March 25th Edition of the Merciad

Arts : & Entertainment On Page 5:

Features On Page 3: :

Sports On Page 7:

Award-winning Elizabeth

Students shine at Hurst Idol

Men’s hockey season ends

Ashley comes to Mercyhurst

Read more inside & online

The Merciad

Est. 1929 Vol. 88 No. 16

Mercyhurst university

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Kennedy wins Romero Award

By Jose Nufio Staff writer

Sister Mary Claire Kennedy, Social Justice Coordinator for the Sisters of St. Joseph (SSJ) of Northwestern Pennsylvania, will receive the 22nd Archbishop Oscar Romero award presented by Mercyhurst University and the Religious Studies department for her work against human trafficking.

Kennedy will receive the award during an open ceremony held this evening at 7 p.m. in the Mercy Heritage Room. She will talk about her work in issues of human trafficking and the set of programs she has developed with the Sisters of Saint Joseph on the issue.

“For the past three years we’ve been bringing awareness to the Erie community on the issue, and advocating for better laws and the enforcement of the prosecution for traffickers, as well as trying to probe laws that come to the assistance of the vic-

tims,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy has also worked on various issues that look to assist the poor. She organizes the SSJ Thanksgiving dinner to feed the homeless during the holiday season.

In response to the murders and acts of violence that have been committed in the city of Erie and Millcreek district, Kennedy coordinates the “Take Back the Site” vigils with the SSJ, which are prayer services held at the sites where homicides have taken place.

“We work on everything from the death penalty to immigration to the environment. There are very pertinent social justice issues that are calling for a response and we try to do a lot to bring education and advocacy,” said Kennedy. “Much of it also depends on what the issue of the day is.”

Although Kennedy possesses a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Duquesne University and has taught science for most her life, she has always had a calling for social justice.

“My professional career has

Contributed photo

Sister Mary Claire Kennedy has worked to combat human trafficking, as well as many other social justice causes over her life.

been in science most of my life, but when I was in college, I became aware of the Catholic social justice encyclicals and they just resonated with me as well as the call of the Gospel to serve those in need and try to be a voice for the voiceless. I looked at it as a religious call in a sense,” said Kennedy. “No matter my

years in science, I was always doing peace and justice on the side.”

According to Daniel McFee, Ph.D., Chair of the Religious Studies Department, the recipient for the award is chosen unanimously by the department and given to somebody who has gone above and beyond the call of

duty to live a life of peace and justice, and protect people who are innocent and vulnerable.

The award is given to someone worthy, but is also able to come to Mercyhurst to give a talk. In this sense, it is very pragmatic, because only candidates that are able to come receive the award, said McFee. The department chose Kennedy in particular, because she is a Sister of Saint Joseph and they had never chosen a sister of Saint Joseph before.

“Her life and her work are extraordinary. Just her resume itself jumps off the page at you when you look at it,” McFee said.

McFee said he hopes many students will attend the award ceremony to learn from Kennedy’s journey as a social justice advocate, highlighting that a figure like her is hard to come across.

“She is over 80 and she has a long history with working with the poor and the marginalized. She has wisdom to share with us and I think it’s important for people to share

that kind of wisdom,” McFee said.

Kennedy said she is humbled to receive this award, but also views it as an affirmation of what she has been trying to do with people that have accompanied her along the way.

Besides doing service projects, students should work for systemic change, according to Kennedy. This means getting involved in the political process to change the systems that contributes to poverty. “[Students] get turned off by politics, but it’s essential that they become aware; that they work for the changes that are necessary for the common good,” said Kennedy. “From my point of view there is a greater need to become advocates of change for the good on the political and civics point of view.”

@TheMerciad

Students nominated for RAVE awards New FAA drone regulations don’t affect Mercyhurst

By Emani Burton Staff writer

Two Mercyhurst students are nominated for the Recognizing Achieving Volunteers in Erie (RAVE) awards by the Junior League of Erie.

Michelle Ahrens and Stefani Baughman will represent Mercyhurst in the first-ever young adult category of the annual award. The winners will be awarded in a RAVE awards dinner on April 28.

Winners of the award will receive a $1,000 grant to distribute to the nonprofit of his/her choice.

The awards are sponsored

by Get Connected Erie and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Of the 30 nominees across three separate categories, only one winner is chosen per category.

These students are chosen for their dedication to longterm service in the Erie community.

“The students chosen for the award aren’t surprises,” said Director of Community Engagement Colin Hurley.

Hurley said that he plans to use these students’ nominations to encourage a more

Merciad Index

holistic approach to service learning and volunteerism.

“We want to encourage volunteerism not as a merely a way to spend four years at Mercyhurst or to build resumes, but to go beyond the gates of our classrooms,” said Hurley. “The RAVE awards were one opportunity of many to highlight great students doing great things.”

Hurley said that through students like those nominated, Mercyhurst can realize its full potential by not just drawing from Erie, but also by adding to it.

“Serving is a lifelong journey. You don’t do it in one soup kitchen visit. These excellent student nominees, they don’t do it necessarily to count hours, but they do it because it’s part of them,” Hurley said.

Stefani Baughman, a senior Intelligence Studies and Political Science major was not expecting any type of nomination for her service work.

“I was really surprised. I didn’t know what the award was,” Baughman said.

Most of her community service opportunity was spent in volunteering

posts such as the Emmaus Soup Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity and the International Institute of Erie.

Baughman continues to stay involved in community service despite a busy schedule. “It’s difficult, but rewarding,” said Baughman.

Baughman has not yet decided what she will do in the future, but has said she is considering a year of service with AmeriCorps. “Bethany Brun and Colin Hurley were really instrumental why I’m so involved at Mercyhurst.

They are both so passionate about service learning and students,” Baughman said.

Michelle Ahrens, a junior Social Work and Religious Studies double major, works heavily in community engagement. Ahrens is the University’s first House of Mercy Ambassador, where she lives and works at the House of Mercy with Sister Michelle Shroeck of the Sisters of Mercy.

Several evenings each week, Ahrens helps the sisters run an after-school program for local children. The experience is helping to prepare for a future career.

“I’m not quite sure what I

want to do yet, but I would love to work with kids,” Ahrens said.

Ahrens credits her active community involvement with Mercyhurst’s staff and dedicated culture of community service.

“I wasn’t really big into volunteering until I came to Mercyhurst,” said Ahrens.

“One of my biggest inspirations for all this was Bethany Brun, who was my rowing coach in high school. I saw how passionate she was with service learning and that got me interested in it.”

Ahrens plans to continue living and working at the House of Mercy into her senior year.

Brun, director of Service Learning, was an integral part of nominating Mercyhurst students for the RAVE awards. She said the nominees have done more than what was expected of them.

“Those students have gone above and beyond the call of service and their service resumes speak for themselves,” Brun said. @TheMerciad

By Melanie Todd Staff writer

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed new regulations for drones but Mercyhurst’s drone use will likely not be affected, as it is primarily used to take aerial videos and photographs for marketing purposes, officials from Mercyhurst say.

The focus of these regulations is to keep drones away from airports and in interfering with any aircraft or airport activity.

Drones cannot fly within five miles of an airport without specific permission, according to FAA regulations. Mercyhurst is about eight miles from the Erie International Airport.

Another focus of the new regulations is the safety of people around drones. FAA regulations state drones have to be within sight and below 400 feet at all times. Drones

are also supposed to avoid people and stadiums.

“We always keep the drone in sight when flying and we don’t get too close to people or buildings to be dangerous,” Executive Assistant to the Provost and Office Manager of the Department of Anthropology/Archaeology Dionne Veitch said.

FAA regulations fine offenders if the unmanned aircraft are used recklessly.

Drone technology is new and its use still being explored.

Mercyhurst’s drone is used market the school to potential students. It is used infrequently and follows all of the new FAA regulations.

“In a nutshell, we’re fine,” Veitch said.

@TheMerciad

Online Poll Results

How has the temporary closure of the Student Union affected you?

News Features A&E Opinion Sports Laker Living

1-2 3-4 5 6 7 8

13% It hasn’t been bad, I’m fine with all the changes.

23% The line into Egan is long and I’m hungry.

32% I can’t wait until the new indoor swimming pool opens up.

32% It hasn’t really affected me.

Be sure to vote in this week’s online poll: Are you excited to the university’s move back to trimesters?

merciad.mercyhurst.edu

Page 2

March 25, 2015

The Merciad

News

MEOW and Pi Sigma Alpha Jacobson and Gdovin collecting goods for Ukraine win manuscript award

By Nathan Turner News editor

Mercyhurst Equality of Women (MEOW) and Pi Sigma Alpha have shipped the first load of material donations, 250 pounds of children’s clothing, to over 1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in wartorn Ukraine.

Lena Surzshko-Harned, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Political Science and faculty adviser for MEOW, has spearheaded the fundraiser and donation drive since early February. Her interest in assisting the IDPs came from following connections in Ukraine via Facebook and saw the opportunity for Mercyhurst to assist the volunteer work occurring.

“That was the time when the fighting was intensified, right about the second Minsk agreement was about to be negotiated. I was following the activity of these people and thought to myself, why not?” Surzskho-Harned said.

While there are several recognized charities operating in the region, the groups Surzskho-Harned and the two student organizations are assisting are unnamed grassroots organizations located in the heavily populated centers of the country.

“They are pretty much volunteer groups that come together to help internally displaced persons who are running away from the war,” said Surzshko-Harned. “This particular group to whom I have sent four packages this weekend are located in Odessa.”

The city of Odessa on the Black Sea has been flooded with refugees due to its proximity to the region of Crimea, where much of the combat has taken place since 2014.

The donations drive is calling for materials such as diapers and clothes for women, children and men. The populations which the drive is helping are primarily the women and children affected by the war.

“They’re helping women and children because those are the populations that are proportionally affected by crisis,” senior Forensic Anthropology major and President of Pi Sigma Alpha, Sara Fox said.

The generous outpouring of assistance from the university has given the fundraiser a good jumpstart, Fox said.

“We’ve seen an incredible response from the university so far. Many faculty and students have already given donations, which is why we were able to get enough for the first load so early into spring term,” Fox said.

There is also a need for monetary donations to help pay for shipping the materials to Ukraine.

“It’s quite expensive.

Although the organization has a reduced rate, it is, as you can imagine pretty expensive to send something from the United States to Ukraine,” Fox said.

Pi Sigma Alpha and MEOW are planning fundraisers of their own to help defray the costs of shipping, according to senior Intelligence Studies and Political Science major Stefani

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Baughman.

“We’re planning a fundraiser through a bake sale and a chocolate bar sale, on Wednesday and Thursday all day in Zurn.

So we’re hoping by raising funds that way, we can contribute to that,” Baughman said.

The conflict has a personal connection for Surszhko-Harned, who is a Ukrainian citizen. The fundraiser is a way for Mercyhurst to affect a conflict which has incurred a massive cost in material damage and human life. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, there are 1,168,600 IDPs as of March 2015.

“The Ukrainian war is the largest and bloodiest war in Europe since the Yugoslav war. And it has had a tremendous amount of infrastructural and human cost that has been laid on eastern Ukraine. The internally displaced persons are families with children who are fleeing their homes and trying to find a better, stable position at least away from war in the rest of Ukraine. We’re trying to make their lot a little easier,” Surszhko-Harned said.

The drive will continue as long as people are willing to donate, Surszhko-Harned said.

“I’m trying to identify a few other, maybe recognized organizations. There’s a specific family in Kiev that are from Luhansk that we can try to help.

So, as long as people are willing to make donations, I’m willing to ship them across the sea,” Surszhko-Harned said. @TheMerciad

By Nathan Turner News editor

Brad Jacobson, Assistant Professor of Sports Medicine, and Jacob Gdovin, in cooperation with Erie Shriners’ Hospital for Children and several other organizations, have won the National Athletic Trainers Association’s Scholarly Manuscript of the Year for their research in cervical spinal cord injuries.

Jacobson and Gdovin developed a method for managing potential cervical spinal cord injuries on the football field, called “pack and fill.” The method comes as an alternative to the “all-or-nothing endeavor,” which is the current method recommended by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.

“The all-or-nothing endeavor is, if you have to remove the helmet to gain access to the airway, then you have to remove, according to their suggestion, everything. Helmet and shoulder pads. We challenged that,” Jacobson said.

The removal of the helmet and shoulder pads create too much movement in the head and neck, according to Jacobson. The pack and fill method, by comparison, allows for the shoulder pads to stay on and reduces potentially damaging movement.

“We said, if the helmet has to come off, we’re saying that the shoulder pads can stay on. And you remove the helmet, keep the head and neck in a neutral position, and then pack and fill that void,” said Jacobson.

“Any movement can be critical to cause damage, or further damage to the spinal cord.”

Testing the potential superiority of the pack-and-fill method required a cooperation between Mercyhurst and Erie

Shriners’ Children Hospital, which contains a motion capture lab, according to Jacobson.

Motion capture technology, which is the same technology used to create video games, provides an accurate method for tracking motion and testing the pack-and-fill method.

“We had to get landmarks where we could compare the movement of the head to the torso, and then you could do a comparison of how much movement actually occurred,” said Jacobson. “The data was significant. We had a tremendous difference in the amount of what’s called excursion, movement out of a plane.”

Kevin Cooney, PP, Manager of the Rehabilitation and Movement Analysis Labaratory at Erie Shriners’ Hospital for Children, was willing to work Jacobson and Gdovin in pursuit of this project. The motion capture allowed them to analyze very minute movement which the video camera could not pick up.

“The use of the motion capture technology provided accuracy which allowed for comparison of the two techniques,” Cooney said.

The analysis required the creation of a mathematical model for cervical spine movement.

“It was challenging. This type of model had never been used or created before,” Cooney said.

The typical positioning of the cameras in the lab was also changed to allow for accurate filming. The cameras are usually filming a subject without any obstructions, said Cooney.

However, this analysis would film a stationary subject while ignoring the athletic trainers doing the movement around it.

“We were dealing with all these variables that we didn’t typically have. We had to reposition the cameras to allow tracking the individual athletes,

and not have the line-of-sight blocked by the athletic trainers,” Cooney said.

The project could never been done without cooperation between Mercyhurst and Shriners, said Jacobson.

Jacob Gdovin, now a Ph.D. candidate in Biomechanics at Ole Miss, was invited to join the project as a junior and became one of the primary authors of the award-winning article.

“He did a tremendous job from start to finish with this.

He went far and above what most of our other students did for their baccalaureate research project,” said Jacobson. “It also led to Jake and I being hired by Sports Medicine Concepts out of Livonia, N.Y. to go and present to NFL teams. We presented to five NFL teams, their whole medical teams.”

Jacobson and Gdovin presented to the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, and New York Giants. In addition, their research may lead to the revision of the NATA position statement on how to treat injuries on field.

“We’re hoping our research may cause change of that position statement, saying instead of the all-or-nothing endeavor, pack-and-fill is an alternative to this. There’s our study and one other study that supports our findings,” Jacobson said.

Gdovin was unable to be reached for comment by the time of this publication.

@TheMerciad

Exonerated inmate, priest discuss death penalty

By Kayley Dunn Staff writer

Exonerated death row inmate Joe D’Ambrosio and Father Neil Kookoothe spoke to a crowded Taylor Little Theatre about D’Ambrosio’s experience on death row on March 19.

Maria Garase, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, organized this event and said that it was inspired by the Ethics and Criminal Justice class she teaches.

Garase said that D’Ambrosio’s case has multiple elements of wrongful convictions the class examines.

“We do a section on wrongful convictions and talk about things like prosecutorial misconduct, ineffective council and faulty eye witness testimony,” Garase said.

According to Garase, there have been 150 people released from death row who have been exonerated and D’Ambrosio is the sixth person in Ohio since 1973.

The event was a way to bring visibility and a human face to the issue, according to Garase.

“Criminal justice is a people-oriented field and our day to day operations impacts

people’s lives, freedom and liberty,” said Garase. “It’s something for them to think critically about regardless of their opinion. It is something that has a significant impact.”

Before the event began, D’Ambrosio spoke about his time on death row. “No one wants to listen to the dead man walking,” D’Ambrosio said.

D’Ambrosio was in prison from 1988 to 1998, attempting to convince people to listen his case.

“I was arrested in 1988,” he said. “This is now 1998 and up to this point I was asking for everybody to help me.

Innocence projects, journalism schools, law schools, the media. Anybody and everybody—I even wrote Oprah [Winfrey] begging for help,” D’Ambrosio said.

Father Neil Kookoothe, who had been visiting a neighboring inmate for years as a companion, decided to visit D’Ambrosio as well. He was the first to investigate D’Ambrosio’s claims of innocence.

“I was a newly ordained priest at the time and I did not have the time to dedicate to be working on anybody’s criminal appeals or to investigate their case,” Kookoothe said.

Kookoothe agreed to help

D’Ambrosio and utilized his skills as a priest, lawyer and registered nurse to examine the case.

“He needed to be all three of those things that he was to do exactly what he did for me,” D’Ambrosio said.

Father Jim Piszker, explained that the Catholic Church holds a strict stance against the death penalty, comparing it to a person doing penance for what they have done wrong.

“It is an injustice when people do wrong, but the purpose of the justice system is to assist people in becoming better,” Piszker said. “The injustice is in society itself.”

Mercyhurst University has a commitment to combating injustice, said Piszker. He encouraged are students who are interested in joining the fight, to get involved in prolife groups, anti-death penalty groups, organizations that serve the poor and even politics.

“If we do our little part, those pieces eventually add up,” Piszker said.

@TheMerciad

Digital Exclusives

Introducing MSG freshman senator

March 25, 2015

Page 3

The Merciad

Features

Student keeps the beat around campus

By Jose Nufio Staff writer

Senior Percussion major Micheal Hibbler II has been drumming up success at Mercyhurst with a wide range of musical projects.

With a passion for music, Hibbler has displayed his talents in several ways during his time at Mercyhurst, including as an active member of the Mercyhurst Jazz ensemble, a member of the student band The Monk’s Brew and the Percussion Director for the Mercyhust Pep Band. He has also been a part of various Mercyhurst Musical Theater programs, as well as a local rap group, Hollahou$e.

Hibbler has a history with music, having started playing the double bass in first grade.

After moving to Erie, Hibbler attended Glenwood Elementary School, where he started playing percussion, an interest that has stuck with him ever since. He went on to become part of the Erie Junior Philharmonic and the Prelude Orchestra in Erie for a year.

During high school, Hibbler performed in the Erie All-City Marching Band, which won best percussion in every competition, including champion-

ships for five years straight.

“That’s a pretty big achievement in my life,” said Hibbler.

“I continued to play percussion in school. In high school I started to play jazz, which inspired me to take music in college.”

After almost 12 years of playing percussion, Hibbler is keeping his passion alive in college.

“Although I have a lot to learn, Mercyhurst has the program that can get me to where I want to be,” Hibbler said.

As member of The Monk’s Brew, a student band formed in 2011 with fellow seniors Dillon Shidemantle, Bobby Lucas and Alex McLaughlin, Hibbler has helped make six complete original songs.

The band has performed in places around Erie, including the Brewerie and the Erie Art Museum. By the end of the school year, the band plans to release an original song and a music video.

Hibbler is also the drum set player in the Mercyhurst Jazz ensemble. He has also played music in three different Mercyhurst theater productions including “King Arthur,” “Urinetown” and most recently, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

When not drumming, Hib-

bler raps with the Erie-based rap group Hollahou$e.

“Me and my buddies running around up to no good, we were just really into hiphop,” said Hibbler. “It started off with making beats, to putting obscure rhymes over them.”

Hibbler performed in the group for fun, which eventually led to meeting and collaborating with fellow Mercyhurst student, junior Communication major Alan Abramek.

In the spring of 2014, Abramek produced the original song, “It’s Going to be a Good Day,” in collaboration with other Mercyhurst students, including Hibbler, who wrote and rapped a verse.

Abramek’s father, a music producer in Poland, heard the recording and hired Hibbler to write and record a verse for a Christmas carol.

“It was on the radio and everything,” said Hibbler. “It Nhi Tran photo was kind of cool getting paid Senior Michael Hibbler plays with student jazz band The Monk’s Brew. to do something I enjoy.”

Hibbler is currently work“I’d like to grow up and that dream is far-fetched. I can after he graduates from ing on an original demo rap tape. It will have original pro- be a famous drummer,” said play out every weekend, but Mercyhurst next fall. duced beats, which he plans to Hibbler. “I’d honestly like am I going to make a living? release next year. He also plans to go to graduate school for That’s the hard part.”

Hibbler plans to attend to continue making music and drumming learn, graduate and performing with The Monk’s make a living. I’m not a skep- Gannon University for @TheMerciad tic. I am a realist; I know that Occupational Therapy Brew.

Students perform at Hurst Idol

By Amanda Moore Staff writer

Mercyhurst’s Student Activities Council held its third annual Hurst Idol this past Friday, March 20, from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center.

With over 350 people in attendance, the event drew what was estimated to be its largest crowd in the three years it has been hosted. Judges Rhonda Blount, Jenna Dascanio, Michael Grasso and Trina Marrero reviewed six diverse performances by Mercyhurst student participants in the show as junior Sam Beckas and senior A.J. Zahuranec hosted the program.

Participants submitted audiNhi Tran photo tion tapes to SAC’s email, Participants at SAC’s third annual Hurst Idol learn the results after the audience texted their which were then reviewed votes for their favorite performance. Dhedra Danudoro and Eva Sullivan embrace as they are and chosen by SAC. The win- awarded the title. ners of the evening were then chosen by popular vote, as audience members were asked to text in their favorite performance.

Junior Dhedra “Danny” Danudoro of Indonesia and Eva Sullivan of Meadville, Pa., took home the title of Hurst Idol after an acoustic duet of a mash-up of Maroon 5’s two hits, “This Love” and “She Will Be Loved.” Sullivan sang lead vocals as Danudoro played guitar and sang backup.

The choice of music was directly influenced by the band, according to Danudoro.

“We started out looking for a band that no one could hate,” said Danudoro. “And no one hates Maroon 5.”

The choice apparently paid off for the duo, who had a large fan base that brought their own signs to cheer them Nhi Tran photo on. The judges likewise sup- Maggie Doherty sings Adele’s “One and Only” in the final performance at this year’s Hurst Idol. ported their decision and process. pected guest. junior Austin Hembree, Uns,” Brianne Colligan with “I agree,” said Marrero, a “We were practicing at returned for an encore perfor- “Ours” by Taylor Swift and first time judge of the event. Taylor Little Theatre and mance of “Stubborn Love” finally Maggie Doherty with “You had me at Maroon 5.” during a break, we heard by the Lumineers as audience “One and Only” by Adele.

Danudoro said he was most someone yell through the wall members texted their votes. concerned about the transi- ‘Sing it louder,’” said DanuAlso performing in the tion between the two hit songs doro. The hidden critic turned event was Sarah Gravante during their performance. out to be Joseph D’Ambro- who performed “Rolling in “I was so worried,” said sio, who visited Mercyhurst the Deep” by Adele, Hannah Danudoro. “My legs were Thursday, March 19, to talk Devlin with “Don’t Know shaking.” about his experience being Why” by Nora Jones, Ania JasDuring rehearsal for their exonerated from death row. kowiak with “Thank you for performance, Danudoro In addition to the perfor- the Music” by ABBA, Emily @TheMerciad and Sullivan had an unex- mances, last year’s winner, Dallemore with “Vertrau in

Experts discuss interviewing and Career Fair prep

By Emani Burton Staff writer

Career Services and Mercyhurst’s Business Club hosted an interview preparation seminar this past Thursday, March 19.

Keynote speakers Frank Rizzone and Kristofer Gossett, Ph.D., informed students about interviewing etiquette in preparation for the Career Fair this Thursday, March 26. The fair will take place from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Mercyhurst REC Center.

Students in attendance were grateful for the timely advice.

The seminar is the first event held by new Business Club President, Mariano Lagos, who took office this semester.

“We always invite Frank Rizzone to do this talk with us because we know he works very tightly with businesses.

His impute will be very useful,” Lagos said.

One of Lagos’ hopes for the seminar was that it would encourage more students to join the Business Club.

“These events offer great opportunities for students to hear feedback from professionals,” Lagos said.

Gossett, a Walker School of Business faculty member, opened the seminar, discussing the social queues prospective employers look for.

“They try to differentiate you in small ways,” said Gossett. “Make it a two-way interview. Don’t be afraid to ask a follow-up question.”

Gossett encourages students to research the job they apply for and be confident while in interviews.

“Sometimes they’ll ask you a question that you won’t be able to answer,” Gossett said.

He stressed the importance of honesty in an interview setting and the necessity of advertising strengths and skills.

“Interview at a variety of locations, not just your dream job,” Gossett said.

He believes that all inter-

view experiences are beneficial.

“You don’t want to get to the job you really want and worse than you expected because you haven’t practiced,” Gossett said.

Students were encouraged to prepare extensively for interviews.

“You study for a test because you want to do well.

You should study for an interview because you want to do well,” Gossett said.

Following Gossett, Rizzone, Director of Career Development, expanded on proper business etiquette.

“Networking is one of the most important things you can do to get a job or internship,” Rizzone said, stressing the importance of making connections.

Rizzone is a primary coordinator for Mercyhurst’s annual Career Fair. The Career Fair is open to all students.

“I can’t reiterate enough how important it is to come early,” Rizzone said.

The Career Fair population shifts during the change of classes throughout the day.

During low points in attendance, many employers at the Fair leave before its scheduled end.

“You don’t want to miss any opportunities,” Rizzone said.

The Career Fair will host over 90 employers this year, according to Rizzone. A list of the scheduled attendees was sent to students by email and can be found on the Career Development Portal.

The Career Development Department is currently booking mock interview opportunities for students who request preparation for Thursday’s Career Fair.

@TheMerciad

The Merciad

Page 4

Features

March 25, 2015

Ohmer to take over MSG next year

By Jose Nufio Staff writer

Caleb Ohmer, a junior Political Science and English major, has elected the new president of Mercyhurst Student Government (MSG) for the 2015-2016 academic year.

He will officially be sworn in on April 27. Ohmer ran unopposed on the ballot for MSG president. A member of MSG since his freshman year, Ohmer plans to introduce changes to club finances and keep the organization “moving forward.”

Ohmer, a native of Saegertown, Pa., was unsure about what he wanted to study when first coming to Mercyhurst. He tried out various majors including Intelligence, Biology, and Business before his love for politics and reading led him to major in Political Science and English.

Ohmer’s first experience with leadership was during high school, when he became part of Student Council. This experience stirred his interest in leadership roles within Student Government.

“I really love the idea of Student Government,” said Ohmer. “I like to be active. I like to do things. I like to know that I have a role in changes on campus and things in my community.”

Ohmer became part of MSG in 2012 as a freshman senator. During his sopho-

more year, he worked as the Public Relations Coordinator, where he was the first to implement a day planner, and worked making posters and writing press releases for MSG. During the 2014-15 academic year, Ohmer was elected to his current role of vice president.

As the vice president, Ohmer has attempted to implement various changes around campus. He has worked closely with the Recognized Student Club Organization (RSCO), implementing a monthly newsletter and organizing luncheons with RSCO clubs in an effort to acquire more feedback on MSG from the student body.

Ohmer also added various amendments to the MSG constitution, such as the creation of a Multicultural Activities Council (MAC) chair, a response to the growing multicultural community at Mercyhurst, said Ohmer.

Ohmer attributes his enthusiasm for leadership roles as an inheritance from his immediate family. Having seven older siblings has given him numorous role-models when making choices, according to Ohmer. He also said that his parents have always been very supportive of everything he does.

“My mom is an idea person and she is always coming up with new things to do. She is full of energy,” said Ohmer.

“Like my mom, I get really

Salina Bowe photo

Current junior Caleb Ohmer will take over as president of Mercyhurst Student Government for the 2015-16 academic year.

interested in things, learn about them and I try them out.”

For now, Ohmer will shadow current MSG President Latta to learn about what the position he will assume entails. His only worry is that the organization may lose its momentum going into next year.

“I get in contact with a lot of clubs and what I’ve noticed for the clubs is that every time they change leadership and the new year begins, it’s like they are restarting and I feel like I

don’t want that to happen to Student Government. I want to just keep going forward,” Ohmer said.

As MSG president, Ohmer hopes to introduce more changes around campus. He hopes to incorporate the MSG event’s iCards onto the student OneCard, so students will able to use their student IDs as a substitute for the paper cards currently being used. Ohmer also hopes to find a way to increase the RSCO budget, so clubs are able to host more activities.

“It’s annoying when clubs can’t do what their club is based on,” said Ohmer. “For example: a martial arts club.

If they don’t have a punching bag, how are they going do to martial arts? Not necessarily equipment, but I hope to increase the budget so clubs are able to go to more events and conferences. It’s kind of a restricted budget and I want to find a way to expand it.”

Ohmer said he hopes students more students will consider joining MSG next year.

“It hasn’t hit me yet. I think

once I get sworn in it’s going to hit me and once I shadow Nick it’s going to hit me a little bit more. I am really excited for next year and the new dynamic we will have,” said Ohmer. “I’m really excited for senators. I really want people to apply, because it’s always awesome when you have new people in MSG.”

@TheMerciad

Mercyhurst Dining Manager addresses Egan situation

By Kevin Thomas Staff writer

It was Isaac Asimov who said, “Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s transition that is the trouble.”

Despite the flooding and subsequent closing of the Student Union on Feb. 21, Egan Dining Hall and Laker Inn employees have handled the sudden shift to Egan Dining Hall well, according to Mercyhurst Dining General Manager Dean Schoenfeldt.

Schoenfeldt said that his staff is working hard to accommodate students during the transition.

“We’re doing everything to keep the students in mind,” Schoenfeldt said in an email to The Merciad.

After the closing of the Student Union, Egan’s hours were expanded in order to “accommodate late night traffic,” said Schoenfeldt, who also increased the hours of individual stations in Egan,

along with introducing a Mexican station in the afternoons.

On Monday, March 23, Egan began offering a Takeout station for students as well.

The workers are also reacting well to the sudden change of pace, according to Schoenfeldt.

“Our team members have been very patient,” Schoenfeldt said, adding that they have been able to successfully “integrate the entire team into the Egan staff,” an integration that was necessary in order to handle sudden influx of students who now rely on Egan as the only dining hall.

However, he also said that the staff is “looking forward to getting back into the Laker [Inn].”

Surprisingly, the stress level placed on the workers has been quite manageable, Schoenfeldt said.

“That the uncertainty of the first few weeks of how we would handle the changes needed to meet the needs of

the students was our primary concern,” Schoenfeldt said.

Though Schoenfeldt said that the two teams have gotten used to the new environment easily, “the waiting is probably the most stressful part now.”

On the Laker Inn’s reopening, Schoenfelt said he was confident about the future.

“At this point, the best I can say is that each day allows the window of optimism to open a little bit more. We still have quite a bit of work to do to get open, but I do feel that we can get there before the end of the school year, barring any other major setback.”

Maggy Urso photo

Students have also been utilizing the Mercyhurst University Book Store’s Coffee Shop as a place to grab a bite between classes during the Student Union’s reconstruction.

@TheMerciad

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Student races to N.Y. finals

By Darcie Kuchcinski Contributing writer

Molly Card, captain of the Mercyhurst equestrian team and sophomore Exercise Science major, placed second at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Regional Finals in West Virginia this Spring. She will now advance to the Zone Equestrian Competition April 4 in New York.

Though many students on the team have advanced to the Regional finals in the past, Card will become the first to advance to the Zone equestrian competition since Mercyhurst University sponsored its first equestrian team during the 2005 to 2006 academic year. She will compete with riders from across Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Ontario, according to the team’s advisor, Mary

Ann Owoc, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology at Mercyhurst.

“It’s really exciting because we’ve never qualified a rider at this level before and it takes a lot of training and talent to compete at this level,”Owoc said in an email to The Merciad.

The competitions usually take place at a member school with the riders competing in classes which are flat (for walking, trotting or cantering) and involve jumping over fences against other riders in eight different skill categories.

The riders are awarded points for each placement into a class.

“You have to earn several first place entries and higher level placements in classes during the year to qualify for Regional competition,” said Owoc. “The rides are very

competitive. Sometimes there can be over 10 people in a class and riders have to stand out.”

Molly has been riding for the past eight years and has been a part of the equestrian team for the past two. Once a week, the team goes to Edinboro and trains using the horses from Brenric Stables.

Any undergraduate can join the team and does not need to own a horse, as the stable will provide one for each student.

“We hope that hearing about Molly’s talent and sportsmanship will encourage more riders to try out for the team,” Owoc said.

@TheMerciad

The Merciad

March 25, 2015

Page 5

Arts &

Entertainment

Actress to speak in Taylor Little Theatre

By Naomi Greenstein Staff writer

This Thursday night, Mercyhurst University will welcome Tony Award-winning actress Elizabeth Ashley for an onstage conversation about her legendary career.

The Mercyhurst Theatre Program, with support from the Mercyhurst Literary Festival, the Mercyhurst Office of Academic Affairs, Erie Arts & Culture and the Greater Erie Alliance for Equality will present “An Evening with Elizabeth Ashley” on Thursday, March 26, at 8 p.m. at Taylor Little Theatre.

An accomplished stage actress of more than 50 years known for her strong and vibrant performances, Ashley, 75, made her Broadway debut in 1959 in Dore Shary’s play “The Highest Tree.”

Since then, she has appeared in over a dozen Broadway

productions.

She won a Tony Award in 1962 for her portrayal of Mollie in “Take Her, She’s Mine,” and received Tony nominations for “Barefoot in the Park” in 1963 and the 1974 revival of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” for which she also received the Tennessee Williams Foundation Award.

Ashley most recently starred in the Broadway revival of “You Can’t Take It With You,” opposite actor James Earl Jones.

Ashley is best known for being one of the definitive interpreters of Tennesse Williams’ work, which will be the one the main topics of discussion during the event, as well as her association with playwright Tennessee Williams and her brilliant portrayal of Maggie in the play “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”

She also has become one of the founding members of the Board of Directors of

the American Film Institue, served on the First National Council of the Arts and served on the President’s Committee for the Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Her visit also happens to be around the time in which the Mercyhurst Theatre Department will be presenting Williams’ final play, “Clothes for a Summer Hotel.”

Brett D. Johnson, Ph.D., will be leading the talk onstage in the style of “Inside the Actor’s Studio,” and Ashley has also agreed to perform a monologue from Williams’ play “Sweet Bird of Youth” as part of the event.

Johnson commented that he has wanted to bring Elizabeth Ashley in to speak to the students on campus ever since meeting and working with her in 2011 during a three-day conference at the University of Missouri, where she and Edward Albee were guest art-

ists.

The conference commemorated Tennessee Williams’ 100th birthday.

“She is a Broadway legend, has a career spanning five decades, and has worked with everyone from Neil Simon to Edward Albee.

Simon even wrote the part of Cora in “Barefoot in the Park” for her, and she acted opposite Robert Redford in a production directed by Mike Nichols.

I wanted to provide that opportunity for our students, faculty, staff, and administrators, as well as the greater Erie community, to hear from one of the greats,” Johnson stated.

The event is free and open to the public, and will take place Thursday night, March 26, at 8 p.m. in Taylor Little Theatre.

The talk is free and open to the public. @naomiruth29

mercyhurst.edu photo

Actress Elizabeth Ashley will speeak about her 50 year career, among other things, in the PAC on March 26 at 8 p.m.

Murder Mystery at Maritime Museum Project Trio to perform

By Sami Rapp

Managing editor

The captain of the Flagship Niagara, Bill Sabatini, was found dead at the Maritime Museum on Saturday, March 21, during the Murder at the Maritime event.

The detective on scene had little evidence and because of this, turned to the event’s 150 attendees for help solving the murder case.

There were 10 suspects, including his fictitious wife, played by junior communications major, Dalma Bordon, and the executive director of the Flagship Niagara League, Shawn Waskiewicz.

The attendees had an hour and a half to figure out clues, which often related to historical exhibits in the museum.

They also had a chance to talk with potential suspects.

They were then asked to answer “who, when, and how” Sabatini was murdered.

In the end, several teams

determined correctly that the captain was murdered by Waskiewicz on the Gun Deck with a piece of rope.

The members of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) helped to plan and run the event along with members of Flagship Niagara League.

PRSSA decided to coordinate a murder mystery event as a fundraiser instead of their annual Frozen-Putt-A-Thon.

“We have done the same fundraiser for the past three years and wanted to do something fun and interesting this year,” said PRSSA president, Jade Gelsimino.

“We decided to do a murder mystery because we knew it would attract people and, honestly, who doesn’t love a mystery?”

The event’s attendees, all enjoyed the evening as they participated in a life-size game of Clue.

“I enjoyed the event. My favorite part of the night was the museum itself,” said

concert in Walker Hall

By Naomi Greenstein Staff writer

Contributed photo

Captain Bill Sabatini of the Flagship Niagra was found “murdered” at PRSSA’s Muder at the Maritime event.

sophomore Intelligence Studies major Alex Dorado who attended the event.

“I had never been to the maritime museum and I enjoyed myself. I liked the historical parts—the part about the Wolverine or the War of 1812.”

The funds raised at the event will be split between both Flagship Niagara League and PRSSA. PRSSA plans to use the funds to go to the National PRSSA Conference in Atlanta in the fall.

‘Imitation game’ in Taylor Little

By Naomi Greenstein Staff writer

Online

This week’s Sunday afternoon movie playing in Taylor Little Theatre will be of the 2014 drama, “The Imitation Game.”

In the throes of WWII, the brilliant and anti-social mathematician Alan Turing, played by the brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch, delivers possibly the single biggest contribution to Allied victory.

Turing is the man who is responsible for cracking Germany’s Enigma code.

Covering this eccentric genius’ life, from his troubled adolescence to his post-war arrest as an outspokenly gay man, this film elegantly portrays a triumphant and tragic story, with Cumberbatch delivering one of the year’s finest performances.

Directed by Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game” has received a number of awards and nominations.

Among them are the Oscar

On Saturday, March 28, the students, faculty and staff of Mercyhurst University are in for a treat, as Project Trio will be performing their sensational music on campus in two concerts that will wrap up their week-long artist-in-residency program in the Erie community.

For families, Project Trio is best known for their beat-boxing flautist, and with over 74-million views on YouTube and appearances on popular TV shows on Nickelodeon and MTV, Project Trio is instantly recognizable to students of all ages.

During the afternoon show dedicated to the families at 2 p.m., the Trio will present instrumental compositions bridging the gap between classical music and popular culture to expose and engage younger audiences.

In the evening, Project Trio will present a more traditional

Sequel ‘Insurgent’ doesn’t disappoint

By Megan Pacileo

Arts and Entertainment editor

miac photo

The award-winning film, “The Imitation Game,” which follows the story of the brilliant Alan Turing, the man responsible for breaking the Enigma code, will be playing in Taylor Little Theatre on Sunday, March 29, at 2 p.m.

nomination of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Benedict Cumberbatch, Best Performance of an Actress in a Supporting Role for Keira Knightley, as well as an Oscar

Full list of events can be found on the PAC website

nomination for Best Motion Picture of the Year.

“The Imitation Game” is an incredible film worth seeing.

The film will be playing this Sunday, March 29, at 2 p.m. in Taylor Little Theatre.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students and $1 for students with their Mercyhurst ID. @naomiruth29

View upcoming performances: www.miac.mercyhurst.edu

chamber concert showcasing their skills deserving of Gramophone Magazine’s acclaim that they are “an ensemble willing and able to touch on the gamut of musical bases ranging from Baroque to nu-Metal and taking in pretty much every style in between.”

The Wall Street Journal hailed the Trio for their “wide appeal, subversive humor and first-rate playing.”

Be sure to arrive early to the performances.

Before the 2 p.m. show, The Mercy Center for the Arts will be in the lobby with hands-on activities for children of all ages, accompanied by a caricature artist, and before both shows, the Photographic Art Society of NWPA will transform the lobby into an art gallery for the audiences memebers’ viewing pleasure.

Both performances, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., will be held in Walker Recital Hall.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $10 for youth/students.

Die-hard fans of the “Divergent” series will not want to miss the highly-anticipated sequel “Insurgent.”

Picking up with the storyline from the previous movie, “Insurgent” follows Tris and Four as they are wanted, and hunted, for the deaths in the Abnegation faction.

Kate Winslet renews her role as Janine, the Erudite faction leader, making her a much more fierce adversary for Tris as she searches for the solution to the alleged Divergence problem.

Filled with non-stop action, this movie had me sitting on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Starting with a fight scene and ending with a fight scene, this movie brings the action

of the novel to life in a way the previous movie failed to do.

From the opening scene, the viewer is placed back into dystopian Chicago, only the stakes are higher this time.

Tris must literally battle for her life, with the lives of her faction mates hanging in the balance.

With a much better performance from actress Shailene Woodley, playing Tris, fans will be thrilled to see the beloved heroine come to life the way they always imagined.

Being a fan of the book series first and foremost, there were several discrepancies between the book and the movie adaptation.

However, they in no way detract from the overall effect of the film.

For fans of the books and movie alike, I highly recommend going to see it.

www.merciad.mercyhurst.edu/ arts_entertainment

March 25, 2015

The Merciad

Page 6

Opinion

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

Students enjoy dining perks after Union closure

By MacKenzie Burns Staff writer

Even though the Laker Inn is no longer a dining option, Egan Dining Hall, the bookstore and the C-Store have compensated with temporary perks.

The problem is that these are only going to last for the duration of reconstruction of the Student Union.

At this point, we have all gotten so used to having them that taking them away would be almost cruel.

Excluding the displaced faculty members whose offices were located in the Union, the Mercyhurst upperclassmen have probably been inconvenienced the most from the flooding of the Student Union. Many of them have

very small meal plans, and some do not have a meal plan at all. A portion of them have admitted that a majority of their meals come from the Laker Inn. In an attempt to offset this, Parkhurst has implemented some changes for dining options until construction is complete.

The C-Store has recently been running with extended hours. It used to only be open daily from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Now the doors of Warde Hall are unlocked so that all students have access to the C-Store from 9 a.m. to midnight on weekdays.

Even though it operates under normal hours on the weekends, having it as an option during the day is extremely convenient. The C-Store also carries addi-

tional “On-the-Go” items, such as sushi, that were not available before. It may drain our Dining Dollars a little bit faster, but it is a nice perk nonetheless.

Lately, the staff at Egan has encouraged students to take food to go due to added foot traffic.

Plastic containers are available for use instead of the Eco Boxes, which can be used by students for a $3 fee. Once again, this will only be available for the duration of construction.

As of Monday, March 23, Egan offers sandwiches to go during certain hours.

The machine that houses the to-go items clearly states that this will only be available while the Laker is closed. This is yet another option that will no longer exist in future years.

While all of this is great, it seems safe to say that the perk everyone will miss the most is the extended hours. Egan remains open until 11:30 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends. The late-night options are especially nice because they are similar to what is offered at the Laker.

We all miss the Laker Inn, but the majority of students still eat at Egan on a regular basis. I have been going to Egan more often now that these changes have been made.

With the exception of the freshmen, it is a possibility that Egan will lose business if these perks are taken away.

@TheMerciad

Congregation saddened by Pope Francis’ potential leave

By Victoria Kreysar Staff writer

On March 13, Pope Francis told a Mexican television network he did not expect his role as Pope to last long. With regards to quantifying the remaining time, he was quoted saying it might last “four or five years.”

He believed God wants him to lead the Church for only a short time. To many this may not mean much, but to others, this is very meaningful, but why?

When I was little it was Pope John Paul II; I remember distinctly when he died.

My Catholic grade school was buzzing about the new Pope and I struggled to understand why every TV picture focused on a chimney. When the white smoke came up, Pope Ben-

edict XVI was elected. Once the excitement died down, the papacy was, for the most part, pushed to the back of my mind.

That is until 2013 when Benedict announced he was going to resign—something that hadn’t been done since Pope Gregory XII in 1415. It was a shock to many people; the Catholic Church is not necessarily known for deviating from tradition.

Pope Francis took the Holy See two years ago, in 2013.

Since then the now 78-yearold leader of the Catholic Church has lead the papacy as one of action.

His words “Who am I to judge?” are a continual theme throughout his seemingly endless work with the forgotten and marginalized.

Popes can be seen as many things throughout history, but

I love when they can be seen as a spectacular role model, and that’s what Francis is.

On Holy Thursday in 2013, not long after his election, Francis performed the feet-washing ritual—washing the feet of young inmates, including several women.

Typically, the service is composed of men. More recently this past Sunday, while in Naples, the pontiff openly denounced the mafia, dined with inmates and visited many who were transgender, gay and HIV positive.

Now don’t get me wrong, the Holy See is not without its historically ugly blemishes, but to see a pontiff reaching out to help those the world sometimes forgets about is a wonderful thing. Catholicism is not normally paralleled with open mindedness, but it is doing a world of good to have

a leader practicing continual actions of unconditional love.

When it comes down to it, my religion is one of love and I hope people can see that. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do or don’t do.

“Who am I to judge?”

Francis has not explicitly said he will retire. His cryptic prediction of a short papacy is certainly saddening, though.

If it does come to fruition however, it may show how much good can be done in a short amount of time. Doing good in the world does not require an eternity.

We can be sure however and whenever the papacy is passed on, Francis will surely be missed.

Opinion editor

Online

Certainly we have all heard about the American Dream and how thousands of people cross the border and come into the country in hopes of a better future. Some choose to take the risky way by entering the country illegally, but there are others who come to this legally in search of a better future.

A significant number of international students from all over the world come into the U.S. in hopes of obtaining a good education and eventually landing a job. When their time for graduation comes, they start looking for a job.

After reviewing the companies that they became interested in applying to, they might choose a certain company for being well known and they

feel they might be the right fit for the position. Once they review the responsibilities, and figure they would make a good candidate, they proceed to read the requirements for the job.

They realize they have to be an American citizen or have permanent residency to qualify. In that moment they realize that the job that would have actually made good use of their knowledge and that they were confident they could fulfill the responsibilities the job entails, that one requirement disqualifies them for the job.

The question is, what is the difference between an American or a foreigner candidate for the job? Some people might actually come up with differences because there are, but why would you disqualify a candidate that might have the talent and drive for that

position.

It would make sense that having someone who comes from a different culture understands different markets and would be a helpful element for the company. In fact, some companies embrace people who are bilingual and come from different cultures for traveling purposes or even for interpretation of documents that might be useful for the company.

What would happen if companies who filter out foreigners from their personnel selection process would actually change that requirement and make it open to everyone?

After all, these students that are seeking to find a job after graduation, obtained part of their education in America, so why disqualify them for being foreign? It is not like they would be illegally working here because they go

Read more at

merciad.mercyhurst.edu/opinion

The annual Career Fair will be hosted Thursday, March 26, at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center from noon to 4 p.m. Get your best suit and show employers that you are the right fit for their company.

This Saturday, March 28, accepted potential students will be visiting campus for accepted students day and Laker Live-in. They will have the chance to experience how it feels to be a Laker and get to know their future professors in their major.

The Bad...

Parkhurst came up with To-Go alternatives for students due to the closing of the Laker Inn. Unfortunately, the “to-go” option offered at Egan does not come without a catch. Students still have to pay for entrance into Egan, in addition to the food price. This defeats the purpose of a cheap item.

Looks like students are stuck eating Egan food for the rest of the year.

The Ugly...

Lately, Baldwin residents have been complaining of the inevitable and recognizable smell of marijuana.

Something should be done to respect those who are bothered by the smell.

The Weird...

As part of the promotional efforts for Mercyhurst’s Relay for Life event the promoters recorded a promotional video and had a purple man walking around campus earlier this week. This odd situation raised many eyebrows.

The Merciad

@TheMerciad

Companies miss out on hidden talent

By Marcela Delgado

The Good...

through a process with the government that allows them to work or study for one more year after graduating.

Companies should evaluate their policies closely and see beyond the boundaries they have set and open their possibilities to new opportunities that could bring them equal or better success to their companies.

I’m not saying that Americans are not a good fit for a job, because they are, in fact we trust our hopes and efforts to this country by studying here and seeking a job after.

I just want for those efforts to be valued and considered when selecting candidates for a job. Wouldn’t they want to keep in their country all the knowledge they gained on an American university or would they want them to take all the knowledge back to their country?

Editors Zach Dorsch Sami Rapp Jordan Power Nathan Turner Ryan Kushner Karah Hollis Megan Pacileo Marcela Delgado Mary Barnes Salina Bowe Will DeFeo Bill Welch

Positions @mercyhurst.edu Editor-in-Chief editormerciad Managing Editor managingmerciad Writing Coach jpower57 News Editor newsmerciad featuremerciad Features Editor Sports Editor sportsmerciad A&E Editor entertainmentmerciad Opinion Editor opinionmerciad Copy Editor copymerciad Photo Editor photomerciad Ad Manager admerciad wwelch Adviser

The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst University. It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of finals weeks. Our office is in Hirt, Room 120B. Our telephone number is (814) 824-2376.

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

Write for The Merciad, email editormerciad@mercyhurst.edu

The Merciad

March 25, 2015

Page 7

Sports

Men’s ice hockey falls in AHC final, 5-1

By James Karasek Contributing writer

The Mercyhurst Division I men’s ice hockey team fell to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Tigers on Saturday, March 21, in the Atlantic Hockey Conference (AHC) championship game.

The loss came after a 4-3 overtime victory in the semifinals against Robert Morris Friday, March 20.

All four goals were scored by seniors Kyle Just, Ryan Misiak, Chris Bodo and Zac Frischmon in the win Friday.

In the 5-1 loss to RIT on Saturday, sophomore Stephen Hrehoriak scored the lone goal.

Forward Kyle Just scored first for the Lakers to give them an early 1-0 lead in Friday’s game. Forward Ryan Misiak scored shortly after to help their early lead, 2-0.

Robert Morris responded with three unanswered goals until forward Chris Bodo sent the game into overtime.

He tied the game 3-3, scoring with 35.5 seconds left in regulation.

Forward Zac Frischmon scored the game-winning goal at 3:04 in overtime.

“It was toward the end of my shift and I was thinking about changing” Frischmon said. “But then, Nardo passed me the puck so I brought it

into their zone, saw that there was some room on the goalie’s glove side and just decided to shoot. In playoffs especially, you just try to get as many shots as possible.”

Freshman goalie Brandon Wildung had a record number of saves in the tournament, stopping 59 of 62 shots.

The Lakers overtime win Friday sent them to the AHC title game for the second time in three years, in a matchup against the RIT. The result was a 5-1 loss. The Lakers’ only goal came from sophomore forward Stephen Hrehoriak.

“We played two very good teams with the season on the line, so going into the games we knew it was going to be a great battle,” said Wildung.

“We won the first game against Robert Morris to get into the championship game so that was great. It was a bittersweet weekend and tough to swallow the loss knowing how close we came to winning the championship. We played with a lot of heart and just came up short.”

Wildung was the only player named to the All-Tournament team.

@TheMerciad

Haleigh Giebel photo

Seniors from the men’s ice hocky team line up for the last time during senior night Friday, Feb. 20, against Cansius College.

Baseball wins 14 straight

By Chris Merritt

Contributing writer

Mercyhurst baseball advanced to 14-0 with the sweep of the Clarion Eagles Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21. The Lakers outscored the Eagles 9-3 and 9-0, respectively.

Redshirt sophomore Collin McKee was the starting pitcher for the Lakers and earned his third win of the season. McKee allowed only four hits in five innings with nine strike-outs.

Redshirt senior Angel Martinez led the Lakers in offense with three hits, two runs batted in (RBI) and one run scored.

Designated hitter, junior Dan Popio, hit a double, send-

ing center fielder Ryan Siegel to the plate and putting the Lakers up 1-0 early in the first inning.

The Eagles answered in the second inning when Edinboro native, Josh Ponsol, scored on Austin Mike’s single, tying the game at 1-1.

Mercyhurst went on to score five runs before Clarion scored their second run in the fifth inning, making the score 6-2.

Relief pitcher Connor Ryan came on to close the game as the Lakers took the 9-3 win for the first game of the series.

Redshirt senior Jon Klein started the second game.

Klein pitched six full innings for the Lakers and earned his third win of the year. Along with allowing only three hits in the game, Klein continued

to have a perfect earned run average (ERA) of 0.00.

Redshirt senior Jordan Bray came on to close the game, retiring all three batters and recording one strikeout.

Mercyhurst’s offense scored in every inning of the second game. Martinez led as he went 2 for 3 with two doubles and three RBIs. Junior Hank Morrison had three hits on four plate appearances, including a tworun home run in the bottom of the third inning.

“My goal every game is to be able to help the team in any way I possibly can to get a win,” said Morrison. “We all did a great job of putting together hits to get runs in.” @TheMerciad

Rowing trains in Alabama

By Karah Hollis Sports editor

For spring break, the Mercyhurst University men’s and women’s rowing teams traveled to Eufaula, Ala., for training.

The teams trained at Lake Lanier, Ga., until this year.

Head Coach Adrian Spracklen found a new location in Alabama to train during spring break this year.

“Alabama offers the best weather we could ask for in terms of training three times a day for a week,” said sophomore Brian Comey. “It wasn’t too hot or too cold; however, I imagine anywhere down south would seem nice after spending a winter in Erie.”

The 14-hour drive took longer than expected. As the Lakers traveled into Ohio, they were involved in a traffic accident.

Friday was the first day of training, starting at 7 a.m. The team came back in the middle of the day for a “tech practice” which was followed by a hard training session.

“We practiced three times a day because coach knew when

we got back that the lake would be frozen still,” said Comey. “Every practice, we went in with the mentality of ‘do as much as you can.’”

About 40 people attended the trip to Alabama. Practices consisted of three boats, each with eight men and a coxswain. The women took two boats with the same number of people in each boat as the men.

In the middle of the day, the athletes were allowed to take out smaller pair and single boats. This allowed them to work on their technique, according to Comey. Then they returned to their morning formation in the afternoon for head-to-head races.

“I don’t think it could’ve gone any better for the team,” said Comey. “Our coach had expectations going in, and we pretty much hit all of them.

We just built speed from day one.”

The hard work during the weeklong training session paid off, Comey said. The men had a scrimmage against the United States Naval Academy in Oak Ridge, Tenn. on their way home.

“When we went out against the Navy, I think a lot of guys were surprised with the results of the race,” Comey said.

The scrimmage was unconventional, Comey said. Instead of racing once and then leaving, the Lakers raced multiple pieces against the Navy.

They raced three eight-minute pieces, some six-minute pieces and some one-minute pieces, Comey said. The coaches were together in boats behind the racers as well.

“It was more like a competitive practice than a scrimmage,” Comey said.

The team’s goals for the upcoming season include medaling at the Dad Vail Regatta and the Eastern Sprints for the men’s freshman eight. Varsity’s top four men look to medal at the Dad Vail as well, along with the International Rowing Association Championship.

“You can always use the spring training trip as a gauge for the spring season,” said Comey, “and this year went especially well.” @TheMerciad

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March 25, 2015

The Merciad

Laker

Living

Taking on Dungarvan: Finding Coumshingaun

By Emily Francis Staff Writer

Mercyhurst students studying in Ireland geared up to explore the scenic Irish countryside this past weekend.

The students went on a hike through a section of the Comeragh Mountains, a range that overlooks the small town of Dungarvan.

The trip was a suggestion from junior Tara McConville after speaking to some locals about must-see locations around the area. The ad-hoc excursion is just one of many day-trips the students took near Dungarvan.

A local hiker volunteered to be the group’s guide and chose a clear Saturday morning for the hike to occur, so the students would have the best view.

That Saturday, the students took a thirty-minute drive from the town center to entrance to the Kilclooney Woods.

From the woods, they followed an

up-hill path that leads to the hilly base of the mountains.

Students walked along a worn path through the hills fighting against a strong wind. At the crest of the final hill, at the base of towering cliffs, the group found the Coumshingaun (coomshin-gone) an iconic glacial lake visible only from within the mountain range.

Students sat lakeside for lunch as sheep roamed around the water and dotted the cliffs above. A few students were brave enough to step into the forty-degree water, though senior Paul Bailey was the only one who swam into the dark center. According to the guide, the deepest point reaches about 20m and small fish make up the lone inhabitants of the lake.

As students made the trip back down through the mountains and observedvast countryside, there was a consensus that it was one of the most exciting and beautiful places visited so far.

Matt Vendeville photo

Lake Coumshingaun with students in the middle right gives a visual comparison of the body of water.

Beauty Talks: Wellness Fair Recipes

By Marcela Delgado Opinion editor

This coming Friday, March 27, the Campus Involvement Center will present the 11th annual Wellness Fair.

As usual Fresh Face Forward will be present.

For this event we will be featuring two recipes that you will find useful this spring, the lemon hand scrub and the lip exfoliator.

The lemon hand scrub recipe comes from WellnessMama.com and is really simple to make: ½ cup of olive oil ½ teaspoon of vitamin E oil 15-20 drops (or more) of lemon or orange essential oil

Combine all ingredients and once it is ready to use, rub on hands for 1-2 minutes and rinse. Making sure not to rub to hard. This will help to make your hands soft and lemon fresh.

The next recipe, the lip exfoliator, comes from EcoBeauty by Lauren Cox: 1 teaspoon of almond oil 1 teaspoon of honey 2 teaspoons of brown sugar

Say goodbye to chapped lips, dry hands and say hello to soft and smooth hands and lips.

Don’t forget to visit Freshfaceforward.org to learn more about safer alternatives to consumer products and what products do more harm then good. Also, be sure to follow Fresh Face Forward on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest so you can get more great tips and recipes all year long.

Stir ingredients until smooth paste forms. Once it is smooth enough, massage into lips very gently. Rinse with warm water. If you have leftovers, store them in a dry, dark place.

Make sure to stop by our table at the Wellness Fair and enjoy our samples of the recipes above. @freshfacefwd

Game Zone

By Sami Rapp

Managing Editor

Last Week’s PuZZLe ansWers