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The possibility of switching academiccalendars from trimesters to 4x1x4semesters has raised eyebrows withmany students.

Sophomore Steve Faber is an advo-cate of the trimester calendar and begana Facebook petition against the 4x1x4semester system.

Faber says he sees many potentialproblems in switching calendars.

I dont think it will be benecial to

the colleges appearance as a whole,he said. I think having it (the calen-dar) switch will affect graduation thatyear.

Faber, who took two months offbattling cancer, is suppose to graduatewinter term 2009 if the school keepsthe trimester system.

If a switch to the 4x1x4 systemoccurs, Faber says he will not g raduateuntil spring 2009.

Fabers Facebook petition currentlyhas 558 members. On the petitions Web site, Faber stresses students lettheir opinions be known.

We feel that the decision to moveto any semester system, for reasons ofaccommodation to other schools, isabsolutely PREPOSTEROUS, states

the sites description. The petitions site also gives Mer-

cyhurst College President Thomas

Gambles e-mail encouraging studentsto contact him with their thoughts.

Gamble said he has not seen the site,but knows a petition exists.

Gamble, however, voiced concernthat students do not understand thatthe recommendation of switchingcalendars is only the beginning of aprocess.

This is not the end, he said. Thenext stage is to have the board do a planto implement (the new calendar).

Student opinion on the topic, how-ever, varies.Junior Dan McNulty does not see the

reason for changing calendars.Personally, I dont see why we

need to change the current trimestersystem, he said. One of the reasonsI came to Mercyhurst was because oftrimesters.

McNulty said he does not see a ben-et in switching to the 4x1x4 semestersystem.

I fail to see how the 4x1x4 gives usmore academics because everything isthe same, he said. The January term isutterly ridiculous, and is the worst timefor people to be in class. Junior Chris Geer shares McNultys

opinion.I think that the change to the 4x1x4

system is something that is favored onlyby faculty and a few select students, he

said. Any student I know is more thanhappy with the trimester system.Junior Amanda Kaiser said she does

not understand how the system wouldwork.

It doesnt make much sense at all,she said. If they are going to changeit, they should just do semesters likeother schools.

Junior Jessica McNurlen said she isfor the change.

I think it would be a lot better and

more efcient to have classes for 14

weeks compared to 10. We wouldnthave to run through things as quickly,she said. And we would have a longerChristmas break.Junior Colleen Murray said she does

not understand the need for such achange.

I dont really agree with it because

the term system that we have now wasone of my reasons for coming to Mer-cyhurst, she said.

Freshman Libny Tobar said she sup-ports the change to the 4x1x4 semestersystem.

With the change, I will have a betteropportunity to go home for the holi-days, she said. And this will be similarto other schools.

Sophomore Maria Morocco said the4x1x4 semester system is better forMercyhurst in the future.

I think its good for Mercyhurst inthe long run to get off trimesters, but

I dont want it to change my senioryear, she said.

Senior Jeff Cagle said there is no needfor a calendar change.

I think trimesters are working outwell, he said.

Cagle noted that administration needsto focus on more important issues.

I feel, ultimately, the administrationand board are really just out of touchwith students and dont really recognizeour needs, he said.

Cagle also said that administrationshould get the opinion of the collegecommunity before making decisions.

It would have been nice if the admin-istration had asked as many studentsas possible about this idea, along withprofessors, staff, and even alumni to

get as many perspectives as possible,he said.

Please see Students on page 3

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MERCYHURST COLLEGE SINCE 1929

Page 9

Vol. 80 No. 13 Mercyhurst College 501 E. 38th St. Erie Pa. 16546 January 31, 2007

A&EAcademy Awardnominationsannounced

SPORTSLakers defeatKnights

Campus news briefs

Intel faculty, studentsattend conference onethics and intelligence Three faculty members and six

students from the Mercyhurst Col-lege Intelligence Studies Departmentrecently traveled to the Washington,D.C., area to participate in the SecondInternational Conference on TheEthics of National Security Intelli-gence. The conference was organizedby the International IntelligenceEthics Association (IIEA).

Department chair Jim Breckenridgepresented Teaching Ethics and Intel-ligence, assistant professor StephenMarrin presented Ethics, Profession-alism, and Codes in the IntelligenceCommunity, and assistant professorDavid Grabelski presented LocalPolicing and Intelligence Ethics.The students, who served as record-

ers for 30 different discussion sessions,were Kyle Horvath, Heather Horst,Cameron Ives, Cory Kutcher, ScottMelligan, and Angela Merski. The trip

was funded by a Mercyhurst CollegeAcademic Enrichment Grant.

Murder mystery dinnerSAC will host a Murder Mystery

dinner on Friday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. inthe Egan Cafeteria.

Dance competitionSAC will host the Wade Robinson

Project dance contest on Saturday,Feb. 3 at 9:30 p.m. in the WalkerRecital Hall.

Danci ng star s f r omIroquois High waltz ontocampusA sure-footed group of Iroquois

High School students will put twomonths of ballroom dancing les-sons, a seminar on etiquette and alesson on dressing dos and dontsto the ultimate test when they unveiltheir own version of Dancing withthe Stars at Mercyhurst College onFriday, Feb. 2.

Spurred by the popularity of thesmash television hit, which pairsprofessional dancers with celebritiesin a challenging dance competition,the students will begin their eve-ning with a seven-course supper inMercyhursts Grotto Dining Room at5:30 p.m. and follow it with a grand

ball An Evening at Lake Como inthe Carolyn Herrmann Student Unionat 7:30 p.m.

Shadowing program setfor Groundhog Day

On Groundhog Day, Friday, Feb. 2,Mercyhurst College will give a groupof Erie middle school students thechance to predict something far moreimportant than the weather theirown futures.

Nearly 25 seventh- and eighth-gradestudents from Jefferson ElementarySchool, who have researched careersthey might like to pursue, will shadowMercyhurst students on the samecareer paths.

Compiled by editorial staff/from mercyhurst.edu

Students react to 4x1x4

The Facebook petition against the 4x1x4 currently has 558 members.

facebook.com

By Joshua WilwohlEditor-in-chief

Students make their phone calls in the Tullio Room.

Andy Finkel Photo

Each year, Mercyhurst College putson an annual phone-a-thon. This yearhas been no different.

Started by Gary Bukowski in the fallof 1980, Mercyhursts advancementofce has sponsored this yearly event.

The phon-a-thon kicked off on Jan.21 and is expected to run, at the latest,until Feb. 6.

So far, $55,406 has been raised.The night begins with a 30-minute

training session led by Steve Zinram,Director of the Annual Fund.The training session includes a brief

background and history of what thephon-a-thon really is, its purpose, itsgoals and its past accomplishments.

It also includes a brieng on how to

make a phone call. These phone callsare different.They are geared toward obtaining a

donation for the school so they mustbe conducted properly. Zinram stressedthat he does not script the calls. Theyare written in a cheesy manner to geta point across.

If you were to call me and read this word for word, I would not donate,he said. The script really just provides aguideline for students to start a friendly,conversational phone call that will putthe receiver at ease. Thats important.You want to talk to the caller andstart a conversation.The training session ends with a ses-

sion in how to ll out all the proper

forms and thank you letters that donorswill receive at the end of the process.

See Phon-a-thon on page 2

By Kate CollinsContributing writer

MC takes next step in Strategic Plan

The Visioning Conference was heldon Jan. 28-29 at the Renaissance QuailHollow Resort in Painesville, Ohio.This Visioning Conference was the

next step in the St rategic Planning pro-cess, which began at the beginning ofthe 2006-2007 academic year.This site was chosen in order to give

the participants a chance to focus on thetasks at hand, without being botheredwith their day-to-day affairs.

Thus far, the Strategic PlanningCommittee has gathered 5,000 pieces

of information about Mercyhurst Col-lege from a number of constituencies,including faculty, staff, alumni, studentsand community members.The purpose of this conference was

to take all of this infor mation anddecide what plans and strategies shouldbe implemented to better MercyhurstCollege and what resources will be nec-essary to make these plans a reality.

We hope to further the strategic dia-logue and to move the college forwardtoward the development of a concreteInstitutional Strategic Plan, said Dr.Heidi Hosey, Vice President of theStrategic Plan.Those present included, Dr. Thomas

Gamble, President of MercyhurstCollege and Dr. Barbara Behan, VicePresident of Academic Affairs. All sixacademic deans were also present, inaddition to Dr. Randy Clemons, Dr.David Livingston, Dr. Mary Ann Owoc,and Dr. Leanne Roberts, all faculty rep-resentat ives. Dan Schuler, Ryan Palm,Elise Yablonsky and Christina Coovertrepresented the student body. There were also a number of rep-

resentatives from Mercyhurst NorthEast present.

Please see Conference on page 3

By Jessica KocentNews editor

Phon-a-thon raises$55,406 so far

Page 12ECODEMIA

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inside

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PAGE 2 THE MERCIAD January 31, 2007

To contact: newsmerciad@mercyhurst.eduNEWS

Compiled by

Jessica KocentFrom BBC News

World BriefsInternational news

January 17Disorderly ConductParking Lot #7Closed

College Discipline

January 18Criminal Mischief3909 Lewis Ave.Closed

January 20College Violation/Drug Paraphenalia3908 Briggs Ave.ClosedCollege Discipline

January 20Criminal MischiefParking Lot #15Closed

January 21Harassment4007 Briggs Ave.ClosedState Citation

January 213908 Briggs Ave.HarassmentClosedCollege Disciplne

January 23Harassment byCommunication3907 Briggs Ave.Closed

January 23Larceny/TheftHammermill LibraryClosed

January 26Larceny/TheftMercy Suites 300Closed

January 26Criminal Mischief3937 Briggs Ave.OpenPending Investigation

January 27Liquor Law Violation3829 Lewis Ave.ClosedState Citation/College Discipline

January 28Liquor Law Violation3808 Briggs Ave.ClosedCollege Discipline

January 28Liquor Law ViolationBaldwin HallClosedCollege Discipline

Police and Safety Log

Sudanese presidentsnubbed by AU

Bashir was not consideredbecause of the situation inthe Darfur region.

Sudans President Omar al-

Bashir has again been bypassedin his bid to become chairman ofthe African Union because of theconict in Darfur.

Bashir had been due to take onthe role, but it has instead beengiven to Ghanas President JohnKufuor.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon hasheld talks with Bashir on a pro-posed joint U.N.-A.U. peace-keeping force in Darfur but MrBashir remains opposed to U.N.troops.

Bashir has previously agreedto the existing A.U. force beingbeefed up, but questions such asthe size of the force and who

would lead it have not yet been

The worlds oldest person, Emma Faust Tillman, has died in theU.S. aged 114.Tillman, the daughter of for mer slaves, died peacefully on Sunday

night, said an ofcial at a nursing home in Hartford, Connecticut.Tillman had never smoked or drank, her family and friends said.She was born on Nov. 22, 1892, on a plantation in North Caro-

lina.

Worlds oldest woman dies at age 114

Three killed inPakistan blast

The town is located nearthe Pakistan Afghanistanborder

A former soldier has admitted the manslaughter of four membersof his family, who were found shot dead at the home they shared inNewcastle.

David Bradley, 41, was originally charged with the murders of hisuncle Peter Purcell, aunt Josie, both 70, and their sons Keith, 44,and Glen, 41.

But those charges were dropped when it was found he was men-tally ill.

Bradley admitted the manslaughter charges on the grounds of di-minished responsibility after two psychiatrists agreed he was mentallyill at the time of the killings.

Ex-soldier admits to killing entire family

Ex-White House spokesman Ari Fleischer has testied as aprosecution witness at the trialof former U.S. vice presidentialaide Lewis Libby.

Fleischer said Libby had toldhim over lunch that the wife of aprominent Iraq war critic workedat the CIA.

He told the court their con-versation had happened on June7 2003 - before Libby says helearned about the agent.That discrepancy is at the heart

of the perjury and obstructiontrial of Libby - who denies thecharges.

If found guilty Lewis ScooterLibby - who was Vice PresidentDick Cheneys chief of staff -could face up to 30 years in jail.

Ex-Bush spokesmanat Libby trial

Fleischer testifed on

Libbys behalf.

A suicide bomber has killedthree people in the southern Is-raeli resort of Eilat - one of thecountrys most popular touristdestinations.The explosion hit the Lehamim

bakery in a residential area at 9:40a.m., killing the owner and twoemployees. Three Palestinian militant

groups said they were behindthe attack, saying the bomber wasfrom Gaza but had entered thearea via neighboring Jordan.

It is the rst suicide bombingin Israel since April 2006.

Police said the bomber had

entered the shop carrying theexplosives in a backpack. Wit-nesses described a massive blast

which shook the area.

Three dead in Israel

suicide bomb

Eilat is a resort town inIsrael.

Mercyhurst will look to installnew washers and dryers over thesummer.The new equipment is already

guaranteed to be installed infreshman housing, while ne-gotiations are still in effect forupperclassman housing.The washers and dryers will be

ready for use at the beginning offall term.

Many students have com-plained about the access to

washers and especially dryers.Senior Tiffany Gagne agrees thatthe laundry situation on campusleaves much to be desired.

There are not enough ma-chines for us students, she said.When some of the machinesare broken on top of that, it isalmost impossible to get yourlaundry done.

Mercyhurst currently leases thewashers and dryers installed instudent housing, which is aboutto expire this summer.

MSG Residence Life Commit-tee Chair Mihailo Jovanic Mixasays this is one of the main rea-sons to install new ones.

The lease is about to expire,and we see this as an ideal time toinstall new ones, he said. Thefreshman housing will denitelyhave new equipment by the startof fall term, and we are also

working to install new ones inupperclassmen housing.

Leasing laundry equipmentincludes easy access to mechan-ics and repairs. The new wash-ers and dryers will therefore beleased too.

A leasing contract is the best

option for us, because it makes itmuch easier to repair, as well asgetting new parts if necessary,says Mixa.

Mixa also underlined that theinstallment of new equipment

will better the laundry situationfor the students.

We are looking to improvethe laundry facilities by eitherinstalling larger dryers, or severalsmaller stackable dryers that wecan put on top of each other inorder to decrease the lines in thelaundry rooms. The smaller, stackable dryers

seem to be the preferred optionamong students.

The stackable dryers seemlike the best alternative becauseit allows for more people to drytheir laundry at the same time,Gagne said.

Drying takes much longerthan washing, and it is thereforeessential that we have enough

working dryers when we do ourlaundry.

Mixa agrees with Gagne andbelieves that the stackable dryers

will be the way to go.The stackable dryers will prob-

ably be more efcient when itcomes to decreasing the lines inthe laundry rooms, he said. Bychoosing the stackable ones wecan have more dryers in the laun-dry rooms and thereby decreasethe lines.While a nal decision has not

been made, Mixa assures thatResidence Life will push for thestackable dryers.

One thing is certain though;next years freshman will be met

with brand new laundry facili-ties.

By Elyse LaganaContributing writer

New washers and dryers will be a nice improvement to

on-campus living.

Andy Finkel Photo

Res Life pushingfor new dryers

Homelessness is here. Thatsthe new campaign slogan for ahomeless shelter in Erie and it

was Mercyhurst College studentswho developed it.

A communications class is put-ting their education to practicaluse by helping a local homelessshelter better its image in thecommunity.The homeless shelter, Commu-

nity Shelter Services (CSS), hasprovided temporary emergencyshelter, meals and referrals to thehomeless of Erie since 1973.The students of the public

relations techniques class, taughtby Dr. Anne Zaphiris, met withthe executive director of CSS,Kathleen Cancilla, and the headof public relations, Denise Koli-

vosky, to discuss the current con-cerns of CSS and what changesthe students will make.

Some of these changes willinclude the organizations name,logo, website, their media ad-

vertising and fundraising ideas,as well as possible partnerships.

The students overall goal is togive CSS more direction andbetter credibility.

It is early in the planning pro-cess. A new name has beenchosen, Erie Community Shel-ter, and a new logo has beendesigned. Students are workingin groups to come up with printmaterial and public service an-nouncements.

CSS recently experienced a

crisis when 18 inches of oodingand sewage lled the basementof the building. The administra-tors feel the cost for the plumb-ing x may send the organizationdown the drain.

I can say that as an agency weare contributing our very besteffort to help meet the needs ofthose who are homeless in ourcommunity, said Cancilla, but

we were facing a very seriousdecit.

CSS hopes that these newchanges will be successful andmake the organization moreknown in the community andincrease donations.

It has been a very rewardingyet emotional project for thestudents in the class.

Im really glad to be doing itbecause they need a lot of help.I feel honored that they choseMercyhurst students to do that,said Jessica Shane.The nal product will be n-

ished at the end of the term inFebruary. The students hope it

will strengthen the CommunityShelter Services reputation.The students of Mercyhurst

can help by attending their an-nual spaghetti cook off, SundayFeb. 18th from noon to 4 p.m.at Sabellas. For tickets call 455-4369.

Homelessness does exist inErie and the community needsto be aware of it. The studentsat Mercyhurst are taking actionand living out the colleges mis-sion of compassion and serviceto others.

Communicationsclass carrying onmission of service

Continued from page 1

Then calling sessions begin.Each calling session lasts fortwo hours. The goal of each session is

to raise money for the school,a lot of which will help withstudent scholarships such as theEgan and Presidential scholar-ships. Students participating callalumni, parents and parents ofalumni for such donations.

Zinram also incorporates acontest, many of which are spon-sored by alumni, each night. Thecontest focuses on who has themost donations by the end of thenight.

This isnt based on dollaramount of course; that wouldntbe fair, Zinram said. This is a

way for the students to have alittle fun while making two hours

worth of phone calls.The phon-a-thon is open to all

students but the ambassadorsbring in the most students by far.Each session, the ambassadors

will send 10-12 representatives,

which is quite a large feat. Butalso this year, Mercyhurst Stu-dent Government took a night,as well as the cheerleaders andthe dance team. Many sportsteams in the past have also joinedin helping out with the event.

Some students also take theopportunity to fulll volunteerhours although, according toZinram, this was more popular inthe past four or ve years. With the phon-a-thon under

way, by this evening, all 11,383people on the calling list will havebeen called at least once. Therehave been eight calling sessionsso far that have acquired 1,069pledges raising $55,406.

I always tell the kids, obviouslyyoure raising funds that are help-ing the students directly but, thisis also the one time a year thatalumni gets to really talk to some-one from Mercyhurst, Zinramsaid. Theyre always talkativeand polite and what I always tellalumni is that our students reallyare a good investment and theyprove it.

By Bjorn AlnaesContributing writer

Current Mercyhurst students call alumni for donations.

Andy Finkel Photo

Phon-a-thon hasraised $55,406

At least three people havebeen killed and seven injured ina suicide bombing in north-westPakistan, police say.

Police say the bomber killedhimself, a policeman and a civil-ian after he was stopped at acheckpoint in Dera Ismail Khan,a town near the Afghan border.The blast is Pakistans third

since Friday and comes amidtight security for Shia Muslimceremonies this week.

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News

January 31, 2007 THE MERCIAD PAGE 3

To contact: newsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Andrew H. Weinraub, Esquire

Bernard Stuczynski & Bonanti

234 West Sixth Street

Erie, PA 16507-1319

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VISIT US at www.BSBlegalhelp.com

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Call after 7 PM

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This years u season is off toa late start, but the Mercyhursthealth center staff remainsactive.

Flu season typically beginsin early January, but this yearit is not anticipated to startuntil the end of the month.

The late start is a nationwidetrend that can be explained by

warmer-than-average weatherthis winter.

In the fall, the health centerdistributed 650 inuenza vac-cines, and so far they have notseen anyone who was vacci-nated return with the u.

However, despite the u de-lay, other viruses are circulatingthrough the nation and affect-ing Mercyhurst students.

Fevers and sinus infectionshave been common nuisances

to students this winter. In ad-dition, the stomach u ac-companied with dehydrationhas plagued the community.The health center wants stu-

dents to know that if they arefeeling sick, they should go tothe health center as soon aspossible. Although the remedy for

some viruses is to wait them

out, the health center can helpout with the symptoms. Eatingand drinking problems associ-ated with illnesses are some-thing that can be addressed.

In order to avoid illness, thehealth center staff stresses theimportance of washing your

hands.We tell students to wash

their hands until they have sungHappy Birthday twice, saidChristine Dimperio, RN.Viruses live on everything our

hands come in contact with.Therefore, hand sanitizer cancome in handy. People shouldalso be mindful of coveringtheir mouth and nose whenthey sneeze or cough to keeptheir germs from spreading saidDimperio.

Recently, the majority of thehealth centers patients havebeen seniors, many of whomare paying their rst visit to thehealth center in four years.

This is not uncommon forthis time of year, said Dim-perio It is a big crunch timefor seniors. The pressure is on,they have a lot to do, and theyare very stressed.

In addition to addressing viruses and infections, thehealth center staff has beenactive in coordinating eventsand programs for students and

in choosing vaccine distributiondates for the future. The Womens Fair will take

place campus wide on March23. In conjunction with thecounseling center, the healthcenter will address issues con-cerning diabetes and alcohol

during this event.Blood sugar tests will be of-

fered at booths. Also, the eventwill allow students to look atnutrition and the diabetic pro-cess. Counselors will present toanswers students questions.

Right now, the health centerstaff is also working to educatestudents about the new HumanPapillomavirus (HPV) vaccine,

which came in out June.They are helping students to

learn more about the virus andthe vaccine through bulletinboards, hand-outs, and one-on-one education.

Looking ahead to fall term2007, the health center is plan-

ning a meningitis clinic to oc-cur on Sept. 13 to educate theincoming freshmen class.

It is important for Mercyhurststudents to know that all vac-cines distributed by the healthcenter are free of charge.

Dimperio said that in thefuture, the health center wouldlike to see more outreach oncampus.

In recent years the community

has seen much advertising forMercyhursts renowned AdultCollege, whether it be on theradio, TV, or the back of a pub-lic bus.With the introduction of the

proposed 4x1x4 semester system,many adult students already at-tending Mercyhurst say they arefeeling cheated.

Mercyhurst is popular amongadult students because of itstrimester system, which allowsthem to take fewer classes eachterm so they may work full-time and spend time with theirfamilies. Academic Adviser for the

Adult College, Donelle Davey,says the adult students have sev-eral concerns with the proposedschedule, most notably with theamount of time it would take tograduate.

Adult students perceive theycan complete their degrees ina shorter amount of time atMercyhurst, especially if theyretaking classes on a part-time ba-sis. They take only two classeseach term and one during thesummer, which gives them 21credits a year. The proposed system would

probably require adult studentsto take at least three classes eachterm as a part-time student. saidDonelle Davey.

Full-time students would prob-

ably be required to take four or

ve classes each term.Craig Smith, a second-year

adult student at Mercyhurst, iscompletely against the proposedsystem.

Many adult students, like my-self, are ex-military and came toMercyhurst for the intelligenceprogram.

We were attracted by the tri-mester system, which allows us to

work full-time. With the new sys-tem, I wont be able to graduateon time. Theres no way I couldtake ve classes each term.

Mecyhurst President Dr.Thomas Gamble suggests thesystem would provide many ben-ets to the students, including theability to align the sports calendar

with other schools, an increase instudy abroad opportunities, andmore opportunity for on-siteinternships and service learning.Unfortunately, few of these ideasbenet adult students.Adult students, like traditional

students, would be providedwith the opportunity to exploresubjects in greater depth, but thebenets end there; many adultstudents say that is not enough.Adult transfer student Kristen

McCauley says the current tri-mester system works for her.

I transferred from a schoolbased on the semester system.

At rst it was hard to get usedto, but now I think its benecialbecause we are learning only theimportant aspects of a conceptand have to deal with only threeor four nals as opposed to sixor seven. I dont think I would

be able to work full-time as I

do now if I had to go back to asemester system. said KristenMcCauley.According to Davey, if Mercy-

hurst does switch to the 4x1x4system, the Adult College willrespond by expanding eveningand weekend classes, as well asincluding an additional acceler-ated class during the week, prob-ably on Tuesdays.

She hopes this would appeal tothe adult students who generallytake advantage of these classes

which tend to work around theirbusy schedules.

Not all adult students have aset, 9-5 job, however, and of-ten have to work evenings and

weekends. McCauley notes that

its not the times the classes willbe offered, but the amount ofclasses she would have to take.

Details of the proposed systemcontinue to be worked out and adecision on whether to switch tothe 4x1x4 system wont be madefor some time. If selected, thesystem may go into effect as earlyas the 2008-2009 academic year.

Davey reminds students to, tryto remain open-minded and tryto gather as much informationas possible as it becomes avail-able.

She believes the college willcontinue to attract adult studentsbased on its ability to providea life-changing experience foradult students through its excel-

lent faculty and great academicreputation.

Smith nds it hard to keep anopen-mind when such a system isgoing to interfere with his futureplans, though.

I dont think Mercyhurst andDr. Gamble have taken intoconsideration the power thestudents have in running thisschool. I think if its approved,there will be protest and a declinein attendance. We are not Dr.Gambles subordinates and hisdecision not to consult us beforeproposing this system shows hisarrogance.

Caption

CREDIT/Photo editor

Adult Ed Dept. responds to 4x1x4 systemBy Jessica NulphContributing wrtier

By Nicole CerilliContrinuting writer

Dr. Heidi HoseyFile Photo

Continued from page 1

This panel discussed every-thing from the improvementof instr uctional technology, toan improvement to student andresidence life, and nancial sta-bility and the expansion of theMercyhurst name.While these goals have been a

part of the Mercyhurst commu-nity for a while now, the Vision-ing Conference will ensure thatthe goals are pertinent and thatthey receive the correct amountof attention and funding.

Ryan Palm said, The entiregroup did a great job of map-ping out in a broad sense whereMercyhurst will go in the next5-10 years.

Palm continued, It was excit-ing to see such a wide gatheringof people. As a student, I valuedthat there were so many groupsrepresented unlike other Strate-

gic Plans in the past.

New technology will help stu-dents who are in the MercyhurstCollege Learning DifferencesProgram, thanks to a $10,000grant from the Verizon Founda-tion.

Gary Bukowski, Vice Presidentfor Institutional Advancement,became interested in the involve-ment of the LD program, whenhe realized Verizon had moneyto offer for technology.The LD program offers tech-

nology like Kurzweil, a programto help convert text to audio andtextbooks on tape. Although theLD program currently has sta-tions set up with the Kurzweilprogram, it can now be expanded

with the grant money.Dianne Rogers, director of

learning differences, thinks thatmany students have improvedtheir reading skills because ofthe Kurzweil program.

Many students found they arespending so much time readingand they did not have time todo the actual studying saidRogers.

Rogers would not only like touse the money for additionalKurzweil programs, but othertechnology as well. High speedscanners, laptop computers andadaptive equipment are just a fewtools she feels would benet thestudents.

Rogers would also like to seepart of the money to be used fortraining the LD staff in regardsto technology.

Things we did not knowabout are coming and there areso many new changes Rogerssaid. Because the technologyis so quickly emerging we do notknow how to utilize it to the bestof our ability.The LD program has helped

more than 250 students graduateand currently provides support

to 150 students on MercyhurstsErie and North East campuses.Rogers would like to help morestudents and is excited to seeimprovement.

In the future, the LD programwould like to apply for moregrants. Many organizations arerealizing the impact technologyhas on people with disabilities.

There are so many thingscomputers can do to assist withdisabilities Rogers said.

By Amy ZielinskiContributing writer

Erin Petri, senior marriage and family major, uses the Kurz-

weil program in the Learning Differences classroom.

Photo by Amy Zielinski

Students voice opinions

MC Health Centerreadies for u season

Verizon donates to LD

Conferencemaps outfuture

Continued from page 1I also feel that the adminis-

tration, and more importantlythe board of trustees, should be

worried about other things ratherthan this change.

Mercyhurst Student Govern-ment President Dan Schuler saidMSG is working on plans to getstudent opinion.

We are going to work in con-junction with the administrationto setup town hall meetings with

freshmen where administratorswould meet with them, he said.There is also likely to be one ormultiple town forums in the nextfew months.According to Gamble, Pub-

lic Relations Director MeganCorbin is developing a commu-nication plan to reach the collegecommunity about the possibility

of a change.He noted that there is a plan for

a forum in the spring when stu-dents can voice their opinions.

We owe it to the students tohave venues to ask questions,said Gamble. We will be lis-tening to all voices as the plancontinues.

Students are still concernedthat such a change will greatlyaffect enrollment and classes.

Gamble says he is taking thegreat things about Mercyhurst

and improving them.My obligation is to act in the

best interest of the college, andI believe the longer terms is thebest (calendar), he said. Eightyto 85 percent of colleges haveterms longer than 10 weeks. According to Gamble, the

4x1x4 system will affect trans-fers, but the school is still look-

ing into other possible affectsthe new calendar will have onenrollment.

This system is easier to trans-fer into Mercyhurst, he said.But, we need to look at the ex-perience of other schools to tryand determine what the affects

would be.Gamble also noted that the

number of courses in majors andelectives wont be affected.

Since the system is based onthree credit courses, the number

of classes will stay the same.Gamble emphasized that stu-

dents should not be so quick tojudge the new semester system.

Schuler agreed.Theres not a whole lot of

information out there right now,he said. So, its hard for studentsto render an opinion.

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PAGE 4 January 31, 2007THE MERCIAD

One coupon per party per visit at participating unitsowned and operated by subsidiaries of Pizza Hut,Inc. Delivery charge may apply. Limited deliveryarea. Not valid with any other offer. 1/20 cent cashredemption value. 2007 Pizza Hut Inc.

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Sarah James, a senior dancemajor and arts administrationminor, is working on auditioningfor professional dance companiesaround the world.

For now, James dances withLake Erie Ballet, a small profes-sional ballet company.

I want to expand my career soIm auditioning with the [LakeErie Ballet] company and inter-nationally, said James.At the end of February, James

will travel to Amsterdam to au-

dition for the Dutch NationalBallet and the Scapino BalletRotterdam.

Some American companiesthat she will audition for includeFestival Ballet, Miami City Ballet,Ballet Florida and Washington

Ballet.I would like to audition with

more companies but right now I

have to sit down and gure outmy budget, James said. Every-

where I audition costs money totravel there. I would love to dothem all!

To prepare for her auditions,she has put herself on a morestrict diet and workout routinethan what she usually follows.

She has completely cut out allsweets and alcohol. Some of herfavorite meals include grilled

chicken wraps, tuna, asparagusand bran cereal.James is shocked at how much

more energy she has now that shehas revamped her diet.

I just feel so much healthierwithout all that poison runningthrough my body, she said. After losing four pounds in

the last two weeks, James wouldagree that her new regimen isgoing successfully. Along with eating healthier,

James has also been putting timein at the Fitness Center.

She teaches a Pilates class fourdays a week. After her class shelikes to stay and walk on the

treadmill for a mile everyday. James also has rehearsal four

to six days a week, depending onhow close she is to a performanceor audition.

By Angie PascoeContributing writer

A grand pas de chat.

Photo by Richard Hardwick/Mercyhurst.edu

Dancing all over the world

Its no secret that the consump-tion of alcohol affects the humanbody. For some, alcohol causesdrowsiness; for others, giddiness.Still for others, alcohol affects

the senses, reexes and commonsense.Turning 21 is something that all

college students look forward to.

Then, its nally safe to drink,and even go out with friends.Although the fun of drinking

and the luxury of being legalseem exciting, the consequencesof drinking too much often pre-

vail over the benets. In additionto the dangers of binge drinking,people risk a much more com-mon side effect: the dreadedhangover.

Hangovers are a mixture ofunpleasant reactions to the intakeof too much alcohol. Typicallythe physical characteristics ofa hangover include headache,nausea, lethargy, sensitivity tolight and noise and thirst.

Lasting on average from 12 to36 hours, hangovers can rangefrom minor to major, often de-pending on how much alcohol

was consumed. For this reason,perhaps one of the most com-mon times for young adults toexperience a major hangover is

after their 21st birthdays.Junior Chrissie Wagner remem-

bers her 21st birthday this pastOctober.

On my birthday, I discoveredthat hangovers are worse whenyoure awake and they kick in,

Wagner said. But I took someAdvil and drank some water, andthen I felt a little better.Water seems to be the common

thread between many studentsin the effort to curb a nastyhangover.

Senior Rebecca Tudi notes thatdrinking lots of water before go-

ing to bed is the key to waking upwithout a hangover.Water helps to eliminate de-

hydration in the morning. I alsosnack on some munchies beforebed and that helps me to not feellike a deadbeat the next day,said Tudi.Junior Nick Giallourakis agrees

with Tudi.I keep a water bottle by my

bed to drink in the middle of thenight when I wake up with a drymouth and throat, he says.

Doctors and scientists seemto agree, as well, saying that theethanol in alcohol has a dehydrat-ing effect, and that drinking waterafter consumption can have analleviating effect on the body.

Many students responded thatpopping a pain reliever, such as

Advil or Tylenol, before bed aid-ed in warding off a headache.

I usually take one at night,then one in the morning, and eatsome toast. That helps with theheadache part of a hangover,said Wagner.Another cause of hangovers

that Tudi mentioned was that sheprefers to drink red wine. Winehas been known to cause a slight-ly different type of hangover thanother forms of alcohol.The Red Wine Headache that

many people are familiar with cantake effect within 15 minutes ofdrinking a single glass. Accom-

panying this headache is oftenushing of the cheeks.

It is curious as to why certainalcohols affect people in different

ways. Junior Danny OShuraksays that he only gets hangovers

when mixing liquor and beer;beer alone does not give him ahangover.

One way that Ive found thathelps to get rid of a hangover isto go and have a drink of what-ever it was that I was drinkingthe night before, OShurak said.If I was drinking beer the nightbefore, Ill have another beer in

the morning.This therapy tactic seems curi-ous; however, it has been specu-lated that consuming even moreof the same alcohol than thenight before will overcome ahangover. This is frequentlyreferred to as the hair of thedog remedy, shortened from theEnglish expression, the hair ofthe dog that bit you.

No matter the approach togetting rid of a hangover, theonly true way to get sober is tolet the hangover ride its course.

The alcohol must pass throughthe liver and out of the bodybefore the symptoms can trulydisappear.While theyre there, however,

the hangover symptoms can beburdensome.

Hangovers suck! says seniorKate Collins. They really takeaway from the next day and Ipersonally lose a lot of motiva-tion to do anything.To get rid of a hangover, Col-

lins says that she sleeps mostly.Sleep is the best cure for me.

Other students noted that sleep

is very benecial to getting rid ofa hangover.

When all else fails, sometimesyou just have to sleep it off, saidGiallourakis.Although it might be hard to

avoid the symptoms once a hang-over is already in effect, the best

way to prevent them altogetheris simply to limit the amount ofalcohol consumed.

OShurak sums it up well, stat-ing, I dont really think thereis any real way to try to preventhangovers; you just cant drinktoo much.While the effects of a hangover

are nowhere near pleasant, itis important to remember thatdrinking too much, or bingedrinking, can have serious con-sequences and is dangerous forpeople of any age.

By Jen GildeaContributing writer

Hangovers: one of collegestudents archenemies

The Art Education students have been teaching clay lessons in the Mercyhurst

College art studios for Erie County students after school as part of the Mercyhurst

College Americorps VISTA Service Learning diversity grant.

Photos by Camille Nischal

Art creates friendships

This winter, when classes letout for the day, everyone is head-ing to the slopes for skiing andsnowboarding.

Skiing and snowboarding area great way to stay active duringthe cold months, when thereisnt much else you can be doingoutside.

It could also be a great way tomeet new people, by joining theski or snowboard clubs here oncampus. For those who may betoo intimidated to get started,can take a lesson at the closest skiresort to campus, Peek n Peak isless than 30 minutes away.And while I always thought get-

ting into skiing or snowboardingwould be too expensive to do, it sactually fairly affordable. Whilean all-day lift pass from Sunday

to Thursday can get studentpasses for $19, you can also rentequipment for less than $30 ifyou dont have your own.

Freshman David Leake says,The peak is gnarly!

He and his friends spend mostof their time learning new tricks

to do on their boards.I love grinding rails, riding

boxes, and hitting rad jumps,said freshman David Giarizzo.Peek n Peak can be awesometime.

Giarrizzo said he remembersgood moments from the Peak.

One of my favorite momentswas when my good friend Dave

attempted a back ip and yard-saled, says Giarrizzo.

For those who dont know, ayard-saled means when youlose both your skis, your glovesand your hat.

I helped him up, and he com-

pleted his back ip, he added.

Obviously, life long memoriesare made on the slopes whenyoure just having fun with yourfriends.

If you cant get out to Peek nPeak or another resort, there is aplace to test out your skills andhave a good time without even

leaving campus.In between the parking garage

and Briggs Avenue, there is asmall student made snowboard-ing park. Students can walk overfrom their dorms or apartmentsand test their skills on the jumpsand rails.

The park offers radical jumpsand railsand we also meet hotchicks, said freshman boardingenthusiast Justin McInturff.

Skiing has always been a clas-sic sport among people of allages. And now that snowboard-ing has picked up in popularity,

winter has a chance to becomeeveryones favorite season.

By Kylie WinansContributing writer

Peek n Peak cures winter-time blues

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January 31, 2007 PAGE 5THE MERCIAD

Soul-warming recipesWithMeg

andKyle

I

ERI

Fine Italiancuisine

at the bestprice in townis located on

38th St. atNunzis

By Adam HicksContributing writer

Photos by Adam Hicks

Nunzis Place sign.

Ingredients Equipment

Directions

Italian Chicken

2 Large chicken breasts (cubed) Skillet

1 Whole onion (diced) 2 Large pots

1 Whole green pepper (diced) Stove

1 Package precut mushrooms1 Jar spaghetti sauce

Olive oil

Oregano

Basil

The Mercyhurst mens lacrosseteam is going to Iraqin heartand spirit anyway. Thanks tohead coach Chris Ryan, theteam has become involved in the

America Supporting Americans

(ASA) organization.The players, parents and sup-

porters of the mens lacrosseteam have donated personalitems to send to the soldiers of ACompany 3-8 Calvary of the U.S.

Army stationed at Ford Hood,Texas and currently deployedin Iraq. The mens lacrosse program

encourages all of the Mercy-hurst community to participate

in this cause and donate itemsfor the team to include in carepackages.

People have offered every-thing from toothbrushes andrazors to old magazines andmoney for postal to send to the3-8, Ryan said.The lacrosse team, along with

an elementary class from El-bridge, NY, has written lettersto the soldiers to be included in

the care packages.Ryan emphasized that the

soldiers would especially appre-ciate phone cards to call hometo the U.S.The team also sends a Mercy-

hurst College ag and an auto-graphed lacrosse helmet.

We talk about how at Mer-cyhurst we are experiencing aliberal arts education, and howthis will take you places. Well,

I guess the Mercyhurst menslacrosse team will be in Iraqsomehow, Ryan said.

So far the college has been

supportive of the lacrosse teamsinvolvement with the ASA.

Responses have been a real

positive. It is nice to see, hesaid. Anyone who would like to

donate items for the soldiers candrop them off at the mens la-

crosse ofce located in the lowerlevel of Baldwin Hall near thecommunications department.

Ryan and the lacrosse program will send the care packages toIraq on Feb. 2, but they will ac-cept materials after that date to

send later.

The team rst became inter-ested in the ASA in December

when Ryan attended the Inter-Collegiate Lacrosse AssociationConference in Baltimore.

I saw a t-shirt that said sup-port our troops and my radar

went up, Ryan said.He found the booth for the

ASA, met with the head of theorganization, Linda Patterson,

and was immediately interestedin getting the Mercyhurst menslacrosse team involved.

Personally Ive always wantedto do something for our troops.

As a coach of 40, I thought, ifyou have the ability to help it

is difcult not to do anything,he said.

Ryan found importance inshowing support for the menand women in Iraq, especially

since many of the soldiers arethe same age as traditional col-lege students.

It is sobering to think about what these men and womenare doing. We worry about ourmacroeconomics test or whetherits going to snow tonight, andbigger decisions are being madein far way places. You have torespect that fact. Its hard to turn

a blind eye to that. Ryan said.Ryan has been communicating

with the 3-8 through e-mail.There is a sense of pride that

comes out of it, and it is conta-gious. It make things come backto center, Ryan said.The ASA Organization began

in 1967 with the goal of raisingtroop morale in Vietnam. The

Adopt-A-Unit Program of the

ASA establishes a relationshipbetween civic and communitygroups with specific militaryunits in order to establish astrong, supportive connection.

The mens lacrosse team hasbeen linked with the 3-8 this

way.According the ASAs Website,

the units deployed count oncare packages and letters fromtheir linked community group

to boost their morale and feelconnected with home.

Ryan hopes that the menslacrosse program can continueto support the troops in thefuture.

We dont want to be one-hit-wonders. I dont want to send thepackages and forget about theseguys. As long as these men and

women are over there, we willsupport them, he said.

We hope that people will joinin. Its a great cause and a mes-sage of support and recognitionfor what people are doing for us.

We appreciate all the help, andIm sure the 3-8 appreciates thethoughts, prayers and anything

we can offer them, Ryan said. The lacrosse team will soon

sell t-shirts commemorating the3-8. They hope to raise enough

money to send a shirt to everymember of the unit.

By Lakyn BiancoContributing writer

All the ingredients are mostlikely around your house some-

where or very easy to get at thegrocery store for a fraction of

the price of a meal out.Also this meal is very easy andcan feed a lot of people. I makeit on the weekend so that I haveenough for leftovers during the

week when I do not have timeto cook.This meal is a great way to eat

healthy and can be changed tomatch any taste. The chicken ishealthy and not fried like you

would see at most restaurants.

Also the fresh vegetables area great way to get vitamins andminerals and they add a lot to

the avor of the sauce. If youare really feeling adventurousand extra-healthy serve it over

whole wheat pasta, which is a

great source of ber and good

carbohydrates.If you do not like some of

the vegetables that I have addedhere you can substitute them for

something that you like. Alsowhat you want to add to yoursauce is up to you; the sky is

the limit.You can add garlic, more of a

certain kind of vegetable or evencheese to your Italian chicken.

This meal is great served with

some garlic bread, which youcan make yourself, or buy a loafat the grocery store.

Lacrosse gives to US troops

1. Coat the bottom of the skillet with olive oil and heat for a few minutes on medium heat. Then

add the cubed pieces of chicken and cook until they are done all the way through and are

browned.

2. In the large pot add a little bit of olive oil and all of the vegetables and cook until they are tender.

When they are done add the spaghetti sauce. Heat this, while stirring occasionally, until the

spaghetti sauce is hot.

3. While the sauce is getting hot and the chicken is being cooked boil water on the stove for your

pasta and follow the directions on the side of the box.

4. When the chicken is cooked all the way through add it to the sauce and vegetables and spice it

with the oregano and basil to your own taste.5. Pour the chicken and veggies with the sauce over your pasta.

If you have ever been on 38thStreet looking for a restaurantthat offers nicely priced and

lling meals at a reasonableprice then look no more.The solution to your culinary

quest is at Nunzis Place on

2330 E. 38th St. The restaurant has been

owned and operated by thesame family since 1953.

In addition to a long tradi-tion of supporting the com-munity with great Italian food,the family also has roots atMercyhurst, with junior MikeCilladi in the Intelligence Stud-ies program.Although Nunzis Place was

founded over 50 years ago byCarmella and Michael, wholater passed it on to theirchildren, ownership of therestaurant is now in its thirdgeneration and still practicesthe same traditions from itsearly beginnings.

Now owned by Betsy Cilladi,

she proudly states that, thesame recipes are still used formaking all the dishes; nothingis prepackaged here at NunzisPlace.

Everything from the breadedzucchini to the meatballs andravioli is made with pride inthe restaurant.

Nunzis Place also makes 140gallons of sauce a week fromtop-grade tomatoes, which

they sell at $4.50 per quart and$2.50 per pint.The restaurant is open Mon-

day through Thursday from11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fridayand Saturday from 11 a.m. tomidnight, and Sunday from 11a.m. to 9 p.m. and also offers abanquet hall and bar.The menu at Nunzis Place

comprises appetizers such asbreaded mushrooms and fan-

tastic fried zucchini.The entrees are great too,

with, homemade lasagna for$7.25, and according to wait-ress and long-time employee

Jeralinn Roche, the best meatraviolis in town-very plump

and avorful.The restaurant also has 12-

inch sub sandwiches ranging

from $3 to $8 and whole spe-cialty pizzas, including Phillycheese steak and a seafoodpizza, for $7 to $9.

On the weekends the foodat the restaurant gets a littlecrazier, with unique sauces andspecials to entice customers totry new and unique culinarycreations.These more unique house

specials include the Shrimp

fra Diablo for $8.95, and thestuffed pasta with red lobster

vodka sauce, also for $8.95.When asked about the res-

taurant, senior Adriana Sim-one said, Ive been cominghere since freshman year. Iam very spoiled when it comesto Italian food, and this is thebest.

Senior Gina Christoffersenagreed with Adriana saying

that, I started going herebecause of her; I love Italianfood and family places. Nun-zis Place has great food.

If you are looking for greatItalian food at a reasonableprice, that comes complete

with a wonderful mom-and-pop atmosphere, you shouldcheck out Nunzis Place

Picture by 8th Cavalry Organization

Soldiers like this 8th

Cavalry trooper will

benet from the

lacrosse teams

effort.

Nunzis offers a full menu of Italian specialties.

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Jan. 31, 2007

6/12

Ladies, you know the drill. You and your room-mates go to the bar on a Friday night. You wake up

the next morning and all your friends gather in oneroom, the hostess usually still lying in bed, gettingup only toc h e c k h e r

AIM mes -sages. Eachof you takesturns tellingthe play-by-play of lastnights events,specificallythose involv-ing cute guys.These conversations arent a mere recap of who

said what. The and then he said.and then Isaid simply wont do here. Before you knowit, the ve-minute conversation you had with a guyturns into a 15 minute account with your friends;

you tell them not only what was said, but explainhis physical gestures and tone in his voice as well,not to mention extraneous background noises.Taking a step back from this weekly ritual, I real-

ized that women arent that different from men; we just apply the madness to different arenas.For example, women analyze a single ve-minuteconversation with a guy theyre interested in justlike men analyze a single play in a football game:rehashing each move and intricately studying thebody language of the opponent. Its like Sportscen-ter for women.When did going out on a Friday night become a

sport? If youre still not convinced, consider this:Women even attend practice for the weekend. We

try on our outts (complete with shoes, accessoriesand coats), plan how were going to wear our hair,

rehearse potential conversations in our head andplan which roommate is going to carry the apart-ment key or whos going to sleep where.

Isnt this overkill? Why do we waste so muchenergy on guys when theres no guarantee of adate, a phone number exchange or even a simpleconversation? Ladies, were better than this. Itsone thing to want to look nice for our own self-condence; its another to do it to attract men (who

will probably end up being jerks to us anyway).And heres a news ash: they really dont care aboutour footwear.

Do guys know about our weekly ritual of practic-ing for the big game and then analyzing its playsafterward? Im beginning to realize why they think

were so crazyits because we are.

Candidates for presidential election are beingannounced, but wait, its only January of 2007.

An article I read in the New York Times on Jan.22, discussed the incredibly quick start of the nextpresidential election. At rst I did not understand

why this was newsworthy. I mean what can it hurtto get the issues out there, to weed out the weakcandidates and to have a politically heightenednext few years?Then, I read that the cost of running will now be

increased by the millions. And, even more upset-ting, most of the candidates are in Congress. Thearticle said that running this early will be distract-ing them from legislative business and drawingnews coverage away from Congress and out ontothe campaign trail.

Both of these issues are very upsetting. First ofall, campaigns are already too expensive; it createsa nancial debate as opposed to a debate aboutreal issues. Furthermore, starting this early mightexclude several excellent candidates who simply

wont be able to afford to run. Instead of spend-ing millions of dollars on running I would rathersee that money go to actually making a difference.I mean we have an enormous decit, public educa-tion in this country is pathetic in many cities and mygeneration will have absolutely no Social Security;yet millions of dollars are spent on fund-raising.

And now even more will be directed there.Secondly, this last congressional election pointed

out just how much Americans want to see a changein government and, personally at least, how much

they would like to see a strong Congress as opposedto an imperial presidency. Frankly, it seems unac-ceptable. I want the congressmen and women todo their current jobs and make a difference in thepositions they have been elected to right now. Irealize the presidential campaign is important, but

why wait two years to make a difference, when

your constituency elected you in November to startchanging things now?

I am disappointed by both the money beingwasted and Congress potentially losing its focus. Iwould rather see news on changes being made cur-rently, because if we wait another two years, morelives will be lost, more children will be forgottenand more mistakes will be made.

OPINIONPAGE 6 THE MERCIAD January 31, 2007

To contact: opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Too soon for campaigning

Organization: useful but not necassarySince January rst, the day we began our New

Years resolutions, Im sure many people have

backed out of what they promised.One common resolution is to get organized in

the New Year; in fact The National Association ofProfessional Organizers has declared January as theNational Get Organized Month.While New Years resolutions may be dwindling

by the end of January, organization is a qualitythat is necessary and available on an individualbasis. While visiting various professors, I notice the

various piles and stacks of papers that are kept ondesks, chairs and shelves. Such messes make you

wonder howt h e y e v e rget lessonsplanned andclasses pre-pared. How-ever it mayexplain why

it takes solong to getpapers andexams back to students.

It is true, however, that there is efciency in clut-ter. Depending on the individual, it is possible tond inspiration and methodology to madness ofpapers and clutter.Adults often lecture children about keeping their

toys tidy and picked up, while the adults themselvesare not nearly as neat themselves. It seems the ten-dency to clutter follows individuals to college andon the desks of students. For some, the surfacemay be neat and tidy; however, take a glimpse inone of the drawers and the mess is soon revealed.

Weekly cleaning and organization is a chore whenthere is time; when midterms and papers are due,organization takes a less priority.

Overall, I think it is important to note that re-gardless of your organizational skills, if you work

efciently and complete a task then tidiness is notalways necessary.

Generally people work best in an environment inwhich they are comfortable. If clutter makes youfeel at home, then leave it. However if you mustdeal with a roommate, this may be a cause for con-cern. Keep the stuff limited to small piles underyour bed, behind or on your desk and problemsshould be avoided.

Messiness can be viewed as a means of expres-sion and you can often tell how a persons mindfunctions by examining their work space. The moreclutter, the easier they can transfer from one task toanother, multi-tasking may be a forte or even theadrenaline of being surrounded by unnished tasksmay cause them to get through a task.

New Years resolutions may stick for a week,a month and, for a few people, the entire year.

While millions of people may resolve to become

more organized and nally clean out that ofce orcloset hallway that has not been emptied in years,the rest of us need to embrace the clutter andpiles of papers, mail and have-nots to function atfull capacity. Geniuses may lie within those piles,holding inspiration for the newest invention of atrendy idea.

During last weeks State of the Union Address,I could not help but notice how organized andneat the chambers appeared. If that is always howgovernment buildings and ofces appeared I would

worry that nothing was happening. While PresidentBushs desk may appear spotless and photos of therst family grace the background, I am sure if youlook at any of his aides ofces it would be easy tosee who is doing the work to run this country.

Sportscenter for Women

College affordability is big deal. Just ask mystudents.

I teach at a university where 75 percent of thestudents work to put themselves through school.

The majority of students are the rst generationin their families to attend college and, each day,

many of them juggle school, work and familyobligations. They come to the university with the pro-

found hope thathigher education

will provide themknowledge, stableemployment, fi-nancial securityand a better lifethe dreams of col-lege students allover the UnitedStates.

In recent days,the dreams andhopes of Amer-icas youth havebeen the subject

of debate amonglawmakers.The U.S. House

recently voted todecrease the inter-est rate on feder-ally subsidized loans to college students from 6.8percent to 3.4 gradually over the next ve years.

Recently, both Democrats and Republicanshave proposed ways to make college accessible tostudents, ranging from the cuts in interest rates toincreased nancial aid. They have also called onuniversities to lower their tuitions.

Between 1994 and 2004, the average price forundergraduate tuition, room, and board at publiccolleges increased by 30 percent, according to theU.S. Department of Education.The increase was even higher at private institu-

tions.

Students considering higher education can facemany obstacles.

Paying for college is often high on the list. Lastfall the Commission on the Future of HigherEducation issued a report that said that rising costsdiscourage students from entering college.The fear of high debt inhibits others from con-

sidering college.But a college degree is directly correlated with

higher earnings, and, in the past two decades, thedifference has grown.

In 1980, males with a college degree earned 19percent more than males with a high school diplo-

ma, according tothe Departmentof Education. By2004, they earned67 percent more.While the earn-

ings of those withcollege degreeshave increasedover time, theearning of those

with only a highschool diplomahas dropped.

Mak ing co l -lege accessible tostudents is one

of the best waysto invest in ournations future.Entering the 21stcentury, students

access to an af-fordable college education must be a national pri-ority.

Democrats and Republicans must continue to work together to nd creative solutions to theincreasing cost of a college education.At the beginning of each semester, when I look

out at the faces looking back at me, I cant help butthink about the dreams they bring with them.

For our nations sake, lets help make their dreamsa reality.

Greys Anatomy star Isaiah Washington maylose his job for using an anti-gay slur against a co-star. But Washington has done enough apologizingand should be allowed to keep his job.Washington was foolish for using or possibly

repeating the slur at a recent Golden Globe pressconference, especially after trying to deny that heused the term in the rst place.

But afterward, he publicly apologized to hiscastmates, the shows fans and the lesbian and gaycommunity for using a word that is unacceptablein any context or circumstance.Washington is now reportedly seeking counseling

after the controversy. And he recently met withthe Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation(GLAAD) and with the Gay, Lesbian and StraightEducation Network (GLSEN).

But this scandal is proof that there is still a doublestandard when it comes to blacks who break certainsocial mores.Janet Jacksons latest album suffered poor sales

presumably because of the wardrobe malfunctionthree years ago, while her blouse-ripping cohort

Justin Timberlake was given a clean slate and hasenjoyed strong sales.A few years ago, white rapper Eminem was called

into question for his homophobic lyrics, but all he

had to do was appear on stage with Elton John atthe Grammys and he was given a free pass.

Isaiah Washington is not perfect but he can beforgiven. In 1996, he played a gay character dealing

with homophobia from other black men in SpikeLees lm Get On the Bus. When promoting thatlm, Washington spoke frankly about the need forthe black community to embrace its gay brothersand sisters.

I was in my early 20s then, and this was an im-portant statement for me.As a black gay man, I felt I was being afrmed

publicly by another black man.This must not have been an easy thing for Wash-

ington to do 11 years ago, and things are not anybetter now.

In an industry with so few roles for black actors,black A-listers have passed up scripts featuringblack gay characters because many of them con-sider taking the roles to be career suicide.

Now, more than a decade later, the gay commu-nity is calling for Washingtons head.There are several petitions oating across the

Internet asking for his ouster.But is it better to make the actor accountable

for his actions and assist him in helping end hishomophobia, or do we get him red and, at thispoint, possibly blacklisted? This could leave him even more isolated and

marginalized for something he has already admittedwas an error in judgment.

Despite slur, let Greys star keep his job

Make college affordable

I am

disappointed by

both the money

being wasted

and Congress

potentially losing

its focus.

By Yolanda Chavez LeyvaMCT newspapers

By Chelsea BootheCampus Living editor

MCT

Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards is one of many candidates already hitting

the campaign trail.

Contributing writer

JessicaLamb

Contributing writer

EllenKoenig

By Kenyon FarrowMCT newspapers

When did

going out on

Friday night

become a sport?

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Jan. 31, 2007

7/12

The following editorial appeared in the Kansas City Staron Tuesday, Jan. 23: The Bush administration is beginning to talk

specics about increasing the number of bootson the ground. Defense Secretary Robert Gatessays he will press Congress to authorize 92,000more troops for the active-duty Army and Marine

Corps.This would be a wise move, long overdue.As recently as last year, the Pentagons long-term

blueprint called for cutting the Army from 491,000

troops to 482,400 by 2011. That was patently un-realistic, given the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,along with the continuing risk of crisis in troublespots such as Korea and the Taiwan Strait.The new plan calls for boosting the Army by

65,000. The Marine Corps, now at 202,000 , wouldgrow by 27,000.The plans to increase the active-duty force are

unrelated to the troop surge President Bush hasordered in Iraq. The surge is a short-term strategy;increasing the active-duty force as a whole cannothappen overnight.

Pentagon ofcials plan to rst make permanenta 30,000-troop temporary increase in the Armythat was approved earlier, while steadily addingthe remainder through recruitment and retentionover ve years.The Marine Corps strength would increase by

making a 5,000 temporary increase permanent,

and using recruitment and retention to add theremainder within four years.This would help spread the burden of frequent

combat deployments now shouldered by theexisting force. Democratic Rep. Ike Skelton ofMissouri, the chairman of the Armed ServicesCommittee, says, Our soldiers particularly, I feel,are worn out.

Congress should act quickly on the administra-tions request.

If you tuned in to the State of the Union ad-dress last week, which I hope you did, then youheard President Bush practically begging the new

Democratic Congress to give his new Iraq strategy,a chance to work.Bush knows that he is on thin ice when it comes

to Iraq. The situation there is anything but stable,in fact, some would assess that it is rapidly dete-

riorating.A few weeks ago, Bush announced his new Iraq

strategy which mainly consists of a troop surge ofroughly 22,000troops with thehopes of re-gaining controlover the capitalof Baghdad.The problem

with this strat-egy is that themajority of the

American public is against it and is growing wary

of this seemingly unending conict.Realistically though, the president doesnt need toconsider public opinion very much anymore, notthat hes ever really let it bother him in the past. Heis not up for reelection and the midterm electionsare over (with unfavorable consequences for theRepublican Party, might I add).

However, while the president doesnt have to worry about damaging public opinion, he doesneed to worry about the Democratic majority inCongress and the growing number of Republicans

who are openly challenging the presidents deci-sions and power.

Members of Congress from both parties stillhave to face reelection and are forced to answerto a growing number of unhappy constituentsback home.

By this time, it is no secret that most Democratsare planning to go against Bushs plans, but what

is interesting is how Republicans, prominent Re-publicans, are standing up to the president, openlydefying him.Take possible presidential hopeful Sen. Chuck

Hagel a Republican from Nebraska. Hagel is aprominent member of the Senate Foreign RelationsCommittee and spoke out passionately last week

against Bushs plan and also admonished his col-leagues for playing politics, telling them if they

wanted a safe job they should go sell shoes. Hechallenged the administration to show us the planfor Iraq, accusing the administration of playing a

ping-pong game with American lives.Hagel is not the only Republican speaking out.

The numbers are growing as the debate continues

Sen. Arlen Specter from Pennsylvania added hiscomments to a growing wave of dissent. I wouldsuggest respectfully to the president that he is notthe sole decider. The decider is a shared and jointresponsibility, Specter said.

Specters comments allude to a deeper issuecausing tension within the halls of government:constitutional power.When the Framers crafted the Constitution,

they created three branches of government thatwould check and balance each other. The legisla-tive branch is an equal branch of government thatactually has the power to declare war. It wasnt until

the bloody 20th century that power in Americangovernment began to shift, to what is now coinedthe imperial presidency.

Executive power has grown over the past 50years, although Congress is basically to blame forletting that happen. The president likes to invoke

his constitutional title of Commander-in-Chief tovalidate his power over the affairs of war, and overtime, Congress began to accept the decision makingpower of the president and took a back seat.

It wasnt until the disaster of Vietnam thatCongress tried to reestablish its power by pass-ing the War Powers Act, although not much haschanged.

Now we nd ourselves in another unpopular warwhere the president is claiming he has the author-ity to make all of the decisions, even if Congressdoesnt agree.

Congress isnt powerless, however. They still havecontrol over the purse strings and could end the

war by cutting funding, but this would be a riskypolitical move as the administration would be quickto label those who voted for such a measure asunsupported of American troops.While Congress may not have enough support

within its ranks to stop the president from vetoinglegislation, it is still reassuring to know that the leg-

islature is nally growing a backbone and standingup to a president with little respect for a coequalbranch of government.

Our government was formed on the principlesof checks and balances to avoid tyrannical or au-thoritarian rule.

For too long this president has overlooked anddisrespected this fundamental staple of the Ameri-can republic, and it is high time Congress reassumesits intended role.

OPINIONJanuary 31, 2007 THE MERCIAD PAGE 7

To contact: opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

MERCIADJoshua Wilwohl Editor-in-Chief editormerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Jessica Kocent News Editor newsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Chelsea Boothe Campus Life Editor featuremerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Allison Moore Opinion Editor opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Ryan Palm & Matt Jackson Sports Editors sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Melissa Brandt A&E Editor entertainmentmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Andrew Finkel Photographer photomerciad@mercyhurst.eduKatie Diley Production Editor prodmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Melissa Brandt Advertising Manager admerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Noelle Lelakus Copy Editor copymerciad@mercyhurst.edu

The Merciad is the student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst College. It is

published throughout the school year, with the exception of midterms week

and nals week. Our ofce is in the Old Main, Room 314. Our telephone

number is 824-2376.

The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and

names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the letters

for content, we reserve the right to trim letters to t. Letters are due the

Thursday before publication and may not be longer than 300 words. Submit

letters to box PH 485.

The

MTC

The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

The GoodThe school musical Bye Bye Birdie was this past weekend in the PAC. The student run produc-

tion was a huge success with fantastic performances. Congratulations to all involved!

The Bad

Its been about two weeks since the new 4x1x4 class system was revealed to the Mercyhurst

community, and it still hasnt been warmly received. The majority of people on campus are stillunsupportive of the switch.

The Ugly

If you havent noticed, winter has arrived . . . in full force. It has been snowing basically everyday for over a week now and it shows no signs of stopping. To top it all off, it is ridiculouslycold and the wind is relentless as usual. The weather seems to pick the worst times to becometreacherous. For example, it seems the worst winter conditions are up when its time to walk toclass. Funny how that works huh? Why did we go to school in Erie, Pa again?

Im for it. I dontthink trimesters gaveenough time for classes,especially being a mathmajor.

Kyle Linehan 07

I feel that we shouldgo for a more standardsemester system.

Nicole Gambone 08

I like the trimestersbecause it allows formore breaks.

Kelly Logan 08

I think that Dr. Gam-bles job is to lead ourschool and if this is thedirection he feels is right,then Ill stand behindhim.

Michelle Ellia 07

I dont really care be-cause Im graduating.

Jon Bonenberger 07

I think it would begood for the school tomake money and bad be-cause wed get out late.

Greg Boyan 07

Are you for

or against the

new 4x1x4

semester

system?

Students weigh in on the 4x1x4 system

Opinion editor

AllisonMoore

Congress fnally showing somebi-partisan muscle on Iraq

By Editorial Staff

Increases needed for Army and Marines

Kansas City Star editorialMCT newspapers

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Jan. 31, 2007

8/12

Fall Out Boys newest release,

Innity on High, is denitelythe most experimental effortthey have recorded to date.That being said, anyone who

nearly had a heart attack whenthe news broke that FOB wasrecording with Jay-Z can resumetheir normal breathing pattern,as he just says a few words at thebeginning of Thriller, the rsttrack on the album.There are no rap-rock cross-

over tracks here, a la a more punkLinkin Park/Jay-Z CollisionCourse. As far as the actual album

goes, the usual witty lyrics arehere, but maybe not as much asin the past. When Take This To Your

Grave was released back in2003, it was musically prettygood, but not a masterpiece.However, the lyrics were out-standing.

Fast forward to 2005, whenFrom Under the Cork Tree

was released, and the lyrics arestill around the same level of

cleverness but the song titleshave been thought out better.

Excluding the track on thenew album Im Like A Lawyer

With The Way Im Always Try-ing To Get You Off, the trackon Cork Tree titled A LittleLess Sixteen Candles, A LittleMore Touch Me has got to bemy favorite title of any of theirsongs.

Some of the tracks here thatdont even have the best lyricsare still so catchy that you canthelp going back and listening tothem again.A notable exception to this is

the song Golden, a two-and-a-half minute long disaster that

will leave you wondering whatthe point of even putting it onthe album was.

It had to be a showcase forPatricks vocal range, which isshown to be extremely solid, butthe song is just out of place.

Rumor has it that Babyfaceproduced three songs on thealbum and that has to be oneof them, because it should de-nitely be on one of his albumsinstead.

Creative genius still has somelimits.

However, the song right af-ter this travesty is Thnks Fr

Th Mmrs (Thanks For TheMemories) and it is sure to be afavorite of many listeners.

In total, the only songs thatdidnt really hold my interest

were Golden,and I veGot All

T h i sRing-i n g

In My

Ears andNone On

My Finger. They could

have closed thealbum with thestronger track rightbefore it, Youre Crashing, But

Youre No Wave, which is oneof my favorites on the album.

If you hated Fall Out Boy up tothis point, this album isnt goingto change your mind; Your pre-conceived notions are probablytoo set in stone by now.

For the simple factthat you were able tohear their songs over andover and not get them stuckin your head, I give you

mad propsas the albums rapguest star wouldsay.

Howeve r , fo rthose o f you whoenjoy this

band, defi-nitely pick this oneup when it comes out

Feb. 6. Aside from the two tracks

I mentioned above, the otherdozen tracks will be stuck in yourhead for days.

With the escalation of forcein Iraq, continuing struggle be-

tween Israel and Palestine andconict in Sudan, it is shockingto realize that other major worldevents, like the apartheid inSouth Africa, happened not eventwo decades ago.The lm Catch a Fire brings

us back to a time where govern-ment-sanctioned segregation,and the mortication that went

with it, was a very real issue.The story follows a black man

named Patrick Chamusso (DerekLuke, Antwone Fisher andFriday Night Lights) who is aforeman at one of the largest oil

reneries in the world. An uneducated black livingoutside of Johannesburg with his

wife and two daughters, Patricklives an above average life. How-ever, that life is soon shattered

when he is wrongfully accusedof sabotaging the renery.

He comes under the interroga-tion of Colonel Nic Vos (Tim

Robbins, The Shawshank Re-demption and Mystic River),a shrewd member of the PoliceSecurity Branch who is dead seton maintaining order in an in-creasingly volatile South Africa.

Caught with a compromisedalibi, Patrick is unable to with-stand the tactics of Vos and hismen and, as a result, is detained

with his wife where she is brutallybeaten.

Incensed by the sight of hiswife in this state, Patrick changescompletely his lax political stanceand actuallybecomes the terrorist

he is accused of being.This change in character is dis-

played in the movie when Patricksays my family was punished fornothing, so let it be for some-thing now.

The lm has drawn fantastic re-views since its release. KennethTuran of the Los Angeles Timessays The young American ac-tor [Derek Luke] gives such anintense, passionate performancethat he just about dares you tonot be involved with the tale heis telling.

Ruthe Stein of the San Fran-

cisco Chronicle says of thedirecting, StraightforwardHe reminds you of a South Af-rica that most of the population

would just as soon forget.The lm has been nominated

for an Image Award as Outstand-ing Motion Picture and DerekLuke has received both BlackReel and Satellite Award nomina-tions for his lead role.

Catch a Fire can be seen at thePAC on Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 2and 8 p.m.Tickets are free for Mercyhurst

students (one ticket per ID.

PAGE 8 THE MERCIAD January 31, 2007

ENTERTAINMENTARTS &

To contact: entertainmentmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

tHe

BuZz

FEB. 1. Dark Star Or-

chestra. House of Blues,Cleveland.

FEB. 2. Comedy. JerrySeinfeld. State Theatre,Cleveland.

FEB. 2. New OrleansPerservation Hall JazzBand. Bromeley Family

Theater, Pitt-Bradford,Bradford. ON sale at (814)362-2522, www.bcpac.com.

FEB. 2. Patti LaBelle. Sen-eca Events Center, SenecaNiagara Casino, NiagaraFalls, N.Y.

FEB. 2. Legendary Rhythm& Blues Revue with Tom-my Castro, Magic Dick,Deana Bogar, Ronnie Bak-er Brooks. Rex Theatre,Pittsburgh.

FEB. 2. Girl Talk. GrogShop, Cleveland.

FEB. 2, 3. Bjorn Again.Avalon Ballroom, FallsviewCasino Resort, NiagaraFalls, Ont. On sale at (888)836-8118, www.ticketmas-ter.ca.

FEB. 3. Justin Timber-

lake, Pink. Quicken LoansArena, Cleveland.

FEB. 3. Roots of Rockand Roll with Duprees, JiveFive, Vibrations, JimmyCharles, Kathy Young,Pure Gold. Benedum Cen-ter, Pittsburgh..

FEB. 3. Joe Bonamassa.House of Blues, Cleve-land.

FEB. 3. The Rapture. RexTheatre, Cleveland.

F E B . 5 . B u c k w h e a tZydeco. Docksider, Erie.

$18 advance, available atDocksider, Grasshopper,Parkers Gallery in Edinbor.$20 day of show.

FEB. 6 -11 . Mus i c a l .Stomp. Benedum Center,Pittsburgh.

FEB. 7. Moe. Town Ball-room, Buffalo.

FEB. 7. Asylum StreetSpankers. Beachland Ball-room, Cleveland.

FEB. 7. Rock and RollMardis Gras with Cow-boy Mouth, Ivan Nevilles

Dumpstaphunk. House ofBlues, Cleveland.

FEB. 8. Kathy Grifn. Pal-ace Theatre, Cleveland.

FEB. 9. Jamie Foxx. Wol-stein Center, Cleveland.

FEB. 9. Mastodon, Con-verge. Rex Theater, Pitts-burgh.

FEB. 10. Taylor Swift.Agora Theater, Cleveland.

FEB. 10. Paul Fayrewether.House of Blues, Cleveland.On sale at Ticketmaster.

FEB. 10. Jim Gaffigan.Lakewood Civic Audito-rium, Lakewood, Ohio.

FEB. 10. Apples in Stereo.Grog Shop, Cleveland.

FEB. 11. Everclear, JonnyLives! House of Blues,Cleveland..

FEB. 14. Temptations,Marvelettes. Center for the

Arts, University of Buffalo,Buffalo.

Courtesy of Goerie.com.

Catch a Fire at the PACBy Mason LorekContributing writer

Check out Tim Robbins in Catch a Fire, a drama about terrorism in Apartheid-era South Africa, showing today at the Performing Arts Center.Photo courtesy of the PAC

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Fall into Infnity and BeyondBy Joe FidagoContributing writer

The brand new Fall Out Boy album Innity On High comes out Feb. 6. If you cant wait, pre-order the album online at the bands website.

Photo courtesy of http://www6.islandrecords.com/innity.

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Jan. 31, 2007

9/12

Although it has been 2007 fora little over a month, what looksto be one of the years bestdance performances in Erie willtake place this weekend.

On Saturday, Feb. 3, the ErieDance Consortium will host thefourth annual Erie Festival ofDance in the Mary DAngeloPerforming Arts Center, withperformances at 2 and 7 p.m.

Founded in the spring of2000, The Erie Dance Con-sortium began as a group ofdance enthusiasts from theErie community along with the

determined support from theErie Art Museum.The primary focus of the

Consortium is to keep the artof dance alive and growingin the Erie region by creatingperforming and educationalopportunities for dancers andchoreographers and offering thepublic a rst rate performance.According to Festival chair,

dance department faculty mem-ber Mark Santillano, the ErieFestival of Dance is the onlyone of its kind held in Erie,which brings together 20 localdance organizations for twodistinct performances.

An all-volunteer team of Eriedance enthusiasts have worked

over the past year to make thisevent and its supporting educa-tion components possible, saidSantillano.

This years multi-dance eventis full of diversity. Whetheryoure a fan of swing, ballet,ballroom, modern, tap, jazz orcultural dance, the Erie Fes-tival of Dance is a wonderfulproduction to see local dancersshowcase their works.

In addition to local partici-pants, principal dancers JuliaErickson and Christopher Ren-dell-Jackson from PittsburghBallet Theatre will be showcasedin both the matinee and eveningperformances and will revealtheir virtuosity in the famous

Black Swan Pas de Deux fromSwan Lake.

Bringing to Erie the principaldancers from the nationally ac-claimed Pittsburgh Ballet The-atre in our production makes theevent even more exciting, saidSantillano.The Festival benets the Erie

community beyond the twoperformances on Saturday, asConsortium members fromMercyhurst College Dance De-partment, North Coast Dance,Erie Dance Conservatory andSoMar Dance Works will pres-ent lecture demonstrations atarea schools to involve studentsin both dance awareness andparticipation.

Th