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PAGE 2 NEWS 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. Ambassadors 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.

Photo by Elphena Elsar

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

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

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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.

“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 immigrants 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 partnered 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

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

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

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

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

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.

“Day-In” Events

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!

Mercyhurst Dining at 1000 Followers

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.

Mercyhurst Cybersecurity ranked #3 grad program

By Laren Reesman Staff writer

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 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, student 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.

National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week observed

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, including 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.

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.

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. STUDENT GOVERNMENT

This weekend’s campus events