times
mount mercy
What’s
Inside
A Student Publication
Serving Mount Mercy Since 1993
November 21, 2013
times.mtmercy.edu
Three finalists
visit MMU
Improv troupe
continues
‘Animal
Kingdom’
Cast members were
voted off, but “Animal
Kingdom” continues to
make audience laugh.
A&E, Page 4
Thanksgiving
holiday should
not be for
shopping
Our feature editor shares
her opinion on stores
opening on Thanksgiving in addition to Black
Friday.
Opinion, Page 3
‘Oedipus
Tyrannus’
reviewed
“Oedipus Tyrannus” was
a success due to use of
lighting and costumes,
among other aspects.
The play ran Friday
through Sunday.
A&E, Page 4
International
students
celebrate
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is an
American holiday, so how
do Mount Mercy’s
international students
celebrate?
Feature, Page 5
History
important for
future
Our snapshot, Anthony
Clark, explains why he
feels that history is an
important subject to
understand.
By T.J. Kremer, III
Editor-In-Chief
T
hey came. They
were seen. And one
may end up having
the title of president of
Mount Mercy University.
Three finalists have
been selected by Mount
Mercy’s board of trustees.
They are: Anne “Carson” Daly, Ph.D., vice
president for academic
affairs at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont,
N.C.; J. Michael “Mike”
Pressimone, Ed.D., vice
president for advancement
at Alvernia University in
Reading, Pa.; and Laurie M. Hamen, J.D., vice
president for enrollment
management, athletics
and student affairs at
North Central College in
Naperville, Ill.
The three finalists
visited campus over the
past week and a half.
Each candidate was
given two days to tour the
campus and meet with
students, faculty, staff
and members of the community during multiple
sessions.
During these meetings, candidates were
given the chance to present themselves and give
their visions for how they
would run the university.
In return, those present were allowed to ask
questions of each of the
candidates to get a feel for
how each might fit in with
the Mercy values, traditions and academic goals
the university upholds.
The process began
when former university
president, Dr. Christopher Blake, asked for and
was granted by the board
of trustees a year-long
sabbatical on May 23.
One week later, it was
announced by the board
that Blake would not be
returning to the univer-
sity after his sabbatical
ended. On June 3, Dr.
Norm Neilsen was named
interim president.
Times TV
Picking a
President
The board of trustees
took action by forming
a search committee to
recruit and interview
applicants for the vacant
position. Dr. Jamie Ferrare of the Association of
Governing Boards was
hired as a search consultant on Sept. 19 to help
in the identifying and
interviewing process.
The process of meeting the finalists was well
received by students who
attended the student
sessions. Students were
impressed by each of the
candidates.
“Overall, I am
impressed with the final
candidates,” said Aaron
Lacy, president of SGA.
“Each boasts their own
incredible personal
achievements and brings
a unique aspect to the
table. They are all very
good, and I like that they
are different from each
other.”
“The candidates
were good,” said Kristina
Mione, senior English
major. “They all have experience that will benefit
Mount Mercy somehow.”
However, some felt
that the limited amount
of time in the general student session should have
been expanded.
“They all have over
15 years of experience
somewhere,” Mione said.
“Thirty minutes isn’t
enough time to be able to
tell us about themselves,
have us ask questions and
for them to respond.”
Those who participated in the various sessions with the candidates
were asked to fill out a
survey to be submitted
to the board of trustees
for their consideration in
T.J. Kremer, III / Editor-In-Chief
Students particpate in a Q&A with university president candidate, Laurie Harmon
on Monday. Each of the finalists was given two days on campus to meet with students, faculty, staff and members of the community.
determining a final choice
for university president.
Those surveys were due
by 3 p.m. on Wednesday,
Nov. 20.
Now, less than six
months after the search
committee was established, a new president
may soon be named. The
following is a breakdown
of each of the three finalists, including highlights
from their resumes and
their ideas on how they
can impact the university.
The Times asked each
of the finalists the same
three questions about
key duties of the office of
university president.
Below are each of
their responses.
Anne “Carson”
Daly
A
nne “Carson”
Daly received her
B.A. from Mount
Holyoke College in 1975.
From there she went on
Journalist
learns lessons
while reporting
on religion
Feature, Page 5
Index
News.............. Page 2
Opinion......... Page 3
A&E................ Page 4
Feature.......... Page 5
Sports........... Page 6
Next Issue
The next issue will
be out Dec. 12. All
submissions are
due Dec. 6.
to receive her M.A. and
Ph.D. in English literature in 1977 and 1980,
respectively.
From 1979-86, Daly
was an assistant professor
English at the University of Notre Dame. She
then spent several years
as a visiting professor at
California Pyrotechnic
Institute, Intercollegiate
Studies Institute (N.C.)
and New Hampshire
Teachers’ Academy before
taking a position as
an adjunct professor at
Georgetown University.
From 1994-2000,
Daly worked for Pfizer,
Inc. In 2000, Daly left
her position to take care
of her ill mother until
her death in 2005. From
2005-2007, Daly worked
as a corporate communications consultant. In
2007, she took her current
position as vice president
for academic affairs and
dean of the faculty at Belmont Abbey College.
On increasing
enrollment: “There
will several things that I
think will probably work,”
Daly said. “(Mount Mercy)
is beginning to do a
250-mile radius search. I
think we’re going to have
to continue to do that and
we’re going to have to continue to capitalize, even
go further than 250 miles.
Certainly we’re going to
have to go into St. Louis,
and certainly we’re going
to have to go into Minneapolis and Milwaukee.
“We have to target
the actual strengths of
the university toward the
high school population.
We’re going to have to
publicize different programs and market them
much more effectively.”
Daly shared her
thoughts with students
on expanding recruiting
strategies to include more
minorities.
“There are a number of Asian students
who want to come to
the United States to get
an American degree,”
>Continued on Page 2
Opportunities
to give thanks
set at MMU
Feature, Page 5
The series on what
Catholicism means to
different members of
Mount Mercy community concludes with the
writer’s thoughts on what
he learned through the
process.
Volume 20, Issue 9
By T.J. Kremer, III
Editor-In-Chief
Senior Bruno De Araujo participates in the Hope Video. (Screen Shot from the
Hope Video on YouTube)
Hope Video inspires
beyond campus
By Amanda Mayotte
Senior Editor
Beat up. Worthless.
Hurt. Angry. Alone. A
study conducted by professors at Indiana State
University in 2011 showed
that bullying continues
even in college. According
to the study, 15 percent of
college students reported
being bullied and another
22 percent reported being
cyberbullied.
To address the issue
at Mount Mercy University, the office of marketing and communications
released Hope Video, a
project that involved a
powerful anti-bullying
message from students,
staff and faculty.
“We did this video
to raise awareness of the
fact that bullying doesn’t
stop after high school,”
said Holly Fields, web
marketing manager. “It
can be in college, at work,
face-to-face or online.
Personally, dealing with
social media as a part of
my job, I find the phenomenon of subtweeting to be
particularly disturbing.”
The video was shot
in front of a green screen
in the University Center
Commons on Oct. 24.
>Continued on Page 2
The holiday season is
quickly approaching, and
some people in the Mount
Mercy community may be
wondering what they can
do to help others that are
less fortunate than themselves. That’s where the
office of Campus Ministry
can help.
Students, faculty and
staff have opportunities
to volunteer or donate
through several programs.
The Thanksgiving
Dress dinner, which will
be held on Nov. 24, will offer students the chance to
nominate a Turkey King
and Queen by donating
change in exchange for
the nomination, explained
Brooke Oehme, coordinator of volunteerism and
service learning. The
money that is raised
during the dinner will go
toward a food packaging
project for Kids Against
Hunger, which will take
place in the spring.
“It’s a celebration
event that we have a
fundraising element
for,” Oehme said. “In
the past, it’s just been
an easy friendship for
Kids Against Hunger to
partner with something
where we’re focusing on
celebrating Thanksgiving
through Residence Life
and Student Life.
“While we do enjoy
the luxuries of our ‘First
World’—eat food and celebration—there are many
who can’t afford that. So
Kids Against Hunger
has often partnered with
that activity to help give
some light so that as we
celebrate we should also
remember those that are
hungry.”
Mount Mercy is
also partnering with the
United Way this Thanks-
>Continued on Page 2
News
2
Nov. 21, 2013
Finalists look to impress during visit
“Raising money is all about
having a compelling story, being
truthful, being trustworthy and
delivering results.”
lic relations at Hussian School
of Art (Pa.) before moving on
to director of admissions at
Holy Family University (Pa.) in
1984-85. Pressimone then went
on to become director of development at Cardinal Gibbons
High School (Md.) from 198588. From there, he took the
position of director of annual
giving at Western Maryland
College from 1988-90 before
assuming the same role at
Catholic University of America
from 1990-92. He then held several positions at Elizabethtown
College (Pa.) from 1992-2003
before becoming vice president
for institutional advancement at
Belmont Abbey College (N.C.)
from 2003-05. Pressimone took
his current position as vice
president for advancement at
Alvernia University (Pa.) in
2006.
On expanding academic programs: One area
On increasing enrollment: “Mount Mercy has to
>Continued from Page 1
she explained. “So one of the
things I think we want to do
here is open the door to (Asian)
students.”
On fundraising: “Nothing else gets done if you can’t
fundraise,” Daly said. “There’s
federal money available, there
are a number of foundations
that support small liberal arts
institutions, there are also state
grants that are available. There
are also corporations that function across the whole country.”
Daly said that the key to
fundraising lies in the message
that the president of the university delivers.
that Daly sees Mount Mercy improving in to be more competitive is online education.
She also spoke about specific programs that could be implemented, including business
programs, forensic accounting,
online nursing certificates and
theology certificates.
“Probably what (Mount
Mercy) wants to look for are
other master’s (degree programs) to build on those where
you already have success and
you already have some faculty
so you don’t have to go out and
hire all kinds of new people,”
she said.
J
J. Michael
Pressimone
. Michael Pressimone
received his A.A. degree
from Cattonsville Community College (Md.) in 1979
before continuing to receive his
B.F.A. from Catholic University
of America (D.C.). Pressimone
later obtained his M.A. from
Regis University (Co.) and his
Ed.D. in higher education from
Benedictine University (Ill.) in
2009 and 2013, respectively.
From 1981-82, Pressimone taught as an eighth grade
teacher at St. Cecilia School
(Pa.). From 1982-84, he was
director of admissions and pub-
expand its recruiting base,”
Pressimone explained. “The
first thing we have to do is
expand our reach. That might
mean we need to go into other
major metropolitan areas, like
Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis
and Kansas City.”
He discussed targeting
programs that could benefit
from expansion. Doing this, he
explained, could be achieved
by buying names of high school
students who may be interested
in those programs from market
research companies.
Pressimone identified a
key area of concern as being a
lack of incoming freshman at
Mount Mercy. To address this,
he offered a solution based on
expanding athletic recruitment.
“You’re getting a large
number of transfer students
who come in for junior, senior
year,” he said. “But when you
have a relatively small number
of freshman and sophomores
who are in the traditional mode,
we need to improve that. Athletics can be a way to help us
address that, because when you
recruit and athlete, you’re not
recruiting them for two years,
you’re recruiting them for four
years.”
On fundraising: Pres-
simone shared his philosophy
on fundraising.
“Fundraising is not about
care deeply about.”
She said her passion for
fundraising lies in serving the
needs of the students and the
mission of the university.
Anne “Carson” Daly, J. Michael Pressimone and Laurie M.
Hamen. (Pictures of candidates downloaded from their
respective college websites.)
asking for money,” he said.
“Fundraising is about relationship management…It involves
research; it involves prospect
research.”
Reconnecting with alum to
continue building relationships
in search for donations would
also be another area Pressimone would focus on.
On expanding academic programs: “We need
to look at some new program opportunities as ways of expanding our programs,” Pressimone
said. “We really need to identify
where we have market opportunity.”
Opportunities to expand
academic programs may rely
on identifying local businesses’
needs and retaining undergraduates.
“Are there niches for this
institution, based on what we
do, where that would make
sense to create a graduate
program, where we could also
recapture part of our market
that we already had by getting
our undergrads to come back
and get their graduate degree
here?” he said.
Laurie M. Hamen
L
aurie M. Hamen received
her B.A. from the University of St. Catherine
(Minn.). Her M.S. in counselor
education was completed in
at Winona State University
(Minn.) before receiving her
Ph.D. in educational administration from the University
of Minnesota. Hamen then
received her J.D. from DePaul
University College of Law (Ill.).
The years in which she obtained
these degrees were not given.
Hamen served as assistant
complex director at Mankato
State University (Minn.) from
1985-86 before moving on to
become director of activities at
Mississippi State University
from 1986-87. She then served
as associate dean of students at
St. Mary’s University (Minn.)
from 1987-92. Hamen became
dean of students at College of
St. Benedict (Minn.) where she
served from 1992-96 before
landing her current role as vice
president for enrollment management, athletics and student
affairs at North Central College
(Ill.) In addition to her administrative roles there, she has
been an adjunct faculty member
since 2012.
“I like going out and I like
asking people for things, especially when I believe sincerely
in the mission of the place,” she
said. “I really, really deeply care
about the students and I deeply
care about the mission and I
would be happy to go out to
explain that to people who have
resources.”
Hamen acknowledged that
not every fundraising attempt
will be successful. But she said
her persistence is something
that would help turn a “No” into
a “Yes.”
“No, to me, means not right
now,” Hamen explained. “No, to
me, is not the end of the story.
No, to me, is I still look at all
of your faces and say you need
something, and it is my responsibility, I think, as the president
to go back out and ask again.”
On expanding academic programs: Hamen
On increasing enrollment: Hamen shared her
thought that targeting Asian
and Hispanic populations
would be beneficial in attracting future students. Modifying
the application process would
also be a part of her strategy.
Because Mount Mercy retains
around 40 percent of those who
come to campus for a visit when
they are deciding on a university, she said the focus needs to
be in getting more applications
out.
identified two areas where the
university could expand as being applied health, and science,
technology, engineering and
math, or STEM, programs. The
STEM programs, in particular,
are where the federal government recognizes the greatest
need for expansion. Marketing
STEM programs to students
is advantageous to Mount
Mercy because our small class
sizes allow for more opportunities to conduct research, she
explained.
“I think first and foremost
that there needs to be new application strategies,” she said.
“More applications and—getting people on campus—is key.”
“I know there are students
who want to be a graduate from
a small college because of the
research experience,” Hamen
said.
She said adding additional
programs would also serve to
attract new students. She said
that growing the athletic programs, increasing the international student base and marketing online programs would all
be part of her concentration in
this area.
Hamen said that the graduate programs could be better
developed if the CRST International Graduate Center expanded the times at which it offers
classes. She observed that most
of the graduate classes take
place at night and expanding
classes into the daytime could
help increase enrollment there.
On fundraising: “Fundraising, to me, is about finding
the heart of peoples’ interests,”
Hamen said. “I think the only
way of getting major gifts is by
finding something that they
”It seems to me that that
is a time to for us to really use
a resource that we’ve got right
now and is being underutilized,”
she said.
Hope Video helps combat bullying Giving thanks
and giving back
>Continued from Page 1
green screen in the University Center Commons
on Oct. 24.
Students, staff and
faculty were asked to explain how they felt when
they were treated badly,
or when someone was
mean to them or someone
else they cared about.
“There were a few
staff members who rushed
over to the UC during
filming because they had
such a strong desire to
be a part of this project,”
Fields said. “Those people
knew what their word was
going to be before they
even got to our table.”
The video was posted
on Facebook by Mount
Mercy and by the Sisters
of Mercy of the Americas.
It has generated over 865
views, 32 shares and 91
likes.
“I think the reason
this video is so powerful to people is because
it reminds us that even
though we go on with
our day-to-day lives, the
effects of those negative
experiences always stay
with us somehow, even if
buried deep down in the
back of our minds,” Fields
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Thursday Nov. 21
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Jousting for Movie Tickets. University Center Commons.
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
STAT Pumpkin Bowling. University Center Commons.
3:30 - 4 p.m.
Summer Study Abroad Information Seminar. University
Center Room 110.
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
MSN Information Session.
Francis J. Pruss Conference
Center, CRST Interactional
Graduate Center.
Friday Nov. 22
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
International Program Tables.
University Commons.
explained.
Fields said that after
the video was shared,
people explained that it
wasn’t until they watched
the video that they realized that had been bullied
at one point.
“They just had never
prescribed that word to
what they experienced.”
The office of communicating and marketing
does not does not have
additional projects of
this type planned for the
future, but Fields said it
will continue to get the
word out about the video.
Saturday Nov. 23
7:30 p.m.
U.C. Tournament Night Series:
Ping Pong. University Center
Commons.
“This video has an
important message that
made sense for our office
to help share, especially
given that October was
Stop Bullying month,”
Fields said. “Ultimately
this video says more about
the kinds of people we
have on this campus than
any commercial could.
It shows our heart, our
mercy, our spirit of compassion.”
To see the Hope
Video visit https://
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=SivqCmhaehE or
view it on Mount Mercy’s
Facebook page.
Wednesday Nov. 27
Thanksgiving
Break
Begins.
Monday Dec. 2
Classes Resume
Sunday Nov. 24
5 p.m.
Thanksgiving Dress Dinner.
University Center Commons.
Monday Nov. 25
3 - 5 p.m.
Ornament Craft Event. University Center.
7 p.m.
Handbell Ensemble. Temple
Judah. 3221 Lindsay Lane, SE.
Wednesday Dec. 4
Noon - 1 p.m.
The Spanish Table. University
Commons
Friday Dec. 6
3 - 4 p.m.
Club Friday: Campus Ministry.
University Commons
Tuesday Dec. 10
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Massages and Facials. Betty
Cherry Heritage Hall.
>Continued from Page 1
United Way this Thanksgiving by asking students
to donate food and goods.
Assistant Professor Deb
Oliver, director of the
MBA graduate program,
is coordinating this drive
to help sponsor families
in need.
Mount Mercy has
stationed Giving Trees in
all of the main buildings
around campus. The trees
have tags hanging from
them with gift requests.
Those gift tags will go toward helping children and
families at Tanager Place
and Young Parents Network, Oehme explained.
In addition to the
gifts that are collected,
Oehme said that Campus
Ministry is partnering
with Health and Wellness
during the Ornanament
Craft Event, on Nov. 25,
for their annual ornament
making drive, so that
each gift will also include
an ornament. Kayla
Hanson, resident advisor for the second floor of
Andreas Residence Hall,
has coordinated her floor
to help volunteer in this
project, Oehme said.
“We want students to
be able to give back when
they go home and when
they are with their fami-
Ryan Wery / Staff Photographer
Trees like this can be
found all over campus.
The tags list gifts that go
to families in need.
lies. So we do try to help
the United Way and other
organizations that are doing events in that way.”
Because many service
opportunities are available during the breaks
when students are not on
campus, links to other
organizations in need of
volunteers or donations
can be found on the Facebook page, Mission and
Ministry.
“We just want people
to be aware of the needs
in their own communities, so that when they go
home they can help serve
with their families and
help find the organizations that need their help
over the holidays,” Oehme
said.
Opinion
Nov. 21, 2013
STAFF EDITORIAL Black Friday
undermines
Presidential meaning of
Thanksgiving
search calls
for more
student input
Opinion
Cassie Paulson
Feature Editor
The presidential finalists have
concluded their tours of Mount Mercy
University, where members of the staff,
faculty and student body had a chance
to meet and interact with all three. Now
the decision for our next president is in
the hands of the board of directors.
The Times has complete faith that
the board will choose the candidate who
is best suited to lead the university as it
continues to move forward and expand.
That being said, the Times also
believe that the process of meeting
the finalists can be improved the next
time Mount Mercy chooses a high-level
administrator. Although the search
committee and the office of the president
clearly made efforts to ensure that each
of the candidates were made available
to the entire campus, the timing of the
visits was less than ideal for many.
As for the search committee itself,
we would like to see members of the
student body included during the next
search. The student body is the largest
group on campus, but it had no direct
representation in this process. This is an
area of the selection process that must
be addressed and rectified.
Also included in changes to the
structure of the search committee should
be additional faculty representation.
More professors should be given the opportunity to have a voice in selecting the
highest level of university administration. These professors are the ones in the
trenches, seeing everyday what the specific needs of the university are. Their
input is invaluable and more of it should
reach the search committee directly.
None of these suggestions will make
any difference without the most critical of the components being improved:
Each candidate was given two days
student participation. It is true that
to tour and meet with various groups.
some students could not attend any of
On the surface, it seems like plenty of
the scheduled meetings due to an overopportunity was given to have access
whelming class load, but it is also true
to the candidates. But,
that some could have
because the visits ocattended at least one
curred during a time in
The student body is
of the sessions and
the semester when many
the largest group on
simply chose not to.
people on campus are excampus, but they had no
We believe there
tremely busy, the Times
direct reprensentation
is a dangerous feeling
feels that opportunities
in this process. This is
of apathy among some
to meet the candidates
an area of the selection
of our university’s
may have been missed
process that must be
students. This was a
by some.
addressed and rectified.
golden opportunity
A solution we
for students to involve
suggest is to have an
themselves in the
evening meeting, in a
important process
town hall style, to give
of selecting our next
people who do not have
president, and some did not care about
time during the school day the opportubeing a part of that process.
nity to meet and discuss issues with the
Surveys were created that particicandidates.
pants in these meetings were asked to
We understand that planning the lofill out, which would then be presented
gistics for a short, two-day itinerary can
to the board of directors for their considbe complicated. And no matter how much
eration in the final selection of one of the
time is set aside to allow the university
candidates. It is a shame that the board
community the opportunity to meet the
will not have a tremendous amount of
candidates, some people will simply not
student input when they make their
have the time for these meetings. Howselection. The students are the heart of
ever, extending the meeting times into
our institution. We should take more sethe evening would serve as a benefit to
riously our role in determining our own
our campus.
fate and direction that our university
will take.
Technology can also help achieve
more participation in these meetings.
Overall, this has been an interestThe Internet allows us to conduct virtual
ing and educational experience for the
visits through web-based conferences. It
Mount Mercy community. The Times
may be that the university, given its curhopes that the board will consider
rent struggles with our own network on
our recommendations in the selection
campus, was not quite set up this time
process and implement our ideas for the
around for such a program to have any
next time a high-level administration
real chance of success. But the technolposition search happens.
ogy is out there, and this is something
the university should consider for the
next time a high-level search arises.
“
”
When I was growing
up, my parents made sure
that I knew that the point
of Thanksgiving was to
give thanks—mind-blowing
concept, right? I thought
that everyone else knew
that besides all of the turkey, stuffing and desserts,
Thanksgiving’s purpose was
to appreciate everything that
you have. Am I the only one
who finds it ironic that the
national holiday dedicated to
giving thanks is followed by
the greediest and most selfish
day of the year?
I haven’t always hated
Black Friday. Before I even
knew that it had a name, I
would always go shopping
with my mom. We would
spend the day setting up
the Christmas tree with my
brothers and then go to the
mall to get ideas for Christmas gifts. We would usually
leave around 2 p.m. Not 6
a.m., not 4 a.m. and for crying
out loud, not on Thanksgiving
night.
I remember the event
that sparked my loathing for
Black Friday. I was watch-
ing the news with my mom,
and I saw that a Wal-Mart
employee had been trampled
to death by a crowd of greedy
shoppers. Someone, who was
already robbed of spending
the holiday with his family in
order to work the holiday, was
denied the rest of his life by a
selfish group of people hoping
to save $20 on holiday gifts.
The savings were not
worth it when stores were
opening at 5 or 6 a.m. They
are certainly not worth it now
that some stores are opening
at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
I have a few very close
friends who work at Lindale Mall who cannot spend
the day with their families
because the mall opens at 8
p.m. on Thanksgiving. Are
your savings really worth
denying a college student or a
single mom a day with their
families?
That’s a rhetorical
question. It isn’t. The whole
purpose of Thanksgiving is
its namesake: giving thanks.
So why don’t we get back to
spending the day remembering all of the blessings that
we do have, so that we stop
taking that time away from
those who have no choice but
to cater to your greed.
If you are a shopper, wait
until 10 or 11 a.m. Friday to
shop. If you are a businessperson who just so happens to
be reading my article, leave
your stores closed on Thanksgiving.
PHOTO POLL
What do you think of stores
opening on Thanksgiving?
by Cassie Paulson
“I guess less people would
go because they work on
Friday, so I guess it makes
more sense.”
Zach May
Senior
Social Work Major
“I personally like it because you get discounts.”
Kendra Ballensky
Sophomore
Criminal Justice Major
The Other Side of Life by Cody Nie
“I think it shouldn’t be
open—for families and
stuff. People should be
with their families.”
Erik Ryan
Sophomore
Math Education Major
“I don’t like it. I really like
to shop on Black Friday, but I don’t like it on
Thanksgiving. It should be
for family, not shopping.”
Nicole Morrow
Senior
Biology Major
“It gets so hectic; people
literally get trampled.”
Holiday Spirit
Creighton Robinson
Freshman
Undecided
3
times
mount mercy
Mailing address:
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mtmercy.edu
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TJ Kremer, III
Editor-in-Chief
Maddy Jones
Co-Editor
Amanda Mayotte
Senior Editor
Taylor Foster
Sports Editor
Cassie Paulson
Feature Editor
Taylor Grangaard
A&E Editor
Shannon Brown
Business Manager
Joe Sheller
Faculty Advisor
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listed by name
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Mercy Times
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University
students, faculty, and staff
and those
close to the
Mount Mercy
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community.
The Times is
published on
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Mount Mercy
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A&E
4
Nov. 21, 2013
‘Animal Kingdom’ continues to bring laughs
Maddy Jones
Co-Editor
The Beggin’ for Mercy
improv troupe had audience members in McAuley
Theater reeling with
laughter Monday evening
in the second installment
of its “Animal Kingdom”
series.
The concept of
“Animal Kingdom” is
like the TV reality show
“Big Brother.” In the first
installment, the audience
gave each of the improvers
an animal to portray. At
the end of the first show,
the characters attempted
to vote off one of the characters. However, there
was a tie for the bottom
three, so everyone was
available for elimination.
Monday’s show began
with voting someone out
of the Animal Kingdom.
Denise the Dragon, played
by Adrienne Elliff, was
voted out of the house. For
the rest of the series, she
ten by audience members
when they came in to
the theater, and hilarity
quickly ensued.
will have to sit out on any
improv that involves the
Animal Kingdom.
The cast was unaware when they got to
McAuley Theater that
night that there was
about to be a murder
in the house. During
the first act of “Animal
Kingdom,” the lights
went out and someone
let out a bloodcurdling
scream. Another member
of the Animal Kingdom
murdered Eleanor the
Elephant, played by Casey
Birkicht.
The show weaved between acts from “Animal
Kingdom” and regular
improvisation acts.
The acts that appeared to be crowd favorites were “Finding Nemo
Shank,” “Fly Fishing on
Meth” and “Puppets.”
In “Finding Nemo
Shank” the audience was
asked to shout out the
names of two popular
In “Puppets” the
Beggin’ for Mercy troupe
asked for audience participation. Sophomore
Tessa Friason and freshman Dalton Pennington
were pulled on the stage
as puppeteers. They
controlled Heims’ and
Foster’s bodies into hilarious positions that the men
then had to improv their
lines around.
Maddy Jones / Co-Editor
Junior Tyler Hartley, improving as a T-Rex, writes in his diary how much he misses
Eleanor the Elephant, who was killed off in Monday’s show. Behind him is most of
the cast of Beggin’ for Mercy.
movies. “Finding Nemo”
and “The Shawshank Redemption” were shouted
out and Taylor Foster
improvised as the director
of the movie collaboration
and Elliff, Bryce Althoff
and Gabby Acosta played
the actors who don’t like
him. Foster directed the
group to perform in the
styles of boy band, slow
motion and as dancing
showgirls.
The audience helped
come up with the idea of
“Flyfishing on Meth,” as
well. In this skit Danny
Wayson, Jarod Heims and
Tanner Retzlaff were fly
fishermen on meth. During the skit, they would
read from note cards writ-
At the end of the
show, the cast of “Animal
Kingdom” voted to kick
someone off the show.
Everyone received a vote
except for Tony the T-Rex
(Tyler Hartley) and Steve
the Snake (Danny Wayson), so they are safe from
elimination. Everyone else
is eligible to be eliminated
in the next installment
of “Animal Kingdom” on
Monday, Dec. 9 at 8 p.m.
‘Oedipus Tyrannus’ a success for Alberty, cast
searched for the murderer of Laius, the previous king.
Foster showed a regal presence that proved he was the
obvious choice for the role.
By Danny Wayson
Staff Writer
Jason Alberty and the cast of “Oedipus Tyrannus”
excelled in Alberty’s Mount Mercy debut this weekend.
The production was intense, to the say the least, and
showed how a man’s pride can lead to his utter destruction.
I entered the theater to a musical arrangement of
lyre and pipes playing on a soundtrack. This eerie music created unique atmosphere, preparing the audience
for its journey back in time to ancient Greece.
Alberty succeeded in his goal to create a “stylized
image of classical drama”. The set was very simple, consisting only of stacked platforms that created ascending
steps and an altar to Dionysus, the Greek god of the
arts. The costumes were appropriate for the time period
and effectively illustrated the different social classes of
the characters.
Perhaps the most memorable aspect of the show
were the brilliant masks worn by the characters
through the entire performance. Though some facial
features were apparent, the masks also included an element of abstractness, which both reflected the essence
of each character and put audience members on edge.
Combined with the lighting of the stage, which was
used at times to focus on specific characters, the masks
were effective in creating an uneasy environment.
The one thing that impressed me even more than
the masks was the high level of acting by several of the
characters. Taylor Foster, who played Oedipus, delivered a powerful performance, portraying his character
as a prideful ruler for the first half of the play, as he
Once Oedipus realizes he has committed the atrocity of murdering his father and marrying his mother,
Foster demonstrated true acting talent as he transformed his character into a miserable, pathetic individual. The ability to change the essence character on a
dime is a sign of professional-grade acting.
Kate Till, who played a priestess, Hannah Reinhart, who played Tiresias, and Hillary Kaefring, who
played a servant, chilled audience members to the
bone as their voices rang out, delivering high-pitched,
prophetic monologues. Their performances put the audience on edge and added to the unnatural ambiance of
the play.
An interesting addition to the show was the intertwining of a recorded chorus and live dialogue from actors on-stage. The chorus boomed from speakers behind
the audience and worked well to remove the aesthetic
distance and placing the audience in the Theban crowd.
While the chorus definitely succeeded in some aspects, it also had its drawbacks. At times, the recorded
voices of the chorus and the live ones became mixed,
making the dialogue hard to understand and sometimes cutting off the on-stage actors’ lines.
The turnout for “Oedipus Tyrannus” was rather
small, which is understandable, as the content is not
suitable for children. To all those of appropriate age
who missed this performance, I pity you. All things
considered, it was a great performance, from the acting
to the overall spectacle of the show.
Danny Wayson / Staff Writer
Director Jason Alberty wanted to create a “stylized
image of classical drama” in his Mount Mercy debut
“Oedipus Tyrannus.” The play ran Friday through
Sunday.
White art
‘Thor’ not worth seeing
a reflection a second time in theater
of snowy
Minnesota
Opinion
By Taylor Grangaard
A&E Editor
Art means different
things to different people.
Some projects are conceptualized and then created;
there is a thought process
behind them and a reason
behind their process. Artist Jen Rogers is no exception to this approach.
During Friday’s artist talk and reception featuring artist Jen Rogers,
she discussed the history
and experiences behind
her act.
perfectly as they bicker back and
forth. This characteristic of their relationship ran throughout the film
and almost made the movie more of
a comedy than an action.
Rogers attended graduate
school in snowy Minnesota.
Overall I enjoyed the film; it
was entertaining but also forgettable at the same time.
In the same collection, one of the projects
is a large group of clouds
hanging from the ceiling.
Rogers said it represents
the way we sometimes
feel as humans. It is like
when we sit under a cloud
of worry, for example. Another is a white stitched
portrayal of a space in her
own home.
Similar to the first “Iron Man,”
the film attempted to balance comedy and action. There was nothing
about the film that made it unique.
Rogers, a mother of
two, began creating art
that resembled things of
everyday life. For example, one of her projects
was a tray with different
kinds of food on it.
Rogers attained her
undergraduate degree
from Coe College, where
she teaches now, in 2003
then went on to earn an
M.F.A at the University
of Minnesota, where she
said her horizons for making art expanded even
more.
Rogers explained that
the pieces in this project
are painted white because
Roger’s artwork will
be on display in the gallery Nov. 11-Dec. 13.
Taylor Foster
Sports Editor
“Thor: The Dark World” brings
back one of our favorite Avengers,
in a sequel that is entertaining and
fun to watch.
This film is about another
adventure with Thor, who is struggling being separated from the love
of his life, Jane Foster. But when
all the planets align, Asgard-Thor’s
homeworld- and Earth are allowed
to connect again, and the villain
reveals himself in search of a dark
and powerful weapon called the
“Aether” which allows its holder to
control darkness and capture entire
worlds.
The film stars film hunk
Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and cult
favorite Tom Hiddleston as Thor’s
half brother, Loki. The two together
depict the brotherly relationship
For those who enjoyed the first
“Thor” film, this film may come as a
disappointment because of the new
director, Alan Taylor. Taylor has
directed a multitude of television
shows including the “Sopranos” and
“Game of Thrones,” but not many
films. The first one, directed by
Kenneth Branaugh, had some great
film aspects that made it unique in
its own right as a superhero film.
The sequel seemed like all the rest
of the comic books turned movies
that have been coming out.
The film did have a few flaws
that drove me a little crazy; one
thing I look for in a superhero film
is a well-portrayed villain. The villain in this film, Malekith, talked a
lot but had no depth to his character and no interesting abilities of
his own. This made the final fight
lackluster because without the
powerful weapon he was nothing.
For example, there is a scene where
Malekith is almost killed by Thor’s
mother.
This film does leave the audience curious about what is going to
happen next in the series. Marvel has a knack for intertwining
story lines and holding true to the
individual characters. These story
arcs will inevitably set us up for
subsequent movies, such as the next
“Avengers” film, which will be great
and powerful.
I do recommend “The Dark
World,” but it is not something I
would be willing to pay to see twice.
‘Thor: The Dark World’
Feature
Nov. 21, 2013
5
Times Snapshot
Passion for history fuels Clark’s ambitions
By Cassie Paulson
Feature Editor
Why do schools require students to
learn history? Why do so many children
and college students who have no interest in learning the past have to spend
hours learning the subject matter? For
non-traditional senior history major Anthony Clark, the answer is obvious.
graduate school at Iowa State University
to teach history at the junior college or
university level. There is only one thing
standing in his way, he is on a waiting
list for a heart transplant.
Waiting times for heart transplants
usually last three to five years. Clark
has been waiting for three years now. He
suffers from congestive heart failure and
arrhythmia tachycardia. He had an implantable cardio defibrillator installed,
which delayed his first semester of college. He also has a left ventricular aid
device and heart pump.
“It’s the foundation of today,” said
Clark. “Today’s present is tomorrow’s
history. It’s a life growing entity that
changes day by day,
minute by minute,
Today’s present is
second by second.”
“
“It’s literally
hardwired to me,”
tomorrow’s history. It’s
Clark said. “The heart
Clark started at
a life-growing entity
problems started in ’99.
Mount Mercy as a
that changes day by
The hardware started
religious studies major
day, minute by minute,
coming in 2008. The
after hearing great
second by second.
pump started two years
things from his daughago. As a matter of
ter about the quality
fact, I missed my first
of education that she
semester because I was having this put
received when she attended. He soon
in. I don’t want to go through this again.
changed his major to history, a decision
I’ll get a medical all-clear before I go
that he said proved to be the correct one.
through this again.”
“It’s been positive,” he said. “I
Once Clark has a successful heart
enjoyed it. It affirms that I made the
transplant and he becomes a teacher,
right decision. Well, going from C’s as a
he hopes to share his passion for hisreligious major to B’s as a history major
tory with others. One era in history that
helped a lot.”
really fascinates him is the 1960s where
Clark decided to change career
social change started to capture the
paths after the end of a long career in
nation.
broadcasting. He worked as a nighttime
“It was P.C. (politically correct)
on-air personality on WMT-FM and
before P.C. became fashionable,” he
KCCK. He also worked in production at
explained. “Raising questions to such
KGAN and eventually became the weekthings as race, gender and the difference
end news director.
between the wealth (of) the country and
“It was hell,” he said. “It has taught
the poor. Questions that are still with us
me that ‘the crown is truly heavy on the
today.
head that wears it.’”
“It is a clear line–before the ’60s
He left his career in broadcasting afthese things were not even looked at.
ter KGAN downsized, and Clark refused
Before the ’60s, it was not uncommon to
to take a pay cut. After that, he worked
refer to an African-American as ‘colored.’
in telemarketing for a number of years.
In other places ‘negro’ was the polite
terminology. The ‘60s rolled around, that
“I hated it,” he said. “That’s why
all changed. I remember when we used
I’m nice to every telemarketer that ever
to be called ‘black folks,’ and that came
calls. I feel their pain.”
directly out of the ’60s.”
Clark will graduate in December,
Clark recalled what he thought was
and he would eventually like to attend
the most “earth-shattering” event of
”
the 1960s. He was 9 years old when the
Democratic National Convention was
held in Chicago in 1968. There was a
very large riot that took place between
police and protestors in Grant Park.
“The protesters were there protesting basically the Vietnam War,” he said.
“I’m sure there were some sub-agendas
going on. It was basically voicing,
‘America, get out of Vietnam.’ The cops
went through and started bashing
heads. I was watching it on local TV, not
national, local. I was 9 years old.”
for Vietnam or against it. He said that
today’s voters are not addressing civil
rights issues as outwardly and forwardly
as they were in the past, and that there
are issues that the next generation needs
to watch.
Clark knows the importance of
learning history. It is hoped that, with a
successful heart transplant, that passion
can be transferred to a new generation
through teaching.
Clark described the 1960s as a
very divisive era; people were either
Reporting on Catholicism Two international students
reflect on Thanksgiving
leads Times editor
to better understanding
By Cassie Green
Staff Writer
Opinion
Taylor Foster
Sports Editor
Through this series of
stories on Catholicism, I have
only been able to skim the
surface of a religion that is
old and deep. I have come
to a better understanding of
what Catholicism represents
and how important it is to a
university that has based its
identity around the religion.
Through the experience
of interviewing students,
faculty and staff, I have
learned important lessons.
From the series as a whole,
I have learned that I can
improve my ability to think
and my ability to improve my
own life. I learned that people
around me have a greater
understanding of why this
university functions the way
it does.
First and foremost,
religion should be handled
carefully when reporting at a
Catholic university. Because
it touches the lives of so
many people, those people
can become easily offended.
The reaction is completely
understandable. When people
truly believe in something, it
is more than just an idea: it is
their thoughts, their love and
their means to live.
That being said, I
learned more about this
religion than I ever imagined
I would.
From Hillary Kaefring
and Julia Simons, students
who have an undying faith,
I learned that the religion
is expanding and changing, especially with the new
pope. Though the religion
still holds to tradition, that
tradition serves as a building
block for young Catholics
with new visions.
work hard to teach students
what the Catholic faith is,
and what the university
stands for.
From Nikola Utinkova,
an agnostic student, I came
to a better understanding of
how a student can thrive in
this university even without
the embrace of religion; as
long as we seek purpose, we
can fulfill our lives.
This interview made me
From Tom Wetzel, assis- appreciate the Mount Mercy
environment
tant professor of
even more,
religious studWhat
because the
ies, I learned
Catholicism
university does
what the Cathomeans to...
not push its belic institution
liefs on its sturepresents and
dents. It teaches
the purpose in
students ideals
which its identhat stem from
tity is woven.
Catholicism inLeaders have
cluding service,
taken time and
community,
made choices
love, compasto improve
sion, charity
the Catholic
and so much
institution in
more. These
ways that lead
qualities shape
to the pursuit
us as human
of knowledge.
beings to help
This underus improve our
standing of
lives and the
truth allows
lives of others
us to better
around us.
ourselves as human beings so
Catholicism has done an
that we can help other human
outstanding job of directing
beings improve their lives.
its followers toward something great and meaningful:
From Brooke Oehme,
a fulfilling life that has sense
coordinator of volunteerism
and purpose. I have more
and service learning, and
respect for this faith than I
Sister Shari Sutherland, exever did before.
ecutive director for mission
and ministry, I learned about
Whether we are Catholic
faith and service, as well as
or not, we chose this univerhow to reflect in order to imsity because we saw someprove my lifestyle. A strong
thing in it. And for all of us
history from the Sisters of
it has something to offer, we
Mercy, along with the critical
just have to find it.
concerns, has paved the way
for a strong university. The
people in Campus Ministry
The
Journalist
Thanksgiving is a
day of giving thanks and
stuffing our stomachs
with as much turkey,
mashed potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie as
possible. However, some
of us may not realize that
Thanksgiving is an American holiday, and that
international students at
Mount Mercy University
may have never celebrated
Thanksgiving.
Freshman Sho
Takaoka, from Japan,
and junior Candelaria
Rainero, from Argentina,
have never celebrated
Thanksgiving.
In Argentina, Rainero celebrates Tradition
Day on Nov. 10, which
is a similar concept to
Thanksgiving. It is a time
where friends and family
get together and eat a
large meal, consisting of
traditional foods.
“We normally bar-
beque cow meat,” said
Rainero. “But we also
barbeque chorizos. We
have empanadas as well,
which is basically a hot
meat wrap.”
Rainero thinks
Thanksgiving is a “cool”
custom. She is excited to
spend Thanksgiving with
her friends, and is looking
forward to all the food as
well.
“I had only heard of
such a thing in the movies,” said Rainero. “This is
the first year that I’ll get
to experience it live.”
In Japan, they do not
celebrate anything like
Thanksgiving. However,
there is a major holiday
that Takaoka and the
people of Japan celebrate
around the new year.
Before the new year, the
Japanese people go to a
local temple and drink
ama-sake, a non-alcoholic
drink made from fermented rice.
Early on New Year’s
Day, the people go to the
Shinto Shrine to pray.
“We stay up together
to see the first sun rise
of the new year,” said
Takaoka. “After that, we
eat grandma’s homemade
traditional New Year’s
food and receive gift
money from our grandparents.”
Takaoka had never
heard of Thanksgiving until he moved to
the United States. He
experienced Thanksgiving for the first time two
years ago when he was an
exchange student at Kennedy High School.
This year he plans
to spend Thanksgiving
with the friends he made
at Kennedy. He is looking forward to seeing his
old friends, eating all the
food he can and watching
football.
“I think that Thanksgiving is a great holiday,”
said Takaoka. “It brings
family members and
friends together.”
Ornament Craft Event
Monday, November 25th
3pm - 5pm
Betty Cherry
Design ornaments for the UC Christmas tree, for yourself, and
for a local charity!!
Sports
6
Women’s basketball wins
against Ashford, 52-44
“
By Taylor Foster
Sports Editor
The Mustang women continued
their recent hot streak, defeating
Ashford University 52-44 on Nov.
13.
The Mustangs are now 4-2
after winning three of the last four.
The team outscored the Saints by
seven points in the second half to
win the game, after only leading by
one point at the half.
“We played really hard on
defense,” said Aaron Jennings,
women’s basketball head coach. “We
did a nice job of containing their
shooters and challenging every
shot. Our team needs to get a lot
We really stepped up
our communication and
transitional defense. There
are many things we are
improving on from last year,
but one of our key things is
executing our offense and
hitting shouts throughtout the
entire game.”
Amanda Frost
Senior
”
more consistent in our offense. We
need to do a better job of finishing
at the basket. We did a good job of
getting to the free throw line and
knocking them down.”
The Mustangs were led by
Upcoming Mustang
Sporting Events
Saturday Nov. 23
Men’s and women’s cross
country – at the NAIA
National Championship
in Lawrence, Kan., 10:30
a.m.
freshman center Abby Herb who
had 15 points in the game and made
nine of 12 free throws. Senior forward Amanda Frost had 10 points
on five of 11 shots. The Mustangs
were one for seven beyond the arc.
“We really stepped up our
communication and transitional defense,” said Frost. “There are many
things we are improving on from
last year, but one of our key things
is executing offense and hitting
shots throughout the entire game.”
“So far this year we are doing a
good job of sharing the basketball,”
said Jennings. “We are a much
deeper team then last year. Our
bench has been doing a great job of
coming in and giving us a spark.”
Nov. 21, 2013
Mustang men
snap five game
losing streak
hitting eight of nine free
throws.
By Taylor Foster
Sports Editor
The Mustang men
won at Wartburg College
66-56, on Nov. 16.
The Mustang men (35) were able to snap a five
game losing streak after
outscoring the Knights
by 14 points in the second
half.
Senior guard Tajric
Boggs had a breakout
game with 22 points,
Neither team shot
well, with Mount Mercy
hitting only 32.2 percent
of their shots and the
Knights hitting only 39.6
percent.
The Mustang men
will be playing Judson
University on Nov. 23 at 4
p.m. in Hennessey Recreation Center.
The Eagles are 3-4 in
conference play.
Bound for Kansas
Liz Mosbach
runs in the Midwest Collegiate
Conference
Championship
on Nov. 9 at
Jones Park in
Cedar Rapids.
Mosbach, along
with the men’s
cross country
team, will run
in the NAIA
Cross Country National
Championship
Saturday at
10:30 a.m. in
Lawrence, Kan.
Match Games in Fairview
Heights, Ill.
Men’s basketball –
at the Draemel Classic at
Midland University, 7:30
p.m.
Women’s Basketball –
vs. Cardinal Stritch University, 2 p.m.
Saturday Nov. 30
Men’s Basketball –
vs. Judson University,
4 p.m.
versity
Men’s basketball –
vs. TBA at the Draemel
Classic at Midland Uni-
6 p.m.
Men’s and women’s
bowling – at the National Collegiate Team
Match Games in Fairview
Heights, Ill.
Friday Nov. 29
Sunday Dec. 1
Men’s and women’s
bowling – at the National Collegiate Team
Women’s basketball at
University of WisconsinPlatteville, 6:30 p.m.
Monday Nov. 25
Women’s basketball –
vs. Culver-Stockton College,
Maddy Jones / Co-Editor
Kirk Ferentz: greatest gift,
or curse to Hawkeye Football?
“
”
play, and 3-3 at home.
Opinion
Taylor Foster
Sports Editor
Coming off of a bye-week
the Iowa Hawkeyes football
team is 6-4, fifth in the Legends
division of the Big Ten Conference. They are 3-3 in conference
For a football program that
has the seventh highest paid
coach in all of college football,
this is pathetic.
Kirk Ferentz has been
paid approximately $3.65
million this year. He is getting paid more than a lot of
NCAA top 25 head coaches
such as Gene Chizik at Auburn,
and David Shaw at Stanford,
teams ranked sixth and ninth
in the BCS poll, respectively.
Something is wrong with this
picture.
Ferentz does have some
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Kirk Ferentz has been paid approximately $3.65 million this year.
He is getting paid more than a lot of NCAA top 25 head coaches
such as Gene Chizik at Auburn, and David Shaw at Stanford,
teams ranked sixth and ninth in the BCS poll, respectively.
Something is wrong with this picture.
things going for him. He is the
second winningest coach in
Iowa history under Hayden Fry.
The teams that he has lost to
this year have a combined record of 37-3; so these teams that
Iowa has lost to are very good,
to say the least.
Things have steadily gotten
worse for the Hawkeyes. They
finished 11-2 in 2009, only to go
8-5 in 2010, 7-6 in 2011 and 4-8
in 2012. This year, with a five
star quarterback they are only
a mediocre team.
Last year it was fair to
that, with a new offensive and
defensive coordinator things
would be rough. But we had a
veteran senior quarterback who
looked like he did not know how
to throw a football and did not
understand the offense at all.
This week Iowa will play
Michigan in Iowa City at Kinnick Stadium. I do not have high
hopes, but at the beginning of
the year I said this would be a
rebuilding season.
In a perfect world, I’d like
to see Iowa win this weekend
and then again at Nebraska the
next week. Then Iowa can go
to a good bowl game, but as of
right now, I’d bet that we finish
the season at 6-6.
I’m not sure why Iowa continues to keep Ferentz around,
but as long as he stays, he will
be our greatest gift and our
greatest curse.