News

Bryce Vine performs at SpringFest

By Eva Mihelich News editor

Mercyhurst students had the opportunity to see singer Bryce Vine perform on stage in the Warde parking lot on April 23 for the first ever outdoor SpringFest. He is known for his many hit songs: “Guilty Pleasure,” “Sour Patch Kids,” “Drew Barrymore,” and “La La Land.”

The concert was completely planned and executed by Mercyhurst Student Government. A small team of executive board members work together starting in October each year to plan this traditional event. It was a lot of hard work to plan the event and it really paid off.

“We worked super hard to set up the concert all day before and the day of SpringFest. We’d been planning the event for months and it was so awesome to see all of our hard work pay off. We were really happy with the turn out and everyone had an awesome time. Plus we really lucked out with the weather. We are hoping to be able to host SpringFest outside again next year because it was just such a great experience,” said Nick Brodfuehrer, president of MSG. During the day prior to the performances, students could check out the special SpringFest menu in Grotto Commons Dining Hall. Parkhurst partnered with MSG to create the menu and transformed the dining hall into a California Food Truck wonderland. While at Grotto Commons, students could check out some of the stations MAC/ SAC hosted including a temporary tattoo station, flavored oxygen bar, and CD painting.

To attend the concert, students had to get a ticket, free of charge, by showing their student IDs, and then they were also permitted one guest pass if desired for anyone who isn’t a student at Mercyhurst. Doors opened at 5:45p.m., and students began lining up. No outside bags or beverages were permitted: just you and your high energy! The performance started out at 6:30 p.m. with DJ Ca$hEra from Chicago, IL who played pump-up songs ranging from “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston to “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes. The crowd was roaring with energy, ready for Bryce Vine to take the stage.

Finally, the time came. The smoke machines were going, the lights were flashing, and Bryce Vine himself appeared from the performing arts center doors, jogging to the stage

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Bryce Vine encouraging the crowd to sing the lyrics with him to his song ““Guilty Pleasure.“ with a smile on his face. He delivered an energetic, lively performance with infectious energy that had the whole crowd cheering along. Many students did not know who Bryce Vine even was before SpringFest but left with high spirits and a new artist to listen to!

Bethany Jentz, sophomore Intelligence Studies major, said, “I had only listened to Bryce Vine a couple of times before SpringFest, but I didn’t know all the words or anything. But now I have been listening to him a lot more. He just had such a great stage presence even at such a small concert.” Jentz said that her favorite song performed was “Drew Barrymore,” which was a song that really got the crowd hyped.

Because of COVID, students have not had SpringFest in two years, so the return of it was met with great anticipation and high hopes for a future of more events to return to campus. If you missed SpringFest and did not get the chance to see Bryce Vine perform, follow him on social media and listen to his music. His songs are well-liked by many and have a happy-go-lucky summer feel to them, so it is fitting that he performed on a rare sunny day in Erie, Pennsylvania.

From the archives: what the duck?

By Hannah Brooks Features editor

Imagine waking up in the morning and heading to your classes, just to be faced with an interruption. Can you imagine what that may be? A slow walker or some sort of obstruction on the walkways? Perhaps a gigantic, larger-than-life duck? While this may seem like something out of a fever dream, this was a reality for Hurst students in November of 2012, as referenced from the Nov. 7, 2012 edition of the Merciad.

Now, understandably, you may have many questions about this. First of all, how did such a large duck appear on campus? Why was it there? Who had this idea? Was it some sort of prank? All of these are understandable questions.

The duck appeared as a part of a rotating art display that was ongoing under previous administration, according to Michelle Scully, campus minister.

“The school used to have a rotating art display on loan throughout the hallway in Old Main on the first floor where the archive photos now hang,” said Scully. “There used to be arts of all sorts there, and some of it got pretty weird - there was once a sculpture made of pool noodles hanging from the ceiling in Old Main.”

Being that the larger than lifesized duck obviously was not going to fit in the hallways of Old Main, the concept required those involved to think bigger - the home for the duck became the lawn out in front of Old Main, according to Michelle Scully. She added that the duck also had wheels and a rope attached and was not just a sculpture set to stay in one place.

“Oftentimes, especially on weekends, there were times that the duck would mysteriously be moved by students and end up in many locations,” said Scully. “While it was often outside of Old Main, it sometimes rested outside of the grotto as well as many other locations on campus. It ‘journeyed’ around.”

The reason why the duck was created in the first place is even more interesting than its life at Mercyhurst - it was a concept created by Erie artists David Seitzinger and Gary Cacchione as part of their 2012 “Giant Quacker” project.

As part of this project, a number of large ducks including Mercyhurst’s duck were entered into the 2013 ArtPrize competition. The contest drew in 1,524 entries from artists all across the world, in which similar displays such as this one were made and placed in various areas around the world. Though ‘Quackers’ did not win, the display finished in the top 50 for the contest. Additionally, the creators of the project still work in Erie and create art to this day at Dovetail Gallery.

Though ‘Quackers’ has left campus long ago, the mark of the duck has still been made and brought joy and excitement to students and faculty alike during its time spent on Mercyhurst’s campus. The idea, concept and all that comes with ‘the duck’ are interesting and different.

“It was definitely one of the funnier things that has happened at Mercyhurst in the past decade,” said Scully.

Though you will not see a large duck in front of Old Main today, for more information as well as photos of the duck and the project itself, more information is available at https://www.prweb. com/releases/2013/giant_quacker/prweb11281522.htm.

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A student poses on ‘Quackers,’ poking out her body for a photo.

Dr. Earls’ Farewell to Mercyhurst

By Isabella Lee Staff Writer

The end of the academic year generally entails a variety of professors leaving or retiring. This year, it is Averill Earls, Ph.D. assistant professor of History, that will be leaving the Mercyhurst community.

Earls is heading off to be an assistant professor of History at St. Olaf College in Minnesota where she will be teaching classes such as Witchcraft, Sex in Modern History and History of the British Empire. Earls made her official announcement of her departure to the History Department on April 21, much to the surprise and sadness of the department.

Earls has been a massive part of the History Department for the past six years. She created the department’s Instagram and Snapchat accounts and has been advisor for the History and Irish Clubs, the latter since its inception. She has been an important part of History recruitment, specifically the History minor (which is only six History classes, if you are interested). She has taught iMU for the past three years and had plans to take students to Dungarvan and Germany before COVID derailed those plans. She has taught over 50 sections of 20 different courses, her favorites being Sex in Modern History, Holocaust, French Rev, Digital History Storytelling, Russian Film and Decolonization. The list goes on of how much she has done for this campus.

I have been privileged to have taken three different classes with Earls (Sex in Modern History, Global Civil Rights and World History 2), and I am going to miss her teaching style and brutal sense of humor. I am going to always remember her office in Preston, where I have collected a variety of snacks ranging from Pop Tarts to applesauce cups. I am especially going to miss her dog, Madame Curie, who was and still is beloved by every student she comes across.

Earls has asked me to share her parting words here, “The best thing about Mercyhurst is you: the students. Having you in class, advising you, being a brief interlocutor in your lives. That’s what I will miss the most. My time teaching at Mercyhurst has been formative, and that’s because of all the students who were willing to experiment with Unessays, games, Ungrading, podcasting, and my various unorthodox methods. Thank you for your patience and good humor and mostly positive comments on YikYak and Rate My Professor. com. Thank you for your honesty and kindness and for fighting for what is right. Thank you for always surprising me.

And since I can’t be here to do it myself, please welcome the Visiting Assistant Professor in History in the fall, and make her feel at home and appreciated. It’s hard starting a new job in a city far from home. Having students as kind and thoughtful as you will make it easier. I only hope to be so fortunate at St. Olaf.

In the words of Anna Kendrick, ‘You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.’ But I’m gonna miss you more.”

History Club Photo

Dr. Earls’ and junior Lily Smith showcasing how fun it is to be a History major at the Majors & Minors Fair in 2021.

April was Autism Acceptance Month

By Nick Klein Staff Writer

There are around 75 million people with autism in the world, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with more than 2% of children born since 2010 being diagnosed with autism, up from 0.75% of children back in 2000. As an autistic student here at Mercyhurst University, I want to fight for autistic rights and spread awareness about it.

Mercyhurst has a program called AIM (Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst) whose mission is to facilitate and support the successful adjustment of autistic college students in all aspects of college life.

It was introduced in 2008 by Brad McGarry and has since grown to be one of the best college programs for autism in the world.

AIM has been encouraging the campus to celebrate Austism Acceptance Month throughout April. The program recently did the Northwestern PA Autism Society Walk, which happened on April 23.

Students and staff from AIM walked the track at Lake Erie Speedway and provided information to the local community about the AIM program.

The program has also taken trips to Indonesia and the Grand Canyon. I went to an AIM sponsored trip to the Grand Canyon called “Conquer the Canyon” last May, where we hiked a path that few people have ever hiked before.

Besides the trips, AIM has introduced me to new people that have showed a lot of solidarity with me and made me feel more at home. I would recommend this great program to anyone who wants to go to college and has high functioning autism.

For the month of April, Old Main lit up blue to mark Autism Acceptance Month.

Just last year, the name was changed from “Autism Awareness Month” to “Autism Acceptance Month,” to include and help autistic people develop in the community and get a sense of connection to other people, not just knowing somebody who has autism.

April 2 is known as “World Autism Awareness Day,” which has been officially recognized by the United Nations since 2008 with the goal of improving the quality of life for people with autism.

Initially, the focus of World Autism Awareness Day was to bring a cure to eliminate autism.

However, in recent years, many people (including many autistic adults) just want inclusion and neurodiversity acceptance rather than a cure.

People with autism are five times more likely to get incarcerated and a fifth of autistic young adults will have an interaction with the police before they turn 21.

Autistic people also have an unemployment level of 70%, including the under employed. Considering the labor shortages today, autistic people are a great asset, due to their special skills that can influence how people work in their careers.

I hope that we, autistic people, will continue to improve in our quality of life and rights and that we will be granted more opportunities within my lifetime.

A photo of Old Main at night, lit up blue to raise awareness of Autism Appreciation Month

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Merciad IN A MINUTE

Extended Housing Forms

Students are required to be moved out of their housing by Friday, May 13. If you need to stay any longer than this date, complete the exception request located under Housing Forms in the Housing Portal. Be aware that if you live in Duval, Ryan, Warde, or a select few Briggs apartments you may be moved to temporary housing.

Free Movie

MSG and the Modern Cinema Club are hosting a free premiere of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” at the Cinemark Tinseltown Erie. Transportation leaves at 6:15 and the movie starts at 7:00 p.m. To reserve a ticket, email moderncinemaclub@ gmail.com and include your full name, email address, and transportation needs.

FSAT Deadline Extended

The deadline for applications to study abroad in France, Italy, or Dungarvan, Ireland has been extended to Friday, May 6. Students will have the opportunity to take a course in subjects suh as Food and Wine, Food and Culture, or Beyond the Gates credit while exploring a great country of your choice! Email studyabroad@mercyhurst. edu for more information!

Return your books

Friendly reminder to return all your rentals back to the Mercyhurst bookstore before you head home for summer break! They are also doing textbook buybacks, so even if you did not buy a book from the bookstore, they can still offer you some cash for it. If you would like to purchase your rental book for its full price, you have that option as well, so just make sure you stop in soon!

Seniors present at Illumination

By Eva Mihelich News editor

Illumination is an annual event that showcases students and their projects that they have completed throughout the semester. Any student of any major is able to present, so there is a wide variety of subjects that are covered. Most students choose to present their projects via poster board, but there is the option to use any visual overview of their work, as long as the student is present to answer any questions. This program was created so that students’ diligent efforts and outstanding scholarship has the chance to be recognized by the Mercyhurst University community. It provides students the opportunity to practice their presentation skills and exercise their ability to think on the spot and answer any questions people may have about their research.

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Carin Rushnock poses with her presentation on the effects of caffeine.

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Students present their projects to attendees as they walk around.

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A table with flyers for the event laid out.

Mercyhurst holds blood drive

By Nadine Fox Staff writer

Mercyhurst University hosted a blood drive with Community Blood Bank on April 27 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Student Union Great Room. A Blood Bank is a place where blood is collected and stored before it is used for transfusions. Blood banking takes place in the lab. This is to make sure that donated blood and blood products are safe before they are used.

Alyson Merryman, the Mobile Drive Coordinator of the Community Blood Bank of NWPA and WNY, said that “many blood centers across America have been experiencing a blood shortage for well over 2 years now. Community Blood Bank is currently critically low on ALL blood types. It’s so important to donate blood because you never know if you or someone you love might need blood one day.”

Blood is essential to help patients survive surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries.

Donating blood can save a life, or even several lives if the blood is separated into its components of red cells, platelets and plasma which can then be used individually for patients with specific conditions. Just one person making a generous donation can make a huge impact on another’s life. Donating blood not only saves multiple lives but also gives you an opportunity to add value to your own life.

Community Blood Bank is the exclusive blood supplier to Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York. When students donated at Mercyhurst University, they also received a $10 Tim Horton’s gift card as an incentive. Donating blood is only 30 minutes out of your day to save 3 local lives. 1 unit of blood is split by red cells, white cells, etc. that saves up to 3 lives. This equates to 10 minutes of your time per life saved.

The average person can donate blood every 56 days, up to six times a year, if they meet the following criteria: in good health and feeling well, at least 16 years old and weighing a minimum of 110 pounds. Additional eligibility criteria apply, including certain medications, medical conditions, travel to certain countries and personal history. It is important to visit the Red Cross blood donation eligibility for specific eligibility information. According to the Red Cross, those that received a COVID-19 vaccine may still donate blood.

When students arrived to donate, they were given a form to fill out with their medical background. They then had a general health screening including blood pressure, iron levels, and heart rate. If the student passed the screen, they were then taken to the chair to donate. The donation itself took between 5-12 minutes. Once the donation was finished the donor could head over to the refreshment table where they were encouraged to enjoy light snacks and beverages.

The need for blood is constant. Please consider taking the time to donate blood and help make an impact by scheduling an appointment at fourhearts. org.

Check out these upcoming events:

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

This weekend’s campus events

MERCYHURST CAMPUS CRIME LOG

April 20: Drug Violation in Ryan April 20: Liquor Law Violation in Ryan April 20: Sexual Assault reported in Warde April 22: Liquor Law Violation in Briggs April 22: Drug Violation in Briggs April 28: Larceny/Theft in Old Main April 29: Criminal Mischief in Lewis