Mercyhurst

University

Ambassadors

Club

In this Issue

The Green Jacket

Carpe Diem February 2013

Well, this is the end. This issue is our last issue at the Public Relations Committee chairs and editors of the Green Jacket. It also marks the end of another “Ambassador Year”. This past year has seen a plethora of changes in the club, including our new G.A. Maggie and the dawn of the events system. We would like to extend thanks on behalf of the entire club to our fearless executive board, Rhona, Jacob, Alydn, and Ben. Over the past year they have had been trials and challenges, but they were always able to continue to push through. Looking forward, there are even more challenges to come. The calendar change is sure to bring many club changes, but we have faith that the new executive board has what it takes to push through. We want to thank everyone who contributed the Green Jacket over the last year and to all who read it and gave us your honest feedback. The Green Jacket could not have been possible without all of you. Carpe Diem Everyday, Nathan K.& Jeremy D.

“The 4-1-1 on 4-1-4”

The Good, Bad, and Funny answers on last term’s Ambassador exam

So, what should we say about Campus Ministry?

The 4-1-1 on 4-1-4 By: Cariel Lewis

The  new  change  to  the  schools  Core  Curriculum  has  everyone  concerned  and  worried  about  their  credit  standing,  if  some  classes  they  have  taken  will  count  towards  the  core,  and,  of  course,  if  they  will  graduate  on  time.  However,  there  is  no  need  to  fear  because,  as  stated  by  the  faculty,  they  want  us  to  excel  and  not  be  negatively  affected  by  the  change.    

The  4-­‐1-­‐4  Calendar  year  will  be  comprised  of  4  months  for  the  fall  term,  1  month  for  the  January  term  and  4  months  for  the  spring  term.  Rising  sophomores,  juniors  and  transfer  students  will  need  to  register  for  at  least  one  J  term  before  graduating.  A  student  must  be  at  a  minimum  of  12  credits  in  order  to  be  considered  a  full  time  student.  The  class  times  have  also  been  changed  making  them  shorter,  yes  shorter.  During  the  fall  and  spring  terms,  the  Monday,  Wednesday  and  Friday  classes  will  be  65  minutes  each  while  the  Tuesday  and  Thursday  classes  will  be  1  hour  and  40  minutes  each.  Because  of  shorter  class  times,  more  class  sessions  will  be  offered,  giving  greater  flexibility  in  scheduling.  Of  course,  the  J  term  will  have  longer  class  times,  in  which  classes  will  be  everyday  for  3  hours  long.  Dr.  Von  Thaden  commented  that  this  term  is  for  students  who  really  want  to  hone  in  on  a  particular  course  and  give  it  their  all  for  the  2  and  a  half  weeks  that  classes  are  in  session.  He  continued  by  saying  that  this  is  the  perfect  opportunity  for  a  student  to  narrow  in  on  a  certain  course  that  they  may  not  be  comfortable  with  and  give  it  a  lot  more  time  and  effort.  

The  maximum  credits  each  person  can  do  for  the  fall  term  is  18.    The  maximum  credits  for  the  spring  is  also  18,  however  any  credits  taken  in  the  J  term  come  out  of  the  spring  term’s  bill.    This  means  that  if  someone  takes  a  3  credit  J  term  course,  then  they  can  only  take  15  credits  in  the  spring.  Dr.  Von  Thaden  also  made  mention  that  transferring  is  much  easier  at  this  time  also;  students  have  a  much  better  time  at  catching  up  with  classes.  Sports  teams  are  also  positively  affected  because  right  now  athletes  have  final  exams  when  they  have  championship  games  and  with  the  change  they  can  have  more  time  to  study  and  not  worry  about  missing  classes  and  games.  

If  you  have  any  questions  at  all  about  the  core  curriculum  simply  speak  with  your  advisors  and  academic  counselors  and  they  will  help  you  with  all  your  questions.  You  can  also  feel  free  to  visit  the  school’s  website  and  read  more  about  it.  In  conclusion,  let  us  embrace  this  change  and  look  forward  to  a  positive  outcome.  Carpe  Diem!  

Senior Class Gift in Action 24 Years in the Making

By: Joe Pudlick

Odds  are  that  every  time  you  give  a  tour  you  pass  multiple  senior  class  gifts,  but  what’s  more  is  that  we  have  long  since  taken  time  to  appreciate  the  gifts  of  the  past.  The  history  of  the  senior  class  gift  tradition  is  short  yet  strong.  Since  1989  the  senior  class  gift  has  acted  as  a  way  for  students  to  have  an  impact  on  the  school,  leave  a  legacy  and  connect  one  more  time  as  a  community.    

Today  the  effort  is  lead  by  Ryan  Palm,  Assistant  Vice  President  for  Advancement.  This  is  what  he  had  to  say  about  the  effort:  

“Classes  over  the  past  twenty  years  have  left  a  significant  impact  on  the  Mercyhurst  campus.  These  gifts  were  made  possible  due  to  the  generous  support  from  thousands  of  students,  many  of  whom  have  continued  their  support  for  Mercyhurst.”  

 There  have  been  large  projects  completed  over  the  last  20  years,  the  largest  being  the  24/7  lounge  In  2008  and  the  smallest  being  a  $20  donation  in  1998,  but  here  are  the  top  10  most  forgotten  senior  class  gifts:    

10.  Stained  glass  window  in  the  MSG  Chambers  (1995)  9.  Multipurpose  Court  &  Park  (2007)  –  Upperclassman  housing      8.  The  Pavilion  (2004)  7.  Alumni  Park  (2003)  6.  The  Mercyhurst  Rock  (2001)    5.  Gazebo  near  the  Student  Union  (1992)  4.  Grandfather  clock  in  the  Student  Union  (1991)  3.  College  &  Academic  Banners  (2006)  –  The  old  college  one’s.    2.  Stained  glass  window  in  Mercy  Herritage  (1989)  1.  Piano  in  the  Student  Union  (1993)  –  So  forgotten,  it’s  no  longer  there.  

 Next  time  you  take  a  tour,  make  sure  you  point  out  these  gifts  and  their  contribution  along  the  way.  

Campus Ministry By: John Herrmann

Ambassador of the Month By: Aldyn Stewart

There  always  seems  to  be  one  room  on  campus  that  plagues  some  of  us  on  tours.    The  room  that  I  am  describing  is  Campus  Ministry.    This  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that  talking  about  religion  is  usually  taboo  and  the  chance  to  avoid  it  is  taken  whenever  one  can  in  most  places.    No  fear  here  I  have  a  couple  talking  points  for  the  “living  room”  on  campus.       The  first  point  is  that  there  are  several  ways  to  get  involved  in  the  campus  ministry  all  you  have  to  do  is  walk  in  everyone  in  there  is  extremely  open  and  willing  to  talk  and  not  everything  discussed  is  religion,  but  in  Campus  Ministry  religion  is  not  a  taboo  topic.    For  we  want  to  have  people  feel  comfortable  with  others  and  their  faith.    For  faith  helps  all  people  in  their  trials  and  tribulations  and  Campus  Ministry  is  there  to  help  foster  that  faith  for  our  peers.       Campus  Ministry  does  have  their  programs  that  are  directly  relates  to  the  religion.    For  example,  Campus  Ministry  is  home  to  MYRACLE  (Mercyhurst  Youth  Retreats  And  Catholic  Leadership  Education).    What  they  do  is  that  they  go  out  to  local  churches  and  provide  retreats  for  youth  on  their  way  to  adult  hood  in  the  church.    The  team  then  uses  the  funds  gathered  to  maintain  the  supplies  and  service  projects.         Along  with  individual  groups  doing  service  projects  Campus  Ministry  is  a  hub  for  going  out  and  doing  community  service.    Options  they  have  is  that  they  go  to  the  Emmaus  soup  kitchen  every  Saturday  morning  and  they  offer  several  other  opportunities  for  service.    A  special  fall  and  spring  term  service  opportunity  of  going  out  to  the  Mercyhurst  Farm  to  either  plant  or  harvest  the  vegetables  grown  at  the  farm.    These  are  all  great  points  to  talk  about  to  prospective  students  on  your  tour  in  the  Student  Union.  

I  hope  everyone  is  enjoying  this  lovely  snow!  While  the  slush,  the  slipping,  the  poor  shoveling  jobs,  and  the  chilly  wind  may  be  deterring...  the  campus  looks  lovely  covered  in  this  fluffy  white  stuff!  And  in  honor  of  our  winter  time  festivities  it  is  that  time  to  tell  you  all  about  our  Ambassador  of  the  Month!  This  Ambassador  recently  gave  a  handicap  tour  in  this  amazing  weather.  This  family  said  that  it  was  the  best  tour  they  ever  got  and  our  lovely  Ambassador  braved  her  way  through  the  horrible  conditions  with  a  smile  on  her  face!  Katie  Loops  has  always  been  a  steady,  reliable  person,  but  with  her  amazing  attitude  and  great  tour  giving  skills  she  has  earned  her  place  as  February's  honored  Ambassador!  Keep  up  the  great  work  girl!  

•

The Good, the Bad, and the Funny By: Paige Bosnyak

The end of the fall term was certainly eventful; particularly the Ambassador’s tests that we all greeted with groans and slight bitterness, realizing how long ago we took the pledge test ourselves. This blend of ignorance and animosity indeed generated some very wrong, and very funny answers, however, these are important issues that we need to address. Perhaps setting a new years resolution as a collective whole, a resolution to provide accurate and succinct knowledge to every prospective student that we meet in 2013. What follows is a collection of the funny answers, and those answers that are just plain wrong…be sure to note the answers for future reference!

• “Adult  College”  is  not  a  college  at  all.  It  is  on  34th  and  Ash  Street  a  few  blocks  from  Main  Campus  and  it  houses  the  admissions  counselors  for  the  adult  students.  It’s  part  of  a  big  church.  You  cannot  take  Mercyhurst  classes  there.  

• Although  “peace,  love  and  patience”  are  good  qualities  they  are  not  the  vows  of  the  sisters  of  mercy.    The  real  vows  are:  Chastity,  Poverty,  Obedience  and  Service  to  the  sick  and  uneducated.      

• 4+1  education  program  is  for  education  majors  to  study  54  years  for  a  Bachelors  then  add  one  year  and  get  a  Masters  degree  

• The  Discount  on  tuition  goes  to  Early  Childhood  and  Special  education  majors  

• Tutoring  is  FREE,  but  one  test  answer  read,  “about  $39,000  but  check  with  your  admissions  counselor.”    As  a  tutor,  I  say,  “if  only…”      

• Mercyhurst  Motto  is  “Carpe  Diem”  or  seize  the  day.    Just  remember  that  the  Hurst  was  on  YOLO  before  Drake!  

• Northeast  enrollment  1,100  • Mercyhurst  West  has  the  farm  NE  has  the  pool  • International  House  of  Mercy  is  in  Dublin  

Ireland  • Mercyhurst  enrollment-­‐  2,850  undergrad  • Student  to  faculty  ratio  14:1  • 5  individuals  who  represent  liberal  arts:  Mozart,  

Michelangelo,  Dante,  Aquinas,  Shakespeare.    Some  notable  guesses  were  offered  for  this  one  though,  including  Deb  Wurst,  Einstein,  and  Rhona  Boyle!  

• What  is  the  minority  rate  at  MNE?    It  might  be  poor  journalism  on  my  part  for  this  one,  but  after  failure  to  find  an  answer  I’m  going  with—“There  are  no  minorities,  we  are  all  Mercyhurst!”      

Worst Tour Story The  other  day  I  gave  a  tour  to  two  high  school  boys  and  their  mother.  It  was  a  Wednesday  and  

they  had  only  decided  the  day  before  that  they  were  going  to  make  the  6  hour  drive  to  Erie,  PA  for  a  tour.  The  mother  had  found  Mercyhurst  through  an  online  search  and  quickly  became  interested.  The  boys,  on  the  other  hand,  wanted  nothing  to  do  with  it.  They  were  resilient  to  their  mom  for  picking  them  up  from  their  half  day  of  school  to  drive  6  hours  for  one  tour  and  then  drive  straight  home.  Unfortunately,  that  anger  was  also  taken  out  on  me  at  times.  They  gave  both  me  and  their  mother  the  “silent  treatment”  and  refused  to  answer  any  questions  I  asked  them.  The  only  time  I  heard  one  student  talk  was  when  he  began  yelling  at  his  mother  because  she  suggested  he  look  into  the  Art  Therapy  Club  at  Mercyhurst.  After  that  outburst,  I  was  afraid  to  recommend  any  more  clubs  to  the  perspective  students!  Needless  to  say,  it  was  a  very  long  and  quiet  tour.  

By: Kellie Wendell

ACHA Hockey By: John Herrmann

The  ACHA  hockey  team  on  campus,  sometimes  better  known  as  the  club  team  on  campus  is  an  excellent  hockey  team  that  has  been  increasing  its  ability  year  after  year.    They  are  a  group  of  young  men  who  devout  countless  hours  to  the  spot  all  for  the  enjoyment  of  competitively  playing  hockey.     ACHA  stands  for  American  Collegiate  Hockey  Association.    This  non-­‐scholarship  league  is  one  of  the  top  collegiate  leagues  in  the  country.    As  I  mentioned  earlier  the  ACHA  has  no  scholarships  for  its  players  like  the  NCAA  does.    I  believe  though  that  this  has  the  players  play  harder  for  it,  because  they  do  this  because  they  love  it.    Unlike  scholarship  athletes  and  professional  players  have  some  type  of  reparation  for  their  time  on  the  ice.    They  are  in  the  Division  One  of  the  ACHA  which  is  in  the  same  ranks  as  John  Carroll,  West  Virginia,  and  Robert  Morris  (PA).     Also  the  team  has  been  growing  better  and  better.    For  the  first  time  last  year  ,we  made  an  appearance  at  the  national  tournament  for  the  ACHA.    They  made  it  in  a  round  or  two  into  the  tournament.    They  have  been  a  growing  threat  and  now  a  powerhouse  in  the  CHMA.    We  are  currently  second  and  only  two  games  behind  the  number  one  John  Carroll.    As  well  as  our  skill  being  high  we  are  attracting  more  and  more  talent  to  our  team  that  is  making  us  more  competitive  in  the  league.         For  their  schedule  you  can  go  to  the  ACHA  site  at  achahockey.org  and  look  to  see  when  we  are  playing  at  home  and  go  out  to  see  them  play.    Currently  as  of  03  February,  2013  we  are  ranked  number  one  in  our  conference  of  the  CHMA.    Also  if  you  miss  a  game  at  home  or  on  the  road  you  can  watch  them  at  night  on  Laker  TV  or  listen  live  on  u  stream  at    and  enjoy  the  games  whenever  you  can.  

Sista’ on da Hush

Hello,  Ambassadors,      I  hope  you  all  are  having  a  good  winter  term.    Mother  Nature  has  been  a  real  stuntcump  as  of  late,  despite  which  I  have  noticed  an  epidemic  of  too-­‐short-­‐for-­‐tours  skirts  I’ve  been  noticing  lately!    Hopefully  Santa  brought  these  dress  code  violators  a  few  bolts  of  fabric  to  amend  this  professional  faux  pas…#hohoNO.    The  Ambassador  test  administered  before  break  elicited  a  wide  range  of  reactions  from  ambassadors,  and  one  ambassador  regretted  having  a  “liquid  dinner”  before  the  meeting.    #ThirstyThursday      Before  returning  for  winter  term,  we  were  all  treated  to  a  well-­‐deserved  break.    While  some  spent  the  time  in  quiet  reflection  and  gratitude,  other  transatlantic  travelers  took  European  nightclubs  by  storm—one  even  broke  a  record  for  the  shortest  amount  of  time  in  a  bar  before  kissing  a  total  stranger!    #winning        In  other  news,  it’s  come  to  my  attention  that  there  is  a  new  Ambassador  couple  in  the  making,  and  once  again  the  roof  of  Old  Main  proves  to  be  the  couples  get  away  for  young  love  in  bloom.    I  wish  you  kids  the  best.        Another  “couple”  formed  in  a  more  casual  and  less  meaningful  way  over  drinks  at  the  Stone.    This  news  sent  to  me  “anonymously,”  by  one  of  those  individuals  involved  in  the  hook-­‐up.    I  guess  no  publicity  is  bad  publicity,  and  if  the  rumors  about  the  other  party  involved  are  true,  I’d  be  bragging  too!      New  Year’s  Eve  also  seemed  an  apparent  mess  for  many  of  you.    I  myself  observed  multiple  of  our  peers  making  out  with  each  other,  falling  down  stairs,  and  making  questionable  voyages  to  surrounding  municipalities  in  pursuit  of  love.      

It  saddens  me  that  I  have  few  of  these  left  to  write  for  the  year,  but  with  100  days  to  graduation  approaching  I  expect  to  see  you  living  like  it  doesn’t  matter  what  you  do.    Stay  classy  (or  not),  healthy,  and  happy. Love,  the  Sista’