Massachusetts Daily Collegian: Sept. 21, 2015

SHOWS PROMISE PAGE 5

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THE MASSACHUSETTS

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DAILY COLLEGIAN

Monday, September 21, 2015

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John Musante, 53, dies over weekend

Serving the UMass community since 1890

News@DailyCollegian.com

Avert your eyes

Amherst Town Manager honored by prominent community members

By Stuart FoSter Collegian Staff

“John worked tirelessly for the people of Amherst, and he fostered partnerships with UMass that greatly strengthened the bonds of community,” he said. “We all know that John was a very proud UMass Amherst alumnus, a leader committed to having our students benefit and flourish as residents of our town.”

Amherst’s website called Musante’s death “a tremendous loss of a dedicated father and husband as well as a talented, highly respected and committed professional.”

As Town Manager, Musante was responsible for overseeing and coordinating the employees of the town of Amherst and administrating the town’s government. The Town Manager is the Chief Administrative Officer of Amherst, and is appointed by the Amherst Select Board.

John Musante, the Town Manager of Amherst and a University of Massachusetts alumnus, died Sunday at the age of 53.

Musante had been appointed Town Manager in 2010, and had served as the town’s finance directo before that.

“I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of John Musante,” said Massachusetts Senate President Stan Rosenberg, who represents Amherst’s district in the State Senate, in a statement.

“Amherst has lost a true public servant who served several Western Massachusetts communities throughout his career,” he added. “My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”

UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy also credited Musante as a leader of Stuart Foster can be reached at Amherst’s community in a stuartfoster@umass.edu or followed on Twitter @Stuart_C_Foster statement.

SHANNON BRODERICK/COLLEGIAN

UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford reacts to a penalty call during Saturday’s football game. UMass lost to Temple University 25-23 in bizarre fashion. For more on this story, see page 8.

Feedback sought on SGA document Amherst Block asking for student consultation Party supports Open forum in Student Union will allow for questions at 5 p.m. today local businesses By

Stuart FoSter Collegian Staff

Re presentatives of the Student Government Administration will present a proposed document to the student body in Room 420 of the Student Union at 5:00 p.m. on Monday.

The document that will be presented “aims to ensure true consultation for the student body on all major university policy and fee changes,” according to a description on the SGA’s Facebook page.

SGA President Sïonan Barrett and Vice President Chantal Barbosa also plan to address a letter to Chancellor Kumble

Subbaswamy, which refers to the Wellman Document of 1973 and writes that students “have a responsibility to advise on policies affecting the University,” according to Barrett.

In the letter, Barrett and Barbosa write, “To ensure student governance bodies can collect student feedback and advise the Chancellor and Board of Trustees on matters that are of students’ primary responsibility, the Wellman Document requires students be given the capacity to initiate recommendations after appropriate consultation.”

The letter also requires that an administrator at

UMass will set up a website which allows students to provide feedback and ask questions about proposed major policy changes.

Barrett and Barbosa also say the SGA and Administration must host an open forum for students one hour before the Senate votes to support or oppose a proposed change.

Students will be informed of the open forum at least two weeks beforehand through email.

After the presentation, students will be able to ask questions about the document, and provide feedback to SGA representatives.

The Open Forum is scheduled to last for an

hour and will provide snacks to students who attend.

The issue of fee changes at The University of Massachusetts became more prominent this summer, when the University announced the introduction of a $250 annual fee to improve Information Technology on campus.

The IT fee was seen as excessive by a large number of UMass students, and the SGA Senate voted to oppose the fee in a Coordinating Council last July.

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

Annual event builds sense of community

By KriSten ForScher Collegian Correspondent

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran online on Sept. 18, 2015.

The fourth annual Celebrate Amherst Block Party, put on by the Amherst Business Improvement District, brought in students from nearby colleges, area residents and even those from out of town on Thursday evening to support local business.

“We want to get people

to come downtown so they can acclimate and think of Amherst as a vibrant place to shop, eat and have fun,” said Sarah la Cour, executive director of Amherst Business Improvement District.

She said the event sought to build a sense of community between the local businesses of Amherst and students, and hoped to build a “home away from home” atmosphere for students.

Turnout at the event stood as a testament to la see

BLOCK PARTY on page 2

Amherst Farmers’ Market ‘puts a face to the farmer’, offers a variety of vendors and tables Event lasts for 32 Sundays spanning from April to November every year and is organized by local farmers

By Brendan deady

place to be on Saturdays in Amherst.”

Ryan works with an Tammy Ryan looked over Amherst Farmers’ Market the Amherst Commons at Committee consisting of the farmer’s market she eight local producers to helped coordinate. The ven- organize the event for 32 dors, with whom she had Saturdays in a row from helped organize the event, April to November. On Sep. were manning their tents a 19, Ryan took a break to few feet away. To her left, look over another successful John Houle of Chicopee event. bellowed out a raspy rendiEvery Saturday, local tion of “Bad Leroy Brown” farmers set up their tents on a stage to an audience from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the from the Stavros Center for town common. They stock Independent Living. tables covered in red check“Come on, how many rea- ered cloth with barrels and sons do you need [to come bins of organic produce. here]?” Ryan said. “All Little dishes hold samples of I know is that this is the cheese, hard ciders, syrups Collegian Staff

and wine.

Mark Fellows came to represent his dairy farm, Chase Hill, based in Warwick. His face was calm, and he spoke in short, quiet bursts.

“Coming here puts a face to the farmer, to the person who puts an immense amount of effort and skill into feeding your family,” Fellows said. Three small bowls on the table before him held the last small cubes of blue and cheddar cheese samples.

A sign to his right offered organic grass-fed veal, pork and beef by the pound. A line underneath written in chalk encouraged shoppers

to ask about bones, organs and fatback.

“People who boil fatback and use the oil to cook with, think it’s healthier than olive oil, Fellows said. “I think that’s why people come here, we’re the experts. This is our life work.”

A few stations down, Simple Gifts Farms had its tent set up. A few shoppers eyed through a Technicolor collection of fresh produce, picking and squeezing. A cardboard box held a batch of tomatoes.

Some bore deep scars on their skins, their shape never quite a perfect sphere but the random results of

unfettered growth.

A banner hung above, explaining that all the carrots, cabbage, corn, yellow onions, eggplant, squash and rhubarb displayed under the tent was certified organic.

The collection of customers reflected the range of their options. Students, senior citizens and children of all races smiled, prodded, purchased and conversed with the vendors.

“The food here is just better quality,” Ryan said. “And this is a community. You’re buying food with your neighbors from farms less than 20 miles away.”

Across the cement aisle stood Keith Fowler, the main proprietor of Little Pond Flower Farm, surrounded by colorful bouquets of dahlias. Fowler, who has grown dahlias for almost 30 years, quickly pointed out that his name is an anagram for flowers.

He walked among the flowers of varying size and color and rattled off some of the names of the more than 50 varieties he grows.

“This one’s pink princess, this one marble ball,” Fowler said.

He stopped and grabbed see

FARMERS on page 2

2

Monday, September 21, 2015

THE RUNDOWN

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

BLOCK PARTY

continued from page 1

ON THIS DAY...

In 1967, film critic Roger Ebert published his first film review in The Chicago Sun-Times. It was a review of the film ‘Galia.”

WEEKEND B OX O F F I C E LOS ANGELES — Superhero sequel “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” soared in its opening weekend to a recordbreaking $96.2 million in North America and a worldwide total to date of $303.3 million.

The $170 million 3-D film, starring Chris Evans as the shield-bearing superhero and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, is the top April opening of all time and more successful than its 2011 predecessor, “Captain America: The First Avenger,” which made $65 million in its first three days.

The sequel, directed by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, generated just over $207 million in its first 10 days overseas.

Next weekend, the film will open in Brazil, Hungary, Turkey and Trinidad. It opens in Japan on April 19.

The film, which opened in 3,938 locations in the U.S., had an A on the polling firm CinemaScore and 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience consisted mostly of men (64 percent), people 25 and older (57 percent) and couples (58 percent).

In its second weekend, director Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic “Noah” fell 61 percent to the No. 2 spot, generating an estimated $17 million in ticket sales. “Noah” has now earned more than $72 million.

The long-anticipated Old Testament epic from Paramount Pictures and Regency Enterprises received a C from CinemaScore and has drawn strong but divided opinions from people of faith and religious leaders.

In third place was “Divergent,” which generated $13 million, bringing its estimated cumulative total to more than $114 million.

Based on a young adult novel series, the Lionsgate film, directed by Neil Burger and starring Shailene Woodley, tells the story of a young woman fighting for freedom and survival in a dystopian society. “Insurgent,” the film’s sequel, is scheduled to begin filming in May and will be released next March.

“God’s Not Dead,” screening in 1,758 theaters in the U.S., moved up to No. 4, making $7.7 million in its third weekend and an estimated total of $32.5 million.

The faith-based film, about a college student defending his beliefs against a professor, features Kevin Sorbo, Dean Cain, the popular Christian rock group Newsboys, and Willie and Korie Robertson from the “Duck Dynasty” television show as themselves.

Wes Anderson’s “Grand Budapest Hotel” rounded the top five, with $6.3 million in ticket sales in its fifth week.

Also noteworthy in the U.S. top 10: “Muppets Most Wanted” fell 44 percent to finish sixth with $6.3 million; “Need for Speed” hung in at ninth with $1.84 million; and at No. 10, “Non-Stop,” in its sixth week, generated about $1.83 million.

GRACE GULICK/COLLEGIAN

An Amherst crowd watches an acrobat during the 4th Annual Block Party Cour’s goal, as students from local colleges, families in the community and others crowded the streets of downtown Amherst.

Restaurants and vendors stood outside on North Pleasant Street, which was closed to traffic from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. specifically for the event, advertising their businesses. The event also included music, circus performers and dancing, according to the Amherst BID’s website.

One of the goals of the event was to boost the Amherst economy throughout the entire year, not just when school is in session, according to la Cour.

“Of course the five colleges contribute to our local businesses, it’s wonderful to have them here,” she said. “That’s why we want to give back to them and provide them with a home away from home type of community.”

As can be expected, the

rate of business success hits its peak in the fall of every year, as students return to campus and families visit in October. From an economic standpoint, these numbers of incoming customers are steady until winter break when the students go home.

“Downtown Amherst is currently experiencing a 9-month economy, we’re striving for a 12-month one,” la Cour said.

There isn’t much data tracking the block party’s effect on local businesses has been recorded, but la Cour has plans to change that this year.

“We are sending out a brief survey to local business owners this fall to inquire their opinions regarding the Amherst Block Party this year,” la Cour said. “Hopefully it will prove to be successful.”

Kristen Forscher can be reached at kforscher@umass.edu.

FARMERS the stock of a deep purple and violet dahlia, brought it to his nose, inhaled and smiled.

“This one’s called chocolate. If you take your time you can really catch a hint of the smell,” he said.

Fowler said he loves growing dahlias because it’s a self-fulfilling project. He enjoys watching the growth process and what nature does to produce varied colors without his influence.

“I still get the most gratification from seeing others buying my product, my craft really,” Fowler said.

According to the Ryan, the market manager, the weekly event has more than just a positive effect on the

DailyCollegian.com

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local economy.

The Amherst Farmers’ Market offers shoppers a Snap and Save option which matches up to $5 for any customers using EBT benefits. The committee also collaborated with the Stavros Center for Independent Living, which offers programs for people with disabilities.

A group of physically disabled people stationed themselves under tents behind Ryan and, between smiles, scarfed down Dorito dogs and listened to Houle sing about that bad Leroy Brown.

“People usually say these events are too expensive to attend. Well now the farm-

ers get paid, the less fortunate get to eat local healthy produce. Sounds good to me,” Ryan said.

As Ryan spoke a church bell clamored, stubborn and demanding through the sunny morning. A file of people exited the Grace Episcopal Church clad in black. The bell would ring 96 more times for the number of years the deceased lived.

As a family honored the end of one’s life, across the street, no less than 100 feet away, the Amherst Commons teemed with people celebrating it.

Brendan Deady can be reached at bdeady@umass.edu or followed on Twitter @bdeady2.

AMANDA CREEGAN/COLLEGIAN

Fresh produce, flowers, and much more were sold at the Amherst Farmers Market on Saturday at the Amherst Town Common

As contoversial ‘abortion pill’ turns 15, debate rages on as to whether it has done its job by

Marie Mccullough Philadelphia Inquirer

Fifteen years after its approval in the United States, the drug mifepristone is used in nearly a quarter of all abortions, a proportion that has grown steadily even as the national abortion rate has fallen to a historic low.

Federal data also show that mifepristone has accelerated the shift toward early pregnancy terminations before 10 weeks - when it is safest and has the most public acceptance. Maker Danco Laboratories says more than 2 million women have used its “early option pill.”

The impact, however, has not fit the predictions of either side in the nation’s bitter abortion divide.

Mifepristone has not made abortion more common or endangered women’s health, as opponents said it would. It has done little to make abortion more accessible or part of private medical practices, as supporters hoped.

What mifepristone has done is open another front in the political battle over abortion rights. Supporters have worked to enable mifepristone to be prescribed by nonphysicians such as nurse practitioners, and remotely through “telemedicine” technology, while abortion opponents have worked to block such measures.

A few states, notably Texas, have put up high barriers to medication abortion _ although legal challenges have removed or delayed most of the measures.

For example, these states require doctors to stick to the outdated prescribing regimen proposed by Danco 15 years ago and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which limits mifepristone use to no later than seven weeks of pregnancy. The simpler, lowerdose regimen used through nine weeks is recommended by medical groups and the World Health Organization.

“It’s clear that the anti-

KURT STRAZDINS/MCT

An illustration of a pill containing mifepristone. abortion movement has targeted this technology for restrictions,” said Daniel Grossman, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the University of California, San Francisco, who studies abortion access.

Cheryl Sullenger, senior policy adviser with Operation Rescue, countered with the anti-abortion view: Medication abortion is risky, painful, and involves insufficient medical supervision.

“I think it’s a moneymaking scheme for the abortionist, an opportunity to make a lot of money with a little effort,” she said.

The divide over abortion is as deep as ever. Planned Parenthood, a main provider of medication abortions, is facing Republican congressional challenges to its federal funding. Anti-abortion activists have accused the group of improprieties in donating fetal tissue for medical research, which Planned Parenthood vigorously denies.

Medication abortion actually involves mifepristone, developed in the 1980s by the French company RousselUclaf, plus a second drug,

misoprostol.

The mifepristone pill, taken by the patient at the abortion clinic, triggers bleeding by blocking a hormone needed to sustain pregnancy. Up to 48 hours later at home, she takes misoprostol to cause uterine contractions and ensure expulsion of the grape-sized fetus. An ultrasound or blood test two weeks later confirms the abortion.

The process feels like a heavy menstrual period, said Dayle Steinberg, president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

“Most women experience strong cramps, and it takes longer than a surgical abortion,” she said.

The method has been well-studied by researchers, the FDA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Surgery is needed to complete about 5 percent of medication abortions. About 0.2 percent of patients suffer serious complications such as hemorrhage. There have been 14 deaths among women taking the drugs, one since 2011, and none that the

FDA could definitely link to the abortion drugs.

Very early termination through six weeks - has risen from 19 percent of all abortions in 1998, to more than a third now. The increase was greatest in the two years after mifepristone’s approval, suggesting it fueled the trend.

Medication abortion requires minimal medical equipment. A study found 193 of the nation’s abortion facilities (17 percent) offered only this option in 2011. The cost of an abortion through 12 weeks, whether surgical or medication, averages $500.

Exactly how many private physicians provide the abortion pill is unclear, but there are not many.

In 2011, 286 doctors’ offices did some type of abortion, and the total number of procedures was about 14,000 _ 1 percent of the nation’s one million abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research center that supports abortion rights. Danco says 7 percent of its mifepristone sales last year were to private physicians.

“There are many reasons why private doctors may

not offer it,” said Beverly Winikoff, a public health physician who worked to get mifepristone licensed and approved. “There are many building leases that prohibit them from performing abortions. Or their partners don’t want them to. Or they fear the political situation. Why should they take on that monster problem? In that sense, I have to say the antichoice people have kind of won because people have to be so terrified all the time.”

Because abortion access remains a problem _ 35 percent of women of childbearing age live in counties with no providers _ some activists want to expand telemedicine.

Here’s how it works where it is now permitted: The patient goes to an abortion clinic, where a nurse does the usual work-up, which includes taking a medical history and doing an ultrasound to verify that she is less than 10 weeks pregnant.

Then the patient is connected via videoconference with a doctor in a distant location. After reviewing her records and answering questions, the doctor remotely opens a drawer in front of the patient containing two pills. The patient takes the mifepristone while the doctor and nurse observe, goes home with misoprostol, and returns in two weeks.

This option is now available in only two states - Iowa and Minnesota.

The FDA-approved but outdated abortion-pill regimen has also been the subject of legal fights in at least five states, even though physicians have discretion to prescribe approved drugs in “off-label” ways. Danco, a privately held, one-product company in New York, is “very aware” of this issue, said spokeswoman Abigail Long.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

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Monday, September 21, 2015

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Years of economic growth spurs optimism in Africa By aLexandra Zavis Los Angeles Times

The Senegalese capital, on the far western edge of Africa, looks nothing like the sleepy port city that Amadou Sy remembers from his youth.

High-rise buildings are shooting up across the Dakar skyline. Shops and restaurants fill with people, and everyone seems to own a cellphone, or even two.

Changes like those observed by Sy, who heads the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution in Washington, have buoyed the outlook of many on a continent that continues to have high levels of poverty and conflict.

A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that people in major subSaharan African nations were feeling more optimistic about their economic prospects than many others around the world.

The region was relatively unscathed by the global financial crisis, producing some of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

In 2015, the International

Monetary Fund projects that the sub-Saharan economy will grow about 4.5 percent, not as much as in some previous years but a figure that would be the envy of many Western countries, including the United States.

“I am not as optimistic as the people in the survey, but I am more optimistic than I have been in awhile,” Sy said. “I can see there is a window of opportunity - but it is shrinking.”

He noted that the region’s population has also been growing rapidly. So while the economic expansion is a notable turnaround from the previous decades, poverty rates have not fallen as quickly as in other parts of the world.

More than 40 percent of the people in sub-Saharan Africa still live on less than $1.25 a day, according to the United Nations.

Analysts also see trouble on the horizon that could alter a rosy economic outlook.

Sub-Saharan Africa has benefited from high oil and other commodities prices, which have started to

decline sharply.

An economic slowdown in China and a sluggish recovery in Europe, some of the region’s main trading partners, are also making continent’s leaders anxious.

So is the prospect of higher U.S. interest rates, which would increase the cost of borrowing on the international market.

Pew’s report was based on interviews conducted last spring with more than 9,000 people in nine countries that together account for about half the population of sub-Saharan Africa.

The countries selected - Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda are generally regarded as among the more stable on the continent.

The findings in Burkina Faso might have been different had the survey been conducted after this week’s military coup, rather than after a popular uprising that last year unseated one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, President Blaise Compaore.

Yemeni rebels free hostages By aMaL aL-yarisi dpa

SANAA, Yemen — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have released six foreign hostages after months in captivity, an official in the rebel movement said Sunday.

The hostages left the rebel-held Yemeni capital Sanaa for Oman aboard a plane with a Houthi team, according to the official.

They were released through Omani mediation, the official added on condition of anonymity.

He did not identify their nationalities or say why they had been seized.

Oman said that the hostages were two Americans, one Briton and three Saudi nationals. They flew into Oman’s capital Muscat from Sanaa aboard an Omani plane, the Gulf sultanate’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official news agency.

Their release came through Omani efforts, the statement added.

In Washington, the White House said two U.S. detainees had been released and they were met by the U.S. ambassador to Muscat.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. was “deeply” appreciative of those involved in the negotiations that led to the release, in

particular the government of Oman and Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said.

According to Saudi-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya, the six had been held for six months by the rebels in Sanaa.

In March, Saudi Arabia and its fellow Sunni partners began an air campaign in Yemen after the mostly Shiite rebels advanced on the southern city of Aden, forcing internationally recognized President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to flee the country.

Oman is not a member of the Saudi-led military coalition and has hosted several indirect talks in recent months aimed at ending the Yemeni conflict.

Saudi Arabia has vowed not to stop the campaign until Hadi, a Sunni, is reinstated.

The president is currently in Saudi Arabia.

The rebels’ leader, AbdelMalek al-Houthi on Sunday called on his loyalists to continue fighting against what he called “aggression on the Yemeni people.”

In a televised address aired on the pro-Houthi alMasirah TV, he called for mass demonstrations in Sanaa on Monday, marking the first anniversary of his movement’s takeover of the city.

“Big sacrifices are neces-

sary because a loss resulting from submission will be greater,” al-Houthi said.

The rebels have suffered setbacks by pro-government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, in recent months.

In June, Hadi loyalists drove the Houthis out of Aden and have since intensified the fight to recapture other rebel-controlled areas in Yemen.

In recent weeks, the coalition has stepped up its air campaign against rebels’ positions in Sanaa and other parts of Yemen.

On Sunday, at least 15 people were killed and 50 wounded in two airstrikes by the allied jets against a rebel stronghold in western Yemen, a security official said.

The bombing targeted a rebel-held security building housing a prison in the province of Ibb, around 193 kilometers south of Sanaa.

“Following the first air raid, security men evacuated dozens of prisoners from the building,” the official said.

“The second raid completely destroyed the building.”

Policemen, prisoners and civilians who happened to be in the building were among the dead and injured.

No comment was given by the coalition.

(AL DIAZ/MIAMI HERALD/TNS)

Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Sunday Mass at the Plaza de la Revolucion in Havana, Cuba, on Sunday.

In Cuba, Pope warns against a ‘dynamic of exclusion’

By MiMi WhitefieLd and JiM Wyss Miami Herald

HAVANA — Even before dawn broke on Cuba’s iconic Plaza de La Revolucion on Sunday, tens of thousands of people had gathered to hear Pope Francis give his first sermon during a tour that will take him across the island and the United States.

As cheering crowds waved Cuban, Vatican, and even some U.S. flags, Francis stopped his car on several occasions – greeting nuns and priests, and embracing a delegation of Cubans in wheelchairs.

Francis used his sermon to talk about the need to serve and the evils of pride.

He said that while Jesus’ disciples were worried about occupying positions that might bring them power and benefits, he undid their logic “telling them, simply, that the authentic life is lived in the concrete commitment to others.”

He also warned against only helping those in ones’ inner circle or family. “That kind of service always leaves (people) out,” he said, “generating a dynamic of exclusion.”

“Far from any type of elitism, Jesus’ horizon isn’t for the privileged few capable of having the right knowledge or different lev-

els of spirituality,” he said.

As on other trips, Francis’ words seemed to provide something for everyone. While leaders of the Communist nation might hear the sermon as a vindication of their socialist policies, which include free health care and education, critics might hear it as a rebuke of the entrenched elite who have amassed power.

Havana Archbishop Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino thanked Francis for touching on issues “that are good and necessary for our consciences, which are so dormant and accustomed to mediocrity.”

He also thanked Francis for his role in helping Cuba and the United States restore diplomatic relations, and said he hoped that the benefits might extend “beyond the high political levels, and reach the people, especially the people in our Cuba and those who live in the United States.”

The Mass was not without incident. After Francis arrived, a few protesters tossed leaflets into the air and one reportedly made a short passionate plea to the pope. They were quickly apprehended by security officers.

The event took place in the plaza dominated by huge depictions of revo-

lutionary figures Ernesto “Che” Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos, and a 350-foot tower to independence hero Jose Marti.

Internationally, the picturesque square is better known for being the site of rallies and marathon speeches by Fidel Castro when he was still in his prime.

Francis also used part of the mass to talk about the ongoing peace process in Colombia. As with the U.S.-Cuba rapprochement, Francis played a role behind the scenes in bringing the Colombian government and that country’s largest guerrilla group to the table to try to end their 50-year civil conflict.

Those talks, which are approaching the three-year mark, are taking place in Havana.

“We do not have the right to allow ourselves another failure on this road toward peace and reconciliation,” Francis said.

On Monday, the pope will go to Holgun and Santiago, before traveling to the United States on Tuesday on a four-day trip that will take him to Washington, New York and Philadelphia.

United States to take in more refugees, pledges Kerry

By Laura King Los Angeles Times

BERLIN — U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, in the German capital for talks on the crush of asylum seekers in Europe, pledged Sunday that the United States would increase the number of refugees it accepts to 100,000 in 2017 – a substantial increase, although only about a tenth of the number Germany expects to take in this year.

The mainly symbolic show of American solidarity in the face of Europe’s crisis came as more than two dozen people were reported missing after a boat carrying refugees and migrants capsized off Greece, and Austria, at Germany’s doorstep, was left staggered by the arrivals of some 15,000 people over the weekend.

Greek coast guard vessels hurried to the scene of the latest sinking, off the east-

ern island of Lesbos, which has been a prime transit point for those beginning an arduous journey to northern and western Europe.

Many make the risky crossing in frail and unseaworthy rubber rafts.

News agencies said the boat had apparently carried 46 people, and that 20 were rescued, with 26 still missing.

Hundreds of miles to the north, angry recriminations continued among relatively poor eastern European nations that have been buffeted by tens of thousands of people streaming through or trying to do so. Desperate scenes have become common at border crossings turned chokepoints, with families sleeping in the open during increasingly chilly nights or pleading to be allowed to board trains or buses, or proceed on foot.

Hungary, which has taken by far the hardest line against asylum seekers trying to reach Germany or other more prosperous and welcoming destinations, pushed ahead with an expansion of its border fence, the first stretch of which was built to keep migrants and refugees from crossing into its territory from its southern neighbor, Serbia. Hungary is now building barriers on its frontiers with Romania and Croatia, drawing sharp protests from both.

Slovenia, inundated by arrivals from Croatia to the south, said Prime Minister Miro Cerar spoke by phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and appealed for guidelines to be agreed upon at European Union meetings this week.

Despite being passed off from one gateway country

to another, record numbers of migrants and refugees are managing to reach Austria. Austria’s APA news agency quoted the head of the Austrian Red Cross as saying between 12,000 and 13,000 people entered the country on Saturday, mainly from Hungary and Slovenia; police had earlier cited a figure closer to 10,000.

By Sunday afternoon, APA said a weekend total of at least 15,000 was projected, and German authorities said hundreds of those went on to Germany - the desired destination for most - aboard trains.

The new U.S. acceptance pledges announced in Berlin

by Kerry, while welcomed

by European officials, were dwarfed by the numbers of those arriving on Europe’s shores. The United States now caps the number of refugee visas at 70,000. Under

the new plan, that would rise to 85,000 next year and 100,000 in 2017, with the possibility of more being taken in once proper security mechanisms were in place.

Kerry also promised more humanitarian aid.

Almost half a million people, many fleeing war and persecution, have crossed the Mediterranean this year seeking haven in Europe, triggering the continent’s biggest migrant crisis since World War II. Syrians and Afghans make up the largest share of asylum seekers in a human wave that has crested over the past two months, as voyagers scramble to make the journey before winter sets in.

The crisis has presented the European Union with what is increasingly being viewed as an existential crisis for the 28-member bloc.

Critics of Germany, which is expected to take in up to 1 million people this year, say its welcoming policies have encouraged the mass flight.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Europe is morally obliged to accept those entitled to asylum under international law, and has appealed - so far with little success - for other members of the EU to step up and accept a fair share of the arrivals.

In addition to quarreling over the notion of mandatory quotas, European officials acknowledge that the chaotic mass movement of hundreds of thousands of people, and both EU and non-EU countries’ uneven response to it, has undermined the passport-free travel zone that had been one of the union’s signature achievements.

Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

“I want to be the one person who doesn’t die with dignity.” - George Costanza

Monday, September 21, 2015

Editorial@DailyCollegiancom

Standing with Ahmed Mohamed Standing in solidarity with teen is important to counteract Islamaphobia

Ahmed Mohamed, a Zuckerberg, posted, “Having 14-year-old Muslim student, the skill and ambition to build was arrested at school on something cool should lead to applause, not arrest.”

Alisina Saee-Nazari Excelling does lead to applause if you’re white.

Sept. 14 for building a clock Many have drawn comwhich was mistaken for a parisons between Ahmed bomb by his English teacher. Mohamed and Taylor Wilson, A son of Sudanese immi- who became the youngest grants, Mohamed brought person to ever produce nuclehis homemade clock to ar fusion in 2008.

MacArthur High School Also 14, Wilson built a in hopes of impressing his nuclear reactor in his parteachers, but instead was ents’ garage in his hometown treated as a threat to the dis- of Texarkana, Arkansas. trict of Irving, Texas. Once This got the attention of the police acknowledged that United States Department of what Ahmed made wasn’t a Homeland Security, and with bomb, but he was still arrest- much praise, Wilson was ed under the suspicion of con- invited to their offices. structing a “hoax bomb.”

The message is clear: if Mohamed’s arrest is sym- you’re white then the sciences bolic of the United States’ are for you; if you’re brown continued sentiments of and passionate about the Islamaphobia and anti-black- field, you’re a threat. ness. However, nationwide I’m not surprised to hear support on Twitter focusing about Mohamed’s arrest, or on Ahmed’s creativity and to be writing another op-ed resistance illustrates possible on Islamaphobia. Just last hope for social change. semester, the University #IstandwithAhmed began of Massachusetts received trending on Twitter within 24 criticism for ceasing to teach hours after Ahmed’s arrest, Iranian nationals in certain as words of encouragement programs in the Colleges of streamed in.

Engineering and Natural Facebook CEO, Mark Sciences.

MCT

Ahmed Mohamed (above) poses for a photo at his home in Irving, Texas.

The policy would’ve affected two-thirds of the Iranian nationals already enrolled at UMass, reinforcing the idea that the field of sciences is for white people. Like #IstandwithAhmed, students at UMass rallied in support with the trending hashtag #weareumass.

It is important to recognize the nationwide support that Mohamed has received in order to highlight its infrequency. State sanctioned violence disproportionately affects black communities due to our country’s culturally enforced anti-blackness.

As we stand with Ahmed, we should also stand with India Clarke, Amber Monroe,

Christian Taylor, Samuel Dubose, Tanisha Anderson, Miriam Carey and many others. Tuesday morning an unarmed black 16-year-old was beaten and taken down by nine officers for walking in the bus lane in Stockton, California.

His arrest went viral with a witness being heard repeatedly shouting: “He’s just a kid!” We need to demilitarize our police force, because there are kids like Ahmed without a homemade clock, a hashtag, and haven’t been identified.

Alisina Saee-Nazari is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at asaeenazari@umass.edu.

to Letters the edItor

Editorial@DailyCollegian.com

To the editor: Last semester I had the incredible privilege and pleasure of studying in China with the Alliance for Global Education, funded in part by generous scholarships provided by University of Massachusetts alumni. My host institution, the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (henceforth SUFE), is highly regarded in China.

This past year, it was reported to have received the highest number of early admission applications in the country. Despite its prestige, SUFE, along with the vast majority of Chinese universities, lags behind American schools like UMass when it comes to student life. Dormitories (for Chinese students, not privileged foreigners) are atrocious and overcrowded.

Dining selections on campus are minimal. I suspect that most classrooms haven’t been refurbished for decades. This isn’t at all surprising given China’s rank on the UN’s Human Development Index (91 as of 2013). But when it comes to one of the most essential tools for education in the modern age, access to the Internet, SUFE’s infrastructure is first-rate.

Not once did I ever find myself struggling for a signal on a campus of 13,000 students in a relatively poor country.

You can imagine my disappointment when I returned to the United States, by far the richest society in world history, to find that the Wi-Fi on our campus had not only not improved, but in fact degenerated further.

I noticed that the OIT webpage reported Sept. 17 that it was “investigating” reports of slow access. If this were a new problem, then one might be able to overlook these past two weeks of horrendous connectivity. But this is not a new problem, and in fact has been an ongoing issue since I stepped foot on this campus in 2012.

After the botched roll-out of eduroam last year and the introduction of a new fee, ostensibly to support internet services, the Wi-Fi on campus is worse than ever before. The university’s Wi-Fi has long been the butt of jokes among the students, but in truth, this is no laughing matter. Internet access is so essential to education and commerce in the modern age that I don’t even need to discuss it, yet even as I write this email, the Wi-Fi is practically unusable.

To call this unacceptable would be a huge understatement.

Because I don’t know exactly what the problem is, I can’t point the finger at one particular cause. I doubt the blame lies with OIT employees, who in my experience have always exhibited competence and professionalism. Perhaps the problem is that our government allocates a disgracefully low sum to fund public higher education.

But given the plethora of construction projects on campus, one wonders why the University chose to allocate scarce funds to new capital projects without paying much attention to upgrading invisible but crucial infrastructure such as internet access.

As members of the top leadership of this campus, ultimately you are responsible for fixing a problem that impacts the productivity of your students in a meaningful way. Please feel free to forward this email to whomever you feel should view it.

Sincerely, Michael Berner, class of 2016

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. We regret that, due to space constraints, not all letters will be printed but can be found online.

Mohamed’s invite to White House sends strong message

Last Monday, a 14-year-old race, religion, color or creed. student, Ahmed Mohamed, These military members are was arrested at his school in lauded, and rightfully so, but then the blatant violaSteven Gillard tion of a young American’s rights – rights people have Irving, Texas for bringing a died, especially in the wake clock to school that looked of 9/11, to protect –is either like a bomb. defended or brushed off as a The charges were subse- simple, innocuous mistake. quently dropped, and while Obama absolutely did

“Inviting Mohamed to the White House… sends a message to millions of young Americans that the “American Dream” is still alive, that no matter who you are you can still be what you want to be.”

Mohamed was generally met with support, some have taken the time to criticize the attention that the case has received. Commentators on social media sites such as Facebook were quick to point out that the clock did, in fact, look very similar to suitcase bombs often seen in movies.

One Facebook page with over 20,000 likes, The Warfighter Foundation, had the audacity to claim that the decision to detain Mohamed was obviously sound: the United States has been at war with Muslim terrorists for years, it was three days after the anniversary of 9/11 and his last name was Mohamed.

Other commentators have expressed their outrage at Mohamed’s subsequent invite to the White House

by President Barack Obama, questioning where the invites were for the families of service members killed in action, or the families of those murdered in July at military installations in Chattanooga, for example.

While the argument that a 14-year-old inventor’s arrest was justifiable is far too ridiculous to even merit a response, the sentiment that Mohamed’s injustice has been placed above all other injustices, including those suffered by our service members, is a dangerous one.

I have the utmost respect for the men and women who dedicate their lives to this country, and I feel for the families who have lost loved ones in the two wars that we have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. With that being said, do those expressing their disgust at Mohamed’s invite to the White House over the families of soldiers, not realize the irony in such a stance?

Service members are praised because they serve to protect the fundamental truth that Americans hold so dear: the right to pursue one’s dreams regardless of

the right thing in inviting Mohamed to the White House. Inviting the families of service members killed in action, or the families of the Chattanooga victims, although nice gestures, would not have changed anything at the end of the day.

They would not have provided comfort to the families and they would not have solved the problems of war and gun violence that plague this country.

Inviting Mohamed to the White House, however, does do something: it sends a message to millions of young Americans that the “American Dream” is still alive, that no matter who you are, you can still be what you want to be.

The racial profiling that took place in Texas is not what the United States stands for, but sometimes it does take the President of the United States to point that out.

This isn’t a case of blowing matters out of proportion, or Mohamed’s family exploiting the injustice for personal gain. It’s the manifestation of the very real Islamophobia that exists in this country, and a statement needs to be made against it.

Despite 9/11, despite the actions of ISIS, despite the Boston Marathon bombings and the numerous other attempted terrorist attacks on the United States since 9/11, the moment that this country allows such glaring discrimination to go unchecked is the moment that the terrorists truly crumble the foundation on which this country was built.

I stand with Ahmed because I support the troops, because I am an American and because I still believe in the American Dream, and I hope that he does too.

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

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Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Monday, September 21, 2015

“Oh, what a day. What a lovely day!” - Nux, “Mad Max: Fury Road”

Arts@DailyCollegian.com

TELEVISION

Season one of ‘Mr. Robot’ establishes a promising series The viewer leaves hungry for more

By James Davis Collegian Correspondent “Mr. Robot” is cold, treacherous and most of all, sharp.

Season one of the show sets up what is bound to be a fully realized story. Overall, the first season is a great example of how restraint is effective with television.

Every episode matters, and there is no room for fluff.

The first season of “Mr. Robot” completely floored me, as it featured incredible writing, cinematography, editing, a great score and a story that is relevant in today’s culture. The show documents the mental decline of a reclusive hacker, and the world-changing revolution that he gets caught up in.

The show’s opening title cards feel dramatic and nostalgic. The dominating sound, bold fonts, and wide angles in these sequences point to the sheer scope of the story’s plot. Some scenes are almost uncomfortable in their aesthetic and emotional weight. The show’s lack of subtlety lends to its camp factor as it references various time periods. While this is clearly a show set in the present, it still feels like it could be about a hacker from the 80s, or a businessman from the 90s climbing up the

corporate ladder.

Silly cultural references are usually outfitted with a corresponding track (Neil Diamond’s “If You Go Away,” and “Love on a Real Train” by Tangerine Dream are two examples) that seemingly has no place in the show, considering its mostly electronic score. Such soundtrack glitches give the show unexpected bursts of fun – I didn’t know whether to expect grand operatic chords, a tense electronic song or a piano concerto.

“Mr. Robot” creates unrelenting stress in the viewer.

Show creator Sam Esmail strictly follows the rule of thirds so the characters’ current position in their power struggle is always shown through framing. The surgical cleanliness of the shots themselves leaves nothing up for interpretation.

The show’s biggest draw is its personal drama. Major themes of depression, anxiety and childhood trauma culminate in Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), who is the main character. Eliot spends his days snorting morphine, revealing people’s crimes through hacking, and working at Allsafe, a cyber security company.

The world-building feels heavy handed at times – the major corporation in the show is “Evil Corp,” and Eliot explains that he’s programmed himself to see or

MR. ROBOT OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE

Rami Malek stars as Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity employee and hacker confronting a host of personal demons. hear those words whenever he sees the sign for “E Corp” – but there’s certainly no room for confusion as to who the enemy is.

The major players in the show all represent different ways of tackling internal demons. Mr. Robot himself is an unhinged, unpredictable character who acts as a mentor to Alderson. Mr. Robot’s main goal is to take down the system through any means necessary, even murder. He brings together a team of talented hackers called “fsociety” who plan

ALBUM REVIEW

Low’s exquisite return Alt-rock legends continue to evolve

By Jackson maxwell Collegian Staff

One of my earliest, and most formative musical experiences as an adolescent was watching VH1 s television miniseries, “Seven Ages of Rock,’ narrated by Dennis Hopper.

Probably the most powerful scene in the entire series is a heartbreaking interview with R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, in which he describes a recording project that he essentially made up in order to get Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain away from his Seattle home, and away from the dark, drug-addled spiral of depression he had fallen into.

A beautiful dirge plays like a funeral precession in the background of the interview, which inevitably arrives at Cobain’s suicide.

This breathtaking song is Low’s “Anon.”

Though I knew the story of Cobain’s final days well – even at that age – there was something about “Anon,” the opening song on the band’s 1996 album, “The Curtain Hits The Cast,” that made this particular re-telling of it really sink in. Even in the years since – during which Cobain’s story has been told and retold endlessly – whenever I think of how it all came to an end for him, I think of that seething slow burner.

Though there’s undeniably a tragic sense to Low’s greatest works, it also has a spare elegance that ensures that even when the band is at its most titanic, it never sounds in over its head.

“Ones And Sixes,” which was recorded in rural Wisconsin and released on Sept. 11, traverses ground

that can be at once icy, disquieting and impossibly expansive.

Two decades into its career, Low is still finding ways to morph and transform itself, without becoming untethered from the gradual but gargantuan emotional shifts that have defined its work for so long.

Though some of those shifts are built up and repeated like a mantra throughout a song, some arise from nowhere. After the first chorus of opener “Gentle,” a song that lives up to its title with unobtrusive beats and delicate keyboards, a small bit of feedback oscillating idly in the background suddenly swells to the forefront of the mix.

Just before it overwhelms the song completely, it extinguishes itself before the harmonies of guitarist/vocalist Alan Sparhawk and drummer/ vocalist Mimi Parker. It is the loudest curveball the track throws, but one that snaps the listener to attention, lest they think that “Ones And Sixes” will prove a relaxing, understated listen.

Sparhawk’s “No Comprende” practically crawls up your skin, with a tense palm-muted guitar riff and harrowing harmonies from Parker, who at one point quakes “the house is on fire.” With its vocals removed, it could easily serve as the theme to the inevitable re-boot of “Jaws.”

Though the trio actually veers towards writing something approaching a normal, mid-tempo pop-rock song on both “No End” and “What Part of Me,” and a pounding, near 10-minute battle march on the album’s penultimate

track, “Landslide,” “Ones And Sixes”’ finest moments are its most skeletal.

Parker’s immaculate “Into You” has the most simple of electronic beats, and little around it other than some atmospheric noodling from Sparhawk and bright keyboards that fade in and out of the picture. The album’s closer, the widescreen epic, “DJ,” is the album at its most cinematic.

Sparhawk’s glistening notes ricochet off the outer edges of the listener’s imagination, while a slowmotion piano melody and Parker’s bass drum quarter notes provide the structure of any dream the listener would like to construct around the song.

Some listeners may see Low’s glacial tempos and unpredictable peaks and valleys as something that grounds its music in realism. Once one digs past “Ones And Sixes”’ astounding production, that point becomes clear.

In a way that tends to remind me of Frank Black and Kim Deal of the Pixies, Sparhawk and Parker sound like the most normal of people. They just so happen to have been gifted with the ability to channel music that is seemingly from another planet.

But whether you hear “Ones And Sixes” as a dose of reality, or listen to it to give even the most mundane events of your life added gravity, it can still surprise; especially in those moments when you think you finally have it pinned down.

Jackson Maxwell can be reached at jlmaxwell@umass.edu.

to dissolve Evil Corp and release everyone from debt.

Confronting “fsociety” are Tyrell Wellick (Martin Wallström) and his wife, Joanna (Stephanie Corneliussen). They are a manipulative duo obsessed with acquiring total control of Evil Corp and by extension, the world. While Mr. Robot will do anything to uproot the system, Wellick will do anything to sustain it.

Angela Moss (Portia Doubleday) is a disgraced Allsafe employee constantly

the show’s multiple vantage points. She doesn’t want to change anything. She just wants to live. The show’s other characters all have clear-cut goals, but Shayla’s only mission seems to be to stay alive and stay happy.

The diverse cast of characters is a vital part of the show as it reveals both how Evil Corp affects certain people and how individuals will exploit a system in order to get what they want. By having multiple characters with different strategies for tackling the creature that is Evil Corp, “Mr. Robot” depicts the myriad ways in which corporations affect people.

The show implicates the viewer with many perspectives, as if asking its spectators where they stand. Are you the power hungry business magnate? Or do you want to bring down the system with its own code? Are you willing to blow it all up?

Or would you rather watch it crumble slowly? What would you do to free yourself from debt? And how would you start over with nothing?

“Mr. Robot” is a show of questions, and these questions aren’t just there to make the show better, they’re there to ask you – who are you underneath that mask you put up?

at odds with Evil Corp. She, however, fights the system through lawful means rather than the secretive, backdoor methods of Tyrell and Mr. Robot. Moss is interesting simply because she is the only one attempting to solve an issue within the system by using it to her advantage.

Shayla Nico (Frankie Shaw), Eliot’s drug dealer, exemplifies the good that can exist within a constraining society. She’s proof that there can be happiness in a terrible system. Nico lends James Davis can be reached at a genuine human element to jndavis@umass.edu.

FILM REVIEW

‘Diary of a Teenage Girl’ an honest narrative of self-love By nathan Frontiero Collegian Staff

“The Diary of a Teenage Girl” is just that – a comingof-age story that’s genuinely observed through its subject’s eyes. The film opens on a sunkissed San Francisco park in 1976. Fifteen-year-old Minnie Goetze (Bel Powley) walks through the lush green space with a new spring in her step.

“I had sex today,” she says in voiceover. She describes the encounter as the film flashes back to reveal that she slept with her mother’s boyfriend.

Writer-director Marielle Heller takes a tactful and caring approach to the subject matter. She lets Minnie speak for herself. That’s a good thing, since Minnie is one of the most vibrant protagonists I’ve seen in a while. She’s funny, self-effacing, precocious and unflinchingly honest. She records a diary on cassette tapes – her growing collection fills a shoebox – and I quickly grew to trust her voice.

Powley fully enlivens this nuanced character. She makes Minnie instantly likeable. Her performance equally conveys Minnie’s angst and confidence. I believed every private detail Minnie disclosed, and felt more like a confidant than a passive observer of her personal account. Powley captures Minnie’s charm and won me over with her dry, sharp wit.

Minnie is an aspiring cartoonist, and Heller deftly balances her sexual and artistic awakenings. The film was adapted from a graphic novel, Phoebe Gloeckner’s “The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures,” and the format translates well to screen.

Hand-drawn sequences from

THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE

Bel Powley and Alexander Skarsgård star in “The Diary of a Teenage Girl.” animator Sara Gunnarsdottir often overlap or take over the live action. These colorful, playful flourishes offer an intriguing look into Minnie’s creative headspace. The animation bolsters heartfelt and humorous moments.

Brandon Trost’s cinematography keeps everything looking groovy. He washes scenes in saturated colors befitting the 70s-era setting – the hazy interiors of clubs and houses, and the garish clothing styles all appear appropriately lush. Curated songs on the soundtrack bolster the movie’s spunky energy, and Nate Heller’s original music – a warm mix of guitars and bubbly synthesizers – mirrors the more affecting and intimate aspects of the narrative.

Heller embraces Minnie’s burgeoning sexuality, shaping the film around her attempts to find herself amid her personal conflicts and newfound impulses. Minnie sometimes feels insecure about her appearance, but her lusty confidence attracts the attention of schoolboys. Some of

the film’s subtle moments of critique occur when Minnie pursues her admirers. One boy admits that he finds her passion intimidating and she leaves him. Heller lets that particular scene linger, implicating the viewer who, like the boy, stigmatizes rather than accepts Minnie’s sexual agency.

Late in the film, Minnie thinks about her struggles with building meaningful bonds with other people. Though she finds gratification in sex, she rarely feels her deeper emotional commitment reciprocated. She wonders if she will ever find love in others, then realizes “maybe it’s not about being loved by someone else.”

Her character arc comes into satisfying focus as a narrative about finding the importance of self worth. Minnie Goetze is unabashedly herself throughout “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” and she learns to love that. More power to her.

Nathan Frontiero can be reached at nfrontiero@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @NathanFrontiero.

6

Monday, September 21, 2015

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Comics The

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WE WANT YOUR COMICS! Put your comics in front of thousands of readers.

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

fresh minTy TasTe of hydrogen peroxide.

Classified Room For Rent, shared house, nearby Hadley. Busline, bike path. Spacious house and yard. $500 plus. No fees.

Doomy

Xkcd

B Y r ANdAll M uNroe

N ice c leAN F ighT

B Y S eAN c lArk T he A wkwArd Y eTi

S ArAh ’ S S criBBleS

B Y N ick S eluk

B Y S ArAh A NderSeN

HOROSCOPES aquarius

Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

A lot of bananas would fit on the roof of Worcester.

pisces

Feb. 19 - Mar. 20

leo

Jul. 23 - aug. 22

Medusa’s life would be great in modern times.

virgo

aug. 23 - Sept. 22

You know what’s disappointing? Waking up in the morning.

Oh, professor is going to call on you? Bam. Stone.

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

I don’t know what’s worse -- zombies or the price inflation in Blue Wall.

Posting passive aggressive notes everywhere is the true meaning of life.

Police pulls you over? Bam. Stone.

I guess being Medusa has its downfalls too.

sagittarius

nOv. 22 - Dec. 21

I hope you did your homework this weekend because I sure didn’t.

A snapping turtle is not a chair.

cancer

capricorn

Jun. 22 - Jul. 22

If watermellon exists, why not earthmellon, firemellon, and airmellon?

Neither is a porcupine.

Dec. 22 - Jan. 19

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Monday, September 21, 2015

Sports@DailyCollegian.com

@MDC_SPORTS

FOOTBALL

Minutemen lose heartbreaker vs.

Temple on Sat.

UP FOR GRABS

Blocked PAT leads to another unusual UM loss

By Andrew Cyr

By Anthony ChiusAno

Collegian Staff

Collegian Staff

FOXBOROUGH — The Massachusetts football team has experienced heartbreak before in what has been an emotional upand-down, roller coaster ride during its short tenure as a member of FBS football.

But nothing could have prepared the Minutemen for Saturday’s collapse.

With 12 seconds remaining, Temple kicker Austin Jones drilled a 32-yard field goal, planting the final dagger in what would have been one of UMass’ biggest wins in recent program history, giving the Owls a 25-23 victory Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

“It feels like deja vu a little bit.

With those situations, it’s unbelievable how it unfolds,” UMass quarterback Blake Frohnapfel said.

Just minutes before, the Minutemen (0-2) appeared to have put themselves in position to win the game.

Trailing 20-17 with 2:59 remaining, the Minutemen started a drive at their own 41-yard-line following a fumble by Temple (3-0) running back Jahad Thomas. Frohnapfel led the offense, which was lackluster for most of the second half, on an eight-play, 59-yard drive that was capped off by a 16-yard touchdown pass to running back Jamal Wilson to take a 23-20 lead with 1:20 remaining.

That’s when the Minutemen’s dreams came crashing back down to reality.

Blake Lucas’ ensuing pointafter-attempt was blocked, and Temple’s Will Hayes returned it for a successful defensive two-point conversion, cutting the UMass lead to one. Minutemen center Matt Sparks was flagged for unnecessary roughness following the play and the 15-yard penalty was enforced on the following kickoff.

Temple quarterback P.J. Walker (391 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions) then marched the Owls 50 yards on 10 SHANNON BRODERICK/COLLEGIAN plays, putting them in position for the Jones’ game-winning field goal. UMass defensive back Randall Jette (left) and Temple wide receiver Adonis Jennings (right) fight for position on a ball in the air during Saturday’s game at Gillette Stadium. The Owls defeated the Minutemen 25-23 on a game-winning field goal. see OWLS on page 7

FOXBOROUGH — The Massachusetts football team has found a number of ways to lose games over the past few years since its move to the Football Bowl Subdivision. In Saturday’s 25-23 loss to Temple, the Minutemen added to this interesting list.

Trailing 20-17 with less than two minutes left in regulation, Jamal Wilson turned a short screen pass into a 16-yard touchdown to hand UMass its first lead of the game. However, on the ensuing point after attempt, Blake Lucas was blocked at the line and the Owls’ Stephaun Marshall lateraled the loose ball to Will Hayes, who returned it to the opposite endzone for two points.

To make matters worse for the Minutemen, UMass center Matt Sparks was tagged with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to tack on 15 yards for Temple on the following kickoff.

After the unusual turn of events, the Owls completed a 10-play, 50-yard drive to set up a game-winning 32-yard field goal from Austin Jones with 12 seconds remaining.

“It’s just football. You see it at all levels. I’m a lot more experienced with all those games in the NFL to think that crazy things can happen,” UMass coach Mark Whipple said following the game.

For Minutemen quarterback Blake Frohnapfel, the loss felt all too familiar. UMass has faced many high-profile programs in the past and played good enough to remain competitive but in the end, many times after unpredictable circumstances, it wasn’t enough to clinch a victory. Just last season, the Minutemen blew consecutive 11-point second half leads against Colorado and Vanderbilt.

“Obviously it feels like déjà vu a little bit. With those situations, it’s unbelievable how it unfolds,” Frohnapfel said. “We said that, see

HEARTBREAK on page 7

WOMEN’S SOCCER

UMass wins third straight at home against Harvard

UMass scored early in Sunday’s game and never trailed.

Ju n i o r A l ys s a Fratarcangeli first put the

By AdAm AuCoin Minutewomen on the scoreCollegian Staff board after getting her foot There’s no place like on a ball in the box to score home for the Massachusetts her first goal of the seawomen’s soccer team, which son and the second of her has followed up an 0-2-2 road career. Daniela Alvarez and trip with a three-game win- Julia Weithofer assisted on ning streak at Rudd Field. the play.

UMass continued its suc“It all happened so fast, cess at home with another it was kind of a blur,” strong defensive perfor- Fratarcangeli said. “The mance Sunday, ball came in and beating in-state saw an opporUMass 2 Itunity. rival Harvard 2-0.

I barely Minutemen (3-3got my foot on it Harvard 0 and I was ecstat2) coach Ed Matz said he realizes the ic when it went impact of playing in the back of strong at home before play- the net.” ing five of the team’s last Junior forward Megan eight games on the road Burke tallied the game’s against conference oppo- other goal just 55 seconds nents. later for the Minutewomen, “It’s something we talked scoring her second goal of about coming into the sea- the season. Freshman forson,” Matz said. “If you win ward Erin Doster assisted your home games there’s on the play. a good chance you’ll be Harvard (2-5-1) headed in postseason play in the into Sunday’s game comAtlantic 10. I think our good ing off a 2-1 overtime win play here can also be cred- against New Hampshire last ited to how we have matured Thursday. as a team.”

Matz said leading

UM defense records fourth 2015 shutout

into Sunday’s game that Harvard’s Margaret Purce, who scored for the Crimson against UNH, was one player the Minutemen specifically focused on limiting.

Purce leads Harvard with two goals and 38 shots this season, but UMass contained the junior and limited her to four shots, only one of which was on goal and was saved by Minutewomen goalkeeper Cassidy Babin.

Babin posted her fourth shutout this season with three saves on the day. The sophomore has not given up a goal in her last 352 minutes and 58 seconds – dating back to the eighth minute of UMass’ 1-0 loss to Yale Sept.

6.

The Minutewomen’s defense has been the backbone for UMass so far in 2015 and has kept them in games, even when they were struggling to score early in the season.

Minutewomen captain Rebekka Sverrisdóttir is the leader of the backline and recognized the importance of the team’s defense in the midst of a winning streak.

“Defense is really important not only for the back

JUDITH GIBSON-OKUNIEFF/COLLEGIAN

Alyssa Fratarcangeli (13) celebrates her goal in the 18th minute of UMass’ victory over Harvard. four, but for the whole team,” Sverrisdóttir said.

“When the whole team plays together, we are a great defending team and that was what led us to the win (Sunday).”

Matz said the Minutewomen’s defense is the reason their offense has improved in this recent stretch.

“We’re really confident right now that it will be extremely hard to score on

us,” he said. “The defense that our forwards play and our midfielder plays are important to us as well. We continue to preach team defense and it seems to be working right now.”

Matz added: “It’s players getting comfortable and our freshman getting settled in.

These things have really helped our confidence on the field.”

Sunday’s win marked the conclusion of non-

conference play for the Minutewomen, who begin their A-10 schedule next Thursday.

“Getting a win (Sunday) was huge,” Fratarcangeli said. “This game gives us a lot of momentum going into conference play.”

UMass opens its A-10 schedule against La Salle Oct. 1.

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

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

Monday, September 21, 2015

7

FIELD HOCKEY

UMass drops rematch with Minutewomen stagnant Spiders in double overtime on offense in Sunday loss Richmond hands UM first A-10 loss

nate to get the ball out and into the net while Carlino was momentarily out of position.

The Minutewomen only

By PhiliP Sanzo managed a total of five Collegian Staff shots on goal all game, The Massachusetts field marking their lowest outhockey team couldn’t avenge put since they finished with last year’s Atlantic 10 tour- two in their 4-0 shutout loss nament finals loss against to No. 4 Syracuse on Sept. 6.

Richmond, as the Spiders While Richmond’s returned to Amherst with defense was stingy throughsimilar results, dropping out Sunday’s game, UMass the Minutewomen 2-1 in had plenty of empty scordouble-overtime. ing opportunities in Both teams entered the the loss. The game having had Minutewomen their fair share of Richmond 2 recorded six total offensive strugpenalty corners, gles this season, UMass 1 including one in and that contineach overtime ued Sunday. and four in reguAfter 97 minutes of dead- lation. lock, the Spiders’ Kelly “It’s just disappointQuinn produced the walk- ing,” UMass coach Carla off goal with a quick shot Tagliente said. “We did not past UMass goalkeeper finish the game out and we Sam Carlino off a pass from did not play particularly Avery Safford. well from start to finish.”

“It’s a tough loss, we didn’t The Minutewomen were come out in the second half, also gifted with plenty of we’ve been struggling with offensive miscues by the that a bit,” Carlino said.

Spiders, who seemed to UMass’ lone goal came 20 miss open shots one after minutes into the game when the other.

Hannah Farrell assisted The amount of emotion Shauna Ranking-Byrne could be seen in the fairly for her second goal of the physical conference game. season. The tally gave the UMass was given three Minutewomen a temporary green cards and a yellow 1-0 heading into the second card, and Melanie Kreusch half. hit the turf hard late in UMass held this lead until the second overtime with the midway point of the sec- what appeared to be a wrist ond half when Richmond’s injury. Tagliente said the Taylor Deitrick rebounded injury wasn’t serious. the ball past Carlino for the According to Tagliente, tying score. the Minutewomen’s poor The goal followed a offense may have been scramble in front of the net a result of extra emotion where Deitrick was fortu- stemming from last year’s

OWLS

letdown in the A-10 tournament.

“I think we were focused more on them and playing hard more than playing smart,” Tagliente said.

The inconsistency on offense has been a common reoccurrence for the Minutewomen throughout the season. While UMass’ offense has shown improvement, posting 13 goals in its previous three home games, Sunday’s game saw earlyseason issues resurface.

On the opposite end of the field, the Minutewomen’s defense is also looking to improve, especially close to the goal.

“Defensively we’ve been consistent, but we’re not getting that extra push inside the circle,” Carlino said.

As the season wears on, the relatively young UMass team still seeks greater consistency and awareness, two things that hurt them against Richmond Sunday.

Tagliente was very blunt following the loss saying, “We just played dumb.”

Sunday’s win ended a four-game losing streak for Richmond and improves them to 2-0 in conference play. The Minutewomen dropped to 1-1 in conference play, following their victory over Saint Joseph’s Friday.

UMass will next take a short break from its A-10 schedule when it hosts No. 6 Stanford next Sunday, Sep. 27.

Philip Sanzo can be reached at psanzo@umass.edu and followed on Twitter at Philip_Sanzo.

continued from page 8

UMass attack only records five SOG

By Collin WiederSheim Collegian Correspondent

The N o.

20 Massachusetts field hockey team couldn’t find any offensive rhythm Sunday in a 2-1 double-overtime loss to Atlantic 10 rival Richmond.

In front of an animated home crowd on a near-perfect afternoon at Gladchuk Field, the Minutewomen faced off against their conference rivals with a bitter taste still lingering from being eliminated by the Spiders in the A-10 tournament finals last season. UMass came out with a clear agenda: avenge last year’s loss, and keep its offense hot.

But the Minutewomen had a very quiet day in terms of scoring in a loss that halted a three-game win streak in which they tallied 13 combined goals.

UMass had offensive control for much of Sunday’s game, but it struggled in converting possessions into scoring opportunities and shots on goal.

The Minutewomen had only two shots at the end of the first half, eight shots in regulation time and 11 in 99 total minutes of play.

“We’re definitely a young team,” UMass senior goalkeeper Sam Carlino said. “We’ve just got to keep learning and growing. We’ve got to try and get everything on goal that we can.”

The Minutewomen started off on the right foot with 15 minutes left in the first half as Hannah Farrell assisted Shauna Rankin-Byrne for a goal on UMass’ first corner shot of the game.

For the remainder of the

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

UMass’ Nicole Miller tries to evade a Richmond defender Sunday. matchup, however, the Minutewomen fell victim to a stagnant offense.

“Our attack was too simple,” UMass coach Carla Tagliente said. “We were too focused on them, and playing hard, rather than playing smart. We didn’t think and we didn’t put enough skill on the ball.

“I think we just played dumb.”

UMass came out of the halftime break with a few early shots on goal, but Richmond’s offense struck first to equalize the contest with 17 minutes, 45 seconds left in regulation.

As the first overtime got underway, once again it appeared that the Minutewomen were in the right position to score the game-winner.

A corner with nine minutes left in the period gave UMass some hope, but the Minutewomen failed to convert once again, with the Richmond defense forcing the stop.

The offensive struggles became even more apparent as the penalties started to accumulate for the Minutewomen. Nicole Miller received a green and yellow card and Izzie Delario earned two green cards in a physical bat-

HEARTBREAK

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

Blake Lucas had a PAT attempt blocked in the final two minutes Saturday that led to a Temple win.

“It’s just football,” head coach Mark Whipple said.

“You see it at all levels. I’m a lot more experienced with all those games in the NFL, you think crazy things can happen. And you’re dealing with kids and you always talk about finishing.”

The Minutemen defense gave themselves multiple opportunities in the second half, only allowing a pair of field goals after allowing 17 points in the first half.

Entering Saturday’s game, Thomas was the nation’s third-highest rusher with 328 total yards, but he finished with just 66 yards on 25 carries.

“Our defense was phenomenal today. They did a great job. They really responded after last week and they were making a lot of stops,” Frohnapfel said.

“On offense, it was like we were going on the field and kind of stepping on our own toes a little bit.”

Frohnapfel finished the game 29-for-55 with 393 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

UMass receiver Tajae

Sharpe also impressed, catching 11 passes for 156 yards as a number of NFL scouts looked on from the press box. Sharpe set the team’s career record for receptions (188), breaking Adrian Zullo’s record of 187.

Temple scored first with 1:28 remaining in the first quarter when Walker connected with Adonis Jennings on a 23-yard pass to take a 7-0. After a fumble on the ensuing possession

by UMass’ Marken Michel, the Owls scored again off a 14-yard delayed handoff to Thomas, who went untouched into the end zone.

UMass’ offense broke through in the second quarter on a pair of touchdown receptions by Rodney Mills.

The first came on a 48-yard pass from Frohnapfel to cut the lead to 14-7, the next coming on a five-yard slant just before the half to tie the game at 17. Both Lucas (34 yards) and Jones (33 yards) made field goals in the second quarter.

The Minutemen finished with a total of 438 yards of total offense with only 45

of those coming from the run game. Despite only allowing one sack, the offense line struggled to create any running lanes, and Frohnapfel was pressured within the pocket throughout Saturday’s game.

UMass’ defense allowed 458 total yards, including a pair of interceptions from Khary Bailey-Smith and Kelton Brackett. Jovan Santos-Knox led the team with 11 tackles, three of which resulted in a loss of yards.

“I’m proud of the way the guys responded from last week. I didn’t think that was the football team I had been coaching,” Whipple said.

“Credit Temple. They made the plays at the end of the game that you need to make and that’s why we came up on the short end.”

“It’s tough, but we have some strong players in our locker room who are going to overcome this,” SantosKnox said.

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

later in this year, we’ll have these same situations happen. It’s going to happen.

Next time, we’ll take care of it.”

Frohnapfel added: “We score a touchdown and you think you’ve won the game, but you have to keep pressing on because there’s a minute left. You have to finish that game.”

The Minutemen (0-2) hung in with the Owls (3-0) – the No. 26 team in the nation – despite committing 12 penalties and not looking fully in-sync on offense.

Surprisingly, it was UMass’ defense that stood strong behind three forced turnovers and some key third down stops.

But with the focus being on not allowing any deep balls on the final, deciding drive of the game by the Owls’ offense, Temple scraped its way into field goal position.

“It’s very tough when they’re throwing quick outs and stuff like that,” Minutemen defensive back Kelton Brackett said. “You just got to be prepared for it.”

In his second game for UMass, Brackett finished with six tackles, an interception and a fumble

tle. The latter green card came in the 98th minute in the second overtime period, when Delario vocalized her discontent with the handling of an on-field injury.

UMass’ Melanie Kreusch was hurt, but play continued until a late whistle called off the action. Delario wasn’t happy and official Gus Soteriades proceeded to give her a green card while pointing at Delario and exclaiming, “You’re out of here.”

Delario headed to the bench, even though a green card doesn’t warrant a player to leave the pitch.

Kreusch also would sit after being walked off.

According to Tagliente, the injury is not severe and Kreusch will be fine.

The Spiders scored the game-winner soon after in the 99th minute. Avery Safford assisted Kelly Quinn, helping to end UMass’ three-game winning streak and setting them back to 1-1 in conference play.

The Minutewomen hope to reignite their offense against Stanford next Sunday in Amherst.

Collin Wiedersheim can be reached at cwiedersheim@umass.edu.

continued from page 8

“This is the first game I had like this. To put so much into it and to have a score like that, it does take a toll out of us.”

Kelton Brackett, UMass defensive back recovery. The senior, who transferred from Alabama Birmingham following the program’s temporary disband this past summer, said he’s never experienced an ending like Saturday’s loss.

“This is the first game I had like this,” Brackett said. “To put so much into it and to have a score like that, it does take a toll out of us.”

Sharpe reaches first milestone Overshadowed by the heartbreaking conclusion to Saturday’s game was the performance of UMass wide receiver Tajae Sharpe, who finished with 11 catches for 156 yards.

On his final reception for the day, Sharpe surpassed Adrian Zullo for most career catches in program history (188).

“It’s an honor and a privilege to go down in the UMass history books,”

Sharpe said. “I give all the credit first off to coach Whipple, he’s a great offensive-minded coach and he puts me in position to get the ball and things like that.

And also to my quarterback and my whole offense, and for Blake (Frohnapfel) for getting me the ball. And even my defense going out and getting stops so I can have a chance to make plays for this team.”

Sharpe added: “It’s an honor and a privilege, but all that really doesn’t matter if we don’t come out with the win. We have to find a way to come out on top.”

The career reception mark is not the only milestone Sharpe is expected to reach in his final season with the Minutemen. He also now trails Zullo by 431 receiving yards for most in program history.

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