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!
 

Foodie Frenzie!

Hello everyone! I'm back again to blog about this past weekend's happenings at Mercyhurst with the Student Activities Council. This weekend, the 'Hurst was full of food, food, and more food!

On Friday, SAC and MSG (Mercyhurst Student Government) joined efforts and had a night with guest Chef Mary Sue Milliken. MSG brought her in as a part of their Distinguished Speaker's Series to talk about the journey she went through when becoming a chef. Chef Mary Sue was such an interesting person, and was a delight to listen to. She even gave out some super simply recipes for college students! After she spoke, she had a question and answer section where she let students ask everything and anything. She was a wonderful lady, and very inspiring.

After the speaker portion, Chef Mary Sue came over to our SAC event for the night, Chopped: MU Style. It was hosted in Egan Dining Hall, and I have a bunch of pictures that I'll post to show you how many students were there and participating. There were two rounds, an "anything goes" round where teams could create anything they wanted. Secret ingredients were chicken, iceberg lettuce, and a blood orange. After a round of judging, Chef Mary Sue and two other judges pulled the top four teams to the final round. A team of MSG senators (Amanda Kocent, Brian Lomardo, and Richard Molloy), the President (Meg Hess), and Events Coordinator (Shannon Kissel) signed up to compete and made it to this round! The final round was a dessert round and they were given strawberries, a Twinkie, and a Hershey's chocolate bar as secret ingredients that they must use. All the teams did really well, but a team of three girls one overall supreme with their crepes. Here are some pictures from the night!

The crazy first few minutes!

MSG's Amanda & Brian!

Madame President Meg Hess

MSG's 1st Round Dish

Chef Mary Sue Killiken

On Saturday, SAC continued the food theme and had a campus favorite, Grocery Bingo. It's as simple as it sounds, students play rounds of bingo to win groceries. We had popcorn, chips, candy, cereal, peanut butter, fruit snacks, cases of water, Red Bull, Starbuck's Frappuccinos, graham crackers, and much more! We were told by participants that this event came just in time because not only is today the Superbowl, but finals are creeping around the corner and their cabinets were looking a little bare.
  

Prize Table of Groceries

Overall, this weekend was awesome (and delicious)! We had over 100 students at each of the events. It was a blast, and I can't wait for next weekend when we'll have a Hip Hop Dance Party on Friday and Comedian: Erin Jackson on Saturday.

Until next week – Happy February :)

Winter Wonderland!

A biiig hello from the newly announced MERCYHURST UNIVERSITY!

SAC and LSC had a week packed with events. It all started on Thursday when LSC cheered on our Men's Wrestling team on against Gannon, our hometown rival. LSC had an army/camo theme in the cheering section. We had an obstacle course set up with a dirt pudding station to refuel. It was a great match to watch, and our boys won!
     

See the snowboard and snow globe?

SAC had a weekend full of winter weathered bliss! On Friday we had a classic SAC event, Winterfest. It happens every year, it's a traditional winter festival that celebrates all different winter activities. Chick-fil-A sandwiches are a signature item at most Winterfests, along with Tim Horton's hot chocolate, with tons of cookies, brownies, popcorn, and much more! At the event over 200 students showed up to grab a free t-shirt, make homemade lip balm, concoct gel creations (since we aren't allowed candles in our residence halls!), pose for a caricature, give it a go at virtual snowboarding and take a picture in a giant snow-globe! The event started at 7 p.m. in our Student Union and there was a line for activities starting around 6:30 p.m. It was so nice to see students excited for such a classic SAC tradition!
   
   

Matt and me!

On Saturday SAC hosted a Snowflake Ball. It was an occasion to dress up with friends and dance the night away! We had Erie's famous DJ Bill Page from local radio station STAR 104 supplying the beats for the dance. Our on campus dining service, Parkhurst, completed the night with mini desserts like chocolate covered strawberries, mini lemon and raspberry tarts, as well as chocolate covered cherry bites, to name a few. The Student Union was transformed, once again, into an icy looking winter wonderland... you hardly remembered you were even on campus! This was also a great opportunity for SAC to relax and dance the night away with all of our friends on campus. My boyfriend, Matt even came up to take me to the dance. He goes to school, back home in Pittsburgh, at a local university and every chance I get to see him is awesome! I know I had a fabulous time, as well as many other Lakers, and am excited to see if this is something that students would like SAC to continue to do annually.
    

¡Esta delicioso!

Now, I know I generally only post about SAC and LSC happenings, but I thought you might like to know what I do outside of studying, classes, and SAC/LSC events. Today (Sunday), I went to a delicious restaurant that is unique to Erie – El Canelo. It serves authentic Mexican cuisine that beats Taco Bell by a long shot! The service is pretty quick, and they seat you with a big basket of fresh tortilla chips and homemade salsa. I had a delicious taco salad while by boyfriend Matt over there enjoyed beef enchiladas and tacos. Another great thing about El Canelo is it's friendly to a college kid's budget. Matt and I ate until we were stuffed for about $13. It doesn't get much better than that!
  
 
    
Well, that's all I have for this week... Next weekend, we have Grocery Bingo – which every college kid loves! And "Chopped: MU Style" featuring celebrity chef Mary Sue Milliken. She's been on Top Chef, Oprah, and Iron Chef America to name a few and students will get to compete in culinary challenges with Mary Sue as a judge! Next weekend is making me hungry already... I'll be back next week to tell you all the tasty details!

Gannon, Giggles, and Greek!

This is Zach, the LSC programmer!

Hello All! SAC and LSC had a week full of events. They festivities all started with a Wednesday night double header basketball game against our big hometown rival, Gannon!

LSC had a luau themed event at both the men and women's games. Tons of Lakers showed up to the games to support classmates in their battle against the Gannon Knights. We had leis, sunglasses, and smoothies! It was nice to have a tropical feel in the middle of our Erie winter. Our smoothie names were pretty creative too, we had "Slay the Knights Strawberry" and "Make Gannon Black and Blueberry."

Unfortunately, our Lady Lakers lost 56 to 57, it was a great game though! And our boys won 62 to 61, both were intense games! 

 

Eric hugging Betty White!

On Friday night we had comedian Eric O'Shea. He was hysterical! He has over 4 million hits on his entertaining Youtube videos, one of my favorites being "TV Commercial Songs" (go ahead, click it! I added a link to his Youtube performance). He's performed at over 1,200 colleges and universities around the country and was nominated "National Comedy Performer of the Year" for 2010 and 2011.

He claims that "Thanks to a little A.D.D. and lack of segues, his show is guaranteed to get randomly wild!!! From surviving family, to surviving all 24 hours of the day – from original stories to celebrity impressions... including ELMO – Eric’s unique humor, expressions, and high-energy show is unlike anything you’ve ever heard…" Eric has even performed at the Creative Emmy Awards on E!

The Greek Week T-shirts!

Finally, on Saturday night, to wrap up the weekend SAC and LSC joined forces to put on a Greek Week themed Women's Hockey game versus Robert Morris University. This Greek themed game asked students to "pledge" ΛΣΧ to get a free t-shirt and show some Laker Love at the game. We even had a toga contest, the best dressed got a Kindle Fire... pretty cool, huh? Along with the t-shirts (see the right) we had golden laurel wreaths, foam lightning bolts, Greek candies, and of course, tons of pizza! It was a fun and festive night, however our Lady Lakers lost 2 to 3 that night. We should have had the event a day earlier, the first time they played RMU, we won – better luck next time!
  
  
Well, that's all for now...  I'll post back next week after our annual Winterfest event and a brand new tradition we're adding, Snowflake Ball!