KISHI BASHI
BLOWN OPPORTUNITY
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UMass football falls to Maine
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THE MASSACHUSETTS
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DAILY COLLEGIAN DailyCollegian.com
Monday, September 9, 2013
Serving the UMass community since 1890
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New garden celebrates past Student found
Renaissance is brought to UMass
dead in dorm
By Jaclyn Bryson
UMass police suspect no foul play
Collegian Staff
Hidden just of f of the University of Massachusetts campus, a newly constructed garden that flourishes with the sights and smells of freshly planted vegetables and herbs gives visitors a chance to travel back in time to the age of the Renaissance. “Very often people think of the Renaissance and they think of great painters or a great palace somewhere,” said Ellen Kosmer, a volunteer at the garden. “Obviously there were real people living and eating and working during this time and I think this can provide a glimpse into what real people were doing.” According to Jennie Bergeron, a Mount Holyoke graduate, the garden located at the UMass Renaissance Center, was a result of a research project advised by John Gerber, professor
JACLYN BRYSON/COLLEGIAN
The apple orchard, which stands before the garden, will hopefully bear fruit in a couple years. at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture during fall 2012. “We really didn’t know what a garden during the Renaissance period looked like,” said Gerber. “So three UMass and three Mount Holyoke students hit the libraries and did the
research. That’s where it came from.” Bergeron added that she then continued with the project in spring 2013. Stockbridge students grew the plants for the garden and then she took the responsibility of designing and planting those herbs
and vegetables herself, resulting in a “kitchen garden” that pays homage to the typical 16th century common family. “I’ve been gardening my whole life,” said Bergeron. see
GARDEN on page 2
A University of Massachusetts student was found dead in a single-room residence on the fourth floor of Washington Tower in the Southwest Residential Area early Saturday afternoon, according to a UMass press release. UMass police responded to a call for a wellness check around 1 p.m. Saturday and found sophomore Evan Jones, 19, of Milton, in his room, according to the release. A wellness check is a call made to the local police station when a concerned person cannot contact someone and would like an official to check on his or her wellbeing. “There was a request for a wellness check for a student,” UMass spokesman Ed Blaguszewski told the Daily Hampshire Gazette. “Police went to his room and discovered him deceased.”
Police do not suspect there was any foul play involved. Since the death was unattended, the state medical examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Blaguszewski said that the timetable of when autopsy results will be released is dependent on the number of cases the medical examiner’s office has in front of them. The results could take anywhere from a number of days to a couple of weeks, he said. The residence hall is safe and secure for all residents, according to the release. University staff members are providing counseling and assistance to Washington residents and any other students, faculty and staff who require assistance. Collegian News Staff
UMass epidemiologist receives NIH grant to aid Hispanic women Study focuses on “Hispanic women face specific social, culobesity, pregnancy tural and economic challenges that put them Professor Lisa ChasanTaber of the University of Massachusetts School of Public Health and Health Sciences has received a $3.2 million grant from the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases to help Hispanic women in western Massachusetts maintain a healthy weight during and after pregnancy. “Hispanic women are the fastest growing minority group in the United States and are more likely to begin their pregnancies overweight or obese compared to other women, which means they have a higher risk of additional weight gain during pregnancy and associated longterm health problems, such as diabetes,” said epidemiologist Chasan-Taber in a UMass release. She will use individual coaching and support to help the women avoid obesity and develop a healthy lifestyle. “Hispanic women face specific social, cultural and economic challenges that put them at greater risk,” Chasan-Taber added. “Pregnancy is a critical time for women, affecting their health for years after the birth of their child. Our study seeks to help them learn new skills tailored to their own lives and to move forward with a healthy, active lifestyle.”
at greater risk. Pregnancy is a critical time for women, affecting their health for years after the birth of their child. Our study seeks to help them learn new skills tailored to their own lives and to move forward with a healthy, active lifestyle.” Lisa Chasan-Taber, epidemiologist
The professor and a team of bicultural, bilingual health educators will recruit 300 overweight Hispanic women, according to the release, and then place them into either a wellness group or lifestyle intervention group. Women in the lifestyle group will be counseled during pregnancy in order to find the best way for them to increase exercise and adjust their eating habits in order to obtain a healthy weight. Every woman will receive a personally tailored plan to fit their needs so that they can lose weight in a way that fits their lifestyle. Participants in the program will have their physical activity monitored throughout the study by a sensor worn on their wrist. The women will also be monitored for signs of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Counseling will be offered to the women for 12 weeks during their pregnancy, and then for six weeks to six months follow-
ing the birth of their child, with follow-ups continuing until one year after they give birth. These follow-ups will allow Chasan-Taber and her team to evaluate each subject’s success in obtaining a healthy weight as well as their risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The study will also let researchers evaluate the child’s risk for obesity-related diseases and problems. According to the UMass press release, success in this study could mean nationwide results for minority women achieving healthier weights and reducing long-term healthcare costs. Partners on this project include UMass kinesiologist and diabetes-and-exercise expert Barry Braun, and biostatisticians Penelope Pekow and Edward Stanek. Other institutional partners in the health-promotion grant are Baystate Medical Center, UMass Lowell and the University of California, San Diego. Collegian News Staff
COLLEGIAN
Students sit at tables in the renovated Hampshire Dining Commons. Hampshire has set a goal of being the healthiest dining commons in America.
Hampshire DC vows to promote healthy choices Not all are happy with the changes By Mary reines Collegian Staff
Students at the University of Massachusetts noticed some big changes at the newly refurbished Hampshire Dining Commons, which now has a circular layout, no longer serves soft drinks and only serves burritos on occasion, as opposed to every day. Although the abolition of soda was a big move, students are reacting more negatively toward the removal of the burrito station. “It is a big deal,” said Hampshire Dining Commons Manager Joe Flueckiger. “The soda is nothing compared to the
burritos.” Sophomore Kari Peer was disappointed that she could no longer use meal swipes at the Baby Berk Trucks like she did during the dining hall’s renovation. She also missed the burritos. “It’s just kind of a let down, and they don’t even have burritos,” she said. “I wish they had burritos every day.” According to Garett Distefano, Director of Residential Dining Services, the burrito station was upgraded to a Latin station, which serves authentic enchiladas, braised chicken, tacos and nachos with hand-cut tortillas. He emphasized the importance of expanding the station to include a greater variety of foods and explained that merely serving burritos at the Latin station would be
inaccurate. “To say it’s Latin fare, it’s insulting to some people,” said Distefano.Flueckiger added that burritos were actually a Tex-Mex dish. Despite the culture conflict, Distefano promised to serve burritos one way or another.“We will do it, I promise we will do it,” he said. But burrito frequency is still tentative. Flueckiger said that dining hall officials are looking at a couple different options for a burrito schedule. One idea is to serve them between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, like the burger bar. Another idea is to serve them one night a week, such as Wednesdays or Fridays, as a main dish at the Latin station. “I can’t promise anything see
HAMPSHIRE on page 3