and a crew from the Cleveland Illuminating Electric Company worked 16-hour days to restore

electricity to the area.

While the process can feel frustrating for residents without power, the process of restoration is one that takes time.

One factor that causes difficulty for workers is the lack of space.

Because the line is located below ground rather than above ground, the space was very confined and limited how many workers were able to work at once.

If the line had been overhead, more people would have been able to work on it at the same time.

Another factor that made the restoration of power more difficult was the rain on Oct. 3.

In addition to causing issues for businesses regarding their electricity, the fire also caused problems for cell phone users.

AT&T reports that the fire was to blame for service disruptions that many customers had faced at the beginning of the month. The company had released a statement saying that they were unable to fix anything until Penelec cleaned up the scene and repaired their equipment. AT&T had set up three portable cell sites to serve first responders.

Although power was restored and cellular service is back to normal for customers, it was reported two days ago by Erie News Now that work is still continuing to repair the vault at East Tenth and

State Street.

Businesses that were inconvenienced by the fire now find themselves inconvenienced by the construction going on in front of their businesses.

Haley Strasser, Manager of Jekyll and Hyde’s bar in downtown Erie, told Erie News Now that “with a large part of it being closed outside of our specific business, it really messes with our numbers and flow of business.”

The lack of parking has not only forced employees to park six blocks away, but also deterred customers in general.

The work on the main manhole is estimated to be finished before Thanksgiving. However, additional work could continue on into 2022.

The underground fire not only caused damages to the vault at East Tenth and State Street, but also to a manhole in the middle of Tenth and State Street, as well as one in front of Big Bar. The work includes electrical work underground as well as work such as pouring concrete over the manholes.

First Energy and contractors working on the repairs are working diligently to ensure that such a circumstance will not happen again.

MERCYHURST CAMPUS

CRIME LOG

Oct. 28: Criminal Mischief in Lot #1.

Oct. 30: Criminal Mischief in Warde Hall.

Oct. 31: Liquor Law Violation on Outside Grounds.

FEATURES

PAGE 6

BUGS ON CAMPUS

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Erie Community raises funds to help Brad McGarry

By Bella Lee

Staff writer

Contributed photo

By Ashley Barletta News Editor It was a Monday evening. I was returning from the Merciad office, exhausted and ready for bed. I walked into my apartment without paying much attention to anything, that is, until I got to my room.

“What the hell?”

I saw flies everywhere. Fruit flies were swarming the apartment, and there were too many to count.

There was a cup of apple cider vinegar in the kitchen that I had put there a month ago. It was covered in flies, as well as a second bowl of apple cider vinegar my roommates had put out.

I went into the bathroom, and there were flies all around the shower, the sink, anywhere there was moisture. I was thoroughly disgusted, but had no idea what to do except disinfect everything like a crazy person for the next hour.

Even going to bed was stressful because I truly did not want to be in my apartment at all.

The next morning, I had asked around to see if others in the building were having the same problem.

They told me yes. Then they told me to use apple cider vinegar. By this point there were three bowls of it in the apartment.

I am still racking my brain trying to think of what could be causing this, but upperclassmen living in the building seemed to know about it and even expect it.

My sister, who had lived in the Briggs/Lewis apartments for three years, said that she didn’t really have a fly problem, but she did have an ant problem.

On the third floor.

When the weather gets colder, you might find an abundance of bugs in your building. If you’re cold, they’re cold, right? Have a bowl of apple cider vinegar sitting out, and expect your entire apartment to stink like vinegar. If you have ants, find where they are entering and sprinkle down some baking soda there.

Other solutions to help with the fruit fly problem is to mix dish soap in with the apple cider vinegar to help the bugs stay stuck when they land. In addition to apple cider vinegar, students who are of age can use wine or any other sweet alcohol in a cup and cover with a piece of plastic wrap with pin holes in it. This attracts the bugs and gets them intoxicated and stuck under the plastic.

If you have spiders in your apartment, you can utilize a mixture of water and peppermint essential oil or extract and spray around doors and windows to prevent spiders from entering your apartment.

If there is an ant problem, you can spray them with white vinegar and also use that to repel them.

Good luck in your battles against bugs, Lakers!

The Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst was founded in 2008 by Brad McGarry. Since then, he has served diligently as the program’s director, seeing AIM grow from a mere seven students to 77 and from being the only staff member to being one of seven faculty members.

However, McGarry is going through a big fight, and the students and staff at Mercyhurst have rallied together to support him.

In mid-May, McGarry was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. This is a condition that attacks nerve cells, reducing functionality in muscles and progressively weakening the body.

Those who have ALS lose the ability to use their body, rendering them unable to walk or write, and then they progressively get weaker, relying on technology to eat or even speak.

Sadly, this disease always leads to death. This incurable condition has seen those such as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and SpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg fight through.

To help McGarry and his family be as comfortable as possible, AIM Student Support Coordinators Amanda Mulder and Liana Hicks teamed up to create a GoFundMe to go towards medical costs and other assistance.

“Brad has good days and bad days as he battles ALS,” said Hicks. “On good days, he can use his arms and walk some. On bad days he often needs to rest, and his body does not cooperate with what he wants to do. For example, there are times when he needs his head propped because his neck muscles do not want to hold up his head that day.”

Contributed photo

The official QR code to donate to McGarry’s GoFundMe.

McGarry has been going through his condition for several months now, but it has taken its toll. At the beginning of his diagnosis, he lost the ability to use one of his arms, but has since been rendered unable to use either of his arms, relying on talk-to-text technology to send texts or emails and assistive technology to help him eat. Additionally, he is losing strength and function in his legs.

On better days, McGarry can do a shuffle-like walk with the assistance of a walking stick, but on bad days, he relies on a wheelchair to get around.

McGarry has had a profound impact on the Mercyhurst community and autism communities nationally and internationally.

He has testified before Congress and has attended conferences all over the world to raise awareness for autism support. He has also raised awareness for Angelman syndrome, a condition that affects the nervous system.

“He has dedicated his life to

helping others and continues to do so every day,” said Hicks.

“Personally, Brad inspires me every time I am around him. He has an amazing gift to reach others like no one else can. He uplifts the people around him and brings so much joy to everyone he knows and meets. Not to mention, he is so fun to be around.

We want to see Brad enjoy the rest of his time he has on this earth because he truly deserves it,” said Hicks.

As of this writing, the GoFundMe fundraiser has raised over $20k out of a $100k goal. If you want to donate and/or share to help McGarry, you can scan the QR code to access the GoFundMe. McGarry has done so much for the Mercyhurst community, so it’s about time that we return the favor.

LAKER MOMENT This week Parkhurst dining hosted a Halloween dinner and lunch at Grotto Commons and the 501 Grill.

They had spooky Halloween decorations and even gave out candy.

All of the food they served had fun Halloween names like “We Are Not Alone Calzones,” and “Radioactive Punch,” which was really cool. This was a great way to bring the Mercyhurst community together and get everyone into the Halloween spirit!

Mackenzie Zent Photo

Parkhurst set-up at the 501 Grille on Friday Oct. 29

FEATURES

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

RSCO FEATURE SIGMA TAU DELTA

Laker Side Hustles: Erin’s Cricut Creations

By Elphena Elsar

Staff writer

Contributed photo

Members of Sigma Tau Delta pose during their annual Halloween party.

By Nadine Fox

Staff writer

Sigma Tau Delta is an International English Honor Society that was founded in 1924 at Dakota Wesleyan University with a mission to confer distinction for high achievement in English language, literature, and writing; and to foster literacy and all aspects of the discipline of English. With over 850 chapters in colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad, Sigma Tau Delta is the most active honors organization in the English field and one of the largest members of the Association of College Honor Societies.

Here at Mercyhurst, English majors and minors who qualify are welcome to join the Mercyhurst chapter of Sigma Tau Delta.

In addition to the prestige of membership, there are many other benefits of affiliation. There are thousands of dollars in scholarship and award opportunities, regional and national conferences and internship and publication possibilities.

One especially noteworthy benefit of membership is that students are invited to submit papers for presentation at Sigma Tau Delta’s annual spring convention, which is held each year in one of the society’s six regions of the country.

Students are selected to present their work in this national venue and also have the opportunity to win convention writing awards and to attend presentations and workshops by nationally recognized authors such as Neil Gaiman, Ursula Le Guin, U.S. Poet Laureates Natasha Trethewey and Kay Ryan.

“Many of our past members have been accepted and presented, and several have won awards for their submissions to conventions in Portland, Minneapolis, New Orleans and Pittsburgh. It is a thrill to have a student win an award because it is announced at the big dinner attended by hundreds of attendees. Our Mercyhurst table is so excited to hear the name of one of our own,” said Christina Rieger, Ph.D., who serves as Mercyhurst’s chapter advisor.

Mercyhurst’s local chapter is called the Beta Upsilon Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta. “In past years, members attended the Sigma Tau Delta conference to present their literary criticism or creative writing. Representing Mercyhurst at this venue is an honor because the number of submissions make acceptance competitive,” said Rieger.

Alongside Rieger, officers organize the induction ceremony for the spring semester and plan Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day parties for the whole department. In the past, they have also organized bonding and fundraising events such as Zoom trivia, Literary Bingo, and book drives.

“During the height of the pandemic, our Sigma Tau Delta Officers sponsored Zoom trivia and movie nights, which were vital for keeping us connected,” said Rieger.

Sigma Tau Delta recently organized a department Halloween party on Oct. 28. This year’s officers include Emma Coppolo, Ashley Carr, Sarah Sebald and Victoria McGinty. “[The department Halloween party] was a great time.

We had Halloween music, take-away treat bags, spooky and department themed Kahoot games and the costume judging contest with prizes and games,” said Rieger.

With Halloween coming to an end, the officers are now turning their attention to next semester and are excited for what else is in store.

PAGE 7

When boredom strikes, creativity kicks in.

Erin Sopher is a junior Human Relations major who owns and manages her small business called Erin’s Cricut Creations.

As owner, Sopher makes different and unique decals which include car decals, cup decals, shirts decals and much more.

Sopher explained that she even made shirts for her team for the Hurst Day Scavenger hunt.

When asked what is her favorite design(s) to date, Sopher replied that she does not have any favorite designs just yet because she is still in the early stage of the business foundation.

However, she fell in love with one of the early designs she made.

Sopher explained that she made the design for her cup just to see how it turned out and the final look made her fall in love, encouraging her even more to continue what she does.

Like any business, one key responsibility is making sure that the orders are correct and delivered on time, which is what Sopher strives to do for her customers while also juggling school and life as she progresses.

When starting a small business, it can be difficult to measure success.

“How I measure success is after getting different orders, I make sure that I get them done correctly and at a reasonable time so [the customers] are not waiting a long

time for [their orders].”

Most often, business owners will have a more financial focused response. Others will be more concerned with the reaction they receive from customers and the joy they experience while producing their product, but neither method is right or wrong.

Sopher discussed other ways in which she measures her business’ success.

“Knowing that people and my family will pass my name along to other people and being able to make [customers’ orders] is special,” said Sopher.

One thing that keeps Sopher going as an entrepreneur and as a student is knowing she has the opportunity to be creative and having a medium to channel her creativity into.

Sopher strives to get her orders done as soon as they are acquired, but every order that she receives is unique, which is why she focuses on time as a measure of success.

Some prices she has charged in the past ranged from $3 for small sized decals, $5 for medium sized decals, and for larger and/ or car decals, $10. Shirt prices range from $20-$25 depending on the location of the decal, whether the decal is on the front or back of the shirt or both.

What makes Erin Cricut Creations unique? The decals are handcrafted with love, grace and patience.

What really makes Erin’s Cricut Creations stand out from the rest is that there are never two of the same orders.

“Seeing what people want their decals and designs to be and just being able to make it for them is just fun,” said Sopher.

Since she is in the beginning stages of running her small business, Sopher currently does not have any social media accounts or a website set up yet. However, she is currently in the process of making it happen. It is only a matter of time.

Students of Mercyhurst and those outside of the Mercyhurst community can communicate with her via email at esophe41@ lakers.mercyhurst.edu.

One piece of advice Sopher would like to give to all students and aspiring entrepreneurs is to start out small before going all out. This advice can be applied to every aspect of one’s life, especially academically. As a student, “start small before taking on too much.” Running a business while participating in academic classes can be a strain for students, but also rewarding if they budget their time and energy correctly.

If you have a small business or know a friend who has one and want to have it featured in The Merciad’s “Laker Side Hustle” section, 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 for the chance to be featured.

My Mercyhurst Minute videos return to feature student stories

By Bella Lee

Staff writer

Have you ever wanted to be featured on the Mercyhurst social media? Are you interested in learning about different areas of campus including majors, sports, clubs and off-campus opportunities? You don’t have to worry, because My Mercyhurst Minute has returned!

“The purpose of the Mercyhurst Minute is to highlight the great experiences and opportunities our students have here at Mercyhurst and share them with the community, prospective students and alumni,” said Ben Friesen, Video Producer for the Department of Marketing and Brand Management at Mercyhurst.

My Mercyhurst Minute is open to all students and is shared on a variety of social media platforms.

Due to the pandemic messing up the normal routines that Mercyhurst University usually has, Mercyhurst Minute was unable to be shot last year, but this year it is

back and better than ever.

“Any current students who would like to share a specific great experience or opportunity they’ve had during their time here at Mercyhurst could be featured,” said Friesen.

So far, students from all sorts of backgrounds have been able to share their experiences with the Mercyhurst community.

Danielle Tuomey, junior Dance major, gave students an opportunity to learn about school life in the Dance Department, as well as the upcoming performances of Swan Lake.

“Students can benefit from watching Mercyhurst Minute videos because they are given the opportunity to hear about students’ firsthand experiences on campus,” Tuomey said.

“These videos are perfect because they feature students of various backgrounds who discuss numerous topics related to their own unique interests, increasing the representation of all people on campus,” said Tuomey.

Most recently, My Mercyhurst

Minute featured junior Public History Major Lily Smith. Smith is an incredibly involved student on campus and her highlight showcases that immensely.

“One of my favorite experiences here at Mercyhurst has been being able to take park in the Shared Heritage African-American trail. It was amazing getting to take part in this because it showed me what my future career might look like as a public historian,” said Smith in her interview.

Friesen has been busy filming students to feature this semester, but is always looking for more stories to tell.

“I’ve already shot enough to continue the series through the end of the semester, but I’ll definitely be looking for more to feature next semester,” said Friesen.

Students and faculty who want their department represented can email Friesen at bfriesen@mercyhurst.edu if they are interested in a My Mercyhurst Minute in the upcoming semester.

FEATURES

PAGE 8

HURST CLASS CATALOG WINE AND SPIRITS

By Eva Mihelich Staff writer

In today’s world, the alcoholic beverage industry is growing at a rapid pace with all sorts of new seltzers and creative drinks taking the center stage. Our society has started teaching people to chug drinks rather than savor them, and to drink to drunkenness instead of drinking responsibly. This takes away from the artistic nature of drinking, in which one can taste each element of the beverage.

At Mercyhurst University, students have the opportunity to take the course titled “Wine and Spirit Management” where they learn the principles of modern beverage management, marketing and controls. Although required for hospitality majors, this course can help anyone to have a better appreciation and understanding of the role that alcohol plays in society.

As stated in the course description, “students will study the production and flavor of wine, spirits and beer in depth, and the role that these beverages play in the hospitality industry. Topics include liability, licensing, marketing and wine list creation. Visitations to regional wineries, distilleries, breweries and restaurants are scheduled based on availability; minimal travel fees may be required. Students will be certified through Responsible Alcohol Management Program (RAMP) training as part of the course.”

Taught by an experienced winemaker, Bob Green, this class has informed many students about the proper way to enjoy what you are drinking.

Kailey Pisani, junior Hospitality Management major, shared that this course has been extremely beneficial for her career path. “Alcohol is everywhere. It’s at every event you will attend, it’s a very common topic of conversation amongst adults and it’s a lucrative industry.

I argue that having knowledge on the processes and varieties can be beneficial in many aspects of life, even if it is not an industry one chooses for a lifetime career,” said Pisani.

Pisani, along with two other students, Rhyan Santarelli and Kelly Lupton, said that a highlight of the course has been tasting the various drinks.

“My favorite part of this course is tasting the different kinds of wines and beers. In this class, we learn about the alcohol through notes and then through tasting it by holding it for a few seconds and then spitting it out. I have never been someone who likes alcohol; however, this class has helped me develop an appreciation for the many kinds of flavors that exist, and it’s so cool that we get to experience that,” said Lupton.

Tasting the alcohol being taught about is the only way to truly understand what is being taught in the class, which provides an immersive experience and fun handson activities.

This course is a refreshing teaching on the sophistication of wine and beer, which is highly beneficial for college students where alcohol might not be viewed in that way. It provides students with a sophisticated mindset going forward in the world which will be filled with wine, beer and spirits in social settings.

“If someone were debating taking this course, I would tell them that is a really great and valuable experience.

This is information that you may not learn anywhere else, and you are provided with examples of everything you learn about at no cost,” said Santarelli.

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Hurst Social Media Department hosts #SeizeTheScare contest

By Annie Markel Staff writer

On Oct. 29, Mercyhurst was crawling with costumes from the faculty and students. The university hosted a campus-wide costume contest via Instagram Stories.

If you are following the Mercyhurst Instagram, you would have seen all the costumes being re-posted on Mercyhurst’s Instagram Story on Halloween.

There were Star Wars-themed costumes, pirates and many other creative costumes from friends here on campus.

This contest is a long-running tradition for the Mercyhurst family. This competition is a fun event that the whole campus looks forward to.

This year Halloween was on a Sunday, so the campus celebrated early on Friday to get in the spirit a little sooner, Mercyhurst used the hashtag #SeizeTheScare which was incredibly fitting to put the university into the spirit of the holiday.

Using this hashtag organized every post in one place so that the University could find them all easily. If someone wanted to post their group or single costumes, they could use this hashtag and be a part of the competition.

With many group costumes such as Star Wars, the different decades and Donna and the Dynamos there was a wide variety of entires.

The Dance Department ran with the Star Wars theme with their professor, Jennifer McNamara, as their fearless leader, Darth Vader.

The Marketing and Brand Management Department did the decades with Sean Cueno

Contributed photo

The winners of the 2021 Mercyhurst Costume Contest

as Marty McFly, the rest of the group dressed as icons from the different 1900’s decades. There was the 70s hippie, a 50s Rosie the Riveter and a 90s velour tracksuit.

Another group costume was the cast of Scooby Doo starring students Willow Lapp as Daphne Blake, Kirk Morrison as Shaggy, Addie McCoy as Velma and Ethan Houk as Fred Jones.

There were also single costumes as well which were both fun and clever.

Lauren Giles, a professor in the science department dressed as the iconic late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She even had the black robe and white lace collar. Amanda Mulder, Student Support Coordinator, dressed up as Ursula from The Little Mermaid. She had an incredible dress

with tentacles and a crown.

Finally, Joseph Johnson, Ph.D, from the Physics department disguised himself as Clark Kent the reporter for the Daily Planet. His costume was super.

On Nov. 1, the university officially announced the winner of the #SeizetheScare competition. The winning costume was a group from the Dance Department. The group sported Star Wars themed apparel, lightsabers and all. As a prize, the group of dancers won a gift card to the Cornerstone restaurant just off campus.

If one wants to see more creativity and spookiness from the Mercyhurst community, search #SeizetheScare on Instagram.

Many are incredibly excited to see what creativity will come with next Halloween.

Hurst prepares for prospective student season

By Libby Bullinger Copy editor

It is that time of year again when high school students dive deep into their college searches and high school seniors are scrambling with the application and decision-making processes.

Taking a campus tour is a vital part of the decision-making process and often makes or breaks a student’s decision to confirm their enrollment at an institution.

Mercyhurst has a unique process since most of the tours given on campus are individual, meaning the only people on the tour are the prospective student, their family or guests and the student ambassador.

Although these tours occur during both the academic year and the summer, the end of the fall semester typically brings a larger number of guests to campus as students are thinking about their futures and submitting college applications.

Ambassador President and senior Music Therapy major Mikayla Tupek describes prospective student season as a time where “Mercyhurst is marketing itself and the opportunities we have here to interested students.”

Some of the biggest events for ambassadors are the Open Houses that Mercyhurst hosts throughout the year. These occur on the weekends and usually bring hundreds of guests to campus, and ambassadors are busy directing traffic and holding open doors in addition to leading group tours around campus, something that has not happened since the start of the pandemic.

“Giving tours in large groups and in person makes campus feel so much more vibrant and homey. Interacting with guests brings more personality to campus and gives prospective students a better idea of what life is like at Mercyhurst,” says senior Early Childhood and Special Education major and ambassador Anika Pearson.

There have also been several “day in” events recently including Day in Intelligence, Day in Cyber, and Day in Fashion. During these days, prospective students interested in these specific courses of study are able to sit in on classes, meet professors and faculty, hear from current students in that major and experience a day in the life in addition to receiving a campus tour.

Looking forward, the Admissions department will be hosting the second Open House of the academic year on Nov. 13 in addition to more “day in” events including Hospitality Management, Art and Applied Forensic Science.

More Open Houses and “day in” events will occur in the spring semester in addition to Accepted Student Day, which is the largest prospective student event that Mercyhurst hosts.

If you see an ambassador taking a student around campus, make sure to say hello and show them why Hurst is Home.

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

FEATURES

PAGE 9

MSG teams up with Fitness Center to promote classes

By Libby Bullinger

Copy editor

Across campus one of the newest pushes is collaboration between various departments. This can be seen through partnerships between academic programs, clubs combining forces to create joint events and collaboration between students and faculty.

One of these many collaborative initiatives is the partnership between the Mercyhurst Student Government, or MSG, and the fitness center on campus.

As many students may have noticed, the Recreation Center underwent a facelift before the start of the fall semester. After a long year of COVID restrictions and social distancing, the facilities are now back to full capacity and are welcoming students from all across campus.

However, in an attempt to increase student involvement even more, MSG has partnered with the fitness center to help advertise classes at the Recreation Center.

Most students come to the Recreation Center to utilize the different cardio and weights equipment or to shoot some hoops with friends.

In addition to these machines intended for self-led workouts, the Recreation Center also has classes taught by certified instructors that students can enroll in on a weekly basis free of charge.

The initiative between MSG and the Recreation Center is cur-

rently centered around promotion of these classes.

Some students may remember the Vagaro application and website that Recreation Center users had to use to sign up for workout times during COVID protocol. Although this requirement has been removed for individual workouts, those wanting to take one of the scheduled fitness classes are still required to sign up on the app to keep track of data.

This semester the set class schedule is as follows: Self Defense with Dr. Johnson, ZUMBA with Amanda, Pilates with Jennifer, and Kickboxing with Dr. Johnson. These classes offer a wide variety of activities for students to engage in to get physically active and work on skills such as strength, speed and flexibility.

Jennifer McNamara, Assistant Professor of Dance, is a Pilates Master Instructor and teaches Pilates classes at the Recreation Center on Tuesday evenings and Friday mornings.

McNamara instructs a Pilates course through the dance department each semester, but this year she is thrilled to bring her knowledge and expertise to a different area of campus.

McNamara said, “I love meeting new people from across campus and outside the dance department. I also enjoy working with a variety of students with various types of fitness goals in my classes.

MSG president Nick Brodfuehrer reached out to those in the

Recreation and Fitness Center as part of a series of monthly meetings with different areas of campus that have a direct impact on student life. For MSG’s connection with the Recreation Center, they created polls about the center and are helping to promote these fitness classes.

With the pandemic keeping us inside, practicing fitness freely has become foreign or intensified for some. The university has an incredible fitness center and has been thrilled to see students returning this year.

These fitness classes are in place to provide new ways to workout and are making a comeback this year. The university and MSG are hopeful about this initiative.

Through this new partnership with MSG, more students are becoming aware about classes and are expressing interest in participating.

The Recreation Center’s mission statement discusses the importance of the mental, physical and spiritual health and wellbeing, and taking time to go to a fitness class can help improve in each of these areas.

To see a full list of classes and times and to sign up for a class, be sure to download the Vagaro app.

If you are certified to teach any type of fitness class, contact Recreation Center staff. They are always looking to add additional or new classes to the schedule.

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

By Hannah Brooks Staff writer

Historical Event: Oct. 30, 1974 Muhammad Ali became the heavyweight champion of the world for the second time when he knocked out his opponent George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle”.

On October 30, 1974, a total of 60,000 spectators had already gathered outside at 4:30 in the morning to ensure a seat to watch the fight.

Top 3 Songs This Week: According to Spotify’s Global Charts 1. Easy on Me: Adele 2. STAY: Justin Bieber, Kid LAROI 3. Industry Baby: Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow On the Charts This Week 30 Years Ago: According to Billboards Charts 1. Emotions: Mariah Carey 2. Do Anything: Natural Selections 3. Romantic: Karyn White Top Grossing Films: This week: Dune Twenty years ago: K-Pax Top Artists Today vs. 50 Years Ago Male: Lil Nas X vs. Paul McCartney Female: Taylor Swift vs. Olivia Newton-John

Hurst sells wreaths for the Women’s Center

By Laren Reesman

Staff writer

There are always opportunities, especially during the holidays, to donate time or money for a community cause.

With this spirit of giving in mind, Mercyhurst is taking orders for Christmas wreaths that are both environmentally positive and locally generous.

The 22-inch wreaths are priced at $30, and payments are due on the day of delivery. Orders are due Nov. 4 by 4:00 pm and the wreaths will be delivered the first week of December.

All proceeds go to the Mercy Center for Women, a non-profit in Erie that uses these funds to operate.

The wreaths themselves are handmade using Noble fir branches from Sherwood Forest Farms in Washington state.

Pinecones also appear on the wreath along with a red ribbon tied at the top.

Sherwood Forest Farms uses ethical and sustainable tree harvesting practices and offers these wreaths as natural, somewhat nostalgic decorations.

This wreath sale began a few years back, and the supplier was chosen specifically to uphold the Sisters of Mercy value of being environmentally conscious.

The Mercy Center for Women is involved in several fundraising initiatives over the holidays aside from the wreath sales.

One initiative is the “Holiday Wish List” where community members can adopt a family or an individual at the Mercy Center to provide Christmas needs in the form of gifts. Contact information and a complete list of gift ideas can be found on the website.

Mercyhurst will be involved in more community initiatives like this as the holidays approach as well. Campus Ministry and other clubs allow students to actively participate in these community initiatives.

For example, the Education Department usually participates in the Polar Plunge, a fundraiser for the Special Olympics.

The Mercy Center for Women, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, was founded in 1994 to provide “long-term transitional housing and support services to

homeless women with or without children.”

The Mercy Center combines Hope House and Grass Roots Opportunities for Women to offer a practical facility and outreach.

The center provides four core services for homeless women.

They offer safe and supportive housing, OVR and/or GED education, life skills like parenting, and meaningful network connections with other agencies and volunteers.

The institution is a second chance for many women struggling with single motherhood, poverty, or addiction.

The center accommodates anywhere from 27 to 34 residents at any point with 17 bedrooms.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from initiatives like the Mercy Center for Women and fundraisers such as this wreath sale is the sense of community and charity that does not go unnoticed by these women and families who rely on the center for some assistance during difficult times.

With Mercyhurst’s close ties

Contributed photo

The Erie Women’s Center Seasonal logo

to the Sisters of Mercy, this is the perfect fundraiser and charitable start to the holiday season while enjoying a festive handmade wreath.

The Mercyhurst Mission calls for us to serve others, and these wreaths are one of the best ways to do so this holiday season.

These wreaths would make

great ornamentation for dormitory or apartment doors, or for anyone in your life who loves the Christmas Spirit.

They are a perfect opportunity for roommates to pitch in and buy a meaningful holiday decoration for a good cause.

PAGE 10

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Fashion department wows all with“Fall in Love with Erie”

By Sarah Beck Staff writer

The visual fashion merchandising event at E. Lane Boutique was a major success. With much preparation and anticipation, the Mercyhurst fashion students presented their “Fall in Love with Erie” lookbook to the community.

Within the first fifteen minutes of the event, the boutique was packed with eager friends, family and fashion enthusiasts.

The fashion students who participate in this event are a part of the Mercyhurst Fashion Department’s elective, Visual Merchandising.

Available in the fall semester, students in this class learn about many different visual merchandising skills. Projects aim to teach this and include creating a mood board and learning how to properly set up a display to be functional as well as attractive.

This year the visual merchandising class teamed up with a local Erie boutique to create an event that showcased the skills these students have learned. In addition, it also helped to provide students with the opportunity to gain some valuable hands-on learning.

This event is extremely beneficial for not only the fashion students but also the Erie community as it creates a wonderful feature for local businesses.

The process of this project is quite fast-paced and begins with designing a t-shirt to be voted on and chosen as the design for the event.

This year, the t-shirt was designed by two junior Fashion Merchandising majors, Megan Brady and Gabriella Matre.

Whenever an event is planned, there are a lot of different details

Sarah Beck photo

Mercyhurst’s Visual Merchandising class at their presentation of “Fall in Love with Erie: A Local Erie Lookbook” at E. Lane Boutique.

to manage.

To handle this well, it is important to assign leadership roles and jobs such as the project manager, assistant manager, social media team, ride coordinator, as well as a set up and break down team amongst many other roles.

This year’s project manager was Shannan Gotham, a senior double major in Fashion Merchandising and Political Science with a concentration in International Relations. She also has a minor in Cyber Security.

Gotham was very busy overseeing all parts of the event and making sure everything went smoothly.

Once a boutique that is willing to partner with and host the showcase has been chosen, students begin their hands-on learn-

ing by going into the shop and playing with pieces that they want to incorporate into the looks for their displays.

This year, the theme for the event was “Fall in Love with Erie: A Local Erie Lookbook”.

The Visual Merchandising class split into different groups to create five different displays inspired by these local Erie companies: Erie Ale Company, Mozza, Franks Farm Market, The Cork and Andora’s Bubble Tea. Rachel Lossie, a sophomore Fashion Merchandising major served as the main social media team member for the event.

“We wanted to make sure we focused on local Erie places so that they could be able to incorporate a little bit of our home into the event,” said Lossie.

Assistant Project Manager for the event was Janiece Withers, a senior Fashion Merchandising major with a minor in Creative Writing.

“I was most excited to see how all of our displays correlated together without intentionally doing it,” said Withers. “I think all of our designs have to do with fall; they have to do with being very fashionable but in a way that is comfortable, and I think that each mannequin can display that.”

Once the teams had finished applying all of their acquired classroom skills to their displays, they were ready to open their exhibits and share all of their hard work with the public.

In addition, the event also had some donated raffle baskets from the local companies featured.

“[The local companies] definitely wanted to support Mercyhurst and the fashion department,” junior Fashion Merchandising major Natalie Deutschbauer said.

Individuals who attended the event were able to buy tickets for the raffle baskets and also got a discount coupon for any clothing they purchased while at the event.

Before leaving the showcase, attendees got the chance to vote on their favorite display; the group that won was inspired by the Erie Ale Company.

Lossie was a member of the team with the winning display.

“We did more casual looks to really have some casual brewing company outfits so you’re not too dressed up but that you are still looking cute for your occasion,” Lossie said.

Another member of the winning team was Kelsie McKalip, a sophomore Fashion Merchandising major.

“Having the opportunity to put together outfits was really fun. To experiment with different colors and everything, we had to tie in the red of the donated shirt (by the Erie Ale Company) which was interesting,” said McKalip.

“Fall In Love With Erie: A Local Erie Lookbook” really was a fantastic opportunity for not only the fashion merchandising students but also E. Lane and the community to work together to celebrate collaboration and local talent.

The Mercyhurst Fashion Merchandising Department would like to say a thank you to everyone that made it out to E. Lane Boutique to support the visual merchandising class and all of their hard work.

If you missed the event this year, be sure to check out the next one in the Fall of 2022.

Hurst Hot Take: Halloween (1978)

By Frankie Divincenzo Contributing writer

A Halloween holiday classic, the 1978 independently-produced slasher film “Halloween” was directed by John Carpenter.

Staring famous actors and actresses such as Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Kyes and P.J. Soles, the movie eventually became a hit and spawned a film franchise of 11 follow-up films.

“Halloween” is about a sevenyear-old named Michael Myers who brutally murdered his older sister, Judith Myers, on Halloween night in 1963.

Fifteen years later, Michael goes home to Haddonfield, Il-

linois, and is ready to hunt his stepsister, Laurie Strode.

As he continually proves in intent throughout the film, he will go after anyone who gets in his way.

Even though the Halloween series is a cult classic now, that was not the original expectation.

The budget of the film was $325,000, which was shockingly small. In fact, the budget of the movie was so small that the actors shopped at JC Penney for their costumes.

A documentary for “Halloween” even stated that the movie didn’t really look like a film production.

Carpenter and the other people working on the film basically worked out of a van that was

the size of the Mystery Machine from “Scooby-Do.” The script for the original “Halloween” movie only took two weeks to write.

Though “Halloween” is set in the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois, it was shot on location in South Pasadena and Hollywood, California. If you look closely, you can see palm trees in the backgrounds of some shots, like the scene above where Laurie walks Tommy Doyle to the Myers’ house.

The film was also not actually shot in the fall, but in the middle of summer. The crew got bags and bags of leaves and spread them all over the street so that it looked like it was shot in the fall.

It is amazing how such a small budget movie can become a cult classic series that people watch every year.

Arguably, it is one of the many reasons why people love this movie is because the whole cast and crew did not expect its fame whatsoever.

Despite the plot, the movie has unique cinematography.

One cool effect is the way the camera is always angled makes it looks like Michael is watching everything One reason people likely look forward to this movie every year is because it is probably on every list of Halloween-themed movies to watch.

Another reason people like this movie is because of the mov-

ie’s older style and uniqueness. It is not over-done or over-shot.

Newer horror movies produced today generally have the same theme whereas “Halloween” somehow scares people in so many different ways that one would not expect to be scared.

Isn’t that the point of a horror movie: to scare the crap out of you? If you enjoy being scared, definitely do not forget to watch “Halloween.”

Even though Halloween is over, I highly recommend this cult classic. For those who do want to start their December holiday cheer on Nov. 1, it is a perfect time to send off the Halloween season with “Halloween.”

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 11

The 814: Pressed Books + Coffee + Gifts

By Hannah Brooks Staff writer

Pressed, a coffee-lover and book-lover’s dream all in one, is located at 1535 West 8th Street at Greengarden Place. This business is in a great location just off the Bayfront, near a park, and nestled within a plaza full of other shops that anyone will love.

This convenient location makes a great study spot during the week or a perfect “treat yourself” weekend outing.

Pressed is a one-of-a-kind locally owned and operated bookstore, cafe and gift shop that has been open since April of 2018.

I checked out Pressed’s cafe and bookstore this past week and can say that I am very glad that I did.

Admittedly, I have been wanting to check it out for quite some time and picking up an article

about the coffee shop gave me the perfect excuse to go; it worked out splendidly.

The atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming, but it was also quiet enough that it would be easy to be able to focus on reading or schoolwork without a lot of loud background noise.

I tried an iced coffee with a shot of hazelnut and a vegan chocolate chip cookie.

The coffee tasted amazing, and the cookie was giant and also tasted wonderful. In addition to drinks, the cafe also offers a lot of baked goods such as cookies, muffins, macaroons and more.

The cafe has your typical coffee shop offerings: your espressos, brewed coffee, lattes, etc. They also offer teas and milkshakes if you aren’t quite a coffee person.

One thing that really stood out to me was the vast number of fla-

vors that they offer, from your regular hazelnut and vanilla, down to unique flavors such as lavender, raspberry and strawberry.

One thing that I also particularly liked was the names of some of the drinks, such as the “Oreo and Juliet Milkshake” and “Othello Espresso Shake.”

The seasonal flavors also have all sorts of great literary-themed names like “The OutCiders” and “Sleepy Hollow.”

Their featured seasonal drinks have a lot of variety. Some of the drinks featured for the month of October include Butterbeer, Candy Corn, Mars Bar and Almond Joy lattes. The Caramel Apple Cider is a must-try in my opinion.

As mentioned, the bookstore portion of the business is located just one door over from the café, and each can be accessed from the other.

The bookstore offers a very wide range of genres, just a few examples being sci-fi, cookbooks, history, mystery, philosophy and many more.

In addition, there is a kid’s corner that is filled from floor to ceiling with children and young adult books and novels. There is even a tree-house fort for children to read in as well.

According to the Pressed website, boxed sets are always twenty percent off, whether you purchase online or in-person. It is also to be noted that books can be reserved by filling out a form on the Pressed website.

There is also an option for customers to shop online and either pick up at the shop or have books shipped to their homes.

In addition to books, the shop also serves another purpose as a gift shop. If you are looking for

a gift for anyone soon, definitely check out Pressed for some cute and unique gifts.

Overall, Pressed is a great spot with a lot to offer. No matter what you get, you’re bound to love it.

I highly recommend checking out this business, which is just one of many local gems that Erie has to offer.

The hours vary by day and the bookstore’s hours are different from the cafe’s hours, so make sure to plan accordingly.

For the most accurate information on hours and menus, one can check out their website at www. pressedbooks.com.

Stay tuned for our next edition of The Merciad to see what The 814 features next!

Contributed photo

Pressed Books + Coffee + Gifts is a one-of-a-kind locally owned and operated bookstore, cafe and gift shop that has been open since April of 2018.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” opens tomorrow in Taylor Little Theatre

By Libby Bullinger

Copy editor

After many months of pandemic restrictions, activities are quickly returning to campus; that means that the Mercyhurst Theatre Department is gearing up for its production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

The show is the first that will occur in a more normal setting with a live audience since the beginning of the pandemic, so the cast and crew are even more excited to be performing this classic story with a twist.

Members of the cast are thrilled to be returning to the stage for live theatre with this exciting production.

The MIAC website describes the show as “Shakespeare’s comic masterpiece ensnares two pairs of lovers and rustic troupe of would-

be actors in an enchanted forest, where a feuding Fairy King and Queen quarrel over a changeling boy.”

Although “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a classic in the Shakespeare cannon, the theatre department has put a few twists on this beloved story for their set of shows.

Junior Public History major Bella Lee, is performing as one of the fairies in the show.

“I am really excited about the way the show is being performed.

The ‘60s and Woodstock theme is really neat to me,” said Lee. The shows are being presented as part of MIAC’s Emerging Artist series, which features student performances around campus including dance, music and of course the theatre productions.

This fun twist on a classic tail will help to intrigue audience

members of all backgrounds and theatre knowledge as well as offering a unique return to the theatre after the pandemic.

In terms of COVID-19 protocols, the cast has been working diligently to follow university safety guidelines while in rehearsals.

This means wearing masks and keeping safe distance when possible throughout the process of learning and practicing the play.

However, the cast will be able to take their masks off to showcase their wonderful facial expressions and deliver the full theatre experience during the actual performances.

This exciting news can only occur once the cast has tested negative for COVID-19 through campus testing and they may only remove their face coverings while actively performing and

will put them back on once they are offstage.

Senior Psychology major Tori Altsman is portraying the role of Titania the Fairy Queen in this weekend’s performances. This is Altsman’s sixth production with the Mercyhurst Theatre Department, and she is thrilled to be returning to the stage with her peers.

“This is my first Shakespeare production, so it has certainly been a challenge, but I am beyond excited,” Altsman said.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is being directed by guest artist Doug Powers, Ph.D., who has worked with Mercyhurst previously on several various productions.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream is arguably Shakespeare’s most accessible play for contemporary audiences,” said Powers in

a recent Mercyhurst press release about the show. This makes it the perfect production for anyone in the Mercyhurst community to come and attend.

The performances will take place this upcoming weekend Nov. 4-7 with shows ThursdaySaturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

The production will take place in the Taylor Little Theatre and MSG is covering the cost of tickets for students, so you can go to the box office and ask them to have MSG pay for your ticket.

Regular adult admission is $15, and senior pricing is set at $10 per ticket.

Make sure to pick up your tickets and gear up for an exciting weekend of shows in Taylor Little Theatre!

OPINION

PAGE 12

GOOD This is the last full month of the semester.

Police officers must be held accountable

By Zach Dumais

Opinion Editor

BAD Halloween is over.

HAPPY Thanksgiving is this month!

The Merciad STUDENT EDITORS Gillian Mazur ........................... Editor in Chief Samantha Weber ................ Managing Editor Ashley Barletta ............................News Editor Victoria McGinty .................... Features Editor Sydney Dietz ..............................Sports Editor Emma Coppolo ............................. A&E Editor Zach Dumais ........................... Opinion Editor Libby Bullinger ..............................Copy Editor Kristian Biega......................................Advisor Steph Przepiora ...................................Advisor Contact editors at merciad@mercyhurst.edu

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

The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor.

All letters must be signed and names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the letters for content, we reserve the right to trim letters to fit.

Letters are due Mondays by noon and may not be more than 300 words. Submit letters via email at merciad@ mercyhurst.edu.

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

I wanted to preface this article by saying that I originally wanted to be a police officer after I graduated. Due to the facts that will be stated in this article, my goals have changed. I do not mean to come at this article from a “partisan perspective” as it has been created by a variety of parties and factors. The issue of police brutality is incredibly complex and I do not mean to oversimplify it.

As we all saw, 2020 brought the issue of police brutality to a boiling point with the horrific murder of George Floyd. The whole world watched as Derek Chauvin placed a knee on George Floyd’s neck for over 9 minutes, which ultimately resulted in his death. This situation was a tragedy and unfortunately, not all that uncommon.

According to the Washington Post, as of Oct. 30, 2021, U.S. police have shot and killed 901 people in the past year. In order to put this number into perspective, that is a little over 2 people/day. A reasonable person may ponder whether our society is so violent that this amount of force is needed to keep us “safe” or is it that the system is flawed?

There are several issues at the source of the police brutality

problem with the first being a lack of accountability. Police officers are protected by their departments and legislature in numerous ways. For example, the Supreme Court recently failed to rule against qualified immunity. Qualified immunity protects officers from “frivolous lawsuits,” but it also protects them from being sued for police brutality.

Even if an action is brought against a department, it is the taxpayers who ultimately pay out for the actions of officers. This does not seem like an effective way of discouraging “bad apples” from acting with impunity.

Perhaps payouts should come from insurance policies that individual officers or departments carry that would incentivize them to act within the law they are sworn to uphold.

The second issue that is of concern pertains to the mentality of police officers. As affirmed by Castle Rock v. Gonzales, the Supreme Court stated that police officers have no duty to protect citizens from harm.

Their duty is solely to uphold the law which seems a bit backward in a free society. Many police departments also do not require their officers to live in the areas that they police.

Police officers are taught to be suspicious and hostile to the public.

Why do we have officers in Erie, Pennsylvania (and throughout the country), wearing body armor and baseball hats, armed to the teeth with weapons, and driving around

in armored vehicles? (i.e., SWAT vehicles) Many officers attend tactical shooting courses where they can hone their combat skills with the surplus military equipment given to them by their departments.

In order to aid this effort, according to Insider, the U.S. has spent over $15.4 billion militarizing police.

Imagine what other uses that money could have had. This state of mind is best described as the “Warrior Cop” mentality, according to author Radley Balko. I understand that the world is dangerous, but with today’s police approaching everyone as a threat, there is no room for this type of policing in a democratic society.

I understand the difficult situation that officers are placed in every day, but a free society cannot function when there are officers carrying military weapons, kicking in doors at 3 in the morning and whisking people off in unmarked vehicles, such as in Portland. Surely there must be an explicable reason as to why police brutality rates are so much higher in the U.S. than other wealthy countries? I believe that solving the issues outlined above are a good start to answering that question and working toward a just and safe world.

Police must be held accountable, and their mentality has to be altered so that there is less hostility between the public and police.

Let students rent off campus

By Bella Lee Staff Writer

As most people are aware, Mercyhurst students are required to live on campus for all 4 years that they are studying for their undergraduate degree. Of course, there are some exceptions, such as those who commute or, in last year’s case, those who approved to remain at home and continue their studies remotely. However, these exceptions can be seen as unfair, which raises the question of whether or not all students, regardless of where they’re from, should live on campus all 4 years.

One crucial point to consider in all of this is cost. Part of college tuition is room and board, which is the cost to live on campus and to have a meal plan. With commuters, though, they don’t have to worry about living on campus and, for most of them, they don’t have a meal plan either. Therefore, they

are saving thousands of dollars.

This can be seen as unfair to those to have to live on campus because they are too far away from home.

Additionally, money can be tight for some students and their families, resulting in relying on student loans, which can lead to further debt.

However, this doesn’t mean that commuters have all the benefits.

One major setback that commuters have to not living on campus is that they don’t have as easy access to experience as many fun activities on campus as residents do. Most of these activities, such as club gatherings and MAC/SAC events, occur in the evening, so it might not be as easy for commuters to attend. Also, for those that have their own cars as a way to get on campus, gas costs can easily pile up. Furthermore, some commuters don’t have a car of their own or don’t know how to drive, so they have to rely on their family members or carpooling to get to or from campus, which can also cost money and time.

One thing to think about, however, is that students do not

have to live on campus if they can have the opportunity to live off campus. There are plenty of apartments that are near campus or in the city that students could rent with roommates if they wanted to.

This can give them the opportunity to experience independent living off campus as preparation for once they graduate.

Since all Mercyhurst students have free access to “the e,” Erie’s public bus system, students could use that as a way to get to or from campus if they choose to have their own independent housing.

I believe that students should not have to live on campus for all 4 years if there is no reason to.

If students are able to commute from home, let them. If students are able to live on their own with roommates in independent housing with rent and utilities to take care of, let them. If students have no choice but to live on campus, let them. Each option has its ups and down, but all can still help to prepare students for independent and successful lives once they graduate.

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

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

OPINION

PAGE 13

Best things to do in HURST STUDENTS Erie when it’s cold SPEAK UP

By Maiya Florence Harding Staff Writer

Last year was my first year in Erie, so I made sure to explore everything I could. Here are some of my favorite places to go when the weather gets cold with hopes that you add them to your bucket lists.

My absolute favorite memory was a day it was lightly snowing, and I went with my church to Romolo’s.

Located across from Frontier Park, Romolo’s is a local chocolate shop that also sells ice cream, pastries and my favorite colder-weather drink, hot chocolate. I got the white chocolate flavor to try something new and I highly recommend giving it a try. I also made sure to buy some sponge candy to send back to my mom. Some people will tell you sponge candy originates in Buffalo, some say Erie, but regardless, it is a local tradition you must give a try if you are not from either place.

For those who like to be scared, Eriebyss on 12th Street is a great place to go at this time of year. It is a haunted house in a 120-year-old abandoned factory. If you didn’t get a chance to go by Oct. 31, add it to your list next year. They will not grab you, but they get close (I cannot emphasize this

enough) and if you show your fear, they might even chase you out of the factory screaming.

Shopping is always a must at this time of year whether you are bringing home a gift for your Thanksgiving host or starting on Christmas presents. There are two malls in Erie. One is The Shops at the Colony on 8th Street.

Most of the stores are Mom and Pops and the culture feels very “homey”. It is a strip mall, so be sure to go before it snows. Many people will recommend the meat from Bello’s. Looking to impress your family at Thanksgiving?

They have free recipes weekly and have the best meat in the area to cook with. The Original Popcorn House is a place still on my bucket list to go, but they apparently have numerous fun flavors that would make a great gift for the movie popcorn lover. The other mall in Erie is of course Millcreek Mall. Given that it is indoors, it is a safe, warm place to enjoy in the heart of winter. Last year I took The e a few times to get there, so if you cannot drive or have a fear doing so in the snow, the bus is a great alternative.

Plus, Mercyhurst students get free passes. If you do not have one, you can go to Police and Safety to get a sticker pass for the back of your ID card.

I cannot end this article without mentioning more

food. One of my favorites is Mighty Fine. It is a donut shop on Parade Street. My freshman year it used to be open 24 hours and we would get cheap, delicious donuts at all hours of the night. They sell Fall themed donuts that are Instagram-worthy.

Additionally, the Tipsy Bean on Peach Street is something you should try as it starts to get cold. The rustic vibe feels like fall and the delicious coffee will warm you from the inside out.

For those that like the theater, Warner Theater and Erie Playhouse have shows in their beautiful, historic locations. They will both also be putting on Christmas productions. I don’t know about you, but it does not feel like winter without dressing up to see a show. I always leave feeling energized and nostalgic walking out of the theater as the bitter cold hits.

Or for the movie lover, there is also Tinseltown, which always has holiday movies playing as the season approaches. If you are looking for cheaper seats, I recommend matinee showings. That way it is also not too cold as you are leaving. Tickets are also discounted on Tuesdays.

Be sure to check out some of theses fun places to go in Erie this time of year. Especially if it is your first winter here!

We asked: Do you prefer fall or winter?

Patrick Griffin, freshman Forensic Science major: “I prefer winter better because although the sun isn’t out as much and it creates more depressive vibes, it brings out more creativity in people as most artists were depressed when their art came out.”

Ali Forsythe, sophomore Art Education and Art Therapy major: “I like fall better because it is the perfect temperature to wear sweaters, shortsleeves, and jeans without having to worry about it being too cold or too warm.”

Kassidy Reed, senior Biology major: “I prefer winter over fall, especially on campus because the snow looks very pretty, they decorate Old Main really awesome, and I love the big Christmas tree out front.”

Justice Alleruzzo, senior Communication major: “My favorite season has to be winter because my birthday actually is on the tail end of December, it is the eve of New Years Eve.” Compiled by Sarah Beck

Problems with Mercyhurst self service with each other. But, I am really a break, but rather us this. Do not doubt our disappointed by anyone who

By Ashley Barletta just one situation within the just doing our school work appreciation for you; we are did not have a completed News Editor

I am back with another angry rant. This time, it is about our classes not being up until less than one week before advising day.

It was roughly 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 12 when one of my roommates told me that classes were up. This left me, as well as every other Mercyhurst student, less than one week to figure out our schedules for next semester.

In my case, I was very, very, lucky to have had all of the classes I wanted to take added to my plan, so all I had to do was look up which ones were being offered next semester and what time they would be.

I found myself to be even luckier when none of the classes I wanted conflicted

system, and I cannot assume that it was this easy for all of the Mercyhurst students who are already super busy with classes. At this time, midterms were still being taken, which adds to students high stress levels.

Another issue with SelfService is that it was not loading very quickly or efficiently.

This usually happens on my laptop so I am used to it, but apparently it was happening to everyone this time around.

Not only was Self-Service slow, but it would not load any sample course plans, which many students use to help plan their next semester.

Now, I understand that it was Fall Break, but a lot of students use that time to catch up on readings, assignments and most importantly, sleep.

Because of this, there was not

off-campus.

I also understand that the faculty and staff of this school are busy as well. However, students are not allowed to use the excuse that we were busy for not doing whatever assignment we have due by next class, so faculty should not be making this excuse either.

Thank you to those of the faculty who did have their classes planned out before

only asking that you work with us a little more than you have been.

Nobody is perfect, and that includes students, faculty and staff.

Despite this, our school runs on a set schedule that does not stop for anything.

I hope the advisors did not expect everyone’s schedules to be completely planned out before advising day, and I hope they were not too

FOLLOW US!

schedule ready in less than one week.

Additionally, Honors classes went up even later than the rest of the classes for some reason and that makes it extra hard for kids in the Honors program to plan ahead.

If you have made it this far, thanks for tuning in!

Do not forget that if you are a student with an opinion, the Merciad is always accepting new writers!

Twitter: @TheMerciad Instagram: @mumerciad Facebook: The Merciad

Tag us in your newsworthy Hurst moments!

SPORTS

PAGE 14

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Hurst rowing wins at Charles Regatta

By Mairead Stewart, Gillian Mazur Contributing writer, Editor in chief

In the program’s 50th year, the Mercyhurst rowing teams once again made Mercyhurst program history. On Oct. 25, the Men’s heavyweight, Men’s lightweight and Women’s rowing teams traveled to Boston, MA to compete in the Head of Charles regatta. Earning multiple medals from all three teams, it is safe to say the Lakers seized their opportunities that day.

The Head of Charles is the largest regatta in the world. The Mercyhurst program sent three lineups to Cambridge river which included; a Women’s eights, a Men’s lightweight eight and a Men’s four.

What is a Regatta? Before we get into the great accomplishments of these Lakers, background information about this fairly uncommon sport seems necessary.

The fall season is far different for this sport because the races are six kilometers instead of their usual 2k’s in the spring. Head races usually have around 40 entries per category, and each boat will start at a different time to make room on the course, therefore nobody will know their results until everyone crosses the finish line.

The Head of Charles is no exception to these requirements, the only difference about this fall classic is its amount of fame. High schools, colleges and alumni come from every part of the country to compete in Cambridge, MA. Starting with the Men’s lightweight team, they were the first boat in the water and finished in 12th place with a final time of

Hurst Athletics photo

The women’s eight poses for a final picture showing off their gold medals after a successful Head of Charles regatta.

15:09.70.

The Men’s fours for heavyweight rowing came next and took home the silver medal with a total time of 16:53.320. This is also the first time that the Men’s heavyweight has medaled in program history.

“The boat I was in did great and it felt good to make a statement this early and more importantly give Kristian Trebilcock, a 5th year senior, a proper send off for his last fall season on the team,” said freshman heavyweight rower, Nate Harris.

“The regatta went great for the entire crew. It was amazing seeing the hard work we all put in pay off this early in the school year, especially in the Women’s 8 who made history with their win,” said Harris.

After that the Mercyhurst’s Division II national runner up

Women’s Eights competed. Extremely successful, the women got to reap the rewards of their training labor and took home the gold over 40 entires with a time of 17:16.704.

This may seem like a regular win but the Mercyhurst teams have never had such great results.

This is the first time since 2015 that the Mercyhurst Women’s rowing team has taken home a medal, during which they won silver.

“I think that this year is kind of special for everyone because we went back to the Charles after it was canceled last year. We were hungry to head race again, we love this course and we had absolutely no expectations when it came to our result,” said graduate student captain Anna Majek, who was seven seats in the Women’s eight.

“Our coach, Adrian Spracklen said that all he wants us to do is have a good row, so we can cross the finish line and feel good and accomplished, and that’s what we did,” said Majek.

The emotions that both boats expressed conveys how big of an event the Head of Charles is for a rower.

“Winning Head of the Charles was an incredible achievement, but most of all it was a team effort.

All of us worked hard during summer break to become even faster than last year, and I’m glad that it paid off,” said graduate student Ann-Kathrin Müeller.

“Our race plan was to be the fastest boat after the first mile and then just keep going,” said Müeller.

One of the best-known regattas worldwide, spectators from Boston and other universities all gather to watch from the shore. The people help to create an energetic atmosphere that differentiates the Head of the Charles from other regattas.

The race is also dubbed a “coxswains course,” which means that the person steering has the most responsibility. The many sharp turns of the Charles River cause many collisions every year. Another challenge comes with maneuvering through the many bridges without cutting over the buoy lines. Passing other boats along the course is also a dilemma as the process of yielding to the faster team can put the rowers at great risk and may even result in a halt of racing.

“We were docking after we finished one of our best races to date, but for some reason it was fairly

quiet after we crossed the line and took our cool down strokes. As we were getting out of the boat after a quiet dock, Brady (a Mercyhurst rowing alumni) came running down to the dock with the number one on both of his hands and told us “You guys won! You guys won!” At the time we were totally shell shocked, we didn’t believe it and genuinely thought he was joking,” said junior Elizabeth Northup.

The Lakers beat some schools from all over the United States.

“We didn’t know what to do, but we all burst into happy tears and were jumping up and down and hugging everyone so excitedly. It was really so surreal to think that we just won Charles. Like we did that and did it so well, it was simply just an unforgettable row and had so many special moments and so much happiness.”

“This is my fourth time racing at the Head of the Charles and each time is a memorable experience. For the first time in program history the women brought home gold in the women’s collegiate 8 event. We were up against teams from all over the country varying from D1, D2, and D3 schools.

The team is proud of what we were able to achieve and looking forward to our Spring racing season,” said women’s coxswain Gabrielle Christello.

All of the Mercyhurst rowing teams finished out their fall 2021 season at the Cornell Autumn Classic which was held on Oct. 30 in Ithaca, NY. The Lakers will be back in the water this spring for their championship seasons.

Football celebrates a weekend victory

By Sydney Dietz Sports editor

The Mercyhurst football team brought home a win after competing in a game against the Clarion University Golden Eagles on Oct. 30, at 12:00 p.m.

The game was played at Clarion and ended with a score for the Lakers, 38-20.

“We won the turnover battle, rushed the ball better and won situational football,” said head coach Martin Schaetzle.

The scoring started during the second quarter when Clarion had a 55-yard touchdown pass and scored the first touchdown of the game. The play resulted in a 95yard drive and was the only time the Clarion offense would move the ball down the midfield.

The Lakers immediately fought back after the Golden Eagles 55yard touchdown pass. They started at their own 29-yard line, and had a drive down the field that included a 24-yard run from freshman running back, David Alize.

The drive continued with two

20-yard passes caught by sophomore wide receiver, Rylan Davison. The touchdown pass was caught by senior tight end, Jason Armstrong. This touchdown brought the game to a tie.

The ball was back in the hands of the Golden Eagles. Due to the Lakers defense, the Golden Eagles were unable to keep a drive going and score points, which meant they had to punt the ball.

In Mercyhurst’s next drive, they took the lead with a 42-yard drive. The drive started with a 5 yard pass, then continued when Davison got five receptions for 58-yards.

Clarion rebounded when their offence got the ball again. During Clarion’s drive, the Lakers were flagged for four penalties, which helped Clarion obtain a 61-yard drive and eventually a touchdown. This touchdown allowed the Golden Eagles to tie the game again.

With a very back and forth second quarter, there were only three minutes remaining. The Lakers were able to pull out a 10-play

drive that ended with a 9-yard rush from sophomore wide receiver Trevon Tate. This drive required the Lakers to take two timeouts, which helped the Lakers reach their lead. The final score of the first half of the game was 21-14 in favor of Mercyhurst.

Despite Mercyhurst’s previous losses Coach Schaetzle did not alter any of the team’s strategies going into the game. “We work from our base offensive, defensive and special teams schemes each week and also add wrinkles that we feel will be effective. The result was positive but we have corrections to make to improve for our next game,” said Schaetzle.

Mercyhurst came out with even more confidence in the third quarter which resulted in the Lakers being the only team to score points. The scoring started five minutes into the quarter when the Lakers scored three points with a good field goal kick. Senior linebacker Ryan Funa intercepted the ball from Clarion’s offense and ran it back 33-yards for a Mercyhurst touchdown with only .28 seconds

Hurst Athletics photo

Lakers linebacker, Thomas Zacharyasz, gets ready for a play during the game against Clarion University.

left in the third quarter. The score after the touchdown was 31-14 with the Lakers in the lead.

The Lakers were not done scoring after the third quarter. With 7:57 left in the game, sophomore wide receiver Cameron Barmore caught a pass from senior quarterback Joe Carter. This play was the first catch for Barmore in the game. Carter finished 15-25 with 202 yards in the air. Clarion also

scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter making the final score 3820.

“It was a great win for our team and seniors as we look to finish our season strong,” said Schaetzle.

The Lakers football team will take the field again for their second to last game of the season on Nov. 6, at 12:00 p.m. to face Gannon University at Saxon Stadium.

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

SPORTS

PAGE 15

Mercyhurst golf’s fall season recap

By Gillian Mazur Editor-in-chief

LAKERS!

LET’S GO,

Despite the cancellation of the majority of team sports at Mercyhurst last year, one sport pushed through – golf.

Unlike many other sports on campus, the members of the Mercyhurst Men and Women’s golf teams were able to continue to compete in the sport they love.

This year the Women’s team competed in five total tournaments and the Men’s team in six.

“This past season was definitely a fun one. We had some good additions to our team this year and had some guys improve their games over the summer,” said senior golfer Ryan Peters.

This year the Men’s golf team was also able to set a Mercyhurst program record for the lowest team scoring average for the fall season.

“I think as a team we are really happy with our progress this fall.

We have taken a huge step from where we were at this time last year and had some guys really step up to give us a chance to win tournaments. We really feel as though we have a chance to win every time we step on the course,” said senior golfer, Jack Angelucci, “[It] is always fun getting your name in the history books.”

With an ever-growing roster of golfers for the Men’s team, all members are valuable and contributed to the team’s newest record.

“Guys like Jacobo Mancera, Danny Ames and Tyler Thomas really make the difference for us and give us the depth that is needed to have a chance to win. Having them takes some of the pressure off of Ryan Peters, Ryan Ferry and myself and I think that is why you saw them play so well this fall with Peters getting a win at the Hal Hansen and us winning as a team there,” said Angelucci, “We are really excited for this spring

Hurst Athletics photo

Mercyhurst’s golfers (left to right) Jack Angelucci, Ryan Peters, and Ryan Ferry chat about their performance on the course.

and feel like a National Championship appearance is definitely within striking distance.”

This year the Women’s team started the school year strong ranking 2nd out of 12 teams at the Charleston Invitational at the University of Charleston, SC. This invitational began on Sept. 13 and ran through Sept. 14. The Men’s team did not find as much luck as the Women’s team but still ranked in the top 10 out of 14 total teams managing to take 6th place.

The Lakers returned home the very next weekend to play in their next tournament, the Evann Parker Memorial, hosted by Mercyhurst University on Sept. 17Sept. 18. This tournament took place at the Lakeview Country Club. Although the Lakers did

not find as much success as they did at the Charleston Invitational, the Women’s team snagged 4th place out of 11 while the Men’s team displayed tremendous improvement from the last tournament and placed 3rd out of 11.

At Gannon University’s Howard “Bud” Elwell Fall Classic, both teams ranked in the top three with the women taking 3rd out of 12, and the men 2nd out of 10.

The Women’s team then went on to play two more tournaments, the Findlay Invitational at the University of Findlay, OH, which took place on Oct. 3 through Oct. 5 and ending the season with the Tiffin Invitational at Tiffin University, OH, on Oct. 10 through Oct. 12. At the Tiffin Invitational, the women placed then 4th out of

8 teams at the Tiffin Invitational.

“It was a good season for our team.

We had good tournaments and we were able to learn something from every single one them. Personally I am proud of our team because we had really good rounds and we got closer to each other,” said sophomore golfer, Sofia Carrizosa.

The Men’s golf team went on to play two more tournaments as well at the Guy and Jeanne Kuhn Memorial, which was hosted at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA, and the Clarion Invitational hosted by Clarion University in Clarion, PA. Continually showing improvement in their season till the end, the men ranked 2nd out of 13 at the Guy and Jeanne Kuhn Memorial which took place on Sept. 26 and 27, and then at the

Clarion Invitational, they ranked 1st out of 9 teams which took place on Oct. 2 through Oct. 4.

With all of the Men’s success in their Fall 2021 season, they got to continue their journey to the PSAC Championship Tournament on Oct. 15 through Oct. 17th. After three days of golf, the men took 3rd place out of 10 teams.

“I think our team’s ability to push and encourage one another to be the best played a key role in our success this season. After missing out on NCAA Regionals last spring, I’m proud of how our team bounced back. We’re going to work hard on our games this winter and come out ready to roll for the spring season,” said Peters.

Nov. 5 @ 7:05, Nov. 6 @ 4:05 Erie, PA : Men’s hockey vs Sacred Heart University Nov. 6, Indiana, PA @ 4:00 p.m.: Women’s soccer vs Indiana University of Pennsylvania Nov. 6, Erie, PA @ 4:00 p.m.: Women’s volleyball vs Edinboro University Nov. 6, Erie, PA @ 7:30 p.m.: Men’s Soccer vs California University of Pennsylvania

PAGE 16

LAKER LIVING

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A work-related situation that started last month takes on increasing importance this week. The choice is still yours as to how it will evolve. Be careful not to make quick judgments.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) “Careful” is the watchword for the prudent Bovine this week. Don’t let your emotions overwhelm your logic. Try for balance as you maneuver through a touchy situation.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Your energy levels rise to meet the challenges that will mark much of this month. New opportunities beckon.

Look them over, but proceed cautiously before making any kind of decision.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Your private life can be a problem this week, as a partner becomes more difficult. Resist a reaction you might regret. Instead of walking away, try to talk things out.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) You should be your usual sunny self these days, as you bask in the admiration you adore. Enjoy it as you move into a new arena to confront an exciting upcoming challenge.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Your perseverance reserves will be tapped frequently this week as you deal with the problems involved in making a new situation work for you.

But it’ll all be worth it.

Wednesday, November 3, 2021 LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) You’ll find fewer roadblocks turning up as you continue to move ahead with your plans. Expect some important news to come your way by mid-November.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Good news — you finally get to the bottom of that pesky mystery you’ve been trying to solve for weeks by using some gentle persuasion to get someone to break his or her silence.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) The best time to take on that important task is now. Move forward one step at a time so you can assess your progress and, if need be, change direction.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) The new opportunities you hoped to find this month are beginning to open up. Study them carefully to be sure you make the choice that’s best for you.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Turn a disappointment into a learning experience. Check out possible weaknesses in your approach and strengthen them. A loyal colleague offers good advice.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Your new situation offers opportunities to help you get the skills you’ll need in order to stop swimming in circles and finally move straight toward your goals. Go for it.

BORN THIS WEEK: You have a sharp, logical mind and a quick intellect. You would make an excellent mystery writer. © 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.

HURST TOON Student-drawn cartoon by the Martian