QUOTH THE RIVERHAWKS
Things overheard on campus â–ş Page 6
THE UMASS LOWELL
Serving the Student Body Since 1976
October 23, 2018
Men’s Soccer cruises to 2-0 against Albany with Senior night looming
In This Issue Paris Peace Accord preview
Marcos Aguilar
â–ş Page 3
Connector Staff
Best spooky songs for Halloween
The UMass Lowell Men’s Soccer team (8-4-2, 3-2-0) defeated (5-9-0) UAlbany Great Danes 2-0 on Saturday night to pick up a key victory against an Aemrica East Opponent. The River Hawks are seeking postseason play as the regular season is two games away from concluding.
â–ş Page 5 Jayson Tatum Op-Ed â–ş Page 8
Final River Hawk Scores Team
Score
W. Soccer vs. Vermont
W 1-0
6-7-4
L 3-0
2-18
Volleyball vs. UAlbany
The River Hawks came into the America East matchup coming off last week’s victory against conference opponent Binghamton. The home side started off with an impressive defensive first half that stopped the Danes from having a shot on target. Senior goalkeeper Zach Powell stood confidently throughout with good communication with his back four.
Offensively, the River Hawks were being led by red shirt junior forward Stanley Alves, red-shirt senior Ivan Abramovic, and pulling from the midfield as always, junior Roko Prsa. The first goal would come early in the first half. A half that tallied seven shots from the hosts. Making Danes goalkeeper Danny Vitiello into a serious work â–ş See “Soccer,â€? page 8
Overall Record
M. Soccer vs. UAlbany
W 3-0 8-4-2
M. Hockey at Miami OH
L 2-1
Junior forward Ryan Lohin guards the puck against an RIT defender.
2-2
Editorial: The mysterious West Campus Hannah Manning & Taylor Carito Connector Editors
A lot has stirred over the years about the notorious west campus – a seemingly desolate and decrepit property owned by UMass Lowell. But what few realize is that there is more than meets the eye, in fact, the importance of west campus lies beneath the dust and debris. UMass Lowell keeps quiet about West Campus. It was formerly a teaching college with the university, but shut its doors due to a fire‌ or so they made it seem. Years after the incident, UMass Lowell still owns the property, leaving it to fall victim to the elements on its surface. So why keep the buildings if they serve no purpose? UMass Lowell prides themselves on their students’ dedication to learning and its beloved hockey team. But they soon realized that there were many students who were not attending to do things like study, sleep or have a social life. The administration was panicking. Without the hockey team, they have nothing to draw in money to the school. UMass Lowell decided they needed to â–ş See “Clones!,â€? page 6
Sections News.............................3 Campus Life.................. 6 A&E.............................. 4 Sports........................ 7-8
Courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics
Abdi Shariff-Hassan is a midfielder for the River Hawks.
The incompetency of ‘Halloween’ is terrifying Owen Johnson
Courtesy of Alternative Press
Connector Editor
This “Halloween� is very similar to Jamie Lee Cutris’ character in the movie. Both have had long times to prepare for the eventual return of Michael Meyers, and the way each go about the return is horribly miscalculated. Forty years after the original “Halloween� where Michael Myers butchered a small group of babysitters, he is being transferred to a new mental asylum. En route to his new location, Myers escapes and head safter Laurie Strode (Curtis), the single survivor from his original massacre. The issues of “Halloween� are not apparent at first and lurk beneath the surface of competent cinematography, creative lighting and decent acting, but they are present. Once these issues become apparent, it renders “Halloween� a failure on a multitude of levels. Take Laurie and the villain of Michael Myers as evidence to this point. Curtis has been waiting 40 years for Meyers to escape in order to kill him, and she has used those four decades to get ready. Myers is an unstable killing machine who just murders indiscriminately and goes after Laurie. The audience has its established set of circumstances, which are incredibly
The original Halloween movie came out 40 years ago.
straight forward, and the movie bungles both. Laurie has been able to plan for 40 years, and her entire idea is essentially to just wander around with a â–ş See “Halloween,â€? page 4
October 23, 2018
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OPINIONS & EDITORIALS Op-Ed: Being afraid of failure and how to stop Serena Arora Connector Staff
Lying on your bed, feeling hopeless, staring at your computer screen? You feel your skin crawling with anxiety? How will I bring my grades up? Why am I doing so poorly? I thought I was studying enough? You tell yourself it’s time to give up. What’s the point now? You are already halfway through the semester. It’s too late! You can try again next semester. You feel the self-pity begin to dissect your sanity and confidence one poke at a time until you are crawled into a ball of doubt and you’re utterly hopeless. You cannot see the vision of the prosperous golden isle your capabilities can take you down. You close all your books, and allow the overwhelming feeling of anxiety drain your soul. However, now is not the time to give up. Now is the true time to unchain yourself, and thank yourself for failing. Yes, I know it sounds odd. But trust me, an opportunity for self-growth will eternally be a glorious time to be alive. Why, you ask? Now, you are allowed to be anyone! A student who rewrites their notes every day after class? Someone who reads ahead so they can ask questions? A regular at the Centers For Learning? You have a chance to reinvent yourself into someone who is not afraid to fail. Life is a steadfast rollercoaster of failures and achievements. With every large achievement, comes
three to four failures. An important skill to hone is how one reacts to those failures. Every human must learn to stare adversity in the face and smile. A new challenge is an opportunity for growth, unique experiences, and a chance to fail. However, the true method to enjoying failures is by investigating secret lessons in each defeat, and utilizing them towards your upcoming triumphance. By doing so, you are providing a purpose for every failure, and will therefore perceive the defeats as stepping stones to victory. As I taught myself these lessons, I realized my entire life I felt defeated by school, and felt envious of the students around me who worked just as hard as me but achieved higher marks regardless. When I spent a few weeks in college, I realized I may not be the best at school, but I have multitudinous skills. I have an expertise in interviewing and understanding humans, and am a talented actor. Do I have to work harder than most in college classes? Yes. However, there are numerous students just like me, who possess stupendous skills, but they believe they are not intelligent because of their grades. Everyone has their own unique type of intelligence. For people like me, there are utilities at our disposal, such as Centers for Learning, visiting your professors, and taking more time in in every single class to study. I had a very difficult time dismissing my pride and admitting to myself that I needed
help. But once I awoke my ignorance, I finally began to see my vision of the prosperous golden isle my capabilities can take me down. I realized if I just removed the blindfold and chains I had been using on myself to pretend self-help was not necessary, I would have seen all the open doors laid out for me. I have the potential to be a trained acrobat in every aspect of my life. Not only can I succeed in The Connector and Macbeth, but I can make time for myself for self-care, and I can acquire satisfying grades. As my amazing director Jeannie Israel would say, “You have everything you need at your disposal.� Now is my time to value my opportunities, skills, strengths, and weaknesses. I am now not afraid to fail, are you?
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General: The UMass Lowell Connector is a non-profit student public forum serving the University of Massachusetts Lowell community. The paper is published weekly and distributed to the university community every Tuesday. Business hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please be aware that members of the University community are entitled to free newspapers. Please take one! All UMass Lowell students, regardless of major, are invited to join the Connector staff. Interested students should contact an editor or manager listed above, or visit the Connector Office in University Crossing 241. Advertising: The UMass Lowell Connector advertisements reach an estimated 16,000 UMass Lowell students--their friends and
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October 23, 2018
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NEWS
Bike Shop and Outdoor Adventure move to new space Hannah Manning Connector Editor
Any students curious about how they can enjoy the great outdoors while getting their education have an exciting new place to call home -and it happens to be closer than they might think. UMass Lowell’s bike shop and home for all things outdoor recreation moved to a new location at 5 Lawrence Drive in May of 2018, occupying one of the Townhouse spaces at River Hawk Village. The new space features a retail area offering bicycles and various outdoor accessories, a workshop area for students to work on their bicycles and a formal meeting area for the Outdoor Adventure program. Kevin Soleil, the assistant director of outdoor and bicycle programs at UMass Lowell, says that both he and his staff are thrilled at having their own location. “We are grateful for this opportunity,” he said. “It really does feel like we now have the right size facility to do what we were doing all along. We were definitely doing more with less
in the past and now we feel like we’re doing more with what we need.” This momentous change comes after being located on the second floor of the Campus Recreation Center for quite some time. Both programs were confined to an incredibly small space jammed at the end of a narrow hallway, as Soleil attests. Soleil says that the previous location was difficult for students to find, which made it difficult for him to live true to his mission of encouraging as many students as he could to be active by hopping on bikes and getting involved in outdoor programming. “We were so hidden away in that building anyway that there wasn’t really a presence besides the physical presence of the people,” Soleil says. “We have a much better presentation here.” Soleil says that the gear closet for the Outdoor Adventure program was located in a closet on Basketball Court A in the CRC. This was not only distracting for the basketball players but often times dangerous for his students who needed to retrieve gear from the supply closet.
Hannah Manning/Connector
A student works on their bicycle at the new Bike Shop location.
“There was more than one occasion where you’d be getting gear out of the closet and a basketball would come and hit somebody. That’s no longer an issue,” said Bill Moriarty, a student working for the Outdoor Adventure program. Moriarty, a junior electrical engineering major, says he is quite happy to not worry about dodging basketballs each time he wants to hold a meeting for his program. Soleil says that he and his staff are happy with the extra space they are given to go about their business. There is a centralized shop area which is open and clear, and students are able to work on their bicycles without fear of interfering with each other’s work. Soleil says that this was not always the case. “In the previous shop, we [were] kind of tripping over each other every time we went to move. Here, they have enough space to work safely,” he says. “Everybody loves it so much.” On the Outdoor Adventure side of things, Moriarty says that he and his coworkers enjoy having their own designated area to both hold meetings and store their adventure gear. “I just had a 12-person meeting and we had a nice table to sit around. There [were] no distractions, we just had our own room. Our gear was right there so we didn’t have to move locations in order to get gear,” he says. Soleil is likewise happy to have a space for the Outdoor Adventure program. The current room not only features a large meeting table but rows of backpacks, rock climbing equipment, camping gear and winter supplies. Having one centralized location is crucial for pre-trip planning, Soleil says. “It’s one place where all of our things... for most of our fall trips we’re able to stage and come back here in
this room. It’s a very multi-purpose space.” As everyone adjusts to the new location, Soleil hopes that the bike shop and adventure program will see more new faces. He said that since the transition, the bike shop has seen a “significant” increase in students, while participation for the outdoor adventure program is “steady.” “We’re hoping that camping equipment [and] hiking equipment use and rentals can increase,” he said. Moriarty says that the new location offers many new possibilities for both the bike shop and the Outdoor Adventure program. “It allows us to branch out and it also feels like we’re actually part of the campus instead of just stuffed in a closet in a small room. Now we have our own location that’s ours,” he said. The Bike Shop is open from 1 to 9 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, with abbreviated hours on Friday and Saturday. The Outdoor Adventure program offers ten more trips this semester, with locations offered from Nashua, N.H. to the Everglades. Anyone interested in learning more about the shop or the Outdoor Adventure program may contact Soleil at Kevin_Soleil@uml.edu.
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Center for Asian American Studies to host forum about the 1991 Paris Peace Accords Jessica Kergo Connector Staff
The Cambodian culture in Lowell, Massachusetts is felt strongly throughout the city and the UMass Lowell community. UMass Lowell shares a city with the second largest Cambodian population in the United States and members of the university are working to support an understanding of the culture and the country’s rich and extensive history. With support from UMass Lowell’s Center for Asian American Studies, members of the Cambodian population are hosting an educational panel on October 27 in O’Leary 222 to help the community understand Cambodia’s current controversial political climate and how it evolved from the 1991 Paris Peace Accords. The panel will address what the accords are and what has happened within the county’s government since the agreement. Serving on the panel will be Sophel Ear, a political science professor at Occidental College and Cambodian scholar, and Chin Mam, a retired Cambodian general who was involved in the peace negotiations. The Cambodian civil war ended in October of 1991 with the Paris Peace Accords. The negotiations would end the hostilities, lay down arms, require the conduction of democratic elections, and
repatriate refugees. After the country’s first Democratic election in 1993, the country fell into a conflict between the two powers, the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), who were in charge during the Cambodian genocide and the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). According to UMass Lowell associate teaching professor in Asian Studies, George Chigas, the Paris Peace Accords served as the culmination of a tenyear civil war following the Khmer Rouge genocide. “It was really a proxy war between the Soviet Union and the Cambodian powers who were backed by western powers,” Chigas said as he explained the war’s connection to the Cold War. “The Cambodian community in Lowell wanted to mark the anniversary of the peace accords,” said Chigas. Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Co Director of the Center for Asian American Studies (CAAS), Sue Kim, sees the forum as an avenue for the Cambodian population and UMass Lowell students to better understand their community and its history. “In order to understand the world that we live in today, you really have to understand colonialism and the Cold War,” said Kim. Kim explained that Lowell City Counselor, Vesna
Nuon reached out to her to host the forum because he wanted more people to understand the situation in Cambodia. “It’s to help educate people about the political situation in Cambodia and help people understand why there is so much opposition to the current regime.” Kim explained that the follow through of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords has been spotty. “The Cambodian elections were very controversial and there were a lot of charges of corruption and that the vote didn’t have integrity,” she said about the country’s most recent Democratic election. The Center for Asian American Studies at UMass Lowell is an interdisciplinary research center that promotes the study of Asian American culture. The center has four areas of focus; education, health, cultural preservation and innovation and politics and civic engagement and works with professors and faculty from multiple departments to conduct their research and promotion. Kim hopes that students, public officials, and Lowell community members to attend the panel to gain a better understanding of what is happening in the country. “It’s important for our community to understand why we are the second largest Cambodian population,” said Kim.
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October 23, 2018
October 23, 2018
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The new “Halloween” gets a big boo. ►Continued from front page bunch of guns in the hopes that she will run into Myers and kill him. In one of these scenes, she carries a close range shotgun around a house looking for him. Considering Myers’ established strength, going in close is a terrible idea, but she does it anyways. Sure, characters make dumb decisions in horror films, but the one person who knows what Myers is capable of and has been planning this moment for a long time? Sorry, but suspension of disbelief does not cover that. Now take a look at Myers. He is the film’s monster and what the audience should be scared of. To be scared of him, though, the audience has to know what he is capable of, and that changes. Sometimes he is an incredibly strong, deranged killer who seems to have hints of supernatural abilities at times, and other times he cannot even get through a bathroom stall’s lock to kill a victim. On top of that, he seems to have a sixth sense about where Laurie is so he can follow her, and this makes about as much sense as how the shark in “Jaws: The Revenge” somehow constantly knows where the
Brody family is. For those who do not get that reference, just know that having any part of a film get compared to “Jaws: The Revenge” is not good.
written and seem to only serve as tools to put scenes in between Myers’ kills to pretend like something is actually happening in the movie. A good ex-
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
“Halloween” ignores the rest of the series established beyond the original film.
There is a whole new cast of characters in this film as well, including Laurie’s daughter (Judy Greer) and granddaughter (Andi Matichak), Myers’ psychologist (Haluk Bilginer) and a police officer who is investigating the case (Will Patton). There are a bunch of established plot lines with these characters that are vastly under-
ample of this is the subplot involving Laurie’s granddaughter and her boyfriend. People tell her his family is bad news, she ignores them, he acts like a jerk, she feels betrayed and then he disappears from the movie. What was the point of this subplot? The answer is there was none. What really makes the movie in-
Linda Poe
Worthy horror films are known for their paralyzing suspense, terrifying killers and eerie music; however, this genre of film can also exhibit a deep and intellectual message. This is what the UMass Lowell’s philosophy department hopes to demonstrate during their Philosophy and Film series this semester. On the last Monday of each month, the philosophy department at UMass Lowell runs this free film series at the Luna Theater, which is located in Mill No. 5 in downtown Lowell. It welcomes students and the community of Lowell to come watch a movie and participate in a professor led discussion directly following the film. The series is known for featuring blockbuster hits such as “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Captain America: The Winter Solider,” while also acknowledging classics like “The Matrix” and “Fight Club.” On Oct. 29 at 7:05 p.m., UMass Lowell philosophy professor Christopher Phillips will be leading the philosophical discussion for the movie “Prince of Darkness.” “It is a story that involves scientists being recruited by a kind of secret organization in the church to explore and safeguard and figure out how to dispose or what to do with some ancient secret,” Phillips said. He chose this horror film by director John Carpenter because it might not be as well-known as other films in the genre, yet it is still engaging to his audience. Plus, Halloween is just a few days away. Phillips is no stranger to leading discussions on philosophy, whether in the classroom, during his office hours or through his past experience last Oc-
tober during the showing of the film “The Prestige.” He said he trusts his audience and hopes to draw out what people find interesting about specific scenes, while tying in philosophical teachings about topics such as Plato’s cave and reality. “Movies always turn on, in the end, philosophically interesting topics, or they are just bad movies,” he said. Philips said that he and his fellow colleagues in the philosophy department are shocked that around 15 to 20 percent of students in their classes have never seen movies like “The Matrix,” which display clear philosophical topics. In part, this series works on bringing some of these philosophical movies to students who might not have looked at them in that way. “I really enjoy attending the UML Philosophy and Film Series, not only because of the movie selections but also due to the professors and their insight provided on the content of the screening,” said Daphne Naut, a UMass Lowell student who double majors in political science and philosophy. “I’ve brought along some of my friends, and we’ve made many a great night watching the films and posing questions at the Luna Theater.” Choosing the Luna Theater as the location instead of directly on campus is intentional as it invites not only students of any major, but also the community at large. Christopher Ryan, a recent graduate of criminal justice from UMass Lowell, cannot wait to attend the series as part of the welcomed Lowell community. “It makes me happy that this event is open to anyone,” said Ryan. “I always enjoyed going to these movies and discussions to give my own input and who doesn’t like free movies?”
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Underrated Classic: ‘The Thing’ is a thing of perfection
sulting though, even more than everything else that has been listed, is the lack of self-awareness that it possesses. The original “Halloween” knew what it was: an atmospheric slasher film about a crazy guy stalking and killing teenage babysitters, and that was all it presented itself as. This movie seems to have its own idea of what it is about and who these characters are, and none of it could be further from the truth. There is the theme of family in regards to Laurie, her daughter and granddaughter, but as previously stated, this is underdeveloped so it does not work. The movie acts as if Michael Myers has some sort of interesting depth to him that is in need of studying, but he is really nothing more than a movie monster that should get killed off for everyone else’s general safety. The best way to sum it all up is probably to say this: the original “Halloween” from 1978 is boring, not scary and undeserving of its place among horror classics. While that is the case, it also deserves better than to share a title and franchise with a miscalculation of such egregious proportions. Final Grade: F
UMass Lowell philosophy department to show ‘Prince of Darkness’ as part of Philosophy and Film series Connector Contributor
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The philosophy department and Professor Phillips both believe that this event could really benefit anyone, and they look forward to hearing the opinions of students and the community. “You will be amazed at what your fellow students and community have to say,” Phillips said, “Yeah, you have to buy the booze, but the movie is free, as is the discussion.”
Owen Johnson Connector Editor
Of course the term of perfect is not something that can actually be applied to a film. Every film has at least a few details, whether major or minor, that go wrong. That being said, it is possible for a movie to achieve perfection in the sense that it does everything it set out to do correctly, and John Carpenter’s 1982 horror movie “The Thing” is one of those movies. On the continent of Antartica, a remote American research station comes under duress when an alien creature with the ability to take the form of other living things starts to take the form of the station’s small, hapless crew. Right off the bat, “The Thing” hits the audience with just how isolated and trapped the characters actually are. As survivors of the last arctic station that the creature attacked chase after the beast in their helicopter, the camera takes wide shots of the Antarctic landscape they are in, which is all snow white as far as the eye can see with the occasional snowcapped mountains. The audience doesn’t have to take the characters’ words on it when they say they are in the middle of nowhere and can’t get help because the film has shown this.
Isolated and with a creature that could take the shape of any one of them, the twelve man team of the station begins to develop a sense of paranoia and mistrust amongst themselves. The theme of paranoia and fearing the unknown was a common Courtesy of Universal Pictures
“The Thing” initially received negative critical reception upon its release.
horror movie theme as a result of the Cold War, and “The Thing” sets itself apart from other films like it through how extraordinarily well it conveys those themes. For example, it’s not just that any character could be the creature, it’s that every character also has a connection to something suspicious or does even a minor action that builds on the possibility that any one of them could have been replicated and replaced.
can differentiate them and care about them in the event that one of them meets their demise. A lot of credit for this success with the characters rests with the cast, who all give really great performances, the most standout of these performances coming from Kurt Russell, Keith David and Donald Moffat. While the acting, themes and setting all help to sell the scares of the movie, the lighting and the music add a lot to
the overall atmosphere, which helps knock the terror and suspense up a few more pegs from the high point it was already at. The musical score by Ennio Morricone is simple yet uneasy, similar in fashion to the John Williams score from “Jaws,” and the lighting is very natural, which creates a grittiness to everything. For example, there are a lot of scenes where fires or a sparked flare provide lighting for the scenes. Above all else, though, the truly terrifying thing about “The Thing” is just how realistic it all looks and feels, at least as far as a horror movie about a shapeshifting alien monster can be realistic. All of the characters are believable in their setting, the dialogue is very organic and feels like the things people would really be saying in such a situation and the methods in which the characters go about trying to deal with the creature make sense from what they know and what their situation is. If a shapeshifting alien monster really were to exist and start replicating and replacing people, “The Thing” is probably what it would look like. John Carpenter has made a name for himself as a horror icon, and the near impeccability of “The Thing” makes him deserving of that status. Final Grade: A+
Best spooky songs for Halloween Troy Lafond Connector Staff
Halloween is just around the corner and that means many will be looking to get into the festive mood. However, unlike the endless pit of Christmas songs, the list of love songs that goes on forever and ever for Valentine’s Day, the patriotic-themed Fourth of July songs, the Irish themed St. Patrick’s Day songs and other holiday’s definitive tunes, there are disappointingly few majorly recognized Halloween songs. Seeing as Halloween is widely recognized as one of the best holidays, this is, frankly, a disgrace. To create the proper mood for Halloween, Courtesy of BunHead
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
“Prince of Darkness” was filmed in 30 days.
With a twelve man cast and only a runtime of 100 minutes, the movie does a remarkable job of developing all of the characters. Through their dialogue and actions, all of the characters’ personalities are laid out in an organic manner so that the audience
Album cover for Kim Petras’ “Turn Off the Light Vol. 1.”
I made it my personal mission to find the best songs that are, in some way, related to Halloween. Some of the best explicitly Halloween music is by up-and-coming pop star Kim Petras. She recently released an eight-song, entirely Halloween-themed, EP called “Turn Off the Light Vol. 1,” with four lyrically creepy but otherwise fairly traditional pop songs, and four nearly-entirely instrumental songs that would fit perfectly in a Halloween movie. As for other songs made explicitly for Halloween, there is the quintessential Halloween smash “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Borris” Picket. While not all of these songs are explicitly made for Halloween, there are a number of popular songs by major artists that can perfectly adapt to the Halloween vibe. The most notable example of such is “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, which is, along with “Monster Mash,” generally considered to be one of the most definitive Halloween songs, despite not being specifically made for the season. Some other songs that can be similarly lyrically adapted to the season include “E.T” by Katy Perry, “Cannibal” and “Supernatural” by Kesha, “Monster” by Lady Gaga, “Black Magic” by Little Mix, and “I’m in Love with a Monster” by Fifth Harmony. “E.T” compares love to extraterrestrial beings. “Cannibal” is about, as one might expect, cannibalism. “Monster” is similar to “E.T” in comparing a loved one to a supernatural being. “Black Magic” is about casting a spell on people to make them fall in love. Lastly, “I’m in Love with a Monster” is about exactly what the title states. While none of these songs specifically were made with Halloween in mind, there is certainly a blatant correlation.
Due to the disappointing lack of songs made by Halloween dedicated to Halloween, to make a long playlist of Halloween themed songs, it may require some stretches of the imagination. The classic hits “Disturbia” by Rihanna as well as “Toxic” by Britney Spears have prominent background synths that recur throughout the song that definitely match with a Halloween vibe. Additionally, the growing hit “Sweet but Psycho” by Ava Max has screams in the background that also match the vibe. The lyrical connection to Halloween may be a bit more vague, however not impossible to bridge. “Disturbia” is about fear, “Toxic” is about unhealthy relationships and “Sweet but Psycho” is about falling for a crazy person, all of which can loosely be tied to the overarching themes of Halloween. The songs, or some combination of them, is certain to create the perfect playlist for any Halloween festivities. Courtesy of Billboard
“Monster Mash” performer Bobby “Borris” Picket.
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October 23, 2018
CAMPUS LIFE
Best places in New England to get spooked Valeria Montoya Connector Contributor
It’s almost Halloween and it’s time to get spooky! Do you have any plans for Halloween besides crying because of midterms? No? Well, lucky for you, here is a list of the top three spookiest places in New England, so you can make some plans with your friends. 1. Salem, MA. Do you remember learning about the Salem Witch Trials in your history class? They were pretty messed up. Hundreds of people were accused of practicing witchcraft, the devil’s magic! The people of Salem were kind enough to offer these witches a “fair trial,” to determine their Courtesy of The Salem Wiki likelihood for witchcraft. Five people Salem, MA is one of the premiere haunted destinations in the United States. died in jail cells, and about 20 very unlucky supposed “witches” were the witch trials, the people of Salem the episode on Supernatural, you’re deemed guilty and sentenced to exe- realized they wrongfully killed inno- quite familiar with the story. Borden cution. They were killed in very cruel cent people and formally apologized allegedly went crazy one night and ways, including: being hanged, sliced and compensated the victims’ fami- decided to bludgeon her parents to by a guillotine, crushed and stoned to lies. Aside from Salem being haunt- death with an axe. The blame was put death, or being drowned in the infa- ed, there’s also a cool witch museum, on Borden because she was the only mous “water test.” In the water test, and there are guided walks around the person in the home besides their maid the accused were tied up, placed in town, which is littered with cemeter- when the bodies were found. She claimed she was in the barn during water, and if they floated they were ies and memorials. 2.. Lizzie Borden’s House: Fall Rivthe times of the murder, and only “definitely witches.” If they sank they were innocent but they would er, MA. If you’ve watched the Lizzie stepped into the house to discover her consequently drown. A while after Borden Chronicles, or perhaps saw dead parents. She was tried, and the
only evidence they had against her was circumstantial, so she was eventually acquitted. Despite that, she was still viewed as guilty by the public, so, whenever people saw her, this rhyme came to mind: “Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks; when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.” If you’re up for a drive to Fall River, you can actually stay at the Borden house, which is now a bed and breakfast. You can also get a tour and see the exact locations where her parents were killed, where Borden slept, and the rest of the house. 3..Dogtown: Cape Ann, MA. If you’re the more active type, this is a haunted hike you can go on. Dogtown is an abandoned settlement, which used to be a place where people in the 1600’s hid away to avoid attacks from the Native Americans and pirates. It was rumored that the witches of Dogtown actually used to practice their witchcraft in that very forest. There are a lot of creepy messages engraved on stones in the area, such as: “If work stops, values decay,” so this could make the perfect area for a creepy Instagram photoshoot if you’re one of those social media types.
The sordid, haunted history of West Campus ►Continued from front page
make a change. They kidnapped their finest North Campus students from Ball Hall in the middle of the night while they studied and brought them to the underground workspace of West Campus. The students seemed to not notice the difference between the dreary, damp and dark underground lab of the abandoned west campus and those of north, and they went right to work on UMass Lowell’s hidden plans. Of course, South Campus students were not involved, as they were too tied up not doing anything to visit, although they said they would “consider dropping by,” although many of those students might have had too much personality and spunk for the university’s plans. Anyhow... UMass Lowell needed more students and new students were exactly what they were making in that underground lab. By perfecting the cloning process, they began implementing the process, creating functional students to not only continue their “record-breaking” number students and graduates, but increase the number of hockey game attendants and show up BU time and time again. And it worked. Oh, it worked brilliantly. Enrollment numbers continued to soar, and the Tsongas Center was packed for every home opener despite how mediocre the team performed. UMass Lowell became renowned for its newfound prestige, all thanks to the efforts of the limitless clones that they cycled out of their West Campus laboratory. Oh, the clones. The clones. Their gray, pallid faces and empty eyes fit in spectacularly amongst the real students shuffling through their degrees on North Campus. The clones spoke of nothing save for programmed complaints about their classes -- just as their human counterparts would. Their interests were few: hockey and drinking in the abandoned classrooms on North Campus to wash the pain of difficult coursework away. This article is a work of fiction.
QUOTH THE RIVERHAWKS YOU’RE GONNA BE A GREAT MOM MELINDA! I don’t know I could go home, or I could just stay on campus and day-drink.
– Shouted across South Campus Quad
– O’Leary Starbucks line
Oh, cool! We’re all going to die! – Bridge to North Campus
Somebody stopped me on the bridge to North and asked if I had encountered any vicious animals on campus. I've yet to see any of the other guys on my floor use the shower. I'm getting really concerned about them.
– UCrossing
– Fox Hall Elevator
South Campus is great. It's got food, girls and diversity. I legit haven't seen a girl on North for weeks - Fox Dining
I don’t have blood. *lifts arm* This is just Kool-Aid.
So yeah, I was Hungover, and I had mono… - Fox Hall Elevator
– Dugan Hall
GPA before PDA! -Tsongas Center
You’re not in a great state after 40 hours of meth. – Dugan Hall
Student 1: Wait, so the students make the shirts? Student 2: It’s a sweatshop! Student 3: N O. – Coburn Hall
October 23, 2018
UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR
Page 7
SPORTS
Op-Ed: the LA Lakers will not make the playoffs Jason Ounpraseuth Connector Editor
The biggest story from this past National Basketball Association (NBA) offseason was LeBron James signing a four-year, $153.3 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. They will be the top story of the NBA for the entire year especially with the myriad of personalities and young players on their team. However, despite the glitz and the glamour that will be at the forefront for the Lakers’ season, the team will fall short of making the NBA playoffs. This is not an indictment against
tavious Caldwell-Pope and Lance Stephenson are getting minutes ahead of the younger core of the team, then the Lakers are doomed to fail this season. This veteran core is quite frankly washed up. Rondo and McGee can make flashy plays from time to time that will make for viral clips on social media, but they’re empty plays that do not help win games against good teams. Beasley, Stephenson and Caldwell-Pope have been playing at least 10 minutes a game. That is 10 too many for players that aren’t positive contributors for a team that has high aspirations. The plus side is that many
Courtesy of Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review Journal
James will look to lead the Lakers to a successful season.
James. He is still one of the best players in the league. The problem with the Lakers is everyone else on the team. If players like Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Michael Beasley, Ken-
of these players are on one-year deals, but James is not playing for next year. Front office executives Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Rob Pelinka need to make a trade to get their team into the playoffs. I believe there are
three untouchable players on this roster: James, Ingram and Ball. Young players like Josh Hart and Kyle Kuzma are good, but their ceiling is not any higher than good role players. We’re only a few games into the season, but it is obvious that the Lakers have a need at the big man position. It does not seem like head coach Luke Walton trusts McGee to play more than 30 minutes a game, and Kuzma and James cannot last a whole season playing center. A lineup with James at center is a lot of fun to watch, but I do not see it being sustainable throughout an 82-game season. According to Basketball Reference, James had a win share total of 14 last season. This means that James was worth 14 wins for the Cleveland Cavaliers. For reference, this ranked tied for second in the league and ranked behind James Harden who led the league in win shares last season with 15.2. If we were to use this statistic for the Lakers, who had 35 wins last year, the Lakers would have 49 wins this year. This win total is in line with the Vegas over/under that projects them to have 48 wins. I would take the under and project this current Lakers team winning 45 games just barely missing out for the 8 seed. The Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder are locks for the playoffs. The teams that I have finishing better than the Lakers and contending for a playoff spot are the Portland Trail Blazers, the New Orleans Pelicans, the San Antonio Spurs, the Minnesota Timberwolves
and the Dallas Mavericks. The Blazers were the 3 seed last year but were swept in the first round of the playoffs. This was not great, but it is worth reminding that the teams seeded 3-8 were only one or two games apart from one another. It did not inspire a lot of confidence in fans when the Blazers essentially brought back the same team from last year. However, I really like the additions of Nik Stauskas and Seth Curry, and Zach Collins has shown some nice play as a back-up big man. The Pelicans lost DeMarcus Cousins and Rondo in the offseason, but they still have Anthony Davis who I see having a MVP-caliber season. Jrue Holiday is a good two-way guard, and I think Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle have the skill sets that can fill in better than Cousins and Rondo. The Spurs and head coach Gregg Popovich are the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick of the NBA. You can’t count them out until you see them fail. If anyone can make a team of DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay and Pau Gasol work, it’s Pop. If Jimmy Butler is traded, then the Timberwolves aren’t making the playoffs. He really is that good even though he may not be the nicest person in the world. The Mavs are a good sleeper team especially if rookie Luka Doncic can unlock the potential of this roster that has DeAndre Jordan, Dennis Smith Jr. and Wesley Matthews. Until the Lakers make major changes, they will have a fun season but will miss the playoffs.
Men’s soccer cruises to 2-0 win vs. Albany with Senior Night looming ►Continued from front page
load early forcing him into saves. Forward. Alves finished the game with four shots while midfielder Prsa and forward Abramovic both had two respectively. Alves was able to get on the score sheet close to the half hour mark. “Yeah it was great to have him back on the [scoring] sheet,” head coach Christian Figueroa said. “He’s been very unlucky to not have found the back of the net these past few games so it was good for all of us to score again.” UMass Lowell recovered possession in the middle and continued through the right flank via sophomore midfielder Abdi Sharrif-Hassan. Hassan has been a pivotal playmaker all season with crucial deliveries in the air and on the ground. Sharrif-Hassan crossed a ball from the right corner where a jumping Alves delivered a precise header into the bottom right corner of the net. His fifth tally of the season. “I thought the guys came out pretty strong tonight and they were focused,” said coach Figueroa. “It was good to get the goal in the first half, we’ve been talking about that a lot over the last couple of weeks, as it puts us in control and we were able to manage the rest of the game.” As the second half kicked off, players off the UMass Lowell bench began to warm up as substitutions would be made. The team’s depth has been a staple all year, with
The River Hawks will face New Hampshire in Durham on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. for their final road match up of the year. Senior Night will be scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday Oct. 31.
Courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics
The River Hawks will try to continue their good run of play at UNH.
different players stepping for major parts of the contest. The home side continued keeping position and looking for the second goal to double their lead. At the 70 minute mark, junior defender Ivan Baskic was able to head home a free kick from senior midfielder Jakov Basic from 25 yards out. It was Baskic’s second goal of the season. Zach Rowell was able to complete his sixth shutout of the season while finishing off with three lates saves in the second half.
Courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics
UML are now third in the America East standings
UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR
October 23, 2018
Page 8
SPORTS
Op-Ed: Jayson Tatum will make or break the season for the Celtics Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum Jason Ounpraseuth Connector Editor has become one of the most exciting young players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also has the potential to be the best player on the Celtics this season. The 20-year-old, second-year player is averaging 21 points and 10.7 rebounds through the first three games of the season. He has been one of the leaders of the Celtics’ offense as Kyrie Irving and Gordan Hayward are off to slow starts to their years. One of the big storylines coming in for the Celtics was how Tatum and Hayward could coexist starting together. Head coach Brad Stevens has figured it out with his motion-based offense that spaces the floor well. The Celtics also play well defensively as well. Danny Ainge, president of basketball operations, has constructed a lineup where positions are fluid giving Stevens and the coaching staff a countless number of player combinations to work with. Tatum has the versatility to play four different positions, and Stevens has shown confidence in him to do that as Tatum has played a lot of minutes. This will prove to be helpful for Boston as they are taking a slow approach as he tries to gain back his form after recovering from his season-ending injury from last Courtesy of Associated Press
U P C OM I N G
season. He has also takRiver Hawk Games en a similar role that he played in the 2018 Thursday, Oct. 25 3 pm FH vs Massachusetts postseason for the Celtics offense. Friday, Oct. 26 7 pm MSOC at UNH He has developed his skills as a leading Friday, Oct. 26 7 pm WVB at Hartford ball handler, and his confidence has not 7:15 pm Hockey vs. Northeastern Friday, Oct 26 fadded. That was evident on Oct. 20 against Saturday, Oct. 27 2 pm XCTF at Nashua the New York Knicks when he hit a turn7 pm Hockey vs. Bentley Saturday, Oct. 27 around jump shot to For more sports information and full game schedules visit goriverhawks.com seal the victory for the Bradel Celtics. Many NBA wrtiers and analysts have been touting Tatum’s potential as a star player in the NBA. Despite finishing below the Rookie of the Year voting behind Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons, Tatum’s projection is much higher than the two because of his ability to shoot the three at a high level and his versatility on the offensively and defensivley. His potential could make or break the season for the Celtics. They are one of the favorites to win the NBA Finals this year, but the Celtics do not have a legitimate superstar. Irving and Hayward have had flashes of their potential ceilings as players, but they have shown that they need a lot of help. Irving was a good stats but on a bad team kind of player before LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavailers. Hayward is a respected player in the league but has never been in discussions of a top-10 NBA player. Stevens can get the Celtics to play beautiful basketball, but the talent of the team is not that much better than the Tortonto Raptors and the 76ers who have superstar-caliber players like Kawhi Leonard and Ben Simmons and Joel Emiid respectively. Tatum’s potential can give the Celtics the boost they are looking for if they want to prove to the league that they are legitimate contenders for the NBA title. If Tatum can become a top-15 player for the Celtics, then their ceiling is limitless, especially against the Golden State Warriors.
Tatum has continued to show his superstar potential through the start of the season
Getting Ahead
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