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The Merciad Mercyhurst university
Est. 1929 Vol. 89 No. 4
Wednesday, septeMber 30, 2015
New academic calendar to take effect fall 2016 By Melanie Todd Staff writer
In 2013, Mercyhurst changed from a trimester system to the current 4-1-4 system with two 14-week semesters and J-term. In the fall of 2016, the academic calendar will see another change. “The rumors are true. We are changing it,” David Dausey, Ph.D., academic provost and vice president of academic affairs, said. “Mercyhurst will move to a straight semester system with no J-term but we will offer mini semester courses,” Dausey said. The logistics of the new calendar are still being finalized. Each semester will be about 15 to16 weeks with seven-to-eight week mini-semesters within each semester. Currently, the university follows a 14-week semester system with a three-weekJanuary term. “It is a fairly common program and growing in interest. It really is a semester system with half-semester choices,” said Dausey. Larger universi-
ties such as Elon University and Carnegie Mellon currently follow the same scheduling model. “We are the only one [university] in this area doing this and we think this is a selling point,” Dausey said. Under the new system, class times will be slightly shorter for semester-long courses and mini semester courses will differ in class time depending on the number of credits the course is worth. Mini-semester courses may be worth one, two or three credits. “The flexibility of this system is favored by students and faculty,” Dausey said. Students will have the ability to take all semester length classes if they prefer or mix in mini-length courses. This will allow students an opportunity to have more classes in the beginning half or latter half of the semester. “If you are an athlete, you can stagger your courses for when your sport picks up. Nothing is better than having a class be over in the middle of your other classes picking up,” Dausey said.
Photo by Salina Bowe
David Dausey, Ph.D., addresses Mercyhurst Student Goverment about calendar changes.
However, mini courses will not replace semester classes. “Not every class can be offered as a mini. Faculty will go through workshops about what makes a good mini,” Dausey said. Mini courses are also
designed to benefit adult and non-traditional students. “We are proposing faculty teach at least one mini course a year that is offered at an alternative time [outside the typical 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. day],” Dausey said. One of the challenges
of J-term courses was the three- hour-long classes. Mini courses are designed to be innovative. “We encourage faculty to be unique, such as having a onehour pre-recorded lecture that students can listen to online
whenever they want and then have one hour of class time,” Dausey said. Summer classes will also be redesigned to help increase students’ access to classes and will begin in the summer of 2017. “We are currently in discussion as to what the summer will look like. We want to make it easier to take summer courses. Don’t hold me to this but we are in discussions about offering summer courses at a lower rate,” Dausey said. Additionally, study abroad options will be offered in the summer and year round. “There is the possibility of full semester study abroad. Our partners that we do study abroad with are more than willing to work with us on a mini and semester schedule,” Dausey said. Mini semesters may assist with students graduating on time or even early. “We want to offer a little more flexibility for students with the core while maintaining our liberal arts feel. There may be some minis that fit into the core.” Dausey said.
Emmaus Soup Kitchen damaged in suspected arson By Sergio Cortes Contributing writer
A fire allegedly caused by a regular attendee broke out at the Emmaus Soup Kitchen and its adjoined house, where Benedictian sisters live and run operations, on Friday Sept. 25. The fire was allegedly started by a regular diner, who was caught on a security camera, according to Erie police. It spread from a trash bin on the side of the building and quickly spread through the south east side of the building. This resulted in extensive damage of the complex. “[I was in] tears. I stood there and watched this building that has housed so many folks for so long in flames. But the Erie Fire Department was tremendous. They saved the entire building.” said Sister Mary Miller, director of Emmaus Ministries.
According to Miller, the sisters’ space upstairs is totally destroyed. The cooking area and dining room were spared. “I saw a lot of beautiful
generosity and hard work going up in flames before my eyes.” As soon as news of the fire spread, various churches,
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all the calls and requests for help,” Miller said. Between their insurance and construction companies, reporters and people who were eager to volunteer in any way that they could, the sisters had much to attend to, according to Miller, but she said they are grateful for the assistance they have received. The same day the fire occurred, the Erie City Mission offered its facility to host an open dinner for anyone who needed a meal. The Church of the Nativity also offered its community center as a temporary site for the daily weekday dinners and Saturday lunches that Emmaus provides.
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I saw a lot of beautiful hard work and generosity going up in flames before my eyes.
Contributed photo
Left: The blaze damaged the sisters’ living quarters most severely. Right: Reconstruction has begun on the soup kitchen, which is scheduled to reopen on Monday, Oct. 5.
- Sister Mary Miller
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food banks and city shelters quickly reached out to offer assistance. “Right now I’m sitting in the office, trying to sift through
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iCorps VISTA in Service Learning, as well as two Mercyhurst students, visited the sisters the day the fire broke out. One of those students was sophomore Jenbli Cox, who regularly volunteers at the soup kitchen. “It’s sad because the purpose of it is to serve people. There’s still a couple days where people aren’t being served food. Nobody was hurt so thank God for that,” Cox said. On Monday, Oct. 5, Emmaus will open back up, with smaller seating, but they will be in their own kitchen. They will have no bathrooms, however. “Mercyhurst has been absolutely tremendous and I rely on the goodness of their hearts and presence,” Miller said. Anyone wishing to contribute to this cause may go to their website, emmauserie.org, and donate.