the merciad, nov. 07, 2012
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NEWSPage 2 November 7, 2012
Monday, Oct. 26
Larceny
Post O ce
Referred for discipline
Thursday, Nov. 1
Liquor law violation
East Main Drive
Referred for discipline
Saturday, Nov. 3
Deant trespass, resisting arrest,
disorderly conduct, public intoxicationLewis Avenue
Criminal charges led
MercyhurstUniversity
Police & Safety Police Log
Saturday, Nov. 3
Public intoxication
Baldwin Hall
State citation led
Saturday, Nov. 3
LarcenyTullio Football Field
Letter of trespass sent
Sunday, Nov. 4
Deant trespass
Lot #22
Criminal charges led
Chemistry demonstrationshelp community learn
Chemistry faculty members andstudents from Mercyhurst Universityand other area schools were stationedat the Millcreek Mall to interest shop-pers of all ages with demonstrationsand interactive experiments all aboutnanotechnology on Saturday, Nov. 3.
Mercyhurst University facultymembers and students led hands-on
chemistry demonstrations tailoredfor elementary and middle schoolstudents. The programs theme, DoMore with Less, focused on nano-technology: what it is and what it cando for our society.
Other participating schools includedPenn State Behrend, Allegheny Col-lege, Edinboro University, GannonUniversity, the University of Pitts-burgh at Titusville and NorthwestPennsylvania Collegiate Academy.
Some of the stationed activitiesoffered were mole tattoos to repre-
sent the unit of measurement usedin chemistry to express amounts of achemical substance, with the value of6.022x1023, as well as learning abouthow temporary tattoos stick to skin,smelling scent-filled latex balloons toguess what scents are inside, learningabout magnets and how their polesmake a difference in their magneticabilities.
I believe the mall is a poor loca-tion to demonstrate chemistry. I
dont think people going to the mallreally want to learn chemistry as theyshop, said junior biology majorHeather Christensen. The commu-nity should be aware of ways thatscience can improve their way ofliving.
One of the students who partici-pated was 8-year-old Melanie.
Science is my favorite thing aboutgoing to school, she said. When Igrow up I want to be a science teacher.
They should have science days more.This event, which has been going
on in Erie for over 20 years, helps
the community to stay current withemerging technologies. By discussingmedicine, cars, computers, and sports,and even sun screen, the students
were able to understand more aboutnanotechnology in their everydaylives.
This years program was sponsoredby the John Nesbit Rees and SarahHenne Rees Charitable Foundationand the Erie chapter of the AmericanChemical Society and marked the 25thanniversary of National Chemistry
Week.
By Jaslyne HalterStaff writer
Mercyhurst students Rachel Simeone, Kaleigh Hubert and Garret
Verwer participated in the chemistry event at the Millcreek Mall.
Contributed photo
Campus Ministry, students promote Peace Talks
Religion is a topic not typicallydiscussed in todays society, saidjunior Jen Detchon. I think thatcauses a lot of misunderstanding andconflict.
It was this idea that inspiredDetchon and several other students,
with support from Campus Ministry,to start Peace Talks, a regular event
at which members of the Mercyhurstcommunity can share their individualspiritual and/or religious lives.
Detchon said she hopes these talkswill show the similarities that mostfaiths share, such as love and goodmoral values.
These meetings are meant to be aplace where students, faculty and staffcan find common ground in regard toreligion and not feel as though theyhave to debate or defend themselves.
The goal of these gatherings isto facilitate discussion and opendialogue about various religions.
Through discussion, students canexpect to increase their awareness ofother religions by talking with those
who practice different spiritual or reli-gious beliefs.
The first of these events took place
Sunday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. and fea-tured Arabic instructor and FulbrightScholar Habib Ben Messaoud, whodiscussed the basics of Islam andbeing a Muslim in America.
Messaoud gave an overview ofthe Islamic faith and also discussedsimilarities between Islam and Chris-tianity; Islam and its tolerance ofother religions and gender equalityin Islam.
He made note of several examplesof similarities between the Bible andthe Quran, and how the two bookscall for the same thing. He also cited
evidence in the Quran stating Islamictolerance for other religions and theequality of men and women.
Messaoud talked about his firstexperience with meeting and working
with Americans in his native coun-try of Tunisia. After getting to know
Americans, he said he was surprisedhow many things they had in commonand how many values they shared,such as a love of freedom and a respectfor human rights.
This first gathering of PeaceTalks succeeded in facilitating dis-cussion on the similarities betweenIslam and other religions, specificallyChristianity and Judaism. Many inattendance were able to increase their
understanding of Islam by havingtheir questions answered by Mess-aoud.
Peace Talks are expected to beheld the first Sunday of each month.So far, the next meeting is not limitedto any specific topic. Any memberof the student body, faculty or staffinterested in sharing their personalspiritual/religious views at a futuregathering is encouraged to contact JenDetchon at [email protected].
By Stefani BaughmanStaff writer
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Page 3November 7, 2012 NEWS
Laker of the Month
Mercyhurst Student Government (MSG)
and the Merciad ask students, faculty and
staff to nominate an outstanding student
who deserves recognition.
MSG members and the Merciad staff are
exempt from being nominated.
Send nominations to
with a brief summary of why that person
deserves the award.
News BriefsWoodward event rescheduled
Bob Woodward has been rescheduled to speak at Mercyhurst Uni-versity on Wednesday, April 10, 2013.
Those with tickets are asked to hold onto them for the event inApril.
If you cannot make it to the event on the new day, contact thePerforming Arts Center Box Office at (814) 824-3000 so more peoplehave the opportunity to attend the event.
Social Work Club collects shoes
Social Work Club is working with Coalition Pathways Inc./Leadand Seed Program to help raise awareness about alcohol abuse, drugabuse and drunk driving through the Within the Sole project.
From Wednesday, Nov. 7, to Monday, Dec. 17, Social Work clubwill be collecting shoes to represent the deaths in Erie County thatoccur due to drug overdose. The shoes will be displayed for a periodof time in a lobby on campus.
Donation boxes can be found around campus. All shoe donationswill be donated to agencies in Erie.
Mushroom art display stolen
The artistic display of nine mushrooms was recently stolen fromoutside of Zurn Hall near the art department entrance.
The educational display was designed for the Green Roof of thebuilding.
Police and Safety have been notified and are investigating the theft.The display was created by senior Felicia Sandino for a project shecompleted in Professor of Art Tom Huberts class.
If anyone has any information about the stolen mushrooms,
please inform Police and Safety right away. Sandino worked very hardon the project and urges the safe return of the mushrooms.
Intelligence studies recognized
by U.S. State Department
The Mercyhurst Institute for Intel-ligence Studies will be recognized bythe U.S. State Departments Office of
Antiterrorism Assistance for its con-tinued research and expanding role infighting international terrorism.
Not only a teaching tool for stu-dents and faculty alike, the programsdeveloped through its partnership withthe U.S. State Department have pro-
vided many opportunities for studentsas well as assisting in curbing interna-tional terrorism.
The Institute for Intelligence Stud-ies began its work in international ter-rorism in 2007, when it signed its firstcontract with the U.S. State Depart-ment. The contract allowed facultyand students studying intelligence todevelop a law enforcement trainingprogram in portions of Latin America,
Asia and Africa.
Courses developed for the Officeof Antiterrorism Assistance includeIdentifying and developing Investi-gation Information (IDII), Investiga-tive Information Management (IIM),Combating Domestic and Transna-tional Terrorism (CDTT) and Integrat-ing Counter-Terrorism Stategies at theNational Level (ICTSNL).
According to the State Department,the institute was recognized basedupon their expertise in the field of lawenforcement intelligence; being wellknown for providing very high-quality
individuals in various intelligence pro-grams; and past performance of devel-oping curricula for other government
and non-government agencies, includingthe FBI, DHS, Northrop Grumman andBooz Allen Hamilton.
The State Department also said,In addition to their excellent qualifi-cations, it was determined that a tre-mendous cost savings would be gainedby using Mercyhurst College for theseprojects as opposed to other vendors.Mercyhurst provided excellent Subject
Matter Experts (SMEs) and Instruc-tional System Designers (ISDs). Themanagement team at Mercyhurst was
easy to work with and was always avail-able to discuss and resolve any issues.
They assisted with the coordinationand logistics of all the pilot presenta-tions which was a great benefit to theU.S. Embassies.
The award presentation was origi-nally scheduled for Friday, Oct. 30, butdue to the weather Hurricane Sandybrought to the East Coast, it will be
rescheduled for a later date. This dateis yet to be determined by administra-tion.
By Danielle VaccaroStaff writer
Department Chair David Grabelski, left, and IIS Executive Director
James Breckenridge, Ph.D., were two of the faculty members rec-ognized by the State Department. Assistant Professor Daniel Kuehl,
Ph.D., not pictured, was also recognized.
Kyle Briggs photo
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September 3, 2008 FEATURESPage 4 November 7, 2012
The very first Laker of the Month isnone other than junior Jacob Griffin,a forensic anthropology major fromDanville, Iowa.
Griffin broke an 8K school recordwith the mens cross country teamand earned All-Conference honorsduring the past month of October.
He also won the Robert WesleyanInvitational. Griffin is the schoolsfirst male All-Conference PSAC
winner and organized this yearsHomecoming 5K.In addition to his athletic achieve-
ments, Griffin is also an exceptionalstudent by maintaining a consistentlyhigh GPA in all of his classes.
Griffin is very involved oncampus. He is the vice-president ofboth the Ambassador Club and theStudent Alumni Association. Grif-fin directly oversees the Ambassa-dor Pledge process and brought in arecord number of 100 AmbassadorPledges this year alone. The Ambas-sador Club is currently the largestRSCO on campus.
I am extremely thankful for beingnominated for Laker of the Month,said Griffin. I believe that beingrecognized by faculty and staff forhard work is better than any grade oraward.
When asked about what Griffinthinks about the new Laker of theMonth award he said, I find it reallygreat and exciting that Mercyhurststudents are being recognized for all
of their hard work and dedication.College is about more than justgoing to class and getting an educa-tion. Its important to get involvedand give back to your school. Someof the best memories are those youmake being involved with clubs andorganizations.
Griffin is known to be an absolutepleasure to work with and is liked byhis peers, professors, teammates andhis colleagues.
Congratulations Jacob and keep upthe good work.
By Daniel TarrStaff writer
Griffin was nominated as Lakerof the Month.
Contributed photo
Clubs bring
fun to winterWhen the winter storms come to
Erie, students find ways to have fun inthe snow.
Ski Club and the Snowboard Crew,also known as McScrew. Ski Club goesto Peak N Peak on Tuesday nights and
McScrew goes to Holiday Valley onFriday nights.
You may think that skiers andsnowboarders are rivals because you
watched Johnny Tsunami too muchas a child; but that is not the case.
McScrew President Phil Theriaultsaid, All students are welcomeitdepends on what night is best for you.
There are snowboarders on ski cluband skiers on McScrew. Besides thedifferent sports represented by eachclub, there is another difference. Teach-ers and faculty run Ski Club; while
McScrew is primarily student run.Ironically, I am not a winter sports
buff. Ive been skiing once and it didntwork out very well. Each club is requiredto have an administrator as their adviserand the club has a great group of stu-dents that make it easy to work with,McScrew adviser Christian Beyer said.
Still, dont let the involvement ofteachers in the club scare you away.
Ski Club adviser Raymond Buyce, saidI skied with the club when I first arrivedat Mercyhurst and ended up taking over
the adviser role. Ive skied since I was alittle kid and am still obsessed with thesport. Both of my daughters skied withthe club when they attended Mercyhurst.People weve skied with over the yearshave included high school students thatlater became students here.
Avid skiers and snowboarders runboth clubs. Theriault started snow-boarding at age two, because his father
worked at Peak N Peak.It was a family thing, Theriault
said.Theriault doesnt favorite the Peak
though, he enjoys going to HolidayValley for the club.
Its much bigger, said Theriault.Its nice to go to different mountains.
Theriault isnt the only winter sportsbuff on campus; Ski Club PresidentBarbara Burriss began skiing when she
was young as well.I had little plastic skis when I was
two or three, said Burriss. I like justbeing able to get out in the snow.
Burriss likes going to Peak N Peakbecause it has something for everyone.
You can stick to easy slopes or tryharder ones, Burriss said.
Both clubs take time out from skiingand snowboarding and go tubing oncea year. You could even join the club andtube the whole time if you wanted to.
Many students take advantage ofthese clubs during the winter season.
Junior Collin George said, Snow-boarding club is a good way to meetnew people who are interested in thesame hobby as you.
Ski Club and McScrew go weekly tothe slopes, starting after Christmas break.Both clubs have transportation, so stu-dents dont need to drive themselves.
By Caitlin MacBrideContributing writer
Club members enjoy the lift
before tearing up the slopes.
Contributed photo
Jacob Griffin wins first
Laker of the Month
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 5November 7, 2012
Online Full list of events can be
found on the PAC websiteView upcoming performances:
www.pac.mercyhurst.eduwww.merciad.mercyhurst.
edu/arts_entertainment
Wind Ensemble concertinspires with patriotism
Last Saturday the Mercyhurst WindEnsemble had their first concert ofthis academic year and the group cer-tainly stayed true to the theme of free-dom.
Conducted by Mercyhurst Profes-sor Dr. Scott Meier the pieces per-formed were patriotic and the groupseemed to capture a sense of pride andnationalism with every beat.
I was struck by the number of waysin which we refer to freedom. Would
we need to so thoroughly define ourfreedoms if we had never experienced
their loss?In response to this question, theassumption follows that there are anenormous number of people whohave or are experiencing the loss of
freedom in one sense of another,Meier said.
The program started off withFanfare for Freedom by GrahamLloyd and Out of the Darkness, Into
the Light by Philip Sparke, a classicAmerican composer. Both of thesepieces seemed as if they came straightout of an action movie.
They featured strong, melodic lineswith syncopated accents and left thelistener with a sense of pride andeagerness to hear more.
Right in the middle of the concertwas a composition called A NewBirth of Freedom, which was writtenby Randol A. Bass.
This piece was used as backgroundmusic for an inspirational reading of
the Gettysburg Address.The speech was given by the DAn-gelo Department of Musics own
Admissions Coordinator and Admin-istrative Assistant Krista Lamb.
The speech had such charisma andpassion that it left some audiencemembers in awe, some with more
American pride than ever before andsome with tears streaming down their
faces.Lamb captured the American spirit
with her words with such a formidableensemble playing the patriotic music inthe background.
The later half of the concert con-sisted of two equally patriotic pieces.
The first being A Movement forRosa, by Mark Camphouse, a pow-erful selection which features rhythmsreminiscent of chants and slogans ofthe civil rights movement.
The last piece that was presented isprobably one of the most recognizable
American themes, John Philip SousasThe Liberty Bell March. The entireconcert was one worth praise and rec-ognition. The arts are certainly aliveand well at Mercyhurst.
By Mathew AndersonA&E editor
Mercyhurst Department of Music Professor Dr. Scott Meier stands at the podium in front of the Wind
Ensemble. Meier eagerly describes the next piece the orchestra will perform.
Selina Bowe photo
Giant duck
has studentsquacking up
There has been a giant diversion
from finals studying for some studentson our campus. This diversion comesin the form of a rather large, colorfultoy duck. The artistic statement is onethat certainly has not been seen onMercyhursts campus before this time.
There have been many creative reac-tions to the duck including professorof Political Science Dr. Brian Ripley.
The duck is a playful work ofpost-modern art that also reminds stu-dents how big their bill will be, saidRipley.
Then there are student opinions such
as senior Devon Meddock who playedup Mercyhursts known image for look-ing quite a bit like J.K. Rowlings Hog-
warts in the Harry Potter series. Itsprofessor McGonagall, Meddock said.
The duck is an eye-popping piece ofart out of many in collaboration with
the Friends of Mercyhurst art installa-tion. The giant duck could first be seenat the awards pre-party at Erie Insur-ance for the Pennsylvania Governors
Arts Awards held recently in Erie.
Since that time, the bright yellow,pink and orange piece of art can beviewed freely on the front lawn of ourcampus. The artists of the duck areDavid Seitzinger and Gary Cacchione
who are both also showcasing worksinside of Old Main as well.
Seitzinger made the mobile over-head piece hanging just out of reachfrom most students; Cacchione can berecognized for his shelf-looking piecejust outside of the presidents office.
They [the artists] love the fact thatthe students are talking about, takingpictures of, and climbing on the piece,said Carolin Lynn, adjunct instructorat Mercyhurst.
If anything is definite, it would bethat this piece of art should certainlyfeel at home with all the rain we havebeen getting.
By Mathew AndersonA&E editor
Senior Caitlin Handerhan bonds with the giant duck art on the
front lawn of the campus.
Danielle Vaccaro photo
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September 3, 2008ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPage 6 November 7, 2012
Eerie Halloween a spooky treat for all
On Halloween, Mercyhurst Operaand the Erie Art Museum collaboratedto create one spectacular event EerieHalloween.
The event featured a Halloweenparty with plenty of treats for guestsincluding cookies, candies and a cashbar. The event started promptly at 7p.m. with tours of the exhibits runningevery 10 minutes.
Guests met and laughed withfriends while viewing optically enter-taining artwork featured in the mainfloor gallery.
Richard Anuszkiewiczs stunning artwork was the centerpiece of the tours,featuring multiple rooms of art thatmade onlookers squint, tilt their headsand move from right to left and backagain.
Other exhibits included stamp artand absolutely stunning paintings oflandscapes and different environments.
The museum had such a collection that
there didnt seem to be enough time inthe day to fully appreciate every workin its entirety. The artwork rangesfrom sculptures and modern art totraditional oil on canvas paintings andeverything in between.
The main event of the night, a one-act opera by Gian Carlo Menotti, TheMedium, was the perfect piece to beperformed on a rainy Halloween night.Starring the talented, versatile studentsof the DAngelo School of Music, the
performance left some in tears andothers speechless.
The Medium is the creepy tale of adrunken, spiritual medium that beginsto be haunted by her own ghosts. Themedium, Mercyhurst alumna LynnDula, ends up tragically murdering
Toby (senior Adam Ferrari), anddestroying everything from young loveto the fragile psyche of parents whohave lost their children.
The story begins with Monica(senior Devon Meddock) reading herfavorite book to Toby. Because Toby isa mute, he can only listen with admira-
tion to Monicas words. The two loversbegin to act out the plot of the book,complete with silly costumes, whenMadame Baba Flora enters.
Baba scolds the two and threatensthat shell whip Toby if he ever touchesher things again. The three begin to getthe house ready for the sance that isto be held that night
When the guests arrive, Baba putsherself into a fake trance as Monicadresses up so she appears to be anapparition. When Mrs. Nolan (juniorKathleen Reveille) sees and hears her
deceased daughter, it is actually Monicacleverly disguised as the 16-year-oldgirl.
Suddenly Baba feels a cold, ghostlyhand grab her throat and push herbackward. She panics and orders theguests out of her house. Convincedit was Toby who did the deed, Bababegins to whip the boy and kicks himout of the house.
With Toby gone, Monica flees toher room and Baba only enters into a
deeper madness. She hears voices andspins wildly around, fearing there is aspirit behind her.
While in a drunken sleep, Tobysneaks back into the house to getMonica to safety. On the young cou-ples way out of the house, Baba sud-denly awakens and reaches for hergun. She spins wildly and fires the gun,taunting the ghost. One of the shotshits Tobys chest and the boy dies inMonicas arms. The opera ends withMonica and Toby laying in a puddleof blood with Baba leaning over them,menacingly repeating Was it you?
Guests were encouraged to come incostume and prizes were awarded totwo lucky winners.
Although there were a plethora ofwitty, spooky and kooky costumes,both winners seemed to take extra carein getting dressed up in their best thatnight.
The winner of a year-long mem-bership to the Erie Art Museum was aMercyhursts senior, Kirstan Orgel, forher stunning witch costume.
Mercyhursts prize consisted of twotickets to any performance in the Per-
forming Arts Center for this academicyear.
This prize was awarded to a gentle-man dressed in an extremely realistictudor- Shakespearian costume com-plete with a feathered hat that seemedto be made of traditional materials.
The night as a whole was an abso-lute success. I hope this becomes a tra-ditional event every Halloween in theErie Community it certainly has thepotential.
By Mathew AndersonA&E editor
Mercyhurst alumna Lynn Dula, portrayed the haunting character of
Madame Baba Flora in The Medium on Halloween. The students
of Mercyhurst represented the university with flying colors.
Steve Perkins photo
The carpenters of folk
The Avett Brothers are just oneof those bands that everything aboutthem fits perfectly together in theirown unique way.
The two brothers in the band Scott(banjo) and Seth (guitar) have this old
time brotherly relationship that seemsto have been plucked from the 1930srural US. It is through that bond thatthey can just about tell what the otheris thinking without saying a word.
I feel like that relationship is a keyfactor to their wonderful folk music.
Born in North Carolina, both ofthe brothers were in separate bandsduring their young adulthood, but onoccasion worked on an acoustic sideproject called The Back Porch Project.
When their bands started to deteri-orate, they focused more on the side
project and even picked up Bob Craw-
ford, an upright bass player, complet-ing the band that today is known as
The Avett Brothers.The newest album from this trio,
The Carpenter continues to showthe simple bliss this band can create.
This album is full of the acousticfolk that we have grown to love fromthem, but it also has a few more elec-tric tracks in it as well.
The first track off the album does
a wonderful job to hook you into therest of the album. This track, TheOnce and Future Carpenter has justan old strong feel to it.
The song is built around the chorusthat ends with, If I live the life Imgiven, I wont be scared to die.
The next track Live and Die hasmore of a folk pop feel to it with aclucking banjo and an electric slideguitar in the background.
This song is light hearted and happywhich heavily contrasts to the nextsong, Winter in my Heart. This is
one of my favorite songs on the album.The sound is cold and haunting withthe use of the cello and violin com-bined with acoustic guitar and piano.
This song speaks about being coldhearted but not understanding whyyou cannot love anyone or feel com-passion for them.
The last track that really stood outto me was, Through my Prayers.
This track starts out with banjo and
cello in a somber tone that can only beachieved by the blending of these twoinstruments.
This song speaks of an experiencethat everyone faces in his or her life;the death of someone close to themand their inability to tell that personhow you feel before they leave thisearth. This album was rather satisfyingin a homey kind of way.
I would recommend it to anyonewho likes folk or wants a good albumfor the upcoming winter; something tolisten to as you watch the snow fall.
By Zach DorschPhoto editor
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OPINION Page 7November 7, 2012The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercyhurst University, the staff of The Merciad or
the Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be emailed to [email protected].
Editors
Alicia Cagle
Stacy SkiavoKayla Kelly
Caitlin Handerhan
Joe Chiodo
Mat Anderson
Chelsea Schermerhorn
Samantha Link
Zach Dorsch
Ethan Johns
Laura Fiegelist
Bill Welch
Positions
Editor-in-Chief
News EditorFeatures Editor
Opinion Editor
Sports Editor
A&E Editor
Copy Editor
Graphics
Photo Editor
Web Editor
Ad Manager
Adviser
@mercyhurst.edu
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The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of MercyhurstUniversity. It is published throughout the school year, with the exceptionof finals weeks. Our office is in Hirt, Room 120B. Our telephone number is
(814) 824-2376.
The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signedand names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit theletters for content, we reserve the right to trim letters to fit. Lettersare due Mondays by noon and may not be more than 300 words. Submitletters to box PH 485 or via email at [email protected].
If you dont want it printed . . . dont let it happen.
Finals are again rapidly
approaching. As the endof the term stress beginsto take over studentslives, at least there is a
reading day to look for-ward to on Friday, Nov. 9.
Take a collective sigh ofrelief -- the 2012 Presi-dential elections are over,
and students will gain areprieve from endless polit-ical ads, campaign com-mericals, tweets, facebook
posts and opinion articlesabout the Obama-Romneymatch-up.
Confusion abounds regard-ing the mailroom as stu-dents have indicated they
are unhappy with theirservice. In response to lastweeks opinion article onthe subject, students have
come forward sharing theirnegative experiences indealing with the mailroom.There is a problem of per-
ception at the very least.
Elections end signals healing
Well another presidential election
has come and gone. At long last the
endless months of media speculation
and pundits waging war on the televi-
sion and in the papers are over. The
outcome has been decided.
No matter whether or not your pre-
ferred candidate emerged victorious
here are some things to keep in per-
spective.
As someone who disagrees with
nearly everyone on nearly everything,
I know how easy it can be to become
embroiled in heated political discus-
sions. Still, at the end of the day its
important to remember that these
arguments are not worth ruining a
friendship over. Sometimes it is better
to agree to disagree and carry on with
your lives than to let partisan politics
interrupt a relationship.
There is a reason that polls routinely
find that nationally government and
politicians are mistrusted by a large
majority of the population.
Every few years the politicians wake
us up from our normal daily lives and
promise us they know how to take us
all to Candy Mountain and that it is
a land of sweets and joy and joyness.
But inevitably when they get elected
rather than a land of sweets and
joy and joyness we find the average
people have been taken to the exact
same place and duped again for the
benefit of some interest or another.
While this may be a rather pessi-
mistic simplification of the political
process, there are still encouraging
things to be found. Despite the on-go-
ing machinations of the political class,
the average people still manage to go
on. We are able to go on because of
the brotherhood that binds Americans
together in times of trouble.
The perfect example of this is the
relief effort now underway in the wake
of hurricane Sandy. Barely even a few
days went by until donations came
flooding in from many different ave-
nues.
While sometimes it may seem that
the nation is divided and full of par-
tisanship, the disaster relief efforts
demonstrate that Americans are more
than capable of coming together as the
politicians squabble and bicker to use
the catastrophe to further their own
ends.
In the days ahead, rather than let-
ting the fallout of this election drive
us apart and fill us with animosity and
anger, let us remember that politicians
will come and go, but the indomitable
American spirit shall remain.
President Grover Cleveland once
said, The friendliness and charity of
our countrymen can always be relied
upon to relieve their fellow-citizens in
misfortune.
If we ensure that these words said
over a hundred years ago remain true
today, there is no need to fear the end
of the world just because of who the
president is.
By Zack YostStaff writer
Merciad retracts columnThe Merciad published a personal opinion column
in last weeks edition highly critical of the mailroom
operation. The opinion stated in that column does not
reflect the opinion of The Merciad nor of Mercyhurst
University. The Merciad apologizes for the column
and the critical wording of the headline.
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Sports November 7, 2012Page 8
Lakers crush Vulcans in 40-7 victory
After having their six-game winstreak ended by IUP back on Oct. 20,the Lakers rebounded with a win overEdinboro the following week.
Going into their game this past Sat-urday, Nov. 3, against nationally rankedNo.22 California University of Penn-sylvanias Vulcans, the Lakers weregiven the chance to revitalize their winstreak.
Competing against a nationally
ranked, tough opponent such as theVulcans, the Lakers would need to puton the performance of the season tostand a chance. And they did.
The Lakers defeated the Vulcans,40-7. The win is the largest margin of
victory against a nationally ranked teamin Mercyhurst history, and improvedthe Lakers record to 8-2 overall.
Sophomore quarterback AlecSwartz knows exactly what led to theLakers victory.
We played really well in all aspects
of the game, offense, defense andspecial teams. We made plays all gameand came together as a team to puttogether a great game and win, Swartzsaid.
Through a strong performanceon every side of the ball, the Lakersfought as efficiently as they have prac-ticed all season.
Putting together a complete gameis something we have been strivingto do this year, and I believe the winagainst Cal U is our closest game to
that yet. Our offense made big playswhen the opportunity was there. Thedefense was tough all game, not lettingCal U do anything offensively, and our
special teams was very good as well,
Swartz said.Additionally, Brown-Dukes has1,221 rushing yards, and is only a mere93-yards away from breaking the Mer-cyhursts all-time freshman rushingrecord. The win against the Vulcansnow puts the Lakers back at the begin-ning of a win streak, something theyhave shown to only expand upon thisseason.
Team morale is very good after thewin against California. Even thoughGannon didnt beat IUP, which pre-
vents us from playing for the PSACChampionship, the team is feelinggood about the win. Cal U is a verygood team and is know to be the teamto beat, so everyone is pretty excitedabout it, Swartz said.
With the win against the Vulcans,the Lakers have tied Western Divisionrecords with Indiana University ofPennsylvania, both with records of 6-1in the conference. This tie results inboth Mercyhurst University and IUPearning equal recognition to the PSAC
Western Division title.The Lakers will be closing the regu-
lar season on Saturday, Nov. 10 againstEast Stroudsburgs Warriors at noonon Tullio Field.
By Joe Chiodo
Sports editor
Mercyhurst ranked 87th in Division II
College level sports are very intenseand aggressive. Last month, the Colle-giate Power Ranking from the NCSAreported that Mercyhurst Univer-sity ranked 87th among Division IIschools.
The calculation is determined byaveraging the Learfield Sports Direc-tors Cup ranking, the NCAA studentathlete graduation rate of each schooland the U.S. News & World Reportranking.
The Learfield Sports Directors Cuprating examines the strength of NCAAathletic departments, the U.S. News &
World Report rating of schools aca-demic excellence and the graduationrates are provided by the NCAA.
Senior defense specialist/libero(DS/L) volleyball player Katie Powellis excited for Mercyhurst to be recog-nized despite its smaller size.
I think the ranking is awesome,especially for a school that is so small.Our Division II sports teams all have
great coaches and dedicated athletesfrom all over the U.S. as well as inter-nationally, Powell said.
Senior setter Kiera Rebert enjoysbeing a member of the volleyball teamand credits the success to her strongteammates, coaches and fans.
Being a part of the Mercyhurstvolleyball team is an exciting team tobe a part of right now. We are on an11-game win streak and ranked sev-enth in the WCAA Regional rankings.
We also have awesome coaches andfans standing behind us, cheering uson, Rebert said.
The overall record for the team is25-8.
Many teams have contributed to theranking: for example, the success ofthe mens soccer season, which wontheir first PSAC Championship, Satur-day, Nov. 3.
We are doing well because of thecommitment to success, which runsfrom our athletic director and thepeople who support him in the admin-istration down to the players who aresacrificing every day to succeed. Inbetween there you have committed
coaches, medical staff, work studiesand many other people who are givingtime and resources to see us succeed,said mens soccer Head Coach Dale
White. Athletics is a part of Mercy-hursts DNA. It is important to besuccessful at everything you commityourself to in life, although successneeds to be clearly defined.
The team is ranked No. 17 and wonthe championship game 1-0 againstSlippery Rock University. The lonegoal came from sophomore defense-men Ryan Lund. Senior Alex Manea
was then named MVP of the PSACChampionship tournament for hishat-trick scored in the previous gameagainst Millersville to qualify them forthe game championship match.
White credits some of the successto the strong senior players on theteam.
We have strong leadership fromthe seniors which is helpful. It is hardto pinpoint individuals, there are manyplayers playing well on any given dayand any of the players are capableof helping. In the Conference Final
we had a defender score the winning
goal, White said.The teams record is 14-5-1.Mens water polo has also seen
great success this season with arecord of 21-6 and will travel toPrinceton for the teams first time atthe CWPA Eastern Championship intwo weeks.
Senior center James Owen creditsthe teams great season to the closenessof him and his teammates and theirteamwork as well as their new g raduateassistant coach, Preston Lujan.
We only graduated one person lastyear so our team has been able to traintogether for longer which allows us toget used to each others playing stylesand that helps with anticipation duringgames. We also brought on two majorkey players, Garret Schoeman andIsaac Ogloblin, said Owen.
Our new grad Assistant CoachPreston Lujan, has also made a hugeimpact on the way we train and pre-pare for g ames.
Still Owen finds the one true secretto the teams success is their drive to
win.Nobody expects us to go far
because we are a D2 underdog play-ing the best D1 water polo teams onthe east coast. It only drives us to playharder and have the will to win. Owensaid.
Laker football has also had a greatseason with its sixth game win streakand its solid record of 8-2 to add to theschool wide success.
Athletics at Mercyhurst have defi-nitely raised its competitive edge sinceI was a freshman. Football won its firstPSAC championship, mens lacrosse
won a national title and soccer won thePSAC championship this year. Its agreat feeling being a part of the era ofMercyhurst athletics that has created anew level of expectations, said senioroffensive lineman Tymothy Takacs.We want Mercyhurst to be at a levelof competition where excellence ismore than a goal, but rather an expec-tation.
The success of Mercyhurst athlet-ics has reached across many of theDivision II teams and if it continues,should lead to an even better rankingnext year.
By Stacy SkiavoEditor-in-cheif
Alec Swartz (5) takes snaps in practice alongside senior tight end Ryan Bartizal (88)
Lindsay Beers photo