THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MERCYHURST COLLEGE SINCE 1929
Features
Page 4
MERCIAD
Vol. 79 No. 16
THE
Art class bounced by geology lab
Students abruptly lose photography classroom and class to provide more space for geology
By Joshua Wilwohl and
Michelle Brewer
The spring term will bring a new
geology laboratory for the Mercyhurst
College Archaeology Department in
space that had been used, until the
end of February, by the photography
department’s classroom/laboratory in
the basement of Zurn Hall.
The conversion of the space into a
geology lab required the cancellation
of an intermediate photography course
that had been scheduled there for the
spring term.
The room was a workspace for mem-
bers of the photography, graphic design
and art therapy students. It housed such
courses as photography one, digital
photography, color photography, his-
tory of photography and intermediate
photography.
Original plans called for construction
of the geology laboratory to commence
in the summer of 2006, and according
to Thomas Hubert, the director of the
art department, he was notified on Feb.
17 that this spring term would not be
affected.
In a later e-mail on Feb. 22, Hubert
said, he was notified that such changes
would affect the department’s spring
term and, ultimately, an intermediate
photography class.
According to Dr. James Adovasio,
dean of the Zurn School of Natural
Katie McAdams/Photo editor
Gamble addresses the college.
Presidential
speech gives
new direction
By Chelsea Boothe
Copy editor
On March 6, Dr. Thomas Gamble
gave his 1000 Day Speech in the Per-
forming Arts Center.
While Gamble invoked the goals and
values of the Mercy sisters, compli-
menting their excellent and profound
example, he was also inspired by a
politician, a saint and a rock icon.
Gamble applauded the work of
the faculty, staff and past presidents;
however, he said to stay complacent
with the current situation would be a
fault. Gamble has the goal of rebirth
and renewal for Mercyhurst’s future.
He wants to continue with the Mercy
tradition and expand on the great work
that has been done thus far.
Gamble emphasizes a number of
important issues he plans to focus
Please see Gamble on page 3
Fashion guide
to winning
at the Oscars
Mercyhurst College 501 E. 38th St. Erie Pa. 16546
Sciences and Mathematics, however, the
reconstruction was planned as early as
three years ago.
“The construction of the geology
laboratory had been put off on several
occasions despite several inconve-
niences,” he said.
Adovasio emphasized that construc-
tion could not be postponed until
summer, as originally planned, because
the laboratory was needed to accommo-
date archaeology students and faculty
in the fall.
The construction, however, requires
the relocation of art students and fac-
ulty, effective immediately.
Gary Cardot, assistant professor of
art and photography, said he and his
students need this dedicated space.
“The students need somewhere to
practice their specific discipline,” said
Cardot. “We have next to no facilities
now, but we can’t exist with nothing.”
Adovasio said the “…art department
had ample opportunity to get ready for
the reconstruction, and they didn’t.”
According to Mercyhurst President
Dr. Thomas Gamble, the building of
the geology laboratory was put off
because of the biology and physics
laboratories. “Part of the plan is to
improve the science labs every year,” he
said. “We cannot put it (the laboratory)
off any more.”
The Donald and Judith Alstadt
Laboratory for Cellular and Molecular
Research opened in the fall term of
Alternative activities provided for St. Patrick’s
Day in honor of Alcohol Awareness Week
By Jessica Kocent
Contributing writer
There are many different alternative
activities planned for St. Patrick’s Day
on campus.
The Student Activities Committee
wishes everyone the luck of the Irish
this St. Patrick’s Day at Casino Night
from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. in the Stu-
dent Union.
This year’s Casino Night is part of
a week-long coalition of SAC and
Campus Ministry to provide a fun and
safe environment for Mercyhurst stu-
dents as an alternative to alcohol.
For starters, Campus Ministry has
deemed this week Alcohol Awareness
Week.
Starting on March 15 students can
sign a pledge to make safe and healthy
choices.
All of those who participate will get
an Awareness bracelet and an Alcohol
Risk Card with your name, the date
and reminders about the dangers of
drinking.
SAC has planned to unveil the new
Laker mascot this week and in celebra-
Football players face charges after scuffle outside of local club
By Jeff Allen
Contributing writer
On Thursday, March 9, four fresh-
man football players, Theo Hall, Aaron
Hayes, Dwayne Marshall and Richard
Stokes were arrested outside Peccadil-
lo’s a local nightclub.
The four students are charged with
criminal conspiracy, simple assault and
SPORTS
Juniors Andrew Lapiska and Gina Christofferson both had schedule conflicts after the cancellation.
2004. A new physics lab opened in Sep-
tember 2005. Both are in Zurn Hall.
Vice President of Academic Affairs,
Dr. Barbara Behan, said the administra-
tion looked at three different places to
put the geology laboratory and seven
places to construct the photography
studio.
A Remembrance Ceremony will be held on St. Patrick’s Day at noon with
a special intention for Matthew Milgate. Students will be signing pledge
cards and wearing red bracelets during Alcohol Awareness week.
tion is sponsoring Lunchroom Laker.
Students will have a free lunch and
have the opportunity to participate in
a raffle for prizes, including tickets to
the Erie Playhouse, Erie Otters, Erie
Seawolves, the Erie Zoo and Splash
Lagoon.
disorderly conduct, two of which are
misdemeanors and one of which is a
lesser summary offense.
According to Erie Police Chief
Charles Bowers and eyewitnesses,
the four allegedly dragged the victim,
Dennis Fohner, a local student, out
into the street and beat him after the
group was asked to leave the club.
Peccadillo’s hosts a college night every
Wednesday.
Page 10
“We primarily looked at Zurn Room
206 for the geology lab, but recognized
the room was being used for classroom
space,” she said. “As for the photogra-
phy studio, we looked at two places in
Hirt, including building off the back of
the Hirt building.”
Behan also stated that there were two
Contributed photos
On Thursday night in the D’Angelo
Performing Arts Center, SAC will
feature a presentation by Keith Karkut
called Hypnotic Intoxication.
According to Sarah Allen, Assistant
Director of the Student Union, she
believes that “Karkut has a fun way of
No weapons were used, however, the
victim did suffer a broken right arm and
was treated at an area hospital.
A spokesperson for Mercyhurst Col-
lege stated this week that Hall, Hayes,
Marshall and Stokes were suspended
from the football team pending the
investigation but remain students of
the college.
The spokesperson went on to say
that the college is treating the matter
Women’s Hockey
go to NCAA
playoffs
March 15, 2006
Melissa Jack/Features editor
places in Zurn for the relocation of the
laboratory, including building a second
floor on top of the ceramics room and
the foyer on the second floor.
“The problem with these was the
ceramics room would not support
Please see Lack on page 3
getting a good message across.”
Another very important event for the
week is a Remembrance Ceremony to
be held on St. Patrick’s Day at noon.
Though there will be a special inten-
tion for Matthew Milgate, the purpose
of the ceremony will be to remember
all of those who have been affected by
alcohol.
The ceremony will feature a few
short readings and a procession to the
Grotto.
Each student will also have the oppor-
tunity to sign a book of intentions
which will be read aloud at the end of
the ceremony.
Following the ceremony there will be
a luncheon for everyone with entertain-
ment by Ischabaha, an Irish folk band,
featuring Mercyhurst’s own Jim Tom-
etsko, Director of Human Resources.
Paul Macosko, of Campus Ministry
has been crucial to the organization of
this event.
He feels “it is very important for the
school to do something, especially on St
Patrick’s Day; so often students choose
alcohol when there are other ways to
Please see Students on page 2
seriously and is continuing its own
investigation.
If convicted, the four men face up
to five years in prison or a fine of
over $10,000; however, this outcome
is unlikely.
An April 19 preliminary court hearing
has been scheduled at the Erie County
Courthouse.
PAGE 2 THE MERCIAD March 15, 2006

NEWS To contact: newsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

World Briefs Commanding a new vision

International news
Compiled by
Midwest tornadoes
Corrie Thearle
Swarms of tornadoes killed at
least 10 people across the Mid-
west, shut down the University
of Kansas and caused so much
damage in Springfield that the
mayor compared it to the after-
math of Hurricane Katrina.
The violent weather started
during the weekend with a line of
storms that spawned tornadoes
and downpours from the south-
ern Plains to the Ohio Valley.
On Monday, a second line of
storms raked the region, with
Panel discusses various methods to foster growth of Catholic education
By Sarah Sheehan
Contributing writer
On Sunday, March 12, a dis-
cussion was held in the Mercy
Heritage room about whether
or not Catholic education had
a future.
The discussion began with
Sister Julie Upton’s thoughts and
ideas about the issue.
Upton is a professor of The-
ology and Religious Studies at
St. John’s school, the largest
Catholic university in the United
States, and currently serves as its
Her concern was that there is a
generation of college graduates
who are moving into the work
force, but are not equipped for
life problems because their edu-
cation did not adequately prepare
them.
She continued by suggesting
that getting a Catholic educa-
tion may prepare individuals and
suggested that parishes should
give small scholarships to their
members to go to college.
Another issue that was dis-
cussed, concerned the needed
involvement of the Church.
Non-active church members Sarah Sheehan/Staff photographer

rain, hail and fierce wind tearing provost.
up trees and homes from Kansas She has taught at St. John’s
through Indiana. Illinois’ capital University for over 26 years and
was hit hard twice in 24 hours, has taught every grade except
first by a tornado and then strong third grade.
wind early Monday that blew Upton was educated in the
debris through the city. Catholic school system from first
grade until graduating from col-
Bush strategy to combat violence in Iraq lege. Upton believes that Catho-
lic education is in a time of crisis
President Bush has set out his strategy to tackle the violence in Iraq, and that this is an “opportunity
in an attempt to counter American scepticism over the war. He gave to be seized.”
details of coalition attempts to build up the Iraqi security forces and She also believes that the
said, “We will not lose our nerve.” Catholic educators need to be
His speech comes ahead of the third anniversary of the U.S.-led more open to discussion. She
invasion of Iraq on March 20. Bush admitted the situation in Iraq “is suggested that through liturgies,
still tense,” but said there was also “signs of a hopeful future.” ideas can be be discussed, for
example she suggested referring
Milosevic’s funeral to popular and ground breaking
films such as “Crash.”
Serbian President Boris Ta- Upton reminded the group that
dic says his government will not the goal of Catholic education
object to the return of former was to be able to “teach all na-
Yugoslav leader Slobodan Mi- tions” and if people don’t look
losevic’s body for burial. at their sins then this will never
Speaking on BBC television, happen.
Tadic said it was up to Milosevic’s
family to decide where they held
should be approached and in-
vited to discuss why they are not
attending church and not becom-
ing involved.
She ended with the idea of
whether or not a society had
more dreams or more memories.
To move forward a society needs
more dreamers.
Mary Jo Lipani, Peggy Aste,
Dr. Thomas Gamble and Sister
Maura Smith all shared their
opinions on the discussion led
by Upton.
Smith is formerly principal
of the Mercyhurst Prepara-
tory School. She focused on the
continuing education of adults
and believes that the future of
Catholic education starts with
the parish.
Smith feels that high schools
should follow the Cristo Rey
model, which is four days in class
and the fifth day would be a day
for students to perform service
Sister Julie Upton described various education methods.
and learn about the world.
Mary Jo Lipani believes that
Catholic education should begin
with the very young and continue
into adulthood.
Gamble believes that sacra-
ments are more fundamental
than doctrine.
Elementary school is the im-
portant time to grasp the stu-
dent’s attention with the liturgy,
sacraments and Mass. During
higher education, students begin
to be more creative and want
to ask questions and explore.
Gamble believes this to be a key
time to start dialogue and discuss
ideas.
Peggy Aste, principal of Mer-
cyhurst Preparatory School, be-
lieves that during the early years
of education and in high school
there is nothing to do but plant
the seeds of religion and hope
that they grow.
Aste believes that the world is
sending out the opposite mes-
sage. Then the school and stu-
dents must interpret confusing
messages.
She also agrees with Smith that
education needs to continue into
adulthood and ideas need to be
discussed and analyzed.
Afterwards the discussion
continued focusing on not only
continued education, but a vision
that needed to involve the Sisters
of Mercy goals and the Catholic
tradition.
It was also brought up that
Catholic schools do not and
should just educate children of
Catholic faith.
The discussion ended on the
note that there needed to be
more imagination in Catholic
education.

Students pursue safe decisions to celebrate

his funeral. Milosevic, on trial at
The Hague for war crimes, died
of a heart attack in his cell last
week. Continued from page 1 way by alcohol and impor- package from Coventina Day from dangerous decisions.”
Full test results are awaited, but tant for the healing process. Spa that will include a massage, Junior Colleen Lanigan, says
a toxicologist who found traces have fun.” Friday night is Casino Night. manicure, facial and much more. she “hopes these efforts by Cam-
of drugs in Milosevic’s blood He feels that this ceremo- Students can purchase raffle Sarah Allen says, “SAC has put a pus Ministry and SAC influence
before his death said they may ny will be an outlet for those tickets to be entered in a drawing lot of time and money into mak- people to be smart about their
have neutralised treatment for who have been hurt in any to win an X Box 360 and a $250 ing a big event to deter students plans.”
his heart conditions.
There have been questions
raised over what caused Milose-
vic’s heart attack. Academic Celebration tackles controversial
and groundbreaking research topics
Iran nuclear talks
The Mercyhurst Honors Department is very excited to present Academic Celebration 2006, “The Cutting Edge.” Academic
The Bush administration said Celebration is a series of events and presentations researched by both faculty and students in a variety of fields. This year our
Monday it is open to a resump- focus is controversial and groundbreaking research and promises to be one of our best years ever. Come and check out any or all
tion of Russian talks with Iran of the events that might interest you. Reminder: Some professors do offer extra credit for attendance and all events are Honors
over its nuclear program, but has Certified.
no indication Tehran is ready to
give up its uranium enrichment
efforts. Sunday, March 19, 2006 Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Another round of talks be-
tween the two countries could 2 p.m. - Zurn 214 4:30 p.m. - Hirt 213
be held even while the U.N. - Natural Pharmaceuticals: An Introduction to the Basic - Recreating the Classroom: Enhancing Academic Success
Security Council considers how Science, Lore, and Clinical Studies Surrounding Garlic and with the Use of Tangible Rewards
to constrain an Iranian program Wheatgrass 5 p.m. - Zurn 114
that the United States and its - Monitoring the Oxygenation of Blood from Ingesting - What’s All This Garbage?
European allies say is geared to Wheatgrass Juice 6 p.m. - Zurn 314
developing nuclear weapons, a - Quantum Chemical Analysis of the Stationary States of S- - Determination of Postmortem Interval of Felines Through
State Department spokesman 2-propenyl ester Degradation of Specific Biomarkers
said. Russia has offered to enrich - Garlic: Facts and Fiction 7 p.m. - Hirt 213
uranium for civilian purposes for - Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds in Wheatgrass - Intelligent Design: The Cutting Edge of the Creation/
Iran, thereby keeping the process - What Have We Learned about Wheatgrass and Human Evolution Dispute?
out of Iran’s control as a safe- Metabolism? 7:30 p.m. - Taylor Little Theatre
guard to weapons production. 6 p.m. - Hirt 213 - Speaking Out for a Change: Confronting Others as Preju-
- In the Hands of Barbarous Monsters: Depictions of the dice Reduction Presenter, Alexander Czopp PH.D
Da Vinci Code author denies accusations Islamic World in Early American Literature
7 p.m. - Main 210
Author Dan Brown has dismissed accusations that he stole the - The New Consumer
ideas for his best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code as “completely 8 p.m. -Hirt 314
fanciful.” - The Rebirth of Totalitarianism
The novelist is appearing at London’s High Court after historians
Richard Leigh and Michael Baigent sued publisher Random House.
They say Brown copied ideas in their book The Holy Blood and The Monday, March 20, 2006 Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Holy Grail. “I have been shocked at their reaction. Furthermore I
do not really understand it,” Brown said in a statement. 5 p.m. - Zurn 108 5 p.m. - Hirt 214
Both books explore a theory that Jesus did not die on the cross - Using Novel Molecular Techniques for Detection of Micro- - Cutting through the Crap: Analyzing the first 2004 Bush-
but survived and had children with Mary Magdalene, and that their scopic Organisms Causing Macroscopic Problems in Pollution Kerry Presidential Debate for Logical Fallacies
descendants survive. of Local Beach Waters 6 p.m. - First Floor of Student Union
5 p.m. - Hirt 214 - Poetry’s Newest Incarnation
9/11 case halted - FBI Case Study: The New Agenda 8 p.m. - Walker Recital Hall
7:30 p.m. - Zurn 114 - Dance!
U.S. prosecutors can continue - Creating an Edge: Merging Erie and Millcreek 8:30 p.m. - First Floor of Student Union
to seek the death penalty for the 8 p.m. - Zurn 314 - Alternative Spring Breaks
only person charged in the U.S. in - The Future of Hydrogen as an Alternative to Fossil Fuels:
connection with the 9/11 attacks, The Promise, the Obstacles and the Search for a Storage
a judge has ruled. Material
Judge Leonie Brinkema had
suspended the sentencing trial
of Zacarias Moussaoui, saying Academic Celebration 2006 is sponsored by the Mercyhurst College
government prosecutors had Honors Program. Funding for Academic Celebration is provided by an Academic Enrichment Grant. Academic Celebration
been involved in “egregious” 2006 is created and produced by honors student committee chair Jessica Kocent, and the Academic Celebration Committee of
misconduct. Kyle Linehan, Ashley Masi, Audry Passetti, Amy Adovasio, Vanessa Diaz and faculty advisor Dr. Karen Williams. They would
She has now said the trial can like to thank all sponsors and participants in the events that have comprised this year’s Academic Celebration. The committee
continue and that the govern- also extend its thanks to Jodi Staniunas-Hopper and her Winter Digital Imagery Class for all of their hard work designing this
ment could press its death pen- year’s cover. Special thanks to Christine Schaefer for providing this year’s featured design.
alty case.
March 15, 2006
Lack of space and planning cause
problems in the basement of Zurn
Continued from page 1
an additional room and the foyer
is the only place for students to
relax in Zurn,” she said.
Hubert emphasized that art
spaces are “dedicated spaces”
that cannot simply be moved.
“You cannot have a paint, ce-
ramic, and photography class
all in one classroom,” he said.
“Students have to have dedicated
studios to work.”
The loss of the photography
classroom, according to Hubert,
not only inconveniences the pho-
tography students, but art classes
in general.
“Losing the photo lab makes us
lose slide projections for classes,”
he said. “Now I work in the stair-
well projecting images; it’s just
not conducive for anyone.”
Adovasio stated the art de-
partment “…elected to ignore
the information for a long time
and now it’s the department’s
responsibility to accommodate
classes.” He also noted that there
were several options for moving
classes.
“It wasn’t short notice,” Ado-
vasio said.
Hubert, however, said if the art
department was informed early,
classes never would have been
scheduled in that room.
“If we would have been aware
of such a situation earlier, we
would not have planned any
classes,” he said. “To even sched-
ule classes, it has to run through
the registrar’s office and the of-
fice of academic affairs.”
According to Hubert and art
therapy professor Cathlyn Hahn,
the art department has suffered
the loss of rooms in the past.
The losses included Zurn
Room 119, which was once the
graphic design classroom and
is now home to the Applied
Forensic Science Department.
Another loss of space included
the Zurn dance studios that were
once part of plans for a court-
yard studio/sculpture garden and
two art classrooms.
“It has been 15 years since we
had an entire art wing (in Zurn),”
said Hubert. “We have more
Blood donations pour out of Mercyhurst
By Lakyn Bianco
Contributing writer
Mercyhurst College Rotaract
Club and the Community Blood
Bank are sponsoring a blood
drive on Wednesday, March 15
from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the
Great Room of the Student
Union for faculty, staff and
students.
Everyone who donates will
be eligible to win an iPod
Shuffle.
The winner’s name will be
drawn at the end of March,
and he or she will be con-
tacted by the Blood Bank to
claim the prize.
Because Penn State Behrend
and Gannon will also be hold-
ing blood drives this month,
those students will also have a
chance in entering the raffle.
Last March, Mercyhurst had
the most donors out of all
drives with Edinboro, Gan-
File Photo
“The art department
has not gained even one
square foot of space
and has lost a lot.”
- Cathlyn Hahn
students and less space.”
Hahn shares Hubert’s opin-
ion.
“The art department has not
gained even one square foot of
space and has lost a lot,” she
said.
Adovasio, though, said that in
June 1990, Mercyhurst President
Dr. William Garvey granted him
the entire basement of Zurn.
“When the art department was
running out of space, I indicated
it was OK to give art that space
(the photography room) on a
temporary basis because of the
lack of room,” he said.
The new laboratory, according
to Adovasio, will include special
microscopes and specific equip-
ment for measuring the layers
of earth.
Six geology students and all
archaeology and anthropology
majors will use the laboratory.
According to MAI Director
of Curation and Conservation,
Jeffrey Illingworth, the applied
forensic science department will
also use it.
According to Adovasio, some
funds to build the facility will be
obtained through money from an
overhead account derived from a
$25 million contract between the
U.S. Army and Mercyhurst.
The total cost of the laboratory,
according to Behan, will run be-
non and Penn State Behrend.
None of the other campuses
in this area have achieved the
record of over 90 donors.
“Mercyhurst students came out
in full force making the event one
of the largest blood drives to
date and the largest for a college
in 2005,” said Deanna Renaud,
Mobile Drive Coordinator of the
Community Blood Bank.
Basic requirements for blood
THE MERCIAD
File Photo
“It’s the (art)
department’s
responsibility to
accommodate classes.”
- James Adovasio
tween $250,000 and $300,000.
The building of the new geol-
ogy laboratory consequently will
bring about the construction of
an approximately $500,000 pho-
tography studio as an addition
to the Cummings Art Gallery,
said Behan.
Preliminary plans call for dou-
bling the size of the current
gallery and adding an office
space, closet and photography
classroom.
The dark room, however, will
stay in the basement of Zurn and
not be rebuilt.
For the 13 students registered
for intermediate photography,
these changes meant a last minute
schedule conflict that, according
to Hubert, required some to
modify their photography minor
fulfillments.
Matt Seifert, sophomore and
photography minor was one of
the affected students. “I had to
rush back and forth between the
Registrar’s Office, my advisor
and Peggy Brace whose class I
needed signed into that day so I
could attend it,” he said. “I’m just
lucky that I had an extra year to
complete my minor.”
Nate Smith, a junior and anoth-
er photo minor, shared Seifert’s
disappointment. “I don’t think
it’s fair how Mercyhurst treats the
art department,” he said.
donation are that you must be at
least 17 years old and weigh at
least 110 pounds.
Those interested in giving
blood must be in general good
health and eat well the day of
donation.
Anyone who received a tattoo
or piercing from a place other
than the Millcreek Mall cannot
donate blood for one year.
Donors must also wait 56 days
PAGE 3
To contact: newsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu News
Another junior, Andrew Lapis-
ka, stated he never received a
phone call about the cancellation.
“Nobody told me,” he said. “I
only got an e-mail; that’s all I
got.”
Lapiska also emphasized that
“…art students are paying the
same amount as students in other
departments, but they (other
majors) get new equipment and
facilities and we get the same old
equipment and facilities.”
He also noted that even though
there is construction of a new
photography facility, the dark
room will be an inconvenience.
“We will still have the same
dilapidated dark room, and it is
going to be in the middle of an-
other department,” he said.
Junior Katie Diabola, an ar-
chaeology major, says she un-
derstands how the art students
must feel.
“I know that they don’t appre-
ciate that we’ve taken over the
basement of Zurn,” she said.
Sophomore and archaeology
major Gary Williams says he
shares the sympathy of the art
department. “I am shocked, we
already have enough space; we
need to be efficient with the
space we have,” he said. Sarah Sheehan/Staff photographer
Williams also noted that some President Thomas Gamble met with students on an informal
forensic anthropology and sci- basis on Monday, March 13, at the Student Union.
ence students use the photogra- Top: Gamble talks with MSG executive board members.
phy studio when working with Bottom: Students enjoy the wide range of delicious food.
pictures of crime scenes.
Williams said, however, that
both departments have to be fair.
Gamble ushers in a
“When you take a space for one
department, another department new vision and era
is losing out,” he said.
According to Behan, “…ev-
eryone is onboard with the new,
for Mercyhurst
current plans.” Adovasio said Continued from page 1 ship between Mercyhurst Main
the demolition of the current campus and the North East
photography studio will begin on: the need to assert and mani- campus.
in March and the construction fest the historical image of Mer- Dr. Jeff Roessner, director
in April, finishing for the fall cyhurst, continuing to work on of English department, said,
term. the diversification of the campus, “He laid out a positive vision
The construction of the Cum- promoting strong relationships of the future, especially with his
mings Art Gallery and new pho- with neighboring colleges, create commitment to the humanities
tography studio in the D’Angelo new academic programs, while and unity of Mercyhurst com-
Performing Arts Center, accord- strengthening current ones, munity.”
ing to Gamble, still has to be ap- establishing and implementing Gamble’s goal is to “imag-
proved by the Board of Trustees the best strategic planning for ine Mercyhurst for what it can
in April. Mercyhurst and further work become,” just as the Sisters of
on strengthening the relation- Mercy always have.
between donations. Photo ID is tion whose national affiliate is “This is a great way for stu-
required to donate blood. America’s Blood Centers. dents to help others. They can
The Community Blood Bank All of the blood donated with save a life. We hope others feel
is especially in need of Type O Community Blood Bank will stay strongly about it and come out
blood. in the area. to give blood,” she said.
“One donation can save about They are the only supplier of Students with questions on
three lives and we need about blood to all patients and hospitals blood donation can call 814-456-
800 donors per week to keep up in Erie, Elk, McKean and Warren 4206 to speak to a Community
with the demands on the blood counties. Blood Bank nurse.
supply,” Renaud said. Brenda Steib, Vice President
The Community Blood Bank of Rotaract encourages students
is a local, non-profit organiza- to donate.
March 15, 2006 THE MERCIAD PAGE 4

FEATURES To contact: featuremerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Alternative breaks give another perspective

By Lori Letender
Contributing writer

Winter term finals ended on

Photo courtesy of Sr. Michelle
Feb. 22 at Mercyhurst and that
meant only one thing for stu-
dents – Spring Break.
Some students retreated to
their homes and spent a week
lounging in front of the televi-
sion and catching up on sleep.
Others packed their bags and
headed south for a wild week
of spring break fun. But, other
students chose to spend their
break differently.
This year, 45 students gave
up their traditional spring break Photo courtesy of Paul Mascko

The Arizona group in front of a Navajo shelter. plans in order to give something
back, volunteer their time and
learn something at one of four
separate alternative spring break
trips sponsored by campus min-
istry.
On Feb. 26, Campus Minister
Paul Macosko took 25 students
to Foley, Ala. to work with Habi-
tat for Humanity and Voluntary
Organizations Active in Disas-
ters (VOAD).
The students worked for two
days with Habitat for Humanity
to build a new home for a single
mother of three children. Labor-
Photo courtesy of Sr. Michelle ing alongside the new home’s
The Arizona group at SMASE with two members of the owner, the students put down
staff sod on the front lawn, painted
fun, which goes to show that the entire inside of the house,
By Jen Allison
work can be fun and games. built sheds and worked with door
Contributing writer
As part of the experience we frames and windows.
were asked to reflect on what we The second half of the Ala-
When spring break hits Mer- learned from working with the bama trip consisted of working
cyhurst College every year, the special needs students at SMASE with VOAD to rebuild a house
students spread out and take ad- and what we could teach others that was destroyed by Hurricane
vantage of the break, each doing from the experience. Ivan in 2004. The family had
something different. I saw the simple joy of life on been living in a trailer for the
Many people decide to use their the faces of the students I worked past two years, but FEMA would
spring break in service to others. with and that is something that soon be recollecting the trailer,
Many only think of Habitat for is often forgotten in the stress and their house needed finished
Humanity but several students of college life. As students we immediately.
go elsewhere with the alternative spend a great deal of time wor- This was Erika Funnel’s second
break program. rying about grades and what we Habitat for Humanity trip.
I was one of eight students are going to do after graduation, “The group that went to Ala-
who accompanied Sister Michelle but sometimes we forget to just bama this year was absolutely
to the Navajo reservation in Ari- relax and enjoy life. amazing,” she said. “It is amazing
zona for the alternative break. Over my spring break I learned the difference that 25 people,
There we spent a great deal of something from others, made a when working together, can
time helping out at St. Michael’s difference in a community, and make! It is a great feeling know-
Association for Special education had fun doing it. What did you ing that you are making dreams
(SMASE). Though we did work do? come true and literally changing
to make a difference we also people’s lives.”
found time to goof off and have Sister Geri Rosinski accom-
Students involved with Habitat for Humanity clear away weeds and brush.
panied five students to El Paso,
Texas and Juarez, Mexico for a
Border Awareness Experience.
The group visited museums
to learn about border issues,
walked across the American-
Mexican border, painted a clinic
for disabled children and became
immersed in the culture of those
who live near the border.
Walking across the bridge to
Mexico was “a very powerful ex-
perience,” said Sister Rosinski.
She and the students had the
opportunity to each stay with a
Mexican family and learn about
life in the very poor village.
When describing the families,
Sister Rosinski said, “They’re
resilient and loving. They share
everything they have. They have
much to teach us about how to
love and care for one another.”
Junior Marie Blum stayed with
a woman and her two children.
The mother worked in nearby
factories, where she risked her
life to walk home after midnight
every day in a town where hun-
dreds of women have been killed
doing exactly that.
“The alternative break was
an eye-opening experience to
another culture that I will never
forget. Not only did the trip open
my eyes to the Mexican culture,
but I learned a great deal about
the immigration laws of my
own country,” said Blum of her
experience.
Another trip began on Feb-
ruary 25 when Sister Michele
Marie Schroeck and 10 students
traveled to Fort Defiance, Ariz.
to visit a Navajo Reservation.
There, the group worked at St.
Michael’s Association for Special
Education.
Students worked in classrooms
and on outdoor environmental
terracing in an effort to conserve
water. They also visited a pueblo
that was originally built in the
1500s to learn about the Navajo
culture.
The fourth alternative spring
break trip was the Urban Chal-
lenge in Camden, N.J., which
takes place in one of the poorest
cities in America. Five students
were accompanied by Amanda
Zechman, Americorps Vista, to
the Catholic social justice retreat
center.
In Camden, the students took
part in a number of service op-
tions including: serving food and
cleaning in shelters, visiting with
patrons at an AIDS Drop-In
Center and working with children
at an after-school program.
The students also saw plays and
heard speakers that dealt with
social justice issues such as AIDS,
homelessness, hunger, disabilities
and children and youth.
A highlight for many of the
trip’s participants was attendance
at a bilingual Mass. “A lot (of
the Camden residents) have
an incredible faith. It was very
powerful to share that faith” said
Zechman.
Zechman said the trip was
important because, “it gave our
students the opportunity to not
only do service, but learn about
Camden and social justice is-
sues.”
The students and advisors
who made the trips showed their
pride and excitement about what
they accomplished during their
break.
Stefanie Steinmetz has been
on three alternative spring break
trips. She said, “I have learned
so much on these trips: organiza-
tion, fundraising, and leadership
skills, team-building, and how
great it is to help others. Though
this is my last year at Mercyhurst,
I will continue to be a part of
Habitat for Humanity.”
Nearly all the students agreed
that their experiences were well
worth giving up their traditional
spring break. Although there was
lots of hard work involved, all
the students got the opportunity
to have fun and learn about a new
culture and different people.
Macosko was very proud of the
students. “It was really touching
for me to see these students who
work so hard during the term,
and when they finally get a break,
they give it up to help others,”
he said.
For more information on any
of the alternative spring break
trips or to get involved in future
trips, visit the Campus Ministry
Office in the Student Union.

Red carpet do’s and don’ts

Veterans
to speak
at the PAC
Fo r m y f i r s t
Merciad article, I
Three veterans of the war
wanted to intro-
in Iraq will speak at the Mary
Talking Fashion duce myself to
all of the readers.
D’Angelo Performing Arts
with I’m a fashion mer-
Center Monday, March 20, at
8:15 p.m.
Jennifer chandising major
at Mercyhurst, and
The three veterans are mem-
bers of the Iraq and Afghanistan
a recently declared
Veterans of America (IAVA), a
journalism minor.
recently formed organization
My dream is to
that describes itself as “the
someday be a fashion editor for a magazine such as
nation’s first and largest group
Vogue, W, In Style, or even the trade publication called
dedicated to Troops and Vet-
Women’s Wear Daily (the “Bible” amongst us fashion
erans of the wars in Iraq and
gurus).
Afghanistan, and (their) civilian
For my required practicums in the communications
supporters.”
department, I decided that there would be no better way
Mercyhurst Student Govern-
to get some practice at my future career than to write a
ment is sponsoring the appear-
weekly fashion column.
ance. The appearance is one of
So, whether you’re a fashion-loving or fashion-loathing
many at colleges around the
individual, I hope that my articles give some insight, as
country by members of IAVA
well as fun and maybe even humor, into the world of
in an effort billed as Operation
fashion at all levels.
Truth.
As many of you might know, award shows are the ideal
“Operation Truth is educat-
time for celebrities to strut the red carpet in luscious
ing the American public about
gowns and chic tuxedos. From the Golden Globes to
the truth of the war in Iraq and
the Grammy’s, nothing quite tops the importance of the
Afghanistan and from the com-
Academy Awards in the fashion world.
pelling perspective of the troops
Recently held on March 5, this year’s Oscar fashions
who have experienced the wars
remained consistent with the traditional turnout of most
firsthand,” according to an an-
award shows: a handful of beautiful actresses in gorgeous
sheer bodice sides, and Theron topped her dress off with own stunts.” nouncement from MSG.
dresses; a few fashion faux pas that were, if nothing else,
an over-sized bow atop her left shoulder. Undoubtedly, the worst dressed award goes to Dolly “Veterans tell their stories
embarrassing; and then the two or three women who
Despite the obvious attributes of black (sultry, intel- Parton, who stepped out onto the red carpet in a pale about firefights, working with
looked completely put together from her hair, to her
ligent, and slimming, to name a few), the real stunners pink catastrophe. A mixture of too much texture, and Iraqi civilians, being wounded,
dress, to her jewelry, to her shoes. It is these women
of the night were the golds and creams. one too many brooches, Dolly’s dress did not suit her missing home, and what they
who stand out of the crowd and are truly the epitome
Reese Witherspoon had a big night winning best actress shape or skin tone. think of our military policy.
of what it means to possess great style.
for her role as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line; how- Another poor choice at the awards was Michelle Wil- Whether the subject is the role
Trends were unmistakable on the red carpet dubbed
ever, her real win was two-fold, as she stole the spotlight liams, wife of Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger, of private contractors in military
“the return to glamour,” including many yellow-to-gold
in the fashion department wearing a gorgeous full-length wearing a mustard yellow, Vera Wang dress with tulle operations, the lack of body
color gowns, one shoulder strap gowns, pocketed gowns,
vintage Christian Dior gown. pleats around the shoulders. armor for troops, the closing of
“up-do’s,” and a whole lot of black.
With its classic cut, full skirt and beaded lines, Reese’s In an effort to channel “Old Hollywood,” Williams V.A. hospitals, or the effects of
Rachel Weisz, who won best supporting actress for The
cream colored princess dress shone just as bright as her must have forgotten that today’s styles are typically curve- the ‘back-door draft,’ the men
Constant Gardener, Felicity Huffman, Jennifer Aniston,
smile during her acceptance speech. Also striking in forming, rather than limp frocks in unflattering colors. and women who have served
Charlize Theron, and Queen Latifa were among the wom-
gold this year was the beautiful Jessica Alba, who ranked So, remember, ladies, even celebrities have mishaps. and those who have returned to
en who donned classic black for the occasion. Although
among the top red-carpet fashion lists of the major And in case you are job-hunting, I hear that Dolly civilian life truly have a uniquely
the same color, each dress had its own flair and distinct
networks, wearing a shimmering bronze Versace gown; Parton is looking for a stylist. informed and valuable perspec-
differences. For instance, Aniston rocked out her dress
and Jennifer Garner, who despite almost taking a face tive.”
with a serious two-tiered necklace of Bulgari diamonds.
Huffman’s dress had a deep plunging square neckline and plant on stage, came back with the witty line, “I do my
March 15, 2006
A healthier column
This past week Erie was af-
forded a brief glimpse of the
spring to come. Immediately stu-
dents could be found exercising
outside and flip-flopping to class.
Soon it will be time for outside
barbeques and picnics. In the
spirit of springtime food, here’s a
Chicken Salad
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup fat free sour cream
½ cup light mayonnaise
¾ cup purple grapes
3 green onions
¼ cup sliced almonds
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Trim any excess fat off of chicken breasts and rinse under cold water. Place on a baking sheet and cook for
30 minutes or until internal temperature is 170°. You should have an instant read thermometer in your
kitchen if you cook meat, one can be purchased for around $10. When chicken is done, remove from oven
and allow to cool enough to handle it.
3. Cut chicken into strips about ½ inch wide. Gather a few strips together and turn them so that you can cut
into cubes about ½ inch thick.
4. Place chicken pieces into a large mixing bowl. Add sour cream and stir until chicken is coated. Add ¼ cup
mayonnaise and stir until blended.
5. Cut grapes into halves; chop green onions into thin rings. Add grape halves, onions, almonds, pepper and
lemon juice, stir until well blended. If salad is too dry, add the other ¼ cup mayonnaise. If a moister salad is
desired, add more sour cream instead of mayonnaise.
6. Chill for 2 hours.
7. Toast bread, rinse and dry lettuce. Place lettuce on bread. Add salad with a spoon and cover with other slice
of bread.
Serves 4.
Hibachi, sushi, seaweed, oh my
By Kristen Piquette
Contributing writer
Walking into Aoyama Japanese
Steakhouse and Lounge one will
instantly notice the Japanese ar-
chitecture and ambiance.
The restaurant is decorated
with dark wood beams, trim
and furniture. Japanese lanterns
hanging from the ceiling light
the space, and traditional Shoji
sliding doors separate the hiba-
chi rooms from the rest of the
restaurant. Japanese art adorns
the walls and a towering rock
immersed in a Japanese garden
separates the dining room from
the bar.
Friendly hosts dressed in tradi-
tional Komonos greet customers
and politely ask if they have res-
ervations. Those who don’t will
probably have to wait because
this new restaurant has created a
buzz among the Erie residents.
But don’t worry because you can
pass your time in the bar area
with a wide variety of drinks
ranging from Sapporo, the great
imported Japanese beer, to tradi-
tional types of sake.
Those who did make a reserva-
tion will soon begin a Japanese
culinary experience by making
the decision of where to eat.
The host will offer three choic-
es: the dining room, hibachi, or
the sushi bar. The dining room is
normal – a table, chair, and wait-
ress setup. But if you’re going to
make your experience at the new
Aoyama restaurant worthwhile,
I suggest waiting and choosing
either the hibachi or sushi bar.
With the hibachi dining expe-
rience you not only get to eat
excellent food but watch a show
that is well worth the money
you spend. You will sit at tables
surrounding a large grill and, if
your party is small, you will most
likely dine with others. This just
adds to the fun.
The waitress will first take
your order and then your per-
sonal chef will arrive and not
only make the food but put on
a great show, tossing spatula
and knives in the air and slicing
food with precision. The chef
will flip eggs into his hats, and
vegetables and shrimp into your
mouth. The heat gets turned up
when he makes the lava-flowing
onion volcano or lights the entire
grill on fire.
The best part of the night
comes when that fresh, hot food
chicken salad that is easy to make,
even though it requires about an
hour to prepare. It’s packed with
protein and isn’t drenched with
mayonnaise. Make sure to imme-
diately refrigerate any leftovers, if
there are any.
When going to Aoyama these may be some of the choices on the menu.
lands on your plate. With the hi-
bachi meals you get soup, salad,
rice, vegetables, two pieces of
shrimp, and your choice of any
meat, seafood, vegetables, or a
combination of two. The kind
of main course determines the
price. I ordered the steak hiba-
chi meal, received all that comes
with it, ordered a water to drink,
experienced a great show, and
had leftovers to take home. The
bill, including tax and tip, went
for a $20 bill.
Sure, this is quite expensive for
the average college student but
if you want to treat yourself, get
a group of friends together and
have a fun and different dining
experience, this is worth every
penny. Better yet, hit up the par-
ents when they come for a visit
and see what Aoyama is all about,
but whatever you do don’t miss
out on this great food and fun
dining Hibachi style.
Hibachi is not the only way
you can get a feel for Japanese
dining, if you have always wanted
to try sushi and/or sashimi then
go to the sushi bar. If the sushi
bar is full you can still order it
anywhere in the restaurant but it
just makes the experience a little
more exciting to eat sushi as the
Japanese do.
As you open the menu, first-
time sushi goers may be a little
lost, however Aoyama has place-
mats with pictures featuring
many of the sushi options avail-
able. If you’re still confused ask
your waitress.
I ordered the sushi deluxe
platter (comes with nine pieces
THE MERCIAD PAGE 5
To contact: featuremerciad@mercyhurst.edu
FEATURES
With Jen
Photo courtesy of Joe Slepko
Natalia Czerniak, Dr. Lutton and Christine, one of the Direc-
tors of the facility they stayed at, study the rocky shoreline
in Jamaica to gain insight on what they studied during the
winter term.
For spring break
some students
were learning
instead of lazing
By Merissa Frank
Contributing writer
No one wanted to think about
homework over spring break.
Homework, studying and the
library were in the recesses of
everyone’s minds. Everyone
except 16 students who were in
Jamaica.
Dr. Lewis Lutton, professor of
biology, took 16 students from a
variety of majors to Jamaica for
Tropical Marine Biology. The
course met once a week during
the winter term for an hour to
get biological background in-
formation and organized for the
course’s grand finale, an 11-day
trip to Jamaica.
Alicia Abbey, Francia Aguilera,
Alex Bonamo, John Bonen-
berger, Anthony Ciotti, Natalia
Czerniak, Colleen Davis, James
Dylewski, Nicklas Lyon, Monica
Oyuela, Patrick Rogers, Kathryn half a year.
Ruemler, Joe Slepko, Denise The people and culture were
Thompson, Jyll Wassell and Erik just as interesting as the biology.
Weber spent those 11 days in Lutton said, “The people and
Jamaica learning tropical marine culture are so fascinating and
biology and the culture and his- so much fun to be around. The
tory of the island. hotel staff was fun and helpful
The trip is nothing new to and made it special.”
Mercyhurst, though the location Jamaica offers all of the typical
is. Lutton said that the first ma- features tropical marine biolo-
rine biology trip was led by nuns gists could hope for: a coral reef,
around 1970 on an expedition to mangrove swamps, inner tidal
the Virgin Islands. Jamaica was a areas and lagoon areas.
KRT Campus photo little more special to Lutton. Biology isn’t free, though. The
“I love the lab and I love Ja- good times came at a price, a
maica,” said Lutton. The lab on reasonable price. The whole
the island is run by Hofstra Uni- trip, including airfare, room and
versity and it is also associated board and field trips cost about
with a cottage hotel setup. $1,600. The pricey part of the
Joe Slepko, junior environmen- trip was snorkeling gear. That
tal science major, was among the was about the only thing not
students who went to Jamaica. provided and Lutton said, “It’s
He said the class was open to not cheap to get decent stuff to
non-majors, so it was much more really enjoy the water.”
than just a biology class. “It was If you’re the geeky type who
the history, biology, and culture sat at home during spring break,
of the island,” Slepko said. maybe a tropical marine biology
Aside from tropical marine trip is what you need. You can
biology, students visited a port still be geeky and learn while en-
Columbus made and lived at for joying the fun and the sun.
of sushi and one California roll,
which sliced turns out to be six
servings), and although it comes
with a garden salad or miso soup
I opted to pay a little more for
the seaweed salad and a side of
fried rice.
My boyfriend and I split this
meal, but it was more than
enough for us. I drank water, and
he had a Sapporo beer. The total
came to $35.15 with tax and tip.
Cheaper options are available.
We could choose from a wide
range of platters and all looked
equally delicious. Ours was made
in front of us and, although you
couldn’t see them actually roll the
sushi, the sushi chefs made sure
to have the plate where you can
see it all come together.
This restaurant gets two thumbs
up not only for the fun atmo-
sphere but the excellent food.
Aoyama Japanese Steakhouse
and Lounge is located on Peach
Street next to the Millcreek Mall
in the old Chi Chi’s building.
PAGE 6
OPINION To contact: opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Letters to the Editor: Photolab issue causes controversy
Art student feels lab removal is against the values of the college
I find the recent events that have unfolded in
the basement of Zurn Hall unacceptable and in
direct contrast to the values that the Sisters of
Mercy outlined when building the foundation of
our institution.
Even more troubling is the laissez-faire attitude
of the administrative powers when confronted
with the topic. Many of the arguments outlined
below have previously been directed to the at-
tention of the governing powers of Mercyhurst
and, although eventually receiving a singular reply
that was sub-par and circumventing at best, were
mostly ignored.
While reading this, it must be understood that the
anger felt by myself—along with my peers in, and
facility of, the art department—is not rooted solely
in the fact that we no longer get the opportunity
to take a class that everyone enrolled was looking
forward to; but as the last straw in the greater scope
of the xenophobia and persecution that our depart-
ment has been enduring for years.
I wish to explain that this photography class is of-
fered in alternating years, making it the last chance
for upperclassmen to enroll and therefore, the last
opportunity for over half of those enrolled to at-
tend. Even if it were to be offered next year due
to this conflict, this year’s graduating class will be
out of luck, many—myself included—needing this
class to complete a minor field of study.
Since my freshman year, I have worked with my
advisor to plan out my future at Mercyhurst, being
sure to account for classes needed to graduate and
when they are offered throughout my tenure. It is
safe to say that any student, regardless of field of
Art faculty member tired of being slighted
I am very frustrated, as I have been for years, by
all the loss of Art Department spaces and by having
to share studio space.
Several departments now have office and/or art
department studio areas.
The art department had such wonderful plans
for an outdoor courtyard studio/sculpture garden
where the dance department studio is now and
there was a seminar room where the dance office
is now that I had to use for lack of classroom
space.
The art department had a very good office/sup-
ply space right next to a studio and it is now a
math department office. A room that is located
across from the performance arts center was the
art department graphic design studio and now
is used by another department. And now, the
basement photography classroom, darkroom and
faculty office space, desperately needed by the art
department is gone.
We had a graphic design studio space and office,
but it is now a science department classroom. The
graphic design program was moved over to the Hirt
building. That move also made for the loss of the
place for a planned Art Education studio and of-
fice. That move has disjointed the art department
and its students. Factually, the art department has
not gained even one square foot of space and as
stated has lost a lot.
This is a big problem.
The department has well over doubled, almost
tripled in size. There has been what would seem
continuous negative consequences throughout
the department which create additional problems.
Sharing studio space is a major problem, as well
Facebook: Friend, foe or both?
As spring term begins and the first week comes
to a close, students cannot help but think, “are we
there yet?”
For the pining seniors, the condition of Senioritis
has kicked in and for the student body as a whole,
the days with no deadlines and sleeping-in seem like
a world away with another nine weeks to go.
Students returning to school this past week
were presented
with a mass
mailing from
Residence
Life about the Ellen
dangers of Koenig
Facebook and
other online
personal data-
bases.
In fact, it has been reported that a mass e-mailing
was sent to faculty and staff to create accounts via
their Mercyhurst e-mail to discourage unsuitable
content on the site.
Many students were outraged by this and feel it
is a violation of their expression and should be
permitted to post pictures and/or content that
does not meet the college’s approval.
One must remember that the Internet is public
domain where information about people, coun-
tries and practically any other subject is shared for
anyone to access.
As members of the college, each person is es-
sentially an ambassador for how the institution
molds its students.
They can either be viewed as alcoholic ignorant
college students, or the kind of individuals that the
faculty strives to influence everyday; free thinking
individuals who give hope for a decent contribu-
tion to society.
Students of this school give Mercyhurst a physical
THE MERCIAD
study, could attest to the lack of course offerings
at Mercyhurst, especially those of upper-level
structure. Not to mention in a field such as art,
developing a strong portfolio is the only way to
get internships and find a career. These upper-level
classes are therefore essential in the development
of such and are more powerful than any transcript
resume. Axing this class has meant lost portfolio-
quality work and experience, resulting in the under
qualification for—and resulting loss of—jobs and
internships.
Students enrolled in Intermediate Photography
were informed of its cancellation five days before
classes were to begin. It is unethical to inform
those enrolled of the cancellation with such short
notice, when the plans for such construction have
obviously been in the works for more than a mere
week. The class should have never been offered nor
made it to the registration date if such construction
plans were being approved.
While at home on break, away from the guid-
ance of my advisor, chair and registrar, I found
myself worrying about picking up another class
to maintain full-time status and maintain financial
aid. Some of the students enrolled were fortunate
enough to receive a telephone call from the Office
of Academic Affairs, I was not so fortunate; luckily,
my WebMail account was working that day and I
could view the e-mail.
Upon my return I was forced to scramble to find
a class to fill the now vacant space in my sched-
ule. Given that the remainder of the campus had
already had their opportunity to register the slim
number of classes that, as a junior, I needed to
as scheduling.
I am a program director for the Art Therapy
Major with over 60 majors and minors. I had two
advisees scheduled in the canceled photography
class, and I am very emphatic to their situation.
Therefore, I am very confused as to the loss of
office and studio space.
This also leads me to be concerned about the situ-
ational problems relative to that of the progression
of future actions and decisions.
There are plans for the photography studio,
darkroom and office for faculty, but I think it
means loss of parking lot space behind Zurn Hall
by plans to add onto the building. That parking
lot is where I have problems as a faculty member
finding parking space.
Throughout my profession of being an artist,
it seems that art is always the first to go or to be
displaced and replaced in some manor.
Any “future plans” can sound important as does
the new art(s) building, but creativity and learning
is in the “now.”
We should be trying to keep the art major/minor
students we have now as well has maintaining a
focus on recruitment.
Interesting also is the fact that most construction
and plans are made when the students and faculty
(summer) are not on campus, this being the most
recent example.
The reason given was that this is happening all
over campus, well it’s just not the same, and it’s not
a good rationale.
Cathlyn Hahn
front that interacts in the community, each student
is a diplomat on behalf of this institution.
On the same note, we are also entitled to the
constitutional right of freedom of speech and
expression. However, freedom is not entirely free,
and with these rights come responsibility.
First and foremost, the content of the Web pages
must be lawful. No matter how you try to justify it,
if you drink alcohol under the age of 21, you are
violating the law, no question.
Having pictures on the Website is evidence that
the said individual in fact took part in such an
activity.
In many ways, students incriminate themselves
by stating how smashed they were Sunday morning
on a friend’s ‘wall’ or listing absurd activities under
interests and quotes about themselves.
Ultimately members of staff gaining access to
these sites simply make students accountable for
content of their own pages. It forces us to take
responsibility and be aware that the Internet can
in fact be a dangerous place.
On the flip side, faculty and staff becoming mem-
bers of Facebook can makes the online database a
little more quirky and interesting.
Adding professors, coaches and staff that stu-
dents know can inflate your number or friends as
well as strengthen the bond between students and
staff, even if it is under the loosely used ‘friends’
category.
The bottom line is, students must be aware that
their actions can be judged and punished via the
Internet, especially with the development of per-
sonal databases such as Facebook.
While these services can be entertaining and
even socially useful, one must always be mindful
in choosing content and realize it will literally be
posted for all the world to see . . . even by your
teachers.
complete were already closed. It was only through
the persuasion and pleading I was accepted in to
the singular class that worked with my schedule,
nonetheless having to miss the first week of class
and now having to endure a perpetual feeling of
being behind.
I find it unfair that the needs of the anthropol-
ogy/geology department are once again being
addressed at the expense of all other departments;
students of the art department are paying the same
top-dollar for their education as those in any other
and should be treated equally. Sadly, this has never
been the case. We have sub-par studio facilities and
computer hardware in need of upgrade, whilst the
anthropology department is constantly expanding
and receiving new equipment. Our studio facilities
are sparse and are overbooked and ill-equipped
for classes, leaving the hours for open studio time
needed to complete projects restricted to the late
evening and weekends.
If this expansion is to benefit the five students
majoring in the field of Geology, should not they
be the ones to suffer by having to wait until winter
term of next year to use their brand-new facilities?
It would seem the reasonable solution to me, to
delay the construction until summer, pushing the
completion back to sometime during fall term.
Therefore, cancel classes that have yet to be offered
or scheduled rather than ones that are already of-
fered, registered and required. To say that the art
department must adhere to the plans of another
department is an outrage.
In the reply I received from the administration,
it was cited that the expansion to take place would
South Dakota’s abortion error
Chicago Tribune editorial
Knight Ridder Newspapers
In signing a bill Monday virtually banning abor-
tion, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds has created
an unworkable law and almost certainly damaged
the anti-abortion cause.
The impetus for this bill was the arrival of John
Roberts and Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court.
Both are thought to be skeptical, at least, of the
court’s decisions creating a constitutional right to
abortion. But even if we assume they are open to
scrapping the 1973 Roe v. Wade verdict, the South
Dakota law is clearly doomed.
In the first place, the court very rarely repudiates
a major precedent merely because of a change in
personnel. In addition, five of the nine justices
are on record supporting that decision. About the
best anti-abortion groups can hope for is to lose
5-4 instead of 6-3.
And even that is far from certain. As conserva-
tives, Roberts and Alito have stressed that they will
not lightly overturn venerable precedents. Forced
to confront the issue so early in their tenure, the
court could end up reaffirming Roe by an even
bigger margin than before.
MERCIAD
The
Josh Wilwohl Editor-in-Chief
Corrie Thearle News Editor
Melissa Jack Features Editor
Allison Moore Opinion Editor
Ryan Palm Sports Editor
Melissa Brandt A&E Editor
Katie McAdams Photo Editor
& Production Editor
Melissa Brandt Advertising Manager
Chelsea Boothe Copy Editor
Emily Crofoot Graduate Assistant
The Merciad is the student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst College.
It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of midterms
week and finals week. Our office is in the Old Main, room 314. Our telephone
number is 824-2376.
The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and
names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the letters
for content, we reserve the right to trim letters to fit. Letters are due the
Thursday before publication and may not be longer than 300 words. Submit
letters to box PH 485.
March 15, 2006
be beneficial to both departments, however; it was
not outwardly revealed to me how it would benefit
those in the field of art. When in discussion with
the faculty of the Art Department, I discovered
the expansion of Zurn was to include an addition
to the lobby of the Performing Arts Center that,
by partioning the Cummings Art Gallery, would
house a “new” photography studio. However, the
darkroom would remain in the same location its
state of ill repute and in need of repair and would
now find itself in the midst of another department
altogether.
To me, it sounds as if the planned construction is
mostly to benefit the PAC and the geology depart-
ment with the photography studio being tacked on
to the blueprint as nothing more than an attempt
at a peace offering. Also cited was the fact that
the construction in the Zurn basement was to be
paid for with monies the archaeology department
received from a grant over three years ago.
Conveniently enough, days after the new adminis-
tration took the helm and Dr. Adovasio, director of
the archaeology department, was appointed to the
Special Counsel to the President, plans which were
supposedly in the works since the money had been
granted were now magically put in motion.
Such hegemonic undertakings are a far cry from
the values of integrity, dignity and mercy that
Mercyhurst is based upon. For shame to the new
administration for turning its back on the staff and
students of an entire department while hindering
the Mercyhurst Tradition so early in its infancy.
Andrew Lapiska
KRT
The other problem is that while a majority of the
people in South Dakota may favor a ban, a clientele
for abortion still exists. The state’s only abortion
clinic serves 800 patients a year. If those women
could not get an abortion in South Dakota, odds
are good they would travel to a neighboring state to
get it. Or they might obtain illegal abortions, with
the attendant risks.
Though the activists on both sides of this debate
get most of the attention, many people favor the
goal often stated by President Bill Clinton, which
was to make abortion “safe, legal and rare.” The
anti-abortion movement has had some successes,
but it has not been able to convert widespread
ambivalence about abortion into firm opposition.
What South Dakota lawmakers have approved
may shake some people out of ambivalence, but
not in the direction the lawmakers favor. The ban
allows no exceptions for rape, incest or serious
dangers to the mother’s health. Only when the
mother’s life is at risk would it be allowed. Faced
with this ban, voters on the fence are more likely
to be pushed toward the abortion-rights camp than
pulled away from it.
What the South Dakota legislature has approved,
however, does not promise to change that state
of affairs.
editormerciad@mercyhurst.edu
newsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
featuremerciad@mercyhurst.edu
opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
entertainmentmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
photomerciad@mercyhurst.edu
prodmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
admerciad@mercyhurst.edu
sdowde80@mercyhurst.edu
ecrofo81@mercyhurst.edu
March 15, 2006 THE MERCIAD PAGE 7

ARTS &
ENTERTAINMENT To contact: entertainmentmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Klezmer and classical merge at the PAC
By Christina Ferranti
Contributing writer
Trio Solisti was formed in
New York City in 2000 based
on a unique blend of technical
mastery, innovative program-
ming, an embrace of 20th and
21st century repertoire and a
notably exuberant brand of mu-
sic-making.
The group is made up of three
musicians, violinist Maria Bach-
mann, pianist Jon Klibonoff and
cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach.
Individually, each of its mem-
bers has performed at the major-
ity of the major venues across the
United States as well as in over
20 different countries.
David Krakauer tours as a guest
performer with Trio Solisti.
David Krakauer is known as
one of the foremost perform-
ers in the new wave of klezmer
music.
His eccentric musical style
includes chamber classical
music, Eastern European
Jewish klezmer, as well as
avant-garde improvisa-
tion.
He tours with the
Photo Courtesy of PAC Klezmer Madness!
Above: Violinist, pianist, and cellist of performance group Trio Solisti. Right: David Krakauer. Ensemble that plays
music which combines the in-
fluential sounds of world music
with other genres, including jazz,
rock, funk and hip-hop.
He is critically acclaimed world-
wide and is asked to serve as a
guest performer with several
different ensembles such as the
Tokyo String Quartet, the Kro-
nos Quartet, the Lark Quartet,
the Orquesta Sinfonica de Barce-
lona, the Brooklyn Philharmonic
Orchestra and Trio Solisti.
The combination of Krakauer
and Trio Solisti will bring to-
gether a cultural explosion of
ethnically diverse music from
notable composers all around the
world.
They will
be playing
selec-
tions
from
var-
ious artists, particularly though
from Paul Moravec’s “Tempest
Fantasy,” winner of the 2004
Pulitzer Prize.
Also, Krakauer will be hold-
ing a Master Class on Monday,
March 20, from 11:00 a.m.-12:20
p.m., open to the public and
Mercyhurst students.
In this workshop, he will
demonstrate his style of klezmer
music and entertain questions
regarding his music, as well as
related topics.
Krakauer and Trio Solisti will
perform as part of the Visiting
Arts Series directed by Dr. Albert
Glinsky, the chairman of the
Music Department.
Glinsky personally knows
Krakauer as they attended the
Juilliard School together as well
as being personally acquainted
with two of the three members
of Trio Solisti, so he is “very
excited for the reunion of these
world-class artists.”
This show will take place on
March 19 at 2 p.m. at the Walker
Recital Hall. Tickets for this
event are available now at the box
office or call 824-3100.
Ticket prices include: Adult:
$17.50; Senior/PC/Student: $15;
Youth: $5; and Mercyhurst Col-
lege Student with ID: $1.

Fire this ‘Gun’ at will

Ben Harper releases new album ‘Both Sides of the Gun’
ricane Katrina disaster. For people who are more into Not to say they still aren’t
By Joe Fidago
In it Harper sings, “You left Harper’s funk/pop/classic rock great tunes – he just becomes
Contributing writer
them swimming for their lives side than his mellow side, the sec- very soft.
down in New Orleans / Can’t ond disc might not have the same Think even a more laidback
If you are a fan of Dave Mat- afford a gallon of gasoline / outcome for them as the first. Jack Johnson if you aren’t fa-
thews, Pearl Jam or most rel- And your useless degrees and The second disc is one that is miliar with these types of songs
evantly, Jack Johnson, you’ve your contrary statistics / This much more a collection of songs from Harper.
probably also heard the music of government business is straight that deal with Harper’s innermost Overall, “Both Sides of the
Ben Harper and his group, The up sadistic.” fears and thoughts, some of Gun” is another great album
Innocent Criminals. That song may very well be which he has touched upon since from Ben Harper.
In fact, Jack Johnson, the ex- the highlight of the first disc, his beginnings in 1994. Whether you enjoy his mel-
surfer turned college student although “Better Way” and “En- However, never has he devoted low tunes or ones that are more
favorite singer/songwriter, actu-graved Invitation” come in near an entire CD to the subject. upbeat, you’ll find something to
ally got his start playing at Benthe top as well. The reason people may not enjoy here.
Harper shows. It’s hard for me to pick out the enjoy this CD as much as the In a world that teaches gun
The last album Harper released,best songs because I can honestly first is that when Ben Harper safety, this Gun is one you should
2005’s “There Will Be a Light,” say that I think they are all well gets mellow, it’s a great cure for definitely keep loaded at all
was recorded with the Blind Boys done. insomnia. times. Photo Courtesy of the PAC
of Alabama and although it won Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes in ‘Constant Gardener.’
a Grammy for Best Traditional
Soul Gospel Album, it probably
sank under most people’s radars
Spring PAC films
because of the fact that it wasn’t Justin begins to unravel an
By Christina Ferranti
so much them recording with elaborate conspiracy involving
Contributing writer
Harper as Harper recording with the drug companies that places
them. several lives in danger, a major
Before that was the 2003 re- BBC film reviewer Andy Jacobs undertone to the novel.
lease “Diamonds on the Inside,” calls “The Constant Gardener” “The Constant Gardener” is
which is a much more polished “Gripping and intelligent en- showing March 15 at 2 p.m. and
release than this one. tertainment, a dramatic thriller 8 p.m at the PAC.
“Both Sides of the Gun” is about a man who only grows to Another film “Separate Lies”
a double album, the first disc truly understand his wife after is perfectly epitomized by John
being more upbeat and socially she’s dead. Anderson of Variety. “Tale opens
relevant, and disc two being more “Rachel Weisz excels as the late with a hit-and-run accident in
introspective and mellow. Tessa, a passionate, sometimes which a man on a bicycle is run
As you may have guessed by overbearing activist in Kenya off the road by a car and left for
the fact that Ben has opened for whose motivations unspool in dead. Nearby, the marriage of
Pearl Jam, he does his fair share flashback as her other half, shy James and Anne Manning (Tom
of dabbling in political matters. diplomat Justin (Ralph Fiennes), Wilkinson and Emily Watson) is
The song “Black Rain” on the investigates her fate. on the verge of collapse.
first disc is a harsh critique of an “‘City Of God’ director Fer- “Julian Fellowes captures the
issue that still has people up in Photo Courtesy of Benharper.net nando Meirelles blends high idyllic if petrified elegance of
arms, the handling of the Hur- Check out Ben Harper’s emotionally intense new album, ‘Both Sides of the Gun.” tension with social conscience, their domestic existence with
giving a human face to the cruel perfection – homes in
West’s exploitation of the Third both whitewashed London and
World.” the country – after-work cricket
The film is an adaptation of a for him, comfortable boredom
book by John Le Carre. It begins for her.
with the character Justin Quayle, “Anne has grown impatient
who is a British diplomat in Ke- with her older husband, but
nya. when she expresses too eager an
He meets an enthusiastic activ- interest in a young heir dressed in
ist, Tessa, and marries her. Soon cricket whites, Bill Bule (Rupert
into the marriage, Tessa is mur- Everett), it’s all too apparent
dered in what is titled a bandit trouble lies ahead.”
raid. The destruction of the mar-
Justin, who suspects foul-play riage of James and Anne lays
in the violent death of his wife, the framework for most of the
searches for the truth about events in the film.
Tessa’s death and simultaneously As the intricacies of the mys-
discovers information about her tery of the hit-and-run accident
life that pose more questions unfold, the three lead characters,
than answers. Anne, James and Bill all be-
Was Tessa having an affair with come entangled in the tragic and
one of the accompanying black treacherous aftermath.
doctors? There is a great deal of suspi-
Why was she was constantly cion surrounding Bill and Anne,
obsessing with the new drug cre- but James’ attempts to protect his
ated to cure tuberculosis? wife in order to save his reputa-
The latter question reflects tion and destroy the reputation
another theme within the film of Bill will result in many unex-
which is corporate greed and pected twists.
corruption in the pharmaceutical “Separate Lies” shows March
companies. 22 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
 PAGE 8
LAKER
SPORTS
All-American wrestlers
Zack Schafer finishes second and J.J. Zanetta seventh at Nationals
By Matt Jackson
Co-Sports editor
Zack Schafer was just inches
away from making school history
while wrestling at the NCAA
Championships Saturday.
The junior, competing in the
finals at 165 pounds, battled
Minnesota State Moorhead’s
Nate Baker to a 2-2 tie after one
period.
Schafer started the second
period from the top position
where he hit the move that nearly
made him Mercyhurst’s first ever
national champion.
The move, which has became
almost a trademark of Schafer’s
in the past few years, is close
to a reverse head-and-arm, and
Schafer has proven he can hit it
from any position.
This time it came while Baker,
a former starter for Division I
Minnesota, attempted an escape,
but instead found himself on his
back and almost pinned.
“I knew it was close,” said
Schafer. “I knew either way,
whether I got the pin or not, that
I had a lead and I thought I would
be able to hold on.”
Schafer was awarded three
near-fall points before Baker
finally broke the hold.
Unfortunately for Schafer, he
was unable to hold on to the lead
as he surrendered a reversal, a
takedown, and a three-point near
fall in a 10-5 loss.
“He just beat me physically in
the last period. He was probably
the strongest person I’ve ever
wrestled,” said Schafer.
However, the loss does nothing
to diminish the dominance Scha-
fer possessed in his path to the
national tournament finals.
Schafer pinned his first five
postseason opponents, including
three in the regional tournament
and hist first two opponents at
the national tournament.
Women’s lacrosse drops to
1-3 after trip to Carolinas
By Jim McCann
Contributing writer
The Mercyhurst women’s la-
crosse team was busy over spring
break as they played four road
games, with three of them oc-
curring within four days.
On Saturday, Feb. 25, the Lakers
opened their season in Charlotte,
N.C against Queens University.
After senior Kelsey French (2
goals, 3 assists) scored back to
back goals in the first half, the
Lakers trailed just 5-4.
Queens then scored three goals
in the final seven minutes of the
quarter and went into halftime
with an 8-4 lead.
The Lakers came out strong
after halftime and cut the lead
to 8-6 as freshman Alicia Guzzo
(1g, 2a) and Breanna Haggerty
(3g, 1a) scored the first goals of
their collegiate careers.
That streak was then dashed as
Queens notched seven straight
goals en route to a 19-8 win.
Senior Lindsay Jackson (1g,
1a) scored her first goal of the
season while junior Darci Doran
and freshman Jessie Horeth each
added an assist.
Freshman Megan Foley made
11 saves in her collegiate debut
for the Lakers.
The Lakers were looking for
vindication the next day as they
took the field against the Blue
Hose of Presbyterian College.
That vindication was imme-
diately realized as the Lakers
exploded for 11 goals and gave
up only two in the first half.
Jessie Horeth (4g, 1a) had a
hat trick and Kelsey French (2g,
3a) added two goals in a 7-0 run
that gave Mercyhurst a 7-1 lead
To contact: sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Junior Zack Schafer became an All-American for the second straight year Saturday.
He cruised through his semifi-
nal match with an 11-5 win over
nationally-ranked Cort Peterson,
tallying his 17th straight win in
the process.
“Just getting to the finals was a
big relief,” said Schafer.
Schafer’s win streak started
after a loss to Baker on Jan. 14
and came to end with a second
loss to the national champion
Saturday.
Junior J.J. Zanetta also earned
All-American honors with a sev-
enth-place finish.
The junior lost his opening
round match before winning his
first two consolation matches to
secure All-American status.
Zanetta was major-decisioned
in his next bout before winning
File Photo
Junior Darci Doran
at 20:40.
The Lakers survived an early
four goal barrage from the Blue
Hose at the start of the second
half, but the five goal margin was
the closest that the Lakers would
allow their opponent to come.
Mercyhurst outscored Presby-
terian 5-2 in the final 15 minutes
and came away with a convincing
16-8 victory.
Breanna Haggerty (3g, 3a) was
once again impressive in the
win and sophomore Courtney
Olevnik dished out four assists.
The Lakers were also impres-
sive on the defensive side of the
ball and were lead by freshman
Kristen Toomey’s three caused
turnovers and freshman Beth
O’Neil’s four ground balls.
Megan Foley and Freshman
Stephanie Obsitnik split time
between the pipes and combined
for eight saves.
Two days later the Lakers took
on No. 5 Limestone to continue
their southern trip.
The Saints built a 5-0 lead
before Jessie Horeth scored her
sixth goal of the season to open
to scoring for the Lakers.
Despite second half goals
THE MERCIAD
via medical forfeit over Willie
Hilton of North Carolina-Pem-
broke in the match for seventh-
place.
Schafer was just as happy for
his roommate’s performance as
he was his own.
“It was great to see him get
All-American,” said Schafer.” We
started here together, we train
together, and we live together,
so it was nice.”
Sophomore and returning All-
American Don Cummings came
up one win short of advancing
to the All-American round as
did Hudson Harrison who was
eliminated from the tourna-
ment with a 7-6 loss to Clinton
MacNaught of Upper Iowa.
Payne Lint, Lenny Calhoun,
File Photo
Senior Kelsey French
from Horeth, French, Guzzo
and Lindsay Jackson , Limestone
proved to be too much for the
Lakers as they held a 40-15 shot
advantage and walked away with
an 18-5 win. Limestone improved
to 4-0.
The Lakers finished their hectic
first week schedule on Thursday,
March 2 in Misenheimer, N.C.
as they faced No. 8 Pfeiffer
University.
The Lakers took a 4-3 lead and
trailed just 7-4 at the half, but
Pfeiffer outscored Mercyhurst
9-1 in the final 30 minutes.
Jessie Horeth led the Lakers
with two goals and one assist
while Kristen Toomey (2g) and
Breanna Haggerty (2a) also con-
tirbuted.
The Lakers will continue their
season on the road when they
travel to Greensburg, Pa. to take
on the Griffins of Seton Hill
University.
Mercyhurst (1-3) will open the
home portion of their schedule
on Sunday when they host East
Stroudsburg University at 11
a.m.
Katie McAdams/Photo editor
and Will Tedder also competed
in the tournament.
As a team the Lakers finished
14th while Nebraska-Omaha
won the event for the third
straight year.
The Mercyhurst wrestlers also
earned accolades for off the mat
success.
The Lakers finished No. 8 on
the Division II All-Academic
wrestling team.
Schafer and Zanetta led the way
with First-Team statuts.
Seniors Paul Bergman and
Franz Zatta were named to the
Second-Team.
Sophomore Bryan Kuhn was
selected as an Honorable Men-
tion.
Feret produces at
the plate and on the
mound in spring trip
By Brady Hunter
Contributing writer
While some students were off
enjoying a relaxing spring break,
the Mercyhurst softball team
was hard at work, fighting for
victories and striving to improve
in practice.
Sure, they were able to spend
some time in Fort Myers, Fla..
But it was certainly no vacation.
The Lakers played 12 games
over a seven-day span while in
Florida, and emerged with a 5-7
record.
It was a week of trends, with
few variations in the wins and
losses columns when it came to
repeat opponents.
For instance, there was the
matchup with Palm Beach At-
lantic.
The Lakers certainly had Palm
Beach’s number, defeating them
on consecutive days (Feb. 25-26).
The wins came with an impres-
sive combined score of 13-2.
Unfortunately, another team
that Mercyhurst had to play sev-
eral times, Florida Gulf Coast,
drew a bead on the Lakers.
In four clashes, Florida Gulf
Coast downed Mercyhurst in
every try (once on the 24th,
again on the 25th, and twice on
the 28th).
Another team that was able to
consistently keep the Lakers at
bay was LeMoyne, who defeated
them on the 24th and the 26th.
Wins over Wheeling Jesu-
it, Dubuque, and Northwood
as well as a loss to Concordia
brought the team’s final mark to
5-7 to open the season.
This weekend saw the team
face another hectic schedule, as
they traveled to Florence, S.C.
for six games.
On Friday, the Lakers fell 7-6
March 15, 2006
to Augusta State.
Although a three-run homer
from junior Jen Feret put Mer-
cyhurst up by one, Augusta State
ended up tying the game and
winning in the 10th inning.
Saturday brought losses to West
Liberty State by a score of 7-3)
and West Virginia State (4-2),
sandwiched around a win over
Fairmont State.
Feret once again led the charge
in the Fairmont State game,
although this time from the
mound.
With the help of some solid
defense, she allowed just four hits
while earning five strikeouts.
Georgia College and State
University dropped the Lakers
9-1 to open Sunday’s play, but
the Lakers rebounded to defeat
Belmont Abbey, 3-1. Melissa
Rizzo provided the winning runs
with a two-run homer.
After these two grueling per-
formances, the team has another
long break before competition
resumes.
On the March 25-26, Mercy-
hurst travels to the Salem Invi-
tational in Virginia to square off
against five foes over two days.
Fortunately, the team also has
room to make up ground in the
GLIAC in a big way, with all of
their conference matches still
ahead of them.
Important upcoming compe-
titions include a doubleheader
at Gannon on April 4, and five
straight home doubleheaders
against GLIAC rivals stretching
from April 19-29.
The Lakers will try and improve
on their 10-10 conference record
from a year ago when they quali-
fied for the GLIAC tournament
as the eight-seed.
March 15, 2006 THE MERCIAD Page 9

Men’s hockey downs Canisius 7-2
Lakers move one step closer toward repeat appearance at NCAA tournament; Bentley up
By Ryan Palm
Sports editor
The Mercyhurst Lakers (22-
12-1, 20-8-1) scored early and
often Saturday night, defeating
the Golden Griffins of Canisius
7-2 in front of over 1,200 fans at
the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
The Lakers never trailed, but
did not gain the lead for good
until late in the second period.
A late second period goal
coupled with a pair of early third
period goals pushed the Lakers
on to the semifinal round of the
Atlantic Hockey playoffs.
Mercyhurst will travel to
Worcester, Mass. this weekend
to square off against the winner
of the Bentley College.
Mercyhurst and Bentley have
squared off four times this sea-
son, with Mercyhurst winning all
four games by a combined score
of 27-14.
Bentley edged Army last week-
end 5-4 in double-overtime.
The scoring got started early
LAKER
To contact: sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu SPORTS
sophomore forward Ben Cot-
treau at the blue line and put
his one-timer past freshman
Canisius goalie Dan Giffin.
The Golden Griffins got even
at the 9:20 mark, when Tommy
Flikeid lit the lamp for his third
goal of the season.
Flikeid’s goal was assisted by
Fre Coccimiglio and Billy Irish-
Baker.
The score remained tied 1-1 for
the rest of the first period.
While things were relatively
calm during the opening session,
action heated up significantly in
the second.
The middle period featured
double the number of shots
from the first, as well as nine pen-
alties between the two teams.
Mercyhurst regained their lead
at the 9:57 mark when senior
Dave Borrelli scored his 26th
tally of the season.
Borrelli’s power play score
came just after the beginning of
a Canisius power play.
Cottreau won the face-off and
flipped it to Borrelli who beat Sophomore Ben Cottreau tallied two assists in Saturday night’s win over Canisius.
Ryan Palm/Sports editor

Saturday night, with the Lak-
ers putting the first goal on the
scoreboard less than three min-
utes into the contest.
Mercyhurst defender Jamie
Hunt scored his eleventh goal
of the season at the 2:58 mark
in the opening period.
Hunt, who entered the game
tied for first in Division I hockey
in defender scoring, was fed by
Giffin above his right shoulder.
Just as in the first period, the
Laker lead did not last long.
Canisius got their second goal
of the night from Flikeid who
beat Small on his right side.
Flikied’s second score of the
night was assisted by Jaymie Har-
rington and Greg Brown.
Mercyhurst broke the 2-2 tie
at 15:56 when freshman Chris
Trafford scored his 12th of the
season on a 3-on-2 breakaway.
Trafford was assisted by junior
defender Pat Henk and sopho-
more forward Matt Warren.
The Lakers put the game away
for good early in the final ses-
sion.
Sophomore Ryan Toomey
scored a short-handed goal on a
breakaway just 37 seconds into
the period to put the Lakers
ahead 4-2.
Just two minutes later Mer-
cyhurst scored again, this time
from the stick of junior Kyle
Gourgon.
Gourgon’s 13th goal of the
season was unassisted and gave
the Lakers a three goal lead.
Mercyhurst wasn’t finished
scoring on the night, however,
with Toomey scoring his second
of the night at 11:48.
With the Lakers up 6-2, Ca-
nisius coach Dave Smith chose
to pull Giffin with three minutes
left to give his offense an extra
attacker to try to close the four
goal margin.
The Golden Griffins turned
the puck over at the blue line,
however, and Borrelli added a
short-handed, empty-net goal
at 17:38.
The game finished with 31
penalties, with Mercyhurst hold-
ing Canisius to only one power
play goal in their 10 chances on
the night.

Men’s lacrosse moves to 3-0 with win over Queens

By Jim McCann
Contributing writer
The Mercyhurst men’s lacrosse
team started its 2006 campaign
on a high note, winning both
games on their annual trip down
south over spring break.
The season started Thursday,
March 2, in Salisbury, N.C. as the
Lakers put their No. 5 national
ranking on the line against Ca-
tawba College Indians at Shuford
Stadium and Kirkland Field.
Both teams felt the effects of
“early season lacrosse” as the
first half produced only a goal
for each team with senior Jim
Mullaley opening the scoring for
the Lakers.
After such a slow first half,
Mercyhurst came out of halftime
firing on all cylinders.
Junior Adam Mulherin needed
only a minute to notch his first
goal of the season and junior
Bryon Lindner needed only three
more minutes to follow suit, tal-
lying his first of two goals on
the game.
Before the Indians knew what
had hit them, the score was 8-2
and it was the end of the third
quarter.
Mulherin scored two more
goals in the fourth quarter to lead
the Lakers to a 10-3 win and their
first victory of the season.
Senior goaltender Mike Bring-
ley was impressive in the cage,
recording seven saves while al-
lowing only three goals.
Seniors Blake Tandoi (1 g, 2
a) and Matt Woolshlager (1 a),
Juniors Scott Janssen (2 g) and
Simon Stocks (1 a) and freshman
Ryan Arnold (2 a) also played piv-
otal roles in the Laker victory.
The Lakers put all of their off-
season training to the test only
two days later as they took the
field against the Knights of St.
Andrew’s Presbyterian College
in Laurinburg, N.C.
After learning their lesson from
the slow start in their first game,
the Lakers came out flying and
jumped out to a 6-0 lead at the
end of the first quarter.
The Lakers spread out the
scoring with the six goals coming
from five different players, while
Freshman Ryan Arnold (4 g, 1 a)
hit the back of the net twice.
In the second quarter, the
Knights refused to go down
without a fight, as they rallied for
six goals of their own.
The game was suddenly tied at
six before senior Scott Janssen
(3g, 2a) broke the tie with five
seconds to go in the first half,
sending the Lakers into halftime
with the lead.
Freshman Mike Bartlett (2g)
and senior Andrew Schuster
(2g) each scored a goal in the
third quarter to put the Lakers
up for good.
The Lakers outscored the
Knights 8-2 in the fourth quarter
and ended up coming back to
Erie with a 17-10 win and a 2-0
record.
Bringly was once again solid
between the pipes as he made 11
saves while allowing 10 goals.
Tandoi spread the ball around
the field nicely as he recorded
three assists in the win while Jim
Mullaley and Simon Stocks each
beat the goalie twice.
The team also soundly defeated
visiting Queens this past Monday,
March 13, at Tullio Field.
The Lakers downed Queens
14-1, with Queens recently com-
ing off an upset of No.6 Lime-
stone just last week.
Leading scorers for the Lak-
ers included Linder, Mulherin,
and the Stocks brothers, Simon
and Greg, each with two goals
apiece. Bringley picked up the
win playing most of the contest
and notching seven saves.
The Lakers will take to Tullio
Field on Thursday and Saturday Katie McAdams/Photo editor
as they battle with Pfeifer and
Seton Hill respectively. Scott Sullivan looks to move upfield against Queens.

Baseball finishes Florida trip with best record in recent years

By Steven Barr
Contributing writer
The Mercyhurst Lakers base-
ball team began its non-confer-
ence schedule over spring break,
and the 2006 season looks to be
quite promising.
The Lakers flew to West Palm
Beach, Fla., at the end of the
winter term to open up an 11-
game road trip to start off their
season.
The trip was funded almost
entirely by the team itself, as
they raised more than $20,000 in
various events during the fall and
winter terms.
The Lakers began the trip
strong, with back to back con-
vincing victories over Mercy, 18-
2 and 7-2 respectively, followed
by an impressive win over nation-
ally-ranked Lynn University.
After a rain delay on the fourth
day of their trip, the Lakers win
streak came to an end at three as
they fell to Lynn, 9-5.
The Lakers then traveled to
Davie, Fla. for a game against
No. 13 ranked Nova Southeast-
ern.
The Lakers played Nova tough,
File Photo
Senior Joe Mariano
but came up a couple runs shy
and fell to the Sharks, 4-2.
The following day the Lakers
lost a shootout to Palm Beach
Atlantic, 17-11, but rebounded
nicely by knocking off Barry the
following day 6-3.
The Lakers split a doublehead-
er with Davis and Elkins in Fort
Pierce, Fla, and then wrapped
up their trip well with wins over
Lewis and Felician.
The Lakers concluded their
Southern swing at 7-4, which is
impressive as the team has never
finished above .500 on any of its
previous Florida trips.
According to Coach Joe Spa-
File Photo
Senior Brandon Mendola
no, a significant reason for the
team’s strong play has been their
improved practice and playing
facilities.
Prior to the 2004-2005 season,
the Lakers played home games
and practiced at Hirtzel field
on the Mercyhurst North East
campus.
But a decision by the athlet-
ics department allowed for the
construction of artificial turf
that has had a tremendously
positive impact on the Lakers
baseball team.
“It’s brought the team closer
together, and allowed for full
team practices” Spano said.
“We don’t have to travel to but Mother Nature interfered in with a .375 average.
North East anymore. The arti- those plans. No makeup date has On the mound the Lakers
ficial turf upgrades have meant been announced. have been led by senior Bran-
the world to our team, I’m glad The Lakers have several players don Mendola with a 2-0 record
the administration decided to with a hot bat, notably senior and standout sophomore James
invest in it.” catcher Brian Zacour at .414 and Ludwig at 3-0.
Spano said the new turf also senior shortstop Joe Mariano Next up for Mercyhurst is a
has helped him compile an im- at .396. Senior outfielder Matt pair against Salem International
pressive class of recruits, which Echan ranks third on the team on Saturday, March 18.
should help Mercyhurst be
competitive in conference play
this year.
Despite its northern location,
Spano considers the GLIAC to
be one of the most competitive
Division II conferences and
feels that this year’s Lakers have
a very good chance of being
successful in it.
“For the first time in a long
time, I am confident we can be
at the top of the conference and
make the playoffs.”
Mercyhurst swept a dou-
ble-header last Saturday from
Wheeling Jesuit.
The offense was on fire the
entire day, scoring 41 runs in
the two games.
The Lakers won the opener
by a score of 20-1 and the
nightcap 24-6.
The two teams were scheduled
to play a pair on Sunday as well,
 PAGE 10 THE MERCIAD March 15, 2006

LAKER
SPORTS To contact: sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Laker Sports “Quick Hits”

Women’s hockey on to NCAA
This Weeks Results...
Lakers travel Saturday to Wisconsin for NCAA Tournament
Men’s hockey............................................Mar. 10, W 7-2, Canisius
Women’s hockey...............................Mar. 9, W 9-0, Robert Morris By Chris Van Horn
Contributing writer
Mar. 11, W 6-2, Niagara
Men’s volleyball..........................................Mar. 10, L 3-0, Ohio St.
The Mercyhurst Lakers wom-
Wrestling.....................................Mar. 10, 14 of 32, NCAA Champ. en’s ice hockey team is headed
Women’s water polo...................................Mar. 5, L 14-6, Indiana back to the NCAA tournament
Mar. 5, L 13-7, Michigan for the second consecutive year.
Mar. 11, W 5-4, Grove City
This past weekend the Lakers
secured their bid to the NCAA’s
Mar. 11, L 8-5, Slippery Rock by disposing of the Purple Eagles
Baseball.....................................Mar. 10, W 20-1, Wheeling Jesuit of Niagara in the College Hockey
Mar. 10, W 24-6, Wheeling Jesuit America conference tournament
Softball.....................................Mar. 10, L 7-6 (10 inn) Augusta St.
final by a score of 6-2.
The victory for the Lakers
Mar. 11, L 7-3, West Liberty St. marked their fourth straight
Mar. 11, W 4-0, Fairmont St. CHA tournament victory.
Mar. 11, L 4-2, West Virginia St. Mercyhurst, who sits ranked
Mar. 12, L 9-1, Georgia
at No. 7 in the country, finished
their regular season at 23-7-6
Mar. 12, W 3-1, Belmont Abbey overall.
Men’s lacrosse.........................................Mar. 13, W 14-1, Queens The Lakers out-shot the Purple File Photo
Eagles 45-19 in their dominating The Lakers will travel to Madison, Wisc. this weekend to take on the Badgers.
victory.
Freshman Valerie Chouinard start this season at 3-5 overall, which leaves them sitting at No. mendous amount of offensive
In the news... was named the CHA Tourna- and were just a couple more 2 in the country. firepower.
ment Most Valuable Player. losses away from being done for Wisconsin features arguably Mercyhurst has improved in
Athletes of the Week She ignited the Lakers in the the season. the best forward in the country several areas throughout the
final against Niagara with two The veterans on the team and in Sara Bauer, who is fourth in course of the season, including
Mercyhurst wrestler Zach Schafer and women’s hockey goals while sophomore goalie the freshmen have learned what the country in scoring. their power play, penalty killing,
forward Valerie Chouinard were named the Mercyhurst Laura Hosier had to stop just 17 it takes to win. In order to give the Badgers a and most importantly, learning
Athletes of the Week this past Sunday. shots to earn the victory in net. “The veterans really stepped run for their money the Lakers what it takes to win.
Mercyhurst is arguably playing up and taught the younger kids. will need their top two scorers “The girls have really impressed
Schafer finished second at the Division II National their best hockey of the season We were able to solve problems to step up. me this year. After the amount
Championships held March 10-11 at the University of Findlay. heading into the NCAA Tourna- on and off the ice, and that has Junior forward Julia Colizza of talent we lost from last year’s
ment. made the biggest difference,” and Valerie Chouinard are both team the girls have really been
The 165 pound grappler scored two pins to get to the The Lakers have not lost a Sisti said. ranked in the top 20 in scoring in forced to learn quickly. No other
championship match before falling 10-5 in the final. Schafer game since January 27; the team Mercyhurst will have to con- women’s D-I hockey, combining team that I have coached has
is the second Laker in the program’s history to be a national is 7-0-4 in those contests. tinue to play at their highest for 45 goals and 47 assists. grown and developed as quickly
runner-up. As a team, Mercyhurst finished 14th. “We have really been playing level in order to beat their first To beat Wisconsin the Lakers as this team has,” Sisti stated.
must-win hockey since October, round opponents, the Wisconsin will have to play their best game The Lakers game against Wis-
Chouinard had another spectacular weekend on the ice, this and the team has really respond- Badgers. of the year. consin is set for March 18 at 8
one coming at the College Hockey America (CHA) Tournament. ed,” Coach Mike Sisti said. The Badgers finished their The Badgers have the deepest p.m. in Madison, Wisconsin.
The excitement began even before commencement of play, Mercyhurst got off to a slow regular season at 33-4-1 overall, team in the country and a tre-
however, as Chouinard became the first female in NCAA
Division I hockey history to be named Conference Player of the

Women’s water polo pick up first win

Year as a freshman.

To prove the award was well deserved, she went out the next
night against Robert Morris and tallied a hat-trick in a 9-0
defeat of the Colonials. She also added a pair of goals in the added a goal. pool, Somera came away with downed Gannon 6-5 behind an
championship game against Niagara. The weekend came to By Brady Hunter
Sophomores Christine Somera four steals, and Mieras had eight important fourth-quarter goal by
an end with Chouinard leaving Michigan with the tournament Contributing writer
and Christie Haibach each con- saves and two steals of her Rand, who finished with three
Most Valuable Player award. tributed a score, as well. Sopho- own. goals.
Although the season got off to more goalkeeper Gina Mieras Said Willison, “We worked real- Diloretto scored two goals
Basketball players earn honors a rocky start for the women’s wa- finished with nine saves. ly well as a team-we were playing while Willison added one tally.
ter polo team this spring break, Against Michigan, Rand took as a unit. We’ve been working on Up next for the Lakers is
the team was able to come away center stage with four goals, specific situations and different the Penn State Behrend Invita-
The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Association honored
with their first victory on Satur- while Willison, Diloreto, and settings during practice, and we tional.
four Laker basketball players during the first week of March.
day to draw their record to 1-3 Haibach each chipped in one. were able to take advantage of The Lakers have four predeter-
Junior lead guard Avi Fogel was named to the GLIAC South first
on the season. Mieras racked up 10 stops in those situation when they came mined matchups at the Behrend
team, averaging 17.4 points-per-game (ppg) and added 4.1
After a gangbuster exhibition the game. up in the game.” Invite.
assists per tilt.
period in which the girls domi- The considerable gap in size The win was an important They open with Iona on Sat-
nated Ohio University and Grand between the two schools was one, made even more meaning- urday and finish the day with a
Sophomore shooting guard Terry Smith was named to the
Valley State to the tune of a com- quite evident in both games on ful when a loss to Slippery Rock game against St. Francis (N.Y.).
second team, his first all-GLIAC selection. Smith scored 13.6
bined 22-3 score, the first two the 5th, as Mercyhurst struggled immediately followed. Sunday the Lakers will take on
ppg in 2005-06, and already ranks ninth on the Lakers top-ten
regular-season matches proved to succeed with just one reserve Willison’s two goals were sec- Colorado College and Utica.
in three-pointers made.
formidable for the Lakers. player. ond to Rand’s three against Later on, the team will have a
On Sunday, March 5, Mercy- This weekend brought better Slippery Rock. What ended up chance to reprove its dominance
Senior forward Andy Kubinski earned an appearance on the
hurst squared off against Big tidings, however, as the Lakers dooming the team was a 3-0 sec- over Grove City and seek retribu-
All-Defensive team. The Erie native finished the year ninth in
Ten teams Indiana and Michigan. notched their first win. Mercy- ond quarter in favor of SRU. tion from SRU, as both appear
Division II in steals, and finished two shy of breaking the single-
In the end, the Lakers were out- hurst defeated Grove City 5-4, Those three goals would end again on Mercyhurst’s schedule
season record at Mercyhurst.
matched against both teams, and with Willison once again leading up providing the margin of near the season’s end.
fell 14-6 and 13-7, respectively. the way. defeat, as the team traded three Despite the big games Willison
On the women’s side, junior forward Julie Anderson was
Sophomore Carrie Willison led Her three goals were a team- goals apiece in the final two noted that what happens at the
named to the GLIAC South first team. Anderson led
the way against Indiana, scor- high, with Diloreto and Rand quarters. For the game, Mieras end of the season is what really
Mercyhurst in nearly every statistical category, most notably
ing twice while seniors Tessa chiming in with one apiece. grabbed nine stops. matters.
points, rebounding, and steals.
Diloreto and Cassie Rand each On the defense end of the Tuesday night the Lakers
She scored 15.1 ppg, pulled down 9.1 rebounds-per-game, and
also shot just under 90 percent from the free-throw line.

Men’s lacrosse at No. 5

Men’s volleyball struggles against tough MIVA foes
over recent weeks, they turned in play from the Buckeyes were the Senior co-captain Dan Kick
By Andy Tait
The men’s lacrosse team held on to thier No. 5 ranking in the a gutsy team performance caus- factors that resulted in the team dished out 40 assists in the con-
Contributing writer
most recent United States Intercollegaite Lacrosse Association ing a few scary moments for the falling just short early on. test and remains positive about
poll released March 13. Buckeyes. The third game was a formality the team’s chances of success as
Men’s volleyball dropped its The opening two games were following two tough games that they approach the final stretch.
12th game of the season Friday extremely tight with the Lakers saw the Lakers come ever so “A 1-12 record is not where
Hours after the poll was released the Lakers dominated night in Columbus, Ohio. never trailing by more than three close to creating an upset. we would like to be at this point,
Queens University by the score of 14-1. Ohio State, the No. 11 team in points. Freshman Tim Wagner led but we are better than our record
the country disposed of a youth- The supposed gulf in class the Lakers with 13 kills and 13 suggests,” said Kick.
ful Mercyhurst team in just three was nowhere to be seen as the points. The Lakers have nine remain-
Women’s Hockey No. 7 games, 30-28, 33-31, 30-21. Lakers stretched the Buckeyes Senior co-captain Nate Keegan ing games and have only two road
The defeat leaves Mercyhurst to the limit. added eight kills and eight points trips left to cap off the season.
USCHO.com released the final poll of the 2005-06 season with a 1-12 mark overall and 1-5 Unfortunately, Mercyhurst as did fellow freshmen Chad “The way our schedule is set up
on Monday with the Lakers holding on to their No. 7 ranking. in the MIVA. could not find that killer instinct Proudman. gives us a great opportunity to
Final records and votes are below: With the win the Buckeyes now to close out either game. “I think we played our best finish the season in a strong way
stand 15-4 overall and 3-2 in the This has proved a problem so volleyball of the season in games and move into the post season on
SCHOOL RECORD VOTES MIVA. far this season as they have only one and two and had prime op- the right foot,” said Wagner.
1. New Hampshire 32-2-1 150 The Lakers arrived in Colum- registered one victory, which portunities to take either,” said Every team makes the playoffs
2. Wisconsin 33-4-1 134 bus hoping to avenge an earlier came against Lewis back in Wagner. and as things stand it is going to
3. St. Lawrence 30-4-2 118 3-0 defeat to the Buckeyes in January. Despite the 3-0 score line, be a tough tournament unless the
4. Minnesota 27-10-1 107 Erie. The 33-31 loss in the second which does little to reflect this Lakers can pick up some wins
5. Minnesota-Duluth 22-8-3 83 However, it appeared to most game was a crushing blow for close contest, the Lakers have before the regular season ends
6. Princeton 21-7-4 74 people that the Lakers had little the Lakers, having narrowly lost taken many positives from the on April 13.
7. Mercyhurst 23-7-6 65 hope of achieving anything. the opening game. performance. The Lakers entertain Quincy
8. Harvard 18-12-4 49 Another 3-0 loss to a strong The Lakers raced out to an “I feel this is the best we have University this coming weekend
9. Brown 15-13-5 21 Buckeyes team doesn’t seem like early 8-3 lead in the second and played all year,” said Wagner. in MIVA action at the MAC.
10. Boston College 20-11-4 18 much to be optimistic about, controlled the lead until the No one individual was respon- The contests are scheduled to
but the quality of volleyball on Buckeyes fought back to claim sible for carrying the team. start at 7 p.m. on Saturday and
display from the Lakers at times a 31-30 advantage and clinch it This could be a sign that the 12.30 p.m. on Sunday.
Quick hits are compiled by sports editor Ryan Palm. Any- was impressive considering the moments later. Lakers are ready to re-write the
thing worthy of being a “quick hit” should be emailed to caliber of their opponents. A combination of isolated script for the remainder of the
sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu. Despite the Lakers’ poor results errors by the Lakers and strong 2005-06 season.