Christmas Craze

Hello readers!

The famous tree we light!

Christmas is in full swing at the 'Hurst! This past week we finished up MSG's 12 Days of Christmas, held the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, and Miracle on 38th Street (or as we used to call it, Christmas on Campus).

The 12 Days of Christmas wrapped up at the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony with a blessing of the seasons by Monsignor Rubino, Dean of the Business Department, and the lighting of one of the largest pine trees located in the center of campus. At the Ceremony, the twelfth gift, and iPad, was given to one lucky Laker – Jacob Griffen. It was great to see someone I know win! Not only is he a fellow Ambassador with me, he was one of the other students who studied abroad in Italy, Greece and Turkey with me.

Diving into some crafts

Also at the Ceremony, we help the RSCO Christmas Decorating Contest. Fifteen trees competed for top prize, money to their organization's budget. And the Ambassadors won, woohoo! We won by a landslide with 150 votes. The Honors Council was second followed by the Outdoor Adventure Club.

On Friday, Miracle on 38th Street was held. Typically children who may not be as privileged as some come to campus for an afternoon of holiday fun including crafts, food, games, and a visit from Santa with some other surprises! Every year MSG lets the children go "shopping" for items in our make-shift store for their parents or guardians. It's a great way to get involved on campus, and it's always so gratifying to see how appreciative most of these children are.

The final Christmas-y thing that ended my week was a part of my work in the PR and Marketing Department, a virtual Ugly Sweater Contest! We're using Instagram and a holiday hash tag, #HurstHoliday to get Lakers to share their most hideous sweaters. We'll be picking a winner before students leave for break this Friday. See the picture below for the graphic I created for the contest.

Thank you for reading, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. Hopefully, I'll be able to post at least a little something over break!

But until next time, happy holidays!

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas... All around the 'Hurst

The travel packs, I figured you needed a visual!

As always, this week FLEW by!

This week was full of fun and festive activities. Let me start off with MSG's 12 Days of Christmas. I know in my previous post I told you that we were starting the gift giving last Sunday. But here's a little more detail – every year MSG gives 12 gifts leading up to their annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, we started last Sunday and are still going strong. So far we've given:

1. playing cards
2. Laker shirts
3. winter hats
4. blankets
5. school supply packs
6. gloves
7. t-shirts
8. travel packs (mouth wash, chapstick, hand sanitizer)

And there's more to come! The final gift is given during the Tree Lighting Ceremony, and it will be extra special for one Laker, because it's a raffle for an iPad.

Lindsay, a freshmen senator & leader of the 100 days celebration

Another fun thing to happen this week was the celebration of the freshmen's first 100 days of school. At Mercyhurst, our senior year we celebrate the 100 days to graduation. So, a new tradition as been added to mix. Freshmen were asked to sign a banner in the cafeteria with their favorite memory from their first 100 days, and during their senior year once they hit the 100 days until graduation, they are opening the banner sort of like a time capsule. Traditions are all around the 'Hurst. 

Today was also an annual event for the Ambassador's Club on campus, Christgiving. No, that's not a typo, it's our own holiday after Thanksgiving, but before Christmas where we come together as a club to celebrate the seasons. I; and my co-chair for the social committee, Lisa, planned a wonderful holiday dinner for the year. We fed over 100 hungry Ambassadors and admissions team members, and even had an ugly sweater contest. Though, I'm happy the stress of pulling this event together is off of my shoulders, it's kind of sad at the same time. This was my fourth and last Christgiving, maybe this will be a Mercyhurst tradition that I implement into my family after graduation!

Ambassadors filling the Student Union for Christgiving dinner

Another traditional event that I'm overseeing this year is the RSCO Tree Decorating Contest. RSCO stands for registered student clubs and organizations, we have tons of them on campus... literally, more than 60! New ones are starting every year, that's the cool thing about Mercyhurst, if you have an interest and can find two other people and a club advisor, you can start the club! The Tree Decorating Contest is a good way to get RSCOs recognized and increase club participation, but it's also an easy fundraiser. Students vote on the "best tree" and that club wins $100 for their budget.

Judging for the Tree Decorating Contest takes place at the Tree Lighting Ceremony this Thursday.  I'll keep you posted on the gifts, winners, and all of those other holiday events happening around campus!

Thanks for reading :)

Welcome Winter Term

Hungry Lakers at the Grand Opening!

Hello everyone! This past week was the first back, and the start of Mercyhurst's Winter Term.

This is my last Winter Term, as I'll be graduating in May. I cannot believe that in six short months I will be done with my undergraduate degree at Mercyhurst. This term started off crazy as ever with classes, MSG, residence life, and Ambassadors.

I'm enrolled in four classes this term: Marketing Management, Managerial Economics, Strategic Communication I, and Professional Development. It's a plate-full, but I'm excited to attack them. After these four, there are only three more classes I need for Spring Term. My degree never seemed more in reach!

Last term I completed my internship, and this term on top of my classes, I have accepted a part-time position within Mercyhurst's Marketing and PR Department. It's flattering and an awesome experience that I am blessed to have.

One of the 12 gifts

This past week was also full for MSG. As the event coordinator, I planned a Grand Opening event for our Student Union Great Room. We held it during tonight's Steelers vs. Ravens game and supplied pizza, wings, and more. More than 100 students showed up to cheer on their favorite teams and break in the new student space.

Today was also the start of MSG's 12 Days of Christmas. Each year leading up to the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting, MSG gives out little gifts each day to students. This year gifts include blankets, travel coffee mugs, school supplies, eco-friendly bags, and more. Our final gift is a big one this year, one lucky Laker will walk away with an iPad! I'll have to give you some more details and write a little more in my next post.

Twitter door decs

For residence life, a new term means fresh bulletin boards and door decorations for my residents. I created a Twitter theme this time around. I cut out blue birds and hand-stamped my residents names after an @ sign. I think they turned out pretty good! I was going to make one per resident, but I decided to do the whole room to make it look more like a Twitter feed. And I'm guilty of going the easy way out for my bulletin board for the short time before Christmas break, I did a Christmas-y "let it snow" theme. I promise I'll freshen it up for the new year!!

Finally, for Ambassadors, I have been working on our annual Christgiving dinner. It's happening next Sunday and I'll have to fill you in on it more when I post next week. It's a big dinner that the club hosts between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we all get together with four turkeys, 30lbs of potatoes, and tons of desserts to celebrate the holidays with good friends.

Well, that's all for now! Come back next week for some more Mercyhurst fun :)

Fall Finals 2012

Hello everyone!

It's that dreaded time of the year again, finals... Not much has been happening this past week at the 'Hurst. A lot of studious Lakers have been filling the library. Though the best part of this week is that we have three days of finals, and then we are on break for the Thanksgiving holiday!

My study material in the library computer lab

Most of my group papers are coming together, and I have been studying like crazy. I will be able to breathe so much easier once this term has ended.

I have a client in my Advertising Branding and Strategy class that we are presenting to, along with our final. We helped them create a name, logo, marketing campaign, and packaging design. I hope they'll love it! After the project is complete, and everything has been considered by the company, maybe I can show you what it is... but until then they've asked us to keep it on the down-low. That is something unique about the professors at Mercyhurst, they get random portfolio building projects like these for students to try and end up really exceeding.

Another monumental aspect of this past week is that I have completed my internship in the Marketing and PR Department. I finished my 200 hours, wrote my reflection paper, and had a wonderful experience. The department must have liked me too, because they offered me a part-time position to keep me around!

Well, that's all for now... Back to studying.
Thanks for reading :)
Jenna

Beer Sampling

Hello everyone and happy November!

This week I'm going to tell you about the beer sampling I put together for MSG. Sometimes organizations on campus get caught up in catching the younger crowd entering college to make the transition from home to college smoother. While that is awesome, and very important, MSG wanted to do something special for those upperclassmen who are 21+.

So what better thing to incorporate than beer? Now before you go off thinking that it was a kegger thrown by MSG, I must stress it was a SAMPLING, a small tasting of beers!

We opened up 50 spots for students who are 21+ to come out to taste a few of Erie's own local microbrews. We paired this sampling with the end of Oktoberfest and Alcohol Awareness Week. The Brewerie at Union Station, Lavery Brewing Company, and Erie Brewing Company were all in attendance for the sampling. They brought a variety of their unique and different beers that are brewed right here in Erie, Pa.

Beer Sampling with MSG in the Faculty Dining Room on campus

The students loved it and it was a blast, I am also planning a wine tasting in February in line with Valentine's Day!

Here's Drew and MU Professor

And here's a fun fact: Mercyhurst even has it's own brew! Senior Mercyhurst U. biology major Drew Spacht has brewed the first-ever Mercyhurst label – ‘Hurst Pale Ale, from hops grown at Mercyhurst's West campus farm. There are some videos on his process and a full article on Drew here. As a side note, it's even more interesting because as the marketing intern I saw his article get picked up by the AP News Wire, and Drew's story has been read all around the country, from New Jersey to San Fransisco!

That's all I have for now... have a wonderful week,
Jenna

Happy Halloween!

So, this past weekend was my big Halloween weekend!

Though Halloween isn't until this Wednesday, I had to get all of my holiday fun in now since I am on duty for Residence Life on the actual date.

My boyfriend, he's been mentioned in previous blogs, Matt was up for the weekend. We dressed up at Lucy and Ricky from I Love Lucy. Enjoy some of the pictures below...

The whole costume!

In black and white for the retro effect!

We had a blast, we went to Haunted Erie on Saturday night which is an event that allows people to view all of the historical and supposedly haunted spots of Erie. I was a really nice night, and was super fun. After Haunted Erie, we had a quick dinner at Molly Branigan's a local Irish pub (I definitely recommend the pretzel sticks if you're ever around!) and then went out for a night on the town as Lucy and Ricky.

On Sunday, I put together the Ambassador Club's Halloween Social. It was in our Student Union Great Room and was packed with current Ambassadors and those who are pledging. About 150 people showed up dressed in costume. There was a mummy race, donut eating contest, pumpkin painting, and a photo booth. It was a great way to get to know some of the new faces pledging and to socialize with current Ambassador friends.

This made me super excited to plan our annual "Chrisgiving" dinner. It's the cross between Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner we have with the entire club between our holiday breaks. I'll post more about that in December.

That's all for now, enjoy your Halloweens and talk to you next week!

Bingo and Breakfast

This past weekend was a fun one! On Friday, MSG sponsored Vera Bradley Bingo with the women's lacrosse (WLAX) team. It was a fundraiser for WLAX, but MSG bought 50 tickets to give away to students. It is a great event every year, and tons of winners walk away. This year there were 20 rounds, and over $2,000 of prizes to be given away.

On Saturday MSG hosted The Breakfast Place at Mercyhurst. The Breakfast Place is an Erie favorite, and is known for their amazing breakfast foods. They are always super busy on Saturday and Sunday morning, the lines is always long but it sure does go quick. And since it is a breakfast only type place, students were excited to see it after hours at the 'Hurst.

This upcoming week, MSG is hosting a beer sampling on Thursday, Oct. 25. Three of Erie's own microbreweries are attending to educate students about the art of beer making. The Brewerie at Union Station, Erie Brewing Co., and Lavery Brewing will all be there. It is a free event to students 21+ and I can't wait to share how it goes with you next week.

That's all for now! Thanks for reading :)

Marketing, MSG, and More!

Hello!

Example of a board on MU's Pinterest

So this past week at the 'Hurst flew by. Not much was going on events wise, but it sure did fly.

I've been busy at my internship. I intern in the Marketing and PR Department here at Mercyhurst. So far, I love it and I'm sad that I'm almost done. As the intern, I help with the university's social medias. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest are all applications that our marketing team utilizes to reach out. It's really cool that they let me have so much freedom to bring up new ideas and to run with them. And it's pretty cool that I get to tweet, sit on Facebook, and pin as a part of my internship! This all makes me so excited to enter the "real world" of marketing after graduation.

Other than classes and interning daily, MSG (Mercyhurst Student Government) for you first time readers) has been busy preparing for our Fall Retreat. We had an awesome speaker come in to talk to us about resetting goals, and how to achieve them realistically. I think both Senate and the Executive Board, as well as the Student Activities Council are all pumped to run full force for the rest of the year.

Patrick Keane

Speaking of the Student Activities Council (SAC), they had the hilarious comedian Patrick Keane on Friday night followed by The Hunger Games Saturday night. My favorite events are comedians and movies because you just have to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show... And that I can go in yoga pants and not feel guilty!

Also this past Saturday was the University's first fall open house. I gave tours to some wonderful families. If you're interested in visiting the 'Hurst, call for an individual tour (814-824-2202)... you can even request me, Jenna D! Or go online here to register for our next open house on Saturday, November 10th.

This is an ad created by the Marketing and PR Department where I intern!

Wow... I guess a lot did happen this past week!

Upcoming MSG bingo event

In this upcoming week MSG has its first Forum coming up. This one is entitled "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly." We are basically opening up to the student body to answer any questions they may have about student government, upcoming events, or procedures. Hopefully we have a great turn out, and give out some much needed answers to students who need them. 

Next weekend, MSG will be hosting a Vera Bradley Bingo to help the Women's Lacrosse team fund raise and a late night breakfast event, catered by an Erie exclusive The Breakfast Place. It's absolutely delicious and if you are ever in the area, I recommend you check it out... no matter what time of day it is!

Thanks for reading :)

Fall Break

Hello,

My beautiful city

This week was a short one at Mercyhurst. After classes came to an end on Wednesday, we went on Fall Break. Normal classes will start back up again on Tuesday. This was a much needed break, and I enjoyed mine at home in Pittsburgh, Pa.

While in Pittsburgh I enjoyed some shopping in the city and at the outlets. And it just isn't a trip to the 'Burgh unless you make a stop at one of the many best restaurants. If you've never experienced a Primanti sandwich at the original "dahntahn" (downtown) location on The Strip, you don't know what you're missing. Also, if you're ever in the area for breakfast, Pamela's Diner has some of the best morning meals. Even President Obama has special ordered her crepe pancakes to the White House. 

Another favorite of mine from good ol' Pittsburgh, Pa. is Soergel's Farm. I love honey crisp apples and they grow the best! There's lots to do at the farm besides buying apples and this time of year, it's always crowded with Pittsburghers getting ready for Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Well, as I finish up this week's post, I have to admit, I'm watching the Steelers game. The score is 13-7 Pittsburgh, we're playing the Eagles.

I make my trip back to Erie tomorrow afternoon, but for the rest of my time at home I'm going to enjoy the Steelers and my family.

Thanks for reading!

:)

Whatta Week!

Can you believe it's already October? Tomorrow is the 1st, and this term is zooming by!

This past week was pretty uneventful in comparison to homecoming last week. This coming week is the mark of midterms for Mercyhurst, then this Thursday we go on Fall Break – which I'm super excited for.

So besides preparing for midterms let me give you a run down of what happened this week:

I had MSG meetings on Monday night. Monday at 8:30 p.m. are weekly MSG meetings, this is a great opportunity for any Mercyhurst student to voice concerns, issues, suggestions, or praises to student government. We swore in our new freshmen senators, so now we are working on a full senate for the year.

On Wednesday, I had a Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) meeting. This is a club that I am involved in that combines fun and practical professional experience in the field of PR and marketing. This year our big event is going to be the Frozen Putt-A-Thon. If you'd like to read up more, please read Joe's blog, he's the president of PRSSA and has blogged about the details, and I'm sure more are coming. I'll keep you posted too!

Also on Wednesday, I attended the Senior Gift Committee meeting. We've been hard at work narrowing down potential gift ideas for the senior class to vote on. Some of the ideas include: a green house/bio-dome, a breakfast bar in one of our dining venues, fire pit, a pavilion area by our athletic fields, or a concession stand in our athletic center. A senior gift is something that the outgoing senior class leaves as their mark at the 'Hurst.

Wednesdays are also my duty night as an RA, so I ended the night with the Res Life staff and rounds. 

On Friday I gave a big presentation in my Advertising Branding and Strategy class. It went well, it was a partner project and we had to analyze commercials, and apply theories and methods we have learned. It was actually pretty fun for a class project!

To end the week, there was the blessing of the new Mary Garden outside of Old Main. If you ever come for a visit, you can't miss it as you go up the drive. It was a wonderful way to bring the Mercyhurst community together on a Friday afternoon.

Thanks for reading and wish me luck on my midterms this week! I'll talk to you next week and tell ya what happened at the 'Hurst.

:)

Hurst Homecoming

Hello and Happy Homecoming Weekend!

Homecoming Facebook cover from MU's page

Homecoming and Family weekend here at the 'Hurst is coming to an end tonight. It has been a great week of alumni and Mercyhurst Laker spirit. Homecoming Weekend at Mercyhurst is often called Hurst Fest. Some of the things that went on include: a golf outing, athletic alumni sporting events, Friday Night Lights, bingo, 5K race, tailgates, performances, Hurst Fest activities (inflatables, photo booth, food, and fun), and of course the homecoming football game and crowning of the 2012 Homecoming King and Queen.

Since I am the MSG Event Coordinator, like I've mentioned in other posts, a chunk of homecoming festivities were my responsibility. All homecoming nominations, family activities, and crowning of the king and queen fell on my to do list. This year we had record breaking nominations for king and queen, which is outstanding! It makes me happy that so many people wanted to participate in such a rich MU tradition. This year our homecoming King was Adam Ferrari and Queen Kaleigh Hubert.

2012 Mercyhurst University Homecoming Court, and returning 2011 King and Queen on left

Following the game MSG and SAC held all of the Hurst Fest activities. This year we had an obstacle course bounce house, caramel apples, cider, hot chocolate, cotton candy, popcorn, donuts, tshirts, raffles, photo booths, a huge petting zoo, and the big yellow Food Truck from our dining services.


Though the weather was pretty crappy for most of the day, it did clear up in small patches. Our football team also won against Slippery Rock which made for a great homecoming weekend.

I would also rewind to last Monday, I told you MTV's Andrew Jenks would be speaking at Mercyhurst as a part of MSG's Distinguished Speaker Series. I just wanted to make mention that he was great and we had about 200 kids come out. It's kind of cool that I can say I had a celebrity in my car! I had to bring him to and from his hotel to campus. Students seem to really like him and loved the meet and greet after his presentation. His next season premiers November 12th on MTV!

Another great pic off of MU's Facebook page

So that is all I have for this week! I have a paper to write and some homework to finish.

Have a wonderful week everyone :)

WOW.

Hello There!

I'm sorry it has been so long since I've posted to my blog. I've been busy with my time away from the 'Hurst. This summer I had so many adventures. For starters, I traveled with my Faculty Lead Study Abroad (FSAT – when you become a Laker, you'll get familiar with that term!) to Italy, Greece, and Turkey. It was an experience of a life time! Since this is a catch up blog, I think I'd do Europe more justice is I dedicate one of my next blogs to the trip versus cramming it in here. But enjoy a few of the pictures below.

Shortly after returning from my two week excursion to Europe, I celebrating a big birthday. I turned 21 in Las Vegas! It was wonderful, though not my first time there. The food was amazing, the shows, and the sites, it was a dazzling way to turn the big two-one. I went with my parents, my boyfriend Matt, and my roommate Andrea. If anyone is familiar with the show Pawn Stars, you'll enjoy this pic! They were filming the day I visited the shop and I saw the gang. So I just had to buy something as a souvenir... This is a two-dollar bill signed by all the stars – Ricky, Richard Sr., Big Hoss, and of course my favorite, Chumlee. So if you're a fan, be sure to watch for me somewhere on the third season if they happen to air the items I was there for. 



So if we fast forward through summer hang-out sessions and long hours of grocery store work, I found myself right back at the 'Hurst in Erie, PA. I had to come back a few weeks early due to Residence Life training. It's weird, I'm a senior living in sophomore area, because that is where I am an RA. I enjoy it though, I get to meet a lot of new people I would never probably have associated with.

Also during my weeks back, I was preparing for a bunch of Mercyhurst Student Government (MSG) events before classes started up. Like our Service Day BBQ, the Upperclassmen BBQ, dances, speakers, and Hurst Fest – our homecoming festivities. MSG and SAC (Student Activities Council) are hosting their annual Fall Ball this Friday at 7 p.m. It's always a great time and it is sort of like Mercyhurst's version of a homecoming dance. There is going to be some great food this year, I picked a menu with Buffalo chicken dip, spinach artichoke dip, chicken kabobs, dessert shooters, and chocolate covered strawberries. Hopefully, the weather is beauuutiful, and it doesn't rain.

The next major thing MSG has going on is our Distinguished Speakers Series. This Monday night we are hosting MTV's Andrew Jenks. He is a filmmaker with a show on MTV about not judging a book by its cover and living in different situations. We are super excited to have him on campus, and I'll definitely have to blog about the event next week!

My final piece of update is Hurst Fest. As I mentioned, it is Mercyhurst's Homecoming tradition. This year Hurst Fest is Sat., Sept. 22nd, our football team will be playing Slippery Rock University. There is always a lot of hype about homecoming, so I can't wait to fill you in on the details. Another exciting factor of Hurst Fest 2012, is that I am actually on the ballot for Homecoming Queen! How exciting? I am so flattered that my friends and peers would think to nominate me... Voting started today, so fingers crossed... Maybe I'll score enough votes to be Queen? I'd love to have a crown!

Oh well, that is all I have for now... SO sorry that I haven't been blogging, I promise that will change. Get ready for my senior year at MU!

:)

Spring Fest 2012

I'm about to blog about one of the greatest Mercyhurst experiences I've ever had. 

It was more than 6 months in the making, but Spring Fest 2012 has come and gone. MSG Events Coordinator, Shannon Kissel and I have been working very hard all year planning this classic weekend-long event, and I must say, it was a total success!

One happy Laker from her Walking Taco!

This year Spring Fest was a Cinco de Mayo theme, let me give you a run down of all that went on:

It all began at 8 a.m. on Thursday morning when Shannon, Adam (next year's SAC Chair) and I took a huge van to Sam's Club to buy tons of water, Gatorade, snacks, and dressing room hospitality. After 30 cases of drinks, and the other random things, our 15 passenger van was full!

The fun really began Thursday afternoon when two huge trucks pulled into Mercyhurst University. These two trucks contained all the "magic" for our annual Spring Fest concert. We had tons of volunteers, two MSG executive boards, and two SAC executive boards, plus the production company building the stage, setting the lights, and hooking up sound. It took about four for five hours to set, and everyone was tired and sweaty when we were finished.

Friday afternoon Shannon and I planned a Walking Taco station to give out 300 free "tacos in a bag" to students who walked by in Garvey Park. They were served from a huge yellow Culinary Cab that our dining services, Parkhurst, debuted for the first time that afternoon. If you don't know what a walking taco is, it's a bag of Doritos crushed up topped with taco meat, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and salsa. They were absolutely delicious and they students loved them!

Friday night was also the concert. Before the concert while students were loading in and between sets we had one of MU's own, DJ b-Lang, spin records for us. He was awesome and got the party going. Then we had a STOMP-like percussion group called Industrial Rhythm perform the opening slot to really pump students up for this year's headliner – Sean Kingston. When Sean Kingston took the stage, it was ridiculous. I don't think I've ever seen a Spring Fest more packed. We gave out 1500 free tickets, and we got over 95% of them back in the doors, and after letting in a few stragglers, we were at maximum capacity. I can't believe we sold out and packed in a full house! During the concert I even got to go on stage and throw out glow-sticks, sombreros, and tshirts.

Sean Kingston performing in our Mercyhurst Athletic Center

When Sean Kingston took the stage, he sang all of the songs that everyone know. These included: Fire Buring, Eenie Meenie, Like a Melody, Beautiful Girls, and Letting Go, just to name a few. He even sang a new track off of the album he is releasing shortly. It's called Back 2 Life, it features TI and Nicki Minaj and it was a hot beat! Also, another special touch was when he got a few girls to come on stage when he sang Beautiful Girls. Not going to lie, I was a little jealous that Mr. Kingston didn't ask me on stage! But that's okay, I did snag a picture with him later – just Shannon, Sean Kingston and me!

Now immediately following the concert, we have to tear down the stage we just built, load it all in the trucks, and send them on their way. This was my third year helping with the stage for Spring Fest and every year, it breaks my heart to build a stage and then rip it down only a few hours later. When everything was said and done Friday night, and the trucks were pulling away, it was about 2:30 in the morning. And we were only half way done with the weekend at the point!

Saturday afternoon was the last portion of the Spring Fest activities. We emptied out a parking lot on campus and held a Cinco de Mayo of our own. It was complete with Erie's own, The Romantic Era, DJ b-Lang for a second day (because he's that great!!!), an inflatable obstacle course, a giant dual lane slip-n-slide, photo booths, air brush tattoos, a sandy candy bar, a caricaturist, Rita's Italian Ice and a full Mexican fiesta buffet. The day activities ran from 1 to 5 p.m. and it was a great flow of students. It was wonderful to see all of these students appreciating and enjoying something that Shannon and I have worked on so hard all year. Though this was my last event (and blog) as the SAC Chair, I am honored to do it all over again next year as MSG Events Coordinator (and blog about that too!). Both the MSG and SAC boards and volunteers surprised Shannon and I with flowers at the end of the weekend, it was too sweet and I really appreciate all of the hard work everyone put into this event for me. From building the stage with our bare hands on Thursday, during the concert and stage break down on Friday, and throughout the day on Saturday, I was truly blessed to have worked with such wonderful people.

Shannon on the left and me on the right after a loooong Spring Fest weekend!

I am so honored that the Mercyhurst community keeps giving me opportunities to do things like this. I get to meet awesome people and work with a fantastic group of students on a day to day basis. I know that so many students across campus, whether they vocalize it or not, enjoy what students like me do. I promise to continue to seize each opportunity that comes my way, to give students the best time on campus as possible. Because to me, this is what it means to be a MU Laker. Carpe Diem!

Caribbean Night and Jamnesty

Hi guys, so this past weekend SAC had two really great events – Caribbean Night and Jamnesty.
 
Unfortunately, I have not been feeling all that great this weekend. I woke up on Friday feeling a cold coming on and then some point on Saturday I lost my voice completely! I was able to make it to Caribbean Night, which was a HUGE hit. 250 students piled into our Student Union to enjoy Caribbean beats and treats! There was a buffet of diverse foods, my favorite being the "tres leche cake." I have had it before from a bakery back home in Pittsburgh, but this one was made with some authentic spices and was out of this world delicious!

I did not make it to Jamnesty, but it was another success. It was part of Amnesty International and the local Erie rock band, The Romantic Era played. If you read a few of my previous posts, you will see that they are a regular for SAC programming.

This weekend is the biggest event that SAC and MSG have to offer, Spring Fest. Co-planner Shannon Kissel and I have been working very hard since early December hammering out all of the details that it will entail. I can't wait to share all the details with you, but for now, I really need my rest to be ready for this week of Spring Fest to come.

Pray that I have my voice back by tomorrow and that I'm feeling better!

Kids 'N Sibs

Whew! I feel like it was just yesterday when I last posted! This week sure flew by.

This weekend at the 'Hurst, SAC held its annual Kids 'N Sibs weekend. Kids 'N Sibs is a weekend long event where SAC holds a variety of activities on both Friday and Saturday for Mercyhurst Students to do with their siblings. Most "kids" bring "sibs" or cousins, or just friends from other schools. Older, younger, or the same age, it doesn't matter! Though you do not need a sibling to attend, in fact I, personally, am an only child and have attended this event in the past with no one to claim as my "sib."
 
It was an "Under the Sea" theme this year, on Friday night we had a treasure scavenger hunt that lead groups around campus to find clues to where the hidden treasure was. We also had under the sea creatures at a build-a-bear station and the movie "Dolphin Tale" for all to enjoy. Also, notice the Kids 'N Sibs t-shirts in the pictures below, I designed them and they were a huge hit!

My favorite though, of the whole weekend, was Saturday! Saturday was set up with more under sea fun complete with an inflatable obstacle course, a shark slide (see below), more sea creature build-a-bears, face painting, balloon animals, Chick-fil-A, cotton candy, popcorn, and to top it off... Rita's Italian Ice – Swedish FISH flavored of course! Throughout the day on Saturday, there was also chances to win 2 iPads! This was a great event and more and more students come out every year. Maybe once you're a Laker too you'll be bringing up some brothers or sisters to our Kids 'N Sibs weekend, it's always a fun time filled with tons of free stuff!

Check out some of my SAC Board, a BIG shout out to Rosemary (blonde in the front, covering her mouth) and Megan (far right/twin with the headband and jeans) for co-planning this awesome event!

This is Louie the Laker, MU's mascot sneaking some cotton candy...

Next weekend we have the final Laker Spirit Club (LSC) event of the year, it's on Friday and it's a baseball game. Then on Friday night we have a Caribbean Night that we are sponsoring with the Multicultural Center and a Jamnesty concert on Saturday night. After next weekend we have one of the biggest events of the year – Spring Fest! I know I've been mentioning it a little here and there, but I'll be sure to give you the total run down on it next week, all I can say about it for now is that it's on Cinco de Mayo and I'll be meeting Sean Kingston!

Well I'm off to finish a little Sunday night homework, talk to you next time!
- Jenna

P.S. I just wanted to take a quick moment and thank you for taking the time to read my blog, if you ever have any questions or want to know more about SAC, LSC, or MSG or anything else here at the 'Hurst, feel free to comment or shoot me an email :)

Bingo and Mystery and Prizes, OH MY!

What a world wind of events have been going on since I've last posted!

Let me start off by bragging a little, as you know, I am currently the Student Activities Council Chair. This means I over see a board of 10 students and help put on events every weekend. But as the year comes closer, and closer to an end positions are changing. I applied for the Mercyhurst Student Government (MSG) Events Coordinator position, and I got it!

I'll still have some of the same responsibilities, like co-planning Hurst Fest, Spring Fest (which is 18 days away!!!), and all the dances, but I'll also get to organize Mercyhurst's annual Homecoming and Distinguished Speakers Series. I'm so excited! I'll continue to blog right here, but my gears will be shifting as I start in the new position... Still events, just the other side of our student organizations.

Representing the 'Burgh with some of these prizes!

But, until then, I have to tell you about this past weekend. Our Laker Spirit Club hosted a summer time themed booth at a home men's lacrosse game. We had Rita's Italian Ice by the bucket-fulls, leis, and beach balls. It was fun to see the crowd getting pumped in the stands, until it started to rain. But all in all, it was a great show of MU Laker Spirit!

Friday night SAC presented a "Rep Yo Hood" Bingo. It sounds crazy, I know, but tons of kids showed up to win hometown prizes like, Buffalo Wild Wing Sauce, and Primanti Bro.'s gift cards (that's from Pittsburgh, ;) my own hood). We had so many random things for prizes and it was funny to watch Lakers fight over them, like an American flag, or Welch's jelly (did you know Welch's farms are located in North East/Erie?). No matter what the theme of the bingo, the mix of free food and/or competition really seems to draw a big crowd here.

Me, acting a little silly with the iPad tickets...

Then on Saturday night, SAC got a little fancy and had a Murder Mystery Dinner! We had 160 students make reservations for a night of fun, laughter, an Italian style dinner, all with a little mystery. The theme of this particular murder mystery was "Very Desperate Housewives" so naturally, all the girls on SAC wore our cute dresses, high heels, and pearl earrings! In addition to bragging rights, winners of the mystery won gift cards. SAC also held raffles for 10 $25 gift cards to places like the Olive Garden, Valerio's (an Erie favorite that catered this dinner), and the Millcreek Mall to name a few. Also, one lucky Laker won an iPad that we raffled off!

This past weekend was full of fun, bingos are always a win here, and we're even getting feedback that students would love to have a murder mystery dinner come back to campus again!

It's weekends like this where students are so into the events we put on that makes my job all worth the while. I love it!

Well, next weekend we have our annual Kids 'N Sibs weekend, where lots of Lakers bring up a sibling to show them what a good time at the 'Hurst is all about... Talk to you then :)


Jenna

3V3 and Party Rock!

Hello Everyone! How have you been since we last checked in? I've been up to planning some really fun events for the Mercyhurst community. 

This past weekend SAC held two really great events! On Friday we had a 3 versus 3 basketball tournament. We had teams of three sign up to compete for Visa gift cards, and bragging rights of course. Over ten teams came out to show their skills and shoot hoops. All the teams that came had an awesome time and so did SAC.

On Saturday, Mercyhurst had it's annual Major Day and Laker Live In. SAC wanted to really show potential Lakers what MU weekends are all about. So, we had a little event we called "Party Rock!" It was a little concert with the light and poppy artist JD Eicher, hilarious comedian Erin Jackson, and Erie's own rock band, The Romantic Era. If you click on the performers names, it will take you to their respective websites and you hear them play or find out a little more about them. Along with the wonderful music and funny jokes provided, we also served 500 Chick-fil-A sandwiches! It was a fun night and I think all of the students and Laker Live Ins really enjoyed the event. Look at the pictures below!

Next weekend Mercyhurst will be on Easter break, but I'll be sure to check in to tell you what I'm doing/what we are preparing for the following weekend. Enjoy the Easter holiday!

Artist JD Eicher

 

 

The Romantic Era

Dating Doctor and Dances

This past week at the 'Hurst was exciting!

The Laker Spirit Club had a cookout at the Baseball game versus California University of PA. It was complete with hotdogs, lemonade, and snack mix. The Lakers brought in a win and we were happy to cheer them on!
  

The Dating Doctor

 Also on Friday we brought in David Coleman, the Dating Doctor. If you click on his name it will link you to his website and you can read more into him and his practice. But basically he is "an advisor to the romantically challenged." He gave great tips and tricks on how to talk to someone you may like, or how to tell when someone is interested in you. He made us all laugh too, giving us some of the worst pick-up lines ever – like "If love were measured in milk, you'd be a cow." His bottom line message was you get the respect you deserve, demand, and desire. He was a great entertainer and taught the whole audience a few great lessons. I'm eager to have in back in the future!
  
    

  
Then on Saturday night, SAC and MSG (Mercyhurst Student Government) had the annual Spring Charity Ball. There was delicious desserts and hors d'oeuvres, from Buffalo chicken dip, to chicken satay, chocolate covered strawberries, and tons of different dessert shooters. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! This year the charity we donated to was the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) in honor of Evann Parker, a student we lost earlier this year. Shannon Kissel, the MSG Event Coordinator and I were able to raise $1,100 for the LLS. Students came out, danced the night away and had great food with friends all while raising money for a great cause, it was a perfect event to wrap up Mercy Month with!

Next weekend we have a 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament along with a band event called Party Rock. I'll be back next week to post about all the fun that goes down!

Hypnotists and Holidays!

Wow, what a weekend! It's been a crazy one here at Mercyhurst University.
 
This weekend in addition to our typical SAC events, it was also St. Patrick's Day. As you can imagine, it was a pretty big deal here at an Irish Catholic Institution. Different departments of Mercyhurst joined forces to create a St. Paddy's Day Extravaganza.
 

Keith in our Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center

To prep for this Saturday, SAC hosted a classic Mercyhurst event, Hypnotic Intoxication. It's a two-part program which lectured on the powers that alcohol and addictive drugs can play in our lives first, and then has volunteers on stage to really have some fun in the second portion. Keith Karkut hypnotizes participants and invites them to a sick party, in which any alcohol they ever wanted is there in unlimited amounts. For the alcohol is served through the powers of the mind, by serving MU students plain water, which they think is the most potent alcohol they have ever had. This allowed their friends in the audience to see what really happens when they involve themselves in a severe alcohol situation... It's a great educational session that lets students learn while being thoroughly entertained! Keith has been coming to Mercyhurst for years now, and normally puts on this show twice a year. Literally everyone laughs their pants off and makes memories that will last their entire college career (and beyond)!
 
On St. Paddy's Day there was a schedule of events to attend:
 
Noon - 2 p.m. the Laker Spirit Club sponsored the Women's Lacrosse Game
2 - 5 p.m. Residence Life put on an open skate in our Ice Center
5 - 7 p.m. a FREE traditional Irish Dinner was served in our Student Union
7 - 8 p.m. there was a Alcohol Awareness Jeopardy in the Student Union as well
8 - 10 p.m. SAC wrapped up the festivities with Deal Is Right Game Show which students participated to win cool prizes, like a brand new car! (Okay, it was a brand new remote control car... but $250 in cash and other prizes were given away!)
 
As students went to these events they were given a ticket, each ticket they had entered them into a raffle for a Nook Color eReader. It was a great day to celebrate our Irish heritage with friends and faculty!
 
Next weekend SAC has Dave Coleman (the movie Hitch was inspired off of him) and our Spring Charity Ball. This year our Spring Charity Ball is making a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in memory of a classmate of ours, Evann Parker who passed away earlier this year.
 
I'll post back next week and give you all of the fun details!

Music, Movies, and Mercy

Hello! It's been some time since I last posted. A lot has happened since then, SAC had their classic Food for Finals (the special food was Taco Bell tacos)! Mercyhurst University enjoyed their Spring Break, and we just got through our first week of classes of Spring Term.

To end the first week back, SAC a few easy-going events for students to attend. On Friday night, SAC hosted a Coffee House featuring Nelly's Echo (check him out on the right). He had a really great voice, and was funny! He played well off of the audience and mingled around before and after his performance. Along with his cool beats, SAC served some hot treats. We had coffee, tea, cookies, and cakes. It was a great way to spend a chill Friday night after a seemingly endless week of classes!
 
On Saturday night, SAC showed the movie The Help in our Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center. Although it wasn't the newest release we could have brought to campus, students seemed to really enjoyed the film because it was deemed the summer reading for this year's incoming freshman and it was a nice way to tie in our Mercy heritage. A little FYI about the month of March at Mercyhurst: it is officially named Mercy Month and SAC believes that The Helped paired extremely well with the overlying theme for the month. Students, faculty, and the community around campus strive to improve the lives around us during this month each and every year. March honors the history and the mission of the University by encouraging attendance to a variety of service opportunities throughout the month. Another way that SAC is giving back during Mercy Month is our Annual Spring Charity Ball that will occur in two weeks! I'll post more about it then, but until next time, make sure to get out in this beautiful weather we are having at the 'Hurst.

P.S. Next weekend is St. Patrick's Day, and since Mercyhurst is an Irish Catholic Institution, I'll of course be giving you the scoop on all of the festive fun happening around campus!

Hello Friends!

 

LSC and SAC had a crazy weekend of events. On Friday LSC attended a Men's Hockey game at 7:05 p.m. versus Robert Morris University. LSC gave the game a Wild, Wild, Western theme. The 130ish students that came out to the game got cowbells and trail mix to enjoy while they watched our boys take on RMU. Also on Friday, SAC and the Multicultural Center put on an event called the Old School Hip Hop Party in the Student Union. Some classic jams were played and snacks were served as students danced the night away.
  
  

Erin Jackson

On Saturday SAC was suppose to have the hilarious comedian Erin Jackson grace Weber Hall's Taylor Little Theatre. "Since first making a name for herself at colleges and comedy clubs, Erin's warm, conversational style and relatable humor have helped to propel her onto the national stage. She has performed on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and Comedy Central's Live at Githam, and she was a semifinalist on NBC's Last Comic Standing." However, due to recent weather... a.k.a. the little snow-storm that we and neighboring areas encountered, Erin was not able to make a flight in to perform. So instead SAC put on a Valentine's Day Bingo. Just as many students came out to enjoy a few rounds of bingo and win Valentine's Day themed prizes. Hopefully, we can reschedule a time that works with Erin, to have her come back to campus. To get a little peak at her website, or find out more info about her, click here.

  
Either way, snow or no snow, SAC was able to put on a great weekend of events for Mercyhurst students. As this Winter Term is ending, SAC is preparing for it's final event of the term... Food for Finals! I'll be sure to take pictures and blog about all the details. This term our "special item" is tacos!
  
 
Until then, stay warm!