The Merciad, Jan. 16, 2012

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NEWSPage 2 January 16, 2013

Tuesday, Jan. 8

Harassment

McAuley Hall

Referred for discipline

Friday, Jan. 11

Possession of controlled substances

3827 Briggs Ave.

Res-life incidentSunday, Jan. 13

Liquor law violation

Warde Hall


Mercyhurst

University

Police & Safety

Police Log

Sunday, Jan. 13

Criminal mischief

Parade Street entrance


MSG announces plans

Although the academic year is half-way through, Mercyhurst Student Gov-ernment (MSG) is still hard at work onprojects for the rest of the year.

One of the biggest projects under-way is Project Kenya, a fundraising

effort to send Mercyhurst studentAnthony Juma Khisa to Kenya toreunite with his daughter. The projectis a collaboration between MSG andthe school and is raising funds to payfor his daughters high school educa-tion since the cost of schooling inKenya is very expensive.

According to MSG Vice-presidentBrian Lombardo, This is a commu-nity effort. Both the students and theMercyhurst administration are comingtogether to raise $3,000 for ProjectKenya.

To achieve this, MSG will be sellingProject Kenya bracelets for a dollar.

They will also be hosting a fund-raising dinner at Egan Dining Hall onFriday, March 8, with local band TheRomantic Era slated to perform.

Tickets will go on sale at the end ofthe month by MSG Senators.

Another event has been set on thewinter forum to be hosted on Wednes-day, Jan. 23, focused solely on the

switch to the 4-1-4 academic system.The Faculty Senate President

Michael Federici, Ph.D., and Chairof the Academic Policies Committee

Verna Ehret, Ph.D., will be present atthe event to answer any questions stu-dents may have about the new format.

In regards to how they are improv-ing from the fall forum held last term,MSG President Richard Molloy said,Were putting the spotlight only onthe switch to 4-1-4. Were doing morePR than we did for our fall forum and

we scheduled it later during the day so

more people can attend.

With only two months remainingin ofce for Molloy and Lombardo,efforts have been elevated to make thetransition process for the succeedingstudent government to be easier.

Planning for the annual Spring Festcelebration has also begun and MSGis constantly brainstorming activities

while keeping the theme of Lakerspirit at heart.

Its going to be a long process, but

we denitely started with the right foot.We sold over 3,000 of our spirit shirtsand giving away spirit towels at hockey,

wrestling and basketball games, Lom-bardo said about their spirit campaign.

Spirit isnt necessarily just going toa sports game. We had the upperclass-men barbecue at the beginning of theyear, Molloy added. Were launch-ing a spirit shirt design contest in thespring to get students involved in thecreation of the spirit shirt for nextyear, which we hope becomes a tradi-tion for the school.

By Juan MendezStaff writer

for the rest of the year

scheduled to air on LakerTV

Lights, camera, action. A new Lak-erTV show has made its way to a TVnear you. Seniors Brady Greenawaltand Joe Chiodo, junior Dan Tarr andsophomore Brianna Carle are shootingtheir new show It Came From thePublic Domain.

The show follows Dan the Direc-tor (Tarr) and The Cue Card Guy(Chiodo) on their adventures of host-ing a talk show where the guests arecharacters (played by Greenawalt) outof movies from the public domain.

They are shooting their fourth epi-sode and planning the fth.

We look for quality though notquantity, LakerTV adviser Brian Sher-idan said.

So far, Dan the Director has inter-viewed a vampire, Santa Claus, a madscientist and a zombie.

The ideas are the collaborative effortof Greenawalt, Tarr and Chiodo. Bri-anna Carle works the booth, checksthe lighting, helps with cameras andchecks the sound in the booth.

Public Domain means that the

copyrights to something have expired,so the public has access to them. Mostof the content is from shows andmovies from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

Originally segments from the publicdomain were going to be inter-spliced

with interviews with Dan the Director,but as the idea developed, the originalcontent was dropped.

The idea for the show came fromChiodo when he, Greenawalt and Tarr

were driving back from the viewing ofthe student-produced lm they madelast year.

The show coincides with WLEPAfliate called Retro-TV, which playscontent from the public domain on aregular scheduled basis.

The shows are currently up onYouTube and available for viewing onthe shows Facebook page. Once theygo through a nal edit to include thetheme song and animation the show

will be aired on LakerTV as early asnext week.

For more information tune intoLakerTV from 2-4 p.m. on Tuesdays

with rebroadcasts on Thursdays.You can also check out their Face-

book at www.facebook.com/ItCame-FromThePublicDomain.

By Katie FelongContributing writer

Dan the Director (Tarr) interviews Santa Claus (Greenawalt) on the show in honor of the holiday

season. This was the second episode of the show and is titled Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.

Contributed photo

It Came From the Public Domain

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Page 3January 16, 2013 NEWS

Curriculum changes approach for next year

Students may be aware that start-ing next year a new semester systemgoes into effect. The current trimes-ter system will change to a modiedsemester system with a J-term.

The biggest change for some,though, will be a revised core that willgo into effect at the same time.

Mercyhurst Faculty Senate Com-mittee reached a consensus after morethan two years of work regarding the

new curriculum for Mercyhurst stu-dents.

This revision marks the rst corechange since 1997 and the rst fac-ulty-initiated change in 20 yearsaccording to Faculty Senate PresidentMichael Federici, Ph.D.

Generally, a universitys core is

revised every decade or so. It has beenmore than a decade since the last corerevision, so the time had come for achange.

According to Assistant Vice Pres-ident for Academic Services Michele

Wheaton, the new changes will nothinder any students graduation.

(The new curriculum) is intendedto try to help develop well roundedand marketable students, said Whea-ton, who emphasizes the changesare to aid students in their academicendeavors.

Information about the changes

will eventually be available from alink on the portal website.

Wheaton hopes to have docu-ments available, a FAQ section andthe ability for students to post ques-tions and nd answers about thechanges in the coming weeks.

Classes scheduled for Mondays,Wednesdays and Fridays will now be60 minutes long and classes on Tues-days and Thursdays will last 100 min-utes.

Current students will earn a min-imum of 120 credits to graduate andnew students for next year will berequired to obtain 121.

In terms of the changes to thecore curriculum, I think most people

will nd a very familiar and comfort-able balance between continuity andchange, said Chair of the PhilosophyDepartment James Snyder, Ph.D.

In terms of changes, there arenumerous changes in the different

departments. Overall, however, moststudents will nd they need one lesscourse to graduate for all majors.

Furthermore, the J-term, an inten-sive, multiple-week session in January,is aimed at offering students uniquecourses and opportunities.

Incoming freshmen will be requiredto take J-term twice as they go abouttheir academic career. Those who reg-ister for J-term without the registrationof spring term will, as a result, receiveno nancial aid due to their part-timestatus.

According to Federici, the arts cat-egory has been expanded, and the

mathematics component reducedfrom three necessary classes to two.Nevertheless, he assures students thatthe new categories of the core stillretain elements of the old.

The change of semesters will alsoaid students in getting used to the newcore.

According to Christina Riley-Brown,chair of the English department, mostuniversities have moved from the tri-mester system to the semester systemalready.

It is better to be on the semestersystem, said Riley-Brown, becausethe university can remain exible,innovative and creative with classofferings.

Though there are difculties in anyprocess, the majority of faculty hasbeen behind the changes.

Accordingly, students as well seempositive, though apprehensive aboutacclimating to the new changes. In

effort to reduce student anxiety, advis-ers will sit down with students thisspring term to go over their academicproles and make sure they are on timeto graduate with the new curriculumchanges.

By Kierston BromleyStaff writer

Students shoe drivesteps beyond goal

Within the Sole was a shoe driveon campus that occurred throughoutthe holiday season.

Senior social work major Marissa

Zastawa partnered with the Lead andSeed program through the CoalitionPathways agency to make the drive ahuge success.

The programs goal was to raiseawareness in the community aboutdrug and alcohol abuse, along withthe dangerous effects of drunk driv-ing.

Zastawa acted as the preventioncoordinator, whose main goal wasto educate the community about thestatistics regarding these issues andtrain people to go out and spread the

word.Zastawa, along with the Social

Work Club of Mercyhurst University,came up with the idea of the Withinthe Sole Project to raise awarenessabout the growing issues with drugmisuse, which often leads to over-dose.

Senior social work major EmilyIabone was one of the 10 Mercyhurststudents to assist in the planning andexecution of the project.

We thought of this project as ateam because it was artistic and ithad a strong message to send which

we thought would catch peoplesattention, Iabone said.

The students goal for the shoe drivewas to collect at least 98 pairs of shoes,which is representative of the numberof deaths in Erie County due to drugoverdose.

The project was a cool idea becausewe were able to relate the sole of ashoe to the soul of individuals lives,Zastawa said.

Iabone explained that, 98 maynot seem signicant but that doesntinclude the number of people whohave overdosed and havent died, so itis still a huge problem.

The team reached out to the Mercy-hurst campus by advertising on Face-book, and asked the Erie communityfor help with this project.

Marissa is a great leader for thisteam and has done a wonderful job,said senior social work major NatalieMagoc. Our shoe collection turnedout better than we expected, which

was really exciting and made being apart of the Lead and Seed program

worthwhile.The pro ject exceeded its goal with

a total of 150 pairs of shoes collectedand at the completion of the drive

were put on display for the Mercy-hurst community.

The shoes were displayed to rep-resent the lives lost, and after manyoutreach actions, the media becameinvolved to continue raising aware-ness about the issues.

The Social Work Club hopes to con-tinue to do more projects throughoutthe rest of the year and will inform thecampus community of all upcomingevents.

The shoes will be donated to sev-eral organizations in the communityincluding St. Martins Center, MercyCenter for Women and Safe HarborBehavioral Health.

By Abigail RobinsonStaff writer

Marissa Zastawa raised a total

of 150 pairs of shoes for various

organizations in Erie.

mercyhurst.edu photo

It is better to be

on the semester

system.

Christina Riley-Brown

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FEATURES Page 4January 16, 2013

Enter to win Bill Cunningham contest

As most of us are familia r with TheNew York Times, many fail to rec-ognize the 83-year-old fashion pho-tojournalist behind the artwork: BillCunningham.

Cunningham is known for hiscandid New York City street pho-tography and Time Style section col-umns On the Street and EveningHours.

Cunningham was a Harvard dropout, who decided to embrace the fast-paced world and move to New York.He started taking photographs during

World War II, but started his career inadvertising. Eventually, he switched to

writing for the Chicago Tribune andworking at Womens Wear Daily. Thisis when he found his passion for streetfashion.

The difference for me is I dont seethe people I photograph. All I see areclothes. Im only interested in people

who look good. Im looking for thestunners, Cunningham said in a 2002article.

The Mercyhurst Institute for Arts &Culture (MIAC) and Department ofFashion Merchandising are challengingstudents, administrators and the publicto Be Bill Cunningham.

The contest is a way for individualsto display their creativity and photog-raphy.

Entries can be anything from

photos of eclectic downtown indi-vidual s, to your friends posing intheir favorite weekend outts. Pho-tographs should represent streetfashion, the latest trends or yourindividual style.

In conjunction with the photo con-test, the documentary Bill Cunning-ham New York, will be shown on

Friday, Feb. 8, at 2:15 and 7:15 p.m. inthe Taylor Little Theatre. Tickets forthe lm are $6 for adults, $5 for stu -dents and seniors and free for Mercy-hurst students.

MIAC and the Fashion Merchandis-ing Department are hosting an eventafter the rst documentary screeningat 5:30 p.m., on the third oor of OldMain. Those who choose to partici-pate in the contest will have their pho-tograph enlarged and hanging in thehallway. Whether or not you decide toenter the contest, you are welcome tocheck out the submitted street photog-

raphy.A panel of judges will choose the

winning photograph and the winnerwill be revealed.

The winner will receive a profes-sional print of his or her image, a dis-play on the MIAC website and $50 giftcards to The Limited and Isaac BakerMenswear.

Chair of the Fashion Merchandis-ing Department Amy Weaver-Kaulisis one of the persons working closely

with this contest to make i t a fun suc-cess.

This contest gives Mercyhurststudents, faculty and members of thecommunity the opportunity to lookbeyond the typical North Face eecejackets and Ugg boots that are seendaily and instead capture a uniquelook or interpretation of ones per-sonal style, Weaver-Kaulis said.

The contest is open to the publicand all from the Erie community are

encouraged to participate.For more information, check out

the Be Bill Cunningham Contestevent on the MIAC Facebook page.

Those interested in the contest arewelcome to submit their photographyto [email protected]. Thedeadline for all submissions is Monday,

Jan. 28.

By Kayla KellyFeatures editor

Bill Cunningham travels around

NYC taking street photography.

www. blogspot.com photo

Rizzone advises studentsAre you looking for an internship

or job after graduation? Look no fur-ther.

Nestled away in Egan 122, FrankRizzone advises students with every-thing, including how to tweak resumes,research for internships and interviewpreparation.

For the past 20 years, Rizzone hasbeen working in the Career Develop-ment Center, formerly the Career Ser-

vices Department. He works with avariety of students to nd their dreaminternship and ultimate career.

Before arriving at Mercyhurst,Rizzone received his bachelorsdegree from Notre Dame and wentto Edinboro for his masters degree.

After graduation he was employedwith the Erie NBC afli ate statio nWICU for nearly 20 years as a n ewsanchor.

Rizzone was attending a news con-ference at Mercyhurst in 1993 when hetalked to former Mercyhurst Univer-sity President William Garvey, Ph.D.,about his interest in working for a col-lege.

Rizzone was on a personal job huntat a college, but did not hear anythingback from Garvey until several monthslater.

I was camping in the AlleghenyNational Forest with my family, saidRizzone. I was sitting at the campre

when the park ranger pulled up, lights

ashing. The ranger comes over andsaid, Are you Rizzone? When I saidyes, he said that I had a messag e to callhome.

Nobody likes getting that mes-sage, he continued. So I called homeand my daughter told me that Mercy-hurst called, they offered me the job,but Id have to be there the next morn-ing at 10 a.m., so we packed up and I

was there.The next day he reported to Mercy-

hurst as the new Assistant Director ofCareer Services.

Rizzone is working in his twenti-eth year in the department at Mer-cyhurst his ofcial anniversary beingSept 1.

Rizzone has watched hundreds ofstudents come in and out of his ofce.

My favorite part of the job is work-ing with students. It is so rewarding, of

course maddening at times, but some-times I wish I would have started thispart of my life earlier than I did, Riz-zone said.

Several students appreciate Riz-zones determination to help with thecareer development process.

He helped me determine whatsimportant to include both just as anintel student and if Im talking withcertain prospective employers, saidsophomore Jacob Middlesetter. Veryhelpful in prepping for internships,too.

Hes the man, said junior JamesGibson.

Rizzone said his advice for stu-dents is, Do not wait until the lastminute. Do not ignore the resourcesavailable to you. There are so manythings we have for them. On March21, we have one of the best CareerFairs in western Pa. coming up, withan estimated 75-100 companiescoming. There are so many oppor-tunities that students pass up that

would hel p them.

By Jaslyne Halter

Staff writer

Frank Rizzone helps studentsthrough their years at Mercy-

hurst with career development.

Sami Rapp photo

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 5January 16, 2013

Online Full list of events can be

found on the PAC websiteView upcoming performances:

www.pac.mercyhurst.eduwww.merciad.mercyhurst.

edu/arts_entertainment

Tri-State music event

showcases students

Excellent musicianship certainlydoesnt start at the collegiate level.

With a strong drive and determination,even beginning musicians have theability to move an audience.

This past weekend, Mercyhurst was

once again the home of the Tri-StateMusic Festival, which was coordinatedand conducted by Associate Professorof Saxophone and Music EducationScott Meier, Ph.D.

More than 70 high school studentsfrom eight schools organized them-selves and gave a spectacular concertin the Mary DAngelo Performing ArtsCenter (PAC).

The festival itself lasts a grand totalof three days of music-lled excite-ment and enrichment.

But these three days arent all fun

and games, there is an incredibleamount of practice and hard work thatmust be crammed into what little timethe students spend together.

Although this almost seems like

an impossible amount of work to getdone in such a short period of time,these high school students are the topin their bands and hand selected bytheir directors.

The festival commenced with theTri-State Prism Concert Friday, Jan. 11.

The program features the Mercy-hurst Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble,

Vocal Jazz group and The Monks

Brew, Mercyhursts resident jazz bandwho have made quite a name for them-selves in the area.

The hard work and ef forts of thehigh school students lead up to a per-formance in the PAC on Saturday, Jan.12, and words can barely describe theperformance that was given.

The concert started off with a grandRussian march-esque piece by Rein-hold Gliere.

The nationalistic Russian Sail-ors Dance was a great way to startthe program, featuring the students

abilities to work with and understandmusic from different cultures.Second in the program was a fantas-

tic rendition of Prelude, Siciliano andRondo by Malcolm Arnold.

Just these pieces alone showcasedthe students ability to understand the

vast difference that can be found intwo pieces of repertoire.

The program then slowed downa bit with Hymn to the Fallen, asolemn piece that transitioned nicelyinto the nal selection, The Forest ofthe King, by John Williams.

The Tri-State Festival is a greatopportunity for high school students

to experience a fast paced, but educa-tional music experience in a fun andinviting environment.

Not only does the festival buildmusician camaraderie between schools,but also builds skills and facilitatessocial growth.

The visiting students have theopportunity to spend days gettingto know each other and even enjoyattending a dance held for them by themusic department on Friday night.

From Meier to the visiting highschool students, and even the Mercy-

hurst music students that helped withthe event, this was an unforgettableexperience that left all with a renewedsense of teamwork and self-accom-plishment.

By Mathew AndersonA&E editor

Mercyhurst annually hosts the Tri-State Music Festival, a program that introduces high school stu-

dents to a fast paced music environment as well as teaching camaraderie and musicianship.

pac.mercyhurst.edu photo

Met HD Live presents:Maria Stuarda by Gaetano Donizetti

Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, one of the worlds most excit-

ing singers, takes on the virtuosic bel canto role of the doomed

Mary, Queen of Scots. Director David McVicar turns to the second

opera of Donizettis Tudor trilogy, which explores regal characters

at fateful moments of their lives. Elza van den Heever sings Eliza-

beth I and Maurizio Benini conducts.

Saturday, Jan. 19, at 12:55 p.m. in theMary DAngelo Performing Arts Center


DeMarco, a musicalpioneer of our time

Creating a new sound in todaysworld can be challenging, especiallywith so many different genres in exis-tence.

Despite all odds, Vancouver native,Mac DeMarco has managed to nd asound of his own with nothing morethen a $30 guitar and a grimy Seattlehat that seems permanently attached

to his head.Although it is not always clear,

DeMarcos sounds in 2 can best bedescribed as a mix of jazz, yacht rockand warm guitar noodling to create aneffortless Slacker Rock sound.

I rst got into DeMarco when hissong Freaking Out the Neighbor-hood popped up on my Spotify radio.

At rst I didnt like it. It soundedtoo different and I really wasnt feel-ing it. Eventually I gave it a chance and

by the end of the song the guitar andvocals had me hooked.

By the end of the song I was alreadylooking for more songs by him.

Freaking Out the Neighborhoodfelt like it could have been written by

The Smiths with its jazzy guitar partsmixed with simple and fun lyrics likesorry, mama there are times I getcarried away please/ dont worry nexttime Im home/ Ill still be the same.

Another track off 2 that reallystood out to me was My Kind of

Woman. This track is one of those

non-sappy love songs that still man-ages to be sweet and would bring asmile to any girls face.

DeMarco sings in his slow trance-like voice really driving me mad/thats alright with me/ its really nofuss as long as youre next to me overlayers of warm guitar tone and slowchugging bass.

I hope you check his music out andfeel the same about taking the journey

with DeMarco through his career.

By Zach DorschPhoto editor

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 6January 16, 2013

Theatre programthrives on campus

Chapel Choir and Dance Ensemble to visit Fla.

Mercyhurst has had a relativelystrong artistic presence and now cer-tainly isnt any different.

On the contrary, if there was anytime to get into the arts on campus, itis right now.

In addition to the thriving music,dance and art departments, a new dis-cipline is joining the ranks.

Starting with a rapidly expand-ing Theatre Appreciation Club andrecently approved minor, the theatre

program is beginning to take off hereat Mercyhurst.

The new theatre minor will be ineffect starting in the fall of the 2013-2014 academic year, headed by Assis-tant Professor of English and Directorof the Mercyhurst Theatre Program

Brett Johnson, Ph.D.Its an exciting time for Theatre at

Mercyhurst, with the revitalization ofthe Theatre Appreciation Club, theapproval of the Theatre minor and theintroduction of a regular productionseason, Johnson said.

A remarkable number of studentshave come forth with an interest in theclub, he said.

Ive been encouraged and ener-gized by the initial response to theseprograms. The club currently has 49members, led by an outstanding exec-utive committee, which has organizeda number of events to foster a sense

of community among students inter-ested in theater and to raise awarenessabout the burgeoning program, John-son said.

Students from all walks of lifeand personal interests have shownan incredible dedication and level ofcommitment toward making this a

fantastic year of commencement forthe theatre program.

Additionally, students from alldisciplines have expressed interest inauditioning for the productions andadopting a minor, and my colleagueshave welcomed opportunities for col-laboration. Theres a denite need fortheater at Mercyhurst, and I look for-

ward to building the program in theupcoming years, Johnson said.

The minor allows students to gainmore than sufcient knowledge of

various types of theater includingperformance, design or dramatic lit-erature.

The new theatre programs rstproduction will be Eurydice, a retell-ing of the Orpheus myth told throughthe eyes of the heroine.

The show dates are Friday, April 12,and Saturday, April 13, at 8 p.m. andSunday, April 14, at 2 p.m. in TaylorLittle Theatre.


There are very few instances whereMercyhurst students get to travel out-side of our beloved state of Pennsyl-

vania. Its for this reason, and manyothers, that the Chapel Choir andLiturgical Dance Ensemble membershave been so excited lately.

They will have the opportunity toventure to Tampa, Fla., over springbreak. The two groups will be giving aprogram that was performed last Aprilat Emmanuel Presbyterian Churchs

Faith Caf to be performed at a mix-ture of school and church venues.

The program that will be performedshowcases a healthy mix of liturgicalpieces and contemporary Christianmusic along with praise and worship.

Along with performing for a vastnumber of individuals, the groups willalso be recruiting future Mercyhurststudents and may have the opportunityto sing for the daily masses throughoutthe week.

The week-long trip will include themultitude of masses and performancesalong with a possible trip to UniversalStudios in Walt Disney World. The

Chapel Choir and Liturgical DanceEnsemble will also be spreading their

talent and good will to many sub-divi-sions of Christianity including Catho-lic, Evangelical and Jesuit churches.

Despite our small numbers, weregrateful for the support from CampusMinistry to make this trip possible,said senior Brittany Barko.

On top of having the tremendousopportunity to showcase their faithand talent to various peoples in the

Tampa area, the Chapel Choir andLiturgical Dance Ensemble are gettingthe incredible chance to spend theirspring breaks in an unbeatable climate.


The Chapel Choir and Liturgical Dance Ensemble will travel to

Tampa, Fla., to perform at various religious venues.

Contributed photo

Dr. Brett Johnson heads the new theatre program on campus. Not only is there a new and very activeTheatre Appreciation Club, but a new theatre minor being presented this fall.


Grgoire MaretMary DAngelo Performing Arts Center

Friday Jan. 18 - 8:00 p.m.For more information, please visit the events

page at pac.mercyhurst.edu.


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OPINION Page 7January 16, 2013

Editors

Alicia Cagle

Stacy SkiavoKayla Kelly

Caitlin Handerhan

Joe Chiodo

Mat Anderson

Chelsea Schermerhorn

Samantha Link

Zach Dorsch

Ethan Johns

Laura Fiegelist

Bill Welch

Positions

Editor-in-Chief

News EditorFeatures Editor

Opinion Editor

Sports Editor

A&E Editor

Copy Editor

Graphics

Photo Editor

Web Editor

Ad Manager

Adviser

@mercyhurst.edu

editormerciad

newsmerciadfeaturemerciad

opinionmerciad

sportsmerciad

entertainmentmerciad

copymerciad

photomerciad

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ejohns89

admerciad

wwelch

The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of MercyhurstUniversity. It is published throughout the school year, with the exceptionof 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 theletters for content, we reserve the right to trim letters to fit. Lettersare due Mondays by noon and may not be more than 300 words. Submitletters to box PH 485 or via email at [email protected].

If you dont want it printed . . . dont let it happen.

The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercyhurst University, the staff of The Merciad orthe Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be emailed to [email protected].

Mercyhurst Universitysvery own Gangnam StyleYouTube video, starring

Erico Sanchez and Dr.Gamble, has had over1,200 views within the frst

36 hours of being posted.

The new core being imple-mented for the 2013-2014school year is causingmass panic among under-

classmen. Lets hope it iseasier to understand thanthe Mercyhurst Compli-ments Facebook account.

Many students have been

left confused by the newMercyhurst Compliments

account created on Face-book, and are reluctant to

participate. It seems likea good idea, lets hope itpicks up.

Coverage of gundebate aimless

Following last months tragic schoolshooting one cannot turn on any

media outlet without witnessing a

raging debate about guns and violent

video games.

Unfortunately, and quite shamefully,

the whole discussion has become a

giant media circus used to boost TV

and radio ratings on all sides of the

spectrum. We are left with a senseless

media spectacle while the real issues

regarding gun control and violent

video games are completely ignored.

The perfect example of this is arecent interview where CNN talk show

host Piers Morgan interviewed radio

host Alex Jones. The ensuing interview

made headlines all over the country as

Jones, a ridiculous conspiracy theorist

who tries to pass himself off as a lib-

ertarian, went on a crazed and frankly

bizarre rant ranging from guns, to the

new world order and the whole shop-

ping list of conspiracy theorist talking

points (or in this case shouting points).

Piers Morgan, who is ardently anti-

gun, lengthened the interview with

Jones so as not to miss out on the

rating boost that followed. It is clear

that Piers Morgan has no interest in

having a constructive dialogue aboutguns. If he was interested in such a

conversation rather than inviting a

crazed, fringe, lunatic who obviously

does not represent the views of main-

stream people who are opposed to

increased gun regulation, he would

invite someone less controversial who

actually has some respectable creden-

tials.

Another group that is of course

in the spotlight is the National Rie

Association (NRA). It has blamed

violent video games for the tragedy inwhat seems to be a way of changing

the subject.

To read more, check out this

article online at:

opinion/merciad.mercyhurst.edu

By Zack YostStaff writer

Students review Merciad quality

As editors for the Merciad, each

week our staff works to produce

a paper that is both worthy of this

institution and pleasing to the student

body.While the hours are long and the

compensation little, we continue to

produce the Merciad because it is

something we are all genuinely pas-

sionate about.

It has come to my attention that

the opinion section has come under

re as of late, with some deeming it

a section unworthy of being read and

merely a soap-box from which a select

few spout off their poorly reasoned

positions.

I welcome criticism of the work

we as a staff produce each week, and

instead of being unnerved by such

scathing reviews, feel it is my duty to

do my job better.

That being said, I welcome those

who have complaints about the Mer-

ciad or any other topic on campus to

submit an article.

Every week students are welcome

to voice their opinion, and I would

be delighted to receive an article and

spark a healthy debate among the stu-

dent body.

As a member of a student-run

paper, I am supremely disappointed

by the lack of student interaction and

participation in the Merciad.

The opinion section specically

is the forum through which you can

advocate for your cause, voice your

opinion and be the catalyst for a

change on campus.

When I came into this position,

what disappointed me most was the

fact that previous opinion editors

worked with a staff like every other

section does. To me, the opinion sec-

tion should have no standing crew

of writers for each week, but rather

be able to rely on the student body

at-large to contribute.

Since this is not the case, and since

rarely do students have the initiative to

compose a piece for publication, nat-

urally a pool of staff writers must be

utilized each week.

If you feel the content of this sec-

tion is not worthy of the time it takes

you to read it, I ask you this: Why have

you not personally contributed an arti-

cle about something you are passionate

about?

With no limit on the topic and rel-

atively few restrictions placed on word

count, those with such views of this

section should feel welcome to con-

tribute at any time. After all, as the

opinion editor, I welcome all points of

view, even if you dont.

By Caitlin Handerhan

Opinion editor

...we continue to

produce the Mer-

ciad because it is

something we are all

genuinely passionate

about.

- Caitlin Handerhan

Editor addresses section critiques, encourages participation

7/29/2019 The Merciad, Jan. 16, 2012

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September 3, 2008SPORTSPage 8 January 16, 2013

Wrestling proving unstoppable at 6-0

Mercyhurst mens wrestling is off toa phenomenal start this season. Afterdefeating Shippensburg University30-13 on Saturday, Jan 12, the Lakershave improved their record to animpressive 6-0 on the season.

Additionally, on Tuesday, Jan. 15,the Lakers were ranked sixth in theSuper Region 1 rankings, with sixmembers ranked in their respective

weight classes.Senior Jeffrey Pollard notes the suc-

cess of the team this season is a prod-uct of its members strong relationshipto one another.

We are close on and off the mat.Coach really stressed being a tight knitgroup this year, and it is helping sub-stantially with such a diverse team,said Pollard. We have many freshmenand older kids that have not startedbefore, but we are coming together asone and making this our team.

Also a member of the football team,Pollard is always striving to improveand achieve. As a senior, he has onelast goal to reach before his career atMercyhurst University is over.

It feels great having a winning

record, but I am not going to settlefor that. This is my last year of wres-tling and I want to leave no doubtsand have a great season, said Pol-lard. I want to make it to nationals

and become the rst Heavy WeightAll-American at Mercyhurst Univer-sity.

While becoming Mercyhurst Uni-versitys rst Heavy Weight All-Ameri-

can will be quite the challenge, Pollardis no stranger to conquering obstaclesmany cannot.

In the summer of 2009, Pollard wasdiagnosed with testicular cancer, and

has fought a long battle recovering

from the illness since. Now a gradu-ating senior, Pollard can reect on the

hardships he has overcome.The road to recovery has been

very difcult throughout the past

four years. It came to a point whereI almost gave up on both sports, butI knew if I kept working hard I couldget back to the athlete and person Iknew I could be, said Pollard. Italso helps having such a great familyand community here at Mercyhurst.Everyone has been there for me with

anything I needed, even if it was justto talk.

Pollards cousin, Michael Pollard,is also on the wrestling team. Having

a family member on the same teamoffers a unique advantage.

Michael is my younger cousin andI really like having him as a teammate.

That is in part why he came to schoolhere, said Pollard. It is nice havinga family member to go through thesame hardships together. It builds agood bond and helps bring the team

together. We also push each other alittle more having that closeness.

The Lakers will face West Libertyon Thursday, Jan. 17, at home, withmatches beginning at 7 p.m.

By Joe ChiodoSports editor

Jeffrey Pollard, right, gets ready to grapple against an Ashland University opponent on November 30,

2012.

Brian Vail photo

Hurst student Christine Bestlandrepresented Canada in Russia withCanadas National Womens Under-22/Developmental Team in early Novem-ber.

Bestland was added to Canadas

National Womens Under-22/Devel-opmental Team. Bestland is a native of

Brunkild, Manitoba.

Six teams competed for the MecoCup over the holidays, including Ger-many, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Swit-zerland and Canada. Canada competed

in four games from Jan. 2 to Jan. 6.Bestland returned to the Mercyhurst

Ice Center (MIC) with gold.[Bestland] representing Canada

is not only a great reection on our

program and her, but it also reafrms

Mercyhursts ability to contend againstother world hockey powers, said

womens hockey Coach Michael Sisti.Playing overseas was a great expe-

rience, said Bestland. To have a

chance to play a sport you love whilerepresenting your country is the

opportunity of a lifetime and I am veryhonored to be a part of it.

The Lakers return to action Jan. 18

and 19 in the MIC at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m.,respectively, against Boston College.

By Lindsey Burke

Staff writerSports Brief

Head Coach Michael Sisti has 350 reasons to smile after the Lakers defeated

College Hockey America (CHA) opponent Syracuse 4-1.

Sisti has been the only coach in program history dating back to 1999. Mer-cyhurst is now the third fastest program to reach 350 wins behind Minnesotaand New Hampshire.

Coach Sisti has always been dedicated to furthering the success of theprogram he built, said senior Stephanie Ciampa. He puts so much pride and

effort in daily, he deserves a lot of credit for the victories.Mercyhurst was most recently ranked eighth in a USCHO.com poll.

We need to be consistent and execute our systems well for the rest of the

season and just focus on one win at a time, Ciampa said.Junior captain Christine Bestland agrees.

We need to quickly come together and be fully prepared everyday both onand off the ice. We need to execute what our coaches give us, and never give

up, Bestland said.

Freshman Emily Janiga recorded her rst career hat trick in the win. The

freshman has 27 points, 14 goals, and 13 assists on the season. Juniors Chris-

tine Bestland and Christie Cicero marked assists on Janigas hat trick. Soph-

omore Shelby Bram also added a goal 2:29 into the third period. Sophomore

Amanda Makela recorded the win in net with 29 saves. The win over the

Orange was Makelas second straight win in net, moving her to 7-2-1 overall.

The win moves the Lakers to 16-3-1 overall and 8-2 in the CHA.

Hockey picks up 350th program win

Bestland represents Canadas hockey team

Brian Vail photo

Christine Bestland races past Clarkson University defenders

on October 20 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.

Documents

The Merciad, Jan. 16, 2012