Massachusetts Daily Collegian: Apr. 14, 2014

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Blarney review begins Monday Expected to be finished by Sept.

By AvivA LuttreLL And PAtrick Hoff Collegian Staff

SHANNON BRODERICK/COLLEGIAN

UMass Dining held its fifth annual 5K Dash and Dine to benefit the Amherst Survival Center on Saturday.

Plans ongoing for New2U Tag Sale Sustainable UMass project progress

By JuLiA McLAugHLin Collegian Staff

During the fall 2014 move-in weekend, Sustainable UMass will be holding its first ever New2U Tag Sale, a sustainable initiative designed to promote the reuse of used items.

In preparation for this event, Sustainable UMass will be collecting students’ unwanted, used items during the last week of school this semester to be sold at the tag sale on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 this fall.

Jackie Hynes, UMass senior and Eco-Rep Program Manager, describes this pilot program as “an expansion of our existing Sustainable Move-Out program.” Until 10 p.m. each day from May 4 to 9, students will be able to drop off their items in bins under the reuse tent on the Coolidge

Hall Lawn in Southwest Residential Area.

Over the summer, the items will then be stored, cleaned, and labeled before being sold in the fall. With “don’t feed the trash monster!” as their slogan, the New2U Tag Sale serves as an opportunity for UMass students to reuse items while reducing their carbon footprint. All proceeds will be used to fund this pilot program and other sustainability projects on campus.

Along with Ezra Small, Campus Sustainability Manager, other students leading this initiative are Waste & Recycling Fellow Alexandra Gabriel, Student Sustainability Coordinator Liz Pongratz, and Eco-Rep Facilitator and future Eco-Rep Program Manager Kevin Hollerbach.

This project is also sponsored by the UMass Sustainability Innovation & Engagement Fund, a grant program which allows any one

group on campus to receive up to $12,000 to fund an idea that will either generate an economic payback or engage the campus community in an environmentally focused experience. After Gabriel submitted a proposal to the grant program, Sustainable UMass won with the New2U Tag Sale as their project.

Some other sustainable efforts going on at UMass include the clothing swap being held this year by Sustainable UMass, the current clothing drive run by Isenberg, and NetImpact’s drive of energy, power and granola bar wrappers in conjunction with TerraCycle, a company that focuses on the recycling of formerly non-recyclable or difficult-to-recycle waste.

“There are a lot of different ways to get into Sustainable UMass which I think is really interesting…” Hollerbach, the advertising head for New2U, said. Some ways that students

Serving the UMass community since 1890

can become involved are through organizations such as the Sustainability Fellowship Program, Eco-Reps, the Permaculture Committee, Gardenshare and Sustainable UMass Action Coalition (SUMAC).

As advertising head, Hollerbach came up with the tag sale’s logo, worked on the promotional material, put together a slide for the Housing Services Cable Network, the campus cable system, and reached out to WMUA to air a public service announcement about the event.

But the success of this event so far, in regards to organization, stems from the cooperation of a multitude of groups on campus.

“It’s kind of great because everyone in New2U is sort of involved in their own separate thing,” Hollerbach said.

He then noted that many of see

NEW2U on page 2

Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis will begin his review of Blarney Blowout and its subsequent handling by the University of Massachusetts and the town of Amherst on Monday.

Davis said that he will be on campus all day Monday to meet with staff and students as well as times throughout the week so that he can get perspectives before the semester ends.

Davis and his team will also be talking to members of the Amherst community, the town manager, town businesses and “everyone who has a say” in town.

Davis’ team will be comprised of Col. Mark Delaney, the former head of the state police; retired Boston Police Chief Daniel Linskey; and Christine Cole, the executive director of the program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management at Harvard University.

Davis said that the review is scheduled to be finished by September but he will move that up as much as he can. He said that it should be a two to three month process.

The aim of the review is to develop strategies to prevent similar situations in the future. It will take into account the preparedness of both the campus and the community before the event, as well as how police officers, University officials and town leaders handled the disturbance, both during and immediately afterward. Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy made the decision to retain Davis’ services after consulta-

tion with UMass President Robert Caret and Board of Trustees Chair Henry Thomas.

“Commissioner Davis is an outstanding choice for this assignment,” Subbaswamy said in a press release. “He is regarded as one of the country’s top law enforcement experts and he will draw upon his longtime success in community policing to help us prevent a recurrence of last week’s disturbing events.

This initiative has the support of our community partners in Amherst town government, a cooperative approach vital to solving this difficult problem.”

Davis has 36 years of law enforcement experience and served as the Boston Police Commissioner from 2006 until 2013. Last April, he led the Boston Police De par tment through the marathon bombing investigation and manhunt. Davis’ team that will conduct the review includes four members, among them retired colonel and former head of the Massachusetts State Police Mark Delaney.

Subbaswamy also outlined a number of other initiatives to address unruly student behavior in the release. These include establishing a task force of students, faculty and staff to develop behavior-related policies and change the culture of campus, expanding the UMatter at UMass bystander intervention program, developing better methods of crowd management with the aid of experts in the psychology of crowd behavior and broadening the campus social norms campaign to address student perceptions of troublesome behavior, such as binge drinking. see

REVIEW on page 2

Divestment campaigners to New sustainable dining meet with UMass President at Hampshire College

Fossil fuel divest plan moves forward

By AvivA LuttreLL Collegian Staff

After nearly a year of requesting a meeting with University of Massachusetts President Robert Caret, three members of the Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign will finally get the opportunity to speak with him face-to-face on May 13 in Boston.

Although Divest has been upping its tactics since the fall by sending several letters and calling the president’s office on a regular basis to reiterate its request for a meeting with Caret, it wasn’t until two weeks ago that the campaign’s

efforts resulted in any significant outcome.

UMass graduate student and Divest member Stephen Treat was invited by Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy to attend the Intentionally Designed Endowment Conference, hosted by Hampshire College, as a student representative. There, he met Judith Murphy, associate vice president and controller of the UMass Foundation.

“Her and I were able to speak extensively,” Treat said. “It was sort of the first real face-to-face conversation Divest has had with the endowment fund.”

The conference was held in Cambridge April 3-4, and was attended by 115 college,

university and private foundation leaders, according to its website.

“The conference wasn’t about divestment as much as it was about what they call ESG investment. So it’s aligning your portfolio with your environmental, social and governance goals,” Treat said. “It’s basically an in-depth analysis of what it takes to get your endowment to that position.”

Treat said that although Divest and the administration had been butting heads over the past year, he and Murphy were both excited about the concept of ESG investment and realized they shared more similar goals than differences. see

DIVEST on page 2

100% Local Food Challenge underway

By SHeLBy ASHLine Collegian Staff

Faculty at Hampshire College are intensifying their efforts to improve the campus’ sustainability by launching the 100 Percent Local Food Challenge, whereby their aim is to get nearly all of the campus’ food from within a 150 mile radius.

The effort is part of the college’s Healthy Food Transition, an initiative aimed at “redefining what the college dining experience can be…by changing

how food on campus is produced, prepared, served and consumed,” according to a Hampshire College press release.

“I think the goal is really to use our ability as an educational institution to educate students who will be leaders in the future and to allow them to see how food is produced,” said Beth Hooker, Hampshire College’s director of food, farm and sustainability. She also said that faculty hope to “engage (students) in not just the oncampus community but the local community and the regional community in an effort to promote regional resiliency for the future.”

According to a Hampshire

College press release, the 100 Percent Local Food Challenge will be supported by a $50,000 grant from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the production of local, healthy, sustainably produced food throughout New England.

“We chose to support this initiative at Hampshire because colleges are key levers for change in the food system,” Kendall Foundation Executive Director Andrew W. Kendall is quoted as saying in the press release.

“They are able to create a meaningful impact on the see

HAMPSHIRE on page 2

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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Monday, April 14, 2014

THE RUNDOWN ON THIS DAY...

In 1969, there was a tie at the Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Actress between Katherine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand.

WEEKEND B OX O F F I C E LOS ANGELES — In a battle of the sequels, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” retained its superhero grip at the weekend box office, finishing No. 1 and beating the animated “Rio 2” by a slim margin.

“Captain America” grossed a studio-estimated $41.4 million in its second weekend, down 56 percent from its $95 million opening. The Marvel superhero movie, released by Disney, has a domestic haul of $159 million.

The 3-D sequel is already close to matching the total $176.7 million domestic take of 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger.”

Fox’s “Rio 2” drew $39 million in its opening weekend, virtually the same amount that the first “Rio” collected when it opened in spring 2011.

The ornithologically themed sequel fell just shy of projections that it would gross $40 million to $45 million this weekend.

“We had a terrific Friday followed by a much softerthan-expected Saturday,” said Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution at Fox. He said viewers reacted positively to the movie, with an audience score of “A” from survey firm Cinemascore. Fox expects the movie to perform strongly during the upcoming spring holidays, when many students are off from school.

The low-budget horror movie “Oculus” premiered at $12 million to take the No. 3 spot. The Relativity release had an estimated production budget of just $5 million. It received an audience grade of “C” from Cinemascore.

“Draft Day,” starring Kevin Costner, finished in fourth place with an estimated $9.8 million in its opening weekend. The Ivan Reitman-directed movie follows the general manager of the Cleveland Browns as he juggles the NFL draft and a series of personal crises.

The Lionsgate release is the fourth Costner movie to open in the last 12 months, as the Oscar winner attempts a comeback after a period of box-office disappointments.

In its fourth weekend, “Divergent” saw its box office fall 42 percent to $7.5 million, bringing its cumulative domestic haul to $124.9 million.

Paramount’s “Noah,” the Old Testamentinspired epic starring Russell Crowe, dropped from No. 2 to No. 6 with $7.5 million. The movie has grossed $84.9 million domestically.

“God’s Not Dead,” another faith-based movie, earned $5.5 million over the weekend, bringing its total to $40.7 million. The drama was made for an estimated $2 million.

Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” grossed $4.1 million, taking its cumulative domestic gross to just under $40 million. Disney’s “Muppets Most Wanted” brought in $2.2 million over the weekend.

HAMPSHIRE production and consumption of local food through their purchasing capacity. Longerterm benefits result from the learning and engagement of students, faculty and the broader community.”

Having received the grant in December, Hooker said that the money will fund student agricultural internships as well as collaboration within the Five College system, expanding their efforts to improve sustainability throughout the region.

In addition, Hampshire received a $240,000 grant in February from the Lydia B. Stokes Foundation which supports sustainable agriculture and the development of local food systems. Hooker said the grant will fund agricultural research performed by students and faculty.

Hooker considers Hampshire’s cooperation with the two foundations to be a great opportunity that will help the college reach its goals in agricultural sustainability.

“We’re just really fortunate to have the support of these foundations whose philosophy and goals are aligned with ours and so we’re happy to be partnering with them,” she said.

Thus far, Hampshire’s efforts towards sustainability have been extensive. The 800-acre college is able to offer 200 shares in the vegetables grown on their farmland through the Community Supported Agriculture program. Once students and faculty purchase shares, they are able to pick up a box of vegetables each week at the campus’ CSA barn throughout much of the fall semester.

According to Hooker, about half the shares are sold to students, 30 percent of them are sold to faculty and the remaining 20 percent of the produce is sent to the dining hall. A share can typically feed four to six people.

The vegetable operation, which accounts for 15 acres of the college’s land –not including an additional 50 acres which is leased out to local farmers– is run by CSA Program Manager Nancy Hanson.

Livestock and Pasture Manager Shannon Nichols oversees the animals and the 65 acres of pasture and hay. Animals on the campus farm include dairy cows, pigs and chickens.

Hooker explained that the pigs support the dining hall as well as a meat version of the CSA program, while the chickens provide the dining hall and the Bridge Café marketplace with eggs. She and other faculty members are working to come up with a new CSA model specifically

DIVEST

continued from page 1

for egg shares in time for the fall semester.

In addition, the college also operates its own sugar shack and beehive sanctuary, providing them with maple syrup and honey respectively. An on-campus greenhouse also provides the Bridge Café marketplace with lettuce and spinach to sell throughout the winter.

Although Hooker is optimistic about the 100 Percent Local Food Challenge and its future at Hampshire College, she acknowledges potential roadblocks to its ultimate success that she said need to be addressed, such as an obvious inability to grow crops during winter and discerning how to obtain food not easily grown locally.

In order to find solutions, Hampshire faculty are currently exploring a range of technologies that would aid in expanding the growing season and increasing efficiency, as well as further promoting sustainability.

“We have a grant application in to the National Science Foundation. Part of that would fund movable greenhouses that would use heat-pump technology to heat them in the winter and cool them in the summer,” Hooker said. “We’re also looking at some innovative ways of keeping squashes and root vegetables for longer periods of time after our harvest.”

Furthermore, she added that faculty members are looking to convert one of the college’s gasoline powered tractors into an electric tractor.

Regardless, there are several items that can’t be grown locally that the college must have shipped in, such as coffee and citrus fruits. They also intend to get their fish from within a 500-mile radius, according to a Hampshire College press release.

Aside from promoting regional sustainability, Hooker hopes that the 100 Percent Local Food Challenge will effectively educate Hampshire students about the food system, allowing them to see that local food is delicious and doesn’t have to be overly expensive. She believes the program is “a way that we can help begin to educate the students on what their future choices can be like and how they can be part of changing and transforming the food system.”

Shelby Ashline can be reached at sashline@umass.edu.

continued from page 1

“They want to make sure that the endowment grows over the next hundred years— that’s their responsibility. And ours is to make sure that the world is still here in 200 years,” Treat said. “We’re trying to safeguard the same things.”

After the conference, the two kept in touch via email.

Treat said he kept reiterating to Murphy that President Caret was who the divestment campaign really wanted to talk to about its responsible investing goals.

“She said that would be a great thing. She really wants to see this go forward, too,” Treat said. Murphy then went ahead and arranged the meeting.

“It makes me happy just to know that they were willing to work to find a solution. Of course we can’t expect immediate, absolute divestment… but the fact that we can work toward that is really our goal,” freshman astronomy major and campaign member Benjamin D’Haiti said.

In addition to Treat, Divest members Allison Rigney and Varshini Prakash will attend the meeting with Caret.

Although Treat didn’t go in to specifics about what Divest will discuss during the meeting, he said the three students will go in with a strategy. He added that Divest members attended negotiation training at Harvard to learn how to best approach these kinds of meetings.

Treat said that he will also meet with Chancellor Subbaswamy on April 23 to exchange notes from the Intentionally Designed Endowment Conference, and to discuss next steps.

Treat said that he was happy about the positive response from administrators to student attendance at the conference.

“They are very appreciative of our perspective,” Treat said.

“I’m super grateful and happy that the faculty is willing to work with us and doesn’t see us as a disturbance, but as a positive force in the community,” D’Haiti said. “It seems like we’re finally starting to move forward a little bit,” Treat added.

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

NEW2U

DailyCollegian.com

continued from page 1

the people involved are part of at least one of the previously mentioned sustainable groups on campus.

When discussing his experience with Eco-Reps, one of these programs, Hollerbach noted, “Facilitating’s really great…for me personally, I really think that education is the first step to getting people to make change.” Through this program, he recognizes that students can become more educated on issues that they are already familiar with and have a passion to pursue.

Despite the struggles with getting volunteers and determining where exactly the donated items will be stored, the New2U organizers expect that this event will run very smoothly. “I think as long

REVIEW

as we can manage ourselves well enough to be successful this year, which I think that we will be, then we can slowly start expanding outside of Southwest and hopefully be successful there too,” Hollerbach said.

Ultimately, the mission of this tag sale, according to him, is that “students are aware of an alternative.” He added, “I’m excited to see students get motivated about donating their stuff and not throwing it away.”

Items that are acceptable to donate include the following: furniture; electronics (including broken); non-perishable food; laundry detergent; plastic drawers, shelves and organizers; shower caddies and toiletry items; areas

rugs and fans; clothing and shoes; lamps; posters and décor; books and school supplies; cleaning supplies; kitchen supplies and dishware; and mirrors. Any of the items that cannot be reused, will be recycled instead.

The student organizers expect that the week of donations in May will be hectic, with May 8 and 9 extra busy, as most students move out on the last two days of school. To volunteer for the event, students can visit www.postlandfill.org/umassamherst and sign up for a shift. The first 50 volunteers that sign up to help out and show up on time will receive a free gift.

Julia McLaughlin can be reached at jmmcaughlin@umass.edu.

continued from page 1

According to the release, Davis’ report will be presented to Chancellor Subbaswamy, with additional copies being sent to President Caret and Chairman Thomas.

“We will look at everything to recommend best practices that can be adopted

to ensure public safety in way that does not result in civil unrest. I am confident that both the town and the university community will benefit from this review,” Davis said in the release.

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

Patrick Hoff can be reached at pphoff@umass.edu.

Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

“The measure of a man is what he does with power.” - Plato

Monday, April 14, 2014

Editorial@DailyCollegian.com

UMass administration’s strategic austerity plan UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy initiated a campus-wide strategic planning

Timothy Sutton process in the 2012-2013 school year. The Provost’s office and Faculty Senate together formed the Joint Task Force on Strategic Oversight (JTFSO) to facilitate Phase I of the process. “Innovation and Impact,” issued by the JTFSO a year ago in the spring of 2013, outlines the strategic plan. Part I of the document proposes to build

ated by the market in the first place. We’ve reaped the results since 2008: ballooning student debt in excess of $1 trillion; increasing reliance on part-time, non-union adjunct labor and excessively compensating administrators and athletic directors. UMass is not immune to these politics.

To help chart a new course for the University of Massachusetts’s flagship campus, the Chancellor hired Huron Education to guide the JTFRA’s process. Huron is a consulting agency that works in the fields of educa-

The customized Resource Allocation Model (RAM) and Resource Allocation System (RAS) developed by the JTFRA under Huron’s guidance is intended to align budgeting decisions with strategic goals, goals that are themselves a form of neoliberal governance. While we have customized RCM budgeting to fit our campus, it is still a product of the corporate world. Before implementing this incentive-based budgeting, we need to ask what behaviors we are trying to promote. Deans are going to be “incentivized” to

Slavoj Zizek talks about a concept he calls the “chocolate laxative,” which refers to a situation where the cause of a disease is prescribed as its cure. This parallels the initiative coming out of the Chancellor’s strategic planning process to decentralize resource allocation. a “Culture of Evidence” by “demonstrat[ing] meaningful accountability,” “embrac[ing] student outcomes assessment,” and “promot[ing] evidence-based, intentional resource allocation.” The task force clearly states on page six its desire to change the way we think: “From time to time, events demand a fundamental rethinking of how we fulfill our mission in society. This is one of those times.”

In November of 2013 the Joint Task Force on Resource Allocation (JTFRA) spun out of the JTFSO. (Set aside, for the moment, the fact that the phrase “joint task force” comes from military operations involving multiple branches.) Thus began the implementation, or phase two, of the campus’ strategic plan.

While the Chancellor identifies an interim accreditation report for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges as the reason for instigating the strategic planning process, behind that lies the broader context within which universities everywhere operate. We have faced a long term devaluing of public higher education.

As states’ revenues decline due to tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy, university budgets are slashed, and tuition and fees rise. This ongoing situation was worsened by the 2008 recession.

Across the country, more universities are reviewing their budget models.

All too often, the response to declining revenue is to make cuts, increase efficiency, furlough staff and faculty and freeze hiring. These are the politics of austerity, which offers market-based solutions to problems cre-

tion, healthcare, finance and law. A quick Internet search of that company shows it was formed by former execs of Arthur Anderson, an accounting firm which went under as part of the Enron scandal in 2001-2002. Huron had a mini-scandal of its own around 2009 or so, causing a number of top executives to leave the corporation. This led to a lawsuit from UCLA, whom they were consulting with at the time. I raise this point not because I suspect Huron of wrongdoing, but rather to question the culture of a corporate consulting firm within a capitalist economy. I am suspicious of market-based solutions to problems created by the market economy in the first place.

The JTFRA was tasked with considering alternative resource allocation models. Huron was hired as consultants, but they literally wrote the book on RCM budgeting. Whoever hired them must have had an idea of the end result they were seeking already in mind.

The book “Responsibility Center Management: A Guide to Balancing Academic Entrepreneurship with Fiscal Responsibility,” distributed by the administration to the JTFRA and other committees, states on page 29 that “RCM bears a strong resemblance to the profit center model of many modern forprofit corporations, particularly conglomerates and multinationals. The two environments share many similar, if not identical, reasons for decentralization.” It is written by John Curry, et. al. Mr. Curry, managing director for Huron Education, was one of the consultants who came to UMass to work with the JTFRA.

keep costs down and be as efficient as possible in order to be as strategic as possible while they start looking for new revenue streams.

These streams include aligning research priorities with national and state priorities (in pursuit of the dollars attached), and increasing outof-state enrollment, but not turning around the decadeslong decline in funding from the state. Strategic investment, in this case, becomes the means to move the strategic plan forward. Teaching and research are seen as sources of revenue, not common goods in and of themselves. Students are “butts in seats,” not future citizens of the commonwealth.

The Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek talks about a concept he calls the “chocolate laxative,” which refers to a situation where the cause of a disease is prescribed as its cure. This parallels the current initiative coming out of the Chancellor’s strategic planning process to reconfigure/decentralize resource allocation. More of what caused the problem in the first place is prescribed to guide our way out of it.

This is the essence of neoliberalism—austerity, which benefits banks, corporations and the elite, is prescribed in response to the crisis—a crisis created by bankers, corporations and the elite to begin with.

If you are concerned by these issues, then please attend the campus open forum held by the JTFRA on Monday, April 14 from 1-2:30 p.m. in Campus Center room 163C. Timothy Sutton is a Collegian contributor and can be reached at tsutton@ comm.umass.edu.

The state of the Republican Party With John Ashcroft, the former attorney general under George W. Bush, coming to campus this week,

unscathed throughout the process. When one thinks of the future of the GOP, the Tea Party is both active and resilient, and has great Julian del Prado potential for mobilizing voters. Without a doubt, the questions about where the Tea Party is one of the most Republican Party is head- involved interest groups ing are bound to turn up. in the country. Unlike the In the wake of Barack Sierra Club, AARP or most Obama’s presidency, which of the various interests had an explosive start with that Americans participate Obamacare and fizzled out in funding, the Tea Party over the next seven years, has a broad base of active where do Republicans members who are willing to stand? Even though the Tea mobilize and discuss poliParty is consistently criti- tics on a regular basis in cized as being the fringe local communities. What’s of the GOP, Rand Paul (a more, Tea Party candidates Tea Party favorite) has won are popular among young the CPAC straw poll two people, as Rand Paul’s sucyears in a row. Amidst all cess in the straw poll shows. the outrage at the dead- Despite criticisms, the seculock in Congress, the Republicans who won the House of Representatives in 2010 have been fighting Obamacare and government waste in a way which is consistent with their platforms. This contrast between the national coverage of Congress and the lar nature of the Tea Party political realities within allows it to appeal to voters each constituency makes who want conservative govit rather hard to say what ernance but who feel that kind of shape the GOP is traditional social conservain. My guess, however, is tism is too intrusive.

While Hill ary Clinton that the GOP is in as good a place as it has ever been to is all but assumed to be win the presidency in 2016. the next Democrat running The Tea Party has in the general election, caused seemingly endless the Republican Party has problems within Congress a broader range of compesince it became a major tent candidates. New Jersey player following the 2010 governor Chris Christie midterms. While the GOP provides a middle-of-thehas received significant road conservative with an blame for the deadlock in excellent record, BridgeCongress, the Tea Party gate notwithstanding. Rand has received a mountain of Paul is an excellent speaker criticism. Initial coverage and his commitment to fisof the party was disastrous cal policy is promising for for the GOP, especially the many Americans who when allegations of racism haven’t received any of and religious fundamental- the benefits of the current ism became part of the mix. recovery. Whereas previHowever, the Tea Party ous Republican primaries has remained virtually showcased bickering and an

The GOP is in as good a place as it has ever been to win the presidency in 2016.

excessive degree of infighting, the next round of candidates (even Ted Cruz and Rick Santorum) have all committed themselves to a more stable coalition. While the Democratic Party is more hostile to Republicans than ever, Republican candidates are showing themselves to be committed to the various interests within the GOP. Although Republicans might be looking at a high turnout and great candidates, they still face a threat to their continued legitimacy in the government. Criticism of the previous administration might have aided the Obama campaign in 2008, but will certainly not be enough to bring about a GOP victory. Criticism is no longer enough, and the Republicans will have to be prepared with a comprehensive and well-rounded platform if they hope to have a chance in 2016.

Issues like the attack in Benghazi and Obamacare, while crucial, threaten to bog down the GOP’s platform and hurt its legitimacy. It doesn’t help that the GOP hardly embraces the Tea Party. John Boehner has been unable to put forward a comprehensive Republican plan, leading to tension between the two factions. This generational disagreement between traditional conservatives and the Tea Party is something which could pass in time, or it could be a wrench in the ambitions of the GOP. Depending on whether this up and coming group can be successfully integrated into the GOP, the 2016 election could really go either way.

Julian del Prado is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at jdelprad@umass.edu.

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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.

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Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Monday, April 14, 2014

“Summertime lovin’, lovin’ in the summer (time).” - Rigby

Arts@DailyCollegian.com

Straight from the stairwells, meet

Commonwealth

By Alex FrAil Collegian Staff

As I stepped out into the brisk March night, Miguel Paredes and Abby Kahler of The Commonwealth offered to play some of their new songs from their upcoming, untitled EP. I accept the offer, and the two UMass freshmen lead me to their dorm, Oak Hall. We arrive at a stairwell nestled somewhere between lounges packed with studying students, and they begin to set up their instruments.

Miguel unlatches his guitar case and tells me that he and Abby have affectionately named these practices “The Stairwell Sessions.” He tunes his guitar as Abby rests her violin on her shoulder. They make sure I’m comfortable on the stairs before introducing their first song. They call it “Voices,” a track that only recently acquired its lyrics.

“I had no inspiration for a while. I just read Harry Potter instead,” Miguel says.

They draw deep breaths and begin “Voices,” a ballad that would fit in with Damien Rice’s greatest hits. The song quickly draws a crowd of strangers away from their studies. Soon, the entire staircase I’m sitting on fills up with students enjoying Abby and Miguel’s impromptu concert.

When the song ends, a stranger from above shouts, “You guys rock!”

Miguel shouts his gratitude back and adds the band’s name. “We’re The Commonwealth” he says.

Miguel, a guitarist and vocalist, and Abby, a violinist and vocalist, insist that their band name has little to do with their living arrangements in the Honors College at UMass.

Although the name certainly stems from the residential area, “The Commonwealth” represents their mentality. “‘Music made by the peo-

ple, for the people’ is kind of our motto,” explains Miguel.

“We took like three hours straight just throwing out names.”

Some of these names included Stairwell Strings, a shout out to their Stairwell Sessions in Oak Hall, or the humorous Trippy Vegans. A friend finally suggested The Commonwealth Kids.

They didn’t love the last suggestion, but something about it caught their eye. Abby says, “Something about that word – the Commonwealth – stuck out.”

The Commonwealth packs up their instruments and we head to Roots Café. “We’ve been using the stairwell in our building because the acoustics are awesome,” Abby tells me along the way.

In February, they put on an intimate show outside when a rare ray of sunshine peeked through. They also played at the Valentine’s Day Greeno open mic. Due to inclement weather, however, they’ve mostly stuck to the stairwell and rooms in the Fine Arts Center.

Once we find a spot on the couches of the busy café, the band mates recount the story of how they met last autumn.

Abby says that she and Miguel met in their English class last semester. She says that she found him funny during the class’s icebreakers and wanted to approach him. They first met after one of these icebreakers when the class shared its favorite bands.

“Miguel rolls in like 20 minutes late on a skateboard,” Abby says.

“I was writing a song” he insists.

When Miguel shared a lot of the bands that she liked, the two finally got to talk and suggested jamming together.

They did not end up getting together until February of this semester. The meeting

was well worth the wait. Abby and Miguel say that as soon as they started playing, they knew they wanted to make music together.

After fruitful jam sessions, they officially formed the band. The Commonwealth’s Facebook went live on Feb. 2 and has since amassed a significant following.

Several recordings of The Commonwealth’s are available on their page, including the original “Voices” and a cover of “Such Great Heights” by the Postal Service.

Both Abby and Miguel describe their music as indie folk, but acknowledge other influences like jazz. Abby reflects that they weren’t sure about what sound they wanted to pursue at first, but the coupling of acoustic guitar and violin introduces an undeniable folk element to their music.

Abby’s personal influences draw upon indie folk.

She cites the Kopecky Family Band, which employs strings and cellos on their albums, as one of her favorite bands. The Commonwealth has adopted similar techniques on their own tracks.

Similarly, Miguel adores City & Colour, the alias of Canadian indie artist Dallas Green. Miguel finds City & Colour’s songwriting affecting and beautiful. A grin breaks on his face when he recalls meeting Green after a concert last summer.

“City & Colour all the way, man,” he says.

Abby explains that Miguel will write music for a song and play it for her, and then she’ll improvise her notes over his. She finds improvisation an easier form of expression, especially with the violin. This process allows them to slowly mold each song into their vision.

Back in the Stairwell Session, they played “The

Cure,” an aching strummer with gorgeous vocal harmonies from Abby. Her violin injected the ballad with a palpable melancholy, which proves her method is working.

Each song they played emanated powerful emotions, both uplifting and somber.

Abby then brings up one time that her and Miguel improvised lyrics together.

“We were singing about completely different things, but the lyrics made sense together.”

“That was a really cool moment,” Miguel adds.

These improv methods fit Miguel’s idea of music as a “cathartic” exercise. “Songs are like timestamps in my life,” he explains. “Whatever I’m feeling is what I write about.”

The Commonwealth is currently in the midst of recording new material, including “The Cure,” “Forever is a Long Long Time,” and “We Don’t Have Time,” which, Miguel jokes, “We didn’t have

time to play.”

Miguel has a long history of recording music, since his uncle is a recording artist who has performed as a DJ at Northampton’s Iron Horse. He recalls wanting to record a song as young as five.

When his uncle told him he had to audition, Miguel took his uncle’s words as an opportunity. He impressed the DJ greatly.

Abby has enjoyed a long history with music as well.

She began playing the violin when she was three years old.

Her parents took her to “a musical petting zoo,” where children can play with any instrument. The violin captivated her and she hasn’t looked back.

The Commonwealth dreams of playing at Iron Horse one day, a venue that Miguel admired while growing up between Amherst and California. Until then, they will be featured at open mic nights like those offered by Greeno Sub Shop and The

Black Sheep in Amherst.

The band hopes to record an EP over the summer, tentatively titled “Other Words,” and plans to obtain a permit so they can play around Amherst and Noho before the semester is out. The Commonwealth has several plans in the mix, including a kick-starter for their EP. Ultimately, they want to share their craft with peers and to enjoy the catharsis of music with others.

The night has grown late in Roots Café. As we pack up, I ask Abby and Miguel if they have any last thoughts.

Sharing a quick glance, they respond almost in unison.

“Shout out to our English teacher,” they say. “Thanks for putting us in your class.”

You can check out more about The Commonwealth at their Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecommonwealthsound.

Alex Frail can be reached at afrail@ umass.edu.

PHOTOS ABOVE BY ALEX FRAIL/COLLEGIAN

Commonwealth are fresh on the Amherst music scene as an indie-folk duo.

Amherst’s own surfer-rock Meet Deja Carr, one of Noho’s Sexy Girls are ‘just brightest musical minds guys being guys’ Carr is a member of four projects

By Jake Reed Collegian Staff

“We bond over pizza sometimes,” says Sexy Girls’ Alex Whitelaw on how he got chummy with the band members he found through a Craigslist post, taking what began as a solo project into full-fledged band territory.

These four guys are serious about their future as a band, but they don’t take themselves too seriously.

And yes, the Craigslist story is true. After posting to the site, Whitelaw met Stephen Kerr, the band’s drummer, and guitarist Sam Hatch.

“It was a sketchy way to try to find them,” Whitelaw says, “but it worked out.”

Adam Har-zvi, who knows Stephen through the University of Massachusetts Amherst music program, joined as bassist just about a month ago.

As you could probably guess, Kerr and Har-Zvi (a junior and sophomore, respectively) are both music majors at UMass. What you might not have guessed is that they have both focused their studies on the double bass (often known as the upright bass). Hatch, on the other hand, is a junior and political science major and Whitelaw, who plays guitar and sings/yells as the band’s front man, is a senior studying English.

So what does the band sound like? “Indie, surf, jazz,” Whitelaw explained; “a lot of things.”

He’s got it right – “Castle Song,” from the band’s first release “The Collection,” melds sun-kissed surf guitar chords with a catchy hook, while “Beware of the Wolves” picks a walking bassline straight out of the jazz idiom and takes it for a long walk on the beach.

“A lot of the bands around here are doing the math rock thing and a lot are doing the funk thing,” said Kerr.

“I think it’s cool that we’re doing something, not crazy different, but it’s not sort of the Western Massachusetts average band,” Hatch added.

In addition to the Strokes and Born Ruffians, some of Whitelaw’s influences are less immediately apparent in his music – namely

By adRia kelly-SullengeR Collegian Correspondent

SHAINA MISHKIN/COLLEGIAN

Alex Whitelaw of Sexy Girls performs at a show put together by Students for Alternative Music. the up-and-coming rappers Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q. “I think rhythmically I focus a lot on how they f *ck around with flows and do things like that,” he explained. “When I’m trying to form a melody or a rhythm with my voice I’ll try to incorporate how a rapper would flow, and I think Kendrick and Schoolboy do that pretty effectively.”

As of now, the band’s first two releases are written and recorded entirely

by Whitelaw. The first, “The Collection,” is a narrowed down selection of 40 or so songs that he had initially released to Bandcamp.

“I was just playing with the idea of a ‘Greatest Hits’ for a band that no one had heard of,” Whitelaw explained, “so it was kind of funny to me.” He said that the next album, “Satan’s Hands,” should be out around July.

As far as lyrics go, Whitelaw likes to keep things coherent. “I feel like sometimes bands have too weird of lyrics that people can’t actually relate to and it’s just weird,” he said. “I want kids to be able to hear [my songs] and be like, ‘Oh, I had a girl f *ck with me once and it was sh***y.’”

This sentiment ties in neatly with the meaning behind the band’s name.

“I figured most songs that people make are going to be about women so why not just name the band Sexy Girls?” Whitelaw said.

For now, the band doesn’t mind playing tunes written solely by Whitelaw. “Alex writes music that, if I turn on my iPod, it’s something I would scroll to,” said Kerr, “so it’s really fun to play.”

Their lack of songwriting cred won’t last forever, however – Whitelaw plans

to incorporate the whole band in the creation of Sexy Girls’ third release.

On stage, the band keeps it simple. No crazy, overbearing stage presence.

Nicely dressed, but not overstated – although Harzvi’s funky ‘90s-wallpaper button down shirt deserves a mention. To them, it’s most important to play the best they can and let the music speak for itself.

“We’re trying to be something that people want to listen to,” Kerr explained, “[and not just come to see] because it’s a show.”

Off stage, they’re all for having a good time. “Just guys being guys,” Har-zvi said.

For instance, “the thing we tend to do after every show is have a dance-off,” Whitelaw said.

Conversations in the band’s post-show interview veers everywhere from music (“I wanted to be … as big as Mumford and Sons, but as good as Imagine Dragons” – Whitelaw) to food (“Maybe vegans don’t like pizza” ¬– Whitelaw, again) to their plea for to book more house shows (“We get along well with strangers … We listen.

We’re empathetic” – Kerr.)

For the future, the band hopes to make a living playing music that they love, but for now, the goal is to “just keep playing shows,” Hatch said.

“I want to promote a lot at all the colleges in the area,” Whitelaw added. “I feel like this is a good system.”

“The Collection” is available for free at sexygirls. bandcamp.com and Sexy Girls can be seen next at 13th Floor Music Lounge in Florence on April 24.

When I first met Deja Carr, she was surrounded by friends and adoring fans. There was a huge smile on her face, mostly due to the strong set she had just performed at the Iron Horse in Northampton. For this concert, Carr performed as Mal Devisa, one of the four musical acts that she splits her time between. Mal Devisa is Carr’s solo project, but she is also a member of Who’da Funk It?, The Radio on Mute and MASLA. Who’da Funk It? had a great year in 2013 and Mal Devisa has been gaining quite the following, leading me to look into more into this incredibly talented 17-yearold.

Carr admits she was not always a gifted singer. In fact, she said “I used to be a terrible singer.” That was, until she began practicing every single day. To say the least, the practice has paid off. Listening to her, one would never know that her melodic tones were not simply the result of raw natural talent. While performing, her deep, euphonious voice fit the beats to her songs perfectly, mesmerizing crowds.

Carr was raised surrounded by creativity and music.

Her grandfather was jazz drummer Bruno Carr, a musician who recorded with the likes of Aretha Franklin and

Ray Charles, and her mother is a stand-up comedian. When she was only five, she played a light up keyboard in Target so avidly that her mother finally bought it for her. Now she plays piano, drums and bass guitar. The bass, she claims, is her favorite because it fits her voice so well.

As Mal Devisa, Carr’s voice has a great, soulful quality to it, while her lyrics are one of a kind. Carr says her favorite places to write are in cafes.

She sits and listens to the conversations of others. Her song “Daisy” came to her when she heard a girl yelling “daisy” over and over again. To Carr, the feel of the words in her mouth hold more meaning then the words themselves.

She also draws inspiration from a myriad of artists, including Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Tune-Yards, with a tattoo on her body advertising her devotion to the TuneYards. Although she writes all of her own lyrics for Mal Devisa, many of her performances are improvised.

Improvisation builds Carr’s confidence onstage and gives each of her performances an incredible uniqueness. Her friend and bandmate Bess Hepner says that Carr always “commands the audiences’ attention.” Carr’s talent and passion almost immediately becomes obvious to almost anyone who meets her. Carr’s friend and fellow Who’da Funk It? member Emma Andrews-Sevene said she “is an incredibly talented young woman with a very old soul and a fiery passion for all

things music.”

Even in her free time Carr surrounds herself with creative pursuits. She writes poetry, attends local shows to support other artists and participates in activism against discrimination, especially as an ally for Lesbian Bisexual Gay Transgender Queer rights. Even her view on the music industry is unique. She explained that “if musicians don’t support each other, no one will.” She buys more albums from local artists than the top charts. Although her music career is taking off, she does not like how the industry is run, saying that “art doesn’t mix with money very well.”

According to Carr, the entire business aspect of the industry needs to change for music to be purely produced from creative passions.

Carr believes that artists and musicians are one and the same. A musician to her “listens as much as they play, talks as much as they play and takes in as much as they give out,” they are “giant recycling bins.”

When Carr is onstage she “gives as much as possible” and finally has a chance to “feel what I need to feel.”

With support from her proud, adoring mother she will soon be taking off on a tour of the Northeast as Mal Devisa and will be attending Hampshire College next year.

All of her music is free on her Bandcamp.com profile. Jump on for a listen, and truly enjoy.

Adria Kelly-Sullenger can be reached at akellysu@umass.edu.

COURTESY OF MONICA KWAN

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

Deja Carr plays a show as her solo act Mal Devisa.

Take a peak at what’s inside of Watts’ Closet Local ‘psych-indiejam-garage-rock’

By SaBRina amiRi Collegian Staff

One thing that immediately becomes apparent when seeing Watts’ Closet in action is that this is a band that loves to dance.

In an emptied out classroom in the Agricultural Engineering Hall at the University of Massachusetts last Thursday, the band danced through a heavy chunk of their nearly hour long set during a show held

by Students for Alternative Music, which featured local artists such as Wydyde, Sexy Girls and Who’da Funk It?.

It was not long before audience members followed suit and danced along to the progressive experimental indie music. The band ran through a number of songs including some newer material, like “Sweater Song,” a wistful tune which incorporates a lot of different musical styling’s, but is driven by a folksy-twang, and was recently released via their Soundcloud page.

The self-proclaimed “psych-indie-jam-garagerock” group consisting of Ben Bosco (bass, guitar, vocals

and keyboard), Jake Slater (guitar, bass, vocals and keyboard), George Condon (guitar, vocals, keyboard and trumpet) and Henry Condon (drums and vocals) has an incredibly vibrant sound.

Much of their music can be characterized by afro-beat rhythms, progressive indiefolk styling’s and uplifting vocals, as in the case of songs such as “Sports!!!” and “Somewhere Sunrise,” which were released online in their “December Demo.”

The band was formed by Bosco, a journalism major, and consists entirely of UMass undergraduates.

Bosco met Slater while writing a piece during his freshman year on the band Secret Jam Society which Slater was a member of. According to Bosco, Slater had been looking for something different which led to the two working on music together.

The duo spent time playing acoustic sets and testing the waters with other musicians before having casual jams with Henry Condon, and then eventually George Condon. The three met through the UMass Association of Musical Performance, a group devoted to bringing on-campus musicians together to facilitate the longstanding culture

of local music making in Amherst. These collaborative sessions eventually led to the formation of Watts’ Closet.

Together they developed their musical style with a goal in mind. “We kind of want to do something that hasn’t been done a lot before, so we were going for a psychedelic island kind of sound,” said George.

True to their goal, the band frequently tweaks their songs and explores different arrangements as need be. “...

Jake is the one who comes with a full song and we have to learn it. But usually one of us will just bring an idea and as a band we go through it and use what works and change what doesn’t,” George said of their writing.

“We’ve been changing stuff around with the songs all the time depending on where we’re playing. We had to do a TV spot in Newton at one time and we just figured out, ‘Alright, we want to play these songs but it’s like two minutes over. What do we do?’ So we ended up shortening them, rearranging parts, etc. and then just running the songs into each other as we usually do… we just change stuff up mostly,” said Bosco.

The flexibility in their

music was apparent during Thursday’s performance when the band connected several songs by riffing out ragged yet lively interludes between tunes. This allows them to go through their sets seamlessly and play as much music as they can for the audience rather than simply ending one song before starting the next, or having to banter at the crowd too much. The band’s easy way of going through a performance may come from being veterans of playing longer sets, particularly at The Frosty Mug, a bar in New Britain, Conn. Watts’ Closet has played multiple sets as long as three hours at the venue, a veritable musical marathon in the world of performance.

“I thought it would be just a one-off gig… it’s just been like having a rehearsal on stage honestly ‘cause it’s a tiny little bar and it’s made us a lot better at playing out,” said Bosco.

These “rehearsals” have effectively given the band an avenue to flesh out their live performances and develop the very fine-tuned musical experience they’ve cultivated their repertoire into.

“Most of its [original] songs, we usually just use jams to connect songs,” said

George.

“It’s like 90-95 percent just songs,” added Bosco.

“I’d say it’s like 75-80 percent,” countered George.

“Depends on what you’d count as a song,” Bosco said, laughing.

“If we have a jam it’s usually structured, so it’s kind of like a planned jam... we just plan out how we end it to make it concise, so we don’t get too loopy,” George explained.

“It’s just like learning some covers here and there and, well I mean we’re still starting out, but when we were first doing it, a lot of it was covers, but recently we’ve been adding a lot more originals, or y’know doing a lot more of that kind of stuff because the ones we write are pretty varied in terms of style,” added Bosco.

While their music is incredibly versatile, it’s not difficult to hear the influences of other progressive psychedelic groups rooted in their music, such as Delicate Steve and Tame Impala.

Another artist that has had an influence on the band, but not necessarily on their musical styling’s, is comedian, musician and loop sampler aficionado, Reggie Watts, who is also the band’s namesake.

Bosco explained the meaning behind the band name, “Jake and I were showing each other Reggie Watts videos over the summer and he had all these crazy sweaters and I was just like, ‘Dude his closet must be amazing, might as well name a band that,’ after ‘Weekend Jeans’ at least, that was our next name idea.”

Fans might wonder what is in store for this relatively young and uncommonly talented foursome, but the band sees their future in the simplest ways, “We’ll just keep playing hopefully,” said George Condon.

“We’ll figure it out...and you know with Watts’ we’ve got dates booked for the summer in various places,” said Bosco, right before turning to the marketing director of UMass Association of Musical Performance who was sitting a few feet away from him to discuss booking more shows during their upcoming tour. This gives the impression that even with a simple plan to just keep on playing their music; this band will be incredibly busy moving forward for a long time to come.

Sabrina Amiri can be reached at samiri@umass.edu.

6

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Monday, April 14, 2014

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aquarius

HOROSCOPES Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

leo

Jul. 23 - aug. 22

Sure, it’s nice to take selfies sometimes, but While Google Earth lets us explore distant your face keeps getting in the way of all these lands, it’s really strange that you would lie great mirror shots. about vacationing in Minnesota.

pisces

Feb. 19 - Mar. 20

virgo

aug. 23 - Sept. 22

It’s amazing that society expects us to keep our lives in order when most people can’t even find the missing sock in a pair.

It’s pretty cool that on a day to day basis, you never have to worry about when and where you’re going to just start molting.

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

Easter is around the corner, so now’s the time “The Scream” is a painting, not a play, so to make sure your chocolate chickens are please stop performing it at the campus comfortable. pond.

There is no one who says a petting zoo is not the best place to write your final exam papers.

Though tattoo artists practice on them before they start, don’t be fooled into thinking your skin is as tender and fine as a banana’s.

sagittarius

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30 percent chance of rain means a 70 percent chance you won’t bring your umbrella with you.

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Jun. 22 - Jul. 22

Oh the humanity! Oh the fine arts!

Dec. 22 - Jan. 19

Hopefully you made past the shady dorm black market surrounding Spring Concert tickets. Many have reported losing limbs.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

MCGOVERN McGovern of her looming achievement.

“I think (McMahon) knew more than me at that point because she was like, ‘Go out there and just draw it to yourself,’” McGovern said.

Already the holder of the record for most single season draw control wins, McGovern said that surpassing Sarcona for the all-time mark, who she played alongside with for two years, was an honor. McGovern added that during their time as teammates, Sarcona was instrumental in helping her development as a draw control specialist.

“Nina Sarcona is someone that really made me get that draw control record today,” McGovern said.

“She really taught me all

DREXEL

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her tricks.”

The record comes less than a year after McGovern tore her anterior cruciate ligament in last year’s regular season finale against Duquesne, which caused her to sit out of the A-10 Tournament.

While McGovern was able to return as a draw control specialist in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in a win against Connecticut, she had surgery following the Minutewomen’s second round loss to Penn State.

Following her long offseason recovery, McMahon said that she was not surprised that McGovern was able to return to her preinjury success on defense and with face-offs.

“She is one of the most

disciplined and hardworking players that I’ve ever coached,” McMahon said.

“You could just see her every day with the motivation to make sure she was going out at the top of her game.”

McGovern added that the hard work and extra motivation to overcome her injury made the fact that she reached the record even more special.

“It’s kind of a stick-it-toyou moment,” McGovern said. “Injuries are injuries, but it’s nice to be back on the field and be efficient and productive in helping my team.”

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

continued from page 8

“In the beginning of the game we were doing our own thing and we weren’t really intense, but in the third quarter we really started doing what our coaches were telling us to do and it worked.”

Freshman attackman Grant Consoletti scored a career high four points on two goals and two assists.

Mariano, Jeff George, Grant Whiteway and Sean Cleary each scored one goal in the loss.

Despite outshooting Drexel and causing 18 turnovers, Cannella mentioned that losing the groundball war 31-25 was one of the aspects that hurt the Minutemen on Saturday.

“Our guys really competed today, it wasn’t an intensity thing,” Cannella said. “I

“We’ve played good quarters and good halves, but we really haven’t put together a full game so we have to work on that.”

Connor Mooney, UMass midfielder wished we got off to a better start in the first half, we let up eight goals. In that third quarter our defense stepped up, but we didn’t score.”

Although UMass (7-4, 1-2 CAA) scored six goals in the first half, both Mooney and Cannella preached that for the Minutemen to be successful in their upcoming games they have to get off to better starts.

“We have to sharpen up our skills a little bit, especially on the offensive end, put together a complete game,” Mooney said. “We’ve played

good quarters and good halves, but we really haven’t put together a full game so we have to work on that.”

“We scored a lot of goals early, we defended well in the end but we couldn’t score. You have to put both sides together throughout the entire game to get a win,” Cannella said.

The Minutemen return to action next Saturday on Senior Night in the final home game of the season.

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

Monday, April 14, 2014

7

continued from page 8

the game.

UMass was dominant in all facets of the game, but coach Angela McMahon said she was particularly proud of the team’s ride, which only allowed the Patriots to clear the ball out of their zone once out of nine attempts in the first half.

“Their goalie made some really great saves against us, and even when they were doing that, we were able to get the ball back because we were working really hard on our ride, so that was really key for us,” she said.

At the team’s Senior Day ceremony after the game, the team honored its eight senior members: McGovern, Rush, Ferris, McGrath, Tanner Guarino, Melissa Carelli, Kelsey Sheridan and Shannon Defliese.

This year’s senior class holds eight different school records, and last year led the team to its first victory in an NCAA Tournament game since 1984. McMahon praised the group for all they’ve done in their time at UMass.

“It’s a record setting group between all of them, really, in terms of what they’ve done for this program, and really just getting us on the national level,” she said.

“Anything that we get this year or any win that we’ve done is directly in relation to them, so I can’t thank them enough.”

McMahon added that this year is also a special year since the class of 2014 is the first group she has coached all the way

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

Kelsey Sheridan was one of eight seniors honored by UMass for Sunday’s Senior Day ceremony. from freshmen to senior year.

“Having those relationships that you start in the recruiting process, it’s really seven, eight years now that we’ve had a relationship with these kids,” she said.

“Just to see them grow and mature, obviously on the field speaks for itself, but off the field, what they’ve all been able to do in sort of finding their

own paths and their way and being extremely successful in school, some of them already have job offers or jobs set up or grad school set up and I’m just really proud at the way that they’ve matured since their freshman year.”

Jesse Mayfield-Sheehan can be reached at jmayfiel@umass.edu and can be followed on Twitter @jgms88.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Monday, April 14, 2014

Sports@DailyCollegian.com

@MDC_SPORTS

M E N ’ S L AC RO S S E

Minutemen drop second straight CAA contest Mooney notches five points in loss

By Andrew Cyr Collegian Staff

Trailing 8-7, entering the final 15 minutes of regulation, the No. 16 Drexel Massachusetts men’s lacrosse UMass team was poised for a fourth quarter battle with Drexel on Saturday.

However, the Minutemen weren’t prepared for the attack the Dragons were about to bring them.

UMass allowed five goals in the final quarter of play to fall to Drexel 13-9. It was the Minutemen’s second consecutive loss in conference play.

“When it comes down to it, (Drexel) scored the goals when they needed to and we didn’t,” Connor Mooney said.” “Our 13 defense was making big plays, especially 9 in the third quarter, and the offense couldn’t take advantage of it.”

Drexel (8-4, 3-1 Colonial Athletic Association) opened up the fourth quarter with a trio of goals within the first five minutes from Ryan

Belka, Jules Raucci and Nick Trizano. Trizano led all scorers with three goals and an assist. Belka and Raucci each chipped in with a pair of goals for Drexel. Jared Boudreau and Ben McIntosh also scored two apiece.

“Their better players stepped up on the offense end,” said UMass coach Greg Cannella when asked about the fourth quarter. “They had an empty netter and McIntosh really stepped up in the end.

When it comes down to it they made the offensive plays that we didn’t.”

Trailing 8-5 in the final minute of the first half, Mooney received a pass from Nick

Mariano with 28 seconds left that cut the Dragons lead to just two with an acrobatic finish fromjust outside the cage.

It was Mooney who once again who cut into the Drexel lead just 40 seconds into the third quarter, this time scoring on an assist from Rob Lynott.

Mooney led all scorers with five points coming off of three goals and two assists.

Mooney’s goal was the only one scored between either team in the third quarter.

“We bared down and really stuck to our principles in the third quarter,” long stick midfielder Aaron Madaisky said. see

DREXEL on page 7

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

UMass drops to 1-2 in CAA play with its loss to Drexel on Saturday.

BASEBALL

WO M E N ’ S L AC RO S S E

FOUR YEARS OF DOMINANCE UM falls to Saint Louis in extra innings Sunday

Loss snaps a four game win streak

By Tyler Fiedler Collegian Staff

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

Senior defender Kelsey McGovern set the UMass women’s lacrosse program’s all-time draw control record on Sunday.

Seniors lead way McGovern sets in final home game face-off record

By Jesse MAyField-sheehAn

record.

“Luckily, I’ve had my teammates to box out for The day belonged to the me and help out, so it’s not seniors on Sunday for the something that’s just my No. 10 Massachusetts womrecord, but I think I share en’s lacrosse team. it with a little bit of more The eight members of the people in the circle and M i n u t e w o m e n’ s on my team,” class of 2014 said. scored 13 of the UMass 22 McGovern UMass (13team’s 22 goals en 1, 4-0 Atlantic route to a 22-2 vicGMU 2 10) was domitory over George nant from the Mason, and were start, going on honored after the game at a 7-0 run to start the game the team’s Senior Day cerbefore George Mason (7-6, emony.

1-3 A-10) finally scored its “It’s fun. It’s something first goal 13 minutes in. that you never think you’ll Then the Minutewomen feel a little sentimental scored 10 more unanabout, I guess,” senior swered goals through the defender Kelsey McGovern rest of the half, going into said. “But you definitely halftime with a 17-1 lead. learn when you’re a senior Sam Rush scored five to take that moment and to goals for UMass, and Katie really just soak it in and Ferris finished with three enjoy it and kind of make goals and three assists. it a little bit about you for Courtney McGrath also the day.” had a hat trick, Erika McGovern got the highEipp added two goals and light of the day, winning three assists and six other her 194th career draw conMinutewomen scored in trol to pass Nina Sarcona for the school’s all-time see SENIORS on page 7 Collegian Staff

By AnThony ChiusAno Collegian Staff

With seven minutes, 24 seconds left in Sunday’s matchup between the No. 10 Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team and George Mason, freshman Hannah Murphy converted on a quick give-and-go pass from freshman Callie Santos to score and extend the Minutewomen’s lead to 18.

While the goal proved to be insignificant in terms of the game’s final outcome – UMass easily defeated the Patriots, 22-2 – what followed was monumental.

While the majority of Minutewomen starters were already being rested for the remainder of the second half due to the difference in score, UMass coach Angela McMahon still sent out starting senior defender Kelsey McGovern to handle the draw control following Murphy’s goal.

As a result, McGovern converted on her fifth face-

off win of the day and the 194th draw control in her collegiate career – a new UMass record, breaking the previous all-time mark set by Nina Sarcona in 2012.

After the game, McGovern said that she was unaware at the moment that the particular face-off victory was “the one.” However, moments after her draw control win, she was notified of the record, along with the rest of the Senior Day crowd at McGuirk Stadium, through a public address announcement.

“I knew I was getting close but I didn’t know how close,” McGovern said. “And then when they said it, it was exciting.”

According to McGovern, McMahon was aware of the impending record and instructed her to stay in the game to continue to handle the draw control responsibilities. However, the coach did not alert see

MCGOVERN on page 7

It was about as good a week as the Massachusetts baseball team could’ve hoped for.

With wins over Dayton, Northeastern and two over Saint Louis, the Minutemen opened the new calendar week on Sunday looking to not only sweep the Billikens, but extend its season-high four-game winning streak.

This week didn’t get off to quite as stron g SLU 2 a start as the UMass 1 UMass fell to Saint Louis 2-1 in an 11-inning affair at Earl Lordon Field on Sunday.

Josh Bunselmeyer singled home Jake Henson to give the Billikens (20-13, 8-3 Atlantic 10) to drive in the winning run in the top of the 11th. Matt Eckelmen, who went 31/3 innings, picked up the win with a 1-2-3 11th.

Scoring was hard to come by for both sides, as UMass starter Brandon Walsh was dominant for nine innings, giving up one run while surrendering 10 hits.

“Walsh was very good today, he did what he had to do to give us a win,” Minutemen coach Mike Stone said. “He battled and worked through tough situations.”

Saint Louis countered with Josh Moore, who was just as dominant. He pitched 72/3 innings, giving up one run on five hits. He struck out eight Minutemen while walking just one.

“Moore was very tough today,” Stone said. “We couldn’t put hits together against him.”

The Minutemen (7-20, 5-7A-10) finally got to Moore in the eighth inning after Saint Louis put up a run in the top half. After two quick outs in the inning, Kyle Adie lined a single up the middle, forcing Saint Louis coach Dari Hendrickson to call Eckelman out of the bullpen.

Nick Sanford singled, and Nik Campero followed with a one-run single that tied the game at 1-1. The Minutemen loaded the bases for one of their best hitters on the season Mike Geannelis.

Geannelis grounded

to shortstop for a fielder’s choice to end the inning. “(Mike) has been the hitter we want in that situation this whole season,” Stone said. “It was one of the few times it did not go his way this year.”

Both teams remained scoreless until the eleventh inning when Saint Louis was able to get to Ryan Moloney.

Late run lifts UMass The Minutemen battled Saint Louis all game to win its fourth straight game on Saturday.

The UMass broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning. Walsh led off the inning with a single followed by a knock by Adam Picard.

The Minutemen then scored run with a successful sacrifice bunt by John Jennings and a sacrifice fly by junior Paul Yanakopulos.

Adam Plunkett started for UMass, going six innings and giving up two runs on six hits while striking out four and walking two. Geannelis pitched three scoreless innings of relief and picked up his first collegiate win. He retired nine of the 12 batters he faced giving up no hits through three.

“I could not have asked for anything more from Geannelis,” Stone said. “He came in relief and did what we needed him to do to get the win.”

The Minutemen started its offense when Picard sent a single up the middle to score Jennings for the first run of the game.

A Saint Louis home run

by Mike Vigliarolo tied the score at one. It was his fifth home run of year.

Minutemen bash Billikens The Minutemen used big hits and strong pitching to win the series opener against Saint Louis, 7-1. Conor LeBlanc went 61/3 innings and picked up his second win of the season.

Timely hitting by Dylan Begin and Picard proved to be the difference as the Minutemen scored five in the seventh to blow the game open.

“I was real happy with the way they responded,” Stone said. “We got some timely hitting and good pitching from everyone.”

The Minutemen’s next game is Tuesday at Central Connecticut. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Tyler Fiedler can be reached at tfielder@umass.edu.