Massachusetts Daily Collegian: Oct. 28, 2013

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GUTSY MOVE FAILS

Umphrey’s McGee

Missed two-point conversion costs UMass PAGE 8

delivers a show to remember

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THE MASSACHUSETTS

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DAILY COLLEGIAN DailyCollegian.com

Monday, October 28, 2013

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Man charged with ‘He just wanted to help people’ UMass junior Eric Sinacori was a fan of music, ice hockey and meditation aggravated rape Alleged attack was on campus A Longmeadow man faces charges of aggravated rape after an alleged attack outside of the University of Massachusetts Campus Center in early September. According to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, Patrick Durocher, 18, allegedly raped the female victim while forcibly holding her against her will in the early hours of

By Mary reines

sive and the man on top of her was naked from the waist down. The alleged victim told UMPD in a statement on Sept. 3 that she had attended a party on North Pleasant St. on Sept. 1 and then left the party alone around 11:45 p.m., the Gazette reported. The woman said that she was walking past a bus stop near the Campus Center when Durocher called out to her. She had never met Durocher before. According to court

The woman said that she was walking past a bus stop near the Campus Center when Durocher called out to her. Sept. 2. Both the victim and Durocher were UMass students at the time. Durocher pleaded not guilty during his arraignment hearing on Oct. 4. The judge ordered Durocher to be held on $10,000 cash bail. His release conditions are that he must submit to GPS monitoring, keep a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, report to a probation officer once a week, stay in Massachusetts and reside with his parents, have no contact with the alleged victim, stay away from the UMass campus, refuse to take drugs and alcohol and submit to random screenings and tests. According to court records, the UMass Police Department responded to an emergency call at about 1:15 a.m. on the north side of the Campus Center involving a man standing over a woman on the ground, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported. Witnesses told police that the woman appeared to be unconscious and unrespon-

records, Durocher then approached the alleged victim, grabbed her and assaulted her. The woman suffered injuries according to court files, the Gazette reported. She told police that Durocher forced her to the ground and raped her outside of the Campus Center. This is the first reported rape allegation on campus leading to criminal charges of this school year and the third in the past 12 months. Four men allegedly raped a female UMass student in her dorm in October 2012 and have all pleaded not guilty to the multiple counts of aggravated rape that they face. UMass student Weiling Wang has also pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and indecent assault and battery after allegedly raping a woman who he had signed into his room in the North Apartments.

By aviva LuttreLL Collegian Staff

U n ive r s i t y of Massachusetts Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy signed the “Real Food Challenge” at a public event on Wednesday evening, committing the campus to serve 20 percent local, sustainable or fairtrade food by 2020. UMass is now the largest institution to sign onto the Real Food Challenge, a nationwide campaign to shift $1 billion of existing university food budgets away from industrial farms and towards local and humane food sources. “Our commitment to sustainability, originating in our agricultural heritage, is a long-standing pri-

Eric Sinacori was passionate about electronic dance music, particularly ‘glitch hop,’ a form of electronic hip-hop. “He’d be mad if I didn’t specify,” said his girlfriend, Brianne Oliveira, a senior at the University of Massachusetts. Sinacori’s favorite DJ was Bassnectar, and he also enjoyed music by other DJs like Lotus and Griz. He frequently attended concerts and music festivals, often with a group of friends in tow. Sinacori’s love for music was a big part of his life. It’s something that his friends and family will remember about him since he passed away on Oct. 4 in his Puffton Village apartment. He was 20. The cause of his death is still

under investigation. Sinacori is survived by his mother, Francesca Sinacori, his father, John Sinacori, his stepmother, Barbara Sinacori, his halfsister, Valerie Sinacori and his stepbrother, Cody Fis. Francesca Sinacori said that losing her only son was her biggest nightmare. She remembered him when he was little. “Since he could walk, he would just go up to everybody and give them a hug, not because he had to, but because he wanted to,” she said. And he never stopped hugging. According to his father, Sinacori gave big hugs to anyone that he cared about. If he liked you, he hugged you. “He was a great hugger,” his father said. “That’s one of the things I’m going to miss the most.”

Eric Sinacori grew up in Whitehouse Station, N.J. He attended Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington N.J. where he played ice hockey on the varsity team. According to Andy Gojdycz, his coach at the time, Sinacori had a quiet demeanor. “He was not one to vent frustrations,” Gojdycz said, adding that he was very respectful and a loyal team player. “He never questioned his teammates,” Gojdycz said. “He was definitely there for his team.” Sinacori didn’t play ice hockey at UMass, but he still enjoyed watching the sport with his friends Alex Merithew, 21, and Chris Mulrey, 20. They all lived on the same floor of John Adams their freshman year. Watching ice hockey

COURTESY OF SINACORI FAMILY

Eric Sinacori’s high school portrait. together was a constant battle, as Sinacori was a Rangers fan and Merithew and Mulrey rooted for the Bruins. “He argued a lot,” Mulrey said about watching the games together. Sinacori also enjoyed watching baseball and see

OBITUARY on page 2

Campus overrun by fox

Collegian News Staff

UMass promotes health with ‘Real Food Challenge’ University to serve more local food

Collegian Staff

ority at UMass Amherst, putting us at the forefront of the green campus movement,” Subbaswamy said in a speech before the signing. The signing was held in the Student Union Ballroom and was the last of a series of events celebrating the University’s third annual Campus Sustainability Day. The day kicked off in the Earthfoods Café with a panel featuring UMass alumni now working in the green jobs industry. A student sustainability fair and “real food” tasting followed in the Student Union Ballroom, which featured interactive table displays by student organizations and a sampling of local food. The University’s oldest acapella group, “Vocal Suspects,” also performed at the event. Subbaswamy praised the campus for its continued see

FOOD on page 2

JAMES JESSON/COLLEGIAN

Cheerleaders gathered with Sam the Minuteman and Fox 25 News anchor Eizabeth Hopkins during the Fox 25 News College Tour stop at UMass Thursday.

Gay couple to marry with help from Native American tribe Legal, despite state’s gay marriage ban By HaiLey Branson-Potts Los Angeles Times

CONCHO, Okla. — Darren Black Bear and Jason Pickel hadn’t even planned to send invitations to their upcoming wedding. They’re small-town people, they said, and planned an intimate, no-frills celebration of their love. “I intended to tell people, ‘Hey, we’re getting married. Come on down and have dinner,’“ Pickel said, laugh-

ing. Then, during an interview in his Oklahoma City apartment, his cellphone vibrated: yet another media request. And then came another. Since word about their upcoming nuptials spread, Pickel and Black Bear have been thrust into the spotlight over one of the most hot-button issues in this state. Gay marriage is banned in Oklahoma, but the men will marry legally under Native American tribal jurisdiction. Black Bear is a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, based in

rural Concho. The joint tribe does not specify gender in its laws regarding marriage, referring to those involved only as “Indians.” Because the tribe is a federally recognized sovereign nation, the state’s ban does not apply. Black Bear and Pickel, who is not a tribal member, will be eligible for federal benefits made available to married same-sex couples after the Supreme Court struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act. Under state law, however, “tribal same-sex weddings are treated the same way

as out-of-state same-sex weddings,” Alex Weintz, a spokesman for Republican Gov. Mary Fallin, said in an e-mail. “They are not recognized by the state of Oklahoma.” In 2004, Oklahomans voted overwhelmingly - 75 percent to 25 percent - to approve a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman and making it a misdemeanor to issue a marriage license to a samesex couple. Black Bear, 45, and see

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