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& S &V$ & seniors selected for who's whoSister M. de Montfort, Dean ofSt u d e n t s , has released the resultsof nominations and ballo ting ofMercyhurst seniors to "Who's Whoin American Colleges and Universi t ies / 1 Based upon scholastic excellence, leadership, citizenship, andpotential usefulness to society, thirteen students were selected by thevote of full-time faculty membersand seniors.

i^ The students chosen for "Who'sWho" include: Elizabeth Barczak,AnnejMarie Canali , Jane Carney,Judith Fitzge rald , K athleen Fitzgerald , Katherine Icardi , TeresaJones, {Jeanne Keim, Sally Koss,Sharon Labosky, Linnie McAllister,Linda Salem, and Karen Zmys-linski.Betty Barczak is a sociology major from Buffalo, New York. She ispresently Chairman of the CulturalCommittee and was also sophomoreand junior class representat ive toSG A . Her past activities includemembership in Y. C. S. and onthe merciad staff. ,%English major Anne Marie Canaliis a native of Canandaigua, NewYork. She is active in Y. C. S.,P S E A , and! Glee Club and is amember of the Student Affairs

mercivol. xxxix, no. 3 mercyhurst college, erie, pa. december 4, 1967

mercyhurst college statement of purposeMercyhurct College is a liberalarts college for women, foundedby the Si s t e rs of Mercy, a rel ig iouscongregation of the Roman CatholicChurch.Through the l iberal arts , Mercyhurst seeks to inspire in her students a ra n g e of in terests , a depthof appreciation $and facility ofthoughtjand action needed for effective living in a complex and freesociety . Within th e| framework ofliberal studies and grounded in anawareness of the educational needsof woman, the curriculum providesperspectives that can lead to intellectual and moral fulfillment, torat ional understanding of the universe and to participation in thepolitical, social and religious as

p e c t s ! of contemporary life.Through part icipation in activitiesthat t ranslate theoretical knowledge into practical wisdom, eachstudent learns the responsibilitiesof social involvement and p re p a re sto share with o thers the heri tageof tru th and beauty . | |The life of man suggests for himthree essential tasks . One of theseis to part icipate humanely in thesocial order' through an unders tanding of the concepts basic towell ordered society. A second isto develop his ^resources of mindand body in a manner consonantwith his apprehension of the ult i m a t e m e a n i n g | of human existence. A th ird task is to a t t a i na professional proficiency and somake possible the achievement ofa satisfactory role in the contemporary world . iAware that these three tasks oflife are interrelated, liberal education at Mercyhurst s trives tobring them into harmony for theindividual student. The college program lis designed specifically tofoster the skills, knowledge, andvalues that lead to humane andChristian living.Essentially the liberally educatedperson needs skill in communicationt h a t is the 5 product of critical andjJ comprehensive reading, logical ordering of ideas, coherent writing,an d effective speech. These in t u rn

depend upon a capacity to re a c twith sensit iv i ty , creativ i ty and appreciat ion to human experience.Moreover, the liberally educatedperson requires skill in solving pro blems, i. e., in observation, definit i o n ! and! cri t ical analysis , * an d inthe formulation of hypotheses andconclusions validated by evidence.Secondly, a liberal education atMercyhurst d ictates competence ina re a s of knowledge appropriate toall educated men. This commonlearning includes concern for manas a to tal person, for the physicaluniverse, for his social relationships, his aesthetic achievementsan d his a t t e m p t to organize andin terpret his human condition. Suchconcern necessi tates true refinement of j u d g m e n t and a sense ofappropriateness in action.Finally , at Mercyhurst the student is encouraged to recognize andto act upon certain values fundamental to Chris t ianity and to a freesociety. These include: the inherent dignity and l iberty of eachhuman being as a creature of God,the responsibility consequent uponthat d ignity to search for t ru t h

an d fto live according to it, ther i g h t 61 an individual to legal equal i ty and to a standard of living befi t t ing a human being; the obligation of all men, by virtue of t h e i rpart icipation in the human community , to contribute to t its development; the special responsibility in this era of human his toryto put at the disposal of the familyof men every talent for worldpeace.The synthesis of skilll, values andknowledge that Mercyhurst definesas essential to? an educated personis manifest in devotion to the p re paration of teachers . "The art ofteaching," Mortimer Adler haswrit ten , "is nothing but the l iberalarts exercised on the intellect of

another." (Adler, Mortimer, Artand Prudence. New York, 1937,P . 434). It is evident that the g re a tteacher is one who, in awakeningcuriosi ty and reflection, illuminesthe meaning of life., Mercyhurstaccepts as its special mission theeducation of intellectually, spiritually, socially,*and culturally sensi t ive teachers .fellowship nominees named

The Mercyhurst College facultyhas recently ^nominated eight seniors as worthy of consideration bythe Board of the Woodrow WilsonFellowship Foundation. Announcement of the nominations was madeby Sis ter M. de Montfort, Dean ofStudents and Campus Representat ive for the Woodrow Wilson Foundation.The nominees are: Kathryn Will-ems, ! Bonnie Hordinski, Patrone llaLeon, Sylvia King, Sharon Jenkins,Maureen Good, Donna Rossoni, andKathleen Airo .

Kathryn Willems is a Frenchmajor from Jamestown, New York.K ay was sponsored by three Mercyhurst faculty members: Sis ter M.Gabriel, Professor of \F re n c h ; Mr.Igor S talski , Assis tant Professor ofF re n c h ; and Mr. John Lincourt,Assis tant Professor of Philosophy.

Sociology major Bonnie Hordinski, of Eri e , was sponsored by MissJudith .Wieczorek, .Instructor ofSociology.Pat Leon, a music major fromDuBois, Pennsylvania, wa s! sponsored by Si s t e r M. H e l e n ! J e a n ,Associate Professor of Music.Sis ter M. Charles , Chairman ofthe] Natural Science Department,acted as faculty sponsor for fourstudents : Sylvia King, a math major from Wesleyville, Pennsylvania;Maureen Good, a chemistry 'majorfrom Bogota, New J e rs e y ; biologymajor Sharon Jenkins and chemistry^ major Donna Rossoni, both ofEri e .Kathleen Airo is a math majorfrom Saddle Brook, New. Jersey.Kathy was sponsored by Sister M.

Celine, Professor of Mathematics .

Committee.!*Anne*has also been a mittees .member of Dorm Council and apage editor for the merciad.Senior class president Jane Carne y is an English major from Erie.J a n e was editor-in-chief | of thethe merciad during her junior year.S he is presently a member of the

Glee Club, PSEA, DSO, and theP ra e t e r i t a staff.Judy Fitzgerald is a biology major presently engaged in cancerresearch. A -native of Oil City,Pennsylvania, Judy is vice-president of the senior class and a membe r of Dorm Council and Si g m aTa u Sigma* During Intersessionshe wil l part icipate in an in ternshipprogram with the Food and D ru gAdminis trat ion in Washington, D.C.Kathy Fitzgerald is an elementary education major from Manchester, 4Connecticut.! She is p re sently the co-ordinator of Mercy-hurst ' s Y.C.S, 3 activities and is amember of P SEA . K a t h y was alsojunior class vice-president.SGA president Kathy Icardi hasalso served as t re a s u re r and vice-president of SGA. A sociology major from Bridgevilie, Pennsylvania,K a t h y has been active in Y. C. S.an d on the merciad staff.Math major Terry Jones is a native of Adelphi, Maryland. She ispresently active in the AmericanChemical Society and Y.C.S. Terryhas also served as P a r l i a m e n t a r i a nof SGA, NSA Co-ordinator, andmember of the Policy Committee.Jeanne Keim is an elementaryeducation major from Erie. She isnow editor-in-chief of the P r a e teri ta, president of P S E A , , and amember of DSO. She has also served as freshman class* vice-president, sophomore class president,

and Orientat ion* Chairman. Herpast activities include membershipon the merciad staff!and on thePolicy and Academic Affairs Com-

i Sally Koss is a business education major from Beaver, Pennsylvania. She has been secretary ofS GA as well as of her sophomoreand senior classes. Sally is activein OGA;and was president of theorganization las t year.;'A native of DuBois, Pennsylvania, Sharon Labosky is a "mathmajor. She is president of DormCouncil and of Si g m a Tau Si g m a .Sharon is also a member of theStudent Affairs Committee andP S E A and is a past member of thePolicy Committee and the P r a e teri ta staff. She will work at theData Processing Inst i tu te of Eri eduring th is year 's In tersession.Home Economics major LinnieMcAllister is a native of Wayland,New York. Linnie is president ofthe Home Economics Club andsecretary of the PennsylvaniaHome Economics Association, College Chapter Section. She has alsoserved as freshman class repre

sentat ive to SGA and junior classpresident and has been a memberof Glee Club and Y. C. S.lLinda Salem is a sociology majorfrom Tenafly, New Jersey. She hasserved as chairman of the Civicand National Affairs Committeean d is ^presently SGA re p o r t e r tothe merciad. Her past act iv i t ies include membership in Y. C. S. andon Dorm Council.Elementary education majorKaren Zmyslinski, from Erie, is amember of the Cadet Teacher Prog r a m . She is presently teachingsixth , seventh , and eighth gradesa t St. Mary 's School in Eri e . D u rin g her freshman and sophomorey e a rs at Mercyhurst , Karen served

on J the s taffs of the merciad andP ra e t e r i t a . She was also sophmoreclass representat ive to SGA and amember of DSO.

analysis: issues and actionin campus war protests(Ed . n o t e : The following articlewas originally printed in the Octobe r 27 edition of the CollegiateP re s s .Service .bulletin .and .waswrit ten .by .Richard .Anthony .ofC P S . See page(5 for a report onthe at t i tudes of Mercyhurst s tudents toward the draft and theViet Nam war.) |

Oneth e face of it, the wave ofprotests against recruiters andmili tary projects that has sweptcollege campuses in the p a s t twoweeks would appear to be a directoutgrowth of the Oct. 21st Mobilization. In fact, however, the twoare connected only in the sensethat both are working against U.S.mili tary undertakings . .A s to the reason for the protests , if there is any one event thatm ay be singled out as their causei t is not the Moblization but theStudents for a Democratic Society(SDS) national convention las tJuly .A t the convention the delegatesdecided to direct their efforts thisyear toward reducing mili tary involvement on universi ty campuses.The idea of making this effort didnot originate at the convention. AsMike Spiegel, national secreta ryof the organization, admits, "Wereally decided after the fact . Therew as a lot of this kind of activitygoing on las t year on various campuses." ?I t is also true that SDS has beenthe sole impetus behind each of thecampus protests of the p a s t twoweeks. On the other hand, SDSmembers have been involved tosome extent in all of them, andhave organized some of t h e m .

A t the convention the policiesvoted on did not include tacticalquestions. According to Spiegel ,questions of s t ra t e g y and tact icsare left up to individual SDS chapt e rs . It was probably inevitablet h a t the tactics would be in the direction of sit-ins, however, becauseS DS has stressed the need for mill-tant action against military involvement on campuses.Spiegel said that militant actionhas been emphasized because pastprotests have shown it to be themost successful method of rais ingthe issues that SDS w a n t s to raiseamong universi ty people at large

Another result of militant actionhas been the increased use of outside police, as in the protests atthe Universi ty of Wisconsin andat Brooklyn College. For SDS theintroduction of the police can beadvantageous but is not always anunmixed blessing. According toSpiegel it can t u rn the controversyaway from the question of mili taryinvolvement on campuses to t h a tof police brutality . . .There are, according to one SDSestimate, approximately 900 college s and universi t ies that have defence department or CIA g ra n t s ,and many of those will be the t a r gets during the coming year. Whatever else comes out of the year,there is little question that SDS

will emerge as the most-hated student organization in the country'shistorywith most of the ill-willcoming from two soursesthe federal government and college anduniversi ty adminis trators .

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feffers/effers/efffeffers/effersfeffers/effersThe following letter is valuablefor two reasons. First , i t represents the large segment of studentopinion which entirely missed th epoint of Alicia King's article in thelast issue of the merciad. It reveals Just how unable we are, asJames Baldwin wrote , "to get inside another man's skin." We arelocked in our race. This is asinevitable as i t is obvious. Secondly,this letter also speaks for the large

majority of girls who would sayto Alicia: Keep your cultureandeven share it with usif you possibly can. We don't want you tolose through our association yoursingularly Negro values. We wouldrather that you "stirred" us as we"stir" you. f C S .

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Dear Editor,I can not speak for anyone else;but, for myself, I can. "Reflectionsof Negro on White Campus" wasperhaps, one of the most disturbing articles -in the November 3,1967 issue of the merciad. Disturbing, not because it reflected prejudice on the part of the Caucasionmembers of) this campus, but ra ther, it reflected the fear that too

many of us experiencethe fear ofbeing an individual.How did I arrive at that conclusion? Let me restate a few of theq u o tes f r om th e a r t ic le " . . . afeeling of isolation, of conformingto standards and values that holdlittle meaning i- or enrichment forNegroes. Sfjjl " The first part ofthis quote "a feeling of isolation"is a point worthy of praise. It saysto mean individual at times muststand a lone; must!not be|swayedto move with the crowd in an areahe is not thoroughly convinced of:must risk being himself and adhering to his personal convictions rather than sliding into the realm ofconformity. It is * inevitable foranyonefwho seeks to be an individual to experience isolation.Now to the second portion of the

same quote" . . . of conform ity tostandards and values that holdlittle meaning or enrichment]forNegroes . " The entire sta tement and with regard to tthe context in which it was used seems,to me, to be very contrary toanything I have been taught a tMercyhurst. I am white; but I havenot been taught conformity/ towhite standards merely for th esake of conformity. Rather, I havebeen impressed iwith the idea andvalues of being an individual.H*1 am oil being mixed with water; and as long as I am constantlybeing stirred, I mingle; but oncethe stirring stops, I am oil again."That is just the point! Being aminority in a group makes youdifferent; but not necessarily in thenegative sense. If standing alone ispositively projectedas being anindividualthen Alicia's point iswell taken. However, if it is tobe regarded with i reference to arace, I think it was stated in poorta s te . It reflects a serious lackingwhen we begin to excuse or sympathize with ourselves because Godcreated us each in a different w a y .In reference to our speaking a"different tongue," This to me, isgreat! Many of us come fromculturally or socially differentareas. Yet the experience of communicating with each other is, perhaps, an extension to the educationwe are received by attending classes. It i s| a real chance for us tocome out of ourselves and to learnwhat makes other"tick". >Sincerely, Ij* d. el .

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This le tter isija veryjrepresent-active reaction. The intention is veryfine, the concern heartening. Butan understanding of what Aliciawrotef is missing entire ly. Therear e a|few comments I wouldjliketo make on this letterpurely personal thoughts on the locked-in eg oof our race which, of co urse, IIshare . But I do think that i t is

IfCAM. fori fun and profit"

S

' Mr Art Buchwald, noted political satirist, spoke at Gannon Auditorium recently using the title, "The C. I. A. forPun and Profit" as the theme of his address. The title setthe tone of his remarks and after one hour he had proventhat the abilityiix> satirize and to laughiat current eventsjjB&truly a vital asset. jpl ' pf | 5 I f IMr. Buchwald is the author of a column!which appearsin three hundred ten international newspapers and is followed avidly by many readers, including the politicians aboutwhom he writes. He has also written several books, the latesttw o offwhich ar e "And Then I told The President" and "Sonof the Great Society". Through'his columns and books hemakes th e reader aware of Several* crucial! problems tha tinvolve not only^our own country, but the entire world. Inhis Gannon address, he spoke with wit about several politicaltopics ranging from the C J l . A. scandel to the war in VietNam. Some comments were ironic, some serious, and somerefreshingly humorus . | I f p g %Buchwald made several comments about President Johnson during the course of his lecture. In answering a questionposed to him by a member of the audience he said that President Johnson has a better sense of humor than Charles DeGaulle especially .when Bobby Kennedy is in trouble. S peakingon executive strategy, he maintainedfthat Johnson seems tohave all the answers. All he needs now are the questions.He also stated that from his personal experiences, the furtheraway from Washington, D. C. one is, the morelstable th epolitical situation seems to become. *4 As he satirized many pertinent current issues, one factabout Mr. Buchwald's style became ^evident. * Though thelistener's immediate reaction is to laugh at the wit andsupreme irony, he cannot help but see the underlying r ea lty .Buchwald made a proposition. He suggested a "Bus-A-Com-mie" program whereby each American town would import itsown ready made Communist and pay him to be a scapegoatfor its own fear and hatred. The wit is there and the urgeto laugh follows, but the laughter comes because the mind isable to recognize the irony of the statement, the realitiesof fear of Communism and hatred of minority groups. Thereis reality, an inner truth brought forth by Mr. Buchwald'shumor. His satire makes the truth more real and more significant. It influences more profoundly.There are questions in the mind of every well-readAmerican today, questions concerning the future of America,the situation in Viet Nam, the racial tension and poverty inour c ountry. A merican needs people like Mr. Buchwald, peoplewho know the political situation and present it to the publicin such a way that it is forced to face the vital reality oflife in today's world. One faces the questions of modern life,questions for some of which jthere are no easy answers andinevitably one begins questioning too. It is only through thisquestioning and searching that solution is found.

possible to escape this ego for amoment and to understand in alimited way the psychology whichAlicia presented: A(1) The "isolation" she mentioned is not the Thoreau-like solitude of the individual spirit whichthis letter mistakes it for. This isolation is a concept far beyond therealm of the white experience.(2) "I have not been taught con

formity to white standards merelyfor the sake of conformity." Noneither has Aliciamerely for th esake of conformity. Brft all of us(though not in so many words)have learned conformity to whitestandards for the sake of Isurvivalin a white world, *We are a ll unfortunately and unknowingly taugh tconformityand at Mercyhurst asmuch as, if not more than, elsewhere. And if not to white standards, then to what? I t is onlynecessary to escape our white egolong enough to recongnize this astrue. I am not speaking cynicallyhere a t a ll . But the truthwhenit is disturbingneed not be glossed over with triteisms or hushed-up for* harmony's sake. I t has away of insistently warping thegloss and breaking the silence.(3 ) Aliciaif I, too, may riskinterpreting herdid not mean toproject her minority identity as"negative." On the contrary, herinterest was a t an opposite pole .This was, as a matter of fact, themost central theme of her article.

(4) She sta ted outr ight that neither1"sympathy" -nor controversywas being elicited. There was nothing maudlin or militant in herwriting and nothing that called fora maudlin or militant reaction.I apologize to d. el. for my dissent but I consider it a very necessary and fundamen tal on e. I amspeaking for myself alone, not forthe newspaper . Christine strong

The Merciad Wishes toThank Sister Gabriel for R eopening the Snack Bar . Weappreciate the time and effortshe expended in doing so.Dear Editor,

In my opinion, the Merciad is afine newspaper for a relativelysmall girls' school. This, however,does not begin to make up for themany and var ied mistakes in grammar which are found througho utthe publication. There can be noexcuse for these errors!I am under the impression thatthe bulk of the newspaper's staff ismade up of English majors. If theyare unable to cope with simplegrammer, perhaps some studentsfrom other departments should beconsidered for the positions of pageeditors. MOur newspaper is read not onlyby Mercyhurst students, but alsoby their paren ts and friends. Iwould be ashamed to admit thata college like Mercyhurst could beresponsible for a product like this.

A proudMercyhurst Girl

the contractmethodby Emily Fatic a j

J The fall term held something of a new learnnig experience for about 60 junior education majors. This experiencewas provided by the CONTRACT METHOD used by Mr.Bryan with his Foundations of Education classes. It wasa teacher-pupil contract which defined the work to be doneand the grade to be received. !Mr. Bryan defined the requirements necessary to receive an A, B, or C, and every student contracted for a de sired grade in term s of the amount of work they w ere willingto do. The requirement for an A was to write eight three-page papers on topics in education ranging from "A SocraticDialogue" to "Education in the Modem World." Of the eightpapers three w ere original works, and the other five were research papers stressing original souces. The requirements fora B grade were to write five of the suggested papers and alsoachieve an 80% on the final test. Those who contracted fora C grade were obliged to write three papers and also achievean 80% on the final exam. Anyone who contracted for an Awas not required to take a final exam as the final essay tobe written acted as a final.I The papers were graded on an acceptable-unacceptablebasis. There was no real letter grade, but it was pointed outthat anything of a C or higher quality was acceptable, andanything less was unacceptable. Any unacceptable paper wasto be rewritten making the changes Mr. Bryan suggested. Ifthe paper was still unacceptable after the second try, thecontract was broken and the grade resulted from the qualityof the other papers.II The CONTRACT METHOD presented qu ite a work loadfor both Mr. Bryan and h is stud ents ; Mr. Bryan was committed tojreading and evaluating roughly 50 papers weeklyand many time rereading and reevaluating corrected?.ones.The student contracted to write "a gem a week." Obviously,neither side completely fulfilled the bargain, but we recognize both sides as making whole hearted attempts JMr. Bryan asked for an evaluation of the course underthe CONTRACT METHOD|and from the?36 who evaluated,the results were quite favorable. Approximately 91 % were infavor of the method, and all except 3 % would be willing totry it a gain! (with some changes Ispecified by many). About84 % likeed the CM better or much better than the basiclecture-test method. In the same comparison, less than halfor 44% felt that it was easier! to achieve an A under CMthan the usual lecture-test*method, an d 20%felt that therewas not much difference between the two.Also, in the evaluation some of the problems werepointed out suggesting improvement of it rather thanscratching it. Many students felt that more specific requirements should have been made|for acceptable papers. Manyfelt that the contract presented too much work for one courseA or no A11 Others fcdt jjthat CM encouraged cutting, fostered a tendency to ignore notes, and that it made the coursetoo cut and dried. A few other problems were mentioned in adifferent light, i. e.: that "eight A papers should be expectedfor a studentito get an* A grade," and that the CM destroysthe initiative of a good student.Mr. Bryan was pleased with the course andfthe CONTRACT METHOD. Even though!he admits it could be Jim-proved, he will be willing to try it again. As he put it, "Ittakes the game out of learning and teaching."Many of the students agree what they learned will beremembered; that they enjoyed faking a class with out the"final test threat" (that, of course, applies to those who contracted for an A ); and thatlthe wor k load was heavy butthat it was evenly paced throughout the entire termweekly Wednesday evening cramming instead of final cramming!spectrum

by Isabella D. Hagelstein?A short television commentaryon Adrew Wyeth has drawn apersistent comparison. in my mindto Robert Frost. Certa in mutualqualities are immediately noticeable. Here are two Americans, afew generations apart, both accomplished artists but working withdifferent media. Both depict rural,common place situations in NewEngland. Though Wyeth divideshis time between Maine and Pennsylvania, his works exhibit thatsturdy hardiness associated withNew England. It is the qualityi Published every three weeksMERCYHURST COLLEGE, ERIE, PA.$.35 per issue $3.00 per yearEditor-in-Chief , .j : Chriss StrongE x e cu t iv e E d i to r . . . . . . . . Ma ry A n n Mo rto nPage Editor s Elaine MarchA Mary Ann D'Urso, Judith Bradley,Pam Poyer, Rosalie Hodas, Chris

f' BodanskiPhotograp hy Editor Kathy KellyTyping and Copy Editor Cathy VarcaExchange Editor . . . Emily FaticaBusiness Editor Lorraine TuckerClub News Co-Editor Kathy Hump hriesModerator Mr. Barry McAndrewEditorial Staff .. yf| Linda ColvinSykvia Kergersky, Pat J Herman,5 Kathy Causgrove, Kathy Hum-* phries, Kathy Zozlowski, MaryZins, Margaret Fox, Danise Bona-dio, Eileen Kraus, - Linda Salem,Mary Stanton, Jackie Flynn, MaryJo McCarthy, Mary Pat McGary.*

more than the locality they share.Theirs is the indigent countryside,the rural, durable world whichThoreau and Emerson before themnurtured in the American mind.Pop, op ar t , modern poetry havej no place in the Frost -Wyeth syndrome. Both men have gained asense of life and reality throughj their at tention to detail. Readersfeel a kinship with Frost with hisear for the vernacular and rhythmin American speech. His poems areconversational pictures. While withWyeth viewers return again andagain to gaze on a face, a viewThey are there and want to be!The solitary quality of Wyeth'spaintings isolate and enhance. Theviewer is alone in a crowed gallery. He knows he has seen yetnever seen before. Wyeth and Frostgive us a second chance at perception, and without LSD.These two unassuming craftsmen

have touched the hearts of individuals of all ages with theirconcentration on the intrinsic andtimeless. Is it these very qualitieswhich attract? Or is it quest forsecurity in the past? Or a desirefor a simplicity which is lacking |today ? Could there be rededica-tion of values ? Perhaps the Hippiehas dramatized a basic truth. Certainly the formally attired galleryviewer and the pensive reader arefar removed from Haight-AshburyStreet. Are we subconsciously be ginning to shake off hypocrisy, status , materia lism.

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theatre:? am abused mediumby Chris t ine Strong

H

|The Talisman Players of GannonCollege recently s taged The Alchemist , an Elizabethean comedy byBen Johnson. This was a d is t inctchange of pace for a theater immersed for the past three yearsin period farce and musical comedy.Although, i t w as p layed to smalland often unresponsive houses , theproduction was on the wholeadmirably executed. It was heart-ening to find Gannon venturinginto more academic theater, d ist inguishing showmanship from d ra ma. This is not a facile distinctionto make, i t seems.

Good thea tre is , theoretically , enjoyable. Good theatre is , in fact ,anathema to most audiences. Thisis perhaps because the equationof theater and entertainment is accurate but misinterpreted. In o therwords, the same.Broadway audiencewill at tend P inter ' s Homecomingand Hello Dolly in the same spiri t :I am present; I am going to s i tback and relax; engage my at tent ion, in terest and affect me; andI may be pleased. Pleasure in one

cus. It is not adequate preparat ion for part icipation in an art istic experience, jThis is accepted in l i terary andmusical fields . Literature, for example, requires not only in terpretat ion and analysis . It must firs tbe read. This alone places a demandon the individual; but it is taken

for granted. The pace and care withwhich he reads, the supplementaryresearch and thought which hebrings to the book, all heighten hisexperience in reading i t . The educated person assumes th is responsebil i ty automatically . Because dramais wrap ped and delivered and doesnot necessarily require the initial effort , i t is presumed that i t makesno part icipatory demands on the individual! (the sa me is often tru e ofa r t , s c u l p t u re ) . Because'the individual is watching, he is passive.And, of course, every spectator inthe theat er considers h imself a crit ic of credit (This is not as t rue inmusic and in literaturemore t ru ethough in art). He uses h is p leasureas a yardstick of judgement. It isan accurate measurement, but onlyon certain condit ions: that the*incase wil l not be forthcoming. Re-1 w^^ m -taxation is an adequate prepara- d ividual is prepared for the thea-

t ion for a Peyton Place or a cir- t rical experience, that he part ici-

concert in rehearsal

The Mercyhurst College GleeClub wil l present their annualChris tmas concert on December 10,1967 in the Lit t le Theatre . The firs tpart of the program will includefamiliar carols sung by the Chorusand the Madrigal Singers , and harpselections by Mrs.Elaine Schuster,who is a member of the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra. BenjaminBrittern's "A Ceremony of Carols,"which has become a tradit ion atMercyhurst wil l make up the second portion of the program. Thiswork will be accompanied by Mrs.Sc h u s t e r .Extramusicai TSpeaking of music, students ofthe music department are putt ingtheir spare t ime to good use. Marilyn Schauble is teaching guitar andviolin at the Music House and hasstarted her own s tring quartet .S he is ialso a member of the ErieSymphonic Singers . Mary GraceCross and Mary Jo Pasikoski arebusy with weekend jobs as organ

ists while Cecily Cottrill teachespiano. Kathy Nelson ,Marlene Kellyand Suzette Aleci are also membersof the Erie Symphonic Singers .Marlene and Suzette are co-directors of the Mercyhurst MadrigalSingers , who perform \at variousevents throughout the Erie area.Bruce Wright is a busy memberof the In truders . John Kuhn teachesat Osieki's and Georgej Hughessings in S t . Pa ul ' s | EpiscopalCathedral Choir, Lending a musicalhand! at Booker T. are HelenCozma, Gloria Sevinsky, and Mar-ci a Quinn while | Kathy Nelson

spends her Monday evenings making music with her church youthorganization.Music ClubOn November 3, 1967, there wasa Music Club meeting with guest

speaker, Mr. Paul B. McCandless ,well-known music educator andteacher from the Meadvil le area.Mr. McCandless gave a very in terest ing talk on the future of musiceducation and the future role ofmusic teachers . The question arosewhether to re-open a s tudent chapt e r o f f MEN S (MU SIC ED U C A T O R ' S ! N A T I 0 N A L C ON F ER ENCE). It was decided in favor ofthe s tudent chapter after carefulconsideration into the activities ofthe organization. An organizationsuch as this trys to come to gripswith problems in teaching and jailthe activities found in the schoolswith regard to m usic. Generalmusic, band, orchestra, chorus, instrumental and vocal instructionand ensembles, music literature,composition, theory, litening programs, adult education, communityservices, and related activities tomention a few. It makes s tudentseligible to attend the national musicconventions and encourages part icipation in workshops with otherstudent chapters in nearby colleges.There was a discussion in preparation for the Philharmonic concertin November 13th featuring SidneyHarth a v iolin is t . The meeting waspresided over by Music Club Pres ident; Bruce Wright, ass is ted bySecretary - Treasurer; KathyNelson, and Publicity Manager;Suzette Aleci ,

pates in tel lectually and morally aswell as emotionally in it; and thathe gives reflection later in solitudeto the immediate reactions he gaveto the performance. (This las t isdebatable). No work of art of themagnitude of a three-act p lay seenin an isolated two-hour period canbe given pullor even more thansuperficialparticipation.Theate r, moreover, is not judgedby the amateur cri t ic on theatricalgrounds; He considers drama comparable in medium to the fi lm or toTV. Because he is versed in the lat ter tw o, he considers himself {partof the theatrical milieu. He iswrong. Consequently , AgathaChris t ie nonsense l ike Wait Unti lD a rk is presented at exorbitantprices at a local theatre. Consequently , the Erie Civic Theater ' sincredibly poor production ofThousand Clowns is g iven rave reviews. This is almost unbelievable.lot the three p lays s taged oneweekend th is month, Gannon 'sAlchemist was certainly the mostsignificant, even the most enjoyable, and assuredly the*most theatrical production. It is understandable, of course, that the mass mediawould not consider Ben Jonson enjoyable. But'then the Erie community is hardly a barometer ofcultural quali ty . Alchemist was astep well taken. It Ishows something that the Mercyhurst theaterhas been demonstrat ing for fmanyyearsthat{the academic theaterhas a contribution to make to thecommunity , a contribution that

every other theatre refuses to offer.One t imeless debate is , thereforeoutdated: Is the college theater ' sfirst responsibility an educationalone to the students and to the dramatis ts themselves or is anytheater only justified in the publicrecep tion! i t receives ? ObviouBly,the academic theatre has somethingto give the public as well. Whetherthe public is prepared to receiveit is another. -question. Whether i tis possible for academic theater toforce an audience to educate itselfand to part icipate in the creativedramatic experience is still another.

social eventsin retrospect'Hurst studets enjoyed a livelysocial calendar the weekend before

finals. Friday, November 10,Sophomores sponsored a SadieHawkin's Dance; Saturday, Gannon's J TKE concert featured thePozo - Seco Singers; and the fo llowing Monday, Seniors entertainedtheir l i t t le s is ters .

The Sadie Hawkin 's Dance marked two "firs ts" for Mercyhurst . Itwas the first dance in the newStudent Union, and the first) towhich girls were permitted to wearcut-offs and jeans. The dance wassponsored primarily for enjoymentra t h e r t h a n profit. Although 84couples attended, the Sophomoresdid not quite break even. Generalchairman, Alicia King, maintained,however, that " taking al l th ings into consideration, I'm pleased withthe outcome." Jamie Shayne andthe Fine Line -provided music forthe dance.The TKE - sponsored Pozo-SecoSingers drew almost 1 a capacitycrowd at Gannon Auditorium. Thetalented Texas threesome sangtheir former best-sel lers , "Time"an d "111 Be Gone," and earned astanding ovation and two encores.Their sound, says Cash Box, amusic trade weekly, is "a^ folksound combined with a beat, which

fernand vega at innAs a welcome change from folksongs, occasionally one?.can si t atthe Inn Secure and listen to balladssang in both English and Spanish .These are sung by Fernando VegaMerida from Mexico.Completely entrancing his audience, Fernando expert ly p lays theguitar and s ings h is favori teswhich include "Laura" and "Yo-Soy-Auuel." He also enjoys s inging thebossa|nova sounds. He is part icularly .noted fo r his2transition ofkeys in the middle of a song whichis a difficult feat. Fernando 3alsosings favori tes such as "Ebb Tide,""More," and "Love Me With All ofYourlHeart." k ) 1

This is Femando's fifth year inthe United States . He at tended oneyear of high school here and is presently completing his senior yearat Gannon. To those who know himpersonally, he is friendly and interesting to talk to. He considers eachindividual as a new experience andloves to meet people. His radiantpersonality comes forth in his ballads . Fernando in tends to remain inthe United States for two morey e a rs andj pursue a { career insinging.f Talent such as Fernando Vegacan be found at the Inn Sec ure.Stop in for an enjoyable evening.

conklin on marine biologyOn Sunday, November 12, Mercyhurst was priv iledged to have nat u ra l i s t andlauthor Roger Conklinsa guest speaker for the 1967 Reli-han Memorial Lecture Series . Mr.Conklin, a graduate ;: of th e Un iversity of Miami and currently withthe aquarium, the largest t ropicalmarine aquarium in | the world ,spoke on "The Little Known Worldof Inner Space."The treasures of our "blue-green

basement," as Mr. Conklin termsthe oceans, are almost l imit less . Weare " just beginning to get our feetwet" in an area that comprises7 1% of our world. It is nine timesgreater than the area of the moon,and though we have been sailingits surfaces for thousands of years ,w e a re still in the "covered wagons t a g e . "Mr. Conklin, producing two rustymetal nodules , explained that they

were evidence of a 10,000,000 fortune in maganese located off thecoasts of Florida and Georiga inthe Atlantic deeps. Manganese isprecious to the steel industry andthis deposit is perhaps the richestyet found on ear th.

He predicted the founding of undersea cities before the turn of thecentury. These mining towns couldbe composed of glassy compounds,which research has shown strengthens under powerful ocean pressures. Oxygen would have to beextracted from the sal t water and

nical problems to contend with,breakthroughs may happen soondue to experiments being carriedon at such places as the Sea-LabStation off the coast of California.Life at the depth of 1,000 feet issaid to be only a few years?awayfor ocean explorers. Mr. Conklindescribed: what a day in one ofthese undersea projects might belike. A man would wake to a b lue-green morning, liquid and lonelyoutside the-portholes special submarines, such as those developedfor James Bond series would c a r ryhim on his various tasks in a worldalmost as "pressure conscious" asours. Life could be quite livable,once man adapted, and the threatof nuclear war lends this possibilitya new importance.

Another aspect of the treasuresof the sea is its inhabitants. Mr.Conklin showed various examplesof underwater existence such as aVenus ' Flower Basket , which inreality is the lovely skeleton of a

j glassy sponge. More practicallyhowever, the Dolphin and the Sharkare becoming important to man.

The Dolphin whose brain is sixtimes the size of ours, is "helping"in scientific research. The Navy hasstudied its skin and adapted theprinciples of rippling, laminar flowin the manufacture of topedos, not ing that th is cuts res is tance tomovement by fifty percent.

though there are many such tech-

is now folk rock, but somethingall its own." They have played atthe country's top night clubs andconcerts s tages and at the L6 JRanch.

On| Monday, Seniors entertainedSophs from 6 to 7:80. After achicken buffet dinner, a number ofBig Sis ter-Lit t le Sis ter teams werechosen to do a rendition of "OldMac Donald." Little sisters we re instructed to act the part of a frog,lizard, elephant, bird, giraffe, donkey, and other barnyard friends,then "aw arded" corn cob pipes withcherry tobacco to smoke on thespot. After this, Elaine Wilson andAnn Dysinger provided guitar music , for impromptu songs and dances . Jane Carney, senior class president , managed the affair.

Sharks, commonly thought of askillers, may soon come to be knownas saviors in the fight againstcancer. At jCape Hayes Labs inSarasota J Florida, a group of wome n Researchees have extractedRestin from shark l ivers , and madethe amazing discovery that th issubstance apparently halts cancerin research animals and turns thecourse of destruction backwards.Tests are being processed nowwhich mayenable science to utilizethis man 's batt le with cancer. Mr.Conklin commented that a wisecreator hadjhidden the answers tosome* of man 's questions in theunlikeliest places.

The theme of his talk was summed up with the words "more beyond." There is indeed much morethan man has realized thus far inthe sea and even beyond this, inthe mystery of life itself.

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Jircfenf power questioned~ . . . I"Zfolf MtoiTa Salem 4 #' fluence, decisionsJbut the ability to

ri t^lieemS dangerous to- begin make decisions . .f. let this pron-tdJscussioii of students r ights with ciple applyhe who must obey the^ ^ - ^ ^ ^ S S k s a f i ^ L - ^ J i -

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December 4, 1967 the merciad Page 5Vietnam and mercyhurst: two separate worby Margaret Pox|v Recently, signs were posted andquestionnaires were made availableto the entire student body requesting that each student respond to apoll of student opinion on Vietnam. Thirty-one Mercyhurst girlsfound the time and took the effortto let their views be known. A 4percent turnout hardly provides anadequate representation of our en

tire studen t body. Could it possiblybe that only thirty-one students inthis college keep themselves informed {of the world situation?Does this speak well for the college itself? I think many peoplewould be interested in the reasonsbehind this lack of interest in current events. By that I mean eventsoutside the realm of the Gannon-Mercyhurst social affairs.Perhaps the justif ication lies inthe fact that the women of Mercyhurst are too involved in academicenlightenment. The Mercyhurst Catalog states that Mercyhurst is"uniquely equipped to present theindividual instruction and guidancea young woman needs in preparingfor her role in a changing world."Are the students even aware thatthere is a constantly changingworld outside of suburban 5 Erie,Pennsylvania ? vBfcCertainly not everyone supportsthe war in Vietnam. Many peopleare anti-war, but at least they express their concern. I t would appear that the majority of the students do not care about the war;that is, as long fas their boyfriendor fiance is in no danger of beingdrafted. T hat criterion- is a poorone for the formation of any opinion. ^rtiis criticism is not directedtoward this poll, but at a real problem on thiscampus. Indifferenceseems to be an accepted mode ofbehavior on many levels, e. g., thecultural series, the various coffeehours, and the voting. What seems

to~be the trouble ? Are the academicrequirements that stiff? Is it necessary to spend 16 full hours a dayin stud y fin order -vto passcourses? The members of our faculty also carry a full work load.Approach any one of them and askif they have an opinion. I thinkyou can predict the result of yourattempt. 'iWe are too far removed? fromthe realities of life in this idyllicatmosphere of academia. We arenot directly affected by the warso we don't care to know that thereis a war. j|. jj1. What is your personal opinionof the war in Vietnam?

I think the war is a mess-itis unfortunatebut it has hap-pened, and we must do somethinga bout i t 4 . I feel the |war isworthwhile if for no other reasonthan to champion! the ^individualright of a people to govern and^preserve their own nation . . . Thewar is worthwhile if it is beingwaged to prevent the spread ofCommunism (the threat ) . Thetactics used and the fact that weeven intervened are hard to stomach, but we can't-leave now . . .I don't think we should {(have become * involved to the extent thatwe are now. The fighting is up tothe Southeast Asian people notto the Americans . . . I can understand t hat' there is a definate rea - son why we are there, but I reallydon't thinklthat the South Viet-namese people care about theAmerican G.I./ It's a waste of ourgood m e n . . . I think the c a usewe fare f ighting for in Vietnam(i.e., freedom from Communist oppression) is worthwhile, but theway we are going about it is completely ineffectual . . . The onlything it seems to be accomplishingis continued escalation and theneedlesss killing of our boys . . .Outwardly this war looks totallypolitical, but I've talked to toomany boys from V ietnam. I get theimpression they are fighting to givea nation a chance for survival andfreedom in a chaotic world. Theyaren't fighting politics. They wantto help people who do not have itas good as we do . . . I think thewar is a waste of American livesand mon ey. The idea con tainingCommunist expansion in Asia maybe a high ideal, but I don't thinkit is worth what we are paying forit. Advice and aid are fine, but weshould not sacrifice the lives of ourmen in this limited action . . .I certainly think that this war isworthwhile for many reasons. Wemade a promise to these peopleand we must stay so that they canhave their freedom too, or at leasttry to fight for it. If we pulledout now, Communism would andcould spread so much faster. Ourpublic image would-be ruined too.That to some people may not seemtoo important, but when a countrylike ours, which so many nationslook to for guidance and \which is amajor world power and a larg einfluence in other societies, makesa withdrawal or refuses to helpanother because it is losing itself,then the consequences would bemuch more far-reaching and disastrous than if we stay. Also, Ithink that it is an experience for

s. e.a. active on campusR One of the largest and most active clubs at Mercyhurst, the student Pennsylvania State!;Education Association (PSEA was organizedfor the primary purpose of teaching its members more about theirspecial field of education and acquainting them with the different aspects of teaching. The Mercyhurst Chapter of PSEA, along with Edinboro State College, its campus in Warren, Pennsylvania, and Gannonand Villa Maria Colleges, are members of the Northwestern Region.Under the direction of Miss Barbara Weigert, PSEA advisor, andclub officers>,Jeanne Keim, President; Chris Syguda, Vice-President;Ann Cunningham, Secretary-Treasurer; and Freda Nappi, CorrespondingSecretary, PSEA meets once a month. Committee chairmen Bobbi Carson,^ Membership; Donna Co stanzo, Prog ram; and'.Denise Steadman,Publicity; manage all club affairs. Members are involved inHeacher-aid programs in surrounding Erie schools and in the St. Joseph's home.Their tasks include correcting papers, tutoring a slow student, or justbeing a friend to a lonely orphan. E very mo nth' members receive thePennsylvania State Journal and National Education Association Magazine. PSEA has thus far sponsored three programs in which Mr. Samuel

Huang and Mr. Jagjeet Ahluwalia spoke on the educational systemsin their respective countries, and Father Pagano gave a speech onMental Illness. These lectures were open not only to PSEA members,but to the entire student body. Recently members attended a regionalmeeting at Edinboro State College in conjunction with National Education Week. Two Mercyhurst g irls have been honored as region officers.They are Mary Lee McGraw, Vice-President; and Mary Stanton, Recording Secretary.Tentative p lans on PSEA 's future schedule include tou rs of progressive schools and a study of the various grading systems. During theSpring term, Miss Lucy Valero, PSEA state consultant, will appear atMercyhurst to speak on the importance of PSEA. *5PSEA keeps its members busy and interested. If you are an elementary or a secondary education major, stir up some personal interest andjoin this profitable organization.

our men, or rather our boys, whichwill make them a lo t: more concerned with world affairs, withhumanity, and much more maturethan they would have become sitting back enjoying the luxuries ofAmerican life* A lot of our guysare fighting for a cause, even'ifit be a small scale i one, and foronce in their lives, for many .thelast, they are fighting whole-heartedly. "Isnt itbetter to try and maybe lose, than never to try at all?"2. What is the role of the civilianand what is his obligation to theAmerican soilder stationed in Vietna m ?Among other things, he is obligated to help the morale of thesoldier. This is not done by peacede m onstr a tions! . . . I don' t wa ntto see our guys thereI want themhome too. But they've found areason to stay, a reason to fightthey need and deserve our support . . . I believe in "my country, r ight or wrong" and as suchI feel that the civilian should suppor t our foreign policy. If he doesnot choose to do this, he shouldmake his feelings known in a con

structive, not demonstrative andemotional way . . . The civilianshould and must back up the soldier because the soldier is riskinghis life and future years of happiness forthe civilian's country andwell being . . . The least one candoif he can't find it in his makeup to advocate the causeis to

r ight

-1SLkeep quiet and not cause j* upsetsto the asoldiers through demon-str at ions . . . I t is the duty of thecivilian to support the Americansoldier wherever he is stationed.We must support our governmentand its action because a housedivided against itself J will fall.Through the next election the people can voice their opinions.;Riotsand demonstrations are not thewayrather, elections are the mosteffective way of influencing thepolicies of our nation . .'. As longas the soldiers are fighting anddying in Vietnam we, as Americans, owe them our support . . .Each citizen should try to supportand help the soldiers in his ownway . . . We are secure in ourhomes; the soldiers are far fromanything they have ever known.We should show them we care byresponding ton their requests forcorrespondence. There is no needfor them 'to be without m ail . . .The American citizen has the rightof free speech and, therefore, ato criticize the war. Heshould realize, however, that thesoldier can do nothing about hissituation and that war is alwaysanfugly thing. The American citizen should not respond with acry of "Murderer!" if Vietnamesecitizens are hurt in battles.3. If you were a male of draft age,how would you feel toward thedraft and the war?

As for the draft, I would resentthe presence of this obstacle inmaking my future plans. And thewar, I would resent\the potentialsituation of having to fight forsomething which I did not believein . . . If I were a college studentand dwelled in fear of being taken away from my education Iwould consider it unfair. (I donow). Otherwise, I would considerit valuable training, but I feel tha tyoung guys of 18 or 19 should notbe "sent" to Vietnam. If they volunteer it is entirely different . . .I would consider the draft as myway of giving something to mycountry in return for all it has given me. But I still consider thewar unjust . . $ ! would feel thatit was my duty to help in my ownindividual way. If I was collegematerial, I would go to college andhelp to build a strong nation.Otherwise I would enlist in these rvic e . . . 1 would not be in favor of the war, but since the U.S.ha s entered' into it, I would goalong and fight for my countryin an attempt to end the war. Iwould be afraid, but I would rea-

m*SanNfttfl|ift g04Bg!ttoa*4 st vi ^f jagr I \m ilize my responsibilities;?. . . I'dha te itbut it's a reality, and when. you have an obligation and responsibilitywell can you kick theworld in the face and have an"every man for himself" philosphy ?. . . I don't think I'd particularlylike putting in four years of collegeto be placed in a jungle in Vietnam, but if I were drafted I'd certainly go without all the fuss andshame some men do . . . I feel thedraft is unconstitutional because ofthe due process clause in the 13thAmendment concerning involuntaryservitude. I feel that to draft aperson to f ight a war against hisreligion, political or fphilosphicalconscience is wrong andv undemocratic . . .fThe same way 5 feelas long as my country was at warit would be my duty to do my parttoward it . . . If I were a male, I'dbe disappointed if I couldn't finishmy education* righ t aw ay, but Iwould probably want to go overand fight. What good J would myeducation do me if the U. S. wouldbe over-run by Communism?4. Do you think we should continuethe war or pull our troops out ofSoutheast Asia?Either choice, in my opinion,would accomplish the same thinglosing money andmen; if we leavethe: communist, the a next line ofdefense Iwould be shifted further

south, toward i Indonesia and theAustralian m a inland . . . I th inkwe should convert all our warequipment to peace-time efforts ofmassive, not paltry (as previously)foreign aid (and not military foreign aid) and direct our surplusmanpower of draft age tovoluntary skilled foreign aid, es pecially agriculture and education. . . To pull out would be to admitdefeat. To stay would show theworld our position on cases likethis . .. We should continue in thewar. At the moment this is not accomplishing much, but to pull outwould defeat what little has beendone . , . To remain would meanaccelerationwhich could finish itquickly or get, us into lots oftrouble with neighboring countries.Pulling out would probably be giving the Commnists a go-ahead sign.We should end it quickly . . . Iwould personally prefer that ourtroops be home, but I think weshould stay until the job is finished.Hopefully this may show the Communists that we mean business . . .I feel that we should continue until South Vietnam is capable of ruling itself and economically sound. . . Continuing is death for morepeopleon the other handpullingout is death for more people. Whose"death" is more important? TheU.S. or the South Vietnamese ? . . .

Neither solution is the best onthere are too many doubts andsuspicions in our world relationsright.now. If we continue, so willth e killingsif we pull ^out de mocracy loses face and there's 'aCommunist take-over. Perhaps anoccupational peacekeeping force after a cease fire would be the bestbet. But there are drawbacks heretoolike getting the communiststo agree . . . I could choose eitherone because neither one will accomplish anything without goodHONEST talks on both sides . . .We should most probably give theNorth Vietnamese .an ultimatumeither hostilities cease with n a certain period of time or the U.S. willresort to nuclear weapons , . . It'sno longer a question of should wecontinue the war or notWe'rein it and we have to stay in ituntil we win or lose. If we pull out,we've lost the wholeof SoutheastAsia and proven to the rest of theworld that we are failures . . .Communist takeover in South Vietnam and from world opinion theredoesn't seem to be much being accomplished while we are th ere.

As a final note, one student added this to her commentary:I think the demonstrations are a!|means for people to gain publicity and noth ing else. If y ou'reagainst the war, do something constructive join the PeaceCorpsand bring thoughts of peace toother countries. But don't teardown the only thing our boys have 3!the USA and its freedom.My brother is in Vietnam. Is he"glad" of it? He gave up a scholarship because he felt he should"do his part." If he dies should Isay he did his part in keeping mefree? Or should I saythe war isstupid. There is no reason for us tobe there. Why should my brother diethere. Why should my brother diefor a Vietnamese? I think my brother would want me to say that hedied for a reasonto keep us freefrom Communism. And if I can saythis after losing my J brother'how can anyone say differently?.May I express my appreciationto those who participated in thispoll. Your comments were all mostinteresting. In closing, a friendonce told me, "I would rather fightthe Communists now in SoutheastAsia, than wait and have to fightin my own back-yard. At least nowmy mind is content because I knowthat those I love are safe at home.What would it" be like if I had toworry about their well-being, whilein combat?" I think what he saysis very true."Sometime they'll give a warand nobody will come."Carl Sandburg

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d o r o o m m a t e s a f f e c t g r a d e s f a c u l t y f o c u s : c l u b s e x p a n d a c t i v i t i e sA study was made recently byRobert LA| Pierce, instruc tor inRochester School of Medicine andclinical psychologist in the University 's Student Health Service ,on "Room mate Choice and AcademicAchievement." The results showedthat college roommates affect eachother's academic performance forcerta in groups of students.!Housing arrangements are oftenregarded by colleges and universities as a service for their students. However, Dr. Pierce foundthat they do appear to have educational implications. H e surveyedtwo groups of students and theirroommates and found that the students in the fall semester of a classin Introductory Psychology tendedto achieve at a level similar to thatof their roomates. Breaking thegroup down by sex and class, however, caused interesting differences.For the most par t, only men'sachievement levels were of anysignificant relation to those of theirroommates, but when broken downby class the study showed thatfreshmen, who are assigned to each

other , usually accommodate theirlevel of achievement to that of theirroommates. The upperclassmen

choose roommates who achievesimilarly to themselves, whereas,the women seem to iignore thisdimension.The conclusion reached was that"among certa in groups of students, school achievement? correlates positively between roommates" and of ten when a student 'sstanding at the end of the semester

or the academic year is higher thanhis ability as measured by College Board scores, that is, he over-achieved, it is because of a roommates influence.In the tota l group of students,more pairs showed mutual over andunderachievement than pairs showing convergence-the brighter stu-br ight student overachievedordivergencethe brighter studentoverachieved * and the less br ightstudent underachieved. | Dr. Piercefeels that this suggests that roommates often arrive at a commonunderstanding about the value ofgrades and of studying, then studyacordingly, therefore overachievingor underachieving together .Women of Mercyhurst, examine

your roommate and yourself anddecide in which of these categoriesyou belong

other experiences in f 3-3by Kathy Causgrove

Carleton College of Northfield,Minnesota has a term system closely resembling that of; Mercyhurst.The 3/8 system has been tr iedand debated not only by the students themselves, but a lso by various college curriculums. At Carle-ton, the natural science curriculumseems to favor the 3/8 system because it allows for a longer se

quence of courses. The fine arts,however , have taken an oppositeviewpoint. They feel that the syste m allows ftittle time to "digest?all the mater ia l. The fundecidedsocial sciences tendrto take theirstand somewhere in|the middle.The general consensus of opinionseems to be anti-3/3. The main cryis the insufficient Itim e availablefor reflection and maturation of

ideas. |This lack of time causesstress oh an already overworkedmemory, resulting in a shorterterm|of recall. In order to cover allthe material, classes tend to be morelecture and less discussion. Themechanics of tests, registra tionsand pape rs jus t addf to the pressures felt on both sides of the desk.Another j problem is the fact thatteachers are faced withi midtermgrades before they even get toknow their students. This lack oftime al so | make s it impossible fora teacherito a lter a course duringthe middle of the term. Thescarcity of reading per iods justadds to the confusion. Due to thetightness of the schedule, there isno margin for error. An illness caneasily ruin i a whole term for astudent.

Such a system does have Sitedrawbacks, but i t is not withoutits advantages too. The quick sequential build-up of courses doesfavor the natural sciences, but

doesn't do much for the fine artscurr iculum. The fact that there isless stress Ion class and lab availability me an s t hat a lab can beused fori three different coursesduring > th e fyear , instead of justt w o . A wider selection of coursesis available. This selection, however, doesn't seem to favor thefreshmen?1 who are faced with thelong sequences of math-sciencecourses.

The problem iswhether or not^thea system outweighvisa versa .to determinepros of suchthe cons, or

C O P E N H A G E N , Denm ark(CPS)The independent republicof Bird Island, situated in the middle of a city lake here, has declaredtotal war on the United Sta tes,according to the British news service reporters. *

The newly proclaimed republichas a population of six. It wouldhave been seven, but one of thefounding fathers fell overboardfrom the landing crafta dinghyand had to swim back to shore.

Danish i police on th e Banks ofLake Sortedamssoeem were makinginvasion plans today because theBird Islanders students froman organization called Zenithrefused to give up their 1200 square-yard country.The group has sent a telegramto the United ^Nations seekingmembership and a cable to the U.S.Embassy here declaring total war.

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Phone 521-2158P a .

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Large New Selection!of Mono-grammed Pins,Pierced Earrings,and other Gift Items.Christmas Hours:Mon.-Fri. 9:30 till 9:00

Sat. till 5:30BREAKIRON JEWELERS"The Pierced Earring Store of Erie"3702 Pine AvenueErie, P a.

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by Mary ZensBeing a professor at Mercyhurstisn't exactly an easy task, i t takesan exceptionally complete education, infinite patience, and a senseof humor. If to these you j add aunique charm and perceptive aurayou will come up with the essenceof Mr. Ahliwalia, chemistry professor and valuable addition to ourteaching staff.Mr. Ahliwalia is a native ofIndia and received his master'sdegree in ^chemistry at MankatoState College. After five years inAmerican he ably expresses hisviews on the differences betweenAmerican and Indian college life.Contrary to wide spread opinion,Indian gir ls do have a great a-mount of freedom, but not as muchas does the American co-ed. TheIndian students have a more study-orientated college career ; they aremore absorbed in life on campusthen the Mercyhurst gir l . The Indian college, however,!offers morein the line of cultural activitiesand enter ta inment ranging fromlecture series to folk music. Consequently, the students have noneed to seek off-campus enter

ta inment.Mr. Ahliwalia also commented onour forms of enter ta inment, te levision in particular. He mentionedthat Indian te levision was moreof an educational *media than theAmerican television. In his opinionEnglish T. V.