THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MERCYHURST COLLEGE SINCE 1929

M e r c y h u r s t s t u d e n t Ihad terrifying experience during Semester At Sea

The captain's joking lifted spirits
By Amy Landphair
that were low from a straight week of
Contributing writer
rough seas.
Classes were being held in empty
Special note from the editor: rooms where students sat cross-legged
On Jan. 26 in the middle of the Pacific on the floor with their laps as the only
Ocean, a 50-foot wave crashed into the MV\desks that wouldn't fall over.
Expforer, a "Semester at Sea" ship carryingProfessors acted like practicing circus
681 college students. performers, dancing to keep their bal-
At the time the wave struck, the ship wasance at the board. £
approximate^ 1,600 miles from Honolulu. However, the usual 20-foot swells
vanished that evening as I crawled into
U.S. Coast Guard vessels and aircrafts were
dispatched to help the ship. bed around midnight.
Mercyhurst students, Amy Landphair, Approximately an hour and a half
later I awoke to things going bump
CaitBn Miller and Laurel Dauphin are travel-
ing on the Mv Explorer and experienced thein the night. Not the dateline or the
terrifying event typical loose book falling from the desk,
This article is a personal account of thebut passenger's televisions and dressers
experience from Amy L/mdpbctir. becoming dangerous projectiles.
Experiencing the wave: Drawers, once duct-taped, now slid
Somehow every perilous survival story furiously open and closed. Books scat-
has a hint of irony. My story is not the tered here and there.
exception. • Chairs tipped back and forth. Beds
The night the 50-foot rogue wave pum- crept away from the walls. Pots and pans
meled our ship had been the smoothest crashed and slid across the kitchen on
night on the Pacific thus far. the floor above us.
Many people have experienced drills I reached to the wall behind the bed
.- \
of one sort or another: tornado,fireand to flip on the light and found nothing!
atomic bomb drills, to name a few of the Stretching two feet farther I reached
most common. the switch; my bed had moved out into
But few people ever perform the drill the room.
procedures in the face of real danger. I Getting up to secure moving items
am one of those few who has. It hap- on the floor, I began to feel more than
pened when I was a passenger aboard the normal rocking and rolling on wavy
the MV Explorer. ^ ^ 4 nights. 4BS*
This is my tale as I lived it on the The ship rocked deeply from side to Photo courtesy of Amy Landphair
morning of Wednesday, Jan. 26,2005. side.
Students wait in life vests for further Instructions after being evacuated from their rooms.
Our captain, "Buzz," made an So far to the side that standing unaided
announcement Tuesday evening about was impossible. While storing away my
the ship's upcoming crossing of the stray items, I tumbled to thefloor,taking the noise, I fell back asleep until 3 a.m. He encouraged all passengers to it. f Winds that night blew at 116 mph,
International Dateline. He joked about a hard hit in the ribs from a chair on my By this point, the ship was really remain calm, hold on tight and return comparable to sitting in a hurricane.
feeling a bump when we crossed. Little way down. rocking. to or stay in their cabins.
did we know what kind of bumps we I crawled back onto my bed; the The assistant dean of Semester at Sea He informed us that the ship had come
would experience within the next 12 safest place. made an announcement over the loud upon an unexpected storm and the cap-
hours. Trying to forget about the waves and speaker around 3:30 a.m. tain was doing his best to get us out of Please see Almost on Page 3.

W h o w i l l w i n t h e jtitle o f M r .
By Jaime Myers
Contributing writer
Knowledge, humor, school spirit.
These will be the deciding factors in the
crowning of the first Mr, Mercyhurst on
Friday night
The Mercyhurst College Dance Team
is busy planning and promoting the
event, which is held on Friday night at
8 p.m. in the Walker Recital Hall inside
the Audrey Hirt Academic Center. It is
a fundraiser for the dance team.
Ten Mercyhurst men will be compet-
ing for the title of Mr. Mercyhurst
Events include formal wear, casual/
summer wear and a question and answer
round. But the most entertaining part
should be the talent portion of the com-
petition. Word going around is that the
talents range from Napoleon Dynamite
impressions to eating talents.
"This competition is going to be a
lot of fun," said senior Robyn Mast
who is one of the seniors in charge of
the event 4 They thought it would be fun to have
"The guys have been planning their
talents for awhile, and Pm excited to see
every one of them," said Mast
Tickets are two dollars and are being
sold in the Student Union all week long.
Tickets will also be sold at the door, but
there is a limited amount of space.
There is also free food for students
attending the event as well as prizes
for the audience members. Once your
buy a ticket, you name is entered in the
drawing for a number of prizes and gift
certificates.
The dance team is trying to raise funds
for competitions as well as costumes.
something where the school could get
involved.
<c
We hope that we are starting some-
thing that could become an annual
event on campus/' said senior Heather
Mercyhurst?
Hebda. I |
The men hope that they will have a
crowd of people to come and support
them. Crowd appeal could be a big
factor in choosing the winner.
"If I win, I would credit it to the
humor of my performance," said con-
testant Steve Watzala. fit's a change
of pace for a lot of us who have never
been asked to something like this before.
Most of the guys involved with this
event are walking around saying there is
no way that they will win because none
of us are models."
This is not going to be the Miss
American Pagean I These men are going
to entertain the audience and give it all
they have to make the audience laugh,
tlie crowning will take place after
all of the contestants go through every
round. Judges will score them on each
event throughout the night
The judges for Mr, Mercyhurst are
a few professors from campus: Dr.
Melissa Gibson Hancox of the Com-
munication department and Christine
Hay from the Dance department
Warzala also said, "You can expect a
good time. I think this event will be a
lot of laughs and that's what we are all
going out for—to have a great time "

Valentine's Day'raffle will benefit 5-year-old Zachary K a u f f m a n

By Josh West
Contributing Writer
Raffle tickets for the Valentine's Day
Sweetheart Basket are available for this
week only.
Tickets are one dollar and benefit a
campaign to raise money for five year
old Zachary Kauffman.
Zachary is the grandson of Art
Am ami, director of the Civic Institute
at Mercyhurst
One week Though surgery successfully removed and within several days they had sent put together by the Mercyhurst Ambas-
the tumor, it was expected that further us plane tickets to get his family down sadors.
before Christ-
mas, Zachary testing would reveal more cancer. there." ? | | "1 was just taken aback with the
was taken to Doctors in Pittsburgh offered the He is now undergoing a program generosity of the Ambassadors...I'm
the emergency option of a broad radiation treatment at St Jude's that begins with radiation extremely pleased," Anann said.
room in Hamot that would likely defeat the cancer, but treatment and will end with intensive Tickets are available through the
Medical Center leave Zachary mentally handicapped. chemotherapy, allowing for a brief trip Admissions Office in Weber Hall or the
because of The family received more hopeful home in between. Ambassadors. Ambassadors will be in
severe vomit- news from Saint Jude's Children's Hos- Zach's mother is by his side in Mem- the Student Union Feb 7-11 from 11:30
ing. A CAT- Zachary Kauffman pital in Memphis, Term, phis while this father and older brother a.m>-2 p.m., and 6 p»m.-7:30 p.m. The
SCAN revealed ~~-"~~~~~——— They made contact with Saint Jude's wait anxiously in Erie. drawing will take place on Feb. 11 *
the presence of a medulloblastoma, a one evening, and according to Anann, The family was uninvolved with
cancerous tumor in back of the brain. "By the next day they were on the case organizing the basket raffle, which was Please see Valentine s on Page 2,

cu: News O p i n i o n • i Features Index

Campus television studio •Find out why one student feels Mer- What are you doing for Spring News... 2
shutdown for repairs. Look for a cyhurst is lacking cultural diversity! Break? Use our tips and you'll be News $ ..3
brand new set next term.f concerning Black history month. prepared.! Features. 4
§?f f f Page 2 Page 5 Features....!. .....5
Page 4 Opinion.. 6
iMercyhurst e-mail capac- Arts & Entertainment Opinion... , .........7
ity was originally set too high. Sports A&E... .....8
Is "Family Guy" the new "Simp-
Q) Fixing the problem may affect •Wrestling wins pair against nation- A&E 9
sons"? Read a comparison of these
your account. ally ranked opponents. Sports g 10
animated Fox sitcoms.
Page 3 Page 12 Sports L...J 11
< / > 1 M Page 8
Sports.. 12
PAGE 2 THE MERCIAD February* 2005

NEWS To contact newsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

The decision to rewire the sta- students to work in a studio when

By Ashley Breen
Contributing writer
Students were unable to gain
real "iive" experience in front
of the camera this term, but
with the changes that have been
made to the television studio in
the communication department
students will gain a more realistic
television studio experience.
The television studio, located
in the Audrey Hirt Academic
Center, is in the process of un*
dergoing some minor technical
changes.
According to Brian Sheridan,
professor of communication,
over time various wires through-
out the studio had been changed
and because of this the studio
was experiencing some minor
technical difficulties.
Sheridan said, "Coming from
the profession, I understand how
quickly the industry changes and
the standards that the industry
upholds change. In order to give
students the most realistic work-
ing experience and idea of how
the equipment works we need to
make sure everything is working
properly."
tion camefromDr. Melissa Gib-
son Hancox, chairperson of the
communications department
According to Katrina Walker,
student television station man-
ager she hopes the updates will
allow more opportunity. "Hope-
fully once the updates have taken
place we will be able to offer
students a more comprehensive
look at careers in television and
also be able to give the Mercy-
hurst community some quality
programming that they will en-
joy," said Walker. g^
'Thanks to the addition of
Brian Sheridan to our depart-
ment we were able to bring in
a trained technician to perform
all the necessary updates that
needed to be performed/' added
Walker. ' ^
Mike Koblyka, a professional
engineer, who has been working
on rewiring the studio through-
out the duration of winter term,
expects thefirstphase to be com-
pleted in time for the beginning
of spring term.
Although studentswere as-
signed to work in the television
studio this term, they were un-
able to present the live television
The television studio will take on a new look for spring term.
shows that are aired throughout
campus and they were also un-
able to gain experience doing
taped performances and tech-
nical projects like the Bulletin
Board that airs on Channel 19.
Sheridan said, "When all the
technical aspects are correct.
Katie McAdams/Photo editor
and the rewiring is completed,
students will have the opportu-
nity to work in a reliable studio.
It will be more beneficial for
everything is correct"
Walker added, "The TV station
is an important part of the com-
munication department and not
having shows this term has really
put a cramp in learning how to
operate the equipment, especially
for those assigned to practicum.
It is important to make the
changes to the Studio, though,
because now students will have a
chance to operate the equipment
without having to worry about if
it will work or not"
Aside from the technical
changes that are being made,
some cosmetic changes are also
taking place. The studio will be
redone to carry a more profes-
sional appearance. The sets are
being redesigned and improved
to give it a more realistic ap-
pearance.
Though many students were
disappointed with not being
able to put on various shows this
term, many are looking forward
to working in the improved sta-
tion.
"Stay tuned for spring term
and Hurst TV to see all the new
changes that will be taking place,"
said Walker.

PhiiAlpha Theta seeks students Valentine's raffle

through the encouragement of welcomes students who have
By Corrie Thearle ContinuedfromPage 1.
research, good teaching, publica- a minimum of twelve history
Contributing writer th
tion and the exchange of learning credits to join. Inductees must The basket is valued at over only fundraising being done Church at 20 and Elmwood in
and ideas among historians. It also maintain a 3.1 GPA in their $80 and includes Mardi Gras for the family, who currently Erie. The event will take place
Do you possess a love for the seeks to bring students, teachers history courses and a 3.0 overall at the Grotto, Sparkling Cider, faces formidable expenses due from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb.
past? Would you like to share that and writers of history together GPA. p [ Two Wine Glasses, Hollywood to medical costs, living expenses 27. Tickets are available at the
interest with fellow students on for intellectual and social ex- If you are interested in joining Video Gift Certificate, Frank and missed work. door and cost $10 each. Elvis
campus? This winter Mercyhurst changes, which promote and this organization on campus, Sinatra CD, Heart Note Pad, "The medical bills are just as- Appreciator Jim Moore, Dapper
College inducted new members assist historical research and please contact Dr. Colin-Bums Russell Stover Large Chocolate tronomical" Annan said, "The the Clown and plenty of food
into the Phi Alpha Theta History publication by its members in a in the History Department by Heart, Pulakos Chocolate, Two whole community has been are among the festivities. All
honors society and is looking to variety of ways. email: ccolinburns@mercyhurst Two Russell Stover Strawberry really supportive about what's food, service and entertainment
continue to expand. ,' *f fjL This prestigious and vibrant edu, telephone: ext 2331 or by Chpcolates and a Valentine's happened with Zach," hayp been dopated, so all money
' This organization's mission is society is, not limited to his- stopping by her office in ^res- Teddy, Bear.' ? ' ^ J'"A Picnic for Zach" will take raised will go to help Zach and
to pr6mote 'the study of history tory majors, but encourages and ton 121. The basket raffle is not the place at Elmwood Presbyterian his family.

Police and Safety Log Inn

Under Age Consumption/!
Disorderly Conduct
Harassment by Communication
West Duval
Winter Term
Parking Lot 15
15 January 2005
25 January 2005
SubjectfromAkron, Ohio was
Galley Grill OLD FAVORITES:
Chicken Fingers
Student was under the influence of an sending harassing messages to at NEW ITEMS: Sizzling Salad
alcoholic beverage while being under student via the Internet. Ruby's Famous Pizza
the age of 21 years old and urinating Tropical Island Oasis Grilled Chicken Sandwich
in public. Fruit Smoothies
Indecent Conduct Strawberry Hours of Operation:
Mercy Apartments Banana Monday-Friday 8:00a.m.-1:00a.m.
Theft 26 January 2005 ;* Pina Colada Saturday 1:00p.m.-1:00a.m
Student Union Student was urinating outside the •*- Potato Skins Sunday 5:00p.m.-1:00a.m
18 January 2005 apartment door. French Toast
Unknown person(s) took the
1/2 lb. Galley Burger
Grandfather clockfromthe Great
I Room area. Clock recovered. Theft W
Suspects questioned. Student Union OLD FAVORITES:
26 January 2005 f Laker Express Peanut Butter & Jelly
Unknown person(s) took a painting Turkey Bagels
NEW ITEMS:Meals in a Minute
Criminal Mischief from the Marion Shane Reading Chef Salad
Macaroni and Cheese
3945 Lewis Ave Room.
<20 January 2005 \ Stuffed Shells I Ham and Turkey Subs
^Unknown person(s) broke the front Chicken Parm
^window. Liquor Law Violations Penne Pasta w/Alfredo Sauce Hours of Operation:
3807 Briggs Ave Monday-Thursday 11:30-8:00 p.m.l
28 January 2005 Friday 11:30-3:30 p.m.
Disorderly Conduct Students under the age of 21 years Board Equivalency Available:
Saturday & Sunday Closed
3951 Lewis Ave old were in possession of and 11:30-8:00p.m.
20 January 2005 consumed alcoholic beverages.
Student forced his way into another
student's apartment taking personal FEATURES:
property and running around the Harassment by Communication Subconnection Ham & Cheese
apartment, causing alarm to the East Duval Chicken Salad
residents. 28 January 2005 SATURDAY SPECIAL: Fajita Chicken
Unknown person(s) made threats to a
Any foot long Sub Just $3.25 Hours of Operation:
Criminal Mischief student via cell phone.
3925 Lewis Ave cash and campus card onlyl Monday-Friday 11:30-9:00 p.m.
23 January 2005 I add $1.00 for a combo! Saturday ] 1:00-9:00 p.m.
Unknown person(s) broke a window Sunday 5:00-9:00 p.m.
to the apartments.

Racatva m complimentary plaoa of

J I mi t&Jhno tatei$7%**Lovers
' " 1 3
X
chocolate at each participating
establishment, a t wall a« Indulging
In thalr own ohocolata eaectalty
™ w i i t thing 11 mil
Fonduato
Choealata
Whops Martini'*

February 12*** ' I-S^pm ••</.~r)

4.
February 9, 2005
THE MERCIAD PAGE 3

N e w s To contact: newsmerclad@mercyhurst.edu

Phonathon update: donations on target

the head of the phonathon, the meet that goal and I think it is a
By Ashley Breen
teams are right on target with last great goal for us to have."
Contributing writer
year, which is very impressive Ryan McCullough, senior intel-
considering how aggressive the ligence student and Mercyhurst
Students and faculty continue previous campaign was. Zinram Ambassador, said, "Participating
to work hard at beating last year's said, "This year a lot of alumni in the phonathon is a great way
total and meeting this years pho- that are donating are asking if to help the school and my fellow
nathon goal of $100,000. it is ok to donate less than they students. We have a lot of fun
Each year, following a cam- did last year because last year talking with the alumni and, of
paign to solicit donations from we were calling after a four-year course, raising money. It is so
Mercyhurst alumni, students campaign. Of course, it is any much more than calling people
and faculty make thousands of amount of money they can do- up and begging for money. It
phone calls to collect donations nate we appreciate very much" gives us a chance to catch up with
to contribute to financial aid for I Many students do not realize the alumni and they are always
students. that the purpose of the pho- interested in hearing what is go-
The phonathon began Jan. 23 nathon is not just to call alumni ing on here at school."
and will come to a close Thurs- and ask for money, but to keep Students are invited to help
day, Feb. 10. them connected with the current out the phonathon by calling
Last year 17 teams were able events going on in the Mercy- alumni >*
to collect 2,006 pledges totaling hurst community. According to Zinram this
$94,399. ' Zinram said, "It means a lot campaign is almost over, but
This year 14 teams have already to the alumni to be able to talk something new will be starting
collected $76,040, and once again to students on campus for a few up at the beginning of spring
the Ambassadors are in the lead minutes. They spent four years term. Any students that would
Students call alumni during the annual phonathon.
of collecting the most donations. of their lives here and they have like to get involved should get
A first place prize will be awarded a lot .of really great memories. in touch with Zinram, who can
to the student who raises the It gives them time to reminisce The goal of $100,000 seems goal is not met, the students boss about the goal amount he be found on the fourth floor of
most money. about when they were in col- hard to reach, but Zinram reas- aren't going to be effected by thought I was crazy. Maybe I am, the library.
According to Stephen Zinram, lege" sures students that even if the it. He said, "When I told my but one of these years we will

Marketing Class plays Apprentice Almost lost at sea Continued from Page 1 but my attitude wag altogether
far surpassed that amount," said group toward the Erie commu- Best-Buy donated a DVD player, positive.
By Josh Wilwohl
Slomski. nity. **We went to Elmer's Flower Tillman's donated a gift certifi- "Return to your cabin," I little did I know how much
Staff writer
Junior and leader of Flip Skip, Shop and Pulako's Chocolate cate and King's Jeweler's gave us thought, "what are people do- I would need that positive at-
Phou Daoreuang, said that his Shop where they both donated a $300 gift set" ing walking around the ship?" titude, as I remained upstairs
For this Valentine's Day, mend team was constantly thinking of generously," said Mazur. "El- The Spiro Corporation, rep- It turned out that hundreds in my life jacket for the next
a broken heart by donating to the innovative ways to raise money. mer's contributed $100 in flow resented by Sophomore Dan of students had never gone six hours.
American Heart Association, or "We planted the talents of ers, while Pulako's gave us 72 Zimmer, decided to stay around to sleep that night, but had Crewmembers braved the
you may get "fired," guitarist Mike Hogan in the candy bars." campus. "We sold Krispy Kreme been sticking out the storm cluttered kitchens and stor-
Jill Slomski's Principles of cafe, Laker Inn and apartment Mazur said that before he doughnuts to faculty and raffled together in the hallways and age rooms to bring out bread,
Marketing class launched a series complexes on campus," said started, he knew they were go- off certificates to the Corner- common areas. bottled water and fruit to eat
of donation campaigns—Trump- Daoreuang. "We also sold about ing to need more than $20. "I stone and Teresa's Deli/' said Trusting the captain and for breakfast
style — for the Heart Association 150 Toems by Phou* for dona- figured what they would do in Miller. dean, I fell asleep again until It wasn't a horrifying ex-
this past week, reeling in more tions." the Apprentice' and made my The catch, however, to the around 5:45 a.m. Now the perience sitting there. It was
than$l,8Q0. Senior David SchmidaPs group, group the first out of the gates/' clever marketing tool is that nervousness really set in. It community bonding, a test of
The class split into five groups Denim Venom, worked directly he said. each group must ultimately fire wasn't funny any longer. It was human connection. I never
—Denim Venom, Dyed Together, with the Heart Association and Representative for Dyed To- a member. frightening felt the 55-foot wave hit Most
Flip Skip, Cap Stone and Spiro sold wrist bands, pins and Val- gether, sophomore Jessica Hale, | Slomski says that even though The ship rolled to the left of the passengers, didn^t ' |
Corporation -*-and wasorf a hm- entines. "Our biggest pitch was said her group decided to gather one tnember"must ( go" the class and held there, for a couple sec- All of the rocking felt the
. 1 - . - * * : r ? -*i v I- •; .'"•*,.--.*% r
x»v MfiiA:
t
•Wear Red for Women Day/" grab-bag baskets from all over has done an outstanding job. onds, groaning and cracking same that morning;. When
iced, seven-day schedule to see
said Schmidal. During this day, Erie. s *j "I am absolutely amazed," she with the stress. Then it swung the wave broke through the
who could grab the most cash
students were to wear red to "We went to Best-Buy, Till- said. "The teams were creative, to the right, groaning, cracking bridge windows, though, it hit
from organizations, businesses
represent a heart and support the man Florist, Tinseltown Movie innovative and resourceful...I again. As the ship held on, I the captain in the chest
and students for the Heart As-
Heart Association's cause. Theater and King's Jewelers," gave them 20 bucks, and they re- held my breath, hoping Cap- The control boards and
sociation.
Cap Stone commander senior she said. turned unbelievable amounts." tain Buzz was on the bridge electrical systems were doused
"I gave each group only $20
Shawn Mazur opted to gear his "We received so many gifts. navigating us away from this with gallons of salt water.
in seed money and they have
nautical roller coaster. Lying in We lost all communication
bed felt like standing up with and controls. With our com-
Proposed*federal budget focuses on your bed one minute and doing
ahead stand the next.
passes broken, engines off
and several feet of water on
the bridge floor, no one can
The scariest part of the
security, cuts domestic programs night occurred on one such
roll of the ship. We rolled to
deny the dangerousness of
the situation, especially amidst
35-foot seas.
the left I gripped my covers
of his plan to let workers divert
J F AfSA mi the Web - U.S. Department of I *lu< «il lun - Mn rotof t Inl ernct Explorer prtrviifad by Merc so I wouldn't slide out on my What thoughts crossed
By Ron Hutcheson 1 Vtow Fftvtvftfts T o * Hdp some of their Social Security head. my mind in that life or death
Knight Ridder Newspapers
j o ** ~~i*r
IS- i*j is sJiiP***^ Cavort* fc^fe*) * V " & - & - —
taxes to personal investment ac-
counts, which alone is projected
Just as the ship reached what
I felt was its brink, our beds
situation? If the boat were to
capsize, what would I wish of
Addrwi pj£j http://www.fafsd.ed.gov/
to cost trillions. my life?
WASHINGTON - President
Bush on Monday sent Congress a
Mta
i ***/**»•**«*>
a Congressional Democrats
flew back two feet, slamming
into the wall, and I screamed. Over the six-hour wait with
nearly $2.6 trillion federal budget called the president's budget a It sounded as if everything in nothing to keep me occupied
that would boost spending for
defense and national security MUl A m J C W O N K t t I U M M 1 ITVOtNT AJO
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hoax that masks the true oudook
for federal deficits.
the ship, thousands of pounds,
hit that wall at the same time.
but the sound of broken glass
scraping across the tile floors
while scaling back or eliminat- n JUL !\tAnmkm TLmel 9ckoc} Bush, who inherited a $236 If there was ever a point as the ship swings from side to
ing hundreds of domestic pro- US Deparlm&ntof Educaiioi Application for Federal Sfucten billion surplus and a declining where I thought the ship was side, those types of questions
grams. To apply for your PIN online, go to the FAFSA ALERTS: economy when he took office going to capsize, that was i t popped up in my mind.
Department of Education's PWStte. Both
The 2006 spending plan calls rw students and parents can apply for PINs,
MM If you are a dependant student, you and
Submit 2004-2005 FAFSA on the Web Apf in 2001, hopes to put the gov- On the deck above, sounds I wouldn't care if my new
Daylight t i m e , Dune 30, 2005.
for the biggest cuts in domestic your parent will need to sign your Submit 2005-2006 FAFSA on the Web Apr ernment on a path to a $207 of metal and shattered glass | laptop sank to bottom of
application. Therefore, we recommend Daylight t i m e , June 30, 2006. Mora»
expenditures since the Reagan that you and your parents apply for a PIN
Scheduled Maintenance:
billion deficit by fiscal 2010. The skating across the tile floor the ocean. I wouldn't mind
now. If you need more information about
years, but would still result in a the PIN. select Mo»o» FAFSA on the Web will be unavailable on government expects to end the made me grip my blankets if lost all of my belongings,
I t a.m. (Eastern Standard Time). Wo ape
$390 billion federal deficit. Many this may cause. Moro» current fiscal year $427 billion tighter and squeeze my eyes except one.
Americans would feel a direct Before Beginning a FAfSA Filing Out a FAFSA EAE& in the red. shut I wished I'd put on the gold
impact from the president's pro- 1 illniftthe ::-i'::;-r Mart Itnilynu
That's a record in dollar terms, Suddenly, I noticed that the necklace that my mother gave
posed cuts. To simplify flllfmi ou< ilu; application, j * ' FAFSA has seven stops that <isk MnnH You can but not as a percentage of the engines were rumbling. Chok- me before I left: a sandal to
uattiuf (he i fuiutii'ti documents <M n I utJtoi you. your school plans, ftnanulal StfltUflit
Airline passengers would pay int oi motion. iiifmiiMiiou and more. FAFSA a economy, which is considered ing, shutting off, then sput- symbolize my travels with a
Nntirjt lipijimiiiifj nocninlmr A>, / m i l . all
53 to $5 more each way to help new and current £ 0 PIN lujldeit ai a
a more important gauge of the tering on again. Then there heart on its strap for those I
j • rat out»fAKA " ^ r i - t BTa>«
cover the cost of improved air- Miiiuti od to ddrVat<i ihuif ED PIN u
for M
government's financial health. was silence. At 6:20 a.m. all love waiting back at home.
added seem My against identity tlw?ft. Ilu* +Um* unmtAf%Amt*f>*?*<A
port security. Train passengers l-l) PW must in* animated pi tor to tisn • Ma The budget would accelerate engines stopped running. We No longer is it just a neck-
L*WII II yati II.JVU used yuui PIN m i l i r past. » rai o n f fantwai fAFSA
would face higher ticket prices ED PIN activation is only rtquHed once. To via* the shift in federal priorities that sat, rocking, left to the mercy lace. It is a symbol of what is
» Uanar una ftwtvflri fAfSA en EspaAot
or reduced service because Bush activate yota ED PIN, go to ', \ began with the terrorist attacks of the Pacific truly important to me in life,
ynv/wiuiKfHt.nm/ ami sefocf the "Antft/atft • Continun working on taved FAfSA
would end federal subsidies for My PIN" link. Follow the IMSV stop liy slop on Sept. 11, 2001. Four years Then came an announce- my family.
fuocess to aciwaiu yutn CD PIN. • frovttJa fWctronk SAgnatura
Amtrak. Farmers would lose later, die threat of terrorism has ment from the very shaken Without phones or Inter-
about $587 million in agricul- U.S. Department of Education become a fact of life that influ- assistant dean, asking all pas- net, I could not contact my
ture subsidies. Military veterans Students wonder whether Bush's budget reform will affect ences federal spending across sengers to calmly put on their parents until four days after
would pay more for prescription domestic programs like federal aid for education. the board. life jackets and wait in their the incident
drugs. Bush's plan to increase defense cabins for further instruction. I will never forget the way
Agencies targeted for some of allocated unevenly. Programs spending - would continue to spending by about 5 percent Grabbing my life jacket, I my mother said to me, "It is so
the biggest cuts include the En- that aren't related to defense or grow at rates well above most next year would bring the total stumbled out into the hall- good to hear your voice," even
vironmental Protection Agency, homeland security would get a 1 other government programs, increase since 2001 to 41 per- way. though she knew from the
the Education Department, the percent cut. "Our priorities are winning cent. The $419.3 billion defense Of the hundreds of students Semester at Sea Website that
Health and Human Services \ About 150 programs would the war on terror, protecting our budget for 2006 would consume lined up against the walls, a all passengers were okay.
Department, and the Housing be eliminated or dramatically homeland, growing our econo- about half the money that Con- few groups sat hand-in-hand So the voyage will go on.
and Urban Development De- reduced, but administration of- my. It's a budget that focuses on gress has available for programs praying or singing Some were All of the students will gain a
ficials declined to list them, and results," the president said at a covered by the annual budget taking pictures, others were richer understanding of their
partment.
talking excitedly with friends. new adventures because they
The president called his spend- Congress is sure to have different White House meeting with his process.
Another announcement was now have a better understand-
ing proposal a "lean budget* that ideas. Bush targeted 65 programs Cabinet "1 fully understand that Funding for homeland security,
made for students on decks ing of themselves*
funnels tax dollars to the most for elimination last year; all but sometimes it's hard to eliminate a which already has tripled since
four survived. program that sounds good. 2001, would increase by 8 per- 2,3 and 4 to proceed to decks [ It is now, more than ever,
vital government programs.
However, expenditures for So- Although Bush said he was on cent next year, to nearly $50 bil- 5 and 6, a voyage of a lifetime. Our
Overall spending for discre-
cial Security, Medicare, Medicaid track to cut the deficit in half by lion. About $34.2 billion would As I made my way through journey will be quite a story
tionary, government programs
and other so-called mandatory the time he leaves office, his pro- go to the Homeland Security the ship, I never felt scared for the grandkids. Talcs will be
c o ^ f e | ^ ^ < ^ n ^ a l budget told of things that went bump
"entiderxicnt" programs that are jections don't include spending in Department, but more than two for my life. Seeing a few girls
proofs w«>uid jricraase by about in the night as wc crossed the
essentially outside the annual Iraq and Afghanistan beyond this dozen other agencies also have crying and one student read-
2.|Ler(&nt ? Rightly kelqw.thc ing his Bible was unnerving, International Dateline.
budget process - and that con- year, the long-term cost of ex- responsibility for homeland-se-
v*r i . --
Mtte^ihut .th£ BEXQftCY would be statute about half of all federal tending his tax cuts or any costs curity programs. H^."W
PAGE 4 February 9,2005
THE MERCIAD

FEATURES To contact: featuremerciad@mercyhursl edu

G e t r e a d y t o s p r i n g b r e a k it d o w n
and think, "I wonder if I can It is light and airy, but func-
By Christina Moschetta tional features like the smocking
Contributing writer wear wool sweaters on spring
break?" along the bust line and the length
Don't fret because preparing allow for a comfortable, not
The countdown is on.. .you are for the trip can be as easy as scandalous look.
sitting in the library and looking 1-2-3! j * For nighttime, pack ruffled
at the clock ticking away. First, you need to know the skirts, tanks, halters, and tube
Instead of counting the amount climate of your destination and tops for nighttime glam.
of hours you have to study for pack accordingly. Also, pack one pair of heels in
finals, you can't stop thinking For tropical climates, you will a neutral like black or beige that
about the drinks you will be gulp- most likely need more in the way can be worn every night.
ing down on the whits sands of of summer clothes and bathing When choosing your shoes,
Cancun in a matter of days. suits. however, keep in mind that your
Spring break, a tradition started Can't afford those cute new health may be at risk.
amongst the rowdy co-eds of the capri's you have been eyeing? A cute espadrille may be a
1960s, provided an extension No sweat. superior option to those tantaliz-
for the stipulations of college Take your worn-out jeans, ing stilettos that may result in a
life and provided a legitimate cut them off, and add strategic fractured ankle after too many
excuse for excessive nakedness, holes for a cool, casual look that margaritas.
drunkenness, and sex. is adorable paired with a bikini Third, absolutely do not leave
But the idea of "spring break" and sandals I home without protection.
carries a different connotation Second, forget all of the coor- Ahem, I mean sunscreen. Your
depending on whom you are dinated outfits that your mother skin, especially after being shield-
talking to. coerced you to pack for your ed by the thick clouds of the
J
For students who have endured family vacations as a child. Erie weather, is hypersensitive
a tension-filled week of library For the most part, you will be in to UV rays.
marathons, over-caffeinated all- Miami Beach Is one location where MTV Is shooting some of their spring break pro- your bathing attire during the day Regardless if you have been
nighters, and excruciating finals, grams. and semi-club wear at night for tanning, shield yourself with SPF
this is the kind of release and partying and bar hopping. 30 and reapply frequently.
pleasure equated with the Second don't tell. pens on spring break, stays on are ready to go, but you soon For daytime, take one or more A bad sunburn can ruin your
Coming. And we have MTV to thank for spring break!" realize that all of your spare cash bathing suits, flip-flops, sun- trip as well as your friends' trip,
However, for parents, teachers, its universal justification when So you have been in the gym has gone toward the trip, and you glasses, a large tote and beach so lather up!
senior citizens, and basically any your mom sees you in compro- nine hours a day since Christmas have no budget for a new spring towel, and a cover-up. Have the time of your life and
discerning adult, spring break is mising positions on the latest trying to uncover a six pack that break wardrobe. My favorite beach cover-up is just remember to spring BREAK
viewed with the same fervor as edition of Girls Gone Wild. doesn't come in silver aluminum In a whirl of despair, you look the 1970's jersey knit babydoll IT DOWN!
Clinton's stand on homosexual- You simply respond in a mantra cans? outside to the snow flakes fall- reintroduced last season in a
ity in the military: Don't ask, filled with candor: "What hap- Fabulous. Your mind and body ing lightly to the frigid ground variety of luscious colors.

M a k e sure y o u get y o u r daily serving of video g a m e s

By Melissa Brandt
Contributing writer
Video games have provided a
source of entertainment for vari-
ous age groups since the dawn of
the first Atari console.
In the years that have followed,
a great portion of society began
to view the games as distractions'
from reality that deter personal
communication.
In a college atmosphere, video
game consoles are seemingly
commonplace.
Gaming systems from Play
Station 2 to Gamecube populate
dorm rooms and apartments.
But what effect do they have
on college life?
According to survey research
by the Pew Internet and Ameri-
can Life Project, (http://www.
pewinternet.org/reports) their
influence is ultimately a positive
one.
The survey polled a range of
college students to determine
the effect of video games on
schedules and interpersonal re-
lationships.
The results were quite unex-
pected. In contradiction to the
belief that video games seclude
— —
players from actual life, on col-
lege campuses, video gaming
actually promotes social interac-
tion, f it just depends. If it's rainy or
"Sometimes a lot of guys get
together and play," said Mercy-
hurst sophomore [oe Fidago.
"Especially if there's nothing else
to do or if there's down time in
the afternoon or something."
•The omnipotent presence of
video games seems to be dwarfed
in the face of romantic relation-
ships also.
Junior Jessica Zajac said that
her relationship with her boy-
friend has not suffered as a
result of his penchant for video
games.
"He's actually very respectful
about when we decide to spend
time together," she said. "Plus,
I'm busy too so he plays then; it
doesn't really affect us."
Also, it appears that at least
Mercyhurst students value their
classes over reaching the next
level in a virtual world.
i? No one admitted to prevaricat-
ing about the death of a great
grandmother in order to avoid
going to class because of a video
game.
At the same time, however,
video games do have an ability
"I don't play that much any-
more," Fidago said. "On average
maybe a couple hours a week,
we're all snowed in we'll all just
sit down and play video games.
It's better than sitting around and
staring at the walls,"
Freshman Zamora said, "I play
pretty much everyday, sometimes
for. a few-oiinutes, other times
longer. It's not always because I
have a burning desire, but some-
times it is. Sometimes it's almost
habitual."
Even with varying degrees
of usage, it's clear that video
games, while popular and found
frequently on campus, lack the
ability to pose a real threat to
the pursuit of collegiate goals or
relationship building.
In fact, they promote social
activity and have other scien-
Katie McAdams/Photo editor tifically proven benefits includ-
Freshman Chris Geer takes a little break from his studies to play some video games. ing improving manual dexterity,
increasing hand to eye coordi-
nation and speeding up neural
to distract some students from lot sooner than I did." can Life Project survey found
pathways.
scholastic duties. It appears as though video that over 65 percent of college
In itself, that may be reason
"I always get my homework games are perfect for procras- students reported being regular
enough to explore the gaming
done, don't get me wrong there," tination purposes, which very or occasional game players.
world, as long as it doesn't make
freshman Joe Zamora said." But well may be the extent of their At Mercyhurst, video games
you late for class.
there are times when I probably unfavorable qualities. seem to be a secondary recre-
could have started homework a The Pew Internet and Ameri- ational option.

T y p e , type, click,! r e t u r n a n d ! y o u h a v e w r i t t e n h o m e
ifi
days. It is much easier to jump S P h o t o l q g y : hondjdw • Instant Message didn't use it [AIM]. There are no was born."
By Andreea Neagu
online and have a whole e-mail JJL...5S;~ >*l?j**S^-... ~^ffJL~ busy lines, no interruptions plus Freshman Rachel Meeks chose
Contributing writer
written out in a few minutes and Photolggy What's up? ! you can express yourself in you her name through something
hondjdw: nada j buddy profile" she has been involved with in
on its way to the recipient hondjdw you? j
And it seems even fewer, Photolggy: nuttm much just working on papers and a i AIM also makes it easy to the past.
The Internet has become such especially teenagers and college presentation that i have to give tomorrow morning. ] know what everyone else is "I chose my name because I
a central part of everyone's life students, use the traditional tele- hondjdw that sounds awesome \ doing when they are not by the sang all throughout high school
that it seems hard to imagine phone to get a hold of friends. Photolggy oh yea you know it.. j computer by simply checking in choir and with the Cleveland
how one would do certain daily The idea of calling someone
Photolggy i mean the only thing that i am glad that spring !j
their "away message". Orchestra Chorus. I was trying
tasks without it. break is coming because i am not sure about you but i can i
and spending hours on the use a break 3 Another interesting aspect to figure out something to do
It provides quick answers to phone talking has been replaced I about AIM is the varying with singing and that is what I
almost any question and gives with the capabilities of online m W.& eA m\ amount of imagination that came up with."
information on any subject right instant messaging. so, what are you up to this weekend?
students put into creating their Identity is obviously not lost
at the reach of your finger tips. This is offered nowadays by screen names. when there are infinite possibli-
Once time consuming tasks many e-mail providers, such as For most of the students in ites of names to choose.
such as finding the perfect trip Yahoo, Hotmail and America the survey, their screen name On the negative side of AIM,
destination, checking a balance Online (AOL). was related to their nick names, though, it tends to take a way
on a bank account or spending On the Mercyhurst campus, a favorite activity or sport, or a from the personal and human
hours walking in stores to find it seems that the most popular combination of their first and nature of communication.
that perfect gift can now be instant messaging program used last name with some numbers Getting a letter in the mail
done in your bedroom. is from AOL. that usually stand for a birthday means that a person set aside an
The Internet's widespread Based on a survey done for or graduation date. amount of time to write it.
popularity has made this inven- this article, it seems that a stu-
jffipjt Iv
m
&pm90Qf\9 Part** VWto TilH ••nd Sophomore Emily Parise said, £• Also, nothing compares to
tion lose most of its novelty. dent spends on average close to] Katie McAdams/ Photo editor "My AIM name is just my name
ftri.i

hearing the voices of loved ones

However, over recent years, it three hours talking to others via Some students find Instant Messaging programs to be a spelled phonetically combined over the phone.
seems that the spotlight is once America Online's instant mes- with my favorite number." It seems that AIM has created
distraction to their schoolwork.
again on the Net for adding one saging program, AIM. Sophomore Carrie Naccarato some tension in communica-
more purpose to its list of attri- Some students say that they from back home, that it is less at a time- said, "My Instant Messanger tions between practicability and
butes; it is the desired means of prefer AIM over phone con- expensive than talking on the Freshman Pete Glumac said, name comes from a nickname time management and nostalgia
communication for many. versations because it is useful cell phone and it allows one to "College students wouldn't that my mom gave me when I and human touch,
Few people write letters nowa- in keeping in touch with friends talk to more than one person know how to survive if they was little, followed by the year I
February 9,2005
THE MERCIAD PAGE 5

To contact: featuremercl8d@mercyhurst.edu
FEATURES

G o b a c k in time with the Medieval Club

By Melissa Brandt
Contributing writer
There's a new club on campus
that hails its origins from an
olden time.
This year 'Hurst students are
invited to experience the dance,
customs, food, clothes and music
of medieval Europe by attend-
ing meetings of the Mercyhurst
Medieval Club.
It primarily focuses on Euro-
pean culture from the 14th -16th
centuries; but also incorporates
Middle Eastern cultures.
"Anyone is welcome!/' said
sophomore and founder, Aman-
da Pakutz. "You don't need to
know an abundance of infor-
mation about the time period
or have the appropriate garb to
have fan"
Pakutz has studied medieval
reenactment independently for
four years and has taken many
classes through the Society for
Creative Anachronism (an inter-
national organization dedicated
to researching and re-creating
the arts and skills of pre-17th-
century Europe).
"I miss the atmosphere so
much when at school, and I
wanted to combat that," Pakutz
states.
After finding a student fol-
lowing with similar interests, the
appropriate steps were taken
to make the club official. Cur-
rently, the club has about 15 loyal
members.
"People here are enthusiastic
and interested in actually learning
things," says junior Maria Isaac.
With the club's involved agenda,
there's a lot to experience.
"There's something differ-
ent each meeting," said Pakutz.
Dance demonstrations and les-
sons include a variety of English
Country, French Bransle and
Italian Renaissance genres that
are commonly incorporated into
the meetings.
"We have literature shares,
costuming from the time period,
cooking demos, a music guild
and even medieval acting" Pa-
kutz said.
The Mummer's Play was
i<
"You don't have to be a pro at
acting or dancing. We're so open
to having different people come
and try it out," said Pakutz.
"Anyone is welcome to be a
part of the activities."
One of the main goals of the
Medieval Club is to keep the
period alive and illustrate its
prevalence even now.
"We're resurrecting history and
making it more realistic," said
Pakutz. "We're bringing it to life
and showing it's not just mere
fantasy."
k However, the club's members
are aware of current events,
too. Just last week they held a
Mideastern themed auction to
raise money for the victims of
the tsunami. "We do a bit of
everything," Pakutz said. "We ac-
commodate to whatever people
want to discuss."
The Medieval Club brings a new passion for old times to Mercyhurst. Meetings for the club are held
every Monday in the student
probably the best thing we've eval Club is currently rehearsing plained Pakutz. Anyone can be union Great Room at 8:15 p.m.
done so far," said freshman Commedia del Arte, a form of in the performance, and campus Contact Amanda Pakutz at
Samuel T. Romito. Italian improvisational theater. students as well as community apakut88@mercyhurst.edu for
The production was held earlier "It's kind of like a Medieval members are welcome to come more information.
in the year by the club. The Medi- <Who's Line Is It Anyway?'" ex- and watch.

Home sweet home away from home Let's make

By Katherine Dlabola*
Contributing writer
From the trendy TLC televi-
sion show 'Trading Spaces" to
the NBC program "Queer Eye
for the Straight Guy" interior
decorating has become an in-
creasingly popular interest
Feng Shut, the Chinese art of
rearranging objects in a home in
order to allow positive chi ener-
gy to flow and create a comfort-
able living atmosphere, along
with DIY interior decorating
books have retailers' scrambling
to compete with each other. 1)
Furniture like this coffee table In sophomore Mike Allen's or my 'Hazardous Materials'
The blank walls of dorms and
apartment can be a conversation starter and a footrest.
apartments on college campuses
everywhere provide perfect
places for students to express
their creativity while making
themselves a comfortable atmo-
sphere that can be a home away
from home.
With the tight budgets that
we all face, doing this can be
difficult
However, college students do
seem to possess ingenuity when
they are called to step to the
plate, and they seem to man-
age to find many different ways
to decorate their large desolate
apartment spaces.*
The annual poster sale in the
Student Union is always a good
tribal mask," said junior Chris
Moskwa.
"It has nothing to do with
the rest of the apartment decor
and is borderline creepy, but it
always makes me smile because
of the eclectic feel it gives to
the place."
Sophomore Emily Swain said,
"I like the gold fabric that's
hanging on the wall behind the
couch. Also, the fabric sashes
we have over the living room
window because they add color
to the room."
"In my room, I think that my
favorite accessory would have
Katie McAdams/ HhoJo editor to be either my bamboo plant
sign," said sophomore Adam
Bertoncello.
In my own apartment, my
place to find fairly low priced $7.50. What a bargain!"
posters. large Celtic-knot wall tapestry
"I would have to say the best
Thrift stores and department decoration in our apartment is that only cost around $15 and
stores, like Wal-Mart, often also a piece of furniture," said covers most of die wall behind
provide students with cheap sophomore Mike Allen. the couch is probably the most
decor as well. interesting decoration in the
"My roommates accidentally
"We bought a yellow leather shattered our glass coffee table entire apartment
couch from the Salvation Army with the cordless phone one day It makes the apartment look
for $20 and I think that that is and then taped the table back much less bare and adds a lot of
the best decoration or accessory together again using duct tape color to the entire living room.
in our apartment," said sopho- and colored pieces of plastic. It So whether your taste calls
more Katie Beil. for movie posters or large wall
actually doesn't look that bad!"
Sophomore Emily Pahon has tapestries, decorating a college
In deciding which wall decor
reaped the benefits of thrift is the best, Mercyhurst students apartment or dorm room is
store prices as well. "Our best seem to have various opinions. easy and essential in helping
accessory is the super comfy students feel at home while
"The best decoration in our
chair I bought at Good Will for apartment would have to be the away at school
hunger history
are interested to join us as we
By Caitlin Codetta
take part in this hunger aware-
Senior social work class
ness activity.
To conclude our 30 hour fast,
£ The senior social work class at the social work seniors are serv-
Mercyhurst College is taking on ing dinner at the Emmaus soup
the task of helping Make Hunger kitchen.
History. According to a national hunger
We will be holding tables in the awareness organization, Bread
student union on Feb. 7-10 from for the World, "This is the m o - |
12-7 p.m. ment to build a new movement
These tables will be used to to end hunger."
inform students about how they Jt cpfltjnjued, J^Th^pFPfitient,^
c^n help M-#ke. Hunger Historyr?€in)h&{§ of .Congress, state
and will allow them to write a and local officials and commu-
personal letter to their state rep- nity-based activists each have an
resentative or senator to express important role to play in seeing
their concerns regarding the this goal through."
need for social change. "As a constituent with the |
The letters will only take a few power to make your voice heard,
minutes to write, but the impact you, too, have a role: Writing
of these letters could change and encouraging others to write
the lives of millions of hungry letters to members of Congress
people. reminding them that hunger is
L We invite the entire student unacceptable in our prosperous
body and community to join in nation."
this effort to end hunger in the We have the power to Make
United States. Hunger History. This informa-
Starting on Feb. 10, we will tion and other information
embark on a 30-hour fast All regarding the Making Hunger
of the students participating in History Campaign can be found
the fast will meet that night at 5 at: http://www.bread.org/is-
o'clock in the student union and sues/make_hunger_history/
fast together until the following overview.htm.
morning
We encourage all students who

Find your own love story in the library

By Natalie Vindivich
Contributing writer CAFE DIEM
Admit it A situation has oc-
curred at least once where you
have subtly caught a glimpse of
an intriguing stranger.
January Special
With Valentine's Day approach-
ing, these brief encounters may Tall Raspberry Mocha $ 1.75
ascribe to greater meaning as love Raspberry Struedel $.95
is in die air.
In college, the library is often
the heartbeat of the student
body,filledwith people shuffling
in and out each night |
Despite its familiarity and tradi FACULTY SPECIAL: }
tional intent, I'd like to attribute
a new purpose to Hammerhill
1/2 OFF SPECIALTY DRINKS
library this February.
Here are a few reasons to
think twice about the library in Photo courtesy of Natalie Vlndavlch

regards to finding that perfect Look upfromthat book every now and then, because love might be waitlngl HOURS LOCATION
guy or girl:
1. A new crowd: Every day we Therefore, you already have The library offers the perfect went on a datel Main Floor
Sun.-Thurs. Evenings:
see the same group of people in something in common with ground for low key conversa- The original library structure
our classes, in our department or the person sitting next to you tion. was built in 1971; you are not 6:00- 12:00 a.m.
in 3R. i Since it's not exactly the place the first to find love there, nor Hammermill Library
at our lunch table.
In the library, we see everyone. It's easy to share a friendly for loud, extended socializing, will you be the last Mon.-Fri. Mornings:
smile and sympathetic •'hey" to a short and sweet greeting can Even if you are not on a search
The library can present oppor-
help share the common burden suffice without becoming rude for that special someone, 11am-
8:00 - 12:00 p.m.
tunities to meet new people we
of studying that unites you to or awkward. mermill Library can still be a
may have never come in contact
others in a scholarly plight. 5. It's happened before: Fresh- respectable place to meet new
with otherwise.
3. A no-pressure environment: man Meghan Arnold said, "A and interesting people.
2. The same reason: Despite
Perhaps you are intent on talking nice boy held the door for me, Who knows; this Valentine's
my ideas that the library can
to someone you have become and we struck up a conversation. Day, between the stacks of
serve as a practical singles club,
casually acquainted with in a class We continued to run into each books, you may just find your
first and foremost, people go
or elsewhere. other in the library and eventually own love story!
there to study.
PAGE 6 THE MERCIAD February 9,2005

OPINION To contact: oplntonmerded@mercyhurst.edu

Spare; m e , Cupid Campus Question

Valentine'slDay is still a pathetic holiday He loves me? He loves me not? He
Ahhh. Love is in the air. Can
you smell it? If you're anything
like me, it makes you want to
loves me? Describe your best or worst
choke.
This can only mean one thing.
Valentine's Day experience
The most pointless holiday of
the year must be coming. That's
right, Valentine's Day.

Allison
Moore
I, like most other women, love
romance. There is no better
way to feel appreciated by your
significant other than to be swept
off your feet for a night of per-
fection and bliss. What I don't
understand is why there needs
to be an overly commercialized
holiday to force this sort of af-
fection.
While all holidays in this coun-
try have become increasingly
commercialized, Valentine's Day
takes the cake. Coundess mushy
cards with poetic sayings, choco-
lates in heart shaped boxes, flow-
ers that die within days and fluffy
stuffed animals have become
symbols of this overdone holi-
day. While receiving any one of
these gifts isflattering,you must
also realize that your significant
other has no choice but to buy
into this propaganda.
Ladies, if your boyfriend
doesn't shower you with gifts
or take you out for a romantic
dinner on Valentine's Day, I'd be
willing to bet you'll never let him
live it down. We have come to
4J
tJ JJ "J*- 'JJ-' O i l , ' '• J . J\
ex
peer gifts and material things
on Feb.. 14. Maybe it's ju$t me;
cause my boyfriend felt the urge
to show his appreciation or love,
I would be much more flattered
than if I received these things on
Valentine's Day because he felt
obligated to do so.
Maybe I'm being too kind, but
I feel bad for men on Valentine's
Day. I mean they, like I stated
before, are expected to meet
their girlfriend's standards of
romance. This usually results
in an unnecessary emptying of
his wallet Valentine's Day is no
longer an inexpensive holiday.
The paper-thin valentines with
cheap lollipops attached that
were suitable in grade school
are now completely unsatisfac-
tory. Try giving one of those
to your girlfriend and expect to
be laughed at or a door to be
slammed in your face.
In this day and age most wom-
I have yet to have a nice V-day. This
year I'm hoping my boyfriend will do
something romantic or fun for for me.
He's pretty creative and caring anyways,
so I don't know what to expect. Maybe a
nice dinner and movie, or just hanging out.
But I really want a stuffed animal (frog) or
something! At least a card!
Katie Trapriell, Freshman, Interior Design
KRT
and believe me, I know you feel
like Valentine's Day is just an evil
holiday designed to make you feel
completely inferior and alone.
I also know that sometimes it I never really had a bad Valentine's
works. But, keep your chin up. Day experience, but the best
Valentine's Day experience has been
Make it a point to go out with
every year since I met my wonderful
your other single friends and
girlfriend two years ago. Valentine's
drown your sorrows in the most
Day has never really been important
decadent dessert you canfindon
to me, but that has changed now that I
the menu. (Or if you're of legal
have someone special to share it with.
age, alcohol works just as well, if
not better.)
Last year, I waited in line at a
restaurant with all of my single
friends for a Valentine's Day din-
Ryan Conway, Junior, Psychology
ner. The waiter took pity on our
loneliness and gave us free des-
sert Sometimes, being lonely on
Valentine's Day can even work to
your advantage if you play your
cards right U Oh my God! In 6th grade my then
Single or not, we; all .know. 1001IO 'boyfriend ' or as much of a boyfriend •Kfr
Valentine's Day is a bloated .*r | as you could have been in 6th grade, ?< i

but I'd rather be surprised with
random acts of kindness from
my boyfriend than be expect-
ing it on yet another day in this
country focused on material
goods. In my opinion, if I were
to receive a love letter or gift be-
en think expensive is better. The
old saying of "it's the thought
that counts" is still nice in theory
but is rarely followed.
And what about the single
people out there? Don't be
discouraged. I have been there,
holiday with no real meaning. bought, me chocolate and a teddy be*ear
to class! Then he got in trouble because
This- Valentine's Day, don't buy
it was allegedly too much and unequal
into all the commercialized hype.
from the Valentine's everyone else got
Love is something that should
each other. 11 was so stupid, but so cute.
be expressed everyday in little
ways, not in extravagant ways Yay! '€ ||fe
on one day.

Anni DiBartolomeo, Senior, Social Work

Madam Malarky weighs

in on Valentine's Day
Dear Madam Malarky, If you have not found someone, count your Our First Kiss,
Seeing as Valentine's Day is next week and I'm currently
money and consider yourself the real lucky one. If
single, would you recommend me to go on a search youfor
had
a spent 50 dollars on some girl, what would
girlfriend? Normally, I amfinewith being single butyou be without? Perhaps it would be ordering pizza,
there's
just something about that day that makes me sad. having a guys night out or buying a new pair of
Thankfulforhep, jeans. The possibilities are nearly endless.
Valentine's Day Blues I agree, there is something sad about this day.
Cutesy stuffed animals line the shelves at CVS.
Ah, the day 1 Pink and red goods have taken over the stores.
Simon Stocks and Caitlin Manning, Sophomore, Business.
filled with bright Everything displays words of luv. It's a six-year-old
With them is Matt Heckathorn. £ !•
pink and red. girls dream. But, women with someone special in
How lovely but | their lives just adore it. Disgusting isn't it? Then of
nauseating at the
Madam course everything is 50 percent off the next day.
same time. Since Malarky That's the day singles have it made. That's when
this is the last ar- to be really happy. Buying things on sale. Escort-
ticle before those I ing them merrily to your apartments to share with
dreaded finals, - B _ I B I B - I P I I I - I < ^ ^ roommates. Of course, a little showing off is not a
this is entirely \ Well I haven't excatly had a bad
appropriate to write about this week. By the 4c //'snot like the V-Day, cause no matter if I did
or didn't have a Valentine, I was
time this comes out, people will have onlyfivedays
(excluding the V-day) tofinda boyfriend/girlfriend. always my dad's Valentine! He
Now that's just scarier than taking on finals! Hershey commercial loves to buy me things on those
special days!
The question is whether you really want to use
valuable energy to find this one night stand, not
to mention money. Roses and chocolates are ex-
with the woman 55
pensive and over-rated. Thankfully, only the men
are responsible for buying these gifts to show
saying she doesn 't.
affection. It's not like the Hershey commercial
with the woman saying she doesn't want flowers. problem. That's just the universal thing to do. Coco Sommers, Junior, Criminal Justice
If you show up with a Hershey chocolate bar and So, in conclusion, my advise to you and to every
nothing more, well...I wouldn't want to be in your other single person on campus is to not go on a
shoes. Nor would any semi-intelligent male who search for someone* As I have been told many
presented their girlfriend with a dozen roses and a times before, in time, you're going to find some-
heart shaped boxed of chocolates. one. Just be secure enough in yourself to laugh at
Once you have made a decision, it's time to the couples. Chuckle at the now broke boyfriend. My boyfriend, who is not very
choose the lucky lady. Maybe it could be one of Count your blessings you're not them. cooking savvy prepared a whole
your female friends. Every male has at least one of D o n ' t f o r g e t to email M a d a m _ dinner for me- shishkabobs, wine,
them. Make sure she is not seeing anyone though. Malarky@hotmail.com. The email is not chocolate covered strawberries
Even if she is, evaluate their level of seriousness. complicated in the least Mmalarky04 on AIM and watermelon that served as
Do they show PDA (public displays of affection) is somewhat reliable. Take your chances, you'll be afruitbowl. It was a surprise, I
without shame or do they hide it? In many sce- heard. Good luck with finals. couldn't appreciate it more.
narios, if cuddling, holding hands and kissing are
well known throughout the campus, you're out of
luck. Next step is to ask random female students.
Pride is not necessary in this task. Showing sincerity
and that rare display of kindness will win over at
Enjoying the single life,
Madam Malarky ©
least one woman. Kasia Orer, Senior, Applied Intelligence.
February 9,2005
THE MERCIAD PAGE 7

To contact: oplntonmerclad@mercyhur8t.edu OPINION

Manners matter
Ifs just common sense...
By Ellen Koeing
Contributing writer
Recently during ft dinner con-
versation, one of the people
present remarked that if not on a
date they do not really care about
what manners they display.
ity of one of the two or three
persons to move so the on-com-
ing pedestrian does not have to
trudge through the snow and
mud in order to pass.
These examples are not so
much manners as simple com-
mon sense. £ tory and accomplishments of African Americans
Manners are superb qualities
Lack of cultural diversity: Free speech:
Use it or
Black HistoryiMonth on campus risk losing it
book written by WE.B. DuBois or Fredrick Editorial
By Gregory Williams Douglass. Knight Ridder Newspapers
Contributing writer Dusting up on "Lilly's Chocolate Heart" seems
far more imperative then educating yourself on
Harriet Tubman and the underground railroad, The First Amendment is a
muscle that must be used, or it
The month of February is dedicated to the his- right? will become flabby. A survey of
For the one month out of the year that is
high school students by the John
and their culture, specifically devoted to reflect upon African

Instead of falling out of my
chair from shock, I let it pass by
without a thought
But as the week went on, the
same proclamation came back
to memory several times, and
thus I found inspiration for this
week's article.
Nonetheless, a statement such
as the one made is ghastly and
illogical.
Now this is not to say that we
should all resort to the ways of
the Victorian Era when decorum
was much more arrogant than
meek. But everyone should dis-
play a certain level of decorum
that is not necessarily evident in
day-to-day life on this campus.
For instance, walking on the
right side of the sidewalk, hallway
or stairwell only makes sense
since we drive on the right side
of the road.
This is especially true now that
there is snow on the ground and
thus the sidewalks are not com-
pletely clear.
If walking with friends two or
three people across and there is
a person coming in the opposite
direction, it is the responsibil-
that when used make an individ-
ual classy, polite and charming.
I have never heard a bad repu-
tation about a well-mannered
person, let alone seen one in bad
company.
For men, holding the door for
a lady or letting her go in front
of you in a line will often win
you chivalry points that may pay
off later.
For females, using good eti-
quette in public will often, make
you appear more attractive and
raise you to a whole new standard
of expectations.
In modern society the use
of words such as "please" and
"thank you" have become so
foreign that they sound much
like Japanese.
However, using those two little
words that your mother stressed
to you as a child will often times
play a much bigger influenceon a
situation than you might think.
They are displays of gratitude
and humbleness, that when used
correctly can get you almost
anything you want
uThe absence of
S. and James L. Knight Founda-
• One month, nevertheless, is simply not enough tion reveals a frail Constitution:
time to even begin to scratch the surface of the Kids are weak in knowledge of
influence African Americans have had on our their rights.
society.
From music, athletics, politics and literature, books on Black Seven ty- three percent said they
didn't know how they felt about
African American culture has reshaped our
perceptions. V History is doing the the First Amendment or took
freedom of speech and the press
Upon visiting the bookstore this week, I sat to
do some last minute studying before class. To entire schqoLa great for granted. I*
More than a third (35 percent)
my own discontent, I noticed that the section of
books pertaining to African American history disservice. thought that the First Amend-
ment goes too far in protecting
and culture were stuffed in the most inacces- rights. One in six students
sible corner of the bookstore, hidden behind a indicated that people shouldn't
high-backed chair. be allowed to express unpopular
Since it is, in fact, Black History Month, one opinions.
would think it logical to construct a showcased American culture and history, would it be that Only half said newspapers
section labeled "Black History Month" easily hard to set up a single display shelf filled with should be allowed to publish
viewed and opened to all. books pertinent to Black History Month that is
freely without government ap-
Oh, but don't worry, there is a great "Valen- visible to passing students? proval of stories.
tine's D a / ' section containing different cartoon Because our campus is predominantly Cauca- The apathy is alarming Those
books and poems about love for the upcoming sian, the upper echelon members of our college who don't understand die First
"Hallmark Holiday/'M $M l|f | should make an ardent effort to open the eyes
Amendment are certainly less
This superfluous use of space is absurd. Un- of their students to other cultures. inclined to exercise it, and they'll
less one honors the martyrdom of St Valentine Sadly, this is not the case.
be less skeptical and more easily
in 269 A.D., there is no historical significance The absence of books on Black History is
conned by government officials
to this holiday. doing the entire school a great disservice. We
who want to twist and limit it
Yet, why is there a Valentine's Day book display come to Mercyhurst College to become educated Ignorance is not kids' fault.
and not a Black History Month book display? individuals of higher knowledge and to me,
Unawareness starts at home. Par-
I*m sure the literary classics entitled "Lilly's Black History is far more important then some ents' understanding of die First
Chocolate Heart," or "Puppy Love," or "Love, corporate based holiday. Amendment isn't much better.
Piglet" would be far more influential than a Even in the best of times, three
out of 10 adults believe that die
First Amendment goes too far.
That belief jumped to half in the

Your secret's safe with m e . . . or is it?
I find it amazing that while women sit around and talk
about their boyfriends or men in general* there is usually
one gmthat utters something like, "Oh, he doesn't talk
about me to his friends."
Apparently this person has yet to. realize that women
and men always disclose to their closest friends the inner
workings of their relationships.
This practice is not only adopted by women, but it also
takes place in locker rooms and other places where men
can talkfreelyabout girls.
These events do not
have to be confined
solely to couples. Sin-
gle people frequently
Corrie
tell all to their friends
and normally this new Thearle
information is quickly
gleaned from the indi-
vidual.
It's actually quite k^
amusing that when we see die people we know intimate
information about from our friends, we can put on a
straight face and pretend that we don't know about what
went on in the dark.
For all you people out there that think your boyfriend/
girlfriend or your latest fling doesn't spill all the details
to theirfriends,you need to wake up and realize that we
all know what happened last night.
Conversations that begin with, "Don't tell anyone this
but..." usually occur between close friends.
We all hate to admit it, but ifs a part of human nature
to want to tell other people information about ourselves
that revolve around relationships and other various
escapades.
months after Sept 11. Talk-show
hosts like Rush Limbaugh make
good money assailing the cred-
ibility of mainstream journalists
Let's face it, you don't go running to tell your par- and of anybody who disagrees <
ents dating stories; you tell your friends or roommates J 3W : .
*\
£D&ii «•
& L-
with mm. Jl£>*un
-,- km <-
:*"<• *-^~-'~
4 t r
Come on, how else are we supposed to trade tips and get- In school, First Amendment-
advice? We all receive opinions and suggestions from rich electives are getting left
our friends in almost every sphere of our lives, especially behind in the race to raise test
when it comes to sex (like you really went to your mom scores in math and English. Cali-
for consultation). fornia requires three courses in
Unfortunately, you must keep in mind that when you social studies, including a semes-
tell a close friend certain information, they in turn may ter course in American govern-
tell one of their close friends this information, and in- ment and civics. But often, the
evitably, you know where this pattern will lead. By the focus is on specific information
morning there might be a multitude of people who know found on state history and social
the details of your relationship that you thought only you studies tests, not on broad con-
and your partner were privy to. cepts. Schools need to convene
You mightfindthat one day while walking to class you
more discussions of controver-
recognize a guy or girl that you have never spoken a word sial issues and to promote civic
to before, but you know how they "rate" with one of your involvement outside of class.
friends or roommates. It's amazing to think of the vast The Knight survey of 100,000
array of knowledge we all obtain about one another. students in 544 high schools
I'm not saying that men and women run around with found a clear correlation be-
a loudspeaker telling everyone they meet all about their tween knowledge of the First
relationships, but keep in mind next time as you tell your Amendment and participation in t
best friend about your significant other that they are KRT a school radio station or newspa- Wy
probably doing the same thing. per. One-quarter of schools no
ft3 When you think about it (as alarming as this may sound) men for talking about relationships with theirfriendsbut longer publish papers, and many
women and men are not so completely different when it to bring to light that this ritual does take place on both of those that have dropped them p
comes tofriendshipsand relationships, men just appear sides of the fence. are in poor communities.
to conceal their actions and thoughts somewhat better The naive people who still think that their significant The exhilaration that Iraqis
than women. other or recent date doesn't highlight various details about felt in voting for the first time
How can experts spout statistics such as the number recent events need to come to grips with the truth. Just should remind Americans of
of times men think about women a day and still some remember, we all know that you know that we know, rights they often don't appreciate.
girls believe that guys don't discuss these thoughts with you know? An atrophying First Amendment,;,
one another? i is harmful to the nation's civic
The point of this article is not to lament women and health.

The
Kelly Rose Duttlne
MERCIAD Editor-in-Chief editormerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Jonelle Davis News Editor newsmerciad@mercyhurst. edu
Jen Helbig Features Editor featuremerciad@mercyhurst. edu
Allison Moore Opinion Editor opinlonmerclad@mercyhur8t.edu
Ryan Palm Sports Editor sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Meghan Sullivan A&E Editor ] entertainmentmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Katie McAdams Photo Editor photomerclad@mercyhurst.edu
Melissa Jack Production Editor prodmerciad@mercyhurst. edu
Kristen Piquette Advertising Manager| admerciad@mercyhurst.edu
Sarah Dowden Copy Editor copymerclad@mercyhur8t.edu
Emily Crofoot Graduate Assistant ecrof681@mercyhuF8t.edu

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 Hlrt Center, room L114. Our telephone
number is 824-2376. i f
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. f i
PAGE 8
ART*} &
ENTERTAINMENT
Victor Prieto Jazz Trio to perforin
By Christina Ferranti
Contributing writer
FEB. 9. Opera. "La Tra-
viata." Main stage Theatre,
Center for the Arts,. Uni- Typically, the first thing that
versity at Buffalo, Buffalo. comes to mind when thinking
about the accordion is Polish pol-
FEB. 10. John Hammond. kas or German marching Music
Beachland Ballroom, or maybe even an Italian guy on
Cleveland. a store stump singing love songs
to the back drop on the setting
FEB. 11. Liquid Soul. of Tuscan Sun.
House of Blues, Cleve- But, Victor Prieto transformed
land. On sale Jan. 15 at and revolutionized this sound
Ticketmaster. to fit all genres of music known
around the world.
FEB. 12, Yanni. Gund This jazz trio is truly an inter-
Arena, Cleveland. nationally spectacular combina-
tion.
FEB. 1244. Paul Anka. It fuses the of the sounds
Niagara Failsview, Niagara of Spanish-born Prieto with
Falls, Canada. On sale at Hungarian drummer, Ferenc
(888)836-8118. Nemeth, and Latin bassist, Carlo
DeRosa.
FEB. 12. Ingram Hill. This exceptional musical syn-
House of Blues, Cleve- chronization can be heard on
land. Friday, Feb. 18,2005, at 7:30 p.m.|
Walker Recital HalL h Victor Prieto can be seen Feb. 18 at 7:30 a.m. in Walker.
FEB. 13. Bone Thugs-N-
Harmony, hosted by Steve
Labelle. House of Blues,
Cleveland. Comparative nature of adult animated sitcoms
FEB. 14. Josh Groban. By Matthew Rendulic
Gund Arena, Cleveland. Contributing writer
Sold out
FEB. 14. Suffocation, Black If you are a fan of the adult
Dahlia Murder. House of animated sitcom as a form of
Blues, Cleveland. art, certainly you must be excited
that the FOX network has began
FEB. 15. Letter Kills. to re-air the ingenious comedic
Odeon, Cleveland. writing of Seth Mc Far lane's
"Family Guy."
FEB* 15. Mudvayne. Mr. Since the show was taken off
Small's Theater, Pitts- of the air in 1992 (after showing
burgh. less than a full season on FOX),
devotees could calm their urges
FEB. 16. Otep, American by tuning in to Adult Swim or by
[• Headcharger. Agora Ball- buying the three season complete
room, Cleveland. DVD set But now, it seems that
we humans are allotted a little
FEB. 17. Pat Metheny! taste of the celestial shores by
. Qmup. Center for tne-Aifej \
»-* i -
having not only the presence of
University of Buffalo, Buf-- "Family Guy" but also having
falo. : I $ the patriarch, and arguably the
best of all animated sitcoms,
| FEB, 17. Chris Stamey "The Simpsons" back to back on
Experience. Beachland Sunday Night Prime Time.
Ballroom, Cleveland. But my elation over this (did I
mention that I am pathetic and
FEB, 18. Frankie Valli and need friends? If you're looking
the Four Seasons. War- Fm here for you) was quickly
ner Theatre, Erie. $39.75, ruined by a skeptic who said,
$34.75. On sale at Tullio "Family Guy is just a Simpson's
|-'Arena box office, Ticket- rip-off," Could this monster be
master outlets, by phone at speaking the truth? Could 1 be
452-4857 or 456-7070, and committing adultery on Coca-
online at www.ticketmaster. Cola Classic with the new Coke
com. without knowing it?
In "The Simpsons," the princi-
FEB. 18. Gregg AUman & pal character is Homer Simpson.
Friends. House of Blues, Homer, the slightly obese sloth-
Cleveland. ful father of three kids, who has
been accused of being an oaf,
FEB. 18. "Undone Tour" performs a meaningless job at
with Mercyme, Jeremy the area Nuclear Power Plant.
Camp, Afters, Monk & Peter Griffin, also an oaf and
Neagie. CSU Convocation a father of three, performs a
Center, Cleveland. meaningless job at a toy factory.
Even I will admit this is begin-]
1 FEB. 19. Funk Brothers.
House of Blues, Cleve-
land.!
FEB. 20. Keller Williams.
House of Blues, Cleve-
land.
Raw Edges sees another successful year
FEB. 21. Winterfresh Sno
Dancers show off talent with display of differing dance styles
Core Tour with Chevelle, |
Helmet, Cross fade, Fu-
ture Leaders of the World, By Katie Goodwin
Strata. House of Blues, Contributing writer
Cleveland.
FEB. 22. Snake, the Cross, The Mercyhurst College Dance
the Crown. House of Blues, Department held their annual
Cleveland. dance performance "Raw Edges
VII" last Saturday, Feb. 5 and Sun-
FEB. 22-23. Musical. day, Feb. 6 in the Mary D'Angelo
"Rent." Center for the Performing Arts Center.
Arts, University at Buffalo, The pieces were produced in
Buffalo, N.Y. the Choreography II and III
classes at Mercyhurst, and the
FEB. 24-APRIL 3. Mu- students involved were respon-
sical. "The Lion King.t * sible for close to every aspect of
the production including audi-
Shea's Theater, Buffalo.
tions, scheduling, costumes, cast-
FEB. 25. Aaron Carter. ing and lighting. They also had to
Warner Theater, Erie. dedicate many vital hours of hard
$27.50. t work to actually choreographing
and rehearsing the dances.
Mark Santillano was the artistic
Information provided by Go- director for the dance presenta-
Erit.com tion. Originally hailing from
St. Louis, he has been teaching
at Mercyhurst for the past two
THE MERCIAD
7b contact: &ntertalnmentmertiad@mercyhurst edu
? Photo Courtesy of Performing Arts Center
Is "Family Guy" the new "Simpsons"?
ning to look suspicious. And I
am sorry to report that they both
get their laughs from the same
sort of physical blunders and
their lack of "PCness."
Behind every boor of a hus-
band lies a slightly neurotic wife.
This is the case with both Marge
Simpson and Lois Griffin. Marge
spends hertimeas a stay-at-home
mom who is driven to secret
alcoholism (through a third of
a glass of wine daily), while Lois
teaches piano in addition to her
years.
Santillano teaches an array of
dance which includes jazz, tap,
ballet and modern.
He is no stranger to musical
theatre dance and choreography.
Santillano brings to Mercyhurst
a lot of experience in the per-;
forming field having performed
nationally in musical productions
of "The King and I" and "West
Side Story."
"The Raw Edges series is defi-
nitely an exciting production for
us," said Mark Santillano, artistic
director for Raw Edges and
dance instructor at Mercyhurst
"The students have been in-
spired by their dancers and fellow
choreographers, so this show is
certain to keep you on the edge
of your seat," said Santillano.
During the intermission of
each performance, the public
were invited to take part in an
intermission chat.
Several of the choreographers
sitcom maternal duties.
It is in the bookend children
that we see a major difference
in characterization. Bart Simp-
son and his counterpoint Chris
Griffin are nothing alike. Bart is
a badass and Chris a dumb ass.
Baby Stewie Griffin and Maggie
Simpson, although rarely ever
making their way into the main
plot sequence, differ greatly.
Maggie is a sweet mute, while
Stewie is a megalomaniac bent on
not only taking over the world,
spoke to the audience about their
new works and answering ques-
tions about the work they had
done over the past weeks.
Mark Santillano and Tauna
• • These youngt
choreographers
are always
Challenging their
dancers and
themselves **
~ Mark Santillano
Hunter, the dance director and
Associate professor of the dance
department at Mercyhurst, to-
gether assisted the dance students
by coaching the choreography
classes and assessing their prog-
ress during important decision
Once Prieto was a member
of Paquito DTttvera's band, he
broke off to experiment with
the accordion and form his own
sound.
His career really took off fol-
lowing his creation of chord
approach, which is playing the
accordion on both sides.
His unusual technique incorpo-
rates jazz music with Argentine
Tango, Bossa Nova and Samba
rhythms supported by hot jazz
standards with a handful of
original tunes by Prieto.
Prieto is also noted for the
technique which consists of
moving any chord by any given
interval that creates rhythmical
and elaborate harmonies.
His sound mostly consists of a
jazz feeling with the integration
of the accordion and combining
that sound with other genres of
music
Prieto teaches several master
classes all over the world includ-
ing Spain, Italy, Portugal and the
Knight Ridder Newspapers
but punishing his mother for
making him leave the comfort
of the womb.
However, both Lisa Simpson
and Meg Griffin search for
answer of what it means to be
a woman of the 1990s and still
find authenticity in their life, re-
lationships and hobbies without
resorting to fakeness.
The only thing that is totally
unique to "Family Guy" is the
charming character of Brian.
Brian is Peter's best friend who
making times. He believes that
"Raw Edges" is a chance for the
students to showcase their skills
and dedication to dance.
While this is the seventh year
for this program of innovative
new works by emerging, cutting-
edge choreographers, Santillano
added, "These young choreog-
raphers are always challenging
their dancers and themselves
with fresh ideas. I'm constantly
surprised by their creativity."
The performance consisted of
14 dance movements all choreo-
graphed by the students.
It moves away from keeping
with "typical" ballet moves and
rules and includes more contem-
porary/modern dance integrated
with some distinguished music.
The dance performance
"Break" choreographed by Tif-
fany Burgess used images of |
the industrial world against a
dark background with a musical
tribute to Lin kin Park heard on
February 9, 2005
United States.
Prieto in the last few years has
been recognized for over 20 sig-
nificant awards.
These awards includefirstprize
at the Citta De Catelfidardo Jazz
Competition in Italy, the Creative
Performer award from the Span-
ish Association of Artists and
Performers and the first prize at
CMZK's Concourse of Compo-
sition in Argentina.
Right now, this "accordion ge-
nius" is extremely excited about
conducting a course in jazz ac-
cordion at the Brooklyn Conser-
vatory, the only higher institution
of learning to offer such a course
is their curriculum.
Tickets are available at the
Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts
Center Box Office all the way up
through the show.
| Tickets are Adults $12.50,
Seniors/Students $8.00, Youth
$5.00.
enjoys singing songs from the
stages of the Broadway Musi-
cals and drinking martinis (note:
not "Natty Ice" or "Keystone
Light" like I was forced to drink
at quarter draft night at the Con-
erstone).
But all of the Griffin's neigh-
bors and background characters
can be very easily compared to
the less significant members of
the Springfieldian society.
Are we the viewers to be left in
a state of rancid disillusionment
at the blatant plagiarisms of Mr.
Seth McFarlane? In the end I
think it is important to consider
this; what were the Flinstones if
they weren't a prehistoric knock-
off of the Honeymooners.
And what is Austin Powers if it
isn't a humorous, eclectic knock-
off of the 007 movies and the
"free sex" of the 70s. Evolution
and growth in art is contingent
on the art of the present devel-
oping upon the strengths of the
art of the past.
Do we blame Brahm's for using
the same forms of Mozart? No.
We praise him for his expansions
of the structure of music So,
does it matter if Seth McFarlane
perhaps based some elements
of his show "Family Guy" on
the success of Matt Groening's
Simpson Family? I mean, in the
end Coke Classic and Coke just
turn to sugar and urine.
The real issue isn't with these
two cartoons at all. I am here,
22 years old, almost having a
Bachelor's in Music and I am
writing a friggin' article about
cartoons! Oh, why can't I find
friends?
strings- definitely a performance
that kept the audience on the
edge of their seats. Many of
the performances were inspired
by the music that accompanied
them. Alternative music led to
a more modern dance routine.
Other aspects that influenced the
choreography were quotations.
In the dance piece "The Remi-
niscent Stars," choreographed by
Katya Sussman, a quote from
Shakespeare inspired everything
from the set to the dance itself.
"And all the world will be in
love within the night"
The dance department de-
pends on more than just the
dancers and choreographers to
put on a successful show.
The Mercyhurst dance depart-
ment consists of many faculty
and staff members who all facili-
tatfej in making this year's "Raw
1
Edges * another success dance
production.
February 9,2005
In the spotlight with W e b e r and
By Meghan Sullivan ^ ^
Arts & Entertainment editor
The newest members of the
D'Angelo School of Music fam-
ily are husband and wife, Brent
Weber and Lisa Layman-Weber.
This musical couple makes a
very welcome addition to the
school. As voice faculty they
are making a noticeable (and
frequently commented on) dif-
ference in the performance of
their students. rS
They didn't know what their
experience would be like when
first coming to Mexcyhurst
"The students have already sur-
passed my expectations, which is
good, because it presents more
of a challenge for me," says
Weber. « Some of Layman's favorite
Before coming to Mercyhurst,
Weber received his undergrad at
Kansas State in Music Education
and two masters of music from
Rocket 101 Battle of the Bands at Sherlock's
Local b a n d Descriptive Claim plays in Battle t o m o r r o w at Sherlock's
By Meghan Sullivan
Arts & Entertainment editor
The annual Rocket 101 and Bud
True Music Battle of the Bands is
being held right now throughout
February and March.
Every Thursday from 10 p.m.
to midnight at Sherlock's, groups
from all over Erie will be com-
peting against each other in
search of rock victory.
Threefinalistswill be selected
to compete for the grand prize.
And what a grand prize it is for
an*aspiringrockbandM.7i hn/.
The conquering band will win
a one year supply of free guitar
and bass strings, one year supply
of drum sticks, one total re-head-
ing of the drummer's entire set,
two on stage guitar stands, two
KORG Electronic/Chromatic
tuners, three on stage micro-
phones and stands and one free
guitar and bass set up/intonate
done by Catwalk music
Along with all the free equip-
ment the winning group receives,
i
T h e Corporation' to play next W e d n e s d a y at P A C
By Christina Ferranti
Contributng writer
"The Corporation" is a witty
and informative Canadian docu-
mentary by producer/director
Mark Achbar, director/editor
Jennifer Abbott and writer Joel
Bakan. It portrays the realities
of what major corporations have
accomplished around the wodd
and what the future holds in rela-
tion to how they are managing at
the moment.
The Corporation begins with
defining what a corporation
actually is, and according to the
th
14 Amendment to the United
States Constitution, a corpora-
tion is legally a person, one which
typically acts in a destructive way
without a conscience that could
be paralleled with a psychopath.
This comparison of a corpora-
tion and a psychopath remains
a central theme throughout the
film. But, nevertheless, corpora-
tions were given the same rights
as individuals despite their single-
mindedness to pursue their own
wills and desires without any
consideration for other people
and without reference to con-
ventional morality.
Corporations are rapidly rising
in power and prestige, and we can
only fantasize when corporations
will dominate every aspect of our
daily lives.
This documentary consists
of interviews with some of the
major corporate executives, his-
torians, commentators, critics,
businessmen and social activists
the University of Missouri and
Kansas.
Some of Weber's numerous
performance credits are "La
Boheme," "Rigolette," and "The
Phantom of the Opera" as
Piange.
Weber commented that it was
interesting to work with Kiss
drummer Paul Stanley during mis
production.
Weber coincidently won third
place in the D'Angelo competi-
tion years ago before he had any
idea he would someday be on
its faculty.
like Weber, Layman has always
been involved in music. Layman
says, "I didn't get into music; it
got into me."
She has been singing since she
was four-years-old in church with
her mother.
performance credits are "Lucia
di Lammermoor," Micaela in
"Carmen" with the Connecticut
Grand Opera and her first so-
they also win their own music
video Lyons Den Studio, $1,000,
10 hours of recording time at Di -
ecaster studios and a Budweiser
sponsorship. Just hearing about
all the tempting prizes almost
inspires me to grab a guitar and
learn to play.
y Each night features three bands
from the Erie area. Descrip-
tive Claim is one of the groups
performing this Thursday at 10
p.m.
This Erie band has been to-
gether for about two years. They
officially became a five-piece
band in March of 2004* i | Finally, Strumila and Vance
The group consists of Mark
Graziano on vocals and guitar,
Katie Kurpiewski on vocals
and keyboard, Doug Melvin on
guitar, Frank Strumila on drums
and Rob Vance on bass.
Their band name was really
quite spur of the moment. "We
were on our way to ourfirstgig,
and we didn't have a name,"*'
Kurpiewski said.
"Graziano randomly selected Descriptive Claim plays tomorrow at 10 p.m. at Sherlocks.
'Descriptive Claim' from a class
19
"The Corporation will be playing next Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
of our time.
K These include Noam Chomsky,
Michael Moore, and Howard
Zinn, and investigates the envi-
ronment surrounding how cor-
porations arose around the world
and how they came to function
as we know them to today.
This film captures the essence
of what a corporation, especially,
hostile one, embodies.
|}A few examples include the
exploitation happening within
the Asian sweatshops, the ef-
fects of chemical toxicity, how
best to market your product to
people of all ages, and overall
the crime that goes on behind
To contact: entertalnmentfnerciad@mercyhurst.edu
New music faculty Brent Weber and Liza Layman-Weber.
the scenes within these major
corporations.
What is most fascinating is
the influence corporations have
on the children of today espe-
cially when it comes to the toy
industry.
There is an intentioned focus
to secure children's ability to nag
at their parents to coerce them
into purchasing the product.
The issues brought about by
thisfilmis in formation the gen-
eral public should be familiar
with and, normally, this would
not be brought to light in any
other respect.
This film is a must-see for all
THE MERCIAD PAGE 9
„ARTS& I
ENTERTAINMENT
Layman
prano role as Violetta from "La
Traviata"
Weber and Layman met in
graduate school at Yale Uni-
versity.
Layman had been in Scotland
and was a week late for orienta-
tion. Weber thought he was in
trouble at first when he got a
crush on Layman.
Since he hadn't met her be-
fore, Weber mistook Layman
for a professor. Happily he was
mistaken.
Years later; Layman asked We-
ber to marry her.|
She wanted to go to the jus-
tice of peace right then and get
hitched. Weber surprisingly
said no. ?
[^ He wanted to be die "big man,"
as he says, and be the one to pro-
pose like any typical tenor;
Weber and Layman will be
having their faculty recital this
Thursday at 8 p.m. in Walker
Meghan Sullivan/Contributing photographer
Recital Hall. W *
note card. Wefigured,if we re-
ally didn't like it we could change
it later. We thought about new
names, but this just ended up
sticking" said Mercyhurst voice
major Kurpiewski.
Kurpiewski was one of the
founders of Descriptive Claim.
She befriended Graziano dur-
ing a spontaneous jam session
and soon after their band was
born. Later, Kurpewski and
Graziano acquired Melvin into
their musical mixture as Mark
discovered him playing a local
coffee house.
joined in to make the band what
it is now.
"We are extremely excited and
looking forward to it We re-
ally hope to put on an excellent
show and have a great time," said
Kurpiewski
Mark your planners for Thurs-
day nights at Sherlock's to see
who comes out victorious in the
oio courtesy 01 te Kurpiewsi
Rocket 101 and Bud True Music
Battle of the Bands.
business affiliated majors consid- Certainly one of the major
ering the content directly relates focuses within the film is the
to the behind-the-scenes footage psychology a company utilizes
of what it means to work within a to mesmerize the public and
major corporation and the talent persuade them to invest
it takes to build up a reputation. This documentary is not only
I Political science majors would informative and interesting,
also find the information, in re- it adds insight to how people
lation to government, intriguing should view corporations and
and provides a general idea of the understand the impact it has on
effects the government has upon daily life.
corporations, if any at all.
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 PAGE 10
No. 4 men's lacrosse has lofty goals
M u c h e x p e c t e d o u t of a t e a m r e t u r n i n g l y s e n i o r s a n d n i n e s t a r t e r s
By Katie McAdams
Photo editor
Even with 44 players on the
men's lacrosse team, it is easy for
Head Coach Chris Ryan to set
each and player's mind for the
same goal... to win the National
Championship.
For the past couple of years,
that goal has changed from just
a hope to a reality. For Ryan, a
perfect season would be "13-0,
National Championship and win-
ning the lottery ... what would
be more perfect than that?" said
Ryan.
The team has been working
hard to improve each year. "This
year we did weigh tlifting training
differently then in the past. We
have already seen improvements,
not only great gains in strength,
but also in confidence/' said
Ryan.
This year, the men's lacrosse
team changed regions, from
the Southern region the Central
region, which brings a more chal-
lenging schedule. They play with
six of the top teams in Division
II, such as New York Tech, Bry-
ant, Dowling, all of which are
ranked in pre-season polls.
These teams will definitely give
the men a challenge, but they are
Women's lacrosse looks to make their mark
By D e nis Kir stein
Contributing writer
The spring term brings many
it
thoughts to our head?. ^ | ,-«-
WhaTaassesSto take, where to
go on spring Dreak and how is
the Mercyhurst women's lacrosse
team going to do this season?
One thing that is for sure is
that the Lakers have nine senior
starters that will anchor the team,
and driving the Lakers' ship will
be the new head coach Cecil
Pilson, who has great plans for
the Lakers.
"We are ready to take the Lak-
ers to a new level of competition,
continue to improve the program
and to grow within the Division
II ranks," said Pilson.
Pilson will replace last year's
coach Stacey Gaudette, who
coached both the women's la-
crosse team and thefieldhockey
team.
"I am very excited that Coach
Pilson is here, now we can con-
centrate on winning," said Karyn
Craft, a junior midfielder from
Marcellus, N.Y., who did not
participate last season due to an
injury.
Senior leadership is what the
Club hockey having bestjseason ever at 22
By Ryan Palm
Sports editor
The Mercyhurst College club
hockey team is having the best
season in the eight years that
coach Bill Shannon has been at
the helm.
They currently stand at the top
of their division, the ECHL, and
have the opportunity to clinch
the regular seasontitlewith a win
this weekend.
On Saturday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m,
the Lakers host John Carroll
University at the Ice Center.
The team has seen unparalleled
success this season, as they have
fared well in several different
tournaments and also are recieve-
ing national recognition.
In October the team won
four-team National Catholic In-
vitational Tournament, and just
this past weekend won the 28th
Annual Crabpot Invitational at
the U.S. Naval Academy, their
second win in as many years.
The team, currently ranked No.
15 in the nation, has also recieved
a bid for the ACHA Division I
To contact: sport8merciad@mercyhurst.edu
up for it, as the Lakers return 34
players, 17 of which are seniors
and nine starters. In fact, the
team only gained six new players
and three junior transfers. The
team was also rewarded with
three returning Ail-Americans: |
Brendan Doran, Andrew Sands
and Troy Ledbetter,
Senior Dan James, who is one
of the team captains, expects'
a lot from his teammates. "As
a team, we tend to expect a lot
from each other. Most impor-
tantly, I feel that what makes us
such a strong team is our trust in
one another. I trust that each of
my teammates is committed and
will be willing to step up in situ-
ations that arise both on and off
the field with the ultimate belief
that it will benefit the rest of the
team and garner respect for the
program " said James.
| In the past two seasons, the
Lakers have been NCAA Na-
tional Semifinalists twice, losing
each year to Limestone in the
Division II Final Four, cutting
short their National Champion-
ship goals.
Senior captain Brendan Doran
thinks that Mercyhurst could
come out on top of Limestone
this year. "Limestone always
puts together a great squad year-
in-year-out. We've had some
Senior Kristen Jankowski
Lakers do have.
Leading the charge is senior
captain Kristen Jankowski from
Syracuse, N.Y.
Jankowski led the Lakers last
season in goals scored, as she
found the net 24 times.
Look for her to increase the
production this spring.
1 Her assistant captains are
Stephanie Dicamillo and Holly
Sienkiewicz.
Dicamillo and Sienkiewicz will
secure the defensive side of the
field. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ | This group of attack will surely
"I know our seniors are dedi-
cated to winning and that will
be the difference this year," said
Pilson.
Up front on offense the Lakers
[The NO, IP CIUD nockey team'has had unprecedented success tKts season, both In league play ana in tourn
—————— — J 11 1
National Tournament held in
Chicago from Mar. 3-6.
There is one more ECHL con-
test remaining after this week-
Junior Blake Tandoi (18) and sophomore Allan Downey (43) are two players looking to contribute.
success against them in the past
but haven't been able to step up
and beat them when it counts.
They return a lot of their top
scorers but I think this year we're
the better team; but that will be
determined come May 8," said
Doran.
Currently, the team is ranked
Senior Dara Liberati
have two more seniors, Andrea
Bement and last years leading
scorer, Dara Liberati. Liberati,
led the team with 18 goals and 22
assists for 40 total points.
"Dara was one heck of a player
for us last season; it would be
great if she could put up the same
numbers again," said Craft.
Also contributing on offense
will be junior Kelsey French,
who finished last season with 21
points, and sophomore Keelin
Hollenbeck.
give the opponent's goalie some
nightmares.
At the midfield position and
key face-off taker is senior Car-
rie Kramer.
I IJ IU ^ _ — _ ^ »
ends game against JCU, as they
host Slippery Rock on Feb. 20 at
5 p.m. in the Ice Center.
The Lakers beat the Rock
THE MERCIAD
No. 4 in preseason polls, behind
limestone, New York Tech and
Le Moyne. "We are honored to
be in the top five. Believe me, the
team has earned it," said Ryan.
But Ryan and his team do
not give a lot or weight to their
preseason ranking. "Lacrosse
isn't played in December, It is
Also contributing to the of-
fensive will be juniors Lindsay
Jackson, Kim Johannigman,
Karyn Craft and sophomore
Jessica Hale.
Starting in goal for the LadyJ
Lakers will be another senior,
Jessica Bunker.
Bunker played in all 15 games
last year, in which she made a
remarkable 168 saves.
Again the backbone of the
defense is held strong by se-
hie Hhoio niors, Michelle Delong and Kelly
Beck. ^ up in the rankings because they
Junior Kathryn Ball and sopho-
more Darci Doran will also con-
tribute defensively.
As for freshmen, the Lady
Lakers have three highly touted
players.
One is attacker, Courtney
Olevnik, who was named U.S. .
Lacrosse High School All-Ameri-
ca Honorable Mention last year.
"I know that Courtney will
make a major impact this sea-
son," Pilson commented.
Nancy Dippold from Pitts-
burgh and Jeanne Grimes from
Saxtons River, Vt, will also add
some fire power to the to this
year's squad.
The Lady Lakers are currently
ranked No. 9 in the Division II
» • M» — ^ 1 ^ — i ^ ^ * * fc^^^^»^»»M
earlier in the season by a score
of 6-2. | concluding their season at the
Following that they head to the
ECHL Playoffs, held in Roch-
February 9,2p05t^
File Photo
played March through May," Senior captain Andrew Sands
Ryan said. predicts this upcoming season
c
Treseason rankings don't have nothing short of the champion-
a whole lot of meaning. The ship. "We are confident about
ranking we're most concerned our team this year and we are
about is the end of the year rank- all in the same mental frame of
ing, which by then we'll hopefully focusing on what we need to ac-
have No. 1 next to our name," complish: playing as a team and
said Doran. winning a championship."
preseason poll by US Lacrosse
Magazine.
MATH
"We are all very excited about
this season and we are ready to
play awesome," said Craft when'
LAB
asked about the nmking^ $; • » \ *
Mym
Coach Pilson also has some
lofty goals, "Our ultimate goal
is to make it to the Division II
final four, but one that we want Located in the
to concentrate on is improving
our overall record from last year. LIBRARY
;
We want to be over .500." 304A&B
Look for the Lakers to move
play all the teams ahead of them
except for Stonehill.
Like always, the big game
this season is their final one
versus crosstown rival Gannon
at home.
OPEN:
<c
We really want to win that SUNDAYS^
game to send the message that THROUGH
we are the top team in Erie,"
said Craft. THURSDAYS
Action for the team kicks off
with a trip to South Carolina at
the end of Feb., and their first
home contest is slated for March
12, with an 11 a.m. start time.
There are seven home games
on the schedule for this season, CALL!
including Gannon Apr. 28.
EXT: 2078
FOR EXACT
HOURS
o
TUTORIAL
HELP FOR
ALL YOUR
MATH
NEEDS!
MM II |^^^— •• • •••
ester, N.Y., Feb 24-26, before
ACHA Tournament in March.
February 9, 2005
Men hockey falls twice on road*
L a k e r s d r o p t o fifth p l a c e i n A t l a n t i c i H o c k e y w i t h 7 - 6 - 3 r e c o r d
By Eric Meacham
Contributing writer
The men's hockey team suf-
fered a disappointing weekend
sweep in Northford, Conn., at
the hands of the Quinnipiac
Bobcats.
Despite the Lakers playing hard
on Friday night, Bobcats forward
Craig Falite was able to score late
in the third period to give the
Bobcats the 4-3 win.
Saturday night's game was to-
tally different, as Quinnipiac was
able to chase Andy Frank from
the net, en route to a 7-2 domi-
nating win over die Lakers.
On Friday night, Mercyhurst
got on die boardfirstwith junior
forward Mike Pochatek lighting
the lamp for the first time this
season. "
Sophomore Denis Kirstein and
freshman Kyle Gourgon picked
up assists on die goal T
Quinnipiac answered with a
goal by forward Ben Nelson, to
tie the game just before the first
intermission.
Mercyhurst regained the lead
on a goal byfreshmanMatt War-
ren just three minutes into the
second period.
Sophomore Scott Champagne
and senior David Wrigley were
credited with assists.
Nelson tied the game with his
second goal of the game about
two minutes later.
Quinnipiac gained the lead for
Wayne State too much for men
By Matt Jackson
Contributing writer
If you're a Mercyhurst Laker
basketball fan, then this hasn't
been your year for celebrating
success.
Both the men's and women's
hoops teams have given the
Mercyhurst community little to
brag about
Since the beginning of the new
year, the two teams have been
putting up some of their worst
numbers of their already disap-
pointing season.
The men's team is 2-8 in the
month of January and Febru-
ary.
They are currently on a six
game skid, including their most
recent loss, a 28 point defeat to
GLIAC foe Wayne State.
The loss dropped them to a 2-
10 conference record which puts
Coach Manchel's team all alone
in last place in the GLIAC south,
one game behind Ashland.
Ohio State downs men volleyball
By Ryan Palm
Sports editor
The Mercyhurst men's vol
leybaJl team was shut down by
No. 12 Ohio State University
on Feb. 5. fi&
The Lakers fell in three games,
24-30, 20-30, 20-30, the match
lasting just over an hour in front
of 387 fans at the Mercyhurst
Athletic Center.
Although the Buckeyes are by
all means an extremely powerful
team, the Lakers helped to beat
themselves with many unforced
errors and continued to struggle
serving the ball :
The Lakersfinishedthe contest
with 24 hitting errors, which
compared to OSU's eight is a
staggering statitstic k
Percentage wise, that adds up
to the Buckeyes hitting at a .351
clip, while the Lakersfinishedat
a .152 dip. | * 15 at 7 p.m.
Leading the Lakers was senior
the first time on a goal midway
through the third period.
Mercyhurst tied the game less
than five minutes later with a
power play goal by Champagne.
Seniors Dave Borelli and T.J.
Kemp picked up assists on the
goal.
The Bobcats answered with the
goal by Falite, giving Quinnipiac
the lead for good, going on to
win the game 4-3.
Junior goaltender Andy Franck
suffered the loss, stopping 38 of
the 42 shots he faced. /
The Lakers continued their
woes in one-goal games, falling
to 1-9 in contests decided by a
single tally.
j Mercyhurst also is a mere 2-
13-2 when allowing three goals
or more in a game.
On Saturday, the game was
completely different, but the
outcome was the same.
Quinnipiac jumped out early
on the Lakers, scoring the first
five goals of the game, en route
to a 7-2 victory.
The Bobcats put upfivegoals,
with three goals in the first pe-
riod, and two more in the second,
making it 5-0 before the Lakers
answered back.
['Mercyhurst made it 5-1 on
a goal by junior forward Erik
Johnson, his third goal of the
season.
Gourgon and sophomore Jon
Asselstine picked up the assists
on the goal.
Quinnipiac answered right
The Lakersfinishedwith a 10-
7 conference record last year,
feeling the loss of stars like Josh
Helm and hometown star Justin
Shouse, both of whom ate play-
ing professionally in Europe.
Ashland just happens to be
the next opponent for the men's
team and already had a victory
over the Lakers on their home
court this season.
The Lakers will need to turn the
tables and win at the Mercyhurst
Athletic Center just to salvage
some pride from the season.
I*. Prior to their recent win over
Wayne State, the women's team
has had their fair share of disap-
pointment as well.
Not one letter man was lost
from last year's squad.
Add that to the excitement
and anticipation brought in with
the hiring of new coach Karin
Nicholls and spirits were high
for the Lady Lakers going into
the 2004-2005 season. f File Photo
Two wins in their first four
games, surpassing their win total
Dave Schmidl, who notched 12
kills on the evening.
l2 Reigning MIVA Player of the
Week Austin Siewart was shut
down by the Bucks, being lim-
ited to just eight kills on only 15
attempts, a significantly lower
number man Siewart had been
getting
The Lakers took a crucial blow
midway through the first game
when junior setter Dan Kick
went down with an ankle injury.
Kick had been having a solid
season thus far, carrying the Lak-
ers in time when they needed a
leader the most
Senior Tom Roberts came
in and filled the role just fine,
finishing with a game-high 26
assists and also added three kills
to the cause.
The third game was particular-
ily disapointing for the Lakers, as
they had nearly as many errors as
they had kills.
In their 33 attempts for the
game, 13 went down for kills,
Team leading scorers Junior Dave Borelli and freshman Ben Cottreau were held scoreless on the weekend.
back with a power play to extend
the lead back tofivegoals.
Junior captain Scott Reynolds
got his fourth goal of the season,
with a shorthanded goal with just
under four minutes remaining in
the game.
Borelli and Champagne tallied
assists on the goal.
Nelson, who had two goals the
night before, finished his first
Men's coach Gary Manchel has had his hands full this
season, bringing In eight new faces this year,
while 11 were errors, a staggering
.061 hitting percentage.
The Buckeyes were also domi-
nant in the blocking side of the
stat sheet, finishing the game
with nine blocking points, three
solo's and 12 block assists, com-
pared to the just four points for
the Lakers, coming on three solos
and only two block assists.
Sophomore libero Dennis
Telaak had a game-high 14 digs,
seeking to defend his MIVA lead
in the category.
With the win, the Buckeyes
now stand at 7-2 and 1-0 in
MIVA. I >
The Lakers fall to 4-2 overall,
and stand fifth in MIVA with a
3-2 overall record.
A weeks rest will hopefully do
the team good, as they travel
to Ft Wayne, Ind. to take on
fourth place IPFW on Saturday,
Feb. 12. T | •
They return home next week,
as they host D'Youvilic on Feb. The blocking of the
THE MEROAD
To contact; sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.ed
career hat trick as a Bobcat to
close out the scoring sheet, giving
Quinnipiac the 7-2 win.
Franck made 17 saves before
giving way to backup goaltender
Mike Ella, who stopped 7 of the
9 shots he faced.
The weekend sweep from
Quinnipiac leaves Mercyhurst
in fifth place, two points behind
Sacred Heart who split a week-
?
Buckeyet proved to be too much for the Lakers to handle.
end series with the University of
Connecticut
Although the difference be-
tween fourth andfifthmay seem
to be nothing to many, it means
the world to coach Rick Gotkin
and his Lakers.
Atlantic Hockey changed their
playoff format this season,
whereas last year all the teams
went to one location for the
?
of one from last season, esca-
lated that excitement to another
level, but cooled quickly with
four straight road losses in a 10-
day span including three against
conference opponents.
Just like the men, die women
have struggledin 2005
A five game losing streak
doomed die Lady Lakers to a 3-
7 record since Jan. 1, all against
GLIAC competition.
So combining the two teams,
Laker basketball fans have en-
dured five wins and 15 losses
in 2005. M ^ one or two wins here and there.
The last time the Mercyhurst
fans were treated to a home
victory was nearly a month ago
when both the men and women
defeated Northern Michigan on
Jan. 13.
That span includes losses by
both teams at Gannon, which
was also seen by many Mercy-
hurst fans.
In all fairness to Nicholls and
Manchel, their teams were not
expected to do much before the
Page 11
Ffle Photo
playoffs, this year the top four
teams in each conference host a
playoff game.
The Lakers dropped to 8-14-
4 overall and 7-6-3 in Atlantic
Hockey play.
Mercyhurst will try to turn
around a poor weekend, coming
back home to take on the confer-
ence's last place team, Army, this
Friday and Saturday.
vtt i w ^ w s? era Fieiuo jflrfV/
season began and were picked
last in the GLIAC in the pre-
season polls.
Manchel's team was stocked
with newcomers from the start
that need time to gel together
and adapt to his defensive ap-
proach.
The women, despite high
hopes, are not experienced in
winning.
M After winning only one game
last season, the women have not
learned yet what it takes to reel
together a set of wins, instead of
The good news for Laker bas-
ketball is that the remaining five
games for both teams will be
played at the Mercyhurst Athletic
Center.
This gives them a chance to
show the fans they have the abil-
ity to win.
Win or lose, the fans should
still appreciate the hard work and
effort the coaches and players
have put forth, despite the los-
ing records.
Jody Mello/Conlrlbutlng photographer
 PAGE 12 THE MERCIAD February 9, 2005

sWH
RTS 7b contact: 8portsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

No wrestlers win two in week

By Chris Van Horn
Contributing writer
After an eighth place finish
at the NWCA National Duals,
the Mercyhurst Wrestling team
bounced back strong with two
victories in the last week over
teams ranked in the top-25 for
Division II.
The Lakers downed No. 25
West Liberty State 28-6 on Feb.
2 and then polished off No. 10
Shippensburg University 17-15
on Feb. 5.
The two wins improve the Lak-
ers' overall record to 11-7.
The team's 11 wins already
matches their win total from last
year, and the team still has two
matches left before Regionals
begin on Feb. 25.
Through Jan, 26, the Lakers
were ranked No. 8 in Division
II, and Lakers head coach Tony
Cipollone believes his team is
wrestling at their highest level of
the season.
"As a team we're very confident
right now. Everyone on our ros-
ter, top to bottom, is wrestling
at a very high level right now,"
Cipollone said.
In the win over Shippensburg,
the Lakers managed to pull out
the victory despite losses from
« A l l A &'• T» '
senior All-Americans Ricky
Randazzo, Ben McAvinew and
Justin Mautz.
The victory was a display of
the depth that the Lakers have
available late in the season.
Big contributions came from
freshman Don Cummings and
senior Angelo Caponi, who
won the decisive match against
Shippensburg's Jared Dubbs.
In the Lakers' victory over West
Liberty State, Mercyhurst got off
to a hot start winning the first
four matches, giving the team a
13-0 lead. I I ^
West liberty managed just two
wins in 10 matches as the Lakers
rolled to victory.
The Lakers two remaining
matches are also against ranked
teams.
Mercyhurst will play host to
No. 11 Findlay on Feb. 11 at the
Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
The Lakers will then close out
the regular season on Feb. 19
againstrivalGannon, ranked No.
16 in Division II.
The Lakers have already de-
feated Gannon once this season,
Katie McAdams/Photo editcx
a 35-6 triumph at the National Sophomore J J. Zanetta's win at the 133-pound weight class was the first win for the Lakers against Shippensberg.
Duals.
Cipollone believes the team our top goal right now. I believe country. Findlay also has a score to settle "We don't feel that we got
has only minor improvements to that we have the depth and the with the Lakers. Last season, the
However, the remaining match- Gannon's best when we played
make as the regular season comes leadership to make a run and es will be no easy task for the Lakers scored the upset over a at the duals. Obviously it's a
to and end. win Regionals as well," Cipol- Lakers. % ranked Findlay team. rivalry match, and in those kind
"We need to make sure that we lone said. As for the match against rival of matches you can throw the
[ Findlay has a deceptive record,
stay healthy, first and foremost Qualifying 10 wrestlers for * A *
Gannon, don't expect a second records out the window, because
I
We have a good chance to qualify 2-10 in duel competition, but
Nationals would put Mercyhurst Laker blowout of the Golden anything can happen," Cipollone
10 guys for nationals, and that's has a solid line-up from top to
among the top programs in the Knights. said.
bottom.

Women hockey splits pair with Colgate ?

the end of the second period. November 6, was one of the

By Eric Meacham
Contributing writer
The No. 7 ranked women's
hockey team extended their
current winning streak to eight
games before suffering a tough
loss to the Colgate Red Raiders.
Mercyhurst took to the road
as they began their six-game,
non-conference streak against
Eastern Collegiate Athletic Con-
ference (ECAQ foes.
On Saturday, the Lakers jumped
on the Red Raidersfromthe drop
of the puck, not allowing them to
get any momentum going.
Mercyhurst scored the first
four goals of* the game before
Colgate finally busted the shut-
out just before the end of the
second period.
The Lakers opened up the
scoring midway through the with just under two minutes left
first frame with a power play in the first period.
goal by junior forward Samantha
Shirley.
Senior Sara McDonald got the picked up assists on the goal.
lone assist on the goal.
Senior Teresa Marchese added scoring streak, giving her a point I Mercyhurst junior forward and
a power play goal of her own in the last nine games. ,
File Photo
Senior goalie Desi Clark has been nominated for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.
Lakers forward Stephanie Jones lead to four, closing out the scor-
made it 3-0 with 46 seconds left ing for the Lakers.
The assist on the goal was cred-
Sophomore Ashley Pendleton in the first period, giving her 10
ited to sophomore defenseman
and freshman Danielle Ayearst goals on the year. Sophomore
defenseman Lesley McArthur Michelle Bonello.
Marchese's goal extended her tallied the assist on the goal. Colgate got the final mark of
the game, ruining the shutout,
with a power play goal just before
captain Chrissy Yule widened the
Mercyhurst senior netminder
th
Desi Clark picked up her 12 win
of the season, stopping 14 of the
15 shots she faced.
"We were able to come out
and dominate the first game,"
said junior defenseman Danielle
Lansing. "But the second game
was different We got in a hole
and couldn't climb out of it"
On Sunday, Colgate came out
firing and was able to shutout
the Lakers for only the second
time this year, beating Mercy-
hurst 3-0.
The Red Raiders opened up the
scoring with two goals in the sec-
ond period, one each by Cheryl
Setchell and Amanda Bar re.
Colgate added an empty net
goal to close out the scoring with
50 seconds left in the game.
Colgate goalie Brook Wheeler
stopped all 43 shots she faced,
while Clark turned away 14 of
16 shots.
| "We played well on Saturday,
but Sunday was different," said
sophomore Jackie Jarrell.
Jarrell, who has not seen ac-
tion because of injury since
leading point getters, before go-
ing down.. , .
Despite the loss, Clark is hav-
ing a great season and is being
rewarded for her success.
She has been the only goalie
named to the list of finalists for
the Patty Kazmaier Memorial
Award.
The honor is given to the top
NCAA Division I women's ice
hockey player each year by The
USA Hockey Foundation.
Clark leads the nation in goals
against average (1.32) and third
in save percentage (.935).
This was the first weekend
in quite some time which saw
Coach Mike Sistd only playing
one goalie for the weekend, as
time had been split between
Clark and freshman Laura Ho-
sier, who is currently 6-0 on the
season.
Mercyhurst is now 18-6-2 and
7-0-1 in College Hockey America
P^ I | *
The Lakers will try to rebound
on the road as they head to
Rhode Island to take on Brown
University this weekend.

W o m e n ' s hoops drop W a y n e State 87-81 in O T

By Denis Kirstein
Contributing writer
It took 11 years and 45 min-
utes for the Mercyhurst Lady
Lakers basketball team to defeat
the Women Warriors of Wayne
State, fe
This was thefirsttime the Lady
Lakers defeated the Warriors
since the 1998-99 season.
It was a very interesting game
from the point of momentum.
"The game was goofy, they had
the lead, then we had the lead,
then vice versa and then we had
the lead at the end, and that is all
that counts," said guard Cassie
Seth, a junior from Waterford,
Pa. ; \ p^
Seth contributed 16 points
and 6 assists to lead the Lakers
to victory.
The Lakers were clicking on all
cylinders, as they shot a season
high 46 percent from the field.
Their defense was not bad ei-
ther, "Our T>" in the second half
was unbelievable, our offense
then clicked because of our great
defense," said Seth.
Mercyhurst had four players in
double digits for scoring.
Julie Anderson dropped 18
points and Mary Clare Harlan
had her first double-double of
the season with 16 points and
12 rebounds on a perfect, 4-of-4,
night from behind the arc
One other player that helped
the Lakers get the victory was
Jessica Olmstead.
Olmstead, a senior transfer
from Division I Youngs town
State University, has been hob-
bled by injury, but was able to
convert 24 points and pull down
seven boards.
This is a huge win for Mercy-
hurst because it was believed that
Olmstead would be lost for the
season due to injury.
"Jess was back from a terrible
foot injury. She was able to prove
everyone wrong. She is a huge
asset for us as a team," Seth said
about her teammate. "It is great
that we have her back for our
playoff run."
A playoff run is what Mercy-
hurst has ahead of them.
With the win versus Wayne
State, the Lakers have the op-
portunity to make the playoffs
if they are able to win their final
five games, which are at the Mer-
cyhurst Athletic Center.
All of theirfinalopponents are
in the GLIAC South.
"Coach was extremely happy
with this win, because that win
puts us in contention to still make
the playoffs and with our remain-
ing games at home, we have a
great chance," said Seth,
The win marks the most wins
by a Mercyhurst women's squad
since the 9-17 record the 2001-
02 squad carried and the most
road wins by the Lakers since
the 1999-00 team went 9-7 on
the road.
As the season finishes, look
for the Lakers of Mercyhurst to
continue the roll that they are
on, which will propel them into
the playoffs and help them reach
their goal of a GLIAC dde.
Junior Cattle Stth't 16 points and six assists ltd the Lakers over tht Warriors
File Photo