March 2 Issue of The Merciad

:Features On Page 3:

Arts & Entertainment On Page 4:

Sports On Page 7:

Mercyhurst gets

Martial Arts Club

Men’s hockey

jazzy at Tri-State

comes back with

sweeps weekend

Music Festival

a ‘kick’

The MERCIAD

Read more inside & online

Mercyhurst university

Est. 1929 Vol. 89 No. 15

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Mercyhurst men’s basketball team advances to semi-finals

Tuition goes up by 3.5 percent

By Sami Rapp Editor-in-chief

Casey Bleuel photo

Mercyhurst is raising tuition by 3.5 percent for the 20162017 academic year. This is the lowest tuition increase in more than a decade.

The new increase was approved by the Mercyhurst University Board of Trustees at the Feb. 20 board meeting.

This new increase will bring tuition and fees for undergraduates to $34,480.

In the past decade, tuition increase has averaged 5.8 percent.

Earlier this month, Mercyhurst became the first school in western Pennsylvania to partner with American Student Assistance to provide SALT, a financial literacy program, to its students.

Read an expanded story about the tuition increase in next week’s issue.

The Lakers’ 84-68 win over Clarion Tuesday night takes them to the next level of the PSAC tournament. Read the full story on page 7.

Candidates rally for votes in Mercyhurst Student Government presidential election

By Melanie Todd Staff writer

The presidential race has begun and voting opened Tuesday, March 1. Candidates Shannon Holley and Steven Martz seek to lead the student body in different ways.

Holley is a junior Music Education major and currently is the Mercyhurst Student Government public relations coordinator.

“This was a passion of mine in high school and I carried it over to college. I think I have good qualities and think and hope I can do a good job in that role. For the school and student body it is a very important role,” Holley said.

Martz is a sophomore Hospitality major and currently serves as a MSG Senator.

“I basically want to run because the school is going through a lot of changes and I want to bring a lot of changes to MSG. I want to give students their voice back,” Martz

Merciad Index News Features A&E Opinion Sports Laker Living

Jade Gelsimino photos

Junior Shannon Holley and sophomore Steven Martz both currently serve on Mercyhurst Student Government. One will become president of MSG for the 2016-2017 school year.

said.

Both have specific ideas

Chart Title

for what changes they would like to inspire in the school

should they be elected. Both candidates expressed interest

“I miss the high school feel of school spirit. It brings everything together. Creating that overall better spirit on campus as soon as students come on campus is very important,” Holley said.

Holley spoke of a feeling of separation amongst athletic students and non-athletic students as well as among different class levels.

Her ideas for rectifying this situation include designating student sections at athletic events, “dorm war” activities, implementing a freshman mentoring program and including upperclassmen in welcome week activities.

“The initial motivation is during welcome week and then continue the spirit by bringing everyone together for sporting events,” Holley said.

Martz spoke of wanting MSG to be more student oriented.

in getting the overall student body more involved.

(Continued on Page 2)

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MSG election to determine new student body president and VP (Continued from Page 1) His ideas include senators spending more time talking to students around campus and having more of a presence. He also wants to create a blog where he can answer particular student questions and serve as a direct liaison between the students and administrators.

“A lot of students are frustrated and feel like they don’t actually know what’s going on with all the changes. I want them [students] to feel welcome and come and voice their opinions,” Martz said.

Both candidates have many more ideas for the upcoming

March 2, 2016

The Merciad

Page 2

school year as well.

Holley looks to offer more online textbook resources, many of which offer free textbooks online, to cut down on the additional financial burden on students.

She would also like to expand the Student Advantage program that offers discounts to Mercyhurst students at local businesses.

Martz’s ideas include increasing sustainability efforts. His idea is to either add water bottle refilling stations on campus or simply adjust the existing water fountains so that a water bottle fits under them.

Additionally, he would like

Jade Gelsimino photo

Sam Lioi is the only student running for Vice President.

to further the Multicultural Activities Council by hosting

a fair and consulting with students of different nationalities for the events.

“We have a Mercyhurst culture. It’s everything that makes you, you. It would be nice to incorporate a multicultural fair and invite different groups to join,” Martz said.

Lastly, he would like to host a fair in awareness of mental health and show students that they are not alone.

Junior Intelligence Studies major Sam Lioi is running, uncontested, for MSG Vice President.

Staff writer Brittany Smyth also contributed to this article.

Merciad editor wins journalism award After submitting three articles to the 2016 Student Keystone Press Awards contest, sponsored by the Pennsylvania News Media Association, senior English and Communication major Ryan Kushner won second place in the editorial category.

Kushner will be honored at a luncheon on April 6 this year, during the America East Media Business and Technology Conference at The Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. The lunch is free, which is the primary reason Kushner is

considering attending the event.

Kushner has been a reporter for The Merciad since his sophomore year, working as a Features editor in his junior year. He currently serves as the newspaper’s Opinion editor.

Kushner submitted editorials that included articles critiquing Mercyhurst’s “Live on a bus, tuition’s on us” campaign, arguing for the renaming of Garvey Park, and a critique of the large, concrete arch on the side entrance of the Audrey Hirt Academic Center.

Career Development Center sees drop in engagement among upperclassmen

By Erin McGarrity Staff writer

The Career Development Center, or CDC, has been growing increasingly discouraged by the lack of engagement, particularly among seniors, in campus recruiting events.

The various services, from resume-building to interview coordination, that the CDC offers are free of charge for all students. The office also runs an online hub for career and internship management called CareerConnect. On this site, students can post their credentials and use the system’s advanced search capabilities to find the perfect positions for them.

The office hosts two mini career fairs during the fall semester, as well as various networking events through the academic year. In the past two weeks, the office has hosted two such events, and fewer than 10 students registered for each. The CDC is struggling to figure out why.

Frank Rizzone, associate director for the Career Development Center, suggests that students do not understand the role of the office. A common misconception, he says, is that employees of the CDC are there to get students

Contributed photo

Although the number of attendees was not outstanding, several students enjoyed mingling with alumni during the Career Development Center’s Career Networking Night.

jobs.

“I always like to say that the CDC is like a GPS system,” said Rizzone. “We point students in the directions they ought to go, but we can’t get behind the wheel and drive for them. It’s up to the students to knock on our door.”

The purpose for these CDChosted events is to connect

students with organizations in their desired fields. More often than not, the office also coordinates interviews for students when certain recruiters visit campus. All students need to do is sign up.

“We try our best to make it as simple as possible for students. However, there is little that we can feasibly do when

they don’t take the time to seek us out,” Rizzone said.

According to Rizzone, campus recruiting has changed over the years. More organizations are taking advantage of Skype and online interviews, and the number of recruiters coming to campus each year has decreased from nearly 100 to about 30. This makes

the need for students, especially seniors, to become more engaged in CDC events all the more important.

“A definite shift has taken place,” said Rizzone. “We do work with students all year long, but we don’t have anything that we do particularly differently with the senior class. If they haven’t come to

see us at all at this point in the year, it’s getting kind of late.”

Rizzone says he would love to see more faculty support the CDC’s job fairs by allowing students to miss classes to attend the events or offering extra credit for participation.

“The flip side of our frustration here is that there are so many students who come to us and say that they would have loved to have gone, but they weren’t able to get out of class, even for a little bit,” said Rizzone. “I would really like to see that change.”

Despite the low rate of engagement, the placement rate for seniors each year remains within 80 percent and 90 percent. This means that up to 90 percent of each senior class has either committed to a graduate school or received a job by their graduation date.

The CDC conducts a survey before the end of each year to learn what each senior’s post-graduation plan is.

The CDC’s next event will be the Career Fair, which the office holds every spring. It will take place on Thursday, April 7, in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center from noon to 4 p.m. The CDC recommends that students of all ages attend and, if possible, try to be there early.

Sustainability Committee develops new strategic plan

By Brittany Smyth Staff writer

The Sustainability Committee at Mercyhurst is creating a strategic plan to help improve environmental sustainability at the university to foster a healthier planet.

The committee recently had a meeting covering the strategic plans that it would like to implement into the school.

Around 15 staff members and students got together to speak about these plans on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

The meeting covered aspects such as, reducing and Jade Gelsimino photo monitoring electricity usage, geothermal savings, reduc- Chris Magoc, Ph.D. led the Sustainability Committee meeting to help increase Mercyhurst’s ing waste on campus, edu- efforts in going green. cate proper recycling and the effects that being sustainable ensure a habitable planet spread a campus-wide aware- ability Committee,” Magoc will have on the institution’s for our children and grand- ness of environmental stabil- said. return on investment. children,” Chris Magoc, ity.

The Sustainability CommitThe Sustainability Com- Ph.D., a history professor at Magoc helped create the tee is committed to educating mittee wants to, “reaffirm Mercyhurst, said.

Green Team with a couple of students and the community the Mercy Mission, attract Created in 2000 and origi- his colleagues. on how to live a more green students, save us money, cut nally called the Green Team, “In 2012 we changed the lifestyle. It has developed carbon emissions, and help the group was created to Green Team into the ‘Sustain- programs and projects to help

ensure a more sustainable future for Mercyhurst University while educating students and staff.

Lecturer of biology at Mercyhurst, Sarah Bennett, considered different opportunities for the growth of sustainability here at the institution.

“We have a commitment to push this forward and enough people on campus who are willing to do the work. There are a lot of things we can go without a lot of money and sometimes little money at all.

This will set us up for our future,” Bennett said.

The Benedictine Sisters are also joining this movement by making their office more sustainable. The main idea of becoming more sustainable is to reduce energy waste in order to generate revenue and savings.

After attending an event with the Green Building Alliance, an organization that wants, “the places where we live, work, learn, and play to

be healthy and high-performing,” Sustainability Committee members took the pledge to create green initiatives in the Erie community, starting with Mercyhurst University.

The meeting discussed where Mercyhurst is now with sustainability and what the institution can do to implement green initiatives to help reduce waste and save money.

The idea is to be mindful of what the school is doing.

Implementing green initiatives will bring a bright future to Mercyhurst by reducing costs.

Anyone interested in contributing ideas for strengthening the environmental performance of the university is asked to speak with the Sustainability Committee.

All are welcome to join the meetings.

If there any ideas for the Sustainability Committee on how to help Mercyhurst University, email Chris Magoc at cmagoc@mercyhurst.edu or Sarah Bennett at sbennett@ mercyhurst.edu.

March 2, 2016

Page 3

The Merciad

Features

Students revive martial arts club

By Trae Williams Staff writer

After about four years of inactivity, the martial arts club is making a comeback to Mercyhurst.

In 2012, the physical fitness and martial arts program instructor left Mercyhurst, leaving Martial Arts club members scrambling to fill in the void. For the next two years, the group attempted to get the club going to no avail.

Until this year, when senior finance major and new club president, Jacob Podyma and his fellow officers got together and formed the Mercyhurst Martial Arts Strength Conditioning and Fitness Club.

“Without my fellow officers, my VP and my secretary this truly would not have been possible,” Podyma said.

Podyma took Daliang Wang, Ph.D., Asian Cultures through Martial Arts class this past J-term, from which he found the inspiration to give the club a fresh start this spring term.

The new focus of the club will be to educate students on the discipline, while avoiding

Phuong Nguyen photo

Jacob Podyman performs a martial arts’ “kata” in the Walker Recital Hall. Through the martial arts club, Podyma hopes to teach students to become a better version of themselves.

any form of physical contact.

The club plans to invite local martial arts instructors, scholars and enthusiasts.

Senior intelligence major and local martial artist Dhedra Danudoro is one of the possible guests.

Danudoro has trained in the Muay Thai technique for six years. He believes his experiences as a martial artist has been beneficial to his life.

“It’s impacted me positively in so many ways, and I’m blessed to have picked it up

when I did,” Danudoro said.

Danudoro believes that martial arts training gave him an inner awakening.

“Physically, it has kept me healthy and fit, but aside from the physical aspect of it, I think the most important part

is helping me out in a mental and spiritual aspect. Fear and doubt is a big part of this sport, so it helped me become a more confident and disciplined person,” said Danudoro “I could’ve been in a much worse situation if it wasn’t for combat sport. It has become my moral compass. Respect, humility, temperance; I’ve learned all of that through my martial art experience.”

Both students agree that what martial arts does for body is worth the effort.

Podyma looks back to his early days as a student of martial arts to reflect on how much martial arts has helped him grow as a person.

“The motto for the dojo I went to was ‘Quietness and Confidence shall be my strength.’ And I think that’s what martial arts, to me, is really all about. I draw strength from knowing that even if you aren’t the biggest or strongest, you can still be strong and powerful,” Podyma said.

The club aims to live by their mission statement.

“The Mercyhurst Martial Arts Strength Conditioning,

Fitness Club aim is to incorporate the mind, body and soul into one with the aim to improve the health of students through martial arts. In addition, the club serves to educate students on various Martial Art styles,” Podyma said.

At the end of the year, Podyma wants everyone in the club to present on what they learned throughout the semester.

“At the end of the semester we plan to have a demonstration on what the club has learned as far as the physical movements, also called katas, along with the cultures, philosophies and languages surrounding each art that we will have studied,” Podyma said.

The club meets Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. in the second floor of the Student Union.

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Freshman gets early start as a teacher

By Brittany Smyth Staff writer

Sarah Gaczewski found her niche at the Neighborhood Art House. It started as her work-study assignment and has turned into so much more.

Now she teaches a class to refugee children about environmental awareness.

“To be helping the less fortunate have a better education is awesome. I have no words,” Gaczewski said.

Gaczewski is a freshman early childhood education major working with children from kindergarten to sixth grade.

She plans to make a fish tank for the classroom and

have everyone draw and color the fish of Lake Erie. For the older students she made a board game to teach them about environmental problems such as water pollution.

“You’d be very surprised, just the fact that they can change and impact the environment makes them so excited,” Gaczewski said.

They also do small projects out in the community. Currently, they are trying to help get products with microbeads off store shelves and encourage grocery stores to use paper bags instead of plastic.

“We go out and pick up litter. I teach them how it’s bad for the environment and kills the animals. You’d never think kids would like pick-

ing up trash, but they love it because they know they are making a difference,” Gaczewski said.

Gaczewski is very thankful for the opportunity to already be in the classroom teaching and gaining experience with all grade levels.

“I actually requested to work at the bookstore, but I was assigned to Bethany Brun in service learning. I was only there about three months and she asked me to teach this class. I love my job,” Gaczewski said.

Gaczewski said she cannot think of a time when she did not want to be in the classroom teaching. From childhood education had always been her passion.

“You know how when you’re younger you always dream of being a teacher, then most kids change their mind and want to be a veterinarian or something? Well, I never switched,” Gaczewski said.

Going out into the community is another thing that Gaczewski loves about her job, despite the troubles Erie winter can bring with her afternoon commute.

“When you love your job, you must go, unless it’s closed.

If it’s snowing I’m still there.

I’m very dedicated and I love my job,” Gaczewski said.

Contributed photo

@TheMerciad

As an early education major, Sarah Gaczewski teaches innercity elementary school kids to take care of the environment.

Beautiful People seize the night LAKER MOMENT

By Emani Burton Staff writer

On Friday, Feb. 26, the Multicultural Activities Council, Student Activities Council and Black Students for Unity collaborated to celebrate the end of Black History Month with the Beautiful People cultural celebration.

Billed as a “celebration of beauty in black arts,” the Student Union was filled with more than 150 students throughout a two-hour program. Not limited to students of African heritage, a diverse selection of attendees represented Mercyhurst’s student body.

An open mic began the event with spoken word artists, singers and dancers celebrating African American history and their artistic expressions.

Transitioning into the second half, MC and student organizer Jonah Jackson, reminded attendees of the foundation of modern black society.

“Let’s not forget about African American history, which has deep roots in African culture,” Jackson said.

Premier drummer of the Erie African Drum Circle, Lynn Johnson and his fellow

musicians performed during the night.

After modest beginnings in a coffee shop, the Drum Circle now performs around the Great Lakes region, making frequent visits to universities in the area.

Their appearance at Beautiful People marks the group’s second visit to Mercyhurst.

“I’m so glad to see many young people tonight. It’s real good to see everyone and it’s an encouragement to our future that the young people want to learn new cultures,” Johnson said.

Drum Circle musicians shared their drums with attendees. Students, faculty and even the Sisters of Mercy formed a circle and followed the lead of Johnson, who briefly walked around inciting drum battles with students.

For those who were not given drums, space was opened for dancing.

“These rhythms are found in jazz, blues, hip-hop and country,” Johnson said.

Johnson took the opportunity to talk about recent events in politics.

“We have to protect our future and our cultures, we have to be unified, which means we can’t elect leaders like Donald Trump,” Johnson said.

Director of Multicultural

By Margaret Urso

Contributed photo

Jonah Jackson took the opportunity to remind students about the importance that African culture plays in modern society.

Affairs Pertrina Marrero oversaw the details of the event.

She believes Johnson’s call for unity echoed the sentiment MAC, SAC and BSU tried to convey throughout the evening.

“It was a success. We really wanted to educate students about different cultures and celebrate the relationship between African traditions and modern African American culture.”

She did not endorse the political remarks of Johnson, but admitted that political movements have been integral to African American culture.

“Freedom of expression

is tonight’s theme. Tonight’s purpose is to showcase Mercyhurst’s unity and we did that,” Marrero said.

Students learned more about black culture at themed stations after the drum performance. The stations educated students about the African language of Swahili, stencil artwork, black history trivia and a game station featuring the spades and Mancala were available. Winners of the games were provided with raffle tickets for top prizes, including African American movies, CDs and a drum from the drum circle’s collection.

Margaret Urso photo

Junior Social Work major Nicole Ceranci, sophomore Public Health major Sarah Brennan, sophomore Hospitality major Vanessa Steele, freshman undeclared Aurelia Pleyer, freshman Studio Art major Rachael Stump and senior Art Therapy major Katie Porter work on a coil project of geometric shapes for their Ceramics I class.

With midterms around the corner, various students are spending late nights working on projects and growing grey hair.

March 2, 2016

The Merciad

Arts &

Entertainment

Recital features classical era pieces

By Jenny Sabliov

Arts and Entertainment editor

Nathan Hess, D.M.A., will perform a recital on Thursday, March 3, at 8 p.m. in the Walker Recital Hall. The concert will feature works by Mozart, Schubert and Haydn.

Hess is the chair of the Music Department and assistant professor of Piano at Mercyhurst University.

He will perform two solo works, “Fantasie in C Major, H. XVII/4” by Haydn and “Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 333” by Mozart.

Hess, together with the Rev. Sean Duggan, who is associate professor of Piano at SUNY Fredonia, will perform two pieces written for four hands.

The pieces they are playing together are “Sonata in D Major, K. 381” by Mozart and “Fantasie in F Minor, D. 940”

by Schubert.

Duggan, OSB, pianist, is a monk of St. Joseph Abbey in Covington, LA. He has a special affinity for the music of Bach.

In 2000, he performed the complete cycle of Bach’s keyboard works eight times in various American and European cities.

For seven years he hosted a

weekly program on the New Orleans NPR station titled “Bach on Sunday.”

He is currently in the process of recording the complete list of Bach’s piano music which will comprise 24 CDs. He received his music degrees from Loyola University in New Orleans and Carnegie Mellon University and received a master’s degree in theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.

Hess has been playing the piano for the majority of his life.

He almost went into the medical field as a career choice because he enjoyed biology; however, once he built up his confidence in his piano skills during his senior year of high Jenny Sabliov school, he decided that buildNathan Hess, D.M.A, chair of the Music Department, preparing ing and honing his skill on the piano was worth the time and for his recital on March 3 at 8 p.m. effort to create and enjoy a music performer is something Hess’s mother to play, who in successful career in music.

He said he could not see that only a very small percent- turn wanted her children to himself having a career out- age of musicians achieve. have that opportunity.

“Thankfully I love teaching side of music since that is Compared to his siblings, and combine that with per- Hess happened to take to the where his passion lies.

“I enjoyed it and stuck with forming in the university set- piano the most. His playing it; I worked hard and enjoyed ting,” Hess said. progressed rapidly, and he was His mother encouraged him successful in several competithe process. One needs all of these things to make a career and his siblings to play the tions. out of music, especially in piano at a very young age.

He wanted to be a university Hess’s grandmother was a piano professor ever since he today’s world. To make your career solely as a classical piano teacher and she taught decided to pursue a career in

By Rachel Sobina Staff writer

Margaret Urso

The Mercyhurst University Jazz ensemble performing at the Prism concert during Tri-State festival.

Mercyhurst? More like jazzyhurst Staff writer

Online

Mercyhurst University students put on a concert last Friday evening as a part of the Tri-State Music Festival.

The wind ensemble played the first three pieces. The first piece, “Arabesque,” by Samuel Hazo reminded me of Aladdin and I felt that there should have been a snake in a bag rising up, charmed and dancing to the music.

I, in my never-ending musical ignorance, learned that the audience is supposed to applaud for the conductor when they come out before every piece.

The second piece, especially the triangle player, inspired my inner musician to desire to learn the art of that instrument.

“Transcendent Journey” was delivered as a “film score” style piece.

It opened with a very loud cymbal clash. If I was not awake before that, I was jarred

awake by that.

Listening to it made my mind wander to Star Wars, which was pretty interesting.

After this were three solo pieces and I was pleasantly surprised to see Nathan Hess, D.M.A. as an accompanist to two of the solos.

The crew got a little excited and the curtain rose before flute player, Jennie Cross, played her solo.

Based on the reactions of the high school students around me, her piece was the all-time favorite. It was amazing how she was able to emulate the train sounds through her flute.

Jazz ensemble opened after Cross’s performance with “Le Boulevard St. Germain.”

A friend of mine, Christian Gamboa, had a solo in this piece which was super exciting.

It was even more impressive, as Scott Meier, Ph.D., pointed out after the piece, that Gamboa was a non-music major.

I was the lone person who

Full list of events can be found on the PAC website

fairly short work.

As for the Mozart Sonata, the first movement is written in traditional Sonata Allegro form with the standard exposition, development and recapitulation.

In the second movement, the Andante cantabile sounds like it is an aria from one of his operas, and it is a very beautiful movement with daring harmonies.

The third movement, Allegretto grazioso, is very lighthearted and very dance-like with a concerto influence found at the very end of the movement.

Mozart inserts a cadenza, which is a separate section having a very improvisational character.

This is odd considering it is already a solo piece. It sounds like it was made up on the spot, however, he actually notated it into the piece.

The end of the cadenza flows seamlessly back into the last statement of the theme.

This cadenza is one of the main reasons why Hess loves this piece so much and why he has chosen to perform it.

The recital is free and open to the public and is not one to miss, so come and enjoy a recital that is comprised of classical era pieces.

Klezmer journey time

REVIEW

By Amber Matha

music, so he set his goals early and worked hard towards achieving those goals through the completion of his masters and doctoral degrees.

“I decided to become a professor because I was inspired by my own professors in undergraduate and graduate school. They were such wonderful role models,” said Hess.

“I enjoy the process of working through pianistic obstacles with students.

I enjoy watching a student progress over four years, to the point where they become self-sufficient and can figure things out by themselves by the time they’ve graduated.”

Among the reasons he chose to work at Mercyhurst are because he loves the small department setting and the opportunities to mentor students.

A few of Hess’s future goals include recording a solo CD in the near future, continuing to hone and refine his teaching and expanding his solo repertoire to include more living American composers’ works.

Hess chose this program because these are a few of his favorite pieces by some of his favorite classical composers: Haydn, Mozart and Schubert.

The Haydn piece is the opener for the recital and is a

cheered at this comment which was mildly awkward.

“Come Fly With Me,” a play on the Frank Sinatra song of the same title was interesting.

However, I am one of the uncultured Americans who has never listened to his music, so I did not enjoy it to the full extent.

“Happy Eyes,” by Leslie Drayton featured my buddy Gamboa, again.

Seeing a friend play an instrument so well made me jealous that I cannot play an instrument myself.

The last piece was supposed to be a kind of inside joke for people in music. It was called “Another Look at the Diminished Chord.”

“No matter how you look at a diminished chord, it is still a diminished chord,” Meier said to the audience as he introduced the piece. The joke was completely lost on me.

I’ll have to ask someone more musically inclined to explain it to me.

The Tartan, Baroque & Klezmer, featuring FleytMuzik concert features six musicians and their director who will take you on a journey through musical history.

It is based on the belief that the klezmer or “professional” traveled throughout the land, stealing and adapting musical tunes from Romani.

This musical mystery has since been passed through generations, each time having new pieces added to it. Some of the instruments that will be used during the performance include the classic flute, fiddle and bass.

There will also be various instruments such as the cimbalom and gamba, which are both large, string instruments.

The music will include music

from the klezmer tradition— an Eastern European style of Jewish folk music, with influences as wide ranging as Arabic and Scottish music.

The concert will also include music from standard Baroque period composers.

The program is described as “Interwoven fabrics of Jewish itinerant musicians, from Slovakia to Scotland and beyond.”

The concert will take place for free in Walker Recital Hall on Monday, March 7, at 8 p.m.

Albert Glinsky, Ph.D., also stated that “we are thrilled to be presenting FleytMuzik, an ensemble of high level musicians, who will be bringing a unique set of instruments, and a rarely heard style of music, to our campus.”

The concert should provide a fascinating glimpse into the music of another time and another culture.”

The masterclass following the performance is a coaching session by a professional musician working with a student musician, which can be observed by an audience.

FleytMusik, will coach D’Angelo Department of Music students in learning some new tunes in the Klezmer tradition and performing them with FleytMuzik live.

The musicians from Tartan, Baroque and Klezmer will be in the Walker Recital Hall to give a lesson on how some of the instruments work, some of their practice routines and any other questions the audience may want to know related to their repertoire.

All are welcome, so come observe this masterclass on Tuesday, March 8, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

PAC to live-screen love-charged opera

By Mackenzie Burns Staff writer

“Manon Lescaut” is making its way to Mercyhurst University all the way from the Metropolitan.

The greatest work of composer Giacomo Puccini will be screened live in high definition in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center on Saturday, March 5, beginning at 1 p.m.

Its three-hour runtime, filled with obsession, love, emotion and flowing melody is sure to deliver.

Kristine Opolais, soprano, takes on the leading role where she transforms into a promiscuous young woman.

Her co-star, Roberto Alagna, will be singing as Des Grieux, a handsome student who desperately seeks his love

View upcoming performances: www.miac.mercyhurst.edu

interest, Manon Lescaut. Massimo Cavalletti and Brindley Sherratt will also be starring in the performance.

The first three acts of the opera depict several towns of France in the early 1700s.

The fourth act fast-forwards over 200 years to the 1940s and leaves viewers in the New World.

While “Manon Lescaut” is absolutely a romance, it is also a coming-of-age story. By the fourth act, the title character has developed from an unhappy child into an adult faced with death.

Music plays a vital role in progressing the action of the opera.

The orchestra is responsible for making the love duet of the second act one of the most erotic in all of opera.

Puccini created this opera based on his inspiration from

German composer, Wilhelm Richard Wagner.

Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi will lead the fantastic orchestra in creating the breathtaking scores, including “In quelle trine morbide” and “Sola, perduta, abbandonata.”

All are encouraged to attend.

Tickets for children 12 years and under may be purchased for $10, seniors for $15 and adult tickets for $18.

Mercyhurst students can purchase discounted tickets for $7.50 with their student I.D. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to travel back in time and envelope yourself in the beautiful French culture.

March 2, 2016

Opinion

Student discusses ideal Springfest experience

By Cheyanne Crum Staff writer

When first hearing about Springfest last year as a freshman, I was super excited.

Everyone made it sound like it was this big party in between classes with this awesome concert at the end of the night.

I was slightly disappointed when the day I had been waiting for finally arrived and I discovered it looked just like every other outdoor event Mercyhurst holds throughout the year.

I was even more disappointed a few months before-

hand when they announced the artist that would be performing at the concert.

There is a budget that comes with these things of course, but it seems as though the campus is not sure where to allocate those funds to get the most for their money.

Those awkward yard games that families play at reunions are not exactly what I was expecting when I left my dorm excited for the day.

Now, of course there were cool activities like one henna artist, yes one, for the whole school and music playing and food, making the campus smell amazing. But these things just did not add up to the hype. It just reminded me of all the Friday night events.

My ideal Springfest would, first of all, have Maroon 5 as the headliner (yes, wishful thinking, I know), but who does not like Maroon 5?

But realistically, there are a lot of bands that come in the same price range as T-pain ($35,000 to $45,000), such as Andy Grammer, Plain WhiteT’s, All Time Low, and various country singers like Craig Morgan and Diamond Rio. There are so many great bands that have prices even less than that. We the Kings are $15,000 to $25,000.

Classes should be canceled for the day, making it easier for students to enjoy what is going on, not making them listen to the fun while sitting in a stuffy classroom.

Now that we have seen President Victor’s ’Hurst Day, how can we go back to having the sad affair that was Springfest? I want all the tents with different food and some bouncy houses. There should be games and contests and all sorts of activities throughout the day.

Now that the bomb has been dropped about Daya and MTKO performing at Springfest, I cannot wait to see the reactions of my classmates.

I personally am okay with the choice in music, I just hope there will be changes to the rest of the day.

@TheMerciad

Considering the Oscars: Blacks underrepresented in Hollywood

By Trae Williams Staff writer

On Feb. 28, 2016, at 8:30 p.m., the 88th Academy Awards commenced and I was certainly not tuned in.

I was not one of the many blacks boycotting the event because of lack of representation. I just quite frankly had better things to do. I’m going to get straight to the point: Blacks are poorly represented in Hollywood. Can people really argue this? Keep reading and we shall see.

The presence of blacks in major roles has been a conversation since Mammy, thehouse servant in “Gone with the Wind,” to Octavia Spencer in “The Help.”

People, how many times are blacks going to be limited to playing servants or the token black guy who says a funny line here or there?

Many of the roles for blacks

are demeaning, but they are so determined to make a name for themselves and represent their community they did what they had to do. Sidney Poitier and Hattie McDaniel paved the way for other black actors and actresses. At this point most people 20 and under are like, “who is Sidney Poitier and who the hell is Hattie McDaniel?” This is a good time to use Google then continue reading this article.

You’re almost done, you silly fellow Millennials.

Yes, the representation is messed up, but what’s up with the lack of nominations at the Oscars you ask…It’s the voters. Voters for Oscars tend to be old white guys… that wasn’t a joke. I’m serious. It’s called The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, which basically is a group of 7,000 plus accomplished filmmakers and previous winners/nominees. Why are the voters “old?” Because previously, membership did not expire… ever. So even if you were no longer active in

Staff writer

It was recently announced that the Class of 2016 would be leaving behind an anchor as their class gift, costing about $10,000. I don’t know about the rest of the school, but that is more money than I could even dream of having at one time in this point of my life.

It seems like a waste of money to buy yet another piece of “art” that sits on campus and goes unused.

Unless this anchor is going to be functional, just in case we have another water line burst and find ourselves in need of

dropping anchor to keep the campus from floating into 38th Street.

Past class gifts have included the clock in Garvey Park, the bell also in Garvey Park and a lot of benches.

The class of 2014 donated the group study space in the library and the student section on Tullio Field, while the class of 2015 donated the concession stand. Both of these are beneficial to the students in some way.

If I was in charge of choosing the senior class gift, I would want to follow in my predecessors’ footsteps and choose something along those lines.

Some ideas I have come up with include buying the charging stations that were

Mercyhurst’s campus ministry brought back Catholic devotions this term, held every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. in Christ the King Chapel.

As the mounds of snow began to melt away this week, Maintenance was seen working hard to fill in holes left around campus parking lots.

The Internet approved as Leonardo DiCaprio picked up his first Academy Award for Best Actor on Sunday, Feb. 28. #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain

Bad Several students have been complaining about the presence of mold in apartments.

Tuition is set to increase 3.5 percent next term. A Mercyhurst education, along with room and board, will now cost nearly $50K a year.

nydailynews.com

Hattie McDaniel (right) performs as “Mammy” in “Gone with the Wind” alongside Vivien Leigh in 1939.

the industry and you were 100 years old, you still had a vote.

But last month the academy adjusted the requirements to address the lack of diversity in the 2016 Oscar nominees.

Now, to have a vote, members have to be active within the last 10 years or they will be stripped of their voting status.

The changes in these rules were needed and just goes to show that having a voice really can make a difference.

So what now? Is the portrayal of blacks as servants or

in rags to riches stories such a bad thing? Maybe. Could it spread and build upon prejudices? Possibly. Are blacks and other minorities undervalued in Hollywood? Yes, don’t argue that one. However, as the great Hattie McDaniel famously said, “I would rather play a maid in the movies than be one.” Take that into account on your next casting call. @TheMerciad

Senior Class ‘anchor’ gift idea sinks

By Cheyanne Crum

Good

Weird

originally proposed, because they would be something students could use if they were placed correctly.

Other colleges have hydration stations within their buildings which are water fountains that have a water bottle filling add-on that also filters the water for you, which we could definitely use in Erie.

Who decided to buy an anchor? I know we are the Lakers but the campus is solidly held down by all the snow, without the need to be literally anchored.

When walking around the campus as a prospective student, everyone is too overtaken by the beauty of the campus and overwhelmed by the idea of coming to college to notice that although the

@TheMerciad

www.merciad.mercyhurst.edu/ arts_entertainment

Page 5

The Merciad

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.

Online

Page 4

Read more at

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campus is very aesthetically pleasing, it is not what I would call “student friendly.”

It is almost not until sophomore year that students begin to realize that the campus does not have much in the way of “hang outs.” This money the senior class gift committee is raising should be put towards changing that. Just do something important with it.

I would think that a senior gift is not only about thanking the school but also to leave something that your underclassmat(ies) would be able to use. Well, unless the Sisters are trying to bring all the Lakers back to Ireland on our floating campus boat. @TheMerciad

Several political books were lined up outside of offices in Preston Tuesday evening, possibly in an organized protest of the scary 2016 presidential race.

The Merciad Editors Sami Rapp Karah Hollis Catherine Rainey Jose Nufio Carly Contraguerro Jenny Sabliov Ryan Kushner Miranda L. Miller Margaret Urso Victoria Kreysar Bill Welch

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

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March 2, 2016

The Merciad

Sports Men’s hockey earns home ice

By Haleigh Giebel Staff writer

The Mercyhurst men’s hockey team swept the weekend home series against RIT to pick up four huge conference points and lock in home ice advantage for the AHA Quarterfinals.

Coming into the weekend, the Lakers were sitting in fifth place with 30 points, while the Tigers were sitting in fourth place with 33 points.

The top four teams get a bye and host the Quarterfinals during playoffs.

“We need all four points this weekend and we have our work cut out for us,” said Head Coach Rick Gotkin. “I am confident that if we play as well as we can and get a little puck luck, you never know what will happen.”

During Friday night’s game, RIT struck first to give them an early 1-0 lead.

At 11:54, sophomore Jonathan Charbonneau tied the game at one with a goal from freshman Lester Lancaster and Taylor Best.

During the second period RIT scored the go-ahead goal just 53 seconds in.

The Lakers then scored two

goals to take their first lead of the game.

The first of the two goals came from Best. Freshman Matthew Whittaker and sophomore Michael Verboom grabbed the assists on the tying goal.

Whittaker scored the go-ahead goal when he found the back of the net at 11:51 in the second period. Sophomore Patrick Piacentini and freshman Jeremy Wu picked up the assists on Whittaker’s goal.

During the third period, RIT tied the game back up at three, but it was not enough.

The Lakers received a five on three power play chance and never looked back. Lancaster fired the puck from the top of the face-off circle to find the back of the net and gave the Lakers their 4-3 win.

Whittaker and redshirt sophomore Jack Riley had the assists on the game-winning goal.

“Going in there on Friday and beating a really good RIT team really gave us confidence coming into Saturday’s game,” Gotkin said.

During Saturday night’s game the Lakers took a 2-0 lead into the second period.

They got a power play chance early on in the first

Staff writer

After sizzling through the second half of the season, the Mercyhurst women’s hockey team wrapped up their 16th consecutive regular-season conference title with a draw against Penn State on Feb. 20 in the tightest College Hockey America race the conference has seen since its start in 2002.

The Lakers now head to the Harbor Center in Buffalo, N.Y. on Friday, March 4, seeking their first conference tournament title in three years during the semifinal game against No. 4 seed Robert Morris. The winner of the Mercyhurst vs. RMU game will face the winner of the later semifinal between No. 2 seed Syracuse and No. 3 seed Penn State.

The Lakers head into the conference tournament as the top overall seed after winning four straight games and posting a 6-3-1 mark over their final ten games. A weekend series with Penn State over Feb. 19-20 was necessary to

claim the crown for themselves after Syracuse outscored Lindenwood 8-1.

The Lakers hold a +21 scoring margin this season, including a 36-17 advantage in 2016.

Sophomore Sarah Robello attributes it to chemistry in the line configurations.

“Chemistry off the ice leads to chemistry on the ice, and everyone’s getting along. The freshmen got going pretty good, so everyone came in in good shape. I think it was just finding a good groove and seeing what works with what,” Robello said.

One of those freshmen is Rachael Smith, who is one of five former Stoney Creek, Ontario Jr. Sabres on the roster. Smith leads the team with 15 assists and 25 points, tied for ninth and tenth in the league, respectively.

She is second on the team to senior Jenna Dingledein with 10 goals, and scored in three straight games at the beginning of February. Smith is a prime candidate for CHA Rookie of the Year after taking home monthly honors in October.

Contributing writer

Casey Bleuel photo

It was a battle on the ice as both teams were playing to host the quarterfinals game. RIT played a rough game, but Mercyhurst was victorious with a 3-2 win. On Friday, March 11-13, Mercyhurst and RIT will meet again for another intense match-up.

period and Lancaster ripped it home to start off the scoring. Best and freshman Derek Barach picked up the assists on the power play goal.

Sophomore Jonathan Charbonneau found the back of the net at 16:55 and gave the Lakers their 2-0 lead.

RIT scored the only goal of the second period to bring them within one.

During the third period Verboom passed the puck to Whittaker in front of the net. He flipped it above RIT’s goaltender to put the Lakers back up by two. Best recorded

the other assist on the goal.

RIT scored once more, but the Lakers held on and finished the sweep to secure home ice for the AHA Quarterfinals.

“It will be nice to be here in Erie, but we know it’s not going to be an easy weekend,”

Gotkin said.

For the AHA Quarterfinals, the Lakers will host RIT at the MIC on Friday, March 11, Saturday, March 12, and if needed Sunday, March 13. All games will start at 7:05 p.m. @TheMerciad

On the other side of the puck, the Lakers have allowed three goals in a single game just once since a 4-all draw with Robert Morris on Dec. 5, and are holding opponents to an average of exactly two goals per game while scoring 2.6 and hold a +11 second-period scoring margin.

Yet the two seeds directly below the Lakers have higher scoring. Robert Morris is leading the conference with 106 goals including eight in the RIT series, and Syracuse is directly behind them with 90.

The Orange earned a firstround bye as the conference’s No. 2 seed. The Lakers made up for it with the league’s stingiest defense at 61 goals allowed and a 1.88 goalsagainst average, second only to Penn State in the latter category.

“When we work hard and play our systems like we’re supposed to, we’re successful,” said freshman forward Morgan Stacey. “Syracuse has a very good power play, so we’re just going to have to be mentally prepared and know what their plan is going into

the game, and as long as we work hard and outwork them, we’ll be successful.”

Other Lakers to watch out for include captain and Bill Smith Award winner Emily Janiga (10-10-20), forward Brooke Hartwick (9-8-17), and freshman defenseman Molly Blasen (ninth among league defensemen with 13 points).

The semifinalists in the conference tournament are indeed four of the league’s top five clubs with a combined 343 goals and 2.01 GAA. The Colonials, despite leading the way with a 2.86 scoring average, posted a 3-8-1 finish to the regular season starting with a weekend series at fourth ranked Quinnipiac over Jan. 15-16, falling 3-2 on Friday and 2-0 on Saturday to start their tailspin.

The Colonials were uncharacteristically held to 24 goals over that 12-game stretch— eight of them coming in a home sweep of Lindenwood at the end of January—and were shut out twice. They had a chance to take back control, but were outscored 10-3 by

the Lakers over the weekend of Feb. 5-6 and fell victim to backup goalkeeper Jessica Convery’s first career shutout, stopping all 31 Colonial shots.

Combined with the recent play of the Lakers and Syracuse, the Colonials fell to the No. 4 seed in the conference and had to fend off Lindenwood last week. After falling in overtime on Friday, Feb. 26, the Colonials outscored the Lady Lions, 8-2, over the final two games to take some positive energy into Buffalo.

Forward Sarah Quaranta, another Rookie of the Year candidate and fellow Jr. Sabres, leads all freshmen and is tied for fifth overall with 19 assists and sits just one point behind Smith. Friday’s semifinal will be a major factor into that race with Sarah McDonnell in goal for the Lakers, holding opponents to the tune of a 1.54 GAA and .925 save percentage, respectively second and third in the conference.

“All of our goalies have been really big for us,” said Stacey.

“Obviously Mac’s [McDonnell] been playing really well,

and Jessica Convery stepped up when we needed her to against Robert Morris there and got the two wins, so our goalies have definitely been the reason we’ve had as many wins as we have this year, so we’re going to need them in the playoffs too.”

A bright spot, however, is the play of Quaranta and redshirt sophomore Brittany Howard, the overall conference leader with 37 points— second with 17 goals and third with 20 assists. Freshmen defenseman Kirsten Welsh is tied with teammate Mikaela Lowater for the conference lead among defensemen with 23 points, Maggie LaGue is one point behind.

The semifinals are Friday, March 4, with the Lakers and Colonials at noon, followed by the Orange and Nittany Lions.

The winners will meet Saturday at 3 p.m. for the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament.

@TheMerciad

Laker Alum traded to Pittsburgh Pens

By Diego Himede

Sports editor

Staff writer

On Saturday, March 27, the Lakers were defeated by Edinboro University in the first round of the women’s basketball PSAC tournament held at Edinboro.

With a final score of 42-62, the Mercyhurst team has to say goodbye to its season after that rough night.

Edinboro’s win hinged on the field goal percentage of each team. At the end of the game, Edinboro shot 0.471 field goal percentage and 0.473 field goal percentage for three-pointers, whereas Mercyhurst got only .320 and .105, respectively. Edinboro also had almost twice as many steals as Mercyhurst, though the Lakers out-rebounded the

Sports

By Bryan Lossie

Women’s basketball season ends in first round of PSAC Fighting Scots, 33-31.

Edinboro had a crushing first period in which they took a 16-point advantage that the Lakers could not recover from.

At the break, the Lakers trailed by 20 and although the team outscored Edinboro in the final two periods of play, they could not close the scoring gap to single digits.

Junior Natalie Piaggesi, with 14 points and .75 field goal percentage, was one of the leaders of the women’s team on the court.

“We didn’t come out to a great start and that set us back.

All their shots were on and we struggled a bit to get our shots to fall,” Piaggesi said.

Piaggesi not only exhibited her skills in this game, but throughout the season too.

“It’s exciting. I couldn’t do

Page 7

The Merciad

Men’s basketball enters semifinals

Women’s hockey clinches No. 1 seed

By Marco Cicchino

March 2, 2016

it without my teammates.

They’ve been really helpful,” Piaggesi said. Piaggesi finished her year with 429 points, 39 blocked shots and 18 steal rebounds overall.

Junior Angela Heintz expressed how harsh this defeat was for the Lakers.

“The team is definitely taking the loss hard. No one wants the season to end, especially knowing it’s our seniors’ last game,” Heintz said.

Heintz scored five points against Edinboro and finished her season with 385 points and 132 assists, making her an important asset as well.

Adrienne Kloecker and Maria Lapertosa also displayed a good level in the game with seven points each.

Although the season is over, the Lakers are already thinking about next year’s new oppor-

tunity.

The women know that next year the team will be filled with seniors and upperclassmen which will make the team more mature to face all of their challenges.

Moreover, according to Heintz, this defeat is motivation going into next season.

She stated that they are going to work as hard as they can to come back next year better than this season so they do not have to feel this same pain.

The loss concludes the Lakers’ record at 14-15 overall, while Edinboro improves to 20-9.

Next, the Fighting Scots advance to the quarterfinals of the PSAC tournament to face California University of Pennsylvania this week. @TheMerciad

By Carly Contraguerro

On Monday, Feb. 29, Daniel O’Donoghue, former forward for the Mercyhurst men’s hockey team, was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins at the NHL trade deadline.

The Pens traded Matia Marcantuoni to the Coyotes for O’Donoghue and two other minor league players.

Following the trade, he was assigned to the ECHL Wheeling Nailers for time to improve his play and develop.

Earlier in the 2015-16 season, O’Donoghue played for the Springfield Falcons who are also apart of the ECHL league. Appearing in 18 games, he netted three goals and one assist.

His professional career started in April 2014 when

O’Donoghue became the fifth player in Mercyhurst history to sign an NHL contract.

His four-year career at Mercyhurst includes tallying 155 career points in 129 games. In the 2013-14 season, he was awarded AHA Defensive Forward of the Year.

He was drafted in the fifth round and the 54th pick overall. O’Donoghue signed a two year National Hockey League entry-level contract with the Phoenix Coyotes.

During these two years he played for Phoenix’s affiliate, the Portland Pirates where he appeared in three games.

@TheMerciad

Casey Bleuel photo

Junior H’ian Hale shoots a layup in Mercyhurst’s 84-68 win over Clarion in the quarterfinals game on Tuesday, March 1. With the win the Lakers advance to the PSAC semifinals.

The Mercyhurst men’s basketball team hosted Clarion in the PSAC Tournament quarterfinals game on Tuesday, March 1, and defeated the Golden Eagles 84-68.

Mercyhurst led at the half 51-26 and Clarion couldn’t close the gap throughout the rest of the game despite out scoring the Lakers, 42-33, in the second half.

Kayode Ajenifuja led the team in scoring with 23 points followed by Jean Onana with 18. Sean Beis led in rebounds with 10.

This is the second year in a row that Mercyhurst hosted the quarterfinal game.

The last time Mercyhurst and Clarion met was in February, Clarion came away victorious with a score of 67-62. Earlier in the season in December, the Lakers defeated Clarion 82-69. Even though Mercyhurst split the season series with Clarion, coming into this game, the loss was still fresh in the team’s mind.

“We have to get a little bit of revenge back tomorrow so that is the motivation for us. Not to mention we want to win a conference championship,” senior guard Gerrae Williams said.

Last year in the quarterfinals, the Lakers expected to win, especially after sweeping the season series against IUP, but IUP came away victorious.

This year the approach will be a little different.

“This year the team is more focused. Having 11 players returning and six of them being seniors, I feel as though we are more prepared. Experience is the best teacher. Last year we were in the same predicament and we lost, so this year we know what we have to do to capitalize and to get a win,” senior guard Damon Jones said.

The Lakers defense is one element that helped the Lakers come out on top.

Going into the Clarion game, the Lakers ranked No. 1 in the conference and the nation in defense. Before the Clarion game, they held opponents to an underwhelming 58.6 points per game while

also keeping opponents to 30.2 rebounds per game, which ranks them No. 1 in rebounding defense as well.

“Being ranked first in the conference and first in the country is a great accomplishment for this year’s team. We take pride in our defense and playing for a coach like Gary Manchel. Defense is a major key,” Jones said.

This is the seventh consecutive seasons Mercyhurst played in the PSAC Tournament. Of those seven, they have reached the quarterfinals six times.

The last time Mercyhurst tipped-off against Clarion in the PSAC Tournament was in the 2009-10 season. This was also the last time Clarion reached the PSAC Tournament. Clarion came out on top at Tippin Gymnasium, 76-69.

The semifinals will be held on Saturday, March 5. Time and place are TBA.

@TheMerciad

No.3 ranking holds for Lakers wrestling

By James Karasek Staff writer

Mercyhurst wrestling sent four ranked wrestlers into the Super Region I tournament over the weekend of Feb. 26 and 27, and came out with five national qualifiers.

The Lakers entered the tournament ranked third in the region and in fitting fashion, finished third.

The Mizia brothers won their championship matches back to back, both upsetting their foes from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ) who had beaten the brothers in their dual meet two weeks ago.

Francis Mizia’s championship match was won in sudden victory over Tyler Reinhart of UPJ. August Mizia was ranked No. 1 seed in his weight class.

His semi final and championship matches were won by decision over the No. 4 and

No. 2 seeds.

Joining the Mizias atop the podium for the Lakers was heavyweight Andy Welton who won every match by pin or major decision. Welton, who was ranked the No. 3 seed faced Ryan Appleby, the No. 4 seed, of Kutztown University in the finals and controlled the match, cruising to a 10-1 major decision victory.

Welton is a junior making his third national appearance, having placed second in the region as a true freshman and finishing fifth in the nation last year.

Finishing second for the Lakers and rounding out the national qualifiers are 125 pound redshirt junior Willie Bohince and 149-pound redshirt senior Jeremy Landowski. Bohince fell in the finals to UPJ opponent Evan Link in an 11-2 major decision loss, giving Bohince his second loss of the season.

Landowski, who has battled back pain this season,

James Karasek photo

Redshirt junior Angelo Bortoluzzi (above) took sixth place in the Super Region I Tournament going 3-6 on the day.

forfeited his championship match, already having clinched a berth to nationals by making

it to the championship round.

The top performer not moving on to nationals for

the Lakers was 133-pound wrestler, sophomore Kevin Kinyua. Kinyua finished 2-2 in his first Super Region I appearance, missing out on qualifying for nationals by one match.

“When you watch him out here, he never quits. In wrestling you have to keep moving and for seven minutes he never quits,” Mercyhurst Athletic Director Joe Kimball said.

As a team, Mercyhurst placed third out of 15 teams at the tournament. Taking first place was No. 1 ranked UPJ 155.5 points followed by Notre Dame of Ohio with 143 points.

None of the five Laker wrestlers moving on are strangers to the level of competition they will face in the NCAA Division II National Championships. This year will be the third appearance in the tournament for all of the qualifiers.

Returning technical fall

award winner and current leader in the nation with eight tech falls this season, Francis Mizia, has great confidence in his team, his older brother and his preparation going forward.

“We’ve got a good shot at making a run for the national title” said Mizia. “I trust in my training, I trust my coaches, my teammates, I trust myself.

I know everything I’m doing is the right thing to do to win a nation title. I just have to go out and do it.”

Francis’ confidence in his older brother August shone in his belief that “he is the best wrestler in the country. He can take that how he wants.

I already know it, the team already knows it.”

The Lakers will wrestle in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, March 11 and 12 for the National Championship.

@TheMerciad

Women’s lacrosse to start regular season

By Marco Cicchino Staff writer

On Tuesday, Jan. 5, Brigid Hurley walked over to a car parked in front of Warde Hall and prepared to execute her first official act as interim women’s lacrosse coach. Ironically. It was one she did not want to do.

Her inaugural recruiting class is comprised of 15 freshmen, ranging in origin from Ottawa to Los Angeles to Baltimore.

Last season, the then-freshman and now sophomores went 15-4 and came within one game of a pair of ballroom shoes. Hurley has a legacy to fill, but an eventful offseason has paved the way for a preseason No. 13 ranking in all of Division II and being selected fourth overall in the PSAC. Senior midfielder and Williamsville North product Emily Koestler is highly optimistic of her team’s abilities. “[Our] expectations are to be the best we can with the great new coaching staff we have. We have everything we

need to win, we just need to pull it all together and go out there and do it,” Koestler said.

West Chester topped the PSAC preseason poll for the first time in three years upon its Feb. 10 release, garnering seven of the 13 available firstplace votes. The Rams were followed by Seton Hill with one top vote and defending tournament champion No. 8 Lock Haven with three votes.

The Lakers claimed the other two.

The Lakers season began six months ago on a much warmer Tullio Field with a different and familiar personality directing the women into battle. But on Dec. 16, Cecil Pilson, the head coach of the last 11 years, abruptly announced his resignation from the post to assume the same position at Butler.

Pilson compiled 133 wins to the tune of an overall .700 winning percentage, both the highest since the program’s inception in 1997. Pilson’s accomplishments include a winning campaign in each of his final 10 seasons (he went 6-9 in 2005), advancing to seven consecutive PSAC

tournaments and three title games, a share of the 2010 West and 2013 conference regular-season titles and an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearance in 2009.

In a news conference on Dec. 17, Pilson commented, “It has been an honor to be at the helm of the program for 11 seasons and see our program grow into a consistent national powerhouse. I am proud of what we have accomplished as a program up to this point and am confident that the program will continue to flourish.”

Cecil’s final campaign saw the Lakers record ten conference wins for the second straight year and finish 15-4 overall, wrapping up the No. 10 final ranking despite being snubbed for the big dance.

The Lakers, ranked in the final poll for the seventh time in the last eight seasons, rattled off nine straight wins in March and April and reached No. 6 in the rankings during the season. They then defeated No. 13 West Chester in an overtime battle in the semifinals but fell to topranked Lock Haven in the title

contest.

This year, the offseason began earlier than expected with the Lakers annual Fall Ball slate beginning on Sept.

21, 2015, with a triple-header in Buffalo, followed by two more on Oct. 4 and 25, and a 14-11 loss to St. Bonaventure on Oct. 10 at Tullio.

Loss was a theme throughout the offseason, with two freshmen leaving the team before the New Year: first was Eden native Hannah Mardino, who exited in October due to self-imposed academic sanctions, and in January, East Irondequoit Arianna Torpey returned to her native Rochester; she expects to begin playing at Division III Nazarene College next fall.

Last season, the Lakers topped the PSAC and finished ranked No. 23 in the nation with an average of 13.58 goals per game, led by now-alum and Clarence product Jenna Schalgenhauf ’s 45 to go along with 41 assists, and Rebecca Himes had 41 to go along with 47 assists. Her 88 points ranked third in the PSAC and tied for 14th in the country.

Among returning starters,

Fairport’s Emily Gebhardt tallied 24 goals and 30 assists for 54 points; now a senior, she recorded five goals Saturday, Feb. 20, in the Lakers 19-7 season opening rout of St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Lakers recorded double-digits in all but three regular season games, hitting a high of 19 on March 8 against Findlay. They also won all 15 games in-which this occurred, but went 0-4 when held to single-digits. LeMoyne, Lock Haven, and Slippery Rock pulled the trick by allowing nine each and winning by a combined four goals, and the Bald Eagles used its topranked defense to take an 11-6 affair in the May 2 PSAC title game.

“Their attack wasn’t that strong[,] they could never calm down and balance the girls out. Our attack was amazing and really worked [well] together,” Koestler said.

Against the Spartans on Saturday, Feb. 27, four Lakers had multi-goal games: led by Gebhardt’s five and two assists, it was equaled by Amherst Central’s Grace Lawson, while Kristin Anderson tallied her

seven points through three goals and four assists and Janelle Williams added one in each half.

Eleven of the Lakers 19 goals came in the first half off Kaitlyn Lonergan, while they held the Spartans to four in the first and three in the second. The Lakers scored in bunches against Aquinas, rattling off two three-goal runs in the first half and, after the Spartans closed to within five, saw six different players score in a matter of 10:14 in the second to break the game open.

Gebhardt had four or her five in the first, while Lawson split her goals with three in the second. Anderson’s hattrick saw a power-play goal at 14:48 of the first.

The Lakers return to action on Saturday, March 5, against Tiffin University at Tiffin.

The team begins PSAC play Tuesday, March 15 against Seton Hill.

@TheMerciad

Page 8

The Merciad

Laker

March 2, 2016

Living

Tory’s history: Goodbye with class

By Victoria Kreysar Ad manager

Many moments in history are forgotten, misunderstood, ignored or some strange combination of the three. The Crimean War falls into this trap; a war with Russia on one side, the United Kingdom, France, the Ottoman Empire and Sardinia on the other, the cause being a mix of religion and the declining Ottoman Empire. The only part really remembered is the Charge of the Light Brigade, immortalized by Lord Alfred Tennyson’s poem.

Due to a miscommunication in orders, the light cavalry, composed of over 600 men all lightly armed, charged directly into a valley where armed Russian soldiers were waiting, surrounding all three sides. Over half of the men in the brigade were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Only 190 some men still had their horses when they regrouped.

“Ours is not to question why,” a phrase I have heard more and more of lately, but I wonder if the people who say it understand its origin, context and actual line from Tennyson’s poem. “Theirs not to question why/ Theirs but to do and die.”

In light of recent events on campus last week, I wondered if I should even begin to talk about it or stay silent.

But if anyone knows me, I have a terribly difficult time not addressing the elephant in the room.

I cannot deny the fact that the university administration has been upfront and honest about cutting down the faculty number, but as we find out that faculty have been let go, it still doesn’t lessen the shock.

In some way, I can understand and respect the president’s reasons for having to let faculty go; however, it doesn’t make the situation suck (for lack of a better word) any less.

While the administration sees dollar signs, we as students

see academics, scholars and mentors. The faculty on this campus have not only taught us, but they have guided us, listened to us and supported us through our academic endeavors. Most of us probably won’t even know who has left until name placards are taken down and the course catalog comes out looking a little more sparse than usual.

Giving orders is sometimes just as difficult as receiving them. While I can completely understand, there isn’t much we can do now except face the aftermath. Understanding the why is not making the what any easier. Maybe it’s easier to have someone, or something to direct your anger toward.

After all, a righteous anger is the best kind. But nothing is ever cut and dry; even now there is a multifaceted mess of disheveled stories preventing a clear comprehension.

I think one of the worst feelings in the world is not fear as many people might think, but helplessness. A

feeling of utter defeat, of nowhere to go, nowhere to turn to; the sense that your words and actions mean nothing. Helplessness. An inescapable feeling of powerlessness that sits on your chest until it crushes you with its weight while you scratch and claw at the empty air. It is a feeling of uncontrollable dependency, of incapability when you know you are more than capable. It’s being held underwater when you know you should be able to swim up. It’s screaming when no one is listening. It’s facing the consequences of an action that was not yours to begin with. It’s a complete and utter inability to do anything when you want nothing more than to do everything.

Because what can you do?

What can anyone do?

There is a feeling of numbness, a hollow silence resounding throughout the campus as people try to sort out what to feel. Good people are losing their jobs and it does not seem fair that these repercus-

sions are affecting us when we’ve essentially done nothing wrong. And that’s what hurts the most. There is no right and wrong in this situation; there is only the moral grey of the space in between.

Do we sacrifice a few to save the many? Do we ignore emotions and the human component in an effort to make this more humane?

No matter how much we value our professors, some of them will be leaving us, but they still have so much to teach us before the semester is over. Not only will they be continuing to teach us content, but they will be teaching us some of the most important life lessons that we can learn: professionalism and humility.

Continuing to do your job and continuing to do your job well in the wake of being let go for nothing of your own doing is a hard pill to swallow.

We are taught our whole lives that if you work hard, you will be rewarded. However,

what we are not taught is how disappointing and cruel the real world can be. Bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people, and we want so badly for there to be some order in the world—some sense of karmic justice to keep everything in balance. That is not always the case.

Life does not owe you anything, it just is. Sometimes you will end up paying the price of other people because you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

While many of us may be upset, our faculty will teach us what it truly means to be the bigger person in the face of an awful situation, and that is something to pay attention to.

We might be faced with helplessness, but I think that it is important for us, as a community, to hold our heads high and let the faculty know that we support them, just as they have done for us. @tory_krey

Game Zone

Way back When...

The Merciad presents articles from yesteryear in their original form, including headlines. This week, our blast from the past is from March 21, 1963.

Mr. Kubiak Answers with Enthusiasm

By Rita Cappello

Preface Me: You want me to interview who . . .?

Editor: Mr. Kubiak.

Me: Are you serious?

Editor: Very!

Text Me (timidly): Uh . . uh . . can you give me some information concerning your background . . . sir?

He (affirmatively): I attended East High School in Erie, Behrend Center and Alliance Colleges, and received my M.A. at Penn State University.

Me (hopefully): Could you please add some more personal information to these remarks?

He (obligingly): Yes, I played water polo, golf, and tennis in high school, and at State I was a member of the University’s golf team. While at State, I was a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the honorary history society.

My master’s thesis dealt

with Slavic medieval history, and I plan to obtain my doctorate in the same field with a minor, however, in the classical antiquities. Speaking of being “inducted”—I served in the army and then taught summer sessions at Behrend before coming to Mercyhurst.

Me (with a little more confidence): Why did you choose to study history?

He (with unending gusto): I feel that history is the Queen of the Sciences.

No other sciences can claim that it encompasses everything, all the acts of man and nature. History is not only . . . (Ed.—300 words deleted here!)

Me (with cramped fingers): Why did you decide to teach?

He (with deep thought): My education is not only my personal property but also a tool with which I must, in turn, help others. In under-

graduate school I rejected a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. I didn’t plan to enter education. I regret that now, for I find this profession very gratifying.

Me (with great seriousness): What are your views on feminine education and what remarks have you for the student body?

He (with greater seriousness): The attitude that education for women is a stop gap should be abolished! Women should enter college to attain some degree of scholarly advancement and should be vitally interested in the field they enter.

I also think that women should increase their intellectual activity and inquisitiveness. Women are on an equal intellectual par with men and should begin to act accordingly.

There is no substitute in college for good hard work!

Many students have to be

driven to it. The student should do as much outside work as he possibly can.

This constant desire to learn is all-important; it shouldn’t end when one receives his or her degree!

Me (tongue-in-cheek): As a bachelor, have you encountered any difficulties teaching at a women’s college?

He (also tongue-incheek): No none, although I don’t claim to be very astute when it comes to really understanding women.

Me (trying to be very serious): Do you intend to remain a bachelor?

He (trying NOT to be very serious): No, I seriously think of marrying—in about ten years!

Me (extending my hand and with all due respect): Well, thank you for your time, Mr. Kubiak. I hope this article meets with your approval.