Massachusetts Daily Collegian: March 10, 2015

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DAILY COLLEGIAN DailyCollegian.com

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Students stand for survivors

News@DailyCollegian.com

Panel assembled to review Iranian admission policy Chancellor expects a report in April

By Stuart Foster Collegian Staff

JULIETTE SANDLEITNER/COLLEGIAN

Students gather for the CERC Day of Action to demand that the UMass administration takes action to end sexual violence and rape culture on campus.

CERC hosts campus rally and candle vigil

By Marie MacCune Collegian Staff

The University of Massachusetts’ Coalition to End Rape Culture organized a Day of Action Monday, advocating for the implementation of a Survivor’s Bill of Rights to the campus’ sexual assault policy.

Students rallied outside the Student Union in the afternoon and marched to the Whitmore Administration Building to demand a meeting with Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Campus Life Enku Gelaye.

In the evening, students gathered once again in front of Whitmore to hold a candlelight vigil and listen to survivors of sexual assault share their stories.

Liz Mungovan, vice president of CERC, helped organize the event.

“Surprisingly, we were successful,” she said of the march.

According to Mungovan, following the rally, CERC was able to secure a meeting with Gelaye for April to discuss the implementation of a Survivor’s Bill of Rights, overhaul of sexual assault training for residential assistants and New Student Orientation leaders and the creation of a

comprehensive database of resources for victims of sexual assault.

Of the database, Mungovan added that she wants survivors to “know exactly what the reporting process looks like and what their options are.”

She said the purpose of Monday’s vigil was to “honor people who have lost lives to sexual and domestic violence.”

Mungovan explained that Monday’s Day of Action was “… actually part of a national campaign with Carry That Weight and USSA to get a Survivor’s Bill of Rights on every college campus.”

“There was going to be a national day of action but Carry That Weight and USSA had to push it back due to scheduling and not all the campuses were ready,” she said. “But we were prepared so we decided to go ahead and hold our own.”

According to Mungovan, UMass’ specific Survivor’s Bill of Rights is still in its drafting stages and will be finalized before the meeting with Gelaye. However, she said it will be “extremely similar” to the bill of rights already in place at the State University of New York.

Some of the rights outlined on SUNY’s website include the right to “make a decision about whether or not to disclose a crime or incident and

participate in the conduct or criminal justice process free from outside pressures from college officials,” “be free from any suggestion that the victim/survivor is at fault when these crimes and violations are committed, or should have acted in a different manner to avoid such a crime” and “describe the incident to as few individuals as practicable and not to be required to unnecessarily repeat a description of the incident.”

Mungovan explained, “A lot of our procedures at UMass cause survivors to have to tell their stories a bunch of times to a lot of different people in incredibly explicit detail and that’s really traumatizing.”

She also cited having to go to the hearing and then having

to be in the same room as the assailant and consequences that are “minimal to say the least” for assailants as traumatizing, as well.

On a personal level, Mungovan said she got involved because “(she) care(s) a lot about gender-based violence on campus.”

Mungovan said she sees it as problem on both a social and institutional level.

She sees this specific campaign for a Survivor’s Bill of Rights as “a really direct way to reform our policies that are inadequate, inaccessible, and re-traumatizing for the victims.”

Marie MacCune can be reached at mmaccune@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @MarieMacCune.

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

Members of CERC hold a moment of silence for survivors of sexual assault.

Serving the UMass community since 1890

Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy appointed 15 students and faculty members to an advisory panel last week designed to create an admissions policy for Iranian students compliant with United States law. The creation of the panel follows a month of controversy over the University of Massachusetts’ decision to stop admitting Iranian students into certain graduate science and technology programs.

Following last month’s decision, the University announced a revision to the policy saying that students will be admitted as long as they have individualized study plans to meet the requirements of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012.

“The committee should identify how our campus can sustain our core values of inclusion and the free and open exchange of ideas while acting in accordance with the legal mandates that all public research universities must obey,” Subbaswamy said at a Feb. 19 Faculty Senate meeting.

The panel was created to ensure that UMass students do not face denials of visas because of their area of study. It will also ensure that UMass faculty and staff are not penalized for violating U.S. federal policy, which denies Iranian students planning to work with energy research in Iran from a U.S. education.

More generally, the panel is attempting to uphold the University’s standards against the racial and national discrimination of students while complying with American federal laws.

The chairs of the committee include Elizabeth Chilton, the associate vice chancellor for research and engagement and Tim Anderson, the dean of the

College of Engineering.

The decision to refuse admittance to Iranian students into certain programs occurred as a result of new University interpretations of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syrian Human Rights Act of 2012.

While the University previously enforced a different analysis of the law, an inquiry from a student caused complications over the admittance of Iranian students to certain programs in fields of science, technology and engineering.

Many students, faculty members and organizations such as the National Iranian American Council spoke against this policy, arguing that it is an unnecessary and discriminatory addition to federal law.

Critics of UMass’ policy have argued that the 2012 law only applies to the admittance of study visas to Iranian citizens, which are currently distributed based on individual circumstances. As a result, these critics feel that the University is unnecessarily discriminating against students, who have already obtained student visas, based on nationality when it is not their place to do so.

The dissatisfaction felt by students about the policy resulted in substantial backlash. The “No to the UMass Educational Ban on Iranian Nationals” Facebook page has more than 3,900 likes.

Subbaswamy said he hopes the committee will make proper recommendations to the current policy by early April, at which point University administrators will decide how to implement the new findings into the admissions policy, according to a UMass press release.

The committee’s report will be made public once the findings are concluded.

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

Gerzina named CHC Dean UM Nutrition Association Naming ends over wants a healthier campus year long search The University of Massachusetts announced the naming of Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina as permeant dean of Commonwealth Honors College in a press release Monday afternoon.

She will begin July 15.

The release called Gerzina an “internationally renowned scholar and author.”

The Commonwealth Honors College has been without a permanent dean since the death of Dean

Priscilla Clarkson during the summer of 2013. Daniel Gordon, who was previously serving as associate dean, was appointed interim dean Aug. 29, 2013.

According to the press release, Gerzina, a Springfield native, is currently serving as the Kathe Tappe Vernon professor of biography and the chair of the department of African and African-American studies at Dartmouth College. Gerzina’s field of expertise includes Victorian literature, biography, African American literature, and the “story of

black people in England.”

UMass Amherst Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Katherine Newman said in the release, “Professor Gerzina is a public intellectual of great depth and range. She embodies everything we treasure in higher education: extraordinary scholarship, close attention to the interests and needs of students and that ‘true North’ sense of leadership that will carry the Commonwealth Honors College to even greater heights.”

Marie MacCune

with chicken and broccoli in alfredo sauce and a side of mashed potatoes. Their work began around 2:30 p.m. and the workers won’t be back home until about 7 p.m. They serve each dish in the hope of making a difference.

“We’re part of UMass,

By Jaclyn Bryson we try to help the comCollegian Staff munity that’s in the sur Five students stand before rounding area,” University about 60 hungry people at of Massachusetts senior the Amherst Survival Center Amanda Cortese said.

Thursday. The center is serv- These students are not ing vegetarian chili, pasta just part of the University,

however, but a Registered Student Organization known as the UMass Nutrition Association. Each semester, the group sends five members to the survival center to prepare a nutritious, lowbudget meal for those who need it.

In the future, UMNA hopes to do this on a more frequent basis.

“They’re really in need and they are so easy to work with,” said Cortese, who see

UMNA on page 2

2

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

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

In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was ratified by the United States Senate, ending the Mexican– American War.

AROUND THE WORLD

Berlin As word emerged Monday of a gruesome new round of Islamic State beheadings, Libya’s internationally recognized government installed a onetime rogue anti–Islamist general as army chief.

Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who has emerged as a divisive figure since beginning a self–styled offensive last year, took the oath of office a week after he was tapped for the top defense post, said a spokesman for the legislature based in the eastern town of Tobruk.

A rival parliament sits in Tripoli.

Los Angeles Times

Beijing After years of promises to open access to Tibet, Chinese officials suggested Monday that overseas reporters might be allowed to visit the highly restricted region as authorities plan events to mark the 50th anniversary of the Tibet Autonomous Region this year.

Two years after Communists won control of China in 1949, Mao Zedong’s troops marched into Tibet. Since then, Beijing has firmly controlled the area despite designating it as an autonomous region in 1965 and has spent billions of dollars trying to integrate the sparsely populated expanse.

Los Angeles Times

Islamabad Pakistan on Monday successfully test–fired a ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads far beyond the borders of its strategic rival India.

The Shaheen–III surface–to–surface missile splashed down in the Arabian Sea after flying 1,720 miles from its launching pad, the military said in a statement.

That’s more than double the maximum range required to hit a target anywhere in India but falls short of being able to reach Israel, located more than 2,100 miles away.

McClatchy Foreign Staff

UMNA

GOP letter to Iran may subvert talks

continued from page 1

is the president of the UMNA. “When we come, they are very appreciative. All the people at the Amherst Survival Center want to interact with us or always have so many questions.

“They are just really interested in what we have to say, so we have built up a good relationship with them.”

The RSO has been on campus for years, according to Cortese, long before she was a student here.

Over time, its number has grown to 110 members, most of whom are nutrition majors – although that is not a requirement to become a participant.

Jaime Thorpe, the public relations coordinator, was a communication major when she first became active in the organization. In part due to exploring the nutrition major with the RSO, she eventually decided to change her field of study.

No two UMNA members are alike. According to Cortese, members have different interests within the field of nutrition, such as sports, community or pediatrics.

To accommodate the large number of members who want to make a living studying various branches of nutrition, Cortese added that a lot of meetings are informational and teach majors how to perfect a resume or inform them about graduate school options. “(What) we hope that members will take away is a professional network,” she said. “The nutrition major is pretty small and it really helps to get connected with other students, with other professors, so we try to get a lot of networking time in.”

Aside from preparing students for the future, the RSO aims to make an impact on current members of the Amherst community.

DailyCollegian.com

By William Douglas McClatchy Washington Bureau

COURTESY OF UMNA

UMNA member prepares food to be served at the Amherst Survival Center.

The group goes to Cold Spring Orchard every autumn to pick ripe apples to donate to the survival center.

A n nu a l ly, U M NA also collects food for the Food Bank of Western M a s s a c h u s e t t s.

In November, it donated 632 pounds of food – a jump from the 420 pounds and 110 pounds it collected the two previous years, respectively.

The RSO also seeks to expand its influence to students on campus. It often holds dorm talks about staying healthy at UMass.

UMNA also helps organize public events, such as the recent lecture on Feb. 23 by vegan expert and endurance athlete Matt Ruscigno. About 150 people attended, which, according to Cortese, was a huge success in outreach and collaboration for the group.

“It turned into an educational and networking experience for students,” Cortese said. “That was probably one of our more exciting events of the semester.”

In the future, the RSO wants to expand its outreach with more volunteer opportunities. It recently voted to add a new position to the executive board, a community service chair, responsible for organizing more regular volunteer

programs for those interested, beginning in the fall.

“They are going to be responsible for trying to find volunteer opportunities that will be more weekly, that people can really build their resume with,” Cortese said. “People have really expressed interest in more continuous volunteer experiences.”

She added that with opportunities like these, the RSO not only provides majors with the opportunities they need to succeed, but with the motivation to make a difference.

“Volunteering and understanding the things that people do and the things that people need is really important in the nutrition major,” Thorpe said. “It’s a great community project.”

“Since nutrition is in the School of Public Health, we really are interested in the health of our public,” Cortese said. “It’s important for us to disseminate nutrition information to people in the area.

“Basically our knowledge is no good unless you can give it to other people to use. So it’s something we really try to help the members do.”

Jaclyn Bryson can be reached at jbryson@umass.edu.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Monday accused Senate Republicans of trying to undermine nuclear talks with Iran by writing an open letter to that country’s leadership asserting that any deal without congressional approval “is a mere executive agreement” that won’t last.

Forty–seven Republican senators took the unusual step of taking their disdain for a yet–to–be–done deal with Iran that’s being negotiated by the Obama administration and representatives of five other nations directly to leaders in Tehran in the one–page letter.

In it, the senators gave Iranian leaders a lesson in U.S. civics, saying “Congress plays a significant role” in ratifying agreements and that anything not approved

by Congress is “nothing more than an executive agreement between President Barack Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei.” The letter was first reported by Bloomberg View.

“A so–called congressional–executive agreement requires a majority vote in both the House and the Senate,” the letter says.

“Anything not approved by Congress is a mere executive agreement.”

Asked for his reaction, during a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk, Obama said, “I think it’s somewhat ironic to see some members of Congress wanting to make common cause with the hard–liners in Iran. It’s an unusual coalition. I think what we’re going to focus on right now is actually seeing whether we can get a deal or not. And once we do — if we do — then we’ll be able to make the case to the American people, and I’m confident we’ll be able to implement it.”

C o n g r e s s i o n a l

Republicans have been highly critical of nuclear talks with Iran and have become even more vocal after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech last week to a joint session of Congress, in which he warned of the dangers of a nuclear–armed Iran.

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, such as electricity production and medical research.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R–Ky., had planned a procedural vote Tuesday on a bill to require congressional approval of any nuclear accord with Iran.

But he postponed the vote in the face of a Democratic filibuster.

The 47 Republican signatories of the letter — including potential presidential candidates Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky — warned that any negotiated nuclear pact isn’t likely to survive once Obama is out of office.

“President Obama will leave office in January 2017, while most of us will remain in office well beyond then — perhaps decades,” the letter says.

The letter drew outrage from the White House and congressional Democrats, who said it violated the unwritten rule that politics ends at the water’s edge on foreign affairs.

Republicans defended the letter, saying it was needed to give Iranian leaders a better understanding of how the U.S. Constitution works.

“Many Iran experts say that Iran’s leaders don’t understand our Constitution,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R–Ark., who organized the letter and signature effort, said on Fox News. “And any deal that is not approved by the Congress won’t be accepted by the Congress, now or in the future.”

Officials make 2,000 arrests in immigration raid

By Joseph Tanfani Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — Top immigration officials said Monday that the U.S. rounded up about 2,000 people who had been convicted of crimes and are living in the country illegally, an announcement made in part to show that agents are still aggressive about enforcement at a time of declining deportations.

The arrests came in a five– day national dragnet last week called Operation Cross Check, one in a series of such operations that began in 2011.

“Public safety is directly

and significantly improved by deporting those individuals involved in crime,” said Sarah Saldana, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “By focusing on those who pose the greatest risk to our communities, we are marshaling our limited resources in the most responsible manner.”

Some of the 2,059 people had convictions for serious crimes, including manslaughter, robbery, rape and child pornography, they said. Most of those arrested were not convicted of violent crimes. Nearly all of the 912

people with misdemeanors were convicted of driving while under the influence.

And 476 of the felons had been charged with an immigration violation, trying to enter the country illegally.

None of the people was implicated in terrorism, the officials said.

The announcement comes as the Obama administration has faced harsh criticism by conservatives for pulling back on immigration enforcement.

In the most recent fiscal year, the agency deported about 316,000 people, the smallest number since Obama took

office. About two–thirds of those were turned back from the border, and about 102,000 were sent out in so–called “interior removals,” mostly because of criminal records.

That number was down 23 percent from 2013.

“The focus is on public safety and national security,” and quality over quantity, said Alejandro Mayorkas, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

The declining numbers have also become an issue in the ongoing court fight over Obama’s plans to give tempo-

rary legal protection to millions of immigrants, mostly parents of U.S. citizens who’ve lived here since 2010, without significant crimes on their record.

A federal judge in Texas, ordering a freeze on the president’s actions, said the “failure of the federal government to secure the borders” justified the states’ suing to block the program.

At the same time, Obama has been slammed by immigrant rights advocates who believe deportations are still too high.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

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MO Supreme Court takes over Ferguson cases Municipal judge resigns after announcement ByJennifer S. Mann St. Louis Post–Dispatch

FERGUSON, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court announced Monday that it will take the “extraordinary action” of reassigning all Ferguson municipal court cases to the circuit court, starting next week.

In a news release, the court announced the move was intended “to help restore public trust and confidence in the Ferguson municipal court division.”

Ferguson Municipal Judge Ronald J. Brockmeyer resigned his position Monday afternoon. In a phone interview, Brockmeyer also said he would likely resign from Dellwood, where he is prosecutor, but he would not elaborate. He declined to say what would happen with his other municipal court positions as prosecutor in Vinita Park and Florissant, and judge in Breckenridge Hills.

The actions Monday followed the release last week of a scathing Department of Justice report on Ferguson’s police and court practices.

“I don’t believe the report was correct,” Brockmeyer told the Post– Dispatch Monday night, “but it’s not worth fighting.”

A group of residents waiting outside a closed meeting of the Ferguson City Council on Monday night cheered the news.

“That’s big,” said Melissa Sanders, 32, of Ferguson. “I’m elated — for now.”

Sanders, of the activist group Lost Voices, said she was concerned that “they may be just pacifying us.”

Asked after the council meeting whether City Administrator John Shaw and Police Chief Thomas Jackson might be ousted, Ferguson spokesman Jeff Small said: “Given the gravity of the DOJ report, it’s safe to say everything is on the table.”

Brockmeyer said the main reason he resigned is that he and his family had received death threats in the last several days.

“That’s one of the most important reasons — it’s not worth jeopardizing my family,” he said.

Among the issues mentioned in the report, Brockmeyer said, was a red–light camera ticket against him in Hazelwood that was dismissed by the Ferguson prosecutor, who also was prosecutor in Hazelwood.

Brockmeyer said Monday the ticket was dismissed after he pointed out to the prosecutor that it would be difficult to show who was driving the vehicle, which was used by his law firm.

In a press release, Bert Fulk, a law associate of Brockmeyer, said Brockmeyer “recognizes that deference to a municipal judge’s judgments and court rulings depends upon public confidence” and media reports, “regardless of their accuracy or validity have diminished the public’s confidence in the Ferguson municipal court.”

Fulk said Brockmeyer’s resignation was intended to help restore public confidence and to “help Ferguson begin its healing process.”

Brockmeyer was criticized in the DOJ report for acting as a revenue–

generator for the court and the city, helping to bring in millions through “creative” use of fines and fees, while dismissing tickets for himself and friends. The report also rapped him for instilling fear in traffic defendants, even jailing one man for 10 days because the man refused to answer questions in court.

The DOJ report also revealed racist emails that were sent by court and police officials, and portrayed a police department and court that discriminated against African–Americans at all levels — from the initial traffic stop to how they were treated in court. Last week, Court Clerk Mary Twitty was fired and Police Capt.

Rick Henke and Sgt. William Mudd resigned over the emails.

The statement from Brockmeyer’s law associate distanced the judge from police and court abuses detailed in the report. It noted that Brockmeyer’s part–time position only required him to be in court once a week, compared to the court clerk, whose role was cited in the DOJ report as “the most significant role.”

Judge Roy L. Richter of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, will take over the Ferguson court’s caseload. The transfer of cases will continue “until further order” of the Supreme Court, according to the court’s press release.

The order, allowed under the state constitution, authorizes Richter to implement reforms to Ferguson’s court policies and procedures.

Chief Justice Mary R. Russell said in the release that Richter would bring “a fresh, disinterested perspective to this court’s practices and he is able and willing to implement needed

reforms.”

Russell, through a spokeswoman, declined to be interviewed.

Richter said in an email that “Lawyers in general, and judges in particular, want the judicial system to operate fairly for all those who deal with the Courts. If that hasn’t been the case in Ferguson or anywhere else in Missouri, that needs to change — and that’s important.”

The judge said he and the state court administrator’s office will visit Ferguson soon to assess the situation. He said he’s interested in the idea of having a wider scope of “standard” fines that would be used in Ferguson and elsewhere, and also in making the court more accessible to the public.

“If something is a routine violation and the offender wants to pay the fine without appearing in court, that makes sense to me,” he said.

Richter serves as chairman of the municipal judge education committee, a body of the Supreme Court that trains municipal court judges. In January, he wrote a letter to municipal court officials encouraging them to consider a range of internal reforms being proposed by the Municipal Court Improvement Committee, a voluntary group made up of judges and lawyers. It is led

by Overland municipal court Judge Frank Vatterott.

In the letter, Richter said he believed the media was misrepresenting the municipal court system and that “the vast majority of municipal courts operate the way they should” with “a few (very few) exceptions.”

“No system is so ‘good’ that it can’t be improved, and I am a firm believer

that those within the system are in a better position to propose and enact positive improvements than to have ‘improvements’ come from the outside — from folks who do not understand the practicalities (of) making new rules about matters with which they are unfamiliar,” he wrote.

Richter, on Monday, acknowledged in an email that “one court operating improperly is one too many” but said he’s been educating municipal court judges since the early ‘80s, and he does believe that most do it right.

“Take a road trip down to Cape Girardeau — just go sit in their municipal court for a session — let me know what you think. If you don’t want to go that far, scoot down to Perryville. My point is, the entire state isn’t St Louis County,” he said.

Richter added he shouldn’t be viewed as an outsider coming in.

“Being a judge is being a judge — you listen to both sides and do the right thing, applying the facts to the law.”

Brockmeyer, who was paid about $20,000 for serving as Ferguson judge, has federal tax liens of about $170,000 filed against property he and his wife own in St. Charles County.

Brockmeyer said nobody has mentioned that he’s been paying $5,000 a month to the IRS. “The taxes aren’t being ignored.

I’m making my payments, and they’re on time,” he said.

He said while some have used that situation to paint him a hypocrite, some of the traffic offenders in court were given a third, fourth and fifth chances to pay up or do a work program in lieu of paying and still couldn’t make good on their tickets.

Black group received racist Supreme Court takes on fraternity video from tipster contraception challenge University officials shut down guilty frat

By Matt Pearce and Kurtis Lee Los Angeles Times

A video of white University of Oklahoma fraternity members engaging in a racist chant went viral after a tipster texted the video to members of a black campus activist group who shared it on Twitter, a representative for the group told the Los Angeles Times on Monday.

University and national fraternity officials almost immediately shut down the university’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter after the video surfaced on social media Sunday night. The university’s president on Monday, while announcing a separate investigation into individual fraternity members, vowed SAE would never return while he remained in charge.

Dozens of University of Oklahoma students gathered on campus Monday morning before dawn to protest, with some carrying placards decrying racism.

Monday morning’s protest was organized by a group named OU Unheard, which got almost 4,000 retweets after sharing the video on Twitter and tagging the university’s president early Sunday evening.

Chelsea Davis, a 20– year–old junior and co– director for the group, told the Times that the tipster who sent the video to the group Sunday was not the person who shot the video, and the sender wanted to

remain anonymous.

“They should expel these students for what they have done,” Davis said of the “hurtful” chant, which used the n–word.

In the video, young men can be heard chanting “you can hang ‘em from a tree” but “there will never be a ... SAE” and clapping in unison, to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” After the video went viral, protesters began using the offensive lyrics as a hashtag, along with #SAEHatesMe. A separate video showing the chant, shot apparently by a different person on the bus where the fraternity members appeared to have gathered with dates in formal attire, has since emerged on Instagram.

Both the university and the national chapter of SAE condemned the chant and moved quickly Sunday to suspend the fraternity from the Norman, Okla., campus of 30,000.

On Monday morning, David Boren, president of the University of Oklahoma, ordered the SAE house closed.

Members must clear out their belongings by midnight Tuesday.

“Whether it’s casual conversation or other activities, any time there are racists remarks made, we must speak up as regular Americans,” Boren said at a Monday morning news conference, arguing that there must be “zero tolerance” for racism not just at the campus but across the country. “As they pack their bags, I hope they think long and hard about what they’ve done. ... The

house will be closed. As far as I’m concerned it won’t be back, at least while I’m president of the university.

It’s time we send messages that are very strong and very clear.”

Brad Cohen, president of the national chapter of SAE, said he was “disgusted and shocked” by the video and closed the chapter. In a statement, SAE said it was “embarrassed by this video” and apologized to “anyone outside the organization who is offended but also to our brothers who come from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities.”

SAE was founded in 1856 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Nationwide there are more than 200 chapters and 15,000 undergraduate members.

Some student activists and observers have raised questions about whether the SAE chant was common, given that many young men on the bus shown in the video appeared to know it. In February, a Reddit user posted a message that had lyrics for an SAE chant similar to those shown in the Oklahoma video, with the user adding that “a few buddies of mine told me (it was) their favorite song to sing.”

The Oklahoma video caused an instant uproar on campus. In some tweets posted late Sunday, the fraternity house was shown with a spray painted message, “tear it down,” on its outside wall.

By David G. Savage Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has revived the University of Notre Dame’s effort to shield itself from an Obama administration policy to ensure all female employees are provided a full range of contraceptives, including those who work for religious schools and colleges.

The administration says Catholic colleges need not provide or pay for the disputed contraceptives themselves, but they must at least notify their insurer or the government so the coverage can be provided separately.

But Notre Dame told the justices it would be “complicit in sin” if it consented to this arrangement, which would trigger coverage for what it considers “abortion–inducing” contraceptives.

Last year, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago refused to temporarily shield Notre Dame while the issue was under appeal.

However, in a one–line order Monday, the justices granted Notre Dame’s appeal and told the 7th Circuit to take another look at the univer-

sity’s claim that any involvement in the contraceptive policy violates its right to the free exercise of religion.

“We’re gratified” by the high court’s action, said Paul J. Browne, vice president for public affairs at Notre Dame.

It “allows us to seek relief” from the policy. “Notre Dame continues to challenge the federal mandate as an infringement on our fundamental right to the free exercise of our Catholic faith,” he said.

The administration’s lawyers argued the appeal should have been turned down because Notre Dame, like other religious schools, “can now opt out of the contraceptive–coverage requirement.” They said the required notification simply alerts officials of the university’s religious objection.

The court’s order shows this religious liberty dispute involving hundreds of schools, colleges and Catholic charities remains far from resolved.

Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said it is “hard to believe we are still fighting for access to birth control. This is a case about paperwork, not religious liberty. Religious groups

have been exempt from the birth control benefit all along.”

Obama’s health advisers first adopted the contraceptive policy as a regulation under the Affordable Care Act. Access to the full range of contraceptives at no cost was deemed to be a necessary part of preventive care.

Places of worship were exempt from the requirement.

Last year, the high court in the Hobby Lobby case ruled that corporate employers who have a strong religious objection may refuse to provide certain contraceptives.

But in between the churches and corporations were the thousands of religiously affiliated schools, colleges, hospitals and charities. The administration adopted an “accommodation” that it said protected the religious rights of these employers as well as the rights of their female employees.

It told employers like Notre Dame they need not provide the disputed contraceptives, so long as they notified their insurer or the Department of Health and Human Services.

The contraceptives would then be provided separately to eligible employees.

Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new” - Albert Einstein

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Editorial@DailyCollegiancom

Put yourself into new shoes While not all students manage to fit studying abroad into their time at the University of Massachusetts, it is an invaluable part of one’s self-

Jakob Lengacher development and I urge everyone to find a way to go. The friends you meet, the insects you eat and the breathtaking scenery you visit can make spending a year or a semester abroad one of the most valuable experiences of your undergraduate career.

My year in China with the China Educational Travel program had all of this and more, including doubledeep fried pork and being on a televised dating show. I left home simply looking to improve my ability to speak Chinese but my host culture sent me back with a slew of new experiences and a new awareness of my fellow human beings.

We rarely consider others until we try on their shoes and what better way to gain empathy for a whole new way of life than by living in another country?

Be your smartest self: a guide Next time you listen to someone speak, count the number of “likes” and “ums” they say.

Karen Podorefsky This is something I’ve been working on myself and it is a difficult habit to break. I remember listening to a Miley Cyrus interview a while back and she said “like” every few words. She just sounded dumb.

The most common misusage of the word “like” that I’ve observed is while explaining a conversation: “He was like… and then she was like…” My mother always asks me, “Was he like that? Or did he say that?”

But as students head to interviews for summer internships and other employment opportunities for the upcoming year, it is important to recognize the phrases that make you sound less smart than you actually are, and know the ways to outdo your competitors for the job.

“While trying to look intelligent, a lot of people do things that make them look dumb,” said Sue Shellenbarger in the Wall Street Journal article, “How to Look Smarter.”

“The cues people look for in assessing each other’s intelligence are simple. But they aren’t always easy to pull off under pressure,” Shellenbarger said.

Unfortunately, uncomfortable situations are also one of the more common times to say “like” or “um.” According to Shellenbarger, positive cues “… include showing self-confidence, speaking clearly and smoothly and responding thoughtfully to what others are saying, research shows.”

I’ve found that to consciously not say these unimportant filler words, I need to really think when I’m speak, which sometimes distracts me even more.

It’s harder to notice yourself, but when I speak to others who say these words a lot, it is frustrating to listen to and they don’t sound as smart as they

truly are.

Regardless of what comes out of your mouth, body language and physical being are extremely important factors in how someone perceives you.

“One of the strongest and most accurate signs of intelligence is looking at others when you are speaking to them,” said Nora A. Murphy, an associate professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, in the article.

Put away that phone, be in the moment and show respect to the one who is actually with you.

The person miles away can wait.

Shellenbarger’s article features a Venn diagram that outlines the behaviors people use to try to look smart in the left circle, behaviors others look for when judging who is smart in

Fidgeting is a common nervous habit. People try to hold their hands and arms still, but while judging others, people look for nodding and gesturing as responses in conversations. Sitting up straight, to me, shows confidence, but hand gestures and nodding really show engagement. It is important to show that you are interested in the conversation.

Other behaviors people utilize to try to appear smarter include using big words and complex sentences. This backfires, however, when you use them incorrectly.

Also, moving faster than others, such as while walking to a coffee date or down the hallway, could be a red flag for improper dominance or power. It’s most respectful to walk together, with a slight lead in favor of the person who knows where they are going.

Additional behaviors others look for when judging someone’s intelligence include speaking in a pleasant, expressive voice and using clear language.

Essentially, showing you are a good person is attractive to others.

The last two behaviors highlighted in the article are using a middle initial and wearing glasses. These are trivial to me.

They are more about the visual first impressions, which yes, are important. You never get a chance at a second first impression. But I don’t wear glasses and I rarely use my first initial and I still landed a competitive job for next year.

From my experience in interviews, I’ve found that being the most personable version of myself is the most beneficial.

Why would I want to pretend to be someone I’m not?

In the end, you’re the best at being yourself.

“I wouldn’t want to show a fake version of myself because if I get the job, I want to make sure that I would feel comfortable in the workplace ahead of time.”

the right circle and the behaviors that people use that actually make them look intelligent in the overlapping section. I found this to be helpful in recognizing what I do and how I should adjust my behaviors accordingly.

In terms of facial expressions, people try to put on a serious face, but others look for a self-confident expression.

While the look of confidence varies between different people, looking at others while speaking is the best behavior to display.

In all of my interviews, I am not afraid to smile – in fact, I never hold myself back from doing so.

I show my true self and I think that is what employers want to see. I wouldn’t want to show a fake version of myself because if I get the job, I want to make sure that I would feel comfortable in the workplace ahead of time. Part of the hiring pro- Karen Podorefsky is a Collegian cess is for the employer to judge columnist and can be reached at kpodorefsky@umass.edu. if you would fit in there.

show due to my lack of a car, house or job.

Chatting with my fellow contestants backstage, however, gave me pause. Many of them had really come seeking a spouse, which seemed like a lofty goal for spending 15 minutes onstage with 12 women.

How could you possibly hope to get to know them well? I thanked my stars that I didn’t have to date that way.

Finally, some of the effects of the language shift didn’t arise until I came back home. In Mandarin, “he,” “she” and “it” are all pronounced the same: “ta, ta, ta” with a level tone.

When I started speaking English again, I found that whenever I told a story with “he said’ or “she said,” I often had to pause and remember which pronoun to use.

Eventually, I got exasperated and thought, “Why does it matter which gender they were? They’re still them!

It doesn’t change who they are!”

This small realization has helped me continue educate myself about and empathize with people who identify as transgender or gender

“…studying Chinese completely changed how I thought about other people back home and abroad.

Slowly but surely, I found myself developing a new personality when I spoke Chinese.”

Living without potable tap water or the obligation to tip can make you appreciate your home and host cultures all the more. While I lost out on water fountains, I found hot water dispensers throughout the halls in China, making refilling my thermos of tea a snap and providing a much needed stream of caffeine.

However, I gleaned the most education from learning a new way of speaking and studying Chinese, which completely changed how I thought about other people back home and abroad.

Slowly but surely, I found myself developing a new personality when I spoke Chinese. I was more confident, more boisterous and spent many a night cracking jokes with my host roommate in front of China’s version of “The Voice.” I found myself talking and behaving more like my roommate Wan Jing, and I felt like I could truly understand his background in southern China.

My new and improved Chinese also opened the door to provincial television. Going on a dating show was one of my most exciting yet harrowing experiences abroad.

Fortunately, my skills were up to the challenge and I sang, danced and talked my way to the final round before being eliminated in the dating

non-conforming, providing me with much needed understanding for people who struggle with others not recognizing them every day.

Every day I think about returning to China.

I constantly wonder what my friends there are doing. Fortunately, I can easily put myself back into their shoes given our shared experiences. I remain eternally grateful to Wan Jing and my fellow dating show contestants for further educating me about Chinese culture. Their lessons stay with me, helping me imagine myself in the place of people I may never get the chance to meet or be.

Every day now I try to put myself into someone else’s shoes, be it my stressed professor, the student pushing past me on the way to class or the victim of an attack in the news. As the world becomes more and more global, a college education must prepare us as young professionals to deal with unfamiliar cultures and people.

While your classes abroad might not stick after graduation, learning how to empathize and understand others stays with you throughout life.

Jakob Lengacher is a Collegian correspondent and can be reached at jlengach@umass.edu.

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FOOD

Students recall unfamiliar foods tried while studying abroad

By Danielle Aihini Collegian Correspondent Studying abroad presents a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in a foreign country’s culture. It is a time to explore the world, meet new people and pursue an education in an unfamiliar place. Along the way students will inevitably be put into uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations and forced to determine their own paths.

Then they must ask themselves a question: “Am I willing to try new things?”

Food is a part of life many of us enjoy. Whether it be a juicy hamburger or a delicious cheesesteak, American food is a staple of everyday life. Cuisine around the world differs drastically, making traveling extra appetizing. But while the food may be to die for at one restaurant, another may throw you for a loop.

Every country has a signature dish. Pizza in Italy, macaroons in France, Belgian waffles in Belgium and churros in Spain are just a few examples of highdemand foods people seek out during their travels.

But foods that seem strange or bizarre to American taste buds are also

sophomore Matt Merlino ate cow stomach and said it was “delicious.” He also indulged his taste buds with escargot (snails), cuisses de grenouille (frog legs) and pig’s blood.

Additionally, Merlino recalled trying foie gras, which is made from a fattened duck or goose liver.

The goose or duck is forcefed corn through a process known as “gavage” to make the liver more appetizing.

It is then prepared into a mousse or a parfait and is described as rich and delicate.

“Basically they forcefeed a goose until it dies and remove its enlarged liver,” Merlino said. “(It’s a) really bizarre taste, but very tasty.”

COURTESY OF JENNA HALLORAN While these foods may be foreign to some – and probOctopus and mussel pizza from Italy – toppings not common in America. ably seen on an episode of Fear Factor at some point – they are highly desired in other countries.

Jenna Halloran, a UMass alumna, studied abroad in Italy during her junior year. While she was there, considered common meals in England, decided to try rice to absorb the blood. she tried octopus pizza and in other countries, as many black pudding – a type of “It was pretty bizarre,” sipped on hot wine in Prague.

University of Massachusetts sausage – on a whim when Schwab said. “I didn’t know “It was strange but so students who have studied she first came across it. it was black because of blood good,” Halloran said. abroad found out.

Commonly eaten in Britain but once my coworkers told While she was in Pompeii, Caoilfhionn Schwab, a and Ireland, it is made from me, I promptly spit it out.”

Halloran said that she also sophomore currently abroad pork blood and oatmeal or During his time in Paris, drank lemonade from lem-

No matter where one goes to study, they will find foods they could eat every day for the rest of their lives and foods they could go a lifetime without ever seeing again.

COURTESY OF JENNA HALLORAN

Hollowed out bread, Kürtőskalács, in Budapest, Hungary.

COURTESY OF MATT MERLINO

Blood pudding, made from pig’s blood, meat and oatmeal in England.

ons the size of coconuts off of a vine.

Ariana Starling, a sophomore studying in Cape Town, South Africa, said she did not expect to be eat so much ostrich. During her trip, she has eaten ostrich steak, ostrich burgers and ostrich eggs for breakfast.

Ostrich meat is similar in color and taste to beef.

Low in fat and cholesterol and high in protein, ostrich meat is one of the healthiest meats.

Dan Metcalfe, a sophomore, indulged in lamb kidney during his time in London. Although Metcalfe said he wasn’t too fond of the taste, many people enjoy its rich flavor and juiciness.

Typically used in meat pies, lamb kidney is high in protein and cholesterol.

No matter where one goes to study, they will find foods they could eat every day for the rest of their lives and foods they could go a lifetime without ever seeing again.

But students should take advantage of the opportunity to try each new and exotic food they can. You never know, you might love it.

Danielle Aihini can be reached at daihini@umass.edu.

COURTESY OF JENNA HALLORAN

Hope that life gives you these giant lemons from Pompeii.

H E A LT H

The power of green: Boost your diet with a green smoothie Add spinach or kale for extra nutrition

By Haley Harzynski Collegian Correspondent St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, which means green will be a very popular color over the next few weeks – including in your diet.

But you don’t need to just have a spinach salad or sautéed kale to increase your intake of vegetables, especially dark leafy greens. Another great way to add greens to your diet is to make a green smoothie.

Green smoothies provide a great deal of energy, help your body heal and maintain health and provide you with important nutrients and vitamins to help you attain an optimal state of wellbeing.

Green smoothies are creamy, filling and delicious.

They are great for breakfast,

a mid-day pickup snack or even as a post-workout meal (just add a spoonful of peanut butter or a scoop of a clean protein powder).

One of the most important ingredients in a green smoothie is, yes, leafy greens such as kale and spinach.

Kale is a superfood packed with tons of nutrients and antioxidants with only 33 calories per cup. One cup of kale also has three grams of protein, two and a half grams of fiber and an assortment of vitamins such as Vitamin A, C, K and folate.

Brain development relies on folate, Vitamin A is key for good vision, Vitamin C helps keep your immune system healthy and Vitamin K is important for keeping your bones strong.

Spinach is another dark green commonly used in smoothies. Spinach is a highly nutrient-dense food with high amounts of antioxidants and vitamins but still low calo-

ries. Spinach contains antioxidants that help destroy dangerous, free radicals in the body and is protective against many cancers.

Like kale, spinach is full of nutritious vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamins A, C, K and calcium, iron, zinc and fiber. So Popeye was right when he said spinach was what gave him his powerful strength and healthy muscles.

The base is another important component of a green smoothie. I tend to use a banana – typically a frozen one – to give my smoothie a thick consistency. Bananas are also an excellent source of vitamin B-6, which your cells need to grow and develop.

They are also packed with heart-healthy minerals like potassium which helps to build muscle, improve nerve functioning and decrease blood pressure. Bananas are also high in fiber, helping to cleanse your digestive system and keep you fuller for longer.

SWEET ON VEG/FLICKR

Despite their color, green smoothies are sweet and delicious.

Berries are another of my favorite types of fruit to add to smoothies. Black berries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are all delicious additions to the creation.

Berries are packed with Vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants for heart and brain health.

The final step in preparation is to add liquid to the smoothie. My go-to choice

alternatives to cow’s milk, so try one of these plant-based variations in your next green smoothie.

Here is an easy recipe to get you started: The Lucky Leprechaun Green Smoothie (Play around with the amount of ingredients you use) Ingredients: – Spinach/kale – Frozen banana – Frozen fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries) – Handful of cashews/spoonful of nut butter – Scoop of protein powder (optional) – Almond milk/soy milk/ water – Ice cubes Directions: – Add all the ingredients in a blender, mix, and enjoy.

is almond milk or soymilk.

Soymilk is naturally high in essential fatty acids, proteins, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Soymilk is also lower in sugar than cow’s milk and has no cholesterol.

Almond milk is low in calories and contains no saturated fat or cholesterol. It is an excellent source of Vitamins A, D and E. Soymilk and Haley Harzynski can be reached at almond milk are delicious hharzyns@umass.edu.

B6

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Leave your charger at home. Let your laptop die in class. Be free and let dead technology prevent you from taking notes.

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Show your professor the permanence of mistakes by doing white board work with a sharpie.

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Like the flies and gnats before us, we are glued to the soft light of our laptops despite any pain it keeps causing us.

With all the disgusting food Americans consume, it’s amazing no pies of the meat variety made it over the ocean.

When your dad is very cold, it is probably okay to call him a “popsicle.”

When your dad is telling a lot of cool jokes, would you say he is “pop–pin fresh”?

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The trend this summer, however, will be your worst repressed memories.

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Do drawings made from the orange dust left on your fingers after eating doritos count as “cheese doodles”?

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Well, at least the new Mumford and Sons song sounds as generic as the rest of their faux–folk pop hits you all love.

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OPTIMISM

FRESH START

continued from page 8

rolls during her tenure with the Minutewomen.

Tarnachowicz finishes her career with 45 points in her two seasons at UMass.

A pleasant future

Despite losing three seniors, the team returns a number of significant contributors. Most noticeably, the Minutewomen are optimistic about their rising sophomore class.

By the end of the season, two of the team’s starters were freshmen in guards Cierra Dillard and Leah McDerment.

“I couldn’t be more proud of what the young girls on this team did,” Dawley said. “They really took to the senior leadership on this team and improved greatly.

“Cierra came in and produced at high level for us. By the end of the season, her confidence was way up and she was routinely scoring in double digits for us.”

Dillard looks to be a future offensive leader for UMass, scoring 319 points this season. If she keeps up this pace, she could join her teammate Pierre-Louis in the 1,000-point club.

McDerment averaged over three points a game and did a

CHRISTINA YACONO/COLLEGIAN

Cierra Dillard (15) is a player UMass coach Sharon Dawley said will take on a bigger role next season. solid job facilitating with 2.1 assists a game.

Fellow freshman Cierra Rosten also contributed with 67 total points this season and over two rebounds a game.

In addition to these underclassmen, Rashida Timbilla will return for her senior season. The forward averaged 8.3 points per game and 9.6 rebounds.

“Many people are going to look

at the loss of Kim and say they are going to go right back to the bottom of the conference but I think those people will be really surprised,” Dawley said. “With that added year of experience for our younger players and a batch of incoming freshman, I think we can make a lot of noise next year.”

Adam Aucoin can be reached at aaucoin@umass.edu.

NFL

Patrick Willis expected to retire B y C am Inman San Jose Mercury News Linebacker Patrick Willis’ career could be coming to a stunning end at age 30.

The 49ers are bracing for Willis to announce his retirement Monday, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports.

Willis, a perennial Pro Bowl pick his first seven seasons, played only 5 { games last season before aggravating a toe injury Oct. 13 at St. Louis. He underwent surgery a month later on his left toe.

“I feel like I have five or six more great years of football left in my body ...” Willis said Nov. 11. “I have to think about the big

picture. They might miss me for a little bit but, I promise you, when I come back I’ll be better and stronger than I was before I left.”

Willis, a first-round draft pick in 2007, made the Associated Press’ All-Pro teams his first six seasons. He was an All-Pro First Team choice each of those years except in 2008 when he made AllPro Second Team.

The 49ers defense has thrived with Willis’ hard-hitting tackling since 2007. He’s totaled 1,225 tackles (according to coaches’ game film) and 20 { sacks. His 226 tackles as a rookie were his most in a season.

Willis missed only six games in his first seven NFL seasons

combined as he carved out a reputation as one of the game’s best linebackers.

Willis is scheduled to make $7.065 million in base salary this year. The 49ers would gain $7.4 million in salary cap space if Willis retires, according to spotrac.com.

Willis and fellow inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman formed a formidable duo from 2011-13.

Bowman missed all of last season rehabilitating from a knee injury.

Chris Borland, a third-round draft pick last year, replaced Willis in the lineup and totaled a team-high 128 tackles before missing the season finale with an ankle injury.

7

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

this group seems like it’s ready to play,” Kellogg said. “I’ve had pretty good energy with a lot of our teams here going into the Barclays Center so I’m anticipating these guys will be the same.”

Kellogg said that rather than overcomplicating things in preparation for the tournament, the team is going back and reviewing what it did well earlier in the season and will stick to that blueprint.

The three biggest things that he said would be focal points over the next couple of days are halfcourt defense, defensive rebounding and its transition offense.

With such little preparation prior to the tournament – and in between games if UMass wins – adjusting and coaching on the fly will be two of the biggest obstacles that it will face.

continued from page 8

The 2014-15 regular season will certainly be forgettable for the Minutemen but the new start serves as a breath of fresh air for a team in desperate need of shaking things up.

“It’s 0-0. We’ve just got to come out there and play together,” Davis said. “We’re not worried about what everybody else is saying. I don’t even know what they’re saying. I’m just worried about what we’ve got.

“That’s the good thing about (the tournament),” Davis said on the newfound energy in practice.

“You look around, everybody still feels good. We’re still happy and that’s what you want as a team.”

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

RULE CHANGE Stone said. “Anything to see an increase in offensive production.

I would like to see more offense.”

Dennis Farrell, a committee chairman, spoke about how the committee was concerned about the diminishing offensive output and sparked this change.

In 2013, only nine home runs were hit in 14 games at the College World Series, which was the lowest total since 1950 and down from 32 homers the year prior. This was due to the NCAA’s switch to a new home for the tournament, TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, which is significantly more suited to pitchers than its predecessor Rosenblatt Stadium.

The league also made significant changes to the rules and regulations surrounding bats used by players.

This season, while the percentage of home runs per game has increased drastically, the other aspects of offense still seem stagnant.

Through the first three weeks of the 2015 season, runs scored in a game are only up four percent and batting average has increased from .263 in 2014 to .264.

Pitchers have also posted a mixed result with the new balls.

continued from page 8

While the strike out percentage has increased 12 percent, the average team earned run average bumped from 4.06 to 4.38.

According to Stone, the transition from raised-seam balls to flat-seamed has gone unnoticeable for the most part.

“I haven’t seen a difference in any of the pitchers’ pitches,” Stone said. “The pitchers actually like them better. The balls are easier to grip, more durable and overall a better ball.”

However, Stone is unsure how much the change will affect the team because they haven’t actually played a game yet this season.

The team’s first four games were cancelled due to poor weather conditions.

“I’m interested to get out there and see how much it actually affects us,” Stone said. “I’ve heard the ball is supposed to travel eight to 12 feet further but we’ll see if it actually impacts the game.”

The Minutemen will attempt to get their season underway March 14 when they travel to Tampa Bay, Florida to take on Army.

Victor Pusateri can be reached at vpusateri@umass.edu.

HERNANDEZ

Nanny recounts rejection of Hernandez advances

By Jenny Wilson The Hartford Courant FALL RIVER, Mass. – An Attleboro, Mass., woman who used to babysit for Aaron Hernandez’s kids attacked the former New England Patriots tight end’s character Monday by testifying that two nights before the 2013 Odin Lloyd killing, Hernandez drove her to an apartment against her will, summoned her into his bedroom and tried to kiss her.

Jennifer Fortier, 28, told jurors that she ran into Hernandez outside a bar in Boston at 2 a.m. on June 15, 2013, and asked him for a ride to her car. Instead, Fortier said, Hernandez drove her, her friend, and Lloyd - who was out with the former Patriots tight end that night - to an apartment he rented in Franklin.

“He said [we were going] to the spot,” Fortier said.

The next morning, after spending the night at the Franklin location, which authorities have called a “flop house,” Hernandez sent a series of texts to his fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, in which he expressed panic and concern that he had shown Lloyd “the spot.” Two days later, Lloyd was shot to death in an industrial park blocks from Hernandez’s $1.3 million North Attleborough home.

Bristol County prosecutors previously have suggested that the texts about the “spot” referred to the flophouse; they also introduced a competing theory that Hernandez showed Lloyd the Boston street corner where he is accused of shooting two men in 2012. Prosecutors

trying the Lloyd case are prohibited from mentioning the Boston double homicide charges in front of the jury.

When Fortier ran into the former NFL player in Boston in June 2013, she had been working for him and his fiancee for about two months, she said.

After realizing Hernandez was driving in a different direction, she said, “I asked him a good amount of times to bring me to my car.”

“And what happened when you asked?” asked Bristol County District Attorney William McCauley.

“He kept driving,” Fortier said. She testified that when they arrived at the Franklin apartment, Hernandez got wine out of the refrigerator and then went into one of the bedrooms. Fortier said she followed him into the bedroom after “he called my name a few times.”

“Did he try and touch you in some way?” McCauley asked.

“Yes,” said Fortier. “He tried to kiss me. I pushed him away and said, ‘no, I’m your nanny, we can’t do this.’ “ Hernandez stopped when she asked, Fortier testified. In cross-examination, defense attorney Michael Fee characterized the exchange as more innocent than was initially described.

“You kissed him back ... and then you said no, and he stopped immediately?” Fee asked. Fortier said yes. Fee mentioned that Hernandez and Lloyd had been smoking marijuana and drinking wine. After calling Fortier into the bedroom, Hernandez “passed out,” Fee said. The

women took a cab back to their car in Boston, while Hernandez and Lloyd spent the night in the apartment.

“During that ride [to Franklin], you never felt threatened or scared, did you?” the defense lawyer asked.

“No,” Fortier said. She did not make eye contact with Hernandez during her four hours of testimony Monday, and had to be asked twice by the prosecutor to point him out in court.

Jenkins, whom authorities say helped dispose of the murder weapon, was not present in court Monday for the babysitter’s testimony.

The fiancee is being forced to testify as a prosecution witness after she was granted immunity last month in a move by the state to compel her to turn against Hernandez, her Bristol, Conn., high school sweetheart and the father of her daughter. When she is called to the witness stand, Jenkins will not be allowed to assert her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, and must answer questions about whether Hernandez ordered her to remove guns from their home after Lloyd was shot.

“I had a great relationship with Shay,” Fortier testified Monday. Two days after the trip to the Franklin apartment, she babysat for Hernandez and Jenkins, who went out to celebrate Father’s Day with two other couples on Sunday June 16, 2013 - several hours before the Lloyd slaying. Hernandez’s alleged co-conspirators, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, arrived at the home around

MCT

Aaron Hernandez is accused of the murder of Odin Lloyd and is also accused of two illegal firearm charges. He’s currently on trial in Fall River. midnight on June 17, before Jenkins and Hernandez returned, Fortier said. The former Patriots tight end and his fiancee returned about 45 minutes later.

On Monday, prosecutors played about an hour of surveillance footage from that night, illustrating for jurors Hernandez’s actions three hours before he is accused of shooting Lloyd to death.

After returning from the bar in Providence where he ordered 10 vodka-based Sex on the Beach shots for a Father’s Day toast, Hernandez is captured on his home surveillance camera holding a large black object, which the district attorney’s office maintains is a gun.

Defense lawyers, meanwhile, have suggested it could have been a TV remote control.

“Do you remember seeing a remote control that looked anything like a gun?”

McCauley asked Fortier.

Bristol County Superior Court Judge E. Susan Garsh struck the question.

The object was indiscernible in the video played Monday. It may have gone unnoticed to some jurors had McCauley not drawn attention to it in Hernandez’s hand, where it appeared only briefly before the former Patriots tight end switched hands or put it in his pocket.

The video surveillance captured Hernandez, Wallace, and Ortiz making several trips back and forth to a Nissan Altima parked in Hernandez’s driveway.

When they left, around 1:15 a.m., Wallace was driving.

Hernandez was back behind

the wheel by the time the men stopped at a gas station in Canton an hour later - a key detail for prosecutors, who argue Hernandez’s position in the driver’s seat helps to prove he orchestrated Lloyd’s execution.

Fortier said she stayed at the house with Jenkins for about an hour after the three men left, and testified that they were not there when she returned. Prosecutors say Hernandez picked Lloyd up in Dorchester around 2:30 a.m. and drove him back to the North Attleborough industrial park where he was shot an hour later.

Hernandez is accused of murder and two illegal firearms charges. Jenkins faces a perjury charge, accused of lying to the grand jury that investigated the homicide.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Sports@DailyCollegian.com

@MDC_SPORTS

BASEBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

DO-OVER

Stone eyes effects of new ball

Optimism to continue despite loss

NCAA implements new rule change this season

Minutewomen show ample improvement in 2014-15

By Victor Pusateri

By Adam Aucoin

Through the first three weeks of the early Division I baseball season, college baseball has seen a noticeable rise in the power department.

Compared to the opening three weeks of games last season, the number of home runs has increased 40 percent from .33 home runs per game to .47 in 2015.

The reason? Flat-seamed baseballs.

This is the first season in which the flat-seamed baseball has replaced the raised-seam ball after the Division I Baseball Committee voted unanimously in November 2013 to make the change entering the 2015 season.

According to an NCAA study, a flatseamed baseball travels an average of 20 feet longer than raised-seam balls hit from a pitching machine.

Washington State Sports Science Laboratory simulated home runs by setting a pitching machine to typical home run conditions. They set the pitching machine at an average of 95 miles per hour, at a 25-degree angle and a 1,400 revolutions per minute spin rate, finding that flat-seamed balls travel an average of 387 feet compared to only 367 feet by raised-seam balls.

When the rule was originally implemented, it stated that the new balls would only be required to be used by the conferences during the NCAA tournament. However, the teams are using the flat-seamed balls now to get accustomed to them for the postseason.

Rawlings, the NCAA’s official supplier of championship baseballs, also conducted its own research and found the findings were consistent with Washington State’s results.

Shortly after the study, American Baseball Coaches Association executive director Dave Keilitz presented the information to the almost 300 Division I coaches for feedback and 87 percent of the respondents supported making the switch to flat-seamed balls.

Massachusetts baseball coach Mike Stone was a part of that group.

“Yeah I was in favor of the move,”

Most teams wouldn’t be satisfied with a 12-win season, but for the Massachusetts women’s basketball team, it represents a positive step forward for the program.

UMass’ (12-18, 5-11 A-10) season ended Friday in an Atlantic 10 conference tournament second-round loss to Richmond 67-63.

The loss served as a microcosm of the season for the Minutewomen: a team which competed well but couldn’t finish the job in the end.

Despite the defeat, coach Sharon Dawley said she could not be more proud of her team this season.

“The record we had doesn’t show how much improvement our ladies made this season,” Dawley said. “We were a team that nobody expected to make any noise, but we proved people wrong with our play on the court and that is a product of the hard work we put in.”

This season marked the first time since 2009-10 and the first time in her tenure as coach that the team finished with more than 10 wins.

UMass had three seniors on the roster that will need to be replaced: guard Emily Mital, forward Paula Tarnachowicz and forward Kim Pierre-Louis. Pierre-Louis will be the biggest loss for the Minutewomen next season.

The senior finished her collegiate career with 1,099 career points, placing her 17th all-time in UMass history.

In her senior season, she averaged 18.4 points per game and 7.5 rebounds a game.

“Obviously Kim is going to really hard to replace,” Dawley said. “Players that have her work ethic don’t come along very often, so we know her loss will be difficult.”

Mital finished off her Minutewomen career with 728 total points while succeeding in the classroom as well.

She was recently named to the A-10 all-academic team and was a mainstay on UMass’ and the A-10’s honor

Collegian Staff

see

RULE CHANGE on page 7

Collegian Staff

ALEC ZABRECKY/COLLEGIAN

Jabarie Hinds (with ball) calls out a play in UMass’ 56-53 loss to Richmond last Wednesday. He had five points.

UMass wipes the slate clean

UM begins A-10 tournament Thurs.

By Andrew Cyr Collegian Staff

The message floating around the Massachusetts men’s basketball team’s practice Monday was fairly straightforward: It’s a new season.

With the regular season in the rearview mirror after losing five of its last six games, UMass has all but forgotten about how poorly it limped through the final stretch of games in conference play.

Simply put, to steal a line from New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, the Minutemen are “onto Brooklyn.”

“We try to break the regular season down into three different seasons to make it feel less long and shorten the season,” UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. “This is the last season of the season – conference tournament and hopefully postseason play after that.”

The Minutemen (17-14, 10-8 Atlantic 10 Conference) endured a rollercoaster ride through conference play this year. They had solid wins at home against No. 2 seed Dayton and No. 3 seed Rhode Island and went on a six-game winning streak in the heat of conference play.

During this stretch, UMass looked like it could make a serious run in the conference and make one final push to be an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. However, with two bad losses against Saint Joseph’s and failing to defeat any team ahead of them in the standings over the last three weeks of the season, the Minutemen dug themselves into a hole.

“It was an up and down (season),” senior Cady Lalanne said. “It was a learning year. A lot of guys were learning new roles. It was an up and down year but we still have a chance to make something out of it.

Lalanne added: “During the course of the season we

had a few downs, then went on a four, five, six-game winning streak. At different times in the season we clicked and I feel like this is a time where we can click and go on a winning streak.”

During its 18 conference games, UMass had only two players average double-digit scoring. Trey Davis paced the way with 11.1 points per game while Lalanne followed closely behind at 10.2.

Both Maxie Esho (9.7) and Donte Clark (9.0) finished third and fourth respectively in conference scoring for the team, while Derrick Gordon saw his scoring numbers fall from 9.8 points per game to 8.2 in A-10 action.

And while UMass’ numbers have dipped within conference play, Kellogg believes that the A-10 tournament is a perfect place for the Minutemen to get on a roll and find their rhythm.

“Some teams get absolutely fired up to play, other teams not so much. I think see

FRESH START on page 7

see

OPTIMISM on page 7

TENNIS

Minutewomen continue their home dominance

By Arthur Hayden Collegian Staff

This year’s Massachusetts women’s tennis team has been a force so far this season at any site but has risen to another occasion on its home court.

In its second Atlantic 10 Conference matchup of the season, UMass (7-3) defeated Saint Louis Sunday afternoon at the Bay Road Tennis Club, 5-2. The victory lifted the Minutewomen to a 5-0 record at home, continuing a long tradition of home-court dominance for UMass, which hasn’t lost in Amherst since 2010 against Boston College.

But the Minutewomen were tested by Saint Louis (6-3), which is a year removed from an A-10 finals appearance.

“Saint Louis flew here to play us,” said coach Judy Dixon, emphasizing the importance of the in-conference matchups for tournament seeding at season’s end. “They’re quite good. … They were prepared for our courts.”

With the match locked up at two points apiece, UMass junior Arielle Griffin won a crucial three-set match

“Saint Louis came out and gave us everything they had. It was like a prize fight ... when I got home last night, I had two or three people text me and say it was one of the finest college tennis matches they’d ever seen. ” Judy Dixon, UMass coach over Natalia Yacaman in the No. 3 singles slot, (3-6, 6-2, 7-5). It was Griffin’s 11th singles victory of the season and her seventh in her last 10 matches.

“Arielle Griffin played an unbelievable match that could have gone either way,” Dixon said. “That match was really the key for us because once (Griffin) won and we were up 3-2, I knew that Carol Benito, who has been playing great for us, I knew she could bring it home.”

And bring it home she did.

Matching up against the Billikens’ Brooke Urz endowski, Benito cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 straight set victory securing the sixth win in seven matches for the Minutewomen.

The duo of Ana Yrazusta and Benito then won the No. 1 doubles match for the seventh straight time, defeating St. Louis’

Madison Cook and Aspen Cervin (8-7). Yrazusta and Benito now boast a remarkable 17-4 doubles record this season. But the Billikens rebounded, winning the other two doubles to secure the doubles point.

“We were in a hole going into the singles,” Dixon said. “I still said that I think we can win this match 5-2 but I had not thought we would lose the doubles point so it was gonna be a little bit tougher.”

As a welcome consolation, sophomore transfer Brittany Collens, who is also a staff member at the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, bolstered the victory at the No. 6 spot, winning her 10th match of the year in another hardfought three-set contest against SLU’s Maria Toro, (7-5, 3-6, 10-7).

“Saint Louis came out and gave us everything they had,” Dixon said. “It

was like a prize fight; they were punching and punching and punching at us, and we were taking everything they could give us and then all of a sudden we started punching back ...When I got home last night, I had two or three people text me and say it was one of the finest college tennis matches they’d ever seen.”

Serving a shutout With the all-important A-10 showdown against the Billikens looming on Sunday, the Minutewomen needed to avoid a letdown match against Providence (4-5) on Friday in Rhode Island. They proved up to the task, defeating the Friars 7-0.

“I was very pleased,” Dixon said. “It was a (6 p.m.) match which is a hard time to play ... but they played well and we got out of there unscathed.”

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

Ana Yrazusta is currently 14-6 and also a part of UMass’ top doubles team.

With normal No. 1 sin- record. gles player Aarzoo Malik With eight matches resting in order to recover left before the A-10 chamfrom a flu virus she con- pionships, Glasper has a tracted early in the sea- legitimate shot at breaking son, Yrazusta shined in Podlofsky’s mark, set just the top spot, defeating one year ago.

Nicole Cyterski, (6-1, 6-3). The challenge for the Yrazusta won each of her Minutewomen now shifts singles and doubles match toward maintaining this from the weekend, pushing momentum through a long her singles winning streak layover. UMass will not to seven. return to competition until Senior captain Chanel Glasper dominated in a after spring break when 6-0, 6-0 win over the Friars’ they travel to Charleston, Amanda Pitocco. The win South Carolina to take on was Glasper’s 71st career Samford on March 17. singles victory, just three shy of 2014 graduate Arthur Hayden can be reached at Jessica Podlofsky’s UMass awhayden@umass.edu.