The Merciad, April 28, 2010

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News

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Sports

Class projectspurs social media

policy uproarPage 7

Online Poll ResultsWhat do you think about the $500,000

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Way too much moneyfor a temporary fix 36%

Tear them alldown! 8%

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Dancerstap resourcesfor 35th year anniversary

gala

What would you do if the collegetried to control your online posts?



NEWS April 28, 2010

Class project causes social media policy uproar

A recent in-class project hascaused quite a stir among Mercy-hurst College faculty.

On April 9, Communication Pro-fessor Brian Sheridan’s MultimediaStorytelling class learned how touse Twitter not only as a social net-

work, but also as a tool for confer-ences and business proposals.

Unfortunately, the projectreceived unexpected attention,eventually sparking an uproaramong faculty and students.

It has also prompted an apol-ogy from the Marketing and PublicRelations Department.

The lesson consisted of learning how to effectively use “the back-channel,” a social media term fora real-time discussion among userson an online network, such as Twit-ter, as they watch a live event.

“The assignment was to use

Twitter as a tool to communicate with other people in the class andhave an intelligent conversation live

while watching a video on eating healthy,” said junior David Haurin,one of Sheridan’s students.

Haurin and others in Multi-media Storytelling that day useda hash tag, #mhurst, to maintaina dialog among themselves aboutthe video—a recorded lecture by aUniversity of California, Berkeley professor.

But a problem arose when acompany hoping to conduct busi-ness with Mercyhurst happenedto check tweets about the college.

That company, which Director of Marketing and Public RelationsMeghan Corbin declined to iden-tify, contacted Corbin to alert herof what appeared to be hacker-likeactivity on the CommunicationDepartment’s Twitter account.

Corbin contacted Sheridan, whoquickly assured her it was only anin-class project.

She said she then offered to sendboth him and Dr. Anne Zaphiris a

list of blog ging guidelines that herdepartment had been developing.

But the document that Sheridanreceived, according to Corbin, wasnot the one she intended him toreceive.

That document, titled “Social-MediaPolicy.docx,” stated “stu-dents, faculty, staff, administratorsor other parties with an interest inMercyhurst College” found posting online content that contained “inac-curate, distasteful or defamatory commentary about Mercyhurst orits afliated schools/organizations”could constitute “disciplinary action(including) termination or otherintervention deemed appropriateby administration.”

The second line of the docu-ment read, “This policy is approvedby Marketing/Public Relations.”

The 900-word-plus policy wasintended to “set forth employeeguidelines for all online commu-nications in reference to Mercy-hurst.”

“My rst thoughts were, ‘Areyou kidding me?’” said Sheridan,

who serves as an adviser to TheMerciad but did not assign, write,edit or approve any portion of thisstory. “I forwarded it to Dr. (David)Hyland, and said, ‘They can’t dothis, can they?’”

Hyland, biology departmentchair and current Faculty Senatepresident, brought the documentto a Faculty Senate meeting, wheremembers in attendance unani-mously rejected the policy.

But the backlash surrounding the document’s release may havestemmed from a simple miscom-munication.

Corbin says “SocialMediaPolicy.docx” was still under review in theMarketing Department at the timeit was accidentally sent to Sheridan.She apologized multiple times forthe uproar it caused.

“I truly apologize for the con-fusion this may have caused,” shesaid. “At this time, we do not havea policy for employees and studentsfor social media guidelines.”

As for the project, Haurinexplained that Twitter can be useful

at a conference with hundreds of people.

“Through Twitter, more voicescan be heard,” he said. “Also, if thespeaker is using the Twitter accountlive, they can answer questions orguide their presentation in a differ-ent direction based on what peopleare saying.”

And for students who wish toparticipate in that backchannel dia-logue, Corbin says there are not and

will not be college restrictions on what they can tweet.

“I feel really bad about what hap-pened,” she said. “We obviously never intend to infringe on aca-demic policies or free speech.”

By Jennifer McCurdy &Ethan MagocMerciad Staff

Last Thursday, poet Andrew

Hudgins continued MercyhurstCollege’s 2010 Literary Festivalby reading poems from his pub-lished works, including “AmericanRendering” and “Shut Up, You’reFine.”

Hudgins entertained the audience with his unique sense of humor andinteresting poetry selections.

Hudgins read poems that incor-porated serious topics, such as hisselections from “American Ren-dering,” where he read poems that

focused on the dark side of Ameri-can history. He changed his reading to a more humorous subject whenhe began to explain his newestpublished book, “Shut Up, You’reFine.”

Hudgins described “Shut Up, You’re Fine” as a book lled withpoems written for badly behaving children. Some of these poems

Hudgins read aloud included“Playing Houth” and “You had itComing.”

Many who attended the read-ing found themselves entertainedat Hudgins’s ability to capturethe voice of the child within thepoems.

English Professor and Depart-ment Chair Dr. Jeffrey Roessnersaid, “I really love Hudgins’s work,partly because he brings such aunique sense of humor to hispoetry.”

After the reading, many students were still chuckling on their way outand expressing their amusement totheir friends.

Junior Nick Rex said, “I enjoyedHudgins’s ability to present topicsthat entertained as well as incorpo-rated dark humor.”

Sophomore Trevor Surgeuersaid, “I found his reading to beintelligent as well as cynical in anamusing way.”

The next morning studentsfrom Dr. Greg Brown’s Intro toCreative Writing had the oppor-

tunity to host Hudgins as a guestspeaker.

During his visit students hadthe chance to ask questions andlisten to his opinion on writing poetry.

Hudgins also provided students with his thoughts on applying tograd school and the process of

writing poetry overall.Hudgins said, “Many believe

that poetry is an instant process;however, in actuality it takes severaldrafts before a person can call apoem complete.”

The festival will close this Thurs-day at 8:15 p.m. in the Taylor Little

Theatre with the unveiling of the2010 Lumen, Mercyhurst College’sLiterary Arts Magazine.

The magazine consists of workssuch as poetry, short ction, pho-tography and artwork created by Mercyhurst students.

Free copies of the Lumen willbe distributed during the event, as

well as the announcement of thetop three works from this year’sLumen.

By Chrissy MihalicContributing writer

Hudgins continues Literary Fest Students celebrateEarth Day birthday

The Green Team hosted an Earth Day Birthday bash lastThursday in celebration of the 40th anniversary of EarthDay.

Shannon Malone photo

See the SocialMediaPolicy.docxin its entirety online at merciad.mercyhurst.edu/content/social-networking-policy. Or check outthe Communication Department

Twitter feed at twitter.com/hurstcommdept.

Check out the daily specials at the Sequoia Grill, East Street Deli and Cantina De Laker.



NEWS April 28, 2010

News Briefs

The Communication Department is hosting a symposiumand reception for journalism students and advisers to have anopportunity to network with Pennsylvania newspaper profes-

sionals. The event will take place on Tuesday, May 4. Panelists will speak in Walker Recital Hall from 6 to 7:30 p.m. A recep-tion will follow in Cummings Art Gallery from 7:45 to 9 p.m.

Event to help students network

One major issue facing the world today is climatechange. Mercyhurst College is doing its part to help thisproblem by investing in 100 percent wind power.

The announcement to go 100 percent wind wasmade during the college’s Earth Week celebration.

Mercyhurst has been striving to go green with theGreen Team, having recycling bins on campus, the“Earth tube” and the Senior Gift of the green roof onZurn Hall.

Wind power is the next step to being green.“Combined with prior investments in geothermal

and solar energy, and our ongoing efforts to improveenergy efciency and conser vation, Mercyhurst’s moveto 100 percent wind power illustrates the commitment

we have made toward our long-term goal of carbonemissions neutrality,” President Dr. Thomas J. Gamblesaid.

Going 100 percent wind power starts off by pur-

chasing all the electricity from the regional wind farms,a project that is nancially backed by Community Energy.

The plan to use only wind power has been in placefor a while.

The college purchased the initial wind energy at 10percent seven years ago. This amount was increased to30 percent in 2008 and now 100 percent in 2010.

The college will pay $10,000 less annually for energy by using 100 percent wind.

Some students may wonder how having energy pro-duced only by wind will affect how they use energy around campus. In fact, not a lot will change.

Dr. Chris Magoc, the Green Team chair explained,“It will work as it has for the last 7 years – the lights andcomputers will continue to come on whenever we ipthe switch, but we can do so now with the good feeling that at all times, the restless power of the winds thatblow across this planet are powering this campus. Thisis a profound expression of the Mercyhurst commit-ment to global responsibility.”

Mercyhurst will be the fth college in Pennsylvaniato go 100 percent wind.

’Hurst continues ‘green’ effortsby going 100 percent wind

O

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Merciad.Mercyhurst.edu/News

The MercyhurstPolice Log

‘Drunk bus’ drivingback to Mercyhurst

Marketplace showcases talents, sells wares

The rst Mercyhurst Market-place gave students the opportunity to experience responsibilities retail-ers have on a daily basis.

These experiences include coor-dinating vendors, setting displays,pricing and promoting while oper-ating at a prot.

The Marketplace took place Tuesday, April 27, in the Mercy Heritage Room from 10 a.m. to 6p.m.

The Retail Management Classtaught by assistant professor of marketing Jill Slomski hosted theevent.

The Marketplace was a place where students, faculty and staff could showcase their talents and selltheir wares.

An estimated 18 vendors were atthe Marketplace. The vendors solditems including paintings, photog-raphy, jewelry, plants, internationaldesserts, corn hole and gourmetdog treats.

Mercyhurst sophomore Court-ney Clair purchased a “Stop the Warin MyRaq” shirt from the FashionClub’s table.

Fashion Merchandising majorssenior Amber Valdiserri and sopho-more Michele Colangelo explainedthat all of the jewelry they were sell-ing was student-made. Fashion stu-dents designed the shirts that weresold at their table as well.

Another vendor at the Market-place was Jordan Potratz, represent-ing his family’s business, PotratzFloral Shop and Greenhouse.

“(The Marketplace) is a greatopportunity for young artists to gettheir name out there,” Potratz said.

He said the Marketplace is a

good way to put the word out forhis family’s business.

Senior Andrea Moncada, a stu-dent in the Retail ManagementClass, ran an international dessertstable with the help of her friendsand roommates.

They said they decided to selldesserts because of their love of and “mad skills” for baking.

Slomski came up with the ideaof the Marketplace because she

wanted the students in her class tohave a retail lab experience. TheMarketplace turned out better thanSlomski expected.

“It came together beautifully,”Slomski said.

She said she hopes vendors areable to sell all their products andthat the event will take place againnext year.

Ten percent of each vendor’sprots will be donated to the Mercy Center for Women.

By Alicia CagleStaff writer

The Mercyhurst College community purchased goods madeby students at the rst Mercyhurst Marketplace. The Market-place took place on Tuesday, April 27.

Tyler Stauffer photo

By Chelsee CallahanStaff writer

Student wins award to study abroad Thanks to a weekend of generally polite, responsible behav-

ior, students will once again have access to the EMTA shuttle Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights beginning April 29.

“Our last weekend we had students behaving responsibly and articulating their appreciation for the service,” Darcy

Kemp, director of Student Engagement and Leadership Devel-opment, said. According to Kemp, some students even gave the driver

thank you cards.



FEATURES April 28, 2010

O

n l i n e Video Game

of the Week:Mall World

An Erieite Appetite:

Andy’s Pub

Merciad.Mercyhurst.

edu/Features

Your weekly reportfrom Dungarvan,

Ireland:Exploring the

Atlantic Coast

If you have ever spent any time in the Stu-dent Union or Campus Ministry, you may have seen or talked to her.She’s a little lady with a gleeful smile that

lights up any room she may walk into. She hasa presence about her of strength and deter-mination.She has always been ready to put someone

else’s needs before her own.

Who is this mystery woman, you may beasking yourselves?She is my mom, Nell Hardy, and she man-

ages all of this and her job at Campus Min-istry, even while carrying the life-threatening burden of the disease ALS on her shoul-ders. ALS is a horrible disease affecting hundredsof thousands of people around the country

for which there is no cure. The disease ruthlessly shuts down the body part by part, leading the victim down a long and painful road to their demise.My mom was diagnosed with this disease in

May 2009. This uncomfortable reality has certainly settled in with my mom, but the steadfastoptimist in her keeps chugging along as if nothing was wrong.She still works reliably ve days a week at

the Student Union and takes a writing classhere, even after being forced to reduce herschedule to part-time hours because of thetoll on her body. Though currently without a cure for thisdeadly disease, there is still hope of a betterfuture for ALS victims such as my mom. The beginning of May marks the star t of National ALS Awareness Month, a month-long effort aimed at increasing public under-standing of ALS disease.My family, in order to donate our time and

effort to this noteworthy cause, is taking partin a Walk to Defeat ALS on May 15 in New

York City. We will be walking three miles through Man-hattan with hundreds of o ther people whoselives have also been aficted by ALS. This is my invitation to all of you to show your awareness of this horr ible disease and its

victims such as my mom, Nell.Showing your support for our team, the

“Friends of Nell,” is as easy as visiting the Web site, http://web.alsa.org/goto/friends_ of_nell, and clicking the ‘Join Team’ button atthe bottom of the page. This simple action will help us to both raisefunds that will go toward research of thishorrible disease, and help to rid the tragedy of ALS from my mom’s life and from hun-dreds of thousands of others. You can also just stop in to Campus Ministry and say hello. She would love the company.My mom is hard to miss. She’ll be the one

behind the desk with the welcoming smile.

By Brendan HardyContributing writer

One of Mercyhurst’s own ghts ruthless disease

TeacherFeatures:

Dr. Argaez &Dr. Roberts

If you have an internship or a job waiting for you this summer, send us your photo to [email protected]

Senior Alyssa Magnone...is going to be an intern at Mount

Vernon

Senior Jennifer Wheaton will...be interning at the Erie MaritimeMuseum.

“I am really excited for this posi-tion. The History and Archaeol-ogy Departments have denitely prepared me for this challenging position. It’s a great opportunity,and I can’t wait to start!”

“I’m very excited to gain practicalexperience in the public history eld at a great museum!”

Sophomore Hanna Blashock will intern at The Westin HiltonHead Island Resort & Spa inSouth Carolina.

“It will be a big change forme, being so far away fromhome, but I know that I willlearn a lot and meet a lot of great people there.”

Nell Hardy was diagnosed with ALS inMay 2009.

Ethan Magoc photo

Class project yields ‘sweet’ job positionDuring winter term, graphic design

students in Jodi Staniunas-Hopper’sCorporate Identity and Branding class participated in a contest toproduce the best logo for local Eriebusinesses.

This year, the Small Business

Development Center helped Mer-cyhurst College connect with fourErie businesses: Engineered Plas-tics Inc. (EPI), Pulakos Chocolates,Natural Options, and ScattergunReserve. The class divided into groups, andeach group was assigned a client for

which to design a logo. The winning group produced a logo for PulakosChocolates. Its members includedjunior Debbie Brunner, post-BA

Samantha Ciprich, junior LauraMcCarty, post-BA Bryan Morphy and junior Samantha Williams.Staniunas-Hopper explained that

early in the process, students provided a client with 100 images which could be used to interpretthe company’s character or goal.

This visual sort allowed studentsto better communicate with clients,

whose descriptions often did notmatch those of the visual-minded

graphic design students.“The process is not about the one

image,” Staniunas-Hopper said. “It’sabout the other 99 pictures, too.”“The process was very in-depth

and involved many steps, but themost important one for the design

was our communication with theclients of Pulakos Chocolates,”

Williams said. Although the group did not wina prize, Williams did nd summer

employment during the project.She will work for Pulakos Choco-

lates over the summer to further herinvolvement in their branding pro-cess, and she noted that she lookedforward to the “sweet experience”of learning how to make chocolate.

Read the unabridged version of this article online.

By Jennifer McCurdyStaff writer

Firedepartmentoffers ‘hot’

live-in program



ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT April 28, 2010

Dancer pro le: Eliza Quigley heads to Disney

1. What drew you, Eliza Quig-

ley to Mercyhurst?I found Mercyhurst only by itsdance department, although after

visiting the school for my audition,I really liked how it was more of asmall community on campus ratherthan a huge student body that hadnothing to do with one another.

2. When did you start danc-ing?

I started doing ballet when I wasfour, although I absolutely hated itafter a year. I continued with what

I really liked, which was gymnas-tics, but when I was about eight,my mom decided I needed morestructure. I guess I was becoming too much of a “wild child,” as shesaid, so she put me back into balletclasses, and I’ve loved it ever since!

3. What do you hope to do with your dance degree?

After graduation I will be danc-ing with Walt Disney World Enter-tainment. I’m not really sure of thedirection I want to take my dancing

in after that. However, I also havea business minor and would like to

be able to use the two together to work on the administrative side of a large ballet company.

4. Why did you decide tobecome an ambassador?

I thought it would be nice to

show others what drew me to thecollege and why I loved it. Having two older siblings, I’ve been throughmy fair share of boring monotonecollege tours. I wanted to be able togive prospective students a chanceto really see the campus how I seeit, and what it can offer, althoughthe scholarship and the résumébuilder don’t hurt either.

5. Is there any type of dancestyle that you prefer, such asmodern, contemporary ballet,or classical ballet?

I like classical and contemporary ballet the best.

7. What is one of the most valuable things you ha ve learnedthrough your college experi-ence?

To go after exactly what you want. Don’t let anyone tell you thatit’s not possible. I’ve seen plenty of my friends, including me, accom-plish goals that were originally toldto be “impossible.”

8. What do you like the mostabout the dance department?

I love that we’re more like afamily than a department. I know that anyone in the department

would support me, and vice versa,in times of need.

9. Have you done any company auditions?

I have auditioned for cruise linesand Disney, but no companies sofar. I know that I want to be in theOrlando area to continue my work

with Disney, but while I’m there Ihave found some small contem-porary ballet companies that I

would like to audition for once I’msettled. Even though I won’t nec-essarily be doing ballet in Disney,I will denitely keep taking classesin the area.

10. Do you have any plans forafter graduation yet?

As I said before, I’m going back down to Disney World. I’m actu-ally participating in their collegeprogram for the second time. Itis an easier way for the schedul-ers and trainers to get to know meonce again, as well as an easier way to transition into a full-time posi-tion once my internship is nishedin January.

An unnabridged version of this article can be found online.

By Emma RishelStaff writer

After graduation, Quigley will be dancing with Walt DisneyWorld Entertainment.


’Hurst dancers to perform in different styles

This weekend at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center(PAC), the Mercyhurst dance

department will culminate the cele-bration of its 35th anniversary withthe spring concert “35 Years: An

Anniversary Gala.” Performances will take place Saturday, May 1, at2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 2, at 2 p.m.

The dance concert will featureseveral different ballet pieces, bothclassical and neo-classical, along

with some contemporary pieces.“We are here to produce profes-

sional ballet dancers, and so I feel itis tting that we conclude our anni-

versary season with works showing an evolution of ballet from the 20thand 21st centuries,” dance depart-ment Chair Tauna Hunter said.

The rst act of the show willpresent “Les Sylphides,” a whiteballet from the early 1900s Roman-tic era, with original choreography by Michael Fokine and music by Frederic Chopin.

This work, though not story-based, is characterized by theethereal sylphs, which are fairy-like creatures that it through the

woods while pursued by a young male poet.

The second half of the perfor-mance will include several shorterpieces choreographed by Mercy-hurst dance faculty and guest art-ists. “The Piano,” choreographed

by Tauna Hunter, is set to themusic of Alberto Ginestra and willbe performed live by guest pianistLucia Unrau of Bluffton University in Ohio. Assistant professor Mark Santillano has also choreographeda work, “Rhapsody sur le Pointe,”to music by George Gershwin,

which will make its premiere inthis show.

Guest artist Carter Alexander,principal teacher of the MiamiCity Ballet School, set a work whilehe was in residence in the dancedepartment which will also beperformed in “35 Years: An Anni-

versary Gala.” His choreography,“Petite Dances,” features music by Darius Milhaud and “challenges thedancers to work in the ‘Balanchinestyle’ of movement,” Hunter said.

Acclaimed choreographer anddirector Bruce Marks taught at theMercyhurst Summer Dance Experi-ence last summer, and during thattime he set two pas de deux pieceson the Mercyhurst dancers. Oneof these dances, “Inscape,” which

reveals a dysfunctional relation-ship between the two dancers in thepiece, will appear in this weekend’sperformance.

As has also been true of theother dance department concertsthis year, “35 Years: An Anniversary Gala” will include alumni perfor-mances as part of the anniversary celebration. Christine VanSchaick Geren (1998), now a dancer withthe Albany Berkshire Ballet, willdance Fokine’s famous “Dying Swan” to the unforgettable musicby Camille Saint-Saëns.

Valerie Nezich (2005) and Brian Walker (2006), both of whomare currently dancers with Ballet

Theatre of Maryland (BTM), willperform “Primal Dreams,” choreo-graphed by BTM Artistic DirectorDianna Cuatto and set to music by Cybertribe.

Tickets for “35 Years: An Anni- versary Gala” are just $1 with a validMercyhurst student ID and can bepurchased at the PAC box ofce, orby calling extension 3000.

By Sarah MastrocolaStaff writer

Mercyhurst dancers will perform in a wide variety of styles,ranging from classical to contemporary.




September 3, 2008OPINION April 28, 2010

@mercyhurst.edueditormerciadnewsmerciad

featuremerciadopinionmerciad sportsmerciad

entertainmentmerciad photomerciad photomerciad

emagoc80ejohns89

copymerciadadmerciad

wwelchbsheridan

The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper ofCollege. It is published throughout the school year, with the

finals weeks. Our office is in Hirt, Room 120B. Our teleph(814) 824-2376.

The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters musand names will be included with the letters. Although we wletters for content, we reserve the right to trim letters to fit.

are due Mondays. by noon and may not be more than 300 wletters to box PH 485 or via e-mail at opinionmerciad@mer

If you don’t want it printed . . . don’t let it happenEditors

JoEllen MarshKelly Luoma

Javi Cubillos Jordan ZangaroNick Glasier

Alaina Rydzewski Sam WilliamsTyler Stauffer Ethan MagocEthan JohnsKyle King Max RiveraBill WelchBrian Sheridan

PositionsEditor-in-Chief

News Editor Features Editor Opinion Editor Sports Editor

A&E Graphics

Photographer Multimedia Editor

We b Editor Copy Editor

Ad Manager Adviser Adviser

The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercyhor the Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be e-mailed to opini

Online Opinion Section...

merciad.mercyhurst.edu

By VictoriaGricksStaff writer

By Devin RuicStaff writer

Historical handshake causes stir

Addressing tough issues head on

There are times where it is dif-cult to nd the precise topic I wantto discuss on a weekly basis.

Sometimes, I have got to dig through the entire week’s newsmaterial in order to nd something intriguing enough that I can write anarticle about it. I contemplate topicsI can intelligently debate to cause aconversation with my peers.

Thankfully, this process usually unearths a wonderful little gem thatI can show all of you next Wednes-day.

This week was one of those

weeks, and I am glad for it. Thanks to the Reuters news network, I stumbled across an articlereading, “U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian counterpartDmitry Medvedev said on Sunday their nations need the spirit of mutual trust they enjoyed during

World War II to build true pa rtner-ship.”

The article references the hand-shake at the Elbe, where Americanand Soviet troops met just daysbefore the defeat of Nazi Germany,as the specic type of cooperationthat is required between the twocountries today.

Whereas the American andSoviet troops did indeed meet atthe Elbe, and whereas there wasa mutual enemy between the twoforces, it seems that PresidentObama is overlooking a signicantportion of the last century in orderto nd an example of cooperationbetween the two nations.

What is being overlooked by the American administration is thenearly 50 years during which the

two countries were diametrically opposed to one another to thedegree that both governments weremore comfortable with the idea of Mutually Assured Destruction thandefeat.

While the handshake at theElbe was an historical event of

some signicance, the “spirit of the Elbe” referred to by PresidentsObama and Medvedev is not poi-gnant enough to base new relationson–much as the Christmas Trucebetween Allied and German forcesduring World War I did not endearthe French and British nations tothe German people in the lead-up

to World War II. Medvedev hasalready declared that he and theRussian Federation are not afraidof a new Cold War.

The relations between the Rus-sian Federation and the UnitedStates ought to necessarily stay lukewarm until the Russian gov-ernment can agree upon the sover-eignty of its smaller, former Sovietneighbors.It would be a mistake forthe Obama administration to have

relations with Russia in the same way that President Roosevelt hadrelations with Uncle Joseph Stalin.

Papa Putin is not America’sfriend, and this should be remem-bered carefully, lest we endear anenemy of the state to the Americanpeople.

Have an opinion you want to express?Become a staff writer for the opinionsection. If interested, send an e-mailto [email protected]

Frantic, I called my best friendand asked what he was doing. Whenhe replied with a simple ‘nothing,’I asked him if he wanted to go toEgan with me. Thankfully, he saidyes.

As soon as we got there, we gotour food and found a table. Eventhough I was kind of hungry, I hadno interest in eating; instead, I justmoved everything around on my plate with my fork.

There was a lot on my mind, butI didn’t know how to begin.

So, we sat there in silence for acouple minutes. I took a few bitesof my salad, though, which wasgood.

Anyway, after a while, I realized Ishould say something.

I took a deep breath and startedto talk.

I told him how my obsession with weight had gotten worse, andI tried explaining what I thoughtabout the issue . When I was done,I sighed and glanced away. I wasashamed.

Several seconds later, I looked up,only to see the disappointed expres-sion on his face. I felt bad, because

I knew he was upset by what I hadtold him.However, as cliché as this might

sound, it felt like a weight had beenlifted from my shoulders. I hadnally admitted my problem andcould begin getting help.

There comes a time when youhave to take a look in the mirror andask yourself if you’re happy. Andnot that fake-smile, forced-laugh,pretend-to-have-a-good-time hap-

piness. I’m talking about the real,genuine kind.

If the answer is ‘yes,’ then con-gratulations – you’re one of thefew. If it’s ‘no,’ then you need to dosomething about it.

Everyone has their own issues,big and small.

But only the mature people willacknowledge that something is

wrong and actually make the effortto change.

No one is perfect, no matter how

hard they try. I will be the rst totell you that, for the longest time,I thought I could be. After almostve years of trying, though, I havecome to terms with the truth: Per-fection is only a gment of theimagination.

If I – one of the most stubborn19-year-old girls you will ever meet

– can swallow my pride and admitthat I have a problem, so can you.It’s not easy, it’s not fun, but it’s

worth it.Believe me.

Why it is important to discuss the obstacles in your life

How one small gesture could have a huge impact This I Believe: It’s nice to be nice

While most of us learned to say our pleases and thank yousat a young age, Katie Wagner reminds us that manners cantake us a long way. Read her refreshing article about theimportance of being respectful.



Sports April 28, 2010

Spracklen: Mercyhurst’s model of success

Head men’s and women’s rowing coach Adrian Spracklen is themodel of athletic success at Mercy-hurst College.

Spracklen is the only coachat Mercyhurst to win an NCAANational Championship.

He coached the women’s rowing

team to the 2004 NCAA DivisionII National Championship.Spracklen, however, did have to

grow to fully accept this role as headcoach and to embrace the shadow that his father casts over him.

Spracklen’s father Mike Spracklenis the Canadian National Rowing

Team coach and has won multiplegold and silver medals at the Olym-pics.

Spracklen, a native of Marlow,

England, graduated from Mer-cyhurst in 1990 with a bachelor’sdegree in sports medicine and wenton to get his master’s at WesternMichigan University.

Spracklen came back to Mercy-hurst in 1992 as an athletic trainer,and rowing coach.

The split title spoke volumesabout the reserve that Spracklen

was having about his decision.“I came to Mercyhurst with a

split title as coach/athletic trainerand much of that had to deal withthis monster I had created in regardsto my father,” Spracklen said.

“When people hear my name,they automatically think of my father and think I might be good

because he is good, and it is hardtrying to be as good as the best,”Spracklen said.

After the rst few seasons of coaching under his belt, “I began tolose the fear of the name when thesuccess began to come,” Spracklensaid. “With that, I began to loosenup a little.”

The shadow his father castsover him was not the only problemSpracklen had to deal with whenhe rst came to Mercyhurst as acoach.

When Spracklen rst came toMercyhurst, the program was vastly different from the way things arenow.

“When I was rowing here wehad a lot of talent, but it nevermaterialized, and there was a lotof tur nover in terms of coaches,”Spracklen said.

“When I rst came in, I really changed the culture and really began to focus the team. Conse-quently, one-third of the team quitthat year,” Spracklen said.

However, Spracklen felt he

weeded out the rowers who weren’tserious about rowing.

“I felt we just lost the ‘country club’ rowers, and those who really

wanted to row stuck around andgot better,” Spracklen said.

The emphasis on focus and a winning attitude has been a stapleof Spracklen’s during his tenure atMercyhurst.

“Right now we have a list of traits of a champion posted onthe wall in the rowing room, andeach rower is to memorize those,”Spracklen said.

“We focus on one trait each week and it helps to keep the mentalfocus,” Spracklen said.

The approach has seemingly worked for both teams this year.

“The teams have been perform-ing really well. The level of focusand the competition on both teamshas been very high. They have really taken the high expectations seri-ously,” Spracklen said.

For the rest of this article,go to merciad.mercyhurst.edu/Spracklen.

By Nick GlasierSports Editor

No-no fails to impress

On April 17, Ubaldo Jimenez threw the rst no-hitter in Colorado Rockies’ history.

As a disclaimer, I could never hope to pitch as wellas Jimenez, and he has more talent than I could everhope to have.

He also did something I could never hope to do.That being said, Jimenez walked six batters in his

no-hitter, and it’s just a little troubling to me.For starters, six walks is the equivalent of two full

innings of hitters. Though Jimenez didn’t do this, a pitcher could

intentionally walk the best power hitters (likely numbers 3 and 4 in the lineup) or best contact hit-ters (the leadoff man and second) in each of theirrst three at-bats and really only pitch to them once.

This would make pitching this no-hitter considerably easier for Jimenez.

In addition, a pitcher with 6 BB could walk sixbatters in a row and lose a complete game no-hitterby a score of 3-2, 3-1, or 3-0.

In order to back up my claim, I looked on BaseballReference (baseball-reference.com).

As it turns out, more

than a few pitchers havethrown no-no’s withmore than a couple

walks.Randy Johnson (6)

and Sandy Koufax (5)are the most notablenames on the list, and

A.J. Burnett holds therecord with nine walksin his no-hitter on May

12, 2001.

Jim Maloney had 10 walks in a 10-inning no-hitter in 1965, but thisgame isn’t considered a

no-hitter anymore because it was broken up in the11th inning.

Ubaldo Jimenez pitched a gem on April 17, and hedeserves some serious recognition for it.

Six walks or not, Jimenez became the rst Rockiespitcher to throw a no-hitter, and he’ll be rememberedfor it forever. As a nal poke in the ribs, though, I

would like to point out that there have been 264 no-

hitters since 1876, but only 18 of those were perfectgames.

By Devon SwansonColumnist

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Mercyhurst College’s head men’s and women’s rowing coachAdrian Spracklen and his “Traits of a Champion.”


Colorado

Rockies pitcherUbaldo Jimenez.

AP photo



Sports April 28, 20

Kimball enjoying every minute of AD job

Being an athletic director at any level can be a stressful and extremely time-consuming job. A person alsohas to be organized, with differentsports going on at the same time.

He or she, therefore, needs tohave a very supportive staff of administrators and coaches to helpthem.

Luckily, this is true at Mercy-hurst.

“We have a great staff, we havean environment where people wantto work and we work with an open-door policy. I have had input fromcoaches, suggestions that they wantand need for their sport, the way they have approached me has allbeen positive,” said Joe Kimball,

who took over as athletic directorin July 2009.

Kimball says he feels good that

the coaches want to communicate with him, and that they have provided good ideas on facilities andimprovements.

With the help of his supportivestaff, Kimball has endured an enjoy-able rst year as athletic director.

“It’s been hectic and very cha-otic, but I love it. It’s all about ath-

letics, and I feel very blessed that Ilove what I’m doing and wake uplooking forward to going to work,”Kimball said.

The hours can sometimes belong, with games late at night, butKimball says he doesn’t consider

watching games to be work becauseof how much he enjoys it.

One can often see Kimball at

games, as he tries to attend as many as possible. He says he has builta rapport with athletes in mostsports. He cites the great atmo-sphere around the sports teams asa way to keep young.

Kimball is especially proud of the fact that there are a total of 568athletes at Mercyhurst with a aver-age GPA of 3.1. He believes this agreat compliment to the coaches, asthere are quality student-athletes at

the college.Kimball was a two-sport athlete

in football and wrestling. He hasbeen able to get to where he hastoday because of the educationhe received, and he recognizes thedemands of being a student-ath-lete.

There are, though, frustrationsof the job.

“I wish we could get things inplace right away, but we have to

consider money, time and planning.I don’t like sitting still, which keeps

me going. We have to have the best

interest for all programs,” Kimballsaid.

“There are frustrating times,as you can’t please everybody, butthat’s life. People leave my ofcedisappointed, but they understandbecause they know we’re ghting for them.”

There are no major plans in placeright now for the athletics depart-ment, Kimball said. They are, how-ever, working on some small things

to improve facilities for games andpractices.

Kimball does have long-termplans, saying, “I want to seeimprovements in 3-5 years, and tocontinue to recruit quality student-athletes.”

“I love what I’m doing, and Irespect the people I’m working

with. The administration are listen-ing to us and our ideas, and I hopethis continues,” Kimball said with

a smile, evident that he is enjoying every moment as athletic director.

By Billy ColtonStaff writer

Baseball aims to shake up PSAC playoffs

The Mercyhurst College men’sbaseball team came out victoriouson Friday, April 23, defeating theClarion University Golden Eagles.

In the doubleheader, the Lakersbeat the Eagles 11-2 in the rstgame and 12-7 in the second game.

Earning himself a home run was freshman rst baseman Bill“Avatar” Grestenslager. He crankedthe ball so far past the right-eld

fence that it hit the roof of theMercyhurst Ice Rink.“We call him ‘Avatar’ because

he is about 6 feet, 7 inches tall. Hehas the ideal frame for playing rstbase,” sophomore Jaasiel Riverasaid.

Sophomore Ethan Santora hadthe biggest impact at the plate, hit-ting six for nine, scoring two runsand driving in three RBIs.

Junior pitcher Nick Gillung, from

Punxsutawney, Pa., was a major

factor in the win for the Lakers,pitching six innings and allowing one earned run on eight hits whilestriking out four and walking one.

Head coach Joe Spano congrat-ulated the team by saying it wasa good win. At the same time, he

warned the team that the next few games will not be easy.

“Mental preparation is going to

be a big factor in our success if weexpect to win,” Spano said.

This victory launched the Lakersinto the third seed at the Pennsylva-nia State Athletic Conference Westdivision tournament. They will play Kutztown University on Wednes-day, April 28, in Johnstown.

“We will go over scouting reportsand practice executing bunts and

hit-and-runs. We will also work onour defense to prepare for the tour-nament,” Rivera said.

The winner of the eight-teamtournament will receive an auto-matic bid to the NCAA AtlanticRegional Tournament.

The Lakers are doing well, buttough competition remains on therest of their schedule.

Indiana University of Pennsyl- vania is ranked rst in the PSAC

West, while California University of Pennsylvania is ranked second.

The Lakers will play both of these teams in a split series, mean-ing they will play California for twogames and Indiana for two games.

Despite a tough schedule, theLakers have condence in theirability to win.

“It’s going to be a grind, but I seeus coming [out] on top,” Rivera saidabout his expectations.

By Matt CirellContributing writer

Mercyhurst College’s Athletic Director Joe Kimball is nearingthe end of his rst year at the helm.


Mercyhurst College senior baseball player Adam Gray looks tohelp carry the Lakers deep into the playoffs.

Ethan Magoc photo

The Merciad, April 28, 2010

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