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Also inside

A&E 13

CD 15

SPORTS 19

Professor

performs at

awards

Available online:

merciad.mercyhurst.edu

DANCE 14

From the

editors: TheMerciads

new look

OPINION 18

Wayne

apartmentsspring leaks

NEWS 5

In need of

Energy-effecient bulbs could be the cause of

headaches, migraines, say experts.

more light?NEWS 4

NEWS 2

Senior gift:Plans call for 24-hour lounge

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NEWSPAGE 2 Jan. 9, 2008

Students of Mercyhurst

College will soon be able to

relax and pick up a cup of joe

other than in the bookstore

Mercyhurst College President

Dr. Thomas Gamble has

approved the Senior Gift

Committees plan for a 24-hourlounge and caf on the first

floor of the library.

Chairman of the Senior

Gift Committee senior Marty

Wallenhorst said the new lounge

and caf will be placed where

Caf Diem currently is located,

as well as three stacks of books

outside of the caf.

The final product will

be double the size of CafDiem, said Wallenhorst. The

lounge will house not only a

comfortable 24-hour resting

and relaxing place, but also a

new and improved Caf Diem.

Wallenhorst also said a

bathroom will be constructed

into the facility.

Senior Gift Committee or

Steering Committee includes

Wallenhorst, seniors Joshua Wilwohl, Kelly Cofrancisco,

Jeff Allen, Ashley Gabriel, Katie

Zinn, and Deanna Fletcher.

Together, the committee

chose the gift and will coordinate

the fundraising process.

We chose this gift for

a variety of reasons, said

Wallenhorst. One of the main

concerns with student life on

campus is the lack of space for

students. In addition, there is

absolutely no area on campus

that boasts 24-hour access, said

Wallenhorst.

At Mercyhurst, it is a tradition

that each senior class organizes a

committee to present the school

with a gift.

Past senior gifts at Mercyhurst

have varied from new multi-recreational facilities in between

Briggs and Lewis apartments

to banners for the academic

schools of the college.

Senior Erin Ratacjzak said

she supports the committees

decision.

I think the gift is an awesome

idea and I definitely would be

interested in donating money

for its construction, she said.

Senior Annie Dragolich agreed.I think it is a good idea

because Mercyhurst needs a

place for students that will be

open 24 hours.

Wallenhorst said the lounge

was the best choice.

After some studying we

discovered that the idea of a

24-hour student lounge falls in

line with the strategic plan of

the college, so we knew that by

choosing this option we couldget the support of the college

administration, he said.

Feltcher agrees with

Wallenhorst.

I think it is great that our

school will finally have a place

for students to study at all

hours of the day, she said. It

was always hard to study in the

dorms and apartments while

everybody else is being loud.

Gamble said the loungeis a great investment for

the college.

I think a 24-hour group

study area with internet access,

coffee and companionship will

be a wonderful resource for

Mercyhurst students, he said.

Gamble said the Senior Gift

Committee presented two gift

ideas to the administration, the

other being a fire pit.

Please see 24-hour on page 7

By Liz MaierStaff writer

24-hour lounge chosen as senior gift

The 2008 senior gift is a 24-hour lounge and caf. The renderings shown above are the preliminary plans for the lounge.

The new lounge and caf will be located on the first floor of the library.

Contributed photos

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PAGE 4 NEWS Jan. 9, 2008

The energy-saving lightbulbs Mercyhurst College

installed over the past threeyears in all Briggs and Lewisavenues apartments can trigger

migraines, say experts.Head of Membership

Support Karen Manning of the

Migraine Action Associationin Northamptonshire, UnitedKingdom, said some of the

associations members allegedthe bulbs are causing their killerheadaches.

The most commoncause reported appears tobe the flicker, which some

manufacturers are stating does

not exist to the naked eye, shesaid. For other people it is thepoor quality of light in a room which causes unnecessary eye

strain, triggering a headache ormigraine.

Mercyhurst College advisor

for the Green Team Dr. JamesSnyder said the appeal forthe change of light bulbs was

because the bulbs are energy

efficient and would be a goodway of practicing conservation.

The responsible thing to dowould be to study it and get thefacts, he said. If theyre going

to cause health problems, weneed to figure out what.

Mercyhurst College Vice

President for Administration

Tyrone Moore said the college

already conducted a three-yeartest process of the bulbs withthe promotion of the Green Team in designated green

buildings on Lewis and Briggsavenues to ensure the safety andeffectiveness of the bulbs.

We ran the test in thedesignated residence areas forone year, and the switch only

concluded with positive results,

said Moore.Moore said the bulbs saved a

significant amount of energy inthe test-run buildings.

The test was then expanded

to four residence buildingsalong Briggs and Lewis avenuesfor a second year.

The 2007-2008 school yearmarked the complete switchto energy-efficient bulbs in all

the residence buildings and anumber of academic buildings.

Moore said there have been

no complaints of the bulbscausing migraines or any othermedical issues.

Manning, of the Migraine Action Association, saidsufferers of migraines would

typically exhibit symptomssuch as an intense throbbing

headache, blind spots, zigzagpatterns, flashing lights, pinsand needles in the arms andlegs or complete numbness on

one side of the body, confusion,difficulty speaking, and increasedsensitivity to light, sound, and/

or smell.Mercyhurst College Director

of the Cohen Student Health

Center Chris Dimperioidentified similar symptoms formigraines such as sensitivity to

light and blurry vision.Dimperio said the health

center has not received any

incidents of migraines causedby the light bulbs.

Manning said it is difficult to

identify if the light bulb is thesource of the problem.

It can be difficult toimmediately identify if the light

bulb is responsible, she said.

In most cases reported,changing the light bulb back tothe older incandescent bulbs

has eliminated the frequency ofattacks.

Mercyhurst College VicePresident for Student LifeGerry Tobin said the collegewould never take measures that

are health risks for students.I would imagine that there is

nothing we would knowingly do

to jeopardize the health of thestudents, he said.

Its one of those things that

we would want to do in the bestinterest of the students.

Moore said the switch to

energy-efficient light bulbs was initiated due to theoverwhelming student interest

in energy-saving measures.He said the project was not

initially put into place for cost-

cutting purposes, but has saveda significant amount compared

to the old incandescent bulbs.I try to plan spending as if

the money were my own, he

said.I save anywhere it is possible

so we are able to spread the

money in ways that will improvestudent life.

Dimperio said any students who think they are sufferingfrom headaches due to the lightbulb could try switching back to

incandescent bulbs.If someone thought (the

light bulb) might be the cause,

switch back by all means andget a higher watt bulb that givesmore light, she said.

By Joshua Wilwohl and

Ashley Pastor

Experts: Energy-saving light bulbs could cause migraines

Interested ina 2008-2009

editor position?

Contact CaseyGreene at

mgeditormerciad@

mercyhurst.edu.

- Intense throbbing

headache

- Blind spots

- Zigzag patterns

- Flashing lights

- Pins and needles in

arms or legs

Symptoms of a migraine

- Complete numbness on one side of body

- Confusion

- Difficulty speaking

- Increased sensitivity to light, sound and/or smell

headaches.realage.com

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Jan. 9, 2008

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PAGE 5NEWSJan. 9, 2008

laker briefs

Global Conversations

The Mercyhurst World Languages Study Program will of-fer non-credit courses in Chinese, Arabic and Russian to area

high school and college students, as well as the general public

beginning in January 2008.

Police TrainingThe Municipal Police Training Academy at Mercyhurst

North East will host an orientation for persons interested

in the program on Wednesday, Jan. 16, from 2-4 p.m., and

Thursday, Jan. 17, from 6-8 p.m., both at the Michele and

Tom Ridge Health and Safety Building.

Teaching and Learning ExpoThe Mercyhurst College chapter of Kappa Gamma Pi

education honor society will host the Third Annual Teaching

and Learning Expo on Saturday, Jan. 19, from 9 a.m. to 1:30

p.m. in the Audrey Hirt Academic Center.

Adult and Grad Open HouseThe Office of Adult and Graduate Programs at Mercy-

hurst College will host an Open House on Wednesday, Jan.

30, from 4-7 p.m., at the Catherine McAuley Adult EducationCenter, 511 East 34th Street (in the former Saints Peter and

Paul School).

-lakernet.mercyhurst.edu

Police logView the crime map online at merciad.mercyhurst.edu.

Burglary

Athletic Center

Jan. 5

Pending investigation

Larceny/Theft

611 E. 38th St.

Jan. 1

Pending investigation

Senior Jess Kocent was afraid

her living room ceiling was

about to fall.

Pots lined her floor and

caught falling water that leaked

from corroded wood.Also an outline the size of

three-by-six plywood showed

watermarks along a ceiling that

could soon give in.

Kocent, along with other

residents in Wayne Street apart-

ments, has been facing the

challenge of keeping the wet

weather outside since before

Christmas break.

Water has seeped into the

ceilings of apartments and has

created a soggy problem for the

residents.

Building Systems, Inc. of

Erie fixed Kocents room over

the weekend by replastering the

entire ceiling.

The fix, however, is only

temporary.

Mercyhurst College AssociateVice President for Administra-

tion Tyrone Moore said the

source of the leak is a significant

icicle buildup on the apartment

building thats penetrating down

the walls.

I have crews constantly salt-

ing the roof of the buildings,

he said.

Moore said the problem is

one that cant be fixed untilsummer.

Moore has already contracted

Building Systems, Inc. to replace

six feet of roofing on all the

Wayne Street apartment build-

ings, and install one foot of

roofing vent for airflow.

Moore estimated a project

cost of between $20,000 and

$30,000.

We will increase the number

of vents in the attic of the build-

ings so the temperature in the

attics is the same temperature

outside, he said.

Thusly, you dont have all the

heat in the attic that creates the

icy condition.

Moore said the college will

also have a water shield put on

the roof to prevent build-up.This will stop us from having

this problem, he said.

Kocent said she hated walking

out of her room and seeing her

ceiling drooping.

Its very disgusting and it

continues to get worse, she

said. I could have woken up

tomorrow and our ceiling could

have caved in.

Kocent said she and herroommates are glad the problem

is fixed.

We are very pleased with

the job maintenance and the

contractors did, she said. We

hope its as permanently fixed

as possible.

Moore said the full-scale proj-

ect is one that cannot be done

in a short amount of time, but

said the college will rectify the

problem.

This is a fairly major project

that unfortunately could not be

done over break, he said.

These are wonderful apart-

ments and Ill make sure theyre

maintained.

Moore said any student who

is having a problem with leaks in

their apartment can contact hisoffice at (814) 824-2334.

By Joshua WilwohlEditor-in-chief

Workers from Building Systems, Inc. repair the leaking ceilings in Wayne apartments.

Scoot Williams photo

Wayne ceilings leaking

Cant find anymore copies ofthe Merciad?

Interested in the latest news hap-pening on campus?

Go to merciad.mercyhurst.edu forup-to-date news.

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Jan. 9, 2008

6/24

ELECTION NEWSPAGE 6 Jan. 9, 2008

Last time ballots were cast in

New Hampshires presidential

primary, hardly anyone in the

U.S. knew the name Barack

Obama.

Now he is a leading candidate

for the Democratic nomination

hoping that momentum willpropel him to become the first

black president.

The historic nature of

Obamas candidacy and his Iowa

victory over the most powerful

family in Democratic politics

generated an excitement about

his campaign that he hoped

would be difficult for rivals to

counter.

Obamas campaign grew intoa celebrated spectacle after his

win in Iowa.

People lined up for blocks in

towns across New Hampshire

in recent days to hear him speak.

Everybody loves a winner, and

those who are attended often

talked about the chance to see

history being made.I want to tell my grandkids

about how I saw this

campaign, said 22-year-old

Emily Webster, among those at

a rally at Dartmouth College on

Thursday.

One young woman attending

the event fainted while Obama

was onstage.

The candidate held up the

event for a full nine minutes while authorities attended to

her, watching from the stage

with a furrowed brow until she

was taken out on a stretcher.

Comedian Larry David, who

happened to be in the crowd

wearing an Obama campaign

button, broke the silence by

dryly remarking, Sinatra had

the same effect on people.

Colin Powell, President Bushsfirst secretary of state, says he

too is excited and impressed

by Obama, telling PBS talk-

show host Tavis Smiley in an

interview broadcast Monday,

Lets enjoy this moment where

a person like Barack Obama

can knock down all of these

old barriers that people thoughtexisted with respect to the

opportunities that are available

to African-Americans.

Six weeks ago, Hillary Rodham

Clinton appeared headed for

the partys nomination.

Now the New York senator

and her husband are trying to

keep Obamas train from rolling

to the nomination.

Former President Clintonsniffed that his campaign is a

fairy tale.

Obamas life could be

described that way.

It was not without hardships

his father left the family

when he was 2 years old to

return to his native Kenya,

and Obama struggled as a

fatherless black child growing

up in Hawaii.If you think about it, the

odds of me being here standing

before you as a presidential

candidate are very slim,

Obama often tells voters. I

was raised by a single mom

and my grandparents, and we

werent born into money or

privilege. What they gave me

was love and an education and

hope.

He got an Ivy League

education and eventually acareer in politics but he

never had a serious Republican

opponent. Going forward, the

scrutiny and intensity will be

unlike anything hes faced.

Obama stopped by a polling

site in Manchester, N.H., on

Tuesday, shaking hands with his

supporters and those holding

signs for other candidates.

Three burly supporters of

John Edwards were beaming as

they shook the front-runnershand and wished him luck.

Obama correctly calculated

they were from the Steelworkers

union that endorsed Edwards

four months ago.

See you in the general,

Obama said, hinting they would

eventually be with him.

By Nedra PicklerAssociated Press

Barack Obama building momentum

Barack Obama is a 2008 Democratic presidential candidate.

washingtonpost.com

Romney predicted to pull ahead in polls

Republican Mitt Romney, a

businessman-turned-politician,

will take more direct control of

his presidential campaign mes-

sage after failing to win either

the Iowa caucuses or the New

Hampshire primary, a top adviser

said Tuesday.

Romney himself pledged a

long fight for the GOP nomina-

tion. He held out his second-

place finishes in Iowa and New

Hampshire, with a victory in

Wyoming wedged between, as

testimony to his 50-state strat-

egy.

There have been three races

so far. Ive gotten two silvers

and one gold thank-you Wyo-

ming, Romney said in a spartan

seven-minute address conceding

the race.

A Romney intimate, who

spoke on condition of anonym-

ity to avoid pre-empting the

candidate, said the campaign was

going to take the shackles off,

have him be less measured.

On to Michigan and South

Carolina and Florida and

Nevada, Romney added. Ill

fight to be back here in Novem-

ber in those states and others.

Romney aimed to stress that

his work as a venture capitalist,

Olympics CEO and Massachu-

setts governor leaves him betterequipped than Mike Huckabee

and John McCain the winners

in Iowa and New Hampshire

to compete against the even-

tual Democratic nominee.

Conceding Romney had been

hurt by a backlash against the

hard-hitting television commer-

cials the former Massachusetts

governor ran against Huckabee

and McCain, the adviser said the

campaign hoped to get away

from the paid media and get

more of the earned media.

The shift would suggest a

greater emphasis on generat-

ing newspaper, Internet and

television coverage, especially

in Michigan, where Romney

was born and which is next on

the primary calendar on Jan. 15.Romney flies to Grand Rapids,

Mich., on Wednesday after a

fundraiser in Boston.

Earlier in the day, Romney said

he expected the nomination fight

to continue through Feb. 5, when

22 states vote. I dont think the

Republican Party wants to have

only one person in this contest

until the very end. I expect to be

one of the two thats in it to the

very end, he said.

During the final 24 hours of

the New Hampshire campaign,

Romney and his aides largely

shed recent inhibitions, openly

predicting a come-from-behind-

victory against McCain.

They claimed independents

were breaking their way based

on Romneys performance in apair of weekend debates.

Most New Hampshire Repub-

licans said the top quality they

were seeking in a candidate was

someone who shared their values

and is authentic.

Romney was the big leader

among those naming values,

McCain among those seek-

ing a candidate who says what

he believes. About a quarter

named experience, an area where

McCain had a slight edge.

McCain was viewed as the

strongest leader and most quali-

fied to be commander in chief.

Romney, who aired ads criti-

cal of Huckabee and McCain

in Iowa and New Hampshire,

was seen more than the others

as having waged a negative cam-paign, the exit survey found.

By Glen JohnsonAssociated Press

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NEWS PAGE 7Jan. 9, 2008

Continued from page 2

I consulted with several

people and chose the 24-hour

study group, he said. Wallenhorst said the

committee is looking to raise at

least $20,000.

Last years committee broke

all the records concerning

donation amounts (roughly

$18,000), and percentages of

donors (roughly 50 percent),

said Wallenhorst.

At that rate, each donor on

average gave $60. We need tobreak those records.

Gamble said the college will

pitch in for additional costs.

Because of the rather large

scale of this project, we dont

expect the senior class to come

up with all the funds necessary,

he said.

Therefore, the college

will make up the difference

between what the studentsdonate and the cost of the new

study room.

Gamble said the Steering

Committee has been working

with Stuart Henderson, a

faculty member in the Interior

Design department, on the

design of the project.

Once all the design work

is completed, construction is

anticipated to begin within the

next few months.

In past years, the senior gift

was dedicated at graduation.

The college has stepped up

to the plate by supporting us

in this gift, now it is our turn

to do the same through our

donations, said Wallenhorst.

We need each student to

give at the maximum level they

can afford in order truly benefit

from this gift.

Seniors and other students

can donate to the lounge and

cafe by contributing their $300

housing deposit that they paidfor freshman year and are due

to get back at graduation.

Most people arent even

aware of (the housing deposit),

said Wallenhorst.

Students now have the

ability to sign these deposits

over to the senior gift, and

have them be counted as their

donation.

Wallenhorst said the SteeringCommittee has set benchmarks:

A $100 donation will receive a

High Rollers T-shirt, a $200

donation will receive a brick

engraved with the donators

name, a $300 will receive an

acid-etched name engraving on

glass found above the fire place

in the new lounge.

Head of PR and Advertising

for the Steering CommitteeCofrancisco said fundraising

will start this week.

Fundraising for the gift will

kick off soon and go straight

through until graduation, she

said.

Students can donate through

the following revenues: Cash

or check, campus cash, the

housing deposit, and soon

online donations via credit

card.

We want to avoid those

who justify their non-giving

by saying, This school is so

expensive, Im not giving them

a dime, said Wallenhorst.

Ultimately, giving back to the

school is a sign of respect to an

institution that has given you

a most prized possession - an

education.

24-hour

lounge set assenior gift

At Whittier Farms dairy, the

fifth-generation owners brag

of the quality of their Holstein

cows and still deliver milk right

to your door, in glass bottles.Customers like the products

because they are a hormone-

free taste of old New England.

But health officials now say

three elderly men have died and

at least one pregnant woman has

miscarried since last June after

drinking bacteria-contaminated

milk from the dairys plant in

Shrewsbury, about 35 miles

west of Boston. All were infected with

listeria, which is extremely rare

in pasteurized milk.

It is more often found in raw

foods, such as uncooked meat

and vegetables, and processed

foods such as soft cheeses and

cold cuts.

The outbreak is believed

to be only the third time

listeria has ever been linked topasteurized milk in the United

States, said Dr. Alfred DeMaria,

state director of communicable

disease control.

We know something is going

on; we just dont know what it

is, DeMaria said. We just need

to find out how the bacteria is

getting into the milk.

Listeria bacteria are often

present in manure and are

commonly found in soil and

water.

Pasteurization is supposed to

kill listeria.

Tests at the Whittier Farms

plant found nothing wrong

with its pasteurization process,

deepening the mystery.

Health investigators are now

looking at the cooling and

bottling machinery, including

the connecting pipes, for the

source of the bacteria, DeMaria

said.

Investigators have taken

about 70 samples from vents,

ceilings, floors, tanks, bottle-

washers, bottles and other

equipment.

The dairy, which distributesmilk under various brand

names to homes and stores

across central Massachusetts

and also operates a 500-acre

farm in the town of Sutton, has

suspended operations until the

source of the contamination is

pinpointed.

The Whittier family has

declined to be interviewed.

In a statement posted in thewindow of its dairy store and

in a letter to its customers,

the farm said it is extremely

concerned about the situation

and is cooperating with the

investigation.

Health officials say about

2,500 serious listeriosis cases

are reported in the United

States every year, 20 to 40

of them in Massachusetts.Symptoms include fever, nausea

and diarrhea.

Listeria can cause serious

illness or death in pregnant

women, newborns, the elderly

and patients with compromised

immune systems.

Healthy adults and children

generally recover.

In the Whittier Farms

outbreak, DNA testing on

the four patients showed they

carried exactly the same strain

of listeria, suggesting the germ

had a common source.

After the test results came

back in mid-December, health

officials began interviewing

the patients and their families,

hoping to zero in on the

source.

At about the same time, a

health worker at the hospital

where an 88-year-old man

was diagnosed with listeriosis

learned that the man had had

unpasteurized cider and coffee-

flavored pasteurized milk.

When both drinks were tested,

only the pasteurized milk

from Whittier Farms cameback positive.

State health officials would

not identify any of the listeria

patients because of privacy

laws. But health officials in the

town of Medway confirmed

that the 88-year-old man who

died Jan. 3 was John J. Powers,

a World War II veteran and

retired timekeeper at the

Boston Naval Shipyard.Powers son bought the milk.

The younger Powers had some

flu-like symptoms for several

days but recovered, while his

father who had other health

problems became ill and

died, said Bill Fisher, Medways

health agent.

Two of the victims, a 78-

year-old man and a 75-year-old

man, died in Worcester Countyin June and October.

A pregnant, 34-year-old

woman recovered but suffered

a miscarriage. Health officials

suspect another pregnant

woman, 31, contracted

listeriosis from Whittier Farms

milk. She recovered, and her

baby is doing fine.

Brian Gay, owner of Maple

Farm Dairy, has distributed

Whittiers milk for about a

decade and said many of his

customers were shocked by

the outbreak. Some canceled

their service, Gay said, but

most seem willing to return

to Whittier when the milk is

deemed safe.

They were bumming out,

because they love the product,

Gay said.

By Denise LavoieAssociated Press

Massachusetts milk

drinkers get sour

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PAGE 9FEATURESJan. 9, 2008

Five, four, three, two, oneHappy New Year!As we all rang in the New

Year, many students vouched toshed a couple pounds this year,maybe exercise a little more oreven learn a new skill, while

others decided it would be bestnot to make a resolution.Regardless of what you may

have promised yourself, itis nice to think that you willpotentially follow through.

Every year it seems to getharder and harder to stickwith a resolution, which is whyhaving a plan as to how to carryit out may be a great way of

beginning the year.Finding a friend who has the

same resolution is a major help.That way you can have some-one there to push you when thegoing gets tough.

Sophomore Katlin Hess saysshe prefers using the buddysystem because it helps give herthe determination she needs tostick with her resolution.

This year my roommate andI picked the typical New Yearsresolution: to eat healthier andgo to the gym more often,Hess said. I would also liketo personally spend less timeon Facebook and more timeon my school work.

Other students share thesame sentiment towards goingto the gym more often.

My New Years resolution isto go the gym five days a weekand meet my weight goal by theend of May 2008, said juniorLiz Kelley.While some students like to

focus on physical goals for theyear, others would like to suc-ceed on a different level.

I would like to obtain ahigher GPA this year by dedi-

cating more of my time towardsstudying, said freshman GraziaPadgett.

I would like to be nicer topeople and try to be less sar-castic because it is important tohave lots of friends, said fresh-man Natalie Gnipp. I wantto think about how I wouldlike to be treated by others andportray it through my words

and thoughts.Senior Angela Phillips is a

member of Greenpeace andshe will focus her attentiontowards the environment.

There is just so much tobe done, she said. Theresglobal warming, world hunger,saving the polar bears. I thinkIll probably start with needle-point and then I will add to my

antique pog collection.On the other hand, somestudents do not believe inmaking a New Years resolu-tion. Because sticking with aresolution takes a lot of timeand effort, not many peopleseem to make their target goalsin the end.

I actually dont believe inmaking a New Years resolu-

tion because I feel that afterJanuary, they are forgotten anddisregarded, said sophomoreLiz Maier.

Freshman Jen Mieczkowskiagrees with the idea of nothaving a resolution. She feelsthat they simply become brokenpromises.

I have found that few peoplecommit and stick to their New

Years resolutions after a fewmonths, said Mieczkowski.Therefore, I never make adefinite resolution because itjust doesnt seem to work outin the long run.

So whether or not you madea New Years resolution thistime around, it may be quite achallenge to make it through

the whole year.No matter what your goal

may be, self-determinationis a key element in achievingsuccess.

Focus, friends, and deter-mination can help preventyour resolution from being yetanother goal you put off untilnext year.

2008 ushers in new resolutionsBy Stacey MinchinStaff writer

Many students choose losing weight or attending the gym

as their New Years resolution.

Scoot Williams photo

Free college courses offered online

How do free college courses

sound?Anyone with an Internet con-

nection could download collegematerials.

Lecture notes, readings, tests,and video lectures would beavailable with the click of amouse.Well, the appealing nature of

this idea is becoming reality formany college students.

Students and educators alike

are benefiting from Open-CourseWare, a web-basedproject created by the Mas-sachusetts Institute of Tech-nology.

This initiative delivers adiverse range of courses onlinethat are free to the public.Anything from linear algebra

and physics, to human emo-tion and existentialism can beaccessed, according to pub-lished reports in USA Today. The growth of technology

has expanded communicationand education.

More that 100 universities

are posting college materialsonline.

It is higher learning with-out the stress of finals week,the tuition payment, or the

degree.Mercyhurst College junior

Nadine Zinram is pursuing adegree in communications. As a freshman, she visited

iTunes and downloaded acourse in Avid, a film editingprogram, which was offeredby the University of SouthernCalifornia.

I think its pretty helpfulinformation, said Zinram,

who engages herself in learn-ing with additional instruction.The more time you invest,the better you get, she said.Its also interesting to see how

other schools teach.Sophomore Katlyn Hess

agreed.The fact that I could take a

course online for free is prettyamazing, she said. Even ifyoure not receiving credit forit, the things that you learn canbe extremely valuable in thelong run.As technology improves, so

does the ability to gain knowl-

edge. The Internet and education

collaborate, engaging the publicto seek information.

For anyone with a typical

bandwidth and computer, any-thing is possible.

For more information onfree courses in cyberspace,visit MIT OpenCourseWare athttp://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm, Apples iTunes at http://www.apple.com/education/itunesu/, or YouTubeBerkeleyat http://www.youtube.com/ucberkeley.

By Carla HartStaff writer

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FEATURESPAGE 10

THE LAKER

Winter Term

Galley Grill

Lunch:M-Ham and Cheese on

CroissantT- Soft TacosW- Potato Bowl

Th- Turkey RubenF- Sizzle Salad

S- Southwest Burger

Board SpecialsLunch $4.75Dinner $5.50

Dinner:S-Laker BurgerM- Steak SaladT- Open Face Turkey SandwichW-Slice Of Pizza, 5 WingsTh- Swedish Meatballs w/ NoodlesF- Chicken and BiscuitsS - Cup of Chili w/ Cheese, Side of

Nacho Chips

Hours of Operation:

Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m.

Saturday 1:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Sunday 5:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Look for New Menu Items!

Mac & Cheese Bites Black Bean BurgerNew Salads:

Chicken BLT-Veggie(no cheese)-Spinach-Asian Chicken-Greek-Caesar

Subconnection6 Sub $3.75 Combo $4.75

12Sub $5.75 Combo $6.75

Baja and Buffalo Chicken Subs:

6 Sub $4.00 Combo $5.25

12 Sub $6.00 Combo $ 7.00

Special FeaturesWrap combo-Veggie $5.59

other wraps $5.79

Wrap It Yourself- Veggie $3.99

other wraps $ 4.19

Hours of Operation:

Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

Saturday 1:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Sunday 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Laker Express

Board Equivalency Available:

11:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.

Board Specials

Lunch $4.75

Dinner $5.50

Look for Laker Express

Minute Meals!

Hours of Operation:

Mon.-Thurs. 11:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.

Friday 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday Closed

Jan. 9, 2008

As if the holidays werent fastenough, our break is over andclasses have resumed.

Coming back to school atMercyhurst from the holidayswhen most other schools arestill on break isnt a big motiva-tor when trying to get back into

the groove of school.Many students are still remi-

niscing about the fun they hadover Christmas break.

Break was a lot of fun butso short, said sophomore Jill Marshall. I wish it wasa little longer like most otherschools.

Some ways that students canget back into focus include set-

ting a schedule.The time students spent away

from school makes a differ-ence in each persons dailyschedule.

Most of us strayed from ournormal school routines andstayed up later on weekdays, woke up late and loungedaround, having fun.

Getting back to school means

a stricter schedule, consider-ing bed time, wake up time,homework time and time forother activities with extracur-ricular clubs and friends.

In addition to working out areasonable schedule, studentsshould avoid missing class.There is a lot to catch up on

after break and students shouldnot miss any opportunity todo so.

Also, it is important to get

back into the spirit of school.After all, most students spendabout eight months of the yearhere.

It isnt too late to join clubsand it is never too late to startgoing to sporting events.

We love having as many stu-dents we can at every event. Itmakes a better atmosphere forthe players, knowing that they

have our support. Also, some-times at bigger games, the hugecrowd of crazy fans sometimesintimidates the opponent, saidSpirit Club chairperson HaylieStarin.

Finally, students shouldremember to keep healthy.There is nothing worse than

coming back with a cold andsore throat.

The winter weather usuallymakes students tired and resultsin putting off things.

It is important during thewinter not to procrastinate dueto the unfavorable weather.

Instead, spend time indoorsdoing something useful, likestudying or homework.

Sophomore Celeste Shefferlysaid that its sometimes easier to

do homework after Christmasbreak.

It may actually be good forstudents to get more studytime in during winter, so theydont regret it during the springterm, she said.

So, while the weather may beturning for the worse, studentscan take advantage of the sevenremaining weeks of the term toget motivated.

By Allie Miniri

Staff writer

Getting back

in the grooveStudents return to class fromtwo-week holiday break

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PAGE 11FEATURESJan. 9, 2008

The upcoming presidentialelection is now being integratedinto an untapped market: thefashion industry.

Clearly, it is necessary topublicly display your campaignchoice on a quirky T-shirt.These are not the average red,

white and blue colored Hanescampaign T-shirts sported byavid followers of a certaincandidates campaign.

Online retailers and brick andmortar locations are marketingand selling comical presidentialand political campaign themeT-shirts.

Popular shirts announcewhich party you support.One reads Republicans

Know How to Party.Denouncing your oppos-

ing party, reading Annoy aRepublican, Drive a Hybrid,is another favorite.

Some T-shirts are light andfunny, but many find othersare harsh, critical and profan-ity-laced.

Senior Jordan Severinobelieves in the relation to youthawareness and politics.

I enjoy seeing items like thisbecause it lets people know whoyou are and what you exactlystand for, Severino said. Italso displays intelligence andinterest in political currentevents, which sometimes I feellike the youth in this particularcountry ignores.

Urban Outfitters is one ofthe retailers that offer the out-spoken ads.

They range from $24.00 to$28.00.

Online solicitors have alsonaturally evolved into thehumorous political T-shirtmarket.

Cafepress.com offers a vari-ety of sweatshirts, long sleevesand T-shirts that include funnyphrases to show your support.

Many students find the shirtshumorous and in good spirit. Junior Milos Bogetic is in

favor of the political shirts.I think the shirts are funny,

he said. I definitely would wear one. I dont think theyare meant to be invasive on apersonal or private level at all.I mean, it is your choice to pur-chase and wear the garment.

The fashion industry neverfails to wedge its sometimesgrimy paws into any idea that

will generate green.This leads one to question

where the line between per-

sonal and private opinion andinformation lies. Wearing a candidate or

party on your sleeve no doubtdepends on your level of politi-cal involvement.

But, after all, there is a cur-tain on the voting booth fora reason.

By Sandy WatroStaff writer

Comical T-shirts go political

www.urbanoutfitters.comwww.urbanoutfitters.com

Benefit to support Iraqi veteranBy Jen GildeaFeatures editor

Sergeant Major Will iamKrawczyk was prepared andproud when he was deployedto Iraq in 2005, but he neverexpected the devastation thatwas to come.

After serving eight activeand eighteen reserve years inthe United States Army, Kraw-

czyk returned home to Eriein January of 2006 with bothphysical, mental, and emotionalinjuries.

Severely swollen limbs, bodilylesions and an immune defi-ciency are daily challenges thatKrawczyk now faces.

His son, Billy Krawczyk, is asophomore at Mercyhurst Col-lege, and has been very involved

in his fathers recovery.

He has hallucinations thathe is back in Iraq regularly

but doesnt remember any-thing about having them,Billy said.

In addition to visible injuries,Krawczyk also suffers froman enlarged spleen, liver andkidneys.

Hospital visits are weeklynecessities, sometimes to Cleve-land or Washington, D.C.To help pay for medical and

travel costs, Krawczyks familyis sponsoring benefits anddrives that the community cancontribute to.

We got the idea for a benefitabout a year ago, said Billy.My dad has held off so longin having the benefit becausehe is very independent anddoes not want to feel like acharity. But finally things got

to the point where he realized

that he needed outside help toget better and once again live a

normal life. The first benefit is being

held Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. at theVFW located on 25th and AshStreets.The following day, Jan. 27, a

second benefit will be held atthe American Legion in Wes-lyville at 2 p.m.

In addition to the benefits,Billy Krawczyk is urging people

in the community to donateold cellular phones, whichKrawczyk sends to a companythat refirbishes the phonesand distributes them to peoplein need.The phones must work, but

appearance and chargers donot matter.

Billys dedication to his fatheris apparent, simply by the way

he speaks and looks up to his

role model.If one person really does

deserve this, its my father, hesaid. He took pride in being

the best and being able to

defend his country. He lovesthe military and has proudlyserved 26 years of his life.Now, all hes asking for in

return is his health.

Sophomore Billy Krawczyk and his father Sergeant William

Krawczyk serve in the U.S. Army.

Contributed photo

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PAGE 12 Jan. 9, 2007FEATURES

Food FixWithMegI

ERI

Get to know...

Laura Pusateri

Lazy Lasagna

Directions

Ingredients

Petra Restaurant serves up traditional Middle Eastern food

like the Mediterannean Platter.

Contributed photo

With the new year upon us,take a chance and try some-thing new.

Visit Petra Restaurant for ataste of authentic Middle East-ern cuisine.

Owner Kal Darres, who isoriginally from Jordan, servesup a fusion of specialty dishesthat are full of flavor andcolor.The intimate environment is

great for a couple dining out ora small gathering of friends.

Reservations are also accept-ed to begin your experience atthe one-of-a-kind eatery. Appetizers are available

and are priced from $3.95 to$6.95.

One favorite dish is calledBaba Ghanoush Dip, a roastedeggplant puree with seasoningsserved with Pita or Falafel, aspecial blend of fresh ground

chick peas and seasoningsserved with tahini sauce.

Dinners are priced from$8.95 and up and include gyros,cous cous, fresh seafood dishesand fresh steak.The choices are so endless,

you can easily lose yourselfin the menu and be unable todecide what to get.

In that instance, try one of

the samplers that are pricedaround $7.95 and include a mixof specialty items.

Both the dinner entrees and

samplers are served with astarter soup that is made freshand changes daily. The meal is served slowly

over time to help you get lostin the ethnic cuisine and con-servation of those dining with

you.The helpful wait staff is easily

accessible to answer any ques-tions about menu items and forsuggestions on what to order.

Petra Restaurant is locatedon 3602 West Lake Road andis open Monday through Sat-urday, serving lunch from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Take out, dine in and cateringservices are available.

Call 814-833-9543 or visitwww.petrarestaurant.com.

By Shelley TurkStaff writer

Ethnic perfection at Petra

1 bag frozen beef ravioli squares2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauceOreganoBasilSaltPepperGarlic powderMinced onions (dried)4 oz. cottage cheeseParmesan cheese8 oz. Mozzarella cheese

1.) In 9x4 pan, layer ravioli and tomato sauce.

Sprinkle a little of oregano, basil, salt, pepper,garlic and onions.

2.) Put on 3 teaspoons cottage cheese, oneteaspoon Parmesan cheese and a layer of Moz-zarella.

3.) Make approximately four layers ending withMozzarella on top.

4.) Bake in oven, covered, at 350 degrees forabout 45 minutes.

Lasagna is a favorite for manyAmericans and is surprisinglysimple to make.There really could not be an

easier recipe for making lasagnathat tastes this good.

It is hardly any work to makethis recipe that will please acrowd.

Not only is this dish easyto make, it is really filling andcan make enough for severalpeople.You could even plan ahead

to have leftovers to eat for therest of the week or host a get-together for your friends.There are also several ways

to adjust this recipe so thatyou can change it to fit your

particular tastes.Some alternate versions ofthis recipe include using cheeseravioli or even a white alfredosauce with some vegetables.

-Meghan Dolney

Name: Laura PusateriYear: SeniorMajor: Fashion MerchandisingHometown: Buffalo, NYFavorite thing about Mercyhurst: To be able to go to the

gym without being judged that Im only there to loose my holidayweight.

Least favorite thing: That I am not able to use my all-campuscard at El Canello.

Campus activities/interests: Foam Party, Spring Fest, CornerStone, HammermillAnything else interesting about you : In my spare time I enjoy

singing for my friends, drinking Kool Aid and cruising around in

Loretta the Jetta.

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Jan. 9, 2008

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PAGE 13ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT tHeBuZz

JAN. 9-13. Disney on Ice:Princess Classics. TullioArena, Erie. $11 to $39.

JAN. 12. Disneys HighSchool Musical: The Ice Tour. Quicken LoansArena, Cleveland.

JAN. 15-27. Musical. Av-enue Q. Palace Theatre,Cleveland.

NOV. 21. Deborah Har-ry. Agora Theatre, Cleve-land.

JAN. 24. Erie BroadwaySeries. Chicago. Warner

Theatre, Erie. $56.75,$46.75, $34.75.

FEB. 22. Erie Broad- way Series. Dirty Rot-ten Scoundrels. $51.75,$41.75, $31.75.

FEB. 23. BuckwheatZydeco. Reg Lenna CivicCenter, Jamestown. N.Y.

MARCH 1. GeorgeStrait, Little Big Town.Quicken Loans Arena,Cleveland.

MARCH 1. The Chief-tains. Palace Theatre,Cleveland.

MARCH 8. DisneysHigh School Musical:The Ice Tour. MellonArena, Pittsburgh.

MARCH 18. Erie Broad- way Series. MichaelFlatleys Lord of theDance.

Courtesy of Goerie.com

Jan. 9, 2008

There is no love in Cormac

McCarthys Blood Meridian.

There is no morality.

There is, unabashedly, war, and

war is God.

In the 1850s in the southwest-

ern United States and Mexico,

the Glanton band of Indian

scalpers travel a soundless and

desolate landscape in search of

fortune and meaning, stoically

murdering and thieving as suits

their fancy.

There are three main charac-

ters: The kid, an uneducated but

likeable youth who falls in with

the gang; Glanton, the leader

and most opportunist who alsoseems to have the Doolittlean

capacity to talk to animals; and

the Judge, an erudite mythical

figure straight out of the pages

of Macbeth or Moby-Dick.

Much has been made of

McCarthys writing style, espe-

cially in comparisons to the

most preeminent southern writer

of the 20th Century, William

Faulkner.McCarthy has inher i ted

Faulkners baroque yet almost

biblical eloquence.

Some sentences, almost a page

long, warrant being read out

loud and fervently; this may help

explain why critics such as aes-

thete Harold Bloom champion

Blood Meridian as a modern

great American novel.

However, many sections runon endlessly, their purpose not

evocative but descriptive; here

the work hits dry spells.

The themes of the book are

elucidated mainly through the

personage of the Judge.

There is a little bit of imperial-

ist commentary.

For example, one military cap-

tain comments on the Mexicans,

We are dealing with a people

manifestly incapable of gov-erning themselves. And do you

know what happens with people

who cannot govern themselves?

Thats rights. Others come in to

govern for them.We are to be

the instruments of liberation in a

dark and troubled land (34).

However, most of the novel is

concerned with order and fate.

The Judge remarks in the

desert, If God meant to inter-

fere in the degeneracy of man-

kind would he not have done

so by now?...[Mans] spirit is

exhausted at the peak of his

achievement. His meridian is

at once his darkening and the

evening of his day (147).

And thus with this band of

outlaws, perhaps symbolic of

any empire. They expand and regenerate

through violence and captivity,

but the order they impose is

inevitably fleeting.

They will feel as though they

rule all around them and generate

great wealth, but there will come

rival warriors, in their case, the

Yucca Indians, and the sins of

the leaders will cause the down-

fall of the empire.The Judge seems to float

above this, more than a member

of the clan.

Perhaps a symbol of fate

or death, he seems to outlast

all his confreres and reign over

the novel as manipulator and

dispenser, once, speaking with

great bombast.

He said, The freedom of

birds is an insult to me. Id havethem all in zoos (199).

The world at the end of Blood

Meridian is not a pretty place.

After much bloodshed and

much traveling, one is not sure

of the status of free will.

It may exist for some, but, if

one is to believe the Judge, who

does seem to know best, only

within the confines of a larger

fated cosmology.

Overall, I did not particularly

enjoy Blood Meridian.

The novelty of the power of

the writing wore off as the novel

went on, and so the plot became

ponderously slow.

I found myself actively wishing

for all of the characters deaths,even those I was set up to like, if

for no other reason than to move

the story along.

At the very least, I think there

are much better works by McCar-

thy, especially The Road, the

2007 Pulitzer Prize winner in

Fiction, a very moving novel

about a post-apocalyptic father-

son relationship.

I even preferred the theatri-

cal version of No Country for

Old Men, released in 2007 and

directed by the Coen brothers, to

Blood Meridian.

It captures the same ethos of

inevitability, and Javier Bardems

hauntingly unforgettable char-

acter can be seen as similar tothe Judge.

It is not the type of movie

which I usually enjoy.

However, the subtlety and

soundlessness of much of the

action, evident in both works,

translates better onto film than

in print.

Blood Meridian, published

by Vintage, 1992, is available for

$10.17 at Amazon.com.

By Kyle KingStaff writer

Blood Meridian is available on Amazon.com.

Blood Meridian in review

Contributed photo

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Mark Santillano, assistantprofessor of dance at Mercyhurst

College, recently took a trip to

Abu Dhabi in the United ArabEmirates (UAE) to dance with

Pilobolus Dance Theatre.In Abu Dhabi, Pilobolus

performed at the Abu Dhabi

Awards, a ceremony at whichcivic awards are presented toindividuals who have made

a positive difference in thecommunity.

The trip involved six days in

Abu Dhabi, as well as two daysof travel.

The Pilobolus dancers

presented their work for SheikhZayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan,the ruler of Abu Dhabi and

President of the UAE, at theEmirates Palace, where the AbuDhabi Awards were held.

The Pilobolus team consistedof twelve dancers, the artistic

director, the executive director,

the composer, and the props

mistress.For the Abu Dhabi Awards,

the Pilobolus dancers performed

some of their shadow work,for which they dance behinda screen and work together to

make shapes with their bodies.For example, for part of the

show at the Awards the dancers

made the shape of a cameltogether.

Santillano said concerning the

shadow work, It is challengingin that multiple bodies are tryingto create one single image.

Pilobolus first became knownfor shadow work around 1971.

Then, last year some ofPiloboluss shadow dance wasfeatured in a commercial for theHyundai Santa Fe.

The commercial wasoriginally only supposed to beshown at movie theatres, but

the advertisement ended upbeing cut into a thirty secondadvertisement for TV as well.

Because of this TV exposure,Pilobolus became well-known

for doing shadow work.

The company was asked toperform at the Academy Awardsin 2007, which allowed them to

be viewed and remembered by ahuge audience.

Pilobolus also appeared

on such shows as GoodMorning America, The EllenDeGeneres Show, and The

Oprah Winfrey Show.The Abu Dhabi Awards show

included two separate pieces,

each about three minutes inlength. These pieces were createdespecially for the Awards show

and were performed live, whichis somewhat unusual because

the Pilobolus shadow work isusually prerecorded.

Santillano said that having toperform the work live was an

added challenge.Santillano first joined

Pilobolus in 1995 and danced

with the company for threeyears.

While at Pilobolus, he was

promoted to the positionof dance captain, acting as a

liaison between the dancers and

directors. As a dancer with Pilobolus,

Santillano has traveled all over

the world and to at least 10different countries.

Although he is no longer a

regular dancer with Pilobolus,the company sometimes callsSantillano to dance for certain

occasions, (as was the case withthe Abu Dhabi Awards).

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPAGE 14 Jan. 9, 2008

Dance professor Mark Santillano was invited to dace at the Abu Dhabi Awards.

Mark Santillano photo

By Sarah MastrocolaStaff writer

Professor performs at Abu Dhabi Awards

Santillano performed with Pilobolus Dance Theatre.

Mark Santillano photo

Have you seen a good movie recently?Are you interested in writing about

art, dance, or music?

Contact Entertainmentmerciad@Mercyhurst.edu

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Jan. 9, 2008

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8/6/2019 The Merciad, Jan. 9, 2008

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PAGE 16 OPINION

The Good

Mother Nature made aNew Years resolution tokeep Erie thawed out.

Everyone is sporting theirnew Christmas clothes.

The Bad

Someone got the newbasketball court confused with the dumpster whenthey threw a bag of trashover the fence.

Maintenance missed theforecast- Briggs and Lewisapartments are hotter thanthe outdoor temperature.

Batten down the hatches.Prepare for snow again byFriday evening.

The Ugly War at the Shore, the

annual Mercyhurst vs.Gannon wrestling matchtook place a few weeksago. In the past the athleticdepartment bought ticketsfor students; this year theydid not.

Hannah Montana ticketsare selling for over $1,500on ebay.com. Parenting isa cut-throat competitionthese days.

Please e-mail any suggetions to

opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.

The GB&U is a compilation of

student opinions.

The Good,the Bad &

the Ugly

Jan. 9, 2008

Dont drink the water. Ihave heard such warnings whentraveling abroad. However, thephrase needs to be brought back

to the States.It is time to do away with the

awful trend of drinking, buying

and preferring bottled water,rather extend that to any bever-age in a plastic bottle.

In fact, Evian water contains

a warning stating the bottle isfor single use only. Not only

are plastic bottles unhealthy forthe Earth, it is reportedly badfor the human body. Chemicals

used in the plastics are leaked

into the water that is consumed. This is similar to why moth-ers are encouraged to use glass

bottles instead of plastic when

formula feeding infants. After further research, my

fears were confirmed: My trustysidekick Nalgene water bottle isalso suspect to leaking the chem-

ical Bisphenol-A into water. While the dangers are not

evident enough to require leg-

islation from the FDA, studieshave contributed the presenceof varying plastics chemicals to

degradations of human health.On an environmental note,

recently the price of gas spiked

to $3.29 per gallon.Last year, 1.5 million barrels

of oil were used to produce the

plastic used for bottled water.It is reported that only 10 per-

cent of the bottles from water

are actually recycled.

This means land fills are fill-ing up quicker and even more

oil is being used to produce aproduct that takes around 1000years to decompose.

Thus we are making an exclu-sive natural resource all themore expensive when plastics

that have already been manufac-tured can easily be recycled.

Not only is oil being wasted

on the production of bottledwater, think of how it got to thegrocery store where you pur-

chased the 24-pack of water.Fuel is used to transport it to

the store, plus energy is required

to pump the water into thebottle and the production ofthe bottle itself.

In an attempt to keep the

fuel in the gas tank rather thanedible products, you can start

with kicking the bottled waterhabit.

Write a letter to the manufac-

turer of your favorite productsand tell them to change theirpackaging.

The problem extends pastplastic water bottles into manyproducts made of non-recycla-

ble plastics in our daily lives.Pretty soon we are all going

to be swimming in a giant sea of

non-recyclable yogurt and Rub-bermaid containers.

By EllenKoenigStaff writer

The Food and Drug Adminis-

tration has just released a studythat the meat produced fromcloned animals is not harm-

ful to people. The FDA wantspublic reaction to its assessmentof clonings impact on the food

supply before it decides if clonedfarm animals will require govern-

ment approval before being sold

as food, which will likely take

another year.The meat industry has agreed

to not allow cloned meat to besold in the market. This decision will most likely be upheld until

the FDA settles the issue.A cloned animal is something

that, by definition, should be no

different than the animal usedto create it. Cloning technology,however, is not perfect and many

attempts end in birth defects. I

truly believe this to be a frighten-

ing era we are entering.

Depending on the FDAs finaldecision on the safety of cloned

food products, this practice willeither be considered a form ofassisted reproduction, a prac-

tice that is unregulated or it mayrequire specific approval beforeselling.

With the amount of chemicalsthat are pumped into our bloodstreams daily due to the genetic

engineering of our food, the

eating of cloned animals may

just exacerbate the situation.

In the future, this type of meatmay not even have to be labeled

in the store. With the meatpack-ing industry already a cesspool,this new technology may only

make our health worse. For moreinformation on this topic readUpton Sinclairs The Jungle

or Eric Schlossers Fast FoodNation.

Welcome to the Brave New

World.

By Keith

NemethStaff writer &political analyst

What are you eating? Cloned meat not harmful

Step away from the bottle: Dont drink the water

I was listening to one of myfriends the other day. As shetold me what she was going

through, the situation sounded very familiar. She said, I toldhim that I dont want a relation-

ship, but I think I really do wantone.

She then quickly changed her

mind and said that she was toobusy and didnt have enough

time to commit. I told her Ididnt believe that. When I askedher what was really holding herback, she referred to a past rela-

tionship that scared her to trulyput herself out there again.

To prevent herself from let-

ting anyone else in, she con- vinced herself that she wasntlooking for anything more when

that was anything but the truth.

Im wont say I have never

done this before, but what Ilearned is that you cant let the

past hold you back from lettingothers into your life.

When we are scared of some-thing, it isnt uncommon to try

to avoid it. People will continuea friendly relationship that hasall the characteristics of a real

one but they stay guarded andclaim it is nothing more. Myadvice to anyone that may be

stuck in something like this is

to ask yourself what the rea-

sons really are. If you have beenhurt or are scared of being hurt,

youre hiding.Everyone gets their heart

broken at least once and if youhavent, I dont think that you

are lucky. The bad relationshipsare what help us to appreciatethe good ones and hold onto

them. Instead of trying to hide,open up, and let people in.

You could get hurt again, but

thats life and every relationship

is a learning experience.

By Michelle

LaSlavicStaff writer

Dont hide in your past to avoid relationships

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This holiday season I traveled

to Ft. Hood, Texas, to see my

sister who serves in the military

at the one of the largest military

bases in the United States. Holi-

days always seem to be a time

that is frustrating due to family

members living everywhere butclose to Erie.

Traveling can be more time

consuming than the actual timespent with the family. This holi-

day season, my family noticed

something different: My stepfa-

ther was absent from the holi-

day festivities.

He, like many other Ameri-

can men and women, is serving

in one of Americas two combat

theaters. As we attended Christ-

mas Eve service in the town of

Killen, Texas, there were over20 American flags displayed at

the door to represent those sol-

diers who were in harms waythis Christmas. The pews were

filled with families with absent

fathers. It was at that moment

that I acquired a far greater

appreciation for spending the

holidays with my family. We can

only think of the direct result of

war, which is the safety of our

countrys service members. We

often forget about the families

whose loved one deploys forover a year and half at a time.

These once duel-parent house-

holds are now forced to learn to

live as single parents. The family

can only hope their loved ones

return home safely.

Their return can be even

tougher on the family due to

battlefield injuries. Service mem-

bers can return with Post Trau-

matic Stress Disorder, whichcan be a constant reminder to

the family what their loved one

experienced thousands of miles

away defending the freedom of

others. Many of the men and

women who enter the combat

theaters in the Middle East will

return to the U.S. with miss-

ing limbs or some other severe

bodily injury.

Many Army physical thera-

pists become overwhelmed with

the work of re-teaching type Apersonality soldiers how to live

with a prosthesis. Soldiers who

return with injuries are often

upset that they have let down

their comrades by getting hurt.

The sacrifices of the Ameri-

can soldier and their families are

unreal. I am touched to find

that I live in a country so great

that we have men and women

who are so strong and coura-geous. It is my belief that we can

be encouraged to strive harder

to be better Americans like

brave members of our Armed

Forces. We take for granted the

immense danger that these men

and women experience daily

overseas.

The next time you are faced

with bad day, just remember

the soldier who is shedding hisblood. He is the one who is

fighting for your rights to ensure

that our generation and the next

to come are safe and free.

Realizing this will lead a

person to appreciate the essen-

tial factors in life, your family,

health, religion and happiness.

Never forget the child who

might not meet his father, the

wife who will lose her husband

or the mother who will lose her

son. They too are American

heroes of whom we should

be cognizant. We can pray for

world peace however; in times

of conflict, we know why we are

so strong because of the Armed

Forces and their strong families.

OPINION PAGE 17

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Jan. 9, 2008

Dont you wish you could

support a presidential candidate

who would stand up on Capitol

Hill and say the federal govern-

ment wastes too much money,

taxes are too high, war should

be a last resort and the free-

doms of Americans have dimin-ished rather than been protected

through the centuries?

Empathizing with those who

struggle to keep up on politics

whether it be caused by apathy

towards or general disgust with

government, this article seeks to

turn people on to a candidatewho provides us with new hope

as a nation.

Hopefully, an awareness of

Ron Paul will inspire many

people to read up on his posi-

tions so that he will at least slip

into consideration when decid-

ing on who to vote for this

season. A true conservative at

heart, Ron Paul ran as a Liber-

tarian in 1988 and now is back

under the Republican ticket.

Political debates and election

talk have dominated all different

news stations, each laying out

the candidates for the public to

see.

However, one importantcandidate has not shared the

spotlight, recently being denied

an opportunity to debate on

Fox despite setting fundrais-

ing records during the course

of his campaign. This man, of

course, is Ron Paul, the leading

advocate for freedom in Amer-

ica. If you understand politics,

then you know how important

the Constitution is to our form

of government and Ron Paul is

a Constitutionalist and a strong

proponent of states rights.

Paul has never voted to raise

taxes, adhering to Austrian

school economics and liber-

tarian criticism of fractional-reserve banking.

He believes in a non-interven-

tionist foreign policy that gained

an overwhelming amount of

troop support. Civil liberties

concerns have led him to oppose

the Patriot Act, a national ID

card, federal government use of

torture, domestic surveillance,

presidential autonomy and

the draft. He also opposes the

oppressing force of the War on

Drugs. I am encouraging anyone

who is going to vote this year to

seriously consider Ron Paul or at

least bring him up in discussion

for he deserves that respect. The

most helpful thing we can do istake the responsibility to make

an educated and aware decision

when picking politicians. As

numerous people are itching for

revolution, vision, and freedom,

Ron Paul becomes their candi-

date. So spread the news and

educate yourself so you may

seek to envision a direction for

the nation.

And if you believe that, Set-

ting a good example is a far

better way to spread ideals than

through force of arms, remem-

ber that Ron Paul agrees.

By Jerrod

MarkleStaff writer

By BillSwaffordStaff writer

merciad.

mercyhurst.edu

Access Mercyhurst

news 24/7.

Photos.

Blogs.

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Full articles ...

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click of a mouse.

Holiday appreciation for service members in the family

Awareness of Ron Paul may inspire many to read up on him

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Jan. 9, 2008

18/24

OPINIONPAGE 18

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

Casey Greene Managing Editor editormerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Amy Zielinski & Amanda Valauri News Editors newsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Jen Gildea Features Editor featuremerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Merissa Frank Opinion Editor opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.eduChris Davis & Brittany Jackett Sports Editors sportsmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Nicole Cerilli A&E entertainmentmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Scoot Williams Photographer photomerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Tiffany Cook Production Editor prodmerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Leslie Ruchala Advertising Manager admerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Noelle Lelakus Copy Editor copymerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Ashley Pastor General Assignment apasto22@mercyhurst.edu

Lenore Skomal Advisor lskomal@mercyhurst.edu

The Merciadis the student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst College.It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of finals

week. 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 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 fit. Letters are

due the Thursday before publication and may not be longer than

300 words. Submit letters to box PH 485.

Jan. 9, 2008

Mercyhursts Ethical Reflection Committee has initiated This I Believe to foster reflection within the entir e college community on the values by which we live. We hope that these essays will inspire

further introspection, thoughtful discussion, and innovative ways of integrating holistically some of the ideas and values expressed here into our personal, academic, social, spiritual, professional and com-

munal life.For example, faculty might introduce appropriate essays into class discussion; students might initiate conversations in class and beyond; administrators and staff might explore these with colleagues.

Responses may be directed to the Merciad at opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu or to committee chair, Rev. Lyta Seddig at lseddig@mercyhurst.edu.Share how these thoughts have had an impact in your life!

Before becoming President in 2006, Dr. Gamble served the Mercyhurst community as Adjunct Faculty in Criminal Justice and Psychology (1985-1996); Full-time Faculty in Criminal Justice and Psy-chology and Director of the Mercyhurst Civic Institute (1997-2005); and Vice President of Academic Affairs (2005-2006). Dr. Gambles favorite aspect of Mercyhurst: the warm and congenialhospitality, especially with respect to the nature and quality of the faculty-student relationship.

Nona was a mercurial woman

given to great warmth and ten-

derness as well as a volcanic

temper. She spoke English with

a heavy Italian accent. She was

as innocent as a dove and wily

as a snake. I adored her.

I remember being a toddler

and following Nona around

the house as she did her chores.

In particular, I remember her

baking bread and making home-

made pasta. I was always fas-

cinated watching her in these

activities and it wasnt until much

later that I realized why. There

was elegance in her movements

whether breaking eggs, knead-

ing the floured dough, cutting

the rolled macaroni.

Watching her made me feel a

sense of well-being and whole-

ness. Later, I understood that

this was because she gave her-

self over to her work so com-

pletely, body and mind. She

didnt resent having to work

on whatever particular task

engaged her. Because she didntresent her work she didnt with-

draw her mind from it and as

a result her work was mindful

and graceful.

This was my first experien-

tial introduction to the dignity

of work and ever since I have

been intrigued time and again by

how this notion echoes down

the hallways of human thought.

I catch a glimpse of it now and

again in interesting places: In

how a monk holds a bowl, an

artist his brush, a dancer her

pose.

In time I learned that the

Catholic notion of the dignity

of work rests in part on the

notion of the goodness of cre-

ation and the opportunity for

women and men to continue the

act of creation. When I recollect

the smell of Nonas fresh bread,

the connection between the dig-

nity of work and the goodness

of creation is immediately dis-

closed.

Work is not just something

we do at work; it exists when-

ever we transform the world we

share with others. Work is the

manner of our engagement in

the world; it connects our mind,

body and spirit to the rest of

creation.

I believe that the way we work

how we treat one another and

how we treat the materials of

our work - is an expression of

who we are, what we value and

our mutual obligations to one

another, to our community and

to the Creator.

By Dr. Thomas Gamble

Contributing writer

This I believe: The dignity of work is an expression of who we are

New year, new lookReaders of the Merciad have

seen many changes over the

past five months.

The largest of these changes

is the switch from broadsheet to

tabloid format.

This change was to curtail

to students needs and conve-

nience. The new look of the

Merciad includes a cover with

stunning photographs andeye-catching headlines that are

newsworthy.

The Whats inside bar will

always run on the left side of

the paper, while the biggest

story affecting readers will run

below the nameplate.

Above the nameplate will run

a story that the editors believe is

most interesting to students.

The Merciads goal is to offer

readers the news of Mercyhurst

College. Our new look will pro-

vide readers with accurate and

timely information in a more

visual format.

We editors promise to con-

tinue our dedication to report-

ing the news, and remind all

readers, if you dont want it

printeddont let it happen.

Joshua Wilwohl, Editor-in-Chief;Casey Greene, Managing editor; Amy Zielinski and Amanda

Valauri, News editors; Jen Gildea,Features editor; Merissa Frank,Opinion editor; Chris Davis and

Brittany Jackett, Sports editors;Nicole Cerilli, Arts and Entertain-ment editor; Scoot Williams, Pho-

tographer; Ashley Pastor, General

Assignment reporter.

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Jan. 9, 2008

19/24

CLUB/INTRAMURAL SPORTS PAGE 19

Scores

Schmidt defeated

Patcher: 46-30

Kampman defeated

Hubert: 61-53

M. Johnson defeated

Weirtel: Forfeit

Giallourakis defeated

Elliott: 57-17

Flanagan defeated

Dilley: 49-29

A. Brown defeated

Stokes: Forfeit

Gaertne defeated

Blackburn: 32-24

Coaches defeated

Denman: 42-36

D. Johnson defeated

Finn: 49-33

I

N

T

R

A

M

U

R

A

L

B

A

S

K

E

T

B

A

L

L

Jan. 9, 2008

StandingsI

N

TR

A

M

U

R

A

L

B

AS

K

E

T

B

A

L

L

1 Schmidt (3-0)

1 Kampman (3-0)

1 Giallourakis (3-0)

4 Stokes (2-1)

4 Coaches (2-1)

6 Hubert (1-2)

6 Johnson (1-2)

6 Flanagan (1-2)

6 Blackburn (1-2)

10 Patcher (0-3)

10 Weirtel (0-3)

10 Elliott (0-3)

10 Dilley (0-3)

10 Denman (0-3)

10 Finn (0-3)

Intramural Sports

A victory for the Mercyhurst

College club hockey team ended

the 2007 portion of its season

with a high note and has a lot of

momentum to carry with them

into the 2008 portion.

The club hockey team had

a triumphant victory over

the Greater Metro Junior A

(GMHL) All-Stars just prior to

Christmas break as they defeated

the All-Stars with a 2-1 victory.

Senior captain Matt Warren

scored first for the Lakers with a

pass from junior forward Walter

Ozanick.

It is always nice to play all-

star teams from other leagues

because it is a good measuring

stick for us as a team, saidWarren.

It reveals to us, as a team,

what aspects of our game needs

work and we can then practice to

become better as a team and put

it into action in league play.

Minutes later in the third

period the GMHL All-Stars

rebounded with a goal on net

minder Robert Kelly to tie up

the game between the two teamsat 1-1.

Ozanicks shot would later

successfully find the back of the

net, as his goal became the game

winner. The goal came towards the

end of the third period.

The game was so intense

and competitive that scoring

such a goal for our team felt

pretty good, said Ozanick. I

guess I was at the right place at

the right time.

The Greater Metro Junior A

All-Stars are some of the best

players from the Greater Metro

Junior A League based in the

Toronto area.

The All-Star team comprises

some 16 teams from the league.

Players in this junior league

range from 16-20 years of age.

This exhibition game was

unique as a majority of the

players for the Toronto team

were younger than Mercyhurstplayers.

The Lakers now stand with

an overall record of 8-6-4, and

4-3-1 within their league. As the

team now heads into the second

half of their season, they will

face a majority of their games

on the road.

This was the first of two

meetings between the teams.

The Lakers will play the All-Stars again on Wednesday,

January 30th.

Both teams had a chance

to experiment with their

goaltenders, rotating each of

their goalies every period.

This weekend the Lakers,will

take on Rutgers University,

Friday and Saturday at the

Mercyhurst Ice Center, bothgames starting at 1 p.m.

During Saturdays game

the team will be honoring

its seniors, along with their

accomplishments over the

years.

The Lakers will also have a

third home contest this weekend

on Sunday, playing against

Duquesne University, the starttime for this game is scheduled

for 3 p.m. at the Ice Center.

By Matt Ferris

Staff writer

Senior captain Matt Warren (26) and teammates celebrate agoal during a game earlier this season.

Contributing photo

Club hockey defeats GMHL All-Stars

Intramurals in need of more school support

With only three weeks

remaining in the intramural bas-

ketball regular season, tensions

are heightened as play-offs draw

near. Not only are the players

anxious for their games every

Sunday, but also for changes to

be made to the intramural pro-

gram.

Over the past three years

there has been increased inter-

est in the intramural sports

offered each season. Earlier

this year, students competed in

both intramural ultimate frisbeeas well as the extremely popular

flag football. In total there were

over 150 students who partici-

pated in the weekly events on

Tullio Field.

Currently, there are 18 teams

competing in the basketball

season, yet despite its popular-

ity there seems to be a lack of

acknowledgement by the school

-financially in particular- to sup-

port the program.

Senior Nick Giallourakis

expressed his pleasure in get-

ting the opportunity to competein the programs, but he also

expressed his disgust regarding

the lack of money put into the

program.

We never seemed to have

enough flags for football and

now for basketball we cant even

use the real scoreboard, said

Giallourakis. When the scores

close at the end of a game we

dont even know it because the

scores kept as tallies on a piece

of paper.

Although the intramural

sports program is on the bottomof the food chain in regards to

college athletics, it does not

mean it should be ignored.

On the bright side, the stu-

dents continue to play and for

the most part enjoy it.

Senior Matt Kampman stated,

Just because its only intramu-

rals doesnt mean we dont go

out on the court every game

ready to play hard.

By Brittany JackettSports editor

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Jan. 9, 2008

20/24

SPORTSPAGE 20 Jan. 9, 2008

Sabres defeat Penguins in Winter Classic

A NHL record-breaking

crowd of 71, 217 hard-core

hockey fans gathered at Ralph

Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, NY

for the first outdoor NHL game

in the U.S. on Jan. 1.

The rink was constructed in

just a week, by NHL ice guru,

Dan Craig.

The game was amazing, said

sophomore Chris Ulrich. The

amount of people that came out

from all over the country was

just unbelievable.

The idea of the game was to

take hockey back to its roots

playing outdoors on a pond

or frozen driveway. Both teams

wore throwback uniforms, theSabres in white, royal blue, and

gold (worn during the 1995-

96 seasons) and the Penguins

in light blue and black (worn

during the 1970s).

Pittsburgh scored 21 seconds

into the game with a goal from

Colby Armstrong assisted by

Sidney Crosby.

At that point Buffalo fans

were shocked and wondered

if their beloved Sabres could

recover, and we found out the

second period that we could.

Brian Campbell, assisted by Tim

Connolly, got one past Pen-

guins goalie Conklin early in the

second to tie the game 1-1.

The Sabres outshot the Pens

14-2 in the Second period.

In conferences, a lot of play-

ers said the most difficult part

was getting used to the ice, which

they did by the first period. Also, the high accumulation

of snow made skating and stick-

0handling difficult.

Sabres Ales Kotalik scored

on Ty Conklin making the score

of the shootout 1-0, while the

next shooter for the Penguins,

Erik Christensen lost control

and missed the shot.

Up next, Tim Connolly of

Buffalo missed his shot while

Kris Letang made his, making

the score tied at 1-1. Two shots

left and no one knew who would

win this nail-biter. Last to shoot,

Maxim Afinogenov was shut

out by Conklin while Sidney

Crosby faked before putting his

shot between Millers pads to

win the game.

It could not have been anybetter for hockey fans every-

where. It was a great game

for anyone who attended or

watched, no matter who won.

Many players loved it and

would play again outdoors.

Ulrich said he would be more

than happy to stick out the sub-

zero weather for another Winter

Classic anytime.

By Allie MiniriStaff writer

Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby looks to score the game-winning goal during the first

ever outdoor NHL game, which has become known as the Winter Classic.

Contributing photo

Ohio State-Louisiana State concludes disappointing bowl season

Once again the Bowl Cham-

pionship Series promised to go

out with a bang and ended in a

flop. In a season full of upsetsand position lobbying, the BCS

looked as though the bowl

season was going to be just as

exciting.

Unfortunately for the NCAA,

the most exciting games of the

year came when Division II

Northwest Missouri was upset

by Valdosta State in the cham-

pionship game, a week after

Northwest Missouri routed No.

1 Grand Valley State.

While everyone can make

their own plea as to why the

BCS needs a playoff system, it

is important to look at the posi-

tives. Two of the biggest sto-

ries of the season came out of

Michigan and West Virginia. InLloyd Carrs final game as coach

of Michigan, his team domi-

nated a powerful Florida team,

which was his first bowl win in

four years. Michigan put up a

41-35 win.

We could not ask for any-