Massachusetts Daily Collegian: Feb. 12, 2014

Remembering

Back for more UMass looks for season sweep

Philip

Seymour

against George Mason

Hoffman

PAGE 8

PAGE 5

THE MASSACHUSETTS

A free and responsible press

DAILY COLLEGIAN DailyCollegian.com

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

News@DailyCollegian.com

SGA sets new goals for spring

dropping in

Stronger student voice a priority

By ChanCe Viles Collegian Correspondent

CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN

A skier competes in the UMass Ski and Board Club’s annual ‘Winter Fest Rail Jam’ last Friday on the Southwest Residential Area lawn.

Study finds benefits of video games

Researchers see varied results by age

By CeCilia Prado Collegian Correspondent

New research from the University of Massachusetts’ psychology department has foundthat adultswhoplaycasual online video games report a variety of cognitive benefits based upon their age group.

“Most of what we hear about video games concerns their detrimental effects on players. This study shows that people perceive many positive effects, even though the games can be addictive,” said UMass professor Susan Whitbourne, who conducted the study along with undergraduates Stacy

Ellenberg and Kyoko Akimoto.

The study was published in the December 2013 issue of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

The researchers formulated an online survey in which they asked more than 10,000 adults between the ages of 18-80 a series of questions and allowed them to include additional comments about a popular free online game called Bejeweled Blitz.

Bejeweled Blitz started as a free Facebook application in which users can compete with their friends and achieve a superior ranking on weekly leaderboards.

The goal is to match gems of the same kind and color in order to get the highest score in less than one minute.

The main purpose of the

study was to learn about patterns of game play among adults as the first step toward learning if casual video games could help adults improve their cognitive functions, according to Whitbourne.

The majority of people surveyed cited the opportunity to compete against their friends as their primary reason for playing the game, especially among those 18-29 years old, according to a UMass press release.

The second most frequently cited reason was different for every age group.

Among middle-aged adults (ages 30-58), the game helped to relieve stress. In contrast, older adults (ages 60 and older) stated they sought out the game for mental challenges, according to the release.

Students discuss dynamic of dating long-distance

By Peter CaPPiello Collegian Staff

Hannah Burbidge was already in bed when she heard her phone vibrate on an October morning around 3 a.m. It was a text and at that hour, she thought it could only be from her mother or her boyfriend.

“I go out and I sit down at a table set for two,” read the message from her boyfriend, Lance Corporal Kyle Francis, a 19-year-old Marine. The borrowed lyrics from singer Gavin DeGraw’s “Not Over You” were written about a breakup, but in this context, they refer to a long-distance relationship. Francis first sent the same lyrics in a July love letter from boot camp.

Burbidge, a freshman psychology major at the University of Massachusetts, recognized the song and started singing it out loud. She has been in a long-distance rela-

tionship with Francis for two and a half years. In the UMass community, this is not an uncommon circumstance.

“It was almost like he could hug me or kiss me right there,” Burbidge said of the text. Francis is stationed in California and is on a deployment list for Saudi Arabia.

“It’s when you get hit with an emotion, it’s like a little surprise.”

The two met in 2011 in Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, Francis’ hometown and a family vacation spot for Burbidge.

They started dating two months later.

Distance has been a factor for the couple since the beginning of their relationship.

Burbidge traveled 45 minutes by car from her Plymouth home and Francis often met her halfway after a 45-minute boat ride. They met every weekend, despite the demand of high school and sports, soc-

cer for Burbidge and hockey for Francis.

Burbidge has spent years talking with Francis on Oovoo, a video chat service, and said patience is key for a successful long-distance relationship.

Still, she admitted she occasionally gets frustrated, especially when her friends make plans with their boyfriends.

“They’ll say, ‘Do you want to go get pizza at Antonio’s on Wednesday,’” Burbidge said.

“I’ve never been able to do that – to pick up the phone, say, ‘Come meet me here,’ and 15 minutes later, I see his face. It’s always been a process.”

She added that Valentine’s Day “stings” without Francis, but said lows like that are worth it when she sees him in person. Burbidge compared the feeling to joy on Christmas morning.

Sophomore biology major see

DATING on page 3

Serving the UMass community since 1890

The perceived benefits among the respondents to the survey also differed among each age group. A large percentage of the young adults surveyed said that playing the online game helped them feel more mentally alert and improved their memory. On the other hand, the older subjects said they perceived the benefits to be an improvement in visuospatial ability and reaction time, according to the release.

One of the most surprising results the researchers found was that older adults were most likely to report the heaviest game play patterns.

Additionally, the proportion of older adults who reported to be casual gamers was see

VIDEO GAMES on page 3

going really well so far,” Broughton said. “As of right now, the SGA is off and running. Members of both the Executive Cabinet and the Senate are pursuing their own and collective projects that we hope will enhance the overall undergraduate experience.

The SGA is also promoting “Minuteman Mondays,” during which SGA members will wear UMass attire.

Students and faculty are encouraged to participate as well. The hope is that “Minuteman Mondays” will generate more school pride and instill a new tradition.

“Collectively, we are not just a large research institution but more importantly, we are a talented, creative and innovative community that has never been afraid to lead or stand up for what is right,” Broughton said.

The SGA’s Diversity and Student Engagement Committee is also working on a “5 Trustees Campaign” to encourage the Massachusetts legislature to vote on increasing the number of voting trustees from two to five. Each of the campuses in the UMass system has a trustee, but only two have voting rights each year.

“I am ecstatic about how the senate has been doing this semester,” Barrett said.

“Every single senator has an action plan to improve this university, little by little.

From green computing, to improving logistics of the YCMP plan, to lowering the costs of internship credits, to making new traditions like ‘Minuteman Monday,’ our senators are contributing to this campus in a big way.”

Next month, elections for SGA President, Vice President and the Student Trustee position will take place.

The University of Massachusetts’ Student Government Association is setting new goals for this semester, including taking steps to give students more of a say in what goes on around campus.

According to SGA President Zachary Broughton, work is being done to ensure that the student voice is heard. The SGA is working with the Graduate Student Senate and UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy to create advisory boards to the different vice chancellors across campus in order to improve relations with students, as well as the SGA’s ability to communicate with administrators.

“This is one of the most active groups of senators we have had in the past four or five years,” SGA Speaker Sionan Barrett said.

The SGA is also working to keep UMass affordable for students. It is currently supporting a proposed bill to increase the state budget of UMass, which would freeze tuition and fees for a second year in a row.

“On March 5, the SGA will be hosting our annual lobby day in which we take busloads of students from UMass Amherst and other public institutions of higher education within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to the Massachusetts Statehouse, and we lobby legislators to increase their funding to the University,” Broughton said.

Another goal of the SGA is to create a “joint task force” of student leaders to work on getting a new Student Union. Chance Viles can be reached at “The semester is cviles@umass.edu.

Shirley Temple, iconic child star, dies at 85

By Valerie J. nelson Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Shirley Temple Black, who as the most popular child movie star of all time lifted a filmgoing nation’s spirits during the Depression and then grew up to be a diplomat, has died. She was 85.

Black died late Monday at her home in the San Francisco suburb of Woodside, according to publicist Cheryl J. Kagan. No cause was given.

From 1935 through 1938, the curly-haired moppet billed as Shirley Temple was the top box-office draw in the nation. She saved what became 20th Century Fox studios from bankruptcy and made more than 40 movies before she turned 12.

Hollywood recognized the enchanting, dimpled scene-stealer’s importance

to the industry with a “special award” - a miniature Oscar - at the Academy Awards for 1934, the year she sang and danced her way into America’s collective heart.

After she sang “On the Good Ship Lollipop” in “Bright Eyes,” the song became a hit and the studio set up Shirley Temple Development, a department dedicated to churning out formulaic scripts that usually featured the cheerful, poised Shirley as the accidental Little Miss Fix-It who could charm any problem away.

Her most memorable performances included four films she made with Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, a black dancer 50 years her senior and a favorite co-star, she later said.

They were first paired

as foils for cantankerous Lionel Barrymore in 1935’s “The Little Colonel,” in which 7-year-old Shirley tap dances up and down the staircase, remarkably matching the veteran Robinson step for step.

“I would learn by listening to the taps,” Temple told The Washington Post in 1998. “I would primarily listen to what he was doing and I would do it.”

Their dance routines in such films as the Civil War saga “The Littlest Rebel” (1935) and “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” (1938) reflected their offscreen rapport. They were the first mixed-race musical numbers to be seen in many parts of the country, according to “Who’s Who in Musicals.” see

BLACK on page 2

2

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

THE RU N D OW N ON THIS DAY...

In 1999, President Bill Clinton was acquitted by the U.S. Senate in his impeachment trial. The House of Representatives previously had voted to impeach Clinton on counts of perjury and obstruction of justice.

AROUND THE WORLD

Algeria ALGIERS, Algeria — Rescue workers found 77 bodies at the scene of one of Algeria’s worst air disasters Tuesday, after a military transport plane carrying troops and family members crashed in the northeast of the country, Algerian state television said.

Only one survivor had been found so far, an officer from the military’s civil protection unit.

Ennahar TV channel said the survivor was a woman who was rushed to hospital in critical condition. dpa

Europe LONDON — Dozens more masterpieces by artists such as Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet have been discovered in a second home belonging to the elderly German recluse whose Munich apartment yielded an astonishing trove of more than 1,400 artworks, including some believed plundered by the Nazis.

The additional 60 pieces were kept inside Cornelius Gurlitt’s home in Salzburg, Austria, about two hours’ drive from his apartment in southern Germany. Authorities viewed and secured the precious works Monday, according to a statement

by Gurlitt’s spokesman carried by Austrian and German media.

Los Angeles Times

Egypt CAIRO — Scarred, terrified and systematically tortured, the victims of human traffickers in the Sinai peninsula have been largely abandoned to their fate by Egyptian authorities, a leading human rights group alleged in a report released Tuesday.

The report by New York-based Human Rights Watch details a brutal extortion racket in which victims, most of them would-be migrants from Eritrea in the Horn of Africa, are beaten, burned and mutilated by smugglers while their anguished relatives - contacted by mobile phone are forced to listen to their screams.

If their families agree to wire money to pay a ransom, the report said, the captives may escape further torture. But many simply disappear into desert graves.

Egyptian officials have rejected claims they turn a blind eye to the traffickers’ abuses, and have denied that security forces at times actively collude with the people-smugglers in the peninsula.

Los Angeles Times Distributed by MCT Information Services

DailyCollegian.com

House approves debt limit measure

Borrowing capacity extended for 1 year

By Michael a. MeMoli Tribune Washington Bureau

W A S H I N G T O N — The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation Tuesday to extend the nation’s borrowing capacity for another year, all but ensuring that Congress’ recent fiscal cease-fire extends through the summer.

Republican leaders brought the measure quickly to the floor after the fractious majority failed to agree on what, if any, provisions to attach to the

BLACK

must-pass legislation. The chamber’s Democratic minority provided most of the votes needed to approve the measure, with only 28 Republicans voting on the so-called “clean” debt-limit measure. The final vote was 221-201.

As late as Monday evening, party leaders were seeking to build support for tying a debt-limit increase to a proposal to reverse a cut made to some veterans’ benefits as part of the recent budget deal.

But it was soon clear that Republicans could not pass such a plan on their own, leading House Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, to announce Tuesday morning that he was moving the

debt-limit measure without any strings attached.

“When you don’t have 218 votes, you have nothing,” Boehner told reporters.

Boehner also sought to put the onus on Democrats to advance the measure since President Barack Obama was unwilling to negotiate with the GOP. “Let his party give him the debt-ceiling increase that he wants,” Boehner said.

But Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., the No. 2 House Democrat, said it was “pathetic” for Republicans to attempt to demagogue on the issue, and linked it to Boehner’s recent acknowledgment that passing immi-

gration reform legislation was unlikely this year.

“The debt limit shows (and) comprehensive immigration reform shows that the Republican Party is a deeply divided party whose leaders have great difficulty of finding followers, and who are out of sync with the American people,” he told reporters. “That is a party that is rudderless and should be rejected by the American people.”

The Senate could sign off on the debt-limit measure as soon as Wednesday, sending it to Obama well ahead of the Feb. 27 deadline that Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew had set as the date the nation risked default.

Congress’ next fiscal

deadline now is not until the fall, when it must pass another round of appropriations bills to fund the government beyond Sept. 30.

Few expect, however, that lawmakers will risk a government shutdown so close to the midterm elections in November.

Vice President Joe Biden, at the Capitol on Tuesday to swear in a new senator, signaled the White House’s own relief at moving beyond the fiscal battle.

“We’re now moving in a sort of regular order,” he said. “That’s how it’s supposed to work. I’m looking forward to them actually bringing it up and us moving on. We’ve got a lot to do.”

continued from page 1

Two of her films released in 1937 were among Temple’s favorites - the John Forddirected “Wee Willie Winkie,” in which she wins over a British outpost in India, and “Heidi,” a hit film that became a classic.

In her first film aimed squarely at children, Shirley sang “Animal Crackers in My Soup” to fellow orphans in 1935’s “Curly Top.” She danced with Jack Haley in “Poor Little Rich Girl” (1936), one of her best films and “a top musical on any terms,” according to movie critic Leonard Maltin.

A country desperate for relief from the excruciating economic hardships of the Depression fell in love with Shirley and her infectious optimism in “Baby Take a Bow,” the 1934 film that was her first starring vehicle.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt marveled how splendid it was “that for just 15 cents, an American can go to a movie and look at the smiling face of a baby and forget his troubles,” according to an American Film Institute history.

By 1935, lookalike Shirley Temple dolls, complete with her trademark curls, were selling at the rate of 1.5 million a year, part of a merchandising onslaught that included Temple-endorsed dresses and dishes.

Even bartenders got into the act. Although the 1930s origins of the non-alcoholic Shirley Temple cocktail have been debated, Temple told the Los Angeles Times in 1985 that the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood had named the drink after her.

To learn her lines, Shirley essentially memorized the script as her mother, Gertrude Temple, read it aloud. When Barrymore forgot his lines while filming 1934’s “Carolina,” Shirley sweetly told him what to say, causing the star to “roar like

a singed cat,” actor Robert Young later recalled.

She attributed her welladjusted nature on and off the set to her “super mother” who “kept my head on straight” and “just dusted off” the adulation, Temple told the Times in 1989.

As she moved into her teens, she literally outgrew the movie business - audiences would not accept her in more mature roles - and Temple made her last film, “Mr. Belvedere Goes to College,” in 1949.

A decade later, she briefly returned to Hollywood to narrate and sometimes star in fairytales on what was originally called “Shirley Temple’s Storybook,” a successful show that aired on television from 1959 to 1961.

It prompted one critic to write that it proved once again that Temple “could, if she wanted to, steal Christmas from Tiny Tim,” Anne Edwards wrote in the 1988 biography “Shirley Temple: American Princess.”

Politics consumed much of her adult life after she married businessman Charlie Black in 1950 and was known as Shirley Temple Black.

An active Republican, she ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1967. Two years later, she was appointed the U.S. delegate to the United Nations by President Richard Nixon.

From 1974 to 1976, Temple was the U.S. ambassador to the West African nation of Ghana and later served as White House chief of protocol for President Gerald Ford. She also was an ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992, a “substantive job” that was the best she ever held, Temple told The Washington Post in 1998.

Initially short on diplomatic experience, she got an assist from her childhood.

People on the street in Prague would often stop her and pull

MCT

Shirley Temple Black, shown in 1940, went from being a child film star to a diplomatic career serving the United States in the United Nations and as an ambassador. a memento from their wallets - their membership card from Czechoslovakia’s 1930sera Shirley Temple fan club.

That recognition “was very helpful when you want to explain your country’s position on various foreign affairs,” she said in the Post article.

The money she made as a child had long since evaporated.

At 22, she discovered that all but $28,000 of her $3.2 million income from the movies had vanished because of her family’s lavish lifestyle and bad investments made by her father, George Temple, a bank manager who left his job to oversee her career.

She “felt neither disappointment nor anger,” Temple wrote in her 1988 autobiography. “Perhaps years spent ignoring such matters had insulated me from disillusion. The spiltmilk parable surely played a role in my equanimity, as did the power of bloodline and family ties.”

Her brothers were 9 and

13 years old when she was born April 23, 1928, in Santa Monica, Calif., to a mother who had suppressed a desire for her own career in the arts, according to Edwards.

When Shirley was barely 3, her mother enrolled her in a Los Angeles dance studio run by former Ziegfeld girl Ethel Meglin, who trained young children to work in film and advertising.

In publicity interviews, her mother always claimed that Shirley was accidentally “discovered” in a dancing class that was for recreation, but from the start, Gertrude made the rounds of casting directors with her young daughter.

The best of her post-child starring roles may have been the spunky Army brat she played in 1947’s “Fort Apache,” which paired her romantically on screen with John Agar, whom she married at 17 in 1945.

The brother of one of Shirley’s classmates, Agar was a 24-year-old Army Air Corps sergeant when his

marriage to Temple propelled him into acting. They had a daughter but divorced in 1949.

On vacation in Hawaii in 1950, Temple met the dashing Black, who was working at a shipping company and had never seen any of her films.

“He was an intensely interesting and fascinating man to me,” Temple said when Black died at 86 in 2005.

“I fell in love with him at first sight. It sounds corny, but that’s what happened.”

Temple often underplayed her years as the little screen star whose blinding smile and bountiful talent rescued a studio. “Sometimes one scores a bull’s-eye purely by chance,” she wrote in her autobiography.

Of the shadow that always followed her, Temple told Time magazine in 1967: “I always think of her as ‘the little girl.’ She’s not me.”

Temple is survived by a son, Charlie Jr.; two daughters, Lori and Susan; a granddaughter; and two great-granddaughters.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

Georgia awaits ‘crippling’ storm Obama declares a state of emergency

By Matt Pearce Los Angeles Times

President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Georgia on Tuesday as the southern state awaited what the National Weather Service called a potentially “crippling” ice and snow storm “of historical proportions.”

The roads in Atlanta, usually clogged with traffic, were unusually quiet at midday Tuesday as students and workers stayed home to await a storm that could potentially knock out power in some areas for days.

“Do not wait to begin making plans for this significant weather event!!” the National Weather Service said in an online alert, which warned of more than 7 inches of snow in northeast Georgia and more than half an inch of ice in the eastern part of the state.

The storm was expected to extend as far west as Texas before moving up the Eastern Seaboard on Wednesday.

Georgia state officials began preparing for the storm Monday, still stung by allegations that they mishandled a snowstorm two weeks ago that gridlocked the Atlanta area with just 1 to 3 inches of snow and left some drivers trapped in their cars for more than 24 hours.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, in a Tuesday statement, said he had asked the federal government for emergency generators in anticipation of power outages and also

MCT

Richard Bethea picked up additional items on Monday in Atlanta for the upcoming winter storm. expanded an earlier emergency declaration to now cover 88 of Georgia’s 159 counties.

Although the streets in Atlanta were left relatively bare by a Monday night snow dusting, the state’s Department of Transportation, taking no chances, urged drivers in Atlanta and northern Georgia “to refrain from all but absolutely necessary driving” until at least midday Thursday.

In preparation on Monday, grocery stores in the Atlanta area were slammed with residents eager to stock up on supplies and avoid a replay of the massive traffic disaster that turned the city into a national punch line at the end of January.

Fruit and breakfast foods were popular. So were wines.

One young man at a Sam’s Club commanded a shopping cart packed with at least eight cases of Bud Light and Corona beers.

“The water was basically all gone,” Amana AbdulJabbaar, 30, told the Los Angeles Times in a phone interview after visiting a Kroger in Sandy Springs, where lines were so long that it took 25 minutes to check out in the express lane. “There were a lot of people in the store like it was Armageddon; they were stocking up on absolutely everything.”

Kenisha Robertson, 36, of Sandy Springs was planning to keep her kids home even before Atlanta-area schools announced closures for Tuesday and Wednesday.

(In the last storm, it took her more than 10 hours to make

a drive that normally takes 15 minutes.) At her local Publix, Robertson fought the crowds to buy 4 gallons of water.

“The eggs were gone, bread, milk,” said Robertson, ticking off a list of what people were hunting for, which included vegetables and dog food. “The frozen pizza was gone!”

Karen Louis, 42, of Roswell, who was struck in traffic for 14 hours in the last storm, told The Times “a lot of people have changed their approach this time; no one wants to get caught out in it.”

She added, “Of course, Murphy’s Law, nothing will happen, and all of us will be sitting at home and we’ll be mad at ourselves when nothing happens, and we’ll be a laughingstock again.”

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

DATING

3

continued from page 1

Damien Cranshaw is also in a long-distance relationship that’s approaching three years. He and Veronica Hayden, his high school sweetheart, have plans in Amherst on Feb. 14 for the second consecutive year.

Hayden is a sophomore at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in New York.

Cranshaw said the Blackstone natives had to ask a tough question upon graduation: how committed were they to their relationship?

Once the pair realized they could stay true to each other, they made a symbolic promise in the form of a childhood teddy bear exchange.

Cranshaw received Tumbles, a dark black bear, while Hayden welcomed Dexter, a light brown teddy from BuildA-Bear Workshop.

“Sometimes it just gets tough,” Cranshaw said of the distance. He visits Hayden once or twice a month, since he doesn’t have a car. “You wish you had your best friend with you, but she’s far away,” he said. “(The bears) are a reminder that we’re always there for each other.”

Cranshaw, like Burbidge, confessed a degree of jealousy over friends having their significant others on campus. He

said distance is not ideal, but he “makes it work.”

Kelsey Evans, a junior, knows the difficulties of longdistance relationships from firsthand experience. The natural resource conservation major from Ipswich dated hometown friend Guy Lopes, 24, for just over a year. He lived in Ipswich during that time.

Evans said she sacrificed schoolwork on the weekends in favor of spending time with Lopes. She also saw her absence from school impact her social life and relationships with friends. Evans mused that a lack of focus could have been to blame, or she could have just been “love sick.”

She’s rekindled old friendships since becoming single, and though distance wasn’t the reason for her breakup, she said she doesn’t plan on getting into another long-distance relationship while still in school.

“You just have to be willing to put in a lot of effort,” Evans said. “But I have no idea if I’ll meet someone who might change my mind. It all depends on the person.”

Peter Cappiello can be reached at pcappiel@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @petecapps.

VIDEO GAMES larger than the psychologists expected, and the majority of them played these games for the mental challenge.

The most significant benefit of online casual video gaming is still uncertain. Whitbourne and her team are currently performing studies to find out if casual video games, such

continued from page 1

as Bejeweled Blitz, can benefit attentional abilities and quicker performance in older adults. Apart from this, “it appears that these games help adults feel socially connected,” Whitbourne said.

Cecilia Prado can be reached at sprado@umass.edu.

Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

“I count no man happy until he is dead.” - Solon

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Editorial@DailyCollegiancom

Macklemore is not the LGBT enemy Lately I have noticed hostility within the gay community toward our straight allies, both through the

Jake Reed

Tumblr and the Facebook posts of a few select friends.

The negativity is not always directed at a specific individual, but more often than not, it is directed toward the current figurehead of the straight white male ally: Macklemore.

Like it or not, Macklemore’s “Same Love” has probably changed the view of gay marriage for a lot of people. The song bluntly addresses the fact that in our society, some “would rather die than be who they are,” and Macklemore released it with the hope of abating the intolerance that leads to the cold, hard truth of this statement. I don’t see the message of the song as problematic.

Monetarily, I hope that the rapper donated at least some of the song’s profits to a charitable Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) cause. For example, when Lady Gaga blatantly exploited every minority group for “Born this Way,” she at least partially made up for it by bringing the Born Brave Bus to over 18 cities. The bus connects fans to mental health services, organizations and other important resources. She plans to take it out on the road again during her 2014 tour. But that’s a story for a different op-ed.

Back to the song’s message. At its core, the song aims to do nothing more than advocate for the right for gays and lesbians to be themselves freely within our society, beginning with marriage equality. Sure, it has some clunky lyrics, but they shouldn’t distract from the main point.

Take for instance its heavily contested opening line: “When I was in the third grade, I thought that I was

gay, because I could draw, my uncle was and I kept my room straight.” Some have accused this line of being exploitative of gay stereotypes, whereas its true purpose is to demonstrate that gay stereotyping (which inherently leads to bullying) begins at a young age.

If you are a young boy who can draw or likes to keep his room tidy, you are different, you possess feminine traits: you are gay. If bullying begins as young as third grade, it’s no wonder people are taking their own lives before they even graduate high school.

Just because Macklemore is a straight white male does not automatically invalidate his words. As YouTube user Arielle Scarcella pointed out in a recent video response to his performance at the Grammys, it is selfish to be

exposure to a great LGBT artist who wouldn’t have reached the same audience otherwise.

One of the things that intrigues me about the hostility toward straight allies from the gay community is the sense of difference between the two. On the basis of sexual orientation, “gay” and “ally” are two completely different identities fighting for the same cause.

In a different – but in some ways interconnected – movement, a feminist can be any person regardless of gender.

Men are welcomed openly to identify as feminists. Their views and statements advocating for gender equality are not invalidated simply on the basis that they do not identify as women. So why are the views and statements of a white heterosexual male

“At its core, the song aims to do nothing more than advocate for the right for gays and lesbians to be themselves freely within our society, beginning with marriage equality.” ungrateful for the rapper’s efforts. As a straight white male, he has the privileged platform to spread a message, one with a further reach and greater likelihood of being taken seriously, than that of any LGBT artist.

Sure, gay rapper Le1f’s declaration, “I’m getting light in my loafers, and I stay gettin’ life until life’s over” in the song “Wut” is a great motto for LGBT youth, but the song’s video has just under two million views on YouTube. “Same Love” has 108 million.

F u r t h e r m o r e , Macklemore invited lesbian singer Mary Lambert to perform the song’s hook, adding an LGBT perspective and using his influence to give

and many other famous male rappers.

Additionally, we live in a society that has yet to overcome prejudices against women’s behavior. So as much as Minaj can impart observations like, “When I am assertive, I am a b***h.

When a man is assertive, he’s a boss,” it might take a while for society to reach a point where such statements are taken seriously by the general population. The culture of hip hop is deeply misogynistic, so if a mainstream male rapper were to release a song advocating for the equal treatment of women, I imagine he would be praised for leading the rap community by example.

And yet, we are critical of Macklemore for trying to steer rap in a different direction than artists like Eminem, who bragged about his ability to “break a m***********g table over the back of a couple of f *****s” in 2013’s “Rap God.” As such, I have a hard time seeing why some in the gay community take such issue with “Same Love.”

Macklemore has utilized his influence to sway the public opinion of an issue important to our fight for equality and to bring a talented LGBT artist to the mainstream.

And whether you like it or not, history books will probably mention his Grammys performance, 33 marriages and all, as an important moment in the fight for marriage equality. At the very least, the same-sex marriages that took place during the performance will go down as some of the best gay weddings in history. Who else can say they had their nuptials officiated by Queen Latifah and ushered in by a performance by Madonna, the patron saint of the gays herself ?

invalidated when he is fighting for the equality of sexual orientations?

Let’s look at rap from a new perspective, taking feminism into account rather than homosexuality. Throughout most of the genre’s history, there has always been at least one female artist that can perform on a same platform equivalent to that of one male rap artist. Ten years ago, Missy Elliott and Lil Kim represented only a small part of the male-dominated rap world. Today, even as Nicki Minaj’s fame grows, she is still just one female rapper in a male-dominated genre. Minaj might have an audience equivalent to that of, say, Drake, but her voice Jake Reed is a Collegian contributor is drowned out overall by and can be reached at jaker@umass.

Drake, Kanye West, Jay Z edu.

Stop hating Valentine’s Day Whether you are celebrating with that “special someone” (whatever that actually means), throwing your annual anti-Valen-

Katie McKenna tine’s Day party or sitting in front of your TV eating chocolates, Valentine’s Day is an undeniably apparent holiday that appears, again and again, every year on that usual Feb. 14. We’re forced to address it because it’s there on our calendars, in the candy aisle and on TV. But what if we don’t know how to address the holiday?

What are you even supposed to do on Valentine’s Day? Go to dinner with your “special someone”?

And if you don’t have one, you’re inclined to feel a bit awkward and uncomfortable, which makes you angry at every happy,

the generic roses, box of chocolates, while my best friend gave me Girl Scout cookies for my birthday because that’s how we met as little kids. Or perhaps you actually want the cliché gifts because you find tradition to have its own set of charms, and someone knows that, so they get you all the cliché gifts you could ever ask for.

Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be about having someone.

It should be about knowing someone.

There is no reason to be angry on Valentine’s Day if you have even one person in this world who loves the true and genuine you, romantically or not.

A small flirtation, though charming, can be fleeting, but to have someone who really cares about you is real and permanent.

So don’t let the Kay Jewelers commercial bring

“. . . there is no reason to be angry on Valentine’s Day if you have even one person in this world who loves the true and genuine you, romantically or not.” special-someone-dinnerhaving-couple out there, because you aren’t them and that isn’t fair.

The problem is the expectation for it to be fair in the first place. But in my experience, romance, if anything, is not fair. “All’s fair in love and war”? Sorry, Francis Edward Smedley, but I don’t think so. But is this unfairness any cause to be angry? Many say yes, but I don’t.

If you choose to hate Valentine’s Day you’re only submitting yourself to the idea that without a significant other, you are, well, insignificant. Could anything be further from the truth?

Here are the things I like about Valentine’s Day: celebrating love! What could be better? Here are the things I don’t like about Valentine’s Day: all of the preconceived notions that come with it, all of the things we think we are “supposed” to do and if we don’t do these things, then we simply must not be loved, and are therefore not all that worthwhile.

I’m not sure we’re doing ourselves any good by measuring our successes by whether or not we have a “special someone.” Instead, I think we should be measuring our successes by the quality of the relationships with the people we do have in our lives.

I can guarantee that half the women out there who claim they have the world’s most perfect boyfriend don’t have parents as wonderful as mine. Or maybe that “special someone” can only think to buy

you down! Love isn’t marketable: love is big, and everyone loves a little differently because we are all our own.

Bob Dylan had to know this when he wrote, “People carry roses, make promises by the hours, my love, she laughs like the flowers, valentines can’t buy her.”

An anthem that addresses his love for one girl, rather than to love as a definite, flat, black-or-white, singular emotion.

Feb. 14: the whole day really just sets up a lot of unrealistic expectations, and I have to say that I don’t like expectations. I’m of the belief that life, and love, are only authentic when they’re better than what we could ever possibly imagine.

Getting away from our expectations is the best thing that can happen, not the worst, as many people tend to believe. I always liked the way Holden Caulfield agreed with me on that: “What I mean is, lots of times you don’t know what interests you the most until you start talking about something that doesn’t interest you the most.”

Love isn’t fair, it isn’t always easy and it doesn’t really travel in a predictable or map-able direction.

Don’t let your Valentine’s Day become filtered, edited, unoriginal or forced.

Celebrate the love you’ve come to know well, break your expectations and laugh like the flowers.

Katie McKenna is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at kemckenn@umass.edu.

t h e m a s s a c h u s e t t s D a i ly C o l l e g i a n BUSINESS

GRAPHICS

EDITOR IN CHIEF - Stephen Hewitt MANAGING EDITOR - Malea Ritz MANAGING EDITOR/DAILYCOLLEGIAN.COM - Maria Uminski

Business Manager - Omer Sander Advertising Manager - Andrew Carr Distribution Manager - Henry Liu Advertising Production - Molly Couto

Production Manager - Gabe Scarbrough Special Issues Manager - James Desjardin

NIGHT EDITOR - Stephen Hewitt COPY EDITOR - Cameron McDonough

NEWS

OPINION & EDITORIAL Op/Ed Editor - Hannah Sparks Op/Ed Producer - Zac Bears

Arts Editor - Tommy Verdone Arts Producer - Shaina Mishkin

Sports Editor - Nick Canelas Sports Producer - Jesse Mayfield

Photo Editor - Justin Surgent

Comics Editor - Tracy Krug

NEWS ASSISTANTS

O p /E d ASSISTANTS

ARTS ASSISTANTS

SPORTS ASSISTANTS

PHOTO ASSISTANTS

GRAPHICS ASSISTANTS

News Editor - Patrick Hoff News Producer - Conor Snell Katrina Borofski Catherine Ferris Kate Leddy Aviva Luttrell

PRODUCTION CREW on staff for this issue

Jillian Correira Maral Margossian Brandon Sides

ARTS & LIVING

Emily Brightman Jackson Maxwell Jake Reed Cory Willey

SPORTS

Mark Chiarelli Cameron McDonough Patrick Strohecker

PHOTOGRAPHY

Cade Belisle Shaina Mishkin Robert Rigo

COMICS

Randy Crandon Taylor Smaldone

The Massachusetts Daily Collegian is published Monday through Thursday during the University of Massachusetts calendar semester. The Collegian is independently funded, operating on advertising revenue. Founded in 1890, the paper began as Aggie Life, became the College Signal in 1901, the Weekly Collegian in 1914 and the Tri–Weekly Collegian in 1956. Published daily from 1967 to 2013, The Collegian has been broadsheet since January 1994. For advertising rates and information, call 413-545-3500.

WEB PRODUCTION MANAGER - Conor Snell NEWS DESK EDITOR - Aviva Luttrell O p /E d DESK EDITOR - Maral Margossian ARTS DESK EDITOR - Cory Willey SPORTS DESK EDITOR - Mark Chiarelli COMICS DESK EDITOR - Tracy Krug

GRAPHICS DESK EDITOR - Gabe Scarbrough

Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

“I try to live my life in such a way that I don’t have profound regrets.” - Philip Seymour Hoffman

Arts@DailyCollegian.com

AC T O R R E T RO S P E C T I V E

FILM REVIEW

Looking back on Hoffman’s career

than just cows and corn

Remembering a film legend ‘Nebraska’ has more Drama is Will Forte’s new forte

By AlexA Hoyle Collegian Staff

On Sunday, Feb. 2, Phillip Seymour Hoffman died from an apparent heroin overdose at 46 years old. The news was met with shock for the way he died and how young he was, but mainly because one of the greatest American actors of our time would never grace our screens again.

Hoffman has been one of the most venerable actors of our time for the last two decades. Not all of his films have been classics, of course, but no matter the film, it was impossible to overlook Hoffman.

His roles were frequently challenging and bold. He wasn’t the star of “Boogie Nights,” but he sure stole all the scenes he was in.

Some of his best roles have been periphery characters who aren’t meant to steal the stage, but often do all the same.

Hoffman wasn’t afraid to go wherever a role may take him. He invoked legendary rock critic Lester Bangs seamlessly in “Almost Famous.” He introduced himself to a whole new generation as rebellious Plutarch Heavensbee in “The Hunger Games” movie series and he wowed us all in his Oscar-winning turn as Truman Capote in “Capote.” This is a mere sampling of a long and impressive career. Ten different people can mention 10 different movies as Hoffman’s greatest and none of them would be wrong.

His death has led to reflection on his career in recent days and it has exposed a startling revelation – we lost one of the greatest actors of the mod-

By Cory J. Willey Collegian Staff

Hoffman won an Oscar in 2006 for his leading role in ‘Capote.’ ern age. Anyone could have said it when he was alive and it would have held true.

But in death, his prowess holds much more weight.

Now his talent can only be experienced in roles that have been experienced millions of times before. There is next to nothing new to be shared with the world.

We will never know how much farther he could have pushed himself or how many more diverse roles he could have mastered, and that is a shame.

But that isn’t the true shame of the situation.

The world knows how he died. It’s sad, complicated and immensely controversial. But his death isn’t the biggest part of his story.

It’s more important to note the years he spent battling his addictions than the time spent falling prey to them. Sometimes the most brilliant people are the most troubled, and Hoffman proved fallible to his brilliance. But does it change how fans feel about his bombastic screams of “SHUT UP” in “Punch Drunk Love?” Does it make him any less raw and jarring in “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead?” No, it does not.

At the time of his death Hoffman was in

MCT

the middle of shooting the new Showtime series “Happyish” and was almost through shooting his scenes for the last “The Hunger Games” film. Along with those projects he had already finished work on the films “God’s Pocket” and “A Most Wanted Man.” While “Happyish” may not see the light of day, his last film roles will. The idea of seeing Hoffman on screen a few more times can perhaps provide some solace to the fans that loved him so.

Hoffman once said, “I’m afraid I’ll be the kind of actor who thought he would make a difference and didn’t. Right now, though, I feel like I made a little bit of difference.” This is one fear that was unwarranted, because Hoffman did make a difference. And not the “little bit” he assumed. He made a difference to the actors he called his peers, to the film world and to the viewers that loyally followed his storied career.

He showed the world how truly great acting can be, and for that, he will always be remembered.

Alexa Hoyle can be reached at ahoyle@umass.edu.

At f irst glance, “Nebraska” is as interesting as its namesake suggests. A road-trip drama centered on a drunken old man and his speaker salesman son, set in the plains of the Midwest that is bereft of color and action hardly seems worth the price of admission. For those who find themselves in possession of a ticket, however, “Nebraska” reveals itself to be a heartfelt dramedy that sheds light on everything from the splendor of the human spirit to the damage dealt by the recent recession.

The film opens on a long shot of an old man walking alone on the side of a highway with nothing but the sound of the occasional passing car to fill the silence. As he limps along at a haggard pace, a police officer pulls up beside him to ask where he’s going.

The man, without stopping, mutely points forward. The officer chuckles and asks where he’s coming from, and the man jerks his thumb behind him.

“Nebraska” immediately presents itself as equal parts poetic and humorous within these first few minutes, setting a precedent for what’s to come.

We quickly discover that Woody (Bruce Dern), the old man, was attempting to walk from his hometown of Billings, Mont., to Lincoln, Neb., in order to cash in on what is surely a magazine scam promising him a prize of $1 mil-

lion. His son David (Will Forte) comes to pick him up from the lobby of the police station and attempts to explain to him that there is no prize. Despite this explanation and a few more, Woody insists on going to Lincoln, so his son begrudgingly indulges him, setting up the interstate road trip that follows.

It is jarring to see Forte in this role of the levelheaded bearer of reason here. As he walks on screen for the very first time something just seems wrong. Why is this comedian, best known for his work as the incompetent goofball McGruber, in this film at all, much less in one of the lead dramatic roles?

Once the shock has subsided however, it quickly becomes clear why director Alexander Payne chose Forte over other proven dramatic actors considered for the role, such as Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd and Casey Affleck.

His performance is exactly what was needed for this part. There is a subtle mix of humor, tenderness and understanding conveyed by Forte as the pair journey through the open plains. David is fueled by a mixture of good intentions, bad luck and failure, a careful balance that Forte maintains throughout the film.

Dern’s portrayal of the stubborn, dementia-prone Woody is a perfect complement to Forte’s performance. Woody is a man of few words, but Dern turns less into more through body language and careful delivery. Everyone has some sort of opinion of Woody and although it may not seem like it all

the time, he is very much aware of his own shortcomings.

Payne’s risks pay off at every turn of this film. Not only does he manage to make us more than accept a comedic actor in a dramatic role, he’s also artfully drawn a wealth of beauty from what would initially seem a dry well.

The empty plains and barren small town streets show a side of America rarely observed through Hollywood’s lens. There’s pain here, an injury wrought by loss that hasn’t quite healed. Payne uses this as an opportunity to show how these desperate times bring out the best of the good and the worst of the despicable. Payne wisely opted to shoot on location, even going so far as to use locals with no acting experience resulting in one of the most realistic cinematic experiences of 2013.

His decision to deliver the film in black and white is entirely justified.

Without color the contour of the far-reaching plains becomes a heavenly expanse of natural space that evokes an emotional response rivaled only by the touching tale they play host to.

There are certainly flashier films in theaters right now, but none are as carefully executed as Payne’s latest. It is a snapshot of the world around us, perfectly capturing what it means to be a family. “Nebraska” is an unbiased and unforgiving mirror, reflecting human nature in all of its purity and its indecency.

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

FILM REVIEW

Warner Bros. builds Lego fans a blockbuster, brick by brick Creativity and chaos assemble seamlessly

famous voices to their plastic minifigure faces is as fun as the admittedly non-sequitur appearances that many of the supporting characters

By NAtHAN FroNtiero make.

Collegian Staff The filmmakers get away with the runaway storyline Style and substance are for the most part though. so often substituted for one another in film that seeing Lego’s expansive library of licensed themes allows for something like “The Lego some great storytelling libMovie” is truly marvelous, erties. Seeing Lego versions and even more of a joy to look of Green Lantern and back on. Writer-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have built a multifaceted, visually stunning film. “The Lego Movie” is at once a brilliantly subversive satire, a heartfelt ode to creativity and a fabulously freewheeling adventure.

Superman (you should recThe film opens with every- ognize the voices behind man Emmet Brickowski, the those two), Gandalf, poster child for contented Dumbledore – and even mediocrity (his face is the C-3PO voiced by Anthony original Lego minifigure Daniels himself – is just an smiley). Emmet (Chris Pratt) utter joy. lives in a brick-laden world But as already mentioned, of order, ludicrously over- the film’s true selling point is priced designer coffee and its pure visual splendor. The corporate domination in the world that millions of peoform of President Business, ple have imagined brick by who is voiced by none other plastic brick is fully realized. than Will Ferrell. As strong- Dare to watch “The Lego ly visual as it is, the film also Movie” and not find yourself excels on a sonic level, specif- captured, entirely transfixed ically through an absolutely in this constructed universe. stacked vocal cast that also Animal Logic, the animaincludes Elizabeth Banks, tion company at work here, Will Arnett, Charlie Day, spares not even the slightest Liam Neeson and Morgan expense. Every single detail Freeman. Matching these is rendered in CGI equiva-

lents of those famous studs and pieces, and even the limited movement of minifigure bodies is translated over with integrity. The film is somewhat prone to sudden action and madcap chaos, but when things explode, they burst into flickering Lego flames, and when lightning strikes or electricity crackles, Lego energy bolts appear as well. The film masterfully accomplishes

“Ferrell’s character strives to control every aspect of the Lego universe, to keep everyone following instructions. ” this unique style, passing off CGI as stop-motion animation and making the sceneby-scene action all the more believable.

Another of the film’s great charms is its fearlessness in both using stock characters and spryly lampooning them. Pratt is great at conveying Emmet’s foolish mannerisms, and the film spends a terrific amount of screen time underlining precisely how far the character falls from the chosen one archetype. Through President Business, the film also shines light on the extremes of consumer culture. Ferrell’s character strives to control every aspect of this Lego

GAGE SKIDMORE/FLICKR

Chris Pratt lends his voice to Emmet amongst a voice cast filled with Hollywood’s most prominent stars. universe, to keep everyone following instructions. The mix of focus on unforgiving order enforcement in a saccharine society gives the film an intriguingly dystopian feel. The blend of that darkness with the bright colors of childhood playthings is only augmented by the film’s smartly self-aware satire.

Especially great moments work with simple humor. For example, when the mysterious Wyldstyle (Banks) tries to tell Emmet his prophetic

purpose, her words disappear into a haze of romantic nonsense as the light blurs around her. The image is familiar (Wyldstyle’s dialogue literally breaks down into a sultry delivery of “blah, blah, blah”) and much like the rest of the movie, it works because it’s something that’s been done but has not been done quite like this before.

“The Lego Movie” is a film that does astounding work with its specific presentation

of the medium: it uses the meticulous animation not only as a means to engross the audience but also as a powerful comedic catalyst.

Yes, the pacing and plot are a bit loose and sometimes too non-stop, and yes, the third act is heavy-handed, but the film succeeds, quirks and all. “The Lego Movie” is different, it’s original and it’s awesome.

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

6

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Comics

DailyCollegian.com

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

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

Correcting Tracy’s AP Style: The most rewarding job in the world.

claSSifiEdS Sugarloaf EStatE. 2 BEdroom apartmEnt. $500 o ff S Ecurity ! f rEE H Eat , H ot WatEr, caBlE and intErnEt! call 866301-1445 Sugarloaf EStatE. 1, 2, 3, & 4 BEdroom apartmEntS! $500 off SEcurity! all utilitiES includEd! call 866-301-2808

D inosaur C omiCs

B y r yan n orth

[hɛp mi]

P oorly D rawn l ines

B y r eza F arazmanD

aquarius

HOROSCOPES Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

leo

Jul. 23 - aug. 22

Spoiler alert: Frozen grapes is a really fun and With consistent negative temperatures, two full great way to wreck your grapes. sleeves of tattoos is the only way to stay warm at this point.

pisces

Feb. 19 - Mar. 20

virgo

aug. 23 - Sept. 22

Waking up a 5 a.m. to go practice your fierce catwalk on the gym’s treadmill was such a good idea.

The text tone all your friends have for you is a “buh–dum–tiss” because, quite frankly, you live in constant hilarity.

aries

Mar. 21 - apr. 19

libra

Sept. 23 - Oct. 22

taurus

apr. 20 - May. 20

scorpio

Oct. 23 - nOv. 21

gemini

May. 21 - Jun. 21

Remember, a couch potato can also be a sweet potato.

Contemplate the meaning of life today as you baste your chicken strips in an egg wash before battering and deep frying them.

You’ll eat a chocolate cheesecake but somehow dipping cream cheese in chocolate fondue is gross to you.

Wearing a large coat and boots is practical but wearing a ski–mask is suddenly “creepy.”

sagittarius

nOv. 22 - Dec. 21

Who knew that Punxsutawney Phil was actually Vesuvius, back with a raging vengeance for the northeast.

It’s all fun and games until your iPhone falls and launches iaway on the treadmill.

cancer

capricorn

Jun. 22 - Jul. 22

Hula skirts and bongo drum turn any boring study session into a fun luau.

Dec. 22 - Jan. 19

Need to fix a ripped toe in your sock? Why darn when a simple, sharp, metal staple does just the quick and simple trick?

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

PATRIOTS

LALANNE

continued from page 8

night at Mullins Center.

And UMass coach Derek Kellogg knows the Patriots (8-15, 1-8 A-10), who are coming off winning their firstever A-10 conference game, will be hungry to avenge that first loss to UMass.

“They’re a team that is definitely still playing,” UMass coach Derek Kellogg said.

“They’re still committed to trying to get better and trying to win games and we’re trying to do the same thing.”

While the first meeting of the season was under much different circumstances – UMass was ranked No. 16 and the Patriots were looking for their first conference win – the game proved to be one of the best of the A-10 season thus far.

Sherrod Wright and Bryon Allen led GMU by combining for 47 points and knocked down big shots when the Patriots needed them. Their performance was one that Kellogg took note of and knows that minimizing their quality looks on Wednesday will play a major role in the Minutemen coming away with the win.

“Bryon Allen and Sherrod (Wright) both had great games

against us the first time,” he said. “In this conference, a lot of times, every game out is going to be a good group of guards that can really play.

We’re going to have to lock in and make the game hard on them.”

Maybe the most important thing to come out of that game was the strong play from Gordon. He initially suffered what appeared to be a back injury in the second half after he hit the floor hard and rolled around for several seconds in pain. But, after returning late in the half, Gordon found himself in the right place for the gamewinning shot that earned his team the win.

“I’m tough-minded and a warrior,” he said. “Because when I hurt my back, I thought I was done. There was so much pain and stuff and just for me to walk it off and come back and hit the game-winner, I would’ve never thought that would’ve happened. So it was special.”

It may have been the most defining moment in Gordon’s short career at UMass, one that has seen him struggle early on, but really turn it on of late.

In the last three games, Gordon is averaging 14.7 points per game, a significant improvement over his season average (9.0). But, perhaps more importantly, he’s settling into his role on the team.

“I struggled in the beginning, I definitely did,” he said.

“But, right now, I’m just at a time that I’m glad that it’s happening now. Better late than never. It’s just fun me being able to do the things that I’m doing right now that a lot of people expected me to do at the beginning of the season.”

Gordon’s confidence and play has taken off since the game-winner. And it’s something Kellogg hopes will continue into Wednesday’s game.

“He’s really committed himself to what the team needs him to do to win, which is be an absolute ball-hawk on defense, creating plays and he’s scoring the ball now,” Kellogg said.

Wednesday’s game is set to begin at 7 p.m. at Mullins Center.

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

CREW continued from page 8

Shaun White falls, US women shine White’s halfpipe blunder costs him

By Ross Gienieczko Collegian Staff

Shaun White lost out on his attempt to win a thirdstraight Olympic gold medal on Tuesday, as he finished fourth in the men’s snowboarding halfpipe final. Iouri Podladtchikov won gold for Switzerland.

It was a disappointing end to a stellar Olympic run for White, who took gold in the halfpipe in the last two Winter Olympics.

White dazzled in the preliminary rounds, with several runs ending in scores of over 95. In his final two runs, however, he suffered a fall and a shaky landing that dropped him to fourth place.

US women take home pair of medals The United States took home two medals on Tuesday in Sochi, Russia. Devin Logan took silver in the women’s slopestyle final, finishing behind Canadian Dara Howell. It capped an incredible comeback for the 20-yearold skier, who tore her ACL, MCL and had two microfractures in her knee as a result of an injury suffered during competition in August 2012.

American Erin Hamlin brought the United States its other medal on the day, finishing with a bronze in women’s singles luge. It was a triumphant moment for Hamlin, as she captured

DEFENSE

her first medal in her third Olympic Games.

ly build the elaborate stage arrangements, but it will assist the concert crews with the large amount of wiring that must be run through the arena.

“We have some great workers and an awesome set of supervisors.” Barabe said. “They can see what everyone else is doing while they’re doing their own work, and they make everyone’s job easier. With them, I was confident about Saturday’s changeover.”

Exercise in efficiency

Women’s hockey continues with a much anticipated matchup featuring the United States and Canada in what is widely considered to be the most anticipated game of the tournament. The two rivals brawled in exhibition games played in October and December, and Wednesday promises to be just as intense.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 a.m.

For men, the hockey tournament kicks off Wednesday with two games. Henrik Lundqvist and Sweden will face David Krejci and Czech Republic, while Jonas Hiller and Switzerland take on Latvia. Both games start at 12 p.m.

In addition to the 35 changeover workers, 25 other Mullins Center employees were drafted to assist in the time-restricted operation on Saturday.

Each person’s role was determined days in advance

by Barabe and Operations Supervisor Scott Neas in order to maximize efficiency.

In fact, the changeover really started the night before, when the arena was prepared and organized in order to make the next day’s work as easy as possible.

“I knew if we did a good job prepping Friday night, we could get (Saturday) done in a short amount of time.” Barabe said.

And it was. Working at a frantic pace, the staff hurried to prepare for the hockey game. The swollen workforce was not a luxury the crew receives often, but they made it count on Saturday. It paid off, and the hockey rink was built in approximately 75 minutes – plenty of time remaining for the ice crew to treat the rink.

As long as doubleheaders continue to exist at UMass – and Saturday double-headers are a constant throughout the winter – the changeover crew will continue to rise to the challenge.

Ross Gieniezcko can be reached at rgieniec@umass.edu.

Ross Gieniezcko can be reached at rgieniec@umass.edu.

Curling The U.S. men’s curling team suffered its second defeat in as many games, losing 9-4 to China early Tuesday morning. Through two games, the U.S. men are the lowest scoring team in the tournament with just eight total points.

In other men’s curling competition, Canada lost a tight contest, falling 7-6 to Sweden. Canada, the overwhelming favorite to win gold, dropped to 1-2 overall.

Sweden, the defending 2013 world champions, moved to 3-0.

Hockey highlights Wednesday’s action

continued from page 8

that.”

Dawley said that the Minutewomen have also focused on junior forward Sandra Ngoie (12.3 points per game), who Dawley described as “a really quick catch-and-shoot kid.”

As the opportunities to win in conference play

dwindle, Harris said the team has extra motivation heading into Wednesday night.

“A lot of the losses that we’ve had, we know we were the better team,” Harris said. “So, we’re going with that same type of mentality into Wednesday’s game.

“Whoever wants it more will get it. I think that’s what the outcome is going to be, and hopefully we get this win.”

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

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

7

continued from page 8

counter.

And at times, Lalanne’s piled up the statistics on the offensive end. He’s averaging 13 points per game in addition to a team-high 8.6 rebounds in 30 minutes per game. Yet harnessing his full offensive potential continues to be an evolving process, especially as the season progresses.

Sunday’s 73-68 victory over Rhode Island offered a fresh reminder of the work that remains. Lalanne played an impactful role, especially in the first half. Much of the Minutemen’s half-court offense was predicated around Lalanne’s impact in the post. But Lalanne struggled to find his shot, shooting just 1-of-4 from the field in 17 minutes of play in the first half and compounded the struggles by missing five free throws and making two turnovers. He finished the game with just six points in 35 minutes of play.

“I was a little frustrated,” Lalanne said. “I felt like I couldn’t hit a free throw, couldn’t make a layup.”

His coach, Derek Kellogg, said finding Lalanne touches offensively was a primary focus against the Rams.

“That’s a focus, I’ve been trying to get him the ball,” Kellogg said. “We need him to score some and we need him to offensive rebound and keep it around the rim. We got the ball into him some, he just has to start finishing and get a little more bouncy around the rim.”

UMass’ success is largely tied to the success of Lalanne.

Behind guard Chaz Williams, the team needs a secondary scoring option to shoulder the load. On most nights, that duty falls to Lalanne.

But earning baskets is

“Teams are starting to play us a lot different and starting to play me a lot different. Just watching film now is starting to help me see how they’re playing me.”

Cady Lalanne, UMass center becoming a more strenuous activity since the Minutemen turned the calendar to league play. Lalanne is averaging just 10.8 points per game in eight conference games, substantially lower than his 14.5 points per game against non-conference opponents.

He’s also dropped slightly in rebounding, down to 7.9 per contest in league games, down from 9.8 in non-conference.

Kellogg pointed to Lalanne’s emergence at the beginning of the season. He’s no longer an “unknown” to opponents. Instead, teams are scouting him.

“Teams are starting to play us a lot different and starting to play me a lot different,” Lalanne said. “Just watching film now is starting to help me see how they’re playing me.”

The most noticeable adjustment is opponents’ initial reaction to Lalanne catching the ball in the post. Similar to sharks upon smelling blood in the water, conference opponents are relentlessly double-teaming Lalanne after he catches the ball. Now, it’s almost more surprising when Lalanne isn’t met with two defenders when catching the ball with his back to the basket.

“It’s like a mind game to try and figure out when they’re coming and when they’re not coming,” Lalanne said. “Sometimes (opponents) front the post and put one guy behind me so

it makes it harder to post and especially to try and get down low. So I just got to know how to work around that.”

The Minutemen traditionally play a scathingly quick up-tempo style, and Lalanne’s presence in the post helps in games that don’t break out into track meets.

But balancing between getting Lalanne his touches in the post – it’s not uncommon to see him tangled up with an opposing big man pleading for an entry pass – and running the offense through all five players without disrupting flow is a tricky line to walk.

“My teammates understand if you get the ball (to the post), I’ll try to go up and score,” Lalanne said. “They understand that to the point where it’s not disturbing them either. If I don’t have anything, (I) obviously kick it out to them.”

It’s a constant process of evolution. Lalanne noted that he’s becoming more comfortable in running the pick-and-roll with Williams and continues to work with coaches on developing post moves and furthering his conditioning, a vital aspect as UMass creeps toward postseason play.

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

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Sports@DailyCollegian.com

@MDC_SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

FINDING THEIR STRIDE

Gordon, UMass eye sweep over Patriots

By Patrick Strohecker Collegian Staff

The last time the Massachusetts men’s basketball team played George Mason, it needed some last-second heroics to avoid getting upset.

It was Derrick Gordon’s putback with eight seconds left that propelled UMass to victory after erasing a five-point deficit with 41 seconds left back on Jan. 15.

The Minutemen (19-4, 6-3 Atlantic 10) will now try to avoid getting put in that situation in the first place when the two teams meet again Wednesday see

PATRIOTS on page 7

Lalanne adjusting to tougher opposition

By Mark chiarelli Collegian Staff

CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN

Derrick Gordon (2) sets up on defense against Rhode Island. Gordon’s layup with eight seconds left gave UMass an 88-87 win over George Mason in its first meeting on Jan. 15.

It’s no secret that the Massachusetts men’s basketball team possesses a unique commodity in center Cady Lalanne.

At 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, Lalanne looks and plays the part of a thoroughbred center capable of anchoring the post on both ends of the floor. In an Atlantic 10 Conference dominated with capable scoring guards – nine of the 10 leading scorers in the conference are guards – Lalanne provides UMass an option that most programs cannot see

LALANNE on page 7

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Minutewomen hope improved defense will help end drought By anthony chiuSano Collegian Staff

GABE SCARBROUGH/COLLEGIAN

The Mullins Center changes over from a basketball court to a hockey rink in less than four hours on Saturday in between the UMass women’s basketball and hockey games.

Unheralded changeover crew makes Mullins events possible By roSS Gienieczko

In reality, simple may be the last word to describe what they do.

(Disclaimer: Ross Gienieczko is a member of the Mullins Center changeover crew. The following story is an insider’s perspective.)

It’s around 1:30 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon inside Mullins Center and the clock is ticking down on a game between the Massachusetts women’s basketball team and St. Bonaventure.

In less than four hours, the gates will reopen and players from UMass and UMass Lowell will warm up for a hockey game.

The Mullins Center changeover crew has a mere four hours to transform a basketball court into a hockey rink. But they estimate it will take less than half that time.

It’s a job that’s often goes unappreciated by fans. In fact, some don’t even know the crew exists.

The changeover crew is vital in allowing Mullins Center to regularly host two sports as fundamentally different as basketball and hockey.

The job description of a crew member is simple: switch the arena from sport to sport and concert to concert.

Versatile venue

Collegian Staff

The Mullins Center, which opened in 1993, is a hub of entertainment for the UMass and Western Massachusetts as a whole.

It’s hosted a wide variety of events ranging from basketball games, to rock concerts, to youth wrestling.

This March, it is scheduled to host a Cirque du Soleil performance, followed by a monster truck derby.

The changeover crew lays the foundation for all of it.

Headed by Operations Manager Jim Barabe, the crew does the complicated work necessary to put on all these events. Between every basketball and hockey game, the entire arena is switched.

The basketball hoops are forklifted away, at least to a distance where it is realistic for the crew to push it into its space in one of several storage rooms under the bowl. The hardwood floor is carefully deconstructed. Each piece is connected to the ones surrounding it and the pins that hold the court together have to be painstakingly removed before the weighted tiles

GO TO DAILYCOLLEGIAN.COM for a web-exclusive video of the Mullins Center changeover. are ready to be lifted.

The heavy and delicate glass panes that surround the hockey rink are fitted into place on the boards. This must be done with caution and precision, as even the smallest contact between pieces can mean one of them shattering.

Press row is disassembled and carted off. Hundreds of chairs are rearranged. The fiberglass sub floor that shields the ice is removed, and various rooms around the stadium are arranged for functions and special groups visiting for a game.

With a standard crew of approximately 20 people, this process takes anywhere from four to six hours.

Preparing for concerts is a different story. Unlike regular basketball and hockey games, no two concerts are the same. Generally, though, most performers require a large stage built piece by piece and a floor setup with several hundred chairs.

The changeover crew doesn’t usualsee

CREW on page 7

For both the Massachusetts and George Mason women’s basketball teams, the Atlantic 10 conference schedule has been less than favorable.

But when both teams meet for Wednesday’s 7 p.m. matchup, one team will finally reach the win column in conference play.

Coming off an 88-66 loss to St. Bonaventure on Saturday, the Minutewomen (3-21, 0-10 A-10) will try to avoid losing their 15th consecutive game as they travel to Fairfax, Va. The Patriots (6-18, 0-11 A-10) are coming off of a 68-65 loss to Saint Louis in which a late rally fell short with a missed 3-point attempt in the closing seconds.

“Both teams are in a similar situation,” UMass coach Sharon Dawley said. “Both teams are playing good basketball but just not finishing.”

Despite the 22-point deficit in the loss to the Bonnies, Dawley said that she was encouraged by the Minutewomen’s defensive performance in the game’s first half. The team trailed by nine points and said that she thinks the success will carry over to Wednesday’s game.

Sophomore guard Jasmine Harris added that this defensive success was caused by a greater sense of “unity.”

“We played really well together,” Harris said. “The help defense was there, we were talking, we were switching … it was just an all-around good feel on the defensive end, which then translated to the offensive end as well.”

According to Dawley, UMass

will employ two different lineups against George Mason.

Dawley said that a smallersized lineup using sophomore Amber Dillon at guard will cause matchup problems for the Patriots in terms of speed and guard play.

Dawley added that a bigger lineup consisting of junior forward Kim Pierre-Louis and freshman forward/center Kymber Hill paired with sophomore guard/forward Rashida Timbilla playing point guard will make it difficult for George Mason to defend in the post and rebound.

In particular, Dawley believes that Pierre-Louis, who scored a career-high 26 points in the loss to St. Bonaventure, will “be hard for (the Patriots) to defend and stay out of foul trouble.”

“I expect to see some bigger rebounders in the post, so it might be tougher to get those offensive rebounds,” PierreLouis said. “But I’m up for the challenge, and I really just have the mindset that I don’t think anyone can really guard me in our conference.”

As for what she expects to see from George Mason’s offense – which boasts three players averaging double-figures in points – Dawley said that limiting sophomore guard Taylor Brown, who is averaging 17.8 points per game, has been a point of emphasis in practice.

“We actually had a specific station devoted to her and about how we are going to defend her,” Dawley said. “She’ll probably get her 17 (points), but we can’t let her explode for more than see

DEFENSE on page 7