KEEPING AN EYE ON P.I. Mauro, students earn college $250k grant to continue peninsula research Read the story on Page 2
MORE INSIDE & ONLINE
Tyler Stauffer photos
‘Hurst up against tough competition in RecycleMania
Erieite Appetite: Calamari’s
Worldwide, people’s voices need to be heard
Photo essay: P.U.C.K. at ‘Hurst
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NEWS
February 2, 2011
News Brief Students help others during spring break Several Mercyhurst College students will spend their spring break in San Pedro, Honduras, helping children and youth living with HIV and AIDS. The students will help at the Casa Corazón de la Misericodia (Heart of Mercy House) orphanage. The orphanage was started by two Honduran Sisters of Mercy in response to the urgent need to care for the increasing number of children with HIV who were orphaned or abandoned due to the death of a parent from an AIDS-related illness. The students are seeking donations to help these children. All donations will go directly to the orphanage. To donate to this mission, e-mail Marta Baran at mbaran@ mercyhurst.edu. Tyler Stauffer photo
Mercyhurst College received a $250,000 grant to research contaminants in Presque Isle State Park’s waters. Testing is done on Presque Isle Beaches One, Two, Six and 10.
’Hurst receives grant to research, protect Presque Isle beaches By Mike Gallagher Contributing writer
Mercyhurst College Assistant Professor of Biology Steven Mauro, Ph.D., recently helped the college secure a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He and a team of Mercyhurst students have researched contaminants in Presque Isle State Park’s recreational waters since 2006. The grant will enable such research to continue. “Over the course of the last five years, 26 students have done summer research projects,” Mauro said. A major portion of the sizable grant is used to pay student salaries and purchase equipment the students need to conduct their research. The remainder of the money goes to giving the students opportunities to present their research at scientific meetings. “We do the research, but at the end of our process, we submit our data to the health professionals, and we provide suggestions on where contaminants might be coming from based on the data that we have,” Mauro said. He and the students also offer possible solutions to the contamination based on their results. The remediation plans provide research-based suggestions to government agencies and health officials. Mauro explained what the students did during the water testing process.
“We started off trying to determine what’s in the waters in a faster way than it is normally done,” Mauro said. Normally, water testing can take 24 hours or longer, which means that people may be swimming in potentially contaminated water for a day or more before anyone is aware of it. During the water testing, “we look for pharmaceuticals that people may have flushed down the toilet” Mauro said, “along with agricultural contamination, such as estrogen given to cows and Diuron, a chemical which is a fertilizer, along with Fluoxetine, the active ingredient in anti-depressants.” Some of these substances find their way into the lake because Erie’s wastewater treatment plants eliminate enviro-contaminants, such as bacteria and viruses, but treatment does not get rid of all the chemicals that find their way into the system. Once the student researchers find the likely source of the contaminants, health officials use the research results to prevent that source from further accessing the waste treatment system. Testing is done on Presque Isle Beaches One, Two, Six and 10. Beaches One and Two tend to be more contaminated than the others tested. Mauro explained how Mercyhurst qualified for the EPA grant. “We decided the project was doable and that we could fulfill all of the grant requirements,” he said. “We proposed a good project, and we know what we’re doing.”
Burglary Thursday, Jan. 27
3808 Briggs Ave. Closed
Larceny Friday, Jan. 28
Grotto Dining Room Closed
Liquor Law Violation Friday, Jan. 28
3926 Lewis Ave. College discipline
Liquor law violation Saturday, Jan. 29
Duval Apartments College discipline
Jan. 27 - 29, 2011
NEWS
February 2, 2011
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’Hurst competes in RecycleMania By David Cullen
Contributing writer
Jill Barrile photo
Bins for recycling are located across the Mercyhurst campus.
The RecycleMania initiative is a friendly competition in which colleges and universities across the country seek to maximize recyclable waste, while minimizing nonrecyclable waste within a prescribed time period. In other words, we’re up against bigger schools to save as much as possible. The competition begins on Feb. 6 and ends on April 2. Participating colleges are required to provide recyclable and non-recyclable waste weight totals prior to the start of the competition. These weight amounts will be compared to the weight totals taken
at the end of the competition in order to calculate a recycling rate, which will determine Mercyhurst’s place in both state and national standings. Gannon and Penn State Behrend are also competing in this year’s RecycleMania competition. The main objective of RecycleMania is to promote sustainability practices and increase students’ eco-awareness throughout college communities across the nation. All members of the Mercyhurst
community are encouraged to reduce waste and recycle as much as possible; including members of the North East and West campuses. Any student or faculty member seeking additional information about RecycleMania and how they can support Mercyhurst’s participation can contact Brittany Prischak, Mercyhurst’s Sustainability Officer, or the Green Team.
FEATURES
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February 2, 2011
Erieite Appetite: Calamari’s By Liz Zurasky Staff writer
With friendly service and fantastic food, Calamari’s Squid Row Restaurant offers an exceptional eating experience. The atmosphere is relaxed and laid back, allowing customers to walk in and seat themselves wherever they would like. Within
30 seconds, a server appeared at our table, ready to take our drink orders and give us menus. The menu has a wide variety of foods, including flat bread pizzas, salads, wraps, soups and burgers. A portion of the menu is devoted to the Strip District of Pittsburgh, with sandwiches made in the style of Primanti Brothers restaurants.
Calamari’s offers an artichoke dip appetizer.
Liz Zurasky photo
I ordered artichoke dip as an appetizer and the Keystone Burger for an entrée. After ordering, the appetizer only took about 10 minutes to arrive at our table, hot and ready to eat. The creaminess of the dip and the saltiness of the deep-fried pita chips went well together, and the burger had flavor to match. It was cooked exactly the way I asked and was smothered with American cheese, bacon and barbecue sauce. The side of onion rings were nicely breaded and had a good crunch. Throughout our meal, many of the staff stopped at our table to see how everything tasted. They were extremely friendly and seemed genuinely interested in making our meal enjoyable. The location of the restaurant, however, is not the greatest. Calamari’s is located at 1317 State Street, close to the Cell Block. This can make it very difficult for carless Mercyhurst students to reach the restaurant. The location is the only off-
putting aspect that I could find about this establishment for college students. The food was incredible and the service was unbeatable. I would highly recommend this restaurant to any student on campus, provided you can get there.
“I didn’t have any issues registering; I actually got into all my classes for once.” -Ann Marie Gibson, junior
Liz Zurasky photo
The Keystone Burger entree is offered at Calamari’s.
Groundhog Day provides students with shadow opportunities By Lynn Dula Staff writer
Groundhog Day is upon us, and people are eagerly waiting to see if winter is nearing its end or if we’ll have another six weeks of it. Groundhog Day, held on Feb. 2, originates from German customs brought from Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Mercyhurst College Communication Department has come up with its own way to celebrate Groundhog Day—by having its students participate in a shadow day. On Wednesday, a dozen communication students will be excused from classes to shadow a local professional working in the communication field.
“The communication department chair, Dr. Anne Zaphiris, pioneered this event three years ago for her students to gain hands-on experience in the communication field,” said Hilary Mando, the department’s graduate assistant. “The date just happened to fall during the winter term, which led her to pair it with Groundhog Day. Besides, what better way is there to celebrate the groundhog seeing its shadow?” Students will be shadowing local organizations and professionals such as: • Erie Community Access Television’s (CATV) production coordinator • Erie Insurance’s Strategic Marketing Department • Mercyhurst College’s Public
Relations/Marketing director • The associate director of public relations and the director of corporate communication at ERIEZ. “We hope that it will ultimately prepare them for the next step in their careers,” Mando said. “This is a great networking event for students as well as a chance for them to practice how to act appropriately and professionally in a work environment.” The shadowing opportunity is both an exciting and highly educational experience for communication students. They will have a chance not only to experience what it is like to work in the communication field, but will have a chance to explore the area most interesting to them. One of the students participating, senior Kristen Ribelli, will be
How was spring term class registration for you?
shadowing at WJET-TV with weekend Sports Anchor Ken Brown, as well as the main Sports Anchor Craig Smylie. Ribelli’s dream job is reporting at athletic events, so the shadowing opportunity was a particularly exciting one. “We see the sports on TV, but what really goes into it? I hope to gain great insights and tips from professionals who have had experience in this field and can teach what goes into being a knowledgeable sports reporter/anchor,” Ribelli said. Another participating student, sophomore Aaron Loncki, will be shadowing LECOM’s marketing department. “Classes only show you so much,” Loncki said. “I don’t know exactly what path I want to take, but I’ll know it when I see it.”
“As one of the first students in the sophomore class, I was immediately blocked out of all my classes, except my major classes. Scheduling is definitely not conducive to a working student and makes maintaining a job difficult at times.” -Joe Pudlick, sophomore
“I didn’t have any problems with registration. I went directly to WebAdvisor and it all went very smoothly. I did have to be signed into one class after registration, but even still, it wasn’t a problem.” -Kaleigh Hubert, sophomore
February 2, 2011
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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Erie Festival of Dance creates sense of community By Claire Hinde Staff writer
Mercyhurst College hosted the biannual Erie Festival of Dance this past weekend. The Festival of Dance is an Erie Dance Consortium event founded in 2000 to help bring the dance organizations in the Erie community together. The festival certainly accomplishes that task. Currently under consortium president Sarah Purvis, the sixth dance festival presented more than 20 local groups in two onstage performances and several other small vignettes. The two large performances, which included a “showcase” matinee and gala evening performance, were held in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center on Saturday. Other small presentations were given in the Cummings Art Gallery during intermission as well as at the VIP reception. Haley Bradstreet, a Mercyhurst dancer and administrative intern for this year’s festival, praised the consortium’s set up of the festival.
Jill Barrile photo
The Liturgical Dance Ensemble was one of many Erie-based groups to perform this weekend. “I think — because it occurs every other year — the festival is a really special event,” she said. “It brings all Erie’s artistic minds together. Also, having a gala and a showcase gives everyone a chance to perform.
“It also gives performers a chance to watch one another. The little performances create a whole day of dancing. It’s not just a performance, it’s an event,” she said. Along with the local talents,
the festival featured Lehrer Dance from Buffalo, N.Y. The dynamic group took the stage with comedic and athletic feats that dazzled all in attendance. Senior dance major Christine Wilbur was particularly excited by
Lehrer’s presence at the festival. “They were a great addition to the festival. It opened up so many more possibilities for all of us to learn,” Wilbur said. Lehrer Dance taught a master class Saturday afternoon between performances for all festival participants. More than anything, the festival serves as a fun and strong bonding experience for artists in the Erie community. Solveig Santillano, Mercyhurst dance professor and co-artistic director of SoMar Dance Works, said the festival really helps her to build a community within the arts. Certainly the performances were proof that arts in Erie are flourishing. The performances not only exhibited extraordinary talents, but were very wide ranging in style, including everything from classical ballet to Indian cultural dance, as well as swing dance. By encompassing all forms, enabling social connection, and exhibiting excellent artistic prowess, Erie’s arts scene staged quite a festival. The Erie community has much to look forward to from the consortium in 2013.
Orgel’s support from family takes her to the stage By Natalie Pertz
Contributing writer Kirstan Orgel, a sophomore music performance major, is a young woman trying to pursue what she loves, with the undying support of both family and friends. “If my parents didn’t believe in me in the beginning I don’t know if I could believe in myself now,” she said. Orgel first began singing at the age of three. A well-rounded musician from Geneva, Ohio, who loves everything from opera to pop music, Orgel became serious about singing in high school. She says she threw herself into every music ensemble and show she could get into. The decision to major in music in college was made, and it was
quite an easy one with the support of her family and her passion for music. Through the recommendation of her voice teacher at the time, Kirstan auditioned, and was accepted to the D’Angelo School of Music. When asked how she balances the stress of academics and her musical development, Kirstan responds saying “I do the best I can, taking everything one day at a time through the help of a few, great friends.” Tuesday at Student Forum, Orgel performed a stunning German art song titled “Auf die Nacht in der Spinnstuben” (At Night in the Spinning Rooms), by Johannes Brahms. Orgel says this piece was chosen for her by her vocal instructor so as to better familiarize herself with singing in the German language. At the recital her voice sounded
beautiful, light and innocent. The piece told of longing for love, loneliness and comparing herself to other girls. Throughout the longing felt in the piece, it is difficult for an audience member to believe that this beautiful girl in her beautiful red gown and wavy blonde hair would be experiencing such feelings. But such is the beauty of the stage when you can take on a role completely unlike your own life and make it believable to your audience. And this is exactly what Orgel does. And for Kirstan Orgel, her family’s support has helped her to become the performer that she is today. It is their help, her strong perseverance, and her love for music that has brought her to the stage, and molded her into the performer she is today.
Tyler Stauffer photo
Kirstan Orgel (right) sang a piece by Brahms this Tuesday at Student Forum.
OPINION
Page 6
February 2, 2011 September 3, 2008
The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercyhurst College, the staff of The Merciad or the Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be e-mailed to opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.
Worldwide, people’s voices need to be heard By Thomas Snippert Staff writer
The ‘Jasmine Revolution’ in Tunisia, the riots in Egypt and other protests throughout North Africa and the Middle East serve as a reminder that repressive governments and their business cronies can only be tolerated for so long. When people do not have an outlet for their rage, this is what will happen. The civil unrest reached critical mass only when the silent majority could no longer tolerate low pay, unemployment, corruption and a general lack of development in all spheres of the economy and education. In a speech a few weeks ago, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience in Qatar,
“People have grown tired of corrupt institutions and a stagnant political order.” She was referring to the Middle Eastern dictatorships, but she could very well be talking about our own country. We have many comparable, but arguably less intense troubles, in the U.S. Many elected officials believe that whoever receives the most votes in any election has won the “will of the people.” Whose “will of the people” are these politicians talking about? On average, less than half of America’s voting population exercise its right to vote. The typical winner takes home only slightly more than half of the vote. This means that the winner of the elected office only has support from maybe a third of the voters. The other two-thirds of the citizenry are voiceless because
their candidate lost or they opted out of voting for one reason or another. Most elected officials from both parties lack this perspective. It is understood that the elected official speaks for a small percentage of the most vocal part of the population. Who speaks for those that lost or didn’t vote? Should our leaders ignore the will of the rest of people? Since the mid-1990s, our political pendulum has swung back and forth between political extremes, and people running from one side of the room to the other in desperation. Both political parties make promises only to fail repeatedly because of the bureaucratic malaise in Washington. Politicians are just not willing to achieve decisions on problems that will simply get worse the longer we put them off.
Laker TV adds fresh comedy to lineup By Brady Greenawalt and Matt Teleha Contributing writers
It all started back in September 2010 when we decided to make a comedy show. Since that time, the idea has evolved and taken shape, and it eventually took on a life of its own. The resulting concept became something we never anticipated. One of the first decisions made for the show was the name “Organic Banana.” Humorously, this was the very first title suggested and we instantly thought that it perfectly embodied the spirit of randomness that we hoped to inject into our show. The format of “Organic Banana” is a new concept, and certainly new for Laker TV. It is the first situation comedy in the history of Laker TV. The show takes place entirely out of the studio, and it chronicles a fic-
WHEN TO WATCH If you want to watch Organic Banana, tune in to Laker TV, Channel 19, each Tuesday at 8 p.m., as well as Wednesdays at 4 p.m. and Fridays at 7 p.m. tionalized version of our lives. Each episode has a plot that follows our adventures as college students at Mercyhurst. But “Organic Banana” is not just a sitcom, it would more accurately be classified as a “skitcom.” It is part situation comedy, and part sketch comedy. In each episode, the plot is occasionally interrupted by a comedic sketch. With this format, you never really know what to expect on an episode of “Organic Banana.” You may have seen some of our work on the cooking show “A Dash of Awesome” earlier this year, which we completely pro-
duced ourselves, with Matt directing and Brady editing. You may have also seen our appearances in the Parkhurst commercials that aired during each episode of “A Dash of Awesome.” With “Organic Banana” we plan to capture the same comedic energy of those commercials for an entire half hour of randomness and hilarity. We’ve spent a great amount of our free time on this show. For the entire first half of this school year, we have been perfecting the concept and developing our own unique style of comedy. Search “Organic Banana” to like our page on Facebook and keep updated on new episodes, behind-the-scenes footage and special events. Be forewarned — in our screening tests, eight viewers died. The cause is unknown, but it’s speculated that their minds were blown.
If any government does not listen to their public, which feels powerless, then they will look at other means to voice their concerns. The power of social websites, Twitter, cell phones, etc. can give the populace the outlet they require. Information on these networks spread like a virus. It created a groundswell of support everywhere at once, just like what happened in Tunisia and Egypt. That is what makes mob rule so terrifying – the lack of leadership. Without a leader or some other political faction instigating the civil unrest, the government can’t destroy it and
nobody can control it. This is true “people power.” Our country is broken. If we do nothing about these problems, then we all deserve the type of leaders that are put into power. We deserve them because we allowed them to destroy our way of life. Many people take a jaundiced eye towards politics and think their vote doesn’t mean much. I guess things will have to get much worse for much longer in this country before we all get furious. We are not close to a boiling point, but things are beginning to simmer.
If you don’t want it printed . . . don’t let it happen. Editors Ethan Magoc Kelly Luoma Alaina Rydzewski Victoria Gricks Nick Glasier Alex Stacy Kaitlin Badger Tyler Stauffer Ethan Johns Chrissy Mihalic Daniela Carcamo Bill Welch Brian Sheridan
Positions @mercyhurst.edu Editor-in-Chief editormerciad News Editor newsmerciad Features Editor featuremerciad Opinion Editor opinionmerciad Sports Editor sportsmerciad A&E Editor entertainmentmerciad Graphics photomerciad Photo Editor photomerciad Web Editor ejohns89 Copy Editor copymerciad Ad Manager admerciad Adviser wwelch Adviser bsheridan
The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst College. 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 e-mail at opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.
Sports
February 2, 2011
Page 7
Ezzo swings way through final Laker season By Rachel O’Connor Staff writer
In eight short months, Mercyhurst College senior Kim Ezzo will be graduating from Mercyhurst as an interior design major. During her time here at Mercyhurst, the Youngstown, Ohio, native has made her mark, and swung her way into record books as a part of the Lakers women’s tennis team. As a freshman, Ezzo was named First Team All-GLIAC, and led the team with a 16-6 singles record. Ezzo finished her sophomore season 13-7, including going 10-6 at the No. 1 singles spot as well as being named to the All-PSAC West First Team. As a junior last season, Ezzo once again was added to the AllPSAC West First Team and topped the Lakers with a 21-5 mark, and helped the Lakers capture their first NCAA Tournament victory over East Stroudsburg. She spent her years as a Laker being a “real quite leader” as tennis coach Ray Yost says. “She lets her racquet do the talking. I will miss having a player in the
Ethan Magoc photos
Mercyhurst College senior Kim Ezzo hopes to lead the women’s tennis team to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. The Lakers reached the tournament’s second round before losing to Cal (Pa.). They finished with a record of 20-9. top position that has the record and respect that she has throughout the conference,” he says. After four years at the net, Ezzo says she “will definitely miss just being part of a team.”
In high school, Ezzo mainly traveled to tournaments on her own. “I never really got to be a part of a team, especially one with such talented players,” Ezzo says. Yost says the most rewarding part
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of coaching Ezzo is the knowledge that she will spare no effort each time she steps on the court. And in one word, he described her as reliable. Ezzo wants to be remembered
for her sportsmanship and match attitude. “Records are always there to look at, but people usually forget about the things that players really work hard to control,” she says.
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Get paid $10 per story to cover the campus sports you love. Proficient writing skills and reliability required. For information, visit staff meetings Mondays at 8:15 p.m. or e-mail sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.
Ethan Magoc photo
Ezzo, an interior design major, said she most enjoyed the team aspect of her college athletic experience.
February 2, 2011
Sports
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P.U.C.K. at ‘Hurst
T
here was skating and music, but this was no Disney on Ice performance on a recent January Friday night at the Ice Center. Instead, it was Mercyhurst’s newest club on campus, Pick Up College hocKey (P.U.C.K.) playing pick-up games to some of today’s hottest club tunes. The group began this fall when freshmen Alex Neri, Evan Christenson, Randy White and Drew Klobuchar first met. Neri, one of the co-presidents, played high school hockey and wanted to continue on the ice in college. When he found other freshmen who shared his love of hockey, an idea was born. Although relatively new, P.U.C.K. has gained promising support with 32 active student members and a number of faculty who join in the action.
Photo essay by Scoot Williams
“P.U.C.K. is probably one of the largest clubs on campus—if not this year, next year for sure,” said Co-President Evan Christenson. This club is not just for the gentlemen. Freshman Brittany Shavatt is an active member who can skate circles around many of her male counterparts (bottom left). “I heard they were starting a club and decided to join” she said. Shavatt also plays for the Erie Lady Lions, a traveling club hockey team. P.U.C.K. meets once or twice a week and requires participants to have a helmet and gloves for safety. Beyond that, P.U.C.K.’s only other requirements are skates, sticks and lively music. If interested, e-mail Neri at aneri62@lakers.mercyhurst.edu.