November 9 Issue of The Merciad

:Election Results

Arts & Entertainment On Page 4:

Sports On Page 7:

As of 12 a.m., Trump had

Mercyhurst shows

Men’s soccer

majority of

Cumberbatch in

claims PSAC

“Hamlet”

title

electoral votes

The MERCIAD

Read more inside & online

Est. 1929 Vol. 90 No. 8

Mercyhurst university

Wednesday, noveMber 9, 2016

Duval repairs continue

By Melanie Todd Staff writer Saturday night of Halloween weekend came with a different kind of scare for Duval residents.

“I got a call from my roommate around seven at night and she said that our apartment was flooded,” said a Duval resident.

Police and Safety, Mercyhurst maintenance staff and the housing administration responded very quickly to the situation.

“A student made a bad call not intentionally that caused a sprinkler to break. When in hotels they say to not touch the sprinkler system, heed that warning,” Megan McKenna, director of Residence Life and Student Conduct, said.

Three apartments were significantly damaged and two others had partial damage.

This forced Mercyhurst to relocate 20 students to temporary housing.

“There’s a lot of construction going on. Most of our concern is the water. Everything needs to be sanitized to prevent mold growth. We’ll need to replace all the carpeting for sure,” McKenna said.

Not everything will have to be replaced. Some things can be salvaged.

“The furniture needs to be cleaned and sanitized but the good thing about university furniture is it’s built for things like this. We’ll replace mattresses and everything will be assessed as to whether we can keep it or not,” McKenna said.

The restoration is expected

to be complete after Thanksgiving break.

“The last few days have been demolition. Now we’re at the step where we have to sit and wait. The next step will be rebuilding,” McKenna said.

Fortunately, Mercyhurst has housing set aside particularly for situations such as this.

“Our housing is older and that comes with challenges.

It’s interesting some of the things you have to think about that you didn’t have to before,” McKenna said.

In situations such as this, communication is most important.

“I’ve been communicating regularly with the affected students and all the students still in Duval. There’s a lot of construction going on over there and we don’t want that to be a problem for them,” McKenna said.

Situations such as this test Mercyhurst’s systems, especially residence life and the maintenance staff. It also speaks volumes of the types of students that are a part of the Mercyhurst community.

“Jonah Jackson, the Duval RA, was very helpful during the incident. All the students were great. Everybody was very understanding and cooperative. I’m very thankful for the students’ response. In the grand scheme of things I greatly appreciate that,” McKenna said.

Currently, there is no available monetary assessment of the damage. Insurance will cover the damage to the apartments.

ABOVE: residents of affected rooms must temporarily pack up and move until repairs are complete.

AT LEFT: Cleanup continues and much of the damaged furniture must be thrown away and replaced.

Contributed photos

Presque Isle celebrates Erie veterans

By Melanie Todd Staff writer

Veterans and current service members will be honored this Thursday at the Second Annual Veterans Appreciation Day at Presque Isle State Park.

The event will take place at the Rotary Pavilion beginning at 10 a.m.

“The event began here at Presque Isle State Park last year as a way to celebrate the important contributions to the nation of our local veterans. Northwestern Pennsylvania has a long and storied

Merciad Index

history of military service to the nation and the region itself is a historic and important region to the development of the United States,” retired U.S. Army Reserves Maj. Joe Pfadt, Presque Isle Veterans Day event cofounder and president of Warriors to Washington, said.

Our nation’s veterans serve this country dutifully and the community wants to show their thanks and honor them, Pfadt said.

“The goal is to bring our community together to show our thanks to those who have given us so much, our veter-

ans,” Pfadt said.

Many events will take place including a flag-raising ceremony, free fishing for veterans, information booths, reenactors and a letter writing activity.

“The letters are going to current active duty service members that are stationed around the world defending our freedoms today. One of the things that we can do here on the home front is to continue to show our support for those that wear the uniform of the nation,” Pfadt said.

There is a lot that can be done to help service members

from the home front. A small gesture from a total stranger can mean so much to a service member thinking about home, he said.

“Writing a letter, sending a card or donating a personal item are all ways of showing our support that do matter to those that receive them. When you are far from home, it is the little things that say a lot.

A letter of thanks from someone from ‘home’ is a real connection for the service person overseas,” Pfadt said.

Sharing your thanks and respect is important, he said.

“We enjoy all of our free-

doms because someone has earned them for us. That someone is a veteran. We owe veterans all those things that we take for granted, freedom to educate ourselves, freedom to chose our livelihood, freedom to have a family, freedom to enjoy our leisure time, freedom to live in peace and define ourselves as a people.

Veterans have earned that for us with their sacrifices, their sacrifices of time of blood and even their lives.

“Veterans Day is not something that the veterans ask for, but it is something that we do for them because some-

times the best part of being an American is the ability to say thank you to someone who allows us to be our best,” Pfadt said.

Donations for troops also are being collected at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center and the Erie Maritime Museum through Nov. 23.

Items will be sent to servicemen currently on deployment overseas. Items requested include instant coffee packets, drink mixes, protein bars, deodorant, toothpaste, shaving cream, Band-Aids, wet wipes and size large flip-flops.

Online Poll Results

Is it too early to play Christmas music?

News Features A&E Opinion Sports Laker Living

1-2 3 4-5 6 7 8

It’s never too early! (55%) I don’t mind hearing it occasionally. (30%) Christmas music is only for Christmas day. (10%,) I don’t listen to Christmas music. (5%)

Be sure to vote in this week’s online poll:

Are you happy with the new president? merciad.mercyhurst.edu

November 9, 2016

The Merciad

Page 2

News

MSG Senate Elections

Pokémon Go Tips

By Lauren Abbott

By Bernard Garwig

Mercyhurst Student Government seeks two new members for open senate positions.

Any interested candidates need to contact Sam Lioi, the MSG vice president, by Nov. 18.

There are 24 senators at all times, three in each class and three in each of the four colleges.

The two openings include a spot for a Zurn College senator and an opening for a junior class senator.

This election is a special election, seeing as most elections are in April for the following year. However, with two students studying abroad this spring, an immediate election is needed to fill their vacant spots.

Those in the Zurn College or in the junior class are eligible to run for the open positions. The vacancies will be voted on by the current senators to fill the two open positions in a meeting before the end of the semester.

“Senators may vary on the amount of hours they put in, depending on how many projects they want to take part in, but it is my personal belief based on my experience that

Pokémon Go has mostly come and gone as far as its relevance, but there is no denying that the app’s wild popularity in the summer months sparked a media frenzy. Stories were written by the truckload about the app, ranging from fake shock stories to real life criminal accounts that saw unlucky trainers victimized.

Amid all of the other outlets getting in on the game, however, was one of Mercyhurst’s own: Professor Kristan Wheaton of the Intelligence Studies department. On July 15, Wheaton posted his opinion on Pokémon Go, as well as some tips that he had from a contact in the intelligence community, on his Sources and Methods blog. The post was quoted to be a tip sheet and designed to be “helpful, not comprehensive.”

The tips are focused on everything from using a “throwaway” email account to avoid your information from being received by the developer, to advice on how to catch Pokémon easier by turning off augmented reality.

Wheaton’s post was picked up by several news organizations, most notably the Washington Post. The article featuring Wheaton, titled “How to protect your identity playing Pokémon Go,” was released July 20. While Wheaton’s post was generally a list of tips about the game, reported Andrea Peterson spun the information to inform readers about identity protection. In addition to the Washington Post, BBC Vietnam, BBC Capital (who phoned the professor for an article about playing the game at work), the Erie TimesNews, the Daily Herald and a host of smaller sites all picked up Wheaton’s tips and used them for their own articles.

While playing Pokémon Go, Wheaton and the other intelligence faculty on campus had emails sent around to them about the game.

“I had a friend in the intelligence community send this around to a bunch of us,” Wheaton said. He elaborated that the information was declassified, and that he thought it was interesting and could be shared with Mercyhurst students.

“I did not expect to be picked up by so many media outlets,” Wheaton said.

Staff writer

Staff writer

Caitlyn Lear photo

The Mercyhurst Student Government motto is painted on the wall in the lower level of the Student Union.

you get out, what you put in,” Lioi said.

Some of the requirements of a senator are being able to attend mandatory senate and committee meetings every Monday night, and fulfilling certain volunteer requirements for MSG-related events, including but not limited to attending club meetings, iCarding at events and meeting with academic deans.

Being a senator means representing the needs of the

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student body and the position’s constituents. It is a great opportunity to grow as a student leader, have more of a chance to enact change on campus for fellow students.

“Being a part of such an involved and widespread committee on campus was fun and rewarding,” former senator Steven Martz said.

Becoming a Mercyhurst senator allows for students to be involved in the decision making process on campus.

Mike Murphy photo

Professor Kristan Wheaton has offered tips on privacy issues related to the game Pokémon Go.

This is not Wheaton’s first foray into video games. On his blog post, he mentions how Pokémon Go is “the first mainstream augmented reality game,” similar to how “Auction House in World of Warcraft influenced online currencies such as Bitcoin.”

In 2008, Wheaton was involved in a project with a group of 35 other “diverse minds” in Southern California “to explore the question of what happens when the virtual becomes real.” Wheaton explained that particular project was conducted by the Director of National Intelligence, and explored the growing prospect of digital spaces where humans would go to live, interact and wage war.

“They would put together a whole group of people to analyze what was coming up,” said Wheaton. “In 2008, virtual reality wasn’t new entirely, but it also wasn’t where it is today.”

Wheaton also explained some cases of new inventions being derived from video games and pop culture.

“Understanding World of Warcraft and understanding the Auction House is essential to understanding Bitcoin in the same way that understanding “Star Trek” and the communicator of the 1960s is important to understanding where the flip phone came from,” said Wheaton. “The reason why that first came up was because of “Star Trek”…

“

I did not expect to be picked up by so many media outlets.

”

Kristan Wheaton

the engineers loved that idea (of the flip-up communicator).”

Wheaton emphasized the new ground being broken with Pokémon Go. “Pokémon Go will come and go. But understanding that this is really the first mainstream augmented reality app is I think a really important aspect of where this is going in the future,” Wheaton said.

In Wheaton’s opinion, Pokémon Go represents an optimistic new frontier. He is quick to point out that it is unwise to blindly rush into the experience.

“Part of what I’m doing is I’m encouraging people to play,” said Wheaton. “You’ve got to be careful how you use it; you want to make sure your privacy is protected. The companies … they all talk privacy, but they have varying levels of concern about privacy, and your privacy is not their first concern. Their first concern is profit… you have to understand what information it is you are releasing.”

Hurst Crime Log Incident

Date

Location

Controlled substance

Nov. 1

3807 Lewis Ave.

Liquor law violation

Nov. 5

Lot #16

Criminal mischief

Nov. 5

3808 Briggs Ave.

Public drunkeness

Nov. 7

3807 Lewis Ave.

November 9, 2016

The Merciad

’Hurst how-to: Study habits

By Nora Wagner

Contributing writer

Now that midterms are over, finals will be here before we know it. Whether you have less of a class load with the new mini or you have more, these time management skills will help you to become a successful student.

Make lists of everything you need to do and then go through and number it. Put the ones with higher priority as number one and do those first.

Do not start on the other assignments until you finish the first one. A list will help keep you organized and on top of assignments.

It will also cause you to spend the appropriate amount of time on each assignment.

Take short breaks every hour. Whether you get up just to stretch, grab a snack, or get

a drink, breaks will help keep you focused when you come back and you will be able to give your assignment all of your attention.

Be sure to take a longer break to eat dinner and talk with your friends so you are not overstudying. Set an alarm to keep you on track with when you need to take a break and end it.

Do not procrastinate. Start your work as soon as possible.

Waiting until the last minute is never good. Your work will not be put together very well and may not be complete.

Starting an assignment sooner will create less stress later on and give you more time to do what you want to do.

Set goals of when you want specific assignments done.

Although professors give you due dates for your assignments, set a personal deadline of at least a day or two before

the due date.

That way it is done and if you find a mistake you have enough time to go back and fix it. You will not be rushing at 7:55 a.m. to fix the mistake you found when your class starts at 8 a.m.

Put away your phone. Notifications of texts, Facebook comments, and Snapchats all distract you. Turn your phone off and keep it away from you until you are done.

When your phone is easily accessible, you will spend more time on it than on your assignment.

Stress management is an essential skill to have. Students are often trying to juggle classes, homework, part-time jobs, sports and extracurricular activities.

Being able to successfully manage your stress will come in handy when you have a lot of assignments all at once.

Being able to determine

how much time you need to take for each assignment will be essential when it comes time to studying for finals.

Work on one thing at a time.

Although many believe they are great at multitasking, in reality, they aren’t.

Putting all of your focus into one subject until you are done will give you more time later on. This will also improve your grade because you are not trying to do five things at one time.

Be sure you are getting enough sleep every night.

This may seem counterintuitive because you are sleeping when you could be working, but getting a good amount of sleep at night will help you be more focused and productive when you wake up.

Following these tips will help you a lot in the long run. @TheMerciad

Spring semester scheduling issues

By Caitlyn Lear Staff writer

Fall semester is quickly coming to a close, and the stressful time of year for scheduling classes is here.

For the past few weeks, students have run around, meeting with advisers and meticulously trying to squeeze every credit they can into next semester.

Professors, faculty and students are still trying to get accustomed to the minimester system as well, which only adds to the complication.

Some students are finding it hard to get all the classes they need into their schedule due to conflicting times. Since the mini classes are longer than the regular semester classes, they can overlap and make it hard to get a full schedule.

“I have one regular semester class and there are two mini classes that end after that

Cheyanne Crum photo

Some students have had issues while trying to register for spring classes by professors, and the registrar is willing to work with them.

class is supposed to start,” Steven Martz, junior Hospitality major, said.

According to Michele Wheaton, Mercyhurst registrar, students that have classes that overlap a little bit have been able to make accommodations with professors to make work up outside of class.

Students are working with professors to try and make the necessary changes so that the question of graduating is resolved.

“The students that have come in with issues have been able to resolve them with professors by taking the classes that they need in later terms or by taking tutorials with the

professors outside of the class time,” Wheaton said.

For those with a double major, or even a minor, scheduling could even more complicated. Making sure students can get the right number of classes for each major so not to fall behind is already a daunting task.

“Since we shortened the core, it is allowing more freedom in registering, which should help some of the problems that come with registering,” Wheaton said.

So there are options for anyone who is struggling. Professors are usually very good at helping students succeed and get the requirements that they need to graduate on time.

It is not the end of the world if a class is full or conflicting,.

Advisers and departments can make substitutions if a student is unable to get into a class they need before graduation.

Page 3

Features Asking Mia Need advice? Have a problem that needs fixing? Mia is here to help. Email askmia. merciad@gmail.com for help. ******************* Dear Mia, My weekends are boring and my weekdays are not so fun either. I wasn’t able to go to the campus involvement fair back in September.

How can I join some clubs and make new friends?

Sincerely,

Loner Girl

Dear Loner Girl, The meeting times of some of the clubs are listed on The Weekender, the weekly announcement of events on campus that is mailed out every Thursday. Next time you get the Weekender, check if any of those clubs would be interesting to you.

If they do interest you, hooray!

Attend their meeting and talk with the officers so they can put you on the email list for future meetings.

If you can’t find anything on there, check with Campus Involvement Center to see if they can give you a list of all the clubs on campus.

They are located on the third floor of the Student Union. Depending on your major, your department might have a club that corresponds with it. Email your adviser and see if they can get you some information on your major’s club. Friends or classmates are always a good place to start too. Ask your friends what kind of clubs they’re involved in and ask to tag along to the next meeting. Once you’ve started attending some clubs, it will be easy to make friends with the people you meet.

Sincerely,

Mia

Creative Corner

By Anonymous

Taylor showed up three hours later while I was eating lunch. He smiled when he saw my hands. I think he was more excited than I was with my limited mobility.

“Now if only your legs would heal a bit so you could walk.”

“Dr. Hopkins said that would probably be the last thing to heal properly. They have to do some skin grafts, but there’s not enough uncharred skin to have it work well.”

“Does your face hurt at all?”

“It feels tight, but not painful, why?” I asked, hoping I knew where it was going.

“Can I try something?” He looked shy and nervous.

Before I could answer he leaned over and kissed me.

Taylor, one of the town’s star football players, kissing me, the quiet, weird girl! It was everything the clichéd movies said it would be.

Maybe it was the painkillers.

Maybe it was just fate.

Suddenly he pulled away, a look in his eyes like he didn’t want to, but then I realized I was crying. That really hurt. He thought he was hurting me.

“I- I am so sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.

I’m sorry.” I reached for him, to tell him it was okay and then Kate came in, with a note- from Caleb.

“Kristen, I’m sorry I haven’t come to see you. I can’t. I don’t mean to hurt you by doing this. I’ll try to get ahold of you when you are out of the hospital.

Goodbye, Caleb.”

I started crying again.

Taylor looked concerned.

“When was he here?”

Taylor asked Kate.

“We just found it on the desk at the station. He could have come in at any time and dropped it off. I’m sorry we didn’t see him.” She answered, looking right at me.

“He’s not coming to see me. Why?” They both

looked at a loss for words.

“Taylor, maybe you should take her outside for some air.” They loaded me in my chair without much resistance and wheeled me outside.

When we reached the court yard, I asked Taylor to let me have a few minutes to myself. He looked hurt, but agreed. I wanted to go home, to cry in my own bed and not need a wheelchair to move. I was about to break down completely when I heard a familiar voice.

“Don’t cry over me, Kristen. I’m the one that did this to you, I started the fire.

I hurt you,” Caleb said.

“Why? Where have you been? Everyone is looking for you,” I asked.

“I’m sick of being stepped on, all these years, I get walked all over, I couldn’t take it anymore. Burning down the place that makes all these people popular was the only way to fix it. Then, I saw you when I was already setting the fire. It was too late. You were in the flames

and I had to get out. You understand why I did it. You were there with me, at the bottom, being stepped on for being smart.” He looked off behind me. “But now I see you are in with them, so you won’t understand.”

“Hey!” Taylor coming to the rescue. “What are you doing? Get away from her! Oh, Caleb, I’m sorry. I couldn’t tell who it was from back there. Where ya been, man?”

“Goodbye, Kristen. Maybe it’s better for you that you got caught in the flames.”

Caleb walked away, and all I could do was watch.

“What did he want?”

Taylor asked.

“Can I have your phone please? I need to make a call,” I answered.

“Detective Jones speaking.”

“This is Kristen. I have some new information regarding my case. Would you like to speak over the phone or in person?” I tried to sound as professional as possible.

“Over the phone is good

with Smith and me. I’m going to put you on speaker.

Is everything okay?” Jones sounded concerned.

“Caleb, the runaway that you have been looking for just came to see me. He admitted to starting the fire.

I don’t know where he went, but he started it. He said he was sick of being stepped on and wanted the popular kids to pay.”

“Well, thank you for calling us right away. We will send people out to find him right now and inform his parents.

We will be in touch. I hope you are doing well.” Jones said before hanging up.

“Is that really what he said to you, Kristen?” Taylor asked, his concerned look back on his face.

“Yes, and now it’s over.

I don’t need to focus on worrying about him. Just focusing on getting better and getting out of here. Can we go back inside now?”

Taylor began wheeling me back to my room.

It was dinner time and Taylor had to go home. My mom came in after my legs

had been bandaged.

“Hi sweetie. How are you feeling today?”

“A lot better. I got the bandages off my hands today,” I said, smiling, showing my healing pink hands. She smiled sadly.

My mom only stayed for a few hours. She talked about work and how the kids from school are handling having a week off and losing all of their work for the year, the teachers are talking about losing all the assignments, the grades, all up in smoke.

She also told me that my new phone would be in the mail tomorrow, which made me feel better. I didn’t want to tell her that my best friend in the entire world had been behind putting her daughter in the hospital until the police had caught him, or at least knew where he was. ********************** If you have anything you would like to have published, please submit it to: featuremerciad@ mercyhurst.edu.

Page 4

Arts &

Entertainment

November 9, 2016

The Merciad

MU Dance presents ‘Shift Happens’

By Eleanor Hein

Contributing writer

Walker Recital Hall will be welcoming the Mercyhurst Dance Department to its stage on Nov. 21, for the department’s annual Choreographic Showcase.

The dance department, which is accredited through the National Association of Schools of Dance, places emphasis on continuing high quality ballet and creating the future leaders of arts in the United States.

This focus will be apparent at the showcase, titled “A Choreography Showcase: Shift Happens,” which will feature a variety of dance styles and musical accompaniments choreographed and performed by

Mercyhurst dance students.

Junior Dance and Management major Rebecca Voulgarakis explains that “the focus [of the showcase] is not on the performance itself, but more on letting choreographers from the Choreography II class demonstrate their talent.”

Junior Dance major Sara Clarke, also presenting work in the show, added that “we are able to build upon our choreographic skills.”

Choreography challenges students to not only study dance, but also apply their knowledge of dance to create a living piece of art on stage.

For example, Voulgarakis’s production will focus on young women growing up and finding power through their individuality, which will give

them power to strengthen their community.

Clarke’s piece is inspired by the short story “The Pull of the Ocean” by Jean-Claude Mourlevat, with a message of being drawn to the ocean. “(Shift Happens) is the stepping stone (for students) between informal showings by the Choreography I class and the fully produced PAC showcases that the Choreography III and IV classes will have in the Spring,” Voulgarakis said.

Free of charge, it will be the best opportunity for the Mercyhurst community to come witness the talent of its own nationally recognized program.

The show will be at 8 p.m. in the Walker Recital Hall on Nov. 21.

Contributed photo

The choreographers for the show listed in alphabetical order: Marleigh Bristol, Hannah Carroll, Sara Clarke, Audrey Davison, Ragan Faulkner, Liam Fitzpatrick, Kathryn Galimi, Lacey Gigliotti, Elizabeth Hite, Ashley Miltich, Kerry Schroeder, Makayla Sprague and Rebecca Voulgarakis.

REVIEW

Godzilla strikes again

By Michael Deek Staff writer

MIAC photo

Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet in the National Theatre Live rendition of the classic tale.

‘Hamlet’: To go or not to go

By Rachel Sobina Staff writer

The National Theatre Live is a unique way to view a movie as it is performed in real time without traveling very far or paying high rates for tickets.

The production performance is live in the United Kingdom and it is transmitted to theatres and performance spaces throughout the world, including Mercyhurst University.

This production premiered in 2015, but it will be shown again in the Performing Arts Center.

“Hamlet” is a tragic play about a recently deceased king who is out to find who killed him.

Throughout the play, the king’s son, Hamlet, vows to avenge his father’s murder.

King Claudius, the new

King of Denmark since the death of King Hamlet, sees the young Prince Hamlet as a threat to his throne, so he has him sent away.

Young Prince Hamlet however learns of the evil king’s plan of ruling the kingdom and immediately returns home.

A bloody and fatal duel ensues, with numerous casualties and many chilling confessions.

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Hamlet.

It is directed by Lyndsey Turner and is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions.

If this dramatic and tragic tale strikes your fancy, then join us Nov. 20, at 12:55 p.m. in the PAC. Tickets are $18 for adults and they are free for any Mercyhurst student who shows their ID at the box office.

If you were to ask me who my favorite movie monster is, hands down it would be Godzilla.

Today, we are spoiled with paranormal horror films such as “Blair Witch” and “Ouija”: Origin of Evil,” but to me, Godzilla is more horrifying.

He can represent fears that are all too real in modern society, such as the threats of nuclear weapons, terrorism, war itself and even the fear of nature rebelling against man.

This is a theme that has been deeply integrated in the most recent film in the franchise, “Shin Godzilla” (shin being a Japanese word that means many things, including “new” and “death”).

Directors Hideaki Anno of Evangelion and Shinji Higuchi of the live action “Attack on Titan” movies provided a new and unique take on the king of the monsters after the series’ 12 year hiatus.

The film is pretty basic: Godzilla shows up, and the Japanese have to figure out how to stop the unstoppable; however, it is the characters that are the movie’s Achilles heel.

The movie was trying to see how a modern Japanese government would react to a giant monster invading their country, but sadly, like Gareth Edwards’ 2014 take on Godzilla, “Shin Godzilla” is full of many characters that are not given enough development in contrast to the characters in the original 1954

Contributed photo

Shin Godzilla starring as himself in the film “Godzilla.”

Godzilla.

There is also little to no conflict between the human characters, in contrast to the original. However, it helps spread the message that Anno and Higuchi were trying to convey that message being mankind looking past its differences and uniting to fight a common foe.

Godzilla himself is truly the main attraction of this film, and even though his screen time is limited, this film really succeeds in showing how

much of a threat he really is.

The design of Godzilla is probably the most horrific yet, as he really looks like he is decaying and his skin looks like keloid scars akin to those who survived Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It appears as if the radiation within him that keeps him going is slowly eating away at his flesh.

If I were to describe this Godzilla in one word it would be “unpredictable,” as you are just guessing at what he will

do next, like nature itself.

However, many fans will be disappointed as this is the first fully CGI Godzilla film to be produced by Toho, therefore abandoning the old tradition of tokusatsu style effects.

This is a bit of a disappointment as nothing truly looks like it is organic, despite some truly breathtaking shots of Godzilla destroying Tokyo.

Once more, tokusatsu TV shows such as Tsuburaya Production’s long running “Ultraman” franchise still utilizes suitmation and miniature effects which fail to disappoint, so why not the same for Godzilla?

Lastly, Shiro Sagisu’s score for this film is very haunting and fits the film perfectly.

Not to mention that it was a real treat to hear some of the tracks from some of the older installments of the series as well.

Overall, I was lucky to have seen “Shin Godzilla” in theaters in its limited theatrical run in the States as it presented a film with a dark tone akin to the original with a few subtle touches of comedic relief by poking fun at Japanese politics.

If you are willing to sit through a ton of dialogue, then this movie is a must see, for it is a strange new twist on a classic tale about a monster who represents a mistake that mankind cannot correct, but instead must adapt to and coexist with.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

@TheMerciad

Roche is getting saxy

By Caitlyn Lear Staff writer

On Dec. 3, Singularity is set to perform as the third installment of the Roche Guest Artist series.

Singularity, a saxophone quartet, was formed in 2013.

The group is comprised of Thomas Giles, soprano and alto saxophone, Cole Belt, alto saxophone, Scotty Phillips, tenor saxophone, and Bryan McNamar, baritone saxophone. They perform an array of original and arranged compositions. They will be performing works by Neil

Anderson-Himmelspach, David Lang, Josquin des Prez, David Ludwig and Tristan Keuris.

“They build a strong relationship with the audience through compelling programming and an ease about their personal style,” Ludwig, composer, said.

The concert will include pieces by Josquin des Prez, with arrangements by Phillips, Lang, Ludwig and Keuris.

The group has performed all over the United States and throughout Europe including New World Symphony, Tallahassee Symphony, Princeton Symphony, Flagstaff Symphony,

Pensacola Symphony, Taneycomo Festival and National Music Festival orchestras.

In addition to the group, the members have also pursued solo projects–they have participated and found success in multiple prestigious competitions across the United States and Europe.

“Singularity’s interpretations are vibrant, extremely musical and organic,” Neil Anderson-Himmelspach, composer, said.

This electric performance will take place at 2 p.m. in the Walker Recital Hall. The performance is free and open to the public.

Singularity saxophone quartet will perform in Walker Recital Hall on Dec. 3 at 2 p.m.

Contributed photo

November 9, 2016

The Merciad

Page 5

Arts &

Entertainment

The art of nature to be presented

By Carlena Bressanelli Staff writer

If one enjoys being in the company of nature or likes to experience color, then I suggest going to the upcoming exhibit Organic Forms and Pulsating Lines, which is works by Barbara and Julian Stanczak.

The married couple both get inspiration from nature because it sparks one’s vision and encourages a reaction through their work.

With her sculptures, Barbara Stanczak likes to take nature–made materials and tell their stories by looking past the surface to find the earth’s wondrous secrets.

“I sculpt light and emptiness. Whenever possible, I penetrate a rock or tree trunk.

Not to subdue it, but to open it up.

“Open for eyes to walk through, traverse, wonder, imagine, remember, touch... and understand,” Barbara Stanczak said in her artist statement.

She comes from an educationally oriented family so she was interested from the beginning.

Her interest deepened because of her teachers, who inspired her enthusiasm, expanded her skills and gave her a drive for a more visual search.

Over the years, Barbara Stanczak has come to realize that sculpture is most natural to her even though she has

done painting, print-making commercial and graphic design in the past.

“Doing sculpture, you better enjoy working hard and getting dirty, but while preoccupying the body, carving frees the mind and intuits heart and vision.

“Sculpting for me is a unique process of gradual revelation but unequaled in intensity and personal gratification,” she said.

Julian Stanczak was born in Poland, but due to Europe’s history during WWII and after, he spent his teenage years in the jungles of Msindi, Uganda, Africa.

His curiosity and fascination with color came from Africa’s forms of light, which includes shapes, lines, outlines and highlights.

“First the rain would come, and then the sun after the rain.

I would look at the jungle and it would turn from purple to almost red, and then back again to blue-green or black.

“It was a dazzling color display.

“I was moved by all this drama. I wanted to capture it visually and the environment provides the raw energy that has to be translated into entities separate from nature.

“When I see the dramatic shapes and colors of nature, observe their power, it triggers in me the need to translate these primordial forces,” Julian said about Africa’s light and the environment on his website.

He studied color with Josef

Barbara and Julian Stanczk’s artwork will be showcased in the Cummings Art Gallery.

Albers, an artist and educator who helped with Stanczak’s visual search to himself.

“I constantly struggle for clarity and the intricate balance between container and

R. Muller photo

what it contains.

“Since my biggest joy is to deal with color, the shape

embracing the color is scrupulously chosen in order that it not prevail over the color situation but assist it.

“That is why I use mostly geometric shapes which one accepts without questioning particularities, thus giving the color full responsibility for visual plasticity,” says Stanczak’s view on color.

On his talent, “Julian’s ability to see and make others see life anew is just amazing; he has a special skill to create unique color atmospheres and visual experiences,” said his wife, Barbara.

The Stanczaks chose the artworks for the exhibit based on the fact they wanted Mercyhurst students to experience a number of things including but not limited to colors, shapes, sizes and media.

They really care about their viewers.

“The work we might be close to when creating it, is replaced by the pleasure we find as viewers identify with a certain piece and see their own thoughts or experiences reflected in,” said Barbara.

The exhibit will be on view in the Cummings Art Gallery from Nov. 14 to Nov. 18.

The gallery is open from Monday to Friday 9 to 4 p.m., on the weekends from 2 to 5 p.m.

If you would like to meet this imaginative couple, there will be a reception on Nov. 17, 5 to 7 p.m.

Chamber orchestra A conglomeration to host its very first of ensembles will concerto competition be showcased

By Jenny Sabliov

Arts and Entertainment editor

Online

The Mercyhurst University department of Music is hosting its very first concerto/aria competition with the Chamber Orchestra.

The auditions will take place in Walker Recital Hall on Jan. 22, at 3 p.m.

The deadline to register is on Nov. 21.

Registration can be done through the music department’s website.

However, applicants must meet certain criteria before they apply.

Up to one highschooler and two college students will be chosen.

The winners will perform with the Mercyhurst Chamber Orchestra during their spring concert on May 7.

Only students enrolled in private lessons, on or off campus, may apply.

The repertoire that may be performed during the audition varies.

The instrumentalists must do a single movement or a thoroughly composed solo concerto.

The vocalists must have a maximum of two contrasting works for solo voice and orchestra.

The audition must be performed from memory and cannot go over 10 minutes.

An accompanist is required and is the sole responsibility

of the applicant.

A concerto competition offers the music students the ability to prepare their craft more effectively than a jury would because there is a reward at the end of it.

It can also be a good recruiting tool for potential students coming into the music department because it showcases the program.

The high school division requires that they are already involved with the Mercyhurst Chamber Orchestra or participating with the Chamber Music Program.

“There was a competition a few years ago that was broader in scope, but when we designed this competition we were looking for how it could benefit the students more,” Jonathan Moser said.

Moser is the director of the chamber orchestra and this competition.

The concerto competition that used to take place on campus was an international competition and did not involve any of the school’s ensembles.

So this new inaugural competition is the very first time this department is doing this.

The application requires that the students check their submission with Moser before applying because the concerto that they audition with will be the concerto that the orchestra will perform in the spring, if they are selected.

This is because the orches-

Full list of events can be found on the MU website

tra is not large enough to sustain certain concertos.

“We are looking for someone who is going to be able to represent themselves well and be comfortable in the process so it is possible that if people are not adequately prepared, that there will not be a winner,” Moser said.

During the audition, they are looking for preparation, memorization, stage presence and an ability to perform the piece without stopping.

“Mistakes will always happen, so perfection is not in our nature, but you’re looking for a well-prepared piece.

Something that has musical coherency,” Moser said.

The application requires a recommendation from a teacher who can judge if a student is ready for a competition because it makes it easier to judge the auditioners, which offers an increased level of fairness.

The concerto competition will most likely become an annual affair.

“This is not about building up the department, but looking for students who are dedicated to building up their craft,” Moser said.

@TheMerciad

By Jenny Sabliov

Arts and Entertainment editor

The D’Angelo Department of Music will feature a variety of small ensembles in concert on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. in the Walker Recital Hall.

The concert is free and open to the public.

The Saxophone Quartet will present an arrangement of “October” by Eric Whitacre.

“October” is a contemporary piece written in 2000.

It is arranged by Ritz and Sullivan.

They will also perform “Hip is What?” by Bruce Evans.

Finally, their third piece is Fugue in G minor, BWV 578, normally known as the “Little Fugue.”

It is a piece of organ music written by Johann Sebastian Bach, but this composition will be a variation of the original.

The saxophone quartet will be directed by Rebecca Wunch, part-time instructor of clarinet, class piano, theory/aural skills lab, orchestral/chamber music and woodwind ensemble.

The Clarinet Choir, also directed by Wunch, will present three pieces.

One of the pieces will be “A Stephen Foster Medley” by Stephen Foster.

The choir will also perform a Brazilian-influenced piece titled “Tico Tico” by Zequinha Abreu. It is arranged by Sjoerd

View upcoming performances: www.mercyhurst.edu/events

van der Veen.

This is the piece he is most well-known for and was originally called “Tico-Tico no Farelo.”

Their final piece is the old theme song of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” the “Funeral March of the Marionette” by Charles Gounod and arranged

by Ray Thompson.

It was written in 1872 for solo piano and orchestrated in 1879. However, it became popular due to the television show.

The Flute Ensemble, directed by Josie Kost, instructor of flute, will perform selections from “Three Pastorales for Three Flutes”

by Henri Tomasi.

The ensemble will perform “Sonata for 3 Flutes” in G Major by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier.

The Brass Ensemble will be directed by Kent Tucker, instructor of trombone, and consists of two trumpet players, two horn players and two trombone players.

They will be playing “Canzon Primi Toni” by Giovanni Gabrieli.

Composed in 1597, “Canzon Primi Toni” is an antiphonal piece for two brass choirs.

They will play a brass quintet arrangement of the 20th century English composer Gustav Holst’s Second Suite in F. They will also perform a Canadian Brass arrangement

of an old favorite, “Amazing Grace.”

The Carpe Diem Women’s Choir is a small ensemble of music education majors.

This ensemble is directed by Rebecca Ryan.

They will be performing “God Be In My Head” by John Rutter.

They will also be performing two Renaissance pieces: “Sacrum Convivium” by Roberto Remondi and “O Vos Omnes” by Tomas Luis de Victoria.

The String Chamber Ensemble consists of two different groups and will be directed by Jonathan Moser, visiting instructor of music.

The first consists of Devon Shah, piano; Caryn Moore, violin; and Matthew Su, violin.

They will be performing Shostakovich’s “5 Pieces for 2 Violins and Piano.”

The second group is performing the first movement of Mendelssohn’s Octet.

The violinists are Sadie Anderson, Kayla Bravchok, Leah Elberfeld and Hannah Byard.

The violists are Sally Stanton and Moser.

The cellists are Mariana Mathewson and Dan Bainbridge.

The concert is free and open to the public

@TheMerciad

merciad.mercyhurst.edu/category/arts_ entertainment/

Page 6

November 9, 2016

The Merciad

Opinion

The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercyhurst University, the staff of The Relay Life Church. successful Merciad or for the Catholic Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be emailed to opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.

Wonder Woman is a bad choice for UN ambassador

By Lauren

Abbott

Staff writer

Last week, the United Nations held a ceremony to showcase their new honorary ambassador to champion the empowerment of women and girls, Wonder Woman.

This reveal came with both criticism and praise. While many people support the UN’s choice of ambassador, many also feel that this was a poor choice.

The UN’s decision to have Wonder Woman as the honorary ambassador was announced earlier this month, and since then a petition has

been started by UN employees asking the UN secretary general to reconsider the distinction.

Their petition cites concerns over her sexualized image and concerns that her character is not culturally encompassing.

During the official ceremony, some employees who signed the petition held a silent protest, with their fists raised and back turned.

As the honorary ambassador, Wonder Woman’s image will be used as part of the UN’s campaign on the subject and DC Comics is developing a Wonder Woman comic that will focus on empowerment, justice and equality and be available in multiple lan-

guages.

While I love Wonder Woman, I do not think she should be the one to spearhead this movement for the UN. I do believe that Wonder Woman is an amazing role model for people, especially women and girls, but the problem is that she is fictional.

Even though her character is one that is inspiring and fights for justice, there is no real life physical person that can be attributed to her.

During the ceremony commemorating Wonder Woman as an honorary ambassador, people were only able to take their pictures with a life-size cutout of her.

Good

There are so many real life figures that they could have picked from to spearhead this movement, such as Malala Yousafzai or Amal Clooney. Both women have fought for the empowerment of women and would be able to be a figure that could travel around the world to advocate and champion this cause. They could also speak with world leaders on how to advance and further the empowerment of women.

Overall, while I think Wonder Woman is a good role model, I do not believe she is the right person to be the face of the United Nations Women Empowerment Campaign.

PA driver’s licenses mess up lives

By Miranda Miller Copy editor

The REAL ID Act was passed by Congress in 2005.

While it does not look like it is going to be a pain in the tuckus at first glance, for Pennsylvania residents it may require doling out extra money, time and energy.

I, for one, don’t like doling out extra of any of those resources, as I do not really have enough to begin with.

Pennsylvania is not compliant with the REAL ID Act, and just like a parent of a 2-yearold, the federal government is pretty tired of giving Pennsylvania more time.

This leaves Pennsylvania residents with identification documents that cannot get them into a bevy of places, including federal facilities, military bases and nuclear power plants.

I know that we will all sorely miss our daily strolls in the uranium mines, but the Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles website points out that boarding an airplane will also require an alternative form of identification that is acceptable, namely, a passport.

Passports are a whole new level of torture, one that I now have to endure if I want to jump on a last minute domestic flight to Vegas to run away from all of my responsibilities.

I have never had a passport in my life, and looking up the requirements makes my head spin.

On top of the cost of getting a passport being mildly nauseating, one has to prove that they are a citizen with a birth certificate that has your full name, your parents’ full names, has been sealed by the issuing authority and has your full genome listed on it.

Then, they have to provide identification, such as the pointless Pennsylvania license, a photocopy of said license and a photo.

This is a huge hassle that I did not anticipate having to go through any time soon, as international travel is a little out of the realm of possibility for me at present.

The cost is well over $100 and the wait could be months long. Spontaneous stateside vacations are out of the question until I get a book with a really bad photograph of myself in it to use in conjunction with a card with a really bad photograph of myself on it.

I guess it all comes down to money, sad as it is, like many things in life. The money spent on a new passport could be spent on more flights home from school to see my family.

It is hard to see that money put on its Sunday best and stroll out of my bank account simply because Pennsylvania law says so. @TheMerciad

Election Day celebrations and fears

By Amber Matha Opinion editor

Online

Being an opinionated person is a blessing and a curse and the current presidential election has been testing both of these extremes.

I am very proud of my liberal views; and as such, I am not afraid to speak my mind on issues I find particularly alarming. Many of them have been brought into the limelight throughout this election.

For example, climate change has been a main issue discussed by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Clinton recognizes climate change and wants to increase measures to ensure that climate change does not cause further problems for our environment.

Trump on the other hand wants to move to dissolve the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because climate change is a “hoax”.

There are multiple flaws to this logic but I will only point out the main one.

The EPA provides a lot of services that are vitally important to the environment

and our health. For example, the EPA ensures that companies have clean emissions so the air we breathe is safe.

Without the EPA, our drinking water would not be safe to drink because there would be no regulations on our water.

It is with these views in mind that I want to be sure that my voice is heard.

This is my first presidential election. The fact that I have to choose between these two people are not favorable in any sense of the word, but I am happy that I am able to exercise my right to vote as a woman.

This election would be huge if Clinton were to win.

She would be the first female president in United States history.

Now, I do not believe that she would be the perfect female president. I am not sure that there is such a thing as a perfect president.

However, the fact that she has made it this far speaks volumes to the development of the U.S. as a country.

We are behind other countries in terms of women in politics. The first woman president of any country was Isabel de Perron of Argentina who served between 1974

and 1976.

We just had the first African American president for two terms. Let us now welcome a new milestone to our history by electing a woman.

With Election Day coming to a close the feeling I have is very bittersweet. I can no longer annoy my friends with politically charged posts.

However, I can now follow my friends’ posts again without feeling the uncontrollable urge to block them.

Speaking of friends, I have a very polarized friend group.

I have my generally liberal friends from Erie, but I also have a very conservative group of friends from the Pittsburgh area.

Throughout the past couple of months, these groups have clashed on my page in the form of hundreds of comments.

My hope with the election coming to an end is that the hatred between my friends will come to a halt.

Not only will the result of the election bring down tensions online, but also it will hopefully have the same effect in my house.

I commute, so I live with my parents who, to my chagrin, seemed to be leaning more toward voting for

Read more at

merciad.mercyhurst.edu/opinion

Trump. This would not be a problem if I did not have such a loud mouth.

With Thanksgiving coming soon, I am terrified that dinner conversation will switch to politics.

No matter the outcome, I fear that I will be out numbered at the table and that arguments will ensue. It has gotten to the point that I have asked a couple of my good friends if I can join them for their Thanksgiving if I have a falling out at mine.

On my way to school this Election Day, there was coverage on the radio that as early as 6:30 a.m. there were lines forming outside polling stations. It was also reported that the stations were expecting long lines for voting all day.

I am glad that people were getting out to vote for the candidate that they feel is best equipped to handle the job.

It is our civic duty as citizens to vote and to not do so seems counterintuitive to the whole democratic process.

I am relieved that the election is over and I cannot wait until we as a population can move past this and all become friends again. @TheMerciad

There is a new toaster for the bagels in the Laker Inn. This allows students to get a healthy food option without spending an arm and a leg on a normal meal.

Amber Matha photo

Bad We have not yet been in school for 100 days this semester although it feels as if it has been closer to 300.

Weird Multiple corpses were found outside near the Briggs Annex and the Mercyhurst Prep baseball field. Thank you to the Intro to Forensic Science students for investigating these fake bodies.

The Merciad Editors Karah Hollis Catherine Rainey Caitlyn Lear Cheyanne Crum Diego Himede Jenny Sabliov Amber Matha Miranda L. Miller Chelsea Guida Victoria Kreysar Kristin Bowers

Positions @mercyhurst.edu Editor-in-Chief editormerciad Managing Editor managingmerciad News Editor newsmerciad Features Editor featuremerciad sportsmerciad Sports Editor A&E Editor entertainmentmerciad Opinion Editor opinionmerciad Copy Editor copymerciad Photo Editor photomerciad Ad Manager admerciad Adviser kbowers

The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst University. It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of finals weeks. Our office is in Hirt, Room 110. Our telephone number is (814) 824-2376.

The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the letters for content, we reserve the right to trim letters to fit. Letters are due Mondays by noon and may not be more than 300 words. Submit letters to box PH 485 or via email at opinionmerciad@mercyhurst. edu.

Write for The Merciad, email editormerciad@mercyhurst.edu

November 9, 2016

Page 7

The Merciad

Sports

Men’s soccer conquers Wrestling ranked No. 4 in national PSAC Championships preseason poll

By Marco Cicchino

By Bernard Garwig

A rush of excitement descended upon the Mercyhurst soccer field on Friday, as the Lakers were set to host the PSAC Championship men’s soccer for the second year in a row. After being stunned by Slippery Rock in last year’s semifinal, Nenad Vidaković’s boys were determined to run the table this time around.

This time, however, they were ultimately successful in their run to the tournament title, dispatching upsetminded Seton Hill on Friday morning and then taking a heart-pounding 2-1 score over rival Millersville on Sunday afternoon to secure their third PSAC title.

“I just really wanted to win this one for (my)self and the seniors,” said senior Mark Roche, tournament MVP. “It was heartbreaking last year when we lost in the semifinals, so it is just a great feeling to get the title back.”

Roche scored the championship-clinching goal in the 52nd minute on Saturday, converting a corner from Connor Wilkinson via a header past Marauder goalkeeper Darian McCauley.

The tally gave the Lakers a 2-0 lead that would be halved just 2:27 later with an unassisted chase from Devin Rediker, the ball played on the right side of midfield.

“It was tough. You know, we just had to dig in deep… and we knew (Vidaković) really wanted to win the title, so we just had to defend like

The National Wrestling Coaches Association ranked the Mercyhurst Lakers fourth in a preseason poll released on Oct. 28.

The poll showed how the top 25 schools were measured before the start of the regular season. Coming in at first, second and third place were St. Cloud State, Maryville and Pitt-Johnstown. St. Cloud State received a clear majority in the poll with 74 points, followed by Maryville with 50. Only three votes separated Pitt-Johnstown (43) and Mercyhurst (40).

Team Graduate Assistant August Mizia, a recent alumnus of Mercyhurst having graduating just last year, was available to weigh in on the ranking. He also has two brothers on the team, senior Francis Mizia and junior Paul Mizia.

“It’s status quo at this point,” said August Mizia.

“We’ve developed a culture here and an expectation of success … that is about what we expect, to be near the top.”

Last year, the Lakers finished fourth in the NCAA, outperforming all previous seasons under Head Coach Mike Wehler.

As coach, Wehler has racked up a record of 120-54-2, and has had 21 All-Americans on his squads since his start in 2007.

Mizia puts the high ranking all on the accomplishments of the program within the past few years. “We’ve got a few really old seasoned

Staff writer

Staff writer

Hurstathletics

Mercyhurst Lakers became the new PSAC champions last Sunday, when they defeated Millersville, 2-1.

“

It was tough. You know, we just had to dig in deep... and we knew (Vidakovic) really wanted to win the title...

Mark Roche

”

dogs, and that is exactly what we did,” said Roche, playing his final PSAC contest as a Laker. “We managed to run down the clock and get the win.”

The Lakers cracked the scoresheet just 4:54 into the contest when leading scorer Thom Derks took advantage of an unlucky bounce in front of McCauley from a Chris Lund shot in the box, causing a handball off the Marauders’ Tanner Brenize.

Derks immediately deposited the ensuing penalty shot in the top-left of the goal and startled McCauley for his 21st of the season.

“I just knew I had to score, and just (go) all for it,” Derks said.

They soon took advantage of three Marauder bookings—two in the first half just 11 minutes apart—and five offside calls on Steve Widdowson’s squad, along with stout defense against a flurry of 13 Marauder shots, seven of which came after the intermission. Three headers from Rediker in the first half were the result of several Marauder chances, but they failed to beat Brems. The Lakers responded with the first four shots of the second half, the final two of which were Wilkinson’s corner and the header from Roche that hit the twine to the left of McCauley through 5-on-4 traffic.

Two days earlier, the two squads reached the final after two completely different semifinals. The first matchup saw the Lakers come from behind and take down a pesky Seton Hill squad with a backand-forth 3-2 overtime decision on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, the Marauders exploded for six second-half goals in defeating second-seeded West Chester by a 6-1 margin, outshooting their eastern counterparts 20-12 and holding an 11-5 advantage in shots on goal.

On Monday, the Lakers and Golden Rams, despite their loss, secured at-large bids to the NCAA Division II tournament, the Rams’ first berth since 2002.

The 24th-ranked Lakers (15-4-1, 11-1) will square off in Urbana, Ohio, against the No. 15 Blue Knights this Sunday.

Urbana (13-4-1, 9-3 Mountain East), the third seed in the Atlantic Regional of Super Region 1, fell to Charleston (WV) 2-1 in the Mountain East final on Sunday, but will now host their first-ever NCAA tournament contest at UU Stadium.

@TheMerciad

vets, they‘re some of the best that have ever come through here,” Mizia said. Four Lakers were placed high in polls for specific weight classes. Senior Willie Bohince enters the 2016-17 season being ranked

by NCAA as second in the nation for the 125 lb. weight class, joined by Francis Mizia at third for 165 lb. and senior Dakota DesLauriers, who is ranked fourth in the 184 lb. weight class.

Senior Andy Welton also comes in at third in the heavyweight poll. All four have received All-American status in their careers, with Bohince being a three-timer in addition to being an NCAA DII Finalist.

August Mizia and Welton also were two-time All-Americans.

“Guys are starting to come into their own, we’ve got a lot of young guys this year. I think the guys are excited to get their hands on somebody in a different colored singlet,” Mizia said. There are 16 freshman coming out this year for the squad of 35.

“It is a good mix,” said August Mizia. “We have got established guys and then we have 4 to 5 young guys coming in here looking to really make their mark. It is an interesting dynamic because you have got the whole spectrum: freshmen to redshirt seniors.”

The Lakers hit the mats for the first time this season on Nov. 12 at the Mount Union Invitational in Alliance, Ohio.

@TheMerciad

Laker women’s hockey goes 1-1 against PSU Bernard Garwig Staff writer

On Nov. 4-5, the Mercyhurst women’s hockey team took to the ice against Penn State University Nittany Lions in the Mercyhurst Ice Center.

The two-game, two-day affair resulted in the two teams splitting the difference, with the Lakers taking the first game 6-4. The Nittany Lions were victorious in the second contest though, squeezing one goal in a 3-2 overtime win.

Game one saw the Lakers fall behind initially.

The Nittany Lions scored three straight goals within roughly the first 15 minutes.

The Lakers did not cave, however, and they managed to put in two goals of their own making it 3-2.

Senior forward Megan Whiddon scored the first goal with assistance from freshman forward Michele Robillard and junior forward Brooke

Hartwick.

The second was a goal by sophomore forward Rachel Smith, and was assisted by freshman forwards Sam Isbell and Maggie Knott.

A power play in the period tied the game with a goal by sophomore defenseman Sam Fieseler (assisted by forwards Isbell and sophomore Sarah Hine).

The next two goals would also be off of power plays.

The Nittany Lions scored the only goal of the second period, making it 4-3.

The Lakers then tied the game again 3:22 into the third period with a shot by senior forward Taylor Accursi (assisted by senior defenseman Jillian Skinner and Whiddon).

From here, the Lakers were able to put up two more goals to claim victory. Accursi scored again with an assist from Hine, and Hartwick got another off with 18 seconds left in the game to end it at

6-4.

In the next game, the first period went completely scoreless for the Lakers. The Nittany Lions scored their singular goal for the period within the last two minutes to take the lead.

The second period again saw the Nittany Lions score to make it 2-0.

The Lakers finally managed to score in the third with a goal at the 6:50 mark by Knott (assisted by Accursi and senior defenseman Horton).

To tie it up, Accursi got one in with just 1:21 left in regular play time off an assist by Skinner and Horton.

The shift in fortune meant that both teams were going to overtime as a result. Unfortunately, the Lakers’ shot at a win was ended with an early goal by the Nittany Lions just 31 seconds into the five-minute overtime period.

Speaking on the second game Accursi outlined the differences between the first and

Hurstathletics

Women’s ice hockey ties series against Pennsylvania State University at Mercyhurst Ice Center.

The Lakers won the first match, 6-4, and lost the second one, 3-2.

second games.

“We really had to focus on the little things,” she Accursi.

“We just had to play them tough. They are a really hard-

working team and that is just something that we as a team just need to be better at.”

The Lakers (2-7-1) take to the rink next on Friday at

home against Syracuse University (2-5-3). @TheMerciad

Let’s go Lakers!

Sport Women’s Basketball Women’s Ice Hockey Men’s Ice Hockey

Date Fri. 11 Sat. 12 Fri. 11 Sat. 12

Time 8 p.m.

5 p.m.

3 p.m.

2 p.m.

Fri. 11 Sat. 12

7:05 p.m.

7:05 p.m.

Page 8

November 9, 2016

The Merciad

Laker

Living

Miranda rants: Ants in my pants Miranda L. Miller Copy editor

This is a stressful time for many college students.

Papers are looming, projects are coming to a close and I know I haven’t talked enough about how terrifying grad school applications are yet. I relieve that stress by taking long, moonlit walks through the mall.

I can’t speak for men, as I do not shop for men’s clothes very often, but in women’s clothing stores, you can practically hear the hair being ripped out at the roots.

Women’s pants sizes are decided by voodoo. What do the numbers even mean?

A size 4 in one store could easily be a size 6 or a size 2 in other stores, and the numbers are not nearly as intuitive as men’s sizes. For a men’s pant size, you measure the waist and the inseam, and then wham, bam, thank you ma’am, you’ve got yourself their pants size! It doesn’t

change from store to store.

There’s no guesswork. You ask the guy what their measurements are and you get them their pants and life moves on.

I’m not sure if clothing manufacturers were concerned with a woman’s vanity when they chose to pick an arbitrary number to size their pants, but I know that I would forgo all vanity if it meant I could buy a pair of jeans without needing to call the firefighters to use the jaws of life on me to get me out of a poorly chosen size.

Sizing is something that every woman who buys clothes rather than a sewing machine has to contend with.

As many college students would agree, both leggings and sweatpants are acceptable forms of bottoms on campus, and I look to Victoria’s Secret PINK as the authority in style for both departments. In sweatpants, I am a size large, with a little room to spare for layering possibilities. Don’t lie,

you’ve put your pajama pants on under your sweatpants in the winter months. Their sweatpants are so comfortable and in styles and colors that almost let you forget that you’re a sloth. I assumed that their leggings were going to be the same deal: signed, sealed, delivered.

Well, you all know why they spell “assume” the way they do. I got the leggings home and was ecstatic to get on that comfy groove, so I popped the tags. That was mistake one. After five minutes of trying to slither into those things, I gave in. They were simply not going to fit. I could understand them being a touch snug, as the cut is completely different from a sweatpant cut, but being absolutely impossible to get into is ridiculous.

Mistake two was when I complained to my family.

They told me that PINK is for “tweens” and that I was not supposed to be wearing it anyway. I beg to differ.

There is an issue of

age-appropriateness. Many of their clothes have really suggestive phrases on them, like the Halloween merchandise this past season that declares that the wearer is “Here for the Boos.” If I, a 22-year-old female with an affinity for wine cocktails, wear that shirt, it is perfectly acceptable because I am of age. If a tween, meaning 12 or 13-year-old, were wearing that shirt, it is wildly inappropriate. They are nearly a decade too young to drink.

(In case you didn’t feel old yet today. You’re welcome.)

Realistically, I know that if I wanted to buy leggings, I could go to stores like Old Navy that sell them in many different sizes. What I’m angry about is the precedent that popular clothing store sets for women. I should not be surprised when clothes fit me from popular stores.

Game Zone

@TheMerciad

Way back When...

The Merciad presents articles from yesteryear in their original form, including headlines. This week, our blast from the past is from Thursday, April 28, 1988.

Dukakis brings education message to ’Hurst

By Matthew J. Clark Merciad Editor

Michael Dukakis brought his campaign for the Democratic nomination to Mercyhurst April 21, promising to put an end to federal spending cuts on education.

“The annual assault on Pell grants and loans must stop - and I will stop it,” Dukakis told a packed audience of about 500 at Zurn Recital Hall.

Dukakis said that before the Reagan administration took office, the Erie school district received about $4 million a year from the federal government and that that figure has dropped to $2.5 million.

Dukakis sees “college opportunity” as another key issue in the realm of educational excellence in America.

“No youngster who completes high school, is qualified to do college work, and is admitted to college should ever be denied that opportunity because of financial need.”

Dukakis said he has a plan that will allow for the funding necessary to see that economically disadvantaged young people can go to college.

“I’ll put team of the smartest investment bankers and college administrators in America to work helping states to create ‘college opportunity funds’ that will allow families to set aside enough today to meet the cost of college tuition in the future,” he said.

And how would these funds get the financing?

“We can develop an approach based on the same principles as Social Security that will keep faith with the next generation as well,” he said. “A program that would provide college loans to students who need them; to be repaid by those students through payroll withholding in future years.

“An ‘Education Security Fund’ that, once established, would be simple, self-supporting and self-financing, and would guarantee the financial integrity of our college loan program at the same time.”

“The next president must be our nation’s number one spokesman for educational opportunity and for good schools,” he said. “Not just for some, but for everyone.

Not just during election

years, but every year, every month, and every day.”

Dukakis said that the next president will have to focus first on the most important educational priorities. “And I believe the most important priority is teaching,” he said.

“We’ve got to take teaching an honored and valued profession once again.”

Dukakis said that, as president, he would work with Congress to create a National Teaching Excellence Fund which would be dedicated to good teaching, with a first year investment of a quarter of a billion dollars.

According to Dukakis, the fund would provide college scholarships and loan forgiveness for young people willing to make a commitment to teaching after they get their degrees.

He would also launch a new national teacher corps, “a domestic peace corps for teaching that can inspire a new generation of teachers directly out of our colleges and universities.”

He said he would also try to create field centers of teaching and learning for veteran teachers. According to Dukakis, this would enable teachers to take sabbaticals to do research in their fields, share ideas, etc.

Dukakis also wants to ask businesses to encourage selected employees to accept mid-career placements in the teaching profession for three to five years of service. He also wants to develop a national network of retired teachers willing to return to the classroom to provide specialized instruction, especially in math and science.

Finally, Dukakis wants to establish national standards of teacher competence, training and currency “that are as rigorous and demanding as the standards we set for doctors and our other top professions.”

“Our partnership will invest in good teachers,” he said. “It will invest in the teaching profession.

“It will help make certain that our children are given the learning and the knowledge they’ll need to enter the 21st century with 21st century skills. That will be the single most important goal of our partnership for educational excellence.”

“No issue, no concern, no institution has meant more to me or to my family than education.”