Massachusetts Daily Collegian: Jan. 21, 2014

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THE MASSACHUSETTS

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Tuesday, January 21, 2014

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WHIPPLE

Plastic foam ban in Amherst

UM asks for bigger budget

EFFECT

Environmental restriction began Jan. 1 across town

Serving the UMass Community since 1890

Second consecutive year asking for $40m increase

By aViVa luttrell

By ChanCe VileS Collegian Correspondent

Amherst residents who prefer their beverages in foam cups will now have to travel elsewhere to satisfy their needs.

As of Jan. 1, food service businesses in Amherst and those who use town property for events may no longer serve food or beverages in single-use plastic foam containers, commonly referred to by the brand name Styrofoam.

“The hope of this ban is to get people to think about single-use material and to move toward that material that is compostable,” Amherst recycling coordinator Susan Waite said.

Due to the higher cost of paper products, a hardship clause in the bylaw allows businesses to appeal to the health department if the purchase of plastic foam alternatives causes an undue financial hardship.

However, according to Amherst Health Director Julie Federman, no businesses have applied for a hardship waiver yet.

Before the plastic foam ban was put into effect, Waite said that the Town of Amherst Recycling and Refuse Management Committee, along with the Amherst League of Women Voters and the Hitchcock Center for the Environment, met with local businesses to provide more information and discuss alternative materials.

“From that we determined that about 75 to 80 percent of the restaurants and food service type places in Amherst already did not use foam by their own personal choice,” Waite said.

According to Waite, the Amherst Chamber of Commerce was also included in early discussions. At its request, the start date for the ban was postponed by six months,

The University of Massachusetts five campus system is seeking the second $40 million budget increase in a row, in order to continue the freeze on fees and tuition prices that began after last year’s budget increase.

Gov. Deval Patrick is among those advocating for the increased budget for the UMass system.

“We are optimistic about obtaining the second year of funding called for under President Caret’s 50-50 plan,” said UMass’ Vice President for Communications Robert Connolly said in an e-mail. interview. “In order for this to happen, Governor Patrick and the Legislature would have to approve a $40 million funding increase for UMass for the fiscal year that begins on July 1.”

“The administration understands the importance of investments in education to expand opportunity and grow the Commonwealth’s economy,” Rachael Neff, spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Education, said in an email. s Rachael Neff,E,.

If the budget is approved by the state legislature, tuition and fees for in-state students will remain the same as the previous year, which according to Caret is important to UMass remaining an affordable school for Massachusetts families. With the $40 million increase, the instate funding for the five-campus UMass system would total $519 million.

“President Caret, the campus chancellors and the members of the Board of Trustees intend to work hard on this effort because they believe approval of the addi-

Collegian Staff

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MARIA UMINSKI/COLLEGIAN

Mark Whipple (above) was introduced as the new coach of the Massachusetts football team last Tuesday. He filled the position left by former coach Charley Molnar, who was fired on Dec. 26. Whipple previously coached UMass from 1998 to 2003.

Mark Whipple returns to UMass as next football coach

By Stephen hewitt

M

Collegian Staff

ark Whipple stood in front of the assembled crowd, looked out among the plenty of familiar faces in the audience and held back tears as he ushered in the University of Massachusetts football program’s next chapter.“Sometimes you need to go away to find out where your home is,” Whipple said.

Whipple, the director of one of the greatest eras of Minutemen

football from 1998 to 2003, was introduced as UMass’ newest head coach for his second stint as the program’s leader last Tuesday at Mullins Center.

Distinguished UMass leaders were on hand to deliver addresses, including UMass president Robert Caret, Vice Chancellor for University Relations John Kennedy and UMass Board of Trustees Chairman Henry Thomas. UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy was on a trip to India and unable to attend.

“We are thrilled to welcome back one of the greatest coaches in the 135-year history of UMass football,” Kennedy said in a prepared statement on behalf of Subbaswamy. “Coach Whipple is committed to fostering a positive environment in which our student-athletes will thrive both athletically and academically.

“I am confident that, under coach Whipple’s leadership, Minuteman football will continue see

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UMass announces new construction across campus Demolition of Hills, Bartlett among projects

By Kate leddy Collegian Staff

Construction at the University of Massachusetts shows no sign of slowing. With several new buildings on the horizon, it appears that the new Integrative Learning Center that is currently in progress will not be the last major project for the University next year.

Campus Planning Director Dennis Swinford acknowledged the opening of the new Commonwealth Honors College and Life Science Laboratories building this fall as well as several new projects that are currently in the design phase.

The Hills and Bartlett buildings, which are both over 40 years old, will eventually be torn down.

Swinford pointed out this made more economic sense than repairing the buildings.

“Finding homes and making homes for the people in those buildings is a big part of what we’re doing now,”he said.

Swinford and his team are seeking out existing spaces around campus for the relocation of some of those people in Hills and Bartlett. Many will be moving into either the Integrative Learning Center or one of the new or renovated buildings being planned.

The Marks Meadow School

by Furcolo Hall will become one of those homes. The money that the campus had been saving for deferred maintenance will contribute to renovations on the school in order to convert it to office space for people in the College of Education, currently located in Hills.

“This will be a great project because it’s a nice new facility for all of them,” Swinford said.

The renovations are expected to begin around the end of this year and will be completed by 2016.

Another new building planned for next year will take care of a large majority of other inhabitants in Hills –– the Integrated Design Building, which will house the department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning department as well as the Architecture and Design and Building Construction

Technology programs.

“Landscape architects and regional planners often work together out in the real world,” Swinford said. “So this is a great opportunity to bring all of these programs together in one place now.”

Both the Marks Meadow renovation and Integrated Design Building involve architects that have already been hired to help design the structures. According to Swinford, the Integrated Design Building will most likely be replacing the large parking lot currently located north of the Studio Arts Building. He and his colleagues have been keeping in mind that guests, especially those visiting the Fine Arts Center located across the street, will lose the convenience of these parking spaces if the Integrated Design Building is constructed as planned. They are currently working on finding a solution that will minimize any conflict once construction begins.

The $50 million Integrated Design Building is scheduled to begin with a similar time frame to the Marks Meadow project. see

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ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

The New Academic Building is slated for completion this spring, but more campus construction is on its way.

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Tuesday, January 21, 2014

THE RUNDOWN ON THIS DAY...

In 1793, French revolutionaries beheaded King Louis XVI with a guillotine in a main public square, now called the Place de la Concorde.

T H E PA S T F I V E W E E K S : A RECAP

Dec. 19 LOS ANGELES — Target said Thursday that data on 40 million of its customers’ credit and debit card accounts may have been breached by cyber-crooks during the busy holiday season.

The Minneapolis retailer said the unauthorized access – which occurred between the Nov. 27 start of Black Friday weekend and Dec. 15 – may mean that criminals now have shoppers’ names, payment card numbers, expiration dates and threedigit security codes at their disposal.

The breach affects Target patrons who made purchases at U.S. stores, the company said.

Los Angeles Times

Jan. 2 NEW YORK — Some holiday travelers got an extra day of vacation Thursday – albeit waiting in an airport – as a giant winter storm barreled through the Midwest, heading for the Northeast.

As of late morning, 1,735 flights had been canceled and more than 5,000 delayed, according to the website FlightAware, as heavy snow continued fell in cities including Albany, N.Y., and Chicago, where eight inches blanketed the region in a 24-hour period. It has been snowing on and off in parts of Illinois since New Year’s Eve, with 17 inches of accumulation in some places.

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York from 6 p.m. Thursday night until 1 p.m. Friday. A winter storm warning is in effect in the rest of the New York City area. New York is expected to get six to 10 inches of snow.

In Boston, which is expected to get even more snow, the city has already canceled schools for Friday and issued a parking ban. The city also is encouraging residents to use public transit, rather than drive, into Boston.

Los Angeles Times

Jan. 7 Record-setting cold stunned the Southeast on Tuesday as the chilly “polar vortex” parked over the northern Midwest extended eastward, prompting officials to cancel school and open emergency warming and homeless shelters in areas unaccustomed to sub-zero temperatures.

The Midwest freeze set in Monday, when subzero temperatures broke records in Chicago, at 16 degrees below zero and Fort Wayne, Ind., at minus 13. Oklahoma and Texas also saw record-setting cold, with wind chills of 40 below zero.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence issued disaster declarations.

More than 500 Amtrak passengers spent the night stranded by snow on three trains headed for Chicago and were rerouted by bus Tuesday morning.

Los Angeles Times

Jan. 9 TRENTON, N.J. — An apologetic New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday fired a top aide implicated in causing four days of traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge in September in a political vendetta aimed at the mayor of Fort Lee. “Ultimately, I am responsible for what happens under

my watch: the good and the bad,” he said at a news conference after announcing he had sacked his deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly.

Christie said he did not know about the plot and would not have treated the traffic jams lightly – as he did last month – if he had known.

Christie said he fired Kelly her for lying to him.

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Jan. 10 The federal government began moving in water to help hundreds of thousands of people struggling on Friday to cope with the effect of a chemical spill that has left water in nine counties around Charleston, W.Va., off limits for drinking, bathing and cleaning.

Even as aid was being rushed to the area, the U.S. attorney’s office announced it would investigate the spill of a chemical used to prepare coal flow into the Elk River.

President Barack Obama issued a federal disaster declaration for the state on Friday and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other emergency teams began transporting water to the region where as many as 300,000 people were warned not to use municipal water.

Los Angeles Times

Jan. 16 CAIRO — In a lopsided margin reminiscent of elections held during ex-dictator Hosni Mubarak’s decades of rule, unofficial results Thursday indicated that Egypt’s new constitution was approved by nearly 98 percent of voters.

The military-backed interim government had campaigned vigorously for approval of the rewritten charter, casting it as a mandate on its six months in power. The Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement of deposed President Mohammed Morsi, had called for a boycott of the two-day vote.

Los Angeles Times

Jan. 17 WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama announced Friday that he will rein in a contentious federal program that collects millions of Americans’ phone records by requiring court approval each time the data is examined and eventually halting the government’s storage of the information.

In a long-anticipated speech, Obama outlined a slew of changes to the government’s vast surveillance programs, including halting spying on dozens of foreign leaders; appointing a team of advocates to sometimes appear before the nation’s secret surveillance court, which now hears arguments only from the government; and releasing more classified documents.

McClatchy Washington Bureau MOSCOW — In the run-up to the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, President Vladimir Putin on Friday again insisted that there is no discrimination against gays in Russia – but then urged gays to “please leave children in peace.”

Putin defended Russia’s record on the issue, despite new laws in Russia that in part criminalize public displays of support for gays and that have drawn international condemnation ahead of next month’s games.

Los Angeles Times

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

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from July 1, 2013, to Jan. 1, 2014, to give businesses more time to find alternatives. The bylaw was passed in November 2012.

Both Dunkin Donuts and Cumberland Farms, two of the businesses Waite said she predicts will be impacted the most, have stores in Great Barrington, which has had a similar ban on foam since 1990.

“It’s something that they know how to deal with,”Waite said.

Liz Valadares, assistant manager at the Dunkin Donuts on University Drive in Amherst, said that customers would often request paper cups even before the ban was put into effect. “The paper cups are a little bit more expensive and so are the lids,” said Valadares, but added that the cost increase was not significant. However, she said that customers can no longer order extra-large hot beverages because the paper cups are not available in that size.

Valadares said she doesn’t see many downsides to the ban.

“Now we’re kind of getting everybody’s needs, except for those who want the extra-large,” she said.

Amherst College, Hampshire Colle ge and the University of Massachusetts had all previously eliminated foam disposables from their dining halls before the ban was

put into effect, according to the Town of Amherst website.

Nantucket, Brookline, Somerville and most recently Albany, N.Y., also have similar plastic foam bans, according to Waite.

In Amherst, the ban will be monitored and enforced by the Department of Health, which conducts restaurant inspections twice a year.

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program released a report stating that styrene is, “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”

Although foam is lightweight, it’s also extremely bulky.

This makes it difficult to dispose of, Waite said, because although foam can be recycled, it’s usually burned in incinerators and buried in landfills that are filling up. Most of Amherst’s trash is now being brought to landfills in Seneca Falls, N.Y., she said.

While foam may seem like a cheap, efficient option at first, Waite said, “it’s all in the hind end of the process that is its biggest environmental downfall.

“The point of the ban is that there are costs to using the foam that are not paid for by anybody except the earth,” she added.

Aviva Luttrell can be reached at aluttrel@umass.edu.

DailyCollegian.com

APD, UMPD to continue joint patrols in spring New agreement similar to old one

By Marleigh Felsenstein Collegian Correspondent

In a mutual agreement, the Amherst Police Department and the UMass Amherst Police Department have decided to continue to control some of the same areas during the spring semester, despite previous constraints on the arrangement.

Amherst Police Chief Scott Livingstone said that a “memorandum of understanding” began in 2007 with the “town and university neighborhoods surrounding the UMass campus.”

However, the joint patrols were subject to a legal snarl in 2012, according to an article in the Recorder, when a UMass police officer followed a speeding vehicle from North Pleasant Street through campus, stopping the driver in downtown Amherst to conduct a field sobriety test. In Judge John Payne, Jr.’s decision, he ruled that there was no legal basis for the officer to stop the driver because he had not observed an

arrestable offense.

Based on the ruling, legal counsel for APD and UMPD will help them to tweak the language of their agreement, according to the Recorder, but neither chief is worried that their combined patrols are in peril.

The University police have the authority to make vehicle stops and patrol areas surrounding the UMass campus, such as Phillips Ave and areas north of Fearing St, east of Sunset, and west of North Pleasant St. Deputy Chief of Police Patrick Archbald, said that “one department requests assistance when needed,” and that before the agreement, the two departments “gave a blanket approval without a specific request.

There needed to be something more.”

He also said that the two departments have a “good working relationship.”

Livingstone agreed, saying – that the departments “help each other out” and it is an “excellent agreement.” Livingstone and Horvath meet monthly and are looking to “expand initiatives.”

The reason that the two see

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As attitudes shift, 2014 could be the year of legalization Marijuana groups gain national traction

By Maria l. la ganga Los Angeles Times

SEATTLE — The new year is shaping up to be one of the marijuana movement’s strongest ever.

The first legal pot storefronts in America opened to long lines in Colorado this month. Washington state is poised to issue licenses for producing, processing and selling the Schedule I drug – once officials sift through around 7,000 applications.

Signature gatherers have been at work in at least five states to put marijuana measures on the ballot in 2014. On Wednesday organizers announced they had gathered more than 1 million signatures in favor of putting a medical marijuana measure before voters in Florida, a high-population bellwether that could become the first Southern state to embrace pot.

“Florida looks like the country as a whole,” says Ben Pollara, campaign manager for the Sunshine State’s effort. “If Florida does this, it is a big deal for

BUDGET

medical marijuana across the country.”

Just three months ago, a clear majority of Americans for the first time said the drug should be legalized – 58 percent of those surveyed, which represents a 10-percentage-point jump in just one year, according to the Gallup Poll. Such acceptance is almost five times what Gallup found when public opinion polling on marijuana began in 1969.

And last month in California, where the legalization measure Proposition 19 went down to defeat in 2010, the Field Poll reported what it called its first clear majority in favor of legalizing pot - 55 percent of those polled, compared with just 13 percent in 1969.

“What has happened now is we have reached the national tipping point on marijuana reform,” said Stephen Gutwillig, deputy executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group.

“Marijuana legalization has gone from an abstract concept to a mainstream issue to a political reality within a three-year period.”

The Obama administration said last year it would not interfere in states that allow commercial marijuana sales – as long as they are strictly regulated. But pot remains illegal under federal law, and messages from on high are mixed.

The Obama administration said last year it would not interfere in states that allow commercial marijuana sales – as long as they are strictly regulated. But pot remains illegal under federal law, and messages from on high are mixed.

On Wednesday, the chief of operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration, James L. Capra, told a Senate panel, “Going down the path to legalization in this country is reckless and irresponsible.”

But in a lengthy New Yorker interview published Sunday, President Barack Obama said of legalization in Washington and Colorado, “it’s important for it to go forward because it’s important for society not to have a situation in which a large portion of

people have at one time or another broken the law and only a select few get punished.”

Obama said of marijuana, “I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol.”

The big question, of course, is why attitudes toward marijuana are shifting now. And the answer, according to pollsters and drug-policy experts, is a complicated stew of demographics, personal experience, electoral success and the failure of existing drug policy.

To Alison Holcomb, the American Civil Liberties Union attorney who wrote the ballot measure that legalized recreational marijuana in Washington state, the “enormous jump” in approval of legalization in see

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tional $40 million in funding would constitute a visionary investment in the students of today and tomorrow, and an enduring investment in the Commonwealth and its future,” sConnolly said.

The additional funding, – which would be one of the the largest increases in UMass history, – would mean the state pays for 50 percent of the educational programs. Prior to the budget increase, students and their families would pay over half of the cost of the educational programs, according a UMass press release.

“The Patrick Administration is committed to providing affordable and accessible world-class educational opportunities to all residents of the Commonwealth,” Neff said.

Connolly said that the University is

cautiously optimistic about whether the budget increase will be approved, and asked for statewide support.

“While we are optimistic, we think it is important for everyone – students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, friends of the university – to join forces behind this funding increase for the five campuses of the UMass system,” he said.

The five elected student trustees that represent the 72,000 UMass students issued a joint statement last week urging the Governor and the state legislators to grant the system the second year of 50-50 funding.

“Providing a second year of 50-50 funding would ease the financial burden on students and their families at a time when affordability and studentdebt remain significant issues in the nation and in our state,” the trustees

wrote. “With double-digit unemployment prospects for the typical collegeaged youth, continued state investment in university education is critical now more than ever.”

They added, “The funding … would constitute a visionary investment in the students of today and tomorrow and an enduring investment in the Commonwealth and its future.”

Gov. Patrick is scheduled to unveil his budget proposal this week, after which legislators will have the opportunity to discuss the proposal and vote on it.

UMass students currently pay an average of $13,242 in tuition and fees, with an additional $10,000 for room and board.

Chance Viles can be reached at cviles@umass. edu.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

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ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

The Campus Center has been taken over by Blue Wall renovations.

“We are planning to have the hole in the ground within a year,” said Swinford, who hopes to have it ready for occupancy by 2017.

South College will also undergo about $38 million worth of renovations within the year. A new building that will be connected to the college will house a large amount of the English department that is currently in Bartlett. The remainder of those in Bartlett will relocate to the Integrative Learning Center or existing spaces around campus.

Already in process is the Physical Sciences Building located near North Pleasant Street and West Experiment Station. This 350,000 square-foot building will be used for research laboratories for chemistry and physics. The project will be funded by the state with about $85 million. It is part of a campus master plan that was initiated several years ago in order to fulfill the campus’ mission to upgrade its science facilities and be more competitive with scientific research.

Swinford anticipates a twoyear time frame for this

“It is definitely rare to have this many construction projects going on.”

Campus Planning Director Dennis Swinford building’s construction.

With the amount of bulldozers and blocked walkways already around UMass, some students may be wary of further construction projects making it difficult to get around the campus. Swinford assured that aside from some inevitable noise, the construction will not be significantly disruptive. He looks forward to the new additions and renovations as an exciting future for UMass.

“It is definitely rare to have this many construction projects going on,” he said, “but they are all meant to increase the quality of life for students and make their experience better.”

Kate Leddy can be reached at kleddy@umass.edu.

Food for Thought Books to stay open for 38th year Bookstore exceeds online donation goal

By Malea Ritz Collegian Staff

In the final 62-hour time slot of their Indiegogo fundraiser campaign, Food for Thought Books reached their goal of $38,000, allowing the store to finance their 38th year of business after downsizing earlier this month.

The bookstore’s final gain from their 46-day online Indiegogo campaign was $40,573. According to Katherine Bhaduri, an owner of the store, nearly 500 people made donations. Although there were several large contributions, most people gave what they could, she said.

The money that was raised will go mostly toward construction and reducing the size of the store, while some additional funds will help pay off debt from textbook sales. The bookstore also hopes to secure a line of credit with the Cooperative Fund of New England, according to Bhaduri.

“A big part of our goal is also just to make sure we have the store stocked and that we could keep up to date with new materials and make sure that we’re providing the community with the same exciting media that we have been for the last 38 years,” Bhaduri said.

The renovation to downsize the bookstore took place between Dec. 25 to Jan. 15 and helped consolidate

SHAINA MISHKIN/COLLEGIAN

A banner in front of the store celebrates their achievement. The store’s space has been cut in half in order to save money. unused space by cutting the store’s size in half, with the bookstore no longer selling textbooks.

Food for Thought Books received additional financial support through an increase in store memberships, book donations for their used book department and several checks delivered in person.

Other help came in the form of events such as a book reading from local author Susan Stinson and a local band that held a benefit concert.

“It was a little bit surprising to see how much support there was when we asked for it,” Bhaduri said. She added, “People have been supportive through this whole process in many different ways.”

Food for Thought Books will continue to sell the books, notebooks and cards that it has sold in the past and is in the process of planning events for the new year.

Additionally, the bookstore

plans to expand their used book collection, which will feature relevant and new books at lower prices.

“We are all feeling very confident now, just a month or two ago we were worried that we might close, but we asked the community for help … and people poured out in huge numbers,” Bhaduri said. “We’re hoping to be here for the next 38 years.”

The owners of Food for Thought Books hope the community will remember that they are there, shop there when they can and come out to their events.

“We’re just very thankful [to] the community for all the effort that they’ve put into keeping us here and we look forward to seeing people when we reopen,” Bhaduri said.

Malea Ritz can be reached at mritz@ umass.edu.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

POLICE

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police departments have to work together is because of the large student population living in the shared patrol areas. The neighborhoods in those areas have complained about “loud parties, foot traffic and drinking,” Livingstone said.

“A lot more dialogue is happening now more than ever” said Archbald said.

“The neighbors want more police presence.”

The two departments believe that sharing the problem areas is the best response. Livingstone said that the shared patrol is “going very well. – There has been a reduction in noise and general nuisance.”

“I know the two communities are committed to working together. It’s a community problem – it takes a community to work on it.”

UMass Police Deputy Chief Patrick Archbald The two departments have historically helped each other out in the Southwest Residential Area on campus during the times that the Red Sox make it to the World Series, or when the Patriots make it to the Super Bowl.

UMass students are known to celebrate in Southwest at those times and police must be on hand to make sure that nothing gets out of con-

DailyCollegian.com

trol.

The two police departments also assist each other at the Mullins Center during times of events.

“I know the two communities are committed to working together,” Archbald said. “It’s a community problem – it takes a community to work on it.”

Marleigh Felsenstein can be reached at mfelsenstein@umass.edu.

just a year does not reflect “changes in attitudes about marijuana specifically.

Rather, it’s a change in attitudes about whether it’s OK to support marijuana law reform.”

In other words, Americans don’t necessarily like pot more than they used to. The percentage of those who have actually tried it has stayed in the 30 percent range for three decades. Rather, Americans are simply fed up with criminal penalties they say are neither costeffective nor just.

Those looking for evidence of marijuana’s new momentum need only look to Jan. 8.

That’s the day recreational pot supporters delivered around 46,000 signatures to election officials in Alaska – 50 percent more than required – putting a measure on legalization one step closer to a vote in the largely Republican state.

That same afternoon in deeply Democratic New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a former prosecutor with a history of opposing the drug, announced a modest medical marijuana pilot project.

“Research suggests that medical marijuana can help manage the pain and treatment of cancer and other serious illnesses,” an uncomfortable looking Cuomo said, giving the subject 27 seconds in a nearly 90-minute State of the State address.

As Cuomo noted, an increasing number of states have enacted medical marijuana laws. California was the first in 1996, followed by 20 others and the District of Columbia.

The embrace of medical marijuana to ease ills including Alzheimer’s disease and seizures is one reason that support for marijuana has continued to grow. Just listen to the Pepper family.

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The drugs that Riverside, Calif., attorney Letitia Pepper, 59, took to slow the progression of her multiple sclerosis caused side effects worse than the disease itself, with its numbness, loss of dexterity and temporary loss of vision.

The only relief, Pepper said, came when she began using marijuana in 2007. Today she is gathering signatures to get the California Cannabis Hemp Initiative 2014 on the ballot.

She had grown up, she said, as “a good girl. My homework was done. I knew marijuana was illegal.” She tried it once when she was 25, didn’t like it and left it behind. Until she needed it to help her function.

Pepper’s improvement wasn’t lost on her mother, Lorraine, 85, of Oceanside, Calif. Two years ago, the retired home economics teacher had surgery to repair a hiatal hernia; her stomach had migrated through the hole in her diaphragm into her chest cavity.

“Since that time, my brain hasn’t worked like it used to, and my body hasn’t either,” said the elder Pepper, who opposed marijuana until her daughter began using it. She takes it as well, in a non-intoxicating liquid form. “Anything that will help, I will try. I don’t think I sense a great improvement, but I have gradually gotten better.”

Although people 65 and older are the only age group that pollsters say still opposes legalization, their support for the drug has also jumped more in recent years than that of any other. Between 2011 and 2013, Gallup found that the percentage of older Americans in favor of legalization rose 14 percentage points - more than double any other group surveyed.

Graham Boyd, who has worked on marijuana legalization efforts nationwide,

***IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT*** REGISTRATION FOR Fall 2013 The Writing Program Placement Test will be offered on: Tuesday, January 21, 2014 @ 5:30pm, Bartlett 206 You must take this exam to qualify for enrollment in Engl EnglWrit 112 (College Writing).

This test may be taken only once.

Students do not need to register for the test.

agrees that “the big movement is among older and more conservative voters.”

But Boyd said internal polling showed that new converts to marijuana support “don’t particularly like marijuana, don’t have much experience in using marijuana and aren’t deeply attached to the position.”

This is not, he said, “a hooray-for-marijuana vote.

It’s a vote that what we are doing now is not working.”

Boyd was counsel for the late philanthropist Peter Lewis, who commissioned a long-term, indepth research project after the defeat of California’s Proposition 19 to understand the “landslide retreat from marijuana support.”

That effort, Boyd said, revealed that “instead of talking about the virtues of marijuana, we need to talk about the better approach of control through regulation.” Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg, who spearheaded Lewis’ research project, said that message connected with voters in Washington state and Colorado.

Once voters approved legalization in Washington and Colorado in 2012, public opinion began to change dramatically - enough so that marijuana advocates have high hopes for 2014 and 2016.

“The ice-breaking effect of Washington and Colorado allowed more people to say (legalization) might be an option,” said the ACLU’s Holcomb.

“If Oregon and Alaska go (for legalization) it will be very big. ... And I’m holding out hope for California.

If California goes in 2014, that’s going to be huge.”

Times staff writer Tina Susman in New York contributed to this story.

Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” - Jack London

Climate change still a threat This winter, record low temperatures have been seen across the United

Jillian Correira States, along with snowstorm Hercules dumping nearly two feet of snow in some areas in the Northeast in early January. This weather has given climate change deniers “evidence” to support their claim that climate change, specifically global warming, doesn’t exist.

Unfortunately, their evidence isn’t actually evidence; it’s anecdotal.

Weather and climate change are not the same. It is not logical to justify

tex detached from above the North Pole and made its way southward. Ryan Maue, a Florida-based meteorologist, told the L.A. Times that the polar vortex is “a normal feature that’s part of the polar climate.”

Despite the scientific explanations for the cold temperatures, the reasoning that “global warming isn’t real because weather happens” is persistent and it’s used by many i n fl u e n -

country Congressional climate change deniers want the United States to be, one where they’ll gladly accept millions of dollars from the fossil fuel industry and deny the science behind global warming, is a frighteningly terrible example for the rest of the world.

President Obama, who has on multiple occasions voiced his support for fighting climate change, looked to place the U.S. at the forefront of efforts to reduce

being done. Education seems to be the best bet; it’s undoubtedly important that we teach children (and everyone, for that matter) the urgency of climate change.

It also helps to drown out the noise. The L.A. Times recently stopped accepting letters for publication from climate change deniers.

Their letters editor Paul Thornton explained in an editor’s note, “Letters that have an untrue basis (for example, ones that say there’s no sign humans have caused climate change) do not get printed.”

Editorial@DailyCollegiancom

Nobody likes Obamacare Recently there has been social security is a simple fix, a torrent of columns, arti- green energy is a minor discles and news stories which agreement and gay rights is a walk in the park. All three are Stefan Herlitz important issues which weigh heavily on the minds of polittake aim at the failings of ically-minded individuals and the Patient Protection and consistently are the subject of Affordable Care Act. They movements and campaigns, predict the ultimate doom but none of them threatens to of the system that only actu- derail the entire economy of ally took effect on January the United States of America.

1; they loudly proclaim that Despite healthcare’s pressing Obamacare is not an effective importance and desperate solution, let alone a moral or need for reform, unlike the just one. However, what sets other issues, it’s not making this recent crop of anti-Obam- progress, because the two acare journalism apart from sides are so far apart on this the kind we’ve seen since issue that a compromise to the bill was introduced is its specifically iron out the existsource: it is written by liber- ing difficulties of the system simply cannot happen. als.

To fix the system, one Michael Moore for the New York Times, David Cay would need to fix Medicare Johnston for Newsweek and reimbursements, erase state Pearl Korn for Huffington borders in the healthcare Post, among others, have market, eliminate employer blasted Obamacare, seeking involvement in providing

Compared to healthcare, social security is a simple fix, green energy is a minor disagreement and gay rights is a walk in the park.

the nonexistence of global warming by saying, “the weather is cold in winter, therefore the earth is not getting warmer.” Climate change is detected by studying patterns and trends over periods of time. Singular events are insufficient to either prove or disprove it.

Also, thanks to earth’s tilted axis, seasons do exist. Global warming is not equivalent to an earth in a suspended state of summer. And though we have seen instances of record-low temperatures this winter, a February 2013 Climate Central report shows that across the U.S. since the 1970s, winters have, in fact, been getting warmer over time.

The frigid temperatures some areas of the U.S. have been experiencing can be explained by what’s called a “polar vortex,” which sounds like a cool “Star Wars” planet Hoth thing, but it’s not, and despite its dangerous-sounding name, it’s pretty simple to understand.

According to meteorologists speaking to the Los Angeles Times, the polar vortex is a “huge mass of arctic air [that] has slipped away from the North Pole, settled over the U.S. and made everything really, really cold.” Usually, masses of arctic air are held in to either the North or South Pole by jet streams; this particular polar vor-

* t i a l people to serve their false sense of accuracy in the climate change debate. By influential, I don’t only mean Donald Trump (though I do believe his prominence in pop culture does not help the climate change cause) - I’m talking our very own representatives in Congress. Recently, Louisiana Congressman John Fleming tweeted out a CBS News link to an article about the recent record-low temperatures, along with his own personal message, “‘Global Warming’ isn’t so warm these days.” Clever.

Rep. Fleming isn’t the only person in Congress denying the science behind climate change. The organization Think Progress has an interactive map of the U.S. detailing all of the Congressional climate change deniers in each state – who are entirely Republican.

I think it’s important to point out that these representatives are the same people who believe the United States should be a global leader, a place other countries should look to as a shining example of success, a model for the rest of the world. But the

* No, really. We want you, we need you.

global gas emissions at the start of his first term as president, hoping other countries would follow the lead. His goal was a global treaty similar to (but better than) the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

The Kyoto Protocol is a global treaty that set targets for curbing greenhouse gas emissions in each country that signed on and was widely seen as “badly flawed,” according to The New York Times.

Many countries who signed it didn’t take it seriously and didn’t meet the requested emission targets.

The U.S. didn’t even ratify it. The lesson here, says Bill McKibben of environmental organization 350. org, is that “if the U.S. isn’t taking it seriously, there is no reason for anyone else to.” President Obama’s 2009 attempt at a treaty that sought other countries to agree to reduce emissions failed to result in any “legally binding commitments,” according to The New York Times.

So how do we stop the culture of climate change deniers from globally spreading dangerous misinformation? If there’s an answer to that question, it’s probably already

This is because, for them, the debate is no longer. Climate scientists are 95 percent certain that global warming exists and that it is man-made threat (though it doesn’t seem high enough to some, 95 percent is generally considered the gold standard for certainty in science).

And 97 percent of climate scientists are at a consensus that “climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities,” according to NASA’s global climate change web page.

These are the facts.

And yet we live in a reality where people genuinely believe that a boat carrying climate scientists that got stuck in a piece of arctic ice -- which probably broke off precisely because of global warming -- proves that global warming doesn’t exist. If climate change deniers have resorted to this type of reasoning in an attempt to prove the unprovable, hopefully it signifies an inevitable end to their culture of denial.

Jillian Correira is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at jcorreir@ umass.edu.

instead to replace it with a single-payer, universal healthcare system similar to those found in many other developed nations.

With the final withdrawal of the liberals, Obamacare now has no political supporters to defend it other than the President’s own administration. Political conservatives have hated it from the get-go, liberals now publicly want to switch systems entirely in favor of single-payer, and the center (already a neglected policy bloc) just sees a massive mess of a system, and it is right. Our healthcare system is a bizarre abomination that primarily relies on employers to provide care to their employees, has varying inconsistent levels of state-provided care and yet also has such an incredible number of restrictions that it bears no resemblance to a free market.

It is a mess, but how did we get here? Who actually wanted this system in the first place?

No one. Conservatives have always been for freemarket healthcare, liberals have always been for state-run healthcare and the respective political parties they use to achieve their political ends have consistently stuck to this dichotomy. Healthcare has been, and will most assuredly continue to be, a major battleground of modern politics. It is by far the most clear-cut example of the fight over the role of government in citizens’ everyday lives in today’s political climate, one that is exacerbated by the fact that the current system is burdensome, inconvenient and absurdly expensive.

Republicans and Democrats disagree on quite a lot of issues, but in no other case is the existing system so incomprehensibly terrible that it is a problem that must be tackled to ensure the future of the U.S. economy.

Compared to healthcare,

coverage, fix abysmally low Medicare reimbursement rates and make the costs of all medical procedures and treatments public information, among other things.

These are not easy fixes on their own, but when put together they become a system of healthcare coverage that, while more efficient and effective than what we currently have, does not fit the ideal of either party.

A fixed version of our current system would maintain government-sponsored healthcare for the poor and elderly, have an individual mandate and prohibit the denial of coverage based on preexisting conditions while simultaneously leaving it to individuals to purchase the coverage they want, promoting competition between insurance providers and eliminating the employer tax exemption for healthcare.

Neither conservatives nor liberals are willing to commit to long-term healthcare reform which would not conform to their distinct definitions of what the healthcare system should be, yet true reform would contain some provisions hated by liberals and others hated by conservatives.

And this is why both sides of the political spectrum want a completely new system: neither wants to fix what we already have. In the name of ideological purity, both parties have abandoned the ideals of good governance and compromise. Healthcare is an enormously complex issue, so it is absurd, in fact almost criminal, for elected officials to suggest that there is a simple solution. In their separate crusades against the system, they have forgotten that the best system is not the one which best fits a certain moral or ideological paradigm, but the one that works.

Stefan Herlitz is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at sherlitz@umass. edu.

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A6

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

The case for a shorter winter break The month long winter It’s not that a month long break between semesters in pause in the middle of wincollege is one welcomed by ter isn’t nice; it is, but while winter break begins as an Steven Gillard exciting and carefree time for most, it often ends in students. After a semester monotony. There just isn’t of 8 a.m. wakeups, late night much to do, especially when studying and treks across temperatures are freezing campus in freezing weather, and snow covers the ground. four weeks at home seems Moreover, it is difficult to almost too good to be true. remain motivated at home With no deadlines to meet when you know that the cirand no tests to study for, cumstances of your life will the average student goes completely change in just a into winter break with only month. With second semesa couple of things in mind: ter looming overhead, sleephang out with old friends ing in and staying out late and sleep—a lot. becomes almost justifiable— As the first semester of you have to take advantage my second year at college of the free time while you came to a close, I couldn’t can. However, when you help but feel a great sense have four or five weeks off, of relief at the prospect of laziness soon becomes a

Students would be less inclined to sink into habits that might be detrimental to their second semester success and would also be prolonging their summer. no stress for a whole month.

But now, with second semester right around the corner, I can’t help but feel that winter break might have been too long.

Why do we need a vacation that extends from the middle of December to the end of January? In my experience, the length of winter break only makes it harder to get back in the routine of college life. If second semester were to start up a few days after the beginning of the New Year, going back to a schedule of waking up early and sitting in class for hours at a time would not be nearly as hard.

Instead, students stay at home well past the New Year, and become accustomed to a totally different life. You get used to working.

You get used to driving. You get used to hanging out with your friends from home.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong getting used to living at home; however, it seems kind of like a tease when you still have the whole spring semester ahead of you and four more months of hard work before the summer begins.

It would make more sense if winter break were only a few weeks long, just enough time for students to enjoy the holidays with their families and spend some times with their friends. What’s more, if the semester started earlier, it would end earlier and summer vacation could begin sometime in mid-April rather than early May.

habit and you are suddenly even less ready to face the papers and tests that await you in the spring.

Give students a shorter winter break: they will still have plenty of time to enjoy the comforts of home, but it won’t be so much time that the break becomes repetitive. I would much rather have the three weeks off following the New Year to be eliminated and tacked on to the beginning of the summer when there is more to do and much more free time ahead of me.

Think about it: in one year, the college student spends about five months at home and about seven at school. Because living at college as opposed to living at home is so much different, it would be better to make the days spent at college as consecutive as possible and the days spent at home as consecutive as possible as well.

With a shorter winter break, students would be less inclined to sink into habits that might be detrimental to their second semester success and would also be prolonging their summer. The month long winter break does not seem so much a break as an interruption in the school year, an unnecessarily long one that does little to benefit students and makes the transition back to college more difficult.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

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Students schooled in cynicism In 1994, Congress passed a small scuffle. Otherwise a law requiring that any well-behaved teenage girls expelled and sent to juveHannah Sparks nile boot camps for bringing mixed drinks to lunch.

These kids may have brostudent who brings a firearm into a school face a one- ken the rules, but they’re year expulsion and laid the hardly juvenile delinquents groundwork for today’s “zero- and they definitely do not tolerance” school disciplinary belong in the criminal juspolicies. Growing out of the tice system. Secretary of war on drugs and strength- Education Arne Duncan and ening in response to school Attorney General Eric Holder shootings, these policies were have issued a report that designed to keep elementary, advises school administrators middle and high school stu- to pursue these strict modes dents safe by keeping weap- of punishment only as a last ons and drugs out of schools. resort.

For a time, troubled schools Those policies have farbecame safer places. Twenty reaching negative conseyears later, however, school quences: Removing students districts nationwide are from school for nonviolent reevaluating these policies as more and more students face fines, probation and arrests for nonviolent behavior previously handled internally.

“Zero-tolerance” refers to behavior and introducing the fact that no matter the them to the criminal justice extenuating circumstances system hurts their chances or how innocent a mistake it of graduating high school, was, any infraction of a rule let alone getting into college, will bring about disciplinary entering the military or landaction. Keeping drugs and ing a job. The experience can guns out of schools is com- embitter them and lead them mon sense, but current incar- to live a life of actual crime. nations of the policy seem to Zero-tolerance doesn’t be anything but. Ibuprofen, discipline students – it ruins butter knives, theater props them. And that’s not what our and merely gesturing “finger schools should be aiming to pistols” during recess has do. incurred the wrath of paraZero-tolerance is based noid administrators and led to on the same ideology that is suspensions and expulsions at the foundation of the U.S. despite the fact that none of prison-industrial complex. these objects pose any more The United States incarcerdanger than a lacrosse stick ates more people than any or a fist. other nation on earth, and A 10-year-old girl expelled the rate of incarceration has for packing a small knife more than quadrupled since with her lunch in order to cut 1980, mostly due to harshan apple. A 12-year-old boy er drug sentencing laws. forced to pay fines, do com- According to the Washington munity service and serve four Post’s Wonkblog, the most months of probation after serious charge against 51

percent of federal prison inmates is a drug offense, whereas only one percent of federal inmates are in prison for murder. More than twothirds of prisoners reoffend, so the expensive business of incarcerating millions of people isn’t even an effective way to rehabilitate criminals or deter crime, which is the whole point.

Why should we bring this unsuccessful system of discipline into schools? Throwing more people into the criminal justice system, especially so early, spells disaster for society, and should, as Duncan and Holder advise, only be used as a last resort. For many even misbehaved stu-

guilty by internal disciplinary boards. Think book reports and apology letters, like at Occidental College, which is under investigation for Title IX violations.

This strange dichotomy defies reason: Children are arrested for acting like, well, children, albeit mischievous ones. Their mistakes are criminalized and dealt with by the police, rather than by the principal. Meanwhile, adult-aged rapists – many of them repeat offenders – walk around campus, dangerous and undetected. Their crimes are handled by internal review boards, rather than by police, despite the fact that their actions are definitely

Zero-tolerance doesn’t discipline students – it ruins them. And that’s not what our schools should be aiming to do. dents, school represents their best chance for a better life, which is something we should value. With this in mind, a few states, like Texas and Florida, have adopted laws that allow school principals to exercise discretion and consider the extenuating circumstances in situations that would have been handled at the zero-tolerance chopping block in the past.

On the opposite spectrum of school discipline, numerous colleges and universities across the nation are facing Title IX and other federal investigations for failing to respond adequately to reports of sexual assault on their campuses. Many of the colleges are accused of creating hostile environments for survivors and for handing out disproportionately lame punishments to those perpetrators that are actually found

criminal.

In neither case do schools have the best interests of their students at heart and it doesn’t make sense until you consider the money and the press involved. PR-conscious colleges don’t want to lose face or funds, so they sweep controversies under the rug.

Elementary, middle and high schools benefit from appearing “tough on crime,” and furthermore, really have no practical interest in keeping troubled kids in their classrooms. It’s a sad state of affairs for a branch of our society meant to instill children with knowledge and teach them right from wrong.

Instead, our society’s children are receiving an education in cynicism.

Hannah Sparks is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at hsparks@umass. edu.

Steven Gillard is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at sgillard@ umass.edu.

The relevance of Ginsberg’s ‘America’ today “America I’ve given you all and now I am nothing./ America two dollars and

Maral Margossian twenty seven cents January 17, 1956,” Allen Ginsberg wrote in the first two lines of his poem “America.” In this poem, Ginsberg, an iconic poet of the Beat Generation, expressed his discontent with American politics and values in a rampant, stream of consciousness, style. 58 years later, his lines still apply today.

America seven dollars and twenty-five cents January 19, 2014.

The American dream that each succeeding generation will be better off than the generation before is just that: a dream. The future always used to seem to promise prosperity. But according to the New York Times article, “America’s sinking middle

class” by Eduardo Porter, “the net worth of the typical American family in the middle of the income distribution fell to $66,000 in 2010 — 6 percent less than in 1989 after inflation.” As the net worth declines, so does the ability for many Americans to live comfortably.

How can we even begin to fight a war on poverty with a non-livable minimum wage that leaves individuals and families drowning in debt?

The seven dollars and twentyfive cents pittance mocks the worth of countless hardwork-

als too high up on the income ladder look down and dismiss their hardships as a result of laziness and irresponsibility. They offer two dollars for each limb and about 63 cents for their eyes, but nothing for their minds. These workers are seen as mechanical extensions sustaining the heart of the enterprise; why would their minds matter? Not even a penny for their thoughts.

“America when will you be angelic?”

You speak of freedom yet incarcerate more than any other country. You eulogize

tice but dole it out to those represented most eloquently during their trial of rhetoric. Your actions stray too far from your values for it to be mere hypocrisy. Perhaps they are just downright lies.

“America why are your libraries full of tears?”

You were conceived by noble ideals then born through revolution. But since your genesis, you have overseen the countless bloodshed of innocent lives. From the Appalachians to the Rockies, no rock was left unturned; you called it your destiny: such

called it foreign policy. But we are trying to make amends now. Who will you pass on the scalding torch of hegemony to? Who will be foolish enough to take it?

“Your machinery is too much for me.”

I can’t keep up with your technology. Everything is bigger, better, faster, stronger, smarter. I am told each new device is the thing of the future. But I don’t want the future. I want the present. I keep looking for it, but I can’t seem to find it. I seem to always be a day or two ahead. You call this efficiency, productivity.

I’m not sure what to call it, Type A perhaps. Your technology is supposed to make us feel safe. At least that’s what the military industrial coming individuals. When these democracy yet spy on your a beautiful word to describe plex says I should feel, only struggling men and women citizens and allies. You take a hideous reality. North and as long as we have a military. take to the streets rallying for pride in equality yet deny mil- south, east and west, parallels So we pay our taxes to build welfare and demanding high- lions the right to marry the and divides, buffers and zones, ever-powerful machines that er wages, detached individu- ones they love. You hail jus- you carved up the world and can destroy our earth several

Your actions stray too far from your values for it to be mere hypocrisy.

Perhaps they are just downright lies.

times over, just so that we feel safe.

“It occurs to me that I am America.”

You majored in marketing, rebranded the faith in yourself and called it patriotism. This was the smartest move you have ever made.

You were able to bind countless groups of different people together through ideals you ferociously stand for. I believe in freedom, and equality and justice. It occurs to me that I am American. No mattaer how much scorn I may hold toward your certain policies, or childish inability to cooperate or assertion of dominance in unwelcome places, the minute your flag is raised, I can’t help but feel pride. America, I have fallen into your trap.

America, I don’t think I want to get out.

Maral Margossian is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at mmargossian@umass.edu.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

McConnell misunderstands founders on filibuster The overwhelming ideo- tered 86 nominees. Out of logical discord in Congress the 168 nominees blocked continues to impede gov- by the Senate in U.S. history, 82 were nominated by Zac Bears Obama.

On Thursday, President ernment progress on any Obama said, “Today’s patmajor policy issues. The tern of obstruction — it just latest mudslinging con- isn’t normal. It’s not what test is over the extension our founders envisioned.” of long-term unemploy- However, in April 2005, ment benefits to 1.5 mil- while still a Senator, Obama lion Americans out-of-work said, “[The American due to the 2008 recession. people] don’t expect…one However, this is mostly party…to change the rules being used as a shield to in the middle of the game.” refight old battles, such McConnell has made the as GOP opposition to the opposite ideological flipAffordable Care Act (ACA) flop. On Thursday, he said, and the recent decision “It reminds [the American by the Democratic Senate people] of the power grab… leadership to “go nuclear” Democrats set up one set

decision to “go nuclear” on the filibuster for nominations has been to decry to growing inequity in Senate rulemaking and the apparent ignorance of the founders’ intent on Senate procedure.

In a January 12 Politico Magazine feature, McConnell said, “That’s why, if lawmakers are to face up to the most pressing national challenges ahead, we will need to restore the Senate to the place the founders in their wisdom intended, not the hollow shell of the institution we have today.”

But McConnell shows his own ignorance of the found-

Tyranny of the minority, on the other hand? Well, the founders advised us more than 200 years ago; they placed the simple majority at the heart of the Constitution. We just refuse to consent. by ending the minority party’s right to filibuster presidential nominations.

In a January 9 Senate floor speech, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “For months, the Democrats who run Washington have been desperate to distract from the pain of Obamacare…”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid responded, “We know the Republicans are not going to allow us to close these long overdue tax loopholes. So they come up with all this chicanery like whacking Obamacare.”

This broader inability of Congress to pass laws, maintain civil debate and engage in the business of governance stems from one problem: obstruction. Since Obama’s inauguration in 2009, the GOP Senate minority has filibustered 82 presidential nominees, while before 2009, Senate majorities had only filibus-

of rules for themselves and another for everybody else.” In May 2005, he said, “The majority in the Senate is prepared to restore the Senate’s traditions and precedence…it’s time to move away from…advise and obstruct and get back to advise and consent.”

Both Republican Senator John Cornyn and Harry Reid have undergone a similar transition as their parties moved from majorityto-minority and minorityto-majority, respectively.

A senator’s filibuster ideology sways almost as easily as the majority of the U.S. Senate. Regardless of party, a senate minority will always desire as much political power as possible.

A robust filibuster, particularly when combined with a split Congress, provides a minority party with a veto on most policy business.

McConnell’s response to the Democratic leadership

repeatedly because the minority party would filibuster any attempt at rule change.

A letter to the Baltimore Sun from December cites a variety of sources stating that one of the founders’ greatest fears was minority rule in Congress, including Federalist Papers 22, 58 and 75. The senate filibuster specifically countermands the intent of the founders as it pertains to majority rule.

The author states, “The Framers in 1787 deliberately asserted that a simple majority of the members of each House was a quorum and that there would be only a few votes requiring a two-thirds majority for passage.”

Only on the most important issues (overriding a veto, expelling a member of Congress, amending the Constitution and approving treaties) did the founders require greater than a simple majority of the Congress. Now, the founders’ system of a three-step system founded in a simple majority has given way to minority rule.

All legislation at the federal level now faces four procedural vetoes: the president, the House majority, the Senate majority and the Senate minority. The founders placed great emphasis on majority rule but feared tyranny of the majority and created a system to contain it.

Tyranny of the minority, on the other hand? Well, the founders advised us more than 200 years ago; they placed the simple majority at the heart of the Constitution. We just refuse to consent.

ers’ intent for Congress.

The framers built a legislative system whereby all bills would see three separate approval processes before becoming law: a simple majority of the U.S. House (50 percent + 1 vote), a simple majority of the U.S. Senate and the signature of the president.

According to a history of the filibuster by Sarah Binder, the first one occurred in 1837, and the view that 19th century “filibusters were reserved for the great issues of the day and that all senators cherished extended debate… misreads history in two ways.”

Binder shows that there were few filibusters before Civil War because the Senate operated by majority rule and senators expected that all bills would be brought to a vote. In fact, Zac Bears is a Collegian columthe majority attempted to nist. He can be reached at ibears@ ban filibusters but failed umass.edu.

Letters tothe edItor

Editorial@DailyCollegian.com

A few weeks ago I took my son Sam to play a basketball game with his 3rd and 4th grade recreational league in Belchertown. The atmosphere was very positive, with parents cheering for their own children and for their friends’ children on the opposing team. The gym at Chestnut Hill Community School displays the “Peace Builders” pledge and slogans, reminders of what bullying looks like and how to prevent it. From what I heard and saw during that game, from the “nice shot”s to the high fives, the Peace Builders program was fully in play.

A couple hours later, I was sitting between Sam and my father at the Mullins Center, cheering as the University of Massachusetts Minutemen took to the court to play Miami University.

We were on our feet greeting the home team and high fiving each other. Then the RedHawks starting lineup was announced, a routine I’m used to, as a Minutemen fan of 25 years. We typically sit down, pass around the popcorn and tune out the visitors line up.

But last weekend, it was a little different. As the RedHawks took the floor, each player was greeted with “you suck” in addition to the typical boos. I heard this chant at the St. Joe’s game the other night; what was different is that I didn’t have my nine hear old son sitting there, asking me “why is that okay, Mom?” I told Sam that sporting events, especially at the college and pro levels, bring out a lot of passion and excitement and that part of being

a dedicated fan is giving the opposing team a hard time.

I wanted to assure him that it wasn’t just at UMass, and that this was the “norm,” even if it wasn’t right, and that the same thing probably happens to the Minutemen on the road.

If you haven’t been schooled by a nine year old lately on bullying, let me tell you a few things that my son got me thinking about: First, just because it’s tradition doesn’t make it okay. We don’t need to put other people down to feel better about ourselves.

And finally, you never really know who your audience is exactly, so speak carefully.

All of the cells in my basketball-loving soul want to scream “it’s just a game!!,’ but the 100 percent of me that is a parent gets motivated to share this story

with other fans and parents, because, according to my son, not saying anything could make me part of the problem.

Do I want the Mullins Center to feel like a 4th grade basketball league? Of course not. Will I stop yelling at the ref for calls I disagree with? Unlikely. I don’t expect college students cheering on their home team to suddenly act like they are watching golf. If you’re part of the “YOU SUCK” chorus, just think about what you would say to the young kid who says the Minutemen don’t need you to put the other team down for them to be great.

Lisa Faulkingham Hunt Belchertown

Letters to the editor should be no longer than 550 words and can be submitted to either to Editorial@DailyCollegian.com or to DailyCollegian.com We regret that, due to space constraints, not all letters will be printed but can be found online.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

A7

Hollywood’s anti-gay agenda In “The Detective,” the Closet,” Tom Hanks notes protagonist befriends a gay “Philadelphia” features bachelor and then beats almost no intimacy between his character and his charBrandon Sides acter’s partner. Instead, says Hanks, the film portrays him to death. In another their relationship as more flick, a woman chants, “Kill of a bromance than a true her! Kill her! Kill her!” as romance. Hank’s interview a lesbian tyrant is stabbed and an article from the to death. “Rebel Without a “Advocate” reveal that the Cause” concludes after a studios cut the original dispolice squad shoots Plato, plays of affection between the homosexual murderer. the two gay characters. After These deaths are not all, TriStar Pictures had to unusual. In fact, Hollywood market the film to a straight has been villainizing and audience. killing its queer characEven though Hollywood ters since the era of silent has toned down its villainfilm. For nearly 40 years, its izing of queer characters, infamous censorship Code it still loves to kill them. banned, among other things, “The Guardian” has given LGBT characters in the its take on the matter: movies. Despite the Code’s “Since Philadelphia there end in 1968, and despite bet- have been … 257 Academy ter queer representation in Award-nominated portraytoday’s films, Hollywood’s als of heterosexual characanti-gay agenda continues to ters, and 23 of gay, bisexual this day. or [trans] characters. Of the In the early 20th century, heterosexual characters, powerful figures recognized 16.5% (59) die. Of the LGBT film’s influence on public characters, 56.5% (13) die. Of morality. A group of clerthe 10 LGBT characters who gymen, for example, conlive, only four get happy endvinced the mayor of New ings.”

York to close the city’s nickThere is better represenelodeons in 1908. Faced with tation in today’s films, but decreasing profits, the major studios began censoring the kill-the-queer trope, comfilm content to secure con- mon before 1968, still occurs tinued business. The 1930 today. Hank’s “Philadelphia” Hollywood Production Code character dies from AIDS, formalized these efforts and one of the Brokeback boys dramatically altered the face of American film.

Among forbidden content, such as nudity and taking the Lord’s name in vain, was sex perversion. The censorship boards would modify scripts at will, and for 40 years, daring queer filmmakers could only rely on double entendres and visual subtexts to convey the message. The Code would last until 1968, but its reign effectively erased the on-screen existence of the LGBT community.

Hollywood’s queer censorship went unnoticed by the public until a young film enthusiast named Vito Russo connected the dots. Russo labored in film archives for a decade to stitch together his magnum opus, “The Celluloid Closet.” The work includes more than 300 films from before, during, and after the Code, each of which include a queer character or a reference to the LGBT community. His research reveals that these 300-odd films, which span throughout Hollywood’s history, do not favor the queers.

More than 30 feature a queer character’s murder or suicide. Most others portray them as thieves, murderers, rapists or as mentally insane. Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rope,” for example, features two gays in suits who just can’t stop themselves from strangling people.

Even when queers do appear after the Code, they’re still often enemies whose death the audience cheers for. The cross-dressing murderer in 1973’s “Freebie in the Bean” is given several minutes of punches, kicks, and rounds of bullets before the character drops dead. One filmgoer recalled the audience applauding at that moment.

Of these films, only a select few portray the queer community in a positive light, let alone a neutral one.

In “Love and Death,” for example, Woody Allen jokes, “I wonder if Socrates and Plato took a house on Crete during the summer.” Such a harmless joke is rare. The rest short change the LGBT community.

Even after Stonewall and the Gay Liberation Front, when Hollywood films began to represent the queer community, the representation of same-sex relationships was still on unequal footing with its straight counterpart. In the documentary version of “The Celluloid

The censorship boards would modify scripts at will, and for 40 years, daring queer filmmakers could only rely on double entendres and visual subtexts to convey the message. The Code would last until 1968, but its reign effectively erased the on-screen existence of the LGBT community. is murdered, Hilary Swank kicks the bucket in “Boys Don’t Cry” and Sean Penn is, of course, shot to death in “Milk.” The business took until the 70s to include the queers as well-adjusted, nonviolent, and sane – common portrayals before the Code was dropped. Well-adjusted, non-violent, and sane or not, they’re still dying before the audience leaves.

1985 introduced the Bechdel Test, which reveals Hollywood films’ latent sexism American audiences have grown up with. The queers have followed suit.

GLAAD has created the Vito Russo Test in honor of the man’s groundbreaking research. The test requires a film to include an openly LGBT character who is included for more than their sexuality and who is not killed by the time the credits roll. Just six of 101 major Hollywood productions passed the test in the 2012 calendar year.

The original Code may be dead, but its effects still resonate in today’s world of film. Hollywood just can’t stop killing its queers even in a relatively tolerant era of “Modern Family” and “Brokeback Mountain.”

Bromance is not true love; compulsive murdering is not accurate portrayal; and today’s continued misrepresentation of the queer community is by no means a fair one.

Brandon Sides is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at bsides@ umass.edu.

DailyCollegian.com

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Comics

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

A8

WE WANT YOUR COMICS! Put your comics in front of thousands of readers.

Questions? Comments? Email us: comics@dailycollegian.com

I am personally resolving to eat more cheese and you really should too.

D inosaur C omiCs

B y r yan n orth

RESOLVING TIME!

P oorly D rawn l ines

B y r eza F arazmanD

aquarius

HOROSCOPES Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

leo

Jul. 23 - aug. 22

Resolve to not let class get in the way of your Resolve to get in shape! Start by hopping on social media time! down to the gym for an awkward 20 minute sprint on the treadmill and single 300 pound lift.

pisces

Feb. 19 - Mar. 20

virgo

aug. 23 - Sept. 22

Resolve to try peanut butter on something other than a banana or jelly, like a hotdog!

You never know!

Resolve to stop regretting missed classes, and instead take them as a “fill–in–the–blank” challenge.

aries

Mar. 21 - apr. 19

libra

Sept. 23 - Oct. 22

scorpio

Oct. 23 - nOv. 21

This semester is not about saving your meal plan. Resolve to swipe with reckless abandon, you beautiful disaster.

Resolve to make this the year that you finally domesticate the campus ducks. You have bread and they are strong in number.

taurus

apr. 20 - May. 20

This year is about forced change and creating resilience. Resolve to eat something other than Blue Wall pizza for every meal.

Resolve to be Beyoncé always while also having a healthy understanding that you are not actually Beyoncé.

gemini

May. 21 - Jun. 21

sagittarius

nOv. 22 - Dec. 21

Resolve to make healthier food choices! Next time you go to have some ranch dressing, maybe try it with a salad.

Resolve to not take Netflix for granted by writing the help desk loving messages every time you finish a season.

cancer

capricorn

Jun. 22 - Jul. 22

Resolve to work on your agility, it’ll be the only way to keep ahead of the ever–changing routes around campus.

Dec. 22 - Jan. 19

Resolve to eat a banana with peanut butter every day, literally just because you can.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Sports@DailyCollegian.com

@MDC_SPORTS

HOCKEY

AHEAD OF THE PACK

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Minutemen cruise past Elon on road Lalanne leads UM with 23 points

By Patrick Strohecker Collegian Staff

COURTESY OF CHRIS RUTSCH

Former UMass defenseman Conor Allen is making a name for himself in professional hockey, and even made his NHL debut in December.

Conor Allen gets brief taste of the NHL

By Nick caNelaS

I

Collegian Staff

t was just an ordinary Friday night.

Conor Allen was sitting on the couch in his Hartford, Conn., home, playing cards with a group of friends, when he received a phone call from an unfamiliar number around 10:30 p.m.

He answered suspiciously. Initially, he thought it was a prank call because he didn’t recognize the voice on the other end. That mystery voice actually belonged to Ken Gernander, Allen’s coach for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.

Gernander wasn’t just looking to chat, however. He had with him the most exciting news of the 23-year-old’s hockey career: Allen was being called up to the New York Rangers.

Next thing he knew, he was on a flight to Washington, D.C., where

“You see these guys on the ice and you get this feeling like you have to play well.”

Conor Allen, former UMass defenseman the Rangers played the Capitals that night, to meet his new teammates.

“It was a weird feeling knowing I was getting called up,” Allen said.

“You try not to think about it. Everyone just tells you to take care of business in the AHL and if you do that the NHL will figure itself out.

“Once it happened I didn’t know what to do.

I had to start packing, I called people. It felt like the first day I signed my contract last spring. I had that same sort of butterfly feeling.”

At this time last year, Allen was a junior defenseman on the Massachusetts hockey team, competing against the likes of Boston College, Maine and Vermont. He wasn’t drafted out of juniors, and

a future in hockey beyond his senior season was far from a given.

However, Allen started to establish himself as one of the premier blue liners in Hockey East by the middle of the year. And it all came to fruition on March 29, 2013 – just two weeks after the end of UMass’ season – when he signed a professional contract with the Rangers, forfeiting his final year of eligibility at UMass.

Exactly nine months later, he was in Tampa Bay making his NHL debut.

The experience Allen was more prepared for his first NHL game than one may think. He played with the Rangers during the preseason, so his nerves were calmed.

However, this was the regular season. The game was faster. The stakes were greater. Skating with the likes of Rick Nash and Ryan Callahan, his desire to make an impression suddenly intensified.

“You see these guys on the ice and you get this feeling like you have to play well,” Allen said.

“Not that I didn’t feel that in college, but it was a little more magnified when it’s these NHL superstars.”

Allen’s first two games were certainly memorable. In his debut against the Lightning, Allen was on the ice in the game’s final two minutes to help preserve a one-goal lead.

Two nights later, Allen and the Rangers held off the Florida Panthers for another one-goal win.

But Allen’s most unforgettable moment came in his third game against Sidney Crosby and the mighty Pittsburgh see

ALLEN on page B3

closer than seven points in the final 20 minutes.

While the first half belonged to Lalanne, Williams took over the second half for the Minutemen.

He scored all 20 of his points in the second half, taking over the offensive load for UMass as Putney, Derrick Gordon and Sampson Carter combined for just 15 points.

“I thought Cady played huge (Saturday) and I though Chaz was great in the second half,” Kellogg said. “We actually looked like we played with a good deal of energy (Saturday).

I thought our defense was much more pronounced and we were sharper.”

Elon used hot 3-point shooting to stay within reach, making nine 3s at a 38 percent clip.

The Minutemen entered Saturday’s game as the firstever ranked team to go to Elon and knew full well that it wouldn’t be easy to walk away with the win.

“It was a pretty complete win and a tough road win,” Kellogg said. “They were 7-1 at home, so this is a tough environment to come in and come away with a victory.”

UMass handled the relentless Phoenix team and crowd by shooting an impressive 47 percent from the field.

With this game being a rare non-conference game scheduled at the beginning of the Atlantic 10 conference schedule, Kellogg said it was important for the Minutemen to come out with the same intensity as they would for an A-10 matchup. “(We) did a very good job,” he said. “I loved their energy and I thought we paid attention to detail and for not having a ton of time to practice, I thought we were sharp.”

The Minutemen will complete their current three-game road stretch Wednesday at Richmond.

It was clear from the start that the Massachusetts men’s basketball team had a different look to it.

Unlike its last few games, it didn’t take long for UMass to make its presence felt around Alumni Gym, as the Minutemen cruised to an 84-74 w i n UMass 84 o v e r Elon in Elon 74 t h e i r l a s t n o n conference game of the season on Saturday.

It took the Minutemen all of five seconds to open the scoring, when Chaz Williams handled the opening tipoff and then threw up an alley-oop pass that Raphiael Putney slammed home. From that point forward, UMass (16-1) only continued to increase its lead.

“I thought being able to get comfortable with a lead was good because it gave us a little bit of a cushion,” UMass coach Derek Kellogg said in a radio interview following the game. “When they made a run, it was never like they took the game over.

It was more along the lines like they were fighting to come back.”

The Minutemen halted any Phoenix run and opened up their largest lead of the first half at 14 points, thanks to consistent production down low from Cady Lalanne.

Lalanne led all scorers with 23 points and 10 rebounds, including 16 in the first half. Lalanne even showed his range, knocking down a 3-pointer just before the break to give UMass a 41-30 halftime lead.

In their past three games, the Minutemen were slow to start the second half. But the Phoenix (10-9) never Patrick Strohecker can be reached came close to mounting a at pstrohec@umass.edu and folcomeback. Elon never got lowed on Twitter @P_Strohecker.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Minutewomen drop ninth straight game with loss to VCU UM committed 32 turnovers in loss

VCU. While UMass’ loss wasn’t quite as lopsided as the 112-54 beating it took in its first meeting with the By aNthoNy chiuSaNo Rams on Jan. 2, turnovers Collegian Staff once again were the differMake it nine straight ence.

The Minutewomen losses for the Massachusetts turned the ball over 30 women’s basketball team. times in the first meeting.

UMass was defeatOn Saturday, ed by Virginia VCU’s zone Commonwealth VCU 81 defense presfor the second time sured them this season, this UMass 51 into 32 turntime by a score of overs, which 81-51 on Saturday quickly put the at Mullins Center. game away in the final 20 The Rams (16-3, 4-2 minutes.

Atlantic 10) led the “I think 32 (turnovers) Minutewomen (3-16, 0-5 is way too much,” UMass A-10) by just seven points coach Sharon Dawley said. at halftime, but pulled “VCU’s zone (defense) did a away behind 17 second-half great job and caused a lot points from A-10 leading of turnovers. But we looked scorer Robyn Parks. pretty lackadaisical passParks finished the game ing against the zone, and it with a game-high 21 points, got us. We struggled.” while Jessica Pellechio and Kim P i e r re - L o u i s Isis Thorpe added 16 and a c k n ow l e d g e d that 13 points, respectively, for although she thought the

team’s performance was an improvement over the loss on Jan. 2, the team’s turnover total was “not acceptable” and that it “opened up the game” for the Rams.

In addition to turnovers, Pierre-Louis said UMass was bothered by VCU’s zone defense in the second half.

“We really came out aggressive. It was unfortunate though, that in the second half we had a big shooting drought,” she said. “We were trying to get shots that were open for us, and we were trying to hit those mid-range jumpers. I usually hit those, but today was a bad day and we really just couldn’t get out of that drought.”

The Minutewomen started the game strong in the first half by attacking the post against the zone.

“Their zone makes you really take a lot of perimeter shots,” Dawley said.

“Statistically, that’s not

where we are doing that well at right now, so we were looking to get more clean touches and post touches, which we got early on, and that’s why I think we held it to a seven-point game in the first half.”

Freshman Kymber Hill led UMass with 14 points, while senior Kiara Bomben added 12 points. “(Hill) gets better every day and I saw a great defense out of her today.

Great offense too,” Dawley said. “She missed a lot of shots that I think, as she gets a little bit older, she’ll make though.”

Hill added that an increase in confidence has led to her recent improvement.

“I felt like I was more aggressive today and that I am progressing in every game and just moving forward,” Hill said. “I just have to keep adding on to it.”

Starting sophomore

CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN

UMass coach Sharon Dawley talks to her team during a timeout. guard Nola Henry missed most of Saturday’s game as she was battling the flu, Dawley said.

According to Dawley, it is uncertain as of now if Henry, whose illness limited her to five scoreless minutes off the bench against the Rams, will be active in the Minutewomen’s next

game Wednesday against Dayton.

“I can’t guess what the flu is going to bring, but she has until Wednesday to get better, so I’m hopeful,” Dawley said.

Anthony Chiusano can be reached at achiusano@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @a_chiusano24.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

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ALLEN

continued from page B1

Penguins. Crosby was trying to play the puck when Allen came in and pinned him up against the wall to make a defensive play.

It wasn’t something that will be seen on highlight reels. But Allen said that after the game – a 5-2 Rangers loss – he had about 150 text messages full of people congratulating him for slowing down arguably the face of the NHL, even if it was only for a moment.

“It is crazy to think about,” Allen said. “A year ago I was playing against Merrimack, now I’m up against the Penguins.

“It’s pretty cool, but you gotta settle down and play your game,” he continued.

“The only weird thing was I felt like there was a huge spotlight on me, but there wasn’t. Maybe there was a little bit, but it felt like everyone was looking at me.”

Justification Allen knew he was taking a risk.

Leaving college a year early to take an offer as an undrafted player doesn’t guarantee a long-term professional hockey career, let alone a shot at the NHL. However, this was Allen’s best chance to fulfill his dreams, so it was a chance he had to take.

So far, there seems to be no need for regrets. Not only has Allen been one of the Wolf Pack’s leading scorers as a rookie this season, but now he has three games of NHL experience under his belt.

“I guess I have justified it,” Allen said of his decision. “As soon as I did it, I told myself I wasn’t gonna

COURTESY OF CHRIS RUTSCH

Conor Allen played with the New York Rangers for three games before returning to Hartford.

“It is crazy to think about. A year ago I was playing against Merrimack, now I’m up against the Penguins.”

Conor Allen regret it no matter what happens because this is an opportunity that I had to take to fulfill a dream for my career.”

With that being said, Allen’s time at UMass hasn’t been forgotten.

Some of his closest friends are still on the Minutemen, and playing in Hartford means he’s only a car ride away from Mullins Center.

He said he’s already been to about five or six hockey games this season, as well as some men’s basketball games.

COLLEGIAN FILE PHOTO

Conor Allen celebrates a goal in a game last season for UMass.

“I really enjoyed my time at UMass and I don’t feel as if that’s over yet, I’m really passionate about the

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school and the athletics and hockey,” Allen said. “I love reading about it and talking to guys about it.

I get on them when they lose to UConn and stuff like that. It’s easy to keep up with because some of my best friends are still on the team, but I think I’m gonna be the best alum to the program that I can be.”

Still hope Allen has been back with the Wolf Pack for over two weeks now.

While his stint with the Rangers lasted just three games, his time there was still a success. He said he got positive reviews from his coaches, but knows he still needs to be more consistent and improve his defensive-zone play.

“It’s pretty incredible. Playing in the NHL is pretty cool,” Allen said.

“I don’t think it’s really hit me yet that I played in the show, but it’s cool and fun to think about that you made it this far. Now that that’s over with I gotta wait to stay full time out there.”

Now that he’s had a taste of the big leagues, the ambition to get called back up and make a career at that level is what drives him on the AHL ice.

Another shot at the NHL is a realistic possibility in his eyes. But he’s also embraced the opportunities he’s had to this point.

“It’s definitely possible.

I think I’ve showed that, whether it be for one game or whatever, I can play with these guys,” Allen said. “But there’s so many good players there and there’s so many guys that are gonna get drafted next year and sign at the end of this year.

“More than anything I think I just gotta prove myself that I can hold my own and keep getting better. I think I’m on the right track to eventually maybe earn a spot out of camp one year.”

Nick Canelas can be reached at ncanelas@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @NickCanelas.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

B2

B3

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

MEN’S BASKETBALL

LIVING ON THE EDGE

MARIA UMINSKI/COLLEGIAN

Chaz Williams has led the UMass men’s basketball team to its most impressive start in the last 15 years. The Minutemen are 16-1 and are ranked No. 13 in the latest AP Top 25 poll.

Minutemen living dangerously UMass preparing itself for in early conference matchups NCAA Tournament run

M

assachusetts men’s basketball coach Derek Kellogg said his team got “lucky” following its come-from-behind win at George Mason last Wednesday.

That term could also be used to describe UMass’ first three Atlantic 10 wins.

The Patrick Minutemen Strohecker grabbed the nation’s attention with dominant performances in their tough non-conference schedule, beating the likes of Boston College, Louisiana State and New Mexico on their way to a 12-1 start to the season.

UMass was ranked for the first time in 15 years and one of the best early-season stories in college basketball.

That success should have brought a sense of determination to keep up the strong play heading into conference play. Instead, it has been complacent.

The Minutemen trailed in the second half in all three of their A-10 games, including a season-high 13-point deficit at home against St. Bonaventure. UMass scratched out wins in each of those games. However, despite those victories, the performances have been nothing to get excited about.

Sure, the Minutemen have been resilient. But when you look at the opponents that these rallies have come against, it adds some uneasiness about the future.

The wins against Saint Joseph’s and the Bonnies both came against teams with good win-loss records, but neither team is expected to finish near the top of the A-10. Also, both games were played at Mullins Center, a place where the Minutemen should be dominating teams.

The win against the Patriots was perhaps the craziest of the three, battling back from a five-point deficit with less than a minute to play to steal an 88-87 win. But, it also came against a team that is currently 7-11 overall and win-

less in conference play. A one-point win against an 11-loss team doesn’t exactly give off positive vibes.

When you look at how all of these games transpired, you’ll realize that the competitive level has drastically dropped off from where it was a month ago.

In all three games, UMass started the second half poorly. It spotted each team big leads with sloppy play and careless fouls. The killer instinct that the Minutemen had to start the second half against Brigham Young and Boston College has been replaced with zombie-like starts and sub-par play.

Kellogg described his team’s defensive effort as “lousy” against George Mason. That may have been generous.

Too many times UMass allowed an inferior team to get easy looks at baskets early in the shot clock. The Patriots took advantage early in the game, but bailed out the Minutemen late by missing key shots. UMass should be thankful it didn’t squander any of these see

STROHECKER on page B4

I

t’s tough to pinpoint the exact moment the Massachusetts men’s basketball team solidified itself as more than just a mid-major NCAA Tournament hopeful.

Was it UMass’ 81-65 win over then-No. 19 New Mexico in the Charleston Classic? The Minutemen Mark outlasted a Chiarelli Lobos squad coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance a season ago and eventually won the entire tournament, defeating Clemson 62-56 in the championship. The impressive weekend led to UMass earning the No. 24 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll, its first time being ranked since 1998.

Or was it a 105-96 victory over Brigham Young in a breakneck-paced victory in front of a sold out crowd at MassMutual Center?

The Minutemen received a vintage performance from

opponents take notice. Pick your favorite sports adage.

There’s a target on the Minutemen’s back now. A team which spent the better part of the last two seasons hunting conference opponents has suddenly become the hunted. As pretty as a point guard Chaz Williams, national ranking looks, it who scored 32 points and also acts as a bull’s-eye.

What we’re seeing now dished out 15 assists. is a team dealing with this To date, it’s been a seatransition in a trial-by-fire son filled with memorable, signature wins. There’s the situation.

UMass coach Derek 92-90 victory over Louisiana Kellogg has acknowledged State. There’s also an 86-73 victory over Boston College it. So too, has Williams, the unequivocal leader of the at TD Garden in front of team. The Minutemen are a decidedly pro-UMass still learning how to adapt crowd. to taking every opponent’s As those types of wins strongest punch. piled up, so did a differThe trend began at home ent set of expectations. No against Saint Joseph’s. longer are the Minutemen UMass erased a 57-48 deficit a tournament hopeful.

Instead, anything less than over the final six minutes, 23 seconds of action and a tournament berth at won 66-62. The Minutemen this point is a tremendous shot just 39 percent and disappointment. The idea missed eight 3-pointers in seems almost far-fetched at the first half, yet produced this point as UMass sits at enough energy in the final 16-1. stretch of the game to outHowever, these types last the Hawks. of expectations permeate.

UMass produced a National media rightfully see CHIARELLI on page B4 acknowledges success and

Pick your favorite sports adage. There’s a target on the Minutemen’s back now.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Minutewomen live like professionals during winter break UM finished 1-9 between semesters

By Andrew Cyr Collegian Staff

Being an NCAA Division I athlete is no easy task.

Throughout the season, student-athletes have to balance the workload of being a college student on top of dedicating hours of their day to practice and film sessions.

While most students were enjoying their winter break, the Massachusetts women’s basketball team was hard at work, enduring the grind of a college schedule. Although these players are given the title of “student-athlete,” it’s been all basketball during the 38-day layover between the

end of fall semester and the start of the spring.

“Like (UMass coach Sharon) Dawley said, we are essentially professional basketball players over the course of winter break,” junior captain Emily Mital said.

Despite not having to worry about academics, the Minutewomen have struggled during this stretch, going 1-9 and ending on a nine-game losing streak.

UMass has also traveled like a professional basketball team, making separate road trips to Ohio, New Hampshire, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

With none of the dining halls open on campus during this time, the athletes even have to eat like professionals, settling for takeout and room service almost every night.

“While you think most students enjoy this long break, I’ve always found basketball teams have struggled a little bit during that time because it is all basketball,” Dawley said.

“I think having a distraction is good for the players. Going to class and seeing your friends helps take their mind off of basketball for a little bit.”

The extended time off from the daily routine is an especially hard adjustment for the underclassmen to make.

They’re used to waking up early, going to morning classes, then having practice later in the afternoon. But because basketball is their only concern, the significant amount of free time can hamper their focus.

“We just have to be encouraging with them,” UMass senior Kiara Bomben

said when asked about giving advice to younger players. “The most important thing for us is to get a lot of rest. During the season we are constantly going but with this break from classes, it’s the perfect opportunity to get caught up on some sleep.”

The extra time is also a good opportunity for Dawley to work individually with players. Some coaches and players have been arriving early before practice just to get in an extra workout.

“It’s definitely different,” Mital said. “You have longer days now, and with no classes we have more time to get in extra workouts and go into things with more depth.

We’ve been putting up much more shots and have spent more time looking at not only our film, but preparing for

CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN

Sharon Dawley watches her team practice from the sidelines. our opponents as well.”

Now it’s back to reality for the Minutewomen. Classes resume Tuesday and it’s back to life as not only an athlete, but a student as well.

“I’m excited for them to get back to class,” Dawley said.

“Everything gets back to normal when they are going to class. It helps the team when they have distractions.”

Andrew Cyr can be reached at arcyr@ umass.edu, and followed on Twitter @ Andrew_Cyr.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

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WHIPPLE

FOOTBALL

A

MARIA UMINSKI/COLLEGIAN

Mark Whipple returned as the coach of the UMass football team in an introductory press conference last Tuesday.

Whipple didn’t coach in 2013.

Whipple said becoming a coach in the NFL was a necessary step in his career and he can take the lessons he’s learned from the last 10 years and use them at UMass.

“People ask me, ‘Why would you leave the NFL?’” Whipple said. “They hadn’t been to UMass.

“I needed to do that. I needed to broaden my horizons. I needed to compete at the highest level.”

Whipple will take over a fledgling UMass football program that has struggled mightily to get off the ground running in its first two seasons in the FBS and Mid-American Conference.

The Minutemen have suffered through two years of lopsided defeats and major inconsistency on both sides of the ball, especially the offense, which ranked second-to-last in the country in 2013 with 11.7 points per game. With con-

STROHECKER games because the schedule is only going to get harder.

The Minutemen go on the road to George Washington and Dayton and welcome Virginia Commonwealth and Saint Louis to Mullins Center all in the final three weeks of the season. Those teams are the best-of-thebest in the A-10. Those teams close out games when they build a lead.

UMass can’t rely on overcoming large deficits in the final minutes of games against tournament-caliber teams to find success.

Those teams possess the killer instinct to not only hold onto their leads, but to increase them.

The A-10 might not have the prestige of the Big East or Big Ten, but this year is one of the deepest in the conference’s history. Nine of the 13 members have at least 10 wins and the Minutemen and Billikens are both nationally ranked, with the Colonials also receiving votes.

The start to this season has been nothing short of special for students and fans alike. It’s rekindled

CHIARELLI similar performance just three days later against St. Bonaventure, coming from behind to win 73-68 despite shooting just 30 percent in the first half and trailing by as many as 13 in the second half. Against George Mason on the road, the Minutemen trailed by five with 41 seconds to go and survived thanks to a last-second layup from Derrick Gordon to win 88-87.

Entire seasons aren’t decided in the doldrums of January as conference play is just beginning, but lessons can be learned.

stant questions on who would be the quarterback seemingly every week, UMass never found any rhythm.

Off the field, the program experienced more setbacks.

There were rifts between Molnar and the program’s alumni base, which were intensified in September when the alumni created a petition to oust Molnar after a video leaked online of his team boxing and fighting each other during winter workouts.

Whipple wants to leave all of that in the past.

“Where do we go from here? What am I going to tell the players in the meeting on Monday night?” Whipple said. “We don’t look back.

Everything’s forward.”

During his first UMass coaching tenure, Whipple expressed his desire for the school to move up to Division I football. At the time, administration was hesitant about making that move, which was part of the reason why he left

for the NFL. In 2011, as the Minutemen prepared to make the move up, Whipple was a name that was often brought up, but the school ultimately decided to hire Molnar, then an offensive coordinator at Notre Dame.

“Mark’s name has always been out there,” McCutcheon said. “When we talked two years ago, it just wasn’t the right time for him.”

Fast forward roughly two years later, and the belief is that this is the right time.

Whipple is, to say the least, excited to get going. His first major task is to haul in his first recruiting class. The contact period began last Thursday and National Signing Day is Feb. 5.

“I believe in this place. This is a special, special place,” Whipple said. “And I will represent this place better than I ever have.”

Stephen Hewitt can be reached at shewitt@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @steve_hewitt.

continued from page B3

the memories of the program’s glory days of the 1990s when the team was an NCAA Tournament regular.

And while the Minutemen have proven they can compete with the big-name programs, they’ve also fallen into a lull that’s caused their play to slip as of late.

After a while, Kellogg’s screaming can only do so much to light a fire under his team. In most cases, the best cure for complacency is to lose a game and get a wake-up call, showing that despite a phenomenal record, nobody is unbeatable.

There’s not a doubt in my mind that this team will make the NCAA Tournament. If UMass loses its next game, then there’s always the next one. But a loss in the tournament means the end to its season.

Simply put, if the Minutemen don’t rid themselves of this care-free attitude and wake up now, then they could be in for a rude awakening come March.

Patrick Strohecker can be reached at pstrohec@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @P_Strohecker.

MARIA UMINSKI/COLLEGIAN

Maxie Esho drives with the ball in UMass’ comeback win over St. Bonaventure on Jan. 11.

continued from page B3

For a team looking to make an impact in March, it’s now learning what type of energy is required for each game. It’s easy to get up for a nationally televised game at home; those are the ones fans will remember. But learning how to avoid letdowns against inferior conference opponents plays just as important of a role in molding a team.

There are positives to pull out of these recent performances. UMass has demonstrated a knack for charging back late in games and is finding ways to win despite

inconsistent effort and performances. The biggest detractor recently has been energy level at the start of games, an especially correctable issue for a veteran team.

The Minutemen have also received strong, game-changing efforts from different players on different nights.

Whether it’s the emergence of reserves Trey Davis and Maxie Esho or the sudden resurgence of Raphiael Putney, UMass is learning how to win in different ways.

It won’t always be pretty, rarely is an entire college

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Whipple clear choice as UMass coach

continued from page a1

to improve and will excel at the (Football Bowl Subdivision) level.”

UMass Athletic Director John McCutcheon said that he, along with his advisory committee and Carr Sports Consulting – which he hired for this process – sifted through about 70 candidates for the post, which was open since Dec. 26, when Charley Molnar was fired after guiding the Minutemen to two one-win seasons as a member of the FBS, the top division of college football.

In the end, Whipple, who became a fan favorite during his six-year tenure with UMass, which included a Division I-AA national championship in his first season, was the man for the job, to move the program forward and out of its recent spell of mediocrity and controversy.

“We wanted to make sure the process was that we threw the net wide and far, so that if Mark did end up being the right guy, that we tested all the waters and it wasn’t just a marriage of convenience,” McCutcheon said. “It was that we really felt that he was the most qualified and best person for this job.”

Whipple returns following several coaching stints after leaving Amherst a decade ago.

Immediately after his stint at UMass, Whipple became the quarterbacks coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2004 to 2006, helping signal-caller Ben Roethlisberger guide the Steelers to a Super Bowl title in 2005.

From there, it was on to the Philadelphia Eagles as an offensive assistant in 2008, the University of Miami (Fla.) as an assistant head coach and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2009 and 2010, and finally the quarterbacks coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2011 and 2012.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

basketball season a perfect ride. But for a team fighting off mid-season woes, winning basketball games in unconventional methods adds yet another layer of experience.

And when the time comes, probably sometime in March against yet another high-level opponent, the Minutemen will be well-versed in nearly every situation a team can face.

Mark Chiarelli can be reached at mchiarel@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli.

lumni rejoice: Mark Whipple is officially the new head coach of the Massachusetts football team – again.

Whipple, 56, was introduced to the fans and media by UMass Athletic Director John McCutcheon in a packed Massachusetts Room at Mullins Center last Tuesday nearly three weeks after Charley Molnar was fired followNick ing two forCanelas gettable seasons on the UMass (technically Gillette Stadium) sidelines.

News first broke of Whipple’s hiring on the night of Jan. 10 after multiple reports from local media outlets, bringing the second coaching search of the Football Bowl Subdivision era to an unofficial end.

There was an initial pool of about 70 applicants during the twoweek search, but no other candidate could possibly carry the same aura that Whipple has in Amherst.

Whipple’s story is one of legend at UMass. In 1998, he took over a football program that was 2-9 the year before and led it to the Division I-AA national championship in his very first season.

He went 49-26 in six years and led the Minutemen to three playoff appearances.

Whipple enters his second stint even more seasoned as a coach. He won a Super Bowl ring as quarterbacks coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers before spending two years as an offensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles. He then returned to the college ranks as offensive coordinator at the University of Miami for two years, followed by two more seasons in the NFL as Cleveland Browns quarterbacks coach.

After a one-year coaching hiatus, Whipple is back. And he’s never felt more welcomed anywhere in the world.

“Sometimes you need to go away to find out where your home is,” a choked up Whipple said in a passionate opening statement.

I was only 4 years old the first time Whipple was hired by UMass. Back then, I didn’t know the difference between a first down and a first grader.

But I’ve grown up in an age where social media is king, and never before have I seen a greater celebration on Twitter than the one that took place in the 24 hours following the news of Whipple being hired. It was just the kind of reaction the administration was hoping for. It was the kind of reaction this football program needed.

“We’re thrilled to welcome back one of the greatest coaches in the 135-year history of UMass football,” Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, who was in India Tuesday morning, said in a statement read by Vice Chancellor of University Relations John Kennedy.

“Coach Whipple’s winning record during his previous time in Amherst is legendary. He not only brought a national championship to the campus, but he instilled a sense of pride in the great tradi-

Whipple begins his second go ‘round as UMass coach as a celebrity. But the task ahead is much greater this time. tion of Minuteman football.”

Whipple’s hiring wasn’t simply an X’s and O’s kind of decision. Sure, his offensive background should aid what were some putrid scoring numbers last season. But he’s being brought in to be the one thing Molnar failed to do on countless occasions: be a good ambassador for the program.

There won’t be any “big boy” comments under Whipple, nor will there be any alumni petitions. He doesn’t need to earn their respect because he already has their approval. He was the patriarch of the FCS glory years. He understands the winning tradition.

“When I came back in 2008 for the 10-year (national championship) reunion, that’s when it hit me,” Whipple said.

“It was the look in the eyes of the players that I coached. They called me Coach.

“Yeah I’d like to win another Super Bowl, but what we can do here means more. ” Whipple also noted his appreciation for the alumni, saying, “They’re the guys that built this place.”

Whipple begins his second go ‘round as UMass coach as a celebrity. But the task ahead is much greater this time.

Whipple said he’s here to win a championship, but the Minutemen still have lots of losing in their future. There won’t be any worst-to-first turnaround with the current roster in place. It’s going to be a lengthy process.

But if UMass is going to continue to lose, it’s important to at least have someone who fans will be willing to be patient with.

Right now, Whipple appears to be that guy.

Now it’s up to him how patient he’s willing to be with the program this time.

“I’m not naïve to think there wasn’t problems here,” Whipple said.

“We’re just gonna do what we do now. What head coaches do is they solve problems … and I think I’m good at it.”

Whipple was the obvious choice for the job. The festivities that took place in the Massachusetts Room were greater than any celebration this program has had in the last two years. One fan even came in carrying a sign that read, “Win With Whipple,” which the coach gladly embraced during his press conference.

For now, the dark times for UMass football are over. The Minutemen get to have a fresh start.

Whether or not the hiring of Whipple will culminate into the ultimate goal is for another day.

“I haven’t looked at tape of us,” Whipple said.

“I’m gonna go on a clean slate.”

Considering what the slate looked like over the last two years, that’s good news for UMass.

Nick Canelas can be reached at ncanelas@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @NickCanelas.

Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

“You ain’t been doin’ the education!” - Kanye West

Arts@DailyCollegian.com

How to spot a sEcond sEmEstEr sEnior Captions by Tommy Verdone Infographic by Gabe Scarbrough Photo by Shaina Mishkin

Common Traits • Lack of emotion in new stimulating academic environments.

• A shallow husk of a human being.

• Too apathetic to go through phone and delete that guy “Jeremy” they met at orientation.

• Beginning to believe that the world is not the welcoming place they once thought it was.

Beard

Shaved two hours ago and the beard has already grown back twice as thick.

Common Behavior • Bookmarks job applications and never goes back to fill them out.

• Still tries to make plans to eat at Blue Wall.

• Finds it harder and harder to defend their liberal arts major.

• Being at UPub.

Coffee

Drinks five cups a day to be able to continue feigning interest in academia.

Dead Giveaways • Breakfast beer, shower beer, pretty much any time they’re able to drink a beer they will drink beer.

• Repulsed by how loudly freshmen have fun.

• Doesn’t want to talk about postgrad.

• Can’t remember the last time they showered.

• Apathy.

Backpack

Pajama Pants

Filled with nothing but a laptop and snacks for all night sessions of watching Netflix in the library.

Because it’s cold and nobody has got time for high fashion.

*Does not necessarily reflect model

ALBUM REVIEW

Childish Gambino pours his soul out in ‘Because the Internet’ Donald Glover back to the stage

By ElEna lopEz Collegian Staff

Childish Gambino, or Donald Glover, released his second studio album “Because the Internet” on Dec. 10, settling in his niche as a rapper, as well as a comedian and producer. Glover got the stage name Childish Gambino from a Wu-Tang name generator online.

Gambino not only released 19 tracks in his new album, but additionally a 76-page script depicting him as the estranged son of Rick Ross who deals with the empty life that comes with being born into wealth and not fitting in.

Much of his album emphasizes an emotional isolation which comes as a product of social media, as well as a lack of direction in life. Glover fluidly combines his budding confidence and likable nerdiness in the album, forcing you to get sucked into scrolling through the script as if it were a Tumblr dashboard.

Featuring cameos from upcoming names like Chance the Rapper and Jhené Aiko, Gambino’s voice is complemented by the unique collaborations.

The album cruises through a few different genres and samples, from jazzy piano pieces to electronica inspired

and R&B soul sounds.

Sonically, it provides a comfortable tempo and flows effortlessly between tracks.

Gambino pulls the listener in and allows an introspective look at fame and desires.

“Because the Internet” picks up right where his first album “Camp” left off, with a teenager returning from a melancholic camp dismal as ever. The album takes the traditional view of a privileged Californian and twists it into a deeper and darker realm of introspection. The script focuses on the teenager and his antics as he searches for deeper meaning in most of his vapid lifestyle.

The script is the main focus of the project, while the album serves mostly as a soundtrack. Looking at Gambino’s wide range of skills in screenwriting, comedy and producing, it’s not surprising that he chose to combine all mediums into one entirely eclectic creation.

Some tracks like the minute long “Urn,” only make sense to the listener if they have familiarized themselves with all aspects of the project.

Just as on his first album, Gambino is still angry and trying to find himself. Much of “Because the Internet” shows his outsider tendencies and his struggle to truly accept his place in the world, even if he doesn’t quite understand it. It appeals to the loner in all of us, mak-

ing the album oddly soothing and relatable. The smooth R&B beats mixed with a light electronic combines into an entirely unique and peaceful melody throughout the album.

Songs like “Telegraph Ave” and “Pink Toes” are light and airy, but still reflect his desire for love and acceptance into the ugly world of fame and faux importance.

In “Telegraph Ave” he uncovers bits of his soul, “And you wanna be a mom and I wasn’t mad at her / I was thinking ’bout me, I’d be really bad at it,” and connects easily to his listeners inner fears and introspections.

“3005” is a soft and radio friendly song that shows off Gambino’s lyricism as well as singing competence.

Immediately a favorite, the catchy hook followed by crisp beats keeps the listeners heading bobbing and singing along. Another standout is “Sweatpants” with simplistic beats layered over each other creating a complex beat paired with fast spitting lyrics showcasing his creativity. Plus, it turns out that Gambino has some singing chops and shows them off on “Shadows,” “Flight of the Navigator” and “Urn,” all strong tracks to showcase the introspectiveness of the album.

Not everything is so thought provoking though.

“Worldstar” comes out of

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Donald Glover made himself known to the public through a number of acting roles, but broke into the music industry in 2011 with his first LP “Camp.” left field, being named in honor of the hip-hop culture website. This track is a bit out of place, yet somewhat whimsical as it slyly comments on the mob mentality that the internet propagates.

“Zealots of Stockholm (Free Information)” is also a chaotic mix on electronic influenced syncopation and lazy puns that hardly make sense like “We can kick it like it’s FIFA, homie / Nevertheless, I got that fresh like it was Crest” leaving the listener confused.

These underwhelming quirks are few and far between, and

are easily covered by his outstanding performance on most of the album.

The album itself is enjoyable and an exciting introduction to the newly matured sound of Childish Gambino.

As his directorial debut, Gambino exceeds expectations with his touching view of isolation and his own experiences with it. The album fully enhances the script, leaving the viewer/listener enraptured by their computer screen. The irony of this isn’t lost on him.

“Because the Internet”

speaks to the modern generation which has grown up in the fast paced and constantly connected digital world. Without the script, a lot of the magic is lost, so set aside an hour or two and go to becausetheinter.net to read the script, watch the short films filled with cameos of the features and listen to the songs. Only then will the album fully come together and Gambino’s creative masterpiece will come together.

Elena Lopez can be reached aelopez@ umass.edu.

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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

FA S H I O N

DailyCollegian.com

H E A LT H

Career-directed fashion How to retain soft skin without breaking the bank in the winter season

What to buy on an intern’s budget

By BraNDy roBiDoux Collegian Correspondent

Anyone who has seen the film “The Devil wears Prada” can probably recall the ice cold glare Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep) delivers when she disapproves of her newest intern’s first day getup.

While Miranda Priestly was a fictional character, bosses like this do actually exist. More than likely, your boss or supervisor at your workplace is paying some attention to what you wear to the office.

He or she is also probably forming an opinion of you based on this. So once you’ve got that coveted internship you’ve always wanted, what do you wear to impress?

While first impressions really do count for something and it’s important to put your best foot forward, this can sometimes be hard without breaking the bank. I remember the night before my first internship; I had the urge to run down to Saks Fifth Avenue and spend my entire life savings on a few designer dresses a new pair of stilettos. This of course was not the sensible or practical thing to do. Luckily there are a few other less pricey options to enable you to look like the capable young profes-

sional you are.

Stores such as H&M are great places to start building the base of your work wardrobe. They are perfect for finding important staples such as a simple pencil skirt, or a black blazer, and they won’t leave for wallet feeling empty. I’ve seen ladies blazers at H&M sell for as low as $20, and their products tend to be good quality. That being said, stay away from stores such as Forever 21. While they do sometimes carry work clothing at a tempting price, the clothing is made cheaper and will not last as long. You are much better off spending a few extra dollars to get a piece that will last you years.

There are a few things you shouldn’t skimp on.

Every guy should own at least one solid pair of black dress shoes. Having a good quality pair is a great way to pull any outfit together. Places like J. Crew or Banana Republic have a great selection, and while they might be a little on the pricier side, this is one of those items worth splurging on.

Equally as important for women is a basic black pump. Every woman should have this in her closet regardless of where she is interning. It’s really important to invest in a good pair of black pumps that will last you a long time and will also be comfortable. A simple pair is best, which can

easily transition from day to night allowing you can get the most use out of them. While sky high heels are pretty to look at, they are not best suited for the work place, so keep the heel 5 inches and under.

Stores like Marshalls and T.J. Maxx have wonderful selections of designer shoes at discounted prices.

These stores are pretty much the perfect go to place for an intern on a budget.

More than anything it’s the little details that stand out to people. All the style in the world won’t make up for chipped nail polish or an untrimmed beard. Take the few extra minutes to take care of yourself, it goes a long way. If it’s the one thing you do, run a brush through your hair.

Guys, while scruffiness might be cute on a lumberjack it’s best not to be donned in the office. Crisp and clean cut is always the way to go here. The workplace is also never a place to take risks. If you think something you have on even has the slightest chance of being deemed inappropriate, change.

Most importantly, no matter what you end up wearing, be sure you do so with confidence. As the saying goes, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.”

Brandy Robidoux can be reached at brobidou@umass.edu.

Skin care products perfect for winter

By Nia Decaille Collegian Staff

Maintain your skin’s moisture and banish dryness all season long using products that protect your skins natural oils and add a layer of protection. Winter is a tough time for your skin to retain moisture, but changing your skin regime doesn’t have to be difficult or require getting rid of your daily routine; you can find all of these products at your local drugstore or grocery store.

Exfoliating is a good way to slough off dead skin cells and keep your skin looking fresh.

During the winter months exfoliating once a week or every other week , depending on skin sensitivity, can easily buff away dirt and improve your skin tone; especially for more oily skin types. For sensitive skin types, try to stay away from harsher scrubs that diminish the protective barriers around your skin.

As a cheaper and greener option, mix four tablespoons of baking soda with one tablespoon of water for a thin paste which acts as an exfoliant and antiseptic to clear breakouts. According to Melissa Matthews from WomansDay. com, baking soda can unclog pores and is gentle enough for all skin types.

Your moisturizer can make or break your skin care regimen. You want to make sure

WINDYWINTERS/FLICKR

Olay makes affordable moisturizers which both protect and strengthen the skin. that your daily moisturizer has SPF to protect your skin from the sun’s rays; even in the winter time. At night, try to use a moisturizer with a thicker or creamy consistency to add more. If your daily moisturizer isn’t doing enough, consider adding a vitamin E, almond or coconut oil for use at night. For oily skin types use this sparingly around the forehead and chin area.

Cetaphil’s Daily Moisturizer has SPF and is dermatologically approved for sensitive skin. This lotion is great for when you wake up in the morning and on your way to class. Don’t be afraid to use it a little liberally with the cold weather.

Olay’s Complete All Day Moisture Lotion and Aveeno’s Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer SPF-15 have a creamier consistency, but also have the benefit of SPF for protecting your skin.

A good a gentle cleanser can retain moisture and refrain from drying out your skin. Cetaphil’s Daily Cleanser is perfect for all skin types and is gentle enough so that it cleans your skin without stripping away its natural oils. This works best with acne prone, but dry combination skin types Trade in your cleansers with exfoliating beads or alcohol content for sensitive skin type cleansers like Olay’s Foaming Face Washing for Sensitive Skin. Products with little or no salicylic acid can limit drying and chemical burn. Fighting back against the season of peeling, cracking and flaking under freezing temperatures doesn’t have to mean splurging on expensive doctor visits or prescriptions.

Nia Decaille can be reached at ndecaill@umass.edu@umass.edu.

FILM

A look ahead at what cinema 2014 has to offer The next year has a case of sequelitis By cory Willey Collegian Staff

As even the most casual of film fans will tell you, 2015 is packed with an unprecedented number of blockbuster films. From the Avengers sequel to the return of high profile franchises such as Jurassic Park and Star Wars, you would be forgiven for overlooking any films coming out before then.

However, looking ahead to the 2014 year in film, we still have quite a few films to be excited about.

For fans of comic book adaptations, there’s no shortage of films despite the glut in the genre slotted for 2015. In terms of superhero sequels, this year will see the release of “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” Each of these films’ predecessors did relatively well both at the box office and with critics and fans. They all look promising, with “Days of Future Past,” appearing as the most appealing, as it will ambitiously bring together the universe of the original X-Men trilogy and the world

created in “X-Men: First Class.”

Marvel is looking to build upon their already expansive universe with the very unique and risky “Guardians of the Galaxy.” “Guardians” is an interstellar tale revolving around a team made up of a man from earth, aliens, a talking raccoon and an anthropomorphic tree. With a mixed cast comprising of some of Hollywood’s biggest action and comedy stars, this is certainly a film to look forward to in the months to follow.

Moving away from the superhero subgenre, 2014 will also see the release of the already controversial “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Producer Michael Bay has caused quite a stir among hardcore fans due to his decision to cast Megan Fox as the traditionally redheaded, bright yellow jumpsuit-wearing human sidekick, as well as his announcement that the adolescent reptiles will have some sort of extraterrestrial origins.

Sticking with Michael Bay related titles, the director/producer along with Paramount Pictures, is dragging the Transformers series back onto the Big Screen with “Transformers: Age of Extinction.” Despite

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The upcoming stop–motion animated Lego movie will feature characters from Shakespeare to Batman.

The Muppets are returning to the big screen again after blowing audiences away with the surprise hit “The Muppets” in 2011. the last film’s massive failure with critics, it managed to be a huge box office success. Bay and Paramount look to rake in more money with this next film, which will star Mark Wahlberg and bring in a new breed of Transformer known as the Dinobots. These will transform into dinosaurs rather than automobiles. Will this be enough to attract the big audience the studio is betting on? It probably will, as sad and unfortunate a truth that is.

This year won’t be missing what seems to be a required presence of reboots and remakes either. “Robocop,” the remake of the classic ‘80s action sci-fi film is coming in mid-February. While recent trailers look promising, especially in terms of special effects, it is difficult to see

any reason, besides money, for this film to have been remade. In the summer, the latest iteration of “Godzilla” smashes into theaters, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Bryan Cranston. The film’s first trailer is certainly worth a watch and will give you chills even after your second or third viewing.

The earlier half of this year has the most to offer those looking for something appropriate for all ages with “The Lego Movie” in February and “Muppets Most Wanted” in March.

Both attempt to draw in younger audiences with popular children’s properties and grab the attention of the older crowds with star-studded casts and the nostalgia of childhood.

As it seems Hollywood still hasn’t found a cure

for its sequelitis, 2014 will of course see its fair share of sequels with the likes of “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” “The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Expendables 3,” “300: Rise of an Empire” and “22 Jump Street.” While fans of these franchises will likely be back for more, it’s unlikely these sequels will draw in many new moviegoers.

Outside of all the sequels, remakes, reboots and comic book movies there will be a few stand-alone films.

Christopher Nolan, best known for his directorial work on the Dark Knight Trilogy is back with his sci-fi film “Interstellar,” starring Matthew McConaughey.

Little has been revealed regarding this film, but it is exciting to have an original sci-fi property coming to the-

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aters. There are also not one but two, entirely separate, films about Hercules hitting theaters this year; “The Legend of Hercules,” an origin story, and the simply titled “Hercules,” starring Dwayne Johnson, which takes place after the mythical hero has completed his famous twelve labors.

This year may not have the inordinate amount of big budget films of 2015, but moviegoers will still have much to look forward to in the meantime. Hopefully with so many of these high profile franchises choosing to forgo a 2014 release there will be more room for some surprise hits in the coming months.

Cory Willey can be reached at cjwilley@umass.edu.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

B7

FILM

Breaking news: ‘Anchorman 2’ lives up to hype Ron Burgundy and his gang strike again

By NathaN FroNtiero Collegian Staff

I saw this “Anchorman” sequel twice, and both times just could not stop laughing.

It’s been a while since I’ve a seen a film with as much pure manic energy as this one.

Rest assured, “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” was well worth the wait. Everyone from the powerhouse comedic team behind the first film is back. Director Adam McKay, producer Judd Apatow and, of course, stars Will Ferrell (cowriting again with McKay), Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner and Christina Applegate.

Nine years have passed since we first heard the legend of Ron Burgundy (Ferrell), and the update of the film’s setting matches that gap. Burgundy and co. have jumped from the seventies to the eighties. Ron and Veronica Corningstone (Applegate) are married with a six-year-old son, Walter (Judah Nelson, deadpan with hilarious innocence) and life is good, until Ron is fired by his idol, Mack Tannen (Harrison

Ford). Burgundy hits bottom, but a proposal from GNN, the world’s first 24-hour news network, sends him out to reassemble the news team.

What a wonderful reunion it is. Ferrell, Rudd, Carell and Koechner are an absolute riot. Burgundy remains the lovable narcissist he always was, and Rudd and Koechner are solid once again as Brian Fantana and Champ Kind, but Steve Carell is just something else entirely. Brick Tamland (Carell) was memorably eccentric in the first film, but here Carell devotedly throws the character even further into his own wildly absurd world. Brick is ludicrously enigmatic, and Carell’s performance glows with utter conviction.

In all honesty, the comedy is often very silly, sometimes it’s just plain stupid, but the pleasant surprise is the smartly subversive satire that McKay and Ferrell infuse into the story. As things start moving at GNN, the film throws some great jabs at the sensationalism in non-stop mass media. When network representative Freddie Shapp (Dylan Baker) tells Ron and the team “it’s total crap and they can’t get enough,” the

truth reflected in those words, especially today, is almost sobering. The ridiculousness of it all is frequently lampshaded, and, even through the retro lens, the satirical content retains its blunt honesty and relevance in the eyes and ears of its modern audience.

Sequels tend to squander the potential of their originals, but “Anchorman 2” arrived this December as a welcome exception, a cinematic gift that opened just in time for Christmas, no less. Sure, it follows the path blazed by the original (can you blame the filmmakers?) and yes, perhaps the first movie is truthfully more quotable (you might not hear a line quite as solid as “sixty percent of the time, it works every time”), but McKay and Ferrell pull off a pretty neat stunt this time around. They prove that more actually can be more.

Absurdity is pushed to the breaking point then well over it, especially in a fantastically epic reprise of the news team battle royal seen in the first film, and the big-headed, bigoted characters, especially Ferrell’s, cross the line twice then twice again. This sequel takes the humor of the original, runs with it, converts it

EVA RINALDI/FLICKR

Almost 10 years after the success of “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” Will Ferrell brought his old crew back to the silver screen. into rocket fuel and blasts it through the stratosphere.

Ron, Brick, Brian and Champ are all bumbling morons, each of a unique, twisted sort, and the focus on their outright idiocy is ingenious. James Marsden is also great as Jack Lime, the suave golden boy at GNN, and his clashes with Ferrell’s

FILM

Burgundy offer an interesting and rib-splitting glance into yet another media trend: the often only-de facto pattern of the new pushing out the old.

You shouldn’t count out Ron Burgundy of course, because as the man himself passionately states, he was put on this earth “to have salon-quality hair and read the news.”

Tonight’s top story? A rare exception to disappointing comedy sequels that breaks its own boundaries and reminds us how much we really do love the legend of a certain madcap newsman in a maroon blazer.

Nathan Frontiero can be reached at nfrontiero@umass.edu.

FA S H I O N

A look back at last year’s films Keeping warm and

staying fashionable

A year filled with unexpected hits

Don’t let the cold cramp your style

By NathaN FroNtiero Collegian Staff

Moviegoers were well tended in 2013. The past year in film was certainly diverse, with plenty of highs and lows along the way. With a decent slew of quality popcorn flicks and some very pleasant surprises in multiple genres, this was a big year for the silver screen.

While it wasn’t quite the sequel-dominated year that, say, 2007 was, 2013 still gave us a number of new entries to big blockbuster franchises.

Marvel continued to generate cargo ships of box office revenue, with both “Iron Man 3” and “Thor: The Dark World” among the highest grossing films of the year. Through a mix of humor and smart writing, both sequels vastly improved upon their respective predecessors.

“Despicable Me 2,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” and “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” all contributed supporting arguments on the financial viability of sequels. As Tina Fey recently said at this year’s Golden Globes, “This is Hollywood, and if something kind of works they’ll just keep doing it until everybody hates it.”

Based on the numbers this year, though, it seems it’ll take a while for these audiences to prove Fey right.

Now, that isn’t to say we didn’t see any duds this year, because we most certainly did. Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim,” a lovably epic and perhaps unintentionally corny giant-monster-versusgiant-robot bonanza, was, despite its grandeur, not nearly the box office smash it could have been, with only moderate box office success. “The Hangover Part III” was dry and lifeless, a drained, diluted third serving of a movie that worked much better the first time around.

“Elysium” also offered a striking premise, of a suffering poor Earth orbited by a paradise for the rich and powerful, but with its fumbling execution and

By Nia Decaille Collegian Staff

GAGE SKIDMORE/FLICKR

Renowned director Guillermo del Toro known for movies such as “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Devil’s Backbone” surprised audiences this year with the mech–fighter action movie “Pacific Rim.” outright infuriating final act, Neill Blomkamp’s dystopian vision was muddled and disappointing.

The world did not end on Dec. 21, 2012, and it seemed that Hollywood was trying to remind itself of that regularly in 2013. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the year, however, was a film that followed that trend while turning it on its head, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s “This Is the End.” The film, which featured an ensemble cast and a mile-long list of celebrity cameos (all playing versions of themselves), ingeniously infused outright world-ending destruction with razor edged laughs. It was utterly fearless, a blast to watch, and was lauded by critics and audiences alike.

It may sound trite, but a number of movies in 2013 stood out by breaking the mold. “The Heat” shook up the buddy-cop formula by giving us two female leads, a straightfaced Sandra Bullock and a wonderfully crass Melissa McCarthy, and was one of the funniest movies of the year. Zack Snyder gave us a darker, and polarizing, reimagining of Superman with “Man of Steel.” Baz Luhrmann’s take on “The Great Gatsby” was an unrestrained spectacle and a fresh embodiment of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic sendup of the American Dream in the Jazz Age. “Admission,” starring

Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, was a reasonably enjoyable romantic comedy, but also, more importantly, perhaps the bravest and most candid lampoon of the absurdities of the college application process.

And then there’s awards season. The last three months have been absolutely packed with excellent, original films.

“Frozen” was just plain adorable and, as many critics have claimed, one of Disney’s best animated musicals in over a decade.

Daniel Radcliffe broke free of the “Potter” box with his compelling portrayal of Allen Ginsberg in “Kill Your Darlings,” a noir-infused coming-ofage story that explores the beginnings of the Beat Generation. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” directed by and starring Ben Stiller, was both earnestly affecting and wonderfully visual, an intentionally dreamlike rush of cinematic escapism. David O. Russell did it again with “American Hustle,” which is garnering plenty of buzz for its compellingly multilayered and genredefying story and for a knockout ensemble cast that includes Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence.

“Her” is Spike Jonze’s ar restingly r uminative and achingly beautiful love story, featuring Joaquin Phoenix as a man

who falls in love with an intelligent operating system named Samantha (Scarlett Johansson).

Joaquin Phoenix is terrific, but keep on the lookout for Johansson, whose purely vocal performance in “Her” may just make history at this year’s Academy Awards. “Inside Llewyn Davis,” written and directed by Joel and Ethan Cohen, is dark and strikingly intimate, and the hardship-filled journey of its hero (Oscar Isaac), as he struggles in the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961, is powerfully haunting. And with “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Martin Scorsese reaffirms his directorial genius, as frequent Scorsese collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio both captures and infuriates the audience in what may be the wildest performance of his career.

This was a packed year in cinema. Though there have been a few large misses, plenty of films released in the last twelve months have largely made their mark. With a successful spring and summer marked by blockbusters and comedies alike, a winter loaded with Oscar bait and plenty of interesting and engrossing films in between, this year was a truly memorable one for movies. The bar has been set quite high for 2014.

Nathan Frontiero can be reached at nfrontiero@umass.edu.

keeping your ears warm a designer pair will cost you, but for the college dime any retailer like J.C. Penney should only cost you between $10 and $20.

Aviator style or fur hats are also still a hat staple for the winter time and still remain very much high fashion.

Let’s face it, winter boots can be a little tacky, but a good pair to brave the snow is essential to your winter wardrobe. The best option for warmth and style is a pair that are waterproof, lightweight and have tough soles with traction. In most cases, those Uggs that you loved wearing during the fall will keep your feet warm, but are no stranger to the puddles and slippery snow around campus. To keep your feet from getting wet, an insulated rain boot or water proof shoe may be pricy, but it’s worth the investment.

Sporting your favorite leather boots from the fall is also easy if you invest in a good waterproof spray or sealant. Some great brands to choose from are Hunter, L.L. Bean or Anne Klein. Lastly, the colder months just aren’t the same without the glove and scarf combo. A scarf well-suited for extreme cold temperatures should be made of thicker materials; wool, thick knits, etc. Another thing to look for is a lengthy scarf that can be tied, looped or secured around your neck. When walking past the library is enough to break your spirits, a scarf can make your campus travels easier and you can experiment with texture, color and prints to spice up your winter staple items. Knit or leather gloves is also a matter of preference.

Leather gloves that are lined can be a plus, but also restricting and uncomfortable in comparison to a knit material.

When you’re trying to figure out just what to bring to campus take these items into consideration to stay warm without feeling tactless. You don’t have to grudgingly spare any of your fine fashion senses to dress for the weather. One of the best things to remember when wearing any item, your confidence is the best accessory. Layering up and putting on a coat won’t make you feel summer time fine, but you can be effortlessly chic.

As students in western Massachusetts we know the reality of the freezing temperatures, intense winds and weather changes too well.

Whether you’re taking the colder months delightfully or with a grain of salt, why not do it fashionably? There is a method to layering those sweaters and finding that cozy jacket. Staying warm doesn’t have to mean that you need to sacrifice any sense of style at the expense of a snowy day.

One of the most obvious and easy style items is a warm winter coat and covering as much of your body as possible is key. Investing in a coat that is lined on the inside is an absolute must. Coats with faux fur lined pockets can also serve as a way to keep your hands warm. Some brands that are great to try are London Fog, Marc Fisher, L.L. Bean, and North Face. One of the best places to search for that winter coat steal are large department stores or outlets like Burlington Coat Factory that are more likely to have discounted prices.

Instead of trying to buy more woolen sweaters and knits, layering your clothes is cost effective and can make up for what your winter coat is lacking. Instead of placing a regular tee shirt under your cardigan or blazer, try thinner knitted garments also known as “long johns” or Under Armour. Wearing them under your jeans or pants will also help you brave the wind and protect your skin from the air, which is more susceptible to drying out during the winter.

Depending on the material you can also wear them to the gym underneath your clothes and have a quick change for that mid-day exercise routine.

Hats and head gear are sometimes tricky because they can mess up that hair do you spent time on, or give you hat hair. The good news is that you don’t always have to put on a hat; earmuffs aren’t out of style. Teen Vogue recently listed the top 30 pairs of ear muffs that are fashion forward and cozy.

Nia Decaille can be reached at ndeIf you’re interested in just caill@umass.edu@umass.edu.

B8

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

MUSIC

A retrospective on 2013’s most important albums

A year for stars and indies alike

By Jackson Maxwell Collegian Staff

2013, all told, was an incredible year for music.

It saw numerous legendary musicians return to the studio for the first time in decades and share the results, good or bad, with the world. It saw artists like Kanye West push and distort the boundaries of what popular music can sound like, and artists like Beyoncé experimenting with the very method of promoting and releasing a new album.

Established musicians occasionally faltered, while younger ones took their

place in music with incredible records. Sorting through all of it can be a bit of a challenge, but here is some of the best music that 2013 had to offer.

Palma Violets, an incredibly young rock band out of London, released their debut album, “180,” on Feb. 25.

With its members’ ages all hovering just above or below 20, Palma Violets deliver an incredibly spirited and tuneful take on classic ‘60s garage rock. What their songs lack in instrumental prowess and lyrical depth they more than make up for in sheer charisma, energy, and catchiness. The band plays every song like it is their last day on earth, only bolstering their ragged, underdog charm. The band’s first two singles, “Best of Friends”

Clockwise from top left: The National “Trouble Will Find Me,” Mutual Benefit “Love’s Crushing Diamond,” Vampire Weekend “Modern Vampires of the City,” Palma Violets “180.”

and “Last of the Summer Wine,” turned them into an immediate sensation in their home country, and they have slowly been finding success in America. Once you hear a few of the tracks on “180,” it’s hard to not fall completely in love with Palma Violets.

On June 3, Queens of the Stone Age finally emerged from a six-year hiatus with their sixth album, “…Like Clockwork.” A hard-rock album entirely bereft of all of the unfortunate trappings the genre tends to bring with it, “…Like Clockwork” quickly establishes itself as the band’s best work to date. Featuring the alwaystwisty songwriting of frontman Josh Homme with the impeccable grooves laid down by drummer Dave Grohl (of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame), “…Like Clockwork” is incredibly ambitious while simultaneously playing perfectly well into Homme’s strengths as a songwriter. Blistering but detailed, bludgeoning but sometimes incredibly sweet and delicate, “…Like Clockwork” saw an already well-established band taking their game to new heights.

The National, the crafty and deceptively brilliant New York-based band; also returned with a new album this year. “Trouble Will Find Me,” released on May 17, is the National’s sixth album; one that continues the incredible artistic streak the band has been on for almost a decade now. Following the perfection of their last two albums, “High Violet,” released in 2010, and “Boxer,” released in 2007, was without

ROBERT FAIRCHILD/FLICKR

The National, who have been active since 1999, have maintained their spot in the public eye 15 years later. question an incredibly tall order for the band. But in a style typical of the band, they made it look easy on “Trouble Will Find Me.” Defined by Matt Berninger’s baritone voice, and anxious, self-deprecating tales of white-collar city-dwellers and their twisty lives; The National make an incredibly beautiful, orchestral brand of rock rich with detail and emotion. While not quite reaching the heights of some of their past work, “Trouble Will Find Me” is a fantastic album by a band in total control of all aspects of their sound.

The best debut album of the year probably had to go to Jordan Lee, recording under the name Mutual Benefit. A gorgeous, orches-

tral, baroque-folk album, “Love’s Crushing Diamond,” released on Oct. 25, is an embarrassment of riches.

All seven of its songs are immaculately crafted, filled with beautiful melodies, and fantastic, detailed instrumentation. For such a young, previously unproven artist, “Love’s Crushing Diamond” proved to be one of the year’s biggest surprises.

The one band though, that stood above all others this year though was Vampire Weekend. Their third album, “Modern Vampires of the City,” took the already high standards the band had set for themselves and blew them sky-high. Released on May 14, the album decimated any remaining thought that the band was merely an annoy-

ing quartet of privileged ex-Ivy Leaguers who played an obnoxious, intellectual and American variation of Afrobeat music. “Modern Vampires” manages to surprise and thrill at every turn; gliding effortlessly through different tempos, moods, and structures. No song sounds anything like the one that came before. The band tries anything they think will sound good, without any fear or inhibition, and the results are absolutely astounding.

With this, Vampire Weekend established themselves as one of alternative rock’s crown jewels, a band whose creativity seemingly knows no end.

Jackson Maxwell can be reached at jlmaxwell@umass.edu.

ALBUM REVIEW

‘Beyoncé’ lauded by fans An untraditionally released mega-LP

By Jake Reed Collegian Staff

If you haven’t heard Beyoncé’s latest album by now, you’ve at least heard about it. While Lady Gaga spent most of 2013 ranting about how she had created the “album of the millennium” and Britney Spears promised her “most personal” album yet with “Britney Jean,” Queen B truly got personal on her fifth solo album, which, while may not be the end-all be-all of albums this millennium, is probably the best pop album of 2013.

With 17 music videos delivered alongside its 14 tracks, “Beyoncé” is certainly the most ambitious album in recent memory. Beyoncé has always been a visual artist, but while she created videos for both singles and album cuts for her last three releases, she has never dropped an album’s entire video collection on release day. The videos range from simple visuals to more thorough storytelling clips, and often tout the messages of feminism and the acceptance of flaws found throughout the album’s lyrics.

For instance, one end of the video spectrum the album explores is simple and sexy, such as the two-minute clip “Yoncé.” The video features Beyoncé and her dancers gyrating and posing against city buildings, often zooming in on lips, breasts and B’s famous behind when she sings, “Ya man ain’t never seen a booty like this.” On the other

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hand, “Pretty Hurts” tells the story of Beyoncé as pageant contestant Miss Third Ward.

By the end of the clip, she smashes all of the trophies that she has won, declaring that the pressure to be “pretty” is no longer worth the dedication and bragging rights it brings. In the documentary “Self-Titled,” available to watch on YouTube, the singer further explains the imagery, “I have a lot of awards . . . but nothing feels like my child saying, ‘Mommy!’”

Musically, “Beyoncé” is the icon’s most cohesive collection of songs to date. While 2011’s “4” promised closer attention to detail from the singer than albums like 2006’s “B’Day,” which was recorded in just three weeks, it still had its weak moments, such as the copy-and-paste Diplo beat on “Run the World” and closing snoozer “I Was Here.” On her latest effort, nothing feels contrived or copied. With sloweddown tempos and synths that ooze sex appeal rather than attempt to corral you to the dance floor, she bucks the trend of EDM-overloaded pop and R&B. And she knows it: “Radio say speed it up, I just go slower,” she raps on “Partition.”

On lead single “XO,” a reggaeton-leaning beat and glowing synths are used as the backbone for a simple but beautiful love song wherein B sings, “In the darkest night hour I’ll search through the crowd. Your face is all that I see . . . baby love me lights out.” “Drunk In Love” and “Haunted” find the singer flirting with big, brazen trap productions, a stark contrast to the pop radio-friendly

sounds that sparkle on her biggest hits.

The brightest moment on “Beyoncé” is “***Flawless,” the first half of which debuted as part of the buzz single “Bow Down/I Been On” in early 2013. The instant viral spread of the new version’s catchy hook “I woke up like this” proved the song an instant anthem for women and gay men alike, but the song is even more significant as the album’s pinnacle feminist moment, borrowing a segment from a TEDx speech titled “We should all be feminists” by African author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

In addition to its important message, the song’s drums and 8-bit synths show that producer Hit Boy (“N-ggas in Paris,” “Scream & Shout” remix) should have had a heavier hand on the album.

For a pop album it may be shocking to hear, but weak moments on the set are few and far between. It’s moreor-less a collection of strong hooks, hard-hitting beats, and then hooks and beats that aren’t the best but are still pretty good. For instance, “No Angel” and “Mine” might not be as poignant or concise as other songs on the set, but they are still far better than most of 2013’s pop singles. Not bad for a 32-year-old mother that could have easily peaked with “Single Ladies” and retired to a solid gold throne to watch pop’s remaining divas flounder about for an ounce of the success that she’s enjoyed.

Jake Reed can be reached at jaker@ umass.edu.