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The Merciad

Est. 1929 Vol. 88 No. 20

Mercyhurst university

Wednesday, april 29, 2015

Gamble’s presidency ends

By Nathan Turner News editor

Salina Bowe photo

Thomas Gamble, Ph.D, is ending his almost-decade long term as the president of Mercyhurst University at the end of May.

ABP hosts literary event

By Amanda Moore Staff writer

Mercyhurst’s Alpha Beta Pi chapter of the education sorority, Kappa Delta Pi, organized the 7th annual Literacy Alive event, which reached 300 underprivileged pre-K students at seven different schools between April 13 and April 16.

The experience helped the future teachers teach young students the importance reading.

Kathleen Bukowski, Ph.D., Dean of the Hafenmaier School of Education & Behavioral Sciences, said that this event was not just for the children, but for students as well. She said that she believed mixing their major with community outreach would help give students

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the full Mercyhurst experience.

“It connects to the Mercy Mission. I’m always thinking that, being an employee of this university, it is not just about getting the skills. It’s also about helping you grow to be a better individual. We could have done this anywhere but there was a real purpose for selecting the children that we worked with because we knew they needed this,” Bukowski said.

Mercyhurst students planned the event’s activities by making lesson plans, which included reading stories and acting the stories out with the younger students.

“The lessons we did this year were reader’s theater using fables. So we read the children a fable, then they made masks of the characters, and then we read

it again but they acted it out as we read. It was a big hit,” sophomore Elizabeth Meier said.

The Literacy Alive Committee lead by Ian Gayford and Sam Gudat, included Katherine Brittner, Taylor Redner, Nicole Kelly, Libby Clark and Rachel Costlow. Overall, Brittner has said that she believes the event was a huge success.

“The students were very excited to see the box of books when we walked into the room.

They were even more excited when I told them that they got to keep the books. It was great to see how enthusiastic the students were about receiving the books They couldn’t believe that they were theirs to keep,” Brittner, a junior, said.

The students also received a box of crayons too, and the

students said the children were even appreciative of that.

Junior Kelsey Wilson explained the children could not believe the free presents.

“They were so thankful and in so much awe and it was so heartwarming. One student tried to return the box of crayons after the lesson was over and I told her she was allowed to take them home and she gave me a hug and said no way, These are mine? Thank you,” Wilson said.

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Thomas Gamble, Ph.D., is retiring as president of Mercyhurst University after almost a decade of service in office.

He will retire from the presidency at the expiration of his contract on June 30, 2015, marking nearly a decade of service as president and a 30-year affiliation with the institution. Prior to his selection as the university’s 11th president in 2006, Gamble was vice president for academic affairs/chief academic officer at Mercyhurst. He is a tenured faculty member, the founding director of the Mercyhurst Civic Institute, and founding director of the former Mercyhurst Institute for Child and Family Policy.

Growth within both the academic and mission-oriented spheres of Mercyhurst was the touchstone of Gamble’s presidency.

“I think overall the 10 years have been an interesting, growth-oriented time at Mercyhurst. We did a lot of things on the academic side that were valuable. And then on the Catholic and Mercy side as well. I’m pleased with some of the things we were able to do on those ends as well.” Gamble said Monday in an interview with The Merciad.

During the interview, Gamble touched on multiple topics – the expansion and establishment of several programs at the university, the change to a semester system, a changing enrollment climate, the financial challenges, meeting the Mercy mission, and the changing nature of college presidencies in today’s world.

(Questions for the interview were submitted in advance.)

The expansion of several programs at Mercyhurst came during a period of financial uncertainty. The university cut 20 positions in 2014 due to a need to reduce expenses.

Despite that, Gamble said, the university still needs to expand to avoid worse financial straits.

“You have to keep expanding because you have to be able to keep moving into new markets. As the world evolves, the future enrollment is going to come to Mercyhurst through public health, through physician assistants, through data science, so if we didn’t create those things, if we didn’t do those kinds of things, then the

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future would be far bleaker than we think it will be with those things,” Gamble said.

He said that the success in recruiting a capacity class for the Physician Assistant program shortly after accreditation demonstrates the viability of expanding into new, in-demand programs, even in sparse times.

“You have to expand in direction of growth. We can’t simply reduce expenses. You have to reduce in some places and grow in others. It’s painful for the organization, it’s painful for the individuals, and it’s terrible that it has to be that way, but it has to be that way.

“We cut 14 people, but we cut 20 positions during that time to reduce expense. You reduce expense, but then you try to do something creative.

You have to do both to ensure the future of the organization,” Gamble said.

Another aspect of Gamble’s presidency affected the way Mercyhurst students learn over the course of the school year: The university switched from its traditional trimester system to a semester schedule.

This was done to give more time for students to learn and retain information, but also to help put Mercyhurst students on a more level playing field with other university students, Gamble said.

“You retain information when you learn it over a longer period of time, as opposed to a shorter period of time.

Another reason is that when our students are doing internships, or they’re doing study abroad, or they’re doing other kinds of things, for us to have a very unusual calendar interfered many times with our students being able to get certain kinds of internships and so on,” Gamble said. Gamble also said that the retention rate among students after the switch is a sign that the semester system is working and that students appreciate it.

“Students vote with their feet to some extent, and we have a high retention rate, so that’s a pretty good indicator that it’s worked out pretty well,” Gamble said.

The switch from college to university also offered opportunities which were impossible under the old systems, according to Gamble.

(Continued on page 2)

April 29, 2015

The Merciad

Page 2

News

Gamble’s presidency ends after almost 10 years (Continued from page 1)

“With a complex institution like Mercyhurst going into the future, we were able to organize it in a better manner as a university. Now the university has three colleges: college of associate, college of baccalaureate, college of graduate studies,” Gamble said.

Within the baccalaureate college, there are now separate schools of study in those colleges, with deans atop each school.

“None of that structure existed prior to university status, and over time, deans will become increasingly responsible for academics, enrollment, and marketing and fundraising, all those things within their areas, which is what Deans do.

When we were just a college, we had no capacity for those kinds of roles,” Gamble said.

The new organizational structure allows the deans to play more significant roles in the futures of their schools than previously possible, Gamble said.

Dungarvan Gamble also assisted in the expansion of the partnership between Mercyhurst and Dungarvan in County Waterford, Ireland, a sister city of Erie.

According to Gamble, the program has three pillars, which consist of the study abroad program, as well as being the headquarters of the Intelligence Studies program in Europe and partnerships with other schools in Ireland, such as the Waterford Institute of Technology.

“Now, certainly the student piece is going great. We never have enough spaces for all the students who want to go.

We’ve expanded it a couple of times and we now have two opportunities to go a year. The Intel piece is going to take off, (and) we’ve got the Global Forum this year,” Gamble said.

The study abroad program has grown from non-existence prior to Gamble’s presidency, and developed a model which allows students to study with the same professors both at Mercyhurst and in Ireland.

Students originally had to use a program through Syracuse University due to the lack of a program at Mercyhurst, Gamble said.

“When I was in the (Academic) Dean’s Office, before I became president, a lot of students wanted to study abroad, but couldn’t go from Mercyhurst. So they’d go to

Syracuse. A lot of students went abroad with Syracuse, so they were getting money from Mercyhurst and using it to pay Syracuse. I like Syracuse, but I didn’t want to give them our money.

“So we were able to create this new model, where our faculty members take students abroad. Mercyhurst can use its resources that way and students have the experience of having their own faculty over there,” Gamble said.

Changes in students

Demographic shifts in United States, specifically a decline in the number of people aged 18 to 22, particularly in this region, affected the enrollment numbers at universities across the nation, Joanne McGurk, Ph.D., and president of the Faculty Senate said.

“The present situation that we have is that a traditional age population that is declining. There are simply not as many people aged 18 to 22 as there used to be. But there are more universities that are competing for that declining pool of students. So institutions that are going to thrive and prosper are going to have to do things differently,” McGurk said.

One of the programs at Mercyhurst which caters to a select population is the Asperger’s Initiative at Mercyhurst. Bradley McGarry created the program and Gamble helped oversee its expansion.

“The demographics have declined for high school students, especially in this region, but the number of young people with Asperger’s or Autism has expanded dramatically over the past 15 years. These young people, many of them, are what we call high-functioning. They have high IQs, great capacity to learn, and to apply knowledge. But they have certain challenges they have to face, just like any handicap. But it’s a market that we think has real potential for Mercyhurst,” Gamble said.

The program’s formation required the assurance that the faculty, student academic support and student life support would be ready to accommodate the challenges these students face, Gamble said. However, the program has been successful for the university.

“They asked me to help expand 15 more spots for the fall. I asked, can you get them?

They said, we have a waiting list for it. It’s a program

that will expand somewhat, because there is such a need,” Gamble said.

Opportunity education One need which Mercyhurst attempted to meet during Gamble’s presidency was fulfilling the mission of the Sisters of Mercy that goes back to the university’s founding in 1926: providing an education to those unable otherwise to receive one. ”The Essential mission of the Sisters of Mercy was essential opportunity education, to provide educational opportunities in a religious setting for those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to achieve it. Often it was women, exclusively at the founding,” Gamble said.

Mercyhurst expanded, but the mission to provide educational opportunities became lost as the university became more selective and expensive.

The Booker T. Washington Center in Erie fulfills the mission, using the Mercyhurst North East model to enable impoverished students to access a college education, Gamble said.

[The Booker T. Washington Center] expands educational opportunity right into the heart of the inner city. It’s 20 blocks from here, but it’s a world apart. Many don’t feel comfortable in North East, or lack transportation, but if you bring education to them, they really responded,” Gamble said.

The center has graduated many students, with some of them moving into the baccalaureate program at the main Mercyhurst campus.

“We’ve made a deal that if they perform really well academically, they can come to the Erie program for the same price they’re paying [at Booker T. Washington], which is about half as much [as Main campus], assuming there’s financial need,” Gamble said.

The Carpe Diem Academy uses the same idea to reach young children and prepare them for future grades, Gamble said.

Expansion of Catholic and Mercy identity The Catholic and Mercy identity of the university also expanded under Gamble’s presidency. The reason for this expansion, which came in varied forms such as the restored chapel, the Sister Joan D. Chittister Lecture Series and the program for Catholic and Mercy studies, comes from his personal Catholic

faith, but also from respect for the Sisters of Mercy.

“I believe that the faith is important. I believe that the 2000-year legacy of the Catholic Church is very valuable and should be transmitted to each new generation.

Also, it’s a unique feature of Mercyhurst and it’s a matter of respecting the founders of the institution and what they wanted,” Gamble said.

Different type of president

The nature of being a college president has also changed over Gamble’s presidency. The days of the traditional college president, who was perceived a senior scholar, are over, according to McGurk.

“It’s an interesting time to be thinking about becoming a college president, because it’s not like it used to be. You were the chief kind of academic, you were a scholar and you led a community of scholars. Those are not the requirements for a university or college president today,” McGurk said.

The focus has shifted from academic inquiry to ensuring a successful financial future for the university. McGurk said that presidents nowadays should have or be able to access skills useful in fundraising and securing revenue.

“Or at least, if you don’t have those skills yourself, you can assemble a team who does and you know how to take their advice and put into action what the plan is. You know how to go out and tell the story of the institution to potential donors, and how to get alums to want to come back, not just to give money, but also to be involved in the future of the institution,” McGurk said.

Gamble acknowledged the shift in the type of individuals who hold the post of college and university president.

“I am maybe one of the last old-school presidents, a member of the faculty who assumes this job for a while and then returns to the faculty. It is decreasing in college presidents. The competition is stronger than it has been in the past. Things have changed. I do think folks like me are less likely to be the university president. It will be a different breed. And maybe circumstances require that,” Gamble said.

Keeping core values However, with the shift from academic inquiry to ensuring a good financial

footing, there is the possibility that Mercyhurst could lose its core values. The institution must attempt to keep the separate pieces of its identity in balance and intact in order to prevent that, Gamble said.

“Mercyhurst has always been made of a few pieces, a few threads that make the rope up,” Gamble said.

The threads Gamble mentioned included the Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, professional preparation, the Catholic faith and hands-on engaged learning.

“If they stay in balance, I think Mercyhurst is going to be great. We will face challenges, but we have to stay true to those four things. I think the current shift away from the intellectual curiosity, the liberal arts is not going to remain. And I would hate to see us jump ship only to find out three years later that that was the right ship to be on,” Gamble said.

Adjustments for the future

Even though Mercyhurst should attempt to stay true to its core values, it must still prepare and adjust to the needs of the future, Gamble said. He cited the Intelligence Studies, Public Health, the Masters in Physician Assistant and the Data Science program as examples of such adjustments.

A notable expansion on campus tied closely to the creation of the Tom Ridge School was the construction of the Center for Academic Engagement (CAE), the idea for which came early in his term.

“I was meeting with Bob Heibel and Jim Breckenridge, and we made a commitment together that we needed an Intel building on campus. We started to develop the idea, we started to go out and raise

some money,” Gamble said.

Mercyhurst received $3.5 million from the state of Pennsylvania, and an equal amount from donors. The university also provided $3 million for the construction in 2012. The CAE was also crucial to founding of the Tom Ridge School.

Gamble said that he considered Intelligence Studies to be a signature program for Mercyhurst, and having a building to house that school benefitted Mercyhurst by appealing to visitors.

Members of the Ridge School drove its creation, Gamble was more involved in the creation of the Public Health program.

“Public Health: I recruited Dave Dausey to come to Mercyhurst and create a public health program. Then asked David, would you, with me, create a school for health sciences, health professions. I was a little more hands-on on that one. So it depends. The idea is to support, to use your office to support things you think are really positive for the university going forward,” Gamble said.

Gamble issued a piece of advice for the future president, which was to keep the four aspects of Mercyhurst intact.

“Remember all four strands of that rope that make up Mercyhurst. It is the liberal arts which incorporates the Catholic intellectual tradition.

It is professional preparation.

It is hands-on, engaged learning. And it is the Catholic and Mercy foundation.

“Keep all four of those in some kind of reasonable balance, if you can,” Gamble said.

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Provost position eliminated President Thomas Gamble briefly reflected on the reasons for eliminating the position of academic provost, a decision which was announced earlier this week.

Gamble said that he believed it would be better to leave a traditional organization structure for the incoming president.

“I wanted to clear the decks for the new president, whoever that person is, so that person can organize, especially their most senior advisors the way they

want to,” Gamble said.

The role of provost is typically combined with the post of Chief Academic Officer, rather than being split into two separate positions.

“Dr. Adovasio has been a terrific provost in so many ways, but his role is sort of unique. He’s certainly one of the best scholars at Mercyhurst, so we wouldn’t want him to become a bureaucrat,” Gamble said.

Search for next university president narrows candidates

By Jose Nufio

Contributing writer

The search for Mercyhurst’s next president is down to four candidates.

Starting Dec. 12, the Selection Committee worked with various resources to select the candidates that would best fulfill the role of becoming Mercyhurst’s new president.

Member of the Board of Trustees, alumnus and co-chair for the selection committee, Joseph NeCastro, said that the process of selecting the next president has been successful.

“It’s gone extremely well; it’s well organized and well managed. We have had very good response to the position opening. We have managed to stay on our plan, so we will have our new president by our deadline, which is of

course before summer starts,” NeCastro said.

According to NeCastro, the most important objective for the search committee has always been finding a candidate to replace the outgoing university president, Thomas Gamble, Ph.D. When searching for candidates, NeCastro said that the committee looked for someone who would best fulfill the roles of president for an institution like Mercyhurst, but also someone who was prepared to take on its future challenges. The processes to finding the candidates started with creating a position description or an online executive profile, for what the position is and what are the selection criteria.

“We looked for someone who understands and embraces the mission of the college and the Sisters of

Mercy. We looked for someone who has experience at either an academic institution or another institution. Someone who has a vision of future higher education and idea of how to achieve that vision,” NeCastro said.

The committee also took into account the skills any future president would need to handle the financial circumstances facing Mercyhurst, NeCastro said.

“Somebody who has experience in enrollment management and fundraising, most importantly, and of course, for the challenges for an institution like Mercyhurst faces at this time,” NeCastro said.

From the start, the committee relied on the input from various constituencies from the university when selecting the finalists. Throughout the semester, they met with various constituencies, in the

form of faculty, staff and student forums, to ask for feedback and created forums on what they wanted to see in the new president.

The committee also relied on feedback from student representatives, such as Mercyhurst Student Government president and member of the Search Committee, Nicholas Latta.

“It’s important to have a student in the committee and understand what goes on in the process and I think it allows us to have a voice, which I think is very fair,” Latta said.

After the creation of the executive profile, the committee engaged in the services of a consulting firm called R.H. Terry, which specializes in recruiting senior executives for colleges and university, according to NeCastro.

“They do a lot of work to

source candidates, they advertise in the appropriate journals, they contact the potential candidates and do some screening and they narrow down the field,” NeCastro said.

The consulting firm passed along over 80 candidates to the committee, from which the committee narrowed it down to nine and eventually to the four finalists.

“All very qualified candidates, all very promising and I think anyone would make a great leader for Mercyhurst,” NeCastro said.

While the search committee was charged with finding candidates, the Board of Trustees will get to choose the candidate. After the candidates visit campus, the search committee will meet and make a recommendation to the board on who they think should be president. They can recommend any of the four and it

could be one or all four of the candidates. The board will select the new president in early June.

The four candidates include: John T. Delaney, Ph.D., Endowed dean, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration, University of Pittsburgh; Robert A. Gervasi, Ph.D., President of Quincy University, Quincy, Ill,; Laura Niesen de Abruna, Ph.D., Provost and vice president for academic affairs, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Conn.; Michael T. Victor, J.D., LL.D., President of Lake Erie College, Painesville, Ohio.

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April 29, 2015

The Merciad

Page 3

Features

Students, faculty participate in Relay

By Adrian Monty Contributing writer

Students, faculty, staff and other members of the Erie community participated in Relay for Life, a 12-hour event that funds cancer research, on Saturday, April 25, in Garvey Park.

The theme for this year’s Relay was board games, with the slogan being “Game Over, Cancer.” Each student group with a table had its own theme pertaining to board games and the fight against cancer.

Last year, with sponsors such as Starbucks, the Mercyhurst Relay event raised $23,000.

This year, due to a lack of sponsors, the event raised about $18,000 in donations.

The tables at the event run by students included the Public Health Club’s game of Risk, MU Honors’ “Ticket to Ride,” and Residence Life’s game of LIFE. An all-inclusive Monopoly game was also held during the event and included a “jail” that participants could pay to put their friends into and then post bail for.

The Hope, Love and Courage table had the Ellen DeGeneres game “Heads Up” and awarded handmade bracelets as prizes.

Caitlin English, a senior Intelligence major, worked as

the group leader for the Hope, Love and Courage table.

“We’re relaying for our grandmother,” said English.

“I think everyone has a reason to be here and I think it’s nice to see everyone come together.”

Event Chair of this year’s Relay for Life, Kelsey Eckhoff, a senior Intelligence and Criminal Psychology major, and, Activities Chair Ian Hausner, a junior History major, both worked to make sure there was an event for each hour of the 12-hour relay.

In the second hour of the event, “purple people” went around Garvey Park and participants could get their picture taken with them.

Caitlin Lear, a freshman Forensic Anthropology major, ran a “Miracle 4 U” donation table.

“I’m walking for a friend that died from cancer in high school, Miranda,” Lear said.

Lear raffled off a Wegmans basket and gift card, as well as an iTunes gift card for participants who could solve the “Clue”-inspired mysteries she had set up on her table. Other activities at the event included the “donut on a string” contest, Mr. Relay, Giant Twister, Pie your Professor and Scrabble.

The Pie your Professor event gave students the

opportunity to put a plate full of whipped cream in a professor’s face, without academic consequences.

Professors who participated in the pieing event included Intelligence professor Bill Welch, Psychology professor Matt Weaver, Ph.D, Coach Marty Schaetzle, Psychology Department Chair Rob Hoff and Anthropology professor Allen Quinn.

“It was great, and it’s for a great cause. Hopefully it means they like me,” Weaver said after receiving several pies in his face from students.

After pie-ing professors, members of the Relay Committee took their places on the cream covered chairs to get a taste of their own medicine.

After the Pie-ing took place, Hurst Idol winners Eva Solomon and Dhedra Danudoro put on an acoustic performance for the crowd.

“I love playing for the cause,” Solomon, vocalist and junior Social Work student, said.

The Luminaria event took place in the 11th hour of the Relay for Life, a time intended to be used to reflect on the lives of those who have lost the battle against cancer.

Photos by Tung Vu (Right) Students sign the HOPE sign to put names of the people they were running for at this year’s Relay for Life on Saturday, April 25.

(Below) Faculty members Bill Welch, Allen Quinn, Rich McCarty, Matt Weaver, Rob Hoff and Susan Johnson, athletic director Joe Kimball and football coach Marty Schaetzle get pie-d.

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Miller discovers passion in performance at Mercyhurst

By Ryan Kushner Features editor

Brandon Miller is in love with the stage.

Miller, a junior Vocal Performance major, developed his passion for singing and performing while at Mercyhurst.

Originally an undeclared major with plans to study nursing or science, decided to pursue his interest in vocal performance at the end of his freshman year.

Miller has since performed in a number of productions at Mercyhurst, most recently as the role of the villainous Pinkerton in the D’Angelo Department of Music’s rendition of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.”

“It was different because I’ve never done opera before in my life,” said Miller. “I’ve been a musical theatre kind of guy so it was a completely different experience.”

Miller has previously taken part in the Mercyhurst Theater Program under the direction of Brett Johnson, Ph.D., where he performed in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie

Brown” as the titular character and “The Laramie Project” as a student in Laramie, Wyoming, pressured by his culture to suppress his desire to act.

Miller himself has received no such pressure; or if he has, it has not persuaded him.

All of these performances, including singing in the chorus for the Music department’s production of “La Cenerentola” (Cinderella) last year, have led to Miller discovering what he plans to pursue as a career after graduation.

“It’s more tiring than any other thing I’ve ever had, but it was a great experience,” said Miller of his time in “Madama Butterfly.”

“I’ve come to learn that that is exactly what I want to do now.”

Miller has big plans after graduating, which include going to Chicago to puruse a more intensive education in Vocal Performance and someday performing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, N.Y. “Something about opera, it gives me this powerful feeling,” said Miller. “It has helped me learn to be confident in

what I’m doing on stage.”

Miller does not take his craft lightly, however, and has spent hours studying and translating Puccini’s Italian opera since the end of summer 2014 in preparation for his performance on April 17.

“I will actually translate every word with a dictionary so I make sure I’m giving the exact translated word so I can relate it to the story,” Miller said.

Miller received help in familiarizing himself with the Italian pronunciations from Lydia Beasley, a part-time instructor of voice in the Music Department, who teaches a course in Diction for Singers.

“She is so nice and she helped me a lot with the Italian diction,” Miller said.

Louisa Jonason, an Assistant Professor of Voice and the Director of the Opera Program at Mercyhurst, was also influential in Miller’s journey to the stage.

“I wasn’t originally going to be Pinkerton, but I came in and [Jonason] realized that my voice kind of fit the part,” said Miller. “She was helpful in understanding what I could

do with my voice and helped me to love music that much more.”

Taking on the role of Pinkerton, a cruel soldier who breaks the heart of Madama Butterfly, came as a challenge to the soft-spoken Miller.

“He’s a terrible human being,” said Miller of Puccini’s infamous character. “I’ve never played this kind of dominating, vicious guy who just wants… he doesn’t even necessarily want love… it was crazy for me to try and get into that character because I’ve never played anything like that.”

In the end, time, and music, helped Miller to understand and come to terms with his role.

“I think in the end I was definitely able to feel it. That’s where the music comes in as well. It’s all a part of one another, the music and the text,” Miller said.

A native of Erie, Miller sang in high school in musical and vocal ensembles, as well as in local performances at the Erie Playhouse, but he considers himself a late-comer to the music scene.

“I was kind of behind some of the other people,” said Miller. “Some of my fellow students have had voice teachers in high school and had done some musical studying, but I had not done anything until I got here.”

Though Miller said it was stressful joining the Music Department at the beginning of his sophomore year, he has learned how to handle the pressure and the demands of his field.

“It’s not ‘cut-throat,’ but you kind of feel like, ‘wow, these people are so far ahead’ and so you’re kind of taken aback.

You just have to buckle down that much more and feel it and study it,” said Miller. “I feel like I’ve caught up, but I still have a lot of work.”

Miller said he has also enjoyed the benefits of being able to study in the Music department.

“It’s a smaller department in the school, so you have that time with the professors,” said Miller. “They [devote] individual time to go through anything you struggle with.”

Fellow Music majors also factor into Miller’s apprecia-

tion of his department.

“Everyone is so nice. We make time to be with each other,” said Miller. “It’s family-like. It’s great. I love it.”

Miller’s advice to students looking to break into the performance field, musical or otherwise, is to remain grounded and not to cut corners.

“You need to focus. You can’t be short on things. You have to make sure you follow the steps that people give you … If you really want to do it, you have to get the basics.

That’s your basis, that’s what you go off of in music. You have to trust your teacher,” Miller said.

Despite his experience over the past two years, Miller still gets nervous on the stage that he has grown to love.

“I have some performance anxiety, I’m not going to lie,” said Miller. “I have to make sure I’m just breathing steadily.

It’s just breathing and kind of realizing that you know it, and you’ve worked on it. You have to have faith in yourself.”

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Students work at Phonathon, raise funds for university

By Jose Nufio Staff writer

Phonathon has students make the calls.

The Phonathon is a calling program where students communicate with alumni to ask for donations to the Mercyhurst annual fund and get updates on their professional lives so the school can keep in touch with them.

The program is overseen by the offices of Institutional Advancement and they meet at the Center for Academic Engagement. There are currently about 30 Phonathon callers a team of both undergraduate and graduate students.

Lindsay Cox, a Mercyhurst alumna and current Assistant Director of Alumni Relations,

organizes the Phonathon.

“Students get a chance to get on the phone and speak directly to people who have gone to school here, have some interest in Mercyhurst, who know about the place and are interested with speaking with students,” Cox said.

The Phonathon raises money for the Mercyhurst annual fund. Phonathon is one of the vehicles the university uses to reach its annual fund goal, which is $410,000 this year. The alumni participation goal, which is how many alumni are expected to donate to the university, is currently at 20 percent.

The money earned from the annual fund is used in the university’s operation budget.

Everything that is seen on campus, including landscape, athletics and scholarship

money, can be funded by the annual operation budget, according to Cox. “It’s more of the everyday things you probably don’t think about, mowing and all those other things,” Cox said.

During the call, students read a prepared script while adding their own personal information to ask for donations.

The Phonation serves as an institutional employment opportunity, where students get paid $8 an hour. After working for one full year, students are eligible for a raise.

The hiring process is done at the beginning of every semester, which includes a training session for students to learn the process and the goals for the semester.

“It’s a good job to have,

they make their own schedule.

It’s a really flexible job and it’s easy to get on campus and they don’t have to drive out of campus,” said Cox. They are on the phone connecting with alumni and people who really love Mercyhurst and want to know what is going on.”

Tamara Walters, the director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving at Mercyhurst, said working at the Phonathon gives students a chance to see where their education can take them.

They get to talk to alumni from all over the country and have the chance to learn about what these alumni did with their careers. She thinks this is also a great way for students to see how important donor support is and teaching students about philanthropy.

“Students are actively con-

Nhi Tran photo

Students work a shift during the Phonathon Wednesday, April 22. On a single night, there can be 10 to 15 callers and students can pick a shift that fits their schedule.

tributing to growing our campus; they are getting the donations that we need to continue to grow and offer new programs, and do everything that we are doing. It’s

very impactful,” said Walters.

“It’s very rewarding when students start to understand what they are doing and that it is powerful.”

Page 4

April 29, 2015

The Merciad

Features

Nguyen to reorganize MU finance

By Jose Nufio Staff writer

Mercyhurst faced a decline in enrollment this year, which led to the termination of 14 staff positions in November as the university attempted to trim $2.5 million from its budget to make up for its financial trouble.

On March 1, 2015, Hoa Nguyen came to campus as the new executive vice president for finance and administration at Mercyhurst. Nguyen plans to use his experience to bring financial stability to the university and work closely with other departments to tackle future challenges Mercyhurst will face.

“My objective is to improve our financial situation and work with the CIO (Chief Information Officer) to improve technological infrastructure, so that we are going to be able to support our students with a transformative learning process,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen was born in Vietnam, but has lived most of his life in the United States. He has lived in different states, including Louisiana and Indiana, and in Michigan for 32 years. Before coming to Mercyhurst, Nguyen was Vice President for Business Affairs and Treasurer at St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Indiana.

He is currently working on his Ph.D. dissertation at Colorado State University.

Nguyen came to Mercyhurst because he saw the job opening and said he was attracted to the Mercyhurst mission and

tradition. He also felt drawn by the challenges that the university itself would pose for him.

“I really like the campus, but most importantly, when I interviewed for the job, I knew about the challenges that we face. Pretty much all, if not all of our challenges are the universal challenges that we face in the education industry,” Nguyen said.

One of the issues Nguyen hopes to solve is the declining enrollment, which dropped five percent from 2013 to 2014. Nguyen said if school officials turn their focus away from traditional types of enrollment, the university will find more students are able to come to the university. In the future, there will be an increase in the population of immigrant refugees and in the adult student population. To Nguyen, it is how we respond to those increases that will determine the success of the university.

“So how are we going to react to those? How are we going to be more strategic about recruiting those students in those markets,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen also understands that affordability will also be very important in tackling these issues.

“We know that we cannot increase tuition every year,” said Nguyen “That’s not good, but how we are going to balance the affordability versus the reality that is. We have to generate enough income to run the school.”

One of the ways Nguyen hopes to reach financial sta-

Nhi Tran photo

Nguyen, the new vice president of finance and administration, plans to work with the new Mercyhurst president to bring financial stability to the university.

bility is by using different pricing strategies. He believes that the university should do different analysis in determining the responsiveness to the prices of the institutions, also known as an elasticity analysis.

“We really need to understand our competition. We need to perform a competition study and we need to perform price sensitive analysis,” Nguyen said.

One of Nguyen’s strategies involves maintaining a tuition rate for four years in an effort to retain students, but questions as to the efficiency of this plan continue to be raised,

according to Nguyen.

“If, in my model, we offer guaranteed tuition rate, meaning that we are not going to increase our tuition rate for the next four years for every cohort, what is that going to get us? Is it going to increase enrollment? Are we going to increase retention rate? Are we going to motivate the kids to try to graduate within four years, because if they stay for another year the rates are going to be higher?”

Before Nguyen can implement any of his new plans, he will wait until the new Mercyhurst president takes

LAKER MOMENT

office. For now, his job will entail overseeing the budget and the finances of the university. He hopes to work with the new president to develop strategies to address the university’s issues with declining enrollment, but also move the institution forward to reach financial stability.

“I assist the board with ... projects. It will be up to the new president to see what my role is going to be,” Nguyen said.

In his free time, Nguyen enjoys traveling, but given his job at Mercyhurst, he has had little time for any other activ-

ities. Whenever he has free time, he visits his family in Indiana or spends time learning how to cook.

“I live on campus and have to cook by myself. I’ve never cooked before, so I am still learning,” Nguyen said.

@TheMerciad

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Nhi Tran photos

The Mercyhurst Figure Skating Club hosted a student skate night on Friday, April 24.

Many students came out to enjoy the ice in the Mercyhurst Ice Center which is set to receive renovations after a $15,000 donation from First Niagara Bank.

Several dance-offs were held throughout the evening as students showed their stuff in a rare opportunity to explore the rink.

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April 29, 2015

Page 5

The Merciad

Arts &

Entertainment Lit Fest ends with Lumen reveal Students, faculty gather to celebrate the arts

By Naomi Greenstein Staff writer

The university’s Literary and Fine Arts Magazine, Lumen, was unveiled to the audience of the students, family, faculty and staff in the Taylor Little Theatre.

Its unveiling event on Thursday, April 23, marked the end of the Literary Festival at Mercyhurst University.

Kenneth Schiff, Ph.D., of the English Department began the event by thanking the various members of the magazine, including his fellow faculty advisors, Mrs. Jodi Staniunas-Hopper and Marnie Sullivan, Ph.D. and the Editors-In-Chief, juniors Caroline Magoc and Hailey Carone.

He also thanked the student

editors who helped select the pieces for the magazine, edit the poems and short pieces of fiction that appeared in it, as well as the designers of the magazine and those who submitted their artistic and literary works to be displayed within it.

The winners of the submissions to Lumen were also announced, as well as the winner of the P. Barry McAndrew Essay in Literature Contest, which was dedicated this year to the late wife of P. Barry McAndrew, Elaine Marie McAndrew.

James Wallace took third place of the Lumen submission contest with his short story, “Hemingway Short Story.”

Caroline Magoc received second place for her poem,

“In Slow Music.”

The student who took first place for the both his submission to Lumen and the P. Barry McAndrew Essay in Literature Contest was junior Communications and English major, Ryan Kushner, for his short story, “I Won’t Go,” and his essay, “O Sun, To Tell Thee How I Hate High Beams.”

After the winners were announced, Editors-In-Chief Caroline Magoc and Hailey Carone presented a slideshow of letters they had compiled from previous students of Dr. Schiff ’s, thanking him for his excellence in teaching and wishing him a happy retirement after his 28 years of teaching for the English Department at Mercyhurst University.

Schiff aslo founded the Lit-

erary Festival 13 years ago with the help of fellow English Department faculty member Jeffrey Roessner, Ph.D. There was an air of nostalgia as some former students seated in the audience took to the stage and gave their thanks in person, as well as many other current students who got up on stage to show their appreciation.

Afterwards, many took part in the open mic and share their work of poetry or fiction with the audience.

Overall, the celebration of literature was an evening full of laughter and accomplishment.

We can only hope that next year’s unveiling and Literary Festival, will be just as exciting and successful at the hands of a new faculty adviser.

Met HD operas to play in PAC

By Megan Pacileo

Arts and Entertainment editor

Mercyhurst will show two Met HD Operas in the PAC on May 9: “Cavalleria Rusticana” by Mascagni and “Pagliacci” by Leoncavallo.

The first opera being shown is “Cavalleria Rusticana.”

Before the action takes place, Turiddu found out that his fiancée Lola had married Alfio while he was away.

In revenge, Turiddu seduces Santuzza, a young woman in the village. As the opera begins, Lola, overcome by her jealousy of Santuzza, begins an affair with Turiddu.

Santuzza approaches Lucia, the owner of a wine shop, as she comes out of her house.

She asks for Turiddu, but Lucia replies that he has gone to another town for wine.

Santuzza tells Lucia the story of her seduction by Turiddu and his affair with Lola. Lucia pities Santuzza, who the villagers are considering excommunicating for her seduction.

Turiddu arrives and Santuzza upbraids him for pretending to have gone away, when he was actually seeing Lola. Lola enters and mocks Santuzza before going inside the church. Turiddu turns to follow Lola, but Santuzza begs him to stay. Turiddu pushes her away and enters the church. Alfio arrives looking for Lola. Santuzza tells him that his wife has betrayed him with Turiddu. Alfio swears to take revenge.

Nhi Tran photo

James Wallace (on left) was presented the third place award by P. Barry McAndrew (on right) for his “Hemingway Short Story” at this year’s reveal of the Lumen at the conclusion of the Lit Fest.

‘A Most Violent Year’ shows in TLT

By Naomi Greenstein Staff writer

miac photo

Two Met HD operas will show in the Performing Arts Center on Saturday, May 9, at 12:55 p.m.

Turiddu invites his friends to his wine shop where Alfio joins them. Turiddu offers him wine, but he refuses it.

Alfio challenges Turiddu to a duel where he is killed. Santuzza collapses.

The next opera, “Pagliacci,” begins with the curtain rising and Tonio, dressed as Taddeo, adresses the audience reminding them that it is about real people.

A comedy troupe enters the village. Canio describes the night’s performance: the troubles of Pagliaccio. As Nedda steps down from the cart, Tonio offers his hand, but Canio pushes him aside and helps her down himself.

The villagers suggest drinking at the tavern where they tease Canio that Tonio is planning an affair with Nedda.

Canio warns everyone that while he may act the foolish husband in the play, in real life he will not tolerate other men making advances on Nedda.

Nedda is frightened by Canio’s vehemence as Tonio returns and confesses his love for her, and she laughs.

Enraged, Tonio grabs Nedda, but she grabs a whip and drives him off.

Silvio, Nedda’s lover, comes and asks Nedda to elope with him after the performance.

Tonio, who has been eavesdropping, leaves to inform Canio. They return as Silvio escapes, leaving Nedda.

Canio chases Silvio, but does not catch him. He demands that Nedda tell him the name of her lover, but she refuses. Tonio tells Canio that her lover will give himself away at the play.

As the crowd arrives, Nedda, costumed as Colombina, whispers a warning to Silvio as the play begins.

Colombina’s husband has gone away and she anxiously awaits her lover Arlecchino.

She lets Arlecchino in through a window. He gives her a

sleeping potion to use so they can elope. Taddeo bursts in, warning that Pagliaccio is suspicious of his wife and is about to return.

As Canio enters, he tries to continue the play but demands to know her lover’s name. The crowd, impressed by his emotional performance, which they do not realize is real, cheers for him.

Nedda, trying to continue the play, admits that she has been visited by Arlecchino.

Canio again demands the name of her lover. Nedda swears she will never tell him, and the crowd realizes they are not acting.

Silvio fights his way to the stage as Canio grabs a knife from the table and stabs Nedda. She dies as Silvio attacks Canio. Canio then kills Silvio.

The operas will be shown on Saturday, May 9, at 12:55 p.m. Tickets are $7.50 for students with their ID.

As spring semester begins to come to a close, one last Sunday afternoon movie plays at the Taylor Little Theatre.

“A Most Violent Year,” is the 2014 crime- drama written and directed by J. C. Chandor. The film stars actors Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, Alessandro Nivola, David Oyelowo, Albert Brooks and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Set in New York City in 1981, the year of the city’s all-time-high crime rate, an ambitious immigrant, Abel Morales, played by Oscar Isaac, is a hard-working owner of Standard Oil, a heating oil company.

At the onset of the film, Abel’s business is being plagued by the hijacking of several trucks, each carrying thousands of dollars in heating oil. One young driver,

Julian, played by Elyes Gabel, is severely beaten as two unknown assailants hijack his oil truck.

Abel’s wife, Anna, played by Jessica Chastain, beseeches Abel to fight violence with violence, but Abel refuses.

At the same time as the hijackings are taking place, Morales and his company are under investigation by Assistant District Attorney Lawrence, played by David Oyelowo, who seems determined to expose price-fixing and other illegalities committed by Morales and his competitors within the heating oil business.

From writer/director J.C. Chandor, this gripping story slowly builds tension as it makes the case for the high cost of the American dream.

“A Most Violent Year” will be shown in Taylor Little Theatre this Sunday, May 3, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $1 for students with their ID.

miac photo

“A Most Violent Year” plays in Taylor Little Theatre on May 3.

‘The Age of Adaline,’ beautiful costumes, terrible plot

By Megan Pacileo

Arts and Entertainemnt editor

Online

In “The Age of Adaline,” the title character, Adaline, must struggle through decades under the crushing weight of an enormous burden.

She has not aged a day since she turned 29 and must continue her life looking exactly like Blake Lively.

This should be a blessing, but for Adaline, it is a heavy load to bear.

She carries her immortality around like a burden which comes off as over-bearing to the audience.

“The Age of Adaline” is supposed to be a modern romantic fairy tale set in San Francisco, that gets spoiled by bad narration and an unnecessary over-explanation of random magic (i.e., the event that makes Adaline stop aging. The narrator eventually reveals that an explanation for her condition is found in 2030).

Full list of events can be found on the PAC website

We, as the audience, meet her in 2014, where she is hiding under an assumed name, because back in the day the government wanted to drag her off for experiments.

Just to be safe, Adaline moves every 10 years and starts over.

On New Year’s Eve at a party, she meets Ellis, played

by Game of Thrones heartthrob Michiel Huisman. Ellis is charming and wealthy, and refuses to be put off by her rejections.

The rest of the film deals with Adaline grappling to answer that question as she spends time with Ellis and meets his parents.

This introduces a new storyline to the plot that ultimately goes nowhere, just mangles the already questionable plotline.

Every now and then, the movie stabs you in the heart, like when Adaline’s daughter meets her for lunch and she’s older than her mother, or when Adaline realizes another

View upcoming performances: www.miac.mercyhurst.edu

of her beloved dogs is dying and she will be forced to put its picture in a scrapbook full of its dead brethren.

While this was supposed to read as sad, it came off as more than a little disturbing.

There is a poignancy that lingers in this section of the movie, but never gets too heavy or distracting.

The movie seems much more intent on getting to its happy ending than serving up any sort of powerful emotional resonance with audi-

ence members.

While the period costumes and settings are gorgeous, that is just about all this movie has going for it.

Directed by Lee Toland Krieger and starring Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Kathy Baker, Amanda Crew, Harrison Ford and Ellen Burstyn, “The Age of Adaline” creates a lack-luster storyline that seems to beat the audience about the head with their own morality.

I would rate it a 6 out of 10.

www.merciad.mercyhurst.edu/ arts_entertainment

April 29, 2015

The Merciad

Page 6

Opinion

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

Student looks back at Gamble’s The Good... presidency at Mercyhurst

By Nathan Turner News editor

I have been trying to figure out how to write this for the past week, and I am still not sure I have got it right.

There’s a section of me which wants to skewer Dr. Gamble as the killer of Mercyhurst (one possible opening line I had fiddled with made reference to the ways a Soviet dissident named Solzhenitsyn who spoke of Stalin), but then the more rational and balanced part of me admits that to do so would be unbalanced and unprofessional.

The culture of Mercyhurst has changed over his time here, maybe for the worse. I have noticed a change in the attitude of the students. We are cynical because we expect the administration to pull a fast one on us. We almost expect something shady to be going on, regardless of whether or not there is.

I have heard rumors for the

past two years, trash-talking every section of this administration, some with more validity than others. Some of them skewer Gamble and the other higher-ups as badly as I wanted to at the start.

Gamble’s last couple years have been scattered with a great deal of bad news: financial difficulties, position cuts, declining enrollment and what can seem like nonsensical decision-making regarding the decision to continue expanding on a shrinking budget.

However, there have been some positive notes, in my view, which may have escaped the public notice. The expansion of education to populations which may have otherwise not had it (innercity residents at the Booker T. Washington Center, for example), and expansion of the academic study of Catholicism at the university are just two such notes.

If I may be so bold as to argue that it may be possible none of the decisions which have panned out poorly were

taken with malicious intent, I pray the student body would heed me.

The changing landscape of the nation is partially to blame for some of the changes Mercyhurst has had to undergo. Smaller pools of students, decreased enrollment and shrinking finances have forced the hand of the administration in the end, but I highly doubt the poor actions were carried out intentionally.

“

The administration thought we could dodge the blade without getting nicked, and they were obviously wrong.

”

from the troubles other colleges have experienced in recent years.

To think that Mercyhurst is any different from any other college is ludicrous. That, in my opinion, was the fallacy. It was not malice, but overconfidence. The administration thought we could dodge the blade without getting nicked and they were obviously wrong.

They thought we would not need to change, or adjust, even though everyone else had to. God knows what was going through their minds.

But it clearly was not common-sense. If it had been, there may have been smaller changes over time, instead of an earth-shattering shock all at once.

I would argue that these decisions could be explained by a lack of foresight or the possible assumption that Mercyhurst could be exempt

Online

society. It leads to a meaning, rich and rewarding life. The administration appears to be on a steady march to creating vocational and professional programs that ignore the importance of the liberal arts education upon which Mother Borgia Egan and the Sisters of Mercy founded Mercyhurst.

Unfortunately, the academic integrity of the school is already suffering. Administrators bend over backwards to appease students who lie, cheat and steal. Plagiarism used to be the equivalent of an academic “felony” but administrators effectively give these students a “pass” for fear of losing their tuition money. Laziness is rewarded with second and third chances.

Administrators lose sight of the fact that these actions discourage honest students and faculty, frighten employers and weaken the long-term status of the college.

According to the Erie Times News, Mercyhurst paid the following annual salaries: President Tom Gamble, $326,135; Dr. James Adovasio, $242,569; CFO Gary Brown, $197,782. These salaries do not include the luxury automobiles for top-ranking members of the administration; five-star hotels and first-class airline tickets for the administrators and other hidden lavish spending that has contributed to the financial crisis at Mercyhurst. This spending resembles a forprofit corporation more than a non-profit educational institution founded on ideals of social justice.

Even the peaceful and forgiving Jesus we learned about at Mercyhurst would surely be overturning tables and driving

Read more at

merciad.mercyhurst.edu/opinion

More than a quarter of the tickets available for Spring Fest were claimed on the first day that tickets were distributed.

The Communication Department will hold a Health and Wellness Fair on May 6 at the Student Union.

Students will have a chance to relax and enter to win Chipotle-sponsored gifts and a FitBit.

There are only 1,500 tickets available for Spring Fest. This means that if they are all claimed before Thursday, there will be a lot of unhappy guests on campus who had plans to attend the event.

@TheMerciad

Mercyhurst Alumni express concern the dignity of work, and the dignity of the human person, a culture that stipulates the goodness of creation and all that entails and a culture oriented around the core values of Mercyhurst” (emphasis added). The President, the Provost and the Chair have broken this promise.

We have heard many examples of how these leaders have forgotten the true mission of the college.

Despite the rhetoric, administrators have shown a lack of respect for the dignity of work and the human person. In November 2014, the administration fired 14 employees to help close a $2.5 million budget shortfall. Most of the fired employees had more than a decade of service to the institution. As the Merciad reported, these employees were not given advance warning so they could look for other employment. The employees’ supervisors were not given advance warning.

Administrators abruptly told these dedicated employees to clean out their desks. Administrators treated these members of the Mercyhurst family like criminals. Within hours of the surprise termination, Mercyhurst Police escorted stunned former employees off campus.

At this point, the highly compensated administrators are conducting a review of academic programs to determine which programs are not financially viable. We have concerns that Mercyhurst is moving away from the liberal arts tradition of creating well-rounded students. History has long shown that a comprehensive liberal arts education provides the best opportunities for success in

The Mercyhurst Relay for Life committee raised just under $18,000 at the close of this year’s event.

This year, they had more faculty and community involvement and hope to continue the involvement with professors and faculty in the following years.

The Bad...

Nathan Turner

Letter to the editor Dear Editor: In 1926, the Sisters of Mercy founded Mercyhurst College on a hill overlooking Lake Erie. The College was a community of learning providing a strong liberal arts education to tens of thousands of young men and women.

Mercyhurst was guided by the Catholic values of truth, individual integrity, human dignity, mercy and justice.

Students learned to lead successful lives with a wellrounded education.

“Service learning” instilled a desire to work for positive change and included activities such as feeding the hungry, teaching the young, building houses for the homeless, assisting those afflicted by natural disasters and being a friend to those who are alone; activities in which we believe Jesus calls us to engage. In the 80 years that followed its founding, Mercyhurst was a shining example of the Mercy Tradition.

Unfortunately, things “on the hill” are not as bright today. A privileged few within the highest echelons of Mercyhurst’s administration and Trustees have forgotten this tradition. The longer the college continues on its current path, the harder it will be to return to that tradition.

In 2012, Mercyhurst changed to a university; just one step along the path of Mercyhurst losing its identity.

At the beginning of the process to become a university, President Gamble assured us that Mercyhurst would remain “committed to excellent teaching, to faith and reason flourishing together, to the faculty-student relationship, to a culture that respects

Congratulations to Katie Kaminski, a junior Psychology major, for being selected as one of 14 recipients of 2015-16 Psi Chi Summer Research Grant. She was awarded $5,000 for research and living expenses this summer in University of Texas Health Science Center.

the privileged out after learning of these affronts. How many students could be educated or homeless fed for that money? How many of the 14 dedicated staff-members who were fired in November 2014 could have kept their jobs? How many adjunct faculty members could receive a decent wage for their efforts?

We demand that the administrators return Mercyhurst to its principles of social justice and quality education.

In order to effectuate this change, Marlene Mosco and James Adovasio must resign their positions of authority at Mercyhurst.* We ask the Presidential Search Committee to remember the true values of Mercyhurst while searching for a new president.

Mercyhurst’s true values and traditions remain alive within us. We will support current students and lend advice. We will help faculty further the students’ education. We will treat others with dignity and show mercy to the less fortunate. However, we will not provide funds to a financially irresponsible administration and Board of Trustees that has hijacked the college we love and call home.

Mathew Anderson ‘14 Sylvia (Bluhm) Cagle ’02, ‘04 Brian Cagle, Esq. ‘04 Jeffrey Cagle ‘07 Alicia Cagle ‘13 Colleen Lanigan ‘07 Kelly Luoma ‘12 Gabrielle Schultz ‘12 Danielle Vaccaro ‘13 Alex Yaple ‘15 * The position of provost was eliminated earlier this month.

@TheMerciad

The Ugly...

Rocky, a dog in the Erie area, was found locked in a cage and kept in an Erie home with no food or water. The owner of the dog is now being charged for animal cruelty. The dog was barely able to stand when rescued and was covered with filth.

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

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

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

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

Write for The Merciad, email editormerciad@mercyhurst.edu

April 29, 2015

Page 7

The Merciad

Softball falls to Men’s lacrosse silences Cardinals UPJ, 5-4 & 8-4

By Tim Reed

By James Karasek

The Mercyhurst men’s lacrosse team defeated the Wheeling Jesuit University Cardinals, 10-9, on senior day Saturday at Tullio field.

Mercyhurst clinched a spot in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) tournament with the win.

Within just a minute of play, Mercyhurst found itself on the board after a goal from senior Trevor Vargo. Wheeling Jesuit answered a minute later after Tyler Buchan scored. Three more goals from Wheeling put Mercyhurst behind 4-2 at the end of the first.

Wheeling pulled away midway through the second quarter after a goal from Bryce Brochu. Matt Lee gave the Cardinals their sixth goal with two minutes remaining in the half.

With a minute remaining in the half, junior Corey Becker tallied one of his three goals.

Vargo put Mercyhurst back within two going into halftime, 6-4, the Cardinals leading.

“We stuck to the original game plan, cleaned things up on the field and put in more effort,” Vargo said.

Just 16 seconds into the third quarter, Junior Shane Endres scored, cutting Wheeling’s lead to one. However, Wheeling answered with

The Mercyhurst softball team fell to the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ) in Saturday’s doubleheader.

The Lakers fell by one run in the first of the two games, to a final score of 5-4, despite having scored more earned runs. Game two ended 8-4.

Nye came in for relief in game one to close out the seventh and pitched the final six innings in game two.

“Taking the losses to UPJ wasn’t easy, but the team knows what we need to do the next game to get a win,” said Nye. “This team always finds a way to come back stronger the next day, and that’s exactly what we plan on doing after the losses.”

The Lakers took the lead in game one after Kayla Larson scored her third homerun of the season in the fourth inning.

Junior Courtney Brothers scored in the fifth after she singled to right, and then came home on a passed ball.

UPJ took the lead in the top of the sixth, scoring five runs on four hits.

Larson stacked up two more RBIs in the bottom of the inning, driving in juniors Tawny Godin and Taylor Jezuit.

The seventh was scoreless, making the final score 5-4.

Staff writer

Staff writer

Casey Bleuel photo

Senior James Rogan fights off a defender against Wheeling Jesuit University on Saturday. The Lakers won, 10-9.

another Buchan goal.

Vargo ended the third quarter with back-to-back goals, giving Mercyhurst their first lead since their first goal.

With 13:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, Becker scored a hat trick, making the score 10-8.

The game ended, 10-9, after Wheeling scored in the last four minutes.

Vargo’s career-high five goals gave him 25 for the season. He also recorded his 14th assist of the year.

“It was nice to be able to play my last game on Tullio Field and end it on a good

note,” Vargo said.

With the win, Mercyhurst improves to an 8-5 overall record and 5-2 in the ECAC. Mercyhurst enters the ECAC tournament as the No. 3 seed. The team will face Lake Erie College in the first game of the tournament. The Lakers fell to the Storm, 9-7, three weeks ago.

“It’s good to get another shot at them. Hopefully we get some revenge. It will be a good game,” Vargo said.

@TheMerciad

Sports

Senior Alexandra Puckly started game two. Nye relieved her in top of the second due to five hits and four runs in the first inning.

Mercyhurst scored their first runs on a two-run homerun in the bottom of the third by Jezuit, bringing in teammate Alissa Petrosoniak.

“It always feels great to be able to push the runs across for my team because at the end of the day even if I bat 1.000, but we don’t score, then I didn’t do my job,” said Jezuit.

“It was only my third of the season so to be able to get those runs and cut their lead in half was a great opportunity to change the pace of the game for my team.”

The Lakers came within one run of UPJ’s lead in the bottom of the fourth after sophomore Rachel DiBartolomeo tripled down the right field line. Nye then doubled to the right, bringing the score to 4-3.

UPJ added another four runs in the top of the fifth and the seventh, putting the Lakers at an 8-3 deficit going into their last at bat.

The Lakers posted one run in the bottom of the inning after Jezuit’s third RBI of the game, but it was not enough.

Mercyhurst fell to the Mountain Cats, 8-4.

Men’s tennis falls in finals

By Haleigh Giebel Staff writer

Mercyhurst men’s tennis fell 5-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship after winning 5-4 in the PSAC Semifinals.

On Friday, the Lakers took on Kutztown University in the PSAC Semifinals.

Junior Robert Rizea, freshman Nenad Terzic and sophomore Conor McCooey leveled the match at four after being down 2-1.

Junior Travis Beck won the first set before losing the second set. He came back in the third set to win the match, 5-4.

Saturday, the team fell to top seed Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in the PSAC Championship.

The Lakers’ only win of the afternoon came from sophomore Ross Molinaro.

The Lakers ended the season with a 13-6 record.

“We have come a long way since my first season, where we only won one match.

Our goal is still to receive an NCAA bid and hopefully win a match or two which we are very capable of doing,” said Simon.

@TheMerciad

@TheMerciad

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Page 8

April 29, 2015

The Merciad

Laker

Living

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars ¼ cup heavy cream

By Sami Rapp

Managing Editor

Directions

I know, mom always said not to eat raw cookie dough, but truth be told everyone at some point has eaten it. I love eating cookie dough; it’s probably my favorite snack after a long day. This recipe does not include eggs so its completely safe to eat. Hope you enjoy.

Serves: 16-20 bars Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 20 mins Ingredients: 1 stick unsalted butter ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 2 cups mini chocolate chips 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Start by lining a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper and set it aside.

In a bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and mix until well combined.

With a mixer, add flour and sweetened condensed milk until it is completely combined.

Fold in mini chocolate chips by hand until blended.

Press the dough into the prepared pan and press down to spread the dough evenly.

Cover the dough and refrigerate until firm (about three hours).

After the dough is firm, begin making the ganache. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and cream. Heat on high for 30 seconds at a time, until it is fully melted.

Pour the ganache evenly over the cookie dough bars and chill until the ganache is set.

Cut the bars and enjoy.

afamilyfeast.com

Beauty Talks: My Journey as a FFF Member

By Marcela Delgado Opinion editor

I first became a member of Fresh Face Forward my junior year. I started participating in the events that were held in Egan and helped out with the preparation of the recipes.

When I became a member I did not know about the dangerous chemicals my personal products contained.

It was hard to shift from using the purchased personal care products I regularly used to new ones that were either organic or chemical-free.

One of the things about being a member of Fresh Face Forward is that you do not only change your shopping habits, but you help your family and friends choose safer alternatives as well.

The same year I became a member, my mom was

diagnosed with breast cancer. It was then that the doctors recommended she change personal care products in exchange for safer alternatives.

Being a member of Fresh Face Forward helped me to inform my family about the dangers these chemicals had and suggestions about what could be used instead.

Fresh Face Forward has opened my eyes to the reality of the cosmetics industry. It is impressive that if we all switch to products that are free from chemical ingredients, we are not only protecting our bodies, but are also saving the environment.

Being a member of this team was an unforgettable experience that I will take with me, and I will spread the knowledge that I acquired to wherever life takes me.

Don’t forget to visit Freshfaceforward.org to learn

more about safer products and what to avoid. Also, find Fresh Face Forward on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest so you can get tips and recipes all year long.

@freshfacefwd

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Game Zone

By Maggy Urso

Staff Photographer

Last Week’s PuZZLe ansWers 5 6 2 8 7 4 9 1 3 7 3 1 6 9 2 8 4 5 4 9 8 1 5 3 7 6 2 2 4 3 5 6 8 1 9 7 6 1 5 7 2 9 3 8 4 8 7 9 3 4 1 5 2 6 1 8 4 2 3 7 6 5 9 3 2 6 9 1 5 4 7 8 9 5 7 4 8 6 2 3 1