Scypinski provides unique knowledge for students
By Kayla Kelly, Features editor on May 07, 2013 10:21:28Hospitality Management Adjunct Professor Dave Scypinski arrived at Mercyhurst a year ago, to spread his knowledge to students about his real world experiences in the industry.
He started off working in hotels, like Hilton Hotels Corporation and Starwood.
Scypinski spent 23 years with Hilton in a wide variety of roles. He left Hilton as Vice President of Industry Relations and took the position of Senior Vice President of Industry Relations at Starwood. He remained at Starwood for about 10 years before taking a position at ConferenceDirect.
ROTC program receives award
By Daniel Tarr, Staff writer on May 07, 2013 10:17:36
Mercyhurst photo: Seniors Lindsey Bostwick, Adam King and Matt Terrigno are the top three ROTC graduates this year.
The ROTC program at Mercyhurst University is one of the most intense and hard-working programs on campus. This hard work and dedication has led the program to receive a top honor in the form of the 2012 General Douglas MacArthur Award.
Mercyhurst’s ROTC program is a part of a program called the “Pride of PA” Battalion, which also includes ROTC programs from other local colleges and universities such as Gannon University and Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. The “Pride of PA” Battalion is commanded by Professor of Military Science Lt. Col. Bradley Nadig. The General Douglas MacArthur Award was given to this whole program in general.
Ninety-five cadets make up the whole “Pride of PA” Battalion. Thirteen cadets will graduate from the program this year. Mercyhurst will graduate six out of these 13 cadets. Adam King, Matt Terrigno and Lindsey Bostwick are the top three cadets graduating this year. These three graduating cadets have placed in the top 20th percentile of the country’s senior ROTC programs and will be recognized as Distinguished Military Graduates.
Wheeling earns top internship in Houston, Texas
By Garrett Erwin, Staff writer on May 07, 2013 10:15:51Internships are essential to gaining real world experience before starting a career.
Junior Rebecca Wheeling has earned a 10-week internship at a company located in Houston, Texas.
Wheeling will be traveling to Houston at the end of May to work at Momentive Specialty Chemicals, Inc.
Hospitality Certificate Granted by OASIS
By Brianna Carle, Contributing writer on May 07, 2013 10:33:18Mercyhurst University is all about service and doing what we can to help and accommodate others. The OASIS program is one of the ways the school tries to better the lives of their students.
Recently, OASIS has expanded from the Mercyhurst North East culinary program to developing a certificate for the Hospitality program.
“The decision to expand our program was related to the need we saw to reach other demographics (i.e., students that were interested in attending college courses - but had no interest in the culinary field)," OASIS Program Facilitator Sara Kitchen said. “We have yet to issue any certificates in hospitality - this is a new certificate that is being offered for the 2013-14 school year. Students working toward the OASIS certificate in hospitality will take courses within the hospitality major at MUNE that focus on guest services on other vocation-specific tasks.”
Bradford pear trees give off troubling smell
By Daniel Tarr, Staff writer on Apr 30, 2013 10:27:11
Zach Dorsch photo: The trees have students challenging each other to take a whiff.
As spring arises flowers bloom and trees blossom. Mercyhurst campus houses Bradford pear trees that are beginning to have a bad reputation. This particular tree gives off an unwelcoming stench of rotting flesh that has several students walking around in disgust.
The scientific name for this tree is Pyrus calleryana. The tree was first brought to America from China in 1908. Today, it is seen in urban settings all over North America.
This particular tree is known for its gorgeous white flowers that come out in the spring. Many refer to this tree as “easy on the eyes, not the nose.”
TOMS club video receives recognition
By Brady Greenawalt, Staff writer on Apr 30, 2013 10:24:01
Taylor Rollins photo: TOMS paints a mural with a variety of colors to show off what it is all about.
This year, as a way to spread awareness of the TOMS One Day without Shoes, a large group of students got together and made history with the first ever “foot dub” video.
TOMS is a shoe company that has popularly adopted a “one for one” policy for their shoe sales. For every pair of shoes they sell, one pair is donated to people of need in Third World countries. The TOMS One Day Without Shoes is an event put on by TOMS every year to promote their cause and spread awareness of extreme poverty in the world.
The video, created by Mercyhurst’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) president Joe Pudlick and senior Casey Krein, features over 70 Mercyhurst students from different clubs and organizations as well as various faculty and administration officials, dancing in their bare feet to “We Come Running” by Youngblood Hawke.
Students get ready for Spring Fest
By Kayla Kelly, Features editor on Apr 30, 2013 10:43:10
www. twitter.com/thewhitepanda photo: The White Panda is one of two acts who will perform at SpringFest.
With the year coming to an end, everyone deserves a fun night of activities and free music. SAC and MSG are hosting the annual Spring Fest.
In the past, Spring Fest has been a weekend of festivities, but this year they have decided to organize all events for Friday, May 3. This plan was due to the lack of student attendance at the Saturday freebies and games.
Seniors Adam Borgman and Jenna Dascanio believe the new pre-concert events will be a good flow into the night of music and a way to incorporate the whole campus community.
Friday pre-concert activities begin at 3 p.m. with a photo booth, airbrush tattoos, spin art shutter shades, caricature artists, shirt cutting and freebies. The free “street food” will start at 4 p.m. In addition, DJ-Henry GQ will be providing the entertainment during the outdoor fun.
Alums provide career insights
By Daniel Tarr, Staff writer on Apr 30, 2013 10:28:37Every year, Mercyhurst alums come back to the school to talk to current students about their jobs, real-world experience, and how they are doing in general. Students in the Hospitality Management program were among those who listened to returning alums.
Two guest lecturers, who are also alums of the hospitality management program at Mercyhurst, spoke in front of hospitality management Professor Dave Scypinski’s Convention and Tradeshow Management course.
The two guest speakers were Cleveland Convention Center Senior Director of Sales Tony Prusak and Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort Director of Sales and Marketing Eric Opron.
Strausbaugh writes the history of Mercyhurst
By Chelsea Schermerhorn, Copy Editor on Apr 23, 2013 09:29:49Mercyhurst is a university that takes pride in its rich and vivid history. This is especially evident in the Ambassador’s program where students are tasked with the responsibility of knowing and repeating that information to prospective incoming students and their families.
Up until just recently, though, there was no comprehensive written history. Roy Strausbaugh, Ph.D. has changed that.
Strausbaugh received his Ph.D. from Case Western University and was a tenured professor of history at Edinboro University until his retirement in 1993. In 1994, he came to Mercyhurst, served in various positions and now holds the title of Visiting Professor of History.
Re-Fashion Show encourages students to recycle old clothing
By Abigail Robinson, Staff writer on Apr 23, 2013 10:33:21
Sami Rapp photo: Fashion students advertise event on creative poster.
The Mercyhurst Fashion Promotion class taught by Professor Erin Magorien will be hosting a Re-Fashion show on Thursday, May 2, at 8 p.m. in the Student Union Great Room.
The juniors and seniors in the class came up with a unique spin on their annual fashion show. This year’s show will take gently used clothing and ‘up-cycle’ (re-cycle with an up-scale flare) the clothing into current and trendy attire.
Fashion Merchandising junior Emily Isbell said the theme of ‘re-fashion’ stresses a “do what you can with what you have” mentality.