Experts discuss the state of the NFL â–ş Page 8
THE UMASS LOWELL
Serving the Student Body Since 1976
February 21, 2017
Hayner ties UMass Lowell record as River Hawks fall to UMBC
In This Issue Former EPA admin outlines accomplishments
Gina Cincotti
â–ş Page 3
Connector Contributor
Students celebrate Chinesse New Year
â–ş Page 6
2017 Oscars preview â–ş UMLConnector.com
Final River Hawk Scores Team
Score
Overall Record
Hockey at Massachusetts
W 5-2
20-9-3
Women’s Lacrosse vs. Dartmouth
L 11-9
0-1
Men’s Lacrosse vs. Harvard
L 14-9 0-2
Men’s Basketball at UMBC
L 108-102
11-19
“The Walking Dead� kicks back off with a bang Andrew Sciascia Connector Editor
Football season is over. That means the zombie-slaying, skull-crushing, narrativedriven survival horror has returned to Sunday nights. After a two-month hiatus, AMC’s hit television program “The Walking Dead� is back with the second half of its seventh season. The newest episode, “Rock in the Road,� hits on all cylinders, providing an emotionally impactful episode and a nail-biter all in one. After an emotionally charged, brutal and downright jarring first eight episodes, with the introduction of Negan, the subsequent horrific deaths of Glen and Abraham and Negan proceeding to dominate Rick’s group, the back end of this season has a lot to live up to. The B-side of the season picks up where the A-side left off: Rick Grimes, ex-sheriff and leader of the Alexandria Safe Zone, finally deciding to take on his bat-wielding, pottymouthed, sociopath enemy Negan. After weeks of being forced to pay tribute to The Saviors and having his friends and fellow survivors beaten or slaughtered and being degraded Negan, Rick is ready to do the unthinkable: go to war. However, without key weapons, resources
The UMass Lowell women’s basketball team fell 78-62 to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County at the Tsongas Center on Saturday. Senior guard Nicole Hayner set a career high with 27 points and tied the program record of seven 3-pointers in one game. “I went out there and played with confidence‌ [Coach Jenerrie Harris] instilled confidence in me to shoot even with a hand in my face,â€? said Hayner. The River Hawks’ junior forward Kayla Gibbs scored the team’s first two points. UMBC followed back with a 3-pointer by Tyler Moore. The remainder of the
Courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics
Nicole Hayner tied a program record with seven made 3-pointers against UMBC.
first quarter saw a back and forth scoring pattern between the two teams, until UMass Lowell called the first timeout with 3:23 left in the quarter. UMBC took control in
the end of the first quarter with a 31-15 lead. The second quarter did not see much action, as both teams played with a good defense. UMBC scored the first two points by Laura Castaldo.
â–ş See “Hayner,â€? page 8
John Prendergast speaks about importance of activism Taylor Carito Connector Editor
On Feb. 15, students and faculty members gathered in the O’Leary Library mezzanine eager to hear how activism can make a difference and how they can get involved. Humanitarian, activist and published author John Prendergast came to UMass Lowell to discuss his work in other struggling
countries and his experience with using celebrities’ platforms to make a difference. Prendergast has worked with celebrities including Angelina Jolie, Ryan Gosling, George Clooney and several members of Congress and government officials. All of the people he has worked with have been for a cause or issue in another country that he felt needed
â–ş See “Walking Dead,â€? page 4
Sections News.............................3 Campus Life..................6 A&E.............................. 4 Sports........................... 8
The River Hawks scored the following two baskets making the score 33-20 UMBC. A time out was called by UMBC at 6:14. Gibbs stole the show in
Taylor Carito/Connector
John Prendergast addreses a crowd from the O’Leary Mezzanine.
to be resolved. Supportive of grassroots political and social movements, Prendergast expressed his advocacy for young people to support movements that match their ideals and not be a bystander. “Social movements, to me, are the key,â€? says Prendergast. “In almost every case of dramatic or even incremental social change, behind it is a social movement.â€? Before delving into his work as a humanitarian, he talked about how social movements such as the Civil Rights Movement and women’s movements were so effective, and he said it is due to the unity and activism by the supporters. He said that these movements are often the result of students taking action in domestic affairs and that his work thrived around bringing interest to international injustices such as “sweat shops, human trafficking, wars, terrible destructive wars, diseases [and] poverty.â€? â–ş See “Prendergast,â€? page 3
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February 21, 2017
OPINIONS & EDITORIALS Students, this is your section!
We are looking for opinion articles or letters on anything you feel strongly about. If you can write 500 words on a topic you care about, send your piece to connector@uml.edu.
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Email | Connector@uml.edu Website | www.UMLConnector.com Phone | 978.934.5017 ext. 45017 Address | University Crossing, Room 241 220 Pawtucket St. Lowell, MA 01854 General: The UMass Lowell Connector is a non-profit student public forum serving the University of Massachusetts Lowell community. The paper is published weekly and distributed to the university community every Tuesday. Business hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please be aware that members of the University community are entitled to free newspapers. Please take one! All UMass Lowell students, regardless of major, are invited to join the Connector staff. Interested students should contact an editor or manager listed above, or visit the Connector Office in University Crossing 241. Advertising: The UMass Lowell Connector advertisements reach an estimated 16,000 UMass Lowell students--their friends and families. To tap this group of
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February 21, 2017
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NEWS Gina McCarthy outlines EPA accomplishments Chris Romano Connector Staff
Gina McCarthy, the 13th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), worked under former President Barack Obama from 2013 to the end of his presidency fighting to keep the environment from being damaged minimal. On Feb. 16, UMass Lowell students filed into O’Leary Library’s lecture hall where McCarthy gave a lecture lasting just over an hour. McCarthy attended UMass Boston during her undergraduate years. She began her lecture by explaining how the new Trump administration wants to use the EPA. “One of the challenges you’re going to see as we move forward, is that you have folks in Washington now, including the nominee for the EPA, is that all we really need is states [on the EPA’s side]. That [the] EPA is just using their power. If we just get the EPA out of the way that things will be better.” McCarthy then said that the new administration believes the EPA should focus on its “core work.” “I don’t know what that core work is if
it’s not working with states,” she said. Though McCarthy has not been at the EPA for almost a month, she still struggled to distance herself from the position.“I’m sorry. I keep saying ‘We.’ I have not been divorced long enough to change the personalization I give the EPA.” Before the EPA was created, she told the audience of over 100 students there was nothing stopping people from discharging excess waste into the nearest river. Once the EPA was created in 1970 under former President Richard Nixon’s executive order, the cleanup began. McCarthy explained that she started her work in local and state governments. To students wondering what they can do to help, she said, “There’s lots to be done no matter where you are in government if you have facts and if you’re willing to stick your head out.” McCarthy then outlined what the EPA has accomplished in its 47 years of existence. “High blood lead levels were found when the EPA started in about 88% of kids. That is now down to 1%.” Regarding Flint Michigan, she said, “Drinking water is actually
not the largest source of lead for kids. It’s dust in urban areas and the soil.” She also talked about air pollution in the United States. “Since the EPA began, air pollution dropped 70 percent. Nobody claims success like that in the rest of the world. Because of these successes, she says, our economy has grown as well. “The important thing to remember is that all of that happened while our U.S. economy tripled. There is no way in which I would suggest that in improving the environment is a bad economic investment.” She believes improving the economy is fundamental in a strong economy. Regarding the new administration, she said that she knows little more than the public does about their plans. “This is what I hear, they view environmental regulations as a cost to the economy. They have called EPA horrendous because we regulate.” “If you know anything about EPA, we were created to regulate,” she explained. McCarthy was able to discuss her frustrations with the new administration trying to dismantle her work while also staying relaxed. Speaking about the Paris agree-
ment, a turning point for the world in terms of climate change, McCarthy explained how important the plan was. “Carbon Pollution would be reduced by 32% below 2005 levels by 2030. The first compliance date is 2022. More than half the states in the United states, including states that have sued us, already achieve the 2022 standard.” Towards the end of her lecture, before students asked questions, she offered some hope. Though the Trump administration appears as though they will not continue to uphold the Paris Agreement, there will not be too much damage done to the environment. She felt that four years will not be enough to destroy all of the work that the EPA has accomplished. “We’re still going to be able to catch up,” she said. Throughout her lecture, McCarthy told students to be hopeful in unknown times. Though President Trump nominated Scott Pruitt, who previously wanted the EPA shutdown, to head the EPA, McCarthy has faith in the younger generations to continue to work on improving the environment.
Prendergast explains effectivness of celebrity activism ►Continued from front page
Prendergast spoke about the success stories he has seen in Africa as a result of student activism in the United States through rallies, peaceful protests and boycotts. These stories include the Blood Diamonds and the militias of Joseph Kony who kidnapped young children in Central Africa to support his armies. But he put emphasis on how students and other Americans find out about these injustices half way across the world. He said the answer is with celebrity activism. “Because [these] people have an outsized platform as a result of being in the music industry or in films, some of them choose to use their fame for the purposes of the greater good and raise awareness to particular issues.” Prendergast said at the peak of Jolie’s career, she became an extreme advocate for peace and traveled
to Africa to support her efforts. She later became an ambassador for the United Nations (UN). Prendergast met her at a UN gathering in Washington D.C. and began working with her to advocate changes in Congo, Africa. They both traveled to Congo together he said, and a tremendous following emerged in the U.S. due to Jolie’s involvement. The technology of the time allowed for their travels to be broadcasted online, which promoted Americans to get involved. He said he has also worked with former President Bill Clinton, actor Gosling, and most recently Clooney on various activist and humanitarian causes in Africa. Clooney and Prendergast became acquaintances when they were both following the genocide that was going on in Darfur, Sudan in Africa he said.
Clooney was working on a video with his father, who is a former newsperson, and they gathered a huge following due to his fame. They met at a rally following this story, and have been working together as activists ever since. Throughout his speech, Prendergast said how change is actually made in affairs happening domestically and abroad. His true message came simply and clearly. Directed toward students and a younger generation, he said, “The real good news I want to bring to you today, is a very simple concept, and the concept is this: that activism [is], organizing, banding together around the things that you care about around this world. The things that matter to you, the principles that drive you. Activism works.”
Courtesy of Lainey Gossip
John Prendergast and George Clooney work together to fight for human rights in Africa.
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February 21, 2017
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Connector Staff
In the opening scene of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings,” there is one shot where all of the soldiers are lined up and start a battle by swinging their weapons in a wave motion. “The Great Wall” feels like it was made to just be able to make a bunch of visually interesting battle shots, like the one from “Fellowship,” and fill a two-hour movie with them. While traveling through Asia, two European mercenaries (Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal) come across the Great Wall of China while searching for black powder. Soon, they end up fighting alongside the Chinese army in defense of the wall from monsters that attack every 60 years. The movie is indeed interesting on a visual level. There is a lot of time dedicated to the aesthetics of the sets and the wardrobe for the cast. All of the suits of armor that the Chinese army wears are vi-
brant and eye-catching colors. All of the sets, particularly the Emperor’s palace, pay great attention to detail. There are
to have an impressive display of imagery are illogical to the story. For example, a memorial service is being held at one
eryone would be partaking in a memorial service when the creatures could come by and attack at any moment, thus
Courtesy of Universal Pictures and China Film Group
“The Great Wall” was hit by accusations of whitewashing for casting Matt Damon in a movie set in ancient China.
also a number of nice-looking scenes throughout the movie. While the visuals are interesting, “The Great Wall” is so focused on the visuals that the scenes that are made in order
point and all of the soldiers are on the wall releasing paper lanterns into the night sky. The shot of all of the lanterns makes for a good visual, but it does not make sense that ev-
leaving them vulnerable and unable to fight back. Even without a focus on the visuals, the movie is sloppy in general. Willem Dafoe is cast in the movie as a prominent
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘The Great Wall’ is a great fail Owen Johnson
February 21. 2017
‘Downwell:’ Simplistic but entertaining character, but his character is unneeded and is just used for a pointless subplot that holds no importance and only mildly impacts the main story. Damon and one of the Chinese commanders (Tian Jing) are given scenes where it seems like a romantic subplot is trying to be built, but it ultimately rises to nothing and feels like there were scenes cut out of it. The creatures have a queen who controls them and is guarded by several armored versions of the creatures. While they do this to protect the queen, she is inexplicably brought into close range of all of the battles between the creatures and the Chinese army, basically just to make it easier for the main characters to do something about her when the plot calls for it. “The Great Wall” is sloppy. It just wants to make pretty visuals, so a sloppy screenplay was written so that that goal could be accomplished. Final Grade: D
Connor Kennedy Connector Staff
“Downwell,” created by Moppin in 2015, is a game of great simplicity. From its dichromatic pixelated visuals, to its three button controls, to its sparse sound design, it is a very minimalistic game. Every element and every minor piece are carefully designed to fit together in the overall experience. The premise is simple: get to the bottom of each 2D level, then beat the boss at the end of the game. Each level is randomly generated and death starts the player back at the beginning of the game. As the player navigates through the levels they can walk left, right, jump and use the jump button while in midair to shoot below themselves. They have a limited number of shots before they have to either touch the ground or bounce off of an enemy to refill their shots. This simple mechanic creates a lot of interesting nuances to the game, especially when combined with the straightforward combo mechanic. If the player can kill enough enemies without touching the ground, then they can get a bonus in the form of extra money for shops, a small boost to maximum ammo, and
finally healing some damage. It becomes quite the challenge to rack up long combos while avoiding the ground as well as bouncing on enemies to keep ammo up. This is perhaps one of the best examples of how Courtesy of Moppin
“Downwell” won The Jimquisition’s Game of the Year award in 2015.
the game is able to get maximum use out of simple mechanics. The game also makes excellent use of verticality. Each level is quite narrow, so the emphasis is heavily placed on moving downwards. The player’s ability to jump up is also limited, as it is essentially impossible to move back up after going down even small dis-
tances. It is also only possible to shoot down, so enemies from above become a serious threat to the player. This encourages a fast pace of gameplay as it is too unsafe to stick around for long and risk being attacked by enemies from above. The game also has some interesting ways that it handles player progression. At the end of each level, three permanent upgrades are presented. These can range from a drone that fires when the player does, to a magnet that pulls in money from afar, to damaging bullet casings that fly sideways when the player shoots. The upgrades tend to encourage slightly different strategies but never change the core gameplay too heavily. Frequently within levels, there are also items which change the way the player’s gun works. One turns it into a piercing laser that takes a lot of ammo, another turns it into a high speed machine gun with many small ammo shots, and there are many more beyond that. Each of the weapon swaps also either provides a small amount of healing or an ammo upgrade, so the player must switch weapons frequently or lose out on extra healing and upgrades. This encourages the player
to change their playstyle frequently or miss out on a lot of bonuses. There are also shops in the game, but they are not too interesting. All enemies drop money and the money can be spent at shops for healing, weapon upgrades and max health upgrades. The game may have very robust and simple mechanics, but there is not much to talk about aesthetically. While nothing really looks unappealing, the enemies’ and environment’s designs are rather bland. Enemies range from simple turtles, to hopping skulls, to formless blobs. The music in the game is fairly catchy, but is nothing particularly special. It may not be noticed most of the time, as it takes a clear backseat to the game’s mechanics. “Downwell” is a game with very specific goals. It aims to deliver fastpaced, combo focused arcade action and sacrifices any other ambitions. It delivers on this central element and offers quick bursts of fun gameplay. The game as a whole takes perhaps half an hour to beat, but it will take many tries before a successful run. It only costs $3, so at that price it is delivering a lot of game per dollar. It is also available on mobile, PS4 and PC.
‘The Walking Dead’ is alive once again heard bearing down on them, tense violin music on a crescendo throughout the lengthy scene, and the intensity of multiple bomb defusals, the scene
strong dialogue, the Saviors’ visit to Alexandria in search of Daryl and a cliffhanger ending, it was everything its fan base could have asked for and more. “Rock in the Road” was well-written and visually masterful. There was a mix of captivating storytelling and intense, bloody action sequences. The episode incorporated everything that ///////////// /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// makes “The Walking Dead” great. Its ability to captivate an audience with meaningful dialogue and Rick’s occasional stunning monologue. Its ability to scare us and keep us on the edge of our seats. Foremost, this series is best when it sticks to its roots and acknowledges what it is and is not. It is not a mindless zombie-slasher. It is not a drama. It is a character-driven survival-horror. Sunday night reaffirmed commitment to that. Never taking itself too serious• 5-week, 8-week & 12-week sessions ly, but never delving into the weeds for gratuitous violence or meaningless ac• Morning, afternoon, evening, hybrid and online courses tion. • Over 100 courses offered entirely online If the rest of the season continues on this track, filling each moment Learn more at Framingham.edu/summer or call with meaning and excitement whilst avoiding excessive filler content, these the Continuing Education Office at 508-626-4603 next seven episodes will make this the greatest season the show has ever had. Final Grade: A+ Screen:
handed. Yet, on the way home, the group stumbles upon a “rock in the road” of their own: a highway-span-
Getting Ahead
Courtesy of AMC
The mid season premier, “Rock in the Road,” was watched by an estimated 12 million people, making it the third most watched episode this season.
ning explosive rig set up by Negan’s men to destroy a large herd of walkers traveling in its direction. The result is possibly the most intense scene of the entire series. Deciding that the explosives are too useful to pass up, Rick and the gang decide to disarm the bomb and take the RPGs and dynamite. With a massive
will keep viewers on the edges of their seats. The scene comes to an explosive finish and contains one of the most interesting mass walker killings the series has ever seen. It was simply a masterpiece. With the rest of the extra-long 51-minute episode centered around
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►Continued from front page and significant man power, Rick and the gang are sure they cannot stand up to Negan. They will have to go behind their enemies’ backs to scavenge for and hide supplies for the war effort, and also recruit other communities to aid in the fight. The episode, for the most part, revolves around three key points: Rick and the gang attempting to secure alliances with Gregory at the Hilltop and King Ezekiel at the Kingdom, an excruciatingly intense highway sequence, and the Saviors searching for Daryl, who has just recently escaped imprisonment. Despite receiving no aid from a cowardly Gregory at the Hilltop, Rick finds support from many of the community’s members. He especially finds it in Jesus, who in turn introduces Rick to King Ezekiel. In an incredibly well-written scene in the throne room of the Kingdom, Rick supplicates the King, who seems none-too-thrilled at the idea of risking his people’s safety for the prospect of battle. However, Rick delivers a beautiful story his mother used to tell him about a large rock in the road on the way to a massive kingdom and the unlikely hero who removed it. He also tells of how despite the great effort and loss suffered by the hero, she was rewarded beyond her wildest dreams. Rick’s clever and inspiring story does not, however, sway the king and the group leaves the Kingdom empty
framingham.edu
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February 21, 2017
CAMPUS LIFE
UMass Lowell students celebrate Chinese New Year Marilyn Saha Connector Staff
Chinese New Year, also known as the “Spring Festival,” is typically celebrated between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20, depending on the day when the new moon appears. This year, Chinese New Year took place on Jan. 28, initiating the Year of the Rooster. For the first time this year, students who are a part of the Chinese Students & Scholars Association organized an event to celebrate the Chinese New Year at UMass Lowell. The celebration took place on Feb. 10, 2017 between the hours of 5:30p.m. and 8:00p.m. at University Crossing. Over 200 students and faculty of all ethnicities gathered in Moloney Hall to appreciate the day. There were various booths with traditional activities from China. These booths included calligraphy, shuttlecock, riddles, Chinese paper cutting, ping-pong and color filling. Once a student visited every booth, they were eligible to play ring toss to potentially win prizes such as a waffle maker, a coffee maker, rhythm speakers, teddy bears and schools supplies.
Surbhi Mavi, an international student from India, said she really enjoyed the celebration. “I learned a lot about how they celebrate this auspicious event and what zodiac signs
Wang and Jingsi Hu. They wanted to maintain the Chinese style and be as culturally diverse as possible. When planning the activities, they tried to stay traditional. Ping-pong is popular
Marilyn Saha/Connector
UMass Lowell students practice Chinese calligraphy as part of the event.
they have. I also won a set of speakers in the ring toss. I would love to attend again next year,” she said. CSSA started planning this day during winter break. The main organizers were Anna Jiang, Chenxi
all over the world, however not too many people know about shuttlecock which is known as Ti Jianzi in Chinese. Calligraphy is also one of the lesser known activities. Jiang said, “Callig-
raphy is the essence of China. People will adore you if you have really good hand writing in calligraphy.” Dinner was served once the event began to wind down. The food included various styles of Chinese cuisine. There were Chinese noodles, sesame balls, sweet and sour pork, pigs feet, potatoes and beef and rice. “Food is one of the most important objects that best represents the culture of the country. We just want people to experience our culture and let Chinese students feel like they are home,” said Jiang. Additionally, Jiang and the rest of CSSA said attendance exceeded their expectations. “I personally think this event was definitely successful. As you can see, there were a lot of Chinese people and other people from different countries who attended. That is what we want to do. We want Chinese students to have more connection with our school and we want to spread out our Chinese culture. We like the fact that UMass Lowell is being more diverse,” she said.
How to eat healthy on campus Taylor Carito Connector Editor
Eating healthy is challenging for everyone, especially on a college campus. More often than not, students who live on-campus find themselves in the dining halls, indulging in foods that may or may not have nutritional value. About 17,000 students attend UMass Lowell, each having different dietary needs. While some students have eating healthy on-campus down to a science, many struggle when deciding what to eat in the dining halls, when to eat, and how much they should be eating. Professor Renee Barrile, program director in the biomedical and nutrition sciences department, recommends to all her students to follow the myPlate model from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The model is easy to follow and consists of half a plate of foods and/or vegetables, and the other half consisting of a combination of grains and protein. Dairy is not a dominant part of the model, but the nutrients and vitamins found in dairy products are essential. These vitamins and nutrients can also be found in other foods, which is why dairy is not essential to the myPlate model. “I think a healthy diet is balanced, has a wide variety of healthy foods, and everything should be in moderation,” says Barrile. Every student is different, which means they have different needs in terms of how many calories they should be consuming. It is a person-to-person case. “We have students who are extremely active, working out every day, and they’ll need to consume a lot more calories than our more sedentary students,” says Barrile, “It also depends on their gender.” Barrile has concluded that 1,200 calories is the minimum for a college student. That is the amount a smaller student or a student trying to lose weight might consume. A particularly active person could consume anywhere up to 8,000 calories. Students eating on-campus still may not necessarily know the healthy options available to them, and
taking the time to do the research is extensive. “There are definitely boundaries. I think students are busy. I don’t think students necessarily have time to plan out healthy eating,” says Barrile, “I think there’s a lot of unhealthy options that are sometimes easier and less expensive. There’s definitely room for improvement.” Aramark, the food provider for UMass Lowell, has put in effort to promote healthy eating on-campus for students. Their website umasslowell.campusdish.com provides information on the options in the dining halls for the day, as well as nutritional information for the food as well. This information can be found in the dining halls as well. However, some students find that eating healthy has limited options most of the time. Karina Gadre, sophomore public health major, checks online regularly to ensure there are options that align with her diet. She balances a variety of foods for protein, carbohydrates and fats. The dining hall does not always make this possible for her. “If you’re eating healthy then you’re limited to
two stations. I try to take pieces from different stations to create variety that way, but overall I’m satisfied like half the time,” says Gadre. Eating healthy faces its challenges in the dining hall. With so many options, it is hard for students to decide and consciously make the effort to figure out what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat. “I try to [eat healthy], but mostly not,” says Kyle Clapper, sophomore engineering student, “My qualifiers for healthy are dishes that aren’t saturated with oils and fats, aren’t made with highly processed grains and that are not meat based. Meat is fine, I just don’t think it should be the focal point of a dish.” Clapper’s statement coincides with elements of the myPlate model enforced by the USDA as well. Overall, students who take the time to learn about healthy eating can find the time to do so. As long as there is moderation and variation of healthy foods, healthy eating is possible. Barrile says, “Moderation is usually the key in most diets.”
Courtesy of Navitas UML
Farmer’s Market, located at University Dining Commons in Fox Hall, offers healthy options for students.
SPORTS
February 21, 2017
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SPORTS Can fans trust the NFL? Kathryn Leeber and Hannah Manning Connector Editors
In a panel discussion on Thursday Feb. 16, four journalists who have covered games and issues regarding the National Football League (NFL) spoke about the current atmosphere surrounding the league and its future. The panel, called “The State of the NFL,” was hosted by UMass Lowell political science Professor Dr. Jeffrey Gerson and was held in O’Leary Library Room 222. While one of the panel guests viewed the NFL as “evolving and in flux,” in that players could interact directly with fans over social media and build a rapport with them, there was a consensus amongst the guests that the league itself risked alienating its fan base with some of their recent decisions. Karen Guregian, a seasoned sports writer who has covered the Patriots for the Boston Herald, asked the audience point-blank: “Do fans have to have trust in the league?” Ron Borges, a prominent reporter for the NFL since 1974, opened the panel by discussing the general issues facing the league, most noticeably with the owners and money. He said that despite the numerous problems that the league faces, it is all about the point of view from which the issue is seen; the owners do not see any real problems because they continue to make money. With issues like lower TV ratings, health and concussion concerns and painkiller abuse, the panel said that it becomes a question of whether the leadership of the league will address these issues. The money, despite the lower ratings on television, is still there. “What they do next will decide their future,” said Borges.
With money issues swirling in the air, a health crisis seems to be looming large for the NFL. Borges said that kids in today’s society are not playing football as much as they used to because their parents are more aware of the risks. He said that this snowballs: children will grow up without that special connection and draw towards football, which may come to hurt the league in the end. Those same kids may choose to not watch football, while the generation before them, who had a stronger connection to football, may tune in. The panelists pointed out that the push for higher ratings and more money could lead to a divide between what the players and owners want. Guregian spoke about Thursday Night Football as a prime example. These games provoke more injuries because there is not enough time for the players to recover for their Sunday night games. Since the owners want to take advantage of the increased revenue, they do not want to give up these games. In fact, some owners want teams to play even more games than the current 16game schedule. Guregian said that the amount of money that the players make from these games ultimately builds to a “health, money, health, money” catch-22. But despite the incredible amounts of money players make, the league has seen more and more players walk away from the game due to mental health risks, which jeopardizes their public standing and image. Michaela Vernava, a reporter for the New England Sports Network (NESN), said that it is a huge issue for the league when players will leave money on the table for their health. Chris Borland is a well-known example of this, as he retired after
only one professional U P C OM I N G season, out of conRiver Hawk Games cern of concussions and head trauma. His Wednesday, Feb. 22 7 p.m. MBB vs New Hampshire name came up several times in discussion, Thursday, Feb. 23 7 p.m. WBB at New Hampshire as a “what could have been,” as well as a Thursday, Feb. 24 7 p.m.S MHOC at BC mark on the game of football. 8:30 p.m. MHOC vs. BC Friday, Feb. 25 Some of the most impassioned moSaturday, Feb. 25 1 p.m. MLAX vs Siena ments of the panel came when discussion 1 p.m. WLAX at BU Saturday, Feb. 25 turned to an issue that Boston Globe ReportFor more sports information and full game schedules visit goriverhawks.com er Ben Volin was adamant about: the fans’ trust in the leadership way on these kinds of controversies of the league. simply because they are such big fans The NFL’s recent handlings of of the NFL and their team. scandals were met with much contenVernava went on to explain that tion from media and fans alike. This morals tend to not factor in on certain led Volin to argue that these sorts of rulings because the coaches and ownproblems cause fans to lose faith in the ership want a team that will win them league, which could prove toxic to rat- games, and if that includes having a ings in the future. great player on their team that has a “The biggest issue is that of trust record, so be it. because of things that have come out “These teams are trying to win at all and how [the league has] covered costs,” said Vernava. them up,” said Guregian. She said that the teams tend to put With serious violence charges the money first and morals second, against players like Ray Rice and Greg which causes controversy in itself. Hardy, fans expect league leaders to The bottom line regarding the state set an example for young kids and fel- of the NFL according to the panelists low players, as well as doing what is is that teams, owners, and coaches morally correct by laying down a rea- want to make money and as long as sonable punishment. they are doing that, it is difficult to When the punishments do not seem know how effectively they will adreasonable, the panelists said that this dress the league’s problems. leads to a diminishing amount of trust Concussions and other safety issues in the league, as well as resentment are among the most pertinent, but that is often aimed at NFL Commis- there is also the general issue of trust. sioner Roger Goodell. As these reporters said, fans must “I got pure satisfaction seeing [Tom have trust in the league, but at its curBrady] shake Goodell’s hand,” said a rent state, that level may be dwindling. student. On the other hand, however, fans have been known to look the other
Nicole Hayner ties program record on Senior Day ► Continued from front page
in the last three minutes by scoring three baskets. The final score of the first half was 39-29 UMBC. UMBC took control of the third quarter, with Lauren Castaldo scoring nine points and Allison McGrath scoring six points. The River Hawks fought back hard with Hayner scoring 11 of the 17 points scored by the River Hawks. The final score of the quarter was 66-46 UMBC. In the final quarter of the game, UMBC scored the first three baskets. The River Hawks followed with a 5-0 run before the media time out halfway through the quarter. The River Hawks earned another 5-0 run, and closed the game out with a 4-0 run. The final score of the game was 78-62 UMBC. “Credit to UMBC, I thought they had an amazing first quarter and from there it was an uphill battle for us, but I’m overall happy for the seniors,” said River Hawks head coach Jenerrie Harris. Prior to the game, the River Hawks celebrated their seniors’ accomplishments. Redshirt senior forward Tyshay Britten went into the game with 101 points and 125 rebounds record-
ed. Senior forward Lauren Parra saw 21 starts and 179 rebounds in her career as a River Hawk. Senior guard Asia Mitchell-Owens saw 42 starts and had
All photos by UMass Lowell Athletics
Junior forward Kayla Gibbs has 12 points on Saturday afternoon.
Hayner tied a UMass Lowell record in her penultimate collegiate game.
478 points, 136 assists and 234 rebounds. Nicole Hayner made 752 points, 181 rebounds, and 115 assists prior to Saturday’s game. As the final buzzer sounded and she tied a UMass Lowell
record, she stood with 779 points, 186 rebounds and 117 assists. With the loss, the program fell to a 3-25 overall record and a 0-15 America East record. The River Hawks will be back in action on Feb. 23 with a game at the University of New Hampshire at 7 p.m.