Massachusetts Daily Collegian: October 2, 2014 - Mental Health Special Issue

Mental Illness on Campus

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Don’t give up on therapy

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Depression does not define a person

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Art as therapy

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Active Minds strives to open up discourse UMass club provides space for students to talk about experiences

By Catherine Ferris

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Collegian Staff

hen students think about where to go for help with mental illness, some of their first thoughts may be University Health Services or the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health.

However, a national organization, known as Active Minds, has been working on the campus of the University of Massachusetts since fall 2011 to provide a safe and comfortable environment for students to openly discuss their experiences with mental illness, promote awareness and stomp out stigma in the community.

Lizzee McKibben, a UMass senior, got involved in Active Minds her freshman year after browsing through the Campus Pulse website and seeing the organization at an activities fair. When she first joined, it had only been a club for about a year, but she and other group members helped build it up to where it is today.

Jessica Capri, a senior, and Kate Leddy, current President of the club and an assistant editor at the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, both joined Active Minds their freshman year.

Capri recalled how much smaller Active Minds was before it grew to become the Five Star Chapter it is today.

“It was originally just a group of five people and we would meet at UHS,” she said. Capri first heard about the club at New Student Orientation, and has been involved since.

McKibben said she was drawn to the organization because of her interest in psychology, and had her own experience with depression and anxiety in high school.

“I was looking for a club that would provide me with a community where I could be open with my struggles,” she said. “Because I was from a very small school, it was very much stigmatized, and I knew talking and being open about myself was the best way to feel better.”

Leddy found the club at the activities fair.

“I was looking for something that had to do with mental health because I didn’t find too much support at CCPH,” she said. “When I went to the first meeting, I found Active Minds was a good group. It was a safe place for people to talk and really actually change conversation about mental health, which is what Active Minds is.”

McKibben echoed Leddy, saying she thinks the campus culture is not yet open to talking about mental illness.

“I really think when a group of people with the same passion come together, they can really help one another and make a difference in the University and how everyone perceives mental health.”

Kate Leddy, Active Minds President “You can hear, ‘talk about diversity,’ and you’ll have people say, ‘this is my religion, this is my racial background.’ It’s very rare that someone will come up and say ‘this is my mental illness,’” she said.

Capri stressed that Active Minds is not a place for counseling, but rather, it was founded to improve the existing counseling centers on campus.

“We’re here to help give CCPH feedback and to help them better their services,” she said.

The relationship between CCPH and Active Minds is one Capri and Leddy both describe as a “partnership.”

“Active Minds serves as a bridge to CCPH because a lot of what prevents people from getting help is these stigmas that we are fighting,” Leddy said. “I think when people come here, they feel more comfortable. It helps encourage getting help from the University.”

From the original group of five people, Active Minds has grown to include more than 300 students, though the number who attend meetings may vary.

“Meetings used to be very, very small, with maybe 10 people max, and we’ve expanded that to between 30 and 60 people per meeting,” McKibben said.

She also noted attendance often depends on the topic that’s being discussed. One of the most recent panels was on suicide prevention, and had a turnout of more than 60 people.

Meetings are open to everyone, not just members of the Executive Board. And as far as the E-Board positions go, Leddy said Active Minds tries to be all-inclusive when it comes to positions of power, and listed various titles with different responsibilities.

The club comes together to plan different events throughout the year, according to McKibben. This month, Active Minds is organizing a “stigma tree,” a visual representation of stigma on campus. Students can write specific experiences or perceptions of mental illnesses on a sheet of paper and hang it on the tree.

The club also plans to hold its third annual Walk Off Stigma event next semester.

Both Leddy and McKibben acknowledged the impact Active Minds has had on their college careers.

“It has given me an opportunity to learn how to express myself without shame, to be confident in the decisions I have been making and confident in the

COLLEGIAN FILE PHOTO

Active Minds is not counseling, but it’s an open space for people to talk about their experiences with mental illness with their peers. voice I have through mental health and mental illness,” McKibben said.

“Active Minds helped me in how I perceive mental illness, and it opened my eyes to how much a group of people can really do,” Leddy added.

But this impact isn’t limited to just club members.

“I really think when a group of people with the same passion come together, they can really help one another and make a difference in the University and how everyone perceives mental health,” Leddy said.

Meetings for Active Minds are held Tuesdays at 7 p.m. For more information, visit the Active Minds UMass Chapter page on Facebook.

Catherine Ferris can be reached at caferris@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Ca_Ferris2.

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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Thursday, October 2, 2014

DailyCollegian.com

Students, campus community rally against racism

By Jordan Allen Collegian Correspondent Students and members of the campus community gathered in front of the Student Union at the University of Massachusetts Wednesday afternoon to rally against racism.

Nine speakers, beginning with Student Government Association Secretary of Diversity Josh Odam, spoke to a crowd of at least 100 about police brutality across the country, as well as their own personal experiences of racism.

Odam, standing in front of windows lined with the names of those who recently lost their lives at the hands of police, began the rally with a moment of silence for Mike Brown, Ferguson, Missouri and Hong Kong.

He then read aloud the names of the recent victims and discussed the importance of endorsing Senate Bill 1038, or House of Representatives Bill 2051, which prohibits law enforcement officers from engaging in racial profiling.

“We want to add an addendum to that which requires that body cameras be worn on the person of all police officers at all times while they’re on duty to make sure that no man, woman or child is subjected to this kind of treatment or humiliation and this deadly, deadly, fatal thing that is known as police brutality,” said Odam.

Amidst all the discussion about police brutality elsewhere, Santiago Vidales, a graduate student at UMass and organizer of the rally, shed light on

issues with police force here in Amherst. He spoke about the student and confidential informant for the UMass Police Department, identified as “Logan,” who died last October of a heroin overdose.

“There is no space for police on my campus.

A young man who has a drug problem is forced into an informant program?

Instead of a drug therapy program? There is something wrong with that,” he said.

When asked about the student’s death, Vidales expressed disgust.

“It’s an incorrect display of power from the University,” he said. “While we are constantly making new facilities and buildings, they actually spend a lot of money on the police force.

The University manipulated Logan and utilized his fear – that’s the wrong mentality. It worries me a lot. I’m a TA, I try hard to make the world a better place. These are just contradictory narratives that should’ve been avoided.”

“I think it’s actually problematic that our university has such a strong police presence,” he added.

“Having a swat team-like police force just aggravates the situation, only making things worse.”

Between each story came a series of enthusiastic chants from the crowd, who still came out despite the rain.

“What do we do when the police attack? Stand up, fight back,” they yelled, along with a myriad of other chants such as, “Hands up, don’t shoot” and “The People, united, we’ll

never be defeated.”

Another speaker, Armanthia Duncan, said she has experienced police brutality first hand.

“Black and brown women are not immune to police violence,” she said, gesturing to the window behind her. “We have a lot of male names up here.

But there are women who struggle with this, too.”

Last February, Duncan said she was pulled over, handcuffed and unlawfully arrested for “driving while black.”

“These stories are our stories. These people are our people,” she said. “And we are all potentially subject to these occurrences.

You or someone you know may, can and will be next.”

Duncan also discussed statistics about police brutality in America. She said that according to a study published in USA Today, between the years of 2005 and 2012, African Americans were killed on average about twice a week by white police officers.

“That’s two lives a week,” she said. “All of this murder, profiling and harassment are considered justified by law enforcement when it comes to black and brown communities, because they are socially constructed in the American conscious as ‘dangerous’ and ‘criminal.’”

“Racism has no place on the UMass campus,” said speaker and alumna Adina Gianelli. “It has no place on any campus, or in any community.”

Jordan Allen can be reached at jordanallen@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Jordan_Alllen.

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

Organizers led the crowd in a series of chants throughout the rally.

AMANDA CREEGAN/COLLEGIAN

At least 100 students and members of the UMass community rallied outside the Student Union Wednesday.

Author of ‘Orange is the New Black’ speaks to UMass students about the reality of life in prison In Kerman’s words...

Kerman’s seminar draws audience of over 650

By Christian Yapor Collegian Correspondent More than 650 students gathered in the Campus Center Auditorium last night for a seminar led by Piper Kerman, author of this year’s common read for the University of Massachusetts, “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Woman’s Prison.”

During her seminar, Kerman spoke about her memoir while touching on topics including her experiences in prison, statistics of incarcerated women and marginalization in the justice system due to race and class.

“I essentially decided that what I needed to do was invite the reader in, and to invite the reader to either stand in my shoes, or put themselves in the shoes of one of the other women depicted in the book,” she said.

In 2004, Kerman surrendered herself to the Federal Correctional Institute in Danbury, Connecticut, where she spent a 13-month sentence for the crime of money laundering and drug trafficking.

According to Kerman, the number of incarcerated women in the U.S. in the past 30 years has increased by 800 percent. A statistic she finds “staggering.”

“We have to recognize and acknowledge this problem in our justice system so that we can now start to fix it,” she added.

“I thought it was really shocking to hear that they ever made pregnant woman be chained to their beds,” added Elyssa Needle, a freshman theater major. “She’s very much involved in the criminal justice system even now, so it’s just really interesting to hear her talk.”

With an audience of mainly UMass students, most had positive things to say about the event.

“I thought it was good because it brought a lot of attention to something that’s not talked about a lot, but should be talked about more,”

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

Piper Kerman spent 13 months in prison for money laundering and drug trafficking. She now works for prison reform based on her experiences. said Mike Amirault, a freshman computer science major. “(She) brought up a lot of statistics that are kind of shocking but you don’t hear a whole lot.”

Prisoners who are able to maintain frequent contact with their families and friends on the outside are much less likely to return to prison or jail, according to Kerman.

She points this out to inspire compassion and sympathy toward the 700,000 people who are released from prison every year, and have to return back to their regular lives outside of prison.

Kerman touches on the topic of marginalization towards these prisoners as well. One statistic that she pointed out was that African Americans are nearly four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people.

“What you see and what you find

“What you see and what you find in prison or jail are many people who have experienced marginalization long before they ever walked through the gates of prison or jail.”

Piper Kerman in prison or jail are many people who have experienced marginalization long before they ever walked through the gates of prison or jail,” Kerman said.

“What I want for everyone who goes through the system is for them to be seen not only for their worst days, but also for their best days.”

Kerman also spoke about prison reform, which included common sense sentencing in court, public defense reform and keeping children out of the system.

“I think it’s super important to hear about prison reform, and to hear about the uglier side of prison,” said freshman Melissa Myers.

“I feel like we definitely don’t see enough of that, and I think another part that we like to gloss over is the aspect of race and class, and it think it’s really important to focus on those kinds of things.”

Christian Yapor can be reached at cyapor@umass.edu.

Piper Kerman came to talk to a few gender and sexuality classes before she spoke on Wednesday night, engaging in a question fueled discussion. Kerman talked about the booming popularity of the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black,” which is based off of her book.

“Every writer fantasizes success, because you would never finish a book if you didn’t,” she said. She also addressed the dramatization of the series compared to the book, saying it didn’t matter because “on a really fundamental level, it isn’t about me. It’s about the setting. It’s about the women.”

When asked about the outrageous scenarios depicted in the series, she laughed and said, “Incredibly weird (expletive) happens in prison.” As for the hypersexualized aspects of the series, Kerman said, “Female sexuality is important and worth celebrating and worth depicting. Just because you put someone in a cage doesn’t make them stop being a human, and sexuality is human.”

Finally, Kerman relayed her advocacy for more educational programs in prisons.

“Failures in public education have a direct relationship to incarceration,” she said. “When people get access to public education while or after incarceration, they just don’t go back to prison and have an easier time joining the workforce. Education simply changes the way you interact with the world.”

Emily Hodgkins Collegian Correspondent

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

Thursday, October 2, 2014

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Ukraine cease-fire unraveling

By Carol J. Williams Los Angeles Times

At least 11 adults were killed in Ukraine on Wednesday when artillery shells struck a schoolyard and bus stop in suburban Donetsk on the belated first day of school for the city at the center of a pro-Russia rebellion against rule from Kiev, Russian and Ukrainian news agencies reported.

The blasts at Donetsk School No. 57 and at the nearby bus stop detonated when all 70 schoolchildren were inside the building, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

At least one teacher was among the dead, and news agencies said another of the casualties was a gunman with the Russianbacked separatist militia that has been fighting government forces for control of eastern Ukraine since March. City authorities in Donetsk reported on their website that six people were killed at the bus stop.

A Russian Foreign Ministry official, Konstantin Dolgov, accused Ukrainian military officials of “particular cynicism” in the shelling of the school grounds on the first day local authorities were attempting to start the school year already delayed a month by the hostilities.

The latest fatalities, which Ukraine government forces in turn blamed on the Russian-backed separatists, suggested that a Sept. 5 cease-fire agreed to by the two sides is unraveling. The separatists have been waging fierce assaults on Donetsk international airport for the last five days, and a leader of the rebellion told

Interfax news agency that his fighters were close to seizing the strategic venue.

“In two, at most three, days the Donetsk airport will come under our control,” Alexander Zakharchenko, purported prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, was quoted as telling the Russian news agency.

In Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, a spokesman for the National Security and Defense Council insisted the airport, which has been closed since May, remained in government hands.

Col. Andriy Lysenko said the Ukrainian military hadn’t suffered any fatalities over the previous two days, although five soldiers were wounded in Wednesday’s fighting over the airport. He said the government troops had “brilliantly defended” their hold on what was Ukraine’s second-largest airport until the rebellion began five months ago.

The Associated Press reported from Donetsk that although its reporter couldn’t get close to the airport due to the artillery exchanges, shells could be heard coming from government positions outside the airport, suggesting that Ukrainian troops may have lost control of part or all of it.

The cease-fire signed four weeks ago in Minsk, the Belarus capital, called for an end to hostilities and a nearly 20-mile zone of separation between the Ukrainian government troops and rebel forces who Kiev officials and their Western allies contend are armed and instigated by Moscow.

Fighting had died down in the first two weeks of the truce but has flared anew in recent days, bringing the “peacetime” death toll to nearly 70 since the accord was signed. United Nations human rights observers reported this week that at least 3,500 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine since April.

Russian troops that had stood down in early September after taking the coastal town of Novoazovsk have reinforced their positions and moved closer to the port city of Mariupol, the Ukrinform news agency reported, quoting a statement from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

“All local terrorists from Novoazovsk are redeployed to roadblocks closer to Mariupol.

More than 100 militants arrived in Novoazovsk to replace them,” the border guards’ report stated.

Mariupol is a major steel-producing city from which Ukraine ships goods through the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, all the more vital to the Kiev economy after the loss of Crimea and its military and civilian ports.

The government of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had expressed fears before the Sept. 5 cease-fire that the Russian troops who came through the border in late August were intent on conquering the strategic swath of Azov coastline all the way to Crimea, to provide a supply corridor from the Russian mainland to its newly annexed peninsula.

Tension rises between Obama and Israeli PM

By Kathleen Hennessey Tribune Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — After a summer of tension over the war in Gaza, President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered a new season of troubles in their often fraught relationship with a meeting Wednesday that highlighted hard disagreements over Iran’s nuclear aims and Israeli settlements in a disputed part of Jerusalem.

The Oval Office meeting was the leaders’ first since the collapse of the U.S.led peace negotiations last spring and the 50-day war against Hamas in Gaza that provoked concerns from the U.S. officials about civilian casualties. Although Netanyahu returned to a White House consumed by another Mideast crisis – the U.S.-led campaign to combat the rise of the Islamic State – the visit showed that friction remains.

Hours after the prime minister left the White House, the president’s spokesman blasted Israeli authorities’ decision to green-light construction of additional Jewish housing units on lands the Palestinians claim for their future state.

The U.S. was “deeply concerned,” and the president raised the issue in his meeting with Netanyahu, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

“This step is contrary to Israel’s stated goal of negotiating a permanent status agreement with the Palestinians, and it would send a very troubling message if they were to proceed with tenders or construction in that area,” he said.

The U.S. considers the new development, along

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President Obama holds meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. with another “occupation” of a residential building in a Palestinian neighborhood in Jerusalem, “provocative acts,” Earnest said.

The U.S. has long opposed Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory, yet the hard condemnation coming so soon after the private meeting between the leaders showed that little tension had eased between the two allies.

Obama delivered a pointed message in remarks afterward, revisiting his concern over civilian deaths in the conflict this summer. By United Nations estimates, seven weeks of fighting left more than 2,100 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians, and destroyed more than 17,000 homes. On the Israeli side, 72 people were killed, 66 of them soldiers.

“We have to find ways to change the status quo so that both Israeli citizens are safe in their own homes and schoolchildren in their schools from the possibility of rocket fire, but also that we don’t have the tragedy of Palestinian children being killed as well,” Obama said.

The face-to-face exchange

was pointed, but polite, and not the most contentious between men who have a history filled with insults one caught on a hot mic, several implied – and awkward encounters. Obama touted the nations’ “unbreakable bond.”

Using one of several alternate names for the Islamic State militants, Netanyahu said “Israel fully supports your effort and your leadership to defeat ISIL. We think everybody should support this.”

However, seated next to the president in the Oval Office, Netanyahu raised concerns on another issue, Iran, pressing Obama not to make concessions as nuclear talks near a November deadline. The prime minister warned Obama not to leave Iran with the capability to build weapons.

“I firmly hope that under your leadership that wouldn’t happen,” he told Obama.

Obama has said that the U.S. will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon, but is willing to allow Iran a nuclear program for peaceful purposes.

New UM entrepreneur club seeks to expand and diversify Freshly ordained club jumpstarts

By Nicole Dotzenrod Collegian Correspondent

T he Board of Entrepreneurship at the University of Massachusetts is beginning its first semester as an ordained club on campus, and is looking for new members.

Dasha Agoulnik, a junior and current president of the club, said her goal in creating the group was to connect people from the different departments on campus.

“We want to become a student-driven multidisciplinary learning community,” she said. “I believe everyone has a skillset to bring to a team, no matter their major. As a result, everyone can be an entrepreneur if they learn how to apply their skill set.”

Agoulnik began to develop an interest in entrepreneurship as a sophomore at UMass, and spent the following summer learning more about it. When she saw that the University did not have any standing clubs that offered entrepreneurship opportunities, she met with the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, Dr.

“We want to become a student-driven multidisciplinary learning community.”

Dasha Agoulnik, club president

successful pitches, business law and business plans. At every meeting we discuss new ideas, making sure everyone has the opportunity to voice a topic they want to learn more about.”

The club has four committees, which include marketing, programming, communications and sponsorship.

“We hope to create a relaxed but structured atmosphere and space where people can make things happen,” Darling said.

“I am most excited about spreading the word about our multidisciplinary student-driven learning platform across campus,” Agoulnik said. “I want to see the musicians come together with the chemists, the economists with the philosophers. When we teach and learn within the student body, there’s more drive and ultimately more accomplishments.”

More infor mation about the club is available on the UMass Board of Entrepreneurship’s Facebook page.

Jim Theroux, who gave her the resources she needed to form the club.

The group’s Executive Co-Chair of Marketing, Joshua Darling, said they hope to spread entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the student body.

The current mission of the club is recruitment, as it currently has about 20 members.

“Not only are we accepting anyone, but we’re welcoming everyone,” Darling said.

So far this year, the club hosted a guest speaker event Sept. 17 with Kevin Mitchell, a UMass alum who has worked with Def Jam Records, Shaquille O’Neal and National Amusements.

He plans to return to the University to speak again.

Agoulnik also added that they are organizing a number of events and workshops this semester.

“We are planning on host- Nicole Dotzenrod can be reached at ing workshops on giving ndotzenr@umass.edu.

Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

“Mental health... [is] the final taboo and it needs to be faced and dealt with.” - Adam Ant

Thursday, October 2, 2014

It’s our responsibility to discuss mental health Mental illness is a subject that touches many lives, especially on a college campus. More than 25 percent of

Patrick Hoff

positive responses and I knew it was something that we had to do. With Mental Illness Awareness week beginning next week, and midterms beginning to add pressure and stress, we felt this was a good time to put together this edition.

Mental illness has touched my life personally many times, whether it’s my own personal struggle or a friend’s. Though I didn’t write a piece for this edition, the issue of mental illness is very close to my heart, hence my enthusiasm toward publishing this edition.

Sixty-four percent of college dropouts leave because of a mental health related reason. Only 55 percent of students access mental health support services on campus.

If you’re struggling, seek help.

My father always told me that taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health, so don’t ignore your symptoms. The University of Massachusetts has plenty of resources to take advantage of, from individual counseling to support groups on a variety of issues. The counselors and resources are here for students to utilize. We hope you do.

college students have been diagnosed or treated by a professional for a mental health condition in the past year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and one in four people will have some kind of mental illness in their lifetime. That’s more common than owning a gray car – one in six cars is gray.

For this reason, we at the Collegian decided it was necessary to dedicate today’s edition to mental health. We often do special issues for sports or other important events, but this one was particularly close to members of the staff, many of whom have been personally affected by mental illness.

I had the idea for this issue last spring when I was beginning to plan for this year. I wanted to bring the topic of mental health to the forefront and attempt to add to the growing number of people trying to remove the stigma of talking about mental illness.

Stigma is the No. 1 reason why people don’t receive help and that’s a problem. When Patrick Hoff is the Managing Editor. He I mentioned it to a few staff can be reached at managingeditor@ members, I got nothing but dailycollegian.com.

Make room for context, perspective

Anxiety, like so many other conditions in life, can be hard to categorize. I feel as if most people

Isaac Simon deal with a little bit of depression at some point in their lives.

nal in part because it almost never acts as a productive agent for the person that is forced to deal with it. Indeed, anxiety can pretty much be viewed as an obstacle to happiness, not a gateway.

As a person who has battled

Don’t give up on therapy “You have to get help,” were words own. The reality is that seeking outthat I never wanted to be told, but side resources and professional help ultimately needed to hear in January could be the key to pushing through a difficult experience.

Kate Leddy Therapy often takes two extremes in society’s eyes – glorified as the best 2012 when my mental health declined way to fix everything or labeled as the beyond my control. In that moment, final indicator that a person has gone psychotherapy was seen as my salva- completely bonkers. tion, with the experts as my saviors who would have all of the answers and get me back on track in no time.

This notion, which many people in the world seem to share, quickly fell off its pedestal for me. The truth is that the professionals aren’t always the perfect answer and they can sometimes even hinder rather than help you cope with a mental illness.

You can tell that to the first therapist I ever saw, who mumbled “Wow” and “You’re kidding” incredulously under her breath at everything I If you ask me – and if it was not so admitted to her about the highly sensi- costly—I would say everyone should tive topic of my battle with anorexia try it, diagnosis or not. There is something wonderfully unique in being nervosa and self-harm.

There’s also my first dietician, who able to discuss such personal aspects suggested I cut back on the very foods I of your life with a stranger, knowing needed to restore a proper metabolism you can say anything you need to a and then proceeded to talk about how person who will listen and who you I can effectively burn calories by exer- will not encounter in your day-to-day cising – she had claimed she was spe- life.

Yes, I’m including the bad expericialized in eating disorder recovery.

You can even tell that to the ences as well.

University of Massachusetts Getting through difficult sessions own Center for Counseling and with professionals taught me as much Psychological Health, who chose to about myself as did the positive sesput a magazine in the waiting room in sions I experienced later. I learned which I sat for half an hour on my first specifically what words and actions visit with “Drop 20 pounds! Guilt-free tend to trigger unhealthy thoughts, diet!” in large bold letters on the cover. and how I might handle that. In a I don’t blame people for being world where I am bound to encounapprehensive about professional help, ter more than one ignorant comment, especially after a bad experience. It uncomfortable image or insensitive took a long time for me to be able to put question, these experiences forced me my trust in the therapy process again to directly deal with the discomfort in after feeling so uncomfortable with my a relatively safe environment. first experience. Of course, it is impor- In realizing that these professiontant that a person be able to recognize als were making me feel worse rather and step away from something that is than better, I learned that perhaps I had more trust in myself than I had harming his or her mental health.

But I think these people often tend thought, that I had an increasingly to give up too easily on something that powerful drive to protect myself from this illness and overcome it despite may be extremely beneficial.

Mental illness can be a complicated, how discouraging my efforts had felt. powerful struggle much larger than When I decided to try therapy our individual selves. Yet stigmas and again, I learned that I was truly capasocietal pressures lead us to believe ble of falling and being able to stand that we should be capable and in con- back up again. trol enough to just get over it on our Therapy was something I needed. I

“Being able to answer and understand ‘why?’ only becomes possible through understanding the context in which one’s depression occurs.”

Certain things happen in a person’s life to make her or him feel down sometimes. Depression is by no means a rare occurrence in our society. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated one out of every 10 American adults suffers from depression. Indeed, it is not something that affects only poor or underprivileged individuals. Some of history’s greatest writers and story tellers, Sylvia Plath, Ernest Hemingway and David Foster Wallace, have all committed suicide because they couldn’t cope with their depression. For them it was too much.

Actors have committed suicide as well. Robin Williams is perhaps the most recent to date. In other words, there seems to be a universal applicability element to depression in our society. It can happen to everyone and anyone.

Now, certain therapists and certain members of the psychoanalytic community have argued that anxiety, for the most part, is completely and utterly irratio-

Editorial@DailyCollegiancom

anxiety in the past, I know this – it is important to have perspective. Perspective is key. It is everything. People who don’t have perspective over their own lives end up making irrational decisions. For me at the time, it was all I had, and ultimately it was all I needed. Without perspective, the person struggling with depression has no foundation or basis for coping with his or her mental health.

When one loses perspective, one also loses context. Being able to answer and understand ‘Why?’ only becomes possible through understanding the context in which one’s depression occurs.

I have never attempted it, but committing suicide is not the only option you have for coping with this. Furthermore, ending one’s life not only takes a person out of the game, but it sends the message that happiness and hope are impossible. This could not be further from the truth.

Isaac Simon is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at isimon@umass.edu.

“Seeking professional help can feel intimidating, but it could be that step that sets off a chain of positive change you never dreamed possible.”

needed an unrestricted way of venting what was going through my mind, to be able to consider each never-before spoken thought from a new perspective in both how it sounded to the therapist’s ear and to my own. For me, excellent therapy sessions led to the unraveling of answers and new goals through little more than uninterrupted talking. And this ultimately played a huge part in my recovery.

I think many people who have had one bad experience or are just hesitant to pick up the phone and make an appointment truly know that they need this too.

Of course, everyone is different, and individual experience can vary greatly. There is a reason that there aren’t conclusive studies on the overall effectiveness of psychotherapy, although the majority of attempted studies tend to have results that sway in favor of psychotherapy for improving mental health.

Mental illness is not something one can just hope is a phase that will pass though. If you want to beat it, you need to take action.

Perhaps your therapy is yoga, laughing with a friend, jogging in the park or listening to music. Whatever it may be, it is important to realize when it is simply not enough. Seeking professional help can feel intimidating, but it could be that step that sets off a chain of positive change you never dreamed possible.

Perhaps I’m getting a bit too caught up in my own experience here, but if I can come as far as I have through a combination of poor and wonderful help, I’m willing to testify that professional help is at least worth a try.

You can tell that to my first therapist – I cannot blame her or any other professionals for having methods that didn’t work for me, but I can take what I’ve learned from those sessions and I can use even pain to heal.

And honestly, I’d just love to see what she would say after hearing how my life has improved since that awkward meeting I had with her nearly two years ago.

I hope it is something along the lines of, “Wow, you’re kidding.”

Kate Leddy is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at kleddy@umass.edu.

Letters tothe edItor

Editorial@DailyCollegian.com

To the editor: I was deeply disturbed after reading the Boston Globe’s recent piece, “UMass police helped keep student’s addiction secret.” I am a proud alum of the University of Massachusetts, and I consider my decision to attend UMass to be one of the best I have ever made. I currently work as a guidance counselor at William J. Ostiguy High School, an alternative high school in Boston for students in recovery for drug and/or alcohol addiction. Ostiguy has opened my eyes to the world of addiction and how many educational settings fail our students by ignoring the problem and not treating addiction as the disease that it is. I am disappointed because it seems that UMass is part of this group.

According to the Globe piece, the student referred to as “Logan” was initially caught by police selling drugs and in possession of a hypodermic needle. It is clear that Logan was not only a drug dealer, but a drug user.

Sober individuals do not carry around needles. I refuse to believe that in his many meetings with police over the course of a year it was not obvious that Logan was an addict.

While the University seems to feel justified in neglecting to notify Logan’s parents that he was an intravenous drug user, it seems his health and the treatment of his addiction were ignored. Had his parents been notified about the drug use, they could have supported him

and coaxed him into treatment. Logan’s parents, under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 123 Section 35, could have had him court-ordered to treatment. When the University neglected to notify Logan’s parents, it took on the responsibility to act in Logan’s best interest. As an addict and intravenous drug user, this was something he was incapable of doing for himself, which is why section 35 exists in Massachusetts.

According to the Globe piece, UMass took minimal steps to get Logan into treatment, instead focusing on obtaining whatever drug-related information they could as his addiction worsened. Logan’s health and addiction were neglected and his life was viewed as a means to an end by the University. UMass had the leverage to push Logan to become an informant. Why couldn’t they use this same leverage to get him into treatment? What a monumental failure. Logan needed inpatient care. He had a disease and needed help.

I hate to see negative publicity about my alma mater because UMass is an amazing school that has given me so much. Unfortunately, in this case I think the publishing of the Globe story was necessary to establish accountability and improve practices in working with students suffering from addiction. The resources are out there and available. UMass should have known better.

Respectfully, Joel Menasha ‘06

Letters to the editor should be no longer than 550 words and can be submitted to either to Editorial@DailyCollegian.com or to DailyCollegian.com

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The Massachusetts Daily Collegian is published Monday through Thursday during the University of Massachusetts calendar semester. The Collegian is independently funded, operating on advertising revenue. Founded in 1890, the paper began as Aggie Life, became the College Signal in 1901, the Weekly Collegian in 1914 and the Tri–Weekly Collegian in 1956. Published daily from 1967 to 2013, The Collegian has been broadsheet since January 1994. For advertising rates and information, call 413-545-3500.

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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Thursday, October 2, 2014

5

Being a woman with anxiety in America Depression doesn’t define you Like an estimated 18 percent of American adults, I have an anxiety disorder.

In the five years that I’ve been friends with Katie, she has always been an amazing friend. I’ve never

Brianna Zimmerman

Steven Gillard

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, as a female, I am 60 percent more likely than my male counterparts to develop an anxiety disorder during my lifetime.

Why do I think that this is important?

I have consistently paced around my anxiety, approaching it with a sense of disgust and shame. I have wondered for years why the condition is seemingly unpredictable, and if I am simply being dramatic.

I am genetically predisposed to developing an anxiety disorder. Besides this, my anxiety seems to be purely random. I am an only child, born into a middle-class family that fits the “WASP” criteria (white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant) in a small town in Western Massachusetts. My parents have been extremely supportive of me, and I have never witnessed any traumatic events that would have mentally scarred me.

Now that I have learned to manage my anxiety, and as I become more socially aware of the culture that surrounds us, I wonder what role society and culture has on young women’s mental health.

It is no secret that the vision of what females are expected to be in society is a ludicrous misrepresentation.

Whether we would care to admit it or not, we are subconsciously impacted by these messages of cultural expectation.

met someone more considerate or compassionate, a person who sees the good in everybody and who you can unconditionally trust.

In the summer of 2012, before Katie and I went off to separate colleges, she told me she was going to study nursing. I thought it was perfect. You know those people who just seem born to do a job? That was her.

I saw Katie sporadically over the next couple of years, a few times here and there when we were home on break, but not nearly as much as in high school.

Halfway through our senior year of high school, she started experiencing symptoms she couldn’t explain. Loneliness, sadness and hopelessness engulfed her, and she couldn’t shake these emotions. She didn’t know why. She cried every day because she felt worthless, and she felt worthless because she cried.

Katie graduated and went off to college and started a new, exciting chapter of her life in Chicago, but she still couldn’t move past the overwhelming emptiness that had consumed her.

It was the lowest time of her life, but she told nobody.

She was embarrassed. She felt damaged. She didn’t want to see a therapist because only “messed up” people saw therapists, and that wasn’t her. She didn’t want to be looked at differently – she didn’t want to be pitied, so she put on a mask.

I saw Katie every day in multiple classes during our senior year of high school, and I hung out with her on the weekends and over the summer, but I

“The main problem with depression isn’t its treatability – it’s the stigma attached to it.” never imagined that something was wrong. She always had a smile on and she fooled us all.

In the spring after her first semester of college, over a year after she first experienced symptoms, she finally worked up the courage to tell her parents, after becoming tired of putting up the façade behind which she constantly hid. After seeing various therapists for a year, which helped little, she was officially diagnosed with depression in March 2014.

Shortly after the diagnosis, she opened up to a close friend about her struggle, and in April of this year she finally started “to feel like [her]self again.”

Almost three years later, she now has the tools to battle depression. Opening up to people in her life gave her condition less power over her, and instead of carrying the burden all by herself, it’s now shared by family and friends.

“My diagnosis didn’t affect any of my relationships,” she said. “I know that it’s a part of me and probably always will be, but having a support system makes it manageable.”

Fortunately, Katie’s story has a happy ending, unlike so many others. Depression afflicts over 14 million Americans every year, and in 2010, there were 38,364 deaths in the United States due to suicide. Approximately 80 percent of depressed people, however, respond positively to treatment.

The main problem with depression isn’t its treatability – it’s the stigma attached to it. The fact that one of my best friends didn’t tell even her parents for a year about something that so severely and profoundly affected her testifies to this – the unfounded assumption that depression is embarrassing, that depression is something to be ashamed of and that those suffering from depression will not be defined by who they are but by what their condition is.

I don’t know a single person who looks at Katie differently, though. I don’t know a single person who thinks she is weak because of something beyond her control. She is still the same sweet person who I met six years ago in geometry class.

This summer when I was at a friend’s house saying goodbye to everyone before we went back to school, Katie was telling me how at her job at a nursing home over the summer, she worked with many very sick people, some of whom passed away.

She spoke of their families and how they thanked her for her help in the face of inescapable heartbreak, and told her what a difference she had made in their loved ones’ final days. One man told her that he had been praying for a change and that she was like an angel sent down from God. Sitting there, I recognized a truly beautiful person and wondered how someone like her could feel like the world didn’t want her, like the world didn’t need her. But the truth is depression doesn’t discriminate, and even the funniest and happiest and most successful people are at its mercy.

Thinking of all that we had been through since sophomore year of high school – and all of my own baggage I had thrown at her that she graciously accepted – I felt guilty for not knowing, not helping and being there but not really being there at all.

I couldn’t help Katie because she didn’t let me but I’m so thankful that she found the courage to do it herself.

If you think you may be suffering from mental illness, don’t be ashamed and don’t be silent either.

Tell somebody close to you. Seek help from professionals.

Chances are you have no idea just how much you mean to your friends and family and how much you can impact the world.

Who knows, you just might be somebody’s angel.

Steven Gillard is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at sgillard@umass.edu.

These are the images – hundreds of photo-shopped, thin women forcing radiant Chiclet-white smiles from the shabby shelves of the magazine rack, reminding us that our lives pale in comparison.

I feel guilty that women are losing 60 pounds “thanks to” some mysterious fad diet, as I dig my hand into a bag of potato chips on my couch. The

abstract, this only supports my argument. The amount of stress placed on females to conform to societal anticipations is logically damaging to my confidence, along with the confidence of my female friends and family members.

The fact that women are being underrepresented in every aspect of life – in media portrayal, in American poli-

“The correlation between anxiety and societal expectations … only supports my argument. The amount of stress placed on females to conform to societal anticipations is logically damaging to my confidence, along with the confidence of my female friends and family members.” latest prominent feminine political figure is considered crazy and selfish.

Stories like these tell us not to be daring, not to get in the way and to feel insecure because we have every reason to be. These are issues that we accept as universal truths and cultural norms. We should dress impeccably, speak softly, be sexy – but not promiscuous – be thankful and yet fear unfamiliar men.

As a young female college student, I am afraid to walk alone at night, even around campus. When I do walk around campus during odd hours, I find myself walking uncharacteristically quickly.

And in some parallel universe, had I been conceived as a male, I realize that this may not have been the case.

If the correlation between anxiety and societal expectations of females seems

tics and in historical conversation, is souring. However, what is more discouraging is our apathy towards this issue.

Given these cultural factors that cause women to become overlooked members of society, it is evident that education may be the only way to alter gender roles and mitigate the role-based stress associated with them. Sex and mental health education need to be a priority, particularly in public education. Preventing rape and sexual assault from occurring or going unreported may mean providing a required course in public schools.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, along with several other anxiety disorders, women are more likely than men to develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and this is often a result of rape or sexual assault.

Aside from providing adequate sex and mental health education, I have no definitive answer to decreasing anxiety and depression rates among women.

The initial step that must be taken in American society is to simply acknowledge that cultural norms cause some women to live in a virtually constant state of fear, depression and suppression. These mental health issues are personal, usually impossible to avoid and impact people in varied ways, regardless of gender.

On a personal level, I can admit that coping with an anxiety disorder requires developing a certain degree of familiarity with oneself. Women are often discouraged from becoming overly self-involved, but seeking assistance for one’s mental wellbeing is the only way to overcome the negative impacts of an anxiety disorder.

Though I am extremely fortunate, this does not make me any less likely to develop an anxiety disorder. In fact, my gender and heredity alone makes me more likely to have anxiety. For women suffering with anxiety and depression, it is tempting to oversimplify a disorder through self-blame and repression, especially with overwhelming cultural standards.

The acceptance of mental health disorders, particularly among women, needs to be a more embraced norm of American society.

Brianna Zimmerman is a Collegian contributor. She can be reached at bzimmerman@umass.edu

Deinstitutionalization: Blessing or curse?

With the birth of deinstitutionalization, the closure of state mental hospitals and asy-

Noosha Uddin lums, social justice advocates rejoiced in the sudden provision of equality for the mentally ill.

At the pinnacle of rampant criticism from the public about the malevolence in psychiatric hospitals, almost everyone involved was in a state of relief at the policy shift to conquer the evil that is so frequently reenacted in popular TV. David Rosenhan’s experiment in 1973 further proved the non-therapeutic treatment in these asylums and Erving Goffman’s works on the social situations of mental patients rallied support to close these institutions for good. Alas, the movement was monumental in the human rights perspective, where freedom conquered the vices of society.

So why do the mentally ill still feel trapped?

USA Today reports that more than “half a million Americans with serious mental illnesses are falling through the cracks of a system in tatters.” Chris Weiss of PolicyMic reported last year that although 25 percent of Americans experience mental health issues, less than one in three mentally ill adults

receive treatment. It’s as if the federal government didn’t follow up on deinstitutionalization, since almost all of these former

truly provide safe and comfortable living conditions.

Pointing fingers to decide who to blame won’t solve any-

“We can change the generations-old stigma of mental health and provide services for patients in need that exceed what deinstitutionalization advocates hoped for almost half a century ago.” patients are homeless, unemployed, involved with crime or facing a darker mental illness on top of their current ones – depression.

“We have replaced the hospital bed with a jail cell, the homeless shelter and the coffin,” said child psychologist-turned-U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy. Since the recession in 2008, budget cuts affected almost all public programs, and the mental health division is no exception – from 2009 to 2012, states cut nearly $5 billion in services. Some may argue that these shortcomings are nothing compared to the horrors patients experienced in psychiatric hospitals, isolated from their loved ones and the rest of society. But clearly the communities to which these mentally ill people, especially those with severe symptoms, returned to did not commit to the integration process as much as was necessary in order to

thing. The main problem is the negative stigma associated with having a mental illness.

Even today, though the science of the neurological differences between a healthy person and a mentally ill person show that, yes, mental illness is real, many people and cultures still fail to recognize that fact.

Where a physical ailment is easily observable and the efforts, funding and research involved to find a solution are sound, to define an ailment that is not easily seen or understood makes it almost intangible and therefore not worth the resources to find a cure. MentalHealth. gov juxtaposes the myths and facts of mental health issues, erasing the cultural taboo that is nearly as prevalent today as it was when psychiatric institutions were erected. By ignoring that mental illness is a very real problem, more and more people go undiagnosed for fear of

being labeled as weak, violent or unpredictable. They struggle to divert themselves away from any help that could potentially be in their best interest. As a result, many untreated mental health issues can lead to an increased likelihood of substance abuse, child abuse and other problems.

Through the outdated stubbornness of society and private institutions which ignore mental illness, such as insurance companies that wouldn’t cover mental health costs, a cyclical pattern of social problems arise and more efforts and funding are wasted to cover them up.

So is there any hope for the mentally ill? Under the Affordable Care Act, the most polarizing Obama policy, all qualified health plans are required to cover mental health services, Dr. Katherine Barnett of The Boston Globe reports.

However, government policies do not change individual behavior and opinions by themselves. Through more rigorous education and greater awareness of mental health, we can change the generations-old stigma of mental health and provide services for patients in need that exceed what deinstitutionalization advocates hoped for almost half a century ago.

Noosha Uddin is a Collegian contributor.

She can be reached at nuddin@umass.edu.

Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

“Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all.” - Bill Clinton

Thursday, October 2, 2014

M E N T A L H E A LT H

Arts@DailyCollegian.com

LIFESTYLE

Art as a remedy for the mind 7 ways to take the stress Emerging practice out of the college lifestyle could help patients

By Cory J. Willey Collegian Staff

Any artist will tell you that the reason they create art isn’t to garner approval or show off some long worked at skill. Approval or recognition is certainly welcome, but it is not the driving force behind the work. The true motivation is that feeling of accomplishment when you look at the page full of your own words or the canvas that was once stark white now filled with a mental image turned reality. It’s the relief and pride in one’s own work that drives and grows the creative mind. Participating in the arts can be very therapeutic, but what many people do not know is that creating art can be used in mental health therapy, and has been since the 1940s.

Art therapy, or art psychotherapy, is defined by the American Art Therapy Association as, “a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the Art Therapist, use art media, the creative process and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety and increase self-esteem.”

It’s important to make the distinction between art as therapy, or a therapeutic process, and art psychotherapy. Art as therapy is not overseen by a professional psychologist or an accredited social worker, but rather a process carried out by an individual on their own terms for their own purpos-

es. Professionals in the field of psychology and mental health therapy use art psychotherapy to help treat depression reduce stress and improve a patient’s general mood and cognitive function.

When used in conjunction with other practices, art psychotherapy can add another level of understanding and communication between the therapist and their client. In most cases both the therapist and the client will each interpret the client’s work and report each other’s thoughts on the art to one another. They may arrive at similar or different interpretations entirely, but it helps to bridge certain gaps left by other forms of treatment. Clients are encouraged to create art based on thoughts, feelings and emotions that they are otherwise uncomfortable or unable to convey.

Art is inherently an expression of our deepest thoughts and emotions. It allows our personality to shine through in ways that we might not have been able to convey through simply speaking with another person about the way something makes us feel.

Art psychotherapy is by no means a fix-all type of treatment, however. In a study conducted upon schizophrenic patients in the U.K. by the Imperial College of London and Professor Mike Crawford, 417 subjects were split into three groups. One group was treated with art therapy, one was treated with group activity and the other was treated with standard care practices. After two years, each group displayed the same level of global function, or social, occupational and psychological function.

This study was inconclusive in showing art therapy as a more or less effective form of treatment for those suffering from schizophrenia.

On the other hand, art psychotherapy is on the rise in psychology and is viewed as a legitimate form of mental health therapy. Last year, BBC News ran a series called the “Power of Art,” in which they spotlighted the effects of art therapy, including the effects on children who have leukemia. Scientific evidence in the improvement of the children’s health was difficult to provide. However, this report and others like it do show an improved mood and outlook on life in those participating in art therapy. The series also featured participation in the arts with regards to aging.

Seniors who participated in the creation of art were found to have increased social function, helping to stave off feelings of depression.

While the science behind why art psychotherapy improves both brain function and mood is still not fully understood, it is clear that it has positive effects on the mental health of those who participate in the arts.

Art therapy has existed for many years and is a useful tool in an individual’s struggle with emotional highs and lows. Participation in artistic mediums such as writing, painting, drawing, dancing and many others can improve a person’s mood, cognitive brain function and decrease feelings of depression. Art therapy shows us that the arts are not only very therapeutic, but they may help keep our minds healthy in ways we never knew.

Cory Willey can be reached at cjwilley@umass.edu.

Reduce the anxiety of a heavy workload

By Sarah Gamard Collegian Correspondent

We all get stressed. It would be weird if we didn’t. Here are some tips on how to develop stress-reducing habits to ease and improve your college experience and your general well-being.

Eat Right – I could write an entirely separate article on how your diet relates to your mental health. Eating correctly is an easy aid to reducing stress for work-packed weeks. In between powering through our notes for the exam on Tuesday, we need to remember to eat and to eat properly. Even if you develop a suppressed appetite, eating a little bit can help you think and sleep. When being initiated into a cult, new members are brainwashed during hazing by being fed only sugar pops because the lack of protein in the diet reduces their brainpower enough to become psychologically malleable. If you don’t want to get stuck on an essay or a test question, remember to eat, even if it’s a little bit.

Eating the right food helps too. You don’t have to give up the food you love, but if you have a test coming up or foresee a three-hour study session, there are foods that exacerbate stress and anxiety that you can learn to avoid. Caffeine and dairy have both been argued to heighten anxiety, especially for those prone to it.

Everyone is different, so everyone will have different reactions to different foods.

I’ve found both bananas and pizza make it hard for me to concentrate, but they’re great for pre-workouts or snacks on

the weekends. Chamomile tea is great for winding down at night if you’re prone to insomnia. If you’re like me and need caffeine but coffee causes too much stress for you, green tea has calming qualities while still helping you wake up and focus. On days swamped with homework or tests, it helps to play it safe and eat the nonstressful foods you know will help calm you down.

Exercise – Exercise is helpful with so many problems, both physical and mental.

Whether you’re stressed, angry, depressed, bored – you name it – exercise can fix it.

Some people don’t like the gym, and that’s why intramural sports are such a beautiful thing. Some like to go to the gym in the morning before class so they aren’t antsy during lectures and others prefer midnight jogs around campus.

Exercise in any form, time or capacity is beneficial. We know this. It reduces stress by raising endorphins and giving your brain a short, healthy break. In fact, taking a break from homework by exercising wakes you up. You can’t lose with this one.

Sleep – Eight hours. Just do it.

Know when you need a break – Really, the brain is like any other part of your body and can get easily exhausted on a college workload. If you schedule your day to give yourself a certain amount of hours to study and a certain amount of time to relax, you will get your work done faster.

Knowing that you will be eventually rewarded with a few episodes of the ninth season of “How I Met Your Mother” can go a long way towards concentrating on the work that needs to be done now. Know when you need a break and know when you shouldn’t procrasti-

nate.

Don’t procrastinate – Putting things off will just make you more stressed than you were when you decided to procrastinate. If you start the work now, you will be less intimidated by it later. Getting a head start on your work helps to reduce stress because you will be less pressed for time while completing the work and less overwhelmed when the deadline approaches.

Meditate – This one may be unfamiliar. Meditation, when done properly, increases focus and thus enhances studying ability. Basically, it helps you focus on schoolwork while not freaking out about it. The less anxious or stressed you are, the better you will sleep, the healthier you will eat, the easier you will get work done and thus the less anxious or stressed you will be. See the pattern?

The University of Massachusetts has meditation workshops on campus called Koru, where instructors can help you learn meditation techniques. They also have a workshop entitled “Coping Skills Workshop for Managing Anxiety and Depression” that meets on select Monday afternoons.

Know you can get help – Everyone gets stressed, but for some it is a perpetual and crippling state of being. The UMass Center for Counseling and Psychological Health offers various workshops on how to deal with stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse and more. If stress is hindering your overall happiness or effectiveness in school, know that you are not alone, especially on such a large campus.

Sarah Gamard can be reached at sgamard.umass.edu.

DIRECTOR RETROSPECTIVE

The golden age of notorious indie director Kevin Smith Why Smith’s legacy still matters today

By Alessandro ArenaDeRosa Collegian Correspondent

Last week, “Tusk,” a novel film about a man who is turned into a walrus that is equal parts horrifying and hysterical, was recently released to theaters worldwide. With such an outlandish plot and ambiguous themes, you might wonder why the world is paying this film any attention at all. It all comes down to the film’s director, Kevin Smith, both renowned and reviled in some circles, a cult classic indie director and poster child of Generation X. Smith’s rise to fame began in 1994, at a time that changed the face of indie cinema with such films as Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” (1994) and Robert Rodriguez’s “El Mariachi” (1993). At the heart of this indie scene was also Smith’s “Clerks,” a quirky black-and-white comedy about two untrained men in their early 20s and their escapades through a day of working at a convenience store. The film was praised for its heavy use of dialogue and art house sensibilities, yet still managed to include a great deal of

jokes about traditionally nerdy subject matter. What had once been a style of cinema reserved for Woody Allen flicks or pieces about bohemian artists was now being applied to unskilled shmucks that had grown up watching Star Wars and the Transformers cartoons.

“Clerks” easily marks the most important piece in Smith’s career. Its contribution to the indie scene can still be felt today. It also sparked a whole generation of fans who now saw Smith as the ideal reflection of their own lives and gave Smith a cult following of his own. At this time, Smith had a great deal of promise and the world was pining for his next piece.

Smith’s follow up, “Mallrats” (1995), marked the true nature of Smith’s films, and while not bad, “Mallrats” was panned in comparison to “Clerks.”

Clashing with the minimalist nature of “Clerks,” the colorful and over-the-top “Mallrats” was as funny and quirky as its predecessor, sans the simplistic and (relatively) realistic nature of the piece. The film got such poor reviews that Smith even had to apologize for the film before its release to home video, where it finally found an enthusiastic and welcoming audience.

However, it would be Smith’s next film, “Chasing Amy,” which would solidify Smith’s spot on Hollywood’s radar. “Chasing Amy,” a film about a comic book artist who falls in love with a lesbian, is a fun and loose return to the humor of “Clerks” and ditches the colorful stunts of “Mallrats” for more serious moments and a more cohesive plot. While its views and depictions of the LGBTQ community can seem antiquated, if not downright offensive, today, the film remains genuinely funny and casts then-rising star Ben Affleck in the lead role of one of Smith’s best films.

Smith reached the height of his potential with his theological satire and my personal favorite of his films – “Dogma.” The film’s multithreaded plot involves everything from a black apostle who was written out of the bible, to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s duo piece as angels of wrath. The film has everything from deep theological discussions to brief bursts of slapstick and situational humor.

Smart, funny and surprisingly touching, “Dogma” represents the best of what Smith has to offer. To top it off, George Carlin’s cameo appearances are pure gold and as a liberal Catholic

COURTESY OF MIRAMAX

Kevin Smith portrays Silent Bob (left) in “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” myself, I found the movie, while very hyperbolic, to be in surprisingly good taste.

Since then, Smith has directed a number of critical flops, from the fan servicing “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” to the attempted serious film “Jersey Girl,” which had neither the wit nor smarts required to succeed. More recently Smith’s first attempt at politically driven psychological horror, “Red State,” yielded something neither clever

nor interesting that quickly digressed into a film that makes the audience uncomfortable for its duration and never really sticks with them.

To this day, Smith is still making millions on merchandise from his first few films and his popular, even if bland, podcasts. Fans of “The Walking Dead” also might know Smith from his reality show “Comic Book Men,” a TV series that has none of the girth, charm or smarts of a typical Kevin Smith piece and all of the

gimmicks and merchandising we’ve become used to in the reality TV industry.

But Smith’s influence is not to be ignored – many of his best pieces can be found on Netflix and YouTube and still hold a great deal of relevance today. While “Tusk” seems to be failing on the promise of a truly great Kevin Smith piece, “Clerks 3” is on the way, and who knows what the future may hold for this director.

Alessandro Arena-DeRosa can be reached at aarenaderosa@umass.edu.

7

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Comics No

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Questions? Comments? Email us: comics@dailycollegian.com

one wants hot milk.

D inosaur C omics

B y R yan N orth

Mike’s Hardest

XKCD B y R andall M unroe

aquarius

HOROSCOPES Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

Oh no! Wake up! September has been over for a day! I’m so sorry! I messed up!

pisces

Feb. 19 - Mar. 20

leo

Jul. 23 - Aug. 22

Adding two question marks to the end of a question gives it that sense of earnestness that it was originally lacking.

virgo

Aug. 23 - Sept. 22

The greatest thing you’ll learn in college is It’s not that you made your scarecrow wrong, that even though you don’t have a rolling pin, it’s just a little weird that it has attracted so you at least have a bottle of wine. many ducks.

aries

Mar. 21 - Apr. 19

taurus

Apr. 20 - May. 20

gemini

May. 21 - Jun. 21

Ah, harvest season! When the leaves change color, the weather gets colder, and the pumpkin spiced lattes are in full blossom!

In the spirit of campus diversity, change it up this year! Instead of zombie role play, try “Humans vs. Zumba!”

libra

Sept. 23 - Oct. 22

scorpio

Oct. 23 - Nov. 21

It’s statistically proven that your grades will go up if you date all your papers as “Rocktober”.

Securing all your papers together for class with push pins is not only highly ineffective, but also surprisingly dangerous.

sagittarius

Nov. 22 - Dec. 21

Bringing home several wolves won’t solve your cane toad problem so much as it will create a wolf problem.

Never underestimate the sheer strength, potency and disorienting quality of a piping warm glass of milk.

cancer

capricorn

Jun. 22 - Jul. 22

Dec. 22 - Jan. 19

How early is too early to start demanding that If you like soup to go, opening up a fresh can people give you candy? of chicken noodle to drink in class is oddly socially unacceptable.

8

Thursday, October 2, 2014

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Minutewomen to begin Atlantic 10 play Friday afternoon

UMass to play George Mason, SJU

By Arthur Hayden Collegian Staff

The Massachusetts women’s soccer team’s match against Harvard University on Monday was a microcosm of its season up to this point: rock-solid defense and double overtime. The Minutewomen grinded out a 0-0 draw, ending a three-game winning-streak for the Crimson, who outscored their opponents 9-0 during that stretch.

Although another double overtime match in which UMass (2-5-3) failed

to score does not sound like an ideal scenario heading into Atlantic 10 Conference competition, Coach Ed Matz was extremely pleased with the team’s performance.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the way our team played,” said Matz in a press release. “We came out against a very talented Harvard team and I was very pleased with how our players followed the game plan.”

Stifling a potent Harvard offense on the road has the Minutewomen’s defense back on track after suffering consecutive multiple-goal losses to the University of Connecticut and Brown University. With

some much needed momentum, UMass looks poised for their first Atlantic-10 Conference match-up of the season against George Mason University on Friday.

The beginning of conference play usually presents teams with familiar opponents, but Friday’s match will mark the first time that the Minutewomen have ever played George Mason in women’s soccer, considering the Patriots only joined the A-10 last year.

On paper, it appears to be a promising match-up for UMass as George Mason has struggled this year going 2-0-7 in non-conference play this year. Both

teams have also shared similar struggles on offense with each only have six total goals this season.

The Patriots offense features a more balanced attack as all six of their goals have come from six different players, none of whom have any assists either. Midfielder Emma Starr leads George Mason with 13 shots on goal, following closely is forward with 12. In contrast, Jackie Bruno leads the Minutewomen with 24 shots, however the forward has not played in a game since Sept. 14 with a bone abnormality in her right foot.

UMass has been mark-

The Patriots offense features a more balanced attack as all six of their goals have come from six different players, none of whom have any assists either. edly stronger defensively allowing just 1.4 goals per game as opposed to 1.89 for George Mason. The Minutewomen have allowed opponents to shoot on goal 121 times this season as opposed to the Patriots 108.

At this point, it is wishful thinking to expect anything but a defensive battle from UMass, so securing the first goal will be paramount; however, if neither team is able to break the tie in regulation, the Minutewomen’s

lengthy overtime experience this season may come in handy. George Mason has only played in one overtime match this year, a 1-0 loss to William & Mary on Aug. 24.

The match against George Mason starts at 4 p.m. at Rudd Field. The Minutewomen will host Saint Joseph’s University on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Arthur Hayden can be reached at awhayden@umass.edu.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

RUN GAME the Falcons, the Minutemen ran the ball for no gain or negative yardage six times and abandoned the run in the second half.

Whipple seeks balance between his passing and rushing game, and right now, he’s not finding it.

In order to make strides, Whipple believes the blocking along the offensive line needs improvement.

“The footwork’s not right,” Whipple said. “It’s four guys doing the right thing and one guy making a mistake and all of sudden you have a zero gain on run plays.”

“We’ve got to communicate a little bit better,” he continued. “That part was really kind of disappointing. We really need to be a little bit more balanced.”

UMass preached to its offensive linemen this week about cleaning up minor mistakes. Often, the difference between a positive run play and a disaster can boil down to simple footwork and technique issues.

“It’s just one block here or there,” center Matt Sparks said. “(It’s) someone going off to the wrong linebacker, someone not being able to come off to their linebacker. Or,if they stunt or slant, not being able to pick them up. It’s really frustrating, it’s little things.”

According to Sparks, the offensive line miscues are a bit perplexing.

“You get mad because it’s something that’s easily correctable,” he said. “I don’t know what our prob-

SIFRIN

continued from page 10

ALEC ZABRECKY/COLLEGIAN

Running back Shadrach Abrokwah scored a touchdown in his return to the Minutemen Saturday. lem is with it, we just have to take more reps with it I guess.”

Often, Minutemen drives have stalled out due to inefficiency on first and second down. UMass has picked up 23 rushing first downs through five games.

In comparison, opponents moved the chains on the ground 59 times against the Minutemen.

The inability to run into manageable down-anddistance’s puts a strain on the offense to convert low-percentage pass plays, especially when run plays result in no yardage gained at all.

“It kills us,” Sparks said.

“It kills the drive. It puts us in a bad position like

second and more than 10.

It’s also a pride thing. As an offensive lineman, you want to be able to run the ball.”

The Minutemen have the talent to run successfully.

Abrokwah appeared in two games last year as a freshman and rushed for over 200 yards. UMass feels its close too, as offensive line coach Shane Waldron said Tuesday’s practice was one of the better practices of the year.

“For our run game to be successful, we need to have all six, seven or eight guys involved in the blocking scheme to be on the same page,” he said. “And we’re working hard every day to get to that point.”

The Minutemen face a Miami defense allowing 180 rushing yards per game.

According to Abrokwah, he feels the entire offense is close to breaking through, and this weekend is the perfect time to showcase the improvement.

“At first, it’s kind of frustrating because it only takes that one block, that last second or the hold on the block to break the big one,” he said.

“But we learn from our mistakes and come back the next week and hopefully fix our mistakes and break those runs.”

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

UMass gets fresh start in A-10

By Ross Gienieczko Collegian Staff

Sunday’s 1-0 loss against New Hampshire represented a step back for the Massachusetts men’s soccer team.

Sure, the Minutemen only allowed one goal, and their defense was strong for large portions of the game.

But offensively, the UMass was shut out again - for the fourth time this season – after it appeared the attack had finally taken steps forward in games against Fairfield and Harvard.

“We’ve been better in recent weeks getting possessions in the attacking third, but just haven’t been dangerous enough with those possessions,” interim coach Devin O’Neill said. “We need to create more scoring chances.”

Saturday, the Minutemen (1-7) will get another chance to improve when they host St. Joseph’s in their Atlantic-10 conference opener.

It’s been a difficult season for UMass up to this point. After a winless west coast road trip to start the year, the Minutemen returned to Rudd Field and finally notched their first win against Fairfield in a 2-1 overtime thriller. But they couldn’t carry that momentum forwards. Last weekend

was an empty one for UMass as it blew a 2-0 lead against Harvard and was shut out by the Wildcats.

Despite the slow start, there are bright spots for the team all over the field.

Besides the dynamic duo of Matt Keys and Josh Schwartz, UMass is starting to get solid contributions from supporting players such as goalie Ryan Buckingham, defender Matt Pease, and midfielder Luke Pavone, whom O’Neill said was “sorely missed” in Sundays loss against the Wildcats.

“He’s got such great work ethic, energy and enthusiasm,” O’Neill said of Pavone.

St. Joseph’s (5-2-3) enters the game led by a balanced offensive attack and a defense ranked near the top of every category among A-10 teams. They’ve conceded just eight goals in 10 games, and have shut out its opponents in five of those games.

“They’ve done a wonderful job with their program.

They’re a balanced team, and having watched them play, we expect them to be a very good team,” said O’Neil.

That matchup against a strong Hawks defense could prove costly for the Minutemen, who have been anemic offensively. Their six goals in eight games put them at second to last in the conference.

It’s the first time the two squads have met in nearly

JUDITH GIBSON-OKUNIEFF/COLLEGIAN

Carlo deMarco dribbles the ball away from defenders against Harvard. two years. Back in October 2012, the Minutemen defeated the Hawks 2-0, with goals coming from current team members Schwartz and forward Jake Alvaro.

But neither that game nor the first eight of this season matter to UMass. With conference play starting, the Minutemen have the chance to turn the page and start fresh. They have nine A-10 games scheduled for the next five weeks, and it will be those games alone that determine whether UMass qualifies for the A-10 tournament at the end of the year.

“We don’t want to put too much value on any one game,” O’Neill said, “but we have to realize each game’s importance.”

The Minutemen will hope to avoid a repeat of last season’s conference slate. They went 3-5 in A-10 play and

backed their way into the tournament after losing a tight game to St. Louis on the final day of the regular season.

“We’d love to get off to a quick start,” O’Neill said.

“The message to the guys has been take it three points at a time.”

UMass has showed signs of life all season, but the time for moral victories is drawing to a close. The Minutemen have showed in flashes they can play with anyone, but unless they start stringing together good performances, they’ll spend the offseason wondering what might have been.

The game kicks off Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Rudd Field.

Ross Gienieczko can be reached at rgieniec@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @RossGien

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continued from page 10

said. “(He) can show you things that you’re going to learn when you go to the pro’s or the next level after college football.”

Now, Sifrin said the focus is on earning the first win of the season.

And he’s certainly not tasking that task lightly, noting that the “only thing” on his mind was

WINLESS

MEN’S SOCCER

Conference play begins Saturday

Thursday, October 2, 2014

trying to get a win.

“We’re sitting at 0-5 right now, nobody should feel good about how we are right now,” he said.

“We’re just not getting that ‘W,’ that’s the only thing that hurts.”

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

continued from page 10

did in the entire 2013 season.

When asked what was in store for the encore performance Frohnapfel just laughed and said he’s already moved on from it. One thing is for sure though: Frohnapfel is much more concerned with getting the first win than re-writing the record book.

“They’re in the same

situation as us,” he said. “ They’re improving and a good football team. We both know how the other team is feeling and we hope it’s us that come away with a win on Saturday.”

Kickoff from Yager Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN3. com.

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

MLB

Giants top Bucs in play-in game Bumgarner pitches shutout in victory

By Bill Brink Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PITTSBURGH _ San F rancisco shor tstop Brandon Crawford hit more than a home run.

He hit a mute button.

Pirates right fielder Travis Snider ran toward PNC Park’s Clemente Wall to track down the ball, then retreated to play the carom.

He couldn’t do either.

Crawford’s fourth-inning grand slam landed in the first few rows of seats in right field.

The Pirates never recovered. Had Crawford not hushed the crowd in a split second, Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner would have slowly turned down the volume.

The Pirates pitched poorly, hit poorly and lost to the Giants, 8-0, in Wednesday’s wild-card playoff game.

The Giants eliminated the Pirates, who played in the wild-card game at PNC Park for the second consecutive year, from the postseason.

San Francisco advanced to face the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series.

The Giants extended their postseason winning streak to eight and won their seventh consecutive elimination game.

They swept the Detroit Tigers in the 2012 World Series and took the final three games of that year’s National League Championship Series after falling behind the St. Louis Cardinals three games to one.

Bumgarner wa s already cruising when Crawford hit the grand slam. Given a lead, he continued to deal and threw a complete-game shutout.

Volquez allowed two singles and a walk in the first three innings, but no runs. Pablo Sandoval singled for the second time to lead off the fourth.

Hunter Pence also singled. Volquez barely missed a called strike three on a 2-2 curveball to Brandon Belt. He walked Belt, loading the bases with no outs.

Crawford took a changeup for a ball, then a fastball for a called strike. He fouled away one curveball, but drove

the next one into the seats in right to clear the bases. The crowd, boisterous with two strikes and at times egging on their starter with chants of “ED-DIE, ED-DIE,” was struck dumb.

Volquez’s performance in recent months painted him as every bit the candidate to start the wildcard game. His 1.85 ERA since June 23 ranked behind only Clayton Kershaw, Corey Kluber and Jon Lester in the major leagues. He had a 1.08 ERA in September and took an 18-inning scoreless streak into Wednesday’s game.

The Pirates had enough faith in Volquez to start Gerrit Cole in the final game of the regular season. They did so despite the fact that the Pirates had to beat Johnny Cueto and the Cincinnati Reds, then hope the Arizona D i amon dbacks be at Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Even that would have earned them only a tiebreaker for the division title, but they rolled the dice, not content to punt a chance at a National League Central title.

After Volquez walked Pence to start the sixth, manager Clint Hurdle removed him. He allowed five runs, five hits and three walks in five-plus innings. Justin Wilson entered and threw a wild pitch, putting Pence in scoring position. Belt’s single extended the Giants’ lead to 5-0.

Bumgarner, 25, had 35 2/3 innings of postseason baseball to his name before he even took the mound Wednesday. Eight of those innings were of the scoreless variety, in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series, when he was 21.

Even the loudest of stadiums have not phased him.

Despite pitching his home games in AT&T Park, whose fences keep the ball playable and runs hard to come by, Bumgarner had a better road ERA _ 2.22 _ than at home, when he posted a 4.03 ERA. The Giants went 13-5 in road games he started.

Through three innings, Bumg ar ner threw 28 pitches, 23 of them strikes. He did not throw more than one ball to a batter until Josh Harrison’s at-bat with two outs in the third.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

October 2, 2014

Sports@DailyCollegian.com

@MDC_SPORTS

FOOTBALL

Run game a struggle for UMass

ALL FOR ONE

UM averaging 60

rushing yards a game

By Mark Chiarelli Collegian Staff

ALEC ZABRECKY/COLLEGIAN

UMass fullback Rodney Mills runs by a defender on his way to the endzone against Bowling Green on Saturday.

UM, Miami (OH) battle for first win

By Andrew Cyr Collegian Staff

It’s hard to find a team in Division I football that has experienced the same struggles that the Massachusetts football team has endured over the past three seasons.

Luckily for the Minutemen, they’re facing that team on Saturday.

The Miami (OH) has shared similar frustration that UMass has faced over the past few seasons and currently have longest active losing streak in college football at 21 consecutive losses. Its last victory came on Oct. 27, 2012, when the Red Hawks upset then-No. 23 Ohio in a 23-20 thriller.

When looking at the Red Hawks (0-5, 0-1 Mid-American Conference) the similarities between them and the Minutemen are eerily similar.

Both teams are under the leadership of a new coaching staff, both have transfer quarterbacks running the offense, and. most impor-

tantly, both are winless and have found ways to lose leads late in the fourth quarter against teams that on paper that are better.

“We don’t look at them as an 0-5 team that’s bad. They’ve had a lot of close games and games that they should have won. It’s the team that plays four quarters on Saturday is going to win,” safety Joe Colton said.

If this seasons similarities between the Minutemen and Red Hawks isn’t clear enough, here’s one that might catch people’s attention. Last season, both teams entered their sixth game of the season at 0-5. UMass squeaked out a 17-10 win after Rob Blanchflower had his touchdown reception fall into his hands to secure the win for the Minutemen.

Although Miami is still winless on the season, a big part of its turnaround can be credited to new head coach Chuck Martin and quarterback Andrew Hendrix, both of whom came from Notre

Dame prior to the season. Martin was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the Fighting Irish when they made it to the BCS National Championship game in 2013. Martin also won two national championships with Grand Valley State in Division II. Hendrix is a duel-threat quarterback that has shown that he isn’t afraid to air it long down the field, as well as the ability to step up in the pocket and run for first downs as well. Despite having problems with his accuracy (45 percent completion rate this season), Hendrix has thrown ten touchdown passes this season.

The Red Hawks have only two rushing touchdowns on the season.

“We can’t underestimate them.

They’re at the same spot as us, and they are eager for a win just as much as we are,” linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox said. “The game is like a chess match. I think it’s a lot of fun and that’s

how the game should be. We have to get off the field more, which will solve a lot of our issues.”

Last Saturday against Bowling Green, UMass’ defense was on the field for 108 plays. The Minutemen can expect a similar up-tempo, spread offense from the Red Hawks who love to call their plays at the line of scrimmage.

“Playing MAC schools is more strategy. Instead of trying to bully you around, these teams feel like they match up better with you and will try to beat you using their own stuff. We’ll have to be ready for trick plays and other spread ball stuff,” said Colton.

Looking to build off of last week’s record-breaking performance is quarterback Blake Frohnapfel, who finished with 589 passing yards and five touchdowns. Frohnapfel has already thrown for two more touchdown passes this season than UMass see

WINLESS on page 9

Massachusetts football running back Shadrach Abrokwah contemplated his answer, briefly searching for the magic ingredient to fix UMass’ fledgling running game.

“Just more will,” Abrokwah said after a pause. “Willpower and faith, I have to have faith in my blockers too and trust them.”

Depending on the person, the answer will vary. The Minutemen feel they’re close to breaking through with their rushing attack. But small mistakes and technique breakdowns hinder UMass’ ability to generate consistency.

For Abrokwah, part of finding his rhythm was simply playing more snaps. The sophomore running back started Saturday against Bowling Green, his first appearance of the season after missing the first four games of the year due to a non-disciplinary, non-football eligibility issue.

On the fourth drive of the game, Abrokwah fumbled on his own 30-yard line after a threeyard run. It was just his fourth carry of the game, and only his second carry, which gained positive yardage. Bowling Green scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive to take a 10-7 lead.

Abrokwah called it a “rough start,” but UMass coach Mark Whipple sent him right back onto the field the next drive. He finished with 37 rushing yards and a touchdown.

“The main thing I forgot was the speed of the game and how fast it was moving,” Abrokwah said.

“When I first saw the holes, those holes close really quick,” he said with a laugh. “I had to hustle a little bit more and make my read and be patient.”

As the Minutemen prepare for this Saturday’s game against Miami (OH), the focus is keeping those holes open longer to sustain a legitimate ground attack.

Through five losses, UMass is averaging just 60 yards per game on the ground. It’s lost 210 yards rushing and averages just 2.0 yards per carry. Against see

RUN GAME on page 9

Jean Sifrin unsatisfied with start to ‘14 season TE laments team’s current 0-5 record

By Mark Chiarelli Collegian Staff

At an imposing 6-foot-7, 250 pounds, few things can weigh on Jean Sifrin. But the Massachusetts football team’s current record of 0-5 is certainly doing its best.

Sifrin enters the sixth week of the season preoccupied with preparation for Miami (OH) as he and his teammates continue to search for the Minutemen’s first victory of the season. UMass is close – it traded blows with former Mid-American Conference champion Bowling Green in a 47-42 loss a week ago – but hasn’t cleared the final hurdle. And it’s clear simply from speaking to Sifrin that it’s eating away at him.

“It’s just a lot, being 0-5 right now,” Sifrin said. “I have a lot on my mind.”

The junior transfer from El Camino Community College’s start to 2014 put himself in opposing coaches’ minds, too. In four games, Sifrin has 14 catches for 194 yards and two touchdowns.

He scored two touchdowns in his UMass debut against Colorado and caught eight passes for 135 yards last week against the Falcons.

He’s a hulking target across the middle of the field and showed an ability to catch passes in traffic against Bowling Green. But it was the plays he didn’t make – Sifrin dropped three passes – combined with an inability to secure a victory which Sifrin harped on when interviewed Wednesday.

“It’s not how effective you are, it’s how efficient you are,” Sifrin said. “I had

a pretty OK game, but I still had three drops. I had one ball that I couldn’t locate that could have easily been a touchdown for me.”

“It’s a learning process, you build on your mistakes,” he said. “But it shouldn’t have been like that. Those plays were simple enough; the balls were in my hands. I shouldn’t have ever dropped them.”

While Sifrin is equal parts critical and accountable, his injection into UMass coach Mark Whipple’s offense is garnering positive feedback.

“He’s huge,” Minutemen q u a r t e r b a ck B l a ke Frohnapfel said.

“You see a couple of those plays, it’s pretty tight windows. And I can trust him to go in there and try to make a catch. He’s a guy that I’ve really enjoyed to have and I’m lucky that he came here.”

Initially, Sifrin’s involvement in 2014 was unclear.

He missed all of training camp and the first week of the season while he awaited eligibility clearance from the NCAA after transferring. Unable to practice with the team, Sifrin was left to watch practice from the stands and work out on his own.

Upon gaining clearance before UMass’ second game of the season against Colorado, Sifrin was immediately inserted into the lineup. Each week, he becomes more comfortable.

“He’s just getting better,” Whipple said. “(He’s) understanding coverages a lot better and the speed of the game after not practicing at camp. He took another step this past week and he’s seen the tape, now you can coach him. He missed a few things but made some plays.”

Sifrin said he’s “adjust-

JUDITH GIBSON-OKUNIEFF/COLLEGIAN

Jean Sifrin runs away from a defender in UMass’ loss to Bowling Green. ing well” to the offensive system. It helped that he played in a style of offense similar to Whipple’s in junior college. He said the biggest difference was an increased amount of plays and the new terminology used to describe them.

He also noted that team

continues to install new packages every week.

Sifrin called the ability to play in an offense as creative as Whipple’s a “blessing.”

“It’s a blessing to have a coach like that,” Sifrin see

SIFRIN on page 9