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ARTS& - T H E STUD ENT NEWSPAPER OF MERCYHURST COLLEGE SINCE 1929ENTERTAINMENTFall Fest activitiesscheduled for thisweekend.Next week...Mercyhurst College moves|from 19 to 15in U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Keefe sets'Hurst*'recordfwith76-yardreturnpage 2

Vol. 75 N o. 1 Mercyhurst College 50 llE. 38th St. Erie, Pa. 16546 September 12,2001and NationMourn Tragedy

In a time of confusion and fear for the entire nation, the Mercyhurst community came together f or prayer and condolence. Annie Sitter/Merciad photographer

By Phil PirrdloStaff writerMercyhurst students gathered atnoon yesterday at the fountain in

Munson park to mourn the loss ofnational innocence in the attacks onthe World Trade Center in New Yorkand the Pentagon in Washington.The cascading waters of the bless-ing fountain reflected the collectivetears of a nation in mourning.At 8:43 a.m., two American Air-lines passenger jets collided intoboth World Trade Center buildings,causing the massive complexes tocollapse onto the city below. An-other passenger jet, a United Airlinesflight, crashed into the Pentagonminutes later.A forth plane, this one en route toSan Francisco, crashed 80 milesSouth of Pittsburgh. Officials be-lieve that flight's intended target

may have beenCamp David,the President'svacation spot.E m e r g e n c ycrews, police,and govern-ment officialsare pooling to-gether all re-sources to helpthose injuredand/or killed bythe terrorist at-tack. NewYork's pier isfunctioning as at e m p o r a r ymorgue and lo- Ical residentsare leaving on buses to donate blood.The Mercyhurst family reacted tothe tragedy with a prayer vigil.Prayer services will continue

throughout the week. Classes werecanceled at Mercyhurst as well asat other area colleges and highschools. Government buildings inErie were closed shortly after theattack. t * LMercy hurst's Research/ Intelli-gence Analyst Program (R/IAP) de -partment head, Robert Heibel, saidthe attack was a blow to the nation'sinfrstructure that is unprecendentedin our history.Heibel, former deputy director ofthe FBI's counter-terrorismd ivsion, said that he worries not ustabout future terrorist Attacks onAmerican soil, but about the effectthose attacks can and will have on

America's soci-ety. "We have tolook at how werespond-to civilrights, [we haveto] look at whathappens to thegovernment andofficials whocall for execu-tive messagesand responses:"Heibel's sup-ported themedia's "blitz-krieg" of cover-

"Mediaplays a key rolein this. 80% of1 people are gluedto their screens, watching what ishappening."Heibel said the extensive coveragewas significantly different than a re-

age:Annie Sltter/Merciad photographer

porter asking a little girl how she feltafter seeing her mother run over."This situation warranted [KatieCouric's] phone call to the WorldTrade Center asking a surv ivor ifthey are all right."Aspart of its security measures, thegovernment has sent President Bush,who was in Florida, to an undis-closed location. The President calledthe deliberate aerial assaults an "ap-parent terrorist attack," and vowedto hunt down and punish those re-sponsible.Heibel believes America should notbe coy about its response to the at-tack. "When you have a gun scopedat you, and you also have a weapon,one has to pull the trigger."Heibel said that if they ever find whois responsible and "where he is at,"then he, if asked to, "would gladlytake him out" for us.

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PAGE 2 HE MERCIAD SEPTEMBERS. 2001CAMPUS NEWSAcademic building construction delayed

MERCYHURST COLLEGE

Freshmen bring expansionBy Kristin PurdyAssistant editor in chief

File photo

By Annie DeMeoNews editorAfter hitting a few unexpectedsnags, construction on the new aca-demic building began last week."The building has been delayed abit because of problems with thecity," explained Mercyhurst presi-dent Dr. William P. Garvey. ?[The city was concerned about thewater run-off issue," said Garvey. *JAbuilding permit was held up untilthey felt the problem, partially ere-

(t

ated by the college expansion, wasresolved."According to Garvey, the city pro-posed that Mercyhurst build threeretaining ponds, one on the frontlawn, one in the orchard, andone byMcAuley. The three ponds are be-ing added to compensate for both therecent and expected campus expan-sion in the coming yea rs. The issuetook several weeks to resolve. Fi-nally, a compromise was reached.: "The pond proposed for the frontlawn will now be placed whereMaintenance is and Maintenance

wil I be moved to Wayne street," saidGarvey.An additional compromise wasmet concerning the time frame forputting in the retaining ponds; thecollege will have a year to completethe city's requests.This snag w ill of course delay theopening of the new academic build-ing. Barring anyunforeseen circum-stances, the $7.2 million building isexpected to taker13-14 months toconstruct and is scheduled to openduring the winter term of the 2002-2003 academic year.

Hie incoming freshmen class ac-counts for a 13-percent increase,ringing enrollment up to 664. Stu-ents span from 29 states and 5ountries. The larger class bringsith it expansion within the campus,oth academically and physically.Catherine Anderson, the dean oftudent development, believes thatbrcyhurst is more than preparedor the surge in growth this semes-r. "The facility has a certain elas-icity. Right now, we have expanded11 the possibilities and we are ac-ommodating the students com fort-ply. T he college has concerted ef-brt of all offices to serve the needsf the freshmen c lass."The second floor of Old Main spe-ifically underwent fairly dramaticimprovements such as mew carpet,all and woodwork treatments. Asor class size, the numbers are con-istent with those from previousears. Classes were added duringe summ er, including more sectiond more courses."We do recognize the^need forore classes and that's why we'reuilding the new academic center,hich will include 12-15 smartlassrooms," Vice PresidentThomasillingsley said. "The new aca-emic building will become the cen-er of gravity for traditional classe s,"illingsley continued. \ .^Freshmen housing is not over(crowded, although several adjust-

LAKER

ments were made to accommodateresident students.In McAuley and Egan Ha lls, a fewthree-person rooms were increasedto the o riginal capacity of four. Ev-ery fresher has a bed, though, ac-cording to housing director LaunZirkle. Several open spaces are operjfor reshmenwomen, allowing someleeway for adjustment.Another change that affects all stu-dents is the elimination of the pre-vious lunch brea k, which flooded thecafeteria and the Laker Inn duringthe lunch hour. Opposed to last year,there is no longer a lunch hour. CIasschedules were changed to encour]age students to come at times thaare more convenient.*The change in the class schedule)has had a positive effect accommo-dating students* schedules. Theoverload during the lunch hour is re-duced and it is the best it's been iryears," Billingsley said.A third venue wasadded to accom-modate the busy lunch hour in th

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PAGE 3 THE MERCIAD SEPTEMBER 12.200)OPINIONMercy hurst This! is a time jto come together

community sharesthoughtsStudents and faculty wanderedacross campus yesterday in stunnedsilence, reacting to the shockingnews that rocked the nation. The at-tack on the United States stopped thecountry and Mercyhurst in theirtracks.As studen ts, staff and faculty triedto make sense of the senseless vio-lence* some shared their thoughts.Dr. Ludlow Brown, professor ofphilosophy sid, 4,As far as our cam-pus goes, I think after we are all overthe initial shock of it, that we oweit I guess, in some sense, to human-ity as an educational institution to tryto locate these events in the historyof human kind,'in the politics of thecontemporary scene, in the moralityof human beings and the world. Ithink in short that all of us in thevarious disciplines have a duty to tryto get our minds around this andmove to a sort of understanding. Interms of what I think about this, Ihaven't yet been able to. It just blowsyour mind. It's clearly one of themost important things that has hap-pened in the history of the UnitedStates, no doubt about it. It's unprec-edented."

Michelle Hawkins, a sophomore,responded by saying, 'it's scary thatpeople find out in the news that their

families are on that plane, you re-ally have to stop and think about thatand call constantly to make sure thatyour friends or family;are not in-volved in this.*' \* Dr. Ralph Perrico, associate pro-fessor of english. said. "As tragic asthe situation is, its unfortunate thatwe think nationally not globally. It'sa wake up call for all of us. We usu-ally don't think of those that havebeen living in this sort of fear.""A student, Eean Bannier, said "1think it's an extreme tragedy. Beingin the United States, we aren't aware*that many countries go through thisevery day. It's a total shock and trag-edy and I really feel for all the fami-lies in Washington and New York^

Freshman Ricardc Aguirre said,"It's scary...I have family from NewYork. I'm from he Bronx and it hitsclose to home. If you have familyinvolved it's always on your mind.You don't know what to expect any-more."Dr. Randall Howarth, assistantprofessor of history, said, "The dan-ger for us as a nation, is inour angerand frustration to get revenge asquickly as possible. And from this,dropping bombs too quickly on in-nocent people, will we be guilty ofthe same irrational motivation?"

Sara SeidleKristin PurdyAnnie DeMeo "Adam DuSholeLeslie EchanMackenzie DexterAnnie SitterBilly ElliotKelly Froel Ich

Editor in ChiefAssistant Editor in ChiefNews EditorArts & Entertainment EditorFeatures EditorSports EditorPhotography EditorTechnical & Producion ManagerCopy Editor

Staff WritersKate Cy winsk i Phil Pirrello

The Merciad is the student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst CollegeIt is published throughout the year with the exception of mid-term andfinal weeks. Office at 314 Main. Telephone 824-2376. Fax 824-3249.E-mail .The M erciad welcomes letters to the editor. All ettersmust be signed,but your name can be withheld on request under certain conditions.Letters are due on the M onday before publication and should be nolonger than 500 words. All letters should be submitted to Box 485*

Left to writePhil PirrelloDriving to class yesterday, I ex-pected to hear the usual morningshow banter when I turned on theradio. Instead 1 heard the screams ofpeople in the background ofa reporton the terrorist attack in NYC andWashington. Feelings of anger, con-fusion, and the never-ending desireto ask "why" exploded within me,leaving me in tears.Later, when I watched the video-tape of the jet colliding into theWorld Trade Center, I couldn't be-lieve that what I was seeing was notone of the movies I usually review.In that moment, I realized that I, myfamily andfriends,are no longer safein a nation once regarded as theworld's safest. We are no longer im-mune to terrorist threat, a threat that

has become a reality. We can nolonger hide behind our white picketfences and two-car garages and thinkwe are not susceptible to the atroci-ties we watch on CN N. We have al-ways told other nations, based on ourmilitary capabilities, to fear us. Nowit is our tum to be afraid/Right now, we feel like a childcowering in the corner, his fear ofmonsters under hisbed finally com-ing true. In this time of fear, manyturn to religiqn and whatever Godthey believe in, like those at thefountain yesterday, to find an expla-nation for such an event can takeplace. To pray for such absolution isone way to gain understanding.But I believe that we need not lookto the skies for understanding, butrather at those standing next to us.For many are trying to comfort, in aPC way, by saying we are in a stateof confusion, not chaos. Try to dif-ferentiate the two for all thechildrenwhose parents will never see their

innocent smiles again, or all thespouses that are now widowed.Chaos is an understatement. Di-saster is fact. Another day of in-famy has dawned.In the light of this new dawn,America will shine brighter thanever. In an attempt for unificationin the face of diversity, we gath-ered together in embraces andprayers, ignoring our political andethnic differences. For the heart ofAmerica is the one collective noterrorist can pierce, no explosionshatter.We will survive this, we will re-gain our strength and then becomestronger. We will look these cow-ardly bastards in the eye and letthem know that they may haveonce made us afraid, but now weforever have their asses. May Godwatch over us, and may He be withthose who are responsible...for noone else on mis earth will be.

A moment to define a generationAs students of Mercyhurst, we of-ten joke about how the college of-ten seems detached from theoutsideworld, how the gates offer us secu-rity or act as bars, and how discon-nected we often feel. But yesterday,even the bubble surroundingMercy World bu rstClasses were cancelled allowingstudents to gather in their apartmentsand dorm rooms, hypnoticallywatching as the mysteries of themorning's events unfolded. Otherswatched from classroom televisions,while office radios blared up to theminute news of the terrorist attacks.For most of the students ofMercyhurst C ollege, this is the firsttime the comfort and security thatgoes along with living in this greatnation has been threatened*As I walked through campus to myapartment, I could hear the voices

The Golden QuillSara Seidle

. .of television news anchors througheverv door and window continu-ously reporting the events and it fi-

nally began to sink in. This will standas a defining moment in the lives ofevery one of us.It seems overwhelming to evenbegin to speculate on what couldfollow in the days, weeks and evenyears to come as a result of this at-tack. The wake of this event will befelt for a long time. A tragedy suchas this is something that, as Ameri-cans living in this day and age, wedo not expect to have to deal with inour lifetime.Until today, events like thisseemed to be nothing more than an-other chapter in the history text-books. Our grandparents talk aboutWorld War II and Korea. Most of ourparents experienced Vietnam. But

our generation has managed to es-cape such unimaginably tragicevents.We sit in theatres watching multi-million dollar movies like Pearl Har-bor or Saying Private Ryan to expe-rience these things. That is how wepay our respects and stay connectedto history, but it is also how we en-tertain ourselves on Friday nights.We take it for granted.Although we hear about the situa-tions in other nations and know thatmany people throughout the worldlive with terrorism on a daily basis,it has never seemed anything morethan a scene in a movie or somethingthat happens "over there" in placessuch as the Middle East or northernIreland, until now.Seven hours after witnessing his-tory in the making, I sit here, safe,at my computer still trying to figureoutjust how to express the emotionsand turmoil that go along with sucha national tragedy.

Get involved ... getf connectedQuestioning Faith

Sr. Geri RosinskiWell, here we are at the end of oneweek of classes already. If you're areturning student, you've probablyalready connected with your oldfriends and started recalling the greatexperiences you had in some of theclubs and. organizations on campuslast year. You know how much funyou had last year and now you'reprobably toying with the idea ofwhat new club or activity you canjoin this year to expand those won-derful and challenging experiencesfurther.

If you are a new student atMercyhurst, you have a lot of won-derful opportunities awaiting you.The annual Activities Fair is Thurs-day, Sept. 13, from 4 to 5 p.m. in dieGreat Room in the Union. At thattime, a lotof clubs and activities oncampus will have members presentto answer your questions, show youtheir videos of last year's activities,give you information, and have theirsign-up sheets ready for you to takethe plunge and get involved.There will be lots of differentgroups for you to consider...serviceclubs, academic clubs, justice advo-cacy activities and many more. Ex-plore them all. Ask each one ques-tions about their programs and in-volvement. Then, after checking

them all out...make your choice toget involved with at least one clubor activity.Studies have proven that studentsengaged in at least one club or ac-tivity tend to be more successful aca-demically and socially, and are morewell-rounded people in general. S o,what are you waiting for?Some of the best experiences andfriendships of your lifetime will beawaiting you in the Union GreatRoom Thursday, Sept. 13. All youhave to do is make a choice...but dochoose to join something.We all need to get connected w ithmeaningful activity and discoverhow enriching getting involved canbe! ? -: m

mailto:merciad@mercyhurst.edumailto:merciad@mercyhurst.edu

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