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Monday, November 23, 2015
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Student forum seeks response from admin.
GatherinG for peace
Demands listed at ‘answering session’ By anthony rentSch Collegian Staff
SHANNON BRODERICK/COLLEGIAN
Students gather during a Vigil for Peace held by the Muslim Students Association on Friday evening. The vigil was held for those slain in France, Lebanon and Nigeria over the past week.
GEO and UMass administration hold meeting to discuss unpaid students New development plans are displayed By Serena McMahon Collegian Staff
One month after initially meeting about the University of Massachusetts’ failure to pay graduate students on time, UMass administrators and seven representatives from the Graduate Employee Organization
sat down again Friday to continue to work toward resolving the issue of late pay for employees. In an hour long back and forth, administration yielded a number of promises, but no set deadlines to the dismay of GEO. John McCarthy, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the graduate school, and Katherine Newman, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, laid out
a plan consisting of the development of an electronic version of graduate student employee paperwork, a better alert system for late pay, electronic processing in human resources and improving overall relations and communication with GEO. McCarthy also said setting an earlier deadline for graduate student employee’s paperwork would allow human resources more time to process pay-
roll. The dean wants to pilot the electronic processing of graduate student employee paperwork this upcoming spring semester in certain departments, in order to work out any problems before the larger influx during fall semester. He provided no information on the exact date the pilot would begin. “If there are any probsee
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Upward of 50 students, faculty and administrators at the University of Massachusetts met to discuss the University’s handling of racial issues and its commitment to social justice during an “answering session” held Sunday afternoon. The forum, organized by students in the Black Student Union and Student Bridges, gave members of the UMass community an opportunity to express their concerns and to receive answers and additional information to questions raised from a Campus Listening Session held Nov. 13. Sunday’s two-anda-half hour meeting in the Malcolm X Cultural Center comes after more
than 100 students staged a walkout Wednesday in solidarity with students at the University of Missouri and to protest a lack of diversity at UMass. Students walked to the Chancellor’s office in the Whitmore Administration Building, where they requested a meeting with administrators. The session featured a panel of five students – Chioma Ogbuike, Stacy Tchouanguem, Sheena Jeune, Washawn Castro and Zareb Noel – and a handful of administrators, including provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs Katherine Newman, who was absent from the Campus Listening Session, chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, vice chancellor of student affairs and campus life Enku Gelaye, vice chancellor of University relations John Kennedy and see
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SHANNON BRODERICK/COLLEGIAN
An “answering session” held Sunday featured five student panelists including (left to right) Stacy Tchouanguem, Zareb Noel, Sheena Jeune and Chioma Ogbuike.
UMass Dining tries various University aims to combat ways to fight area hunger waste created at dining halls Food drives used to raise awareness By Stuart FoSter Collegian Staff
The University of Massachusetts’ Dining Services will attempt to fight hunger in the Amherst area through different programs and drives over the next year. These programs include fundraisers for organizations like the Amherst Survival Center, long-term awareness campaigns and the supporting of student-led initiatives to prevent hunger. “There’s a distinct need that’s out there,” said Garett DiStefano, the director of Residential Dining. “There’s ways that we can provide food to groups that need it.” DiStefano said that UMass Dining has an involved relationship with the Amherst Survival Center, which provides programs designed to help people meet their basic needs. He cited the 5K Dine and Dash, an annual fundraiser run that raises money
for the Amherst Survival Center, as one such example. DiStefano also said that UMass Dining is preparing to provide food to those in need of it on Thanksgiving by providing a Thanksgiving dinner through the Amherst Survival Center, and that Ken Toong, the executive director of the entity that includes UMass Dining, Auxiliary Enterprises, is on the Amherst Survival Center’s Board of Directors. In addition, DiStefano described the Food Recovery Network, a student-initiated program supported by UMass Dining. “They go into Worcester Dining Common at 9 p.m.” he said. “Whatever may not have been taken by students is taken to the First Baptist Church.” There, students are able to repurpose the leftover food as hot meals for the hungry. “It provides an opportunity to use food that we otherwise couldn’t repurpose,” DiStefano said. DiStefano also said that UMass Dining will be
responding to the local issue of hunger by making next September Hunger Awareness Month. “It is going to be a campuswide movement,” he said. “It is on the forefront of our minds.” While UMass Dining has many initiatives to fight hunger in the Amherst area, they are unable to repurpose leftover dining dollars and meal swipes at the end of each semester to give away to the hungry. Claudia Brown, the director of finance at Auxiliary Enterprises, described how the pricing of meal plans each semester makes it difficult to give them away to the needy. “How we price the meal plans each semester is based on the previous year’s usage,” she said. “It’s actually discounted by that amount.” In order to give away swipes for the hungry in the Amherst area, Brown said, the price of the meal plans each semester would have to see
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UMass claims to be a leader in compost By Brendan deady Collegian Staff
As T hanksgiving approaches, many people hear about the holiday and conjure up images that embody feelings of fullness, warmth and rest. While the holiday can offer these glossy promises, it also serves as an opportunity to remember that the cheeriness isn’t as ubiquitous for Americans who don’t partake in the same level of abundant consumption. According to the Census Bureau, 14.7 million Americans live below the poverty line and one in three children go hungry every day. While millions suffer from food shortages, the average American wastes anywhere from 40 to 50 percent of the food they purchase in a given year, according to the National Resources Defense council
on Food Waste. For many students at the University of Massachusetts, the question of where the next meal will come from can be answered by looking at their student ID and deciding which dining hall best suits their schedule. According to Director of Residential Dining Garett DiStefano, 19,000 students at UMass have some form of a meal plan. More than six million meals are served each year between the Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester Dining Commons. Inevitably, during the steps of purchasing, processing, preparing, serving and consuming on a scale so large, there is going to be food unused or “wasted” in the process, according to DiStefano. According to data retrieved from the Office of Waste Management, the four Dining commons on UMass’ campus produced just over 2.2 million pounds, or a little over 1,100
tons, of compostable waste in 2014. This translates to roughly $824,000 spent on composting unused supplies. According to DiStefano, food waste is split in terms of solid and water waste. Thirty-five percent of the compostable waste produced by the dining commons is solid food waste.
How UMass calculates its waste To calculate the total cost of the unused supplies of UMass Dining, DiStefano said their office tallies the retail cost of the supplies gone unused, and 9.4 percent of the Dining Services’ annual costs comes in the form of unused supplies. So, to calculate the “real dollars” cost, their office tallies what 9.4 percent of their total spending budget – $25 million – and takes 35 percent of that number to determine how much see
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GEO
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lems, they will emerge during the pilot phase in the spring”, McCarthy said, adding that he wants human resources to start keeping closer tabs on graduate student employees payrolls. Eleven departments were chosen to partake in the pilot phase, including a handful of larger departments such as the College of Education, the Isenberg School of Management and the Computer Science department. GEO Mobilization Coordinator Avery Fürst said that GEO believes late pay has been a recurring issue because human resources is under-
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staffed, specifically when the time comes to process payroll. “It’s hard for us to think this work can be done by current staff,” Fürst said. “GEO presence needs to be in every step of this process.” Fürst added that institutional accountability and respect for workers was a main concern of GEO in continuing the process to fix relations between GEO and the University. During the meeting, GEO took time to regroup before coming back to Newman and McCarthy with questions about the structure of the electronic processing
and the accountability of the pilot run next semester. McCarthy did not respond to GEO’s follow-up inquiries with specific details. He said he didn’t know of an exact date he would get back to GEO with answers, and still had to speak with UMass’ human resource director before addressing GEO again. “This was just another example of a university in the United States not being democratic” said Bilgesu Sumer, a graduate student in political science, after the meeting. Sumer said she was disap-
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Commonwealth Honors College dean Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina. “I feel as if (the administration’s response) was in some aspects lacking, but in other aspects very revealing,” Noel said. “That’s very indicative of a general lack of communication between students and the administration. A lot of things are lost in the whole rigmarole of bureaucracy – things are lost in translation. I’m kind of hopeful for how the administration will act going forward, because they seem to be on our side.” Student panelists opened with a list of demands, including a more concerted outreach to prospective high school students in Western Massachusetts cities, better facilities for students at the Stonewall Center, an increase in faculty of color and more readily accessible statistics and information pertaining to diversity. After opening statements from the student panelists and administrators, students spoke into a microphone set up in the aisle between rows of chairs and directed questions and concerns at the panelists seated at tables at the front of the room. Administrators responded to questions with information and policies currently available and took notes on proposals offered by students. “I think that because we have such a small number of underrepresented minorities on campus, their issues don’t always get heard at a very personal level,” Subbaswamy said. “It’s easy to sit in an administrative organization and think in generalities and look at statistics, but these are very personal stories of how people are experiencing the UMass experience.”
While many issues have been raised at the two forums, he said one of the concerns that has come through most clearly is the safety and health of students. “We need to make sure that what we have in place is effective,” he said. Subbaswamy specifically said the University was looking at its handling of issues related to healthcare, especially for students with coverage through MassHealth, during Sunday’s meeting. Other attendees criticized the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health and the Stonewall Center for their lack of diversity and treatment of students of color. Gelaye responded that the University has recently hired more staff of color. S u bb a swa my and Gelaye also encouraged students to report incidents of bias using the Diversity Matters reporting system. Many addressed the academic side, raising concerns about microaggressions experienced in the classroom, recruitment and retention of students of color and the diversity of the faculty. Sophie Damas, a communication disorders major, suggested a reporting system that allows students to report incidents of bias with professors. Newman acknowledged the job that associate dean for recruitment, advising and diversity Alexandrina Deschamps has done through the Emerging Scholars Residential Academic Program to help first generation, under-represented and under-resourced students. Deschamps added that there would be a series of dialogues around race, socioeconomic status and masculinity in the spring. Newman also men-
pointed with the lack of direct answers to GEO’s questions, adding that the structure of the University as it stands is not meeting the students’ needs. GEO union organizer and servicing Representative Anais Surkin said that the next steps for GEO include a meeting with the Susan Chinman, assistant dean of the graduate school, about a grievance GEO filed claiming that the University violated their contract. The meeting has not yet been set, but GEO is aiming for a meeting in early December. Additionally, Surkin said
tioned that the UMass system is hiring a new admissions officer to work to increase interest in UMass among underrepresented students, especially in the eastern side of the state. This push is in line with the work of newly hired assistant provost for diversity Leykia Brill. Subbaswamy said that the University would continue to work through channels including the Student Gover nment Association and the Graduate Student Senate to involve students in University decision-making processes, although he rejected suggestions made by some attendees to pay students for their involvement in such committees. The University will hold its second forum on these issues Dec. 3 from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. in Mahar Auditorium. According to an email from Subbaswamy, the preliminary list of participants includes Carol Barr, vice provost for undergraduate and continuing education; professor Mari Castañeda, chancellor’s leadership fellow; Gabriela Weaver, vice provost for faculty development and director of the Institute for Teaching Excellence and Faculty Development; Jim Roche, associate provost for enrollment management; MJ Peterson, secretary of the Faculty Senate; A. Yemisi Jimoh, chair of the Faculty Senate Rules Committee; and Brill. Subbaswamy said that, while no other forums have been set up yet, he would hold at least three a semester, consistent with student demands. Anthony Rentsch can be reached at arentsch@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Anthony_Rentsch.
GEO will continue escalating the pressure on administration. “We make change by leveraging our power and forcing them to involve us in the process, forcing them to have these penalties, and forcing them to respond”, she said. GEO received official word from the University on Nov. 2 that 403 graduate student employees were not paid by UMass on the first payday of the semester. Serena McMahon can be reached at serenamcmaho@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @serenaamcmahon.
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rise to reflect the lack of leftover meal swipes. “Because we’re stewards of student money, we can’t give very legitimate causes their money,” added DiStefano. Each semester, just under 10 percent of student meal swipes go unused, Brown said. The idea of giving away leftover Dining Dollars, which have an exact monetary value, to students was
also made difficult by the lack of leftover dining dollars, as roughly 98 percent of dining dollars are used each semester. “I think the Dining Dollars are really having an interesting impact,” Brown said. “The minute you put dollar in the word, people make sure that every cent is spent.” Brown said that while the dining dollars cannot be donated to the hungry,
the high amount at which they are used helps prevent food waste on campus. She also mentioned how UMass Dining provides students who cannot afford dining options on campus with food in order to prevent hunger on campus. Stuart Foster can be reached at stuartfoster@umass.edu or followed on Twitter @Stuart_C_Foster
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FOOD WASTE in dollars is spent composting solid food. Using this equation, UMass Dining determines that $824,000 is spent composting solid food waste. DiStefano went on to explain that waste is further divided into three categories of trim waste, production waste and post-consumer production waste. Trim waste is the portion of ingredients that can’t be used for the meals such as vegetable peels and roots or protein and fat trimmings from meat. These trims account for 15 percent of total solid compost produced. Production, or pre-consumer waste, is the percentage of “over-produced” food that isn’t taken from the numerous food lines in the dining commons. This accounts for 25 percent of total compostable waste. Distefano said that UMass Dining has made considerable steps in reducing overproduction numbers. At the end of each day, all the cooked supplies that aren’t consumed are weighed and calculated using a system called LeanPath. The computer program collects the weight and type of food and enters the information into a database. Using this information, Distefano said his chefs can see what types of food are over-produced and can plan ahead to reduce the amount of supplies set aside for each meal, each day. The Office of Waste Management weighs the amount of solid waste and the Physical Plant transports all compostable materials to farms in Belchertown and Greenfield because the sheer volume of compost is unable to be processed on site according to DiStefano. Ken Toong, the Executive Director of Auxiliary Enterprises, and DiStefano said that they’ve received demands from students to explore options
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where unused products could be donated to local food banks or charities.
Giving back to the community
triple benefit,” Toong said. Toong said the philosophy at the Dining Services regarding the product they produce presents challenges that other dining programs don’t face. The choice to use fresh fruits and vegetables and unprocessed or frozen products increases the likelihood that ingredients will perish. “It’s a challenge we’re willing to take. The food we make is a representation of us. We could use less healthy options to try to cut costs or we could use local produce to make a good product and use our minds to come up with resourceful ways to handle
Both said that they try to be as positive of an impact in the surrounding community as possible. Dining Services does have one partnership with the Food Recovery project at their Worcester Dining Commons. Student volunteers come to Worcester at the end of the night to collect leftovers, place the food in hot bags and transport it to the First Baptist Church to be served. However, with waste reduction as their primary goal, dieticians and planners try to avoid incorporating donations into their cooking plans because it could contribute to unused food. Dining Services is exploring options to expand the Recovery Project to the other dining commons but Toong Ken Toong, executive director of Auxiliary said this is contingent on Enterprises at UMass whether enough students volunteer with the pro[the challenges that presents],” gram. Toong said. Distefano and Toong said that Distefano said that the beyond monitoring preparation of pre-consumer and made-to-serve data, they majority implement smaller preparation waste comes from overproduction, which is why they place practices to mitigate food loss. The “just in time” cooking tac- such heavy emphasis on the LeanPath system. Any food at tic, where meals are made about 30 minutes before being placed the end of each production day, once tallied, chefs attempt to on the service line or are made right in front of the consumer reuse supplies for dishes the at stations such as stir-fry, limit next day. Some perishable items can’t be reused and are discardover production and provide a ed. Overproduction is an ongofresher meal for customers. “With this type of custom- ing occurrence that the Dining ization, those ingredients aren’t Services actively tries to conbeing used until the order is trol, but the majority of unused food that makes it to a compost set. Not only is the food fresher, pile is a result of over consumpbut it’s healthier, tastier, and tion by students, according to cuts down food waste. It’s like a
DiStefano. “About 60 percent of the total solid food waste we produce comes from the consumer side of the equation,” DiStefano said.
The need to move forward Over-consumption in this sense is the act of taking more food than is actually consumed. The half-eaten sandwich, glass of milk or the scraps of dishes that don’t make it to the gullets of students all end up in a compost pile. So, of the over two million pounds of solid food waste and over $800,000 in costs, consumers account for 60 percent of those totals. Distefano and Toong are actively trying to limit the waste on the production side but have also implemented slight changes to consumer behavior limit total food waste. The decision to eliminate trays and to produce smaller portions is an attempt to cut costs, waste and also offer healthier and more flavorful meals according to Toong. DiStefano said the 1100 tons, or 2.2 million pounds, of compostable waste can appear shocking but in comparison to national averages, UMass is a leader in sustainability. The average restaurant loses about 15 percent of its retail value food supplies. The average Residence Dining on college campuses experiences similar numbers. DiStefano said that over the past three years, Dining Services has gained more customers and served more food but has reduced the number of compostable waste it produces. “Over the past four or five years, we’ve gone from the mid 16 thousand to nearly 19 thousand students on the meal plan. We’re buying more food
“(The choice to use fresh fruits and vegetables) is a challenge we’re willing to take. The food we make is a representation of us. We could use less healthy options to try to cut costs or we could use local products to make a good product.”
and cooking more meals. At the same time, we’ve reduced the overall volume of compostable waste,” Distefano said. From Jan. 1, 2013 to May 1, 2015 Dining Services reduced over 234,000 pounds of pre consumer waste, translating to nearly $750,000 in savings according to data from the LeanPath database. Toong said that his office is driven by the demands of students and that planners are always trying to reflect the desires of what he called the “millennial diner.” “We’re always thinking ‘How can we buy more local, how can we be more efficient?’ How can we repurpose the food we don’t use, can we freeze vegetables to preserve their shelf-life? How can we practice ethical dining?’ The reason our costs are a little higher on average is because we strive to serve the best product with the best ingredients and we try to have a positive impact on the local farming community,” Toong said. Toong said his Dining Services had a responsibility to limit their overproduction and explore news ways to reuse the “trim wastes” accumulated during the preparation of meals. However, in order to reduce the volume of wasted food, Toong said that students need to participate as well. “What it comes down to most is education. We educate our staff on the best practices in cooking and we try to educate students as well. Take the food you know you’ll eat and we’ll continue making it the best can. A team effort is what I’m saying. The less food we waste, the less expensive our food will be,” Toong said. Brendan Deady can be reached at bdeady@umass.edu.
Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Monday, November 23, 2015 “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”-Emma Lazarus
America is divided
Elizabeth Warren is not a villain Despite Senator Elizabeth The need for such an agency Warren’s insistence that she was first discussed followis not interested in running ing the 2008 Great Recession, after negligence on the part Francis Schulze of United States financial regulators was understood for president in 2016, she still to be a cause of the crisis. managed to appear during a Accountability to the pubprime-time debate. Contrary lic from the financial industo the vision of her support- try, another issue brought ers, however, her televised to light after 2008, is also appearance was during the a pet cause of the Bureau. Republican debate, and in The CFPB maintains a comthe midst of a commercial prehensive database of over break. 400,000 complaints from The political activist consumers regarding finangroup American Action cial products. A company is Network spent $500,000 to given 15 days to respond to have a dystopian-themed complaints from consumattack advertisement air ers, ranging anywhere from seven times during the Nov. unexplained fees, exorbi10 Republican presidential tant interest rates, fraud or debate, per Politico. The misrepresentation. If the narrator never mentions company fails to respond, Warren by name, but instead the complaint is made pubtargets what is arguably her licly available, and the CFPB most successful legislative encourages the public not to achievement, the Consumer do business with them. Finance Protection Bureau. Another populist appeal Warren’s face makes a that the ad makes that is procameo on a large banner in fusely untrue is an ominous what appears to be a bizarre declaration by the narrator attempt at mustering an “evil that “with the Consumer empress” connotation. In Protection Bureau, those Warren’s Twitter response to who need help the most are the advertisement, she uses denied.” This may be a refthe term “Commie Dictator.” erence to the CFPB’s reguThis advertisement was dan- lation of “payday lenders.” gerously misleading, child- Payday loans are loans a conishly hyperbolic, and is a sumer takes out to service poor argument to justify an short-term needs, like houseend to the Bureau. hold expenses, but some payThe advertisement starts day loans (in states where in a massive room with the industry is unregulated) unsaturated colors that con- charge interest as high as 391 tains employees systemati- percent APR. That is inapcally denying loans to inno- propriately high. cent-looking consumers. Those who patronize payBased on the body language day lenders are often lowand characterization in the income households who ad, the audience is obviously have poor credit histories supposed to connect with the and cannot qualify for a loan consumers, who are depict- from a traditional financial ed as victims of the Bureau. institution, a bank. Payday This misrepresentation over- loans tend to have a twolooks the work the Bureau week term, and borrowers has done to protect consum- often have trouble paying ers in the financial services them back on time, so they industry. essentially take out another The CFPB has broad pow- one to pay for the initial. ers to consolidate regulatory The end result is a loan agencies to crack down on cycle that puts the economipredatory lending practices. cally distressed borrower in
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A political activist group targeted Warren in a recent advertisement. a pit of debt that can end in bankruptcy. To suggest that by putting a stop to this abuse, the CFPB is “denying help” is ludicrous. While it is important that low-income consumers have access to credit for their daily needs, that is an entirely separate issue, and payday loans are a predatory lending scheme, not a solution. Circumstances like these in finance are not uncommon. Financial professionals with poor judgment are very capable of exploiting “information asymmetry,” or the corruption of markets that occurs when the seller in a transaction knows far more about their product than the buyer. Finance is a very complex industry, and certain factors, like available leisure time, education and disposable income affect a consumer’s ability to make a smart decision about their money. No one wants to read the fine print when they have a child to pick up, three more errands to run, unpaid utility bills and are presented with a wordy contract that reaches far beyond their tenth grade reading level. Chide the working poor at your own discretion, but this is true desperation. This is true duress. This advertisement comes at a time when those very “wordy contracts” are under
attack. American Action Network strongly supports arbitration, which in plain English is a provision in some legal contracts that, if agreed to, limits a consumer’s ability to sue if they are mistreated by a company. Instead, the two parties settle their disputes with a company mediator, and the results are often unfavorable to the consumer. The CFPB has made many efforts to rein in arbitration clauses because it charges that they are deceptive and unjust. This explains the foolish attempt of American Action Network to cast the junior senator from Massachusetts as the agent of an Orwellian or Soviet dictatorship, but they are hardly the first to incorrectly dramatize the situation. Last month, the United States Chamber of Commerce compared its fight to topple the CFPB to Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia’s crusade against the Empire in Star Wars. But in my extensive experience with both finance and Star Wars, there is little similarity between a popular, necessary government watchdog and a planet-razing super laser. Francis Schulze is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at fschulze@umass.edu
Black Friday is a bad idea Thanksgiving means a few things their employees have finished their for most people. A break from school Thanksgiving meals and family paror work, family reunions, lots of food, ties, they are to return to work on Thursday to begin Black Friday. Aly Nichols Even though it’s still Thursday, and Thanksgiving is still technically a football games and, of course, the national holiday. year’s largest sale day. Black Friday Why wait, right? Let the madness is advertised weeks in advance, and begin early. After all, that half-priced shoppers begin scouring for sales shirt at Target completely superand planning out Christmas ideas as early as July – which is ridiculous enough. What’s more is that even people who don’t usually shop tend to attack retail stores like madmen trying to get to that one item that maybe they need, but really they probably don’t, and only want because it’s Black Friday and it has sedes the importance of spending a super low discount. Totally safe and sane, right? Not time with family on Thanksgiving. In 2008, three people were tramto mention that this occurs – at least for those braving long lines – in the pled to death as people raced into early hours of the morning. And a Wal-Mart in New York and broke customers need to, as most stores down the store doors. That same are wiped bare by 10 a.m. May as crowd also managed to cause a pregnant woman to have a miscarriage well have stayed in bed. As if that weren’t enough, some in the stress of pushing and shovstores have declared that once ing. There also, over the years, have
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been reports of stabbings, shootings, people getting pepper sprayed or knocked down and people getting injured and ignored in the selfish frenzy as others rushed to get what they wanted before it was gone. The point is, Black Friday is a marketing ploy and nothing else, aimed to get people to spend money they don’t have on things they don’t need. Shoppers wait most of the year – and camp out hours in advance – in the hopes of having a chance to buy an item. And what happens if it’s already sold out? Black Friday is dangerous and, it takes away from the meaning of Thanksgiving, while only serving to bring out the selfishness of human behavior. It’s better to stay in and sleep, eat some leftovers and not risk going out and catching the madness. If, however, you must work on Black Friday, good luck. Wear your armor.
“The point is, Black Friday is a marketing ploy and nothing else, aimed to get people to spend money they don’t have on things they don’t need.”
Aly Nichols is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at apnichols@umass.edu
America is divided: that I love about America. some say that we should At times I am ashamed close our borders to flee- to align myself with the nation that I call home. Andrew Castillo Let me stop and acknowledge that it’s easy for me, ing refugees, others say we who is so far geographishould provide safety to as cally removed from the many as we can handle. horrors of violence, to cast Some say that it is a moral decision, others that it is judgment on world events. a matter of public safety. I have the luxury to change Bias, fear and hate seem to my Facebook profile picpervade every discussion, ture to the colors of France every newscast and every and to debate whether or political action. Bombs not refugees should be able are dropped, civilians flee to, on some future date, and are gunned down by find safety within our borAK-47s. Leaders stand on ders. I can argue devoid the world stage and say of sympathy for humanity that more bombs will be and base my opinions puredropped, that more civil- ly on biased logic, because ians will be killed and that I’m not forced, daily to conthe chaos will continue. front the refugee crisis like Battle lines have been drawn -- us against them, other people are. Do not think that I have them against us, whoever abandoned my belief in the us is, whoever them is. But it isn’t that simple. The United States as a symbol political field is completely of freedom and strength, convoluted. There are no as it’s the contrary. I’m sides. There is no easy con- a veteran of Operation clusion to any debate. Enduring Freedom, I Today, more than ever, have served my country. the American youth are I’ve stood in the sand of thrown about in this politi- the Middle East, walked cal storm. As a college stu- through mosques and lisdent, my opinion is either tened to hauntingly beautihighly valued or thrown ful prayers that fade into out altogether. I’m either the dusk. I’ve been afraid an idealized nut job or a wise young guru. In the for my personal safety and midst of this chaos, I find I’ve cried as I hugged my it difficult to keep myself loved ones goodbye. I am anchored to a moral code. not ignorant to the dangers Hate and fear, which rise posed by those who would from confusion, directly destroy me, my family and challenge my moral deci- my way of life. sion-making and confront There is a very real posmy American identity. sibility that terrorists will On one hand, we throw infiltrate our country, and open the door of freedom that they could come in and boast of equal oppor- posing as refugees. But at tunity for all humanity. the same time, by giving But, when the tires of idein to our fear and hatred, ology hit the rough pavement of reality, that same we might as well not live at door is slammed shut to all. If we give up on love, anyone who doesn’t fit the they have won already. If predefined specifications. we turn away in fear, they Unless it affects the home- have already stolen our land, America alienates American way of life. pain and grows flowers Earlier this year I travatop the gravesites of for- eled through West Sweden eigners. and walked through a refuIn World War II, boat- gee camp. I saw families loads of Jewish refu- clinging to each other, gees were turned around children running through because of the incontrains and parents smokvenience and fear they ing outside in the drizzle. brought with them. Native The refugees are men and Americans were thrown out of their homes because women just like you and they stood in the way of me. They wake up with the freedom. Men and women same worries, the same were shackled and driven fears and the same uncerto the fields in pursuit of tainties. All of these expehappiness. Do you see the riences have molded my trend? America offers free- current perspective: we dom only when it’s conve- must respond out of love. nient. We cannot allow confuBy example, some in sion to overcome us; we our country shout the cannot lose our moral footslogan ‘All Lives Matter’ ing. The Statue of Liberty in response to the Black stands over New York City Lives Matter movement. with an arm outstretched, But those same voices are silent when the lives of welcoming the weak and fleeing refugees hang in the downtrodden to the safety balance, because, in this of our shores. In these dire case to say that all lives days, we cannot turn our matter would be incon- backs on what this country venient. Current world stands for. events are magnifying the prejudices of the United Andrew Castillo is a Collegian States; an ideology which columnist and can be reached at goes against everything acastillo@umass.edu
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Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Monday, November 23, 2015
“9:15, let’s have a great day, everybody!” - Allen Gamble, ‘The Other Guys’
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FILM REVIEW
‘Spectre’ an atrocious film devoid of excitement Latest Bond entry severely disappoints By Nate taskiN Collegian Correspondent Let me be emphatic, “Spectre” is atrocious independent of its relationship to the 007 franchise. It’s not just a terrible James Bond movie. It’s a terrible movie. Here lies a formless, cliché-ridden non-adventure devoid of any investment in its own story. After the death of the previous M, James Bond (Daniel Craig again plays the part with a perpetual scowl) tracks down an international assassin, and goes AWOL. Meanwhile, the current M (Ralph Fiennes) must confront the fact that his Double-0 program may face a possible shutdown, replaced by a worldwide digitized information collection system overseen by a man so weaselfaced that no human being on earth could mistake him for a good guy. Yes, “Spectre” aims for political subtext with some NSA/Edward Snowden parallels, and the results are every bit as clunky and weightless as you might expect. As he trudges along from one empty, incoherently edited action set piece to another, Bond discovers that this assassin might have connections to a shadowy organization called Spectre, which wants to take over the world – we think. The exact plan isn’t made clear, but I do know that Bond must stop them. Along the way, he punches and grimaces and shoots a lot of people and some stuff blows up. “Spectre” is a movie that just happens. Scenes go by without any consequence or impact. All of the plot threads act as an excuse to get Bond to
HOYTE VAN HOYTEMA/COLUMBIA PICTURES
Daniel Craig’s latest turn as 007 feels phoned in, and ‘Spectre’ exudes the same overarching apathy, as if none of the filmmakers cared about making it. the next fight scene, and those scenes have about the same thrill as waiting in line for University of Massachusetts Grab ’n Go. The script, a truly atrocious piece of work credited to four separate screenwriters, contains zero memorable one-liners. How many other 007 movies do you know that can make that claim? Even the much-maligned “Quantum of Solace” and “Die Another Day” contained at least some attempt at humor. Bereft of any joy or even the slightest hint of wit, “Spectre” subjects the audience to a long, painful slog, and we feel every minute of it. Nobody in this film behaves like a real human, or even
an archetype of a human. Characters behave like robots high on Valium. When Bond kills Lucia Sciarra’s (Monica Bellucci) assassin husband, he goes to his funeral, meets her there, and then goes back to her mansion to have sex with her after he dispatches two goons who want her dead. Bellucci, a mesmerizing performer, has a grand total screen time of about five minutes, and she uses it to mutter stilted dialogue that is far beneath her. Not only is her role retrograde and reductive, she bears no impact on the rest of the plot, as if she was shoehorned in there because 007 needed to meet his sexual conquest quota. At least Craig and Bellucci
have some semblance of chemistry, a fact that does not extend to the main love interest of the film, Madeleine Swann, played by the babyfaced Léa Seydoux. I suppose a genuine romance with someone closer to Daniel Craig’s age was out of the question. In any case, these two need to forge an alliance (for boring, convoluted reasons unworthy of discussion) in order to take down Spectre. Bond falls in love with her along the way, because the script tells us he does, even there isn’t a single spark between the two. We barely see even a vague outline of a relationship arc. Christoph Waltz plays
of surprise, as if Blofeld’s wham line was added in postproduction, and the editor inserted a reaction shot of Daniel Craig with furrowed eyebrows. This wasted plot element exemplifies the “who cares” attitude of “Spectre.” People react to earth-shattering discoveries and doomsday schemes with the same emotion as they do to burnt toast. “Spectre” throws in disposable dilemmas just to pad itself out. The film’s climax ends with Bond having to make a moral choice that implies the conclusion to an arc that never actually occurred onscreen. As I said before, scenes simply go by. With the release of the superb working class spy satire that was “Kingsman: The Secret Service” earlier this year, 007 feels ever more irrelevant with each installment. His macho power fantasy-driven bravura and Neanderthal sexual politics can be seen more clearly than ever as relics of a bygone age. Every Craig-led Bond film asks the same thematic question: “Does Bond fit into the modern world?” The answer becomes less and less interesting each successive time. “Casino Royale” picked Bond apart, examined what makes him tick, and reassembled him in a better form. “Skyfall,” a film whose technical craft I enjoy even when its subtext irritates me, also breaks him apart, only to conclude that he’s fine just the way he is, and further argues that anyone who insists otherwise is a coward that jeopardizes our national security. “Spectre” does not even bother with the autopsy. It cares that little.
Ernst Stavro Blofeld, one of the classic Bond villains. Look, I love the guy, but he’s rather awful here. His cavalier demeanor has potential, but the script fails him utterly, and when he straps Bond to a death machine that hearkens back to the Sean Connery Bond days, he comes across as more of a bored pediatrician than an evil mastermind. Late in the film, Blofeld reveals that he has a connection to Bond that actually would, in theory, add a little more investment to their conflict. I say “in theory” because the film does nothing with this revelation. Our spy hero barely even acknowledges Nate Taskin can be reached at this reveal beyond a faint hint ntaskin@umass.edu.
ALBUM REVIEW
Kurt Cobain’s ‘Montage of Heck’ is troublingly exploitative Ethics of ‘solo’ LP questionable at best By JacksoN Maxwell Collegian Staff
Though humanity has succeeded at the fetishizing of every member of rock’s infamous “27 Club” – from Jim Morrison to Jimi Hendrix – none of its tragic members have been hyper-analyzed to the degree that Nirvana’s iconic poster child has. In 2003, his private “Journals” were released, becoming an instant New York Times bestseller. In 2004, threeand-a-half hours of Nirvana’s loose ends and scraps were collected into the “With the Lights Out” box set. In the years since, as virtually every recorded moment of the man’s life has been dissected, people have increasingly scraped the absolute bottom of the barrel – earlier this year a credit card Cobain used at one point was put to auction – to profit from his genius. Brett Morgen’s bracingly intimate documentary on Cobain, which was released in May, and gives this album its name, did not feel exploitive. Though some of “Montage of Heck’s” more personal moments – like a startling and hilarious bit of home footage where, while shaving, Cobain uses his temporary mustache as an opportunity to do his best impression of Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell – feel
invasive, the film has an air of definitiveness. The involvement of virtually all of Cobain’s family and closest friends made it feel like the final say, the absolute portrait of the man that was dubbed, alternately the spokesman of Generation X and the last true rock star. The film’s success in delving as deeply into Cobain’s mind as any project before it, without necessarily exploiting him, is what makes “Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings,” its accompanying soundtrack album, all the more grotesque. Though its content, home recordings of Cobain – to be brutally honest – either screwing around or committing the absolute earliest sketches of soon-to-be-legendary songs to tape, serves a purpose in the film, without its visual accompaniment, it’s utterly pointless. In the film, these scraps are used with animation and interviews with Cobain’s early girlfriend, Tracy Marander, to give a full illumination of his character, his sense of humor and his creative process. But without that added context, the listener is left with what the album gives them: Cobain making funny voices, noodling aimlessly on the guitar until he can find something usable and trying to figure out the chords to songs that would later change the fabric of rock music. Some have argued that “Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings,” released Nov. 13,
is illuminating in that it brings some of Cobain’s humor, which is so crucial in getting full the picture of his personality, into his discography for the first time. But, if you want a better sense of Cobain’s humor, anyone can watch the band’s famously, hilariously, awful covers of The Knack’s “My Sharona,” Boston’s “More Than A Feeling” or Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” which have been available online for years. But what really makes “Montage of Heck” the album unsettling in a way the film of the same not is not, is that it’s being marketed and sold as a Kurt Cobain solo album. In the film itself, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic says “(Cobain) was also very careful and stubborn about how the art was presented, because he didn’t want to be humiliated.” With that said, it’s almost impossible to imagine that Cobain would’ve liked to these humbling, to be generous, documents released and marketed as the first Cobain solo album. It’s crucial to note that many of the tracks on “Montage of Heck” are not really “demos.” Material like “The Yodel Song,” which features Cobain literally yodeling over a rough acoustic riff he’s barely begun working on, or “The Happy Guitar,” which is just two minutes of Cobain attempting some folk-style fingerpicking, or the self-explanatory “Reverb Experiment,” is indisputably at the pre-demo stage.
OFFICIAL ‘KURT COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK’ FACEBOOK PAGE
It seems unlikely that Kurt Cobain would have wanted this collection of scrappy recordings to see the light of day. An “early demo” of “Scoff,” a cut from Nirvana’s 1989 debut, “Bleach,” is almost indecipherable, and gets cut off after 37 seconds anyway. Similarly, if you sit through the three insufferable, scratchy minutes of “You Can’t Change Me/Burn My Britches,” you can start to see only the tiniest roots of “Something In The Way,” one of the band’s most endearing classics. Even the few somewhat fully fleshed-out tracks on “Montage of Heck” are a monotonous blur. Much has been made of the acoustic cover of The Beatles’ “And I Love Her” that is included here, but with little reason. Cobain, who always had an
aptitude for brilliant interpretations of everything from Devo to the Meat Puppets, largely sleeps through the timeless McCartney ballad, doing justice to neither McCartney’s talents nor his own. Meanwhile, the early version of the blistering 1993 Nirvana classic, “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle,” barely rises above a confused whisper, with Cobain only seeming to really enunciate for the chorus. “Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings” does nothing to improve the standing of any of the parties involved. For Brett Morgen, this album
smacks unfortunately of a cash grab, a unique way to package and sell something that he’s already sold. For Cobain, this “solo album” merely displays his bare honesty as someone who was unafraid to document both his most light-hearted and darkest moments. But as listeners and consumers, we have as much an ethical as a personal choice to listen to this album or not. And, seeing as this as album is being marketed as the work of a notorious perfectionist, the ethics are sketchy at best. Jackson Maxwell can be reached at jlmaxwell@umass.edu, and followed on Twitter at @JMaxwell82.
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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Monday, November 23, 2015
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Monday, November 23, 2015
7
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Minutewomen fall short UMass finishes on short end in home opener vs. Buffalo of defensive battle with Bulls McDerment’s bench play impresses coach By JaMie CushMan Collegian Staff
JUDITH GIBSON-OKUNIEFF/COLLEGIAN
Rashida Timbilla goes up for a shot in front of two Buffalo defenders. She finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
UMass shoots 35.7 percent from floor By Mollie Walker Collegian Correspondent The Massachusetts women’s basketball team dropped its second straight game Saturday in a 56-48 loss to Buffalo in its home opener at the Mullins Center. While its defense stood strong for the majority of the low-scoring contest, UMass struggled to find consistency on offense, shooting just 35.7 percent from the field. “We opened up our season scoring 74 points and today we only scored 48, so we just missed a lot of shots, a lot of easy shots,” UMass coach Sharon Dawley said. After the Minutewomen (1-2) clawed back within five points of the Bulls (3-0) with four minutes, 33 seconds remaining in the game, Buffalo survived by milking the clock, capitalizing on a few put-backs and getting a crucial 3-pointer from Joanna Smith with 1:22 remaining to put the game out of reach. Smith finished with a gamehigh 21 points to go along with nine rebounds Saturday. “We didn’t look like us, credit Buffalo they played pretty good defense, but we just
didn’t look like us tonight,” Minutewomen freshman Bria Stallworth said. The Bulls controlled the majority of the game and never trailed from the ninth minute of regulation on, although the score remained close heading into halftime. The Minutewomen managed to close the half on an 8-3 run to make it a six-point game heading into the break. For the majority of the first half, UMass employed a 1-3-1 zone defense that converted three steals in the first quarter to keep the score tight. The zone defense worked well for the majority of the half but was broken down by five 3-pointers from the Bulls. Starting the second half, UMass headed out in a manto-man defense to try and defend the perimeter, and particularly Smith, who had 14 points in the first half. But the Bulls continued to find success behind the arc, sinking four more 3-pointers to help put the game out of reach. UMass’ deficit continued to hover between single and double digits throughout the third and fourth quarters. The Minutewomen continued to fight, getting some help from their bench. Nine points came from the UMass bench, led by
C R O S S C O U N T RY
UM closes season in 12th place at IC4As By Tyler Movsessian Collegian Staff
teams that did not make it past the regional level. This year, the Minutemen finished in the middle of the pack. Junior John Burns took 39th place for the Minutemen with a time of 26:54 and senior Morgan Marlow took 61st in his final race (27:12). Rounding out the top five scorers for UMass were three freshmen in Eric Waterman, Mike Famiglietti and Zach Frahlich, who all scored for the Minutemen with times of 27:34, 27:55.3 and 27:55.8, respectively. Northeastern took the title with 77 points, while Rutgers took second at 114 points and Marist placed third at 121 points. The Minutemen who ran on Saturday were essentially trying out for next year’s varsity roster. UMass is graduating Ben Groleau and Ben Thomas, who represented the Minutemen’s No. 1 and No. 6 runners respectively this year. Half of the runners on the cross country team will prepare to compete in indoor track running the 5k, the mile, and the 800-meter races. The indoor season is slated to begin on Jan. 9 with a meet at Yale University.
The Massachusetts men’s cross country team ran its last race of the season at the IC4A championships Saturday, placing 12th out of 22 teams. UMass sent eight runners to Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, New York to run their final 8k course. Coach Ken O’Brien decided to keep several top-tier runners home in order to give some underclassmen a chance to step up and see what they could do. Ultimately, O’Brien was pleased with the team performance, but disappointed with the individual results. “My runners met expectations. Some of these athletes haven’t competed in almost a month, so you lose your competitive edge a little bit after a while.” O’Brien said. “They went through some good workouts to prepare themselves for this opportunity. “These runners, however, have put up better performances, so it is a little disappointing that they couldn’t end their cross country season with a (personal record).” In previous years, the meet served as a qualifier for the NCAA championships and weighed much more heavily on the schedule. Now, howev- Tyler Movsessian can be reached at er, the meet is comprised of tmovsessian@umass.edu
Kymber Hill (five points). But it was sophomore guard Leah McDerment who had the biggest impact coming off the bench, according to Dawley. McDerment only scored one point but was tasked with defending Smith one-on-one in the second half to great success. After Smith went 5-for9 from the field in the first half, she was held to only three shots (2-for-3) over the final 20 minutes. “Leah has been coming off the bench, Kymber has been coming off the bench, but I think they were two of our best players today,” Dawley said. “Perhaps they need to start the game so we start a little bit stronger.” Stallworth led the Minutewomen with 13 points Saturday while senior guard/ forward Rashida Timbilla chipped in 10 points and 12 rebounds. They were the only two UMass players to reach double digits in scoring. The Minutewomen next head to Boulder, Colorado for the Omni Hotels Classic tournament this weekend looking to put an end to its two-game losing streak. UMass’ opening game is Friday against Colorado at 9:30 p.m. Mollie Walker can be reached at molliewalker@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @MWalker2019.
Going into Saturday night’s home opener against Buffalo, the Massachusetts women’s basketball team’s defense needed to be at its best in order to match the defensive-minded Bulls. Buffalo (3-0) had allowed 38 points and 40 points in its first two games this year, displaying strong team defense, compared to the 63.5 average points allowed by UMass (1-2) in its first two games. While the Minutewomen did answer this challenge on defense, UMass ultimately fell Saturday in a tightlycontested 56-48 loss at the Mullins Center. The Minutewomen entered the game with a defensive game plan that included a 1-3-1 zone, a 2-3 zone and man-to-man, which were all implemented to varying degrees of success. UMass coach Sharon Dawley thought the manto-man defense had more success than the two zone defenses the team ran. “In our 2-3 and our 1-3-1, I think our weak wing kind of fell asleep on us a little bit, so we had to pull that on and off. Man-to-man we were okay,” she said. The one area the Minutewomen really strug-
SENIOR DAY Minutemen could’ve had more time to orchestrate a comeback drive, but Smith picked up a crucial first down on a third and nine run. Frohnapfel, who finished 17-of-34 for 181 yards and an interception, was sacked on the final drive that forced the Minutemen into a series of laterals on their final play to no avail. Frohnapfel was sacked six times Saturday.
MERRIMACK its willingness to put the work in against a strong defensive team like the Warriors (6-1-4, 2-1-4 HEA). “We’ve been able to build a team that can play a lot of different ways,” Micheletto said. “I think we continue to push forward and make strides as a team, and team defense is one of those areas.” The Minutemen have
gled defensively was defending Buffalo’s junior guard Joanna Smith. She chipped in 14 of the Bulls’ 29 points in the first half, including two 3-pointers. She finished with 21 points Saturday. In the second half, the Minutewomen found a bit of an answer for Smith with sophomore guard Leah McDerment coming off the bench. For much of the second half, McDerment was tasked with covering Smith one-on-one, employing a face guard strategy. Dawley was pleased with the defensive production from McDerment, even suggesting she may have earned herself a starting spot in the future. “Leah did a great job face guarding (Smith),” Dawley said. “We’ve been playing pack line defense and having Leah come out and face guard is not something we’ve done a lot of, but it was a necessity tonight and I think she did a good job doing it.” McDerment’s job was to cover Smith as closely as possible and get right up in her face, whether she had the ball or not. “I was just face guarding her, all over her, and not letting her get the ball,” McDerment said. “I mean, she’s a great player so she’ll still try to find her way, but that was my task, stop the 3-point shot, and I think we did a good job of that in the second half.”
UMass point guard Bria Stallworth thought McDerment’s defensive effort on Smith was the highlight of the game for the Minutewomen. “I would probably say (Leah was the) best player today,” Stallworth said. “She stepped up when we needed her. She took down the best player and that’s just what we need, the spark.” Another area the Minutewomen found success on defense was in creating turnovers. UMass forced the Bulls to commit 19 turnovers, a season-high for the Minutewomen. McDerment led the team with three steals while Stallworth, sophomore guard Cierra Dillard and junior center Kymber Hill each added two steals. Hill also did a good job on the boards for the Minutewomen, tallying eight rebounds while senior forward Rashida Timbilla has a team-leading 12 rebounds. Despite the loss, UMass played well enough defensively to win the game and was let down by its offense. “I think defense wasn’t what cost us the game today,” McDerment said. “Offensively we didn’t convert, we didn’t execute the plays right, we didn’t get what we needed to get in order to make easy layups and make shots.” Jamie Cushman can be reached at jrcushman@umass.edu.
continued from page 8
The lone UMass touchdown came in the second half on a 28-yard run by Marquis Young to give the Minutemen a 13-10 lead with 1:38 remaining in the third quarter. Kaleb Patterson converted a 28-yard field goal on the following possession to tie the game at 13. Both teams exchanged field goals in the first half as UMass took a 6-3 leading heading in to half-
time. Mike Caggiano (19 yards) and Logan Laurent (45 yards) each made field goals in the half as Laurent – both place kicker and punter – did not play in the first quarter per coach’s decision. The Minutemen’s final game of the season will be next Friday at Buffalo.
this season and provided stability in an area UMass has struggled with consistency in the last few seasons. “He was as good as he’s been with us,” Micheletto said. “He continues to make the saves he should make.” Renyard continued his trend of making timely saves for the Minutemen, making 14 in the third
period and overtime. The Minutemen return to action this weekend with a home-and-home series against one of the best teams in the country in No. 2 Quinnipiac. Friday night’s game in Amherst is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Andrew Cyr can be reached at arcyr@umass.edu, and followed on Twitter @Andrew_Cyr.
continued from page 8
allowed 2.5 goals against per game over their last six outings compared to 4.28 per game over their first seven. A big factor in that has been Renyard, who’s assumed the role of starter after splitting playing time with sophomore Henry Dill early in the season. The freshman has accumulated a .916 save percentage in 11 appearances
Ross Gienieczko can be reached at rgieniec@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @RossGien.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Monday, November 23, 2015
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FOOTBALL
OUT OF REACH YET AGAIN
Miami tops UMass on Senior Day Minutemen honor 19 seniors before Sat. loss By Andrew Cyr Collegian Staff
Rodney Mills didn’t sugarcoat the Massachusetts football team’s performance Saturday against Miami (Ohio). “It’s very disappointing. It’s almost to a point where it’s embarrassing,” Mills said. “To come out and look like we’re not able to function as an offense, I don’t know, I just can’t wrap my mind around it. We practiced well and everybody was on the same page. And yet again we have the same recurring misSHANNON BRODERICK/COLLEGIAN takes and same problems. When you have that, it’s not just going RedHawks wide receiver Chris Hudson hauls in a touchdown pass over the outstretched arm of UMass defensive back Jordin Hamilton in Saturday’s game at McGuirk Stadium. to work.” “Credit Miami. It’s kind of the six-play, 55-yard drive capped on their first drive of the second made some big stops at the end. UMass (2-9, 1-6 Mid-American Conference) totaled just 105 same story, they just did a good off by a 14-yard pass to Chris half, which ended in an 18-yard Obviously you don’t want to come yards of offense in the second job in the second half and in the Hudson giving the RedHawks a run from Alonzo Smith (26 car- out there after halftime and have half as the Minutemen fell 20-13 first half we just didn’t convert 20-13 advantage that they would ries, 109 yards) to give Miami its someone run it up your throat down in the red zone. There were hold onto for the remainder of first lead of the afternoon at 10-6. like that. The defense responded to the RedHawks (3-9, 2-6 a couple mental the game. This came after the Minutemen really well, next page, and we MAC) on Senior Day. mistakes down Bahl (12-of-23, 160 yards and a held the RedHawks to 41 yards of kept going,” UMass linebacker “We’re limited. We’re Miami (OH) 20 there that real- touchdown) attacked cornerback total offense in the first half. limited in what we can Jovan Santos-Knox added. “They just looked like they call. That’s just the way Miami ended the day with 299 UMass 13 ly hurt us. The Jordin Hamilton on all three of defense played his pass attempts that drive with came out and ran it down our it is. It’s just part of total yards of offense compared well enough to Randall Jette inactive for the sec- throat. I thought we’d carry over the whole deal,” UMass to UMass’ 250. coach Mark Whipple said over win, we just couldn’t hang in ond straight week with for undis- what we did last week. But credUMass had a chance to tie closed reasons. it them, they ran it down our his shoulder as he left the post- there at the end,” Whipple said. the game on the final drive as Tied at 13 with 10 minutes, However, it was Miami’s first throat,” Whipple said. game press conference. “We can it forced the RedHawks to punt 15 seconds remaining in the drive of the second half that set “You don’t want to come out call some things but the guys with 32 seconds remaining. The have got to play them. That’s part fourth quarter, Miami quarter- the tone for the final 30 minutes. half giving up a touchdown, back Billy Bahl orchestrated a of the issue. The RedHawks ran for 54 yards but I think we rallied back and see SENIOR DAY on page 7
MEN’S BASKETBALL
HOCKEY
Minutemen ready for test vs. Clemson UM gets point in Tournament in Las third straight tie Vegas starts Monday Renyard shines in net vs. Merrimack
By Anthony ChiusAno Collegian Staff
The Massachusetts men’s basketball team is exactly where it wants to be heading into its first test against a Power 5 team: 3-0 to start the season and off the heels of a 27-point victory. However, with Monday’s contest against Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Clemson (3-0) – in the first round of the MGM Grand Main Event tournament in Las Vegas – will come a new system for measurement for the Minutemen (3-0) early on in 2015-16. “It’ll be fun for us to see where we’re at playing teams like that,” UMass forward Seth Berger said. UMass enters the tournament on a high note following an 89-62 win over Central Arkansas out of the Southland Conference in which four players scored double-digit points and the team combined for 16 3-pointers. With this margin of victory, Minutemen coach Derek Kellogg said it’s led to more energetic early week practices. However, he noted the difference in skill and size that UMass will face against the Tigers Monday. “The level of play is obviously going to be raised up quite a bit with the size difference of Clemson than say a Central Arkansas,” Kellogg said. “Now we have to be that much sharper, we have to share the ball even more and we have to pay attention to detail even more than we did the last couple of games.” Clemson boasts three play-
JUDITH GIBSON-OKUNIEFF/COLLEGIAN
UMass senior guard Trey Davis (12) flies to the basket for a layup in last Thursday’s win over Central Arkansas. ers averaging at least 10 points in 6-foot-7 forward Jaron Blossomgame (17), 6-foot-8 forward Donte Grantham (14.7) and guard Jordan Roper (10). Berger and Zach Coleman will likely be in charge of going up against Blossomgame and Grantham as go-to forwards who have been pressed into playing in the post more often in smaller lineups. Coleman has started at power forward over UMass’ first three games and has also played center while Berger has come off the bench to play extensive minutes at both forward positions. Kellogg said the pair of sophomores have been the “heart and soul” of the Minutemen from an energy standpoint this season. “The biggest thing I want to see is them on the floor healthy, that’s number one. That’s been a huge stumbling
block for them over their careers,” Kellogg said. “But when they’re out there, they need to continue to do the little things, like Zach’s defensive rebounding and ability to guard the four-man and Seth’s energy and ability in the press (defense).” Berger came to UMass as a prototypical small forward, but with depth issues in the front court, he’s shifted to playing in the post more this year and has adapted well. “I knew I had to play the four, which was a little out of my comfort zone. But fortunately it’s paid off,” he said before Saturday’s practice. “The main thing was having to learn the plays and stuff. That took a couple of practices to get in the right position.” After playing limited minutes last season, Coleman has emerged as the Minutemen’s
top rebounder – accumulating a team-high 24 through three games – and has averaged 8.7 points per game. In preparation for Clemson, Coleman said he’s relying on his “natural ability” on the boards to continue his success against the Tigers’ bigger bodies. “Just really being in position, that’s something I really do well naturally,” Coleman said. “I really can’t explain how I do it, but I have a knack for knowing where the ball is and getting to it.” After Monday’s first round matchup against Clemson, UMass will face either Creighton or Rutgers in Wednesday’s second round. The Minutemen and the Tigers will tip off at 9:30 p.m. Anthony Chiusano can be reached at achiusano@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @a_chiusano24.
“They were as effective a line as we had this weekend,” Micheletto said. “Their forechecking and takeaways were an imporBy ross GienieCzko tant part in the points we Collegian Staff took this weekend.” In a tight, defensive Micheletto went on to game that saw little room praise the team’s effort and for offensive opportuniexecution. Backstopped ties, the Massachusetts by Renyard and his 30 hockey team tied No. 13 saves, UMass allowed Merrimack 1-1 Saturday just a lone goal– one that night at Lawler Arena Micheletto described as in North Andover, a bit of a fluke. It came Massachusetts. off the stick of Warriors It was the second tie sophomore defenseman of the weekend for the Aaron Titcomb, and came Minutemen (6-3-4, 2-2-4 at 12:16 in the second periHockey East), who also od. tied New Hampshire Titcomb’s equalizer Friday night by a score came less than of 2-2. 60 seconds after Freshman UMass 1 the Minutemen Kurt Keats appeared to take had UMass’ Merrimack 1 a 2-0 courtesy lone goal of of defenseman the game at William Lagesson, one minute, but the goal was waived 19 seconds of the second off after a video review period and Nic Renyard determined there was conmade 30 saves in net to tact with the goaltender. improve to 4-2-4. For a team that prefers “We were in a fight to play an aggressive upevery step of the way,” tempo style on a big sheet Minutemen coach John of ice, UMass held its own Micheletto said after the in a tight defensive battle game. “Coming in against on Merrimack’s smaller a well-rested, ranked rink. team, I was very happy.” The Minutemen were It was Keats’ second goal of the weekend after 3-for-3 on the penalty kill he also scored Friday and the one goal allowed night against the Wildcats. represented their best The third line of Keats, defensive effort of the Patrick Lee and Joseph season. They had previWidmar gave UMass’ for- ously been allowing close ward group a boost this to four goals per game. Micheletto talked about weekend and Micheletto the team’s progress on specifically mentioned that side of the ice and their performance this weekend.
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MERRIMACK on page 7