Massachusetts Daily Collegian: Feb. 10, 2014

Sun Kil Moon’s ‘Benji’ delivers

UMass snaps its road losing streak PAGE 8

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Monday, February 10, 2014

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Massachusetts rep. speaks on student debt Mark discusses college financials

By Michael Turner Collegian Correspondent Representative Paul Mark met with thought leaders and student representatives from the University of Massachusetts Amherst community this past Friday to discuss student debt.

A passionate advocate for Massachusetts college students, Representative Mark made it clear that student debt debate needed to be reframed as a lifetime burden. “College education needs to be looked at as part of a lifelong process,” said Mark. Thus began the discussion to liberate Massachusetts students from this financial drudgery.

High college debt strangles graduating college student prospects in terms of future employment, opportunities and entering independent adulthood, according to Mark, who came to the University to reach out and find alternative solutions to the student debt crisis.

One of the highlights of the discussion was a presentation by Anastasia Wilson, a University of Massachusetts Amherst economics graduate student, whose findings quantified the relationship between state investment in higher education and a measurable decrease in tuition.

Her research indicated that every dollar in increased appropriations per student results in a $.30 decline in

tuition per student; a relationship that had not been quantified before.

The chief culprits of high student debt were also revealed during her presentation. Wilson observed that predatory mid-tier private universities are the foremost drivers of high debt for instate Massachusetts college students. These schools concentrate scholarships and financial aid during freshmen year then pull a bait and switch. Remaining years are much more costly, indebting these students beyond any reasonable level.

Wilson’s presentation also noted a class discrepancy between student debt in “elite” universities, such as Harvard, Boston College and Tufts, and public institutions. These “elite” schools, with low state enrollment often below 20 percent, have near-zero default rates.

Meanwhile, schools with a majority of in-state students, both in public and private colleges, have graduated populations with around 10 percent default rates.

These students are also expected to make considerably less than their “elite” counterparts despite amassing significantly higher debt.

These finds were particularly troubling as evidence was also submitted strongly indicating that high-debt graduates earn significantly less over a lifetime. High student debt decreases consumption and eliminates the possibility of graduates taking out other loans and see

STUDENT DEBT on page 2

JUSTIN SURGENT/COLLEGIAN

Students collaborate during Shakespeare Trivia Night hosted at the Renaissance Center.

A, B or C? ThAT is The quesTion Renaissance Center holds trivia night for students to compete over Shakespeare

By KaTe leddy Collegian Staff

On Thursday evening, the University of Massachusetts Renaissance Center took a trip back to the 16th century for Shakespeare Trivia Pub Night. Five teams gathered in the fire-lit Reading Room to compete through seven themed rounds of trivia read by UMass senior Daniel Kadish and local theatre director Dori Robinson.

Chips, peanuts, cookies and other snacks were served along with various beverages and tea in the center’s own

teacups.

The emcees requested that participants come up with team names. The five teams were “Team Scalywag,” “Slan Clan,” “The Tudors,” “Eliza Preston” and “Bard Goes Hard.”

The first round of trivia was titled “baby names a la Shakespeare,” which asked the names of Shakespearian characters based on the personality of a theoretical child.

“If you name your princess this,” read Kadish, “she might think she’s a little king.” For each round, teams received

a sheet with ten blanks corresponding to the questions.

Those who knew the correct answer fervently jotted down “Regan” on their papers.

“Make up anything if you don’t know the answer,” announced Kadish, successfully encouraging some humorous responses from the teams.

Robinson laughed and joked throughout the night, frequently high-fiving the participants and making comments on the trivia questions with Kadish.

“We disagree on this one so

there may be two answers,” said Robinson about a multiple-choice question regarding Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Arthur Kinney, the director of the Renaissance Center, watched the event and supplied his own answers at times to clear up various wonderings that arose about the Bard.

“It’s my job,” said Kinney simply when complimented on his knowledge.

A ten-minute break was taken halfway through the see

SHAKESPEARE on page 2

Grad student creates 9/11 memorial Olympic threat Campus installation for master’s thesis

By PaTricK hoff Collegian Staff

Although Sept. 11 happened over 12 years ago, the effects of the terrorist attacks can still be felt around the country and around the world.

UMass PhD student in regional planning Soroush Farzinmoghadam designed an installation, currently in the lower level of the Campus Center, to memorialize the tragedy and all who died. Farzinmoghadam is also studying for his masters in architecture, with the UMass 9/11 Intervention is his master thesis project.

Farzinmoghadam is an immigrant from Iran and he was in his first year of college when 9/11 occurred.

“One thing that was very shocking, surprising for me was the different reaction that I got in my community,” he said. “Some people were shocked and they went over and turned on a candle in some major square in Iran. But others … One

was my classmate, (and) he said he was happy. It’s kind of odd. For me, I couldn’t accept it.”

As time passed after the attack, Farzinmoghadam realized that the attack had many consequences on the world, and “started feeling like that wasn’t just a moment … there are many consequences.”

“I tried to just show that it did not just affect one community – I think that it’s something that affected all the communities,” Farzinmoghadam added.

“It’s a small effort, a very small effort, but I tried to bring two sides together somehow to talk because … the consequence affected all of us and the people on the other side (are) affected (just the same as in) the U.S. It’s created more hate between two sides and I think that some type of these artistic … works could actually break the ice between those two sides and help to (facilitate) communication and talk.”

The installation encompasses two different elements: the structure of the frame and the fiber optic cables hanging from it. The

frame, comprised of seven columns, has dimensions that signify the date of the terrorist attack. The seven columns also represent the four planes and three buildings that were attacked on 9/11.

The fiber optic cables represent the 3,000 victims in the attack.

“Soroush’s biggest concern was having everybody, every individual represented, every single human being because we are dealing with human beings.

Every single human being is something that’s unreplaceable, the loss is something great,” Mostafavi said.

He added, “We’re not just dealing with a simple explosion or something. We’re dealing with people who are facing tables with an empty place at the dinner table or something. They’re big losses, so it has to be effective. …

They’re intertwined and … their paths sometimes cross and sometimes they don’t as a sign that people from different places and different ages, their paths sometimes cross during their lives and sometimes they don’t.”

The original intent was to have the installation pre-

pared for last September, but due to finances and the time it took to obtain permits, it became impossible. The permits were very time-consuming, Farzinmoghadam said, because of the strict safety regulations in Massachusetts. With the help of many people, the project overcame the obstacles.

The project also had to be modified from its original idea. Originally, the installation was a linear exhibit to show the effects before and after 9/11 but the budget did not allow for that and it had to be slimmed to its current design.

“I think this process somehow helped the progress of this thing,” Farzinmoghadam said.

“When I started thinking about this, there wasn’t that much detail, (but) this whole process helped us make that.”

In order to complete the project, Farzinmoghadam received help from many people, including his friend Nariman Mostafavi, a PhD student in construction and technology. see

MEMORIAL on page 3

details withheld

By Brian BenneTT Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence officials are frustrated that the Russian government is withholding information about threats to Olympic venues coming from inside Russia, several lawmakers said on talk shows Sunday.

“We aren’t getting the kind of cooperation that we’d like from the Russians in terms of their internal threats,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday.”

“It means that we’re less effective in protecting our people, and that’s a frustration,” Schiff said.

More than 70,000 Russian security officers have been deployed to protect the Olympic venues in Sochi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin describes the layers of security around Sochi as the “ring of steel.”

The United States has set up a command center in

Sochi with about 150 security personnel from the FBI, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

The American ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, said the U.S. is “quite satisfied” with the cooperation coming from Russian security officials.

“We always want to know more and if you work in the intelligence business you always want more information from any interlocutor, from any partner country,” McFaul said.

“That said, we do not have an interest in embarrassing the Russians. We have exactly the same interests with them when it comes to the security of everyone here in Sochi,” he said, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Last week, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration banned passengers flying from the U.S. to Russia from bringing liquids in their carry-on bagsee

OLYMPICS on page 2

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Monday, February 10, 2014

THE RUNDOWN ON THIS DAY...

In 1996, the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue beats Garry Kasparov in chess for the first time.

Kasparov accused IBM of cheating, but the company denied the allegations.

AROUND THE WORLD

Gunman kills 2 in Russian cathedral MOSCOW — A gunman opened fire on worshipers at a Russian Orthodox cathedral on Sakhalin Island off Russia’s Pacific coast, killing a nun and a parishioner.

The gunman’s motives were unknown, and investigators at the scene said the suspect, who was in custody, would be subjected to a mental health evaluation, Rossiya-24 television said in its report from YuzhnoSakhalinsk, the island republic’s capital.

Sakhalin Island is more than 4,000 miles from the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where Russia is hosting the Winter Olympic Games amid intense security fears. Sochi is just west of the restive Caucasus Mountains region where Islamic separatists have been fighting Russian repression of their religion and culture and have vowed to disrupt the prestigious sporting event to embarrass the Kremlin.

The attack at YuzhnoSakhalinsk’s Cathedral of the Resurrection appeared unrelated to the Caucasus militants’ threats, but a statement from the Russian Investigative Committee said the suspect’s motives were still unknown.

The 24-year-old man was employed as an armed security guard at the church, RIA Novosti reported.

Investigation of a Friday night hijacking attempt aboard a Turkish airliner flying from Kharkov, Ukraine, to Istanbul also appeared to be unrelated to the Olympics even though the suspect demanded to be flown to Sochi. The perpetrator was said by Turkish authorities to be motivated by the recent strife between Ukrainians over whether to forge closer ties with the European Union or continue the debt-ridden nation’s traditional economic integration with Russia.

News of the cathedral shooting drew extensive coverage in the atmosphere of intense vigilance that prevails across Russia during the Olympics that run through Feb. 23.

The nun, Lyudmila Pryashnikova, and an unidentified male parishioner were killed when they attempted to subdue the gunman after he began firing at random at icons and at worshipers who were leaving a just-concluded service, Russia Today reported. Six others were injured. Stunned worshipers told journalists that the attack unleashed panic inside the church.

“The wounded have been taken to a hospital. Their wounds are to the legs. Their lives are not in danger,” Sakhalin Archbishop Tikhon told Russian television reporters outside the gates of the white-and-blue cathedral with gilded onion domes and belltower.

In Moscow, the head of the Orthodox Church said the victims would be honored for their attempts to protect the church and its followers.

“They tried to prevent that person from defiling our sacred place. They died as heroes, as soldiers on the front line,” Patriarch Kirill said in a statement carried by Rossiya-24 television.

Los Angeles Times

OLYMPICS gage. The alert was based on intelligence that terrorists might try to smuggle explosives onto airplanes inside toothpaste tubes.

Some of that information came from Russian officials, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

But King, who sits on both the House Intelligence and Homeland Security committees, said the Russians aren’t cooperating to the same extent as the Chinese, British and Greeks did during previous Olympic games.

“They are still reluctant to give intelligence that they feel would allow us to determine their sources and methods, and also there’s still a certain

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

SHAKESPEARE game during which participants were invited to take more refreshments as Robinson handed out a sheet titled “Batman or Shakespeare?”

The sheet contained a number of quotes and participants had to circle whether it was a line from one of Shakespeare’s plays or a quote from the fictional Batman universe.

After a break the emcees reviewed the answers and continued on to the next rounds, which included “Who What When Where Will” (in which participants answered historical questions about Shakespeare) and “Rap Lyrics or Shakespeare Line?”

At the end of the evening all the sheets were collected and scores were tallied while team members joked and conversed with one another about how they did. Some participants had experience in the theatre and English departments, while others commented that they had just enjoyed the guessing

STUDENT DEBT

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amount of pride, I believe, that they feel they can handle a lot of this on their own,” King said.

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday” that the Russians, so far, have been cooperative when it comes to sharing information about potential terrorist operations planned outside of Russia.

“When it comes to internal operations, I think less so. That’s where we’d like to work more closely with them,” McCaul said.

Along with the possibility of bombs being planted on aircraft flying into Sochi International Airport, another major

threat comes from suicide bombers at train and bus terminals around the region, McCaul said.

McCaul toured the security installations in Sochi last month and said the Olympic Village in Sochi appeared to be well fortified. But McCaul said he thinks there is a “high degree of probability” that a bomb will detonate in the surrounding region, where Russia has been fighting an Islamist separatist movement in Chechnya, Dagestan and elsewhere.

“I hope I’m wrong in this assessment, but you’re talking about an area of the world where suicide bombers go off all the time,” McCaul said.

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game.

When the results were in, Robinson reconvened the group to announce the winner: team Eliza Preston with 102.5 points. The team members were Elizabeth Drellich and Preston Thompson.

Drellich attributed the majority of the team’s success to Thompson, a sophomore with experience in performing arts.

“He’s brilliant,” said Drellich.

The two winners received calendars and their choice of one prize from the “goody basket.” All other participants also received something of their choosing from the basket, which contained magnetic bookmarks, stickers, pens and notepads.

Robinson congratulated everyone and thanked them for their participation, voicing her happiness over the success of the Center’s first trivia night.

“My friends and I participate in a lot of these trivia nights,” said Robinson, “so

I figured it would be fun to have one of our own.”

Robinson had recently directed Kadish, a theatre major at UMass, in “The Merchant of Venice” last spring. “I gathered some friends to see who wanted to geek it out and put together this trivia night,” she said, gesturing to Kadish and Alison Kiraly, the program director at the Renaissance Center.

Kinney and Kiraly also voiced their hopes that the success of the center’s trivia night would help spark more interest in the Renaissance Center among UMass Students. They encourage everyone to like the center’s Facebook page and attend more of the center’s events such as Shakespeare performance workshops with Robinson. More of these events can be found on the center’s website as well.

Kate Leddy can be reached at kleddy@umass.edu.

Dog seized by Taliban is well

By ShaShank Bengali and haShmat BaktaSh Los Angeles Times

KABUL — A military dog captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan two months ago is in good health and being fed a diet of kebabs, his captors say.

The fate of the dog became the subject of widespread speculation after the Taliban posted an Internet video this week showing a chocolate-colored Belgian Malinois, wearing a military-style black vest, surrounded by bearded militants in an undisclosed area of Afghanistan. The video was first identified Wednesday by the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks militant web sites.

The Taliban claimed in a statement that the dog was seized in a firefight with inter-

national troops in eastern Laghman province on Dec. 23.

It said the dog belonged to U.S. forces.

But British media reported that the dog belonged to British special forces. Like the U.S. military, British forces use the Belgian Malinois breed on the battlefield because of its agility and relatively light weight, often deploying the dogs to sniff for explosives.

A Belgian Malinois named Cairo became a minor celebrity in 2011 when U.S. officials disclosed that it had been part of the Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden in a covert raid in Pakistan.

Lt. Col. Laurie Arellano, a spokeswoman for the U.S.led coalition in Afghanistan known as the International Security Assistance Force, said, “We can confirm that

DailyCollegian.com

a military working dog went missing following an ISAF mission in December 2013.”

She declined to specify which country the dog was from.

Coalition officials could not name another case of a canine taken prisoner during the 13-year war in Afghanistan.

President Hamid Karzai has chafed at international troops’ use of dogs because Afghans, like many other Muslims, regard the animal as unclean.

The Taliban statement said the dog was captured during a battle in Laghman’s Alingar district “and was outfitted with various electronic devices.”

Speaking to Britain’s Telegraph newspaper, a Taliban spokesman said Friday that the dog was being fed chicken and beef kebabs.

mortgages. This prevents young adults from buying cars and houses. Their lives are financially frozen until the debt is paid.

Radical ideas were discussed to alleviate the end of the student debt crisis. Leading the discussion was Public High Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM), a network of thought leaders fighting for affordable, accessible and well-funded public higher education in Massachusetts.

Representatives from Center for Education Policy Advocacy (CEPA) and the Student Government Association offered significant input from the student perspective. A chorus of students and related persons contributed to the discussion as well.

Revisions of the 50-50 plan envisioned alternatives where students are responsible for paying only their third and fourth years of college, with the state paying for

MEMORIAL Since both Mostafavi and Farzinmoghadam are PhD students, they spent a lot time in the same office and were able to quickly tweak ideas on the fly.

The design process began in September 2012, starting with the idea that Farzinmoghadam wanted his project to be an installation on campus. After thinking about the subject of his project, he settled on 9/11, and began the process of review with faculty members.

Mostafavi praised Farzinmoghadam on his persistence to complete the project.

“There are too many master theses for architectural students that don’t actually get built but this guy wanted to do it and did it,” Mostafavi said.

In addition to a Kickstarter campaign to raise money and a variety of financial supporters, Farzinmoghadam had to put money from his own pocket into the project to complete it.

“He was determined, so he did it,” Mostafavi added.

One of the biggest concerns was how to represent the tragedy without crossing any lines or being too explicit.

“There were people who had this incident actually had something to do with their lives,” Mostafavi said.

“You couldn’t be very solid or too flagrantly show what had happened so we couldn’t become a very unsettling experience for some people who actually had been affected by this. We had to make things as abstract as possible.

“Also … one of our concerns was that maybe people don’t want to see such a thing. Like when you’re going to work, for example, and actually that was a concern of some people, that ‘I don’t want to see something sad or something that reminds me of something sad that belongs in the past and I’m maybe kind of trying to forget and I don’t want to be reminded of such a thing.’ So that was also an issue, how to reduce that

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the first two years, making most community college programs free. Additionally, this alternative would protect college dropouts from fruitless debt.

Ideas of social transfers between the “elite” universities and the public colleges were floated. A one percent tax was proposed on university endowments over a billion dollars to lower costs for public school students.

This plan would allow public education to be free in Massachusetts, both at community colleges and four year universities.

Representative Paul Mark promised to make bold recommendations with each new session, inching forward with every cycle. He encouraged concerned students to email him at paul.mark@ mahouse.gov if alleviating student debt was important to them.

Michael Turner can be reached at mgturner@umass.edu.

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impact for somebody who might see this.”

Mostafavi said that at one point, the project was on hold and almost didn’t get completed until one of their friends revealed that her uncle had been one of the pilots and she was willing to help them with the piece.

Mostafavi said that her willingness to help was “big motivation for us to really kick off and think about a way to do it.”

Farzinmoghadam and Mostafavi had help from many sources, but in particular the duo was particularly thankful for faculty member Daniel Pepin, who helped them with his knowledge of woodworking and the use of his wood shop, and Kathleen Lugosch, a faculty member who aided Farzinmoghadam.

She helped a lot with the process, Farzinmoghadam said, and was open to many new ideas.

“She lets you try and if you couldn’t do it, she says ‘oh, you couldn’t’ but she never stops you at the beginning,” he said.

After the installation is removed from the Campus Center at the end of February, it may be moved to a location where Farzinmoghadam has better control over the lights, but the two of them were unsure of an exact location.

They don’t want to put it in a gallery, he said, because it relates to daily life and Farzinmoghadam wanted to make sure that it is visible in people’s lives and make sure people realize what the installation says.

“This is here to say we are all human beings, we all have feelings, we all get sad for the same things, we all get happy for the same reasons a lot of times,” he said.

“The similarity between us … deserves a lot more attention. We were just trying to address that, to fill in the gap that sometimes we forget that we go through the same pains and we all have to struggle to make the world a better place for the whole human race.”

Patrick Hoff can be reached at pphoff@umass.edu.

SHAINA MISHKIN/COLLEGIAN

The installation is located at the lower level of the Campus Center.

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Corporate backing helps Disease kills starfish Obamacare go mainstream along the West Coast WASHINGTON — Fans of the Jet City Rollergirls are hearing public announcements about Obamacare when they come to the roller derby track north of Seattle.

Univision, the nation’s largest Spanish-language television network, is airing half-hour specials about healthy living and educating viewers about how to sign up for coverage under President Barack Obama’s health law.

And tax preparers at thousands of Jackson Hewitt and H&R Block offices are talking to their customers about how to enroll in the new insurance plans sold through the law’s online marketplaces.

Although many companies remain wary of associating with the health law while it remains a political lightning rod, the Affordable Care Act is increasingly entering the mainstream as major corporations, sports teams and others integrate it into their business.

The development- littlenoticed amid the political skirmishing in Washingtonmay not erase widespread skepticism about the law, which has deepened in recent months, polls show. But as the law becomes embedded in American life, the Republican drive to dismantle Obamacare will almost certainly become more complicated.

“Once the legislation became the law of the land, we feel it became a reasonable decision to educate our fans as to how it impacts their lives,” said Brad Ruiter, a spokesman for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The NBA franchise is running ads at home games paid for by the state’s insurance marketplace.

The MNsure ads at the Target Center in Minneapoliswhich also run at the Minnesota Wild’s hockey games at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul- are the kind of promotional campaign that many of the law’s critics had hoped to prevent.

Many Republican state officials have tried since the law was enacted in 2010 to block its implementation- rejecting federal aid to expand health coverage, restricting local groups that help people sign up, even refusing in some cases to regulate insurance plans. Conservative groups have urged Americans not to sign up for coverage. And GOP politicians have actively discouraged companies and other organizations from assisting the rollout.

When Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said last summer that the administration was talking with the National Football

League about promoting the benefits of health insurance, Senate GOP leaders fired off a sharply worded letter to six of the nation’s leading sports leagues. They warned that such efforts would risk “damaging its inclusive and apolitical brand.”

An NFL spokesman responded that the league had no plans to work with the administration.

State insurance marketplaces created by the law allow Americans who do not get health benefits through work to shop online for health plans that meet new basic standards for coverage.

The success of these marketplaces, a central pillar of the law, hinges on whether millions of healthy people enroll this year and help offset the cost of the sickest customers. The Obama administration and its allies have been scrambling to get consumers signed up since the marketplaces opened in October.

In many places, the effort is heavily dependent on community groups and advocates who work with uninsured populations as well as on hospitals, health insurers and others whose bottom lines will be directly affected.

But across the country, the health law is getting aid from some less obvious sources.

State leaders running their own marketplaces have actively sought partnerships with sports teams and other businesses whose customers may be more likely to need health insurance.

“From the outset, we were looking at really innovative partners ... because we knew that if we wanted to reach young people, this couldn’t look like a traditional government program,” said Michael Marchand, who heads the marketing effort for the Washington state insurance marketplace.

Among the state’s partners is Live Nation Entertainment, the giant Los Angeles-based concert promoter that produces the Sasquatch! Music Festival, a multiday event that sold 110,000 tickets last year. In addition to advertising the marketplace, Live Nation is hosting a sweepstakes on Facebook featuring festival tickets.

In Denver, Colorado’s online marketplace reached out to the National Western Stock Show, which hosted a table where marketplace representatives handed out information on health insurance to cattle ranchers and others.

Some major corporations such as Jackson Hewitt see sound business reasons to educate their customers.

They are also giving a poten-

tial lift to the health law.

At about 6,500 tax offices across the country, including in Wal-Mart and Sears stores, Jackson Hewitt is advertising the importance of getting health coverage on bright yellow signs that urge taxpayers to learn about their options.

The company’s tax preparers ask every customer if he or she has coverage.

Customers who are uninsured are referred to newly trained health insurance specialists who use a Jackson Hewitt software program to determine if they are eligible under the law for free Medicaid coverage or subsidized private coverage.

The program automatically generates a Medicaid application for those who qualify, which customers can mail in. (Next year, Jackson Hewitt hopes to be able to file the application electronically from the tax office.)

Customers leave with a sheet that summarizes their options under the law and reminds them in large print how much their fine could be if they don’t enroll.

Americans without health insurance this year may be assessed a tax penalty in 2015. The fines range from $95 for an individual to $1,800 or more for higher-income families. Fines will increase in subsequent years.

At Univision News, Stephen Keppel is overseeing a vast health care campaign that includes TV specials, health features that run during popular Saturday soccer broadcasts and community health events hosted by network anchors. The response has exceeded expectations, he said, with viewership for the health specials averaging about 550,000.

“We’ve always said that we have a pro-Hispanic perspective,” said Keppel, the network’s director of empowerment initiatives. “And this is something that our community needs to know about....

We have seen education as a responsibility. That has created a relationship with our audience.”

The Jet City Rollergirls also wanted to educate their fans when the roller derby league decided to help promote Washington’s insurance marketplace with informational tables, public address announcements and other advertising at their bouts, said Carolyn Sellar, one of the skaters.

“Many of our skaters hadn’t had health insurance,” said Sellar, 38, who goes by Willow Bliterate on the track.

“The ability to have affordable medicine and regular doctor visits ... for us,that seemed like a pretty amazing thing.”

By DeviN KeLLy Anchorage Daily News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — In the aquarium at the Anchorage Museum, starfish, silent and slow, cling to rocks and wait to be lifted out of the tank for petting.

These five-armed creatures hardly seem prone to ecological drama. But last fall, the museum’s starfish started showing signs of a disease that scientists say is killing starfish colonies up and down the West Coast.

Symptoms of sea star wasting syndrome, as it’s called, have been reported as unnatural twisting of the arms and white lesions on the surface of a starfish’s skin. A speedy death comes after a loss of arms and softening of tissue.

Along the West Coast, the population of starfish is estimated to be in the tens of millions. With limited data, scientists don’t know how many have succumbed to the disease, but it may be in the tens of thousands to the low millions, said Pete Raimondi, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the principal investigator on the Pacific Rocky Intertidal Monitoring Group.

Similar die-offs have occurred before, but an event of this magnitude has never been documented, scientists said. Its presence has been reported as far south as San Diego.

Raimondi said the symptoms appear to be highly present among starfish in captivity. That could be a sign that stress was manifested more quickly, he said.

In Alaska, evidence of sea star wasting was first observed last summer on Kayak Island, a remote island in the Gulf of Alaska, Raimondi said. His group was working with the Sitka Sound Science Center to conduct coastal biodiversity surveys.

On the island, a number of diseased sea stars were discovered, trumping an earlier theory that the illness was linked to warmer water, Raimondi said.

“It was the last place on earth where we would have expected to see it,” Raimondi said.

Researchers took pictures and left, and at that point, the illness started showing up all over the West Coast, he said.

Raimondi said the symptoms appear to be highly present among starfish in captivity. That could be a sign that stress was manifested more quickly, he said.

Raimondi also said that the term “wasting” applies to symptoms. These symptoms are actually seen all the time, he said, and are attributed to stress, such as a starfish drying out or getting sick.

“The difference here is that when you see it, it’s present in animals that

are where they should be, rather than washed up on a beach somewhere,” Raimondi said.

The science so far appears to indicate that species are affected differently depending on physical location. For sea star species in tide pool areas, the lesions or sores show up, followed by tissue decay, Raimondi said. Death might follow in a matter of weeks, or not at all.

But in underwater species with less physical structure in the environment, the results are catastrophic and quick, Raimondi said.

Decay happens in hours or a day, rather than weeks.

Raimondi said scientists are close to identifying the cause of sea star wasting syndrome. A pathogen appears to be the most likely culprit. Raimondi said, and there does not appear to be a link between the wasting and radiation leaked from Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, as some have speculated.

Yet, if a cause of the disease is identified, another uncertainty remains: how to stop it.

“Is it the type of thing that will heal itself over time?

That’s the real question,” he said.

BLACK WOMEN & THE ARTS

in the 21ST Century

Toni Morrison Sonia Sanchez & Bernice Johnson Reagon

Photo: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

By Noam N. Levey Tribune Washington Bureau

February 13 7 to 9 pm Mullins Center FREE - doors open at 6:15 pm presented by: W.E.B. Du Bois Dept. of Afro-American Studies

Center for Multicultur al Advancement and Student Success; the College of Humanities and Fine Ar ts; UPC Student Activities and I nv o l v e m e n t ; U M a s s B l a c k S t u d e n t U n i o n ; Re s i d e n t i a l L i f e ; B l a c k M a s s C o m m u n i c a t i o n Project; UMass Student Gover nment Association; UMass Histor y Depar tment

UMass.edu/afroam

Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

“I have learned that to be with those I like is enough. ” - Walt Whitman

Monday February 10, 2014

Editorial@DailyCollegian.com

I like Obamacare, and you should too Sean Recchi, a small busiThe national marketplace, ness owner in Lancaster, Ohio, also known as Healthcare.gov was forty two last year when and its state counterparts, is a he was diagnosed with Non- system where insurance companies can reach out to milReily Connaughton lions of new costumers, while the consumer can search for Hodgkin lymphoma. He and the plan that best fits them. his wife, Stephanie panicked Germany and Switzerland knowing that their $3,500 a have used similar means to month would not cover the lower the costs, improve the expenses that would come care, and reach out to cover with trying to treat his cancer. every one of their citizens.

And lastly, of course, to But another shock came soon after the tragic news that the address the skyrocketing costs family of four had endured. of the health care system, Their health insurance was Obamacare gives incentives only willing to pay $2,000 dol- for accountable care orgalars of the near $85,000 that the nizations, patient-centered MD Anderson Cancer Center medical homes, and hospitals was charging them in advance. to provide better, safer and The family was forced to max more efficient care while creout their credit card and bor- ating value-based purchasing row money from family mem- in Medicare, an excise tax on health plans that bers. When Mr. would mimic Recchi needed something like his coverMr. Recchi’s age the most, plan, and bethis insurance ter information betrayed him. about treatment Why? Because effectiveness to even though the help everyone Recchi’s paid make informed a burdensome $469 a month for what they decisions. And also invoking thought was top notch health the individual and employer insurance, Mr. Recchi’s cancer mandates that will save enrollwas seen as a pre-existing con- ees over a thousand dollars per year. dition. Enter Obamacare.

The individual mandate has After Stephanie searched the Ohio marketplace, a perk received criticism for being too of the Affordable Care Act harsh on those who cannot where individual states can afford to purchase a suitable promote and personalize to plan. However, the Medicaid directly help their residents, expansion would have solved she found a plan that would the issue people that are too not only cover her husband’s poor for a plan would receive cancer-treatment but would Medicaid and those who are reduce her monthly payment stuck in the grey between povto a mere $17. Better coverage erty and middle class-status for a fraction of a fraction of would benefit from the subsidy that would lower the price. But the cost. in 2012, the Supreme Court I’m not writing today ruled that the expansion must to rebut Mr. Herlitz and his first be accepted by the states article entitled “Nobody likes to be implemented. So, for Obamacare.” I too believe that political reasons, many strughealth policy in the United gling Americans, in states States is stuck in the mud and like Texas and Florida, will that the sheer enormity of the be stuck in between with no problem seems to belittle every way to become covered. The other issue. But after a storm Recchis, for instance, would of hyperbolic misinformation have been kicked to the curb. following the open enrollment Here in Massachusetts period in October, the real we’ve been able to cover the pieces of the law should be majority of our citizens by known and promoted. enacting a law very similar To be clear, the law is not to Obamacare far before 2010. a panacea to every problem And the Bay State also puts to in a system so massive that rest many of the claims made it dwarfs the entire GDP of by the opponents of health France. The reforms that Mr. reform. Will the law cause Herlitz laid out (e.g., Medicare business to cut back? No. In reimbursements, erasing state our state there was no appreborders, etc.) are important, ciable impact of job growth, along with expanding the percentage of part time, or tax credit beyond its current dropping coverage. Are the low eligibility. But it is equal- slow enrollment numbers ly important to address the signs that it is an imminent issues that the ACA fixes. failure? No. Here we had 123 Split into three major parts, people sign up in the first the law provides a patients’ bill month but 36,167 by the deadof rights, quality healthcare line. We’re proof that this law to millions who couldn’t get it works, along with states like before and looks to curb the Kentucky and California who extremely dangerous rise in have fully implemented and healthcare costs. worked out the kinks in the Under the patient protec- law. tion piece of the law, more Obamacare may be bad than 3 million young adults politics (although it shouldn’t under 26 have been covered via be), but it is good policy. Not their parents plan and nearly 7 perfect, but once fully implemillion seniors pay less on pre- mented, a huge step in the scription drugs because of the right direction. closing of the donut hole just a fraction of those who have Reily Connaughton is a Collegian been protected since the pas- contributor and can be reached at rconnaughton@umass.edu. sage of the law.

“The real pieces of the law should be known and promoted.”

Apple-style capitalism not a panacea for the economy Apple Inc. is the largest publically traded corporation in the world, and its practices are widely scruti-

Zac Bears nized by its consumers and the media. It employs hundreds of thousands of people both directly and indirectly, yet fewer than 50,000 in the United States. It is the largest American corporation and used to tout the U.S. made products, yet employs few Americans and makes or buys almost every part of its products in foreign countries.

Concern with the company’s record goes straight to the top according to Jared Bernstein, former advisor to the Obama administration; “If it’s the pinnacle of capitalism, we should be worried.” Apple’s success is not a boon to the United States, but solely a boon to itself.

Apple functions within the “system of perfect liberty” described in Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations.” Smith’s theories on the division of labor and the wages of workers apply to debates about Apple and the location and use of labor the production of its products.

Apple’s operations exemplify the division of labor.

Smith defines division of labor using the example of the pin-maker where “one man draws the wire, a second straights it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it…” and so on and so forth. Modern industry magnifies this enterprise. The iPhone alone has hundreds of parts made in various nations around the world by thousands of people. Then, in one location, thousands of

“Many tout Apple as a shining example of the efficacy of American capitalism, but... (its policies) taint the idea that American capitalism is always good for America.” people perform simple tasks to assemble the phone.

Instead of a few men in one building performing different tasks, as Smith describes, modern production of a good can require thousands of people in hundreds of factories scattered across the world.

Smith surmised that the division of labor would mean “universal opulence extends itself to the lowest ranks of the people.”

Lai Xiaodong, a collegeeducated worker at the factory earned “a salary of around $22 a day.”

With the urbanization of almost half of China’s population, a working class akin to the U.S. circa 1900 is emerging. Workers live in dormitories and work long hours in dangerous conditions, but also create high-tech machinery that is fueling a technological and economic revolution.

External observers are concerned with Apple’s tacit validation of dangerous labor practices, including the conditions of assembly factories in China. Factory accidents have become increasingly common, and many factories have been forcing workers to work excess overtime and, in some cases, seven days a week. Most employees have to work six days a week, creating the supply that impels Apple’s choice of China as a manufacturing center.

Widespread use of mechanized manufacturing without government

will have more money to organize and campaign for rights and safety in the work environment. While Apple may be turning the other cheek, someday the working class will be strong enough to campaign for worker’s rights.

According to Martin Schmidt, associate provost at M.I.T., “(American companies) say the challenge in setting up U.S. plants is finding a technical work force.”

Hiring competent engineers take days in China when they would take months in the United States.

For example, Apple found 8,700 engineers in 15 days in China while it estimated that, in the U.S., the same process would take about nine months.

In the 1950s, General Motors, then the largest company in the U.S., employed over 400,000 American workers, growing the middle class. Apple indirectly and directly employs over 700,000 workers, but only 43,000 live and work here in the United States.

Apple’s perfection of Smith’s division of labor and use of the rules and institutions of capitalism to maximize profits exemplifies contemporary corporate decision-making. Many tout Apple as a shining example of the efficacy of American capitalism, but the continued ignorance of anti-labor practices, the shrinking of Apple’s U.S. workforce and the offshoring of engineering and research jobs taints the idea that American capitalism is always good for America.

safety regulation increases the opportunity for injuries and deaths. While Apple does not directly employ the workers, it does validate the practices of the companies with which it contracts.

While Smith advocated against any type of worker organization, he also realized that if there were organizations of the “masters” (corporations), then organizations of labor (unions) were inevitable. Labor organizes to represent workers in the transaction of labor. But Apple’s detachment from the situation has rendered them able to ignore labor interests. Li Mingqi, a manager at Foxconn Technology until April 2011, said “Apple never cared about anything other than increasing product quality and decreasing production cost.”

While the market dictates wages and prices, due to lack of worker representation, the price of labor (wages) does not internalize dangerous working conditions. In many instances, work conditions are unsafe due to lack of worker influence and organization.

Even with unsafe conditions, wages are high relative to historical trends, and, according to Smith, when demand for those who live by wages is continually increasing, wages will rise “considerably above (the subsistence) rate.”

Labor demand in China is Zac Bears is a Collegian columhigh, and wages are increas- nist. He can be reached at ibears@ ing with that demand, and, umass.edu and followed on Twitter @ as wages increase, labor ZBPolitics.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Sun Kil Moon drops powerful sixth album, ‘Benji’ Singer/songwriter on top of his game

By Jackson Maxwell Collegian Staff

You have to be in a certain mindset to digest singer/ songwriter Mark Kozelek’s sixth album as Sun Kil Moon, “Benji.” “Benji,” released on Feb. 4, is a record that deals with topics like unexpected death, and how its ripple is felt across the framework of people who may have barely known the person in question. It is also a record that anticipates death, and exposes in full detail the bare framework of family and friendship.

Kozelek explores the most intimate workings of the relationships that have defined his life, or the ones that have stuck with him the most. He gives the listener unprecedented access to the facts and to his memories. In terms of brutal honesty, it puts virtually all other contemporary music to shame. Sometimes, the honesty and the context don’t gel very well, but when they do, “Benji” is absolutely devastating.

The album’s opener, “Carissa,” masterfully lays the entire album on the line.

Over a gorgeous, pulsating acoustic riff, Kozelek speaks of the second cousin who gave the song its name, and her tragic fate. He talks about feeling concern for her when he saw her “fifteen, pregnant and running wild,” then failing to even recognize her at a family funeral years later.

Kozelek wakes up one morning to the news that Carissa had died in a freak accident involving an exploding aerosol can. Kozelek flies to Ohio “to get a look at those I’m connected by blood and see how

it all may have shaped me.”

As an opener, it is a stunning, gut-wrenching exploration of death, family and the relationship between the two.

Having set the stage for the strong theme of family that runs throughout “Benji,” Kozelek cuts even deeper on the album’s next two tracks.

“I Can’t Live Without My Mother” is fairly self-explanatory. But, sarcasm aside, it is a song that is honest in its feelings in a way that few other songwriters would even consider attempting. Kozelek discusses his mother’s advancing age, and what will happen to him when she is not there anymore. He tears himself down to nothing, forecasting himself as being unable to emotionally cope with her imminent mortality. The heaviness continues unabated on “Truck Driver.” Forecasted by a line in “Carissa” that describes the circumstances around her death as the “same as my uncle,” Kozelek tells of his uncle’s death on his birthday. Also, insanely enough (both stories are completely true), killed by an exploding aerosol can in the trash, it almost serves as a prequel to “Carissa.” The same themes run throughout this first trilogy of songs, and give them a staggering emotional weight.

The up-tempo “Dogs” gives the listener just a bit of humorous brevity. Over more urgent acoustic playing, Kozelek narrates, in entirely explicit detail that doesn’t leave the slightest thing to the imagination, the formative romances of his youth.

For once the no-holds-barred honesty is a bit lighthearted, even if the song itself is unremarkable. But the heaviness returns in full force with “Pray for Newtown.” Kozelek speaks of his reactions to famous massacres that have

KYLE MATTESON/FLICKR

Mark Kozelek, the singer/songwriter who records as Sun Kil Moon, performs live in 2008. occurred throughout his lifetime. He sings of how, after the initial shock of the incident wears off, these incidents usually fade quickly from the minds of the average person.

This is one instance where the heaviness gets a bit over the top. It makes the emotional weight of the album almost too much to bear and seems a bit unneeded.

The loving, tender “Jim Wise” doesn’t back off the pedal either. Speaking of a man who recently mercykilled his wife and unsuccessfully attempted suicide, it’s yet another emotional punch. Its melody though, is rewarding and beautiful enough to keep

ALBUM REVIEW

the listener trucking through.

Clocking in at over 10 minutes, “I Watched the Film the Song Remains the Same,” is the record’s show-stopper; a song that dwarfs all of the album’s other offerings.

Humorous, regretful, morose, tragic and contemplative, the song covers a million miles of emotion. Telling a very loose assemblage of different stories that have occurred during his life, Kozelek is utterly captivating as a narrator.

Over all of the various, alternating vignettes is the brisk acoustic finger-picking that is almost the song’s sole musical factor. It is a song that merges all of “Benji’s” innumerable emotional roads into

one, incredibly cohesive and extraordinary whole.

After that, the winding “Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes,” the sentimental “Micheline,” and the upbeat “Ben’s My Friend” almost do not matter. To their credit, all three are great in their own ways, but after “Song Remains the Same,” they feel mostly inconsequential. Kozelek had already said all he needed to say to make “Benji” a masterpiece.

“Benji” is not exactly dentists’ chair music. It is unrelenting in its emotional attack, making the listener contemplate and look inside of themselves as much as Kozelek himself is. But in its

ambition, honesty, and execution, it is a staggering achievement. It puts into words emotions everyone has felt or will feel in the future. It fearlessly tackles the most unimaginable situations everyone will eventually face, and does it within the beautiful musical framework of a dusty vision of America that continues to disappear. But, even if that America is disappearing, and these emotions are the ones no one ever wants to face, Kozelek is determined against all odds to bring them vividly to life. On “Benji,” he does so flawlessly.

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

ALBUM REVIEW

J. Cole’s record label debuts Broken Bells fail to deliver Dreamville releases on sub-par sophomore effort impressive mixtape By andrew kratochwil Collegian Correspondent

J. Cole’s Dreamville Records label is setting itself up to be a hip-hop powerhouse. Its first mixtape, “Revenge of the Dreamers,” was released on Jan. 28, and showcases a bastion of talent. The mixtape, although short in my opinion, gives the listener 11 tracks that showcase the talent and diversity that each Dreamville artist brings to the table.

To start off the mixtape, J. Cole starts by rapping a short but lyrical 50 second verse. Combined with a beat that wished it had been rapped on longer, “Lil’ N----z” is a song that hits hard and gets its message across in a remarkably short amount of time. The next couple of songs are by relatively unknown artists Bas and Omen. Although they are not yet household names, these two artists hold their own on the tape in

their own respective ways.

Bas sticks with his traditional style when it comes to the beat, using beautiful percussion and high-pitched synths to create a beat that is mystifying and encasing. He backs this up with a more fast-paced rapping style that compliments the beat quite well.

The next artist, Omen, uses a production style similar to Bas, but his rapping style is completely his own. Omen uses a slower rapping style to really get his rhymes across, painting a clear picture to the listener about what he is rapping about. Treasure Davis is another unknown artist and Dreamville signee. Her voice packs a punch and she is really able to hit high notes that leave a nice first impression on a listener.

The mixtape complements each artist and gives each individual room to shine in his or her own respective way. The compilation track titled “B-tchez” has all three rappers (Cole, Bas and Omen) spitting verses that really hit hard and show some friendly

competition with attitudes that say “I’m the best at what I do.”

Another great part about the tape (besides the fact that it is free) is that, with the exception of “Lit,” each track is completely new and has not yet been released to the public. This is awesome because it gives both newcomers and veteran listeners a chance to listen to some new material, and not be forced to listen to the redundancy of songs that have been overplayed on the radio.

Overall, the tape is a nice surprise and a solid listen.

J. Cole does what he does best as a lyrical genius, and his Dreamville Record signees do a nice job of not being outshone, holding their own throughout the tape. I’m excited to see what will happen with this group of artists in the oncoming months, but for the moment I will be happily bumping “Revenge of the Dreamers” on my way to class.

Andrew Kratochwil can be reached at akratoch@umass.edu.

Indie duo’s ‘After the Disco’ falls flat

By Jackson Maxwell Collegian Staff

Supergroups in rock or any genre tend to follow the same path. Endlessly hyped up and promising, their actual music almost always ends up being far less than the sum of its creative parts. For some reason, the mixture of musicians who on their own have accomplished so much fails to gel in practice. Broken Bells, despite being a sort of indie supergroup, are no exception to this rule.

Comprised of super-producer Danger Mouse and James Mercer, the man behind The Shins, the duo produced a shiny, ultra-clean strain of indie dancepop. Their second album together, “After the Disco,” is a dance album devoid of anything you’ll actually want to dance to. Its grooves are flat, and so are its songs.

The dull edges of “After the Disco,” released on Feb. 4, are

fairly shocking. Considering Brian Burton (Danger Mouse)’s talent for creating unforgettable beats, and the songwriting skill Mercer has so frequently flaunted with the Shins, “After the Disco” is startlingly inconsequential. But, songs like “Holding On for Life” and the title track, both singles, simply have no bite. The unremarkable bass lines that propel both tracks, coupled with Mercer’s falsetto in the chorus of “Holding On for Life” make the two tracks sound like Bee Gees album filler. Other tracks attempt to be more grand and orchestral. Such is the case with the interminable “Leave It Alone,” an overambitious song that clocks in at five and a half minutes but feels three times longer.

Two more mid-tempo electronic snoozers come before the album’s first somewhat interesting song, “The Lazy Wonderland.” Its more human feel lets Mercer’s voice and character shine through for the first time, more than halfway through the album. Burton’s production and arrangements, which have been effective for many other

artists, makes this record feel cold, lifeless and mechanical.

Up-tempo songs like “Medicine” and “The Angel and the Fool” try in vain to spice things up a bit towards the album’s conclusion, solidifying “After the Disco” as an all-around disappointment.

One would think that, considering both of these musicians’ past accomplishments, the duo could come up with something at least a bit more exciting than this. But “After the Disco” suffers from the same issues that plagued Beck’s last album, “Modern Guilt,” another record that Burton produced. It’s an album that sounds uninspired and unambitious, like it was made on cruise control. But Beck was a talented enough songwriter to at least salvage a little greatness out of that record, something Mercer is unable to accomplish here. Both Mercer and Burton have proven consistently that they can make much more dynamic and engaging music than the 11 songs they present on “After the Disco.”

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

6

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Monday, February 3, 2014

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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

Monday, February 10, 2014

7

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Willams leads UMass comeback late Senior guard scores 21 points

By Mark Chiarelli Collegian Staff

KINGSTON, R.I. — Chaz Williams did it again.

The Massachusetts men’s basketball team faced the prospect of its fourth straight road loss on Sunday, trailing 62-55 with eight minutes, 35 seconds remaining against Rhode Island.

The 6,511 fans in attendance – who have witnessed plenty of excruciating Rams losses this season – were at their highest point, rallying behind a surging URI squad. UMass’ offense was at one of its lowest points, going over three minutes without scoring a single point. The game was slipping away.

So Williams, as he’s done so many times throughout his years with the Minutemen, simply went to work.

He scored 11 of UMass’ 18 points over the final 8:35 of play, taking complete control of a sputtering offense and attacking the basket at will en route to a 18-6 Minutemen run to close out the game with a 73-68 UMass win.

“He’s a heckuva player,” Rams coach Dan Hurley said of Williams. “There’s a reason why he’s a Player of the Year candidate and one of the best point guards in the country. He was outstanding late and that’s what point guards do late in the game.”

RAMS

Williams began his scoring run with 7:14 to go, hitting a free throw to make it 62-56. He benefited from strong defense from runningmate Derrick Gordon, who forced a steal and dished it to Williams on the fast break for a layup.

On the very next offensive possession, Williams had an opportunity to hit a wide open 3-pointer and cut the URI lead to just 62-61, but his shot dipped off the front rim and bounced waywardly. It was the type of shot that’s gone UMass’ way on so many occasions and for a split-second, could have signaled a crucial loss of momentum.

But Williams pushed on.

He drew a double-team on the following offensive possession and snuck a no-look pass to Maxie Esho on the baseline, who finished with a two-handed slam. After Rams guard Xavier Munford missed a jumper, Williams drew contact on the offensive end and hit both free throws as a result. Just like that, the game was tied 62-62 and the Minutemen were yet again in control.

“I’ve been telling (Williams) to put the switch on from jump, from right at the beginning,” UMass coach Derek Kellogg said on Williams’ resurgence in the second half. “I was pleased with him, I thought he played a complete game.”

For long stretches on Sunday, it was URI’s guards who dictated the pace of play. Munford and freshman

Four Americans medal in Sochi

CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN

Chaz Williams scored 11 of UMass basketball’s final 18 points in a 73-68 win over Rhode Island on Sunday.

E.C Matthews combined for 43 points, 26 of which came in the second half. The Rams predominantly ran most of their offense through the duo throughout the game.

Williams asked Kellogg if he could switch onto either Matthews or Munford and Kellogg obliged.

“I actually want to guard that, I want to put a stop to that,” Williams said. “I’m always up for the challenge so coach allowed me to take the assignment and I’m willing to do it.”

Williams drew an offensive foul on Munford with 2:57 remaining and his team leading 66-65. He applied heavy on-ball pressure and made it difficult for URI to get into the paint area late in the game, something it did proficiently throughout the majority of the game.

“I just don’t want to lose,” Williams said. “We just

didn’t want to lose that game so I was just trying to do everything in my power and my will to try and bring the team back.

And with the game almost complete, it was Williams who tallied two free throws with 31 seconds left to give the Minutemen a 70-65 lead.

He finished with 21 points and seven assists. Frankly, Williams wasn’t letting UMass fall yet again on the road. It was the type of gamesaving, dominating performance that others take note of.

“He’s a floor general, an explosive player,” Matthews said of Williams. “Further on in my career, I want to be able to make plays that way and lead my team to wins like that.”

Mark Chiarelli can be reached at mchiarel@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli.

continued from page 8

not offensive versus offensive game. I’m not trying to go score-for-score, I’m just trying to put a stop to it.”

Maxie Esho returned on Sunday after missing Wednesday’s game versus La Salle with concussionlike symptoms, bringing energy and production on both ends of the floor.

“I thought his ener-

gy was helpful for us,” Kellogg said. “He made a couple baskets around the rim and I thought he did a nice job defending and 3-for-3 from the floor is always nice.”

It was apparent in Kellogg’s tone following the game how critical it was for UMass to win this game, especially after the Minutemen hadn’t won a road game since

Jan. 18 at Elon.

“I thought that was a big time road win for us, big time road win,” he said. “So we’ll take it and go back on the bus as soon as possible and get ready for George Mason on Wednesday.”

Patrick Strohecker can be reached at pstrohec@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @P_Strohecker.

M E N ’ S L AC RO S S E

Freshmen lead Minutemen to win over Army in opener Mariano scored twice in debut

Minutemen, notably in the form of freshman Aaron Madaisky. The 6-foot-7, 225-pounder effectively sealed the win by forcing and

By Peter CaPPiello recovering a crucial ground Collegian Staff ball, allowing his team to Greg Cannella entered his take a timeout with 1:20 left 20th season as Massachusetts on the game clock.

UMass paced the contest men’s lacrosse coach unsure with three goals through the of where his team’s points first quarter, the final two would come from. coming from Cannella got an Mariano. unlikely answer in Army followed UMass 6 Saturday’s season with three conopener at Army, as secutive goals Army 5 three freshmen comin the second bined for four goals in frame, but the Minutemen’s 6-5 once George broke that tie win over the Black Knights. with just over three minutes Freshmen Grant until the half, the Minutemen Consoletti, Nick Mariano and never looked back.

Jeff George all scored in their Consoletti called the freshcollegiate debuts for UMass man class an “impact class” (1-0), with Mariano scor- and said the young attacking ing twice. Consoletti started unit gained confidence with the attack exactly five min- each goal. utes into the game when he “I was losing it,” Consoletti popped out from the crease said of his scoring debut. to beat Army goalkeeper Sam “I was really pumped up, I Somers. think I’ll always remember “It’s good for them,” it. It’s weird for freshmen to Cannella said of his fresh- play, especially on a UMass men. “Hopefully they can team, but we really stepped build on it. That’s everybody, up. I feel like the first (win) is if we’re going to be an effec- the hardest one to get.” tive unit, we’ve got to play Junior Grant Whiteway with more confidence and buried a bouncing ball midhandle the pressure that we way through the third quarreceived today.” ter to extend the lead to 5-3.

UMass lost the shots on He scored again six minutes goal battle, 27-20, but forced later on a shot five yards 11 turnovers for the game. up the field from goal line Youth also charged extended.

Whiteway acknowledged the defensive end for the

the high amount of new faces on this year’s team, but said reps in practice and through two scrimmages have established an early chemistry.

He was especially proud of his younger teammates for “grinding it out” away from home.

The veteran attacker added that a strong motion offense was another sign of the rookies becoming comfortable.

“Everyone stepped it up a little bit,” Whiteway said.

“It’s huge, but we’ve just got to keep on working. We want to keep it going.

Cannella echoed the junior, saying that his team needs to score in the double digits if it expects to win on a consistent basis. He was cautious to grade individual performances based on such a small sample size, but noted that there is still a learning curve at this stage in the season.

“We’ve won one game,” Cannella said with a sense of realism. “We need to be consistent with our effort and our play. I told the guys, ‘you’re 1-0, but that guarantees only that if you lose the rest of your games, you’re going to be 1-12. You’ve got to work your hardest this week.’”

Peter Cappiello can be reached at pcappiel@umass.edu. Follow him on Twitter @petecapps.

US snowboarders earn gold medals

Knight also tallied an assist in the game, setting up Kelli Stack in the second period to take a 2-0 lead.

Alex Carpenter put the game

By Jason kates away for good on a powerCollegian Staff play goal with four minutes The United States fin- left in the second period to ished the opening week- make it 3-0.

USA goaltender Jessie end of the 2014 Olympics Vetter got her first win of the in Sochi, Russia, with four medals, trailing leaders tournament, saving 14 out of 15 shots in the process.

Norway by three medals.

American snowboarders The Americans will be back Sage Kotsenburg and Jamie in action on Monday when Anderson each struck gold they take on Switzerland, in the slopestyle event, with who fell to Canada 5-0 in its Kotsenburg winning the first game. men’s portion with a score Alpine skiing of 93.50 and Anderson winIn a bit of an upset, ning the women’s with a American Bode Miller failed 95.25. to medal in the men’s downAmerican mogul skier hill final, finishing in eighth Hannah Kearney, who won place. Miller, who won three gold at the 2010 Winter medals in the 2010 Games, Olympics, had to settle for looked like he was going to a bronze medal this time medal again until he hit his around, finishing behind head and shoulder into one Canadian sisters Justine and of the gate panels. Austrian Choloe Dufour-Lapointe.

Matthias Mayer took gold The other bronze medal in the event, with Italian won by the United States Christof Innerhofer taking came from the figure skat- silver and Norwegian Kjetil ing team of Meryl Davis, Jansrud winning the bronze.

Jeremy Abbott, Gracie Gold, A look ahead Marissa Castelli, Jason Brown, Charlie White, USA will look to get off Ashley Wagner and Simon to good starts in several Shnapir. events this week, including the beginning of men’s and Women’s hockey women’s curling, as well as The United States wom- men’s hockey. Qualifications en’s hockey team got off to a for men’s halfpipe in snowfast start, defeating Finland boarding also begin this 3-1 in its first game in group week, with all eyes on play.

American Shaun White, Hilary Knight got the who pulled out of the slopeAmericans to an early lead, style event late last week. scoring on an unassisted goal only 53 seconds into the Jason Kates can be reached at jkates@umass.edu. game.

LACROSSE do both of those things.”

UMass took a quick 4-1 lead in the first 15 minutes of the first half, but Vanderbilt came back with three unanswered goals by Mallory Schonk to tie it up with two minutes left. A goal by Carelli just before time expired gave the Minutewomen a one-goal lead going into the break.

McMahon said overall the team’s play was a little sloppy in the first half.

“We had some nice plays here and there but we weren’t really ever able to gain good

LOWELL

continued from page 8

momentum to really push a good lead,” she said. “I think part of that is attributed to what a good team Vanderbilt is, but I think moving forward, definitely something we learned in this game was that we need to take better care of the ball.”

UMass will next travel to Storrs, Conn., for a game against Connecticut. The game is set for Saturday at 1 p.m.

After defeating the Huskies last year in the first round of the NCAA

Tournament, McMahon is sure the game will make for a tough matchup.

“With Vanderbilt, we had a little bit of unfamiliarity because the teams had never played, but UConn, it’s the opposite,” McMahon said.

“So, we’re going to have to really have to be crisp and sharp to beat such a good UConn team.”

Jesse Mayfield-Sheehan can be reached at jmayfiel@umass.edu. foowed on Twitter @jgms88.

continued from page 8

beat Mastalerz blocker side.

Alex Wakaluk replaced Mastalerz (10 saves) in net after he gave up his fourth goal of the night.

Ryan McGrath scored the final River Hawks’ goal of the period off a rebound during a power play. That was the only puck that Wakaluk let past him as he made 18 saves in relief.

“I was happy for Alex Wakaluk coming in, in a tough spot, giving us an opportunity to get our legs back underneath us,” Micheletto said.

Ray Pigozzi gave UMass a little bit of life later in the second period when he scored off a pass from Adam Phillips at the 7:47 mark of the second frame to cut the lead to 4-1 at the time.

Conor Sheary got his 99th career point on a power-play goal late in the

second frame to give the Minutemen a chance heading into the final frame.

UMass cut it to 5-3 at the 7:34 mark in the third period when Pigozzi fed Phillips, who beat UML goalie Connor Hellebuyck from the point.

The Minutemen had a great chance to cut down the deficit even more when they drew a power play midway through the final period. But UML, which has now won the last eight games against its in-state rival, successfully killed off the penalty without much threat from UMass.

“On the positive side, I thought our guys did a great job of battling back, wrestling the momentum back despite being down,” Micheletto said.

Phillips played alongside Michael Pereira and Pigozzi on the second line

in Troy Power’s usual spot.

Power injured the same left leg that caused him to miss most of last season when he suffered a knee-toknee collision in the third period of UMass’ 3-0 win at Northeastern on Friday.

Two teammates had to help Power off the ice after the collision in the neutral zone.

The team said that a team doctor evaluated Power on Saturday, but Micheletto said he didn’t have time to speak with the trainer about his status yet.

The Minutemen will be back in action next weekend with a road game at the River Hawks followed by a home game against Northeastern.

Cameron McDonough can be reached at cameronm@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Cam_McDonough.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Monday, February 10, 2014

Sports@DailyCollegian.com

@MDC_SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

RHODE RAGE

UMass takes road victory at Rams

By Patrick Strohecker Collegian Staff

CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN

Sampson Carter takes flight on his way to the rim in the UMass basketball team’s 73-68 win over Rhode Island on Sunday.

WO M E N ’ S L AC RO S S E

KINGSTOWN, R.I. — The comeback kids were at it again on Sunday evening.

Trailing by seven points with eight minutes, 35 seconds left, the Massachusetts men’s basketball team finished the game on an 18-6 run to seal a UMass 73 7 3 - 6 8 w i n URI 68 oR hv oed er Island in front of 6,511 fans at Ryan Center.

Senior Chaz Williams fueled the UMass comeback, scoring 11 of the team’s final 18 points and assisted on the two other field goals. He scored 13 of his team-high 21 points in the second half. “(UMass coach Derek Kellogg) was getting on us on the sideline about the defense and making plays and we just didn’t want to lose the game,” Williams said. “So I was just trying to do anything in my power and my will trying to bring the team back.”

The win snapped a three-game road losing streak for the Minutemen (19-4, 6-3 Atlantic 10), who showed they still can’t be counted out when trailing late in a game.

“I’m very proud of the team that came today,” Kellogg said. “I thought we played really hard.

(We) didn’t always do the right thing, but I thought we played a tough, hardnosed team that played in desperation mode. … I

thought we combated that and fought really hard.”

The win was sealed with a thunderous chasedown block by Raphiael Putney with 40 seconds left. Putney tracked down T.J. Buchanan and swatted his layup attempt, giving UMass the ball back and forcing the Rams (1113, 2-7 A-10) to start fouling.

“I just couldn’t let them have that free layup,” Putney said on the block.

“I had to do everything I could, so I sprinted as hard as I could and I’m known for blocking shots on the chase-down run, so I just got it and it was a great block by me.”

The game went backand-forth throughout the entire contest, with 12 lead changes and 14 ties in the contest. The Minutemen held a slight 36-35 lead at halftime and jumped out to a 41-35 lead early in the second half before E.C. Matthews and Xavier Munford took control for the Rams.

The duo scored 26 of URI’s 33 points in the second half, making it difficult for UMass to get any stops defensively. The turning point came midway through the second half when Williams started guarding Matthews, resulting to just six Rams points in the final eightplus minutes.

“I’m always up for the challenge, so if coach allows me to take that assignment, I’m willing to do it,” Williams said. “It’s see

RAMS on page 7

HOCKEY

Katie Ferris sets Minutemen topped by River Hawks Mastalerz UM goals record Steve pulled in second UMass opens 2014 with win at Vandy

“With those people coming up with that 50-50 opportunity, giving us possession, absolutely directly correlated it to us being able to put it

By JeSSe Mayfield-Sheehan away on the offensive end,” Collegian Staff she said.

Another highlight on the After a close first half of play, the Massachusetts day was the play of Katie women’s lacrosse team took Ferris. The senior attackoff in the second half and man led the team with four never looked back, winning goals and four assists, and the season opener broke the against Vanderbilt UMass 13 program’s allon Sunday 13-6. time record Leading 5-4 Vandy 6 for goals with at halftime, the a new mark Minutewomen (1-0) of 171. opened the second half with “She played fantastic,” four unanswered goals, out- McMahon said. “A couple of scoring the Commodores her shots weren’t falling for (1-1) 8-2 in the half to put her in the first half and she the game away. did a fantastic job of making “I think the fact that adjustments the second half we were able to pull away where she was getting betlike that really shows just ter quality shots off. how motivated and tough “I think she was also realour team is,” UMass coach izing what her defender was Angela McMahon said. doing against her and when McMahon added that a she had opportunities to go big key to the turnaround to the goal versus setting up was ball control. She said her teammates, and again, the play of draw specialist that balance of being able Kelsey McGovern, as well as to score and feed that makes Melissa Carelli and Kelsey her so dynamic and helps Sheridan, who finished with our team overall be really seven combined draw contough to beat because she can trols, was instrumental to the team’s victory. see LACROSSE on page 7

By caMeron Mcdonough Collegian Staff

On Friday night, the Massachusetts hockey team took a giant step forward on defense with its second shutout win of the season.

But on Saturday night, the UMass defense took two s t e p s UML 5 backw a r d UMass 3 in a 5-3 loss to No. 7 UMass Lowell at Mullins Center in front of an announced crowd of 3,678.

The trouble started right away for the Minutemen with two goals by the River Hawks in the first period.

UML’s lead got as high as 4-0 early in the second period, leading to starting goaltender Steve Mastalerz being pulled.

“The difference in the game was the pace at which we played defensively,” UMass coach John Micheletto said. “We certainly had a decent jump offensively early. We didn’t close and take away time and space in the defensive zone, we didn’t straight

CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN

UMass Lowell scored four goals in the game’s first 23 minutes in a 5-3 win over UMass. line guys on the cycle and consequently we allowed them to have second touches right around our goaltender to put us down 2-0.”

Michael Fallon, who had three points, got things started with a goal off a rebound. A.J. White took the initial shot from the point, which bounced off of Mastalerz to a waiting Fallon in the right circle, and he finished from there.

UML increased its lead to 2-0 with only 29

seconds remaining in the first frame. The River Hawks initially got the puck into their offensive zone after a UMass turnover led to a breakaway chance. Mastalerz came up with the initial save but seconds later Adam Chapie found the back of the net for UML. “It was certainly disappointing, frustrating, whatever the most appropriate word is,” Micheletto said of his defense’s inconsistency

after the shutout Friday.

The River Hawks went right back to work in the second period with twostraight goals and three total to take a commanding 5-2 lead.

The first goal was a textbook wrap-around goal for Michael Kapla two minutes, one second into the second period. Michael Colantone scored 51 seconds later on a shot from the point that see

LOWELL on page 7