Massachusetts Daily Collegian: Apr. 22, 2014

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Harvard shuts out Mass. in Beanpot Final PAGE 8

Festival fashion faux pas

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THE MASSACHUSETTS

DAILY COLLEGIAN

A free and responsible press

DailyCollegian.com

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

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Yogathon held to raise awareness Protect Our Breasts hosts all day event By Julia Mclaughlin Collegian Staff

CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN

A marathon runner poses as he returns to the Boston Marathon, one year after the tragic Boston Marathon bombings.

Pride and strength observed in Boston B y K atrina B orofsKi Collegian Staff

BOSTON — Nothing but eager anticipation and a strong sense of patriotism could be felt in Hopkinton during this year’s Boston Marathon. By 7:30 a.m., thousands of people swarmed around the central green in Hopkinton. Vendors selling apparel sporting the words “Boston Strong,” “Taking back the finish line” and other patriotic phrases were spread intermittently across the crowds of people, anticipating the undoubtedly historical event that was about to take place. According to the lead official for the Women’s Wheelchair division, 36,000 athletes were registered for the 2014 Boston Marathon. This is the largest turnout since the 100th anniversary, when nearly 39,000 runners entered. In addition to such an

enormous participant population, support from spectators at this year’s event was at an all-time high. It was estimated that more than 1 million people came out to watch the 26.2mile race that spread from Hopkinton to Boston. Among such large crowds were hundreds of first responders, security officials and police from last year’s Boston Marathon bombings. The Massachusetts State Police, military forces, Secret Service and a number of other federal agencies supervised the event. “They’re saying that last year, for State Police at the starting line, there (was) about 35 troopers,” explained one Massachusetts State Police officer, also an alumna of the University of Massachusetts. “There are over 200 this year. And in Boston we have about the same amount,” said the policewoman. “A conservative estimate of 400 troopers. And we have patrols still. We have a lot of people

working today. It’s a lot different, and there’s federal agencies, FBI, Border Control.” In addition to the law enforcers supervising the event, a number of troopers participated in this year’s event, according to the policewoman. The increased presence of security was clear among athletes and spectators alike. “Last year, my husband could just walk right in to the Athlete’s Village with me, and we had a backpack,” said one runner about the differences in security. Backpacks and large water bottles were two items on a list of objects the Boston Marathon Association requested athletes and spectators not to bring to the course this year. Spectators also passed through metal detectors and were given wristbands before entering the corrals and sidewalks parallel to the course. Rich Hart, a volunteer for the Boston Marathon Association and the assis-

“People ask if we feel safe doing our job. And yes, I definitely do.” Race Official, Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association tant coach of Stonehill College’s cross country and track and field teams, touched upon some of the major changes that took place regarding the security of the event. “There’s more security, there’s more screening,” said Hart, who is currently the head official for the wheelchair division after 29 years of serving as a volunteer. “We had to submit our names and social security numbers and all that.” That said, any one person in the crowd would agree that the 2014 Boston Marathon was anything but unsafe. “People ask if we feel see

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MARATHON on page 3

Protect Our Breasts will be holding its first annual Earth Day Yogathon, an outdoors event on the Fine Arts Terrace, to promote awareness of environmental toxins and their contribution to breast cancer on Tuesday from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.. Protect Our Breasts, an interdisciplinary project of marketing and biology, began at the University of Massachusetts in fall 2011 to educate young women about safer alternatives when purchasing everyday consumer products. After UMass marketing professor Cynthia Barstow, the founder of this initiative, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2010, she learned about the environment’s large role in different cancers from a report in the President’s Cancer Panel. While only 30 percent of breast cancers have to do with lifestyle and heredity, she discovered the other 70 percent is unrelated, leaving many researchers pointing to environmental toxins as the cause. From writing her book, “The Eco-Foods Guide,” Barstow developed her background with health and the consumer’s role in the environment, later contributing to her research with environmental toxins for Protect Our Breasts. After this organization’s launch, UMass students started working on this cause as well, developing an executive board. Some of these students include Yogathon Director Riki Adams, Promotion Researcher on Personal Care Ariel Urban, Chapter Expansionist Researcher on Cosmetics Alexis Bermingham, Chapter Expansionist Researcher on Plastics and Water Alysse Foley and Researcher on GMO’s and Packaging Natasha Merchant, who is also doing design and pro-

motion for the Yogathon. Other board members and organizers include Yuliana Motyl, a senior who researches toxins found in fruits and vegetables for Protect Our Breasts and Lia Delaney, a junior who does research on breast cancer science for the organization. Within three months of the launch of Protect Our Breasts, The Institute of Medicine came out with a report stating that women are most susceptible to environmental toxins up through their first pregnancies. Barstow found this information confusing as women are usually not diagnosed with breast cancer until later on in life, often around 50 years old. She learned that during menstruation, breasts go through change and development, causing the mammary glands to be more prone to environmental toxins until pregnancy or nursing. Even if a woman does not have children, her breasts will still stop changing at that time. However, Barstow noted, “Not everybody wants to talk about breast cancer in their twenties. It’s up to these young women to share about these issues in ways that they know their peers will listen. So that’s why we have Protect Our Breasts.” Starting with only 300 followers, the organization now has 6,000 followers and almost 400 people attending the Earth Day Yogathon event on Facebook. With the first class starting at 8 a.m., the Yogathon will comprise of nine yoga sessions throughout the day, ending with a musical performance by Three Guys & A Box. The event will feature world-renowned yoga instructors, as well as local yoga instructors from Amherst Yoga Center, the UMass Rec Center and other studios. It will also feature 10 safer alternative products from organic companies such as Stonyfield, Badger, see

YOGATHON on page 2

UMass holds annual Native American Powwow Different tribes come together By Julia Mclaughlin Collegian Staff

The University of Massachusetts held the Annual Native American Powwow in the Curry Hicks Cage on Saturday. The powwow is held each year to bring people together to reflect on the importance of family and community, give thanks to others and honor ancestral traditions. The event featured Native American drum groups Urban Thunder, Eastern Sons and Rez Dogs, along with dance performances throughout the day. Larry “Spotted Crow” Mann, a

member of the Nipmuck tribe, told stories while Daryl Wixon, a member of the Wampanoag tribe, led intertribal and Eastern songs. At the event, artists and vendors sold moccasins, fabrics, clothing, jewelry, quilts, baskets and indigenous food. Marvin J. Burnette of the Lakota Sioux tribe, the main speaker for the event, is a Native American dancer and craftsman who has led many powwows, on the local and international levels. “We know that history was written by the dominant society but we as Native American Indian people, we have our history as well,” Burnette said. “We do this in our drumming,

in our singing, in our dancing; we share the experience of Native American people through our craftwork, our beadwork, quilt-making, basket-weaving.” Native American culture, he explained, is very diverse. “We come from many cultures, many tribal backgrounds, different geographical locations,” he said. Therefore, there are different styles of dance corresponding to various geographical locations. Some of these styles include Eastern, Northern and Southern. However, most Native American peoples place an emphasis on oral tradition, passing down history and customs through

storytelling. When defining powwow, Burnette made clear that it is a social event, not a religious or ceremonial one. Instead, he explained, the word powwow is often misinterpreted by mainstream American society. It comes from the original Algonquin term “pauau,” which loosely translates to “a gathering of the people.” Jodi2Ponies, an attendee of the powwow, is a crafter and owner of The Metis Cabin, which specializes in Native American Metis Arts and Powwow regalia and crafts. Although it was her first time participating in a powwow at UMass, Jodi2Ponies has been to others in Massachusetts,

New York and Maine, offering handcrafted and handbeaded jewelry and items for Powwow regalia. From Huntington, Jodie2Ponies traces her genealogy back to 1624 in Canada. She discovered both Native American and European ancestry, making her a mixed-blood, or Métis. “It’s funny because we actually proved my genealogy and got my Métis card in 2009; it took that long to figure it all out,” Jodie2Ponies said. She then explained that she started crafting in 2011, but waited to put anything into the public until last year. “It’s not like I was raised with that culture; I was raised to hide it. My grandfather hid his lineage; he

was taught to be ashamed,” she said. On embracing her culture, however, Jodie2Ponies indicated she feels “great” and is excited “just to be here” at the powwow event. Keiko Moraino, however, has been attending the annual Native American Powwow at UMass “for a long time,” as she has been doing this all of her life. As a resident in Connecticut, she is Native American through her mother, who has lineage in both the Nottoway people and the Rappahannock tribe, both located in Virginia. Some of the items Moraino sells are jewelry, men’s ribbon shirts, hats, see

POWWOW on page 3


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