WITHIN REACH
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ZAC BEARS ARGUES:
‘U.S. INEQUALITY IS KILLING DEMOCRACY’
Colorado edges UMass 41 - 38
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UM unions rally against concession Negotiations affect wages for unions By Marie MacCune Collegian Staff
ZOE MERVINE/COLLEGIAN
The Baystate Carnival invited students to participate in games, tie dye and arts and crafts as a part of the Welcome Week schedule.
Members from all unions on campus rallied around the Whitmore Administration Building in protest of the University of Massachusetts’ concessionary bargaining proposals last Friday. According to Donna Johnson, president of the University Staff Association, all UMass unions are in negotiations with the UMass. Contracts between the University and the unions expired in June. “We’re being asked to give many concessions. They’re sort of taking with one hand and not giving anything in return,” Johnson said. “They’re taking away fundamental rights. In an email sent out by rally organizers to news outlets, Professional Staff
Union Co-Chair Jo Martone outlined a list of “egregious administration positions” including elimination of comp time, limiting sick and vacation leave accrual, requiring members whom the administration feels are unfit for service to be examined by a physician of the administration’s choosing, threatening retroactivity of raises if the unions do not accept administration demands and loss of first consideration of internal job candidates. “We are being told that the must-have concessions are coming directly from the president’s office. The message that we’re getting from them is that we cost them money. But how many times does the chancellor’s office need to be remodeled?” Johnson said. “To me, it’s like, why should they balance their budgets on the backs of their workers? Unlike other state employees who have see
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UM women’s group fights against gender inequality
UMass launches campaign to raise suicide awareness
New program to train future leaders
CCPH organizes week-long event
By Eleanor Harte Collegian Staff
Undergraduate women at the University of Massachusetts who seek careers in public service will soon have a program devoted to helping them reach their goal. UMass Women into Leadership, a new program through the Department of Political Science, aims to reduce the gender gap in public service through networking, mentorships and professional development programming. “UWiL is designed to give our current students the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the public sector – not only as high quality workers, but as powerful leaders,” executive director Michelle Goncalves said. Goncalves said she first got the idea for the program at a networking event through the political science department held a few years ago where the majority of the attendees and the speakers were male. She said she quickly noticed the gender disparity, as well as the fact that the male and female attendees approached the networking opportunity differently. Soon, she had an idea for a program she hopes will fill an important gap on campus. “Whether they want to run for office, seek a cabinet appointment or serve as a senior staffer, our trainees will gain the skills, support, knowledge and networks they need to pursue a path of leadership in public office,” said Christina M. Knowles, co-chair of the
Board of Directors and a UMass alumna. The program is open to any female undergraduate, regardless of major, class, year or political ideology. Goncalves is specifically looking for a wide variety of students to apply to the program. “We hope that our cohort of students reflect the diversity of political opinions on campus,” she said. UWiL will consist of a one-credit class with academic readings and assignments and a hands-on portion involving a weekend skill-building workshop, facilitated networking opportunities and the mentorship of UWiL board members, many of whom are UMass alumni. The program will bring together a group of women interested in furthering their leadership capabilities and give them the tools and people to help them do so. “Encouraging more women to enter politics is the passion of these women and they were very eager to help out,” Goncalves said. “In many ways, the board reflects the skills UWiL students will gain through the program - political fundraising, communication, lobbying, campaign management, elected office and more.” An ideal student for the program is not necessarily heavily involved with politics or public service. Goncalves stressed that students who haven’t been involved within the campus can still possess the skillsets to make them good leaders. “The ideal applicant will be interested in building her skillset, learning about public service and want to enter the political arena after graduation,” Goncalves said. The program’s launch
comes at a time when women’s equality is increasingly in the news, from the existence of “Women’s Equality Day” to Beyonce’s feministemblazoned performance at the Video Music Awards. The national conscience has never been more in tune to this issue, and yet, Goncalves said she thinks the right time for this program would have been several years ago. “When I talk to alumni about UWiL their response is always, ‘I wish that existed on campus when I was there,’” Goncalves said. Alumni have been crucial to helping Goncalves transform the program from an idea raised in a board meeting to a functioning program, especially financially, since it isn’t feasible for the University to fully fund the program each year. Michaelah Morrill is co-chair of the Board of Directors and as an alumna herself, heavily involved with the UMass Political Science Department. “Women aren’t projected to have a 50 percent majority in Congress until 2121, despite being 50 percent of the population,” Morrill said. “As a society we can do better than that – and UMass and UWiL can help.” Goncalves said she hopes to one day see the program listed on the resumes of the top leaders in the state. “As the state’s flagship campus, I think we have a responsibility to train our students to be effective public leaders,” she said. “Leaders who understand public education and can be a lasting presence in the political world.” Applications are due Oct. 15, and the program will begin in the spring semester. Eleanor Harte can be reached at eharte@umass.edu.
By Julia McLaughlin Collegian Staff
In recognition of National Suicide Prevention Week, which starts Monday, the University of Massachusetts’ Center for Counseling and Psychological Health is holding a campaign all this week to promote awareness on campus. Elle Berch-Heyman, coordinator of community outreach for CCPH, is overseeing the campaign while collaborating with other CCPH staff members and on-campus organizations. The theme of this year’s National Suicide Prevention Week is “Suicide Prevention: One World Connected.” According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, suicide is the sec-
ond-leading cause of death among young adults aged 18-24. At UMass, the campaign organized through CCPH focuses on increasing awareness of this prevalent issue. Heyman said the intention of this campaign is to “spread awareness paired with the resources both on and off campus to help people recover and get better.” “I hope that conversations continue to happen and that people know that recovery is possible and learn that people are in recovery around acute mental health symptoms and are doing really well,” she added. Heyman expressed gratitude for being able to work with UMass programs such as Active Minds and collaborate with WMUA 91.1 FM on recording public service announcements for the campaign, which will continue throughout the year.
Although there were a few obstacles in the planning of this campaign, Heyman said she has received positive feedback. “There are challenges in organizing when there’s just so much bombardment of information,” she said. “I was a little worried if I could collaborate with everyone at this big start and the response has been really nice.” One portion of the campaign involves a suicide prevention panel organized by Active Minds, which will take place on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. “There will be representatives around the community of resources as well as speakers that will talk about how to cope, recognize signs and what to do to help prevent suicide,” Heyman said. The staff of CCPH will participate in the recent see
AWARENESS on page 2
JULIA MCLAUGHLIN/COLLEGIAN
The Center for Counseling and Psychological Health is seeking to raise suicide prevention awareness this week.
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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Monday, September 8, 2014
THE RUNDOWN ON THIS DAY... In 1988, Yellowstone National Park was forced to close for the first time ever in U.S. history due to persitent, ongoing fires.
AROUND THE WORLD MARIUPOL, Ukraine – A 2-day-old cease-fire between pro-Russia separatists and Ukrainian government troops was violated several times early Sunday as Ukrainian positions were bombarded with artillery and missile fire. The barrage, which began shortly after midnight, destroyed a gas station near a checkpoint on the outskirts of Mariupol. In another violent incident, unknown attackers with automatic weapons fired on a car in the city’s center about 1 a.m. and killed two people. The car was carrying three adults and two children. The two slain were adults; the others in the vehicle were injured and taken to a hospital. Another post-midnight attack on a civilian car elsewhere in Mariupol left two people wounded, said a spokesman for the Azov Battalion, a volunteer Ukrainian militia. “It looks as if enemy infiltrators were trying to stage these random attacks to sow panic in the city,” said the spokesman, whose code name is Baida. Separatist leaders in the Donetsk region, meanwhile, accused Ukrainian troops of violating the truce and threatened retaliation. “By all accounts, (Ukraine President Petro) Poroshenko is not completely in charge of his troops,” Vladimir Kononov, a defense official of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, said in a statement on the group’s website. “For Kiev, the goal of the truce is to regroup and deal us a strike. We are ready for it. If provocations continue, I will have to give an order to shoot to kill.” No military casualties were reported in the attacks Sunday. It was unclear whether Ukrainian forces responded, but artillery fire could be heard outside the city until 2 a.m. The truce had been called Friday to end five months of conflict in eastern Ukraine that has cost nearly 3,000 lives. Mariupol, with a population of 500,000, the second-largest city in the Donetsk region, was still recovering from a week of being threatened by separatists backed by Russian troops who had crossed the border late last month. Thousands of residents fled the city, fearing an imminent assault. Distributed by MCT Information Services
AWARENESS “Doubtfire Face for Suicide Prevention” campaign found on Facebook on Thursday, in which individuals share videos of themselves shoving a pie in their face in recognition of the recent suicide of Robin Williams. With “Say ‘Hello!’ to Suicide Prevention” as its slogan, the cause hopes to pay tribute to the life and work of Robin Williams while also spreading awareness of suicide prevention. Along with increasing awareness of suicide prevention, de-stigmatizing mental illness is an important aspect in understanding the issue. “One of the things that I really liked about the opportunity to come work here is last year some of the work that was done was on de-stigmatizing mental illness and I found that really powerful and inspiring,” Heyman said. From a grant provided in 2006 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CCPH received federal funding to spread suicide prevention awareness. Because this work with suicide prevention was so extensive and successful, CCPH received a second three-year SAMHSA grant to expand these efforts in 2009. The grant program included awareness campaigns, residential life training and UMass community training. Some of the work for this issue included a campaign for National Suicide Awareness Month and National Survivors of Suicide Day in November 2010 and 2011, all supported through the SAMHSA grant program. Once the second grant
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ended, CCPH decided to carry on the work, with Heyman leading these efforts. “The work was so wellreceived that CCPH and UMass decided to fully fund my position,” Heyman said. Half of Heyman’s work focuses on community outreach and gatekeeper training, also known as suicide prevention training. This training can be done for anyone on campus including faculty, different departments and residential life and not only focuses on suicide prevention but mental health as well. “Any department can request specific training,” she said. As a “point person” for this job, Heyman then does the training herself or has another representative from CCPH provide the support training to make these initiatives happen. Having this job, Heyman also understands the risk. “It’s really hard to do this work and not have people share stories about their own lives being touched by losing somebody that they loved or watching a family struggle by losing somebody,” she said. But, she says there is also a reward for her work. “As a clinician, I also know that there’s help and people get better and I’ve watched people get better,” she said. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free, confidential suicide prevention services 24/7 and can be reached at 1-800-2738255. UMass CCPH locations are at 127 Hills North and 123 Berkshire House. Their clinicians can be reached by phone at 413-545-2337 or 413545-0333. Julia McLaughlin can be reached at jmmclaughlin@umass.edu.
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According to Donna Johnson, president of the University Staff Association, all UMass unions are in negotiations with the UMass. Contracts between the University and the unions expired in June. recently settled contracts, the University is asking us to give back some of our basic benefits to pay for cost of living increases.” The extended negotiations are having an effect on the union members’ pay. According to Johnson, “the amount of appropriations the University asked for was based on what we would settle for July 1, but what they’re threatening is that if we don’t settle by mid-October then they won’t pay us back through July. If we negotiate until December, then we’ll lose out on all those months too. ” Rally organizers Maryelen Calderwood and Kerry Brown, graduate students who are studying Labor Studies, estimated 500 union members and supporters marched with them from the Student Union around the Whitmore Administration Building and back. According to Calderwood, “all the unions on campus are experiencing the same kind of unfair take backs.” “We are getting academically trained to organize, the labor center rocks. It’s all about people getting together to get stuff done” she said in regards to organizing the rally. “We want the University to bargain collectively, but collective bargaining is not recognizable this time.” Nicholas Chavez, who works in the Information Technologies Department and led protesters in chants, said he was at the rally to “stand up for what’s right, what’s just, what’s fair, and what was
contractually agreed upon. If this University can afford to move a 200-year-old building a few yards to build another building, then we have money and don’t need to take it from unions.” Some protestors banged on drums while others chanted slogans such as “UMass works because we do.” and “This is what democracy looks like.” In front of the Student Union, protestors sang “Solidarity Forever.” Tyler Rocco, a graduate student studying Labor Studies, marched and helped gather signatures for a petition against the administration’s proposals. “For me, I feel that the way this University treats its workers is a reflection of how it treats the students,” he said. “There are so many examples of the way this University spends money that doesn’t add to the benefit of its workers and employees.” Anais Surkin, co-chair of the Graduate Employee Organization, said, “I’m in this rally because this administration has really attacked these unions, eroding our workplace. I’m here to show power and solidarity. Unions are what make this university run. The University has taken the stance that equity is a race to the bottom, but we disagree. We want to raise everyone up.” “When we bargain, we don’t just bargain for today,” said Johnson. “We bargain for tomorrow.” Marie MacCune can be reached at mmaccune@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @MarieMacCune.
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UM alumna filming lives of migrant workers in Mexico
Van Dyke to focus on women’s stories
“I don’t think that there’s a better way to tell a story than through video.” Lindsay Van Dyke
By Jaclyn Bryson Collegian Staff
By the time you read this, one University of Massachusetts alumna will have already left the country, embarking on a nine-month excursion to Mexico City to film the stories of migrant workers no one has heard from before. But despite this being the longest Lindsay Van Dyke will have ever lived abroad, she said she has no fear. “I’m not really afraid. It’s just there are a lot of unknowns,” she said. “I’m excited to just grow as a person and a filmmaker and to understand things outside the U.S. and how it connects to the U.S.” Van Dyke graduated cum laude from UMass in 2011 with a major in sociology and a concentration in film studies. With the skills she has learned in part at UMass and with a grant earned through the Fulbright Program, she will create two short films documenting the experiences of migrant workers and the challenges they face in their lifetimes. The specific challenges that Van Dyke will focus on relate to legal migrant workers. One of the biggest challenges they are dealt, she said, is that after receiving all visas and legal paperwork needed to work in the U.S., they often find themselves subjected to large fees as they go through the hiring process.
“It’s a tricky situation, particularly when you are legal to work here, but then because of the way the hiring process is, it adds these other dimensions of difficulties to work, when (migrants) thought they were doing everything they were supposed to,” she said. Van Dyke has also taken a particular interest in female migrant workers since, she said, there are additional hardships that accompany these women. Historically, Van Dyke said, women usually stayed behind while others migrated to find work, or women would typically travel alongside their families in large groups. Now, it’s more common for women to travel alone. “It’s a tricky situation for women. They have this other added challenge of sexual abuse – a huge issue for them – and just other discriminations based on being a woman in job placement,” she added. To expose these conditions, Van Dyke relies on the power of film, which she has had experience with before, seeing firsthand how it can make a difference. She recently created a short film for the M.N. Spear library in Shutesbury, titled, “Where would you be without your library?” It was a short and simple film, she said, but it quickly gained popularity and grabbed the attention of many media outlets, including Oprah and the Huffington Post, and raised
over $80,000 in donations for the local library. “I don’t think that there’s a better way to tell a story than through video,” she said. “I think that people can get inspired (by film) and it can travel well and be able to tell stories really quickly.” According to a press release, Van Dyke is one of 1,800 Americans to travel abroad with the aid of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program this year. Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has awarded over 360,000 recipients the funds necessary to conduct research, and, according to the release, “is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” Aside from her efforts to reveal the stories of migrant workers, Van Dyke also hopes her ambitions inspire others. “If people see the films, I think that people should see that if you can have an idea for something that you feel strongly about pursuing, then that’s a sign to you that you should pursue it and see it through,” she said. “I do believe that if you do work hard in that sense you will benefit from it, and it if it’s an issue that you care about, others will, too.” Jaclyn Bryson can be reached at jbryson@umass.edu.
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Monday, September 8, 2014
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Obama to address nation after military expansion Speech Wednesday will outline strategy By Don Lee and W.J. Hennigan Los Angeles Times WA S H I N G T O N — President Barack Obama plans to address the nation Wednesday to outline a broader offensive against Sunni militants in the Middle East, a move welcomed by a number of key congressional leaders who have come to view the extremist group Islamic State as an increasingly menacing threat to the U.S. Foreshadowing his remarks in an interview aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Obama said that it was time for the U.S. to “start going on some offense” to beat back Islamic State fighters. “I’m preparing the country to make sure that we deal with a threat,” Obama told NBC. Meanwhile, the U.S. military made clear the expanding scope of its air campaign against the extremist group, with American fighter and bomber jets conducting a new series of strikes near the Haditha Dam in western Iraq. The dam is controlled by Iraqi security forces, but has been under frequent attack by Islamic State fighters intent on seizing it, the Pentagon said. As the Obama administration seeks to put together a coalition to act against the Islamic State, the secretary-general of the Arab League provided encouragement Sunday. Nabil Elaraby told member foreign ministers gath-
ered in Cairo that Arab states must unite to confront the threat posed by the radical group, also known as ISIS, which has seized large chunks of territory in Syria and Iraq, killed thousands of adherents to non-Sunni religious faiths, threatened Iraq’s government and the semiautonomous Kurdish region and beheaded two American journalists. Western action against Islamic State would be greatly eased by an Arab call for joint action, Elaraby told the ministers, citing previous accords under which member states would defend one another. Since Aug. 8, the U.S. has conducted 143 airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq, actions Obama has said have been designed to protect people against genocidal attacks and to safeguard key property including the huge Mosul dam on the Tigris River. The airstrikes near the Haditha Dam, which took place late Saturday and Sunday, were meant to protect the Euphrates River facility, which provides fresh water for millions of Iraqis as well as crops. “The potential loss of control of the dam or a catastrophic failure of the dam — and the flooding that might result – would have threatened U.S. personnel and facilities in and around Baghdad, as well as thousands of Iraqi citizens,” Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a statement. Despite his actions thus far, Obama has been criticized by some for failing to set a clear strategy on how to deal with the
Islamic State, reflecting his reluctance to commit American forces to another war in Iraq. In the wake of the militants’ attack on minority Yazidis in Iraq and the beheadings of the American journalists, there have been growing calls from Congress and others for more aggressive action. “What I want people to understand is that over the course of months, we are going to be able to not just blunt the momentum” of the militants, Obama said on NBC on Sunday. “We
he is preparing a new phase in U.S. military action and would be seeking to rally the American public – and Congress – behind the broader mission. Among those in Congress welcoming such action was Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee. “I think that this is a major change in how ISIS is approached,” she said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” noting the coalition that the U.S. has forged with a number of
“What I want people to understand is that over the course of months, we are going to be able to not just blunt the momentum. We are going to systematically degrade their capabilities. We’re going to shrink the territory that they control. And ultimately, we’re going to defeat them.” President Barack Obama are going to systematically degrade their capabilities. We’re going to shrink the territory that they control. And ultimately, we’re going to defeat them.” Although Obama said there would be a “military element” to the strategy, he added that “this is not going to be an announcement about U.S. ground troops.” “This is not the equivalent of the Iraq war,” he said. “What this is, is similar to the kinds of counterterrorism campaigns that we’ve been engaging in consistently over the last five, six, seven years.” Obama’s planned speech Wednesday suggests that
allies, including some Middle Eastern countries, to counter the militant fighters. “It is overdue,” she said, “but the president is now there, and I think it’s the right thing for America.” Feinstein said she supported deploying the American military’s special operations forces and cracking down on sources of Islamic State funding, among other more aggressive actions. “ISIS is a major threat to this country in the future,” she said, noting that she believed the group was seeking to advance to Baghdad and to attack the U.S. Embassy there.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement that the Islamic State threat was “real and it’s growing.” He urged Obama to “exercise some leadership” and to engage Congress with “a strategic plan.” Whether Cong ress will actually vote on Obama’s plan is uncertain. Congressional leaders have said they want Congress to be consulted, but they have not committed to a vote. And though some members of Congress have said they believe that they should go on record concerning military action, others are reluctant to do so with an election coming in less than two months. On Tuesday, Obama approved sending 350 additional troops to Baghdad to increase diplomatic security for State Department officials at the Baghdad embassy compound and its support facilities. There were about 200 to 300 U.S. military personnel in Iraq in mid-June. As Islamic State grew in numbers, seized Mosul and began to advance toward the Iraqi capital, the administration began sending more forces to the country. With the 350 newly announced personnel, the size of the U.S. contingent will have increased to 1,113. U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said the strikes near the Haditha Dam destroyed eight Islamic State vehicles – two of which carried antiaircraft artillery – a command post and two fighting positions.
The dam is on a road about 100 miles from the border with Syria. It is the second-largest hydroelectric contributor in the power system in Iraq, the Pentagon said. In addition, a military aircraft conducted one airstrike against an Islamic State target near Mosul dam Saturday. U.S. air support there last month helped Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces take back control of the dam, which is still under attack. Both the Arab world and Western nations have been groping for a means of responding to the Islamic State, which has eclipsed al-Qaida in its radicalism, degree of on-the-ground military effectiveness and extent of territory captured. Arab League leader Elaraby, in his comments Sunday, appeared to pave the way for Arab agreement to a Western intervention, noting that a “comprehensive confrontation” was needed to cope militarily with the threat posed by the Islamic State. “What is happening in Iraq, and the presence of an armed terrorist group that not only challenges the state authority but its very existence and that of other countries ... is one of the examples of the challenges that are violently shaking the world,” he told the gathering, according to The Associated Press. Times staff writer Laura King and special correspondent Amro Hassan in Cairo contributed to this report.
Ebola vaccine effective in Program launched to make recent testing on monkeys NY cops wear body cameras GlaxpSmithKline creates treatment By Lauren Raab, Melissa Healy and Matt Pearce Los Angeles Times
Tests of an experimental Ebola vaccine have shown positive results, protecting healthy monkeys from the virus, the National Institutes of Health announced Sunday, as West Africa grapples with an epidemic that has killed about 2,000 people. Researchers gave four macaque monkeys a shot of the experimental vaccine, called ChAd3, and exposed them to high levels of the Ebola virus five weeks later. All the monkeys were protected, the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said. The protection decreased over time, however: Ten months after receiving the vaccine, just two of the four were protected. Researchers also tried giving monkeys the experimental vaccine and then, eight weeks later, a booster vaccine. Ten months after the initial dose, all four monkeys were fully protected, the institute said. The authors of the latest study, published Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine, suggested that without the booster, the Ebola virus can quickly regain a foothold and attack the immune system. Human safety trials of the ChAd3 vaccine were scheduled to start last week in Bethesda, Md., with preliminary results due by the end of 2014. In the current crisis, American officials overseeing the trials suggested that the availability of a tested
Researchers gave four macaque monkeys a shot of the experimental vaccine, called ChAd3, and exposed them to high levels of the Ebola virus five weeks later. vaccine would offer some assurance of protection to health-care workers wary of going to West Africa. The experimental vaccine was developed by the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. The research team was led by Nancy J. Sullivan of the NIH and included scientists from Okairos, a biotechnology company that is now part of GlaxoSmithKline, and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. Separately, an Ebolainfected American doctor being treated in Nebraska has shown improvement but is still very ill, his wife said. Dr. Rick Sacra, 51, an obstetrician who lives in the Boston area, contracted the deadly virus while treating patients in Liberia as part of a missionary program. He was flown to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha on Friday. “Rick is very sick and weak, but slightly improved from when he arrived yesterday,” his wife, Debbie Sacra, said in a statement released Saturday night by SIM USA, the missionary group to which Rick Sacra belongs. She said she and her husband want to keep the media focus on the African countries ravaged by the disease. “We don’t want this story to be about Rick,” she said. “The story is the crisis in West Africa. That is what is most important. The world is coming to this fight late.”
This year’s Ebola outbreak is the worst on record, with a fatality rate of 53 percent, according to the World Health Organization. Rick Sacra is the third American to be transported to the U.S. this year after contracting the virus. Nancy Writebol and Dr. Kent Brantly, who were also missionaries in Liberia, recovered after treatment at a special infectious-disease unit at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. Writebol and Brantly received an experimental medication, ZMapp, but it is unclear whether that helped them. In all, seven Ebola patients received ZMapp. Five were later released from hospitals; the other two did not survive. The company that developed the drug, Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. of San Diego, says it has no doses left. Making it is time-consuming, but the U.S. is trying to help the company speed up the process. There is no cure or approved vaccine for Ebola, which triggers hemorrhaging and is transmitted through contact with the bodily fluids of those infected. The latest outbreak was first detected in Guinea in March and has since affected Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal, where at least one patient has been identified. Times staff writer Alexandra Zavis contributed to this report.
Initiative could begin in the fall By James Queally Los Angeles Times
Sixty New York City police officers will wear body cameras as part of a pilot program after a federal lawsuit challenging the department’s controversial stop-and-frisk tactics and the recent chokehold death of Eric Garner during an arrest, city officials said. Implementing the program was part of a settlement reached last year after a federal judge put a stop to stop-and-frisk, which many said unfairly targeted black men while doing little to reduce crime. “Having patrol officers wear body cameras during this pilot demonstrates our commitment to transparency while it will also allow us to review its effectiveness with the intention of expanding the program,” said Police Commissioner William J. Bratton. The department will use two camera models: the Axon Flex developed by stun-gun magnate TASER, and the LE3 made by Vievu. Bratton said the department chose the models after meetings with police officials in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Oakland. Bratton said officers will begin wearing the devices in the fall. Six command areas, those with the highest number of stop-and-frisk encounters in 2012, were chosen for the pilot program. T hose commands include the 120th precinct on Staten Island, which
Implementing the program was part of a settlement reached last year after a federal judge put a stop to stop-and-frisk, which many said unfairly targeted black men while doing little to reduce crime. patrols the neighborhood where Garner died on July 17 after he was placed in a chokehold by officers trying to arrest him on suspicion of selling untaxed cigarettes. Garner’s death, which led to a citywide backlash and criticism of the department’s tactics, was later ruled a homicide. Two police officers remain under an internal investigation, and the Staten Island district attorney has convened a grand jury to consider criminal charges. After Garner’s death, Bratton sent a contingent of city officers to Los Angeles for additional training. The Los Angeles Police Department began a similar body camera pilot program earlier this year, with 30 officers who patrol the city’s downtown area. The department expects to buy 600 of the devices. Patrick Lynch, president of New York City’s largest police union, seemed to cautiously embrace the program. “A body camera pilot program is part of our challenge to Judge (Shira) Scheindlin’s decision on stop, question and frisk,” he said in a statement. “Police officers have nothing to hide, but there are many unanswered questions as to how this will work practically. We await the answers.”
A series of recent questionable deaths after clashes between police officers and suspects have raised the national discussion on police accountability measures. Police in Ferguson, Mo., began wearing body cameras in recent days, a little over a month after the shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed young black man, sparked weeks of unrest in the St. Louis suburb. Bratton’s announcement drew praise, and skepticism, from civil rights leaders. Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said that she hopes the cameras are used to monitor cops, not civilians. “Body cameras ought to be a win-win for both the police and the communities they serve as long as their use is limited to police interactions and addressing complaints of abuse or wrongdoing,” Lieberman said in a statement. “But we also have concerns about mission creep and privacy. The NYPD has a long history of engaging in surveillance of innocent New Yorkers, and body cameras can’t become yet another tool for massive police surveillance.”
Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
“Do or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda
Monday, September 8, 2014
Editorial@DailyCollegiancom
American oligarchy: Inequality’s consequence In December 2013, The Washington Post’s Wonkblog named Emmanuel Saez and
Zac Bears Thomas Piketty’s chart on income inequality the “Graph of the Year.” This chart shows the share of income captured by the top 10 percent of Americans from 1917 to 2012. In 2012 over 50 percent of income went to 10 percent of the population; this is the highest level since 1917 and similar to those seen between 1917 and 1932. Between 1937 and 1982, the top 10 percent’s share of income hovered around 35 percent. This cor-
UMass Dining workers losing out The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME (Local 1776) is the union that bargains
Benjamin Walton for University of Massachusetts Dining employees. Dining employees are assigned categories: “01,” “03,” and “student hire.” The 01s and 03s are unionized and have AFSCME negotiating for them. Today, 01s at UMass are unionized with contracts and have access to benefits. The 03 workers are unionized without contracts, have no benefits and seemingly endless bargaining has resulted in the administration’s refusal to raise wages. Student hires cannot unionize.
The 01/03 distinction The 01 employees are full-time under contract, and consequently receive retirement benefits, sick time, group insurance, industrial accident coverage and vacation time. The 03s are meant to be “seasonal hires” and receive no benefits or bargaining power because of the supposed turnover. They have no contracts, are paid from a money pool separate from the main pool and are referred to as “non-employees,” hired for what UMass determines to be “contractual service.” Most significantly, 03s are temporary hires, as is explicitly outlined in the Campus 03 Policy. Student hires are undergraduates, start at minimum wage and are not allowed to unionize. In practice, however, this dynamic does not play out. Instead, the vast majority of 03s work fulltime for years, but never receive 01 status and thus lack access to crucial benefits. This is not a shortterm arrangement; many 03s have been working for UMass Dining for five or 10 years. UMass Dining fires and rehires these workers every season, year after year. By any other definition, these employees are full-time and entitled to union benefits, but the University continues to deny them job security and access to benefits. The pervading bargaining stalemate is unacceptable and the employees deserve more from a multi-million dollar employer. The lack of 03 benefits is not incidental. A long-time 03 was recently forced to pay out-of-pocket for expensive, necessary dental surgery because he lacked benefits. Long-time UMass chefs, integral in
various dining operations, struggle daily to justify their immense amount of work for mere 03 status with hourly wages. A working single mother has no guaranteed healthcare, is can’t take sick days and loses money over holidays. Thus, she is forced to work nonstop to afford food and childcare.
[03s] v. The UMass Board of Trustees (1979) On Jan. 4, 1979, The Board of Trustees of UMass and the University were taken to court by 20 laborers stuck in 03 limbo. Then Justice of the Superior Court Department Joseph Ford signed a decision of sweeping oversight and broad restrictions on the management of 03 workers. The 20 plaintiffs were moved to 01 status and paid significant retroactive sums. “Section X: Future Use of 03 Funding” strongly asserts that
“UMass actively disadvantages people who are systematically disadvantaged in all walks of life.” UMass must expand oversight. This policy nominally requires that 03 workers truly be temporary (meaning no more than one year), all 03 appointments be subject to personnel office review board and that UMass make “good faith efforts” to put 03s in a higher classification within a year. This decision lays out explicit instructions for the University to expand oversight and establish mechanisms ensuring that longterm employees are not stuck without benefits. The case resulted in the establishment of the aforementioned Campus 03 Policy (dated July 1, 1984), but the University has been entirely unwilling to keep the definition of 03 narrow. The aforementioned “personnel office review board” does not exist and 03s continue to be employed for extended periods without access to benefits. At the end of the 2013-2014 school year, dining halls fired 10 03s one month early to save money. All workers depend on payment through their employment periods; this minimal job security is important for 01s and “non-employees” alike. But without union contracts, the University is free to fire hardworking employees early, leaving
them without work unexpectedly. These problems are systemic and long-standing. According to long-time employees, union representatives and former students, the vast majority of 03s work longterm, and that same majority is personally disadvantaged without access to benefits. The 03 designation is a seasonal position in name only; its working function is to deny full-time workers union rights. The demographic of the employee pool is also troubling. An estimated 90 percent of 03s are women or people of color. By withholding workplace rights for 03s, UMass actively disadvantages people who are systematically disadvantaged in all walks of life. UMass trumpets diversity as a cornerstone value, but the administration drags its feet in contract negotiations that would directly benefit the underrepresented people who carry the well-being of Auxiliary Enterprises on their backs.
Student hires and the right to unionize Many argue that unionizing undergraduates is hopeless because of the turnover. Students frequently come in and out of the system, graduate and cannot be student hires more than a couple of years. But undergraduate resident assistants (RAs) unionized and they have since seen significant wage increases. There is no reason that other groups cannot follow in step. Student workers pushing for unionization point to their impact on the school; indeed, student workers help run the library, secure the dorms and cook food for thousands of people every day. With average student loan debt at an all-time high of about $30,000 per student, it’s incomprehensible that student hires start at a meager $8 an hour. Furthermore, internal raises are sluggish and uncommon. One student worked in the same UMass Dining building for 11 months before his supervisor gave him a raise (reportedly out of pity and frustration with institutional inefficiency). Now making a whopping $9 an hour, the former student called the wage “lucky.” But even $9 an hour is insufficient in the face of rent, food costs and $30,000 in debt. Students sacrifice time from their academics to do jobs crucial to the University’s function, but earn low wages and have no voice in workplace malpractice. Benjamin Walton is a Collegian contributor. He can be reached at bwalton@umass.edu.
instruments. This wealth inequality is only compounded by the growing income inequality. Year after year, the rich get richer while the other 90 percent of Americans are stuck running in place. Since 2009, 95 percent of all income growth has gone to the top 1 percent of Americans. Inequality is rising even faster than before under President Barack Obama, even if the Republicans don’t want anyone to know that. Martin Gilens from Princeton and Benjamin Page of Northwestern University collaborated on a study exploring the political influence of American voters compared to the influence of business and special interests.
“Only serious changes to public policy can begin to roll back the concentration of political and economic power most feared by the Founding Fathers.” responds with the largest economic boom ever, the creation of the largest middle class in history and the establishment of the consumer base that fuels the U.S. economy. The 2008-2010 corporate bailouts provided hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars in welfare. Wall Street has been railing against extensive benefits for the poor and elderly for 30 years, but when they needed welfare –far more than is provided to the poor –no questions were asked, few criticisms were made and limited restrictions made the bailouts seem like a blank check. The political hypocrisy of the capitalist class created the Occupy protests, but economic organization is responsible for the positions of power corporate leaders possess. A 2012 “Economist” special report focused on inequality in the U.S. and around the world. The Gini coefficient is a measurement of inequality using a zero to one scale, with zero being perfectly equal and one being perfectly unequal. According to data from the IMF and OECD, “America’s Gini for disposable income is up by almost 30 percent since 1980, to 0.39. China’s has risen by around 50 percent to 0.42 (and by some measures to 0.48).” Scandinavian nations, with large welfare states, have the lowest Gini numbers –around 0.25. Only in Latin America, formerly the most unequal continent, have Gini numbers decreased since 1980. The report notes that a majority of people on Earth live in a nation where incomes are more unequal “than they were a generation ago.” Yet inequality does not simply restrict the economic power of the under-compensated, it reduces political power as well. The national conversation on inequality focuses on income, but the figures for wealth are far more illuminating. Today in the United States, 11.1 percent of all wealth is held by the top 0.01 percent of American families. In fact, 74.4 percent of all wealth is held by the top 10 percent of American families, leaving only 25.6 percent for the remaining 90 percent of people. According to David DeGraw, wealth statistics show that, of the top one percent’s wealth ($32.6 trillion), only 0.5 percent would be necessary to eliminate poverty in the U.S. for one year. In addition, $13 trillion (or over 40 percent) of that wealth is unused, meaning it sits in savings accounts or other financial
They found that the views of the public mean little or nothing to politicians. In their study, they conducted controlled tests to determine whether the views of an average American impact policymaking. They don’t. Rich individuals and business-backed interests have much more influence, and even grassroots- or membership-based interest groups have little influence compared to corporations or their rich masters. In fact, the study goes even further, determining that the “policy preferences” of average Americans are vastly disparate from those of the political and economic elites, and that average Americans “almost always” lose. As economic power concentrates in the hands of the few, their influence on politics grows. Greater power means that Washington passes policies more favorable to the economic elite, further concentrating economic power and further diminishing the political power of the average American. The consequence of political ignorance of the public’s policy priorities is singular: political oligarchy. After 30 years, this vicious cycle manifests daily, with broadlysupported policies, such as a higher minimum wage and increased federal background checks on all gun purchases, overturned by diametrically-opposed interests, like WalMart attempting to keep wages low or Smith & Wesson trying to sell more guns. Only serious changes to public policy can begin to roll back the concentration of political and economic power most feared by the Founding Fathers. Their fear of concentrated power led them to create a decentralized democratic republic accountable to people at a local, state and federal level. While decentralization of the federal bureaucracy would disadvantage the country on a global playing field, holding government accountable to the people is both necessary and proper. When 10 percent of people have the power to ignore the demands of the other 90 percent, who are constitutionally entitled to nine times as much political power, democracy is broken. If we let this continue, the powerful will only entrench themselves even deeper into an oligarchy that is already difficult enough to see and even harder to destroy. Zac Bears is the Opinion & Editorial Editor. He can be reached at ibears@umass.edu.
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The Massachusetts Daily Collegian is published Monday through Thursday during the University of Massachusetts calendar semester. The Collegian is independently funded, operating on advertising revenue. Founded in 1890, the paper began as Aggie Life, became the College Signal in 1901, the Weekly Collegian in 1914 and the Tri–Weekly Collegian in 1956. Published daily from 1967 to 2013, The Collegian has been broadsheet since January 1994. For advertising rates and information, call 413-545-3500.
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Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Monday, September 8, 2014
“You can pour melted ice cream on regular ice cream. It’s like a sauce!” - Chris Pratt
TELEVISION
TECHNOLOGY
A sweeter ending to a tragic finale
Sober drivers at your fingertips
Arts@DailyCollegian.com
How I met the alternative ending Safer weekends that should’ve been (and loved it) with ‘Sobrio’ By Emma Sandler Collegian Correspondent
By Stephanie Ramirez Collegian Correspondent
Editor’s Note: The following article contains spoilers for the series finale of “How I Met Your Mother.” Ah, a world in which Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) meets the mother (Cristin Milioti), and all is as it should be. In other words, the “How I Met Your Mother” alternate series finale was leaked online Saturday, and it was everything the real finale should have been. In the show’s official ending, which left many fans with a bitter taste in their mouths, Tracy McConnell, the mother, meets a dark fate (which, frankly, I’m still too hurt to talk about), Barney’s (Neil Patrick Harris) and Robin’s (Cobie Smulders) relationship declines and Ted, once done with his nine-yearlong story, runs back to his dear old Robin. But this new ending comes to a much sweeter conclusion. In the alternate ending, a nifty new voiceover from Ted suggests Barney and Robin repair their marriage and he and Tracy go on to live the happiest of endings. As in the aired ending, Ted and Tracy marry, but this time, Ted takes the audience back to the beginning as he recounts the “easy” road he traveled in the last nine years during his search for his wife. It’s a nostalgic retelling of the last nine years we’ve spent with Ted, and it ends full circle with Ted and Tracy’s meeting at the train station. It would have been perfect had it been the true ending. It includes no new footage, however. Back when the series finale first aired show co-creator Carter Bays tweeted, “We only shot one script, but through edit room magic we had two possible out-
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“How I Met Your Mother’s” alternate ending is one audiences wanted. comes for the series.” In fairness, the alternate ending is somewhat vague, with no flash forward to future Ted, his wife and his kids, but it’s a lot happier and undoubtedly a much better close to the longrunning show. Most certainly it’s the ending every disgruntled fan asked for. The series creators have yet to confirm this ending was in fact their alternate. Given Ted’s brand new speech, however, it seems this is indeed the promised finale included in the DVD box set titled “How I Met Your Mother: The Whole Story.” The box set featuring all nine seasons is set to be released Sept. 23. The video, initially released on YouTube, has since then been deleted.
But multiple users have both re-uploaded it to YouTube and posted it on Vimeo. Many comments rave about how wonderful this ending is, but like me, some are simply angry it wasn’t the chosen one. One can only wonder why the show’s creators let this ending take a backseat. Granted, this ending sounds almost too perfect to be real, but it wouldn’t have been unrealistic. After all, this is television, and after nine years rooting for a man who traversed through life’s difficult twists and turns in search for his soul mate, it was the ending we were expecting. For a show that made us wait that long to see Ted and Tracy meet, it
only would have been fitting to end with the couple’s charming meeting, huddled under their yellow umbrella, hiding from the rain. No sudden, uncalledfor death. No pulling the rug out from under our feet. No broken relationships. No erasing character development. No resorting (again) to Aunt Robin in times of loneliness. Just a perfect couple who spent too many years looking for each other, often missing each other by mere seconds, finally, finally meeting. Had that alternate ending been the true series finale, that kids, would have been legen–wait for it –dary. Stephanie Ramirez can be reached at sjramire@umass.edu.
Ben Bartholomew, Mike Magnoli and front-end web developer Dave Mittelman. Students at the time, they saw first hand an unfortunate pattern of students driving under the influence despite sober students offering rides. According to the “Sobrio” website, the app decreased drinking and driving rates by 40 percent after its introduction on the UConn campus. Since then, UMass, the University of Rhode Island, Stony Brook University, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Ohio University have joined “Sobrio” in deterring drunk driving. “Sobrio” is a simple, user-friendly way to find sober drivers by entering your location, destination and number of passengers. The request is sent to every driver at your school and when your offer is accepted, you receive an alert. A credit or debit card can be used to pay a donation for the driver if he or she requests one. Before one becomes an official “Sobrio” driver, candidates must go through a background check for information including proper car insurance, a valid license and no criminal activity. Both passengers and drivers can establish profiles with their name, profile picture and a list of past rides with reviews from past experiences. And if you don’t want to accept a ride from someone with a bad review, you’re allowed to decline. So the next time you plan to go out drinking and you know you don’t want to walk all the way home (after all the weather is only going to get colder), then downloading “Sobrio” is the perfect choice. No more jotting down cab companies or hoping someone is sober enough to drive, and no more pinching pennies to afford a cab. Best of all, you can sleep safe knowing you and your friends won’t getting a DUI tonight, or worse.
Imagine this: you drive to your friend’s house on a weekend night to hang out for a few hours and catch up. You don’t intend to drink that much because you know your limits, but it was a very stressful week and you want to let loose a bit. After a while you realize it’s getting late, or perhaps you are out of beer and decide a midnight pickup from a convenience store down the road sounds like a good idea. You think you can handle the drive; after all you’re not that drunk. You’ll just drive slowly. You think you’re doing great until you get pulled over by a police cruiser. You are subjected to a sobriety test that you ultimately fail and are charged with driving a motor vehicle while under the influence. You would not be alone in this scenario. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), over 1.2 million drivers were arrested in 2011 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, and an additional 29.1 million people admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol in 2012. That same year, 35 percent of all traffic related deaths were caused by drinking and driving. This is where “Sobrio” comes into play. Launched in 2012, “Sobrio” is a communitybased app available for both iPhone and Android that matches sober student drivers with students who have been drinking and need a ride. With popular driving apps life “Lyft” and “Uber” still unavailable in the Amherst area, “Sobrio” is the perfect app to bridge the gap. It is currently available on seven college campuses, including the University of Massachusetts. “Sobrio” began at the University of Connecticut by Tom Bachant and Nadav Ullman, along Emma Sandler can be reached at with Android developers ehsandle@umass.edu.
FILM
Everyone should appreciate the merits of ‘Boyhood’ The simple beauty of a boy’s youth By Isaac Simon Collegian Correspondent Richard Linklater’s film “Boyhood” is a riveting film that dispels the old cliché of perpetual youth. The film – a masterpiece that was shot over a span of 12 years – documents the life of the main character Mason (Ellar Coltrane) starting with the initial post toddler years and concluding with his final sendoff to college. Set in Houston, Texas, it is a film that comes full circle. Linklater as a director is relentless when it comes to shining a light on even the smallest of characters in an effort to come off as a conscious writer and director. People can say what they want about the constructive criticism “Boyhood” has gotten, but in my view, I would not pay much attention to it, partly because I concur with
the majority opinion (if that’s what you would consider it) that it is the best film of the last 30 years. This is because “Boyhood” is more than just a film about a boy, or an interesting documentation project into the life of the unconventional family, it is a necessary film that everyone should see. “Boyhood” is indeed a coming-of-age film. When seeing the film in the theatre, I could not help but make comparisons to “The Graduate” (Mike Nichols, 1967), when Mr. Robinson (Murray Hamilton) is having his nightcap and tells Ben (Dustin Hoffmann), “Cause you know Ben, You’ll never be young again.” In “Boyhood” each new scene is indeed a new chapter of each character’s life. Although it is not a time lapse, it is totally understandable why the viewer would assume that Linklater has implemented that technique, in an effort to mark the progression of time. Although rare, “Boyhood” is not the only film to have been shot over a period of more
than a decade. Paul Almond’s “Seven Up!” (1964) garnered a lot of its own attention when it came out 50 years ago. “Boyhood” is a necessary film because it can apply to anyone who resonates with teen angst. Aside from extreme circumstances, everyone, at one point or another, grows up. The evolutionary process from boyhood to manhood is by no means a rare occurrence. Most people experience it. The process is different for everyone. There is simply not one way to grow up. In the film, Linklater documents a family that is in a constant state of motion. The mom (Patricia Arquette) is in some senses always putting all of her eggs in one basket in an effort to provide a steady and healthy upbringing for her two children. Her first exhusband, Dad (Ethan Hawke), got divorced a while back and their move to Houston evidently reunites the children with the father. Hawke’s performance is simply terrific. His mannerisms and his high intensity eccentricity gives him
a palpable on-screen presence in the early scenes of the film. As “Boyhood” evolves, so do the parents. All parents seem to slow down with age, as do Arquette and Hawke. Stability vs. instability, imposed structure and order vs. Mason’s free spirit and his constant struggle to fight the machine he calls society – these are the themes that run throughout “Boyhood”. The constant question of what direction Mason will take with his life is one that lingers throughout the film. Mason, on the other hand, is never really worried. His character is able to establish perspective. In life, perspective is key. It is especially key in college. Indeed, Mason is a person that does not have all of the answers. But he also does not need to have all the answers. He is constantly questioning his surroundings. Why is having an alcoholic for a stepfather important just because he can manage both his drinking and a full size family? Why does
IFC FILMS
Mason’s story evokes the trials and tribulations we all face in our youth. having a screen in front of you every waking hour of the day make you more in touch with your surroundings? It seems as if these are the questions Linklater wants us to be asking. More importantly, “Boyhood” ends where we are all beginning this fall. When exiting the theatre my immediate takeaway was that college can be the best four years of a person’s life. Moreover, the bullying and teasing Mason was
subjected to all seems worth it because there is a place for everyone at college. So as we move forward and look ahead to this upcoming semester that we have in front of us, let’s remember to put things in perspective and to soak in the experience, because at the end of the day, “you will never be young again.” Isaac Simon can be reached at isimon@ umass.edu.
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Monday, September 8, 2014
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Comics I
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like to oote, oote, oote ooples and banoonoos!
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aquarius
HOROSCOPES Jan. 20 - Feb. 18
leo
Jul. 23 - Aug. 22
It’s when you expect your advertised “All Beef This year try living it up by living the last Frank” to be actually be only beef, you have week of add/drop russian roulette style. left yourself doomed to a life of pure despair.
pisces
Feb. 19 - Mar. 20
virgo
Aug. 23 - Sept. 22
Apple pie filling without the crust is just apple pie filling.
Having twenty tabs open on your computer is usually the only indication of your potential for organization.
aries
Mar. 21 - Apr. 19
libra
Sept. 23 - Oct. 22
taurus
Apr. 20 - May. 20
scorpio
Oct. 23 - Nov. 21
gemini
May. 21 - Jun. 21
We’re all trying to save money with the meal plans, but you really can’t just bring your mini–fridge into the dining hall.
It’s okay, most people wake up at least once a week with cheese in their hair, sauce stains on their shirt, all tinged with the smell of salt.
Oh, your new friend is from the town next to Yes? yours? Cool! What a small world it would be if you didn’t go to a Massachusetts school.
sagittarius
Nov. 22 - Dec. 21
In order to show you have the upper hand in your discussion class, make sure you adorn yourself in the finest robe and jeweled crown.
Food for thought: Most of the things you use in life and wear on your body were not touched by hand until your bought them.
cancer
capricorn
Jun. 22 - Jul. 22
Although the campus ducks will be flying south for the winter, the campus bears will not.
Dec. 22 - Jan. 19
You woke up with five minutes to spare before class? Eh, forget it. Don’t even go on Wednesday. You can just go next week.
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COLORADO
Minutemen cornerback Randall Jette said. The disappointing finish overshadowed a number of positive developments for UMass. Most notably, tight end Jean Sifrin delivered an impressive performance in his Minutemen debut after missing all of the season to this point while awaiting a decision on his eligibility from the NCAA Clearinghouse. The 6-foot-7, 250-pound tight end caught four passes for 40 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown – which gave UMass a 21-20 lead with 18 seconds left in the first half – was a leaping one-handed grab which he snared out of the air within multiple Buffs defenders before landing on his back in the end zone. Sifrin, who had a certain number of plays packaged
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for him in the playbook entering the game, credited his experiences as a basketball player. “I always told (Frohnapfel), ‘Just throw it up if we’re in the end zone, I’ll be able to go up and get it,’” Sifrin said. UMass’ offense as a whole took a major step forward. After scoring just seven points last week against Boston College, the Minutemen amassed 371 yards of total offense in addition to 38 points scored. Frohnapfel was 20-of-38 for 267 yards and three touchdowns. His first touchdown – to fullback Rodney Mills to make it 7-3 UMass – was a beautifully thrown 14-yard pass to the back right corner of the end zone over a Buffs defender. The Minutemen were primed to pull away in the
third quarter after Jette intercept a Liufau pass intended for receiver Shay Fields. The junior cornerback took advantage of a carom off of Shields to snag the ball and return it to the Colorado 2-yard line. Wilson scored on the following play and it was 31-20 UMass. But the Minutemen failed to hang onto the lead. Whipple acknowledged his team still needs to learn how to win and it’s still a “work in progress.” Jette said the key to getting over the hump is a mindset. “We just have to overcome adversity,” he said. “We can’t be down on ourselves. Just a little more maturity and we can get over that hump, we can win.” Mark Chiarelli can be reached at mchiarel@umass.edu.
SIFRIN
Monday, September 8, 2014
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continued from page 8
in the end zone. He’s a great target and can run, but it’s a whole other level when you come from junior college with no spring practice and no summer. Going against scout teams is a little bit different. “But he’s a really good kid, a really good teammate and I think it’s going
to help our entire offense.” Sifrin said it was exciting to play his first game wearing maroon and white. He said he is still working to learn the system and all the packages he is in. “It’s been tough sitting on the sideline watching my teammates play without me, but it’s a work in
progress,” Sifrin said. Work in progress also goes for his team, which is still searching for its first win of the season. As far as Sifrin is concerned, his stats were nothing. “It doesn’t mean anything without a win. It’s just another catch.” Peter Cappiello can be reached at pcappiel@umass.edu.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Monday, September 8, 2014
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WOMEN’S SOCCER
F O O T B A L L
SLIPPED AWAY
CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN
UMass squandered an 11-point second half lead to Colorado on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.
Colorado surges past Sifrin a bright spot in UMass in second half his Minutemen debut By Mark Chiarelli
on the ensuing drive – but the drive flamed out on fourth down, when UMass FOXBOROUGH — For a running back J.T. Blyden fleeting moment, it appeared couldn’t convert on fourth the Massachusetts football and 2, putting possession team had positioned itself back in the Buffs’ hands. to pull away from Colorado “That’s something where and capture the most importhey covered pretty well and tant win in program history. I knew I had to try and throw But as ominous storm it somewhere,” Minutemen clouds conquarterback verg ed on Colorado 41 Blake Frohnapfel Gillette Stadium, said. “We wish we moments of UMass 38 could’ve had that, UMass prosperity but we can’t take came to a grindit back.” ing halt. Colorado quarterback UMass squandered an Sefo Liufau accepted the 11-point lead en route to opportunity with open a 41-38 loss to Colorado arms, hitting Spruce just Saturday, as its defense three plays later for a struggled mightily in the 70-yard touchdown on third second half to slow a Buffs down. Spruce snuck behind attack which stormed back Minutemen linebacker midway through the third Steve Casali in coverage and quarter. bolted down the right side “We’re having a hard line for the score. time handling the success In a span of eight minagain,” UMass coach Mark utes, the Buffs had stormed Whipple said following the back to take a 34-31 lead. loss. Whipple said his team failed The Minutemen led 31-20 to overcome a series of third halfway through the third quarter mishaps and needs quarter. But a succession to develop a winning menof missed opportunities tality. combined with the second “It’s a mentality,” he said. half emergence of Colorado “It’s not that the guys aren’t receiver Nelson Spruce tough-minded but they have spelled disaster for UMass. to learn to overcome that.” Following a 2-yard Jamal Colorado extended its Wilson touchdown run lead in the fourth quarwhich pushed the lead to ter on a nine play, 81-yard 31-20 with 12 minutes, 24 sec- drive which ended in Liufau onds remaining in the third and Spruce connecting for quarter, the Minutemen another touchdown to make allowed the Buffs to embark it 41-31. Spruce caught 10 on a 10 play, 77-yard scor- passes for 145 yards and two ing drive which ended on touchdowns while Liufau a 14-yard touchdown run was 26-for-42 for 318 yards by running back Christian and three touchdowns. Powell to cut the lead to UMass answered with 31-27. 2:55 left in the game – receiv For UMass, it was a drive er Marken Michel took a jet marred by missed tackles sweep handoff seven yards as well as missed chances in for a touchdown – but for the defense to get off the couldn’t muster a defensive field, as Colorado commit- stop on the following possested three potentially drive- sion to earn the ball back. In hindering penalties on the total, Colorado ran 89 plays play. and totaled 474 yards. The Minutemen had their “There were plays chances to keep control of there we could’ve made,” the game – they drove down to the Colorado 28-yard line see COLORADO on page 7 Collegian Staff
By Peter Cappiello Collegian Staff
FOXBOROUGH— Jean Sifrin motioned to a Massachusetts teammate about positioning as he lined up for third and goal from the 14-yard line. Satisfied with his own advice, Sifrin flashed a brief thumbs up with his right hand. Seconds later, that hand became UMass’ offensive highlight of the game as the 6-foot-7, 250-pound tight end onehanded a high pass at full extension to give UMass a 21-20 lead over Colorado with 18 seconds until halftime. Oh yeah, and the catch was only the third career reception for Sifrin, a junior transfer via El Camino junior college. His first, a 12-yarder earlier in the quarter, was also a touchdown. “It’s from basketball, just coming down with the ball,” Sifrin said of his second score. “I always told them, ‘Just throw it up if we’re in the end zone, and I’ll be able to go up and get it,’ but I didn’t think it would’ve been that high. I saw it, posted up the defender, and went for it.” Sifrin, who was not eligible during summer training camp and missed last week’s opening game against Boston College while awaiting clearance from the NCAA, compiled 40 yards and two touchdowns in his debut for the Minutemen, a 41-38 loss to Colorado at Gillette Stadium on Saturday. Quarterback Blake Frohnapfel, a graduate student, targeted Sifrin often, particularly in the red zone. Their on-field chemistry is a new marriage that’s in the honeymoon phase. “With Jean in the end
“Someone like him is a freak athlete, really. Having him out on the field caused a lot of problems with defense. A guy like him helps a quaterback.” Blake Frohnapfel, UMass quaterback zone, instead of a field goal, it’s a touchdown,” said Frohnapfel, who lives a floor below Sifrin in the same apartment building. “Someone like him is a freak athlete, really. Having him out on the field caused a lot of problems with defense. A guy like him helps a quarterback.” Frohnapfel said the two became quick friends because they are both new to the team. The signal-caller, who joined UMass this year from Marshall, said he knew Sifrin would be an impact player after watching him run around when he first got to Amherst. Frohnapfel added that Sifrin is also a good blocker, as well as a reliable target. “That was his first game, and to have a guy making plays like that in his first game gets us excited,” Frohnapfel said. “We know that he can make a lot of those plays in the future as well.” Minutemen coach Mark Whipple said the team is still figuring out Sifrin’s skill set. He said he isn’t sure yet how the latter will be used moving forward, but noted he was glad to have Sifrin on the team. “The kid obviously didn’t freeze,” Whipple said. “He made a big play see
SIFRIN on page 7
UM defeats BC in double overtime By Frank Corona Collegian Staff
It looked like it was going to be a game of firsts for the Massachusetts women’s soccer team on Sunday. The Minutewomen were 45 seconds away from their first win in regulation this season and their first win at home at Rudd Field this year, all coming infreshman goalkeeper Cassidy Babin’s first start, where she almost recorded her first collegiate shutout. New Hampshire’s Brooke Murphy changed with a goal with 45 seconds left in regulation. However, UMass stayed composed and junior captain Jackie Bruno delivered in the 103rd minute to give the Minutewomen a 2-1 victory in double overtime for their first win at Rudd Field this season. With the Minutewomen (2-3-1) coming off two straight double overtime losses and going on the road for the next four games, there was no confusion in how important it was to end their home stretch on a high note. “We needed this today,” UMass coach Ed Matz said. “It’s emotionally draining when you’ve lost your last two matches in double overtime.” UMass struck first with a penalty kick in the 47th minute that was converted by sophomore Megan Burke. After struggling to produce offensively the past few games, the Minutewomen dominated the Wildcats on Sunday in total shots (24-11) and corner kicks (9-2). Bruno led the team with 10 shots. “We’re creating shots, which is great,” Matz said “As long as we create shots, that’s all I care about. They’re going to go in eventually.” UMass went into the final minute of regulation with a 1-0 lead, but Murphy’s goal with 45 seconds left forced the game into overtime. “It gets really hectic in the last 10 minutes in the game,” Bruno said. “We know what it feels like to win in overtime and we know what it feels like to lose in overtime,
so every time we go in we know individually we have each other’s back and the whole team is playing for each other.” Bruno and her teammates responded in overtime when Daniela Alvarez found Bruno for the game-winner in the 103rd minute. UMass has become accustomed to overtime periods this year, with five of its six games heading into extra time. Four of these games have gone into double overtime. Sunday was the first extra-time win for the Minutewomen since Aug. 28th against Bryant. “This was time and we basically said this is it,” Matz said. “This was time to basically say stop and no more of this and in both overtimes we played really, really well.” UMass relied heavily on its youth on Sunday, including Babin. According to Matz, Babin and the other underclassmen have showed progression. “Our young players are understanding the system more and more and we’re giving them a chance,” Matz said. “Obviously we want to win these games in September but we’re going to have to count on our young players.” Even with their youth, the Minutewomen maintained their composure in a very physical game where the Wildcats were called for two yellow cards. “I think we’re a very physical team as well and when we want the ball, we’re ready to body up,” Bruno said. The Minutewomen hope that their momentum will carry onto the road, as they start a four game road trip this Thursday at Northeastern. Matz said that he is confident that the success will continue, as long as the team maintains the same mindset. “We had a lot of built in excuses today for why we may not succeed,” Matz said. “We didn’t want them being prevalent, so today was a huge day.” Frank Corona can be reached at fcorona@umass.edu.
FIELD HOCKEY
Minutewomen
shut out by Eagles By Matthew Zackman Collegian Staff
ered her own rebound and beat Carlino to make it 2-0. “The first half we played some good [field] hockey…but we found ourselves in some unfortunate situations,” UMass coach Carla Tagliente said. A two-goal deficit at the half certainly wasn’t insurmountable, but Tagliente said UMass impeded any chance of a comeback with some poor play out of the break. “I was disappointed with how we came out in the second half. We were a bit scattered for offense and didn’t execute,” Tagliente said. “I thought that down the stretch we lost our push and gave up on the game, which is disappointing.” UMass did have three opportunities to capitalize on penalty corners in the second half, but were unable to connect.
The No. 10 Massachusetts field hockey team failed to carry the momentum from its win over Maine Friday into Sunday’s matchup with No. 13 Boston College, as the Minutewomen were shutout 2-0 in Chestnut Hill. Junior goalkeeper Sam Carlino tallied nine saves for the game, but the UMass offense was held to just five shots on goal. Midfielders Izzie Delario and Brooke Sabia had two scoring opportunities apiece, but were stopped by Eagles goalkeeper Leah Settipane, who finished with five saves. BC pulled ahead with two goals in the first 25 minutes, six seconds and never looked back. Emily McCoy opened the scoring with a goal in the 19th minute on a feed from twin sister, Eryn. Leah Frome doubled the Eagles’ advantage six min- Matthew Zackman can be reached utes later when she gath- at mzackman@umass.edu.