THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MERCYHURST COLLEGE SINCE 1929
MERCIAD
The
Vol. 78 No. 13
Literary festival set for April
Three high-profile authors will speak and host creative writing workshops
From left to right, Rober Bly (will speak on April 12), Grace Paley (will speak on April 19) and Martin Espada (will speak on April 28).
By Jonelle Davis
News editor
As spring term approaches, faculty
members of Mercyhurst are hard at
work preparing for the annual Literary
Festival in April.
This year, Dr. Kenneth Schiff and Dr.
Jeffrey Roessner Associate Professors of
English, along with Dr. Alice Edwards,
Chairperson of World Languages and
Cultures and Dr. Thomas Forsthofel,
Alstadts make research lab possible
By Josh Wilwohl
Staff writer
When the winter term began at Mer-
cyhurst, students at the Zurn Building
for Science had a new place to work
and conduct research: The Donald and
Judith Alstadt Laboratory for Molecular
and Cellular Research.
According to Dr. James Adovasio,
Dean of the Zurn School of Science,
“This new lab is named after the
Alstadts for their contributions, as well
as for contributions from the The Alden
Trust, Phillips Trust and the Mercyhurst
Global issues: The clash of cultures
By Ryan Palm
Sports editor
On Monday, Jan. 31, Dr. Abdul
Mawjoud Dardery, Fulbright Scholar at
Seton Hill College, spoke to Mercyhurst
students regarding his idea of “A Clash
of Civilizations.”
Dr. Dardery is an assistant profes-
sor of cultural studies and critical
discourse at South Valley University in
Egypt and is currently spending several
weeks teaching English as a second
hand language at Seton Hill College in
Greensburg, Pa.
News
inside this issue
 Need some tips on how to find
a job after graduation? Check
out what career services recom-
mends.
Page 2
What are you doing for spring
break? See what other students
have planned.
Page 3
Mercyhurst College 501 E. 38th St. Erie, Pa. 16546
Associate Professor of Religion Studies,
are working to bring three high profile
speakers, Robert Bly, Grace Paley and
Martin Espada to Mercyhurst.
Robert Bly
On April 12, Robert Bly will speak at
7:30 p.m. in the Walker Recital Hall.
This event is open to the college com-
munity and the public.
Bly is known for a list of achievements
including writing “Iron John: A Book
About Men,” which has become an
Archaeological Institute.”
The addition of this new lab places
Mercyhurst in league with major aca-
demic institutions focusing upon the
sciences.
“Four years ago, the college in per-
sona of Dr. Garvey, made a lot of
commitments to create and renovate the
sciences,” Adovasio said. These com-
mitments – lab and classroom renova-
tions for forensic science, anthropology,
archaeology – were only the first in a
wave of reconstruction for Zurn. Now,
with the addition of the new lab, Zurn
ranks among top science schools.
“The lab is like no other kind between
The Global Issues For um was
responsible for
enabling Dr.
Dardery to visit
Mercyhurst, as
he spent two
days speaking
with students
on a number of
topics.
At 4 p.m. on
Monday, the Dr. Dardery
professor spent
over an hour
meeting with a small group of students
for a comprehensive discussion about
Opinion
The stress of a ten-week term leads
one student to question the trimester
system.
Page 6
Arts & Entertainment
 Rapping sensation Kayne West
dominates Grammy nominations.
West is predicted to sweep the
awards on Feb. 13.
Page 8
international best seller.
He also co-founded American Writers
Against the Vietnam War, spent two
years in the Navy and attended Harvard
University. As a follow-up to his speech,
Bly will hold a special creative workshop
on April 13, which will only be open to
creative writing students.
Grace Paley
The second session of the Literary
Festival will be held on April 19.
Grace Paley will hold a creative writing
Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo,” said
Adovasio.
“It was built after looking at other
institutions.”
One institution which Adovasio and
others, including Biology Director Dr.
David Hyland, toured was John Carroll
University in Cleveland.
“We went to investigate to ensure a
design that was state-of-the-art and up
to date,” said Hyland. “This was a key
part in our four-year plan for the biology
department and intended for a variety
of classes, along with the creation of
new classes.”
Please see Alstadts on Page 3.
several different topics, most notably
the clash between the American culture
and the Islamic culture of his native
Egypt.
He also spoke at a lecture open to
the Mercyhurst and Erie communities
Monday night in the Mercy Heritage
Hall.
The lecture was followed by an hour
of intense questions and answers on a
variety of related topics.
“The Clash of Civilizations is a war
against all God is not going to stop it, we
must intervene,” said Dardery, during
the afternoon session.
Please see Global on Page 3.
Features
Do you want to escape Erie? Read
some great trip suggestions if you
need a getaway for the day.
Sports
Womens Hockey dominates another
conference foe, outscoring Niagara
10-1.
Page 12
workshop for creative writing students
in the morning, followed by a speech
in the Walker Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m,
which is open to the college community
and public. Paley is known for three
highly acclaimed collections of short
fiction and poetry.
She has been involved with anti-war,
feminist and anti-nuclear movements,
along with teaching at Columbia Uni-
versity, Syracuse University, City Col-
lege of New York and Sarah Lawrence
College.
Tsunami relief update:
MSG collects donations
Ashley Breen
Contributing writer
In response to the disaster that
devastated vast areas of Asia, the
Mercyhurst community is donat-
ing money to help the hundreds
of thousands of families that lost
everything.
President of MSG, Michael Man-
cinelli, said, “We want to see the
students and MSG come together
as a community and do what we can
to help the people who have been
affected by the tsunami disaster.”
Recently MSG sent student repre-
sentatives to on-campus housing to
collect donations.
They were able to collect a total of
$680. Student representatives will no
longer be collecting donations, but
students are more than welcome to
bring donations to Mancinelli, MSG
treasurer, Dan Schuler, or they can
drop off their donations to the MSG
offices, located on the second floor
of the Herrmann Union.
Donations in any amount would
be greatly appreciated.
After many organizations were
considered, MSG has decided that all
donations will go to Mercy Corps.
Page 5
February 2, 2005
Photos courtesy of Dr. Kenneth Schiff
Martin Espada
Martin Esada will close out this year’s
Literary Festival on April 28.
He will hold a workshop for creative
writing students in the afternoon, which
will be followed by a speech in the Taylor
Little Theatre at 7:30 p.m.
The speech is open to the college and
Erie community.
Espada is known for his poetry. He
is currently a professor at the University
of Massachusetter-Amherst.
Please see Literary on Page 3.
Mancinelli said, “We are still
researching organizations and the
web to select the non-profit orga-
nization we will give all of the
donations to. They are all great
organizations and it is hard picking
the best one.”
Amanda Orendorf, senior fashion
merchandising student, said, “I gave
money to the American Red Cross to
assist with the tsunami relief efforts.
I think it is important for students
to give what they can, every little
bit helps.”
Clubs on campus have the option
to use a philanthropy line which
allows the club to raise money
for a non-profit organization and
MSG will match the donation up
to $500.
First, the request needs to be
verified by the Executive Board and
approved. MSG will then vote on the
request and, if passed, the matched
donation money will be turned into
the MSG treasurer.
Sean Gates, senior HRIM student,
said, “I donated and I think everyone
should, whether it is 50 cents or $50.
If 3,000 students donated just 50
cents we could raise $1500. That is
enough money to help a great deal
of people.”
Index
News.....................................2
News.....................................3
Features.................................4
Features.................................5
Opinion..................................6
Opinion..................................7
A&E.......................................8
A&E.......................................9
Katie McAdams / Photo editor
Sports..................................10
Sports..................................11
Sports..................................12
PAGE 2
NEWS To contact: newsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Career services provides opportunities
By Zoe Contes
Contributing writer
Whether you are a freshman or
senior, these years spent at Mer-
cyhurst should be preparing you
for the competitive workforce
that lies ahead. The problem is
that many students are not aware
of the opportunities that the
school provides.
According to Robert Hvezda,
Director of Career Services,
the goal of Career Services is
to provide students and alumni
with information to enhance
skills in securing professional
employment.
While all students are encour-
aged to visit the Office of Career
Services on a regular basis to
review the continuously updated
recruiter list, it is especially im-
portant for seniors to maintain
close contact with the office.
During senior year, the Ca-
reer Services Office assembles
resume data for prospective
employers. The transition from
student to an employee or gradu-
ate student can be overwhelming
for some. That is why the Career
Services staff does their best to
make the job searching process
more pleasant as students ap-
proach graduation.
Administrators prepare budget for incoming president
By Josh West
Contributing writer
The pressure is on earlier than
usual to prepare an operating
budget for the next fiscal year.
According to Executive Vice
President for Administration
Tom Billingsley, the deadline
has been moved on account of
the upcoming change in admin-
istration. Budget directors have
been asked to start work early in
order to speed up the process of
drafting a preliminary operating
budget for 2005-06.
The preliminary report is
scheduled to be prepared before
the end of February for review
by Dr. Michael McQuillen, who
will begin his presidency on
Mercyhurst students finally have student radio station on campus
By Jason Endress
Contributing writer
Mercyhurst students will be
surprised to hear that they have
their own radio station.
Students have been buzzing
for a station of their own for
years and have finally gotten
their wish.
But, as some students may
have noticed, WMCE hasn’t
gone anywhere. An entirely new
station has been made with the
express purpose of entertaining
the student body.
AM 1570 has been broadcast-
Health clinic hosts depression clinic for students
Special to the Merciad
The Mercyhurst College
Counseling Center is pleased
to announce Alison Malmon,
president of Active Minds, who
will give a presentation entitled,
“Depression and the College
Student” on Thursday, Feb. 3 at
8:15 p.m. in the Walker Recital
Hall.
Admission is free.
On Feb. 4, the Mercyhurst Col-
lege Counseling Center will offer
free, confidential screenings for
depression where you can fill out
a quick self-test and talk with a
counselor about your personal
situation.
Even if you don’t have depres-
sion and are just going through
a couple of bad days, you are
invited to come take advantage
of the program and learn about
what services are available on
campus.
However, the earlier one pre-
pares the better Hvezda en-
courages all students to start a
resume.
“The first thing people see
about you is your resume,” Hvez-
da said. “So, it is important to
make a good impression.”
Any student, freshman through
senior, can visit the Career Ser-
vices Office to start a resume by
picking up a resume instruction
sheet in the Career Service Office
located in Main 204.
“One of the unique things
about our office is that a student
can bring back the construction
sheet and we will assemble it
for them free of charge,” said
Hvezda.
Once the office has assembled
your resume data, they will either
download the resume onto a disk
or email the resume to the stu-
dent to enable better access to it.
“The way the economy is right
now, we want to make sure Mer-
cyhurst students are prepared for
it,” Hvezda said.
So, what advice does Hevzda
give students? He says one of
the first suggestions he makes to
students is to try to maintain at
least a 3.0 GPA if possible.
One excellent way to build up
a resume is by getting involved
in a variety of activities and by
March 7.
Budget request forms, usu-
ally issued
to budget
directors
in March,
must now
be com-
pleted and
retur ned
b y Fe b.
14. Bud-
get and
salary rec-
o m m e n - Dr. McQuillen
dations must be approved by
President Dr. William P. Garvey
prior to submission to Billing-
sley.
The completed preliminary
budget will be presented to the
Board of Trustees in May or June
ing for the past two weeks, unbe-
knownst to the student body. Bill
Shannon, in charge of WMCE,
Mercyhurst’s classical radio sta-
tion, recently purchased a trans-
mitter and has set up an antenna
and studio with a five-disc CD
changer for the new station.
The station is located in the
WMCE offices, across from the
Student Union. The station’s
signal is fairly weak and doesn’t
extend much farther than a few
blocks past campus. However,
this is all the power the station
needs. As Shannon stated, “It’s
for the students.”
The station will be run by a yet-
You may learn something
that will help you or a friend
or roommate in the future.
The screenings and information
sessions are being held Feb. 4 at
the Mercyhurst College Counsel-
ing Center from 10 a.m. until
3 p.m.
The Center is located at 4118
Briggs Ave in the Cohen Student
Health/Counseling building just
north of the campus bookstore.
Contact the Counseling Center at
824-2431 for more information.
Active Minds on Campus is a
student-run mental health aware-
ness, education and advocacy
organization designed for the
college campus.
The group’s mission is to uti-
lize peer outreach to: increase
students’ awareness of mental
health issues, provide informa-
tion and resources regarding
mental health and mental illness,
encourage students to seek help
as soon as it is needed and serve
as liaison between students and
THE MERCIAD
holding leadership positions.
Volunteer work is yet another
extra bonus that employers will
notice.
Hvezda also said he recom-
mends students get as much
practical experience as possible.
Internships are just one of the
many ways students can gain ex-
perience as they encourage them
to apply what they learned in the
classroom to the real world.
Junior year is the best time
for students to consider intern-
ships.
By working an internship, ju-
niors can experience and confirm
career choices before having to
finalize it during their senior
year.
Whether an internship is a re-
quirement for your major or not,
employers will only look at an
internship as an additional ben-
efit and are, therefore, strongly
recommended to everyone.
To take part in Mercyhurst’s
Internship Program for credit,
students must at least be coming
out of their sophomore year.
After filling out the necessary
paperwork, a student must get the
approval of their academic advi-
sor before the process continues.
If selected, a 45-minute dress-up
interview will take place.
To receive three credits from
for official approval. Numbers
cannot be finalized until actual
student enrollment is determined
in early fall, making more reliable
revenue predictions possible.
Preliminary budget projections
are used from the fiscal new year
of July 1 until the budget is final-
ized in October.
Budget proposals are limited
by strict guidelines which aim to
keep expenses in check. Each
report must include comparative
data, broken down by line item,
for the past two years.
Directors must also include a
breakdown of their portion of
the budget, along with an analy-
sis of their ability to perform
within it.
Total budget increases are
limited to four percent. Billing-
to-be-formed Radio Club. The
club will draw its members from
the general student population.
The new station is not restricted
to Communication majors, al-
though Shannon noted that his
Sports Broadcasting class has
been using it, and will continue
to do so.
The station will add some
color and culture to life at Mer-
cyhurst. Even the sports broad-
casts will be something new; the
Sports Broadcasting class will
do play-by-plays for sports like
field hockey and volleyball, which
normally don’t receive much
coverage.
the mental health community
By planning campus-wide events
that promote awareness and edu-
cation, the group aims to remove
the stigma that surrounds mental
illness and create a comfortable
environment for open discus-
sion of mental health issues.
Active Minds, Inc. is the na-
tional headquarters for all Ac-
tive Minds on Campus chapters.
The headquarters is located in
Washington, DC, with chapters
on college campuses across the
country.
Each chapter is affiliated
with Active Minds, Inc., but
also obtains status as a student
organization on its campus.
Active Minds offers a solution
to this problem.
Student advocacy lessens the
demand on Counseling Centers,
and capitalizes on the role of
peers to make students aware
of their mental health and
where they can go for help,
before it reaches a tragic stage.
Career Services’ FrankRizzone advises Nicole Shelc.
the school for the internship, a
student must put in a minimum
of 200 hours over a 10-week
period. Four-hundred hours of
service will earn a student six
credits.
Hvezda also suggests that
students consider who to ask for
letters of recommendation.
sley said, “When you go out of
bounds on that you had better
be prepared to explain why.”
All new personnel, equipment
requests and significant increases
in operating expense must be
justified in writing.
Completion of the preliminary
budget by the end of February
will leave time to prepare a solid
budget for presentation in front
of the Board of Trustees. Ac-
cording to Jane Kelsey, Vice Pres-
ident of Finance and Treasurer,
“Trustees certainly take their role
in this very seriously.”
The Board’s Budget and Fi-
nance Committee is responsible
for looking over the proposed
budget and questioning the
administration to ensure that
money is being well spent.
The Communications De-
partment will supply the equip-
ment and training and will also
closely monitor the content to
ensure that FCC regulations are
enforced and followed. The sta-
tion, unlike WMCE, will not be
accessible on the Internet, unless
bandwidth is enlarged, which, as
students know, is unlikely.
The station’s format will be
designed by the Radio Club,
and Shannon noted that with
the exception of following FCC
regulations, any and all music can
be broadcasted.
“It doesn’t matter if we have
no listeners or a thousand,” said
Mental disorders are real
illnesses that are as dis-
abling and serious as cancers
and heart disease in terms on
premature death and lost pro-
ductivity.
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Letters of recommendation
are very important to employers
during hiring process.
The Career Services Office op-
erates Monday thru Friday from
8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
“It doesn’t matter if you are
an archeology, dance or business
major, a suit should be worn,”
The current budget, in use for
this school year, exceeded the
$75 million mark, indicative of
financial growth well beyond the
projections of the college’s for-
mal strategic vision. Billingsley
estimates that the budget being
drafted now will work out to be
closer to $80 million.
Major contributors to the
greater revenue necessary to
support such growth are rising
tuition combined with an ex-
panding student body.
Recent years have called for
tuition increases around six
percent.
The effect that the new budget
will have on tuition is yet to be
determined.
“We are very sensitive to tu-
ition fee increases because we
Shannon, adding, “The station is
totally for the entertainment of
the students.”
There is no timetable for the
first student broadcasts, as the
whole enterprise is driven wholly
by the interest of the students.
However, the broadcasts will be
limited to WMCE’s timetable,
which runs from 10 a.m. to 10
p.m., though Shannon noted that
if there is enough interest in the
future, Radio Club members may
be able to broadcast later in the
evening as well.
The studio also has a phone, so
a “request line” will be accessible
for students who have specific
February 2, 2005
Katie McAdams/Photo editor
said Hvezda.
Another bit of advice offered
by Hvezda is that students should
always wear a suit for any kind of
interview.
“You only get one chance to
make a good first impression.”
know that it comes right out of
your (students’) pockets,” Kelsey
said.
Billingsley expects next year to
mark the beginning of a stabiliz-
ing period in which the budget
can increase at a lesser rate than
we have seen in the past. “That’s
the beginning of leveling off,
we aren’t going to have that
rapid growth in the foreseeable
future,” he said.
According to Billingsley, the
college has, for the time being,
reached certain limits for growth,
for example the size of the cam-
pus and the number of students
that can be accommodated. “The
emphasis right now is on improv-
ing the quality of the college,”
he said.
musical cravings. The Radio Club
will offer not only a reason to
turn the radio on, but the experi-
ence of being a DJ and exposing
students to new music. AM 1570
will provide a soundtrack for life
at Mercyhurst, one created solely
by and for students.
Students interested in joining
the Radio Club should be on the
lookout for fliers announcing
details, or they can contact Bill
Shannon at x2264. Mercyhurst
students can look forward to
having their own place on the
airwaves, at least as far as the
campus, in the near future.
February 2, 2005
Do you need financial aid?
By Heather Huesdash
Contributing writer
Financial aid is becoming a
problem for Mercyhurst students
with a lack of aid, problems with
the FAFSA form and nowhere to
turn for help. The Merciad and the
Student Financial Services Office
have the answers students need.
According to James Theeuwes,
the Director of Student Financial
Services, FAFSA forms must be
refiled each year by the March
15 deadline or students will lose
their aid.
Filing these forms online can
be much easier, faster and the
computer does not let students
skip questions. This means it
would be difficult to miss a sec-
tion of the form.
Another plus to filing FAFSA
online, Theeuwes says, is the time
it takes to get to Mercyhurst.
When doing it over the Net it
only takes 24 to 48 hours to get
here.
However, when done by paper,
it can take three to five weeks.
When asked for advice on fill-
ing out the FAFSA, Theeuwes
said it is simple. “Make sure your
Social Security number is cor-
rect and you have as accurate as
financial information as you can,
and read the directions.”
Alstadts make new molecular lab possible
Continued from Page 1
Adovasio said new classes
might include organismic and
molecular or cellular biology.
“Students with these kinds of
interests can come here and use
a lab second to none,” Adovasio
said.
In addition to the creation
of new classes, Adovasio said
that the new lab also opens new
faculty positions. “When I began
here in 1990, there were fewer
than 20 professors. Now there
are more than 40,” said Adovasio.
“The creation of this lab is a fo-
cal point in adding to that search
for faculty.”
The lab itself is divided into
three sections: the preparatory
room, the main room (class-
room), and the clean room.
“These rooms were designed
with the intention of the forensic
science, anthropology and other
sciences in mind,” said Hyland.
The main room consists of
high-tech gadgetry including
a smart podium that is able to
accommodate a microscope or
camera for viewing on lecture
screens.
The clean room will be used
primarily for DNA studies.
“It (the clean room) has its
own systems that are properly set
up for use by the forensic science
Literary festival set for April
Continued from Page 1
Unveiling of the 2005 Lumen
The 2005 Lumen will also be
showcased on April 28.
The Lumen is a compilation
of writings submitted by Mer-
cyhurst students. The writings
that will appear in the Lumen are
chosen by an Editorial Board of
Students and Volunteers. The
writings are then judged and the
writers of the best poem and
short story will be awarded cer-
tificates along with a cash prize
of $1,000.
Global Issues: Dardery speaks at ’Hurst
Continued from Page 1
He is adamant about reducing
this clash between the two cul-
tures and specifically points out
two key components to accom-
plishing this lofty goal, education
and critical thinking.
Dardery just recently returned
to the United States from Egypt,
and will be heading back to con-
tinue his professorship in several
The most important part of the
FAFSA, states Theeuwes, is to
remember that deadline, March
15. The Pennsylvania deadline is
May 1, and if you miss that you
lose your state grant. For Ohio,
the deadline is Oct. 1, and for
New York the deadline is May
1 as well.
Theeuwes said that students are
notified three times to fill out and
send in their FAFSA. They are
notified twice by postcard and a
third time by email.
He also added that when de-
termining the amount of aid a
student gets, the expected fam-
ily contribution is looked at the
most. Mercyhurst then takes
that number and adds aid to it,
but they won’t make up for it
entirely.
Along with paying your tuition,
the FAFSA form needs to be
filled in order to pre-register for
the fall term.
Theeuwes also confirmed that
the financial aid Mercyhurst gives
students their freshman year
never increases, unless a student’s
situation changes and then he or
she are eligible for federal and
state grants. Students’ financial
aid does not drop after their
freshman year either, as it was
rumored to do.
He added, however, if a stu-
dent does not maintain his or her
Donald and Judith Alstadt cut the ribbon to formally open the new molecular research
lab in Zurn Hall.
department,” said Hyland.
The lab, built by Crowther
Construction Company of Oil
City, Pa., took about three-and-a-
half months to build, according
to Ernie Crowther, of Crowther
Construction.
“Everything in the lab is cus-
tom made from solid oak,” said
Crowther.
Both Adovasio and Hyland
feel that this new lab will help
to improve students’ academic
records. “Undergraduates can
now access the same kind of
equipment if they would be in
graduate school,” said Adovasio.
According to Dr. Kenneth
Schiff, they received more than
100 pieces of work, which is
more than ever before. This
year’s lumen will include 21 po-
ems and six short stories.
Festival Importance
When asked to comment about
the Festival, Schiff said, “It’s
wonderful for students to get
direct exposure to some of the
best writers of our time and to
have the opportunity to work
with them in a workshop set-
ting. I also think the public
weeks.
While describing the return trip
to the states, Dardery spoke of
how he was detained for three
hours due to his Middle Eastern
appearance, causing he and his
wife to miss their flight and stay
the night in the airport.
Dardery speaks persistently
about the need for Americans
to realize that Islam is not just a
religion, it is an entire culture for
grades to the academic standards
then they will lose money from
their aid. As long as they file
their FAFSA and keep up their
grades from one year to the next
they will continue to receive their
same aid.
The Mercyhurst grant is an-
other reason students may feel
they lose money after their fresh-
man year. “This grant is a sliding
grant,” said Theeuwes. “It is cut
back every year. That’s how it’s
been since it was created.”
One way students would re-
ceive more aid is if their situation
drastically changes, such as the
loss of a parent, Theeuwes said.
They can then fill out a special
circumstances form, which will
then be reviewed by the Student
Financial Services.
Theeuwes also recommended
that students should access
the endowed scholarships and
awards located on the Office of
Institutional Advancement page
found through Lakernet. There
are many scholarships available
to students; however, they are
very limited and have several
restrictions.
Theeuwes continued to say
that besides scholarships, there
are several other ways students
can get help. Both the RA and
Ambassador’s positions offer
help to a student. Becoming an
“Most undergraduates do not
have experience in labs like this
and with this kind of experience,
it will make finding a job a lot
easier.”
Hyland agrees, “The lab will
benefit students with new oppor-
tunities to gain a much broader
and richer program in biology.”
“It will do nothing but advance
Mercyhurst and attract more
students to the sciences.”
Adovasio feels that the lab will
advance Mercyhurst into a new
realm of science. “A lab like this
becomes a centerpiece for pro-
vided disciplines and becomes
acknowledgement for students’
creative work is a very important
part of their development and it
contributes to the creative and
intellectual part of the college.”
Schiff also added that the Lit-
erary Festival has made major
improvements since last year.
The improvement stems from
the fact that they were granted
more money to put on this year’s
festival.
“The Literary Festival is funded
by a grant from the office of
the President. This year we’re
better funded so we could bring
those who practice it.
“To take a Muslim out of
Islam is like to take a fish out of
water Islam includes everything,
even giving my wife a bouquet
of flowers is a form of worship,”
he said.
Dardery’s primary hope and
goal through his public speak-
ing and teaching is for students
to work toward creating a new
paradigm, enabling students to
THE MERCIAD
To contact: newsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
RA will get a student’s room and
board taken care of, while the
Ambassador program will get a
student another scholarship.
A few students are having hard
times attending Mercyhurst due
to financial issues. Theeuwes
said, “Communicate with your
parents, because when a student
makes the decision to come here
it’s a four-year plan, and they
should think it out.”
“Most students have problems
when they drop a class, drop and
then retake a class, or overload,”
says Theeuwes.
He also added that students
do not consider what dropping
and retaking a class really means.
First they pay to drop the class,
and then they pay to take it again.
If a student were doing poorly
in class, it would be financially
better to accept the grade than
to simply drop the class.
Theeuwes added that overload-
ing can do a student financial
harm as well. The cost of the tu-
ition is based on 30 credit hours.
If a student overloads and has 33
credit hours, the cost goes up.
According to Theeuwes, the
best advice for a Mercyhurst stu-
dent would be to keep the grades
up, always be on the lookout for
more scholarships and be careful
when dropping or overloading
classes.
Katie McAdams/Photo editor
an access point in moving the
school to the next level,” he said.
“It will improve the school of
science to the same level as our
highly recognized programs in
Intelligence and Archaeology.”
To make all of this possible,
during the Alden Science Chal-
lenge, 327 donors contributed
more than $332,000 in eight
months. That money paid for the
new lab and other science proj-
ects and improvements in the
Zurn School of Natural Sciences
and Mathematics. To match what
was raised, the George I. Alden
Trust added another $100,000.
in three speakers instead of just
two. We’re very thankful that
Dr. Garvey has given us this op-
portunity,” said Schiff.
Schiff also mentioned that last
year was the first year that they
were able to have the Lumen
available in hard copy as well
as CD-Rom. He feels that this
year’s CD version of the Lumen
will be of higher quality thanks
Jodi Staniunas-Hopper and the
Graphic Design department.
Attendance at this year’s festi-
val is expected to be an all time
high.
be able to connect to one another
across the world and not have
such a strong barrier of language
and culture.
The Global Issues Forum
brings the students and the com-
munity to experience first hand
the opinions from the interna-
tional front, allowing students
one-on-one speaking time as well
as the free lectures.
Students relax in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Spring Break
How will you spend your time off?
By Jaime Myers
Contributing writer
Most students probably see
sun, beaches and bathing suits
when they think of spring
break. But that is not what all
Mercyhurst students are think-
ing about for their upcoming
break.
Winter term seems to drag
on and on. The snow does
not stop piling up. And most
of our friends were still home
on break when we were hitting
the books.
Of course, Erie or the sur-
rounding areas will not bring
sun either. This spring break,
students will travel all across
the country for this long-
awaited break.
Campus Ministry is provid-
ing a number of alternative
spring break opportunities.
Many students are giving their
free time to serve others.
Twenty-eight students along
with the new campus minister,
Paul Macosko, are traveling
to Dade City, Fla. to partici-
pate in Habitat for Humanity
projects.
Habitat for Humanity is an
organization that helps lower
income families build a place
they can call home.
Volunteers along with the
eventual homeowners take the
time to build or rehabilitate
homes.
Macosko, a graduate of
Mercyhurst 2003, was named
campus minister this past No-
vember. He graduated with
a degree in Hotel, Restaurant
and Institutional Management
and chose a different path for
his life.
“It’s all hospitality, that’s how
I look at it,” said Macosko. He
is busy planning this trip that is
less than one month away.
The students, who are most-
ly freshmen and sophomores,
plan on taking Mercyhurst
vans on their trip down the
eastern coast.
They are busy collecting soda
cans everyday around campus
to raise money for their trip.
Macosko was happy with
the young turnout of students.
“Hopefully they will want to
stick around for a couple more
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years,” he said.
Four other Mercyhurst stu-
dents have service in their
mind but are taking another
route.
Ashley Gabriel, Stephanie
Prohaska, Regina Scagnelli and
Jessica Zajac are traveling to
Camden, N.J. to participate in
the Urban Challenge.
Graduate student, Jen Rusak
is working with the Romero
Center in New Jersey to deal
with a number of topics that
they can be of service to. Ru-
sak is the AmeriCorps VISTA
representative at Mercyhurst.
The students will be volun-
teering in Camden as well as
in Philadelphia. They will be
working alone and in groups.
At night they will share their
experiences and reflect on
the day.
For each of the seven days,
the students will pick a dif-
ferent topic like education,
hunger, homelessness or HIV
awareness, and they will go out
to different places to deal with
these topics.
Every spring break, Campus
Ministry offers many experi-
ences like these. Students can
become involved in a number
of different ways.
Other students will be trav-
eling to a Navajo Indian Res-
ervation in Arizona and others
will participate in the Border
Experience.
A number of education
majors do not even have a
spring break.
After winter term ends, stu-
dent teaching begins. Each
student has to complete 12
weeks of student teaching.
Therefore, they start before
the rest of us and finish after
the term ends.
And of course there are
students going home to relax,
to eat home cooking and make
some money to last for the rest
of the year.
Some will also travel to see
their significant others and
others, will travel to see their
friends at different colleges.
Either way, students will be
traveling all over the country
spending money, getting a tan,
helping out the less fortunate
or just hanging out.
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PAGE 4 THE MERCIAD February 2, 2005

FEATURES To contact: featuremerciad@mercyhurst.edu

There is rock climbing in the winter?

Group of students took a trip last weekend to Cleveland to scale the walls
By Jody Mello
Contributing writer
For those with an adventurous
spirit, SPAN Club is the solution
to Erie boredom.
Do you know what SPAN
Club stands for? Students for
the Protection and Appreciation
of Nature.
What does that mean? It means
we love the great outdoors. We
do a trip every month and every-
one is welcome to come along.
Here’s an update of our latest
adventure.
This past weekend we drove to
Cleveland Rock Gym and for $14
and had a blast climbing, scaling
and rappelling down the indoor
rock walls.
There were varying degrees
of difficulty on each wall, this
depended on the placement of
where to grip was or the angle
of the wall.
There were free climb walls and
there were walls that you needed
a harness, but all of it was chal-
lenging.
When we first arrived, we all
looked at the building with a
bit of confusion, since most of
us hadn’t been there before, we
weren’t expecting it to be located
in an industrial area.
From the parking lot the build-
ing looked shabby and there was
a tiny sign for us to follow. But
once we had gone inside we
found the gym to be rather large
with all of the walls covered with
rock climbing handles.
We all received our special
shoes, but everyone noticed how
small they felt.
“That’s the point,” said the man
behind the counter. “You want
them to feel small so you have
the ability to climb without your
shoes getting in the way.”
So we put them on and figured
that they could do the job.
We spread out and some went
automatically to the free climb
wall, and others sat looking at
the different colored “handles”
or “knobs,” as we inexperienced
climbers called them.
The free climb wall meant that
you did not need to be attached
to anything, which also means
you have the ability to fall.
There were large, soft cush-
ions to catch us when we did
fall. Each of us eventually got
to the point where we had to
fall because we couldn’t grip any
longer or we lacked good options
for foot placement.
With the free climb wall the
objective was to move more
horizontally across the different
angled wall. The different angles
made it extremely difficult be-
cause at times you couldn’t see
around the corner.
In that case you had to have a
spotter tell you where to put your
hands and feet.
The walls were at different
angles, so sometimes gravity
would take its toll.
There were also other walls
called belaying walls. They
reached all the way to the ceiling
of the gym.
On these walls we had to be
strapped in and could climb to
the top with ease.
On the way down we just sat
back with our feet straight out
against the wall and were lowered
to the ground.
The rappelling action was a
bit scary at first because the
person belaying was in charge
of the ropes, not the person
rappelling.
This took a little bit of getting
used to.
There was a 12-year-old girl
that had been going to the rock
climbing gym for two years be-
cause her dad used to be a rock
climber and had gotten her into
the sport.
The wall she concentrated
on was a vertical climb then a
horizontal one, or what ended up
being a hanging climb, followed
by another vertical climb.
She was so quick in pulling
herself up the wall we all had
to stop and watch. After three
of four times on that particular
wall she switched over to some
free climbing.
After watching her climbs, I
decided that if she could do it,
then I could do it.
For those of us that went, it
was a great time. Afterwards
many people asked, “What’s
next?”
We are planning a weekend
snowshoeing trip next month,
and then some outdoor hikes
in March.
At the end of April we are
planning a weekend white-water
rafting trip in West Virginia.
In early May we might do some
kayaking if it is warm enough.
Otherwise we will probably do
some more hiking.
If you are interested, look Jody Mello/ Contributing photographer
for our meeting fliers or email Senior Jill Rutledge takes her time on a rock wall at the
jmello88@mercyhurst.edu or Cleveland Rock Gym last weekend.

What will you be doing after graduation? Consider VISTA

By Jennifer Kram
Contributing writer
It’s less than four months to
graduation: What are you going
to do after your journey through
Mercyworld ends?
Last year at this time, I was
faced with the same question-
what exactly HAD my four
years of college prepared me to
three-month internship?
Winter term came and went,
and suddenly I found myself three
weeks from graduation,without a
job and faced with the prospect
of having to move back in with
my parents.
A friend of mine had seen a
poster for a job in Union City,
Pa. to fight teen pregnancy and
told me I should stop into Sr.
Michelle’s office and talk to some
“
“Adventurers wanted!”
Looking for a job unlike any
other? Still unsure what to do
with the rest of your life? Do
you really like Ramen?
Then we’ve got a job for you!
Join AmeriCorps VISTA for a
year and give back to your com-
munity!”
Even that barely describes what
the last year has been for me.
I have spent the last seven
school and business leaders,
For one writing grant proposals, leading
groups of adults and youth and
year, you live chaperoning kids at a national
and work in a conference.
All of that is only a glimpse of
community faced everything I do, and my job is
only one of thousands of Ameri-
with poverty and Corps VISTA projects across the
United States.
other hardships For one year, you live and work
and try to make in a community faced with pov-
I work with wonderful people
and I’ve met others like me who
are trying to make a difference in
their communities.
We can’t all find our dream job
right out of college, but some-
times you get lucky and get to do
something really rewarding while
you’re looking.
If you would like more infor-
mation on the AmeriCorps VIS-
TA programs currently running

do (besides live off of Ramen
noodles and caffeine)?
How was I going to find a job
in the human service field with-
out any more experience than a
guy named “VISTA.”
Nearly a year later, I look back
and laugh at how inaccurate that
job description was.
It should have read:
months doing things I never
thought I would do.
Things such as helping design
a skate park, trying to start
youth programs, meeting with
”
erty and other hardships and try
a difference. to make a difference.
This has been one of the most
- Jennifer Kram difficult and yet rewarding expe-
riences of my life.
in the Erie area, please contact Sr.
Michelle in the Service Learning
office or email Jennifer Kram
in Union City at JRK23@PSU.
edu.

Local baker enjoys spicing up

Groundhog’s Day with fun cookies LakerWinter Term I n n
By Courtney Nicholas
Contributing writer
Galley Grill OLD FAVORITES:
Chicken Fingers
“I will gladly share the recipe NEW ITEMS: Sizzling Salad
with anyone,” Katy Leisering said Ruby’s Famous Pizza
about her groundhog cookies. Tropical Island Oasis
Leisering started sending Grilled Chicken Sandwich
groundhog cookies to school
Fruit Smoothies
with her children and people’s Strawberry
Hours of Operation:
sweet tooth for them escalated. Banana
“There are still people that Monday-Friday 8:00a.m.-1:00a.m.
Piña Colada
went to school with my son who I Saturday 1:00p.m.-1:00a.m.
give groundhog cookies to every Potato Skins
Sunday 5:00p.m.-1:00a.m.
year. People start asking me right French Toast
after Christmas if I have started
my baking yet,” she said.
1/2 lb. Galley Burger
The groundhog cookies are a
type of spice cookie that Leiser-
ing’s family and friends enjoy.
OLD FAVORITES:
Leisering grew up in Punx-
sutawney, which is the home of Laker Express Peanut Butter & Jelly
Punxsutawney Phil, the famous Turkey Bagels
Groundhog’s Day rodent. NEW ITEMS:Meals in a Minute
Every Feb. 2 there is a Ground- Macaroni and Cheese Chief Salad
hog Banquet where groundhog Stuffed Shells Ham and Turkey Subs
cookies are served with vanilla Chocolate Chip Cookies
ice cream. Katie McAdams/ Photo editor
Chicken Parm
Chocolate is drizzled on top of Katy Leisering’s labor of love is baking from 1,200 to 1,500 Penne Pasta w/ Alfredo Sauce Hours of Operation:
the ice cream to make it look like groundhog cookies every year for friends and family.
a shadow. Monday-Thursday 11:30-8:00 p.m.
Leisering first started baking in cakes, different types of cook- Garvey, Thomas Billingsley, the Friday 11:30-3:30 p.m.
her high school home econom- ies, apple cinnamon puffs and employees at the bookstore, the Board Equivalency Available: Saturday & Sunday Closed
ics class. pumpkin pies. ladies he eats lunch with and his 11:30-8:00p.m.
“I remember in high school our “My daughter helps me bake work-studies.
group had to make hot chocolate when she can. My only grand- Katy Leisering comes to the
from scratch. We mistakenly put child is three years old, but I hope sporting events at Mercyhurst
salt in instead of sugar. It tasted in the future that she will help me and brings cookies for the press FEATURES:
Subconnection
really terrible. To this day I have in the kitchen.” boxes at hockey and basketball
not had any problems while bak- Leisering has never thought games. Ham & Cheese
ing, everything turns out well,” of taking her baking to the next She still takes cookies to the Chicken Salad
said Leisering. level. “I’ve never really thought teachers at Sacred Heart and SATURDAY SPECIAL: Fajita Chicken
Baking runs in Leisering’s fam- about it, although some people Perry School, where her children
ily. Her grandfather was a good have suggested that I make my went to school. Any foot long Sub just $3.25 Hours of Operation:
baker and her mother had a talent cookies and sell them,” she said. “What started as a small project
for making desserts. Leisering’s husband is the Di- has now grown to where I am
cash and campus card only! Monday-Friday 11:30-9:00 p.m.
“I really enjoy being in the rector of Sports Information at baking between 1,200 and 1,500 add $1.00 for a combo! Saturday 1:00-9:00 p.m.
kitchen baking different things Mercyhurst. cookies every year. They are not Sunday 5:00-9:00 p.m.
for my family and friends,” Lei- Every year he brings ground- my favorite cookie, ironically,
sering said. hog cookies to colleagues in but everyone else seems to enjoy
Leisering enjoys making coffee his department, Dr. William them, which makes me happy.”
February 2, 2005
Kick those winter blues Way to go!
These students settle in for a snuggly night of movies. It’s a great idea to de-stress this weekend. That way, you
will be relaxed and ready to study for and take your finals.
By Summer Saraciniello
Contributing writer
Calling all stressed Mercyhurst
girls!
Feeling the winter blues? Tests
stressing you out? Boys being
confusing? How about an all
girl de-stressing plan? A night
during the week, with just the
girls.
Girl nights can involve any-
thing, so just use your imagina-
tion. But in case you need some
help getting started, here is a
short guide line to planning a
girl shin-dig!
Have a pamper night! ~ Be
girly! Do manicures and pedi-
cures, face masks and nail paint-
ing, put on some cute PJ’s, and
for comfort food remember
the five C’s:
� Chocolate (Anything)
� Chips
� Cake
� Chinese food
� Cookies
Have a 8os night! (my per-
sonal favorite)
Dress in crazy 80s clothes,
put massive amounts of hair-
Had enough of this place?
By Melissa Brandt
Contributing writer
If Mother Nature has ag-
gravated you enough for one
season, take a break from the
monotony and check out these
destinations.
For a money-saving outing,
every Wednesday the Erie Art
Museum is free to all visitors.
The cost is normally $2 for a
student.
Upcoming exhibits include
Mexican art at the turn of last
century, abstract and modern
art, and a new animation exhibit
opening on the fifth of Febru-
ary.
If art isn’t your interest, Pr-
esque Isle offers different cross
country skiing adventures on
weekends.
Rentals are available at shelter
one on Beach Seven.
When night falls, Splash La-
goon is open until nine except
for Tuesdays and Wednesdays in
the off season.
There is also the option of
Laser Tag, which is $10/person
for a half hour. It is located inside
of Splash Lagoon for those who
wish to stay dry.
If you need to get out of Erie,
one option could be to drive to
Pittsburgh.
In the ‘Burgh, the Carnegie
Science Center offers exhibits
ranging from the Earthquake
Café to Laser shows.
Admission of $10 with a school
ID and also pays for parking and
explorations at UPMC Sports
Works.
You can experience an array
of virtual sport activities includ-
ing: hang gliding over the Grand
Canyon, shooting hockey pucks
at a “virtual goalie,” and design-
spray into your hair, put on eye
shadow up to your eyebrows in
bright colors (like hot pink or
neon) and put on your favorite
80s music such as:
� Michael Jackson (“Thrill-
er”, “Beat It”….)
� Pat Benatar
� Madonna
� Cyndi Lauper (How could
any girl go wrong with the fa-
vorite girl anthem - “Girls Just
Wanna Have Fun!”)
Or an 80s movie night!
� “Say Anything”
� “Sixteen Candles”
� “The Breakfast Club”
� “Pretty in Pink”
� “Footloose”
� “Flashdance”
� “13 Going on 30” (Ok, ok
it wasn’t made in the 80s but it’s
sort of about the 80s and they
dance to “Thriller” in it, so it
totally counts!)
Have a romantic movie night!
Even though everyone I asked
seemed to have different opin-
ions of their favorite romance,
the movie that came up the
most was, drum roll please...
“The Wedding Singer”
�
ing your own roller coaster that
you can ride on.
They also have a 25-foot climb-
ing wall, and if you’re brave you
could ride a unicycle 15 feet in
the air! They are open until 5 p.m.
Friday through Sunday, and from
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Pittsburgh also offers four
major downtown department
stores, city malls and several
hobby stores.
The Benedum Theater in Pitts-
burgh will be the venue for singer
Patti Lupone and the CLO The-
ater has a range of productions
usually on weekends.
Ticket prices vary for each
show. Showcasing a variety of
museums, including the Andy
Warhol, Pittsburgh is not a bad
destination for a weekend trip.
It’s roughly two and a half hours
from Erie and moderately expen-
sive, depending on your level of
being a shop-o-holic.
Ohio has a lot of interesting
places to visit also.
The Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame is a mere two hours from
Erie.
Admission is $18 with college
ID. Parking in the Great Lakes
Science Center Parking Garage
will take $2 off the total price.
To ease hunger pains, the Mu-
seum has a café that serves light
meals and refreshments, but it
does not accept credit cards.
Afterwards, visitors can go to
Tower City downtown or Coven-
try Road on the east side, verifi-
able Meccas for shoppers.
There are several concert ven-
ues including the Agora, the
Grog Shop, the Odeon and
Gund Arena. Upcoming shows
are listed here: http://www.
pluggedincleveland.com/con-
certs/.
If interested in staying over-
How could cute Robbie Hart
go wrong? And it’s another 80s
movie.
Other suggestions for ro-
mance movies are as followed
� “Love Actually”
� “A Walk to Remember”
� “How to Lose a Guy in
Ten Days”
� “Sense and Sensibility”
� “The Sweetest Thing”
� “Moulin Rouge”
� “10 Things I Hate About
You”
Romance not your thing?
Don’t feel like being girly? How
about hours of comedy?
Get your friends together, veg
out on the couch with plenty
of pillows and blankets and
rent your favorite funny bone
ticklers.
Everyone needs to take some
time to laugh, so here are some
blockbusters that that will have
your eyes tearing and stomach
cramping! (All pleasant feelings
I assure you.)
� “Bruce Almighty” or any
Jim Carrey movies
“Billy Madison” or any
�
Adam Sandler movies
All it takes is a few friends and 20 dollars and you could be
on the road for the weekend. Pack up and go!
night, an assortment of hotels
are located near the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame, but the price
range is over $100.
As the drive is reasonable, the
best option may be to drive back
to Erie.
Finally, if leaving the state isn’t
enough, you can always leave the
country.
The Niagara Falls area in Cana-
da has a plethora of casinos and
museums worth checking out.
The original big casino, Casino
Niagara, offers an impressive ar-
ray of games and the contribut-
ing atmosphere.
If you’ve never gambled be-
fore, the Casino’s homepage
offers helpful tips for beginners.
Check it out at http://discover-
niagara.com/casino/main/.
Not into gambling? The Ni-
THE MERCIAD
To contact: featuremerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Katie McAdams/ Photo editor
� “Dodgeball”
� “Austin Powers” (one and
two)
� “Wayne’s World”
� “Sorority Boys”
� Mel Brooks movies (my
personal favorites: “Robin
Hood: Men in Tights”, “Space-
balls,” “Blazing Saddles”, “The
Producers” or “Young Fran-
kenstein.”
� “American Pie(s)”
� “Monty Python and The
Holy Grail”
Romance, comedy, 80s, or just
being a little crazy for a night
can be all you need to let off
some steam.
If all else fails you could al-
ways put on some classic Aretha
Franklin and rock out.
Lip syncing R-E-S-P-E-C-T
is probably the coolest song to
sing with your chicas.
At least, in all my all girl insan-
ity moments, I have found that
Aretha is my girl and never lets
my friends or me down.
So stay in this weekend and
sing, munch or just loaf around
for the night -- you’ll feel the
stress melt away.
Katie McAdams/ Photo editor
agara area also offers Haunted
houses, Fun houses, Ripley’s
Believe It or Not, Wax museums
with visages from Al Capone to
Jeffrey Dahmer and an excess of
places to eat.
Admissions for each attraction
vary, but they all center around
$15.
A good idea would be to have
four people in all, because it
is more cost effecient when it
comes to the hotel.
Another important thing to re-
member when traveling roughly
two hours to Canada is to bring
your birth certificate. A passport
is not necessary.
So pack up your roommates
and put some gas in the car, be-
cause traveling might be just what
you need this weekend.
FEATURES
Graduate continues college’s morals
By Jen Helbig
Features editor
Christopher Knestrick, a 2004
graduate of Mercyhurst, has
made service to others a priority
in his life.
“Chris spent the summer work-
ing with the Los Angeles Catho-
lic Worker Community,” Sr. Geri
Rosinski said.
“There he helped to serve
1,000 meals to people daily.”
Rosinski said that when Knes-
trick returned to Ohio, he con-
nected with the Cleveland Catho-
lic Worker Community.
Knestrick wrote an article,
“Learning to be a Servant,” that
was in the Autumn of 2004
edition of “Inherit the Earth,”
which is a publication of the
Catholic Worker Community of
Cleveland.
In his article, Knestrick de-
scribes how his experiences in
service to the poor has made
hiim more strongly committed
to those who are needy.
“In the past, my work at soup
kitchens and hunger shelters has
allowed me to feel that I have
done my part for society and
fulfilled my Christian obligation,”
Knestrick wrote. “However, as
I continue to grow in faith and
Do not let your diet
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Knight Ridder Newspapers
Super Bowl Sunday is ap-
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If you’re throwing the party,
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snack without guilt:
Go with baked chips instead of
fried. You’ll save 40 calories and
7 grams of fat per ounce.
Substitute bean dip for sour
cream dip. The bean dip has only
46 calories per serving. Another
option: salsa, which has few
calories and fat but offers a lot
of flavor.
Use a packet of dried dip mix
to make your own low-fat ver-
sion. Add 1/2 cup of nonfat sour
cream, 1/2 cup of nonfat may-
onnaise, 3/4 cup of diced fresh
tomatoes, 1/4 cup of chopped
green onion and 1/4 cup of
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PAGE 5
experience, I am coming to a
deeper understanding of the
Gospels.”
Last May, Chris received the
“Sister Carolyn Hermann Service
Award. This award is very pres-
tigious, and it is only awarded to
graduating seniors.
“Clearly, Chris is continuing
to serve those who are poor
and in need,” Rosinski said. “He
continues to live the works of
Mercy that this college holds up
as its mission.”
“Through the Gospels, I have
realized that being a servant of
Jesus means being a servant of
the poor,” Knestrick wrote.
“My experiences taught me that
this is often a difficult task,” he
continued. “We must be prepared
to give our time and ourselves
with a willingness to suffer on
behalf of the poor”
“The more times I meet the
people of the soup lines, begin
to learn their names, and come to
share in their struggles, the more
things change in me,” Knestrick
wrote.
“It is wonderful to see that
Knestrick has not changed from
being the committed and faithful
servant he was when he attended
Mercyhurst,” Rosinski said.
drained. Mix and refrigerate for
a half-hour before serving.
Instead of nuts or microwave
popcorn, serve air-popped pop-
corn. Spray it with butter-fla-
vored cooking spray and sprinkle
it with a dehydrated powdered
butter product. This has only
60 calories for three cups, only a
trace of fat and about 10 grams
of sodium.
Instead of fried finger foods,
skewer some baked or grilled
chicken. The skewers make for
easy eating, and the chicken has
only 52 calories, 4 grams of fat
and 24 milligrams of sodium
Use whole wheat hero rolls as
the foundation for a healthy sub.
Add some turkey breast, lean
roast beef or ham, lettuce, toma-
toes, pickles and onions. Serve in
sliced 2-inch portions.
Want some hamburgers and
hot dogs? Try those made from
lean ground turkey. Serve low-fat
mayonnaise and naturally low-
calorie ketchup and mustard on
the side.
With these little changes, you-
will not look like a football when
the game is over.
LOCATION
Main Floor
Hammermill Library
PAGE 6 THE MERCIAD February 2, 2005

OPINION To contact: opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

On the hill and out of touch

By Josh West
Contributing writer
The Board of Trustees is out of touch with the
student body.
Deans and presidents and directors shuffle
about Old Main making decisions that will affect
a campus full of people who seldom have any idea
of what is about to hit them. If the recent years
have accomplished anything, they have revealed
students frustrated with their estrangement from
the decision makers.
But specific wrongdoings and oversights aside, it
isn’t the decision makers that fall short week after
week. You might ask about estranged students. Or
you might ask, “What students?”
Mercyhurst College is not made up of distinct or
even interested voices.
We are a collective sigh. We are a shrug of the
shoulders.
We are complainers and cynics, though strictly in
only the most passive of ways.
Our views have never been nailed to the door of
Old Main. They are passed around classrooms and
forgotten over the weekend.
The faculty, without putting their necks too far
out, are often supportive of such dissent among
students. But how often does classroom outrage
ever grow into anything more than a means to make
a martyr out of innocent class time?
It takes so little to get a rise and so much to get
a response.
There are so many willing to complain and so
few willing to do anything.
We pass our on-campus political obligations on
to Student Government, leaving them to represent
a body of students that can’t be bothered to rep-
resent themselves.
Mercyhurst is embodied not in the spirit of its
students, but in the ambitions of the Board of
Trustees.
The Board has its own agenda and appears to
make it a negligible priority to concern themselves
with a student body that is uninformed, unmoti-
vated and largely silent.
And why should they? We rightfully expect to be
acknowledged and accommodated as the lifeblood
of this college community and the reason that this
place exists.
But, beyond the virtue of being the all impor-
tant student body, we have done nothing to make
ourselves stand out as any sort of entity with a
purpose.
Spirit, debate, outrage, activism, passion: all
hallmarks of the college scene at its best, and all
painfully lacking around here.
We need to take ownership of our own school.
That doesn’t (necessarily) mean picketing board
meetings and debating school politics. We need
to start out by becoming a student body that is a
volatile, breathing animal—excited and alive.
Art, music and literature were each born to feed
such a beast.
There are people on this campus who are about
something. They are writers, musicians and genuine
intellectuals. As a student body, we have marginal-
ized people like this.
What is worse is that they have also marginalized
themselves.
Mercyhurst has cultivated a climate where it isn’t
cool to be passionate. School spirit is for football
games and artistic expression is for paint splattered
hermits that stalk the east end of Zurn.
Reality television celebrities and touring come-
dians will pack the Union to capacity while some
of the best of our own talent performs for a small
but loyal group of fans in a remote basement near
Value City, off campus.
Our best work is outsourced to academic con-
ferences far away and we act as if we are satisfied
in letting our music scene come exclusively from
D’Angelo.
There are a few people out there, active and
alive.
It isn’t exactly as if we owe them anything, but we
do owe it to ourselves to support campus culture
when it attempts to take a foothold in any form.
We need to support each other. We need to be
fans and we need to be critics. We need to show
up.
We need to get upset, riled up and ticked off.
The campus is on autopilot and there are days
when it seems like it is all that we can do to go
get our ticket stub so that we can secure our extra
credit.
Life and college are both too short to spend them
on autopilot.
The students need a voice. The Merciad needs
writers. And the Freedom Zone needs a prayer.
We need to get over the apathy, intimidation and
procrastination that keep us talking only out of the
sides of our mouths.
Sometimes all we need is a little push.
A letter to the editor can be the beginning of
something beautiful.

What women want Letter to the editor:

Trying to figure out females isn’t an easy task
Dear Madam Malarky,
Why does it appear that this campus has many … let’s
just say loose women. Yet, somehow I cannot find one. Any
suggestions?
From,
Unlucky Fellow
My dear unlucky fellow, what has come into
your fogged mind is that women simply have two
extremes when it comes to gentlemen such as
yourself.
One type
women go for
is one that re-
quires no stan-
dards to be met. Madam
A male can be Malarky
greasy haired,
wearing holes
in their jeans in
order to strut
their boxers and have nothing to offer other than
themselves.
The other extreme is that the standards are far
too high.
Certain qualifications from these type of women
include: being well dressed with touchable soft
clothing, not wearing too much cologne, wear-
ing hole-less jeans (ultra rare around here), hav-
ing neatly groomed hair, but yet not to stiff to
play with, being intelligent (another rarity), being
confident but not full of themselves, having ties
to money also doesn’t hurt, and lastly not have a
single track mind. Those are the top credentials
that jump to my mind.
With the two extremes defined, perhaps women
in general need some more explanation.
Women, as previously stated in some articles
from the past, can be needy, clingy, generally inse-
cure, money-wasting creatures that require almost
the same amount of attention that a newborn
requires.
It’s a wonder why males are attracted to females
at all with this very basic description. So ladies,
CVS leaves customer feeling unappreciated
consider yourselves lucky if you have a boyfriend
who provides your every need.
It is a common belief that women are not as su-
perficial as guys are. Unfair as it may be, it’s the way
the world works. Only a Jennifer Aniston type could
get a Brad Pitt, then break up with them without
consequence. Painful to realize, isn’t it?
Now to find a woman that lacks any specifications.
Simply asking another male how they managed to
hook up with a woman is just far too easy.
My suggestion is to observe a lady or a group
of ladies.
Remember not to be a stalker. Bury your head
in your unopened English textbook if she glances
in your direction. Use the classic “befriend one of
her friends to get close to her” scheme.
Be as sly as possible. Don’t stand out in the crowd.
Continue wearing your torn jeans and stain splat-
tered t-shirt. Your intentions won’t be known then,
Photo Courtesy of Katie McAdams
which is what you’re going for.
After a few days, if she seems to be the type that CVS Pharmacy, located convienently on the edge of campus, has been profiting from
goes for any male imaginable then your chances are Mercyhurst students for years. Now, its appreciation for Mercyhurst’s business is
high. Be brave, have some minuscule confidence being called into question.
and go talk to her. Genuine appropriate compli-
ments are helpful.
However, if you want to find a woman with real
class, that requires a lot of time, money and effort. For the past three years I have been purchasing items from CVS, giving them my business and
For a reminder, just look to the first paragraph. spending quite a lot of money.
Pretending to be someone you’re not is not going Recently, after a dispute over my identification, I asked to speak with the store manager. She
to last long. The veil will be pierced so to speak. came out and the problem was still unresolved.
Furthermore, the one you have strived for will It did not appear as if CVS cared for me as a customer or for my business, so I informed them
be infuriated. not to expect my business in the future.
Be careful of what you wish for. Chances are that To this the manager replied, “Go elsewhere; we don’t make anything from your school
you’re going to once again strike out. But that’s a anyway.” I asked, “Not even from your pharmacy?” and received a quick and short, “No!”
risk everyone has to take. Obviously it is clear that CVS does not appreciate business from Mercyhurst College students.
Don’t forg et to email Madam_ With their high prices and negative attitude toward us, it is a surprise to see the banner above
Malarky@hotmail.com or AIM mmalarky04 their doors welcoming Mercyhurst College students back at the beginning of each school year.
your questions. It’s impossible to be shy, that’s the This banner now stands as a symbol of contridiction.
benefit of cyberspace.
Sincerely,
Bursting bubbles one article at a time, Richard Willson
Madam Malarky

It’s about that time ... reflection on trimesters

By Amy Sterling
Contributing writer
Schedules dominate our lives, inside and outside of Mercyhurst.
In the broader sense, we’re all on the four-year schedule that takes
us in and out of Mercyworld. Within these walls, trimesters rule
the day.
Life goes by at an unbelievably fast clip here. So much so, in
fact, that it’s nearly impossible to express it to those who haven’t
experienced it firsthand. We’re stuck in a revolving door, that per-
petual cycle from midterms to finals. And that’s when things run
on schedule.
The reality is that the terms don’t always go away quietly when
they’re supposed to.
Life doesn’t function in 10-week bursts. It doesn’t allow us to con-
tinue, uninterrupted at our chosen pace when the unexpected occurs.
Even within our system incompletes happen, carrying the burden
of the last term into the next. At our best, without any surprises, 10
weeks goes by at a blinding pace.
So, things move along and that has its advantages. Trimesters work
well for some of the sports teams on campus.
Having three terms per year allows us some flexibility in managing
the core. It gives us the privilege of paying for books with three
smaller checks rather than two big ones, a bonus for those on a
budget.
Academically speaking, longer class periods allow topics to be dis-
cussed with more depth. On a less noble note, the core requirements
that we dread can be put to rest with only brief pain and suffering.
The adult students benefit, too. The nontraditionals can enjoy
taking six classes per academic year as opposed to the average four
completed at a semester school. However, adult students aren’t
the majority of the student body and while providing a unique op-
portunity for them is nice, it comes at a high price – literally – and
figuratively.
The list of pros puts up a good fight, but the cons of the trimester
system are too many for them to match. We have to ask: Does it
have to be this way? Must we function in this cesspool of stress
and anxiety?
Nope. Other schools the world over find 15 weeks to be just about
right for a term. However, this is neither the time nor the place for
comparison. This is meant as a review of trimesters on their own
merit, not in contrast to any other system. You know how it goes,
there just wasn’t time for that.
In order to function here, we must all sacrifice at the great altar
of the trimester.
For professors, this means again coming to the realization that
the term is about to end and they must choose between testing and
teaching. Subject matter is reluctantly cut out of syllabi as they resign
themselves to the system.
This isn’t to say that the fault is theirs.
Far from it, in fact.
Experienced, competent professors run into this problem on a
regular basis. With every effort towards efficiency and a course
schedule written in stone, the 10-week course still eludes them. Like
New Year’s resolutions, the best of intentions are defeated each term,
given up in favor of getting through. Ten weeks of real time never
matches 10 weeks of bullets on a timeline.
The first step is admitting and accepting.
Say it together: Ten weeks just isn’t enough time.
Students feel it as sorely as professors. Readings are skipped and
assignments are done with minimum requirements in mind. The
push to excel is stamped out by the need to see a G.P.A. that’s above
the wind-chill at the end of the term.
Professors look over mammoth stacks of papers to students stand-
ing before them asking for extensions and mercy. We are so caught
up in the perpetual flow of work that digesting the material takes
a backseat. The weeks disappear, and soon we’re all just trying to
make it through another one unscathed.
In a few short weeks, we’ll start the cycle again. Midterms will be
here before we know it, and we aren’t even finished with finals yet.
Our schedules are subject to change without notice - or maybe that’s
it, we weren’t supposed to notice that 20 minute shift.
Our term system is the subject of much debate right now. If there’s
a time to start expressing our preferences, it’s now.
Talk to each other, talk to professors, e-mail the administration.
Make it our schedule, functioning the way we want it to.
We are the customers, and as we all know, the customer is always
right. Take ownership of the situation; speak loudly enough and you
will be heard. There’s more, but this is late, and we all know the fate
of those who fall behind – the trimester shows no mercy.
February 2, 2005 THE MERCIAD PAGE 7

To contact: opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu OPINION

‘I hope we can The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
The Good

still be friends’
In relationships there are numerous times when love interest references or makes a comment about
Work has begun on repairs to the problems in the D’Angelo School of Music. The building
has been plagued with water leaks, which destroyed expensive equipment and caused an outbreak
of mold. Maintenence crews are attacking the problem, trying to repair damage and prevent
further incidents. Hopefully, progress will continue to be made quickly so students and faculty
can return to normalcy.
couples have told each other lies and half truths. his or her ex during a first date or in the early phases
These deceptions may be small or large, ranging of a relationship. The Bad
from the “No, your butt does not look fat in those Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not implying that
jeans” to larger falsehoods such as lying about what after a relationship has ended people should erase The term is entering into its final weeks. While this alone is a good thing, the work load and
you and your friends did the other night to cover their ex entirely from existence and memory. stress is far from comforting. Around this time, papers are due, tests are scheduled and projects
up infidelity. However, when you meet someone new and are near completion. The extreme amounts of pressure and stress combined with the dismal
The most frequent lie occurs, however, when you are really into this person, your thoughts are Erie weather is enough to cause insanity. The only solace we have is knowing that the end is in
couples break up. focused on them, not your ex (unless you are mak- sight. But, in order to reach the the relaxation of spring break, the obstacle of finals must first
The in- ing comparisons between the two, which is another be hurdled. Good luck to all.
evitable “we sign of a potentially significant ex-factor).
can still be
friends” is the
To detect the magnitude of the ex-factor in this
case, you need to be aware of the extent and context
The Ugly
most ridicu- Corrie in which the ex is referenced. Registering for classes can be a daunting task, especially when WebAdvisor is not functioning
lous statement Thearle If the ex is mentioned in a very quick, off-handed properly. Many students have complained that complications with WebAdvisor resulted in delayed
that couples way such as making reference to an activity that they registration time, not to mention added stress and frustration. Technology is supposed to make
tell one anoth- used to participate in together, then the significance life easier, but in situations like this it’s hard to see the benefits.
er, and what is is relatively small.
more absurd On the other hand, beware the angry tirade or bit-
is the fact that ter remarks uttered about an ex; perhaps by calling
people actually fool themselves (for a short period them not by their real name but referring to them
at least) into believing that this situation might hap- as a swear word or other derogatory title.
pen in the near future. Another scenario of this kind may include finding

Don’t give up on the U.N.:

I’m not going as far as to quote “When Harry out that this person has destroyed or gotten rid of
Met Sally” and claim that women and men cannot any remaining traces of their ex (such as removing
be friends. I’m simply claiming that when couples any and all objects that remotely remind them of

break up, the illusion that the relationship will
continue on a platonic level or revert back to the
way it was previously is completely impossible and
just plain stupid.
When a relationship ends, why is it that couples
attempt to remain “friends,” therefore making an
effort to continue the relationship? Isn’t that a
direct contradiction to the term “break up?”
The dictionary defines this term as “To discon-
tinue an association, an agreement, or a relation-
ship,” which also mean to break all communication,
contact and to generally MOVE ON.
This common lie may simply be an attempt to
soften the end of a relationship. Then again, the
common reason that people in relationships at-
tempt to maintain a friendship boils down to one
thing: the “ex-factor.”
The ex-factor is a measurement of the amount
of emotion and feeling people still retain for their
exes.
These two words carry a ton of weight in rela-
tionships and people should never underestimate
the power of this indicator or it will only cause
frustration and disillusionment.
The ex-factor depends entirely upon the context
of the relationship in question. The longer the re-
lationship, the more co-dependent the participants
(the “unofficial” extra roommate in your apartment
was the boyfriend/girlfriend of one of your room-
mates) and the amount of drama surrounding the
break up, the more substantial the ex-factor.
The size of this measurement can help determine
whether or not someone you are dating has, in fact,
moved on from their previous relationship, or is
still obsessed and unwilling to face the reality that
their ex is not coming back.
Although this may sound harsh and callous, we
all have had a friend that was hung up over an ex
and lived in a state of constant hope that someday
they would magically get back together.
At first we sympathize and commiserate with
these people, but as time goes on, what they really
need is a good slap upside the head to help them
realize that the relationship is over and to stop
wallowing in “a glass case of emotion.”
At this point in our busy lives, a prolonged
mourning period after a break-up is just a vast
waste of time.
When dating or entering into a relationship with
someone new, there are numerous indicators of the
size and magnitude of the ex-factor.
Warning bells should begin to go off if your new
this person). In this case, you need to do but one
thing: run!
Get yourself away from this person before you
get dumped on by their enormous load of personal
baggage.
This resentment and anger that your new guy
or girl still harbors for an ex signifies once again
that they still retain emotions, although negative,
about the relationship and therefore may still not
be over the ex.
A general rule of thumb in any situation where
the ex is mentioned in a new relationship: if they
are talking about the ex, they are apparently still
thinking about the ex; therefore, they may still not
be over the ex.
Be cautious, there is nothing worse than being the
rebound guy or girl or a warm body used during
the transition phase after a break up.
Save yourself the time and trouble by taking note
of an apparent ex-factor in the beginning. That
way you can get out of this dead-end situation and
leave this person to continue their doomed personal
psychological relationship with their ex and their
misguided illusions.
Now back to the subject of remaining friends
with an ex.
Let’s be realistic here, there is the remote possibility
of becoming friends, but this possibility can only
occur in the distant future.
There is this little thing called “time” that people
recognize in the real world of relationships as a vital
component that must be understood and utilized
in the aftermath of a break up.
Once again “breaking up” means spending time
away from one another, not just through physical
contact but through the phone (which means tak-
ing your ex off of speed or voice dial and ending
all “good night” ritual phone calls).
Attempting to be friends with an ex right after
a break-up, stretches the friendship barrier to its
limits by incorporating too many raw emotions into
the situation, therefore decreasing any chance of a
healthy platonic relationship.
Try to look beyond your own sphere of self-wal-
lowing pity and realize that life goes on; there are a
million other people in this world that you are not
allowing yourself to meet because you are still hung
up over your former boyfriend or girlfriend.
We’re all too young to be tied down by the ex-
factor.
A response to “UNimpressive”
from the January 12th issue
By Jason Endress
Contributing writer
While many, especially recently, have spoken of
dissolving the United Nations, or at the very least,
“getting U.S. out of the U.N.,” it’s important to
remember not only the importance of the organiza-
tion, but of the potential the United Nations has.
Mr. West’s emphasis on the U.N.’s public relations
department is somewhat accurate, however, in light
of the United States recent approach to the U.N.,
it’s not surprising. If the U.N. does not have the
support of the United States, it will fold just as
the League of Nations did. It needs to preserve
its image as a matter of survival.
Obviously, this government is a fair-weather
friend of the U.N. - if the Colin Powell picture
show had garnered the answers the administration
wanted, then yes, President Bush wouldn’t have
to keep reminding people, “You forgot Poland!”
because we’d have the U.N. behind us, as we had
in Desert Storm.
Should the U.N. have this kind of biblical sway
over world events? Seeing how it is the best repre-
sentation of the world community, yes. The United
States has a responsibility to this planet, whether
we as Americans like it or not. The planet is hope-
lessly linked as globalization ends any thought of
Fortress America isolationism. We have no other
choice but to play ball. If we purport to stand for
Democracy (yes, big D), then we should start act-
ing like it. It is to our advantage as a nation if we
play an active and involved role in the international
community.
The U.N. is by nature and necessity “Ivory Tower
politics,” because it needs to maintain objectivity in
world events. If a majority of the member nations
were, for example, all possessing the notion that
Palestinians are not entitled to a nation of their
own, the world would be in an even greater mess.
The U.N. needs to maintain its distance and work
towards the greater good; it is not and should not
be any nation’s personal stamp of approval, and it
has a right to say no.
The U.N. is certainly in dire need of reforms;
anytime the bureaucracy of an organization clouds
the original mission, as Mr. West alluded to with
the loss of UNICEF funds due to “organizational
expenses,” it’s time to reshape things.
However, to charge that the U.N. is seeking to
gain from Iraq’s oil is nothing short of ridiculous.
Even if it’s getting a “cut” (which would be sur-
prising considering their original lack of initiative),
it will be negligible compared to the deals France,
Germany and yes, the U.S. of A have already worked
out with Iraqi oil.
Obviously, the U.N. is not a utopian system of
government. If it was, the Sudan crisis would be
over and done with. But our president should not
be praised for simply bulling through democratic
processes. He is both denying the role of the inter-
national community as well as the U.S. in a situation
that affects every nation. The U.N. is a symbol that
developed and civilized nations like ours should
be beyond unilateralism. The U.S., of all nations,
should understand the benefits of collective deci-
sion making and dissent.
On the point of member nations not adhering
to parts of the U.N. charter, however, I could not
agree with Mr. West more. These countries should
not have been admitted in the first place and a sys-
tem of admittance (at least as far as humanitarian
issues go) similar to the European Union’s should
be imposed, as a first step. If the U.N. is to be the
best representation of the greatest of human ideals,
then it needs a role call that reflects that.
Given more teeth and a bureaucratic weight-loss
plan, and strict guidelines for admittance, to the
point of removing nations who refuse to uphold
basic human rights, the United Nations can be the
vehicle for an age of security and peace, taking us
out of this age of fear.
The U.N. should be held accountable for its
shortcomings, just as we hold our own government
responsible. The answer is reform, not retreat.
Even cowboys are capable of caring about the rest
of the world, and the U.S. needs to make it clear that
it’s prepared to help the U.N. out of what hopefully
constitutes merely a confused adolescence.

The
Kelly Rose Duttine
MERCIAD Editor-in-Chief editormerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Jonelle Davis News Editor newsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Jen Helbig Features Editor featuremerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Allison Moore Opinion Editor opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Ryan Palm Sports Editor sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Meghan Sullivan A&E Editor entertainmentmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Katie McAdams Photo Editor photomerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Melissa Jack Production Editor prodmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Kristen Piquette Advertising Manager admerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Sarah Dowden Copy Editor copymerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Emily Crofoot Graduate Assistant ecrofo81@mercyhurst.edu

The Merciad is the student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst College. It is

published throughout the school year, with the exception of midterms week
and finals week. Our office is in the Hirt Center, room L114. Our telephone
number is 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 the
Thursday before publication and may not be longer than 300 words. Submit
KRT letters to box PH 485.
PAGE 8
ARTS &
ENTERTAINMENT
tHe
BuZz
FEB. 2. Blake Shelton,
Keni Thomas. House of
Blues, Cleveland. On sale
now.
FEB. 4. Zo2, Hydra, Alex
Skolnic Jazz Trio. House of
Blues, Cleveland.
FEB. 5. Yanni. Mellon
Arena, Pittsburgh.
FEB. 5. Alter Bridge, Sil-
vertide, Submersed. Agora
Theatre, Cleveland.
FEB. 5. Tequila Sunrise
(with Sean Patrick Mc-
Graw). House of Blues,
Cleveland.
FEB. 8-20. Musical. “Mov-
in’ Out.” Palace Theater,
Cleveland.
FEB. 7. Soulless, Destruc-
tor, Abdullah. House of
Blues, Cleveland.
FEB. 9. Eric Bibb. A jazz
vespers concert. Christ
First United Methodist
Church, Jamestown, N.Y.
FEB. 11. Ray Lamontagne.
Beachland Ballroom, Cleve-
land.
FEB. 11. Liquid Soul.
House of Blues, Cleve-
land. On sale Jan. 15 at
Ticketmaster.
FEB. 12. Comedy. Victoria
Jackson, Mark Morrow,
plus Erie R&B band By
Popular Demand. Nick’s
Place, Edinboro. $100 per
couple. Proceeds benefit
Edinboro area fireworks
for 4th of July. Call 734-
3377. Tickets also avail-
able at Proud Printery, 112
Meadville St. and office
of Dr. James Schmitt, 108
High St., in Edinboro.
FEB. 12. Yanni. Gund
Arena, Cleveland.
FEB. 12-14. Paul Anka.
Niagara Fallsview, Niagara
Falls, Canada. On sale at
(888) 836-8118.
FEB. 12. Ingram Hill.
House of Blues, Cleve-
land.
FEB. 13. Bone Thugs-N-
Harmony, hosted by Steve
Labelle. House of Blues,
Cleveland.
FEB. 14. Josh Groban.
Gund Arena, Cleveland.
FEB. 14. Suffocation, Black
Dahlia Murder. House of
Blues, Cleveland.
FEB. 15. Letter Kills. Ode-
on, Cleveland.
F E B. 1 5 . M u d vay n e.
Mr.Smalls Theater, Pitts-
burgh.
FEB. 16. moe. House of
Blues, Cleveland.
FEB. 16. Otep, American
Headcharger. Agora Ball-
room, Cleveland.
FEB. 17. Pat Metheny
Group. Center for the Arts,
University of Buffalo, Buf-
falo.
FEB. 18. Frankie Valli and
the Four Seasons. War-
ner Theatre, Erie. $39.75,
$34.75. On sale at Tullio
Arena box office, Ticket-
master outlets, by phone
at 452-4857, and online at
www.ticketmaster.com.
Information Provided by
GoErie.com
‘The Door in the Floor’ comes to PAC
By Christina Ferranti
Contributing writer
Based on the first third of the
novel, “A Widow for One Year,”
by John Irving, this film depicts
a marriage torn apart by a tragic
accident, the confusing life of
the young daughter, the loss of
innocence, the acts of seduction,
and the overall outcome of the
lives of Marion and Ted Cole.
Set in a beach community of
East Hampton in New York,
Ted, an artist and child’s author,
hires an intern to primarily tote
him around and to psychologi-
cally speed up the process of his
separation from his wife.
The audience is shown that a
horrific car accident occurred a
few years prior to the opening
of the movie, and Marion is still
in shock and blames Ted for this
tragic accident.
In order to alleviate some of
the pain Ted and Marion have
a daughter, Ruth, who does not
know anything about her two
brothers at all other than what
her father and mother tell her
in accordance to the pictures
around the house.
Ted deliberately hires this
16-year-old boy, who resembles
one of their late sons, because
he believes that this will strike a
nerve with his introverted, still
mourning wife.
Ted’s primary objective is to
Samuel L. Jackson stars in ‘Coach Carter’
By Gary Williams
Contributing writer
“Coach Carter” is a must-see
movie.
Samuel L. Jackson is very
strong in his role as a basketball
coach in Richmond, Calif..
He plays a former all-Ameri-
can high school basketball star
named Ken Carter who has come
back to help his old high school
find its former glory.
Kayne West predicted to sweep Grammys
By Katie Goodwin
Contributing writer
Rapping sensation Kanye West
has dominated the 47th Grammy
award nominations, with 10 ap-
pearances in the 2005 shortlist
thanks to the success of his criti-
cally acclaimed multiplatinum al-
bum, “College Dropout,” which
was released in February 2004.
For years, producer Kanye re-
mained in the background of the
rap music scene until a near fatal
car accident in 2002 inspired him
to branch out in the rap scene as
a performer and tell his personal
tales accompanied by his creative
beats. Kanye’s signature style
has been credited for the recent
revitalization of rap music.
Just weeks after his accident,
and with his jaw still wired shut,
he recorded “Through the Wire,”
a personal account of the trauma
of his experience which became
a hip hop anthem last year.
Soon other hits were released
such as ““When It All Falls
Down”, “Slow Jams” and “Jesus
Walks.”
Instead of rapping about the
violence, crime, money and
misogyny that has been carrying
that genre for years, West decided
to concentrate on his truisms of
every day life unlike anyone in the
hip-hop scene has done before.
Kanye agrees that his music
can fill the voids in the hip hop/
rap world.
“My persona is that I’m the
regular person. Just think about
whatever you’ve been through
in the past week, and I have a
song about that on my album,”
said West.
West not only produces, writes
and performs his own music and
THE MERCIAD
To contact: entertainmentmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
“The Door in the Floor” will be playing at the PAC 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Feb. 9.
lure his wife into an act that will
ultimately destroy their already
shattered marriage.
Throughout the whole movie,
the daughter, Ruth, has to bear
with the fact that her parents
are extremely indifferent to-
wards each other, her mother is
emotionally unstable, and wants
more for her daughter than what
His team consists of student-
athletes who fail at being students
and are hardly decent athletes.
These players lead rough lives.
One athlete, Kenyon, is a college
prospect who has a pregnant
girlfriend, while another athelete,
Junior Battle, can hardly read
the headlines about his great
performance when the team
improves.
Another character, Timo, sells
drugs for his cousin and struggles
with whether or not he should
play for Carter due to the strict
lyrics, but also has produced
music for some of the biggest
names in the business such as
Jay Z, Twista, Ludacris and Alicia
Keys. He also presents himself as
a thoroughly well-rounded artist
with a purpose and musical vi-
sion all of his own.
“It’s like everybody is taking
that fork in the road. They don’t
see the rainbow in the middle.
And I’m about to ride that. I’m
the prism. And my music comes
out in colors” explains West.
According to a story from Roc-
A-Fella Records, Chicago-bred
West is undoubtedly one of most
talented and accomplished young
producers to have emerged in
recent year’s and who is now
tipped to clean up at this years
Grammys, even though Usher
had been previously thought to
be the leading nominee.
Usher’s “Confessions” has sold
more than seven million copies,
roughly three times as many as
West’s “The College Dropout”.
Many in the music industry were
surprised that West managed to
outdo Usher with nominations.
“Kanye made a more thoughtful
album, and critics and the public
are reacting to that,” said Manag-
ing editor for Billboard Radio
Monitor, Chuck Taylor and this
could be the deciding factor.
Usher, however, did manage
to pick up eight nominations,
the same amount as fellow R&B
artist Alicia Keys. Other mul-
tiple nominees include the late
Ray Charles and punk rockers
Green Day, with six nominations.
Norah Jones, country veteran
Loretta Lynn and Prince each
have been honored with five.
This year’s categories seem to
have plenty of diversity, notably
in the Song of the Year category
where artists from a selection of
she can provide her with and her
father loves and cares for her
despite alternating living at the
summerhouse with Marion.
The film focuses on the rela-
tionship between Eddie and the
influence he has on each member
of the Cole family.
Ultimately, he becomes the
catalyst between the relationship
rules. The lives of the players are
explored and the vignettes add to
the action on the court.
Samuel L. Jackson does very
well in the role of Ken Carter.
He brings a strength and author-
ity that the viewer can feel when
they watch the movie.
As a requirement to play, Carter
makes the requisite GPA 2.3
when the NCAA standards are
2.0. He also makes the kids sit in
the front of the class.
Carter makes the players ath-
letically fit, as he says “Every
genres will be facing of for the
Grammy these artists include
R&B sensation Alicia Keys with
her song “If I Ain’t Got You”,
John Mayer with “Daughters”,
“Live Like You Were Dying”
recorded by Tim McGraw, “Rea-
son” preformed by Hoobastank,
and man of the hour Kanye West
with “Jesus Walks.”
The Grammys, which take
place on Feb. 13 from the Staples
Center, Los Angeles are regarded
as the most prestigious music
prize in the world and are handed
out by the National Academy of
Recording Arts and Sciences to
honor artists in 107 categories
whose music has impacted the
listening audience. Only record-
ings released between Oct. 1,
2003, and Sept. 30, 2004, were
eligible for nomination.
Ray Charles will be honored
for his lifelong contribution to
the world of music at the cer-
emony. He is also nominated for
seven Grammys including album
of the year for “Genius Loves
Company.”
Courtesy of the Performing Arts Center
of Ted and Marion, where he is
used by each of them, directly
and indirectly, to seek retaliation
against each other.
The perfor mance by Jeff
Bridges as Ted Cole is phe-
nomenally portrayed through a
rugged, not-a-care-in-the-world
feeling in how he parades around
in next to nothing and exploits
time you are late to practice, you
will run. Every time you give me
attitude, you will do push-ups”.
There was enough running done
by the students to compete in
three marathons
Samuel L. Jackson not only
shows the authority of being a
coach but is also able to display
warmth and compassion that is
not normally shown in many of
his other movies.
As Carter, he holds a lockout
due to his players’ inability to
perform in the classroom. He
Bonnie Raitt and Billy Preston
will perform in a segment hon-
oring Charles. The famed singer
and musician died June 10 of
acute liver disease at age 73.
The ceremony will also include
a tribute to Southern rock featur-
ing Tim McGraw, Keith Urban,
Gretchen Wilson, some mem-
bers of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Dickey
Betts and Elvin Bishop.
The winners will chosen by
the academy’s 12,000-plus vot-
ing members the night’s host
will be singer and actress Queen
Latifah.
February 2, 2005
women every chance he “artisti-
cally” sketches them.
Also, Kim Basinger, although
her role is mostly a woman
deeply wounded emotionally
from her two sons’ horrible
accident, she depicts a woman
attempting to cope with the loss
and the loneliness of her present
situation.
Overall, her performance dis-
plays a certain void that she has
never attempted, which down-
plays her role, but effectively
reveals the message that she has
secrets that have remained untold
until she opens up to the shy, in-
nocent Eddie.
Eddie, played by Jon Foster,
excellently executes his role
as a naïve intern, who steadily
establishes an obsession with
Marion.
This film is Foster’s introduc-
tion in big productions, and he
plays well alongside Jeff Bridges
and Kim Basinger.
Last, but certainly not least, is
Ruth, played by Elle Fanning,
younger sister to Dakota Fan-
ning.
Despite her age, her perfor-
mance is extraordinary and her
innocence is drawn out through
the whole movie in relation to
her father and mother.
All in all, the message of the
movie is “You may not always
hurt the one you love, but you
certainly know how to.”
hugs a player when the player
appears at Carter’s house in the
middle of the night crying.
One may think that “Coach
Carter” is your typical inspira-
tional sports movie. It’s not. It
filled with various nuances that
make this movie one of a kind.
The lives of the players draw
on our emotion. This movie
should be seen by all, especially
by athletic coaches who may
think academics are second to
the rest of a player’s life.
“She is an extraordinary renais-
sance artist with unparalleled
style and substance, and her pas-
sion, talent and personality make
her an excellent choice as host
for our show,” said Neil Portnow,
president of the National Acad-
emy of Recording Arts.
Queen Latifah is also nomi-
nated for a Grammy in award the
best jazz vocal album category.
This years Grammys will be
aired at 8 p.m. on CBS-TV and
MTV and will include perfor-
mances from Green Day, Alicia
Keys, Tim McGraw and U2.
February 2, 2005
We say our good-bye to Johnny Carson
Master of late night television Johnny Carson passes away at age 79
By Ryan Jakubczak
Contributing writer
Johnny Carson helped mold
the standards of the late-night
television talk shows that we
watch today.
Although Jay Leno took over as
the host of “The Tonight Show,”
he has taken the show his own
way. Today’s closest related late-
night show is “The Late-Night
Show starring David Letterman.”
David Letterman appeared on
“The Tonight Show” 51 times.
Johnny Carson took over the
reins of the show from Steve
Allen on Oct. 1, 1962.
His first guests included
Groucho Marx, Tony Bennett
and Joan Crawford. His run with
“The Tonight Show” spanned 30
years, 4,531 shows and 25,000+
guests. The show ended on May
22, 1992, with a look back at 30
years of “The Tonight Show.”
A variety of people were in-
vited onto the show. His guest
list includes eight Presidents (in-
cluding President Clinton when
he was governor of Arkansas),
eight vice presidents, numerous
Hollywood stars, comedians,
animal experts and America’s
“average Joes.”
Johnny Carson was a true
entertainer. He portrayed many
characters on his show to give it
more variety.
Some of the characters include
“Carnac the Magnificent,” a bad
‘Sweeney Todd’ at Erie Playhouse
Students perform Sondheim’s masterpiece
By Meghan Sullivan
Arts & Entertainment Editor
The Erie Playhouse will be
presenting “Sweeney Todd”
in concert.
This gruesome tale is about
the “demon barber of Fleet
Street.”
This musical thriller is writ-
ten by Stephen Sondheim and
Hugh Wheeler. This chilling
masterpiece of murderous
calamidy and crime tells the
tale of an exiled barber who
returns to craving a bloody
revenge against the devilish
judge who framed him to take
his young wife as his own.
This week in reality: BET’s new reality series ‘College Hill’
Take a behind the scenes look with Langston University students at ‘College Hill’
By Rasheem James
Knight Ridder Newspaper
You may know that Langston
University students are the stars
of BET’s reality show “College
Hill.”
However, Langston students
also were working hard behind
the scenes and gaining valuable
on-the-job experience at the
same time.
I served as a production assis-
tant for “College Hill,” in which
eight students’ lives were taped
for seven weeks in the fall.
I was offered the job through
a friend and classmate who had
been hired as the production
coordinator.
Even though I wasn’t going to
be paid, the experience would
prove to be valuable because it
gave me the first screen credits
on my resume. Not too many
people can say they’ve worked
on a reality TV show or any TV
show, period.
More importantly, by working
on the show, which began air-
ing Jan. 27, I gained hands-on
experience using the cameras, I
made contacts with TV industry
professionals and earned an offer
for a future internship.
Professors are always telling us
American treasure, Johnny Carson, passes away.
psychic, “Aunt Blabby,” a gossip-
ing little old lady, and “Floyd R.
The judge eventually casts
her to the side looking for
someone more youthful and
plans to marry Sweeney’s
daughter, Johanna.
In his search for retribution
Sweeney and resourceful cu-
linary proprietress of the pie
shop downstairs soon had the
people of London lining up
around the corner to try her
mysterious new meat pie.
“Sweeney Todd” in concert
stars many of the talents of
Erie includeing a few Mercy-
hurst students.
Junior voice performance
major Eric Marshall stars as
Anthony, Johanna’s lover.
to explore a field while we’re still
students.
They always say to be willing to
start at the bottom. And what do
you know they’re right. From the
director all the way down, every-
body started as a “PA.”
“
I learned it’s nothing
personal: It’s just
business. These people
want their product their
”
film delivered under
budget and on time.
- Rasheem James
Director Ron De Shay once
told me: “You’re a hard worker.
If you can get this down, you can
pretty much handle anything.”
De Shay didn’t scream or yell,
although there are some direc-
tors who will cuss you out all
the time.
I learned it’s nothing personal:
It’s just business. These people
want their product their film
delivered under budget and on
time.
According to the Virginia Film
Office Web site, which published
advice for students aspiring to be
on a crew, “The best thing you
can bring with you as a produc-
To contact: entertainmentmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Turbo,” a “not-so-bright” super
patriot.
Also, Mercyhurst students
Kathleen Amatuzzo and Cait-
lin Dubsky are featured in the
chorus.
The dark humored “Sweeney
Todd” will have you falling
out of your seat one moment
and then gasping in surprise
the next.
The challenging and sus-
penseful music will keep you
thoroughly entertained.
The “demon barber of Fleet
Street” will thrill and horrify
you all in one night.
“Sweeney Todd” in concert
will be performed February
18 and 19.
tion assistant is a good attitude.
Someone with a positive, can-do
attitude will go much farther
than someone with more experi-
ence who complains and is not
pleasant to be around.”
On my first day I was asked to
run a few errands, such as paying
bills and getting lunch for the
crew members.
That was a job in itself. Just
imagine taking 20 different Sub-
way sandwich orders. Sometimes
the orders would get mixed up,
and it became my job to make
it right.
After a week or so, I went from
running errands to driving cast
and crew members to designated
locations for taping.
But I was more that just a
chauffeur.
The first thing I learned as a PA
was that timing is everything. A
lack of planning could jeopardize
a whole day of shooting. And
because the entertainment busi-
ness is so deadline driven, a lack
of planning also means a loss
of money.
It was critical that everything
be organized.
Because the production team
was organized most of the time
to the very last detail, even plan-
ning the shuttle schedule had a
part in whether the production
THE MERCIAD
ENTERTAINMENT
Johnny Carson was a man who
enjoyed going to work every day.
CORPS de Ballet presents award
CORPS de Ballet International
will present Grant Strate with a
Life-time Achievement Award on
June 25, 2005, at a reception held
in his honor.
The award presentation and
reception dinner will kick off the
seventh annual CORPS de Ballet
International Conference to be
hosted by the San Francisco Bal-
let School in San Francisco June
25 - 29, 2005.
“We are grateful to have an
international figure such as Grant
Strate as an honorary member
of our organization and likewise
thrilled to recognize him at this
time for his vast contribution to
ballet in higher education,” says
CORPS President, Christine
Knoblauch-O’Neal, Washington
University, Saint Louis, Mo.
would run smoothly.
The housemates, of course, are
all students, and not all of them
had cars. The director wanted
them to be on a schedule.
So we had four shuttles to carry
them wherever they needed to
go, whether it was to school or
to the doctor. Cameras were
mounted in the car, and a cam-
eraperson would sometimes be
in the car to capture trips.
On one of their many field
trips, I drove the cast members
to a hip-hop church service.
The church had a live band,
which played renditions of
church songs over hip-hop
beats.
They treated us all like mov-
ie stars. The members of the
church set up a VIP section for
cast and crew.
When I wasn’t driving or run-
ning errands, senior crew mem-
bers encouraged me to learn how
to use the camera equipment,
such as the Pelco cameras used
throughout the house. They look
like the surveillance cameras in
department stores.
They were on the ceiling in
the bedrooms, hallways, laundry
room, rec room, kitchen and
by the phone. I was learning to
zoom in to get an extreme close-
up on a face or what a person
ARTS &
KRT Photo
His announcer and sidekick, Ed
McMahon, and the NBC Or-
“Educators such as Professor
Strate inspire those of us in-
structing ballet in higher educa-
tion to push the boundaries and
look out side the box for higher
standards.”
To his colleagues and students
in Canada’s arts community,
Grant Strate’s name is synony-
mous with dance.
A founding member of the
National Ballet of Canada, a
dance educator, choreographer
and administrator, Strate has
had a profound impact on the
evolution of dance in Canada for
nearly 50 years.
As director of Simon Frasier
University’s School for the Con-
temporary Arts in the 1980s,
Strate created a unique interdis-
ciplinary program in dance, film,
was eating, and how to position
the camera on someone who was
having a phone conversation.
I also learned how to use a
boom microphone, or boom
mic. The boom mic is on the
end of a long pole or arm. It is
very sensitive and used to record
natural sound.
It’s important to make sure
the batteries are charged and
meters are checked. Boom mics
are used to record sound from
those who don’t have a portable
microphone, and for group con-
versation. That way, everyone’s
voice can be heard during a
conversation.
Another PA task was filling
out log sheets and logging tapes.
Despite the tedious nature of
the task, this actually was fun
because I got to review every-
thing that was filmed for that day.
You sit and watch something like
nine hours of tape, and jot down
what happens every two minutes
so the editors can find certain
incidents or conversations on
the tape.
While I can’t give away the plot
that’s part of what I learned, too,
about working on a show I can
say this: There are no retakes.
That’s why they buy so much
tape and use so many cameras;
they want to catch every detail,
PAGE 9
chestra leader, Doc Severinsen
made the show a joy to watch
every night.
In his last episode he talked
and reminisced about the journey
through the years. He said, “If I
could magically, I’d like to do the
whole thing all over again.”
Outside of Studio 1, Carson
spent most of his private life just
like it was meant to be. He was
a humble man who continued to
work day in and day out because
he enjoyed entertaining.
Born John William Carson
on October 23, 1925, in Corn-
ing, Iowa, he is survived by his
fourth wife, Alexis, and sons
Christopher and Cory from his
first marriage, to Joan “Jody”
Wolcott. Another son, Richard,
died in a car accident in 1991.
“It is a sad day for his fam-
ily and for the country,” “Late
Show” host David Letterman
said in a statement Sunday. “He
was the best -- a star and a
gentleman.” Letterman added,
“Thank god for the videotapes
and DVDs. In this regard, he
will always be around.”
Watching the final episode on
DVD over and over again brings
tears of joy and sadness because
of the history behind the man
and the show.
He was truly a gift to entertain-
ment and the American people.
He will be missed, but never
forgotten. God, “Heeeeere’s
Johnny!”
music, theater and visual arts.
Strate retired from teaching at
SFU in 1994, but remains profes-
sor emeritus.
Still a teacher and choreogra-
pher, Strate says, “The develop-
ment of dance as an art form is
my most cherished achievement
in Canada.”
The Council of Organized
Researchers for Pedagogical
Studies of Ballet (CORPS) de
International presents an annual
conference dedicated to the de-
velopment, exploration, and ad-
vancement of full and part time
ballet faculty, undergraduate and
graduate ballet students in higher
education.
Information provided by the Mercy-
hurst Dance Department
happy and sad.
Most people don’t really know
what goes on when it comes to
producing a reality show or even
being a camera operator. These
are hard jobs to get.
“Television, video, and mo-
tion picture camera operators
held about 28,000 jobs in 2002
and film and video editors held
about 19,000,” according to the
U.S. Department of Labor. Many
were self-employed. About half
earned between $20,000 and
$50,000 a year, the department
says, though some can earn
much more.
Many of the skills are learned
on the job and many of these
positions are found by network-
ing.
Camera operators in the film
and television industries usually
are hired on the basis of recom-
mendations from individuals
such as producers or directors
of photography, according to
the Labor Department’s Occu-
pational Outlook Handbook.
During the filming, there were
times I felt things could have
been done differently, and there
were times my ideas were over-
looked. I had to keep telling
myself, “That’s business.” And in
this business, you have to have a
tough skin.
 PAGE 10
LAKER
SPORTS
Playoffs not living up to hype
By Neil Hayes
Knight Ridder Newspapers
The playoffs have served their
purpose in one sense.
They have identified the NFL’s
two premier teams.
The Philadelphia Eagles and
New England Patriots could
compete with great teams from
any era, and that hasn’t always
been the case in the recent past.
These are not one-year won-
ders.
The Patriots and Eagles are old
school. There are no worst-to-
first story lines this time.
Both teams have played in a lot
of big games in recent years.
So far these playoffs have pro-
duced two great teams but no
great games.
Did anyone else go to bed last
Saturday night dreaming about
a classic playoff game played in
the snow?
In no other sport does weather
play such a prominent role.
Watching players line up in
their stances with their breath
billowing from their mouths like
smoke from a factory chimney is
the epitome of playoff football.
The Snow Job game between
the Patriots and Raiders in 2001
was a game for the ages.
Jim Kelly and John Elway al-
ways seemed to be sealing their
math
lab
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playoff fates amid falling flakes.
We’ve all seen that classic clip
of Jerry Kramer taking out Je-
thro Pugh at the goal line in the
Ice Bowl.
The conditions were ideal for
last week’s championship tilts,
but the games themselves were
anticlimactic.
The Eagles exposed the At-
lanta Falcons and the Patriots
destroyed the Steelers in games
that were less than compelling.
The Falcons have an athletic
quarterback and solid running
game and defense but no con-
sistent receiving threat.
Does that sound familiar?
At times it seemed as if the
Eagles were playing their former
selves.
A Super Bowl win would cap
one of the greatest playoff runs
in history for the Patriots.
First they held Peyton Manning
and the league’s highest-scoring
offense to a field goal in a con-
vincing 20-3 win.
Then they ran roughshod over
the Steelers’ top-ranked defense
in a 41-27 shellacking.
If they beat the Eagles deci-
sively they can rank themselves
among the all-time greats.
Maybe that’s the problem.
The Patriots and Eagles are too
good.
What has been the best playoff
game so far?
Duke bounces back, buries Virginia Tech
By Ken Tysaic
Knight Ridder Newspapers
Seth Greenberg won’t soon
forget his first trip to Cam-
eron Indoor Stadium as an ACC
coach.
Second-ranked Duke took
advantage of 22 first-half fouls
by Virginia Tech to win 100-65
on Sunday, Jan. 30, at Cameron
Indoor Stadium.
J.J. Redick scored 29 and Shel-
den Williams 25 with 17 re-
bounds as the Blue Devils recov-
ered nicely from a 75-66 loss to
Maryland on Wednesday.
But even as Duke (16-1, 6-1
ACC) moved into a first-place tie
with North Carolina in the ACC,
Greenberg was the show. Hands
on hips, shaking his head, he ar-
gued the discrepancy in fouls.
Referee Stephen Gordon called
Greenberg for two technical
fouls, the second of which eject-
ed Greenberg with 4 minutes, 39
seconds left.
Greenberg pointed at Gordon
and cursed while leaving the
floor.
“There needs to be some se-
THE MERCIAD February 2, 2005
KRT Photo
Eagles safety Brian Dawkins (20) celebrates after intercepting Falcons’ quarterback Michael Vick on Jan. 23.
The St. Louis Rams 20-17 win instead of trying to win. didn’t learn from it. two minutes, and the Steelers
over the Seattle Seahawks might That’s exactly what Chargers Coach Herman Edwards and survived.
have rated a mention if it weren’t coach Marty Schottenheimer did offensive coordinator Paul Hack- Last week’s title games told
so obvious that neither team when he played for a field goal ett have been ridiculed, and the story of these playoffs. The
belonged in the playoffs in the late in a wild-card game against rightly so, for using the same Patriots and Eagles were well
first place. the New York Jets. strategy the following week. on their way to victory before
Mark Bulger threw an inter- Schottenheimer got what he They had a chance to stun the halftime.
ception instead. Even the two richly deserved when his rookie Steelers but played for the field Hopefully, we’ll be treated to a
overtime games were plagued by kicker missed a field goal another goal. Poor Doug Brien. magic moment or a frantic fin-
conservative play calling. early playoff exit. The former De La Salle High ish. At least then we could say
Nothing ruins a playoff party The Jets benefited from Schot- School and Cal kicker missed we saw one great playoff game
like a coach trying not to lose tenheimer’s mistake, but they from 47 and 43 yards in the final this season.
curity,” Greenberg said. “When
someone is walking off the court
and someone’s hands are in their
face, it’s something that’s wrong
and needs to be addressed, be-
cause it’s a potentially volatile
situation.”
Virginia Tech (11-7, 4-3 ACC)
had won five in a row but didn’t
have anybody who could guard
Williams, Duke’s junior center.
The Hokies used starters, re-
serves and even Jeff King, the
256-pound starting tight end
for the ACC champion football
team, against Williams without
success.
He scored 21 and grabbed
11 rebounds by halftime, when
Duke led 56-31, and he enjoyed
the physical play.
“Not many teams play that
way, physically, especially against Duke’s Shavlik Randolph has been a key contributer to Duke’s physical play.
KRT Photo
me,” Williams said. “That’s my
game.” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski “I think it was too physical,” He said Cameron is a magnifi-
Redick’s game is scoring from was pleased with how his team Krzyzewski said. “It shouldn’t cent atmosphere, which oppos-
the perimeter when the defense reacted to the physical play and be that physical. But for both ing coaches envy. And he said he
collapses on Williams. the loss to Maryland. teams. I’m not blaming them. It was disappointed with the way he
Redick missed three free throws He said the fouls were partly a was both sides.” was treated as he left the court.
in the first half after entering the result of Duke speeding up the Greenberg soberly said he “They have no security here,
game 89-for-93 from the foul
line, but made six three-pointers
pace against an opponent that
succeeded in half-court games
felt embarrassed for his wife
and daughters because of his
and there were people with hands
in my face,” Greenberg said.
in 11 attempts. during its winning streak. behavior. “Which I think is offensive.”
February 2, 2005 THE MERCIAD Page 11

Women’s hoops falls at Hillsdale
73-53 loss drops record to 6-15 overall, 2-9 in GLIAC play
By Matt Jackson
Contributing writer
With just six games left in their
rough season, the Mercyhurst
women’s basketball team is on a
downward spiral that they can’t
seem to correct.
First year coach Karin Nich-
olls’ squad has dropped nine of
their last eleven games, including
their last five in a row.
Turnovers have haunted the
Lakers during the losing streak
and have led to many lopsided
defeats.
During their five game los-
ing streak, the Lakers average
margin of defeat is 24.8 points-
per-game.
“We are just not getting better
right now,” said Nicholls, “and
as a coach that’s what I need my
team to do, get better.”
The Lakers have not been the
same team since their 45 point
loss to Grand Valley State on
Jan. 20.
“We’re immature as a team in a
lot of ways with the new system
and trying to understand how to
get past a loss like that, but we
can’t use that as an excuse,” said
Nicholls.
The most recent of those
losses came this past Thursday
Sophomore Julie Anderson led the Lakers with 17 points against Hilldale on Jan. 27 in a 73-53 loss.
against conference foe Hillsdale
by a score of 73-53.
Julie Anderson dropped 17 for
the Lakers in an otherwise poorly
played game from both teams.
The two teams combined for
45 turnovers in the game, but it
was Hillsdale who was able to
make the Lakers pay for their
mistakes, cashing in 30 points
off of Laker turnovers.
The loss dropped the Lakers
To contact: sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
to 6-15 overall and 2-9 in the
GLIAC.
With six games remaining,
Coach Nicholls and her players
probably have their minds set for
one game at a time and are not
File Photo
ready to pack it in and look ahead
to next season yet.
But if they do, the future looks
bright.
The Lakers have four players
averaging at least 10 points per
LAKER
SPORTS
contest this season and three of
those, Julie Anderson contribut-
ing 15.1 points-per game, Cassie
Seth and Katlyn Petit each adding
10 points each, will be returning
next season.
This will also be the first chance
for Nichols to bring in her own
recruiting class, a chance to prove
where she thinks the program
can go in a few years.
Taking a look at their sched-
ule, the Lakers have to think to
themselves that their next game
is their best chance to end the
recent slide.
In their only game this week
the Lakers will travel to Detroit,
Mich., to take on the Wayne State
Warriors.
“There is no question we have
got to get a win, and I think
Wayne is a team we can realisti-
cally beat,” said Nicholls.
Wayne State is currently sitting
at the bottom of the GLIAC
South standings, just one game
behind the Lakers.
The Warriors do, however,
have a victory over a Northwood
team that defeated the Lakers by
six early in the season.
The game for pride between
the two teams will be played on
Thursday Feb.3 and is scheduled
for a 5:30 p.m. tip off.

Men’s volleyball drops first game of year

By Denis Kirstein
Contributing writer
Just like any great team, the
Mercyhurst men’s volleyball team
is beginning to click.
They know that they need to
rally behind each other in order
to become a successful team.
Everything looked so far so
good, as the Lakers shot out
to a record of 4-0 with notable
wins over Findlay, Medaille and
Clarke twice.
The undefeated streak was
stopped this past weekend, Jan.
29, by Lewis University.
The Lakers lost by the score of
three games to one.
Lewis opened up the match
by winning the first game 30-22
before Mercyhurst rallied back
to win game two by the score
of 30-25.
Unfortunately the Lakers
dropped the third game and
fourth game to close the night
with the loss.
They lost game three by the
score of 30-22, and despite a
strong comeback at the end, the
Lakers were just edged in the
fourth game 31-29.
“We hung in there, they are
a good team and they won the
national championship two years
ago,” said Phou Daoreuang a
junior from Rochester, NY.
The thought that they hung in
there does not quite explain it, as
the Lakers actually dominated the
Flyers on paper.
Mercyhurst, in fact, out hit and
out blocked MIVA team, which
finished 11-5 in MIVA play last
season.
Senior Austin Siewert led all
players with 23.5 points on 18
kills and 5.5 blocks.
Siewart hit a remarkable .667
for the match.
“Siewart just had a great game.
He dominated the middle and he
was our top offensive threat,”
said Daoreuang.
Siewart also received a pair
of honors for his play. He was
Senior Austin Siewart was named the MIVA Player of the Week on Jan. 31.
named the Mercyhurst Male
Athlete of the Week, and also
received recognition from the
conference, as MIVA Player of
Week.
The latter is a considerable
honor in the nine-team con-
ference, which includrd such
national powerhouses as Lewis,
Ohio State and Loyola.
Katie McAdams/Photo editor
Also contributing was another
senior, Dave Schmidl.
Schmidl had 21.5 points on
20 kills, along with a block and
an ace.
Junior setter Dan Kick dished
out 66 assists on the night.
The next big test is Ohio State
University, and the Buckeyes are
a premier team in college vol-
leyball.
The Buckeye program has
been around for many years, as
opposed to Mercyhurst’s young
program, and they always finish
in the top 15 year in and year
out.
“This is an absolutely huge
match. It will prove that we
can run with the big dogs,” said
Daoreuang of Saturday’s home
match.
“They have a solid team and so
do we,” Daoreuang noted. “This
is a big week of practice for us.
We need to continue to work
hard in practice and stay up and
running,” Daoreuang said about
the team’s chances.
Saturday’s contest is scheduled
for a 7 p.m. start, and the team
then gets a week-long rest before
traveling to IPFW on Feb. 12.

Mr. Mercyhurst Contest Men’s hockey splits pair

Sponsored by Dance Team
on the road with Bentley
February 11, 2005 @ 8:00 p.m. By Ryan Palm
Sports editor
Held in Walker Recital Hall
The Mercyhurst men’s hockey
team split a pair of Atlantic
$2.00 Admission Hockey games this past weekend,
Jan. 28-29, in Watertown, Mass.
- Free Food Friday night was a shootout
between the two rivals, as the
- Raffles teams combined to score nine
goals on the night.
- Prizes Bentley scored four times on
the power play, as Mercyhurst
*Dance Team Performance* was whistled for 14 penalties for
36 minutes.
Bentley was 4-10 on the night
Contest Includes: with the man advantage, while
the Lakers were 2-9.
Formal Wear The Lakers trailed 2-0 after
the first period, at 4-3 after the
Causal Wear second.
With the game tied 4-4 early
Talent in the third period, Mercyhurst
Q&A sophomore goalie Mike Ella gave
up what would be the game-win-
ning goal.
Tickets sold in the union this week and next Mercyhurst got goals from
seniors Rich Hansen, T.J. Kemp,
or from a Dance Team Member and a pair from freshman Matt
Warren.
Ella made 24 saves on the
night, and falls to 1-3-1 on the
season.
Saturday night saw a new
netminder for both teams, as
the Lakers started junior Andy
Franck.
The contest was a sharp con-
trast, as Franck and the Lakers’
defensemen stepped up their play
and only allowed one Falcon goal
on the night.
Mercyhurst lit the lamp four
times again, keeping up their high
scoring offense of late.
Junior Erik Johnson broke the
scoreless tie less than five min-
utes into the contest when he
beat Bentley netminder Geordan
Murphy.
The Lakers lost their lead 10
minutes later when Bentley tied
the contest at 1-1.
Not to let a team beat them late
in the contest on this night, the
Lakers poured it on in the middle
session, as they beat Murhpy
three times in the second.
Sophomore Scott Champagne’s
seventh goal of the year put the
Lakers ahead five minutes into
the second and proved to be the
eventual game-winner.
Sophomore Jon Asselstine
notched his third tally of the year
just four minutes later, assisted by
Johnson and junior defenseman
Preston Briggs.
The scoring was closed out by
sophomore defenseman Jamie
Hunt, whose third goal of the
campaign was assisted by Cham-
pagne and junior Dave Borrelli.
Franck stopped 15 of the
16 shots he faced en route to
improving his record to 7-9-3-,
6-3-3 in Atlantic Hockey.
The Lakers now stand at 8-12-4
overall, 7-4-3 in Atlantic Hockey
play.
The Lakers are in a third place
tie in the conference with Sacred
Heart, but only one point ahead
of Quinnipiac.
The Lakers travel to Quinnipiac
for a two-game series this coming
weekend, Feb. 4-5.
Remaining on their schedule
are two games each against two
of the top three teams in AH,
Holy Cross and Sacred Heart.
 PAGE 12
LAKER
SPORTS
Women’s hockey on fire
Lakers outscored last two opponents by a combined score of 20-2
By Eric Meacham
Contributing writer
The No.7-ranked Mercyhurst
women’s hockey team seeked
to keep the winning ways go-
ing against College Hockey
America (CHA) rival Niagara
Purple Eagles.
After going 1-0-1 against
the Purple Eagles just before
Thanksgiving, Mercyhurst left
no doubt about who is the better
team after this weekend.
On Friday night, Mercyhurst
came out flying on all cylinders
burying Niagara University 5-0.
The Lakers opened up the
scoring with a goal midway
through the first period.
Sophomore defenseman Ash-
ley Pendleton scored her second
goal of the season, with the assist
going to classmate Julia Colizza.
Mercyhurst extended their lead
to two goals when senior Sara
McDonald scored her ninth of
the season with Colizza and se-
nior Lindsay Dellow picking up
the helpers.
Pendleton added her second
goal of the game on the power
play on a great deflection in front
of the net.
Senior Teresa Marchese and
freshman Danielle Ayearst picked
up assists on the goal.
The beginning of the third
period started a little slow with
most of the play going between
the blue lines, with no teams
really getting a scoring oppor-
tunity.
But Mercyhurst wasn’t content
with this.
Freshman Stephanie Jones
Hillsdale dumps men’s hoops
By Eric Meacham
Contributing writer
The Mercyhurst men’s basket-
ball team looked to turn around
a tough week having lost to rival
Gannon University, heading to
the road to take on Hillsdale
University Chargers.
Again, the theme of the season
so far: The Lakers fell behind
early, only to fall short with the
comeback, 67-55.
Freshman Terry Smith led all
scorers with 21 points.
Senior Andy Kubinksi chipped
in 20 points of his own to go
along with 6 rebounds.
Mercyhurst shot a mere 25%
in the first half, hitting only four
total shots in the first half.
On the other side, Hillsdale
finished the first half shooting
just over 53%, to open a 28 point
lead at the half, 40-12.
Smith and Kubinski scored 31
of their total 41 points in the
second half, and almost pulled
the Lakers out of the whole
themselves.
Smith is currently second on
the team in scoring average, as he
is pouring in just over 12 points
per contest.
But again, the Lakers came out
firing in the second half, shooting
58% from behind the three-point
arc, and outscored the Chargers
43-27 in the second half.
Mercyhurst started the second
half outscoring Hillsdale 17-3,
cutting the lead to 14 point,
43-29.
Smith scored 11 of his points
during that stretch, finishing the
streak with a floater through the
lane.
Senior Jawad Ali, who is averag-
ing just under13 points a game,
was held to just six points.
Ali hit a three-pointer with just
over a minute remaining to get
the Lakers as close as they were
going to get, 63-54.
The Lakers continued their
current falter leaving them 8-13
THE MERCIAD February 2, 2005
To contact: sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
scored her eighth goal of the
season with just under three
minutes remaining in the game
to make the lead 4-0.
Dellow and sophomore Lesley
McArthur grabbed assists on
the goal.
Mercyhurst freshman forward
Sherilyn Fraser closed out the
scoring for the Lakers with her
third goal of the season.
Line mates Chrissy Yule and
Samantha Shirley were credited
with assists on the fifth goal of
the game.
Freshman goaltender Laura
Hosier extended her winning
streak to six, stopping all 19
shots, getting her second shutout
of the season.
On Saturday, the Purple Eagles
came out looking to make it a
game, scoring the first goal of
the contest, before losing to the
Lakers 5-1.
Niagara capitalized on the pow-
er play just over six minutes into
the game, as Ashley Riggs scored
her 19th goal of the season.
From that point it was all Mer-
cyhurst.
Sophomore forward Stephanie
Bourbeau got the Lakers on the
board just under a minute later
to tie the game 1-1. Katie McAdams/Photo editor
The Lakers dominated Niagara in all facets of the game, including winning faceoffs 86-34 over the weekend.
Just before the end of the
period, Bourbeau added her 12th
goal of the season with assists Jones tallied her ninth goal of the assists going to Shirley and Lansing, who was named CHA to one goal on 37 shots.
going to Marchese. the season as she finished off the McDonald. Defensive Player of the Week. The Lakers are now 17-5-2, and
Mercyhurst took advantage of breakaway, going just under the Senior netminder Desi Clark “We wanted to go out and gain 7-0-1 in CHA league play.
a power play of their own when cross bar to extend the lead 4-1. picked up her 11 win of the some confidence for the upcom- Mercyhurst now begins a four
th
sophomore defenseman Mi- Pendleton picked up the lone season, stopping 16 of 17 shots ing playoffs,” she said. game road trip, starting with a
chelle Bonello beat the Niagara assist on the goal. she faced. Mercyhurst now leads the na- non-conference weekend against
goaltender for her third goal of Yule closed out the scoring “It was a great weekend for tion with scoring defense giving Colgate University this Saturday
the season. with her fourth goal of the us, coming back from a close up just over one goal a game, with and Sunday.
Colizza and McDonald drew year on the power play, midway weekend with them early on in the past weekend holding the No.
assists on the goal. through the second period, with the season,” said junior Danielle 7 ranked offense in the country
File Photo
Junior Andy Kubinski poured in 20 points and grabbed six
rebounds against Hillsdale on Jan. 27. in the 67-55 loss.
overall and 2-9 in the Great Lakes raw inexperience.
Collegiate Athletic Conference Junior forward Darnell White
(GLIAC). withdrew from Mercyhurst in
Mercyhurst now has a week early November for personal rea-
to prepare before heading to sons, a severe blow to Manchel’s
Detroit to take on GLIAC op- plans for the season, as White
ponent Wayne State Warriors, was expected to be a key con-
before finally returning home tributer.
to finish up the season with five Next season’s recruiting class
conference games, including will prove invaluable, as the se-
a rematch against Gannon on niors Jawad Ali and Steve Horner
February 21st. have played curical roles through-
Six games are remaining on the out this campign.
schedule, and the Lakers look to One of the key factors in the
salvage what they can out of a Lakers’ struggles throughout
sub .500 season. this season has been their poor
This season has not been the play down the strech during the
smoothest for coach Gary Man- fourth quarter in close games.
chel and his staff, as they have During the past few contests,
seen two players leave the pro- the Lakers have fallen behind
gram, as well as dealing with early, digging themselves in a hole
injuries and the prime factor of they could not get out of.