The Merciad, Oct. 13, 2004

TheMERCIAD Vol. 78 No. 4 Mercyhurst College 501 E. 38th St. Erie, Pa. 16546 October 13, 2004 The Merciad is also available at merciad.mercyhurst.edu By Kelly Rose Duttine Editor-in-chief Recent accusations in the Erie Times-News about past conduct dating back 40 years by President Dr. William P. Garvey shocked the Mercyhurst community this week. The accusations involving young players on a basketball team that Garvey coached in 1963-64 appeared in the Sunday, Oct. 10, edition of the Erie Times-News. Garvey adamantly denies the accusations. In a statement issued on Monday, Oct. 11 he said that he was “saddened and shocked by the accusations,” and that “they are not File photo true.” President Garvey Marlene Mosco, Chair of the Board of Trustees said in a statement, “In light of Dr. Garvey’s decades of service to Mercyhurst and the Erie community, and the absence of any claim of wrongdoing against him as a representative of the college, the trustees express their support for Dr. Garvey as he continues the role as the president of the college.” According to Mosco, the board “began the process of engaging professionals to conduct a thorough and impartial review of the matters reported in the Erie Times-News.” THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MERCYHURST COLLEGE SINCE 1929 NEWS: Mail room refuses military mail PAGE 4 Trustees support Garvey Student, faculty respond to published accusations (Please see page 3 for the full statements by Garvey and Mosco.) On campus, students were shocked as the news about the allegations spread. “If this is something he [Garvey] didn’t do, then it is really a shame,” said senior Joe Roperti. “It could ruin his career, even if it isn’t true.” Roperti said that the reputation of the college depends on how the situation is handled. “If they don’t deal with it properly, it could ruin the Mercyhurst name,” said Roperti. FEATURES: Take a chance with the Poker Club PAGE 5 Please see Response Page 3. What’s the problem, officer? Police respond to neighbors’ complaints about off-campus students For more on neighborhood problems, please see: Now will you be my neighbor? Page 2. Residence life responsible for all students Page 2. was a college house. “Well, we’re college students, and we live here,” Newell said, and the officer laughed. He told her not to have any big bashes in the future because the police were sick of going there and the neighbors were sick of calling. Newell stood there confused; she and her roommates have never had a party. “I felt like I was getting a lecture,” Newell said. “It was very upsetting.” Rachel Staley, a Mercyhurst junior living with Newell, worries about their reputation with neighbors. “They have this preconceived notion that we’re disruptive,” Staley said. “They already hate us.” Police visited the neighbors kiddycorner to Newell’s residence at 611 Pin Oak Drive prior to talking with her. OPINION: The left and right face off over Iraq PAGE 8 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT: Sneak preview to “Saw” PAGE 9 SPORTS: Lakers football score major upset PAGE 12 window. Newell tensed. Could something be wrong? Was there a problem in the neighborhood? It turned out the problem was her. Newell, a Mercyhurst senior, lives at one of three houses that were visited around 3 p.m. by Erie city police Katie McAdams/Photo editor Pin Oak Drive along with other nearby neighborhood streets house student’s living off-campus Upcoming Campus Events By Amy Landphair Contributing writer Melissa Newell was putting away her groceries in her Kermit the Frog slippers on a Saturday afternoon when a police officer walked by her kitchen Thursday, Oct. 14 Global Issues forum: Miquel Diaz, 8 p.m., Taylor Little Theater. on Saturday, Oct. 2. Police came to notify students that there have been numerous complaints of noise and inappropriate behavior from neighbors in the Briggs Avenue/Pin Oak Drive area outside of Mercyhurst College. When Newell opened the door, the police officer asked if the residence Please see Students on Page 2. Tuesday, Oct. 19 Dance: Pilobolus Dance Theatre, 7:30 p.m., PAC. Film: Before Sunset, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., PAC. Dramatic Comedy: Can’t take it with you, 8 p.m., PAC. Series kick-off Oktoberfest fun William Kristol speaks at ’Hurst By Holly Burns Contributing writer Named the “hottest pundit in town” by Washington Magazine, political analyst William Kristol spoke to a packed PAC at Mercyhurst,on Monday night as part of the 2004-2005 McHale Distinguished Speaker Series. His speech , Katie McAdams/Photo editor “Toward Elec- William Kristol tion 2004,” focused on his analysis of the upcoming election and how history could dictate its results. Kristol says that the most important thing about the election is that it is the first election since Sept. 11,2001. Just as politics changed after the Cold War, politics have changed since the terrorist attacks. According to Kristol, “what works in one era doesn’t work for another.” He says, “right now changes are happening that are hard to predict and the people living it underestimate the scale of change.” According to Kristol, there is a “foreign policy dynamic” to this election. He says that in past years we would have never thought that Americans would be fighting a ground war in Iraq and that foreign policy would be such an issue. However, it has become much the opposite. Kristol says that the presidential debates held on foreign policy made Kerry look tough and confident. However, the opposite was true for Bush. Kristol believes that Bush probably lost a good number of votes because of his performance in the debates. The third debate that will take place and the last few weeks before the election will be crucial, according to Kristol. A lot hinges on what happens in that time period. Since it has been such a close race thus far, the consensus is that it will be a close race on Election Day. However, Kristol believes that it will swing one way or the other because elections with incumbent candidates usually do. Wednesday, Oct. 20 Thursday, Oct. 21 Index News..................................................1 News..................................................2 News..................................................3 News.................................................4 Features............................................5 Features............................................6 Opinion.............................................7 Opinion.............................................8 A & E.................................................9 A & E................................................10 Sports...............................................11 Sports..............................................12 The annual Fall Fest takes over Garvey park for a day of fun. Bethany Canfield/Contributing photographer Please see Kristol on Page 4. Please see story on Page 3. PAGE 2 THE MERCIAD October 13, 2004 NEWS By Jason Endress Contributing writer To contact: [email protected] Now will you be my neighbor? Just eight days shy of the Erie zoning board’s decision, Mercyhurst College pulled back its variance request, citing public outcry and a profusion of rumor. Acknowledging the campus’ impact on the surrounding area, for better or worse, President Garvey said, “We are trying to be good neighbors.” Instead of the planned 60space parking lot to compliment the re-vamped Parade Street entrance and newly-constructed arch, Mercyhurst has switched gears and plans to build a public park on the vacant lot. The intended parking lot was to have functioned as a sort of release valve for the crowded parking on campus, but the college will now have to look elsewhere to solve the seemingly insatiable parking issue. The site of the future park will most likely blend student interests with neighborhood interests. The park will provide both a destination for afternoon strolls and a more remote locale for outdoor studying. Additionally, there is the potential that there will be basketball hoops at the park, which would supplement the single outdoor hoop on campus by the pavilion between Briggs and Lewis Avenues. Volleyball courts are also among the facilities being considered. As printed in the Erie TimesNews, Garvey noted, “There was so much misinformation, some of it utterly outrageous, circulating among our neighbors that we decided to modify our plans.” The neighborhood reaction to the college’s efforts towards building the parking lot mobilized Erie residents on Parade Street and beyond, who organized and sought legal counsel in an effort to challenge the college’s plans to construct the lot. “I don’t want to be by a parking lot,” stated Parade St. resident Dona Anderson, adding “It’ll be more noise.” Anderson, though sympathetic towards the typical student’s unorthodox nocturnal habits, believed adding a parking lot on top of the normal traffic flow of the Parade gate would create too much noise in the neighborhood. Many residents believe that they are entitled to give their input on the college’s actions, particularly when it directly influences the immediate neighborhood. Prior to the college’s decision, fellow resident Rick Adams noted that something more benign, such as an academic building or park would be more acceptable to the neighborhood. Adams was among those who contested Mercyhurst’s variance request. The would-be parking lot isn’t part of the recent beautification efforts across campus, and won’t be seeing any grass until after winter. The space will be flattened, but left undeveloped until spring, when sustained landscaping ef- The empty lot will soon be a park instead of a parking lot. Katie McAdams/Photo editor Residence life responsible for all students By Jonelle Davis News editor Whether students know it or not, Mercyhurst has the right to punish unacceptable behavior by any student, on or off campus, and the college has undertaken a “proactive” stance in addressing that behavior. Mercyhurst students carry the name of the college and because of this, Mercyhurst works to be aware of all students’ behaviors, all the time. According to Laura Zirkle, Director of Residence Life and Student Conduct, the student code of conduct applies to all Mercyhurst students. “Mercyhurst comes with a set of standards. If you’re doing something bad in the community, Mercyhurst has a right to address what you’re doing. The student conduct code applies to all students, whether they live on or off campus,” said Zirkle. “Mercyhurst has been working to find the best approach to handle out-of-control students who are living off-campus,” she said. “Mercyhurst worked with (Erie) city officials to come up with a proactive approach to deal with the small percentage of students that causes the problems that are reflected on all students,” said Zirkle. “There is going to be a shift in policy by giving more of a proactive education to help students living off campus.” Also, Residence Life will be working with the IT department and Police and Safety Department to establish a database that will include the addresses and phone number of every off-campus student so that the college has an accurate handle on their where-abouts, Zirkle said. “The rules of students living off-campus are similar for the students living on-campus and the college will not hesitate to address proven problems,” she said. “Off-campus housing is very similar to housing with Residence Life on campus. The students have to follow the same conduct code; if you’re under 21 and caught drinking off-campus it will be addressed through the conduct code and the police as well,” said Zirkle. She also added that the college only addresses factual problems. “We watch what problems we address. We don’t just address someone because we hear a rumor. We address students anytime we get a written report of a problem on or off campus that has actual facts. We always apply the student code of conduct,” said Zirkle. “When there is a problem off-campus, when we get a specific report from students, police, neighbors, that is not just a rumor, we’ll address it.” In addition, Assistant Director of Residence Life and Student Conduct Joe Howard said that the student code of conduct is not a new policy. Many students are simply unaware that it exists. “This policy isn’t new. It’s a rumor that all of a sudden there is this iron fist cracking down on off-campus housing, but we have always made sure students are reflecting Mercyhurst well,” Howard said. Zirkle went on to comment on the student population currently living off-campus. “We know most students living off campus are reflecting Mercyhurst well, but there is a small number of students who don’t adjust and are not sensitive to the neighborhood,” said Zirkle. “Sometimes students forget that when they move offcampus, they’re moving into an actual community.” Howard also commented on the students. “It’s small groups of students off and on campus who are causing problems with bottles in the lawns, urination and out of control parties that is creating this cloud for all Mercyhurst students. So we’re seeing people who really are trying to be good neighbors get this bad reputation put on them and we’re very sympathetic about that,” said Howard. Both Zirkle and Howard stressed the importance that students living off-campus know and understand the conduct code. Some important highlights of the conduct code: Conduct or activity by member of the student body living off-campus or hosting functions at off-campus locations that has the effect of unreasonably interfering with the rights of neighbors is prohibited. It is also the responsibility of Mercyhurst College students living off-campus to control the nature and size of activities carried out in or on their premises, consistent with standards of the college. Generally, an individual’s actions off-campus are subject to the actions of civil authorities. However, the college reserves the right to take action for offcampus behavior independent of civil authority when the interests of the college are involved. For the complete Student code of conduct, please see page 79, codes 15 and 16, in the Student Conduct Code book. forts can take place unabated. For the Mercyhurst students disappointed by the result of the College’s decision, they can at least look forward to additional trees and green space on campus come spring, as many on Parade street are likely doing. Students living off campus battle neighbors for respect Contrinued from Page 1. Maura Rossi and husband John have lived in their house for 11 years. Rossi said the disruptions in the neighborhood began about three years ago. She said Newell’s house has not caused any problems that she is aware of. However, she did have a few warning words for another house of Mercyhurst students and students from another college across the street. “If you’re making noise at midnight, I’m going to call the cops on you,” Rossi said with a laugh. “It’s not responsible to wake up everyone in the neighborhood because you want to party.” Rossi said she and the neighbor across the street did not fall asleep until after 2 a.m. because of the noise on Friday, Oct. 1. Red plastic cups strewn about the lawns, people urinating on their yard and loud music disturb the Rossi family on the weekends. Rossi worries about her two middle school aged girls being exposed to inappropriate behavior, like the man sleeping in the yard next door at 5 a.m. one weekend. She feels the integrity of the neighborhood is going downhill. However, according to Biagini, most of the accusations that Rossi cited were events that happened previous years. “We’re sick of being blamed for things that happened last year. We weren’t able to move in with a clean slate. They judged us before they even gave us a chance,” Biagini said. “I don’t like the way the trend of the neighborhood is,” Rossi said unhappily. She means to quell college parties in the area. “The neighbors here are going to make sure that it’s not real easy just to come and live here and do whatever you want,” Rossi said. “You have to follow the rules like we do.” However, the five Mercyhurst juniors that live next door to Rossi feel otherwise. One of the students, Biagini, who spoke with the police officer on Oct. 2, said about her neighbors, “We tried to be respectful, but they were out to get us before we ever moved in.” She and two of her roommates, Amy Hopta and Kristen Piquette, said they feel their residence is being unfairly targeted. The police came to their house once before to ask the students to send their visitors home because a neighbor called in a complaint. When asked if she would consider talking to the students about disrupting the neighborhood, Rossi replied firmly that she was not interested. Biagini said Rossi does not make an attempt to be a civil neighbor. “She won’t even let her kids look at us,” Piquette said. Piquette and her roommates said they are being stereotyped as uncaring, disrespectful college drunkards. Their house was a sore spot for some neighbors before they moved in this year. Different Mercyhurst students lived there last school year and caused much of the disturbance. The police officer told Biagini the station had received 16 calls through the start of last year about their house. “The officer did not care that different students lived there,” Biagini said. Biagini, Newell, Staley, Hopta and Piquette all wonder about one question: What did these people expect living next to a college campus? Pastor Bernhard Bischoff, who lives next to Newell’s house and kiddy/corner to the Mercyhurst women’s house, chuckled and shook his head when asked for his feelings on neighborhood disturbances. Bischoff has lived in the neighborhood for eight years and has no complaints about the Mercyhurst students. “They’re wonderful people,” he said. “Nobody throws beer bottles on the lawn. They never pick my flowers. They don’t even steal my fruit.” Bishoff lived just outside of another college campus before moving to Briggs Avenue. Students there disturbed his property. However, the students around him now “cause no trouble,” he said. “I can’t hear any of their parties,” Bischoff said and called Newell and roommates “a dream.” Nonetheless, Erie City Police Chief Charles Bowers said the Pin Oak Drive/Briggs Avenue area is now under special attention. He said police charged nine people, five from Mercyhurst and four from Behrend, with having a disorderly house on Oct. 1. “If students create disturbances,” he said, “police will notify the respective college, and it will be up to the school to take disciplinary action.” When asked about the police charges, the girls were shocked because the police never approached them. “We didn’t even have people over on Oct. 1. There was a party across the street, and the cops never even came to our door. How can the police press charges on us Galley Grill NEW ITEMS: Laker Fall Term I n n OLD FAVORITES: Chicken Fingers Sizzling Salad Ruby’s Famous Pizza Grilled Chicken Sandwich Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 8:00am-1:00am Saturday 1:00pm-1:00am Sunday 5:00pm-1:00am without even talking to us that night?” said Hopta “We want people to respect their neighbors,” Bowers remarked. 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This is what many Mercyhurst students requested at the end of last year. Your voices have been heard and the events lasted all day. The weather was perfect for the activities held on Saturday that lasted from 9 a.m. until the last band was done playing and the food was all gone. About 600 students showed up throughout the day to hang out and listen to the bands, eat or compete in some of the fun. Besides the Laker football team’s exciting victory against Saginaw Valley and the Spirit Club giving away Mercyhurst gear, students enjoyed themselves with a long day of food and fun. where students were spun around sideways and upside down. A caricaturist was available to draw funny pictures for any students. And to top it all off, there was Jell-O wrestling for some good old college fun. Hundreds of boxes of Jell-O were prepared early Saturday morning to be ready for the competition. What kind of Oktoberfest would be complete without food and drinks? Old-fashioned root beer and Coke bottles were served to wash down the food. A pig roast was ready to serve by halftime of the football game. For breakfast or dessert: Dippin Dots, famous in many amusement parks, were available for students to snack on all throughout the day’s events. The Mercyhurst Student Government and Student Activities Committee members were hard at work hosting the day’s events. They served the food and set up the bands. Bethany Canfield/Contributing photographer Hundreds of boxes of jello were prepared and dished into the ring for the Jell-O wrestling contest. Four bands rocked the campus in Garvey Park, two of which included students from Mercyhurst. The Eckersonics, a band from Cleveland, played at noon for about an hour. The band’s drummer Joe Betz, is a Mercyhurst senior social work and religious studies major. Streamline, from Rochester, also played on Saturday. Sopho- more Mike Hogan is one of the members of the band. The other bands that played were Mercury, from Pittsburgh, and One Sweet World, also from Rochester. One Sweet World is a Dave Matthews cover band. Inflatable Fun returned for Fall Fest this year. Students competed in an inflated jousting ring and a large obstacle course. There was also a gyroscope Campus reactions Continued from Page 1. Senior Joe DiGello attended St. John’s school, graduating from eighth grade in 1997. DiGello said that it is upsetting to him as a member of the St. John’s community because “Garvey is viewed as a god there.” DiGello’s own basketball coach while in elementary school was coached by Garvey. “I’m saddened by the fact that no matter what comes of this, his [Garvey’s] reputation will be scarred,” said DiGello. “It is really a no-win situation for the college and the community.” DiGello feels that the students should not jump to conclusions. “It is best for all of us to be open minded right now,” he said. “The school will survive no matter what happens,” said DiGello. “It is selfish to think that the school might be tainted by it.” Freshman Brittany McCracken thinks Mercyhurst students will be affected by the allegations. “I think the allegations will affect other students on campus. Some parents might make them leave Mercyhurst because of this,” she said. Mercyhurst Student Government President Mike Mancinelli said Tuesday, “Like other students on campus, MSG is trying to understand the allegations that were made public in the Erie Times-News. The idea of an open forum for students is being considered, however no concrete plans have been set due to the changing nature of the situation. Until there is a sense of resolve from the institution, no plans have been formalized. We do not want our actions to be premature while Mercyhurst examines the situation.” Dr. Richard Welch had concerns with communication to students and the possibility it could “feed the rumor mill.” Dr. Dave Livingston, president of the Faculty Senate gave a different perspective on the events. “We all need to remember to treat one another with respect and dignity. These are the values of this institution,” he said. “I think it is profoundly sad that we have to deal with this situation.” Livingston thinks that the allegations are difficult for some students. “I think it will be hard on the new freshmen,” he said. “We want students to feel like we will answer their questions and concerns.” Livingston said that Garvey has been part of the Mercyhurst community for more than 40 years and has had a profound effect on the growth and heightened reputation of the school. Livingston cited the next step for the college will be to hire an outside firm to do an independent investigation of the charges and then to report to the board of trustees. By Dr. William P. Garvey President, Mercyhurst College Issued: Monday, Oct. 11, 2004 I am profoundly saddened and shocked by the accusations made about me by Chuck Rosenthal, who was a member of the St. John’s basketball squad that I coached during the 1963-64 season. They are not true. Nor are the other allegations contained in the Erie Times-News story. I have known the Rosenthal family for 42 years and have always had high regard for them, especially, Chuck, Peter and Jimmy who played for my St. John’s teams. They were part of more than 250 players who I had the privilege of coaching at St. John’s over a 17-year period. I have always taken great pride in my St. John’s teams and in my players and nothing in life has meant more to me than seeing the St. John’s boys –- now the St John’s men –- take what they learned on the court — the discipline, persistence, determination, poise, confidence, competitive spirit and teamwork –-- and carry those leadership qualities and friendships into their adult lives. I taught the St. John athletes to be disciplined, which was a major ingredient in their success both on the basketball court and in life. I am very, very proud of my former athletes. That includes Chuck Rosenthal who was a very bright and intense young man with enormous potential. Regardless of whatever else I may have accomplished throughout the years, it has been working with young people that has given purpose to my life and heart to my existence. These ideals means far, far too much to me to have ever done anything to jeopardize them, especially in the manner described by Chuck Rosenthal. I can only hope and trust that my 52-year record of working with youth without any similar allegations and the positive testimony from players I have coached and the more than 2000 students I have taught will be instructive in resolving this distressing situation. Mercyhurst College Issued: Monday, Oct. 10 By Marlene D. Mosco, Chair of the Board Dr. William P. Garvey has been associated with Mercyhurst College for approximately 42 years and has served with distinction as its president for the past 24 years. Prior to the claims made against Dr. Garvey by Charles Rosenthal as reported in the Oct. 10, 2004, edition of the Erie Times-News , no person had ever raised or intimated to the college any claim or complaint against Dr. Garvey in the nature of the claim asserted by Mr. Rosenthal. In light of Dr. Garvey’s decades of service to Mercyhurst and the Erie community, and the absence of any claim of wrongdoing against him as a representative of the college, the trustees express their support for Dr. Garvey as he continues the role as the president of the college. Recognizing the gravity of the claims asserted in the Oct. 10, 2004, article, however, the board of trustees today began the process of engaging professionals to conduct a thorough and impartial review of the matters reported in the Erie Times-News . To protect the integrity of this review, the college will have no further comment concerning this matter until the review is complete. Statement math lab Located in the Student Travel Services Spring Break 2005. Travel with STS, America’s #1 Student Tour Operator to Jamaica, Cancun, Acapulco, Bahamas and Florida. Now hiring oncampus reps. Call for group discounts. Information/ Reservations: 1-800-648-4849 or Board of Trustees Statement 2 LIBRARY 304 A & B www.ststravel.com . SUNDAYS THROUGH THURSDAYS open: EXT: 2078 FOR EXACT HOURS call TUTORIAL HELP FOR ALL YOUR MATH NEEDS! PAGE 4 THE MERCIAD October 13, 2004 NEWS To contact: [email protected] Get campus dirt Student’s rate on campusdirt.com By Jenny Allen Contributing writer You learned everything you needed to know about Mercyhurst when you visited the college, right? Probably not, but that is what the Website Campusdirt.com is hoping to change. The new Website, campusdirt. com, was started five months ago in order to help prospective students and parents learn what they really need to know about the colleges they are applying to. So, what is on this Website? You can find dirt about professors, curriculum, student life, athletics, social life, food and more on nearly 800 colleges across the country. There are top 10 lists, rankings and basic college statistics as well. “This site is intended to be used by high school students, their parents and guidance counselors to help them make the decision of which school is right for them. It’s often hard to get a real good look at a school, so we have provided an inside look from the students themselves,” said Casey Gustus, project manager of campusdirt.com. The website also claims that “we’ve surveyed over 70,000 college students and recent graduates regarding their college experience in order to help you get a look at life on campus.” Mike O’Brien, also of campusdirt.com, writes to members, “Thanks to the tens of thousands of students that have, and continue to tell us about their college. campusdirt.com has the most up-to-date and accurate information about college life available online or offline, and I hope you enjoy it.” So, how accurate is the information and what does the website say about Mercyhurst College? According to campusdirt.com, Mercyhurst is ranked as 665 out of 800 for its overall grade. This may not be surprising, but some other statistics may be. Students and recent graduates have reported that 73 percent of students drink only 0 to 2 nights per week, 60 percent of students witness drug use a couple of times a week and 64 percent of students are “pretty” sexually active. On a positive note, 73 percent of the students also said that the campus was pretty and all students surveyed always feel at least pretty safe. The problem is that when you consider that about 70,000 students have been surveyed and there about 800 schools listed, there are not nearly enough students to put together accurate data. In Mercyhurst’s case, there are only about 15 students on the website who identify themselves as being surveyed out of the over 3,000 students who attend Mercyhurst. Many students around Mercyhurst had not even heard of the website and those interviewed to did not necessarily agree with what Campusdirt.com had to say. Junior Greg Tellex said, “I think they are fairly accurate, but a lot of these numbers are probably incorrect.” He added, “I think it really depends on who you ask.” His roommate Dave Catellier agreed. “Some things seem like they could be accurate, but I wouldn’t depend on this for information about my college.” To make the Website better, Catellier said, “They need to make the questions better defined and more clear.” This would help to get better statistics. Kelly Sharick felt that the information was partially accurate as well, but said of things such as parties and social life, “I think that a lot of people would like to know this kind of information.” Along with this she also said, “I don’t think that you should turn down a college because of this. You will find parties everywhere and prospective students should know that.” For students who are curious about the college they are looking at, campusdirt.com offers a wide range of statistics and information that may be important to know. It is up to you to decide how accurate the information really is, however. To rate Mercyhurst and hear what fellow students and alumni had to say you can visit www. Campusdirt.com and help the Website gain accuracy on the statistics offered on Mercyhurst College. Katie Mcadams/Photo editor The mailroom does not have the capabilities to send military mail to loved ones. By Josh Wilwohl Layout Assistant Mail room unable to asend military mail see why we have mail room Nurlen, took a similar spin on Many students pass in and out of the Preston mail room daily with the joy of sending or receiving a package; however, it is a select few that don’t have this feeling. Instead, it is those feelings of frustration and annoyance that spur throughout their bodies. No, it is not because they did not receive those favorite cookies from grandma, but because they cannot send certain packages, packages postmarked U.S. Military. “I don’t understand this, I just want to contact my boyfriend,” said Jess McNurlen, one of several freshmen students who cannot forward military mail and not understand why. McNurlen, whose boyfriend is a lance corporal within the Marine Corps, wishes to send numerous packages to him so they can keep in contact while in school. But, according to Jean Coffey – also known as “the mail lady” – it won’t be happening anytime soon. “We just don’t have the capabilities of sending military mail,” Coffey said. “They should be responsible for their own mail.” Rebutting Coffey’s comment, McNurlen said, “I don’t and can’t send out military mail. I don’t think it is fair that other students can send packages to their family and friends, and I can’t send it to my boyfriend who is serving this country.” Coffey, disagreeing with McNurlen said, “Students just don’t understand. We are not a post office. We are not federally employed. This is a mail room, employed by Mercyhurst College. We do not have the capabilities of weighing and inspecting packages through customs before they are shipped out.” Despite Coffey’s comments, McNurlen and other students still do not understand the mail room’s reasoning. Jamie Salvatore, whose cousin is stationed in Iraq, believes that the mailroom should compromise with students. “I don’t think they should assume that freshmen can just go to the post office to send international, military mail. We should be able to do everything on campus, especially since we are not allowed to have cars. If we can’t send mail from here, then the mail room should offer us transportation to a site where we can,” said Salvatore. Agreeing with Salvatore, student Colleen Murray, who does not have a family member overseas, but supports Mc- Military mail refused Starbucks price increase By Ashley Breen Contributing writer The sudden hike in Starbucks’ prices won’t be felt on Mercyhurst College campus. While most caffeine driven students would gladly shell out an extra 11 cents for their morning pick-me-up Kathleen Crane, coffee bar lead, says the coffee bar won’t be raising their prices. With a record breaking number of freshmen at Mercyhurst College this year, the coffee bar’s sales have increased keeping prices down. Crane said, “There are a lot more customers here that use coffee to help them get through their long hours of studing.” Since the coffee bar opened last November, espresso drinks have gone up by 25 cents. Crane said, “When we first opened we were selling the espresso for less then what we were paying for it. We can’t run a business if we aren’t making enough to cover expenses,” she said. The coffee bar offers students Starbucks drinks at a lower price than most places that carry Starbucks coffee. Katie Walker, senior communication student, said, “I am at the coffee bar a lot, especially during exam weeks. It gives me my caffeine boost and it is a nice place to study that isn’t the library or my apartment.” The coffee bar does most of its business during exam weeks. Panel to discuss terrorism He said the same is true of the situation in Chechnya; much of the events revolve around allegations of terrorism. “It’s really relevant to our whole world view.” Senior Kasia Tarczynski, a political science major, helped organize the panel, which also includes Dr. Randal Clemons, Tim Krysiek, Billy Van Cise and Timur Tsabiev. According to Tarczynski, students should know about problems around the world. “We think that students at Mercyhurst should know about the events in Beslan...It is a tragedy for the world when innocent children are being killed just because they were a particular nationality,” said Tarczynski. Tarczynski also hopes that people will become more aware of the situation in Chechnya and Russia. “Everyone knows about Sept. 11...I believe everyone should know about the Russian Sept. 11th in Beslan. We all need to be aware about what is going on in different parts of the world,” Tarczynski said. The panel is being held Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. in the Student Government Chamber. Those interested in human rights, the current situation in Russia, the war in Chechnya and its effects and the Beslan School Hostage Crisis are invited to attend. the event. “I am upset because what if I had a family member over there and I needed to get in contact with them? It also bothers me that they assume we can just walk to the post office, especially come the winters,” said MucNurlen. McNurlen added, “I don’t understand the mail room’s concept. Their duties include sending and receiving mail. That is what a mail room does.” Coffey said, “It’s not my problem. I can’t tie my people’s time up in lines at the post office for a package they are not responsible for. These students need to realize they are responsible for their own packages. If they want them sent, they need to go to the post office on their own time and by their own means of transportation.” “People need to comprehend that we don’t know what is in those packages they are sending and we do not want the responsibility of them,” said Coffey. “I also do not wish to waste my people’s time at the post office for something that could be rejected.” However, despite the many conflicts in sending such overseas mail, every once in a while the mail room does give in according to Coffey. “But, they need to be persistent,” she said. Registration breaks record Erie County election offices have been swamped with registering voters who are trying to make the deadline for November’s election. People formed lines out the door and kept the phones ringing all day. As of this weekend, there were 175,918 residents registered to vote. Erie County’s Election Supervisor, Sharon Drayer said that that number has already beaten the city’s record from the 2001 municipal election. The record breaking numbers do not include the more then 600 people who filled out forms Monday and those collected from registration drives. Students at Mercyhurst College were encouraged to register from on campus organizations over the past few weeks. Freshman Merissa Frank, said, “Although I am already registered to vote, I like the fact that Mercyhurst is encouraging students to be heard.” “More young people need to know that their vote does count.” Not including the applications that are still to be counted, 9,549 people in Erie County have registered to vote since the April 27 primary. Drayer said, “I’m sure wewill hit well over 10,000, maybe over 11,000.” The last day to register to vote was Oct. 4. Watch for more news on the upcoming election in future issues. Father Simon will speak during panel discussion. Katie McAdams/Photo editor By Libbie Johnson Contributing writer On Sept. 1 of this year, terrorists took more than 1,200 school children and adults hostage in the town of Beslan, Republic of North Ossetia in Russia. There were more than 330 killed, most of them children. In response to this crisis, the Peace & Justice Club and the Mercyhurst International Student Organization are hosting a Panel Discussion on the Terrorist Attack in Beslan, Russia. Father Steven Simon, instructor of Russian studies, plans to give a historical background on Russia and the position of Chechnya and the Russian Federation of the present time. “I think it’s really important that Mercyhurst students understand what’s happening in the world, not only in America.... I think there’s a growing awareness...that international events impact not only older adults, but impact college students as well,” Simon said. Simon thinks that college students seem more concerned about voting this year. “It’s really critical that we understand what’s going on in the entire world, part of our whole question right now in America is whether we should have gone to war in Iraq because of the threat of terrorism,” Simon said. Kristol speaks to ’Hurst students Contrinued from Page 1. He said that if Bush can hold onto Ohio and Florida, he will most likely win the election. Those are the key states. If Bush does win the election, in Kristol’s opinion, it will be because of his foreign policy. However, if he cannot manage to win, Kerry will be named the new president, which Kristol thinks will cause a “messy fight within Republicans.” He says that it is hard to know what Kerry will do. It is likely that he would win because of his domestic policy. However, on picking a winner, Kristol says, “I honestly don’t know.” In looking toward the election of 2008, Kristol made predictions about the candidates. He believes that Jeb Bush is a logical candidate. He also said that Rudy Guliani is a likely candidate because his performance postSept. 11 was so impressive. Also, he says that Arnold Schwarzenegger has a successful government so he would “not be surprised” if Arnold was also a candidate in the next election. Kristol is a regular commentator on Fox News and editor of the Washington-based political magazine, The Weekly Standard, as well as co-author of the New York Times best-seller War Over Iraq: “Saddam’s Tyranny and America’s Mission. “ October 13, 2004 THE MERCIAD To contact: [email protected] FEATURES PAGE 5 Branch out with this season’s fall fads By Joshua Wilwohl Layout assistant It’s that time of year again. The leaves are changing, the brisk air maneuvers its way over campus and the layers of clothes are piling on. It’s finally fall. Toss away those skimpy summer clothes and embrace yourself with this year’s new fabulous fall fads. The sophisticated looks on people are out. No more boring ties and sports jackets for the men, and no more short skirts and baggy tops for the women. It’s becoming a more relaxed fall in the fashion industry this time of year, and the nontraditional look is in. “We are seeing a great change in fashion this fall,” said fashion director Marilyn Smith. “There are fewer fauxpas than normal because we are following a new trend: not matching.” For women: Longer skirts, such as pencil skirts, are becoming more popular this fall as compared to the normal short skirts most wear. Not only are skirts a hot item, but so are straight-legged pants; flair is out. As for tops, most are buttondown or turtle-neck, autumn colored and accompanied by a car or tweed coat. However, not only are autumn colors making the traditional leap into fall, but leopard-skin and python prints are returning to the fashion scene. Also making comebacks are broaches and large “bling.” According to Smith, “Anything that is large and of jewelry is in: rings, diamonds, gold and even watches.” However, even though jewelry may be big, anything else large is out. No more big and baggy pants or shirts, the new look is “tight.” “Everything is tight,” Smith said, “Even for the men.” As for shoes, the new look is round-toed; though there may be a few pointed shoes still out there, they are slowly declining this fall. Colors for women’s clothes this autumn are lighter than ever, according to Smith. “Orange is the color,” she said. “More and more people are finding more patterns and designs to incorporate different colors into, such as that of striped or blocked.” As the fashion industry changes rapidly for women, men are left with the same responsibility of changing their style with the season. For men: Yes, admit it, as much as we may loathe it, there is still some sense about changing our wardrobes to welcome the fall fashions that men love. Throw away those old looking t-shirts and stereotypical baggy pants – no one wishes to see your boxers anymore. The style is not classic either, so no more suit-coats or pleated pants. Instead, stock the wardrobe with new and interesting colors that branch out from the traditional look to welcome autumn. Jeans are a highlight this season, but keeping with the tight theme. Some men are buying women’s jeans, which according to Smith, are keeping the girls amused. In addition to jeans, pants for men this fall are varying from the classic khakis and branching out to a new mix-matched, blotch look that is giving men more of a sense of style. As for shirts, more varying fashions, once again, are overtaking the classic look. Men are now seen wearing more stripes and blocked button-down tops that are of proper arm length. No more rolling up the sleeves to cover-up improper length of too short or too long. For men, Oxfords are a good pair of shoes to hang onto that goes with just about anything: your jeans (tight or not), khakis (if you wish to continue wearing them), blotched pants and just about any shirt. Orange is becoming the most fashionable color this fall for men, too. The traditional autumn colors are also in the mix of men’s fashion. As for jewelry, men seem not to vary that much Students Mackenzie Kaczmarek, Chris Spinelli and Laura Marnik model some of this season’s fall fashions. Joshua Wilwohl/Layout assistant from women. “It is the ‘big bling’ look; especially watches for men,” said Smith. “This season, men are now learning how to dress,” she said enthusiastically. “A gray pant with an interesting color, a tie with more style, a color-blocked shirt and a shoe that fits (an oxford) is now the new fall look.” Now, as you reorganize your wardrobe for this fall and try to keep up with the new looks, don’t think you must jet to J.CREW, GAP or even Abercrombie to be the ultimate autumn fashion model. Instead, grab a shopping bag from Kohls, Express, Urban Outfitters or Target. “We are seeing younger kids spending much less on clothes this fall,” said Smith. “Unlike the times when we would shun such clothing wear from places like Target or even Wal-Mart, it is now something the savvy shopper is to be proud of.” As quickly as the leaves fall from the trees, fashion branches into new fads that change from season to season, and we know how rapidly winter comes to Erie. So be fast and adapt to this autumn’s new looks before they vanish – like your summer wardrobe – to welcome the next season. Play your cards right, try the poker club By Meghan Smith Contributing writer Every Wednesday night around 7:30 p.m. the Student Union gets transformed. Tables are brought in, chairs are arranged and the lighting is altered to provide the perfect setting. No, this isn’t the site of a poetry reading, unplugged song session or even a student debate. What happens every Wednesday night is much more serious. It is the gathering of the Mercyhurst Poker Club. The idea for the poker club was first discussed last year during spring term when there was a series of poker tournaments held on campus in the union. Juniors Dave Wozny and Joe Piszczor first collaborated during those original tournaments. It was Wozny who approached Piszczor with the idea to make the tournaments a permanent staple on campus. Piszczor then went to MSG and convinced the members why the club would be an excellent addition to the school. Piszczor and Wozny used their knowledge of the game to gain approval from both the school and the state. Pennsylvania law does not permit gambling. For that reason the two juniors decided that a point system would better suit the club on Mercyhurst’s campus. That decision was the one that secured the permission they needed to start the club. The Mercyhurst Poker Club is unique in the fact that anybody can win prizes without ever handing over a dime. Freshman Tom Servais said, “You have to love the fact that you get points just for showing up, and those points can win you prizes at the end of the term.” Another good reason for utilizing a point system has to do with the athletes on campus. “NCAA does not allow student athletes to be a part of gambling in any way. Because we are playing for points and not money, it is perfectly legal for any student athlete on campus to get i nvo l ve d ,” Wozny explained. Ever yone is encouraged to come out and October: Breast Cancer awareness month By Katie Walker Contributing writer T hough fall colors are around, pink is a very important one for the month of October. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the color pink is what those that wish to support the cause wear. Breast cancer is a disease that affects women of any age or race. It is a form of cancer that, if caught early, can be treated. Many women are able to go on with normal lives, though there are some others that can’t beat the disease. More than 216,000 women will be affected by breast cancer in 2004, and out of those nearly one third will not beat the disease. The rest, however, will survive to be able to help other women gain awareness to the disease. This awareness is something that is promoted to the young women on the Mercyhurst campus. At Mercyhurst, many organizations have promoted awareness of Breast Cancer by selling pink ribbons, t-shirts and other items to support the cause. Center really helps us by giving out materials that inform us on things to look for when it comes to our bodies.” “The Health - Colleen Reiner Juniors Joe Piszczor (left) and Dave Wozny welcome all to the Wednesday evening meetings of the poker club. Katie McAdams/Photo editor get involved. Piszczor explained, “Right now we’ve got an equal amount of men and women showing up. There are a lot of freshmen because we are so close to the dorms. It would be great to have more upperclassmen.” Every level of play is welcome. There is no tryout to be in this club, and no pre-requisite. There is a clinic every week for beginners where Joe walks new players through the rules and gives them helpful tips in playing the game. Because the poker club focuses on more than just the popular Texas hold ‘em, Joe goes through the differences in the games and how knowledge of one game can cross over into a version of another. As of right now, Mercyhurst is the only campus in the area with a legitimate poker club on campus. As popularity spreads, it is the hope of the club leaders to have interaction between schools in the form of a tournament. Piszczor has a positive outlook for the future of the club. “If you’ve ever had any interest in cards, whether you’re a beginner or consider yourself an expert, come play and see what we’re all about.” The Cohen Student Health Center also helps promote proper breast care. They pass out brochures and other materials that help young women know what to look for when completing self breast exams. Those materials are helping the young women on campus feel that they know more about proper breast care. Colleen Reiner, a 21-yearold senior, said, “The Health Center really helps us by giving out materials that inform us on things to look for when it comes to our bodies.” For more information, there are many available web pages and articles available. Try visiting www.komen. org, your doctor, or the Cohen Student Health Center for additional information. Contrary to some beliefs, Erie and Ireland are not worlds apart By Kate Putney Contributing writer I first arrived on campus in August 2001, and very quickly noticed plenty of differences between Erie, Pa. and my hometown of Shankill in Dublin, Ireland. I live about 30 minutes from the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland, to the north, and 20 minutes from Wicklow, the county known as The Garden of Ireland, to the south. I loved living between a rural countryside and a buzzing metropolis. Erie is a large city, but the best way I could describe the difference is that it is a city which is more business than people-orientated. Cities like Dublin or New York, however, are more people than business-orientated. Sept. 11, 2001, happened two weeks after I arrived in the United States and was a difficult time for all of the freshmen that year, but, in particular, I think it was harder for the international students. I remember the first weekend after the attacks most of the dorms were empty because all the American students had gone home. It was also a difficult time to be “foreign” in the United States. I use that term loosely since many people may assume I am a “foreigner,” but I am, in fact, an American citizen. Many American students were helpful and supportive, but a select few in their passing comments and responses in class discussions made it clear to me and other international students that all foreign people represented a threat and should be dealt with as such. As you can imagine, this was upsetting and a disappointment to the majority of international students who had come here for college. Some of the stereotypes about our home countries were also extremely irritating. The best one greeted me on my return from Christmas break about two years ago. A cabdriver asked me, “Are the Protestants and Catholics still killing each other over there?” The majority of people are obviously not like this, of course, but the occasional few shock some memories into you. The positive qualities associated with moving to Erie are quite numerous. The weather in Dublin can be quite dark and wet for most of We used to sit beside the sea for lunch in the spring. I think making such a huge move away from home and the “One of the biggest lessons I learned in Erie was that learning to cope alone doesn’t mean that you have to cope alone all the time. -Kate Putney the winter. Over here, even when it snows it’s often a bright day, which I like. The campus is really beautiful here, but I was lucky because my secondary school at home was also stunningly beautiful. I attended Loreto Abbey in Dalkey, which was right on the east coast of Dublin. life you lived before greatly helps to speed up the process of gaining independence and learning how to cope on your own. One of the biggest lessons I learned in Erie was that learning to cope alone doesn’t mean that you have to cope alone all the time. Doing so many things for the first time can be quite daunting: ” Living with roommates and coping with bills, bank accounts, work, school and making friends away from home. It is important to allow yourself to rely on others for help. Particularly on this campus, I have found that help is usually at hand, you just have to be confident enough to ask for it. Some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met attend, live or teach at Mercyhurst. I have learned much from them. They emphasize how loving and supportive a lot of people who are at this college are. So, while I am certain I would have had a wonderful time attending the Dublin Institute of Technology (my first choice for college in Ireland), I think my experiences here have been unique and very special. October 13, 2004 FEATURES By Jen Helbig Features editor THE MERCIAD PAGE 6 To contact: [email protected] Art therapy? What’s that? Since 1975, Mercyhurst’s art therapy program has been established as one of the best in the nation, but students breeze through Mercyhurst without ever realizing it is here. “Art therapy is a way of using creativity as a healing tool in the medical world,” Cathlyn Hahn, Artwork courtesy of Cathlyn Hahn Director of the art therapy pro- Art therapy allows feelings to emerge as visuals. gram at Mercyhurst said. “It’s a way for artists to become pro- said, “in a school setting, clinics, fication.” fessional in another field other hospitals or even prisons.” “This career is rewarding, than sales and education.” “I want to work with kids,” becuase you get to deal with Mercyhurst offers a major and Lersch added. “My mom had a people in special populations.” a minor in art therapy. daycare when I was growing up. Hahn emphasized the mean“It is a combination of art, The major just fits.” ing of art therapy, which is psychology and art therapy Lersch can find the best of visual learning. This type of classes,” Hahn said. “It is also two worlds in the major. learning is adaptable to various an accelerated program, which “I knew I always wanted to do populations. starts during the winter term of something with art.” “Talk therapy is OK, but kids freshman year.” Mercyhurst has been proven want to see and do and draw Art therapy involves much as a good choice by the Ameri- with computers and visual more than crafts. There are can Art Therapy association.. reality games. We are a visual many other creative options “It is in the top one percent society,” Hahn said. that are outlets of expression in the nation,” Lersch and Hahn “Art is healing, and it is a according to Hahn. both commented. creative process. Everyone is “We use dance, music, drama With these statistics, Hahn creative. This is an unbelievable and creative writing.” said that Mercyhurst can pre- way to see problems that people Sophomore Christin Lersch pare a student for various levels have,” Hahn said. entered the program last year. in the career. If you are a student who is She knew that art therapy was “You can work right out of a interested in the art therapy the major for her. bachelor’s degree,” Hahn com- program, see Cathlyn Hahn in “You can work at a lot of mented, “or you can continue 121A, Zurn. places with the degree,” Lersch for a master’s and board certi- Democrat or Republican: Where Mercyhurst students stand By Meghan Smith Contributing writer In the past few months there has been non-stop talk regarding the upcoming election. Whether there’s a debate on the nightly news, a rally downtown or a protest in the papers, it is impossible to escape. On any given night there are dozens of stations reiterating how important the election on Nov. 2 is going to be. Young adults are actually getting excited about voicing their opinion on the multitude of issues that focus around the presidential election. This excitement is evident on campus. Two groups, the Young Republicans and the Young Democrats, are dedicated to making a difference in the polls this November. Although their points of view differ greatly, their goals are the same. Each organization wants to convince students of the importance of voting. It is also important to both the Young Republicans and Young Democrats that everyone does research before choosing which party to affiliate with. Albert Veverka is a senior and the co-president of the Young Democrats on campus. He feels that looking at both sides of the issue is the best way to select who to vote for. “It is important that we don’t let the media make decisions for us. When deciding who to vote for, you shouldn’t pick based on what your parents, actors or newscasters say. Instead, look at the issues and vote for what you agree with.” J.J. Mikulec, the senior president of the Young Republicans, also feels that it is important to get students to vote. “Right now our age group is underrepresented and politicians don’t address issues that affect us. If students would vote, despite the affiliation, it would show politicians that our opinions can not be ignored like they have been in the past.” students their age that have the same views. By having the two groups on campus, it raises awareness about voting and provides an outlet to voice personal opinions. Because this is an election year, the purpose of the club is obvious. However, many do not realize how much the clubs are involved in the community even in the “off season.” “We really don’t have an off season,” Veverka said. “There is always a local election going on, or a fundraiser to organize. Mike Foglio, co-president of the Young Democrats, and I are always arranging ideas with other members of the club on how to prepare for upcoming events.” The Young Republicans are also active in local elections. When there is down time the members get together and discuss plans for following years. In order to gain awareness on campus there is a debate being held by Phi Sigma Alpha on Oct. 27 in the Taylor Little Theater between the Young Democrats and the Young Republicans. The debate is at 8:30 p.m. and everyone with an opinion is encouraged to attend. Both groups agreed that if students don’t get out and voice their opinions by voting then there is no room to complain when issues are not dealt with in our society. If any student is interested in becoming a member of the Young Republicans you can contact club president, J.J. Mikulec, at Mercyhurstcrs@hotmail. com. If any student is interested in becoming a member of the Young Democrats you can contact club co president, Albert Veverka, at [email protected]. “ When deciding who to vote for you shouldn’t pick based on what your parents, actors, or newscasters say. Instead, look at the issues and vote for what you agree with. - Albert Veverka Being a member of either one of the groups has a number of benefits. Recently, members of the Young Democrats had the opportunity to work directly with the Kerry/Edwards campaign downtown. They were recognized by the Kerry/Edwards campaign as the most organized group in the area and were invited to attend meet and greets and work as staff during the rally. There are benefits on campus, as well. By joining one of the affiliates, students get to meet other ” McAdams interns in New York City By Andreea Neagu Contributing writer “It was an experience of the lifetime, not one always at your fingertips.” This is how senior Erin McAdams described her internship with the Broadway Dance Center in New York City. “I’ve danced since I was little, close to 3 years old,” McAdams said. “My mom was a dancer, so Photo courtesy of Erin McAdams she put me and my sister in dance Senior Erin McAdams (center) poses in New York City with two other Broadway Dance Center interns. classes.” Her early introduction to dancing turned into a passion, and internship was finding a house She mentioned that an imshe is now a dance major with a and preparing myself to live on portant part of the experience minor in arts administration. my own,” McAdams said. was “working with professional “Dancing is something I’ve She described living in New teachers, and forming connecalways wanted to do,” McAdams York as “scary, especially on your tions with them, especially since said. “Actually, my sister and I own, but also fun since you get to in the dance world connections hope to open a dance studio to meet so many interesting people, become important.” teach dance.” She wants to teach and expensive.” Returning to Mercyhurst after and also choreograph. According to McAdams, the two and a half months in New McAdam’s internship started most exciting part of her intern- York was another adjustment in early June and was a learning ship was working at the studio. “Days go by and I wish I was experience. “In my internship I was ex- in New York, but other days “It always has been a goal of pected to work within the studio, I’m glad I am home. It is much mine to dance at a studio in New focusing on its administration,” quieter and not so fast paced,” York,” McAdams said. McAdams said. McAdams said. McAdams decided to do her “I spent a week working with She also said she brings back internship during the summer, Human Resources, some time from the internship new aspects and she had it approved by with the owner and in other she learned about herself, new Career Services and the dance various departments. I was also teaching techniques and good department. expected to take 10-12 classes a memories with the friends she “The hardest thing about the week at the studio.” made while in New York. INTERESTED IN STUDYING ABROAD? Please join us for Study Abroad Night Tuesday, November 2, 2004 8:00 pm in Zurn 214 The following Representatives from Mercyhurst College’s Affiliate Study Abroad Programs will be in attendance to answer any of your questions: American Institute for Foreign Study AustraLearn Cultural Experiences Abroad Semester at Sea Syracuse University Mercyhurst welcomes Lebec as a new professor By Courtney Nicholas Contributing writer Members of the freshman class can identify with the feelings of stress, excitement and apprehension of starting a new year at Mercyhurst College, but how do the new faculty members feel? It could be safe to say they feel a little overwhelmed if they are unfamiliar with the trimester system, and they may feel anxious about getting to know the other faculty members and their students. Dennis Lebec, the new professor in the Communication Department, may be feeling some of those aforementioned feelings, along with a collection of others. Lebec is a native of Pittsburgh and has previous teaching experience at Marietta College in Ohio and Marshall University in West Virginia. While at these institutions he taught classes centered around mass media, broadcast journalism, video production and television reporting, along with many others. While teaching at Marshall University, Lebec developed a class in the Honors Department which focused on popular music of the 1960’s. He has also been a part-time, as well as a full-time, professor at Kent State University and a lecturer at the University of Arkon. “I found the job opening on the AEJMC website in February and thought its description fit well with my background,” said Lebec. In addition to lecturing, Lebec has worked for WAKR/WAKCTV television studio as production assistant, director and operations manager. Lebec has also been a reporter for a local newspaper in Pennsylvania. He worked for the McKees Rocks Gazette following school board meetings, city council meetings and also wrote a youth column. Lebec agrees that coupling real world experience with teaching will help the students more. “I think I bring in a good deal of experience from the real world and that it will prove beneficial to the students.” “My two previous teaching jobs allow me to bring different ideas to the Mercyhurst program.” Lebec would like the Mercyhurst students to become more aware of the opportunities they have available to them in the department. “I am in the process of starting a campus chapter of the National Broadcasting Society, the largest student organization nationwide for those interested in the RadioTelevision field,” said Lebec. Lebec is getting accustomed to the trimester system and his colleagues in the Communication department are a big help to him, “Both Dr. Gibson-Hancox and Dr. Welch have been so gracious from the first time I set foot on campus. It is a good working environment.” PAGE 7 THE MERCIAD October 13, 2004 OPINION ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy blamed for adding to U.S. military shortages To contact: [email protected] By Dan Thies Knight Ridder Newspapers As we all know, the winner of this presidential election faces some serious foreign-policy challenges. While juggling the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan with the prospect of possible future threats, the next commander in chief will also be forced to address the tremendous strain currently on U.S. military forces. Widespread rumors of an imminent return of the draft have become the subject of intense speculation and debate. This week, the House of Representatives, seeking to quell these rumors, soundly defeated a bill calling for its reinstatement. But whether such rumors were truly plausible, or simply false, one important point seems to have been lost in the discussion: Reinstatement of the draft can never be justified without first repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy of barring openly gay people from military service. While both President George Bush and Sen. John Kerry have repeatedly assured voters they would maintain an all-volunteer military, the next president will have to address the issue of lagging numbers in military personnel. The next administration, in considering every alternative to a draft, must work with Congress to repeal the costly and discriminatory “don’t ask” policy. In the five years between 1998 and 2003, 6,273 military personnel were expelled for their sexual orientation, according to an analysis by the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military. And from the 1993 enactment of “don’t ask” to 2003, the U.S. military spent an estimated $218 million recruiting and training replacements for discharged gay personnel, according to a Human Rights Watch report. With the U.S. shouldering most of the financial and military burden in Iraq, Bush’s go-it-alone approach to the war has alienated many traditional allies, and raised legitimate questions over how to maintain sufficient troop levels. Earlier this year, the Bush administration enacted a controversial call-up of 5,600 members of the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), an action referred to by critics as a “back door” draft. Many observers are convinced that this president is running out of pre-draft options. Yet, many able service members, some with sorely needed skills, continue to be discharged from the military for their homosexuality. Most of the 5,600 recalled members of the IRR were needed to fill gaps in highly specialized areas of military service, including Arabicspeaking linguists, combat engineers, medics, paralegals, truck drivers, mechanics and food-service workers, according to a July 7 United Press International report. The same report notes that over the past five years, roughly 1,000 service members possessing these very skills have been expelled from the military under “don’t ask.” President Bush’s justification for supporting “don’t ask,” which parallels the Pentagon’s position, is that homosexuality is “incompatible” with military service, and is a threat to morale and cohesion in the military ranks. However, the Human Rights Watch report goes on to say that a number of our NATO allies, including the U.K., Canada, Germany and Israel, began integrating openly gay service members years ago, with no measurable impact on military effectiveness. It also noted that the smoothest integration took place when military leaders at the highest level supported and strictly enforced nondiscrimination policies. In reality, the “don’t ask” policy is more about fear and prejudice toward gays than anything else. The idea that the powers that be would consider involuntarily compelling certain people into military service, while turning away willing, able and otherwise qualified individuals just because of their sexual orientation, is unreasonable and absurd. It should go without saying that gay men and women are perfectly capable of taking orders, marching in line, sailing ships, flying jets, pulling triggers, dropping bombs, serving with courage and valor, and anything else the armed services may demand of them. And anybody who has served honorably in the armed forces deserves the dignity of which so many have been robbed by “don’t ask.” Of course, if elected in November, Kerry may render both the issue of “don’t ask” and any possibility of a return to the draft moot. His preferred multilateral approach to future foreign-policy endeavors would, I hope, ease the increased demand on U.S. military forces, and as a longtime critic of “don’t ask,” he would support the policy’s immediate repeal. While the official position of the current administration remains “no draft,” and various experts and skeptical media outlets continue to debunk draft rumors, speculation persists, and we have yet to see what policy-changing events or crises may lie ahead. Though it’s currently unclear whether overturning “don’t ask” will noticeably augment our military ranks, it would, at the very least, guarantee an end to the costly losses the military faces by purging its gay personnel. And before the point is ever again reached where young Americans must be called upon to serve involuntarily, we should demand that our policymakers first consider every other option available to them. This must include a policy of nondiscrimination toward gays in the military. It’s time for a change, America. Time to realize that our government’s attitude toward gays in the military is irrational and counterproductive. And we must encourage those who will resist to face their fears, accept this change, and if nothing else, get used to it. Is government blurring the line between church and state for votes? By Amanda Harnocz Contributing writer In the election this year there has been a lot of conflict between the separation of moral values between the Church’s views and political views. Since this is a Catholic school, I will focus on their values the most versus other religions. As a Catholic myself, I am having trouble basing my values on religion or on a political views. I truly believe in everything that America stands for. The separation between church and state dates back to when the United States was founded. The Catholic religion feels that politics can’t be based solely on ideological conflict, the search for partisan advantage or political contributions. Politics should be based on fundamental moral choices. But, how do Catholics choose a president when neither candidate shares the ideas of the Catholic Church entirely? This is why it is not hard to understand why John F. Kennedy was the only Roman Catholic president ever elected. Catholics should be asking questions like: How do we fairly share the blessings and burdens of the challenges we face? What kind of nation do we want this to be? How do we protect human life and dignity? The central question of this election, for Catholics, should not be: Are we better off than we were four years ago? While still looking at these questions, it is hard to decide which candidate fits the credentials. The election this year is merely picking the lesser of the two evils for Catholics. While Bush is prolife and gets votes from many Catholics on that one issue, it is not politically responsible to be a one issue voter. Kerry may be losing Catholic votes because of his pro-choice attitude. The Catholic Church has set up guidelines to follow during election time. These include rules about applying church values to legislation and public issues, having only non-partisan voter registration and picking a party to affiliate with while still having a voice for Catholic supporters heard. Catholic followers may not ever endorse or oppose a candidate for political office. They may not provide financial support to any candidate, and a church may not provide volunteers for a campaign. While looking over the rules, Catholics might feel that they aren’t fully representing their religion or that they aren’t fully accepting a candidate’s values. Bishop Pilla also notices the conflict between church and state. As a religious leader he understands the implications and responsibilities of being a leader. Bishop Pilla feels that the Church’s role in politics is often misunderstood. The Church recognizes the legitimate authority of the government and the right of all, including the Church, to be heard in the formulation of public policy. Another point made by the Catholic Church is that our country is faced with many moral situations and consequences. Abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, war, poverty, health care and racism are all a part of election strategies for this year and years to come. The Church recognizes these problems, but offers different solutions than what the candidates might suggest. While I am not a strict Catholic, I still waver between the issues. Am I going against my religion and all that the Church means for taking a stance and being pro-choice? Even though the Church and state both recognize the discrepancies it puts voters in, they don’t do anything to make it any easier. Voters should understand that their individual morals should be represented and heard, but during election time, the values of the Church need to be pushed aside for just a moment. While looking at the candidates, I would advise people to take a look at the issues and choose the lesser of the two evils. create a negative atmosphere and strong emotions By Corrie Thearle Contributing writer Surprise, annoyance, irritation, anger, frustration and disgust. This is the range of emotions I experienced the other night as I was watching primetime television. As you might suspect, these feelings were not the result of seeing commercials for the latest reality television show such as Swan (although that too made me want to throw up), but were caused by the multitude of presidential election campaign commercials that were broadcast right after another. I’m not surprised at the number of commercials; this is, after all, the home stretch for one of the most highly publicized elections in recent years. What bothers me, and many other Americans as well, are the highly negative campaigning methods each candidate is undertaking. This election is an all-out bash fest between both John Kerry and George Bush. Commercial after commercial is aimed at destroying the other candidate’s political record, not to mention making somewhat personal attacks on their personalities and characters. Although this type of negative campaigning is not something new in the political arena, this election has appeared to take on the characteristics of a reality TV show gone bad. Maybe the television networks will think of something next, such as placing Bush and Kerry in a house together in a type of “Odd Couple” setting for viewers to salivate over. Not only has this type of destructive political atmosphere shrouded the campaign trail, it has spread to the people as well. The idea of common ground and reasonable debate has completely disappeared. It’s all or nothing. Kerry or Bush. Liberal or conservative. Republican or Democrat. Flip flopper or liar. Four more years or a new change. It seems to be that people cannot properly deliberate or discuss the issues surrounding this election without trying to bite the other person’s head off or belittling them for their views. What happens in this type of situation is that people become defensive and ultimately stop listening to the other person, therefore furthering the futility in seeing both sides of the issue. This has been evident not only in the election debates, but on political news programs, in radio shows and between people in everyday life, whether it’s during a lunch break at work or at a party. This is the point where people feel disillusioned, angry and cynical and eventually turned off from politics, thus contributing to the extremely large and disturbing amount of citizens that don’t vote in the country. When it comes down to which candidate people are going to vote for on Nov. 2, their vote is going to be based upon their own views: ideological, religious or social. People have different opinions and beliefs and no amount of negative persuasion or campaigning is going to magically change someone’s mind overnight. You can’t verbally beat someone into submission. What is vital to this election is making people feel empowered, engaged and wanting to exercise their rights at the polls. American democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. People need to understand that when they don’t vote they give up the power and freedom that ensures the continued success of democracy. What we as citizens should be doing this election is informing, educating and encouraging people to realize the amount of power and involvement they can have in government simply by casting their ballot this election. Negative campaigning and persuasion only creates the atmosphere of “you’re either with us or against us,” and if you don’t agree then we don’t need you. Instead, we should promote people to be with us as fellow citizens exercising our political power and freedom at the polls. Divided we fall: Partisan feelings Madam Malarky: Get his attention and win his heart I’m attracted to this guy on campus. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem except other girls also have their eyes on him. Is there any way to draw some of his attention to me? From, Attention Deprived Dear Attention Deprived, Well, isn’t this a pesky little situation. To begin with, you must ask yourself these three questions. 1) “Why am I attracted to him?,” 2) “Is he a normal male whose observations are based on the T&A of a female?” and 3) “Am I a truly exquisite organism that is far superior than these other vermin?” I shall proceed to go into greater detail of these three vitally important questions. For what ridiculous reason are you drawn to this male? Chances are that he is a typical gentleman who doesn’t comb his hair in the morning and throws on a pair of dirty shorts before heading to class. Otherwise he is an abnormal guy who takes great pride in his outer looks. You know, the type that spends three hours in front of a mirror carefully shaving any hairs that may have grown overnight, whose closet is full of ironed pants and shirts. In any case, I would painfully come to Dear Madam Malarky, the conclusion that this great man’s mind is on the other side of the tracks. For this is a cruel world that we live in. Now to dive deeper into this particular man’s mind, particularly his viewpoint on women and their bodies. Assuming his mind is focused on one track, this shall be quite simple to answer. A man judges by outer looks. His intellectual mind is not able to comprehend the meaning of the inner self. Whether it be a woman’s legs, derrière or her chest, his focal point will not stray to other more essential parts. However, there are always exceptions if, indeed, this one male is focused on a woman’s brain. I would immediately suggest you latch on to him and never let him go. Even when the inevitable break-up occurs, stalk him to the day he or yourself dies. Ah, the time has come to analyze the third, most significant question. Women judging other women. Don’t deny it ladies, we have all done it. Whether it be consciously or subconsciously, it happens. You glance at other women as you pass by. When you come right down to it, you often wish you were exactly like her, except for one or two things of course. Without hesitation, the time has come to compare yourself to the other competitors of this man. Do they have a greater definition in parts that you lack or have an abundance of ? Are their legs taller, shorter, thinner, fatter than yours? Finally, are their derrières, the part that most women ask each other about in fitting rooms, perfect? Well, how do you rank yourself ? What is the competition that you face? Perhaps an expensive trip to the mall is in your future or not at all. But most importantly, do not forget to judge. After you have acquired that spanking-new outfit that is paid compassionately by Daddy’s credit card, you appear to him when he’s alone (or nearly alone) to flaunt your now enhanced assets. The other women will surely be envious as you walk away with your new man for the time being. Follow my advice and he shall be yours for the rest of the term. Happy spying and don’t forget to e-mail madam_malarky@hotmail. com or AIM mmalarky04 . If mmalarky04 is not on AIM, please email me instead. It’s completely confidential and I will not seek out the person on campus. Madam Malarky PAGE 8 THE MERCIAD October 13, 2004 OPINION To contact: [email protected] The left and right face off: This Week: The war in Iraq On the left: We need a change in leadership By Allison Moore Opinion editor This election year, the war in Iraq is a major issue. Whether or not one agrees if we should be there or not is irrelevant. The fact is we’re there, and it’s now time for us to choose who we want to take control of this increasingly deteriorating situation. President Bush sees foreign policy as a black and white issue. It’s us vs. them or good vs. evil. You can’t classify the world in these categories, and you certainly can’t attack other countries just because they fit in the “evil” category. If that were the case, we should invade about 35 countries. However, for reasons still unclear (weapons of mass destruction, to liberate the Iraqi people, or to fight terrorism. . .talk about flip-flopping) we chose to invade Iraq over other more dangerous countries such as Iran and North Korea. Germany. Maybe he had visions of rose petals and confetti being thrown while words of praise were filling the air. Instead, our military is facing gunfire and grenades rather than rose petals and confetti and words of hate instead of praise. The Iraqi people are unwilling to fully trust us. And why should they? When we took down Saddam, widespread looting broke out. Guess what the only building the Americans guarded was? The oil headquarters. Homes and businesses were destroyed, not to mention priceless artifacts from a museum were stolen. I don’t know about you, but if was an Iraqi citizen, I’d be angry. I would see our protection of the oil headquarters as a gesture of self interest. I wouldn’t think the Americans were here to help us when they let the city be pillaged while they protected their precious oil. Last week, Paul Bremer stated that he believed the number of troops in Iraq were insufficient to keep the peace. He charged that the allowing of wide spread looting and disorder resulted in a loss of control for American forces. A loss we are still feeling today. Not only were the numbers of American troops insufficient, but their conditions were as well. Many troops did not have the proper equipment to protect them in battle. Parents of some soldiers had to order very expensive body armor off the internet and ship it to their son or daughter. Some of you may be wondering why Sen. Kerry voted against the $87 billion bill that would give our troops the support they needed. Here’s the answer. As Sen. Edwards mentioned during his debate, Sen. Kerry was protesting the fact that these troops were sent into war without the proper equipment in the first place. Also, Sen. Kerry did not agree with the section of the bill that allotted $7 billion dollars to Haliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney’s former company that has received very nice benefits thanks to the war. The Bush administration has refused to accept reality when it comes to Iraq. Despite the violence we see on our TV’s every night, they have nothing but words of optimism to feed the public. More than 1,000 Americans have been killed in Iraq and the number continues to grow each day. Contrary to what the president wants you to believe, levels of violence have increased. More soldiers were killed in July than June, more in August than July and more in September than August. That is not progress. John Kerry has a plan to turn this war around. According to www.johnkerry.com, one step will be to increase international involvement. George Bush has repeatedly offended many of our allies over the past four years, and John Kerry intends on mending these strained relationships. Another step is to rapidly and effectively train Iraqi forces. Peace in Iraq is not possible as long as America is seen as the commanding force. Last year, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld claimed that 210,000 Iraqis were in uniform. He later “revised” this estimate and stated that only 95,000 were actually in uniform. This is still On the right: We need to ‘stay the course’ By James Mikulec Contributing writer In March 2003, President George W. Bush made the decision to go to war in Iraq based on the best intelligence that American and foreign intelligence agencies could offer. The President made this decision because he perceived an imminent threat from Saddam Hussein and his almost universally acknowledged weapons of mass destruction program. The president made a good faith effort to gain approval from the United Nations Security Council, but when it became clear that that body was unwilling to enforce all of the resolutions that it had previously drafted promising strict enforcement of anti-proliferation efforts ligence Estimate concerning Iraq prepared by the CIA). Likewise, the president also had the intelligence services of both Great Britain and Russia, probably the largest and most respected outside of the U.S., telling him the same thing: that Saddam did indeed possess weapons of mass destruction and could give them to terrorists if he so chose. The President chose to act on this credible information. This has caused Sens. Kerry and Edwards and other liberals to accuse President Bush of lying to the American people about Iraq. What such critics fail to realize about the president’s actions in Iraq is the fundamental difference between consciously attempting to deceive America and acting on poor information. It was Sen. Kerry, after all, who said after his vote authorizing the war, “If you don’t believe that Saddam Hussein is a threat with nuclear weapons, then you shouldn’t vote for me.” Sen. Kerry, as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, saw the same evidence as President Bush and came to the same conclusion: Saddam was a threat to the U.S. This is why Senator Kerry voted for the resolution authorizing the President to go to war in Iraq. When the Democratic primaries rolled around and being pro-war became unpopular, Sen. Kerry then voted against funding our troops justifying this in classic fashion by saying that he “actually did vote for the $87 billion, before [he] voted against it.” On Aug. 9, 2004, Kerry then said that even knowing that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, he still would have voted to go to war there. On Sept. 15, Kerry then altered his stance, again saying that he would not have favored going to war knowing that there is no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. This is only a sampling of Sen. Kerry’s many positions on Iraq, but I’m sure that everyone gets the idea: the only thing consistent about Sen. Kerry’s position on the war in Iraq is that it is inconsistent, as President Bush pointed out in the first debate. One thing that Kerry does seem consistent on is that he does not believe that the U.S. had international support for the war. Sen. Kerry has repeatedly called the more than 30 nations in Iraq the “Coalition of the Coerced and the Bribed.” What kind of message does that send to our allies in Iraq such as Great Britain, Poland and Italy? Furthermore, Sen. Kerry went out of his way to criticize Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi for placing an artificially positive spin on the current situation in Iraq only minutes after Allawi spoke before the U.S. Congress to thank them for America’s sacrifice. Sen. Kerry has said throughout the campaign that if elected, he will build a true coalition in Iraq. “ Sen. Kerry saw the same intelligence as President Bush. “ President Bush sees foreign policy as a black and white issue. The major point that Sen. Kerry centers his argument on is the fact that the president did not have a plan to win and protect the peace. The president’s own father wrote about this difficult task in his book. The reason he did not enter Baghdad during the Gulf War was because he did not have a plan to achieve and protect the peace. So instead he used good judgement and liberated Kuwait without taking over Iraq. Now, I admit that the actual occupation of Iraq was accomplished very well. I didn’t expect anything less out of our military. But the United States was naive. The president prematurely announced, during a tacky public relations stunt, that the mission was accomplished. Now it’s hard for any American, liberal or conservative, to look back on that moment and keep a straight face. It is now abundantly clear that the mission is far from being accomplished. Perhaps the president thought the people of Iraq would react similarly to the people of France when we liberated them from ” an over-estimate. It has been shown that only 5,000 Iraqis have been completely and successfully trained. There are 32,000 Iraqi police officers are in uniform, but not one of them have completed the entire training program. This is completely unacceptable. How are we supposed to reduce our role in Iraq when their own people aren’t being trained efficiently and properly? There is no quick fix for the war in Iraq. It is going to take years to get everything under some sort of control. Support for the war is dying. According to CNN, only 44 percent now think that war was the right decision. As support dwindles and our involvement continues without a near end in sight, we are faced with a situation that parallels Vietnam. Judging by the poor statistics and the levels of violence, the Bush administration has proven to be ineffective in Iraq. It is time for a new leader with new ideas to fix this problem. in Iraq, the United States and those countries willing to assist, more than 30 besides the United States and the United Kingdom, decided that the time for action had arrived. I would contend that the war cannot be entirely condemned or praised with the luxury of 20-20 hindsight now at our disposal. Barring some unforeseen find in the future, it is now clear that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction in the quantities originally thought (I hesitate to say that Saddam had no weapons, because small amounts of sarin and mustard gas have been used against our troops as improvised explosive devices since the beginning of the conflict). Placing ourselves in the mindset of March 2003, however, one has an entirely different viewpoint. First, the president had the U.S. intelligence community telling him that Saddam had a significant weapons of mass destruction program (I would recommend that anyone who has not done so read the most recent pre-war National Intel- My question to the Senator is what nation is going to send troops to Iraq that does not already have them there now if Kerry is elected? The French and the Germans have both said that they will not send troops, no matter who wins the election. This is especially troubling because as recent revelations have shown, one of the major reasons that nations like France and Russia, as well as the UN itself, did not favor war in Iraq was because it appears that they were receiving bribes from Saddam’s regime through the UN Oil-For-Food Program. The choice between president Bush and Senator Kerry is clear on the issue of Iraq. President Bush perceived a threat to the United States and he attacked that problem head-on to prevent attacks by terrorists potentially armed with Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Sen. Kerry, on the other hand, has held no firm position on the issue and has favored or opposed the war on numerous occasions throughout the campaign depending on which position was more politically advantageous at the time. Some consider the war in Iraq to be a mistake. I would contend a war that has brought a brutal dictator who killed hundreds of thousands of his own people to justice, given millions of people a chance at freedom, ensured that Saddam Hussein could never revitalize his weapons of mass destruction program again and created an experiment in democracy in the Middle East is far from a mistaken endeavor. ” The MERCIAD Editor-in-Chief [email protected] News Editor [email protected] Features Editor [email protected] Opinion Editor [email protected] Sports Editor [email protected] A&E Editor [email protected] Photo Editor [email protected] Production Editor [email protected] Advertising Manager [email protected] Copy Editor [email protected] Kelly Rose Duttine Jonelle Davis Jen Helbig Allison Moore Ryan Palm Meghan Sullivan Katie McAdams Melissa Jack Kristen Piquette Sarah Dowden The Merciad is the student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst College. It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of midterms week and finals week. Our office is in the Hirt Center, room L114. Our telephone number is 824-2376. The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the letters for content, we reserve the right to trim letters to fit. Letters are due the Thursday before publication and may not be longer than 300 words. Submit letters to box PH 485. KRT editorial cartoon PAGE 9 THE MERCIAD October 13, 2004 ENTERTAINMENT OCT. 15. Barry Manilow. Gund Arena, Cleveland. OCT. 15. Ministry, Life the Thrill Kill Kult, Hansel und Gretyl. Mr. Small’s, Pittsburgh. OCT. 16. LL Cool J. Agora Theatre, Cleveland. OCT. 17. Third Day, Toby Mac. A.J. Palumbo Center, Pittsburgh. OCT. 17. Tragically Hip, Sam Roberts. Rock Club, Pittsburgh. OCT. 19. Dolly Parton. Gund Arena, Cleveland. OCT. 19. Toby Lightman, Ben Arthur. Odeon, Cleveland. OCT. 21. Musical. “The Full Monty.” Warner Theatre, Erie. $49.50, $39.50, $29.50. On sale now at Tullio Arena box office, Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 452-4857 or 456-7070. OCT. 22. Carrot Top. Warner Theatre, Erie. $28.50, $23.50. On sale at Tullio Arena box office, Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 452-4857 or 456-7070, online at www. ticketmaster.com. OCT. 23. Nintendo Fusion Tour with Story of the Year, Lost Prophets, My Chemical Romance. Ice Garden, Pittsburgh. OCT. 24. Australian Pink Floyd Show. Canton Memorial Civic Center, Canton, Ohio. OCT. 25. Vanessa Carlton. Odeon, Cleveland. OCT. 27. R.E.M. E.J. Thomas Hall, Akron. OCT. 27. Switchfoot, Format, Honorary Title. Agora Theater, Cleveland. OCT. 28. KMFDM. Mr. Small’s Theatre, Millvale. OCT. 29. Godsmack (acoustic). Akron Civic Theater, Akron, Ohio. OCT. 30. Sarah Brightman. Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh. NOV. 3, 4. “Stomp.” Warner Theatre, Erie. On sale at Tullio Arena box office, Ticketmaster outlets. NOV. 6. KMFDM. Odeon, Cleveland. NOV. 7. Jethro Tull. Warner Theatre, Erie. $43.50, $37.50. On sale now at Ticketmaster. NOV. 11. Jimmy Eat World, Razorlight. Rock Club, Pittsburgh. NOV. 11-28. “Radio City Music Hall Christmas Special with the Rockettes.” Shea’s Theater, Buffalo. NOV. 14. Something Corporate. Steele Hall, Fredonia State University, Fredonia, N.Y. NOV. 16. Papa Roach. Odeon, Cleveland. . NOV. 17. Newsboys. Warner Theatre, Erie. $29.50. On sale now at Tullio Arena box office. NOV. 20. Comedy. Ron White. War ner Theatre, Cleveland. $33.75. On sale at Tullio Arena box office, Ticketmaster outlets. How far would you go to save your own life? Prepare yourself for a gutwrenching trip into the heart of terror with “SAW.” Lions Gate Films’ gripping horror film starring Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter and Leigh Whannell. Obsessed with teaching his victims the value of life, a deranged, sadistic serial killer is abducting morally wayward people and forcing them to play macabre games for their own survival. Faced with impossible choices, each victim must struggle to win back his/her life, or else die trying… A young man named Adam (Leigh Whannell) wakes to find himself chained to a rusty pipe inside a decrepit subterranean chamber. Chained to the opposite side of the room is another bewildered captive, Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes). Between them is a dead man lying in a pool of blood, holding a .38 in his hand. Neither man knows why he has been abducted, but instructions left on a microcassette order Dr. Gordon to kill Adam within eight ARTS & To contact: [email protected] tHe Sneak preview of horror movie ‘Saw’ at the PAC BuZz Photo courtesy of Great Lakes Film Festival Photo from soon to be released horror film “SAW”. psychopathic genius known only as “Jigsaw.” With only a few hours left to spare, they must unravel the elaborate puzzle of their fate in the midst of mounting terror. The killer has provided them with only a few clues and two handsaws - too weak to break their steel shackles, but strong enough to cut through flesh and bone… Director James Wan creates a chilling landscape of dread where nothing is quite as it seems. An edge-of-your-seat ride bristling with emotional intensity, “SAW” will keep you guessing until the very end. The Great Lakes Film Association in conjunction with the Eerie Horror Festival is proud to announce the exclusive North East United States Premiere of the Lion’s Gate film “SAW.” This terrifying new horror film will be premiering Saturday, Oct 16 at 9 p.m. in the PAC two weeks before its national release on Oct 29. Tickets are $5.00 available at the door. Information provided by the Great Lakes Film Festival hours. If he fails to do so, then both men will die; Dr. Gordon’s wife, Alison (Monica Potter), and his daughter will also be killed. Recalling a recent murder investigation by a police detective named Tapp (Danny Glover), Dr. Gordon realizes he and Adam are the next victims of a Original ‘Star Wars’ saga released on DVD Set includes most comprehensive ‘Star Wars’ documentary, ‘Empire of Dreams’ By Meghan Sullivan Arts & Entertainment editor Even 30 years after it came out, “Star Wars” is still thrilling its loyal fans. The trilogy, keeping up with the times, just came out on DVD. Included with the set is a fourth disc that contains trailers, TV spots and the “Star Wars” documentary “Empire of Dreams.” The documentary contains a play-by-play of the creation of the arguably most popular trilogy of all time told from George Lucas’ point of view. Lucas discusses his film beginnings with “American Graffiti” and his struggles to stay afloat. He fought to stay independent from the high powered movie studios and in the process he accidentally built the Lucas EmConceptual sketch of Darth Vader. pire. “Empire of Dreams” brings viewers through the tedious featured in “American Graffiti.” to give her a slimmer appearcasting process that Lucas went Also, in the documentary you ance. through. learn how Carrie Fisher, who “Empire of Dreams” goes It reveals intriguing facts, such played Princess Leia, was sent through the creative process with as why Lucas was set against to a “fat camp” as she called it Lucas and those who worked using Harrison Ford for Han before filming began. Even after with him in “Star Wars’” creSolo. He originally wanted an the process began Fisher was ation. unknown and Harrison had been taped down inside her costume The film shows alternative conThe documentary discusses how Lucas Films Inc. had to basically reinvent the way they would film these films to fit Lucas’ vision. The only way the film could portray the battling Tie-fighters, futuristic vessels and dueling light sabers was to revolutionize the way they created special effects. When the first film in the series, “A New Hope,” was released on May 20, 1977, it was only shown in 37 theaters. Most theaters refused to carry it because of the foreseen failure. The smashing success of Lucas’ vision proved Universal Studios and all doubters wrong as we are still marveling at it today. This is the most comprehensive feature-length documentary on “Star Wars” made yet. The cultural phenomenon of “Star Wars” still reaches people today with its space battling adventures, its mystifying encounters with the Jedi force and its heartfelt good versus evil plot story lead by our hero Luke Skywalker. The “Star Wars” saga on DVD is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX and is on sale now! Photo courtesy of LucasFilms. ceptual sketches of well-known characters made before it was filmed. You even get to hear Darth Vader being played by David Prowse with his Scottish accent before his voice was dubbed over by James Earl Jones. Christopher Reeve dead at age 52 By Bill Hutchinson Knight Ridder Newspapers “Superman” actor Christopher Reeve, who became a forceful advocate for spinal-cord research after being paralyzed in a 1995 equestrian accident, died suddenly Sunday, a family spokesman said. The 52-year-old Reeve, who had vowed to one day walk again, was rushed to a Westchester, N.Y., hospital Saturday after going into cardiac arrest at his home in Bedford. Reeve fell into a coma and never recovered, said Wesley Combs, his publicist. Combs said Reeve had been treated in recent days for a pressure wound that became “severely infected.” “On behalf of my entire family, I want to thank Northern Westchester Hospital for the excellent care they provided to my husband,” Reeve’s wife, Dana, said in a statement early Monday morning. “I also want to thank his personal staff of nurses and aides, as well as the millions of fans from around the world who have supported and loved my husband over the years.” Despite the near-fatal accident, Reeve never gave up hope that he would walk again. “I still think I will,” Reeve told Barbara Walters last year in a interview on ABC’s “20/20.” “I’m not sure when it’s going to happen.” Reeve, who spent about $400,000 a year on health care, stunned the nation in 2002 when he announced he could move the fingers on his left hand and the toes on his feet. He said he had been able to restart his motor skills with a form of therapy that used a combination of electrical muscle stimulation and repetitive motion exercises. Despite Reeve’s amazing progress, he still had to cope with life-threatening bouts with infections. Last month, Reeve revealed in a Reader’s Digest interview that he fought off three dangerous infections this year. “The most recent was a blood infection caused by an abrasion on my left hip that I probably picked up one day when I was on the exercise bike,” Reeve said in the interview. “It seemed benign but developed into strep. Then a lot of major organs shut down. We’re trying to figure out what’s going on.” With a square jaw and handsome looks, Reeve got his first show business break in 1976 when he played opposite Katharine Hepburn on Broadway in “A Matter of Gravity.” He became a big-screen star in 1978 when he was casts as the Man of Steel in “Superman.” But on May 28, 1995, Reeve was competing in a horse jumping competition in Culpepper, Va., when he was thrown from his steed. The top two vertebrae of his neck were broken. In his 1998 memoir “Still Me,” Reeve recounted how his own mother, Barbara, gave up hope. Reeve is survived by his wife, Dana, and their son, Will, 12. He also is survived by his parents, Franklin Reeve and Barbara Johnson, and by two children from a previous relationship, Matthew, 25, and Alexandra, 21. October 13, 2004 THE MERCIAD PAGE 10 ENTERTAINMENT By Jennifer Camodeca Contributing writer Many would be intimidated looking into an audience of 225 people and singing for two hours. Fortunately for the Erie community and Mercyhurst students, Paul Groves is clearly not one of these people. On Sunday, Groves performed a recital for a nearly full house in the Walker Recital Hall at 2:30 p.m. Paul Groves is a well-known tenor throughout Europe and North America. In 1995, Groves received the Richard Tucker Foundation award, which has enabled him to pursue an internationally acclaimed career. A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Young Artists Development program, Groves came to national attention as a winner of the Met’s National Council Auditions in 1991. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1992 as the Steuermann in “Der fliegande Holländer”. He debuted at La Scala in 1996 as Tamino in the opening night performance of “Die Zauberflöte”. He has returned in several other leading roles. Groves has also performed at Cleveland’s Severance Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Teatro alla Scala and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and other prestigious theatres. Groves begins the season with a debut at the Los Angeles Opera. He then travels throughout Germany, performs with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, performs the title role in “Candide” and, lastly, a recital at the Théatre de la Monnaie in Brussels. Every vocalist needs a great accompanist, one who can follow their lead and make the perfect synchronization of the two appear effortless. Pedja Muzijevic ARTS & To contact: [email protected] Tenor Paul Groves brought students to their feet is touring worldwide for the White Oak Dance Project with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Although the Walker Recital Hall may be smaller than what Groves and Muzijevic are accustomed to, the recital was very intimate and the mood was lighthearted. Groves was even cracking jokes at himself, his newly dyed hair (for an operatic role) and even a typo in the program. He was personable, which made the audience enjoy the performance that much more. The hall was simple, yet elegant, with a baby grand piano, some greenery and the two men in their classic attire tuxedos. The songs ranged from very emotional, heartfelt and sad to happy and silly so that made the audience laughed aloud, something one would not expect to be doing in a voice recital. One of the more well-received selections and a favorite of Groves was “Die Lorelei” by Franz Liszt. This is “one of the best songs… like little scenes of themselves, almost like a five minute opera…without the clothes and makeup and hair,” said Groves. Other songs sang by Groves were those by Sergei Rachmaninov, Benjamin Britten and Gabriel Fauré. The concert concluded with a standing ovation and an encoreperformance by the musicians. After Sunday’s performance Groves stayed to give a master class to the Mercyhurst voice department. The class included student performances followed by critiques and helpful professional advice from the Metropolitan tenor. Groves’ performances have been recorded on DVD by Naxos Records, SONY Classics and EMI Classics. Muzijevic’s recording of works is available on the Helicon label, Kleos Classics and Cala Records. Photo courtesy of Performing Arts Center Tenor Paul Groves performed at Mercyhurst on Oct 9 is such a pianist for Groves. The Bosnian-born artist has toured extensively throughout eastern and western Europe, Great Britain, Canada, the United States, South America and Asia. Muzijevic made his New York debut in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall after receiving the Wil- liam Petschek award, a coveted award given by Julliard. He has received many honors including top prize in the Busoni International Piano Competition and a finalist diploma in the Naumburg International Piano Competition. Another great accomplishment Movie Plot ‘Forgotten’ doesn’t leave you wanting Moore New Julianne Moore film ‘The Forgotten’ leaves something to be desired By Matt Rendulic Contributing writer Remember the B-rated horror movies of the 70’s and 80’s? I loved these movies because the plots were always a little campy, the acting was either overly done or just plain atrocious and the special effects were only as good as something that my friends and I could replicate at home. I loved B-rated horror flicks because they were in a genre of their own, made to entertain, slightly spook and to tell us that maybe vampires are our next door neighbors. Or that perhaps aliens are watching us and interacting with us by selling us hot dogs made from human flesh. How I love those days. I fear, my friends, that there days have passed us. Now writers and directors that would feel comfortable in the B-rated genre have somehow propelled themselves to the Hollywood scene and are trying to fit it. Recently I saw the movie “Forgotten” and I reassured of my aforementioned fear. The plot starts out with a mourning mother who has obviously just lost her child. We are later informed that her child was one of many who passed away from a plane accident on his way to summer camp. Because of her mourning the mother then goes to therapy where Gary Sinise is the cunning psychotherapist and also probably the best paid actor in the crowd. However, if he got more than I get for playing organ at weddings then Sony got screwed. Eventually, the plot twists and turns to try and convince the audience that Telly, the mother played by Julianne Moore, suffers from a form of post dramatic stress disorder that has convinced her she had a son when in reality her child was stillborn. After her mental illness is explained, which taking longer than the Israelites were in the desert, she runs away from her husband into the arms of a studly but drunken ex-hockey player named Ash Correll played by Dominic West. After staying in Ash’s house for the night she tears apart his house and convinces him that he has a daughter because coincidently underneath all of his wallpaper is artwork obviously done by a child. By this time in the movie my eyes were tired from rolling that I contemplated plucking them out. The rest of the movie went on to explain that aliens were responsible for this whole weird circumstance of these children’s kidnappings and, oh yeah, the government helped. I knew there was reason behind the Patriot Act other than 9/11! Why would aliens kidnap earthling children? To eat them? To procreate with them and make nephelim (if you don’t get this read Genesis 6:1-4) and perhaps cause another worldwide deluge? Nope, these aliens were here to simply test the bond of maternal love. What kind of crackpot aliens care about the bond of maternal love? What else do these aliens do all day? Watch the Hallmark channel and read “Fried-Green Tomatoes?” Perhaps bake Mars Muffins? These aliens should spend more time watching real B-rated horror movies and realize that their task in the universe is to take over earth and eat humans! Why can’t they understand this function of aliens now in Tinsel Town? Ray Bradbury set it up over 40 years ago! The only positive comment I have to say about this movie is the special effects were awesome. When one of the policemen was abducted it reminded me of the scene in “Twister” where the cow was floating in the center of the tornado. But, perhaps these really well done computer effects took away from the dumb plot. I think I would have much rather seen a pre-”Lord of the Rings” Peter Jackson direct these and perhaps just a vacuum hose sucking up and obviously plastic figurine. If you think that I have ruined this movie for you before you had a chance to see it, go ahead and see it. Let this movie ruin itself for you. I suggest staying home and reading a book or playing guitar too loud and getting written up by your RA. I give this movie two amputated thumbs rolling across my table and five punches in the gut by producer Joe Rother so then he will give me my eight bucks back. This week in reality: dramatic developments on ‘Real World’ By Amy Ruminski Contributing writer Welcome back TV junkies for an update on all of your favorite reality television shows. Things, like always, are heating up and, in some cases, cooling down. On “The Real World” Karamo is obviously still having problems with the fact that MJ didn’t have Karamo’s back when the cops came and searched him. But Landon and MJ are receiving similar treatment like the kind Karamo got that night at the club. Random civilians of Philadelphia yell to MJ and Landon cruel things, like “you suck!”, as well as throw chairs and CDs at them. The group gets their job assignment, which is working for the Philadelphia Soul Arena Football team, as well as working within the community and with kids. Their second trip to the arena is when they meet Bon Jovi, who informs them they will help build a play ground in the city. The gang is notably excited about meeting the famous rock star. Later on, after a couple of drinks and a night out, Karamo and MJ patch things up and opt to let the future see how they are. Watch MTV on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. to find out what new dramas develop. Things just keep getting more shocking and intense on “The Bachelor.” All the girls, as well as Byron, are surprised when two former contestants from previous seasons are now added to the mix. Heather and Mary accompany Byron on his mystery date, which all the women in the house obviously are not thrilled about. Heather and Mary feel very out of place, and they don’t hide it when they stick to themselves all of the time. When the Rose Ceremony comes, Byron is able to give out eight roses. He makes it clear to the ladies before he hands out the roses to only accept the rose if the recipient feels she is looking for the same thing as Byron. He chooses Andrea, Jayne, Elizabeth, Cheresse, Tanya, Mary, Cyndi and Krysta. Fortunately, all of the chosen ladies graciously accept the roses, and the show will continue to unfold who Byron’s lucky lady will be narrowed down to next Wednesday at 9 p.m. on ABC. On “Survivor: Vanuatu” (CBS, Thursdays @ 9:00 p.m.), a different approach is being taken in the Lopevi tribe. A strong alliance is formed with the older members, and every week they continue to vote off younger members. Last episode’s victim was Brady Finta, who failed in attempting to put a dent in the five-man alliance that was formed at the very beginning. Over in the Yasur tribe, trust was broken when Lisa Keiffer broke her alliance by voting out Mia Galeotalanza. After getting assaulted from the alliance of young women, she tries to defend herself by placing the blame on someone else and pointing out the dishonesty of another. On reality television, drastic times call for drastic and immature measures so keep watching! ‘You Can’t Take It With You!’ premieres in Taylor Oct 21 By Meghan Sullivan Arts and Entertainment Editor Oct 21 will hopefully be the beginning of a dramatic tradition at Mercyhurst. The Pulizter prize winning drama “You can’t take it with you!” is directed by Michael Weiss, owner of the Directors Circle Theater. In this story all the trouble begins when Alice Sycamore (played by freshman Natalie Vindivich) falls in love with Tony Kirby (played by sophmore Eric Everts). Conflict arises when Tony brings his rich, stuffy family over for dinner at Alice’s on the wrong night. Appalled by the cheap food they are served the Kirby’s make it clear to Alice that she won’t be marrying Tony any time soon. The entertaining antics of Alices zany family will keep you laughing. These would include Grandpa (played by Dan Druyn) and his interview with an I.R.S. tax collector when he explains that he doesn’t believe in the income tax and will never pay it. “You can’t take it with you!” has been playing somewhere continuously since it opened in 1936. This classic play’s cast includes 14 Mercyhurst students out of a cast of 18. The show isn’t limited to just college students as Erie residents Shirleen Moffett who plays Reba and Scott Frisina who plays the Russian ballet teacher are also included in the cast. Weiss said that “at best this production would take six weeks to come together.” This producation is being put together in an astonishing four by this lively cast. The cast is very excited for the show to open but isn’t rushing anything. They are having a great time in the process! “Backstage is a blast! He [Weiss] doesn’t even know half of the fun we have!” say Everts as he laughs with his fellow co-stars Vindivich and freshman Abbey Rowe who plays Penny. The Mercyhurst student actors are “very lively” says Pruyn. “Their young minds astonish me! They capture things so much faster.” When asked about any rocky points along the way during this production shouts from the cast answered “Act II!.” Everyone is now off book and they are carefully working out all the kinks to have a great opening night. Over 50 talented people auditioned for “You Can’t Take It With You!” at the cattle call auditions early this year. In result of that, Weiss was faced with many difficult choices as far as casting. Weiss is hoping to work with the spring drama production as they perform “Steel Magnolias.” They will have open auditions for this that will be announced at a later time. “You Can’t Take It With You!” will run from Oct 21 through Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. in Taylor Little Theater. House for Rent 4209 Briggs Ave. 3 Bedroom 2 Bath Unfurnished 1 Car Garage Deck Central Air Call Trevor Thompson at 456-6502 to inquire about the price. October 13, 2004 THE MERCIAD Page 11 To contact: [email protected] SPORTS later with her first goal of the season. But just 35 seconds later, the Beavers answered back with the equalizer by Kate Robinson. Marchese scored the eventual game-winner just over halfway through the third period shorthanded, with assists to Bonello and freshman Kristen Erickson. “This weekend was a learning experience,” said Bonello. “We picked it up late in the first game and into the second game and got the win.” Senior Sarah McDonald closed out the scoring with an empty net goal with 13 seconds left. She was slashed from behind by a defender, but the goal was awarded by the judges since McDonald was in the open. Clark, who stopped 28 shots, got her first win of the season and the 48th of her career. The Mercyhurst Lakers will host College Hockey America (CHA) rival Quinnipiac next Saturday and Sunday at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. LAKER Women’s hockey splits first series By Eric Meacham Contributing writer The high expectations for the Lady Lakers didn’t start off the way that they were expected to. Mercyhurst came into the opening weekend ranked eighth in Division I and looking unstoppable against the visiting Bemidji State Beavers. But Beavers goaltender Jill Luebke had her own ideas: shutting down the Lakers. That she did, beating Mercyhurst for the first time ever, snapping the Beavers five game losing streak. On Saturday, Bemidji State jumped on the Lakers in the first period when former Mercyhurst player Aimee Collins lit the lamp on the power play, on a rebound chance given up by Lakers goaltender Desi Clark. The second period saw chances for both teams, but no goals were put on the board. The Beavers added the eventual game-winner halfway through the third period, when sophomore Kelly Hart beat Clark from just above the right face-off circle. The Lakers tried to start the comeback by adding a goal in the last minute on the power play. Sophomore defender Michelle Bonello scored on the pass from Teresa Marchese to cut the lead in half. But the comeback would come up short, leaving the Lakers on the losing end. The team lost despite out shooting Bemidji State 47-14. “I think that we just were playing like it was our first game, which it was,” said senior Danielle Lansing. “But the last five minutes when we started to comeback and showed what we are able to do.” On Sunday the Lakers were out looking to even their record and the score with the visiting Beavers. Bemidji put up another challenge, scoring the lone first pe- Katie McAdams/Photo editor The women’s hockey team began play this past weeked when they hosted Bemidji State. riod goal late in the first period by Hart. The Lakers tied it up early in the second period on a power play goal by sophomore Julia Colizza with assists given to sophomores Ashley Pendleton and Jackie Jarrell. “It was our first game and came out a little flat,” Jarrell said. “But we got the win in the second game and hopefully we can carry this into games to come.” Jarrell put the Lakers ahead on an unassisted goal six minutes Women’s rowing honored as they begin season By Paul Coffey Contributing writer The Mercyhurst rowing team opened the fall season this weekend at the Capital Invitational Regatta in Rochester, N.Y. The event consisted of a 3.1mile time trial in the morning, followed by a 1500-meter sprint in the afternoon. The time from the afternoon race is multiplied by three and added to the morning time to calculate the final result. In the men’s varsity eight, the Lakers finished eleventh overall after the morning session and advanced up to tenth with a strong showing in the afternoon sprint. Mercyhurst finished 10th out of 24 teams with a total time of 31:08.08. The 2004 National Champion Harvard University won the race with a time of 29:32.51. In the women’s division, the Lakers finished the morning time trial in tenth position, but slipped a place in the afternoon, finishing eleventh out of 24 teams with a time of 35:55.58. The overall champion was NCAA 2003 National Champion Harvard with 33:25.95. Last season the men’s lightweight eight was ranked for the first time ever in Division I. They were ranked 14th while being accompanied in the rankings by such prestigious programs as Harvard, Cornell, Yale, Princeton and Boston College. Last year the men also turned in their best season-long performance they have had in nearly 20 years. In the ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships, the men gave two outstanding performances, winning silver in the lightweight eight and four. Not since Al Belovarac coached Ian Hessel and Chris Spencer to the Gold medal in the men’s pair at Dad Vails in 1986 has the men’s program had such success. This past year the women rowers had quite a storybook season. The ladies won the woman’s rowing Division II National Championships on Sunday May 30, in sunny Sacramento, Calif. The Lakers, who were considered heavy underdogs, finished the three day event with 18 points, one more than Humboldt State University (CA). The team has received a couple honors of late, beginning with being honored at halftime of the homecoming football game on Sept. 25, where they recieved a standing ovation. In addition, this past week the college held a dinner to honor the women, where they were presented with plaques and polo shirts, as well as recognition from Dr. Garvey and several other members of the administration. Toward the end of the program head coach Adrian Spracklen presented the team with a highlight video which recapped their season and their run to Sacramento. The tribute gave the women a good reminder of what they accomplished, and it concluded with the words, “We’re not done yet.” Women’s soccer blanks Saginaw 5-0 By Justine Adams Contributing writer “Success is not a destination. It’s a journey.” The Mercyhurst women’s soccer team believes in that quote, and it helps give them the motivation and encouragement they need to finish strong this season. With a record of 7-4-1, the team is doing well, but in order to make it to playoffs, they need to remain focused and step it up against their competitors. The last time the women went to the playoffs was in 2001. They have been ready and waiting for this opportunity and are confident that they can make it happen in 2004. Out of 21 girls, the team has nine seniors. Nearly half of the team will be missing next year, so they all agree that if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen now. Next year could be difficult because they will have to rebuild the team with many new faces and people in key positions. Sophomore forward Lisa Casement and senior defender Julie Brickman feel that if the team stays focused and confident, they can go all the way. “The four losses we had were very close games,” said Casement. Each loss was only by one goal, and the last game against Ashland went into overtime. “Not to mention, three of those teams were nationally ranked,” added Brickman. Also, the team was dealing with some injuries at the beginning of the season, contributing to their losses. Now that the team is healthy, they are looking forward to a successful remaining season. The girls support and believe in one another, and that’s what keeps them going. They have a close bond, and work well together on the field. “I think we play so well together because we’re all friends,” said Casement. Inspiration and dedication are two outstanding qualities of this year’s women’s soccer team. If they can keep up the positive attitudes and support system, they should have no problems going to the playoffs. The team was in action this past weekend, as they hosted conference rival Saginaw Valley State for a match on Sunday, Oct. 10. Casement scored early on for the Lakers, but that would be all they would get in the first half. They took a 1-0 lead into the locker room, knowing that Saginaw, who was 3-0 in conference play at the time, would be looking to even it up. The Lakers came out with a vengeance, scoring four first half goals to take the contest 5-0. Freshman Kelly Olbach notched her third goal of the season early in the half and was soon followed by Casement’s second score of the day. Senior forward Chelsea Fernley would add another tally before senior Katie Dobson finished off the scoring with her first goal of the season. Sophomore Karen Eade continued her great play of late, notching her sixth shutout of the season. The next home game is Saturday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m., against Grand Valley State. There are seven games left on the schedule for the year, and eyes are still set towards the postseason. FREE SHOE RENTAL at EASTWAY LANES 4110 Buffalo Road 899-9855 Open Bowling Nightly Show your current local student I.D. and receive free shoe rental during our open bowling sessions. Open late Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday untill 2 pm Student Organizations Reserve your lanes today for your event. Qualified organizations may receive a discount. Water polo falls to Salem and Fordham By Paul Coffey Contributing writer The Mercyhurst men’s water polo team has been strong in the water as of late. On Saturday, Oct. 2, the Lakers improved to 2-3 with a 20-5 win over visiting Grove City. During the game, Brad Armstrong carried the team with five goals, while Trevor McIlwaine tallied four, Kyle Bogucki scored three, Kevin Riordan notched three, Kyle Wilson scored three, Pat Staab scored one and Chad Ward added one. These goals were assisted by Nicholas Arvanitis with five, Wilson with two, Riordan with one, McIlwaine with one, and Ward with one. Mercyhurst did well Sunday, Oct. 3, by defeating Washington and Jefferson, 9-7. The victory was Mercyhurst’s first ever over the Presidents in a dozen tries and brought the Lakers to the .500 level for the first time in program history. The win was also the third of the season for the team, the most wins ever in the three-plus seasons of the men’s program and gave the Lakers their first-ever two-game winning streak. On Friday, Oct. 8, the Lakers traveled to Queens, N.Y. for the Division II Eastern Championships. The Lakers matched up against the Tigers from Salem International and the match was decided by forfeit in favor of the Lakers. The Tigers came back to beat the Lakers the next day, by a final of 22-15. Two days later, the Lakers fell to Fordham in double overtime, 16-15. Fordham scored 1:18 into the second overtime to break a 15-15 tie and lead them to a tight win over Mercyhurst. With the loss, the team now stands at 5-5, with the second half of their season ahead of them. The team plays a pair of road games this weekend, as they travel to Grove City and Penn St. Behernd on Oct. 16-17. Bring this ad in and bowl 3 games for the price of 2 PAGE 12 THE MERCIAD October 13, 2004 SPORTS LAKER To contact: [email protected] Football upsets No. 13 Saginaw By Eric Meacham Contributing writer The Lakers decided to save their best all around game for their strongest opponent all year. And it took their best game to pull off the biggest upset in school history, beating Saginaw Valley 22-15. “We tried to keep Saginaw off balance as much as possible,” said coach Marty Schaetzle. “We executed the game plan pretty well, but there are still some things that we need to work on.” The Laker defense again lit the spark with an interception on the Saginaw’s first possession of the game. Junior Ben Bluemle picked off the pass, which was then turned into seven points on a 95-yard drive, capped off by a three-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Jeff Nowling to senior tight-end Jeff Thiel. The catch extended Thiel’s consecutive game streak with a catch to 37. The point after failed because of a bad snap, leaving the Lakers up 6-0. The score stayed that way until early in the second quarter when Mercyhurst sophomore kicker Phil Scanlon added three points on a 23-yard field goal. Both teams traded possessions back and forth, with Mercyhurst almost punching another one in the end zone. Nowling led the Lakers to deep in Cardinal territory, before getting picked off on a deflected pass close to the end zone. The score at the half was 9-0 in favor of the Lakers. Saginaw opened up the second half the way they started the game with another turnover. This time sophomore Neil Harris picked up a fumble near midfield, giving the Laker’s offense good field position. But the Lakers could not capitalize. Midway through the third quarter, senior tailback Justin Adams capped off a 10-play drive with a nine-yard touchdown. Saginaw threatened to break the shutout on the next possession, but Cardinals quarterback Mark Radlinski was intercepted by Bluemle in the end zone. The Cardinals finally got on the board with their first chance in the fourth quarter with a 22yard touchdown run by Saginaw’s Logan Barnhart. The two-point conversion attempt was successful, cutting the Lakers lead in half. But the Lakers defense not let this game slip away, coming up with yet another big interception by Harris. The offense backed up this turnover with a 36-yard touchdown pass from Nowling to junior wide reciever John Egbert. The point after was blocked. The Cardinals would hold Mercyhurst the rest of the game while they tried to make their comeback. Saginaw answered right back with another touchdown by Barnhart, cutting the Lakers lead Katie McAdams/ Photo editor Senior Ben Bluemle’s two interceptions on Saturday gave the Laker offense the second chance they needed. to just a touchdown. But that would be the closest they would get as the Lakers defense stepped up as senior William Shealey knocked down the Cardinals, last attempt with just under a minute to play. This marked the first time that the Lakers have beaten the Cardinals in seven meetings. Nowling finished this game with one of the best games of his career. throwing for 323 yards, while notching two touchdowns. “This is the biggest win in my short history with the program. We felt like we could have played better the last few weeks,” Nowling said. Mercyhurst will now head down to Division 1-AA Southeastern Louisiana State Saturday for a non-conference game, before heading back home for their last home game of the season against GLIAC foe Indianapolis. The game against SLSU presents a rare opportunity for the team to get out of the region, escaping the chilly weather of Erie and Michigan, where they usually travel, for the nice weather of New Orleans. The players are excited not only to make the trip, but to size up against a a highly ranked opponent. The Lions were nationally ranked earlier in the season before a couple of losses, but still will pose a challenge to Lakers. It also presents a chance to play in a large-sized stadium in front of about 10,000 screaming fans, another unique experience the team does not receive very often. Regardless of the outcome, it will be a well-appreciated experience for both coaches and players. Men’s and women’s golf conclude fall seasons By Amy Ruminski Contributing writer The men’s golf team spent a good deal of time preparing for a great challenge that they faced this past weekend. The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, which took place Oct. 9-10, was a tournament that the team had been looking forward to all season. The team had not really changed anything in the way they went about preparing for the tournament. They practiced as much as they could and worked on the minor things that needed attention. Senior Sal Vella said prior to the tournament, “We’re as ready as we can be. We’ve just been playing as much as we can.” He also seemed realistically optimistic about the weekend by stating, “If everyone has a good day, we’ll do well and have a chance at winning but if two of our five guys are off, it’ll be hard to win.” Although the men haven’t won a tournament yet this season, they have still taken several top fives, which are out of about 20 teams. They are always right up there with the best teams. After Saturday’s opening round of play in Coldwater, Mich., Mercyhurst was tied for fourth with Gannon, 13 shots behind first place Ferris State University. The team struggled on the final day of play, as they posted a team score of 328, which was considerably higher than their first two scores of 312 and 317. Overall, the Lakers stood ninth out of 13 teams, with a final score of 957, which was 93over par. Ferris State would hold on to finish as the winner of the Championship with a total of 917, which was 53-over par. The top individual player for Mercyhurst was Craig Bishop with a score of 73-78-80-231, tying him for ninth. The Lakers then had a group that finished in the middle of the pack, with Adam Layden finishing 32nd, Brendan Flood 33rd, Steven Barr 34th and Kyle Waddell 39th. Freshman Kyle Waddell is said to be the most consistent, always shooting low numbers as well as placing high in tournaments. Flood, a sophomore, is right up there as well, nipping at Kyle’s heels for the number one spot on the team. The team is now finished with conference play and will travel to Ohio to take on Lakeland Community College on Oct. 15. The women’s golf team had been busy as well, all the way up to the conclusion of their season. At the Gannon Invitational on Thursday, Sept. 23, Mercyhurst and Ashland tied for first place with scores of 347, but Mercyhurst won in the tie breaker, claiming the Invitational title. At the Mercyhurst Invitational, the Lakers finished in sixth place with scores of 352-353 for a total of 705. Hilary McCall tied for third individually with scores of 79-83 for 162. At the Midland Invitational, Mercyhurst finished fifth of the five teams, finishing with scores of 378-368 for a two-day total of 746. At the final tournament of the year for the Lady Lakers, they finished ninth at the Findlay Invitational. Although they stood in eighth place after the first round of play, a player was forced to withdraw. This left the Lakers one score short of being official. Hilary McCall placed well in all of the tournaments for the Lakers. She scored the lowest on the team individually, and carried the Lakers to place over other teams several times. With both teams’ seasons at an end, they were proud of themselves with the accomplishments they made, and they have another chance to work out the glitches in the spring season. The season begins in midMarch with the NCAA Regionals in Kentucky. Football program finally Women’s tennis looking getting respect that is due ahead to GLIAC tournament By Ryan Palm Sports editor Three years ago when football head coach Marty Schaetlze took over the team, there was not a whole lot of good coming out of the program in general. In his first year at the helm, they did not do much better, slumping to a 2-9 record. Although the record thus far this season may not seem to be of great improvement, there is much more to it than there appears. The team now stands at 3-4 and is on pace to at least match if not better last season’s record. More impressive than the record is how close the Lakers have been in almost every game. They opened the season with an overtime loss to Gannon, a game which many will admit should have went the other way. It would have been really easy to let up following the Gannon game, to lose the intensity, to consider the season to be heading downhill already. For a team to bounce back with such a win speaks volumes. COMMENTARY Following that week, the Lakers experienced a rough stretch, facing two very good teams in Michigan Tech and Northwood, both of whom are currently ranked in the top-15 in the country. Following those losses the Lakers were one drive away from making a loss to Ferris State a win, before falling by the final of 31-28. Once again, how easy it would be to put your head between your legs and just finish the ride hoping to not get hurt. Losing four of your first five games, why even try? Those guys didn’t quit. No one hung their heads. They came out the next week and played hard, did their jobs and left Ohio with a victory over Ashland. All week long you heard people giving them no hope, not giving Mercyhurst a chance to beat the all-mighty Saginaw Valley State. Tally up another one is the loss column people were saying. But those guys who play on Saturdays didn’t listen. They took it to the Cardinals, beating them in every facet of the game. The Laker defense came to play yet again and held the high scoring offense to only 15 points, a testament to the work players and coaches put in during preparations this past week. Guys stepped up to make plays, from guys on defense getting stops, to the guy making a catch. When you look at the record of 3-4, don’t look at it as they’ve lost more than they’ve won, realize that this program is steadily improving, working harder each and every day to get to the point where they want to be, at the top. This program has been frowned upon for the past few years, and it’s about time they get the respect it is due. Schaetzle and his staff have got the pieces, and it’s magical watching them come together. With three conference games remaining, there is no reason why this team can’t finish above .500, a mark which is amazing considering the record of 2-9 just a few seasons back. By Matt Jackson Contributing writer After wrapping up their GLIAC competition with a 7-3 record, the Mercyhurst women’s tennis team is set for the GLIAC Championship tournament in Midland, Mich. The Lakers, who are coming off a 5-4 victory over Wayne State, will enter the tournament as the fifth seed. Northwood (10-0), ranked twenty-third in the nation and regular season champs, will be the top seed with Ferris State right behind as the second seed with their 9-1 GLIAC record. Although these two teams are the apparent favorites, no team can be counted out in the tournament. Last season Mercyhurst finishd third in the tournament, its highest finish ever, and has the potential to match that finish this season. Mercyhurst has shown many signs of excellence in their fall season this year and hope to carry their momentum from three straight GLIAC victories into the postseason. Charity Siegmund, a freshman from Aiken, S.C., will help lead the Mercyhurst team to hopeful success in the tournament. Siegmund made her presence felt early in the season by defeating the fifteenth ranked player in the nation in the Northwood match. Siegmund will be in the number one spot for the Lakers and will also team up with Jamie Sutyak in second doubles. Natalie Paparella, second team all GLIAC last season, has played in the second spot for the Lakers all season and has also performed at a high level. Paparella went 7-3 in GLIAC play and finished six of her last seven contests on the plus side. Paparella has also played in #1 doubles, joining with team captain Joanna Olmstead to go 8-2 in GLIAC play. Christine Mersch and Jennifer Daly round out the Lakers starting six and also team up in doubles competition. Coach Ray Yost took over the women’s tennis program in 1994 and has improved the team drastically since then. Junior Natalie Paparella File Photo After finishing his first five of seven seasons with a losing record, Yost has led the Lakers to a winning record for the past three seasons. The Lakers 8-3 overall record this year implies that a fourth straight could be on the way. The Lakers will have two more non-conference matches to warm up for the postseason tournament, both against Division I opponents. On Friday, Oct. 16, Mercyhurst will travel to play Duquesne University and will return home the next day for a match against St. Bonaventure.