The Merciad November 10 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 10, 2021

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VOL. 95 NO. 7

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

Womens soccer PSAC West Champs PAGE 15

Online poll results

We asked: What is your

Photo Credits: Contributed photo

favorite fall holiday?

Halloween Veteran's Day

3: November Open House approaching

Thanksgiving

PAGE 2 Hanukkah

9: Mercyhurst Resources: IDEA Surveys 10: The 814: Gem City Dinor

This week’s

POLL

What is your favorite core value of Mercyhurst?

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NEWS

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Mercy Center for Women hosts gift drive

By Hannah Brooks

Staff writer

The Mercy Emissaries will be hosting their annual Christmas gift drive starting on Nov. 16 which will last until Dec. 10.

The Mercy Emissaries is a group of staff, students and faculty that have been educated on the Sisters of Mercy and the values that they hold. They are also trained to spread their mission around campus.

The gift drive supports the mercy mission as it helps the women and children who reside at the Mercy Center for Women.

Per the Mercy Center for Wom-

en’s website, this shelter is a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy and “is committed to enhancing the dignity of each person we serve through healing of body, mind, and spirit.”

The Center provides safe and supportive housing for homeless women with or without children, connections with social service agencies and volunteers who provide a network of support, mentoring and education to both residents and women in the community. It is an environment with spiritual and ethical values.

The gift drive provides gifts, not only for the children at the shelter, but for mothers as well. This

event provides joy and hope in the lives of the residents of the shelter.

The items on the gift list often consist of kids’ toys, such as Barbie dolls, baby dolls, Legos, etc.

Those who donate are asked not to wrap the gifts because a special day is set aside for the mothers at the shelter to wrap the gifts for their children. Unwrapped items can be dropped off in the barrel in front of the President’s office on the first floor of Old Main.

For mothers, gifts such as personal care items, like lotions, perfumes, etc. are being accepted. Clothing may not be the best choice as sizing may be an issue,

but items such as scarves, hats, or mittens make good gifts.

Other gift suggestions include gift-wrapping supplies; gifts for women such as daily planners, adult coloring books, and picture frames; household items such as paper towels and toilet paper; and gifts that could be good for all ages such as socks, slippers, and scarves.

“Gift cards can also make a great gift, so the mothers can go to the store and purchase what they would like for their children.

While we may enjoy going out and buying the gifts, it is important to remember that this drive is not about us,” said Alice Edwards,

Ph.D, as the coordinator of the 2021 drive.

Cash and monetary gifts can be given to Stacey Wiley, Administrative Assistant to the President’s Office, to ensure that they are kept safe.

For more information about the gift drive, including a complete list of items for the 2021 drive, please visit the Mercy Center for Women Holiday Wish List website at https://www.mcwerie.org/waysto-give/wish-list.

Contributed photo

There are many different gifts that the Mercy Center for Women gift drive is accepting. Be sure to look at the full list of accepted gifts on the Mercy Center for Women website.

Staff Senate hosts “Jeans for a Cause”

By Eva Mihelich

Staff writer

For the past 10 years, Mercyhurst University Staff Senate has held an annual fundraiser to help raise money for local non-profits.

Titled “Jeans for a Cause,” this fundraiser allows faculty and staff members of Mercyhurst University to dress down and wear jeans or Mercyhurst attire on Fridays with a donation of two dollars towards the chosen non-profit.

This semester, the organization chosen for donations is the ANNA Shelter: a non-profit, open admission animal welfare organization.

Their goal is to provide unwanted, stray, abused or neglected animals with a safe, nurturing, loving environment where they can be either reunited with their owners or placed into new life-long loving homes.

This annual fundraiser is a cooperative effort to get faculty and staff members involved in the University’s mission, which Justin Ross, Ph.D, president of the Staff Senate, expressed.

“What’s most interesting to me about Jeans for a Cause is that it is a very tangible way of living the mission,” said Ross.

“Sometimes it is difficult to show and articulate how we engage in the core values of the Sisters of Mercy or how we live out our mission, but this fundraiser allows those efforts to be seen: just look around on Fridays and see people wearing jeans and Mercyhurst gear to see this in real time! For me, it’s a weekly reminder of our dedication to service to others.”

Often, the faculty and staff are overlooked in the campus community. It is not just students; the community involves every person who walks on campus, so they should be involved in Mercyhurst’s service mission as well.

This fundraiser provides a perfect opportunity for them to show their support and gratitude for local organizations.

Ross shared that it is quite common for faculty and staff to dress down each Friday during the fundraiser, which shows an overwhelming support for the non-profit chosen.

Sometimes service may seem daunting or overwhelming, but what many people do not realize is that local issues are perfect opportunities to show some kindness and support.

Christian Constantine, Vet-

erans Service coordinator, has been participating in “Jeans for a Cause” since 2019. He shared that he was amazed at the number of non-profits in the Erie, Pennsylvania area.

“When [Ross], asked me to find a list of non-profits around here, I simply did a Google search and found a list of almost 450. I had no idea that there were that many non-profits in the Erie area,” said Constantine.

In the past, Mercyhurst University Staff Senate has chosen non-profits such as the Bloom Collaborative, Hospice of MetContributed photo ropolitan Erie, House of Mercy, Mission 22 and the Emmaus Soup Kitchen. These are all organizations that do such good for the community, so giving back to them is the University’s way of showing appreciation for the kindness they bring to Erie.

This semester, if you see faculty and staff in jeans and Mercyhurst attire, you’ll know that they are supporting a worthy cause and living out the core values of the Sisters of Mercy. To donate to Jeans for a Cause, visit https:// Contributed photo hurstalumni.wufoo.com/forms/ There are numerous non-profit organizations all across Erie.

The jeans-day-payments/.

Hospice of Metropolitan Erie and the Emmaus Soup Kitchen are two of them.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

NEWS

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November Open House is approaching

By Nadine Fox Staff writer

It’s that time of the year, Mercyhurst University will be hosting its annual Fall Open House this month. This open house will be hosted on Nov. 13 from 9 a.m. to 2p.m.

Open houses are a great opportunity for many prospective high school students and their families to learn more about Mercyhurst University.

Presentations will be given from the vice president of Academic Affairs, Joanne McGurk, Ph.D, and the director of Undergraduate Admissions, Christian Beyer. The presentations will be on the history of Mercyhurst, the

application process and financial aid.

The Fall Open House will not only give potential students the chance to meet their classmates, but will also be a good opportunity to get to know a bunch of the faculty and staff from across departments at the Academic Department Fair.

It is also where students will get to learn more about academic opportunities in the fields that they are interested in studying.

This will also give students the chance to ask questions about the program.

On top of that, the new students and their families will be able to take a campus tour with one of the Mercyhurst Student

Ambassadors in order to get a better understanding of whether or not they would enjoy the campus environment.

The students will be able to get a walk-through of what a day in the life of a Laker is like. Talking to current students is a great way to find out what goes on around campus and what it is like to live on campus.

The new students will also be receiving tickets for the Grotto Commons Dining Hall for lunch to get a taste of Parkhurst’s cuisine.

All they have to do is simply register online by filling out a form.

The link will ask basic questions, such as what the student’s

name is, what they are interested in, what type of degree they are looking to complete, when they are planning on arriving, how many guests they are bringing and what high school they attended.

As a special thank you for coming and spending the day learning about Mercyhurst, the school also provides free shirts for visiting our campus.

One important note is that unfortunately, due to NCAA regulations, the Admissions Department is currently unable to arrange a direct contact meeting with team coaches. So, any new students looking to participate on a particular team must reach out to that coach directly

through the Athletic Directory to set up a meeting.

Overall, this event should be a wonderful opportunity for new prospective students.

“Currently, there are 225 students registered to attend next weekend’s events, but we will continue to take registrations throughout the week,” said Dana Irwin, assistant director of Undergraduate Admissions.

Be on the lookout to welcome some new faces around campus within the coming week!

Contributed photo

This is most likely a familiar photo that you have seen on the front page of the Mercyhurst website. The campus is gorgeous in the fall, so there’s no better time to show it off to potential future Lakers!

American Airlines cancels many flights on Halloween weekend

By Bella Lee Staff writer

As COVID-19 quickly approaches its second birthday, the nation and the world have seen that even in the midst of a pandemic, the world has remained relatively normal.

Even with masks and social distancing in place, people around the world have continued to attend concerts, eat at restaurants and travel to visit their loved ones. However, there is still a reason to be concerned about a variety of things.

Oct. 31 was a particularly bad day for airline travelers, as American Airlines canceled almost 850 flights due to staff shortages and bad weather.

COVID-19 has been detrimental to many airline employees, who have been laid off or forced into early retirement due to lack of demand for workers.

Now that restrictions are loosening, there are a lot of travelers and not enough workers. This has caused a backlog that ultimately leads to situations such as the one that American Airlines faced.

On Halloween weekend alone, there were over 1,700 flight cancellations for American Airlines.

However, the return of nearly 1,800 flight attendants from leave as well as 600 new hires seemed to help alleviate this problem.

This is not the only airline going through this. Southwest Airlines cancelled nearly 2,400

flights over a three-day period earlier in the month, blaming bad weather and air traffic control issues.

A major problem that airlines have been facing this year has been an increase in unruly passengers. When told to properly put on a mask or make sure their child is properly wearing a mask, more and more passengers are choosing to create scenes that, in the worst-case scenario, can turn violent and injure others.

Back in May, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant ended up losing two front teeth after being punched by a passenger that repeatedly refused to follow instructions. The passenger was ultimately charged with battery and causing serious bodily injury.

According to the Federal Aviation Association (FAA), there were roughly 2,500 reports of unruly passengers between Jan. 1 and May 24 of this year, with 1,900 of those reports involving people contravening the federal mask mandate.

The FAA recorded 394 potential “unruly passenger” violations through May 25, while 2019 and 2020 saw 146 and 183 violations, respectively.

According to the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, there have been growing problems with harassment and violence.

A survey conducted in 2018 revealed that more than one in three flight attendants have said they have experienced verbal sexual harassment from passengers,

with nearly one in five experiencing physical sexual harassment.

Additionally, 68 percent of flight attendants stated that they saw no efforts from their airlines to address sexual harassment in the workplace in the year leading up to the survey.

These statistics are highly concerning, especially because it does not seem as if anything is being done about the non-compliant passengers.

Airline companies need to work on the safety of their passengers when flights get cancelled, but at the same time, they must also ensure the safety of their employees.

NEWS

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Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Mercyhurst hosts discussion Merciad IN A MINUTE panel on Afghanistan New hours at The Roost The Roost has announced its new hours of operation.

The Roost is now opened on Fridays 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.

The Great Turkey Hunt

On Nov. 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. there will be a FoodU Scavenger Hunt.

This is known as the Great Turkey Hunt.

Also on Nov. 12, Grotto Commons will be hosting “The Stand” from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

There are quite a few events this Friday, so check out as many as you can!

Vaccine Booster Clinic There is going to be a COVID-19 vaccination booster clinic on Nov. 18.

Those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine two months prior and those who received Pfizer or Moderna six months prior can get the booster shot.

Signups begin today, Nov. 10, so be sure to check your email to see if you are eligible.

Parkhurst Thanksgiving orders Parkhurst is now selling heat-and-serve Thanksgiving dinners.

There are three different packages available to order; package 1 feeds two, package 2 feeds five and package 3 feeds 10.

Each package comes with a pie, but more than one pie can be ordered for an additional charge.

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

Email us at merciad@ mercyhurst.edu

By Ashley Barletta News editor

On Oct. 21, a panel discussion titled “Contemplating Afghanistan: The past, the present, the ethical challenges” took place in the Waterford Room in Ryan Hall.

The ethical questions surrounding the U.S.’s withdraw from Afghanistan were considered by panelists throughout the discussion.

The Evelyn Lincoln Institute for Ethics and Society, or ELIES, was established in 2008 because of a grant given by Emily and John Costigan. It was named after Emily’s mother, Evelyn Jacobson Lincoln, a 1930 Mercyhurst graduate. To learn more about ELIES, visit the university website.

“The Evelyn Lincoln Institute for Ethics and Society does programming throughout the year

to address the ethical questions facing the campus community locally and globally. Most of the programming of the institute is in the form of panels, speakers, and symposia,” said Verna Ehret, Ph.D, and director of ELIES. A group of students were the catalyst for this discussion to be held. There were a slew of different perspectives on how the U.S. removed its troops from Afghanistan.

Jacob A. Mauslein, Ph.D, assistant professor of Intelligence Studies, said, “I think that the panel was an fantastic opportunity for the public to hear about the situation in Afghanistan from a variety of perspectives that are either misunderstood or lost in the news cycle.”

According to news sources, the decision to pull U.S. troops from

Afghanistan began with former President Trump. The Trump Administration negotiated an agreement with the Taliban to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, dropping U.S. troop levels by roughly eighty percent.

President Biden decided to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan completely because of how many American lives were lost during what he refers to as “America’s longest war” according to news sources.

On the other hand, it was risky to do this because Afghans no longer have the U.S. to help defend them from the Taliban. Now, the Afghan government has collapsed and the Taliban has failed to comply with the agreement made with the U.S. The panelists who discussed the ethics of this situation were Mau-

slein of the Department of Intelligence Studies, Julia Morgan, Ph.D, of the Philosophy Department, and Brian Ripley, Ph.D, of the Political Science Department.

“Even though I was among the presenters, I feel I learned just as much from my co-panelists as those in the audience,” said Mauslein.

There was also a showing of the film “Mankiller: Activist, Feminist, Cherokee Chief” on Nov. 4.

This was held at 7:30 p.m. in the Mercy Heritage Room and followed by a discussion led by Ben Scharff, Ph.D, chair of the History Department.

“We are not only political beings, we are relational and moral beings, and that is why we had representation from the Multicultural Community Resource Center (MCRC),” said Ehret.

National Respiratory Care Week celebrated on campus

By Libby Bullinger Copy editor

During the week of Oct. 24-30, healthcare workers from around the country celebrated National Respiratory Care Week. This annual tradition serves as a weeklong recognition of the work that respiratory therapists do.

The celebration dates back to November of 1982 when President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation declaring the third week of October to be an annual recognition for this specific type of healthcare worker.

Another aspect of this weeklong event is that the Wednesday of National Respiratory Care Week is always Lung Health Day, another way to promote awareness for lung health and to appreciate those in that specific medical field.

A respiratory therapist is a type of medical professional who is trained specifically to assist patients with lung diseases and dis-

orders that can occur from a variety of health conditions. The work that respiratory therapists do has been particularly important over the past two years as one of the main impacts of COVID-19 is difficulty with breathing.

This is a growing field with the U.S. Bureau of Labor predicting a 23 percent increase of respiratory therapists over the next ten years.

This year specifically, the motto for National Respiratory Care Week was “Resilience, Strength, Hope.”

Mercyhurst was able to take part in the recognition of respiratory therapists by gifting students with American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC) Early Professional Memberships and Oake’s Pocket Guides, which are study tools for respiratory therapy content.

Many academic programs are making the move from Mercyhurst North East to the main campus here in Erie, and the Respiratory Therapy Program is one

of them.

Beginning in the spring semester, the program will be housed in the Audrey Hirt Academic Center where students will have the opportunity to complete a two-year program in respiratory therapy under the direction of assistant professor, Christine Gluvna. According to Gluvna, students in the program will complete coursework and clinical rotations to prepare them for board examinations and obtaining licensing that will allow them to work in the respiratory therapy field after graduation.

One graduate of Mercyhurst’s Respiratory Therapy program was highlighted on Mercyhurst’s website last week.

Francheska Martinez-Gomez is a two-time graduate from Mercyhurst and is currently working as a respiratory therapist. Martinez-Gomez, originally from Puerto Rico, graduated with an Associate Degree of Science in Respiratory Therapy in the Spring

of 2020 at the very beginning of the pandemic. She was thrown into working with COVID-19 patients as medical professionals with her skills were in high demand.

Martinez-Gomez was stationed at UMPC Hamot and attributes her success to mentors in Mercyhurst’s program, including Gluvna and Nicole Marton, director of Clinical Education.

She took her boards only two days after graduation to ensure that she was able to immediately start helping patients suffering from COVID-19 in addition to other illnesses such as bronchitis, asthma, COPD, pneumonia, flu, RSV, lung cancer and more.

This week is a reminder to be thankful for the healthcare workers that have placed their lives on the line during the pandemic and continue to provide critical care to patients around the country.

Contributed photo

National Respiratory Care Week gave cause for all of the respiratory therapists to celebrate all of their hard work, especially during COVID-19.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

NEWS

Hammermill Library partners with Better World Books

By Ashley Barletta News editor

Mercyhurst’s Hammermill Library has just announced a partnership with Better World Books, an organization that recycles and resells books on the internet.

Many books at the library are underutilized and taking up space.

Instead of allowing these books to collect dust, Better World Books takes them and remarkets them online. This way, there will be more space for books which could potentially be in use by Mercyhurst students, faculty and staff.

Better World Books is also helping Mercyhurst in its mission to be globally responsible.

In choosing to recycle the underused books, the Hammermill Library has saved 25 trees from being thrown into a landfill, two cubic yards of landfill space from being used, 3,377 pounds of greenhouse gases from escaping into the atmosphere and 12,447 grams of water. The total number of books that have been recycled with Better World Books so far is 1,593. This amounts to 2,179 pounds of books and counting.

Using the money from the books that were resold on the Internet, Better World Books was able to provide a donation to a literacy fund of Hammermill Library’s choosing. The Literacy

Grant Fund was the chosen program.

Better World Books had its beginnings in 2003 in South Bend, Indiana. According to the Better World Books website, College friends at Notre Dame, Xavier and Kreece, couldn’t figure out what to do after graduation. At first, they decided to tutor the football team on calculus and computer programming. This did not provide much of a living for either, and their apartment was cluttered with old textbooks.

Since campus bookstores don’t pay much for used books, Kreece decided to put his books up for sale on the internet. This was risky since it was 2003 and selling books on the internet had not yet been normalized. However, the books had sold quite well, so Xavier decided to sell his books too.

Xavier and Kreece decided to collect as many unwanted books as possible from Notre Dame students. They ended up with 2,000 books and made $10,000 from selling them.

Jeff, a friend of Xavier and Kreece who knew about investment banking, joined the cause to help come up with a business plan. This plan was submitted to a Notre Dame university business plan competition and won “Best Social Venture” as well as $7,000.

With the help of one of the

competition judges, David Murphy, Book Drives for Better Lives was born. Murphy later became the CEO of Better World Books.

Soon after, Xavier realized that many libraries throw out underutilized titles in order to make space for new additions. He decided that the business should not only sell books, but also partner with libraries to save books from the landfills while also making money for the libraries and literacy programs.

Now renamed “Better World Books,” the organization is still positively impacting the environment and encouraging social change.

Per the Better World Books website, each time you purchase a book from Better World Books, another book is donated to someone in need.

The Hammermill Library’s partnership with Better World Books is not only helping students by cleaning out space for more useful books, but the partnership is also helping out those who need the books that we do not use.

To learn more about the partnership between the Hammermill Library and Better World Books, check out the Hammermill Library Newsletter. For more information on Better World Books, visit their website at https://about. betterworldbooks.com/history/.

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STUDENT GOVERNMENT

This weekend’s campus events

Faculty members present research during showcase

By Samantha Weber Managing editor

On Nov. 3, the Faculty Research Committee and Office of Academic Affairs sponsored the New Faculty Research Showcase.

This time, there were three professors who were selected to present on the research that they are conducting currently or very recently.

Program director of Graduate Applied Intelligence, Pontus Krohn presented on “Regulating the Arctic: A Stone Cold Case?”.

Anthropology and Archaeology assistant professor, William Meyer presented his research on “What is Queer Archaeology?”.

Lastly, instructor of Nursing, Carolyn Zaffino, presented about “The Dangers of the Current Nursing Shortage.”

The three new faculty members, Krohn, Meyer and Zaffino have all joined Mercyhurst within the past two years. Each faculty member presented either current research or recent research that they conducted.

The showcase was held in the Waterford Room in Ryan Hall to account for the large crowd that attended. The event began at 3 p.m. in order to accommodate

more student and faculty schedules as there are not many classes that begin during that time.

When asked about how she decided on her research topic, Zaffino said, “I am extremely passionate about safe staffing ratios, so I selected this topic all through my dual masters program to understand the dangers and potential ways to fix the issue.”

Earlier this year, Meyer was elected co-organizer of the Society for American Archaeology’s Queer Archaeology Interest Group (QAIG).

“I saw this as an opportunity to explain the work that my colleagues and I are engaged in there,” said Meyer.

“I will be presenting on queer archaeology, which is an approach I use throughout my research. I began working with a queer approach years ago: not only did a queer perspective appeal to me as a gay man, but it offered a constant reminder that we need to look at archaeological (and broader anthropological) materials with fresh eyes, challenging our own assumptions about them.”

The benefit to having multiple professors is that there is a wide variety of topics that will be covered and attendees got to learn a

lot of new information.

“I am thrilled at the opportunity to learn from fellow faculty members and spread the critical information I have learned to those not in healthcare,” said Zaffino.

“I am very excited to learn more about the work of the other new faculty members who will be presenting with me on Wednesday afternoon,” said Meyer.

Zaffino hopes that the main takeaway that people have from her presentation is that they recognize and understand how nurses struggle on a day-to-day basis especially being understaffed.

She wants it to become a regular topic of conversation among non-healthcare workers in order for everyone to better understand what all nurses truly do for us.

“I hope that people will take away the same realization that queer archaeology always brings to me: that we need to reexamine the things we take for granted with very critical eyes,” said Meyer.

Be sure to keep an eye out for any upcoming events regarding faculty research as there will be more opportunities to hear about professors’ research throughout the year.

MERCYHURST CAMPUS

CRIME LOG No crimes reported this week.

Good job Lakers!

FEATURES

PAGE 6

NEW AT HURST

Career Exposition for Hospitality

By Samantha Weber

Managing editor

Contributed photo

By Bella Lee Staff writer One of the new faces you might come across around campus this year is Anthony Fulgenzio, the new Vice President for Advancement. He is in charge of the university’s advancement endeavors including fundraising, annual funds, corporate relations, grant relations, alumni relations and donor relations.

According to Mercyhurst’s announcement welcoming him as vice president, “Fulgenzio will lead philanthropic initiatives and oversee key programs including major gifts, alumni and parent engagement, and planned giving, all while serving on President Getz’s senior leadership team.”

Fulgenzio has been in the academic setting for a long time now. His education took him to Gannon University, where he earned his Bachelor’s in Radio and Television Communications and his Master’s in Education Administration Leadership.

Following graduation, Fulgenzio spent 17 years at Gannon in a variety of fundraising roles, with his latest being the executive director of philanthropy and communications. Before his career in higher education, Fulgenzio was active in television and the communications industry. He was an Erie news anchor, managing editor and producer at WSEE-TV, better known as Erie News Now. This isn’t his first time serving as Vice President for Advancement, as he previously held the position for three and a half years at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio before joining the Mercyhurst community on Aug. 1.

Fulgenzio’s main job is fundraising, or, as he calls it, “friend raising.”

“Much of what we do is engaging alumni, corporate partners and friends of Mercyhurst and eventually securing financial support for endowed scholarships which directly benefit students as part of their overall financial aid package,” said Fulgenzio.

As one of a handful of new employees who had their start at Gannon, there is, fortunately, no bad blood for Fulgenzio.

“What I enjoy most about Mercyhurst is the excitement under the new leadership of Dr. Getz, the rich Mercy history of the University, the people and the warm, collegiate atmosphere,” Fulgenzio said, “it truly is a very special place.”

Fulgenzio’s role with the Mercyhurst community is quite important, but he’s just as happy as everyone else to call Hurst home. If you see him around, be sure to give him a warm welcome.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

On Nov. 4, the Office of Career & Professional Development hosted eight employers for the Hospitality Career Exposition.

The eight companies were Ohio HIDTA, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Cedar Point, Giant Eagle Inc., Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh University Place, Piping Rock Club, Sheraton Erie Bayfront and White Lodging.

If students were interested in attending the expo, they could have registered in three ways.

They could have stopped by the Career and Professional Development offices in Egan Hall to sign up for specific companies, registered for the expo on Handshake or registered for separate interview sessions on Handshake.

The event took place in the 24-hour lounge of the Center for Academic Engagement (CAE) from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. All the different employers had tables in the lounge and students were able to walk around at their leisure and the were able to talk with as many employers as they wanted to.

“I really like the opportunity to talk about different job opportunities with a wide variety of companies,” said sophomore Hospitality Management and

Culinary Arts major, Veronica Kibbe.

The location of this event is not only home to the Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts programs, but it is also the location of Cafe Diem, which is the student-run and operated cafe on campus. The students in the HM (Hospitality Management) and CA (Culinary Arts) programs have to work a set number of hours at the cafe to help them gain that real-world experience during their time in their undergraduate programs.

The location of the event was a perfect segue for students to talk about the work they have done with Cafe Diem. The intention of the exposition was to help students find jobs.

Kibbe thought it was a successful event., “With summer internships already on my mind, I appreciated that the hospitality department took their time to set up this event in order to make my job hunting a little less stressful,” said Kibbe.

This year’s career expo looked a lot different than last year’s, and since that was Kibbe’s first year she had some thoughts about the way it was run.

“My favorite part was that it was in person this year. Last year, all the online job fairs felt more like another zoom to attend rather than actual help in finding a summer position,” said Kibbe.

While sometimes it may seem like we are through the worst of the pandemic, it is still very prevalent in our society and it is essential that students feel safe while trying to further their careers.

“I also liked the fact we were allowed to put different color star stickers on our name tags showing our comfort in physical contact. Green meant you were willing to shake hands, yellow stood for only an elbow bump, and red meant please no contact,” said Kibbe.

Overall, a lot of the HM students were pleased with the event.

“It was all put together really well, and it seemed like everyone had at least one engaging conversation with a potential employer,” said Kibbe.

The event as a whole was met with a large turnout and was highly successful. Junior Hospitality Management Major Kelly Lupton shared her thoughts as well.

“This event was really helpful or me. I loved getting to talk with employers and they really helped me once again realize how excited I am about working in such a unique industry,” said Lupton.

The Booker T. Washington Center continues to be a crucial asset

By Hannah Brooks Staff writer

The Booker T. Washington Center (BTW), located at 1720 Holland Street, is a branch of Mercyhurst University. This branch of Mercyhurst provides opportunities for students to return to school at affordable prices.

It has been in collaboration with Mercyhurst for quite some time and continues to be a strong asset for the university’s academics.

The BTW offers services to a variety of individuals; including high school students, dislocated workers and adults simply looking for a career change. Students can take advantage of a variety of degree and certificate programs or get started on their four-year degree.

The BTW, much like Mercyhurst’s main campus, offers services to its students such as educational, physical and emotional wellness services. Students who attend the BTW campus have access to amenities provided at Mercyhurst’s main campus, such as academic support and career services.

The campus is conveniently located near downtown Erie, saving students from the hassle of commuting to classes. The academ-

ic programs offered at the BTW center include a Business Administration (Management) Associate Degree, a Criminal Justice Associate Degree and a Liberal Arts Associate Degree.

Students are also able to begin classes at the BTW center before transferring to Mercyhurst’s main campus, though the time spent at the Center varies by student.

The BTW is very helpful to students who have jobs and families, helping each individual student to determine the best possible plan for academic success.

The Booker T. Washington Center is a great opportunity for students also working or raising a family, which are very difficult and time intensive activities.

It can also be very helpful for individuals who took a break from school after graduating high school as the transition back into schoolwork can be stressful at times, especially when paired with other factors.

The tuition rates are also cheaper than the main campus’ rates.

The 2021- 2022 rates are $1665 per three-credit course and an $85 registration fee per term. The costs are lower but students are also able to get out-of-pocket costs greatly reduced through financial aid.

Some grants are also available to

students, such as the Booker T. Washington grant which saves students up to $200 per course.

“The center offers evening classes with the intention of catering to nontraditional and adult students. In addition to providing evening classes, the BTW Center offers small, intimate classroom settings,” said Kaitlyn Dolak, Director of Programming at the Booker T. Washington Center.

She also adds that it is a privilege to be able to serve the community at the level of importance that they do, and they hope to become more visible and raise more awareness about the services that they provide for Erie residents.

“It is a true asset to the City of Erie and is home to many great and necessary programs at a familiar setting in the community, providing a welcoming space to Erie City residents who are returning to school,” said Dolak.

To learn more about the Booker T. Washington Center and what they offer, you can visit the tab on the Mercyhurst University web page: https://www.mercyhurst. edu/mne/btw. or contact Katlyn Dolak at kdolak@mercyhurst. edu.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

RSCO FEATURE PRISON REFORM CLUB

By Eva Mihelich Staff writer

Prison reform is a hot topic today with the United States having the highest rates of incarceration in the world. More light has been shed on the poor conditions in prisons, with the environment hardly being livable.

In addition to the poor conditions, prison reform holds the belief that the entire system of incarceration must be rethought. Questions of the effectiveness of incarceration have been brought up in recent years, especially as human rights activists have begun to think about the inherent rights that people have despite the actions that might have gotten them locked up.

The goals listed on the website of The Sentencing Project are as follows: Eliminating mandatory minimum sentences and cutting back on excessively lengthy sentences; for example, by imposing a 20-year maximum on prison terms.

Shifting resources to community-based prevention and treatment for substance abuse.

Investing in interventions to promote strong youth development and respond to delinquency in ageappropriate and evidence-based ways.

Examining and addressing the policies and practices, conscious or not, that contribute to racial inequity at every stage of the justice system.

Removing barriers that make it harder for individuals with criminal records to turn their lives around.

The Sisters of Mercy, who founded Mercyhurst University, have nonviolence listed as one of their five critical concerns. This deals with issues like the end to the death penalty and any mistreatment of humans.

This mission, combined with Mercyhurst’s criminal justice program, prompted the creation of the Student Alliance for Prison Reform Club.

Mercyhurst’s website has a brief summary of the club that encapsulates its goals and mission: “The purpose of The Student Alliance for Prison Reform is to create and support student initiatives to bring about change in the U.S. Criminal Justice System. In the same way, the Mercyhurst student chapter bears the same objectives. The stated objectives shall be fostering new student initiatives by connecting students with a criminal justice community, advocating for justice reforms that support education, health, safety and rehabilitation, educating campuses and communities on criminal justice, sentencing policy and the effects of mass incarceration.”

Students in this club learn about the various elements of prison reform, which draws in many people who are Criminal Justice majors, but also those who are interested in social justice initiatives and human rights issues, since both of these passions drive the prison reform movement. It is important to have this club for college students because we are people who will eventually be guiding future generations, and future generations should know the importance of the dignity of human life, and the different opinions surrounding capital punishment and incarceration.

Elizabeth Marino, a senior Criminal Justice major, explained her viewpoint on the importance of prison reform.

“After learning so much about the corruption and ineffectiveness of prisons over the years, particularly private prisons, prison reform is a topic that I am very passionate about. It’s heartbreaking to learn about the great struggles people have when they get out of prison, and their inability to get back on track in life due to all the walls and stigmas put up around them,” said Marino.

If you are passionate about prison reform and learning more about the prison system, you should consider joining the Student Alliance for Prison Reform Club. It offers great knowledge and experience for anyone of interest!

FEATURES

PAGE 7

Laker Side Hustle: Snider’s Keychains

By Hannah Brooks Staff writer

Keychains are a very common commodity for everybody to have. What other ways are there to spice up your plain old set of keys and give them some personality?

Nice keychains can be hard to come by at times, but if you ever find yourself in need of a keychain, you need not look any further than a local business; so local that it is right on Mercyhurst’s campus. Junior Interior Architecture and Design major, Jason (JJ) Snider runs his own business making and selling his original keychain creations.

To start, Snider’s keychains are affordable, especially for college students, ranging from $3-5 depending on the style. Customers are able to choose from three different styles. The pictures laid out in this article depict the three styles that are available for customers to choose from.

Each keychain is individually handcrafted by adding a personal touch for customers. The keychains are made out of paracord and come in a variety of different colors to choose from.

For the most accurate and upto-date information, one can contact Snider to find out what exactly is available and make your selections.

The keychain-making, for Snider, is something that he genuinely enjoys doing.

“I started making these [the keychains] because it always has been of interest to me and it gives me something to do,” said Snider.

He also adds that he has been making his keychains off-and-on over the past few years.

The keychain crafting started out as a hobby and he just recently began selling them. Creating the keychains is a great way to keep busy and keep downtime enjoyable throughout the roller coaster ride that college truly

Contributed photo

Some examples of the customizable keychains the Snider makes.

is. It is also very important to shop local as much as possible: and what better way to do that than to purchase from a fellow student?

Your support of Snider will not only get you some bling for your boring lanyards filled with boring keys, but will also serve as a wonderful opportunity to support a fellow Laker.

Snider’s keychains also give a much more personal feel than a keychain that you would buy from a store – and the hand-crafted, personality of each keychain just adds to the entire experience for customers.

It will also give Snider a way to keep busy and do what he loves.

With the holiday season creeping closer and closer by the day, it is to be remembered that keychains can make easy, personal gifts and with Snider’s affordable price offerings, you can get a keychain for all of your friends and family.

It is also great to support local businesses during the holiday season and think outside the box

with the gifts that you purchase for others, rather than going to big retailers.

Also, remember that the keychains are completely customizable from color to style.

Any student who is interested in purchasing a keychain can contact Snider personally. He invites customers to primarily contact him by e-mail at jsnide98@ lakers.mercyhurst.edu.

Students can also call or text him at his personal phone number, which is 740-616-2503.

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 a chance to be featured.

LAKER MOMENT

Contributed Photo

The fall’s impact on Trinity Green

The chill of Fall has finally made its way to campus. Although, the trees and autumn spirit are well and alive all across the Mercyhurst Community. With Halloween and Homecoming behind us, students are anticipating the end of the semester and a well-deserved Christmas vacation.

Don’t forget to take a walk around campus and enjoy the serenity of the campus. Stay warm and well Lakers!

PAGE 8

HURST CLASS CATALOG SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

By Mairead Stewart Staff writer

As the people of the world continue to adapt to new waves of technology, education must change too. Mercyhurst now offers a course all about the concept of social media and how it is changing new generations.

The class is led by Kaitlyn Nelson, who was a marketing major here 15 years ago.

“My approach has been to overview how tech has evolved, how Social Media impacts the way that people communicate and how consumers interact with brands. We’ve really focused on looking at big picture messages and breaking them down into segments so that we can apply theory to this ever-evolving way of doing business,” said Nelson.

The class follows the textbook “Social Media Marketing,” but especially peculiar materials include actual social media apps and articles that are handpicked for the students.

Junior Carlos Cueva is just one lucky scholar who is currently enrolled in the course.“One important thing I’ve taken from the course so far is the concept of targeted segmentation. It is really interesting how accurate and efficient social media marketing can be through identifying targeted audiences,” said Cueva.

Looking at the current syllabus, Nelson provides 3 exams and 4 quizzes that are high scoring, so there is no room for error. Surprisingly, taking notes on laptops and tablets is discouraged. Students are encouraged to steer away from machinery with the old fashioned pencil and paper.

“When I studied Marketing at Mercyhurst 15 years ago, there were 4 P’s - product, price, place, and promotion. Since the evolution of social media, there has been a 5th P identified: Participation. There are so many avenues that [this] could be studied from... content production and operations, analytics, social responsibility and ethics, and graphics. Social Media is its own language of sorts in Marketing, now, and the possibilities are endless of how to study it,” said Nelson.

Having a Laker alumni teaching this course provides an insight into how things used to be on campus. This insight is necessary and refreshing when dealing with such relatively new ways in which the world works.

As this new door of education is opening at the Hurst, one may ask who should look into adding this to their schedule over their time here?

Nelson fully recommends that marketing students take this course, considering the current marketing landscape.

This is a perfect course for one to keep updating marketing techniques. With everything being promoted through social media nowadays, this is a must-take course.

FEATURES

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Mercyhurst Campus Ministry celebrates a successful semester

By Gillian Mazur Editor-in chief

A common tidbit pointed out to potential students about Mercyhurst University is the unique rarity that as a Catholic college, one can make their college experience as religious as they want to at Mercyhurst.

As a campus that welcomes people of all backgrounds, unlike other Christian colleges and universities, one is not forced to practice Catholicism or attend religious events.

Students from all faith traditions are supported and developed in both service and justice.

For those who do want to continue to practice their faith or show interest in getting to know more about the Catholic faith, Campus Ministry is the place to be. With their doors always open, Campus Ministry, also referred to as Campus Min, holds and hosts several events throughout the week for students to further explore and develop their faith.

The goal of Campus Ministry is to create a hospitable environment with a focus on spiritual development for the entire campus as well as grounding in the Catholic tradition and Mercy heritage, which derives from the founders of the school, the sisters of Mercy.

Campus Ministry hosts a plethora of programs and events weekly such as Tuesday Night Catholic Devotions, Wednesday Night Fellowship, Thursday Night Bible Study, MYRACLE, Women’s Book Club, Sip’n Stitch, as well as other retreats and opportunities.

One retreat Campus Ministry is most famous for is their Carpe Diem retreat, which is typically offered twice a year and is open to students of any and no faith backgrounds.

“Right now, we are in the midst of our Busy Person’s Retreat, where students meet individually with campus ministers for a handful of times for intentional conversation and reflection,” said Campus Minister Michelle Scully.

Later in this semester, Campus Ministry is set hold their Advent Art Journaling, which is a time for students to stop in, relax, meditate and pray through art.

No experience or art skills are required.

Other exciting events slated for the spring semester are the silent retreat, Live the Third retreat, Jubilee Conference, and Carpe Diem Retreat which will take place around Mar. 25-27.

“One event that always had a great impact on students’ experience on campus is the Carpe Diem retreat that is held once a semester,” said senior Athletic Training major, Lydia Zurinsky.

She is one student who has furthered her faith and found community in Campus Ministry throughout her time at Mercyhurst. Zurinsky helped to run the Wednesday Night Fellowship (WNF) program during her sophomore year where people from all faith backgrounds meet to have fellowship together.

“We tend to have a theme each year that the weekly events are based around,” said Zurinsky, “this year’s theme is ‘Be ____’ and then we fill in the blank each week. Last week was ‘Be Grateful.’”

Zurinsky is now in charge of running the weekly Women’s Book Club, which consists of a group of women who meet weekly to discuss contemporary Christian books. Although she is not in charge of the program, she helped to create Sip’n Stitch, also known as the Knitting and

Crocheting Group. Open to all students, those who attend are provided with instructions and materials to learn and craft with other people who share similar skills such as knitting, crocheting and embroidery.

Although it can seem intimidating for outsiders to join many of the Campus Ministry tightknit groups, all are welcome.

“My best piece of advice would be to not be afraid to just walk into the lounge or attend an event or come talk to any of the staff,” said Zurinsky.

To get involved, one can either walk through the doors of Campus Ministry, which is located on the first floor of the Student Union, or fill out the Campus Ministry Interest form which can be found on their HUB page.

“You might be surprised what you like or how the staff may be able to assist you with a struggle or problem or even just [give] some advice about life. It was probably one of my best decisions freshman year to walk into the lounge even though I was nervous and joined some of the groups. I have found some lifelong friends from Campus Min with two of them asking me to be a bridesmaid in their weddings over the summer,” said Zurinsky.

Alternatively, one can also reach out to any of the Campus Ministry staff members for more information.

The easiest ways to stay up to date on Campus Ministry and its activities are to check their weekly e-bulletin that all students should receive on Tuesdays as well as following their Instagram @hurstcampusmin.

Contributed photo

Campus Ministry students gathered in the Student Union for “Sip n’ Stitch.”

FEATURES

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

PAGE 9

Mercyhurst Resources: Upcoming IDEA Course Surveys

By Mackenzie Zent

Staff writer

Mercyhurst offers a unique opportunity to students that allows them to give feedback on their professors and classes. Individual Development and Educational Assessments (IDEA) is a great way for students to express their opinions and true feelings on their learning experience within a class.

With the end of the semester nearing, it is important for students to start thinking about whether or not they have had the learning experience they anticipated. A lot of students are excited to get started in their classes at the beginning of the semester, however, not all students will have a positive experience with their professors or courses.

These IDEA surveys are sent out to all Mercyhurst students for all of their classes during the last week of the semester via email.

Some professors will allow for time in class to fill these out, but other professors just encourage students to complete them on their own time.

These surveys are completely anonymous, so there is no need to worry about professors thinking about a student differently or grading a final exam poorly due to how a student reviewed them.

The process is easy, simple and does not take long at all. There are a series of questions where the student will rate how well they did in the class, how well they thought

they would do and what skills they acquired from the class.

There is also a part to review the professor, and how well they taught and how effective their teaching skills were.

Finally, there is a spot to give open feedback on the course, the professor and to talk about anything the student liked or disliked about their experience in class.

Many students skip this part, but it is one of the most valued parts of the survey, as the professors and Mercyhurst get to hear directly from the student.

Professors value students’ thoughts on their teaching, and the university does too.

With this in mind, it is important to provide honest feedback, so that professors know how they can improve.

It also allows for Mercyhurst to have some insight should there be a major problem with a professor or a specific course.

Students are highly encouraged to take part in the surveys as it will gain the best percentage of feedback as to how the university can make for the most rewarding classroom environment a success.

The IDEA surveys are a great way for students to feel like their voice is being heard.

Students can sometimes feel powerless when they have a bad experience with a professor, but this is a unique way for students to say how they really feel, and hopefully draw attention to some of the negative aspects of the pro-

fessors’ teaching skills.

Professors will review these surveys and take into consideration any constructive criticism from previous students.

This helps them improve their course and give an even better learning experience to others.

On the other hand, IDEA surveys are a really nice way of telling a professor how much a student liked them.

The surveys have been well received in the past. With COVID taking numerous classes online, these surveys made all the difference for the university’s staff and administrators.

Everyone has had a professor they got along with and whose class they enjoyed, why not tell them? Giving professors positive feedback on IDEA surveys shows them just how much of a difference they are making in a student’s life, and encourages them to keep doing what they are doing.

The university will be emailing out IDEA surveys within the next few weeks. Each survey is catered to each student and the courses they are enrolled in. The surveys take almost no time at all and have a critical impact as to how the university can improve its academic rigor across all classes.

For more information on IDEA surveys students are encouraged to visit the HUB page or talk with their professors.

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

By Maiya Harding Staff writer

Historical Event: Nov. 5 1941

History.com photo

80 years ago, Top-Secret Order No.1 went out to the Japanese fleet. It said that in one month and 2 days (December 7, 1941), Pearl Harbor, Malaysia, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines were to be bombed. Tensions had risen since the U.S. made trade embargoes to stop Japan’s global expansion. Japan realized if they controlled Pearl Harbor, they controlled the Pacific. In an effort to destroy the United States Pacific fleet, they carefully planned and bombed Pearl Harbor. Four battleships were sunk, four damaged and 2,400 Americans killed. They missed oil tanks, repair facilities and many aircrafts, which was their mistake. This surprise attack forced the U.S. into World War II, causing Japan’s loss.

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. CREAM: Prince and the N.P.G 2. Romantic: Karyn White 3. Can’t Stop Until We Get this Thing Started: Bryan Adams Top Grossing Films: This week: Dune Thirty years ago: Terminator 2 Top Artists Today: Male: Drake Female: Adele Top Artists 30 Years Ago: Male: Bryan Adams Female: Mariah Carey

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PolarPlungePA

Contributed photo

Flyer for the 2021 Erie Polar Plunge. Be sure to register if you know a group of people that would be interested in this event. Many Mercyhurst groups have signed up in the past as well.

Trending on Netflix: According to Netflix 1. Love Hard 2. Big Mouth

PAGE 10

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

The 814: Gem City Dinor

By Libby Bullinger Copy editor

If you are looking for a cozy spot to grab breakfast within the heart of the Erie community, look no further than Gem City Dinor.

The restaurant is located at 3545 W. 12th Street, only about a 15-minute drive from the Mercyhurst campus, and is open Tuesday- Sunday from 7a.m. to 3p.m.

When I went to the diner on Sunday morning, it was the first time I had ever visited.

Although I had driven past many times, I never noticed the restaurant tucked away in a lot off of 12th Street along with a music shop and realty office.

At first glance, there is room for outdoor seating in the warmer months, but since my visit was in November the outside option was not available.

Walking into Gem City Dinor was nothing short of overwhelming. The place was buzzing with customers and employees alike, everyone engaging in lively conversation with one another and across the large dining room.

While waiting to be seated, I observed my surroundings.

The diner is quite unique in it’s design with bright yellow walls

Contributed photo

The inside of Gem City Dinor with its earthy color tones.

offset by an earthy green, industrial style ceiling.

The walls are lined with comfy booths, each with their own individually designed cloth coverings.

Perhaps the most unique aspect

of the diner is the variety of different décor that is placed in every nook and cranny.

Stained glass artwork pieces are hung on the walls alongside beautiful photographs of the Lake Erie

Bayfront and Presque Isle park.

There were all different kinds of artwork including images of coffee, ships and young children hugging and laughing.

Different figurines are scattered around the restaurant giving patrons lots to look at while they wait for a meal.

I was seated at the large u-shaped bar and was immediately provided with a menu and a list of specials.

According to the Gem City Dinor Facebook page, the restaurant has a unique list of specials that changes for each weekend brunch.

For Nov. 6 and 7 some of the specials were grilled Hawaiian bread pudding, eggs benedict and a huevos rancheros with burnt salsa and smoked jalapeño cream.

After looking over the menu, I decided to go with a Gem City Dinor classic, the #5 breakfast bundle that includes eggs, a meat of choice, toast and the signature “smashbrowns,” which is essentially a baked potato smashed and served with a choice of condiments.

The food was all steaming hot when it arrived and was a wonderful way to begin my Sunday.

While at my seat I noticed a framed dollar bill with the date March 11, 2019. After asking my

waitress about the significance, she explained that was Gem City Dinor’s opening date and the framed bill was the first dollar they ever made.

Being a fairly new restaurant in town, I was overwhelmed by the number of regulars that were coming in.

Nearly every party that entered while I was eating was greeted by name and quickly pointed to their preferred table.

My waitress noted that although the restaurant was just a year old when the pandemic hit, they were fueled by their wonderful customer based that continued to support them by ordering takeout through the months of lockdown.

If you are looking for a tasty meal for breakfast, lunch or brunch off campus, check out Gem City Dinor for an experience you won’t soon forget.

If you are lucky, maybe you’ll get a table with uniquely shaped salt and pepper shakers such as roosters, bears, pigs and more.

Novelties and delicious food are both in great supply at Gem City Dinor.

Hurst Hot Take: “Fire Emblem: Three Houses”

By Bella Lee Staff writer

I am not lying when I say I am not a hardcore gamer. As the only girl with three brothers, I have been more than exposed to video games, but I would not say I am an extreme gamer or anything along those lines.

I am typically more of a casual gamer, limiting myself to playing Just Dance on the Wii (yes, my family still owns a Wii) or playing “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” on the Nintendo Switch with my brothers.

However, over the course of my time in college, that has changed a little bit.

My boyfriend and I have a running joke that whenever he gets stuck on a game, I come to the rescue and manage to get him unstuck.

This began last spring when he got stuck on a game called “Jump Force” (similar to “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” but with anime characters).

I offered to try out the game, and, within 4 days, I defeated the final boss.

This has since occurred with a few other games, so I am glad I can be of service.

Just a few days ago, my boyfriend got a game called “Fire Emblem: Three Houses.”

“Fire Emblem” is a video game franchise stylized as an RPG

Contributed photo

The main characters featured in the video game “Fire Emblem: Three Houses.”

(role-playing game) that has been running for over 30 years, with “Three Houses,” the sixteenth and newest installment, coming out in 2019.

“Three Houses” centers around the protagonist, named Byleth, who lives on the continent of Fódlan.

You can change Byleth’s name in the game as you wish, and Byleth can be played in a male or female “form”, as the game puts it.

Byleth has a type of conscience character, named Sothis, who appears as a youthful, sprite-like girl.

Sothis helps Byleth learn about the ways of the world they live in, from daily life to combat.

In this iteration of the game, Byleth has been hired as a professor at the Garreg Mach Monastery, home of the Church of Seiros and the Officers Academy.

Lady Rhea, the archbishop of the church, lets Byleth choose

to teach one of three classes, or “houses” as the game implies.

These include the Black Eagles, consisting of students from the Adrestian Empire and led by Edelgard, the princess of the Empire; the Blue Lions, consisting of students from the Kingdom of Faerghus and led by Dimitri, the prince of the Kingdom and the Golden Deer, consisting of students from Leicester Alliance and led by Claude, the heir of the

main house within the Alliance.

Since my boyfriend has not had this game for long, this is about as much as we know.

However, it is a very fun game so far, even for someone like me who is not the one usually playing the game (until he gets stuck that is) and is also not much into RPGs (bring out the pitchforks and torches, but I have never been interested in learning Dungeons & Dragons).

We have been jokingly calling the game another version of “Harry Potter” since characters within the game are placed into different houses.

I feel like the “Fire Emblem” series is deeply underappreciated, as most people only know the series from characters that can be played in the “Super Smash Bros.” franchise (Byleth, alongside Marth, Roy, Ike, Chrom, Lucina, Robin, and Corrin, are all playable characters in “Super Smash Bros.” that originate from “Fire Emblem” games).

The best thing about the “Fire Emblem” games, additionally, are that they do not have to be played in a certain order.

This is my first exposure to any of their games, and I can not wait to find out what happens later on in the game.

This game has great storylines and is very engaging; you could play for hours without noticing.

Have fun, and happy gaming!

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 11

Hurst Hot Take: Marvel’s “What If?”

By Emma Coppolo A&E editor

***Spoiler Alert*** The Marvel miniseries “What If?” takes a closer look at alternate realities in the multiverse. A mystical being called the Watcher explains that he governs the realities to maintain order but can by no means interfere.

In each reality, the timeline is an altered version of a canonical Marvel reality. As episodes like the first demonstrate, a split-second decision can entirely alter the course of a reality. There are nine episodes in this series, so I will only go into deep detail on a few and give a short summary of others.

The kickoff episode of this miniseries is entitled. “What If… Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?” In this timeline, an incident leaves Steve Rogers unavailable to receive the serum that transforms him into Captain America.

In a split-second decision, Peggy Carter courageously gets into the chamber and accepts the serum in his place. As happened to Steve in another timeline, Peggy has a massive physical change and becomes a Super Soldier. Unlike Rogers, Peggy is not worshiped and marveled at.

Instead, she has every door shut in her face because she is a woman.

Through determination, Peggy overcomes the patriarchal government forces attempting to silence her and becomes Captain Carter while Steve is merely her sidekick and love interest, appeasing many fans of the pair’s relationship.

I will say, this is my second-least favorite episode (we will get to number one later). However, I think it did the job of the first episode well; it established the premise of the series and showed viewers how it would be structured. Also, this made way for Episode 2 to be a surprise hit.

Episode two, “What If… T’Challa Became Star-Lord?”, is one of my favorite episodes. In this timeline, a young T’Challa is kidnapped by Yondu and the Ravagers rather than Peter Quill, who canonically becomes Star Lord.

I think that this episode highlights the key character differences between T’Challa and Quill. One of the most infuriating moments in the Marvel Universe is when Quill allows his anger to get the better of him and subsequently frees Thanos from the other Avengers, leading to “the Blip.”

In this universe, T’Challa is the perfect Star Lord; in fact, Thanos is part of his gang. Thanos explains that T’Challa had a reasonable conversation with him and showed him the problems with his plan.

T’Challa and a very different Nebula have an interesting and close relationship, which I personally never would have predicted and loved.

At the end, T’Challa returns to his family triumphantly and they all get closure knowing their son is home.

This series was Chadwick Boseman’s last appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), so this episode was bittersweet. However, I think they honored the character and the actor as they should have.

Episode three is “What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?”. The Avengers, prior to being the Avengers, are being mysteriously killed off one by one.

There are many red herrings and tricks that Natasha has to maneuver as she tries to find the killer. Essentially, Hope Van-

Dyne/Wasp died in a Shield mission. To avenge her, Hank Pym (the original Ant Man) put on the Yellow Jacket suit and began murdering SHIELD’s finest. This episode was fine, but it was not one of my favorites. I will say, the surprise twist of Hank Pym being the killer was something I never saw coming. Other than that, it did not really stand out.

Episode four, entitled “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?”, was a very different pace than we’ve seen in prior episodes.

In this timeline, Dr. Strange is with his love interest, Christine Palmer, when he crashes his car. While his hands are his main concern in the original timeline, the woman he loves is now laying dead next to him.

As in the original movie, he pursues sorcery and becomes a Magician. As he begins to understand how to warp time to his benefit, he tries time after time to create a scenario where Christine lives.

He is told by the Ancient One that he will never succeed because Christine’s

his head.

In a very twisted chain of events, it is discovered that Vision has been preserving T’Challa and cutting him apart piece by piece to feed a zombified Wanda. As the few left living try to escape, Bruce sacrifices himself to fight zombie Wanda, and the Hulk saves him at the last minute.

Peter, Scott and T’Challa, the final living Avengers escape to Wakanda on a Quadjet with the Mind stone as humanity’s only hope. What they don’t know is that a zombie Thanos and his undead army wait for them with the remaining stones.

I thought this episode was fun but also weirdly dark. I audibly gasped when T’Challa was discovered and seeing Peter Parker sad always makes me sad. But I thought it had sort of a twisted charm to it that I enjoyed.

“What If… Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?” is undeniably my least favorite episode. Basically, Killmonger finds Tony in the desert after the attack seen in the

The Watcher, who narrates the series and governs time.

death led to Dr. Strange becoming a hero, which was a necessary event in the timeline.

This episode is very intricate and confusing, so I guess the major takeaway is that Strange becomes a dark creature called Strange Supreme. He morphs into a terrifying monster and resurrects Christine, who is absolutely horrified. She quickly disappears as the entire universe collapses. The Watcher uses this as an opportunity to remind the audience of the importance of a single action.

“What If… Zombies?!” was such a crazy episode start to finish. This was another of my favorite episodes. A very unlikely crew of Avengers are forced to team up as everyone else on Earth has been infected with a Quantum Virus that Janet VanDyne contracted in the Quantum Realm, turning them all into zombies.

The team is made up of Bruce Banner, Hope VanDyne, Peter Parker, Happy Hogan, Sharon Carter, Kurt Goreshter (from Ant Man), Bucky Barnes and Okoye. As members of the gang get picked off by zombies as they try to reach Camp Lehigh, Hope gets infected and ultimately sacrifices herself to save the rest of the team.

The team is excited to meet Vision and the disembodied head of Scott Lang, who Vision cured, but could only salvage

Contributed photo

first Iron Man film.

As a friend put it, the episode is essentially the plot of Black Panther. I honestly am not going to go into detail because I think this episode really let the series down and was more of a filler than good content.

Especially with Killmonger and Tony’s respective political backgrounds, the episode had a ton of potential to be great. It just didn’t happen that way.

Episode eight is entitled “What If… Thor Were an Only Child?”. This was an okay episode; it definitely felt out of place with the others. In this timeline, Loki was never adopted by Odin and Thor never had the character development that Loki gave to him.

Thor is a huge partier in this episode, and he throws an out-of-control rager in Las Vegas to impress Jane. Very long story short, Jane calls Thor’s mother to get him to stop the party that is have disastrous consequences. This episode is mostly little jokes and very lighthearted. However, that just could not compete with other episodes with intricate story lines.

“What If… Ultron Won?” is a crucial episode that begins typing the previous six episodes together. In this reality, Ultron was able to take over Vision’s body and acquire the Mind stone. Thanos arrives and attempts to collect the stone,

and Ultron effortlessly kills him, collecting the remaining stones. He subsequently becomes the most powerful being in existence and decides to figure out who is controlling the multiverse.

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Clint Barton/Hawkeye are the only two Avengers left alive. They decide that the only way to win is to install a virus in Ultron; the only virus powerful enough is the electronic consciousness of former Hydra agent Arnim Zola.

They put Zola’s virus on an arrow tip and attempt to hit Ultron. In a treacherous escape, Clint sacrifices himself. This is a nod to Natasha’s sacrifice for Clint in Avengers: Endgame. Ultron, in the meantime, has left the universe to confront the Watcher. The two battle epically throughout universes.

The Watcher narrowly escapes and asks the now evil Dr. Strange for help, breaking his oath. As this happens, Ultron takes control of the multiverse.

The final episode is “What If… The Watcher Broke His Oath?”. A character from each of the first six episodes is removed from their timeline and told by the Watcher that their help is needed.

The Watcher forms a team called the Guardians of the Multiverse, consisting of Thor, Gamora, Killmonger, Dr. Strange, T’Challa and Captain Carter.

The Natasha Romanoff from the Ultron’s timeline also joins the six on their mission. This episode is absolutely epic.

It honestly was such an interesting mirror to the Avengers’ battle with Thanos.

I was stunned at how good this episode was. When The Guardians of the Multiverse defeat Ultron using Zola’s virus, Killmonger betrays them and tries to steal the infinity stones. As Zola tries to steal them back, they float midair. Dr. Strange captures this in some sort of magic crystal cage and vows to monitor it for all time to ensure that the pair doesn’t escape.

The heroes return to their timelines, but Natasha refuses to remain in her ruined timeline. The Watcher places her in a timeline whose Black Widow died, and she immediately begins fighting with her new team.

Peggy’s return is bittersweet as she wishes that she could be returned to a timeline where Steve is alive. Natasha from Peggy’s reality brings her to a room with a frozen Steve Rogers in it, once again defying the odds of the universe to bring the two together.

This episode did a great job of unifying seven seeming to be distinctly separate episodes. This episode was like a mini version of Endgame with a different cast.

I personally loved the series as a whole.

I think the concept is so unique, and I like that they heavily relied on the comics to produce the alternate story lines.

I really enjoyed getting to see such drastically different sides of some characters and seeing the heroes be switched around.

I think that the series was very easy and fun to watch, unlike certain series like “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” that required some effort.

Episodes are only a half hour long, so they are perfect for a quick watch. If you are a stickler for canonical story lines, this certainly is not the series for you.

Those people excluded, I think this series is a great watch.

OPINION

PAGE 12

GOOD The weather is beautiful this week.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Authoritarianism stymies job search established employee, especially with looming mandates for all businesses to require vaccination.

Staff Writer In other words, a graduate’s qualifications, experience and preparation for his or her career Authoritarian is the only way means nothing without the vaccine. to describe the onslaught of harsh It will be almost impossible vaccine mandates and firings for graduating students to find of noncompliant employees a job without a vaccine, forcing worldwide. them to go against their beliefs or Young, healthy, low-risk even health concerns to receive a individuals who do not need a paycheck. vaccine will be forced to get one Such actions border on to simply find a job. In fact, some discrimination— over something areas like Seattle [Washington] employers (federal or private) require vaccine cards just to enter should not even have the permission public spaces. to demand.

These tactics are bordering on The Prime Minister of New ludicrous, as the entire population is Zealand admitted as much, not fully vaccinated for any virus or affirming the implementation of a disease, many of them more deadly system with two separate classes of than COVID. This is an attempt for people and their rights dependent the government to control our lives on vaccination status. under a disguise of “safety”.

The most troubling aspect is Personally, I would feel safer if how U.S. leadership seems to agree I had agency over my decisions. with these sentiments. The news The pressure to get vaccinated for would have us believe it is only the graduating college students may be “redneck Republicans” who are even worse than other areas. fighting vaccinations. Individuals College students applying for jobs in all fields, including healthcare, and wanting to start a career have have reservations about vaccine no ties or credibility built up with mandates. employers.

Unfortunately, America’s postTherefore, the employer is collegiate youth are so indebted and more inclined to refuse to hire an desperate for work, they are unlikely unvaccinated graduate than an to have the resources to stand up for

By Laren Reesman

BAD We’re getting close to the end of the semester.

HAPPY Thanksgiving break is soon!

themselves and risk unemployment.

This fact makes us more vulnerable to these totalitarian tactics.

These mandates are bigger than individual will versus the government. They have macroimplications for society and the economy at large.

In a time when the government should do everything it can to help the economy—meaning encouraging people to return to work—the government further frustrates the recovery process by forcing and threatening its citizens to comply.

It seems officials who realize this are in states with the loosest vaccine protocols. These states currently have booming economic recovery, and large employment influxes even with the Delta variant.

Security of basic freedoms is paramount to the future success as a nation. A generation of workers could be severely upset if we lose our rights because of a vaccine.

If COVID was unprecedented, then the reaction to it was just as unprecedented. The media propaganda and misinformation to drum up fear was unnecessary and distasteful.

The fact is, those at highest risk can now been protected, so the rest of us should be left alone.

The courts truly need change

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.

Court is the age demographic, as many of the Justices are too old

By Bella Lee to understand the problems that Staff writer younger generations experience.

Race, gender/sexuality and religious demographics are all The Supreme Court has been one issues that plague the Supreme Court. Justice Thomas is only of the main governing bodies for the second African-American to the United States since its creation serve on the Supreme Court, and in 1789. Currently, the Supreme Court consists of 9 justices, with the Sonia Sotomayor is the first and so far only Hispanic-American newest, Amy Coney Barrett, being Supreme Court Justice. Justice sworn in last year.

Barrett is only the fifth woman to For as long as we can remember, serve, after Sandra Day O’Connor, the Supreme Court has consisted Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sotomayor, of 8 justices and the Chief Justice, and Elena Kagan. Seven Justices with Chief Justice John Roberts are Roman Catholic and two are being in his position since 2005.

Jewish, although history has seen The fact that he’s remained in this position for 16 years should already most Justices be raised in Protestant faiths. be lifting eyebrows, but that’s not The U.S. has yet to see Justices the only thing to be concerned from a variety of demographics such about. as African-American women, Native Two big concerns with Supreme Americans, Hispanic-American Court Justices have been length of men, members of the LGBTQ+ service and age. Clarence Thomas, for example, is currently the longest community, those under the age serving Supreme Court Justice, with of 40, etc. On top of this, the last 30 years of service as of Oct. 23. He immigrant on the Supreme Court was appointed by President George was Felix Frankfurter, from AustriaHungary (now Austria), who served H.W. Bush. Steven Breyer, is the from 1939-1962.

Supreme Court Justice at 83 years.

However, to see the underlying Even Barrett, the newest Justice, is cause of all this we should look at already 49 years old. the Constitution.

Similar to Congress, a main According to the Judiciary problem within the Supreme

Act, Supreme Court Justices are nominated by the President and confirmed by Senate. Unlike presidential, gubernatorial or local elections, the people don’t have a chance to vote on judicial nominees. A key example of this can be seen with Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Barrett, the three Justices nominated by Donald Trump, who earned their positions with Senate votes of 54-45, 50-48, and 52-48, respectively.

Additionally, Supreme Court Justices hold their position for life unless they resign, retire, die or are removed from office.

However, here’s a blaring red flag: the Judiciary Act, since being established in 1789, was only revised once, in 1869. In over 150 years, the terms to get and stay on the Supreme Court have not changed.

In short, the requirements and laws for someone to be nominated and appointed to the Supreme Court are extremely outdated.

If the United States wants a court that will be able to listen to and understand the problems that younger and future generations face, more judges and ultimately Justices need to come from minority demographics in order to give us the support we need.

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 10, 2021

OPINION

Why books should never be banned

By Francesca Divincenzo Staff Writer

All over the world and even in the United States, certain pieces of literature are being banned such as “Harry Potter,” “Of Mice and Men” and “Perks of Being a Wallflower.”

According to an LA Times Article, in a Virginia governor’s race, politicians have been campaigning for a proposed book ban in their Virginia Beach schools.

They engage their constituents by whipping up a moral panic over public education while stoking the fires of racerelated fears.

In fact, using these fears to ban books from schools has become a more popular tactic in elections across the country.

I honestly believe that politicians use banned books as a topic to fire parents up (relating to their personal beliefs). It is basically a fear tactic.

According to the Everyday Health Group, a child who is not educated on certain topics will learn information “in the school yard” rather than from a book that could answer all the questions the child has.

Parents are supposed to be a child’s fiercest advocate, but they can also act as a roadblock in learning because they are afraid that if their kids have more information and facts, they could potentially lose control.

This is wrong because it may hurt their child in the long run.

For example, in the Virginia Beach school situation, backers and the parents who support the book ban describe the books as “abhorrent” and “pornographic.”

One parent even claimed at a school board meeting that the books “groom” young people for sexual predators. Books do not groom children for sex predators, if anything books prevent this because books can teach lessons that can empower children with knowledge on topics such as consent. Thus, prevent this from happening.

The school board refuted the proponents’ arguments and I agree with them because banning books for your child may seem like it only affects your kid, but it does not.

The above scenario is similar to that of a classroom group punishment.

Although parents are just trying to shield their children from the evil of

this world, in the long run this has the potential to hurt them at the same time.

Books help people in so many ways. Personally, I never really started reading until I read the “Harry Potter” books by J.K. Rowling. Her series acted as an escape for me from the world and other books can serve this purpose for many others.

Kids often face bullying, academic struggles, social anxiety and more troubles in their childhood, but reading and the world of books can give people the opportunity for escape when there are no other options to do so in real life.

Banned books often deal with hard realistic topics such as grief, divorce, sexual assault and bullying. Many, including myself, have taken comfort in knowing characters from stories that often feel the same way too.

Overall, banning books is wrong for keeping children from the truth, using it as a fear tactic and giving the child no escape from the harsh realities of life.

PAGE 13

HURST STUDENTS

SPEAK UP We asked: Favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

Megan Kantz, sophomore Biology major: “My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is eating dinner with my family.

I like the food, and it gives us all a chance to get together, which we don’t get to do very often.”

Steven Lasch. sophomore Data Science major: “My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is going to my aunt’s house where I eat lots of food and play Super Mario brothers on the Wii with my cousins.

I look forward to this because I like to spend time with my cousins over the holidays.”

Morgan Dinsmore, senior English major: “My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is getting together with my whole extended family. This is also when we pick our Secret Santa people!”

Maria Marullo, junior Political Science and Intelligence Studies major: “My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is having all of the women in my family, like my aunts and my grandmas come over and cook Thanksgiving dinner.”

Compiled by Ashley Barletta

Problems with the Grotto Commons

By Mairead Stewart Staff Writer

The Grotto Commons markets itself as a wonderful place to enjoy a meal at most hours of the day. However, people have started to poke more and more holes with problems in the dining hall on both sides of the students and the staff.

A popular opinion is that during week one of this school year, the quality and the variety of the food was amazing, but after that, things seemed to deteriorate.

“Mercyhurst does well in their attempts to present unique daily food options.

However, it has become apparent that there is less consistency than would be preferred otherwise by the students. Whether or not

there is enough evidence to warrant these complaints is left up to the individual, as the quality is subject to each person’s standard and typical diversity of order,” said freshman Eli Lewis, a common visitor to the dining hall.

Another student who prefers to stay anonymous claimed that she experienced food poisoning after eating a chicken burrito from the deli.

There have been several reports of chicken looking undercooked or “pinkish”.

This is not the first case of people feeling sick after eating something from the dining hall. The food options are already pretty limited and now that some are claiming to be avoiding meat from the cafeteria, choices further dwindle.

It has become a part of student culture to insult

the Grotto, which further damages their reputation.

The Grotto is not at fault for all of it’s problems however, student behavior has been rumored to be causing problems too.

At one point there were apparent threats that the Grotto would not continue to stay open until 2 a.m. due to students misbehaving.

People throwing food at the walls or another story of a girl trying to ride the floorcleaner have been some of the hot topics going around about the misconduct in the dining hall.

The university is already under fire when it comes to dining in general. The issues with meal plans is very apparent.

“The fact that upperclassmen can pick cheaper options currently while lower class can’t is unacceptable. I understand

they cut it off after the 2020 year, but it is stupid and completely unfair. I have a meal plan with 7 swipes a week for around $1.2k and nobody else younger than me has that option at all,” said upperclassmen Jake Konoskpi.

Many students are eating all their meals at the Roost this semester and this may not seem like a problem, but students only receive

100 dollars worth of Bonus Bucks, which can go by fast.

There does not need to be so many unnecessary dilemmas with prices and choices when it comes to dining on campus.

The issues at the Grotto Commons, along with meal plans, need to be addressed by the university and find a resolution.

FOLLOW US! Twitter: @TheMerciad Instagram: @mumerciad Facebook: The Merciad Tag us in your newsworthy Hurst moments!

SPORTS

PAGE 14

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Coach Schaetzle wins last home game

By Gillian Mazur Editor-in-chief

An eventful and triumphant day for both the football team and its coaching staff, the Mercyhurst Lakers played rival, Gannon University for one final time this season on Nov. 6.

A momentous afternoon, not only was it senior night for some of the players and cheerleaders, but it was also Head Coach Marty Schaetzle’s last home game.

“I think it was a great team win. The defense played spectacular and created opportunities for the offense to be successful.

The offensive line dominated the point of attack and played very well,” said senior quarterback, Joe Carter.

One senior cheerleader who helped to provide the Laker spirit to football’s big win this past weekend was Psychology major, Alyssa Norcross. Norcross has been on the cheer team for two years and was celebrated on Saturday.

Norcross spoke of the cheer team’s supportive family atmosphere and how they strive to share their Laker spirit as well as her excitement during last weekend’s game.

“It felt truly amazing to get the big win over Gannon. I felt so overjoyed and proud to be a Laker! I know the football team has been working really hard this year and it was a great way to end the season,” said Norcross.

For over 20 years, Schaetzle has coached and watched his players

Hurst Athletics photo

Coach Marty Schaetzle carried off the field on the shoulders of his players at his last game with the Mercyhurst football team after a win against Gannon.

grow together as both a team and a family.

Ending the afternoon, Schaetzle was carried off of the field, hoisted on the shoulders of a few of his players to end his career as a Laker.

“As a group, we were so happy to be able to get that win for Coach in his last game at home.

It meant a lot to be able to carry him off with a victory. I will be forever grateful to Coach for getting the opportunity to play college football,” said Carter.

In the first quarter, the Gannon Golden Knights came out strong scoring with a drive and 35-yard field goal from redshirt sophomore kicker, Eric Scarpino.

Gannon’s Scarpino was then able to take a stronger lead by capitalizing on an interception from Carter and hit his second field goal of the game for a total of 6-0, Gannon.

Seniordefensive back, Keith Brickman intercepted the ball from Gannon. Carter and the rest of his offense started from 39 yards and were able to use this opportunity to turn the score in favor of the Lakers.

Freshman running back, David Alize took the ball 32 yards into the end zone for his first career touchdown making the score 6-6, Mercyhurst.

Junior quarterback Brian Alsobrooks made the field goal turn-

ing the total 7-6, Mercyhurst, going into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Alize managed to make his way to the end zone once more scoring from nine yards out turning the tide of the game to 13-6, with Alsobrooks bringing up the score 146.

After halftime, Gannon’s redshirt sophomore quarterback, Kory Curtis threw a touchdown pass to redshirt freshman wide receiver, Damerisse Freeman Jr., allowing the Golden Knights to score with a little less than eight minutes remaining.

Scarpino then made the resulting field goal for a 14-13 score.

Later in the quarter, Mercy-

hurst’s junior defensive back, Zakri Thomas, intercepted Gannon which led to Alsobrooks hitting a 33-yard field to add more distance to the score for 17-13, Mercyhurst.

Early in the fourth, the Lakers stole the ball after a failed Gannon punt. The Lakers drove the ball forward for roughly eight minutes which was just enough time for Alize to rush his third and final touchdown.

The resulting score was 23-13.

Alsobrooks again made the field goal for a final game score of 2413 against the Gannon rivals.

Setting a record since before the COVID-19 pandemic, Alize is the first Laker to score three or more touchdowns in a single game since Nov. 9, 2019.

“I just went out there and tried to run hard like every week,” Alize said, “the offensive line did a great job and made it possible for me to get my first touchdown. It was important to try and give our seniors and Marty [Schaetzle] a last big win so they could go out with a bang.”

“Dave Alize had a monster game. I am so proud that as a freshman in a rivalry game he could step in and play great. To score three touchdowns, including the first of his career, against Gannon is special,” said Carter.

The Lakers have one final game against Shippensburg University on Nov. 13 to finish off their 2021-2022 season.

Currently, the Lakers are 4-6 overall with a 3-4 conference record.

Men’s soccer PSAC western champs

By Mairead Stewart Contributing writer

Some people may think of fall as a season for football, sometimes what is overlooked is the other football... soccer. The Lakers soccer fanatics have been anything but relaxed this week.

Mercyhurst Men’s soccer wrapped up their season this past Saturday with a match against California University of Pennsylvania (Cal U.).

The team had a slow start to their season and lost 3-0 in their first game to Seton Hill which the players described as a major wake up call. They turned things around with a consistent ten victories being added to their record including a win to Seton Hill and also winning the PSAC West Division.

The men went into the game with a record of 11 wins, three losses, and two ties.

“I expect another tough game, but I know that we can put in a good performance and have the quality to win. We just have to show it. Of course this game is important because we can win the league, but we have to do our jobs and the rest will come,” said senior forward, Sidney Warden before the final match.

“Yeah it’s a huge game, the biggest of the season as we know if we win then we win the PSAC. So it’s exciting, I’m confident we’ll take care of business,” said redshirt junior forward and midfielder, Tom Barry.

Hurst Athletics photo

The Mercyhurst men’s soccer team celebrates after becoming PSAC champions, in a win against California University.

The game started at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 6 with tensions high, but not as high as Cal U’s kicks.

Several shots made by the Vulcan’s came close to the goal, but would unfortunately go soaring into the football post. Redshirt freshman goalie, Mattias Odelius, found humor in this by putting his arms up as if they were meaning to score a field goal.

After a hard 90 minutes, the Lakers sent Cal U. packing with a final score of 3-0.

The final goal was scored by No. 7, freshman midfielder from Ireland, Sean Kerrigan.

“I love it here, the climate is very similar to where I came from therefore settling in has been easy, as all the lads on the team are great people too and basically my new family away from home. Everyone here is lovely and has made me feel at home since the day I arrived,” said Kerrigan.

After the buzzer, the team gathered to-

gether on the field for a celebratory embrace after all of their hard work.

Now non soccer fanatics may ask what comes next for the men dressed in white and green? Since they won the PSAC West, they will go straight into the semi finals Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. on home turf.

Before that, Nov. 9 will be a match up against Westchester and Millersville to see who will take the quarter finals.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

SPORTS

PAGE 15

Women’s soccer PSAC West champs

By Sydney Dietz Sports editor

Over the weekend, the Lakers were cheering on the Women’s soccer team in their defeat over California University of Pennsylvania (Cal U.). They were crowned Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Regular Season Champions, which means that their soccer season is not over yet.

The game was played at Saxon Stadium on Nov. 6. at 5:00 p.m.

This last scheduled home game also served as Senior Night for the graduating players.

The Lakers came out with confidence, fought for their playoff spot, and are now celebrating their exciting accomplishments.

“Making the playoffs is a huge accomplishment for the team and to be a part of helping our team win the PSAC West regular season for the first time is bittersweet. We are all on a happy high at the moment,” said sophomore forward, Emily Mijares.

The Women’s soccer team ended their game with a shutout and a final score of 3-0.

The scoring streak for the Lakers started in the beginning of

LET’S GO, LAKERS!

Nov. 12 Worcester, MA @ 7:00 p.m.: Men’s hockey vs Holy Cross Nov. 12 Bowie, MD @ 5:00 Men’s basketball vs Bowie State University Nov. 13, Erie, PA @ 2:05 p.m.: Women’s hockey vs St. Lawrence University Nov. 13, Erie, PA @ 2:05 p.m.: Women’s volleyball vs Seton Hill University Nov. 13, Erie,PA@ 5:30 p.m.: Women’s basketball vs University of Charleston

Hurst Athletics photo

The Mercyhurst women’s soccer team cheering after becoming the PSAC regular season champions.

the game when Mijares kicked the ball into the net with an assist from junior defenceman, Sydney Snyder.

In the first 45 minutes of the game, the Lakers had 18 shot attempts, while California only had one. Going into the second half of the game, sophomore goalkeeper, Maddie Elbro only had to make one save.

The scoring was not over for Mijares. In the 63rd minute of the game, Mijares’ speed allowed

her to beat the defender to the middle and put the ball into the back of the net.

“I was extremely excited to score twice and it is always a good feeling when my teammates come to congratulate me as well, it shows the comradery of our team,” said Mijares.

“The second goal of the game put our team in a great position, as it helped us to settle the game down and play at ease,” said Mijares.

This goal gave the Lakers a more comfortable lead with a score of 2-0. However, that score did not last long when senior midfielder and captain, Lauren Casey, got her fifth goal of the season putting the Lakers up by one more point. The last goal of the night, the final score of the game resulted in a 3-0 win for their final season game.

Over the regular season, Mijares has been the top scorer and has scored nine goals in the last

six games. The Lakers have been on a scoring streak with winning their past six games, and now the streak continues with the season’s last game.

Overall during the season, the team ended up with 37 total points. This is the most points they have recorded since joining the PSAC and will also be the first season they secure number one seed in the PSAC playoffs.

Keeping the team’s energy in playoffs is crucial to the team’s success.

“I think to keep at the pace I’m going at for the playoffs is to just stay focused on one game at a time and what is laid out in front of me. One thing that I always remind myself before I play any game is that I am playing for my teammates, and that is what motivates me to play my hardest,” said Mijares.

The playoffs will start on Nov. 9 for both the Men’s and Women’s soccer teams.

Lakers can continue to cheer for the Women’s soccer team at their playoff game, which will be held on Nov. 9 at the Mercyhurst Soccer Field against the Edinboro Fighting Scots at 1 p.m.

Men’s ice hockey ties Sacred Heart twice

By Samantha Weber Managing editor

The Mercyhurst Men’s hockey team faced off against Sacred Heart University Pioneers twice this past weekend.

This was the Lakers’ third Atlantic Hockey series for this year.

These two teams have faced each other 58 times since 1999. The Lakers have won 27 games, lost 26 and tied five times. The Pioneers won the last time the teams faced off in 2020, but before that, the Lakers beat the Pioneers four straight times.

During the first game, the Pioneers took an early lead in the first period and had the only goal during that period.

Barely 30 seconds into the second quarter, Sacred Heart scored another goal making their lead 2-0.

The Lakers finally got on the board about halfway through the second period when senior Steven Ipri tapped the puck into the net off of a shot originally from junior Rylee St. Onge.

Just 2:37 into the third period, the Lakers scored their second goal when sophomore Carson Briere got the puck in the net while he was skating past.

Junior Jonathan Bendorf scored while the Lakers were on the powerplay with 10:52 left in the third period. Briere and freshman Austin Heidemann had the assists on the goals that gave the Lakers the lead.

Sacred Heart tied it up with about five minutes remaining in

Hurst Athletics photo

Senior defenceman, Josh McDougall skates after the puck against Sacred Heart University.

regulation.

After 60 minutes of play, the teams were tied, which led to a five-minute overtime with 3 on 3.

This overtime was sudden death, but neither team was able to score, so the game went to a shoot-out. All three of the Lakers’ shots were stopped by Sacred Heart’s goalie, but unfortunately for Mercyhurst, the Lakers’ goalie was only able to save two out of the three shots.

In the second game, the start was very similar to their first one.

The Pioneers took the lead after about seven minutes of play.

Heidemann scored first for the Lakers in this game, with three

minutes remaining in the opening period. Briere and senior Josh McDougall received the assists for the goal.

Sacred Heart scored one more goal before the first period ended, making the score 2-1 in favor of the Pioneers going into the first intermission.

Sophomore Marko Reifenberger tied the game up at 9:53 during the second period. McDougall got his second assist of the night on Reifenberger’s goal.

The Pioneer’s took the lead once again just 1:37 into the third period. About two minutes later, St. Onge scored, tying up the game again. Graduate student Pierce Crawford and Ipri

had the assist on the tying game.

The third period ended with a tie, leading to a shootout for the second night in a row.

The shootout went 11 rounds, and the Pioneers’ ended up winning the shootout 5-4.

The Lakers who were able to score during the shootout were Briere, sophomore Noah Krane, junior Guergui Feduolov and freshman Garret Dahm.

Mercyhurst’s sophomore goalkeeper, Kyle McClellan had a career-high of 41 saves on Saturday.

The Lakers will take the ice again on Nov. 12 at 7:00 p.m. for their next season series against Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.

PAGE 16

LAKER LIVING

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Some changes might seem confusing at first, especially to an Aries whose impatience levels are pretty shaky this week. Take it one step at a time, Lamb, and soon all will be made clear.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) That difficult situation you’ve been dealing with continues to call for careful handling. Avoid quickly made choices that might not stand up when they’re finally put to the test.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) You still have lots of evaluating to do before you can consider making a commitment. It’s better to move cautiously than to risk stumbling into a major misunderstanding.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) A previously peevish partner offers to be more helpful with your problems. But remember: The final choice is yours.

Be guided by what you feel is the right thing to do.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) As the Big Cat, you sometimes can be pretty rough on those you suspect of betrayal. The best advice is to pull in those claws and listen to the explanation. It might surprise you.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Your inner voice usually guides you well. But a note of caution: This is a period of mixed signals for you, so be careful that you don’t misunderstand the messages you’re getting.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021 LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Cupid’s call beckons both single Librans looking for a new love, as well as couples hoping to strengthen their relationships. A workplace problem is quickly resolved.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) It’s been a hectic time for you, and you might want to take a break to restore both body and soul. You’ll then be set to face new challenges later this month.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) It’s a good idea to take a more conservative approach to your financial situation right now. Some plans made earlier this year might need readjusting.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) This is a fine time to move boldly into those new opportunities I promised would open up for you.

Check them over, and then choose the best one for you.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Congratulations. Your self-assurance is growing stronger, and you should now feel more confident about making that long-deferred decision about a possible commitment.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) You’re very close to reaching your goal. But be wary of distractions that can lure you off-course and leave you stranded far away from where you really want to be.

BORN THIS WEEK: You have an inner sight that helps you see into people’s hearts. You would be an excellent psychologist or social worker. © 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.

HURST TOON Student-drawn cartoon by the Martian