April 25th Edition of The Merciad

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News ................2-5 Features...........6-9 A&E ............. 10-11 Opinion........ 12-13 Sports ......... 14-15 Laker Living ......16

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VOL. 91 NO. 18

Rivals team up for wishes PAGE 7

Online poll results How excited are you for summer?

4: Student Government rejects RCR Integration Proposal 10: Civic Orchestra performance to feature student soloists 14: Baseball sweeps series against Clarion University Contributed photo

So excited. (70%) I’ll miss my friends. (15%) I am taking summer classes anyway. (10%) Terrified — I am graduating. (5%)

This week’s

POLL

What are your goals for the upcoming semester?

merciad.mercyhurst.edu

NEWS

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Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Contributed photo

Christopher Taylor, Ph.D., hosts a discussion of the Evelyn Lincoln Institute for Ethics & Society Ethics Symposium, talking about ethical applications of extending human life.

Taylor talks biotech at ELIES “

By Marina Boyle

Features editor

The final discussion of the Evelyn Lincoln Institute for Ethics & Society Ethics Symposium took place on April 17. The talk was an evaluation of the ethical implications of extending human life by decades.

Christopher Taylor, Ph.D., assistant professor of Chemistry, raised the question: “If biotechnology allowed a person to live 130-150 years, who would get to live longer and how should it be paid for?”

Students were given an opportunity to express their thoughts, bounce ideas off one another, and turn to Taylor to resolve disputes or answer questions.

Transhumanism is the belief that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations to expand and improve human life, enabling humans to live decades beyond the current average lifespan.

In doing so, scientists could

create a world where the rich could live to be 150 years old, through personalized surgical treatment, such as receiving blood or organs grown especially for that individual.

For the purpose of discussing the idea of transhumanism hypothetically during the talk, students set a price of $100,000 for this treatment, annually, from the age of 50.

“It is very plausible that biotechnology developed in the next couple of decades will enable people to live significantly longer than they do today,” Taylor said.

“It isn’t clear who would have access to those advances, or what their effect would be on society. I think it’s worth it for students to think through the ethical ramifications while this is still a hypothetical issue so that they have a carefully reasoned position if and when it becomes a real issue.”

Students brought up the points of how health insurance companies would deal with this, how we would test it on humans, what

It is very plausible that biotechnology developed in the next couple of decades will enable people to live significantly longer than they do today.”

Christopher Taylor, Ph.D.

effect it would have on the federal budget, how we might alter the global gene pool and how it might increase jobs in the medical field.

More important were the ethical implications of how this would be inherently tied to socioeconomic status. Students discussed how a screening system put in place to test mental competency might be useful to

ensure that the right people have the ability to live so long, but also worried that this would be susceptible to bribery and corruption.

Finally, students asked themselves, “Would elderly people actually want this? What personality types would be most attracted to this?”

While Taylor posed the questions, “Who do you trust to make the decision of who gets to live and die? What panel would have that power and would you trust them with it?”

The answer to most of the questions raised was the idea of whether humans want quality or quantity out of life. Students had varying opinions when deciding if a longer life equals a happier one.

Sophomore Political Science major Emily Thayer spoke about how she felt about the issue after discussing it with peers.

“I really enjoyed learning about something that is most likely going to have serious implications during our life,” Thayer said.

“The flexibility of the talk let us learn about and discuss the aspects of biotechnology and its life-extending effects that we found most interesting. I was most interested in the ethical dilemma and loved getting the chance to hear other students’ opinions. It was a great opportunity to begin to form my own opinion on a complicated issue.”

Verna Ehret, Ph.D., director of Evelyn Lincoln Institute for Ethics and Society, felt that this particular topic was an especially important one to end the ELIES Student Symposium Series for this year.

“I created the Student Symposium Series through the Institute to provide students with a place to gather and discuss pressing and interesting ethical questions outside of the classroom,” Ehret said. “This was particularly important because it allowed students to interact with faculty and peers they might not otherwise meet but with whom they share an interest.”

Class gift reaches goal before final event

By Rebecca Dunphy

Staff writer

Congratulations are extended by the Mercyhurst community to the Senior Class Gift Committee, which successfully reached its goal of $12,000 for the Sister Lisa Mary McCartney Senior Class Gift Scholarship.

The committee has been fundraising since the beginning of the year, under Committee Chair Lynne Gillott.

“We utilized Senior Class Gift history and decided to partake in fundraisers that have been suc-

cessful in the past and that we believe the senior class will enjoy,” said Gillott.

Senior Class Gift Committee events this year have included the Christmas bar crawl, Senior Week, the Seniors vs. Faculty/ Staff Kickball game and the Spring bar crawl.

“As a committee member, I have had the chance to work both the Christmas and Spring bar crawl signups, advertise for our events by hanging up posters and posting information on social media, emcee the Senior Date Auction, and announce

for the Seniors vs. Faculty/Staff kickball game, just to name a few,” committee member Morgan Wangler said.

The bar crawls and senior week activities have been the most successful fundraisers, allowing the group to surpass its goal by more than $200, with a total of $12,265 raised thus far.

A member of the Mercyhurst University Board of Trustees — Lev Kubiak — has graciously offered to match $10,000 toward the gift, bringing the class gift’s total to $22,265 as of now.

“This allowed us to create an

endowed scholarship that will exist long after we have graduated from Mercyhurst University that will be rewarded to a multitude of future Lakers who meet the requirements of the scholarship,” said Gillott.

The gift of a scholarship was decided upon by President Michael T. Victor, the Office of Advancement, and the Senior Class Gift Committee. With the recent expansion of campus, many of the previous class’s contributions have been lost, prompting the committee to choose something that would continue even with

F O L L O W T H E M E R C I A D O N T W I T T E R AT @ T H E M E R C I A D

the school’s growth.

“This gift will be a way for the Class of 2018 to be remembered at Mercyhurst University, and I am happy to have been a member of the committee that has worked so hard for the success of this gift,” said Wangler.

Those who still want to support the Senior Class Gift Committee and the Sister Lisa Mary McCartney Senior Class Gift Scholarship are invited to their Frogurtz fundraiser on May 3. A percentage of the business’s proceeds will go towards the Senior Class Gift.

NEWS

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

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Celebrating students’ work

By Caitlyn Lear

Staff writer

On April 26, the Student Research Committee is holding Mercyhurst’s annual Illumination student research symposium.

The event will be held in the Student Union Great Room from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

“Illumination is our campus-wide annual student scholarship symposium,” said Gerard Barron, Psy.D. “It’s our opportunity to showcase the quality and diversity of experiential learning projects that are carried out by Mercyhurst students each and every year.”

Students are encouraged to share the projects they develop over their time at Mercyhurst. All majors and academic years are encouraged to participate in the symposium.

“These projects may take many forms, from research to service projects and internship experiences, as well as art projects or performances,” Barron said.

Presenting at the event is a helpful experience for students that are involved.

Presentations range all over the spectrum of topics and interests.

“I presented my research project with my group from Research Design and Statistical Analysis II,” said Kevin Ball, senior Criminal Justice and Psychology double major. “We did a replication study looking at video game violence and its influence on aggression.”

Most students will have some sort of poster presentation that

Contributed photo

Emma Preston, senior Biology and Psychology double major, presented at Illumination in her sophomore and junior year with research from her psychology classes. This year’s Illumination is April 26.

others can look at and ask questions about.

“At the event itself, we displayed our poster board explaining background research, our procedure, results and what the findings could lead to,” said Ball.

“We answered questions others had about our study.”

Not only is it a way for students to showcase their work, but to gain professional presentation skills that can be transferred to any field of study.

“It was an awesome way to prepare for a career in the world of academia. Not only did I learn skills about poster creating, I was

able to present my work to other students and faculty,” Emma Preston, senior Biology and Psychology double major, said.

Illumination can be a stepping stone for larger presentations and conferences, as many students will have the opportunity to participate in these events over

their time in undergraduate and graduate schooling.

“The project I presented my sophomore year I was able to take to a national psychology conference (APS Boston) in May of 2017, and I’m really very happy that I was able to present at Illumination first because I felt very prepared,” Preston said.

All students and professors are welcome to attend and look at the projects fellow classmates have worked on.

“I think it’s a good way for Mercyhurst students to show off the work they put into their research or other projects, and you get the chance to see what other students are working on,” Ball said.

Professors also get to see their students show their skills in other classes and subjects as well.

“I presented a psychology research project on the Effects of Video Games on Aggression at the 2017 Illumination,” said Natalie Merucci, senior Intelligence Studies and Psychology double major.

“My favorite part was when professors from both the departments I am a part of came to talk to me at the same time, and realized they both had me in class,” Merucci said.

By participating in Illumination, students are able to build both their personal résumé and confidence by partaking in this university-wide showcase. After working hard on a project of their own, this symposium comes as a gratifying reward.

Wells Fargo visits AIM students

By Kristian Biega News editor

The Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst (AIM) works hard to prepare students for opportunities in the workforce after their college experience. Wells Fargo has taken notice of this dedication and is among many business to reach out to Mercyhurst in hopes of integrating students on the autism spectrum into their companies.

“It is a give-and-take relationship that is very purposeful in engaging companies like this,” said Bradley McGarry, director of the Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst.

“If we connect with companies like this, it gives our students employment opportunities. Our students then give back to the companies to help them build the infrastructure within their organization for an autism employment initiative.”

Michael Riesmeyer, senior vice president at Wells Fargo, contacted Mercyhurst about increasing

the connections between students in the AIM program and the international company.

Riesmeyer has a personal connection and exposure to the program and to college students on the spectrum as his daughter, Megan, is currently a freshman in the AIM program.

AIM Career Path Coordinator, Adam Glass worked with Riesmeyer to figure out what types of sessions Wells Fargo should provide during an informational workshop on April 20.

Glass used his work with the students to guide Wells Fargo in what the day would look like, how the students would engage and ultimately what the students would benefit most from.

“We teach the students from a career development perspective,” said Glass.“Where Wells Fargo is coming from is an executive hiring perspective, saying ‘This is what we look for when we hire individuals.’ The students are kind of getting an inside track on what companies

really like and can then start working on and honing those particular skills.”

Five senior representatives of the international Wells Fargo company came to Mercyhurst on April 20 to present three main information sessions for the students — “What to look for in meaningful employment”; “How to find employment which hits your needs” and “What goes into completing a successful interview?” — followed by a roundtable discussion with employers and their potential employees.

“The AIM program had a very productive day with Wells Fargo,” said McGarry. “The students gained some great skills, and they were able to provide some strong insight on how best to build infrastructure for an Autism Employment Initiative. Overall, the day was a huge success and better than we could have planned.”

Mercyhurst is growing increasingly well-known among large global companies such as IBM,

Facebook, Ford Motor Co. and Microsoft because of the unique minds within the AIM program.

This is a huge step for those on the spectrum in the workforce, but companies are very much aware of the corporate benefits they gain by hiring autistic employees.

“It’s great that companies are doing this, but they’re not doing it as a charity case. What I love about what’s happening right now is that these companies see the benefit of having a person with a unique way of thinking in these positions,” said McGarry. “If businesses have diverse thinkers and people that diversify their population, they are going to think differently, do things differently, and ultimately advance businesses in a way that they couldn’t before.”

Many AIM students have traveled with McGarry all over the country for job opportunities and conferences to promote awareness for autistic employees and what employers can do to

F O L L O W T H E M E R C I A D O N T W I T T E R AT @ T H E M E R C I A D

help make these transitions.

“With a lot of companies who are building this type of program, it’s more than just adapting the interview process, which the AIM students do need. It’s about what Wells Fargo is going to do once the students get past that stage. The students get to share some of those things they feel they need in the workplace, too,” McGarry said.

AIM would not be able to be represented in so many ways if it were not for the generous grant opportunities from donors along with the support from the university.

“These grants are making all of this possible,” said Glass.

“They help to propel us to where we need to go to target these opportunities. The whole AIM team really picks up the slack (when McGarry and Glass are traveling with students). It’s not just a two-man show. The whole department makes it happen as they work one-on-one with the students.”

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Merciad IN A MINUTE PHEAA grants to be reduced An email was sent out to Pennsylvania residents notifying them that there is the possibility that the PHEAA grant could be reduced for next school year. The reduction for next year could be as large as $1,100 per student, which is about 25 percent of the maximum grant received.

The PHEAA grant is a state program that gives aid to low- and middleclass families.

In order to advocate for the continued funding of the grant, Mercyhurst Student Government will be holding tabling events.

These events will allow students to write to their state senator or representative to ask for the continued funding. MSG will provide a standard letter and send it on participating students’ behalf.

Prayers for Nicaragua On April 26 at 9 p.m. in Prince of Peace Chapel, there will be a vigil regarding civil and political unrest in Nicaragua that has led to the deaths of more than 25 people.

Prayers will be said in hopes for a restoration of peace and an end to the violent oppression of peaceful protesters.

Game added

There is a personalized Mercyhurst air hockey table now in the Student Union for everyone to enjoy.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

MSG rejects RSCO integration proposal

By Kristian Biega

News editor

& Caitlyn Lear Staff writer

On April 9 at the Mercyhurst Student Government (MSG) meeting, senators voted on a proposal that would restructure Senate. The official proposal was named the “RCR (RSCO Council of Representatives) Integration Proposal” drafted by Charity Ludwig.

The RCR was created as a way for the RSCOs, or Recognized Clubs and Student Organizations, to be represented in MSG. Though the proposal was about RCR integration, RCR did not develop it.

“This was not a proposal by the RCR, but about the RCR. There was no discussion from the Senators. When proposals are brought to a vote, two senators are allowed to speak in favor and two senators are allowed to speak against,” Sophia Jensen, Ridge College senator, said.

Before the voting took place, the proposal was approved by Laura Zirkle, vice president for Student Life; Sarah Allen, MSG adviser and executive director of Campus Involvement; the Senate Operations and Facilities Use Committee; and the MSG Executive Board.

All MSG senators that were present at the meeting were allowed to partake in the vote.

“Prior to the meeting, all senators and members of the executive board were sent a copy of the proposed changes to the constitution to review before the meeting and vote,” said Kimberly Kramer, senior class senator. “The senators did their due diligence and came prepared, as they typically do before a big vote.”

Two members of RCR, Emma Kindschuh and Oscar Collazo, were present at the meeting. When asked to speak about the proposal on behalf of the RCR during the MSG meeting, they declined.

Charity Ludwig, junior Ridge

College senator, headed the proposal for Senate.

“Integrating RCR into the general Senate as part of the system seemed to be the next logical step in developing the organization,” said Ludwig. “It was not to take away seats from other eligible students, but rather to diversify the representation of students who sit on Senate.”

With the passing of this proposal, eight of the seats in Senate would be occupied by members of the RCR. “Senate will consist of 24 elected members: 16 Senators and eight Representatives. There will be two Senators from each class (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior) and two Senators from each college (Hafenmeier, Ridge, Walker and Zurn). There will be two Representatives from each of the established RSCO constituencies: Cultural & Diversity, Recreational, Academic and Service & Honors,” the drafted proposal said.

After meeting introductions and a formal start, the proposal was put to a vote.

“A motion was brought to senate and when voted upon, it (the proposal) failed with a vote of 1012,” Kramer said.

Senators that voted explained that the decision was difficult, but ultimately came down to how the restructuring would take place.

“I voted ‘no’ on the proposal after much consideration and debate. I believe the RCR members should receive the ‘pay’ that senators receive,” said Mitchell Marsh, sophomore class senator. “However, in the proposal there were many other changes as well. I do not agree with the way the voting would change and I do not agree with decreasing the number of senators. MSG already struggles to listen and hear students’ voices.”

Others voiced that the RCR is important, but that they are involved differently that the senators that make up MSG.

“The RCR is a great organization with great representatives, and no one is denying that, but I don’t believe in limiting the stake of senators within the organization,” said Kramer. “Senators are quite valuable to this campus in a different way than members of the RCR are. Not to say that they are inferior by any means — each group just has different skills, ideas and opinions to bring to the table.”

Kramer continued on to say that incorporating RCR into Senate is important, but the change was too much too fast.

Other senators agreed and even suggested placing a member on the executive board instead of taking away so many Senate seats.

“I think RCR should have a representative that serves on either E-board or is a member of Senate, but the amount of senators we would lose made this change seem too fast,” Hannah Gibson, Hafenmaier College senator, said.

Some were concerned about the restructuring of Senate would lose student representation by the elected Senators. Those who were in favor of the proposal believe that the changes were positive and would move MSG in a forward direction.

“This proposal would not have reduced the size of MSG Senate as some have been saying. It would have added more constituencies to the Senate, increasing the variety of representation,” said Jensen.

“Instead of only having senators from the colleges and classes, there would have also been senators from the four identified categories of clubs: Academic, Honors, Cultural and Diversity, Recreational, and Service and Honors.”

Increasing the variety of representation would have lowered the number of representatives per constituency, but that is not a new concept for MSG. “Because of the increase in constituencies, the number of Senators per constituency would have

been reduced from three to two,” said Jensen. “The practice of having three Senators per constituency is recent within the last few years, before there were only two per constituency.”

Marrazzo feels that because there are so many clubs and organizations on campus, that it is imperative their voice be heard in MSG. “With almost 100 active clubs on campus, it is vital for MSG to do everything in its power to provide clubs with an adequate outlet for their concerns to be heard and addressed,” Marrazzo said.

Even with the proposal failing to be accepted, senators from both sides are sure that in the future, compromise and collaboration is possible.

“Compromise between Senate and RCR is absolutely achievable and can happen over time,” Gibson said.

“There will absolutely be collaboration between MSG and the RCR in the future,” Jensen said.

RCR integration was a part of Marrazzo’s presidential platform, and he will continue to make their participation a priority.

“As MSG President, I still have every intention of ensuring RSCOs have every opportunity to voice their concerns and that MSG addresses these concerns to the best of our ability,” said Marrazzo.

“The result of this vote will require me to reevaluate some of my ideas for next year, but RSCOs have always been and will continue to be one of my top priorities.”

Marrazzo hopes to introduce a proposal next year with a similar goal of the RCR Integration Proposal.

“I would like to work with the 2018-2019 Senate to create a proposal that will increase MSG’s ability to represent the students,” said Marrazzo. “My hope is that this proposal will be heavily focused on representing the voices of clubs on campus as this most recent proposal did.”

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

NEWS

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Graduation events This weekend’s rapidly approach campus events STUDENT GOVERNMENT

By Amber Matha

Staff writer

Graduation is 18 days away, and seniors have a lot of events lined up to keep them busy for the next two and a half weeks.

Cap and gowns are available for pickup starting May 4. The Senior Dinner Dance is also being hosted that evening at the Bayfront Convention Center. Doors open for the event at 5 p.m., and dinner is served at 6:30 p.m.

The next event seniors can partake in is the Spring Bar Crawl, hosted by the Senior Class Gift Committee on May 5. The event starts at the Cornerstone and hits some of the best bars downtown.

Seniors can unwind before finals by attending the bar crawl.

On May 11, the presentation of the senior class gift to President Michael T. Victor and the university will take place at 2 p.m. in the Mercy Heritage Room. All are welcome to attend.

Lindsay Frank, director of Alumni Engagement and adviser

of the Senior Class Gift Committee, said she is pleased with the efforts of the committee this year.

“While the final totals will not be announced until the presentation, I can say that the committee is thrilled to have surpassed their goals of $12,000 and 60 percent class participation,” said Frank.

“It says a lot about the Class of 2018 that they rallied behind the idea of a scholarship for their class gift. They truly believe in paying it forward.”

Seniors who have donated $100 or more to the senior class gift are invited to attend the check presentation event. At this event, the top donors will be given their philanthropy cords to wear at graduation.

The New Alumni Welcome Reception will take place on May 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Student Union Great Room. Seniors are invited to attend the event and are allowed to invite up to two guests.

“This is the very first alumni event that our graduating students

will attend,” Frank said. “It’s really their first look into what it means to be alumni — while your four years may have gone by quickly, you’re alumni forever and we hope you will always remain connected.”

The idea behind this reception is to celebrate their time at Mercyhurst and to welcome the students as alumni.

“At the reception, in addition to food and drink, we will also have gifts for each graduating student presented by the Mercyhurst University Alumni Association and Mercyhurst Student Government,” Frank said.

All of these events culminate in the Commencement Ceremony, which will take place on May 13 at 2 p.m. at the Erie Insurance Arena in downtown Erie.

Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. and seniors must be there by 1 p.m. to line up.

As the semester comes to a close, seniors will be kept busy with a variety of events.

Congratulations, Class of 2018!

Graduation Awards Congratulations to the following people who will be honored with awards at this year’s graduation ceremony.

Carpe Diem Award Jonah Jackson Bishop’s Award for Academic Excellence Jenna Uhlig Sister Carolyn Herrmann Service Award Cole Lowe Frank Barry Leadership Award Lynne Gillott Mother Borgia Egan Honors Award Sydney Van Leeuwen Catherine McAuley Adult Student Award Audra Alexander President’s Award for Adult Excellence Jason Shaffer The following students will be awarded the President’s Award for Excellence in each of the four colleges.

Hafenmaier College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Caitlin Nalipa and Natalie Koons Ridge College of Intelligence Studies and Applied Sciences Abigail Rose and Yedzin Tobgay Walker College of Business Saioa Gomez and Jonas Weller Zurn College of Natural and Health Sciences Carmelo Cimato and Molly Mills

MERCYHURST CAMPUS

CRIME LOG April 5: Theft in Zurn Hall.

April 6: Possession of controlled substance.

April 11: Criminal mischief.

April 22: Criminal mischief.

FEATURES

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Ask Mia Anyone have a problem that they need help fixing?

Ask for Mia’s advice at: askmia.merciad@gmail.com ******************* Dear Mia, How do I maintain my motivation until the end of the year? I’m feeling stressed about finals, but mostly just exhausted and ready for the summer. I just want to finish the year strong and find it within me to get through these last few weeks. Help me, please!

Sincerely, Trying Not to Give Up

Dear Trying Not to Give Up, Gain momentum. Don’t overload yourself, but get into a schedule that forces you into a rhythm, aka the “daily grind.” Consistency is key. You’ll soon find yourself doing things enough to where they start to become habit. External motivation breeds internal motivation, and vice versa — they go hand in hand.

Once you get into a schedule of studying, you’ll start to feel like you’ve accomplished something (this will help you the next day). You’ll also become less stressed because you know you’re taking the steps to become successful. Also, remind yourself of why you are at college.

Staying focused on the long-term goal will allow you to push through all the hard assignments. That being said, give yourself breaks and reward yourself. All you have to do is focus in and hunker down for the next couple weeks. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Sincerely,

Mia

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Fink to direct MNE program for mothers

By Rebecca Dunphy

Staff writer

Jackie Fink, director of Administration at Mercyhurst North East, has played several roles during her 25 years of service to Mercyhurst.

She will be taking on a new role as the director of the Mercyhurst North East Women With Children Program.

Women With Children is a new initiative beginning Fall 2018. Five single mothers will have the opportunity to attend MNE while raising their family on campus.

The program has a mission of offering a unique support structure for enrolled single mothers to successfully manage future academic and life challenges, as part of a campus community.

Nowadays, close to one in five women on college campuses are single parents, but many of these women never graduate.

Fink said she is excited to direct the new program and use it to empower economically challenged single mothers to further their education in a way that improves their life.

“In two short years, these single moms will have the potential to earn a degree and can be moving forward to successfully manage future academic, career and life challenges,” said Fink.

Fink is passionate about education and the impact it has on peo-

ple’s lives, so the job seemed like a perfect fit for her.

“This role is something that has been in my soul for a very long time,” said Fink. “In the early 1990s, I hosted two foster children in my home, guiding those two children and a few others towards knowing that education will help them to achieve more in life than without. Education has always been my emphasis. I plan to continue emphasizing how important smart choices are to success.”

Even before being named as director, Fink had a large impact on the development of the program, and worked closely with Sister JoAnne Courneen over the past year.

“I felt that I knew and understood the program well enough to inquire about being the director,” Fink said, reflecting on her previous positions and experiences at the school.

“Various roles have allowed me to be involved with the continual growth of the campus, both academically and physically,” Fink said. “I have served on numerous committees, each playing a role to move the campus forward and/or celebrate the past. The continual change has made me adaptable to be involved in a multitude of ways to serve Mercyhurst and the students.”

Five townhouses at the far northwest end of the MNE cam-

pus have been converted to accommodate the new families. A common area to encourage social interaction and a fenced-in playground for the children are also among the plans.

In this new role, Fink will be crucial to the success of the program. She will be recruiting single mothers, programming and problem solving, among other responsibilities.

The Women With Children program will attempt to remove many of the roadblocks that have posed problems for single mothers in the past. Education will be enhanced by providing on-campus housing, academic and financial support, family enrichment programming, career services, counseling and a safe and secure environment.

The program is expected to be operational by July, just in time for the fall semester.

Fink looks forward to working with these women directly, and having their experiences and knowledge bring diversity to Mercyhurst North East.

She has high hopes for what can now be achieved with this program in place.

“My goal is to help the single mothers and their children to grow as a family unit, and to provide opportunities and support that will empower these mothers to achieve educational and personal growth,” she said.

Mercyhurst student learns from the UN

By Delvin Ergott

Staff writer

Earlier this month, the United Nations held its 19th annual Teaching About the United Nations Conference (CTAUN) at the UN Headquarters in New York City.

This year’s conference, which took place on April 6, hosted 560 attendees, including Mercyhurst Fulbright Teaching Assistant Natalia Krivosheeva.

The conference was entitled “Stepping Up to Protect the World’s Children.” Its annual focus is related to child safety, curriculum development on international issues, recognition of excellence in education and the importance of sustainable development in teaching.

Krivosheeva is a Fulbright Scholar from Kazan, Russia, who came to Erie this year to educate Mercyhurst students about her own Russian heritage, culture and language, while simultaneously learning about American culture

through participation in classes here.

She attended the CTAUN Conference to learn more about how education has a positive impact on the world and its children.

This year’s conference focused on the issues of children facing conflict, violence against children, modern-day slavery and gun violence.

At the event, Krivosheeva and other participants saw multiple panels addressing each of the issues.

Participants were also taught how they could use their positions as professors and students to make a positive impact in these areas.

Krivosheeva felt that the most valuable part of the conference was the emphasis on the importance of observing and recognizing the presence of these problems, in order to combat them.

In addition to this, when she returns to Russia, she hopes to stress to her students that they are lucky to live in a country with sufficient access to education, as the

conference placed great weight on the lesser availability of schools in underdeveloped nations.

Another interesting topic that was discussed was the prevalence of gun violence that we have seen in schools in recent months.

Along with the rise of school shootings in the US, other nations have dealt with terrorist attacks in schools.

The conference, which is held every year in New York City, is open to both students and faculty.

Krivosheeva suggests that both attend and pass on what they learn.

For her, being a teacher means that you are not just responsible for your own students, but also for students around the globe.

As education becomes more multicultural and diversified, Krivosheeva hopes to remind those she works with to stay up to date on world issues.

“Teachers are not just responsible for teaching a curriculum, but also educating their students about life,” Krivosheeva said.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

FEATURES

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Contributed photo

Student athletes from Mercyhurst and Gannon raised money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Events included dodge ball, a tug-of-war, backyard games, doughnut eating and more.

Rivals grant wishes: Mercyhurst, Gannon team up for Make-A-Wish

By Marina Boyle

Features editor

Students from Mercyhurst University and Gannon University teamed up on April 15 to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and spend time with Make-A-Wish kids through sport.

The Student Athlete Advisory Board from both schools came together as rivals to compete for a great cause, raising more than $800 for Make-A-Wish.

Athletes and non-athletes from both schools were welcome to create teams of five to eight players, who then competed in various yard games and sports activities.

Mercyhurst senior Political Science major Kelsey Soom took part in the inaugural event.

“This was a lot of work over the past several months that came together when we realized that both Gannon and Mercyhurst raise money for Make-A-Wish, and we figured that if we brought them together, we would make some extra money,” Soom said.

“It is such a great thing to do. After the inaugural year, I’m hoping it really catches.”

The first hour involved playing with Make-A-Wish kids and their siblings in a variety of fun events.

After this, the college teams competed against one another for prizes and bragging rights, putting the Mercyhurst and Gannon competitive spirit to good use.

Money was also raised through a raffle and silent auction.

Events included dodge ball, a 3-point shooting contest, a tugof-war, a relay race and other backyard games.

Contributed photo

Local Make-A-Wish-supported kids spent the day competing alongside Luke the Laker and the Gannon University Golden Knight.

The kids and college athletes also tested their skills by attempting to eat doughnuts hanging from string, and knock down ping pong balls with a tissue box on their backs.

Make-A-Wish families from the local area were invited to the event in the Gannon Recreation and Wellness Center.

The money raised will support the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Wishes are granted to children diagnosed with a critical illness, who are given the chance to have a wonderful life experi-

ence of their choosing.

Rivals in sports, the two colleges became partners for good with this event.

The initiative was organized in part by Mercyhurst senior Amanda Frappolli, Public Health and Psychology double major and president of the Student Athlete Advisory Board at Mercyhurst.

Frappolli chose to make this inaugural event happen to network with Gannon University, and to see college athletes and their friends come together to fundraise for a great cause.

“The best part about Rivals

Grant Wishes was being able to spend time with the Make-AWish kids,” said Frappolli.

“It was especially rewarding to see two rivals be able to come together for a very important cause.

We achieved something special for us all,” she said.

At the end of the event, a Gannon team was crowned champion. The money raised was added to the impressive fundraising totals of the Lakers and the Golden Knights this year.

The Student Athlete Advisory Board also supported the recent Laker Showdown and a dodge

ball tournament last fall, also for granting children’s wishes.

The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) led all NCAA Division II conferences last year in money raised for Make-AWish, with more than $70,000 raised among 18 institutions.

“This event emphasizes how important it is for us to help others and dedicate our time and efforts to supporting fundraisers.

It was an eye-opening experience for me because it is absolutely amazing to see the happiness that comes from bringing people together,” Frappolli said.

FEATURES

PAGE 8

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Contributed photo

The Social Work students who created the documentary “It Can Happen To Anyone” are joined by Communication student Brent Clapper, who assisted with editing.

Homelessness highlighted

By Marina Boyle

Features editor

The Mercyhurst Social Work Classes of 2018 and 2019 presented their class documentary “It Can Happen To Anyone” on April 20, to discuss the prevalence of homelessness in our society.

The documentary focused on breaking stereotypes about homelessness today in order to change the narrative of what it means to live without a stable home.

The Social Work department had three goals with its “Be The Change” project. They hoped to collect donations, break stereotypes and raise awareness. The focus of their video was Erie itself, where of our 98,000-strong population, almost 1,400 people are homeless each night.

The video focused on educating students as to how they can improve the lives and well-being

of those affected in our community, and learn to see the issue in a new, more compassionate way.

Katelin Snable, junior Social Work and Religious Studies double major, led the opening remarks.

“This project has been an eye-opening experience for many of us in the group. We were given the task to choose a social issue in Erie and we chose homelessness because it is a prominent issue that many of us are connected to in some way. The project was not only beneficial for us by increasing our education, but it was beneficial for those that we worked with and those who will watch the documentary,” said Snable.

She was joined by junior Social Work major Kylie Lehner, who thanked those involved and introduced the video.

“Every time we go downtown, we see someone on the side of the street. We often do not feel

the compassion we should, and we want to break the stereotypes because homelessness can happen to anyone,” Lehner said.

The other group members were Britt Barker, Sarah Hershey, Alyssa Kling, Hope Lowry, Cristal Maldonado, Shenell Mclendon, Katie Meegan, Kay Piatek, Jacqueline Ward, Ja’lessa Williams and Madeline Zelazny, all junior and senior Social Work majors.

The video began with some compelling statistics on the current situation in Erie, as well as a reminder that each night across the United States, 554,000 Americans live without stable shelter.

Eddie Martin, Erie homelessness case manager, was interviewed in the video to discuss the stereotypes that often stop people from giving help to those on the streets.

“People have a lot of negative ideas about homeless people,”

Martin said. “But in reality, a lot of the time, life just throws people a curveball.”

As well as social care workers, the video also interviewed Erie residents and Mercyhurst students and staff. Director of Campus Ministry Greg Baker spoke on the role of compassion in dealing with homelessness, and the importance of connecting with people to understand their stories.

Erie resident Collis Allen, who has experienced homelessness first hand, told the students “there is the whole theory of pulling yourself up by the bootstraps. But at some point, we all need a hand up, not a hand out.”

The students truly took this on board, taking the time to get to know interviewees, and collecting over 150 bags of donations that included basic hygiene items, clothes and blankets for them.

“Collecting donations and

bringing awareness are just some of the small things that we can do, but as the video tells us, we need to switch from charity to social justice, and do this by getting policies changed,” Snable said.

For the students involved, it is fair to say that their idea was of this complex issue was considerably changed while working on the project. It is hoped that the lessons learned by the class can be extended outward to the Erie community long after the film screening.

“This project was very rewarding, and it provided a unique opportunity to become more aware of this prominent issue,” said senior Social Work major Hope Lowry. “It made me realize that this can happen to anyone. In addition, it made me see that anyone can make a difference in the lives of others, specifically those in need.”

Sigma Tau Delta travels to Ohio

By Rebecca Dunphy

Staff writer

The weekend of March 23, Brian Reed, Ph.D., accompanied three Mercyhurst English majors to the International Sigma Tau Delta Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Sigma Tau Delta is dedicated to fostering literacy and the discipline of English, as the second-largest group in the Association of College Honor Societies.

The students were sophomore Kristian Biega and seniors Kimberly Kuehl and Audra Alexander.

The group attended panels and listened to guest speaker Cristina Henriquez, fiction author.

Henriquez’s discussion centered around the conference theme of “Seeking Freedom.”

There was time provided to meet face to face with other students, faculty and respected authors, and to share ideas and work.

The group was given the opportunity to submit an original work about any piece of literature, which would then be read aloud to a panel for discussion.

Biega shared her work “Returning Cultural Power to the Middle East,” an analysis of Palestine by Joe Sacco through the lens of Edward Said’s Orientalism.

Kuehl had a unique experience, being able to present her work and chair an event. Her paper “Fathers, Sons, and the Infinite Arabesque” focused on cultural identity and empowerment in “The Kite Runner.”

At the panel, she acted as the chair for a creative writing session on original student poetry.

Alexander received a juried award for excellence in theoretical writing for her paper “Reading Reform in Dickens’ Bleak House.”

“I had the pleasure of receiving a conference writing award for my

work, which was gratifying,” said Alexander. “It was also rewarding to listen to the other presenters and speak with them about their work. Being around other English scholars helps to renew your focus and reinvigorate your study.”

When the students were not participating in panels, they were tending to society business as they represented Mercyhurst.

The students said they thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, with Alexander summing it up in the words, “It was jolly good fun.”

Biega, Kuehl and Alexander also took some downtime to explore the city, visiting the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, as well as to take part in a Sigma Tau Delta escape room and attend a bad poetry contest.

“Being around a large group of people who are passionate about Contributed photo the same things as you is always inspiring and fun,” said Alexan- From left, Brian Reed, Ph.D., and students Audra Alexander, Kimberly Kuehl and Kristian Biega attended a conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. der.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

FEATURES

PAGE 9

Marina Boyle photo

Sustainability Club members Emma Mader and Elly Buch, seated at center, help to hand out information and resources about recycling and composting in the Student Union.

Freshmen Carly Holtzman, Julia Wrest, Nathan Brand and David Steets received free reusable tote bags for their involvement.

Lakers celebrate Earth Week

By Aaron Qiao

Staff writer

Earth Week 2018 is underway at Mercyhurst University, with activities running from April 23 to April 28. The array of campuswide events stem from a collaboration of different departments and clubs, namely the Sustainability Department and its work under Sarah Bennett, Sustainability Coordinator.

The week opened with meatless options in the Grotto Commons and vegan snacks in the Zurn lobby on Monday morning.

Monday evening saw a talk from Lois Gibbs, environmental activist, co-sponsored by the Evelyn Lincoln Institute for Ethics and Society (ELIES) and Sustainability Office, as part of the Charlene M. Tanner speaker series.

Gibbs, who founded the Love Canal Homeowners’ Association in 1978, spoke about her work to lead residents of Love Canal in their struggle to relocate from a

toxic waste dump site in their neighborhood 40 years ago.

Gibbs discussed how, after moving into a house in Niagara Falls, New York, with two young children, her kids slowly developed severe health issues including immune diseases, liver issues and eventually, leukemia.

Having no family history of these conditions, Gibbs sensed that something more was wrong.

Of the 800 families in the area, 56 percent of children were born with health defects, and a startlingly high percentage of pregnancies ended in miscarriage or stillborn births.

“People were dying,” Gibbs said. “While this was happening to my kids, my neighbors, my town, the Niagara County authority, school districts and EPA knew, and they let this happen. They made a conscious decision to allow us to be sick and die.”

Gibbs discussed how toxic poisons from chemical factories and the canal were seeping into homes and groundwater, essential-

ly poisoning residents with chemical waste.

Her mobilizing work eventually led to the relocation of 800 families and the cleanup of the site after years of struggle.

Gibbs also had the opportunity to speak with some classes and further spread her message.

Following this event, a workshop on recycling and composting was held in the Student Union on Tuesday afternoon. The film “Before the Flood” was also screened in Zurn 114. Presented by National Geographic, it features Leonardo DiCaprio traveling to five continents and the Arctic to witness climate change firsthand.

Wednesday’s events will include a “Trashion Show” organized by the Art Education Club, Fashion Council and the Sustainability Club. Students can model outfits they designed and created from reused materials.

Bennett has been integral in the organization of this week. She hopes the positive effects of sustainable living can be felt by students long after April 28.

“I’m so very happy to see that several RSCOs have joined together to create this week’s events,” said Bennett. “Natural resources are finite, and the human population is seriously taxing those resources.

We all have to start living more sustainable lives so that our Earth can protect us. Sustainable living first requires knowing that everything we do has an impact on the environment. Second, we must minimize that impact through deliberate decision-making. Every step we take each day can be changed to be more sustainable.”

Events are also underway at Mercyhurst North East, where students in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Club organized campus and community cleanup on April 20, which will included guests from the Barber National Institute.

Earth Week will draw to a close with the Great Campus Cleanup on the Erie campus on April 28, where student volunteers can dedicate their time to beautifying our grounds following SpringFest celebrations.

Baker excited to take on new Mission

By Daniel Leonard

Staff writer

Greg Baker, Ph.D., director of Campus Ministry, has been named the next vice president for Mission Integration at Mercyhurst.

The current vice president, Sister Lisa Mary McCartney, is stepping back to a part-time role, marking the end of the era of full-time Sisters of Mercy at Mercyhurst.

“Ever since I learned of my new appointment, I have had mixed feelings,” Baker said.

“I am humbled by it and excited about the ways in which I can contribute to Mercyhurst through my new position,” he said.

“The students at Mercyhurst have been and will continue to be one of the most profound blessings in my life.”

Despite his worries about having less student interaction in his new position, Baker is sure that this new position is what is meant to be at this time in his life.

“The other side of this coin, and one of the main reasons why this new position makes sense at this point, is that in my new role my evenings and weekends will not be quite as consumed with student meetings and events,” Baker said.

As a well-known presence for his work with Campus Ministry, Baker has become a pillar of the organization and will be dearly missed by many students who have been involved there.

Elizabeth McGreevy, sophomore Hospi-

tality Management major, is someone who knows how sincerely Baker had an impact in the Campus Ministry realm.

As a leader in the weekly fellowship meetings, she said, “Baker has such a presence here. I am sad to see him go, but at the same time I am very excited to see him move up in his faith life.”

Baker plans to maintain a role that is closely tied to his old position, and remain accessible to all students.

“I will be very active behind the scenes as an advocate for Campus Ministry, and I will work very hard to support our wonderful Campus Ministry staff so that they can continue doing their good work,” said Baker. “I will be around for some time to go on retreats and join our programs.”

Jenell Patton, assistant director of Cam-

pus Ministry, congratulated Baker on his new role, calling it “an excellent culmination of his personal and professional goals.”

Baker “will contribute his passion for the Mercy heritage with his daily presence and approach to the work, while being mindful of grace and mercy, and offering dignity to all he encounters,” Patton said.

Baker, who recently completed his doctorate, will continue to spread the Mercy mission from his new office.

“I hope to support and empower our Campus Ministry and Community Engagement departments as well as possible. I also hope to find creative ways, both through and beyond our current Mercy Emissaries program, to help employees to live the mission,” Baker said.

PAGE 10

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

2018 issue of Lumen unveiled

By Anthony Miller

Opinion editor

Lumen, Mercyhurst University’s student literary and fine arts magazine, was released at a ceremony in the Taylor Little Theatre on April 19.

Awards were given out to students who wrote the best pieces of fiction and to the student who wrote the best essay on literature.

Lumen is an almost entirely student-run fine arts magazine. Students submit their creative works, which are then curated and edited by students.

The creation of the magazine itself is handled by the Graphic Design department.

The unveiling, which took place at 8 p.m. in the Taylor Little Theatre, opened with a short showcase from the Dance department.

The showcase was a video presentation of Lucas De Marinis’ performance “Sui Generis,” which is included in the digital version of this year’s Lumen.

Marnie Sullivan, assistant professor of English, opened the ceremony by introducing Lumen.

“The Lumen originated as a journal for creative writing only,” Sullivan said, “but since then Lumen has evolved into a multimedia format including visual art, music, dance, poetry and fiction.”

Sullivan honored Kenneth Schiff, Ph.D., who passed away last May.

Anthony Miller photo

Marnie Sullivan, Ph.D., and Michael Mongera, junior Communication major, unveil Lumen on April 19.

“The literary arts have a long history of publication at Mercyhurst University, but it was the venerable Schiff who brought the Lumen back to life,” Sullivan said.

“I would like to think of Schiff here tonight, smiling down on us and nodding us forward in our celebration of the arts, and our celebration of the spirit of the arts,” she said.

The unveiling also featured the annual P. Barry McAndrew Writing Awards for the best three pieces of creative writing in this year’s edition of Lumen as well as an additional award for the best literary essay written by an undergrad. The winners received monetary prizes as well as plaques.

The third-place winner for this creative writing award was Shan-

non Heinl for her work, “Hyacinth.”

The second-place winner was Daniel Kawecki for his poem, “Wormm.”

The first-place winner was Harper Ratliffe for his poem, “Giving Advice.”

The winner of the literary essay contest was Audra Alexander, for her essay, “What’s Your Angle?

Style and Substance in Laurence Sterne’s ‘Tristram Shandy.’”

The awards ceremony was followed by an open mic session, where students read their own creative writing.

Readers included Harper Ratliff, Logan Floyd and Abigail Stevens.

The academic advisers for this year’s Lumen were Sullivan; Gregory Brown, Ph.D.; and Jodi Staniunas Hopper, chair of the Art department. The editors-in-chief were Jacob Leach and Michael Mongera.

The editors were Carlena Bressanelli, Ben Kolbrich, Catherine Messina, Anthony Miller, Melissa Nahra, Abby Stevens, Tereza Pintur, Rebekah Prather, Harper Ratliff, Alicia Rogers, Emily Rossi, Elizabeth Shewan and Allison Schweiger.

The designers for this year’s Lumen were Erin Glass and Sara Hood.

Physical editions of the Lumen were handed out before the awards ceremony.

Unlike previous years, nothing submitted to the Lumen was relegated to the digital version due to space. Every piece accepted into the Lumen can be found in the physical copy.

Digital editions of this year’s edition of the Lumen, as well as the 2016 and 2017 editions, can be found at www.mercyhurst. edu/lumen.

We’re ‘wind’ing Soloists to perform down the year with Civic Orchestra

By Lauren Ganger

Arts & Entertainment editor

On May 5 at 4 p.m. in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center, the Mercyhurst University Wind Ensemble will perform its final concert of the season.

This concert will feature several important works chosen by director Scott Meier, Ph.D. “Equus” by Eric Whitacre, a piece Meier describes as having minimalist roots and being highly syncopated, is one of the pieces on the program.

It was commissioned for the Wind Ensemble at the University of Miami in 1997, and its name comes from the Latin word for “horse.”

It is a moto perpetuo, a type of piece Whitacre himself describes as “a piece that starts running and never stops.”

The piece was premiered by the Wind Ensemble at the University of Miami in March of 2000, three years after it was commissioned.

Another piece on the program is Charles Ives’ infamous “Country Band March.”

Meier calls this piece “an important piece of American musical history.”

It parodies the quality of music performed by country bands and uses quotations from famous band pieces in addition to a main theme Ives composed himself.

Ives, known for developing and employing new, experimental techniques in his music, puts these techniques on display to mimic the sound of a country band.

Meier describes this piece as “incredibly challenging.”

“Limerick Daydreams” by Nathan Daughtrey is a fantasia on the piece “Highway to Limerick.”

Meier describes this piece as “going in and out of lucidity.”

Meier also says that it “floats in and out of dreamlike musical development” throughout.

Cameron Porter, B.A. Music, will conduct Frank Ticheli’s arrangement of “Amazing Grace,” with Grace Siwinski, B.A. Music Therapy, featured on alto saxophone.

This concert promises to be an evening of great music and “very challenging literature” in the words of Meier.

Tickets to this concert are $5 for the general public.

Tickets are $2 for Mercyhurst students with ID, staff and children age 12 and younger.

By Gabrielle Bejarano Contributing writer

In just two weeks, the Mercyhurst Civic Orchestra will be presenting its “Concert of Soloists.”

The concert will be May 6 at 4 p.m. in Walker Recital Hall.

The featured soloists will be high school student Sadie Anderson, senior Vocal Performance major Jeanette Fournier and junior Composition major Christian Goulione.

These soloists were the winners of the Concerto/Aria competition held in January.

They performed their pieces for an unbiased group of judges.

The soloists who were chosen were the ones who, in the words of Jonathan Moser, conductor and musical director of the Civic Orchestra, “presented the most polished overall performances.”

Anderson, who comes from Jamestown, New York, will be performing “Allegro” of Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto, Op. 14.

When asked about her part in the concert, Anderson shared what she is looking forward to most in the performance.

“It’s special to play the piece with the orchestra. I’ve per-

formed the piece with a piano a few times, but it’s definitely a different and a rare opportunity to play with an orchestra and full instrumentation,” Anderson said.

Fournier will be singing “Ariette des Ännchen” from “Der Freischütz” by Carl Maria von Weber.

Fournier said, “I was drawn to this aria by the character, Ännchen, because she’s so funny and vibrant.”

Fournier’s preparation for the role was impressive.

When asked to share her creative process, she said, “I learned and translated my German, and spoke the text repeatedly in order to get a feel for the language and the character. I also worked a lot on technique so that I’ll be able to sing loud enough to be heard over the orchestra.”

Goulione will play the “Allegro” movement of Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488.

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Goulione has been working on his piece for nearly a year now and is looking forward to performing with a full orchestra as accompaniment.

“It’s exciting to hear how all the parts in the orchestra add to

what I’m playing on the piano.

“This concerto is a work that I’ve always been a fan of,” Goulione said.

“After learning the piece, I would say my biggest challenges were to capture the various characters and personalities that Mozart wrote into each theme.”

In addition to accompanying the performances by the soloists, the Civic Orchestra will perform Symphony No. 4, D. 417 (Tragic)

by Franz Schubert.

Moser chose the Schubert for a variety of reasons.

“I always want to feature the orchestra and this is a wonderful piece that is incredibly lyrical, as is all Schubert, the King of song,” he said. “But I also knew that we would have very little time between our performances with the D’Angelo Opera Theater productions of Rigoletto and our final concert, so our symphony also needed to be of a scale that we could achieve in a short amount of time.

“This symphony is just perfect for both these goals,” he said.

General admission tickets are $5, and tickets for Mercyhurst students and staff and children age 12 and younger are $2.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 11

Final faculty recital

By Lauren Ganger

Arts and Entertainment editor

On April 30 at 8 p.m., Mercyhurst University adjunct voice teacher Katherine Soroka and visiting pianist Nathan Carterette will present a concert entitled “Love, Loss & Liberation: Songs of the Heart.”

This concert was rescheduled from Feb. 7 due to illness.

Soroka said that growing up, she wanted to be a concert pianist, inspired by her piano teacher Alma Studness.

However, attending the vocal recital of her teacher’s daughter, Anne Marit Studness Bergstrom, was what made her decide that she wanted to be a singer instead.

She studied with both musicians through high school and under their tutelage discovered what they called “The Magic X.” Soroka said that this is “where students and teachers together create the remarkable.”

Soroka said she considers it to be a blessing to have had both piano and vocal training as she teaches students on the collegiate level.

She is able to accompany her private students in addition to working with them on vocal technique and their repertoire.

In addition, Soroka has had an extensive career both as a per-

Contributed photo

Katherine Soroka, right, is pictured as a child with her voice teacher, Anne Marit Studness Bergstrom, at the moment Soroka describes as the one when she made her decision to become a singer.

former and behind the scenes in the classical world.

She writes that she has “performed in theater, musical theater and cabaret, which experience is a joy to bring to my students in musical therapy and musical theatre.”

“Teaching music therapy students at MU is especially meaningful, knowing that I am helping them prepare for a life where their voice is healing, uplifting, soothing and touching the lives of so many people,” she wrote.

Last ‘dance’ to see performances

By Megan Lay Staff writer

On May 2, sophomore Dance majors will be putting together choreography projects to be displayed in-studio at the conclusion of their Choreography I course.

Students in this class are given a variety of tools and are required to ask their peers to perform and work with them.

The sophomores have already choreographed a solo for themselves as well as a duet for themselves and another classmate as part of Choreography I. They are exploring the different aspects of choreography: space, time, energy, form, vision and context.

Students are expected to produce a three-to-six-minute piece on at least three dancers by the end of the semester.

Their largest challenge has been finding studio space to rehearse and choreograph their pieces in the midst of Raw Edges rehearsals.

Jenna Swartz, sophomore Dance major, has taken inspira-

tion from her strong support system of friends.

She said, “In light of this concept, I chose dancers that I think are very supportive and genuinely kind people, which translates into their dancing as well.”

In addition, on May 3 at 7 p.m., the Dance department will be hosting their annual Black and White Salon in the danceSpace.

This event originally honored the memory of former Dance major Jenni Lyn Watson, whose memory is now honored through Raw Edges performances.

The Black and White Salon is now an informal, extracurricular event that encourages submissions from all art disciplines and majors and nonmajors alike.

Acts are four minutes in length.

Past acts have included singers, poets, musicians, dances and visual artwork displayed around the danceSpace.

Hunter Hoffman, a junior Dance major, has choreographed a large group piece for the event featuring seniors Marleigh Bristol, Ragan Faulkner, Elizabeth Hite and Makayla Sprague and juniors

Lucas de Marinis, Dominic Fortunato and Sarah Taylor.

Hoffman said, “I was inspired by the music ‘Spectrum’ by Goldlink, which I’ve wanted to choreograph to for a long time.”

He said the most challenging process of choreographing a pointe piece as a man was accounting for the time it takes to do certain steps en pointe.

“I also feel like choreographing is like putting together an outfit; I don’t want it to be too repetitive but I want it to be consistent and tied together.”

Hoffman said that he is grateful to choreograph to music he loves and for dancers he respects.

“If there is an opportunity to create a piece in this environment and have it performed for an audience, I’m all in,” he said.

Mercyhurst dancers are extremely dedicated to bringing quality work to the department and the school as a whole.

Don’t miss this chance to see the last few, informal performances of this semester.

Both events are free and open to the Mercyhurst community.

F O L L O W T H E M E R C I A D O N T W I T T E R AT @ T H E M E R C I A D

In terms of her career off the stage, Soroka has served in the senior management of the New York Philharmonic, has worked as executive director of the Grand Teton Music Festival and Children’s Festival Chorus and has

been on the faculty and administration of Manhattan School of Music.

At the Manhattan School of Music, she founded Music in Action: A Community and Educational ArtReach Program and created the curriculum for the Program in Orchestral Performance.

In addition to a passion for contemporary music, she has sung many roles from traditional operatic classics.

She recently sang Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera and Klytaemnestra in Strauss’ Elektra.

She has also sung Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Romeo in I Capuleti e i Montechhi and Dido in Dido and Aeneas.

She has also sung musical theater roles such as Jenny in “Company” and the Witch in “Into the Woods.”

Soroka maintains voice studios in Pittsburgh and in Foxburg in addition to teaching at Mercyhurst.

She serves on the Board of Allegheny RiverStoneCenter for the Arts.

Her recital will be the final faculty recital of the season.

As with all faculty and Roche series concerts, this event is free and open to the public.

Ensembles to perform in WRH

By Lauren Ganger

Arts and Entertainment editor

On May 2 at 7 p.m. in Walker Recital Hall, the D’Angelo Department of Music will present its Small Ensembles concert of the semester.

These groups are the Chamber Singers, under the direction of Thomas Brooks; the Saxophone Quartet and Clarinet Choir, under the direction of Rebecca Wunch; and the Flute Ensemble, under the direction of Amanda Sage.

Other groups will be the Brass Ensemble, under the direction of Kent Tucker; and the String Chamber Ensemble, under the direction of Jonathan Moser.

The Saxophone Quartet features Olivia Windus and Grace Siwinski on alto saxophone, Miranda Wall on tenor saxophone and Caden Gilson on baritone saxophone.

The group will perform “Shenandoah” arranged by Bruce Evans and “Orchids in the Moonlight” by Vincent Youmans as arranged by Bruce Evans.

The Clarinet Choir features Emily Zbrzezny, Chris Wagler and Rebecca Wunch on Bb clar-

inet and Rachel Kinlan on bass clarinet.

They will perform “Dance”

by Johannes Caianu as arranged

by Ioan Dobrinescu, “Fate” by Henry K. Hadley as arranged by.

Rodrick Ellem and “Aragonaise” from Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” suite as arranged by Marco A Mazzino.

The Flute Ensemble features Morgan Dowches, Jessica Finney and Isaiah Howard.

The Brass Ensemble features Jacob Bechter, Josh Flaherty, Jacob Gross and Sierra DeCola on trumpet; Cameron Porter, Martin Webster and Kent Tucker on trombone; and Bryan Lewis on tuba.

They will perform “Salvation is Created” by Paul Tschesnokov as transcribed by David B. Thompson and “Star Wars Medley” by John Williams.

The String Chamber Ensemble features Jonathan Moser and Kayla Bravchok on violin and Savannah Lawrence on viola They will perform the first movement of Serenade, Op.12

by Zoltán Kodály, “Allegramente - Sostenuto ma non troppo.”

This concert will be free and open to the public.

OPINION

PAGE 12

GOOD The weather here at Mercyhurst has finally gotten nice! Let’s hope that it holds.

SAD This is the Merciad’s last issue for the year! We will see you all next school year!

WEIRD Intel Majors were creatively using copies of the Merciad in a project outside of Zurn.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Thoughts on all the renovations the stricter housing changes emphasizing living on campus all Williams four years coming with the 20182019 school year.

Contributing writer Ryan Hall is a great improvement from a housing If you have been anywhere viewpoint. near Mercyhurst recently, you The new four-person rooms may have noticed a bit of come with a greater number of construction going on. amenities than Warde Hall, and it That’s because Mercyhurst’s brings with it new additions for campus has been undergoing the whole campus, including a a flurry of construction and new cafeteria. renovation since President However, through the Michael T. Victor’s appointment. construction of Ryan Hall, it is The Grotto Commons, the becoming clear why all of these Mercyhurst Ice Center, the improvements are taking place. computer labs — each of I believe the new housing these areas has so far received policies emphasizing living on a modern touch, with other campus all four years were not locations slated for similar created because of Ryan Hall’s treatment in the future. construction; rather Ryan Hall These include the Student was built to support these new Union and the Hammermill housing policies.

Library, which is rumored to be In fact, I believe every expecting a makeover soon. renovation so far has been for I have not yet, of course, the purposes of attempting to mentioned the most controversial justify Mercyhurst’s move to keep improvement being made to the students on campus. campus: Ryan Hall.

By improving many of the Ryan Hall has become a smaller outdated buildings, or by large point of contention and adding new features to out-dated has become the symbol of entities, Mercyhurst can give

By Adam

reason for the extra expenses that come with having to stay on campus.

This is not to say that these renovations and improvements are inherently negative.

I agree with the concept of improving the campus to incentivize remaining on-campus for the students, but that is not exactly the case here.

The issue is that these improvements are not incentivization, which implies the students are still given a choice.

Instead, the improvements are attempts at justifying these new housing policies.

And sure, any attempt at justification is better than receiving nothing, and the improvements are far from entirely negative.

And I am by no means saying Mercyhurst should not strive to improve its campus; in fact, I am all for the improvements being made.

I am simply wary of the reason behind them and do not think that improvements to the main campus can justify limiting freedom of choice in housing.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

MSG responds to student The Merciad criticism of RCR proposal Editors Lauren Abbott Meghan Maker Kristian Biega Marina Boyle Bernard Garwig Lauren Ganger Anthony Miller Maria Williams Megan Stubbs Kristin Bowers

Positions Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Features Editor Sports Editor A&E Editor Opinion Editor Copy Editor Ad Manager Adviser

@mercyhurst.edu editormerciad managingmerciad newsmerciad featuremerciad sportsmerciad entertainmentmerciad opinionmerciad copymerciad admerciad kbowers

The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst University. It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of finals weeks. Our office is in Hirt, Room 110. Our phone 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.

I, with support from my fellow senators, am writing this letter in response to Emma Kindschuh’s April 18 Letter to the Editor regarding a vote held by Mercyhurst Student Government.

First and foremost, I became a senator because I care about this school and my fellow students.

I did NOT become a senator for personal gain or the hefty $100 a semester stipend I receive.

Every action that I took/ take during my time as a senator has been with my peers and Mercyhurst University in mind.

The vote that was taken at our last Senate meeting had facets that Emma failed to mention.

Along with the addition of RCR members to Senate was the decreasing of class and college senators and changing the voting procedure.

As a member of the restructuring committee, I have been for integration and payment of RCR representatives from the beginning.

The RCR members are just

as much members of MSG as senators and deserve to be compensated as such.

Sadly, this was an all or nothing vote.

The nine other senators and I who voted no did so for varying reasons.

Personally, I did not agree that RSCOs should have the same amount of representation as classes and colleges.

Others did not agree with changing the voting procedure, and some did not agree with decreasing senators.

Prior to the vote, the two RCR members (out of 12) who attended the meeting were given a chance to speak.

Both declined.

Following the vote, one of them threw a childish tantrum, calling all who voted against the proposal “failures to Mercyhurst.”

As someone who has given so much of my time to this school, that really bothered me.

Take a look at the names of those who voted no.

These are RAs, Honors students, athletes, talented musicians, Ambassadors, RSCO members, future teachers, scientists and government officials.

These are not “failures to Mercyhurst.”

These are people who wanted to, and still do, make a positive change at Mercyhurst.

To RCR members, we do care.

We always have cared.

You ARE part of the MSG family.

To Mercyhurst students voting in the upcoming election, I ask that you please get to know the 10 of us.

While I am not returning to MSG for various reasons, others on this list are and should not be discredited for voting in a way that they felt benefited their school.

— Meghan Maker, Junior Class Senator, with support from Mitchell Marsh, Noelle Zesky, Kimmie Kramer, Grace Simson, Brittany Warren, Katie Johnston and Hannah Gibson

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

OPINION

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

What is up with Trump and Russia large contingency of people that believe the whole Russia investigation is a sham, and that Miller there’s no evidence for any of it.

Opinion editor The problem with this argument is that there is evidence for it, and while I can’t go over The Trump/Russia story is all of it here, I hope to give a few potentially the largest political samples so people who want to scandal of the century so far. learn more about the issue know The basic gist of the scandal where they can begin. is that Trump and his campaign If you want concrete evidence have been accused of colluding of it here and now, how about with the Russian government the fact that Donald Trump Jr. to win the 2016 presidential literally met with the Russians to election.

At this point, most people can discuss dirt on Hillary Clinton back in 2016? agree that Russia intervened in Like, I’m not even adding the election in various ways. anything additional here. Trump The thing people disagree on Jr. literally met with Russians is whether or not the Trump off-the-record to discuss dirt on a campaign knowingly colluded political adversary. with Russia during the election.

This wasn’t an isolated incident.

To look into Russian Current Attorney General Jeff involvement in the election, the Sessions met with Russians off House and Senate appointed a the record as well.

Special Counsel, led by Robert There’s also the matter of the Mueller, a Republican and former Russia-backed DNC hack that FBI director. helped Trump, and how the I don’t think enough people Russia-backed Wikileaks only fully realize just how big this ever released dirt on Hillary scandal could get.

Clinton and outright fabricated If Mueller comes out and scandals about her. definitely says the Trump Did I mention Trump literally campaign colluded with Russia, it will be one of the largest political asked Russia to hack Hillary’s emails? scandals of all time.

You can even see it with It will make Watergate look Trump’s political decisions. He like nothing. rejected the balance of powers Despite this, there is a

By Anthony

and refused to implement sanctions against Russia despite the sanctions being passed by a supermajority in the House and Senate.

And then there’s the matter of the indictments.

Despite the many lines that Mueller’s investigation is all a sham, there have been 22 indictments, four of which have been guilty pleas.

Despite all this, and an absurd amount more I can’t include here due to the word count, there is still a large group of people that think this investigation is just one big show.

I would like to ask those people: If this is all just one big witch hunt, why is Trump so eager to fire Mueller?

And that’s the part of it nobody has been able to explain to me.

If Trump was innocent, and this really was just one big witch hunt, why would he be so nakedly desperate to shut down Mueller’s investigation?

Why did he order Mueller’s investigation shut down last June, so shortly after it first began?

Surely, if he’s innocent, the evidence will exonerate him?

The only reason Trump could have for going after Mueller is because he has something to hide.

Millcreek is bringing a bat to a gun fight

“

district, Blue Mountain, which is supplying its classrooms with buckets of rocks.

We are now at a point where Staff writer schools feel desperate enough to arm their students and faculty Everyone knows that it’s with sticks and stones, and foolish to bring a knife to a though they might be able to gunfight. break bones, they are still clearly But what if you brought a no match for a firearm. baseball bat instead?

In fairness to the Millcreek Well, in the wake of the recent School District, the schools will shooting at Parkland, Millcreek also install a concrete barrier School District decided to ask between the parking lot and that very question with their new sidewalk, secure their buildings’ policy, which provided each of its entrances, and will establish 500 teachers with a 16-inch bat in rewatching the Bourne trilogy, regular police patrols. Still, it an effort to help defend against said “I think a bat could disarm a requires an astonishing amount school shootings. pistol with a nice swing.” of tone-deafness to promote I suppose that I’d rather have a Hall also stated that the baseball bats as a comforting small bat than nothing if I were bats are primarily meant to be solution for concerned students to have to confront a shooter “symbolic,” which makes me and parents. wielding an AR-15, if only to question why they even bothered Hopefully, should the situation improve my chances of success to buy them. arise, I will be wrong and a from 0 percent to 1 percent.

Nonetheless, the symbolic teacher will be able to unlock That is, provided I find my souvenir bats were worth $1,800. the case to their emergency key to unlock the case in which While baseball bats might seem souvenir bat, somehow get close the bat is stored (yes, they will be like an incredibly primitive tool to enough to the shooter to land a locked up so as to not fall into defend yourself from a gunman disarming strike with the bat, and the wrong hands). with, Millcreek School District’s save the day.

Millcreek School District security measures are still far However, I find it a bit Superintendent William Hall, more technologically advanced patronizing to rely on this plan to who evidently has just been than a fellow Pennsylvania school reassure worried parents.

Delvin Ergott

We are now at a point where schools feel desperate enough to arm their students and faculty with sticks and stones.”

PAGE 13

HURST STUDENTS

SPEAK UP We asked:

“What are your plans for summer?”

Matt Kuzdal, sophomore Sports Event Manager major: “This summer, I’m taking a class at a community college back home. Then I’ll be working with kids at a local rec center near where I live.

I’ll also be a junior counselor during the CREATE program here at Mercyhurst.”

Logan Floyd, sophomore English major: “This summer I plan to apply for a job at either my local library or my local newspaper. In August, I’m going on a camping trip to Canada that’s being sponsored by the Outdoor Adventure Club here at Mercyhurst.”

Mitchell McQuaid, freshman Criminal Justice major: “This summer, I’m going on a study abroad trip on the Brig Niagara. I’m also planning to look for a job, hopefully at a call center.”

Carly La Riviere, freshman History major: “This summer, I’m going to work part-time at Chick-fil-A. After I complete that job, I’m planning on doing some shadowing at a local museum. I’m also planning to practice driving since I don’t have my license yet.”

Compiled by Nick Mathur

Summer closing shifted its focus to spending money on things the administration believes benefit It’s that time of year again. the students.

Many of us are bracing In the past couple of years, ourselves for the unavoidable we’ve seen our university spare collision between exam week no expense on renovations. and spring fever, but find a But where does the health of little comfort with summer the students who have chosen being right around the corner. to spend more time on campus While some students look fit in? forward to earning a little Mercyhurst understands that extra cash at a part-time job or dealing with health care can starting an internship to gain be stressful when away from valuable experience, those of home, for both students and us staying on campus to take the parents who worry. classes or work have a new Our university works hard issue to stress about. to ensure that any student In the summer, the Cohen who needs it has easy access Student Health Center closes. to it during the fall and winter Students have to figure out semesters, but that care another option for health care. disappears during summer.

For the minor things such as I suggest that the a headache or sore throat, lack administration should consider of campus health care probably keeping the Health Center at doesn’t make a difference. least partially staffed over the For the bigger things, such summer to show that the health as monthly prescriptions and well-being of students or more serious illnesses or who are here in the summer emergencies, the closure is means as much to the school as another story. keeping students healthy in the Recently, Mercyhurst has winter.

By Daniel Leonard Staff Writer

SPORTS

PAGE 14

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Women’s golf first in invitational

By Breonna Bailey Staff writer

On April 21,Mercyhurst hosted the women’s invitational at Lake View Country Club in North East. The women’s team finished first overall in the invitational with a score of 338.

The men played at Gannon’s invitational at Whispering Woods Golf Course. They placed fourth with a score of 313.

For the women’s team, Bridget Merten led the Laker’s team with a score of 83. Abigail Vietmeier recorded an 86, and Georgia Capotis shot an 85.

“Due to the snow from earlier in the week, we had to play lift, clean, place,” said Merten. “This effected how we played. The ball didn’t roll, which made it difficult to reach the greens at our usual distances.”

For the men’s team, Harison Laskey led the Lakers with a 73 for the event, finishing in third.

Les Lancaster finished the event with a 78 and tied for 12th, and Adrian Larsen and Mitchell Smith both shot an 81 for 24th place.

On April 22-23, Gannon’s women’s team hosted their Spring Invitational at Lake Shore Country Club. The Lady Lakers claimed first place with a score of 658, coming in 22 strokes ahead of Gannon.

The Lakers men’s team hosted the Mercyhurst Invitational at

Bridget Merten photo

The Mercyhurst women’s golf team poses after their tournament victory. The golfers took first place in Mercyhurst’s invitational in North East.

Laker View Country Club, placing third with a score of 625.

For the women’s team, Vietmeier led the Lakers with a score of 159, placing fourth. Merten shot a 172 and finished the event in a tie

for 11th place. Claire Orr finished fifth with a 160.

Lancaster led the Lakers, finishing with a 155 and tying for sixth place. Laskey tied for ninth place with a 156, and Wesley Neal card-

ed a 160, tying for 17th place.

“The girls this weekend took another step forward in their quest to become great players,” said head coach Ron Coleman. “First, they won when they had the lead after

the first round and all the pressure was on them to perform the second day. They played better in the second round. They won when they expected themselves to win.

Confidence is the golden ticket”.

Four-win weekend for Lakers baseball

By Marco Cicchino

Staff writer

Once again, pitcher Chris Vallimont stepped up when his fellow Lakers needed him the most.

Coming off a split with Slippery Rock that allowed them to draw even with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s No. 9 ranked Lakers at the top of the PSAC West, the Lakers’ junior ace Vallimont took a no-hitter into the seventh inning on April 20, keeping the Lakers atop the division.

Vallimont’s great performance sparked a doubleheader sweep of the Clarion University Golden Eagles at the Mercyhurst Baseball Field before the offense came alive in the nightcap. Totals for the Lakers were 9-3 and 6-0.

“I think having a lot of guys contribute to playing is what has brought our team together,” said Dan Elliot of the Lakers. “Our team is filled with guys who can step in or step up and play when we need them to. In past years there usually would be a set lineup and the same guy would play everyday, but this year we have a lot of younger guys stepping up and making big impacts.”

The following day in Butler, the Lakers made another showing against the Golden Eagles, sweeping the doubleheader 5-3 and 15-3

to top off a four-win weekend.

Vallimont, now 6-2 on the season despite an uncharacteristic 2.33 ERA, turned in his fifth straight start with double-digit strikeouts.

Vallimont began by facing two hitters over the minimum ERA for his first three innings, striking out the side in the third and only walking the Golden Eagles’ Mike Connell and Max Mari in the second before Drew Delsignore caught Connell attempting to swipe second.

A called third strike against the Golden Eagles’ Cole Shaffer ended the second, beginning a run of five straight and six of seven outs recorded on strikes.

Meanwhile, the Lakers put up three in the first off Golden Eagle pitcher Chance Miranda (0-5, 6.89) as D. Elliott singled home Jimmy Standohar and Alex O’Donnell to increase the Laker tally.

Matt Schneider then scored Delsignore on a 5-3 sacrifice for the Lakers.

Miranda settled down to strand two in the second and fourth and go in-order in the third, but was lifted in the fifth on six strikeouts, two earned, four hits, and two walks.

Delsignore rolled out the welcome mat for the Golden Eagles’ Kyle Thompson with a walk, leading off the home fifth and

advancing to third on a throwing error by third baseman Mari.

This allowed J. Elliott to reach for the Lakers before Schneider doubled to left to drive in Delsignore.

Michael Montalbano followed with a single of his own to score the other two runners.

After the Lakers’ Zach Mitchell was hit and the runners advanced on a wild pitch, teammate Collin Fantaskey struck out with the bases loaded with Jack Elliott on first.

However, this came before Standohar scored Montalbano on a 6-4 fielder’s choice and Mitchell scoring on a wild pitch, capping off a five-run frame from the hosting Lakers.

Dan Elliot homered in the sixth to provide another insurance run for Vallimont, who retired the order in the fifth and worked around a throwing error by O’Donnell in the sixth to take a 12-strikeout no-hitter into the seventh.

After striking out the Golden Eagles’ pinch-hitter Matt Kamenicky and after walking Garett Goslaw, Shaffer broke up the feat with a dribbling single that escaped both O’Donnell and J. Elliott.

Goslaw scored afterward on a wild pitch and Dillon Wolbert drove in two on a single to chase Vallimont after another strikeout, his 13th of the afternoon.

Ryan Smerkar then allowed a single to Nick Fugh that failed to advance Wolbert from second and struck out Chandler Palyas to lock down the victory.

Game two was even more clearcut, with the Lakers successfully holding off any and all scoring attempts by the Golden Eagles.

While it took five innings to get there, the Lakers got two runs off of J. Elliot and Parker Shanon.

One inning later and the Lakers had properly sealed the deal against the Golden Eagles.

O’Donnell was the first to get a tally in the inning, followed teammates Schneider and D. Elliot on the same play and J. Elliot and Schneider to close out the game in the sixth.

On Saturday, the Lakers traveled down to Butler, for another doubleheader against Clarion.

The Lakers scored early in the first inning on an RBI single from D. Elliott.

For the only time in the four game series, Clarion took the lead in the second inning.

However, D. Elliott homered for a second time this weekend, tying the game up at two in the third inning.

The Lakers pulled ahead with another run in the fourth and two more in the seventh. Clarion could not come back, only scoring

one more run in the seventh.

Game two of the day looked to be another close one, with a tie game going into the fifth inning. Mercyhurst had scored one run in the second and Clarion answered with one of their own in the fourth.

In the fifth inning, Mercyhurst scored a massive eight runs. D. Elliott started the rally off with a single and 2 more RBIs while the bases were loaded.

Next, right fielder Drew Delsignore triples, sending in two more and also scoring himself on an error made by the Clarion second baseman. O’Donnell and Schneider drove in the last two runs of the inning.

The scoring continued as the Lakers earned two runs in the sixth and four in the seventh.

With his showing this weekend, Elliott has a team high of 45 RBIs, which lands him second in the PSAC. The Lakers will be celebrating senior day on April 28 at 1 p.m. against crosstown rival Gannon.

After hosting the Golden Knights, the Lakers will travel to Gannon on April 29 at 1 p.m. to finish off the series.

Sports editor Bernard Garwig and News editor Caitlyn Lear also contributed to this report

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

SPORTS

PAGE 15

MU men’s lax 9-4

By Marco Cicchino Staff writer

The second season of Greater Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) men’s lacrosse has been completely void of any consistency, as evidenced by the quick ascent of Seton Hill and Lake Erie to the top of the pack.

On top of this, the G-MAC has seen a rapidly-improving squad in the Wheeling Jesuit Cardinals, who are just below the Lakers in the standings at No. 4.

But if there’s one thing that hasn’t changed, take note: the Lakers, under head coach Chris Ryan can still produce up-tempo, high-octane offense and change the tide quickly.

And so, the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association 19th ranked Lakers continue to do just that, racing to score four goals in the first four and a half minutes on April 21 and maintaining the offensive pressure to keep the Cardinals from cracking the top three in the conference race with a convincing 17-9 wireto-wire victory on Tullio Field.

The win allowed the Lakers (8-4, 4-2) to remain one and a half games behind then virtually tied Seton Hill and Lake Erie — Hill holding the head-to-head tiebreaker — and secure a conference tournament berth in the process.

Game time saw the Lakers get underway fast, with Colin Gre-

enway needing just 1:10 to open the scoring with a pass from Oran Horn for his 16th of the campaign, running the Lakers’ record to 6-1 when they score first.

Greenway then picked up a ground ball 1:09 later, setting up Nathan Grenon to beat the Cardinals’ goalie Jake Lilly (5-8, 12.18) at 3:10 for his 15th of the season.

But just a minute later, Austin Robare and Patrick Liddy combined to turn a trick in the style of their female Laker counterparts to each tally in a span of just six seconds, only a Laker grounder

by Evan Schumacher coming between them.

The Cardinals (5-8, 3-3) responded defensively with a series of four grounders and four clears before registering their first shot on Laker goalie Alec Starr (7-3, 6.78), overcoming a Greg Weyl turnover on the Cardinals’ Jordan Getz immediately after recovering a grounder and an uncaused giveaway by Jamison Smith, both coming less than a minute apart.

The Lakers’ Devin Pipher was called for a giveaway in the final minute of the first, allowing the Cardinals’ Connor Buzzelli to pick up a grounder with 35 seconds on the clock, clear within three seconds, and allow Michael Jablonski to find Dereck Downs on a quick pass with 11 seconds left for his 37th of the season, good for second in the conference.

A foul on Schumacher allowed

Travis Getz to notch his 11th of the season for the Cardinals after just 40 seconds elapsed in the second, but Weyl responded with a grounder off the ensuing draw, allowing a clear to reach Sam Crusha for a relay to Grenon at 1:46 immediately as Getz was booked for slashing.

However, on the ensuing save

by Lilly, the Cardinals cleared to kill off the penalty, but Laker goalie Starr stopped Philip Burns on the other end and cleared for Nicholas Bartone’s third of the season at 5:25.

Buzzelli caused a turnover on Grenon off the ensuing draw, but Jarrett Cook of the Lakers responded with a causal himself on Michael Schonhiutt.

Laker Brandon May needed another minute to catch the grounder and finish the clear on 23 minutes, which allowed Greenway and Horn to reverse their game-opening tally and extend their lead over the Cardinals.

This ultimately proved to be the smallest for the remainder of the contest, as Laker Austin Robare capitalized on a foul on Fernando Martinez and allowed Horn to become the first Laker with 20 goals this season just 37 seconds later.

But the Cardinals again settled down defensively and got two saves from Lilly to keep the hosts from adding to their lead before intermission.

After Starr stopped Downs with 4:40 left in the second, the

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LET’S GO, LAKERS! April 25, Tullio Field at 4 p.m.: Women’s lacrosse vs. Edinboro University April 28, Tullio Field at 11 a.m.: Women’s lacrosse vs. Kutztown University April 28, Mercyhurst Baseball Field at 1, 3 p.m.: Baseball Senior Day vs.

Gannon University (doubleheader) April 28, Tullio Field at 3 p.m.: Men’s lacrosse vs. Ohio Valley University April 29, Gannon University at 1, 3 p.m.: Baseball vs. Gannon University

Griffins’ Jordan Getz picked up the rebound and volleyed with Downs nine seconds later for his 16th of his season.

Yet Grenon needed just 2:05 of the third to restore a six-goal Laker advantage, taking a feed from Horn to finish off a hat trick, but Griffin Matt Lee capitalized on the ensuing faceoff win by Martinez to respond with his first of the day just 52 seconds later.

Not to be outdone, however, Bartone took a grounder from Schumacher off the draw and found Crusha at 3:36 for his first of the afternoon.

It was immediately on this tally that the Cardinals’ Scotty Gwyn was booked for slashing, but Pipher needed just 22 seconds to pick up a shot from Crusha and convert his 17th of the campaign at 4:10, the Lakers’ 13th power-play goal this season.

But a turnover from Will Agate allowed Lee to respond 1:03 later for his 17th, then Robare and McLean Fitzmarin exchanged tallies on 38 minutes to keep the lead for the hosts at six.

But Lee was booked for unsportsmanlike conduct at 8:37 of the third, allowing the Lakers’ Dominic Perna to tally his tenth of the campaign just 17 seconds later as the Cardinals fell to 1-5 this season when allowing multiple power-play strikes.

But Schumacher was booked in losing the ensuing draw, allowing Jordan Getz and Downs to reverse

roles from their second-quarter tally and find the Cardinals’ conference-high fourth shorthanded goal this season, Downs’ 38th of the campaign overall.

Mike Stillings needed 2:18 after that strike to again bring the deficit to just five off a clear for his first tally of the campaign; but Starr stopped Lee with 2:36 left in the period, allowing Horn to spark a 4-1 run for the hosts to close out the contest just 1:12 later.

A quick series of grounders then opened the fourth well for the Lakers, culminating 1:52 into the frame as Pipher found Crusha for his second of the contest.

But the Cardinals killed off an interference minor to Ryan Gossett 27 seconds later, using the momentum to allow Burns his tenth of the campaign at 3:41 left in the contest.

But the Cardinals would not reach any closer, as Dan Kritkausky took advantage of a foul on Nick Csenar for his fifth 52 seconds later; then Horn finished a four-goal day with 2:58 left in regulation, catching a feed from James Rettinger to run his tally to a team-high 22.

The Lakers, who then beat Roberts Wesleyan College 13-5 on April 23, finish the regular season with another hosting affair on April 28.

Hosting Ohio Valley, the Lakers (9-4) look to finish the season strong in the G-MAC. Ohio Valley is 3-8 overall.

HURST

RESULTS April 20-21, Men’s tennis at PSAC championships: Semifinal vs. Bloomsburg, 5-0, Lakers. Final vs. Edinboro, 5-1, Lakers (Lakers are 16-2, finish 5-0 in the PSAC) April 20-21, Women’s tennis at PSAC championships: Semifinal vs. Bloomsburg, 5-0, Lakers. Final vs. Indiana, 0-5, Indiana (Lakers are 22-2, finish 5-1 in the PSAC) April 23, Softball vs. Indiana University of Pennsylvania: 2-6, 0-8 Indiana (Lakers are now 6-28) April 23, Men’s lacrosse vs. Roberts Wesleyan College: 13-5, Lakers (9-4)

LAKER LIVING

PAGE 16

Merciad

SENIOR SENDOFF

AMBER MATHA Title: Editor in chief.

Future Plans: Attending the University of Georgia to pursue a Ph.D. Favorite memory: Winning the trivia bowl competition at Public Health Scholar Bowl in St. Louis last year.

CHEYANNE CRUM Title: Managing editor.

Future Plans: Attending George Washington University for MS in Forensic Science.

Favorite memory: Going to the Hogwarts SAC/MAC event in Fall 2015 and making a wand and an owl balloon.

JENNY SABLIOV Title: A&E editor.

Future Plans: TA-ing for Duke TIP in Texas and Georgia this summer. Getting MS in CJA at Mercyhurst next year.

Favorite Memory: Meeting Bernadette Peters and Lily Tomlin.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

This year, the Merciad has seven editors graduating with the Class of 2018. We wanted to know their future plans and favorite memories in their time at the Hurst.

CAITLYN LEAR Title: News editor.

Future Plans: Attending West Virginia University for MS in Forensic Science.

Favorite Memory: Getting job interview at Wegmans, which led to scholarships and personal relationships.

CHELSEA GUIDA Title: Photo editor.

Future Plans: Moving to

Boston to work as marketer/ paid media analyst.

Favorite Memory: Being on two boats that won second place at the 2015 NCAA Rowing Championships.

ABIGAIL RINARD Title: Features editor.

Future Plans: Attending Catholic University Columbus School of Law. Favorite Memory: Having the opportunity to lead the Carpe Diem 9 retreat this past fall.

MEGAN STUBBS Title: Ad manager.

Future Plans: Pursuing MS

in Criminal Justice Admin at Mercyhurst next year.

Favorite Memory: Attending the 2018 AAFS conference in Seattle.

HURST TOON Student-drawn cartoon by Periwinkle