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>>PAGE 2Hurst on alert for meningitisOCT. 3, 2007 Vol. 81 No. 6

Everybodysworkin forthe weekend

Students such as Mercyhurst College

senior Nicole Gambone juggle

work and school, and simply pray

to see Friday come along.

>> PAGE 9

>> PAGE 13

Swafford:Calm down, RAs

Whats Inside

A&EFind something to

do in Erie >> PAGE 11

OPINION

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NEWSPAGE 2

A female Mercyhurst Collegestudent is being treated in her

hometown hospital for a sus-pected case of meningococcalmeningitis.

A public health notice releasedby the college on Sept. 28 statedthe female was in serious con-

dition.Mercyhurst College Vice Pres-

ident of Student Life Dr. Gerry

Tobin said Monday the studentscondition had not changed.

Neither the college nor the

Erie County Department ofHealth would release the stu-dents name, age or school year

due to privacy laws.Tobin said the student lives

off campus and the symptomsof the illness were first noticedon Sept. 26, and she was hospital-ized Sept. 27. He said the college

did not hear about the incidentuntil Sept. 28.

Erie County Department of

Health Communicable DiseaseNursing Supervisor CynthiaMiller said meningitis is the

inflammation of the brain and

cerebral spinal area caused byparticular viruses and bacteria.

Miller said the two main bacte-ria are Neisseria meningitidis andHaemophilus influenzae.

Centers for Disease Controland Prevention, Atlanta, Ga.,spokesperson Curtis Allen said

the disease can be very severeand cause death or brain loss.

Allen said the illness has a

death rate of 10 to 14 percent.Miller said the illness is con-

tracted through close contact

with the infected person such assharing food, drinks or utensils.

Its transported by respiratory

droplets, she said.The Centers for Disease Con-

trol and Prevention Web site

lists the common symptoms of

meningitis as high fever, head-ache and stiff neck. The CDC

also lists other symptoms suchas nausea, vomiting, discomfortlooking into bright lights, confu-

sion and sleepiness.Tobin said students who had

close contact with the infected

student were contacted directlyby the colleges division of stu-dent life.

Miller said the incubationperiod for the disease is betweentwo and 10 days. If 10 days after

contact youre not sick, you prob-ably wont get sick, she said.

Miller could not pinpoint

an exact reason why collegecampuses are hot spots formeningitis.

It could be that this is theage group prone to get it, shesaid. It also could be people are

moving from home to (campuseswhere) large groups of germsthey dont know are.

Allen said college freshmen aremost susceptible to the disease.

College freshmen living in

dorms are at a higher risk (ofthe illness) because of the closequarters, he said.

Mercyhurst College CohenHealth Center Nurse DirectorChristine Dimperio said the

school is following guidelines set

forth by the health department.Dimperio said the health

department issued the college alist of 10 to 11 names of studentswho were in contact with the

infected student.She said each student on the

list was prescribed one dose of

Cipro, an antibiotic used to treatbacterial infections.

Miller said the mass dosing of

college campuses is not appro-priate.

We conduct a contact inves-

tigation and get the dates ofpotential contact (of the disease)in our area by working with the

school, friends and family (of theinfected person), she said.

Pennsylvania law requires all

first-year students living on col-lege campuses to get a meningitisvaccine or sign a waiver inform-

ing them about the vaccine.Dimperio said the health

center is open for any student

concerns.Were here for calls from

students and families who have

concerns, she said. If anystudent is feeling ill in any shapeor form, they are to call us so we

dont have students running tothe ER for a sinus infection.

Oct. 3, 2007

By Joshua Wilwohl

Editor-in-chief

According to Mercyhurst College Police and Safety, four blackmales attempted to mug two students outside of Quiznos onEast 38th St. in mid-September. Erie police apprehended the

four males but not charges were filed.

Crime Watch

Raising money for a good causehas never been so delicious.

The Mercyhurst College com-munity will be kicking-off theAutumn, Eat-it-to-the-Bottom

Chili Cook-Off to raise moneyand fill bellies.

On Oct. 10 students and fac-

ulty are invited to taste chilirecipes cooked by members ofthe Mercyhurst community and

vote for their favorite.Anyone wanting to take part in

judging will be charged 25 cents

per sample. Students or facultywho donate canned goods willbe given three free sample tickets

for every one can.The cook-off is being spon-

sored by the Human Resourcesdepartment and Campus Minis-try with all proceeds going to theErie City Mission.

Betsy Frank of the HumanResources department helpedorganize the event and is excited

for this years competition.It was a really great success

last year, explained Frank. We

had a great turn out and we even

ran out of chili for sampling.According to Frank, com-

petitors enter in the categoriesof Best Hot and Spicy, Best Veg-etarian, Most Unique Ingredient,

Best Traditional and OverallBest Chili on the Hill.This year 10 chili cookers have

entered the cook-off, althoughmore are expected to join.

Of the 10 competitors cur-

rently entered, last years winnerDennis Donovan will return todefend his title of, Best Chili

on the Hill.

Donovan, a Mercyhurst Police

and Safety investigator, is readyfor next weeks competition.Im the defending champion.

Everyone is trying to knock meoff, joked Donovan.

Donavan entered a traditional

chili recipe in last years cook-off but plans to enter both thetraditional and hot categories

this year.Everyone said they really liked

my chili last year but would liketo try a hot version of it, saidDonovan.

Thats why Im entering both

categories this year, continuedDonovan. Ive got to pleasemy fans.

While some may be interestedto know what the secret toDonovans chili is, he is not will-

ing to spill the beans.

All I can tell you is its all in thesauce, said Donovan.

Donovan assures that he isready to defend his title.

Bring em on, said Dono-

van.While Donovan admits he is

ready to fight for his title, he said

that he was really competing forthe cause.

I think this is a great way

to get people to come out anddonate, explained Donovan.Ill do anything to help out.

Frank encourages everyone tocome out the Hermann StudentUnion on Oct. 10 from 11:30

a.m. to 1:30 p.m.This event is a nice way to get

canned goods, raise money for a

good cause and bring everyonetogether, said Frank.

For more information or to

enter the competition contactBetsy Frank at bfrank@mercy-hurst.edu.

By Casey Greene

News editor

Cook-off for charity

high fever

headache

stiff neck

nausea

vomiting

discomfort

looking into

bright lights

confusion

sleepiness

Symptoms of meningitis

Hurst issues health notice

Meningitis can be transmitted by close, intimate contactwith an infected individual, not by casual contact, such as

studying in the library.

Scoot Williams photo

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PAGE 4 Oct. 3, 2007NEWS

MAJOR FAIR

Join us at the annual Major Fair

Wednesday, October 10 from

8:00PM 9:00PM.

Open to all students who are Undeclared andto any student wishing to explore changing

their major or declaring a minor.

Most departments will be participating at the

fair, and representatives will be available to

answer questions about the major, its

requirements, job and graduate opportunities

and placement rates of graduates.

Food and soft drinks will be available to all

in attendance.

laker briefs

Soul-Full LivingNoted author Thomas Moore will visit Mercyhurst College

on Tuesday, Oct. 9, to share his insights on Living a Soul-fullLife in a Soul-full World at a free, public lecture at 8 p.m. inthe Mary DAngelo Performing Arts Center.

- lakernet.mercyhurst.edu

Destruction, devastation anddeath are some adjectives Ameri-cans use to describe the tragediesof Sept. 11.

However despite the horrificevents of the day, valuable les-sons were also learned.

The strength of teamwork andunity was shown as firefighters,police officers and average citi-zens joined together around thenation to deal with a crisis.

No one can better testify to thepower of teamwork than Sept. 11survivor, Michael Hingson.

Hingson spoke to MercyhurstCollege on Thursday, Sept. 27,about his experience escaping the

New York City disaster.Unlike most survivors Hing-son was born blind, which makeshis story even more compelling.

Through teamwork he and hisguide dog, Roselle, were able tosafely escape from the 78th floorof Tower One of the WorldTrade Center while leading oth-ers to safety.

In order for a blind person to

live independently, it is necessaryfor the person to form a teamwith a guide dog, Hingson said.It was my job to tell Rosellewhere to go and it was her jobto take me there safely.

Sophomore Litza Coello said,I found it ironic that amongourselves teamwork is so hardto do and yet he was easily ableto form a strong connection with

his dog.Coello along with many other

students attended Hingsonsspeech, where he shared hisremarkable experience.

Hingson, the executive salesmanager of Quantum Corpora-tion Specialized Disaster Recov-ery Computer Backup, was doingbusiness in WTC Tower One onSept. 11.

Hingson explained that before

Sept. 11 he decided that in orderto survive in the business worldof NYC he would need to learnto navigate around the WTC, thestreets of NYC and the subwaysystem.

I would test myself by gettingpurposefully lost in the WTC Towers, said Hingson. Even-tually, I learned shortcuts thatmany of my co-workers didnt

even know existed.Hingson is grateful he madethe decision to learn his wayaround the WTC, as it was amajor factor in his survival ofthe Sept. 11 attacks.

I even studied the emergencyprotocol evacuation and firedrills because I knew that if Iwanted to live independently Iwould have to know all those

things, he said. On Sept. 11all that teamwork, decision mak-ing and independently knowingeverything about the WTC cameinto play.

Hingson, his co-worker andRoselle were on the 78th floor ofthe North Tower meeting witha few guests on the morning ofSept. 11.

Around 8:45 a.m. Hingson felt

the building shake and heard amuffled explosion, Hingsonexplained. He and the othersoriginally thought it was anearthquake.

What Hingson was not awareof at the time was that AmericanAirlines Flight 11 had hit TowerOne between the 93rd and 99thfloor.

Hingson explained that he

quickly went to his office toget Roselle before the situationturned more dire.

Suddenly the floor droppedsix to seven feet. [My co-worker]reacted saying he could see fireand paper flying everywhere,Hingson said.

Hingson, Roselle the otherstraveled safely down 78 flightsof stairs. On the way down, theypassed firefighters going the op-

posite way.One firefighter in particular

sticks out in Hingsons mind whohe passed on the 30th floor. Thefirefighter offered to send helpfor Hingson.

I told him that we were fineand I didnt need assistance,recalled Hingson. The firemanpet Roselle and she gave himsome kisses before he continued

up the stairs. That was probablythe last unconditional love thatman was ever given. Out of ev-erything that happened that day,that memory will always stickwith me.

Hingson and the others exitedthe WTC without a problem butencountered difficulty as theyheaded toward the parking lotby Tower Two.

I heard a small rumble thena deafening roar. A police manyelled at us to get out. I immedi-ately knew the building was goingto fall so I turned Roselle 180degrees around and we ran forour lives, Hingson said.

Michaels knowledge of thearea surrounding the towersenabled him to outrun the col-lapsing building. He gave Roselle

commands where to go and to-gether they found refuge.

After listening to Hingsonslectures, Freshmen Erica Beidlersaid, My perspective of peoplewho are blind has changed. I givethem a lot of credit for what theyhave to go through.

Sophomore Libny Tovar said,I realized that all too often girls worry about how they are too

fat or ugly, when really we areblessed with many abilities wetake for granted.

Hingson wanted students tounderstand that being responiblefor your choices and their conse-quences is important.

From listening to my speech,I hope to show why taking asmuch control of our own livesas possible is a good thing, saidHingson.

By Elizabeth MaierContributing writer

Sept. 11 survivor tells story

The Merciad has animmediate opening for

NEWS EDITOR

All interestedcandidates should

contact Joshua Wilwohlat editormerciad@

mercyhurst.edu

Friends of the College Art ShowThe Second Annual Friends of the College Art Show is

on display in Old Main daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through

Nov. 16.

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PAGE 5Oct. 3, 2007 FEATURES

By Kelly LoganStaff writer

Cafeteria Hotline

caters to students

At 11:30 am on a typicalweekday at Mercyhurst College,many students are beginning tothink about what they would

like to do for lunch.The choices are simple: either wait until board equivalencybegins at noon at the Laker, orhead to Egan Cafeteria and getimmediate gratification.This decision can be challeng-

ing if the menu options at thecafeteria for that particular dayare unknown.

However, there is one thing

that makes this decision a littleeasier on students: the CafeteriaHotline. The Cafeteria Hotline is a

very beneficial tool for studentsto call and check what is on themenu each day.The only trouble is, students

who have called over the lastseveral months have heardannouncements for the menu

of April 18, 2007.This information is not useful

to someone inquiring about alunch or dinner menu in Sep-tember.William Rottenborn, a senior

accounting major, has pur-chased a meal plan since hisfreshman year.

If I want to know what the

cafeteria is not serving, I callthe hotline, said Rottenborn.

Many students have come torealize that the hotline is onlyupdated every once and a whileand is inconsistent.

Some students are not evenaware that there is a hotline or

how to use it.Freshman Matthew Maselkowas one of those students who was unaware of the hotlinesexistence.

I would love knowing whatis being served at the cafeteria,Maselko said. The suspenseof not knowing what is going inmy stomach is unbearable. Tyrone Moore, associate

vice president of admissions,oversees the dining servicesdepartment, which is in chargeof updating the hotline.

Moore was unaware that thehotline has not been updatedand met with dining services.

He guaranteed that the hot-line updates would be effectiveimmediately.

If we are going to have a

hotline, it should be updatedon a day-to-day basis, Mooresaid.

Moore also noted that thedepartment has been workingon their website to regularlypost menu items online.

Both the website and thehotline will be modernized andrunning efficiently soon.

Mercyhurst students gather for Amnesty International meeting.Contributed Photo

Amnesty Internationl seeksto promote world peace

Were all human, right? Whynot get involved in humanrights?

Be an activist for change andprepare to be vocal. AmnestyInternational is a non-partisanorganization funded by dona-tions from its members and

supporters around the world. AI tackles serious issues

such as genocide, torture andthe release of prisoners ofconscience, men, women andchildren imprisoned becauseof their beliefs, ethnic origins,sex, race, or language, providedthat they have neither used oradvocated violence.

Not motivated? How about a

bear hug? Mercyhurst Collegeseniors and AI members, Sean Waylings and Jason Nowacin-ski will soon be wearing theirorange and blue Grateful Deadbear costumes, promoting thisyears events, which includeAmnesTEA, Banned BooksWeek and Jamnesty, a concertbenefit with food and sound.

Senior and AI president PattyEvanoff will pass the role to

sophomore Rachel Porter, who

will continue the tradition ofawareness and activism.

Campus minister AmandaZechman serves as advisor forAmnesty International, takingover for Sister Geri Rosinski.

Our program will educatethe community on currentsocial justice issues. Two of themajor strengths of the groupinclude energy and a passion to

serve others, Zechman said.Rosinski, last years faculty

advisor, credits the group forcollaboration and open com-munication.

They were able to do jointprojects with other groupsthat had peace, justice andworld issues congruent to AI,such as their efforts with theSocial Work Club for their

Darfur Fund Raiser projectlast spring, Rosinski explained.They are also open to all newmembers and immediatelyinclude them in their very egali-tarian leadership. They workhard and everyone seems toenjoy each other.

Evanoff agreed.Were a human rights group.

We have to be able to harmo-nize within our group to initiate

change, she said. Some of the

most valuable things you learnare through other people.

Ellen Koenig explained howan active group effort works. After writing letters for anurgent action case, the Malay-sian government freed a pris-oner of conscience.

People seem to get stuck inthis Mercyhurst bubble, notthinking activism works, but it

does work, Koenig said..However, your voice needs to

be heard to count.Justice is on an individual

level. Continued commitmentfrom everyone is needed,Evanoff said.Waylings encouraged over 30

students, the majority fresh-men, to maintain solidaritythroughout the year.

We could change the worldif every meeting was like this,he said.AI Campaigns, such as Make

Some Noise and Instant Karma,are taking justice to an imperiallevel through the universal lan-guage of music. Artists around the world

are singing the lyrics of JohnLennon to stop human rightsabuses.

By Carla HartStaff writer

Homecoming winners:Court:Ben Van BalenKyle ScullyJohn WaynerMary WallenhorstKelly CofranciscoStephanie AlwardMichelle LaSlavicStacey Minchin

King:

Keith Nemeth

Queen:

Marissa Starin

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PAGE 6 Oct. 3, 2007FEATURES

Food FixWithMeg

Ingredients

Directions

IERI

Get to know...

Megan Jell

Everything Omelets

Traditional favorites at Pattis PizzaBy Shelley TurkStaff writer

Pattis pizza is just a hop, skip and jump from campus.

Contributed photo

Mercyhurst campus doesits best to bring the studentsdifferent food options yearafter year.

The Galley is now servingSmiths juicy hot dogs and theSubconnection is wrappingup new combos like ChickenBacon Ranch.

But sometimes you just gettired of that same sizzling saladday after day.With the weather still com-

fortably warm, venture just offcampus to Pattis Pizza.

Located at the corner of 37thand Pine just behind Arbys,Pattis offers a great dining ex-perience with casual service.

Open seven days a week,Sunday thru Thursday from 11a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday andSaturday 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., thePizzeria offers subs and sand- wiches ranging in price from$3.75 to $4.35.Junior Alex Nees Van Baalen

lives near Pattis and enjoys itsclose proximity to campus.

The chicken parm sub ismy favorite, and Pattis is greatbecause for only 75 cents moreyou can upgrade to a large,including extra meat and extracheese, Van Baalen said.

Pattis menu includes pizza, wings, which can come in a variety of flavors, and salads

ranging from small to large.Call ahead at 814-456-2270

with your order and in about15 minutes it can be ready to

be picked up. That means for all of the

freshmen out there, call fromyour residence and take a stroll.It should be ready by the timeyou arrive.

Pattis is nice because its soclose to campus. That makes

it very convenient, said seniorMegan Shoup. Then make the decision to

eat your order in the clean,spacious dining area or truck itback to your dorm where youcan make all of your friendsjealous.

So if you are looking forsomething to break the mo-notonous schedule of Laker

and cafeteria food, hop on overto Pattis Pizza for their famouschicken parmesan sub or a graba pizza to go.

Name: Megan JellYear: Post Bachelor

Major: Art EducationHometown: Erie, Pa.Favorite thing about Mercyhurst: Small class

sizesLeast Favorite thing about Mercyhurst: Old

art facilitiesActivites: Art education club, The Empty Bowls

Project, tall ship sailor, working on the U.S. Brig

Niagara

Personally, I think that youcan eat breakfast at anytime ofthe day.

Not only is breakfast a greatmeal, but it is also very well bal-anced and will provide a great

amount of nutrients.If you are looking for some-thing that is easy to make andthat will help clean out yourfridge a little bit, think aboutmaking an omelet, in which youcan add any ingredients.Adding vegetables that are

high in important nutrients, aswell as some meat that addsprotein will make the omeletgood for you.

Peppers, cheese, ham, andturkey are common favorites.

However, be very careful ofadded calories when choosingmeat like bacon or sausage.Add some toast and enjoy a

breakfast favorite comfort foodany time of the day.

-Meghan Dolney

6 eggs small onion lb. cooked bacon1 cup cheese (your choice) small green pepper1 cup mushroomsPepper (to taste)Salt (to taste)Stick of butter

1.) Beat two eggs together in a small bowl andset aside. Each omelet will consist of two eggsand you will need to mix them separately for eachomelet.

2.) Heat some of the butter in a skillet and

cook the peppers, onions, mushrooms in the panuntil they are tender.

3.) In another skillet, heat some more butterand wait for the pan to get hot. When it is hot, addthe cooked mixture, as well as the beaten eggs andbacon. Make sure that egg has coated the entireskillet.

4.) Let the egg cook until the bottom of theomelet is stiff and you are able to fold it in half.Add the cheese before folding.

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FEATURES PAGE 7Oct. 3, 2007

I n nFall TermGalley GrillLunch:M-PierogiesT- Taco SaladW- BBQ Rib Sandwich

Th- Chicken Patty SandwichF- Sizzle SaladS- Southwest Burger

Board SpecialsLunch $4.75Dinner $5.50

Dinner:S-Grilled Chicken SandwichM- Mushroom & Swiss BurgerT- Crab Cake SandwichW- Ziti with Red SauceTh- Steak SandwichF- French Dip Sandwich

S - Finger Sub

Hours of Operation:

Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m.

Saturday 1:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Sunday 5:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Laker Express Sandwiches, Wraps,Salads, Ready MadeDinners

Hours of Operation:

Mon.-Thurs. 11:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.Friday 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday Closed

Subconnection

6 Sub $3.75 Combo $4.7512Sub $5.75 Combo $6.75

Baja and Buffalo Chicken Subs:

6 Sub $4.00 Combo $5.25

12 Sub $6.00 Combo $ 7.00

Special FeaturesWrap combo-Veggie $5.59

other wraps $5.79

Wrap It Yourself- Veggie $3.99

other wraps $ 4.19

Hours of Operation:

Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-9:00p.m.

Saturday 1:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Sunday 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Board Equivalency Available:

11:30 a.m.-8:00p.m.

Board SpecialsLunch $4.75

Dinner $5.50

Laker

Look for Laker Express

Minute Meals!

Organic cottonsstylish introductionBy Sandy WatroStaff writer

Social responsibility is definedas, The recognitionthat businessactivit ieshave animpact on

society andthe consider-ation of thatimpact in busi-ness making. The fashion

world seemsto neglectthis area,as i t i sv e r y

m u c hp r o f i ta n dimport ori-ented, while simul-taneously neglecting theworking conditions of its inter-national employees.

It is time this is put to a stop.Last year, on the committeeof the Ethical Fashion Show,

out of the 60 designers thatparticipated world wide, therewere only two designers fromthe U.S. that fit the ethical stan-dards code.This is surprisingly alarm-

ingly, due to the fact that theUnited States is a technologi-cally advanced nation.The majority of the design-

ers came from France and

Nigeria, as well as designersfrom Canada, our neighbor tothe North. This movement is rapidly

growing. In fact according tothe Co-operative Bacnk EthicalConsumerism report, organic,recycled and/or fair-trade itemsare expected to grow in theUnited Kingdom by 81 milliondollars. The most recent fashion

show took place in Paris, andhad more than 4,000 visitors,a 54 percent increase in atten-dance from last year.

Organic fabrics are gainingmore attention in the U.S.

recently, aswell.

Theproces s of

h a r v e s t i n g organic fibers

entails not usingpesticides, whichare lethal and

kill an average of200,000 workers in

developing countrieseach year.

If organic cotton saves thelife of one person by forgoingthe use of pesticides, then itis well worth it, said juniorMichael Bambrick.

In the U.S., retailers like H&M,Nike and Timberland haveagreed to introduce organiccotton into their clothing.

Keep in mind that organiccotton costs 10 to 30 per-cent more than regular cottonbecause of how it is made.

I would purchase organic

cotton if my finances permit-ted. Right now, I need to worryabout my day-to-day nutritionalsubstance, said senior AndreaBodnar.

Organic cotton clearly doeshave its benefits, but manypenny-pinching students findthemselves asking, Is it reallyworth forgoing my last bowl ofchicken ramen noodles?

Photo credit: http://www.timberland.com/sm---kw-organic.html

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FEATURESPAGE 8 Oct. 3, 2007

Mercyhursts Annual

Study AbroadNight

Wednesday, October 24th8:00p.m. to 10:00 p.m.Zurn Hall, Room 114.

For more information contactEric Evans

in the International Student Center

We have all seen him dancingaround the football field, cheer-ing at the basketball games andsimply trying to get the crowdhyped up, but have you ever wondered where our spiritedLaker mascot came from?

Most Mercyhurst Collegestudents may not realize thatthe Laker that they see hangingaround the athletic games hascome a long way from earlieryears when he was missingan ear. This new and improved

mascot was first launched inthe spring of 2006. But whereexactly did the idea for a Mer-

cyhurst Laker come from andwho is responsible?

The inspiration for an ener-getic leader originally camefrom the President of MSG,Dave Armstrong, informallyknown by many as CrazyDave.

On February 3, 1984, theMerciad published an articleabout this fearless leader, Arm-

strong, and his ability to fire upcrowds at every game.

Known for his strange outfit,Crazy Dave always attended themens basketball games wearinga headdress called a WompkinPumpkin.The plastic, balloon-like bull

on his head amused the manystudents who attended thegames.

Although Dave likes to see anexcited crowd, he enjoys involv-ing the crowd in his actions. That makes the game worth- while, said Debbie Hison,Merciad writer in 1984. Armstrong, on the other

hand, enjoyed cheering on theLakers because of the differ-ence he felt he was making inthe game.

It is my greatest thrill when

someone tells me that I wasthe sixth man on the team.Maybe one basket was differentbecause the crowd was cheer-ing and the team got excited, Armstrong said in a Merciadarticle published in 1984.

Inspired by Crazy Davesenthusiasm, his successor asPresident of MSG, MichaelKelly suggested the first idea

for a mascot.According to Tom Billings-ley, Executive Vice Presidentfor Administration, a contest was held in the Merciad in1987 to come up with a schoolmascot.

Darcy Kemp, Director ofthe Student Union, thinks thathaving a mascot is a great wayto increase student spirit.

Some students feel schoolspirit by watching an athleticgame and for others it maybe participating in clubs andorganizations, Kemp said.When Mercyhurst StudentGovernment (MSG) decided toaddress the issue of increasingschool spirit, they felt that oneway would be through a newand improved mascot.

Similarly, in the fall of 2005,Dan Schuler, then Presidentof MSG, wanted a new designconcept for the Laker to helpincrease school spirit.

Louie the Laker was designedand named by students and hassince been a presence at athleticevents and even new studentorientation, Kemp said. Imreally proud of MSG for thisinitiative. I believe that schoolspirit gets better each yearbecause of projects like Louiethe Laker and through MSGsconsistent activities sponsoredby its Spirit Club.

Senior Coral Vedder thinksthat the change in Mercyhurstsmascot was long overdue.

Our new mascots appear-

ance is a big improvementfrom the old one, Vedder said.

It was falling apart and mostpeople couldnt tell what it wassupposed to be. I like the newone much better and thinkits cool that he has differentjerseys to wear to the sportingevents.

In an attempt to increaseschool spirit, our very ownLaker leaders have done justthat.

Current President of MSGMarissa Starin said, You wantschool spirit? Louie the Lakeris the perfect man for thejob.

So the next time you hearsomeone ask how our mascotbecame a Laker, you can simplytell them to thank their fellowstudents for a job well done.

Louie the Laker a Hurst traditionBy Stacey MinchinStaff writer

Mercyhurst Mascot, Louie the Laker, meets up with

Mercyhurst alum and former president Dan Schuler.

Contributed photo

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PAGE 9Oct. 3, 2007 FEATURES

Whether its taking an early

morning walk around thecampus or running laps inGarvey Park, it seems thatmany students are trying to stayfit and exercise. Thankfully, students need

not look farther than the Mer-cyhurst Fitness and RecreationCenter.

Located next to the SportsMedicine Complex and east of

the Hermann Union, the fitnesscenter houses many facilities.These facilities can be utilized

by Mercyhurst students, fac-ulty, administration, staff andalumni, seven days a week.

I really appreciate that thecenter is open for such a longtime during the day and I havemany chances to get in there,said freshman Joe Fink.

The fitness center includesa cardio center, complete withsteppers, cycles, treadmills,rowing machines and ellipti-cal trainers, along with weighttraining circuits, free-weightequipment and a stretchingarea.Additionally, students can use

one of the two multi-purposecourts for basketball and vol-

leyball.

The back of the fitness centerfeatures a free-weight anddumbbell room, completewith free weights, squattingracks, bench presses and other

equipment.Finally, an aerobics room

with marley floor and fulllength mirror, a multi-purposeroom with padded floors anda punching bag for kickbox-ing, boxing and grappling, anda spinning room can also befound at the fitness center.

Its nice that the gym hasmany options to choose from,

whether its running, biking, orfree weights, Fink said.Additionally, the fitness center

offers a wide variety of classes,including spinning, boxing andkickboxing and a plethora ofaerobics programs.

Some of the aerobics classesinclude Pilates, hip-hop andbody sculpting.

Senior Sharon Proy has taken

Pilates classes in the past.Pilates is fun and the instruc-

tors are very good, Proy said.In addition to the Fitness and

Recreation Center, students cantake advantage of the Mercy-hurst Ice Center, which wasjust renovated during the pastsummer.

Starting on Oct. 13, the IceCenter will have scheduledopen skate sessions

Trim and toneBy Carly LyonsStaff writer

The fitness center offers many classes including spinning.Anthony Martin photo

Many college students forced

to get outside jobs for cashBy Amanda AntenucciStaff writer

Fall premiere week kicks off with success

By Jen GileaFeatures editor

As if students needed anotherdistraction from their studies. With the onslaught of tele-

visions fall premiere week,

new shows debuted and oldfavorites made their highlyanticipated returns.

Some of the new shows thatgot high ratings include NBCsBionic Woman and ABCs Pri-vate Practice.

Mercyhurst College seniorMegan Shoup admits that sheloves to watch her shows.

During premiere week, I

usually pick out at least one

new show to test out, Shoupsaid. This year, I tried PrivatePractice because I knew it was aspin-off of Greys Anatomy.

Despite substantial successfrom new programs on differ-ent networks, it was the veter-ans that really stole the show.

Greys Anatomy, which hasbeen hugely popular in its firstthree seasons, premiered withgood reviews and high ratingson Thursday night.

Other favorites includeNBCs Heroes, FOXs Houseand CBSs CSI.

Senior Monica Porostoskysaid that she loved the pre-miere of Greys, although she was really disappointed that

[character] Burke was taken offof the show.

Nonetheless, even when char-acters are added or writtenoff in the script, fans tend tostay devoted to their favoriteshows.

Now that fall premiere week

is over, it remains to be seen whether or not shows willcontinue to be exciting andcaptivating for audiences.

Im looking forward towatching how each storylineof each show plays out andunfolds, Shoup said.

Most shows run from Sep-tember into the spring, and canbe seen on major networks inthe primetime segments.

As the song goes, She workshard for the money.

Senior Nicole Gambone islike many students who areforced to pick up full or part-time jobs in addition to busyclass schedules.

Gambone is a waitress at WildCards Grill and Sports Bar.

Its hectic to balance workand school, but just takes time-management skills, she said.My work is nice and lenientwith scheduling.

Many students argue, how-ever, that off-campus jobs still

take time away from their busyschedules.With the pressure from tough

courses, many students find ithard to balance outside jobswith school work.

That leaves the question, Isit even worth it for a few extradollars a week? While it seems that most

Mercyhurst students with jobshave work study, some of themwould rather not work at all.

With the new wages, personalaward amounts and the jobsthe school offers, sophomoreAndrea Conlon said she is notmaking nearly enough of whatshe needs.

I like that my job is within walking distance, Conlonsaid. I also like that the schoolincreased the pay, but it is stillnot as much as I made over thesummer, as much as a thrivingcollege student needs.The pros and cons to an off

campus job are equal, as well.Sophomore Michelle Thomas

works retail part time at the

Millcreek Mall.She likes the higher pay, morehours and the discount, butsays the down-side is that thehours are not as flexible as workstudy hours, and that she has touse gas and time to drive offcampus to Peach Street.

Its nice to get away some-times, but it would be nice to

stay at school and work for thesame wage as Im getting now,Thomas said.

Similarly, senior DannyOShurak decided to only worklate nights at a local bar insteadof during the day.

I have to work nights,OShurak said. Plus, I cant

work too much during the weekbecause school comes beforework.

Many students can only workon the weekends due to intenseclass schedules preventing timeduring the week.The most common jobs that

college students have are inretail sales in either clothing ortechnology, office jobs for work

study or working as a server ata restaurant.Senior Jenna Fitch works at

Nunzis restaurant as a bar-tender.

I have to work during theweek often because I need themoney, she said. Nunzis is agood place to work and they arecoopertive with school.

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Oct. 3, 2007

10/20

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Blairs merger with OrchardBrands has increasedopportunities for areacollege students to earnextra money throughevening and weekendwork as seasonalcustomer servicerepresentatives atour call centers. Ourcustomer servicerepresentativesr e c e i v e

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Spring Break Travel,Holiday Gifts,

Tuition And Textbooks

Distance makes the heart grow fonderBy Allie MiniriStaff writer

Going away to college whileyour significant other goessomewhere else, or is still inhigh school, is a hard thingto do.

Before you leave, you havelong talks to decide if you want

to try to make it work.Thats right, you have com-mitted yourself to a long-dis-tance relationship; your familyand friends have tried to talkyou out of it, but you are com-mitted to making this relation-ship work.

Good for you.One of the most difficult

situations a student can face

is having a long-term relation-ship.As if the stress of everyday

college life isnt enough, along-distance relationship canlead to uncertainty and distrustbetween two people forcedapart from each other.

Many couples are successfulin handling a long-distancerelationship, while others are

not fully committed to remaintrusting. Junior Haylie Starin thinks

that long-distance relationshipscan work.

Sometimes, long-distancerelationships even make a rela-tionship stronger because thedistance makes you realize justhow much you miss that personand how much they mean to

you, Starin said.If students are willing to

make it work, there are a fewtips for success.

First, people must establishtrust with each other.

It is especially importantwhen a couple is not togetherthat they tell each other theirschedules and know when theycan reach one another.Also it is beneficial that cou-

ples keep any phone and/orinternet dates that they set up.

Establishing time for eachother will help to keep trust inthe relationship.

My boyfriend was from adifferent country, so we dated while we were both at Mer-cyhurst, said a junior whowished to remain anonymous.The most difficult part was

over school breaks when wecouldnt visit each other.Couples far apart must make

time to spend together.The longer a couple is apart,

the less they will have to talkabout on the phone or com-puter, making conversationsredundant after some time.

Many students in long-dis-tance relationships like to watch

the same movie and talk aboutit afterward, or go to the beachand look at the stars whiletalking to each other on thephone.

Remember to show eachother how much you care abouteach other; thats why you havecommitted to a long-distancerelationship in the first place,right?

Send each other love notes(hand-written letters are espe-cially thoughtful), or surpriseyour significant other with aspecial visit when you can.

It can be difficult to knowhow much people care whenthey are so far apart, but simplegestures can keep the relation-ship strong.

Long-distance r elationships

are difficult for everybody,and there may be momentswhen it feels hopeless, but itsimportant to remember that itis possible.There are Web sites that give

ideas of how to remain closeto those loved ones who arefar apart.

For more tips and advice,check out www.lovingyou.com.

For some students, college means being separated from significant others and attempting

to survive a long-distance relationship.

Scoot Williams photo

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Oct. 3, 2007

11/20

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 11Oct. 3, 2007

tHeBuZzOCT. 3. The Sea and

Cake. Beachland Ball-room, Cleveland.

OCT. 3. Pat McGeeBand, Josh Kelley. Houseof Blues, Cleveland.

OCT. 25. The Saints.

Beachland Ballroom,Cleveland.

NOV. 2. Comedy. JimBreuer. Louis C. Cole Auditorium, EdinboroUniversity. $20.

NOV. 2. J immy EatWorld. House of Blues,Cleveland.

NOV. 2. Enter theHaggis. Beachland Ball-room, Cleveland.

NOV. 4. GWAR, Horsethe Band. Town Ball-room, Buffalo.

NOV. 10. Sick of ItAll. Agora Theatre, Cleve-land.

NOV. 11. Chris Cornell.House of Blues, Cleve-land.

NOV. 16. Stiff Little Fin-gers. Grog Shop, Cleve-land.

NOV. 17. Motion CitySoundtrack. Town Ball-room, Buffalo.

NOV. 24. Worlds LargestDisco. Buffalo Conven-tion Center, Buffalo.

NOV. 28. Shonen Knife.Grog Shop, Cleveland.

Courtesy of Goerie.com

There is nothing to do inErie. It has been said manytimes, but is this really the case?

An exploration of the arts inErie shows that contrary to theall-too-common grumblings,

Erie is home to a host ofentertainment.

Dr. Albert Glinsky, professorof music said, Its possibleto find something fun andstimulating whenever students

have time to explore the arts.Throughout my years as

an Erie resident, I have been

amazed at the number of worldclass performers who have madetheir way to our local stages,

and, needless to say, I am always

proud of the high level of localtalent that we witness here on a

regular basis, he said.Art professor Camille Nischal

agrees.

Having lived, traveled andstudied the arts in other U.S.cities such as New York City,

New Haven and Philadelphia, Ifind myself really appreciatingthe many cultural and artistic

opportunities available right herein Erie, Nischal said. There aremany of us here who have lived

in larger cities and have comeback to actively participate inlocal arts opportunities.

Dance Chair Tauna Huntersaid that there are several waysto stay informed about what is

going on in Erie.I would suggest that students

regularly check the Web sitesenjoyerie.com and goerie.comfor all that is going on in Erieand even more importantly

the unending offering of artsevents, films, lectures andsporting events scheduled on

the Mercyhurst college campus,said Hunter.

Mercyhurst hosts its own film

and concert series and presentsconcerts by the colleges music

and dance departments.

A closer look at the arts inErie shows that the city is infact rich in culture, playing hostto a number museums, theaters

playhouses and independenttheater productions in additionto those on campus.

While Erie cant boastthe sheer number of culturalofferings of larger cities like

Cleveland and Pittsburgh, a

quick glance at the Times-NewsShowcase section on Thursdays

will indicate how many arts andentertainment programs areavailable here on any given night

of the week, and on weekends,Glisky said.

Glinsky named several

entertainment opportunitiesto look into, including theErie Art Museums Jazz/New

Music Series, the Erie ChamberOrchestra, Erie Philharmonic,Lake Erie Ballet and the Warner

Theater. The Erie Art Museum is

dedicated to the promotion

and advancement of visual arts.It is a non-profit museum thathouses over 4,000 pieces of art.

The Museum runs 18 to20 different exhibits annually.

Guided group tours are offered

along with lectures.

The Roadhouse Theateroffers contemporary theatricalperformances. The Roadhousealso has a coffeehouse, where

local musicians, magicians andother artists can perform in acabaret setting.

A feature of the Roadhouseis the Great Lakes IndependentFilm Festival. The Festival is

considered to be one of the 100

best film festivals in the world. The Erie Playhouse is a

theater that produces a numberof Broadway-style musicals andproductions.

The goal of the theater isto provide opportunities forstudents to participate in all

areas of theatrical production.Currently two Mercyhurst

College students and one faculty

member are performing atthe Playhouse in ThoroughlyModern Millie.

The Warner Theatre in Erieis home to a wide scope ofperformers. Built in 1931, it is

one of very few historic theatersof its kind.

The Warner Brothers

themselves commissioned it tobe built for one million dollars

during the Depression Era.

The Warner Theater is a rich

piece of Erie history and willcontinue to play a large role insupporting the arts in Erie.

The Lake Erie Ballet Company,

which includes Mercyhurstdance majors, performs TheNutcracker at the Warner every

December. The Erie Philharmonic also

performs at the Warner Theater

on a seasonal basis.

The Erie Philharmonic worksto strengthen the community

and region by providing high-quality live orchestra concertsand programs that enrich,

entertain and educate people ofall ages.

The Erie Civic Music

Association can also be creditedwith bringing the arts to Erie.

Booking acts in various

locations such as the Warner Theater and the Erie CivicCenter, musicians like Chris

Daughtry and Johnny Cashsbrother are scheduled to comeand perform.

The Music Association alsobooks a number of classicalperformers from around the

world, including he TransiberianOrchestra which will perform at

the Warner this January.

By Ashley Pastor

Contributing writer

The Erie Playhouse is located at 13 W. and 10th St. in Erie. Scoot Williams photo

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPAGE 12

The second annual Friendsof the College Art Show is

now hanging in Old Main.Organized by Mary Gamble,

wife of President Tom Gamble,

the art exhibit is a showcase oftalent done by alumni, formerprofessors, friends of the

college and numerous otherindividuals who are affiliatedwith the college community.

According to Mary Gamble,she wanted to convey the ideathat friends of the college are

always welcome back.Last fall, I made a list of

people connected to the college

and asked them to contributeart for the exhibit, she said.

This is the second year thatartists have showcased their work in Old Main, with nearly80 pieces throughout the first

floor hallways.The purpose of the art

exhibit was to showcase what

goes on at the college, in honorof Sister Angelica Cummings.

The idea is to see things

changing so people dont get

bored with the same imagesevery year, she said

She also said the art hasbrought more people into OldMain and she loves to hear

students comments as they walkthrough the halls.

The art works raises

questions; it does what art issupposed to do, said Gamble.

Junior Hayley OHare said, I

think the art is neat; I like how itchanges and it makes the collegeunique.

Another student, HeatherDonovan, said, I think itskind of cool that we dont have

all the traditional religious art work that you would think aCatholic school would have.

Its something that people areinterested in and I like how itchanges.

One artist, Susan Kemenyffy,taught printmaking at the college.

She is debuting a pair of herown prints called Gardens andInnocence Lost and Prague,Beyond the Charles: Go With a

Smile.My inspiration comes from

life. Who you meet and where

you go gives me inspiration.Kemenyffy said. I used to takecare of peoples gardens and

when I couldnt do it anymore,

the gardens would die after ayear, which is how I came up

with the idea for my one piece.Another individual who is

showcasing art is Tom Halmi,

whose artwork consists of threepictures taken while sailing onthe Niagara.

All three have validity indoing something different,Halmi said.

He chose to showcase thisseries of pictures in Old Mainbecause of the Laker theme at

the college.Halmi said, the motif

mimics the Lake and the subject

of being on a ship just seemedto fit.

Halmi enjoys art because of

the beauty behind it. He says helikes to share that beauty withothers and finds the camera as a

tool that enables him to capturegreat moments in life.

Moments are lost if youdont capture them and thatexcited me, being there at theright place at the right time,

said Halmi.Some of the art will be added

to the colleges permanent

collection, which will hangthroughout different buildingson campus.

If you would like to see the

new art hanging in the halls ofOld Main, the works can be

viewed from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.daily until Nov. 16.

By Stacey Minchin

Contributing writer

Old Main displays art created by friends of the college.

Scoot Williams photo

In a time in history wherecivil rights were questionedand African-Americans were viewed as the lesser of the

races, Petey Greene played byDon Cheadle in the film Talkto Me overcame a troubled

past to become one of themost prominent figures in Washington, D.C. during the

60s.

To succeed as an African- American man in the media

during this decade was extremelydifficult. However Petey notonly succeeded, but he became

an icon that would last forgenerations to come.

The Chicago Sun Times

said, Don Cheadle gives afascinating performance as aman able to step out of a cell

and into a broadcast booth, butnot sure where to step next.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Petey Greene began his careerin a most unusual fashion. Afterbeing sentenced to 10 years in

prison for armed robbery, hequickly gained the respect of hisfellow inmates by becoming the

prisons disc jockey.One day his luck changed

when a man came to visit his

brother in the same prison.

The man was Dewey Hughes,program director of WOL,a popular radio station in

Washington, D.C. that waslooking for a morning showhost to connect with African-

American listeners.Hughes told Petey to call

him when he got out of prison

because he may be able to finda job for him. While Peteyconsidered this offer an in as a

DJ at the radio station, Hughescontemplated a lower-level job.

Hughes was the first person torecognize Peteys ability to reachout to the African-Americanaudience. Hughes and Petey

began to form a close friendshipas Hughes attempted to managePeteys career as a standup.

Hughes told Petey You say thethings Im afraid to say and I dothe things youre afraid to do.

Entertainment Weekly said,

Talk to Me digs into therelationship between Petey

and Dewey, whose love/hate,street/suit tension expresseswhat the movie presents as the

central emotional rift in AfricanAmerican life.

Talk to Me will show at the

PAC today at 2 and 8 p.m.Tickets are free for Mercyhurst

College students with ID (One

ticket per ID).

By Megan OHareStaff writer

Talk to Me premiers today at the PAC.

PAC photo

Film to show at PAC

Hurst friends always welcome

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Oct. 3, 2007

13/20

In a matter of weeks, there

has been a small division on

campus between RAs and the

student body.

Many students have expressed

their feelings of mistreatment

by unprofessional student staff

members. I can understand both

sides. I am excited that several

RAs responded to my article. I

appreciate your general concern

for the student body. Most of

you are true professionals and I

applaud you.

However, it is my belief that

some of you are more con-

cerned with how many tassels

or pins you will wear at gradu-

ation than a general concern

for your fellow students. I am

enthusiastic that I gave the RAssomething to talk about other

than cartoons or video games.

Was my last article that large of

a controversy? I am not trying

to initiate World War III.

This might lead to a Revenge

of the Nerds ordeal. I thought

it was time to voice the opin-

ion of many students who feel

the ResLife staff is more of a

bureaucratic fraternity than a

means of helping students.

I was simply stating that some

of you might be sacrificing your

social lives to perform your

duties as an RA.

Life is not always about

black and white and following

every rule. Some of you might

feel a little remorse every now

and then when you write your

reports biased or to the exact

regulation of every rule at thecollege.

Just put yourself in the shoes

of the person you are writing

up.

Here is your chance to calm

down a bit and practice a little

discretion and maybe people

will not be so upset.

Go downtown and socialize

with others who are not RAs. It

is your college experience and

once it is gone, you will never

get it back.

This will be my last article

about ResLife, so continue to

defend your side. My intent was

not to continue a written battle

through the Merciad.

My idea is clear: relax and

enjoy college.

PAGE 13Oct. 3, 2007 OPINION

Joshua Wilwohl Editor-in-Chief editormerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Amy Zielinski & Casey Greene News Editors newsmerciad@mercyhurst.eduJen Gildea Features Editor featuremerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Merissa Frank Opinion Editor opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Chris Davis & Brittany Jackett Sports Editors sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Nicole Cerilli A&E entertainmentmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Scoot Williams Photographer photomerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Tiffany Cook Production Editor prodmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Leslie Ruchala Advertising Manager admerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Noelle Lelakus Copy Editor copymerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Lenore Skomal Advisor lskomal@mercyhurst.edu

The Merciad is the student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst College.It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of finals

week. Our office is in Hirt, Room 120B.

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.

MATH LAB

Located in the

Library 304 A & B

OPEN:

Sundays

through

Thursdays

CALL:

Ext: 2078

For exact hours

TUTORIAL HELP

FOR ALL YOU

MATH NEEDS!

By Ellen

KoenigStaff writer

During some recent group

e-mails that found their way to

my inbox, I was surprised at the

lack of etiquette some people

have in the course of electronic

communication.

Within the college commu-

nity there is frequent e-mailing

between classmates and profes-

sors.

This translates into the work-

place through e-mail communi-

cation. Some companies even

adopted instant messaging to

allow for faster communication

between co-workers.

However it is often a poor

idea to embarrass somebody

through clarification. In addi-tion, electronic messages leave a

paper trail that is often accessi-

ble, in many cases some e-mails

are stored on a network server

for up to ten years past the dele-

tion.

If you are bold enough to put

something in print, make sure

you are bold enough to say it in

person. Basic etiquette is neces-

sary. The practice has becomeknown as netiquette.

With the increase in electronic

communication, tones are diffi-

cult to decipher and faux pas are

easy. For anyone who has ever

worked in an office, there is

an understanding of the office

hierarchical system and basic

code of conduct.

I also hope this would be true

among school colleagues. Whencorresponding through e-mail

it is of utmost importance to

tailor the message prior to send-

ing it.

This includes cleaning up

the message, such as remov-

ing extended lists of e-mail

addresses and reading over

the content looking for errors.

Especially in terms of content,

e-mails tend to take on the con-

text of a conversation, so try

and keep it short and to the

point.In the process of composing

a message, let it sit for a moment

before sending to be sure you

have adequately expressed your-

self. If anything can be inter-

preted in various manners, it is

better to clarify up front rather

than delay a process by having

to clarify later.

E-mail has been around long

enough that it is second nature

to most Internet savvy people.

In this case people have become

lax and lazy in the correspon-

dence.

E-mail in all of its glory is not

the same as a face-to-face con-

versation, teleconference or dia-

logue during a telephone call.

Despite its glamour e-mail

does not promote the sameemotions and reactions as real

conversation.

Remember nine out of 10

times someone at the other end

of the e-mail has to understand

what you are trying to say. Thus,

say it clearly.

E-mail etiquette a must Not trying to start World War III

By Bill

SwaffordStaff writer

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Oct. 3, 2007

14/20

If the presidential electionwere held right now, for whom

would you vote? Personally, I would not vote for any of theterrible candidates that were

currently having shoved downour throats.

It seems every couple of years

we get a new batch of presiden-tial hopefuls with nothing to say.This isnt a matter of conserva-

tive or liberal; its a matter ofpeople not using their brains.

Presidential campaigns nor-

mally start up about midwaythrough the year before theelection. For the 2008 election,

campaigning started at the endof 2006. Apparently, were not

allowed to have even two yearsin the middle of a presidentialterm to pretend that we aregoing to try to be bipartisan

before we have to be all riledup about the next set of elec-tions. Its bad enough that we

have this issue in Congress, butdo we really have to deal with anew round of presidential cam-

paign crap every two years from

now on?It wouldnt be so bad if the

candidates were at least some-what promising, but the last fewtimes around it seems like theyre

all form and no substance. All

around we have a surprising lackof actual credentials that would

suggest that these people actu-ally worthy of being president.

On the Republican side, we

have such gems as Rudy Giu-liani, who appears to be runningon the platform that because he

was the mayor of New York onSept. 11 he knows about foreignpolicy.

John McCain, who is quali-fied but possibly the most watered-down politician today,

constantly plays both sides ofthe fence, but still supports oneof the most unpopular presi-

dents ever.Then we have Fred Thomp-

son, who has come in too late

to pass judgment on right now,and Ron Paul, the poster childfor crazy niche politicians who

will never win anything outsideof their home districts.On the Democrat side, we

dont really have any goodchoices either. Hillary Clinton isone of the most fake politicians

I have ever seen in my life. Allof her speeches are really obvi-ously calculated to appeal to

whatever audience shes speak-ing to that day, and she seems to

have natural talent at polarizingpeople politically.

John Edwards is running thesame old campaign we saw in

the last election when he wasrunning with Kerry, nothinginteresting there.

Barack Obama is perhaps theonly interesting candidate onthe Democratic side because

we dont know that he is a bad

politician.Thats his problem: we dont

know anything about what he isreally like, politically speaking.People really hadnt heard of

him before he gave a speech in2004, and we dont really knowtoo much more about him now.

In all likelihood, this electionwill be at least as disappointingas the last couple were in terms

of choices.

OPINIONPAGE 14 Oct. 3, 2007

The Good

The TribPM in Pitts-burgh has an almost identi-cal cover that the Merciadproduced a few weeks

ago.

The new fries at theLaker are more substantialthan past fries.

The Bad

The Laker has new strawsthat bend, but now theydont reach the bottom of

the cup.

Dont complain aboutparking if you cant parkbetween the lines, not onthem.

The Ugly

Emptying the dump-

sters on Briggs and Lewisavenues are consistent.They always seem to comearound 3 a.m. when every-one is deep asleep.

T he r e c en t e -ma i laddressing the meningitisoutbreak said some stu-dents would need anti-biotic prophylaxis. How-ever, the first mentionin the e-mail referred toprophylactics--some-thing entirely different.

Please e-mail any suggetions to

opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.

The GB&U is a compilation of

student opinions.

The Good,the Bad &

the Ugly

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One of Mercyhursts guid-

ing principles has always been afocus on diversity.

If so, why is it that they seem

to ignore the Middle East andits culture?

All over the school, there are

majors and specialties for thosewho would like to study EasternAsia, the Russian Federation, the

Balkans and all over Europe.How do they feel about one

of the most relevant and press-

ing geographical areas of theworld?

It seems they almost discour-

age its study.Arabic as a language is almost

never taken. For the past couple

years, the highest enrollment inany class never broke over ten.Considering the enormous

area of the world where it isspoken primarily, this is highlydisconcerting. On top of this,

the professors have always beenFulbright scholars, who providedeep cultural understanding but

no continuity in teaching styles.Many times it only encourages

the drop-out rate.How are Americans to under-

stand such a huge and diversepopulation of people stretch-

ing from the Mediterranean tothe Java Sea if the programsencourage ignorance?

At present the religious stud-ies department still classifies

Islam as a Global Perspectivescourse.

It is the only religion taught

at Mercyhurst as such. Evenafter many years of debateand numerous petitions, they

still refuse to acknowledge thesecond largest religion in theworld.

This even extends to thecampus ministry, who when Icame last year to ask why there

were no mosques listed in theListing of Local Places of Worship, I was intercepted by

the knitting club.I asked them about the near-

est mosque, and they asked me

if Jews worshiped there.Does anyone see my point?

With all the good that can come

out of understanding and build-ing tolerance in the Middle East, why should the academic pro-

grams turn a blind eye?How squeaky must the wheel

get before this college takes

notice? Were very lucky this year

that Professor Breckenridge

is no longer dean of the busi-ness school, and can focus on

teaching a couple classes again.One of these, History of theModern Middle East, is a God-send to those who are studying

the region. Perhaps this is a stepin the right direction, but onlytime will tell.

By Drew Henderson

Contributing writer

By Cameron Sabel

Contributing writer

Student

Apartments

One Four and One TwoBedroom Apts.Includes Gas, Water,Sewerage, Garbage,

Street Parking.

$350 per student permonth.

Contact Matt Larsonat

814-873-5814

Diversity at the Hurst Candidates look grim

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Oct. 3, 2007

15/20

OPINION PAGE 15Oct. 3, 2007

After days of hearings and

countless questions, we have to

ask what President Bush and the

rest have learned from our time

with General David Petraeus.

If you pay attention to his-

tory, I kind of think they are

ideas we already knew. So here

is the point.

War is not pretty, but the right

action to take and the easy way

out are rarely the same thing.

No matter what the extreme

left would have you believe,

General Petraeus is a respected

soldier and a man on honor.

As the leader of the multi-national forces in Iraq, his

analysis of the situation and his

recommendations for the future

are, I am sorry to say, the best

we have.

Here is what he told us this

week. We are making progress

and the surge is working.

Not only have the eight of

the last 12 weeks in Iraq seen a

marked reduction in violence,

but we are beginning to kick al

Qaedas butt. This is, unfortu-

nately for them, a humiliation.

And humiliation is not some-

thing that sits well in the Middle

East, unfortunately for us.

Now is the time that wecannot afford to flinch.

Remember insurgents and

terrorists love it when we argue

at each other and we tear each

other apart.

They feed off our indecision,

and see our bleeding hearts as

our greatest weakness and their

greatest weapon.

Then there are the costly les-

sons of Vietnam. I know this

is a different war and a vastly

different enemy, but the central

issue really is the same.

Once we go to war, we must

commit to win.

Let us leave the war to the

warriors and keep the politiciansand the special interest groups

out of it, please.

Re-election is meaningless

when the lives of American

men and women are at stake.

It is wrong for politicians to

use war as a vote-getter. That is

immoral and cowardly, but that

is what is happening in Wash-

ington.

The left, which largely believe

that the war on terror is Amer-

icas fault, refuses to acknowl-

edge any improvement in Iraq.

On the other side, some

Americans will not admit that

the Iraqi government could not

care less about democracy.Iraq is the most important

issue in America by far, and we

deserve the truth about it, not

dishonesty to further political

agendas.

When it comes to fighting and

winning the war in Iraq, we need

to stop listening to the guys in

pinstripes and start listening to

the men in uniform.

Actually when it comes to lis-

tening to people in pinstripes, I

think I would rather listen to a

New York Yankee than a politi-

cian.

By Justin Meeder

Contributing writer

As a student, a woman and an

American citizen, I think there is

no more important responsibil-

ity to this country than voting.

Although the presidential

election is a year away, the can-

didates for both sides are lining

up and making their stancesknown.

Watching the Republican con-

vention, I experienced a variety

of reactions.

First and foremost, I really

loved that a lot of the people in

my building were watching it.

I only know this because we

were all screaming at the TV

at different times, and while

it made us burst into laughterwhen Ron Paul said he wanted

to do away with the CIA, FBI

and the IRS.

I could see people become

passionate about something

they have said they always hated:

politics.

No matter what your political

opinion, it is still terribly impor-

tant to be a part of it.

It is disturbing how many

people I know that arent regis-tered to vote. Since the future of

this country rests in our hands,

it is of the utmost importance

that we as a generation make

our voice heard.

We all know change happens

slowly. By joining the millions

that vote every year, giving our

influence is invaluable.

The choices made on Capitol

Hill affect us every day. These decisions affect our

hourly wages, determine our

federal financial aid, decide the

amount of tax we pay, whether

or not to implement the draft

and what to do about global

warming among a multitude of

other issues.

We dont think about these

situations day to day. Its not our

job to worry about them.It is our job to put people in

office that will do their job to

make our lives better and more

comfortable with every bill they

sign. Being displeased about pay

cuts can only be justified if you

voted and made an effort to

have a say.

I think one of the reasons

people do not want to vote is

because of the corruption we

see everyday in the news. Theliberal media does not often

trust the government or its

politicians, which in turn causes

Americans to not trust the gov-

ernment. With recent incidents

involving Larry Craig, Bill Clin-

ton and Mark Foley, it is hard to

think that the government is not

keeping secrets.

History reiterates this thought

when we look at our past, withincidents like the Watergate

Scandal.

While these issues dont help

the call to vote and have faith in

the system, that just means we

have to work that much harder to

study our candidates and make

informed decisions so that we

can attempt to have honest poli-

ticians speaking for us. Voting

without being informed is justas bad as not doing it at all.

In the coming months, we

should all make a valiant effort

to pick up the paper or check

out one of the news channels

to see what is going on with the

election every once and a while.

Democrat, Republican, Inde-

pendent, we should all be proud

to be a part of our countrys

changing history.

By Amanda ValauriContributing writer

Dont get me wrong, I love

compliments as much as the

next girl, but there is a point

when enough is enough.

I was at a bar in Pittsburgh

a few weeks ago when a guy

who thought he was Gods giftto women approached us. He

was there with his friends. They

were all Marines.

Before this overzealous man

came over to us, one of his

friends was chatting us up. We

made it apparent that we were

not interested, but did that stop

this guy? Of course not.

This friend of the man who

did not get the hint gave uswhat he probably thought was

the ultimate compliment. In

fairly explicit terms, this Marine

disgraced his colleagues by tell-

ing us that we were attractive

enough to be the lucky ladies he

was taking home.

Where should women draw

the line? This behavior is not

acceptable for any man. Many

women do encourage this by

their clothing dancing, but thenagain, they are probably the

women who are looking for

those sleazy men with whom

they want to go home.

As a confident, self-respect-

ing woman, I have a hard time

dismissing this insulting attitude

men have.

If I tell you that I am seeing

someone, accept it and move

on. I hate to admit this, but weuse lines to deter advances from

persistent men.

During this episode I used

one of those let you down

easy lines. When my pursuitor

asked for my phone number, I

politely declined by saying, I

dont give out my number, but

Ill take yours.

The guy knew I had no inten-

tions of calling him and stillinsisted on buying my drinks

and trying to cop a feel.

Call me old-fashioned but the

audacity that some men have is

outright appalling.

Guys, I am not saying you

shouldnt pursue a cute girl

when you are out, but if she

declines your advances accept it

and move on to the next scant-

ily-clad woman down the bar.

The situation in Iraq should not be used to gain votes

Vote or you have no right to complain Get the message guys

By MerissaFrankOpinion editor

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Oct. 3, 2007

16/20

PAGE 16 Oct. 3, 2007SPORTS

Polo wins third straight

Mercyhurst College mens

water polo had a huge weekend

winning all three conference

games and beating each team by

at least seven points.

The most exciting game of

the weekend was the rematch

victory over Gannon UniversitySaturday night.

Leading the offense against

Gannon this weekend was junior

center Andrew Schonhoff with

eight spectacular goals, one

assist and three drawn ejections.

With seven seconds left in

the second quarter Schonhoff

managed a cross cage goal with

two defenders on him to bring

the Lakers to an 8-4 lead at thehalf.

Gannon took a chance for

a comeback in the third and

scored two goals while the

Lakers were held to one.

The victory was sealed in the

fourth quarter with the Lakers

scoring seven goals and holding

the Golden Knights to just three

more tallies to end the game

16-9.

Junior Alex Perry added fourgoals, two assists and one steal

during the game with freshman

Alex Moggridge adding four

goals as well.

Head coach Curtis Robinette

attributed several factors to the

big victory.

This was a good game; the

energy level was higher and

we played better defense and

offense this time, he said.The defensive effort was led

by juniors Ryan Holt and junior

Jake Coin, who made five and

three steals, respectively.

Four other Lakers made

contributions to the teams 14-

steal game.

Coin believes that the team is

starting to adjust to playing in

different pools.

I think we knew what toexpect this game and we were

better at dealing with the shallow

water, he said.

Saturdays game against

Gannon was preceded by

a 13-3 victory over Salem

International.

The Lakers took an early lead

in the first quarter, scoring nine

goals and allowing just one.

Senior Ashton Farrell led the

team with six goals and three

steals in his fourth appearancethis season to lead the Lakers to

victory.

Freshman Nathan Steiner

added four goals and four

assists.

On the defensive end the

Lakers used four different

goalies with senior Kyle Boguki

and junior Jorge Montero having

three saves apiece.

The Salem International game

was the home opener for the

Lakers and was the mens first

conference victory this season.

The Lakers ended their stellar

weekend with a third straight

conference win against Penn

State Behrend on Sunday.

During the game the Lions

drew first blood in the first

quarter but the Lakers heldthem to one goal, as they scored

three unanawered to take the

lead for good.

The Lakers kept their lead

intact and ended the game by

winning 13-4.

The offense for the afternoon

was once again led by Schonhoff

who added three goals, two

assists, two steals and one drawn

ejection.Freshman Ryan Speers

and Perry added two goals

apiece while four other Lakers

contributed single goals to the

teams effort.

The defense was relentless

with seven Lakers having multi-

steal games during the season-

high 15 steal game.

Freshman goalie Andy

Sekulski added 12 saves andthree steals with Holt also

adding three steals.

The three consecutive

victories during the weekend

improve the mens season record

to 7-5 with a conference record

of 3-1.

Mercyhurst travels to Salem,

W.Va. on Oct. 13 to challenge

Salem International at 4 p.m.

before enjoying a week off.

By Rhonda MarableStaff writer

Freshman Ryan Speers scored two goals to help give the

Lakers a 13-4 win against Penn State Behrend on Sunday.

Sports Information photo

Womens hockey starts strong

Theres nothing quite like

the sound of an ice hockey

skate gliding over the ice with

thousands of fans cheering on,

or the sound of the puck hitting

the back of the net sending the

home crowd into mayhem.

For the last six months, the

Mercyhurst Ice Center has lacked

this feeling as it was undergoing

renovations to make the sport

more enjoyable for its fans.

This week kicked off the

opening to the 2007-2008

womens hockey season. The

team opened up its season on

Friday with an exhibition match

against the Vaughan Flames.

The Flames are part of the

Canadian Womens Hockey

League and feature five formerMercyhurst stars.

The ladies, led by senior

captain Stephanie Jones and

co-captains senior Danielle

Ayearst, junior Natalie Payne

and freshman Meghan Agosta,defeated the Flames 3-1 on

Friday after trailing the Flames

1-0 in the first period. Agosta

led all scores with three goals.

The Lakers enter the season

ranked second in preseason polls

and look to make a statement as

they open the season at Robert

Morris University on Tuesday

evening.

The girls spent 11 consecutive

weeks atop the nation last

season and will look to

regain that position against

No. 1 Wisconsin.

The Lakers will also look to

earn their sixth straight Collegiate

Hockey America title as well as

their fourth consecutive trip to

the NCAA playoffs.

This Friday is the teamshomeopener against the

University of Maine at 7 p.m.

By Kyle CraigStaff writer

Mens soccer drops two in GLIAC

This weekend was quite

possibly the most disappointing weekend for the Mercyhurst

College mens soccer team.

With inconsistent playing and

poor communication between

players, the men were unable

to hold on to leads that they

created early in both games.

With a 3-1 lead in the first half

against Northwood University,

the Lakers looked strong as they

moved the ball up and down thefield.

After a few break downs

between players and

miscommunications between

the offense and defense, the

Timberwolves slipped in three

goals before the end of the first

half to take the lead 4-3.

After Northwood tapped in

its fifth goal of the game early in

the second half, freshmen Billy

Colton scored on a penalty kick

to boost the Lakers confidence

in the 66th minute. Although the

men played hard, they ended up

leaving the field with a Great

Lakes Intercollegiate AthleticConference match loss of 6-4.

On Sunday the men challenged

the Saginaw Valley Cardinals for

the second time this year. For 84

minutes of the game the Lakers

held on to a 1-0 lead.

With only six minutes left

Saginaw Valley scored twice to

earn the win.

It was probably the most

disappointing weekend for usall year, sophomore David

Moehle said.

Freshmen Tommy Lund was

similarly disappointed in the

weekend.

We just had a few break

downs that were costly,

Lund said. The game against

Saginaw was 85 minutes of

perfect soccer, and five minutes

of terrible soccer.

By Katie WaldinStaff writer

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Oct. 3, 2007

17/20

PAGE 17Oct. 3, 2007

Womens soccer wins ninth straight

The Mercyhurst College

womens soccer team continued

its fine form this weekend

winning two games and edging

ever closer to equalling last

years record.

The Lakers have made the

Mercyhurst Soccer Field a

fortress, picking up four wins in

four games and have yet to drop

a conference tie. With an overall

record of 9-1-1 the Lakers are

pushing for a spot in the top 25

rankings.

On Friday Pitt-Johnstown

came to Erie intent on causing

an upset. The Lakers, however,

had a seven-game winning streak

that they were not about tosurrender. Junior Sarah Powell

opened the scoring for the

Lakers in the 13th minute. Her

ninth goal of the season came

from an assist by sophomoreKarla Vogt. Ten minutes later

the Lakers had doubled their

advantage, and this time junior

Hailee Maiorano found the back

of the net.

The Lakers were on a roll and

had found their rhythm. Their

ability to put teams away early

has resulted in a lot of success

this season.

They came out blazing in the

second half with junior Christine

Rehnart making no mistake on

the breakaway. Senior Adrienne

Sluga finished a Taylor Hilinski

corner kick to make it 4-0.

A scorer turned to a provider

in the 59th minute, when

sophomore Hilinski finished

coolly from a Sluga pass. The

Lakers closed up shop in the72nd minute, when freshman

Lindsey Meyer notched her

first of the season, while Jacque

Sluga tallied the assist.

The women faced a tougheropponent on Sunday, as

Northern Michigan rolled into

town. This would be a crucial

game against one of the stronger

of their GLIAC rivals.

The game got underway on a

sunny Sunday afternoon. It was

a tight affair with few chances in

the first 20 minutes. However on

the half hour mark Mercyhurst

would find a breakthrough

Adrienne Sluga scored her fifth

goal of the year with the assist

credited to her sister Jacque,who has five assists this season.

The Mercyhurst defense

hung on throughout the next 60

minutes, showing why they have

conceded only six goals this

season so far.

Heintzmann held on for yet

another clean sheet in what has

been a standout season for her

thus far. Her defense allowed

only one shot on goal in the

game.

Rehnart had this to say about

the game, I think we are playingwell as a team and we are looking

stronger each game.

Northern Michigan was

a good test for us to show if

we are ready to play the tough

teams and Sunday showed we

are going to be able to compete

with the top teams.

The Lakers will need to bring

their best to Grand Valley on

Friday when they take on the No.

1 ranked team in the nation.

By Stephen DugganStaff writer

Sophomore Taylor Hilinski (16) battles for a header

during last Wednesdays game.

Scoot Williams photo

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Oct. 3, 2007

18/20

SPORTSPAGE 18 Oct. 3, 2007

Laker Sports Quick Hits

Last weeks results...

Football.........................................................................Sept. 29, L 59-43, AshlandWomens tennis................................................................Sept. 28, W 8-1, Findlay

Sept. 29, W 8-1, Wayne State

Field hockey..............................................................Sept. 29, L 5-0, Bloomsburg

Sept. 30, L 2-1, East Stroudsburg

Mens soccer..............Sept. 28, L 6-4, Northwood

Sept. 30, L 2-1, Saginaw Valley State

Womens soccer......Sept. 26, W 6-0, Pitt-Johnstown

Sept. 30, W 1-0, Northern Michigan

Mens water polo.....................................Sept. 29, W 13-3, Salem International

Sept. 29, W 16-9, Gannon

Sept. 30, W 13-4, Penn State Behrend

Womens volleyball....................Sept. 28, W 3-0, Wayne State

Sept. 29, L 3-1, HillsdaleOct. 2, L 3-2, Gannon

Womens hockey.......................................................Oct. 2, W 3-0, Robert Morris

Schonhoff/Ezzo athletes of the week

Junior Andrew Schonhoff of the mens water polo team has earned male

athlete of the week honors after scoring 13 goals in four CWPA conference

games to lead the Lakers to 3-1 record on the week. After losing a hard-

fought 11-10 contest to Gannon during midweek, Schonhoff scored eight

goals as Mercyhurst dominated its cross-town rivals the 16-9 on Saturday.

He added two goals