Massachusetts Daily Collegian: April 6, 2016

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Professor discusses state of cyber Groups to hold discussion about harassment law Tuesday evening ‘Auspicious time’ to higher ed. racism discuss harassment Day-long event to be held on Friday

By BrEndan dEady Collegian Staff

A group of student run organizations, faculty and administration members have collaborated to host a day-long discussion dedicated to grassroots responses to racism within higher education. The Racial Justice Coalition, comprised of more than a dozen organizations, is dedicating Friday at the University of Massachusetts to address anti-racism and anti-white supremacy student activism on college campuses.

Participants plan to gather in front of the Student Union at approximately 11:45 a.m. for a “Racial Justice March” that will set the day’s events in motion. Marchers will then proceed to the Commonwealth Honors College Events Hall where the remainder of the day’s programs will take place.

A student activism panel that includes members from UMass, Amherst College and the University of Missouri will follow the march to CHC at 1 p.m., according to the group’s Facebook page. The current wave of anti-racist student activism can be traced back to the events that transpired at the University of Missouri in late October 2015.

At Missouri, minority

students collaborated with athletes to host a series of protests regarding their university administration’s response to a number of racially charged incidents, according to multiple media reports. The protests led to the subsequent resignation of the university system president, Tim Wolfe.

Students at Amherst College also staged their own anti-racism demonstrations in November following the developments at Missouri’s campus. A collection of student groups at Amherst College coined their movement “Amherst Uprising” after students occupied the Robert Frost Library in solidarity with students of color at Missouri, Yale University and other colleges, according to the group’s website.

Members of the UMass campus established their own campaign that culminated in a student walkout led by members of the Black Student Union and Student Bridges in late Nov. 2015. The demonstrations resulted in a response from the administration in the form of campus-wide emails, listening and discussion sessions and an expansion of the University’s Strategic Diversity Plan.

While University administration members have scheduled a number of public events to explore ways to improve diversification and have participated see

By ElizaBEth WallacE Collegian Correspondent

University of Maryland Professor of Law, Danielle Citron, delivered a lecture titled “Hate Crimes in Cyberspace” as part of the Interdisciplinary Studies Institute (ISI) 2016 Residency in the Campus Center on Tuesday.

In the wake of the recent

distribution of anti-Semitic flyers to printers and faxes to campuses across the country, including UMass, Citron discussed the prevalence of cyber harassment in society, current laws regulating it and the steps taken by private companies to combat it.

Today, unlike 2007, when Citron began working in the field, there is a greater responsiveness from law enforcement regarding cyber harassment as well as

exciting new developments in the field to discuss, she said.

“It’s definitely an auspicious time to talk about cyber harassment, which is the subject of my book,” Citron said.

Citron wrote “Hate Crimes in Cyberspace,” which was published by Harvard University Press in 2014, according to the ISI website.

Citron identified the difference between hate speech

and cyber harassment to distinguish between what is and is not protected by the first amendment.

Specifically, cyber harassment falls outside the confines of the first amendment, which makes it unprotected, she said.

“It’s not hate speech. Cyber harassment (is) … a persistent course of conduct that is targeted at a specific person … (and) is designed

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CYBER on page 2

IslamophobIa not welcome

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DANIEL MALDONADO/COLLEGIAN

Students covered Islamophobic graffiti painted onto the FAC by replacing it with a different message, “Stop the Hate,” on Tuesday, April 5.

Praise for Garland, but no Senate vote Documentary shows alleged Multiple senators met with Garland By lisa Mascaro Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — The Republican blockade of President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee shows no signs of cracking, even as senators who have met with Judge Merrick Garland find little not to like in the seasoned jurist.

On Tuesday, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine heaped praise on Garland after an hourlong private session in which they discussed the Second Amendment, executive reach and the role of the court.

“The meeting left me more convinced than ever the process should proceed,” Collins said outside her office. “I think if more of my colleagues sit down with Judge Garland, they’re going to be impressed with him.”

But neither confirmation hearings nor a Senate vote is expected. It’s a strategy engineered by Republican leaders to deny Obama’s influence on the court, but that also risks dragging the confrontation battle into the election year, when voters

will decide which party controls the Senate.

Republican senators are un der enormous pressure from conservative activists to prevent the court’s balance, now split 4-4, from tilting toward a Democratic nominee following the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

But polls show most Americans disapprove of the blockade, which will probably keep the court shorthanded well into 2017.

As lawmakers returned to Washington on Tuesday after their spring break, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., noted that all but two GOP senators – referring to Collins and Mark Kirk of Illinois –are backing his strategy to leave the vacancy for the next president to fill.

“It is safe to say there will be no hearings or votes,” McConnell said.

The political strains of the Senate’s inaction, though, have begun to show on some senators.

One other Republican, Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, had joined Collins and Kirk in calling for consideration of Garland’s nomination,

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GARLAND on page 3

Israeli manipulation of media First screening in public shown Tues.

By BrEndan dEady Collegian Staff

Approximately 80 people filed into room N251 of the Integrative Learning Center Tuesday night for the first public screening of “The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the United States,” a documentary film depicting the alleged manipulation of media narratives to garner American support for Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories.

The film was produced by the Media Education Foundation, an organization that produces and distributes documentary films and other educational resources to inspire critical thinking about the social, political and cultural impact of American mass media, according to its website. Sut Jhally, a communications professor at the University of Massachusetts, is the MEF’s founder and executive director, and and also provided testimony throughout the film.

The documentary delivered its core argument by presenting first-hand footage of the violence occurring during the Israeli occupation of Palestine, followed by testimony from a number of academics to support the points made by the clips.

The film referenced primary documents generated by the Israeli government’s public relations wing.

The underlying narrative pushed throughout the film is that throughout the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli government officials have deliberately tried to influence the framing and consequential reactions to each instance of violent conflict. The film alleges that Israel harnesses the narrative of themselves as victims of history who are only reacting to aggression from Palestinians.

The film alleges that Israeli officials employ the tactics generally used by propagandists: Manipulation of perspective, control of language, agenda-setting, repetition of favorable narratives and the eschewing of context when instances of violence occur in order to serve their own purposes.

Israeli favoritism is a phenomena concentrated within the U.S., according to the film. One segment analyzes news coverage of a particular period of fighting and reveals that Israeli standpoints were represented three times as much as Palestinian ones on American network shows. The film argues that not only were supporters of Israel given more air time, but anchors framed the questions in a way where the only logical answer is to support Israel’s justification for bombing Palestinians as an action of defense.

After a series of opinions and images were presented to argue that a media bias exists toward Israel, the documentary then traced the history of the establishment of the Jewish state.

Contributors to the documentary acknowledged that the crimes endured during the Holocaust were horrific, but said they did not justify the uprooting of an established population.

Israel was established in 1948 and immediately entered a war with neighboring Arab nations over the decision to carve a

Jewish settlement over disputed, historically religious land. After its victory, Israel experienced a period of general sympathy and was referred to as a modernday David versus Goliath.

In 1967, Israel was attacked once more over border disagreements and had victory, even increasing its land holdings by claiming territory in Egypt and Palestine. Following the war, Israel began transporting its citizens into settlements to territories previously held by Palestinians, violating United Nations security Resolution 242. The resolution bars an occupying power from relocating its citizens to solidify its claim on an area. The film alleges that Israel established martial law, violated the human rights of Palestinians and began its transition from its position as the underdog to a bully.

Here the documentary explained that the trend of applying a narrow focus to an issue regarding Israel’s actions emerged.

The narrative of human rights violations, the death

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DOCUMENTARY on page 3

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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

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

In 1722, Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia, ended a tax on men with beards.

AROUND THE WORLD

New Zealand PM to seek top UN position WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Helen Clark, the New Zealand leader who refused U.S. calls to send troops to Iraq, said she will run for secretarygeneral of the United Nations amid a global campaign to elect a woman to the world’s top diplomatic post.

Clark, 66, became the eighth candidate – and fourth woman – to be nominated to succeed Ban Ki-moon, who will finish his term later this year.

The first female elected prime minister of New Zealand, Clark led the country for nine years before becoming the first woman to helm the U.N. Development Program, which administers the global body’s poverty eradication program, in 2009.

The secretary-general position has been an exclusively male bastion since the U.N. was created in the aftermath of World War II. The next leader will be decided under a new process aimed at introducing greater transparency.

The applicants will for the first time hold informal meetings with the U.N.’s 193 nations before the 15-member Security Council recommends a candidate to be approved by the General Assembly.

A core group of U.N. member states supports the bid for a woman to be nominated, said Jean Krasno, a lecturer at the City College of New York’s Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.

“Right now, this is time for a woman after eight men – let’s move on here,” said Krasno, who chairs the Campaign to Elect a Woman U.N. SecretaryGeneral. “The timing is right because women, who have become empowered over the last couple of decades, are finally working their way up to very, very prominent positions.

So you can’t any longer hold the argument that there aren’t enough qualified women.”

The Security Council _ which includes the permanent five members of China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S. _ will start discussions over candidates in July. New Zealand is currently a non-permanent member of the council.

The other women nominees are Bulgaria’s Irina Bokova, the director-general of UNESCO; former Croatian foreign minister Vesna Pusic; and Natalia Gherman, former foreign minister of Moldova. The other four candidates are former Macedonian foreign minister Srgjan Kerim, foreign minister of Montenegro Igor Luksic, former Slovenian President Danilo Turk and former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, who is Portuguese.

Both Portugal and New Zealand are included in the “Western European and Others” grouping at the UN. Bloomberg News Distributed by MCT Information Services

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in multiple student-run events expressing solidarity against discrimination, racist incidents have continued to occur at UMass.

Multiple instances of racist, homophobic and Islamophobic speech have appeared across campus, drawing outrage and responses from University of f icials denouncing hate and pledging a proactive approach to address racism at UMass.

Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy sent an email to UMass community Tuesday in response to the latest incident, where the words “Stop Islam” was written in chalk at the Fine Arts Center.

“While we have worked together this past academic year, listening to each other and to campus guests who have shared their experiences and expertise, we must continue our efforts to create a campus community that respects everyone,” Subbaswamy said in the email.

The Chancellor’s email indicates that recent responses denouncing racism do not solve the root causes of these incidents.

“What is harder to

address is the challenging environment we are currently living in on our campus, across the country, and throughout the world. That is why we must all educate ourselves and speak up to condemn hateful acts like this one, redoubling our efforts to build a just and inclusive, safe environment here on campus and in our communities,” the email said.

The “Racial Affinity Group Dialogue” will be held at 3:15 p.m. after the student panel.

The “Stand Against Racism” event will conclude with a performance by the UMass Social Justice group SHAHA. F riday’s events are co-hosted by the Black Student Union, CMASS, the Stonewall Center, Afro-American Studies Department, Student Bridges and the Student Government Association, among others.

Attempts to contact organizers of the event for comment were not returned by the time of this article’s publication.

Brendan Deady can be reached at bdeady@umass.edu or followed on Twitter @bdeady26.

CYBER

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“In about half of the states, there are harassment and stalking laws that desperately need to be updated...They only cover harassment or terroristic threats that are sent directly to the victim.”

Danielle Citron, University of Maryland professor of law to cause and that causes substantial emotional distress, and, often, the fear of physical harm,” she said.

Throughout the lecture, Citron discussed the ability of a perpetrator to limit a victim’s ability to speak freely, effectively silencing him or her. As an example, Citron referred to Anita Sarkeesian, a feminist media critic. After numerous instances of cyber harassment by multiple perpetrators, Sarkeesian was forced to cancel a speech at Utah State University in 2014, she said.

“From a study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, … it is estimated that there are over 850,000 people who experience cyber stalking,” Citron said.

Women in their 20s most commonly experience cyber stalking, Citron said.

Thirty- percent will experience cyber harassment sometime in their 20s, she said.

According to Citron, the federal laws on this issue, while comprehensive, are

difficult to utilize due to a lack of resources and priority of other issues, such as national security, at the federal level. Approximately half the states have sufficient laws, but lack proper training of law enforcement. The other states have laws desperately in need of overhaul.

“In about half of the states, there are harassment and stalking laws that desperately need to be updated. They don’t cover abuse that is posted on third party sites. They only cover harassment or terroristic threats that are sent directly to the victim,” she said.

Websites, such as Google and Facebook, which are privately owned, are taking steps towards combatting cyber hate crimes by changing their policies, she said.

“Companies began to see themselves as platforms of citizenship. Facebook was the first to say cyber bullying was out … Google deindexed nude photos in

searches of people’s names, so long as you so certify that it is nonconsensual pornography, Cintron said.

Twitter, Reddit and Bing followed suit. Within the last six months, these companies have taken steps to clarify policies pertaining to cyber harassment and deindex instances of nonconsensual pornography, so it no longer appears when a person’s name is searched, she said. In a recent report released by Bing, the company stipulates that over 60 percent of the claims of nonconsensual pornography were validated and the nude photos were deindexed.

“If we all engage in a conversation about it, the more we can teach our kids about what it means to be a respectful citizen. It is a long set of conversations we have to have and I’m psyched that we’re doing it,” Citron said.

Tenth death in Northern Cal.

cials said.

Sacramento County health officials warned people about taking pills not prescribed to them.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration issued a public safety alert Friday warning that fentanyl-related overdoses are "occurring at an alarming rate" and urging the public to take only drugs prescribed by a physician and from a reputable pharmacy. The Sacramento-area overdose victims ranged from 18 to 59 years old and comprised equal numbers of men and women, according to the alert.

Authorities fear the rash of cases portends the move west of rampant fentanyl abuse that had largely been centered on the East Coast, its spread probably channeled through Mexican drug cartels, medical and law enforcement officials said.

In Los Angeles County, fat al overdoses related to fentanyl increased to 62 in 2014 – the most recent year for which data is available – from 42 in 2011, according to coroner’s data. While not matching East Coast levels,

the rise is troubling, officials said.

"The prescription drug issue hasn’t touched us in the same way," said Dr. Gary Tsai, medical director and science officer for the L.A. County Department of Public Health’s office of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control. "Our concern is that it will, that it’s only a matter of time."

Directors of West Coast drug treatment programs have been bracing for problems related to fentanyl, which can lower blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory function and lead to seizures, said Rachel Anderson, executive director of the Sacramentoarea needle exchange Safer Alternatives Thru Networking & Education.

Prescribed to cancer patients since the 1960s, fentanyl is the most powerful painkiller available for medical treatment, and is typically administered as a lozenge, patch or injection.

But an illegally manufactured version of the drug, often called "China White" or "Apache," has begun spreading recently.

US reacts to Miss. act on freedom Powerful opiate Fentanyl of conscience suspected in CA overdoses Gov. Phil Bryant signed law Tuesday

By Tony Pugh McClatchy Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — The national reaction was swift and strong to Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant’s decision Tuesday to sign the controversial Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act into law.

The law allows discrimination by individuals, businesses and religiously affiliated organizations that have “sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions” against transgender people, same-sex marriage and sexual activity outside heterosexual marriage.

In an afternoon call with reporters, Eric Fleming, director of advocacy and policy with the ACLU of Mississippi, said the group was examining its next move after the defeat.

“We’re disappointed,” Fleming said. “We were hoping a lot that the business community stepping up the way they did, and other people of faith and so on, would at least have him reflect on the decision.”

Fleming said the group was examining possible legal action.

In a statement, Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT civil rights organization, criticized Bryant for not meeting with LGBT people who came to the capital to protest this week.

“He refused to listen to business leaders. He refused to listen to Mississippians.

And now his state will suffer because of his ignorance and failure of leadership,” Griffin’s statement read.

“Just as we’re doing elsewhere, we will continue to rally fair-minded voters, businesses and civil rights

advocates to repeal.”

In Congress, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland issued a statement saying the law runs counter to constitutional principles.

“Every individual, every married couple and every family in America deserves to be treated with equal respect and equal dignity. I will continue speaking out against such laws and supporting efforts to prove them unconstitutional in court,” Hoyer wrote.

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, a Biloxi Republican, had expressed his support for the bill, saying in a statement that the U.S. Supreme Court decision last June allowing same-sex marriage had undermined the will of the people of Mississippi.

“Therefore, it should come as no shock that states stripped of their constitutional authorities would take actions like this to protect the religious freedoms of their citizens,” Palazzo wrote. “Enough is enough. I continue to stand strong on this issue and support the objective of this bill to protect individuals from government interference when practicing their religious beliefs.”

Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released a statement saying Bryant had “turned back the clock to a dark time in Mississippi’s past,” adding that religious liberty is meant to protect people from discrimination, not to deny civil rights and equality.

“These are the same arguments used to oppose women’s suffrage, interracial marriage, the acceptance of Asian immigrants, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the abolition of slavery,” Henderson wrote.

Correction: In an article which ran in the Daily Collegian yesterday, a quote spoken by Maddie Goldstein was mistakenly attributed to Lauren Coakley. The mistake has since been corrected online.

In an article which ran in the Daily Collegian on Monday, a member of Alpha Phi Omega misspoke when describing the relative size of their Merit Badge University. This has since been specified online.

By JosePh serna Los Angeles Times

A 10th person has died and several more have overdosed in Sacramento County, Calif., since authorities announced that a powerful opiate had hit the streets and was being sold as a counterfeit pill, officials said this week.

Two weeks ago authorities began seeing overdoses they believed were tied to fentanyl, a painkiller that is up to 100 times stronger than morphine and can be lethal in very small doses. More than a dozen overdoses were reported within 48 hours, county health officials said.

Some of the patients believed they were taking Norco, a less potent opiate, that can sell for $3 to $5 per pill, authorities said.

Since the first patients rolled into the emergency room on March 23, 42 people are believed to have overdosed on fentanyl, 10 of them fatally. Nine of the deaths were in Sacramento County and one was in nearby Yolo County, federal offi-

Elizabeth Wallace can be reached at erwallace@umass.edu.

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CA bill would create health standards for fashion models Similar laws were passed in Europe By tRAcy Seipel San Jose Mercury News SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Some say they've been told to eat only one rice cake per day to avoid gaining any weight.

Others say they swallow Kleenex tissues, or cotton balls soaked in orange juice, to fill their stomachs and stop their hunger pains.

They use laxatives and diuretics, binge and purge, or exercise to exhaustion – all to squeeze into a size 0, if possible.

These and other grim accounts from fashion models striving to stay employed are behind one San Francisco Bay Area legislator's effort to create health standards and workplace protections for professional models who, he says, face widespread and dangerous occupational demands to maintain extreme and unhealthy thinness.

"We want to make sure we are able to protect people in the workplace and make sure, quite frankly, that the images that young people see are healthy images," said state Assemblyman Marc Levine, a Marin County Democrat.

While he believes his bill is a first in the U.S., similar laws have already been passed in Europe where some say the high-stakes modeling industry requirements are the harshest.

Levine introduced Assembly Bill 2539, which he has dubbed the Promoting Healthy Images legislation, in late February. It faces its first vote Wednesday in the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment.

The bill would require that all modeling agencies be licensed with the state Labor Commission and specify that models are employees, not contract workers. It would also require that the state Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board adopt standards for models

that address issues like workplace safety, eating disorders and sexual exploitation.

Proponents of the law include current and former fashion models, health experts and social scientists long alarmed by the problem and the toll they say it has taken mostly on women, both mentally and physically. Some of the measure's supporters are expected to speak out Wednesday at a Sacramento news conference hosted by Levine.

Opponents of the proposed legislation include a number of modeling agencies, as well as the Association of Talent Agents. That group argues that they and their member agencies are committed to promoting the health and well-being of all artists, but that the bill "creates major disruption and legal confusion for state licensed talent agencies, doesn't resolve the real issue, and is unworkable."

Yet Levine said one study – done in Great Britain in 2007 – indicated that as many as 40 percent of models were suffering from some kind of eating disorder. He emphasized that the motivation behind the bill is not only to protect the health of the models _ but also that of young people who emulate or aspire to be models.

That goal, many say, is based on an unattainable measure of beauty that started to become popular in the 1960s, when the ideal women's figure catapulted from curvy to stick thin.

Media images that perpetuate a thin-at-all-costs hold on young girls _ and some boys _ has a tremendous influence on young people, Levine said.

He cited data from the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders showing that 47 percent of American girls in fifth to 12th grade reported wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures, and 42 percent of first- to third-grade girls want to be thinner. Yet the body type portrayed in adver-

tising as the ideal is possessed naturally by only 5 percent of American females.

The bill is part of a growing movement around the world to address models' workplace safety issues and related public health concerns.

In December, in an effort to prevent the use of excessively thin models, the French government passed a law requiring models to obtain a doctor's certificate confirming their overall health. And any commercial photos of models that have been digitally altered must include a disclosure saying so. The penalty for non-compliance _ from model agents to fashion houses _ is six months in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros, about $81,000 dollars.

Israel in 2012 passed a law banning underweight models, while Italy and Spain have adopted similar measures.

A December opinion piece in the American Journal of Public Health that Austin cowrote first attracted Levine's attention and helped inspire his legislation. It called on the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration to step in to regulate working conditions for professional models.

Dr. James Lock, a child psychiatrist and an expert on eating disorders in adolescents at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, said the idea behind the legislation to protect models is a good one, particularly because of the enormous pressure placed on models to conform to often unrealistic requirements that leads them to managing their weight in unhealthy ways.

However, whether or not this will change significantly the images in the media is unclear, he said, adding that the impact of those images doesn't always lead to eating disorders.

Officials investigate alleged corruption at New York PD Payments possibly given for favors

By Anthony DeStefAno AnD RoBeRt e. KeSSleR Newsday

NEW YORK — Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Police Department Commissioner William Bratton were tightlipped Tuesday about a federal probe into possible corrupt payments given to high-ranking NYPD officers by some businessmen in exchange for favors.

De Blasio refused to comment, while Bratton, who usually talks openly about corruption investigations by his internal affairs unit, acknowledged the inquiry but said there was little he could say.

“Those of you that cover us routinely understand that on these investigations we're not able to comment on them and that's an agreement with the ...,” Bratton said at an appearance in Brooklyn Tuesday.

De Blasio cut off questions related to the investigation during a news conference on homelessness, saying, “This topic, that's all we're doing today.”

But Bratton did acknowledge that one detective, identified in reports as Michael Milici, had been placed on modified assignment “for the good of the department.”

Modified status means that an officer has surrendered his gun and badge and is essentially doing desk duty.

“It's the nature of the business that always results unfortunately in investigations,” Bratton said. “We'll just have to see where the investigation goes and it's something that as you would expect we will participate in and cooperate fully with.”

Patrick V. Parrotta, Milici's attorney, didn't return a telephone call for comment.

Law enforcement sources said that the FBI and Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara were investigating allegations of corruption in the Police Department involving businessmen.

Sources familiar with some aspects of the probe who didn't want to be identified said that the federal inquiry is looking into relationships between businessmen Jona Rechnitz and Jeremy Reichberg and certain current members of the NYPD. Rechnitz and Reichberg are well-known police buffs who are prominent in Jewish philanthropy. Both have been major de Blasio supporters, with Reichberg having hosted a dinner at his Borough Park home for the mayor in May 2014, according to news reports.

The sources indicated that former NYPD chief of depart-

ment Phil Banks and correction union president Norman Seabrook have socialized and traveled with Rechnitz and Reichberg while Banks was still on the job. City conflictof-interest rules prohibit city employees from taking anything worth more than $50 from a person they knew or should have known was doing or seeking to do business with the city. Labor unions are governed by different rules that generally bar accepting anything of value from management or in return for doing business.

One person who was questioned by Southern District prosecutors, FBI agents and forensic accountants working for the Southern District several months ago said law enforcement officials were interested in the relationship between Banks and Seabrook, who paid for their overseas travels, as well as the correction union's deposit of millions of dollars of its funds in a hedge fund. The person, who did not wish to be identified, did not name the hedge fund.

A spokesman for the Correction Officers Benevolent Association declined to comment Tuesday.

Banks also declined to comment. Rechnitz and Reichberg didn't return telephone messages for comment.

GARLAND only to scale back his position in the face of political pushback that could include a primary challenge.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has faced repeated questions about his refusal to convene hearings. This week, he announced that he has invited Garland to a breakfast meeting.

The White House has always envisioned a longgame strategy that nudges senators first to take meetings, then to hold hearings and, eventually, to cast a confirmation vote.

But Democrats acknowledged Tuesday the tough road ahead as most

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

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Republican senators have been willing to stick with McConnell’s no-vote approach.

“Sadly, so far, it seems to be working,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

They pointed to the situation in Kansas, home base for the powerful Koch brothers, whose network funds many conservative causes, as influencing senators.

“They’re being reeled in, one by one, and that’s too bad,” said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the minority leader.

So far 14 senators have met with Garland, including three Republicans – Collins, Kirk and, on Tuesday, John Boozman of Arkansas, who is up for reelection in the fall.

DOCUMENTARY of Palestinian civilians, their cultures, history and attachment to the land were pushed to the side to make room for the narrative of Israel protecting itself in a hostile territory.

By supporting the narrative that Palestinians only attack Israelis because they’re evil to the core and are irrational delegitimizes the hardships experienced by its people that could shine light on the explanations of their actions, according to the film.

Following Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the massacre of Lebanese citizens by Israeli allies, a global backlash ensued.

Israeli government officials reacted by organizing a conference, “hasbara,” dedicated to shaping the presentation of events from a pro-Israeli standpoint.

The conference drew top ad and public relation executives whose sole directive was to soften Israel’s image as a victim and dedicate a branch whose purpose is to

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Collins acknowledged the difficulty of swaying her colleagues; but she also gave nod to both the quality of the nominee _ whom she called “extraordinarily bright” _ and the fluctuating nature of the political season that could leave Republicans in an even tougher position if a Democrat wins the White House and picks a more liberal nominee.

“We really don’t know what’s going to happen in this very strange political year,” she said, “so I think what we should do is follow the normal process with the nominee that has been sent up by the president, and that to me is the best way to proceed.”

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explain Israeli actions in a way that sounds justifiable.

The Israeli government repeated this course decades later when they hired public relations expert Frank Luntz, who drafted a 2009 report “Global Language Dictionary” outlining specific tactics Israel should take to influence how the public views their actions.

The report suggested Israel emphasize its role as the victim, claim Palestine is forcing its hand and avoid discussing the victims in Palestine as a way to prevent too much empathy. It advised Israeli defenders to focus on a Hamas charter dated from the 1940s that called for the killing of all Israelis.

The documentary highlighted that the current Hamas body, which is the pseudo form of governance in Palestine, has since denounced the document but that detail does not make it into the conversation whenever the topic is broached in American media.

The documentary argues

that politicians funded by pro-Israeli sources, refer to the same document to justify Israel’s continued occupation of the Gaza strip. Media outlets repeat the same phrases such as terrorism, aggression and defensive mechanisms to support a pro-Israeli reading of the situation. What is presented as objective reporting is actually the intentional exclusion of details that would provide a broader perspective on the issue, according to the film.

In the documentary’s conclusion, Jhally appears on screen to state that the real battle needs to take place in the minds of the American people. Citizens need to be illuminated to reality of the deliberate favoritism, and once shown the true picture, they will come to see the presented truth as the manipulation it is.

Brendan Deady can be reached at bdeady@umass.edu or followed on Twitter @bdeady26.

China censors coverage of ‘Panama Papers’ scandal Leak of papers is largest on record

By JonAthAn KAimAn Los Angeles Times

BEIJING — On Monday morning, when news spread that a trove of leaked documents had revealed the offshore holdings of the global elite, Chinese media joined their international counterparts in reporting the "biggest leak in history."

The Chinese reports were cautious – they did not mention that the leak, dubbed the "Panama Papers," named several top Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping. But that didn't stop the censors. That afternoon, Chinese authorities issued a circular demanding that the articles be taken down. By Tuesday, it was as if they'd never existed.

"Find and delete reprinted reports on the Panama Papers," demanded one provincial propaganda department, according to a circular leaked on Tuesday by the California-based news website China Digital Times.

"Do not follow up on related content, no exceptions. If material from foreign media attacking China is found on any website, it will be dealt with severely."

The Panama Papers comprise the biggest leak in history, involving 11.5 million documents from Panamabased Mossack Fonseca, the world's fourth biggest offshore law firm. The documents implicate a dozen current or former heads of state, as well as scores of

other politicians, celebrities and businesspeople, in owning offshore accounts that could help them conceal their wealth or avoid taxes.

Reporting on the leak involved more than 370 journalists in 76 countries, and was coordinated by the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

According to several media outlets that reported on the documents, the family members of eight current or former top-level Chinese officials have held offshore companies, including Xi's brother-in-law Deng Jiagui.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei brushed off questions about the Panama Papers at a regularly-scheduled press briefing on Tuesday. "For such groundless accusations I have no comment," he said.

China, a nominally Communist country racked by some of the world's worst income inequality, keeps the financial affairs of its top leaders a closelyguarded secret. In 2012, censors blocked the websites of Bloomberg and the New York Times after they published investigations into the fortunes accumulated by family members of the country's political elite.

Since Xi became the country's top leader in late 2012, he has overseen the most intensive anti-corruption campaign in recent history, ensnaring tens of thousands of officials from every level of the Communist Party hierarchy.

The Panama Papers are

"evidence that the anti-corruption campaign, on which (Xi's) reputation stands, is actually less thoroughgoing than he has claimed," said Willy Lam, an expert on elite Chinese politics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Lam added that although the financial dealings of Xi's brother-in-law come as no surprise – the New York Times documented them in 2014 – the leak could still effect Xi's standing. In recent weeks, a spate of open letters and domestic media articles criticizing Xi have suggested growing resistance to his authoritarian leadership style.

"The timing of this is significant, in that Xi's enemies, who are still lurking beneath the airwaves – and who we cannot exactly identify _ can use this," Lam added.

"This seems to be a god-sent opportunity to use against Xi Jinping."

By Tuesday afternoon, only one Chinese media article about the scandal remained easily searchable online: an editorial by the English-language version of the Global Times, a nationalistic state-run tabloid, which framed the leaks as an ideologically motivated attack by the West. The editorial focused on allegations against Russian President Vladimir Putin, and did not mention that Chinese officials were implicated Yingzhi Yang and Nicole Liu in the Times' Beijing bureau contributed to this report

Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

“Those who do not love me do not deserve to live.” - Muammar al-Gaddafi

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Keep your head up

Demanding free speech on college campuses

Let me just start out by a refreshing walk instead and saying this; I love my phone. appreciate the quiet of camI really do. I use Instagram, pus? Or why not head to the dining hall and stack up some Rachel Walman pancakes, place your phone in your pocket and read a book Snapchat and Twitter, and I’ve for fun? been a member of Facebook Ever since my younger sissince eighth grade. But over the ter got her own Instagram and last year, I have also noticed a Twitter accounts, she has spent worrisome trend among people our car rides silently scrollmy age and younger. Phones, ing, head down, her face lit up and especially the usage of with the blue-white of the 5.44 social media on phones, have by 2.64-inch cellphone screen. taken over the majority of our I try to engage in conversainteractionism with other peo- tion with her, and she responds with absent-minded, one-word ple and the world around us.

Just like everyone else, I do answers. I don’t blame her

“Rather, I’m saddened by the fact that our online lives have become more important than our real ones.” not want that empty bus seat next to me taken. But when it is, I am perfectly comfortable with popping in my headphones and not speaking to the stranger for the duration of the trip. At parties, as soon as I find myself on my own, I immediately pull out my phone to make sure it does not look like I’m aimless or awkward.

I do understand that through one’s phone, friends can be reached even when they are not physically present. No one wants, or likes, to draw attention to the fact that they are alone. Technology has become a great boon to human life on our planet, when used wisely and consciously.

The problem that I see stemming from the over-use of cellphones and social media is it detracts from all of the other equally engrossing things we could be doing instead. When you wake up on a Saturday morning, rather than spend two hours browsing through the 40-something Snapchat stories that have been posted the night before, or the never ending supply of trending hashtags on Instagram, why not go for

Editorial@DailyCollegian.com

for this, because I know I’m guilty of doing the same thing.

Rather, I’m saddened by the fact that our online lives have become more important than our real ones.

I do not condemn anyone who argues for the unique form of self-education that comes from social media; information is spread nowadays using hashtags and the “Live” or “Discover” categories of Snapchat, providing articles from companies such as Vox and National Geographic.

And let’s be honest, sometimes the outdoors is yucky, and you really, really just want to stay in bed this morning and look through #dessertstagram.

I only ask you to, occasionally, look up from your digital life. Take a walk through nature. Read a book. Go visit a museum. Spend car rides with your parents and siblings actually speaking with them.

Embrace and be grateful for the technology we have, but don’t forget there’s life outside of your screen too.

Free expression is not faring well on American college campuses these days. In some places, the

Chicago Tribune Staff problem is students taking grave offense at opinions that merit only minor umbrage or none at all. In others, it’s official speech codes that chill discussion. In still others, it’s administrators so intent on preventing sexual harassment that they avoid open discussion of gender-related matters.

There is a lot to be said for making people aware of the ways in which their words and deeds can do harm. No one wants to go back to the days when casual expressions of racial prejudice were common, or when women were mocked for taking places that should have gone to men, or when some professors made passes at students.

But it’s important not to go so far in protecting undergraduates that they lose the spontaneous and open interactions they need to understand the world and the society in which they live. An education that spares students from unwanted challenges to their thinking is not much of an education.

Luckily, there’s pushback against this trend. University of California regents issued a report deploring anti-Semitism but rejected demands to include all forms of anti-Zionism in the condemnation. When students at Emory University protested mes-

sages in support of Donald Trump chalked on campus sidewalks as an attempt to intimidate minority groups, the school president heard them out but took no action.

A female undergraduate at Harvard wrote an article that assailed the prevailing atmosphere there, recalling a class in which one student said “she would be unable to sit across from a student who declared that he was strongly against abortion” and a discussion in which she was rebuked for citing a Bible verse because it violated a “safe space.”

Last month, the American Association of University Professors released a report arguing that the federal law known as Title IX, which bans discrimination on the basis of sex, has been stretched to punish language and ideas that should be allowed.

It cited examples such as Patty Adler, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder who had long taught a popular sociology course called “Deviance in U.S. Society.” She was threatened by her dean with forced retirement after some students complained about role-playing exercises. The threat was rescinded but a disillusioned Adler chose to retire.

Louisiana State University associate professor Teresa Buchanan was fired, over the objections of a faculty committee, because some students complained about her use of profanity.

Students deserve to be shielded from sexual harassment by other

students or faculty members, and sexual harassment can include the creation of a climate so hostile (to women, gays and so on) that they feel threatened. But the AAUP panelists contend that the federal government defines the term so broadly, and makes it so hard to defend against such charges, that innocent people are wrongly tarred and education suffers.

“Overly broad definitions of hostile environment harassment work at cross-purposes with the academic freedom and free speech rights necessary to promote learning in an educational setting,” they said. “Learning can be best advanced by more free speech that encourages discussion of controversial issues rather than by using punitive administrative and legal fiat to prevent such discussions from happening at all.”

The University of Chicago has taken the lead in defending free speech on campus. Last year, a special committee issued a statement noting the importance of civility but upholding “the principle that debate or deliberation may not be suppressed because the ideas put forth are thought by some or even by most members of the University community to be offensive, unwise, immoral, or wrong-headed.”

We hope the administrators, faculty and students of other universities are listening.

This editorial from the Chicago Tribune originally ran Saturday, April 2.

Rachel Walman is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at rwalman@umass.edu.

Please don’t make that sound Nails on a chalkboard, a shrill fire alarm Schröder, Nienke Vulink and Damiaan and lip smacking; some people might think Denys found that the triggering sounds were all produced by humans; animal sounds Jasmyn Guzzetti and sounds made by the subject did not cause any distress. The three found that the that one of these sounds is not like the other, most common triggers were “eating-related but to me they are all the same. sounds” such as lip smacking, loud breathThe sound of someone chewing with their mouth open makes me furious. And when I say furious, I mean it. Even thinking of the sound makes me angry.

I have misophonia, which is literally “the hatred of sound.” Misophonia is a newly recognized condition which causes the sufferer to experience intense feelings of anger or disgust when they hear certain sounds.

As with all conditions, there are various lev- ing or nose sounds. Some of the sufferers els ranging from simply having a trigger but were triggered by the sound of typing on feeling no discomfort, to violent outbursts a keyboard or pen clicking; the symptoms could also be caused by watching someone when the trigger is heard.

Because this condition was only discov- perform some repetitive movement, such as ered recently, there is still little informa- someone bouncing their leg, which is called tion on it. However, a study done by Arjan misokinesia (the hatred of movement).

All of the triggers caused an immediate aversive physical reaction, which started at irritation or disgust and immediately became anger. Some of the sufferers responded to the sound with verbal or physical aggression directed at the person making the sound.

tem (responsible for emotional response).

Like most people with this condition, I had the symptoms long before I ever heard of misophonia was. It was infuriating having people around me not responding the same way to the sounds that triggered me.

I don’t know how many times I’ve told my brother to chew with his mouth closed because the sound would drive me crazy, but my mom would say “just ignore it” or “why are you so angry about that? It’s not a big deal.” To me, it was and is a big deal. It is not something I can ignore because the sound is equivalent to nails on a chalkboard to me.

But when I find people that understand and have similar triggers, it is a bonding Researchers are only just beginning to experience. I know that they are aware of understand the science behind this condi- it and that when I say that something bothtion. Early data from Margaret and Pawel ers me, they won’t just brush it off like the Jastreboff, pioneers in this field of study, majority of my peers. suggests that it could be caused by hyperconnectivity between the auditory system Jasmyn Guzzetti is a Collegian columnist and can be (responsible for hearing) and the limbic sys- reached at jguzzetti@umass.edu.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve told my brother to chew with his mouth closed because the sound would drive me crazy, but my mom would say ‘just ignore it’ or ‘why are you so angry about that?

It’s not a big deal.’ To me it was and is a big deal.”

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Wednesday, April 6, 2016

“If it were legal, I’d marry food.” - Niall Horan

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H E A LT H & F I T N E S S

Pure Barre: a challenging, inspiring exercise class Taking Pure Barre in Northampton

By Gina Lopez Collegian Correspondent As a prelude, I consider myself both moderately active and averagely healthy. I am most definitely not a dancer, and by no means a yogi. My rules regarding living a balanced lifestyle go as followed: Nothing too green and the less frequent the ab workout the better. Yet somehow, I survived my first Pure Barre class.

Pure Barre is a specific franchise in the rising fitness industry of barre workouts that is gaining attention as it expands throughout the United States.

Pure Barre combines elements of ballet, yoga and pilates in a strengthening, total body workout that is guaranteed to make muscles sore that you did not even know existed. The only equipment utilized in the class is a resistance band, a small rubber ball and a yoga mat.

Numerous other barre classes exist outside the brand, ranging in title from things like “barre conditioning” to simply “barre.” The main differences between these types of classes are the brand names and the licensing process. Pure Barre is specifically affiliated with the Pure Barre organization itself and their regulations.

A nearby location to experience a class (the place that I took a class) is Pure Barre in Northampton,

located on 63 King Street near Hotel Northampton and the Calvin Theatre.

All things considered, going into the studio I was a stew of uneasiness, especially regarding my athletic abilities to last throughout the duration of an entire 55 minute class, but I was also excited to awaken an inkling of my childhood dream of becoming a ballerina. This is the first and only activity I have ever done with a ballet bar in the room.

The outer part of the studio, where the sign-up area is, resembles a Zen garden. This area includes a shoe-storing rock bed that runs parallel to the wall with clean, simplistic light wood detailing on structures around the room. Once on the inside, the room looked like a traditional dance studio, complete with three walls of mirror and endless photographs of dancing, active and happy girls.

It would be a lie to say that the class flew by without me realizing every painful millisecond of exercise. I can, however, honestly say that in Pure Barre class I struggled through intense core, arm and glute exercises. The exercises included intense, isometric routines using nothing but a ballet bar, a resistance band, a yoga mat and a small bouncy ball. All of these moves were extremely challenging, and all actions that I would never have the will power to do on my own.

The dynamic of the group effort, the appearance and structure of the class room motivated me to keep

CHANDLER THOMPSON/FLICKR

Pure Barre is a trendy exercise class which combines elements of ballet, pilates and yoga to give exercisers a workout full of dynamic cardio and toning. going. It also helped that the class made me feel as though I was preparing for a performance or a recital It is important to credit a good deal of my resilience to the instructor, whose voice echoed that of an ‘80’s aerobics instructor, both in its enthusiastic tone and positive pitch. Her patience in reining in the weaklings – like myself – of the class by offering some much needed modifications

was nothing short of admirable. She had a way of knowing the right things to say at the right times to keep the class going and to improve our workouts.

Something else worth mentioning is the impressively chic and impossibly priced attire sold right in the studio. The clothing style looked like a cross between Athletica and Free People, and seemed to say “I can be casual, easy going

and active”, all at the same time. I applaud Pure Barr for its smart marketing tactics, putting the merchandise front and center of the store. Rather than relying on online shoppers to recognize its brand and buy the clothing, Pure Barre sells its products right in the same place it runs the business. That way, people can sign up and take classes in the same place they can buy merchandise from

those and vice versa.

My final consensus of the experience was that it was trendy enough to make me get out of bed at 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday, while also being a legitimate workout that made me feel revitalized. It even made me want to possibly reconsider my policy on ab workouts.

Gina Lopez can be reached at gmlopez@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @gina_lopezz.

MUSIC

Zayn experiments with new music styles in‘Mind of Mine’ ‘Mind of Mine’ well done, but uncreative

By Christina yaCono Collegian Staff

Exactly one year after Zayn Malik’s departure from the internationally known boy band One Direction, he released his R&B styled debut album “Mind of Mine” under his first name, ZAYN. With an album cover that has been labeled a copy of Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” and a lack of understanding basic, tasteful typography – with song titles that mix upper and lower case letters – the album doesn’t seem promising at first glance.

The album as a whole is what is to be expected of the 23 year old transitioning from upbeat pop songs about first kisses to a more mature and even over used theme about sex, drinking and drugs. Zayn wants his listeners to be conscious of the fact that he’s not the same kid that auditioned for the X-Factor six years

ago. He’s producing music different from what he has been associated with in the past.

In the first single off the album “PILLOWTALK,” Zayn sings, “Be in the bed all day, bed all day, bed all day/F***ing in fighting on/ It’s our paradise and it’s our war zone.” While catchy in its sensual rhythm, it reads like any other clichéd song about sex.

Other songs like “dRuNk,” “wRonG,” “BoRdErSz” and “TiO,” also focus on the same idea and quickly gets tiresome, especially with lyrics like, “some people are meant to be loved and others just naked” and others that explain how he wants to “take off all your clothes and watch you take them off.”

Even the most heartfelt song that perfectly hits the high notes, “iT’s YoU,” falls into the pattern of a repetitive chorus that doesn’t add as much depth to the song as it could.

Where the lyrics of many of the songs fail to deliver in creative innovation, Malik’s ranged vocals, like

that of a seasoned musician and music style similar to The Weeknd’s “Trilogy,” brings the modern and soulful album together.

In an interview in last November’s issue of The Fader, Malik explained, “there was never any room for me to experiment creatively in (One Direction).”

This record does just that by combining R&B, hip-hop, pop, electronic and even a little rock to bring a refreshing approach to his music.

Songs such as “tRuTh” and “lUcOzAdE” highlight the hazy and sometimes dark atmosphere of many of today’s popular R&B sounds. In “lUcOzAdE” Malik garbles his words together in an attempt to sound sultry, but comes off murky in the way it’s sung.

The most interesting track on the record is the soothingly calm intermission, which is a short poetic piece, sung in Urdu, an acknowledgement to his Pakistani heritage.

Although “LIKE I WOULD” was the second single, it only appears on the deluxe edition of the

ZAYN OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE

Zayn Malik’s new album includes sensual, repetitive songs that differ greatly from his previous work with One Direction. album when it should have a place on the standard edition. It’s the most upbeat song with euphoric electropop rhythm that makes it easy to dance to. Had the album provided one or two more jubilant pop-like songs such as this, it would have added a bit more vari-

ety and be more cohesive.

Making it abundantly clear that Malik is an independent person with his own ideas, thoughts and voice, the album was successful in reaching the hearts of many as seen in the numerous number one album ratings it received.

And while Malik’s voice and music production were the focal points in the album, he still has a ways to go, at least in his choice of words to allow for more original lyrics.

Christina Yacono can be reached at cyacono@umass.edu.

6

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

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DELAY

Speaking to the players it definitely hurt the team when such a big contest with the Eagles was postponed.

“Everyone was looking forward to (Wednesday’s) game because last week we didn’t have the result we wanted to,” Jennings said.

“This game meant even more and everyone was excited and prepared for it, but we’ll have to make sure we stay sharp so we are ready for them when we play them next week.

The Minutemen will get back into conference play this weekend when they take on St. Bonaventure in Olean, New York. The first game of the three game series is Friday and starts at 3 p.m.

Adam Aucoin can be reached at aaucoin@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @aaucoin34.

MCMAHON

7

MLB

continued from page 8

there are weather-related concerns looming over games it does not affect their preparation going into those games, but it may affect their focus.

“You are always working to prepare for that day and you never know what will happen with the weather, so preparation is the same no matter what.

You don’t really change preparation based on the weather,” Cassidy said.

“I think it can tend to affect the focus of the team a little bit,” Jennings added. “Everyone would rather be playing outside, so when you’re put inside, you kind of think ‘what are we doing here? We would rather be outside’ and mentally you kind of lose it a bit. We just need to stay locked in to reduce that lapse in focus.”

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

continued from page 8

Red Sox open 2016 with victory

Price gets win in debut with Boston

By Ryan Lewis Akron Beacon Journal CLEVELAND — In the coldest season-opening game in recorded franchise history, the Indians and ace Corey Kluber fell to the Boston Red Sox 6-2 on Tuesday afternoon.

The game was originally scheduled for Monday, but the low temperatures and icy conditions forced a postponement. The weather on Tuesday was dry but not much warmer, as the 34-degree weather at first pitch bested the 36-degree first-pitch temperature in 1907.

The Red Sox (1-0) struck first. In the top of the third and with a runner on first, Mookie Betts drove a Kluber offering into the bleacher seats in left field for a two-run home run.

The Indians (0-1) responded in the bottom of the fourth against Red Sox

ace David Price. Singles

by Francisco Lindor and Carlos Santana set up Yan Gomes, who just got a ground ball through the infield for an RBI single.

Aided by Santana advancing to third on Gomes’ single, Marlon Byrd tied the score at 2 with a sacrifice fly to left field.

The Red Sox knocked Kluber around in the sixth with three straight inningopening singles. The last,

by Brock Holt, gave the Red Sox a 3-2 lead. A wild pitch then allowed an insurance run to score.

In the ninth, Trevor Bauer entered the game out of the bullpen and struggled. Bauer walked the first batter he faced and then allowed a two-run home run to David Ortiz, making it 6-2. Hanley Ramirez nearly went backto-back with Ortiz but missed a home run by a few feet. Bauer eventually got out of the inning with no further damage.

But, after the tworun fourth, the Indians’

ED SUBA JR./AKRON BEACON JOURNAL

Xander Bogaerts (left) and Mookie Betts (right) celebrate the win Tuesday. offense struggled to give Kluber much support, harkening back to a recurring problem in 2015. In all, Red Sox pitchers recorded 15 strikeouts, 10 of them com-

ing from Price.

Kluber threw 5 1/3 innings, allowed four runs on nine hits and struck out five in his 2016 season debut.

NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

UConn cruises to 11th national title Huskies win fourth straight tournament

By John aLtaviLLa The Hartford Courant

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

McMahon focuses on self-improvement over wins and loses. thing that’s talked about or something that’s thought about,” McMahon said.

“This year especially we’ve been focusing much more on self-improvement, and having challenging practices and more one-on-one sessions to make sure we keep getting better.”

While the Minutewomen may not be paying much attention to it, UMass will need just one more vic-

FOOTBALL That was my role last year, now I feel like they know what I can do and we can start exposing defenses,” Nesmith added.

“They’ve come up big..,” Comis said of his receivers. “Jalen is still getting back from his injury so, it’s tough to chemistry with these guys going in an out with injuries, but it is spring ball. This is the time where we can get some chemistry between each other, and get better for camp and ultimately the season,”.

With only 10 days left until the spring game,

tory to break the record set by the Northwestern Wildcats, McMahon’s alma mater, in the American Lacrosse Conference from 2005-2011.

The Minutewomen face George Mason (7-2, 2-0 A-10) on the road in Fairfax, Virginia Friday for a spot in the record books.

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

continued from page 8

Comis believes that the Minutemen can rely on him as a leader both on and off the field. His ingame experience last season and his performance throughout spring practices this year could prove him right.

“I think after last year when I proved myself on the field, they’ve come out and they trust me on the field and in the huddle they listen to me. They trust me to go make plays.”

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

INDIANAPOLIS — In time, future generations will want to know about the man who built the castle in the cornfield, the women’s basketball program that for decades defined greatness, consistency and dedication to task.

They will look back and study his methodologies, remember the great players that passed through UConn and turned it into the model others could only aspire to imitate.

Eventually, they will turn to what happened on Tuesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in the nation’s heartland. They will call it the coronation, the day when the Huskies, for once and all, for the past and the present and perhaps the future, stood apart in their prominence.

Here is what they will say: The greatest senior class in the history of the game, and their architect, Geno Auriemma, did something no one had ever done before, not Pat Summitt’s Lady Vols, not John Wooden’s Bruins.

Led by their big three of Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson, wearing the uniform for the final time, playing with force

and determination, UConn drilled Syracuse 82-51 to win the 2016 NCAA national championship and make more history.

“This team is its own entity,” Geno Auriemma said.

Stewart led the Huskies with 24 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Tuck had 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. And Jefferson scored 13 points with five assists.

The title was an unprecedented fourth straight for the Huskies (38-0). It was their record 11th, one more than Wooden won at UCLA. And it ties Phil Jackson, who won 11 NBA titles in Chicago and Los Angeles.

The win was also the NCAA-record 151st for the class of Stewart, Tuck and Jefferson, the only trio in NCAA Division I basketball history to win four national titles.

And it affixed a bright blue bow on a sixth undefeated season that will take the Huskies into next year on a 75-game winning streak, 15 short of tying its all-time record.

They won by slipping through the tough exterior of a bold Syracuse program playing in its first Final Four.

The Orange made it this far relying on their defensive fortitude, boundless energy and timely 3-point shooting.

But even Orange coach Quentin Hillsman apparently

had a premonition when he said he thought the Huskies had forgotten how to lose.

“That’s kind of a really good thing to forget,” Gabby Williams said.

Until the third quarter, when the Orange cut a 60-27 lead to 60-43, forcing mistakes with their press, Syracuse was no match for UConn, whose desire more than matched their skill, whose solutions certainly confounded it.

Napheesa Collier was the one who ended the confounding 16-0 run with two quick baskets that restocked the lead and sent the Huskies into the fourth quarter ahead, 64-43.

After dreaming so big, waiting so long and playing so flawlessly all season, the Huskies were not to be denied.

“Those were the conversations we had,” Moriah Jefferson said of the senior class. “We knew we had the opportunity to do something special. We came into the season with a lot of great players surrounding us, so we knew our pieces were there and we had the outside pieces.”

This was their night. This was their moment, just as Stewart imagined it would be when she arrived on campus. Her class batted 1.000 in national championships _ four for four.

“Stewie, Mo (Jefferson) and I kind of talked about it

when we first came here,” Tuck said of winning four straight.

There was never any doubt about the game. The Huskies roared to a 9-0 lead in the first 3:27 using a pair of 3-pointers from Stewart and Jefferson to help build the lead.

Syracuse’s immediate response was to try to make their trademark 3-pointers _ they had 12 in their semifinal win over Washington _ but they missed their first three and the Huskies slowly built the lead.

The first 10-point lead came on a 3-pointer from Stewart with 4:12 to play in the first quarter. That made the score 18-6. The Huskies built the lead to 17 points (236) before the quarter ended with them leading 28-13.

Any hope the Orange had of tightening the deficit with pressure defense quickly faded when the Huskies were so adept at breaking it. They turned the ball over six times in the first half and shot 16-for-31 to take a 50-23 lead.

Stewart had 14 points in the half. Tuck added 13 and Jefferson had 11. And the Huskies totally controlled the boards, outrebounding the Orange, 26-12.

Syracuse was not moving the ball around well in the half, shooting only 30 percent from the field (9-for-30). It was 2-for-12 from 3 with only one assist.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Sports@DailyCollegian.com

@MDC_SPORTS

WO M E N ’ S L AC RO S S E

McMahon looks past milestone win at UM

Minutewomen HC earns 100th victory

fited from a few historically great seasons and sustained performances from players starting with the senior class of 2011, her first year, that has included players etched in the record book including Haley Smith, Kate Ferris, Sam Rush, and continued up to just last year when the class of 2015 graduated goalkeeper Rachel Vallarelli who ranks 11th all-time in NCAA for career GAA (6.77).

“When you graduate great players, and we’ve had some exceptional players, you don’t know what you’re going to have the next year after, and to see these kids come up and take on roles that are left behind, it’s a pleasure to see,” McMahon said.

By nick SouzA Collegian Staff

Massachusetts women’s lacrosse coach Angela McMahon is off to an incredible and historic start in her short tenure at UMass.

Just 10 games into only her sixth season with the Minutewomen, McMahon recorded her 100th win as a head coach, as well as tying a national record with 38 consecutive conference wins, after a 15-9 win over Duquesne Sunday afternoon.

The 38-game win streak in the Atlantic 10 for UMass started in the first A-10 game McMahon coached, and has continued throughout her time as a head coach for the Minutewomen.

“Every year we have a different team, so the challenge is more how to get them to work together and be cohesive than comparing ourselves to other teams within the conference,” McMahon said.

This focus on the process rather than wins and losses has bode well for the Minutewomen in the winloss column, as UMass’ win total has not dipped below 17 under McMahon since she began coaching in 2011.

“It’s really just focusing in on what we need to do to perform well, not really

The next step

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

Minutewomen coach Angela McMahon earned her 100th career win Sunday in UMass’ 15-9 win against Duquesne at Garber Field. of Connecticut. Her prior experience with the program helped her seamlessly transition when she returned to the helm in 2011.

“I already knew the blue How the streak started collar identity and culture McMahon served under of the team,” McMahon former head coach Alexis said. “A lot of the players Venechanos as an assistant who were already here I at UMass, before leaving had actually helped with prior to the 2008 season recruiting them before I to coach at the University left.” thinking big picture, but just trying to play to our full potential for 60 minutes and we usually come out on top when we do,” McMahon said.

BASEBALL

She wasted little time establishing a winning culture in her first three seasons posting a combined 54-8 record, which is the best record for any coach in their first three years in NCAA history.

McMahon credits the players and coaches she has had the pleasure of working with in the past five seasons with the success they have achieved

in such a short amount of time.

“We’ve had some real blue chip players come through, but we’ve also had players who started out not getting a whole lot of playing time but had great work ethics and they just stuck with it and were able to step up and fill after those players graduate,” McMahon said.

McMahon has bene-

This season for the Minutewomen has been no different from years past as they continue the culture of winning with a 9-1 start (2-0 A-10). McMahon has also done little to deviate from what has made her team successful throughout her time at UMass.

Her focus rests squarely on developing her team, and little else. In fact, her getting the 100th win and having another possible record in front of her has done little to faze her and the Minutewomen.

“I know the record exists but it’s not somesee

MCMAHON on page 7

FOOTBALL

Bad weather haults UMass Comis begins to set rhythm for fourth straight contest with new receiving corps April snow storm delays another game

“With cancellations and postponements, it’s more of a mental thing just trying to keep sharp and be ready once coach calls upon you to pitch.”

B y AdAm Aucoin Collegian Staff

When one thinks about baseball, allusions to sunshine, fresh air and sweet summertime fill the brain.

America’s pastime has always been reserved for the best weather and it’s a major part of what made baseball what it is today.

For the Massachusetts baseball team (5-11, 1-2 Atlantic 10), Mother Nature has reared her ugly all too much this season.

The bad news just kept coming Tuesday afternoon, when it was announced that the Minutemen’s matchup with Boston College (14-10, 3-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) in the first round of the baseball Beanpot tournament Wednesday was postponed due to field conditions not being up to par after an April snowstorm. The two teams will make up the game next Wednesday, April 13, at BC. For UMass this marks the fourth straight game that has been either postponed or cancelled due to weather, and the sixth time it has happened this season.

Catcher John Jennings understands the disadvantage of playing college baseball in New England and the imminent weather struggles that comes with

Tim Cassidy, UMass pitcher it.

“We’re already at a disadvantage once the season starts because a lot of the teams in our conference have already been out there on the field practicing,” Jennings said. “We’re not actually getting out on to the field until the first game of the year, while other teams have been outside practicing all year.”

Jennings realizes it’s an inconvenience, but ends up taking it in stride.

“Once the season is started and you’re in the swing of things, it can be annoying to have a setback like this, but there is nothing you can do about it,” Jennings said. “You got to just keep preparing like you would have otherwise.”

Redshirt senior Tim Cassidy was tasked with pitching for the Minutemen on Wednesday had they played as scheduled.

Cassidy has a 1-2 record on the season and has an earned run average of 5.06 in three starts.

Cassidy and the other pitchers are constantly focused on maintaining their routine and that routine can be disturbed when rainouts or cancellations

occur.

“As pitchers, we are usually on a five-day schedule,” Cassidy said. “With cancellations and postponements, it’s more of a mental thing just trying to keep sharp and be ready once coach calls upon you to pitch.”

“For me personally, the day before the start I am always thinking about that start the next day to mentally prepare myself for it.”

Cassidy continued. “When cancellations come, you have to make sure you’re remaining sharp.”

Offensively, Jennings believes these cancellations affect the hitter’s routines as well.

“It’s different hitting outside than it is hitting inside in the cage,” Jennings said. “Outside you can see the flight of the ball and get a better view of where you need to improve. When you’re inside you don’t get as accurate of a depiction of that and just in general the morale of the team is better when we’re outside.”

Cassidy and Jennings both believe that even if see

DELAY on page 7

Offense showing promise in spring

By Andrew cyr Collegian Staff

It doesn’t take too much time to notice the difference in play style between Massachusetts quarterback Ross Comis and his predecessor, Blake Frohnapfel.

Comis, a 6-foot, 208pound dual-threat quarterback has spent most of his career in the shotgun is opposite to the taller, tradition pro-style quarterbacks that UMass coach Mark Whipple has coached throughout his career, most recently the 6-foot-6 Frohnapfel.

The spring has been a learning curve for both Comis and Whipple, as the two have used this time as a way to get acclimated with each other’s tendencies before the summer practices begin.

“I think it’s different for him, but he knows that I can move around and move the pocket,” Comis said after Saturday’s practice. “He put in a readoption for me earlier in the spring so we are running that kind of stuff. I don’t know if we’ll put in more, but we are trying to adapt to each other in the pass game, as well as moving my feet in the pocket.”

Comis appeared in six games in 2015 as Frohnapfel’s backup, finishing the year 15-of-21 for

COLLEGIAN FILE PHOTO

Ross Comis (2) has taken first-team quarterback reps for UM in the spring.

177 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, said that the biggest adjustment he’s had to make this spring is the transition into being the alpha-male and on-field coach for the Minutemen at the quarterback position.

“I think the biggest adjustment is being the man. I was a leader last year, but I was behind (Frohnapfel). I learned from him. Stepping into the leadership role this year of being the number one guy was probably the biggest adjustment.”

In addition to adjusting to his leadership role, Comis has used the spring as a time to get familiar with UMass’ inexperience receiving corps. The Minutemen lost their top three receivers in Tajae Sharpe, Rodney Mills and Marken Michel due to graduation.

Shakur Nesmith is the

only player on the UMass roster to have a touchdown reception in 2015.

Nesmith finished with three of the Minutemen’s 18 total receiving touchdowns last year.

Bernard Davis and Jalen Williams, who both received redshirts last year, along with Nesmith will be the top three targets for UMass in 2016.

Williams appeared in 11 games in 2014 for 20 receptions, 307 receiving yards and four touchdowns, while Davis had two catches for 20 yards.

“I know more targets are going to be coming my way, it’s exciting now.

I just hope to make the plays when they come my way,” Nesmith said after Saturday’s practice.

“Before I was just a deep guy, taking the safety away for underneath stuff. see

FOOTBALL on page 7