Vol.83,No.

21/4/28/10/Free

Dancers
tap resources
for 35th year
anniversary
gala

News Sports Online Poll Results

What do you think about the $500,000
Highland Square renovations?
Class project Kimball Way too much money
Where/what is
Highland Square? 33%
for a temporary fix 36%
spurs social media enjoying
Tear them all
policy uproar AD job Those improvements
will work for now 22% down! 8%

Page 2 Page 7
Current poll: What would you do if the college
tried to control your online posts?
Page 2 NEWS April 28, 2010

Class project causes social media policy uproar

By Jennifer McCurdy &
Ethan Magoc
Merciad Staff
A recent in-class project has
caused quite a stir among Mercy-
hurst College faculty.
On April 9, Communication Pro-
fessor Brian Sheridan’s Multimedia
Storytelling class learned how to
use Twitter not only as a social net-
work, but also as a tool for confer-
ences and business proposals.
Unfortunately, the project
received unexpected attention,
eventually sparking an uproar
among faculty and students.
It has also prompted an apol-
ogy from the Marketing and Public
Relations Department.
The lesson consisted of learning
how to effectively use “the back-
channel,” a social media term for
a real-time discussion among users
on an online network, such as Twit-
ter, as they watch a live event.
“The assignment was to use
Twitter as a tool to communicate
with other people in the class and
have an intelligent conversation live
while watching a video on eating
healthy,” said junior David Haurin,
one of Sheridan’s students.
Haurin and others in Multi-
media Storytelling that day used
a hash tag, #mhurst, to maintain
a dialog among themselves about
the video—a recorded lecture by a
University of California, Berkeley
professor.
But a problem arose when a
company hoping to conduct busi-
ness with Mercyhurst happened
to check tweets about the college.
That company, which Director of
Marketing and Public Relations
Meghan Corbin declined to iden-
tify, contacted Corbin to alert her
of what appeared to be hacker-like
activity on the Communication
Department’s Twitter account.
Corbin contacted Sheridan, who
quickly assured her it was only an
in-class project.
She said she then offered to send
both him and Dr. Anne Zaphiris a
list of blogging guidelines that her
department had been developing.
But the document that Sheridan
received, according to Corbin, was
not the one she intended him to
receive.
That document, titled “Social-
MediaPolicy.docx,” stated “stu-
dents, faculty, staff, administrators
or other parties with an interest in
Mercyhurst College” found posting
online content that contained “inac-
curate, distasteful or defamatory
commentary about Mercyhurst or
its affiliated schools/organizations”
could constitute “disciplinary action
(including) termination or other
intervention deemed appropriate
by administration.”
The second line of the docu-
ment read, “This policy is approved
by Marketing/Public Relations.”
The 900-word-plus policy was
intended to “set forth employee
guidelines for all online commu-
nications in reference to Mercy-
hurst.”
“My first thoughts were, ‘Are
you kidding me?’” said Sheridan,
who serves as an adviser to The
Merciad but did not assign, write,
edit or approve any portion of this
story. “I forwarded it to Dr. (David)
Hyland, and said, ‘They can’t do
this, can they?’”
Hyland, biology department
chair and current Faculty Senate
president, brought the document
to a Faculty Senate meeting, where
members in attendance unani-
mously rejected the policy.
But the backlash surrounding
the document’s release may have
stemmed from a simple miscom-
munication.
Corbin says “SocialMediaPolicy.
docx” was still under review in the
Marketing Department at the time
it was accidentally sent to Sheridan.
She apologized multiple times for
the uproar it caused.
“I truly apologize for the con-
fusion this may have caused,” she
said. “At this time, we do not have
a policy for employees and students
for social media guidelines.”
As for the project, Haurin
explained that Twitter can be useful
at a conference with hundreds of
people.
“Through Twitter, more voices
can be heard,” he said. “Also, if the
speaker is using the Twitter account
live, they can answer questions or
guide their presentation in a differ-
ent direction based on what people
are saying.”
And for students who wish to
participate in that backchannel dia-
logue, Corbin says there are not and
will not be college restrictions on
what they can tweet.
“I feel really bad about what hap-
pened,” she said. “We obviously
never intend to infringe on aca-
demic policies or free speech.”
See the SocialMediaPolicy.docx
in its entirety online at merciad.
mercyhurst.edu/content/social-
networking-policy. Or check out
the Communication Department
Twitter feed at twitter.com/
hurstcommdept.

Hudgins continues Literary Fest Students celebrate

By Chrissy Mihalic
Contributing writer
Last Thursday, poet Andrew
Hudgins continued Mercyhurst
College’s 2010 Literary Festival
by reading poems from his pub-
lished works, including “American
Rendering” and “Shut Up, You’re
Fine.”
Hudgins entertained the audience
with his unique sense of humor and
interesting poetry selections.
Hudgins read poems that incor-
porated serious topics, such as his
selections from “American Ren-
dering,” where he read poems that
focused on the dark side of Ameri-
can history. He changed his reading
to a more humorous subject when
he began to explain his newest
published book, “Shut Up, You’re
Fine.”
Hudgins described “Shut Up,
You’re Fine” as a book filled with
poems written for badly behaving
children. Some of these poems
Hudgins read aloud included
“Playing Houth” and “You had it
Coming.”
Many who attended the read-
ing found themselves entertained
at Hudgins’s ability to capture
the voice of the child within the
poems.
English Professor and Depart-
ment Chair Dr. Jeffrey Roessner
said, “I really love Hudgins’s work,
partly because he brings such a
unique sense of humor to his
poetry.”
After the reading, many students
were still chuckling on their way out
and expressing their amusement to
their friends.
Junior Nick Rex said, “I enjoyed
Hudgins’s ability to present topics
that entertained as well as incorpo-
rated dark humor.”
Sophomore Trevor Surgeuer
said, “I found his reading to be
intelligent as well as cynical in an
amusing way.”
The next morning students
from Dr. Greg Brown’s Intro to
Creative Writing had the oppor-
tunity to host Hudgins as a guest
speaker.
During his visit students had
the chance to ask questions and
Earth Day birthday
listen to his opinion on writing
poetry.
Hudgins also provided students
with his thoughts on applying to
grad school and the process of
writing poetry overall.
Hudgins said, “Many believe
that poetry is an instant process;
however, in actuality it takes several
drafts before a person can call a
poem complete.”
The festival will close this Thurs-
day at 8:15 p.m. in the Taylor Little
Theatre with the unveiling of the
2010 Lumen, Mercyhurst College’s
Literary Arts Magazine.
The magazine consists of works
such as poetry, short fiction, pho-
tography and artwork created by
Mercyhurst students.
Free copies of the Lumen will Shannon Malone photo
be distributed during the event, as The Green Team hosted an Earth Day Birthday bash last
well as the announcement of the
Thursday in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth
top three works from this year’s
Lumen. Day.

Check out the daily specials at the Sequoia Grill, East Street Deli and Cantina De Laker.
April 28, 2010 NEWS Page 3

Marketplace showcases talents, sells wares

By Alicia Cagle
Staff writer
The first Mercyhurst Market-
place gave students the opportunity
to experience responsibilities retail-
ers have on a daily basis.
These experiences include coor-
dinating vendors, setting displays,
pricing and promoting while oper-
ating at a profit.
The Marketplace took place
Tuesday, April 27, in the Mercy
Heritage Room from 10 a.m. to 6
p.m.
The Retail Management Class
taught by assistant professor of
marketing Jill Slomski hosted the
event.
Tyler Stauffer photo The Marketplace was a place
The Mercyhurst College community purchased goods made where students, faculty and staff
by students at the first Mercyhurst Marketplace. The Market- could showcase their talents and sell
place took place on Tuesday, April 27. their wares.
An estimated 18 vendors were at
the Marketplace. The vendors sold
items including paintings, photog-
raphy, jewelry, plants, international
desserts, corn hole and gourmet
dog treats.
Mercyhurst sophomore Court-
ney Clair purchased a “Stop the War
in MyRaq” shirt from the Fashion
Club’s table.
Fashion Merchandising majors
senior Amber Valdiserri and sopho-
more Michele Colangelo explained
that all of the jewelry they were sell-
ing was student-made. Fashion stu-
dents designed the shirts that were
sold at their table as well.
Another vendor at the Market-
place was Jordan Potratz, represent-
ing his family’s business, Potratz
Floral Shop and Greenhouse.
“(The Marketplace) is a great
opportunity for young artists to get
their name out there,” Potratz said.
He said the Marketplace is a
good way to put the word out for
his family’s business.
Senior Andrea Moncada, a stu-
dent in the Retail Management
Class, ran an international desserts
table with the help of her friends
and roommates.
They said they decided to sell
desserts because of their love of
and “mad skills” for baking.
Slomski came up with the idea
of the Marketplace because she
wanted the students in her class to
have a retail lab experience. The
Marketplace turned out better than
Slomski expected.
“It came together beautifully,”
Slomski said.
She said she hopes vendors are
able to sell all their products and
that the event will take place again
next year.
Ten percent of each vendor’s
profits will be donated to the Mercy
Center for Women.

’Hurst continues ‘green’ efforts News Briefs

by going 100 percent wind
By Chelsee Callahan
Staff writer
One major issue facing the world today is climate
change. Mercyhurst College is doing its part to help this
problem by investing in 100 percent wind power.
The announcement to go 100 percent wind was
made during the college’s Earth Week celebration.
Mercyhurst has been striving to go green with the
Green Team, having recycling bins on campus, the
“Earth tube” and the Senior Gift of the green roof on
Zurn Hall.
Wind power is the next step to being green.
“Combined with prior investments in geothermal
and solar energy, and our ongoing efforts to improve
energy efficiency and conservation, Mercyhurst’s move
to 100 percent wind power illustrates the commitment
we have made toward our long-term goal of carbon
emissions neutrality,” President Dr. Thomas J. Gamble
said.
Going 100 percent wind power starts off by pur-
Online
chasing all the electricity from the regional wind farms,
a project that is financially backed by Community
Energy.
The plan to use only wind power has been in place
for a while.
The college purchased the initial wind energy at 10
percent seven years ago. This amount was increased to
30 percent in 2008 and now 100 percent in 2010.
The college will pay $10,000 less annually for energy
by using 100 percent wind.
Some students may wonder how having energy pro-
duced only by wind will affect how they use energy
around campus. In fact, not a lot will change.
Dr. Chris Magoc, the Green Team chair explained,
“It will work as it has for the last 7 years – the lights and
computers will continue to come on whenever we flip
the switch, but we can do so now with the good feeling
that at all times, the restless power of the winds that
blow across this planet are powering this campus. This
is a profound expression of the Mercyhurst commit-
ment to global responsibility.”
Mercyhurst will be the fifth college in Pennsylvania
to go 100 percent wind.
Event to help students network
The Communication Department is hosting a symposium
and reception for journalism students and advisers to have an
opportunity to network with Pennsylvania newspaper profes-
sionals. The event will take place on Tuesday, May 4. Panelists
will speak in Walker Recital Hall from 6 to 7:30 p.m. A recep-
tion will follow in Cummings Art Gallery from 7:45 to 9 p.m.
Student wins award to study abroad
Thanks to a weekend of generally polite, responsible behav-
ior, students will once again have access to the EMTA shuttle
Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights beginning April 29.
“Our last weekend we had students behaving responsibly
and articulating their appreciation for the service,” Darcy
Kemp, director of Student Engagement and Leadership Devel-
opment, said.
According to Kemp, some students even gave the driver
thank you cards.

‘Drunk bus’ driving The Mercyhurst Merciad.

back to Mercyhurst Police Log Mercyhurst.edu/News
Page 4 FEATURES April 28, 2010

One of Mercyhurst’s own fights ruthless disease

By Brendan Hardy
Contributing writer
If you have ever spent any time in the Stu-
dent Union or Campus Ministry, you may
have seen or talked to her.
She’s a little lady with a gleeful smile that
lights up any room she may walk into. She has
a presence about her of strength and deter-
mination.
She has always been ready to put someone
else’s needs before her own.
Who is this mystery woman, you may be
asking yourselves?
She is my mom, Nell Hardy, and she man-
ages all of this and her job at Campus Min-
istry, even while carrying the life-threatening
burden of the disease ALS on her shoul-
ders.
ALS is a horrible disease affecting hundreds
of thousands of people around the country
for which there is no cure.
The disease ruthlessly shuts down the body
part by part, leading the victim down a long
and painful road to their demise.
My mom was diagnosed with this disease in
May 2009.
This uncomfortable reality has certainly
settled in with my mom, but the steadfast
optimist in her keeps chugging along as if
nothing was wrong.
She still works reliably five days a week at
the Student Union and takes a writing class
here, even after being forced to reduce her
schedule to part-time hours because of the
toll on her body.
Though currently without a cure for this
deadly disease, there is still hope of a better
future for ALS victims such as my mom.
The beginning of May marks the start of
National ALS Awareness Month, a month-
long effort aimed at increasing public under-
standing of ALS disease.
My family, in order to donate our time and
effort to this noteworthy cause, is taking part
in a Walk to Defeat ALS on May 15 in New
York City.
We will be walking three miles through Man-
hattan with hundreds of other people whose
lives have also been afflicted by ALS.
This is my invitation to all of you to show
your awareness of this horrible disease and its
victims such as my mom, Nell.
Showing your support for our team, the
“Friends of Nell,” is as easy as visiting the
Web site, http://web.alsa.org/goto/friends_
of_nell, and clicking the ‘Join Team’ button at
the bottom of the page.
This simple action will help us to both raise
funds that will go toward research of this
horrible disease, and help to rid the tragedy
of ALS from my mom’s life and from hun-
dreds of thousands of others.
You can also just stop in to Campus Ministry Ethan Magoc photo
and say hello. She would love the company.
Nell Hardy was diagnosed with ALS in
My mom is hard to miss. She’ll be the one
behind the desk with the welcoming smile. May 2009.

Class project yields ‘sweet’ job position

By Jennifer McCurdy
Staff writer
During winter term, graphic design
students in Jodi Staniunas-Hopper’s
Corporate Identity and Branding
class participated in a contest to
produce the best logo for local Erie
businesses.
This year, the Small Business
Development Center helped Mer-
cyhurst College connect with four
Erie businesses: Engineered Plas-
tics Inc. (EPI), Pulakos Chocolates,
Natural Options, and Scattergun
Reserve.
The class divided into groups, and
each group was assigned a client for
which to design a logo. The winning
group produced a logo for Pulakos
Chocolates. Its members included
junior Debbie Brunner, post-BA
Samantha Ciprich, junior Laura
McCarty, post-BA Bryan Morphy
and junior Samantha Williams.
Staniunas-Hopper explained that
early in the process, students pro-
vided a client with 100 images
which could be used to interpret
the company’s character or goal.
This visual sort allowed students
to better communicate with clients,
whose descriptions often did not
match those of the visual-minded
graphic design students.
“The process is not about the one
image,” Staniunas-Hopper said. “It’s
about the other 99 pictures, too.”
“The process was very in-depth
and involved many steps, but the
most important one for the design
was our communication with the
clients of Pulakos Chocolates,”
Williams said.
Although the group did not win
a prize, Williams did find summer
employment during the project.
She will work for Pulakos Choco-
lates over the summer to further her
involvement in their branding pro-
cess, and she noted that she looked
forward to the “sweet experience”
of learning how to make chocolate.
Read the unabridged
version of this article online.

Sophomore Hanna Blashock Senior Alyssa Magnone... Senior Jennifer Wheaton will...
will intern at The Westin Hilton is going to be an intern at Mount be interning at the Erie Maritime
Head Island Resort & Spa in Vernon Museum.
South Carolina.
“It will be a big change for “I am really excited for this posi- “I’m very excited to gain practical
me, being so far away from tion. The History and Archaeol- experience in the public history
home, but I know that I will ogy Departments have definitely field at a great museum!”
learn a lot and meet a lot of prepared me for this challenging
great people there.” position. It’s a great opportunity,
and I can’t wait to start!”
If you have an internship or a job waiting for you this summer, send us your photo to featuremerciad@mercyhurst.edu

Your weekly report Fire Merciad.

Online

Teacher
from Dungarvan, Video Game department
An Erieite
Features: of the Week: offers ‘hot’ Appetite: Mercyhurst.
Ireland:
Dr. Argaez &
Dr. Roberts
Exploring the Mall World live-in program Andy’s Pub edu/Features
Atlantic Coast
April 28, 2010 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 5

’Hurst dancers to perform in different styles

department will culminate the cele-
By Sarah Mastrocola bration of its 35th anniversary with
Staff writer the spring concert “35 Years: An
Anniversary Gala.” Performances
This weekend at the Mary will take place Saturday, May 1, at
D’Angelo Performing Arts Center 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, May
(PAC), the Mercyhurst dance 2, at 2 p.m.
Tyler Stauffer photo
Mercyhurst dancers will perform in a wide variety of styles,
ranging from classical to contemporary.
The dance concert will feature
several different ballet pieces, both
classical and neo-classical, along
with some contemporary pieces.
“We are here to produce profes-
sional ballet dancers, and so I feel it
is fitting that we conclude our anni-
versary season with works showing
an evolution of ballet from the 20th
and 21st centuries,” dance depart-
ment Chair Tauna Hunter said.
The first act of the show will
present “Les Sylphides,” a white
ballet from the early 1900s Roman-
tic era, with original choreography
by Michael Fokine and music by
Frederic Chopin.
This work, though not story-
based, is characterized by the
ethereal sylphs, which are fairy-
like creatures that flit through the
woods while pursued by a young
male poet.
The second half of the perfor-
mance will include several shorter
pieces choreographed by Mercy-
hurst dance faculty and guest art-
ists. “The Piano,” choreographed
by Tauna Hunter, is set to the
music of Alberto Ginestra and will
be performed live by guest pianist
Lucia Unrau of Bluffton University
in Ohio. Assistant professor Mark
Santillano has also choreographed
a work, “Rhapsody sur le Pointe,”
to music by George Gershwin,
which will make its premiere in
this show.
Guest artist Carter Alexander,
principal teacher of the Miami
City Ballet School, set a work while
he was in residence in the dance
department which will also be
performed in “35 Years: An Anni-
versary Gala.” His choreography,
“Petite Dances,” features music by
Darius Milhaud and “challenges the
dancers to work in the ‘Balanchine
style’ of movement,” Hunter said.
Acclaimed choreographer and
director Bruce Marks taught at the
Mercyhurst Summer Dance Experi-
ence last summer, and during that
time he set two pas de deux pieces
on the Mercyhurst dancers. One
of these dances, “Inscape,” which
reveals a dysfunctional relation-
ship between the two dancers in the
piece, will appear in this weekend’s
performance.
As has also been true of the
other dance department concerts
this year, “35 Years: An Anniversary
Gala” will include alumni perfor-
mances as part of the anniversary
celebration. Christine VanSchaick
Geren (1998), now a dancer with
the Albany Berkshire Ballet, will
dance Fokine’s famous “Dying
Swan” to the unforgettable music
by Camille Saint-Saëns.
Valerie Nezich (2005) and Brian
Walker (2006), both of whom
are currently dancers with Ballet
Theatre of Maryland (BTM), will
perform “Primal Dreams,” choreo-
graphed by BTM Artistic Director
Dianna Cuatto and set to music by
Cybertribe.
Tickets for “35 Years: An Anni-
versary Gala” are just $1 with a valid
Mercyhurst student ID and can be
purchased at the PAC box office, or
by calling extension 3000.

Dancer profile: Eliza Quigley heads to Disney

By Emma Rishel
Staff writer
1. What drew you, Eliza Quig-
ley to Mercyhurst?
I found Mercyhurst only by its
dance department, although after
visiting the school for my audition,
I really liked how it was more of a
small community on campus rather
than a huge student body that had
nothing to do with one another.
2. When did you start danc-
ing?
I started doing ballet when I was
four, although I absolutely hated it
after a year. I continued with what
I really liked, which was gymnas-
tics, but when I was about eight,
my mom decided I needed more
structure. I guess I was becoming
too much of a “wild child,” as she
said, so she put me back into ballet
classes, and I’ve loved it ever since!
3. What do you hope to do
with your dance degree?
After graduation I will be danc-
ing with Walt Disney World Enter-
tainment. I’m not really sure of the
direction I want to take my dancing
in after that. However, I also have
a business minor and would like to
be able to use the two together to
work on the administrative side of
a large ballet company.
4. Why did you decide to
become an ambassador?
I thought it would be nice to
show others what drew me to the
college and why I loved it. Having
two older siblings, I’ve been through
my fair share of boring monotone
college tours. I wanted to be able to
give prospective students a chance
to really see the campus how I see
it, and what it can offer, although
the scholarship and the résumé
builder don’t hurt either.
5. Is there any type of dance
style that you prefer, such as
modern, contemporary ballet,
or classical ballet?
I like classical and contemporary
ballet the best.
7. What is one of the most
valuable things you have learned
through your college experi-
ence?
To go after exactly what you
want. Don’t let anyone tell you that
it’s not possible. I’ve seen plenty of
my friends, including me, accom-
plish goals that were originally told
to be “impossible.”
8. What do you like the most
about the dance department?
I love that we’re more like a
family than a department. I know
that anyone in the department
would support me, and vice versa,
in times of need.
9. Have you done any com-
pany auditions?
I have auditioned for cruise lines
and Disney, but no companies so
far. I know that I want to be in the
Orlando area to continue my work
with Disney, but while I’m there I
have found some small contem-
porary ballet companies that I
would like to audition for once I’m
settled. Even though I won’t nec-
essarily be doing ballet in Disney,
I will definitely keep taking classes
in the area.
10. Do you have any plans for
after graduation yet?
As I said before, I’m going back
down to Disney World. I’m actu-
ally participating in their college
program for the second time. It
is an easier way for the schedul-
ers and trainers to get to know me
once again, as well as an easier way
to transition into a full-time posi-
tion once my internship is finished
in January. Tyler Stauffer photo
An unnabridged version of this article After graduation, Quigley will be dancing with Walt Disney
can be found online.
World Entertainment.
Page 6
The views expressed in the opinion section of The Merciad do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercyhurst College, the staff of The Merciad
or the Catholic Church. Responses on any subject are always welcomed and can be e-mailed to opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu.
Historical handshake causes stir
How one small gesture could have a huge impact
World War II to build true partner-
By Devin Ruic ship.”
The article references the hand-
Staff writer
shake at the Elbe, where American
and Soviet troops met just days
before the defeat of Nazi Germany,
There are times where it is diffi- as the specific type of cooperation
cult to find the precise topic I want that is required between the two
to discuss on a weekly basis. countries today.
Sometimes, I have got to dig Whereas the American and
through the entire week’s news
Soviet troops did indeed meet at
material in order to find something the Elbe, and whereas there was
intriguing enough that I can write an a mutual enemy between the two
article about it. I contemplate topics forces, it seems that President
I can intelligently debate to cause a Obama is overlooking a significant
conversation with my peers. portion of the last century in order
Thankfully, this process usually to find an example of cooperation
unearths a wonderful little gem that between the two nations.
I can show all of you next Wednes- What is being overlooked by
day. the American administration is the
This week was one of those nearly 50 years during which the
weeks, and I am glad for it. two countries were diametrically
Thanks to the Reuters news net- opposed to one another to the
work, I stumbled across an article degree that both governments were
reading, “U.S. President Barack more comfortable with the idea of
Obama and Russian counterpart Mutually Assured Destruction than
Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday defeat.
their nations need the spirit of While the handshake at the
mutual trust they enjoyed during Elbe was an historical event of
Addressing tough issues head on
Why it is important to discuss the obstacles in your life
I took a deep breath and started
By Victoria
Gricks to talk.
I told him how my obsession
Staff writer
with weight had gotten worse, and
I tried explaining what I thought
Frantic, I called my best friend about the issue. When I was done,
and asked what he was doing. When I sighed and glanced away. I was
he replied with a simple ‘nothing,’ ashamed.
I asked him if he wanted to go to Several seconds later, I looked up,
Egan with me. Thankfully, he said only to see the disappointed expres-
yes. sion on his face. I felt bad, because
As soon as we got there, we got I knew he was upset by what I had
our food and found a table. Even told him.
though I was kind of hungry, I had However, as cliché as this might
no interest in eating; instead, I just sound, it felt like a weight had been
moved everything around on my lifted from my shoulders. I had
plate with my fork. finally admitted my problem and
There was a lot on my mind, but could begin getting help.
I didn’t know how to begin. There comes a time when you
So, we sat there in silence for a have to take a look in the mirror and
couple minutes. I took a few bites ask yourself if you’re happy. And
of my salad, though, which was not that fake-smile, forced-laugh,
good. pretend-to-have-a-good-time hap-
Anyway, after a while, I realized I piness. I’m talking about the real,
should say something. genuine kind.
OPINION April3,28,2008
September 2010
Online Opinion Section...
some significance, the “spirit of This I Believe: It’s nice to be nice
the Elbe” referred to by Presidents
Obama and Medvedev is not poi- While most of us learned to say our pleases and thank yous
gnant enough to base new relations at a young age, Katie Wagner reminds us that manners can
on–much as the Christmas Truce take us a long way. Read her refreshing article about the
between Allied and German forces importance of being respectful.
during World War I did not endear
the French and British nations to
the German people in the lead-up Have an opinion you want to express?
to World War II. Medvedev has
Become a staff writer for the opinion
already declared that he and the
Russian Federation are not afraid section. If interested, send an e-mail
of a new Cold War. to opinionmerciad@mercyhurst.edu
The relations between the Rus-
sian Federation and the United
States ought to necessarily stay
lukewarm until the Russian gov- merciad.mercyhurst.edu
ernment can agree upon the sover-
eignty of its smaller, former Soviet
neighbors.It would be a mistake for
the Obama administration to have
relations with Russia in the same
way that President Roosevelt had
relations with Uncle Joseph Stalin.
Papa Putin is not America’s
friend, and this should be remem-
bered carefully, lest we endear an
enemy of the state to the American
If you don’t want it printed . . . don’t let it happen.
people. Editors Positions @mercyhurst.edu
JoEllen Marsh Editor-in-Chief editormerciad
Kelly Luoma
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News Editor
Features Editor
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If the answer is ‘yes,’ then con- Nick Glasier Sports Editor sportsmerciad
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gratulations – you’re one of the
few. If it’s ‘no,’ then you need to do Sam Williams Graphics photomerciad
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big and small. Ethan Johns Web Editor ejohns89
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to change.
No one is perfect, no matter how Brian Sheridan Adviser bsheridan
hard they try. I will be the first to
tell you that, for the longest time, The Merciad is the official student-produced newspaper of Mercyhurst
I thought I could be. After almost
College. It is published throughout the school year, with the exception of
five years of trying, though, I have
come to terms with the truth: Per- finals weeks. Our office is in Hirt, Room 120B. Our telephone number is
fection is only a figment of the (814) 824-2376.
imagination.
If I – one of the most stubborn The Merciad welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed
19-year-old girls you will ever meet
– can swallow my pride and admit
and names will be included with the letters. Although we will not edit the
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April 28, 2010 Sports Page 7

Spracklen: Mercyhurst’s model of success

By Nick Glasier
Sports Editor
Head men’s and women’s rowing
coach Adrian Spracklen is the
model of athletic success at Mercy-
hurst College.
Spracklen is the only coach
at Mercyhurst to win an NCAA
National Championship.
He coached the women’s rowing
team to the 2004 NCAA Division
II National Championship.
Spracklen, however, did have to
grow to fully accept this role as head
coach and to embrace the shadow
that his father casts over him.
Spracklen’s father Mike Spracklen
is the Canadian National Rowing
Team coach and has won multiple
gold and silver medals at the Olym-
pics.
Spracklen, a native of Marlow,
England, graduated from Mer-
cyhurst in 1990 with a bachelor’s
degree in sports medicine and went
on to get his master’s at Western
Michigan University.
because he is good, and it is hard
trying to be as good as the best,”
Spracklen said.
After the first few seasons of
coaching under his belt, “I began to
lose the fear of the name when the
success began to come,” Spracklen
said. “With that, I began to loosen
up a little.”
The shadow his father casts
over him was not the only problem
Spracklen had to deal with when
he first came to Mercyhurst as a
coach.
When Spracklen first came to
Mercyhurst, the program was vastly
different from the way things are
now.
“When I was rowing here we
Tyler Stauffer photo had a lot of talent, but it never
Mercyhurst College’s head men’s and women’s rowing coach materialized, and there was a lot
Adrian Spracklen and his “Traits of a Champion.” of turnover in terms of coaches,”
Spracklen came back to Mercy- split title as coach/athletic trainer Spracklen said.
hurst in 1992 as an athletic trainer, and much of that had to deal with “When I first came in, I really
and rowing coach. this monster I had created in regards changed the culture and really
The split title spoke volumes to my father,” Spracklen said. began to focus the team. Conse-
about the reserve that Spracklen “When people hear my name, quently, one-third of the team quit
was having about his decision. they automatically think of my that year,” Spracklen said.
“I came to Mercyhurst with a father and think I might be good However, Spracklen felt he
weeded out the rowers who weren’t
serious about rowing.
“I felt we just lost the ‘country
club’ rowers, and those who really
wanted to row stuck around and
got better,” Spracklen said.
The emphasis on focus and a
winning attitude has been a staple
of Spracklen’s during his tenure at
Mercyhurst.
“Right now we have a list of
traits of a champion posted on
the wall in the rowing room, and
each rower is to memorize those,”
Spracklen said.
“We focus on one trait each
week and it helps to keep the mental
focus,” Spracklen said.
The approach has seemingly
worked for both teams this year.
“The teams have been perform-
ing really well. The level of focus
and the competition on both teams
has been very high. They have really
taken the high expectations seri-
ously,” Spracklen said.
For the rest of this article,
go to merciad.mercyhurst.edu/
Spracklen.

No-no fails to impress

As it turns out, more
By Devon Swanson than a few pitchers have
Columnist thrown no-no’s with
more than a couple
walks.
On April 17, Ubaldo Jimenez threw the first no-
Randy Johnson (6)
hitter in Colorado Rockies’ history.
and Sandy Koufax (5)
As a disclaimer, I could never hope to pitch as well
are the most notable
as Jimenez, and he has more talent than I could ever
names on the list, and
hope to have.
A.J. Burnett holds the
He also did something I could never hope to do.
That being said, Jimenez walked six batters in his
record with nine walks HOUSE FOR RENT
AP photo in his no-hitter on May 3928 LAKE PLEASANT RD.
no-hitter, and it’s just a little troubling to me.
Colorado 12, 2001. LARGE 3 BEDROOM 1.5 BATH
For starters, six walks is the equivalent of two full
Rockies pitcher Jim Maloney had 10 ALL APPLIANCES INCLUDING WASHER, DRYER & DISH-
innings of hitters.
Ubaldo Jimenez. walks in a 10-inning no-
Though Jimenez didn’t do this, a pitcher could WASHER
hitter in 1965, but this
intentionally walk the best power hitters (likely FULLY INSULATED ATTIC AND WALLS (SUMMER OF 2009)
game isn’t considered a
numbers 3 and 4 in the lineup) or best contact hit- NEWER FURNACE, CENTRAL AIR
no-hitter anymore because it was broken up in the
ters (the leadoff man and second) in each of their RENT:
11th inning.
first three at-bats and really only pitch to them once.
Ubaldo Jimenez pitched a gem on April 17, and he $1,101.00/ MONTH- TENANTS RESPONSIBLE FOR LAWN
This would make pitching this no-hitter considerably
easier for Jimenez.
deserves some serious recognition for it. CUTTING
Six walks or not, Jimenez became the first Rockies $1,200.00/ MONTH-LANDLORD CUTS LAWN
In addition, a pitcher with 6 BB could walk six
pitcher to throw a no-hitter, and he’ll be remembered CONTACT:
batters in a row and lose a complete game no-hitter
for it forever. As a final poke in the ribs, though, I JON CONNOLE
by a score of 3-2, 3-1, or 3-0.
would like to point out that there have been 264 no-
In order to back up my claim, I looked on Baseball 814-881-2087
hitters since 1876, but only 18 of those were perfect
Reference (baseball-reference.com).
games.
Page 8
Kimball enjoying every minute of AD job
By Billy Colton
Staff writer
Being an athletic director at any
level can be a stressful and extremely
time-consuming job. A person also
has to be organized, with different
sports going on at the same time.
He or she, therefore, needs to
have a very supportive staff of
administrators and coaches to help
them.
Luckily, this is true at Mercy-
hurst.
“We have a great staff, we have
an environment where people want
to work and we work with an open-
door policy. I have had input from
coaches, suggestions that they want
and need for their sport, the way
they have approached me has all
been positive,” said Joe Kimball,
who took over as athletic director
in July 2009.
Kimball says he feels good that
Baseball aims to shake up PSAC playoffs
By Matt Cirell
Contributing writer
The Mercyhurst College men’s
baseball team came out victorious
on Friday, April 23, defeating the
Clarion University Golden Eagles.
In the doubleheader, the Lakers
beat the Eagles 11-2 in the first
game and 12-7 in the second game.
Earning himself a home run
was freshman first baseman Bill
“Avatar” Grestenslager. He cranked
the ball so far past the right-field
fence that it hit the roof of the
Mercyhurst Ice Rink.
“We call him ‘Avatar’ because
he is about 6 feet, 7 inches tall. He
has the ideal frame for playing first
base,” sophomore Jaasiel Rivera
said.
Sophomore Ethan Santora had
the biggest impact at the plate, hit-
ting six for nine, scoring two runs
and driving in three RBIs.
Junior pitcher Nick Gillung, from
Punxsutawney, Pa., was a major
Mercyhurst College’s Athletic Director Joe Kimball is nearing
the end of his first year at the helm.
the coaches want to communicate
with him, and that they have pro-
vided good ideas on facilities and
improvements.
With the help of his supportive
staff, Kimball has endured an enjoy-
able first year as athletic director.
“It’s been hectic and very cha-
otic, but I love it. It’s all about ath-
Mercyhurst College senior baseball player Adam Gray looks to
help carry the Lakers deep into the playoffs.
factor in the win for the Lakers,
pitching six innings and allowing
one earned run on eight hits while
striking out four and walking one.
Head coach Joe Spano congrat-
ulated the team by saying it was
a good win. At the same time, he
warned the team that the next few
games will not be easy.
“Mental preparation is going to
Sports
Tyler Stauffer photo
letics, and I feel very blessed that I
love what I’m doing and wake up
looking forward to going to work,”
Kimball said.
The hours can sometimes be
long, with games late at night, but
Kimball says he doesn’t consider
watching games to be work because
of how much he enjoys it.
Ethan Magoc photo
be a big factor in our success if we
expect to win,” Spano said.
This victory launched the Lakers
into the third seed at the Pennsylva-
nia State Athletic Conference West
division tournament. They will play
Kutztown University on Wednes-
day, April 28, in Johnstown.
“We will go over scouting reports
and practice executing bunts and
One can often see Kimball at
games, as he tries to attend as many
as possible. He says he has built
a rapport with athletes in most
sports. He cites the great atmo-
sphere around the sports teams as
a way to keep young.
Kimball is especially proud of
the fact that there are a total of 568
athletes at Mercyhurst with a aver-
age GPA of 3.1. He believes this a
great compliment to the coaches, as
there are quality student-athletes at
the college.
Kimball was a two-sport athlete
in football and wrestling. He has
been able to get to where he has
today because of the education
he received, and he recognizes the
demands of being a student-ath-
lete.
There are, though, frustrations
of the job.
“I wish we could get things in
place right away, but we have to
consider money, time and planning.
I don’t like sitting still, which keeps
hit-and-runs. We will also work on
our defense to prepare for the tour-
nament,” Rivera said.
The winner of the eight-team
tournament will receive an auto-
matic bid to the NCAA Atlantic
Regional Tournament.
The Lakers are doing well, but
tough competition remains on the
rest of their schedule.
Indiana University of Pennsyl-
vania is ranked first in the PSAC
April 28, 2010
me going. We have to have the best
interest for all programs,” Kimball
said.
“There are frustrating times,
as you can’t please everybody, but
that’s life. People leave my office
disappointed, but they understand
because they know we’re fighting
for them.”
There are no major plans in place
right now for the athletics depart-
ment, Kimball said. They are, how-
ever, working on some small things
to improve facilities for games and
practices.
Kimball does have long-term
plans, saying, “I want to see
improvements in 3-5 years, and to
continue to recruit quality student-
athletes.”
“I love what I’m doing, and I
respect the people I’m working
with. The administration are listen-
ing to us and our ideas, and I hope
this continues,” Kimball said with
a smile, evident that he is enjoying
every moment as athletic director.
West, while California University of
Pennsylvania is ranked second.
The Lakers will play both of
these teams in a split series, mean-
ing they will play California for two
games and Indiana for two games.
Despite a tough schedule, the
Lakers have confidence in their
ability to win.
“It’s going to be a grind, but I see
us coming [out] on top,” Rivera said
about his expectations.