Massachusetts Daily Collegian: February 10, 2015

A WINNING PEDIGREE

PHOX ROCKS THE IRON HORSE

Michael Glenn leaving his mark

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THE MASSACHUSETTS

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Tuesday, February 10, 2015

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Donte’s Inferno

APD begins ‘Cops in Shops’ program Initiative aimed at underage drinking

By Stuart Foster Collegian Staff

The Amherst Police Department is implementing a “Cops in Shops” program in which plainclothes officers will pose as liquor store customers or cashiers as part of a nationwide program to prevent underage drinking and public drunkenness.

“It’s not about catching offenders, it’s about deterring the action,” Capt.

Jennifer Gundersen of the APD said. “We don’t care how we accomplish that, whether we have to interact with someone and use the court or they think to not use their fake ID anymore.

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

Donte Clark led the UMass basketball team with 23 points Sunday afternoon. For more, see “Clark ignites at the right time for UMass” on page 8.

“It’s also an important program to deter underage drinking and binge drinking.”

Officers will be stationed

in Amherst liquor stores and will identify themselves when a customer approaches the counter with alcohol, asking the customer for his or her identification.

“They’re going to do that to everybody, no matter how old they look,” Gundersen said.

Preventing individuals over the age of 21 from buying alcohol for people underage is also an aim of the program, according to Gundersen.

“If the officer believes they would be providing alcohol (for) minors, as a result of the volume of alcohol being bought, the officer will ask, ‘Are you buying this alcohol for anyone else?’” she said.

Gundersen added that the program would also place officers who will work outside of liquor stores in plain clothes.

Although much of this initiative will seek to prevent underage drinking, see

COPS on page 2

Supposed CIA Black Site Supreme Court rules in favor stalls Guantanamo hearing of same-sex marriage in AL

By Carol Rosenberg Miami Herald

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba — The 9/11 trial judge abruptly recessed the first hearing in the case since August on Monday after some of the alleged Sept. 11 plotters said they recognized a war court linguist as a former secret CIA prison worker.

Alleged plot deputy Ramzi bin al Shibh, 42, made the revelation just moments into the hearing by informing the judge he had a problem with his courtroom translator: The interpreter, he claimed, worked for the CIA during his 2002 through 2006 detention at a so-called “Black Site.”

This week’s is the first hear-

ing for the five men accused of conspiring in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks – which killed nearly 3,00 people in New York, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania – since the public release of portions of a sweeping Senate Intelligence Committee study of the agency’s secret prisons known as “The Torture Report.”

The report gives graphic details that the U.S. government had hidden in these pretrial hearings – sexual humiliation, waterboarding and rectal rehydration. The sickliest looking of the accused conspirators, Mustafa al Hawsawi, 46, once again sat on a pillow at court.

It also says that the spy

agency maintained two secret prisons at Guantanamo in 2003 and 2004 and that Bin al Shibh was held in one.

Cheryl Bormann, attorney for another alleged plotter, Walid bin Attash, 36, told the judge, Army Col. James L. Pohl, that her client “was visibly shaken” at recognizing a man in the maximum-security war court from Bin Attash’s “illegal torture.”

She said it was either “the biggest coincidence ever” or “part of the pattern of the infiltration of defense teams.” Monday’s hearing was supposed to start with a presentation by a Justice Department lawyer, Fernando see

CIA on page 2

Some counties still won’t issue licenses

ing. Officials from both cities did not provide estimates for how many marriage licenses they expected to hand out on Monday.

By Timothy M. Phelps But in Bibb and Tuscaloosa and Kurtis Lee Los Angeles Times counties, probate court offi WASHINGTON — The cials said they would continSupreme Court on Monday ue to refuse to issue same-sex refused to block gay mar- marriage licenses. riages from beginning in “Right now we’re not going Alabama, though some coun- to do it,” said probate Judge ty court officials are not heed- Jerry Powell. “We have direct ing the ruling, citing an order orders from the state Supreme from the state’s chief justice Court here in Alabama, and telling them not to issue I’m going to adhere to it.”

Alabama Supreme Court licenses.

In the capital of Chief Justice Roy Moore Montgomery and in warned probate judges on Birmingham, probate judges Sunday not to issue samebegan to issue same-sex mar- sex marriage licenses. In riage licenses Monday morn- the letter, Moore wrote,

“Effective immediately, no Probate Judge of the State of Alabama nor any agent or employee of any Alabama Probate Judge shall issue or recognize a marriage license that is inconsistent with Article 1, Section 36.03, of the Alabama Constitution or 30-1-19, Ala. Code 1975,” the state laws banning same-sex marriage.” Moore wrote that issuing licenses to same-sex couples would be in “defiance of the laws and Constitution in Alabama.”

A U.S. District Court ruling last month invalidated Alabama’s ban on same-sex marriages.

With the high court’s ruling see

ALABAMA on page 2

Obama considers arming Ukraine, appears reluctuant

By Christi Parsons and Kathleen Hennessey Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama acknowledged Monday that he is considering arming Ukraine’s military if a diplomatic push fails to yield a cease-fire with Russia-backed separatists, but worried that such an approach could do more harm that good.

In a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Obama sounded skeptical about the unintended consequences of sending weapons to an army that is so overpowered by Russian forces and raised doubts about whether it might serve only to escalate a war that has already killed more than 5,000 people.

“Can we be certain that any lethal aid that we provide Ukraine is used properly, doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, does not lead to over-aggressive actions that can’t be sustained by the Ukrainians, what kinds of reactions does it prompt, not simply from the separatists, but from the Russians – those are all issues that have to be considered,” Obama told reporters.

“The measure by which I make these decisions is, ‘Is it more likely to be effective than not?’“ The president said no decision had been made and stressed that, for now, the West is united behind another round of negotiations and a regimen of economic sanctions. The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine are slated to meet Wednesday in Belarus for more talks.

Despite the professed unity, the question of arming Ukraine has revealed increasing divisions among Western allies. Some key officials, including Obama’s pick to be the next defense secretary, have said they are open to sending arms to help Ukraine push back against the separatists.

Merkel, however, has been unequivocal in her opposition to such a plan.

Merkel said Monday she plans “to put all our efforts in bringing about a diplomatic solution.”

The message is unlikely to force Putin to reconsider his strategy.

Despite a steadily ramped-up regimen of economic sanctions that have helped to weaken his country’s economy, the Russian leader has for months rejected calls to withdraw support for separatist groups fight-

ing to join Russia in eastern Ukraine.

The leaders vowed Monday that they would not “stand idle and simply allow the borders of Europe to be redrawn at the barrel of the gun,” Obama said.

Obama and Merkel met privately Monday for a series of meetings initally aimed at sketching out an agenda for the Group of Seven summit of world leaders in German in June.

But the escalating crisis in Ukraine dominated the morning talks, Obama said.

Also on the agenda Monday was the looming deadline in the Iran nuclear talks. Obama told reporters he saw the end of March deadline as a final decision point for the Iranians.

After two extensions and months of negotiations, “the issues now are sufficiently narrowed and sufficiently clarified,” Obama said.

“We’re at a point where they need to make a decision,” he said. “I don’t see a further extension being useful if they have not agreed to the basic formulation and the bottom line that the world requires to have confidence that they’re not pursuing a nuclear weapon.”

Obama defended the nuclear dis-

MCT

President Obama speaks at a press conference in the East Room on Monday, Feb. 9. cussions and acknowledged he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disagree on the matter. Netanyahu is slated to address Congress on the matter March 3 during a visit the White House has said was arranged without its knowledge and against standard protocol.

Obama has no plans to meet with the prime minister during the visit, a decision he insisted Monday was not a personal snub but due to a “prac-

tice” of not meeting with foreign leaders just before their elections.

Still, Obama managed to use Merkel as a counterpoint to get a slight dig at the Israeli leader with whom he has regularly clashed.

“As much as I love Angela, if she was two weeks away from an election, she probably would not have received an invitation to the White House,” Obama said. “And I suspect she wouldn’t have asked for one.”

2

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

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

In 1861, Jefferson Davis was notified by telegraph that he had been chosen as the provisional president of the Confederate States of America.

AROUND THE WORLD

Germany

A one-day strike by security personnel at three German airports on Monday caused misery for thousands of travelers.

Two of the airports, Stuttgart and Hamburg, were almost brought to a standstill, with police even sealing the entrances to Hamburg airport temporarily when the terminal building became dangerously overcrowded, the first time this had happened in the airport’s history.

Security personnel at Stuttgart, Hamburg and Hanover went on strike in a dispute over pay. The union Verdi is looking for an increase in hourly wages for security workers of between 70 cents and 2.50 euros ($0.79 and $2.84).

Employers say they have already offered a reasonable rise.

Hamburg airport spokeswoman Stephanie Harder said service would return to normal on Tuesday. Some 40,000 passengers were affected in the northern port city, she said, adding that 150 flights out of a total of 400 had been cancelled.

Faced with waiting times of four or five hours, passengers were advised not to go near the airport in the afternoon.

Meanwhile in Stuttgart, 32 flights out of the 241 scheduled for Monday were cancelled.

Spokeswoman Beate Schleicher said 12,000 people were affected, with customs clearance delays lasting around two hours.

The German Association of the Security Industry accused the union of harming innocent passengers.

Only Hanover airport escaped with little disruption, according to the spokeswoman in that northern city, Soenke Jacobsen. Dozens of strikers demonstrated there with whistles, flags and banners.

The three airports are among Germany’s busiest.

Striking personnel include those who work with the public as well as those who guard company buildings at airports and military and nuclear facilities.

A spokesman for the employers, Ralph Beisel of the German Airports Association, called the strike a great imposition on passengers and demanded the union get back to the negotiating table.

For her part, Verdi’s spokeswoman in Hanover, Ute Gottschaar, called on the employers to get back to talks.

“We hope the strike will be enough to ensure a deal at the talks on Wednesday,” Verdi spokesman in Hamburg Peter Bremme said.

Airline Germanwings demanded “clear rules for the labour disputes procedure.”

No further action has been called before the national talks continue on Wednesday in Hamburg.

In the state where Stuttgart is located, some 19,000 people work in airport security. The figure for Hamburg is 8,000 and in and around Hanover 7,000.

MCT

CIA

ALABAMA

continued from page 1

Campoamor-Sanchez, on FBI agents secretly questioning members of the Bin al Shibh defense team, which the Sept. 11 defense teams have called spying on privileged attorney-client conversations.

Instead the issue became, apparently, a stony-faced translator who was sitting alongside Bin al Shibh in court when the hearing started. The judge ordered a quick recess, excused Campoamor-Sanchez and summoned the chief prosecutor, Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, for questioning.

Court resumed briefly with the linguist missing.

Martins sought, and got, a continuing recess until 9 a.m. Wednesday, to look into the issue and file a written pleading with the court.

Pleadings are sealed for at least 15 days for an intelligence agencies scrub of secret information.

COPS

David Nevin, the attorney for the alleged mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, asked Pohl to order the suspected CIA worker to not leave this remote base in southeast Cuba and to submit to defense questioning.

Pohl said the man could decide whether or not to talk to the defense teams.

The five men are accused of helping to orchestrate, train, and arrange travel for the 19 men who hijacked four U.S. passenger aircraft Sept. 11. The prosecutor is seeking their execution, if they are convicted. The CIA held and interrogated them for three to four years in secret overseas prisons before they were brought to Guantanamo in September 2006.

But even once they got here, they continued to be in CIA custody, according to the Senate report.

Jay Connell, attorney for accused plotter Ammar al

Baluchi, 37, said Sunday it is still not known when the agency relinquished control of the men, who are held in a secret prison called Camp 7.

The Sept. 11 prosecution has not yet completed a review of the intelligence agencies’ classification guide to update the record with the Senate report’s revelations, meaning some aspects of it may still be censored at the war court.

A court security officer, who sits to the right of the judge, has a button that mutes sound from the courtroom to the public. He did not, however, hit it once during Monday morning’s brief session that mentioned the CIA and torture.

Monday’s hearing was supposed to start an up-to 12-day straight court hearing. It was the first hearing that brought the accused terrorists to court, and family members of Sept. 11 victims to the base, since August.

Monday, state officials had clearance to begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses, making Alabama the first Deep South state to do so.

The state probate judges association has urged officials to follow the federal court order, and it’s still unclear how big of an effect Moore’s order will have.

“We need more information from the state on what we need to. More clarity is needed,” said Lisa Whitehead, chief clerk of the probate court in Tuscaloosa County, home to the University of Alabama.

Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas dissented from Monday’s high-court decision, with Thomas writing an angry dissent.

“Today’s decision represents yet another example of this Court’s increasingly cavalier attitude toward the

continued from page 1

States,” he wrote.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to decide by June whether same-sex couples have a right to marriage nationwide.

“This acquiescence may well be seen as a signal of the Court’s intended resolution of [the gay-marriage] question. This is not the proper way to discharge our [constitutional] responsibilities. And, it is indecorous for this Court to pretend that it is.”

The action by the justices is in line with what they have done in similar cases from other states, and legal experts did not read too much into it.

“In one sense, that’s business as usual for them,” said James Esseks of the American Civil Liberties Union. “The court doesn’t think that allowing more people to get married is a harm that has to be stopped.”

Some House Dems seek to delay Netanyahu’s speech

continued from page 1

By Billy House Bloomberg News

ANDY CASTILLO/COLLEGIAN

Local liquor stores will be affected by the new “Cops in Shops” program.

Gundersen said the primary reason for its implementation is a large increase in protective custody incidents when the police encounter someone “so intoxicated that they cannot care for themselves,” and the officer is required to place them in custody.

“It’s not a criminal offense, but the law says that the person, because of alcohol, cannot care for themselves,” Gundersen said. “Those are concerning to us.

“There’s better use of our time, but it’s a medical concern. We don’t prefer protective custodies, because there’s a medical liability anytime we bring somebody to our station, but we have to.”

Ambulances are required to transport protective custodies as well, which Gundersen said was very taxing on public resources.

“When they’re transporting somebody to the hospital with alcohol issues and we have a citizen or a student that has a heart attack, we can’t respond to that because our ambulances are dealing with somebody who chose to drink too much,” she said.

The number of protective custodies has increased dramatically in recent years.

According to Gundersen, the department saw 37 incidents last year, a rise from 23 in 2010.

DailyCollegian.com

According to amherstfirefighters.org, the amount of Emergency Medical Service responses conducted in the town of Amherst rose from 4,946 in 2006 to 5,914 in 2014.

The numbers of crimes for minor in possession of alcohol recorded had, comparatively, remained fairly constant during this period.

The “Cops in Shops” initiative is in partnership with Amherst liquor stores, as their ability to remain open and sell alcohol can be endangered when they unintentionally sell alcohol to minors.

“This is also a program to support our liquor stores, so they can stay in business,” Gundersen said.

The program is funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety as part of a $10,000 grant to fund “many other initiatives to focus on underage drinking,” such as surveillance and party patrols.

The Amherst Police Department will cooperate with the University of Massachusetts Police Department and the University throughout the course of the program.

Stuart Foster can be reached at stuarfoster@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Stuart_C_Foster.

WASHINGTON — Some U.S. House Democrats are circulating a petition asking Speaker John Boehner to postpone a planned March 3 speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a joint meeting of Congress.

“As members of Congress who support Israel, we share concern that it appears that you are using a foreign leader as a political tool against the president,” states the letter being circulated among lawmakers by Reps. Keith Ellison, Steve Cohen and Maxine Waters.

The three started sending the petition to fellow lawmakers last week, said Mike Casca, a spokesman for Ellison of Minnesota.

The names of all lawmakers signing it won’t be released until later this week, he said.

While the petition asks Boehner to delay the speech, it stops short of declaring that members signing won’t attend.

Boehner, an Ohio Republican, announced Jan. 21 – the day after President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address – that he had invited Netanyahu to address Congress. He didn’t consult the Obama administration.

“I do not believe I am poking anyone in the eye,” Boehner told reporters at the time. His spokesman, Michael Steel, said Monday that the speaker isn’t con-

sidering a postponement of the speech.

Obama press secretary Josh Earnest has said typical practice is for one head of state to reach out to another. Obama on Monday said the U.S. doesn’t meet with foreign leaders “right before” an election.

The lawmakers’ petition asks Boehner to postpone the invitation until after Israel’s March 17 elections and the deadline for diplomatic negotiations with Iran. March 24 is the deadline for the framework of an agreement.

Already deciding to skip the address is Vice President Joe Biden, whose office said Friday he will be traveling internationally.

Some lawmakers aren’t planning to go.

They include Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the assistant House Democratic leader and the highest-ranking black member of congressional leadership, according to a senior House Democratic leadership aide. The aide asked not to be identified because the decision hadn’t been made public.

In addition, Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, John Lewis of Georgia and G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina have said they plan to skip the event.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California has said she’s deciding whether to attend.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who

caucuses with Democrats, in a speech Monday at the Brookings Institution said he won’t attend the Netanyahu event.

In calling for the speech be postponed, the petition from Ellison, Cohen of Tennessee and Waters of California raises some of the same concerns as the administration.

The petition said Boehner’s invitation “appears to be an attempt to promote new sanctions legislation against Iran that could undermine” efforts to reach a nuclear deal with that country.

Obama has said the negotiations are the best chance to keep the enemy of Israel from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“At the State of the Union, President Obama made it clear that he will veto new Iran sanctions legislation,” said the petition. “Aside from being improper, this places Israel, a close and valued ally, in the middle of a policy debate between Congress and the White House.”

A statement on Boehner’s website Monday said, “It’s becoming more and more clear that the concessions” Obama is offering to Iran “would undermine American security and the security of our allies.”

Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver a separate speech to the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee’s annual conference in Washington during his visit.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

3

Once eradicated, whooping cough back on the rise

By John Fauber and Mark Johnson “This is a very tenacious disease,” Klein was the lead author of a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MILWAUKEE — Heather Petersons listened to her 5-year-old daughter, Camille, and worried.

“She would cough and cough and cough and then she would be gasping to take a breath,” Petersons recalled. “Her eyes would be watering from coughing. The coughing wiped her out.”

But April 2012 was a busy time for the Milwaukee family, and it was probably just a bad cold. Camille kept going to her kindergarten class at St. Dominic Catholic School. The family held an adoption party for her new younger sister and invited about 20 people. All the while, Camille could not shake her cough.

It got so bad Petersons videotaped her daughter before heading to the family doctor, just in case the child stopped coughing the moment they entered the exam room. The doctor took a swab for testing and called back a few hours later.

Camille had pertussis, whooping cough. She had caught the disease even though she’d been vaccinated against it.

The whole family had to go on antibiotics. So did all the guests from the adoption party, although ultimately none came down with the illness.

“We felt horrible that we’d (possibly) infected all of these people without knowing because we thought she had a bad cold,” Petersons said.

“I remember thinking whooping cough was one of those old-school things that nobody got anymore.”

Pertussis, known for an explosive cough so violent it can break a person’s rib or cause the person to vomit or pass out, had appeared to be on the way out in this country in 1976, the disease’s low ebb. There were just 1,010 cases – far below the 100,000 typical in the 1940s. The disease was vanishing under the assault of childhood vaccinations.

Not anymore. The year Camille got pertussis, Wisconsin alone recorded 6,462 cases. The national total was 48,277.

Experts and research point to a complex confluence of factors that may have caused the surge in cases, including: a safer but weakened vaccine; more surveillance, especially in adults; genetic changes to the bacterium; and a proliferation of wary parents and anti-vaccine websites.

And then there is the disease itself, with its remarkable capacity to spread. Each case of Ebola is estimated to generate 1.5 to two more cases; each smallpox case, six to seven more. A single case of whooping cough, however, generates anywhere from 12 to 17 more. And every three to five years, there is a major outbreak and the numbers spike.

said Paul Biedrzycki, Milwaukee’s director of disease control and environmental health. “It’s a very challenging disease for public health.

Recovery between outbreaks is getting shorter and slower. It’s simmering, which tells me our control strategies may not be working.”

“What makes pertussis a difficult foe is that there isn’t one, simple explanation (for the resurgence),” said Pejman Rohani, a University of Michigan epidemiology professor who has studied the disease for 17 years. “I think there’s a lot we don’t understand about what’s been going on.”

The story of pertussis in the 20th and early 21st centuries has been influenced by the evolution of the vaccines that have been developed to fight it. In the pre-vaccine years of 1926 to 1930, there were more than 36,000 pertussis deaths in the U.S., according to a 2007 paper on the history of the disease.

In 1948, the first widely used vaccine was introduced; it was made by killing the pertussis bacterium with an antiseptic and injecting it into the body. The whole-cell vaccine, as it came to be called, was loaded with several thousand proteins, including toxins, that fired up the immune system and clamped down on the disease.

In the decades that followed, whooping cough deaths and cases dropped dramatically. But the vaccine also caused side effects, including pain at the injection site, fevers and persistent crying in some children, and in rare cases seizures.

The 1982 NBC News documentary “DPT: Vaccine Roulette” went further, claiming the pertussis vaccine could cause permanent brain damage, said Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and a professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“It cast a negative light on the whooping cough vaccine,” said Offit, author of “Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All.” “Even physicians didn’t understand that it didn’t cause permanent brain damage.”

A 1990 study in The Journal of the American Medical Association found no evidence that the vaccine caused brain damage. Nonetheless, concern over the side effects led to development of a new pertussis vaccine made from components of the bacterium rather than the whole cell.

This kinder, gentler acellular vaccine, introduced in 1998, causes fewer side effects than the old vaccine, but appears to be less effective.

“It does work,” said Nicola Klein, a pediatrician and co-director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center. “It just doesn’t last long.”

2013 study in the journal Pediatrics comparing the effectiveness of the older and newer vaccines in a 2010’11 pertussis outbreak in California.

It showed that teenagers who got four doses of the newer vaccine were nearly six times more likely to get pertussis than teens who got four doses of the older vaccine.

Other developments suggest the change in vaccines may not be fueling the resurgence. Japan and Sweden have been using the same acellular vaccine as the U.S. “They’ve seen a real reduction in pertussis and there’s been no sign, as far as we can tell, of a pertussis resurgence,” said Rohani at the University of Michigan.

Sweden does use a different schedule for pertussis shots, administering the first three when babies are 3, 5 and 11 months old. In the U.S., the first three pertussis shots are given at ages 2, 4 and 6 months, followed by one between 15 and 18 months, and a fifth and final shot between 4 and 6 years.

Another possible explanation offered for the rise in whooping cough in the U.S. is a greater awareness of the disease among adults.

While there had long been a keen awareness of the disease in children, there had been less awareness that it strikes adults, said Michael Chusid, a doctor and professor of pediatric infectious disease at Children’s Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin. That has changed in the last decade or so, and the additional adult pertussis patients may now account for some of the disease’s resurgence.

“These cases were probably always there,” Chusid said, explaining that it was easy to miss them because the disease doesn’t tend to be as severe in adults as it is in children.

Still, as Melissa Darr can attest, pertussis is no picnic for adults. In 2012, Darr was driving along a country road when she began coughing so violently that she passed out.

“I knew I needed to pull over,” said Darr, 44, who lives in Pittsville.

“I woke up in the woods.”

She said she suffered a broken rib and some contusions, and had to climb out the back door because the car was in trees.

She had to stop driving for nearly two months until her coughing went away. Darr, who was working as a substitute teacher at the time, contracted whooping cough at her school even though she had been vaccinated as a child.

She has since gotten an adult booster shot.

“There is a tendency to think of vaccines as essentially making us bulletproof against the pathogen,” Rohani said. A person can get whooping cough as a child, then get

it again as an adult.

Not only has the vaccine changed, but so apparently has its target.

“There are genetic changes in (what) is circulating now compared to the bacterium that was circulating awhile back,” Rohani said.

“We don’t know what that evolution means in terms of transmission.”

Despite the changes in the vaccine and in the bacterium, public health officials believe vaccinating children against the disease is critical. They worry that critics and anti-vaccine websites may discourage parents from ensuring their children receive the shots. A growing number of parents have sought waivers allowing them to forgo vaccinating their children.

In states such as California, waivers can lead to 10 percent to 20 percent of children, or more, not being vaccinated, Offit said.

In Wisconsin, waivers to school immunizations can be granted for religious, personal or medical reasons. Waivers were granted for about 5 percent of kindergarten through 12th-graders in Wisconsin for the 2013-’14 school year, according to data supplied by the state.

That’s up from 2.3 percent in 2000-’01.

Even those, like Camille Petersons, who still get whooping cough after being vaccinated are much more likely to have a milder case than if they had not been vaccinated at all, said James Cherry, a pediatric infectious disease expert at the UCLA School of Medicine.

“You are going to have more failures, but the failures are going to be less ill,” he said.

That may have been what happened to 5-year-old Annie Matkom last November.

Just before Thanksgiving, the Whitefish Bay girl developed a bad cough, said her mother, Beth.

She was taken to the doctor on a Saturday and the next day the family was called. Though she had

received all of her vaccinations, she tested positive for pertussis, her mother said, admitting, “I was shocked.”

Both Annie and her family had to go on a five-day course of antibiotics so they would not spread the illness.

But Annie’s cough cleared up on its own after a few days.

“I really don’t know how or why she got it,” her mother said.

Sharyl Paley, Annie’s pediatrician, said her case was very mild and that most likely was because she had been vaccinated.

“I’ve seen some teenagers who still are coughing for two or three months,” said Paley who is part of the Children’s Medical Group of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

Several experts said a more effective whooping cough vaccine is needed, but it is unclear when one might be developed.

Anna Padula, a spokeswoman for vaccine-maker GlaxoSmithKline, said the company is working closely with the CDC and regulatory agencies looking at the incidence of pertussis and the duration of immunity from pertussis vaccines.

“We also continuously evaluate the need for new vaccines across a variety of diseases, including exploring options for the development of next generation pertussis vaccines,” she said.

Sean Clements, a spokesman for Sanofi Pasteur, said vaccination still is the best way to prevent pertussis, offering 80 percent to 85 percent effectiveness.

Immunity to childhood vaccination wanes over five to 10 years, which is why an adolescent/adult booster is recommended, he said.

But unvaccinated children are eight times more likely to get whooping cough than those who have received all five doses of the vaccine, he said.

“We do not have any new pertussis vaccines in clinical trials,” he added.

New York Mayor targets Government requests jump homelessness in budget for user data from Twitter

By Henry Goldman and Meenal Vamburkar Bloomberg News

NEW YORK — New York Mayor Bill de Blasio presented a $77.7 billion preliminary budget for the year beginning July 1 that will spend millions of dollars on homelessness prevention, career-oriented education and increased protection for abused and neglected children.

As the mayor enters his second year in office, the city is experiencing its strongest economy in decades, generating revenue that will give de Blasio a surplus in the current fiscal year that he plans to roll over to fiscal 2016. As recently as November, the mayor had forecast a $1.8 billion deficit for next year.

“We have a really thriving economy on many levels,” de Blasio said Monday at a City Hall news briefing where he unveiled the budget. “We saw how quickly things can improve, but we’re also cognizant of how quickly it can turn the other way.”

A self-described progressive, de Blasio, 53, has an agenda that includes

In his briefing Monday, the mayor outlined plans to spend $37 million to prevent homelessness, including $28.4 million in rental-assistance subsidies and $8.6 million in services to give legal support and other aid to tenants threatened with eviction. construction or preservation of 200,000 affordablehousing units, rent subsidies for veterans and the homeless, and universal, all-day pre-kindergarten.

Political rivals including Republican mayoral candidate Joseph Lhota predicted that the first Democrat to run City Hall in 20 years would put the city’s finances at risk. He responded by holding $750 million in reserve in each of the next four years, and $2.3 billion in a retirees’ health-care trust fund.

New York’s economy is experiencing its fifth year of recovery since the fiscal crisis, including 60 consecutive months of job growth, the longest stretch of continued employment increases since the 1950s, according to James Brown,

senior economist for the state Labor Department.

In his briefing Monday, the mayor outlined plans to spend $37 million to prevent homelessness, including $28.4 million in rentalassistance subsidies and $8.6 million in services to give legal support and other aid to tenants threatened with eviction.

He added $11 million to the Administration for Children’s Services, the city’s child-welfare agency, to pay for increased training and services to prevent abuse and neglect.

An additional $29 million will go to increase opportunities for community college students to get job-preparatory training in science, technology, engineering and math.

Rise occured in Russia, US, Turkey

By Antonia Massa Bloomberg News

NEW YORK — Twitter Inc. said government requests for user data and content removal jumped in the second half of 2014, especially in Russia, Turkey and the U.S. In its twice-yearly transparency report, Twitter said it received 84 percent more requests for content removal and 40 percent more requests for account information from governments worldwide from July 1 to Dec. 31, compared with the first six months of the year.

The report is part of a broader effort by the San Francisco-based company to shed light on government surveillance of its members.

Twitter last year filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, claiming that restrictions on the information the company makes public about surveillance demands violate free-speech rights.

Turkey led in requests for tweet takedowns in the recent six-month period, the report said. The Turkish government issued 477

requests to remove content from the microblogging site in the period, a rise of 156 percent from the prior six months. The company said some content was withheld in 50 percent of those cases. Russia submitted 91 requests for content removal in the period, and Germany submitted 43 requests.

The U.S. government makes the majority of inquiries about user data, and such requests increased 29 percent in the period to 1,622. Twitter’s compliance with those demands rose 8 percent, with the company providing some information in 80 percent of the inquiries. Turkey became the second-largest requester of user information with 356 requests, while Russia, which never previously requested user data, filed 108 requests in the period.

No user information was provided to those two countries, Twitter said.

Twitter has been issuing transparency reports since 2012 to disclose the frequency of government demands for content removal and user data. Other technology companies, including Google Inc., have followed suit.

“Providing this level of transparency is not without its complications and sometimes means we get tough questions and criticism about our decisions,” Twitter’s Jeremy Kessel, senior manager of global legal policy, wrote in a blog post announcing Monday’s report. “However, this candid feedback helps us to be ever more thoughtful about our policies and decisions regarding content and compliance as we navigate complex, diverse legal regimes around the world.”

The social media company is seeking to get even more detailed in what it tells users about the information it hands over to government agencies. In October, Twitter sued the U.S. government for limiting the information it can disclose about agency inquiries.

The move distinguished Twitter from other technology companies, including Google, Facebook Inc., LinkedIn Corp., Microsoft Corp and Yahoo Inc., which entered an agreement with the government to disclose accounts targeted for government surveillance in groups of 1,000.

Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

“Boy, those French! They have a different word for everything.” - Steve Martin

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Editorial@DailyCollegiancom

Addressing death is not morbid Like most people, I was a kid when I first faced a death in the family. Every death in my family resulted in what is called a traditional burial, where the dead

Corinne Elicone

‘Gluten-free’ can be code for healthier habits Labels indicating what is in your food are everywhere – written in restaurant menus, on packaging and even at the University of Massachusetts

Karen Podorefsky Dining Commons.

Many Americans have become more conscious, even infatuated, about what they eat for multiple reasons: allergies, to watch their weight, to have a special diet and beyond.

I’ve grown up aware of nut allergies, but one craze I have noticed recently is the trend toward gluten-free eating. Have an upset stomach? Many turn to this diet as a first resort to resolve the issue. But the seemingly positive effects of this diet – or as some would call it, way of life – are prompting Americans whose gluten health is just fine to switch up their normal eating routines.

There is at least some legitimacy to the diet. Julie Jargon writes in The Wall Street Journal, “About two million to three million Americans, less than 1 percent of the population, suffer from that hereditary condition, known as celiac disease. The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness says research shows another 18 million Americans have gluten sensitivity, experiencing discomfort without the intestinal damage.”

But what about the other 99 percent? Whatever their issue is, some claim after trying the new trend, “Oh, I feel so much better” or “I have much more energy.” I wonder if they actually feel this way or if all the hype is causing them to believe it is so.

Oprah Winfrey stopped eating gluten, among other foods, for a 21-day cleanse and said that it made her feel better, according to Jargon in another Wall Street Journal article. She tried it just

to try it, not because she was having stomach or health problems.

I would believe the claimed results, depending on how Oprah or someone else goes about it.

To reap the weight-loss benefits most are going for, you must cut out or reduce carbohydrate intake.

There are many gluten-free products. Replacing your gluten-filled unhealthy foods with the gluten-free version does not help you lose weight or become healthier. No, you don’t want to do that. It’s actually often worse because there are less vitamins

“I question whether people actually feel better mentally rather than physically when eating gluten-free.”

But I question whether people actually feel better mentally rather than physically when eating gluten-free. It makes sense that eating healthier with more fresh foods, protein and carbless foods will make your body feel better because you are treating it better, consuming less food that isn’t good for you. But, if someone limits unhealthy food intake, I would think that they would feel more confident and all around better about themselves because they know they are doing their body a favor by not indulging.

For example, chocolate cake almost always satisfies someone for the moment they eat it because it tastes so great.

However, the fulfillment of saying you will go a week without eating the treat and accomplishing the goal proves more satisfying. Indulging at that moment compared to feeling accomplished after a longer period of time with self control is a basic example of short term versus long term pleasure Americans battle regularly.

Call it what you want – a gluten-free diet or a low-carb diet.

In my opinion, going gluten-free can be an outlet for people to more easily tell others they are on a diet or a way to accept it themselves, as weight-loss diets often have a bad connotation.

I find our society to be too judgmental. There is a high likelihood that people are embarrassed to say they are on a diet because it is shows they are insecure about their bodies or lifestyle. Now, people who are not negatively affected by gluten have a more legitimate healthconcern claim, rather than just wanting to live a healthier lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle, however, should be something to be proud about.

and more sugar. When a body doesn’t need sugar or extra carbs, it converts them to fat, resulting in weight gain. There are still just as many carbohydrates in gluten-free replacement products.

Of course, if someone actually suffers from celiac disease or gluten intolerance and wants to maintain their previous food consumption lifestyle, this argument does not apply and actually helps because they don’t feel deprived of foods they enjoy.

A low-carb, or generally healthier diet would be a more appropriate label for someone not replacing what he or she previously ate with gluten-free labeled foods. If a person really wants to “be healthier” to whatever degree he or she is aiming for, it is most likely that they cut out the carbo-loaded foods categorized as unhealthy but taste delicious, like cookies and pastries. Of course someone will Karen Podorefsky is a Collegian columnist feel better if they don’t eat that. and can be reached at kpodoref@umass.edu.

as much as life.

The difference is, in this day and age no one lets you see it. If you need even more convincing of this denial, look at how much our society obsesses over youth.

There are facial creams, surgeries, diet fads and many other advertisements for products that encourage maintaining a youthful appearance. These are key cursors to looking at the skewed relationship America has with death.

The tides are changing for the funeral industry. Now, approximately 40 percent of American families decide that cremation is a suitable option for their loved ones. However, about 59 percent is still dominated by traditional burials.

I would like to talk about that remaining one percent – natural burials. In other words, burying the dead with a decomposable coffin or shroud directly into the ground, allowing the body to decompose and provide nutrients for other life as nature had intended. It’s outrageous that these burials are not offered in every state.

They are just as dignified and heartfelt as any other service, not to mention better for the environment and cost a mere $25 to $50, or even less if you take care of the body yourself, according to gravematters.us.

Death can be beautiful because it reminds us of all that life has given us. It is also heart-wrenching and horrifying. Grief is one of the most difficult trials known to human kind. Why do we pigeonhole ourselves into these strict expectations when dealing with death? Why do we deny ourselves the right to grieve the way that suits our own emotional needs best?

Whenever anyone attempts to talk realistically about death they are dismissed for being morbid and the conversation ends. It is not morbid to plan for death. It is not morbid to contemplate something as universal to life as a first date or being handed the keys to your first car. Instead, we shove our emotions down, keep smiling weakly and move forward into this skewed perception of strength. Perhaps this issue speaks to a much larger problem. In society, we view sadness as weakness and as brokenness instead of a natural response to natural occurrences.

are embalmed through a chemical process and put out for viewing at a wake and receive a funeral service the next morning.

Unlike cremations, traditional burials require stricter timelines and expectations for these services. After kneeling at the open casket, one was to make his or her way down the family line with the widow/widower, the parents (if applicable), the sisters and brothers, the children, the grandchildren and in that order and only in that order. You shook hands with them, looked them in the eye, gave your condolences and moved on through an emotionally repressed conveyor belt. All I could think of was how strange it was that someone whose life, as vibrant, chaotic and extraordinary as it may have been, would end with a solemn and organized regimen of human grief. Tradition was their excuse for this draining activity.

Perhaps, what is more disturbing about this industry is that the majority of the public does not know that they can refuse these traditional services. A mortician is not required by law to take the body of a deceased loved one away from you and into the morgue, despite reports that many funeral homes claim otherwise.

Bodies do not have to go through the intrusive, expensive procedures of embalming. Most people are led to believe that in order for their loved ones’ deaths to be “dignified,” they must spend upwards of $20,000 on the service.

This misinformation and manipulation is a direct result of the funeral industry taking advantage of a society extremely afraid of dealing with anything related to death.

The way our society views death is unhealthy. Instead of embracing our own mortality and using it as a tool to better our lives, we spend our lives trying to forget about it. Corpses travel across the United States in the cargo of commercial jets that you may fly on and in the back of unmarked vans you may pass on the highway, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

As unsettling as this information Corinne Elicone is a Collegian contributor and is, it is reality; death surrounds us can be reached at celicone@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.

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Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

“I can’t think of anything more noble to go to war over than bacon and eggs.” - Ron Swanson

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Arts@DailyCollegian.com

CONCERT PREVIEW

Indie band PHOX brings its freshness to the Iron Horse Rising artists will play next Tuesday

By Jack Nichols Collegian Staff

PHOX is bringing its unique indie-pop sound to the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Celebrating its eponymous debut album, released Jun. 24, the group recently kicked off a nationwide tour.

PHOX hails from Baraboo, Wisconsin, a small town known for the Ringling Brothers circus and its frigid winters. To escape the stark reality of their northern abode, the group of six friends – Zach Johnston, Monica Martin, Davey Roberts, Matteo Roberts, Jason Krunnfusz and Matthew Holmen – turned to creating music in 2011.

Described as a mix between alternative rock and indie folk, PHOX is an eclectic group, mixing a number of different genres into its sound. The

band took the light-hearted folk music of modern indie bands like The Head and the Heart and The Lumineers, and created its own distinctive sound.

PHOX joined the music scene at the height of a wave of mainstream success for indie rock. Following the pathways paved by successful bands like Mumford and Sons, Vampire Weekend and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, PHOX took a new approach and attempted to combine different sounds from various artists. PHOX takes the popular elements of modern indie folk-rock and merges it with elements of psychedelic rock, soul and pop. This combination produces a diverse sound, as exemplified in PHOX’s first self-titled album.

“PHOX” received a positive reception upon its release. With above average ratings from Metacritic and The New York Times, the debut album proved to be a wildly successful start for the Wisconsin band. Due to this encouraging response and successful performances at

PHOX peforms at the Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, in May 2014.

South by Southwest and Lollapalooza, as well as opening performances for both Blitzen Trapper and The Lumineers, PHOX has become a commonplace name within the indie world.

With only one full album in its pocket, it is rare to

see such a new band garner such a high level of support and following. If PHOX continues to produce music of the same quality or better than its first release, the band has a chance to be at the forefront of the indie scene within the next few years.

CONCERT PREVIEW

like a family reunited each year around a mic; that family of crazy uncles and aunts you want to bring your new girlfriend or boyfriend to meet, purely to leave a lasting impression of how fun in its purest sense your family can be.”

Toting its unique music with a quirky and definitive performance style seems like a promising combination for a memorable concert.

PHOX is looking to expand its fan base and spread its name in 2015 with its first major tour.

This concert is perfect for any music listener that is a fan of the light and airy style that bands like The Head and the Heart, The NICOLE KILBERT/FLICKR Lumineers and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have showcased throughout their respec Having played relatively tive careers. few concerts, PHOX has This group of quirky not made a name for itself performers will play in as a live band quite yet. Northampton on Feb. 17 at However, it has received the Iron Horse at 7 p.m. outstanding ratings for Tickets are selling for $15 the concerts it’s have online or $18 at the door. played. Critics from Mezzic describe it as a quirky Jack Nichols can be reached at group that acts “on stage, jrnichols@umass.edu.

ALBUM REVIEW

New Pornographers take on NoHo Jessica Pratt strikes Sprawling collective gold on second LP stops by the Valley Folk singer releases stirring set of tracks

By Sarah Robertson Collegian Staff

The New Pornographers is a melting pot of brilliant, creative and distracted minds. Eleven musicians identify as members of the Canadian indie rock supergroup, with many of them involved in outside projects ranging from music to film and animation.

On Wednesday, five of those members will be stopping at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton as part of the group’s tour promoting the New Pornographers’ newest album, “Brill Bruisers.”

The album marks the band’s first release since “Together,” in 2010.

“Brill Bruisers,” released Aug. 26, was four years in the making and showcases a bright collection of pop-powered songs and a sound unlike any other in independent rock.

Carl Newman, the band’s founding father, stated that he wanted his album to be “shinier and faster” than the band’s previous efforts, and with “Brill Bruisers,” Newman and the rest of the group gave us just that.

NPR Music calls the band “virtually peerless in the world of powerpop and indie-rock,” and dubbed its newest album a collection of “unimpeachable pop gems.” That power-pop sound has always been precisely what Newman has attempted to achieve with The New Pornographers.

“Brill Bruisers” continues the band’s evolution toward a more upbeat, if not superficial, sound.

Newman hesitated to assign a single meaning to the name of the band’s latest album as he prefers leaving it open for interpretation to anything from the famous Brill Building in New York City, where

By Jackson Maxwell Collegian Staff

BRENT PEARSON/FLICKR

Carl Newman performs with the New Pornographers. the band debuted the album, to an abbreviated form of “brilliant.”

“The whole idea of being a brilliant bruiser – isn’t that what everybody ultimately strives for, or what a person needs to succeed in this world?,” Newman said on MatadorRecords. com, “To be really intelligent and really strong at the same time? It just seemed to match this group of songs somehow.”

With so many members involved in different creative endeavors, it is hard to get them all on one tour. A few of the Pornographers’ founding members will be at Sunday’s show including Destroyer’s Dan Bejar.

However, vocalist Neko Case will not be part of the tour. Instead, Kathryn Calder, also a member of Immaculate Machine, will be taking her place.

The return of bassist and producer John Collins also helped reinvigorate the band in its new album, according to Newman, and will be joining the band on tour. Kurt Dahle, the Pornographers’ drummer of 15 years, recently left the band and will not be

“Brill Builders,” released Aug. 26, was four years in the making and showcases a bright collection of pop-powered songs and a sound unlike any other in independent rock. performing with them at the Calvin Theater.

Operators, a side project of Wolf Parade’s Dan Boeckner, will be opening for The New Pornographers on Sunday.

Operators released their debut EP, aptly titled “EP1,” in August.

Newman started The New Pornographers in 1996 after the releasing “Goin’ Through Changes” as part of his other project, Zumpano. After a slow start, The New Pornographers released “Mass Romantic” in 2000.

The album was a hit in the indie rock community, with Blender Magazine placing it at No. 24 on its list of “Best Indie Albums of All Time.”

Over the next decade, the group created music intermittently, releasing

“Electric Version” in 2003, “Twin Cinema” in 2005 and “Challenges” in 2007. Its 2010 album, “Together,” sailed in on a wave of success, featuring collaborations with St. Vincent, Will Sheff of Okkervil River and Beirut’s Zach Condon. Every album since “Electric Version” was released through the band’s current label, Matador Records.

The New Pornographers will be playing in Northampton on Wednesday after several stops in Canada and one in Ithaca, New York.

The show starts at 8 p.m.

Wednesday at the Calvin Theatre. Tickets are available on the Iron Horse’s website for $28.50.

Sarah Robertson can be reached at srobertson@umass.edu.

Pratt’s playing is, with each individual note making a distinctive mark on the song.

“People’s faces blend together like a watercolor you can’t remember,” Pratt intones on the equally gorgeous single, “Game That I Play.” In contrast, Pratt strikes between her heavenly playing and the song’s hazy and bleak emotional landscape, most resembling Nick Drake. But it is not as if Pratt’s voice gets lost in the obvious similarities, as her vocal delivery and the atmosphere she creates are unmistakably hers.

“Strange Melody” truly has a fitting title, with a creeping riff and haunting vocals.

Pratt’s full emotional range is on display here, as she goes from quietly murmuring in the verses to exulting brightly in the chorus. “Greycedes” almost feels like an interlude but marks itself as a key moment despite its brevity.

Not only does it have one of the album’s best melodies and choruses, but it is filled with memorable chord progressions and instrumental flourishes, the kind that stick with you long after the song has ended.

Though “On Your Own Love Again” is noticeably consistent, the aforementioned “Back, Baby” is by far the album’s highlight. Built on a bone-simple riff and chord progression, Pratt makes all of the song’s small moments matter. In the song’s bridge, Pratt quietly sings, “If there was a time that you loved me.”

She is not quite posing the lyric as a question, but she is not stating as fact either.

It is that sort of ambiguity that makes “Back, Baby” such an indicator of the brilliance that lies within “On Your Own Love Again.” It is not an album that comes bursting out of speakers with gale force, but when Pratt tells you, “Sometimes I pray for the rain,” little else matters.

Though Jessica Pratt’s influences and touchstones are clear when you first hear her unmistakable music, they never dominate her sound.

Pratt’s delicate, intricately woven folk songs are equal parts Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake and early 1970s glam rock.

Her idiosyncratic singing voice, a sharp, but captivating falsetto, never seems to rise much higher than a whisper.

The complexities of her acoustic guitar playing compliment and interact beautifully with her voice. This interaction lets every one of Pratt’s songs paint a full picture.

Hidden amongst the pastoral folk sound of Pratt’s second album, “On Your Own Love Again,” released Jan. 27, is a profound sense of wonder and fantasy. This is where the early 70s glam rock comes into the picture. When Pratt gently croons, “Sometimes I pray for the rain,” on the album’s centerpiece, the stunning “Back, Baby,” there is a lingering sense of the flowerpower generation. Like much of the music that defined the glam rock genre, the songs on “On Your Own Love Again” are defiantly steeped in almost naïve fantasy.

“On Your Own Love Again” is Pratt’s first release since signing to indie powerhouse Drag City Records. Her selftitled debut, released in late 2012, was more an amalgamation of recordings Pratt had made during the preceding five years than a proper album. Though her debut was astounding in spots, “On Your Own Love Again” benefits from a more unified and developed sound.

Over gentle acoustic fingerpicking, Pratt paints a beautifully surreal picture in opener, “Wrong Hand.” One immedi- Jackson Maxwell can be reached at ately gets a sense of how rich jlmaxwell@umass.edu.

6

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

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GLENN

A-10 championship. Glenn’s times as a sophomore in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke gave him the second best time in UMass history.

But what caught his coach’s eye the most couldn’t always be measured within the pool.

“He has the highest work capacity by anyone I’ve ever coached,” Yarworth said.

“And by work capacity I mean he gets the most out of his work ethic, he is an extremely hard worker both in the classroom and the pool.”

“If I didn’t try hard enough my parents would get mad at me so it was incentive to keep trying harder and harder,” Glenn said. “All my coaches growing up said just try a little harder and when I got here, Russ is a guy who brings that out of people.”

According to his coaches,

Glenn’s a role model that UMass is proud to have.

“The young guys look at him as a positive influence both as a student and as an athlete,” Yarworth said.

“He is a strong student and a great example of a wellrounded student-athlete.”

This season, Glenn’s already won two A-10 Performer of the Week awards and was also named UMass Athlete of the Week on Jan. 13.

He owns the highest time in the 200-meter breaststroke for the Minutemen while boasting the secondfastest time in the 100-meter breaststroke. Glenn also had the third fastest times in the 200 and 400-meter individual medley for UMass this season.

“This season I kind of went into it differently, I went in better shape,” Glenn said. “I usually would take a

month off after the season but this year I only took a week off, then I started training.”

This work ethic continues to pay off for Glenn, as he’s compiled 10 individual wins in the 400-meter individual medley and the 100and 200-meter yard breaststroke combined. He also has five second-place finishes in those events midway through the season.

Glenn sits near the top of the team with 182 total points, with 12 top-two finishes.

Yarworth said he knows how much Glenn means to his team, not only as a swimmer, but as a leader and a mentor. In his final season, UMass, and especially Yarworth, will miss his attitude and mentality toward swimming and academics.

“It is scary knowing he

to Italy in September.

“They’re traveling all over the country to try to get some games or scrimmages or do practices together,” McMahon said.

“They’re running free and open clinics where they’ll invite maybe a girls’ softball team or basketball team or whatever it is to just learn the sport for an hour and show them how to hold a stick and stuff like that.”

McMahon said that targeting girls with experience in soccer, basketball, handball and other more popular Italian sports serves as a gateway for finding players with a potential to play lacrosse.

“Lacrosse is a game that really needs so many skills that are seen in other sports,” McMahon said. “So if you have any sort of background in any of those sports – the spacing, the movement, you can kind of pick up (lacrosse) pretty quickly.

“I really think it could take off but it’s just a matter of reaching enough people.”

Finding this group of interested and talented players, however, won’t be a problem for McMahon, according to Kelsey McGovern. McGovern was a 2014 UMass graduate who finished her career with the most faceoff wins in school history under McMahon’s tutelage. “(McMahon) recruits very athletic players who really work hard and I think that is sometimes hard to do when you have to mold an athlete into becoming one of your best players,” McGovern said. “I think that’s a strength of hers.”

McGovern, who is now an assistant coach at Bryant

Glenn plans to return to UMass next season as an assistant coach. is graduating this year,” Yarworth said. “But it is great knowing he’s on our team every meet.”

But even when Glenn’s career ends in the pool, he won’t be leaving the UMass program right away.

“This summer I am going

to return home and study for the MCAT and then apply to med schools,” Glenn said. “And then next year I will be back here assistant coaching.”

Tyler Fiedler can be reached at tfiedler@umass.edu and on Twitter @Tyler_Fiedler.

URI, St. Joe’s hang on in tight finishes

By Brittany Collens Collegian Correspondent

COLLEGIAN FILE PHOTO

McMahon (left) hopes to continue to grow lacrosse in Italy, where it isn’t a nationally recognized sport.

University, added that McMahon’s creativity as a coach fits well for an inaugural team just looking to build its program.

“She has new ideas and brings in the best assistants that can teach her players also,” McGovern said. “She can really build lacrosse in that country and will really create a great program come World Cup time.”

In addition to striving for the sport’s development in Italy, McMahon said that her new role presents the opportunity to contribute to the global spread of lacrosse in the hopes that it will one day be added as an Olympic event.

“Obviously the U.S. has been running the table in terms of international lacrosse, but more and more countries are now sponsoring the sport and (the World Cup) is becoming a

tournament that’s growing,” McMahon said. “The more growth you have in both men’s and women’s lacrosse, the more likely that eventually it will become an Olympic sport.”

McMahon suggested one method of continuing the sport’s global development would be by setting up similar clinics in other nations similar to those being run in Italy. She said that this provides collegiate athletes a particular chance to travel abroad during breaks from their seasons to help the cause.

“It’s a great way to give back to the game which has obviously given college athletes so many opportunities and it’s just great for your overall professional and personal development,” McMahon said. “As you’re navigating different career paths, it’s a great thing to be

continued from page 8

game stretch in January where he failed to crack double-digit scoring.

Before his explosion against La Salle, Clark was just 4-of23 (17 percent) on 3-pointers in Atlantic 10 Conference play.

Yet Kellogg told Clark to keep shooting.

“I was on him a little bit in practice to shoot,” Kellogg said. “Like, ‘Just shoot the ball. You’re a good player, you can score. I want you to shoot, I need you to shoot and make 3s.’”

“I got in the gym more and got my shots up so I could be prepared for when I do start hitting shots,” Clark said.

Kellogg said he put Clark on the spot, requesting the 6-foot-4 guard perform a shooting drill in front of the team. Clark responded, hitting all three shots – although Kellogg contended the third one was “questionable.”

COURTESY OF UMASS ATHLETICS

ATLANTIC 10 BASKETBALL

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CLARK

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Glenn, a native of Overland Park, Kansas, started swimming as a freshman at Blue Valley West High School. He stood out from the pack immediately, earning league championship honors freshman through senior year while being a state finalist freshman and sophomore year.

He took home First Team All-State as a junior and senior and still holds the school record for the 500-meter freestyle, 200meter individual medley and 400-meter freestyle relay. Yarworth recognized Glenn’s talent early and developed a positive relationship early on.

His accolades and accomplishments only continued to grow when he stepped foot in the Boyden Gymnasium for the first time.

As a college freshman, he took home bronze in the

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Tuesday, February 10, 2015

“He’s a talented offensive player and all it is sometimes is taking good shots and being confident.”

Derek Kellogg, UMass coach “It was nice to see him sprinting into them and knocking them all down,” Kellogg said.

It’s difficult to gauge how a freshman responds to a full season of college basketball.

In Clark’s case, he didn’t play at all last year, as he sat out as an academic non-qualifier.

But even if Clark can offer UMass a consistent shooting threat from outside, it opens up the offense considerably.

It adds another scoring option to couple with Cady Lalanne and Maxie Esho.

Kellogg said that, in theory, outside shooting opens up space for Lalanne to operate in the paint, an area of considerable congestion this

season for the Minutemen.

Currently, only reserve forward Zach Coleman (38.5 percent) is shooting above 33 percent from beyond the arc.

If Clark’s the threat that La Salle saw on Sunday, it’ll make UMass an even more imposing threat as conference play continues.

“I was like, ‘You can do that,’” said Kellogg of Clark.

“He’s a talented offensive player and all it is sometimes is taking good shots and being confident. I think when he is he can really score.”

Mark Chiarelli can be reached at mchiarel@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli.

a part of.”

While continuing to promote the worldwide development of lacrosse and preparing for the first round of international competition this summer, McMahon said she will have no problem balancing these responsibilities with her obligations at UMass.

With the loss of last year’s senior talent, the Minutewomen open their 2015 campaign unranked, despite receiving some votes in the coaches’ poll. Still, UMass was picked to win by coaches to win its seventh straight Atlantic 10 Championship and hosts UMass Lowell in its season opener Feb. 14 at McGuirk Stadium.

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

A sold-out crowd packed Richmond’s Robins Center Sunday afternoon but it was Rhode Island spoiled the day with a 79-74 victory. The Rams (16-5, 8-2 Atlantic 10) have only allowed more than 60 points once in their previous five games, but they clamped down defensively in the final stretch to prevent the upset.

URI guard E.C. Matthews finished with a team-high 26 points while forward Hassan Martin added 16 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. The Rams hit six free throws in the final 18 seconds to win.

Richmond (12-11, 5-5 A-10) had its chance at a comeback with seven minutes, 55 seconds remaining when guard Kendall Anthony hit a layup to cut the URI lead to 53-51. The Rams responded with on a 9-2 run to re-open the lead.

Despite the close loss, Anthony’s play was a bright spot for the Spiders. He had a season-high 28 points, 22 of which came in the second half as he charged the basket. Richmond also converted 18 turnovers into 23 points.

URI went on a 10-2 run to take a 65-54 lead with 4:37 remaining, but Richmond’s full-court pressure stunned the Rams and an Anthony jumper cut the deficit to 73-70 with 28 seconds remaining. But URI didn’t falter at the free throw line and secured the victory.

Richmond will next host Fordham Wednesday while URI travels to Philadelphia to face Saint Joseph’s.

SJU thankful for home advantage Saint Joseph’s held off George Mason Saturday in a sloppy 58-54 victory.

The Hawks (10-12, 4-6 Atlantic 10) shot just 51.6 percent from the free-throw line while their leading scorer, DeAndre Bembry, finished 5-of-12 from the field with four turnovers.

But it was Bembry who converted a 3-point play late to preserve the victory and hold off a Patriots team which nearly erased a 10-point second-half deficit.

Luckily for SJU, George Mason (7-15, 2-8 A-10) played just as poorly, committing 19 turnovers, 25 fouls and shooting 53 percent from the free-throw line.

Patriots forward Trey Porter’s layup with 3:22 remaining cut the Hawks lead to 50-48. SJU answered, scoring the next four points before George Mason guard Patrick Holloway buried a 3-pointer to make it 54-51 with 13 seconds left.

Bembry converted on the and-one dunk on the ensuing inbound which pushed the gap to 57-51. Holloway nailed another 3-pointer to make it 57-54, but the Hawks’ Chris Wilson hit a free throw to ice the game.

Brittany Collens can be reached at bcollens@umass.edu. and followed on Twitter @brittcollens22.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Sports@DailyCollegian.com

@MDC_SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Clark ignites at the right time for UMass

By Mark Chiarelli Collegian Staff

Donte Clark knew that his shots would fall eventually, so he took pre-emptive actions to speed up the process.

The freshman guard took more shots in practice, both by choice and at the urging of Massachusetts men’s basketball coach Derek Kellogg.

Clark has the ability to change games and possesses a potent 3-point shooting stroke, but it was a matter of re-gaining that form.

In a 66-59 win over La Salle Sunday, Clark reaped the rewards of his investment.

He scored a team-high 23 points, drilling 5-of-7 3-pointers, adding seven rebounds and igniting a significant UMass scoring outburst in the first half. It was, in his words, a relief.

“I hadn’t been hitting my 3s like that, so it was definitely a relief,” Clark said following the game. “Most of them feel good, so I’m just looking for them to go in.”

Clark nailed his first 3-pointer on an open shot from the top of the key, giving UMass an early 7-5 lead.

His second three-ball was equally open, gave UMass a seven-point lead and forced

Explorers coach John Giannini to call a timeout to quell the momentum.

It didn’t slow Clark.

Clark drilled two more 3-pointers, both of which were from the corner and were remarkably wide-open.

The net barely moved on his fourth – a shooter’s swish – and UMass took a 20-10 lead.

By the end of the first half, he had 16 points, was a perfect 4-for-4 on 3-pointers and UMass led 37-30.

“Obviously, Donte Clark playing so well in the first half gave us a great offensive boost,” Kellogg said.

The next step is for UMass

to receive a boost from Clark on a nightly basis.

Through 23 games, Clark is averaging only 9.1 points per game. He’s displayed enough offensive prowess – 25 points against Florida Gulf Coast, 15 points against Florida State and 14 against both Providence and Brigham Young – to draw rave reviews and lofty comparisons from most of the Minutemen fan base.

But Clark’s been prone to offensive let downs as well.

He scored only two points in 33 minutes in a win over Davidson and endured a fivesee

CLARK on page 7

CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN

Donte Clark (0) scored a team-high 23 points Sunday in UMass’ 66-59 win over La Salle.

A true leader

Michael Glenn’s impact is evident both as a swimmer and as a role model.

By Tyler Fiedler

M

COURTESY OF UMASS ATHLETICS

Michael Glenn, who is in his senior season, was already named Atlantic 10 Conference Performer of the Week twice this year.

Collegian Staff

ichael Glenn points to an array of championship banners hanging to the left of the Massachusetts swimming and diving team’s pool in Boyden Gymnasium.

As one of only three seniors on the Minutemen’s roster, Glenn takes the role of leader in and out of the pool. Known as a hard worker, he currently has a 3.5 GPA in a pre-medical major.

But before Glenn could challenge school records and become a role model within the team, it was those 14 Atlantic 10 championship banners which lured him to Amherst.

“I started looking at schools and (UMass) has a long history of championships,” Glenn said.

“So I really just wanted to come here.”

Glenn joined the Minutemen for the 2011-2012 season, in the midst of a six-year A-10 title run

by UMass. The Minutemen won nine championships from 20032012 alone.

“He wanted an East Coast school and he looked at UMass’ tradition in the pool realizing this was the best place for him,” Minutemen swimming coach Russ Yarworth said. “We developed a good, strong relationship right away.” see

GLENN on page 7

WO M E N ’ S L AC RO S S E

McMahon ‘honored’ to coach first-ever Italian team

By Anthony Chiusano

T

Collegian Staff

he Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team has had no shortage of success with coach Angela McMahon at the helm. Since arriving in Amherst in 2011, she’s led the Minutewomen to 72 victories, four consecutive Atlantic 10 titles and its first win in the NCAA tournament in 29 years in 2013.

But with the graduation of seven key members following last season, 2015 offers a new challenge for the Minutewomen.

UMass enters the season striving for its fifth straight conference championship without a 2014 senior class that accounted for nearly 66 percent of last year’s goal production.

Despite this loss of talent, McMahon said that the annual expectation to win the A-10 and advance to the NCAA tournament is still intact.

“I’m obviously proud of what we did last year but we

want to do better,” McMahon said. “Every year, you want to be that team that continues the tradition and continues to do well.”

But looking past the 2015 season, McMahon hopes to translate her collegiate accomplishments into international success in her new role as head coach of the inaugural Italian national team.

After being appointed by the Italian Lacrosse Association (FIGL) on June 18, 2014, McMahon and the Italian team will begin international competition in August at the European Championship, hosted by the Czech Republic. The tournament will serve as preparation for the 2017 World Cup in Guildford, England, which McMahon called “the highest competition for lacrosse.”

McMahon said that she feels privileged to lead the first-ever Italian team and is excited for the opportunity to help further develop lacrosse in the nation.

“It was really exciting and was a huge honor,” McMahon said. “I think being involved in international lacrosse is something that is obviously a huge step professionally.

It feels good to help grow the game at an international level and I think right now that’s what the sport needs.”

Simply reaching out According to McMahon, her interest in pursuing the Italian coaching position stemmed from research done by her husband, Justin Serpone, who is the head coach for the men’s soccer team at Amherst College.

She said that Serpone was exploring different countries that didn’t play lacrosse at a national level and was surprised to learn that Italy was on the list.

“He just reached out to a couple of organizers that he found online and said, ‘Hey, have you ever thought about forming a women’s team?’”

McMahon said. “They said

they were actually in the process of looking at it and that they would keep him posted.

“Then it continued to go back and forth and it just ended up working out.”

The prospects of leading an Italian team particularly interested McMahon and Serpone due to their respective Italian heritages.

Serpone, who has 100 percent Italian ancestry, will be an assistant coach on McMahon’s staff.

“It’s a great, diverse place,” Serpone said. “Any time you can help develop something so close to your roots, it’s a great opportunity.”

Lacrosse isn’t currently one of the 45 nationally recognized sports in Italy, according to the requirements set by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI). However, McMahon said that her early interactions with the FIGL have been encouraging in pursuing these standards.

COLLEGIAN FILE PHOTO

Angela McMahon has won four straight Atlantic 10 titles at UMass.

“They’re extremely welcoming and so excited and eager to learn about the sport and help it grow within their country,” McMahon said. “That’s sort of our ultimate mission in all of this, to help it grow in the country so then they can get more club teams in all the different areas and help it become a nationally recognized sport.”

Recruiting talent McMahon said first step toward enhancing lacrosse’s national presence is in running clinics to spread awareness and recruit for the 2015 and 2017 tournaments.

McMahon said that this process has largely been handled by some prospective players that she met during her trip see

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