Merrimack College Merrimack ScholarWorks The Beacon College Publications & Events 2-17-2012 The Beacon - Vol 10 No. 9 - February 17, 2012 Merrimack College Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/beacon Part of the Communication Commons Recommended Citation Merrimack College (2012). The Beacon - Vol 10 No. 9 - February 17, 2012. Available at: https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/beacon/9 This Newspaper is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications & Events at Merrimack ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Beacon by an authorized administrator of Merrimack ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Vol. X Number 9 Friday, February 17, 2012 www.merrimacknewspaper.com MC to House Some Off-Campus Patrick Lawlor ’13 calls for an eventual undergradu - according to the college website. Associate Editor in Chief ate enrollment of 3,000; this fall, The new housing plan goes into Merrimack will have 2,300 under - effect this fall. Under the plan, all Merrimack College is changing graduates, up from 2,100. The ex - freshman and sophomores will be the way it provides housing to un - pansion of housing will be guaranteed on-campus housing; dergraduates, offering lotteries for concurrent with the growth in the juniors and seniors, however, have both off- and on-campus living and student body, Hopey said. to enter a lottery if they would planning to open two new resi - Applications to Merrimack rose like to live on campus. If they dence halls over the next three 53 percent from last year, Hopey wish to live in off-campus housing years. said last week. President Christopher E. Currently, nearly 80 percent of See Housing The Agenda for Distinction outlines Hopey’s Agenda for Distinction undergraduates live on campus, Continued on Page 4 Merrimack’s Strategic Planning and growth goals. Merrimack: #1 in Social Media Kyle Singleton 1,000 fans by Jan. 1, and an aver - Staff Writer age of five posts per month. What separated Merrimack from the rest of the field was the qual - Merrimack College has been ity of posts, not only engaging the named the No. 1 most engaging student body to interact on the Facebook page in 2011. page but also getting the sur - More specifically, Merrimack’s rounding community to notice and Facebook page was applauded for engage in what Merrimack Col - the amount of conversation and lege is doing, according to college activity that takes place on the officials. page. Merrimack topped much larger Blue Fuego, which is a group that schools such as USC, Harvard and measures and studies the Wisconsin, to name a few. growth/activity of higher educa - Merrimack and President Christo - tion Facebook pages, measured pher E. Hopey were presented more than 900 pages. According to with the Fuego’s finest trophy for the study, the top 10 most engag - 2011. ing pages each had more than FAITH, PRESS AND POLITICS FORUM : From left, John Toole,Eagle Tribune, Dan Kennedy, Media Nation, Julie Mehegan, Boston Herald, Glenn Johnson, Boston Globe Racist Graffiti in Dorm Under Investigation When freshman Lance Hill woke up one accordingly,” said President Christopher E. morning last week, he was shocked to see Hopey in a statement. what was written on the whiteboard on his In an effort to better control and be aware of door: a racially and sexually offensive mes - these situations, Hopey called on Fr. Ray Dlu - sage. gos, vice president for mission and student af - “I don’t know why someone would do that,” fairs, to gather with other administrators and said Hill, who is black. various groups to develop clear policies and His initial reaction was to erase it, and for - processes for when things like this happen. get about it — brush it off, he said. Instead “These policies will include a process of in - Hill decided to post a photo of the scrawl on forming all of us whenever an incident occurs Facebook. From there, the story blew up. on our campus,” Hopey’s statement said. Many people commented in disgust and sur - Police Services also responded to the inci - prise, and some offered condolences for Hill dent. Chief Ron Guilmette announced a $500 having this done to him. reward for information pertaining to the door A Lawrence native, Hill is no stranger to tagging campus. He attended Coach Bert Hammel’s “If you have any information about this cow - ABA Basketball camp for several years, and ardly act, you are encouraged to either call or never thought this would happen at Merri - e-mail Deputy Chief Mike DelGreco or Lt. mack. Dennis Peterson as soon as possible,” the chief “Such actions do not represent the atti - said. tudes, beliefs, or feelings of the Merrimack “I know this is not what Merrimack is like,” College community. They will not go unchal - said Hill. “We are a tight family, we need to lenged, ignored, or minimized and if the perpe - bring people together.” trators are identified, they will be dealt with — Patrick Lawlor Page 2 The Beacon February 17, 2012 Editorial Board Senior Section: Editor in Chief Ashley Sarris Countdown to Graduation Associate F Editor in Chief Patrick Lawlor 100 Days Event F Andrew Napolitano ‘12 riety of different foods. This one “There was a different feel to Sports Editor Staff Writer hour pre-game illustrated that this night. I don’t know how to A Kayla Morong although there are several explain it, but it just felt as if It was the beginning of the clicks within the senior class as we were the only ones there and Interim T end for Merrimack College sen - soon as a variety of students it was a great start to the end of News Editor iors on Feb. 10 as they gathered come together as one it builds our four years at the Mack,” Mike Romanella together to celebrate the final S an instant connection. said senior student Dan Smith. hundred days of their collegiate Jake Polas, a member of the This was the first year the Interim career. senior class and one of the most student council and student in - News Editor Nearly half of the senior class enthused attendees of the 100 volvement had decided to host Jess Morse attended the event, which took N Days event, said, “It was great the 100 Days event off the Mer - place at the most popular desti - just having all the seniors in rimack College campus. In past Standards Editor nation for the class of 2012: the one room separated from every - years the event typically took O Stephen Tullgren Claddagh Pub. one else, not to mention the place in the MPR, which pro - Those who attended the best crab rangoon I have ever vided easier transportation. Associate event were provided with trans - C had in my life. Overall the top Stinson, in regards to the fu - Sports Editor portation, free cover and food section was one of the greatest ture of this event being hosted Matthew LaMalfa throughout the event for simply times I have had at the at the Claddagh, said, “The A $10. If seniors donated $20.12 Claddagh, along with the bus event overall went very well, for the class of 2012 T- shirt ride home.” and with some changes we E Staff they were given free access to As soon as the one hour pre- would consider doing the event the upstairs section of the pub Laura Bakopolus game party concluded, all those again.” B for the pre-game party an hour Patrick Coskren who attended were directed In the end the 100 Days Sarah Davies prior to the kickoff of the event. downstairs by the senior stu - event proved the most success - Justin Delaney Allison Stinson, the associate dent council and members of ful event thus far for the senior Ryan Flanigan director of student involvement, student involvement, where class. It brought together 250 E Devin Gordon said, “Overall students seemed they joined the rest of the class students of the class of 2012, Dana Hildner to really love the event, espe - of 2012. Downstairs included and the student council hopes William Humphrey G cially the private event portion live entertainment and a differ - to continue this success in fu - Tim Iannacone upstairs and the free appetizers ent variety of food from up - ture senior events. Andrew Napolitano and room downstairs.” E stairs. Students were Senior Class President Robert Perrochi The private portion of the Kaitlyn Quinlan socializing, dancing and enjoy - Melissa Garabedian said, “I event was attended by approxi - L John Smyth ing each other’s company. hope we can keep up the awe - Mark Steber mately 190 students and cre - Although the downstairs por - some participation for the re - Harry Mullin, Distribution ated an atmosphere displaying L tion of the event reminded a lot mainder of our Senior Events: the bond the class of 2012 has of people of a typical Thursday March 2 Mohegan, March 3 with one another. Students night at the Claddagh there Senior Hockey Night, April 28 O were talking and laughing to - was something different about Senior Formal and May 4 Sen - Advisor gether as they feasted on a va - this night. ior Toast.” C Jim Chiavelli Adjunct Professor Services Support your fellow classmates in K Advertising The Beacon is the best and most effi - cient way to reach the Merrimack C Mr. Merrimack 2012 College Community. To place a Classified, Print Advertisement, or Online Advertisement please Ryan Pinette A contact us at [email protected] Corrections Samuel Brown M The Beacon is committed to provid - ing its readers with thorough, accu - Nick Clini I rate, and balanced news coverage.