This “House” divided can survive rebellion
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DAILY COLLEGIAN DailyCollegian.com
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Referendum asks to up health fees Fee increase would help staff CCPH By Patrick Hoff Collegian Staff
Rockland-Miller, the director of CCPH, informed him that University of Massachusetts President Robert Caret had vetoed the new funding on the grounds of a fee freeze. Schmitt then began writing a new referendum, this one to increase the student health fee despite the fee freeze by allowing students to vote on the issue. “CCPH performs … important services for our campus that I think are worth prioritizing,” Schmitt said. “It bodes very poorly for our campus when political pressure, like a fee freeze, reduces the ability for the Center for Psychological Health to … help students.” The question, which will be posed in next week’s election, is expected to pass, according to Schmitt. “It’s $14 a year and I haven’t really heard any arguments really that strongly opposed to the increase,” Schmitt said. He added that if the referendum passes, he expects CCPH would begin the hiring process of three new staff members, since the process takes months, while the Board of Trustees votes on the issue in June or July. Schmitt said that he’s unsure of the specifics, however, since a ballot question has never addressed an increase to the student health fee. Raichel said most of the SGA Senate supports the referendum. Schmitt’s second referendum, regarding a new health center, has been placed on the back burner. He hopes to put it on the ballot next election.
As the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health has increased advertising, and as the social conversation has begun to promote an acceptability of mental illness and taking care of oneself, a growing number of students have flocked to CCPH for assistance. “Their particular workload has been increasing at a rate they can’t sustain, so the staff at CCPH is really overworked,” Jennifer Raichel, chairwoman of the Undergraduate Experience Committee in the Student Government Association, said. “To get an appointment, it usually takes about a month for anybody to get one … if you call and it’s not life-or-death.” Gabriel Schmitt, a junior mechanical engineering major, served on the student health advisory committee last year, and through that, discovered some issues that CCPH was facing – namely, a decrepit facility and a lack of staffing. When the vice chancellor informed the committee that the school would be asking for a $7 increase in the semesterly student health fee to help hire staff, Schmitt decided to focus on writing a referendum over the summer for a new health building on campus. “What the $7 will do is it will increase the semesterly health fee so CCPH can hire three new staff members, which could help take that workload and hopefully shorten wait times for students,” Raichel said. Patrick Hoff can be reached at When Schmitt returned to pphoff@umass.edu and followed on campus, however, Dr. Harry Twitter @Hoff_Patrick16.
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JIM COLEMAN PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY OF ALIVE WITH DANCE
University of Massachusetts students perform at the senior thesis concert held in Bowker Auditorium last April.
RSO Alive With Dance offers dancers a creative outlet to express themselves
By Marie MacCune Collegian Staff
Dance isn’t just entertainment, it’s art – at least according to Melissa Byrd, the president of Alive With Dance, a University of Massachusetts Registered Student Organization founded in 1989 that currently has over 75 current members. Byrd, a senior dance
and communications double major, has been involved with the RSO since her freshman year. She explained that Alive With Dance is not your typical club, as it has a significant academic component. Majors within the dance department showcase their senior theses through one of Alive With Dance’s two spring concerts. This year’s concert showcasing their work is titled “Part IV.” “We are required to research and choreograph our senior thesis so the RSO gives us a way to perform it for the whole cam-
pus because the department doesn’t have the money to fund the whole concert,” she said. “It’s a way for us to do it on the stage and all that with lights, as well as involve other dancers on campus in our pieces.” This club is not exclusive to only UMass students – a few other Five College students are involved as well. The group’s other concert this year is part of their Emerging Choreographers’ Series, titled “Rendered.” Choreographers who are part of the ECS are juniors and sophomores,
and must go through a proposal approval process with the RSO’s faculty advisor in order to bring their piece to life. Byrd described the pieces that will be part of this year’s concerts saying, “They’re all based off of different topics and that’s what makes them really cool. For example my piece is based off of phenomenology and time … and exploring those through movement.” According to Byrd, students have shown creativity and innovation with the pieces they choreosee
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Students turn an idea into a career APD installs video Business started by monitoring for Sat. UM students thriving By Griffin Carroll
Collegian Correspondent
The words, “Don’t talk about it, be about it,” has been echoed by FEAT Socks founders and University of Massachusetts senior Taylor Offer and alumnus Elijah Grundel. This is the basis for their company’s success. FEAT Socks, a limited edition sock brand owned by Offer, Grundel and UMass senior Parker Burr, started up in Amherst in 2014 and has been picking up steam ever since. “We’ve grown drastically,” said Offer. “When I first started in October, we had our first order for 1,500 pairs of socks, now we have an order for 15,000 pairs.” The business used to be between Grundel and Burr, who made custom team apparel. “All the customers that we already had wanted custom socks,” said Burr. “Custom socks are a pain
in the neck. You don’t make any money, and your customers are nitpicky. Throughout the last year, we got away from custom and got into stock socks.” One day, Burr came back to their warehouse with socks from a local retail store, printed out some designs found randomly online and put them on the socks. Their current stock socks designs include Hawaiian theme, American flags, dogs and surfboards. “They turned out really cool,” said Grundel. “We thought, maybe this is something more than making team wear. It has taken off from there. We spent the summer experimenting with different designs. We became more serious in the fall, got some better equipment, and really started pursuing it with online sales, which is a lot of what (Offer) works on.” The online store, featsocks.com, has taken off due to the social media expertise of Offer. The store offers 10 percent off purchases for following the company on Instagram
and Facebook, a strategy that has increased their Instagram following from 600 to over 5000 in a few months. “Our Instagram increased because of word of mouth and promotions,” said Offer. “We post good content almost every day. We want to be that cool brand that people want to follow.” For now, the printing of the socks falls on the
trio. Inside their tiny warehouse garage are hundreds of design prints, plain white socks and a single press. The socks are put into the press, with the prints on top and the press is pushed down for 40 seconds on each side of the sock to create the finished product. Though a menial task, the trio can produce up to 100 pairs of socks per hour. see
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GRIFFIN CARROLL/COLLEGIAN
Various styles of FEAT Socks are shown in their warehouse.
By Aviva Luttrell Collegian Staff
ency for all involved participants.” Personnel will also be assigned by APD to view and document posts on social media, which have played a role in the development of large-scale disturbances in the past, according to the release. Police have consulted with the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office to determine if such postings violate Massachusetts General Law, according to the release. As a result of the Western Massachusetts Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Agreement, there will be 14 law enforcement agencies in Amherst on March 7, according to the release. Personnel from the agencies will conduct outreach in neighborhoods throughout the town to ensure the safety of the community and prevent destruction of property, the release stated.
The Amherst Police Department, with the assistance of the Town of Amherst Information Technology Department, have installed video monitoring equipment throughout “high liability” areas of Amherst in preparation for this weekend’s “Blarney Blowout,” according to an APD press release. According to the release, the video systems will allow officials to view activity occurring throughout the town in real time. Video will be streamed into the APD Emergency Operations Center, and personnel and tactical decisions will be based upon the information received. “Video can be used to further all criminal investigations, assist to identify combatants, and can be used as evidence to assist in prosecution of offenders, if necessary,” the release stated. Aviva Luttrell can be reached at “Additionally, video record- aluttrel@umass.edu and followed on ings will ensure transpar- Twitter @AvivaLuttrell.
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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Thursday, March 5, 2015
THE RU N D OW N ON THIS DAY... In 1970, 43 nations ratified the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty. The treaty aimed to promote peaceful uses of nuclear energy while stopping the spread of nuclear weapons.
AROUND THE WORLD
China BEIJING — China began its annual political high season on Tuesday with pomp and circumstance at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. President Xi Jinping and more than 2,000 delegates– including former basketball star Yao Ming–convened for the opening session of the nation’s top legislative advisory body. On Thursday, the Communist nation’s rubberstamp parliament, the National People’s Congress, will begin its yearly session. Though the chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Yu Zhengsheng, invoked the words “democracy” or “democratic” 48 times in his lengthy opening speech Tuesday, the “two meetings,” as they’re colloquially known in Chinese, are largely scripted events without meaningful debate over legislation. Still, the dual sessions do telegraph the general national agenda for the coming year. During the 12 days of events, officials will reveal the nation’s gross domestic product target for 2015 and its military budget. Los Angeles Times Distributed by MCT Information Services
SOCKS
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Their next goal, as the orders become bigger, is to outsource their production. “With three people we can’t make 15,000 pairs of socks,” said Grundel. “Outsourcing a lot of our production to get finished products in rather than semi-finished products frees us up to do a lot of things. We can work with sales reps, build relationships with new partners, and crank out online sales.” “I think we’ll take the distribution to third party pretty soon,” Grundel added. “Instead of managing inventory here we can do it somewhere else. We don’t even have to worry about shipping and we can focus on the brand itself.”
The biggest reason FEAT has taken off is because of the number of retailers it works with. FEAT is currently in 25 retail stores across the country, including Boston, New York and Los Angeles, and is aiming for 50 retailers by the end of the month. Burr works with the retailers to get their socks into stores. Recently, the utilization of sales reps has been huge for the company. “We started going to some trade shows but learned quickly that trade shows aren’t the best thing for us to do right now,” said Grundel. “We don’t have any connections. It’s all about the relationships. We started working with sales reps; they
love the product, and we really like them. They go to people who have been buying their product lines for years and if one of the sales reps say it’s going to be great the retailers trust that.” While the FEAT Socks team continues to succeed, they have a message for everyone who has a business idea in mind. “This is my third company,” said Offer. “You have to keep trying, don’t lose your motivation, keep going after it. I see people with great ideas who sit around for three months just planning and planning. Get your product out there, go do something about it, don’t just talk about it.” “(Burr) and I started a
GRIFFINN CARROLL/COLLEGIAN
Socks are being taken off the press at the FEAT Socks warehouse. business that didn’t work eight months ago,” said Grundel. ‘You just have to keep going. Biggest thing is to take action, instead of sitting around talking
about things, just get them done. Do something.” Griffin Carroll can be reached at gcarroll@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @griffcarroll.
Third performer Zetas cartel leader captured to be Ludacris By Tracy Wilkinson Los Angeles Times
Rapper will join Kesha and Juicy J By Anthony Rentsch Collegian Staff
The concert, which begins at noon, is free and only available to UMass students. Tickets are available Thursday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Mullins Center Box Office. Students who plan on attending the concert must present their ticket and a valid UMass ID at the doors on the day of the event. Off-campus students who plan to attend the concert but do not have a valid campus parking permit will be allowed to park in Lots 12 and 25, as long as they show their ticket and UCard.
Ludacris has been announced as the third artist who will perform at the “Bring the Spring!” concert to be held at the Mullins Center on Saturday, March 7, according to a University of Massachusetts email. The 37-year-old rapper joins Kesha and Juicy J at the event, which aims to offer students “good and enjoyable programming on campus,” UMass spokesper- Anthony Rentsch can be reached at son Ed Blaguszewski told the arentsch@umass.edu and followed on Collegian earlier this week. Twitter @Anthony_Rentsch.
MEXICO CITY — A leader of one of Mexico’s most brutal drug cartels was arrested early Wednesday, Mexican media reported. Omar Trevino Morales, head of the Zetas paramilitary cartel, was captured by federal authorities in a wealthy suburb of Monterrey, capital of the northern state of Nuevo Leon. Both Mexico and the United States had offered multimillion-dollar rewards for Trevino’s arrest. The Zetas are considered the most savage of Mexico’s many criminal organizations, having distinguished themselves with beheadings of victims, mass slayings of immigrants and deadly kidnappings and extortion. They control large chunks of terri-
tory, especially in northeastern Mexico, and have been involved in bloody power struggles with their former masters, the Gulf Cartel. Key leaders of the Zetas have been taken down in recent years, though that has not stopped the group’s activities. Trevino, alias Z-42, took over about a year and a half ago, after the capture of his brother and then-commander, Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, alias Z-40. A year before that, Mexican troops killed the top Zetas commander, Heriberto Lazcano – whose body was famously then stolen. The organization was originally formed from deserting soldiers to serve as the armed wing of the Gulf Cartel, but broke away and became its rival.
Just five days ago, Mexican police captured the longtime head of another cartel, the Knights Templar. Servando “La Tuta” Gomez had been a fugitive for years in the western agricultural state of Michoacan. Both captures are wins for the government of President Enrique Pena Nieto, which has been criticized for failing to address the violence sweeping many parts of Mexico. Ricardo Ravelo, an expert on drug cartels who has written extensively about the Zetas, said in a radio interview that Wednesday’s capture will have a short-term impact on the group’s territorial operations but will not hurt its money-laundering and other financial businesses.
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Thursday, March 5, 2015
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AG: Ferguson police bias led to ‘toxic environment’ Wilson to avoid federal prosecution By Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Michael Muskal Los Angeles Times
FERGUSON, Mo. — Darren Wilson, the white former Ferguson police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man, will not face federal prosecution in the killing that brought race and police violence into the national debate. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said Wednesday that the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by Wilson, “though a tragedy, did not involve prosecutable conduct.” He also said investigators found that the Ferguson Police Department has engaged in “a widespread pattern” of racial bias and constitutional violations. But an 86-page Justice Department report found there was no evidence to refute Wilson’s claim that he fired because he feared for his safety after a confrontation with Brown, 18, on Aug. 9. The confrontation spawned demonstrations in Ferguson that sometimes became violent. It also led to the slogan “Hands up, don’t shoot,” after some said Brown was trying to surrender. The Justice Department found that there were no
ALIVE
reliable witnesses to substantiate that Brown had his hands raised when he was shot. The decision not to prosecute Wilson had been expected. Officials in recent weeks said the case did not meet the higher standards for a federal civil rights prosecution. A Missouri grand jury had decided not to charge Wilson, setting off a second wave of violent demonstrations in November. A second Justice De par tment re por t, described by Holder as “searing,” found that racial bias at the Ferguson Police Department has long stoked polarized relations with the black community, “deep mistrust and hostility.” The report described a widespread pattern of racial discrimination that turned Ferguson into a “powder keg” by the time the grand jury declined to induct Wilson. While Holder said that violence is never justified, the “highly toxic environment, defined by mistrust and resentment” contributed to the unrest. “In a sense, members of the community may not have been responding only to a single isolated confrontation,” Holder said, “but to a pervasive, corrosive and deeply unfortunate lack of trust.” The Justice Department issued more than two dozen recommendations
to improve the Police Department and court system, including better training and other personnel decisions. Christine Ewings, a cousin of Brown’s mother, was upset by the Justice Department findings. She told the Los Angeles Times that she wanted Wilson to face criminal charges. “So, you’re going to say Darren Wilson didn’t violate Michael Brown’s civil rights, but the Police Department did? That doesn’t make sense,” Ewings said Wednesday. “It needs to play out in court,” she said, adding that “they need to disband that Police Department, hire more black police officers, and the mayor and the police chief need to go.” “We’re still mad,” she said of the family, sobbing in frustration. “I can’t do anything about it.” Brown’s parents, Lesley McSpadden and Michael Brown Sr., said the family was disappointed that Wilson will not be charged. “While we are saddened by this decision, we are encouraged that the DOJ will hold the Ferguson Police Department accountable for the pattern of racial bias and profiling they found in their handling of interactions with people of color. It is our hope that through this action, true change will come not only
in Ferguson, but around the country,” they said. “If that change happens, our son’s death will not have been in vain.” The future of the Ferguson Police Department remained unclear, with city officials expected to comment later Wednesday on the report showing that blacks were subjected to a pattern of excessive force and harassment. The report revealed patterns of racial bias toward blacks across the criminal justice system in Ferguson, from encounters with police patrol officers to treatment in the municipal court and jail. Black drivers, for example, are far more likely to be searched than whites, even though they are less likely to be found with illegal substances. Nearly all people kept at the city jail for more than two days are black and the overwhelming majority of cases of police force involved blacks. There were no protesters in front of the Ferguson police headquarters early Wednesday, but the main street was still marked by the nights of turmoil that followed the grand jury decision – more than a dozen storefronts are still boarded up. Uplifting slogans, from “Ferguson strong” to “An injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere” and “Community” were visible.
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graph. She explained some students are incorporating live music into their performances while others are including different types of technology such as video clips. One student is using martial arts fighters in his piece. This year, the concerts will feature 23 choreographers. These students work with lighting designers and production crews through the Fine Arts Center. Byrd sees this as a great opportunity for students who are hoping to pursue dance performance outside
of the University. “You get to learn how a whole performance is set up,” she said. Alive With Dance’s work, however, goes beyond the two spring concerts. Byrd said members teach dance classes on Sundays during the fall semester in Totman Gymnasium. Anyone can attend these classes to learn a variety of dances including jazz contemporary, ballet, hip-hop and even Pilates. More personally, Byrd sees Alive With Dance as way to spend more time pur-
JIM COLEMAN PHOTOGRAHYI/COURTESY OF ALIVE WITH DANCE
Some members of Alive with Dance pose for a photo last April.
JIM COLEMAN PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY OF ALIVE WITH DANCE
Students perform at the senior thesis concert last April. suing her passion. “I just love the chance to dance a lot, like this year I’m in rehearsals five times a week,” she said. “I love that it’s a community and you get to meet new people because each year you’re cast in a new piece so you get to work with all different performers.” She also enjoys using Alive With Dance as a way of getting people to see dance in a new light. “Dances are not just dances, they’re works of art,” she said. “It exposes other people … to a new process of
making dance as art versus dance as entertainment.” She explained, “People are thinking, researching their topics, and trying to make their concepts work. Its people coming together to bring these concepts to life.” Both spring concerts will take place later this semester. “Rendered” will show April 16-18 at 8 p.m. at Hampshire College and “Part IV” will show April 23-25 at 8 p.m. in Bowker Auditorium. Marie MacCune can be reached at mmaccune@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @MarieMacCune.
Darren Seals, 27, just coming off the night shift at a General Motors plant Wednesday morning, said that after hearing about the Justice Department report he’s convinced the Police Department should be shut down. “I don’t see no other way,” Seals said. “You can’t improve that. How are they going to improve their hearts, their intentions? You need an entirely new police force. I mean, look at how they treated the protesters. They haven’t done the right thing in all this time, they’re not going to do it now.” Bradley Rayford, 22, a junior at St. Louis Community Colle ge Florissant Valley, was among those who met with Holder last summer when he visited Ferguson in the wake of Brown’s shooting. “I’m just glad people know it happened. The question is what can you do about it now? What can you start to change about the culture in the Police Department? The culture is going to be hard to change. So I’m interested to see what happens going forward,” Rayford said. The city announced it would not comment on the report until it is formally released. But city leaders are expected to face hard choices in the coming days, including how to pay for possible retraining of the
existing force vs. contracting out police services to St. Louis County. “It will be expensive to carry out charges,” said Antonio French, an alderman in nearby St. Louis and a frequent presence during the demonstrations and disturbances. “It is not clear where that money will come from and it may be easier to contract with the county.”
Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Thursday, March 5, 2015
“As long as I’m learning something, I figure I’m OK – it’s a decent day” - Hunter S. Thompson
Why opinion journalism matters
Chris Kyle: An American Hero Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper” has generated both incredible praise and incredible controversy since its wide release
Steven Gillard
on Jan. 16. Many praised Bradley Cooper’s performance as the late Chris Kyle, the most deadly sniper in U.S. military history, as well as the film’s depiction of the mental health issues faced by returning veterans. Still, others dismissed it for its factual inaccuracies, a manichaean worldview and lack of historical context. The legacy of Kyle has received fresh attention since Feb. 24, when Eddie Ray Routh, a veteran with PTSD and schizophrenia, was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for shooting to death both Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield, at a shooting range on Feb. 2, 2013. Last week, an old friend of mine and University of Massachusetts alumnus posted a Facebook status which stated, “F*** Chris Kyle and f *** calling anyone who kills over 100 people a hero, especially any asshole that enjoyed himself shooting down fathers, sons and incidental civilians without question. If you live in a country where your heroes are murderers, you live in a f ***ed up country.” This inflammatory statement garnered nearly 300 likes, over 1800 shares and 1100 comments, ranging from outrage to praise. As it happens, I ran into Evan the next day and we discussed his status. Although he admitted that it was phrased crudely to draw attention and foster discussion, he explained it was intended more as a critique of Kyle’s status as a cultural symbol and “hero” celebrated for his capacity to kill and less as an attack on his actual character. He noted the hypocrisy evident in taking two men, both trained by the U.S. military, and lauding one for killing insurgents while condemning the other for killing an American. First of all, I’d like to thank the enlightened people who took a Hollywood movie and ripped it to shreds because of its dramatic license and altering of details in order to create a more suspenseful and entertaining narrative. Thank you for informing the uneducated, myopic masses who only see red, white and blue that we never should have been in Iraq, that there was no man named “the Butcher” ruthlessly hacking apart innocent Iraqis, and that many of the people fighting against American troops were not in fact evil terrorists but just normal men and women trying to defend their families. As far as I’m concerned, criticism of “American Sniper” in this vein is the same as that of “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Say what you will about the portrayal of problematic issues in both movies, but the fact of the matter is that they both raked in millions and
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entertained audiences. Believe it or not, Americans can think for themselves, and I don’t think anyone is walking out of a movie theater as a newborn misogynistic masochist who now supports nuking the entire Middle East. However, apart from the stupidity of criticizing a Hollywood movie on factual grounds, the criticism of Chris Kyle is real, widespread and understandable. At the heart of both my friend’s Facebook status and the general controversy surrounding Kyle is the same question: Is he, a Navy SEAL with 160 confirmed kills, a hero? The answer is an unequivocal yes. In an ideal world, no one would
“The world in which we live, however, is not ideal.” be killed in war. In an ideal world, the U.S. would not invade countries in which it has no business. The world in which we live, however, is not ideal. Regardless of the motives of a woman throwing a grenade at American troops, if she is attempting to take American lives, I don’t protest a sniper doing his job. This is where the idealists say, “A life is a life no matter what,” and that this woman’s life was no more or less important than that of an American soldier. That’s a fair point, but please spare me the self-righteous objectivity. If you’re telling me that you wouldn’t call a sniper who saved your brother or mother or best friend from a woman wielding a grenade a hero then you’re a liar. Chris Kyle is a hero because he saved American lives. Those decrying the actions of Kyle are probably the same people protesting the waterboarding of terrorists complicit in the 9/11 attacks, the same people claiming that the death penalty for the Boston Marathon Bomber is inhumane. The general argument has been made that torture is morally wrong. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was a young, impressionable young man at the mercy of his radical older brother. And that man pointing an RPG at American troops – he was just trying to protect his family. If you want to fly two planes into the World Trade Center, if you want to place pressure cooker bombs at the finish line of a marathon, and if you want to point a weapon at a soldier who could be my father, my neighbor, or my schoolteacher, then your fate will be a direct course of your actions. I don’t care what your reasons are. It’s also self-serving and inaccurate to characterize all enemy combatants in the Iraq War as normal men and women forced to fight off invaders. Despite the state into which Iraq has fallen as a direct result of the removal of the Hussein regime, the American troops did, early in the war, fight to remove a tyrant and
his sons who greatly oppressed their own people. Critics of Kyle also seem to conveniently overlook the presence of al-Qaeda in Iraq whom American troops were also actively fighting. Critics contend that Kyle enjoyed killing, that he viewed all Iraqis as savages who deserved to die, but those of us who have never served in combat have no right to discuss things we know nothing about, and it’s quite possible that Kyle’s apparent passion for killing was more a result of defense mechanisms than callousness or psychopathy. I don’t think the words of any man who served four tours of duty in Iraq should be taken at face value. For a cold-blooded killing machine, he sure spent a lot of time helping veterans suffering from PTSD. Those criticizing Kyle need to be more aware of the discrepancy between the government’s policies and the individual soldier’s own beliefs. When Kyle signed up for the Navy, he didn’t know where he was going or what he would be doing – he signed up because he wanted to serve and protect his country, and I respect him for doing his duty and defending his brothers in arms. You can disagree with the actions of the U.S. government all you want, but you cannot single out and attack an American service member simply because he did his job exceptionally well. While I disagree with many of the decisions made by the government – the atomic bombings of Japan, the Vietnam War and the Iraq War to name a few – you’d best believe I respect the men and women who carried out the orders. I respect Chris Kyle because I know that if it were me looking through the scope of a rifle with a young kid in the crosshairs, I would never be able to pull the trigger, even if my fellow soldiers’ lives were at stake. Chris Kyle is a hero not because of the people he killed, but because of the people he saved. Three Brooklyn men have been caught planning to join the Islamic State and discussing plans to bomb Coney Island. Al-Shabab is calling for attacks on Western malls. If you’re sitting at a keyboard bashing Kyle, but relying on sheepdogs just like him to protect you from these wolves, take a long look in the mirror and realize that serving in the armed forces – regardless of where you fight or if you even fight at all—takes amounts of fortitude, selflessness and loyalty that not everybody has. In other words, it takes heroism.
Kelly Riordan of The Guardian in audiences and add context to a posed the question, whether or newsworthy societal issue. However, not audiences need a journalist to traditional news-style journalism often lacks the ability to spark these Brianna Zimmerman conversations. Sharing opinions even has the decode the news. She answered, “I ability to alter the course of history. think they still do. … In fact audiences need this more than ever in An early form of opinion jourthe Internet age. … Presumably nalism is “The Federalist Papers,” most people are too busy with work first published in newspapers in and the school run, to conduct their 1787 and 1788. These were a series of opinion essays pushing for ratiown robust investigations.” Journalists aim to give voice to fication of the Constitution. “The the voiceless and expose wrong- Federalist Papers” were written doing while remaining unbiased. anonymously (though Alexander Some main obligations of a tradi- Hamilton, John Jay and James tional reporter are to tell stories in Madison are some known contribuan impartial and truthful way. This tors). The Constitution granted the leaves interpretation up to the audifederal government rights that were ence rather than the journalist. While we typically value these nonexistent under the Articles of qualities in reporters, deviating Confederation. from the status quo is also impor- “The Federalist Papers” held merit because of their inclusion
“Sharing opinions even has the ability to alter the course of history.” tant. Opinion journalism is a different breed of journalism in which writers are forthcoming about their subjectivity. Journalists are able to interpret and give valuable insight on issues, something that some readers prefer. As a reader, I often prefer opinion journalism, especially when I have no discernible opinion on a newsworthy matter. Classic, newsstyle journalism obligates me to develop my own opinion on matters, but when I lack a strong position or prior knowledge, I often seek opinion pieces to guide my interpretation. Personal experiences and opinions also give flavor and significance to classic news stories. While opinion pieces provide me with relevant and factual information, they also provide interpretations that I may have previously been blind to. Whether or not I agree with the writer, I come out of an opinion piece with a new, broadened perspective on a contemporary issue. Opinion pieces provoke thought
of opinions. They did not claim objectivity. Americans needed these essays to guide their thoughts regarding centralization of the government. Without “The Federalist Papers,” the Constitution may not have been ratified. Opinion journalism also leaves important records for future historians and politicians. “The Federalist Papers,” have also assisted us in deciphering and understanding the purpose of the Constitution. Journalism that is viewed as subjective is often overlooked as irrelevant or castigated for being biased. While I acknowledge the importance of journalistic ethical standards, I also view opinion journalism as a valuable tool for eliciting change and providing historical record, which is why it should and will continue to thrive. Brianna Zimmerman is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at bzimmerman@umass. edu.
Steven Gillard is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at sgillard@umass.edu.
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Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Thursday, March 5, 2015
“Democracy is so overrated.” - Frank Underwood
Arts@DailyCollegian.com
TELEVISION REVIEW
The Underwoods deal with a dangerous hand of ‘Cards’ Russia among new obstacles for Frank By Alexander Frail Collegian Staff
The gloves are off, as they say. Or, in Frank Underwood’s words, “Rebellion on all fronts.” In season three of Netflix’s “House of Cards,” the once untouchable Democratic majority whip (played with a sinister drawl by Kevin Spacey) finds a target pinned to his back that is big enough to match his ego. After staging a coup d’état last year, Underwood discovers very quickly the Presidency gives him little leeway to continue his conquest for power. If anything, the land’s highest office offers nothing but roadblocks. The sprawl of “House of Cards” new season astounded me. When he jumped from whip to vice president, Underwood’s narrative adopted a new dimension; shedding the shady backroom deals of season one, season two introduced international backchanneling with Chinese delegates and businessmen. The promotion was a conspicuous jump. The transition from VP to president, however, is a light-year leap.
As Frank faces abysmal approval ratings and early grumbling of a 2016 overthrow by his own party, Claire (the extraordinary Robin Wright) trudges through an embattled bid for a United Nations Ambassadorship. She emerges as an international figure that must juggle the titles of first lady, ambassador and Frank’s wife. It’s startling how quickly the tables turn for Frank and Claire. Following the iconic fist pound that closed season two, I expected the Underwoods to maintain their coercive dominance, if at a price for a higher office. Tossing a curveball, the writers flood the scripts with turmoil. All actors rise to the occasion. Nearing a breaking point, Frank screams at his underlings for the first time in the series. Spacey injects his voice with so much rage he cowed me as if he were pointing that anger at me. Similarly, the growing frustration Claire experiences comes alive on Wright’s face. Watching her swallow backhanded compliments and outright insults from her male counterparts is a brutal experience. The cinematography accents Claire’s adaptation. Whereas in earlier seasons the intense white light of her
NETFLIX
Claire and Frank Underwood struggle to maintain their dominance. offices at CWI starkly contrasted the murky lighting of Frank’s office on Capitol Hill, season three cranks up the contrast in her frames. Shadowy tones follow her as she enters the darker realm of international diplomacy. I’ve marveled at Wright since season one. Claire, a role so unique and powerful since “Chapter 1” has grown only more unparalleled. Her cold fury and determination permeate every shot. The medium close-up of her emerging from a disastrous confirmation hearing leveled me. In addition to Wright’s nuanced portrayal, the role itself deserves accolades. Too often on television and in film, the wife
FILM REVIEW
of the main protagonist becomes a villainous hindrance on his campaign to success. Think Betty Draper (January Jones) on “Mad Men.” Although her husband, Don (Jon Hamm), is an adulterous, absentee father, the script framed her as an impediment to Don’s ascent in the advertising world. In contrast, Claire is just as much a protagonist and anti-hero as is her crusading husband. “Chapter 27” kicks off in such a radically altered manner, you might expect us to stick by Frank and Claire’s side to adjust to the new climate. Instead, we’re trapped with Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) as he recovers. Stamper detests his
isolation as he’s cut out of the loop. I began to feel the same. Focusing on Stamper plays as an unspoken nod from the writers that this Underwood is not the old Underwood anymore. Stamper’s role, initially as Underwood’s whispery enforcer, broke the mold last year. Developing feelings for Rachel (Rachel Brosnahan), he rapidly fell off the wagon. Meanwhile, his time spent backchanneling on Frank’s behalf opened space for Kelly to shine. When the final shots left him bleeding in the woods, I lamented the supposed loss of a blossoming character. Season three’s opening scenes, which track Stamper’s physical therapy, added some more amazing character development. Kelly’s performance is second to only Wright’s. The pains and temptations of sobriety dwell in deep lines on his face. His role ranks among the great portrayals of alcoholism, like Denzel Washington in “Flight.” Current events shape this year’s narrative. Domestically, Frank strongarms a jobs program through a do-nothing legislature and slings transparent jabs at our unproductive Congress. In “Chapter 28,” he earnestly says, “Above all, we must try something.”
As he does every episode, Frank breaks the fourth wall to address an America mired in torpor. Internationally, Frank handles a menacing manipulator in President Viktor Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen), a clear analog to President Vladimir Putin. Petrov balances the charm of a politician and the sliminess that’s synonymous with his reallife counterpart. Last year, I wrote that Frank and Claire’s house of cards seemed as if it would never crash. Sure, Raymond Tusk became a formidable enemy, but the program only ever toyed with disaster. Now, the palpable threat of public opinion seems destined to thwart the Underwoods. The quiet days of sneaking out of Peter Russo’s garage feel like a galaxy far, far away. While unsettling, this progression enhances “House of Cards.” The acting and direction have always excelled from inception. All the show required was a true threat to the real predators. As season three reveals so effectively, now it’s the Underwoods’ turn to sit beneath the microscope and squirm. Alexander Frail can be reached at afrail@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @AlexanderFrail.
TELEVISION REVIEW
Don’t get in this ‘Hot Tub’ ‘Parks and Rec’ goes out on Solid cast fails to a funny, but familiar, note salvage poor script By Eli Fine
Collegian Staff
Adam Scott is one of the best comedic actors working today. His character on “Parks and Recreation,” a sitcom with perhaps the strongest comedy ensemble on television, is consistently one of the funniest. He is hilarious on Scott Aukerman’s “Comedy Bang Bang” podcast, where he shows off his improv chops and just how versatile his comedic sensibility really is. His own podcast, “U Talkin’ U2 To Me?” is laugh-outloud funny in the silliest and most delightful way. His performance in Adam McKay’s “Step Brothers” is one of the funniest in recent memory. His track record only makes what I’m about to say that much sadder. Adam Scott is undeniably the worst part of “Hot Tub Time Machine 2.” His character isn’t introduced until about twenty minutes into the film, and for those first twenty minutes, “HTTM2” is a less fully formed, but still funny and enjoyable, version of the original 2010 “Hot Tub Time Machine.” The film opens in the present, a present altered by the events of “Hot Tub Time Machine.” In the years since the gang’s trip to Kodiak Valley, Lou Dorchen (Rob Corddry) became rich and famous by capitalizing on his knowledge of the future, inventing Google and fronting a band called Motley Lou. Nick Webber (Craig Robinson) became a famous pop star by “writing” some of the biggest contemporary pop songs before the original artists had a chance to make it themselves. Lou takes great pleasure in ragging on his son Jacob (Clark
Duke), brutally making fun of him and forcing him to serve as a butler at parties. What made the first film in this series work so well was the ample comedic chemistry between its leads, Corddry, Duke and Robinson. Each of these guys has a terrific list of credits. Corddry created and stars in the smart TV satire “Children’s Hospital” on Adult Swim, Robinson was the best part of the blockbuster film “This is the End” and Duke starred alongside Robinson in the last season of “The Office.” The original “HTTM” was a great showcase for their talents. What’s more, their relationship in that movie was natural and compelling. They manage to recapture that rapport for the first act of this sequel. Once it’s been established that Lou has enemies who would like to see him dead, one of whom is played by the brilliant comedian Kumail Nanjiani, Lou is shot while hosting a party. Attempting to save his life, Nick and Jacob load Lou into the titular hot tub time machine and go into the past to stop Lou’s killer. Instead, the time machine takes them into the future, where Lou is miraculously fine. From this miracle, the gang derives that Lou’s killer lives in the future and must have gone back in time to shoot Lou at the dinner party. Their reasoning doesn’t make much sense, but then again, neither does any part of this insane movie. They then meet Adam (Adam Scott), and recruit him to help find Lou’s killer. Hijinks ensure. In one of the movie’s longest and most problematic “gags,” Adam is virtually raped by Nick on a future TV game show hosted by Christian Slater. Yes, in the future posited by this film, people are literally forced
to have sex on reality TV in front of a live studio audience. In another extensive sequence, Adam accidentally takes off an acid sticker earlier than he was supposed to. He vomits uncontrollably until a nurse has to, for some reason, stick a needle in his testicles, causing white liquid to spray out, showering everyone in the room with bodily fluid. These scenes are lengthy, unpleasant, unfunny, uncomfortable and, very simply, wrong. While the three returning cast members still have strong chemistry, Scott sticks out like a sore thumb. Doing what seems like a bad take on his “Parks and Rec” character, Scott adds nothing to this movie. He isn’t funny, his emotional arc doesn’t pay off and he doesn’t fit into the group whatsoever. As I said before, Scott is one of my favorite comedic actors, and I’ll continue to watch everything he’s in, but here, he’s a mess. This franchise has given Corddry, Robinson and Duke a real opportunity to shine. None of them are household names quite yet and most of what they do is niche comedy. Corddry’s Adult Swim projects and podcast appearances, Duke’s low-budget web series and Robinson’s scene-stealing bit parts in some of Hollywood’s biggest comedies appeal only to a small portion of the general public. The first “HTTM” successfully exposed these three actors to a larger audience, and their careers have been steadily on the rise ever since. Hopefully the critical and financial failure of this sequel doesn’t hinder their chances of success in mainstream comedy going forward. Eli Fine can be reached at elazarfine@umass.edu.
The gang repeats antics for nostalgia By Eli Fine Collegian Staff
“Parks and Recreation” will go down in history as one of the all-time great American sitcoms. Never quite a hit with ratings, “Parks and Rec” was a critical darling that managed to retain its quality comedic voice far longer than some of the greatest longrunning shows in history. Its spiritual predecessor, “The Office,” provided seven incredible years of powerful comedic storytelling, but declined in quality to such an extent that the show’s legacy is forever tarnished. “Parks and Recreation,” on the other hand, lasted for only seven seasons, and it managed to keep its characters and situations feeling alive all the way through until its series finale. Well, it almost did. The first half of this seventh and final season, while predictable, was highly enjoyable. Most of the storylines were familiar, but who could fault a long-running show like this one for recycling one or two scenarios? In one episode this season, April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), the surly intern-turned responsible adult, worries she is becoming too ordinary. She freaks out, telling her husband Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt), they are becoming boring grown-ups and are no longer the crazy, impulsive weirdos they used to be. We’ve seen this plot multiple times on “Parks and Rec” over the years, and although it’s slightly tiresome by now, the remarkable, consistently funny writing does allow the show to pull it off again. Meanwhile, Leslie enlists help from the Parks employees to convince the public
to endorse her bid to create a national park in Pawnee, Indiana, instead of letting a corporation named Gryzzl (which might as well be Sweetums, another fictional “Parks and Rec” corporation) take over that land. Over the years, Leslie has had to defend her precious land from encroaching companies time and time again; this is nothing new. Tom and Donna engage in a “Treat Yo’ Self” day, in which they go out on the town and indulge themselves, buying and doing whatever they want. Dennis Feinstein (the wildly hilarious Jason Mantzoukas from “The League”) shows up to threaten the gang’s beloved JJ’s Diner. Perhaps the worst example of recycling is the series finale itself, chock-full of scenarios familiar to any committed “Parks” fan. Andy tries to convince April to have kids with him, but she doesn’t want to, once again fearing the responsibility and maturity that come along with motherhood. After a trademark Leslie Knope inspirational speech, April realizes that she can have kids and still be herself, and proceeds to do just that. Tom Haverford’s (Aziz Ansari) recent business venture, “Tom’s Bistro,” collapses just as his myriad other businesses have, but he finds success with yet another venture, writing a best-selling book entitled “Failure.” If we continued to follow the story of Tom, this writing gig would doubtlessly fall apart pretty quickly, and he would go on to brief success in some other field. Ron quits his job in the private sector and is convinced by Leslie to throw his values away and return to work in the public sector. Most rec-
ognizably, Leslie decides to run for public office yet again, with her husband Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) as her campaign manager. Unfortunately, unoriginality was not the show’s sole problem this past season. The most obvious misstep was episode ten, “The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show.” Played entirely as an episode of Andy Dwyer’s fictional show-within-a-show, the episode felt like bad NBC web content as opposed to an actual episode of television. “Parks” unconvincingly shoehorned members of the regular cast into the episode, and completely missed the mark on the one emotional beat it was aiming for. It was, very simply, a showcase episode for the newly christened movie star, Chris Pratt. It is always disappointing when a show is so eager to please its fan base that it leans too heavily on not only nostalgia, but also on overusing reliable character beats and scenarios. It would have been nice to see “Parks” end on a more imaginative note. However, as it was throughout its run, “Parks and Recreation” was a funny show up until the end. Even among the uninspired narrative arcs of the final season and finale, it did manage to produce some powerfully affecting moments. Ron Swanson’s last canoe ride, the return of Chris (Rob Lowe) and Ann (Rashida Jones) and even the last appearance of the evil Tammy 2 (Megan Mullally) all hold emotional significance for long-time “Parks” fans. Although manipulative, those moments do remind us why we loved “Parks” so much in the first place.
Eli Fine can be reached at elazarfine@umass.edu.
B6
Thursday, March 5, 2015
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
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HOROSCOPES Jan. 20 - Feb. 18
Don’t worry, as spring gets warmer it’s perfectly natural for your coat to shed off large chunks.
pisces
Feb. 19 - Mar. 20
leo
Jul. 23 - Aug. 22
The sweet squish of the Ugg boot will soon be replaced by the terrifying flop of flip.
virgo
Aug. 23 - Sept. 22
If you find yourself sitting alone in your classroom, it might be a hidden camera discipline test. It’s best to stay perfectly still.
I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you didn’t know that you don’t move your bottom jaw, the universe moves around it.
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Mar. 21 - Apr. 19
libra
Sept. 23 - Oct. 22
taurus
Apr. 20 - May. 20
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Oct. 23 - Nov. 21
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May. 21 - Jun. 21
A cup of tea may not have enough caffeine to get you through the day. Be bold and try throwing an espresso shot in there.
Telling people you major in Silly Languages is the same as telling them you major in Linguistics.
Fresh fruit season is around the corner which means canned fruit season is almost over. Get ’em before they rust!
Transform your breakfast this morning by putting your bread in the oven instead of the toaster. Rather than toast, it'll be “bake.”
sagittarius
Nov. 22 - Dec. 21
Sometimes your language class is in direct competition with your existentialism class for which is the most depressing.
I can’t believe the headlines I’m reading! Did Hilary Duff and Aaron Carter really get a divorce?
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capricorn
Jun. 22 - Jul. 22
Dec. 22 - Jan. 19
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BASKETBALL
one of four Richmond players who scored more than 10 points, as Terry Allen had 13, TJ Cline added 12 and ShawnDre’ Jones finished with 11. Neither team shot particularly well as the Minutemen were just 2-14 from 3-point range, and Richmond 3-17. UMass committed 17 turnovers to 12 assists on the day and the Spiders converted those turnovers into 15 points. Hinds shot 1-of-10 from the floor for five points while Trey Davis finished 2-of-9 with six points. Derrick Gordon finished
Esho scores 1,000 in loss Esho became the 48th player in UMass history to reach the 1,000-point club
SCORING SLUMP
Even then, UMass cut the deficit to 48-46 with one minute, 40 seconds left after Donte Clark converted on an and-one play. But Richmond answered offensively on a layup by ShawnDre’ Jones, Minutemen guard Trey Davis proceeded to miss a layup on offense and the Spiders scored again in transition. It created what was, on this night, an insurmountable six-point lead. Frustration on the UMass sideline was evident throughout the night, and it nearly boiled over with 14:16 left in the half. Trailing 33-27 and in desperate need of an energy infusion, Minutemen guard Jabarie Hinds appeared to make a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the deficit in half as the shot clock expired. The officials thought otherwise, ruling Hinds’ attempt was tardy. A livid Kellogg ditched his suit jacket, frantically storming down his sideline as he pleaded his case with the officials. The call stood, much to Kellogg’s dismay. “I’m not going to elaborate too much,” said Kellogg on his frustration. “Things weren’t going exactly the way I would have liked it in a lot of different fronts. I kind of wanted to show my displeasure to some different people.” Was it the most frustrated he’s been in a while? “Yes, in a long time,” he said. “Absolutely.” Richmond responded with four straight points. And without a go-to offensive scoring option, the
after making a layup with six seconds remaining in the game. Esho entered the game at 991 career points and achieved the feat with her first time at Mullins Center.
Esho joins Lalanne as the
second player to achieve the 1,000-point mark this season, as Lalanne did so Feb. 4 in a 78-72 win at Fordham. Andrew Cyr can be reached at arcyr@ umass.edu, and followed on Twitter @Andrew_Cyr.
continued from page 8
ALEX ARITAN/COLLEGIAN
Andrew Grant delivers in a game against Northeastern last season.
Start season with four-game series By Tyler Fiedler Collegian Staff
JUDITH GIBSON-OKUNIEFF/COLLEGIAN
Maxie Esho fell to the floor after a play against Richmond Wednesday. Minutemen toiled throughout the middle parts of the half. On Senior Night, senior Cady Lalanne led UMass with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Yet he scored just four points and attempted only one field goal in the second frame. Luckily, the Minutemen received a 12-point scoring outburst from Clark in the second half to remain in the game. But UMass’ offense never took off, instead plodding through offensive possessions. The Minutemen made a conscious effort to pound the ball to Lalanne and Maxie Esho in the post, which worked in Richmond’s favor. “We were so worried about Lalanne, he’s such a good player,” Mooney said. “I think they were committed to throwing him the ball and we really had so much emphasis on being in and trying to surround him. I thought it played into our advantage.
“I thought because they were so committed to throwing it in, it helped us disrupt their rhythm.” Combined with a porous shooting percentage from outside, the Minutemen struggled to generate any type of offense. There was frustration, inefficiency and a lack of made shots. And it all culminated in the lowest scoring performance of the season. The loss drops UMass into sixth place in the Atlantic 10 Conference, one game behind Richmond and one game ahead of George Washington. The Minutemen face the Colonials Saturday in their season finale Saturday. “We had a few plays that just didn’t happen for us,” Kellogg said. “We’ll try to get ready for GW and try to get a little momentum going for Brooklyn.” Mark Chiarelli can be reached at mchiarel@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli.
Busy weekend for UM By Tom Mulherin Collegian Staff
After showing how much they’ve improved in their first two weekend sets, the Massachusetts softball team will be put to the test as they head into a difficult schedule at the Louisville Classic beginning Friday. In their third straight weekend series, the Minutewomen (4-5) will have their first look at teams from some big-name conferences in college sports, as they face off against representatives of the Big Ten (Northwestern), the Atlantic Coast Conference (Louisville) and the Mid-American Conference (Ball State). With all of the competition looming for UMass, coach, Kristi Stefanoni, didn’t say which one she was looking forward to the most, but said she is excited for the team to get experience. “Honestly, I’d go for all of (the games),” she said when asked about which game is the one to watch. “I think there is great competition we are going to see this weekend. I’m really excited to play the teams; there isn’t really one particu-
Minutemen ready for Opening Day vs Kentucky
his mother in attendance,
SOFTBALL
Will play five games in Louisville Classic
7
BASEBALL
continued from page 8
with four points and three turnovers. The Spiders (18-12, 11-6 A 10) took a 27-25 lead going into the half and led the game for 30:25. “Yeah. I didn’t want to lose this game, our last game at home,” Lalanne said when asked about his last regular season game at home. “And we were playing for something, too. It was really emotional.”
Thursday, March 5, 2015
lar game I would pick.” Through the nine games the Minutewomen have already played this season, the offense exceeded expectations, as veteran infielder Quianna DiazPatterson has been a force at the plate, earning Atlantic-10 Player of the Week honors. Although offense has not been an issue, UMass has been inconsistent on the mound. So far this year, the pitching rotation has had issues with control, allowing 38 walks compared to just 36 strikeouts in 59 innings. The habit of putting runners on base – along with several errors defensively – has left Stefanoni pushing for large improvements by starting with the basics. “We worked on a lot of fundamental things (in preparation for the weekend),” Stefanoni said. “We came out (this season) and didn’t play very good defense I thought, and our pitchers struggled a bit with walks and trying to hit their spots. We kind of went back to fundamentals, knowing that we had plenty of time to do that. “(We worked on) all sorts of different things – some glove work, some footwork, pitchers throwing to different zones,” she said
So far this season, only three players have seen time on the mound for the Minutewomen – Caroline Raymond, Meg Colleran and Emma Mendoker – which makes it easier for certain trends to continue, good or bad. As a result, Stefanoni said it’s possible for the team to see former pitcher turned star hitter Tara Klee get some action on the hill. Stefanoni said it was important for the team to elevate their performance all around as they head into the weekend. “We’re going to be seeing teams with much better batting averages than we have in the past,” she said. “Playing really good defense is going to be a key for us. We also don’t really have a strikeout pitching staff, which is fine, but getting ahead early in the count and cutting down on the walks is going to help us out big time.” First pitch Friday morning against Illinois State is set for 10:30 a.m. Tom Mulherin can be reached at tmulheri@umass.edu.
The Massachusetts baseball team might have been dreaming of warmer weather in preparation of their season-opening trip to Kentucky this weekend for a four game series. However, in an ironic twist, a winter storm rolled through Lexington. Kentucky Wednesday night, and temperatures are expected to stay in the 30s this weekend. Despite this obstacle, the Minutemen are just excited to get down there and start their 2015 season. “I would imagine they are very excited,” Coach Mike Stone said. “It has been a long indoor preseason and I would believe they are ready to go.” UMass will have a tough task in their first series of the season, as they face Kentucky. The Wildcats are off to a hot start and sit at 9-3 through their first 12 games. Kyle Barrett, Thomas Bernal and Ka’ai Tom lead Kentucky in hitting, with all three hitting over .345 to start the season. It’ll be a tough task for the Minutemen pitching staff to keep the Wildcats lineup quiet, as Kentucky is batting .313 as a team with six home runs. “They’re a strong team,
an SEC team, and a team that is going to be a great challenge for us,” Stone said. “But we are excited to face them. We hope to throw strikes and play good, solid defense. “Our game plan is to get good, tough pitching,” Stone said. “We got Conor LeBlanc going, he is a courageous type guy and a strike thrower.” LeBlanc, a senior captain, will get the opening day start on Friday after going 3-4 with a 3.98 earned run average in 13 starts last season. Other pitchers expected to see action this weekend are sophomores Tim Cassidy, Ryan Moloney and Mike Geannelis, junior Brandon Walsh and senior Andrew Grant. The Wildcats counter with a strong pitching staff of their own. Led by starter Dustin Beggs (1-1, 2.08 earned run average), Kentucky pitchers have registered a 3.60 ERA and struck out 104 hitters in 110 innings. The Wildcat pitchers have held opponents to a .246 batting average. “We need a to have a good approach and be calm and composed in the batters box,” coach Stone said. “We have to have good quality at-bats and try not to do too much.” Geannelis was a major surprise for the Minutemen his freshman year, leading the team in hitting and earning
Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year honors. He hit .347 in 26 starts. A year older and more experienced, Geannelis is expected to be a big part of the UMass lineup. Redshirt senior Rob McLam will return after missing all of 2014 with an injury. In 2013, he led the team in hitting, and getting him back along with Geannelis should give the Minutemen a formidable duo in the middle of the order. UMass will have its hands full in the first series of 2015. Playing in a warmer climate, Kentucky is already 12 games into their season and has a bit of head start over UMass. “Expectations are that we will have a great effort, great attitude and compete,” coach Stone said. “If we do these things we will compete and hopefully pull out a couple of wins.” The Minutemen have been stuck inside for the whole preseason with a record amount of snow on the ground but Stone is excited and feels like his team is prepared to start the season. “We are as prepared as we can be,” Stone said. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Lexington, Kentucky on Friday. Tyler Fiedler can be reached at tfiedler@umass.edu and on Twitter @Tyler_Fiedler.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
UMass reaches second round of A-10 tournament Minutewomen set to face Richmond By Ross Gienieczko Collegian Staff
Led by 22 points from senior forward Kim PierreLouis, the Massachusetts women’s basketball team won 55-49 in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament against St. Bonaventure on Wednesday in Richmond. The 13th-seeded Minutewomen used strong defense to hold the 12thseeded Bonnies to just 31.3 percent shooting, and limited St. Bonaventure to just 20.4 percent from the field in the first half. It was a slow start offensively for both teams. At halftime, the score stood at 17-15 UMass, and the squads combined for just 10 made field goals. But the Minutewomen (12-17) rebounded to score 38 points
in the second half and pull away for the six-point victory. Though both teams had difficulties shooting, UMass was able to play strong defense and do the little things that helped their victory. The Minutewomen outscored the Bonnies 14-6 in points off turnovers, and led in second chance points 7-2. Katie Healy led the Bonnies (15-15) with 15 points on 5-7 shooting, and led all players with eight rebounds on the day. Imani Outlaw was the next highest scorer for St. Bonaventure with 10 points. It was the third loss in a row for St. Bonaventure. Free throw shooting was strong for UMass all afternoon, and helped them clinch the game in the final minute. The Minutewomen went 6-8 from the line in the final 23 seconds of the game to deny the Bonnies a chance to get close.
It was a clutch finish to a back and forth game that saw 10 ties and 11 lead changes. It was the second win in a row for UMass, after they beat Rhode Island 78-70 in the final game of the regular season. Up next is a second round matchup with Richmond, the No. 5 seed in the tournament. In their previous meeting this season, the Minutewomen were blown out 64-44 on the road. In that game, UMass shot just 32.1 percent from the field. Tip-off is set for today at 2 p.m. in Richmond. If the Minutewomen advance, it will mark their first trip to the third round of the tournament since 2002, when the Minutewomen lost 67-61 to Temple in Philadelphia. Ross Gienieczko can be reached at rgieniec@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @RossGien.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Sports@DailyCollegian.com
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HOCKEY
Hockey East playoffs a fresh start for Minutemen Slate is clean after last place season By Jason Kates Collegian Staff
With the regular season in the books, the Massachusetts hockey team will focus on the future matchup versus Notre Dame in the first round of the Hockey East tournament. Thanks to a rule change to expand the conference playoff from eight teams to all 12, the Minutemen will enter a best-of-three series against the fifth-seeded Irish. “The beauty of the ‘second season’ is that no matter what happened prior to it, it’s a one day at a time,
one game at a time setup,” Coach John Micheletto said. “We’re eager to get on the attack Friday night and try to put our best foot forward towards getting a win. “We know that it won’t be impossible to win the series if we don’t win Friday, but it makes your life a little bit easier if you can get that first one.” Following a 4-0 defeat against Connecticut last Friday night, UMass was locked into last place and waited to see who it would face in the opening round of the tournament. For a while, it looked like the Minutemen would draw Northeastern and play the three-game series in Boston. Instead, Notre Dame
fell into the fifth seed, and UMass is now faced with traveling halfway across the country for a series in South Bend, Indiana. The Irish won both games against the Minutemen earlier this season. “I think internally it’s less of an issue than the external perception,” Micheletto said. “It’s a great place to play, they treat you very well, I don’t think the rink dimensions or anything about the physical part of the layout is daunting for us.” Most of the upperclassmen have already played at Compton Family Ice Arena. In a two-game road trip last season, the Minutemen split the series, winning the second game 3-2.
Micheletto believes this could provide a boost for his team. “I think that’s valuable for the team in general, even though we have so many newcomers,” he said. “You know that from watching us over the course of the year that it tends to be more about us than who we’re playing, so if we can really focus on mustering all our energy and putting all of our focus towards attention to detail, we’re excited to play anybody.” Sophomore Steven Iacobellis, who was on the team for last year’s heartbreaking first round defeat to Vermont, reiterated his coach’s words and the excitement for this weekend.
CHRISTINA YACONO/COLLEGIAN
Steven Iacobellis and the Minutemen celebrate after a goal vs. Providence. “Playoffs are always a new you can moving forward,” he season, you leave the regu- said. “We’re all excited, we lar season behind and take like playing at (Notre Dame), all the positive things that see CLEAN SLATE on page 7
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Senior night spoiled
Ugly game offensively for UMass
Minutemen shoot just 40.4 percent from field By Mark Chiarelli Collegian Staff
JUDITH GIBSON-OKUNIEFF/COLLEGIAN
Cady Lalanne, Derek Kellog and Maxie Esho at their press conference after the Minutemen’s 56-53 loss against Richmond Wednesday night.
Fourth loss out of five games for Minutemen By Andrew Cyr Collegian Staff
It didn’t take any words for Massachusetts head coach Derek Kellogg to explain his frustration during Wednesday night’s game. Kellogg let his actions do the talking. In the midst of an ugly display of basketball from both teams in the second half, Kellogg ripped off his suit jacket sending it airborne behind the bench after Jabarie Hinds was called for shot-clock violation on a corner 3-pointer that would have been good. Kellogg did his best in an attempt to fire up his team, but his
angry tirade wasn’t enough, and finding Cady Lalanne inside, and the Minutemen fell to Richmond missed all seven shot attempts and 56-53 on Senior Night at the Mullins committed seven turnovers within Center. Wednesday’s loss marks that span. the fourth loss in the past five “We were so worried about games after winning six in a row Lalanne, he’s such a great player. before the stretch. We were worried about “This is the most him in the first half frustrated I’ve been a Richmond 56 and he was five-for-five, while,” Kellogg said. and they were commit53 ted to throwing him the “Things weren’t going UMass exactly the way I would ball and we really had have liked and I kind of so much emphasis on wanted to show my displeasure to a being in and trying to surround bunch of different people.” him,” Richmond coach Chris UMass (17-13, 10-7 Atlantic Mooney said. “Because they were 10) went 11 minutes, 55 seconds so committed to throwing it in, between field goals in the second helped us disrupt their rhythm.” half, with its only points coming Lalanne made his only shot from six free throws during the attempt of the second half after stretch. The Minutemen offense scoring 10 points in the first half, went stagnant and had trouble finishing with 14 points and 12
rebounds on the night. The Minutemen made it a one possession game with 1:40 remaining after Donte Clark converted a basket and the and-one free throw attempt to make the score 48-46. But Kendall Anthony (14 points) responded shortly after with his biggest basket of the night, draining a deep fade-away to put the Spiders ahead 52-46 with 45 seconds remaining. “Those were the big shots of the game to win it for them. One of them was a pretty tough shot,” Kellogg said. “He’s a good player and I thought he controlled tempo and the game while he was in there. That’s what good point guards do.” Anthony – who played only 29 minutes due to foul trouble – was see
BASKETBALL on page 7
Fans in search of quality offensive basketball hopefully steered clear of the Mullins Center Wednesday night. Before the game, UMass coach Derek Kellogg said the Massachusetts men’s basketball team and Richmond featured offensive schemes that worked in different ways. But there would be very little in the way of scoring in the Spiders’ 56-53 victory over the Minutemen Wednesday night at Mullins Center. Richmond shot 40.7 percent, made only 3-of-17 3-pointers and committed nine turnovers. It was still better than UMass’s performance, as the Minutemen responded with a 40.4 shooting percentage, made 2-of-14 3-pointers and committed 17 turnovers. Spiders coach Chris Mooney said it wasn’t the prettiest of games. Kellogg went one step further. “I wouldn’t say either team was an offensive juggernaut tonight,” Kellogg said. UMass’ offensive woes were magnified in the second half. The Minutemen shot 33 percent over the final 20 minutes, made only one field goal over the first 12 minutes of the half and relied on free throw shooting to remain close. “When we don’t shoot the 3 and have some ill-advised turnovers that lead to easy baskets, we’ve struggled some,” Kellogg said. “We struggled to score. We need to try to get into the high 70s for us to be the team that I really want to be.” see
SCORING SLUMP on page 7
Minutemen to retire jersey in honor of John Calipari Slate is clean after last place season By Jamie Cushman Collegian Staff
The University of Massachusetts will retire a jersey in honor of former men’s basketball coach John Calipari during the 2015-2016 season, according to a news release Wednesday. The jersey retirement will be a part of a 20th anniversary celebration of the team’s 1996 NCAA Final Four run.
Other information regarding the anniversary celebration, including the date of Calipari’s jersey retirement, will be announced later. Calipari, who currently serves as the head coach at Kentucky, was the head coach at UMass from 1988 to 1996. Calipari achieved unprecedented success as head coach of the Minutemen, leading the team to five straight Atlantic-10 titles and multiple deep NCAA tournament runs, including the team’s 1996 NCAA Final Four run. Wins from that season, however, were vacated
years later due to star player Marcus Camby’s NCAA rules violation for accepting money from an agent. Calipari will become the sixth person and first nonplayer from the men’s basketball program to be honored with a jersey retirement. He will be joining George “Trigger” Burke, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Lou Roe, Al Skinner and Camby. Calipari finished his time at UMass with an overall record of 193-71 (.731), good for the second most wins in UMass men’s basketball history
behind Jack Leaman (217). He earned A-10 Coach of the year honors in 1993, 1994, and 1996, in addition to the Naismith Coach of the Year award in 1996 – the first and only time a Minutemen head coach has won that award. Calipari’s influence can still be found in the Mullins Center today in the form of head coach Derek Kellogg and his coaching staff. Kellogg played under Calipari for four years at UMass, as well as serving as an assistant for Calipari at the University of Memphis for eight years before returning to
his alma mater. Assistant coach Lou Roe, who already had his jersey retired, played for Calipari for the Minutemen during the 1990s. Other connections to Calipari include assistant coach Andy Allison, who served as an assistant under Calipari for six years at Memphis and strength and conditioning coach Richard Hogans who served as the director of performance enhancement at Memphis from 2004-2011. Calipari oversaw three players drafted into the NBA
during his time in Amherst: Roe in the first round of the 1995 draft, Lari Ketner in the second round of the 1996 draft, and the program’s highest ever draft pick, Camby, second overall in 1996. News of Calipari’s jersey retirement was first reported by UMass and Daily Collegian alumnus Marc Bertrand of Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub on Twitter Tuesday. Jamie Cushman can be reached at jrcushman@umass.edu.