A Capella showcase displays ranges of talent â–ş Page 10
THE UMASS LOWELL
Serving the Student Body Since 1976
December 8, 2015
ASCE impacts students, community
In This Issue The great divide: North vs. South
Shane Foley Connector Editor
â–ş Page 3
Christmas horror story ‘Krampus’
â–ş Page 6 Hockey, basketball in action over weekend
â–ş Page 12
Final River Hawk Scores Team
Score
Overall Record
M. Basketball at Boston College
W 68-66 4-4
Hockey vs. UConn
L 1-2
W. Basketball at Miami (FL)
L 53-84 1-7
M. Basketball at NJIT
L 77-90
10-3-4
3-4
Berning it up in Boston Chantelle Somers Connector Contributor
In his most recent Boston rally, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders brought in a large crowd. Sanders, a Democratic presidential candidate, spoke to a predominantly young crowd saying; “If we stand together there is nothing we can’t accomplish and that is what we’re about.� Sanders used an inclusive tone throughout his rally, encouraging those in attendance to take part in the reform he suggests for the country. During the rally held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on Saturday, Oct. 3, Sanders spoke about justice system reform, gun control, wage inequality and job security, family and medical leave, student debts and climate change. Supporters and attendees started lining up around noon for the event. Once the doors opened, chants filled the hallways with, “We feel the Bern, so good, so good, so good� and “Bern baby Bern, Bernie Sanders.� Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, an environmental group working to fight climate change, welcomed Sanders to the stage. McKibben suggested an unlikely reason for Sanders’ popularity. “It’s possible it’s his good looks,� he said. Once on stage, Sanders thanked everyone inside for being there, as well as the “thousands of people who are outside who were
The UMass Lowell Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has put their stamp on many projects on campus and in the city. They are currently mentoring students in fifth through eighth grade at the Bartlett School in Lowell. They also work with the town of Lexington, Mass. to help monitor their storm water. They are planning a walkway along the Merrimack River by North Campus. This is just a portion of a large list of projects and partnerships that ASCE members are working on, but perhaps their biggest project is helping civil engineers walk out of UMass Lowell with a job to go with their degree. “If you’re involved in ASCE as much as we have been, by the time you’re a senior, you most likely have a job already lined up waiting for you by the time you graduate,� said Treasurer Fabio Braz of the Steel Bridge team. They are a group of students who compete
Courtesy of Commodore Builders
ASCE members team up with Commodore Builders in Newton, Mass.
in a steel bridge making contest against other teams from around the country. Giving students opportunities, like the one Braz enjoys with the Steel Bridge team, is what ASCE specializes in. While they hold general meetings biweekly, they are constantly notifying civil engineer majors of projects and activities that they can participate in. “So, in ASCE, you go to class, and you learn all of these technical things from professors, but what
we want to do is give people [an] actual hands-on experience,â€? said Ellen Gerardi, the current president of the organization. Now a senior, Gerardi has been with ASCE since she was a freshman. In that time, she participated in the Lexington Storm Water project at the end of her sophomore year with Michaela Fitzgerald, who is currently vice president and will be president next year. Gerardi also planned a student night in her junior year which gave members â–ş See “ASCE,â€? page 10
Scenes from WUML’s Rock for Tots Jen Desrosiers/Connector
â–ş See “Sanders,â€? page 4
Sections News.............................3 Campus Life.................. 9 A&E.............................. 6 Sports..........................12 Soft Cactus performs at WUML’s Rock for Tots benefit concert.
â–ş See page 6 for more photos
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December 8, 2015
OPINIONS & EDITORIALS
Give a Little Respect Tom Lydon UML Student
For many years, there has been some sort of controversy when December rolls around. One particular area that seems to get a lot of focus is the use of “Merry Christmas� and “Happy Holidays� as greetings. Some people don’t want to offend those who don’t celebrate Christmas, while others feel that Happy Holidays is too politically correct. Take one side over the other, and you’re either a stuck-up Christian or gutless wimp. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where retail workers have been fired for using one over another. Nobody ever seems to want to take the fabled middle ground and try to see things from both sides. Well, I’m taking that stance. And here’s an honest question for every-
one, regardless of their opinion: Is this really something to get riled up about? Let me preface my argument before I get ahead of myself. I am Catholic. I go to St. Mary’s Parish in Waltham, and I’ve served as a lector there for the past ten years. So, yes, I do celebrate Christmas, both as a day to spend quality time with friends and family and as a religious holiday. Having said that, the term “Happy Holidays� is not offensive. Nor is it something to throw a fit over. Why bring this up? To make a long story short, there was a priest at my church who spoke during an intersession about this subject a year ago. While I can’t remember his exact words, it was something along the lines of wishing people “Merry Christmas� regardless of their creed. Now, okay, as a Catholic, it’s im-
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portant to keep the spirit of Christmas with you this time of year. I get that. At the same time, it’s just as important to remember that not everyone celebrates Christmas, assuming they celebrate something in the first place. It’s not just the Christmas Season, or the Hanukkah Season, or even the Festivus Season. (No offense to any “Seinfeld� fans out there.) There’s more to December than just one holiday, let alone Christmas. That’s the whole point of calling it the “Holiday� Season. Saying “Merry Christmas� is fine if you’re among family and friends who celebrate the holiday with you, or among people you don’t necessarily know in, say, a church gathering. “Happy Holidays� isn’t necessarily bad, but “Merry Christmas� is definitely the better greeting of the two, if only because you know that people celebrate Christmas. But what if you were out and about, wished a random passerby Merry Christmas, and it turns out they celebrated Hanukkah instead? Seems a bit awkward, don’t you think? That’s another thing most people don’t seem to consider when it comes to this argument. Unless there’s an obvious tell, like a yarmulke on a Jewish person, you don’t know what a random person celebrates this time of year. In those moments, sometimes it’s best to not assume and just say “Happy Holidays� to that person. Using that greeting in this instance is no great sin. I’m sure I know what some of you might be thinking, that I’m being too politically correct. Maybe, but I don’t think that’s the case. The way I see it,
this isn’t a matter of being politically correct, but a matter of being respectful towards others. I’ve had people who don’t even celebrate Christmas wish me a “Merry Christmas,� and in return, I’d wish them the best for their holiday. Heck, there was an occasion where I gave a Jewish community college professor I had one year a Hanukkah card as opposed to a Christmas card. Why? Because it was the respectful thing to do. All right, so this might’ve been a little too preachy, and maybe I’ve painted a bull’s-eye on my back. But here’s the overall point. There’s nothing wrong with saying “Merry Christmas,� nor is there anything wrong with saying “Happy Holidays.� This time of year, there’s room for both. “Merry Christmas� is fine with family, friends and religious community members, and “Happy Holidays� is fine for random passersby. Neither greeting is wrong per se; you just need to be mindful of what people may celebrate. It’s a matter of basic respect, nothing more to it. I’m in no way telling you what you should say, but instead offering an alternative point of view to consider for the future and beyond. Honestly, as long as you at least listened to all that I had to say on this matter, that’s one small victory in my book. In any event, here’s wishing a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to one and all from your friendly neighborhood Connector contributor. Editor’s note: This opinion piece was originally published in part in the Nov. 24, 2015 issue. To correct the layout error, this article is now published in full.
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December 8, 2015
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NEWS UMass Lowell academics: Unified or divided? Benjamin St. Pierre Connector Staff
With UMass Lowell strewn about the entire city, having just one academic campus to service all majors is an impossible idea. The geography and existence of private homes and businesses between North and South Campus stop any thoughts of physical University unity, and, because of this, it seems the two campuses have minds of their own, instead of each being an essential part of a whole. North Campus, with information provided by U.S. News & World Report, has the advantage in terms of major popularity, with UMass Lowell’s most popular majors being business (17% of students) and engineering (15%). Roughly one third of UMass Lowell’s students belong to these two North Campus majors alone, and the gender splits, with 63% of UMass Lowell students being male, 37% female (as provided by UMass Lowell Statistics), demonstrates that it is a heavily male, math and science-oriented University. North Campus serves the math and science departments, while South
Campus is home to the humanities, health fields and social sciences. Both academic campuses are built to provide everything their majors will need, requiring not only unique facilities and buildings, but also, distinct cultures, feelings and personalities of their own, it seems. “There are obvious reasons for the different feel between North and South Campus, like North having their reputation as the business and STEM majors’ campus, and South being the arts and humanities campus,” says Malinda Reed, an English literature major who lives in Bourgeois Hall on East Campus. “But other factors, like South having a dining hall and dorms, contribute to it feeling more welcoming and comforting.” Grass and trees abound on South Campus, and, with Mill City Restaurant scheduled for demolition and McGauvran Hall, under construction, set to replace be the new dining hall and student lounge, South Campus will only grow more unique. North Campus, meanwhile, is notable for its large, clustered buildings, underground tunnel, and the nuclear reactor. South Campus is full of green
space, and North is busy, active and bustling. “I’d say the biggest difference between North and South is obviously the fact that North has only classes, where South has both classes and dorms. To me, I’ve always seen South as a relaxing campus and it’s one of my favorite campuses to live on,” says Jake Swain, a civil engineering major who lives on South in Riverview Suites. “North Campus, as well as South, is a great campus to have classes on… it gives you plenty of places to study, do homework, and gives a great college feel to the University. Each campus has its perks, but I think once the new dining hall is opened on South and the old one is gone, South Campus will be the most welcoming and peaceful campus at this University.” Seemingly, not much else could be different between the two campuses, and their differences are reflective of the unique students they each serve; or perhaps each student body internalizes the feeling of being unique from the other campus, and a biased attachment to their academic campus, and the disciplines involved in each, takes hold. But maybe the uniqueness of each academic campus is worse for us students than it seems. To expand on this further and into the realm of professors, Dr. Todd Tietchen, an English professor, believes that the separation of the campuses has negative effects
on both the classes offered, and the conversations it allows students to have. Instead of remaining ideologically separate, the University could do more to foster better relations between the two campuses’ disciplines. “I’m leery about dividing knowledge up into disciplinary clusters to begin with, just because I think when we try to talk about various kinds of problems, like global climate change, it’s probably necessary for all of us to be able to talk about it across disciplines,” Dr. Tietchen says. Speaking from his experiences teaching Literature on Technology and Human Values, a class taught on both campuses, Dr. Tietchen says, “When you bring all of those students together, and you have them discuss literature and technology together, the conversations end up being quite energizing and inspiring and thought-provoking. It’s important for students in STEM to think about what some of the cultural or ethical implications are of the kinds of innovations that they’re invested in, but it’s also important for students in the humanities or social sciences to think about ways in which innovations in STEM are going to, maybe, change the expressive culture that they work in, in ways that are interesting and fascinating too. When students are divided in disciplines, or on campuses, it keeps us from having that conversation. I think as a University it’s an increasingly important conversation for us to have.”
Students and the 2016 election Richard Budd Connector Staff
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With the gears of the 2016 presidential election having begun to grind forward, opinions run high on campus at UMass Lowell. Perhaps the most talked about candidate of the moment, and the center of a considerable surge of popularity among the Millennial generation, is Sen. Bernie Sanders. “I think he’s a great representative for the average American,” said political science major Brittanie Dudley. “I like that he has been a long-standing supporter of abortion and contraceptives, as well as supporting organizations that support family planning. Dudley said she also appreciated Sanders declining to accept donations from large corporations and ultra-wealthy donors. Most recently, Sanders declined a donation from pharmaceutical mogul Martin Shkreli. Shkreli purchased the rights to an AIDS medication while raising its price from around $13.50 to $750 per pill, according to a report from Buisness Insider. Sanders donated
his contribution to AIDS research instead. “I think it takes a lot of guts to do that when our political system really only rewards the candidates who receive and spend the most money,” she said. Tim Garafano said he doesn’t consider himself an “outright Democrat,” yet supports Sanders nonetheless. “I pretty much just like whoever appeals to me as an actual human being, and Bernie does.” Garafano said he appreciated Sanders’ focus on what he considers major issues affecting the country, including scholastic debt, the price of health care, and America’s prison system. “Bernie Sanders actually addressed the anger that I have about the problems this country has instead of pretending that they’re going to fix themselves,” he said. Support for Sanders among students is not universal, however. “I’m currently on the Hilary Clinton wave,” said Samantha Limberti. “I feel like she’s more focused on the middle group and trying to get some more women’s health issues put on the map, which is obviously ►See “Candidates,” page 4
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December 8, 2015
NEWS Bernie Sanders brings his campaign to Boston ►Continued from front page
unable to get in.” Ryan Kohl from Connecticut said he came to the rally for “a free chance to see any political figure; you can’t say no to that.” Sanders brought up many topics during his rally. “Every serious issue that’s been in the news he touched upon,” said Alex Zitoli from Chicago. The Senator brought up the education system in relation to wage inequality, linking a lack of quality education to America’s “2.2 million people in jail.” Sanders said the criminal justice system is in “deep need of reform.” Sanders said efforts leading to reform may include, “non-violent offenders do not get locked up,” “demilitarize police,” “rethink our war on drugs,” doing away with “mandatory minimum sentences” and cultivating police departments that “look like the communities they serve.” “It makes a lot more sense to me that we invest in jobs and education than in jail and incarceration,” he said. To a reply of cheers, Sanders also said, “Wages in America are just too damn low.” Not all supporters were as ecstatic about his stance on the justice system, however. “I hope he will clarify the criminal justice system, because anyone can say the system is broke, but until I see a realistic solution, I’m a bit shaky on it,” Zitoli said. Not only did Sanders discuss the inequality in education due to socioeconomic standings, but he also spoke about race relations in America and in relation to issues over the past year. “We still have a very long way to go,” said Sanders. “What I am talking about is an institutional racism that al-
Courtesy of Sean Gold Sanders addresses a crowd of supporters at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
lows unarmed African Americans to be killed by police officers.” Sanders said that police officers in America today may be underpaid and have hours that are difficult to maintain, resulting in stressful home lives, but these difficulties do not excuse problems. “When a police officer breaks the law, that police officer must be held accountable,” he said. Earlier in the campaign Sanders spoke about the trending hash-tag #blacklivesmatter in conjunction with the #alllivesmatter hash-tag. Jin Chang, from Minnesota, was following the campaign at the time and disagreed with the statements Sanders made about the issue. “He sometimes says things that are
Courtesy of Sean Gold Thousands of people lined up to hear Senator Sanders speak in Boston.
wrong, but he apologizes about it,” said Chang. Sanders also touched upon the shooting in Oregon that occurred in early October. Solemn clapping was the response to Sanders saying, “Our hearts go out to the people of Oregon and what they have experienced in the past couple of days.” As a result, Sanders said America needs to “end the sale and distribution of semi-automatic weapons whose only job is to kill.” Along with gun control, mental
health is often a hot-button topic. Sanders made this connection as well. “We need a revolution in terms of mental health in this country,” he said. “People who are in crisis should not have to wait weeks or months for care. They should get it now,” said Sanders. Sanders concluded by asking the crowd for a “big favor.” Sanders asked the crowd to envision a nation where, no matter their differences all may envision the “full promise of equality that is our birthright as Americans.”
A look at the 2016 candidates ►Continued from page 3
important to me.” Limberti said she also believed Clinton stood a better chance of actually securing an election. “[Clinton’s] technically already been close to the office,” she said, referring to Clinton’s former position as secretary of state to President Obama for the first four years of his presidency. “She kind of already knows what’s coming for her.” While no Republicans made themselves available for interview, “Trump 2016” remains the popular flippant response to enquiries as to students’ favored candidates. Despite his overwhelming popularity, the Trump candidacy appears to remain a joke to many on campus, and throughout the nation at large. However, Limberti said she thought Trump did not have a chance of winning, but said she was still dismayed at his progress. “At first I felt like it was just gonna be a joke, and then the joke got serious,” she said. Even among Sanders supporters there are doubts as to his electabil-
ity in the face of the dual threat of Clinton and the eventual Republican nominee. As much as she might wish to see him, win, Dudley said she recognizes the disadvantage Sanders must deal with in his decision to forego accepting large corporate donations, and the obligations that come with them. “I suppose in this case I really am rooting for the underdog,” she said.
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ng happeni What’s us on camp th?! this mon SUNDAY
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CAMPUS CALENDAR
DECEMBER MONDAY
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TUESDAY
8 McGauvran Student Center Unveiling 2 p.m.
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September 5, 2014
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WEDNESDAY
9 Women’s Basketball vs. Holy Cross Costello Athletic Center 7 p.m.
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THURSDAY
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FRIDAY
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SATURDAY
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Reading Day Men’s Basketball vs. Boston University Tsongas Center 7 p.m.
17 Finals End Residence Halls close at 6 PM
Finals Begin
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Women’s Basketball at Fairliegh Dickinson 5: 30 p.m. Men’s Basketball at CCSU 7 p.m.
Calendar listings are FREE when space is available. To better ensure your listing’s placement, get your information in two weeks in advance by marlon_pitter@student.uml.edu
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December 8, 2015
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Connector Staff
Based on the trailers, the movie could have gone anywhere. It could have been a movie about the traditional family that always fights when they get together on Christmas and eventually all sappily reconcile. It could have been a straight up horror movie. It could have been a mix between a horror movie and a comedy a la “Gremlins.” Luckily, the creative team decided to go with the latter approach to the movie. After a heated dinner due to tension between different members of the family and a fistfight between Max (Emjay Anthony) and his cousins, Max tears up his letter to Santa. Unknown to Max, this action summons a blizzard, which traps his turbulent family in their home. As the blizzard continues, the family members are picked off by Krampus, the shadow of Saint Nicholas who, along with his helpers, has come to take instead of give. While there is a lot of cliché Christmas movie moments in the first 15 minutes with the family all at each other’s throats, “Krampus” uses that more for guidance than trying to actually be one of those movies. The family drama is needed to get Max to accidentally summon Krampus, and that is it. Sure, the characters, for the most part, reconcile with one another, but it is not sappy like it would be in those traditional Christmas movies, and the ways it happens actually feels a bit genuine. What is surprising is that, for a partial horror
movie, the characters actually make as logical of a decision as they can. For example, when Tom (Adam Scott) and Howard (David Koechner) are looking for someone who has gone missing, they come across a snowplow that looks like it was attacked by something. Instead of continuing on despite the obvious evidence that something is wrong,
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Insert something insightful about Christmas here.
they arm themselves with guns that Howard has in his car. Also, when it is obvious that something is actually happening, the characters did not split up
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘Fallout 4’ review cont.
‘Krampus’ is not your usual Christmas movie Owen Johnson
December 8, 2015
stupidly and go off by themselves. If they split up, it was always in groups. The movie also has a number of creative Christmas theme ideas, like using the advent calendar to show passage of time, making a flashback sequence in the manner and look of those old claymation Christmas specials, and holiday icons being Krampus’ helpers to attack the family. The only things that actually felt a little too ridiculous, even for this movie, were the gingerbread men, who were a little too much of a mixture of the Gremlins creatures and the Gingerbread man from “Shrek.” The movie is unfortunately ten minutes longer than it needs to be. There is a part right at the end of the movie where it could have ended and everything would have been fine. Instead, the movie keeps going and gives the audience two extra, unneeded scenes. While these scenes do not ruin the movie or make the ending bad, it would have been better to end it ten minutes earlier. If you see the movie, you will know immediately what scene I am talking about. “Krampus” is one of the more creative movies I have seen in a while. It has a lot of elements that have been seen in other movies, but it uses them to its advantage to create something that feels different. I will end by saying it was not the best movie or my favorite movie I have seen all year, but it might have given me my most entertaining theater experience in quite some time.
Tim Coyle said he appreciated how “Fallout 4” addressed most of his problems with its predecessors but still had issues with the AI of non-player characters, or NPCs. “The companion AI has a lot of trouble pathing around certain things and gets messed up a lot,” he said. “[But] overall the amount of bugs seems much lower than previous ‘Fallout’s.’” Despite Bethesda’s reputation as a studio notorious for putting out games that are highly buggy on release, if not outright unplayable before a patch, “Fallout 4” has come out the gate far stronger than either “Fallout 3” or the Obsidian Entertainment-developed “New Vegas.” “Honestly, I haven’t run into as nearly as many bugs as I did in ‘Skyrim,’ which was terribly buggy,” Chim said in reference to the latest game in Bethesda’s other flagship RPG series, “The Elder Scrolls.” Taing joked that the “Fallout 4” bugs actually “add[ed] to the fun,” but only to an extent. “People teleporting short distances through objects, like
beds, or a wall, maybe an AI starts spinning at an seems to have lived up to the hype. “Bethesda, again, abnormal angle and speed, or they just randomly has my vote for game of the year,” said Chim. get launched in the air after randomly walking or getting shot, and animals getting put onto the roof,” he said, by way of example. “Many of the bugs making a worthy and hilarious moment to remember and screenshot.” Nevertheless, players said that other gamers should still beware of game-breaking bugs, even if there are less to worry about this time around. Coyle recalled a few game crashes during attempts to open the player character’s wrist-mounted Pip Boy device, which serves as the in-game menu system. Taing also attested to bugs that could hinder progression. “There are game breaking bugs where sometimes the NPC will not talk to you or will randomly disappear, and then there are others where your game will crash when loading certain areas that you come by,” he said. Courtesy of Bethesda Game Studios Despite any potential trouble, “Fallout 4” still Lead character of ‘Fallout 4’ looking out over Boston.
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WUML’s Rock for Tots Jen Desrosiers Connector Editor
This past Thursday, WUML, UMass Lowell’s student-run radio station that promotes local and underground artists, hosted its annual benefit show
“Rock for Tots.” The event which benefits the biggest family shelter in the state of Massachusetts, House of Hope, featured a solid line-up that drew in a decent sized crowd.
WINTER INTERSESSION HSCI.3080-001 Global Health Mon.-Sat., 9:00am-12:15pm Gen Ed Code: SS
Biology LIFE.1010-001 Life Science I Mon.-Sat., 9:00am-12:15pm Gen Ed Code: SCLO
Jen Desrosiers/Connector
Cloud Nothings gives an intimate performance to UMass Lowell students.
Jen Desrosiers/Connector
The acts of the night included Soft Cactus, whose members are graduates of UMass Lowell, Boston based “progressive jazz metal” band GEPH, Berklee College of music alumnus Bent Knee and the biggest act of the night, Cloud Nothings. Attendees
were given the chance to experience these acts in an intimate environment where the bands were able to interact with the crowd.
GEPH performs at this year’s Rock for Tots.
UMass Lowell going wild about ‘Fallout 4’ Richard Budd Connector Staff
With a considerable number of hours in the post-apocalyptic Boston of “Fallout 4” under his belt, UMass Lowell student David DaCosta was impressed. “I went in with lower expectations as a fan of the series, and was wary of the changes I heard were made, but it blew me away,” he said. “Mechanics are great, the main story is much better than I anticipated, and the local lore is very interesting.” As one of the most anticipated games of the year, it comes as no surprise that UMass Lowell students are
abuzz over “Fallout 4.” The game follows up on the highly popular third entry in Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic first person shooter/RPG series, as well as its spinoff-cum-semi sequel “Fallout: New Vegas.” The game follows a survivor of nuclear war in an alternate history that bears a strong resemblance to post-WWII 1950s America, with events taking place this time around in none other than Boston. Fellow student Vannak Chim also spoke highly of the game, having spent an hour in the character creator and thrown himself in on the games
highest difficulty setting. “My favorite part of the game is how massive the world is, and the attention to detail that Bethesda brought to this game that no other game really ever reaches,” he said. “I have yet to honestly run into a flaw in the game, except the difficulty being rather more difficult than usual. But I mean, games are supposed to be a challenge.” While impressions on the game were positive across the board, there were still some minor complaints. Dante Taing had been building his anticipation for the game “for little over 5 years” and was loving his experience,
but still had some issues with one of the new gameplay systems. “[One of the] things I dislike is the building system for settlements, which [could] be polished a bit more,” he said, listing off some of the problems. “Raking leaves, cutting the grass, some objects have too big of a hitbox, little to no chat options with your settlers, can’t see what jobs which settlers have, and a bunch more.” Nevertheless, he said he believes all of the above could be easily fixed. ►Continued on page 7
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December 8, 2015
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ‘Sicario’ review Richard Budd Connector Staff
There is a scene about a third of the way through the latest film from director Denis Villenueve (Enemy, Prisoners) in which a teammate on her supposedly Department of Justice-backed squad approaches protagonist Kate Mercer (Emily Blunt) and asks her, “You wanna see something cool?” He then leads her up to the rooftop of the nondescript government building on the Texas-Mexico border, hands her a pair of binoculars, and points. Through Kate’s eyes, we see the exchange of what looks like anti-aircraft or tank fire from warring gangs in the city of Juarez, and the flashing lights of scrambling police cars. “Unbelievable,” Kate says. Her teammate thinks it is quite the show. There are a few moments of similar overt telegraphing of theme in “Sicario,” if none that directly invoke a deleted scene from the original “Star Wars.” You would be forgiven for thinking the film was setting itself up to be a sweeping capital-S statement on the war on drugs. What you get is something not quite as straight-forward. The film initially follows Blunt’s FBI agent as she joins up with what appears to be a Department of Defense anti-drug taskforce after the death of some of her former teammates in a raid gone awry. Headed by an ominously laconic James Brolin and Benicio del Toro’s soft-spoken Mexican
assassin, and staffed with intimidating Delta Force alpha-bros, the suspicions of Blunt’s partner (Daniel Kaluuya) are soon aroused, and the truth ends up slightly more complicated. A nail biting prisoner extraction, a potential one night stand that takes a turn for the sinister, and an astonishing nighttime raid shot entirely in night vision and satellite camera ensue. Villeneuve and cinematographer Roger Deakins used a large, often breathtakingly beautiful canvas to tell a surprisingly small story. The mind-boggling absence of morality and ethics that is the War on Drugs, the history of American imperialism, and the racial oppression of Mexico by the United States serve as a backdrop rather than the focus. Long god’s-eye-view tracking shots of a private jet’s silhouette cutting across the Tex-Mex desert, strictly regimented suburban housing giving way to the wasteland like a slowly encroaching disease, and long shots of oppressively drab government buildings with their perfectly arranged rows upon rows of military hardware are contrasted with the chaotic, thriving sprawl that is Juarez. The sheer futility of the drug war, and the efforts of the cast whether they win or lose, is evident. The performances of all involved are excellent. Blunt’s increasingly desperate, battered decency and a wonderful turn by Jeffrey Donovan as a nerdybut-lethal operative are particular stand-outs. Ultimately, however, this
Courtesy of Lionsgate
Stars Emily Blunt and her partner preparing for their ‘Breaking Bad’ auditions.
is Del Toro’s show. Having reportedly cut down his dialogue to a fraction of what he was given in the script, he goes a good half hour to 45 minutes with barely a word, and needs none. His perpetual hangdog-with-teeth expression, the way he invades the personal space of some of his targets in ways that are just unsettlingly mean; he can instill dread with something as simple as carrying a gallon jug of water down a hallway. The city of Juarez itself deserves a billing on the poster in its own right. It could be argued Villeneuve falls into the familiar trap of taking a locale riddled with violence, in great part due to the actions of the US, and turning it into an inscrutable, sun-bleached Underworld our protagonists must traverse. Still, the sight of cops ar-
mored to the gills with Gatling guns mounted on their trucks as they roll into the city keeps the twin specters of US interventionism and the pervasive militarization of America’s police forces in one’s mind. However horrific the results of the gang murders we are shown, as another character reminds Del Toro’s later in the film, who do you think taught them? There is another telling moment immediately following the team’s extraction from Juarez, when Blunt finally confronts Brolin about what he is really attempting to do. “I’m not a soldier, this is not what I do,” she says. This is the future, he snaps back. The ultimate tragedy of “Sicario” is: they are both right.
Melanie Martinez ‘Cry Baby’ album review Jen Desrosiers Connector Editor
In recent years, there has been a rise in popularity of indie pop music from female artists such as Lorde, Lana Del Rey, Sky Ferreira, Marina and the Diamonds and Halsey, who all gained massive fan followings through the social blogging platform Tumblr. The most recent artist to join this club of femme fatale pop artists is 20 year old Melanie Martinez, who is best known for coming in at sixth place as a constant on the third season of the singing competition show, “The Voice” back in 2012. Shortly after her time on “The Voice,” the Long Island, N.Y. native was signed onto Atlantic Records and later released her EP “Dollhouse” whose track list included the successful single “Carousel” which was later used in the hit TV show “American Horror Story: Freakshow.” This past August, Martinez followed up “Dollhouse” with the debut of her full length concept album, “Crybaby,” which takes listeners into a manic fantasy world that is inhabited by Crybaby, Martinez’s alter ego. If one were to go off the titles of the songs alone, “Crybaby” could easily be mistaken for a children’s album, whose track listing features rather infantile sounding titles such as “Sippy Cup,” “Dollhouse” and “Mrs. Potato Head.” However, this is not the case as Martinez uses this quirky and slightly creepy album to tell disturbing and gruesome tales that are based around actual events from her own life by uniquely juxtaposing the childlike song titles with dark lyrics that explicitly reference themes such as
heartbreak, broken families, emotional abuse and unrequited love. Starting off Crybaby’s story with the title track
Courtesy of Atlantic Records
‘Cry Baby’ is the debut album by Melanie Martinez.
by the same name, “Crybaby,” this song shows that the fictional character does not feel ashamed of her nickname and her easily hurt feelings, “They call you cry baby, cry baby but you don’t fucking care.” “Dollhouse,” the second track off of the album, reveals the harsh reality of a seemingly “perfect family” that is filled with drinking, cheating and drugs through Martinez’s use of lyrics such as “You don’t hear me when I say, mom please wake up. Dad’s
with a slut, and your son is smoking cannabis” and “Everyone thinks that we’re perfect, please don’t let them look through the curtains.” Easily the darkest song on “Crybaby,” “Tag. You’re It” tells the story of Crybaby’s sexual assault after she is kidnapped by a stranger in a parking lot and she gets her revenge on him later in the album in “Milk And Cookies.” The strongest aspect of “Crybaby” is its singles. “Mrs. Potato Head” received praise from critics all around due to Martinez’s use of lyrics such as, “No one will love you if you’re unattractive” to make brutally honest observations on the pressures that society is constantly putting on young women to get plastic surgery in order to conform to the accepted standard of beauty. Writing the song from the perspective of a little girl who is playing with her Mrs. Potato Head toy, Martinez asks, “Oh Mrs. Potato Head tell me, is it true that pain is beauty? Does a new face come with a warranty?” Although not as radio friendly as most pop albums, “Crybaby” is single-handedly one of the most artistic and cleverly executed indie pop albums released this year. Martinez’s lyrics and vocal delivery works perfectly to create a variety of catchy and infectious pop songs.
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CAMPUS LIFE Graduate students learn more than just planning on MFA project Jessie Paskiewicz Connector Staff
Amid an unusually quiet O’Leary Library, graduate students Kayleah Morrisey and Chelsea Graham fondly recounted stories about class with their advisor and professor, John Brown. “He throws lesson plans out the window. He is really radical like that. He always reminds us that there is so much more to do once you leave the classroom,” said Graham. And leave the classroom they did. This past semester, Brown took an experimental leap and presented his class with a new challenge: plan and chaperone an entire field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston for a class of high school sophomores. Sounds simple, right? Morrisey initially thought so, too. “...contacting the bus company, getting permission from all the parents, getting permission to take pictures, coordinating lunch, coordinating the bus schedule, coordinating their schedule, what they’re gonna do on the field trip, what they’re supposed to learn on the field trip. Everyone took one thing, but normally, you have to do all of that yourself,” she said. This kind of real-life immersion is not unusual for Brown’s classroom, who often has students teach a mock lesson to their fellow classmates, who are encouraged to misbehave. “We’ll throw pens at each other and swear at each other, but what do you do if you don’t know how to do it now?” said Graham. Morrisey chimed in, saying, “I don’t know if a high school class has ever been taken out by a field trip by a grad school class.” She smiled as she said, “It’s a John Brown thing.” Graham and Morrisey agreed that working with Amesbury High School brought the graduate class out of the hypothetical and face-to-face with the
real, daily challenges of being an English teacher. “You can’t plan for it, you just kind of have to do it in the moment. When we were on the MFA field trip...we didn’t have behavioral issues, but you kind of have those strategies in the back of your mind,” said Morrisey. “We learned to kind of think on our feet when we were doing it. We planned to have lunch outside because if you have lunch in the MFA, you have to pay and they don’t allow large groups...and then it poured,” recalled Graham.
Shane Foley/Connector
Graduate student Nick Massaro (left) aids several students in study of ancient art.
The graduate program – which licenses students with a Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement and to teach English to grades eight through 12 – is a labor of love for both Morrisey and Graham. Morrisey “fell into it” after working various office jobs and realizing she was “an English nerd” who wanted “to make other English nerds.” Graham, who has known she has wanted to teach since she was little, reminisced about arranging her stuffed animals in a line and teaching them letters or
reading to them. The passion, though, has not been without its struggles. “In this program...there’s so much work to do, and some days you go home and you cry, and you feel like a failure, and then you say, ‘I’m gonna fail my kids because I can’t even do this for myself!’ And then you have really, really good days that remind you, ‘Ok, this is why I’m doing what I’m doing.’ And the MFA was kind of like that for me because it kind of makes you think, ‘Ok, it’s not just about sitting and reading’ or you know, following the cannon or whatever,” said Graham. Morrisey agreed, also citing that some solace has also come from Brown’s own advice on teaching. “I love English, but I don’t know it that well. I’m not an expert. And he’s like, ‘No, you don’t have to do that. You don’t need to know everything, you don’t have to tell them that you know everything... you learn just as they learn,’” she said. Both Graham and Morrisey agreed on the success of the project and considered its impact on future graduate classes. “I think this is new for everybody. It would be better in future years with smaller classes,” said Morrisey, adding that the current English graduate class is double the size of previous years. “Being in the program, I want to do it more now, because I’ve actually had exposure to being in a classroom, and what happens in a classroom and how students learn.” Despite the challenges of the program, both students look forward to their future as teachers. “The pride that you feel at the end of the day when you go home, it’s not for something that you did, it’s for something they did and that you helped them get to,” said Graham. “That’s what makes a huge difference between teaching and doing just about anything else.”
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CAMPUS LIFE
Behind the bowtie: Hawkapella’s supreme showcase Michael Paige Connector Staff
The Hawkapella fellas and the Fermata Nowhere family took center stage at University Crossing on Dec. 5 and wowed the audience with their vocals prowess. Alongside four other acapella groups from around New England, UCrossing housed a night of fun covers and original compositions. Beyond what one might have seen, acapella is a lot more than what the movies portray. “We’ve become a close knit family and it’s an outlet for something outside of your study. It is singing and performing, but it’s also bonding,” said President Riley Ryan of Fermata Nowhere. Acapella brings together a bevy of different members for both groups; these members all come from different majors ranging from business to music and even biology. With acapella there is always a major emphasis on balancing two key elements: the solo and the accompanying melody and percussion. Joseph Royal, Hawkapella’s business manager, said, “Each person has to be conscious of their roles and the roles of everyone around them…even if you are a soloist, you may be leading the pack, but you are very much part of [the group], you are not so separated.” Vice President of Fermata Nowhere Victoria Calcagno said, “When singing in a group, you can’t just focus on what you want out of the piece; you have to listen to everyone’s breathing, tempo and dynamics; focus on our strengths and weaknesses and adjust from there.” Calcagno demonstrated this in her performance of Tove Lo’s “Habits” where neither set of vocals overshadowed the other.
Both soloists and backgrounds alike have to work together and practice relentlessly to perfect each and every tune. Fermata’s own Christina Ruggiero said, “When you come together, it’s all about blending with each other. You are no longer one voice; you’re supposed to make everyone in the group sound like one voice. We can all think as one mind.” Another under-appreciated factor that is involved in every Acapella cover is the piece’s arrangement. It is not simply plugging in notes into an equation. As Hawkapella’s music director, Chris Kelleher explains, “One of
For both groups, each piece is carefully arranged by music directors like Kelleher, companies or even alumni of either group. But due to each year bringing in a new set of voices, an arranged piece may not fit with a group right off the bat forcing music directors and senior members to get everybody on the same level. “I have a lot of respect for them. Once the knowledge is there, that’s when the magic happens and we make it our own,” said Royal, commenting on Hawkapella’s arrangers and their hand in working “Not Coming Home” by Maroon 5, a song that means a lot to Royal, into the set.
Michael Paige/Connector Members of Hawkapella and Fermata Nowhere pose after a night of singing.
our challenges is to produce enough sounds to match a lot of elements in a song like percussion, rhythm and lead vocals.” To remedy this he continues, “We have a couple of amazing beatboxers that add to the sounds and they enhance it in every way.”
The journey for these acapella marvels has led them to many amazing gigs over the years. Fermata Nowhere appreciated all the National Anthems they were able to perform this year, especially at the men’s hockey and men’s basketball home-openers. Ruggiero
explained, “When you can do a song like the National Anthem, which is so important, you don’t want to mess it up and when you get it just right, it feels really good.” Hawkapella, on the other hand, named Glow in The Dark-apella as their favorite gig as of late. Tom Marsh, the secretary of Hawkapella, described the innovative charity event put on by Framingham State University as a way to “…inject their personality into a responsive crowd,” and letting that crowd see what was truly “… behind the bowtie.” The Hawkapella boys not only let their colors shine in a florescent auditorium, but also let, as Marsh puts it, “…the color of our voices,” shine. The Showcase allowed these student-performers to show off what they have achieved in front of tons of students they get to see every day. Some, like Ryan and Kelleher, love the idea of belting out notes before a local audience. Others, like Calcagno and Ruggiero, are humbled by the fact that fans recognize and acknowledge them for their talents. Marsh, who enjoys being up close and personal with the audience, just wants to show the people that, “We love doing concerts here and we hope to share our best sounds with them.” Through their amazing journey, . both the sisterhood of Fermata and brotherhood of Hawkapella have created lifelong bonds and left a lasting impact on the musical ecosystem here at UMass Lowell for years to come. They have not only grown in skill as groups, but they have all grown as individuals whether it is growing more comfortable with your own self or finding a new family in friends.
ASCE opening doors for civil engineers ►Continued from front page
the opportunity to meet engineers in the Boston area and even the national ASCE president came to speak. “What our faculty advisor always says is ‘when you graduate, everyone’s diploma will look exactly the same, so, how are you going to separate yourself from someone else?’” said Gerardi. “And it’s not just UMass Lowell, it’s every school in the region. We all have the same exact thing. So, what are you going to do to stand out?” The Lexington Storm Water Project that Gerardi worked with Fitzgerald on has been one students have repeatedly been a part of. Karen Chan, who formerly held the titles of media liaison and professional development coacher, is currently the co-manager of the project. “So, what we do in Lexington is called the Lexington Storm Water Project, and every week, a group of students go to the town of Lexington and help the DPW sample their storm water,” said Chan. “They have to meet specific requirements for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and
we test things like ammonia, chlorine, e-coli levels, stuff like that, and it’s a really great opportunity for students to get involved.” Not only has this collaboration been a great help to the town of Lexington, but it has also made students think more about studying the environmental branch of civil engineering. “I haven’t had any real environmental classes yet but doing the storm water project. I already know that that’s what I want to do,” said Fitzgerald. “You don’t even take environmental until the end of your junior year.” Aside from providing civil engineering students with experience, ASCE is also dedicated to making their members more marketable for the job search. “We do résumé workshops, we do LinkedIn workshops, we design software that we use for the school,” said Braz. “In the professional world, whatever we don’t learn in school, we kind of fill that void and teach it to the younger students as well. We hosted mock interviews. The vice president of a large company came down and
interviewed the kids, gave them practice and stuff like that.” Inventing in the professional development of these students in this manner has yielded some remarkable results. Tyler Valila, currently serving as treasurer for ASCE, met the former president of the entire organization, Bob Stevens. Valila is applying to the University of Texas for grad school, and their grad coordinator actually knew Stevens, which helped Valila’s application process. “At these events that you go to, you end up meeting people you never know will help you down the road,” said Valila. In the effort to help their members gain experience in the field of engineering, ASCE also contributed to getting a different capstone project for civil engineers. “Typically, what the capstone has been is you get to design a bridge that’s already been built, and then it’s like ‘congratulations, you can graduate,’ but a couple years ago some students said ‘we want all of this work to mean something more than that,’” said Gerardi.
In response to this outcry, a group of students have been able to work on a project in Haiti for the past three years. This year, they were planning a trip to the city of Les Cayes to address their sanitation issues. In order to raise the money, ASCE placed a tip jar on the counter of the Starbucks cash register on North Campus. A month later, they counted 355 dollars out of that tip jar. While fulfilling all of these other functions, ASCE still takes the time to mentor their underclassmen as well. They often know most of each other in the club, and are willing to help with everything from classwork, to class selection, to deciding which internship to take. While many members hold leadership positions, they still take time to help each other out. “There is definitely a lot of mentorship involved,” said Gerardi. “That’s why we’re getting out sophomores and our freshman to come and we tell them to please come. We want to help you.”
December 8, 2015
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CAMPUS LIFE
The look of diversity on campus Chantelle Somers Connector Contributor
UMass Lowell students have differing opinions on campus diversity. Many student opinions surrounding diversity are intertwined with the differing ways of defining what diversity is. Leslie Wong, director of multicultural affairs at the University, said she sees students in her office who identify as diverse based on their disability, their veteran status, as a member of the LGBT community, as an international student or as a student of color. Wong said everyone has identities. She said that how we identify ourselves may depend on how we feel each day. In addition to our own identities, how others evaluate us plays into what makes us diverse individuals as well, she said. When the word diversity comes to mind, many thing only of their culture as related to race. Wong said that many students come to her office thinking they do not have culture and that they are not people with a community based on their identities. Wong says this is because they are not considering the bigger picture of what makes them who they are, beyond their ancestry.
Some students echo her thoughts. “I have a big problem with how diversity is considered,” said Nicholles Klevisha, a senior English major with a minor in digital media. “Diversity isn’t a color palette. You can’t just tic boxes and say, ‘Well this is a good representation of what we got.’ Sure, it makes for an appealing billboard or ad, but that picture focuses on the visual elements rather than the mental, and that emphasis on culture matters to me.” Wong said the office of multicultural affairs, or OMA, works to encourage students to engage with others at the University, helping individuals in the University community to identify what they have in common with one another. OMA has the goal of serving the campus on three levels; students on the individual level, awareness and educational level, and the larger piece of culture and climate influence on campus, she said. OMA is in contact and collaboration with 37 cultural and spiritual groups on campus, working together to host events, forums, and assist students in becoming active, said Wong. “OMA is an organization that supports unrepresented students on
Northern Essex
Community College
NECC WiNtEr iNtErsEssioN
campus from all aspects of life, like gender, race, ability, everything,” said Tanezsha Bostic, a senior criminal justice major and staff office assistant with OMA. Bostic says she feels one way the campus could be more diverse is through enrollment, suggesting the University needs, “more ethnic groups.” Klevisha said he would also like to see more diversity on campus, including but exclusively: “More queer kids of varying genders and sexualities. More people from other countries. More people with disabilities. More people who have fewer opportunities than their neighbor.” Not all students believe the University needs more diversity, however. “Before I came to UMass Lowell I didn’t have too many friends who came from all around the world, spoke multiple languages, and even friends who are not of the typical college age, so I definitely think it has a diverse group of students,” said Fahmina Zaman, a third semester graduate student majoring in Peace and Conflict Studies. Not only is diversity in enrollment an aspect of the University, but diversity through education is also a part of
campus life. Wong referred this reporter to an informational brochure about the goals of, services offered by, and program highlights of OMA. This brochure outlined the goals of OMA, encouraging members of the University community to “become change agents who strive to create an equitable and inclusive environment,” often through events and student leadership opportunities. Outside of OMA, students who attend UMass Lowell may be getting useful experience when it comes to diversity through its curriculum. As a student in the Spring of 2015, Melissa Kiessling, took a course called Language, Literacy and Culture through the education department. Kiessling, who is attending graduate school while also working as a middle school theater arts teacher in New York, said it was a difficult course that had “moments when it felt very confrontational.” “As a teacher now, I am very glad I took that class, especially because I teach a very diverse population,” she said.
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December 8, 2015
SPORTS No. 5 River Hawks fall at UConn, 4-3, in Hockey East play UMass Lowell Athletics
HARTFORD, Conn. - The No. 5 ranked UMass Lowell Hockey team was defeated by UConn, 4-3, on Saturday afternoon at the XL Center in Hockey East action. With the loss, the River Hawks fell to 10-2-4 overall (6-1-3 HEA), while UConn improves to 4-10-0 and 2-7-0 in Hockey East contests. Sophomre forward Ryan Collins (Newton, Mass.) evened the game at 3-3 with his third career goal collecting a rebound in the crease just 47 seconds into the third period, but UConn’s Tage Thompson gave the Huskies a 4-3 lead with 7:22 left in the third with a blast from the left faceoff circle for his second power play marker of the game to seal the game for the Huskies. Senior forward A.J White (Dearborn, Mich.) picked up his third goal of the season with 1:52 left in the second period, but UConn came storming back with two goals in the final minutes of the middle frame with goals from Corey Ronan and Spencer Naas, at 18:29 and 19:41, respectively. Sophomore forward C.J. Smith (Des Moines, Iowa) picked up the rebound off a Niklas Folin
shot from the left point to tie the game at 1-1 for the River Hawks just 1:51 into the second period. Smith beat UConn goalie Rob Nichols on a wrist shot on his glove side for his seventh goal of the season. Smith has now amassed a point in his last 10 contests for the River Hawks, posting 16 points (6g,10a) in that span. He finished with a gamehigh five shots on goal for the River Hawks in the losing effort. UConn skated to the locker room at the end of the first period with a 1-0 lead off a power play goal by Thompson at 11:27 for his fifth tally of the season. The Huskies held an 11-6 shot advantage in the opening frame. UMass Lowell outshot the Huskies, 30-24 for the game, including a 13-5 shot advantage in the final period. Senior goalie Kevin Boyle (Manalapan, N.J.) stopped 20 shots in only his second loss of the season, while UConn’s Nichols amassed 27 saves in his fourth win of the season. The River Hawks return to action in the series finale against UConn on Sunday, December 6th. Game time from the Tsongas Center is 1 p.m. The game
U P C OM I N G
River Hawk Games Weds., Dec. 9
7 p.m.
WBB vs. Holy Cross
Thurs., Dec. 10
7 p.m.
MBB vs. BU
Thurs., Dec. 18
5:30 p.m. WBB at Fairleigh
Thurs., Dec. 18
7 p.m.
MBB at CCSU
Sun., Dec. 20
1 p.m.
WBB at BC
Sun., Dec. 20
4 p.m.
B
MBB at Connecticut
For more sports information and full game schedules visit goriverhawks.com
will be televised nationally by American Sports Network and regionally by New England Sports Network (NESN) and SportsNet NY (SNY). Check your local listings or visit www.goriverhawks.com for more information.
River Hawks’ buzzer beater doesn’t fall, River Hawks drop 90-77 decision at NJIT topped 71-68 by FIU UMass Lowell Athletics
MIAMI, Fla. – Katherine Smith’s (Fort Wayne, Ind.) three-pointer at the buzzer did not get the friendly role and the UMass Lowell (1-6) women’s basketball team fell to the Florida International Panthers (2-4), 71-68, Friday evening at the FIU Arena. “I think the biggest thing is that we didn’t take care of the ball down the stretch,” said Head Coach Jenerrie Harris. “We were up three with two minutes to go, and after they cut it to one we had a chance to make it a three or four point game. Instead of capitalizing, we turned the ball over and they hit a layup, as a result it’s under 30 seconds left and we’re just looking to foul. This team is maturing with every single game and every road game is going to be tough, so I thought they did a good job of playing hard but we still have to be better down the stretch.” The Panthers’ Tianah Alvarado was at the line to ice the win with six seconds left, but could only hit one and Kayla Gibbs (Teaneck, N.J.) grabbed the rebound and sent the ball to Asia Mitchell-Owens (Roxbury, Mass.) who drove and found Smith all alone on the wing. The River Hawks began the fourth trailing 55-53, and scored consecutive baskets, with Nicole Riddick (Albany, N.Y.) giving the visitors’ their first lead since the first quarter at 57-55. Mitchell-Owens hit one free throw to give UMass Lowell its largest lead of the game, 64-60, with 3:39 left in regulation. Lindsey Doucette (Hopkinton, Mass.) recorded her second double-double in three games, scoring 19 points and grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds She scored 10 of the 16 River Hawk first quarter points, and also recorded five rebounds in the opening period. FIU hit seven long balls in the opening 10 minutes to take a 27-16 lead into the second.
Gibbs recorded her third double-double of the season, scoring a game-high 20 points and snagged 10 boards. Mitchell-Owens ended the night with 12 points and four assists. Trailing 33-24 in the second quarter after Nicole Riddick (Albany, N.Y.) scored the last four UMass Lowell points, the visitors’ defense began to stand tough, causing four Panther turnovers in a 1:37 span. The fourth turnover was a product of the tough press the River Hawks began to apply, leading to a Doucette lay-in to trim the deficit to 33-28 with 5:15 on the clock. Over the next few minutes Florida International built its lead back up to 36-30, but two points from Kayla Gibbs (Teaneck, N.J.) and a three-pointer from the water for Asia Mitchell-Owens (Roxbury, Mass.) brought the River Hawks back to 36-35 with 1:58 remaining in the half. Gibbs scored the last bucket of the first half with 43 seconds on the clock to knot up the game at 38-38. FIU’s Taylor Shade had a chance to give the hosts an advantage at half, but Melissa Frase (Tamworth, N.H.) came up with a nifty strip block to prevent the basket. UMass Lowell scored the first basket of the second half to hold its first lead since the first, and opened up a 6-2 run for a 4440 lead. The Panthers took a 53-48 and suffered a scoring drought of 3:03 to allow the River Hawks to tie it up at 53-53 with 1:05 on the clock. FIU got back on the scoreboard with two free throws with only a couple seconds remaining to hold a 55-53 advantage into the final quarter. The River Hawks held a 66-63 lead in the fourth, before FIU closed the game on a 8-2 run. Janka Hegedus led the Panther offense with 17 points, with Alvarado and Kristian Hudson scoring 16 and 15, respectively.
UMass Lowell Athletics
NEWARK, N.J. – Redshirt freshman Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) notched a personal-best 18 points, as the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team (3-4) dropped a 90-77 decision at NJIT (5-3). The River Hawks trailed by just one with 13 minutes to go in the contest, but NJIT put together a 16-2 run to pull away for good. “We gave up 90 points to a very good, junior- and senior-laden team, who won 20+ games last year,” said Head Coach Pat Duquette. “There’s not a lot of shame in that, but we’ve got to get better defensively, we’ve talked a lot about that. Surprisingly enough, I think we have gotten better, but we are nowhere near where we need to be.” Gantz was one of five players to log double-digits for UMass Lowell, marking the team’s fifth game this year with at least four, 10+ point scorers. Junior Tyler Livingston (Hudson, N.H.) and freshman Isaac White (Ashland, Ohio) added 14 and 11 points, respectively, while redshirt sophomore Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) and freshman Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) posted 10 points each. Collectively, the squad shot 50.0 percent (29-58) from the floor in the effort. The Highlanders won the opening tip and worked to quickly build a 12-2 edge in the first three and a half minutes of play. Gantz converted on a pair free throws and a hit a three from the wing, but the home squad followed with an 8-2 spurt to regain a dou-
ble-digit margin at 23-9 with just under 11 minutes remaining in the first. Thomas and Livingston combined for five straight points as part of a 7-1 River Hawk burst that pulled the visitors within nine. Jones followed with a deep three to spark a 9-2 run, cutting the difference to five at 34-29 with less than a minute to go in the first. However, Rob Ukawuba hit a long ball at the four-second mark to send NJIT into the break with a 37-29 advantage. Jones opened the second half scoring with a jumper from beyond the arc, and although the Highlanders would answer with one of their own, the River Hawks responded with six of the next eight points, including a rare, four-point play from Jones, to make it a one-possession game at 43-40. Back-to-back threes from freshman Logan Primerano (Peru, Ind.) and Gantz trimmed the deficit to just one point at 4948 with 14:28 still to play in the outing. Thomas drove down low, making it a one-point game on one more occasion, before NJIT used a 16-2 run to create a 67-52 buffer at 9:18. The River Hawks pulled within nine down the stretch on a three from White, but were unable to come any closer, as NJIT sealed the 90-77 outcome. Winfield Willis scored a gamehigh 23 points to pace the Highlanders, who totaled 20 assists on the day. Tim Coleman and Ky Howard chipped in with 15 points apiece.