Massachusetts Daily Collegian: Apr. 28, 2014

Meet the Students for Alternative Music

Perfect Finish: UMass goes unbeaten in A-10

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Monday, April 28, 2014

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TEDx encourages world change UMass Rising

raises over $44 million this year

Donations go to five different areas

By Marie Maccune Collegian Staff

COURTESY OF TEDXUMASSAMHERST

Steven Gross, founder and chief playmaker of the Life is good Playmakers, gives a talk at TEDxUMass Amherst on Sunday.

Nine speakers gave “Play is not reserved for the sandbox, play talks on Sunday By caTherine Ferris Collegian Staff

The University of Massachusetts’ Mahar Auditorium was completely full on Sunday for the second annual TEDxUMassAmherst. Nine speakers touched upon various topics that were similar in the sense that they followed this year’s hash tag: #ChangeTheWorld.

Among those who gave talks were Jackie We at h e r s p o o n , fo rmer member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, Derrick Gordon, the first openly-

is a spirit for anything.”

Steve Gross, founder and chief playmaker of the Life is good Playmakers gay Division 1 men’s basketball player and Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary.

The event was split into three separate one to twohour-long sections, each featuring different speakers who had their own story to tell.

Steve Gross, founder and chief playmaker of the Life is good Playmakers and a UMass alum, recalled the

first time he fell in love with the TED talks when he watched Ken Robinson talk about creativity in 2006.

He went on to dedicate his career to helping vulnerable children, responding to the devastation that was caused by Hurricane Katrina, the 2012 Newtown school shooting and the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan.

“I get to work with kids whose lives have been heartbreakingly difficult,” Gross said, adding that what he has learned from working with children is that they have superpowers.

His advice: don’t work hard, but go out and play.

“Play is not reserved for the sandbox, play is a spirit for anything,” he said.

Gross then broke down playfulness into four main domains. This included active engagement, internal control, social connection and joyfulness.

Active engagement, he explained, is when a person goes through a severely traumatic event and it becomes difficult from them to live in the moment. In order for people to be able to live in the moment, there must be a good reality created for them. Internal control is the feeling of inner confidence, while social connection is the feeling of being loved and valued.

Finally, Gross said that joyfulness is simply enjoying what you do. see

TEDX on page 3

Research and Special Programs, Buildings and Infrastructure and UMass’ Annual Fund.

Leto also said that donations to the campaign come from a variety of sources such as alumni, parents, faculty and corporations.

In terms of its overall funding, Leto said that “Since the campaign started, we have raised more than $244 million toward our $300 million goal. There are more than 72,000 donors to the campaign to date and all of their gifts are important.”

When asked about monumental donations, Leto said, “Monumental can be defined by impact such as the scholarships received by just one deserving student or it can be defined by the size of the gift. The campaign has received three eight-figure gifts to date that meet both of these definitions. Just a few days ago a $10,000,000 gift from Douglas and Diana Berthiaume to create a new center for entrepreneurship was announced.”

For the future, Leto hopes to see the successful completion of the campaign and to “continue to align private philanthropy with campus priories.”

“I also hope that the campaign will create greater awareness of the crucial role of private support among our students, alumni and friends in helping the University achieve even greater heights of achievement and success,” he said.

The UMass Rising campaign has raised more than $44 million this fiscal year, according to Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations and UMass Rising campaign director Mike Leto. Fundraising will end on June 30.

A University press release said more than $1.25 million was donated by faculty and staff.

According to Leto, the campaign began in January 2010 and went through a quiet phase until the public launch last April.

“Inspiration came from the University’s desire to maximize its impact as the Commonwealth’s flagship campus and to reach new heights as a national leader in innovation and education,” he said.

Leto also said that the UMass Rising campaign will help accelerate the University’s achievements in some of today’s most pertinent fields.

“We live in a rapidly changing world and we have an important role in not only how we prepare our students but also in pushing the boundaries in research, a sustainable economy and an inclusive society,” he said.

According to Leto, there are five focus areas that the money goes toward. There include Talented Students, Marie MacCune can be reached at First-Class Faculty, mmaccune@umass.edu.

Palestinian president SELF Magazine’s Workout denounces Holocaust on the Quad draws 900 Netanyahu doubts Abbas’ sincerity

By Joel GreenBerG

McClatchy Foreign Staff

J E RU S A L E M — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday issued a statement calling the Holocaust “the most heinous crime” against humanity in modern times and expressing sympathy with families of the victims.

The statement, on the eve of Israel’s observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, was the first of its kind by a Palestinian leader, and appeared to be part of an effort to reach out to Israelis after a reconciliation deal reached last week between Abbas’s Fatah movement and the militant Islamist group Hamas that prompted Israel to suspend U.S.brokered peace talks.

Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Abbas’ declarations, saying that they were meant to “placate international public opinion” after the Palestinian leader had made a pact with Hamas, a group that “denies the Holocaust while trying to create another Holocaust by destroying the state of Israel.”

Abbas’ statement on the Holocaust came a day after the Palestinian leader said that the planned unity government under his leadership would recognize Israel and renounce violence.

Since the announcement of the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, analysts have debated whether the deal might meet conditions set by the group of Middle East mediators known as the Quartet - the U.S., Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - for a Palestinian government to qualify for diplomatic recognition. Those conditions are

recognition of Israel, nonviolence and adherence to previous agreements.

Robert Serry, the United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said in a statement after meeting Abbas on Thursday that he was assured that the unity accord would be carried out “on the basis of PLO commitments” to those conditions.

Hamas spokesmen have drawn a distinction between the positions of the group, which refuses to recognize Israel or renounce violence, and the negotiations with Israel, conducted by Abbas on behalf of the PLO. “You don’t need organizations to recognize Israel,” Ghazi Hamad, the deputy foreign minister of the Hamas government in Gaza, told the Israeli news website Ynet last week. “It’s enough that the Palestine Liberation see

ABBAS on page 2

Spirits, attendance high despite rain

By Taylor GilMore Collegian Staff

Rain didn’t stop 900 students from heading to SELF Magazine’s Workout on the Quad on Saturday for exercise and giveaways. Although it was dreary outside, spirits were high in the tents.

The Workout in the Park event is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, and the University of Massachusetts, after having the highest participation in the SELF Workout in the Park Social Game on Facebook, was able to host the second ever Workout on the Quad event.

“This event is the same as the Workout in the Park, just shrunk down and for free for UMass students,” said Brittany Forgione, senior publicist for SELF.

“HerCampus UMass really got everyone involved and rose to the top. They rallied up the students and racked up the points.”

Forgione added, “This event is getting bigger and bigger. It’s the first of its kind and it is our staple event.

It’s about the healthy lifestyle experience, and this is the magazine brought to life.

This is our baby.”

“I’m really proud of our organization for winning this amazing event.

We won it out of over 500 schools in the country,” said Brittany Lynch, the business development manager for HerCampus UMass and president of the publication next year. “It is just unfortunate it was scheduled on a rainy day.”

Due to the weather and muddy conditions, the yoga, pilates and Reebok Crossfit portions of the event could not happen, but the Crunch instructors kept the workout going at

the main stage with classes like Rear Attitude, House Grooves and Beach Body.

“The instructors were really enthusiastic even though it wasn’t the greatest weather,” said Danielle Arcese, a junior at UMass.

“I’m really into the workouts,” said Phil Rosario, a junior at UMass who was working security at the event.

“Many people have told me I look like I’m having a good time, and I am, because they are a good time.”

HerCampus hoped to have 1,000 attendees at the event, and 900 people ended up coming.

“I’m surprised we had 900 attendees. If it was a nice day I think we could have had close to 2,000, but the turnout was good despite the rain,” Lynch said.

Workout on the Quad attracted not only students from UMass, but from the see

WORKOUT on page 2

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Monday, April 28, 2014

ABBAS

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

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Organization - the representative of the Palestinian people - recognizes the State of Israel.”

On Sunday, however, Netanyahu made it clear that Abbas’ statements had not altered Israel’s fundamental position that it would not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by a group it considers a terrorist organization.

“I will not negotiate with those who seek to exterminate my country,” Netanyahu said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. He said Abbas was engaging in “damage control” and trying to “have it

both ways” by lamenting the Holocaust even as he is accepting the backing of Hamas.

“President Abbas has to decide whether he wants a pact with Hamas or peace with Israel,” Netanyahu said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “He cannot speak out of both sides of his mouth.”

Sunday’s statement by Abbas emerged from his meeting a week earlier with Marc Schneier, an American rabbi who heads a group that promotes Muslim-Jewish understanding. At the meeting, Schneier suggested that Abbas make a statement to

mark the annual Holocaust commemoration.

Issued in English and Arabic by the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, Abbas’s remarks were presented as a reply to a question from Rabbi Schneier.

“President Mahmoud Abbas said that what happened to the Jews in the Holocaust is the most heinous crime to have occurred against humanity in the modern era,” according to the English text. “He expressed his sympathy with the families of the victims and many other innocent people who were killed

by the Nazis.”

Abbas asserted that “the Holocaust is a reflection of the concept of ethnic discrimination and racism which the Palestinians strongly reject and act against,” the statement said. “The Palestinian people, who suffer from injustice, oppression and (are) denied freedom and peace, are the first to demand to lift the injustice and racism that befell other peoples subjected to such crimes.

“We call on the Israeli government to seize the current opportunity to conclude a just and comprehensive peace in the region, based on the two states vision, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security.”

The Holocaust is a contentious subject among Palestinians, many of whom

WORKOUT Five Colleges as well. Natasha Sharma, a junior at Smith College and the campus correspondent for HerCampus, attended with a group of her friends.

“I think it’s really special to have a lot of people out here,” Sharma said. “There’s lots of spirit and it’s a fun and different atmosphere. It’s great way to bring the community together. I wanted to check it out and see how we could get this on our campus.”

Although the weather hindered certain aspects of the event, there was still plenty going on aside from exercising to keep spirits high.

Tents were set up around the Northeast quad, offering

view it as the root cause of their displacement and exile in the 1948 war that followed the creation of Israel.

Attempts to deny or minimize the Holocaust are common among Palestinians and in the Arab world.

Some Israeli Cabinet ministers have denounced Abbas as a Holocaust denier, citing his doctoral thesis, published as a book in in 1983, in which he questioned the accepted number of Jewish victims and asserted that the Zionist leadership collaborated with the Nazis to encourage immigration to what later would become Israel.

Abbas has since recanted, saying in interviews that he would not contest the figure of 6 million Jewish victims of the Nazis in World War II. On Saturday, Abbas

sought to blunt criticism of his faction’s agreement with Hamas by asserting that a planned unity government under his leadership would adhere to his policies.

“I recognize Israel and it will recognize Israel,” he said at a meeting of the Central Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization. “I reject violence and terrorism and the government will also reject violence and terrorism.”

Under terms of the reconciliation accord - the latest of several which have not been carried out - an interim government of nonpartisan technocrats is to be formed in five weeks to prepare for elections six months later. The government is to handle domestic affairs, leaving foreign policy to Abbas.

continued from page 1

a variety of freebies, snacks and activities for attendees.

Free samples of Emmy’s Organics cookies, Kind granola bars, Bai drinks and Popchips were offered near the entrance of the event.

Garnier had its own section of tents that offered mini facials, hair color consultations and neck massages, along with free samples and the chance to win prizes by spinning a wheel.

The Reebok Fit Zone, where Reebok Crossfit was scheduled, allowed attendees to try on Reebok’s new shoe styles, and check out their gear.

At the Victoria’s Secret Sport tent, the company displayed its apparel and had

coupons exclusively for the Amherst community, and even gave away shirts and tank tops.

In the Quiet Zone of the event, where yoga and pilates were scheduled, Athleta gave away yoga mats, which many students said was their favorite freebie of all.

“People were laughing, running from tent to tent, really excited about the free stuff and the SELF magazine staff helped out tremendously by staying energized and positive and encouraged people to join in the workouts,” Lynch said.

Taylor Gilmore can be reached at tgilmore@umass.edu.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

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TEDX

Thursday, April 24, 2014

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continued from page 1

Gross concluded that if these four domains are all covered, we are not working. We are playing.

Weatherspoon, a former member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, recalled a speech Hillary Clinton gave in Beijing in which she said, “Women’s rights are human rights.”

She talked about staying in a dangerous city in Bosnia for a period of time, and recalled the moment in which she recognized, “it’s all about collaboration.”

Weatherspoon said her water was being used by the people in the city who had poor water quality of their own, but she realized that in turn, she was being protected by those

who were using the water.

The collaboration there, Weatherspoon said, was based on the fact that a person can’t tell people around the world they have all the answers.

Gordon, a sophomore and basketball player at UMass, also spoke at the conference. He received a warm reception from the crowd, telling jokes and making the audience laugh throughout his talk about his journey coming out.

“Growing up, I always felt different,” Gordon said.

When he transferred to UMass, Gordon said it was then that his life changed.

After his friends found out he went to a gay club, Gordon recalled, “I didn’t have an outlet. I felt like I

was in a cage, being poked by needles. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t do anything. I just couldn’t get out.”

Despite describing coming out as the scariest thing he ever had to do, Gordon said he felt like a weight had been lifted.

Gordon’s parents and teammates were accepting, and he decided he wanted to take it to the next level. Since then, his story has made national news, and he was invited to the GLAAD Awards, which he described as like the ‘gay Oscars.’

Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary, saved 15 lives when she had her first graders cluster together during the shooting that occurred

there in December 2012.

Her message was delivered in a letter form, with four key components including choosing purpose, choosing perspective, choosing to overcome and choosing hope.

Roig-DeBellis said she dreamed of being a teacher because teachers are the reason why the world works, adding that everyone starts in school.

She recalled the event on December 14, 2012, and said “loud, rapid fire shots began over and over and over.”

“I knew immediately that what I was hearing was a weapon, shattering large glass panes, bringing terror, pain, sadness and immeasurable loss to a

school full of light.”

Today, she is focused on healing and helping make sure that students do not define themselves by the event in moving forward.

She said that in life, people will have hard times, times where they will be lost and alone, and times that will not go as planned.

But she said to “always go after what you want and what you believe to be important.”

Other speakers included David Ke, a graduating senior at UMass who is working to advocate for social change through his work in performance and poetry, Katherine Luzuriaga, an HIV Researcher, Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld, New York

Times bestselling authors and Al Crosby, the inventor of Geckskin.

Alexandra Lane, a senior at the University, was the co-director of public relations for TEDxUMassAmherst.

She said “we’ve created long lasting relationships between our sponsors, teammates and the UMass community. And I really want that, as myself and others are graduating, to be the legacy we leave behind. I want TEDx to be a part of UMass for a long time.”

Catherine Ferris can be reached at caferris@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Ca_Ferris2. Marie MacCune, Cecilia Santa Prado Guerrero and Rose Gottlieb contributed to this report.

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Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

“The function of freedom is to free someone else.” - Toni Morrison

Monday, April 28, 2014

Judiciary must overturn invalidation of student voice This year’s SGA election has been an interesting process to observe.

The invalidation of the

Nathan Frontiero Devenney, Miske and Cook (DMC) ticket, the victors of the popular vote, came as a shock to many students and has affixed an unfortunate (and ongoing) epilogue to the tail of a long, exhaustive period of campaigning.

For all candidates involved, these past few months have been taxing and now, despite the recent swearing-in of the second place ticket, the process is not resolved. On April 24, I attended the open judicial hearing between DMC and the SGA Elections Commission. The factors that led to the commission’s decision to invalidate the ticket confound me.

T h e apparent centerpiece of the complaints filed against DMC is one made concerning the use of a 10 percent of f coupon to Campus Design & Copy. During the hearing, this complaint was discussed at considerable length. DMC and SGA Elections Commissioner Rocco Giordano raised questions about “reasonable access” to the coupon.

The commission asserted that the distribution of the coupon, from the Hatch eatery for approximately one school week, was not reasonable access. I could not help but question the extent of speculation in the commission’s argument to further this and other points.

The commission asserted that, given the variance of scheduling of classes and other factors, it would not have been possible for all tickets to obtain the coupon as DMC did. I must emphatically disagree.

There could have been at least one occasion during which someone associated with each ticket could have obtained a coupon. My

Editorial@DailyCollegiancom

Senior Columns To infinity, and beyond

argument may be speculative, but the commission’s is equally, if not more so. It is unreasonable to assume that the University’s scheduling matrix inhibited every other ticket’s ability to obtain a coupon.

I must impose upon you the absurdity that such complaints carried so much weight in the commission’s decision to invalidate DMC. During the hearing, the commission argued that with the 10 percent off coupon, DMC was able to print a particular additional quantity of posters and “chops” that resulted in a matching increased number of votes.

Have we forgotten the difference between causation and association? Given that logic (and I use the word “logic” loosely here), wouldn’t every DMC flyer torn down (and there were many) reduce equally the number of votes for DMC? I can say from both experience and observation that the presentation of a campaign poster or “chop” has no direct effect on one’s willingness to vote for a particular candidate.

I implore the Judiciary to bring justice, to realize that the Elections Commission has made fantastic speculative leaps in explaining the validity of alleged complaints against the DMC ticket. What is most clear is that the current system is a flawed one, and I unequivocally believe that Ellie Miske, Gabrielle Cook and Emily Devenney would make great strides in fixing it. In its misguided actions, the Elections Commission has not just invalidated the winning ticket in this year’s SGA election; they have invalidated my voice, and all the voices of the constituents of a democratic system that exists solely to serve the student body.

I implore the Judiciary to bring justice, to realize that the Elections Commission has made fantastic speculative leaps in explaining the validity of alleged complaints against the DMC ticket.

Nathan Frontiero is a Collegian contributor and can be reached at nfrontiero@umass.edu.

Katie McKenna How did we get here? I’d like to think that we’ve come from similar beginnings: computer games like Oregon Trail and Backyard Baseball, green

Did we ever see it coming? Could we have ever planned this? and purple ketchup, Easy Bake Oven, Mary-Kate and Ashley – or as my brother so affectionately called them “Mary-Kate and Mashley.” Bop-It, Scholastic book fairs, Blockbuster, dial-up internet. By the way, I’m still wondering – what is in a wonder ball? I actually never found out, though the commercial will be forever cemented in my brain.

Most people graduating with me can relate to at least one, if not all, of these things and look back on them with fondness, sure – but in our childhood, in our Bop-It-Extreme,

overall-wearing days, could we have ever predicted that we’d come as far as we have? Here we are about to graduate from the University of Massachusetts–and yet, in our younger and more vulnerable years, did we ever see it coming? Could we have ever planned this?

At UMass I’ve learned that life really isn’t at all about the plan; it’s about everything else. So, you can have a plan, and that’s great, but I wouldn’t be afraid to diverge a little. Digress. Do more. Even more.

I learned about that when UMass offered me was the opportunity to live in a place where Guinness was good for you, and that, by Irish logic, was because it was “made of more.”

Beyond average limits. To go to infinity and beyond, as I’m sure some of us have heard somewhere before.

It’s like my favorite professor, Maddie Blais once told me, “Doing a phone interview is like kissing a man without a moustache.” I’d considered writing a profile about someone who lived a bit out of reach, so I figured the phone might be a suitable substitute for the in-person interview. After she told me about the moustache, I knew right then and there that there was no possible way I could write a good piece from the phone – I could write an average one, sure, a piece without a moustache. So I picked a new place to profile – I wrote about my workplace, the Newman Catholic Center – and learned a lot about this beautiful campus facility and the beautiful people like Father Gary Dailey that help to make it what it is. It wasn’t according to plan; it was better.

Our lives today are far from what we could have predicted, far from dial-up and Backyard Baseball, and I like to think my cooking talents have emerged past Easy Bake Oven, though it seems I’ve really only mastered the art of frozen pizza. Mary-

Kate and Mashley aren’t kids anymore. Instead of Blockbuster we just watch Netflix. And the green ketchup? Well…did anyone ever really love it in the first place? Or do we just love it now because it’s nostalgic, because it ties us together, because it feels sentimental and because it’s a part of where we came from?

A novelist named Tova Mirvis once wrote, “To be from somewhere – it didn’t mean that you loved the place, or even liked it; to be from somewhere meant that the city was entrenched into your identity.” I like to think the articles of our past – the green ketchup, per se – are maybe, just a little bit entrenched into our identities. When we leave UMass, parts of this university will always linger somewhere within us, no matter how outdated they’re bound to become. You were, you are, UMass.

Right?

We are the tropical temperatures of Bartlett Hall, the place between two chairs we might throw our coats at a party. We are the friend-whoknows-a-friend because, at least as I’ve come to understand, everyone knows someone who knows someone at UMass. Singing the fight song with an elderly man I called from the Newman Center, I think about how wonderful it is to have a commonality with a guy I’ve never even met, someone I was only really supposed to call to read off a script and get a donation. But we can’t always follow the script, can we? A film professor taught me that. He said, “Keep your eyes fixed firmly outside the box, and you will find adventure.” Thanks, Professor Katzenbach, and thank you, UMass. Now, time to set off on that big adventure – to infinity, and beyond.

Katie McKenna is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at kemckenna@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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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Monday, April 28, 2014

I was secretly Amanda Bynes the whole time

Jake Reed How do I begin reflecting on my time at the University of Massachusetts Amherst?

Let’s start with this: if it weren’t for transferring here to start my sophomore year, I

If it weren’t for transferring here to start my sophomore year, I wouldn’t be living as openly and authentically as I am now. wouldn’t be living as openly and authentically as I am now. The Pioneer Valley and the UMass community provided the open, welcoming arms that I needed to embrace who I am and make the world embrace it too. Shout out to everyone out here for never giving me a second look when I was holding hands with another boy on campus or in town. I still get looks of pure confusion or even straight-up mean mugs for it in Boston, (yes – Boston!) so I guess I have that to look forward to after graduation, but my time in the Pioneer Valley has given me the strength to face it with my head held high.

Okay, now let’s get real. If you’re my friend on Facebook, you don’t necessarily know me in real life, but you’re probably familiar with my statuses. (Not to brag, but somebody commends me on my social media contributions at least once a week.)

I think I recently broke my record for the most likes: 52, for a status that read “even though it is ‘420’ plz remember that today is about jesus and not the devil’s lettuce (sic).” If not, maybe I’ve served you at Taco

Bell. Most of my memorable stories come from 348 Russell St. in Hadley, whether they be about the man who forgot he was at our drive thru window and began eating his Wendy’s burger before even re-buckling his seatbelt; to the Hulk Hogan look-alike (and size-alike) that asked if I was “Stupid!” because I had accidentally entered his order as two XXL Grilled Stuft Burritos instead of three; to the lovely cashier who got me a job after giving my best friend her number during my first Taco Bell excursion as a Pioneer Valley resident. Crazy things happen at Hadley Taco Bell.

If you don’t know me from TB, then maybe you remember me as the lead singer of Red Panda. Nothing will make me feel more pretentious than explaining my band’s genre as “indie-jazz-math-rockwith-some-post-rock,” and it’s likely that nothing will make me more uncomfortable than an apparent fan humming the melody to our song at me while brushing his teeth in his underwear in a Chadbourne bathroom. Playing in dingy Amherst basements is more fun than it sounds, but my advice to aspiring local musicians is to make sure you’re on your time management A-game if you plan to manage a band, a part-time job and homework. As for the future of local music, I’m interested to see which venues are the next to take on local DIY shows.

Moving forward from a college journalism student to a real (?) journalist, my time at the Daily Collegian will remain some of the most valuable time I spent putting in real, honest work during my time at UMass. My opinion piece on the local music scene led to an interview with the Daily Hampshire Gazette – which in turn scored me a photo on the paper’s cover that was later burned on Larry Kelley’s lawn in the most confusing symbolic gesture I have ever been roped into. More shout outs go to Who’da Funk It and Sexy Girls for lending their talents and personalities to two of the most exciting profile pieces I’ve written.

Shout outs to all of the lovely people that I’ve had the privilege of working with as well. Shout outs especially to all the lovely Arts editors and writers, past and present.

Shout outs for everyone!

Can I end this column like a yearbook farewells page? Well, I’m going to.

Alison Bowler, you are truly my (lil) rock and I wouldn’t have made it through the year without you as my roommate. David Bazzett, you are the best “Band Dad” a kid could ask for. Dan Gurgian, I will miss holing away in your room watching “The Office” to escape our housemates (or landlord) and our guys-night-outs. Zachariah Peña, you are the gay best friend I’ve been looking for my whole life. Gabe, Tommy and Shaina, y’all are lovely and I hope we continue to collaborate on musical and photographic ventures in the future. Taco Bell, you complete me.

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

DailyCollegian.com

Sellner reflects on his college years

Stephen Sellner You take a room, one as gloomy and, at times, ugly as the Collegian offices, and from an outside perspective, it doesn’t look like much.

I owe so ... much more than can be fit into a single column.

in some field that will surely lead to some great paydays at the end of every week, but will they feel the excitement, fulfillment and thrill of waking up on Monday morning to go to a job they love?

That’s what so many people down at the Collegian are chasing. Sure, there were the rough nights of doing layout until 2 or 3 a.m., or the stress of finding the perfect way to construct a basketball game into a 700-word game story. But I’ll be damned if every second of it wasn’t worth it.

There were the hectic but triumphant road trips to Foxborough, New York City, Atlantic City, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Philadelphia and so many more. And while each trip had a different destination, they all ended with impeccable renditions of late 90s, early 2000s hip-hop songs in the car. Those are some of the memories that will always bring a smile to my face.

So much about college is stressing over final exams and end results. But the one thing I’ll treasure the most about my four years at UMass is how it allowed me to find myself and helped me realize what kind of person I want to be.

I found that in journalism, I found that down at the Collegian and I found it here.

Sure, we’re all looking for that job that pays the bills, gives us time to hang out with friends and maybe allows us to move out of our parents’ house within a year.

But remember that choosing a career to simply fulfill those qualifications, rather than finding a field that you’re motivated to grow into and excel at, can leave you looking at your life years down the road and wondering what you did with the time.

There’s not one set blueprint on how to live this life, just like there’s not one set way to ask a girl out on a date, study for an exam or even build a burrito at Chipotle.

The beauty of this life and this country is that you can take whatever interests you and speaks to you and turn that into your own path, maybe one that hasn’t been traveled before, and chase down the life you want to live.

For any college student reading this, my hope is that you’ll take your four years and use them wisely. They go by fast. Make sure you get the most out of your time in college and find out what kind of person you want to be, what you want to do, and how you want to live your life. Because before you know it, you’ll be getting emails about fittings for caps and gowns and wonder how in the hell you got to this point.

But if you can look back on it and smile and still be able to look to the future with promise and excitement, you’ll know you’ve done something right.

I know I did. And I owe a lot of it to that raggedy ‘ole office in the basement of the Campus Center.

There are walls, desks, chairs, even a green and blue checkerboard floor, but the beauty of that ugly office isn’t always visible to naked eye. There are the memories and the exciting and fulfilling career paths that have been paved for so many lucky University of Massachusetts students, including myself, in that windowless space.

I owe so much to that ugly office. Much more than can be fit into a single column.

When I first strolled down to the basement of the Campus Center as a freshman, merely days into my college career, I felt in over my head. I mean, I had known that I wanted to be a sports writer since I was 15 years old, but the idea of becoming one seemed like a daunting task and, frankly, an impossible dream to achieve.

But with the help of some tremendous people, and a few breaks along the way, I found a field that I not only wanted to make my career, but also one I wanted to make my life as well. Some students Stephen Sellner can be reached at ssellner@umass. might be graduating in May with a degree edu.

Life outside the classroom, a priceless experience

Taylor Snow

“What are we spending all this money for you to go to college for?”

Meet my dad: a scholarly man who attended school in one capac-

“So I’m paying tens of thousands of dollars per year for you to work at a school newspaper?”

No, Dad, there’s more. ity or another from age five to 63.

That’s one of his favorite questions to ask me as we close out our phone conversations, after

discussing my classes and grades.

He knows I’ve never been a gogetter in the classroom, and that’s always been a concern. I’ve gotten by fine, never have had a horrible grade, but he can always sense my lack of motivation as I inform him of my poor studying habits and my self-induced disease of procrastination.

But I always tell him, that’s not what college is all about. Sure, I’m ultimately here to receive my diploma, but the experiences in between — outside the classroom — make the priceless moments, give you life-lasting memories and teach you how to live life to its fullest capacity.

I arrived to Amherst in the fall of my sophomore year after transferring from the University of New Hampshire, embarking on a new path in the field of journalism. On my first day of class, Herb Scribner, the then-sports editor of

the Massachusetts Daily Collegian stood up and encouraged people to come down to the Campus Center basement and get involved with the school paper, claiming it will provide us with invaluable knowledge and open up great opportunities for those seeking a career in journalism. I had never heard of the Collegian — heck, I had never even written a newspaper article before — but I thought, “What the hell, why not?”

I went down that afternoon and was greeted by a windowless, dusty office with missing ceiling tiles, a moldy refrigerator, blinding fluorescent lights and the faint odor of cat vomit. To this day, I will never forget the glee I felt as I cast my eyes on that beautiful abode.

I immediately got involved, writing and producing multimedia, and quickly found it to be a field of interest that motivated me and gave me the drive that I did not have in the classroom. I soon discovered that I was learning far more from the hands-on experiences and picking the brains of my colleagues, than I was in my classes, and that’s when I began to devote most of my free time to the Collegian.

“So I’m paying tens of thousands of dollars per year for you to work at a school newspaper?”

No, Dad, there’s more.

The knowledge I gained at the Collegian allowed me to follow my life dream: to be a sports journalist. My clips and dedication landed me the position of web manag-

ing editor within seven months of joining the paper, and eventually led to a full time, six-month gig at the Boston Globe, writing for the sports section.

More importantly, I learned sometimes dreams aren’t meant to be followed. My obsession with the newspaper and sports journalism took over my life and became a 24/7 type of commitment. It even had a hand in gradually destroying a multiyear relationship with a kind-hearted young lady.

I eventually realized this obsession created someone who I did not want to be and I discovered a new dream: to eventually start a family, be a good husband, a good father, a good man. I felt that being a beat writer for a newspaper — an opportunity I surely could have pursued and attained — would not allow me to create proper balance between work and the happy, healthy family life that hopefully lies down the road in the distant future.

In my final semester, I’ve taken time off from the Collegian, writing not a single story, and only shooting a handful of basketball games and the NCAA Tournament.

Despite taking time off from working for the paper, I rarely fail to make an appearance every night, down to my beloved second home.

Behind its dank, pinhole-laden walls and sitting on its disgustingly dusty, ill-colored chairs — seriously, slap the seat of one of those chairs and witness the dust cloud of a lifetime — I find my dearest friends. I’ve spent the last

few months with them creating the best memories of my college career, as they have given me an emotional uplifting I have desperately needed for the longest time.

More often than not, I fall asleep with my jaw aching, from a day full of endless smiling and laughter that derives from my experiences with you all. Those are the days that I live for.

After I leave college, I still have the desire to freelance for newspapers and eventually write fiction novels. Until then, I may be underemployed for a while, but that’s absolutely fine by me.

See, dad, I’ve gotten so much more out of college than classroom experience and a diploma.

It’s the life experiences that truly make college so special.

From my time at the Collegian, I have learned so much more than any book or professor could ever teach me. I’ve learned how to take advantage of opportunities and succeed, and how to fail and be perfectly fine with it. I’ve learned how to interact with human beings, make great friends and how to handle drama and controversy.

More importantly, I’ve discovered who I am and what I want out of life. I’ve formed lifelong friendships and have formed my individuality.

That’s far more than any sum of money could ever provide.

Taylor Snow was always at the Collegian and many did not know why. Now you all know.

6

Monday, April 28, 2014

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Heartbeat Sam Butterfield fell out of a window a couple weeks before graduating from Hampshire College. He died exactly a year and a day later on May 4, 2013. He was 23 years old. I was studying abroad in Europe when I heard about Sam, and I was not able to discover what caused his death.

Even though Sam hadn’t attended the University of Massachusetts and was already out of college, I was upset that no one wrote an obituary for him at the Daily Collegian, where he had spent much of his time as a college student.

Sam Butterfield grew up in Hingham, Mass. He was a pitcher on his high school’s baseball team, the Hingham Harbormen, and an editor at his school’s newspaper, The Harborlight. Sam attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism where he worked at The Maneater, the school’s bi-weekly student newspaper. After a semester, he transferred to Hampshire College where he worked at The Climax, Hampshire’s weekly online publication.

He also started working at the Massachusetts Daily

Collegian, where the bylaws were changed so that he, a Hampshire student, could acquire a staff position. He worked his way up from news reporter to general editor, a position created especially for him.

Sam also wrote articles for the Hingham Journal, the Springfield Republican and the Los Angeles Times.

But I like his blog the best. It’s called The Sam Butterfield Report. It’s what I read when I was in Paris, scouring the Internet for news about his passing.

My favorite blog post is called CRUNCH! It’s about the day that he got into a car accident a few hours after his dog died. He wrote about how silly it is that we only focus on our personal agendas, when in reality we could be severely affected by a total stranger.

He wrote, “So don’t go saying your life is yours and you’re just living and whatever else is going on is irrelevant, somehow we’re all tossed into one big crazed framework with each other, and when the pinballs collide, we for some reason have to fill out a bunch of checklists and shade a

Mary Reines A stranger had turned my life upside down.

Read between the words

Merav Kaufman

When I first entered the University of Massachusetts in September 2010, Hampshire Dining Hall was best-known for its burritos, Commonwealth Honors

In defining a college experience, the stuff between the words is what really matters.

College was an abstraction and Mission Improvable shows were the best way to kick off any Saturday night.

Now, as I prepare to graduate nearly four years later, Hampshire Dining Hall is best known for its fresh-squeezed fruit juices, Commonwealth Honors College has become a residential complex and Mission Improvable shows are still the best way to kick off any Saturday night.

As a seasoned senior who has somehow survived four years of college on zero cups of coffee, I now have the credibility to share my acquired nuggets of wisdom with any underclassman who may care to listen: remember to keep an open mind, take healthy risks, treat others with respect,

think for yourself, and above all, learn to see your failures as opportunities.

As a side-note, Mango Mango is probably the most underrated restaurant in town.

Upon reaching life milestones, it is important to thank the individuals who have enabled one to arrive at the occasion. My professors, classmates, roommates, RAs, TAs, friends and family have all enhanced my college experience immeasurably, providing me with guidance, inspiration and support.

There are several other understated people on this campus who I would like to acknowledge as well.

Let me start with the folks at Earthfoods Café: you have taught me that mac ‘n cheese does not even compare to mac ‘n squash, and that no meal is complete without some kale and tahini. Despite our undue separation, my mouth will continue to water every time you post your menu.

Moving on to People’s Market. Four words: coconut-covered date rolls. Even though your cash register never seemed to get along with my UCard, your unique products, upbeat music and personable staff have made you an irresistibly charming place to visit between classes. Campus construction may have blocked off so many central pathways that visiting you became nearly impossible, but no amount of aesthetically unappealing, inconveniencing construction work has ever stopped me from attaining my precious date rolls.

Recreation Center group fitness instructors: your talent for shouting instructions over blaring music has gone perfectly with my lack of self-direction. Your classes have provided a motivating and supportive environment that is considerably less intimidating than the second floor weight room. I will

never understand how you manage to remain so peppy while holding that threeminute plank along with the rest of us.

PVTA bus drivers: you have performed the often thankless task of shuttling me around this giant campus, whether it be from the Haigis Mall to Northampton, or from Lederle to the Fine Arts Center on my lazier days. Your professionalism and grace is commendable, especially on those wild Saturday nights when the bus is overflowing with overzealous students.

To the student who dropped the class in my SPIRE shopping cart in Spring 2012—thereby allowing me to enroll: thanks to you, I narrowly avoided the professor who is rated a 1.4 on RateMyProfessor. Whoever you are: you enhanced my overall well-being for the rest of the semester without even realizing it.

To all UMass students, past, present and future: whether or not we’ve crossed paths by the library wind tunnel, I will continue to feel a sense of solidarity with you wherever the DuBois winds may take us.

In just a few short weeks, my years in Amherst will be reduced to a handful of Facebook photos and a single piece of paper known as a diploma. This single piece of paper, while significant, will hardly capture the four years that led to its attainment: years filled with learning, joy, excitement, anxiety, confusion, wonder and slices of Antonio’s pizza.

To understand the true value of this diploma, one must remember to read between the words.

Because ultimately, in defining a college experience, the stuff between the words is what really matters.

Merav Kaufman is a Collegian contributor and can be reached at merav@umass.edu.

DailyCollegian.com bunch of boxes, a nice standardized test.”

And that’s how Sam’s death made me feel. Here I was frantically searching to find information about a boy I barely knew. A stranger had turned my life upside down. A few weeks later an obituary came out revealing that the window accident had left him paralyzed in a wheelchair until his death.

My heart broke.

All I could think to myself was, “Why Sam? Why this young brilliant journalist who was talented beyond his years? His life was just beginning.” When I got back to UMass in the fall of 2013, I volunteered to write the student obituaries.

I wrote about the deaths of four students who each haunt me in different ways.

When I look at my younger sister I see Evan Jones, a goofy sophomore who loved fitness and country music, just like her. When I listen to Griz’s remix of Childish Gambino’s “Heartbeat” I think of Eric Sinacori, a senior who was obsessed with glitch-hop and Griz.

He would have been a great music promoter.

I often think of Meghan Beebe – a senior who lived to comfort those around her – when I find myself

alone at my apartment with thoughts of post-grad isolation swirling around my head. “Oh Meghan, if only I could talk to you now,” I think to myself.

Once I had a strange sensation as I walked through campus. I suddenly remembered how Slav Yanyuk’s heart stopped beating as he sat in his car outside his house, about to drive back to school, ready for a long night of studying ahead.

I feel my own heart beating and can’t believe how relieved I am. Thumpthump, thump-thump. What a miracle.

I don’t welcome change.

I’m not excited to leave UMass and enter a future of uncertainties. “What do I want to do with my life?

Who am I going to become?”

I wonder.

Then I think about those students who passed and instantly become grateful.

I realize I’ve been taking this whole future thing for granted. My life after college isn’t as hopeless as I think. I put my hand on my heart – thump-thump, thump-thump – and remember that that’s all I really need. I have a future. I can feel it.

Mary Reines can be reached at mreines@umass.edu.

Bending the arc Mike Tudoreanu What was the world like in the year when you were born? No matter who you are and when you are read-

How do we wish to be remembered? And what are we going to do about it? ing this, chances are that some countries existed back then which no longer exist now, and some new countries were founded in the meantime. Acceptable social behaviors have changed. Scientific knowledge has grown. New inventions were made. The world is better in some ways, and worse in others.

Think of the early 1990s, and how different the world was just twenty years ago - not to mention forty or sixty years ago. I think about this every time I pass a major milestone in my life, to remind myself that in another twenty years, the world will change just as much, if not more. And by the time I retire, it will be unrecognizable. The only question is, how will it change? For the better, or for the worse? And what is my contribution going to be?

When I look at recent decades, I see great progress in many areas - science and technology most of all, as well as social attitudes and the rights of women and minorities - but also one significant dark spot.

In terms of economic issues and policy, we seem to be on a fast track moving right back to the 19th century.

Inequality has soared.

Finding a job is much

more difficult. College has become the new high school, in the sense that it’s the new baseline which everyone is expected to have completed, and which guarantees nothing (certainly not a career).

Technological gadgets are cheaper, but basic necessities - especially health care and education - are more expensive. The minimum wage has been eroded by inflation; unemployment insurance and social security are a shadow of their former selves and union membership has fallen.

Taxes on the rich have been cut, money rules politics more than ever before and economic policies that were advocated by the Republicans decades ago (for example health care reform without a public option) are now considered “too liberal” for some Democrats.

So that’s where we stand. And that is the reason why I decided to go into economics - because it’s the one area of human activity where things are getting worse instead of better. I hope I can contribute, at least in a small way, to reversing that trend.

But every area of human activity, from economics to science to journalism to art, no matter if it is currently a beacon of hope or a disheartening mess, needs good people to get involved in it and use it to improve the human condition. Everything can be used for good or for evil, and it is up to our generation to decide how everything will be used in the coming decades. Science and technology can provide clean water, fight disease, bring cultures together and save the environment. Or they can make weapons of war, put workers and farmers out of work and

enrich the already wealthy.

Journalism can investigate and expose injustice, corruption and crime. Or it can be devoted to spin and propaganda on behalf of the powerful. Art can inspire and motivate people to great acts of devotion and selflessness. Or it can be reduced to cheap commercial entertainment.

Unfortunately, at present, pessimism seems to be fashionable among our generation. Perhaps under the influence of the economic crisis, many people seem convinced that things can only get worse in the future. Zombies and postapocalyptic scenarios are all over popular culture.

Well, if you’re expecting things to get worse, then your expectation is what is going to make them worse.

The future is what we make of it. We always have a choice. True, one person can’t change the world alone, but, no matter what you choose to do in life, you can be sure that you won’t be the only one.

The arc of history bends towards justice, but it does not bend by itself. Left to its own devices it would not bend at all. Someone has to make the effort to wrestle with history, to shape it, to contort it if necessary, to force it toward justice.

Different generations make greater or lesser efforts, and there is greater or lesser progress towards justice in their lifetime.

What will our generation do? How will we be remembered? That is the question to ask ourselves at any time of transition, at any time when we face new choices.

How do we wish to be remembered? And what are we going to do about it?

Mike Tudoreanu is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at mtudorea@umass.edu.

Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Monday, April 28, 2014

“Most nights are crystal clear but tonight its like he’s stuck between stations.”- Craig Finn

Arts@DailyCollegian.com

MUSIC FEATURE

Students for Alternative Music boosts local DIY scene SALT promotes local music scene

crowd in this area, and when they do it’s not always under the best conditions. Amherst has always had something of

By Tommy Verdone a thriving local music culCollegian Staff ture, with a good amount of it being limited to bars or It’s not always easy for open mic nights in the area, small time local bands to but there has always been find places to play for a an active DIY community

of people who just want to share their work.

Many of these bands perform locally or tour around the area playing crowded house shows and basements. While the heart of this community lies deep within the dusty cellars of these small, busy houses, these shows aren’t

SHAINA MISHKINI/COLLEGIAN

Liam Cregan, drummer of the group Shakusky, is one of the co-founders of SALT.

always the safest way to go about playing music.

That’s why Liam Cregan, Mark Hillier, Eli Albanese and Lenny Schwartz, of the local group Shakusky, decided to form the new RSO on campus, Students for Alternative Music, or SALT. The idea is to host shows for local bands to play on the UMass campus, and to move away from riskier DIY venues which often get shut down by police due to overcrowding or noise complaints.

“Pretty much the big reason for this organization is to have a safe alternative to house shows which can get pretty dangerous at times,” said Cregan. “Dangerous in terms of too many people being in a place where there are no exits essentially. And also dangerous in the sense that the bands are at risk of not being able to perform because of law enforcement.”

SALT started off around two years ago as a group on Facebook for members to share music with one another before Hillier, Cregan, Albanese or Shwartz

ALBUM PREVIEW

ALBUM REVIEW

Indie band looks to build on acclaim

Up and comer’s 3rd release impresses

By naThan FronTiero

By elena lopez

Brooklyn-based indie rock group The Antlers have announced that their new album, “Familiars,” is slated for a June 17 release. The album, the band’s fourth, is their first collection of new music heard since their 2012 “Undersea” EP, and their first full-length since the band’s 2011 “Burst Apart.”

The band has developed and refined their ethereal, introspective sound over the years, with interesting modulations along the way.

Frontman Peter Silberman originally started The Antlers as a solo project. He recorded the first two albums, “Uprooted” and “In the Attic of the Universe,” himself and both resonate with a deeply personal, delicate sonic texture. The songs throughout both of these very short albums are gentle, acousticbased and aching in their musical restraint.

During the recording of a third album, Silberman recruited Darby Cicci and Michael Lerner to complete the group, and the resulting record, “Hospice,” is a testament to the effectiveness of the trio’s creative dynamic.

“Hospice” augmented the intimacy of the group’s first two albums with a chilling soundscape that unfolds and explodes beautifully over the album’s conceptual narrative.

Through the combination of compelling lyrics and compositions, the album traces the abusive relationship between a hospice worker and a terminally ill patient. The tracks are heavy throughout, but songs like “Bear,” “Two” and “Kettering” are marked with an especially searing and truly affecting emotional depth. The band solidified their unique sound with “Hospice,” and garnered enough attention from selfreleasing the album to earn a deal with Frenchkiss Records.

With their fourth album,

Another one of the six promised 2014 releases from the now famed TDE record label has finally dropped. SZA, the lone female and contemporary R&B artist among the likes of rap heavyweights Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q, released her third EP, “Z,” on April 8. Originally from Maplewood, N.J., the 23-year-old released two mixtapes prior to her signing with TDE. She hooked up with TDE in 2011 purely by accident, but recently she has been featured on fellow TDE member’s Isaiah Rashad and ScHoolboy Q’s debut albums, building hype for her own debut release with the label.

Her style combines minimalist R&B elements with a soulful jazzy sound, creating layered tones that accentuate her ethereal and melodic voice. She is a creative soul, taking cues from every genre and citing artists ranging from Bjork to Jay-Z as musical influences.

SZA opens “Z” with “Ur,” a track that showcases her haunting vocals over electronically produced beats. Soulful undertones appear in her soft, melodic voice,

were involved in it. For a while, it stayed that way until Hillier posted in the group asking if anybody was interested in trying to get SALT recognized as a UMass organization that could host shows on campus. A few people jumped onto the idea and they held a few meetings, but after their initial application they were denied by the administration who suggested they try to join the University Programming Council.

“That fizzled out until last Fall when Liam was like ‘let’s start an RSO to do this,’” said Hillier, “So I shot Liam over everything that we had written before, and we applied again... and then it got started.”

This semester alone, SALT has done four shows around campus by booking rooms in places like the Agricultural Engineering Building that offer enough room for a few bands to play with a decently sized crowd. Local acts such as Who’da Funk it?, Kid’s Choice, Sexy Girls, Shakusky and plenty more have been performing at

these events.

“Booking is mostly just networking and meeting people who are interested in the same things,” says Cregan, “This organization is kind of coming out of a community that already existed, so we already do know a lot of people and we kind of rely on that network of people within the Amherst community to get our name out there and get people to come to shows.”

In the future, SALT is looking to expand and become better known in the area so they can share the local music culture on an even larger scale. They also hope to start putting out a zine to spread awareness local visual art, poetry, shows, reviews and anything else within that scope.

“We’re going to start pushing Amherst as a cultural hub out in more ways than just music, but music is where it all started and hopefully more and more things will spring out of it,” said Hillier.

Tommy Verdone can be reached at tverdone@umass.edu.

The Antlers preview 4th LP R&B singer SZA drops EP ‘Z’ Collegian Staff

Collegian Staff

XNICKYPOOX/FLICKR

Peter Silbermann performs live with the Antlers at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in 2010.

“Burst Apart,” the band continued along the sonic path they started with “Hospice,” while swapping the chilling aural aesthetic for a warmer, more organic palette. Electric pianos and organs border guitar work that’s both clean and occasionally shimmering. The lyrics on “Burst Apart,” however, are every bit as emotionally devastating as they were on “Hospice.”

Silberman’s impressive and otherworldly falsetto keeps the heart-on-the-sleeve songwriting as earnest as it needs to be.

“Palace,” the first single released from “Familiars,” follows in the trend of production warmth that “Burst Apart” started and the “Undersea” EP continued. With its sweeping echo chamber of trumpet, guitar and drums, coupled with Silberman’s reverberated vocals, “Palace” feels similar to “Drift Dive,” the single released from “Undersea,” albeit not quite as murky. The band has moved on from the lush and summery underwater texture that marked that particular release. The sound here is definitely open, unrestrained and widescreen, but also clean.

Each of the nine tracks on “Familiars” are at least five minutes long, so listeners are safe in expecting more of the exploration and experimentation heard on the band’s

other albums. The Antlers are equally skilled in both epic and intimate songs, and the pleasant surprises on their albums are songs that fit evenly between both modes.

It remains to be seen what story this album will tell, or if it will tell one. The nine tracks all have one-word titles, among them “Doppelgänger,” “Refuge” and “Revisited,” to name a few. This consistency may play into some sort of overarching theme, perhaps in the same conceptual vein as “Hospice,” but lyrical content at this stage will stay the subject of speculation.

Silberman has more than proven his prowess in that regard, so this is far from a point of worry. The album will surely be compelling, as all the band’s music is.

Devoted fans will certainly be waiting excitedly to see where The Antlers choose to travel in this new chapter of their creative journey.

One week after the release of “Familiars,” The Antlers will embark on a tour in support of the album. They will be playing at The Sinclair in Cambridge, Mass. on June 25, and will make stops in major cities across the country through late July.

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

similar to that of fellow R&B up and comer, Jhené Aiko.

The “Z” tracks that feature other artists are some of the EP’s strongest, highlighting the incredible talent of both SZA and her guests. “Childs Play,” with Chance the Rapper, is a minimalistic track, with a light and steady beat that needs little behind it, mostly speaking for itself. SZA’s layered vocals smoothly segue into Chance’s verse where he delivers a different side of himself, veering away from his typically abrupt and aggressive lyrics to something more thoughtful, while keeping up his signature flow.

“Warm Winds,” featuring fellow TDE member Isaiah Rashad, has heavier, more layered beats, while SZA croons with her impassioned lyrics. This standout track samples the iconic scene from “Forrest Gump,” with SZA reciting the prayer said by Jenny, “Dear god, make me a bird so I can fly far, far away from here.”

Her voice meshes perfectly with Rashad, their voices sharing the same melodic quality.

Older influences show themselves on tracks like “Julia” and “Sweet November.” Both songs share synth-inspired beats paired with a jazzy sound, transporting the listener back in time. On both tracks, her soul and jazz influences are quite obvious.

Keeping up with the older sound, “HiiiJack” channels ‘90s

SZA, TDE’s first female R&B singer, performs live at SXSW.

R&B, with heavy synths that work well with her staccato singing.

SZA teams up with Kendrick Lamar on “Babylon,” . Their voices fit together with ease, complementing the pairing of electronic beats layered over reversed vocals that continue the ethereal vibe of the album. This same sound appears again on “Green Mile,” an echoing, tension-filled track containing passionate lyrics that connect immediately with the listener.

The album finishes with two strong songs, “Shattered Ring” and “Omega.” “Shattered Ring” offers numerous powerful crescendos, with SZA’s voice showing its range on the chorus as the complex layered beat intensifies.

Even then, her voice manages to stand out over the busy musical background. “Omega” serves as her closing track, where she utilizes nature inspired sounds to drive the song. Her trance-inducing voice is the main focus of the track, letting the simple beats only emphasize her talent.

As a young, new member of the R&B scene, SZA makes her statement with the support of her record label. “Z” highlights her unique skill set, one that cannot be found anywhere else within the TDE label or currently in the pop market.

Elena Lopez can be reached at aelopez@ umass.edu.

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SWEEP

DELAWARE Mariano with 3:25 until halftime.

Mariano, who led UMass in scoring with five points (three goals), brought the score within three again (9-6) on a manup goal more than halfway through the third quarter, but Holland promptly kicked off a four-goal run for Delaware.

“We just couldn’t catch and throw and that’s the main point of the game,” Mariano said. “We kind of slacked on that. It sucks, but it happens.”

Mooney added that time on attack was crucial to the Blue Hens’ success.

The senior had a goal in each half to go along with

9

BASEBALL

continued from page 10

to that ball,” Klee said.

“But I have faith in my team and I knew that they were going to come through. Stuff happens.”

The Minutewomen made up for it in the next two innings. Mikayla Panko walked with the bases loaded to cut the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth. Then in the fifth, after a Jena Cozza double and Bridget Lemire walk, it was Meeks who got the green light and connected on a 3-0 pitch over the wall in leftcenter field to give UMass a 6-4 lead it would not relinquish.

“I went over and talked to the coaches before,” Meeks said. “I was feeling good and I (said), ‘Man, I really hope they pitch to me.’ Sure enough, I got one, put a good swing on it and it went out.”

For Klee, the three-run home run was enough to propel her to finish the game for UMass.

“Oh my God, it gave me a great (state of mind),” Klee said. “It’s still tough and anything can happen.

We had rough moments but we picked each other up.”

There was no better example of that than in the top of the second inning. With two outs and two runs already in for the Hawks, Panko saved an errant throw from freshman catcher Ashton Wince trying to throw out Picard at third base. The

Monday, April 28, 2014

“We all did a great job and played aggressive (Sunday). Coach tells us to stick with the plan and it will work out.

It did (Sunday).”

Tara Klee, UMass pitcher save kept the play alive where Cozza ultimately tagged out Picard trying to score.

“It’s huge,” Stefanoni said. “Anything like that gives you (just) that much fight. That’s hard work.

And when you can push through something like that and come out with a victory, it makes you so much better and it helps you grow up.”

Klee earned her fifth victory of the season, pitching a complete game and allowing four walks to three strikeouts. Saint Joseph’s Liz Mendez picked up her second loss of the game, allowing three earned runs in her two and one-third innings of work.

“It’s great,” Klee said.

“We all did a great job and played aggressive today.

Coach tells us to stick with the plan and it will work out. It did today.”

UM cruises through opener Highlighted by a 2-for-3 day at the plate by Cozza, UMass started off Senior Day right with a 4-1 win over Saint Joseph’s in the first game of a double-

header at Sortino Field on Sunday.

Diaz-Patterson led off the bottom of the first inning with walk and Cozza followed with an RBI-triple into the rightcenter field gap to give UMass a quick 1-0 lead.

Then in the third, it was Cozza again who sparked the offense. The freshman sent a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left field for her fourth home run of the season, pushing the Minutewomen lead to 2-0.

Following two quick outs and a walk by Quealy, it was Meeks who delivered her first of two home runs on the day. A two-run shot that increased UMass’ lead to 4-0.

The Hawks scored their lone run in the top of the sixth. After stealing second, Picard scored when Cozza’s throw from third base sailed wide past Meeks at first.

Caroline Raymond (8-10) walked two and struck out three on 96 pitches in the completegame victory.

Marc Jean-Louis can be reached at mjeanlou@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @marc_jean93.

continued from page 10

two assists, bringing his career total to 99 points.

When informed of the near-milestone, he said that results are his focus rather than statistics.

“We had some costly turnovers,” Mooney said after his final collegiate appearance. “We weren’t shooting the ball great on offense and just gave them extra possessions.

They were dodging hard to score. They just had a lot more intensity.”

Mooney added that while he’s disappointed with the game’s finish, he doesn’t have any regrets during him time in Amherst because he “brought it all every day

on the field.”

Mariano said the postgame experience of seeing seniors walk off the field for the final time was an “eye-opener.” He realized the depth that the program had influenced his teammates.

“It’s rough, especially on (underclassmen),” Mariano said. “I hate that they have to go out like this. I definitely didn’t want that at all. I feel really bad for them, but I have to make more fuel with fire for next year.”

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

Minutemen avoid sweep with win over Fordham Grant shuts down Rams in victory

By Tyler Fiedler Collegian Staff

The Massachusetts baseball team had to play three extra innings against Fordham on Sunday, but the Minutemen will most remember the final nine as they avoided the weekend sweep with a 4-1 win.

Saturday’s 5-3 Rams win was completed Sunday due to rain in the seventh inning, and UMass junior Andrew Grant followed with a dominant performance, giving up one run and striking out nine in a 128pitch, complete game effort. “(Grant) gave us more than we expected,” UMass coach Mike Stone said. “It was a gutsy performance.”

Grant lowered his ERA down to 4.46 from 5.26. The Fordham hitters struggled to get anything going, getting more than one runner on base in only two innings.

The Minutemen (9-26, 7-11 Atlantic 10) got the scoring going in the second inning when Dylan Begin got his first of three hits for the game. Two ground balls later and the Minutemen had an early 1-0 lead.

The Rams responded in the bottom of the inning after a two out double by Matthew Cianci plated Matthew Kozuch.

Both teams were held scoreless the next three innings until Begin lined an RBI single to give the Minutemen a lead once again The Minutemen added two runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Nick Sanford and Begin. A three run lead was

MARIA UMINSKI/COLLEGIAN

Pitcher Andrew Grant threw 128 pitches in a complete game effort Sunday. plenty of support for Grant, who shut down the Rams. “(Begin) was big for us on the offensive end,” Stone said. “He had some clutch and continued hitting the whole game.”

Fordham made it interesting in the ninth when Grant gave up a leadoff walk and threw a wild pitch to advance Tim Swatek to second. A base hit by Charles Galiano gave the Rams runners on the corners with no outs.

“I felt like this was Grant’s game to win or lose,” Stone said about his decision to leave Grant in.

Grant responded by striking out the next two hitters and getting Cianci to pop up to end the game.

the first and two in the second to grab a 4-3 lead after two.

“We had our chances but could not get across another run,” Stone said. “The rain delays took the energy out of our guys and we could not recover.”

Brett Kennedy had a career high nine strikeouts for the Rams.

UMass drops series opener

Sophomore Brandon Walsh was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle, but the Minutemen still got doubled up by the Rams 10-5.

UMass held an early 4-0 lead, but a big, five-run eighth inning by the Rams proved to be costly for the Minutemen.

Freshman Mike Geannelis UMass loses took the loss in relief for postponed game UMass as he allowed six runs, The rain came down four earned, on four hits with Saturday in the Bronx, N.Y., one walk and two strikeouts. which resulted in a postpone- J.C. Porter earned the win for ment for the Minutemen and Fordham, working 12/3 hitless the Rams, but ended in a 5-3 innings out of the bullpen with Fordham win.

All the no walks and one strikeout. scoring came in the first two innings with John Jennings, Tyler Fiedler can be reached at giving UMass an early 1-0. The tfiedler@umass.edu and on Twitter @ Rams countered with two in Tyler_Fiedler.

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Monday, April 28, 2014

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CAN’T BE BEAT

UMass goes undefeated in A-10 play for fourth straight year By anthony chiusano Collegian Staff

The 2014 regular season concluded on Sunday in a familiar fashion for the No. 11 Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team.

With a 16-8 win over Duquesne in their season finale, the Minutewomen finished the year with their fourth consecutive undefeated Atlantic 1 0 UMass 16 r e c o r d , all comDuquesne 8 i n g under t h e watch of fourth-year coach Angela McMahon.

After the game, senior Katie Ferris said that going four years without a conference loss was a special feeling for the University of Massachusetts’ eight seniors.

“Before the game (Sunday) I was giving the team a pep talk and all I said was ‘I don’t want to be on the team that loses the first A-10 game,’” Ferris said. “It means a lot to me, because no one has done it before. We were the first ones.”

On Sunday, the Minutewomen (16-1, 7-0 A-10) were fueled by a trio of threegoal performances from their top three leaders in point scorers in seniors Sam Rush and Ferris, and sophomore Erika Eipp. Seniors Tanner Guarino and Melissa Carelli also added two goals apiece.

“They were focused, they were executing well and they were playing loose,” McMahon said. “I think that they were on a mission to really continue our streak of winning A-10 games.”

UMass took control of the game from early on, posting an 8-2 lead in the opening 12 minutes of play. However, the Dukes went on their own three-goal run to shrink the deficit to 8-5 three minutes into the second half.

“They are an extremely patient and well-disciplined team and were really moving the ball well, which I think kind of wore us down a little bit,” McMahon said. “In that

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

The UMass women’s lacrosse team wrapped up its fourth straight Atlantic 10 regular-season title with a 16-8 win over Duqesne on Sunday. run specifically is where we saw that.”

That would be the closest that Duquesne (14-3, 5-2 A-10) got during the second half, as consecutive goals

by Carelli and Eipp stopped the Dukes’ momentum. The Minutewomen finished the game with six of the final nine scores.

“We don’t ever expect to play perfect, but when we do make mistakes, we want to take account of them,” McMahon said. “And I really think that we did a good job of asserting ourselves throughout the game and making sure that even if they went on some sort of run, it wasn’t going to last very long.”

UMass outshot Duquesne 29-18 on Sunday. However, McMahon said that she was more impressed with the team’s scoring efficiency rather than its total shot out-

“They were focused, they were executing well and they were playing loose. I think that they were on a mission to really continue our streak of winning A-10 games.”

Angela McMahon, UMass coach put.

“We made our shots count,” McMahon said. “I was pretty pleased with shooting over 50 percent.”

In addition, the Minutewomen held a 16-10 advantage in the draw control battle. Freshman Hannah Murphy, starting in her second consecutive game at the face-off position, led the team with six wins for the game.

“The draw control was huge for us (Sunday),” Ferris said. “(Murphy) has really stepped up on the draw and she continues to improve.”

With Sunday’s win, UMass clinched the top seed in the

SOFTBALL

upcoming four-team A-10 Tournament, which starts on May 2. The Minutewomen will face the fourth seeded Dukes once again.

“It’s going to be really competitive,” Ferris said. “I think they are going to be fired up from the loss today and are really going to come at us hard.

The Minutewomen, who have now won 38 straight A-10 games, will look to win their sixth consecutive conference tournament.

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

M E N ’ S L AC RO S S E

UM sweeps Saint Joseph’s Minutemen miss CAA

Meeks homers

twice in twin bill

By Marc Jean-Louis Collegian Staff

Rain may have pushed the Massachusetts softball team’s doubleheader against Saint Joseph’s to Sunday, but it turned out to be worth the wait as the Minutemen clinched the doubleheader sweep in exciting fashion.

With the Minutewomen clinging to a 6-5 lead in the final inning, the Hawks’ Hannah Dionne hit a hard line that was bound for a hit until Tiffany Meeks made the impressive grab and threw to Quianna Diaz-Patterson at second base for a game-ending double play.

“I was really nervous about that whole last inning,” said Meeks, who went 2-for-3 in the doubleheader

with two home runs and Kristi Stefanoni said. “But five runs batted in. “When the fact that they were able I caught the ball, I saw to come back and play the (Quianna) running over. I way they were able to play, knew she’s very fast and I think is a true testament that she would get over of just how much they there in time to get the want to win for UMass and each other. To not give up double play.”

Meeks was one of four and to keep the fight, it was great.” seniors to be With the honored before UMass 4 score tied at two the game as part and two outs in of Senior Day at St. Joe’s 1 the top of the Sortino Field. fourth inning, UMass also recUMass looked to ognized Lindsey UMass 6 be out of a jam Webster, Maggie when Hawks’ Quealy and stuSt. Joe’s 5 o u t f i e lder dent coach Paige Isabella Picard Hansen. hit a ground Unlike a fairly easy win ball to second base. But in game one for UMass a throwing error and a (13-19, 7-5 Atlantic 10), dropped ball by pitcher game two’s win was anyTara Klee covering home thing but. Defensively, the plate allowed two more Minutewomen commitruns to score, giving Saint ted five errors that led to Joseph’s a 4-2 lead. four unearned runs for the “I was frustrated. I Hawks (24-20, 8-6 A-10). knew I should’ve held on “Five errors makes my skin crawl,” UMass coach see SWEEP on page 9

Tourney with defeat Delaware’s Tom Holland scores 5

By Peter caPPieLLo Collegian Staff

It wasn’t Connor Mooney’s shot itself that was notable with 3:53 left in the first quarter, it was the shock factor: that was the Massachusetts men’s lacrosse team’s first ball on cage.

With the fourth and final Colonial Athletic Association playoff seed reserved for the game’s winner, Delaware charged out of the gate on a 6-0 run at home on Friday. The Blue Hens paced the contest all over the field, notably on the draw (16-for-25) and on 50/50 opportunities (35), en route to a 15-7 romp

to end the Minutemen’s the first half. season.

UMass face-off specialSimply put, UMass (7-6, ist Joe Calvello struggled 1-4 CAA) got crushed. on the draw, losing his “From the first minute first four tries to Tyler to the last minute,” con- Barbarich, who dominated firmed UMass coach Greg the matchup. When the Cannella.

“We Minutemen had were never in the possession, a game. We didn’t Delaware 15 Blue Hens zone win any faceoffs, defense proved we didn’t get any UMass 7 troublesome ground balls, we through most of didn’t play any the contest. defense, we didn’t make The game’s flow tempoany saves and score any rarily changed in the second goals in the first quarter.” quarter when Barbarich Delaware (7-8, 1-4 CAA) left the match after a hit by junior midfielder Tom Kyle Karaska and Calvello Holland terrorized the exited following a check Minutemen with five goals by John O’Connor. With on the night, including the Charlie Schatz up against game’s first. He was tied Delaware’s Tyler Mardian, with Beau Jones, a junior the Minutemen cut the defmidfielder, for the team icit to 7-4 on a goal by Nick high in shots with nine.

Jones scored a hat trick in see DELAWARE on page 9