Get Involved: RSCO Life on Campus!

Here at Mercyhurst we have millions of things to be involved in and Student Life does a great job making sure that if you want to participate in it, then you can do it here! RSCO, or Registered Student Clubs/Organizations, are here on campus for camaraderie for students who share common interests. Getting involved on campus is simple, and it is a great way to develop social skills and leadership skills. Not to mention it is always a great resume builder for Graduate School or any job after graduation! We offer so many Clubs and Organizations on campus and the best part is if we don't offer what you're looking for... you can start it yourself!!

In my four years here I have been more over involved than I care to admit. It is a great feeling to be a part of something, and there are so many different things that I have been able to be a part of. You can check out a full list of RSCOs on campus here. Here are some examples of ones that I have particularly invested time in. 

Ambassadors: Our Ambassador Club is service club on campus that promotes the core values through our service to the school. In general, we are known as the Green Jackets, the tour givers, event helpers, direction guides, and faces of Mercyhurst. This club is definitely the club I am in that has helped me to achieve and maintain professionalism and confidence at Mercyhurst.

Currently I am one  of the Pledge Committee Chairs, in charge of recruiting and helping to train new Ambassadors for the year. This year there were over 120 students that have showed interest in pledging for the respected position... which will only be about 25% of those students. I'll let you all know how they're doing this term!

Ciaran, a graduated Ambassador, and myself at last years Spring Tea Event!

The full club in our "goofy" pose! Always a fun time!

Mercyhurst Student Government (MSG): Student Government is just as it sounds, we're the voice for the undergraduate population on campus. Known for our work for the students, we are here to promote and represent the student body in any way necessary; whether it be academics, financial, social, cultural, or political. All concerns, questions, and complaints that need to be filtered through the students to the upper-administration should come to the Student Government. 

This year I am the senator for the Zurn School of Sciences, and I also sit on as Committee Chair for the Residence Life Committee. As the senator, I specifically want to hear concerns about students from my constituency in Zurn. I want to know what they are worried about in regards to the sciences, our classrooms, or even our professors. As Committee Chair for Residence Life, I am looking to use this year to outreach to students who are unhappy with campus housing conditions (specifically in upperclassmen area). I think that Student Life and Residence Life have a large impact on the four years here, and it is an important thing to have student concerns properly represented.

Friends and fellow members of MSG in our Spirit Shirts! GO LAKERS!

TOMS Mercyhurst Campus Club: TOMS Campus Clubs are groups of passionate, excited students who are working together to raise awareness and share the TOMS Story and the One for One movement at their school. We do this by hosting events and activities to give students a perspective from the impoverished people who TOMS works so hard to represent. Mercyhurst TOMS Campus Club started my freshman year on campus, and I have slowly become more involved. This past year and currently I hold the title of President, however I'm looking forward to passing on the torch and seeing this club build up still on our small campus.

My TOMS family and friends here on Campus at our documentary screening!

Each year we do an event called One Day Without Shoes, where students and faculty go barefoot to support children and people around the world in poverty. In my four years here this campaign has grown near and dear to my heart. We encompass the school's core values of being socially merciful and aware. I know that TOMS is a giving model that really impacts our world, and I love to bring that impact and influence the Mercyhurst community!

Have a great week!

-Adrianne

When the Leaves Change...

Fall is here in Erie, and I have reminded myself so much why I love this season. It has been a while since my last post so I have a bit to cover now, but most of my fall adventures have revolved around my major, Biology!

Its beginning to look like fall at Mercyhurst as the leaves are changing!!

Last weekend was our Fall Break off of school. The extended weekend away from Mercyhurst right after midterms always seems so wonderful to me, but this year it was a productive weekend. I went home to the Cleveland area and had an opportunity to job shadow. Since I am a Biology major, I've been looking at many different career paths. Fall break became the best when I had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Kathleen Skoch. 

Dr. Skoch is a very well known pediatrician with her own practice, Neighborhood Pediatrics. I admire her for a few reasons: one, because in Cleveland she is well recognized and respected; two, she recieved her degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; and lastly, she was so kind and accommodating towards teaching me the ropes of her business. Also I was able to spend some time in her office with her co-doctors and their nurses. All fabulous women who added toward such a positive experience for me!

In sticking with things going on in my academic life, I had some other cool biology moments when we got back into classes this week. During my Field Ecology class this term we are going some independent research in the Erie area for our laboratory portion. As a pre-health focus it has been definitely a challenge to come up with and implement something that is able to be proven ecologically. However my group was up for the challenge. Sticking with the season we are studying a bit about leaf coloration in Erie, and the differences in the amount of sunlight the leaves get. We are calculating the change in coloration via the percent of green left in the leaf. So far so cool!

This fall term I am also taking a Biology class for Human Anatomy. Just as it sounds we are taking this term to really delve into the human body and learn more about muscles, nerves, bones, and their structures and functions. I was most looking forward to this class because I feel like it would be very telling if I was capable of going forward with my pre-health degree. I can confidently say that I love this class and it has confirmed my passion for the future. 

In our lab portion this week, my fellow classmates and I had the opportunity to go out to our cadaver lab at the North East campus. As a senior this wasn't my first time out at the lab, but I am also hoping it won't be the last. The cadaver lab out a North East campus is something different that Mercyhurst offers that really makes us "the small-school with really big opportunities." Hirtzel Lab is a $1.2 million mega-lab at the North East  campus that houses our  four cadavers, a standard feature for medical schools that is unique to our small private college. Students use this for this for both undergraduates and graduate programs, including: Anthropology, Exercise Science, Sportsmedicine, and Biology majors.

SO many good and cool things going on this fall!

Until next time, 

Adrianne