The Merciad Sept 17 2014

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Sports On Page 7:

Features on Page 4:

Men’s Soccer 4-1

Sports on Page 7:

Christ the King renovations in January

Volleyball gains 4-win streak over weekend Read more inside & online

The Merciad

Est. 1929 Vol. 88 No. 2

Mercyhurst university

Wednesday, septeMber 17, 2014

Veterans raise new flag with ROTC By Sami Rapp Photo Editor

On the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Mercyhurst held a flag-raising ceremony not only to retire the old flag but also honor our school’s veterans. The Mercyhurst Veterans Association, along with the ROTC detachment conducted a ceremony after retiring the old flag. Not only was this change a welcome change as the flag was severely tattered, but it was also both the wrong size for the height for the flagpole. A larger flag now flies from the pole. By having both the veterans and the ROTC program participate in the flag raising ceremony, it symbolized how the veterans are handing over the responsibility of the national service to the ROTC candidates. @TheMerciad

Photo by Casey Bleuel

Clockwise from the left: Mercyhurst Veterans Coordinator Stacy Smith, veteran AJ Courteau, and ROTC cadet LeeAnn Esford take part in the transfer of the old flag, while Jeremy Beer raises the new flag in front of Old Main.

Students make ‘House of Mercy’ home By Catherine Rainey Staff writer

This school year, two Mercyhurst students are living and volunteering at the House of Mercy, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy. Sarah Anderson, a senior religious studies major, and Michelle Ahrens, a junior religious studies and social work double major, are the first students to take part in this opportunity. The House, located on Woodlawn Avenue and opened in 2002, serves as a place of hospitality for children and adults in the neighborhood, providing activities and advocacy. Anderson and Ahrens’ will assist the after-school program two nights each week. The after school program serves elementary, middle and high school students by providing homework assistance and other fun and educational activities. The first week the program started, there were eight to 10 elementary students and at least 20 middle school students attending. No

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high school students attended. Sister Michele Schroeck, who lives in the House, and Elisha Helgen, an AmeriCorps Vista who volunteers there, run the programs on the alternating evenings. “Homework help is in the afternoons from 4 to 5, and after dinner activities are from 6 to 8,” Aherns said.. Activities include things such as games, environmental education, help with job or college applications for the older students and occasional field trips. The House also provides adult programs and perform charitable work within the Erie community. For example, there will be a Thanksgiving dinner distribution in which families can receive free turkeys and other food items to take home and cook for themselves. Various other projects are based around community or individual need, according to Ahrens. The majority of the families served are former refugees, from an array of countries such as Nepal/Bhutan, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Central African Republic, Bosnia and Syria.

Mercyhurst’s Sisters of Mercy had the idea to host live-in students. They asked the Service Learning staff to spread the word and provided them with applications for any interested students. Ahrens had done volunteer work at the House of Mercy the previous year, so she was familiar with the duties and was comfortable making it her new home for the year. Anderson was presented with the opportunity by Colin Hurley, director of Service Learning, and Greg Baker, director of Campus Ministry, and thought it would be a good idea because she enjoys volunteering. She also liked that it is cheaper than some other housing options, at $300 per month, which covers food costs and utilities. This live-in model of service is the first of its kind for the House of Mercy and the Mercyhurst community. Bethany Brun, coordinator of Service Learning, said she would love to see other students engage in this type of model. “Not every organization has the capacity to do that in

Photo by Tung Vu

Sarah Anderson, left, and Michelle Ahrens will be living and working at House of Mercy this year.

terms of living corridors. But I think that’s the sort of student service model we don’t have at Mercyhurst yet, living quarters for students who are involved in service,” said Brun. “I think that’s the next best thing.” It would also be a way that Mercyhurst could encourage service in Erie, Brun said. “Offering the opportunity to live at the place you volun-

teer is one more way the we can again continue to build that link between campus and community and get into the hearts of peoples’ lives we are trying to serve.” So far no plans are being made for such models, according to Brun, but it is something that could potentially happen in the future. Although the House of Mercy is not directly associ-

ated with Mercyhurst University or Residence Life, having students live there is an opportunity that the Sisters of Mercy would like to see continue. “We would like to do it. So far it’s going really well. We hope that it will continue in the future,” Sister Michele said. @TheMerciad

Online Poll Results How do you feel about the changes to the Laker Inn? 30% I love them! The food is absolutely worth the money. 0% I really don’t mind the changes, although the food is still the same 39% Egan is about to have one more customer... 30% I have never thought I’d be as indignant about chicken nuggets as I am these days

Be sure to vote in this week’s online poll: Did you vote for this year’s Mercyhurst Student Government senators?

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