Massachusetts Daily Collegian: Oct. 21, 2013

Page 1

Paul McCartney

New again PAGE 5

HOME COOKING UMass sweeps Michigan State at Mullins Center

PAGE 8

THE MASSACHUSETTS

A free and responsible press

DAILY COLLEGIAN DailyCollegian.com

Monday, October 21, 2013

Serving the UMass community since 1890

News@DailyCollegian.com

Divest UMass address Pres. Caret Faculty compete in annual Iron Chef cook–off Competitors used healthy, local foods By Kate Leddy Collegian Correspondent

EVAN SAHAGIAN/COLLEGIAN

Divest UMass unveiled a sign on Thursday directly addressing UMass President Robert Caret about the fossil fuel industry.

Students protest fossil fuel funding By Brian BeviLacqua Collegian Staff

The University of Massachusetts student group, Divest UMass, held a protest on Oct. 17 by hanging a sign from the parking garage outside the campus center addressed directly to UMass President Robert Caret as a part of their continued effort to change the way UMass handles its endowment funding. The growing student organization wants administrators to take charge of how financial experts manage UMass’ endowment hedge fund by freezing and phasing out all investments in fossil fuel industries, and to encourage students to demand more transparency in the funding of their education. College endowments are the nest eggs that maintain a university and are funded by alumni donations that are grown

through investments in the stock market that are typically not directly handled by the top school officials. Divest UMass gained a strong following of students, along with student government and school officials, last year, hoping to spur an end to reliance on fossil fuel profits, which some students and officials consider contradictory to UMass’ ideals of social justice and environmental sustainability. Thursday’s event was aimed to convert the existing student anger into a strong call for action. “The fossil fuel industry is responsible for 5.1 million climate change related deaths every year. Investing in this industry does not align with our values and threatens the future into which we will graduate. With our student voice we ask you, divest in fossil fuels, reinvest in our future,” read the sign. The 5.1 million figure used by Divest Umass is based off research con-

tradictory to the United Nations report on climate change, which also stresses the adverse effects of continued reliance on fossil fuels, but estimates the number of annual deaths at 400,000. Although the current effects of climate change are under question and difficult to gauge, the student body put pressure on administrators during their protest. The group of about 50 students unveiled their sign and drew a crowd of supporters with their chants for divestment, adding strength to their current petition to Caret, which has over 3,000 signatures, according to the group. Most colleges have divestment groups similar to the one at UMass, and over 300 of these schools have complied with student demands. While the financial effects of the University’s hypothetical divestment on the fossil fuel industry would be very marginal, Divest UMass feels raising awareness is the simple and only

step in sparking greater change, because if everyone were aware of the endowment fundraising process, the majority would naturally call for change. Several Divest UMass activists expressed their belief that they were a voice for the voiceless millions affected by climate change. Their ultimate goal is to achieve “climate justice,” a term for the belief that climate change is a social justice issue that affects people disproportionately along racial and socio-economic lines. The voiceless in need of climate justice would be those out of the headlines who suffer the most from pollution, drought, famine and natural disaster. Divest UMass needs the support of the President and believe that he will come forward once he is made aware of the damage fossil fuels are causing today. They have not had an opportunity to discuss their views with see

PROTEST on page 2

The University of Massachusetts Campus Center auditorium was filled with alumni, students and faculty on Saturday afternoon, all of whom were eager to watch the second annual Iron Chef Competition. The event, which is modeled after the popular show “Iron Chef America,” was a part of the Homecoming festivities that will be taking place this week. Kevin Brauch, the commentator for “Iron Chef America,” emceed the competition, which promoted the use of regional sustainable foods of New England. Three teams comprised of UMass faculty members and dining staff, all new competitors to the event, took on the challenge to create a medal-worthy meal in just 30 minutes using the provided ingredients. Team one was comprised of Elizabeth Chilton, director of the Center for Heritage and Culture in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and her partner Matthia Accurso, a catering chef for UMass dining. Eric Decker, director of the Industrial Strategic Research Alliance program and head of the food science department in the College of Natural Sciences, competed with his partner chef Taylor Whittemore from Berkshire Dining Common on team two. Team three included Dr. Pierre Rouzier, the primary care physician at the University Health Services and team physician for UMass Athletics. Alongside him was Anthony Jung,

head chef at Hampshire Dining Common. The teams’ creations were judged on four categories that totaled to 160 points: presentation, creativity, taste and utilization of the ingredients. They were provided with a variety of proteins such as tofu, pork, fish and poultry as well as beans and legumes. Much of the food was local, such as apples from the UMass orchard and maple syrup from the Hadley Sugar Shack. The panel of judges included three faculty members, Jenafer Andren, Ken Toong and Sid Ferreira, as well as the President of the Student Government Association, Zac Broughton. Spectators were able to enjoy a variety of appetizers and beverages provided by the events’ sponsors and UMass Dining, as Garett DiStefano, director of Residential Dining Services, welcomed everyone to the competition. “The turnout is phenomenal,” he said. “We’ve filled all 120 seats and more people continue to pour in.” The clock began and competitors burst into a flurry of action; chopping, peeling and marinating as the audience followed their movements projected on a large screen behind them. For the next half hour, DiStefano and Brauch offered commentary on the dish preparations and spoke with the judges. “I’m excited to see what they make” said Broughton. “I’m a college student, so this could easily be the healthiest meal I’ve eaten in a while.” Indeed, each dish provided a healthy balance of proteins and vegetables paired with flavorful saucsee

CHEF on page 3

Students participate in the Nearly Naked Mile Raised awareness of homelessness By JacLyn Bryson Collegian Staff

Despite the brisk October weather, University of Massachusetts students came together on Friday wearing their brightly colored teeshirts, shorts and undergarments and sporting black, red and white body paint on their skin, all to benefit charity. On Oct. 18, students participated in the second annual Nearly Naked Mile, a run starting at the Northeast quad and ending at the Southwest concourse where participants wore minimal

“A lot of schools do a similar event, so we decided to adopt it ourselves. It seems like people actually keep showing up for it every year. I think it’s probably going to just keep on going.” Brittany DiTullio, administrative coordinator of SAA clothing in order to embody what the 16,000 homeless in Massachusetts will be going through when colder temperatures roll in this year. “There are a number of homeless people in the area that don’t have appropriate clothing,” said Erin McDowell, assistant director for Student and Young Alumni Programs at UMass. “So this is a way for [participants] to see what it’s like to have those conditions.” Zack Taylor, a junior at UMass, arrived at the event sporting a pair of Dr. Seuss-

themed boxers and then decided to complete the ensemble by painting red, white and black fish from the infamous book “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” all over his body. “Everyone is really excited and upbeat and it’s getting me pumped up,” he said before the race. “I’m just doing it for fun.” Participants also donated their gently used clothes at the run to benefit the Amherst see

MILE on page 2

JACLYN BRYSON/COLLEGIAN

Students begin the Nearly Naked Mile in the Northeast quad wearing minimal clothing.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.