Massachusetts Daily Collegian: Sept. 30, 2013

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AMHERST BASED BAND

VICTORY AT LAST

Color photos inside

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SHAKUSKY RELEASES NEW ALBUM PAGE 4

THE MASSACHUSETTS

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DAILY COLLEGIAN

Monday, September 30, 2013

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Tibetan monks come to UMass UMass cancels two more Oct. EDM concerts Students can get refunds for tickets By Conor Snell Collegian Staff

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

On Friday, the monks dismantled the mandala they created as the onlooking crowd watched and took pictures.

Over 3 days, 700 people came to visit B y C onor Snell Collegian Staff

For three days, 10 Tibetan Buddhist monks visiting the University of Massachusetts from the Drepung Loseling Monastery in Karnataka State in South India painstakingly created a sand mandala, an artistic display made from millions of grains of brightly colored sand, only to destroy it shortly after its completion. A mandala, according to the monks, is meant to represent the impermanence of the natural world. It requires hours of precise construction and intense focus, but exists for only a short time before it is swept up and emptied into the nearest moving body of water so that its positive energy might spread through the water and be

carried around the world. The mandala was begun on Wednesday morning, and from that time it was open to the public for viewing for around five hours each day. It was completed around 4 p.m. Friday, at which time it was consecrated and then destroyed. Half of its sand was distributed to the community while the other half was emptied into the campus pond. According to a press release, the mandala constructed on the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall stage depicted the heavenly home of Buddha Akshobhya, the Unshakeable Victor for conflict resolution and peace. Before beginning the construction, the monks engaged in a ritual cleansing ceremony, in which traditional mantras and prayers are repeated. The monks “asked the invisible spirits if the area was a proper one for mandala construction” through ritual Tibetan throat

singing, as well as playing songs on traditional Tibetan instruments, such as drums and long horns. The monks were welcomed by Chancellor Subbaswamy and his wife Mala in an opening ceremony on Wednesday morning. The chancellor, as well as the Director of the Asian Arts and Culture Program Ranjanaa Devi, were given khatas, ceremonial Tibetan scarves, as a sign of gratitude. Subbaswamy, who hails from Karnatka State himself, thanked the monks for coming to perform their art at UMass. “This type of performance gives us a window into a world culture that we do not see on a regular basis,” said Subbaswamy at the opening ceremony. “In a time when human gatherings are becoming less and less frequent, this brings a message of peace and harmony that comes with Buddhist belief.” Leading the monks was

Rinpoche Chung Tulku, who in 1977 was recognized by his Holiness the Dalai Lama as the 14th reincarnation in the lineage of Gungbar Chungstang Rinpoche, a highly respected lama and spiritual teacher. He has been with the Drepung monastery since age 10. “We did not come to spread our religion to the people here,” said Tulku, speaking through the monks’ translator, Mr. Lobsang Norbu. “We have come to promote peace and harmony among individuals. This can be done in two ways: by promoting kindness and compassion toward every living being and by establishing a basic foundation of respect for others in every person.” On Friday, the monks completed their construction, and welcomed visitors to view the finished product. Senator Stan see

MONKS on page 2

The University of Massachusetts cancelled two more upcoming electronic dance music concerts at the Mullins Center on Thursday, bringing the number of concerts cancelled due to drug concerns up to three. The cancellations of Above & Beyond, slated for Oct. 4 and Pretty Lights, set for Oct. 30, came just five days after Return to Fantazia was scheduled to perform before its cancellation earlier this month. These are the last of the scheduled EDM concerts at the Mullins Center for this year. The cancellations come after a dangerous and potent form of the drug MDMA, nicknamed Molly, has been connected to several recent overdoses in the Northeast. Enku Gelaye, interim vice chancellor for student affairs and campus life, said in an email to UMass students that “the factors that led to cancellation of the Sept. 21 concert have not positively shifted. In fact, we have grown even more concerned about ongoing reports of overdoses at such events.” “The Molly-taking culture at these shows is real and now exceedingly dangerous to the health and safety of concert attendees,” she said. Student Government Association President Zachary Broughton held discussions with campus officials regarding the concerts, and co-signed Gelaye’s email informing students of the cancellations. However, in a Facebook post on Sept. 27, Broughton clari-

fied that he “did not, and [does] not support the cancellation of these events.” “[We] did not think it was the place of the University to dictate the behavior of students. Rather, it is the responsibility of the University to educate students so that they can make better, informed decisions,” wrote Broughton in the post. He goes on to stress his belief that the cancellations punish those who do not use Molly, assume that all who attend these EDM events participate in drug culture, ignore problems with other drugs and do not allow students to make their own choices. Broughton said he agreed to co-sign the email to let students know that SGA representatives had been involved in the discussion process, but that the SGA’s goal of preventing the cancellation had ultimately failed. Molly has been linked to seven deaths in Boston and New York, according to the Greenfield Recorder. Reports of these overdoses have recently prompted a string of concert cancellations throughout the region. Electric Zoo, a multiday EDM festival held on Randalls Island, N.Y. over Labor Day weekend was cancelled on its final day after two concertgoers overdosed and died, according to the New York Times. According to drugabuse. gov, MDMA can cause feelings of empathy, extreme closeness with others and sexual arousal by increasing the activity of the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. However, it can also cause feelings of nausea and dehydration, increase heart rate and blood pressure and lead to a “sharp increase see

CONCERTS on page 2

UMass sees an increase Government shutdown in student enrollment looms over United States By Katrina BorofSKi Collegian Correspondent

With a projected undergraduate enrollment of nearly 72,000 students spread across four campuses, it seems almost impossible for the University of Massachusetts to expand. Yet this fall, enrollment at the University is predicted to reach a record high. The 72,000 students attending UMass Amherst, Lowell, Dartmouth or Boston represent a two percent increase in enrollment since the last academic year, according to President Robert Caret in an article from the Associated Press. This year’s incoming freshman class brought in 4,600 students alone. In addi-

tion to the enrollment rate, the application rate between the four campuses has likewise increased. According to Caret, a five percent increase in the number of applicants took place over the course of the past year. This increase in student enrollment also correlates to the increase in academic performance among the school population, according to Daniel Fitzgibbons of the news and media relations office. “When we get more applications, it reflects the greater demand of respected students,” he said. In the incoming freshman class, SAT scores increased 11 points, and the average high school grade point aver-

age increased from 3.66 to 3.73 in the past year, according to Fitzgibbons. He added that these impressive increases represent a “historic high.” Although it may seem that the substantial increase in population could be a source of potential danger in the future years, Fitzgibbons says this is not the case. “We have to accept more places than we have room for,” he said “Because you always have to factor in that although there are many students accepted, but not all will go here.” Katrina Borofski can be reached at kborofski@umass.edu.

An explanation of what it all means B y PatriCK H off Collegian Staff

As Congress continues to argue over the budget, the possibility of a partial government shutdown looms over the nation. The 2013 fiscal year ends at midnight on Monday, and if a budget cannot be agreed upon and signed by President Obama by then, some programs will end on Tuesday and cannot resume until a budget is agreed upon. Question: Will the entire government grind

to a halt on Tuesday? Answer: Not quite. All but “essential” services will stop functioning. Programs that are funded automatically each year, such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, will escape major cuts. But agencies that require Congressional appropriations every year, from the Pentagon to the National Park Service, will suffer from the partial government shutdown. Federal agencies have been working over the past couple weeks to determine which functions are “essential” and which may be cut if a government shutdown occurs.

“Essential” functions primarily include roles that protect public safety, critical foreign relations and protecting property. Employees who perform these functions will continue to get paid, such as the military, police and firefighters.What closes and what stays open is officially decided by the Office of Management and Budget, so it remains unclear exactly what will continue to function. USA Today predicts that 41 percent of non-defense employees will be furloughed, or stop getting paid. see

SHUTDOWN on page 2


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