Document

The GwynmercianVolume 59, No. 1 Gwynedd Mercy College November 2008

Contents:

Election . . . . . . . . . . .pg.2-3GMC News. . . . . . . . pg.4-5GMC Activities. . . . . pg.6-7Features. . . . . . . . . . . pg.8-9Entertainment. . . . . . .pg.10Editorials. . . . . . . . . . pg.11Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . ..pg12

Inside this Issue:Republican vs. Democratic: Rock Your Vote! . . . .....pg.2-3Campbell Solution Center Blessing. . . . . . . . . . . . .pg.4S.A.C. Interview . . .......pg.5 College Budget. . . . . . ..pg.9Bookstore Editorial. . . .pg.8Tennis Champs . . . . . ...pg.11

Faculty and Students gather for Mercy Tea. For more on Mercy Week, see pg.6

GMC Fall Fest celebrates in Rotelle By Marie Dellobuono ’09

Because of inclement weather, Fall Fest was moved from the outdoor, spacious areas around the pavillion to the Rotelle Lounge and breezeway below the cafeteria. The inflated obstacle course and the well-advertised titanic slide were cancelled, which was a dis-appointment to those attending. Pie-eating and (Cont’d., pg. 5)

Remember to vote! The polling booths await you! See election coverage, candidates info,pgs. 2-3

Mercy Week is one of our college’s most treasured events. This is when so many of us come together to learn the real meaning behind the val-ues that our school upholds every day. As Dr. Luquet says, “Mercy Week is a celebration of our Mercy heritage. It is a time for our campus (Cont’d. pg. 5)

GMC honored by visit from New Orleans notablesBy Maggie Zenner

New Orleans notables visited campus last month, invited by Dr. Wade Luquet, professor of sociology, who has been responsible for incorportaing New Orleans culture in our college with his New Orleans History and Culture course. Last year, after his annual trip with students to New Orleans, he came back with boxes full of the city’s history, including old authentic jazz programs. This time, he had friends come to us. Dr. Luquet said of the experience “It was a great honor the have the Fleur-De-Lis Ambassadors on our campus. (Cont’d, 7)

CONSTRUCTION UPDATEBy Shadia Arouni

The official ground breaking of GMC’s new turf field took place on August 12. President Kathleen Owens and Athletic Director Keith Mon-dillo joined other faculty, students, and staff to celebrate the start of con-struction of the state-of-the art turf field and sports complex. Traffic was re-routed into the college in October in the process of laying the turf. When construction is completed, GMC’s campus will include a new athletic complex for men and women’s lacrosse, field hockey, soc-cer, and track and field. The athletic compound will contain stadium seating for 1,000, meeting rooms,synthetic turf field,concession (Pg.7)

PAGE 2 Gwynedd Mercy College November 2008

ELECTION- NOVEMBER 4, 2008

ROCK YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE!By: Maggie Zenner ’09

This past semester, as editor of The Gwynmer-cian, I have had the opportunity to listen in on broadcast election intrviews. These interviews were provided by the Democratic Youth for Change Campaign. I listened to Michelle Obama, wife of candidate Barack Obama, and Kal Penn, an actor in the Harold and Kumar films. These were my favorites because of what they spoke about. They didn’t push Barack Obama in my face or diss McCain or Palin. They didn’t even mention what their stands on any of the issues were. All they simply mentioned was “Are you voting?” This ques-tion has been stressed so much lately, yet it is so im-portant to the rest of our lives. They continually said: “We don’t care who you vote for, we just want you to believe that you can make a differ-ence!” ROCK YOUR VOTE THIS WEEK!

Students learn how to register to vote under the help-ful guidance of Melissa Dzeidzic and Christine Devine

GMC course election poll at Montgomery Mall makes national newsBy: Willow Wilson

Rather than accepting the speculation from news media on who will be the 44th Presi-dent of the United States, students from Professor Terry Wimmer’s political science class con-ducted their own poll of voters in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties. Be-ginning October 3, students called voters from Assumption Hall between 6 and 8 pm and asked thirteen polling questions on such topics as the economy, racial issues, and the qualifications of the candidates. Professor Wimmer analyzed the data, which was published in a re-port sent to everyone in the GMC community and to the news media. Local newspa-pers and major television news stations as well as The Christian Science Monitor ran the story. This poll is significant because it does not include residents of Philadel-phia County, where the outcome is fairly certain to be pro-Barack Obama. According to Professor Wimmer, the candidate who is successful in the four counties surround-ing Philadelphia on November 4 will win Pennsylvania. Professor Wimmer also believes that the poll-ing is significant because “it is really important for students to hear firsthand from voters and to participate in a pure research activity.” The first study of 605 registered voters showed that Obama leads McCain. The results of the poll are not intended to sway others in their choice of a candi-date but rather to educate and inform. By contributing their time to this polling, the stu-dents can take pride and satisfaction in being a part of this historic and momentous election.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE DEMOCRATS:www. barackobama.comwww.democrats.org/a/party/platform/html

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE REPUBLICANS:www.johnmccain.comwww.gopplatform2008.com

Facts on candidates put together by Pennslyva-nia Catholic Conference. [email protected]


ELECTION- NOVEMBER 4, 2008

BARACK OBAMA VICE PRESIDENT: JOE BIDENDEMOCRAT

ON THE ISSUES:

Education/School Choice“Senator Obama has always been a critic of vouchers. . . Throughout his career, he has voted against voucher proposals and voiced concern for siphoning off resourc-es from our public schools.” Obamas education agen-da “does not include vouchers, in any shape or form.” (statement to Education Week, Feb. 2008).

Health CareThe Obama Plan for reforming the health care system would “establish a new public insurance program, avail-able to Americans who neither qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP nor have access to insurance through their em-ployers, as well as to small businesses that want to offer insurance to their employees.” (www.barackobama.com)

Immigration“Senator Obama supported legislation to provide immigrants an opportunity to remain in the coun-try and earn citzenship by paying fines and back taxes, learning English, satisfying a work require-ment, and passing a criminal background check.” ( w w w. o b a m a . s e n a t e . g o v / i s s u e s / i m m i g r a t i o nSenator Obama also realizes “the need to increase the number of people we allow into the country le-gally to a level that keeps families together and meets the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill.”( w w w . b a r a c k o b a m a . c o m )

International Justice/Peace“Immediately upon taking office, Obama will give his Secretary of Defense and military commanders a new mission in Iraq: ending the war. The removal of our troops will be responsible and phased, directly by mili-tary commanders on the ground and done in consul-tation with the Iraqi government...(to) redeploy com-bat bridges from Iraq at a pace of 1 to 2 brigades a month..within 16 months.” (www.barackobama.com)

JOHN MCCAINVICE PRESIDENT: SARAH PALINREPUBLICAN

ON THE ISSUES:

Education/School Choice“Senator McCain, himself the father of private school students, told the National Urban League, ‘Everybody should have the same choice Cindy and I and Sen. Obama did.’ McCain stated that he favors vouchers that give parents more school choices.” (Associated Press, August 1, 2008)

Health CareThe McCain health care reform plan would “use com-petition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match peoples needs, lower prices, and portability.” His campaign website says his plan offers families a direct refundable tax credit to offset the cost of insurance. Families will be able to choose the insurance provider. (www.johnmccain.com)

Immigration:“Why not say to those undocumented workers who are working the jobs that the rest of us refuse, come out of the shadows ... pay a fine, stay em-ployed, learn our language, play your taxes, obey our laws, and earn the right to be an American.” (State-ment on U.S Senate floor regarding the Compre-hensive Immigration Reform Act, May 25th, 2006).

International Justice/Peace“McCain believes it is strategically and morally essen-tial for the United States to support the government of Iraq to become capable of governing itsself and safe-guarding its people. He strongly disagrees with those who advocate withdrawing American troops before that has occured.The best way to secure long-term peace and security is to establish a stable, prosperous, and democratic state in Iraq that poses no threat to its neigh-bors and contributes to the defeat of terrorists. When Iraqi forces can safeguard their own country, Ameri-can troops can return home.” (www.johnmccain.com)


Walk away from your car!By: Megan Forsyth ‘08

There are 1,120 parking spaces on campus, and of those spaces, 196 are designated for faculty, 344 for commuter students, 391 for resident students and 189 for visitors. There may be some overlap, since residents park in commuter lots, which then causes commuters to park in visitor lots, and visi-tors to park wherever they can find an open space. On a campus that appears to have am-ple parking, when did it become so dif-ficult to find a decent parking space?For those that live on campus, it may seem harmless to drive to class every once in a while. Understand-ably, I did it once or twice when I lived in Alexan-dria. It was raining, and I didn’t own an umbrella. Not only did my driving take spots away from commuter students, but I also ran the risk of getting tick-eted. More than one ticket would have led to a boot on my car. Imagine if a commuter were parked in the lot at Alex-andria, forcing you to park at Loyola, or worse, Griffin. At the beginning of the semester, just over 1,000 parking permits were sold to students alone, and they are still being sold. That means there are only 735 spaces on campus specifically for stu-dents, whether they are resident or commuter. There is a slight discrepancy with Grif-fin (which is usually for visitors) and Trocaire (cur-rently for visitors and special-needs students), but once freshmen are allowed to retrieve their cars from Siemen’s, there is no telling what chaos will ensue. So, resident students, the next time you’re too tired to walk to class, consider your options: a $30 park-ing violation that could also cause a commuter to be late for class, or burning roughly 30 calories from walking at a moderate pace for ten minutes. It’s all in the numbers.

DORMS OVER CAPACITY AGAIN THIS YEARBy: Geoffery Felsher ’09

First-year students arriving on campus this year expected a standard college room. Others thought they had earned a better room than last year. Some of these students found they would live in a converted lounge. According to Associate Director John Verdi, the amount of beds generally available is 558. There are now 612 people living on campus, due to a large number of students returning and a record number of first-years. There is a waiting list to live on campus. When offered, many of these students jumped at the opportu-nity. “Some of the people on the waiting list were of-fered spots and moved in that same day” stated Verdi. One part of living in the residence halls that has seen a significant impact is student illness. The Campus Health Center usage has greatly increased over the same time last year. Donna Ferguson, Direc-tor of Campus Health, said students coming for help has “just about doubled” since last year, going from

131 people in September of 2007 to 225 this year. Ferguson claims, “we are really seeing the impact of the extra people.” At first glance, overcapacity living in the residence halls sounds painful. Yet the Resi-dence Life Staff is handling every issue effectively. Students seem to be enjoying their cramped quar-ters and look forward to new rooms next year.

Dr. Owens and Father John lead the Gwynedd Mercy community as they bless our new Campbell Solution Center.


S.A.C. Director Tom Friel, Man of all seasons and eventsBy: Meghan Forsyth ’09

On the afternoon of my interview with Tom Friel, there was a crisis. The screen for the movie on the lawn had not arrived. With the event only twenty-four hours away, Friel wanted answers. The problem? No one was returning his calls. As we both settled in his cluttered office, the phone rang. It was the company that was supposed to deliver the screen, and Friel was determined to find out the problem. Despite his profes-sional tone, he proceeded to make silly faces at me during the call, showing his displeasure with the conver-sation, as well as his good-natured personality. He got the answers he wanted, and the interview proceeded. Friel’s determination may seem aggressive to some, but it is all for the benefit of the stu-dents at GMC. Tom Friel is the Director of Student Activities, and for good reason. College is an experi-ence that should be appreciated, and he recognizes that. “If all that students did at college was go to class, do homework, and take tests, that would be one view [of the college experience]. If they have dis-tractions, fun things, things to break down their anxieties and get them to relax, that’s another view. Which one would you rather have? That’s the value that we add to the college experience,” said Friel. Not only does he moderate the events on campus as part of the Student Government Association (SGA), he is also the adviser of The Coelian, GMC’s yearbook. According to Friel, before he was the adviser, the qual-ity of the yearbook was poor. “I volunteered immediately, as soon as there was an opening,” he confessed. Not everything is fun and games, however. Like every other job, Friel has his fair share of struggles, but it’s nothing new on a college campus. When asked what he felt was the biggest issue on campus, he approached the question from different angles: from a faculty perspective (a lack of resources), a student perspective (want-ing what other colleges have that we don’t), and a college perspective (dwindling numbers in future years). In the end, it all comes back to the students. They are his favorite part of the job, and the reason his office is so cluttered. In the few empty spaces on his desk, there are picture frames featuring the members of SGA, as well as gifts from the students that he has worked closely with over the years. It’s no surprise that so many students appreciate Friel and all that he does. Without him, college would just be class, homework, and tests.(FALL FEST, continued from pg. 1)pumpkin-decorating contests ensued throughout the day. Activities includ-ed sand art, tarot card reading, and Wii sports. Tickets were 50 cents and the food (grilled hot dogs, hamburg-ers, sodas) was enjoyable. the day/night ended with the Ataris concert, with opening act Huck, a guitarist. The turnout was good with the S@C club well represented. Those who attended said the event would have been better if it had taken place outdoors, and the at-aris were a big deal at little gmc. Next year, let’s hope for sunny skies for Fall Fest!

(Mercy Week cont’d from pg 1) community to get in touch with our most important and crucial work at Gwynedd-Mercy College, service to others. This year’s theme is “A Tradition of learning, a commitment to caring.” We heard from the Sisters of Mercy on their critical concerns in-cluding racism, the earth and women. Award-winning filmmakers, Alan and Susan Raymond, came to discuss their powerful film, Children in War. Of course, we also celebrated the legacy of Sister Cath-erine McAuley. The week ended with the popular Mercy Tea, which included baked treats donated by students and faculty. The service opportunites filled the room with interested students.

Like taking photos? Enjoy writing? Good with computers? We want you for The Gwynmercian! Contact Dr. Chapin at [email protected].

REMEMBER TO VOTE!

PAGE 6 Gwynedd Mercy College November 2008Experiencing the World, Hands On: Study Abroad Experinces Enlighten GMC Students By: Jim Casanova

At a presentation in Merck Auditorium last month, GMC students shared their insight-ful learning experiences about studying abroad in other countries, thanks to GMC faculty and Ar-cadia University. Arcadia has organized student study abroad trips for 60 years to 14 countries. Working with GMC staff, Arcadia provides expert guidance. GMC senior Jessica Cannady admits she was nervous at first. “It was a little unnerving at first to be so far from home with no one I knew, but after the first cou-ple of hours it was clear that we had an amazing group of people and I ended up being thankful that I came alone.” Students like Marissa Lobb and Ashleigh Houck went to Perugia, Italy for sev-eral months. They found themselves overwhelmed at first, but adapted well soon after. Jessica Cannady who went to Rome, wants the opportunity to experience more and would love to return as there are so many places to see. She said that many students wonder about the living situation. “ T h e best part of the experience was probably a result of the living situation. Arcadia chose to put each of the apartments sort of scattered in different parts of the city and relatively far from one another,” she said. One challenge that these students faced was the different learning methods, compared to some of the more traditional American methods, but after some time they grew used to it. “I learned an in-credible amount of history; both classic history, architectural history, and church history,” Cannady said. Such an experience is something these students hope to have again, as many others do as well. She remarked: “Besides the class I took which was obviously informative, I gained a per-spective about my life and the world that I wouldn’t have been able to do, staying at home.”

The Gwynmercian Staff Gwynedd Valley, PA 19437

Volume 59, Number 1 November 2008Advisor....................................................................................Dr. Lisbeth ChapinEditors.......................................................Maggie Zenner and Meghann RuhlingStaff photographers.......................................................................Maggie ZennerWriters............................................Shadia Arouni, Jim Casanova, Lauren Clark, Maureen Curcio, Marie Dellobuono, Alex Eliff, Geoffrey Felsher, Meghan Forsyth, Christine Paolucci, Amanda Pfister, Dan Schultz,Willow Wilson.

Get your tickets for GMC events this fall!

There are many exciting events happening this fall at GMC. First up, The Valley Players, our very own acting troupe,will present “The Most Massive Woman Wins,” November 7-9. The play, by Madeline George, is a “lighthearted and comedic expose of the pressures that society, and women themselves, place on the importance of perfection.” Admission is only $3.00. Next up is an event called “The Three Sopranos,” sponsored by our choir, The Voices of Gwynedd: three of Philadelphia’s top sopranos sing an evening of “auidence-friendly” opera. Their performance will include selec-tions from opera, art songs and Broadway favorites. It is free to all who attend!

Write for your student n e w s p a p e r !

An upcoming G w y n m e r c i a n issue could earn you college credit with our Praticum Program and add new skills to your r e p e r t o i r e ! Contact Dr. Chapin at [email protected].

PAGE 7 Gwynedd Mercy College November 2008On a College Budget: Get Cultured!By: Maureen Curcio

Philadelphia is packed with history and museums. Con-sidering it was the former capital of the United States, there’s a lot of heritage for visitors to cover and a blending of cul-tures that rivals any large metropolitan city on the East Coast. \ Some of Philly’s most cultural sites can also be easy on the dol-lar too , which certainly makes venues attractive to budget-conscious students. In fact, there are more than a few classy places with free or un-der $10 admission prices, and with the R5 SEPTA line right around the corner, GMC students have access to classy hotspots at their fingertips. Philadelphia’s prestigious academic institutions of-fer college students many opportunities to visit muse-ums attached to universities for free or at a discounted price. The University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) and Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology are not only two of the most well-respected museums within their disciplines, but also allow students to view their collections at such low prices. With free admission, the ICA, located on 36th Street, dis-plays some of the hottest trends in contemporary art and consis-tently hosts community events, lectures, panels, discussions, per-formances, and tours with local and guest scholars. Founded in 1963, the ICA continues to push the boundaries of conventional standards in art and leads the City in displaying the hippest com-pilation in the contemporary art genre. Similarly, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at UPenn on South Street con-tinues to lead the City’s cultural heritage exhibitions. The museum’s floors exhibit architectural and cultural pieces from Egypt, Mesopotamia, Asia, the ancient Mediterranean, and beyond. Currently, the museum is hosting the “Surviving the Body of Evidence” display, which explores the evolution of humans through an interactive media exhibition and takes a look at the future of human evolution as well. The museum charges a low $5 admission price with student ID. The Moore College of Art is another gallery that offers stu-dents a classy night out for free. Located at 20th and the Ben Franklin Parkway, Moore offers students access to various exhi-bitions from promising artists in the local region as well as from abroad. As the first and only women’s art college in the U.S., Moore is also dedicated to displaying the work of female artists. Ultimately, students should remember that being cultur-ally-minded doesn’t necessarily mean appearing “très snob,” as the French would say, or cost you a bunch of bills either. Try one of these new experiences and enrich your life!

(NEW ORLEANS, cont’d from page 1)

They are a very prestigeous group of State Representatives, CEO’s, College Presidents, and musicians. For the Chan-cellor of the University of New Orleans to come to our campus and say how great it is that we have this collection and that we do great work for the people and City of New Orleans is something we should be proud of. I look forward to expanding our relationship with them in the coming months”. With the ambassador, pictured in the photo is Dr. Luquet; Dr. Tim Ryan, Chancellor of the University of New Orleans; Betsie Gambel, with the Keat-ing-Magee Group; Denise Thornton, CEO of the non-profit organization Beacon of Hope; and Tim Williamson, CEO of Idea Village.

(TURF FIELD , Cont’d from page 1) stands, team locker rooms, and a eight-lane track with a nine-lane straightaway. According to Keith Mondillo, there is no set date for completion of Phase I; af-ter Phase I , the township will need to come to GMC and approve it. The $5.5 million athletic complex is going to be a spectac-ular addition to GMC’s campus, and the athletes are excited to play on the field!

PAGE 8 Gwynedd Mercy College November 2008 EDITORIALSAlternatives to bookstorejust don’t make the gradeBy: Jim Casanova With high book prices keeping in late, one may ask “Is the book store necessary?” This year in particular, some people were not able to get their books for classes on time. At times the book store doesn’t receive ordered books on the due date. This leaves students in a tight spot for their classes. Book prices add more to this question and can range anywhere from $10.00 to $100.00. Many stu-dents have trouble affording book. Ordering a book through the website could improve one’s chances of getting it on time, but that isn’t a guarantee. An easy solution for most students is to order their books online through websites such as Amazon.com. It’s cheaper and generally, they ship right on time, and the purchaser receives it on time. However, the bookstore offers more than just books. Items such as school supplies like notebooks, pencils, binders, book bags, cal-culators, and much more are all available at the store. They even offer outside items such as t-shirts and sweaters at a reasonable price. So is the bookstore be unnecessary? Time and money are important when it comes to college. Whether there are working students or those unem-ployed, the prices thrown may just be a bit too costly even when the books were previously used by another. In my honest opinion, a college book-store is necessary. All schools should have some supply of books for easy access, even if some books are harder to obtain than others. The cost of books is high, but the ser-vices the bookstore offers can’t be matched. Even if there is a delay to get the books on the shelves, the book store will eventu-ally get multiple copies of the book, while one might have some trouble finding the book online. Despite some flaws in any college book-store system, I feel it is a necessity, and our GMC store works with students to do its best.

Vote and change your lifeBy: Alex Eliff

This November 4th will be an important day for our country, our world, and for me personally: the election for our future president and the first time I will ever vote. With this day approaching, I, like many of my fellow peers, have felt confusion and sense of insignificance, largely because of the complexity of the issues and all the facts and fallacies being thrown at us, the voters. In addition many of us have asked ourselves the question: Does my vote count? I found myself looking for an opportunity to learn more about the election process. Last month, Philadelphia University held a special event: MTV’s Rock the Vote, an informational seminar to encourage young voters to vote, educating us about how voting will impact our lives. The speaker was Robin from MTV’s “Real World/ Road Rules Challenge: The Island.”Robin opened with an interesting story about politics. She said that her mother was a liberal Democrat, and her father was a conservative Republican. Robin explained how this atmosphere created in her an open-minded perspective. She explained that MTV wants to reach out to the generation of young voters in college. She also told us that the issues in any election will directly influence our lives present and future. Robin talked about issues such as Health Care, Illegal Immigration and The War in Iraq. She spoke about Obama and McCain’s stands on these issues and how they would affect our futures. As I sat and listened to the presentation, the issues, and my peers’ opinions, I could not help but feel relief. I was not the only one. My decision to become educated about voting helped me realize how important voting actually is. I have to be honest: I had already registered but probably would have made an excuse for not actu-ally voting. Now I will make it an obligation to vote. My advice on voting is that if you are confused, ask questions and make an effort. My other advice is that if you repeatedly ask yourself why vote, ask yourself an-other question: What is important to you and what would you want to improve about it? With this question in mind, you should look at voting as answering that question and assisting you in improving the issue in your world.


A Week in the Life of an Education Majorby Christine Paolucci, Gwynedd-Mercy Class of 2008

I have always heard people say that you learn something new ev-ery day. And, as a teacher, you learn a great deal more than just one thing! Student teaching in kindergarten has been the greatest learning experience of my life. Some people who are not familiar with teaching say that teaching kindergarten is the easiest job in the world. They think that all I do is go to school and play with little kids. Wrong! When I first saw the cur-riculum for kindergarten, I was shocked. It is amazing what these five and six year olds are expected to do. I found that if you can find a way to teach children and show them how it relates to their lives, it is a mean-ingful experience for them. As long as you keep the students actively involved, they are interested in learning. Something as simple as teaching combining and separating (add-ing and subtracting) through a game of musical chairs makes a huge difference. I learned that classroom management is a very important concept in education. Your stu-dents will not listen to you if you do not have control of the class and, in turn, will not learn much. In my experience, constant positive reinforcement works best. If you create a respect-ful environment, it is possible to have a productive classroom. In kindergarten, you have to tell the students exactly what you expect them to do, reviewing every part of the procedure. When I dedicated my life to being a teacher, I knew that I may likely catch some of their colds or flu illnesses for the first couple of years. But I am willing to have the most rewarding job in the world and be sick every now and then. Even if the children aren’t sick, they carry a great many germs and aren’t afraid to spread them! Kindergarteners love to put everything in their mouths. This includes fingers, hair, shoelaces, shirts, pants, etc. All the hand washing in the world still will not prevent you as a teacher from getting sick! I can honestly say I was a different person before student teaching than I am now. I have learned so much more than I could ever have imagined. I have seen a class of 20 children de-velop into mature kindergarteners. I look at their work, and I am simply amazed by the prog-ress that they have shown in a couple of months. I feel so proud to have made a difference in their lives. In the time I have been with them, I not only have taught them how to be good students but also how to be good people in the world we live in. I am confident that if I see these children in the fu-ture they will remember me. I certainly could never forget my very first class of kindergarteners! There will always be challenges that you must face as a teacher. With each challenge comes a reward. A few words of advice for future teachers: Live ev-ery day like there might not be a tomorrow. Cherish every moment you have with your students. Laugh as much as possible. If you do not have a good sense of humor, you will never make it as a teacher! Love your students as if they were your own children. You never can be too sure about what their life is like outside of school. To some children, you are the only person they can trust. Learn from everything you do and, most important, never stop reflecting. As I discovered, day after day, teachers not only teach, they learn!

Christine Paolucci graduated in May and teaches first grade in the School District of Philadelphia at Finletter Elementary School.


NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST!

After becoming a star in movies like Super-bad and Juno, Michael Cera’s awkward teen humor starts to take its toll in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Michael plays Nick, a depressed teenager after his girlfriend, Tris(Alexis Dziena) broke up with him on his birthday. His band mates convince him to go to a gig later that night. Norah(Kat Den-nings), goes out the same night with his best friend Caroline(Ari Graynor) to find the band “Where’s Fluffy” in the city, where Norah meets Nick. From that point, Nick, Norah, and their friends go across the city in search of the band, while hitting some speed bumps like bumping in to Tris, Norah’s boyfriend, and looking for Caroline who gets lost in the city. This is a flick more in love with itself than the actual viewer. We never understand why Nick and Norah seem at all right for one another. They are smart and sarcastic teenagers who are less than authentic. Sure the characters have the same taste in music, but the chemistry isn’t quite there. Den-nings is just fine, but appears to be slightly bored throughout the film, or perhaps her character is. Cera, a talented young comedic actor, is playing a very similar character to the ones he played in Superbad and Juno, but feels even more uptight. Rather than focusing on these two char-acters, the film spends too much on subplots whether it’s Tris’ jealousy for Norah, Caro-line walking aimlessly on the streets of New York, or Nick’s trying to hard to be funny band mates looking for the hip band “Where’s Fluffy”, after carelessly looking after Caroline. The best quality of the film is actually the photography, with some beautiful shots of New York as the characters go from one club to another. How all these high school kids are getting in the clubs, I do not know. Still though, the movie is harm-less, at times funny, and has its own charms despite how undeveloped the essential love story really is.

Discover The Secret Life Of Bees The Secret Life of Bees tells the touching story about the need for love, family and redemption. Set in South Carolina during the turbulent Civil Rights era, the home of the intelligent and independent honey-making Boat-wright sisters, August(Queen Latifah), June(Alicia Keys) and May(Sophie Okonedo) is suddenly thrust into upheav-al with the arrival of fourteen year-old Lily Owens (Dako-ta Fanning) and her caretaker Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson). Produced by Will Smith, and wife Jada Pinkett Smith, The Secret Life of Bees could attract many fam-ily viewers for a good story and solid values. Adapted from the novel written by Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees may be the break from some of the grim-mer films to have come out recently. It’s worth discovering.

Movies: Jim’s Must See’sBy. Jim Casanova

OTHER MUST SEE’S CURRENTLY IN THEATERSBoDy of LieS *** OUT OF 4Quarantine *** OUT OF 4HigH SCHooL MuSiCaL 3 *** OUT OF 4PriDe anD gLory ** OUT OF 4 (VERY VIOLENT)SAW V ** OUT OF 4 (VERY GRUESOME)

MAX PAYNE gaming isn’t all fun Based on the legendary, hard-hitting interactive video game, Max Payne tells the story of a maverick cop determined to track down those responsible for the brutal murder of his family and partner. Hell-bent on revenge, his obsessive investigation takes him on a nightmare journey into a dark underworld. As the mystery deepens, Max (Mark Wahl-berg) is forced to battle enemies beyond the nat-ural world and face an unthinkable betrayal. While the film is visually impressive, it leaves the question “So what?” Still coming off of his Academy Award nomination for the Departed, Wahlberg’s latest career choices have been less than stellar and he is now the lead star of an action film with no substance, as the brooding and quiet Max Payne. Few if any video game films have gener-ated success, and with a tired old revenge genre, and a huge star, studios need to question the future of video game films.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE: November 14, 2008tranSPorter 3: November 28, 2008auStraLia: November 28, 2008


FIELD HOCKEY TEAM SHOWS MERCY & WINSBy Amanda Pfister The Gwynedd-Mercy Field Hockey team has started out their season as true Griffin leaders. An excit-ing finish to their season opener against Scranton, the field hockey team looks to keep going on their roll. The team was recently chosen by the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) to be one of the teams to beat this season. They were selected to be the preseason favorite from the coaches’ poll taken after a strong 2007 season. The team improved their record in the CSAC play to a 3-0 record after beating Cedar Crest. The win over Cedar Crest was huge for the Griffins, giving them the edge they need to accomplish their goal of being number one. The Griffins made this game special by being a part of the Play 4 A Cure pro-gram. In Play 4 A Cure, the Griffins joined over 132 high school and college teams from Maine to Arizona to raise money for the Susan G. Koman breast cancer research charity. After falling a couple of games short in the beginning of the season, the wom-en have started to show everyone why they were named the favorite. The Griffins start-ed to pull it together to improve their record where it needed to be, in the conference. The Griffins have been working hard, with the help of some returning players. Seniors Victoria Geppert, Erin Reedy, Nicole Dowling and Liz Walton all have enhanced their team’s efforts and play like they have been togeth-er for years. The seniors look to keep this fire alive in the rest of the season to lead their team in reaching its goal.

GRIFFIN TENNIS TEAM SMASHES TOCSAC CHAMPIONS FOR 2008!By:Maggie Zenner ’09

This year, GMC’s women’s tennis hit new heights with a smashing record this season. Team members Ashley Bowie, Chelsea Donde, Erin Fallon, Heather Morgan, Gina Paler-mo, Davida Phillips, Amy Rock, Alana Rumpel, and Jessica Scarpello played a very impressive re-cord: 15-2, having won all 7 of their home matches. They went on to win their first ever confer-ence championship. They beat out tough defend-ers, Cabrini College, to make it all love for the team! Not only do they get to savor this sweet victory, they will also represent GMC this up-coming spring at the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Jim Holt has lead the turn-around of GMC’s tennis program, also to be honored for his work with Big Broth-ers/Big Sisters program and his commu-nity service work with the “Touch of Ten-nis” program he runs during the summer.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNING GRIFFIN’S WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *C S A CC H A M P I O N S , 2 0 0 8 !

STUDENT CAREER CENTER UPDATE DID YOU KNOW.....?

Dr. Chet Rispoli, Director Hours: M-F 9-5 (Contact Office for additional hours) Location: Campbell Hall Phone: (215) 646-7300, ext. 230 Email: [email protected]

Web Site: www.gmc.edu/students/careerservices/ Job Search Web Site: www.collegecentral.com/gmc Blog: http://careerservicesgmc.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1262306663


ATHLETICS WoMen’S SoCCer KiCKS it into PLayoffSBy Dan Schultz

After surging into the playoffs in 2007, the women’s soccer team saw their sea-son end in a first round exit at the hands up Misercordia University. Even with the de-parture of six seniors, the Griffins entered the 2008 season with expectations of a deep playoff run. Made up of nine freshmen and seven returning players the Lady Griffins were picked to fin-ish in fourth place in the pre-season rankings. The ladies opened up their season by returning to Kean Uni-versity’s Cougar Classic on Labor Day weekend where they fell to St. Joseph’s (N.Y) and hosts Kean. Despite losing their home opener to Richard Stockton College, the women bounced back by earning their first win of the season on the road versus St. Elizabeth College. Freshman Gwen Conte stole the show by netting a hat trick as the Lady Griffins rolled to a 5-1 victory. The women rounded out their non-conference schedule with two tough defeats at York College and Arcadia University; the team completed the first half of their season with a record of 1-51. Entering conference play the women hit the road to face Baptist Bible, where they notched their first CSAC win by a final score of 3-1. Following their big win the Lady Griffins followed up with another conference win at home over Immaculata University that was highlighted by All-Conference goalie Kristie Pollock’s first shutout of the season. After cruising past conference newcomers Keystone College 3-0 the wom-en took on Cabrini College on their home field where they battled to a 2-1 over-time victory with the game winning goal put in by Freshmen Kasey Reid’s first career goal. At 4-0 in the CSAC the Lady Griffins have already reached last year’s conference win mark and could be on their way to home field advantage in the playoffs. The ladies will fin-ish out their season with six more games which include a home match up with last season’s runner up Centenary College and a two game road trip at Philadelphia Biblical University and Neumann College.

Men’s Soccer Still Fighting for WinsBy Dan Schultz

The men’s soccer team entered the 2008 season with hopes of making the playoffs for the first time in the program’s history, which remains to be seen. The team consists of fourteen returning players teamed up with twelve newcom-ers and are led by senior captains Sean Meehan, Andy Severns, and Tim Mumford. The men began their season on Labor Day weekend at Frank-lin & Marshall Universities Scrap yard Classic. The Griffins held strong but were faced with two defeats by host and nationally ranked Frank-lin & Marshall along with last year’s PAC champions Eastern University. The Griffins finally grabbed their first win of the season at Haverford College. The Griffins have six games remaining on the schedule including home games against Centenary and Neumann College and road match up’s with Marywood University and Cabrini College in a game that could decide who gets home field advantage in the playoffs.

Be the Captain of The Gwynmercian Sports Page and write for your team!Contact The Gwynmercian Advisor, Dr. Chapin, at [email protected]

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