THE MASSACHUSETTS
A free and responsible press
DAILY COLLEGIAN DailyCollegian.com
Monday, February 29, 2016
DenieD no more
SGA divided over executive veto Senators defend approval of RSOs By stuart Foster Collegian Staff
After Student Government Association President Sïonan Barrett vetoed a Senate motion to approve two prospective groups as registered student organizations during a Senate meeting last week, SGA members disagreed over whether they thought the veto was necessary. Nick Andrade, the secretary of the registry for the SGA, denied 10 groups the title of an RSO on the grounds that the applications did not list 10 undergraduates involved with the organization. Seven of the 10 groups who were denied RSO status appealed Andrade’s decision to the Senate, who then granted two groups their appeals. Barrett recently vetoed the Senate’s decision to retroactively grant the UMass Obstacle Course Racing Club and the Society of Asian Students
and Engineers an RSO status because the prospective organizations did not satisfy the member requirements, which necessitated them to list 10 undergraduates involved with the group on the application. Following her veto, SGA Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Jeremy Tibbetts questioned the decision. “I think the last thing student groups need is student government serving as an obstacle to how they’re supposed to function on campus,” said Tibbetts, a junior studying public health. Tibbetts said that there were questions of how clear the application was for prospective groups, saying that the required amount of names was not specifically mentioned in the application itself but was attached to the application as a link. Those two groups, Tibbetts said, were voted on at a Feb. 16 meeting of the SGA, which occurred one week after the other see
VETO on page 2
Amherst College hosts LitFest 2016 Inaugural event draws top writers By Brendan deady Collegian Staff
A number of magazine editors and writers who’ve received the literary industry’s highest accolades, from Pulitzer Prizes to National Book Awards, are flocking to Amherst College’s inaugural “LitFest 2016” this upcoming weekend. The literary event, held from March 3 to 5, is celebrating the “extraordinary literary life (of Amherst) by bringing to campus distinguished authors and editors to share and discuss the pleasures and challenges of verbal expression, from fiction and nonfiction, to poetry and spoken-word performance,” according to the college’s website. The three-day event kicks off with a conversation with Angela Flournoy and Lauren Groff, who is an Amherst College graduate, Thursday night at the
Johnson Chapel. Groff is the author of four books, her latest, “Fates and Furies,” was a finalist for the National Book Award. Flournoy, a graduate from the prestigious Iowa’s Writer’s Workshop, just published her first novel, “The Turner House,” which was also a finalist for the National Book Award. The event continues the following day, where Michael Chabon, the Pulitzer Prize winning novelist of “The Amazing adventures of Kavalier and Clay,” will host a reading and Q&A session Friday night. A poetry slam featuring Amherst College students is scheduled to close out the night. The following morning Stacy Schiff, also a Pulitzer winner, will join Mark Bowden, the award winning investigative journalist and author of “Black Hawk Down”, for a discussion in Valentine Hall. The literary weekend was coordinated by “The Common”, a literary journal based at the college, see
LITFEST on page 3
Serving the UMass community since 1890
News@DailyCollegian.com
KATHERINE MAYO/COLLEGIAN
Aldon Morris delivered the 23rd annual W.E.B. Dubois lecture at the Campus Center on Friday, Feb. 26.
DuBois called ‘father of sociology’ By Luis FieLdman
Collegian Correspondent
Northwestern University professor Aldon Morris gave the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries’ 22nd annual Du Bois lecture Friday night, celebrating the scholarship and influence of the founder of America’s first scientific school of modern sociology. The University celebrated W.E.B. Du Bois’ work and words by hosting the author of “The Scholar Denied: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Birth
of Modern Sociology” to reflect on the contemporary relevancy of Du Bois’ life and ideas. The annual lecture series honored Du Bois’ birthday, Feb. 23, by giving insight into his work. “There is an intriguing well-kept secret regarding the founding of scientific sociology in America,” Morris told the crowd of nearly 100 in the Student Union Ballroom, “The first school of American scientific sociology was founded by a black professor, located at a small, economically poor, racially segregated, south-
ern university.” Morris continued, “At the dawn of the 20th century, from 1898 to 1910, the black sociologist and activist W.E.B. Du Bois developed the first scientific school of sociology at Atlanta University.” During an era of racial segregation and Jim Crow laws in the south, Du Bois pioneered a new branch of social science that Morris claimed has long been cast to the shadows. “I am not making a small claim when I say that W.E.B. Du Bois developed the first scientific school of sociology
in America,” Morris said. “My purpose in writing The Scholar Denied was an ambitious one.” He added, “My book aims to shift paradigms, disrupt dominant narratives and illuminate new truths.” Morris’ lecture dove into the history of American sociology by pointing out that early sociologists rarely used empirical methods to collect data. He described early sociology closer to being “armchair theorizing” that relied heavily on casual observasee
DUBOIS on page 2
Fraternities reach out to authorities Barbeque meant to bridge distance By stuart Foster Collegian Staff
In the backyard of the Theta Chi fraternity house at the University of Massachusetts, police officers, fire fighters and fraternity and sorority members exchanged greetings over hotdogs and burgers this past Saturday. At the “Building Bridges Barbecue,” held from 1 to 4 p.m., students had the opportunity to interact with law
enforcement and establish a working relationship with emergency personnel in anticipation of “Blarney Blowout” next weekend. Daniel Schauer, a sophomore studying communications who is the vice president of health and safety at Theta Chi, said that members of his fraternity held the event partially to determine how Greek life organizations can make the Blarney Blowout as safe as possible. “We want to make that day the safest it can be for everyone here,” Schauer said. “We see
BBQ on page 2
SAMANTHA HALM/COLLEGIAN
Officer William Laramee mock arrests two Theta Chi brothers
2
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Monday, February 29, 2016
THE RUNDOWN ON THIS DAY... In 1940, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African-American actress to receive an Oscar for her portayal of “Mammy” in “Gone with the WInd.”
AROUND THE WORLD
Breaches made in Syria ceasefire BEIRUT – Syrian opposition groups reported renewed Russian airstrikes in Syria on Sunday, the second day of a provisional truce, but Moscow said the cease-fire appeared to be holding despite violations by rebel factions. A Saudi-based opposition umbrella group, the High Negotiations Committee, reported 26 Russian airstrikes on Sunday against rebel factions supposedly covered by the truce. The committee said at least 29 people had been killed and dozens injured in pro-government breaches since the truce began Saturday. Russia is allied with the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The committee assailed the alleged attacks and called on the United Nations “to intervene immediately to stop the crimes committed against the Syrian people.” There was no independent confirmation of the reported attacks. Russia, which said it postponed air attacks Saturday, the first day of the truce, did not provide details on its aerial operations Sunday. It was unclear whether the purported airstrikes targeted zones occupied by Al Nusra Front, the official al-Qaida franchise in Syria, or Islamic State, the al-Qaida breakaway faction that controls large stretches of territory in Syria and neighboring Iraq. Al Nusra Front and Islamic State are excluded from the United Nationsbacked truce. Both groups are defined as terrorist organizations by the United Nations. Russia has said it would continue to target terrorist groups in Syria. The interim cease-fire is regarded as the most extensive effort to date to halt the fighting in Syria, which has been battered by withering conflict for almost five years. The Syrian war has resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, caused widespread destruction and sent millions fleeing from their homes, contributing to a refugee crisis in Europe. Russian Lt. Gen. Sergei Kuralenko, who heads Moscow’s cease-fire oversight efforts, said Sunday that the cessation had been “generally observed,” reported Russia’s Tass news agency. However, Russian authorities said they had recorded nine violations of the truce in a 24-hour period, mostly by opposition factions. The violations included shelling of Damascus, which is firmly in government hands, by armed groups based in the suburbs of the capital, Russia said. Distributed by MCT Information Services
BBQ
DailyCollegian.com
DUBOIS
continued from page 1
just want to make their lives easier together.” Schauer said that the barbecue was inspired by seminars that Greek life organizations at UMass hold with the Amherst Police Department, the Amherst Fire Department and the legal firm Dunn and Phillips, at which fraternity members are taught about fire safety, medical safety and student’s rights on campus. Oriana Schneps, a marketing specialist at Dunn and Phillips, said that the law firm conceived of the idea for a barbecue, before reaching out to Theta Chi about the idea. “There’s a lot of publicity through Greek life,” Schneps said, adding that Theta Chi helped publicize the event to other Greek life organizations on campus. Hundreds of UMass students cycled in and out of the event throughout the day to greet and talk briefly with fire safety officials and officers in law enforcement. Lindsay Stromgren, the assistant chief of the AFD, said that he was happy to witness positive interactions between the University’s stu-
dents and town safety officials. “I think it’s good to see an interaction such as today,” Stromgren said. “We don’t want to be in any intervening role, we’d rather be in a more social role.” The health and safety officials present at the barbecue were not limited to town officials. The Department of Environmental Health and Safety at UMass was also present, and put on a fire safety display at the entrance of the Theta Chi backyard. “The idea was we’d do this barbecue today just to bring everybody together,” said Fire Prevention Services Supervisor Michael Swain. “It’s a good time for everyone to get together in a non-stressful situation.” Theta Chi President Nick Rampone, who studies legal studies and economics as a sophomore, said that the event required a significant amount of preparation. “We’ve been planning every day since winter break,” he said. “I think it’s terrific, I think it says a lot about UMass Greek life as a
whole.” Students attending the event had heard about it through Theta Chi’s advertising within the Greek life community at UMass. Amanda Orton, a member of the Sigma Kappa sorority who is studying management as a senior, said she was impressed with the event, and that looking forward she wanted Greek life at UMass to host a similar event at least once a semester. “I just talked to someone who has been on the Amherst Police Department for 27 years and he’s never seen anything like this,” she said. Jonny Zackman, a freshman studying Middle Eastern studies who is a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, said that the barbecue could establish good relations between Greek life organizations on campus and the health and safety departments in Amherst. Stuart Foster can be reached at stuartfoster@umass.edu or followed on Twitter @Stuart_C_Foster.
SAMANTHA HALM/COLLEGIAN
Two police officers speak with a fraternity member at Saturday’s “Building Bridges Barbeque.”
VETO
continued from page 1
groups were denied. Thir ty-nine senators voted at the later meeting, as opposed to 30 who had voted at the meeting the week before when the other groups were denied RSO status. Barrett, a senior studying journalism, said that it was important for the SGA to treat organizations fairly by not arbitrarily rejecting different appeals for the same reason and to follow the SGA’s bylaws precisely. “The reason I vetoed the last two was because I really just wanted it to be consistent and fair across the board,” Barrett said. While Tibbetts said that Barrett could also have vetoed the Senate’s motions to not approve the other prospective RSOs, Barrett said that it was important for her to not violate the SGA’s bylaws. “I think that everything was very spelled out in the documents Nick sent to the groups,” she said, adding that a large majority of the RSOs applying, 40 out of 50, had been able to fill out the forms correctly.” “If they didn’t submit a complete application it’s not something we can consider,” she said. “It’s not that we don’t support RSOs, we just need a complete application to consider them.” At the Feb. 22 meeting where Barrett vetoed the previous Senate motions, she told members of the legislative body that they could hypothetically be taken to the SGA Judiciary over whether they had violated the bylaws by the prospective RSO groups. Tibbets said that he was uncomfortable with this idea, saying that it could restrict the ways in which senators vote to represent students.
“I leave these meetings and I have a feeling that there’s something happening kind of subliminally about control,” Tibbetts said. Barrett said that she had never considered opening a judicial case against SGA members, and that she was just informing them it was a possible option for groups that were denied approval. At the meeting last week, a majority of voting senators attempted to block the veto, with 22 senators voting against the veto, seven for it and seven in abstention. However, the number of senators who voted against the veto did not reach the two-thirds majority necessary for an override. Tibbetts said that there was a gap between how members of the Senate and members of Barrett’s cabinet, many of whom spoke in support of the veto during the debate before voting, viewed these issues. “Who should have the final say in what should happen in the Senate?” Tibbetts asked. Bar rett, however, said that a division had emerged on this issue because cabinet members have a better understanding of Andrade’s responsibilities as secretary of the registry and more experience. “I would more separate it as people who have multiple years of experience in the SGA and everyone else on the other side who has been in the SGA for a year and a half or less,” she said. The veto was the first presidential veto of a Senate motion this year. Stuart Foster can be reached at stuartfoster@umass.edu, and followed on Twitter @Stuart_C_Foster.
LITFEST
continued from page 1
tion and loosely based opinions. “In early 20th century, white science and white supremacy ideology walked hand in hand, justifying the racial oppression that was imposed on the black community,” Morris said. “(Du Bois) knew that the existing science of race was not based on empirical facts, but wild speculation and conjecture. Du Bois’ challenge was to develop a new scientific sociology that would reveal the real causes of social inequality. He knew that it was racism and discrimination that prevented his people from rising.” Du Bois’ work has not been forgotten nor neglected at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The late Dr. Randolph Bromery, former chancellor at the University from 1971 to 1979, is largely responsible for bringing the Du Bois papers to the campus library. The current director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Center, associate professor Whitney Battle-Baptiste, has worked hard to preserve the special collections. “The UMass Amherst library W.E.B. Du Bois Center was established in 2009 to keep alive Du Bois’ legacy of scholarship and activism related to the national and international interdisciplinary discussions around issues of race, labor and social justice,” Battle-Baptiste told the audience prior to Morris’ lecture. After the event, she added, “We’ve got a lot of folks actually teaching and using the work of Du Bois in their curriculum. That’s what we are talking about in terms of Du Bois being alive, his scholarship and his work, at this university.” “I’d love it if every stu-
dent that passed through UMass Amherst knew who Du Bois was, why he matters, and to learn a little bit about why he’s still alive here,” Battle-Baptiste said. Jamie Kimmel, a senior studying anthropology believes “we still have a long way to go before white ignorance, white supremacy and white privilege are totally eradicated.” “It’s going to take a lot more than just joining hands and singing ‘Kumbaya’ because its institutionalized, and until the institution changes, then all these trickle down other minute aspects of life that effect everyone else (can’t) change,” Kimmel said. Manon Garulay, a sophomore studying German & Scandinavian studies and comparative literature said, “The most respected literature in the world is still mostly written by white British people and white German people and that’s very narrow. That’s such a small portion of the world being represented so broadly.” Garulay said, “Work by other people are not being taught in college or high school curriculums and that’s leading to a very narrow perception. In places where people of color aren’t really present, their works aren’t really present either. That leads to a lot of ignorance.” UMass has a long history of preserving the writings, legacy and ideals of Du Bois, which were echoed in Morris’ sentiments, highlighting the scholar for his overlooked work as a pioneer in the field of sociology. Luis Fieldman can be reached at lfieldman@umass.edu.
continued from page 1
which has featured many of America’s prominent writers since its inception in 2011. The event is also celebrating two new partnerships between the College and the MacDowell Colony and the National Book Foundation. T he MacDowell Colony, whose chairman of the board is Chabon, is an artistic community where aspiring artists and writers gather to develop major works. Its been awarded with the National Medal of Arts for its artistic contributions by fostering the growth of some of the 20th century’s greatest American creative minds, according to the colony’s website. “LitFest 16” also marks a new partnership between Amherst College
and the NBF; the college will now be a major center of operations for the NBF in the Northeast. The partnership, according to the college’s website, will bring recipients of the National Book Award to Amherst more frequent-
ly and establish a bond between the foundation and the college’s faculty. The literary event is free and open to the public. Brendan Deady can be reached at bdeady@umass.edu or followed on Twitter @bdeady26.
ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN
Part of the inaugural event’s programs will take place at Frost Library.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
DailyCollegian.com
Monday, February 29, 2016
3
Trump slated for Super Tuesday win Clinton in postion Candidates vie for to move far ahead Southern support B y D aviD L ightman mc c Latchy Washington Bureau
HOUSTON – Donald Trump’s angry army is positioned to march across 11 states Tuesday with enough firepower to anoint him the inevitable Republican nominee by day’s end, while Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are just aiming to survive the onslaught. The biggest day of primary and caucus voting of 2016, stretching from New England to Alaska, is a make-or-break day for Trump’s rivals. It’s also a day that threatens to tear apart the Republican Party. The challengers’ latest weapon involves tax returns. Trump Sunday again refused to release his, and, on “Fox News Sunday,” he would not reveal his gross income, tax rate or charitable contributions. “I’m being singled out,” Trump said. Rubio, a senator from Florida, and Cruz, a senator from Texas, released partial returns Saturday for the past few years. Cruz charged on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Trump’s returns would contain bombshells. Cruz once saw Super Tuesday as his big day, when the Christian right voters he so feverishly courts would give him victories across the South. Instead, he’s spending the last hours fighting to avoid an embarrassing setback in his home state.
Rubio is now the clear Republican mainstream alternative, and is hoping Cruz is staggered enough Tuesday that the race becomes a one-on-one battle with Trump. Rubio’s spent the past week provoking Trump on his own playing field, unleashing insults (“he’s a clown”) and accusations (“exploiting working Americans for 40 years”) with Trumpstyle fury. He’s also warning that a Trump win could mean doom for the Republican Party. All this sets a gilded stage for Trump, who leads in polls in eight of the 11 states. By the time voting ends, Republicans will have awarded 595 convention delegates, or nearly half the 1,237 a candidate needs for nomination. A big Trump night means a big, maybe insurmountable, lead for him. “There is no doubt that, if Donald steamrolls through Super Tuesday, wins everywhere with big margins, that he may well be unstoppable,” Cruz said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday. “I don’t think that will happen.” Time is running out for Trump’s challengers. Between Tuesday and March 15, delegates will be awarded in primaries and caucuses in 13 more states, and Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and the Northern Mariana Islands. Tuesday’s big g est prizes are Texas with 155 delegates and Georgia’s 76. Should Cruz falter in Texas, which polls say is unlikely, he’s probably finished as a candidate, though a victory be seen only as little more
than something expected. Trump has made a strong push in Texas, appearing Friday with Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey as his newest supporter. Georgia once had the look of a strong Cruz state, since nearly two-thirds of its Republican voters regard themselves as evangelicals. Christian right favorite Mike Huckabee won Georgia eight years ago. Instead, polls have shown Trump with a consistent lead. Rubio is aiming to win delegates in suburban areas; Cruz is targeting smaller, more conservative communities. Trump is ahead in other states with big Christian right electorates – Oklahoma and Alabama. The Southern states best positioned to break Trump’s grip are Tennessee and Virginia. Gov. Bill Haslam and Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee back Rubio. In Virginia, centerright Republicans of the Washington suburbs have shown little taste for Trump, and Rubio planned to spend most of Sunday campaigning in the state. But Trump has courted both states’ religious communities; in Virginia, evangelical leaders Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell Jr. have endorsed him. Massachusetts, Vermont, Alaska and Massachusetts also vote Tuesday, and Rubio hopes to win at least one. So does Gov. John Kasich of Ohio. Kasich is betting that his let’s-get-along, pragmatic style will help him in Michigan’s March 8 primary and a week later in Ohio, Illinois, Florida, Missouri
and North Carolina. But getting shut out this week could drain his prospects for momentum. Here are three key questions voters could answer Tuesday: How can Rubio look like a winner without actually winning? So far he hasn’t won anything. Yet his list of establishment backers keeps growing, and senior adviser Todd Harris enjoys describing “the growing anti-Trump movement in the party.” As long as Rubio keeps accumulating delegates, his campaign’s thinking goes, victories are not crucial, and his warnings about the demise of the party could be a strong motivator. Can Cruz surprise everyone? Cruz plans to spend Monday campaigning in Texas, strong evidence that he’s struggling to simply stay in the race. At the moment, though, Cruz is behind Trump in polls in six of the states where at least 37 percent of the voters are evangelical. ––Are expectations too high for Trump? He now has the burden of being the front-runner, the candidate everyone expects to not only win, but win big. Trump’s forces say that’s fine with them. But he faces some new controversies. He struggles to explain any sort of comprehensive health care policy. His rivals won’t let him forget that he’s got a long history of being friendly with Democrats. He’s under fire from Mexican officials. And there’s those tax returns.
Ted Cruz publicly releases tax return Candidate requests Trump to do same By michaeL a. memoLi Tribune Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON- Sen. Ted Cruz released four years of tax figures , joining rival Marco Rubio in challenging Donald Trump to do the same as the three battle for the Republican presidential nomination. But the Saturday night disclosure by Cruz, a Texas Republican_like one earlier in the day by Rubio, his Senate colleague from Florida_ offered only a partial glimpse of his personal finances. They showed that he consistently paid more than 28 percent of his and his wife’s income in taxes but did not specify all sources of income or the
The Cruzes paid out $389, 124 on an adjusted income of more than $1.2 million in 2014, for an effective tax rate of 32.2 percent, the campaign said in a summary of the documents released. nature of deductions the couple sought. The Cruzes paid $389,124 on an adjusted growth income of more than $1.2 million in 2014, for an effective tax rate of 32.2 percent, the campaign said in a summary of the documents released. It was the highest effective tax rate they paid in the years provided, based on $983,161 in salaries, $190,000 in unspecified business income and $37,000 in dividends and capital gains. In 2011 and 2012, most of
the Cruzes’ income came from real estate, royalties or other sources, the returns showed. Cruz’s wife, Heidi, worked at Goldman Sachs until she took an unpaid leave of absence last year to devote herself to her husband’s presidential campaign. Cruz was elected to the Senate in 2012. In a statement, the Cruz campaign noted that the senator had also released five years of tax returns during his Senate campaign. It said Trump should “follow Sen.
Cruz’s example” and release at least nine years of his own returns. “It’s time for Trump to come clean and release his tax returns,” Cruz said in the statement. “If he’s not been completely honest or has supported the most radical left-wing groups in America, voters deserve to know.” Trump has said several of his returns are being audited and he won’t release them until that process is complete. Rubio posted five years of tax data to his website, which showed a range of income from $183,826 in 2010, the year he was elected to the Senate, to $929,439 in 2012, the year his memoir, “An American Son,” was released. That was the year Rubio paid his highest effective tax rate: 27.4 percent.
Sanders could lose momentum Tues. By anita Kumar McClatchy Washington Bureau
ARLINGTON, Va. – After a rocky few weeks, Hillary Clinton is finally on a path to victory. Clinton leads in most of the 11 states voting on Super Tuesday. Several have large minority populations. AfricanAmericans voted for her overwhelmingly Saturday in her landslide win in South Carolina. Clinton is expected to begin to rack up many of the delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination for president. If she wins a majority of the delegates Tuesday, it will become more difficult for Bernie Sanders to catch her. Democrats hold caucuses or primaries Tuesday in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. American Samoa will also vote. “Tomorrow this campaign goes national,” Clinton said Saturday night. “We are not taking anything, and we are not taking anyone, for granted.” Clinton initially stressed February’s four early states. After a virtual tie in Iowa and resounding defeat in New Hampshire, she began looking past Nevada and South Carolina and focusing on March. Her campaign manager, Robby Mook, assured supporters in an email that the four February states represent just 4 percent of the delegates needed to secure the nomination, while the 28 states that have primaries or caucus in March will award 56 percent. Clinton’s lopsided win in South Carolina gives her a boost going into the next phase of the race and reaffirmed her place as the front-runner. Still, Sanders has vowed to fight all the way to the Democratic convention in July. “On Tuesday we’re going to have over 800 delegates being selected. And I think we’re going to win a very good share of those delegates,” Sanders said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I think you’ve got major states coming up. And I think the important point is that people throughout this country are resonating to our message.” Sanders receives some delegates even if he loses. In South Carolina, for example, Clinton received 39 delegates and Sanders picked up 14. The self-described democratic socialist who talks about launching a “political revolution” has successfully drawn on anger by people fed up with
the billionaire class, particularly young and rural white voters who have given him millions of dollars in small donations. In South Carolina, he won voters under 25, though Clinton did well with nearly every other demographic. Sanders has attracted big crowds in recent days – nearly 9,000 in Tulsa, Okla., which votes Tuesday, and 7,000 in Kansas City, Mo., which votes March 15. On Sunday, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii resigned as vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee and endorsed Sanders. She had been arguing with other party leaders over what she called a light debate schedule. Critics say the party set up a sparse debate schedule to protect Clinton. Sanders is still expected to come up short in most Super Tuesday states in part because of Clinton’s broad support among African-Americans. In South Carolina, Clinton 86 percent of the AfricanAmerican vote with 86 percent, a bigger share than Barack Obama won in 2008, according to exit polls. That puts her in a strong position to win in Alabama and Georgia, where African-Americans make up more than half of Democratic primary voters, and in Tennessee and Virginia, which have smaller but still significant large populations of black voters. Tangela Smalls, 44, an administrator at Trident Technical College in Mount Pleasant, S.C., said she noticed a different Clinton this time around. “She learned that she can’t ride her husband’s coattails and belittle the Obama voter,” she said. “This is a genuine, more humble, more-connected Hillary. This Hillary didn’t take us for granted.” Clinton also is expected to do well in Arkansas, where Bill Clinton was governor and remains popular. She beat Obama there by more than 40 points in 2008. Sanders hopes to remain competitive in the South, while focusing most of his attention on states in the Midwest and Northeast. He is expected to do well in his home state of Vermont. He’s running slightly ahead of Clinton in nearby Massachusetts and within a few points of her in Oklahoma. He also hopes to do well in Colorado and Minnesota, the two states that hold caucuses Tuesday. Clinton and Sanders continue to fight over who won the Hispanic vote in the Nevada caucuses. Entrance polls indicate that Sanders won the Hispanic vote by 8 percentage points, but Clinton’s campaign dispute those numbers. Either way, it’s clear that Sanders has made up ground among Hispanic voters.
Univ. of Missouri professor’s fate in the spotlight Melissa Click gets unwanted attention By matt Pearce Los Angeles Times
How did a story about black students protesting their university’s response to racist incidents turn into a story about the fate of a white professor? The professor, Melissa Click, sided with the protesters at the University of Missouri. As black students gathered on a public quad on campus last fall, she was captured on video calling for “muscle” to remove student journalists from the area and swatting a student’s camera. The video sparked debate – especially among activists, conservatives and journalists
– over what was acceptable behavior for an academic and whether she should be punished. While many black activists were sympathetic to Click, journalists accused the communications professor of disregard for the First Amendment. In the media, her future became the easiest storyline to follow, quickly overtaking the complicated racial issues being raised by the protesters. Last week, university leaders decided they’d heard enough. In a 4-to-2 vote Thursday, the board of curators fired Click for her behavior. The board deemed her actions “dangerous” and said they had posed “a serious public policy question” as to whether it would allow facul-
ty “to invoke intimidation or violence against a student.” “The board respects Dr. Click’s right to express her views and does not base this decision on her support for students engaged in protest or their views,” Pam Henrickson, chairwoman of the board, said in a statement Thursday. “However, Dr. Click was not entitled to interfere with the rights of others, to confront members of law enforcement or to encourage potential physical intimidation against a student.” Through a spokeswoman, Click declined to comment. For years, black students had complained about racism at the predominantly white Columbia, Mo., campus, saying that they sometimes felt unsafe and that the “N-word” was often hurled at them. They said the university was
unresponsive. The activists made the university system president, Tim Wolfe, a prime target. At a protest during a parade, they stopped Wolfe’s car. Click, who had worked in the communications department since 2003, was with them. In body-camera video later obtained by the Columbia Missourian newspaper and made public this month, Click can be seen putting herself between police officers and the protesters. “Get out of the road or get arrested!” an officer says, putting a hand on Click’s shoulder. “Get your ... hands off me!” Click says. In November, a graduate student, Jonathan Butler, went on a hunger strike demanding Wolfe’s remov-
al. The university’s beloved – and revenue-generating – football team, backed by its coach, Gary Pinkel, went on strike to support Butler. When Wolfe resigned Nov. 9, black students gathered on the quad where they had originally set up a small tent city. They celebrated as national, local and student journalists tried to capture the moment. But the story took a turn. In a video that went viral, students and staffers who had circled the tent site confront student photographer Tim Tai, who argued that he had a right to cover a protest in a public place. Click grabs the camera of another student, Mark Schierbecker, and tells him, “You need to get out,” then shouts to other protesters: “Who wants to help me get this reporter out of here? I
need some muscle over here!” After Schierbecker posted the video online, Click said she started receiving angry calls and emails. “I hope you’re gang-raped by some of the very animals with whom you’re so enamored,” one person wrote, according to emails obtained through an open-records request and published by the Chronicle of Higher Education. “You have proven that you do not believe in basic constitutional values, especially the one that is so critical to an amazing network of Mizzou graduates,” wrote an unnamed emailer identified by the Chronicle as a news editor at CNN.
Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
“I dwell in possibility.” - Emily Dickinson
Monday, February 29, 2016
Editorial@DailyCollegiancom
Growing up without a father
An open letter to ‘The Tab UMass’ Dear “The Tab UMass,” I’d like to preface this by acknowledging that you have asked me to write a “counter-article” in response to the homophobic content your website published on Feb. 1. If your website ever thought that I would ever use my own academic and experiential labor to correct your oppressive writer base, then you are more sadly mistaken than I thought possible. Want me to write for The Tab? Pay me. But I digress. Your writer Mary Margaret Hogan published an article titled “I’m a straight girl and I only date gay men,” in which she outlines the ways she “has always felt a deep connection with gay men” and how she “felt as though they gravitate towards (her)” as they share the essentialized interests of “musicals, drag queens’ contour skills, Barbra Streisand, and, well, men.” She claims to be well aware that they “aren’t just being courteous in order to get into (her) pants” and that they have “always been a sufficient replacement for a boyfriend.” She then presents the gay men in her life as a “fix-all” for the hookup culture that “some of us are done with.” The response to this article by the University of Massachusetts LGBT+ community was volatile; multiple queer folks (including myself ) expressed their discomfort in a myriad of ways on social media. Interestingly enough, the only people who seemed to agree with Hogan’s perspective were the gay men mentioned
in the article and various straight women in the comment section. If this didn’t immediately signal doubt in your article’s credibility, then I will clear it up for you. Your straight-girl writer isn’t “dating” gay men; she is constructing them in a “subject-other” relationship. They are objects “g ravitating towards (her).” They are men who are “replacements” for the straight men who have wronged her. They are men who will nurture these wrongs, who will not be individual people
than you,” in which you included screenshots of comments on the previous article and accused queer students of “stifling discussion” on LGBT+ issues. In this long-winded and paternalizing justification of your material, you wrote, “Rather than acting as if we are experts on certain subjects – such as racism, sexism, transphobia and any other forms of prejudice – we could recognize that learning from one another through conversations can be informative without developing into defensive or condescending attitudes.”
I’m a queer student and I am “frustrated” and I will call you out for deliberately remaining ignorant of the oppression you consistently reify. – but rather men turned into machines of emotional compassion and cultural capital. They are just that: “they.” “They” are all the same. “They” are all compelled to go to Starbucks with her, to watch her favorite musical with her, to (platonically?) kiss her in her Instagram pictures. “They” are all not men, too. “They” have all divested from toxic masculinity and are incapable of perpetuating misogynistic structures. They are props, not at all people, and only exist in relation to their straight counterparts. You then published an article written by Caroline Radigan and Caroline Phinney titled “The Tab is an Open Forum” with the subtitle: “Trigger warning: Someone will always be more politically correct
anything to you. You and your writers are responsible, both journalistically and morally, for educating yourselves and themselves and not publishing homophobic content. Finally, you wrote, “Some will be offended, while others will *snap* in agreement. That’s Journalism. The point is that we are offering you an open forum in which you can speak your mind.” I’m not a journalist. I’m a queer student just trying to exist. I’m a queer student and I am “frustrated” and I will call you out for deliberately remaining ignorant of the oppression you consistently reify. Do you expect me to thank you for “offering (me) an open forum” where I can defend myself from homophobic assault? I will not and will never write for your “open forum.” Instead, I will loudly resist your patronistic violence. To The Tab, its UMass editors and its student writers: I get it. You published an article that made queer people uncomfortable, and instead of educating yourself and fixing your mistake you pathologized queer people as the problem. You called queer people “too PC” rather than being reflective, critical and corrective. You messed up, and your privilege was too overwhelming to navigate and divert. Next time: read some books, listen to your queer reader-base and certainly do not command their labor.
I don’t think I have ever when they were children, craved more attention and they believed it was somelove than I have from a thing they did or the lack of worth they held that Carolyn Chen ultimately led to parental figures walking out of father figure. The stories the picture. I spent too of fathers teaching their many years of childhood daughters how to dance, constructing plans of runthe jokes exchanged ning away, entertaining by families during din- the idea of getting adoptner time, the father that ed by my friend’s family picked you up and dropped and living with them, only you off at events and cel- to fear that I would again be the catalyst for another ebrations: I craved it all. When I was a little family’s separation. Children should never younger, I remember entertaining the idea that have to go through years my best friend’s father was of believing that they are also mine. And in a way, I maladaptive, unable to truly think that he put in please their parents like his best effort so that I they are supposed to in would feel just as accept- order to get the love they ed into the family as his so desperately crave in daughter (my friend) felt. return. Children should I remember him cooking never have to spend their us food, lecturing me on free time sketching out boys and clothes, taking plans to escape their famus to theatres and buying ily to live an isolated life us snacks. While I never since they “ruin everydid mention my family thing for everyone.” Yet so many children situation, I think he knew, still believe that, whether and recognized my cravparents are aware of it or ing for a family and took me under his wing as his not. Whether the adults adopted Chinese daughter intended to blame their child or not, so many kids with poor eyesight.
I would like to make one thing very clear: oppressed peoples are experts in their own oppression. We decide what is offensive to us – not Mary Margaret Hogan, not Caroline Radigan, not Caroline Phinney, nor any of your ignorant and privileged writer and editor base. You are right, we are defensive, and you can check your respectability politics at the door. You wrote “being informed is a privilege … if you have been lucky in your life to take certain classes and talk with certain people … then you have been lucky enough” but have you ever heard of Google.com? Are your writers incapable of “taking certain classes” and becoming knowledgeable of what oppressed peo- Sincerely, ples may find offensive? We are not obligated to explain Nicholas Ozorowski
“I don’t think enough children caught in the midst of adults’ mistakes are offered the explanation that their existence was not what caused these family problems and parental issues.” When I was younger, I remember spending countless amounts of sleepless nights crying my life away, wondering why my father walked out of my life, and why my stepfather wanted the same. I remember the first time I saw my friends interact with their fathers, and the awe and overwhelming sadness I felt when they joked and laughed like they loved each other. Because although I had grown up with someone I called “dad” in my life, he was more of a stranger in love with my mother than a father figure. It took me a long time to understand that it had not been my fault. The choices my parents had made to live different lives, the death and the abuse: they were not my fault. In the end, I was merely a lost and lonely child looking for love and parental support. I don’t think enough children caught in the midst of adults’ mistakes are offered the explanation that their existence was not what caused these family problems and parental issues. I find it heartbreaking that I have connected with so many people over the idea that
blame themselves for their family situations. I don’t hold it against my father for leaving. In the process of becoming an adult myself, I’ve come to the realization that sometimes, certain things are unavoidable, and sometimes some families just aren’t built to last. And I think that’s OK. What I do have an issue with is the idea that while some families aren’t built to last, the children should be used as the scapegoat for this. The children that the adults brought into the world should never have to shoulder the blame and mistakes that their parents made. Many children do grow up with separated families, single parents and other similar situations. But I don’t think that their craving for a unified family or simple parental love should ever be used against them. Because children are children, they are meant to be loved and cherished, they are what you brought into the world and until they become adults, you will be what they know best and who they love most. Carolyn Chen is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at carolynchen@umass.edu.
T H E M A S S A C H U S E T T S DA I L Y C O L L E G I A N BUSINESS ROOM
EDITOR IN CHIEF - Mark Chiarelli MANAGING EDITOR - Anthony Chiusano MANAGING EDITOR/DAILYCOLLEGIAN.COM - Kristin LaFratta
Business Manager - Omer Sander Advertising Manager - Marina Qutab Distribution Manager - Nick Gorius Advertising Manager - Nick Damren
NEWS
OPINON/EDITORIAL
ARTS
SPORTS
GRAPHICS
Production Manager - Randy Crandon Special Issues Manager -Kelley Dillon
PRODUCTION CREW
Social Media Coordinator - Charlotte Hoff
NIGHT EDITOR - Robert Rigo
SOCIAL MEDIA
PHOTOGRAPHY
COMICS
News Editor - Stuart Foster News Producer - Dan Mahoney
Op/Ed Editor - Maral Margossian Op/Ed Producer - Patrick Hurley
Arts Editor - Nathan Frontiero Arts Producer - Yelena Rasic
Sports Editor - Andrew Cyr Sports Producer - Philip Sanzo
Photo Editor - Robert Rigo
Comics Editor - Amy Daigle
NEWS ASSISTANTS
OP/ED ASSISTANTS
ARTS ASSISTANTS
SPORTS ASSISTANTS
PHOTO ASSISTANTS
GRAPHICS ASSISTANTS
Shelby Ashline Brendan Deady Patricia LeBoeuf Marie MacCune
Lucas Coughlin Steven Gillard Ian Hagerty Jessica Primavera
Yelena Rasic Annamarie Wadiak
Adam Aucoin Ross Gienieczko Jason Kates Nicholas Souza
on staff for this issue
COPY EDITOR - Andrew Cyr NEWS DESK EDITOR - Stuart Foster OP/ED DESK EDITOR - Jessica Primavera
Shannon Broderick Judith Gibson-Okunieff
Grace Benhamroun Margaux Burnham Caroline O’Connor Maxwell Zaleski
ARTS DESK EDITOR - Nathan Frontiero SPORTS DESK EDITOR - Jason Kates COMICS DESK EDITOR - Amy Daigle GRAPHICS DESK EDITOR - Kelley Dillon WEB PRODUCTION MANAGER - Yelena Rasic
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian is published Monday through Thursday during the University of Masachusetts calendar semester. The Collegian is independently funded, operating on advertising revenue. Founded in 1890, the paper began as Aggie Life, became The College Signal in 1901, The Weekly Collegian in 1914 and The Tri-Weekly Collegian in 1956. Published daily from 1967 to 2014, the Collegian has been broadsheet since 1994. For advertising rates and information, call 413-545-3500 or email thecollegian@gmail.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR - Afnan Nehela
Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Monday, February 29, 2016
“Welcome to the Oscars, otherwise known as the White People’s Choice Awards.” - Chris Rock
Arts@DailyCollegian.com
F E S T I VA L
MA Multicultural Film Fest explores ‘films about film’ Free screenings of international cinema By yelena Rasic Collegian Staff
The film studies program at the University of Massachusetts offers its students an interdepartmental education on all things cinema. But this time of year, it extends its resources to the greater community. Every Wednesday until April 20, students, faculty and the public are invited to experience film through a carefully curated collection. Since its inception in 1993, the annual Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival has showcased a mix of documentaries, feature films, animations and shorts. The festival features an eclectic mix of films strung together by the thread of a common theme that changes yearly. Shawn Shimpach, interim director of the interdepartmental program in film studies, took over the role of curator for the MMFF last year. “We’re doing this to spread the love of cinema,” Shimpach said. For his first year, the theme, “Dislocations,” focused on those who find themselves pushed aside or threatened with invisibility. To fit the theme, last year’s festival showcased a film about an Israeli woman with amnesia (“Self Made”), an animated feature about depression (“Rocks in My Pockets”) and Rupert Julian’s 1925 silent film “The Phantom of the Opera” accompanied by a live performance from the Berklee Silent Film Orchestra. Shimpach and other curators work together to design a lineup that appeals to the audience, satisfies the theme and includes a diverse mix of film forms, genres and cultures. This year’s theme: “films about film.” “Every year there’s a new treasure trove of brilliant works that are out there,” said Daniel Pope, UMass film studies professor and assistant curator for the festival. “The thing about this particular festival is that more than ever … students have an extremely well developed sense of film culture and reading movies,” Pope said. “So
UMASS FILM STUDIES FACEBOOK PAGE
The Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival offers weekly screenings of curated international films that are often not available to watch anywhere else. I think it’s a really appealing theme for people who are already thinking in sophisticated ways about how films are made.” Screenings are held on campus in the Flavin Family Auditorium, with the exception of the late Chantal Akerman’s “No Home Movie,” to be shown at Amherst Cinema in conjunction with its 10th anniversary. All events are free and open to the public. Now celebrating its 23rd year, the MMFF has a loyal following of five-college students, faculty and local residents from Amherst and the surrounding areas. “We have some regulars that love to come every week and see what we have,” Shimpach said. “Other times it’s because the film resonates with them in some way and they want to come see it. It’s a huge variety.” Sponsorship for the festival mainly comes from the colleges of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Humanities & Fine Arts. The colleges support the film studies program and provide funding for the release agreements required to screen the films. The funding also allows the festival to
host visiting directors who share their creative process and backstory with the audience. UMass alumna Pamela Yates will be present on March 30 to discuss her film, “Rebel Citizen.” Yates received several awards for her previous work, including the MacArthur grant for documentary film. “She’s a true success story for anybody, anywhere, but it’s great that she’s a success story for (UMass),” Pope said. Most notably, Cheryl Dunye will present her 1996 film, “The Watermelon Woman,” for the festival’s finale on April 20. Dunye wrote, directed, edited and starred in her awardwinning feature that details the protagonist’s struggles to make a documentary about a 1930s African American actress. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, “The Watermelon Woman” is known as the first feature film directed by an African American lesbian. “It was part of independent filmmaking, new queer cinema and independent African American cinema,” Shimpach said. “It influenced all three of those filmmaking modes which existed in the 1990s.”
This year, the festival will welcome directors to four of the screenings, but every film includes an introduction from a local scholar whose purpose is to give background and context to the story. “They will have a film critic’s approach,” Pope said. “(They’re) giving us a sense of why it’s an interesting film and what it speaks to.” This year’s edition of the MMFF is well stocked with material that fits the theme. Twelve countries are represented in this year’s lineup and only three films don’t require English subtitles. Audiences can enrich their lives with exposure to international films that tell unique stories – some highly relatable, some not at all. At first glance, some of what will come to Flavin may not appear to be “Films about Film.” That’s certainly the case with this week’s selection, “10,000 Km.” None of the characters are making a movie, or talking about making a movie. Set in Los Angeles and Barcelona, the dialogue includes English, Spanish and Catalan. With a two-person cast, the film focuses on a cou-
ment as being part of an audience of people who are also reacting to the film. “The collective experience is something that film scholars have noted as quite distinct from an isolated viewing of a film on a small screen,” Pope said. When the MMFF began, its purpose was to offer audiences the chance to see cinema that can’t be found at the multiplex. “It was a recognition that there were really important, beautiful, valuable films that students could only see if they were taking a class in which that film was being shown,” Pope said. Twenty-three years later, in an age when nearly everything can be streamed, the MMFF is still achieving the same goal. Many of the films chosen lack an American release and therefore, are impossible to see at home. “One of the considerations for our festival is what we are doing that goes above and beyond the kinds of things that are already available and already being done,” Pope said. Once a film is chosen, Shimpach organizes fair compensation and permission to show the film to the festival audience. Five College students, faculty and the public then have the opportunity to see some of the few things one can’t find on the Internet. “Not only is it a free movie, it’s a movie you can’t see any other way,” Shimpach said. Pope pointed out the diversity in choices for this year’s festival. “I think something like ‘GoGo Boys’ is on one end of a spectrum that ‘Watermelon Woman’ will be on the other end of,” said Pope, referring to the brochure laid out in front of him as his finger jumped around the page. “That, alongside the Kurdish Genocide (‘Memories on Stone’) or someone who wants to make serious art films, but can’t get support (‘Why Can’t I Be Tarkovsky’) ... it’s a huge variety.” “This is going to be a lot of fun,” Pope said.
ple forced to spend one year in a long distance relationship. The use of technology plays a huge role in the film and the characters’ connection. “(We’re) pushing the edges of films about film,” Shimpach said. “It’s about the screen and using moving-image technology as a bridge or a divide.” Shimpach expects “10,000 Km” will likely resonate with students. The couple struggles to be creative with their connectivity. How do you have a romantic dinner over Skype? Or dance with your lover by cradling a laptop? The film took home awards from several festivals, including Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Male Lead and Best Female Lead at the 2015 Gaudí Awards. The director, Carlos Marques-Marcet, will be present to discuss his film at the screening this Wednesday. “It’s a wonderful directorial achievement,” Pope said. With its diverse slate of international films, the MMFF offers the audience more than just a movie: it offers a new experience. The curators argue that watching a film streamed to your laptop Yelena Rasic can be reached at doesn’t offer the same involve- yrasic@umass.edu.
Five College Film Festival showcases unique student work Films awarded by school and genre By Gina lopez Collegian Correspondent While I appreciate that every piece of art is unique, I learned one singular thing holds true for all films at the Five College Student Film and Video Festival this past Friday; they have the commanding potential to show anything from a person’s imagination, social and political views, to their deepest fears – in a matter of minutes. All of these things I learned in three short, mesmerizing hours. The festival began at 7 p.m. in the Flavin Auditorium in the Isenberg School of Management, and consisted of submissions from 23 of the most promising filmmaking students from the Five Colleges: Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Hampshire College and the University of Massachusetts. Entry categories for the fes-
tival include “documentary, experimental, narrative, animation, dance on camera, and a separate graduate category,” with awards given to the best of each category.
Best of UMass Local filmmaker and recent UMass graduate Chelsie Field took home two awards for her film “One Day,” winning both best of UMass and best narrative. “One Day” tells the story of a survivor of sexual assault in the aftermath of that traumatic ordeal. The film shows the burden that survivors may carry and try to move on from. Along the course of a single day, the main character finds a sense of solidarity that helps her go forward.
Best of Amherst Letícia Rossi dos Santos’ five minute long narrative film “Pickpocketing,” was about a college girl who receives a glove with magic pickpocketing powers in the mail, won the Best of Amherst category.
The film offered a humorous depiction of the filmmakBest of Smith er’s imagination and lack of trust for fantastical things, “The Smiffenpoofs: A while offering an insight into History of Female A Cappella,” their view on the world and by Abbie Duquette won the the trickery of pickpocketing. “Best of Smith College” category after revealing the charBest of Hampshire ismatic sisterhood of the oldBest of Hampshire was est female collegiate a cappella awarded to Hampshire College group, the Smiffenpoofs. Through live interviews FIVE COLLEGE FILM FESTIVAL FACEBOOK PAGE student Victoria Briggs, for with current “Poofs,” digital the film “Through the Roses,” Students got the chance to display various filmmaking styles at the festival. which provided a girls poetic recordings of the groups past acceptance of her chronic and present repertoire and tained both the presence of struggle of understanding a plaque psoriasis and its sensi- timeless photographs, the dancing and red tomato like family member’s descent into tivities similar to that of a rose energy of a cappella was truly balls – in no particular order. Alzheimer’s disease and a captured. garden. “New Daughters” by fragile to nonexistent memory, Smith College student and the understanding of oneBest of Genre Best of Mount Holyoke Elizabeth Walber won the self during young adulthood. Best Documentary category. The Five College Film “Plus Grand Que Moi” Her film focused on a group of Festival and its participants as The 10-minute long “Voices of 01040: Part 1” by Mount by Hampshire College stu- female college students’ open a whole mastered the element Holyoke College student dent Rose Carr won Best of discussion on sex working and of surprise, realism, activism, Cheryl O’Connell, won the Animation for her expres- its stereotypes and misconcep- imagination, poetic justice and “Best of Mount Holyoke” cat- sion of solidarity through tions from a perspective of so much more. The event has the actions of her explorative new age feminism and sexual provided students from the egory. Her documentary about robot protagonist. understanding. Five Colleges a way to showHampshire College stuthe Holyoke public school “Descent,” by Hampshire case their original work since system’s oppression against dent Ellen Oliver won the Best College student Poppy Grace its founding in 1994. minorities, inefficient educa- Dance on Camera category for Wanamaker, won both Best tion system and preteen activ- her film “In the Thick of the Experimental and Best of Gina Lopez can be reached at Festival. The film focuses on gmlopez@umass.edu and followed on ism was both eye opening and Middle.” impressive. This six-minute film con- the inward, simultaneous Twitter @gina_lopezz.
6
Monday, February 29, 2016
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
DailyCollegian.com
AWA R D S C E R E M O N Y
Representation the main concern at 87th Oscars By NathaN FroNtiero Collegian Staff
After a montage of clips from 2015’s biggest hits – featuring plenty of material not up for just recognition – actor and comedian Chris Rock took the stage to kick off the 87th Annual Academy Awards. Rock quickly addressed the glaringly white elephant in the room, acknowledging the fact that for the second year in a row, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has failed to nominate a single non-white actor or actress. He welcomed the audience to the ceremony, the “White People’s Choice Awards,” as he jokingly referred. “If (The Academy) nominated hosts, I wouldn’t even get this job!” Rock said. In a confident opening monologue, he gave a sharp – if not entirely intersectional – critique of the lack of diversity in the Oscar nomination pool. “If you’re a black actor, just getting the opportunity to be in a movie can be difficult,” Rock said. The cameras cut to a prepared parody reel of scenes from several Best Picture nominees, edited to include major black characters. Whoopi Goldberg played a frustrated janitor mopping who berates Jennifer Lawrence’s title character in “Joy.” As Joy struggles to present her Miracle Mop during an advertising shoot, Goldberg’s character says, “It’s not rocket science, it’s a mop.” In another satirical clip, Leslie Jones took over roughhousing duties from the infamous bear that tore Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) to frontiersman shreds in “The Revenant.” And Chris Rock himself replaced Matt
Damon’s character in a sendup of “The Martian.” He played a character that Kristen Wiig and Jeff Daniels’ characters referred to only as “black astronaut,” before they began debating the merits of spending “millions of white dollars” to save him. A subsequent scene of Tracy Morgan as the star of “The Danish Girl” struck a murkier note. The original film stands in questionable territory for its casting of Eddie Redmayne – a cisgender man – as the transgender woman Lili Elbe. It was unclear to me whether the clip was meant to spoof both the lack of racial and gender representation among the night’s potential winners. Another notable bit of critique saw Angela Basset narrate a “Black History Month Minute” about an actor who had “broken barriers” and been “an inspiration to his people” at the Oscars, only to end the segment by recognizing Jack Black. And Rock led a later pre-filmed bit in which he asked mostly black moviegoers outside of a Compton, CA movie theater for their opinions on the whitewashed Best Picture, Actor and Actress nominee lists. The ceremony made plenty of jabs like these at the lack of representation of black actors among those awarded at the Oscars. But the limitation on that focus is misguided. The issue of industry representation – especially within The Academy – is more nuanced than black and white. Hollywood has more comprehensive work to do to ensure that black, Latino, Asian and Native American actors and actresses all receive the same level of acknowledg-
ment as their white peers. April Reign’s #OscarsSoWhite hashtag, after all, refers to the dearth of all people of color in the Academy’s recognition. Kevin Hart also took a minute as he presented one of the night’s awards to focus on the overlooked performances actors and actresses of color gave in the past year. “Let’s not let this negative issue of diversity best us. Let’s do what we do best and work hard.” The night’s winners provided both surprises and disappointments. Mark Rylance won Best Supporting Actor for his charming, if underwhelming performance in “Bridge of Spies,” an upset in a moment that would have given Mark Ruffalo well-deserved recognition for his compelling work in “Spotlight.” Alicia Vikander won her first Oscar for her performance in “The Danish Girl,” but I would have much rather seen her nominated and awarded for her chilling lead performance in last April’s sci-fi thriller “Ex Machina,” which got the gold for Best Visual Effects. Brie Larson won her first Best Actress Oscar for “Room,” which was an exceptional performance in the most harrowing film I saw within the last year. The equally wrenching “Amy,” about the tremendous and gone-too-soon singer Amy Winehouse, took home the award for Best Documentary feature. “Mad Max: Fury Road” mostly cleaned the house in the creatively technical categories, walking away from the wasteland with six awards: Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing
20TH CENTURY FOX/TNS
Leonardo DiCaprio earned his first Academy Award victory for ‘The Revenant,’ which lost Best Picture to ‘Spotlight.’ and Best Sound Mixing. The thrilling film, however, was shut out of major wins. Charles Randolph and Adam McKay won Best Adapted Screenplay for angry big bank sendup “The Big Short.” Best Original Screenplay went to “Spotlight,” the deeply affecting Boston Globe journalismcentered film that also won Best Picture. Alejandro González Iñárritu took home Best Director for “The Revenant,” and Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance landed his long-awaited first gold statuette from The Academy. Emmanuel Lubezki’s work on the film earned him his third consecutive Oscar for Best Cinematography. Vice President Joe Biden delivered an introduction to Lady Gaga’s performance of “Til It Happens to You,” her Best Original Song nominee
from sexual assault-focused documentary “The Hunting Ground.” He urged the audience to “take the pledge” to be active bystanders – an important message perhaps, but the true promise to end rape culture should be on individuals to not assail people. Iñárritu and DiCaprio used their acceptance speeches to also offer some pressing messages. The director quoted a line from “The Revenant” to make a point about the continued need to push for racial equality. “They don’t listen to you. They just see the color of your skin.” He noted that the importance of this opportunity “to really liberate ourselves from all prejudice… and make sure for once and forever that the color of our skin becomes as irrelevant as the length of our hair.” DiCaprio gave an impassioned acceptance speech in which he noted the necessi-
ty to combat climate change seriously, since the damage wrought by it poses a threat to all and disproportionately affects those already marginalized. Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the Academy president, gave an important message regarding the necessity to enact real change in the industry. She called on the entire audience to work toward bringing an accurate reflection of the diverse world to Hollywood and beyond. That call couldn’t be more important. The Academy has rapidly approached irrelevance, and the night’s ceremony only reinforced the reputation that the Oscars are an archaic, self-important institution in dire need of revolution. Nathan Frontiero can be reached at nfrontiero@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @NathanFrontiero.
FILM REVIEW
‘Son of Saul’ brutal, gripping ‘The Witch’ spellbinding Holocaust drama pulls no punches By Nate taskiN Collegian Staff
“Son of Saul” may be one of the most brutal films in recent memory. In his first feature as director, László Nemes throws the audience directly into the headspace of one the Holocaust’s many millions of victims and forces them to behold its unremitting horror head on. Viewers too easily grow complacent with the hideous atrocities and dehumanization from the past and present. “Son of Saul,” in its uncompromising cruelty and hopelessness, exists to remind us of the barbarity of humanity and how we should ensure that such evil will never again walk this earth. From its opening sequence, “Son of Saul” makes it clear it has no intentions to sugarcoat history. The titular Saul, a Hungarian Jew, acts as a Sonderkommando in Auschwitz. His “job” – one that would result in a swift execution had he refused – forces him to dispose of the bodies of prisoners after they had been gassed to death. Treated like cattle, Sonderkommandos are turned against their people under the dim promise of survival, a hope that proves futile, as they are disposed of as soon as they outlive their usefulness. After another average day at work (as average as being a tool for genocide gets, I suppose), Saul (Géza Röhrig) finds a boy gasping for air as he cleans the chambers. With his body desecrated by Zyklon B, any faint glimmer of hope gets snuffed out as a Nazi doctor suffocates the last trace of life from him. Saul becomes convinced that this boy is his son after he
is ordered to throw the body into the furnace along with the others. He seeks to find a rabbi to perform a proper Jewish burial. In the eye of a maelstrom, he pursues at least some semblance of sanctuary. On a sheer technical level, the film’s style of cinematography is both excellent and unprecedented. For the movie’s entirety, except for the devastating final shot, Nemes places his camera over Saul’s shoulder and follows him through his day-to-day activities in Auschwitz. It’s a superb example of how master filmmaking can reflect a character’s mindset. All sense of space and environment is cut off and a heavy sense of claustrophobia sets in. We understand the horror that surrounds Saul, yet never for a moment does it feel exploitative. The camera does not linger on the staggering piles of corpses. We do not revel in the carnage, we shrink away with terror and nausea. Kept out of focus and sequestered off into the back of his mind, Saul has to tune out these horrors if he is to function and survive within the barbed wire. A deep, overwhelming suffocation takes hold of the audience and Nemes accomplishes the impossible: he grants us at least some inkling of how it feels to be a prisoner of a concentration camp. Our heads are kept low and our eyes study the content of the walls. The monstrosities around us begin to blur as we move forward, too focused on the task at hand to let our mind linger and too fearful to appreciate any additional second spent alive. We feel like vermin. If I could find one flaw in the presentation of Saul’s isolation, it’s the use of subtitles. Hungarian, Yiddish, German and Polish are all languages spoken in the film, yet Saul
is not fluent in all four. At several moments, SS officers bark commands to Saul in German and he has to use his wits to figure out what they want from him, lest it cost him a bullet to the head. Perhaps a difference of color-coding or font choice could have distinguished each language, or better yet, one could dispense altogether with the use of subtitles for any language that Saul does not understand. Not only must Saul (along with millions of Jews, Romani, queer people and other marginalized people with him) walk through hell, he must walk through a hell whose words are foreign to him. Much like American slavery in “12 Years a Slave,” “Son of Saul” cracks its knuckles and lays bear this horrible stain on human history. As much as I love “Schindler’s List” and “The Pianist,” these films scrub these chapters clean so audiences may find messages of empowerment and uplift at the end. But the vast majority of Jews in Europe were not Wladek Szpilman from “The Pianist,” they were Saul. One scene – which devastates just as much as any scene with a gas chamber – contains no bloodshed. It simply consists of a humiliated Saul forced to “dance for his shekels” as a group of Nazis jeer at him. How many times have you seen that same joke on a YouTube comment chain or heard it in a classroom? I know I heard it when a group of skinheads threw me in a dumpster in middle school. Anti-Semitism is alive and well and shouldn’t be laughed off. Bear this information in mind the next time a swastika pops up on the University of Massachusetts campus. Nate Taskin can be reached at ntaskin@umass.edu.
A terrifying ‘New England Folktale’ By NathaN FroNtiero Collegian Staff
Be patient with “The Witch.” That might seem like a tall order at first – the movie is often slow – but it’s worthwhile to sit tight. Writerdirector Robert Eggers focuses more on an unsettling mood than on bombastic scares, although there’s no shortage of disturbing imagery in his feature debut. “The Witch” masterfully blends religious zealotry, psychological drama and supernatural horror – all in one gradually paced but inevitable descent into hell. The New Hampshire-born Eggers subtitled his film “A New-England Folktale,” and its narrative feels crafted from the regional lore. A closing title card notes much of the archaic dialogue was sampled from period documents, and Eggers shot the film in rural Canada to simulate the once-untamed backcountry of early New England. Natural lighting and careful costume and set design authentically evoke the bygone era. It’s as if a documentary crew stepped into a time machine, stepped out 60 years before the Salem witch trials and convinced a group of Puritans to play house while they recorded. It’s the year 1630. An English farmer named William (Ralph Ineson) is banished with his family from a colonial plantation for vaguely defined religious reasons. They pack up in a lone horse-drawn carriage and settle on the outskirts of a sprawling forest. The plot isn’t as simple as it appears. Sure, there’s something evil lurking in these woods – take a wild guess – but “The
Witch” intrigued me for the ways it introduces a sinister side to the seemingly harmless. Eggers keeps the details sparse so that we empathize with this family’s frightened confusion when the bad things start to happen. There was little exposition to help me find clarity, so I felt violently immersed in the events onscreen. Effective camerawork accomplishes much of the disorientation. Eggers and cinematographer Jarin Blaschke linger on more subtly strange subjects – like the unblinking yellow eyes of a mysterious hare or goat. They track close behind characters as they walk through the dense woods, which Louise Ford’s deliberately scattered editing transforms into a haunting maze of jagged bushes and skyscraping pines. The film earns many of its nightmarish moments by matching unassuming images with unnerving musical cues. In one notable scene, as the family settles into their new home, wailing violins escalate into choral screams as Eggers pans over the otherwise innocuous green of the forest before them. Mark Korven’s original score fittingly accompanies the film’s rustic aesthetic and off-kilter aura. It spells doom for these characters before we ever see any witchcraft. Eggers posits teenaged Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) as the film’s narrative and technical focus, an affecting audience proxy for her family’s Puritan fears. She’s beginning to embrace her womanhood, an observation that scares her parents just as much as the witch’s devilry. Burgeoning and powerful femininity poses an apparently large threat to these traditional folk. The camera catches Thomasin’s younger brother Caleb (Harvey
Scrimshaw) each time he sneaks a peek at her hint of cleavage, his guilty lust highlighted early on as a danger to his holy purity. Later, as the stress mounts in Thomasin’s relationship with her father and mother, they reveal their own deadly sins – his pride, hers a weakness of faith. Taylor-Joy carries her lead role with finesse, keeping Thomasin maddeningly on the fence between trustworthy and suspicious. Ralph Ineson brings compelling God-fearing pathos to William, delivering his lines with the rumbling croak of a man rattled by life. And Ellie Grainger and Lucas Dawson give uncommonly excellent child performances as fraternal twins Mercy and Jonas – I found their characters equally infuriating and disquieting. “The Witch” evokes the chillingly seductive voyeurism that pervaded Alfred Hitchcock’s work. Eggers tightly frames private conversations and stolen glances. He also spills blood sparingly, which makes grisly shots of a gored dog or a crushed chicken stand out. In his hands, these gruesome stabs feel just as intimate as the gentler sequences. The effect entranced me so much I nearly forgot this was fiction. “We will conquer this wilderness,” William tells his son in one of the film’s first scenes. “It will not consume us.” It’s here that Eggers lays out the contract for his film – to prove that no level of devotion to God can protect those targeted by true malevolence. He knows the wilderness and wickedness consume us. So “The Witch,” a marathon that ends too soon, leaves us begging for another delicious plummet into the dark. Nathan Frontiero can be reached at nfrontiero@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @NathanFrontiero.
7
Monday, February 29, 2016
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Comics
DailyCollegian.com
WE WANT YOUR COMICS! Put your comics in front of thousands of readers. Questions? Comments? Email us: comics@dailycollegian.com
All Men like ninjAs
Sudoku Ukodus
a bout M erpeople
s arah ’ s s cribbles b y s arah a ndersen
F rostbitten
b y J ack
brady
b y M egan n icole d ong
aquarius
HOROSCOPES Jan. 20 - Feb. 18
leo
Jul. 23 - aug. 22
Renting a textbook that’s already been highlighted is the best feeling in the world.
You know there’s a problem when you can’t get a seat at the front of the class because no one can understand the professor.
pisces
virgo
Feb. 19 - Mar. 20
aug. 23 - Sept. 22
Have you ever sat in a room full of loud breathers? Would you even survive it?
Hello, have you heard about the teachings of our lord and savior, OHill calves?
aries
Mar. 21 - apr. 19
libra
Sept. 23 - Oct. 22
taurus
apr. 20 - May. 20
scorpio
Oct. 23 - nOv. 21
gemini
May. 21 - Jun. 21
No time for coffee? Sorry, no adivce here. Good luck, Aries.
Can you make spaghetti from bananas?
What you call sliding carefully is seriously slipping out of control.
Do you ever travel and wonder if it will be your last time there?
sagittarius
nOv. 22 - Dec. 21
Are your pants always falling down? Invest in a long jacket to keep everything covered!
“Don’t ever hit your head with a brick, you get brain disabled!” -Markiplier’s mom.
cancer
capricorn
Jun. 22 - Jul. 22
Subbaswamy for president!
Dec. 22 - Jan. 19
Sometimes I get irrationally angry at bathroom colors. Is this what it means to be an adult?
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
DailyCollegian.com
M E N ’ S L AC RO S S E
Monday, February 29, 2016
8
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
UMass can’t contain trio in Timbilla ends career at OT defeat to No. 14 Harvard Mullins Center in style Dwyer scores five for the Crimson By Jason Kates Collegian Staff
In the week leading up to the Massachusetts men’s lacrosse game against No. 14 Harvard, Minutemen coach Greg Cannella acknowledged the difficulties that would come with slowing down the Crimson trio of senior Devin Dwyer and sophomores Joe Lang and Morgan Cheek. On Saturday afternoon, it was evident why. Dwyer, Lang and Cheek combined for eight goals and seven assists, leading Harvard (3-0) to a come-frombehind 10-9 victory over UMass (1-2) in overtime at Garber Field. The senior attacker tallied five goals, including the game-winner 10 seconds into extra time, while Cheek recorded five helpers in the victory. The number of seniors (15) the Crimson have on their roster, including Dwyer, was something Cannella felt made a difference in today’s contest. “Their seniors did really well, Devin (Dwyer) who’s an outstanding player was five and two on the game and had the game-winner,” Cannella said. “(It’s) a good group, (Lang) and (Cheek) are sophomores too, so they’ll be a handful in the next two years.” He later added: “Good athletes, great with the ball in their stick. Obviously Cheek dishing out those assists was real important for them,
“We knew what they had, knew their skills and strengths and we just didn’t buckle down, we just got beat today. ” Kyle Karaska, UMass close defenseman Dwyer goes the other way he’s usually their assist guy. It’s a tough group to handle, but I thought our guys did well.” While the Minutemen held a 7-3 lead early in the second half, Dwyer began to take over, scoring Harvard’s next three goals to cut it to 8-6 with five minutes, 41 seconds left in the third quarter. After senior Ian Ardrey found the back of the net to make it 9-7 less than five minutes into the final quarter, the Crimson completed the comeback thanks to Cheek’s only goal of the day and Lang’s second to tie it at nine. Senior close defenseman Kyle Karaska felt UMass got complacent in during that fourth quarter comeback, and said the team knew what guys like Dwyer and Cheek brought to the game. “They’re good guys and a great group. We’ve played against them before, I’ve played against Devin a couple times,” Karaska said. “We knew what they had, knew their skills and strengths and we just didn’t buckle down, we just got beat today. It sucks being on that end of it.”
Carr continues to shine for UMass
midfielder Buddy Carr, who scored a hat trick to boost his total to seven goals in three games. Carr, who scored four goals in the upset over Ohio State a week ago, has already surpassed his total from last year (6). “It feels good, it’s a nice feeling,” Carr said. “I just gotta credit my teammates there, they set me up a couple times today and it was a good all-around team effort.” Cannella said it’s great to see this level of productivity early from his sophomore, especially over the last two contests. “You want that out of your attack, I think all of our attack men scored today,” Cannella said. “We had a couple opportunities for the other guys, Pete (Lindley) who I thought that last shot was gonna go at the end, I thought it was an awesome job of composure by our guys at the end of the game to get a shot off in that situation.” Cannella added: “Buddy played well again, so hopefully he can continue to do that and be consistent.”
One bright spot in the loss Jason Kates can be reached at to Harvard was the contin- jkates@umass.edu and followed ued success of sophomore @JKates1216.
HOCKEY
Minutemen fall to No. 5 Providence in season finale UMass will face BU in HEA playoffs By ross GienieczKo Collegian Staff
The Massachusetts hockey team’s disappointing 2015-16 season ended in a fashion typical of the Minutemen’s play in the second half of the season Saturday night at Schneider Arena in Providence, Rhode Island. Trevor Mingoia scored two goals and added three assists in a five-point night and Mark Jankowski added two goals of his ownm as No. 5 Providence College cruised past UMass (8-22-4, 2-16-4 Hockey East) in each team’s regular season finale. Friday night’s contest at Mullins Center, a 4-1 win for Providence (25-5-4, 16-3-3 HEA), was for the most part, a competitive affair. But Saturday, the Friars flipped a switch and played like the defending national champions they are, jumping out to a 3-0 lead just 12 minutes, 57 seconds into the game and adding three more goals in the second period to turn the last frame into a formality. Jankowski – a senior forward who leads Providence with 37 points on the season – opened the scoring at 5:58 of the first period with a backhanded effort off a rebound in front of the net. Mingoia scored at 12:09 to double the Friar lead and John Gilmour struck on the power play less than a minute later to put Providence up 3-0 over UMass in the opening minutes. Gilmour’s goal was the first of three times the Friars would score on the
man advantage, and the Minutemen never recovered. They managed just six shots in each of the first two periods and were outshot 41- 23 in total on the evening. The second period was more of the same. Josh Monk scored his second goal of the season less than a minute into the period and Mingoia and Jankowski each scored again to make it 6-0 just 7:49 into the middle frame. Mingoia’s goal chased UMass starter Alex Wakaluk from the game. Minutemen coach John Micheletto replaced him with freshman Nic Renyard, who allowed one goal and made 23 saves
in his 35-minute relief stint. The Friars emptied their bench and played all three of their dressed goaltenders during the game. Nick Ellis started and won his 23rd game of the season in net, making only eight saves in over 27:47 of action. Backups Hayden Hawkey and Brendan Leahy each made saves in their appearances to help complete the shutout. Minutemen coach John Micheletto was not available for comment following the game. It was Senior Night in Providence for 10 Friars who are set to graduate after the season, all of whom were see
FRIARS on page 8
Senior records a double-double By tom mulherin Collegian Staff
With one minute, four seconds remaining in the Massachusetts women’s basketball team’s final home game of the season, Cierra Dillard rose from one knee while in front of the scorer’s table to check in. As she stood up and made her way onto the court, the crowd already knew what to expect and began rising from their seats to give a standing ovation. The end of the Minutewomen’s (11-17, 5-11 Atlantic 10) Senior Day had arrived with a 21-point lead over La Salle (5-24, 2-14 A-10), so it came time for senior forward Rashida Timbilla – the recipient of all the cheers and applause – to come out. Clapping her hands, she sprinted off of the court in the Mullins Center for the last time, then gave a wave in thanks and met UMass coach Sharon Dawley’s open arms for a long embrace. In that hug, Dawley told the veteran what any coach would tell one of their star players in their last home game together; that she loved her and that she was really proud of her. “(It was) a little sad, you know, the last time playing in the Mullins Center as a player,” Timbilla said. “Obviously it’s a huge accomplishment to play four years here (and it’s) obviously huge for me … It was a lot of emotion mixed into one but, you know, I was just happy we got the win and walked off with my teammates and coaches.” When the final buzzer sounded, the score read 80-57 in UMass’ favor. Alyssa Lawrence led the team in scoring with 19 points and Dillard followed right behind her with 17 points of her own. However, all of the Minutewomen’s attention still focused around Timbilla in her last regular season game, as Dawley even admitted that she had trouble thinking about the game at times because of all the emotion surrounding the senior.
“It’s probably one of the most emotional games you have as a coach, whenever you have someone like Rashida on your team and this (being) her last game at Mullins,” Dawley said. “It’s almost like you have to keep telling yourself to focus on the task at hand and not that.” “When you’re saying bye to someone that you really loved seeing every day, it’s real emotional,” Dawley said. “She came here, she wanted to make a difference (and) she certainly made a difference. We’re really proud of her. Family never graduates so we’ll hear from her a lot, but the joy of coaching her everyday won’t happen anymore.” Entering the game, Timbilla needed 13 rebounds to reach the rare milestone of 1,000. She fell short of that number by three, however, as she finished the contest with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Timbilla also added three steals, three assists and a team-high 34 minutes played, making her last home game no different from the many other impactful performances that she’s had in her career. “(She was) awesome,” Dawley said on Timbilla’s performance. “She attacked offensively, she was herself on defense (and) she moved the ball well. The whole time we’ve had Rashida, we wanted her to be more selfish on offense. She was not selfish today on offense, but she did look for her own a little bit more and it was fun to see.” Timbilla finishes the sea-
son with a team-leading 9.5 rebounds per game, ranking third in the A-10. While the Ottawa, Ontario, product leaves the Minutewomen program as one of the better rebounds and passing forwards of Dawley’s tenure, though, her impact extends far beyond the x’s and o’s of the game. “She’s so level-headed all the time,” Lawrence said. “She just keeps her composure, she brings us all together and she just always (plays hard). As soon as I got here, she’s kind of (been) one of the most responsible people here. You know if you’re doing something wrong, you kind of look for her to see what’s going on.” “I have dozens of moments in my head where we start to kind of fall apart a little bit and she’s just like, ‘we’re good, we’re good, we’re good,’” she continued. “Her leadership will be a huge thing we’ll miss.” Overall, Timbilla is more than pleased with the way her career at UMass turned out. “It’s been up and down,” Timbilla said. “(When) I started out, we won three games in my first year and then four games the next year. It started out difficult but as it went on, there’s been a lot of incredible moments and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I had great teammates, great coaches, great staff to be around, so I’m really fortunate.” Tom Mulherin can be reached at tmulheri@umass.edu.
UM offense overpowers Bulldogs in 13-3 triumph 10 players secure a point in the win Collegian Staff
Steven Iacobellis (16) battles for the puck with Friars senior Kevin Rooney.
Timbilla (left) finished the game with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
WO M E N ’ S L AC RO S S E
By nicK souza
DANIEL MALDONADO/COLLEGIAN
JUDITH GIBSON-OKUNIEFF/COLLEGIAN
The Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team spent the majority of Saturday’s game in the offensive zone as it scored on over 50 percent of its shot attempts in the Minutewomen’s 13-3 victory over Yale. UMass (4-0) came into the game averaging close to 30 shots per game as well as 14 goals. Against the Bulldog’s (1-2) full-ride defensive game plan it maintained the same up-tempo performance gathering a total of 25 shots and 13 goals. “We want everyone to be involved as possible and be as dynamic as possible,” Minutewomen coach Angela McMahon said. While Yale struggled at the offensive end against a stout defense by UMass, the Minutewomen found little issue with finding scoring chances and capitalizing on
them. UMass’ system on offense ran mainly through senior attacker Erika Eipp starting from behind the cage, and then working the ball forward to the top dodgers as they crashed towards the net. “Anyone on our offense can score, and anyone can step up and make plays and I thought they did a great job of that today,” McMahon said. Eipp quickly established her role as the playmaker for the Minutewomen’s offense racking up three assists and a goal in the first half. All four of her points came during UMass’ seven-goal run to close out the first half for the Minutewomen giving them a 9-2 lead heading into the locker room. “Usually I feel more comfortable playing from behind the cage, sometimes team pressure me back there and I have to move to the front, but it worked really well today,” Eipp said.
Fellow Attacker Nicole Troost was on the receiving end of the first Eipp assist scoring with 19 minutes, 21 seconds to go in the first half breaking the 2-2 tie and starting UMass’ run. Troost would then go to score three more goals later the game. “We always look to push the ball and play fast, and we’re always looking to go for the cage,” Troost said. “That’s just how we play UMass lacrosse.” One of the top dodgers for the Minutewomen, transfer sophomore Bella O’Connor, was part of arguably the most impressive assist of the day for Eipp. The two attackers connected on a give-and-go with 13:05 remaining in the first, and the exchange was completed with a goal by O’Connor directly in front of the cage after catching the pass above her head, for her first of two goals on the day and third of the season. “O’Connor just came into this season with see
OFFENSE on page 8
9
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Monday, February 29, 2016
HEARTBREAK red buzzer go off so that’s why I knew they were going to call it off. It was a good look, just a split second less and we would have hit another game-winner, back-to-back years, but it fell short.” The Minutemen got off to one of their best starts of the season, shooting 18-of-27 (66.7 percent) from the field, including eight 3-pointers. Trey Davis (game-high 26 points) drilled a 3-pointer with 3:57 remaining in the first half to give UMass an 18-point before leading 45-35 at halftime. “They missed some shots. We were playing some percentages on a few guys. That hit them a little bit. I thought we did a nice job of throwing some punches at them. They got a couple offensive rebounds when we were in that stretch that cut it to 15, then 12 and then at halftime made it 10,” Minutemen coach Derek Kellogg told reporters after the game “I didn’t think, with what they were playing for and the crowd they had
VICTORY
HARVARD
continued from page 10
“I didn’t think, with what they were playing for and the crowd they had and the guys that they have on the team, that they were going to go away. That wasn’t happening.” Derek Kellogg, UMass coach and the guys that they have on the team, that they were going to go away. That wasn’t happening,” Kellogg added. After exchanging blows for the entirety of the second half, UMass extended its lead to 79-74 with 3:32 remaining after Davis hit a 3-pointer off of a Hinds assist. However St. Bonaventure answered right back with a 3-pointer from Idris Taqqee (19 points) and a pair of free throws from Jaylen Adams (14 points) to tie the game at 79. Marcus Posley led all Bonnies scorers with 22 points and also added six assists on the day. Aside from Davis and Hinds, Rashaan Holloway was the only other Minutemen who finished in double figures, scoring
10 points off the bench in 22 minutes. “My team, they trusted me today and saw that I was confident with the ball. They saw that I came ready to play. I had energy off the bench and they were working with me. They gave me the rock when I needed it, and they were behind me 100 percent,” Holloway said. UMass next travels to Rhode Island this Thursday to take on the Rams. As of Sunday, the Minutemen are currently in the bottom four of the A-10, meaning they would have to play in the play-in game Wednesday night in Brooklyn. Andrew Cyr can be reached at arcyr@umass.edu, and followed on Twitter @Andrew_Cyr.
continued from page 10
and Erika Eipp (1 goal, 3 assists), their top-two leading scorers this season. Troost improved her goal total to a team-high of 13, while Eipp tallied her team-leading 11th assist. Both benefited from UMass’ ability to pass quickly and set up scoring opportunities. “Ball movement is very important to our offense. A lot of our plays and sets revolve around ball movement,” Troost said. “That’s how we work together and work to score.” As usual, the offense flowed smoothly, headed by the efforts of some of the Minutewomen’s most experienced players. UMass spent most of the game in the offensive end, moving the ball and executing most everything it tried to accomplish. The Minutewomen of fense excels in ball movement and patient offense, which begins with setting up plays from the X position, behind the cage. As the others circulate in front of the net, they set off-ball screens, look for scoring lanes, and crash the net when the ball is up for grabs. “Usually, I feel more comfortable from behind the net, and today that was definitely effective for us,” Eipp said. “Anytime a shot goes off or the ball is on the ground, everyone is crashing. We all crash the
KATHERINE MAYO/COLLEGIAN
Bella O’Connor (24) scans the field for an open teammate against Yale. ball in two’s and three’s, doesn’t matter where it is,” Troost added. Once a substantial lead was in place after scoring nine unanswered goals – four from Troost, a pair from Bella O’Connor and one apiece from Murphy, Eipp, and Allison Ryan – UMass slowed the game down, eating away at the clock by controlling the ball and continuously smothering Yale’s offensive attack. “Our defense is very team oriented, and we pride ourselves on being aggressive and getting out on ball,” reigning said reigning Atlantic 10 Defender of the Week Kate Farnham of her team’s counterattack. “We know we’ll have each others backs.” In the cage, goalies Sam Walters (freshman)
and Aileen Kelly (sophomore) split playing time, each playing a half, as they have every game this season. Both benefit from a superb defense, but each made decisive saves over the course of the game, further solidifying McMahon’s faith in both her goalkeepers. “They’re both stepping up big time,” McMahon said. “With each game, they get more and more confident, and both step up in key moments. I’m very impressed with them.” After capping off its four-game homestand to start the season, UMass will travel to Boston College Wednesday to face one of the nation’s top women’s’ lacrosse programs. Henry Brechter can be reached at hbrechter@umass.edu.
Desmond signs with Rangers Fort Worth Star-Telegram
SURPRISE, Ariz. _ The Rangers have signed shortstop Ian Desmond to a oneyear deal, according to a source. Desmond, 30, will play left field for the Rangers. Texas will lose its No. 19 pick in the June first-year players draft with the signing. The club can retain another compensatory pick (sandwiched between the first and second round) by extending a qualifying offer to Desmond after the 2016 season. The Rangers are signing Desmond for $8 million, according to a source. As of Sunday afternoon he had yet to arrive in Arizona from Florida. The Rangers are hoping to get his physical completed by Sunday
evening so that he can workout with the team Monday morning. The Rangers and Desmond came to an agreement late Saturday night. The Rangers won’t officially announce the deal until he passes a physical. Josh Hamilton met with general manager Jon Daniels and Jeff Banister early Sunday morning and expressed his full support for the move. Hamilton, is expected to miss at least the month of April with left knee soreness. “They told me they’ve got roster spots to fill and I agree with them 100 percent,” said Hamilton. “I want what’s best for the team. I’m going to do whatever I can on the field to help the team win. But if I’m not there I expect them to put somebody there that’s going to give us the best chance to win. I just
told them I think it’ll be a great addition.” Desmond turned down the Nationals’ $15.8 million qualifying offer in November. In 2013, Desmond turned down a 7-year deal reportedly worth $107 million. Desmond, who has been a regular at shortstop with the Nationals the past six season, had a down year in 2015, hitting .233 with 19 home runs, and 62 RBI. Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus welcomed the move. “He’s a really good friend. He’s got a really good personality. He’s going to fit right in,” said Andrus, who knows Desmond from the minor leagues. “I’m going to make him feel welcome and comfortable for sure.”
continued from page 10
attackmen scored today. We had a couple of opportunities,” Cannella said. “I thought that last shot was going to go at the end; an awesome job of composure by our guys at the end of the game to get a shot off.” The Crimson’s defense did not give UMass many good looks but Carr did not see that as the reason for its failure on offense in the fourth quarter, as the Minutemen only registered five shots. “They did play good D, they were flying around,” Carr said. “Sometimes we didn’t take the shots we could have and other times we just didn’t pull the trigger for some reason.”
SENIOR DAY scored. There’s kids that can just put the ball in the hole, and she’s one of them. She’s a tough kid to defend.” Junior guard Jasmine Alston was the Explorers’ only starter who avoided foul trouble, playing all 40 minutes. Alston finished with 12 points and a teamhigh eight assists. As the regular season comes to a close, UMass heads into the A-10 tournament on a five-game winning streak and playing its best basketball of the season. Dawley was
OFFENSE
MLB
By Stefan StevenSon
already seen on film. The difference, according to Karaska, is that the Crimson just played harder. “I think we got a little bit more complacent towards the end defensively and sat back with that lead and almost got a little too stagnant with it,” Karaska said. “It is something to learn from, something moving forward to that we will make sure to pay attention to so that it never happens again.” A lack of production isn’t what doomed UMass however as the Minutemen had six different players score. “I think that all of our
DailyCollegian.com
Philip Sanzo can be reached at psanzo@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Philip_Sanzo.
continued from page 10
especially impressed with the team’s previous win, coming back from a 19-point deficit to defeat Rhode Island Wednesday night. “You go through enough of those experiences and I think it builds your confidence a little bit,” Dawley said. “I just think we’re playing great basketball and I hope we can keep it going for a long time.” Timbilla agreed with her coach that the past five games have been an important learn-
ing experience for the Minutewomen. “It hasn’t been five perfect games, but we’ve taken a lot from it and learned, so it will be huge for us next week,” Timbilla said. The Minutewomen will next be in action in Richmond, Virginia for the opening round of the A-10 tournament on Wednesday. Jamie Cushman can be reached at jrcushman@umass.edu.
continued from page 8
a mentality to help the team however she could,” McMahon said. “She’s been so open minded which is a big help, a lot of transfers come in and they can be a bit timid.” While UMass is known for applying aggressive man-to-man defense, Yale’s defense entered Saturday with a similar game plan on defense to try
FRIARS
UMass won’t have a lot of time to reflect on the loss. On Tuesday, it will host Hartford at 3:00 p.m. at Garber Field. The Hawks dominated the Minutemen last season, beating them 15-8 in Hartford. They currently sit at 1-1 on the season. “There can’t be a slump of energy we need to carry this energy over just like we came off a win,” Karaska said. “We have to have the guys confident and ready to go on Tuesday.”
and dampen the hot start that the Minutewomen were poised to get off to. “I think our defenders did a great job moving the ball up the field, because we were expecting a lot of pressure from the full ride,” Eipp said. The second half saw UMass utilize the slow break as they grinded away the clock with a
comfortable 11-2 lead at their backs by the middle of the second half. The Minutewomen will look to keep the strong start going as they go on the road for the first time this Wednesday to face Boston College in Chestnut Hill. Nick Souza can be reached at njsouza@umass.edu.
continued from page 8
members of the national championship winning team from a year ago. With the loss, UMass finishes the season with 22 defeats, its third year in a row with at least 22 losses. The Friars finished tied for first place at 35 points with Boston College, how-
ever lose the tiebreaker to Eagles and will be the No. 2 overall seed in the conference tournament, where they earned a first-round bye. The Minutemen end the year in last place and will face the No. 5 seed Boston University in a best-of-three first round series after the Terriers
narrowly missed out on a bye of their own. UMass will open its best of three game series against BU Friday night at Agganis Arena in Boston. Puck drop for game one is set for 7:30 p.m. Ross Gienieczko can be reached at rgieniec@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @RossGien.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Monday, February 29, 2016
Sports@DailyCollegian.com
@MDC_SPORTS
MEN’S BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Heartbreak in Olean
UM caps season in dominating fashion Five players record double-digits in victory
MIREI SEKI/COLLEGIAN
Jabarie Hinds came off the bench to score a team-high 25 points on Saturday afternoon.
UMass has game-winner waved off By Andrew Cyr
the game-winning three-point shot. However Bonnies (20-7, 12-4 When Massachusetts guard A-10) guard Dion Wright was Donte Clark released the final shot of UMass’ game against St. quick to close out on Clark, forcBonaventure Saturday evening, ing him to shot fake and take a despite watching the ball swish dribble before resetting his feet through the net, he didn’t have a to get off the clean look. The basket went in, however when good feeling about it. the refs went to review With the the shot at the moniMinutemen (12-16, SBU 85 tor, it was clear his shot 5-11 Atlantic 10) trailwas not off in time as ing by two with 4.6 UMass 83 St. Bonaventure walked seconds remaining, away with a 85-83 win at they executed a perReilly Center. fect play as Jabarie Hinds found Clark open in front “I kind of figured that I didn’t of the UMass bench to attempt get it off in time,” Clark said to Collegian Staff
reporters after Saturday’s game. “I don’t know, I couldn’t tell you honestly. I knew he was going to jump so I just tried to shot fake him,” Clark added about the shot. Hinds, who finished with 25 points on 8-for-12 shooting off the bench, had the perfect view of the shot. Hinds played hero last year in Olean, New York when he hit a game-winning 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining to beat the Bonnies 55-53 last year on the road. “Yeah, I knew it wasn’t good. I saw it in his hand and I saw the see
HEARTBREAK on page 9
along with Victoria Stewart, made the most out of her final game at the Mullins Center. Timbilla scored 15 points and picked up 10 rebounds, putting By JAmie CushmAn her at 997 for her UMass career. Collegian Staff Dawley thought it was a great After a difficult season that way to end Timbilla’s time at included 11-game losing streak, the Mullins Center. “(It’s a) perfect way to go out. the Massachusetts women’s basketball team finished its regu- If we’re writing a book, we want lar season in style, beating La to get a triple-double, but I’ll Salle 80-57 to extend its winning take the double-double,” Dawley said. streak to five games. Timbilla was happy the UMass (11-17, 5-11 Atlantic Minutewomen earned the win 10) scored the most points it and kept up their momentum has in the month of heading into the conFebruary and feaUMass 80 ference tournament. tured five players “You want to in double digits for points. La Salle 57 go out with a bang your last game ever at “I think if we have Mullins Center, so I’m that balanced attack, happy for myself and happy for we’re a tough team to play,” my teammates that we were able Minutewomen coach Sharon to get the win,” Timbilla said. Dawley said. “Early on our La Salle (5-24, 2-14 A-10) games were very lopsided, we was hampered by foul trouble had two players scoring and a starting as early as the second lot of players not scoring. Kids quarter. Sophomore guard Amy have done a great job stepping Griffin, the A-10 leading scorer up.” played only 24 minutes, after Redshirt sophomore Alyssa she was forced to sit out much Lawrence played a bigger role of the third quarter with four with junior forward Kymber Hill fouls before ultimately fouling unable to play in the second half out with three minutes, 48 secdue to injury. Lawrence finished onds remaining. with a game-high 19 points, in In limited playing time addition to five rebounds. Griffin tallied 15 points, only Dawley felt Lawrence’s abilslightly below her season averity to make up for the loss of age of 18 points per game. Hill was critical to the win. Dawley was still impressed with “Just a huge spark off the Griffin’s scoring ability despite bench, and without having her lack of playing time against Kymber, we needed her to step the Minutewomen. up to get this win and she cer“The kid can just score,” tainly did,” Dawley said. Dawley said. “At one point she Forward Rashida Timbilla, got around two of use and still one of two players honored before the game for Senior Day see SENIOR DAY on page 9
M E N ’ S L AC RO S S E
WO M E N ’ S L AC RO S S E
Minutemen outscored 3-0 in fourth quarter
Nicole Troost led the way with four goals
UMass squanders three-goal lead, Minutewomen cruise falls in overtime to No. 14 Harvard past Yale on Saturday By PhiliP sAnzo Collegian Staff
The Massachusetts men’s lacrosse team entered the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game with a 9-6 lead. However, Harvard slowly crawled its way back over the next 15 minutes and finished it off with a 10-9 win in overtime. UMass (1-2) had played exceptional lacrosse at many spots throughout the game, however it allowed the Crimson (3-0) back in when it mattered most. Just 10 seconds into the overtime period, Harvard attacker Devin Dwyer scored the gameERICA LOWENKRON/COLLEGIAN winner after it had won the openGianni Bianchin (right) looks to find an open teammate during Saturday’s contest. ing faceoff. `The Crimson finished the game on a 4-0 run and scored six Carr, one of UMass’ best in the production as the three of the final seven goals, three of which came off the stick of players on the day, after scor- combined for eight of its 10 ing three goals last week against goals, but the overall tempo of Dwyer. Ohio State, had anoth- the game. “Harvard made one Cheek also added five assists more play than us Harvard 10 er hat trick Saturday with two of his three on the day including the one on and we tell our guys came in the sec- Dwyer’s game-winning goal in that we played hard,” UMass 9 goals ond quarter. overtime. Minutemen coach Greg His three-goal “Good group, and (Joe Lang) Cannella said. “We performance against and (Cheek) are sophomores too aren’t disappointed in the effort, we are not disappointed in most the Crimson brings his season so it will be a handful the next execution and Harvard is a good total up to seven, which leads two years,” Cannella said. “But team and they beat us fair and the team and is already one more yeah, good athletes, great with than he had all of last season the ball in their stick, obviously square.” UMass found most of its (six). Cheek dishing out those assists “It feels good, you know it is a was real important for him.” success in the second quarter. Coming off a sloppy start in the nice feeling,” Carr said. “I need Much like the defense, first, which saw the Minutemen to credit my teammates there, Harvard’s offense did not throw take only six shots and behind they set me up a couple of times anything at the Minutemen that 3-1, they stepped it up in the sec- today. It was a good all-around they weren’t prepared for. ond going on a 5-0 run with goals team effort but we couldn’t come Senior defenseman Kyle from Brendan Hegarty, two from out with a W.” Karaska said that everything Harvard’s offensive trio of Buddy Carr, Kevin Porzelt and they saw in the game they had Isaac Paparo to take a 6-3 lead Dwyer, Joe Lang and Morgan Cheek had a big impact not only see HARVARD on page 9 into halftime.
the time of possession and shots on goal (20-13). “Our team is very dynamic,” Minutewomen coach Angela McMahon said after the win. By henry BreChter “We want to get everyone Collegian Staff involved, and get all of our difTe n m i nu t e s i n t o ferent looks … anyone on our offensive side can step up and Saturday’s contest between score a goal.” the Massachusetts women’s Defense was also a point of lacrosse team and Yale, the two emphasis for the UMass, as its were neck and neck with the aggressive play in front of the score knotted up at two. cage staggered the majority of That’s when the the Bulldogs offensive Minutewomen (4-0) UMass 13 advancements. UMass put up seven straight outshot Yale 16-8 in goals to close out the Yale 3 the first half, and held first half, en route to the Bulldogs scoreless a 13-3 victory over the for a span of nearly Bulldogs (1-2) at Garber Field. forty minutes – 20:05 in the first Yale would only score one more half to 11:27 remaining in the time over the game’s final 50 second half. Yale matched the Minutewomen’s notorious manminutes. Saturday’s game began at to-man style of defense, but to noon, with the temperature lin- little avail. Leading the way for the gered around the freezing mark Minutewomen were senior for most of the game. But amidst attackers Nicole Troost (4 goals) the cold, UMass’ offense continued its red-hot play, dominating see VICTORY on page 9
KATHERINE MAYO/COLLEGIAN
Kate Farnham (right) defends Yale midfielder Amanda Bosland in UMass’ 13-3 win.