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Walking in a winter wonderland
Late Night at your fingertips Freshman hopes to expand the app By Colby Sears Collegian Correspondent
JULIETTE SANDLEITNER/COLLEGIAN
Students walk through the center of campus during the second snow day of the semester.
The Late Night menu for Berkshire and Worcester Dining Commons is now just a click away, thanks to a free iPhone app created by a freshman at the University of Massachusetts. “Developing iOS applications was always something I was interested in and always planned to look further into … I just needed some idea, something I could make, that people would find useful,” said the creator, Andrew Bass. Launched in December 2014, the UMass Late Night app has been downloaded more than 1,000 times. It had a major spike in downloads – growing from about 40 each day to nearly 200 at its peak – after it was posted on the Late Night at
Berk Facebook page by the Berkshire Manager Ryan Pipczynski on Jan. 20. “Obviously it kind of came as a surprise to me,” Pipczynski said regarding Bass’ work. “He certainly took the initiative on his own which was really nice of him, and the minute I found out about it I contacted him … he’s a really good kid and I’m glad he made it.” Bass said he was “generously compensated” by Berkshire, despite not having any intentions of getting paid for the app, which is not affiliated with UMass or UMass Dining. He would not reveal what exactly his reward was, but did say it included 500 chocolate bars. “I saw that they mentioned the app on Facebook, which was surprising because I wasn’t sure what they would think of it, if they would like it, or if they would get angry. The fact see
APP on page 3
Pilot reportedly burned alive by Islamic State Jordanian army looks to punish those involved By Patrick J. McDonnell and Nabih Bulos Los Angeles Times
BEIRUT — Islamic State militants released a video Tuesday appearing to show the gruesome execution of a captive Jordanian pilot. The video shows the pilot being burned alive inside a cage, according to the SITE organization, which monitors militant websites. Jordanian state TV confirmed the death of the pilot, Lt. Muath Al-Kaseasbeh, 26, saying he had been “martyred” a month ago, on
Jan. 3. The Jordanian army issued a statement condemning the act of “this cowardly organization” and vowing vengeance. “The Jordanian army confirms that the blood of the martyr hero will not go to waste, and will punish those who killed Muath,” said the statement, read on state TV. “It will be vengeance equal to the tragedy of all the Jordanians.” Jordan’s King Abdullah cut short a state visit to the United States and was reported to be returning to Jordan. Previous Islamic State videos have shown evidence that foreign captives, including at least three Americans, had been beheaded. The pilot’s fate had become a matter of grave national concern in
Jordan, which is among the Arab nations participating in the U.S.led bombing campaign against the Islamic State group. Many analysts have said the militants’ aim is to sow dissension in Jordan, a key U.S. partner in the Middle East. Since the pilot was captured, many Jordanians have questioned Jordan’s role in the U.S.-led coalition. But his death by such horrific means could serve to unify the country in grief and anger. Speaking on state TV, Jordan’s government spokesman, Mohammad Momani, seemed to be addressing those who criticized the campaign against Islamic State. For any Jordanians “who doubted the savagery of Islamic State,
this is the proof,” he said. “He who thought they represented true Islam, then this is the proof.” He added: “Those who doubted the unity of the Jordanians in the face of this evil, we will show them the proof. He who doubted that Jordan’s response will be decisive and shaking and strong, the proof will come to them, and they will know that the anger of the Jordanians will shake their ranks.” In Washington, President Barack Obama vowed that the U.S.-led coalition will “redouble the vigilance” to make sure that the Islamic State group is “degraded and ultimately defeated.” Al-Kaseasbeh’s apparent death “indicates the degree to which whatever ideology they’re operat-
ing off of, it’s bankrupt,” Obama said, taking a break from a meeting about health care to answer reporters’ questions. “We’re here to talk about how to make people healthier and make their lives better,” Obama said. “And this organization appears only interested in death and destruction.” Al-Kaseasbeh was captured in December when his F-16 fighter crashed over northern Syria while on a mission with the U.S.-led aerial coalition. The Islamic State video depicting his death included a rambling statement from the militant group railing against Jordan’s participation see
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Harper Lee’s second A primer and debate over vaccines novel coming in July By Ellie Silverman McClatchy Washington Bureau
‘Watchmen’ expected to be released July 14 By Brittny Mejia Los Angeles Times
A recently discovered novel by Harper Lee will be published in July, her first since her acclaimed “To Kill a Mockingbird” was published in 1960. Publisher Harper announced on Tuesday that it had acquired the rights to Lee’s novel, titled “Go Set a Watchman,” which will be published on July 14. Lee said in a statement released by Harper that she completed the 304-page book in the mid1950s and it was rediscovered by her lawyer Tonja Carter last fall. The publisher plans a first printing of 2 million copies and it will also be available in an electronic edition. “After much thought and hesitation I shared it with a handful of people I trust
and was pleased to hear that they considered it worthy of publication,” 88-year-old Lee said in the statement. “I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years.” The novel is set during the mid-1950s and features many of the characters from her first novel some 20 years later. In the book, the character of Scout has returned to Maycomb, Ala., from New York to visit her father Atticus. “She is forced to grapple with issues both personal and political as she tries to understand her father’s attitude toward society, and her own feelings about the place where she was born and spent her childhood,” the statement said. Lee, who was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Ala., has grappled with issues of her own in recent years. She lost see
HARPER LEE on page 3
WASHINGTON — The measles outbreak has triggered a debate over the value of vaccines. A small but vocal group of activists argue that vaccines are harmful to children, despite the scientific community’s overwhelming insistence and evidence that they’re safe and valuable medical tools. Unsurprisingly, some potential 2016 presidential candidates have weighed in and injected politics into the debate. Here are some basic questions and answers about measles and the vaccine controversy: Q: What is measles? A: A highly contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus. Q: What are the symptoms? A: They can be similar to those of a cold with a runny nose, cough and sore throat, but also include a fever and red eyes. If they persist for two to four days, a rash will
spread over the body. Q: How do you get it? A: When a contaminated person coughs or sneezes, the disease is spread through the air and remains viable for up to two hours after the infected person leaves. People are contagious from four days before the rash through four days after it subsides. Q: Is measles dangerous? A: Complications can include pneumonia, bronchitis, irritation and swelling of the brain, ear infections and death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the most common cause of death from measles in young children is pneumonia, with as many as 1 out of every 20 contaminated children developing pneumonia. Q: Didn’t they develop a vaccine and no one got measles anymore? A: Yes, measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 as a result of vaccinations. Q: Then why are we talk-
ing about it again? A: There was an outbreak of measles at Disneyland in December, with 59 confirmed cases in California alone, 42 of which were directly linked to the Disneyland outbreak as of the end of December. The confirmed cases include five Disney employees. Q: How many people were infected across the U.S.? A: In January, the CDC found that 102 people from 14 states had measles: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington. Q: Why are vaccines suddenly controversial? A: Some people believe anecdotal evidence that vaccinations may lead to autism. A 1998 British study linked childhood vaccines to the condition, but the medical journal that published the study retracted it in 2010. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
analyzed more than 1,000 research articles in 2011 and found no evidence supporting a link between immunization and autism. A: What do the anti-vaccine activists say? Q: “The hype about ... measles reportedly linked to Disneyland has more to do with covering up vaccine failures and propping up the dissolving myth of vaccine-acquired herd immunity than it does about protecting the public health,” Barbara Loe Fisher, the co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, a leader in this movement, wrote Jan. 28. A: What do experts say? Q:The CDC reports that one dose of the measles vaccine is about 93 percent effective and two doses are about 97 percent effective. It recommends that all children get two doses. The CDC also confirms that there’s no tie between vaccines and autism.
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THE RU N D OW N ON THIS DAY... In 1996, a major snowstorm paralyzed the Midwestern United States, Milwaukee and tied an allaround record low temperature at -26 degrees Fahrenheit.
AROUND THE WORLD
Mexico
MEXICO CITY — Mexican
President
Enrique
Pena
Nieto on Tuesday named a new Cabinet-level minister to investigate whether homes that he, his finance minister and wife purchased from government contractors represented conflicts of interest. The public function minister, Virgilio Andrade, will also be charged with fighting corruption and increasing transparency, Pena Nieto said in a speech at the presidential palace in Mexico City. Bloomberg News
Netherlands
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
THE HAGUE, Netherlands
— Mutual claims of genocide brought by Croatia and Serbia that date back to the
EPA gives Obama a new reason to reject pipeline By Evan Halper Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — As President Barack Obama weighs whether to approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, federal environmental officials gave him a new reason Tuesday to reject it: declining oil prices. The Environmental Protection Agency is cautioning the White House not to rely on earlier administration findings that there will be a market for the oil from the Canadian tar sands where the project is to originate. Plunging prices in global oil markets have led the EPA to advise that the extraction of that oil may not make sense economically for energy companies if the administration rejects the Keystone proposal. Shipping the oil through more costly alternative methods just may not pencil out, the EPA says. And if the oil is never extracted, an EPA report notes, a large amount of greenhouse gases will never be released. The shift in thinking, disclosed in a letter to the State Department, where the project’s application has been in limbo for years, comes as the GOP-controlled Congress prepares to send Obama a bill that would force approval of the pipeline. A bill already approved in the Senate is expected to pass the House next week. Obama has vowed to veto
the legislation but has left open the possibility that the administration may ultimately approve the project. According to the EPA report, the project at its full capacity would release as much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere yearly as 5.7 million cars or nearly eight coal-fired power plants. “Over the 50-year lifetime of the pipeline, this could translate into releasing as much as 1.37 billion more tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere,” the agency’s report says. Market analysts began warning late last year that the declining price of oil threatens the project’s viability. But they have been careful to note that oil prices are unpredictable and would need to remain low for years to turn Keystone into a money loser. The EPA echoed that sentiment. But it also noted that oil, recently trading at about $50 a barrel, would need to go back up to at least $65 to $75 – and stay there for a sustained period – before it would make economic sense for producers to ship it by rail from the Canadian tar sands. Environmentalists cited the EPA’s findings as they continued to press the administration to reject the pipeline. “The EPA’s assessment is spot-on,” Danielle Droitsch, Canada project director at the Natural
Resources Defense Council, said in a statement. “There should be no more doubt that President Obama must reject the proposed pipeline once and for all. If built, it would transport Canadian tar sands oil – the dirtiest fuel on the planet – through America’s heartland, only to be refined and then shipped abroad.” But oil companies dismissed the latest report as a political ploy. “Suggesting that the drop in oil prices requires a reevaluation of the environmental impact of the project is just another attempt to prolong the KXL review,” Louis Finkel, executive vice president of the American Petroleum Institute, said in a statement. “Keystone XL was put forward when oil was less than $40 a barrel, so price has little impact on the project.” TransCanada, the company that wants to build the pipeline, defended its planned steps to preserve the environment and called for the administration to finish the review and approve the project. “It’s time to complete the review of Keystone XL, approve our presidential permit application and allow” this project to go forward, company spokesman Shawn Howard said in a statement.
DailyCollegian.com
Calif. reduces water usage by over 20 percent By Matt Stevens Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — For the first time in seven months of state monitoring, Californians surpassed Gov. Jerry Brown’s water-conservation goal, reducing water use by more than 20 percent in December 2014 compared to the same month the year before. The 22.2 percent statewide reduction came after months of conservation stagnation, which had prompted concern from some water officials. In August 2014, the state cut its water use by 11.5 percent, but water conservation lagged in the months that followed and leveled off around 10 percent. The encouraging cuts in water use come as the state suffered through a dry January in which San Francisco got no rain for the first time in 165 years. In a statement, State Water Board Chairwoman Felicia Marcus called the 22.2 percent reduction “welcome news.” “It appears we are entering a fourth year of drought, which is awful to contemplate, but we must,” Marcus said. “Conservation is still the smartest and most cost effective way to deal with this difficult drought.” Water officials have said Southern California’s
disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s were dismissed Tuesday by the UN’s highest court. The
ruling
International
by
the
Court
of
Justice in The Hague ends a 16-year legal battle launched by Croatia in 1999. Serbia countered with its own claim of genocide in 2010. dpa
Jerusalem JERUSALEM
—A
day
of prayer ended in mourning for members of Israel’s Negev desert Bedouin community Tuesday when eight women returning from a trip to Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem were killed in a road accident. The accident occurred when a truck transporting farm
machinery
collided
with a bus carrying about 50
women
from
several
Bedouin communities on a road in southern Israel, police officials said. Los Angeles Times
Bangladesh DHAKA, Bangladesh — At least seven people were killed and several others seriously wounded Tuesday when their bus was struck by a gasoline bomb in the deadliest attack in weeks of spiraling political violence in Bangladesh. The assault brought the death toll from the monthlong unrest to 54 people, nearly half of whom have perished in arson attacks by demonstrators seeking to impose a nationwide land and sea blockade in opposition to Prime Minister Sheik Hasina Wajed’s government. Los Angeles Times
Distributed by MCT Information Services
APP
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that they found it within a day of the semester starting and posted about it was really great,” he said. Bass is considering expanding the app’s interface, which currently displays the Late Night options available every night for both dining halls, by including an alert system that will notify users the next time their favorite food is available. He also hopes to release an Android version of the app within the month, after receiving multiple requests from students on the mobile app, Yik Yak. Although Bass has never developed an app before, he did have some coding experience from a summer internship with MITRE Corporation in Bedford in 2014. The 18-year-old Chelmsford native is an electrical and computer engineering major who recently got a position as an iOS Developer with the UMass Department of Environmental
“This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this, and it seems like people are taking very well to it.” Andrew Bass, app creator Conservation. Rebecca Bates, John Fouad, Justin Kennedy and Neal Merkl, also UMass freshmen, helped Bass think of the app’s concept and figure out how to best implement it, though Bass did the coding and developing himself. From start to finish, the creation took about a month. “This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this, and it seems like people are taking very well to it,” he said. “It’s still growing, which is really exciting.” Now that he’s made the Late Night menu more accessible to UMass students, Bass wants to do the same for Wi-Fi. He would like his next app to display where the Wi-Fi is and isn’t
working on campus, specifically the school’s Eduroam network. “One thing I’ve heard from students, including myself, is that they’ve had issues connecting to the Wi-Fi network … I’m looking to create something specifically for UMass to help college students in that way,” he said. The app would use crowdsourced data from students’ phones, showing on a map where people have successfully connected to the network and where it is down. Bass has yet to determine if students will find the app useful, but plans to develop it in the near future. Colby Sears can be reached at csears@umass.edu.
A screenshot of the new Late Night app.
large population makes the region’s water use a significant driver in the state’s overall efforts. The South Coast Hydrologic Region, which includes Los Angeles, cut its use 23.2 percent in December 2014 versus the year prior. Overall, California residents averaged 67 gallons of water use per person per day. That was down from as much as 140 gallons in June 2014. “CA is doing its part to #SaveOurWater, but the drought is far from over,” Brown tweeted Tuesday afternoon. “Careful stewardship & conservation must be our way of life.” Officials had said they were concerned that a wet winter would discourage people from conserving. “This was a wet December in most of the state, and people got the message not to water on top of the rain that is good news,” Marcus said. “Our challenge will be to keep outdoor irrigation to a minimum as we move into the warmer spring months.” Since the state water board began collecting comparative data last summer, Californians have saved more than 134 billion gallons of water - enough to supply 1.8 million California residents for a year, officials said.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
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Wednesday, February 4, 2015
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Republican-led states embracing Obamacare By Margaret Newkirk and Toluse Olorunnipa Bloomberg News
Care Act of 2010. “There’s a shift. You can feel it. You can feel that the sands are shifting.” The Republican opposition to increasing the scale of the federal program left many earning as much as 138 percent of the poverty line, about $27,700 a year for a family of three, still without coverage even as more than 15 million received benefits under the law. Medicaid is administered by states under rules set by the federal government, which is currently covering 100 percent of the cost of those who are newly eligible. That share will be phased down to 90 percent by 2020. When the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the legality of Obamacare in 2012, it ruled that the federal government couldn’t require states to add more residents to Medicaid. Some Republicans rejected doing so, saying it could leave them with soaring costs if federal funding is cut. Twenty-eight states have opted to expanded Medicaid, including 10 with Republican governors. Those considering following suit are asking President Barack Obama’s administration to waive certain Medicaid rules and allow them to create more Republicanized versions, with private insurance vouchers or nods to individual responsibility, such as premiums. The Wyoming Senate on Monday gave initial approval to an expansion after adding a requirement that enrollees must work as much as 32 hours a week. In North Carolina, Gov. Pat McCrory said he would want new Medicaid recipients to be required to look for work. The Obama administration has rejected imposing work requirements. Indiana, whose plan was
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Republican-led states that blocked Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion have found a way to embrace it, under pressure from businesses to tap the flood of federal dollars it brings. Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Haslam called lawmakers into a special session this week to consider accepting federal money to extend public health-care assistance to more of the poor. Indiana announced its expansion last week. Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming are considering it. All are adding free-market, anti-welfare embellishments that backers say distance the proposals from a federal program they once spurned. “We kept looking at it and looking at it,” said Charlie Howorth, executive director of the Tennessee Business Roundtable, who supports the governor’s plan. “We saw the mood shift from pure politics to pragmatism.” Money is driving states to reverse course, said Richard Nathan, a fellow with the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany, New York. States that balked at accepting more residents into Medicaid stand to lose $424 billion in federal funding through 2022, according to an August report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a Princeton, N.J.-based nonprofit that supports expanding access to health care. “There’s been a lot of politicking from employers, from hospitals, from providers saying, ‘Don’t leave this money on the table’,” said Nathan, who’s studying how states are implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable
HARPER LEE her copyright to “To Kill a Mockingbird” and had to sue her former agent in 2013 to get it back. The book, which won the Pulitzer Prize and was adapted as an Oscar-winning film, has become a beloved classic. It has sold more than 30 million copies in 18 languages and still sells about 750,000 copies a year in the U.S. and Canada. When “The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee,” was published in July, Lee quickly disputed the account. The book was a chronicle of the 18 months the author, Marja Mills, spent living in a home next door to Alice and Harper Lee. After it was published, the famously very private Lee sent a letter to journalists saying that “as long as I am alive any book purporting to be with my cooperation is a falsehood.” Mills has said
PILOT
approved, is encouraging employees to direct new beneficiaries to the state employment office. The additional requirements may discourage enrollment, leave some still without care and make Medicaid more expensive to run, said Joan Alker, executive director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University in Washington. In Indiana, for instance, the program has six sets of rules for enrollees, depending on their incomes and other categories. “What you are seeing, because of the intense politics around this, are some very complicated agreements,” Alker said. “Intense politics doesn’t always make good policy.” Hospitals and the business community are driving the reconsideration. In states that accepted Medicaid money, hospital revenue rose as fewer went without coverage, according to a September report by PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute. Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp., the thirdlargest publicly traded hospital chain, in January said its charity care and uninsured admissions declined 62.4 percent last year in states that expanded Medicaid. Hospitals stand to lose $168 billion in states where additional Medicaid funds were rejected, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s report. They are also losing federal money to pay for treating the uninsured. Florida hospitals are set to lose $2.2 billion of such subsidies this year. That may encourage the legislature to reverse its opposition to Gov. Rick Scott’s Medicaidexpansion plans, said Mark Wilson, president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
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“This is a remarkable literary event. Its discovery is an extraordinary gift to the many readers and fans of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’” Jonathan Burnham, Harper publisher she wrote the novel with the permission of both sisters. There are no plans for Lee to do publicity for her new book. The deal was negotiated between Carter and Michael Morrison, president and publisher of HarperCollins US General Books Group and Canada. The book will be published in the United Kingdom by William Heinemann, an imprint of Penguin Random House Inc. Lee had set aside the novel after “To Kill a Mockingbird” was published by J.B. Lippincott and the original manuscript was considered to have been lost. But last fall, Carter discovered it in a,
“secure location where it had been affixed to an original typescript of her first novel,” according to the statement. “This is a remarkable literary event. ... its discovery is an extraordinary gift to the many readers and fans of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper publisher Jonathan Burnham said in the statement. “Reading in many ways like a sequel to Harper Lee’s classic novel, it is a compelling and ultimately moving narrative about a father and a daughter’s relationship, and the life of a small Alabama town living through the racial tensions of the 1950s.”
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in the “crusader” coalition, saying that the kingdom had insisted “that its pilots would be in the vanguard of the squadron that would pour the showers of death on the people of Islam.” As has become routine in its execution videos, it showed the doomed man issuing a statement under duress that blamed his government for his death. In it, the pilot said Jordan had “a traitor Zionist” government, and questioned why it didn’t send its forces against “the Jews, who are closer to us.” He appealed to the families of other pilots to “stop your sons from this ... and order them not to go on such sorties in striking Islamic targets, so that what happened to me does not happen to your sons and your families are not saddened like mine has, along with my wife and relatives.” The pilot is from a prominent tribe in the southern city of Karak. Tribal mem-
bers had pressured officials of the kingdom to do everything possible to achieve the release of the pilot. Relatives were reported to be gathering late Tuesday at a tribal headquarters. Jordanian media reported that the distraught family pushed away photographers that gathered outside the tribal meeting hall as the pilot’s father, Safi Kaseasbeh, dressed in traditional Bedouin garb, made his way out of the building. Until Tuesday, there had been some hope that a deal could be reached to free the pilot. Talks had been reported to be going on between the Jordanian government and intermediaries in contact with Islamic State. Jordanian authorities had offered a prisoner exchange in which Al-Kaseasbeh would be freed in exchange for Sajida al-Rishawi, a failed suicide bomber on death row in Jordan for her role in a series of attacks on hotels in Amman in 2005.
But, in its public comments, the Islamic State group never offered to free the pilot or turn him over in a prisoner swap. Instead, the militants said they would release a captive Japanese journalist, Kenji Goto, in exchange for al-Rishawi, the jailed would-be suicide bomber. The fates of the captive Japanese journalist and Jordanian pilot soon became entwined in a wrenching hostage drama that resonated deeply in both Jordan and Japan, a pair of close U.S. allies. Jordan said it would not go ahead with any deal unless it received proof that the pilot was still alive. That proof was apparently never forthcoming. On Saturday, Goto, the Japanese journalist, was reportedly beheaded by Islamic State. His killing came a week after the reported beheading of another Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa.
“I think the situation and the timing may be right for something to happen in Florida,” Wilson said. In Tennessee, Governor Haslam called the legislature into a special session that began Monday to consider his proposal, which would extend health care to as many as 470,000. Under it, working people who can’t afford employersponsored health insurance could get vouchers to defray the cost. Everyone else would be served by the state’s Medicaid program, though they would have to pay premiums in some cases and would get credits for healthy lifestyle changes. “There’s an overwhelming amount of persuasion going on right now,” said Tennessee Rep. Glen Casada, chairman of the Republican caucus in the House of Representatives. He opposes Haslam’s plan but gives it even odds of passing. Tennessee exemplifies the politics of health care in Republican states. Republicans outnumber Democrats more than three to one in the state legislature. Haslam got 70 percent of vote last year against his Democratic challenger, a 72-year-old squirrel hunter who didn’t campaign and misspelled his own name on his Facebook page. It’s also a health care capital. A business coalition that supports Haslam’s plan includes Tennessee-based hospital companies HCA Holdings Inc. of Nashville, LifePoint Hospitals Inc. of Brentwood and Community Health Systems Inc. of Franklin. Two years ago, health care companies asked the Tennessee Business Roundtable, which represents corporations, to make an economic case for expanding health care to the poor, said Howorth,
the group’s director. A University of Tennessee study funded by the group estimated it would create 15,000 jobs. “We will see $7.8 billion go out the door over 10 years if we do not do this,” said Craig Becker, president of the Tennessee Hospital Association in Brentwood. “We were all pushing really hard.” Tennessee’s chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the tea party-affiliated group backed by Charles and David Koch, and the Beacon Center of Tennessee, a Nashville nonprofit that advocates for smaller government, are urging the legislature to scuttle the governor’s plan. They say it’s an expansion of Medicaid and an endorsement of Obamacare. “There’s a difference between free-market and pro-business,” said Justin Owen, president of the Beacon Center. “This is bailout for hospitals.” Supporters say Haslam’s proposal isn’t Medicaid expansion as envisioned by Obamacare because of the changes it includes. “This isn’t Medicaid,” said Becker. “This is anything but Medicaid.” The Tennessee proposal is a reasonable middle ground, said Bryan Jordan, chairman of First Horizon National Corp., the Memphis-based bank, who supports it. “It will make insurance available and do it in a way that supports the overall fabric of the community,” Jordan said. “It’s better than adopting no version of the benefits of the Affordable Care Act at all. And on the surface, it seems easier to sell.”
Rosa Parks archives reveal picture of civil rights legend By Noah Bierman Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — Rosa Parks’ status as a civil rights heroine has taken on a new dimension this week with the release of thousands of personal letters, photos and other items that promise to paint a fuller picture of the woman who refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white passenger. The Library of Congress will give scholars formal access to 7,500 manuscripts and 2,500 photographs on Wednesday, her birthday. Parks, who made history in 1955 by her bus rider defiance, died in 2005 at age 92. The collection is on loan to the library for 10 years, part of an agreement with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, which bought it last year. The library will display selected items from the collection as part of two
separate exhibitions beginning in March. Parks’ story has become the central narrative of the civil rights era. Schoolchildren learn that she was arrested in 1955 for taking a stand against Jim Crow laws that gave disparate treatment to whites and blacks in the South. Her arrest led to the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott, which helped end legalized segregation. But the artifacts tell the story at a more granular level. For example, the front of a datebook from Montgomery Fair, the department store where Parks worked, shows a Hallmark logo, a butterfly, and pink flowers - a 1950s rendering of leisure. Yet Parks transformed the datebook into a tool for equality. On the back, she jotted names of carpool drivers needed to subvert the bus
system during the 13-month boycott, which ended when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated public buses were not constitutional. Other images range from the prosaic to the profound. A recipe for feather-light pancakes with 1/3 cup melted peanut butter, handwritten on a yellow envelope, could have been in any great aunt’s cupboard. The certificate for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, signed in 1996 by President Bill Clinton, could not. Some objects combine the ordinary with the historic. A 1956 letter addressed to Parks’ mother tells of a trip to New York, before a rally at Madison Square Garden. “The people here are very nice,” Parks wrote. “I spent Thursday night with Mr. and Mrs. Thurgood Marshall.”
Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
“Moles — Freckle’s ugly cousin.” - Kramer
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Editorial@DailyCollegiancom
The emerging 2016 Republican field The 2016 presidential election will be an exciting time in American politics.
Nicholas Pappas Unlike the 2012 elections, both parties will be seeking a new nominee, and also unlike the 2012 elections, the Republican Party has a very compelling and diverse field of candidates to pick from. Due to this large field of Republicans, and the dynamics of the “Clinton inevitability” emerging on the Democratic side, it’s hard to summarize the race in a single article. However, here is my current assessment of the top five candidates to watch on the GOP side. Not all will necessarily run, but these five potential candidates have all been the subjects of speculation for a while now. Fifth on the list of potential candidates is Mike Pence. The Indiana governor is popular with social conservatives, so he could appeal to the crowds which
ian values the Republicans have nominated in quite a while (most comparable to Calvin Coolidge or Barry Goldwater in my view). This is either a pro or a con depending on who you talk to, but he suffers from one large setback that other candidates like Sen. Ted Cruz also suffer from – electability. His father’s beliefs are one thing, but his mix of accused “isolationism,” his equally erratic and interesting set of social beliefs and more right wing view of economics are other hurdles. He could certainly overcome the handicap of being outside the mainstream, but it will be a struggle to get through the nomination process in the first place. Second on my list is Marco Rubio. Sen. Rubio is underestimated by a lot of people. He has strong oratory skills, and will probably be able to excite the base more than previous nominees like Romney or John McCain. He has several advantages, which
“Unlike the 2012 elections, the GOP has a very compelling and diverse field of candidates to pick from.” previously supported Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum, even if both of them were to run again. In addition, Pence is a successful governor, who also has previous federal experience as a U.S. Rep. He is competent enough when it comes to economic issues making him acceptable to the so-called “establishment crowd” in the GOP (for example, Mitt Romney voters/donors). Gov. Pence is one of the people who would best be able to unite the party in the general election. Next on my list in fourth place is Scott Walker. Gov. Walker has been gaining more attention in recent months. He is popular with grassroots organizations, is a proven survivor with his multiple wins in Wisconsin and has made meaningful conservative reforms which satisfy the base of his party. His downsides are potential lingering scandals, not having a college degree and a supposed lack of enthusiasm on the stump. Coming in third is Rand Paul. Sen. Paul is very sincere, and is doing great work to help the GOP expand its base. He would be the first candidate with libertar-
range from being fresh and young to speaking fluent Spanish. Like Pence, he would perhaps be able to bridge the two sides of the GOP. Assuming no major mistakes, (and a water bottle on hand at all times) he could give the others a run for their money. My top potential GOP candidate for the 2016 election is Jeb Bush. Do Republicans have to settle for the former Florida governor? Maybe. With Romney out of the way, his threats in the primary are much more limited, since Chris Christie is going nowhere fast. Unless that changes, Jeb Bush will be getting a lot of top cash, and might be able to absorb the same voting base that elected Romney as the nominee the last time around. The more the right side of the room gets crowded, (Huckabee, Carson, Santorum, Cruz and others both on and off this list) the easier it is for him to win. He has a lot of advantages, but the one big disadvantage is obviously his last name. Nick Pappas is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at napappas@umass.edu.
Growing up in the city of champions When New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson at the goal line with 20 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX, he secured a
Steven Gillard
victory for the New England Patriots that will go down in history as one of the greatest Super Bowls ever played. With their 28-24 defeat of the Seattle Seahawks, the Patriots won their fourth Super Bowl, and after two devastating losses to the New York Giants in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI, finally cemented the legacy of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, quarterback/coach combinations of all time. The Patriots fourth Super Bowl victory marked the ninth Boston championship won in the past 13 years, and the 13th time in 13 years that a major Boston sports team has played in a championship game or series. For me, the Boston magic began when I was eight years old, and hasn’t stopped since. One of my first memories is of Tom Brady leading the Patriots to their first ever Super Bowl win, defeating Marshall Faulk and the St. Louis Rams and earning the title of Super Bowl MVP. I didn’t know it then, but as Adam Vinatieri kicked it through the uprights with seven seconds left on the clock, a new era of regional dominance was born, one that has lasted to this day. Before I had even entered high school, the Patriots won two more Super Bowls, defeating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII, and, a year later, beating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX to bring home their third title in four years. Amid all of the excitement surrounding the Patriots newfound success, more Boston history was unfolding, this time on the baseball diamond. In 2003, the Boston Red Sox made it to game seven of the American League Champion Series, losing to its bitter rival, the New York Yankees in an 11-inning game seven.
Thus, the Red Sox just missed their first World Series appearance since 1986, the series for which Bill Buckner will forever be remembered. When the Red Sox failed to beat the Yankees in 2003, the loss was just another miss, another letdown – they had been losers since 1918. In 2004, Red Sox Nation saw their dreams being thwarted by the Yankees once again. Down by three games in the ALCS, the Red Sox knew it was over – no MLB team had ever come back from a 3-0 deficit. The Yankees would advance to the World Series, and the Red Sox would go home. Then, the impossible happened. A Dave Roberts steal and a David Ortiz
“I didn’t know it then, but as Vinatieri kicked it through the uprights with seven seconds left on the clock, a new era of regional dominance was born, one that has lasted to this day.” home run. A bloody sock. A Johnny Damon grand slam. The Red Sox went on to win the series 4-3, making history, and then swept the St. Louis Cardinals to win their first World Series title in 86 years. To my dad, the Red Sox victory was unbelievable. He was four years old when the Red Sox nearly won it all in the Impossible Dream, and had to wait 19 years for another World Series, only to watch Buckner let a routine ground ball slip through his legs. Then, in 2004, my dad, at the age of 41, and his dad, at the age of 67, finally received the deliverance for which they had waited their whole lives. It didn’t stop there. The Red Sox won another title in 2007, and then again in 2013, a victory that, in the face of the Boston Marathon bombings that had taken place in April, was both symbolic and cathartic, a
remarkable display of resilience and pride. The Boston Celtics took home an NBA championship in 2008, and the Boston Bruins won a Stanley Cup for the 2010-2011 season. And though it would take Tom Brady 10 more years to win a fourth Super Bowl, he would appear in two more before then. In 2007, New England fans watched with bated breath as Brady, Wes Welker and Randy Moss brushed history with an undefeated regular season, only to lose to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl to finish the season at 18-1. The Patriots got a chance at redemption in 2012, but again lost to Eli Manning’s Giants in the Super Bowl. The Celtics just missed another NBA championship in 2010, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in game seven by four points, and in 2013, the Bruins lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in game six, in which the Blackhawks improbably scored two goals in under two minutes to take home the Stanley Cup. While the Celtics experienced incredible success throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972, there has never been a time in which all four teams were so successful. In fact, with the Bruins’ victory in the 2011 Stanley Cup, Boston became the first city to ever win a title in the four major sports in the span of a decade. There is no denying that Boston fans – especially the younger generations – are spoiled. I’m 21 years old, and I’ve witnessed Boston teams win four Super Bowls, three World Series, one NBA Championship and one Stanley Cup. On Sunday night, the Patriots sustained the unprecedented run of Boston success that began when I was eight. The world hates us, and I don’t blame them, but nobody can deny that Boston, at least for now, is the city of champions. Steven Gillard is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at sgillard@umass.edu.
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The Massachusetts Daily Collegian is published Monday through Thursday during the University of Massachusetts calendar semester. The Collegian is independently funded, operating on advertising revenue. Founded in 1890, the paper began as Aggie Life, became the College Signal in 1901, the Weekly Collegian in 1914 and the Tri–Weekly Collegian in 1956. Published daily from 1967 to 2014, The Collegian has been broadsheet since January 1994. For advertising rates and information, call 413-545-3500.
PRODUCTION CREW on staff for this issue NIGHT EDITOR - Mark Chiarelli COPY EDITOR - Jaclyn Bryson WEB PRODUCTION MANAGER - Christina Yacono NEWS DESK EDITOR - Catherine Ferris O p /E d DESK EDITOR - Maral Margossian ARTS DESK EDITOR - Erica Garnett SPORTS DESK EDITOR - Ross Gienieczko COMICS DESK EDITOR - Tracy Krug GRAPHICS DESK EDITOR - Noa Barak
Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
“Time spent with cats is never wasted.” - Sigmund Freud
Arts@DailyCollegian.com
TECHNOLOGY
Video game graphics, immersion and the HD re-release Appealing images don’t define classics By Alessandro Arena-DeRosa Collegian Staff
Usually games become classics for their mastery and innovation, rather than their visual fidelity. Be it the nostalgic puzzling labyrinth of Spencer Mansion in “Resident Evil,” the clever dialogue and humor of Grim Fandango or the satisfying gunplay of “Halo,” all these games serve as evidence of this. Games like “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker” and “Grim Fandango” don’t even look all that different today, with their distinctive art-style making a few polygons look gorgeous. It makes one wonder why the current gaming industry is as obsessed with photorealism as it is, and begs to ask whether it’s worth sacrificing time and money on graphics that could be spent on gameplay and story instead. In the last month, there was the release of two of gaming’s biggest hits, “Resident Evil” and “Grim Fandango.” Both games feature updated and polished graphics, and little else added. This isn’t anything new – be it the “Halo” saga, “The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker” or even “Pokemon,” the past year has seen many of gaming’s classics re-released with
ORAZ STUDIO/FLICKR
Zelda sails the open sea on The King of Red Lions in the classic cartoony art style featured by the game in the past. the high-definition title. However, it’s not graphics that are drawing fans new and old to these classic franchises, but something deeper that some of 2014’s best looking games missed entirely. A good example of this industry’s wide graphics race gone wrong would be “Assassin’s Creed Unity.” While the game’s vistas were breathtaking and the character models (when not broken) looked stunning, the game didn’t reach its full potential due to limited game design and underdeveloped story – not to mention the numerous
bugs caused by the high fidelity graphics. Another release of 2014, “Middle Earth: Shadows of Mordor,” features an orchunting fantasy adventure which received critical acclaim. The game objectively wasn’t the prettiest game released last year, and certainly wasn’t as graphically advanced as AC Unity. When comparing “Assassin’s Creed” to “Middle Earth”, both were stealth-action games, featuring a sprawling open world – but only one will be remembered as a classic. What Shadows of Mordor did differently was
innovate. The game was genuinely fun to play and certainly wasn’t unbearable to look at. But the immersion in a game that extends far beyond what simple visuals could ever elicit is the factor that makes a game memorable and a true classic. The soundtracks of video games can also have a huge impact on this immersion factor. Whether it is the simple, creepy ambient tracks in “Resident Evil” or “Halo’s” epic melodies, a game’s audio can bring you into the game world just as easily as graphics. A good next
generation example would be last year’s “Sunset Overdrive,” a game which neither looked photorealistic nor particularly graphically impressive. Overdrive made up for this with its distinctively cartoony art style and engaging game play. Easily the most memorable part of that game was its constant punk rock soundtrack in the background, a soundtrack which took a good deal of resources to produce in house – but the developers prioritized that over graphics. There are examples of games that manage to balance innovation and story with graphic fidelity, and these are the kinds of games that feature little difference in their remakes. The “Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker” had a unique style, a memorable soundtrack and an unforgettable open world full of puzzles, adventures and some of the most memorable bosses in the franchise. Due to its cartoony art style, the developers didn’t need to flesh out every hair, or use a massive polygon count. Instead, creating simple looking characters with bright colors and minimal detail was just as memorable and visually impressive as the overly detailed characters of games like “Far Cry 4,” whose massive open worlds are filled with fairly boring views and simplistic adventures,
despite its objectively better graphics. Graphics are important, but making sure a game looks as realistic as possible is an industry standard that’s hurting games instead of uplifting them. Games like “Saints Row” or “Skyrim” look fairly bad, but are immersive and distinctive enough to be enjoyable and memorable. Others like “Grim Fandango,” “The Wolf Among Us” or even “Borderlands” use their non-realistic style to their advantage and are remembered as beautiful looking games, despite their low polygon count and lack of technical fidelity. Yet perhaps what are most inspiring are the games that look beautiful but don’t flaunt it. Games like “Metal Gear Solid V” and “Alien: Isolation” have visually convincing worlds and detailed environments that enhance an already masterful game. At the end of the day, what’s most important about the HD re-releases isn’t the visual enhancement. These games are important because these are games that, at their core, are amazing and have merely been cleaned up for a newer generation of machines and players. Alessandro Arena-DeRosa can be reached at aarenaderosa@umass. edu.
C U LT U R E
H E A LT H
Millennials hold new mindset Fresh, natural skin care to engage the This is a generation that isn’t joining, brands that love you back How complex generation buying or engaging like past generations. Local ingredients with global interests By Erica Garnett Collegian Staff
As the world increases its focus on eco-friendly and all-natural products, skin care brands such as Frank Body and Lush are becoming widely popular internationally. This Valentine’s Day, ditch your old methods and fall in love with this new, healthy approach to skin care. Both brands are very adamant about providing people with natural, locally made organic ingredients. A large amount of these ingredients are surprisingly found in the grocery store. Ingredients like garlic, green grapes, honey, lime, corn and seaweed are just some of the ingredients found in Lush moisturizers, cleansers and face masks. The company prides itself on buying fresh and organic products from places that do not engage in animal testing. On its website, lushusa.com, you will find Lushopedia, an alphabetized, cataloged list of all of its fresh ingredients, fine oils, safe synthetics and exactly why they are all used. The list contains anything from actual sand used in soap to sunflower petal extract in moisturizing cream. Frank Body also does not commission the use of animal testing for any of its products. Its scrubs are all based with roasted ground robusta coffee
beans, featuring coconut, cacao, peppermint and original flavors, all with slightly different benefits. The coconut scrub contains nourishing grape seed and coconut oils for sensitive skin and is nutfree for those who have allergies. The cacao scrub is packed with antioxidants for aging skin and the peppermint scrub is infused with peppermint oil and native mint to sooth tired and achy muscles. These scrubs are used to treat dry skin, stretch marks, cellulite, eczema, psoriasis, acne and scarring. Both Frank Body and Lush place a larger emphasis on handling their ingredients locally. Frank Body is based out of Australia and uses all local products. Lush was originally started in the United Kingdom, but provides all products to American stores from its manufacturing store in Vancouver, Canada. Lush is not only concerned with providing the finest ingredients to just its buyers, but also to the communities it interacts with. After starting its Charity Pot program in 2007, Lush has donated more than $5,800,000 to over 600 grassroots charities in over 35 different countries. Not many international companies can claim that much. Also, Lush practices ethical buying and has internal buyers that travel worldwide to personally visit its suppliers so they can research the ingredients, meet the growers and producers and ensure the
best care possible for the environment and workers involved. Frank Body ships internationally online from its website us.frankbody. com whereas Lush can be purchased in stores. Other renowned organic brands that were recognized in Glamour magazine include RMS Beauty which was developed by Rose-Marie Swift and gives the Victoria’s Secret models their signature glow on the runway. Seventh Generation, another brand mentioned, uses jojoba oil, oat extract and tea tree oil along with many other natural ingredients. The brand, Balanced Guru, uses sustainable packaging for all of its products, and incorporates fresh berries, cloves and cinnamon into its popular antioxidant masque. Suki products operate in luxury spas around the world. More brands featured include Votre Vu, Juara and 80 Acres. For those currently in unstable relationships with cleansers and medications that are just unreliable, ineffective and unsatisfying, break up with your skin care system. Whatever new company you choose to love surely will give love back to the community, eco-system and, of course, you. of the other popular brands mentioned. Whatever company you choose to love surely will give love back to the communities, ecosystem and of course you. Erica Garnett can be reacjed at egarnett.umass.edu.
By Jackie Crosby
Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Millennials will soon outnumber baby boomers in the United States. Suddenly, workplace consultant Sarah Sladek is in high demand. As CEO and founder of XYZ University, she helps businesses and nonprofits figure out how to engage younger workers. Her latest book, “Knowing Y: Engage the Next Generation Now,” makes the case that organizations are doomed to fail if they cling to old-guard ideas that motivated baby boomers. Sladek’s company name comes from the alphabet soup of labels given to generational cohorts, which she defines this way: Generation X (born 1965 to 1981), Generation Y/ millennials (1982 to 1995) and the still-forming Generation Z (those under 18). This year Sladek, who at 42 is solidly Gen X, will work with companies across North America, Europe and Australia that are eager _ shall we say, desperate? _ to understand the brash and digitally savvy millennials. Sladek has been quoted by the National Rifle Assocation, hired by the National Watermelon Association and has consulted with organizations as diverse as the YMCA and solid waste haulers. Q: You say you wrote this book because you were afraid for the future. Why is that? A: We are about to experience the largest shift in human capital in history, and younger workers are being neglected or dismissed. That is going to be a real problem
Millennials are more diverse and have a global perspcetive. They believe in community service but their return on investment has changed.
in this country. The average age of the board of directors at trade associations is 59. The United States has the oldest Congress in history and the oldest Senate in more than a century. During the recession, it almost felt like people were hunkered down and didn’t really have to worry about an aging workforce. Now, organizations are waking up and saying: “Oh, my gosh! I haven’t planned for what the next generation of leaders will be, or the next generation of volunteers.” Q: How do the millennials/Generation Y differ? A: The whole concept of time has changed. Millennials live in a technology-driven, instant-gratification world. It’s the only world they’ve ever known. They don’t want to commit. Ask a millennial to come sit on a board for three years? That’s a jail sentence. Boards deliberate and discuss. That takes time. It’s reminiscent of another era. Millennials place a high value on collaboration, but they are going to go someplace where they can have some fun. Q: Why is this such a critical time in our country? A: What was relevant 25 years ago isn’t relevant today, and there’s a lot of stress now. Established corporations are struggling. Membership in trade associations is declining _ and declines in membership equal a decline in revenue. Participation in faith-based
groups is dropping. All of the old icons are under pressure: Rotary Clubs, the YMCA. And there’s this whole issue of generational transfer: What’s going to happen to farms? Q: How did we get here? A: Baby boomers haven’t been good at looking over their shoulder and giving a hand up to the younger generation. Sometimes there’s criticism _ “They’re not like us” _ or a sense of ego from the boomers, the socalled “me” generation, or a hesitancy to let go. Look at the political landscape. Boomers were encouraged at an early age to run for office. Somewhere, we stopped looking back. Younger people are disillusioned and aren’t running for office today. Q: What is the solution? A: This is a generation that isn’t joining, buying or engaging like past generations. Millennials are more diverse and have a global perspective. They believe in community service, but their return on investment has changed. They don’t believe that people with the most experience should have all the power. They’re used to being rewarded just for showing up and expect an immediate seat at the table. Organizations need to figure out how to motivate them. Top-down hierarchies don’t work. Organizations need to open their minds. Sometimes a crisis has to happen for real change to occur.
B6
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
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Comics
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Remember toe socks?
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HOROSCOPES Jan. 20 - Feb. 18
leo
Jul. 23 - Aug. 22
If snow removal was a class, would UMass pass?
UMass Dining is here to serve you, but only because they want to improve upon their tennis game.
pisces
virgo
Feb. 19 - Mar. 20
Aug. 23 - Sept. 22
Tumblr suggesting other blogs to follow is a lot like your mom telling you you need to make new friends.
You would think technology these days would have made a significantly more fashionable snorkel mask by now.
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Mar. 21 - Apr. 19
libra
Sept. 23 - Oct. 22
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Apr. 20 - May. 20
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Oct. 23 - Nov. 21
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May. 21 - Jun. 21
Spice up your exercise routine today by eating a giant bowl of hot bean chili for lunch and then immediately hop on the elliptical.
Sadly your dead car battery will not be revived when you throw your body onto the top of it repeatedly.
If it wouldn’t taste good as a pizza topping, why would you ever bother eating it?
How many improv classes does one need to take before they improve?
sagittarius
Nov. 22 - Dec. 21
Pikachu? More like “pika–chew–your–head– off,” am I right?
If a friend tells you it’s too cold for an ice cream cone, you better start looking for a new friend.
cancer
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Jun. 22 - Jul. 22
It’s pretty choice to sell the secret Big Mac sauce on eBay.
Dec. 22 - Jan. 19
Though very similar to chocolate pudding, eating a jar of hot fudge is really not very rewarding.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
DailyCollegian.com
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
7
MEN’S HOCKEY
Trento becoming a force Riverhawks, Irish shine in
wild Hockey East weekend
UConn takes 3 of 4 points from UM By Christopher Martinez Collegian Staff
ALEC ZABRECKY/COLLEGIAN
Dominic Trento has gained the trust of the coaching staff and started to earn valuable minutes for himself.
Freshman works back from injury By Jason Kates Collegian Staff
As one of 10 freshmen on the Massachusetts hockey team, forward Dominic Trento has started to provide valuable minutes for UMass as the season continues to wind down. Trento, a native of Brockport, New York, has recorded three points in his last two games for the Minutemen (8-17-1, 3-12-1 Hockey East), including a goal and an assist in the recent 4-1 victory over Merrimack College. “I think his game has really taken a step, probably from the first Boston College game at BC,” coach John Micheletto said. “His game has gotten better and better, and he has earned his way in the penalty kill and gotten some power play time. I think he’s learned what it takes to be successful at this level.” Micheletto added that with his skill set and work ethic, Trento has continued to gain confidence with the additional playing time, and is pleased with the recent offensive production. Trento has attributed his current success out on the ice to his teammates. “I think it has a lot to do with my line mates,” he said. “One is Patty (Lee), who also happens to be my roommate. I think we’ve just built a lot of chemistry together throughout the school year. “We’ve just gotten a chance to play together and we see each other well on the ice, so I think that has a lot to do with it.” Lee said there wasn’t a lot in common between the
SLOWER
ence, watching and trying to think about ways I could contribute for the team. It’s good to be back for sure.” Micheletto applauded the way Trento handled being absent from the lineup, and said it was important for his growth as a player. “You talk to a lot of the freshmen, whether they’re out due to an injury or they’re a healthy scratch at some point during their freshman year, and the change in perspective is a really good one,” Micheletto said. “We urged Dominic while he was hurt to make sure that he was watching the game as a student, and not as a fan or a player. I think that as much as anything has pushed his game.” As someone who is constantly around Dominic, Lee knew his roommate was upset about not being able to play, but thought he handled it the right way. “He was just kind of down, so we would try and pick him up when he was upset,” Lee said. “He was good about it and knew that when he got back he had to work hard and he did, so it probably turned out for the best for him.” Moving forward, Micheletto anticipates Trento becoming a valuable part of the team. “I think he’s on a good trajectory right now. He plays the game the right way in terms of his D-zone and his ability and willingness to block shots,” Micheletto said. “As he continues to embrace our philosophy that his offense will come off his defense and takeaways, he’s just going to get better and better.” Jason Kates can be reached at jkates@umass.edu and followed @ Jason_Kates.
continued from page 8
cal basketball appears to be suiting UMass’ best player, Cady Lalanne, quite well. Lalanne recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds against Saint Louis after exploding for 18 points and seven rebounds against Dayton. Over the last three games, his personal offensive rating averaged to a 125 (his season average is 102.9). According to Lalanne, the offense is starting to focus on establishing a presence in the post during developed half court sets. “It’s pretty good, my teammates know to try and go inside-out early and establish the post,” Lalanne said. “Then we can start working on the outside later in the game. I thought we did a good job with that (against SLU) which opened up a lot of stuff toward the end.”
Gordon nurses injury Minutemen
two when they first met each other, but have been able to develop their friendship through playing together for UMass. “We were pretty polar opposites at the start of the year, but it kind of worked out for the best,” Lee said. “We’re best friends on the team and we get to play together and live together, so it’s worked out perfectly.” As the season progresses, Trento continues to receive more time on the ice, and as a freshman, Micheletto thinks the depth that he brings is critical. “When you have 10 freshmen, it’s really important to have guys like Brandon Montour, Dennis Kravchenko, Dominic Trento and Patrick Lee,” Micheletto said. “You just go down the list of guys that are playing in key situations, particularly man-up and man-down, and it’s not only comforting to be able to do that, but necessary. I’m glad Dominic has pushed his game to be one of those guys because we need him to be one.” It hasn’t all been positive for Trento, though. In a game versus Boston College on Nov. 21, the freshman suffered a hand injury that kept him sidelined for over a month. He returned for the Minutemen’s first game of the Catamount Cup on Dec. 28 against Providence College. For him, watching from the sideline wasn’t easy. “It wasn’t much fun sitting out, especially when the team wasn’t doing so well,” Trento said. “When it’s your freshman year and you have to sit out seven or eight games, especially to an injury that seemed tedious, that was hard.” “It was a learning experi-
guard
Derrick Gordon sat out portions of Tuesday’s practice as he deals with a nagging Achilles injury. “I’m banged up right now,” Gordon said. “I’ve got some Achilles tendonitis going on in my left foot which has been bothering me for two days or so. I’m trying to stay off it as much as possible and just get treatment so I can try to at least be close to 100 percent for tomorrow.” Gordon said it’s something he dealt with last season too. “(Kellogg) knows my situation and I didn’t really want to practice as much today because it was really, really bothering me,” he said. Gordon is expected to guard Fordham’s leading scorer, Eric Paschall (17.1 points per game) on Wednesday. “We’re going to need him to play and cover a guy like Paschall and we need him as close to 100 percent as
possible,” Kellogg said.”
Hinds returns home When UMass guard Jabarie Hinds takes the floor Wednesday night, he’ll be doing so in front of a number of family and friends. Hinds is from Mount Vernon, New York, which is about 30 minutes away from Fordham. He said it will be a good feeling to head home, and that he doesn’t often get a chance to return. It’s not the first time he’s gotten a chance to play close to his hometown, as he played in New York on multiple occasions as a member of West Virginia before he transferred to UMass. “It’s always good to go back home,” he said. “I’ve been away from home for a long time and now I get to go play in front of my family and friends.” Mark Chiarelli can be reached at mchiarel@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli.
UMass-Lowell forward C.J. Smith notched his 12th goal of the season at 14 minutes, 20 seconds of the third period and finished with two points, fueling Lowell to a 4-1 win over Merrimack Saturday afternoon. The win at Tsongas Center snapped a four-game losing streak for the previously struggling River Hawks. UML (16-8-3) came firing right out of the gates, as Zack Kamrass ripped a shot from just outside the circles past Warriors goalkeeper Rasmus Tirronen, providing the game’s first goal just 23 seconds into the first period. In the second period, the River Hawks found the back of the net again, as Joe Gambardella pounced on a rebound that Tirronen failed to recover. A goal from Ben Bahe under four minutes later got Merrimack (14-9-3) on the score sheet, but it was the only offense the Warriors would be able to muster. Lowell will return to action Friday night with a matchup against No. 3 Boston University, set for 7:15 p.m. at Tsongas Center.
Connecticut rallies to tie Maine 2-2 Two seniors led the way
for Connecticut Sunday afternoon at the XL Center in Hartford, as Ryan Tyson and Trevor Gerling each scored in the second period to power the Huskies to a 2-2 tie against Hockey East foe Maine. It was the second straight overtime contest between the two sides, after UConn bested the Black Bears 2-1 in the extra frame Friday night. UConn (8-12-6) battled against familiar foes Maine (10-16-2) on home turf on Sunday, a match which followed up on their most recent game which ended in favor of UConn 2-1 in OT. The opening goal of the game came right before the end of the first period, when Maine forward Cam Brown scooped the puck in after a net front scrum to put the Black Bears up 1-0. At 11:39 seconds of the second period, Maine struck again when Jake Rutt collected another rebound to double the lead, after an acrobatic save by UConn goaltender Rob Nichols left the puck loose in front. The Huskies bit back late in the second period with a pair of goals to tie the game. The first came from Tyson to put UConn on the board, and the tying goal was scored by Gerling just 34 seconds later. Neither team was effective on the power play – UConn finished an abysmal 0-for-4 while Maine was just 0-for-2. The Huskies will try
to extend their point streak Saturday night at Providence against the No. 13 Friars.
Irish top UNH 5-3 In a high-scoring affair, it was Notre Dame that proved to have more firepower, as three goals in the second period powered the Irish past UNH 5-3. Notre Dame (11-14-3) came out on top at home this Saturday, beating the UNH Wildcats (9-15-2) in a high scoring affair. Austin Wuthrich opened the scoring for the Irish, blasting a shot through traffic to give Notre Dame a 1-0 lead at 17:46 seconds of first period. At 2:32 of the second period, Steven Fogarty scored on the power play to give the Irish a two-goal lead. The Wildcats responded in a big way. Warren Foegele scored to get UNH on the board, and Matias Cleland added a power play goal later in the second to tie the game up. But a backbreaking goal from Ben Ostlie put the Irish back up just two minutes, four seconds later, and they would hold that lead for good. Notre Dame returns to action with a trip to Maine for a pair of games, starting Friday night at 7:05 p.m. in Orono, Maine. Chris Martinez can be reached at cmart0@umass.edu
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Minutewomen set for URI Dawley cites need to handle pressure By Tom Mulherin Collegian Staff
After a hotter-thanusual start to the season for the Massachusetts women’s basketball team, the second half of the schedule has brought less good fortune. Entering Wednesday’s matchup at Rhode Island, UMass is in the midst of an alarming four-game losing streak. The Minutewomen (8-12, 2-6 Atlantic 10 Conference) have been a tough team to score on all year, even in their recent slump. Offensive output, however, has dipped 10 points per game in the recent scoring drought compared to the rest of the season, with double-team coverage on go-to scorer Kim PierreLouis being the difference. With that much attention on Pierre-Louis, UMass coach Sharon Dawley said finding other ways to score is one of the keys in their matchup against the Rams (12-8, 4-4 A-10). “We need other kids to step up and score for us,” Dawley said. “Prior to Kim being double-teamed, she was scoring a ton of points for us. Now people are defending us differently – sagging off and not defending some (players) so they can double or triple-team Kim – and we don’t respond to that well as a team.” “Defenses are making it really hard for Kim to score. We need her to distribute a little bit more and we need players to be able to hit shots,” she continued. Before defenses started to double Pierre-Louis, she put up big numbers for the Minutewomen and led them to a surprising 8-8 start. But when she
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Rashida Timbilla is one rebound away from 200 total rebounds this year. has been double-teamed, the offense has run into some major issues. Unfortunately for UMass, Dawley recognizes that the coverage on PierreLouis isn’t even the most challenging concern URI brings to the matchup. “(A) key to (Wednesday) is to not let their pressure bother us,” she said. “I think their pressure defense is the biggest challenge. If we execute what we’ve been working on, we can actually get some good looks from it. I’m hoping that history repeats itself and that pressure will not bother us.” On the defensive side of the court, UMass has struggled recently compared to its performances earlier in the season. But even though Dawley acknowledged the defense needs to step up in order to play to its full potential, Rashida Timbilla has still been a dominant force in the paint. After all, she is just one rebound away from 200 total rebounds for a third consecutive year with eight games still to play. Only five players in program history have reached that milestone, the last being Jennifer Butler from 1999 to 2003. “(Timbilla) is awe-
some,” Dawley said. “I don’t think she realizes just how good she is. The rebounding is spectacular, the defense is spectacular. I don’t think there’s been many women in the program that have had the numbers she has in terms of being close to a tripledouble on many occasions.” “She’s even a better leader than she is a rebounder,” she added. “So, she brings us the whole package. We just need her to score a little more for us.” Despite their recent struggles, Dawley still likes the Minutewomen’s chances against Rhode Island. “We’ve had a couple of really good practices,” she said. “We have a lot of fight in us and we obviously can beat anyone in the conference if we are able to put a good offensive and defensive performance together in the same day.” In program history, UMass is 41-32 against the Rams and won the last meeting 69-56 in Frebruary of 2014. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Ryan Center in Kingston, Rhode Island. Tom Mulherin can be reached at tmulheri@umass.edu.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Sports@DailyCollegian.com
@MDC_SPORTS
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Playing their game
Slower tempo no problem for UM Fewer possesions “As of late it seems leads to recent wins as if teams have By Mark Chiarelli Collegian Staff
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Maxie Esho and the Minutemen hope to stay consistent against last-place Fordham tonight in Bronx, New York.
Letdown must be avoided at Fordham By Andrew Cyr Collegian Staff
On paper, Wednesday’s matchup against Fordham should be a fairly easy one for the Massachusetts men’s basketball team. The Rams (5-14, 0-8 Atlantic 10) are winless in their eight games in Atlantic 10 play. However, before the Minutemen look too far ahead of themselves, head coach Derek Kellogg was quick to put a halt on any visions that their third consecutive will be an easy one. “They’re as talented offensively as any of the teams we’ve faced,” Kellogg said. “I’m not sure (in conference play) there really is ‘playing down,’ because I don’t think there is that much difference between the last place team and the fourth or fifth best team. Especially when you go on the road.” Leading the charge for the Rams is freshman
standout Eric Paschall, averaging 17.1 pointer per game this season, and 18.8 ppg in conference play. In addition to scoring the basketball, the 6-foot-6, 205pound guard is third on the team with 5.5 rebounds per game. Kellogg heaped heavy praise when talking about Paschall, and put him on the same level as Rhode Island’s E.C. Matthews and Saint Joseph’s DeAndre Bembry in terms of ability to make an impact play within the conference as a first-year player. “He came in with high accolades and everyone knew how good he was and he’s lived up to his billing,” Kellogg said. As he’s done so every game this season, UMass guard Derrick Gordon will once again be called up to lock down the opposition’s top player, something he isn’t afraid of. “I’m going to be guarding him. I’m just looking to get him out of his game,” Gordon said. “He’s a freshman, I’m a junior. I’ve just go to go out there and do
what I do and everything else is going to follow.” Although Gordon’s confidence may be sky high, he’s been dealing with Achilles tendonitis that has lingered all season. He aggravated the injury again Monday at practice, and because of that didn’t go full speed at practice on Tuesday. Kellogg said that he was trying to keep Gordon as close to 100 percent as possible for Wednesday. “I’ve just got to rest up and get ready for the game because I’ve got a big assignment tomorrow as far as guarding one of the best players on their team,” Gordon said. In addition to Paschall’s offense, Mandell Thomas adds 12.4 points per game, while Chris Sengfelder also averages double-digits in scoring, with 10.4 points per game. Ryan Rhoomes controls the paint for Fordham and averages 8.8 rebounds per game. The Rams have yet to win a game this calendar year – their last win was on Dec. 31 over South Carolina
State. However, center Cady Lalanne knows just how important this game is for the Minutemen, especially if they hope to make a serious run toward postseason play. “We can’t just go out there thinking they aren’t going to give us their best shot, because they are going to give us their best shot. It’s a game that we can’t afford to lose right now,” Lalanne said. “We have to make something happen now. We’re trying to have a great season. We’re trying to build on last year. We have to step on the gas now and achieve the goal,” he continued. Lalanne has 996 career points and is four away from becoming the 47th player in UMass history to score 1,000 points. Tip-off from Rose Hill Gymnasium will be at 7 p.m. and the game can be viewed on the SNY network. Andrew Cyr can be reached at arcyr@umass.edu, and can be followed on Twitter @Andrew_Cyr.
The Massachusetts men’s basketball team is traditionally a team which quickens the pace, forces the tempo and maximizes on its number of possessions. It’s a style of play that, coupled with a hard-nosed defensive demeanor and a willingness to win “50/50” possessions, is coach Derek Kellogg’s definition of “UMass basketball.” Kellogg’s committed to it and recruited the requisite pieces to play it at a high level. But recently, the Minutemen haven’t found themselves in many track meets. Instead, the pace of play is slowing down and the number of total possessions is shrinking. Yet for UMass, which has won three of its last four games and travels to face Fordham Wednesday, it’s working out. “As of late it seems as if teams have slowed the game down. There’s actually less possessions per game, which means we get less shots per game,” Kellogg said after practice Tuesday. It’s a trend which typically occurs during conference play. Teams have more familiarity with each other, the season is nearing its conclusion and more energy is expended on crucial possessions in games which are usually close. A season ago, slower play and increased scouting from the opposition contributed to UMass’ scuffling end to the season. At one time, the Minutemen were 16-1 and ranked No. 13 in the country, yet finished only 9-7 in conference play. This year, the play is again slowing down. And so far, the Minutemen are adjusting. They’ve won three of their last four games, the exception being a 62-56 loss
slowed the game down. There’s actually less possessions per game, which means we get less shots per game.” Derek Kellogg, UMass coach
to Saint Joseph’s on Jan. 21. The average number of total possessions within a game during that stretch is 61. Twice, UMass has played games that didn’t reach 60 total possessiona: the loss against the Hawks (58) and last Saturday’s win over Saint Louis (59). But Kellogg believes that despite the lesser number of possessions, the pace of games is at an ideal level, as evident by the three wins in four games. “It’s great,” Kellogg said with a laugh. “I’ll throw in a hook shot from half court if we had to. As I’m coaching I feel like the pace of the game is pretty good, even the Saint Louis game. It feels like it’s moving but when you look at the number of possessions we had, it didn’t move maybe quite as fast but we are getting enough open court plays to make it feel like a faster pace than it actually is.” UMass isn’t seeing a significant decrease in offensive production, either. It’s offensive rating for the season – which is a stat that measures how many points a team would produce for the entire season – is 100.7, which is 217th out of 351 teams. In the Minutemen’s last three wins, that number dropped to 97.9, but was still higher than their opponents. The outlier was the St. Joe’s loss, where their offensive rating was 93.3 as opposed to the Hawks’ 103.3. And the more methodisee
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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
After solid start, Minutewomen are slumping
UMass has dropped four games in a row By Arthur Hayden Collegian Staff
Much has been said about the Massachusetts women’s basketball team’s resurgence this season following a streak of subpar, single-digit win campaigns. Few would argue against the claim that this UMass squad has competed at a higher level than any other during coach Sharon Dawley’s five-year tenure in Amherst, and the numbers appear to support that. The last time the Minutewomen won more than eight games – the total they currently hold this season with eight regular season games left to go – was in 2010 when they finished with 11 victories. Dawley and company have started to inspire some longawaited optimism, instilling a bit of energy in a program that has been stuck at the
bottom of the Atlantic 10 conference in recent years. However, no return to success comes without roadblocks, and UMass currently finds itself stuck in a bit of a rut. The Minutewomen have lost four games in a row by an average of 19.5 points, dropping their overall record – which sat at 8-8 on Jan. 15 – to 8-12. Over the course of the losing streak, the biggest cause for concern is a failure to put points on the board. Over the first 16 games of the season, UMass averaged just under 63 points per game. That average has dropped to 49.3 points during the losing streak. “Offensively there weren’t a lot of sparks” Dawley said after the most recent loss to St. Bonaventure, “We struggled once we fell behind.” Senior forward Kim PierreLouis has been the centerpiece of the Minutewomen offense all season, leading the team in points in all but five games this year. But opposing
defenses have begun to focus in on her in recent weeks, limiting her effectiveness. PierreLouis has failed to reach her season average in points per game during the skid, while her teammates have generally been unable to fill the void. Pierre-Louis, who ended the game against St. Bonaventure with a teamhigh 14 points, had just one basket in the first half. When she finally found her rhythm in the second half, the game was essentially out of reach, thanks to a combination of sloppy defense from the Minutewomen and an accurate shooting night from the Bonnies. “I decided to be a little more aggressive,” PierreLouis said. “Time was pressing and we needed some more offense so I took it upon myself to make some baskets and create opportunities for my teammates as well.” Unfortunately, PierreLouis’ inconsistencies have paralleled her team’s. Despite
the emergence of freshman guard Cierra Dillard and decent play from all-purpose veteran forward Rashida Timbilla, this Minutewomen team has been prone to long scoring droughts that leave them playing catch up by the time the fourth quarter rolls around.
Cream of the Crop While an offensive drought has played a major role in UMass’ current state of affairs, another reason for their losing streak is the higher quality of opponents over the last few games. The first loss of the streak came to the top team in the conference, George Washington. Three days later, the Minutewomen came in as large underdogs again facing Fordham, a defensive powerhouse. Those programs are simply on a different level than UMass at the present time, and those losses did not surprise many, regardless of how much progress UMass has made throughout
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Kim Pierre-Louis has been a star offensively for UMass this season. this season. But back-to-back 20-point losses to Richmond and St. Bonaventure, two middle-ofthe-pack A10 teams? Those are the kinds of games that the Minutewomen will have to start winning in order to take the next step in their rebuilding process. “There’s not a team you can be relaxed going up against. All we can do is regroup,”
Dawley said. “We have to be tougher on each other and we have to demand more from each other.” The Minutewomen will get their chance to get back on track on Wednesday night when they travel to Rhode Island at 7 p.m. Arthur Hayden can be reached at awhayden@umass.edu.