The Merciad, April 14, 2010

8/6/2019 The Merciad, April 14, 2010

1/8

Page 4

Lacrosse teams

dominating

competition

News

Page 3

Students

walk for AIDS

awareness

Sports

Vol.83,No.19/4/14/10/Free

Yoga classes

continue to gain

popularity

Page 7

Online PollWhat should MSG have done about

the drunk bus rowdiness?

Current poll: What do you think of the

Lewis Avenue tree-cutting?

Features

Keep routes the same.

We dont want drunk

drivers 70%

Stop Friday

and Saturdaynight routes

indefinitely 2%

Stop all late-night bus

routes for a few

weeks 18%

I dont care now, but thebus better be back when I

turn 21! 9%

MSG indefinitely

discontinues drunk bus

DRUN

KBU


2/8

NEWSPage 2 April 14, 2010

This Thursday, April 15, the eighth annual Mercy-hurst College Literary Festival will open with a readingby the novelist Anne Dawid in Taylor Little Theatre at8:15 p.m.

The Literary festival, which began at Mercyhurst in2003, has had numerous authors speak, such as SamuelHazo, Randall Silvis, Robert Coover, Li-Young Lee, RobertBly and Sonia Sonchez.

The festivals featured writers for this year are AnnieDawid and Andrew Hudgins.

Dawid is a full-time writer who in 2006 foundedBloomsburyWest, a retreat for writers and artists.

She will read selections from her most recent work,

And Darkness Was Under His Feet, a collection ofstories loosely based on her own family history, datingback about 100 years.

Her book won the 2007 Litchfield Award for ShortFiction and was then published in 2008.

Dawid, a past English professor and director of cre-ative writing for 15 years, left teaching to be a full-time

writer.Hudgins, who will be reading selections of his poetry

on Thursday, April 22, has had many volumes of poetrypublished including his most recent, Ecstatic in thePoison.

In 1989 Hudson won the Poets Prize for his work

After the Lost War and was one of three finalists forthe 1985 Pulitzer Prize in poetry for his book Saints

and Strangers.In 1999 Hudgins was named Distinguished Research

Professor at the University of Cincinnati where hetaught for 16 years.

Hudgins is the Humanities Distinguished Professorin English at The Ohio State University.

Mercyhurst College English Professors Dr. KennethSchiff and Dr. Jeffrey Roessner began the Literary Fes-tival on campus in order to emulate the University ofNotre Dames renowned reading series.

Schiff, director of the Literar y Festival, expressed hisenthusiasm about this year s poets.

Im very excited to be able to bring both Dawidand Hudgins to Mercyhurst, Schiff sa id. I believethat the festival is a great opportunity to expose Mer-cyhurst students to award-winning, professional cre-ative writers.

The festival will close Thursday, April 29, at 8:15 p.m.in Taylor Little Theatre with the unveiling of the 2010edition of the Lumen, Mercyhurst Colleges literarymagazine.

The magazine consists of works such as poetry, shortfiction, photography and art work created by Mercy-hurst students and also includes an interactive CD withmusical compositions and dance clips perfomed bystudents.

Free copies of the Lumen will be distributed duringthe event as well as the announcement of the top three

works from this years Lumen. The Lumen reception, as well as the Dawid and

Hudgin readings, is free and open to all who wish tojoin in a celebration of poetr y and literature.

By Chrissy Mihalic

Contributing writer

College launches eighthannual literary festival

MSG indefinitely discontinues drunk bus

Taxis and designated drivers willsoon be the sole means for safelytransporting Mercyhurst Collegesinebriated students every weekend.

The Thursday, Friday and Saturdaynight EMTA shuttle routes fromMercyhurst to downtown Erie willbe canceled starting April 22-24.

The joint decision between Mer-

cyhurst Student Government andthe college administration comesafter months of problems withinappropriate student behavior onthe EMTA shuttles.

The drunk bus, as its knownon campus, gives students andcommunity members transporta-tion from Briggs and Lewis Ave-nues to the bars and nightlife ofdowntown Erie.

If student behavior improvesdrastically between April 15-18,MSG has promised to work withthe administration to bring the busback for a trial period.

However, if bad behavior againbecomes a problem, the administra-tion will not hesitate to cancel busroutes for SpringFest weekend.

MSG President Santina Sgrosaid, Were really disappointedthat it had to be taken away, and wereally hope that students can provethat were capable and worthy ofthe service.

Director of Student Engage-ment and Leadership DevelopmentDarcy Kemp said, Its totally in thehands of the students now. It is notthe wish of the college or studentgovernment to take this serviceaway.

Junior Mike Zinn said, I dontsee why people cant act responsi-bly....Students should behave like

adults if they expect to be treatedlike adults.

EMTA drivers, security person-nel and students have reportedunacceptable behavior on theshuttle, including vomiting,drinking alcohol, smoking, refus-ing to show ID, physical fightsand throwing beer at the EMTAdriver.

Students have also thrownthemselves in front of the bus andphysically pushed their way intothe bus when it was at capacity.

EMTA security footage backsup reports of students misbehav-ing on the bus. Three studentshave been reported for bad behav-ior in the last two weeks.

Kemp said, It takes a reallycommitted person to work on theshuttle. If our EMTA security per-sonnel say it needs to stop, it stopsforever. Thats a really hard positionto fill.

Sgro said drunk driving wasMSGs biggest concern aboutcanceling the bus. Im hopingthat (the stoppage) doesnt con-tinue much past the weekend so...it doesnt lead to drunk driving,Sgro said.

Seventy percent of studentsresponding to The Merciads onlinepoll think MSG should keep the busto keep people from driving drunk.

I think the reason why they (gotthe bus) was to preventdrunkdriving, so by taking it away theyrejust asking people to drive drunk,sophomore Courtney OBrien said.

Also, theres other stuff goingon downtown, like theaters and thecomedy club, she said.

Many students who are under 21or treat the shuttle as a privilege feelcheated.

Senior John Bennett said, I cansee why they did it, but for students

who might not have been there, its

not fair. Although EMTA has reported

problems since the beginningof this school year, according toKemp the shuttle was not like thislast year.

This year it has progressed andgotten worse as time goes on,Kemp said.

Kemp hopes that students willself-regulate their behavior onthe bus and report misconduct ofother students by speaking withher or emailing [email protected].

E-mails must include specificdetails about the time, date, behav-ior and identity of those misbehav-ing.

Sgro said, We all need to remindeach other of what good behavioris.

It shouldnt be up to the admin-istration to tell us what good behav-ior is, she said.

By JoEllen MarshEditor-in-chief

Read Food concerns only rumors

online at merciad.mercyhurst.edu.

Online


3/8

NEWS Page 3April 14, 2010

Despite numerous difficulties,the second annual Take the Walkand Style Your Sole Party met withsuccess on Saturday, April 10.

The Art Therapy Club and TOMSCampus Club made a joint effort to

host the one-mile walk around theMercyhurst College campus.Participation in the walk was

free, and each walker had one dollardonated in his or her name to raise

AIDS awareness. The money raised at the event

was donated to TOMS Shoes, a for-profit organization that providesshoes to children in developingnations.

(TOMS Shoes) has a One forOne movement, which means that

for every pair of shoesthat theysell, a pair of shoes goes to a devel-oping nation or a disaster area forchildren and adults who are cur-rently living without shoes, juniorCasey Harvilla said.

Most of these developing coun-tries also have a rather high rate ofdisease, namely AIDS, so the walkthis year is going to support bothcauses, Harvilla said.

Last year, 35 people participatedin the fundraiser, but this year, only25 people took the walk. Harvillaexplained that weather likely causedthe drop in numbers.

We had a good turnout for itbeing so cold, she said.

The walk ended in a Style YourSole Party outside the HerrmannStudent Union, where participantscould tie-dye shirts.

Paints were set out to style TOMS shoes, which several stu-dents had preordered. However,many of the shoes did not arrive intime for the event, so the shoes will

be decorated at another time.Even so, participants did not

seem disappointed with the event.Freshman Sara Hawksworth said,

We just want to fight poverty and

AIDS.Sophomores Korrine Hallen

and Sarah Blair chose to walk with-out shoes like several other partci-pants.

I think everyone should try towalk barefoot, Hallen said.

Blair said, It shows what its liketo walk without shoes. It hur ts.

For more information on thecause, visit takethewalk.net.

By Jennifer McCurdy

Staff writer

Students take the walk

to raise AIDS awareness

Comedian Todd J.T. Thomas traveled from Los

Angeles to entertain Mercyhurst College Students onFriday, April 9.

During his performance, Thomas explained why hewanted to become a comedian.

I wanted to be an actor originally, but then I starteddoing open mic nights and I loved to make peoplelaugh, he said.

Thomas began his comedy career while attendingSouthern Illinois University. Since then he has beenfeatured on the Bob and Tom Show, a comedy radioprogram that also airs as an hour-long television show.

Thomas told several jokes that the audience espe-cially enjoyed during his performance.

These jokes covered topics like dating games, Nin-tendo and the weather.

He also told jokes that made fun of many differentgroups of people.

No one should take anything personally, Thomassaid. I make fun of everyone: kids, elderly people,

white, black, short, tall. It doesnt matter because we areall here to laugh and have a good time.

What made Thomas unique is that he acted out hisjokes at times, and toward the end of his show he inter-acted with students and made them laugh at themselves.

It was really cool how he interacted with the audienceand made us laugh, freshman Molly Beichner said. He

was one of the best comedians I have seen this year.Other students enjoyed Thomass act.He was really entertaining, freshman Alison Palm-

eri said. Junior Nicole Hanks said, He was hilarious. I

laughed a lot and had a great time.Thomas ended his performance with advice.Make sure to always have fun no matter what you

are doing, he said.

By Chelsee CallahanStaff writer

Comedian entertains bymaking fun of everyone

Juniors Elise Frey, Meredith Stalker, Laura McCarthy and

Emma Hughey decorated TOMS shoes after the walk.

Tyler Stauffer photo

News Briefs

Mercyhurst College will celebrate the 40th Earth Day withEarth Week events starting Monday, April 19, and going throughWednesday, April 28. The events start with the Hunger Ban-

quet on Monday, April 19, in the Mercy Heritage Room. Ticketsfor the event are $5 and can be purchased in Campus Ministry.Proceeds will benefit Emmaus Soup Kitchen. At the banquet,

students will draw a piece of paper out of a dish which willsay either high-income area, middle-income area or low-incomearea. Students will sit at tables based on the income area they

pick. At their tables they will learn how environmental, socialand economic issues affect eating habits. The event will becatered by Parkhurst. Only 100 tickets are available. On Tuesday,

April 20, the film The Beloved Community will be shown at 7p.m. in Taylor Little Theatre.

Hurst celebrates Earth Day

Register for kickball tournament The Sportsmedicine Student Association and Campus Minis-

try will host a kickball tournament on Sunday, April 25, at 2 p.m.Teams of 10 students with at least three members of the oppositesex may register to enter the tournament. Teams must submit a

$50 entrance fee. The winning team will receive tickets to the Erie

Sea Wolves buck night game the following week. E-mail AllisonStockton by Monday, April 19, at [email protected] to

register your team and team captain.

Facebook the libraryBefore leaving Mercyhurst for the summer, become a fan of

the Hammermill Library on Facebook to receive announce-ments about new technology and services. Go to facebook.com/pages/Erie-PA/Hammermill-Library/297424049038 to

become a fan.

On Friday, March 12, Assistant Professor Kimberly Zacherlattended the Society for Human Resource Management Confer-

ence in Cleveland, Ohio, with students Jessica Blackburn, KatieSenkoski, Carolyn Cartwright and Michele Ebert. They attendedvarious conferences throughout the day. On Wednesday, March

17, Zacherl attended the annual Dr. Jeremy D. Brown Millen-nium Leader Scholarship Luncheon featuring Jerry Greenfield,co-founder of Ben and Jerrys Homemade, Inc. Zacherl attended

with two students, Natalie Iovino and Felicia Guerra. The lun-cheon was at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie. Greenfielddiscussed his success stories in American business by making

social responsibility and creative management strengths insteadof weaknesses.

Students attend conferences


4/8

FEATURES April 14, 2010Page 4

British documentary will feature Mercyhurst student

Many students returning fromEaster Break are returning to col-lege after visiting their families. Mer-cyhurst sophomore JoEllen Marshfilmed a documentary instead.

The Merciads own editor-in-chief has a slightly different homelife than many are used to. Insteadof one mother, she has two: Lucinda

Marsh and Deneen Matthews. Jeffrey Harrison, otherwise

known as Donor 150, was a prolificdonor during the 1980s, and as adog-walker, masseuse and model,

was in relatively high demand. Arti-ficial insemination was in its infancyat this point, but it was considered

safe. Now JoEllen, through the help

of The Donor Siblings Registry,has had a chance to meet not onlyher half-siblings, but her biologicalfather as well.

Marsh has been exchanging let-ters with one of her half-siblingsfrom Long Island, New York, forseveral years now, and three yearsago met for the first time.

Now, a documentary is beingmade on the reunion betweenDonor 150 and several of his bio-logical children.

The documentary, directed by Jerry Rothwell, is at the momenttitled Donor 150, and is airing inGreat Britain, but there is a possi-bility that it will also air on HBOor PBS. Marsh heard about thedocumentary about a year and ahalf ago when the director needed

to do some preliminary filming for

sponsors. The majority of the filming was

done over this past spring break, whenthe director, producer and a soundtechnician came over to film JoEllenon campus and with her family.

They were all English, so it wascool to compare cultures and talk

with them, Marsh said.Over four days, the film crew fol-

lowed her in the Intel lab, her apart-ment and the Merciad newsroom.

They filmed her bowling withfriends, cooking at her boyfriendshouse and singing with her grand-parents.

It was a really interesting feelingto be on camera for so long, Marshsaid, and to just open up in frontof practically complete strang-ers, and talk about really personal

things.Marsh already participated in a

half-hour documentary for a Frenchstudent film maker.

I didnt like the direction hetook, but I think this documentary

will focus on the positive conec-tions of our story, Marsh said.

By Faye ClarkStaff writer

The widely successful yoga class which began earlier this year hasexpanded to two days a week.

With assistance from Dr. GeraldTobin and Laura Zirkle from Stu-dent Life, the class is now offeredMonday and Thursday nights in

order to accommodate more stu-dents academic schedules. Bothclasses appear to be doing well,

with 15-35 students in attendanceeach week at both the Rec Centerand Student Union locations.

Betty Amatangelo, asana instruc-tor and motivational leader, believesthat the success of the class is inpart due to the consistent resultsafter ever session.

Students continue to attendbecause they feel so good after-

wards. Most after class conversa-tions begin with, I was havinga rough day and this made it allbetter, Amatangelo said. Also,Id like to believe that they continue

to come because of the absolutelyunconditional accepting nature ofyoga, both as a physical and spiri-tual discipline.

Students agree that the benefitsof yoga go beyond the physical. Atfirst, I went to yoga to increase myflexibility for wrestling, but then Irealized it is just a perfect way torelax your body and mind, fresh-man Seth Stonis said.

I choose to practice yoga

because it makes my body feel good,and I enjoy the spiritual experience,freshman Matthew Holtz said.

With Amatangelo at the fore-front, it is not difficult to under-stand the success of this uniqueexercise class.

I really enjoy having a yoga classat the rec center now, especially witha teacher that is so knowledgeableand passionate about what she isteaching, junior Toni Novello said.

I think that Bettys classes are

so well-attended because she is atalented yoga instructor. She is ableto work with yoga students (thisincludes faculty and staff) at alllevels and makes students feel com-

fortable, Associate Professor ofSocial Work Laura Lewis said. Sheclearly loves teaching yoga, and herdedication to improving herselfthrough yoga is very evident.

Both Novello and Lewis saidthey believe in all the benefits ofyoga as well.

I go to yoga for my physical andspiritual well-being. Yogas effectsoccur both inside and out, Novellosaid. It is a great opportunity to

come clear your mind and separateyourself from your busy life just fora moment, while also being physi-cally active. This yoga class keepsme coming back every week.

The classes are both relaxingand intense. It is a good work-out, and most importantly to me,it helps with flexibility and corestrength - two things that I neglect,Lewis said.

The yoga class is not stopping atexpanding to just two nights a week.

Future plans include utilizing otherspaces on campus, offering morn-ing classes and getting yoga recog-nized as a one-credit course.

Amatangelo also has personal

goals for the class, such as to keepencouraging people through yogicmovement and the philosophy ofyoga, to promote stillness, the kindof stillness that fortifies us beyondthe limitations that we create for

ourselves and to help studentsstrengthen their religious beliefs.

I believe yoga can bring you intoa more personal communion withyour chosen deity, Amatangelo

said. As a Catholic myself, yoga hasled me to a deeper understanding ofGod and what that actually means.

Classes will continue throughmid-May. Classes are held on Mon-days at 4:45 p.m. at the Student

Union and Thursdays at 7 p.m. atthe Rec Center. Feel free to checkout all yoga has to offer at the YogaCelebration, Friday, April 30th, from5-7 p.m. outside in the Grotto.

By Jemma Homer

Staff writer

Yoga classes continue to spread bliss

O

nline Video Game

of the Week:Imbecile Test

TeachingFellowshonored

Merciad.Mercyhurst.

edu/Features

Your weekly report fromDungarvan, Ireland:

Easter Paris, an escapadeto Barcelona

Marsh and sister Ryann will be featured in a documentary

about Donor 150.

Contributed photo

Yoga improves physical health and relaxes the mind.

Ethan Magoc photo


5/8

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 5April 14, 2010

A&E online

merciad.mercyhurst.edu

The Demon Barber on Fleet Street toterrorize PAC

Sweeney Todd is coming to the PAC this weekend underthe direction of Dave Mathews.

Ferrante provided relaxingperformance

Maria Ferrante, along with Lincoln Mayorga, performed ashow titled Best Kept Secrets.

Dave Barness life lived under radar

Veteran artist Dave Barnes has lived his life and thus hismusic without the help of the mainstream media.

Hitler exposed by a look at his private library

In Hitlers Private Library: The Books that Shaped HisLife, Timothy W. Ryback dis-cusses how a man without ahigh school diploma becameone of the most powerful menin the 20th century, analyzingthe Fuhrers personal libraryin order to examine how thesereadings affected his life andtherefore his decisions.

The book is divided into 10chapters that focus primarily onone book, although others may bementioned. It starts with Hitlersfrontline reading in the First

World War and continues to hisdeath. Though at first this set-up

was annoying, the chronological

layout helped me to understandthe development of Hitlersthought.

The books Ryback centered onare almost inconsequential for tworeasons. The first is that many ofthe books were written at a time

when anti-Semitism was preva-lent, and therefore attitudes in the

books themselves reflect this andcause them to lose credibility. Thesecond is that the average Ameri-can will never even have heardof most of the books, as mostof them were written by Germanauthors from surrounding Euro-pean countries.

Given this disclaimer, some ofthe books Ryback used to exploreHitlers mind were Peer Gynt byHenrik Ibsen, Fire and Bloodby Ernest Junger, Foundations

of National Socialism by AloisHudal, Schlieffen by Hugo

Rochs, and Frederick the Great(a biography) by Thomas Carlyle.

The only book I happened to rec-ognize that Ryback mentioned wasMein Kampf, and it turns out Ididnt know as much about it asI thought. (Mein Kampf is athree-book series, the last ofwhich

was never published.)

After Ryback finishes with Hit-lers suicide, he continues with anafterword and four appendices.

In the afterword he discussesthe fate of Hitlers library: Of h isnearly 10,000 books, only 1,244have been recovered. That leaves8,756 of Hitlers books eithermissing, taken or destroyed.Ryback goes on to say that ofthese 8,756, most were taken bySoviet and American soldiersin the first weeks after Hitlers

suicide, with people from thepress and even neighbors taking

their share. But a lot of themwere destroyed, never to be seenagain.

Up until this point in the book,I had been chugging along, notreally surprised by any of thesefacts, but not really bored withthem either. But when I read thatmost of Hitlers library was miss-

ing, I thought to myself, Howcould one possibly even claim toknow a tiny bit about the mind ofHitler when reading only ten per-cent of his library?

Nonetheless, considering thehuge number of books and the

ways in which he analyzed them(marginalia, thumbed pages, howthey came into his possession), itseems as though Ryback has donea rather thorough job of analyzing

what Hitler read and how what he

read affected his life.

By Alaina RydzewskiA&E editor

Hitlers private life is

researched and analyzed with

the books he read throughout

his whole life.

Contributed photo

Adam presents fresh

perspective on Aspergers

It is a common yet unfortunatehuman condition that at times wefind ourselves in an awkward socialsetting.

This could happen in any numberof ways we have a hard timethinking of what to say, we mayfeel uncomfortable or have to thinkabout the image we project.

Generally though, theres usuallysome sort of proverbial net to fallback on, some mainstream topicor useful technique that can beemployed to keep us from feelingsocially inept.

Unfortunately, people withautism dont experience this luxury.Contrary to popular belief, autism isnot synonymous with mental retar-dation or, for that matter, genius.

Simply defined, autism is charac-terized by impaired social interac-tion and communication and by

restricted or repetitive behavior. As with other chronic illnesses, itneeds to be understood rather thanpitied.

This weeks edition to theGuelcher Film Series attempts toinitiate this process. Adam cen-ters on a character with a particularform of autism, Aspergers syn-drome (AS), most often associated

with a lack of demonstrated empa-

thy.In Adams (Hugh Dancy) case, we are introduced to a man witha refreshingly childlike innocence,openness and enthusiasm. A resi-dent of Manhattan, Adam has lostboth his parents, most recently hisfather, with whom he shared anapartment. He has a friend Harlan(Frankie Faison) and his love ofspace exploration to sustain him,but in effect, Adam has been leftalone.

Things change when a newneighbor moves in upstairs, a beau-tiful schoolteacher named Beth(Rose Byrne) who is recoveringfrom a bad breakup and is drawnto Adams gentle, genuine person-ality. Through her efforts, Adam isdrawn out of his socially awkwardshell and into a deep relationshipthat proves to be immensely valu-able to both of them. Her character

also gives viewers the opportunityto see beyond the Aspergers to

understand and fully experiencewhat she sees in Adam.

Following the evening showing,audience members are invited tostay for a panel discussion whereseveral professionals who deal with

Aspergers Syndrome will sharetheir perspectives on the film.

Panelists will include Dr. EileenMcNamara, medical director ofthe Adult Autism Connection of

the Barber National Institute; Dr.Joseph McAllister, director of psy-

chological services at Pittsburghs Watson Institute; and clinical psy-chologist Janet Pawlowski, founderof KaleidAScope, Inc., whichserves those 15 years and older with

Autism Spectrum Disorders.Adam shows in the Mary

DAngelo Performing Arts Centertoday at 2:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.

Tickets are free for Mercyhurst stu-dents with ID.

By Kathleen Vogtle

Staff writer

Following the 7:15 p.m. showing of Adam, there will be a

panel discussion on Aspergers Syndrome in the world today.

pac.mercyhurst.edu photo


6/8

September 3, 2008OPINIONPage 6 April 14, 2010

@mercyhurst.edu

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The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of MercyhurstCollege. 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 signedand names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the

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

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

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

JoEllen Marsh

Kelly Luoma

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The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the v iews of Mercyhurst College, the staff of The Merciador the Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be e-mailed to [email protected].

Online Opinion Articles...

merciad.mercyhurst.edu

I believe in laughter. I believe a

good joke or funny story at least

once a day that makes me laugh a

little is a wonderful daily vitamin.

It has been said that laughter is the

best medicine, and I have certainly

used it as such in my life. Ive read

that often the emotion that causes

laughter is very similar to that which

causes crying, and I felt this to betrue at times as well.

Ive also been told that clowns

are some of the saddest people and

that all their make-up and shenani-

gans completely mask their true

identity and feelings. I think there is

some truth to this also.

I have always loved to laugh, as

evidenced by the many snapshots

of me as a child in funny costumes

or poses. I dont know that Id have

called myself the class clown, butI certainly could be counted on for

finding a reason to laugh each day.

I am a dancer and a dance teacher

and in the world of arts and enter-tainment, a really good comedian is

a rarity. As a student of choreogra-

phy in college I tried hard to create

deep, thoughtful work and some-

how, people always ended up laugh-

ing at something I did. Frustrated

as I was, my teacher told me that

many people try to be funny and do

not succeed, and that if I could be

successful without even trying that

I ought to run with it. I took this

advice to heart and it has served mewell since.

My personality enjoys laughing

and making people laugh. I use

jokes when I teach to enable people

to relax and not take themselves so

seriously. When class is fun, students

want to attend. Ive had former stu-

dents contact me having used my

ideas in their own performance or

in teaching to let me know that it

works!

I believe in laughing as a reaction,as a release, as a protection and as a

teaching tool. I believe one of the

highest compliments I could ever

be paid is to learn that something Idid made someone laugh and, in so

doing, helped them learn, remem-

ber, relax or otherwise react to a

certain situation.

Laughter is not always the appro-

priate response, as there is definite

tragedy and suffering in our world.

But I believe there is always a silver

lining and, more than likely, also a

rainbow-colored trim to things and

I believe there will still be a reason

to laugh.

Noelle Partusch grew up in Las Cruces,

N.M., and was born in Lancaster, Penn.

She is currently in her seventh year as an

Assistant Professor of Dance here at

Mercyhurst. She currently serves as well

as the faculty adviser for Mercyhursts

Liturgical Dance Ensemble. She appre-

ciates Mercyhursts close-knit community

and the collegiality of its faculty, but also

says the colleges coffee has always beenwonderful.

By C. Noelle Partusch

Contributing writer

This I Believe: Healthy life full of laughter

There are nearly 40 people dead

in Moscow who ought not to be

dead.

They were innocent civilians

and government workers, simply

going about their days when

they were maliciously cut downby extremists looking to make a

point. These extremists want more

than just independence from the

Russian Federation, they also want

to establish a reactionary Islamic

Caliphate in the Caucasus Mountain

region. For the victims, and those

who empathize with the victims,

the goals of such extremists do not

matter -- these are terrorists, after

all.

Only a few days after the bombingof the Lubyanka Metro station, a

pair of explosions in the Dagestan

province derailed a Russian train.

Combined with yet another suicide

bombing in the Dagestan province,

more than 50 people are dead.

The United States has advocated

moderation when Russia goes

to deal with its own insurgency,

traditionally groups identifying

themselves as Chechen Rebels.

The 1999 war against Chechnya,

led by Vladimir Putin, resulted in

significant condemnation from

the American government, as

the tactics employed against the

Chechen people were considered

too indiscriminate and harsh.

Following the latest attacks,

however, Prime Minister Vladimir

Putin has promised that the

terrorists will be destroyed and

that he will have them scraped

from the bottom of the sewers in

retribution.

The dirty little secret with all

of this? Ask most Americans,

white or blue collar, Democrat or

Republican, and I would venture

a guess that most of them would

issue their own support for Putins

new vendetta against the Chechen

terrorists.

When determining what a

terrorist is, their methods must be

looked at carefully. Separatist groups

with legitimate cause to strike out

against a corrupt regime ought to

strike against the regime itself, or

its satellites, such as government

agencies and military targets, not

metro lines, theaters and grade

schools, as Chechen groups have

done over the past decade.

When Prime Minister Putin

leads his next campaign against

the Chechen Problem, there

is no doubt that the blood of

innocents will be left in the streets

of Chechen towns, and we will

mourn. However, we will also cheer

the brutality wrought upon those

who understand and deserve only

brutality.

With this said, it is undoubted

that the world will cheer whom we

will later call murderers. Until then,

let Vladimir Putin and the Russian

Fifth Army wreak their vengeance

against those who would murder

innocent and loyal Russians, and let

us call them heroes.

By Devin Ruic

Staff writer

Terrorists in Moscow: Who are the heroes?

A moral upbringing causes appreciationContributing writer Denise Wheelock shares her story of how

grateful she is to have had a safe, healthy upbringing. Read about

her participation in UNICEF and how it has opened her eyes to

the horrible conditions children around the globe face daily.

Grateful for throwaway bowlsIt really is about the little things in life. Read

Victoria Grickss article about the excitement of

having take-out containers for ice cream in the

cafeteria.


7/8

Sports Page 7April 14, 2010

Mercyhurst lacrosse dominating competition

Mercyhurst College has becomea lacrosse juggernaut this season.Combined, the mens and womenslacrosse teams are 21-1.

The mens team is ranked secondin the nation, and the womens teamis fifth.

The general expectations for the

mens lacrosse team were a bit lowergoing into the year, as the Lakersgraduated a number of key seniorsfrom the year previous.

The team themselves did notlower their expectations.

The expectations did not changefrom year to year. We expect to goout each season and compete fora conference championship and anational championship each year,mens coach Chris Ryan said.

Perhaps the biggest loss fromlast years team was goalie JasonLaShomb.

Junior goalkeeper Zach Nash hasstepped up to replace LaShomb.

We miss Jason, but we have a

good core of goalies this year whohave stepped up to fill that gap,Ryan said.

A youth movement with new-comers junior transfer Kevin

Coholan and freshman Brian

Scheetz has brought the Lakers amuch needed boost this season.Sheetz and Coholan have added

a lacrosse I.Q. to the team that hasallowed us to overcome the great

graduating class we had last year,Ryan said.

Ryan also finds the attitude ofthis years team to be quite impres-sive.

The attitude of this years teamis excellent. They are a highly com-mitted team in terms of success,Ryan said.

The team is also committed tosuccess on and off the field.

This team has a rea lly high GPAand they are totally committed toputting in time in the weight room,

which is very impressive, Ryansaid.

For a younger team, the attitudethe Lakers have on the field is highlyunusual.

The unselfishness shown bythe guys this year is amazing. Theyreally pass the ball around great andrarely is there an unassisted goal. Iactually wish they were a little bitmore selfish, Ryan said.

The mens lacrosse team hasridden this unselfish play to a 9-0record.

The womens lacrosse team has

also found major success whileovercoming the loss of a greatplayer from last year.

Breanna Haggerty graduated,leaving the Lakers with a huge gapto fill on the offensive end, but theLakers have responded.

We have a lot more balanceoffensively this year. I feel that wehave eight players on our team thatcan score constantly for us thisyear, womens coach Cecil Piltonsaid.

The Lakers recently defeatedcrosstown rival Gannon University,11-10, and this new offensive bal-ance was the main reason for the

victory.Gannon really came out there

trying to shut down Kim Master-ton, but we had some girls reallystep up and score. This year theoffense isnt a one-girl show, sonow if our top scorer gets shutdown, we have other options wecan go to, assistant coach JillianHowley said.

This balance has the womensteam rolling to a 12-1 start.

By Nick GlasierSports Editor

Bidwell on his back nine

After four years at MercyhurstCollege, Tyler Bidwell will graduatenext month, bringing his success-ful golf career with the Lakers toan end.

Graduating brings mixed emo-tions for most people.

There is the excitement of thenext phase of your life, but alsothe anxiousness and uncertainty of

finding a job and having to becomea responsible adult.

For anyone on a sports team, thedecision has to be made to eithercontinue playing or give up thegame that has been a huge part oftheir entire lives.

When something has been such amajor part of your life for so long,it is hard to give it up.

Anyone who plays sports knowsit wont last forever and has to make

the decision to quit at some point.Bidwell has already made this

decision and is looking to continueto play golf competitively.

I definitely want to. Who knowsat what level or how much I willget a chance to, but its something I

want in my life for as long as I can,Bidwell said.

Bidwell reflects on his four yearshere with fondness after making

some great memories.I have seen it as a great expe-rience that I will always remember.I have been able to travel and seemany nice golf courses and haveplayed against some guys we maybe seeing on the TV someday, saidBidwell, a native of Saegertown,Pa.

Last year he became the firstMercyhurst golfer to compete atthe regional level since 1987, when

he played in the NCAA DivisionII East/Atlantic Regional Tourna-ment.

Bidwell has been a mainstay onthe Mercyhurst College golf teamfor the past four years.

Bidwell leads the team with anaverage of 75.6 for the season butfeels there is still room for improve-ment.

For the rest of this article go tomerciad.mercyhurst.edu/Bidwell.

By Billy Colton

Staff writer

The Mercyhurst College mens and womens lacrosse teams

have a combined 21-1 record for the 2010 season.

Ethan Magoc and Tyler Stauffer photos

Senior golfer Tyler Bidwell.

Mercyhurst Sports Information photo

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8/8

Just two weeks before the United

States celebrates Earth Week, the

cutting of trees on Lewis and Briggs

Avenues reminded students of the

importance of Mother Nature.

How would you feel if we did

not have trees on campus? Green

Team members asked this question

last Friday. Be it inspirational orfor its practicality, surroundings do

influence student life.

Overall, one does not need to

be a die-hard environmentalist to

appreciate what nature gives us.

Rather than focusing on sentimen-

tality, or morality for that matter, let

us explore some facts surrounding

the incident.

From a biological standpoint,

trees give us the air we breathe.

Interestingly enough, trees also keepnoise pollution in order. According

to the US Environmental Protec-

tion Agency, Studies have shown

that there are direct links between

noise and health. In fact, noise

pollution can cause problems relat-

ing to stress, high blood pressure,

speech interference, hearing loss,

sleep disruption and loss of pro-

ductivity.

The colleges geography might

also be something we should con-

sider. If trees mitigate the flow of

storm water run-off, we should

then analyze long-term effects of

these tree cuts.The college has been working

hard for years to address the prob-

lem of storm water flow, and trees

help us to do that, environmental

historian and Green Team Chair

Dr. Chris Magoc said.

Granted, there are several trees

on campus. If the city of Erie

decides to cut down a couple of

trees on Lewis Avenue, for example,

it does not necessarily mean Mercy-

hurst students living on campus willimmediately suffer from noise pol-

lution-related illnesses. Trees and

sunlight are said to improve mood;

nonetheless, students are very

familiar with stress, especially those

seniors graduating in this economy.

Perhaps the most surprising

aspect of last weeks incident was

how it came about. I was pretty

shocked to find out that they would

be cutting down entire trees,

senior Ian Michalski said. I felt like

they could have just trimmed the

branches that were near the power

lines.

It was rather surprising how

the notification was sent out to

students. The e-mail sent by the

Department of Police and Safety

on Tuesday, April 6, was addressed

to all students concerning student

parking. No explanation was given

as to why the trees were getting cut

down.

Had the Green Team not

inquired about their reasoning, the

issue would have gone by unno-

ticed. Police and Safety did clarify

they were not advocates of cutting

the trees down but that the trees

represented a fire hazard.

I think it was unfortunate that

they are cutting the trees, senior

Oscar Ordonez said. They should

have thought of another way to

solve the problem with the electric

wires.

Senior Libny Tovar said, (Pen-

elec) didnt look for alternative ways

to solve the problem and just went

for the easy way without research-

ing for the best way to fix the prob-

lem and avoid damaging the treesand the environment.

Whether Mercyhurst College has

or does not have a say on the cut-

ting of the trees, the administration

does have a say on the information

it shares with students. Students do

have a right to be properly informed

of the goings-on of the college.

This is especially so when it regards

something which will affect us all.

I understand it would havebeen difficult to fight an entity like

Penelec, so my next thought was

whether the trees would be put to

some greater use, Michalski said.

Its just a shame the incident hap-

pened two weeks before the nations

Earth Week celebration oh well.

Laker LifeVisit merciad.mercyhurst.edu April 14, 2010

Lewis Avenue trees cut 14 days before Earth WeekBy Denise WheelockContributing writer

Two trees were cut down along Lewis Avenue this past week.Denise Wheelock photo

Research funds help student art gallery open

When the 12 x 12 student art

gallery comes to town, Mercyhurst

College students and the Erie com-munity alike will be shown vinyl.

Mercyhurst art students are finding

a way to serve the community and

showcase their talents in this new

and retro-inspired exhibition.

The gallery, which will be hosted

by Mary Kay Geary of GearysStudio 7 Gallery, will feature various

art pieces, all of which are made by

Mercyhurst students and which

focus on old 12 vinyl records.

We all drew inspiration from a

common theme and are eager to

show the multitude of different

interpretations on an old retro

theme, junior participant Lisa

Bathory said.

Bathory, the creator of the

12 x 12 project, has put in ahuge amount of work to bring

this art gallery to the community

of Erie. A junior graphic design

student and president of Adpro,

the advertising design club on

campus, Bathory worked in con-

junction with her adviser Jodi Sta-

niunas-Hopper to make the event

possible.

Bathory received a student

scholarly research fund and

wanted to put the money towarda truly worthwhile goal.

I really wanted to get the stu-dents more actively involved in

the community and give them

a chance to share their talents,

Bathory said. The result was a

student art exhibit in a local Erie

gallery to benefit not only the par-

ticipating students, but also the

Erie community.

Participation in the gallery was

open to all art students and drew

interest not only from Adpro but

also from the Art Therapy Club, theArt Education Club and the Photo

Club.

The exhibit will open Friday,

April 16, from 6-9:30 p.m. at

Gearys Studio 7 Gallery, which is

located at 2807 W. 8th St. Inspired

by retro records, perfect propor-

tions and music for all the senses,

12 x 12 is sure to be an incredible

experience for all, and an amazing

exhibition of the talents of Mercy-

hurst students.

By Claire HindeStaff writer

The 12 x 12 student art gallery will be on display at Gearys

Studio 7 Gallery starting on Friday, April 16.

Contributed photo Lisa Bathory is the creator

and one of the participants of

the 12 x 12 art gallery.

Contributed photo

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The Merciad, April 14, 2010

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