The Green JacketMercyhurst UniversityAmbassadorsClub

Carpe Diem April 2012

In This Issue

“Like gold goes through the fire to shine, likewise overcoming difficulties

makes us greater”.

Sista’ on da hush!

Ambassador of the Year

“You’ve been a naughty, naughty Ambassador

this month”!

“Upon bringing them in there, however, we were

greeted with Justin Bieber’s famous ‘Baby baby baby’”.

Worst Tour Story Ever

Happy April Ambassadors! I have some sad sad news, our fearless advisor Char will be leaving us this month to follow her passion of walking the tightrope in the circus. We will miss her dearly and truly hope the best for her pursuing this really exciting career….APRIL FOOLS! Alright, enough joking around and on to the newsletter. We are so excited to present you all with the first Green Jacket from the new Public Relations and Advertising Committee. We have been working hard thinking-up all sorts of new ideas for the Green Jacket, and are really happy to hear any input that you all may have. We have added some new sections to the Green Jacket, and have even changed the way it looks and is delivered to you! One thing that is very different, is that from now on, the Ambassador of the month will be announced in the Green Jacket. This is just a fun and exciting way to announce the winner to the entire club. Of course the winner will be honored at our monthly Ambassador meeting as well. Another change that may take some of you by surprise is that we have eliminated the trivia section of the Green Jacket, but fear not, we have developed a series of other fun initiatives which will allow you all to win hours in the future! If you have not regularly read the Green Jacket in the past, we would really appreciate it if you took the time to check-out this new addition of the newsletter. Well that’s all from us, we hope you enjoy this month’s issue, and take advantage of the upcoming nice weather!

Carpe Diem Everyday,

Jeremy D.& Nathan K.

Committee UpdatesSocial Committee The Social Committee has been working very hard on the upcoming “Roasted and Toasted” event! The Annual Roast will he held at the Cornerstone at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 21st. Following the Roast, there will be a Bar Crawl for those 21 and over. We are selling snazzy t-shirts for $10 each and you can place your order in Deb’s office until Wednesday, April 4th.

XOXOJenna and Lisa

Pledge Committee The Pledge Chairs are already off to a great start with our Ambassador duties. It is quite a change to have three Pledge Chairs instead of two, but this means even more great ideas and even more fun in store for next year! The three of us met the other day to discuss ideas for next year’s Pledge Committee, how the Pledge process will be run (interviews, speeches, tests, you name it!), and solo tours too. Nothing has officially been decided on, but we will be sure to keep you up to date as we go. We all look forward to working with the Ambassadors and especially our committee, and we can tell it is going to be a wonderful year.

Kaleigh, Adrianne, and Chris

2

Creative CornerBy Kim Bloise

It is finally spring! Even though the weather may not be quite as magical this week as last, the flippy-floppies and shorts are out for

the season! A light bulb vase is a fantastic way to “Springify” a room. It is also super green, which is always great.

You will need:- Wire

- An old light bulb - Pliers

- Fabric or ribbon (If you would like)- Flower(s)

-Water

First, remove the little silver layer on the bottom of the light bulb with the pliers. Then you need to take off the black cap. It is a little bit difficult, and I would definitely recommend safety goggles and patience for this part. But it’s totally doable! Just work the pliers

into the hole slowly and tap out any remaining black glass with the pliers. You can use a hammer for that part if you would like.

Then take out the glass tube and wiring! Depending on the bulb, this part could be difficult or easy. If it does not pop right out, you might need to take away some of the metal part. You can cover up the metal part with fabric or ribbon if you do not like the look of it.

Either you can create a wire ring for the bulb to stand on, or you can use the wire to hang it!

Just add flowers and water! Happy Spring!

Important Dates

4/6- Roasted and Toasted absence request forms due to Aldyn for non-newbie and non-seniors

4/13- Junior Open House request forms due to Aldyn

4/16- Deb’s Birthday! (She’s 21 again)

4/21- Roasted and Toasted MANDATORY EVENT

4/24- May Meeting (5/8) absence request forms due to Aldyn

4/28- Junior Open House MANDATORY EVENT

3

Mercyhurst For Your InfoBy John Herrmann

The Mercyhurst ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) program is one of the satellite schools to Gannon’s Pride of Pa Battalion (the other is Penn State Behrend). The three schools train together throughout the academic year to produce some of the best officers the United States Army receives. ROTC HAS NO MILITARY COMMITMENT until your junior year or if you accept a scholarship. There are two types of cadets, contracted cadets, who have signed a contract with the army stating that after they leave college they are dedicated to four years of military service, and uncontracted cadets, which is a way for a student to determine if ROTC is right for them. They have no obligation to the army. During freshman and sophomore year, cadets can participate without signing a contract. It is not until you enter your junior year that you sign because that is when the cadets have to prepare for the Leadership Development Assessment Course (LDAC) a.k.a Operation Warrior Forge, and apply for security clearances. The requirements for staying in the program for uncontracted cadets are to attend the ROTC class once a week in the correct uniform at Mercyhurst, attend one Physical Training (PT) a week, and complete one Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) a term. Finally, uncontracted cadets participate in any Leadership Labs, in which cadets learn basic military protocols and procedures, during the term. There are several events that ROTC hosts for its cadets. They have two Field Training Exercises (FTXs), which give the cadets a chance to put the skills they have to actual use. There is also the Combat Water Survival Test (CWST) where instead of having PT the battalion meets at the Junker Center at Penn State Behrend to have fun in the pool. Also in the spring the cadets have a Military Ball where the battalion gets together and enjoys an evening together to mingle with the Cadre (the professors of the program) along with the fellow cadets from all three schools. The final event is the commissioning for the seniors when they officially become members of the United States Army with pride.

Some highlights for Mercyhurst Company of Pride of Pa battalion is we had a cadet in the top five percent of all cadets who are graduating the 2012 year, two others in the top twenty percent, and all of our graduating cadets are commissioning or were offered active duty, which is about the top fifty percent of all graduating cadets. We are also the largest of the three schools in the Pride of Pa Battalion, and we are the best. Mercyhurst trains some of the best cadets in the nation, to protect and serve us all.

4

Ambassador of the YearBy Jonathan Stine

As part of the Mercyhurst Ambassador Club, we all stand as the pinnacle of Mercyhurst University’s core values of being: ambassadors of service, socially merciful, compassionately hospitable, intellectually creative, reflective aware, and globally responsible. However, throughout the year there was one who has consistently embodied all these values and in many cases gone even further beyond what was required of her; it was for these and many other reasons why Nicole Pryce was awarded with the Ambassador of the Year Award. Originally from the town of May Pen located in the parish of Clarendon in Jamaica, Nicole chose to come to Mercyhurst because “Mercyhurst offered the program and atmosphere that [she] wanted to experience”. After realizing that Mercyhurst had become her new home, the Biology/pre-health major with a Spanish minor decided to join Ambassadors her Sophomore year.

From then on she immediately fell in love with her new job, and it was her friendliness, enthusiasm for each and every tour, as well as her genuine love for the university that made her stand out as an exemplary role model for all Ambassadors to follow. Throughout the year Nicole has filled out her responsibilities as an Ambassador while also working at Egan cafeteria, studying for her major, as well as being an RA for the Briggs apartments. When asked how she managed to juggle all these equally demanding responsibilities she responded by saying, “It certainly was a challenge but staying organized and focused is the key”. When asked how she felt about being rewarded with the Ambassador of the Year award Nicole humbly stated, “Honestly, it is the greatest honor. I really wasn’t expecting it not because I don’t think I deserve it but simply because that each and every ambassador deserves that award. We are all involved in so many things and the fact that we do it day after day, I think we are all Ambassadors of the Year in our own right.” Now, because of the fact that Nicole is graduating this year she will unfortunately not be returning to us next year. However, although she is taking the green jacket with her she has decided to leave us with some Ambassador of the Year words of wisdom: “Like gold goes through the fire to shine, likewise overcoming difficulties makes us greater”.

5

Worst Tour Story EverBy Chris Gaertner

featuring Julie Smicinski

I had a Saturday group tour and, as all of us know, there were not enough keys to go around. Being a freshman, I was not given a set of keys because I can get into Warde using my own keys. The other Ambassadors would just have to prop doors so I can get into the show room. I ended up doing the tour backwards, meaning we were the first to arrive at Warde. I pointed out the lovely amenities in Warde while hoping that someone with a key to the show room would show up. I even took the families over to the laundry room to point out the vending machines! After a few minutes, I was forced to show my room. I took the families up to the fourth floor and politely asked them to wait outside so I could tell my roommate I was showing our room (and to make sure our room was clean!). It was 9:30 on a Saturday, so my roommate was NOT happy about being woken up. The families came in and walked around our room while my roommate stood there half asleep in her pajamas.

The worst part was yet to come. I passed another Ambassador on my way out of Warde. This was a good sign; hopefully she propped the door to Baldwin. I got to Baldwin and found that the front door was locked, so I just rang the bell not realizing that there are no desk workers on Saturday mornings. I stood outside Baldwin telling my families about the excellent security in our residence halls and how you couldn’t get in without a key, when, thankfully, another Ambassador showed up. There was only one major problem…she did not have keys either! As she called Police and Safety to get them to open the door, I explained to my families why we didn’t have enough keys for group tours. Luckily, seconds after the other Ambassador called Police and Safety, another Ambassador showed up (this one had keys!) to let us into Baldwin.

The rest of the tour went perfectly…until we reached the library. As I walked the families out of the Walker Reading Room, I explained that the Weber Great Room was one of the quietest study spaces on campus. Upon bringing them in there, however, we were greeted with Justin Bieber’s famous “Baby baby baby”. It was not just subtly playing either—it was BLASTING! I apologized to my families, explaining that Weber is usually silent and that there must have been an event going on in Taylor Little Theatre.

Not only was this my worst tour ever…it was also my first tour ever! I didn’t even have my green jacket yet!!!!!!!

6

• One ambassador did his/her motherland proud on St. Patrick’s Day, passing out in the lap of a fellow Mercyhurst student.

• One Ambassador was reported to be making animal noises in her sleep. • One ambassador was caught by an employee at Walmart ringing out all of her fruit as

“bananas,” in the self-checkout line, nearly getting away with pounds of apples for 49 cents per pound…until she didn’t.

• On a less deviant note, I want to send a shout out to one of my sistas in green who reportedly won a talent show with her band. #swag

Hello, Ambassadors. March truly has been an eventful month for the club with the Spring Tea, and

the upcoming Major Day. However, it seems club members have found channels of stress relief,

indulging in copious amounts of the, shall we say, “liquid sin?” and even engaging in borderline criminal enterprises. At least that’s what I heard on the streets

(Briggs, Lewis, and Wayne), and as your dutiful social snitch, I present you with this month’s juicy

pieces of gossip!

Sista’ on da hush!

Congratulations to the April Ambassador of the

Month…John Herrmann! John was selected for this honor because he has filled several events at the last minute, acted as a reserve for when other Ambassadors did not show for their events, and made an impressive

start on his hours. He also exudes the Mercyhurst hospitality with always a smile on his face. Vice-

President Jacob Griffin says that he is very proud of John and, as John’s mentor, happy that he could teach

John so much! Along with the honor, John gets to wear the “Ambassador of the Month” button throughout

April! John will be recognized for his achievement at the April Meeting. Congratulations John!

Ambassador of the Month

Remember, if you see fellow Ambassadors doing “naughty” things email stories, pictures, and anything else to sistaondahush@yahoo.com!