The Merciad, Nov. 3, 2004

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MERCIADVol. 78 No. 6 Mercyhurst College 501 E. 38th St. Erie, Pa. 16546 November 3, 2004

T h eTHE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MERCYHURST COLLEGE SINCE 1929

Index News.................................................. 1 News..................................................2 News.................................................. 3 Features............................................ 4 Features........................................... .5Opinion................................. ............6Opinion.............................................7 A & E.................................................8 A & E.................................................9 Sports..............................................10 Sports..............................................11 Sports..............................................12

The Merciad is also availableat merciad.mercyhurst.edu

Upcoming Campus Events

Wednesday, Nov. 3Film: Control Room, 2 p.m. and 8p.m., PAC.Skating: Open Ice Skate, 9:30 p.m.until 10:45 p.m., MIC.

Thursday, Nov. 4 Job Fair: 13th Annual Career and JobFair, 1 p.m. until 4 p.m., MAC.

Speaker: John DeMado In searchof Language: Mastery or Prociency,8:00 p.m., Taylor Little Theatre.

Sunday, Nov. 7Skating: Open Ice Skate, 7:45 p.m.until 9:15 p.m., MIC.

A RTS &ENTERTAINMENT:

Claremont Trio performs atMercyhurst

PAGE 8

NEWS:

Hurst celebratesHalloween

PAGE 2

FEATURES :Learncommunicationskills by watchingthe Apprentice

P AGE 4

OPINION:

Voting in thiselection required

patience

PAGE 6

Womens hockey wins pair

PAGE 12

SPORTS :

By Jonelle Davis and Joshua Wilwohl

Students on campus sat on edge asthe countdown to election 2004 cameto a close. Most watched vigilant ly and patiently either in their loungeor in the Student Union awaiting

Americas decision.Students who gathered to watch

the election kept concerned issues inmind-issues such as the war, abortion,

and terrorism.Gabe Donajowski, who joined the

viewing in the Union, believes thatneither candidate has a well-plannedexit strategy for Iraq. Bush is justnot clear on his views, and neithercandidate is making any feasibleconclusions about such an actioneither.

Jim Schuler, also present at the stu-dent screening, shares Donajowskis

view. I feel Bush has his own agendaand is not benefiting America ingeneral; we are not there for the rightreasons. And as for Kerry, he wantsto just gain presidency before devel-oping any concrete ideas [on the warin Iraq], he said.

Briey mentioned was the subject

of abortion, which most believed was a weak issue in the election.Marie Blum, who was also presentduring the public viewing said, Thebiggest issue is the war in Iraq, notabortion.

Another topic discussed as the pollsclosed was that of Americas future.Mike Cilladi said, If Kerry comesin, it will hurt small businesses andultimately taxes. If Bush stays, it giveshis policies time to work out.

Other views included that of ChrisSpinellis, who said, If Bush con-tinues in ofce, he will take care of things in due time. If Kerry wouldbe elected, he would be weak andhave no mandate or good call to bePresident.

The election year has provokedmany Mercyhurst students to actively involve themselves in politics, and thispolitical season gave them a reason tospread their values and beliefs. The

Young Democrats, Young Republi-cans, Phi Sigma Alpha and CampusMinistry were all active campusgroups that worked towards getting Mercyhurst students to the polls.

The groups held their nal elec-tion event, The Main Event, astudent debate between the Young

Democrats and Young Republicanson Oct. 27, which more than 130students attended.

The Young Republicans wererepresented by club president J.J.Mikulec, a senior political science,history and intelligence major, and JoEllen Taylor, a junior citizen educa-tion major.

The Young Democrats were repre-sented by club co-presidents, Albert

Veverka and Michael Foglio, bothseniors and political science majors.

Veverka said he was pleased withthe results of the debate. The stu-dent debate went as well as could beexpected. I thought both sides did anoutstanding job and worked tirelessly to make sure the students were well

educated. I was really proud to seethe Republicans do such a fantasticjob. I was proud to share the stage

with them and I was so happy withtheir performance, said Veverka.

Veverka gave credit to Phi Sigma Alpha and the President of the groupKristen Hudak, for the success of thedebate. All the credit really goes toKristen Hudak and Pi Sigma Alphafor putting on a spectacular show,

Veverka said. I had some studentscome up to me in the days follow-ing the debate telling me that I hadconvinced them to vote for Kerry orthat the Republicans convinced themto vote for Bush. So I do believe itmade a difference.

According to Kristen Hudak, the

groups held many other activitieson campus to push students intofollowing the election. These events

included registering students to voteon campus and a viewing party for therst Presidential Debate on Sept. 30,

where 180 people attended. A political science Ad Hoc titled

Red States, Blue States and Battle-ground States 2004 with guest speaker Dr. Speel from Penn StateBehrend and a political T-shirt sale,

was held during the entire month of October, selling over 200 shirts.

Looking back on the events Hudak was happy with the results of theirhard work. I was impressed withthe turnout for each election-relatedevent throughout the term, said Hu-dak. We are glad to see that students

were excited about the election andinterested in learning more about the

candidates. We were happy, as politi-cal science students, to be able to givesomething back to the Mercyhurst

community.Hudak hopes that their hard work paid off and they made a difference inthe election. I certainly hope wevemade a difference. The joint effortby Young Democrats and Young Republicans has been amazing. Thetwo groups worked together all termto help students learn more aboutthe election and candidates, and alsoto get students registered to vote,Hudak said.

Both groups did outstanding work throughout the term. I hopethe activities we provided have leftthe student body a bit more educatedabout the process and candidates, andperhaps excited to be involved and to

vote, said Hudak.

Katie McAdams/Photo editor

Students watch Tuesdays election coverage at the Mercy Suites.

Students played their part in election

KRT photos

This composite photo illustration shows Senator John Kerry and President George W. Bush campaigning during the

Americans surged to the polls Tuesday in the rst wartime electionin more than three decades, anxiousto decide whether the country shouldstay the course with President Bush orshift direction with Sen. John Kerry.

By early Wednesday, the numbersappeared to be in President Bushsfavor. Bush had a lead nationwide of approximately 3 million votes over

Kerry and appeared on the verge of securing enough electoral votes to winthe presidency for a second term.

Unusually long lines at precinctsacross the country underscored theintense interest in the outcome, withthe stakes high and the choice be-tween the two main candidates clear. As it was in 2000, the country was

divided, and the two rivals carved upmuch of the country along the fa-miliar red-blue lines of election nightmaps, with red for Republican states

and blue for Democratic states.For his part, Kerry held Pennsylva-

nia, despite Bushs persistent courting in 44 visits. At 1:30 a.m. EST, it became clear

that Bush held the crucial battle-ground of Florida. Ohio hung in thebalance; Kerrys campaign would notconcede it. The Midwest states of Michigan and Wisconsin remainedin the balance, as were Nevada andNew Mexico.

Neither side was able to win away

a state from the others 2000 victory column as of midnight , EST. Thenal result was unclear and hinged ona handful of closely divided states.

Earlier, Ohio Gov. Bob Taft said itprobably would be very late beforeresults could be determined there. InNew Mexico, nearly 200,000 absenteeballots were outstanding in a statethat was decided four years ago by 365 votes.

Other battleground states remainedtoo close to call by 2:00 a.m. EST.

So close

Knight Ridder Newspapers

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There were many chances todress up and get scared at Mer-cyhurst this year for Halloween

weekend and many studentsjumped at the fun.

First, students came out to the womens hockey game vs. Clark-son on Friday night and showedoff their costumes for a chanceto win a $50 cash prize.

Students came in variety of costumes including SpongebobSquarepants, a priest, grapesand more. Jennifer Feret took home the

top prize with her homemadeXena the Warrior Princess cos-tume.

Feret came out with othermembers of the softball teamto cheer on the hockey teamand show off their costumes.I thought I had competition,Feret said, but added that sheput a lot of hard work into hercostume.

Feret, whose favorite holiday is Halloween, said that making the costume, was a lot of hard

work but a lot of fun. Later onFriday, students attended theHalloween party in the union puton by SAC for another chance to

win prizes.For the costume contest, there

were five categories in whicheach winner received $50 cash,Sarah Williams,SAC programer

said. She added, Students weregiven the opportunity to carvepumpkins, bob for apples, deco-rate cookies and enter a costumecontest while listening to music

and having a good time. Winners for the night included,

Jackie and Erika who won formost creative costume dressedas grapes, Kyle Scully who was

the scariest dressed as a ghostly gentleman and funniest for ChrisKelly as an Irishman.

Others included best group orcouple, Stephanie and Nicholasfor their costumes as CruellaDevil and her Dalmatian, andbest overall for the cast of The Wizard of OZ ; Kelly Dombrows-ki as Dorothy, Jill Natale as the

Wicked Witch, Nicole and Lau-ren Vaccariello as Munchkins,and Katie Reed as Glinda.

The costume party wentgreat, Williams said. The nal event for the weekend

was a haunted ghost tour of Mer-cyhurst College on Saturday nightfrom 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. Thisevent was put on by both SACand the Ambassadors Club. The tour was led by members

of the Ambassadors Club whilestudents waiting in the unioncould relax and eat snacks likedonuts and cider while visiting

with their friends.Brook McNierney was one

student who attended the tour. After living in Egan hall fresh-man year she became interestedin the campus ghost stories and

wanted to hear more.Freshman year they told us

all the stories at the beginning of the year, she said. MikeFoglio came up again at the end

of the year and let us share ourexperiences.

McNierney added, I am very interested in the paranormal andthink it would be interesting tohave an investigator come andsee what they would nd in EganHall.

McNierney said on the tourthey told the four main ghoststories of the college. These arethe ring story, the dancer story,the story of the nun ghost by OldMain and the story of the girl

who died in a re in Egan Hall.They also had a movie called

Haunted Erie that they showed which included Mercyhurst andmentioned the ring story, Mc-Nierney said. Though the ghost stories are

scary, McNierney said, I think itadds to the college experience.

Over the years many have re-ported strange happenings andclaimed to see ghosts and thesestories have created a uniquecollege experience for many,including McNierney.

SAC thanks all who came outfor the Halloween weekend andenjoyed their events this week-end. They would also like toremind you of the Slam Poet,E-Baby on Friday, Nov. 5, andStress Relief Night on Saturday,Nov. 6, in the Union.

PAGE 2 THE MERCIAD November 3, 2004

To contact: [email protected] NEWS

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Board Equivalency Available:11:30-8:00pm

Mercyhurst College InteriorDesign students experienced thereal world by working with SafeHarbor Behavioral Health to re-design four of their rooms.

Analida Braeger and her Interi-

or Design HealthCare Studio IIIclass became involved throughthe Interior Design program di-rector, Kathy Weidenboerner.

Nine students, mostly juniorsand two sophomores, were in-

volved with the project and havebeen working most of the termto prepare their presentation tothe administrators at the SafeHarbor headquarters.

The students presented thispast Friday to agency CEO,

John Evans, and the administra-tion. The Erie Times News and

WJET-TV covered the event.They were all very impressed

with the students accomplish-

ments, said Braeger.The students visited Safe Har-

bor on two occasions throughoutthe term. They went to speak

with the administration to learnabout what they were working

with, and then they took mea-surements at another visit.

Other than those two visits,the students worked on campus

and in the interior design lab.Students worked in teams to

present ideas for four rooms, which included three multi-purpose rooms generally usedfor group meetings and onechildrens examination room.

Mandy Fauble, outpatienttherapist of Safe Harbor, was incontact with Braeger since July.

They discussed the rooms thatneeded attention, and consideredpainting, wallpaper, artwork andthe possibility of new furniture.

Safe Harbor is a non-protagency in Erie that deals withpeople who are diagnosed withserious mental illnesses and pro-

vides psychiatric services.They contacted Mercyhurst

because of their interior designprogram. They also believedthat it would be a great learning experience and resume builderfor the students.

I believe this project will be agreat resume builder because, asstudents, we normally dont get

the chance to work with a cli-ent so closely, said junior Kelly Shellem.

The students worked for seven weeks with fabric swatches, colorcharts and sketches for all of their designs. They also did alot of research dealing with colorpsychology.

This experience was more thanjust a class project. Students

worked with real people in a realplace. I thought it was a greatlearning experience. This wasby far my most enjoyable projectthus far in my career at Mercy-hurst, said Shellem.

By Jaime MyersContributing writer

Students experience real world

Mercyhursts reputation as agood neighbor has come intoquestion in the eyes of Erie citi-zens in recent months.

Due to an increase in off-cam-pus housing and the limits of Po-lice & Safetys jurisdiction, they cannot respond to complaintsagainst off-campus students.

Disruptive off-campus activi-ties have increased, much to theire of neighbors.

Head of Residence Life LauraZirkle attended a recent ErieCity Council meeting on Oct.13, to let the community know

what was and what will be donein light of the sharp increase of complaints.

Zirkle wanted to let Erie know how serious the college takes itand that we would like to inviteour neighbors to get involved.

Zirkle stated that the campus isundergoing a process of register-ing off-campus addresses andnumbers.

She added that a strong let-ter will be sent to off-campusstudents, informing them of the complaints made, that thisletter will also address potentialconsequences for poor behaviorand that off-campus living is aprivilege that can be lost. There will also be an orienta-

tion for off-campus students inthe future, noted Zirkle, super-

vised by Joe Howard, who is in

charge of off-campus housing. The orientation will include

information on local ordinancesand student responsibilities, not-ing that the student handbook does, in fact, apply to off-campusstudents, reiterating that there

will be consequences for viola-tors of the code of conduct.

Id like to emphasize thatMercyhurst is committed toeducating students to be goodneighbors and citizens, and we

want to work with city ofcialsand our neighbors to reach thosegoals, Zirkle said in closing.

Councilman Pat Cappabiancaexpressed support for the col-lege, noting that Mercyhurst hasbeen very very cooperative.

He then opened the oor to alarge group of eager neighbors,most from Sunset Boulevard andParade Street.

Many of the neighbors notedthat the area around the campusis zoned R1, and that, according to zoning restrictions, there may not be more than three unrelatedpeople living in R1 housing.

Several complained of absen-tee landlords who cared only fortheir bankrolls and nothing forthe effects unruly students havehad on the neighborhood.

Mary Whiner stated that thoughstudents in the neighborhoodhad scaled back their activities totolerable levels recently, this wasan uneasy peace and was notsure how long it would last. Whiner went on to say that the

negative elements are beginning

to outweigh the benets [of liv-ing near Mercyhurst] and it willget worse.

Citing complaints centeredon young male students living across the street from her, neigh-bor Catherine Consilla-Miltonstated she would like to see anordinance to prevent dormitory style living in the area, adding,I dont want to live on a collegecampus.

Resident Debby Chase spokeon behalf of the friends andneighbors she left behind whenshe moved to Haborcreek to es-cape the noise and lewd behaviorof students on Briggs Avenue,echoing previous concerns about

vandalism, public urination andhow to explain, for instance, acollege student passed out on alawn to her children.

Eight-year-old Aly Christie alsostepped up to voice her concerns,stating, I have a problem withMercyhurst, noting that early morning noise has awakenedboth herself and her family re-peatedly. Veronica Christie, the girls

mother, added that the problemisnt just on an adult level, itaffects everyone in the neighbor-hood, going on to say that sheand her family are afraid to go tosleep at night.

During the meeting, Council-man Jim Thompson volunteeredhimself as the liaison betweenthe college and community to at-tempt to broker a solution to theproblems caused by off-campus

students.In a later interview, Thompson

stated that prior to the recentrash of complaints, the only complaints previously madeagainst students revolved aroundparking, and that Mercyhursthas been a g ood neighbor. Thompson stated, Mercyhurst

will have to step up to the plate,adding that the school should bemore accountable, suggesting that the Police and Safety chartershould possibly be changed toallow for Mercyhurst security totake care of off-campus prob-lems, such as parties that have

gotten out of hand. As was mentioned in the meet-

ing, Thompson noted that oneof these parties had an estimated72 people in the house, a viola-tion of the Erie re code.

He also said that the majority of these problems were centeredon several specic houses, andthat those places need to bedealt with. When asked if students have

been unfairly stereotyped andperhaps vilified as thoroughly irresponsible and inconsiderate,

Thompson said that while someneighbors have that opinion, he

does not believe that all neigh-bors have subscribed to thesestereotypes. Thompson stressedthe importance of the residentslearning to live with students and

vice-versa. A meeting will be held some-

time in the near future, probably at St. Lukes, Thompson added,saying that the city will act as me-diator between Mercyhurst andarea residents. The ultimate goal,as Thompson stated, is to ndsome mutual agreement where

we can all live together.

By Jason EndressContributing writer

By Jenny AllenContributing writer

From left to right, Kelly Dombrowski, Katie Reed, Jill Natale and Nicole and Lauren Vac-cariello.

Sarah Williams/Contributing Photographer

Neighbors take complaints to City Council

Hurst celebrates Halloween

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NewsNovember 3, 2004 THE MERCIAD PAGE 3

To contact: [email protected]

Registration for winter termbegan Tuesday, Oct. 26. By

Thursday, more than 1700 up-perclassman registered online,

while freshmen are still waiting to register on Nov. 4 and 5. A major problem for many

freshmen is that classes are al-ready full.

Sister Pat Whalen, registrar forthe past ve years, said coursesare going to close but that ev-

ery student that came in to seeus was able to nd an alternatecourse. Students may not get thetime they prefer or the coursethey prefer for that particularterm, but they do have otheroptions. The Mercyhurst staff works

with students facing closed

classes.We see if there are other core

courses they can take. And mostof the time they nd one. Ortheyll go to the professor and getsigned in, said Sister Whalen.

Sometimes students are un-aware of their options. Part of her job is to help educate stu-dents about what other classesare available in that particularcore. Another alternative is for stu-

dents to wait until a differentterm to take the desired class.

Students were notified Oct.

18 by e-mail about their time toregister, but Sister Whalen saidthat some students did not know their registration time.

She recommends students tocheck their Mercyhurst accountbecause the e-mail wont beforwarded to other accounts.She said that information about

additional classes being madeavailable will be sent through theMercyhurst e-mail service.

Students are encouraged touse WebAdvisor to learn aboutadded and cancelled courses as

well as changes in classes. Web Advisor was down Oct.

22 at 1 p.m., according to theLakernet Website.

Sister Whalen explained thatthe service was down when theNorth East students were reg-istering and that it didnt affectstudents at the main campusbecause they didnt begin regis-

tering until Oct. 26.Sister Whalen said that Web Advisor was also down for about10 minutes Thursday, Oct. 28.

She said a few students cameinto the ofce to schedule and

were taken care of. Studentshave from the time theyre toldthey can go in and schedule until

4:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 1 toregister. Its a wide window of opportunity.

On Nov. 4 and 5, staff fromthe Registrars Office and the

Academic Support area will beavailable to assist freshmen withregistering in the Old Main Com-puter Lab.

Because they dont register un-til then, freshmen like Carrie Wil-lison are not sure if or how many of their classes will be full.

Sister Whalen said that theOfce of Academic Affairs will

work to adjust the schedule for

the freshmen class and can addcourses as deemed necessary.Students can register online

through WebAdvisor or in per-son, but must meet with theiradvisor rst.

Students are unable to registeronline for classes if they have notmet a prerequisite.

Winter class registration beginsBy Libbie JohnsonContributing writer

The end of the term is in sightfor Mercyhurst students. Thismeans that final exams, finalprojects and presentations areabout to begin. Knowing all thatneeds to be done within a few

weeks can cause a great deal of stress for college students.

According to the AmericanCollege Health Association,stress is the physical, emotionaland mental response to change,regardless of whether the changeis good or bad. There are twotypes of stress that college stu-dents encounter: positive andnegative.

Positive stress is the extra burstof adrenaline that helps themthrough a task. It is a physi-ological tensing and added men-tal alertness that ends when thechallenge is over. The studentscan then relax and move on withother activities.

However, if the student is notable to relax and move on, itturns into negative stress. Stu-dents with negative stress may encounter an increased heartrate, higher blood pressure andstomach and muscle tension.

This can then lead to mental andphysical exhaustion.

According to the staff atthe Cohen Health Center, thephysical exhaustion can turninto illness. In fact, with nalscoming up, they are already get-ting patients with this problem.

According to the AmericanCollege Health Association,studies suggest that your stresslevel affects your immune andnervous systems, heart function,metabolism, and hormone levels.

As a result, researchers now be-lieve that stress may affect yoursusceptibility and recovery froman illness.

However, students who areeducated on recognizing stressand how to cope with it are going to be able to get through nals

week much easier than those whoare not. Symptoms include prob-lems eating and increased use of alcohol or other drugs.

Stressed students may alsofeel very bored, which may bereferred to as a general sense of the blahs.

In many cases, students quality of sleep will be affected by stress.

They will have difculty sleeping and may frequently oversleep.Headaches, back aches, muscleaches or tightness in the stom-ach are common results of thefatigue that stressed students may feel from lack of sleep.

Oftentimes, a student undera great deal of st ress will alsoencounter mental effects fromthe stress. For example, they may have trouble making deci-sions and become very anxiousand confused over unimportantevents.

They may also have an inability to concentrate, pay attention andget organized. This then leads toan increase in procrastination.

In addition, a stressed studentmay experience physical effects.

They may become weak, dizzy orhave shortness of breath.

In extreme cases, a studentmay be diagnosed as having ananxiety attack. Frequent in-digestion, diarrhea or urinationmay occur. As mentioned be-fore, stress can weaken s tudentsimmune system, making themmuch more susceptible to coldsand infections.

Also, there are emotional ef-fects caused by stress that a stu-dent may experience. Stress cancause a student to have persistenthostile or angry feelings, along

with an increased frustrationover minor annoyances. They may also feel overpowering urgesto cry or run and hide. They may also lose motivation to dothings that they once loved, likeexercise.

Once a student recognizesthat he or she is under negativestress, it is time to take charge.

Just because a student has taken

to certain unhealthy habits, itdoes not mean that they cannotbreak out of them. There areboth short-term and long-term

ways that a student can learn tocope with stress.

One short term method in- volves the simple, though seem-ingly lost, art of relaxation. Onetechnique for relieving stress isfor the student to sit in a com-fortable position with the lefthand over the navel and the righthand on top of the left.

Then, the student is to breathedeeply through the nose, feeling the hands rise as the abdomenlls with air. While inhaling, thestudent is to count to three, holdhis breath and then release it.

This technique is to be repeatedfour times but stopped if thestudent experiences light-head-edness.

Other short-term solutions tohandling stress may be as simpleas taking a break, like getting exercise or fresh air. The studentmay also want to simply evaluate

why they are stressing and recon-sider if it is worth being upset.

It may help to talk it out or write it out in a letter that isnot meant to be sent. Anothersimple thing that can be doneis to make a list of t he thingsthat need done right away, thenprioritize the list and do only thetop few.

The long-term ways to handlestress are mostly mental. The

American College Health Asso-ciation says that students shouldseek their own stress level. Thismeans that they should strive forexcellence but have limits.

Not everybody can do every-thing well. They also say thatstudents should choose theirown goals. Many times studentscan experience stress when they are trying to please someoneelse other than themselves. Itbecomes too hard to pleaseeveryone.

Also, a student should becomea part of their own supportsystem. It is hard for some stu-

dents to admit when they have aproblem, so they try to handle iton their own.

However, they should let theirfriends help them when they areunder too much stress, just asthey should do the same to theirfriends when they are feeling overloaded.

In addition, it is importantthat students think positively.

The mind sends signals to thebody to prepare for danger whenthere is a possibility for negativeoutcomes. So, the student willbecome tense, regardless of theoutcome.

Also, students should makedecisions. Any decision, even if it is consciously deciding to donothing, is better than none.

Students should also keeptheir expectations realistic. They should not expect perfectionfrom themselves or others. Itis important that they anticipate

some problems when reaching their goals and to realize that they can solve them with practice.

Moreover, a student needs toaccept what they cannot change.Sometimes a student will getstressed when they try to deal

with a problem that is beyondhis or her control.

For example, students may hold onto the past and let it getthem down even though they cannot change it. Instead, they should learn from the past, live inthe present and move on.

Another thing that studentsmust learn to do in college is tomanage their time. College lifecan easily become overwhelm-ing if students do not prioritizeand plan.

Most importantly, studentsneed to take care of them-selves. This means that they should exercise regularly and eata balanced diet.

It also means that they shouldget enough sleep and avoid al-cohol and other drugs. Lastly,students need to take time forthemselves. They should makethemselves a priority and ndtime to relax every day, even if it is only for a few minutes. Itcan really make a world of dif-ference.

So, if you are a Mercyhurst stu-dent and nd yourself stressed inthe coming weeks, just rememberthat you can take charge.

College can be a stressful time,but there are things that you cando to overcome it.

Dont let stress get youdown.

Know when to recognize itand know what to do about it.

Also, you can visit the CohenHealth Center on campus formore advice. Good luck onnals!

By Holly BurnsContributing writer

Students stress as nals draw near.

Katie McAdams/Photo editor

Class Time ChangesEffective Winter 2005

MWF

8:20 a.m.-9:40 a.m.

9:50 a.m.-11:10 a.m.

11:20 a.m.-12:40 p.m.

12:50 p.m.-2:10 p.m.

2:20 p.m.-3:40 p.m.

T-TH

8:20 a.m.-10:15 a.m.

10:25 a.m.-12:20 p.m.

12:30 p.m.-2:25 p.m.

2:35 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Evening Classes M-TH

6:10 p.m.-8:05 p.m.

Science Labs

8:20 a.m.-11:20 a.m.

12:40 a.m.-3:40 p.m.

2:20 p.m.-5:20 p.m.

3:50 p.m.-6:50 p.m.

Cope with the stress of college

The fourth annual art depart-ment calendar will be hot off thepress and available for purchaseat the start of winter term.

The calendar serves as a fund-raiser for the art department. Inthe past, the money raised fromthe calendar has been used to

pay for department speakers andtrips. Last year, the proceeds

were used for a trip to Washing-ton, D.C.

The art chosen for the calendaris from a peer-judged competi-tion that was held in the spring of 2004. There are ve catego-ries: graphics, drawing, painting,three-dimensional, and photog-raphy. The designer of the 2005calendar is Frank Pessia, a junior

Graphic Design major.Jodi Staniuas-Hopper, assistant

professor in the art department,said the calendar encouragesstudents to share their art outsideof the classroom. She also said,It provides exposure of the

work to people outside of the artdepartment and it gets studentsin the habit of entering showsand contests with their art.

Art majors will sell the calen-

dar and Staniuas-Hopper saidthey will set up tables in the lobby of Zurn Hall. Students will alsogo door-to-door to see if faculty members are interested in pur-chasing a calendar. The price of this years calendar is $20. Stu-dents interested in purchasing acalendar should watch their mailboxes for exact times and datesof the sale.

By Teresa GardnerContributing writer

As the Polish IndependenceDay, which is on November 11,approaches, many Polish stu-dents on campus came up with

an idea of celebrating the holiday at Mercyhurst. A meeting will beheld in Student Union so thatanyone who is interested in thehistory of Poland can attend.

Katarzyna Tarczynska, thepresident of Mercyhurst inter-national students organization

(MISO), said, Organizing a Pol-ish Independence Day celebra-tion at Mercyhurst is importantbecause we have an opportunity to show our national identity.

A group of Polish studentsplan to give a short lesson of his-tory presented in an entertaining

way to gain peoples attention. Also some traditional Polish food will be served.

Tarczynska adds, It will be agreat chance for students whofeel strongly connected withtheir country to support Polandin such an important day.

By Anna Sienczak Contributing writer

Art department sells calendar as fund-raiser

MISO plans Polish Independece Day celebration

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Nov. 3, 2004

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F EATURESTo contact: [email protected]

November 3, 2004 PAGE 4THE MERCIAD

The Apprentice can be a learning tool

Mercyhurst College is unlikethe University of Washington.

The students are different, theprofessors are different and theacademics are different, saidProfessor Hillary Fogerty.

Fogerty, the new assistantprofessor of the English De-partment, comes from the westcoast.

She studied at U.C. Berkeley and received her masters anddoctorate from the University of

Washington.I taught at public schools

where the classes are bigger andthe students come from differentbackgrounds. Mercyhurst Col-lege has a big population of reli-gious students and students thatcome from similar backgrounds,Fogerty said.

The atmosphere is also very different, Fogerty continued.

Professors leave their ofcedoors open and the surroundingsgive a community feeling to meas I walk around campus. The

students seem to appreciate thecampus very much, she said.

Fogerty brings expertise in Me-dieval and Renaissance literatureto the English department.

She loves Shakespeare and sheis a lm guru.

She has fanned the ame fromthe student body to start a dramaguild on campus.

I was surprised that the cam-pus had three theatres but nodrama department. However, I

was aware that the musical the-atre program no longer existed,said Fogerty.

She felt that it would be fea-sible to start a drama guild andthat there was interest from thestudents.

Fogerty wrote the the missionstatement hoping it would fosterinterest in drama.

She put up posters inviting interested students to attend ameeting.

She was very pleased to nd40 students came to the meet-ing, selected executive ofcersand talked about how the guild

would function.I was very pleased with the

number of students that wereinterested. Most of them arefreshmen and sophomores butthis gives me students to work

with for a few years before they graduate, said Fogerty.

Fogerty expressed that she wants drama to be part of Mer-cyhurst because she loves it somuch and there seems to be abig interest in it from the studentbody.

Her enthusiasm comes fromthe fact that literature and moviesare stories that were told throughthe oral tradition and drama of-fers freedom to the students thatbecome involved with it.

Students involved in dramahave a way to express themselvesto others. It is a great way to letstudents express themselves, andit lets them be a part of a g roup

where students share the sameinterests, Fogerty said. The tryouts for the play were

already held on Nov. 1. The play is titled She Stoops

to Conquer and is one of thefamous comedies by OliverGoldsmith.

Fogerty hopes her love for lm

will assist her in teaching herclasses next trimester.

She has noticed some studentshave come better prepared to

write essays and research papersthan others. This has been an obstacle to

overcome in the classroom.She would love to show lm

in her classes so that studentscan further realize connectionbetween literature, characters,theme and plot.

She also wants them to be ableto connect the literature to theperiod when it was written.

She hopes that showing mov-ies will help the students getexcited about the literature they are learning about in class.

I am happy that I came toMercyhurst. I enjoy being partof a college that centers onteaching and I love that fact thatI get to see the great potential inmy students, Fogerty said.

Moving across the UnitedStates was a good investment forme and my family, and I am ex-cited to do more and get to know the campus better, she said.

Fogerty brings fresh energy to drama at Mercyhurst

Reality television has takenover the cable networks.

It started with the series titledThe Bachelor and has grownto include shows like The Bach-elorette, Who Wants to marry my Dad and Survivor.

Many celebrities have also beenapproached by reality televisionproducers and asked to have theirlives taped. For example, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson starin The Newlyweds.

Even Donald Trump hasjumped on the reality televisionbandwagon and created his ownshow titled The Apprentice.

The Apprentice is a 15-epi-sode unscripted drama in which16 candidates from all walks of life, including both Ivy LeagueMBA graduates and street en-trepreneurs with no collegeeducation, will endure rigoroustasks each week while living together in a hip Manhattan loftapartment. The tasks will test their intel-

ligence, chutzpah and street-smarts. They will face the challenges

of living in close quarters andcompeting in sometimes hu-morous but always difcult jobassignments that force them tothink outside the box in orderto outshine each other to get tothe top.

Upon their arrival in New York City (some for the very firsttime), the 16 candidates will berushed over to Trump Tower tomeet with Donald Trump, thecenterpiece and driving force of

this series. After splitting the group into

two teams of eight, Trump thenissues the rst task. Teams will be given time con-

straints for each task and either Trump himself or members of his staff will observe them every moment along the way. At the conclusion of each task,

the winning team will be granted

a lavish reward, but the losing team must report immediately to Trumps boardroom where oneof them will be red. Tasks each week will incorpo-

rate various aspects of business:sales, marketing, promotions,

charities, real estate deals, fi-nance, advertising pitches andfacilities management.

Most of these tasks will beassignments that executives facein their daily lives. The winnerof the competition, the trueapprentice, will be granted thedream job of a lifetime with The

Trump Organization and a salary of $250,000.

The Apprentice is a greatshow for students studying com-munications to analyze.

By watching a 20-minute seg-ment from the newest episode,the students in Dr. Welchs Re-search methods class could thor-

oughly critique the show. They commented on the com-

munication of the team membersduring individual challenges,Donald Trump and the indi-

vidual contestants and, nally,the effective and ineffectivenessof communication as a whole inthe episode. Aspects of communication be-

tween the team members during

their challenges were obvious. The cameras would show theteam working together however;they would then have a confes-sional type moment with oneparticular team member. Through the interactions of

the team members it is easy tonotice effective communicationas well as ineffective commu-nication.

One student said, If the losing team would have communicatedbetter, they would have gottenmore dogs.

If the members would havetold the team leader that they didnot like his idea, he would have

done more and the team wouldhave done a better job overall. Another student said, The

team members seem to resentthe team leader because he orshe seemed to draw a distinct linebetween themselves and the rest

of the team.Looking at the communication

between Trump and the con-testants the same student said,Trump is very honest and askedlegitimate questions, which is agood communication techniquebecause the contestants do notfeel uncomfortable answering his questions. Another student said, Trump

seems to be reasonable and un-derstanding while stern with hiscommunication. He seems to bedemanding and wants answers tohis questions. He is not afraid toexpress his opinion on the task assigned to the teams and doesnot hesitate to offer criticism andpraise to the team.

In the end, Trump makes adecision to re one of the teammembers. This is arguably the best part

of the show; hopefully the oneperson that the viewers do notlike will be booted off. Trumpalways communicated his reasonsfor ring the individual.

He points out that the personis not a good communicator,instead of working with the restof the team he or she did thingson their own or their own way and, nally, the member did not

work well with the others onthe team.

Communication students canlearn a lot from watching The

Apprentice. They can actively see how effective and ineffec-tive communication sounds andlooks like from watching thisreality television show. They can also learn valuable

pointers on how to work well with others in a setting that issaturated with competition.

By Courtney NicholasContributing writer

Katie McAdams/ Photo editor

Donald Trumps reality show can have an educational value to communication students.

Katie McAdams/ Photo editor

Professor Fogerty observes students trying out for anupcoming play.

By Courtney NicholasContributing writer

Standing tall says condence

One of the most attractivequalities an individual can pos-sess is condence.

Confidence emanates fromthe way you gracefully carry yourself. When you possess perfect pos-

ture and walk with your head heldhigh, you exhibit body languagethat reveals youre condent.

If, however, your shoulders arealways rounded and your back ishunched over, you cant expect toportray your inner condence.

Poor posture can be the resultof a tight chest and weak back.

It can be improved immensely by training your back to correctthe muscular imbalance. A shape-ly sculpted back gives the body abeautiful symmetrical shape withthe illusion of a smaller waist. The resulting improved posture

can actually make you appeartaller. Most importantly, a strong back can help prevent injuries toyour shoulder joint and neck.

Painstakingly performing theLat Pull Down is a good place tostart when training your back.

Begin with a pronated gripon the pull down bar with yourhands close as comfortable toeither end of the bar. Then, while seated with your

thighs positioned under thepads and your feet at on theoor, arch your back slightly andsqueeze your shoulder bladestogether as you pull the bar downtoward your upper chest. At the bottom of the move-

ment, hold momentarily and thenreturn to the starting position by controlling the full extension of your arms to allow the bar to riseback up. Try three sets of 12 to 15 reps

at a challenging weight.

By Nancy ColeKnight Ridder Newspapers

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Nov. 3, 2004

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F EATURESTo contact: [email protected]

November 3, 2004 PAGE 5THE MERCIAD

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Sisters experience Mercyhurst together

Its nice to always have afriend, said senior MeghanRoach.

Roach is the elder of the twosisters studying at Mercyhurst.Both she and her sister empha-sized the benets of studying atthe same school as a sibling.

We have gone to the sameschool for all of our lives, Roachsaid. This year we are evenroommates.

Meghan is an applied forensicscience major with a concentra-tion in toxicology and anthro-pology. She also has minors inchemistry and anthropology.

Her sister, junior Emily Roach,is also in a science major.

Emily is a Biology major in thepre-veterinarian program.

Emily explained where themotivation for science originatesfrom.

Our parents are an inuence.Our mom is a nurse. She hasalways inuenced us with sci-ence.

Both sisters tried out their skillsthis summer at their own respec-tive internships.

I worked over the summer for vets at the River Square animalhospital, Emily said.

Her internship entailed many jobs.

I did everything I could,Emily said. I was able to assistin surgeries. I also learned aboutthe pharmacy aspect.

Emily said that Mercyhursthelped prepare her for the in-ternship.

I had to work with others, andthe lab work and group work at

Mercyhurst prepared me for that.I had to be creative, and throw ideas out.

She also mentioned specficcourses that prepared her forthe job.

Anatomy courses and mi-crobiology helped me, becauseI was able to understand theterminology the doctors used.I also looked at slides and hadsome idea about what I waslooking at.

Meghan spent her summer inher own internship.

I interned at the CuyahogaCounty Coroners Ofce. I shad-owed through trace evidence,DNA, autopsy and photogra-phy. A coroners office includes

many more people than just thecoroner, and Meghan had an

in-depth look at what the jobinvolves.

I was able to do a toxicology project on a GCQ machine. They bought the machine six years agofor 250 thousand dollars. How-ever, they hadnt done anything

with the machine yet. My project was to set up an amine assaay (astandard) so that they would beable to use the machine.

Mercyhurst also helped Meghanprepare for the internship.

I learned a lot through my criminalistics class. There weresome newly hired employeesfrom Ohio University who didnot understand things that Ihad learned in my criminalisticsclass.

Both sisters emerged fromtheir internships with their ownmindsets.

Emily said that the job rein-forced that she would like todo veterinarian work for hercareer.

I dont know what else I would do, Emily said. I appliedrecently to vet school at OSU,.If they accept me, I will go nextyear. Usually anyone applying gets turned down for the rsttime, but Ill have to see.

Emily said that she has alwaysbeen interested in being a vet.

This coming summer andover breaks I also plan on work-ing with other vets, Emily said.

Meghan, on the other hand,had a small change of mind afterher internship.

The internship was very in-formative, because theres only so much that you can do in aclassroom, Meghan said.

I learned that working themachines is boring. Its all re-pitition. Now I am looking atmedical school. I am thinking about going to Case Western tostudy anatomy, Meghan added.I think I want to do autopsy. Itts along with anthropology.

Meghan also expressed herthoughts on the current levelof interest in the eld of fo-rensics.

I think the eld is going tobe saturated soon. Those whohave an interest in the eld with-

out watching forensic tv shows will do well in the eld. Those who get their idea of forensicsfrom the shows will be disap-pointed.

Meghan said that she has watched CSI once or twice and

that it is not an entirely accurateportrayal of the eld.

Both sisters are also involved

in activities outside of theirclasses.I am working on a project

with John McIlroy about post-mortem interval of fatty aciddecomposition, Meghan said.

She said that they are doing the project in their spare timefor fun.

She is also the president of Rotaract, which is the collegelevel of t he Rotary club. Shealso keeps busy as the secretary and co-founder of the ForensicScience Club.

Emily is also involved in Rota-ract, but in addition participatesin the equestrian club, honorscouncil and the chemistry club.

With the activities and majors,it is difcult to imagine how thegirls nd spare time apart.

This is our rst year as room-mates, Meghan said. It will bedifferent next year, because wehave always been together.

Emily added, Im sure I willtalk to her a lot, but Ill be busy

with school.It is denitely a benet for our

parents that we go to the sameschool, Meghan said. They only need to make one trip.

Both sisters mentioned thatsome students and even profes-sors have thought that they aretwins.

I guess it is because we arealways together, Emily said.

Meghan shared her feelingsabout seeing her sister so much.

It is difcult to take classestogether. We can be competitive,and that can be frustrating. Butat many times, it is a lot of funto be at the same school.

Sandra Miesels anger overThe Da Vinci Code grew moreand more with each person sheencountered who accepted thenovels conspiracy theories about

Jesus and the church. Then her younger daughter

grabbed Dan Browns best-sell-ing novel to read on a long planeride.

Once she got into it, the daugh-ter couldnt wait to questionMiesel, a medieval historian andexpert in art history, about theclaims made in the thriller, claimsBrown says are based on facts

Last fall Miesel began collabo-rating on a book, The Da VinciHoax, due out next month,that is the latest in a barrage of rebuttal books that have comeout this spring.

I am avenging my daughters waste of time and money, Mie-sel said. I needed to respond to(The Da Vinci Code) becauseit is so stupid and wrong andpeople are taking it as truth.

I am not a wagon-circling fundamentalist, said Miesel, aCatholic. I would have been asupset about the book if I had noreligion at all. The manipulativeerrors got me so upset.

In nearly 30 years in religion-

book publishing industry, Phyllis Tickle, contributing editor in reli-gion for Publishers Weekly, saidshe has never seen this degree of reaction from people feeling theneed to correct a novel. The effect has been cumulative,

she said, of established religionsreaction to what is perceived asdistortions by pop culture.

She said shes seen it with bookslike the Harry Potter books. The clamor is being heard

nationwide, with churches andbook clubs holding discussionsand sermon series to addressquestions raised in the book. At First Presbyterian Church

of Liberty, Mo., youth members who had read the book wanted todiscuss it at the church. Churchleaders, however, thought thestudy should be open to all.

So they invited Warren Carter,professor of New Testamentat St. Paul School of Theology,to present information on New

Testament and early church his-tory questions, Mary Magdaleneand Jesus and other subjects.

In addition, Sharon Key, whois on the church staff and hasstudied Christian art and sym-bolism in art, conducted a study on the art in the book, includ-ing The Last Supper and theMona Lisa.

I was concerned about how the youth were reading the book,

she said. One 14-year-old felt it was plausible that Jesus was mar-ried to Mary Magdalene and thatthe church had covered it up for2,000 years.

Key also spoke to a book club, whose members had reachedthe point of speculating on how many descendants Jesus may have on the earth.

I dont want to see peoplesfaith fall by the wayside over anovel, especially when its nottrue, Key said. Because thisbook did affect peoples faithadversely, I took it very seriously.

And I feel that those of us whoknow the truth and can helpshould do that. Among the reasons for the

rebuttals: Brown says his novel was based on facts.

Brown has gone around thecountry saying that the skeletonis true and that if he had written

nonction he would not havechanged a thing, said DarrellBock, whose book, Breaking the Da Vinci Code, came outlast month.

Many readers point to the be-ginning page of the book, whichstates a series of facts. The lastone is often quoted: All descrip-tions of artwork, architecture,documents and secret rituals inthis novel are accurate.

Bock, who is research profes-sor of New Testament studiesat Dallas Theological Seminary,quotes in the introduction to hisbook a statement Brown madeon national television that, inthe course of his research, hebecame a believer in the theoriesabout Mary Magdalene.

Bock said many people haveasked him why a novel should getsuch careful historical attention.

The reason, he said, is because of

the claims that are presented asfact under the cover of ction.

The issues of faith and rela-tionship to God are too impor-tant to be left to the confusing category of `historical ction

where the claim is that, despitebeing a novel, the history isfact. John Pritchard, member of the

Liberty church who attended thestudy sessions, said at rst hethought that if the author wouldmake such outrageous statementsthat they must be true.

He was also astounded atBrowns seeming knowledge of cryptology (code-breaking).

But as he kept reading,Pritchard said, Brown began tocome across as someone who

was not well-versed in how theGospels came about.

Robyn Busch of Overl andPark, Kan., a 19-year-old col-lege student, said she has beenskeptical about the Bible, and,right after reading the novel, she

was even more skeptical. She saidBrown makes his theories soundbelievable.

Like Mary Magdalene, thathe would even suggest it (thatshe was married to Jesus) mademe think it might be true. I feltlike he had a lot of thought be-hind it. I knew it was a work of ction, but there was the state-ment he made in the beginning

By Jen HelbigFeatures editor

Katie McAdams/ Photo editor

Senior Meghan Roach and sister Junior Emily Roach share a passion for the sciences and hard work

Some Christians deem it necessary to debunk Dan Browns popular work of ctionBy Helen T. GrayKnight Ridder Newspapers

Your parents are back home,and things are going swimmingly at school. Youre on your own,and freedom never tasted sosweet. Until you remember thatyoure totally broke. After textbooks and parking

passes take their toll, whats apoor student to do for nourish-ment once supplies from homeare gone? Enter the humble ra-

men noodle. A perennial favorite of college

students everywhere, ramennoodles are cheap, and thereslots of stuff you can do withthem, says University of Ken-tucky student Cheryl Jensen.

It wasnt always that way. Wheninventor Momofuku Ando intro-duced chicken-avored ramennoodles to Japanese grocery stores in 1958, they were consid-ered a luxury item.

Nevertheless, they quickly be-came a popular item in Japan, and

by 1970, Andos company, NissinFoods, introduced Smack Ramento American palates. Today, ramen noodles come in

more than 720 avors and aresold all over the world.

Its not just college students who enjoy them. People world- wide consume more than 41billion packages of ramen every year, totaling almost $10 billion.

Consider this: After boiling andstretching out the noodles endto end, each package of ramencontains 100 feet of noodles. If

you laid out the noodles from all41 billion packages end to end,they would circle the Earth atleast 31,182 times.

But one has to wonder: Doesnteating all those ramen noodlesget old after a while? Of course itdoes, if youre just eating noodlesand seasoning. The trick is to getcreative. There are several published

cookbooks available but in thetrue cheap-o spirit of ramen, youcan get recipes for free at www.mattscher.com/ramen.

Use your noodles: Ramen is a cheap, easy mealBy Heather ChapmanKnight Ridder Newspapers

I dont want to see peoples faith fall by the wayside over anovel, especially when its not true.

- Sharon Key

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Nov. 3, 2004

6/12

Photo Courtesy of KRT

Eager voters wait to cast their votes early Tuesday morning in Boston, MA. Long lines at the polls were commonacross the country on election day.

OPINIONPAGE 6 THE MERCIAD November 3, 2004

To contact: [email protected]

The core of our American democracy is the right to vote. Implicit in that right is the notion that the vote be private, that the vote be secure and that the vote be counted as it was intended when it was cast by the voter. And I thinkwhat were encountering is a pivotal moment in our democracy where all of that is being called into question.

- Kevin Shelley California Secretary of StateDecember 2003

After months of television commercials, rallies, debates, door-to-door canvassing and phone banking, the Presidential Election hasnally arrived. During this hectic and frenzied time many Americanshave repeatedly thought to themselves, I cant wait until its nally over. Unfortunately, to the frustration and irritation of these people,the wait may be a little longer than Nov. 2. As I am writing thisarticle and the election is less than 72 hours away, I cant help but

wonder by the time people are reading The Merciad on Wednesday afternoon if the next President of the United States will, in fact, bedecided. With election predictions proclaiming that this may be oneof the closest elections in U.S. history, the ominous warnings fromthe 2000 asco are coming back to haunt the electorate this year.

Will the infamous hanging chad or buttery ballot be replacedby electronic voting or provisional ballots in 2004? After the horrendous balloting problems that plagued the nation in

the 2000 Presidential election, Congress passed, and President Bushsigned into law, the Helping America Vote Act of 2002. HAVA wasthe federal response to the various voting crises and emphasized theuse of electronic voting to resolve and modernize voting reliability in each state. The creation of the Election Assistance Commission

was designed to implement and regulate the reforms of HAVA.Unfortunately, the EAC has been incredibly slow in formulating national standards for each state to follow for voting technology andprocedure reorganization The legislation does not require states tofollow federal guidelines until Jan. 1, 2006. Meanwhile, federal fund-ing has been provided to states to incorporate new electronic voting technology for the 2004 elections. Without extensive research andtesting to endorse and support secure and reliable voting technology states have been incorporating a diverse variety of electronic voting technology which may, in fact, wreak more havoc nation wide thanthe hanging chad did in Florida.

It is estimated this election that 30 percent of ballots castby voters will be done using Direct Recording Electronic systems(this is triple the number of electronic votes in 2000). These DREs,or electronic voting technologies, are intended to make the vot-ing process smooth and procient by directly recording votes onelectronic media with no paper or other forms of tangible backup.Unfortunately, many software and computer service rms have foundmultiple security weaknesses with e-voting machines. The DieboldCorporation, the leading manufacturer of e-voting software, has beencited by Compuware Corporation, a widely respected software andcomputer services rm, for major security weaknesses in Diebolds

AccuVote-TS. The system is subject to hackers and other tamper-

ing; anyone who

can acquire or design a voting supervisors security card can access the system and the results. Not only are security problems an issue, but the daunting word recount will not be a pos-sibility with many electronic voting machines. Totals from e-voting machines leave no ballot-by-ballot paper trail, making it impossibleto conduct an accurate recount of votes if necessary. Voters whouse certain DREs are not able to verify whether or not their vote wasaccurately recorded without a printed verication ballot. Althoughthere are some DREs that print out a paper document that can beplaced in a locked ballot box specically for a recount and verica-tion (endorsed heavily in California), once again there is no federalguideline from the EAC to direct states on which technology toimplement. There are other multiple voting issues at stake this election. The

provisional ballot may prove to be another concern that will be calledinto question. During the 2000 election, clerical errors and otherproblems caused almost 1.5 million people to be denied the right to

vote because their names were not on the registered lists. This timearound Congress has voted to require all states to provide provisionalballots to people who show up to vote on Election Day but are noton the rolls. After election ofcials have determined whether or notthe person is registered, their ballot will be counted. This processinvites a multitude of possible problems. The number of newly registered voters this year has reached historic proportions. Themillions of new voters may be forced to submit provisional ballots,

which will then result in an extensive and tedious process to validateand count each ballot. This process will be subject to the variousrules and regulations each state mandates and may be the force that

will push the election process far beyond the rst week of Novemberand invite some serious litigation disputes into the process. The requests for absentee ballots have also reached record levels

this year. Cases reported across the nation and overseas has indicatedthat millions of absentee ballots have not been mailed out to recipi-ents in a timely manner. This has prompted many states to allow overseas ballots to be received after Election Day. Because the U.S.postal system is not entirely secure, millions of absentee ballots may be subject to security breaches. In past elections numerous casesof forged absentee ballots have been discovered, and many othershave been thrown out for minor clerical errors. This is why it wasextremely important that people who were able to vote in person onNov. 2 should not have sent in an absentee ballot. The days may be over when the country can determine the next

President of the United States after the polls close on Nov. 2. The ir-responsibility of Congress to effectively and promptly enforce voting reforms may be the catalyst for a disastrous repeat performance of the2000 election debacle. Its sad to think that the ultimate voice of thepeople may be threatened by an inept election system. In a country that prides itself as a model example of democracy and freedom,how can we allow the power of the people to be subverted?

By Corrie ThearleContributing writer

The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly The Good

The election is over! Whether you are happy with the outcome or not, we now have the freedomto turn on our televisions without being bombarded with political ads every 30 seconds. Thiselection has been extremely exciting, but now that its over we can all return to our normal livesand watch our candidate of choice perform over the next four years.

Kudos to SAC and the Mercyhurst Ambassadors for organizing some great events on campusover Halloween weekend. The haunted campus tours were a huge success. All of SAC and the

Ambassadors hard work was denitely appreciated by the student body in attendence. They really pulled off a great and creative idea using our own resources here on campus.

The senior class decided on a gift last week. The Sister Damien Spirit Bell will be given to thecollege at the end of this year. The 350-pound bell is dedicated to the late Sister Damien, who

was known for her unwavering school spirit. This years gift is a beautiful gesture to immortalizea wonderful woman who dedicated her life to Mercyhurst.

The Bad While the end of a term and a 13-day break is appealing, we must rst overcome the one ob-

stacle standing in our way of brief freedom: nals. Its the cloud hanging over everyones headuntil Nov. 17 brings relief. The stress will build throughout these last two weeks, but focus, work hard and you will be rewarded.

The situation with off campus housing is escalating. Res Lifes attempt to police off campushousing is bad, the actions of Mercyhurst neighbors are bad, and, lets face it, student behavior

when off campus is sometimes bad. People move off campus to avoid living under the thumb of

their parents or Res Life and now feel like there are just as many rules as if they lived on campusor even with Mom and Dad.

The Ugly This is more like The Gross. The womens restroom on the second oor of Hirt has been

without soap for about two weeks. The ladies at Mercyhurst deserve a little hygiene. Despite what the school may think, we do wash our hands after using the restroom. With the season of diseases upon us, it would help if we had the basic tools needed to kill germs.

There have been complaints on campus about the amount of time it takes maintenance torespond to inconvienent and sometimes dangerous situations. Perhaps the most troubling situa-tions involve electrical problems that could potentally be hazardous. We are paying a large amountof money for housing. The least maintenence could do is respond in a timely manner when weneed their help, even if it is at night or on a weekend. Maybe we are expecting too much for ourthousands of dollars . . . or are we?

Dear Madam Malarky,What differences do you see in women relating

to men? Seeing as you are a woman, I am curious to know what other women think.

From,Womanly Bothered

Well being a proud woman, I hope to offer yousome enlightenment. To most moderately intelli-gent women, men are just slobs at times. They goto class in baggy sweat pants that show off theirunattractive boxers. The majority of the time they dont bother to comb their hair, nor shower theday before.

So you can imagine why many women tend toavoid campus boys. Therefore, women avoid talk-ing to the boys.

However, when a rare gentlemen gure turnsup, it is my belief that a woman such as myself isin utter shock. The rst assumption we have of this clean shaven boy is that he is gay. Of course,theres nothing wrong with gay men. Its just that itleaves a woman without the option of pursuing therelationship to a more than friends level. On thecontrary, women seem to think that they can r elateto a gay man in entirety. Remember from my lastarticle that a gay man is a womans best friend.

Now that the basics are covered, its time to goin depth. Women have known for centuries that itis impossible to completely relate to a boy. Evenbooks as famous as Men Are from Mars, Women

Are from Venus cannot solve these everyday problems.

Im guessing even the prehistoric caveman couldnot understand a womans grunts and growls. Theonly agreement that both sexes can correlate on is

when they are both feeling outrageously frisky.But other than that, there are problems that

they simply can not comprehend. For example, afemale could be wondering why this certain some-one doesnt look at her during class. She could betelepathically throwing herself at him and he cannot pick up that hint, much to everyones amaze-ment of course. Keep in mind this is what women

collectively think.Boys just tend to do things that us women seem

to think is disgusting. For example, they seem toenjoy spitting on the sidewalk for hundreds of students to walk over. Our rst thought is, Yuck,

why cant they keep their saliva to themselves. If anyone doubts this observation, just ask the clos-est female.

It is hard to believe that a man has anything lurk-ing below the surface. They are seen as shallow individuals that just judge on the outer makingsof females. Consequently, it is difcult to believea genuine act of kindness made by a man. We havecome to believe that a man thinks about one thing 24/7, which does not need elaboration to explain.In spite of this, there is one last resort a man of courage can ask a woman and that is to tell himabout her day. You will receive many minusculedetails about the day for the next three hours ( sixif someone seriously peeved her off). Even thoughthis will inevitably bore you, keep asking her. Pursu-ing this ambition will make a woman believe thatyou genuinely care about her. As a result, there willbe easier things for you to get. Now I shall leavethat there and let your imaginations run wild.

I would like to add one last important thing. Youguys and girls need to remember that this is all inthe name of fun. This column is meant purely forentertainment purposes. It s wonderful that peopledo read this, but please dont get overly offendedby it. The school year is still young. There is plenty of time to equally ridicule each gender. Therefore,no apology written by me is required.

Remember to email your questions to me atmadam_mala rky@hotmai l.com. However, youare more than welcome to message mmalarky04on the very popular AIM. Condentiality mattersas much as your questions. Till the next week and hoping to be complaint

free,Madam Malarky

Voting this year required patienceand caused headaches for many

Madam Malarky:Through a womans eyes: thedifferences between men and women

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Nov. 3, 2004

7/12

OPINIONNovember 3, 2004 THE MERCIAD PAGE 7

To contact: [email protected]

MERCIADKelly Rose Duttine Editor-in-Chief [email protected] Jonelle Davis News Editor [email protected] Jen Helbig Features Editor [email protected]

Allison Moore Opinion Editor [email protected] Ryan Palm Sports Editor [email protected]

Meghan Sullivan A&E Editor [email protected] Katie McAdams Photo Editor [email protected] Melissa Jack Production Editor [email protected] Kristen Piquette Advertising Manager [email protected] Sarah Dowden Copy Editor [email protected] Emily Crofoot Graduate Assistant [email protected]

The Merciad is the student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst College. It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of midterms week and nals week. Our ofce is in the Hirt Center, room L114. Our telephonenumber is 824-2376.

The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the lettersfor content, we reserve the right to trim letters to t. Letters are due theThursday before publication and may not be longer than 300 words. Submit letters to box PH 485.

The

Both sides in the presidential contest are eager to declare thiselection the most momentous event since the discovery of re, and

we wont know how true that is until we see how badly weve beenburned. But I think its already apparent that the campaign will beconsidered a milestone in the history of the U.S. media.

Heres what has changed: The mainstream media no longer play a key role in setting the na-

tional news agenda. The established news media were nowhere onpublic-policy matters. Issues that should have been their meat andpotatoes such as the adequacy of homeland security or remedies tostanch job losses were largely untouched. A recent BBC Online cri-tique was titled, perceptively, How the U.S. media lost the plot.

Instead, the agenda was set by partisans, via political advertising and committed freelance efforts. Time and again, established mediaessentially reacted to issues rammed through by outside groups. Itstarted with the Howard Dean primary campaign, in which a grass-roots protest against the war blossomed briey into an electoral

insurgency. Fahrenheit 9/11 threw the fat in the re, raising Presi-dent Bushs character and competence as reelection issues. Also, thatcritique, like the swift boat groups anti-Kerry assaults, leapt over themedia rewalls and forged the campaign debate. One lamentableconclusion: Buying your way onto the national agenda is easy; it justtakes money. The horse race defeated all comers. I cant exaggerate the degree

to which mainstream news evaluated virtually all candidate actions,utterances, proposals and disclosures by how they might affect notthe country, but the vote. Learned commentators speculated endlessly on the impact of a Kerry health-care proposal on Ohios turnoutor Pennsylvanias undecided, without ever looking at the proposalitself. Political writer Matt Taibbi has skewered the almost derisive

way in which journalists referred to policy details, which they neveractually described (and probably couldnt).

News media credibility was in freefall. Unrelenting attacks on so-called liberal bias were partly responsible. But the huge irony is thatfor all the gnashing of teeth over the ``60 Minutes anti-Bush Na-tional Guard memos, the two most calamitous errors that the media

have made in this young century were both immensely favorable toBush: prematurely awarding him the 2000 election and shilling for hisfallacious pre-war claims about Iraqs strategic arsenal. When those

various instances are set alongside the cases of reporter deceit andthe still-unfolding newspaper circulation scandal, the media inspire

anything but trust.

The Web stretched the universe of political news. The Internet hasmatured into a boisterous adolescence, with broad claims of diversity and public empowerment. Weve entered what pioneer Matt Drudgeonce described as an era vibrating with the din of small voices.Bloggers are more adept at verication than original reporting, andon the Internet its not easy to know whos pulling whose strings. Buttime and again the boundaries of coverage have expanded becauseof the persistence of Web-based reportage and commentary, whichare now integral to any journalists beat coverage.

Partisanship is here to stay. Advocacy journalism may rankle, butits legitimacy within the national discourse seems to be more rmly established now than ever. Indeed, its the claim to impartiality thatthe public seems unwilling now to accept. The supremacy of fact is under siege. People should argue over

which facts matter, not what the facts are. When a University of Maryland study found that 72 percent of Bush supporters believethat Iraq had or was actively developing weapons of mass destruc-tion, and 75 percent believe that Iraq was substantially supporting al-Qaeda claims that not even the administration makes something is wrong with the countrys political information system.

Hence, with the 2004 campaign, patterns of media inuence _ of who gets to speak and to be heard fundamentally shifted, withonce-authoritative voices discredited. A robust new conversation con-ducted on the Internet, talk radio and cable TV has assumed historicprominence. Still, despite an unparalleled richness of informationand multiplicity of perspectives, the discourse that characterized thecurrent campaign season was dopey, squalid and mendacious. And vast numbers of people believe important things that arent

true.

Campus Question:

Did you vote? Why or why not? Yes, I voted because I realized by voting you can change things

in our country. You can make a difference in the world; every votemakes a difference.

-Jim Schuler, senior

No, because I dont get the feeling my vote would count becauseof the Electoral College.

-Brittany Jackett, freshman

No because I just didnt have time and my schedule would havebeen interrupted. Voting should be two days.

-Amanda Williams, senior

Yes, I voted independent to make a point that Democrats and Re-publicans should rethink their views.

-Matt Rose, freshmanYes because it was my right, and I feel that Bush is the lesser of

two evils. As a Catholic, I couldnt vote for someone who supportsabortion and stem cell research.

-Don Smith, freshman

20 minutes makes no difference Pushing starting times of classes back is anice idea, but it will be ineffective for students.

Recently, the powers that be at Mercyhurstdecided to altar the times of classes by 20 minutes. While the concept of allowing students to get extrasleep is a noble one, it is also rather pointless.

I dont know about you, but the difference be-tween going to class at 8:00 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. isminimal. I, like many other college students, amnot a morning person, and 20 extra minutes isntgoing to change that or energize me for a fun lledday of learning.

I understand and appreciate what the good peopleof Mercyhurst are trying to accomplish with thistime change. They want us to be more rested with the hopes

that attendance in early classes will rise. But as acollege student I can tell you, there is no differencebetween six hours of sleep and six hours and 20minutes of sleep either way youll still be tired.

This time change will not only alter the starting time of classes, but it will change the ending time as

well. Now our days will end 20 minutes later thanusual, which seems like more of an inconvenience

than a plus.Im sure this change is inconvenient for profes-sors as well. Staying here an extra 20 minutes longereveryday cuts into important time for families andother priorities. While 20 minutes may seem insignicant to some,

it could make all the difference for someone witha packed schedule. While this decision was made with good inten-

tions, I predict it wont make much difference inthe long run. The people who dont show up for 8:00 a.m.

classes wont show up for 8:20 a.m. classes either,and theyll just be grumpy when they have to sit inclass 20 minutes later. Thanks for the thought, but its going to take a lot

more than 20 minutes to rejuvenate lazy students.

By Allison MooreOpinion editor

By Kailani Koenig-Muen-sterKnight Ridder Newspapers

Election 2004 will becomea milestone for the media

I remember reaching my lanky arm into our rusty mailbox as ayoung girl and getting so excited

when in the thick stack of mail,Id nd a letter addressed to me. Today, Im still overjoyed to

receive a personal letter, though ithappens less and less frequently. Theres just something about

the care and time put into aletter that has drawn me back to this old-style manner of cor-responding. When e-mail became the

cheaper and faster alternativeto our classic postal service, Iadmit I happily jumped on the

bandwagon. I was saving paper,money and time all at once. Who wouldnt relocate their primary address from their home mailboxto the Internet? Then in an English class last

spring, an assignment drove meto fall in love with genuine letter-

writing again.One of the most enjoyable

parts of the exercise was also themost simple. In writing our let-ters, we chose an array of statio-nery, found new ways to decorateour envelopes, and learned differ-ent styles of handwriting.

I chose a new pen to use witheach letter, and added stickers,colored paper or any other deco-

ration I felt was right. Admiring a persons handwrit-ing is one of the many things thatseparate letters from e-mails. Thedifferent styles of handwriting can say a lot about the writers

personality and add a dose of character to the paper.

For example, my grandmother

says if a person tilts his writing tothe left, he generally thinks withhis head and is more reserved andquiet. If its tilted to the right, heis more likely to think with hisheart and be more emotional andloving. And if he crosses his Tslow, he has lower self-condence,

while crossing them high meanshe is enthusiastic and spirited.

E-mails afford a quick, easy and often mindless option forkeeping in touch. Sure, we allreceive heartfelt e-mails fromtime to time, but most are shortand full of incomplete sentences

with phrases like lol, btwand g2g.

In a good letter, sentences are

well thought-out, everlasting andcomplete.But what about special occa-

sions like birthdays or holidays? Were bound to receive severalletters and cards in the mail then,right? Not much anymore, thanksto e-cards. Instead of taking thetime and thought to send a realgreeting card or to make one, wecan now click on a picture of acard and e-mail it to a friend in amatter of minutes.

From a soldier on the battle-eld writing to his loved ones athome, to a king requesting thehelp of another nation, letterstell the stories that become ourhistory.

Once an e-mail is deleted, itdisappears into cyberspace. Aletter will last forever. An e-mailis a document to look at on ascreen, not a piece of paper tohold in hand.

By Edward WassermanKnight Ridder Newspapers

KRT editorial cartoon

Falling in love withhandwritten letters

Photo courtesy of KRT

8/6/2019 The Merciad, Nov. 3, 2004

8/12

ENTERTAINMENT A RTS &

PAGE 8 THE MERCIAD November 3, 2004

To contact: [email protected]

NOV. 3, 4. Theater. Stomp.

Warner Theatre, Erie. Onsale at Tullio Arena box of-fice, Ticketmaster outlets,by phone at 452-4857 or456-7070.

NOV. 4. Ryan Cabrera. Ode-on, Cleveland.

NOV. 6. Hopeville Music with Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin.HSBC Arena, Buffalo.

NOV. 6. Taking Back Sunday, Atreya, Funeral for a Friend,the Varsity. Agora Theatre,Cleveland.

NOV. 6. KMFDM. Odeon,Cleveland.

NOV. 7. Jethro Tull. Warner Theatre, Erie. $43.50, $37.50.On sale now at Ticketmas-ter.

NOV. 7. Tim Conway &Harvey Korman. BenedumCenter, Pittsburgh.

NOV. 7. Blues Explosion with Jon Spencer. BeachlandBallroom, Cleveland.

NOV. 7. Bob Dylan. Univer-sity of Pittsburghs PetersenEvents Center.

NOV. 7. Megadeth, Earshot,12 Stones. Odeon, Cleve-land.

NOV. 7. R.E.M. A.J. Pala-umbo Center, Pittsburgh.

NOV. 11. Jimmy Eat World,Razorlight. Rock Club, Pitts-burgh.

NOV. 11. Good Charlotte,Sum 41. A.J. Palumbo Center,Pittsburgh.

NOV. 11-28. Christmasshow. Radio City Music HallChristmas Special with theRockettes. Sheas Theater,Buffalo.

NOV. 12. Buddy Jewell.Meadville High School,Meadville. $25 general ad-mission, $30 gold circle. Pro-ceeds benet French Creek

Valley Christian Schools 25thanniversary campaign. Onsale at (814) 763-3283 and atEdinboro Giant Eagle.

NOV. 12. Finger Eleven,Local H, Burden Brothers.Odeon, Cleveland.

NOV. 13. Comedy.StellaComedy Show with MichaelIan Black, Michael Showal-ter, David Wain. Rock Club,Pittsburgh.

NOV. 13. Kings X. Rex The-ater, Pittsburgh.

NOV. 14. Something Cor-porate. Steele Hall, FredoniaState University, Fredonia,N.Y.

NOV. 15. Los Lonely Boys,Marc Broussard. Rock Club,Pittsburgh.

NOV. 16. Papa Roach. Ode-on, Cleveland.

NOV. 17. Newsboys. Warner Theatre, Erie. $29.50. Onsale now at Tullio Arena boxofce, Ticketmaster outlets,by phone at 452-4857 or456-7070, online at www.ticketmaster.com.

NOV. 18. Voodoo Glow Skulls. Agora Ballroom,Cleveland.

NOV. 18. H.I.M., MonsterMagnet, Auf der Mer. Rock Club, Pittsburgh.

NOV. 19, 20. Keller Wil-liams. Mr. Smalls Theatre,Millvale.

tHeBuZz A triple dose of culture with the Claremont Trio

Mercyhurst College with itsliberal arts tradition has the mis-sion and obligation to expand thehorizons of its students.

Chamber music has beenaround for hundreds of years,yet many college students haventexperienced a live performance.

This Sunday you have the oppor-tunity to broaden your horizonsand fulll the college mission

when the Claremont Trio per-forms on campus. The string trio consists of twin

sisters Emily and Julia Bruskin onthe violin and cello, and DonnaKwong on the piano. The group

was formed while they werestudying at Julliard in New York City in 1999. The up and coming trio has

already distinguished themselves, winning numerous awards suchas the Young Concert ArtistsInternational Auditions in 2001. They made their acclaimed

New York City debut at the 92 nd street Y. As a result of winning the rst ever Kalichestein-Lar-edo-Robinson International

Trio Award in December 2003,the trio played a 20 venue tour

in the United States and hadthe opportunity to record theirdebut album with ArabesqueRecordings. The Claremont Trio has been

featured on NHK Television in

Japan, Martha Stewart Living Television and has been heardon radio stations in New York,Boston and Chicago. According to the Cincinna-

ti Enquirer, Their exuberant

performance and gutsy rep-ertoire was the kind of freshapproach that keeps chambermusic alive. At their Mercyhurst College

debut, the trio will perform

Ludwig van Beethovens Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, #1 Ghost, and String Band,

which was composed by MasonBates the Young Concert ArtistsComposer in Residence. Con-cluding the performance, the trio

will play Trio in C minor, Op. 66,by Felix Mendelssohn.

In a personal interview, Juliaexplained that the trio has chosenthis particular program becauseof the contrast between thepieces as well as the excitementthe trio shares for each particularpiece.

During the ensembles 2004-2005 touring season, they willbe visiting prestigious venuessuch as Carnegie Hall, the Ken-nedy Center and Merkin ConcertHall. The Claremont Trio will make

their debut appearance at Wolf Trap and Wolf Trap Founda-tions Debut Artist Award.

If you have not yet experiencedclassical music, do not pass upthis opportunity. These distin-guished artists will be performing at the Mary DAngelo Perform-ing Arts Center on Sunday, Nov.14 at 2:30 p.m. For Mercyhurststudents tickets are only $1.

By Christine SeuffertContributing writer

Trio consists of Emily and Julia Bruskin on violin and cello, and Donna Kwong on piano.

Performing Arts Center

Dramatic thriller Veronicas Room to be performed at North East

In keeping with the spirit of Halloween, a dramatic thriller,Veronicas Room will be per-formed this weekend at Mercy-hurst North East.

Michael Weiss, an accom-plished director who recently directed You Cant Take it with

You in the Taylor Little Theatre,brings his directorial talents tothis production as well. Weiss lived in New York City

for several years and has an ex-tensive Broadway history.