Features

NEW AT HURST

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By Victoria McGinty and Bella Lee Managing Editor, Staff writer

This year, Mercyhurst has welcomed many new faculty and staff members with open arms. This semester, the Merciad has introduced various new staff members and this week we welcome Seyma Inan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology.

Inan’s education has been extensive but rewarding. She received her bachelor’s from Eastern Michigan University with a major in psychology and two minors in social work and religion. Following her undergraduate years she began a doctoral program at Miami University in the area of Brain, Cognitive, and Developmental Psychology. Following her graduation in August of this year, she was welcomed to Mercyhurst.

Being a new professor at Mercyhurst has been a major highlight in Inan’s time here so far. “I always wanted to be a professor in a teaching institution and a small liberal art college type,” said Inan. “This is a wonderful fit for me to be a psychology professor. Teaching is my passion and I have learned tons from my students and my academic dream has been fulfilled right after I started my first official job here as a new assistant professor of psychology.”

Inan has known for some time that it was her goal to end up in a liberal arts institution. She grew inspired by the Liberal Arts curriculum during her third year of doctoral school while studying at Miami University. “I clearly started to see myself teaching at a small liberal arts school. It is just amazing to live my dream right now at Mercyhurst. I love my students and each individual makes me feel more compassionate towards their needs,” said Inan.

Inan has become quite comfortable on campus and has managed to make Hurst home. While she feels it is difficult to pinpoint one aspect she enjoys about the university Inan said, “the campus is very clean and very refreshing. I am looking forward to experiencing my first Erie winter.”

Outside of her work, Inan leads a very full life. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family– especially her three-year-old daughter. Additionally, Inan enjoys hiking camping and organizing book clubs over coffee. “It is always very exciting to discover new as places as well as face new cultures. I see my free time as a an effective break to become more motivated to teach,” said Inan.

With the recent retirements of Dr. Livosky and Professor Hoff, the students and faculty of the Psychology department are fortunate and grateful to have Inan. Whether it’s for your major or just for REACH, try to take a class with her sometime in the future or say hello to her if you happen to see her on campus.

Students promote knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement

By Victoria McGinty Managing editor

Mercyhurst offers a variety of academics that cater to students of all backgrounds.

The Mercyhurst Hagen B. History Department is just one of many the unique departments on campus. Like all of the academic concentrations, the History Department offers courses that focus on all facets of history.

From the Romans to the events of today, one is bound to find something interesting in the halls of Preston where the department is located.

This semester the department offered a Global Civil Rights Class.

Taught by Averill Earls, Ph.D., this course focused not only on the Civil Rights Movement, but also on Civil Rights across the globe. The Civil Rights Moment is prevalent now more than ever due to the presence of the Black Lives Matter Movement, which saw a peak last year across the world.

This semester the students of this Civil Rights course are now questioning “how much does Mercyhurst know about the Civil Rights Movement? Senior Public History major, Abby Cullen, and Junior Public History majors, Lily Smith and Bella Lee, have been seeking out to answer this question through their final project.

Currently, this group has dedicated their time towards the creation of a website to engage and educate Mercyhurst students on their prior knowledge as to what Civil Rights movement is as a whole.

The process of this project has impacted each member to various degrees.

“This project has been extremely gratifying for me. It’s so nice to know that a predominately white institution such as Mercyhurst has taken the time to address the Civil Rights Movement in so many ways” Smith said.

This project has taken the group quite some time and research, but the trio were up for the challenge.

Smith was tasked with sifting through the university’s Mericad archives, Lee contributed by researching the archives of the university, while Cullen aided in the organization process. Each individual who is working on this project is incredibly passionate about the Civil Rights Movement and what it stands for, and each of them feels this project has been a rewarding experience.

The website will be published soon for all to see. Once published it will be posted on the Hurst History social media pages.

Please consider viewing this project to learn more about Mercyhurst’s role in the movement. For more information on this project one can reach out to Lily Smith, Bella Lee or Abby Cullen.

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Left to Right: Lee, McGinty, Smith and Cullen the students working on this project

Karen Williams Memorial Scholarship winner

By Libby Bullinger Copy editor

This November, the Department of World Languages and Cultures announced Hanna Good as the 2021-2022 recipient of the Karen Williams Memorial Scholarship.

This scholarship was established to honor the late Mercyhurst Spanish professor, Karen C. Williams, who passed away of breast cancer in 2019. This scholarship consists of $1,000 divided equally between the fall and spring semesters.

Good is currently in her junior year at Mercyhurst majoring in Spanish Education with a minor in Teaching English Language Learners.

Good has a rather unique story regarding her path to becoming interested in and learning Spanish. The scholarship recipient comes from a family of Spanish speakers with her grandparents speaking primarily Spanish. Although her mother is Cuban, Good and her siblings never formally learned the language at home.

Good mentions that growing up, she went to weekly lunches at Panera with her mother and grandmother where they would converse in Spanish, inspiring Good’s interest in learning the language.

Although her grandparents are no longer living, Good acknowledges the inspiration they gave her to embrace and learn about her cultural roots.

This scholarship is open to students in their junior year pursuing a Spanish Education major, Spanish major, or Spanish minor who demonstrate academic excellence and commitment in their fields.

Students interested in the scholarship had to submit an unofficial transcript, resume and a cover letter introducing themselves and their future language goals.

In writing this cover letter, Good discussed how it was a good chance to reflect on her time learning Spanish.

Good reflects “in college, it is easy to get caught up in classes, so I am very happy that I had this time to reflect on my passion for Spanish.”

Alice Edwards, Ph.D., chair of the World Languages and Cultures department and professor of Spanish mentions that this year there were four candidates for the scholarship.

Hannah was chosen due to her “willingness to volunteer teaching Spanish to elementary students, intelligent and insightful contributions in class, and her openness to other cultures” Edwards said.

She also said that Good “models the same values that Professor William embodied,” and “reflects William’s life-long commitment to teaching Spanish and her love of diverse cultures,” which is essential given the nature of the scholarship. Good is also a Dean’s List recipient and a member of the varsity women’s water polo team.

Make sure to congratulate Good if you see her around campus.

RSCO FEATURE

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

By Zach Dumais Opinion editor

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Students involved at the Campus Involvement Fair.

One of the best things about being a student at Mercyhurst is the ability to join student clubs and organizations. There is no better week than finals week to discuss how to join student organizations as clubs are a great way to destress from the busy lives that we all live.

Student clubs allow people with similar interests to bond over activity in an informal setting where people can relax. There are clubs on campus that suit all different kinds of interests ranging from athletic teams to academic-focused organizations.

Student clubs need participation from students for one key reason: they are made up of students. Without students to run and participate in the club, there are no club at all. An added bonus of clubs and organizations are the skills/experiences that you will gain on the way. If you are involved in the club for a while, it is likely you will get the chance to have a leadership position if you would like one. This may be the first leadership position many people have ever had, so it is a necessary experience, plus it looks amazing on a resume.

The best and easiest way to join clubs is to attend the Campus Involvement Fair which is held at the beginning of each semester. You will likely hear more about this at the beginning of next semester. These are great opportunities because almost all of the clubs are there, and they can talk to you about what their club is. If you are interested, you are able to sign up right there and get added to the email list.

The Campus Involvement Fair is also great because you are able to meet new people that may be interested in similar things before the club even starts. Many clubs also have small gifts or food that they hand out in order to get you interested in attending their club events. These activity fairs are a great time and I highly recommend them in order to find ways to get involved on campus. Another great way to get involved on campus is to start your own club if you find that there is nothing that you particularly enjoy. If you find yourself wanting to do an activity that the school does not have, it is very likely that you will find other people on campus that are also interested. You also would be able to run the club the way that you wanted to if you were to start it. It may be more difficult as an underclassman if you are not as interested in your classes but paying attention to clubs/organizations in your major is another great way to get involved.

Overall, it is great to get involved on campus for a multitude of reasons and there are numerous ways to get involved. It is all about finding what you want to do at the end of the day and Mercyhurst provides many opportunities for just that.

Laker Side Hustle: ThroughGillsLens

By Eva Mihelich Staff writer

Gillian Mazur, senior graphic design major, has a photography side business where she pursues her passion for photography and also works on graphic design on the side. She offers paid services for clients for anything ranging from sports photo shoots to senior pictures to engagement and wedding pictures. She is a freelance artist, meaning that she will seize whatever opportunities come her way.

She does not draw her inspiration from anything specific. Rather, she likes to focus on what is happening in the world around her, making her a modern artist who creatively shares beauty in its true form.

Mazur started this business as a result of working with the Mercyhurst women’s soccer team in a managerial role. Coach Arlet, the women’s soccer coach, came to the realization that Gillian’s gift of capturing moments through her lens could be used for the benefit of both the soccer team and for Gillian’s pursuit of her passion.

“The field is where I’ve gotten to practice and somewhat perfect my photography skills over the past four years and where I realized I have a passion for sports photography. It has been a way for me to continue to be on the team without having to actually be on the field,” said Mazur.

So, how did Gillian Mazur get this hobby that has turned into a potential career path? What sparked the interest in this young entrepreneur? Mazur said that it is all thanks to a graduation gift from her parents.

As stated on her portfolio website, Mazur says that “although I am not studying photography in school, I have always loved it since I was little. I mainly shoot on my Cannon T6i which was gifted to me by my parents as my high school graduation present and has led me to see the world from a whole different perspective. Hence the name, ThroughGillsLens, as it is how I, Gill, see the beauty of the world and others around me through the lens of my camera.”

Photography is an art form that is spreading quickly due to the digital nature of today’s world. Mazur captures moments that are important to remember forever. She has taken pictures of engaged couples, newborn babies and other monumental events that have happened in her clients’ lives.

In addition to photography, Mazur also has an interest in graphic design that she has used to help many people. One of her favorite projects was working with another Mercyhurst University student, Lily Smith, in the development of her podcast. Mazur helped create the podcast cover for Smith, which she shared was a great experience for her since she got to use her hobby to help another person pursue her hobby.

If anyone wants to request a paid service from Mazur, she has a couple of options to contact her.

Mazur said, “If people want to contact me for paid jobs, there are multiple ways. For photography, I can be reached through my Photography account’s Instagram DMs (@throughgillslens) or via email (gillmazur08@ gmail.com). For design, people can reach me however they see fit on my personal accounts, email, text, etc.”

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, Hannah Brooks, at hbrook66@lakers.mercyhurst.edu for a chance to be featured.

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Senior Graphic Design major Gillian Mazur, owner of ThroughGillsLens

LAKER MOMENT

The holiday spirit has finally made its return to campus! With the end of the semester upon us, it’s hard to think about winter break and gearing up for holiday festivities. However, the university is once again dressed up for the season and is meant to be enjoyed. Be sure to take a walk near and around Old Main to see all of the elegant decors both inside and out. Don’t forget to take a walk around campus and enjoy the serenity of the campus. Stay warm and well Lakers!

HURST CLASS CATALOG

RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RELATIONS

By Sarah Beck Staff writer

Have you not yet filled your religious studies course requirement in the REACH curriculum? Look no further, RLST 255: Religious Perspectives on Human Relationships is the course for you. RLST 255 can be an elective study, REACH credit, or a class that goes towards religious studies major or minor.

This course considers many religious and philosophical perspectives, especially through human relationships. It explores various topics including fostering good relationships with others and its importance from a religious perspective. Enrolling in this class will provide you with the opportunity to dive deeper into concepts of love, friendship, marriage and sexual ethics. A large source of knowledge throughout the course comes from primary and secondary resources by Greek Jewish and Christian authors. There are additional readings from interpreted sacred texts, moral philosophies and current scientific sources that refer to the nature of human sexuality.

Dr. Richard McCarty, a Professor of Religious Studies, teaches RLST 255 and has been teaching at Mercyhurst University since 2008. McCarty said, “I came to Mercyhurst directly from my doctoral program at the University of Iowa, where I was also an instructor and teaching assistant.” When asked for his favorite part of RLST 255 McCarty said, “first and foremost my students. I chose to be a college professor because I want to work with adult students on difficult subjects. Having that opportunity at Mercyhurst University is a true gift.”

According to McCarty a typical RLST 255 class period includes a lecture and group discussion about the corresponding readings with the lecture. McCarty said, “this class is beneficial to university students because it explores deep questions about love, human relating, and issues of sexuality that are not often analyzed carefully in the public square. It also equips students with greater cultural competency with respect to issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice.”

This religious studies class is unique because it offers an intersection of many disciplines including history, religion and ethics when discussing human relationships and sexuality. RLST 255, unlike other religion courses, does not aim to teach people what to believe. Instead, it examines many different religious and psychological perspectives that give students the ability to build good relationships and think for themselves.

If you decide to take this class you will have the opportunity to engage in critical thinking and debate topics relating to relationships and sexual ethics from an interdisciplinary perspective. One of McCarty’s favorite parts of RLST 255 is the “semester-long project of examining millennium of history, diverse religious teachings, and contrasting moral arguments about highly contested issues. By the end of the semester, students can finally see why there are so many different views on human relationships and sexual ethics.”

RLST 255 gives students time to be educated on a wide variety of topics in relation to religion while gaining a sense of empowerment as they are able to name, identify and form individual stances on the array of topics covered throughout this course.

If this class sounds like something you would enjoy, make sure to look out for it when making your upcoming semester schedules.

Photo club calendar fundraiser

By Libby Bullinger Copy editor

Are you looking for a way to stay organized in the upcoming calendar year? Do you love supporting student clubs and organizations here at Mercyhurst? Do you enjoy the beautiful scenery of campus? If you answered yes to any of these questions, check out the Photo Club’s calendar fundraiser.

This upcoming Friday, Dec. 10 from 10-3, the Mercyhurst Photo Club will be selling photo calendars in the Zurn Hall lobby.

The theme of the calendars is Mercyhurst and it features January through December of 2022. Some of the photography featured is from other photo class projects, whereas other images were taken for this calendar specifically.

The calendar includes work by Photo club officers including club president, Victoria McGinty, co-vice presidents, Alex Simpson and Emmaline Devore, secretary, Rachael Dioguardi and treasurer, Jenna Lutz. There are additional photographers featured as well including Megan Grenz, Alec Bidwell, Leigh Ivory and Marc Klein.

In the back pages of the calendar after all of the months, each photographer that contributed was able to select a favorite photo they have taken to express their individuality and their work. These photos are not Mercyhurst specific and include a range of work from portraits to scene images. For this calendar specifically, the prompt that students worked with was viewing Mercyhurst from a different lens. As such, the photography featured in the Photo Club calendar provides unique imagery of Mercyhurst and the intricate details of the campus.

Senior dance major and photography minor Emmaline Devore talks about one of the images that she contributed to the calendar. “I took the photo that accompanies the month of July, which features a view of the Catherine Walker Reading Room in the library. In the reflection of the window you can see the American flag on the pole in the Old Main circle. The way that it is photographed makes it look like a filter, but in reality, that is just how the sunlight is reflected.”

Devore also photographed for the month of May, which is a photograph of the Mary statue in front of campus.

The production of the calendar was overseen by Gary Cardot, assistant professor of Art and advisor for the Photo Club.

This year, the club is also proud to announce a sponsorship by the Reverend Sylvester Jaworski fund, which is paying for the production of the first 200 calendars, meaning that the Photo Club will have the opportunity to collect even more profit for their fundraising.

Students interested in learning more about Photo Club can reach out to club president Victoria McGinty or the club’s advisor Professor Gary Cardot.

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The flyer for Photo Club’s calender sale occurring on Dec. 10

Senior Class Gift hosts Christmas Crawl

By Victoria McGinty Managing editor

This semester the Senior Class Gift Committee has been hard at work creating and fundraising for their class gift: the Patricia Jaskiewicz Scholarship.

On Dec. 1 the Senior Class Gift Committee hosted its annual Christmas Crawl. This event is for students 21 and older and takes students to multiple spots on campus with various alcoholic beverages.

This year the event was met with a great turnout and it was a tremendous success.

Senior Class Gift Committee president Rhyan Komsthoeft said “we [the committee] have been looking forward to this event. We knew it was going to be fun and we are very glad everyone enjoyed themselves.”

The crawl was hosted in the Waterford Room in Ryan Hall as well as the lobby of Old Main.

The crawl marked one of the last events for the Senior Class Gift Committee this semester. However, the committee is hard at work preparing for the Spring Semester and the events leading up to the presentation of the scholarship and graduation later this year.

For more information on the Senior Class Gift Committee, students can reach out to Rhyan Komsthoeft, Dominic Fucci, or Hannah O’ Brien. Be sure to look out for any upcoming events that the committee is hosting.

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Students enjoying the Christmas Crawl festivities on Dec. 1

Class creates trash babies

By Ashley Barletta News editor

The Reading Eco-Literature class has been working on an interesting and eye-catching endof-the-semester project.

The students have been collecting all sorts of trash to build sculptures of babies. These “trash babies” will be displayed in an outdoor location during the last week of classes. Each “baby” will be holding a sign pertaining to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The statements will have information regarding global warming, ocean acidification, the melting glaciers and permafrost, increasing precipitation and more.

Over the course of the semester, students have been reading poetry, fiction/nonfiction prose and fiction novels. All of the readings relate to the environmental crisis.

The class also discussed how ecocentrism, the belief that everything has ethical standing, is the most prominent perspective within ecocriticism.

Students in this class have been incredibly thrilled about this project and raising awareness for a critical subject.

The students’ “trash babies” are expected to bring lots of attention to the issue and act as an interesting display for the Mercyhurst community to view in passing.

It is the classes’ hope their creations will bring some awareness to topics such as climate change and environmental issues and remind students of its gravity.

Be sure to watch for them around campus and check out the “trash babies” to learn more about these issues.

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Eco-literature students working on their “trash babies.”

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The finished “trash baby” creations to raise awarness for climate change.

NEW FEATURES COLUMN COMING SOON!

The Features section is looking to publish a new section for the Spring

Semester to feature students who have unique stories, run a small business, or have a recent accomplishment worth mentioning. Staff and other students are encouraged to nominate prospective students by emailing the Merciad at merciad@mercyhurst.edu, or message @merciadmu on Instagram. Additionally, staff or students looking to nominate someone can reach out to the Merciad’s editor-in-chief Samantha Weber at sweber47@lakers.mercyhurst.edu

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

By Bella Lee Staff writer

Historical Event: December 5, 2013

Nelson Mandela died at the age of 95 after years of struggling with health issues. He was a South African activist who endured a 27-year prison stay and eventually became president of South Africa, working to finally end apartheid in the country. “Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father,” President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma said. “What made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves.”

Top 3 Songs This Week: According to Spotify’s Global Charts 1. abcdefu: GAYLE 2. STAY: Justin Bieber, Kid LAROI 3. Shivers: Ed Sheeran

On the Charts This Week 50 Years Ago: According to Billboards Charts 1. Family Affair: Sly & the Family Stone 2. Themes From Shaft: Isaac Hayes 3. Baby I’m- A Want You: Bread

Top Artists Today Male: Ed Sheeran Female: Taylor Swift

Top Artists Twenty Five Years Ago Male: Justin Timberlake Female: Whitney Houston

Top 3 Podcasts This Week According to Spotify: 1. The Joe Rogan Experience 2. The Always Sunny Podcast 3. Murder, Mystery, and Makeup

Top Grossing Films: This week: Encanto Twenty Five years ago: Independence Day

Top 3 TV Shows on Netflix This Week: 1. Arcane: League of Legends 2. Hellbound 3. Cowboy Bebop

Top 3 TV Shows 25 Years Ago 1. Fraiser 2. Babylon 5 3. The Drew Carey Show

In the News:

1. Beloved Composer and Lyricist Stephen Sondhiem Passes Away at 91.

2. A new strand of COVID called Omicron is beginning to spread worldwide

3. In California, voters could decide whether the state minimum wage goes up to $18 an hour