Students enjoy Back 2 Campus Party â–ş Page 6
THE UMASS LOWELL
Serving the Student Body Since 1976
September 20, 2016
Whether the weather matters
In This Issue
Megan Dillon
FAFSA update coming Oct. 1
â–ş Page 3
‘Blair Witch’ reboot
fails â–ş Page 4
Field hockey takes road win at Siena
Taylor Carito/Connector
Connector Contributor
â–ş Page 8
Final River Hawk Scores Team
Score
Overall Record
Field Hockey vs. Saint Louis
W 9-2 3-3
Men’s Soccer vs. Dartmouth
T 1-1
Volleyball at Illinois-Chicago
L 3-0 5-9
Field Hockey at Siena
W 5-2
6-0-1
2-3
Men’s soccer duels Darthmouth to 1-1 draw George DeLuca Connector Editor
The UMass Lowell men’s soccer team couldn’t conjure up the magic needed to break a 1-1 tie against Dartmouth in yet another double overtime contest on Saturday night at Cushing Field. The Big Green drew first blood as forward Matt Greer redirected a pass from midfielder Matt Danilack and nicked a header from the top of the box past River Hawk goalkeeper Austin Kroll. But that would be the only Dartmouth goal of the night. Dartmouth has typically started slowly this season, scoring most of their goals in the second half. However, after Greer’s goal at 5:11, UMass Lowell was able to keep them off the board. Much of the credit goes to the roving River Hawk defense and another stellar performance by Kroll who had 6 saves for the night. But there was a tense moment early in the second half when Big Green midfielder and shot-maker Justin Donawa found himself in the open with a golden opportunity to score. Donawa made a breakaway and came faceto-face with Kroll, the kind of situation that midfielders dream about. But Kroll positioned himself strategically and when Donawa hammered the shot, Kroll was able to deflect the ball away.
We have all heard of the warning signs one way or another. Spewing out of the mouths of politicians, and our uncles who wear open toe shoes and slacks all year round. However, we never thought to ourselves that the effects of global warming would ever be seen within our lifespans. On a cloudy yet warm afternoon on Sept. 7, Associate Professor Mathew Barlow, UMass Lowell’s expert on climate variability and change, in Olney Hall on North Campus sat down to explain how our recent weather in Lowell and how it may affect us in either subtle or drastic ways. The first question that rings was, “What are
The Merrimack River as seen from the Howe Bridge on University Avenue in Lowell.
your concerns for the Merrimack river as it pertains to the drought we are in?� Barlow said: “Water quality would definitely be lower, because water is becoming more scarce
and it will become harder to filtrate it. Because of low water levels, there are definitely dead fish along the side of the river. Even though the Merrimack river is low, it is still at a higher level than the
neighboring Concord River, because water in the Merrimack flows from New Hampshire, where the drought is less extreme, while the Concord is strictly in â–ş See “Weather,â€? page 3
This Wild Life hits the mark with ‘Low Tides’ Kathryn Leeber Connector Contributor
In what can best be described as acoustic pop punk, the sophomore album from This Wild Life is an excellent follow up to 2014’s “Clouded.� The unique duo of singer and guitarist Kevin Jordan and lead guitarist Anthony Del Grosso have created an album with ambient instrumentals in support of emotional lyrics. As compared to “Clouded,� this record is a bit more upbeat, filled with faster
drums and other more unusual instruments like horns. The opening track “Hit the Reset� was released previously as a single. It is a slower, emotional break up song that really sets the tone for the rest of the album. The smooth backing tracks and calm beats match Jordan’s vocals incredibly well. The drums and Jordan’s voice pick up more in the passionate chorus. The next song was the lead single, “Pull Me Out.� This track is very powerful, Courtesy of Epitaph Records
â–ş See “Men’s soccer,â€? page 8
Sections News.............................3 Campus Life..................6 A&E.............................. 4 Sports........................... 8 Kevin Jordan (left) and Anthony Del Grosso (right) comprise This Wild Life.
lyrically and instrumentally. Jordan has so much emotion in his voice, singing right from the start, “Your pinky made a promise that you couldn’t keep / You said you’d never leave, You said you’d never leave.â€? Del Grosso’s guitar work is phenomenal throughout the record and it shines through in this track. There is an interesting guitar solo towards the end where a pause makes it seems like the song will end before the guitars pick back up. As the album progresses, the overall tempo increases and the feeling of the songs become a bit more upbeat. “Let Goâ€? features guest vocals from Maya Tuttle, the lead singer and drummer of the band The Colourist. “Let Goâ€? is exactly about what the title suggests; letting someone go, even if it is difficult. There are more drums in this song, and while the lyrics are fairly sad, the upbeat nature of the track and the feeling it evokes makes for a lighter song. Tuttle’s vocals pair quite nicely with Jordan’s and in her emotional verse she sings, “Wondering if you’re â–ş See “Low Tides,â€? page 5
UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR
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September 20, 2016
OPINIONS & EDITORIALS Trustee Talk: Welcome and Update from Lindy Reed, Student Trustee Lindy Reed Student Trustee
After this spring’s contested election season, I am proud to introduce myself as the UMass Lowell Student Trustee. For those students who are freshmen or who somehow missed the hundreds of posters bearing my name and smiling face, my name is Lindy Reed and I am one of five student representatives that serve on the UMass Board of Trustees. The UMass Board of Trustees consists of seventeen members appointed by the governor and five student trustees, elected by their student bodies, from each of the UMass campuses (Lowell, Amherst, Dartmouth, Boston, and Worcester Medical). Two of the five student trust-
ees have voting power, and every year the UMass campuses rotate which two of their stu-
a direct impact on every student is the annual vote on student tuition and fees.
Courtesy of Lindy Reed
Junior Lindy Reed was elected student trustee last spring.
dent trustees gets the vote. The Board of Trustees votes to approve or deny major university policies, such as the creation of new degree programs, new campus construction or renovations, and faculty tenure. One of the Board’s most important votes that has
Throughout the election season this spring, I promised to vote against any increases to student tuition or fees and to make affordability my number one priority. At my first meeting as student trustee, the infamous Administration and Finance meeting, I
voted against an increase to tuition and fees. It was difficult to sit through the meeting and listen to the trustees discuss the inadequate amount of state funding to the UMass system, and to hear how little support the Commonwealth was providing towards the growth and development of the UMass system. No one wants to see tuition and fees increase, and it was clear that the Board was extremely unhappy to have to consider an increase. In the 2013-2014 and 20142015 years, the State gave the UMass system budget increases of $50 million for two consecutive years. These same two years, UMass was able to freeze tuition and fees. I personally believe that State funding is critical to
maintaining the high-quality education that each of the UMass campuses provides, and in order to strengthen the value of a degree, the State must continue to provide funding that keeps pace with the rate of inflation and other economic and financial factors. Now, due to an alarming national trend of decreasing state aid to higher public education, the financial burden is being shifted to students and their families. The historical relationship between the Commonwealth and the UMass system has ended, and as UMass shifts towards a new financial model, I hope to see the State invest in its students and preserve affordable, quality higher education.
Message from Student Government Association Have a Question, Comment, or Concern? Board of Trustee meetings are open to the public. Next meeting: Wednesday September 21st, 2016 at 9:00am Inn & Conference Center, Main Ballroom, 1st Floor
THE UMASS LOWELL
Serving the Student Body Since 1976
UMASS LOWELL CONNECTOR
Student Government Association meetings are open to the public. Next Full Senate meeting: Wednesday September 21st, 2016 at 6:00pm UCrossing 490
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September 20, 2016
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NEWS Clinton falls short in polls after health concerns Liam Elliot
Connector Contributor
On Sept. 11, Democratic Party Nominee for President Hillary Clinton had to leave the 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony she was attending for apparent medical reasons. Her campaign originally came out with a statement 90 minutes after her departure saying she “felt overheated.” The Conservative news circle soon started circulating a video that seemed to show Clinton fainting as she was stepping into her van, having to rely on the help of her aides to carry her into the awaiting vehicle. This soon began the speculation that there was something much more going on and that Clinton was in fact much more ill than the campaign was letting on. Later on in the day, her campaign released a letter from Dr. Lisa Bardack, Clinton’s personal physician, stating that on Sept. 9 she had undergone “a non-contrast chest CT scan” which “revealed a small right middle-lobe pneumonia.” Many people soon came out saying that they felt Clinton should have released the information on Friday since the
public already perceives her to have a transparency problem. The Republican and Independent polling sites soon jumped on the breaking news. New polling conducted after this event shows Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump gaining ground. In new Bloomberg Politics polls and CNN polls, Trump is shown leading Ohio, a key swing state, by 5 points. Trump now has a lead over Clinton in Florida by 3 points, and in Nevada, where he currently leads by 2 points according to a Monmouth University poll. On Sept. 11, Clinton was leading Trump nationally by an average of 3.1%, with Clinton polling at 46.0% and Trump at 42.9%. Now, in the days following Clinton’s health scare, Trump has jumped within 1.8% points of Clinton, with her national average at 45.8% and Trump’s at 44.0%. According to reports, Washington Democrats are slowly becoming more concerned with Clinton’s health. Politico said earlier in the week, “Former DNC Chairman Dan Fowler believes that party leaders should come together with a plan to pick
a successor to the Nominee if she becomes much more ill.” Fowler went on record and said, “Now is the time for all good political leaders to come to the aid of their party” and that he “[thinks] the plan should be developed by 6 o’clock this afternoon.” Different names have been speculated as to who could possibly take over if Clinton were to step down, such as Vice President Biden or Vice Presidential Nominee Senator Tim Kaine. The scrutiny over Clinton’s health is now forcing Trump to turn over his health records. Due to mounting pressure from the liberal media and the “Never Trump” right, he has been forced to release the results of his last physical. The physical, which was done by Dr. Harold Bornstein, showed that Trump takes a statin, a medicine taken to lower cholesterol, and that he takes a “low-dose aspirin.” Trump later went on to the Dr. Oz show to clarify his health and how he feels on a day-to-day basis. When asked what he does for exercise, the Republican Nominee responded with “In its own way, it’s a pretty healthy act.”
New FAFSA taking effect Weather update Monique Reyes
Connector Contributor
In 1965 the Higher Education Act was passed under Title IV. Since 1992, FAFSA has ensured that every college and technical school student, who may need financial assistance can submit their parents’ tax information as well as their own in order to receive loans, grants, work study, and more. According to their website, FAFSA processes on average 22 million applications a year. For the application cycle of 2017-18 students can expect significant changes to appear. This was announced recently by President Barack Obama on Sept. 14, 2015. Instead of waiting for Jan. 1st, students can start as early as Oct. 1st, 2016 submitting their applications. In addition, students will have to report an earlier tax year. This means that instead of reporting taxes from 2016 for their 2017-18 application, students will have to report their 2015 income tax information. Although the same tax information from the previous year has been uploaded for those who completed the 2016-2017 FAFSA application, students will still need to once again upload their 2015 tax information. This means that if your financial aid information has changed since the year of 2015, you will still need to upload your 2015 tax information not the 2016 one, even if it may be more accurate. FAFSA recommends that students contact their university to inform them of their financial aid needs. The new updates will not guarantee earlier financial aid award letters. Schools still decide individually when to send their aid packages, but some schools may prefer to send their award letters sooner, being another potential perk of the updated application process. With the following updates, President Obama and FAFSA hope to make the process easier. As stated on their website, by submitting older tax documents, students can upload it directly to their application, use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool in order to verify their taxes, thus removing the hassle of having to estimate then update the application. However, this might affect financial
aid deadlines for colleges, sooner deadlines could be expected but not guaranteed. The upcoming changes have been one of the many new updates under the Obama Administration. A strong advocate for education, the President has also worked to make the IRS Retrieval Tool accessible to students, in order to verify their informa-
“President Obama and FAFSA hope to make the process easier.” tion sooner. According to the Atlantic, making the FAFSA application easier to complete and allowing a much longer time frame for completion will further aide low-income students to receive more financial support. They estimate over 2 million students who qualify for the full $5,775 Pell Grant miss out on the maximum benefits of the new FAFSA. In today’s society where the average cost of college has sky rocketed, every penny counts.
►Continued from front page
where the drought is less extreme, while the Concord is strictly in Massachusetts.” When asked, “Is the El Nino the cause of our current high temperature?” He clarifies by saying “The 2015-2016 El Nino, which makes temperatures warmer because of warm ocean temperatures, had finished during the end of our winter. Currently we are in a state of a La Nina, which is suppose to make temperature cooler and do the opposite.” Barlow chuckles and said, “Well it’s more like a La Nothing. Current temperatures are hotter because of global warming itself.” In response to the question,“When do you think this drought will end?” Barlow shrugs and answers, “Honestly, there is no way of telling when a drought will end. The drought is small in scale and Hermine would help a little bit,
but it looks like we’re not getting to much. It’s anybody’s guess.” Barlow also provided data for streamflow conditions for the Concord River, as well as data from the United States Drought Monitor. The Concord River, by the morning of Sept. 7, had reached a record low of 22 feet. Our drought is also a level D4 here is Lowell, which means things are not going so smoothly. There are small things anyone can do to help bring an end to our hot summers, and warmer winters. Of course one single person cannot back the hugest significance in bringing an end to climate change. But just little things like turning off a light or walking from University Crossing to East Campus can help our environment in little ways that may add up.
Police dispatch log highlights For Date: 09/12/2016 - Monday Location: FOX 2ND FLOOR Fox-2fl Center OF Plate CO 1 alarm. Notified Lowell Fire and they are enroute. Narrative: Lowell fire is on scene. Narrative: Facilities has been notified. Narrative: Lowell Fire and 136 are clear, alarm was due to a fryolater machine. For Date: 09/14/2016 - Wednesday Location/Address: BOURGEOIS FIRST FLOOR Narrative: Student reports a suspicious phone number written on her white board outside her room.
Narrative: Spoke with male party involved at University Crossing. Narrative: 155 is clear of Bourgeois Hall. Location: DONAHUE CIRCLE Narrative: Shawn of EMS advise a white male in red sox pajama bottoms is rifling through the dumpster at Donahue Circle. Narrative: 146 is off with familiar party. Party was looking for bottles and cans.
UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR
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September 20, 2016
September 20, 2016
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Courtesy of Lionsgate Pictures
Connector Staff
“Blair Witch” is the latest example of a sequel or remake coming out at least a decade after the last movie to make a bunch of money because of its easily marketable name recognition. Taking place twenty years after “The Blair Witch Project,” the brother of one of the original film students is heading into the woods to look for his sister with the help of three friends and two local residence who found some of the film students’ original footage. Found footage is a fundamentally flawed genre, and that is very apparent in this movie. There is the completely forced reasoning behind why there is always a camera on. There are insignificant clips that are left in the movie for no reason other than to pad out the run time. There are multiple times when any character with even an iota of logical thought would put down the camera, but instead they keep filming. This movie is essentially just the original movie done by less competent people. The reason for the found footage is that one of the characters, Lisa (Callie Hernandez) is making a documentary for school about her friend James (James Allen McCune) searching for his sister from the first movie in the woods. Instead of scares coming from the creepy atmosphere and the strange sounds the characters hear in the middle of the night, the movie relies heavily on characters running up on one another without
The “Blair Witch” reboot was filmed using the codename “The Woods”.
‘Low Tides’ beats the sophomore slump
warning for cheap jump scares. Then, the last 20 minutes of the movie shows a few of the characters running around the same dilapidated house from the original movie, with several of the same images including the person standing in the corner and one character venturing into the basement. The only difference is that this time, we see the witch, and it looks like a generic scrawny horror movie monster that growls like a wild animal. The only thing that this movie copies from the original without altering is the characters boringly running through the woods in the middle of the night as the camera violently shakes so the audience cannot get a look at the surrounding environment. It turns “The Blair Witch Project” from one of the few genuinely good found footage movies into just another generic horror movie. To be fair, there are a couple of scenes that rely on the movie’s atmosphere to scare the audience, but those scenes are almost nothing compared to the multiple scenes with a pointless jump scare or characters running through the woods as loud noises that sound like they were added into the movie in post-production explode all around them. This movie is another pointless remake in a long line of pointless remakes that only manages to accomplish taking a pre-existing movie idea that works, and turn it into a generic movie that is interchangeable with any number of movies from the same genre. Final Grade: D
‘Bojack Horseman’ makes us laugh through our tears Liam Elliot Connector Contributor
Who knew an anthropomorphic horse could hit the nail on the head on how all us humans feel at one point or another in our lives. At one point in our lives we can all say that we were down, depressed and anxious. For some, it is a constant struggle to live with such an incessant need to feel good, to feel loved and to feel as if people like them. “BoJack Horseman” is the TV show for those people—the ones who do not understand why they feel this way. For a little backstory, “BoJack Horseman” follows the life and times of the titular Mr. Horseman, a washed up, drug addled former sitcom star who is trying to reach his way back up to the peak. We have constant flashbacks to his days as the main charac-
ter on the sitcom “Horsin’ Around”, which is the story of a horse who adopts three human children and raises them as his own. Through these flashbacks we come to find that this TV show is what BoJack considers to be the greatest achievement of his life and that the past 20 years have been a haze of booze, drugs and countless women. When you first start “BoJack,” the first two episodes feel as if it is some cheap “Family Guy” knockoff, with worse jokes and a plotline that is not really linear. But soon, that façade drops and we see the true BoJack Horseman, the self-loathing drunk who just wants to be well liked and loved. He wants friends and people to clamor around him and make him feel less lonely. But when he cannot find these people, he inevitably turns Courtesy of Netflix
‘Bojack Horseman’ was renewed for a fourth season which will be released next year.
Courtesy of Netflix
The show was created by first time showrunnner Raphael Bob-Waksberg.
to drugs and alcohol to make himself feel normal. To get back on top of the Hollywood world, BoJack decides to write a memoir based on his life and his times as the main character of “Horsin’ Around.” The only problem is that his deadline for publishing is in a week and he has not started a single page, forcing him to have to hire a ghostwriter, Diane Nguyen. What he doesn’t know is that Diane’s memoir will not be pretty, in fact it will be downright terrifying for the ever ignorant Horseman. She is not writing the story that BoJack wants, she is writing the truth, the truth about how his parents treated him like dirt, the fact he is an alcoholic and an addict, the fact that he has basically destroyed himself and the ones he loved whenever he feels even slightly threatened by them.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘Blair Witch’ adds to list of 2016’s letdowns Owen Johnson
UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR
This show is not for the faint of heart or people just looking for some quick yuk yuks to kill time. This is an emotional rollercoaster of a show and if you watch this without examining how you treat the people around you and more importantly, how you treat yourself then you are doing yourself a disservice. To watch BoJack self-destruct as you are rooting for him to do good is one of the biggest gut punches in current television. If you want to feel connected to a show, watch “BoJack Horseman.” If you are in the mood to examine yourself and understand your inner workings, this show is for you. If you just need to make sure it will all be okay in the long run, watch “BoJack Horseman.” You will not be disappointed in the show. Maybe in BoJack’s antics, but never in the show.
►Continued from front page wandering / Do you regret almost everything? / I’ll try to breathe easier / I hope this gets easier.” Similarly, “Falling Down” is just as emotional as the next song, but it sounds lighter, with more pop-like drum beats. While most of the songs do sound alike, the brutally relatable and honest lyrics are what really make this album. It does not contain cliché, overused themes and phrases, but instead, Jordan finds unique ways to express his thoughts, with lyrics such as “I sent a one eyed text a little too honest / Between the ninth and tenth I think I lost my head” in “Red Room.” The album closes with another break up song, “Brick Wall.” Again, the lyrics and vocal abilities are what fuel the song. Jordan sings powerfully at the start, “I’ve got a feeling that we’re closer to the end than where we began / So just let me go, send me home, give me away / And throw me away.” While focusing on the lyrics, the instrumentals in the background do an incredible job of adding to the
rawness of the songs and they allow you to feel the emotion even more. Specifically, the horns in “Red Room” are a great touch that adds to the powerful tone. “Change My Sheets” incorporates electronic drum sounds, more so than any other song on the record. Although they are known for their signature guitar sounds, the use of more instruments in this album really paid off and allowed them to build on their sound. Still, the soft, melancholic sounds these instruments create fits with the break up themes that resonate in this album. Although many of the tracks on this album do sound similar, the varied instrumentals and airy feel of the tracks makes for a forceful record. Impassioned lyrics and vocals work quite well with the guitars and drums to make the record even stronger. If you enjoy slower songs with emotional hooks, this is a great album to check out. If you like what you hear, you can catch This Wild Life on their headlining tour this fall with ‘Have Mercy and Movements.’
Courtesy of Epitaph Records
“Low Tides” is the band’s second album since signing on with Epitaph Records.
Classic Game Review: ‘Digimon World 3’ Shane Foley Connector Editor
Role playing games, RPGs for short, can prove to be one of the most difficult genres to create a video game for. Not only must the developer attend to the elements that make the game an RPG, but they must also pay close to, if not equal attention to, the other elements of the game that make it unique, such as world-building (Skyrim), plot (Final Fantasy) or battle mechanics (every Pokemon game). The team at Bandai, famous for their work on the game franchises for “Gundam Wing” and “Dragon Ball Z,” had a very difficult task when they had to take the elements of the “Digimon” franchise and put them in an RPG, and this task was three times as hard in 2002 when “Digimon World 3” came out. The result of their work was very bold and experimental, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to a good playing experience. “Digimon World 3” could be considered a mix of the classic “Digimon World” formula with many nuances thrown in, only some of which are inspired by the “Digimon” show. This was the first game where players could battle with characters from the first three seasons of Digimon (so, the original squad with Agumon and Patamon, and the second squad which featured Veemon and Wormmon, and the Guilimon/Renamon/Terriermon squad). They also added three never before seen Digimon for the apparent reason of “why not?” (Kunemon, Kotemon, and Monmon). In the game, the player is tasked with traversing the Digital World, fighting battles in order to level up their Digimon. The digivolution system in this game have actual flow charts online dedicated to it because they are so complex. The player has the option of using one of three digivolutions in battle. If victorious, the rookie form will gain experience
as well as the digivolution used, and different digivolution forms will yield different digivolutions. The good news about this feature is that every rookie Digimon can gain, with the right amount of training, every digivolution in the game. For instance, a player can train Agumon so that it digivolves into MetalGarurumon instead of WarGreymon, which is what Agumon digivolves into in the show. A player could even train to achive both MetalGarurumon and WarGreymon forms so that they could earn the elusive Omnimon form. The bad news is that the player will spend the entire game doing so. The levels that these Digimon earn go up to 99, and some forms require Digimon to be that level to digivolve. Also, the player will only know the levels of the Digimon they are currently using, not the opponents. This can prove to be quite annoying, considering enemy Digimon have a tendency to randomly spike in difficulty. The player will not know how much to level up because they do not know the level of the Digimon they are facing, so guess work is necessary. As heavily powered as these enemies are, they would not be as iritating as they seem in the game if not for one of the most exotic and infuriating battle mechanics ever. Like in Pokemon, the Digimon with the higher speed attacks first. Completely unlike Pokemon however, a Digimon with a high speed will attack a user’s Digimon twice before it can respond. Oh, you managed to tank Pharaomon’s Necro Mist? Great. He is going to hit you with it again. Also, there are no tanks or sweepers in this game; every enemy Digimon has every stat higher than yours. Digimon in this game with good defenses also can “evade” moves, similar to having moves miss in Pokemon. Remember, though, every Digimon has higher stats than you, including
defense. Therefore, consider the following sequence: a player sends out WarGreymon against a foe Vikemon, a Digimon at which WarGreymon has the clear edge. Vikemon attacks twice, but WarGreymon survives with a little less that half of his health. The player then uses Flame Breath, which should be a one hit knock out, but Vikemon evades that hit. Vikemon then hits twice again and knocks out the WarGreymon. This is a very possible sequence that could occur to players, and it is not fun to endure. On top of all that, the game has a very slow pace. The progression of the game has players backtracking almost as much as they are going forward. Keep in mind, too, that this is not Pokemon. There is no fly move that will warp the player to the first Pokecenter in the game. In “Digimon World 3,” the player is often prompted to return to Asuka City, the first area in the game. The player has to walk across every pixel they have walked before to accomplish this, encountering the same Digimon they could not beat in the first place. Also, they will be doing so to the same musical themes, since this soundtrack, while memorable, is very limited. Aside from the multitude of criticism, there is much to praise with this game, in particular the plot. The
main character, the player, actually is supposed to be a real boy who travels to the digital world to play the game for a while and then return to reality. Due to a terrorist attack, however, he becomes stuck in the game (a plot line eerily similar to the entire premise fo Sword Art Online). The game’s graphics are mostly 32-bit sprite work, but the cutscenes use updated graphics and are actually very well put together. The main character uncoveres a conspiracy that envloves the creation of a new unstoppable Digimon and could actually serve as a screenplay for a movie. So, as is usually the case with a game this riddled with issues, the question is, “Is it worth the purchase?” An easy answer might be yes, because this is a very cheap PS1 game. A more in depth response might be a yes for fans of the series. Perhaps if you are not familiarized with Digimon lore, you would not pick this up. However, beyond the mechanical issues, this game is satisfying to a Digimon fan. There is something to be said about having a Renamon and leveling it up so that it digivoves to Imperialdramon Paladin mode. There is plenty of nostalgia for the show in this game, and coupled with the surprisingly solid plot, means that this is a good game to play. Even if it means using a gameguide so you
Courtesy of Bandai Entertainment
There are multiple mega-Digivolution forms available including Sakuyamon (above).
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September 20, 2016
CAMPUS LIFE
MALES and Kappa Delta Phi NAS sponsor Back 2 Campus Party Marilyn Saha Connector Contributor
UMass Lowell kicked off the new semester with its annual Back 2 Campus Party at Cumnock Hall on Sept 16, 2016. The event took place between the hours of 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. For just
“The Back 2 Campus Party is all about having students get to know each other.” $3.00 and a slightly awkward pat down, students enjoyed a night of music and dancing. The night started off
fairly slow, with most people showing up around midnight but nevertheless, the tasteful music and being surrounded by our peers made this event worth attending. Adam Fasanmade, one of the many students that helped arrange this event, encapsulated what this night was all about. With the perfect amount of enthusiasm and excitement, he said “The Back to Campus party is all about having students get to know each other. Students walk past each other every single day as strangers and this party is meant to change that.” This purpose was successful. Many people were found talking to people they would never approach otherwise. The DJ was great, playing hits from Lorde and Drake to Caribbean and Reggaeton music. Overall, it was a successful night and we can all thank The Men Achieving Leadership, Excellence and Success (M.A.L.E.S.) and Kappa Delta Phi NAS Kappa Upsilon Chapter as well as the other groups involved in making this event possible!
Photos courtesy of Christina Laderoute
Stephan Jackson, vice president of Make a Change Inc., seen dancing.
Attendees were greeted by members of KY and MALES, both seen here.
Back to school thoughts Mary Connell Connector Staff
It is already mid-September and everyone at UMass Lowell has mostly settled into their routines. For freshmen, time management ranging from daily homework to catching the bus and arriving to class on has been quickly integrated into their daily schedules. The social opportunities that come with living with so many other students can easily become overwhelming, however. Warren Potts, a freshman majoring in sound recording technology, voices his experience with balancing classes and social time. He said, “I enjoy my classes for the most part. The work is --my music classes especially-- are weird but I get it, I guess. But overall the whole college campus vibe has been very good for me. I just go around and I talk to people.” Warren also feels he is still adjusting to his schedule. “I was 15 minutes late to my classes today. I’ve waited 30 minutes for buses before. One time I waited because I was going on a date and I waited by Fox for like literally 30 minutes waiting for the Yellow line to come by and it never came. But that’s because during the day they don’t go by there so…” Aidan Keating, also a freshman majoring in sound recording technology, also has reservations about his relationship with the bus system. “I had an 8 a.m. on North Campus. I got out for the bus stop like 25 minutes before
it and right when I was getting out the bus was pulling away so I couldn’t get it. So it took like another 20 minutes for another bus or the same bus I don’t even remember to come out so I ended up being like 15 minutes late to that class,” Aidan said. Both freshmen voiced their excitement over being able to meet so many new people. Aidan lives in the musician’s LLC in Sheehy Hall, Living Allegro, and feels at home there. “I’ve been managing my time well and I have time to hang out with my friends and do homework and just chill out a little bit,” he says. For returning students, managing the bus system is just another day in Lowell. Still, the stressful change of moving back into school causes any student to have a variety of thoughts. This is especially due to the tuition increase this year. Reid Davis, a sophomore civil engineering student, said, “I’m pretty concerned about trying to pay for college right now.” Chelsea Gray, a graphic arts sophomore student, wishes there was a fashion program. Still, she said, “I feel like UMass Lowell is improving with what it has to offer everyone. I’m excited to be working toward my future here. Also, I’m vegan.” UMass Lowell’s students, old and new, have a variety of positives and negatives that come with the start of fall semester. However, it seems that students are adjusting to changes and feeling pretty comfortable on campus
September 20, 2016
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SPORTS Men’s soccer holds onto unbeate streak ► Continued from front page
Kroll broke down the play and said, “I saw that Franky (River Hawk back Franky Martinez) was a little pulled out and it was clear that the ball was going to Donawa. So I got a good read on it and got myself out there to cut down the angle, and from that point it was a pretty easy save. Once you’re tight-in on a guy, it’s hard for him to pick out a corner.” Coach Christian Figueroa was pleased with the performance of his goalie. “Austin was sharp tonight. He made a great save coming off his line to keep Dartmouth off the board. He also did well with service coming into the box. I think he took away something they do well.” Offensively, River Hawks senior midfielder Carlos Ruiz had no trouble nailing a penalty kick by Dartmouth goalie James Hickock at 40:43 to tie the game at one all to complete the scoring for the night. It was the second goal of the
season for Ruiz. Both were penalty kicks and timely game savers. His first came two weeks ago against St. Francis Brooklyn, in a game that also went into double overtime. The River Hawks, who remain undefeated at 7-0-1, came into the matchup ranked 27th in the nation in the NSCAA Coaches rankings. Dartmouth’s record is now 1-1-3. “Dartmouth’s a good team. When you don’t get a loss, and you get a draw at home, it’s not a bad outcome because you don’t drop the points,” said Figueroa. “Dartmouth has played a couple of top 25 teams this season (Kentucky and Seattle University) and have gotten some good results,” he said. “A game like this helps us to gauge our program, and that’s an important takeaway from a game like this.” Kroll agreed. “It was disappointing not getting the win, but if we take a step back, it was a good team we played, and we’re still undefeated. Now we just
George DeLuca/Connector
Forward/midfielder Wuilito Fernandes tangles with a Dartmouth defender.
have to get some energy going forward to face Bryant,” he said. Forward Wuilito Fernandes commented on the need to raise the intensity level a bit. “We have to have more energy at the start of the game. Once the ref blows the whistle we have to be ready to go. We started the game a little slow and they were ready to play,” he said. The River Hawks leave for a one game road trip to take on Bryant University (0-6) on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 4 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium in Smithfield, R.I. Following Bryant, the team will have a break before preparing for a run at a slate of strong American East Conference teams starting with Binghampton (3-1-3). That game will take place on Alumni Night, Saturday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. at Cushing Field. Even with an unblemished record, Figueroa is reserved when discussing the team’s prospects going forward, especially against the American East teams. “These games are all going to be tough. Every year we’ve played in the conference it’s been a grind and year four isn’t going to be any different,” he said. Looking ahead to Bryant, Figueroa said, “We have to make sure we’re taking care of our bodies and concentrating when we’re out here training. Bryant is a big game for us. They’re going to make it tough for us like they always do. We just have to be focused on Wednesday.”
River Hawk offense shines in 5-2 win against Siena UMass Lowell Athletics
ALBANY, N.Y. – Sophomore Torrie Huk (Milford, Del.) recorded her first career hat trick to help lift the UMass Lowell field hockey team (2-3) to a 5-2, neutral-site victory against Siena (14) on Friday afternoon in Albany. “We came out with a fantastic energy,” said Head Coach Shannon Hlebichuk. “To go up three goals at the start was great. We were working on really taking care of our attacking opportunities all week. We let them back in the game in the second half, which was slightly disappointing, however, after a quick timeout, we collected ourselves and made the necessary changes to put another couple on the board.” In addition to Huk, senior Eleonore Agneessens (Brussels, Belgium) and junior Christa Doiron (Worcester, Mass.) added one
goal apiece. All five of the team’s goals were assisted in the outing, including a pair of helpers from freshman Anouk Lalande (Brussels, Belgium). Freshman goalkeeper Eva Berkhout (Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands), who earned her first career start, totaled four saves in the decision. The River Hawks outshot the Saints, 21-11, in the contest. The squad took control of the momentum early, jumping out to a 1-0 edge less than five minutes into play, as senior Annie Villare (Chelmsford, Mass.) carried the ball into the circle and dished a short pass to Huk for the shot on goal. UMass Lowell continued to keep the pressure on, adding two more goals in the next 15 minutes. Doiron put herself in a good position to successfully redirect a pass from classmate Kelly Man-
kowich (East Windsor, N.J.) past the Siena keeper before Agneessens cleaned up a loose ball in front of the cage during a corner opportunity, giving the visitors a 3-0 advantage at the break. Coming out of halftime, Siena retaliated with two quick goals to cut the deficit to just one at 3-2. The River Hawks regrouped and answered, however, when Lalande connected with Huk twice within six minutes, sealing the 5-2 outcome. With Friday’s performance, UMass Lowell improves to 2-0 all-time against Siena. The River Hawks return to action on Sunday, September 18 when they welcome Saint Louis to Wicked Blue Field for Team IMPACT Day beginning at 12 p.m.
U P C OM I N G
River Hawk Games Wednesday, Sept. 21 4 pm
MSOC at Bryant
Friday, Sept. 23
7 pm
FH vs. Hofstra,
Saturday. Sept. 24
7 pm
WVB vs. Hartford
Sunday, Sept. 25
1 pm
FH at Providence
Sunday, Sept. 25
4 pm
WSOC vs. UAlbany
Thursday, Sept. 29
7 pm
WSOC vs. Maine
For more sports information and full game schedules visit goriverhawks.com
River Hawks run strong at Coast to Coast UMass Lowell Athletics
BOSTON, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women’s cross country team sent a message Friday afternoon with a strong fifth place finish in a field of 13 teams at the Coast to Coast Battle in Beantown 5K, hosted by Boston College, in Franklin Park in Boston. “We did everything we hoped to do,” said UMass Lowell Head Coach Gary Gardner. “What we tried to accomplish was beat some ranked teams in the region and see where we stacked up.” And that is exactly what the River Hawks did. UMass Lowell, in earning the fifth place finish with 118 points (14, 16, 27, 30, 31 - 39, 53) finished ahead of conference rivals New Hampshire and Vermont, both of whom are regionally ranked and just six points behind the host school, Boston College. UMass Lowell was the top finisher among the five America East schools which took part in the meet, the largest early season event on the schedule. It was a terrific early season performance, but the coach is quick to put things in perspective. “There is still a long way to go,” said Gardner. “All the other teams are going to get better, so we have to keep getting better as well.” Emphasizing that cross country is a team event, the River Hawks five scoring runners all finished within 26-seconds of one another. The lone senior Jaclyn Solimine (Haverhill, Mass.) led the way. She finished 14th with a time of 17-minutes and 55-seconds. Sophomore Nicole Murphy (Mendon, Mass.) was right on her heels. Murphy took 16th place with a time of 17:57. The next trio of UMass Lowell runners came in with in four seconds of one another. Juniors Marissa Richards (Lowell, Mass.), Alli Wood (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Kathryn Loughnane (North Attleboro, Mass.) clocked in at 18:17, 18:20 and 18:21. Those times were good enough for 27th, 30th and 31st position in a field of 116 competitors. “They all ran great, they all ran tough,” said Gardner of the women’s team. “You could tell they were working with each other; it was a great result. This is, by far, the best women’s team that we’ve ever had here. There isn’t even a close second.” That said, the season is only a month old. There is a long way to go. This team cannot rest on its early season accomplishments. “If you’re a competitive team and a competitive athlete, you always want more,” said Gardner.