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DEC. 12 No. 13

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The Office of AcademicAffairs (OAA) is spearheading a

new program to make sure thatthe freshman class of 2011 has allthe resources crucial to academic

success at its fingertips.

Incoming freshmen oftenhave a hard time adjusting to the

college lifestyle socially, academi-cally and even athletically.

In order to address the

problem of retention withinfreshmen classes, OAA hasenlisted the help of academic

support graduate assistantBethany Krowsoski.

Learning Styles Coordina-

tor Linda Linville worked withOAA and Krowsoski to create aprogram that would cover all the

bases that Fresh Start or a Resi-dent Assistant may miss. She canalso be an outlet for freshmen

when they feel uncomfortabletalking to their RAs.

Its really important that stu-

dents separate me from their RA.I dont have any hand in the dis-

cipline and I dont write studentsup. I want anyone and everyoneto be able to come to me withtheir questions, no matter how

big or small, Linville said. The program also makes

Krowsoski available to freshmen

almost any time of day. She canbe contacted through her e-mailat mckrow918@hotmail.com or

through an instant message; herscreen name is mckrow918.

Additionally Krowsoski rotates

to a different freshmen residencehall Sunday through Wednesday.Sunday nights from 8 p.m. to 10

p.m. she is in Baldwin Hall andMonday nights from 10 p.m.to 11 p.m. she is in Egan Hall.

Tuesday nights she is in McAuleyHall from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and

on Tuesday nights she is availablein the 200 Suites from 7:30 p.m.

to 10:30 p.m.Krowsoskis main goal is to be

a helping hand.

Her job is to makes sure that while freshmen adjust to theirnew lifestyles they also keep up

with their school work as theybalance the social and athleticaspects of college.

She will answer questions

about registration, classes, pro-fessors, majors, clubs, inter-

net access and anything aboutMercyhurst for which she canprovide help.

As a Mercyhurst alumnaKrowsoski knows a lot about thecampus. However in the event

she cannot answer a questionshe can always direct students tosomeone who can.

Just being a student here forfour years has really been the big-gest help as far as job experience

goes, she said. While the program is still

new, after fall term Krowsoski

began to see more studentseach night.

All the students that didnt

quite live up to their academicpotential in the fall are placed on

Academic Probation so when wegot back from break I becamea lot more busy with studentswho really wanted my help,

she said.Students on Academic Pro-

bation are at the highest risk

for dropping out, failing out ortransferring to another school,she explained, and the program

aims to address these problems

of retention.Krowsoski said that in most

cases it is the time managementskills that the students seemto lack.

Dorm life can be hectic andsometimes students get caughtup in all the fun and forget about

the work, she said.Krowsoski is available to

help focus students and can

assist them in creating a plan

that makes sure their time isspent wisely.

The freshmen are not theonly students who will receiveKrowsoskis help. As the pro-gram develops her services are

being extended to the sportsteams as well.

Mercyhurst student athletes

have demanding schedules andmay need a little extra helpmanaging their time. Krowsoski

will work with the teams duringtheir study halls to make surethey are making the best use of

their time.I have been asked to help out

at the football study tables to give

the players some direction if theyneed it, she said.

I f t h e p r og r a m g r ow s

l ike expected , Krowsoskicould become very busy helping

students.I would love to have other

people in on it. It would be goodfor the program and good for

me so I could bounce ideas offsomeone. I cant be everywhereat once and I only get to see eachof the freshmen residence halls

once a week, she said.Freshmen seem to be catch-

ing on to Krowsoski and

the program.I have seen her before. She

actually came and talked to us

during one of our floor meetings.She seemed like someone I couldgo to if I was really stuck on

something or needed some help,said freshman Josh Downing.

I know about Bethany. Now

do I go to her for help? No, saidfreshman Adam Yeany. I thinkshe could be very helpful if I

would just ask her for her help,but I have not found the need to

do that yet.S o m e f r e s h m e n a r e

still unsure.I think shes good to have

around but I didnt know she was here, explained freshmanJenny Breitenbach.

Krowsoski wants students to

know what resources they have attheir fingertips when they cometo her but more importantly that

she is really there for them.One of the most important

things I want students to know

is that no one should be embar-rassed or afraid to come to mefor help because even if youre

just homesick or having a hardtime adjusting, youre not aloneand I have been there too. I

can help.Freshman Alana Ortega finds

relief in Krowsoski.

Its good to know shes there.Its a comfort to know there is

someone we can go to if we needto, she said.

By Amanda ValauriNews editor

NEWSPAGE 2 Dec. 12, 2007

Academic support graduate assistant Bethany Krowsoski works to answer any question

freshman students could have from registration to life in Erie.

Scoot Williams photo

No freshman left behind

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PAGE 3NEWSDec. 12, 2007

Time is flying by and students

may not notice when May gradu-

ation comes along.

With graduat ion comes

ceremonies, parties and, of

course, senior gifts.

The senior gifts are annual

donations from the seniors to thecollege to leave a legacy.

Senior Martin Wallenhorst

is the chair of the Senior Gift

Steering Committee in charge

of choosing, promoting and

organizing the senior gift and

senior activities.

Wallenhorst and six other

members are in charge of the

entire project.

The committee narrowed its

choices down to two gifts: a fire

pit and a multi-seasonal 24-hour

study room.

Wallenhorst said the fire pit

would serve as a sitting area or

as an outside classroom.

He said it would be a great

place for pep rallies, games or

just a nice place for anyone

who wants to hang out arounda fire.

The committee considered

three locations for the pit. The

first is in the apple orchard, the

second is Munson plaza and the

third is near Alumni Park.

Wallenhorst said the fire pit

would cost an estimated $15,000

to $19,000.

The multi-seasonal 24-hour

study room would be attached

to the library and it would cost

around $35,000.

We would like to make it open

to students for 24 hours but we

dont know if it would be pos-

sible, said Wallenhorst.

Narvan Shorish personally

prefers the fire pit.

Ill donate as much as I can,

she said.S e n i o r C h r i s W a h e i b i

disagrees with Shorish saying,

I think the lounge room

sounds better.

The committee presented the

two gift ideas to Mercyhurst

College President Dr. Thomas

Gamble, and currently awaits a

final decision.

In the meantime, the com-

mittee is in the process of

choosing a separate school

committee chairs to assist

in fundraising.

These committee members

are responsible for fundraising

within their individual academic

schools, said Wallenhorst.

Each school finds its own

way of raising as much money

as possible, but all the infor-mation is ultimately fed back

to the steering committee

to ensure the process is

running smoothly.

The fundraisers, said Wallen-

horst, involve t-shirt sales and

donation collections, which will

begin in January.

Wallenhorst said the commit-

tee is also looking into the idea

of allowing for online donations

by creating a Web site.

He also said most of the gift

funding comes from the senior

class itself.

Seniors housing deposits,

which are refunded to every

student after the completion of

their senior year, are usually the

biggest donations.

Sometimes though, the do-nations alone are not enough,

in which case the school will

chip in.

For example, last years mul-

tipurpose court cost around

$50,000 and the senior class

raised roughly $17,000, so

the college paid for the rest,

Wallenhorst said.

By Javiera CubillosContributing writer

Senior class gift is in the works

Womens vote is louder than mens

The presidential elections

have become the topic of

conversation all across the

country. But who is talkingthe loudest?

According to The Center for

American Women and Politics

(CAWP) Web site, women have

surpassed men when it comes

to voting.

Although women were grant-

ed the right to vote in 1920, men

would still outvote women for

years to come.

This trend has been slowly

changing as voting becomes

more significant to women.

Senior Sarah Gerrard said she

feels strongly about the voting.

Women had to fight for their

right to vote therefore they might

feel that it is more important to

vote, said Gerrard.

While this may or may not

be true, the dynamic of society

has been shifting away from the

typical nuclear family unit and,

as a result, women are more in-

dependent and more empowered

than ever before.

Now the election of govern-

ment officials affects women just

as much as it does men.

In earlier decades, it was notimperative that women take part

in elections or become govern-

ment officials because they could

rely on their male counterparts to

make those decisions.

With the divorce rate on the

rise there are more single women

and single mothers in the United

States and they are turning out on

Election Day.

The numbers are in the mil-

lions. According to CAWP in

2000, 7.8 million more women

voted than men and that number

increased to 8.8 million in 2004.

Junior Randy Tucker was sur-

prised to find that women were

outvoting men.

Its kind of shocking that that

many more women vote than

men, he said.

Gerrard , however , was

not stunned.

I do not find it surprising

that women vote more than

men because women have a lot

invested in government polices

for example education for their

children, minimum wage, etc.,

said Gerrard.CAWP has been observ-

ing womens attitudes on

public policy.

Their findings show women

are: more likely to favor a more

activist role for government,

more often opposed to military

intervention in other countries,

more supportive of programs

to guarantee quality health care

and meet basic needs, more sup-

portive of restrictions on firearms

and more supportive of affirma-

tive action and efforts to achieve

racial equality.

The impact women have on

the vote has resulted in the cre-

ation of their own demographic.

According to CAWP, women

outvoted men in every racial and

ethnic group in 2004.

Another reason women vote

more than men is because more

women are registered to vote

than men.

This fact rings true as 54 per-

cent of the people who voted in

the 2004 election were women,

according to CAWP.

I think this shows more con-cern on the part of women as to

whats going on in our country,

said senior Joe Maurici. The

real issue isnt whos more likely

to vote its why dont people vote

seeing as presidential elections get

less than half of the population

turning out to vote.

With Senator Hilary Clinton

running for president in 2008,

the role of the women vote

could change.

I feel that voting for men is

a lot easier because there have

only been male candidates. Now

I feel that women will vote more

because there is a woman candi-

date in the running, said junior

Steven Faber about the coming

presidential election.

Senior Stephanie Prohaska

agrees with Faber.

I think a woman running will

affect the election because its go-

ing to make a lot of women who

havent voted in the past want to,

said Prohaska. I also think there

are a lot of uneducated people

out there that will vote for her just

because she is a woman.Senior Stephanie Wilkens sees

it differently.

I think its great that women

vote more because we had to

earn the right and we got an

amendment out of it and we are

taking advantage of it but, I dont

really think its going to affect

the election with a woman

running though.

Tucker is curious as to how

the events of the election will

pan out.

I think it will be interesting

to see if more guys vote because

they dont want to see a woman

president, he said.

Voting is the most important

part a democracy. It is clear

that womens voices are be-

ing heard when it comes to

Election Day.

By Amanda ValauriNews editor

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PAGE 4 NEWS

It will take a lot to fill Sr. Geri

Rosinskis shoes but Greg Baker,

Mercyhurst Colleges new direc-

tor of campus ministry, said

he is ready to lead under a new

spiritual wing.

It did not really hit me until

I saw the students, said Baker.They were extremely gracious

and I consider it a real privilege

to follow Sr. Geris footsteps.

Mercyhurst College Chaplin

Father Jim Piszker says Baker was

chosen because of his intense

background.

An Erie native, Baker com-

pleted his undergraduate at

Gannon University in liberal

studies. He then went on to grad-

uate school at St. Bonaventure

where he majored in theology.

Baker has done extensive

volunteer work for the Jesuit

Volunteer Core, Camp Notre

Dame in Fairview, Pa. and for a

parish youth ministry. His most

recent position was Director of

Youth and Young Adult for theCatholic Diocese of Erie.

He will bring a wealth of

experience to the position and we

look forward to have him here,

said Piszker.

Baker always dreamt of having

a career in campus ministry.

I like the idea of doing min-

istry in a college atmosphere,

he said. Students and I can talk

about the tough issues, debate

respectfully and deepen faith and

spirituality growth.

Baker said Mercyhurst College

was a great fit for him and he

appreciates what students do for

each other and for him.

My first image of this place

was a home. Now it is a home

that is slowly becoming mine.Baker does not only appreci-

ate what the students have done

for him so far, but his family

as well.

Baker is married to his wife of

five years, Jennifer and has a one

year old son, Eli.

Jen has been extremely sup-

portive throughout this whole

process, he said.

Baker said he remembers driv-

ing home at the end of the first

week, being overwhelmed and

excited at the same time.

I am very grateful to know

I can work, go home and eat

dinner with my family and read

a book to my son at night before

he goes to bed, he added.

When students vis it thecampus ministry Baker says his

door is always open.

No task is more important

than a student who wants me to

listen, he said.

Sophomore Patrick Campbell

said Baker will fulfill the role of

campus minister and make sure

everyone is on the same page.

The stronger the campus

ministry, the more we can have

a positive influence on the col-

lege, Campbell said.

Junior Heather Schwager

agreed.

He is very excited to work

with everyone and improve stu-

dent relationships, Schwager

said.

Baker said the amount ofstudent leadership at Mercyhurst

College is really impressive and

they take full ownership of what

they do.

He said he wanted to have a

career where he could have direct

contact with students and share

core values and he found it.

By Amy ZielinskiNews editor

Campus ministry gets new direction

Education departmentreceives honors award

Recently the MercyhurstCollege chapter of Kappa

Delta Pi was honored with

an award.

This international educa-

tion honor society represented

i t s d e p a r t m e n t i n t h e

biannual convocation in Louis-

ville, Ky.

Mercyhurst students came

home with more than just new

education tools.Seniors Ashley Gabriel, Jillian

Perfetti and graduate student Amy

Todd returned to Mercyhurst

with the award for Professional

Development.

Me r c y h u r s t s t o o d o u t

among the 286 chapters rep-

resented at the convocation and

received the award.

Mercyhurst students got

to take part in the Teaching

and Learning Expo, where

they provided workshops

on educational issues for

fellow education students and

professionals. The sponsorship of the

Colloquium of Educational

Research and Teaching gave

students the opportunity to

present research conducted

throughout their student teach-

ing experience.

Gabriel explained the applica-

tion for the award.

We hosted a teaching and

learning expo of workshopsfor pre-service and professional

teachers where participants

could choose their workshops,

she said.

There was also a panel of

KDP Alumni who were teaching

in the area that presented to the

students about their experiences

in the classroom during their

first year.

Perfetti said they attended

the conference to receive the

award and to gather infor-

mation on how to improve

the Mercyhurst education

program and the KDP honorssociety chapter.

KDP focuses on professional

development as well as service

learning and giving back to

the community.

Senior Rachel Phillips said it

is great to see Mercyhurst rep-

resented positively among so

many other schools across the

nation

This award was not only thefirst time KDP presented this

honor to any of its chapters but

it was also the first time Mer-

cyhursts education department

received such an award.

The Mercyhurst chapter of

KDP was inaugurated in Septem-

ber 2005. Although it is young,

this award is only a taste of what

is to come for the promising

honor society.

By Angela PhillipsContributing writer

Dec. 12, 2007

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PAGE 5Dec. 12, 2007 NEWS

Mercyhurst College Applied

Forensic Science professor Dr.

Stephen Ousley proves the dead

do tell tales.

Ousley, along with Dr. Richard

Jantz from the University of Ten-

nessee, developed a program usedby almost every forensic anthro-

pologist around the country and

many throughout the world.

The program, FORDISC, de-

signed by Ousley and Jantz, is used

to help identify decomposed bod-

ies or skeletal remains. FORDISC

has helped countless forensic

anthropologists solve murder and

missing people cases.

So many people go missingevery year, said Ousley. The

program answers the question

Who is this? or What type of

person is this?

FORDISC, now in its third ver-

sion, was first originally launched

in 1993.

It was Dr. Jantzs idea, said

Ousley. There was definitely a

need for something like this at

the time we started designing theprogram.

Ousley said FORDISC is an

interactive computer program

used to distinguish the race and

sex of an unidentifiable body us-

ing measurements of bones.

The program has been used in

solving forensic cases, identify-

ing the remains of victims of

Hurricane Katrina, the Vietnam

War and World War II, accordingto Ousley.

Ous ley never imagined

FORDISC would be used in so

many different ways.

Forensic cases are what the

program was originally envisioned

for, said Ousley. But its use has

gone far beyond that now.

Ousley used the program at

the Smithsonian Institute where

he worked for 10 years. The

program helped him identify and

return the bones of Native Amer-

icans that had been in museums to

their rightful descendents.

FORDISC also acts as a teach-

ing tool at Mercyhurst as well as

other colleges.

This program shows how

statistics can be used to help

identify people, said Ousley.

The program applies all the stuffwe already know about human

variation to a particular forensic

situation.

Ousely, who specializes in the

statistical methods of looking at

human variations, explained that a

program like FORDISC makes it

easier for forensic investigators to

determine specific characteristics

of a person.

Often bodies are found bur-ied, decomposed and impossible

to identify visually, explained

Ousely. This program helps

anthropologists narrow down

the possibilities of who the per-

son is.

Currently the program esti-

mates sex, race and height, but

Ousley hopes to expand the

program to include age in the

near future.Ousley is using his expertise in

statistical variations of humans

to teach his first classes at Mer-

cyhurst.

Ive lectured at Mercyhurst

before, but I have never had my

own class before, said Ousley,

who is still adjusting to the term

system.

Ousley said he is glad to join

Dr. Steve Symes, a sharp forcetrauma specialist and applied

forensic science professor, and

Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat, a specialist

in forensic archeological recovery

and head of the applied forensic

science department.

Symes and Dirkmaat are very

well-known and respected in their

field, said Ousely. I just bring

another element to the depart-

ment.

By Casey GreeneManaging editor

Mr. Forensics

St. Marys Chapel at Mercy-

hurst Northeast decked the halls

for Christmas.

Candles and Poinsettia trees

twinkled behind the Mercy-

hurst College Concert Choirand String Quartet as they per-

formed their annual Christmas

concert.

On Tuesday, Dec. 11, the

choir performed under the

direction of Rebecca Ryan.

We were thrilled with the

attention and great love of the

audience, Ryan said.

They showed great devotion to

the art.

The Concert Choir has per-

formed a Christmas concert at

St. Marys Chapel for the past

eight years.

The audience consisted of

North East residents and Mer-

cyhurst North East students, as

well as the students families.

The choir featured a violin

solo by Ken Johnston.Johnston is the concertmaster

of the Erie Philharmonic and

played Bach at the concert.

The concert choir sang

Domine, Ad Adjuvandum Me

Festina by Il Padre Martni as

well as Vivaldis Gloria.

The Carpe Diem Chorale

featured Carol of the Bells,

Lux Arumque and Fum,

fum, fum.

Senior Melissa Heitzenrater

worked hard to prepare for this

concert.

She just finished student

teaching and faced the chal-

lenge of only attending five

or six rehearsals before the

performance.

It was a lot of hard work,

said Heitzenrater.It was challenging but fun.

Junior Patrick Silvis enjoyed

the festive atmosphere.

We have been preparing for

the concert since mid-October,

said Silvis.

I liked performing in such a

beautiful chapel.

Of his experience working

with Johnston, Silvis said it was

short and sweet.

By Merissa FrankOpinion editor

Mercyhurst College Concert Choir and String Quartet performed their annual Christmas

concert at St. Marys Chapel at Mercyhurst Northeast on Tuesday, Dec. 11.

Scoot Williams photo

Mercyhurst sings in

the holiday season

Professor creates database

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NEWSPAGE 6 Dec. 12, 2007

For many students, the winterseason in Erie is a time for

h i b e r n a t i o n a n d r e s i s -tance to snow-related activi-ties. However if you are an

avid fan of the white flakes,

joining Mercyhursts snowboard-

ing club may be your ticketto escape those winter blues.

Snowboarding PresidentMargaux Valenti said, The snow-boarding crew came together my

freshman year, the winter of2005-2006, when former andfirst President Pete Zawistoski

wanted a more snowboard-centered club, Valenti said.

We wanted more than a

Tuesday night ride to the localresortno offense ski club.

So all who felt the sameway banned together and made aplan for bigger and better. From

there we facebooked, got somerails, built some boxes, decidedon a yearly trip and became

a family.The snowboarding club travels

to Holiday Valley every Friday inJanuary and February.

A trip to Vermont is scheduledfor the first few days of spring

break in February.The expenses of snowboard-

ing club depend on how much

someone wants to be involved.Anyone who snowboards knowsits expensive, but to us its worth

it, Valenti said.

Holiday Valley charges $25 foran entrance fee and $150 for an

unlimited pass.We estimate the trip to Ver-

mont to cost $240 per person

for three days and three nights. We are trying to fundraiseto reduce the students cost,

she added.We will be sponsoring a

corn-hole tournament and

a snowboarding waxing day

to fundraise for a rail jam onDec. 15. We are also planning

another rail jam for the spring,said Valenti. The club also receives ben-

efits from the college throughsponsorship.

We a r e sponsored by

Rockstar Energy drinks and havea pro-form with Academy Snow-

board and Option Snowboards,said Valenti.

Pro-form means we are givenreally good deals on snowboard-

ing products, she added.S ophom or e J ef f H u l t -

gren said, I was able to get

sponsors by sending outemails, calling companies andI knew a few people who own

snowboard shops, so they

were able to give me thenames of some company

representatives.I grew up in New Eng-

land where winter sports are

the thing to do in the winter,so snowboarding has been a partof my life for about 15 years

now. I dont know how Id makeit through winter without it,said Hultgren.

I love snowboarding because

its a chance to get back tonature when everyone else is cud-

dled up inside with a blanket,said Valenti.

Member Chris Duval agreed.

I skied as a kid but gotbored with it quickly, so Itried snowboarding in sev-

enth grade and loved i t .It was new and different.

Unlike skis, tricks on a boardare endless, he said.

If you want to improve yourboarding skills but spent all

your money on Christmas giftshopping, put your worriesaside.

There is a park on campusby the Duval apartments andparking ramp that is in the

construction process and will

soon be open to any and all,said Valenti.

We have a Facebook groupthat we can be contactedthrough, she added.

For more information emailValenti at mvalen40@mercy-hurst.edu.

All you have to do is showyour interest, and pay youranticipated fees; its that simple,

Valenti said.

By Elizabeth MaierStaff writer

Winter sports take Hurst by storm

On a typical Saturday morning,the Carolyn Hermann StudentUnion is a desolate location

on campus. This past Saturday morn-

ing proved to be a different

story, especially for the children

of local agencies within theErie community.

Christmas spirit was present atMercyhurst College, in the formof an annual event known as

Christmas on Campus.

Darcey Kemp, advisor of the

event, said that there were morevolunteers and children overallthan in the past.

Kemp said this years eventwas very successful, with about115 children present from nine

local agencies, and over 300 stu-dent volunteers.

The volunteers had many dif-

ferent jobs, ranging from being a

buddy with a child for the day orhelping a club construct a certain

activity.Other volunteers dressed

u p l i k e f a v o r i t e m o v i e

and storybook characters to

provide entertainment for

the children.Sophomore and dress-up

volunteer Ian Michalski said his

favorite part of the event wasseeing the reactions of the kidsas they opened their gifts.

Another volunteer, soph-omore Emily Warren, saidthat she enjoyed seeing the chil-

dren get so excited about the

different activities. J u n i o r J e nna G o l d e n ,

an organizer of the event,thought that the event was ahuge success.

Everything went over really

well and all of the kids had a

great time, said Golden.It was really well organized

and the kids seemed to like their

presents, Kemp said.Kemp always enjoys watching

the children pair up with their

buddies.Its like they become fast

friends, she said.

It is what the children look

forward to all year, and eventhough it is about the agencies

and the children overall, theyalso have an extreme impact onthe students.

Sophomore Dinorah Sanchez

agreed. She said that she loved

the excitement from the activitiesand the big smile that the presentbrought to her buddys face.

One thing that surprised Kempabout this years event involvedthe children.

I was surprised that so manychildren made their own gifts forSanta during the activities. It was

really nice to see that they were so

excited about that, Kemp said.Golden said that even though

there was a lot of time andenergy put into the event, seeingthem smile made everything

worth it in the end.

By Julie HranicaStaff writer

Christmas on Campus a success

Police logView the crime map online at merciad.mercyhurst.edu.

Dangerous Weapons

Parking Lot 20Dec. 7Closed

Liquor Law Violation

3829 Briggs Ave.Dec. 9College Discipline

Controlled Substance

McAuley HallDec. 8Pending Investigation

Liquor Law Violation

McAuley HallDec. 9College Discipline

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Dec. 12, 2007

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NEWS PAGE 7Dec. 12, 2007

Symes investigates murder in N.J.

Mercyhurst College is solv-ing murder cases at leastt h e f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e

department is.D r . S t e v e n S y m e s i s

a professor in the forensic

science department and a

world-renowned forensicanthropologist.

Symes is not only lending hisexpertise to educate Mercyhurststudents but also to help solve

major crimes.Currently Symes is working on

around 20 unsolved cases.

Most recently, he is assistingin a case dealing with the murderof several college-aged victims in

Newark, NJ. The three victims were

k i l l ed by execut ion-s t y l e

shootings. Symes explained thatalthough the victims were killedby gun shots, chop marks were

also found on the bodies.For this reason, Symes ex-

pertise in sharp force trauma

makes him an asset to the case.I am examining several bones

from the victims, said Symes. Ialso was able to examine a toolthat is suspected to have beenused in the murders.

Symes explained that medi-

cal examiners are encouragedto have board certified forensicanthropologists available to assist

with cases.Symes is on the list of board

certified specialists and is often

called upon to work on cases allthroughout the country.

His expertise along with the

skills of Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat,

head of the forensic sciencedepartment, make Mercyhursts

forensic program unique.We are one of two grad

programs in the country with

two board certified staff mem-bers, said Symes of himself andDirkmaat.

According to Symes, Dirkmaatspecializes in archeologicalrecovery, or the recovery of

buried remains.While Symes works on a na-

tional level, Dirkmaat works

closely with the PennsylvaniaState Police Department on solv-ing more local crimes.

Together, Symes and Dirkmaatbrought in over 100 cases to theforensic department last year.

We average two cases a week, said Symes. Some are

just uncovered bones that endup not being human but we geta lot of real traumas too.

Students are often able to ob-

serve Dirkmaat or Symes and attimes even assist on cases.

Some evidence students are

not permitted to view, saidSymes. Others students may

observe and graduate studentscan even assist.

Symes explained that studentsare often able to travel to local

crime scenes and participate indigs and evidence recovery.

Students get a hands-on expe-

rience, said Symes. They arentjust stuck in a classroom.

Evidence from past cases ofDirkmaat or Symes allows stu-dent the opportunity to examinethe materials themselves and de-

cipher their own conclusions.It takes Symes a long time to

work through evidence and find

results.Im slow, he said. Ill look at

evidence, put it away for awhileand then look again and Imalso amazed at the new thingsI find.

By Casey GreeneManaging editor

Applied forensic science professor, Dr. Steven Symes not only uses his expertise in sharp

force trauma to educate Mercyhurst students, but to solve major crimes as well.

Scoot Williams photo

Interested in taking a CPR course?The Mercyhurst Student Government Health and Safety Committee is looking

for students interested in taking an Adult CPR/AED class. This class offers a basicRed Cross CPR/AED certification. The four hour class will be held sometime

in January most likely around 3 p.m. on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday and willcost 24 dollars. Please contact Chris Davis at cdavis89@mercyhurst.edu if you areinterested or have any questions.

Lecture of a LifetimeHurst TV will telecast The Last Lecture by Carnegie Mellon professor Randy

Pausch. Pauschs message after being diagnosed with terminal cancer has captivatedaudiences around the world. The first telecast is Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m.

-lakernet.mercyhurst.edu

laker briefs

SAC Presents: Midnight BreakfastHungry? Why wait? Satisfy your hunger while exploring the old fashioned diner

setting. Come to the Student Union for a quick late night breakfast, featuring foodssuch as bagels, coffee, hot chocolate and more.

There will also be an omelette bar. Be there, midnight at the Student Union.

Ho! Ho! Ho!Noted artist Fran Schanz, a 1971 Mercyhurst College grad, plays Santa to his alma

mater this year, installing his extensive collection of Santa Claus figures on the eastend of Old Mains first floor. Open for public viewing through Jan. 12.

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Dec. 12, 2007

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PAGE 8 Dec. 12, 2007FEATURES

Fun, trendy holiday gifts

Sirius radio systems offer dozens of channels static-free.www.sirius.com

Lug provides unique storage and more like this gym tote.www.lugproducts.com

Ebooks are the new way to

read a good novel without

having to drag around a

heavy book. Most can hold

more than one book on the

memory.

http://wiki.mobileread.com

Hunter wellies are the newest trend in cold and wet weather.Find tons of styles and colors online.

www.hunterboots.com

Be.ologys shirts for men and women spread positive mes-sages, words and thoughts.

www.beologyonline.com

Sticks and Stones creates customized alphabet pictures to spell names, phrases, or

inspirational words.

www.createsticksandstones.com

Lugs travel tags are a bright and colorful way to make luggage more recognizable.

www.lugtravel.com

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Dec. 12, 2007

9/24

PAGE 9Dec. 12, 2007 FEATURES

Celebs control perfume marketBy Sandy WatroStaff writer

Paris Hilton capitalizes on perfume licensing.

http://univision.com

Sarah Jessica Parker created an affordable fashion line.

www.bittensjp.com

The celebrity licensing markethas always been huge and latelyit has experienced a growth inclothing lines, footwear andlets not forget the ever-expand-ing perfume market.

Its not like people such asBritney Spears and Sarah JessicaParker have enough money as itis. Instead, they proceed to signa contract, take a couple public-ity shots and slap their name ona cheap bottle of perfume.

Magically, they are bestowed with another fat check bymeans of virtually no work oftheir own.

This is no new trick though.Companies have been licens-

ing trademarks, products,names and characters sincethe mid 1980s.

Some Mercyhurst Collegestudents are not fooled by thecelebrity endorsements.

My college education hasinstilled personal values andbeliefs in me not to purchase

these products, as they relyon name or brand recogni-tion alone, said senior CesarOrdonez.The 80 billion-dollar industry

has been profiting from thelikes of professional sportsplayers to professional clubhoppers.

Paris Hilton not only makesher salary by appearing in

clubs worldwide; she also hasfive perfumes and a new menscologne.

Surprisingly, perfume is nother only genre.The heiress also currently has

agreements with a nightclubchain, a shoe manufacturer anda hair extension company.

However even though she

is not scientifically mixingthe chemicals to formulate aperfect perfume, her popularfragrances have increased theaffiliated companys sales by52 percent, reports the ParluxCompany.

I think fragrances that areendorsed by celebrities areridiculous, said senior AllisonGreep. The individuals them-

selves often have no specializedcontrol of the products charac-teristics; therefore, a consumeris virtually purchasing the sameproduct as they would at a retailchain such as Bath and BodyWorks.

Sarah Jessica Parker has alsomade her mark in the cash cowworld of licensing, in additionto a few other celebrities, at the

unlikely location of discountsportswear store Steve andBarrys.

Most recently she has startedup a line of ridiculously afford-able womens clothing, calledBitten.

Bitten features basics with aslightly trendy twist added tothe items.All of these pieces are priced

at $19.98 or below, whichis fairly cheap for the itemsoffered.As Parker profoundly states

in her lines motto, Fashion isnot a luxury, its a right.

Nonetheless there are down-sides to the low cost of thegarments.A brief inspection of the

clothing proved them to be notonly poorly sewn, probably by a4-year-old child in Bangas, butconstructed with poor qualityfabric.The saying, You get what

you pay for, comes to mind. Amanda Bynes and Venus

Williams also have lines at theestablishment.

Bynes line called dear by

Amanda Bynes is aimed towardyounger teens and includestrendy, colorful pieces alsopriced under $19.99.Williams line is called Eleven,

and includes sporty workoutgear as well as a small sneakersection.

Overall licensing can be prof-itable for the consumer andwell as the licensee.

However one must considerhow a pair of jeans can bemanufactured, shipped, taggedand displayed at retail locationsfor the extremely low price of$9.98.

In this arrangement, someonehas to be getting hurt and onecan be sure that it is not theendorsers of these massivecampaigns.

Harry Potters broom madehim fly and his golden snitchhad wings, but thats not stop-ping the magical game of Quid-ditch from coming to life in thereal world.

The popular game introducedin the Harry Potter series wassuch a hit with readers, collegestudents have begun to recreatethe sport on their campuses.

It all began with a smallgroup of Harry Potter fansfrom Middlebury College whothought that the game wascreative and fun.

Today, several teams havebeen formed and the firstannual Intercollegiate Quid-ditch World Cup was held,strictly following all of therules laid forth from the books,including wearing capes.This interesting new sport is

another example of the inter-national Harry Potter craze.

There is now even a Facebookgroup called the IntercollegiateQuidditch Association, gainingmembers daily.While initially possessing a

stigma for being a dork sport,Quidditch has surpassed ste-reotypes due to its imaginativetheme and ability to promoteexercise and physical fitness.

Quidditchflies tocollege

fields

By Jen GildeaFeatures editor

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FEATURESPAGE 10 Dec. 12, 2007

THE LAKER

Winter Term

Galley Grill

Lunch:M-Ham and Cheese on

CroissantT- Soft TacosW- Potato BowlTh- Turkey RubenF- Sizzle Salad

S- Southwest Burger

Board SpecialsLunch $4.75Dinner $5.50

Dinner:S-Laker BurgerM- Steak SaladT- Open Face Turkey SandwichW-Slice Of Pizza, 5 Wings

Th- Swedish Meatballs w/ NoodlesF- Chicken and BiscuitsS - Cup of Chili w/ Cheese, Side of

Nacho Chips

Hours of Operation:

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

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

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

Look for New Menu Items!Mac & Cheese Bites Black Bean Burger

New Salads:Chicken BLT-Veggie(no cheese)-Spinach-Asian Chicken-

Greek-Caesar

Subconnection6 Sub $3.75 Combo $4.75

12Sub $5.75 Combo $6.75

Baja and Buffalo Chicken Subs:

6 Sub $4.00 Combo $5.25

12 Sub $6.00 Combo $ 7.00

Special FeaturesWrap combo-Veggie $5.59

other wraps $5.79

Wrap It Yourself- Veggie $3.99

other wraps $ 4.19

Hours of Operation:

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

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

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

Laker ExpressBoard Equivalency Available:

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

Board Specials

Lunch $4.75

Dinner $5.50

Look for Laker Express

Minute Meals!

Hours of Operation:

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

Friday 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday Closed

Charity is always worthwhile,but when children are hopingfor gifts under the familyChristmas tree, the Marines

have their backs. The Toys for Tots programbegan 60 years ago to help giveless fortunate children a morefulfilling Christmas.

In 2006 the U.S. MarineCorps Reserves delivered 19.2million toys to over 7.6 millionchildren.

Marine Staff Sergeant DavidEichenlaub, coordinator of

Toys for Tots in Erie, said thatfamilies are recommended bythe Erie County AssistanceOffice and Salvation Army.

We coordinate our effortsto help as many people in thecommunity as we can, saidEichenlaub.

Eichenlaub said Toys for Totshas the support of up to 200local businesses.

Anthony Eisenman, market-ing director for Iadeluca Chi-ropractic Center is proud to bepart of the tradition. Iadelucais a local business that supportsToys for Tots.

Its a great organization to beaffiliated with, said Eisenman.Any time we have the oppor-tunity to educate the public onchiropractic care, and help out

in the community at the sametime, we like to do that. Along with support from

businesses, schools, such asGeneral McLane and Har-borcreek High Schools, alsofundraise with money and toydrives.

Last year students at BelleValley Elementary School had acoin drive and raised two thou-sand dollars, Eichenlaub said.

Charity is also a theme thatcan be found at MercyhurstCollege.

Outlets are offered yearround through Campus Min-istry, including Emmaus SoupKitchen, Kids Caf and Habi-tat for Humanity.

Serving should not be sea-sonal, said campus minister Amanda Zechman. Need ispresent at Christmas, but is alsopresent in the summer during4th of July. Its important toserve year round, not just theholidays.

Senior Abigail McDonaldhopes to empower others byserving their needs and being

charitable. As president of Alternative

Break, a program where stu-dents perform home repairsin poverty stricken communi-ties, McDonald helps bringthe phrase, Charity begins athome, to life.

I have a responsibility assomeone more fortunateto help the less fortunate,

McDonald said. I see it as aform of equality to help themreach their goals.

Reverend Lyta Seddig agreesand points to the New Testa-ment translation of the Greek word agape, which meanslove.

When we truly love, we cometo the understanding of whatselflessness is all about, she

said. When we truly under-stand a person, that person willbegin to bloom.

Charity shows itself in manyways.

Its always nice to receive, butgiving seems to be even morerewarding.And when given with love, its

the greatest gift of all.For more information, visit

www.toysfortots.org.

By Carla HartStaff writer

Charity is a gift

that keeps giving **The Laker will be closed Dec. 19 at 3 p.m.and open again Jan. 3 at 8 a.m.**Happy Holidays Everyone!

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Dec. 12, 2007

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PAGE 11Dec. 12, 2007 FEATURES

Tis the season to be jollyBy Stacey MinchinStaff writer

Family. Christmas Trees.Presents.These are all things that you

might think about during theholiday season. As our Christmas break

quickly approaches, studentsbegin to make plans with theirloved ones at home and manylook forward to the numeroustraditions they have with theirfriends and families during theholidays.

Most students plan on goinghome, wherever that may be,

for Christmas break.Many are feeling pretty

excited for yet another break,and others cant wait for SantaClaus to come to town.

I am going to be home withmy family for the holidays,said senior Cole Salo. Everyyear, we have a small gatheringwith a few other families from

the area to celebrate the NewYear. I will be having a typicalChristmas with my family, butit is always fun and a great timeof the year for me to be homewith my loved ones.

People tend to like the Christ-mas season more than otherholidays because it makes them

feel all warm and fuzzy inside,yet others remind us of theGrinch, when they complainabout the chaos and long linesaffiliated with buying presentsat the mall.

Despite the Grinch-like char-acters among us and those whohate hearing Christmas songs,especially when they start play-

ing the day after Thanksgiving,most students look forward toChristmas and another newyear to begin.

Not only do students lookforward to spending somequality time with their lovedones as the holidays approach,families come together and thepartying begins.

The weekend before Christ-

mas my whole family getstogether at my aunts houseto bake all different kindsof cookies, said sophomoreKatlin Hess. Christmas Daymy family is all coming to myhouse to exchange gifts.

Unfortunately even thoughit is the holiday season, manyof you will still find yourselves

working away, trying to catchup after buying presents.Sophomore Kristen VanBu-

ren says even though she willbe working a lot during hervacation, she still remains inthe Christmas spirit becauseit is such an exciting time ofthe year.

My parents always have abig Christmas party where they

invite all their work friends andsome family, VanBuren said.This year I get to bring overmy friends, too. Its just basi-cally a social party with a lotof food and music. We havea pretty traditional ChristmasDay with waking up in themorning to open all the pres-ents and a big dinner, which is

always delicious.Family time is a commonthread among students holidaybreaks.

Senior Megan Shoup saidthat Christmas is one of theonly gauranteed times that herfamily will all be together.

No matter what, we all knowthat well be home for Christ-mas, she said.

CAFE DIEM

Mercyhurst Coee House

Located:

Main Floor Hammermill Library

Open

Sundays- Thursdays

6 p.m.-12a.m.

Monday-Friday

8 a.m.-12 p.m.

Closed Saturdays

Trebek has heart attack

LOS ANGELES - Longtime

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebekwas hospitalized Tuesday aftera minor heart attack, a spokes-

man for the game show said.Trebek, 67, was admitted to

Cedars-Sinai Medical Centerlate Monday night and wasexpected to remain there about

two days for tests and observa-tion, said show spokesman JeffRitter.

Thankfully it was a minorheart attack, Ritter said.

He d id not give otherdetails.A post on the official Jeop-

ardy! Web site said Trebekwas resting comfortably in aLos Angeles hospital and hewill be back in the studio forthe next scheduled tapings inJanuary.

His heart attack was firstreported by EntertainmentTonight.

The Canadian-born Trebekhas hosted the syndicated show

since 1984.He has won several daytime

Emmy Awards for his work andhas a star on the HollywoodWalk of Fame.

Trebek escaped a automobilecrash unhurt in 2004 whenhe fell asleep at the wheel,sideswiped a string of mail-boxes and wound up in a ditch,according to the CaliforniaHighway Patrol.

By Robert JablonAssociated Press

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PAGE 12 Dec. 12, 2007FEATURES

Food FixWithMegI

ERI

Get to know...

Nathan Ratkovsky

Casserole

Directions

Ingredients

Name: Nathan Ratkovsky

Year: Junior

Major: Elementary Education and Special EducationHometown: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Favorite thing about Mercyhurst: The girl-to-guy ratio,

and that the people here are so open.

Least favorite: The quiet hours assigned in the apartments.

You should be able to play your music as loud as you want.

Campus interests: Going out to the many activities on and

off campus and meeting new people.

Anything else interesting about you: I currently have a

degree back home. I am now double majoring and hopefully

will have three degrees when Im finished.

Pizza Pasta opens on State

Americans have grown tolove the classic favorites ofpizza and pasta.

Now, Mercyhurst Collegestudents need not look furtherthan Erie for both popularchoices.A new business has moved in

right around the corner fromMercyhurst College.

Pizza Pasta serves up Italianspecialties with Erie tradi-tions.

Owners Jeff Hayward and Ed

Kuziak opened Pizza Pasta onTuesday, Dec. 4.

Hayward brings the businessmind to the table while Kuziak

serves up a specialty straightout of the oven.

Prices are cheeper and wemake it taste great with betteringredients and taking pride inwhat we do, said Kuziak, whohas been in the food industry

business for seven years.Located at 3018 State Street,Pizza Pasta serves the obviouscombination of pizza and pastaalong with items including sal-ads, wraps, paninis, subs andcalzones like their Philly steakcalzone priced at $8.99.

Currently the best deal on themenu is a one large, one-top-ping pizza, 20 wings and a two

liter of pop for $17.99.Other options on the menu

include Smiths hot dogs andpepperoni balls that are re-

gional favorites.Fries, mozzarella sticks and

poppers are also on the menuas appetizers and can be pairedwith a burger or wrap.

Breaking away from tradi-tional hours of other pizzerias

in the area, Pizza Pasta be-gins serving Monday through Thursday at 11 a.m. through2 a.m.

On Friday and Saturday theeatery opens at 11 a.m. as well,but stays up and running until4 a.m. for those late night eat-ers.

On Sunday the hours are 11a.m. to 12 a.m.

Stop on by Pizza Pasta to pickup a menu or give them a call at455-4525 and make it your nextI Heart Erie destination.

By Shelley TurkStaff writer

Pizza Pasta serves up classic American favorites.Contributing photo

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast1 pound broccoli, cooked1 can cream of mushroom soup1 tablespoon mayonnaise1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup dry stuffing mix

1.) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.2.) Cook the chicken in a pan on the stove

and season it with salt and pepper. Make surethat it is cooked all the way through and that

there is no pink on the inside.3.) Cook the broccoli until tender.4.) In a small bowl mix the soup and the

mayonnaise together.5.) Layer the chicken, broccoli, soup and

cheese in a baking dish.6.) Sprinkle the dry stuffing mix over the

top and bake for 25 minutes.

Casseroles are a really greatway to feed a few people beforebreaking out all of the sweetslike cookies and pies. With the break coming up,

making a casserole would be atasty way to clean out the fridgeand have meals for a few days.This recipe contains broccoli

and chicken but it could easilybe made with any vegetableand meat.

If you have a bag of mixedvegetables, or if you just have

several kinds that you wouldlike to get rid of, just throwthem together to make thisrecipe your own. This casserole is very well

balanced and will provide youwith plenty of energy, while stillbeing extremely easy to make.

Luckily, there are almost al-ways leftovers that are going tobe just as tasty the next day andmake for a quick meal.

-Meghan Dolney

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Dec. 12, 2007

13/24

White Noise, won the

National Book Award in 1985

and cemented Don DeLillos

reputation as one of the preemi-

nent postmodern writers of the

last half of the 20th Century.

The narrator and protago-

nist of White Noise is Jack

Gladney, a professor at College-

on-the-Hill in Blacksmith, an

uneventful small town. Glad-

ney is regarded internationally,

having creating the worlds first

Hitler Studies program.

Behind his reputation, how-

ever, lingers self doubt.

There is a Hitler conference

to be held in the spring; this

presents a problem because

Gladney, in a strange scholarlyirony, doesnt know German. He

hides himself behind dark classes

on campus so that no one can see

his fear and self-loathing.

He is on his fifth marriage to

a pleasant and plump woman

named Babette, and they spend

most of their time debating

which of them will die first. Four

of their combined seven children

live in their house, none with afull sibling.

One of the most interesting

characters in the book is Jay

Murray Siskind, a sportswriter-

turned-lecturer in the American

Environments Department. He

is what we might refer to as the

Pop Culture Department.

He teaches courses on car

crashes and other seeming

minute topics and wants to dofor Elvis what Gladney has done

for Hitler.

He is fascinated with the

waves and radiation projected

outward at society, television

commercials, radio jingles and

especially product information at

the supermarket, which he deems

a sacred place.

He makes most of the obser-

vations on the state of society

in the book; Gladney is too self-

absorbed for such a role.

White Noise is divided into

three parts. The first 100 pages

are dedicated mostly to explica-

tion and developing characters.

The second part is a transition

that leads us to one of the storys

two major conflicts. Heinrich,

sitting on top of the roof one

day, spots an amorphous black

cloud at the site of a tanker

wreck.A cloud of the chemical Nyo-

dene D., which is reported to

cause symptoms ranging from

hand clamminess to dj vu to

tumors and paralysis, starts drift-

ing toward town. The family is

forced to evacuate, but on the

way Jack has to get out and refill

the car, exposing himself to the

airborne toxic event for two-and-

a-half minutes. The third part of White

Noise is a turn inward. Jack

becomes more and more

obsessed with his own mortality,

constantly getting checkups with

his doctor and discovering that

trace amounts of the pathogen

are in his body.

Likewise, Babette too has been

consumed with the fear of death,

so much so that she has secretlysigned up to be the single experi-

mental victim of a psychological

drug called Dylar. To receive the

medication, she agreed to sleep

with the project manager twice a

week in a seedy motel.

Jack, with the help of Murray,

begins to realize their neurosis

and, without spoiling the ending,

tries to do what he can to solve

the problem. Implicit in the

obsession with dying is DeLillos

assertion: rampant consumerism

and oversaturation in technology

has increased our fear of dying.

Because people identify them-

selves with the items they own,

there becomes a loss of identify

after death, in that they surely

cant take it with them, so to

speak.

Additionally there are few per-

manent family values; at times,children shuffle in and out of the

house to visit different biological

parents, and Wilder, the youngest

at two years old, is often nowhere

to be seen.

How then does DeLillo believe

one should construct reality?

Gladney tries to shield himself

from death by wrapping him-

self in Hitlers aura, reasoning

that some figures are larger than

death.

Heinrich, Gladneys teenage

doomsayer, boils feelings and

situations down to neurons and

synapses firing and misfiring.

Babette leans on technology and

medicine as her crutch.

Denise, Babettes oldest, inces-

santly plays the role of victim.

DeLillo seems neither to support

nor condemn any of these partic-

ular approaches, allowing readerstheir own subjective opinions on

the events as they happen.

The world for DeLillo

becomes an existential place:

life takes on only the meaning

ascribed to it, through individuals

and, perhaps on a higher hierar-

chical plane, through the media.

If I had to criticize the book in

any way, it would be regarding the

dialogue of Heinrich and Denise,

14 and 11 years old, respectively.

They simply appear too intelli-

gent. Also, the beginning of the

third section of the book drags

for 40 pages or so; Jacks obses-

sion with mortality is evident

much earlier in the book.Otherwise, I was really fas-

cinated with DeLillos integra-tion of pop culture, ethics, andmortality.

By Kyle King

Contributing writer

Delillo won the National Book Award for White Noise.

Contributed photo

Don Delillos White Noise in review

PAGE 13Dec. 12, 2007 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

tHeBuZz

DEC. 13. MercyhurstCollege Orchestra. APostcard from Italy.8 p.m. Walker RecitalHall.

DEC. 15. Lake Erie Bal-let presents The Nut-cracker. Warner Theatre,Erie, at 7 p.m.

DEC. 16. Lake Erie Bal-let presents The Nut-cracker. Warner Theatre,Erie, at 2:30 p.m.

DEC. 16. MercyhurstChoir Christmas Concert.A Season of Traditions,Mercyhurst College Per-forming Arts Center, at2 p.m.

Now through Dec. 21.Christmas Memories:Getting Home For TheHolidays. The StationDinner Theatre, Erie.

DEC 22. Gem City Jazz

at the Mall in Erie, from12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

DEC. 27. Daniel Caba-nillas. An Evening withDaniel Again. St. Georg-ess Catholic Church,Erie, at 7 p.m.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPAGE 14 Dec. 12, 2007

Daniel Cabanillas, Director of

Liturgical Music and DesignatedSchool Official for InternationalStudents at Mercyhurst College,

will be featured in a concert atSt. Georges Catholic Church inErie.

The concert is titled AnEvening with Daniel Again,as it took place last December

as well, and it will take place Thursday, Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25. The music

will be followed by a cateredreception.

The concert is not intended

to be a Christmas or liturgicalpresentation but instead to be aspiritually uplifting performance

meant to inspire faith and love. With pieces spanning 400years, the concert will include, as

Mr. Cabanillas said, everythingfrom Bach to Bocelli.

The program holds a collage

of music, explained Cabanillas, with a mixture of classical,contemporary Christian, musical

theatre and pop music.The concert even opens with

country music provided by St.Georges folk group. Notablepieces to be presented include

Mariah Careys Hero, YoullNever Walk Alone, fromCarousel, and Rachmaninoffs

Vocalise, a piece originally written for cello whichCabanillas has skillfully adapted

for his voice. A full-orchestra comprised

of members of the Erie

Philharmonic Orchestra will playfor the concert. Instrumentalsoloists appear in the concert

on violin and cello.In addition to the classical

orchestra, a pop orchestra

comprised of local musiciansis included. Some pieces evencombine the two orchestras,

creating a really nice, magicalexperience, Cabanillas said.A full choir from St. Georges

choir will also appear. Sevensoloists are featured in theconcert, with Cabanillas as the

eighth and main soloist.Cabanillas was born in

Honduras and came to the

United States in 1993 for hisstudies.

He said he has always beena musician, and he studied ata conservatory music school

when he was young. He is also aMercyhurst College alumnus.

He initially began his

undergraduate work atDartmouth College buttransferred to Mercyhurst

after meeting Louisa Jonason,Director of the School of Music

at that time.He was also offered a musicscholarship for attendance at

Mercyhurst. Cabanillas has nowbeen at Mercyhurst for 14 years,and he said, This is home for

me.Cabanillass tenor voice has

been compared with those

of operatic masters AndreaBocelli, Luciano Pavarotti and

Jos Carreras.Although a fan of the classics,Cabanillas said that he likes all

kinds of music, and he alsoenjoys composing music.

In addition to his skill as a

singer, Mr. Cabanillas also playspiano, organ, guitar, and a littleviolin and flute.

By Sarah Mastrocola

Staff writer

Daniel Cabanillas will give a spiritually uplifting performance on Thursday, Dec. 27.Scoot Williams photo

Faculty member to inspire faith with concert

The Edinboro Hangout wasfull of fans of Stillframe Sky,

a local rock band, on Saturdaynight. The event was to support

the release of the bands newCD.

The area quartet released itsdebut album on Dec. 8 in front

of hundreds of loyal fans along with and some new fans. Thealbum, titled Old Habits Still

Die Hard, has a unique blendof styles and song structuresthat are to please the listeners.

The album opens with an

intro reminiscent of a live show;

chatter from the crowd, and they

move right into the nitty-gritty with a blues and classic rock-influenced instrumental intro.

Last Mistake, a crowdfavorite at any Stillframe Skyshow, kicks off the record with

powerful choruses, surrounded

by melodic, relaxing versesand a piano-infused bridge

and a classic, hardcore punkbreakdown.

Why Dont You Just Go

Blog About It reflects obviousinfluences from artists such asMotion City Soundtrack and

The Shins. A happy-go-luckyinstrumental arrangementclashes perfectly with social

commentary of a rather

vindictive subject.

Aunt Jemima is Running forthe Border, a song similar tothose on Brand News Deja

Entendu, picks up in much thesame fashion as Last Mistake. This track, however, features

two guitar solos straight out of

the 1980.A slower, more relaxing track,

One Day at a Time, again hasa sound practically identical toMotion City Soundtrack. A very

danceable song, One Day at a Time is a well-rounded songon the album, both lyrically

and musically, with just enoughexploration in both categoriesto set it aside from the common,

clich dance-punk.

Stillframe Sky brings out

an older song, a fan favoritemind you, and works out all thekinks to deliver a new version

of Over You. A departurefrom the sound of the rest ofthe album, Over You takes

a less-danceable approach to

songwriting, and focuses ondeep lyrics and variations in

drum patterns and guitar lines, which make this song trulypowerful.

The Number Ten, actuallytrack eight on the album, is amasterpiece of production and

songwriting. An instrumentalbreak just where it needs to bein this album relaxes listeners

before the final two tracks blow

their minds.

Letting Pride Burn, aStillframe Sky classic, is sureto grip audiences with the

soothing, yet powerful, voice Tyler Addison. A wide rangeof genres are incorporated in

this track, including punk, pop,

hardcore and indie rock.The band, devout Christians,

close the album out with a songof worship, For the Love ofa Savior. Like the rest of

the album, this track exploresthe musical influence of eachmember of the band.

Also check out the upcomingshows at the Hangout bygoing to myspace.com/

edinborohangout.

By Greg SummyStaff writer

Stillframe Sky, local band releases new CD

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Dec. 12, 2007

15/24

Stephen Colantti, a Mercyhurst

College Mary DAngelo School

of Music voice professor, will

make his debut as conductor

of the Mercyhurst College

Orchestra on Thursday.

Colantti said he is veryexcited about conducting the

concert because he normally

conducts opera concerts where

the conductor hides in the pit.

However at Thursdays concert,

he will be very visible.

The debut is really important

to Colantti, and he said that he

had the opportunity to work

with a really talented group of

students.They have done everything

Ive asked and more, Colantti

said. They are the ones who

actually make the music, and

they are making really beautiful

music so I am very excited for

them.

I think the audience will be

moved and excited and will go

out with smiles on their faces,

he said.

The program, titled A

Postcard from Italy, includes works by Rossini, Puccini,

Mascagni and Mendelssohn.

Colantti loves all of the music

on the program, but there is one

piece in particular that is special

to him.

Several years ago a guest

artist at the college told the

students that his job was to

show the audience why he

loved the music he played. I

think thats what well be doing

Thursday evening. That beingsaid, there is one short piece

that I think is very special. It

is called Chrysanthemums,

Colantti said.

Chrysanthemums, written

by Puccini just for strings, is

an elegy for someone who has

passed away.

Having been an operatic

tenor in my past, I really connect

with Puccini, said Colantti.

Mercyhurst College junior

Lisa Herring will play the flutein the concert. Her favorite

piece on the program is Italian

Symphony. It is an exciting,

but extremely challenging

piece, Herring said.

Senior music major Rob

Morrison will play principal

second violin in the orchestra

Thursday. Morrison is torn

among which piece is his

favorite.

He said, I guess I would

have to pick the Puccini piecebecause it reflects life and how

life really is, everything you go

through, good and bad. It is a

very powerful piece of music

and Im honored, thrilled and

glad to be playing it.

A Postcard from Italy will

be performed on Thursday at 8

p.m. in the Walker Recital Hall

at Mercyhurst College. It is free

and open to the public.

PAGE 15Dec. 12, 2007 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Instead of watching visions

of sugar plums dance in your

head while youre sleeping, you

can go and see them dance right

in front of your eyes.

The Lake Erie Ballet will

perform The Nutcracker

downtown at the Warner

Theater this weekend for its49th

annual production.

Directed and choreographed

by Lesley Bories-Scalise, the

Lake Erie Ballet Nutcracker is a

two-act ballet based on the story

by E.T.A. Hoffman that evokes

Christmas spirit through the

main character, Claras, dream.

However whether it was

actually a dream is up to you todecide.

The music by Tchaikovsky is

some of the most recognizable

classical music, especially around

the holiday season.

The Lake Erie Ballet

Orchestra will accompany the

dancers under the direction of

Bruce Morton Wright.

The dancers involved include

many from the Lake Erie Ballet

School and several of the

Mercyhurst Dance majors; nine

belong to the Lake Erie Ballet

Company.

Among those from Mercyhurst

include Sarah Klock as Chinese

soloist, Liz Clain-Stefanelli as

Spanish soloist, Bradley Wong

as the Nutcracker Prince, AlyssaAlger as flute soloist, and Alyssa

Marquez as Arabian soloist.

Students Amanda Johnson

and Amanda Fischer will also

perform as members of the

Lake Erie Ballet Company.

It is wonderful to get to be

involved in a performing venue

in which you get to dance with

people from the community,

and I am thankful that LEB can

provide that for dance majors

here at Mercyhurst, said junior

Lauren Stenroos, who will dance

the role of Sugar Plum Fairy in

Fridays school show and the

Snow Queen and Dew Drop in

the other shows.

Also a junior, Cassie Powers

will dance the Sugar Plum Fairyin Saturday and Sundays shows.

To be dancing the role of the

Sugar Plum Fairy is an absolute

dream. It is what inspired me

to dance and that childhood

memory is the underlying drive

in which I dance it today,

Powers said.

This is Powers and Stenroos

third year performing in the

Lake Erie Ballet Nutcracker

and both hope they are able to

inspire the audience the way

they were inspired when seeing

The Nutcracker as a child.

With auditions held back in

late August, the dancers have

rehearsed for the production for

over three months and are ready

to share the classic Christmastale with their audience.

The dozens of rehearsals

pay off as soon as you get to the

beautiful Warner Theatre. I am

just going to immerse myself in

the magic and dance away! said

Powers.

To many people the holiday

season just isnt the same without

seeing The Nutcracker. So

bundle up to come and support

fellow Mercyhurst students,

have visions of sugarplums, and

get into the holiday spirit.

For tickets call 452-4857.

Shows are Saturday at 7 p.m.

and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

By Jackie Koehler

Contributing writer

Lake Erie Ballet to perform The Nutcracker

Professor debuts as conductor of Mercyhurst Orchestra

By Nicole CerilliA&E editor

Stephen Colantti will make his debut as conductor of the Mercyhurst College Orchestra Thursday.

Scoot Williams photo

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Dec. 12, 2007

16/24

PAGE 16 Dec. 12, 2007OPINION

The Good

The Dance Team has anew dance. See it at thebasketball game Wednes-day.

This is the last weekbefore Christmas breakstarts.

See the Christmas treesin the Union before theyare taken down this week.

There is a new polarbear, Patches, at the Erie

Zoo.

The Bad

Ice in general is nota good thing. It is evenworse when it is coveringeverything from your carto the steps of your apart-ment.

We start classes againJan. 3rd, after just 14 daysof holiday fun.

The Ugly

One of the headlines didnot get printed last week.Whoops.

The writers strike inHollywood is affecting ourweekly television rituals.

Please e-mail any suggetions to

opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.

The GB&U is a compilation of

student opinions.

The Good,the Bad &

the UglyIf images of men in bright

orange jumpsuits, often clothedwith black hoods on their headsand escorted by U.S. Army

personnel are unfamiliar toyou, you have not been payingattention.

While this is more often thegarb of protesters rather thanprisoners they are too famil-

iar to represent the detaineesbeing held at Guantanamo Bay,Cuba.

Detainees are kept at the U.S.Naval base as judges determinethe future of habeas corpus in

the countrys highest court.The writ of habeas corpus in

Latin translates to holding thebody.Generally people in U.S. cus-

tody inside or outside of the

continental states are able topetition the court with the writof habeas corpus, thus ques-

tioning the governments abilityto detain the person.

When a petition is filed

against the court it is chal-

lenging the legitimacy of onesdetention.

In a case heard last weekbefore the Supreme Court thequestion of writ habeas corpus

arose in the format of whetherdetainees being held in Cubahave the right to question their

imprisonment.The Presidential Administra-

tion contends that, since detain-

ees are being held outside ofthe United States, they shouldnot be granted this right.

While a ruling cannot beexpected until June it is obvi-ous the right to file for habeas

corpus should be extended tothe detainees at GuantanamoBay.

It has been around five yearssince the first detainees, many

of whom are suspected affili-

ates of Al Qaeda, were trans-ported to the facility and have

remained.Many have not had contact

with family or with one another

and do not know the pendingevidence.

Evidence often stands as

classified material and thus athreat to national security.

In addition multiple detain-

ees have been held withoutknowing the charges that standagainst them and have been

unable to declare themselvesthrough a fair trial.

Of the 300 detainees that

remain in custody, the adminis-tration plans to pursue around70 to trial.

Treatment of the detaineesis not adequate to the GenevaConventions standards, as

these have been determinedas outdated and quaint byformer Department of Justice

Secretary Alberto Gonzales.However it must be noted

that the treatment they do

receive is better than our ownsoldiers are likely to get if cap-tured by the enemies in Iraq

and Afghanistan. The administration has

bypassed several other stan-dards of the Geneva Conven-tions by also referring to thedetainees as enemy combat-

ants rather than a prisonerof war.

Ultimately the decision to

determine the writ of habeascorpus runs deeper than the500 words expressed in this

column.

The decision is one of thelandmark court cases of our

lifetime and will determine thetreatment and judiciary pro-cesses for future wars and pris-

oners.Thus it should be upheld to

carry on the tradition of the

right to a fair trial, includingthe tradition of habeas corpus, which has so far been largely

unfair in the past five years.

By Ellen

KoenigStaff writer

After skimming the Opinion

section of the Merciad to findmy articles and to later tapethem to my bedroom wall, I

have recently asked myself isthis section of the paper nec-essary. Dont get me wrong, I

love nothing more than readingabout women with loose moralsand a predilection for strong

drink, but isnt there more to lifethan that?

Ive recently chatted with

my Senior Political Field Cor-respondent Kevin Oresickabout these very concerns Ive

addressed earlier and we are sty-mied on how to deal with this

tabloid section of the paper.After many heated argumentswe came to a consensus that the

best course of action would beto open the forum to you, the

people.To do this I am going to open

up a conversation on this topic

in my blog and please feel freeto give ideas on what you wantto see in future issues of the

Merciad. Until now Ive pigeon-holed myself into the realm ofthe political and philosophical,

but I think Im ready to growas a person and begin tacklingany issue, highbrow or low, that

comes my way.If you havent seen all the

advertisements throughout the

paper, to find the blog go tomerciad.mercyhurst.edu andclick on my name.

Both Mr. Oresick and I willbe pleased to address topics youbring to the forefront, and Mr.

Wilwohl would be thrilled toincrease traffic to his new andimproved Web site.

By KeithNemethStaff writer &political analyst

Utility of Opinion section

We recently got on the topic

of the differences between girland guy friendships. I will be thefirst to admit it; there is nothing

worse than when girls fight.For some reason, whenever

girls argue, we attempt to involve

as many of our other friends aspossible. This creates more con-flict because we all know that

That is not what happened atall and she made that up. Thisgoes on for a few days until usu-

ally one gives in and apologizes,even though she is not the oneto blame.

Guys seem to handle conflictsentirely different. Sorry girls,guys just do not seem to worry

about the ridiculous things aboutwhich we get mad. If a guy starts

talking to the same girl that his

friend was talking to, one mightbe mad for a while, but there

is no blown-up argument thatinvolves other guys.

If my roommate started talk-ing to the same guy I was or anex-boyfriend, she knows that I would not be happy. Ex-boy-

friends are just off l imits. Thatslike the rules of feminism.

Guys are different; they will

get into a fist fight, beat thecrap out of each other and then,five minutes later, Hey, do you

wanna go get something to eat?

The first time I saw that, I wasbaffled for 10 minutes as to how

they were already even on speak-ing terms like one did not justgive the other a black eye.

Girls love to hold grudges. Ifsomething happened a year ago,it can be brought up in future

arguments that is not evenrelated. I have to say that us girlscould learn a thing or two from

the laid back guys.

By MichelleLaSlavicStaff writer

Girls: Fight nicely, please

Habeas corpus, fair trial

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Dec. 12, 2007

17/24

Less cookies now, more effort at the gym

With the age of Facebook,

keyboard cell phones and instant

messenger, it strikes me that our

generation is beginning to see

a decay of the social skills that

our parents generation has.

We find ourselves checking

Facebook more often than our

e-mail for a message or a new

friend request. I am a guilty par-

ticipant of using Facebook to

find out information. It is far

too convenient to send a text

message to someone than to be

stuck in an awkward conversa-

tion in which you are forced to

tell cheesy jokes to carry a con-

versation that ultimately has a

simple point.Can you remember a time

before Facebook and cell

phones when you were forced

into proper mannerism to talk

to the girl on whom you had a

crush? It took giant heart to talk

to someone to find out about

him or her on a personal level.

It was then when they found

out that you could not say the

perfect line when you did nothave 10 minutes to think of a

response. These conversations

allowed you to tell the one you

were attracted to about yourinterests or your first love.

The simple explanation is

that we are subjects of our own

environment. We act in a cer-

tain way because it is the social

norm; using technology has

become the social skill of the

next generation of Americans. I

find that with alcohol involved I

might have the ability to aban-

don technology, be a man and

simply talk. Truth be told, sober

we all might lack the ability to

abandon technology. Is there

any way to reverse our genera-

tions new social norm?

Probably not. We can start

to make a conscious effort to

be more like adults and not use

technology.

When we find ourselves ina situation that might call for

a standard phone call, follow

through on it. When you have a

curiosity about a member of the

opposite sex just initiate conver-

sation, do not revert to Face-

book as a guide to what kind of

person they are.

Maybe eventually we can all

chant the lines of Mr. Timber-

lake: Ayo Im tired of usingtechnology.

OPINION PAGE 17Dec. 12, 2007

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The common phrase to

describe reality is that reality is

all perception. This is obvious

in making and imposing value

and significance to the material

world through ideologies.

This constructed reality of

most people determines how

they see the world and the type

of emotions they will feel.

One person may find their

family to be of most value, while

another may see their Xbox as

primary. If either of these is

lost, the individual in play may

be hurt.

Can this individual not see the

temporary nature of all things?

I believe this awareness of areality, that all things are sub-

ject to decay, scares us at times

because we recognize the severe

impact of this principle. We

concern ourselves with issues

to which we chose to dedicate

our time to, whether it be ofselfless or selfish nature. We are

not evolved enough to see our

world through a transcendent

lens, as our complex minds are

constantly reshaping our indi-

vidual realities.

Perhaps in the culture of

todays society we need to re-

vise our realities. This can be

done by experiencing another

reality or removal from the one

you have created for yourself.

Too many of todays actions are

concerned with preserving the

status quo that allows inequities,

such as the starvation of the

Third World, while we continue

our tremendous consumption.

It may not be what we see; so

much of reality is an unknown

and an idealistic view wouldnthurt us at a time of ruling real-

ism that governs our so-called

realities. Step outside of your-

self, empathize with the strug-

gles of others, calm the anger

when the winds of uncomfort-

able change blow through.It is time to broaden and

expand our scope and concepts

of reality instead of fighting to

stay inside of our boxes. Per-

haps seeing the world as a whole

living organism could help put

our lives into perspective, as

humans continue to carve up the

earth and deplete her resources

while we concern ourselves with

the realities that we have created

over time.

Break the bonds that con-

strict our minds, expand your

universe. Slow to anger and

abounding in steadfast love,

fits our mission statement, yet

maybe not a certain view of a

constructed reality.

Live through experience and

think about the reality wevecreated through our actions that

exists today because precedents

we choose to set determines our

future as a global organism.

By Jerrod

MarkleStaff writer

The phenomenon of reality and change

By Bill

SwaffordStaff writer

Tired of technology

It occurs religiously every

year around this time. No, not

the outrageously long lines

at department stores, not the

mailing of holiday cards or the

wrapping of presents; rather,

I am talking about the abnor-

mal crowds constantly plaguing

the REC beginning right after

Thanksgiving break, just as theChristmas cookies start popping

out of everyones ovens and into

our mouths.

I dont have a problem with

people wanting to work out

and get in shape. Heck, Im a

strong believer in breaking a

sweat and all the health benefits,

both mental and physical. How-

ever as a regular, all-year-round

gym-goer, I despise returning

to school after breaks, knowing

that I will be forced to wait for

the slower, often inexperiencedperson feeling guilty about the

thousands of extra calories he

or she took in over Christmas,

the New Years resolution-er or

the I-want-to-get-skinny-for-

spring break-er.

I come to the gym to get away

from the hectic world of crazy

Christmas shoppers, long lines,

traffic jams and piles of home-

wor