The Merciad, March 15, 2006

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There are many different alternativeactivities planned for St. Patricks Dayon campus.The Student Activities Committee

wishes everyone the luck of the Irishthis St. Patricks Day at Casino Nightfrom 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. in the Stu-dent Union.This years Casino Night is part of

a week-long coalition of SAC andCampus Ministry to provide a fun andsafe environment for Mercyhurst stu-dents as an alternative to alcohol.

For starters, Campus Ministry hasdeemed this week Alcohol AwarenessWeek.

Starting on March 15 students cansign a pledge to make safe and healthychoices.All of those who participate will get

an Awareness bracelet and an AlcoholRisk Card with your name, the dateand reminders about the dangers ofdrinking.

SAC has planned to unveil the newLaker mascot this week and in celebra-

tion is sponsoring Lunchroom Laker.Students will have a free lunch and

have the opportunity to participate ina raffle for prizes, including tickets tothe Erie Playhouse, Erie Otters, ErieSeawolves, the Erie Zoo and SplashLagoon.

On Thursday night in the DAngeloPerforming Arts Center, SAC willfeature a presentation by Keith Karkutcalled Hypnotic Intoxication.According to Sarah Allen, Assistant

Director of the Student Union, shebelieves that Karkut has a fun way of

getting a good message across.Another very important event for the

week is a Remembrance Ceremony tobe held on St. Patricks Day at noon.Though there will be a special inten-

tion for Matthew Milgate, the purposeof the ceremony will be to remember

all of those who have been affected byalcohol.The ceremony will feature a few

short readings and a procession to theGrotto.

Each student will also have the oppor-tunity to sign a book of intentionswhich will be read aloud at the end ofthe ceremony.

Following the ceremony there will bea luncheon for everyone with entertain-ment by Ischabaha, an Irish folk band,featuring Mercyhursts own Jim Tom-etsko, Director of Human Resources.

Paul Macosko, of Campus Ministryhas been crucial to the organization ofthis event.

He feels it is very important for theschool to do something, especially on StPatricks Day; so often students choosealcohol when there are other ways to

Please see Students on page 2

By Jessica KocentContributing writer

On Thursday, March 9, four fresh-man football players, Theo Hall, AaronHayes, Dwayne Marshall and RichardStokes were arrested outside Peccadil-los a local nightclub.The four students are charged with

criminal conspiracy, simple assault and

disorderly conduct, two of which aremisdemeanors and one of which is alesser summary offense.According to Erie Police Chief

Charles Bowers and eyewitnesses,the four allegedly dragged the victim,Dennis Fohner, a local student, outinto the street and beat him after thegroup was asked to leave the club.Peccadillos hosts a college night everyWednesday.

No weapons were used, however, thevictim did suffer a broken right arm andwas treated at an area hospital.

A spokesperson for Mercyhurst Col-lege stated this week that Hall, Hayes,Marshall and Stokes were suspendedfrom the football team pending theinvestigation but remain students ofthe college.The spokesperson went on to say

that the college is treating the matter

seriously and is continuing its owninvestigation.

If convicted, the four men face upto five years in prison or a fine ofover $10,000; however, this outcomeis unlikely.An April 19 preliminary court hearing

has been scheduled at the Erie CountyCourthouse.

Football players face charges after scuffle outside of local club

Alternative activities provided for St. PatricksDay in honor of Alcohol Awareness Week

By Jeff AllenContributing writer

The spring term will bring a newgeology laboratory for the MercyhurstCollege Archaeology Department inspace that had been used, until theend of February, by the photographydepartments classroom/laboratory inthe basement of Zurn Hall.The conversion of the space into a

geology lab required the cancellationof an intermediate photography course

that had been scheduled there for thespring term.The room was a workspace for mem-

bers of the photography, graphic designand art therapy students. It housed suchcourses as photography one, digitalphotography, color photography, his-tory of photography and intermediatephotography.

Original plans called for constructionof the geology laboratory to commencein the summer of 2006, and accordingto Thomas Hubert, the director of theart department, he was notified on Feb.17 that this spring term would not beaffected.

In a later e-mail on Feb. 22, Hubertsaid, he was notified that such changeswould affect the departments springterm and, ultimately, an intermediatephotography class. According to Dr. James Adovasio,

dean of the Zurn School of Natural

Sciences and Mathematics, however, thereconstruction was planned as early asthree years ago.

The construction of the geologylaboratory had been put off on severaloccasions despite several inconve-niences, he said.Adovasio emphasized that construc-

tion could not be postponed untilsummer, as originally planned, becausethe laboratory was needed to accommo-date archaeology students and facultyin the fall.The construction, however, requires

the relocation of art students and fac-ulty, effective immediately.Gary Cardot, assistant professor of

art and photography, said he and hisstudents need this dedicated space.

The students need somewhere topractice their specific discipline, saidCardot. We have next to no facilitiesnow, but we cant exist with nothing.Adovasio said the art department

had ample opportunity to get ready forthe reconstruction, and they didnt. According to Mercyhurst President

Dr. Thomas Gamble, the building ofthe geology laboratory was put offbecause of the biology and physicslaboratories. Part of the plan is toimprove the science labs every year, hesaid. We cannot put it (the laboratory)

off any more. The Donald and Judith AlstadtLaboratory for Cellular and MolecularResearch opened in the fall term of

2004. A new physics lab opened in Sep-tember 2005. Both are in Zurn Hall.Vice President of Academic Affairs,

Dr. Barbara Behan, said the administra-

tion looked at three different places toput the geology laboratory and sevenplaces to construct the photographystudio.

We primarily looked at Zurn Room206 for the geology lab, but recognizedthe room was being used for classroomspace, she said. As for the photogra-

phy studio, we looked at two places inHirt, including building off the back ofthe Hirt building.

Behan also stated that there were two

places in Zurn for the relocation of thelaboratory, including building a secondfloor on top of the ceramics room andthe foyer on the second floor.

The problem with these was theceramics room would not support

Please see Lack on page 3

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MERCYHURST COLLEGE SINCE 1929

SPORTSFeatures

Page 10Page 4

Vol. 79 No. 16 Mercyhurst College 501 E. 38th St. Erie Pa. 16546 March 15, 2006

MERCIADTHEFashion guideto winningat the Oscars

Womens Hockeygo to NCAAplayoffs

Art class bounced by geology labStudents abruptly lose photography classroom and class to provide more space for geology

Juniors Andrew Lapiska and Gina Christofferson both had schedule conflicts after the cancellation.

Melissa Jack/Features editor

By Joshua Wilwohl andMichelle Brewer

Gamble addresses the college.

Katie McAdams/Photo editor

Presidentialspeech givesnew direction

By Chelsea BootheCopy editor

On March 6, Dr. Thomas Gamblegave his 1000 Day Speech in the Per-forming Arts Center.While Gamble invoked the goals and

values of the Mercy sisters, compli-menting their excellent and profoundexample, he was also inspired by apolitician, a saint and a rock icon.

Gamble applauded the work ofthe faculty, staff and past presidents;however, he said to stay complacentwith the current situation would be afault. Gamble has the goal of rebirthand renewal for Mercyhursts future.He wants to continue with the Mercytradition and expand on the great workthat has been done thus far.

Gamble emphasizes a number ofimportant issues he plans to focus

Please see Gamble on page 3

A Remembrance Ceremony will be held on St. Patricks Day at noon with

a special intention for Matthew Milgate. Students will be signing pledge

cards and wearing red bracelets during Alcohol Awareness week.

Contributed photos


2/10

PAGE 2 THE MERCIAD March 15, 2006

To contact: [email protected]

The Bush administration saidMonday it is open to a resump-tion of Russian talks with Iranover its nuclear program, but hasno indication Tehran is ready togive up its uranium enrichmentefforts. Another round of talks be-

tween the two countries couldbe held even while the U.N.Security Council considers howto constrain an Iranian programthat the United States and itsEuropean allies say is geared todeveloping nuclear weapons, aState Department spokesmansaid. Russia has offered to enrichuranium for civilian purposes forIran, thereby keeping the processout of Irans control as a safe-guard to weapons production.

Serbian President Boris Ta-dic says his government will notobject to the return of former

Yugoslav leader Slobodan Mi-losevics body for burial.

Speaking on BBC television,Tadic said it was up to Milosevicsfamily to decide where they heldhis funeral. Milosevic, on trial at

The Hague for war crimes, diedof a heart attack in his cell last

week.Full test results are awaited, but

a toxicologist who found tracesof drugs in Milosevics bloodbefore his death said they mayhave neutralised treatment forhis heart conditions.There have been questions

raised over what caused Milose-vics heart attack.

Swarms of tornadoes killed atleast 10 people across the Mid-

west, shut down the Universityof Kansas and caused so muchdamage in Springfield that themayor compared it to the after-math of Hurricane Katrina. The violent weather started

during the weekend with a line ofstorms that spawned tornadoesand downpours from the south-ern Plains to the Ohio Valley.

On Monday, a second line ofstorms raked the region, withrain, hail and fierce wind tearingup trees and homes from Kansasthrough Indiana. Illinois capital

was hit hard twice in 24 hours,

first by a tornado and then strong wind early Monday that blewdebris through the city.

President Bush has set out his strategy to tackle the violence in Iraq,in an attempt to counter American scepticism over the war. He gavedetails of coalition attempts to build up the Iraqi security forces andsaid, We will not lose our nerve.

His speech comes ahead of the third anniversary of the U.S.-ledinvasion of Iraq on March 20. Bush admitted the situation in Iraq isstill tense, but said there was also signs of a hopeful future.

U.S. prosecutors can continueto seek the death penalty for theonly person charged in the U.S. inconnection with the 9/11 attacks,a judge has ruled. Judge Leonie Brinkema had

suspended the sentencing trialof Zacarias Moussaoui, sayinggovernment prosecutors hadbeen involved in egregiousmisconduct.

She has now said the trial cancontinue and that the govern-ment could press its death pen-alty case.

Compiled by

Corrie Thearle

World BriefsInternational news

Midwest tornadoes

Bush strategy to combat violence in Iraq

Milosevics funeral

Iran nuclear talks

9/11 case halted

Da Vinci Code author denies accusations

Author Dan Brown has dismissed accusations that he stole theideas for his best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code as completelyfanciful.The novelist is appearing at Londons High Court after historians

Richard Leigh and Michael Baigent sued publisher Random House.They say Brown copied ideas in their book The Holy Blood and TheHoly Grail. I have been shocked at their reaction. Furthermore Ido not really understand it, Brown said in a statement.

Both books explore a theory that Jesus did not die on the crossbut survived and had children with Mary Magdalene, and that theirdescendants survive.

On Sunday, March 12, a dis-cussion was held in the MercyHeritage room about whetheror not Catholic education hada future. The discussion began with

Sister Julie Uptons thoughts andideas about the issue.

Upton is a professor of The-ology and Religious Studies atSt. Johns school, the largestCatholic university in the UnitedStates, and currently serves as itsprovost.

She has taught at St. JohnsUniversity for over 26 years andhas taught every grade except

third grade.Upton was educated in the

Catholic school system from firstgrade until graduating from col-lege. Upton believes that Catho-lic education is in a time of crisisand that this is an opportunityto be seized.

She also believes that theCatholic educators need to bemore open to discussion. Shesuggested that through liturgies,ideas can be be discussed, forexample she suggested referringto popular and ground breakingfilms such as Crash.

Upton reminded the group thatthe goal of Catholic education

was to be able to teach all na-

tions and if people dont lookat their sins then this will neverhappen.

Her concern was that there is ageneration of college graduates

who are moving into the workforce, but are not equipped forlife problems because their edu-cation did not adequately preparethem.

She continued by suggestingthat getting a Catholic educa-tion may prepare individuals andsuggested that parishes shouldgive small scholarships to theirmembers to go to college. Another issue that was dis-

cussed, concerned the neededinvolvement of the Church.

Non-active church membersshould be approached and in-

vited to discuss why they are notattending church and not becom-ing involved.

She ended with the idea of whether or not a society hadmore dreams or more memories.

To move forward a society needsmore dreamers.

Mary Jo Lipani, Peggy Aste,Dr. Thomas Gamble and SisterMaura Smith all shared theiropinions on the discussion ledby Upton.

Smith is formerly principalof the Mercyhurst Prepara-tory School. She focused on thecontinuing education of adultsand believes that the future ofCatholic education starts withthe parish.

Smith feels that high schoolsshould follow the Cristo Rey

model, which is four days in classand the fifth day would be a dayfor students to perform service

and learn about the world.Mary Jo Lipani believes that

Catholic education should beginwith the very young and continueinto adulthood.

Gamble believes that sacra-ments are more fundamentalthan doctrine.

Elementary school is the im-portant time to grasp the stu-dents attention with the liturg y,sacraments and Mass. Duringhigher education, students beginto be more creative and wantto ask questions and explore.Gamble believes this to be a keytime to start dialogue and discussideas.

Peggy Aste, principal of Mer-cyhurst Preparatory School, be-lieves that during the early yearsof education and in high schoolthere is nothing to do but plantthe seeds of religion and hope

that they grow.Aste believes that the world is

sending out the opposite mes-sage. Then the school and stu-dents must interpret confusingmessages.

She also agrees with Smith thateducation needs to continue intoadulthood and ideas need to bediscussed and analyzed. Afterwards the discussion

continued focusing on not onlycontinued education, but a visionthat needed to involve the Sistersof Mercy goals and the Catholictradition.

It was also brought up thatCatholic schools do not andshould just educate children ofCatholic faith.The discussion ended on the

note that there needed to bemore imagination in Catholiceducation.

Commanding a new visionPanel discusses various methods to foster growth of Catholic education

By Sarah Sheehan

Contributing writer

Sister Julie Upton described various education methods.

Sarah Sheehan/Staff photographer

The Mercyhurst Honors Department is very excited to present Academic Celebration 2006, The Cutting Edge. AcademicCelebration is a series of events and presentations researched by both faculty and students in a variety of fields. This year ourfocus is controversial and groundbreaking research and promises to be one of our best years ever. Come and check out any or allof the events that might interest you. Reminder: Some professors do offer extra credit for attendance and all events are HonorsCertified.

Continued from page 1

have fun.He feels that this ceremo-

ny will be an outlet for those who have been hurt in any

way by alcohol and impor-tant for the healing process.Friday night is Casino Night.Students can purchase raffletickets to be entered in a drawingto win an X Box 360 and a $250

package from Coventina DaySpa that will include a massage,manicure, facial and much more.Sarah Allen says, SAC has put alot of time and money into mak-ing a big event to deter students

from dangerous decisions. Junior Colleen Lanigan, says

she hopes these efforts by Cam-pus Ministry and SAC influencepeople to be smart about theirplans.

Students pursue safe decisions to celebrate

Academic Celebration 2006 is sponsored by the Mercyhurst CollegeHonors Program. Funding for Academic Celebration is provided by an Academic Enrichment Grant. Academic Celebration2006 is created and produced by honors student committee chair Jessica Kocent, and the Academic Celebration Committee ofKyle Linehan, Ashley Masi, Audry Passetti, Amy Adovasio, Vanessa Diaz and faculty advisor Dr. Karen Williams. They wouldlike to thank all sponsors and participants in the events that have comprised this years Academic Celebration. The committeealso extend its thanks to Jodi Staniunas-Hopper and her Winter Digital Imagery Class for all of their hard work designing thisyears cover. Special thanks to Christine Schaefer for providing this years featured design.

Academic Celebration tackles controversial

and groundbreaking research topics

Sunday, March 19, 2006

2 p.m. - Zurn 214- Natural Pharmaceutica ls: An Introduction to the BasicScience, Lore, and Clinical Studies Surrounding Garlic and

Wheatgrass- Monitoring the Oxygenation of Blood from Ingesting

Wheatgrass Juice- Quantum Chemical Analysis of the Stationary States of S-2-propenyl ester- Garlic: Facts and Fiction- Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds in Wheatgrass- What Have We Learned about Wheatgrass and HumanMetabolism?

6 p.m. - Hirt 213- In the Hands of Barbarous Monsters: Depictions of theIslamic World in Early American Literature

7 p.m. - Main 210- The New Consumer

8 p.m. -Hirt 314- The Rebirth of Totalitarianism

Monday, March 20, 2006

5 p.m. - Zurn 108- Using Novel Molecular Techniques for Detection of Micro-scopic Organisms Causing Macroscopic Problems in Pollutionof Local Beach Waters

5 p.m. - Hirt 214- FBI Case Study: The New Agenda

7:30 p.m. - Zurn 114- Creating an Edge: Merging Erie and Millcreek

8 p.m. - Zurn 314- The Future of Hydrogen as an Alternative to Fossil Fuels:

The Promise, the Obstacles and the Search for a StorageMaterial

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

4:30 p.m. - Hirt 213- Recreating the Classroom: Enhancing Academic Success

with the Use of Tangible Rewards5 p.m. - Zurn 114

- Whats All This Garbage?6 p.m. - Zurn 314

- Determination of Postmortem Interval of Felines ThroughDegradation of Specific Biomarkers

7 p.m. - Hirt 213- Intelligent Design: The Cutting Edge of the Creation/Evolution Dispute?

7:30 p.m. - Taylor Little Theatre- Speaking Out for a Change: Confronting Others as Preju-dice Reduction Presenter, Alexander Czopp PH.D

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

5 p.m. - Hirt 214- Cutting through the Crap: Analyzing the first 2004 Bush-Kerry Presidential Debate for Logical Fallacies

6 p.m. - First Floor of Student Union- Poetrys Newest Incarnation

8 p.m. - Walker Recital Hall- Dance!

8:30 p.m. - First Floor of Student Union- Alternative Spring Breaks


3/10

NewsMarch 15, 2006 THE MERCIAD PAGE 3



an additional room and the foyeris the only place for students torelax in Zurn, she said.

Hubert emphasized that artspaces are dedicated spacesthat cannot simply be moved.You cannot have a paint, ce-ramic, and photography classall in one classroom, he said.Students have to have dedicatedstudios to work.The loss of the photography

classroom, according to Hubert,not only inconveniences the pho-tography students, but art classesin general.

Losing the photo lab makes uslose slide projections for classes,

he said. Now I work in the stair-well projecting images; its justnot conducive for anyone. Adovasio stated the art de-

partment elected to ignorethe information for a long timeand now its the departmentsresponsibility to accommodateclasses. He also noted that there

were several options for movingclasses.

It wasnt short notice, Ado-vasio said.

Hubert, however, said if the artdepartment was informed early,classes never would have beenscheduled in that room.

If we would have been awareof such a situation earlier, we

would not have planned anyclasses, he said. To even sched-ule classes, it has to r un throughthe registrars office and the of-fice of academic affairs.According to Hubert and art

therapy professor Cathlyn Hahn,the art department has sufferedthe loss of rooms in the past. The losses included Zurn

Room 119, which was once thegraphic design classroom andis now home to the AppliedForensic Science Department.

Another loss of space includedthe Zurn dance studios that wereonce part of plans for a court-yard studio/sculpture garden andtwo art classrooms.

It has been 15 years since wehad an entire art wing (in Zurn),said Hubert. We have more

students and less space.Hahn shares Huberts opin-

ion.The art department has not

gained even one square foot ofspace and has lost a lot, shesaid.Adovasio, though, said that in

June 1990, Mercyhurst PresidentDr. William Garvey granted himthe entire basement of Zurn.

When the art department wasrunning out of space, I indicatedit was OK to give art that space(the photography room) on atemporary basis because of the

lack of room, he said.The new laboratory, according

to Adovasio, will include specialmicroscopes and specific equip-ment for measuring the layersof earth.

Six geology students and allarchaeology and anthropologymajors will use the laboratory.

According to MAI Directorof Curation and Conservation,

Jeffrey Illingworth, the appliedforensic science department willalso use it.According to Adovasio, some

funds to build the facility will beobtained through money from anoverhead account derived from a$25 million contract between the

U.S. Army and Mercyhurst.The total cost of the laboratory,according to Behan, will run be-

tween $250,000 and $300,000.The building of the new geol-

ogy laboratory consequently willbring about the construction ofan approximately $500,000 pho-tography studio as an additionto the Cummings Art Gallery,said Behan.

Preliminary plans call for dou-bling the size of the currentgallery and adding an officespace, closet and photographyclassroom.The dark room, however, will

stay in the basement of Zurn andnot be rebuilt.

For the 13 students registeredfor intermediate photography,these changes meant a last minuteschedule conflict that, accordingto Hubert, required some tomodify their photography minorfulfillments.

Matt Seifert, sophomore andphotography minor was one ofthe affected students. I had torush back and forth between theRegistrars Office, my advisorand Peggy Brace whose class Ineeded signed into that day so Icould attend it, he said. Im justlucky that I had an extra year tocomplete my minor.

Nate Smith, a junior and anoth-er photo minor, shared Seiferts

disappointment. I dont thinkits fair how Mercyhurst treats theart department, he said.

Another junior, Andrew Lapis-

ka, stated he never received aphone call about the cancellation.Nobody told me, he said. Ionly got an e-mail; thats all Igot.

Lapiska also emphasized thatart students are paying thesame amount as students in otherdepartments, but they (othermajors) get new equipment andfacilities and we get the same oldequipment and facilities.

He also noted that even thoughthere is construction of a newphotography facility, the darkroom will be an inconvenience.

We will still have the samedilapidated dark room, and it isgoing to be in the middle of an-

other department, he said.Junior Katie Diabola, an ar-

chaeology major, says she un-derstands how the art studentsmust feel.

I know that they dont appre-ciate that weve taken over thebasement of Zurn, she said.

Sophomore and archaeologymajor Gary Williams says heshares the sympathy of the artdepartment. I am shocked, wealready have enough space; weneed to be efficient with thespace we have, he said.Williams also noted that some

forensic anthropology and sci-ence students use the photogra-phy studio when working with

pictures of crime scenes.Williams said, however, that

both departments have to be fair.When you take a space for onedepartment, another departmentis losing out, he said.According to Behan, ev-

eryone is onboard with the new,current plans. Adovasio saidthe demolition of the currentphotography studio will beginin March and the constructionin April, finishing for the fallterm.The construction of the Cum-

mings Art Gallery and new pho-tography studio in the DAngeloPerforming Arts Center, accord-ing to Gamble, still has to be ap-

proved by the Board of Trusteesin April.


on: the need to assert and mani-fest the historical image of Mer-cyhurst, continuing to work onthe diversification of the campus,promoting strong relationships

with neighboring colleges, createnew academic programs, whilestrengthening current ones,establishing and implementing

the best strategic planning forMercyhurst and further workon strengthening the relation-

ship between Mercyhurst Maincampus and the North Eastcampus.

Dr. Jeff Roessner, directorof English department, said,He laid out a positive visionof the future, especially with hiscommitment to the humanitiesand unity of Mercyhurst com-munity.

Gambles goal is to imag-

ine Mercyhurst for what it canbecome, just as the Sisters ofMercy always have.

Gamble ushers in anew vision and era

for Mercyhurst

President Thomas Gamble met with students on an informalbasis on Monday, March 13, at the Student Union.Top: Gamble talks with MSG executive board members.Bottom: Students enjoy the wide range of delicious food.

Sarah Sheehan/Staff photographer

Mercyhurst College RotaractClub and the Community BloodBank are sponsoring a blooddrive on Wednesday, March 15from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in theGreat Room of the StudentUnion for faculty, staff andstudents.

Everyone who donates willbe eligible to win an iPodShuffle. The winners name will be

drawn at the end of March,and he or she will be con-tacted by the Blood Bank toclaim the prize.

Because Penn State Behrendand Gannon will also be hold-ing blood drives this month,those students will also have achance in entering the raffle.

Last March, Mercyhurst hadthe most donors out of alldrives with Edinboro, Gan-

non and Penn State Behrend.None of the other campuses

in this area have achieved therecord of over 90 donors.

Mercyhurst students came outin full force making the event oneof the largest blood drives todate and the largest for a collegein 2005, said Deanna Renaud,Mobile Drive Coordinator of the

Community Blood Bank.Basic requirements for blood

donation are that you must be atleast 17 years old and weigh atleast 110 pounds. Those interested in giving

blood must be in general goodhealth and eat well the day ofdonation.Anyone who received a tattoo

or piercing from a place otherthan the Millcreek Mall cannot

donate blood for one year.Donors must also wait 56 days

between donations. Photo ID isrequired to donate blood.The Community Blood Bank

is especially in need of Type Oblood.

One donation can save aboutthree lives and we need about800 donors per week to keep up

with the demands on the bloodsupply, Renaud said.

The Community Blood Bankis a local, non-profit organiza-

tion whose national affiliate isAmericas Blood Centers.

All of the blood donated withCommunity Blood Bank will stayin the area.They are the only supplier of

blood to all patients and hospitalsin Erie, Elk, McKean and Warrencounties.

Brenda Steib, Vice President

of Rotaract encourages studentsto donate.

This is a great way for stu-dents to help others. They cansave a life. We hope others feelstrongly about it and come outto give blood, she said.

Students with questions onblood donation can call 814-456-4206 to speak to a CommunityBlood Bank nurse.

Lack of space and planning causeproblems in the basement of Zurn

File Photo File Photo

- James Adovasio

Its the (art)departments

responsibility toaccommodate classes.

By Lakyn BiancoContributing writer

Blood donations pour out of Mercyhurst

- Cathlyn Hahn

The art departmenthas not gained even one

square foot of spaceand has lost a lot.


4/10

For my f i rs tMerciad article, I

wanted to intro-duce myself toall of the readers.Im a fashion mer-chandising majorat Mercyhurst, anda recently declaredjournalism minor.

My dream is tosomeday be a fashion editor for a magazine such as

Vogue, W, In Style, or even the trade publication called Womens Wear Daily (the Bible amongst us fashiongurus).

For my required practicums in the communicationsdepartment, I decided that there would be no better wayto get some practice at my future career than to write a

weekly fashion column.So, whether youre a fashion-loving or fashion-loathing

individual, I hope that my articles give some insight, aswell as fun and maybe even humor, into the world offashion at all levels.As many of you might know, award shows are the ideal

time for celebrities to strut the red carpet in lusciousgowns and chic tuxedos. From the Golden Globes tothe Grammys, nothing quite tops the importance of the

Academy Awards in the fashion world.Recently held on March 5, this years Oscar fashions

remained consistent with the traditional turnout of mostaward shows: a handful of beautiful actresses in gorgeous

dresses; a few fashion faux pas that were, if nothing else,embarrassing; and then the two or three women wholooked completely put together from her hair, to herdress, to her jewelry, to her shoes. It is these women

who stand out of the crowd and are truly the epitomeof what it means to possess great style.

Trends were unmistakable on the red carpet dubbedthe return to glamour, including many yellow-to-goldcolor gowns, one shoulder strap gowns, pocketed gowns,up-dos, and a whole lot of black.

Rachel Weisz, who won best supporting actress for TheConstant Gardener, Felicity Huffman, Jennifer Aniston,Charlize Theron, and Queen Latifa were among the wom-en who donned classic black for the occasion. Althoughthe same color, each dress had its own flair and distinctdifferences. For instance, Aniston rocked out her dress

with a serious two-tiered necklace of Bulgari diamonds.Huffmans dress had a deep plunging square neckline and

sheer bodice sides, and Theron topped her dress off withan over-sized bow atop her left shoulder.

Despite the obvious attributes of black (sultry, intel-ligent, and slimming, to name a few), the real stunnersof the night were the golds and creams.

Reese Witherspoon had a big night winning best actressfor her role as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line; how-ever, her real win was two-fold, as she stole the spotlightin the fashion department wearing a gorgeous full-length

vintage Christian Dior gown.With its classic cut, full skirt and beaded lines, Reeses

cream colored princess dress shone just as bright as hersmile during her acceptance speech. Also striking ingold this year was the beautiful Jessica Alba, who rankedamong the top red-carpet fashion lists of the majornetworks, wearing a shimmering bronze Versace gown;and Jennifer Garner, who despite almost taking a faceplant on stage, came back with the witty line, I do my

own stunts.Undoubtedly, the worst dressed award goes to Dolly

Parton, who stepped out onto the red carpet in a palepink catastrophe. A mixture of too much texture, andone too many brooches, Dollys dress did not suit hershape or skin tone.Another poor choice at the awards was Michelle Wil-

liams, wife of Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger, wearing a mustard yellow, Vera Wang dress with tullepleats around the shoulders.

In an effort to channel Old Hollywood, Williamsmust have forgotten that todays styles are typically curve-forming, rather than limp frocks in unflattering colors.So, remember, ladies, even celebrities have mishaps.And in case you are job-hunting, I hear that Dolly

Parton is looking for a stylist.

FEATURESTo contact: [email protected]

March 15, 2006 PAGE 4THE MERCIAD

Three veterans of the warin Iraq will speak at the MaryDAngelo Performing ArtsCenter Monday, March 20, at8:15 p.m.The three veterans are mem-

bers of the Iraq and AfghanistanVeterans of America (IAVA), arecently formed organizationthat describes itself as the

nations first and largest groupdedicated to Troops and Vet-erans of the wars in Iraq and

Afghanistan, and (their) civiliansupporters.

Mercyhurst Student Govern-ment is sponsoring the appear-ance. The appearance is one ofmany at colleges around thecountry by members of IAVAin an effort billed as Operation

Truth.Operation Truth is educat-

ing the American public aboutthe truth of the war in Iraq and

Afghanistan and from the com-pelling perspective of the troops

who have experienced the warsfirsthand, according to an an-

nouncement from MSG.Veterans tell their storiesabout firefights, working withIraqi civilians, being wounded,missing home, and what theythink of our militar y policy.

Whether the subject is the roleof private contractors in militaryoperations, the lack of bodyarmor for troops, the closing of

V.A. hospitals, or the effects ofthe back-door draft, the menand women who have servedand those who have returned tocivilian life truly have a uniquelyinformed and valuable perspec-tive.

Red carpet dos and dontsVeteransto speakat the PAC

Winter term finals ended on

Feb. 22 at Mercyhurst and thatmeant only one thing for stu-dents Spring Break.

Some students retreated totheir homes and spent a weeklounging in front of the televi-sion and catching up on sleep.Others packed their bags andheaded south for a wild weekof spring break fun. But, otherstudents chose to spend theirbreak differently. This year, 45 students gave

up their traditional spring breakplans in order to give somethingback, volunteer their time andlearn something at one of fourseparate alternative spring breaktrips sponsored by campus min-istry.

On Feb. 26, Campus MinisterPaul Macosko took 25 studentsto Foley, Ala. to work with Habi-tat for Humanity and VoluntaryOrganizations Active in Disas-ters (VOAD). The students worked for two

days with Habitat for Humanityto build a new home for a singlemother of three children. Labor-ing alongside the new homesowner, the students put downsod on the front lawn, paintedthe entire inside of the house,built sheds and worked with doorframes and windows. The second half of the Ala-

bama trip consisted of workingwith VOAD to rebuild a house

that was destroyed by HurricaneIvan in 2004. The family hadbeen living in a trailer for thepast two years, but FEMA wouldsoon be recollecting the trailer,and their house needed finishedimmediately.This was Erika Funnels second

Habitat for Humanity trip.The group that went to Ala-

bama this year was absolutelyamazing, she said. It is amazingthe difference that 25 people,

when working together, canmake! It is a great feeling know-ing that you are making dreamscome true and literally changingpeoples lives.

Sister Geri Rosinski accom-

panied five students to El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico for aBorder Awareness Experience.

The group visited museumsto learn about border issues, walked across the American-Mexican border, painted a clinicfor disabled children and becameimmersed in the culture of those

who live near the border.Walking across the bridge to

Mexico was a very powerful ex-perience, said Sister Rosinski.

She and the students had theopportunity to each stay with aMexican family and learn aboutlife in the very poor village.When describing the families,

Sister Rosinski said, Theyreresilient and loving. They shareeverything they have. They havemuch to teach us about how tolove and care for one another.Junior Marie Blum stayed with

a woman and her two children. The mother worked in nearbyfactories, where she risked herlife to walk home after midnightevery day in a town where hun-dreds of women have been killeddoing exactly that.

The alternative break wasan eye-opening experience toanother culture that I will neverforget. Not only did the trip openmy eyes to the Mexican culture,but I learned a great deal aboutthe immigration laws of myown country, said Blum of herexperience. Another trip began on Feb-

ruary 25 when Sister Michele

Marie Schroeck and 10 studentstraveled to Fort Defiance, Ariz.to visit a Navajo Reservation.

There, the group worked at St.Michaels Association for SpecialEducation.

Students worked in classroomsand on outdoor environmentalterracing in an effort to conserve

water. They also visited a pueblothat was originally built in the1500s to learn about the Navajoculture.The fourth alternative spring

break trip was the Urban Chal-lenge in Camden, N.J., whichtakes place in one of the poorestcities in America. Five students

were accompanied by AmandaZechman, Americorps Vista, tothe Catholic social justice retreatcenter.

In Camden, the students tookpart in a number of service op-tions including: serving food andcleaning in shelters, visiting withpatrons at an AIDS Drop-InCenter and working with childrenat an after-school program.The students also saw plays and

heard speakers that dealt withsocial justice issues such as AIDS,homelessness, hunger, disabilitiesand children and youth. A highlight for many of the

trips participants was attendanceat a bilingual Mass. A lot (ofthe Camden residents) havean incredible faith. It was verypowerful to share that faith saidZechman.

Zechman said the trip was

important because, it gave ourstudents the opportunity to notonly do service, but learn about

Camden and social justice is-sues. The students and advisors

who made the trips showed theirpride and excitement about whatthey accomplished during theirbreak.

Stefanie Steinmetz has beenon three alternative spring breaktrips. She said, I have learnedso much on these trips: organiza-tion, fundraising, and leadershipskills, team-building, and howgreat it is to help others. Thoughthis is my last year at Mercyhurst,I will continue to be a part ofHabitat for Humanity.

Nearly all the students agreedthat their experiences were well

worth giving up their traditionalspring break. Although there waslots of hard work involved, allthe students got the opportunityto have fun and learn about a newculture and different people.

Macosko was very proud of thestudents. It was really touchingfor me to see these students who

work so hard during the term,and when they finally get a break,they give it up to help others,he said.

For more information on anyof the alternative spring breaktrips or to get involved in futuretrips, visit the Campus MinistryOffice in the Student Union.

Alternative breaks give another perspectiveBy Lori LetenderContributing writer

Students involved with Habitat for Humanity clear away weeds and brush.

Photo courtesy of Paul Mascko

When spring break hits Mer-cyhurst College every year, the

students spread out and take ad-vantage of the break, each doingsomething different.

Many people decide to use theirspring break in service to others.Many only think of Habitat forHumanity but several studentsgo elsewhere with the alternativebreak program.

I was one of eight studentswho accompanied Sister Michelleto the Navajo reservation in Ari-zona for the alternative break.There we spent a great deal of

time helping out at St. MichaelsAssociation for Special education(SMASE). Though we did workto make a difference we alsofound time to goof off and have

fun, which goes to show thatwork can be fun and games.

As part of the experience wewere asked to reflect on what welearned from working with thespecial needs students at SMASE

and what we could teach othersfrom the experience.

I saw the simple joy of life onthe faces of the students I worked

with and that is something thatis often forgotten in the stressof college life. As students wespend a great deal of time wor-rying about grades and what weare going to do after graduation,but sometimes we forget to justrelax and enjoy life.

Over my spring break I learnedsomething from others, made adifference in a community, andhad fun doing it. What did youdo?

By Jen AllisonContributing writer

The Arizona group in front of a Navajo shelter.

Photo courtesy of Sr. Michelle

The Arizona group at SMASE with two members of the

staff

Photo courtesy of Sr. Michelle

Talking Fashionwith

Jennifer


5/10

Walking into Aoyama JapaneseSteakhouse and Lounge one willinstantly notice the Japanese ar-chitecture and ambiance. The restaurant is decorated

with dark wood beams, trimand furniture. Japanese lanternshanging from the ceiling lightthe space, and traditional Shojisliding doors separate the hiba-chi rooms from the rest of therestaurant. Japanese art adornsthe walls and a towering rockimmersed in a Japanese gardenseparates the dining room fromthe bar.

Friendly hosts dressed in tradi-tional Komonos greet customersand politely ask if they have res-ervations. Those who dont willprobably have to wait becausethis new restaurant has created abuzz among the Erie residents.But dont worry because you canpass your time in the bar area

with a wide variety of drinksranging from Sapporo, the greatimported Japanese beer, to tradi-tional types of sake.Those who did make a reserva-

tion will soon begin a Japaneseculinary experience by makingthe decision of where to eat.The host will offer three choic-

es: the dining room, hibachi, orthe sushi bar. The dining room isnormal a table, chair, and wait-ress setup. But if youre going tomake your experience at the new

Aoyama restaurant worthwhile,I suggest waiting and choosingeither the hibachi or sushi bar.With the hibachi dining expe-

rience you not only get to eatexcellent food but watch a showthat is well worth the moneyyou spend. You will sit at tablessurrounding a large grill and, ifyour party is small, you will mostlikely dine with others. This justadds to the fun. The waitress will first take

your order and then your per-sonal chef will ar rive and notonly make the food but put ona great show, tossing spatulaand knives in the air and slicingfood with precision. The chef

will flip eggs into his hats, andvegetables and shrimp into yourmouth. The heat gets turned up

when he makes the lava-flowingonion volcano or lights the entiregrill on fire. The best part of the night

comes when that fresh, hot food

lands on your plate. With the hi-bachi meals you get soup, salad,rice, vegetables, two pieces ofshrimp, and your choice of anymeat, seafood, vegetables, or acombination of two. The kindof main course determines the

price. I ordered the steak hiba-chi meal, received all that comeswith it, ordered a water to drink,experienced a great show, andhad leftovers to take home. Thebill, including tax and tip, wentfor a $20 bill.

Sure, this is quite expensive forthe average college student butif you want to treat yourself, geta group of friends together andhave a fun and different diningexperience, this is worth everypenny. Better yet, hit up the par-ents when they come for a visitand see what Aoyama is all about,but whatever you do dont missout on this great food and fundining Hibachi style.

Hibachi is not the only wayyou can get a feel for Japanesedining, if you have always wantedto try sushi and/or sashimi thengo to the sushi bar. If the sushibar is full you can still order itanywhere in the restaurant but itjust makes the experience a littlemore exciting to eat sushi as the

Japanese do.As you open the menu, first-

time sushi goers may be a littlelost, however Aoyama has place-mats with pictures featuringmany of the sushi options avail-able. If youre still confused askyour waitress.

I ordered the sushi deluxeplatter (comes with nine pieces

of sushi and one California roll,which sliced turns out to be sixservings), and although it comes

with a garden salad or miso soupI opted to pay a little more forthe seaweed salad and a side offried rice.

My boyfriend and I split thismeal, but it was more thanenough for us. I drank water, andhe had a Sapporo beer. The totalcame to $35.15 with tax and tip.Cheaper options are available.We could choose from a wide

range of platters and all lookedequally delicious. Ours was madein front of us and, although youcouldnt see them actually roll thesushi, the sushi chefs made sureto have the plate where you cansee it all come together.This restaurant gets two thumbs

up not only for the fun atmo-sphere but the excellent food.

Aoyama Japanese Steakhouseand Lounge is located on PeachStreet next to the Millcreek Mallin the old Chi Chis building.

FEATURESTo contact: [email protected]

March 15, 2006 PAGE 5THE MERCIAD

A healthier column

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cup fat free sour cream cup light mayonnaise cup purple grapes3 green onions cup sliced almonds

With JenThis past week Erie was af-forded a brief glimpse of thespring to come. Immediately stu-dents could be found exercising

outside and flip-flopping to class.Soon it will be time for outsidebarbeques and picnics. In thespirit of springtime food, heres a

chicken salad that is easy to make,even though it requires about anhour to prepare. Its packed withprotein and isnt drenched with

mayonnaise. Make sure to imme-diately refrigerate any leftovers, ifthere are any.

Chicken Salad

No one wanted to think abouthomework over spring break.Homework, studying and thelibrary were in the recesses ofeveryones minds. Everyoneexcept 16 students who were in

Jamaica.

Dr. Lewis Lutton, professor ofbiology, took 16 students from avariety of majors to Jamaica for Tropical Marine Biology. Thecourse met once a week duringthe winter term for an hour toget biological background in-formation and organized for thecourses grand finale, an 11-daytrip to Jamaica.Alicia Abbey, Francia Aguilera,

Alex Bonamo, John Bonen-berger, Anthony Ciotti, NataliaCzerniak, Colleen Davis, JamesDylewski, Nicklas Lyon, MonicaOyuela, Patrick Rogers, KathrynRuemler, Joe Slepko, Denise

Thompson, Jyll Wassell and Erik Weber spent those 11 days inJamaica learning tropical marinebiology and the culture and his-tory of the island.The trip is nothing new to

Mercyhurst, though the locationis. Lutton said that the first ma-rine biology trip was led by nunsaround 1970 on an expedition tothe Virgin Islands. Jamaica was alittle more special to Lutton.

I love the lab and I love Ja-maica, said Lutton. The lab onthe island is run by Hofstra Uni-

versity and it is also associatedwith a cottage hotel setup.

Joe Slepko, junior environmen-tal science major, was among thestudents who went to Jamaica.He said the class was open tonon-majors, so it was much morethan just a biology class. It wasthe history, biology, and cultureof the island, Slepko said. Aside from tropical marine

biology, students visited a portColumbus made and lived at for

half a year.The people and culture were

just as interesting as the biology.Lutton said, The people andculture are so fascinating andso much fun to be around. Thehotel staff was fun and helpfuland made it special.Jamaica offers all of the typical

features tropical marine biolo-gists could hope for: a coral reef,mangrove swamps, inner tidalareas and lagoon areas.

Biology isnt free, though. Thegood times came at a price, areasonable price. The wholetrip, including airfare, room andboard and field trips cost about$1,600. The pricey part of thetrip was snorkeling gear. That

was about the only thing notprovided and Lutton said, Itsnot cheap to get decent stuff toreally enjoy the water.

If youre the geeky type whosat at home during spring break,maybe a tropical marine biologytrip is what you need. You canstill be geeky and learn while en-joying the fun and the sun.

Natalia Czerniak, Dr. Lutton and Christine, one of the Direc-

tors of the facility they stayed at, study the rocky shoreline

in Jamaica to gain insight on what they studied during the

winter term.

Photo courtesy of Joe Slepko

For spring break

some studentswere learninginstead of lazingBy Merissa FrankContributing writer

By Kristen PiquetteContributing writer

Hibachi, sushi, seaweed, oh my

When going to Aoyama these may be some of the choices on the menu.

KRT Campus photo

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Trim any excess fat off of chicken breasts and rinse under cold water. Place on a baking sheet and cook for30 minutes or until internal temperature is 170. You should have an instant read thermometer in yourkitchen if you cook meat, one can be purchased for around $10. When chicken is done, remove from ovenand allow to cool enough to handle it.

3. Cut chicken into strips about inch wide. Gather a few strips together and turn them so that you can cutinto cubes about inch thick.

4. Place chicken pieces into a large mixing bowl. Add sour cream and stir until chicken is coated. Add cupmayonnaise and stir until blended.

5. Cut grapes into halves; chop green onions into thin rings. Add grape halves, onions, almonds, pepper andlemon juice, stir until well blended. If salad is too dry, add the other cup mayonnaise. If a moister salad isdesired, add more sour cream instead of mayonnaise.

6. Chill for 2 hours.7. Toast bread, rinse and dry lettuce. Place lettuce on bread. Add salad with a spoon and cover with other slice

of bread.

Serves 4.


6/10

OPINIONPAGE 6 THE MERCIAD March 15, 2006


As spring term begins and the first week comesto a close, students cannot help but think, are wethere yet?

For the pining seniors, the condition of Sen ioritishas kicked in and for the student body as a whole,the days with no deadlines and sleeping-in seem likea world away with another nine weeks to go.

Students returning to school this past week were presented with a massmailing fromR e s i d e n c eLife about thed a n g e r s o f Facebook andother onlinepersonal data-bases.

In fact, it has been reported that a mass e-mailingwas sent to faculty and staff to create accounts viatheir Mercyhurst e-mail to discourage unsuitablecontent on the site.

Many students were outraged by this and feel itis a violation of their expression and should bepermitted to post pictures and/or content thatdoes not meet the colleges approval.

One must remember that the Internet is publicdomain where information about people, coun-tries and practically any other subject is shared foranyone to access.As members of the college, each person is es-

sentially an ambassador for how the institutionmolds its students.They can either be viewed as alcoholic ignorant

college students, or the kind of individuals that thefaculty strives to influence everyday; free thinkingindividuals who give hope for a decent contribu-tion to society.

Students of this school give Mercyhurst a physical

front that interacts in the community, each studentis a diplomat on behalf of this institution.

On the same note, we are also entitled to theconstitutional right of freedom of speech andexpression. However, freedom is not entirely free,and with these r ights come responsibility.

First and foremost, the content of the Web pagesmust be lawful. No matter how you try to justify it,if you drink alcohol under the age of 21, you are

violating the law, no question.Having pictures on the Website is evidence that

the said individual in fact took part in such anactivity.

In many ways, students incriminate themselvesby stating how smashed they were Sunday morningon a friends wall or listing absurd activities underinterests and quotes about themselves.

Ultimately members of staff gaining access tothese sites simply make students accountable forcontent of their own pages. It forces us to takeresponsibility and be aware that the Internet canin fact be a dangerous place.

On the flip side, faculty and staff becoming mem-bers of Facebook can makes the online database alittle more quirky and interesting.Adding professors, coaches and staff that stu-

dents know can inflate your number or friends aswell as strengthen the bond between students andstaff, even if it is under the loosely used friendscategory.The bottom line is, students must be aware that

their actions can be judged and punished via theInternet, especially with the development of per-sonal databases such as Facebook.While these services can be entertaining and

even socially useful, one must always be mindfulin choosing content and realize it will literally beposted for all the world to see . . . even by yourteachers.

EllenKoenig

Facebook: Friend, foe or both?

Letters to the Editor:Photolab issue causes controversy

I am very frustrated, as I have been for years, byall the loss of Art Department spaces and by havingto share studio space.

Several departments now have office and/or artdepartment studio areas.The art department had such wonderful plans

for an outdoor courtyard studio/sculpture gardenwhere the dance department studio is now andthere was a seminar room where the dance officeis now that I had to use for lack of classroomspace.The art department had a very good office/sup-

ply space right next to a studio and it is now amath department office. A room that is locatedacross from the performance arts center was theart department graphic design studio and nowis used by another department. And now, thebasement photography classroom, darkroom andfaculty office space, desperately needed by the artdepartment is gone.We had a graphic design studio space and office,

but it is now a science department classroom. Thegraphic design program was moved over to the Hirtbuilding. That move also made for the loss of theplace for a planned Art Education studio and of-fice. That move has disjointed the art departmentand its students. Factually, the art depar tment hasnot gained even one square foot of space and asstated has lost a lot.This is a big problem.

The department has well over doubled, almosttripled in size. There has been what would seemcontinuous negative consequences throughoutthe department which create additional problems.Sharing studio space is a major problem, as well

as scheduling.I am a program director for the Art Therapy

Major with over 60 majors and minors. I had twoadvisees scheduled in the canceled photographyclass, and I am very emphatic to their situation.

Therefore, I am very confused as to the loss ofoffice and studio space.This also leads me to be concerned about the situ-

ational problems relative to that of the progressionof future actions and decisions.There are plans for the photography studio,

darkroom and office for faculty, but I think itmeans loss of parking lot space behind Zurn Hallby plans to add onto the building. That parkinglot is where I have problems as a faculty memberfinding parking space.Throughout my profession of being an artist,

it seems that art is always the first to go or to bedisplaced and replaced in some manor.Any future plans can sound important as does

the new art(s) building, but creativity and learningis in the now.We should be trying to keep the art major/minor

students we have now as well has maintaining afocus on recruitment.

Interesting also is the fact that most constructionand plans are made when the students and faculty(summer) are not on campus, this being the mostrecent example.The reason given was that this is happening all

over campus, well its just not the same, and its nota good rationale.

Cathlyn Hahn

I find the recent events that have unfolded inthe basement of Zurn Hall unacceptable and in

direct contrast to the values that the Sisters ofMercy outlined when building the foundation ofour institution.

Even more troubling is the laissez-faire attitudeof the administrative powers when confronted

with the topic. Many of the arguments outlinedbelow have previously been directed to the at-tention of the governing powers of Mercyhurstand, although eventually receiving a singular replythat was sub-par and circumventing at best, weremostly ignored.

While reading this, it must be understood that theanger felt by myselfalong with my peers in, andfacility of, the art departmentis not rooted solelyin the fact that we no longer get the opportunityto take a class that everyone enrolled was lookingforward to; but as the last straw in the greater scopeof the xenophobia and persecution that our depart-ment has been enduring for years.

I wish to explain that this photography class is of-fered in alternating years, making it the last chancefor upperclassmen to enroll and therefore, the lastopportunity for over half of those enrolled to at-tend. Even if it were to be offered next year dueto this conflict, this years graduating class will beout of luck, manymyself includedneeding thisclass to complete a minor field of study.

Since my freshman year, I have worked with myadvisor to plan out my future at Mercyhurst, beingsure to account for classes needed to g raduate and

when they are offered throughout my tenure. It issafe to say that any student, regardless of field of

study, could attest to the lack of course offeringsat Mercyhurst, especially those of upper-level

structure. Not to mention in a field such as art,developing a strong portfolio is the only way toget internships and find a career. These upper-levelclasses are therefore essential in the developmentof such and are more powerful than any transcriptresume. Axing this class has meant lost portfolio-quality work and experience, resulting in the underqualification forand resulting loss ofjobs andinternships.

Students enrolled in Intermediate Photographywere informed of its cancellation five days beforeclasses were to begin. It is unethical to informthose enrolled of the cancellation with such shortnotice, when the plans for such construction haveobviously been in the works for more than a mere

week. The class should have never been offered normade it to the registration date if such constructionplans were being approved.While at home on break, away from the guid-

ance of my advisor, chair and registrar, I foundmyself worrying about picking up another classto maintain full-time status and maintain financialaid. Some of the students enrolled were fortunateenough to receive a telephone call from the Officeof Academic Affairs, I was not so fortunate; luckily,my WebMail account was working that day and Icould view the e-mail.

Upon my return I was forced to scramble to finda class to fill the now vacant space in my sched-ule. Given that the remainder of the campus hadalready had their opportunity to register the slimnumber of classes that, as a junior, I needed to

complete were already closed. It was only throughthe persuasion and pleading I was accepted in to

the singular class that worked with my schedule,nonetheless having to miss the first week of classand now having to endure a perpetual feeling ofbeing behind.

I find it unfair that the needs of the anthropol-ogy/geology department are once again beingaddressed at the expense of all other departments;students of the art department are paying the sametop-dollar for their education as those in any otherand should be treated equally. Sadly, this has neverbeen the case. We have sub-par studio facilities andcomputer hardware in need of upgrade, whilst theanthropology department is constantly expandingand receiving new equipment. Our studio facilitiesare sparse and are overbooked and ill-equippedfor classes, leaving the hours for open studio timeneeded to complete projects restricted to the lateevening and weekends.

If this expansion is to benefit the five students

majoring in the field of Geology, should not theybe the ones to suffer by having to wait until winterterm of next year to use their brand-new facilities?It would seem the reasonable solution to me, todelay the construction until summer, pushing thecompletion back to sometime during fall term.

Therefore, cancel classes that have yet to be offeredor scheduled rather than ones that are already of-fered, registered and required. To say that the artdepartment must adhere to the plans of anotherdepartment is an outrage.

In the reply I received from the administration,it was cited that the expansion to take place would

be beneficial to both departments, however; it wasnot outwardly revealed to me how it would benefit

those in the field of art. When in discussion withthe faculty of the Art Department, I discoveredthe expansion of Zurn was to include an additionto the lobby of the Performing Arts Center that,by partioning the Cummings Art Gallery, wouldhouse a new photography studio. However, thedarkroom would remain in the same location itsstate of ill repute and in need of repair and wouldnow find itself in the midst of another departmentaltogether.To me, it sounds as if the planned construction is

mostly to benefit the PAC and the geology depart-ment with the photography studio being tacked onto the blueprint as nothing more than an attemptat a peace offering. Also cited was the fact thatthe construction in the Zurn basement was to bepaid for with monies the archaeology departmentreceived from a grant over three years ago.

Conveniently enough, days after the new adminis-

tration took the helm and Dr. Adovasio, director ofthe archaeology department, was appointed to theSpecial Counsel to the President, plans which weresupposedly in the works since the money had beengranted were now magically put in motion.

Such hegemonic undertakings are a far cry fromthe values of integrity, dignity and mercy thatMercyhurst is based upon. For shame to the newadministration for turning its back on the staff andstudents of an entire department while hinderingthe Mercyhurst Tradition so early in its infancy.

Andrew Lapiska

MERCIADJosh Wilwohl Editor-in-Chief [email protected]

Corrie Thearle News Editor [email protected]

Melissa Jack Features Editor [email protected]

Allison Moore Opinion Editor [email protected]

Ryan Palm Sports Editor [email protected]

Melissa Brandt A&E Editor [email protected]

Katie McAdams Photo Editor [email protected]& Production Editor [email protected]

Melissa Brandt Advertising Manager [email protected]

Chelsea Boothe Copy Editor [email protected]

Emily Crofoot Graduate Assistant [email protected]

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

It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of midterms

week and finals week. Our office is in the Old Main, room 314. Our telephone

number is 824-2376.

The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and

names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the letters

for content, we reserve the right to trim letters to fit. Letters are due the

Thursday before publication and may not be longer than 300 words. Submit

letters to box PH 485.

The

In signing a bill Monday virtually banning abor-tion, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds has createdan unworkable law and almost certainly damagedthe anti-abortion cause.The impetus for this bill was the arrival of John

Roberts and Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court.Both are thought to be skeptical, at least, of thecourts decisions creating a constitutional right toabortion. But even if we assume they are open toscrapping the 1973 Roe v. Wade verdict, the SouthDakota law is clearly doomed.

In the first place, the court very rarely repudiatesa major precedent merely because of a change inpersonnel. In addition, five of the nine justicesare on record supporting that decision. About thebest anti-abortion groups can hope for is to lose5-4 instead of 6-3 .And even that is far from certain. As conserva-

tives, Roberts and Alito have stressed that they willnot lightly overturn venerable precedents. Forcedto confront the issue so early in their tenure, thecourt could end up reaffirming Roe by an evenbigger margin than before.

The other problem is that while a majority of thepeople in South Dakota may favor a ban, a clientelefor abortion still exists. The states only abortionclinic serves 800 patients a year. If those womencould not get an abortion in South Dakota, oddsare good they would travel to a neighboring state toget it. Or they might obtain illegal abortions, withthe attendant risks.Though the activists on both sides of this debate

get most of the attention, many people favor thegoal often stated by President Bill Clinton, which

was to make abortion safe, legal and rare. Theanti-abortion movement has had some successes,but it has not been able to convert widespreadambivalence about abortion into firm opposition.What South Dakota lawmakers have approved

may shake some people out of ambivalence, butnot in the direction the lawmakers favor. The banallows no exceptions for rape, incest or seriousdangers to the mothers health. Only when themothers life is at risk would it be allowed. Faced

with this ban, voters on the fence are more likelyto be pushed toward the abortion-rights camp thanpulled away from it.What the South Dakota legislature has approved,

however, does not promise to change that stateof affairs.

Chicago Tribune editorial

Knight Ridder Newspapers

South Dakotas abortion error

KRT

Art student feels lab removal is against the values of the college

Art faculty member tired of being slighted


7/10

Trio Solisti was formed inNew York City in 2000 basedon a unique blend of technicalmastery, innovative program-ming, an embrace of 20th and21st century repertoire and anotably exuberant brand of mu-sic-making.

The group is made up of threemusicians, violinist Maria Bach-mann, pianist Jon Klibonoff andcellist Alexis Pia Gerlach.

Individually, each of its mem-bers has performed at the major-ity of the major venues across theUnited States as well as in over20 different countries.

David Krakauer tours as a guestperformer with Trio Solisti.

David Krakauer is known asone of the foremost perform-ers in the new wave of klezmermusic.

His eccentric musical styleincludes chamber classicalmusic, Eastern European

Jewish klezmer, as well asavant-garde improvisa-tion.

He tours with theKlezmer Madness!Ensemble that plays

music which combines the in-fluential sounds of world music

with other genres, including jazz,rock, funk and hip-hop.

He is critically acclaimed world-wide and is asked to serve as aguest performer with severaldifferent ensembles such as the

Tokyo String Quartet, the Kro-nos Quartet, the Lark Quartet,the Orquesta Sinfonica de Barce-lona, the Brooklyn PhilharmonicOrchestra and Trio Solisti.The combination of Krakauer

and Trio Solisti will bring to-gether a cultural explosion ofethnically diverse music fromnotable composers all around the

world.They willbe playings e l e c -t i o n s

f r o mvar -

ious artists, particularly thoughfrom Paul Moravecs TempestFantasy, winner of the 2004Pulitzer Prize.

Also, Krakauer will be hold-ing a Master Class on Monday,March 20, from 11:00 a.m.-12:20p.m., open to the public andMercyhurst students.

In this workshop, he willdemonstrate his style of klezmermusic and entertain questionsregarding his music, as well asrelated topics.

Krakauer and Trio Solisti willperform as part of the Visiting

Arts Series directed by Dr. AlbertGlinsky, the chairman of theMusic Department.

Glinsky personally knowsKrakauer as they attended the

Juilliard School together as wellas being personally acquainted

with two of the three membersof Trio Solisti, so he is veryexcited for the reunion of these

world-class artists.This show will take place on

March 19 at 2 p.m. at the WalkerRecital Hall. Tickets for thisevent are available now at the boxoffice or call 824-3100.Ticket prices include: Adult:

$17.50; Senior/PC/Student: $15;Youth: $5; and Mercyhurst Col-lege Student with ID: $1.

If you are a fan of Dave Mat-thews, Pearl Jam or most rel-evantly, Jack Johnson, youveprobably also heard the music ofBen Harper and his group, TheInnocent Criminals.

In fact, Jack Johnson, the ex-surfer turned college studentfavorite singer/songwriter, actu-ally got his start playing at BenHarper shows.The last album Harper released,

2005s There Will Be a Light,was recorded with the Blind Boysof Alabama and although it wona Grammy for Best TraditionalSoul Gospel Album, it probablysank under most peoples radarsbecause of the fact that it wasntso much them recording withHarper as Harper recording withthem.

Before that was the 2003 re-lease Diamonds on the Inside,

which is a much more polishedrelease than this one.

Both Sides of the Gun isa double album, the first discbeing more upbeat and sociallyrelevant, and disc two being moreintrospective and mellow. As you may have guessed by

the fact that Ben has opened forPearl Jam, he does his fair shareof dabbling in political matters.The song Black Rain on the

first disc is a harsh critique of anissue that still has people up inarms, the handling of the Hur-

ricane Katrina disaster.In it Harper sings, You left

them swimming for their livesdown in New Orleans / Cantafford a gallon of gasoline /

And your useless degrees andyour contrary statistics / Thisgovernment business is straightup sadistic. That song may very well be

the highlight of the first disc,although Better Way and En-graved Invitation come in nearthe top as well.

Its hard for me to pick out thebest songs because I can honestlysay that I think they are all well

done.

For people who are more intoHarpers funk/pop/classic rockside than his mellow side, the sec-ond disc might not have the sameoutcome for them as the first.The second disc is one that is

much more a collection of songsthat deal with Harpers innermostfears and thoughts, some of

which he has touched upon sincehis beginnings in 1994.

However, never has he devotedan entire CD to the subject. The reason people may not

enjoy this CD as much as thefirst is that when Ben Harpergets mellow, its a great cure for

insomnia.

Not to say they still arentgreat tunes he just becomes

very soft. Think even a more laidback

Jack Johnson if you arent fa-miliar with these types of songsfrom Harper.

Overall, Both Sides of theGun is another great albumfrom Ben Harper. Whether you enjoy his mel-

low tunes or ones that are moreupbeat, youll find something toenjoy here.

In a world that teaches gunsafety, this Gun is one you shoulddefinitely keep loaded at all

times.

ENTERTAINMENTARTS &

March 15, 2006 THE MERCIAD PAGE 7


Klezmer and classical merge at the PACBy Christina FerrantiContributing writer

Above: Violinist, pianist, and cellist of performance group Trio Solisti. Right: David Krakauer.

Photo Courtesy of PAC

BBC film reviewer Andy Jacobscalls The Constant GardenerGripping and intelligent en-tertainment, a dramatic thrillerabout a man who only grows totruly understand his wife aftershes dead.

Rachel Weisz excels as the late Tessa, a passionate, sometimesoverbearing activist in Kenya

whose motivations unspool inflashback as her other half, shydiplomat Justin (Ralph Fiennes),investigates her fate.

City Of God director Fer-nando Meirelles blends hightension with social conscience,giving a human face to the

Wests exploitation of the ThirdWorld.

The film is an adaptation of abook by John Le Carre. It begins

with the character Justin Quayle,who is a British diplomat in Ke-nya.

He meets an enthusiastic activ-ist, Tessa, and marries her. Sooninto the marriage, Tessa is mur-dered in what is titled a banditraid.Justin, who suspects foul-play

in the violent death of his wife,searches for the truth about

Tessas death and simultaneouslydiscovers information about herlife that pose more questionsthan answers.Was Tessa having an affair with

one of the accompanying blackdoctors? Why was she was constantly

obsessing with the new drug cre-ated to cure tuberculosis?The latter question reflects

another theme within the film which is corporate greed andcorruption in the pharmaceuticalcompanies.

Justin begins to unravel anelaborate conspiracy involvingthe drug companies that placesseveral lives in danger, a majorundertone to the novel.

The Constant Gardener isshowing March 15 at 2 p.m. and8 p.m at the PAC.Another film Separate Lies

is perfectly epitomized by JohnAnderson of Variety. Tale openswith a hit-and-run accident inwhich a man on a bicycle is runoff the road by a car and left fordead. Nearby, the marriage of

James and Anne Manning (TomWilkinson and Emily Watson) ison the verge of collapse.

Julian Fellowes captures theidyllic if petrified elegance oftheir domestic existence withcruel perfection homes inboth whitewashed London andthe country after-work cricketfor him, comfortable boredomfor her.

Anne has grown impatient with her older husband, butwhen she expresses too eager aninterest in a young heir dressed incricket whites, Bill Bule (RupertEverett), its all too apparenttrouble lies ahead.The destruction of the mar-

riage of James and Anne laysthe framework for most of theevents in the film.As the intricacies of the mys-

tery of the hit-and-run accidentunfold, the three lead characters,

Anne, James and Bill all be-come entangled in the tragic andtreacherous aftermath.There is a great deal of suspi-

cion surrounding Bill and Anne,but James attempts to protect his

wife in order to save his reputa-tion and destroy the reputationof Bill will result in many unex-pected twists.

Separate Lies shows March22 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

By Christina FerrantiContributing writer

Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes in Constant Gardener.Photo Courtesy of the PAC

Fire this Gun at will

By Joe FidagoContributing writer

Check out Ben Harpers emotionally intense new album, Both Sides of the Gun.

Photo Courtesy of Benharper.net

Spring PAC films

Ben Harper releases new album Both Sides of the Gun


8/10

SPORTS

PAGE 8 THE MERCIAD March 15, 2006


LAKER

While some students were off

enjoying a relaxing spring break,the Mercyhurst softball team

was hard at work, fighting for

victories and striving to improvein practice.

Sure, they were able to spend

some time in Fort Myers, Fla..But it was certainly no vacation.The Lakers played 12 games

over a seven-day span while inFlorida, and emerged with a 5-7record.

It was a week of trends, withfew variations in the wins andlosses columns when it came to

repeat opponents.For instance, there was the

matchup with Palm Beach At-lantic.

The Lakers certainly had PalmBeachs number, defeating themon consecutive days (Feb. 25-26).

The wins came with an impres-sive combined score of 13-2.

Unfortunately, another team

that Mercyhurst had to play sev-eral times, Florida Gulf Coast,drew a bead on the Lakers.

In four clashes, Florida GulfCoast downed Mercyhurst inevery try (once on the 24th,

again on the 25th, and twice onthe 28th).Another team that was able to

consistently keep the Lakers atbay was LeMoyne, who defeatedthem on the 24th and the 26th.

Wins over Wheeling Jesu-it, Dubuque, and Northwoodas well as a loss to Concordia

brought the teams final mark to5-7 to open the season. This weekend saw the team

face another hectic schedule, asthey traveled to Florence, S.C.for six games.

On Friday, the Lakers fell 7-6

to Augusta State.Although a three-run homer

from junior Jen Feret put Mer-

cyhurst up by one, Augusta Stateended up tying the game and

winning in the 10th inning.

Saturday brought losses to WestLiberty State by a score of 7-3)and West Virginia State (4-2),

sandwiched around a win overFairmont State.

Feret once again led the charge

in the Fairmont State game,although this time from themound.

With the help of some soliddefense, she allowed just four hits

while earning five strikeouts.Georgia College and State

University dropped the Lakers9-1 to open Sundays play, butthe Lakers rebounded to defeat

Belmont Abbey, 3-1. MelissaRizzo provided the winning runs

with a two-run homer.

After these two grueling per-formances, the team has anotherlong break before competition

resumes.On the March 25-26, Mercy-

hurst travels to the Salem Invi-

tational in Virginia to square offagainst five foes over two days.

Fortunately, the team also has

room to make up ground in theGLIAC in a big way, with all of

their conference matches stillahead of them.

Important upcoming compe-titions include a doubleheader

at Gannon on April 4, and fivestraight home doubleheadersagainst GLIAC rivals stretching

from April 19-29.The Lakers will try and improve

on their 10-10 conference record

from a year ago when they quali-fied for the GLIAC tournamentas the eight-seed.

By Brady HunterContributing writer

Zack Schafer was just inches

away from making school history while wrestling at the NCAAChampionships Saturday.

The junior, competing in thefinals at 165 pounds, battledMinnesota State Moorheads

Nate Baker to a 2-2 tie after oneperiod.

Schafer started the second

period from the top positionwhere he hit the move that nearlymade him Mercyhursts first ever

national champion.The move, which has became

almost a trademark of Schafers

in the past few years, is closeto a reverse head-and-arm, andSchafer has proven he can hit it

from any position.This time it came while Baker,

a former starter for Division I

Minnesota, attempted an escape,but instead found himself on hisback and almost pinned.

I knew it was close, saidSchafer. I knew either way,

whether I got the pin or not, thatI had a lead and I thought I would

be able to hold on.Schafer was awarded three

near-fall points before Baker

finally broke the hold.Unfortunately for Schafer, he

was unable to hold on to the lead

as he surrendered a reversal, atakedown, and a three-point nearfall in a 10-5 loss.

He just beat me physically inthe last period. He was probablythe strongest person Ive ever

wrestled, said Schafer.However, the loss does nothing

to diminish the dominance Scha-

fer possessed in his path to thenational tournament finals.

Schafer pinned his first five

postseason opponents, includingthree in the regional tournamentand hist first two opponents at

the national tournament.

He cruised through his semifi-nal match with an 11-5 win overnationally-ranked Cort Peterson,tallying his 17th straight win in

the process.

Just getting to the finals was abig relief, said Schafer.

Schafers win streak startedafter a loss to Baker on Jan. 14and came to end with a second

loss to the national championSaturday.Junior J.J. Zanetta also earned

All-American honors with a sev-enth-place finish. The junior lost his opening

round match before winning hisfirst two consolation matches tosecure All-American status.

Zanetta was major-decisionedin his next bout before winning

via medical forfeit over WillieHilton of North Carolina-Pem-broke in the match for seventh-

place.Schafer was just as happy for

his roommates performance ashe was his own.

It was great to see him getAll-American, said Schafer. We

started here together, we traintogether, and we live together,so it was nice.

Sophomore and returning All-American Don Cummings cameup one win short of advancing

to the All-American round asdid Hudson Harrison who waseliminated from the tourna-ment with a 7-6 loss to Clinton

MacNaught of Upper Iowa.Payne Lint, Lenny Calhoun,

and Will Tedder also competedin the tournament.As a team the Lakers finished

14th while Nebraska-Omaha won the event for the third

straight year.The Mercyhurst wrestlers also

earned accolades for off the matsuccess.

The Lakers finished No. 8 onthe Division II All-Academic

wrestling team.

Schafer and Zanetta led the waywith First-Team statuts.

Seniors Paul Bergman and

Franz Zatta were named to theSecond-Team.

Sophomore Bryan Kuhn was

selected as an Honorable Men-tion.

By Matt JacksonCo-Sports editor

The Mercyhurst womens la-crosse team was busy over spring

break as they played four roadgames, with three of them oc-curring within four days.

On Saturday, Feb. 25, the Lakersopened their season in Charlotte,N.C against Queens University.

After senior Kelsey French (2goals, 3 assists) scored back toback goals in the first half, theLakers trailed just 5-4.

Queens then scored three goalsin the final seven minutes of thequarter and went into halftime

with an 8-4 lead.The Lakers came out strong

after halftime and cut the lead

to 8-6 as freshman Alicia Guzzo(1g, 2a) and Breanna Haggerty(3g, 1a) scored the first goals of

their collegiate careers.That streak was then dashed as

Queens notched seven straight

goals en route to a 19-8 win.Senior Lindsay Jackson (1g,

1a) scored her first goal of the

season while junior Darci Doranand freshman Jessie Horeth eachadded an assist.

Freshman Megan Foley made11 saves in her collegiate debutfor the Lakers.

The Lakers were looking forvindication the next day as theytook the field against the Blue

Hose of Presbyterian College. That vindication was imme-

diately realized as the Lakersexploded for 11 goals and gave

up only two in the first half. Jessie Horeth (4g, 1a) had a

hat trick and Kelsey French (2g,

3a) added two goals in a 7-0 runthat gave Mercyhurst a 7-1 lead

at 20:40.

The Lakers survived an earlyfour goal barrage from the BlueHose at the start of the second

half, but the five goal margin wasthe closest that the Lakers wouldallow their opponent to come.

Mercyhurst outscored Presby-terian 5-2 in the final 15 minutesand came away with a convincing16-8 victory.

Breanna Haggerty (3g, 3a) wasonce again impressive in the

win and sophomore Courtney

Olevnik dished out four assists.

The Lakers were also impres-sive on the defensive side of the

ball and were lead by freshmanKristen Toomeys three causedturnovers and freshman Beth

ONeils four ground balls.Megan Foley and Freshman

Stephanie Obsitnik split time

between the pipes and combinedfor eight saves.Two days later the Lakers took

on No. 5 Limestone to continuetheir southern trip. The Saints built a 5-0 lead

before Jessie Horeth scored hersixth goal of the season to opento scoring for the Lakers.

Despite second half goals

from Horeth, French, Guzzoand Lindsay Jackson , Limestoneproved to be too much for theLakers as they held a 40-15 shot

advantage and walked away withan 18-5 win. Limestone improvedto 4-0.

The Lakers finished their hecticfirst week schedule on Thursday,March 2 in Misenheimer, N.C.

as they faced No. 8 PfeifferUniversity.The Lakers took a 4-3 lead and

trailed just 7-4 at the half, butPfeiffer outscored Mercyhurst

9-1 in the final 30 minutes.Jessie Horeth led the Lakers

with two goals and one assistwhile Kristen Toomey (2g) and

Breanna Haggerty (2a) also con-tirbuted.The Lakers will continue their

season on the road when theytravel to Greensburg, Pa. to takeon the Griffins of Seton Hill

University.Mercyhurst (1-3) will open the

home portion of their schedule

on Sunday when they host EastStroudsburg University at 11a.m.

Feret produces atthe plate and on themound in spring trip

By Jim McCannContributing writer

Junior Zack Schafer became an All-American for the second straight year Saturday.

Katie McAdams/Photo editor

Junior Darci DoranFile Photo

Senior Kelsey FrenchFile Photo

Womens lacrosse drops to1-3 after trip to Carolinas

All-American wrestlersZack Schafer finishes second and J.J. Zanetta seventh at Nationals


9/10

SPORTS

March 15, 2006 THE MERCIAD Page 9


LAKER

Mens hockey downs Canisius 7-2Lakers move one step closer toward repeat appearance at NCAA tournament; Bentley up

The Mercyhurst Lakers (22-12-1, 20-8-1) scored early andoften Saturday night, defeatingthe Golden Griffins of Canisius7-2 in front of over 1,200 fans atthe Mercyhurst Ice Center.The Lakers never trailed, but

did not gain the lead for gooduntil late in the second period. A late second period goal

coupled with a pair of early thirdperiod goals pushed the Lakerson to the semifinal round of the

Atlantic Hockey playoffs.Mercyhurst wil l travel to

Worcester, Mass. this weekendto square off against the winnerof the Bentley College.

Mercyhurst and Bentley havesquared off four times this sea-son, with Mercyhurst winning allfour games by a combined scoreof 27-14.

Bentley edged Army last week-end 5-4 in double-overtime. The scoring got started early

Saturday night, with the Lak-ers putting the first goal on thescoreboard less than three min-utes into the contest.

Mercyhurst defender JamieHunt scored his eleventh goalof the season at the 2:58 markin the opening period.

Hunt, who entered the gam

Documents

The Merciad, March 15, 2006