Oct. 7 Issue of The Merciad

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The Merciad Mercyhurst university

Est. 1929 Vol. 89 No. 5

Seeing Pope Francis

Wednesday, october 7, 2015

New colleges: 7 becomes 4

By Melanie Todd Staff writer

Meghan Maker photo

Many Mercyhurst students were able to get close enough to Pope Francis to snap a few pictures as he drove by in his popemobile in the streets of Philadelphia.

Papal pilgrimage proves to be a successful trip

By Erin McGarrity Staff writer

Last weekend, a group of 51 Mercyhurst students, along with five adult members of the Mercyhurst community, returned from Pope Francis’ World Meeting of Families Papal Mass in Philadelphia with a variety of memorable experiences and reflections to share.

The students arrived in Philadelphia early on the morning of Sept. 27, and they were one of the first groups to make it past the security check points. Greg Baker, director of Campus Ministry and the main coordi-

nator of the trip, said he is grateful that the group got in at all.

“We were in conversation with another Mercy college, and their students didn’t even get in. The waits at the security checkpoints were so long, that some people were just turned away completely,” Baker said.

Baker stated that, overall, the trip far exceeded his expectations. He was particularly in awe of the respectful atmosphere, despite the event’s intense security and the multicultural representation.

(Continued on page 2)

Major changes continue to accompany the arrival of President Michael Victor.

Mercyhurst is condensing the current seven schools within the university into four colleges.

“We have an unusual number of colleges for a university our size,” David Dausey, Ph.D., academic provost and vice president of academic affairs said. In addition to the Tom Ridge School, Mercyhurst has had Hafenmaier School of Education & Behavioral Sciences, Health Professions & Public Health, School of Arts & Humanities, School of Social Sciences, Walker School of Business and Zurn School of Natural Sciences.

“It happened kind of organically and it grew out of control. We grew and now we need to step back. We want to align ourselves with best practices,” Dausey said.

The organization of the academic departments under the four colleges is currently being finalized.

“The administration that put together the new changes spent a lot of time discussing with deans and faculty the most conducive way to format the schools,” MSG President Caleb Ohmer said.

Zurn College of Natural Sciences and Health Sciences will have athletic training, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, exercise science, geology, health care science, nursing, physics, public health and sports medicine.

Marina Coletta photo

A banner for the current Tom Ridge School is displayed in the connector bridge.

“Most universities our size group natural and health sciences together. Most biology students also major in health sciences,” Dausey said.

The Ridge College of Intelligence Studies and Information Sciences will include communication, computer systems, criminal justice, data science, applied forensic science, intelligence studies, mathematics, political science and applied sociology/social work.

“Ridge College is our niche college that looks different from other places. Groupings of political science and criminal justice students with intel students have naturally occurred so we should encourage that collaboration,” Dausey said.

The Hafenmaier College of

Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences will hold anthropology/archaeology, art and art therapy, Catholic studies, dance, education, English, history, liberal arts, music, philosophy, psychology, religious studies, sustainability, and world languages.

Walker College of Business and Management will include accounting, business economics, fashion merchandising, finance, hospitality management, interior design, international business, management, marketing and sports business management.

“These are likely to be the final changes to the schools but it is still a draft. I am trying to be as transparent as I can with all of you,” Dausey said.

Each school will have its own full time dean. “Deans will no longer teach classes.

They will be here to help you in a different way. They can be your advocate and oversee all the degree programs from certificate programs to master’s degrees,” said Dausey.

“Most of you will not notice this change in your day to day life. Except at graduation it may be a different person announcing your name and handing you your degree from before,” Dausey said.

There is a lot of change in the air at Mercyhurst.

“While these changes might take some time to get used to, the consolidation was done by the administration with the best interest of the students at heart,” Ohmer said.

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Graduation ceremonies condensed into one day

By Catherine Rainey News editor

Mercyhurst is returning to its old tradition of holding both graduate and undergraduate commencement ceremonies in one day instead of two.

The Graduation Coordinating Committee, made up of six members across different administrative departments, ultimately made this decision.

Commencement, which will take place on May 22,

2016, was traditionally celebrated in one day, and several years back it was split into two. Undergraduates walked on Sunday and graduate and adult students walked on Saturday. This year the tradition of a combined ceremony is back.

“I think, first, it’s fiscally efficient to do one. Most universities do combine them, the masters and the undergraduate programs,” said Betsy Frank, director of executive office projects and events, and

member of the committee. “I think it gives such a celebratory feeling for the university, as we’re one university.”

The commencement ceremony has moved locations several times in the past. It used to be held at the Warner Theater, then moved to the Tullio Civic Center, but due to renovations it was moved for two years to the Bayfront Convention Center. That venue was tight in terms of space, so students were limited to inviting a specific

1-2 3-4 5 6 7 8

graduates behind them. That may shift. We have so many months to think about that.”

Senior Alyssa Dean said she is worried about the ceremony being too long.

“I’m not a fan of this in any way because there are enough students to try to get across that stage in a somewhat reasonable amount of time but adding all the grad students to that mix will make it outrageously long,” Dean said.

The committee is aware of these concerns.

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number of guests.

Like the 2015 ceremony, this year’s commencement will take place at the Erie Insurance Arena (formerly the Tullio arena), where space will not be an issue, according to Sister Patricia Whalen, registrar and committee member.

Logistically, the ceremony will not change much.

“The lineup is the challenge but there’s plenty of room in the arena,” said Whalen.“We’ll probably just put the graduate students, then the under-

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“Timing is an important thing and we’re looking at that, not to add anything that would lengthen it,” Whalen said.

Whalen and Frank both said they enjoy working to make graduation a special day for all involved.

“I think we intend to maintain the same quality of commencement that we’ve had in the past, the same kind of spirit that we’ve had and the same kind distinctive commencement,” Whalen said.

October 7, 2015

The Merciad

Page 2

News

Students return from witnessing Pope Francis (Continued from page 1)

Dalma Bordon photo

Students call Pennsylvania citizens to ask them their opinions about Republican candidates running for the the upcoming 2016 general election. Results show that Ben Carson and Donald Trump are the top two candidates.

’Hurst poll shows Pennsylvania Republicans favor ‘outsiders’

By Lauren Murphy Staff writer

Joseph Morris, Ph.D. and Rolfe Peterson, Ph.D., both associate professors of the Political Science Department, headed Mercyhurst’s poll of randomized registered Pennsylvanian Republicans on what they thought about the GOP candidates.

There were 120 students from three classes–Road to the White House, American Government and Political Science Research Methods- that helped call the 483 Republicans that took the poll. Paid employees and student volunteers were involved as well.

The poll lasted from Sept.

21 to Oct. 1, and the margin

of error, or the amount of random sampling error, is 4.5 percent.

According to the poll results, which were released on Monday, Oct. 5, 18 percent of Republicans say that they would vote for Carson or Trump if the elections were held today. Nine percent say they would vote for Jeb Bush and eight percent for Carly Fiorina.

“Pennsylvanians are interested in nominating outsiders because they are unhappy with Congress, which is controlled by their own party,” Morris said.

Sixty percent of Republicans say that Congress’ performance is poor, and 57 percent say that it is important for the Republican Party

choose an outsider as the presidential nominee.

“We decided to do Republicans because the GOP race is more interesting,” Morris said.

“

Pennsylvanians are interested in nominating outsiders because they are unhappy with Congress...

”

- Joseph Morris, Ph.D.

The top two candidates in the GOP race are Ben Carson and Donald Trump. Neither have professional political careers and have never been nominated for a political position before.

Mercy Emissary program revitalizes Mercy mission

By Phuong Nguyen Staff writer

To bring back the spirit of the Mercy mission, Mercyhurst University has created Mercy Emissary, a program for employees to embrace the ideology of the Mercy mission and eventually pass it on to students.

Mercy Emissary will explain the history, mission and values of Mercyhurst, the Sisters of Mercy, and the re-creation of university community. It focuses on increasing employees’ knowledge about the mission of Mercy and tightening the relationship within a community. Although the program is aimed at employees, it will allow them to pass the Mercy ideals on to students.

“What we have to do now is intentionally carry on the mission,” Sister Lisa Mary McCartney, vice president of Mission Integration, said.

In its early days, the Sisters of Mercy ran and taught at Mercyhurst. In the late 1960s, Mercyhurst became co-ed, which began the tremendous change of Mercyhurst tradition. As new professors began teaching at the college, fewer sisters taught. Due to these historical changes, students today do not receive the same traditional spirit and the idea of mission as they did in the past. McCartney said she hopes to “bring back the Mis-

Nhi Tran photo

Sister Lisa Mary McCartney aims to strengthen the traditional Mercy Mission.

sion and Spirit of the Sister of Mercy to employees and students.”

Many students desire to learn more about Mercyhurst and its tradition but they do not have a chance to embrace the ideals of the Mercy mission and tradition after Welcome Week during freshman year. At the beginning of the year, all freshmen participate in the traditional Day of Service, attend speakers and complete online programs to learn about dealing with alcohol, drugs and sex.

However, according to McCartney, absorbing all that information within 20 to 30 minutes is not enough time to retain the information. Hence, McCartney is thinking about a proper form to integrate the mission with students in near future.

“Service, for the Sisters of Mercy, is not something to volunteer to make you feel

good. It is a part of who you are,” said McCartney. “If you are acting in a merciful, kind, generous way or welcoming people in the campus, that is fulfilling the mission.”

People who are not Catholic still can embrace the mission of Mercy. The sacred mission is rooted in human value and action of each person, despite religious affiliation. In their history, many sisters lived and worked in other countries and among other religious people.

Thus, they visualized the mission of Mercy is for everyone and states it in the core values of Mercyhurst. Compassionate hospitality means welcoming all different spiritual people from every ethnicity, race and cultural tradition.

“Tradition is made by things we do frequently that make us feel at home, give us comfort, make us feel connected,” McCartney said.

Though the Mass of Holy Spirit remains a stable annual tradition, many other events representing Mercy tradition do not get as much attention. Thus, every person in Mercyhurst community has the privilege and responsibility to carry on the mission of Mercy with compassion and dedication.

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With the lack of political credentials, they are considered outsiders to politics.

According to Morris, two outsiders being at the head of the race is what makes the race interesting because this type of occurance does not typically happen.

Results from the poll showed that Republicans leave the possibility open to vote for an insider, despite possible unpleasant feelings towards Congress. The data showed that they prefer an outsider, but do not completely dismiss the insiders either.

“It would not be surprising if an insider won the Republican presidential nomination,” Morris said.

“I’ve never seen such a high-security event,” said Baker. “But people were singing, praying, even dancing in the streets. The atmosphere was very respectful, but still electric. Everyone was waving flags of all of their native countries – it was really cool to see that multicultural flavor.”

Pope Francis preached in his native language, Spanish.

Baker cited this as a great learning opportunity for both Mercyhurst students and the Church as a whole.

“I was hoping he would preach in Spanish, personally,” said Baker. “You know, English is not the official language of the Church. There are so many Spanish-speakers in our Church, and I think it’s important for people to realize that we’re not the center.”

Baker, as well as a few students, weighed in on their favorite parts of the experience.

“I really enjoyed his homily,” said Baker. “He spoke about families, and he gave specific points for parents to consider when raising their kids. As a father, I thought, ‘Here’s the Pope giving me parenting advice, this is really cool.’”

Sergio Cortes, a sophomore Political Science and Economics major, said that although students were not close enough to physically see the Mass, the gathering was still the highlight of the weekend.

“There were big screens showing the mass live. It was beautiful,” said Cortes. “So many people together in one place to worship God, and the mass was so well-prepared, with a wonderful chorus and so much detail on everything.

Even though the trip was tire-

some and exhausting, it was definitely worth it.”

Erin Herschelman, a junior Accounting major, found her most memorable experience to be receiving communion at Mass. Although Mercyhurst students were not in the prime ticketed section, they were still able to participate in that aspect of the Mass.

“There were hundreds of priests making their way up the street so that all people could receive. It was so incredible to know that there were a million people from all over the country, even the world, who came to Ben Franklin Parkway through the importance of the Catholic faith,” Herschelman said.

After the Mass, students were physically and emotionally spent. Although there was not much time for post-Mass reflection, Baker plans to organize some kind of forum for students to share their thoughts and feelings.

“I know it took me several days of physical aches and pains to kind of unpack what the whole experience meant to me, so I want to give students that same opportunity to digest,” said Baker. “Whether it’s on social media or in person, I do want to give them a chance to reflect.”

At the end of the Mass, officials announced that its next congregation will take place in Dublin in three years, and Baker hinted at the possibility of another organized trip for Campus Ministry.

“There is definite potential for Mercyhurst to have some kind of connection to the World Meeting of Families again in three years,” said Baker. “We would love to make that happen.”

Students promote recycling awareness around campus

By Adrian Monty Staff writer

Sarah Bennett, biology instructor, is teaching Environmental Problem Solving with an emphasis on recycling, in order to reach out to the Mercyhurst and Erie communities to promote recycling awareness.

Although there are already several recycling programs and initiatives in place around Salina Bowe photo campus, there is still more to Students in Environmental Problem Solving tackle the issue of be done to maintain sustainrecycling on Mercyhurst’s campus. ability at Mercyhurst.

“The majority of people on trash and recycling items. order to conduct research, campus, students, faculty and A passionate recycler and make a video and miscellastaff, think it’s really import- a member of the Environ- neous items needed for the ant, but there’s still a lot of mental Problem Solving class, projects. misplaced items, which is a Corey Sayles, a sophomore Beach clean-ups via Adoptproblem. So people who are Sustainability Studies major, a-Beach and the international trying to recycle kind of get said the environmental impact coastal clean-up have been thwarted by the people who of this generation is vital to a big part of the unit for the do it wrong,” Bennett. the current and future world past three years.

The class started collecting population.

“We’ve worked with Dr. data by searching trash and “Each individual plays a Hyland and Adopt-A-Beach recycling bins and sorting out significant role in every single for a lab and then students how many items were mis- decision, whether it be throw- have the option to do other placed in each bin. ing a plastic bottle in the recy- clean ups. This year, I sent “They summarized that cling bin or trash receptacle, about half to Adopt-A-Beach data in class so the remainder it all adds up and can either and half [went] to the internaof the semester is going to be continue to help or harm our tional coastal clean-up,” said creating projects to increase planet as a whole,” said Sayles. Bennett. recycling behavior,” Bennett “We are the generation that Bennett’s main goal for the said. needs to take responsibility, class is to help students see The class is currently in six action, and set the example they can make a difference groups, all covering different for future generations, not to through their efforts. areas to educate the public. leave them doomed in a world “I wanted to show students This includes better signs, that can no longer sustain that they have the power to advertisements, a survey that itself. ” change things in the future as will take place post-project The class received an aca- well,” Bennett said. and bins to better differentiate demic enrichment grant in @TheMerciad

October 7, 2015

Page 3

The Merciad

Features

Lenhart looks to Miss America pageant

By Brittany Smyth Staff writer

Mercyhurst senior and Applied Forensic Science major Lindsey Lenhart is at the end of her reign as Miss Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Lenhart is part of the Miss America Program, which has maintained a tradition of empowering young women to achieve their personal and professional goals, while providing a forum in which to express their opinions, talents and intelligence.

Her time as Miss Southwestern Pennsylvania allowed her the opportunity to compete for Miss Pennsylvania, in hopes of becoming the next Miss America. In November, she will be handing over her title after wearing the crown for a year.

After competing in the Miss Pennsylvania pageant in June, Lenhart won the Children’s

Miracle Network Miracle Maker Award and the Miss America Organization Community Service Scholarship award. She was awarded with $10,250 that went toward her education.

“When they choose you for these scholarships, they only choose one per state,” Lenhart said.

“It’s based on how much funds were raised for the Children’s Miracle Network and how much you give back to the community.”

Miss America Organization works with Children’s Miracle Network to raise funds and awareness for children’s hospitals across the United States and Canada.

After winning her title on Nov. 8, 2014, Lenhart dedicated her time giving back to her community in Saegertown, Pa. Lenhart has attended community events such as parades, festivals and baseball games as

Contributed photo

Lindsey Lenhart has served as Miss Southwestern Pennsylvania for a year. She hopes to one day be crowned as Miss America.

part of winning Miss Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Recently, Lenhart volunteered for the Music for Miracles benefit to help support St. Vincent Hospital’s Children’s Miracle Network Department. She has been volunteering at the hospital throughout her reign as Miss Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“I had the opportunity to meet the St. Vincent’s 2015 Miracle family,” said Lenhart.

“It was nice to see that the money raised went to such a great family.”

St. Vincent’s Hospital is not the only place Lenhart volunteers at, she is an active member of Mercyhurst’s Circle K Club and has been actively volunteering at the Kiwanis Club of Erie. Lenhart has helped build dog toys for the ANNA Shelter, has sown blankets for Offices of Children and Youth and volunteered at the March of Dimes.

Lenhart also volunteered at

Mercyhurst’s Relay for Life.

She was awarded with a certificate from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veteran’s Affairs for her volunteer service in the program.

Coming from a, “one stoplight town,” Lenhart dreams of becoming Miss America one day.

“The woman chosen must excel in service, style, scholarship, and success, which are the four points on the crown,” Lenhart said.

Lenhart plans on graduating with an Applied Forensic Science degree and obtaining a job with the FBI.

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Mercyhurst Comic-Con packs a punch

By Alexandria Albano Staff writer

Presented by the Student Activities Council, Get Your Comic-Con was an event that students got in full character for.

The line started to form at the doors of the Student Union at about 7:30 p.m.

Many people dressed up as their favorite comic book characters. Some got completely dressed up while some subtly dressed for the part.

The event offered many activities for Mercyhurst students to partake in. One of the most popular parts of the event was the appearance of professional caricature artist, Eric Jones, who drew free caricatures for the students. This section remained popular and was packed throughout the night.

The Union was decorated with red, yellow and blue balloons and had a big screen TV playing cartoons. There were blow-up cutouts of characters such as Cat Woman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Iron Man and Batman.

There were themed food items such as a snow-cone machine, lollipops with capes and bright green marshmallows. Other activities included making superheroes bookmarks, a photo booth and different prizes raffled-off throughout the night. There

was also a television set up with video games for anyone to play.

“You get to see people that you normally see in passing that you would never expect to have such shiny costumes in their closets,” sophomore Claudia Cauchi said.

Junior Geoff Ebbert dressed up as the Court of Owls and wished to be quoted with, “Whoo, Whoo.”

Sophomore Austin Shinhearl, who was one of the students running the event, enjoyed the enthusiasm students showed when dressing up.

“My favorite part of the event was seeing everyone dressing up. I like seeing them express their love for comics, superheroes and villains. I really enjoyed how even college students still enjoy small stuff like comic books,” said Shinhearl.

“Seeing everyone expressing themselves as comic book heroes and villains really made me proud that we were able to make an event where people who don’t usually come to our events could enjoy themselves without being judged for what they find enjoyable.”

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Tung Vu photo

(Left to Right) Taylor Glascot, Ivonne Schneider, Jessica Kuehne and Jessica Garver, pose next to a Batman cutout. Other students opted for dressing up as comic book characters. Emily Pacer and Kay Mattena dressed up as Batman villains (bottom left).

Tung Vu photo

Tung Vu photo

MSG member Steve Martz prepared “nuclear waste” piña colada snow-cones for the comic-lovers.

College Democrats campaign for equality

By Nolden Starks Staff writer

College Democrats seeks to make politics interesting for our generation.

Club president Matthew Hatfield is organizing events to promote Democratic candidates in all types of political races. The purpose of the club’s activism is so the candidates they favor are elected.

“We’ve been very active in coordinating activities with a lot of political campaigns that are currently running right now,” Hatfield said.

The political events are meant to help club members get a feel for what it is like to participate in the current political system. Currently, the club is focusing on the supreme court race.

“There is a Supreme Court race in Pennsylvania where there is three open seats.

Contributed photo

College Democrats hopes to recruit members and have open debates with other political groups on campus.

Pretty much we are trying to get as many Democrats on the Supreme Court because they have a big impact on redistricting that are drawn in certain ways for or against some political parties,” said

Hatfield.

“We are trying to make sure that the rules are fair and its conclusive to millions of voter registrations for Democrats in Pennsylvania.”

Rather than vouching for

one candidate, the club supports any Democratic candidate whom they believe is going to make the right decisions for this nation.

“Our vice president is working with the Bernie Sanders

campaign, trying to coordinate activities in the Erie area and I’m in contact with Hillary for America. That is the organization trying to push Hillary Clinton for candidacy for the Democrat party,“ said Hatfield.

“The reason behind our support of these candidates is that we believe that out of the sixteen Republican candidates are pushing climate change, denying xenophobic bigoted policies. A lot of people and college Democrats believe that these policies are harmful to this country, so we are trying to get behind candidates that are promatic opposed to dogmatic that are trying to push for equality throughout the nation.”

Club secretary Lauren Murphy believes that a lot of Democrats, and people in general, want equality in this world. She believes the country is getting there, but it is

happening slowly.

“There’s not a lot of Republican candidates that talk about what they are going to do for college-aged kids. I know Bernie has talked about what he plans to do about tuition and obviously it’s going up and it’s not going to stop” Murphy said.

The club accepts all people and doesn’t mind having members who have different view on politics.

“We like to debate” Murphy said.

In the future, the club would like to get involved with the College Republicans club on campus so both of the clubs can have a debate. Overall, the club wants more opinionated people and hopes to double their participants in the near future.

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Page 4

October 7, 2015

The Merciad

Features

Cadets prepare for military environment

By Jose Nufio Features editor

Mercyhurst Reserved Officers Training Corps students recently joined cadets from regional universities to receive leadership training and test their military skills.

On Sept. 25, 26 and 27, 90 Mercyhurst, Gannon and Penn State Erie, the Behrend College cadets took part in leadership training exercises at a training area in Geneva, Pa. Out of the 90 cadets, 27 were Mercyhurst students.

Cadets did various basic leadership exercises to build confidence. One of those confidence builders was the rappel tower, here cadets repelled off a 700-foot tower.

“It is something for the young to build their confidence and get them little more used to the Army environment,” said senior Intelligence Studies major and Cadet Leader Kyle Hill.

The training kicked off Friday, with activities such as Land Navigation. In this activity, cadets were given points on a map and they had to find their way to those locations.

On Saturday, confidence building activities took place, such as the Leaders Reaction Course (LRC). The LRC is an obstacle course where cadets are given equipment that allow them to complete an obstacle within a certain amount of

Contributed photo

Freshmen intelligence studies major Jacqueline Ward, repels herself from the 700 foot rappel tower.

time.

They also did Patrolling Lanes, where a squad of nine cadets were left alone and given about two hours to reach an assigned objective.

“This gives the younger cadets a chance to see what leadership is like before they reach their junior or senior year,” Hill said.

At night, they played paintball for fun and on Sunday morning they packed up and left.

“It was the perfect weekend, the weather was great, we had no injuries, no nothing, which is pretty rare,” Hill said.

Hill found great satisfaction in putting rivalry aside and

Watterson: new outlook on writing

By Rae Pollock Staff writer

Mercyhurst’s newest assistant professor of English and Creative Writing, Jaclyn Watterson, Ph.D., has an open door and a passion for writing that she cannot wait to share with her students.

Originally from Connecticut, Watterson got her Ph.D. from the University of Utah.

She came to Mercyhurst, because of the strong connection she found between herself and the campus and she hopes to become a better writer by learning from the Mercyhurst community.

“I’m the new creative writing person, so I have all these opportunities to learn about the traditions and become a part of them, but also bring new energy here,” Watterson said.

Watterson looks at language differently than other writers. Instead of writing her pieces as a whole, she focuses on each sentence individually.

“It’s an obsession that I just want to get the sentence as close to the expression of what I’m trying to say as I can get it, and for me, that happens at the sentence level.”

The unique way Watterson views sentences is the essence of what she wants to teach her students. She is focused on giving students a modern look at writing and helping them be successful in today’s world.

“Every day I get to read and talk with students about reading and about these complicated ideas, and that just sort of feeds my writing. Then, I’m writing and I think, ‘Oh, I want to talk to my students about this that has come up with my writing.’ [Teaching] was just was a natural match for me,” Watterson said.

While she has many tips and advice to better students’ writing, Watterson says it her

biggest tip is to accept the fact that writing is difficult.

“My main tip is that everyone struggles with writing, because writing is really, really hard work,” Watterson said.

“All good writing takes hours and hours. If you feel like it’s hard, then you’re doing it right because it is hard. It’s hard, but stick with it.”

As any English professor would, Watterson reminds students to keep reading, and says that there is no book that is wrong to read. Unlike other English professors, Watterson sees contemporary literature equally as important as classical pieces.

“One thing I think is helpful for students is to read a mix of the classics and also contemporary literature,” Watterson said.

“I think it’s important to try and have an understanding of ‘Ok, this is sort of the past we’re all building on, but what are writers now doing?’”

Watterson also pulls attention away from classic books and tries to get students to read the most current works found in literary magazines.

“If you want to read really fresh, really contemporary writing, then literary magazines are a great way to do that,” Watterson said.

As much as she loves teaching, the days when Watterson can find time to sit at her desk and write sentences with her cat, Woodsy, are the days she cherishes most.

“There’s a certain high that you get when you’re writing and you’re in that groove and you’re working with sentences and working with language that nothing else gives me,” Watterson said.

“One of the great things we can do as humans is think of complex ideas and then translate them into writing; it’s amazing and exciting.” @TheMerciad

completing the courses alongside cadets from other universities.

“It’s great to see all the different schools get together.

Usually we try to compete against each other, but on a weekend like that we all worked together so it was pretty awesome,” Hill said.

Mercyhurst will be part of another training next semester at Camp Dawson, W. Va. attended by Indiana University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, Gannon, Penn State Erie, the Behrend College and Edinboro.

Contributed photo

Freshman intelligence studies major Dylan Ensell lifts an empty oil barrel as part of the Leaders Reaction Course.

Contributed photo

@TheMerciad

Freshmen Intelligence studies major Taylor Moore-Hutton was among the 90 cadets from regional universities that had leadership training at Geneva, Pa.

‘Oh the Places You’ll Go’ helps stressed out students relax

By Alexandria Albano Staff writer

The “Oh the Places You’ll Go” event organized by the Multicultural Activities Council, sought to help students de-stress and to learn about the various opportunities and helpful services Mercyhurst offers for those in need.

Presented by Mercyhurst Activities Council, the event showcased three groups for students to receive help from at the university. These resources included Lumen, Active Minds and the Counseling Center.

The Lumen is a club that helps people express themselves. At the event, Lumen

By Casey Bleuel

spoke of ways of expression such as writing and art. These activities can help distressed students by getting their mind off their problems.

Another group that was introduced was the Active Minds club. This is a group that specializes in mental health awareness. Its purpose is to educate the campus and eliminate the stereotypes behind mental illnesses.

Lastly, the Counseling Center was presented as a very important and helpful asset for the Mercyhurst campus.

Director of the Health and Wellness Center, Judy Smith, Ph.D., spoke about the welcoming, judgment free and private environment the

Counseling Center offers.

Students are able to go to the center and privately speak about their concerns, issues and problems with total confidentiality.

The center offers many services which include speaking to a counselor, going into the relaxation room, using a biofeedback machine to slow down one’s heart rate and a dog named Bailey, who helps de-stress students and seeks to brighten their days. Even more importantly, the counseling center is free and students can make appointments or come during the Urgent Times between 2 and 3 p.m.

Sophomore Anthropology and Archaeology major,

Amelia Bell was happy she attended the event.

“It’s really nice to see something on campus to help students who would otherwise not have the means to seek help. Bailey was the best part,” said Bell.

Smith believes this was a good event for students to learn about the resources the school offers them.

“I thought it was a great idea and I was glad to see people there. I thought it was a good idea to let students know what was on campus and that it directed where students could go for help,” Smith said. @TheMerciad

LAKER MOMENT

Mercyhurst men’s hockey team celebrates after a goal this past Sunday. The hockey team won their first game of the season after beating Colgate University by 9- 7.

October 7, 2015

Page 5

The Merciad

Arts &

Entertainment

Borowicz’s ‘On the Surface’ now open

Jamie Borowicz’s newest exhibit, “On the Surface,” is now open for Mercyhurst student’s and faculty’s viewing pleasure. This exhibit will run until Nov. 1. “On the Surface” is Borowicz’s 20th solo show and is based on his archeological work in Guatemala and Mexico.

The pieces in “On the Surface” feature water color and mixed media works of art. They focus on the imagery of the natural world and aim to form a perspective that is up close and personal.

Borowicz teaches Art History and Mesoamerican Prehistory at Mercyhurst. photos by Sarah Paschal

‘Skylight’ to play in PAC Band ‘Kevlar’ rocks first album

By Naomi Greenstein

By Jenny Sobliov

On Saturday, Oct. 10, the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center will be broadcasting a live production of “Skylight,” presented by National Theatre Live.

National Theatre Live launched in 2009 and has since then, broadcasted more than 20 other productions live from the National Theatre and, on occasion, other theatres in the UK and around the world.

Each live broadcast is filmed in front of a live audience in the theatre, and cameras are carefully positioned throughout the auditorium to ensure that cinema audiences get the “best seat in the house” view of each production.

This week’s broadcast is a production of “Skylight.”

David Hare’s Tony Award winning production, broadcast from the West End, will

Kevlar is a reinforcing agent used in protective material; it also happens to be the name of a hard rock band.

The name reinforces who they are as a band, their energy and their performance.

The lead singer is Mercyhurst’s very own Kelci Guzzo, whose stage name is Kelci Margaret.

The band has toured extensively with numerous bands and have headlined a few of their own shows.

They are currently in the studio recording their second album, which will be released early 2016.

With the hard work that was put into “The Void,” it is obvious that we are to expect more amazing work to come.

“The Void,” which was released June 30, encompasses the sound that the band has been aiming for thus far. The

Staff writer

Contributing writer

‘Arts on the Hill’ correction

Online

In the article “Collaboration ends with new event” the Art department was not listed as being one of the departments working on the event.

We apologize and take full responsibility for the accidental omission of the Art department in the list of departments involved.

Clearly, the Art department will be playing a vital role in the event taking place on Oct. 8. We assumed that it was known that the Art department was involved in the event.

Be sure to stop by Arts on the Hill on Oct. 8 to support the arts in all their capacities.

miac photo

“Skylight” tells the story of two reconnected former lovers.

feature Bill Nighy from “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” and Carey Mulligan from “The Great Gatsby.”

On a bitterly cold London evening, schoolteacher Kyra Hollis (Mulligan) receives an unexpected visit from her former lover, Tom Sergeant (Nighy), a successful and charismatic restaurateur whose

wife recently died.

As the evening progresses, the two attempt to rekindle their once passionate relationship only to find themselves locked in a dangerous battle of opposing ideologies and mutual desires.

Tickets for “Skylight” are $18 for adults and $7.50 with a Mercyhurst ID.

five-song album is packed with crafty guitar solos and riffs, hard-hitting drums, a bass that reverberates through your soul and vocals that give you chills.

The first song on the album, “The Void,” from which the album was titled, is a precursor for the rest of the songs on the album, as it sets the mood.

Recently, the band released a music video for this song.

The next song “Never Mine, Nevermind,” reinforces the sound and musical talent that the band had established throughout “The Void,” through its hard hitting instrumentals and soulful vocals.

Furthermore, “The Happening”is that song on any album that has the guitar riffs and a drum beat that makes you want to get on your feet at the show to jump and dance around the pit with vocals that can make you picture singing along to it at their show.

“For Emma” brings the

album down to a more serious note which establishes a personal connection with the band and their vocalist Kelci.

It is a song that can be relatable to almost anyone and would have everyone singing to it in the crowd.

Finally, “Something Strange (Ghosts),” kicks it back up and ends the album with their original sound that exemplifies who Kevlar is as a band.

It is a great album for a band that is not well-known and makes it evident that they will go far.

If you are interested in listening to or buying the album, you can check out their bandcamp page KevlarOfficial.

If you want to stay up to date on what is happening with the band you can like their Facebook page: Kevlar (Offical Band Page) and follow them on twitter @kevlarrocks. @TheMerciad

Q and A session with ‘Kevlar’s’ lead singer

By Jenny Sobliov Contributing writer

Kelci Guzzo is practically leading a double life; Forensic Anthropology major by day and hard rock musician by night. Her band “Kevlar” is a hard rock band based out of Erie.

After releasing their first album in June, “Kevlar” is back in the studio recording a second album while performing both as openers and as the headliners.

Q. What is your role in the band?

A. “Singer, lyricist, and play some instruments behind the scenes like drums, piano, guitar but they only go on the record and it’s not live. I am also currently learning how to play the violin.”

Q. How do you balance school and performing?

A. “I do a lot of reading on the road between shows.

When we are in the studio

Full list of events can be found on the PAC website

it takes a lot of time management. I’m either writing music, recording or reading for class.”

Q. What are your career aspirations after college?

A. “I would tour for a few years at first and just be a musician and then go to med school to become a medical examiner because being a medical examiner is my ultimate goal.”

Q. What do you like the most about touring?

A. “I love, love, love going to different venues and different states and experiencing the differences between all of them.”

Q. What is your favorite song on the album “The Void?”

A. “‘For Emma,’ because it is very personal to me and gets me very emotional when we play it live and I feel it really affects and impacts our show by making it more personal and it allows me to connect with the audience more.

Cheyanne Crum photo

“Kevlar” singer Kelci Guzzo, center, mixes college and touring.

People always ask me if it is about my dog, but it really isn’t.”

Q. Who is Emma?

A. “Emma is a character that is a combination of a character that I created in a universe

View upcoming performances: www.miac.mercyhurst.edu

where she is very tough and has lived a hard childhood.

She is kind of in her own skin and at the same time the character of a girl who I fell in love with in high school who really messed me up. She is

pretty much my muse when it comes to writing.”

Q. What are your goals for the next album?

A. “The next album is so much more intricate because there is a lot more meaning to the songs and some sequels to previous songs. It tells a story of the character Emma that we follow through the first record.”

Q. Why Kevlar? What is the meaning behind Kevlar?

A. “Originated from the fact that hockey players’ uniforms are insulated with Kevlar. It also defines who we are as a band because we believe we are tight as friends and as musicians and nothing could break us apart.”

Q. What message are you trying to send through Kevlar?

A. “Basically, that we feel the same things that everyone else does and that we can relate to everyone we come across. Like, we get it.”

www.merciad.mercyhurst.edu/ arts_entertainment

Page 6

October 7, 2015

The Merciad

Opinion

The viewsexpressed inthesuccessful opinionsectionofTheMerciaddonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsofMercyhurstUniversity,thestaffofTheMerciad Relay for Life or the Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be emailed to opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.

What ever happened to campus ‘Quiet Hours’?

By Maggy Urso Photo editor

It was a late Saturday night.

I had just finished my nighttime routine (washed the dishes, taken out my contacts, brushed my teeth, Skyped with my dog—which did not work out well, thanks LakerVapor, etc.) I had just started my first REM cycle when I was rudely awakened by the shaking of the floor and walls of my bedroom. And by awakened, I mean I fell out of bed, because I was so startled by the loud bass that was causing my room to shake.

I stood up and decided to evaluate the situation. I walked out to the front door of my apartment and opened the door.

Now this may sound like an exaggeration, but I am 90 percent sure one of my ear drums blew because of how

loud the music was. Just as I was about to call Police and Safety, I heard a knocking sound coming from downstairs, followed by a man saying, “Reslife!” Reslife?

More like my hero.

Now, normally when it comes to situations like this, I just brush it off and my roommate and I will say something along the lines of, “Stay classy, Mercyhurst.” However, considering that it was 1 a.m., my roommate was already asleep and I was extremely tired, this was not one of those situations.

It is starting to seem like many of the residents on this campus do not quite understand what the term “Quiet Hours” means. Just in case you are one of those people, let me explain it. On Sunday through Thursday, people need to stop making such a racket between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. On Friday and Saturday, all you party people need to either quiet

down or get out between the hours of midnight and 11 a.m.

I understand that we are all busy people on many different schedules, but I would like to believe that “Quiet Hours” were invented for a reason. I barely get any sleep during the week due to my busy schedule, so the weekend is when I actually get a chance to catch up on my Z’s. However, when there are people screaming outside and blasting music like there is no tomorrow, that makes it extremely difficult to fall asleep.

According to the Mercy Mission, “the university community is inspired by the image of students whose choices, in life and work, will enable them to realize the human and spiritual values embedded in everyday realities and to exercise leadership in service toward a just world.”

To be completely honest, partying, drinking and screaming at the top of your lungs in the middle of the night

The Good...

on the weekend is probably not going to enable anyone to realize any values within reality (unless they are like me and are realizing the values within the reality of a good night’s sleep), and you may be a leader, but not in the way the Sisters of Mercy intended.

One of the fears for the future of Mercyhurst is whether or not we will be able to carry on the Mercy Mission.

If students keep continuing down the paths they are on, who knows? But my biggest concern at the moment is whether or not I am getting the proper amount of sleep to function.

Listen party people, you do not have to go home, but you cannot stay here. Unless of course you actually live in my building, then please just turn the dang music down, because the old folks are trying to sleep. @TheMerciad

Slow MU WiFi aggravates students

By Casey Bluel Staff writer

Instead of spending Mercyhurst’s budget on mechanical bulls, dunk tanks and ice cream trucks at Hurst Day, I believe President Michael Victor should think about fixing the awful internet connection that has burdened the students for so long.

I know that, for me, surfing the internet and doing my homework takes 10 times as long as it should due to the

painfully slow LakerVapor WiFi. It is both stressful and aggravating. It often seems as though only certain areas of an apartment have access to WiFi, which is a problem for students who like to do homework in their rooms.

How are students supposed to send important emails, access Blackboard or the portal, Skype with grandma or watch Netflix when the university does not provide them with the means to do so? Does the school expect us to walk all the way to the center of a WiFi hotspot with our laptops and phones held high above

our heads to secure a connection? It is a waste of valuable time that none of us busy students can afford to lose.

The Mercyhurst IT Department does all they can to fix the issue and are more than happy to come by and check out your WiFi. It is not their fault that the WiFi does not work well. The problem lies in the money that is set aside for WiFi. We spend thousands of dollars a semester to stay on campus. WiFi is supposedly included in this package.

However, it seems as though only a few of the students can access it.

The least the school can do with the tuition we pay them is to increase our accessibility to WiFi. Better quality WiFi would alleviate the stress and irritation of many students.

My carrier pigeon is tired of flying all my messages to my professors due to an unreliable internet connection. We live in a society where internet connection is a must at all times and Mercyhurst needs to make fixing the WiFi a top priority.

@TheMerciad

Hirt Center: The Arch of the Covenant

By Ryan Kushner Opinion editor

Online

The arch at the bottom entrance of the Audrey Hirt Academic Center is ugly.

There, I said it.

Not only is the bland slab of concrete rusting underneath and cracking the sidewalk it stands over, it creates an obstacle for anyone seeking safe passage into the lower level of Hirt.

It is a perplexing piece of architecture. It certainly does not speak to me artistically (although, I occasionally hear it mutter a snide comment as I pass by).

When I design buildings in my spare time (with Legos, Lincoln Logs, heavy drugs), I typically avoid placing two thick columns of concrete in front of the bustling entrance to my academic building.

Because of this design, students are forced to cautiously maneuver around the blockades and the exiting students

bursting out of the building like TIE fighters in asteroid fields. Collisions have been known to occur. Hirt people hurt people.

Upon entering the asteroid field in the wee hours of the early morn, a part of me wants to gather some ropes and heave the arch down like a Saddam Hussein statue. I’ve developed several chants for such an occasion, but they are too explicit to be printed in this publication.

Another part of me, however, likes to make the best out of an ugly situation, like when it rains and I count it as a shower.

I think we should make the best out of this big Audrey Hirt arch. It can actually be quite beautiful if you look at it in a certain way (with your eyes closed).

Because Mercyhurst is looking to begin new campus traditions, there should absolutely be a new tradition applied to this big arch thing.

I don’t know if it’s all the crazy, viral “Hurst Day” energy that’s been floating

around campus, or if it’s from locking lips with Luke the Laker, but I’ve been inspired (enlightened?) and would like to offer a few small ways to utilize the Hirt arch to ignite Mercyhurst Spirit, pride and tradition. Here they are: 1) Hurst Arch Sweat Lodge Day: On this joyful January day, we will gather around and throw a large tarp over the arch to create a tent. We will then build a large fire pit inside the tent to create the sweat lodge. Students and faculty will proceed to enter one at a time into the lodge and sweat until they experience a vision that will provide meaning to their lives. A steak dinner will be held after.

2) Hurst Arch Dance Marathon Day: Oh what a pleasure it is to dance and sing! On this charming spring afternoon, the entire Mercyhurst community will gather to shake their bodies in unity beneath the arch until they collapse. This will obviously take several days and classes will be canceled. T-Pain will be invited to perform as the featured artist.

Read more at

merciad.mercyhurst.edu/opinion

Ryan Kushner photo

3) Hurst Arch Punish the Guilty Day: Justice is mine, sayeth the Laker! On this day, we will place those who misbehave atop the arch as a form of public shaming. Bouncy castle and steak dinner to be featured.

4) Hurst Arch Apocalyptic Day: The end is near! On this day, students and faculty will congregate beneath the arch and there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

5) Hurst Arch Day: On this day, students will go to class as scheduled and faculty will go about their business. Nothing else to be provided.

@TheMerciad

Hurst Day, Arts on the Hill and a Mercyhurst-Gannon football showdown are all scheduled to take place Oct. 7, 8, 9 and 10, sure to result in a dramatic overdose of Mercyhurstliness.

An encouraging 566 Mercyhurst students were admitted to the Dean’s List for the 2014-2015 academic year.

The Men’s Hockey Team happily got to ring the Sister Damien Spirit Bell this past Saturday after hard fought game. The bell rang loud and proud, but the enthusiasm of the team rang even louder.

The Bad...

Mercyhurst has had hawks, rabbits and even a giant wooden duck at one point...

But now a skunk seems to be spreading its “love” around campus late at night. Its presence is not quite as welcome.

The Weird...

Mercyhurst might have a new Troubador: A student was seen walking around Garvey Park Sunday, playing the acoustic guitar and singing Taylor Swift songs.

The Merciad Editors Sami Rapp Karah Hollis Catherine Rainey Jose Nufio Carly Contraguerro Megan Pacileo Ryan Kushner Mary Barnes Margaret Urso Victoria Kreysar Bill Welch

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

TheMerciadistheofficialstudent-producednewspaperof MercyhurstUniversity.Itispublishedthroughouttheschoolyear, withtheexceptionoffinalsweeks.OurofficeisinHirt,Room 120B. Our telephone number is (814) 824-2376.

TheMerciadwelcomesletterstotheeditor.Alllettersmustbe signedandnameswillbeincludedwiththeletters.Althoughwe willnoteditthelettersforcontent,wereservetherighttotrim letterstofit.LettersaredueMondaysbynoonandmaynotbe morethan300words.SubmitletterstoboxPH485orviaemailat opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.

Write for The Merciad, email editormerciad@mercyhurst.edu

October 7, 2015

Page 7

The Merciad

Sports

Men’s hockey rallies to split weekend

By Haleigh Giebel Staff writer

After dropping their home opener on Saturday night 5-2, the Mercyhurst men’s hockey team rallied on Sunday recording their first win of the season, 9-7, and splitting the series with no. 20 Colgate.

“After having our two first games this past weekend, I knew we had a lot of talented freshmen and a great veteran core coming back. But, the thing that was nice to see in the games was the whole team coming together and battling every shift to get the win,” senior Anthony Mastrodicasa said.

On Saturday, Oct. 3, the Lakers quickly fell behind when Colgate scored three goals.

During the second period, Laker freshman Derek Barach recorded his first collegiate goal, assisted by senior Kyle Cook and sophomore Zach

Todd.

Colgate came back and scored their second power-play goal of the game, giving them a 4-1 lead.

Sophomore Michael Verboom found the back of the net at 17:06, scoring his first collegiate goal in the third period.

Colgate scored an empty net goal to win the game 5-2.

On Sunday, Oct. 4, the Lakers came out ready to give all they had to prove they could beat Colgate.

“Sunday was one of the craziest games I’ve seen,” said Mastrodicasa. “I thought we came together as a team and did really well in the offensive zone.”

Junior Spencer Bacon started off in goal for the Lakers.

The Lakers’ first goal came on a power play when freshman Lester Lancaster and junior Kyle Dutra assisted Todd, tying the game at one.

Sophomore Kane Elliot

Casey Bleuel photo

Junior Philippe Drouin (25) scored during the Lakers 9-7 rally victory on Sunday for their first win of the season.

found the back of the net with a pass from redshirt sophomore Jack Riley, giving the Lakers their first lead of the series 2-1.

Colgate scored a few min-

utes later, but Laker freshman Wes Baker answered, recording his first collegiate goal from freshman Tommaso Bucci and sophomore Tyler Enns.

Sophomore Brandon Wildung stepped in for Bacon, going into the second period with the game tied 3-3.

The Lakers rallied in the second period with three goals.

On a power play, sophomore Bryan Sienerth snuck one past Colgate’s goaltender Zac Hamilton, assisted by Todd and Riley.

Colgate pulled Hamilton and put in Charlie Finn, who grabbed the win during Saturday’s game.

Freshman Taylor Best recorded his first collegiate goal assisted by Riley and Todd.

Short-handed, Elliot beat the defense and shot one past Finn, ending the second period at 6-3, Lakers.

Junior Philippe Drouin started the scoring in the third period with a goal assisted by Cook and Best.

Colgate then came back and scored four goals, tying the game at seven with under two

minutes to play.

At 18:43, sophomore Jonathan Charbonneau scored the game winning goal, assisted

by Barach and Wildung.

Freshman Josh Lammon sealed the deal with his first collegiate goal, an empty netter, assisted by Cook and freshman Jeremy Wu. The Lakers won 9-7, giving the Lakers and Wildung their first win of the season.

“No team should expect to let up seven goals and win, so coming into this week of practice we are definitely going to be looking at our defensive zone, knowing our roles in the defensive zone and picking up guys away from the puck,” Mastrodicasa said.

Mercyhurst travels to Watertown, Mass. on Friday, Oct. 9, and Saturday, Oct. 10, to play their first two Atlantic Hockey Association games of the season against Bentley University. @TheMerciad

Laker rower competing for spot on Olympic team

By Diego Himede Staff writer

Tung Vu photo

Jonathan Blazevic will compete in the National Rowing Championship in hopes of a spot on Canada’s Olympic Rowing Team.

Mercyhurst rower, senior Jonathan Blazevic will compete for a spot on the Olympic Canadian rowing team on Thursday, Oct. 8 through Oct. 10, when he tests himself in the National Rowing Championship.

This prestigious championship will take place in St. Catharines, Ontario, where the most prestigious rowers from Canada will face four days of intense contests.

“I’m nervous, but excited at the same time because it’s going to be a good experience, seeing myself line-up against everyone in Canada right now,” Blazevic said.

His objective is clear, to

make it to the national team.

In order to do so, the first task he will have to face is a time-trial, where they have one person row at a time. On Friday, he will run the semi-finals, and on Saturday, the finals.

To have a chance to win this kind of championship, athletes must to follow specific work-out exercises and strict diets. Blazevic drinks shakes, eats salad often and works out every day.

He rows in the mornings Monday through Friday, around 5:30 a.m. He does core or biking workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays and rowing exercises on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

Even though the championship will be demanding,

Jonathan feels optimistic, hoping that he will make it to the B final, which according to Blazevic, “is enough to get into the national team.”

However, he is not alone.

Alumni have been supporting him by practicing with him.

“Everyone here has been encouraging me, pushing me to try this,” Blazevic said.

For Blazevic, rowing in the lightweight category is more than just a simple sport. To him, the more sacrifice one puts into something, the more one will benefit from doing so. Being in the lightweight category makes rowers sacrifice not just time and energy, but food, which for him, is the hardest part. Rowers must stay under 159.8 pounds in the lightweight category.

“The key to stay in shape

is to stay away from Egan,” Blazevic said between laughs.

Being that the tournament is a few hours away, Blazevic’s strategy is clear, sticking to what he knows.

“My plan is to race my own race, keep my head in my own boat, and not focusing on anyone else. When it hurts the most, I won’t slow down,” Blazevic said.

After Thursday, it is only a matter of time until it is known whether Blazevic will make the Olympic Canadian team and get to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

@TheMerciad

Men’s soccer adjusting without star forward, Watson

By Marco Cicchino Staff writer

On Thursday, Oct. 1, during a taping of SportsCenter, one of the producers came across a highlight from a soccer game in Cedarville, Ohio.

“You make a top play, we find you,” anchor Stan Verrett said.

The highlight featured a corner kick in the 81st minute, when a diving pass off the corner found the left foot of Cedarville’s forward Connor Gilmour, who promptly scissor-kicked the ball in-between a defender and the keeper.

The goal sealed a 2-1 win for Cedarville over Mercyhurst.

That “top play” is an example of how the Mercyhurst men’s soccer team is struggling this season under head coach Nenad Vidokavić, and the after-effects of losing star forward, senior Jack Watson.

Now more than halfway into the regular season, the Lakers find themselves at 4-7.

They have lost all six of their non-conference contests, and sit very uneasy amongst themselves in competition with consistent defense but an

Hockey coaches extend contracts

abnormally low attack.

Watson, who tore his ACL in the spring, was forced to redshirt this season. He led the Lakers to the PSAC title and the third round of the NCAA Tournament last season.

Without Watson leading the charge, it appears the Lakers attack is disorganized and the Lakers have been forced to adjust.

Watson’s 22 goals and 53 points propelled him to Offensive Player of the Year honors--both in the PSAC and the ECAC--surpassing the Lakers efforts this season as an entire squad.

The Lakers average just 1.18 goals per game over their first 11 contests, compared to 3.09 last season. Vidaković’s team is also allowing 1.55 goals per game, compared to just .95 last season.

“It’s devastating at first, because we relied on him,” said senior Tyler Peterseim, “and I think we’re past having him now in the offense, but overall, I think we’ve come a long way from where we started in the beginning of the season.”

No player on the team

Watson’s scoring, including nine assists and 54 shots-ongoal.

In describing Gilmour’s goal, the broadcast also noted redshirt senior Mark Roche’s placement at the time.

“Talking point for the

“

Without Watson leading the charge, it appears the Lakers attack is disorganized, and the Lakers have been forced to adjust.

Salina Bowe photo

Without last season’s leading scorer, Jack Watson (9), the men’s soccer team is suffering a setback this season.

has scored more than two goals this season, a number currently shared by redshirt senior Thomas Davis, senior Sten Marcson and junior Joseph Korb.

This season’s goals, assists, shots and per-game averages are currently on-pace to be lower by a considerable margin. The majority of last season’s attacks attributed to

By Carly Contraguerro Sports editor

The Mercyhurst men’s hockey Head Coach Rick Gotkin and the women’s hockey Head Coach Michael Sisti signed four year contract extensions through the 2019-2020 season on September 30.

”

Marco Cicchino.

Lakers was, why do you ever leave Gilmour open?” questioned the lead commentator. “And really the defender [Roche] is on the wrong side of the post, he needs to be inside the post, and maybe he [can] stop that.”

The goal resulted from Roche being too close to the left post and the ball careening off his knee and into the netting behind him.

However, the Lakers are improving on the other side of the ball, but are failing to

Gotkin is going into his 28th season as head coach. He has led many players to success in his time including eight players from last season signing professional contracts.

Sisti enters his 17th season as head coach. He has coached his team to 15 straight conference titles.

Both coaches have created power

generate enough attack to complement it.

“I think we’ve had a lot of scoring opportunities in each game, but sometimes it hasn’t been enough to keep up with the [non-conference] teams that have had a lot more scoring opportunities. Therefore, our lack of scoring power in some of our previous matches has put more of a pressure on our defense, and sometimes we catch ourselves defending too much and not on the other side of the ball,” Peterseim said.

The Lakers are outscored, 12-3, in their non-conference matches this season. Their fail to win a non-conference game is a first time occurence since 2006.

Those who were supposed to step up in scoring in place of Watson have been primarily contained. Despite the comparable defense, opponents are containing the Lakers to 13 goals on 127 shots and just nine assists as an entire squad.

Most notable is senior Richard van Horne, who has only recorded two assists in five matches this season and has not registered in the box-score

since Sept. 15.

Peterseim attributes the containment to the loss of Watson’s athleticism.

“Jack’s a one-of-a-kind player; and before last year,we had Jack as our main scoring threat because we knew we could always play the long-ball to him. But he was also making great runs off the ball, even when the ball wasn’t played to him,” Peterseim said.

Six Lakers started all 22 matches last season. This season, only Marcson, Korb, and Eyale Dagne have started all eleven games with Davis and Roche starting in 10.

Peterseim remains confident in terms of the amount of sheer talent that is on the current squad.

“As long as we play together and we don’t play selfishly, it’s really going to show how much talent we do have, but we’re only going to be able to do that if we play together as a team,” Peterseim said.

@TheMerciad

houses on the ice. The men’s team went 19-16-4 last season and the women went 23-9-3.

According to a Mercyhurst Athletics press release, the coaches are pleased to be staying in their position for another four years.

Hurst athletics photo

Men’s Head Coach Rick Gotkin.

Hurst athletics photo

Women’s Head Coach Michael Sisti.

Page 8

October 7, 2015

The Merciad

Laker

Living

Historically Tory: History in the Making

By Victoria Kreysar Ad manager

We have all been there: sitting in class with the professor slowly wrapping up their lecture, saying those final words “does anyone have any questions?” as the prospect of leaving class three minutes early seems alarmingly more crucial than it probably should. There will be some freshman (or perhaps upperclassman) who raises their hand and asks a question while we all silently wish upon them a fate worse than death; like being stuck behind a slow walking person when they are late to a meeting, or a blackboard link to a paper being discussed in five minutes that does not work.

As humans, there are questions we want answered, usually beginning with the favorite adverbs we learned in sixth grade and have since forgotten their traditional grammar classification: How, when, where, or the question that is the most used when you are a poor college student--how much? Most of the time, questions can be good. They are what make us think, solve problems and create beautiful solutions.

You undoubtedly heard about the Oregon school shooting that occurred last week. Or if you did not, maybe you remember Columbine.

Or Virginia Tech. Or Nickel Mines. Or Sandy Hook. Or the Clock Tower Shootings.

Google a list of school shootings in the U.S. and you will find it is gut-wrenchingly long.

The gunman at Oregon had six guns on him and seven in his apartment. This occurrence is something we would like to think we are immune from. Yet in 2011, two Mercyhurst ROTC cadets were found storing guns in their on-campus apartment. The event seemed to be almost overlooked. The students were fined and punished. Even though action was taken, are we taking the threat of guns on our campus as seriously as we should?

Many of us can remember the man who took his own life on campus via gunshot two years ago. The tragedy spurred the arming of our campus police, to the confusion of many. Again, more questions arose. Why exactly are we arming them? Would guns have helped this situation? What will guns help?

What will they harm? Do they make our campus more

secure? Is safety something being overlooked? How safe is our campus?

Personally, I have come to the conclusion campus is not very safe. The student handbook discusses what we are not allowed to have and RA’s do inspections every now and then. But there is nothing particularly secure about old buildings (or any of our buildings for that matter), a small police force, poor communication, doors that do not shut, dark places on campus, slow response times or a host of other problems.

I suppose what we really have is the trust, the bond we all share as students, even if we do not know each other on a first-name basis. Hopefully, this is enough to reinstate the humanity and validity of each sacred life stressing out over classes and consuming copious amounts of caffeine.

I am going to climb on my soapbox for just a moment and take some political science regarding the Second Amendment down to the bare bones (my apologies to those in the Poli-Sci department and those studying it--especially my roommate).

The whole reason we have the justices is to interpret the constitution. One of the main

questions being, do we interpret the Constitution and the amendments based on the time they were written, or on how they apply now? Writing, once published, is unchangeable, but it is variously interpreted. That is why you spend hours in an English class discussing what an author meant by some famous line. If we take the issue of the Second Amendment based on the time and context it was written, we essentially have little to no need for guns.

The Second Amendment is as follows: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” That beautiful sentence is certainly a mouthful you typically hear cut down to the later part, but that is not how the founding fathers intended it (otherwise they would have only written that second half). You can pull the idea of hunting out of the discussion because “militia” and “deer season” are spelled differently. At the time it was written, the English monarchy was a looming threat in the distance--our freedom as a new country and the ability to govern ourselves--was not guaranteed. It was necessary

to have people who could fight off an enemy. I am not saying that still is not necessary, but we do not really have much of a threat on our own soil (I think Britain is mostly over our rebellion by now). I would almost go so far as to say many recent threats have been internal.

The last major war to take place on U.S. soil was the Civil War, over 150 years ago. Since then, we have seen attacks such as Pearl Harbor and 9/11.

These acts of aggression are not to be taken lightly, but an army of gun owning civilians did little to stop those attacks to begin with. Again, a question arises: Why do we cling to our weapons so dearly? Is it because we need them to fight to survive? Or do we want to have them because deep down we possess some middle-school mentality of ‘just because I can’?

Before you begin to form an opinion of me, I have to come clean: my parents own guns, I have shot guns, I hunt and I am not lobbying for everyone to forfeit their guns to the government. I am simply offering some insight into the bigger picture.

The United States government is struggling with this issue and I have no inten-

tion to fix it or fight anyone over it in a column slapped on the back page of a student-run newspaper. My goal here is to get people talking; get people thinking about these big issues and asking the right questions (I suppose my thesis should have been stated clearly toward the end of the first paragraph; my apologies Dr. Magoc). If you have formed an opinion or gotten angry by what I have written, good. I am glad; it means you are far from being numb and blind. If it takes the words of a 21-year-old kid with a degree in history to rustle up your feathers, it means I am doing something right and I hope you have a list of your own questions to ask.

There will come a time when we students here are those men and women in Congress; when those of us who sit and listen to lectures are the ones lecturing others.

We all have voices that will one day be heard, and I for one want to be a voice that is not silent or apathetic. One that is loud and perhaps abrasive; but in the end, I will have spoken for something, instead of silently sitting and watching as the world spins. @tory_krey

Way back When...

The Merciad presents articles from

yesteryear in their original form, including headlines. This week, our blast from the past is from Nov. 11, 1977.

Traditions And Mores Discovered Men and women roamed the student union, adorned with impressive headresses, veils, and wearing the ancient clothing of Egyptian people. On Nov. 3, the Back Porch Cafe was the setting for the International Food-n-Fashion, a focus on modern life in Egypt.

The schedule of events included a slide presentation, a display of arts and souvenirs, and a menu including Turkish coffee, Egyptian tea, and pastry.

The slide presentation provided informative and interesting stories of customs and traditions.

Women were described as proud, but shy. They are not considered equal to men and are forbidden from certain ceremonial events.

Engagement ceremonies involve a serious celebration with chants, prayers, and songs. Only men are invited to the actual ceremony; women are forced to the background.

“Funerals are gaudy and indifferent, but this is a culture of another country,” revealed David DeSante, a participant in the Egyptian Seminar.

These funerals take place in the open street and only men are able to attend.

These are only a few of the interesting customs discovered through the slides and displays.

Men and women were joined together for an evening of fun in the atmosphere of the coffee house.

Top 10

1. Hair tutorials ( i.e. learn how to braid) 2. Find recipes 3. Make the recipes 4. Exercise--go for a walk or bike ride 5. Find a new favorite song and learn the lyrics

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6. Learn how to play an instrument 7. Learn to play that new favorite song 8. Write--yes, writing can be fun 9. Write a letter to someone (maybe parents?)

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