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Fundamental

changes made

to PAC

page 3page 2

Senior class

to renovate

Great Room

Ecodemiapages 7-10

Meet the new

Energy Corps

member.

.

.

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NEWSPage 2 December 14, 2011

Senior class to renovate Great Room

Each year the Mercyhurst Col-lege senior class chooses a gift togive back to the school as a way forthat class to be remembered. Thisyear the senior gift will be a GreatRoom facelift, which entails reno-

vations to the Herrmann StudentUnion Great Room and adding agame room to the area.

Before the gift was chosen, a poll was sent out to the senior class,and three ideas were narroweddown to be presented to a board,

which included President TomGamble, Ph.D. and Vice Presidentfor Advancement Dave Livingston,Ph.D. The three ideas presented

were a game room, a fire pit anda monetary donation to the Jenni-Lyn Watson fund.

After discussion among theboard members, the Great Room

Facelift was chosen.Renovations to the room will

include a gas fireplace that can beturned on with the flip of a switch,a Foosball table, board games, apool table, a flat screen TV, a DVDplayer, a Xbox and Wii system andgames for these systems. Direct TV

will be available so that studentsmay access channels or sportingevents not available on ordinarycable.

We want this to be a place stu-

dents can go to, Senior Gift Com-mittee Chair Lindsay Cox said.

Wii games will also be available inthe library to rent, much like DVDsare now. These games can then be

used in the Great Room. The space will be still used for

events and renovated in a fashionthat furniture and the set-up caneasily be changed to host eventsas it does now. The room will alsobe sound proofed and enclosed inorder to not disturb the activitiesoccurring in the Great Room likemovies, events or yoga.

As ideas were discussed andthe Senior Class Committee spoke

with Vice President for StudentLife Gerard Tobin, Ph.D., it wasrealized that Mercyhurst StudentGovernment (MSG) also had plansof developing a game room oncampus.

It was then decided that MSGand the Senior Gift Committee

would work together on the seniorgift, since both had similar plansand ideas and more funds wouldbe available. This is the first timethe two organizations have workedtogether on this project.

It will be more successful work-ing together with MSG and willmake it an ultimate space, Coxsaid.

MSG developed the idea to ren-ovate the Great Room at their FallRetreat. Discussion of the idea con-tinued with Tobin and MSG adviserSarah Allen.

We all wanted to ensure thespace would be utilized to thebest of its ability, MSG PresidentMeghan Hess said.

MSG was broken up into threegroups in order to dedicate fullfocus and attention to differ-ent aspects of the project. Theseincluded a group to work on thefireplace, one for furniture and one

for architecture of the room.MSG Public Relations Coordina-

tor Jeremy Dickey was placed in thefurniture planning group.

When we thought about it, wefelt the current room had kind ofa cold feel, and we wanted to makeit more inviting. We want to makeit more of a coffee shop lounge,Dickey said.

More of a Starbucks feel is theaim for the room with brownsand greens being the main colors.

It is also hoped that the room willbecome more of a social outlet.

The room should give upper-classmen a space to hang out andfor freshmen a place to meet newpeople, Hess said.

In order to become a part ofthe Senior Gift Committee, seniorscould voluntarily attend meetingsthat were publicized to help withthe senior gift plans. This year,a committee of 25 students wasdeveloped to attend meetings andmake the senior gift possible.

I think the senior gift is a goodidea and is most successful whenthe school can have somethingnice to enjoy, senior Katie Wagnersaid.

The slogan selected for the giftthis year is Living the Dream,

which represents the message ofthe type of gift chosen.

The aim this year was to followthe slogan and the gift to be stu-dent-oriented. We wanted it to besomething students could benefitfrom and enjoy, Cox said.

This gift is different from thosein the past, as this one will requireupkeep from MSG much like themultimedia room in Warde. MSG

will be in charge of dealing withissues like replacing batteries, fixingbroken items and paying bills forthe Direct TV package.

There is no set budget for thesenior gift. The committee startsout with nothing and then sets agoal, this year being $16,000 withan expected rate of 55 percent par-ticipation from the senior class.

The money is raised throughfundraisers, events and donationsfrom seniors that can be given

through cash, check or from theirhousing deposit. The students that

donate a substantial amount will befeatured on a plaque in the GreatRoom for the contribution.

Its so good to allow students toget in the mood to give back. In afew months well be alumni, and weshould stay connected to the schoolfor projects and events, Cox said.

Seniors seem to have mixed feel-ings about the gift.

The senior gift was news to me,but Im glad were getting one,senior Gilbert Alderman said.

The gift does not matter to me.As long as its something that can beused, senior Taylor Murray said.

Senior Steve Bukowski said, Ithink a game room is a little trivialfor a college setting. But if its done

well and the majority is happy, thenthats what really matters.

The collaboration of the SeniorGift Committee and MSG is work-ing well and may continue in thefuture.

There were more minds for a

better outcome, said Cox. Thecollaboration worked well, and Ican see it continuing.

MSG is working closely with thearchitect Shelly Buehler. The projectand renovations are planned to startin the spring. Buehler is the samearchitect working on the Center of

Academic Achievement buildingcurrently in construction.

The completion of the improvedGreat Room will be finished some-time this summer for students

to enjoy the following academicschool year.

By Stacy SkiavoStaff writer

This years senior class will renovate the Student Union Great Room and add a game room. This

early rendering shows how the game room will be enclosed.

Buehler & Associates rendering

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Page 3December 14, 2011 NEWS

Starting in January, there will bechanges made at the Mary DAngeloPerforming Arts Center (PAC),

which have been in the works sinceAugust.

The changes were not wellreceived by Robert and ElizabethGuelcher, the donors who madethe PACs film series possible. They

said they were not consulted beforethe change to the series.

Although the venuetheMary DAngelo Performing ArtsCenterwill remain the same, theoffice will be renamed the Mercy-hurst Institute for Arts and Culture,following the organization of theother institutes on campus, suchas the Mercyhurst ArchaeologicalInstitute and the Mercyhurst Centerfor Applied Politics.

The PAC was unusual because

it had no faculty presence and noeducational component in the sensethat you couldnt take classes andthen work there, said Vice Presi-dent for Advancement Dave Liv-ingston, Ph.D.

This is an attempt to bring aca-demics and cultural series into aformat that is more like what we doon campus, he said.

Student involvement wanted

Another purpose of the changesis to draw more students and fac-ulty into the equation.

Theres a desire to refocusattention on integrating shows atthe PAC more into curriculum toget students to attend shows, saidLivingston. The fundamental shifthere is to try to use the performanceculture and artistical performancethat occurs at the PAC to enhanceexperience at Mercyhurst.

This is nothing new, said Liv-

ingston. We are just trying to reem-phasize that there are not enoughstudents who go to performances.

There have been approximately30-40 students at any given show,according to Livingston, and he

wants this number increased to asmany as 200-300 students.

To do this, plans are being madeto hire a new director for the Mercy-hurst Institute for Arts and Culture,one that would be half-time facultyand half-time cultural series curator.

This person would not be respon-

sible for bringing in shows. That willbe the responsibility of an advisoryboard made up of students, faculty,community members and donors.

One of the new directorsresponsibilities would be to increasestudent attendance.

This is a cultural shift, and itdoesnt happen overnightitsnot easy, said Dean of Ar ts andHumanities Jeff Roessner, Ph.D.

But a question being asked ofpotential candidates is how theyenvision it working and what plansthey would have to increase stu-dent attendance.

There are all sorts of ideas outthere, he said.

Livingston said that there is adesire to create a new major in artsmanagement that students in anyarea could pursue.

The end of an era

This means the end of MichaelFuhrmans 26-year tenure at Mer-cyhurst.

Fuhrman received his bachelorsdegree from Mercyhurst Collegeand has been an employee of thecollege since then.

He was the director of the PACand is now the interim director ofthe Institute for Arts and Cultureuntil the end of December, whenhe will leave the college.

The advisory board is ready toassume Fuhrmans responsibilitiesif no one is hired before he leaves.

Livingston said Fuhrman wasencouraged to apply for the job buthe chose not to.

According to Fuhrman, hedecided not to pursue the new posi-tion because this is not the direc-tion we should go in. A universityor college should be a force fortruth, a positive interaction with thecommunity and a source of civic

pride, he said.

A fundamental shift

There is a basic shift occurring inthe priorities of the PAC, accordingto Fuhrman.

Instead of being a primarysource for the community, it is nowa secondary source, specificallydirected to faculty and students,Fuhrman said.

This is admirable, but also afundamental shift. The college hasthe right to chart their own course. Idont go against that, but that doesntmean I agree with it, he said.

We are a nonprofit organization.That means we dont pay taxes, andthey are very important for a city.In order to justify not paying taxes,one of the ways to do this is offer-ing something unique to the com-munity.

Fuhrman said the PAC is ableto offer something unique to stu-dents and faculty, if they choose topartake, but more importantly, is

what is offered to the community.Even with the emphasis on

increased student and faculty par-ticipation, Livingston said, Wedont want to see people from thecommunity not comewe want itto be filled with students and thecommunity.

Livingston continued, We wantit to be an enhancing experiencefor studentsthe goal is to createfuture patrons of the arts.

Besides this new focus, none ofthe other changes will affect theexperience of the students or ofthe community, said Livingston.

Roessner agreed with Livings-ton.

I would say that for studentsand the community, they are goingto notice very little difference in theprogramming of ar tists that come

in. We want to maintain the qualityof shows, he said.

Donors feel unappreciated

For example, The name of thefilm series will be changing, but thefilm series will continue, Livings-ton said.

There are currently negotiations with two different people to fundthe series, but as of now, none arefinal.

This is because the Guelchers, who were the donors of theGuelcher Film Series, have chosento withdraw their funding for the

next academic year. The Guelchers have supportedthe series with substantial annualgifts for nearly a decade.

The reason we were interestedin the film series is because it wasa regional asset, and they seem tobe pulling away from that ideaofinvolving the community. We didntsign on for that. Its not that wedont care about the students andfacultythats an integral part of acollegethe interest in community

is what intrigued me. Other collegesdont have that. We feel the newdirection is a mistake, ElizabethGuelcher said.

She said that she doesnt thinkthe college realizes how much thecommunity appreciates the PAC.

Its a real blessing for the com-munitysomething that the com-munity appreciates. I dont think theadministration understands, and Idont understand their motivation,she said.

Her confusion is from the lackof explanation that she and her

husband received from the college.

There was no attempt to talk tous before the changes were decidedupon, and we got the feeling that

what we did doesnt matter. We feltunappreciated, Guelcher said.

Livingston thinks the missionstatement for the PAC has focusedon the balance between the com-munity and the Mercyhurst com-munity, and that has becomeunclear. We are trying to get backin balance, he said.

Livingston also showed his

appreciation for the work Fuhrmanhas done.Michael and his staff have pro-

vided an excellent quality and diver-sity of shows, Livingston said. Hesaid they want to continue to try tooffer that type of quality.

Opportunity for input excites

Students are excited they willhave more of a say in the types ofshows brought in but are also noting

the effects a decrease in communityattendance could have.Senior Clare Meccariello said, If

we ignore the community, we ignorethe opportunity for Mercyhurst togrow and really connect with thepeople around it.

Junior Matt Teleha is enthusiasticabout more student involvement.

As a student, I always like to seeevents that appeal to my generationinstantly. So in this way, I know morepeople on campus will enjoy the per-

formances when they start having asay in what artists are performing.

This is not the direc-tion we should go in.A university or collegeshould be a force fortruth, a positive inter-action with communityand a source of civicpride.

Michael Fuhrman

By Alaina RydzewskiManaging editor

PAC changes mark fundamental shiftThe fundamentalshift here is to try touse the performanceculture and artisticalperformance thatoccurs at the PAC toenhance experienceat Mercyhurst.

Dave Livingston

The Mary DAngelo Performing Arts Center is now the

Mercyhurst Institute for Arts and Culture.

Alaina Rydzewski photo

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NEWSPage 4 December 14, 2011

Dahlkemper discusses women and politics

On Thursday, Dec. 8, formerCongresswoman Kathy Dahlkem-per visited Mercyhurst College forthe second time in as many days todeliver an address to the campuscommunity titled Women andPolitics.

Sponsored by the MercyhurstEquality of Women (MEOW),

Dahlkemper spoke to a group ofmore than 40 students in the Her-rmann Student Union Great Roomabout what is was like to be a femalein Congress and to encourage young

women to run for office. After relating her experiences

as a woman both in Congress andon the campaign trail, she providedstatistics about the historically lownumber of women in Congress andthe beneficial perspective womenbring to the table.

As the first woman ever electedfrom this district to Congress, I was

one of the 276 women to ever hold

a seat in Congress in our nationshistory, Dahlkemper said.

Dahlkemper reminisced abouther beginnings in politics and howshe never considered running foroffice until she was prompted byfriends and family.

Apparently Dahlkempers storyis not unfamiliar for many women

who seek elected office, as womenoften take prompting to think aboutrunning.

You know, as a woman, it took

someone to ask me to run for meto consider it. So tonight, I amasking all of you, men and womenalike, to consider serving yourcountry by running for office,she said.

Junior Brian Lombardo wasimpressed by his first meeting withDahlkemper.

She really reaffirmed my desire torun for office. I felt so inspired, hesaid. I had never met Kathy before,and she struck me as such a genuine

person. It really made her messagethat much more powerful.

Senior Nikki Sherretts foundherself shocked by the statisticspresented.

I didnt realize women had suchlow levels of representation inour government she said. What

I found most notable about thecongresswomans presentation was

how much we need more womenin politics.

As the event came to a close,students were so engaged byDahlkempers presentation andquestion-and-answer session that

many stayed and talked with the herpersonally after the event.

MEOW adviser and Assistant

Professor of Political ScienceLena Surzhko-Harned, Ph.D., waspleased with the turn out for theevent.

This was our first event of the winter term, and after a strongshowing during the fall, we really

wanted to put forth an interestingand intellectually engaging presen-tation she said.

Congresswoman Dahlkemperdid just that and brought contem-porary politics into our ongoing

discussion of feminism in a waythat registered with many stu-dents.

MEOW President Lauren Mossthought Dahlkempers presenta-tion was both timely and a perfecttransition to the clubs upcomingevent in January.

We are showing the film Mis-representation in January, and thethemes of Dahlkempers talk reallytranslate well to the message ofthe film. We are excited to be able

to host these events back to back,she said.

By Caitlin Handerhan

Opinion editor

New mobile

site developed

Mercyhurst Colleges team ofweb developers is constantly look-ing to improve the way students

virtually access and interact withthe college.

Their latest development isa mobile version of the Mercy-hurst website, tailored especially tomobile browsers.

The idea had been floatingaround since last year and was givento us over the summer, said Web

Administrator Patrick Canella. Available to students and par-

ents alike, the site offers easy-to-usemenus containing useful informa-tion, such as calendars, office hoursand the Mercyhurst directory.

North East campus senior Gar-rett Scupski said, I think havingthe academic calendar and directoryare good ideas. Being able to easilylook up office numbers and hoursfrom my phone is very useful.

After logging in, students canaccess Blackboard and the Outlooklogin screen. Also available are linksto campus events and athletics.

This is really handy, but I hadno idea it exists, said sophomoreConnie Evaniak. The easily acces-sible athletic calendar and eventsare very convenient for athletes.

Senior Courtney Clair was not

aware of the site either.Now that I know about the site,

I will use it more often, especiallythe weather function and the emer-gency information, she said.

Sophomore Ian Ansel said, I likehow the menus have been consoli-dated A daily update of the Eganmenu would also be really cool.

The main sentiment from thestudents was the desire for a classschedule function similar to that ofthe portal.

Our goal is to eventually havemost of the portal functionality avail-able in the mobile site, Canella said.

The new mobile version of thesite can be found at m.mercyhurst.edu.

By Shea Quadri

Contributing writer

Hockey players reinstated

The Mercyhurst mens hockey team reinstated twoplayers this week after leaving the team due to legal rea-sons in 2010.

Sophomores Jordan Tibbett and Kyle Just were foundnot guilty on charges of sexual assault, involuntary devi-ate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault and

indecent assault. The charges stemmed from an allegedincident in Tibbett and Justs dorm room involving a19-year-old girl in 2010.

An Erie County jury acquitted the players on Nov.10, and they were readmitted to Mercyhurst and thehockey team last week. Tibbett and Just rejoined theLakers for practice on Dec. 7.

Jordan Tibbett and Kyle Just have been reinstatedby our hockey program, Coach Rick Gotkin sa id.

Now that Tibbett and Just have begun practicingwith the team, they need to wait for NCAA approvalbefore appearing in a game.

We are waiting for them to be cleared by the NCAA,

which we dont see as a problem, before they can play,said Gotkin. Once they have been cleared, it becomesa coachs decision as to when they play.

Despite the long lay-off, Gotkin expects both playersto provide an impact this season. The only question ishow soon that will be.

Gotkin expects the NCAA to rule by Friday, makingthe players available for the weekend series against Ala-bama-Huntsville.

The question remains as to how often each playerwill dress for games. By NCAA rules, Gotkin can onlydress 18 players and three goaltenders. With the addi-tion of Just, the Lakers have 22 position players and

Tibbett makes four goalies.It will be a day-to-day decision as to who dresses for

each game, Gotkin said.Pending NCAA approval, Tibbett and Just could see

action this weekend in Alabama. Tibbett, a native of Indianapolis, played in four

games last season and started in three. He played a cru-cial role in Mercyhursts early season tie with then No.4 ranked Michigan.

Just, from Arnprior, Ontario, played in eight gamesand tallied seven points.

By Spencer Hunt

Sports editor

Tibbett, Just waiting for NCAA approval

Jordan Tibbett Kyle Just

Former Congresswoman Dahlkemper visited Mercyhurst to

discuss her history in politics and what inspired her to run.

Sarah Hlusko photo

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FEATURESDecember 14, 2011 Page 5

Christmas on Campus

called a successChristmas on Campus 2011 was

a hit.This event could not have been a

success without the volunteers, gift wrapping, decorating and logistics

people.Senior Adrianne LaGruth said,Everyone really pitched in to makeit a real success.

About 94 children from localagencies were given a Mercyhurstbuddy to participate in a day of fes-tivities.

Since our school is dedicatedto service, we are not only helpingothers, but a lot of the buddies takea lot out of giving their day to makesomeone elses special, LaGruth

said.Several clubs participated oncampus by supplying activities andcrafts for the kids.

Some examples are the Habitatfor Humanitys activity, which wasmaking graham cracker houses,and MSG which provided gifts forthe kids to wrap for their mom ordad.

In addition to the crafts, some ofthe Mercyhurst students dressed upas characters, which created a funatmosphere for everyone.

Another huge success was SantaClaus and Mrs. Claus coming toMercyhurst.

Junior Abby Robinson said,All the kids seemed to be havinga lot of fun. They were especiallyexcited when Santa and Mrs. Clauscame to hand out gifts. They even

welcomed Santa to Mercyhurst bysinging Jingle Bells.

Santas visit is something thechildren look forward to eachyear.

The success of Christmas onCampus can be measured in several

ways, but the reaction of the chil-

dren may be the greatest.It is always fulfilling to spend

a day with a child, just having funand seeing their faces light up whenSanta gave them something theyasked for. It is an amazing experi-ence, Robinson said.

The children, buddies and clubshave so much fun with the kids thatthe time flies..

There is never enough time,LaGruth said.

Although there may never beenough time in the day for the chil-dren to play and create every craftavailable, the day will always be asuccess that students and childrenlook forward to every year.

Junior Bridget Finn said, Makinga childs day with laughter, smilesand happiness is immeasurable.Overall I think this is one of thebest events all year, and our Mercy-

hurst community did an awesomejob coming together and making apositive difference.

By Kayla Kelly

Staff writer

Teacher feature:

Richard McCarty, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Richard

McCarty, Ph.D., loves working at Mercyhurst College.He believes that a classroom is a place for explor-ing subjects, and should be safe to ask questions, hesaid.

McCartys favorite part about teaching is the Ah ha!moment. This, he describes, is when something clicks

in students heads and then they understand it. Theirface lights up and they go Ah ha!

Originally from Iowa, McCarty attended SpencerHigh North West Iowa for junior and senior highbefore he went on to attend Iowa State for college.

McCarty graduated with a Bachelors degree in Reli-gious Studies. He now has his Ph.D. in Human Ethicsand Sexuality from the University of Iowa.

Being a very passionate person, one of McCartysbiggest accomplishments he is most proud of is whenhe helped fight for marriage equality in Iowa. Hebelieves that the law needs to recognize that everyonedeserves the right of marriage.

Acquiring a Ph.D, McCarty says, is a huge accom-plishment for him. With a recently finished book, on

top of all of this, McCarty has many accomplishmentshe is very proud of.

Most of all he is proud to have kept his humanity.He says, My family and friends are still very impor-

tant to me, and I am glad that I havent lost my human-ity.

When searching for a college at which to teach,McCarty applied to 30 schools. When Mercyhurst washighly recommended to him, he put it closer to the topof his list.

After spending three days on campus, McCarty saysit felt like he belonged.

Now that he is here, McCarty teachers a numberof different classes, which include Religious Perspec-tives on Human Relationships, Social Ethics, Peace and

Justice, Senior Capstone on Religious Studies and theoccasional Independent Study.

Offering some advice to the students at Mercyhurst,McCarty says to understand the privilege it is to be ableto sit in class with scholars and think about things.

He says, Dont waste the opportunity. There isplenty of time later in life to sit and play XBox. Nowis your time to learn as much as you can. Everythingyou learn will come back and meet you in life Educa-tion is exhilarating. It is your opportunity to grow as a

person.

By Brianna Carle

Staff writer

An estimated 94 children took part in Christmas on Campus.

Sarah Hlusko photo

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FEATURES December 14, 2011Page 6

@Hurstgirlprobz, the voice

of Mercyhurst women?

About a month ago, I beganfollowing a Twitter account called@HurstGirlProbz. I quickly real-ized that this Twitter account wasfounded by an anonymous femaleMercyhurst student. The moreI continued to read, the moreintrigued I was.

The bio reads, The voice ofa female Mercyhurst College stu-dent. You think it, I tweet it.

From complaining aboutproblems with LakerVapor, theextreme amount of Mercyhurstfemales wearing yoga pants toclass, Egans food, to problems

with trimester breaks and beinghome for Thanksgiving before anyof your other friends, HurstGirl-Probz is your voice.

Once I began following, I noticedfriends of mine started to hop onthe HurstGirlProbz bandwagon.

My feed began filling up withmore and more hash tags reading#hurstgirlprobz.

I saw someone that I follow re-tweet a post from #hurstgirlprobzand thought it was humorous so I fol-lowed the account, says senior EmilyRedig. I think some of the tweets arefunny, as well as accurate. I follow theaccount purely for entertainment.

Now, this Twitter account maynot accurately depict the thoughtsand ideas of all female students on

Mercyhursts campus, but it suredoes incite students on Twitter whoenjoy her witty outlook on Mercy-

world.

For the most part, I think a lotof girls at Mercyhurst do the samething, and think the same, juniorMichelle Weimer said.

Redig noted her favorite @HurstGirlProbz tweet as First dayof winter term. Officially the onlyday I will have an A in all my classes.#hurstgirlprobz.

While Weimers favorite is Imso glad our school doesnt have

greek life. That would make it easyto find parties. Me, I like a chal-lenge. #hurstgirlprobz

This is my favorite because Ithink this is too funny, and so trueabout Mercyhurst. There are basi-cally no parties anywhere, and ifyou get there after midnight... itsalready busted, Weimer said.

For now, the mystery of @HurstGirlProbzs true identity

remains, but perhaps thats the bestpart about it.

Knowing someone else oncampus sees and thinks the same asyou do on a daily basis makes youfeel like you arent alone.

By Lindsey Burke

Staff writer

First day of winterterm. Officially the onlyday I will have an A inall my classes. @HurstGirlProbz

Literary magazine is

accepting submissions The annual Mercyhurst liter-

ary magazine, the Lumen, is givingMercyhurst students a chance to seetheir creative work published fordecades and is currently acceptingsubmissions until Friday, Dec. 16.

Every spring, as a way of cap-

ping the annual Mercyhurst LiteraryFestival, a new issue of the Lumenis unveiled.

The goal of the Lumen is toallow the chance for students toget their work published, and tobecome fully involved in the cre-ative arts along with their fellowpeers, said Christina Mihalic, co-editor of this years Lumen.

But the content of the Lumen isnot limited to what can be printed.

For the last five or six years,

Lumen has been a multimediapublication, said Kenneth Schiff,

Ph.D., associate professor of Eng-lish and overseer of the Lumenspublication.

Every hardcopy version of theLumen comes with an interactiveCD that includes dance clips ofstudent performances and musicclips composed and performed bystudent musicians.

I think it is very innovative, saidSchiff. I dont know of any otherschool that publishes their literary

magazine as an interactive CD. The Lumen has a prestigious

reputation as well.Every year that I can recall, the

Lumen has won awards for out-standing graphic design, Schiffsaid.

The cover of the magazine, as well as the contents of the inter-active CD, are designed by graphicdesign students led by Jodi Sta-niunas-Hopper. The Lumen is acollaborative effort, utilizing the

talents of people from many differ-

ent areas of study. The finished product of the

Lumen will be unveiled during aspecial reception on April 12, which

will mark the end of the Mercyhurstliterary festival. Attendees receive acopy of the magazine.

The original deadline for sub-missions of poetry and short fic-tion for the Lumen was Monday,Dec.13, but in an attempt to receivemore submissions, Schiff extended

the deadline until Friday, Dec. 16.Students from any major who

wish to submit their poetry or shortfiction for possible inclusion in thisyears publication of the Lumenare encouraged to email their workto msullivan@mercyhurst.edu byFriday. The submissions should bein a Word document attachment,and the attachment should includethe title of the work and the nameof the author.

For more information on the Lumen,

visit merciad.mercyhurst.edu.

By Brady Greenawalt

Staff writer

On her blog, A Grapefruits (many) Passions, senior Alaina Rydzewski writesabout her foray into cooking, along with movie, book and music re views. To checkout her blog, visit agrapefruitspassions.tumblr.com.

I got the idea to make hummus from Womens Health magazine,which was offering tips on what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers.I took their idea and made it my own, mainly because I didnt have

any Thanksgiving leftovers to work with, and here is what I endedup with:

This is what you will need: 1 can garbanzo beans, 1/4

cup redpepper (about half of it), 3 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp sesame seeds or tahinipaste (sesame seed paste), 1 tsp salt, 4 tbsp lemon juice, 3 tbsp oliveoil, 1/

4tsp cumin and 1/

4cup water from the garbanzo beans.

Here is what to do:

1. Boil water for garbanzo beans. Once boiling, dump can in andleave in until they float. Save 1/

4cup of this water for later on.

2. If using sesame seeds, dry roast them in a pan over mediumheat for 5-8 minutes, or until brown. Be sure to shake them in the panor they will burn.

3. Dry roast red pepper using same pan and flame for 5 minutes.

4. Put the garbanzo beans, pepper, sesame seeds or tahini paste,water, oil, salt, cumin, lemon juice and garlic into food processor andprocess until you get a smooth texture. The red pepper gave me trou-ble here, so make sure the red pepper pieces are near the bottom

close to the blades.

5. Put in a bowl and let chill for a few hours to get the rightconsistency.

This was hands down the easiest and tastiest recipe I have madethus far. It only took about 10 minutes once the water for the beans

was boiling. Plus, hummus can be used for a lot of different things:on sandwiches or as a dip for veggies and crackers, both of which Iplan to eat this week.

DIY College Style is a weekly column featuring two college students blogs on

quick and easy tips about crafts and food.

DIY College style:

Roasted redpepper hummus

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 11December 14, 2011

Tis the Season gives Hurst holiday cheer

Dancers acted the part of Santas elves in the piece Santas Toy Shop.

Jill Barrile photo

Linnea Stureson and David Jakubson were featured as a

romantic couple in The Skaters.

Jill Barrile photo

When the dance department saidtheir holiday show, Tis the Season

would delight the whole family, theywerent exaggerating.

Tis the Season was a wonder-ful mix of what makes the holidaysgreat: winter fun with loved ones,the true meaning of Christian tradi-tion and joyful Christmas cheer.

This production was performedat the Mary DAngelo Performing

Arts Center (PAC) on Saturday andSunday, Dec. 10 and 11, at 2 and 7p.m.

The final dress rehearsal was alsoopen to the public on Friday, Dec.9, at 4:30 p.m.

There was not one part of theshow that bored the audience.

The mix of music, colorfulcostumes and the dancers beauti-ful movements contributed to the

exciting performance.When asked about how she felt

about performing in this concert,senior Juliana Franks said that it wasan honor.

It was a great experience to have

been a part of this show. Hearing

such positive responses to this newholiday concert is very exciting andflattering, she said.

While audience members werewalking in to the theater, a gospelchoir was singing on stage.

The Shiloh Baptist Church pro- vided the first glimpse of holidayspirit and got the audience excitedabout what they would soon watch.

Assistant Professor of danceMark Santillano narrated the show,in a rhyme that resembled Twas

the Night before Christmas.Many holiday seasonal references

were included, which made theaudience chuckle with delight.

First on the program was a piecetitled The Skaters, with music byGiacomo Meyerbeer. This featuredthe Mercyhurst Dancers under thedirection of Dance DepartmentChair Tauna Hunter.

The dancers glided around thestage in graceful motions that mim-icked skating. They were beautifully

costumed, in fur-lined jackets, hatsand gloves.

Two couples were featured ineach show.

For the Friday and Saturday after-noon performances, the Duet

was performed by Rachel Bauerand Tiffani Thomas. The Roman-tic Couple was performed by EdenMishler and William Dula.

For the Saturday evening andSunday afternoon performances,Kelsey Chamberlain and EdenMishler performed the Duet,

while Linnea Stureson and David Jakubson performed the Roman-tic Couple.

Next on the program, the Litur-gical Dance Ensemble premiered a

piece titled A Multitude of Angels,set to the Christmas Oratorio by

J.S. Bach.Associate Professor of dance C.

Noelle Partusch choreographed thisinspiring piece.

This was a very powerful number,where it was clear that the dancerswere rejoicing.

The stage was decorated in bluelight, with a large star of Bethlehemcentered as a backdrop.

The dancers were beautifully cos-

tumed in flowing blue skirts withjust a hint of sparkle. The mono-chromatic color scheme was simple,yet very sophisticated.

Much of the dance numbercentered around similar move-ments. The dancers often moved inunison.

This provided the audience witha very powerful feeling of awe.

There were many short solos inthis piece, but the dancer that stoodout the most in her solo was junior

Tess Sinke.

She moved with elegance andgrace, fitting to the music shedanced to.

The piece was a beautiful pre-miere.

It was very nice to see somethingspiritual performed in a holidayconcert, in an elegant way.

For the final performance, thestage was transformed into a sceneof the North Pole.

Santas Toy Shop was a pre-miere work choreographed by

Hunter.The dance was set to a compila-

tion of Christmas music. Everythingfrom Rodgers and HammersteinsMy Favorite Things to Smithsand Rays Jing-A-Ling.

This was a complex act. Eachdancer had a specific character toplay, and they did so convincingly.

The number started out with anadorable dance consisting of theelves of Santas Toy Shop.

They tossed presents in the air

and danced around cutely with eachother.

Next came a short number offloppy, dancing rag-dolls. Theyrolled and flopped to the tune ofMy Favorite Things, from Rodg-ers and Hammersteins The Soundof Music.

The next number was a tap-dance. Toy soldiers marched ontothe stage and moved in very roboticmotions.

They danced to March of the

Toy Soldiers, by Jessel and McDon-

ald, which started very mechanically,but got jazzy towards the end.

Winter Wonderland repre-sented a small love vignette betweentwo elves in the Toy Shop.

Junior Emma Rishel and sopho-more William Dula cutely played ashy couple.

They danced together and wereaccompanied by the rest of theensemble.

A jazzy, mambo version ofRudolph the Red-Nosed Rein-

deer was next on the program.Senior Victoria Scott led the danceas Santa, and used a rope to guideher reindeer.

In the Jing-A-Ling, the stagebecame a scene of magical chaos.

Dancers dressed as a giant presentand candy canes. This only added tothe comedy of the number.

All the elves danced wildly, show-ing exuberant Christmas cheer.

Junior Matt Tolbert worked back-stage for this concert. It was really

cool to watch this from back stage.I loved watching my friends dancelike elves, he said.

Sophomore Marika Kochenjoyed the wide representation ofthe holiday season.

The performance reallytouched on every major piece ofthe season, she said. I liked that it

was so varied.Tis the Season was a very suc-

cessful holiday concert. Audiencescan only hope that the dance depart-

ment continues this tradition.

By Alexandra StaceyA&E editor

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPage 12 December 14, 2011

Simulcast is classic taleset in modern times

This Saturday, Dec. 17, at 1 p.m.in the Mary DAngelo Performing

Arts Center (PAC), the Metropoli-tan Opera will broadcast CharlesGounods Faust.

Singing the title role is acclaimedtenor, Jonas Kaufmann. Also fea-tured are soprano Marina Poplavs-kaya as Marguerite and Ren Papeas Mphistophls (the devil).

Faust was adapted by JulesBarbier and Michel Carr fromGerman writer Johann Wolfgang

von Goethes tragic play of thesame title.

Faust is a tale of how bad deci-sions can go awry. Faust is bribed bythe devil with power, glory, richesand youth. Wherever Mphistoph-ls goes trouble is soon to follow.

Everyone around Faust isplagued with despair and misfor-tune. Marguerite, the woman Faustdesires and loves, become preg-nant with Fausts child. Faust killsMarguerites brother Valentin, whocurses his sister.

Afraid she will be damned for-ever, Marguerite attempts to aborther unborn baby. She is put inprison after being found guiltyof infanticide; there, Margueritebecomes insane.

Faust returns to Marguerite andtries to save her. Mphistophlsplans to damn Marguerite for eter-nity, but in her last plea to heaven,Marguerite asks God to take her,the plan is foiled and Marguerite issaved.

The new production by Tony Award-winning director Des

McAnuff brings the romantic clas-sic opera into the 20th century.

The barren stage and set hasbeen receiving quite a lot of criti-cism since the production opened.Most critiques have said the set and

staging do not represent the truenature of Faust.The chorus, costumed in labora-

tory coats, and the other cast mem-bers in mid-20th century garmentsdo not represent the time periodGounod imagined while compos-ing this opera.

Although the set design andstaging may be getting bombarded

with critical judgments, the cast isnot.

Ren Pape as the devil is said to

be dangerous and charming, bythe Columbia Daily Spector.The New York Post writes that

Jonas Kaufmann again proves thathe can sing any tenor role.

MSNBC stated Marina Poplavs-kaya manages the transitions (ofher character) with total convic-tion.

When asked if she thoughtmodern productions of classicoperas discouraged regular operaaudiences from attending, sopho-

more Tanya Coleman replied, No,I think that contemporary produc-tions draw in both old and newopera patrons and helps people bemore aware of the arts.

Freshman Alexa Zeremenkosaid, Love is love, when askedif she thought the scenery wouldimpede the love story the opera iscentered around.

It will be very interesting tosee the turn out of this simulcast.Hopefully more people will be curi-

ous than deterred by the modern-ized production.

By Marie Karbacka

Staff writer

Faust will be simulcast in the PAC on Dec. 17 at 1 p.m.

Pac.mercyhurst.edu photo

Holiday concert brings two

cultures together in musicOn Sunday, Dec. 11, Mercyhursts Christ the King

Chapel was filled to capacity with students and com-munity members alike, eagerly waiting to hear the col-laborative effort of two separate choirs.

Both of these choirs are very special in their ownrespectsone was Mercyhursts Concert Choir con-ducted by Rebecca Ryan and made up of the students

of the DAngelo School of Music. The other was the Choir of the Church of Christ

Savior, conducted by Vladimir Gidenko, who originatesfrom Russia.

When asked what it was like to work with a Russianchoir, sophomore Marisa Jacobson said, It was a plea-sure to work with a different culture. The other choir

was so excited and thankful to sing with us.Their sincerity really brought out the holiday spirit

in myself, she said.The concert commenced with the conjoined choirs

singing G.B Pergolesis Magnificat, a piece entirely inLatin.

This piece featured four extremely talented Mercy-hurst students as soloists.

The second movement, Et Misericordia Ejus (AndHis Mercy is Upon Them) featured soprano AlexaZeremenko and mezzo Marie Karbacka with a power-ful end to the piece.

Tenor Adam Ferrari and bass Eric Delagrange werehighlighted in the fourth movement of the piece Sus-cepit Israel (He Hath Helped Israel).

Directly following was the performance of selec-tions of Sergei Rachmaninoff s The All-Night Vigil,

which is performed completely in Russian.It was during this piece that the Russian choir really

came to the rescue; Vladimir devoted hours of his per-sonal time to help perfect the Russian pronunciationfor the Mercyhurst Concert Choir.

When asked about her reaction to the Rachmaninoffpieces, sophomore Kelsey Meacham responded, AsI was walking down the hall of Old Main, I heard anecho of voices coming from the chapel.

Chills ran down my spine, it was so beautiful, she

said.At this point in the concert, the Mercyhurst Choir

stepped back and listened to the Russian Choir singtwo pieces; Carol of the Bells, beautifully adaptedinto Ukrainian and Glory to God in the Highest byBortnyansky.

After these, the Concert Choir joined the RussianChoir once again to sing a small selection of UkrainianFolk Carols.

The concert ended with a selection of popular carolsthat the audience was able to join in singing with thoseon stage.

When asked about his experience performing in the

concert, junior Adam Ferrari responded, I really valuedthe experience of working with the Russian Choir. Itadded something special to the whole experience.

It also goes to prove that music is a universal lan-guage.

Two completely different groups of people withdifferent native languages, coming together to give amusical performancean experience I hope to haveagain soon, he said.

By Mathew Anderson

Staff writer

Shall We Dance teaches self-expression

to a work-centered, conservative world

This weeks film in the GuelcherFilm Series teaches us that desire isa boundless force.

Shall We Dance is a Japanesefilm directed by Masayuki Suo,

released in 1996.It tells the story of Shohei Sugi-yama, a successful accountant wholives with his family in a prosperoussuburban area.

Despite having a seemingly ful-filling life, Shohei feels an emptinessand loss of direction brought aboutby a monotonous daily routine.

One night, while traveling home,Shohei sees the captivating face ofMia Kishikawa, a recognized figurein the Western ballroom dance

world, looking out from the bal-cony of a dance school.

He is intrigued by this image anddecides to visit the dance studio.

The plot of the film starts tounfold when Shohei enrolls himselfin ballroom dance lessons every

Wednesday night.He keeps his newfound hobby a

secret, as it is considered inappro-priate according to Japanese societyto engage in such practice.

Shoheis involvement in ballroomdancing provides him with a freshchannel of self-expression that hadbeen absent in his life.

Under the tutelage of his teacherand with practice and persistence hebecomes an accomplished dancer.

Eventually, Tamura encouragesShohei to partake in a national ama-teur competition.

Shoheis wife notices her hus-bands unusually happy behaviorand hires a private eye to investigate

if he is having an affair.Upon learning the truth of her

husbands attitude, she attempts tobe supportive.

Shohei is taken aback when hespots his family sitting in the audi-ence at the dance competition.

Although, Shohei does not winthe competition, his life is changedby ballroom dancing.

Upon its release, Shall WeDance won 14 Japanese Academy

Awards.In 2004, an American remake of

the film was assembled featuringactors Richard Gere, Susan Saran-don and Jennifer Lopez.

The Chicago Post claims thatShall We Dance is a completelyentertaining movie, with a well-crafted character study.

Shall We Dance will be shownon Wednesday, Dec. 14, in the MaryDAngelo Performing Arts Centerat 2:15 and 7:15 p.m.

Tickets are free for Mercyhurststudents with an ID.

By Alejandra Zeron

Staff writer

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Editors

Kelly Luoma

Alaina Rydzewski

Liz ZuraskyCaitlin Handerhan

Spencer Hunt

Alex Stacey

Chrissy Mihalic

Kaitlin Badger

Jill Barrile

Ethan Johns

Max Rivera

Bill Welch

@mercyhurst.edu

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The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of MercyhurstCollege. It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of

finals weeks. Our office is in Hirt, Room 120B. Our telephone number is(814) 824-2376.

The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signedand names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the

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September 3, 2008 OPINION Page 13December 14, 2011The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the v iews of Mercyhurst College, the staff of The Merciad

or the Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be e-mailed to opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.

For the first time in my politicalconsciousness, I agree with MicheleBachmann on a trending political

issue.Not only do I agree with her, butI may actually have some level ofadmiration for a position she hastaken.

What is this apocalyptic, once-in-a-life-time occurrence? Her recentsnub of the GOP debate moder-ated by Donald Trump, set to takeplace on Dec. 27.

It is not only the Bachmanncampaign that has turned downthe summons to the Trump debate,

but fellow Republican candidatesRomney, Huntsman, Paul and Perryhave also declined to appear onstage with Donald Trump moderat-ing. However, both Santorum andGingrich have accepted the invita-tion from Trump.

Why anyone postulates thatTrump is even remotely qualified tohost, moderate or even be involved

with any sort of political conversa-tion is beyond me.

Perhaps his most notable contri-

bution to recent political discoursewas his leadership of the revamped

birther movement, which insistedPresident Obama was not a U.S.citizen according to his contestedbirth certificate.

Trump made numerous televi-sion appearances ranting aboutObamas citizenship status, insult-ing the American people for notproperly vetting their leader.

Aside from his blunder on the

birther issue, Donald Trump hasproved himself unqualified, to saythe least, to moderate a politicalforum.

What is most frustrating about Trump isnt necessarily that hechooses ill-timed moments toincessantly bleat about non-issues,but it is his lack of political intel-lect. Perhaps his lack of higher levelthought at all.

For example, during an inter- view with CNNs Wolf Blitzer

this week, Trump repeatedly inter-rupted Blitzer, the king of interrup-tions himself. Trump insisted oninterjecting a question of his ownin a rather oafish tone; Tell me, isObama stupid?

What Trump was attempting toarticulate was his dissatisfaction

with Obamas foreign policy deci-sions in post-revolutionary Libya.He thought that certain precondi-tions needed to be set with the citi-zens of Libya before we entered the

escalating crisis, apparently over-

looking the inconvenient fact that itwas a crisis on the ground.

In a world where Trump is incharge of foreign policy, apparentlycompensation for our tax payerdollars spent liberating a population

will be negotiated up front with anon-existent government.

Trumps inability to formulatecoherent statements on foreign

policy makes me question his abilityto understand candidates answers,let alone undertake moderating adebate.

Aside from the fact that Trumpstill thinks he has the ability andbravado for a third party run forthe Oval Office, it is clear for manyadditional factors Trump has noreason or qualifications to moder-ate a debate.

That being said, I commendBachmann and her fellow candi-

dates for not being coerced intoparticipating in his primary debate.Despite hard-ball bullying, simi-lar to his tactics in a board room,

Trump has been unable to securemore participants.

As organizers scrambled thisweek to decide if the event was stillviable after so many refusals, let ushope that Trump has a moment ofhumility and finally acknowledgeshe does not possess the clout norqualifications to moderate a Repub-

lican party debate.

Commendations to BachmannBy Caitlin

Handerhan

Opinion editor

Being a political science major

most certainly has its perks. During

my four years here I have made

some long lasting friendships with

other members of my major and

even my professors.

With these things in mind, how-ever, something has come to my

attention over the past year. In

political science we have many con-

centrations and paths a student can

take.

One of our recently added con-

centrations is applied politics, which

includes the addition of the Mercy-

hurst Center for Applied Politics.

With the new center and concen-

tration, I have seen a shift in atti-

tude of some of my peers in the

department.

There is now language like, Im

not like those international relations

people or those law students. I

feel this is somewhat of a problem.

One group, in particular, I think

that has contributed to this new

language is the creation of the Mer-

cyhurst Center for Applied Politics

and its newly affiliated counter part,

the Political Delegation of Mercy-

hurst College.

For those not familiar with our

department, the Political Delega-

tion is an ambiguous group, and

one I feel is not transparent enough

to be considered a student-friendly

organization on this campus.

The group of people involved

in this political delegation group is

comprised of many applied politics

students and is run like a student

organization.

However, membership and

information about the group is

not circulated to the department,

students or even members of this

group.

One good thing that the organi-

zation stands for is that it is a forum

for students to actively engage in

applied politics.

The problem, as a former

member of the g roup, is I have

never been informed of meeting

times or who the adviser of the

group was. I have only recently

learned that the adviser of this

group is Dr. Peterson.

Also, when officers were

selected, students were never

informed of how these members

were selected.

I speak out against this organi-

zation because it seems they have

brought division in the department

among some students.

If the organization wishes to stay

active or achieve credibility, it must

become more open and representa-

tive of members in the department

and inform us of its actions and

stay true to its mission, similar to

the operations of Pi Sigma Alpha,

the political science honors society,

which organizes many functions for

the department.

Mercyhurst Student Govern-

ment (MSG) needs to ensure that

these organizations are forming

for a purpose that helps to actively

engage the student body.

A final statement is this, student

organizations shall be open and

transparent in their activities, and

clubs and organizations should

stay actively engaged and should

work toward the mission of the

college.

It is the responsibility of MSG

to hold these clubs accountable to

their mission statement.

If you want to create a private

organization, then you should look

into creating a fraternity or sorority

and not operate under the guise of

a student club.

By Mark Fuhry

Staff writer

Poli. Sci. organization operates under guise of club

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September 3, 2008 OPINIONPage 14 December 14, 2011The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the v iews of Mercyhurst College, the staff of The Merciad

or the Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be e-mailed to opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.

Online

merciad.mercyhurst.edu/

opinion

Fans use teddy bears

to spread Christmas cheer

by Alicia Rossi

Contributing writer

This weekend as the snow began

falling in Erie, I sat in my dorm

room admiring the beauty of the

snowflakes falling in the sunset.

As I marveled the snow, I was

reading my local news stations

website and I came across an articlediscussing how a local radio station

banned the playing of Rudolph

the Red-Nosed Reindeer this holi-

day season because the song pro-

motes bullying.

Now let the record show that I,

in no way, shape, or form promote

bullying, nor do I think that it is

acceptable to bully someone.

But, apparently my radio station

is not the only one that has these

thoughts. In fact, a special educa-

tion professor in Long Island, N.Y.,

contends that Rudolph the Red-

Nosed Reindeer promotes bullying

and exclusion; a Connecticut psy-

chologist says the song promotes

ostracism of the handicapped.

My question is what is the moti-

vation behind this censorship? Imean, think about it, Rudolph has

been the epitome of non-religious

Christmas tradition since 1949,

and now 62 years later, we find it

necessary to ban the song from the

radio.

Censorship usually stems from

moral, political, military or religious

reasons, but how does Rudolph,

violate any of those clauses? How

can a song, that was created to help

a small child deal with her father

losing his job in the midst of the

Great Depression and mother

slowly dying of cancer, be taken so

out of context as to promote bul-

lying?

In modern times, bullying has

become quite the issue; we see it on

the news every day that someone isbeing cyber-bullied or committing

suicide because the pressure of the

cruelty of bullying has pushed them

over the edge.

Bullying does in fact need to be

put to an end, but do we as a soci-

ety really have to take it to the level

at which we are attacking childrens

songs and holiday traditions?

Bullying is a serious problem

worldwide. Its not a new problem

either; parents and grandparents

can recall bullying incidents from

their school years.

But yet we find it fair to push

the issues of society off onto the

innocence of a simple childrens

song? Is it fair that there are radio

stations, psychologists and profes-

sors that are throwing their claimsof bullying into the mainstream in

the midst of an epidemic of wide-

spread bullying? I think not.

I believe that we need to let

simple Christmas carols be left as

Christmas carols, without having

to worry about the accusations of

promoting violence.

By Jaslyne

Halter

Staff writer

Christmas song doesnt promote bullying

Catholic Mass changes prove confusing

Practicing Catholics all over the

English-speaking world will cer-

tainly have noticed major changes

to the language used in weekly Mass

that began on the first Sunday ofAdvent.

For example, instead of respond-

ing to the priests The Lord be

with you with the ever-familiar

and also with you, parishioners

uncertainly mumbled the new text:

and with your spirit.

These revisions, the first made

by the Vatican in approximately 40

years and the biggest since Vatican

II, are meant to bring the Mass

prayers more in line with original

Latin translations. The changes

have met with a great variety of

responses.

While some see it as helping indi-

viduals come to closer communion

with the Church, many (including

myself) view the new language as

confusing, awkward and unneces-sary. The primary reason for my

opposition to the change is the sheer

fact that it seems slightly advanced

for the common Catholic.

Words such as consubstantial

are so grandiose that it is pos-

sible for the meaning of the entire

prayer to be lost on the individual

church-goer. While I understand

that the language is meant to bring

the church under a more universal

umbrella, it quite simply confuses

people, having the opposite effect.

Just last week, when some of

the congregation stumbled on the

new words, a woman held up her

pamphlet outlining the changes

and waved it around to the entire

church, clearly annoyed at their

mistakes.However, it is unreasonable

to expect parishioners who have

often known nothing except the

old responses to so quickly change

their old ways. For the time being

at least, these are simply distrac-

tions that take away from the entire

purpose of going to Mass: to give

thanks to God.

I also think the new language

separates the global church in

subtle ways. For example, instead

of the old We believe, parish-

ioners use I believe. Instead of

coming together to worship, I feel

more secluded.

Of course, these are just my per-

sonal feelings as a practicing Cath-

olic who is concerned about the

direction the Church is taking itsfollowers. I do not profess to know

a substantial amount of theology

or the inner workings of the Vati-

can. I am also sure that with time,

these changes will again become

automatic (which is not necessarily

a good thing).

Until then, though, it seems the

Church is attempting to fix a prob-

lem that isnt broken.

By Brian

Lombardo

Staff writer

The women of Baldwin

Hall are facing quite

a dilemma as break

approaches, as some-

one has stolen the couch

cushions from one of

the lounges in the build-

ing. If the missing cush-

ions are not returned,

the residents may befined for the cost of the

replacements.

Christmas is coming!

With only a few days of

classes left for 2011,

the holiday season is

upon us.

After two and a half

weeks of suffering

through the longer class

times, students and

professors alike are less

than pleased with the

new schedule.

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Sports December 14, 2011Page 16

Strong PSAC start sparked by Leaos return

The Mercyhurst mens basketball

team has opened to a strong start

in Pennsylvania State Athletic Con-

ference (PSAC) play, defeating five

members of the PSAC East.

A 5-1 record in conference has

been aided by two weekends of

sweeps, which came at the expense

of Millersville, West Chester, Kutz-

town and East Stroudsburg.

Kutztown and East Stroudsburg

were No. 1 and No. 2 in the PSAC

East preseason poll.

The Lakers split this past week-

end, winning against Bloomsburg

and losing to Mansfield by a last

second buzzer-beating half cour t

shot.

After losing key seniors Shelton

Jackson and Heiden Ratner to grad-

uation, many feared this year would

be a year to rebuild.

However, underclassmen and

transfer players have quickly filled

the vacated roles.

Six new members wear the blue

and green this year. Transfers Paul

Bilbo from Hofstra University and

Matt Lee from Bryant University

and freshmen Christian Heine, Ter-

rence Ingram, Callon Dailey and

Arnis Libazs provide much depth

to the 2012 Lakers.

A recent seventh member has

just joined the squad, Steve Cole-

man from Ohio University. Cole-

man transferred after the beginning

of the year and is now eligible tocompete in contests.

Many different players have

stepped up to fill big roles, Head

Coach Gary Manchel said. (Soph-

omore) Andy Rickard has come a

long way from last year. He has been

playing very consistent for us.

Consistency and leadership have

been two main components to the

success thus far. Seniors Bill Weaver

and Jamal Turner have been the two

main voices behind the squad.Senior leadership has been great.

Both Bill and Jamal have been tre-

mendous, and now with Luis back,

it brings a whole different energy

on the floor, Manchel said.During a PSAC West contest last

year, Luis Leao suffered a torn ACL

and has been on the road to recov-

ery for the past nine months.

After surgery the first three

months were really tough, I couldnt

do much. The next two months, I

began to finally get stronger, since

then its been a lot of individual stuff,

Leao said. Ive been constantly doing

physical therapy workouts. I havent

taken many days off, and Ive beenfocused on getting stronger.

The comeback of Leao sparked

the teams victory over Kutztown.

Leao scored 23 points in only 24

minutes. He also pulled down fiverebounds.

Manchel believes that the return

of Leao speaks volumes of how

great they can be.

Hes the best player in the

league. He needs to be on the floor

for us to win, Manchel said.

Despite the turnover in rosters,

Leao feels that his role is about the

same as last year.

I need to connect the dots with

everyone, always have energy andplay hard on defense all the time.

Leao said.

He also believes the mixture of

players has made the offense flow

much smoother.

Our offense is much more

together, scoring comes from every-

one, I dont have as much pressure

to score, Leao said.

The Lakers have yet to put

together a complete game of

offense and defense for a full 40minutes.

Were not where we need to be

on defense yet, but were getting

there, says Manchel. Were having

a hard time handling the ball. Im

just waiting for everything to click

for a full 40 minutes.

Rickard has been leading the

team in points with 17.3 points per

game. Lee is also off to a great star t

with an average of 16.8 points per

game. Both Leao and senior BillWeaver lead the team in rebounds

with five per game.

PSAC West play is going to be

the most challenging, says Man-

chel. Any team can beat any team

on any night.

The Lakers return to action Dec.

17 and 18, for the Mercyhurst Invi-

tational. Saturdays game is set for 4

p.m. and Sundays is at 3 p.m.

By Lindsey BurkeStaff writer

Junior Luis Leao has been welcomed back with open arms

by the mens basketball team. After missing the start of the

season after tearing his ACL, he has averaged 15 points since

his return.

Sports Information photo

Leao averaged 17 points and eight rebounds per game as a sophomore. With the graduation of

star Heiden Ratner, Leao is the only returning Laker who averaged more than 10 points a game

last season.

Jill Barrile photo