In the running UMass cross country shows progress
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HE WAS THE ONE WHO KNOCKED
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Reflecting on the end of ‘Breaking Bad’
THE MASSACHUSETTS
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DAILY COLLEGIAN DailyCollegian.com
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
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Quidditch Club taking off at the start of new fall season Team hopes for World Cup return By Carri Bresnahan Collegian Correspondent
SHAINA MISHKIN/COLLEGIAN
The University of Massachusetts Quidditch Club practices in the field behind Boyden Gymnasium.
Obama tells House to ‘just vote’ President pushes shutdown solution By Kathleen hennessey Tribune Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – After a taking the weekend off, President Barack Obama resumed his public pounding of House Republicans on Monday even as a top aide laid out a possible avenue for defusing the fiscal fight that has frozen parts of the government and threatens a federal default. Speaking during a visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Obama disputed Speaker John A. Boehner’s claim that there are not enough votes in the House to pass legislation reopening the government unless Republicans first win concessions from the White House. “The truth of matter is, there are enough Republican and Democratic votes in the House of Representatives right now to end this shutdown immediately with no partisan strings attached. The House should hold that vote today,” Obama said.
“Just vote. Let every member of Congress vote their conscience, and they can determine whether or not they want to shut the government down.” Obama’s visit was part of a strategy to have the president keep publicly discussing the shutdown, although there appear to be no talks, public or private, on ending it. Obama and his aides put the onus on Boehner, saying he needs first reopen the government and address the crisis around the corner - lifting the debt ceiling - before negotiations can begin. The federal government is due to hit the ceiling around Oct. 17, risking the first federal default in modern history. National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling said Monday that Obama was open to broad negotiations, if Republican leaders would first agree to remove the threat of default. “He is willing to negotiate on sequester replacement, on a small, medium or large agreement. He has said he is willing to negotiate on how to strengthen the Affordable Care Act,” Sperling said at a breakfast sponsored by
Politico. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday that the comment was not a new posture, but stressed that the White House would not try to dictate the size of a debt-limit increase. Carney endorsed a Senate Democratic plan that would cover federal borrowing for the next year, but said the president has never ruled out a shorter time frame. The president’s position “has not been raise the debt ceiling for a certain amount of time,” Carney said. “It has been raise the debt ceiling without drama or delay.” A short-term increase might be an easier sell for Boehner as he tries to bring the most conservative faction of House members to vote in favor a debt limit increase. Boehner says he wants to attempt to extract budget concessions in return for the increase. “I’m not going to raise the debt limit without a serious conversation about dealing with problems that are driving the debt up. It would be irresponsible of me to do this,” he told ABC News “This Week” on Sunday.
On Monday, Obama said he would not “negotiate under the threat of economic catastrophe.” Speaking from a conference room at FEMA, Obama said 86 percent of the agency’s staff had been furloughed and others are on the job without pay for the time being. Obama said the U.S. “dodged a bullet” so far this hurricane season, but pointed to a tornado warning in the mid-Atlantic region as evidence of the dangers of hobbling FEMA. As Obama spoke, House Republicans noted that the president has threatened to veto legislation that would fully reopen FEMA. The legislation passed the GOP-led House last week, as part of Republicans’ push to reopen pieces of the government. Senate Democrats and the White House have blocked what they dubbed a “piecemeal” approach to funding the government, saying the bills the House passed are only meant to provide political cover. “All of this piecemeal stuff begs the question: Why not just open the government?” Carney said.
Quidditch, the fictional wizarding game created by J.K. Rowling in her Harry Potter book series, is not a sport, according to veteran players. Sport or not, however, the University of Massachusetts Quidditch Club hopes to succeed in qualifying for the Quidditch World Cup again this year and looks forward to scrimmaging with teams across the region, such as Wellesley College. The UMass Quidditch Club has had a successful start this year, gaining quick popularity among incoming freshmen. According to Quidditch Club President Thomas Walsh, about half of the three-dozen players this year are either freshmen or are new to the game. This stream of incoming players has continued to build up the team from year to year since its founding in spring of 2008. UMass Quidditch is currently a member of the Southern New England Quidditch Conference (SNEQC), which has gotten more and more competitive as Quidditch has become more popular at universities and colleges across the country and around the world. The most important features of the game are the six hoops, three at either end of the field, and the four balls. One of these four balls, the Quaffle, is used to score goals and the other three, the Bludgers, are used to symbolically knock people off their brooms. The team does practice with actual brooms and, if hit by a Bludger, must run back to their team’s hoops before resuming play. This is to simulate a player actually falling off of their broom. There are seven players on the field at a time. Positions consist of Chaser, Beater, Keeper and Seeker, just as in the Harry Potter novels. There is also a play-
er who plays the golden Snitch, the only independently moving ball in the game. The Snitch however, whose capture determines the end of the game, is always a neutral party to maintain fairness. Michael Ferro, a freshman, says that the hardest part about learning how to play Quidditch this year was getting used to being attacked while trying to score. “I had to learn to pay attention to the other Chasers, but also to the Beaters,” Ferro said. According to Ferro, his first practice was “a little intimidating and confusing.” He says he simply found Quidditch at the activities fair and thought it would be a cool thing to do. Walsh, a sophomore, took over the presidency from his older brother Graham, who managed the team last year. Since then he has made it his mission to make practices as fun as possible. Implementing mostly fun games and scrimmages, Walsh and the other players readily admit their relaxed approach to Quidditch. Steven Linscott, a fifthyear senior going into his fourth year on the team, said that the team is very inclusive, saying that they try to play everyone they can, even the newer players, in tournaments and scrimmages. Linscott says, from his years on the team that, “as the league got more competitive, the team reacted by taking an even more relaxed attitude.” However, this relaxed attitude appears to be having a positive effect on UMass Quidditch. Last year, the team qualified for the Quidditch World Cup and placed 78th in the International Quidditch Association. To qualify for the World Cup, teams must compete in tournaments through the fall. Last weekend, UMass Quidditch traveled to Boston to participate in an invitational tournament and began their climb to this year’s World Cup. The invitational, between the SNEQC and the Massachusetts see
QUIDDITCH on page 2
UMass planning to open satellite campus in Springfield Newest branch could be just a year away By shelBy ashline Collegian Correspondent The University of Massachusetts is currently exploring the possibility of opening a satellite center in downtown Springfield, which could be open as soon as the fall of 2014. The satellite would be used as a way to supplement the UMass experience, said Ann Scales, director of communications at UMass, in a phone interview. “Many residents [of Springfield] wanted the opportunity to attend classes that were offered by UMass and to get a UMass degree,” Scales said. “[But] Amherst is the closest campus and there’s no [mode of
transportation that would] get you there quickly.” According to an Aug. 6 UMass press release, “the UMass system has more than 75 staffed locations across the Commonwealth that house academic and training and research programs … in addition to the system’s five main campuses.” UMass-Amherst faculty and staff are involved in over 120 programs from various fields of study in Springfield. They also conduct research, teach and work in administrative capacities in the area. Springfield, however, was identified in a study conducted by the UMass Donahue Institute as an area with “unmet need.” The study, conducted at the request of UMass President Robert L. Caret, “identified Springfield as a prime site for a satellite center in part because
UMass-Amherst … already has a significant presence there,” according to the press release. Because of its prominence in Springfield, UMassAmherst would take the lead in overseeing the satellite center. “One possibility is that [UMassAmherst] would offer the ‘lion’s share’ … of the programs … and [would provide] lots of administrative support,” Scales said. However, classes could potentially be provided by several, if not all five, of the UMass campuses, the press release said. Scales further explained that the University hopes to involve other community colleges and institutions in the Springfield area as well. “UMass-Amherst will be intimately involved in helping run the satellite center and it will be offering particular degrees, programs [and]
classes there … [But] I think that the goal and the hope is that we would work with other colleges in the area who may also be part of offering various classes,” Scales said. The satellite would likely offer onsite classes as well as classes through UMassOnline, according to the press release. The center may offer two-year associate’s degrees that could lead to bachelor degrees. At this stage in planning, however, there is still much that is not known about the satellite center, including its probable location. In the initial request for proposed locations for the satellite issued in early August, UMass said it was looking for “25,000 square feet of space suitable for classrooms, faculty offices and other uses, with the option of doubling the amount of space at a later date,” according to the press
release. Though proposals were due Sept. 3, it is not yet clear where the proposed locations for the satellite are or which locations are the most promising. “There’s a committee that’s been set up to review the proposals,” Scales said. “They’re working with UMass Building Authorities and a realtor with knowledge of Springfield to figure out … if any of the [potential] places are suitable.” It is also not clear yet where the funds to create and operate the satellite center will come from, or whether new staff will be hired to operate the facility or pulled from other campuses and locations in the UMass system. These are some of many aspects of the satellite center that, according to Scales, are still see
SATELLITE on page 3