Massachusetts Daily Collegian: Monday, Feb. 9, 2016

RIHANNA’S

10 TIME’S THE CHARM?

BIGGEST ARTISTIC STATEMENT PAGE 5

TH

YET

PAGE 8

THE MASSACHUSETTS

DAILY COLLEGIAN DailyCollegian.com

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

By Patricia LeBoeuf Collegian Staff

Peter Hechenbleikner, former Reading town manager, began his tenure as interim town manager in Amherst on Feb. 1.

The town’s five-member select board hired Hechenbleikner after David Ziomek, the current assistant town manager, decided not to continue as the interim town manager. He took on the position immediately after the death of Town Manager John Musante on Sept. 20, 2015.

Hechenbleikner was the town manager in Reading for 27 years. After retiring, he held multiple town government positions, including interim town administrator in Norwell from January to June 2015.

“I am one of those people that just has a passion for local government,” he said. “I never intended or wanted to completely get out of the business.”

Hechenbleikner and current Fairhaven Town Administrator Mark Rees were the two finalists for the position, said Alisa Brewer, chair of the select board.

The board started its negotiations with Rees with the understanding that Hechenbleikner would be selected if negotiations failed, said Brewer.

“We thought they were both really well-qualified,” she said. “I think the only difference came down to my concern that (Rees) was looking for a full-time job.”

Rees was offered the job in Fairhaven during negotiations with the

board.

Hechenbleiker “luckily” was still available, Brewer said.

The board examined the time that applicants had to devote to Amherst and their skill level, she said. The board members considered internal candidates, including Ziomek, before outside applicants.

The board also wanted to give members of the town government community time to heal from the loss of Musante, she said.

Ziomek said that the demands the job placed on he and his family were too much for him to continue in the position.

Ziomek was part of the Interim Town Manager Preliminary Screening Committee, the group that interviewed Hechenbleikner.

“I think [Hechenbleikner] brings a tremendous amount of experience and a broad skill set to the job,” Ziomek said.

The search for a temporary replacement, which is a less formal process than looking for a permanent town manager, took a couple of weeks in late autumn 2015, she said.

The board ended up with a small applicant pool, as the number of people who are interested in a temporary professional position in Western Massachusetts is low, she said.

“This is somebody we believe has the skills to fill in gaps while we’re waiting for the next town manager,” she said. Brewer described the role of a temporary town manager as more of a “caretaker” position.

“It’s a good situation. see

MANAGER on page 2

News@DailyCollegian.com

Snow-swept scenery

Amherst elects new temporary Town Manager

Interim role will serve as caretaker

Serving the UMass community since 1890

SHANNON BRODERICK/COLLEGIAN

Students pass through a near-empty campus at the University of Massachusetts following a snowstorm Monday.

Student groups gear up for MA primary RSOs host voter registration drives

By Hannah Depin Collegian Correspondent The fast-approaching Massachusetts primary, scheduled for March 1, has brought an increased wave of political participation to the University of Massachusetts.

Liberal and conservative student organizations alike are scrambling in an effort to make their peers rally for candidates and register to vote.

Attendance at the weekly meetings for the UMass Democrats, a student group dedicated to Democratic politics, has risen since last fall, according to the group’s presi-

dent Michael Hout.

“The club follows a pattern where every presidential election cycle, our attendance rises,” Hout said.

Last Wednesday, 30 to 40 students from UMass, Mt. Holyoke College, Smith College and Amherst College attended UMass Democrats meeting in the Commonwealth Honors College Events Hall.

But with members split between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, the club will not officially endorse a candidate until the Democratic nomination is announced.

“That’s always been the group’s position,” said Pat Ingersoll, a junior legal studies and political science major.

However, members are vocal about which candidate

they support, and the club promotes volunteering opportunities for both the Clinton and Sanders campaigns.

“A lot of our purpose has been to get UMass students to New Hampshire,” said treasurer Reily Connaughton.

Small groups of UMass Democrats students canvassed for both Clinton and Sanders in New Hampshire last weekend, ahead of the Feb. 9 primary in that state.

Apart from UMass Democrats, Connaughton is involved with UMass for Hillary, a group that brings UMass and Five College students together to encourage young voters to “reconsider Hillary Clinton.”

According to Connaughton, Clinton supporters have gone

to New Hampshire to canvas “as many weekends as possible,” and the group will “hopefully be doing more and more” volunteering if Clinton wins the nomination.

As previously reported by the Daily Collegian, the group UMass for Bernie Sanders has launched a dorm-storming campaign to encourage students to register to vote, and has already registered at least 400 student voters at UMass Amherst according to the group.

On Saturday night, a small group of UMass students boarded a bus to Manchester, N.H. to protest outside the Republican debate with the national organization Raise see

RSO on page 2

Berthiaume Center wins Impact of big donors has top entrepreneurship award been underwhelming, so far Isenberg program wins national prize

By Shelby Ashline Collegian Staff

The Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, located within the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management, was recognized last month as a recipient of the 2016 Outstanding Emerging Entrepreneurship Program Award.

The national award, which is given annually by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, recognizes an entrepreneurship program that has been in existence for under three years and that “reflects innovation, quality, potential viability, comprehensiveness, depth of support, sustainability and impact,” according to USASBE’s

website.

“USASBE is well-known across entrepreneurship schools in higher education,” said Bill Wooldridge, managing director of the Berthiaume Center. “So [this award] really validates what we’re doing.”

Specifically, what the Berthiaume Center is doing is creating “a culture and a climate where students can feel comfortable exploring ideas,” Wooldridge said.

“From there, our role is to, once students or faculty start a new venture or venture team, is to connect them with services and resources that they need to help them bring their venture into realization,” he continued. “Our ultimate goal is to help ventures created on this campus to get to a point of launch, to get to a point where they’re ready to go for funding, to get in front of investors and to really create their busi-

ness.”

Although the center is housed in the Isenberg School of Management, Wooldridge emphasized that its services are available for students in all majors, as well as to faculty and staff.

“Most of the students and faculty that we serve are not from the business school,” he said.

Since the Berthiaume Center’s founding during the summer of 2014 following a $10 million gift from Douglas and Diana Berthiaume, Associate Director Birton Cowden says he has seen a wide range of venture plans come through the center’s doors, “from a sock company to wearable technology to pet technology to a social enterprise around recycling in third world countries.”

In addition, Wooldridge said that “at the graduate see

BERTHIAUME on page 2

Stockpiles of cash fail to ensure wins

By Noah Bierman Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON – Money may yet prevail in this year’s presidential election, but the failure so far of big donors to propel candidates to the top of the heap has shown the limitations of even huge stockpiles of cash and put some critics of lax campaign finance laws on the defensive.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has collected more super-PAC money than any candidate, finished with less than 3 percent of the vote in Iowa, where his super PAC spent about $3,000 on television ads for every vote he won.

Although he says he hopes for a “reset” in New Hampshire, Bush has lagged badly in polls leading up to Tuesday’s primary there.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott

Walker, another early favorite of the big-donor class, dropped out four months before the first ballots were cast.

Meanwhile, two candidates who rail against big money and declined to establish their own super PACs, Republican Donald Trump and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist running as a Democrat, finished near the top of their races.

The lesson, says Richard L. Hasen, a professor at the University of California, Irvine and author of a new book on campaign spending, “Plutocrats United,” is that money remains powerful, but not all powerful.

“The simplistic idea that money simply buys election outcomes is wrong,” said Hasen. “Money can’t buy you Jeb, but it is buying you other things,” including influence at levels of government below the White House, such as Congress.

It has been more than five years since the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United and related rulings in lower courts dramatically reshaped the ability of corporations and interest groups to spend millions of dollars influencing elections. In the aftermath, huge new sums have flowed into the political system, much of it from donors whose identities remain hidden or obscured, with very few restrictions.

The presidential race had seemed to be lining up as a highly visible example of the system’s excesses, with billionaires summoning candidates to public auditions and handing out checks to super PACs established before candidates even declared that they were running.

But as anti-establishment fervor has grown, many of those billionaires have seen their money wasted.

see

DONATION on page 3

2

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

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

In 1971, legendary pitcher Leroy “Satchel” Paige became the first veteran of the Negro League to be nominated to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was inducted in August.

AROUND THE WORLD

Obama seeks double funding for Wall Street Regulators WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama will ask Congress to double funding for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over the next five years, bolstering two financial regulators that the White House sees as integral to curbing Wall Street excesses.

Obama will propose the increases in the fiscal 2017 budget blueprint that he will release on Tuesday, Jeff Zients, White House National Economic Council director, wrote in a blog post that was set to be released Monday afternoon. By 2021 the two agencies’ budgets would be twice the 2015 level, starting with an 11 percent increase for the SEC to $1.8 billion in 2017 and a 32 percent increase for the CFTC to $330 million, Zients said.

“The president will continue working to make sure that the financial system works for everyone,” Zients wrote.

“As the financial services industry continues to rapidly evolve, some in Congress have used budget limitations to hamper the agencies charged with establishing and enforcing the rules of the road.”

Republican congressional leaders already have said they’ll reject most of Obama’s budget plan, the last of his presidency. Obama will ask for substantial increases in funding for programs including community colleges, jobs for disadvantaged young people and cancer research.

Zients said additional money for the financial regulators would build on the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, the regulatory expansion enacted after the global financial crisis.

Obama will also again recommend funding the CFTC through user fees, to shift the costs for the agency to the firms it regulates. His budget will propose a fee on the biggest financial firms pegged to their liabilities, Zients said.

“We learned the hard way in 2008 just how damaging risk and leverage in the financial system can be, and we’ve done a lot to curb excessive risk on Wall Street since,” Zients wrote. “This fee is another way to further those reforms, ensuring that taxpayers aren’t on the hook for risky Wall Street gambles.”

CFTC Chairman Timothy Massad has repeatedly complained that his agency lacks enough money to carry out its responsibilities for regulating most of the derivatives market. In May, he told lawmakers that the CFTC has insufficient resources to conduct even routine inspections of exchanges and other companies it policies.

“We simply can’t get into these entities on a regular basis,” Massad said in testimony before a Senate appropriations panel. “We don’t even get to many of the clearinghouses and exchanges once a year. That is a big problem.”

SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White asked at a House Financial Services Committee hearing in November for $1.8 billion in funding for fiscal 2017. She has argued that the regulator has responsibilities that are far beyond its resources.

MCT

DailyCollegian.com

Man arrested for intent to distribute heroin Police Log: Feb. 5 to Feb. 8, 2016

By Brendan Deady Collegian Staff

Friday, Feb. 5: 1:59 p.m.: The University of Massachusetts Amherst Neighborhood Liaison, Eric Beal, met with officers and the residents of 298 Belchertown Rd. to reach an agreement on future conduct at the residence. The tenants have had officers called to their house on multiple occasions for noise complaints.

6:56 p.m.: Officers staked out the R & P Package Store at 505 West St. to run ID compliance checks. Police examined 17 separate IDs and found no violations of sale to underage customers.

9:46 p.m.: Officers responded to a call of a suspicious vehicle around Puffers Pond.

The officers approached the vehicle and discovered the two occupants “stargazing.” He reminded the party that the pond is closed

MANAGER For some people, it’s easier to come in and clean up a mess. That’s not what we’re looking for,” she said.

Claire McGinnis, the treasurer and collector for the town, said she feels “very positive” about Hechenbleikner’s appointment.

“I have every confidence that he can steer our ship for the next three to six months,” she said.

Hechenbleikner said that he will complete essential tasks expected of the permanent role, including supporting the select board and preparing the warrant (agenda) for town meetings.

The town manager has authority over the entire municipal budget, as well as the hiring and supervising of 250 town employees in all departments, said Ziomek. He or she works closely with the select board in setting priorities for the town and must be able to communicate budget constraints effectively, according to Brewer.

Hechenbleikner will explain the town’s upcoming major capital projects, including the need to renovate Wildwood Elementary School and the desire to move the Amherst Fire Station away from downtown, Brewer said.

Hechenbleikner does not plan on taking on

RSO

at night and ordered them away.

Saturday, Feb. 6: 1:07 a.m.: Police broke up a large party of over 150 guests at 553 Main St., apt. 1, and issued five males court summonses. Four males who live at the resident received summons for unlawful noise and a nuisance house.

The fifth male received a summons for underage possession of alcohol.

1:54 a.m.: Eliza Ann Thorton, 18, of 6th and 8th St. Turner Falls was arrested on charges of leaving the scene of an accident, OUI and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Thorton allegedly crashed her Honda Civic into the guardrails near 305 Pine St., drove the vehicle off-road and reportedly abandoned the car. Police found her walking down the road away from the scene of the crash.

2:15 a.m.: Four males were reportedly shouting and smashing bottles at a bus stop near 188 East Hadley Rd. Police did not find a party matching that descrip-

continued from page 1

large projects during his tenure.

“I don’t want to start something when my involvement is not going to be productive,” he said.

He will consider how the town might improve how it works, based on his prior experience in town government. He began a memo for the incoming town manager which will detail his observations and suggested changes.

“He can give us a fresh set of eyes,” said Brewer.

The board has started its search for the permanent town manager, and has appointed a recruiter, Bernard Lynch, who will put together a profile of the ideal candidate, based on feedback from staff and community meetings.

The board will appoint a screening committee to conduct preliminary interviews with candidates in a closed session and recommend candidates to the select board.

The board hopes to have the new town manager start between late spring and late summer, depending on the situation with his or her current position, she said.

Patricia LeBoeuf can be reached at patricialebo@umass.edu.

continued from page 1

Up for 15. The group advocates for a $15 minimum wage, particularly on behalf of fast food industry workers. UMass students picketed with signs inscribed with the number 15 and the hashtag #FightFor15.

With nine Republicans still in the race, the UMass College Republicans Club “doesn’t seek to promote any one campaign,” according to group president Kyle Boyd.

Instead, the club’s 30 to 40 active members meet weekly to discuss current events in American politics. Though everyone has “diverse interests,” recent discussions have centered on the Iowa caucus and predictions for the election season.

“It’s not easy to be a conservative individual on a liberal campus,” Boyd said.

He added that the group welcomes the discussion of multiple ideas and viewpoints.

Independently from the

UMass College Republicans, Boyd will be speaking at the Feb. 9 event “Opposing Views on American Politics” in the Student Union Ballroom at 7 p.m.

The debate, hosted by the student-run debate society University Union, will feature conservative and liberal viewpoints presented

by Smith College associate professor Jim Miller, UMass Economics Professor Gerald Friedman and UMass students. The two teams will debate various issues from the 2016 election cycle, “With the polarized state of American politics, I think anything we can do to bring people closer to the middle is a positive thing,”Boyd said.

Hannah Depin can be reached at hdepin@umass.edu.

tion when they arrived.

The footage captured an individual walking out of the 5:13 a.m.: A man at 168 East store with upwards of $400 Hadley Rd. reportedly spent in stolen groceries. The incitwo hours singing starting at dent is under investigation.

3 a.m. Police received a noise complaint from one of his 8:51 p.m.: A woman called neighbors and informed the police to 88 Belchertown Rd. man to keep the noise down. for assistance. She claimed that she saw a man who 2:09 p.m.: A man used a “shot a bunch of kids in fraudulent check for $87 Fresno, Cali. a few years ago” at the Blue Marble at 191 standing outside her door North Pleasant St. Police a few days ago. The woman are investigating the matter. claimed that the gunman changed his appearance by 2:30 p.m.: Officers arrest- erasing his pimples and cuted Jacob S. Kinney, 28, of ting his hair with a razor.

Amherst on North Hadley The woman assured the Road as part of an inves- responding officers that she tigation into the distribu- was taking her medication tion of heroin that has been and refused a transport to ongoing for several weeks. Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

Kinney was found with 40 bags of heroin, an undis- 11:11 p.m.: Kyle Croushore, closed amount of cash and 18, of New Jersey was had outstanding warrants arrested near Fearing Street from the Holyoke District for possessing an open conCourt for cocaine posses- tainer on a public street and sion. He is charged with underage possession of alcopossession with the intent hol to distribute a Class A drug.

3:23 p.m.: Management at the Big Y at 175 University Dr. called police to examine security footage of a shoplifter from the previous day.

Sunday, Feb. 7:

1:05 a.m.: Police stopped two males near 977 North Pleasant St. after they witnessed the party running from a backyard with a collapsible table. The men informed the officers that they were playing a prank on a friend and returned the table without issue.

11:35 a.m.: Police stopped two individuals leaving the Big Y at 175 University Dr. for leaving the store with coffee and thin mints they did not purchase. The Big Y issued civil fines and the two were not apprehended.

Monday, Feb. 8: 1:17 a.m.: Police responded to a call from the bar “Rafters” at 422 Amity St. concerning a heavy set white male wearing a black jacket who was “lurking around outside looking for someone to fight.”

12:05 a.m.: Police issued court Brendan Deady is a Collegian staff summonses to two males memeber and can be reached at at 45 Phillips St. for unrea- bdeady@umass.edu and followed on sonable and excessive noise Twitter @bdeady26.

BERTHIAUME and faculty level, we also work with scientists and engineers that have innovations (and) inventions they’ve done in research labs,” adding that these inventors want to introduce their products and ideas to the rest of the world.

Even students who don’t intend to become entrepreneurs can receive assistance from the Berthiaume Center. Wooldridge provided an example of an artist who had a bright idea, but needed help with web development.

Cowden cited the Berthiaume Center’s wide-reaching services and uniqueness as being a key factor that set it apart from the seven other applicants for 2016’s Outstanding Emerging Entrepreneurship Program Award.

“We’re not trying to copy another model. We’re not Babson (College), we’re not MIT,” Cowden said.

coming from their residence.

continued from page 1

“We’re building what needs to be here at UMass.”

Of the seven universities that submitted written applications in September, UMass Amherst, the University of Mississippi and St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia were announced as the three finalists in November. The winner was announced at the USASBE conference, which was held Jan. 8 to12 in San Diego, California, according to an UMass press release.

“The feedback from the judges, which were the previous winners of the award, their comments were, ‘We’ve never seen a program be built so fast,’” said Cowden, who accepted the award in San Diego.

Through the Berthiaume Center, two student-run organizations with common goals have developed: the Berthiaume Student Innovators and the Entrepreneurship Club. In

addition, the center supports the BuzzBuilders marketing internships, arranges for guest speakers such as DraftKings CEO Jason Robins who visited campus in November, and organizes numerous other events, including regular idea jams.

Currently, Wooldridge describes the Berthiaume Center as “kind of a virtual center” because although there are offices, the center has no designated space to hold events, often utilizing the Integrative Learning Center. In the future, he hopes to gain a designated space.

Wooldridge also intends to implement a 10-week summer accelerator program, at the end of which students would be ready to speak in front of investors about their innovative ideas.

Shelby Ashline can be reached at sashline@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Shelby_Ashline.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

Rubio’s debate trouble gives struggling candidates hope Chris Christe leads attack on FL. Sen.

By Michael C. Bender and James Nash Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON – The final weekend before New Hampshire’s first-in-thenation presidential primary was a steady one for long-time front-runners Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. But a trio of governors who need strong showings Tuesday to revive their campaigns have one big reason to feel bullish: Marco Rubio.

The Florida senator, who surged to second place in polls after a coming in third in the Iowa caucuses, spent Sunday trying to extinguish a political brushfire after he delivered the same canned answer three times within a matter of minutes at Saturday’s presidential debate.

Standing to gain most would appear to be New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who initiated the line of questioning that stumped Rubio and who has held more New Hampshire events than any other Republican, according to a tally from the New England Cable Network.

He had fallen to just 6 percent in a new Monmouth University Poll released Sunday but taken before the debate, far behind fellow establishment candidates Rubio, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor.

“In New Hampshire, voters are tuned in and paying attention, so what happened on that stage is important and will definitely impact the outcome of the vote,” said Jennifer Horn, chairwoman of the New Hampshire Republican Party.

Rubio’s stumble, perhaps the worst of his campaign so far, came at a crucial time. Not only was he showing signs that he may be the candidate to finally coalesce the party’s establishment wing, but he had shown in Iowa that he was attractive to Republicans deciding in the final week before the caucuses.

According to a new Monmouth University Poll released Sunday, barely half of the likely Republican voters – 49 percent – say they’ve made up their minds ahead of Tuesday’s voting. The rest remained open to switching candidates or said they have yet to decide.

“I said I would engage at the time and place of my choosing,” Christie said during a town hall in Hampton. “I engaged last night, and how do you think it went?”

His audience erupted in applause, and one woman yelled, “Great job last night.”

While Donald Trump has led in New Hampshire polls for weeks and pulled 30 percent in the new Monmouth poll, the question of who’ll place second is far from settled.

In the poll, Kasich is at 14 percent, Rubio and Bush are at 13 percent, and Iowa caucuses winner Ted Cruz is at 12 percent, the poll found. The rest of the field is at or below 6 percent. The bulk of the poll was taken before Saturday night’s debate.

In the Democratic race, Sanders leads Hillary Clinton 52 percent to 42 percent.

Clinton on Sunday took a detour to Flint, Mich., where she said she would make a “personal commitment” to solving the city’s water-contamination crisis, and that Congress should act promptly to provide $200 million for a fix.

After getting roughed up on the debate stage Saturday, Rubio embraced the moment at a town hall on Sunday in Londonderry, suggesting that it wasn’t a flub at all.

“You know, it’s interesting that right now at last night’s debate, ‘Oh, you said the same thing three or four times,’” Rubio said, mocking the criticism. “I’m going to say it again: The reason why we’re in trouble is that Barack Obama is the first president, at least in my lifetime, that wants to change the country.”

Todd Harris, Rubio’s top strategist, dismissed attention to the shaky debate performance, saying it was a “media narrative that staying on message is a negative thing.”

“Our goal has always been to communicate our message, and stick to it,” he said.

Pat Allen, a 66-year-old semi-retired writer who is considering supporting Rubio, felt conflicted over Rubio’s stumble. “The mistake he makes is he keeps saying the same things over and over again, but they’re very good things,” she said.

Campaigning Sunday in Nashua, an upbeat Kasich said he’s always thought that the impact of debates are overestimated but is happy to benefit from what he thinks was a good outcome for him on Saturday night.

“We’re going to do really well, and I understand this bus is going to South Carolina,” Kasich told reporters outside of his campaign vehicle. He’s already announced eight events on Wednesday through Friday in state with the next primary.

Kasich is likely competing for second place behind Trump with Rubio, Bush and Christie, said Tom Rath, the former New Hampshire attorney general who has advised multiple presidential campaigns and is backing Kasich.

The Ohio governor had a good debate because he didn’t do anything to lose support and Rubio stumbled, Rath said. Any support that leaves the Florida senator isn’t going to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, may go to Christie, but could go to Kasich, he said.

“Our effort here, more than anything else, has been to demonstrate his relevance to the process,” Rath said. “We’ve got to get a vote that manifests that relevance.”

Trump, who needs a convincing win in the state to erase memories of his disappointing finish in Iowa last week, made a rare retail stop on Sunday in New Hampshire. The campaign for the former reality TV show host has mostly relied on large rallies instead of the town halls, house parties and the kind of one-

on-one contact with voters that is traditional in New Hampshire.

At a diner in Manchester, Trump ate eggs and bacon, shook hands with voters and returned to attacking the Republican establishment. During the debate the night before, he battled with a combative crowd, suggesting they were trying to make him look bad because they were donors for his rivals.

Party leaders said the audience was mostly Republican activists, not donors.

On Sunday, Trump said the Republican National Committee should have ensured the debate crowd included more students from Saint Anselm College, where the event was held.

“The kids were scalping tickets last night,” Trump said on Sunday. “I blame the RNC for this.”

Bush, the son and brother of former presidents, joked on Sunday that his “monkey brain” wasn’t capable of staying on script like Rubio, a fellow Floridian.

“I envy people that have message discipline to say the same thing over and over again,” Bush said Sunday in Salem. “Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but normally it does.”

Once a front-runner, Bush dropped in the polls after attacks from Trump and verbal gaffes on the trail. There were signs of life in recent days for him, as he’s drawn larger-thannormal crowds around the state.

The winner of the Iowa caucuses, Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas, mostly stayed out of the fray. He wasn’t expected to repeat his performance in Iowa, which depended largely on a strong showing with the state’s evangelical voters.

His campaign was looking past New Hampshire, where voters tend to prefer candidates more aligned with the Republican Party’s traditional pro-business base. Cruz is expected to find more receptive voters in South Carolina, where the contest moves next.

During a rally in Peterborough on Sunday, Cruz barely mentioned the debate the night before.

“Did you see the debate last night?” Cruz asked his crowd. “Is it fantastic that we have such an array of wonderful, talented, and dynamic Republican candidates for president?”

DONATION “Certainly, the cataclysmic arguments about super PACs, what was being said in 2010, has not come true,” said Bradley Smith, former chair of the Federal Election Commission, who advocates loosening campaign finance rules. “What I think you’re really seeing here, they’re normal. They’re citizens spending money. And some citizens are sending votes that way, and some are not.”

Trump’s prominence in the campaign is one reason that super-PAC money has had less impact than some people expected. His celebrity and wealth have allowed him to ignore many big super-PAC donors.

Like other candidates, Trump attended a December forum in Washington hosted by a group backed by Sheldon Adelson. But instead of attempting to woo the billionaire casino magnate, Trump told the assembled audience, “I don’t want your money.”

Rivals who attended the same event, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, had no qualms in seeking big checks, even as they have tried to win over Trump’s anti-establishment voters. Both men depend heavily on super PACs to fund their advertising and other parts of their campaigns.

But even Trump may not be immune from the influence of big money. His effort to win Iowa was hampered by his unwillingness to spend his own money to build the sort of get-out-the-vote operation that greatly aided Cruz, who won. But Trump may also have been hurt by a late outpouring of money from an outside group, “Our Principles Pac,” which formed Jan. 14 and spent at least $2.4 million on attacks just ahead of the caucuses, according to OpenSecrets.org.

TV and radio ads and

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

3

continued from page 1

mailers from the group drew attention to Trump’s inconsistent record on conservative issues, including abortion, and his financial support for liberal candidates. That may have held down his vote among conservatives in Iowa.

The super-PAC had to disclose its spending, but will not be required to disclose its donors until Feb. 20, nearly three weeks after the caucuses.

And there is virtual certainty that whoever emerges as the nominee in each party will depend heavily on super PACs in the general election.

Even Trump would be hardpressed to write a $1 billion check if he becomes the GOP nominee.

“We’re just in spring training here,” said Fred Wertheimer, a longtime critic of big-dollar donations who heads Democracy 21, a group that advocates greater restrictions on political money.

“When you get to the general election, one of these super PACs is going to win, and the donors of those super PACs are going to buy corrupting influence,” he says.

Still, the campaign so far has complicated the debate in unforeseen ways.

Candidates have discovered some of the practical problems super PACs can pose. Walker learned that in his race, as he could not use the money raised by his PAC to pay staff and other operating costs. When he dropped out, his super PAC had money in the bank while his campaign account was in debt.

Additionally, super PACs have to pay higher rates for television ads than candidates’ direct campaign accounts, which are subject to stricter limits on individual contributions.

Some advocates, including Wertheimer, are frustrated with Sanders for his lack of policy details when it comes

to changing the campaignfinance system he regularly derides and for the assistance he is getting from a super-PAC supported by a nurses union.

And one of the highestprofile liberal critics of big money is giving unexpected praise to Trump, for making “big money relatively controversial on the Republican side for the first time in the modern era.”

“It produced a kind of anxiety among some of these other Republicans,” said Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard professor who briefly ran for the Democratic nomination to protest the campaign-finance system. “They didn’t want to be open to that kind of attack from Donald Trump.”

Lessig said campaign finance must be seen as a bipartisan issue to force congressional action. He notes the wide gulf between Republican rhetoric this year and four years ago – when Mitt Romney, the GOP nominee and former Massachusetts governor, proclaimed that “corporations are people.”

But Trump, who was uncharacteristically withdrawn last week after his second-place finish in Iowa, sounded uncertain about whether many voters care about his stance against big contributors.

“When they go into vote, I don’t think they say ‘I’m going to vote for Trump because he’s self-funding and he’s not going to be influenced by lobbies and special interests,’ “ he said during a news conference in New Hampshire.

“It’s a very big element if you can have somebody that can actually self fund and not be influenced by bad decisions by people that are looking for themselves or looking for the company or country they represent,” he said.

Syrian forces build up border Russian airstrikes provide support

By Nabih Bulos and Patrick J. McDonnell Los Angeles Times

AMMAN, Jordan — As the Syrian Army pushes toward the Turkish border in the north, the government is also achieving major gains in strategic southern Syria near the Jordanian frontier.

Aided by Russian airstrikes, Syrian officials have vowed to close off the Turkish and Jordanian borders, long crucial conduits for opposition arms, supplies and fighters entering Syria.

On Monday, a pair of rebel-controlled towns near Dara, the south’s major city, agreed to a cease-fire with the government as part of a deal that would stop airstrikes and allow aid into the towns, according to opposition and pro-government accounts.

Meanwhile, pro-government forces in the north continued to overrun opposition-held territory in Aleppo province, which stretches to the Turkish border. The city of Aleppo, like the city of Dara, has long been divided between government and opposition forces.

The recent fighting in the Aleppo area has driven more than 30,000 Syrians toward Turkey, with more on the way, aid groups say.

But Turkish officials, who already host more than 2 million Syrian refugees, were not allowing the recent arrivals to enter the country.

Instead, Turkey said it was providing aid in camps on the Syrian side, just inside the border gate.

In Ankara, German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as the two sought new ways

to reduce the influx of Syrian and other migrants into Europe via Turkey. The German leader is under fierce political pressure at home after more than 1 million asylum-seekers were registered last year in Germany, causing social and economic strains in the heart of Europe. But neither leader offered new solutions to the problem as the numbers fleeing fighting in Syria continued to grow.

The government of President Bashar Assad has for years pursued truces — known as “reconciliation” deals — in rebel-held zones, with mixed success. Some in the opposition assail the accords as de facto capitulations, but others call them a means of avoiding further bloodshed while retaining some degree of self-governance.

The latest such agreement, with the southern towns of Ibtaa and Daael, will also see the release of detainees. In addition, the accord will allow rebel fighters and gunmen to be in charge of the towns’ security and protection, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitoring group based in England.

“Regime authorities warned the notables (leaders) during the meeting that if any government forces are targeted by the fighters in the town(s) then government forces will intervene militarily,” the observatory said in a statement.

Details of the accord in the two southern towns also appeared in a number of progovernment outlets, including Al-Manar, a Lebanese news broadcaster affiliated with Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant group and staunch Damascus ally.

Videos circulated on social

media Monday purported to show the Syrian flag being raised over public institutions in Ibtaa as part of the deal. Opposition activists, however, reported that the flag was later taken down and burned by those opposed to any agreement with the government.

The truce with the two towns gives the Syrian Army effective control of the old Damascus-Dara highway, a vital supply route that had been partially under rebel sway for more than three years.

The truce with the two southern towns comes days after government forces retook control of a pair of previously rebel-held southern towns, Atman and Al-Sheikh Maskin, both north of Dara city.

The rebel setbacks reflect a wider malaise in their ranks in the south, where, less than six months ago, the opposition seemed poised to wrest control of Dara province and its provincial capital. That offensive was reportedly backed by the Military Operations Command, a secret command center in Jordan staffed by western and Arab intelligence operatives that has provided logistical and arms support to the rebels.

But the offensive, spearheaded by a loose coalition of rebel factions named “The Southern Front,” soon floundered.

Since then, rebels in the south, once touted by Western officials as the best hope for “moderate” opposition forces in Syria, have been on the defensive Some observers contend the international operations center has largely cut back its support — an assertion vehemently denied by spokesmen for the rebel factions.

Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

“In the particular is contained the universal.”-James Joyce

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

In defense of football This past Sunday’s Super star receiver Antonio Brown, Bowl won’t be remembered one of the best players in the as one of the most exciting league, sat out after sustaining a concussion in the previLucas Coughlin ous game. In earlier years, he probably would have ignored games, but initial ratings put his symptoms and played in it as one of the most watched his team’s most important television events in history. game of the season. The This runs counter to the con- Steelers lost the game, but stant talk about the decline the fact that Brown’s health of American football, which superseded his team’s chancis alleged to be the result es shows that the NFL’s conof greater awareness of the cussion policy is headed in dangers of tackle football the right direction. and the widespread pres- We ought not delude ourence of chronic traumatic selves, however, that we encephalopathy in retired can change football in such

The art of perseverance

be made that football is in fact a social good; that the National College Athletic Association and NFL have positive impacts on communities and that playing football instills important virtues in boys and young men. If the entire structure of organized American football were to be run through Jeremy Bentham’s felicific calculus, I believe that it would grade out positively.

But I also believe this doesn’t matter. Professional football is played by adults, and the players are, or ought

We are probably all taking a class that for an entire semester. we dislike with a passion. If you’re like me, Of course, there’s other reasons to keep this statement applies to more than one taking the class, besides getting an odd sense of contentment from the misery.

Gabby Vacarelo Often it is a required course for your major.

You could take it again next semester with class. You most likely spend a fair amount a different professor, but that’s not always of your free time complaining about this possible or logical. Maybe there’s no other particular professor and their ridiculous class that works with your schedule, or perworkload or just the dreadful people in haps you just like the way it fits perfectly the class. We have all felt this same sort of into your day, or your best friend is also misery, and we will all continue to feel it taking the class and you might as well just throughout this semester. remain in agony together.

Whenever I find myself whining about For me, taking classes I hate is like a this kind of class, one of my friends is metaphor for life. I’ll be the first to admit bound to question me with a “Why are that there have been times I’ve simply you even taking it?” or attempt to corrupt given up and logged onto Spire five minutes me with the suggestion, “Just don’t go.” before my class and celebrated as I watched Yes, we all skip our fair share of classes – it disappear forever from my schedule. We although if my mom is reading this, I have all give up sometimes. We lose the girl. We never once skipped a class in my life. But lose the game. We decide not everything is for the most part it becomes a slippery worth fighting for. slope once you start skipping. You go less But in our greatest moments, we realand less, you beg your friend in that class to ize that against all odds, we can do it. We bring your iClicker with them, your grades can and we must survive whatever life start to drop. So you go. And so you suffer. throws at us, whether it is an extra boring But why didn’t you just drop the class? lecture or a rough day at work. Life is full Why did you spend day in and day out of highs and lows, and as difficult as things grinding your teeth and trying not to fall may seem now, they can only get better. asleep during this class from hell?

Keep trying your best, going to class, and Personally, I like sticking it out until the complaining your little heart out. College very end. There’s probably some part of only lasts for so long – one day you’ll be me that hopes and dreams that one day – somewhere else in the world and you’ll be maybe the next class, or the one after that glad you taught yourself the art of perse– it will get better, but in all honesty, it’s verance. primarily a pride thing. I feel a sort of satisfaction when I know that I made it through Gabby Vacalero is a Collegian columnist and can be 50 minutes of torture, three times a week, reached at gvacalero@umass.edu.

“Professional football is played by adults, and the players are, or ought to be, cognizant of the risk they are taking. No one is coercing them to take the field.” players. While the number of participants in youth football has declined, National Football League viewership has continued to dominate Nielsen ratings, garnering more viewership than anything else on television.

Still, when former players are winding up crippled or dead from the effects of their injuries, a difficult question arises: Is it moral to watch the NFL? And is it wise to play football at any level?

The abundant injuries and their harmful repercussions ought to worry even devoted football fans like myself. Men like Junior Seau, David Duerson, Andre Waters and others provide alarming reminders of the potential consequences football can have. Particularly, certain changes in how concussions are dealt with might ameliorate some of the long-term injuries.

In this year’s American Football Conference Divisional round, Steelers

a way that we can prevent serious injuries. As long as large men clad in what is essentially armor are hurling themselves at each other, some of them will find themselves hurt. Lacrosse, hockey and rugby entail similar risks; boxing and mixed martial arts probably come with even more danger.

Kids who play football expose themselves to potential injury, but are also inculcated with discipline, camaraderie and selflessness. Obviously there are examples of athletes behaving badly, but participation in youth sports is causally linked to better behavior and even better grades for young people, and football has long served as an important outlet for young men.

Those who oppose football, who think it should be banned, that kids shouldn’t play it, are for the most part arguing from a utilitarian standpoint. I would posit that there is a strong case to

Editorial@DailyCollegiancom

to be, cognizant of the risk they are taking. No one is coercing them to take the field. The millions of dollars, the fame and the option to play the game you love outweigh the risk of traumatic injury for some players. Others, like former 49ers linebacker Chris Borland, choose to walk away from the game to spare their health.

And really, that is what it boils down to: adults making choices. Every Sunday, millions of Americans choose to watch a game that they know is potentially destructive to the human body. Nearly the entire country gathered in living rooms this Sunday to watch the season’s final instance of grace, power and spectacular violence.

Despite the absence of my beloved Patriots, I chose to tune in, and in all likelihood you, dear reader, did as well.

Lucas Coughlin is a Collegian contributor and can be reached at lmcoughl@umass.edu

UMass administrators should practice what they preach “Excuse me, do you believe that all campus Student Labor Action Project and its allies, workers should make a living wage?” I asked who include students in numerous on cama student walking by. pus organizations and multiple unions, are demanding that the University stand by its Jack Danburg rhetoric and provide a living wage to all campus workers, including student workers.

“Of course I do,” she replied.

This campaign, known as the “Fight for “Can you sign this petition in support of a $15,” focuses on the plight of low wage work$15 minimum wage at UMass?” ers here at UMass and their struggles to “Oh wait, never mind, I don’t support that,” afford basic life necessities. Too often people she said, and then continued walking. describe minimum wage workers as teenag From my experience talking to students, ers who just flip burgers. This perception is most believe that all workers on campus false. should be able to sustain themselves and According to a blog from the U.S. their families, but often, they are misinformed on the issues facing UMass’s community of workers.

The University of Massachusetts is an exhilarating place to live and study. Many of us forget about the people that work hard here every day. Currently, Chancellor Subbaswamy and the UMass administration are paying poverty level wages to many of the workers that make UMass so delightfully livable.

Would Subbaswamy tell them to take an “oath of poverty” like he told graduate students earlier this fall? I would hope not.

These are the same workers who clean our Department of Labor, 89 percent of those bathrooms, maintain our buildings and land- earning the minimum wage are 20 years of scapes, and serve us food, all of which are age or older. Many of these older workers critical services to a university. already have families to support, making it This is unacceptable for a university that harder for them to live at such low wages. lauds itself as progressive and inclusive In Massachusetts the current minimum of all people. To remedy this situation, the wage is $10 per hour, while the federal govern-

ment’s is $7.25 an hour. Neither of these wages are high enough for workers to cover typical life expenses. An increase in the minimum wage to $15 would provide workers at our University a livable wage to provide for their families.

MIT’s Living Wage calculator defines a living wage as “the hourly rate that an individual must earn to support their family, if they are the sole provider and are working fulltime (2080 hours per year).” MIT calculated that in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, the hourly living wage for a family of two adults and two children, with both adults working,

compassion and inclusivity for the workers?

Paying workers living wages would show that the University truly cares about all of the people that comprise this institution.

As a student, it is disheartening to see the people who make sure the stalls and sinks are cleaned of vomit on Sunday mornings must also worry about having to pay rent or put food on the table. It is unfathomable to me that while I enjoy the benefits of a higher education, the workers standing right next me in the dining hall are oppressed by low wages. The University has not lived up to its values. It is time that UMass administration and Chancellor Subbaswamy start to practice what they preach.

Here at UMass it is time to put our values of inclusivity, care, compassion and active engagement into practice. I urge students, faculty and administration to support an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour for all campus workers. Show the Commonwealth and the nation that UMass cares about all of its people by providing them with living wages.

If you are interested in joining the Fight for $15 or fighting for workers’ rights, join would be $15.63 an hour. This wage would SLAP. SLAP meets every Thursday at 5:30 in allow them to cover necessary life expenses the Center for Education Policy and Advocacy such as food, clothing, shelter and health care. office in the Student Union, and more infor No worker on our campus that works 40 mation can be found on our Facebook page. hours a week deserves to live in poverty. The University preaches care, compassion and Jack Danburg is a Collegian contributor and can be inclusivity to its students. Where is the care, reached at jdanburg@umass.edu.

“[A living] wage would allow them to cover necessary life expenses such as food, clothing, shelter, and health care. No worker on our campus that works 40 hours a week deserves to live in poverty. The University preaches care, compassion, and inclusivity to its students.”

T H E M A S S A C H U S E T T S DA I L Y C O L L E G I A N BUSINESS ROOM

EDITOR IN CHIEF - Mark Chiarelli MANAGING EDITOR - Anthony Chiusano MANAGING EDITOR/DAILYCOLLEGIAN.COM - Kristin LaFratta

Business Manager - Omer Sander Advertising Manager - Marina Qutab Distribution Manager - Nick Gorius Advertising Manager - Nick Damren

NEWS

GRAPHICS

Production Manager - Randy Crandon Special Issues Manager -Kelley Dillon

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social Media Coordinator - Charlotte Hoff

OPINON/EDITORIAL

ARTS

SPORTS

PHOTOGRAPHY

COMICS

News Editor - Stuart Foster News Producer - Dan Mahoney

Op/Ed Editor - Maral Margossian Op/Ed Producer - Patrick Hurley

Arts Editor - Nathan Frontiero Arts Producer - Yelena Rasic

Sports Editor - Andrew Cyr Sports Producer - Philip Sanzo

Photo Editor - Robert Rigo

Comics Editor - Amy Daigle

NEWS ASSISTANTS

OP/ED ASSISTANTS

ARTS ASSISTANTS

SPORTS ASSISTANTS

PHOTO ASSISTANTS

GRAPHICS ASSISTANTS

Shelby Ashline Brendan Deady Patricia LeBoeuf Marie MacCune

Lucas Coughlin Steven Gillard Ian Hagerty Jessica Primavera

Yelena Rasic Annamarie Wadiak

Adam Aucoin Ross Gienieczko Jason Kates Nicholas Souza

PRODUCTION CREW on staff for this issue

NIGHT EDITOR - Kristin LaFratta COPY EDITOR - Ian Hagerty NEWS DESK EDITOR - Brendan Deady OP/ED DESK EDITOR - Lucas Coughlin

Shannon Broderick Judith Gibson-Okunieff

Grace Benhamroun Caroline O’Connor Maxwell Zaleski

ARTS DESK EDITOR - Yelena Rasic SPORTS DESK EDITOR -Ross Gienieczko COMICS DESK EDITOR - Amy Daigle GRAPHICS DESK EDITOR - Grace Benhamroun WEB PRODUCTION MANAGER - Dan Murphey

The Massachusetts Daily Collegian is published Monday through Thursday during the University of Masachusetts 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 2014, the Collegian has been broadsheet since 1994. For advertising rates and information, call 413-545-3500 or email thecollegian@gmail.com.

Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

“And the award for best liar goes to you.” - Rihanna in “Take a Bow”

Arts@DailyCollegian.com

ALBUM REVIEW

Rihanna returns to the world of pop with ‘Anti’

By Kunal Khunger Collegian Correspondent Rihanna was not an albumtailored artist. Until now.

One of the most famous and relevant women in the world, Rihanna has always been known for her singles rather than complete cohesive albums. Having released an album every year for seven consecutive years, the singles were always the highlights of what were usually very incohesive bodies of work– three smash hits surrounded by filler. “Anti” changes all that. Other than the track “Work,” featuring Drake, this is an album devoid of anything resembling a radio hit.

Rihanna wants to be taken more seriously as an artist, not just a pop star.

Clocking in at a short 43 minutes, “Anti” is a dark, brooding epic that can’t be classified in a single genre.

The record includes “Work” (a dancehall-influenced jam), “Woo,” which taps into a Yeezus-esque sound, and a cover of Tame Impala’s “New Friends, Same Old Mistakes.”

Usually when an album lacks a strong cohesive feel, it’s a death sentence, but in Rihanna’s case, it works to her advantage. At this stage in her career, Rihanna momentously needs to display a form of versatility and a sense of purpose in her music.

serves to make the music more compelling.

In spite of Rihanna being one of the most popular women on the planet, this album serves to lower the pedestal she’s been standing on and makes her seem like a normal person. She drunkcalls a boy in “Higher,” craves attention in the frustratingly short “James Joint,” and even snarls “Didn’t they tell you I’m a savage?” in the grimy DJ Mustard- produced “Needed Me.” The arc running through this album portrays Rihanna’s multifaceted personality and how she can go from ruthless to lonely at the drop of a hat.

Undoubtedly, this is the clearest look we’ve ever had into Rihanna’s world.

The question everyone is asking is, was “Anti” worth the three-year wait and the constant album delays? The answer is a resounding yes.

“Anti” is the best album Rihanna has ever released.

It was made for her, not the radio. While this will disapCELEBRITYABC/FLICKR point many longtime fans, After a three-year wait, Rihanna makes her biggest artistic statement to date with the release of an album where she is a credited writer on each track. any lover of good music will appreciate the direction she For most of her reign, effort to make this body of world does not necessarily through the entire record, took. Even those who usually Rihanna didn’t write the work indistinguishably hers. constitute a good album. But showcasing a lonely woman find Rihanna’s pop singles majority of her hits and has Rihanna’s name is credited Rihanna undoubtedly suc- in need of attention and affec- insufferable, this album is essentially been an industry on every song’s lyrics, and it ceeded. “Anti” is miles ahead, tion. “Anti,” like the self-titled definitely a recommended lismachine. This time around, shows. This is the album she’s in terms of quality, of any “Beyoncé,” explores inner ten. you get the sense that she been waiting her whole life to other previous releases. For ruminations and casts its was involved in every step of make. the first time, Rihanna actu- main character in a humble Kunal Khunger can be reached at the process and put in the All the individuality in the ally imbues a narrative arc and down-to-earth role that kkhunger@umass.edu.

ALBUM REVIEW

ALBUM REVIEW

David Bowie makes his death Sia’s ‘This is Acting’ a spectacle on ‘Blackstar’ is simply that: acting

By Troy Kowalchuk Collegian Correspondent

By William Doolittle Collegian Correspondent

Like Heath Ledger’s final role in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” it will be hard to ever discuss David Bowie’s “Blackstar” without also discussing his death. Released on the singer’s 69th birthday, two days before the end of his 18-month battle with cancer, “Blackstar” did not need the posthumous confirmation of intent from collaborators to feel like a goodbye record.

Like Ledger’s hypnotizing performance as the Joker, Bowie’s swansong is not a sentimental or cloying affair. In fact, it might be his most twisted, grotesque work ever– a final assertion that even in death, his career is a lesson in the power of performance art.

In 2013, Bowie ended his 10-year studio hiatus with solid comeback “The Next Day,” but that record’s nondescript rock leanings and selfreflexivity–right up to its “Heroes”harkening cover– inseparably tethered it to a reputation locked decades away. Here, the only sense of yearning for the Bowies of past years seems to come on the song “Dollar Days,” where he laments “I’m dying to push their backs against the grain / and fool them all again and again.”

That’s “Blackstar’s” charm: it’s arguably the first time he’s harkened back to the exploratory style of his 1970s peak and returned with something bold and innovative in its own regard. Whether through its masterful composition, layered writing, or sheer lack of inhibition, “Blackstar” goes twice the distance of “The Next Day” with half as many songs.

It’s impressive how cohesive “Blackstar” sounds despite the disparate origins of its songs. Two tracks originally appeared in alternate forms for a 2014 retrospective “Nothing Has Changed.” Another is the eponymous song from Bowie’s Off-Broadway musical “Lazarus,” yet “Blackstar” does not play like a compilation thanks to a tight backing band and finessed instrumentation that dabbles in both experimental jazz and art rock. The saxophone, Bowie’s first instrument, plays a particularly versatile role in uniting

JOHAN RENCK/COLUMBIA RECORDS

Bowie’s final record dazzles with bizarre, uninhibited experimentation of jazz and art rock. the songs, shifting from a menacing drawl, to a playful buzz, to a somber moan on the first three tracks.

Bowie leans into his age as well, his voice shaking and convulsing like the choreographed movements from the album’s music videos. It’s perhaps most noticeable on the rumbling, up-tempo “‘Tis a Pity She Was a Whore,” as he seems to half-whistle the title phrase before devolving into wheezy shouts as the song grinds to a close. This decayed, creaky quality ultimately works to Bowie’s advantage, especially on “Blackstar’s” title track. “I’m not a gangster, I’m not a pornstar, I’m a blackstar,” he declares, a ghastly vocoder accompanying his rasp. The iconoclastic figure established on the track isn’t exactly unfamiliar territory for Bowie, but the song’s satanic imagery and ominous keyboard drone create a far more sinister character than past personas like Ziggy Stardust or the Thin White Duke.

Last November, producer Tony Visconti cited hip-hop messiah Kendrick Lamar and unhinged punkrap trio Death Grips as key influences to “Blackstar.” While echoes of Lamar’s recent masterpiece “To Pimp a Butterfly” thread through the album’s political allusions and jazz instrumentation, the latter group’s influence is most obvious on “Girl Loves Me,” a strained, thunderous number with clattering drums and hazy strings. The lyrics are mostly sung in a fictional language from Anthony Burgess’s “A Clockwork Orange,” but one can catch glimpses

of tension with Bowie’s repetitions of “where the fuck did Monday go?”

It’s the reworked version of “Sue (Or in a Season of Crime),” however, that captures the project’s most streamlined post-rock performance, with an unflinching guitar part looping around spiraling percussion as Bowie atonally attempts to make Sue listen.

In the days since the “Lazarus” music video made “Blackstar’s” subject matter too obvious, many poured over the album’s lyrics to find further hints of Bowie’s impending fate.

Singing “Look up here, I’m in heaven” on a hospital bed is admittedly the most direct reveal. While the rest of “Blackstar” has a typical degree of artistic distancing (references to rural Norwegian villages, retellings of 17th century Ford plays), the most easily interpretable moments appear in “I Can’t Give Everything Away,” the final song of the album and of Bowie’s career.

“I know something is very wrong, the pulse returns the prodigal sons” he quivers before the song bursts into a sweeping chorus. It’s an honorable self-critique from a singer whose personal life has always felt distanced from his career. Although the song’s minor chord send-off may feel like a bittersweet goodbye, “Blackstar” as a whole is the best farewell we could have asked for– a final wink to the listener. He’s fooled us all again.

William Doolittle can be reached at wdoolitt@umass.edu.

this album was not actually written for her, but instead, she had written these songs for other artists who rejected them– hence the title, “This Is Acting.” The fact that she claims that it is acting and not genuine, makes the entire album feel insincere. It makes the happiness and progress she made seem like a mask for someone else.

The longer one listens, it becomes apparent that these works should have been on different albums.

With the same pattern of a repetitive chorus, Sia’s vocals become almost boring. For an artist with Sia’s caliber and talent to deliver an underwhelming record is shocking. The structure for each track remains static and the album becomes 12 hit songs meant for different artists.

The album features big co-writers, like Adele and Kanye West, and successful producers such as Greg Kurstin and Jesse Shatkin.

Despite the big names, it still underwhelms. For the most part, the album feels like a collection of rejected tracks that could have been a part of her previous album, “1000 Forms of Fear.”

Aside from Sia’s disconnect, the album still carries important messages and has the potential to be an emotionally moving, passionate muse for any listener. Her lyrical quality has not declined, her vocals seem stronger than ever and she still holds the power to sing and create beautiful songs, yet together it comes nowhere near the level of “1000 Forms of Fear.” Any album that followed had massive shoes to fill and “This is Acting” does not accomplish that.

It could have been exactly what Sia intended, knowing that whatever succeeded “1000 Forms of Fear” could never reach the mark she made two years ago. “This is Acting” ultimately became exactly what Sia said it was: acting. It’s up to the listener to decide whether they would like to see this album as a facade or the long-awaited resolution they needed from her.

Sia Furler has become one of the most captivating voices of the past few years. Her many ballads have a compelling, emotionallydriven sound that connects with millions. Her newest album, “This Is Acting” packs similar inspiring tracks, or so one may think.

Lyrically, nearly all of the tracks on “This is Acting” reveal a different Sia who feels depressed or alone, though not weak. Each track highlights the star’s survival and endurance that led her to success. The entirety of this narrative becomes inspiring to those who may be in the same place as her.

Sia’s music has had dark themes in the past. Songs like “Breathe Me” from her 2004 album, “Colour The Small One” have been used in numerous videos on social media for those who struggle with depression. Since then, Sia’s albums have been a mix of upbeat and depressing tracks.

“This Is Acting,” however, is consistently joyful and optimistic. No matter how troubled the problems she sang about were, she always resolved them by the end of the track. In the first single, “Bird Set Free,” the subject feels despondent and low before finding herself and her happiness. It reflects that Sia, despite her largescale fame, writes for herself, for love and not for anyone else.

As optimistic and positive as the album is, there is a feeling of repetition and inconsistency in the music. There is no connection between any of the tracks and the only thing that brings them together is the singer’s belting and lyrics. Furler writes a song, gives it a title, then continues to repeat and belt that title over and over. It can only work so many times.

What makes the tracks inconsistent is that they are all written to be singles and chart toppers from the success she has had in the past. Unfortunately, this tactic does not work for a single artist’s album.

Sia revealed in an interview Troy Kowalchuk can be reached at with New Musical Express that tkowalchuk@umass.edu.

B6

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Comics

DailyCollegian.com

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

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

Oh I wish I were a specific brand of hot dog

D inosaur C omics

B y R yan N orth N ice C lean F ight

B y S ean C lark

Omen

A bout M erpeople

B y M egan N icole D ong

aquarius

HOROSCOPES Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

leo

Jul. 23 - Aug. 22

If there are skeletons inside of us and we are already at war, does this mean the skeleton has already started?

Tired of ordinary people watching? Observe everyone’s noses instead. Take notes.

pisces

virgo

Feb. 19 - Mar. 20

Aug. 23 - Sept. 22

Make sure your worst enemy isn’t yourself.

It’s okay if you don’t fit in. You’ll find your place eventually.

aries

Mar. 21 - Apr. 19

libra

Sept. 23 - Oct. 22

taurus

Apr. 20 - May. 20

scorpio

Oct. 23 - Nov. 21

gemini

May. 21 - Jun. 21

If only you could eat whatever without any repercussions...

Please take some time to relax.

War never changes.

cancer

Sit by the vending machines. Silently judge people’s choices.

Significant other giving you trouble? It could be worse. Their best friend could be a reindeer who they pretend can speak.

sagittarius

Nov. 22 - Dec. 21

Do you ever want to warm up by a heater but the heater is by a window that has a draft?

Jun. 22 - Jul. 22

The only reason for nailpolish is to pick it off.

capricorn

Dec. 22 - Jan. 19

Erase one line on the word “Women” in order to make a sign that says “Nomen”

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

TENNIS

Minutewomen stage epic rally

SHANNON BRODERICK/COLLEGIAN

Ana Yrazusta celebrates after winning a point in a match against Providence on Oct. 15, 2015.

By Chris Marino Collegian Staff

In the Massachusetts tennis team’s most resilient performance of the season to date, the Minutewomen fought through adversity to defeat St. Johns 4-3 Sunday morning in Amherst to give the Red Storm their first loss of the season.

With UMass (3-4) down 3-1 and St. Johns (2-1) needing just one point to clinch the match, Aarzoo Malik won the No. 3 singles match in a nearly twohour back and forth contest to keep the Minutewomen alive.

Malik took the first set 6-3, while her St. Johns counterpart Olaya Inclan rallied to win the second set 4-6. In the third and final set, Malik prevailed with a 7-5 win to secure the point.

Following Malik’s momentum-swinging win, Arielle Griffin and Carol Benito jumped into action in the No. 5 and 6 singles matches. Benito tied the match at 3-3 with a 6-4, 6-1 win, Griffin clinched the UMass victory with her 7-5, 6-4 win over St. Johns’ Stephanie

Elgegren.

“St. Johns is a very good team,” coach Judy Dixon said.

“We are a team that knows how to finish, and today we weren’t far from losing. Every person competed well. We knew this was going to be a 4-3 match and it was going to be tough, and it was exactly that.”

Following a difficult start to the season that saw the Minutewomen go into the weekend with an 0-3 record, Dixon stressed the importance of the weekend matches in terms of the teams development.

“We played well and we needed this weekend to show who we are, and this team came into their own,” Dixon said. “We really needed it and we competed well today.”

As for what allowed the improved result, Dixon said it was all about the Minutewomen’s level of competitiveness.

“The difference is the competitiveness,” Dixon explained.

“We cut down on a lot of the errors and easy points and

played well as a team.”

Matches of this kind can serve as a catalyst for a team’s progression throughout the season, as the optimistic Dixon touched on repeatedly.

“Would I rather win 7-0 like yesterday or 4-3 today? Today.

One thousand times today.

The passion matters, the heart matters. These are the matches I live to coach.”

UMass sweeps LIU Brooklyn 7-0 In the Minutwomen’s first home match of the spring season, UMass got back on track with a 7-0 sweep of Long Island University Brooklyn (0-2) on Saturday afternoon to earn their first victory of the spring.

After falling in their last three matches versus Cornell, Brown and Boston College, a strong return to Amherst was much needed for the previously struggling Minutewomen.

“With LIU, I think we were happy to get home,” Dixon said. “The only team we have

lost to at home in the last three years is Boston College, so we’re a very good home team and certainly hold an advantage there.”

Although the quality of play in the 7-0 sweep was appreciated, Dixon said the match was more about getting acclimated to home court and snapping a streak of three losses in a row to start the spring season.

“LIU gave us a chance to come home and get back on track,” Dixon said.

Despite the slow start to the spring, the weekend reaffirmed how good UMass can be, and Dixon wasn’t shy about the team’s expectations for the rest of the season.

“Anything less than a conference championship is a disappointment for us,” Dixon said bluntly.

The Minutewomen will look to keep up their positive momentum next Saturday, when they travel to West Point, New York to play both Army and St. Bonaventure.

Chris Marino can be reached at

A-10 BASKTBALL

Wildcats, Colonials victorious

By Zachary Borrelli Collegian Correspondent

Davidson used a balanced offensive onslaught and hot shooting from deep to defeat Duquesne by a final score of 93-82 Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Junior guard Jack Gibbs scored 25 points to lead the way for the Wildcats (138, 5-5 Atlantic 10), making 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. Senior guard Brian Sullivan chipped in 22 points of his own behind a 5-for-8 night from beyond the arc.

Although the two guards led the way for its team, Davidson got contributions from a variety of players, including sophomore forward Nathan Ekwu, who scored a career-high 14 points on an efficient 6-for9 shooting performance.

Sophomore forward Peyton Aldridge led the game with his 11 rebounds.

For the Dukes (15-8, 5-5 A-10), senior guard Derrick Colter scored 22 points along with six assists while his backcourt partner Micha Mason had 21 points and eight assists.

Although Duquesne got great contributions from its two guards, it wasn’t enough to hold off the Wildcats efficiency from deep. The Wildcats hit on 12-of-26 3-point attempts (46.2 percent), while the Dukes launched 34 3-pointers and only made 13 of them.

Davidson outrebounded Duquesne 52-40 and snagged 21 offensive rebounds on the night. Their hard work on the offensive glass paid off, as the Wildcats scored 21 second chance points because of their dominance

CLUB HOCKEY goal game. After Doonan scored to make it 5-3, MSU responded just two minutes later to keep the pressure on and cut the lead to 5-4. Walker was replaced by senior goalie Luke Lepine following this goal.

“I felt I needed to put Lepine in at that point,” DeFazio said regard-

on the boards. Davidson also capitalized on 13 Dukes turnovers to score 21 points.

The Wildcats will host La Salle Wednesday night, while Duquesne will visit Dayton Tuesday night.

GW snaps VCU’s streak

gest shot, a 3-pointer that put his team up 71-69 with one minute, 12 seconds to play.

Sophomore JeQuan Lewis led the Rams (17-6, 9-1 A-10) with 16 points, but struggled from the floor.

The GW defense played him tough and forced him to take difficult shots, resulting in 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) shooting performance.

The Colonials look to keep the wins coming as they face another tough A-10 opponent in Saint Joseph on Wednesday in what should be a huge conference matchup. VCU will visit UMass for a Thursday night game at Mullins Center, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.

George Washington finally ended Virginia Commonwealth’s 12-game winning streak on Friday in Richmond, Virginia, defeating the Rams 72-69 to hand them their first A-10 loss of the season.

Senior swingman Patricio Garino led the way for the Colonials (185, 7-3 A-10) with a game and career-high 27 points, going 11-of-16 from the field including four made 3-pointers. Although Garino led the way for the Colonials, it was senior guard Joe Zachary Borrelli can be reached at McDonald who hit the big- zborrelli@umass.edu

continued from page 8

ing the switch. “Walker wasn’t seeing pucks well tonight and that happens, so it was nice having him [Lepine] there to come in and close out the game for us tonight.”

UMass held on for the victory even though the Red Hawks gave the Minutemen everything

they could handle in the final minutes.

Next weekend, UMass closes out their regular season schedule with a home game Saturday night against UConn on Senior Night for the Minutemen.

They’ll finish the weekend with a road matchup against Keene State on

Sunday.

“Since it’ll be their last time out here, we want the guys to give it everything they got, so hopefully they do that and we come out with the win on Senior Night,” DeFazio said.

Ryan Ames can be reached at rames@umass.edu.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

TRACK

7

continued from page 8

that he was able to run a steady pace throughout the race,” O’Brien said.

“He found a way to turn a negative into a positive and it was a great display of athletic maturity.”

The Minutemen also had several other strong performances, particularly in the distance races.

Senior Michael McNaughton also competed in the 1000 meter run and earned second place with a time of 2:30.

In the mile, junior Cory Thomas took second with a time of 4:11 and teammate Paolo Tavares followed with a fifth place finish at 4:13.

In the 60-meter hurdles, UMass had three of the top six finishers, led by senior Zack Grube with a time of 8.61 seconds. Senior teammate Kris Horn followed him at 8.90 seconds earning fourth, and sophomore Logan Cotto took fifth with a time of 9.05.

HOCKEY

The Minutemen have seen flashes from the distance, multi-event and jumping groups in particular at different points of the season. With Atlantic-10 championships less than two weeks away, they will need all performers at their best.

“Usually you do your best to bring all of the athletes around at the same time, but you don’t always have control of it, but we have a lot of groups on the team that have shined at different points in the season,” O’Brien said.

Both teams will be sending a select group of athletes to the David Hemery Valentine Invitational this coming weekend in Boston. For most athletes, this was the last meet until A-10s at Rhode Island on Feb. 20.

Nick Souza can be reached at njsouza@umass.edu.

continued from page 8

the Huskies to play UMass’ game.

“They’ve always been a good offensive team, and that’s going to be important for us to make sure that we’re minimizing their opportunities and forcing them to earn every bit of ice,” he said. “We don’t want to allow their guys to either put pucks on the rush or give them possession.”

Recording only nine penalty minutes a game, Northeastern is one of the most disciplined teams in the conference. Micheletto knows that his team will have to value that first power play opportunity, if it comes, because they don’t know if they’ll get another one.

“Both Tuesday night as well as this weekend, I think

AIC has only taken seven or seven and a half minutes a night, we’re going to have to really focus on five-on-five offense, that’s going to be the backbone of what we’re doing in all three of those upcoming contests,” he said.

“As long as we have that sense of urgency when we do get a power play opportunity that we really do value it, that’ll be a helpful mindset to have.”

Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday night at the MassMutual center, with Friday’s contest set to begin at 8:30 p.m. and televised on the American Sports Network.

Jason Kates can be reached at jkates@umass.edu and followed @Jason_Kates.

NFL

SB50 the third most watched show in history

By Stephen Battaglio Los Angeles Times

NEW YORK - The CBS telecast of Super Bowl 50 averaged 111.9 million viewers, making it the third most-watched TV program in history according to Nielsen.

The Denver Broncos’ 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers fell short of the 114.4 million viewers who watched last year’s heart-stopping finish of the New England Patriots’ win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX on NBC and Super Bowl XLVIII, which drew 112.2 million viewers on Fox in 2014.

The matchup had a great storyline with Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning possibly ending his brilliant career with a Super Bowl ring. But a tight, competitive finish is what pushes the ratings to new heights. Super Bowl 50 did not have one.

The ratings for the games peaked in the 8:30-9 p.m. Eastern half-hour with 115.5 million viewers.

While the number is off slightly from last year’s record-setter, the championship game for the National Football League retains its status as the most watched program of the year, one of the last absolutes in the fast-changing television business that has been upended by expanding viewer choices. The average price for a 30-second commercial on the game is expected to come in at

around $4.8 million.

The live video stream of the game drew 3.96 million unique viewers across Internet connected devices.

The stream, which was sold to advertisers in tandem with the telecast, had an average audience of 1.4 million viewers.

“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” scored 21.12 million viewers in its special post Super Bowl airing from 10:54 p.m.-12:01 a.m. Eastern (it aired live across the country). It was the first time a late-night program had received the coveted time slot after the game. The network achieved its intention of getting sampling for the program, which has averaged 2.9 million viewers a night in the 2015-16 TV season.

Last year, NBC used the record-setting Super Bowl XLIX lead-in to boost an episode of its hit drama “The Blacklist,” which averaged 26.5 million viewers.

Networks that choose to put established hits in the time period do so to capitalize on high advertising rates they can charge.

CBS also saw a big boost for its other late night program, “The Late, Late Show with James Corden.” A special airing, which started at 12:36 a.m. Eastern but was seen live across the country, averaged 4.97 million viewers, more than three times its season average of 1.25 million viewers.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Sports@DailyCollegian.com

@MDC_SPORTS

T R AC K & F I E L D

UMass hitting its stride ahead of A-10s

By Nick Souza Collegian Staff

The Massachusetts women’s track team took first place this past weekend at the Coach’s Tribute Invitational at Rhode Island, while the men’s team saw strong performances from several athletes at the unscored Giegengack Invitational at Yale.

The Minutewomen scored a total of 168.5 points, winning by a comfortable margin over second place Brown (140) and third place Rhode Island (117.5).

“We didn’t place people in specific events in order to score the most points, we just wanted to sharpen people up. I guess the win just came our way, and the athletes were pleased and so were the coaches,” coach Julie LaFreniere said.

HOCKEY

UMass benefited from a full complement of top performances across all events on the weekend. The goal for the coaching staff has been to build a team that is strong in all events and it is starting to pay off this season.

The top performance came from junior Kelsey Crawford in the shot put.

With a throw of 46 feet, six and a half inches, Crawford took first and set the program record in the event.

On the track, the Minutewomen had three more individuals place first in their respective events.

Junior Heather MacLean earned first place in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:07.09, which was almost a full nine seconds ahead of the second place runner.

“The coaches were actually laughing during her race, she was so far ahead of

the pack that the announcer didn’t even notice her finish, and he announced the UNH runner as the winner,” LaFreniere said.

In the 3000 meter run sophomore Colleen Sands also earned a first place finish with a time of 10:01.

Freshman Emilie Cowan in the 500-meter run took first in with a time of 1:13.07.

Her indexed time for the flat track at 1:12 would count as a school record, but due to the fact the index was recently implemented, it will not stand as the record.

The Minutewomen have displayed strength across the board at this point in the season, and LaFreniere realizes that the team has a chance to do something that the program has not done a long time.

“None of the teams at the top of the conference are

going to hand us the conference championship, but I think mentally and physically we’re in a good place and I think we have a realistic shot at winning the conference,” LaFreniere said.

Minutemen perform well in unscored meet Coach Ken O’Brien wanted the meet this weekend to be low key to take the pressure off his team. In fact, most of the athletes for the Minutemen were not running their primary events.

“I think we accomplished what this meet was going to give us, we had some pretty outstanding performances, and we were able to cover both the wow factor and consistency,” O’Brien said.

The top performance of the meet for UMass came on the track in the 1000

COLLEGIAN FILE PHOTO

Senior Ben Groleau (9) runs in a meet against Maine in April, 2015. meter run, where senior Ben Groleau came within seconds of a 29 year-old program record with a time of 2:25.

Groleau also managed to do so in the slower of the two heats of the event, and run-

By Ryan Ames Collegian Staff

JUDITH GIBSON-OKUNIEFF/COLLEGIAN

Henry Dill lays in net after Maine scored a goal during a game on Jan. 30. The Black Bears would go on to beat the Minutemen 5-4 at Mullins Center.

“For where we are right now, it’s not about the future, and I know our players will be ready to give AIC every bit of focus that they deserve.”

TRACK on page 7

UM jumps ahead early and holds on to beat MSU 5-4 Fidler, Rojas lead the way for UMass

per game. stage in the season is vital.

Minutemen coach John “We’re looking to get as Micheletto touched on sever- much wind in our sails as al aspects that will be impor- possible. We’ve had a difficult tant to succeeding offen- stretch here ourselves, some

By Jason Kates Collegian Staff sively against the Yellow of it by our own doing and Tuesday night’s match- Jackets, acknowledging that some of it from difficult situup versus American the forecheck will be a big ations that were out of our International College pres- part of the their game plan. control,” he said. “No matents the Massachusetts hock- “As we talked about on a ter who we’re playing, we’re ey team with the chance to handful of occasions, against looking at game momenrecord its first victory since every team you’re only going tum wherever we can and Jan. 2, and the opportuni- to get so many opportunities start putting good perforty to head into its weekend series with Northeastern with some much-needed confidence.

The Minutemen (7-17-4, 2-12-4, Hockey East) will go up against a Yellow Jackets team that has had similar UMass coach struggles this season, enterJohn Micheletto ing this contest with a 5-222 overall record and an to develop a 200-foot rush mances together, 60 minute 11-game winless streak.

Recently, UMass has and generate one or two performances. seen its offensive produc- offensive opportunities off of “You do that playing one tion increase, scoring a com- it,” he said. “What we need to shift at a time and if we can bined 13 goals in its last four make sure that we’re doing do that tomorrow, hopefully games. Prior to this stretch, is taking pucks away on the we can feel better about what the Minutemen could only forecheck, taking those tran- Wednesday brings in terms muster three goals in defeats sition opportunities off the of practice and whoever to No. 7 Boston University, back pressure and generat- our next opponent will be,” No. 3 Boston College and No. ing as much offense as we Micheletto added. can off of those concepts.”

While it would be easy 11 UMass-Lowell.

This should bode well Regardless of who the for UMass to overlook this for UMass, as it will go up competition is or what game and focus on the homeagainst an AIC squad that is the records may indicate, and-home with the Huskies, giving up an average of 4.1 Micheletto knows a win Micheletto doesn’t feel that goals and 38.1 shots against against any team at this is something he has to worry

see

CLUB HOCKEY

Dire straits

UMass desperately seeks win vs AIC

ning largely by himself.

“It was a fortunate occurrence that he ended up being the cutoff man for the event, and he was able to apply himself in such a way

about with his players.

“That is not a difficult situation for where we are, we’re happy to live in the moment,” he said. “Whenever things aren’t great, you’re actually trying to get your guys to worry less about the past and be more in the moment.”

He later added: “For where we are right now, it’s not about the future, and I know our players will be ready to give AIC every bit of focus that they deserve.”

Minutemen to host Northeastern Friday night Currently in dead last in Hockey East, UMass will have the opportunity to slow down a red-hot Huskies team that is now 8-1-2 in its last 11 games after defeating Harvard 5-1 in the consolation game of the Beanpot Monday night.

Micheletto acknowledged Northeastern’s balance in defense and goaltending as a catalyst for its offense to be able to produce, and believes the Huskies are feeling confident.

For the Minutemen to find success, Micheletto wants his guys to “impose a relentless pace on them” and force see

HOCKEY on page 7

In their only contest of the weekend, the Massachusetts club hockey team beat Montclair State University 5-4 Saturday night at Mullins Center Practice Rink.

Seniors Mark Fidler and Alex Rojas led the way for UMass, each recording two-point nights. Rojas had a goal and assist while Fidler dished out two assists for the Minutemen (20-6-2-2).

With UMass holding a 4-3 advantage just over halfway through the third period, sophomore Terence Doonan took an excellent pass from Rojas and deposited it into the opposing goal to give the Minutemen a two-goal lead. It proved to be the game-winning goal, and it came at six minutes, 10 seconds of the final period.

After the game, coach Mike DeFazio evaluated an uneven night for UMass.

“We could’ve played much better,” he said.

“There are some things we’ll have to be better at and will work on it practice, but a win’s a win, we’ll take it.”

The Minutemen got the scoring started three minutes, 25 seconds into the game after junior Shane Dowd put a rebound past the Red Hawks goaltender to give UMass an early 1-0 lead. Assists were credited to seniors Peter Kelly and Stephen Metayer.

Later in the period, just seconds after MSU killed off a bench minor penalty for too many men on the ice, Rojas potted his first and only goal of the evening. The initial shot from Fidler was stopped, but the puck continued to bounce around the crease until Rojas caught the rebound and stuffed it in the cage.

The fast start to the game continued for the Minutemen when junior Casey Litwack scored after

a nice feed from freshman Anthony Lespasio at 10 minutes, 42 seconds into the first. Following a dump-and-change play from UMass, Lespasio raced after the puck behind the opposing net, stole the puck from a Red Hawk defender and found Litwack all alone in front.

Litwack one-timed the pass into the net to give the Minutemen an early 3-0 lead.

The game looked all but over at this point as UMass was firing on all cylinders and outplaying MSU in every facet of the game.

Before UMass could celebrate, however, the Red Hawks responded just 33 seconds after Litwack’s goal, halting any momentum for the Minutemen.

UMass got caught in its own zone after a weak clearing attempt was intercepted by a Red Hawk forward, who proceeded to fire a wrist shot past Minutemen goaltender Connor Walker to cut the deficit to 3-1.

MSU wasn’t done, as they opened the scoring in the second period following a terrific deflection goal at 12 minutes, 26 seconds into the period to make it a 3-2 game.

UMass was on its toes at this point and the rest of the second period was a back-and-forth affair with both clubs getting quality scoring chances.

But with 50 seconds remaining in the period, senior Ryan Daigle scored a crucial goal to put the Minutemen back up by two, heading into the third. MSU got caught in its own end due to fierce fore-checking pressure from UMass, and Fidler got the puck in the corner and made a no-look pass to Daigle in the slot, who converted to give the Minutemen a 4-2 lead.

The third period had a similar start with the Red Hawks scoring a power play goal less than five minutes into the period to make it again a onesee

CLUB HOCKEY on page 7