Merciad Vol.82, No.23/5.6.

09/Free

The ‘Eye’ of the storm:

3EB headlines Tropical
Thunder Springfest
Freshman Twenty-six FSATs take New Athletic
residence hall students headed students to Director Joe
named to Dungarven, Greece, Kimball
Ireland Galapagos, Egypt interviewed
Page 2 Page 5 Page 7 Page 13
Page 2
SAC rocks ‘Tropical Thunder’ theme for Springfest
By Kelly Luoma
Staff writer
The end of spring term is
almost here. This year’s weekend-
long Tropical Thunder Springfest
is a great way to celebrate the
completion of the school year
and the beginning of summer.
The Third Eye Blind concert
starts the events for the weekend.
The concert begins at 8 p.m. on
Friday, May 8. Third Eye Blind
performs after the opening band,
The Upwelling.
If tickets for the concert are
still available, they will be distrib-
uted on Thursday, May 7, from
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 to
7 p.m.
Springfest T-shirts are available
during these times for $5.
“We have been distributing lots
of tickets for Third Eye Blind,
and I’m sure we are going to sell
out,” Student Activities Council
(SAC) Chair Vicky Fleisner said.
“Students are very excited about
the band this year.”
Outdoor Springfest activities
continue on Saturday, May 9.
There will be food, inflatables and
activities from 1 to 5 p.m.
To go along with the Tropical
Possession of Marijuana
Tuesday, April 28
Possession of Marijuana
Tuesday, April 28
Harassment by
Communications
Wednesday, April 29
April 28 - 29 2009
Mercyhurst College
NEWS May 6, 2009
Thunder theme, SAC and Mer-
cyhurst Student Government
(MSG) are “trying to make it look
like a beach boardwalk theme,”
Fleisner said.
Cotton candy, funnel cakes,
popcorn and Rita’s Italian Ice
will be provided. The inflatables
include Bungee Run, Rock and
Joust, Sports Challenge, a slip n’
slide and Pirates Cove Obstacle
Course. Besides the inflatables,
there will be opportunities for
students to decorate flip flops Contributed photo
and cover themselves in airbrush Students can race friends through the Pirates Cove Obstacle Course at this year’s Springfest.
tattoos.
The barbecue starts at 4 p.m.
and will include hamburgers, hot-
dogs and nachos.
“Student Government and
SAC have worked really hard. …
Hopefully students will enjoy the
hard work we’ve put in,” Fleisner
said.
Fleisner and MSG events coor-
dinator Jax Brown planned the
event.
To show MSG and SAC you Contributed photo
appreciate their work, celebrate The Sports Challenge inflatable lets students show off their athletic abilities.
school coming to an end at
Springfest.
First-year professor receives
3810 Briggs Avenue
College discipline
$137,000 NASA grant The money will be used a few different ways.
By Amanda Valauri
3807 Briggs Avenue News editor
Some of it is allotted for Lang’s salary and
for six undergraduate students’ salaries.
Referred to Erie Police The team will travel to conferences across
For some people, the first time is the the country where they will present their most
charm. recent findings. The money to pay for this is
3926 Briggs Avenue Assistant Professor of Geology Dr. Nicho- included in the budget.
las Lang wrote his first proposal about Mars Lang is looking for a diverse student group
Continued investigation
research to NASA and was awarded a grant to to make up his team.
follow through on his research. “I want to work with anyone who has an
“I was really surprised,” he said. “I’m really interest in Mars,” Lang said. “I would love to
excited to start work on the project.” pull from the Intel and math departments.”
Over the next three years, the $137,00 grant Any students interested in working on the
from NASA will go towards research about project should contact Lang at nlang@mercy-
Mars. hurst.edu or at extension 2076.
May 6, 2009
Senior Lindy-Jo Smart, senior Hazel Jennings, senior Nick
Gutowski and junior Kyle King display their awards alongside
retired Mercyhurst professor Paul Barry McAndrew, center.
Students awarded
for Lumen writings
By Kelly Luoma
Staff writer
Students received awards and
had the opportunity to read their
original writings to an audience
at the unveiling of Lumen.
Lumen is a literary magazine
and disc produced by Mercy-
hurst College students.
The English Department
judged the work submitted to
Lumen, and awards were given
for the best submissions.
Senior Nick Gutowski was
awarded third place for his short
story, “One Cold Night.”
The department awarded
senior Hazel Jennings second
place for “Reflections on Eye
Drops.”
“I was excited and surprised
that I won an award,” Jennings
said.
Senior Lindy-Jo Smart won
first place with her poem, “A
Letter from Kenton, TN.”
Smart explained her poem.
“The poem itself, ‘A Letter
from Kenton, TN’ is from a
collection of letters my friend
has written to me,” Smart said.
“Her letters seemed so sim-
plistic, yet completely genuine;
I liked being able to capture
Tyler Stauffer photo
her sincerity.”
Junior Kyle King was
announced the winner of the
P. Barry McAndrew Essay and
Literature Contest.
Paul Barry McAndrew is a
retired Mercyhurst professor.
After the winners received
their awards, students had the
opportunity to read their writ-
ings to the audience.
Jennings told a story about
the reality of being an English
major in the workforce.
“I have focused my creative
writing studies on the art and
practice of live storytelling,”
Jennings said. “It was a great
evening and I’m glad everyone
enjoyed my story.”
Eight students went on stage
to read their work.
“Since I came to Mercy-
hurst, the Lumen has been
something I’ve looked for-
ward to year long,” Smart said.
“From submitting, to finding
out I had been accepted, to
gaining the courage to read
at the event has all been a
great experience.”
The event took place on
Thursday, April 30, in Taylor
Little Theatre.
Lumen is the capstone event
for the Literary Festival.
NEWS Page 3
New freshman dorm
gets ‘new’ name ters of Mercy. in Pittsburgh, Pa.
By Amanda Valauri Born in 1810 in Ireland, In her lifetime, she estab-
News editor
Warde and Catherine McAuley lished over 100 foundations in
moved into the House of Mer- Ireland and the U.S.
So what’s in a name any- cy on Baggot Street and began While there is another resi-
how? dence area named after Warde
When it comes to naming
the new freshman dorm, a lot
actually.
“ To instruct is an easy
matter; but to educate
requires ingenuity,
(the Warde Townhouses), To-
bin explained how the name of
the building fits into the strate-
With Mercyhurst College gic five-year plan.
President Dr. Thomas Gam- energy and persever “Another key reason the
”
ble’s suggestion, the board of ance without end. name fit was because the Warde
trustees approved the name
Frances Warde Hall.
“The name was chosen in
Frances Warde, 1843
caring for the poor of Dublin.
Townhouses may eventually be
replaced with another build-
ing,” he said. The strategic plan
order to remain consistent with
Mercy Heritage,” Vice Presi-
dent of Student Life Dr. Gerry
In 1833, Warde became the
first Sister of Mercy named by
McAuley.
is being discussed this summer
for reevaluation.
As of March 31, the cost for
Tobin said. A decade later, Warde came the new freshman dorm, now
Frances Warde was the to the United States and fur- known as Warde Hall, is $14.7
thered the Mercy mission, first
American founder of the Sis- million.
Students protest tire plant
everyone,” Miller said. “The issue of the tire plant
By JoEllen Marsh is the matter of life and death for all of us.”
Managing editor
Protesters stood near the road with pickets and
posters while many passing drivers honked to show
Students and faculty from Mercyhurst College their support, and a high school guitarist played
joined more than 50 other protesters to demon- power chords while Mercyhurst students chanted
strate against the proposed tire burning plant last “put your rubber somewhere else” and “save the
Friday. tires from the fires.”
The rally, organized by Mercyhurst professor The plant would burn 100,000 tires per day for
Keiko Miller, was held outside the Boys & Girls several decades, and release 23 chemicals including
Club of Erie near the proposed site of Erie Renew- carbon monoxide, mercury, zinc and dioxin, on a
able Energy’s future plant. daily basis.
“The spirit of the rally was extremely uplifting, For more information about the fight against the
not angry, because we knew it was meant to benefit tire burning plant, go to stopburningtires.com
Contributed photos
The children of Campus Minister Greg Baker (left) hold up a sign. Junior Jordan Zangaro, senior
Nicholas Thompson, senior Robbie Kennerney and junior Holly Hayward (right) protest the tire
burning plant.
Page 4 NEWS
Hayes’ lecture concludes
‘Beyond the Dream’ series
By Alaina Rydzewski
Staff writer
Throughout the school year,
Mercyhurst College has been
celebrating the life and legacy
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
in a series called “Beyond the
Dream: The Legacy and Chal-
Scoot Williams photo lenge of Dr. Martin Luther
Dr. Diana Hayes gave her lecture “From King to Obama: Black King, Jr.”
Catholics in the United States” on Thursday, April 30. To end the series, Mer-
cyhurst hosted Dr. Diana
Hayes, an associate professor
of Systematic Theology at
MSG approves new senate Georgetown University, on
Thursday, April 30, in Taylor
Senior Class: Junior Class: Little Theatre.
Bruno Didiano Neil Apfelbaum Approximately 65 people
Katarina Jovanovic Sarah Heuer attended this event.
The lecture commemo-
Charles Saylor Bryan Parker rated the 30th anniversary of
“Brothers and Sisters to Us,”
Sophomore Class: which is a pastoral letter on
Killian Bowe racism by the Catholic Bishop
Casey Christo of the United States.
Hayes’ lecture was titled
Andrew Mayher “From King to Obama: Black
Catholics in the United States”
Social Sciences: and addressed the role of
James Gallagher the Catholic Church in the
Civil Rights Movement and
Devin Ruic the continuing effort for racial
equality.
Arts and Humanities: It focused on King, Obama,
Jeremy Mando the Catholic Church and the
Caitlin Bridget Toms relationship they have with
society.
Education: “Hayes gave me an insight
to the diversity we may not
Vanlam Luu
Amber Schaefer
Food for Fines Campaign
Business:
James Brody Receive credit toward fines
Jovan Jovanovic at the Hammermill Library for a donation
Math and Natural Sciences:
of non-perishable food items
Lorraine Gentner Credit of $1 toward fines per donated item
Prabhat Kc
Donated items go to the Second Harvest Food Bank
see here at Mercyhurst in the
aspect of Catholicism,” junior
Cerissa Lynch said.
Hayes’ speech started by
reminiscing about King and
moving to Obama.
“Forty-five years ago, a man
went on stage and proclaimed
his dream. … The dream is
still alive; it has not died,”
Hayes said.
After relating King and
Obama, Hayes focused on the
Catholic Church and the “long
history of relationships” it has
with Africa.
She explained there have
been both negative and posi-
tive roles within the Church.
To emphasize her points,
she referenced the Bible often
and quoted numerous intel-
lectual figures.
“Can the time ever be
wrong to challenge discrimi-
nation?” Hayes questioned.
“My response to this,” she
said, “No, a resounding
no.”
Hayes then spoke about the
changing face of racism. She
said that racism is now con-
cealed and institutionalized.
“We are all guilty [of racism],
we are all innocent; the latter
is impossible, the former is a
reality,” Hayes said.
Hayes spoke about an array
of interconnected topics.
At Georgetown, Hayes
teaches a multitude of class-
May 6, 2009
es, but she spoke specifi-
cally about womanist theology
courses. These courses use
women’s stories to promote
participation in religion.
“Now is the time to make
real the promise of democracy.
… There is no time like the
present,” Hayes said to con-
clude her speech.
“Dr. Hayes’ presentation
was applicable to everything
that we are taught here at
Mercyhurst,” freshman Robin
McDonald said. “It was a
great experience well worth
attending.”
Hayes is the author of
five books and over 60
articles. She is currently
completing her sixth book,
called “Forged in the Fiery
Furnace: African American
Spirituality.”
Some of her other books
include “And Still We Rise:
An Introduction to Black
L i b e r a t i o n T h e o l o g y,”
“Trouble Don’t Last Al-
ways: Soul Prayers, Were
You There?” and “Stations
of the Cross.”
The “Beyond the Dream”
series, the Diocese of Erie,
the Sisters of Mercy of
Erie, Pax Christi U.S.A.,
Erie Benedictines for Peace
and the Sisters of St. Joseph
of Northwestern Pennsyl-
vania co-sponsored Hayes’
lecture.
May 6, 2009
Google shows news on a timeline
By Jenna Golden
Contributing writer
Google has again come up with a
new and innovating feature to the ever
popular search engine.
A new experimental project called
Google News Timeline was released last
Monday.
The experimental project showcases
news in a timeline fashion which has new
and old news stories, and it also makes it
very easy to view new trends or celebrity
gossip.
The timeline is projected so there are
news stories on the top in a calendar
fashion featuring each day.
If the reader is interested in a particular
day, he or she can simply keep scrolling
to show just news from that day.
It also includes Time magazine covers
so that it is easier to see events and
articles.
The Google News Timeline also
features stories from Google News as
well as newspapers, magazines, sports,
blogs and music and movies.
Students one year away from Dungarvan
By Carolyn Carlins
Contributing writer
For 26 students and about five faculty
members, spring term next year will begin
on March 8 in Dungarvan, Ireland.
These students will be taking
courses that fulfill core requirements
in humanities, ethics, behavioral/social
sciences and world perspectives.
The opportunity to study a term abroad
in Dungarvan provides a wonderful way
for students to experience culture and
continue education.
Each of the students going on the trip
submitted a study abroad application
which was reviewed with three issues
given priority: students who will be
juniors in the upcoming year; able to
return to Mercyhurst for a final year to
discuss their experiences; and very strong
FEATURES
Google News Timeline’s layout is simple and easy to follow.
Users can search for news from a specific date, subject or key
word, or through Time magazine archives or Wikipedia events.
Since the phenomenon is so new, not
many students at Mercyhurst have heard
of it.
“I had never heard of Google News
Timeline prior to this, but from the small
amount of time I have used it, I really like
students who would benefit most from
this study abroad experience.
For sophomore Melissa Kirwin, the
opportunity to study abroad was too
good to pass up.
“I decided to apply because I have
been looking for an opportunity to
study abroad that would not interfere
too dramatically with my life and classes
and that also would not break the bank,”
Kirwin said.
Sophomore Cherie Jackson said she
decided to apply because of her desire
to study abroad, especially in a locale that
offers a number of opportunities.
She said she expects to enjoy exploring
the culture of Dungarvan.
“I love to travel and I have a good
friend from Ireland and I’ve always love
to visit his homeland. It seems like it will
be a memorable experience,” Jackson
said.
newstimeline.googlelabs.com photo
it. It is very user savvy for visual learners
and also research types in general. Its
capacity to connect specific answer types
is refreshing and addictive,” junior Billy
Cundiff said.
“I think I will be using it more for my
While the students are in Ireland, they
will also have ample opportunities to take
advantage of their surroundings.
Classes will be held only four days
a week, and in the many three-day
weekends the students will have the
ability to travel and see what interests
them.
Dr. Heidi Hosey, Director of the
Faculty Led Study Abroad Trips Program,
said that because Dungarvan is nestled
on the coast in south Ireland, it will be
easy to travel.
There are ample ways to get to buses,
trains and ferries that can take a person
anywhere in the country, the United
Kingdom or Western Europe in just a
few hours.
“I have other friends studying abroad
in the spring so I hope to meet up with
them and share some of their experiences
in a different country,” Kirwin said.
Page 5
art endeavors more than anything else. I
can see it helping me research ideas and
lines of thought from those ideas much
more easily,” he said.
Senior Shannon Farrell agreed.
“I never knew about this before. I
would look into using it. I usually just
use CNN for quick news updates. If I
had the Google News Timeline I would
definitely read more news,” Farrell said.
“It’s hard in the middle of the day
to actually sit down and read, but I use
Google all the time. So if Google uses
this as sort of their main page or a feature
like that I could learn a lot more of what
is going on in the world. Basically I think
its really cool and a unique way to deliver
news,” Farrell said.
Google does not plan to make any type
of a profit from this new feature, but will
eventually charge for advertisements if
all goes as planned.
It is expected that the Google
News Timeline will give some news
organizations a run for the money
because of its unique features.
Check out Google News Timeline at
newstimeline.googlelabs.com.
She said she is excited about visiting
France.
“We are going on a five-day trip to
France, and may have other opportunities
to visit England, Spain, and Italy as well,”
Kirwin said.
Freshman Monica Gehring also
expects the trip to offer amazing
opportunities.
“I want to have an open mind and
experience the culture,” Gehring said.
Hosey believes the trip will be a unique
and rewarding experience.
“What’s cool here is that the students
will be living and learning in the real
Ireland, not some place that looks pretty
much like any city in the U.S. We’ll know
we’re in Ireland and no place other than
Ireland—which seems like a strange
thing to say, but that is getting harder
and harder to find in globalized Europe
in the 21st century,” Hosey said.
Page 6
Comm. campaigns ‘Think Green’
Seniors showcase green companies for final project
By Ashley Brudy
Contributing writer
On Tuesday, May 12, from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Student
Union will be the site of the
4th annual Communication
Campaigns Tradeshow.
This year, business and
communication students were
given the eco-friendly task of
creating a green company.
“Think Green” will
showcase eight companies
ranging from INGEO a green,
Lunch $ 5
Dinner $ 5.50
M Caesar Salad
T Steel City Sandwich
W Chicken Quesadilla
TH Gen. Tso’s Chicken
F Portabella & Red Pepper Wrap
S BBQ Bacon Cheeseurger
S Meatball Sub
M Meat Ravioli
T Two Slices of Pizza
W Home Style Potato Bowl
TH Sizzle Salad
F Chicken Patty
S Chicken Finger Sub
organic restaurant, to Nature’s
Greenings, a greeting card
company with “plantable”
cards.
Senior Matt Musial, co-
founder of INGEO, said he is
looking forward to introducing
his company at the tradeshow.
“Based out of California, it
is important for our restaurant
to test its product and brand…
and what better opportunity
than in Erie, Pa.,” Musial said.
The first tradeshow was
created in 2006 as a capstone
project to showcase, highlight
Lunch $ 5
Dinner $ 5.50
6” Sub $4 Combo $5
12” Sub $5.75 Combo $6.75
Wrap Combo- Veggie $5
Other Wraps $4
Make any sub a wrap for
no extra charge!
FEATURES
and apply what communication
and business students have
learned in their classes.
The show has progressed
from a simple student
project to a community-wide
event with media coverage,
networking opportunities,
prizes and excitement.
Senior Casey Bertolette, a
participant in last year’s class,
said she is excited for the 2009
tradeshow.
“With current environmental
issues in the world, it will be
interesting to see how the
11:30 a.m. -8 p.m.
Lunch $ 5
Dinner $ 5.50
students incorporate green
initiatives while creating their
companies. With so many
green ideas already in the
business world, I’m curious
to see what they’ve come up
with,” Bertolette said.
“Being a part of the
tradeshow and creating our
company, Nature’s Greenings,
has been a great learning
experience and also really
fun,” senior Hayley O’Hare,
a participant in this year’s
tradeshow, said.
“I am excited to see the
Broccoli & Cheddar Bites
May 6, 2009
final product of everyone’s
hard work and think that
everyone should come see
what the communication and
business students are capable
of creating,” O’Hare said.
Everyone is welcome to
attend “Think Green.”
Guests will receive three
tokens at the door in order to
vote for their favorite green
company.
At the end of the show,
tokens will be counted to see
what company is awarded “fan
favorite.”
May 6, 2009
FSATs: from Greece to Galapagos
By Liz Maier
Staff writer
Imagine walking through the stadium
where the Olympic Games were first held,
exploring the ancient Egyptian pyramids
or charting the clear, blue waters of the
Galapagos Islands.
Eighty-three Mercyhurst College
students enrolled in the Faculty-led Study
Abroad Trip (FSAT) Program will make
this picturesque dream into a reality May
25 through June 8.
Director of FSAT at the ’Hurst Dr.
Heidi Hosey said a total of 93 professors,
chaperones and students will travel in three
separate groups to Egypt, Ecuador/the
Galapagos Islands and Italy/Greece for
two-week tours coordinated by Education
First, Educational Tours.
Like the tour company’s name, students
were required to take a college course
during the spring term.
Each course fulfilled a core requirement
or could have been taken as an elective.
Junior Karla Vogt is taking an FSAT
course in Western Philosophy.
“I really enjoy our class because it allows
me to learn about a culture that I would
never have otherwise explored,” she said.
Some other FSAT classes students are
taking are Christianity in Europe, Middle
Eastern Literature, Global Leadership,
Biodiversity, Comparative Psychology
and History of the Modern Middle East.
Mercyhurst students enjoy a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.
FEATURES Page 7
Dr. Heidi Hosey teaches the course on
Middle Eastern Literature.
She said she enjoys the group of
students in her class.
“They are really an incredible bunch of
students – smart, curious, sensitive. And
they have such a great sense of humor,”
she said.
Hosey is leading her Middle Eastern
Literature class on the trip to Cairo,
Egypt.
Other professors on the Egypt trip
include Dr. Joanne McGurk, Business
Dean Jim Breckenridge and Mrs. Missy
Breckenridge.
“This is a trip of a lifetime, and I think
we [as a class] are all seeing it that way
and looking forward to sharing it!” Hosey
said.
Excited about the trip to Cairo, senior
Pat Silvis said, “I’m looking forward to
trying Egyptian food and riding a camel!” Contributed photo
Dr. James Snyder and professor Daniel Last year, Mercyhurst students took a trip to Japan. Senior
McFee are leading the FSAT trip to Italy Courtney Drennen is shown here with people she met there.
and Greece.
“I am looking forward to seeing a whole several sight-seeing spots. climate where time doesn’t matter so
different way of life – a lifestyle that we Chaperoning the Ecaudor/Galapagos much. Tortoises don’t seem to hurry, or
don’t get to experience every day,” junior Trip is Dr. Ruth Auld. worry too much and they live a long, long
Kati Tompkins said. “We will be visiting a volcano, and time,” Auld added.
Students traveling to Italy and Greece seeing all manner of unusual living things,” “I am also looking forward to watching
will be visiting historical sites such as the she said. the students come out of their “technology
Sistine Chapel, Parthenon, Saint Peter’s “I am looking forward to being in a shells!”
Basilica, the Acropolis and more.
Unlike the European trip, students,
chaperones and professors traveling to
Ecuador/Galapagos Islands will be visit
Word of the Week
Expanding your vocabulary
one word at a time
Bromance:
noun. Describes the complicated
love and affection shared by two
straight males.
In a sentence: “My boyfriend is
off for some bromance with his
best mate tonight...”
urbandictionary.com
Contributed photo
Page 8
Dance department rocked ‘Giselle’
By Sarah Mastrocola
Staff writer
Last weekend the Mercyhurst
College dance department per-
formed the famous romantic ballet
“Giselle” at the Mary D’Angelo
Performing Arts Center (PAC).
The audience for the Saturday,
May 2, matinee performance
was fairly small; the audiences
for the Saturday, May 2, night
and Sunday, May 3, shows were
sizeable, however, and the danc-
ers received standing ovations at
both of these performances.
Overall, the comments from
audience members were very
positive. “This was by far the
best ballet that I have seen per-
formed here, and I have seen
probably about five or six dif-
ferent dance performances at
Mercyhurst so far,” sophomore
Bethany Brun, who attended
the Sunday show, said.
“I was extremely impressed
with how professional the pro-
duction was. I knew that Mercy-
hurst has a very respected dance
department but never realized
the immense talent of our danc-
ers,” sophomore Austin Alm-
endarez said.
The one complaint among
viewers was that the plot of
Art majors, professors travel to art gallery
By Tyler Stauffer
Staff writer
On Friday, May 1, the art
department, seven professors
and 35 students of various art
majors took a trip to Buffalo
to view the exhibit “Action/
Abstraction: Pollock, de Koon-
ing, and American Art, 1940-
1976,” at the Albright Knox Art
Gallery.
The exhibit, organized by
Seniors were sad to close a chapter of their dancing careers.
the ballet was difficult to grasp
without outside explanation.
“I really liked the first act,
but I found the second act to be
somewhat confusing. I wasn’t
exactly sure of what was going
on,” freshman Tara Heade said,
who attended the Sunday per-
formance. “The sets were abso-
lutely gorgeous, though,” Heade
added.
“I really liked the graveyard scene
and the concept of the dancers danc-
ing the men to death, once I under-
stood that that was what was going
on,” freshman Nikki Zeak said.
This weekend’s performance
was an especially poignant
moment for the 10 seniors of
the dance department, as this was
their last show with the Mercy-
hurst dancers.
“I was excited to see how the
show pulled together. It was a
pleasure to work with peers and
faculty, making my last memories
the Albright Knox Art Gallery
with The Jewish Museum of
New York and the St. Lewis Art
Museum, reexamined the time
period 1940-1976 through the
understandings of two top art
critics: Harold Rosenberg and
Clement Greenberg.
During the Cold War, Rosen-
berg stressed action—his idea
was of the creative, physical act
of making art, which disputed
Greenberg’s idea of abstrac-
tion—the formal purity of the
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Tyler Stauffer photo
on the PAC stage unforgettable,”
senior Sarah Klock said.
“It was very sad to end this amaz-
ing chapter of our lives. Working
with such a wonderful group of
people and getting to perform
with them is what I will miss the
most about leaving school,” fellow
senior Caitlin Roberts said.
‘Giselle’ was put on at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center this past weekend.
art object.
These two ideas of art are
expressed within the collection
that is on display at the gal-
lery consisting of artists’ work
such as Jackson Pollock, Hans
Hofmann, Clyfford Still, Jasper
Johns and 28 others.
Allen Kaprow’s interactive
piece “Words” epitomized both
Rosenberg’s and Greenberg’s
precepts.
“I liked the word room
because it was interactive, full
May 6, 2009
Tyler stauffer photo
Audience members thoroughly enjoyed the performance by
the Mercyhurst College dance department.
Tyler Stauffer photo
of words and intricacy,” sopho- well as whimsically intricate. The
more Samantha Williams said. historically thought-provoking
The piece contained various art signified the aesthetics of
magnets that could be rear- Natural Abstraction,” sopho-
ranged to make sayings, along more graphic design major Ryan
with a room to leave notes about Lanzel said.
the piece. The exhibition is on display
The collection is for all art through Wednesday, June 10.
tastes, from interactive work to For more information on how
paintings, sculptures, photogra- to get tickets or exhibit infor-
phy and drawings. mation, call the gallery at (716)
“The Action/Abstraction 882-8700, or visit the website at
Installment in the Albright www.albrightknox.org/geninfo.
Knox was visually appetizing as html.
May 6, 2009
Unknown artists from K to R showcased
By Casey Harvilla
Staff writer
K is for…Kate and Kacey
Coppola & Kyler England.
 Kate and Kacey Cop-
pola, twin sisters, have taken the
country music world by storm.
Their harmonies set them apart
from other country acts. The
fact they’re identical twins with
opposite personalities also plays
a part in their songwriting pro-
cess, because it allows them to
write from two perspectives but
combine overall thoughts. Their
debut album, “Kate and Kacey,”
is available online.
 Kyler England grew up
in North Carolina and studied at
the Berklee College of Music in
Boston. She credits her South-
ern upbringing and experience
at Berklee with making her a
better songwriter, writing songs
with just the right amount of
depth and catchiness. England’s
latest album, “Simple Machine,”
spans alt-country, pop-elec-
tronica and singer-songwriter
genres, making it interesting and
relevant to all fans.
L is for…Love and Theft &
Lansdowne.
 Love and Theft is made
Pretty and Nice’s debut album has 10 tracks, which all have lyrics leaving listeners intrigued.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
up of Stephen Barker Lile,
Brian Bandas and Eric Gunder-
son. The band members met
through a mutual friend in
Nashville. They all take lead
vocals and harmonies to a new
level. They just released their
debut single, “Runaway,” and
their debut album is due out
later this year.
 Lansdowne is a Boston-
based trio that formed in 2006.
The members of Lansdowne,
including Jon Ricci, Shaun Lich-
tenstein and Tom Sargent, list
their influences as the Goo
Goo Dolls, The Police and Jeff
Buckley. Their pure rock sound
is made even stronger by their
energetic live shows.
M is for…Matt York & My
Favorite Highway.
 Matt York is not just
another singer/songwriter.
After three years and over 750
shows promoting his debut
album, York sought refuge in
a Toronto recording studio to
rekindle his passion for song-
writing. Six months later, York
recorded eleven new tracks and
released his sophomore effort,
“Mine.” York is currently tour-
ing across Canada and the
United States in support of his
album.
 My Favorite Highway was
formed by Dave Cook and his
cousin, Will, in 2005. In 2006,
they rounded out the band,
adding Bobby Morgenthaler on
drums and Pat Jenkins on guitar,
released an EP and toured for
support. While touring, the
band wrote and recorded their
latest album, “How To Call A
Bluff,” which is available for
download on iTunes.
N is for…Natascha Sohl &
New Year’s Day.
 Natascha Sohl was born in
Paris and studied at the Academy
of Contemporary Music, where
she earned a degree in vocal
performance. In 2004, she was
touring the UK as a solo artist
when she caught the attention
of several independent labels.
She signed with Granite Music
soon after and began working
on her sophomore album. The
first single, “Naked,” was fea-
tured on MTV’s “The Hills.”
 New Year’s Day formed in
2005 when bassist Adam Lohr-
bach joined forces with singer
Ashley Hittesdorf, keyboardist
Keith Drover, guitarist Mike
Schoolden and drummer Russel
Dixon. Although the dawn of
female-fronted bands is upon
us, New Year’s Day offers a
Decider.com photo
different sound, which earned
them early support from Fall
Out Boy. Their debut album,
“My Dear,” is available now.
O is for…Oval Opus &
Owen Beverly.
 Cincinnati-based Oval
Opus started out in 1997, while
the band members were stu-
dents at Miami University. In
2000, after touring around the
east coast, Oval Opus landed
opening spots for Guster and
Sister Hazel. These open-
ing gigs earned the band great
respect and led to the very suc-
cessful release of their sopho-
more album. They released their
latest self-titled album in 2006
and performed on The Rock
Boat in 2007.
 Owen Beverly attended
the College of Charleston in
South Carolina. Beverly entered
a severe state of writer’s block
after finishing school, leading
him to rethink a career in music.
His song, “Drunk Lover,” ended
up changing all of that. The
song became his first single and
the name of his debut EP. He is
currently touring in support of
his full-length album, “Shooting
The Bull.”
P is for…Parachute &
Pretty and Nice.
 Parachute is a five-piece
band, which is made up of Will
Anderson, Johnny Stubble-
field, Kit French, Nate McFar-
land and Alex Hargrave, that
describes their sound as acous-
tic-driven pop/rock. Their first
single, “She Is Love,” is featured
in current Nivea commercials.
Parachute’s debut album is due
out in May 2009.
 Pretty & Nice is made
up of Holden Lewis, Jeremy
Mendicino and Bobby Landry.
Their debut full-length album,
“Get Young,” includes 10 tracks
with clever hooks and mysteri-
ous lyrics that leave the listener
laughing yet intrigued. It’s one
of those albums that you have
Page 9
to listen to all the way through
to really hear.
Q is for…Quiet Company
& Quinzy.
 Quiet Company is
fronted by Taylor Muse, former
lead singer of Eisley. Quiet
Company’s piano-driven indie
pop/rock made for a successful
debut album in 2006. The band
focused on touring in support
of the album for over a year,
then decided to get back into
writing. They recently released
“Everyone You Love Will Be
Happy Soon.” The album is
available at www.quietcompany-
music.com.
 Quinzy is a powerpop
quartet made up of two pairs
of brothers, David and Jason
Pankratz and Sandy and James
Taronno. After their debut
release in 2005, critics described
their sound as “Weezer meets
the Beatles, then goes out for
drinks with Ben Folds Five and
crashes at Wilco’s place.” Their
newest release, “These Nautical
Miles,” is available now.
R is for…Razorlight &
Rocco DeLuca and The
Burden.
 Razorlight was started
in London in 2002 by singer
Johnny Borrell and guitar-
ist Björn Ågnen. Borrell and
Ågnen met up with bassist Carl
Dalemo and drummer Andy
Burrows, rounding out the rock
quartet. Razorlight released
albums in 2004 and 2006, both
of which were certified triple
platinum in the UK. Their third
and most recent album, “Slip-
way Fires,” is available now.
 Rocco DeLuca and The
Burden are a four-piece band out
of California. In 2006, the band
was signed to the Ironworks
Music label, which is co-owned
by Kiefer Sutherland, and released
their debut album the same year.
In early 2009, Rocco DeLuca and
The Burden released their sopho-
more effort, “Mercy.”
Page 10
Guelcher Film Series plays ‘Wendy and Lucy’
By Kyle King
A & E editor
As part of its award-win-
ning Guelcher Film Series, the
Mary D’Angelo Performing
Arts Center will screen the film
“Wendy and Lucy” on Wednes-
day, May 6, at 2:15 p.m. and 8
p.m.
“Wendy and Lucy” stars
Michelle Williams (“Brokeback
Mountain,” “I’m Not There”)
as Wendy Carroll, a down-on-
her-luck blue-collar worker
hoping to start over again
working at the Northwestern
Fish cannery in Ketchikan,
Alaska. Her only companion is
her dog, Lucy.
Unfortunately, her car breaks
down in Oregon and the duo
are stranded.
Wendy’s economic state
slowly unravels and her situa-
tion becomes more and more
desperate.
The companionship between
Wendy and Lucy is put to the
test as Wendy turns to strang-
ers for assistance.
The film is especially poi-
gnant considering the nation’s
economic crisis. Director
Kelly Reichardt, whose film
on liberal masculinity, “Old
Joy,” won a Tiger Award at
the 2007 Rotterdam Festival,
explores what it means to be
a decent human being and
how far one’s limits can be
Auditions for “The Day Boy and the Night Girl” opera
Auditions:
-Held in Walker Recital Hall on
Friday, May 8 from 4:40 to 8 p.m.
-Sign up for one 10 minute slot in
the hall of the music department.
-Come prepared with one
memorized song in English.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
pac.mercyhurst.edu
Meryl Streep was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for
her role in ‘Doubt.’ It will be screened June 3.
stretched before reaching a adults, $4 for senior citizens
breaking point. and students and $3 for Presi-
As Manolha Dargis of The dent’s Card holders.
New York Times wrote, “With Tickets are free for Mercy-
uninflected realism, an attentive hurst students with student ID.
camera and no weeping strings, The Guelcher Film Series
Ms. Reichardt makes palpably, will screen films at 2:15 and 8
tragically real what it means to p.m. on Wednesdays through
be struggling at the very edge the end of school and into
of the economic abyss. ‘Wendy
and Lucy’ is political to the
bone but without any of the
summer vacation.
Mickey Rourke stars in Darren
Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler” on
usual political grandstanding.” May 13. “Frozen River” will
The storyline is comple- play May 20. The documentary
mented by an engaging Pacific “Stranded” will screen May 27.
Northwestern pastoral land- Meryl Streep and Philip Sey-
scape. mour Hoffman star in June 3’s
Tickets for “Wendy and “Doubt.” This year’s Series is
Lucy” can be obtained at the rounded out with “Moscow,
PAC Box Office and are $5 for Belgium” on June 10.
Master Class:
-Composer Jordan Farrar will
be discussing the opera in
D’Angelo room 19 on May 7.
-Presented through the After
Dinner Opera Company, which
is in residence at Mercyhurst.
May 6, 2009
pac.mercyhurst.edu
Michelle Williams (‘Brokeback Mountain’) stars as Wenday
Carroll, a hard-luck blue-collar worker in ‘Wendy and Lucy.’
DOWNLOAD
Mathew Kearney “Closer to Love” POP/ROCK
“If every building falls / And all the stars fade
/ We’ll still be singing this song / The one
they can’t take away.” Kearney’s sophomore
album, “City of Black & White,” comes out on
Tuesday, May 19. His music is heartfelt while
incorporating modern day edgy rap.
Jentri Colello “Cannonballs” FOLK
“Cannonballs” is Colello’s first EP and com-
bines older artists such as Neil Young with
newer artists such as Cat Power to form a
unique style. Her music is also a combina-
tion of modern rock and indie rock. The debut
EP, “Birds of Prey, will be released on Saturday, July 11.
Razorlight “Hostage of Love” INDIE ROCK
The band has released three albums,
the most recent of which is called
“Slipway Fires,” and features the song
“Hostage of Love.” “You make yourself
a prisoner of me / You blind yourself so
you don’t have to see / You turn your
life to a power above / You make yourself
a hostage of love.” These lyrics are not only compelling
but flow together well.
May 6, 2009
The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercyhurst College, the staff of The Merciad
or the Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be e-mailed to opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.
Professor speaks out about elimination of major
Why the college may have made a huge mistake by removing Marriage & Family Studies
The
Inbox:
Where readers
share their
thoughts.
I am truly saddened by the
administration’s decision to
close the Marriage & Family
Studies program and believe it
is short-sighted.
I was recruited by the
department eight years ago to
strengthen the undergraduate
program and create a graduate
program in Marriage & Family
Therapy.
Marriage & Family Studies on
an undergraduate level is unique
in the tri-state area and, being an
institution of higher-education
with a Catholic vision, locating
the program here seemed per-
fect.
Two weeks ago, I was told the
reason for phasing out the Mar-
riage & Family Studies program
was our overall numbers. It
cannot be our overall numbers
of majors and minors. We have
47 students but, if the admin-
istration was referring to our
recruitment numbers, from my
perspective they would change
as the discipline continued
to mature and become better
known.
I think these numbers are
falsely interpreted as indicative
of a weak program.
Undergraduates discover our
major after exploring various
options at Mercyhurst and our
numbers of majors and minors
tell the story of a vibrant pro-
gram. So, why the
confusion? When
admissions goes
to sell Mercyhurst
to prospective
students, Psychol-
ogy, Sociology and
Social Work have
name recognition
and a long-stand-
ing identity, while
Marriage & Family
Studies is a new
discipline in the
social sciences.
If a graduate program in
Marriage & Family Therapy had
been developed, as originally
intended, name recognition on
an undergraduate level would
have crystallized more quickly. I
think the more prominent issue
for the administration was pro-
gram redundancy; the adminis-
tration saw program offerings in
Social Work and our Marriage &
Family Studies program as simi-
lar.
In my opinion, the notion of
redundancy is a misnomer, as
there is little room for electives
in the Social Work major.
In keeping with the research
on this generation of milleni-
als and a liberal arts tradition,
our Marriage & Family Studies
majors are encouraged to pull
from many disciplines related
to the social sciences. This is
done to build their expertise
and competence base beyond
one view and make our gradu-
ates more marketable.
We have majors with a back-
ground in Criminal Justice,
Psychology, Education and Art
Therapy. Our minors include
not only those mentioned but
Religious Studies, Special Edu-
cation and Dance.
Now this begs a question as
to why would the administration
choose to close this program? It
OPINION Page 11
is progressive, developmentally our students exude in the field. been known by many names
sensitive and fits the milennial
trends of new and current stu-
dents. Could it be it has been
This is partially due to the ser-
vice learning requirement each
student must fulfill for each and
through the years: “human
ecology majors,” “family ecol-
ogy majors” and fairly recently
a threat to the other social sci- every major course in Marriage as “marriage & family studies”
ence programs, i.e. Social Work? & Family Studies.” majors.
The number of Social Work Whether through service Regardless of the administra-
majors recruited each year is learning or the Human Services tion’s decision to conclude this
not much more than our sparse
recruitment numbers. But, I
Club, our students have contrib-
uted tirelessly with little recog-
program, the legacy started by
Ms. Ondrejcak some 27 years
would argue in comparison to nition and I can only imagine ago will remain. All are to be
Marriage & Family Studies, the
actual number of students that
what service learning will look
like at this institution without
commended.
It is never too late for the
discover Social Work after arriv- our majors leading the way. Our administration to reconsider
ing or are retained in the major students and graduates have their decision.
pales by comparison.
In the eight years since Ms.
Ondrejcak and the Family and
Consumer Sciences Department
(now defunct) recruited me, we
have seen great strides by our
students being accepted and
completing graduate degrees in
Marriage & Family Therapy. If you don’t want it printed . . . don’t let it happen.
Some of the recent Mercy- Editors Positions @mercyhurst.edu
hurst graduates are now or soon Casey Greene Editor-in-Chief editormerciad
to be alumni from the Univer- JoEllen Marsh Managing Editor mgeditormerciad
sity of Connecticut, Virginia Amanda Valauri News Editor newsmerciad
Tech, the University of Mis- Javi Cubillos Features Editor featuremerciad
souri and NOVA Southeastern Heather Donovan Opinion Editor opinionmerciad
of Florida. Many local graduate Brad Moehringer Sports Editor sportsmerciad
school programs such as those Sam Sellinger Sports Editor sportsmerciad
at Edinboro University, Gannon Kyle King A&E entertainmentmerciad
University, the University of Scoot Williams Photographer photomerciad
Akron, John Carroll University, Tyler Stauffer Photographer photomerciad
Youngstown State College and Caitlin Bly Advertising Manager admerciad
Indiana University of Pennsyl- Gretchen Yori Copy Editor copymerciad
vania have many Mercyhurst Ashley Pastor General Assignment apasto22
graduates from our program as Bill Welch Adviser wwelch
well, in fields beyond our own Brian Sheridan Adviser bsheridan
including community counsel-
ing, counseling psychology,
The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst
clinical psychology, school psy- College. It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of
chology, art therapy and social
finals weeks. Our office is in Hirt, Room 120B. Our telephone number is
work.
These strides are not limited
)(814) 824-2376.
to going to graduate school, but
also include making major con- The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed
tributions to social service agen- and names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the
cies locally and nationally.
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I receive positive feedback are due Mondays. by noon and may not be more than 300 words. Submit
from employers about the pro-
fessionalism and confidence
letters to box PH 485 or via e-mail at opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.
Page 12
Alternatives to hypocritical politics
By Thomas Kubica
Contributing writer
Albert Einstein said, “Insan-
ity is doing the same thing over
and over again while expecting
different results.”
This is the best explanation
for modern politics.
The Democratic and Repub-
lican parties have monopolized
our government while citizens
of the United States go at each
other’s throats daily.
As a new president from the
opposing party goes into office
after eight years of failure,
broken promises and distrust,
we fail to see any real “change.”
Both parties are blinded by
their hypocritical ideologies;
Democrats base their platform
on opposing unconstitutional
wars, supporting personal free-
doms such as women’s rights,
gay rights and separation of
church and state, and claim to
oppose unconstitutional bills
such as the Patriot Act.
While they make a strong
front for personal freedoms,
they are anything but strong for
economic freedom for individu-
als while imposing increasingly
progressive taxes and the belief
that “wealth redistribution” is
noble. French political philoso-
pher Frederic Bastiat said it best,
“The state is the great fiction by
which everybody tries to live at
the expense of everybody else.”
On the other hand, Republi-
cans claim to base their platform
on economic liberty while failing
to be proponents of individual
liberty. Rather than operating as
a principled political organiza-
tion, the Republican Party has
turned into to an overgrown
club for the nation’s evangelicals
who look to infest the globe
with military presence without
considering repercussions or
blowback of their actions.
Both parties are outright hyp-
ocritical and do not realize eco-
nomic freedom and individual
freedom are one and the same.
After President Clinton
policed U.S. troops around the
world, President Bush based
his 2000 campaign on a non-
interventionist foreign policy.
He said, “I am not so sure the
role of the U.S. should be to go
to other nations and tell them
to ‘do it this way.” Well, we saw
how sincere he was.
While the Republican Party
claims to be a party support-
ing low taxes and small govern-
ment, the Department of Edu-
cation doubled in size, the levia-
than Department of Homeland
Security was created, govern-
ment medical programs greatly
expanded, federal spending
increased faster than in 30 years,
the national debt increased
“
more than under any presi-
dent in American history
and a $700 billion “bailout”
was passed.
How can you be a party of
low taxes and small govern-
ment when you take action
resulting in the opposite?
On the same note: Demo-
crats love to point out the
loss of liberties Americans
have endured under the “con-
servative” Bush Administration.
But the same Democrats voted
into office are the same who
unanimously gave President
Bush the power to do “whatever
he deemed necessary” his entire
term.
Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm
Emanuel even has an outline of
a mandatory youth service corps
for Americans between the age
of 18 and 25, which is just a
step closer towards a national
draft and slavery to the state.
There might be a difference in
the two parties’ supporters, but is
there actually a big difference in
whom the supporters vote for?
All the while, these two parties
continually fail America by with
a failed war on drugs, increas-
ing national debt with deranged
OPINION
government spending, increas-
ing military presence overseas
and enlarging the size of our
bureaucracy, while restricting
personal freedom and taking
our country farther away from
our Founding Fathers’ ideals.
The third largest party in the
United States is not even men-
tioned: the Libertarian Party.
Republicans and Democrats
alike have claimed our current
financial crisis came out of
nowhere and couldn’t have been
prevented. While Bush Repub-
licans come up with excuses
for the failure of our economy,
Democrats find it a perfect time
to attack the evil “free market”
and try to convince the Ameri-
can people that Socialism can
save us.
The truth is these current
However, Libertarians
do not believe they
have the right to force
their moral codes on
”
other Americans...
Thomas Kubica
financial woes have nothing to
do with the “free market;” it is
impossible considering we have
not even actually had a free
market in decades.
The media and politicians fail
to mention where the root of
this disaster actually came from.
You rarely hear the policies of
the FED were actually the cata-
lyst to the economic troubles we
face.
Surprisingly enough, Republi-
cans and Democrats fail to real-
ize Libertarian political and Lib-
ertarian economic thought (The
Austrian School of Economics)
have been predicting this crisis
for years. Despite Libertar-
ians spot-on prophecies, oddly
enough the government contin-
ues their bad habits and ignores
Libertarian politics and The
Austrian School of Economic’s
SeptemberMay 6, 2009
3, 2008
train of thought. As far as social
issues go, Christians have strong
moral beliefs opposing homo-
sexual acts and abortion.
However, Libertarians do
not believe they have the right
to force their moral codes on
other Americans at the point of The beautiful tulips
a bayonet or through the abused recently planted in Garvey
powers of government. Park make trips around
As a Libertarian, I do not campus all the more enjoy-
have to agree with other peo- able.
ple’s lifestyles, but I do toler-
ate them. What takes place in Campus is bustling with
other people’s lives, whether it pre-final jitters while seniors
is homosexuality or the recre- are putting the final touches
ational use of marijuana, is no on their capstone projects.
more my business than it should All will be relieved in a mat-
be the government’s.
ter of days.
Morality should not be in the
hands of the government (espe-
cially the federal government) as
long as it is not violating some-
one else’s natural rights.
Libertarianism is a limited
moral philosophy denounc-
ing aggression against person
and property, but holds no
Although SAC nailed
ethical position on numerous
down Third Eye Blind as
other positions.
the best band to perform
Before any true change or
at springfest in years, the
progress can take place in
no-guest-ticket policy put a
America, we as individuals must
damper on many students’
change and understand the
plans.
moral, economic and political
necessities of throwing off the
chains of big government and
Social Democracy. These chains
have shackled us into an unsus-
tainable entitlement system,
corporatist bailouts, immoral
wars on foreigners, an immoral
war on those who partake in
drugs, a ferocious business cycle
Overflowing toilets in
unleashing havoc on the Ameri-
the basement of the Hirt
can populace and in general a
building made Tuesday
War on Liberty.
af ter noon the s ti nk y
In the coming months,
scene to send stressed-out
Americans will either choose
students over the edge. This
to affirm the path we are on
stench seems to rear its ugly
towards authoritarianism or
head every so often.
we can embrace liberty, peace
and property under the aegis
Please e-mail any suggestions to
of freedom.
opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.
I’m a Libertarian because
The GB&U is a compilation of
I believe in freedom…Why
student opinions.
aren’t you?
Men’s Lacrosse.................................................. May 2, W 6-5, NYIT
Tullio Field scheduled for makeover
Tullio Field will be revamped this summer with the replacement
of the 10-year-old Astroturf. Mercyhurst College is installing Field
Turf Duraspine. It is worth the $500,000 because it will reduce inju-
ries to the players. Football, lacrosse and field hockey will play on
the new surface. Installation is scheduled to begin on May 26 and
should be completed by late July, a month before the fall season
begins.
Women’s lax seeded No.3 in NCAA Tournament
No.5 women’s lacrosse was selected as the No. 3 seed in the upcom-
ing NCAA Division II tournament. They earned their first NCAA
New AD looks to fresh future
selection after winning a program-record 14 games this season. The By Katie Waldin
Lakers will play Lock Haven University on Saturday, May 9, at Lock
Staff writer
Haven.
The Mercyhurst College
Athletic Department will see a
major change as the administra-
tion in the athletic department
changes next year.
Next year, former Mercy-
hurst Football coach Joe Kim-
ball (from 1993-2002) will take
over the position of Head Ath-
letic Director at Mercyhurst.
Former Athletic Director
Craig Barnett resigned from the
Jason LaShomb- Men’s Lacrosse position earlier this year.
Senior goalkeeper Jason LaShomb was named the East Coast Con- The administration then
ference Goalkeeper of the Week for the second consecutive week appointed Aaron Kemp as a
with the Lakers’ victory over NYIT holding NYIT to their lowest temporary athletic director for
single-game total of the year since 2004. This is the fourth time of the duration of the 2008-2009
the year LaShomb has received this honor. LaShomb wrapped up school year.
his Mercyhurst College career with 50 games. He went 34-9 with a With the addition of Kimball
.612 save percentage and a 6.44 goals against average. He also holds to the Mercyhurst family, Kemp
several program records. has been promoted to the Asso-
ciate Athletic Director and
Tyler Bidwell- Men’s Golf Director of Compliance, where
Junior Tyler Bidwell finished the first round of the 2009 he will work alongside Kimball
East/Atlantic Regional Men’s Golf Tournament in a tie for 30th to unite and improve the group
place out of 108 competitors. He shot a 79 for the first round, of impressive athletes that Mer-
which ties him at fourth out of the 17 golfers from the Pennsylvania cyhurst is producing.
State Athletic Conference who are competing in the tournament. With new athletic administra-
tion, Mercyhurst will see many
changes over the course of the
year.
Kimball said he is not look-
ing to come in and change all
of the traditions and things that
are going well with the athletic
“
Athletics is in our
”
family and our blood
Joe Kimball
department. He said he wants
to come in and find solutions
to the problems that are in exis-
tence now.
“It is a big mistake to think
you can come in and say we
should do this and that to make
the program better, especially to
people who have already been
working in the department,”
Kimball said.
“It is too early for any changes
to occur, the answers to the cur-
rent problems will come from
within the department,” said
Kimball.
For the past seven years, Kim-
ball worked in a variety of posi-
tions for the City of Erie School
District.
Working within in the school
district gave him many opportu-
nities to gain a variety of skills
and important abilities that will
benefit him in his work at Mer-
cyhurst.
“The experiences I gained in
the last seven years as an admin-
istrator in the City of Erie have
been immense,” Kimball said.
Although working for the
schools district was rewarding,
Kimball said he cannot wait to
get back to working with ath-
letes because he and his family
were all athletes.
“Athletics is in our family and
our blood,” he said.
Kimball left a piece of advice
for the student athletes at Mer-
cyhurst.
“This is your shot to have
four years to compete at high
levels,” Kimball said.
“Give it everything you got
while your in it, because this
might be all you ever get,” Kim-
ball said.
“Leave it all out there even
though it may be hard with
school, balance is key,” Kimball
said.
Page 14
Weather heats up May
along with NHL playoffs
By Devon Swanson
Sports columnist
It’s May, and I don’t know
what more astounding: the
Pirates are flirting with .500, or
Martin Havlat is healthy.
The second round of the
NHL playoffs are here, but I
have to finish the first round
because two Game 7’s weren’t
over by the time the Merciad
went to print last week.
The Rangers wrapped up a 3-
1 lead on the Capitals by losing
three straight games in dramatic
fashion.
To give you an indication,
the Rangers got beat so badly,
Markus Naslund retired.
(All joking aside, Naslund
was the best Canuck to ever lace
them up and he has a special
place in the hearts of Pittsburgh
fans).
The other New York City
area team (you seriously thought
of the Islanders being in the
playoffs?) blew one of the most
guaranteed wins possible.
The ‘Canes were down by
two to the New Jersey Devils
with less than two minutes to
go in the third, but Eric Staal
remembered he was on the
cover of NHL ’08 and won it
for Carolina.
This earned them the right
to go on and face the number
one seed overall in the Eastern
Conference, the Boston Bruins.
With those series complete,
it’s on to the second round!
The NHL’s plan of promoting
one series and using the other
three as filler between its games
is working like a charm.
The Caps are up 2-0 because
of secondary scoring, end of
story.
An interesting note, though,
is that Penguins get penalized
for checking the Capitals star
Alex Ovechkin.
Watch the replay: Ovechkin
gets hit down low, turtles up,
grabs his face, and sells a penalty
like the true athlete he is.
M-V-P! M-V-P!
The Blackhawks split in
Vancouver, not an easy task
considering the Canucks have
been practically unbeatable at
GM Place down the stretch.
Patrick Kane recovered from
the swine flu and has four points
in two games.
You won’t hear about it
because “he gets paid to make
the big saves,” but Roberto
Luongo robbed Ben Eager on a
rebound in Game 2.
The second matchup is
Detroit against Anaheim.
The tone was set when
Scot Stevens Mike Brown
bloodied Jiri Hudler with an
open ice bomb in Game 1.
Game 2 saw a triple OT thriller
with Todd Marchant(huh?)
scoring the game winner.
Finally, the Boston Bruins
and Cam Ward are tied at one
heading back to Carolina.
The Bruins really took it to
Ward in Game 1, but the ’06
Conn Smythe winner held his
own in Game 2 and shut out the
B’s.
The war room in Toronto
couldn’t conclude whether a
puck shot by the Hurricane’s
Chad LaRose was across the
goal line even though there were
multiple unobstructed views of
it.
Jokes.
For all of those hockey
fans out there who are missing
out on the action on campus
because Mercyhurst College no
longer gets Versus, I suggest
streaming the games on the
internet at www.myp2pforum.
eu/nhl-icehockey/ to remain up
to date on all the second round
playoff action.
SPORTS
Tennis wraps up season
By Katie DiNunzio
Staff writer
Game, set and match.
Women’s tennis season is over
for the year and it can definitely
be chalked up as a success.
Despite the odds, the team had
a great season.
They had to make a big
adjustment to the Pennsylvania
State Athletic Conference
(PSAC) and also had to play
in the conference with a mere
six girls, the minimum number
needed to play a match.
Senior captain Jaclyn
McLean had nothing but good
things to say about each of
her fellow team members and
their accomplishments this
season
“In terms of the season, we
had a good shot at nationals,”
McLean said.
She added that all the girls on
the team stepped up their game
this year.
Each player brought
Keep commentators in mind
By John
Baranowski
Sports columnist
Apart from aesthetics, hockey
jerseys serve a very important
role. It sounds obvious, but it
can be quickly forgotten that
jerseys are the identification
of players to those calling the
game.
Sleeve numbers on jerseys
are one of the most under-
rated things in sports. Anyone
who has done play-by-play has
come to realize the importance
of these seemingly insignificant
four-inch-high numbers.
Considering that commenta-
tors are placed on the side of
something new to the team, and
helped the 2008-2009 tennis
season progress the way it did.
Junior Meghan Raynor
became a very strong doubles
and singles player and brought
a lot of strategy to the game.
Another junior, Natalie Iovino,
made some great strides in her
game and her attitude on the
court really helped the team.
“Kim Ezzo is a tough number
one player,” McLean said.
Sophomore Ezzo contributed
with a lot of incredible matches
throughout the season.
Sophomore Kelton Macke
brought in some great wins
while really improving her game
consistency.
The team’s freshman,
Courtney Conway, earned
several big matches to put
under her belt for the upcoming
seasons.
Together the team played well
and had a great attitude.
The conference consisted of
some pretty tough competition
for the girls, still coming
the playing surface with players
facing perpendicular to them
most of the time, these are the
only identifiers for long peri-
ods. The absence of these, as
I’ve seen in the ACHA with the
University at Buffalo, Niagara
University and Washington and
Jefferson, among others, wreaks
havoc with commentators as
they struggle to fill time until
the unidentified player turns his
back toward you.
Front numbers are completely
idiotic and the most pointless
addition to hockey jerseys that
most people consider good.
Considering the hand placement
of a hockey player, the number
is obscured by the stick.
Color schemes mean a lot for
May 6, 2009
out with a solid 9-9 overall
record.
Teams from schools including
Slippery Rock University of
Pennsylvania and California
University of Pennsylvania
brought strong competition to
the Laker tennis girls.
A big win for the team was
against Clarion University of
Pennsylvania, against which
they lost a tight 5-4 contest last
year, and this year they won with
an incredible 7-2 outcome.
McLean, who also had a great
final season herself, is a senior
who will not be returning to the
team next year.
However, she has a positive
outlook for the 2009-10 tennis
season.
“Next year’s team should be
very strong as we have everyone
but myself returning, and lots
of recruits,” McLean said.
The women’s tennis season
has ended but all involved with
the team have high hopes for
the returning group of players
next season.
identification. This is not as
simple as white jerseys versus
colored jerseys, but more about
what colors the numbers are. I
recall Colgate’s NCAA Women’s
hockey team had dark maroon
sweaters with black numbers
outlined in silver. For someone
with less than perfect eyesight,
they were not always identi-
fiable, especially at hockey
speeds. The names, in silver,
were obstructed by the hair of
the players, making them just
as useless. The game became
much more difficult for me as
a result.
So I beg you, if you ever
are in charge of having jerseys
made for your team, keep the
commentators in mind, eh?
May 6, 2009 SPORTS Page 15

Lax claims victory, knocked out of tournament

By Gary Coad
Staff writer
The Mercyhurst College
men’s lacrosse team’s season
came down to the final weekend
as the Lakers needed a win
to have a chance at an NCAA
Tournament bid.
Sadly, the Lakers did not get
chosen to be in the NCAA
Division II Men’s Lacrosse
Tournament this year.
Their No. 5 ranking, even with
the clutch victory over the No.
3 team, was not good enough
to get them into the four-team
tournament.
The No. 3 New York Institute
of Technology came into town
to play the No. 5 Lakers on
Senior Day.
It was the last day for the
seniors to put on the Laker
uniform and fight for a victory
on the home turf, and that is
exactly what they did.
The Lakers pulled off the
upset by a score of 6-5 over
favored NYIT, who was last
year’s National Champion, to
continue their home winning
streak to 17 games.
The Lakers were led by senior
Aaron Mazer and junior Tyler
Burton, who each scored two
goals.
Senior Mike Bartlett came
through with the dagger with
74 seconds left by scoring the
go ahead goal in a man-up
situation.
Another senior, Jason
Lashomb, came up big by
making 12 saves. Goalkeeping
was crucial in this highly
defensive game, as both teams
were well below their season
scoring average.
LaShomb continued his
fantastic season and won the
ECC Goalkeeper of the Week
for the fourth time this season,
his second in as many weeks.
With this honor he rounds
out his Mercyhurst career record
of 34-9 with a 61 percent save
percentage.
Despite not making the
tournament this season the
Lakers had a very good year and
will look to continue improving
next year.
The Lakers finished the
season with an 11-3 record
with a 4-2 record in the ECC
conference.
Page 16
Junior Johnny Pawluk (20)
and senior Matt Spahr (27)
defend a NYIT attacker
Scoot Williams photo
during their 6-5 win on Sat-
Sophomore Tim Winslow (40) holds back a member of the NYIT
urday, May 2, at Tullio Field
men’s lacrosse team during their match-up this past weekend.

Lakers chase milestones on baseball diamond

By Nick Glasier
Staff writer
The Mercyhurst College
baseball team is entering the
Pennsylvania State Athletic
Conference playoffs with a
number of its players chasing
team milestones.
Senior Jamie Walczak is having
a sensational season and is in
the top 10 in several offensive
categories for Mercyhurst single-
season records, including hits,
doubles, and runs. He is leading
the team with 69 hits and is six
hits away from breaking the
team record of 74 hits.
He has managed to hit 17
doubles this season and is one
short of tying the team record
of 18. He is seven runs away
from breaking the single-season
record for runs.
Senior Jeff Stoll currently
has 57 RBIs and is 16 short of
breaking the record of 72.
Sophomore Jonathan Keppler
has drawn 38 walks this year and
is just seven short of the mark.
The most notable record that
is being chased this year has
been freshman Ethan Santora’s
pursuit of the single season
home run record.
He has the record tied at 16
home runs and with one more
home run he will be all alone at
the top.

Rowing continues to rock the boat this season

By Anne Sobol
Staff writer
This past weekend, the
Mercyhurst College women’s
rowing winning streak was
finally broken while the men’s
lightweight four remained
undefeated at the Mid-America
Collegiate Rowing Association
Championship in Michigan.
Still, every crew between
the men and women went to
the finals for a chance at
a medal.
For the first time this season,
the women’s V8 lost, when they
were overcome by Grand Valley
State University, who led the
race from the start.
The Lakers accepted silver
with an impressive time of
6:10, over 30 seconds ahead of
Michigan State University.
According to Head Coach
Adrian Spracklen, they did not
taper, but used the race as training
for this week’s prestigious Dad
Vail Regatta. In the varsity four
event, the women remained
competitive through windy
conditions.
Though they fought to stay
ahead, they eventually gave way
to Northwestern University and
Cleveland State University and
settled for bronze.
Neither this event nor the
eight have any effect on the
crew’s national ranking, as they
remain No. 1.
The men’s team had an equally
strong performance when junior
coxswain Ryan Browning led
the V4 to sweep their final 10
seconds ahead of University of
Dayton. With their record now
40-0, they expect to receive the
top seed at Dad Vail.
Then, the men put together
an eight that saw perhaps one
of the most exciting races of
the day.
The men landed in second
place between Grand Valley and
Michigan.
Later, the men’s pairs
stole gold and silver in their
even when juniors Stanislav
Kostic and Michael Orzolek
commanded the race in the
‘A’ boat and sophomore Ben
Caplinger and junior Ben Wells
in the ‘B’ boat dominated over
Lawrence University.
Both teams will continue
their success at the Dad Vail
Regatta, the largest in the U.S.,
in Philadelphia on May 8-9.
 Laker Sports
Knocked
out
Men’s Lax defeats NYIT, fails to make NCAA tournament
<< Page 15

Scoot Williams photo

Caption on Page 15