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mm JNHE&UBBVOL 70 NO. 10 MERCYHUHST COLLEGE, GLENWOOD HILLS, ERIE, PA. 16546 December 12,1996

M o r e T h a n H a l f a M i l l i o n A p p r o v e d f o r L i b r a r y A u t o m a t iby Shannon BaganMerciad Contributing WriterWith increasing access toInternet resources and incessantupgrades on academic computersoftware, the seemingly archaicsystem of ndex card cataloguingand more advanced library tech-nology, such as Infotrac and Mi-crofiche, is becom ing thoroughlyout-da ted. In order to satisfy the"net-surfingwgen era tion ofschol-ars, innovations in many libraryfacilities throughout the worldhave been revolutionizing the ac-

quisition of library materials in amanner unlike any prior systemof managementvia the WorldWide Weband Telnet Thanka toa new grant, theHammermill Li-brary will soon jo in the ranks ofother Web-linked colleges anduniversities wor ld-wide.

On Dec. 5, the board of trusteesof the college authorized an ex-penditure of slightly more than$500,000 to automate theHammermill Library, litis "au-tomation" goes far beyond thecurrent employment of Infotracand electroniccard cataloguepro-grams, with which many libraryusers are fa mil iar. The core of henew system does not lie in thetraditional electronic method of

meets the automated card cata-logue," but in addition i grantsaccess to library collections inmany parts ofthe world, all onthesame At J tputer.d For approximately one year, thelibrary ata ff under the direction oiDean Roy Strausbaugh has de-veloped the specifications fortheparticular management systemgoal, reviewed the literature on avariety of such automated Web-linked libraries, and researchedveteran libraries o f the system interms o f acquisition and circula-tion of library materials in orderto locate and modify a systemappropriate for the needs o f thecollege. The staff ultimatelyadopted a system from thepany Innovative Interfaces, Inc.which should be on-line next fa ll.

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CD ROM software, but rather,dials directly into a large data-base that is updated daily in orderthat library patrons may 'accessthe most recent academic materi-als. iThe system further allows forthe very same program to searchtopics on books and periodicalsin local, regions lv and World-Wide Web sites via the InternetIn other words, not only is thesystem tantamount to Infotrac

"It will take us from the back ofthe pack, where we are now, witha card catalogue with cards in itto, quitefrankly, he best in thewhole area," Strausbaughmented. I t will be a world classsystem.19

In order to prepare for its im-minent automation, the library hasbeen placing all the books listedin the current card catalogue onelectronic file, witha company inColumbus, Ohio,for he past sev-cral years. The electronic filestores all the records accordingto author, title, and the varioussubjects the book may include.This multi-categorization of ma-terials will later be installed intothe new system which has severalsearch vehicles capable of refer-encing books under these areas*In addition to easy referencing,the program will link the various

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Saturday snd Sunday, De c 21 and 22Monday,Dec 23 snd Wednesday, De c 24 and 25Thursday snd Friday, Dec. 26 and 27 Saturday and Sunday, De c 28 and29Monday, Dec 30Tuesday snd W ednesday, Dec 31 snd Jan. 1Thursday and Wednesday, Jan 2 and 3Saturday snd Sunday, Jan 4 and 5Monday, Jan 6

Closed9AM-4PMClosed10AM-2PMClosed : S]10AM-2PMClosed ;;9AM-4PMClosed ,Resumes Regular

libraries housed in both the mainand North East campuses.Students in the music and cur-riculum libraries will be able topinpoint the location of m aterialsin the Hammermill and North Eastlibraries as well as in their cur-rent location. Although much ofthe reference material will be lo-

compiled and will automaticallybe transferred into the book's filein the card catalogue. Th e sec-ond it is on the shelf, it's availableon the card catalogue for patronsto search,* remarkedStrausbaugh.Likewise, in materials manage-ment; bar-codes on borrowedis will be cross-referenced

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cated in the database, additionalCD ROM programs will beavail-able, such as a criminal justiceindex. Teacher reserve m aterialsand class syllabi will further beaccessible to students simply bytyping the instructor's name. *j|The new s ystem notonly facili-tates the acquisition of librarymaterials for the student, but thestaff as well. Bar-coding ofiks, similar to that of productsin shopping markets, will a llowfor ease In new purchase cata-loguing as well as materials man-agementInthe purchasing ofnewiks, bar-code records will be

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srtri.

with students9

social securitynumbers. This ensures better careof one of the college's largest as-sets. As for overdue books,Strausbaugh said, "the day thatbook is past due the computerwill spit-out a letter to yo u auto-matically."As "the beginning of an elec-tronic support for the educationalenterprise for instruction,1*Strausbaugh termed thenew sys-tem, the library database will fur-ther be accessible to faculty andsta ff through their own office PCStudents will also be able tobrowse through the library directly

from th eir own apa rtmloom, as soon as campprovides Internet hoostudents. Another fututhe system includes thto download the wholearticle for on-screen viIt's going to take a loand a lot of traininStrausbaugh, includingtion of a name for the program as many coluniversitiesfindacronfor their systems.ing of Laker ss a nameou s res sons," rStrausbaugh. He woullike to give credit to thall their hard work ithis system.For previewing j Innoterface s systems simone to be used in the HLibrary youmake accegram through "Yahoo"Innovative Interfaces

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M(3 Nwss Holiday Festivities This Weekeby Melissa LangMerciad Writer

At 8:30 p.m. on M onday, De c9, the Mercyhurst Student Gov-ernment held its weekly meetingupstairs in the Union.SAC Chairperson, BrianMarshall reminded all represen-tatives that any information forthe January calendar must beturned in to the SAC office Ibis

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week. SAC will also be takingany information for the Februarycalendar at this time.

The Freedom Zone recentlypurchased a zip drivefor he FZputer. The zip drive will helpwith the layout work as well asthe printing of the m agazine. Edi-tor Kevin Segedi told reps to lookfor the December H oliday issuearof the FZ to be" out sometimebefore winter break. -.# .*J '

i President, Stacey Fjtreminded' students thmas on Campus is thisAll interested should sig! Union. There will be d. in the Union on FridayChristmas on Campusday afternoon from 1 and the annual Candleat 10 p.m. in the GreatSunday night! # ' * I I - > .

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PAGE 2 THEMERCIAI) December 12,1996CampusHanukkah at the Hurst:Students Celebrate Jewish Festival of Lights

I:Mby Chris WlMerciad WriterA couple of hours after the sunhad set on Thursday, Dec 12,Mercyhurst students gathered inthe basement of the HermannUnion to light candles in themcnorah and celebrate the eighthand final night of Hanukkah lathe Jewish year 5757. Thosepresent had the chance to samplela kes, potato pancakes fried inoil, and gamble for pennies withdraydels,four-sided ops with adifferent Hebrew letter on each

side.'*Senior History major MeredithToback said that she considersHanukkah to be a holiday that Is"parallel to A merican Indepen-dence Day celebrated onJuly 4th,because we are remembering atime when Jews were able to freethemselvesfromoppressive tyr-anny. It'snothing like Christmas.Although the holiday la not evenidered important enough totake offfromwork or school, it'ssoil significant enough to be re-membered."Although there are at least fiv eholidays which are more impor-tant in Judaism,Hanukkah is themost widely observed Jewish fes-tival after Passover, according toRabbi Harold Kushncr, author ofthe recent book To Life! Obvi-ously, this is pa rtly because of the

holiday'sproximity to Christmaswhich provides Jewish peoplewith an opportunity to affirm theirreligious identities during a timeof the year usually set aside forfamily get-togethers.Nevertheless, the practice ofgift-giving pre-dates the empha-sis on presents placed upon theseason by the celebration ofChrist's birth. During the MiddleAges, East European Jews beganthe tradition o f giving out moneyor "gelt" on the fifth night ofHanukkah. Today, Hanukkah ge ltis still given, but it is usually inthe shape of round chocolate"coins" wrapped in golden foil.R Without Hanukkah, Christmasas we know it would

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likelynot even exist today* Like manyother ancient peoples, the Jewswould have been completely as-similated into Greek culture morethan a century before the birth ofChrist i * r f 2As s result, the week-long festi-val of lights marks a victory byJewish rebels more than 2,100yearsago. Under Greek Seleucidrule, Jewish religious practice wasdeclared illegal. A group of Jew-ish peasants, who came I to becalled the Maccabees, rose up anddefeated the Greek rulers andtablished a brief period of inde-pendent rule in the territory ofJudah.4 j * ?!After regaining / .Hi the

Temple in Jerusalemfrom hen-oppressors, the victorious Jewsrededicated the sanctuary wherethe main altar had been defiledwith burnt offerings of pigs. Con-sequently, the Hebrew word fordedication,"Hanukkah, lends itsname to the holiday.For diefirst ime in three years,wthe Jewish people led by theMaccabees were finally able tocelebrate the autumn harvest fes-tivals that arerequiredby theTorah. A few centuries later, theTalmudic rabbis were less manenthusiastic about a Jewish holi-

day which is not even included inthe Jewish Bible and which cel-ebrates a military victory. To ex*plain the holiday's religious sig-nificance, they included a story inthe traditional writings shout themiraculous lamps inthe temple'smenorah which kept burning foreight days even after all of thenecessary olive oil ran outEver since, Hanukkah has beenobserved as a time of ight in themidst of the darkest season of theyear. It is also areminder hatJewish people have survivedoften as a minority and some-times in the face of apparentlyinsurmountable odds- primarilybecause o fa cautious willingnessto change with the times, whilestillremaining rue to the basicvalues that remain fundamentalto Judaism.Food Baskets Brighten Families' Holidaysby Todd ZielinsUMerciad Writer

Thai year, under the directon ofCass Shimek, Mercyhurst willagain b e participating hi the Holi-day Food Basket for the Needyfundraiser. In addition to Shimekand her staff, this fundraiser rep-resenta a collaborative effort onthe part of Student Government,Resident Life, and the Office ofthe Student Union. Because of

of non-perishable food items andthe names and addresses ofsome-one they might know who coulduse n food basket As the f iitriin :frill i

their efforts, as many aa 40 to 50baskets of food as well aa otherities will be handed out to> V * : :

the needy of Eric, in an effort toheighten the spirits of thearound the holiday season.The process started offwith let-ters that were sent out to variousdividuals as well as departmentsrequesting two things, donations

a in, the baskets are Stuffedwith st least One ham or turkeyand plenty of little extras thatwould give a family a full meal.Thai year, the food turn out hasbeen nothing short of a m iracle,according to Campus MinisterMichele Garvcy. With requestsalready hitting 12 families in need,the faculty, staff, administrationand students haveresponded omeet the need. As Garvcy pointedout, "It's never like pulling atooth." fWith suchS large donation turn-out each year, the baskets keepgetting bigger and are filled withthings like toothpaste, tablecloths,

in

napkins etc Some offeringsdudeready-made baskets oiflowing withThe process of picking

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PAGE 3 THE MERCIAD December 12,1996

Campus ; pNejwfsS u m m e r A b r o a d P r o g r a m L o o k i n g f o r S u p p oBy Brad Rybczynsldand Chris WlochhiereiadEditors

The Mercyhurst Study AbroadProgram Is trying to meet a veryserious challenge this academicyear. That challenge is studentinvolvementJohn Wolper, director of theSummer Abroad Program said,"the past few times we have hadabout 80 participants, this year Ihavea strong interest in about 20to 25 students." Wolper's con-cern is based on the fact that theprogram mustbe inanciallyself-sustaining. In order for this tooccur Wolper said, "the magicnumber is about 20 or 21 people.*9When asked about help fromthe college administration,Wolper had high praise for theefforts ofadministration. Th e ad-minis tration has been very gener-ous and supportive of this pro-gram, the*price of the coursesoffered has been discounted by50 percent to make the experi-ence more affordable,99 he said.The program offers two coursesfor which students can receivefull credit The courses are Psych100 "Social Influences AcrossCulture" taught by Dr. CharlesDufour and French 125 "FrenchCultures" with Professor KeikoMiller. No prerequisite is requiredfor either course. Lectures andexams for both classes will beginduring the spring term.To encourage greater studentinvolvement, a third category hasbeen added in which, with per-mission of M iller and the Officeof the Academic Dean, a studentwho has already fulfilled the lib-eral studies core with French C ul-tures can* take an independentstudy going beyond French cul-tures.Dufour said that be plans toexamine the phenomenon of so -

cial persuasion in his class withan emphasis on comparing con-formity, compliance and obedi-ence incross-culturalperspective.There will be a project involvingdata co llection w hich w ill f J ? j C ^ T S ' / i O / ^ lPublic Service message from SAWE (Suicide AwarenessWoicesof Education) http://www.save.org

- * ' * * * * *> i - . . , . - . * a V V V V V

http://www.save.org/http://www.save.org/

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PAGE 4 TH E MERCIAD December 12,1996*S WEnterUnnrttfiit

Handel'sMessiahTheD'Angelo School of Musk isproud to1}present the immortalmasterpieceThe Messiah byGeorge Frederic Handel. Theperformance will be Tuesday,Dec 17 at 7:30 pjn. in the MaryD'Angclo Performing Arts Cen-ter.

The work will feature theD Angelo Conceit Choir and theMercyhurst Community ConceitChoir with orchestra, condu

Christmas Movieslvie for Osca% r ^ i

by Rebecca Ryan. A ll tickets are$5 and can be purchased by call-ing the box office at 824-i

By James HalnMerciadA&E EditorII I

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A WHIRLING KALEIDOSCOPE OF A MOVIE!-. So m uch v ibran t co lor an d m usic ; i tSliM-Bene Rodriguez, MIAMI HERALD

"HEART CA NW 8- EYE CAVIAR!A case of imagination run gorgeously riot!

The summer movie season istraditionally when the studios rollout their most mindless, audieipleasing drivel. The philosophyis, "make a quick buck, then get itto video before Christmas." TheChristmas season, however, lamuch different It's here, at theend of the year, that the studiosrelease their"prestige" pictures -movies designed far an audienceof one,. Oscar. Here's a quicklook at what the studios have instore for you this holiday season:

JeiTyMagiiire(OpeniiigToday):Tom Cruise stars as a hot-shot

self-seriousness ofIndependenceMDay* All-star cast includes JackNicholson , Glenn Close, MartinShort, Annette Bening, MichaelJ. Fox and Rod S teiger.

Hie Preacher's Wife (Today):PennyMarshall directed this feel-good comedy about an angel(Denzel W ashington) who visitsthe family of a troubled minister(Courtney B. Vance). WhitneyHouston co-stars. See review.

-Joe Morg eastern, WALL STREET JOURNAL

"OUTRAGEOUS. FUN NY and avisnal delicto!-SISKEL & EBERT nit

C H A R M I N G ! A Cinderella storyfairytale magic!-Stephen Holden, THE NEW YORK TIMES

sports agent on his way downhillwho fights to keep his one re-maining client w hilefiringup alance with a single mother.Co-starring Renee Zellweger(Love and a AS) Cuba Gooding,Jr. (Outbreak), and Bonnie Hunt(Beethoven).

In Love and War (Dec, 18):Sandra Bullock and ChrisO'Donnell star in this love story,based on the real life wartimeexperiencesHemingway.

Scream (Dee. 20): meistcr Wes Craven mare on Elm Street) dhorror-corn edy about atakes horror movies ariously. With CourteDrew * Barrymore aCampbell (Party ofFiHamlet (Dec 25): KBra nagh directs andShakespeare's meldanewithout an Uziin mis four-hour f ilm .ring Jul ie Christie, JackBilly Crystal, Robin WiKateWinslet

of Ernest

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TOTALIY ENGAGING!A Cinderellaof the 90s!Bright andfresh as asummers

Jiffr&f ifons, ' ^ j jSNEAK PREVIEWS/LYONS DEN RADIO

vxmmnmOUTRAGEOUS! M an Attacks! (Today): TimBurton's latest cinematic litmusn w SB H i^^t nows how variousfolks e-Even Zanler I act when hostile aliens invade,a n d m o r e | Sound familiar? Rest assured,1 this is not like anything you'veever seen before, with Burton'swacko sense of humor providingAlmodovar ! I a counterpoint to the jingoisticcolorful1 than

Beavis and; Butt-head DoAmerica (Dec 20): MTV's fa-vorite Nobel laureates team upfor their firstfeature,which piises to offend the left and the rightin equal measure. * The all-starvoice cast includes such unlikelyperformers as Robert Stack, QorisLeachmanand Eric Bogosian. Gofigure.Night Falls on Manhattan (Dec20): Richard Dreyfuss and Andy

Garcia star in this noir-ish copdrama, a far cry from WoodyAllen. $

Michael (De c 25): Johnstars as a hard-drinkinggel in this offbeat comNora Ephron (When HSally). William HurMacDowell and Robertco-star.The People vs. Larr(Dec 27): Oliver Stone mis controversial filminfamous Hustler pubattles with censorshipHarrclson stars in the with Courtney Love, Norton (Primal FearCromwell (Babe) anda inton campaign manaCarville. Should be int

-Ketherine Pw,TIMEOUT NEW YORK

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H E L P W A N T E DMen/Women earn $48 0weekly assemblingcircuit boards/elec-tronic comp onents athome. Experienceunnessary. will train.Immediate openings inyour local area.Call 1-520-680-7891extC200 *

***FJ*EETKIPS & C A S H ! * * *Find out how hundreds of student representatare already waning FREE TRIPS and LOTS CASH upth America** #1 Spring Breakcompany! Sell only 15 trips and travel freeJCancun, Bahamas, Mazatlan, Jamaica or FlorCAMPUS MANAGER POSITIONS ALSOAVAILABLE. Call Now! TAKE A BREAKSTUDENT TRAVEL (800) 95-BREAK!* * \

A FILM DIRECTED BY FINA TORRESWITH ARIAONA GIL ARIELLE DOMBASLE EVELYNE DIDI

FOEOCRC lONteOI S Li UlS HOMAR AND TKl VOICE Of E L S A M A U R U S MI tM H ICRCtNRUf * FlNA TOMIS ORIGINAL IDEA BY FlNA TORRES,BlAHCA SVRtRRONI AN0 D E L E C O R T A ADAPTED BY TtlftMC BOORMAN AND CH A N TA L PtLLCTICR RUtOtUf Y vl l B E U U R R C \CINEMATOGRAPHY RlCAtCO AOONOVITC* EDITING C N R I S T I A N E LACK CATHERtNf T R O U I L L C T l #Ut CLA U RC BtRTRANOORIGNAL MUSIC AtMA ROSA C A S T C L L A N O S . FRANCOIS FARRUGIA, MlCHEl MuttUtf SPECIAL CITCCTS EvE R A M R O /

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER GlRARO COSTA A CO-PRODUCT ON Of M l R H U F(LW5, MlSTRAL FlLWS. P A N O O R A O O * CA, PARADISE FllMS. IN C.CLUB IMVMTIU MM T MCOIA. BASTLLE FLWS ASSOCATE PRODUCERS NAGYUM HIRE, OSCAR BENEOETTI MAGIC COMPANYMIKROS IMAGES. 2k PRODUCTONS SVL TSF AITH THE PARTCPATON or THE NATONALCENHR or CNEMATOGRAPHYTHE MiNisrtr or CULTURE ANO FRENCH-SPEAKNG COMMUNITIES, SACEM. FONCINE VCNC/UEIA. AND f CANAL +aw*., THIS rLMWAS SUPPORTED IY THE FONO CURIVAGCIBP THE COUNCIL or EUROPE * * Mm asiau / v y* ym i

Z? . ORIGINAL S0UN0TR ACK AVAILABLE ON SONY CLASSICAL ^ wi

On Wednesday, Dec 18, theFilmsforDiscussion series con-tinues with Celestial ClockworkThe dm , directed by Fins Torres,statl Arisdns Oil, ArielleDombasle and Eveylne Diddi in aCinderella story that begins witha wonian bolting from the altarofa wedding in Caracas and arriv-ing in Paris in full wedding dress.There, the pursues ber dream ofbeing an opera singer like heridol, Maria Callaa. She soon

learns about life la the big city,the sacrifices she must make toobtain her dream, and the hurdlesshe must overcome to become aStar. Celestial Clockwork will beshown in the MaryD'AngeloPerforming Aits Center at 7:30p.m. Admission is free for stu-dents (with ID) and President9aCard Holders. T he film replacesI Shot Andy Warhol, which wasunavailable for showing on thisdate.

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THEMERCIAD

^9'Washington* Saves "Preacher"By James HalsMerciad A&EEditor

Th e Preacher's Wifek the storyof what happens when God del-egates authority. In this case, Hisemissary is a naive angel in theperson.of Denzel Washington,who appeals (a pparently ireshoutof the Angel Academy) in re*to an inner city minister'srequest forhelp. Thefilm s aboutfaith, or, more accurately, a lackof faith, and how the appearanceof one person, heavenly or not,can change lives.At the heart of the somewhat

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? ( ventional story (based on the1947 Cary Grant film, TheBishop's Wife) is Washington'sthoroughly likable performanceas Du dley, the bumbling angel.His wide-eyed innocence and as-tonishing energy enliven the film,which too often goes for easy sen-timent and hokey melodrama tics.Uj Short-tempered Rev. Biggs(Courtney Vance) is a complexman whose faith is put Jo the testby a*series of seemingly hopelessdilemmas; the loss of his youngton's best friend, who's beenplaced in afosterhome; diehastyprosecution of a neighborhoodyouth for a crime he had nothingtodo with; and especially,thelossof his beloved parish to a flashy

developer (Gregory Hines). Asibisfaith is in seriouscrisis, Wash-ington literally falls outof the skyto help the Reverend with his vari-ous problems. Only catch: thereverend doesn't believe'thatDudley's an angel.Matters ate further complicatedwhen Dudley innocently attractsthe attentions of the reverend'sbeautiful wife (Whitney Hous-ton),who has oundherselfon theoutside of her|husband's life.Houston, in her thirdfilm, s ad-equate, nothing more, butgets tobelt out a few sousing gospelhymns in some expertly stagedmusical numbers. *Vance quickly grows irritatingas the stubborn minister, and it's

a shame that this otherwise finea*r thaschosen yet another varia-tion on a character he's done incountless other movies (most re-cently The Last Supper). Thedirection, by Penny Marshall, isd, but unexceptional. In fact,with the exception ofWashington's excellent perfor-mance, mat pretty much descrieverything in this movie.Th e Preacher's Wife is the dn -ic equivalent of a Chi-Chi'sMexican Fried Ice Creamwaytooswee t Some people will likeit, but for others, a little of it goesalong way.

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The Greensleeve Players present:A Mercyhurst Little Theater Production

.

Welcome to the Moon jby: John Patrick Shanleydirected by: iKim Mc.

Dec: *12,13 ,14 at 8:00pm.i Dec: 15 at 2:00pm.OnSunday, Dec 15 at 3 p.m., theMary D'An gelo Performing ArtsfVntr rwill ho6t world-renownedorganist H * * Olivers_ ___6rm traditional andholiday music ona Rodger* 960DClassic Organ. Advance ticketsare on sale at the box office (824-3000). Tickets are $5 per person

fo r just the concert, $10 per per-son for he conceit and a recep-tion in the Cnmmings Aft Gal-lery. Sponsored by the MercyhurstCollege Alumni Association andRodgcrsInstrument Corporation.(Note: President's Cards sot ap-flfjcable to this performance.)

December 12,1996

Milraii#iffiliaWH BRazorblade Suitcase

Heather Cvit co vieContributing WriterI f you were to ask me monthsago whether or not the new Bushalbum, Razorblade Suitcase,would equal the old one, SixteenStone, I would have flat out saidno. Although I am a huge Bushfan I felt nothing could top "Glyc-erine" or "Machinehead". In fact,I was hesitant to buy the newalbum for fear that Bush would

let me down. But boy was Iwrong. Razorblade Suitcase lathe band at its finest It surpassesSixteen Stonebyleaps. Bushtookon a new producer and a newattitude. "Let people think whatthey want," lead singer GavinRossdalc hadbeen heard to say,"dearly there are people who likeus, wholistentous." They workedhard in the studio, writing and

display! the dedication theput into mfcfag this albumderful. From the guitar solofirst release, "Swallowed,"meUow"Straightimauser,"Gavin's scratchy vocals, torock hard "Greedy Fry* Bcould not possibly have ledown. In my eyes they movone level, to a band that ireachable. It is well wort

playiiuj,aiidilaair*isifeSiiacase $15ttatmost steea charge

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PAGE 6 THE MERCIAD December 12.1996

By M ichael J. oppermanMerciad Columnist

v M i r *

There seems lobean inconsistency between one of he stated intentionsof the administration of M ercyhurst C ollege and the resulting actions (or,rather, lack of actions). \ kiMercyhurst College is, by its own admission, engaged in the effort toincrease academ ic standard i. Aside from die simple statement of thisgoal by Dr. William Garvey, me evidence of mis endeavor canbe aeeninthe recent debate over "grade inflation'9 and the sometime contentionmat professors are giving too many high grades. In reflecting upon theseattempts for increased academic stringency, I found two real-worlddiscrepancies.For an institution to e xpect improved scholarshipfrom ts students, itmust provide both an adequate collection of research materials andsatisfactory access to these materials. There seems to be aeffort to meet this Gist requisite (in the form of the library expansion).is, at the present, limited.Before I began my studies at Mercyhurst College, I attended theUniversity o f Iowa. My definition of satisfactory acces sfinds ts sourcethere. I called the University of Iowa to confirm the hours that the Mainlibrary is open. Monday through Thursday, the library is openfrom7:30aan. until 2:00 a.m.; on Friday, it is open from 7:30 a.m. until midnight;on Saturday, it i s open from 8:00 until midnight; and, on Sunday, it iopenfromnoon until 2:00 a.m. For the week of finals, the library is opento students 24 hours a day until finals are completed.I called the U niversity of Michigan as welLThe library is open24 hoursa day year round; the school recently installed showers in the library. TheMercyhurst College library does not, upon comparison with otherschools (with whos e students we - Mercyhurst students - must competewith forjobs and graduate school placem ents), provide adequate ato research materials.

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In striving for higher academic standards(and performance), MercyhurstCollege has also failed to provide all of its students with desks. There is,in the apartments and townhouses, only one desk per two students. Ifbothof the individuals sharing a bedroom want to study at thesame time, oneof them m ust leave th e apartment to find a desk at which to study. Thelibrary is only an option before midnight on weekdays and until 5 p.m.on Friday. This is outrageous.*!*I fthis institution expects increased, qualitative and quantitative (in lieuof thenew W riting Across the Curriculum), output rom ts students, thenit must supply the studentswith the tools to reach these goals. The currentsituation can be likened to trying to row a boat with no oars.Letter to the Editor

: :

To the Editor,I would like to offer a briefresponse to Michael Opperman 'a

article concerning the M ercyhurstk Store published in last week'sMerciad. There is no reason forme to doubt any of the facts dis-cussed by Opperman....except myown experiences. In particular, Iwould like to discuss one specificincident which comes to mind,having just occured last week. AMend of mine purchased a usedbook for $41.50, the exact same

2111ithaving justbeen bought frommeby thebookstore, at the endoflast term, for$14. This situation isnot unique at all to my own expe-rience, as I know it is shared bymany other students who makethe unfortunate mistake of sellingand buying used booksfrom heStore. W hen considered inregardsto the policies o fgeneral concern,the Book Store extends towardsthe inancially-strickenstudents(!), such experiences seem quiteunexplainable.Richard Costelloe

ionForeign Policy To Be Proud

By Joe Wong Merciad Columnist

Most people use this time ofyear to treasure what is good intheir ive s and their communities.President Clinton's recent an-nouncement of his second termnationaltsecurity team yields aperfectopportunity to look atwhatis good in American-foreignpolicy. While many see nega-tives in American society andAmerican diplomacy, there arereasons for those negatives andan equal number of positives.The current contention over a

sive personnel, which should notbe bankrolled. Both the Bush andClinton s Administrations havemade concerted efforts to stream-line the UN and to m ake it moreproductive.Our agenda with the U N is tomake itwork better, to enable thethousands of peacekeepers andaid workers around the world todo their job effec tively and safely.

To say me United Sits foreign policy onequally incorrect, aignominious. If thcase, thenwe would nmissions to SomaliaHaiti, and would notprepared for one tAmerican o reignpola mix of trade and eco

second term for UN SecretaryGeneral Boutros * Boutros-Ghalihas been news for the past fewweeks. The secretary general h asopposed the United States on anumber of ssues, and the USdoesnotback his candidacy. TheU.S.opposes Boutrous-Ghali becausehe has not made the changesneeded to meke the UJM. efficentThe United States is signifi-cantly behind in its dues to theUnited Nations, but much of matmoney, comes ?from theorganization's waste and ex

American foreign policy towardChina has been a source of debatesince the 1989Tiananmen Squaremassacre. But it is incorrectto saythe United States has not beentough with China. Our supportfor Taiwan, a rebelling provincein the view of the mainland, hascaused considerable hostility onthe part ofCommunist China. Wehave sold weapons and aircraft toTaiwan, in the faceofvocal oppo-

cerns, political and mcerns, and human righconcerns. China is noWhilewe have not be

! ' i^^_ from China, and have sentaircraft carriers to show supportfor democracy in Taiwan.munist China considers bothI H

fid with China as ^like, we havemade efvent child and prisonChina, and a numbecountries.The United States isonly superpower, andlike one. That meankey role in world affasmallest of countries tes t At me same time,we cannot always sidehuman rights and mthe holiday season pthere are millions a

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events virtually gets of war, or atthe very least, acts of provHon. To say the United States isweak on China is incorrectworld who owe theirland families to an Amcent for their rights, and yes their economClinton Must Continue To Shape Po

by Em ilio ColaiacovoMerciad Columnist Ambassador, Albright enacted a n"aggressive multilateral" policywhich recognized that the UnitedPresident Bill Clinton recentlyannounced his selections to Gilthe foreign policy vacancies inhis Cabinet Clinton said his newnational security team would have"the experience, the judgment,and the vision to help the UnitedStates maintain its leadership po-sition in the pott-Cold Warworld." Surprisingly to many, Iagree wholeheartedly withClinton's, choices . Initially,Q inton's first national securityteam was plagued with indeci-siveness and inexperience. Afterstruggling in Som alia, Haiti, theMiddle East and Bosnia, Clintonhas now opted for a more adeptteam of foreign policy experts.In particular, United StatesAmbassador to the United Na -tion *, Madeline Albright, will nodoubt bring a sense of toughnessto a rather weak fore ign policy.Though Warren Christopher wasa well respected policy negotia-tor, our foreign policy lacked atough determined leader.AsU.N.

States must assert leadership andleverage to obtain a consensusamong the world powers to dealwith problems some nationswould tend to ignore (e g. humanrights violation s).Though many Republicans to-day advocate isolationistand "for-tress America" policies, I myselfbelieve the United States, die lastremaining Super Power, mustexercise its power and strength tomaintain stability and order in theworld. Madeline Albright hasbeen an outspoken supporter ofusing the military to Intervene Inhot spots and has also pushedhard for war crimes tribunals topunish human rights viol atlons inthe Balkans and in Rwanda. WhileAlbright is the first woman tohead up the State Department, itis my opinion that Bill Clintonmade his decision based on herexperience and credentials ratherthan her gender.Over all, I must give President^Q inton an "A" for his 1*"4a!i*

to fill the vacancies tional security team. Ftor Bill Cohen (R-MEatc Republican kn owndependence and coadefense budget cuts,Candida to to replace Dretary William Perry.Cohen Will no doubreforms and bagement policies to strdefense department blong tenure as Senate Avices Committee Chain to sell its defense\ conservative RepiI House and SenateWhile President C

lived up to one of hispromises to include ReInhis Cabinet, more imClinton has sent a stronotonly to those in C oalso to the American phe is willing to extendbranch and seek biparticipation In this goveforeign policy.contd*

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PAGE 7 THEMERCIAD December 12,1996

By M X . Pike Merciad ColumnistIfind t personally grotesque that in this day and age educators are stillbeing pressured to abandon true science for the medieval nonsenseperpetrated by the ignorant and die fearful. I am talking about the oldCreationist Vs . Evolutionist controversy that has been floatingaroundsince Darwin and Wallace first independently published their ideas onnatural selection . You might expect this kind of creationistic pressure in traditionallyconservative states like Alabama, where there is a large population ofreligious fanatics and omen who would find it to their advantage todisprove evolution. However, alarming as it may seem, so-called liberalstates such as California and Alaska also have local V I t i l l

V.ra

actually threatening their educators with a discharge from their duties ifevolution is not countered by C reationism. iEvolution dictates that the Earth is an old structure in an older universe,in which significant changes have occurred. These changes include theability oforganisms (1 ife forma) to mutate according to the survival fa ,* * " * * ****+,*i- . . ' * ' * * * *

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PAGE 10

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THE MERCIAD December 12,1996mmmMercy Corps Active

Sr. Carol Ann VoltzBy Zoe Cohenhierciad Writer

There is a program being pro-ded through Service Learningill cd Mercy Corps. This lay vol-tn mistry program is avail-able ID persons of any faith whoare ages ranging from 21 up toand including seniorcitizens. Thisprogam began in 1978 by SisterEllen Cavantugh in Marion, PA.It was originally form ed in a"response to charism of the Sis-ters of Mercy the help the poor,sick,nnd uneducated,..as away tohelp the laity," explained KathyTavani, a secretary working forMercy Corps in Philadelphia. Th eidea is to create a group whichwould place a volunteers Wherethey are needed to work for ayear.Involvement in Mercy Corpsbegins with a person being in-m through

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PAGE 11 THEMERCIAD December 12,1996

H o c k e y T e a m W i n l l e s s i n L a s t F o u r G a mScott Vance$MerciadSports Editor.

The Mercyhurst Hockey teamholds a 0-3-2 record in their lastfive games and as Head CoachRick Gotkin said, "the team seemsto be terrified to lose." The Lak-ers' last two games have ended ina well fought tie and loss, toNiagara Co llege and RIT respec-tively, yIn their first game, the Hurstfaced Niagara for the third timethis year. The Lakers split thespoils in this game, having comeback from a 4-2 deficit late in thethird period.The Purple E agles took the lead

in the first period, despiteMercyhurst's dominance, andJohn Evangelista should havemade it 1-1, hut he failed to con-vert on a one-on-onesituationwiththe keeper. It wasn 't until thesecond period thatthe Lakers tiedthe score as ScottLudeviks pokedhome his eighth goal of the year,thanks toa pow erful shotbyMikeMassefrom he blue line.With just over six minutes re-maining in the second period, theEagles scored a power play goalto give the visitors a 2-1 lead.Ludeviks tied the game at 2-2 inthe opening minutes of the thirdperiod.However, Niagara was next tostrike and scored two goals in arow.Then up stepped Bobby Atidn,who reduced the defidt to 4-3after he hit a wrist shot past thePurple Eagles goal tender, after agreat passfromsophomore T onyBorgford. Whh just under fiveminutes left in the game, it waanot looking good for the Lakers.

However, the Lakers drew levelwith just over three minutes left inthe game, courtesy of a Masselow hard drive that found the ne tThe momentum w as with theLakers in overtime. They wereunable to score although they hada two man advantage for 1:35 o fovertime, and the game finished4-4. ^ I U

On Tuesday Dec 10, the Lak-ers faced ECAC rivals, RIT in agame that would see the Lakersgo 2-0 in the ECAC conference ifthey were to winthe game. It wasRIT who drewfirstblood as meyscored a power play goal in theopening period. Itwas Masse, thedefense man with a forward's eyefor goal, who leveled matters at 1-1 after a slap shotfrom he blueline whichflew nto the crowdedne t Chris Morgan almost gavethe Lakers theirfirst ead of thenightaa he hit a hard and low slapshot, only to have the keep pushthe puck onto the right hand postThe Lakers went into the sec-ond period with a 1-1 tie. Thesecond period was all RIT and ifnot for the acrobatics of juniorgoal tender Avi Karunakar, theLakers could have given up nu-merous goals.Karunakarmade twogood savesat the start of the period only tobeclobbered by'an RIT forward.Midway through the first period,Karunakar took a rock hard slapshot to the head. This seemed toshake him up, aa a few minuteslater he allowed a seemingly easyshot to beat him on the near postKarunakar responded to thisible styleoal aga inst h im inad)aa he gave an exhibition of finegoal tending for the rest of theperiod which saw the opposition

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Sophmore Tony Borgford defends the Laker's goal However, the Lakers fell to a 6-2out shoot the Lakersby 13-4 TheLakers were lucky to be goinginto the third period only one goaldown.The third period started hi thesame ranticstylewithboth teamshaving chances to score.However, itwas RITwho scoredfirst to give them a 3-1 lead witha slap shot from the left thatKarunakar was unable to dealwith. The Lakers held the puckhi the opposition's zone formoreof the third period, but they werenot ableto convert their countlessoring opportunitieswere rewarded foiscoredhis 11th goal of the season,

no avail n RIT scored a minutelater, to give them a 4-2 lead. TheTigers added another two goals tofinish the game at 6-2. TIt was a period w here Karunakarseemed to fall apart, as he ap-peared shaky on many of the RITgoals in the third periodWhen asked about his currentwinless streak, Gotkin said "It's adrought no question. There is nosimple answer to why. Thetramis that there is no easy way, butyou have to bdieve in the peoplethat yon are working with. Wearc playing in spurts and we'redoingjust enoughwrong forthemto be able to put the puck in ourne t! However. I am very happy

with the team's workother'teams would bpack it in we get revGotkin. fDespite their receteam is still ranked tnation. T h is shows thai people have forhockey program andthat we play," said GThe team hopes to rewinning ways as theHam ot Classic this weLakers' first game American Internation(A.I.C.) this Friday atthe Mcrcyhurst Hockwith the championsh7:30 pjn. on Saturday

fhe Mercian wishes all itseaders a MerryChristmas, and aprosperous New Year

Where Else OutRetail Store2526IEast Ave. at East 26th S t

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PAGE 12 THE MERCIAD December 12,1996

Women Hoop Continues to ImpreBy Kara Clark & Maureen .McMahonMerciadSports Writers

The Lady Laker basketballteam is off to a successful staff intheGLIAC with two wins and oneloss, leading the league in blockedshots. Last Thursday, the Hursthosted Grand Valley, an excitinggame right to the end.

In the firstfiveminutes of thegame, Grand Valley was tied withthe Lakers six all. The middle ofthe firsthalf of play w as tough farthe Hurst as Grand Valley scoredeightpoints in a row, putting themup26-14. In the closing minutesof the hal t the Hurst fought backto reg a in the lead 31 -29 , as TonyaPotcova scored six points andLonna Dunl ap hadfivepoints. Athalf time, Grand Valley regainedthe lead 41-35.

However, die Lakers foughtback and levelled matters at 48-48. The next Gve minutes weredominated by the Lakers aa theyscored eight points. However,Grand Valley fought back withfive unanswered points to make ita dose game once again,tying hescore at 61 . It was at this pointthat die Lakers began to stamptheir authority o n die game andPotcova went eightfor eight Thefinal minutes of the game be-longed to die Hurst and they de-feated Grand Valley 78 -73. Lead-ing;* scorers of die game werePotcova with 16 points, LoriMorth with nine points andConnieRalston and Dunlap with eightapiece.The Lakers hosted Ferris Stateon Saturday. Mercyhurst cameout strong and they dominateddie first half as they outscoredFerris State 42 to 32 . The Hunt

played tough until the closing o fdie gamewhen Ferris State scored141 points to the Lakers' threepoints. Both teams continued tofight, and with less thana minute,Ferris State took die lead 59-57.However, Allison Marsden putup a layup in diefinal30 secondsto close the game at a tie score of59-59 . With excellent offenseand defense oa both teams, theend of thefirstovertime w as a tieonce again, and the score was 66-66 , The second overtime wa sjustas competitive as thefirst,as nei-ther team outscored the other, andas a result, die score was a tie at73-73. However, die third andfinal overtime was die breakingpoint for Mercyhurstas they weredefeated by a score of 85-81.The Lakers travel this week-end to play Northern Michiganand MichiganTechnolog icalUni-versity, s

Above: Lady lakers full ofconcentration during TuesdayLeft: Lakers in action during Tuesdayscomfortable victoMen Basketball Experience Mixed Fortun

ShaMen's BasketballThe M ercyhurst Men's Basket-ball Team had two tough GLIACopponents last week. Thefirstofthe two games took place at theMAC against the highly regardedGrand Valley State U niversity.Mercyhurst came into thegamewith a 4-2 record while GrandValley State entered die game at6-1. Mercyhurst started outslowly, falling behind by as muchas nine points in the first threeminutes of the game. MauriceProfit, > Craig Young, and JeflWoleben took the game into theirhands scoring 23 of the Lakers 3 0halftime points and helping theLakers battle back to only a 36-30deficit at halftime.

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second hall Grand

points. Not for long. Jim Roestarted the rally with two b ack-to-back three pointers to cut theGrand Valley State lead to onlysix points, *Midway through thesecond half, the Lakers went on a12-0 fun to give them their firstlead of the game with six minutesremaining in the second ha It Thegame was then taken over by thestrong and powerful Will Stinson, .who scored sine of the team'stwelve points down die stretch.Hie Lakers sealed the win withthree crucial free throws hi theclosing seconds of ther game.Young lead all Lakers with 16points followedby 13 points fromStlnaon and Roe. DemondStewart added nine points andeight rebounds.After coming offa great victoryover Grand V alley State and togo 1

were confidentwhen the visitingFerris State University came tothe MAC on Saturday, Dec 7.Ferris Stateentered the game witha 2-4 record. Thefirsthalfof thisgame wasa low scoring and poorlyplayed by both sides. The Lakersshot 9 of 24 from thefield,only38 percent, and two out of 10fro m three point territory. Addir shooting and nine turnoversand usually that will lead to ahalftime deficit, but Ferris Statewas just as bad. Shooting eight of26, Off 31 percentfrom he fieldand seven turnovers allowed theLakers to go into halftime ahead.The second hal f was tight the en-tire time. Both teams went backand forth, tradingbaskets tokeepthe score close. With time run-ning down in the second half,Ferris State's. Ray Pope, who lead

jump shot with one minute re-maining. The Lakers had one lastopportunity with three secondsleft, but good, solid Ferris Statedefense held the Lakers short Th eLakersWere lead by Sanson's 12

second half points an13 points and four reLakers are looking this weekend when tNorthern M ichigan T