Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Merciad, Nov. 07, 2012
The Merciad, Nov. 07, 2012
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NEWS
Detchon said she hopes these talks will show the similarities that most faiths share, such as love and good moral values. These meetings are meant to be a place where students, faculty and staff can nd common ground in regard to religion and not feel as though they have to debate or defend themselves. The goal of these gatherings is to facilitate discussion and open dialogue about various religions. Through discussion, students can expect to increase their awareness of other religions by talking with those who practice different spiritual or religious beliefs. The rst of these events took place Sunday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. and featured Arabic instructor and Fulbright Scholar Habib Ben Messaoud, who discussed the basics of Islam and being a Muslim in America. Messaoud gave an overview of the Islamic faith and also discussed similarities between Islam and Christianity; Islam and its tolerance of other religions and gender equality in Islam. He made note of several examples of similarities between the Bible and the Quran, and how the two books call for the same thing. He also cited evidence in the Quran stating Islamic tolerance for other religions and the equality of men and women. Messaoud talked about his rst experience with meeting and working with Americans in his native country of Tunisia. After getting to know Americans, he said he was surprised how many things they had in common and how many values they shared, such as a love of freedom and a respect for human rights. This rst gathering of Peace Talks succeeded in facilitating discussion on the similarities between Islam and other religions, specically Christianity and Judaism. Many in attendance were able to increase their
November 7, 2012
Monday, Oct. 26 Larceny Post O ce Referred for discipline Thursday, Nov. 1 Liquor law violation East Main Drive Referred for discipline
Police Log
Saturday, Nov. 3 De ant trespass, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, public intoxication Lewis Avenue Criminal charges led
Contributed photo
Mercyhurst students Rachel Simeone, Kaleigh Hubert and Garret Verwer participated in the chemistry event at the Millcreek Mall.
dont think people going to the mall really want to learn chemistry as they shop, said junior biology major Heather Christensen. The community should be aware of ways that science can improve their way of living. One of the students who participated was 8-year-old Melanie. Science is my favorite thing about going to school, she said. When I grow up I want to be a science teacher. They should have science days more. This event, which has been going on in Erie for over 20 years, helps the community to stay current with emerging technologies. By discussing medicine, cars, computers, and sports, and even sun screen, the students were able to understand more about nanotechnology in their everyday lives. This years program was sponsored by the John Nesbit Rees and Sarah Henne Rees Charitable Foundation and the Erie chapter of the American Chemical Society and marked the 25th anniversary of National Chemistry Week.
Saturday, Nov. 3 Public intoxication Baldwin Hall State citation led Saturday, Nov. 3 Larceny Tullio Football Field Letter of trespass sent Sunday, Nov. 4 De ant trespass Lot #22 Criminal charges led
November 7, 2012
NEWS
Bob Woodward has been rescheduled to speak at Mercyhurst University on Wednesday, April 10, 2013. Those with tickets are asked to hold onto them for the event in April. If you cannot make it to the event on the new day, contact the Performing Arts Center Box Ofce at (814) 824-3000 so more people have the opportunity to attend the event.
News Briefs
Woodward event rescheduled Social Work Club collects shoes
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Department Chair David Grabelski, left, and IIS Executive Director James Breckenridge, Ph.D., were two of the faculty members recognized by the State Department. Assistant Professor Daniel Kuehl, Ph.D., not pictured, was also recognized.
and non-government agencies, including the FBI, DHS, Northrop Grumman and Booz Allen Hamilton. The State Department also said, In addition to their excellent qualications, it was determined that a tremendous cost savings would be gained by using Mercyhurst College for these projects as opposed to other vendors. Mercyhurst provided excellent Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and Instructional System Designers (ISDs). The management team at Mercyhurst was easy to work with and was always available to discuss and resolve any issues. They assisted with the coordination and logistics of all the pilot presentations which was a great benet to the U.S. Embassies. The award presentation was originally scheduled for Friday, Oct. 30, but due to the weather Hurricane Sandy brought to the East Coast, it will be rescheduled for a later date. This date is yet to be determined by administration.
Social Work Club is working with Coalition Pathways Inc./Lead and Seed Program to help raise awareness about alcohol abuse, drug abuse and drunk driving through the Within the Sole project. From Wednesday, Nov. 7, to Monday, Dec. 17, Social Work club will be collecting shoes to represent the deaths in Erie County that occur due to drug overdose. The shoes will be displayed for a period of time in a lobby on campus. Donation boxes can be found around campus. All shoe donations will be donated to agencies in Erie.
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Jacob Grifn wins rst Clubs bring Laker of the Month fun to winter
By Daniel Tarr
Staff writer
The very rst Laker of the Month is none other than junior Jacob Grifn, a forensic anthropology major from Danville, Iowa. Grifn broke an 8K school record with the mens cross country team and earned All-Conference honors during the past month of October. He also won the Robert Wesleyan Invitational. Grifn is the schools rst male All-Conference PSAC winner and organized this years Homecoming 5K. In addition to his athletic achievements, Grifn is also an exceptional student by maintaining a consistently high GPA in all of his classes. Grifn is very involved on campus. He is the vice-president of both the Ambassador Club and the Student Alumni Association. Grifn directly oversees the Ambassador Pledge process and brought in a record number of 100 Ambassador Pledges this year alone. The Ambassador Club is currently the largest RSCO on campus. I am extremely thankful for being nominated for Laker of the Month, said Grifn. I believe that being recognized by faculty and staff for hard work is better than any grade or award. When asked about what Grifn thinks about the new Laker of the Month award he said, I nd it really great and exciting that Mercyhurst students are being recognized for all of their hard work and dedication. College is about more than just going to class and getting an education. Its important to get involved and give back to your school. Some of the best memories are those you make being involved with clubs and organizations. Grifn is known to be an absolute pleasure to work with and is liked by his peers, professors, teammates and his colleagues. Congratulations Jacob and keep up the good work.
FEATURES
By Caitlin MacBride
Contributing writer
When the winter storms come to Erie, students nd ways to have fun in the snow. Ski Club and the Snowboard Crew, also known as McScrew. Ski Club goes to Peak N Peak on Tuesday nights and McScrew goes to Holiday Valley on Friday nights. You may think that skiers and snowboarders are rivals because you watched Johnny Tsunami too much as a child; but that is not the case. McScrew President Phil Theriault said, All students are welcomeit depends on what night is best for you. There are snowboarders on ski club and skiers on McScrew. Besides the different sports represented by each club, there is another difference. Teachers and faculty run Ski Club; while McScrew is primarily student run. Ironically, I am not a winter sports
buff. Ive been skiing once and it didnt work out very well. Each club is required to have an administrator as their adviser and the club has a great group of students that make it easy to work with, McScrew adviser Christian Beyer said. Still, dont let the involvement of teachers in the club scare you away.
Contributed photo
Contributed photo
November 7, 2012
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Mercyhurst Department of Music Professor Dr. Scott Meier stands at the podium in front of the Wind Ensemble. Meier eagerly describes the next piece the orchestra will perform.
Senior Caitlin Handerhan bonds with the giant duck art on the front lawn of the campus.
Online
www.merciad.mercyhurst. edu/arts_entertainment
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Mercyhurst alumna Lynn Dula, portrayed the haunting character of Madame Baba Flora in The Medium on Halloween. The students of Mercyhurst represented the university with ying colors.
one of my favorite songs on the album. The sound is cold and haunting with the use of the cello and violin combined with acoustic guitar and piano. This song speaks about being cold hearted but not understanding why you cannot love anyone or feel compassion for them. The last track that really stood out to me was, Through my Prayers. This track starts out with banjo and cello in a somber tone that can only be achieved by the blending of these two instruments. This song speaks of an experience that everyone faces in his or her life; the death of someone close to them and their inability to tell that person how you feel before they leave this earth. This album was rather satisfying in a homey kind of way. I would recommend it to anyone who likes folk or wants a good album for the upcoming winter; something to listen to as you watch the snow fall.
November 7, 2012
OPINION
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The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercyhurst University, the staff of The Merciad or the Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be emailed to opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.
Finals are again rapidly approaching. As the end of the term stress begins to take over students lives, at least there is a reading day to look forward to on Friday, Nov. 9.
Confusion abounds regarding the mailroom as students have indicated they are unhappy with their service. In response to last weeks opinion article on the subject, students have come forward sharing their negative experiences in dealing with the mailroom. There is a problem of perception at the very least.
The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst University. It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of finals weeks. Our office is in Hirt, Room 120B. Our telephone number is (814) 824-2376. The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be 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 Mondays by noon and may not be more than 300 words. Submit letters to box PH 485 or via email at opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.
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Sports
November 7, 2012
Alec Swartz (5) takes snaps in practice alongside senior tight end Ryan Bartizal (88)
Through a strong performance on every side of the ball, the Lakers fought as efciently as they have practiced all season. Putting together a complete game is something we have been striving to do this year, and I believe the win against Cal U is our closest game to that yet. Our offense made big plays when the opportunity was there. The defense was tough all game, not letting Cal U do anything offensively, and our
special teams was very good as well, Swartz said. Additionally, Brown-Dukes has 1,221 rushing yards, and is only a mere 93-yards away from breaking the Mercyhursts all-time freshman rushing record. The win against the Vulcans now puts the Lakers back at the beginning of a win streak, something they have shown to only expand upon this season. Team morale is very good after the win against California. Even though Gannon didnt beat IUP, which prevents us from playing for the PSAC Championship, the team is feeling good about the win. Cal U is a very good team and is know to be the team to beat, so everyone is pretty excited about it, Swartz said. With the win against the Vulcans, the Lakers have tied Western Division records with Indiana University of Pennsylvania, both with records of 6-1 in the conference. This tie results in both Mercyhurst University and IUP earning equal recognition to the PSAC Western Division title. The Lakers will be closing the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 10 against East Stroudsburgs Warriors at noon on Tullio Field.
because we are a D2 underdog playing the best D1 water polo teams on the east coast. It only drives us to play harder and have the will to win. Owen said. Laker football has also had a great season with its sixth game win streak and its solid record of 8-2 to add to the school wide success. Athletics at Mercyhurst have denitely raised its competitive edge since I was a freshman. Football won its rst PSAC championship, mens lacrosse won a national title and soccer won the PSAC championship this year. Its a great feeling being a part of the era of Mercyhurst athletics that has created a new level of expectations, said senior offensive lineman Tymothy Takacs. We want Mercyhurst to be at a level of competition where excellence is more than a goal, but rather an expectation. The success of Mercyhurst athletics has reached across many of the Division II teams and if it continues, should lead to an even better ranking next year.