The Merciad, Sept. 7, 2011

8/4/2019 The Merciad, Sept. 7, 2011

1/8

Extending class

times sparks

semester debate

Page 2

Keiko Miller

named Educator

of the Year

Page 4

Opinion: Economy

prompts seniors

to prepare

Page 6

2010-11 athletic

year one for

the ages

Page 8

.


2/8

NEWSPage 2 September 7, 2011

Extending class times sparks semester debate

Longer class times are in storefor Mercyhurst College students

when the winter term begins. The college administration

learned its class contact hours wereout of compliance with the Penn-sylvania Department of Education(PDE) in early July. To comply with

these standards, the colleges classcontact hours will change for winterand spring terms of the 2011-12academic year.

Monday/Wednesday/Fridayclasses will be 10 minutes longereach day. Tuesday and Thursdayclasses will be 15 minutes longer.

Although 15 minutes might notseem that much longer, PoliticalScience Department Chair MichaelFederici, Ph.D., pointed out that a

Tuesday/Thursday class will be twohours and 10 minutes long, which isabsurdly long for an undergradu-ate class, he said.

Federici noted that even mostgraduate classes are not that long.

Mercyhurst has been out of com-pliance with the required 42 hoursper class for at least three years,but prior to applying for univer-sity status, the PDE did not notifythe college of this, Vice Presidentfor Academic Affairs Phil Belfiore,Ph.D., said.

Even if the college was not apply-ing for university status, the numberof contact hours would change.

Once aware we are out of com-pliance, we would want to change,Belfiore said.

To be in compliance with hours,classes should meet for the requiredtime, even though faculty will bemore tempted to let their classesout early, Federici said.

Class times will not change forfall term.

We couldnt do it in the fall,Belfiore said. Syllabi were alreadyset. Students were already regis-tered. It wouldnt be fair.

The contact hour change issimply a solution for winter and

spring terms of this year.I dont see it as a long-term

solution, Belfiore said. Lets justdo it this way for now and think ofbetter solutions.

One down side of this change,according to Belfiore, is that itmakes the day longer. Classes

will end at 4:10 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and at5:10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thurs-days. This is a change from 3:20 and4:10 respectively.

The later ending to the day inter-

feres with athletics and extracur-

ricular activities, Belfiore said.

Other possible solutions to solve

the contact hour issue without

extending the day include extend-

ing the school year, reducing read-

ing days, making breaks shorter and

adding course activities that are out-

side of class time. These required

activities could include case studies,

speaker series or interactive online

assignments such as blogging, Bel-

fiore said.

I think compared to some of

the other solutions, extending class

time would probably be the best

choice, junior Danielle Vaccaro

said.

Junior Brady Greenawalt agreed.

I wouldnt really mind staying

in class for a few extra minutes,

but cutting into our Christmas and

summer breaks would certainly be

annoying, he said. I feel like we

already dont have very many read-

ing days as it is, so if they were

reduced there would practically be

no reading days left.

The trimester system is a large

factor for the colleges contact hours

being short of the requirement.

The trimester is what really gets

us to this point, Belfiore said. If

we went to semesters there would

be very little issue with contact

hours.

Federici favors switching to

semesters because students do not

have to digest as much information

at once and semesters would allow

for shorter class times.

No other college or university in

Pennsylvania, besides Mercyhurst,

is on the trimester system, accord-

ing to Federici.

Theres probably a good reason

for that, he said.

Semesters seem like the simple

solution, but students may not

favor this option.

If adding 10 minutes to my class

could keep the trimester system at

Mercyhurst, I will gladly go to class

for a few minutes longer, Vaccaro

said.

I think changing to semesters

would take away one of the things

that makes Mercyhurst academ-

ics unique and steer away students

who enjoy focusing on only a few

classes.

Greenawalt was more willing to

part with trimesters.

I have always preferred Mer-

cyhursts trimester system to the

standard semester system, but if it

would mean keeping our breaks and

reading days, I wouldnt be opposed

to switching to semesters, he said.

The college council will meet in

the fall to discuss the best way to

comply with the required contact

hours.

By Kelly LuomaEditor-in-chief

Intelligence grad programnow offered to public

The Mercyhurst College Institute for Intelligence

Studies (MCIIS) graduate level counterintelligence

certificate, which is part of the larger Applied Intel-

ligence Certificate offered at Mercyhurst since 2004,

will now be accessible to all qualified individuals in the

Washington D.C. area.

The certificate will no longer be restricted to

employees of corporate partners as it was in the past.

The course description for the graduate certificate in

counterintelligence says that the certificate is designed

to prepare students to identify and evaluate foreign

security intelligence threats and espionage organiza-

tionstheir objectives, their structure and their tech-

niques for collection and analysis.

Linda Bremmer, the coordinator for all students and

faculty participating in the graduate certificate pro-

grams at MCIIS, said that the program was initially

requested by, designed for, and offered solely to Booz

Allen Hamilton Inc. employees in 2004.

However, the program was so popular that it was

soon requested by other companies, which resulted in

expansion of the program to Systems Research andApplications Corporation (SRA) and Northrop Grum-

man.

Bremmer explained that the program will serve many

more working professionals due to its expansion out-

side the college itself.

She pointed out that these counterintelligence classes

will be a blended offering, with some of the courses

offered online. Bremmer added that the online compo-

nent allows students to have instructors from all over

the world.

Many people take these classes just because of

the instructors. They are very well known and widelyrespected professionals, and what we teach is some-

thing that can be transferred to many different and

diverse fields and applications, not just national secu-

rity, Bremmer said.

A certificate in counterintelligence is awarded upon

the successful completion of three courses: The Evo-

lution of Counterintelligence, Counterintelligence

Events and Concepts, and Counterespionage and Policy

Making. Each course costs $1,926, which is similar to

what a graduate would pay for a course at Mercyhurst.

Bremmer said that to date, we have had 420 stu-

dents graduate from the intel certificate program since2004.

By Mike Gallagher

Staff writer

LarcenyMonday, Aug. 22

LarcenyTuesday, Aug. 2

Lewis AvenueCase closed

Weber HallCase closed

BurglaryMonday, Aug. 22


LarcenyThursday, Aug. 25


Aug 2 - 29, 2011

Sexual assault/harassmentMonday, Aug. 29

Rec CenterCase closed


3/8

Page 3September 7, 2011 NEWS

New recycling machines

lead to points, rewards The Green Team has installed

machines around campus in order

to make recycling easier, more fun

and rewarding for students and fac-

ulty alike this year.

Dream Machines were installed

at the pavilion between Briggs andLewis avenues, as well as in the

lower level of the Herrmann Stu-

dent Union.

The program is a collaboration

of Waste Management, Keeping

America Beautiful and Pepsi Co.

These organizations have been

working together with businesses,

universities and communities to

bring the recycling machines to var-

rious places.

We started the conversation with help from Parkhurst Dining

Services back in December of 2010

and were able to finally install two

Dream Machines on the Mercy-

hurst Campus at the end of July

2011, Sustainability Coordinator

Brittany Prischak said.

If the two machines are suc-

cessful, additional machines will be

considered for campus. The North

East campus also has the potential

of installing the machines if theyare seen to be productive.

I really like that Mercyhurst is

continuing to get involved in being

green. The machines were a great

idea to keep everyone recycling,

junior Kylie McCormick said.

For now, the machines only

accept aluminum cans and plastic,

but in the future they may accept

glass or steel cans.

Students can also benefit from

recycling their goods with thepoints system that the machine pro-

vides. Each items UPC bar code

recycled is worth one to five points,

and these points can be redeemed

for coupons.

In order to earn points, stu-

dents have to register and pick up a

member card, where the points will

be automatically registered. In order

to acquire points, each item must be

scanned prior to depositing it.

Registering is not required forone to recycle, but members have

the option of printing their receipts

for the redeemable code to get their

points.

Currently the machines are out

of member cards, but they can be

picked up either in the sustainability

office in Egan 305 or in the lower

level of the Student Union.

Green Team Leader Chris Magoc,

Ph.D., said, By offering incentives

to students, faculty and staff for

recycling their cans and bottles, the

Dream Machine program repre-

sents a tremendous opportunity for

Mercyhurst College to increase our

recycling rate and reduce the waste

stream of the campus.

Recyclers can use their recycling

points for local discounts and cou-

pons on entertainment, food and

travel at greenopolis.com. Each

coupon is worth 100 points on the

site.

Most folks want to recycle,

knowing that recycling holds envi-

ronmental benefits and that it is the

ethically responsible thing to do. The

cash-value rewards of the Dream

Machine will serve to augment those

more familiar reasons and provide

additional, individual motivation for

recycling, Magoc said.

The program also benefits vet-

erans. For each container recycled,

Pepsi Co. and Waste Management

will donate money to Business Boot

Camps for veterans to acquire the

skills to open their own business.

By Stacy Skiavo

Staff writer

People can earn coupons by recycling with the new machines,

located at the pavilion between Briggs and Lewis avenues.

Jill Barrile photo

The Center for Academic Engagement is on track to be

finished in August 2012 and ready for the 2012-13 academic

school year.

The plan is still as it was in the spring, Vice President for

Academic Affairs Phil Belfiore, Ph.D., said.

Hospitality management, intelligence studies, the Center for

Applied Politics and the Evelyn Lincoln Ethics Institute will

move into the new building. It will also have computer labs, a

boardroom, a reception area, a caf and kitchens.

We arent sure what will be moving into the current Intelbuildingit might be interior design, Belfiore said.

As can be seen when walking around campus, construction

of the building has begun.

Over the summer the foundation was put in, along with the

walls and the elevator shaft from the ground to the first floors.

When the main elevator shaft is done, people will be able to

get a sense of how tall the building will be, Vice President for

Advancement David Livingston, Ph.D., said.

The exoskeleton for the building will be done during the fall

term.

New building on track

to open for fall 2012


4/8

FEATURES September 7, 2011Page 4

Keiko Miller, associate professor

of World Languages and Cultures,

will be receiving the Educator of

the Year award from the Pennsylva-

nia State Modern Languages Asso-

ciation (PSMLA).

Miller, known as Keiko-sensei to

her students, has been teaching Jap-

anese language and culture at Mer-cyhurst College for 23 years, as well

as volunteering in the community

with English as a Second Language

in Head Start, Literacy and Adult

Education Programs throughout

her career.

As a teacher of the foreign lan-

guages, I get a joy when I see stu-

dents engaged, Miller said.

Millers teaching philosophy is

centered on authenticity, guiding

students in a way that allows them

to find the desire to learn them-

selves.

Junior Elizabeth Abernathy took

Millers Far Eastern Ideographs

course based on the use of Chinese

calligraphy in the Japanese writing

systems.

With Keiko-sensei, it is less the

how and more the why, which is

an interesting take on learning lan-

guages, Abernathy said.

She forces you to make connec-

tions on your own while learning

sentence structure and grammar,

which allows the student to better

understand the reasons behind

the language structure in the first

place, added Abernathy.

This is a story that is repeated

by many students who take her

class. Students are engaged in

learning and having fun while

doing it.

Junior Molly Gavin, who also

took Far Eastern Ideographs, said,

She was kind of relaxed, and you

could tell she really enjoyed what

she did, so she made it easier for

the rest of us to become enthusi-

astic.

Many students not only learn

the Japanese language from Miller,

but they also enjoy her stories about

growing up in Japan.

I feel that in modern times we

dont have the kind of struggle

that we used to have, so when

the student comes in to learn

a language, you have to create a

medium space for them to have

some kind of bodily struggle,

Miller said.

When asked about receiving this

honor, Miller said, I am completely

surprised by this award because I

dont have any expectation for what

I do, but when I see the task com-

plete that I was part of that, then I

feel rewarded.

Miller will receive this award on

Oct. 21 during the PSMLA confer-

ence at State College.

By Faye ClarkStaff writer

Keiko Miller named Educator of the Year

Keiko Miller will be receiving the Educator of the Year award

from the PSMLA in October.

Jill Barrile photo

Freshman year is a tough adjust-

ment period for any person enter-

ing college.

Everyone can remember a dif-

ficult situation that they might

have dealt with for the first time in

their first year of school. It can be

a very confusing experience, but

freshman Danielle Carlson seems

to be handling it quite well.

Carlson is from Ridgway Penn-sylvania, and is studying music

education with a concentration in

percussion. She chose Mercyhurst

because of the scholarships she

received and because of outside

advice from her friends.

I auditioned and was accepted

at Mercyhurst, Edinboro, Penn

State University and West Virginia

University. Scholarship money was

definitely a main decision factor for

me, Carlson said.

When she arrived on campus,

Carlson said she felt very wel-

come at Mercyhurst because ofthe RAs and other welcome week

helpers that really strive to make a

freshman feel part of the commu-

nity.

Feeling at home and comfortable

is a good way to prevent homesick-

ness, which can be quite an issue for

college freshmen.

According to collegeoutlook.

net, one in two college freshmen

will experience homesickness,

a fact that most upperclassmenknow well.

When asked about her feelings

about being away from home, she

said, I like being away from home.

Im used to traveling because of

different musical competitions

throughout high school so home-

sickness really hasnt been an issue

so far.

Carlson, like many others, is also

enjoying the bigger city feeling of

Erie.Ridgway is much more of a

rural area. The closest attraction

is fifteen minutes away, and thats

Walmart. With the first week of classes

under her belt, Carlson is enjoying

the academics provided at Mercy-

hurst.

I really like the small class

sizes. One-on-one attention is a

great thing. I also like the trimester

system.

Another perk of Mercyhurst,

according to Carlson, is the music

department.

Most of the faculty is therefor you, and their door is almost

always open. They will try their

hardest to make whatever you

want to happen, happen, she

said.

Carlsons future plans involve

eventually obtaining her doctorate

in music education. With the help

of the college community and the

excellent academics at Mercyhurst,

Carlson is definitely on her way to

reaching this goal.

By Liz Zurasky

Features editor

Freshman Danielle Carlson:Adjusting to college life

1. A 4 GB fl ash drive

2. A reusable coffeemug and waterbottle

3. A hard laptop case4. A detailed planner

5. Winter boots andrain boots

Source: lavendersbluee.blogspot.com

Five things everycollege studentshould have:


5/8

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 5September 7, 2011

A&E season promises something for everyone

If you are a lover of the arts,Mercyhurst College is indeed theplace.

With an exciting season sched-uled at the Mary DAngelo Per-forming Arts Center (PAC), a newaddition to the popular GuelcherFilm Series, a new year in the MetOpera HD Live series and dozensof performances coming from the

dance and music departments, thereare always shows to be seen.

The season includes somethingfor every preference. Acts rangefrom classical music and dance, tojazz and blues, to cutting-edge con-temporary performances.

Some highlights this year includethe ever popular Yamato, therenown Paul Taylor Dance Com-pany and the Grammy award-win-ning Robert Cray Band.

One new and exciting addition

to the PAC program this year is the

On Screen/In Person series thatruns in conjunction to the Guelcher

Film Series. This series is composed of six

movies throughout the year, inwhich someone who was involved with production of the film inquestion will come to the screeningfor discussion.

The first On Screen/In Personfilm is Trust: Second Acts in

Young Lives, and it will run onWednesday, Sept. 7, at 2:15 and 7:15p.m.

One great thing that Mercyhurst

provides for its students is free andreduced ticket pricing.

With a Mercyhurst ID, studentscan attend the Guelcher Film Seriesas well as all performances in WalkerRecital Hall for free and the PACs

various other performances for aprice ranging from $1 to $15.

With 15 performances in thePAC series alone, this year is onefull of music and dance.

Take advantage of the oppor-tunity that this center of creative

activity provides.

By Alexandra Stacey

A&E editor

Yamato returns to Mercyhurst to perform its new, exciting program Gamushara. Yamato is the

most popular show performed at the PAC and usually plays to sold out crowds.

File photo by Tyler Stauffer

Trust opens On Screen/In Person program

Trust: Second Acts in Young Lives, is the first film to beshown in the Guelcher Film Series and the first film to be inthe On Screen/In Person program.

The Mary DAngelo Performing Arts Center (PAC) waschosen out of 250 applicants to be a venue for a new programfrom the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation called On Screen/InPerson.

According to the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation funds pro-grams in the Mid Atlantic region in order to provide richnessand diversity within the regions resources and to promoteaccess to a wider range of people.

The foundation worked closely with PAC Director Michael

Fuhrman to select the six movies that the PAC will be screen-ing this year. Two will be shown each term.

This program and these films will be beneficial to studentsdepending on their interest in participating, Fuhrman said.

In addition to screening these movies, the directors and

actors will come to Erie when their film is being shown.Film-maker Nancy Kelly will visit the Mercyhurst College campus

Wednesday, Sept. 7.Having been a student at Mercyhurst College, I think these

films can be transformational. The students are emerging as

young adults and are more impressionable.Because of that they will be more open to challenging

what they think and feel. That is the purpose of these films,Fuhrman said. They will only be successful if the faculty andstudents invest the time, and I believe they can have a tremen-dous impact.

Sophomore Seth Pezar said he will be more likely to go tothe film because of the On Screen/In Person perspective. Itis always more interesting to see a film knowing the director is

watching it nearby, he said.Kellys film Trust follows 18-year-old Marlin, a Hondu-

ran immigrant living in Chicago who has undergone manyhardships in both Honduras and the United States.

Her counselor encourages her to join the Albany Park The-ater Project (APTP), a group founded to help underprivilegedteens stay out of trouble and to give them emotional sup-port.

APTP takes the teens stories and turns them into plays,

giving them a second act. This documentary focuses specifically on Marlin and the

play based on her story, called Remember Me Like This.It documents the struggles Marlin went through simply to

be able to tell her story and all that follows, including the char-

acters cast, lines rehearsed and costumes made. APTP is made up of teens between the ages of 13 and

19 who have been through hard times and need a supportsystem.

They each have a story, and many of these stories havealready been turned into plays. Fifty plays have been put onthus far, with many more to come. These plays help the teen-agers deal with what they have been through, transformingthem from helpless, adrift children to empowered, emotion-ally stable young adults.

It is an amazing transformation to watch, and seeing andhearing what some of these teens have been through will makeyou count your blessings and appreciate the life you have.

Remember Me Like This ran for seven weeks at APTP toa full house at each showing.

Trust: Second Acts in Young Lives will be shown at thePAC today at 2:15 and 8:15 p.m.

Tickets are free for Mercyhurst College students.

By Alaina Rydzewski

Managing editor

O

nline

Look for a full calendar ofA&E events

Discussion, interactionexpected from new PAC

series

www.merciad.mercyhurst.edu/arts_entertainment


6/8

Editors

Kelly Luoma

Alaina Rydzewski

Liz ZuraskyCaitlin Handerhan

Spencer Hunt

Alex Stacey

Chrissy Mihalic

Kaitlin Badger

Jill Barrile

Ethan Johns

Max Rivera

Bill Welch

@mercyhurst.edu

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featuremerciadopinionmerciad

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

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

The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signedand names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the

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

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

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

Positions

Editor-in-Chief

News Editor

Features EditorOpinion Editor

Sports Editor

A&E Editor

Copy Editor

Graphics

Photo Editor

Web Editor

Ad Manager

Adviser

September 3, 2008OPINIONPage 6 September 7, 2011The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the v iews of Mercyhurst College, the staff of The Merciad

or the Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be e-mailed to [email protected].

Friday morning, the Department of Labor released its much-anticipated

monthly job report. The results were sobering. For the first time in a year,there was zero job growth reported for the month of August, and unem-ployment remains at 9.1 percent.

Further information presented by NPR revealed that 40 percent of thosewho are unemployed have been so for 27 weeks or more.

As college students, we live in a bubble. In a pinch, we would all be ableto go weeks without leaving campus.

Yet outside the wrought-iron gates, the American way of life continuesto be shaped, for better or worse. Are we prepared to enter it?

When the bubble is effectively popped at graduation, and we are fullyexposed to the chafing of the world, outside the protective circle of aca-demia, will we be able to handle it?

I am a senior this year. For the class of 2012 and me, the bubble will

pop in a few short months. With this in mind, we look at the job market,the recessed economy, the piddling of our government representatives, thefading hope of retirement and the dissolving of the middle class. We lookat the state of America and wonder what we are inheriting and how we canever possibly hope to fix it.

Americans need to wake up and start taking responsibility. I am begin-ning to think that the Mayans, in some insane stroke of foresight, werecorrect: that a new age is approaching, because humanity cannot possiblyhope to sustain itself as it exists today.

When the Sisters of Mercy founded Mercyhurst College, they wove intoit their core values, including those of being socially merciful and globallyresponsible. In attending Mercyhurst, we have also signified that we believeand are willing to act out these values. In the 21st century, the values of the

Sisters of Mercy desperately require application, and it is our responsibilityto do so.

By Katie Vogtle

Staff writer

Economy promptsseniors to prepare

Mercy care in Somalia neededImagine residing in a rural part

of our country, where life revolvesaround the land that provideseverything a heart could desire. Addto this scenario, a terrible drought

lasting far too much time, a droughtthat devastates the entire ruralregion, ruining the lives of manyhard-working men and women.

These hardships alone spark talesof woe, but there exists even worsefates for farmers and those whodepend on them in some parts ofthe world.

Present in Southern Somalia,Djibouti, parts of Ethiopia and inrefugee camps in Kenya exist some

12 million people, equivalent to halfthe population of Canada, who facedeath.

In Somalia, the number has hitcrisis levels, with 4 million at risk asa result of drought and the civil warthat plagued the area for so long.

The cause of this famine is report-edly a drought, a drought caused byeconomic turmoil and the worlds

problems.Most famines occur in third world

countries, where governments mis-manage and rob citizens of thefruits of their labors. However,in the case of Southern Somalia,they must cope with an infestationof private armies and militias thatprevent the rural Somalian citizensaccess to basic necessities like food,

water and shelter.In the cities, people can eat

canned food and a range of otherfood products, but for farmers inEast Africa, the normal foods arelentils and the bread made out oflocal grains.

If the grain crop is destroyed bydrought, locusts or undue humanintervention, the Somalian peoplelose their main foodstuff. Thenomadic cattle ranchers have their

own herds, and the livestock diefor lack of pasture, are stolen orhave to be sold, ruining their liveli-hood.

The biggest question that I haveis why is it that relief efforts arentbeing publicized? Yes, I am awarethat Somalia just ended a war, butdid we not as Americans ask forhelp throughout history, help that

was always granted?Much still needs doing to aid

the Somalians, much that we maydo. Though there are organiza-tions such as Samaritans Purseand World Vision, what are we asa Mercy College doing to promoteawareness of these devastating cir-cumstances?

As a school focusing on Mercy,are we not supposed to be SociallyMerciful, Globally Responsible,

Compassionately Hospitable, Intel-lectually Creative and Reflectively

Aware? Are we not locally rec-ognized as Ambassadors of Ser-

vice? Although I am new to campus,

I issue a challenge to anyone inter-ested in contributing to this cause. Ifirmly believe that we, as a commu-nity, can come together as one andmake a difference.

By Jaslyne Halter

Contributing writer

Mercyhurst has beenworking hard on its green

efforts. Two recyclingDream Machines were in-stalled over the summer,and the to-go containers in

Egan are reusable.

Penn State is now a drycampus, and Behrend willbe dry as of fall 2012. Letshope this policy doesntspread to any other collegecampuses.

Erie city governmentstrikes again. Briggs Avenueis closed for two days thisweek and again next weekto repave it. Couldnt thishave been done over thesummer? With an entirestreet closed, an under-ground garage closed anda parking lot closed, wherewill students park?

Please e-mail any suggestions to

[email protected].


7/8

Sports Page 7September 7, 2011

Mens lacrosse wins 2011 National Championship

In most sports, a 13-1 record

would earn an at-large bid to an

NCAA tournament. However, the

2009-10 Mercyhurst lacrosse team

found out the hard way that this isnt

always the case.

Last year, the Lakers returned a

number of key players from that 13-

1 squad and set out to make up their

post-season snub.Mercyhurst shot out of the gate

with four victories to start off the

2011 Spring season. The team then

faced their first setback, losing to an

unranked Chestnut Hill team. Just like

that, the Lakers could not better their

13-1 mark from the previous year and

were on the outside looking in at the

NCAA tournament.

The 2010-11 team was on pace

to be the first team in Coach Chris

Ryans tenure to not make thepostseason.

I viewed that as unacceptable. I

take that personally, and we recruit

under the tradition that we will get

the opportunity to play in the post-

season, Ryan said.

The team went back to work, reel-

ing off four straight wins with two

coming over ranked opponents. The

Lakers then faced one of the biggest

challenges of the year: defending

champion C.W. Post on the road. The

Lakers fought hard but fell 4-3, their

second loss of the season.

The first Post game was a con-

fidence boost. We began to believe

we were one of the best teams in

Division II, Ryan said.

Sure enough, the Lakers went back

to playing as one of the best teams

in Division II. They finished off the

season on a five game winning streak,

including a landmark victory over

then number one Limestone. The

team capped off the regular season

with a 12-2 record.

The 12-2 mark was enough

to lift the Lakers into the NCAA

tournament.

Mercyhurst began postseason

play against a familiar foe, C.W. Post.

Mercyhurst had lost the previous two

meetings against C.W. Post, but thistime things were different.

The second Post game everyone

was loose and ready to play. We scored

quick, and it changed the momentum

right away and that was huge for us,

junior Kyle Kallay said.

Kallay was right. The Lakers beat

C.W. Post 14-4, making a statement

that they werent to be taken lightly.

It absolutely was a statement

game. Not many people gave us a

chance going into that game, Ryansaid.

The Lakers then knocked off

Adelphi on May 29 in a thrilling 9-8

battle on, for the right to call them-

selves National Champions.

The hallmark of last years team

was that a different guy stepped up

every game right when we needed

them. Looking back, thats the sign

of a great team, Ryan said.

Helping the team along the way

was massive support from Mercy-hurst fans. Laker fans packed the

stands for the title game.

The support was huge for us,

Kallay said.

The team would like to thank

the Advancement Office for set-

ting up and running the tailgate and

representing Mercyhurst with the

highest quality, Ryan added.

By Spencer Hunt

Sports editor

Mens lacrosse are the 2011 Division II Lacrosse National Champions. The Lakers won a thrill-ing 9-8 title game over Adelphi on May 29. Junior Ian Wild scored four goals and was named

the games most outstanding player.

Sports Information photo

Football hopes to repeat as PSAC West champs

The Mercyhurst football pro-

gram is defending the PSAC Cham-

pionship for the first time.

The Lakers enter the season

coming off of a 10-3 campaign

with the 10-win total as a programfirst. But following up the stellar

2010 season may be a daunting task.

A look at the roster shows numer-

ous reasons to think the Lakers may

have a hard time getting back to the

PSAC pinnacle.

The team returns with only four

starters on a defense that many con-

sidered the backbone of the team.

Laker graduates, Bryan Boyce, who

was PSAC west defensive player of

the year, and Fred Hale, who wasfirst team ALL-PSAC defensive

end, left two tough holes to fill.

On offense, graduation left the

team without 1,300-yard running

back Gerald Anderson. Adding to

the challenge is the academic ineli-

gibility of sophomore Terrence

Coon, who finished second in

receiving yards last season.

Despite the losses on both sides

of the ball, the Lakers are still con-

fident heading into 2011.

This is a brand new team, and

we just want to play hard. We had

a great camp and are happy with

who we have here, Coach Marty

Schaetzle said. We arent necessar-

ily going to replace guys, but peoplewill emerge and make plays and get

better.

The Lakers quarterback Travis

Rearick, who set the school record

for passing yards for a season will

return to the field as a 5th-year

senior. Rearicks leadership and

experience will be tested early and

often with a young group of receiv-

ers and running backs around him.

Taking some of the burden away

from Rearick is receiver and return

man Trevor Kennedy. He is a pre-

season first-team All-American

selection and will be the most expe-

rienced receiver.

On defense, the Lakers return

arguably their most important part,

senior linebacker Ian Wild. Wild, a

two-sport star, will take over Boyces

role in the middle of the defense.

We will move him around and

play with the best personnel pos-sible, Schaetzle said.

Wilds ability has never been

questioned, and the defense will

rely on him to be the leader.

The new position took some

getting used to, but I feel like I am

making a smooth transition. We can

control what we do, and thats all

that matters, Wild said regarding

the new season.

For more of the story, please go to

merciad.mercyhurst.edu/sports.

By Spencer Hunt

Sports editor

Sophomore Ricky Mathews rushed for 92 yards in his first

collegiate start, helping the Lakers to a 24-23 victory.

Jill Barrile photo


8/8

Sports September 7, 2011Page 8

Mercyhurst is known nationally

for having one of the top intel-

ligence studies programs in the

country.

One thing not commonly associ-

ated with Mercyhurst is dominant

athletics.

Until last year, there were a hand-

ful of solid teams from year to year,but not across the board. That all

changed during the 2010-11 athletic

year.

Sixteen Mercyhurst teams made

their respective league playoffs while

six coaches were named Coach of

the Year winners. These numbers

do not even include countless first

team all-conference winners. By all

accounts, the 2010-11 athletic year

was one of the best in school his-

tory.Mercyhurst hosted the 2011

Womens Frozen Four at nearby

Tullio Arena. The football teamwon the PSAC West and hosted its

first ever NCAA playoff game. The

baseball team won the PSAC con-

ference tournament and went deep

into the NCAA playoffs. To top off

the year for Mercyhurst, the mens

lacrosse team won the Division II

National Championship.

With mens and womens hockey

being the only two Division I pro-

grams it is even more difficult to

bring recognition to the year Lakerathletes had.

The football team set the tone

with two program firsts, a 10-win

season and a PSAC Champion-

ship. Led by 1,300-yard running

back Gerald Anderson and PSAC

West defensive player of the year

Bryan Boyce, the Lakers knocked

off three-ranked opponents before

losing in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

The trend continued with mens

soccer landing the top spot in theAtlantic Region with a 13-3 overall

record. Christoph Hampel was the

first Laker since 2006 to be namedto the Division II All-America

Team. Arash Fahandezh, Alex

Mane and Hampel were named first

team All-Atlantic Region.

The Lakers werent done in the

fall. Senior Andy Sekulski, mens

water polo, was named the Asso-

ciation of Collegiate Water Polo

Coaches Player of the Year. The

team finished with an 18-10 record,

the most victories in program his-

tory.Despite the snowy winter that

swept over Erie, nothing could cool

off the Lakers.

Mens basketball began the season

8-1. Enjoying an 11-game win-

ning streak, the Lakers finished the

season with a 20-7 record. Coach

Gary Manchel was named Coach

of the year, and star Heiden Ratner

earned All-PSAC honors and was

named to the NABC Atlantic first

team.Continuing the trend was

womens hockey. Heading into the

season, expectations were high withthe Frozen Four coming to Erie.

The Lakers responded with a 29-6

record, while going undefeated in

conference and capturing the CHA

title.

Senior captain Meghan Agosta

broke the NCAA record for goals

in a career and was a Patty Kazma-

ier finalist for a record fourth time.

Despite not making the Frozen

Four, it was another dominant

season for the team. The beginning of the year was

excellent, but the best was yet to

come.

The softball team posted their

best season since 1991. With the

addition of Samantha Eimers, All-

PSAC first team, the team finished

with a 24-20 mark despite 32 games

on the road.

Eimers was one of many Mercy-

hurst women to make first team in

their respective conferences in thespring. Joining her were womens

lacrosse players Kimberly Master-

ton, Ally Keirn and Maggie Yackel;tennis star Kim Ezzo; and water

polos Rachel Griepsma. There

were also numerous second and

third team selections across each

sport.

The men finished the year equally

as decorated. Baseball finished with

a program best 42 victories, earning

coach Joe Spano Coach of the Year

honors.

The mens lacrosse team pro-

vided a fitting end to an amaz-ing year: the Division II National

Championship.

By Spencer HuntSports editor

2010-11 athletic year one for the ages

Former Mercyhurst College

basketball player T.J. Mathis was

shot and killed Sept. 3, in New

Haven, Conn.

Mathis played two seasons

for the Lakers. He averaged 13.5

points his senior season.

Former basketball

player dies

The Merciad, Sept. 7, 2011

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Transcript of The Merciad, Sept. 7, 2011