the merciad, oct. 1, 2008

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Vol.82, No.5/10.1.08/Free

Read more on Page 22

World-renowned dance company BalletHispanico to perform at Mercyhurst.

Read more on Page 12

The next day my sore legsproved what I already figured:This is a solid workout.

Senior Brad Moehringer

Students concerned after

possible voter registration fraud

on campus.

Read more on Page 2

Merciad sports editor Brad Moehringer

drops a few pounds in a Mercyhurst kick

boxing class.

The

kicks backMerciad

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NEWSPage 2 October 1, 2008

Text messaging is not justa great way to communicate with friends; its a way toquickly receive informationabout emergencies happeningon the Mercyhurst Collegecampus.

Mercyhurst has an emer-

gency text message notifica-tion system available to itsstudents.

Students can visit notifica-tion.mercyhurst.edu to regis-ter to receive emergency alerttext messages to their cellphones.

To register, student arerequired to enter their Mer-cyhurst username and pass-word, first and last name, andcell phone number.

Once the terms of servicehave been agreed to, a valida-tion code will be sent to thestudents cell phone.

The student needs to enterthis code into the system andthen is ready to receive emer-gency alerts.

This is the second year ofthe emergency text message

notification system at Mercy-

hurst.This system was one of

the recommendations thatcame out of the Virginia Techshootings, according to Dr.Gerard Tobin, vice presidentof student life.

Virginia Tech used e-mail toalert its students Tobin said.

With a rise in the use of cellphones and text messaging,

The campus needs to look atmultiple areas of communica-tion, Tobin said.

Freshman Sarah Blair regis-tered for the system becauseher mom informed her.

Freshman Tori Scott chosenot to register for the textmessages. I dont want any-one to have my [phone] num-ber. I dont think an emer-gency is going to happen,she said.

Senior Ashley Pizzutosigned up to receive the no-tifications. I think its a reallygood idea. Its a good, quick way to let everybody knowwhats happening, she said.

The goal is to try and getas many students and employ-

ees signed up as possible,Tobin said.

By Kelly Luoma

Contributing writer

Hurst textsstudents for safety

Students who signed up for the emergency text notification

system recieved this test message.

Possible voter

registration fraud leavesstudents with concerns

Between online shopping

and Internet scams, identitytheft is a current concern onmany individuals minds.

On Friday, Sept. 26, a stu-dent reported to CampusMinistry claiming he hadbeen approached by a manasking him to register to vote,said Mercyhurst College VicePresident of Student Life Dr.Gerry Tobin.

The man, who identifiedhimself as Mike Graham,claimed to be with the FairElection Legal Network, anon-partisan organizationworking to increase voter par-ticipation.

Graham asked students oncampus to fill out voter regis-tration cards.

The Fair Election Legal

Network denies any affiliation with the man, Tobin said.They said they had no one inthe Erie area on Friday.

Students were required togive their name, address, dateof birth and social securitynumber as well as other per-sonal information. Consider-ing the sensitivity of the infor-mation, the college moved toprotect the students.

Identity theft is a very pos-sible outcome in a situationlike this, Tobin said.

It was quickly discoveredthat Graham had not beenauthorized to be on campusand Kathy Thornton andGreg Baker of campus minis-try confronted the man.

Allegedly [Graham] becameconfrontational and refused to

give up the students informa-tion he had collected, Tobinsaid. He quickly left campusafter the confrontation.

Mercyhurst has a strict

solicitation policy, Tobin said.Solicitation is only allowed inrare cases.

Given the shadiness of thesituation, the school decidedto send out a campus-wide e-mail Friday afternoon, Tobinsaid.

In the e-mail students wereasked to report to Policeand Safety if they had been

approached by or had givenout personal information.

Since Fridays events Policeand Safety have continuedinvestigating the incident.

According to Tobin, Policeand Safety have found thatGraham works for ServiceEmployees InternationalUnion.

Tobin said the organization

claims Graham is an employeeand did turn in voter registra-tion cards on Friday.

Still, Police and Safety arecontinuing the investigation.

An estimated 10 to 20 Mer-cyhurst students gave outtheir personal information toGraham.

Tobin said these studentsare being directed to contactthe Erie County Court House.

The court house said theywill help students sort through voter registration cards tomake sure theirs was turnedin, Tobin said.

Clerk of Elections for theErie County Court HouseDouglas Smith said he is sur-prised about the incident.

Sometimes we get groupstrying to register people,

which can cause confusion forvoters, but we have never seenthis kind of thing before, saidSmith. Unfortunately some-times people take advantage

of others and thats what itcomes down to in this case.

Smith outlined the informa-tion voters need to volunteerin order to register to vote.

We only ask for a driverslicense or the last 4 digits ofyour social [security number].This information is on publicrecord and anyone can accessit, Smith said.

Releasing all nine digits of asocial security number can bea dangerous move and resultin possible identity theft,Smith said.

For students who still needto register to vote, Smith sug-gests they check the sourcethey are signing up with.

First thing is to make surethey are from a registered cam-

paign by asking for their ID,he said. Anyone that asks foryour personal informationshould have no problem pre-senting theirs to you.

To ensure the safety of yourinformation, Smith encour-ages students needing to regis-ter to vote to come directly tothe court house.

Tobin sent out an e-mail Tuesday, September 30 alert-ing Mercyhurst studentsabout the importance andurgency to register to vote.October 6 is Pennsylvaniasdeadline to register for theNov. 4 election. Campus Min-istry remains the collegesnon-partisan location to reg-ister to vote. To register, con-

tact Greg Baker, Director ofCampus Ministry, at x2301.

By Casey GreeneEditor-in-chief

Tyler Stauffer photo

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NEWS Page 3October 1, 2008

As the school year gets busywith all of the extracurricularactivities, Mercyhurst Collegeprovides, another series ofspeeches, films, poets and moreare scheduled for throughoutthe year.

The Martin Luther King Jr.

year-long celebration, whichstarted with Bobby Sealesspeech on Tuesday, Sept. 23,is now well under way.

The idea was thrown aroundfor the first time last Apriland progressed through thesummer with the help of Dr. John Olszowka, who is incharge of the activities.

Events in October include

the discussion between Cornel West and Susan Neimanthrough live satellite broadcaston Race and Religion inthe Presidential Election,the Panel Discussion onThen and Now: The CivilRights Movement and BarackObama and the GuelcherFilm Series.

As for student involvement,Olszowka says the hope was we could get studentsinterested and to help out.

Because the celebration was

formulated throughout thesummer, student involvementis low.

Even so, Olszowka andthe committee are open to

students who have ideas andwant to give input.

Junior Jacquelynne Brown isthe student events coordinatorfor Mercyhurs t S tudent

Government.

She plans to attend severalof the events to supportthe Mercy Mission ReadingProgram where she has actedas a student representative.

She said the program hasstrong connections to ourcore values and miss ionstatement, and therefore asa member of the Mercyhurstcommunity, everyone should

become involved either bygiving ideas or assistanceor just simply attending theevents planned.

With all of the interestingthings the King Celebration isbringing to campus, freshmanNicole Gibson says she is alsoplanning on attending more ofthe events and says studentsshould attend, because the

events can bring more cultureinto the students life.

Student involvement isencouraged and anyone whowants to become involved cancontact Olszowka in Preston107.

A full list of t he yearsevents can be found online atlakernet.mercyhurst.edu.

By Alaina Rydzewski

Contributing writer

The Martin Luther King Jr. year-long celebration, which started with former Black Panther

Bobby Seales speech continues through October at Mercyhurst College.

Tyler Stauffer illustration

Hurst highlights MLK Jr. in year-long celebration

Hispanic Heritage Month was celebrated during themonth of September atMercyhurst College.

Students may have noticed,the theme of the Did youKnow? on the table tents ofThe Laker and Egan Cafeteriais Hispanic Heritage.

Questions such as: Howmany countries use Spanish astheir official language? and

Who was the first Hispanicbaseball player inducted to

the hall of fame? reflectthe awareness that HispanicHeritage month tries tocreate on students.

The Marion ShaneMulticultural Center is incharge of organizing a coupleevents to celebrate Hispanicheritage as well.

On Wednesday, Sept. 24,students who went to theStudent Union Great Roombetween 11:30 a.m. and2:30 p.m. had the chanceto taste a variety of typicalPuerto Rican, Mexican and

Dominican food. This was a good chance

for Hispanic students to geta little bit of home food, andfor non-Hispanics to practicetheir Spanish skills as theylistened to some Hispanicmusic and conversation.

Gabriela Meza, a Honduransophomore who attendedthis event, said the food wasreally good, and it reminded[her] of her own home-cooked meals.

I brought an Americanfriend with me to let her trysome Hispanic food, and sheloved it, Meza said.

This was a free event andopen to any student who

wanted to give their tastebuds something new to tr y.

On Friday, Sept. 26,the Multicultural Centerorganized a Fiesta in theGreat Room that started at10 p.m.

There was food, dancingand a little bit of Hispanicculture to learn from.

Those who wanted freedance lessons could arrive anhour earlier and learn somemoves from Mercyhurstsdance teacher.

The turnout was great,

Marrero said. We had severalfamilies come and learn dance

lessons while enjoying theatmosphere and the music ofthe Friday Fiesta.

Additionally, studentswere welcome to bring theirMulticultural AwarenessPassports to be stamped.

Both these events weremade possible through aDiversity Enrichment Grantgiven to the MulticulturalCenter.

For more informationrelating to Multiculturalactivities, please contactPertrina Marrero

at [email protected].

By Javiera Cubillos

Contributing writer

Hispanic Heritage Month: food, language, culture

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Then and Now: The Civil Rights Movement andBarack Obama asked panelists to answer the ques-tion: Does Obamas candidacy mean the United Statesis in a post-racial political era, and if so, does that meanthe country has put the racial discrimination describedin Blood Done Sign My Name behind us?

Students and members of the Mercyhurst Collegecommunity listened as a panel discussed these issues

on Tuesday, Sept. 30 in the Walker Recital Hall. The four panelists consisted of Dr. Michael Fed-erici, Ms. Shirley Greene, Dr. David Livingston andDr. Christina Riley-Brown.

They discussed issues from Timothy Tysons BloodDone Sign My Name and how these issues relate tothe current presidential election.

[The panel] relates the book to the role that raceand religion play in the treatment of the current can-didates for the American presidency, Dr. ChristinaRieger, organizer of the event said.

Each panelist had time to discuss his or her ownanswer to the question the discussion was focused on.

Greenes answer was no, this country is not in apost-racial political era.

We still have much work to do, Greene said.Livingston said even if Obama wins the presidential

election, the country will not be in a post-racial politi-cal era.

He talked about the country beginning to heal itswounds, but that the scars from slavery and thepast will always exist.

When you read Blood Done Sign My Name, youget a sense of why it would be impossible for an Afri-can-American to run for president in the 1960s, Fed-erici said. Barack Obamas accomplishment of win-ning the presidential nominee is no small feat.

Even so, if Obama wins the presidency, there will beunrealistic expectations about the amount of changethat will occur with him in office, Federici said.

Greene opposed this idea by saying that expecta-

tions will be high for anyone who becomes presidentduring this period in time.

The discussion closed with questions from the audi-ence.

When askedwho the panelists are going to vote for

in the upcoming election, they unanimously declaredObama.

The discussion was an interesting analysis of BloodDone Sign My Name and race in politics, freshman

Lorraine Gentner said.It was good, freshman Stephen Schutta said. [The

panelists] were on topic, and made points clearly. Itwas a nice discussion about racism and politics, andhow the two relate to each other.


By Kelly Luoma

Contributing writer

Mercyhurst College under-graduates will join college stu-dents from four battlegroundstates in having opportunityto have their political voicesheard when they participatein Youth Vote 08, a poll con-

ducted by CBS News, TheChronicle of Higher Educa-

tion and UWIRE, a leadingprovider of student-gener-ated media.

The poll partners have tar-geted an estimated 15 schoolsin Pennsylvania to gauge stu-dent opinion on the candi-dates, the issues that matterto young voters, their level ofengagement in this campaignand their take on the political

landscape in the Internet age.Mercyhurst is the only col-

lege in Erie County participat-ing in the survey, a UWIREspokesman said.

The poll is also being con-ducted at schools throughoutOhio, North Carolina andColorado.

All Mercyhurst full-timeundergraduate students willhave the opportunity to takethe online poll, which will be

sent directly to their campuse-mails.

The initial survey will goout Monday, Oct. 6, with re-minders on Thursday, Oct. 9,Monday, Oct. 13, and Thurs-day, Oct. 16.

The Cornell UniversitySurvey Research Institutewill conduct the survey, withthe results to be reported byCBS News, The Chronicleof Higher Education and

UWIRE on Oct. 27.Every indication is that

todays college students arepaying very close attentionto the presidential election. The chance for Mercyhurststudents to have their viewsheard through the Youth Vote08 Poll, whose results will bereported nationally, is veryexciting. Im hoping our stu-dents will take advantage ofthis great opportunity, Deb-

bie Morton, media relationsmanager said.

By Ashley PastorStaff writer

Poll helps determine students feelings on election

Panelists discuss Blood, presidential election, Obama

A panelist led discussion inspired by the book Blood Done Sign My Name was held on Tuesday, Sept. 30

in the Walker Recital Hall. The dialogue focused on the theme of race and how it applies to the coming

presidential election.

Tyler Stauffer illustration

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The Multicultural Aware-ness Passport Program is aneffort of Mercyhurst Collegeto encourage students to at-tend multicultural programsand events.

The college hopes this willincrease multicultural aware-ness, sensitivity and knowl-

edge. The point is for students

to attend multicultural eventsthat happen around campusand their Multicultural Aware-ness Passport signed at eachof these.

Students get one stamp asproof of attendance for eachevent they attend.

Once they attain a minimumof six stamps, they can pres-

ent their passport to PetrinaMarrero, Director of the Mul-

ticultural Center, and enter towin prizes that will be revealedlater in the year.

The grand prize drawing will take place during Cul-tural Awareness Week whichis Monday, April 27, throughFriday, May 1.

Programs and events areconstantly happening aroundcampus.

They vary from lectures tofilms, from dance competi-tions and classes to theatre andfrom art shows to parties.

They are advertised on bulle-tin boards around campus andon the Tuesday Afternoon.

Students can always stop bythe Multicultural Center to getmore information or need anew Multicultural AwarenessPassport.

Freshmen got their Multi-cultural Awareness Passports

at their New Student Orienta-tion and Upperclassmen canget one from their RA, AD ordirectly from the MulticulturalCenter located on the mainlevel of the Student Union.

The Passport Program isworking, Marrero said.

Students have showed upto various events, and theybrought their passports with

them.Though the events have al-

ways been advertised, studentsdidnt pay much attention tothe bulletin boards or e-mailreminders.

Marrero adds, With thePassport Program, studentsare paying attention, makingsure to attend the programsand to get their passportsstamped.

By Javiera Cubillos

Contributing writer

Stamps are passport to prizes

Larceny/TheftFriday, Sept. 26 .08

Baldwin Hall

Pending Investigation

Liquor Law ViolationFriday, Sept. 26 .08

Mercy Suites Sidewalk

College Discipline

Criminal MischiefFriday, Sept. 26 .08 4007 Briggs AvenuePending Investigation

Larceny/TheftThursday, Sept. 25 .08

Zurn Hall


Sept. 21-30, 2008Mercyhurst

College

Criminal MischiefSunday, Sept. 21 .08

Herrmann Student UnionPending Investigation

Criminal MischiefSunday, Sept. 21 .08

Old Main


Amnesty International brings Banned Books to Hurst

Alice Walkers The ColorPurple. Maya Angelous Whythe Caged Bird Sings. Mark Twains The Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn. What dothese literary works all have incommon?

In 2007, they were all

banned at numerous librariesand schools across the UnitedStates.

Mercyhurst Colleges chap-ter of Amnesty Internationalis sponsoring Banned BooksWeek (BBW), a national cam-paign to open peoples eyes tothe music, literature and otherforms of art that are beingbanned all over the world.

Oct. 6-10 Amnesty Inter-national members will set uptables in the Student Union tomark BBW for the third year.

Its pretty shocking some-times to hear whats bannedand where its banned. Mostof the countries youd expectthings to be banned, butsometimes its very shock-ing; you think these booksare timeless, but some peoplereally get offended. Many ofthem have very moral guide-lines to their structure, and itssad, you know, for people to

be deprived of these stories, Amnesty International Presi-dent Sean Whaling said.

Posters featuring covers ofbanned books, movies andmusic, as well as handoutsabout current issues, are ondisplay in the Herrmann Stu-dent Union as of Monday,Sept. 29.

Its really cool to see all

that stuff, Whaling said. Alot of times we have the booksthere and have them openedto the pages that explain the

reasoning behind why it wasbanned.

Mark Twain and Toni Mor-rison were among the 10 mostchallenged authors in 2007as compiled by the AmericanLibrary Association (ALA).

According to the ALA,books are banned most fre-quently, because they are sexu-ally explicit, unsuited to agegroup or contain offensive

language.Its still happening. Asoutrageous as it is, people are[banning books] to this day. Itshows how far weve come witheducation, to think that someplaces in the world still do this.Part of Amnesty Internationalis to ease the injustices of theworld, Whaling said.

Setting up tables or tabling

in the Student Union has beena good way for Amnesty Inter-national to raise awarenessabout all of their causes.

We get to talk to a lot ofpeople. Its a good spot to beto get in touch with a lot ofpeople from the school. Itgrabs peoples attention.

BBW is about more thanjust informing people aboutthe issue. Petitions will be outfor anyone who wants to getbanned books back on theshelves.

We do it to not only reach

people who are unaware, butto get [books back] in circula-tion again, Whaling said.

Most activists and organiza-tions, including the AmericanLibrary Association and theNational Association of Col-lege Stores, observe BBW inlate September.

Nationally, the 27 year ofBBW runs Sept. 27 through

Oct. 4, but organizations con-tinue to raise awareness year-round.

It is amazing to see peo-

ples reactions when they findout that books by Shel Silver-stein, Dr. Seuss, Toni Mor-rison and so many of theirfavorite authors have beenbanned in this country. Somepeople even find it funny, butin truth it is not funny at all,senior Laura Maus said.

The banning of booksin elementary schools, highschools and colleges limits

the education of students. The more people who aremade aware of this issue, theless likely book banning willhappen in the future.

Freshman and AmnestyInternational member JoshBurgart said censorship isjust wrong. To deny anyonethe access to knowledge is notright. I think its good to raise

awareness.To find out more informa-

tion on BBW, stop by the tablesor visit bannedbooksweek.org.

By JoEllen Marsh

Contributing writer

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Career Services providesstudents with the opportu-nity to participate in intern-ships, allowing them to gainexperience within their cho-

sen field and possibly gaincollege credits. All majors allow opportu-

nities for internships exceptfor education, athletic train-ing and social work, whichprovide opportunities withintheir respective programs.

The majors in which stu-dents take advantage of in-ternship opportunities in-

clude hotel restaurant andinstitutional management,intelligence studies and busi-ness.

Bob Hvezda, director ofcareer services, said 222 stu-dents were involved in in-ternships over the summer,in over 20 different states.

Senior Heather Schwagerwas one of these students.

After working in a hotel,Schwager said, It was prettycool to be able to apply theo-ries Ive learned in class andto actually see them playingout in the real world. I reallylearned how to trouble shootproblems and deal with themas well as work one on onewith customers.

Hvezda believes the ben-

efits of internships are nu-merous.

Not only do internshipsgive students excellent practi-cal experience to put on theirresumes, but they also allowstudents to secure letters ofrecommendation if they doa good job, and allows themto represent Mercyhurst Col-lege throughout the country,Hvezda said.

The Career Services officeplaced 395 students in intern-ships last year, in year-roundand summer programs.

Hvezda also stressed howimportant networking iswithin these internships.

What I like most aboutMercyhurst College students

is that they are contributingand producing while on aninternship, which employ-ers look favorably on. Theseinternships provide great op-portunities to network, whichin this economy, can give stu-dents a real edge. Studentsbecome more marketableand more competitive withintheir fields. Our students are

able to compete with the verybest, Hvezda said.

In order to participate inan internship, students needto have at least 57 credits orhave completed their sopho-more year.

Students may then attendan informational session andreceive an application.

After obtaining the neces-

sary signatures from boththeir advisor and departmentdirector, the student canbring the application to theCareer Services Office in 204Old Main. There they candiscuss possible placementsand begin the constructionof their resume, which istyped for free within CareerServices.

Once the resume is sent tothe employer for review, thestudent can schedule a face-to-face interview to insurethe match is a good one.

For students who wantto see what internships areavailable, Career Servicesposts information on a bul-letin board right outside theoffice.

Binders for each respec-

tive major are set up in theoffice for students to reviewas well. These two outletsprovide a description of theinternships, the contact in-formation and the numberof placements allotted.

Students are encouraged tofind their own internships.

If students are interestedin pursuing internships with-in their hometown, we sim-ply require that the studentobtains a job description of what they will be doing sothat we can approve it foracademic credit, Hvezdasaid.

In addition to providinginternship opportunities, Ca-

reer Services also offers manyother services to students.

Seniors are encouraged toopen a credential file, whichis a way for them to store let-ters of recommendation.

Additionally, students in-terested in developing in-terviewing techniques canfind information and helpthrough this office.

Career Development semi-nars are advertised for fac-ulty.

Career and job fairs aredeveloped and advertised byCareer Services as well.

A large Career and Job Fairfor all students will be heldon Nov. 6 from 1 p.m. to 4p.m. in the Athletic Center.

Hvezda mentioned that

these career fairs are ex-tremely important for allstudents, not just seniors, asthey give students the op-portunity to discuss careers,internships, summer jobs, orfull time employment.

If interested in more in-formation about internshipsor Career Services contactBob Hvezda at [email protected]

By Julie Hranica

Staff writer

Career Services helps

students with hands-on learning

ITS DinoMITE!

The life-size Tsintaosaurus cast now on display inCummings Gallery. Exhibit runs to Oct. 16. Hours:

Tuesday-Sunday, 2-5 p.m. and Thursday, 7-9 p.m.

Heritage Celebrations

The Marion Shane Multicultural Center will host cel-ebrations honoring the heritage of Native Americans

and Hispanics on Oct. 8 and 9, respectively.

Walker School advisers meet

The Walker School of Business and Communicationat Mercyhurst College will hold its first advisory boardmeeting on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 16-17, on the Eriecampus. The board consists of 15 prominent businessleaders several of them alumni, from the northeasternU.S. who serve as advisers to the Walker School.

Pre-health seminar series

The Mercyhurst pre-health professions advisingoffice, under the direction of Dr. Steven Mauro, hasannounced the schedule for its fall seminar series. Alltalks are slated for 4 p.m. in Zurn 314 unless otherwisenoted. The series focuses on options for the pre-healthtrack student. All are welcome.

Dog Days VideoMany Mercyhurst faculty and staff brought their

dogs to campus on a couple occasions in September,so students, particularly freshmen who may have beenmissing home and their own pets, could have an oppor-tunity to enjoy the animals and meet new friends, canineand otherwise. Catch some clips on lakernet.edu.

Laker Briefs are taken from lakernet.edu.

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Mercyhurst Colleges facul-ty has an exciting new devel-

opment on campus. The Center for TeachingExcellence (CTE) is a newcenter devoted to enrichingteaching and learning at Mer-cyhurst.

CTEs Director Brian Reedsaid, The Center for Teach-ing Excellence (CTE) is com-mitted to supporting, promot-ing and enhancing academic

instruction and learning byproviding assistance, consul-tation and resources for fac-ulty in a collaborative envi-ronment that will nurture andadvance the culture of teach-ing excellence at MercyhurstCollege.

To reach this excellence,the CTE is building a varietyof programs, including peer

consultation, classroom ob-servation and course materi-als review.

Reed said, One of theprojects that we are currently working on is developing anonline midpoint course evalu-ation, with a narrative com-ponent so that faculty canreceive more precise informa-tion about what is working

well in their course and whatcan be improved during therest of the term.

CTE also organized work-shops and lectures for facultysuch as The Family Track:Balancing Demands of Fam-ily and Profession, which will be held in November.They will also offer programsto help faculty develop wiki-spaces for student projects

and use YouTube clips in theclassroom.

During its first years ofdevelopment, CTE will assistprimarily full time faculty atthe main campus, Reed said.

The CTE may eventuallydevelop concentrations onadjunct faculty, teaching as-sistants, lab assistants andfaculty at Mercyhurst NorthEast and Mercyhurst West,according to Reed.

A center such as the CTEhelps students indirectly, butCTE graduate assistants Sar-ah Dost and Jeff Welgan had

the opportunity to implementtheir own ideas into the devel-opment of the CTE.

Sarah Dost, a second yeargraduate student in anthro-pology and archaeology said,It has been exciting to be in-volved with the CTE for thefirst year of its existenceThe work we are doing now issetting up the foundation for

what the CTE will be doingdown the road. There havebeen several opportunities tobe creative and problem solveat the CTE, and I have beenenjoying it very much.

It is clear there is a lot ofroom for the CTE to growand develop in the comingyears. According to Ross, theCTE received great support

from the Office of Academic Affairs, the IT Departmentand many faculty members.

We see ourselves as a placethat will stand as a positiveforce for continual improve-ment in teaching resourcesand methods while champi-oning the variety of success-ful teaching styles that wealready have at Mercyhurst,Reed said.

By JoEllen Marsh

Contributing writer

Center for Teaching

Excellence connectsstudents to faculty

Can you imagine a loved onein a car accident and sufferingmajor blood loss, but cant besaved because the blood bankis empty?

As givelife.org reports, Ev-ery two seconds someone inthe United States needs bloodand only five percent of theeligible population donatesblood in a given year.

The blood bank is always inneed of regular donations ofall blood types.

On Tuesday, Oct. 7, theCommunity Blood Bank andMercyhurst College are team-ing up for the first blood driveof the year in the HerrmannStudent Unions Great Roomfrom 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Donors must be 17 and over,weigh at least 110 pounds and

be in good health.Students may not donate

blood if they have gottenpiercings and tattoos within in

the last 12 months.Students who have previ-

ously given blood need tomake sure there has been a 56day wait period between dona-tions.

Upon arriving in the GreatRoom, students will be askedto sign in and present photoidentification, such as a driverslicense or student ID.

Students will then gothrough a confidential healthscreening process to ensuretheir eligibility for donation.

The screening includes mea-suring blood pressure, pulseand iron count as well as an-swering a series of questions.

Giving blood is a no-brainerfor senior Matt Musial whohas donated blood over fifteentimes.

When asked why Musial hasgiven blood so many times hesaid, one pint of blood cansave three lives and that makes

me feel rejuvenated.Junior Karla Vogt has only

given blood once, but looksforward to donating again inthe future.

Donating blood is a way togive back to society. Knowingthat I could save three lives bydonating a pint of blood is re-ally rewarding, she said.

Musial and Vogt recognize

how donating one pint ofblood can make the differenceof life or death for another in-dividual.

They strongly recom-mend that anyone who hascontemplated giving bloodshould do so on Tuesday,Oct. 7.

The reward of saving lives ismuch more significant than afear of needles.

By Sarah Powell

Contributing writer

Donate life, donate blood

Rare dinosaur replica hangs

out in Cummings Art Gallery

Scott McKenzie, curator for the Sincak Natural History Exhibit at Mercyhurst College,

received a rare life-size cast of a Tsintaosaurus. The exhibit is on display in the Cummings ArtGallery and runs through Oct. 16. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 2-5 p.m. and Thursday, 7-9 p.m.


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FEATURESPage 8 October 1, 2008

THE LAKER

Fall Term

Galley Grill

Lunch:M - Popcorn ShrimpT - Grilled Ham &CheeseW - Chicken CaesarSalad

Th - Two Beef TacosF - Hot DogS - Chicken Bacon Swiss

Board SpecialsLunch $4.75

Dinner:S - Mushroom Swiss BurgerM - Roast Beef & CheddarT - Chicken AlfredoW - GyrosTh - General Tsos ChickenF - Sizzle Salad

S - Turkey Pretzel Sandwich

Hours of Operation:

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

Saturday 1 p.m.-1 a.m.

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

Look for New Menu Items!Fried Ravioli Broccoli & Cheddar Bites

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

Greek-Caesar

Subconnection6 Sub $3.75 Combo $4.75

12 Sub $5.75 Combo $6.75

Baja and Buffalo Chicken Subs:

6 Sub $4 Combo $5.25

12 Sub $6 Combo $ 7

Special FeaturesWrap combo-Veggie $5.59

Other wraps $5.79

Wrap It Yourself- Veggie $3.99Other wraps $ 4.19

Hours of Operation:

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

Saturday 1 p.m.-9 p.m.

Sunday 5 p.m.-9 p.m.

Laker ExpressBoard Equivalency Available:

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

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

Saturday & Sunday Closed

Be sexy; be a

registered voter

You have heard it from both

sides of the political spectrum.

Democrats are sexy; Republi-

cans are sexy.

Democrats have John

Legend, but Republicans haveJim Caviezel. A legend versus

Jesus: tough call.

But really, is it not the

registered, enlightened and

informed voter who is too

sexy for their ballot?

If we are using this logic

then BeCounted is the sexiest

Facebook application.

BeCounted is a download-able application that takes you

through the voting steps for

the upcoming election.

BeCounted breaks down the

process of registering, chang-

ing your state of registration,

voting in person or voting by

absentee ballot.

The application is as an

unbiased source for students

to make sure they have com-

pleted all the necessary require-

ments to successfully vote.

You will get all of the

information on how to reg-

ister here in Pennsylvania, or

back home.

Once you submit all your

information on where and how

you will be voting, BeCounted

will find the polling location or

the printable absentee request

form along with the address

of where to mail it.

Knowing exactly what needs

to be done and where to send

information and registration isessential to first time voters to

ensure they have an accurate

and error-free voting experi-

ence.

As the BeCounted applica-

tion shows, once you have

completed all steps, voting is

purely awesome.

If it has been awhile since

you last participated in an elec-tion or if you are a lethargic

voter, which hopefully none

of you are, another useful tool

is VotePoke.org.

With VotePoke, you can

enter your name and the

address of where you think

you are registered and it

searches for any matches.

The office of Campus Min-

istry will be organizing regis-

tration efforts, so be on the

lookout for reminders.

Be a sexy, informed and reg-

istered Democrat or Republi-

can this year and dont forget

to vote Nov. 4.

By Amy Kuhnlein

Contributing writer

The closer election day gets, the more tension arises between

the competing parties. Dont forget to register by Oct. 6 in

order to cast your vote in a historical election.

pbs.org

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FEATURES Page 9October 1, 2008

Unless you have been living

under a rock, you have either

heard of the iPhone, created

by Apple or perhaps you are

lucky enough to have one.

Apple just recently released

the iPhone3G which is an

even faster, more reliableversion of the iPhone full of

exciting features making it the

must have item for anyone

who likes to be up to speed

with technology.

The iPhone, which comes

equipped with GPS navigation,

utilizes this capability in

many ways. One of its

most convenient features is

called Now Playing and is

included when you purchase

the phone.

Now playing is an excellent

tool for moviegoers who wish

to have quick access to whats

playing, when its playing and

even how to get there.

Along with movie listings

you are able to read reviews,

which is helpful when deciding

what movie to see.Even better than the Now

Playing application is a feature

called Shazam. This is also

included when you purchase

the phone.

Most people have

experienced a time when

the music playing in the

background of your favorite

TV show or movie leaves you

wanting more, or wondering

who the artist is or what the

song is called.

If you hold the iPhone up

to the television or radio while

the snippet plays it can identify

the song title, artist name and

can even give you a link which

will allow you to find the track

on iTunes.

The creators of the iPhone

were not only looking out formusic fans when designing

the iPhone3G.

A feature that could

definitely be utilized by

college students and literature

lovers of all ages is simply

called Shakespeare.

The Shakespeare feature

is free and included on the

phone. It is a complete source

of all things Shakespeare, as

the name suggests.

Although many of the

iPhones greatest features

are free with purchase, there

are several other useful

applications that can be added

to the phone for a small fee.

Another GPS compatible

feature is called WikiMe and

is available for only $1.99.

WikiMe can be used incorrelation with Wikipedia

and offers information about

a particular area, including

historical landmarks, famous

sights and interesting facts.

This is a great tool for

travelers who wish to learn

more about the places they

venture to without having to

do much research beforehand;

another example of how the

iPhone puts new and exciting

information directly at

your fingertips.

Mercyhurst College student

Jen Perez wants to get an

iPhone.

I am so jealous of people

who have the iPhone. I

definitely want to get one

soon, she said.

Most people who are awareof the iPhones capabilities

would agree it appears to be

extremely useful and well worth

the cost when you consider

all the benefits to having this

piece of equipment.

For more information on

the iPhone, iPhone 3G and

other Apple products, visit

apple.com.

By Chad WeberContributing writer

New iPhone, new applications touse

The iPhone and the LG

Dare are two of the hottest

phones on the market. Both

have touch screens, are

bluetooth compatible, and

have cameras. Which is thebetter deal overall? Lets add

it up and find out!

LG Dare

2 yr. unlimited plan:$139.99/month

Phone price:

with new contract:

$199.99

without contract:

$249.99

Total: $339.98-$389.98

iPhone 3G

2 yr. unlimited plan:$129.99/month

Phone price:

8GB:

$199

16 GB:

$299

Total: $328.99- $428.99

A few select Mercyhurst students enjoy the convenience of

having their email, phone and MP3 player all in one.


The LG Dare offered by Verizon has a lot of the same features

as the iPhone for those who dont want to change networks.

Contributed photo

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FEATURESPage 10 October 1, 2008

For all the Harry Potter fans

out there, JK Rowling is back

to the world of Hogwarts with

a spin-off called The Tales

of Beedle the Bard.

The Tales of Beedle

the Bard is a collectionof childrens stories based

in the wizard world of

Harry Potter.

Hogwarts Headmaster

Albus Dumbledore gives the

book to Hermione Granger

in Harry Potter and the

Deathly Hallows.

The book serves to develop

the plot in the Deathly Hal-lows, which is the seventh

and last installment of the

famous series.

Freshman Kelsey Richard-

son thinks Rowlings will have

another bestseller for a new

age group.

I think now its good shes

reaching out to different

age groups. Harry Potters

matured through the ages,

so now shes almost going

back to the beginning with

childrens stories, she said.

Rowling is a British authorwhose Harry Potter series has

sold more than 400 million

copies worldwide.

Rowling said Harry Potter

would be done after the sev-

enth book.

However, her newest book

joins two other fictional sto-

ries mentioned in the original

series, like Magical Beastsand Where to Find Them

and Quidditch Through

the Ages.

The Tales of Beedle

the Bard is complete with

footnotes written in by

Albus Dumbledore.

Only seven copies of The

Tales of Beedle the Bard

were originally printed.

Each one was handwritten

and illustrated by Rowling her-

self and bound in Moroccan

leather with different gems

embedded in every cover.In 2007, Rowling raised

funds for the Childrens Voice

charity campaign by auction-

ing off the moonstone edi-

tion for $3.98 million.

Rowling did not plan

to make the book public,

but on July 31, 2008 she

announced the book will be

published.The Tales of Beedle

the Bard will be

released to the public on

Dec. 4, 2008.

By JoEllen MarshContributing writer

J.K. Rowling announces upcoming book

The original seven copies of the book were handwritten and

illustrated by Rowlings herself.

dailymail.co.uk

Fashion industry helps out the needy, eco-friendly, pennypinchers with new lines, beauty accessories and donations

While designers are market-

ing their latest ideas trying to

lure in the weak and vulner-

able shopper, there is a strong

market for shopping on a

budget and looking surpris-

ingly stylish at the same time.

Places like the Salvation

Army were always great for

Halloween costumes, but

now they seem to be appeal-

ing to the creative consumer

as well.

Shoppers will go there for

unique and timeless pieces,

calling it thrifting.

Shoppers go to con-

signment shops, yard sales

and flea markets to find

pieces they can alter and

redesign themselves.

This Web site has every-

thing covered from clothing

to beauty tips to accessories all

for the savvy budget shopper

at www.thebudgetbabe.com.

It highlights the latesttrends, what stores you can get

designer runway looks for less,

eco-friendly clothing stores

and more. It acts as your own

personal shopper and does all

the work of shopping around

for you.

The best feature is the

Fashion for a Cause where

search for products to pur-

chase that give the proceeds

to charities in need.

The latest company lending

a helping hand is H&M and

Designers against Aids, where

designers and celebrities

paired up to launch a mens

and womens line where half

the proceeds help fight Aids.

Every piece in the col-

lections is made of 100%certified organic cotton

as well.

The Web site also features

news in the fashion industry,

the latest being the idea of

Ethical Fashion. A new on-

line magazine called Thread

is for the fashion con-

scious consumer who cares

about where their clothing

comes from.

This goes hand-in-hand with

the latest eco-friendly craze

and is a smart read for anyone

who wants to look fabulous,

but not cause any harm in

the process.

The creator of the Web

page has some designer duds

shes auctioning off and

giving the proceeds to TheBottomless Closet, that pro-

vides professional clothes and

career coaching that teaches

women about image, confi-

dence, selfsufficiency and

employment skills.

For more information

on not breaking the bank

while helping out others

and helping others, visit

thebudgetbabe.com.

By Amanda AntenucciStaff writer

The Web site also offers

beauty accessories that give

a portion of their proceeds to

charities.

thebudgetbabe.com

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FEATURES Page 11October 1, 2008

Our Fathers and a round of bloody marys?

Popular downtown dance club used for religious service on Sunday

Whenever most Erieites

hear cellblock, .com

or even a vague reference

to downtown, the minds

of most Mercyhurst Col-

lege students turn to astop at a fan favorite, the

cellblock.com.

Its the biggest bar in

downtown Erie, known for

its sweaty dance floor, killer

specials and free pizza that

you will no question miss

the bus for.

So have you ever thought

about bowing your head

or closing your eyes for a

moment of silence beyond

those doors?

This is not about the dis-

puted moments when youre

not sure if you should run

to the bathroom or order

another round.

To many students surpr ise,

this prime social hangout is

also used as a church. The McLane Church,

whose slogan reads, a dif-

ferent kind of church,

has hosted Sunday services

at this Erie location since

October 2006.

Non-denominational, the

church grew from evan-

gelical roots and associ-

ates its foundation with

the independent Willow

Creek Community church in

Chicago, Ill.

So, how do these two enti-ties that seem to be a world

apart come together at the

cellblock.com?

The McLane Church was

looking for a third venue.

According to their direc-

tor of communication and

technology, Joel Natalie,

the church decided to bring

services to their parishio-ners instead of having them

drive out to their other two

locations in Edinboro and

Union City.

Their initial following was

young people from the Erie

area including Mercyhurst

and Gannon students.

Dave Hertwick, a spokes-

person for the cellblock.

com, said the bar sees about

1,000 people come through

their doors on a Saturday

night, thought that this as

a great way to reach out to

the community and lend

their space.

The actual service is held

on the dance floor downstairs

as the pastor speaks from the

stage while the main bar and

stool area is roped off to

keep the service intimate.

So although you may not

think the person strug-gling alongside you Saturday

night to get a space at the

bar would be the same one

lining up less than 24 hours

later for the service, youd be

surprised.

We drink monkey pitchers

until we cant see, ride mechan-

ical bulls and get in aggres-

sive fights over who was inline first to use the Parmesan

cheese on our pizza where

a pastor greets his parish-

ioners and families gather

every week.

Also in that same spot

where someone may have

lost that battle to keep their

pizza down while scream

singing on the dance floor,

someone else is praying along

with a religious sermon the

next night.

Although the original con-

cept of church in a bar was

to cater to the large college

student population in the

area, the service caters to a

diverse group of people.

The group meets Sundays

at 7 p.m.Natalie said the population

has really diversified into a

multi-generational crowd

that accepts everyone.

Its a really different feel

here; you can come as you

are, its not too churchy,

Natalie said. People can

come and find out a lot

about themselves.

By Heather Donovan

Opinion editor

One of the hottest hangouts in Erie, located on the 12th block

of State Street, is also used for religious services on Sundays.

myspace.com/cellblockerie

The Cellblock.com has been a popular bar and dance clubsince September of 2001.

myspace.com/cellblockerie

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September 3, 2008ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPage 12 October 1, 2008

The leading dance repre-sentative of contemporaryHispanic culture in the UnitedStates, Ballet Hispanico, iscoming to Mercyhurst College.

With choreographydescribed as adventurousand passionate, this 38-year-old company uses classicaland contemporary forms ofdance to fuse ballet, modernand Latin dance to createspectacular on-stage perfor-mances to inspire an audi-ence of any background.

Under the artistic directionof Tina Ramirez, Ballet His-panico has traveled worldwide,

performing for more than twomillion people, with their 13-member troupe in vivaciousand colorful costuming.

They have been featured inmajor venues, such as SheaStadium and the John F. Ken-nedy Center, as well as appear-ing on CBS and NBC.

In 1999, Ballet Hispanico was highlighted at the birth-

day gala for former President

George H.W. Bush, and in1993 they were guests at a pri-vate reception for Venezuelanpresident Carlos Menem.

The company is proud topresent works from the fore-

most Latino choreographersof our time and other new,emerging names.

Tina Ramirez, artistic direc-tor, founded the company in1970. Born in Venezuela asthe daughter of a bullfighter,she took the ruthless hungerfor success that runs throughher veins with her when shemoved to New York City.

Ramirez set aside her per-

formance career to open theBallet Hispanico School ofDance and helps to pushthe company toward theirgoal of educational and com-munity outreach.

She has won a number ofawards for her work, includingthe 2005 National Medal of Arts, the nations highest cul-tural honor.

Other awards Ramirez hasgarnered include The DanceMagazine Award; The Cape-zio Dance Award; and theNew York State GovernorsArts Award.

Ballet Hispanico is more

than just an innovative and

riveting dance company.Headquartered on Man-

hattans upper-west side, thecompany uses their exhilarat-ing art form in New York Citypublic schools to give themcultural knowledge and teach-ing tools to develop learningskills.

Called Primeros Pasos, orfirst steps, this programhelps educate young learnersabout Hispanic culture anddance.

The company supports stu-dent achievement on standard-ized exams in the LanguageArts and Social Studies.

Ballet Hispanico also runsits own dance school withnational recognition, gradu-

ating such noted artists as Jennifer Lopez and MichaelDeLorenzo.

Along with the perfor-mance, the company will bebringing its values of commu-nity and educational outreachwith them to Erie.

They will provide a total ofthree programs, which includea master class taught by the

company dancers to benefit

the Mercyhurst Dance depart-

ment on Friday, Oct. 3.They will be providing edu-

cational programs and perfor-mances to the 900 students atthe Northwest PennsylvaniaCollegiate Academy and the800 students at MercyhurstPrep.

With a mission to cele-brate and further interpret themoving and beautiful aestheticof this dynamic culture and toshare it with all people, theydo not just limit their influenceto the stage.

However, being in the audi-ence during such a multi-dimensional and excitingperformance is sure to bringyou to your feet in exhilaratingcelebration.

Dont miss this absolutelyamazing display of contem-porary Hispanic culture, inwhich music and dance drivethe heartbeat of the Latinohistory and future.

Ballet Hispanico will be per-forming at the Mary DAngeloPerforming Arts Center onSaturday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for Mercy-

hurst students.

By Hazel JenningsContributing writer

Ballet Hispanico to entertain, educate Erie

Ballet Hispanico not only plays to capitvated audiences, but

also works on a number of educational outreach programs.

pac.mercyhurst.edu

Q: Is this the new (old) media to enjoy your

music on now?

A: Yes and no. While vinyl is making a major come-back, it is not expected to again be the primary audiomedia format. Many independent labels are pack-aging digital download keys along with their vinylpressed albums, allowing the consumer to maintainportability, as well as superior audio clarity. Many lis-teners prefer the sound of vinyl records to MP3s,CDs and cassette tapes.

Q: What are the upsides?

A: There are a few upsides to vinyl recordings.First, digital download keys allow you to not onlyhave the album on vinyl, but also on your computer,your iPod/MP3 player and burned to a CD. Thismeans you will get four mediums on which to play

your newly purchased music for the price of one!

Second, album art will make a comeback. In the eraof digital music, artwork has slid into oblivion, butwith the vinyl packaging, graphic designers will be atthe top of their game, once again bringing album artinto the forefront.

Q: What are the downsides?

A: As an amateur audio engineer/producer, andaudiophile, sound clarity and definition are high onmy list of expectations of an album. Vinyl recordsare notorious for the needle crackle, creating lessthan perfect signal clarity. The issue of transport isa rather important facet of vinyl versus digital versuscompact discs. Vinyl records are larger, and ratherfragile in comparison to other mediums.

Q: What albums will be printed on vinyl?

A: The truth is, no one really knows. As far as re-

releasing albums, the labels will have to make the

decision on how profitable they will be. The samegoes for the release of new albums. Maybe we willsee Rihannas next album printed on colored vinyl, ora re-release of Blink 182s Enema of the State.

Q: What equipment will I have to buy? How

much will it cost?

A: Unless your parents could never part with theirold turntables from their youth and young adulthood,chances are you will have to purchase one. Prices forturntables can range anywhere from $170 for a decenttable, to $700+ for semi-professional products. Asfar as a system to play it through, if you have a stereowith RCA (red and white) input/output jacks, youdont need anything more. Chances are you will alsoneed to purchase a preamp (unless your turntable isequipped with one). Preamps boost the audio signal

going to your speakers, and are a necessity.

Q & A with Greg Summy: the return of vinyl

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 13October 1, 2008

Of all of the hardships thiscountry faces, including unem-ployment, lack of health care,the inability to afford or evenreceive a quality education andcrime, what I find most dis-heartening is poverty.

Poverty is more than a hard-ship; it is misery; it is penury.

I saw it every day over thesummer on my way to workthe homeless filling rustedshopping carts with glass bot-tles that have been tossed outof car windows, cardboard

signs pleading for help or adver-tising a business that has eithergone under or is on its way out,people sitting on front porcheswith emaciated animals, waitingfor something, anything.

I have seen it outside ofCleveland as well as othercities: Detroit, Buffalo, Cincin-nati and Atlanta.

These are the kinds of

neighborhoods that make a white kid from the suburbsfeel the need to lock his doors,roll his windows up and dis-regard stop signs and trafficlights, neighborhoods thatdrop your jaw to the floor andmake you re-think the way thisworld is run.

Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 2 and8 p.m., the PAC will be show-

ing Jeremy Deans award-win-ning documentary Dare NotWalk Alone, which addressesthe origins of these plights.

Admission is free to stu-dents with Mercyhurst ID.

The title comes from a state-ment made by black civil rightsmarchers in St. Augustine, Fl.,describing what the protestswere like.

They said that coming into

it they felt safe and didntthink they needed protection,because their movement wasnon-violent.

What they realized was thatalthough they were non-vio-lent, the whites were the polaropposite, with every inten-tion to put the blacks in theirplace.

The protesters stucktogether in their marches,especially when it was dark.They knew if they were caughtalone, they would not sur-vive the onslaught that wouldinevitably follow, a feeling Iam willing to bet is novel tothe majority of Mercyworld,myself included.

The brutality and the fear

were on such a grand scale thatSt. Augustine became knownas Floridas Birmingham.

Director Jeremy Dean will bepresent to introduce the film, aswell as to hold a question-and-answer session afterward.

Additionally, Dean will beguest lecturing in Dr. MagocsU.S. History III classes as apart of the colleges year-long

celebration of Martin Luther

King, Jr. The film was conceived in

2003 when Dean was living inSt. Augustine.

While volunteering to helprestore a historically blackchurch, he was made aware ofthe events that took place in1964.

Dean felt honored to help

preserve the church that atone time was the place whereMartin Luther King, Jr. and Jackie Robinson stood side-by-side rallying supporters.

He began researching fur-ther, finding footage that neveraired, recordings and accountsof the protests, the brutalityand the non-violent civil dis-obedience that never faltered.

The documentary followsthe city to the present day,where the issue becomes lessabout color and more aboutclass.

Dean presents a combina-tion of unsettling statistics andupsetting interviews that begthe question of how wouldDr. King view our supposedprogression?

Reaction: Somber Face

By Mason Lorek

Contributing writer

Dare documents discrimination

during Civil Rights movement

Director Jeremy Dean explores minorities non-violent protests

in St. Augustine in his documentary, Dare Not Walk Alone.

pac.mercyhurst.edu

Favorite Web Site:

Though I spend plentyof time on social network-ing sites like Facebook and Twitter, I think I have togo with xkcd.com. xkcdis self-described as a web-comic of romance, sar-

casm, math, and language.Its really funny!

Favorite Music:

Instead of going for anall-time favorite Im gonnapick somebody I like whomost of you have probablynever heard of: SondreLerche. This Norwegianpop star combines Ameri-

can-style mellow pop (thinkJason Mraz) and more tra-ditional European sounds,all with a little jazz thrownin. He writes mostly inEnglish, even though itsnot his first language.

Favorite Museum:

One museum will alwaysbe near and dear to my heart:

The Carnegie Museum inmy hometown, Pittsburgh.Not many people realizethat Pittsburgh is hometo a world-class museumof art and natural history. The Carnegie is home toone of the largest collec-tion of dinosaur bones inthe nation, as well as one ofthe countries precious few

quadrennial internationalart exhibitions. Its enoughto capture the imaginationsof adult and child alike.

Favorite TV Show:

Aaron Sorkins fast-paceddialogue and pithy political

commentary on The WestWing made for the smart-est show on televisionduring its award-winningseven-year run. As muchas TV is good for com-pletely zoning out, TheWest Wing was absolutelynot that kind of show.

Favorite Movie of

2008:I loved The Dark

Knight as much as thenext guy, but, in talkingabout the rise of computeranimation as a legitimatemedium for film, Wall-E is the pinnacle of thework Pixar has done. With very little dialogue, theanimators and sound edi-

tors have framed a story asdelicate and endearing as aCharlie Chaplin film. Theyalso managed miraculouslyto fold in a social messageblatant enough to reachchildren, but subtle enoughto amuse and intrigueadults. And above all, itwas simple, unadorned cin-ematic fun.

Fave 5ive

John Ladd (09)English major

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Oct. 1, 2008

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As part of this past week-ends on-campus festivities,the colleges dance and musicdepartments collaborated toput together an entertaininghour-and-a-half series of per-formances.

An Evening of Music andDance opened with a per-formance piece by two ofMercyhursts music instructors, Assistant Professor of StringBarton Samuel Rotberg andLouisa Jonason, who serves asthe department chair and direc-tor of the opera program.

Rotberg followed the intri-cate, incrementally ascendingand descending performance

with a solo performance of J.S.Bachs Chaconne for Violin.The latter was a more winnow-ing, sorrowful exploration thatat times sounded like a dialoguebetween two contrasting styles.

A group of four studentdancers followed the profes-sional musicians arrange-ments.

Assistant Professor C. Noelle

Partusch choreographed theinteresting and surprising AChild will Lead, which tookselections from Toddlers SingSunday School.

Three females and one maleacted out such childrens reli-gious songs as Ive Got the Joy Joy Joy Joy in an almostscampering, childlike way.

One senior and three junior

dance majors followed theliturgical performance withPaquita Variations, solopieces they developed over thesummer while studying abroadin Amsterdam as an intensive workshop through the Confi-Dance Foundation.

Erin Alarcon opened thesolos with a clear feat of unbe-lievable lower-body strength

and balance, followed by Rachel

Leavenworths lithe routine.Senior Liz Clain-Stefanelli andjunior Amanda Fisher roundedout the solos. The audienceapplauded the soloists, awedby the womens explicit athleti-cism.

Music returned to the fore-front as junior Katy Podymaand sophomores Andrea Bakerand Danielle Wright performedGlitter and Be Gay, a selec-tion from Leonard Bernsteinsopera Candide. Jonasonagain accompanied on piano.

Andrea Baker returned tothe stage as a soprano along-side the drumming of senior

Nicolas Kovach to perform the

tango/habanera Youkali.Rounding out the lineup were

excerpts from On Broadwayperformed by a bevy of danc-ers in black.

The pieces were choreo-graphed by Mark Santillano, an

assistant professor in the dancedepartment.

The show was extremely well-received by the audienceand is only the first in a numberof upcoming performances.

Ballet to Broadway will runat the Mary DAngelo Perform-ing Arts Center Oct. 25-26.

The Wind Ensemble Hal-loween Concert will be held

Oct. 31.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPage 14 October 1, 2008

The Mercyhurst LiturgicalDance Ensemble, led by fac-ulty adviser C. Noelle Partusch,recently attended the ProjectDance festival in Atlanta, Ga.,Sept. 26-28.

Liturgical dancers DanielleFeller, Emily Mohr, JenniferMihu and Christopher Tad-diken went and performed AChild Will Lead, a new liturgi-cal dance piece choreographedby Partusch.

While at the Atlanta festival,the attendees went to a wor-ship service on Friday whilealso taking classes throughout

the festival. The Mercyhurst Collegedancers kicked off the perfor-mance pieces on Saturday.

Project Dance is describedin its mission statement as amovement of dancers seek-ing to positively impact culturethrough artistic integrity.

As a group that welcomesdancers of all faiths and beliefs

to express their religious feel-ings through movement, thisorganization works to see thatdancers are nurtured to theirfullest human potential fortheir own well-being and theircontribution to the world.

Partusch says of ProjectDance, I like being able to seepeople from all over the nationand the world dancing, and it is

also very good for the dancersto see so much variety in per-formance. It is also really fun tosee dancers dancing in a sacredvein and to observe what thatmeans to different people.

This is Mercyhursts secondappearance at Project Dance,having also attended one ofthe festivals in New York Cityin the spring of 2007.

Partusch says, This is Mer-

cyhursts second time going,and we are hoping to be able togo to at least one a year fromnow on.

The rehearsals for A Child Will Lead began as soon asthe dancers returned to Mercy-hurst for the fall.

Sophomore Taddiken saysof the process, The rehearsaltime frame was quick becauseof time constraints. The chore-ography was somewhat simplebut nice because it allowedsome freedom for the danc-ers. A lot of the movement waspetit allegro, and we were meantto portray the feeling of beingyounger. Both of these thingswere a bit challenging for me,but I enjoyed the challenge.

While being performed in Atlanta, A Child Will Lead was presented at the ParentsWeekend performance at Mer-cyhurst over the same weekendas the Project Dance festival.

Sophomore Christine Wil-bur, who appeared in the Par-ents Weekend rendition of thepiece, said, It was a fun pieceto perform, and it proved to be

a great opportunity for Mercy-hurst dancers to perform thesame piece in two differentplaces at nearly the same time.

A Child Will Lead featuresfour dancers, three female andone male, dancing to childhoodSunday school songs sung byyoung children.

The songs in the piece includeThis Little Light of Mine,

Jesus Loves Me and IveGot the Joy in My Heart.

Parents Weekend sophomoredancer Claire Hinde said of the work, The piece, especially itstitle, has a very good message.

Hinde said, Children areimportant and are our futureleaders, and even their littlesongs and dances make a signifi-cant impact on the world, as is

shown by this work.

By Sarah MastrocolaContributing writer

HurstFest holds arts celebration

By Kyle King

A & E editor

An Evening of Music and Dance kicked off with a perfor-

mance of Variations on a Theme by Corelli. Assistant Profes-

sor of String Barton Samuel Rotberg (right) performed on violin

and Louisa Jonason, chair of the music department, accompa-

nied on piano.



Freshman Anthony Sardini followed Glitter and Be Gay with twopopular music selections, Billy Joels Piano Man and Bernie

Taupin and Elton Johns Dont Let the Sun Go Down on Me.

Hurst liturgical dancers take

Child performance to Atlanta

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 15October 1, 2008

Warner Theatre to

host Eerie fi lms

Since October 2004, theEerie Horror Film Festival hasgrown into a massive gather-ing for all kinds of horror filmlovers and creators. This yearmarks the events fifth annualoccasion and will take placeat Eries own Warner Theatre,811 State St., Oct. 9-12.

Special guests this yearinclude Sid Haig, who starredin House of 1000 Corpses.

The festival is about muchmore than being spooked andrunning into horror legends,

though; the event is an inter-nationally recognized compe-tition.

Filmmakers, game develop-ers and screenwriters are giventhe opportunity to competeagainst each other while gain-ing exposure and masteringtheir crafts. The 2008 call forentries is still taking place.

Its pretty cool to think that

so many people come out tosupport the event, people whostarred in these classic filmsyears ago and who still have apassion for the industry makeit something that people fromall over the area can really lookforward to, said junior AshleeMiller, who plans on attending

the event.Not only is the Eerie Horror

Film Festival a great opportu-nity for people to get theirfoot in the door of the filmand gaming industry, but italso benefits the Make-A-WishFoundation. Besides benefit-ing the Make-A-Wish Foun-dation the Eerie Horror FilmFestival makes a donation to The Second Harvest FoodBank each year.

I definitely want to checkit out, said graduate studentEmily Forish. Ive knownabout it for quite some time,but its time to see what its allabout, she said in anticipation

of the event.Since its inception, over 200films have been shown at thefestival, and past guests includeJason Mewes (Clerks), JamesDuval (Donnie Darko) andNancy Loomis (Halloween).

If you enjoy meeting newpeople and experiencingthings that may be consideredout of the ordinary, then the

Eerie Horror Film Festival isfor you. The Carnival of Car-nage Expo will also take placeduring the weekend of the fes-tival.

For more information visiteriehorrorfest.com or to askspecific questions [email protected].

The Producers

From Sept. 4th through the27th the Erie Playhouse puton their 1,156th production oftheir 92nd seasoncongratu-lations! The Broadway sensa-tion The Producers by MelBrooks was a smash hit on thisErie stage.

Chris Bucci as Max Bialy-stock and Zachary Flock asLeopold Bloom were the grandstars of the show. Their abilitiesgave the show the quality of atrue on-Broadway production.

Bucci was the perfect Bialy-stock: raunchy, comedic andextremely exaggerated. Flocksperformance was as good asNathan Lanes.

The funniest character wasFranz Liebkind, played byGreg Hill. His dumb Germanattitude and scary temper wereperfect for the part.

Kristen Henry was sexy

as Ulla Inga Hansen Benson Yonsen Tallen Hallen SvadenSvanson, the Swedish recep-tionist. Her solo in When YouGot It Flaunt It was incred-ible; she could really belt it out.Her dancing ability was a tadlimited, but it is difficult to justjump into a role that requiresdancing.

Overall, the entire cast did

a fabulous job. MercyhurstCollege even had one of itsown stealing the show: TrevorSones, a junior dance major.

There was not much of apersonal interpretation, but theshow did not need it.

When a movie comes outas a musical, it always puts acertain picture in everyonesbrain of what it should look

like. Therefore, one cant com-

plain of the Playhouses lack ofinterpretation.

I have to say that the funni-est scene was definitely KeepIt Gay, which put all the menin interesting costumes. Thefilm version employed per-fectly shaped men, and so theguys really were up against stiffcompetition, but they seemedto enjoy it. The enjoymentthey took to it even made themseem sexythat is true acting!

All in all, the show was a suc-cess for the Playhouse, espe-cially with the strong leads,great scenery and good orches-tra backing it all up.

The next show at the Play-

house will be Over the Tavern, which will run Oct.16-19 and 22-26. For ticketscall (814) 454-2852.

Children of Men

A surprising hidden secretof Erie is the Our Lady ofPeace Playhouse, which pro-duced Stephen Schwartzs 1993musical Children of Eden,Sept. 26-28. It was definitely a

worthwhile show to see with anincredible cast of all ages.

The scenery was very wellmade, as were the costumes. The animals and hand propswere very creative and colorful.

The choreography was alsoquite well done with the entirecast giving incredible energythat always helps an audiencesinterest to stay locked in on the

show. The Serpent in the first act

was a little disjointed; a littlemore practice together wouldhave made it look more insync. Also, the first scene inthe second act was very messy;there wasnt a ton of struc-ture to the dance movements,which made it too scattered foran audience member to follow.

Even though some of the

dancing was off, the actingand singing were up to snuffenough to make the show anincredible catch. Joe Gruelichas Father was an incredibleactor and singer exuding pureemotion that called for a stand-ing ovation in itself.

Everett Olszewski, a junior voice student, played Adam with equal passion. I was sadto see his character go, thoughI was glad he was still in theensemble. At the same time, hedeserved more.

Olszewskis counterpart,Rebecca Coleman, was just asincredible. If Coleman decidedto go to Broadway now, she

could get a great part in ashow calling for her voice. Hervoice is not at all nasal, and shemaintains great maneuveringbetween her head voice and herchest voice.

All three, Coleman, Olsze-wski, and Gruelich, had amaz-ing talent for such a small,hometown production.

As younger members of the

show, Riley Droney as Cain and John Calabrese as Abel werealso very gifted actors.

Although Droney couldhave been stronger by limitinghis arm movement during hissolos, his voice was first-classfor his age.

Calabreses stage presencewas riveting; he really stole theshow. He was always present in

whatever part he was in at thetime, ensemble, lead, or sup-porting. Even when dancing hewas right on; your eye was justdrawn to him.

Fr. Mike DeMartinis, LesleyLopez and Anthony Palermoalso performed excellently.

Largely it was a very wellput together musical for such asmall venue. Congratulations to

the cast for a job well done!

Reviewing the Erie scene:

Producers, Children of EdenBy Chad Weber

Contributing writer

By Marie Karbacka

Contributing writer

Lumenis now accepting submissions.

E-mail all submissions to [email protected]

First place: $250

Third place: $100

Second place: $150

Mercyhursts literary magazine

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OPINIONPage 16 October 1, 2008

@mercyhurst.edu

editormerciad

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The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of MercyhurstCollege. It is published throughout the school year, with the exception offinals 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 the

letters for content, we reserve the right to trim letters to fit. Lettersare due Mondays by noon and may not be more than 300 words. Submit

letters to box PH 485 or via e-mail at [email protected].

If you dont want it printed . . . dont let it happen.Editors

Casey Greene

Amanda Valauri

Emily Grabowski

Heather Donovan

Brad MoehringerSam Sellinger

Kyle King

Scoot Williams

Tyler Stauffer

Caitlin Bly

Gretchen Yori

Ashley Pastor

Bill Welch

Brian Sheridan

Positions

Editor-in-Chief

News Editor

Features Editor

Opinion Editor

Sports EditorSports Editor

A&E

Photographer

Photographer

Advertising Manager

Copy Editor

General Assignment

Adviser

Adviser

There are several things weshould have learned this week.Canada separates the UnitedStates and Russia.

That is interest ing good thing for our nationalgeographer, Sarah Palin.

We also learned suspending

your campaign but notactually suspending yourcampaign; but suspending thesuspension even though youdidnt actually suspend it inthe first place is a good tacticalcampaign move.

Or not, what we learned is

this is a horrible and idioticcampaign move.

We learned that SarahPalin doesnt know whatbeing mocked is. She mustnot have seen herself onSaturday Night Live.

And she doesnt know aboutthe economic reforms McCainhas carried out.

Palin told Katie Couric, Ill

try to find you some, and Illbring them to you.

This woman from Alaskahas absolutely no politicalexperience has a 50 percentchance, wel l 45 percentaccording to the most recent

pol ls , of being the next

vice president?Is it April Fools Day?At least she has foreign affairs

experience. Sarah Palin hasdone something almost no onereading this has.

She has seen Russia from anisland in Alaska.

She claims this is relevant toher foreign affairs experience,and reiterates this whenever

she can.Summation: If you have

seen a world map or have beenabroad, you have experiencethat merits you being vetted forthe vice-president position, andeventually the president.

We all know McCain is

going to die, soon. Speakingof death, the best part of thisfiasco comes from the circusmaster, Johnny Boy McCain. Apparently, this week, NewYork City and Washington,D.C. became one city.

J ohnny c a l l ed Dav i dLetterman, while the un-campaign suspension deal washappening, and tells him that he

has to fly immediately back to Washington, D.C. in orderto deal with the loomingeconomic crisis.

In reality, he had to make asurprise appearance on KatieCourics nightly newscast,

presumably trying to make up

for Palins inadvertent Judasmove earlier in the day.

So, Canada separates theUnited States from Russia, andlooking at another country isgood foreign affair experience.New York and Washington,D.C. have become one city. AndJohnny doesnt know what thedefinition of suspension is.

The disillusion in the McCain

campaign is overwhelming.This has been an informative

week; at least for those whocan see that the GOPs bidfor the White House is getting very desperate and verydisappointing.

By Seth HallamContributing writer

The days are running outif you are planning to registerto vote in Pennsylvania. MSG

and SAC are pushing hard tohelp you get registered in timeand have been passing outvoter registration cards acrosscampus.

If youve already filled thiscard out, you may remember itrequired your full legal name,date of birth, drivers licensenumber or social securitynumber and signature at the

bottom. Thats where the trouble

begins. You just filled out a card

with nearly all the informationnecessary to steal your identity,and then handed it over to aperson you thought helped youout with your registration.

If you filled out one ofthese cards in Garvey Park

last Friday that is exactly whatyou did. Mike Graham wasthere with a box full of voterregistration cards, a homemadesign and a smile.

He wanted to make sureyou were all registered to vote,didnt he?

Maybe he looked over yourshoulder while you were fillingit out and made sure everything

was filled in correctly? And he was will ing to

deliver the registration himselfbecause, Theyre havingenough trouble these dayswith the corruption and all.

Its a good bet youve justbeen had, and now a mancalling himself Mike Grahamand claiming to work forthe Fair Elections Legal

Network has all of your

personal information.He doesnt work for FELN,

because they dont employanyone to do voter registration.All they are is a group of sixlawyers based in Washington,D.C. who were really surprised

to hear someone was usingtheir name.Now, it is possible Mike

Graham was legit; however, hewas driving a rental car fromVirginia Beach, not New YorkCity, and lied about who heworked for.

Not to mention, essentiallyrunning away when I startedasking him questions. So, if

you gave him a registrationcard start checking your bankaccounts.

Register to vote also, Idoubt those cards got hand-delivered, and next time, nomatter who gives you a voterregistration card - dont give itback! By the way, this includesthe Mercyhurst Students forBarack Obama, our favorite

fake RSCO.

By Devin Ruic

Contributing writer

Interested in reading

more about the voter

registration fraud that

occured on campus?

Turn to page 2 to read

more.

The Republican candidates: a teaching moment

Voter registration: keeping tabson your personal information

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Oct. 1, 2008

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OPINION Page 17October 1, 2008

Hurstfest, the combina-tion weekend of parent visits, homecoming andalumni activities was a suc-cess thanks to SAC andMSG. The football teams

24 point win over SlipperyRock added to the excite-ment.

Maintenance men wereseen constructing whatsome students are referringto as a fun house mirror onthe front walkway of OldMain. Students wouldntmind the sky blue structureif they knew what it was.This weekend was plaguedwith weak explanations toparents and alumni.

The safely of Mercyhurst

is being questioned after afemale junior was assaultedon campus Saturday night.Police and Safety is investi-gating the random act.

Please e-mail any suggestions to

[email protected].

The GB&U is a compilation of

student opinions.

I believe in compost: fromthe peelings and pits collectedin the white ceramic jar onmy kitchen counter to thebeautiful, loamy black goldthat my neighbor steals fromour pile each spring to supple-

ment her garden.I even believe in the gross,

gastric, half-decomposed messthat slops around in the bottomof the jar, the stage that offendsmy kids when they have todump it outside.

I believe in compost so muchthat its hard to eat at otherpeoples houses when thosecoffee grounds and egg shells

just go into the trash, and my

obsessive brain pictures themfrozen in some air- less landfill10 years hence.

I love the cycle of com-post, especially when the oldvegetables are from my ownpathetic garden; Ilove the part thatfeels like cookingwhen you see themixture of organic

matter that youreputting in.

I love watch-ing the birds andchipmunks raidthe pile, the virtuous feelingas I put out my small garbagebag on the curb each weekand the fact that I have a prac-tice that momentarily savesme from the guilt and stress

of the horrid environmental

situation around us.I believe in the metaphor ofcompost, too, for my imperfectlife all the bruised parts, thecast-off and old being layeredover and left alone to stew itself

d o w n i n t osome ferti lesoil for futureplanting: whatlooks like waste

becomes richand useful.

It is a modelof compas -sion: I think,

That was a stupid thing todo but it is followed by Oh well, maybe time will makesomething of it. Its easierto let go of errors, unfinishedprojects, unpromising rela-

tionships, when I can imagine

them relegated to the spiritualcompost pile.Its also an easy way to gauge

if youre really done worryingabout things - if you pull out apast mistake or trauma and itsstill recognizable, you know tojust toss it back in until it breaksdown a little more.

I am also well aware that Iam living off the accumulated

richness of others leavingsand that my life and work - thegood and the bad will fertilizethe future.

Peoples footsteps may getwashed away, their names for-gotten, what theyve tried to dopushed aside by other agendas,but I believe the wealth of their- and my -contributions remain,waiting to nourish new blooms

on a brighter day.

Ive been inspired to give asnippet into my opinion onracism and the media.

In January, a femalebroadcaster for the GolfChannel, Kelly Tilghman, was criticized for her jokeabout lynching Tiger Woodsin a back alley. The Rev.

Al Sharpton and a varietyof public bloggers calledfor the termination of heremployment.

Ironically, Tilghmansjoke was meant as a type ofadulation towards Woods,trying to say that it seemedlike the only way other golferscould beat him was by makingit so that he couldnt play.She should have said breakhis knuckles but then themafia special interest groupswould come and

So, disregarding the fact

that Sharpton and severalmedia outlets had used hercomment out of context andclaimed that lynching wasracist, their argument was thatracist comments should notbe tolerated.

However, I find it curiousthat Sharpton doesnt go onCNN daily and lead a chargeagainst the numerous racistcomments that African-

American DJs make aboutwhite people. While Im not condoning

a very inappropriate sidecomment, I do have tomention that it isnt fair that Icould have said the same thingand not been criticized or havemy career jeopardized. Thatgoes for Don Imus commentas well.

Its disappointing thatfigures like Sharpton carelesslysay racist comments thatmakes it seem like the issue ofracism is merely a white versusblack issue.

By Rhonda Marable

Contributing writer

By Alice EdwardsSpanish Professor

Thanks to - Mercyhurstscore curriculum in artappreciation, readings haveled me to re-discover someof the most majestic images-crop circles.

Whether you side withhoaxers, believers or skeptics,the detail of these abstractor geometric designs leavemany viewers in a state ofhumble awe.

Movies such as Signshave downplayed the realityof crop circles, distractingour perception with mythicaland paranormal Hollywoodhoopla.

UFOlogists, shamans and

new agers chase these mysticalcreations, attempting todiscover there meaning.

One of my personal favoriteappearances is the 2002Chibolton, extraterrestrial

face and disk message thatappeared on Aug. 15, 2002, in

Crabshire, England.This produced a binary code

that stated: Beware of thebearers of false gifts and theirbroken promises.

Much pain, but still time. There is good out there. Weoppose deception. Conduitclosing (bell sound).

Of course, only speculationexists on the meaning orpurpose of this. GeraldHawkins saw a Euclideantheorem in a crop circleformed in 1988, a relation togeometry.

Near historic places likeGlastonbury Hill, Stonehengeand Avebury circles frequentlyappear drawing an occultfollowing.

The

the merciad, oct. 1, 2008

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