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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MERCYHURST COLLEGE SINCE 1929jit ARTS &ENTERTAINMENTCaroling with theD'Angelo Concert andChamber Choirs page 3

"Off the Rimbasketballcommentarypage 7

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Vol. 74 No. 9 Mercyhurst College 501 E. 38th St. Erie, Pa. 16546 December 6,2000

L o n g - a w a i t e d R e c C e n t e r e x p a n s i o n c o m p l e t e dBy Sara SeidleMerciad writerJust in time to ward off those extra holidaypounds, construction and renovations ofMercyhurst's Recreation C enter are complete.Wednesday, Dec. 6, marks the grand open-ing of the new addition and renovated facility.A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held 3 p.m.to formally open the facility. A reception forthe entire college community will be held inthe new facilities after the ceremony."The ideas and efforts student governmentbrought forth last spring have resulted in afirst-rate, state-of-the-art recreation center andfitness complex,** said Thomas Billingsley,executive vice president of administration.Opening of the Recreation Center was de-layed due to revisions in the construction plansthattobk place

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PAGE 2 THE MERCIAD DECEMBER 6. 2000

CAMPUS NEWSSportsmed gets new home

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Annie Sitter/Merciad PhotographerSportsmed majore Amy Patton, Greg Beato and Ryan MoULare among the first.students to attend classes in Mercyhurst's nevy Sportmedicip^omplexJ"he mnew facility Includes three offices, a lecture room, a humanper^rmancelarj, wan orthopedic, health and psychomotor classroom and a storage room. 1

Mercyliurst CollegePolice and Safety Log ix .Nov. 20,2000 - Baldwin TownhousesRecoveredistolen handicap parking sign.

Novf 19,12000 - 382^Lewis|Ave. \Door found propped open after students had leftfforfThanksgiving|Break. Empty beer bottles foundII Nov^ 17,2000^- Mercy! ApartmentsCollegejsearch warrant for room in&partmentlatMercy|200. Marijuanaand paraphenalia were found.

I BEWARE OF THE FLU BUGFlu vaccinations will be available at theCohen Stu-dentjHealth Center through Thursday, D ec. 39. Callthe Health Center at ext. 2431 to make an appoint-ment. Health Center hours are 9 a.m. to 3:30 p .m.Monday through Friday.

In the spirit of the season'Hurst holds 'Christmas on Campus'By Stacy N orrisMerciad writerIn the spirit of the holiday season, '"Mercyhurst students are gearing up for theannual Christmas on Campus Saturday,Dec. 9. I i fS &In its 11 th year, Christmas on Campusactivities will include a visit from Santa andMrs. Claus, many Christmas games andcrafts as well as gifts for every child inattendance. Prior to the event, the childrenmake a C hristmas wish list for Santa. Duringthe afternoon of fun-filled Christmasactivites, Santa makes the childrens'Christmas wishes come true when he arriveswith a sack full of presents.To complete the afternoon *Barry

McAndrew, professor of English, willpresent his annual telling of "Twas the NightBefore Christmas."Over 100 inner-city childrenfromvariouscommunity agenc ies, such as the Boys andGirls Club, will fill the Hermann StudentUnion from 1 -4 p.m.Along with the business department,members of campus clubs and organizationssuch as Phi Eta Sigm a, Circle K and Tri-Beta will help facilitate the event.It is not necessary to be a member ofone of these organizations to volunteer at theevent. Any Mercyhurst student that wouldlike to get involved can sign up to be a"buddy" to one of the children. There is asign-up list for buddies in the student unionsEach buddy will be paired up with at leastone of the children on the day of theevent.

SAC starts tree-lighting traditionBy Leslie Echan

prMerciad writerThe holidays are a time of tradition formany. Eggnog, mistletoe, holiday partiesand spending time with family are just a fewLg the. traditions that mark the ChristmasseasorCTr^^*^^^^^W^*r,^*l5TMercyhu/st is not different when it coniesto holiday traditions. The halls of Old Main!are decked with twinkle lights, Christmastrees and evergreen wreaths, all traditionaldecorations. A Christmas Mass is held eachyear before the holiday break. With 11 yearsof history, Christmas on Campus hasbecome a tradition for the Mercyhurstcommunity.This year, the Student Activites Commit-tee has decided to add yet another holidaytradition to this list. Saturday, Dec. 9, willmark the first Mercyhurst Christmas treelighting ceremony.The festivities will take place at 8 p.m. inGarvey Park. According to Rob Kosko, SACchair, "There will be hot chocolate andcookies supplied by SAC and Campus

Ministry has volunteered to lead the singingof Christmas carols."In preparation for Saturday's event, SAChas planned a special Coffeehouse on Friday,Dec. 8, from 10 p.m. to midnight to makeornaments to decorate the tree. The orna-ments will be made out of pine cones andbirdseed. HL MS Backin the '60s% the college used to hold anativity lighting during theholiday seasonbut it became a lost tradition as did thelighting of the tree. &"I do think this will become a tradition,"said Kosko. "The C hristmas atmosphere willcome over the students and the campus,creating a sense of community." He addedthat all stud ents, faculty, staff and adminis-trators of the college are invited to partici-pate in the festivities of the evening.Senior Todd Marshall agreed with Koskosaying, "A tradition on campus for theholiday season sounds like a great idea/*SAC has chosen one of the trees in GarveyyPark for the lighting ceremony. "We wantedpa tree that is part of the park so whenstudents pass by they will remember it for?Sjyears to come," said Kosko.

Come At theVisMft Mercyhurst CollegeBookstoreToday!

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DECEMBERS 2000 THEMERC1AD PAGE 3

ARTS&'Regeneration' comes to 'Hurst screenBy Betsy BudackiMerciad writer 1

The Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Centerwill be showing "Regeneration" on Wednes-day, Dec. 14 at 8 p.m., as part of its popularfilm series."Regeneration" is a dramatic war film,based on the novel written by Pat Barker anddirected by Gillies Mackinnon, portraying thehorrifying events of war and the damage theseevents had on the human spirit This film de-picts stories of soldiers during World War IIwho were sent to an asylum for emotionaltroubles and raises many moral questions andcontroversial thoughts about war.This film has been compared to the award-winning "Saving Private Ryan," however,"Regeneration" takes place during World WarII. Also, "Regeneration" is not the predict-able war movie with graphic violence andbloodshed, rather a picture about the emo-tional destruction and heartache endured bythe men and w omen of war.

File photo"Regeneration" uses poetry from two ofEngland's most important World War II poets,Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, whowere two of the soldiers sent to the asylum.The use of the dramatic poems were carefullychosen and employed in the picture and gavethe film added depth.Admission is free to the entire Mercyhurstcommunity with ID and $3 for those withoutID. This film is rated R due to war-related vio-lent images and some sexuality and language,with a running time of 105 minutes.

Annual Chinese ActionTo benefit Habitat for Humanity's annual spring break tripto Palm Beach,|theecond annual Chinese Auction willtake place from Dec* 11 tdDecJ 15from10 a.m. ombroidory,promotional item* and ipecfaltyadvertising products.Bring oyour Idea** thouo>taorlnt our CREATIVE ART 06PT/develop your neat efolgn forGreek Woe k> Fraternity 1 Sororityp*i*ja (tortce*, events, sport*league** IMP anyoccasion or epoclalwood you haw-CISmmcmfralMpnaHfSteM^Cfs2 C0 ^ t t S t f n i t t * ^ t . W f t iO S^ - f

Hum anitarians h ost holiday concertfto raise fundsHelp support Mercyhurst's Habitat for Hu-manity this Sunday by attending a concertat 2:30 p.m. in Christ the King Chapel thatwill fund the spring break trip to Florida tohelp the less fortunate.The Christmas Concert Gala will featureboth vocal and instrumental performancesby about 20 faculty members and students.The afternoon's entertainment will grangefrom traditional Christmas carols to selec-tions from Handel's Messiah, plus othercontemporary holiday music.The Mercyhurst College chapter of Habi-tat for Humanity w ill use funds raised at the

second annual Christmas Concert Gala tooffset the cost of its annual spring break tripto the South to build houses.The Habitat for Humanity chapter atMercyhurst uses funds raised through eventssuch as the benefit concert to offset the costsof traveling to other states to help buildhouses over spring break. The cost of the tripis about $200 per student.Last year, 40 Mercyhurst students traveledto Anniston, Ala., over spring break; this year,Cabanillas expects about 55 students to trekto a Florida site. A free-will offering will sup-port the efforts of the college's chapter.

ENTERTAINMENTDinner and a movieBargain Shopping

Check, pleaseBy Annie DeMeoMerciad writerI am not going to write a review of a restau-rant. I am going to encourage you to cook,by providing you with information about abargain shopper's heaven-sent grocery store.This summer, living in Erie and wo rkingat the Hu rst, I became exposed to the little-known treasures of our college's dreary lo-cation. After wrecking my car for a secondtime this summer, a dear woman in admis-sions introduced me to a grocery store whereeverything is available at discounted prices.Let me give you a few examples that youwill encounter at Erie County Farms. Lastweek*I went shopping and I bought a 5pound, bag of potatoes for 99 cents. I alsopurchased a 20 cent green pepper, a poundof deli turkey for $1.99, a two-pound pack-age of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for$3.22, and a 69 cent loaf of breadtl also fin-ish each trip to Erie County Farms by pur-chasing a two-cent fortune cookie. U nfortu-nately, I get what I pay for in this case. Theseblissfully cheap prices are available at a storejust a little farther away than Tops.Many varieties of beef, chicken and porkproducts are available at discounted prices.There ate seasonal fruits and Vegetablesavailable and a wide variety of fresh fish, i[as You should be aw are of a few things be -fore you head to this discount heaven:j 1.) Customers are not your friends. My firsttime at Erie County Farms, I was appalledby the viciousness of fellow customers. Isnatched up the last package of chicken andwhile my back was turned the itemuwasgrabbed from my cart by another customer.2.) No name brands. You will not be ableto pick up Cocoa Krispies or any other ce-real or name brand item at this grocery store.3.)The workers at Erie County Farms yell.When there is an extra special sale or hemavailable, prepare yourself to hear it yelledacross the store at you. I was excited aboutthejbargainl hearing, "PORK CHOPS,FRESH CUT PORK CHOPS!" was notsomething my Tops shopping prepared mefor. 'iTurn left at the Red Fox on East 38th"Street and make a right at the dead end andthen a left at the four-way stop, and thenright at the almost immediate light; youwill be about one block from this store. Itis on the left just beyond the overpass. Stay in, cook yourself dinner and rent amovie!

'Unbreakable'Just the ticket

By Brandon BoylanMerciad writerM. Night Shyamalan's follow-up to the mega-hit, "The Sixth Sense," could not have beenmore satisfying. Seldom does a director comeclose to the impact and that his debut moviecreates, but M. Night does.Reteaming with Bruce Willis, Shyamalanutilizes his same filmmaking techniques withhis subtle camera advances, seat-edging dia-logues and, of course, a big-bang ending. Cre-ating a slow-paced film progression seems dryat times, but if the ending is rewarding, theaudience seems to forget about the slownessof the movie and understands that every filmscene is placed in the movie for a purpose, toreveal critical information^ Shy amalan and his"Sixth Sense" crew seem to be the peerlessexemp 1 i fiers of this.LajAfter a train derails, W illis is the only survi-vor*out of 100-some people. The accidentreawakens his marriage with wife RobinWright Perm and produces a special father-sonbond with his 12-year-old. It also arouses theattention of a comic book'gallery owner,played by Samuel L. Jackson, whose keen in-terest in Willis' survivalis both intriguing andeerie. ipiJackson proposes thai Willis is a Superman-replica comic hero with extraordinary pow-ers. Through constant persuasions, Jacksonhelps Willis "find" his talents and acknowl-edge the acute perceptions he possesses, pro-fessing that he truly is "unbreakablejThough th e film's first half starts out ratherbland, trying too hard to emphasis every wordof every sentence in every conversation, itpicks up to a comfortable pace throughout thesecond half. The audience comes to realize thatthe slow procession of the first half is neededground work for the second to have any im-pact at all.>Willis and Jackson's' interactions were well-played, reuniting again for the fourth time af-ter 1993s "National Lampoon's LoadedWeapon 1," 1994s "Pulp Fiction," and 1995s"Die Hard with a VengeancejWillis plays a security officer atPhiladelphia's football stadium ; pay attentionto a drug dealer he frisks at the entrance to thefield... it's Shyamalan's cameo. Incidentally,Shyamalan is from Philadelphia, where both"The Sixth Sense" and "UnbreakableM*takeplace. I gave it an A-.f"Unbreakable" is playing at Tinseltown dailyat 12:05 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p .m., 6:55p.m., 7:25 p.m., 9:20 p.m. and 9:55 p.m.

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Friday, Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, is a ho ly day of obli-gation for Catholics. Mass will be held Thursday, Dec/ 7, at 7 p.m. in Christthe King Chapel and Friday at 12:15 p.m. in the chapel.

The Street Beat!MERCYWORLDButterfly film at the PAC today at 8 p.m.

AROUND TOWNGannon University Concert Band C hristmas Concert Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Opening reception In Cummings Gallery works by faculty an d alumni Dec. 7Orna men t Ma king at Laker Inn Dec. 8from 10-midnightRekindling a Christma s Tradition in Garvey Park Dec. 9 at 8 p.m.Classical C hristm as traditional carols sung in the PAG Dec. 10 at 2:30 p.m.

A Playhouse Christmas play at the Erie Playhouse Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m.Holiday Lase r Light Show at Edinboro University Planetarium Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.Steve Briscoe playing at the Tralf Dec. 8 at 8 p.m.Presqu e Isle Chorale Ch ristmas C oncert at United Methodist Church Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m

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PAGE 4 THEMERCIAD DECEMBER 6. 20 00

OPINIONTHE GOOD . . . A display ofcompassionThe A lcohol TaskSFbrce is helping, not harming

Finally the R ec Center is complete and it was well worth the wait. It is definitely a placethat the students can be proud of. It looks like a first-rate fitness facility that you might seeon large campuses. Thanks to MSG for pushing the administration to give us something thatwe desperately needed. It's way beyond our expectations. $ The Diversity C lub is holding a coat drive for the winter. They are collecting unusedcoats and winter clothes to give to the less fortunate for the coming w inter. There are labeledboxes all around campus to place the items in. The decorations in Old Main's main hall are beautiful once again this year. When it iscold and dreary outside it makes the day better when you come into such holiday cheer. Last Saturday night many Mercyhurst students went to Sullivan's to relax after the firstweek of school. It was nice to see different groups of people hanging out together andgetting along without any problems. Just goes to show the higher ups that not every partyleads to a problem. t

THE BAD ... Last term was anyone else wondering what happened to quiet study in the cafe? It hasbeen gone for awhile now but some of us would like it back. The library can often get noisyduring finals and sometimes it is hard to find a place to sit. If we had quiet study in the cafeagain students looking for a quiet alternative would have a place to study. H as anyone else noticed the lack of decent groceries at CVS? With the winter weathersome students are not comfortable with the drive to Tops and use CVS as an alternative.Often times, however, they do not carry the essential food items that students need.

Mercyhurst's Alcohol Abuse Task Force re-convened Nov. 1,2000 to embark on yet an-other year of what many students may believeto be an attempt to ruin our fun.In my quest to keep the student body in-formed of all that goes on at M ercyhurst, I at-tended the meeting in search of a story. As Isat through the meeting, I realized theMerciadhad already reported on many of the issuesbeing discussed. By now most students knowabout the change in SAC activities to week-ends, a possible shuttle service on campus andthe fact that the results of the task force's studyfound Mercyhurst to be just like any otherschool when it comes to d rinking.The most valuable information to come outof that meeting is not something that I can re-port in a news story without throwing all ob-jectivity out the window.What really struck me is the amount of com-passion, caring and concern for students em-bodied in each member of that comm ittee.I don't know why it surprised me so m uch.Of course anyone willing to spend that amountof time and effort worrying about the safetyand future of college students must possess

Leftito writeSara Seidle

these characteristics.Any group led by Catherene Anderson,Mercyhurst's dean of student development,could not help but be overwhelmingly dedi-cated to achieving its goal of improving thequality of life on this campus. Her down-to-earth attitude, positive energy and outlook iswhat the committee is based on.If all students could have the opportunity tosee what I saw, a group of administrators, pro-fessors, trustees and students getting togetherwith the primary focus ofkeeping students safeand on the right track to a promising future, it

o Mr tmay cause them to think a little more aboutsome of the decisions that they make.It may open their eyes. Maybe studentswouldn't be so quick to judge these people astyrants bent on draining every ounce of funout of college if they knew what they actuallystand for. } Hie broken front door at Zurn has begun to cause many jam ups when trying to get inand out of thebuilding. In fact, many students have had to wait in line to enter or exit. This |causes people to be late for classes and the people who have to wait outside to freeze.ICouldn't something be done about this so these hall jams do not continue?THEJJGLY ...j i i i I Affaft it snow, let it snowT let it please stop snowing .^soon. The winter weather is here andwe are all feeling the dull as' the wind brfeTinfo ouV fa^eTStfa^thelsftoWhit^oureyes. I

Several of the display cases around campus have dust in them. These display cases oftenshowcase students' work, so shou ldn't they be cleaned periodically? Last weekend the walkways to the Duval apartments were covered with newspapers thathad blown out of the stands, despite the new stands intended to hold them in. Was this thefault of students or faulty bins? Either way the problem needs to be looked into so that itdoesn't happen again. I

Mercyhurst to sponsor World ADDS DayMercyhurst will sponsor the Second Annual World AIDS Day RecognitionCeremony: A Celebration of Hope, Thursday, Dec. 7 at 2 p .m. in the GreatRoom of the Carolyn Herrmann Union, to strengthen global efforts toaddress the challenges of the AIDS epidemic throughout the world. Thisyear, part of meMD^MemonalPQraf^tltf'bd oft*displaty during the cervemony. I J J"As we come together at this ceremony, we are not only recognizing thosewho have died or the individuals currently suffering with AIDS, but we arefalso expressing our desire to work with hope and love in our hearts to reachout and help treat and prevent this devastating disease," said Mercyhurststudent Timothy M cNichol, coordinator for the eve nt

To the cheating hearts of the world:When you cheat it is a no win situationThe perfect couple, at least that is what ev-erybody calls them.You know (he type. They seem perfect foreach other. They are always together. Theyare always holding hands. They often looklovingly into each other's eyes as if they arethe only two people on the face of the earth.\ No one would ever suspect either one ofthem of cheating. But sadly enough, one ofthem very well might be.We all know couples like this. They existon this campus (or so wehave heard), in Erie,in your hometown and in every walk of life.Some people would say that cheating is afact of life and that it happens, so deal withit. Does anyone else rind that disturbing?These same people claim to be in love withthe person that they find themselves cheat-ing on. Correct me if I am wrong, as I havebeen known to be in the past, I thought lovjcould be equated with devotionment. flHB 9 HThe person that you are in love with shouldbe the one and only person that you wouldever want to be with. That is what a relation-ship is, right?By cheating on your significant other youare disrespecting them. If you love this per*son, then why would you want to jeopardizewhat you claim to be the best thing that everhappened to you?- Here *s a better question. What happens

Famous last wordsHeather Cvitkovic

commit-

when the person that you cheated on findsout? How do you think that this incident isgoing to make them feel?Do you honestly think that they will behappy? Odds are (and in these types of casesthe odds are pretty much guaranteed to goagainst you) they are going to feel hurt, upsetand betrayed. - tAnd why shouldn't they? They pledged tolove you andyou only and they held up theirendof the agreement. So, they want to knowwhy you had such a hard time doing thesamething. No amount of explaining, pleading orbegging will ever change their mind, in mostcases you w ill lose the one that you claimedto love.Let's consider for just one more momentall the people, including your friends, theirfriends, etc., who find out about the incidentMaybe they found out because they werethere when it occurred and had some part of m mit or because you weren't discrete enough.Either way they know. It usually makes for avery awkward situation and may place un-

necessary strain on the relationship with yourfriends.What if you know about the cheating andyou are a friend of the person who has beencheated on. Do you tell them what happenedand risk seeing the hurt in their eyes? Or doyou just keep it to yourself and hope that theynever find out that you knew all along?What if you are a friend of the cheater? Doyou pump them up and tell them they did theright thing and to keep it under wraps? Or doyou feel awkward and uncomfortable and |urge them to confess their crime?Cheating is ano-win situation. No one wins and someone always gets hurt in the end. Byi]cheating you put yourself, and the one thatJyou love, in a very difficult and possibly pain-ful scenario* Essentially you have put your3relationship on the line and have crossed apoint of no return. If you are lucky, you w illleave with minimal scars.^ If you find yourself i n a situation in whichyoufeel he need or the urge to cheat, take astep back. Remember that you are supposedto be in a relationship with one person, notmany. And if you still feel the urge thenmaybe you were never ready for that monoga-mous relationship in the first place. Maybeits time to let that person go before you act.While a break-up can be hard, it would be alot w orse ifIt was caused by the discovery ofa cheating heart *

Deli veriricj Great Tasttt

Special DealforMercyhurst Only$ 7 . 9 91 large two toppingPizza

& 2 cans of pop4801 Peach Street866-6622'

Deliveryfull and part

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DECEMBERS 2000 THE M ERCIAD PAGE 5

.C A M P U SIf you could havefany superhuman power,what would itfbe?

*Td want to be able to turninvisible/Then I'd know whatpeople really think. But I wouldn'tgo crazy like the guy injHollowMan,*" $ | MAdam DuShole, sophomore

"To shape shift, that would be cool.lThatwayyou could find out any information youwanted and you could also fly/* *IJosie Tiberio, freshman"The ability to go without sleeping. Then Icould do all of my homework." f Brianna Stratman, sophomore"I would want any superhuman power matwould get my girlfriend back.**! Lowell Patterson, junior"I would want to be invisible. You can'getaway with so much cool stuff?* Dawn Gallagher, sophomore^

'T o fly would begood. Tohaveabsolute freedom to soar anywhere.'* Nick Potter, seniorI amnhanced sight, that would be nice.sick of my glasses." Julie Macleaurfsenior

"To be able to travel through time.**Bill Davis, junioriSl would like to see into the future because Iwould like to see what would happen to meand the-people around m e. I'd likefto helpthem if tiiey needed it." ^ Mike Baty, sophomore

"To be able to|fly^Tht would be?,cool.." I 'f ^jff Ellen L earn, junior*The power to get theMerciad out ontim e and the ability to make Maryproofread faster.*! Zack \fenable, senior

"I would like the ability toiheal brokenhearts.'* I I I Heidi Engel, sophomore"Having a photographic memory wouldmake studying easier." Jen Frey, sophomore f

*fTo get Nik Potter out of the library,Anthony Maher off the couch, MarkFitzgerald out of the bar and theability to make John Frost taller." Sean McCabe, sophomore"I would like to fly.Jhat would makeit easier to get places.'! Meredith Fiorentino, sophomore

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TSiMt

Zack VenableHeather CvitkovicSara SeidleKristin PurdyAdam DuSholeAnnie DeMeoAnnie SitterLeslie E chanBrian CostelloeStacy NorrisMike TannerBrandon Boylan

Editor in ChiefExecutive & Administrative EditorManaging News EditorArts & Entertainment EditorFeatures EditorSports EditorPhotography EditorCopy EditorAdvertising ManagerRegional Exchange EditorLocal Exchange EditorMovie CriticStaff Writers SKate Cywinski i f Stacy N orrisMegan C vitkovic

The Me rciad is the student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst College. Itis published throughout the year with the exception of mid-term and finalweeks. Office at 314 Main. Telephone 824-2376. Fax 824-3249* E-mail.The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed,but your name can be withheld on request under certain conditions. Lettersare due on the Monday before publication and should be no longer than500 w ords. All letters should be submitted to Box 485 .

[OPINIONScarf season is here

Hot or not?Megan Cvitkovic

It's beginning to look a lot like... winter! Soonthe snow will fall again and the temperature,too. But fear not, you may actually welcomethe frigid Erie temperatures this season thanksto a fun little trend adorning the necks of manythis season.jjThat's right, it is the season for the scarf.Scarves are out there in every size, shape andcolor one could possibly imagine.From the thick, chunky, sweater-like scarvesto pashmina, scarves have grownconsiderablyin size and popularity this year. With the em-phasis on being able to fully cover your neckwith the scarf, the new breed of neck warmersserve the dual purpose of keeping the chillywinter air out and fashionable neckwear in.I? The new breed of scarves has also expandedinto updated versions of fabric. Wool, cash-mere, cotton and even pashmina have becomesofter, more elegant and more versatile.Colors run the gamut from basics, like blackand gray, to purples, pinks, reds, greens andthose crazy GAP striped ones. Plaids andchecks of allkinds are also picking up popu-larity points this winter. Basically anythinggoes as long as it is not too ridiculous.Many retailers are offering a wide varietyof colors and styles. GAP, for example, hassomewhere around 10 different colors in atleast three different styles. For better scarves(higher prices) Banana Republic also has avariety of choices. ftBut if right now you are looking at a pile ofscarves that you have already accumulatedover the years, dig in and pick one out. Whileretailers are offering an eclectic, fun assort-ment of wintry accessories, the key is morecreativity and originality in your choices thananything else. Or you could always take upknitting and try knitting one for yourself. Imean, hey, we college students have to findsomething to do w ith our endless supply oftime, right?

What is all the fuss about Advent?The celebration of the liturgical seasons ofthe church year must always be examined inthe light of the real lived experience ofpeople.g This can mean areas of intersection as wellas conflict We are in the waning days of falland the "official" beginning of winter.The days are shorter. Students atMercyhurst are beginning a new term. Thenight skies give ways to dawns in hues ofpurple, midnight blue and, some days, evenpink.The dormancy of winter life can slowthings down, but at the same time, thepreparatory rush of the Christmas season isalready in full swing.In nature and society, apprehension andanticipation are key feelings of early winter,and those feelings are reflected in the Adventreadings for Sunday and weekday liturgies.The anticipation of what is being cel-ebrated in just a few short weeks is markedby an appreciation that one should prepareone's self to do so properly. This historicperiod of preparation for the great feast ofChristmas acknowledges our need as humanpersons to prepare for that which weconsider special.We do it in the secular world in our pre-Christmas hustle and bustle. Should we notalso do it for our spiritual selves as well?Advent is one of these stops along the way

Questioning faithFr. Jim Piszker

that allows us to ask ourselves, how am Idoing in my relationship with God?Am I living up to the great gift of theIncarnation (God becoming human) that wecelebrate Dec. 25? Is my desire to give inthis season of giving motivated by self-giving love or pure self-interest?We acknowledge where we fall short, askfor forgiveness and move forward. (We willhold an Advent Reconciliation Service inChrist the King Chapel Thursday, Dec. 14,at 8 p.m. with a guest priest to hear confes-sion).As the time for celebration moves closer,Christmas dinners and parties will abound,and last beyond the date into the beginningof the new year. (Our pre-Christmasliturgical celebration will be held Sunday,Dec. 17, at 10 p.m. in theGreat Room of thestudent union.)Anything that we can do to enter theseason with honesty and integrity will onlyhelp us in our spiritual maturity. It will placeus in the hands of a loving God who desiresonly to be in relationship with us and toguide us to our ultimate destiny.

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PAGE 6 THE MERCIAD DECEMBERS 2000

FEATURES

ThanksBy Casey ClineMerciad writerHow can I begin to describe an experience ofa life time? This is where I have difficultywriting this article, perhaps because it has beenso hard to absorb the trip to Honduras myself.Over Thanksgiving break I had the oppor-tunity to visit the impoverished Third Worldcountry of Honduras in Central America withsix other Mercy hurst studen ts. I don't b elieveany of us truly knew what we were gettingourselves into when we agreed to go.Before w e knew it, we were out of the Eriesnow and thrown into a hot and humid cli-mate, where mountain after moun tain of lushgreen tropical trees reached into the clouds asfar as one could see. We were struck from thebeginning by the realities of a country so deepin poverty that it is hard for students like me,who attend an American private Catholic col-lege, to comprehend.Eighty-percent of the Honduran populationlives in poverty and out of that number, 60percent live in misery, which is defined as hav-ing no running water or electricity.

We stayed in a church located in the city ofSan Pedro Sula for seven days and six nights.For the majority of our trip, we experiencedthe everyday Honduran lifestyle. Since our

D

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DECEMBER 6. 2 000 THE MERCIAD PAGE 7

LAKERSPORTSM e r c y h u r s t b a s k e t b a l l s e a s o n u n d e r w a yWom en poised forsuccessful seasonBy Mike FleckensteinMerciad writer

! From the onset of the 2000-2001 season, theI Lady Lakers have had every reason to believethat they will not only make the GLIAC play-loffs, but also the NCAA Division II tourna-ment. Returning five seniors for this season,the Lady Lakers are off to an impressive start,[espite playing without injured seniors JodiHpim and Meredith Konscol.Maxim, an all-conference selection last year,has missed all of the Lakers first five gamesbecause of complications from an off-seasonknee surgery. Along with Maxim, teammateKonscol has been hampered by an injury.Konscol, a sharp shooter and scorer who aver-Faged more than 12 points a game last year,broke a bone in her wrist in the preseason andhas just started practicing again. Despite thesetwo key injuries, the Lady Lakers have startedthe season well."We' ve done really well. We lost two seniorcaptains and that's hard for any team. W e've_] missed leadership but pulled together; the un-derclassmen have stepped up a lot," com-mented Maxim.The Lady Lakers opened up their scheduleNov. 17 at the Clarion Classic in Clarion, Pa.In the opener, the Lady Lakers faced perennialpowerhouse University of Pittsburgh at\ Johnstown (UPJ). Although Mercyhurst lost!the game, several players proved that, despitenagging injuries, the Lakers would not bedefeated easily. Seniors Rebecca Sandor andAmy Galla led theLady Lakers with 11 and 10points respectively.In the consolation game, the team's insideIgame proved to be too tough for KendallCollege to handle. Junior Krista Usher led theway with her first double double of the season.She posted 25 points and racked up 14 re-bounds, both team highs.After starting the season on the road, theLady Lakers returned home. The team usedintense pressure defense and a balanced offen-sive attack to roll to an impressive 82-58victory over Houghton. The ladies had fiveplayers who had double digits in scoring.Sophomore Holly Horton led the way with 21points. Horton also pulled down 10 reboundsto record herfirstdouble double of the season.]Back on the road, the Lakers faced tough* local rival, Edinboro University, Nov. 29. De-spite double doubles from Galla (18 points, 10rebounds) and Usher (10points, 11 rebounds),

UP NEXT:WOMEN j

Thursday, Dec. 7, the women willtake on GLIAC opponent Findlay at5:30 p.m.The women w ill also be in action onthe road Sunday, Dec. 9, at Ashland.Tip-off is 1 p.m.

IM ENThe Mercyhurst men's team w ill be onthe road again this weekend. The Lakerswill face Findlay Thursday, Dec. 7, andAshland Sunday, Dec. 9.Game times are 7:30 p.m. and 3 p.mrespectively.

the Laker women couldn't pull out a win.Edinboro won the game 66-55 and evened theteam 's record at 2-2.The Lady Lakers began conference play onthe road last weekend taking on SaginawValley State University after a six-hour bustrip. Bolstered by Koncsol's return to thelineup, the Lakers began their quest for aconference championship with a 65-59 win.Koncsol contributed nine points in the Lakervictory.The Lady Lakers are off to a 3-2 start overalland a 1-0 start in the conference. Galla isleading the way averaging 15.8 points and10.2 rebounds. The team's balanced attackhas Mercyhurst poised to make their secondstraight playoff appearance.The Lady Lakersare on the road for their next two games,facing Findlay and Ashland. They return homeMonday, Dec. 11, when they face DaemenCollege at 7 p.m.

I Annie Sitter/Merciad photographer(Above, right)The Lady Lakers1 Amy G alla averages 15.8 points a game, and 10.2rebounds. (Below) Freshman standout Justin Shouse, a McDowell product, takes ashot in the men's victory over Houghton College.

Menfliave a new lookOver the past few w eeks, an unfamiliar aurahas been radiating from the M ercyhurst Ath-letic Center. This exciting energy has beengenerated by the start of the 2000-2001 M e r |cyhurst men's basketball season.The Lakers have started this season with anoticably different skip in their step.Perhaps this transformation is due to theacquisition of two fabulous freshmen in JoshHelm and Justin Shouse. Helm is a 6'6" Ohiohigh school standout, who has brought un-earthly11 athleticism and enthusiasm with histhunderous d unks.Shouse is a local high school (M cDowell)legend and treasure for Mercyhurst with hisscrappy, yet disciplined play at the point guardposition.Another possible reason for the "new andimproved" Lakers could be the presence ofthe returning players who, as a whole, aremuch more focused and dedicated than previ-ous hoop squads.Brent Swain, the 6'10" senior center, isunquestionalby the backbone ofthe team pro-viding guidance, enthusiasm, and, of course,lots and lots of rebounds: Swain was theShults Tip-off M VP.Along with Swain, Jamal Holley, who hasbeen dominating almost every statistic in Jor-dan-esque fashion this season; do-it-all RichIBradley; sharp-shooter Tim Fesko; high-fly-mo fnrrnn Hintnn. Dion Brown, and Scotte

Off the rimRyan Molli

Melle, all see considerable amount of playingtime. R ounding ! out the roster;are MikeFleckenstein (injured), Mike Carr and MattBurke. These guys are all respected key play-ers in both practice and games.After some initial questioning, I have cometo the conclusion that this year's Hurst hoopsquad and their "new^look" is a result of thepersistent and highly motivated coaching staff.Head coach Karl Fogel along with assistantsMike Wernicki and Jason Shay have put forthmuch time and effort into developing the posi-tive attitude environment in which it appearsthis young Laker team will flourish.Coach Fogel has truly orchestrated a fantas-tic season so far, and his team deserves oursupport. So listen, to Christina A guilera's ad-vice and "Come on Over" to the MAC andcheck out this highly revamped and energizedspectacle known as Mercyhurst basketball.

Ryan Molli is a senior sportsmedicinemajor. He is from Meadville, Pa .

Swain leads men'steam to victory infirst GLIAC boutBy Annie DeMeoMerciad writerMercyhurst began GLIAC play Saturday,Dec. 2, with a 93-81 win at Saginaw V alleyState.The Lakers began their week Mondaynight with an amazing 107-52 victory overvisiting H oughton College.Poor first-half play enabled rivalEdinboro to prevail over the Hurst, 79-68,on the road Nov. 29. The men reboundedwith an impressive and significant confer-ence victory.The team played cohesively; lone seniorIBrent Swain led the team with a career-high32 points and 13 rebounds in just 25 minutesof play.Rich Bradley returned to the lineup for thefirst time since the Shults Tipoff Classic,adding 14 points and four rebounds. JoshHelm and Jarron Hinton contributed 10points each for the team.The Lakers out rebounded Saginaw 46-33.Mercyhurst is now 5-3 overall, and 1-0 irtflthe GLIAC. I 1 I T ?The team is on the road this weekend atAshland and Findlay. * m

LAKERS?BYTHE

NUMBERS

107The number of points scored by theMercyhurst men's team in their mostrecent home victory overHoughton College.The number of returning seniors onthe Mercyhurst women's 2000-2001

basketball squad.

The num ber of returning seniors on|the Mercyhurst men's 2000-2001basketball squad.

Li \

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Dec. 6, 2000

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PAGE 8 THEMERCIAD DECEMBER 6. 2000

LAKERSPORTS HW o m e n ' s - h o c k e y s p i c k s u p t w o w i n s o n t h e r o a dBy Annie DeMeoMerciad writerThe Lady L akers spent the weekend in NewHaven, Conn., taking on yet another familiar-named foe.Mercy hurst had a succesful weekend at YaleUniversity in what team captain CJ Irelanddescribes as being "so huge, it's almost its owntown." The Lady icers picked up two wins onthe weekend.^Saturday, Dec. 2, the Ladies had to comefrom behind, after Yale jumped to a 2-0 leadin the first five minutes.IHowever, Lyndsay Barch scored threegoals, and/freshman forward Jessica

2^-i

f$ Annie Sitter/Merciad photographerRandy Pilger sends the puck flying inthe Lakers' home opener.Dulabough had a career-high four assists.

_ . * tMen split weekend gamesBy Mike TannerMerciad writerComing off a tie and loss last weekend, themen's hockey team posted an impressive con-ference win last weekend, despite losing to anon-conference foe. Wayne State and IonaCollege came on campus to face the men'shockey team.U Mercyhurst faced Wayne State Friday af-ternoon ixi a non-conferencematch. In the firstarid second peribd5;itflPWtaTiors managed toget In the net three times against a tired Mer-cyhurst squad.In the third period the Lakers picked it up,

< M H I

Annie Sitter/Merciad photographerThe Mercyhurst men's team engages inferocious play earlier this season. j

but unfortunately it was too little, too late.The opponents scored again and finished offthe Lakers, 4-1."Friday we did n't play that well, thoughWayne State is a very good team. They arejust not three goals better than us," com*mented head coach Rick Gotkin.Hurst icers were revitalized Saturday nightIona, one of the better teams in the MAAC,showed up looking for blood. It was theGaels blood, however, that was shed at theMIC Saturday.fbe icera were* visibly firetl up. AdamTackaberry^Peter Rynshoven and BradMcDonald all notched one for Mercyhurstin thefirstperiod, putting the Lakers ahead3-0 JIn the second period, Iona scored their lonegoal, which went unanswered by the Hurstin the second.The Lakers padded their lead with threemore goals in the third period. Tackaberryhad his second goal of the game. LouisGoulet went unassisted during an opposingpower play for the second goal of the pe-riod. Later, Mark Stamnjscored on abreakaway.Rynshoven and Tackaberry were a lethalforce on defense, demonstrating bone-shat-tering hits. G oaltender Peter Aubry stopped27 of 28 snots on g o a l ^ $ $ ^

"The whole team played really smart, withno let-ups; all four lines played well. It re-ally helped that we were able to put the lastfew games behind us," said Aubry.**We really needed to win in the gameagainst Iona, it was a very important confer-ence gamefor us," said Gotkin. "The coach-ing staff and I felt we played really well; weare proud of the team.**Up next the icers faceArmy at 7 p.m onboth Friday, Dec 8. and Saturday. Dec 9.

MSG SENIOR REPPOSITION AVAILABLEAlliinterested^ seniors should submit a letterof intent to the MSGKoffice in the Union byMonday, Dec. 4 at 4 p.m.

If you have questions, contact MSG Vice PresidentBilly Byrnes at ext. 2737.

Freshman forward Kelly Raycrott and juniorforward Seanna Murphy also scored for Mer-cyhurst,Senior goaltender Amber Natali picked upher first win of the season, stopping 20 of 22shots.The Lady Lakers completed a two-gamesweep Sunday, Dec. 3. Barch scored first forthe Lakers.Ireland scored u nassisted in the second; andChristy Vinge scored during a power play at12:58 in the third.Yale's lone goal came with the game alreadyout of reach, on a power play at 13:51 in thethird. *Goaltender Tiffany Ribble stopped 28 shotsin the game.

*The Lakers have won fiv e of their last sixgames, demonstrating vast improvement fro mmeonset of the season.The team plays a grueling schedule againsttop teams that have been competitive for 30years in a sport Mercyhurst added just a yearago. I "We've come together a lot more. We arelearning how to win at this level," said Ireland."We performed really well this weekend, weknew we needed two wins, we were confidentand got the job don e," she added.This weekend the Lakers will host MinnesotaState University at (he Mercyhurst Ice Center.They w ill play Saturday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. andSunday; Dec. 10, at 2 p.m.

Soccer teams end seasons

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