Orientation Issue 2014

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GORDON:INSPIRINGCHANGE

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The Collegian’s stance on Blarney Blowout

HIMYM ends in a legendary flop

THE MASSACHUSETTS

By Catherine FerrisCollegian Staff

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on April 17, 2014.

After Derrick Gordon came out publicly last week, the Westboro Baptist Church made it known they would be picket-ing the University of Massachusetts. When stu-dents caught wind that this was happening, a rally was planned to support Gordon and the LGBTQ communi-ty on Wednesday. “After Derrick Gordon came out publicly, there was some backlash from

different communities, specifically the Westboro Baptist Church,” said Charlotte Kelly, a sopho-more. Kelly said that Ellie Miske, a junior, and Sïonan Barrett, a sophomore, were involved in organizing this event, but noted there was help from organizations as well. She said a lot of messaging was run by the Stonewall Center and spoke with people from the Pride Alliance and the Student Government Association. Zac Broughton, a senior and SGA President, was also in attendance. “I’m here today to stand solidarity with my fellow students and show my sup-port for the LGBTQ com-munity,” he said.

Broughton also recog-nized the possibility of the Westboro Baptist Church protesting, and said that although it is their consti-tutional right to say what they want to say, “We’re going to exercise our con-stitutional right to talk about something better.” The Facebook event, #UMassUnited, was creat-ed and had over 2,000 people saying they were attending. The page outlined what exactly the event was, as well as reminded students to be respectful of every-one’s beliefs and rights. When the time to begin marching from the Fine Arts Center to the Student Union came, there were an estimated 3,000 people in attendance including stu-

dents from the Five Colleges and residents of Amherst and Northampton. “I am queer and a Christian, training to be a pastor. I really care about showing both the queer community and the Westboro Baptist Church that being queer and a Christian does not have to be in conflict with each other,” said Lizzie McManus, a senior from Mount Holyoke. She heard about the event through a friend who saw it posted on Tumblr, and was looking forward to attending the protest. McManus continued, “My absolute goal per-sonally is to bear witness

Students rally in support of Gordon

‘United’ against inequality

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

Over 2,000 people from UMass, Northampton, Amherst and surrounding colleges gathered on the UMass campus to show LGBTQ community support.

see RALLY on page 3

By PatriCk hoFFCollegian Staff

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on March 10, 2014.

Fifty-five people were arrested Saturday dur-ing “Blarney Blowout,” an annual St. Patrick’s Day-themed series of drinking parties that left a number of people with minor injuries, including four police offi-cers, police and university officials said. Officers from the Amherst Police Department issued dispersal orders, increased police manpower to the area, released pepper spray and shut down bus service and streets near the stretch between Puffton Village and the Townehouses in North Amherst. It took nearly an entire day to quell the rowdy crowds  –  which grew with thousands in attendance. APD officers arrested 55 people with at least 18 of those people held on charg-

es of failing to disperse and inciting a riot; at least three others were held on assault and battery with a danger-ous weapon charges; and an individual was also charged with breaking and entering. Other charges included dis-orderly conduct, alcohol vio-lations and assault and bat-tery on a police officer. Police also issued an additional 28 summons. All of the arrests occurred between 9 a.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. Sunday. Any University of Massachusetts students arrested in connection with the event will face a sanctions review from the University, whose officials, including Dean of Students Enku Gelaye, warned early last week may result in their expulsion or suspension from the school. T h e University, which released a statement late Saturday night, said its officials con-demn the “unruly behavior” at “Blarney Blowout.” Officers began responding to calls related to the parties at 10 a.m. At 8 p.m., police were continuing to break up fights, respond to noise

complaints and communi-cate with intoxicated people, according to a statement by the APD. The UMass Police Department also arrested three people at the event Saturday, according to UMass spokesman Ed Blaguszewski, who added that because the parties were almost all held off-campus, UMPD officers were acting as more of a “support-ing agency” to APD officers. State Police officers were

also called in to support the APD in its attempts to break up the crowds. The first students were arrested on charges of vio-lating public alcohol laws as they were leaving UMass’ campus. Amherst police broke up a party at the Puffton Village Apartments shortly after 11 a.m. when fights began breaking out, and people began throwing snowballs,

APD reports four injured officers

‘Blarney’ leads to numerous arrests

UMass cancels two more Oct. EDM concerts

By Conor snellCollegian Staff

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on Sept. 30, 2013.

The University of Massachusetts cancelled two more upcoming electronic dance music concerts at the Mullins Center on Thursday, bringing the number of concerts cancelled due to drug concerns up to three. The cancellations of Above & Beyond, slated for Oct. 4 and Pretty Lights, set for Oct. 30, came just five days after Return to Fantazia was scheduled to perform before its cancellation ear-lier this month. These are the last of the sched-uled EDM concerts at the Mullins Center for this year. The cancellations come after a dangerous and potent form of the drug MDMA, nicknamed Molly, has been connected to several recent overdoses in the Northeast. Enku Gelaye, interim vice chancellor for student affairs and campus life, said in an email to UMass students that “the factors that led to

cancellation of the Sept. 21 concert have not positively shifted. In fact, we have grown even more concerned about ongoing reports of overdoses at such events.” “The Molly-taking culture at these shows is real and now exceedingly dangerous to the health and safety of concert attendees,” she said. Student Government Association President Zachary Broughton held discussions with campus officials regarding the con-certs, and co-signed Gelaye’s email informing students of the cancellations. However, in a Facebook post on Sept. 27, Broughton clari-fied that he “did not, and [does] not support the can-cellation of these events.” “[We] did not think it was the place of the University to dictate the behavior of students. Rather, it is the responsibility of the University to educate stu-dents so that they can make better, informed decisions,” wrote Broughton in the post. He goes on to stress his belief that the cancellations punish those who do not use Molly, assume that all who attend these EDM events partici-pate in drug culture, ignore

Students can get refunds for tickets

Marching band performs at Macy’s Parade

By shaina MishkinCollegian Staff

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on Dec. 2, 2013.

This Thanksgiving, the sounds of “Fight Mass” and “Sweet Caroline” could be heard up and down 6th Avenue as the University of Massachusetts’ Minuteman Marching Band paraded towards Macy’s Herald Square in New York City. Though the parade officially began at 9 a.m., UMMB members woke long before dawn on Thursday to begin their final parade preparations. Karen Podorefsky, a junior flute player and three-year marching band member, said she and her roommates woke up at 1:50 a.m. to be on the busses bound for Herald Square by 3 a.m. “Being able to rehearse at 4 a.m. was like nothing I had ever done before,” she said. “We stood in the middle of the street waiting to sprint onto the star and go over our drill for only 10 minutes. The lights were shining on the buildings and it just felt surreal.” For Emily Gluck, a four-

year UMMB trumpet player and UMass senior, reality hit during this early morn-ing practice. “I never in a million years thought that I would be wearing the uniform that means so much to me on the streets that mean so much to me,” said Gluck, a New Jersey native. “As a senior, this is the last time many of us will ever put on a marching band uniform. For me in particular, it was a great way to go out.” The band arrived at the Marriott Downtown in Manhattan around 3 p.m. the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Upon check-ing in, members had free time to explore the city. Rehearsals began the next morning, first in sectionals, then all together. The band was slated to practice in a high school gym in New Jersey on Wednesday but rehearsed in the Downtown Marriott’s Grand Ballroom instead due to inclement weather. “We sort of made do with what we had and it defi-nitely worked,” said Gluck. “We taped the Macy’s star on the floor of the ballroom so we could practice the full Macy’s set.” After ar riving uptown around 4 a.m. on

Members spend holiday in NYC

ROBERT RIZZUTO, SPRINGFIELD REPUBLICAN/MASSLIVE.COM

Pre-St. Patrick’s Day celebration initiates chaos and arrests near the UMass campus and the surrounding area.

see BLARNEY on page 3

see EDM on page 3

see MACY’S on page 3

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN2 Orientation Issue 2014 DailyCollegian.com

By Jaclyn Bryson, Patrick Hoff

and aviva luttrellCollegian Staff

Editor’s Note: This story orig-inally ran on Oct. 31, 2013.

As Red Sox closer Koji Uehara threw the final pitches of the World Series last night, University of Massachusetts students gathered in the Southwest Residential Area to celebrate Boston’s cham-pionship with the rest of the campus community. “The majority of the night was a great suc-cess,” Student Government Association President Zac Broughton said in a message to The Massachusetts Daily Collegian. “Students came to Southwest for some free food, warm apple cider, bouncy houses and enjoyed watching the game. I was proud to see my peers cheer on the Red Sox in a fun responsible way.” At the top of the eighth inning, approximately 500 stu-dents filled the concourse. By the height of the celebration, close to 3,000 had gathered. “I’m here because I love the Red Sox, I love Boston,” said Kelly Scott, a UMass fresh-man communications disorder major. “It’s just a good time … Everyone wants to see the last few innings,” said Trevor Butler, a UMass freshman on the pre-med track. “Everyone wants to see them win the World Series.”Organizers of the structured celebration shut down the inflatables and the screen soon after the end of the game to prevent damage to the equip-ment, although one did end up damaged. With the inflatables gone, students began to climb and shake the light poles in the concourse. “There was a kid that jumped up onto a tree and was shak-ing it and there’s people throw-ing whole rolls of toilet paper everywhere and bottles and everything,” said Gage Fuller, a UMass sophomore commu-nications major. Shortly before midnight, UMass Police ordered the crowd to disperse, wearing riot gear and shouting, “Go home.” Students began running away from the area when the order was given. According to the official UMass Twitter account, smoke and pepper balls were used to control the crowd. No rubber bullets or tear gas were used

by police during the celebra-tion. “Reports stating otherwise are false,” the Twitter account said. UMass reported that 15 students were arrested during the disturbance, 14 of whom were arrested for failing to dis-perse and one of whom was charged with being disorderly. Fourteen of those arrested are UMass students. No injuries were reported. Before the game even ended, people were planning postgame celebrations. “I’m expecting a riot, I’m envisioning a riot as soon as we win,” said Shain Roche, a psychology major. “I have my toilet paper ready.” Broughton said that he was “extremely disappointed” with students who had planned to aggressively celebrate after the win. “The SGA stood up to the administration and said that we had faith in our peers and believed they were responsible enough to handle a large-scale event,” he said. “Once again, something great was ruined by the few who wanted to turn it into something that it was not.” Broughton said, however, that he was disappointed in the way that some police handled the situation. “There may have been some stupid students out there tonight but there were some extremely stupid and very forceful police officers that did not help the situation,” he said. While the celebration marked the Red Sox’ victory over the Cardinals, the gather-ing brought together fans of all different teams. “I don’t care if you’re a

Red Sox or Cardinals fan, this is UMass spirit here,” said Andrew McCarthy, a sopho-more in the Isenberg School of Management. He added, “We have great spirit right here … it’s awesome.” “I’m a Yankees fan and I actually hate the Red Sox,” Fuller said. “But you know, it’s awesome to be in Massachusetts when it’s hap-pening.” Amidst the crowd, some used the Red Sox win as an opportunity to celebrate Halloween early. Gage Foley came to Southwest dressed in a cow costume, “because the World Series happened to come the day before Halloween, and we all like to mix it at UMass.” This was the first major celebration that freshmen Hannah Baalbaki and Natalia Babula have witnessed at the University. “It’s definitely crazy, I haven’t seen anything like it before,” Baalbaki said. The two agreed that the cra-zier peoples’ costumes, the cra-zier they seemed to be going.

“They have no shame,” Baalbaki said. Senior Jesse Turek said he believes the University brought the out-of-hand cel-ebration upon themselves. “I didn’t expect anything at all until I knew they had every-thing set up,” he said. Turek said he saw one officer pull somebody out of a tree. “Five riot police came up behind me and said, ‘Get out of the way, get out of the way’,” he said.   Broughton said that overall, the night was a learning expe-rience for everyone. “I think it helps prove that yes, we need large scale pro-gramming on campus, but we need to find alternative loca-tions for it,” he said. “UMass needs to start making space for students a real priority.”

Brian Bevilacqua, Katrina Borofski and Catherine Ferris contributed to this report. Jaclyn Bryson can be reached at jbryson@umass.edu. Pat-rick Hoff can be reached at pphoff@umass.edu. Aviva Luttrell can be reached at aluttrel@umass.edu.

Close to 3,000 fill the concourse

Sox win ignites SW celebration

CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN

At least 3,000 students gathered in the Southwest Residential Area on Oct. 30, 2013 to celebrate the Red Sox’ World Series victory.

MARIA UMINSKI/COLLEGIAN

One student climbed a tree and police ordered him to get down.

Blue Wall café to be renovated

By sHelBy asHlineCollegian Correspondent

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on Oct. 24, 2013.

Students who frequent the Blue Wall for meals will soon be forced to find alter-natives as the University of Massachusetts plans to undergo renovations of the dining area after the end of this semester. The transformation, which is expected to be completed by Aug. 15, 2014, will include a redesign that is hoped to provide better, more efficient ser-vice to its customers and become a more inviting space, according to UMass Director of Retail Dining Services David Eichstaedt. Though the new design of the Blue Wall has not yet been finalized, Eichstaedt said it is likely that self-sufficient stations will be set up around the perim-eter. “We’re changing our way of thinking (regard-ing) the quality of the food and the preparation,” Eichstaedt said, “and this new design will allow us to do that.” There is expected to be a larger variety of seat-ing after the renovations with increased space for dining. In fact, according to Eichstaedt, the plan is to increase seating enough so that it will be feasible to close the Hatch, con-solidating the Hatch, Blue Wall and the Marketplace into one organization. Designers will be cre-ating a “more open, free-flowing space” by remov-ing the concrete walls in Blue Wall, according to Eichstaedt. The layout will also allow for traffic to flow quicker, accord-ing to Ken Toong, execu-tive director of Auxiliary Enterprises.The opening of the new academic building next to the Campus Center was “a big contributing factor” in deciding to renovate the Blue Wall, Eichstaedt said. “We knew that we had to increase the seating and increase the number of food service venues to get people through fast enough,” he said. “We’re over capacity now, and when that new classroom building opens, it’s going to be even worse.” Eichstaedt and Toong estimate that the renova-tions could cost anywhere from $14 to $19 million. Some of the funding would come from “state bonding through UMass Building Authorities,” Eichstaedt said. The rest of the money would be taken from what the university has reserved, according to Toong. Bruner/Cott Architects and Planners, which is based in Cambridge, has been put in charge of designing the layout for the new Blue Wall, while

Lee Kennedy Co. Inc. out of Quincy will head the actual construction. During the renovation, accommodations will be made for Blue Wall and Market customers. “We’re going to set up temporary feeding stations throughout the Student Union and Campus Center to help support the displaced customers,” Eichstaedt said. “We’re going to use the Student Union Ballroom as over-flow seating for lunch Monday through Friday.” There are also plans to have two food trucks parked as close as possible to the Campus Center to compensate for the loss of the Blue Wall, and the Hatch will have extended hours. It will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. When the Blue Wall reopens, it will be “more sustainable,” Eichstaedt said. The compostable paper products such as plates and cups that are currently in use will be replaced by china plates and cups for the students that intend to stay at the dining area to eat. Toong suspects that the Blue Wall will be so busy after its reopening that it will offer more jobs for the students as well. The rest of the Campus Center will also experi-ence changes. According to Eichstaedt, the Reading Room, which currently hosts meetings, is going to become “a quick-serve market,” similar to a Grab-N-Go. After renovations of the Blue Wall have been completed, Worcester Dining Commons will be the next dining area to undergo renovations, fol-lowed by Franklin Dining Commons. Renovations of Worcester and Franklin will likely occur in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Toong’s goal for the res-torations is to bring the next generation of retail dining to campus. He hopes to make the Blue Wall “the best retail loca-tion in the nation.”

Shelby Ashline can be reached at sashline@umass.edu.

“We knew that we had to increase the seating and increase

the number of food

service venues. We’re over capacity now, and when that new classroom building

opens, it’s going to be even worse.”

David Eichstaedt, UMass Director of Retail Dining

Services

Orchard Hill area government resigns

By Patrick HoffCollegian Staff

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on March 31, 2013.

The Orchard Hill Area Government has stepped down from their positions shortly before they were scheduled to testify before the Student Government Senate for an impeachment hearing, according to a high-ranking SGA official. The impeachment pro-cedures were scheduled to move forward on Monday, but because Governor Seth Perkins, Lieutenant Governor Isilda Gjata, Treasurer Victor Paduchak and Secretary Cameron Locke “respect-fully stepped down,” accord-ing to Secretary of Finance Lindsay Vitale, there is no longer an impeachment pro-cess. Perkins, Gjata and Locke resigned on Friday, while Paduchak resigned earlier in the week. All resigned due to academic reasons.

According to an SGA senator, normal proceedings would allow the government 30 days before appointing a new person to the position but since the entire government needs to be replaced, different measures will be taken. Vitale added that because the entire OHAG had resigned, she will be unfreezing the government’s accounts this week. The audit and freezing of accounts raised questions about whether Bowl Weekend was still possible given the fact that the government was not able to spend money for the past couple weeks. Perkins had previously told the Massachusetts Daily Collegian that the frozen accounts were “a bit of a set-back” because he was strug-gling to begin renting inflata-bles and other necessities for the event. Vitale is now working with Dylan Larke, a residence director of Orchard Hill, SGA Secretary of Registry Ellie Miske, a former OHAG governor, Lloyd Henley at the Center for Student Development and two other residents of Orchard Hill to

make sure that Bowl Weekend can continue as scheduled. Larke has the signature responsibility to sign off on transactions and purchase requests for the event accord-ing to Vitale. Vitale said that the SGA and the CSD are work-ing together to make new requirements in all RSOs next year, including monthly budget updates from groups. The SGA is also looking into recruiting a set of auditors to make sure that campus groups are using funds prop-erly and effectively. “It is with great sorrow and frustration that I resign the office of governorship at Orchard Hill,” Perkins said in a statement to the Collegian Sunday night. “Over the past year, my administration and I have held the needs of our constituents dear to our hearts. It was through this good natured attempt to pro-vide for those we see daily

that we have been hung out to dry. Essentially, it is our belief, that the bylaws of the SGA are more concerned with bureaucratic power then the legitimate concerns of its gov-erned.” Perkins added, “The issue arose from the fact that I did not consider myself behold-en to the SGA, rather, to my constituents. It is with great appreciation for my dorm, my residents and the integ-rity of Orchard Hill Area Government that I resign. My hope is that with my admin-istration’s passing, that the work may continue towards Bowl Weekend.” In an interview with Perkins before spring break, Perkins said that he has not given full thought to his future plans but running for the Senate could be among them.

Patrick Hoff can be reached at pphoff@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Hoff_Patrick16.

Perkins and cabinet leave their positions

“My hope is that with my administration’s passing, that the work may contnue towards

Bowl Weekend .”Seth Perkins, former Orchard Hill area governor

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN Orientation Issue 2014 3DailyCollegian.com

RALLY continued from page 1

through nonviolent pro-test, show that they are not the absolute voice of Christianity or the abso-lute voice of religious peo-ple in this country.” Joseph Homsi, a senior, said that he was excited for the Westboro Baptist Church to come to cam-pus. “For me, this was coming out to say that Christianity is accepting of all kinds of people, no matter the sexual orienta-tion, color, race or gender. And I just wanted people to know that and get that message out there because for me, it was a struggle to understand that and I feel like now I have come to understand it, it is my responsibility to help spread that teaching.” Homsi went to a Catholic school for 13 years, and said it was difficult for him to come out. However, he talked to priests and different support groups, and came to putting his faith and sexual orienta-tion together. Nate Budinton and Cindy Stahler, residents of Northampton and Amherst, heard of the event from a newspaper article. “I’m here in support of (Derrick Gordon) and of a safe and loving envi-ronment at UMass and in the town of Amherst,” Budington said. He recognized the Westboro Baptist Church as having a right to speak, but sees them as a group that has completely missed the meaning of Christianity. Stahler, a resident of Northampton, said she heard about the event and began to e-mail people to attend in support. “I’m a Christian and I think God loves everybody. People who adopt the name of Christian and don’t believe that God loves everybody needs someone to stand up and say what their truth is. It’s great to stand up and show sup-port for the LGBTQ com-munity. Even though it’s cold and windy, it’s a good day.” Students flooded in front of the Student Union, chanting things like “Black, white, gay, straight, love does not dis-criminate,” and “Hey hey ho ho, inequality’s got to go.” There were several speakers who stepped up to give speeches and tell their own personal stories. Alex Russell, a junior and food science major, spoke of her struggles and

feeling as though she was stuck in the closet at one point. “A lot of stuff gets put into that. You have those things that you need on a daily basis that go right on the shelf in the front. But there’s always that pile in the back, the stuff that gets pushed back and for-gotten, stuff that’s hidden, the stuff that you can’t find unless you’re really searching for it. People aren’t meant to be in them. And yet a closet is a perfect analogy to where I was not too long ago. I felt buried, trapped by fear.” Russell continued, and said that the UMass com-munity has been welcom-ing and supportive, but noted that this is not the case in other places. “I am looking forward to the time when holding hands with the person you love is not something to stare at. When announcing your sexuality is not media worthy. I am looking for-ward to the time when no one will need to come out of the closet because no one will feel that they are trapped in one.” The Westboro Baptist Church tweeted multiple times of their plans to picket, but did not spec-ify where they would be. However, they said they would be picketing from 12:15 p.m. until 1 p.m. There were five mem-bers of the church standing on the side of Massachusetts Avenue, holding signs and play-ing music. The lyrics of the songs were remixes of popular top 40, including the change of Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” to “God has a grenade for ya.” A crowd of approxi-mately 100 people gathered across the street, many of them yelling obscenities at the picketers. At one point, the crowd began to chant, “Fred Phelps is dead.” Police were on the scene, keeping the crowd on the curb and out of the street, and preventing anyone from crossing the street and getting close to the Westboro Baptist Church. Most students said that the event for Gordon and LGBTQ support was a good way to send a mes-sage about love. Kelly said, “Love wins. Support wins. Solidarity wins. And (the WBC’s) movement doesn’t have any solidarity.”

Catherine Ferris can be reached at caferris@umass.edu and followed @Ca_Ferris2. Aviva Luttrell, Julia McLaughlin and Rose Gottlieb contributed to this report.

cans and bottles into the crowd, the statement said. At 12:15 p.m., police cleared approximately 4,000 people from the Brandywine Apartments grounds, the statement said, adding that officers issuing dispersal orders were struck by glass bottles, full beer cans and snowballs by members of the crowd. APD officers broke up a “dangerous and out of con-trol” party at the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house shortly after 1:30 p.m. and were hit with bottles, beer cans, rocks and snowballs,

the statement said. Some of the items were thrown from the house’s roof, porch and windows. Four Amherst police offi-cers received minor injuries from thrown objects and physical fights. Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy sent an email to the campus community on Sunday evening express-ing his outrage and disap-pointment for Saturday’s activities. “I want to make it unequivocally clear that the University of Massachusetts Amherst condemns the

outrageous behavior of those students who acted out without any regard for public safety and the com-munity in which they live,” Subbaswamy wrote. “They have brought shame on our fine university and run the risk of devaluing the col-lege degree that all of our students work so hard to achieve.” The chancellor added that he and his administra-tion will take the necessary steps to address the incident and they will “redouble … efforts” to avoid future inci-dents from occurring.

Blaguszewski said that the University is trying to identify whether visitors to UMass and Amherst played a part in instigating “Blarney Blowout.” Earlier in the week, the University sent an email to undergraduate students and their parents about the con-sequences of “bad behavior.” “While the vast major-ity of UMass Amherst stu-dents act responsibly every day – both on campus and in the surrounding communi-ties – for those students who violate the University Code of Student Conduct or the Town of Amherst By-Laws, the consequences will be significant and they may be lasting,” wrote Enku Gelaye, interim vice chancellor for student affairs and campus life in the email. As part of its prepara-tions for “Blarney Blowout,” the University also sent let-ters of warning to students who had been disciplined for alcohol-related miscon-duct within the past year and to students living off-campus who had been cited for noise or nuisance house complaints. Blaguszewski said that it is “difficult to tell” whether the messaging campaign worked on controlling the crowds, but “we needed to do that.”

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

BLARNEY continued from page 1

ROBERT RIZZUTO, SPRINGFIELD REPUBLICAN/MASSLIVE.COM

APD was assisted by UMPD and state officials in breaking up crowds.

problems with other drugs and do not allow students to make their own choices. Broughton said he agreed to co-sign the email to let students know that SGA represen-tatives had been involved in the discussion process, but that the SGA’s goal of preventing the cancella-tion had ultimately failed. Molly has been linked to seven deaths in Boston and New York, according to the Greenfield Recorder. Reports of these overdoses have recently prompted a string of concert cancella-tions throughout the region. Electric Zoo, a multi-day EDM festival held on Randalls Island, N.Y. over

Labor Day weekend was cancelled on its final day after two concertgoers over-dosed and died, according to the New York Times. According to drugabuse.gov, MDMA can cause feel-ings of empathy, extreme closeness with others and sexual arousal by increas-ing the activity of the neu-rotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepineph-rine. However, it can also cause feelings of nausea and dehydration, increase heart rate and blood pressure and lead to a “sharp increase in body temperature” also known as hyperthermia. Pure MDMA can often be hard to find, and much of the Molly around now

is mixed with other drugs, often unknown to the buyer. These can include caffeine, the stimulant ephedrine, ketamine, cocaine, meth-amphetamines and a wide range of other chemi-cals, each with their own side effects and poten-tial dangers, according to the New York Times. “The strain of Molly out on the street right now is very dangerous, and its use is strongly associated with these types of concerts,” said Ed Blaguszewski, director of news and infor-mation for UMass. “If these kinds of concert are being held on our campus, then we have a responsibility to make sure people are safe.”

He said that the future for EDM concerts at UMass remains unclear, and the University will have to wait and “see how the situation on the street develops.” According to Blaguszewski, Mullins Center management has been cooperative and under-standing in regards to the cancellations. He also said the contract between UMass and the Mullins Center gives the University the right to cancel events such as these. Ticketholders for Above & Beyond and Pretty Lights can receive refunds for tick-ets at the point of purchase.

Conor Snell can be reached at csnell@umass.edu.

EDM continued from page 1

Thanksgiving Day, band members warmed up in sections as they waited to be called to Herald Square for practice. The band ran through their song “Big Noise from Winnetka” three times in front of Macy’s before heading back to the buses. After the band returned from practice at 5 a.m., members had an hour to pack and pick up breakfast before they returned to the buses, this time bound for Central Park West. Upon arrival, the band unload-ed their instruments and warmed up outside the parade area. “Some other bands were around; we all exchanged friendly words and wished each other luck,” said sophomore alto saxophone player John Coggeshall. After waiting to step off, the band took to the parade route, following The Power Rangers and preceding Fall Out Boy. Marching down the two-and-a-half mile

parade route, the band ran through their repertoire multiple times, eliciting notably loud cheers when the band passed a section of UMass alumni while playing “Fight Mass.” “The parade moved fast-er than other parades we did, but it was magical to hear and see so many peo-ple cheering. The perfor-mance itself felt like it was over in 10 seconds,” said Coggeshall. “[The feeling after the performance] is very hard to describe, but it is one of the best feelings I have ever felt in my life.” “We found out that we were going in the spring of 2012. A year and a half and hours and hours of preparation later, it is over. That’s crazy to think about,” said Podorefsky. “I watch the videos to relive the experience, but it is nothing like standing there performing for millions of people.”

Shaina Mishkin can be reached at smishkin@student.umass.edu.

MACY’S continued from page 1

Students protest use of police forceBy AvivA LuttreLL

Collegian Staff

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on March 12, 2014.

A group of more than 100 University of Massachusetts students rallied in front of the Student Union Tuesday afternoon in protest of what they see as excessive police force used during the “Blarney Blowout.” Students speakers, among them Student Government Association President Zac Broughton, outlined several demands of the Amherst Police Department and the University, and passed around a petition before marching to the Whitmore Administration Building to call for a public meeting with Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and Vice Chancellor John Kennedy. “All of the videos that I saw showed police shooting into third story windows with rubber bullets, dispers-ing crowds, tear gassing peo-ple in the face, using what seemed like unnecessary force,” said Andrew Clinton, a senior political science and history major protesting at the event. “I think that police should have focused on deescalating and managing the conflict instead of trying to forcibly disperse the crowds, which only sort of escalated the situation, broke down trust

between the students and the police and also created lots of animosity,” Clinton added. “What was supposed to be a fun event turned into a real-ly dangerous and chaotic sit-uation,” said UMass student Katie Connell, megaphone in hand, to the crowd in front of the Student Union. She added that the administration must rethink how they handle these types of situations, and students should be involved in the decision. Preston Davis, secretary of diversity for the SGA, said that although he does not condone violence on the part of students, the police action at the event was unwar-ranted and unnecessary. He said that students were not given enough time to disperse before police began using pepper spray and the event became dangerous. “Nobody comes out in these situations on top,” he said. “We don’t condone vio-lence on either side.” Broughton, who also spoke to the crowd, outlined three demands he called “non-negotiable.” These include a formal and direct apology from the APD, an immediate investigation into the actions of its officers and for the town of Amherst to sit down with student leaders to come up with solutions for the future. “With “Blarney Blowout,” it’s something that happens every year, but it seems like

the only thing anyone in the town or Amherst Police is interested in is blaming students and telling UMass students to stay on campus and get away from it all,” Broughton told the Collegian before the rally. “To handle it different, we need to all sit down and figure out a community-wide solution with everybody, rather than just blaming everybody,” he said, adding, “I think we need to start talk-ing about the story that isn’t being told, that students were treated like animals by police officers and that it’s unac-ceptable just because they’re students. They’re adults, they’re members of this com-munity – they’re supposed to be protected by those police officers and they were not.” SGA Senator Charlotte Kelly, who spoke last, said, “Events like this can be pre-vented … if and when we are involved in the conversation.” She added that the adminis-tration should be protecting UMass students in the media, not disgracing them. Several students walked around the crowd asking for signatures on a petition call-ing for the University, police and students to work togeth-er to create safe and orga-nized spaces for students to celebrate in a peaceful man-ner. Following the rally, pro-testers marched to Whitmore

shouting chants such as, “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Police bru-tality’s got to go!” and “We will never be defeated, the students, united.” Students gathered on the ramp in front of the entrance for 15 minutes before shift-ing to the door closest to the stairwell leading up to the Chancellor’s office, continu-ing to chant the entire time. At approximately 1:11 p.m., Associate Chancellor Susan Pearson and Senior Associate Dean of Students David Vaillancourt came out of the building. Jenna Grady, a leader of the pro-test, informed the crowd that Subbaswamy and Kennedy were out of town. This announcement was met with boos. Grady outlined the stu-dents’ demands to Pearson and then a delegation of six people, including Grady, met in Pearson’s office to schedule a meeting with the Chancellor. After 10-15 minutes, Grady returned and announced that the meeting will be either March, 26, 27 or April 1 in a public space. She said that if it does not happen within two weeks of spring break, stu-dents are “ready to escalate” with more demonstrations.

Aviva Luttrell can be reached at alut-trel@umass.edu. Katrina Borofski, Catherine Ferris and Stephen Sellner also contributed to this report.

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“The freedom of affluence opposes and contradicts the freedom of community life.” - Wendell Berry

Ian Hagerty

Students, police and admins all to blame in ‘sad and difficult’ Blarney

Editor’s Note: This staff editorial originally ran on March 13, 2014

Between 9 a.m. Saturday, March 8, and 4 a.m. Sunday, Amherst Police Department (APD) officers arrested 55 people, at least 18 of whom

were held on charges of failing to disperse and incit-ing a riot. Police issued an additional 28 summons. Legal action has been taken against at least 70 people relating to the events of Blarney Blowout. Sixty percent of those arrested had no connection to UMass, student or otherwise. Only 20 UMass stu-dents were arrested, along with one UMass employee, who was in possession of a firearm. Media outlets around the country have covered the aftermath of Blarney, including Time Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Good Morning America. This coverage has presented students as riotous criminals and police actions as necessary for the protection of the town. The reality is far more complex. A small group of violent students took action to incite violence, and, hopefully, those responsible for starting the conflict are those who sat in jail cells on Saturday and had to make bail. Drunken violence is abhorrent. On this, both the Collegian and Chancellor Subbaswamy agree. Attacks on police officers, from verbal incitement to throwing glass bottles, never should have happened, but a multitude of conditions preceded the violence and contributed to its occur-rence. The administration of UMass and officials of Amherst made two preparations for Blarney. The first, on March 3, was Vice Chancellor Enku Gelaye’s 412-word email to the student body reminding them that Blarney is unsanctioned by the University and outlining potential consequences of poor choices. The second was the presence of riot police around Amherst on the day of the event, seemingly waiting for events to get violent. Neither of these actions was successful in mitigating the event and its community impact, but both helped to incite violence by pitting students and police against each other and creating a standoff. There is video evidence of a police officer firing “pepper balls” into the upper-floor window of a pri-vate residence and of a police officer pepper spraying a non-violent and non-resistant student. Ideally, they are bad apples, just as those students who incited violence are, but with the continued occurrence of violent clashes, the pattern of pepper balls, flash bombs (at the Southwest riots) and injured students indicates a deeper institutional failure both at the APD and UMass Police Department. Chancellor Subbaswamy sent an email, as seems to be the norm on March 9, stating his “outrage” at the impact of the event and “condemning” the “out-rageous behavior” of students. He continued that he would “redouble” the administration’s efforts to “avert” future clashes. We hope that this redoubling does not mean sending two e-mails and posting twice as many police officers. More than 100 students gathered in front of the Student Union on March 11. Speakers included SGA President Zac Broughton, who demanded for an apology from the APD. The students marched to Whitmore Administration Building and requested a meeting with Chancellor Subbaswamy and Vice Chancellor for University Relations John Kennedy. Organizers and administrators agreed to meet on March 27 for a “Public Accountability Forum.” A March 11 statement by UMass President Caret and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Henry Thomas stated “that the actions of all parties – University, municipal, commercial and others – should be considered.” The Collegian agrees and hopes that all media coverage and future administrative planning takes the actions – or inaction – of the APD and the UMass administration into account before blaming the event entirely on students and thereby belittling the value of a UMass degree.

Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Mas-sachusetts Daily Collegian Editorial Board.

Editor’s Note: This column originally ran on March 6, 2014 Every year on March 8, the United Nations and many other

countries around the world cel-ebrate International Women’s Day. The event is generally pre-sented as an apolitical or vaguely liberal occasion to celebrate the achievements of women and promote such uncontroversial causes as better education for girls in developing communities. But its origins are actually much more radical, tied to the socialist movement of the early 20th cen-tury and the fall of an empire. As with several other impor-tant progressive celebrations around the world, including International Workers’ Day on May 1, the original idea behind International Women’s Day came from the American social-ist movement. The Socialist Party, formed in 1901, was heav-ily involved in the struggle for women’s suffrage. After a major strike by female textile workers on Feb. 28, 1908, the Socialist Party decided to mark the occasion every year as “National Women’s Day,” in

order to promote women’s rights – meaning both voting rights and rights in the workplace, such as equal wages with men and paid maternity leave. The success of this ini-tiative in the United States inspired German socialist Clara Zetkin to propose the idea of an International Women’s Day as an annual event focusing on the worldwide struggle for women’s equality. Her propos-al was approved at the Second International Conference of Working Women in 1910, and the first International Women’s Day was held on March 19 of the next year. Later it was moved to March 8. In those years, the central issue was voting rights for women, and the Socialist International sought to build support among male workers for universal suffrage. The first International Women’s Day in 1911 was held under the slogan, “The vote for women will unite our strength in the struggle for socialism.” Also high on the agenda were demands for the end of workplace discrimination and the right of women to work in the same jobs as men. The event was particularly successful in Germany and Austria, where so many women joined the dem-

onstrations and attended politi-cal meetings that it was said the men were the ones who stayed home with the children that day. The most influential International Women’s Day by far was held in Russia in 1917. For several years leading up to this, small underground events had been held in late February to mark International Women’s Day, with participants risking arrest by the Tsarist police. World War I took a heavy toll, both in lost lives and in economic dev-astation, leading to widespread hunger in the winter of 1916-17. In response to all of this, women workers in the textile industry organized what was supposed to be a small strike in Petrograd on International Women’s Day, which fell on Feb. 23rd, according to the Julian calendar used in Russia at the time. According to the Gregorian calendar we use today, this day was March 8th. The supposedly small strike grew beyond all expectations. Enormous numbers of female workers joined the cause, textile production came to a halt and the striking women went out into the streets in a sudden illegal demonstration that was too large for the police to suppress. Within a day, the men had joined them

as well. Within a week, the Tsar abdicated and the government fell. This was the “February Revolution” – the first of two revolutions that took place in Russia that year. The February Revolution marked the end of the last absolute monarchy in Europe, and brought down one of the largest empires in the world at that time. And it was start-ed by women, on International Women’s Day. This is the origin and the legacy of International Women’s Day: Not a bland, sanitized event to remember something vaguely referred to as “the vital role of women as agents of develop-ment” as the U.N. puts it, but an occasion to celebrate and con-tinue the radical movement for women’s rights that once toppled an empire. One of the demands put for-ward by those brave socialist women in 1911 has been met: We now have universal suffrage. But many others have yet to be achieved.

Mike Tudoreanu is a Collegian colum-nist.He can be reached at mtudorea@umass.edu.

Mike Tudoreanu

Radical origins of Int’l Women’s Day

Editor’s Note: This col-umn originally ran on March 27, 2014

The recent events in Eastern Europe involving Russia and Ukraine have spawned, at their most extreme, apocalyptic claims. Here are five reasons why Russia won’t start World War III, or any other war for that matter:

1. The world is MAD. The end of World War II ushered the world into a precarious atomic age that characterized the international atmosphere during the Cold War. Luckily, the

Cold War never escalated to nuclear war. Why? Because of mutually assured destruction (or MAD). Russia knows that if it pushes that big red button, we have our own even bigger, redder button to push in retaliation. The odds of a nuclear war with Russia are extremely unlikely.

2. The impact of economic sanctions on the Russian economy is far too crippling for Russia to fund a war. As a part of a glo-balized world, economic sanctions are more than mere slaps

on the wrist. Already the sanctions imposed on Russia have begun to take their toll. The West has yet to attack Russia’s strongest eco-nomic assets, but the declining strength of the Russian economy puts Putin far from a position to wage a world war.

3. Putin’s actions demonstrate his longing for Russia’s glory days before the fall of the Soviet Union. His annexation of Crimea is more out of fear than strength. Putin feels threat-

ened by Russia’s changing role in world affairs and is using Crimea to tell the world that Russia still matters.

4. Russia is already seen as the “big bad wolf” of Europe.

Though Putin may have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his involvement in the Syrian

chemical weapons deal, Russia’s popularity among many Western countries is not very high. The recent suspension of Russia from the G8 group is a symbolic action that demonstrates that Russia will have to face a united front of world powers if it chooses to start a war.

5. There is just too much at stake. War between Ukraine and Russia is one thing; Russia’s military is large enough and strong enough to easily defeat Ukraine. However, if Russia

decides to take further aggressive action, it must also contend with surrounding European Union member nations and their potential involvement in the war. Moreover, Russia’s involvement in other international affairs will be affected. For example, the ongoing effort to normalize relations between Iran and the rest of the world will be jeopardized, considering Russia is involved in those efforts. Crimea may have symbolic meaning close to the hearts of Russians, but it isn’t worth risking the domino effect of events that can poten-tially occur. So, those of you who feel abnormally unsettled by the recent turn of events can rest easy. While Russia’s actions can’t be brushed aside and should be taken seriously, the chances of this confronta-tion escalating to a great war are slim — assuming these countries act rationally.

Maral Margossian is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at mmargossian@umass.edu.

Maral Margossian

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Letters to the editor should be no longer than 550 words and can be sent to editorial@dailycollegian.com or submitted online at dailycol-legian.com. We regret that, due to space constraints, not all letters will be printed, but can be found online.

Editor’s Note: This letter origi-nally ran on Nov. 21, 2013

Dear Daily Collegian,

My name is Tyler O’Day, and I am writing you about a chance to fundamentally change the amount of say students have in how the entirety of the University of Massachusetts system runs. Currently, there is a bill being reviewed by the Massachusetts House, bill H.1088, which was sponsored by none other than the new Mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh. This bill would

allow all five student trustees serving on the UMass Board of Trustees to vote because right now only two get to vote at a time. Each UMass campus elects a student trustee to a one-year term, but only two get to vote during that year. This year, student trustee Megan Kingston from UMass does not get to vote. Yes, you read that correctly – the stu-dent that represents all 27,000 of us does not get to vote this year. Not only that, but this has been going on every sin-gle year since UMass Lowell opened. The Board of Trustees

controls the entire UMass sys-tem. For instance, they are the ones who selected our cur-rent chancellor. Further, see-ing as every decision handed down by the Board of Trustees directly affects the lives of all 68,000 students within the UMass system, I firmly believe that there should be full stu-dent representation within the board itself. As the board cur-rently stands, students are not only being disenfranchised, we are being disrespected. The current makeup of the board isn’t reflective of the constitu-ency it supposedly represents,

that constituency being us, the undergraduate and graduate students of UMass. It’s our right to be heard, and, seeing how all five student members of the board are elected by us, it is our right to have full rep-resentative power: power in fighting for policies that reflect the values of the entire student population, not just 40 percent of us. This bill will provide all 68,000 of us with the voice that we deserve, and will be a pro-gressive step for the university system as a whole. Tyler O’Day

Five reasons why Russia won’t start World War III

“Nobody can stay beloved forever. People are going to get sick of me.” – Jennifer LawrenceArts Living

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How I met the worst series finale in television history

By Stephanie RamiRezCollegian Correspondent

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on April 15, 2014.

With an alternate ending to be released this fall, it’s only fitting to discuss the controversial “How I Met Your Mother” series finale. Nine years, nine sea-sons, 208 episodes, count-less jokes and laughs, plen-ty of storylines, five main characters – and one (until now) nameless mother. It all came to an end Monday, March 31, and fans around the world sat down to watch what would become one of the most disappointing series finales to date. Honestly, as soon as the episode was over, I checked my calendar and made sure it wasn’t April Fool’s Day yet, because that finale had to have been an elaborate prank. Weeks later, and I am still fuming. The episode begins in 2005: a nice, senti-mental look into the day Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) joined the gang. At that moment, I should have foreseen the ending and turned off my TV before it was too late. The whole finale was about Robin. How she became part of

the group, her marriage to Barney, her divorce from Barney, her secret feelings for Ted and how she essen-tially quit her friendships. Truthfully, I don’t have a problem with Robin, but when I started watching “How I Met Your Mother,” I signed up for an ending in which Ted (Josh Radnor) and Tracy, the mother (Cristin Milioti), actually end up together. To give credit to the writ-ers, yes, Ted and Tracy were absolutely perfect together while they lasted. Yes, sickness does happen, and sometimes, it does trag-ically take the people you love. It is realistic, and of course, as the finale sug-gests, it is absolutely okay to move on. But don’t make us fall in love with the idea of Ted and the mother for nine years and then pull the rug out from under our feet during the series finale. It was the plot twist to end all plot twists… except almost nobody enjoyed it. For nine years, dedicated fans waited and anticipat-ed Ted and Tracy’s meet-ing, with the show drop-ping hints about the cou-ple’s effortless chemistry and important parallels. Viewers hoped to finally see and experience Ted’s happy ending with the woman of his dreams, only to find that the woman of his dreams was merely a plot device to unite Ted and Robin, a

couple whose flames had seemingly died long ago. Over the latter part of the show’s first eight years, the writers led the audi-ence to believe that Ted and Robin were over, only to spend this entire last sea-son hinting at and eventu-ally reigniting their love. When Ted was at his lowest points, he returned to Robin in what can only be called a sick obsession, but Robin countlessly rejected him, leading fans to believe that her happy ending would be with Barney (Neil Patrick Harris). Throughout their time together, both Barney and Robin recognized their faults and grew enormous-ly as characters. The entire last season was about Barney’s and Robin’s wed-ding, so why would the writ-ers dedicate a whole year to a marriage that would deteriorate within the first five minutes of the finale? Moreover, why did they flush all of Barney’s char-acter development down the drain? In fairness, Barney’s storyline with his daugh-ter was perfection. He dedi-cated his whole life to writ-ing off women, never fully committing – and then he promises to dedicate the rest of his life to one girl: his daughter, the result of a one-night stand. Although we never learn who that mother is, other than

“Number 31,” in Barney’s “Perfect Month,” Barney promising to give every-thing to the most important girl in his life was endear-ing enough. Well-written and incred-ibly touching, that story-line was the episode’s only ending I enjoyed. If I say I didn’t shed a tear during the scene at the hospital in which he calls Ellie, his daughter, the love of his life, I am lying. Meanwhile, Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Marshall (Jason Segel), forever together and the least prob-lematic characters, were

hardly even acknowledged in the finale. While their ending was well established before the finale, I was left wondering what happens to their family. Are they still close to Ted? And where are their three kids? For one, we never even learn the third kid’s name. Are they happy and healthy? Do Lily and Marshall ever experi-ence any problems beyond Marshall’s long career path to judgeship? On the one hand, Lily and Marshall fans should be grateful their favorite couple was left intact. On the other, their ending was … not an

ending at all. Now, with a looming alternate finale, one can only hope that the HIMYM team’s second choice is sig-nificantly better than the first. Including the alter-nate finale is not only an attempt to sell more DVDs when the final season is released, but the writers’ attempt to quiet dissatis-fied fans. Quite frankly, if I watch the alternative finale and enjoy it, I’ll only be angry that it wasn’t the actual ending.

Stephanie Ramirez can be reached at sjramire@umass.edu.

‘HIMYM’ ending disappoints fans

T E L E V I S I O N R E V I E W

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Much to the surprise of many fans, the finale was nearly all about Robin.

Feist delivers her A-game

By alex FRailCollegian Staff

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on April 16, 2014.

Canadian indie artist Feist put on a soulful solo performance at Calvin Theater last Wednesday. The concert, part of her abbrevi-ated Mettle Tour, was a bare-bones acoustic rendition of her greatest works, drawing largely from her brilliant 2011 album “Metals.” Kevin Drew, Feist’s band mate from Broken Social Scene and her long time friend, opened for her. Throughout his short, solid set, he played solo tracks from his time in Broken Social Scene. One of the highlights of his set was a summery instrumental that he dedicated to anyone wear-ing shorts. Feist came out around 9 p.m. She opened the show with an a cappella rendition of “The Circle Married the Line,” which set the tone for her excellent acoustic set. Her voice hit every note per-fectly, coupled with subtle drumming on her guitar. Feist described the con-cert as a smattering of songs from 2000 to 2014, a reflec-tive, experimental set that marked only her second solo performance in a decade. She acknowledged the tour’s brevity when audience mem-bers begged her for more concert dates. The tour was a test run on the solo deliv-ery, “a full-body toe dip,” according to Feist. The toe dip paid off. Feist is a creative and experimental musician, one who engages the audi-

ence and loves her fans. The Solo Mettle Tour was a brilliant idea, a stripped-down reimagining of her greatest work as a solo art-ist. Shedding the backdrop of a band, the concert placed Feist center stage, an artist alone beneath the spotlight with her virtuoso playing and golden voice. She’s also a remarkable guitarist, as she proved with mind-bending finger pluck-ing on “Sea Lion Woman,” but her voice has always possessed a hypnotic, even melancholy quality that has made it her greatest asset. No matter the emotion it reg-istered, it was always beauti-ful. She employed a clever substitute for the rousing chorus in “Undiscovered First.” She dropped back from the microphone then with each passing verse she stepped forward, growing louder and louder until the song resembled its studio version, a rousing climax with heartrending lyrics like, “Is this the way to live / for me to be yours? / Is this the way to live? / Is it wrong to want more?” Feist’s stage presence was amazing from the second she emerged from behind the curtain. She constantly engaged the audience, often in casual conversation and in playful banter. In response to an audience member’s “Ow Ow!” following a song, Feist feigned concern and asked, “Did you hurt yourself ?” She accepted many ques-tions, from what pets she has to what she’s been listen-ing to (a 1960s cassette from Iraq). Eventually, her rap-port grew so strong she was cracking inside jokes with the audience. Her personality emanated so powerfully that it became difficult imagining her with

a backing band. Watching her nail every note and pluck breakneck chords, it became apparent that any-thing other than Feist her-self seemed superfluous. During her songs, she engaged the audience more than most acts. While play-ing “Comfort Me,” she coached the crowd with the song’s “nah nah nah nah nah” chant. The song offered biting lyrics like, “When you comfort me / it doesn’t bring me comfort actually.” She read part of her friend’s dissertation about Socrates’s dialogue on cica-das, which she joked was her philosophy behind the calming track “Cicadas and Gulls.” The humorous segue gave way to a lullaby-like version of the piece. Later, she told a captivat-ing story about the Water Children of Micronesia. It was a legend she once heard about little islands in the Pacific that chose a child to live its life in the water so one day he or she could guide the tribe off of the island, through the ocean, and to a new home. The Water Child, which the audience decided was a 17-year-old girl, grew to know the ocean so well that she could feel the waves on the boat, sense the shadows of fish below her, and point toward a pinprick of an island in the vast ocean. As she spoke, she enraptured the audience like a story-teller spellbinds young chil-dren. Then she transitioned back to the concert, explain-ing that like the Water Child, she found her way back to the next song, and began a stripped down “1234.” The audience erupted in delight.

Alex Frail can be reached at afrail@umass.edu.

Singer-songwriterrocks the Valley

C O N C E R T R E V I E W

Warner Bros. builds fans a blockbuster brick by brick

By nathan FRontieRoCollegian Staff

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on April 2, 2014.

Style and substance are so often substituted for one another in film that seeing something like “The Lego Movie” is truly marvelous, and even more of a joy to look back on. Writer-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have built a multifaceted, visually stunning film. “The Lego Movie” is at once a bril-liantly subversive satire, a heartfelt ode to creativity and a fabulously freewheel-ing adventure. The film opens with every-man Emmet Brickowski, the poster child for contented mediocrity (his face is the original Lego minifigure smiley). Emmet (Chris Pratt) lives in a brick-laden world of order, ludicrously over-priced designer coffee and corporate domination in the form of President Business, who is voiced by none other than Will Ferrell. As strong-ly visual as it is, the film also excels on a sonic level, specifically through an abso-lutely stacked vocal cast that also includes Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman. Matching these famous voices to their plastic minifigure faces is as fun as the admittedly non-sequitur appearances that many of the supporting characters make. The filmmakers get away with the runaway storyline for the most part though.

Lego’s expansive library of licensed themes allows for some great storytelling liberties. Seeing Lego ver-sions of Green Lantern and Superman (you should recog-nize the voices behind those two), Gandalf, Dumbledore – and even C-3PO voiced by Anthony Daniels himself – is just an utter joy. But as already mentioned, the film’s true selling point is its pure visual splendor. The world that millions of people have imagined brick by plastic brick is fully real-ized. Dare to watch “The Lego Movie” and not find yourself captured, entirely transfixed in this construct-ed universe. Animal Logic, the anima-tion company at work here, spares not even the slightest expense. Every single detail is rendered in CGI equiva-lents of those famous studs and pieces, and even the lim-ited movement of minifig-ure bodies is translated over with integrity. The film is somewhat prone to sudden action and madcap chaos, but when things explode, they burst into flickering Lego flames, and when light-ning strikes or electricity crackles, Lego energy bolts appear as well. The film masterfully accomplishes this unique style, passing off CGI as stop-motion anima-tion and making the scene-by-scene action all the more believable. Another of the film’s great charms is its fearless-ness in both using stock characters and spryly lam-pooning them. Pratt is great at conveying Emmet’s fool-ish mannerisms, and the film spends a terrific amount of screen time underlining precisely how far the char-

acter falls from the chosen one archetype. Through President Business, the film also shines light on the extremes of consumer culture. Ferrell’s charac-ter strives to control every aspect of this Lego universe, to keep everyone following instructions. The mix of focus on unforgiving order enforcement in a saccha-rine society gives the film an intriguingly dystopian feel. The blend of that dark-ness with the bright colors of childhood playthings is only augmented by the film’s smartly self-aware satire. Especially great moments work with simple humor. For example, when the mysteri-ous Wyldstyle (Banks) tries to tell Emmet his prophetic purpose, her words disap-pear into a haze of romantic nonsense as the light blurs around her. The image is familiar (Wyldstyle’s dia-logue literally breaks down into a sultry delivery of “blah, blah, blah”) and much like the rest of the movie, it works because it’s some-thing that’s been done but has not been done quite like this before. “The Lego Movie” is a film that does astounding work with its specific presentation of the medium: it uses the meticulous animation not only as a means to engross the audience but also as a powerful comedic catalyst. Yes, the pacing and plot are a bit loose and sometimes too non-stop, and yes, the third act is heavy-handed, but the film succeeds, quirks and all. “The Lego Movie” is different, it’s original and it’s awesome.

Nathan Frontiero can be reached at nfrontiero@umass.edu.

Chaos and creativity assemble seamlessly

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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN6 Orientation Issue 2014 DailyCollegian.com

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Oh Freshman, you keep me young!

College is about change. The new you shines through when you change your Facebook last name to your middle name.

H O R O S C O P E S aquarius Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

Deleting and defriending all your high school acquaintances will keep things interesting for your fifth-year high school reunion.

pisces Feb. 19 - Mar. 20

Skip the meal plan your first year, as it is necessary to eat only ramen if you hope to assimilate into the collegiate lifestyle.

aries Mar. 21 - apr. 19

Shower shoes are a useless endeavor if they aren’t actually a skin tight suit that envelops your entire body.

taurus apr. 20 - May. 20

It might just be orientation, but the friends you make now will be there until you graduate. They are set in stone. Forever.

gemini May. 21 - Jun. 21

College is a lot like Tommy’s Holiday Camp: A camp with a difference, nevermind the weather, and the holiday is forever.

cancer Jun. 22 - Jul. 22

When given a name tag, it’s important to have it on you at all times, otherwise you don’t actually exist as a person.

leo Jul. 23 - aug. 22

If you’re not already thinking about graduate school, you are too late.

virgo aug. 23 - Sept. 22

It’s a good time to realize the gravity of that D you got in 10th grade biology and how it has affected your college entrance.

libra Sept. 23 - Oct. 22

Be ahead of the game and work on the Freshman 15 during orientation. Your efforts will be admired.

scorpio Oct. 23 - nOv. 21

The Pioneer Valley: A land of beautiful landscapes and skyrocketing to plummeting temperatures all day long.

sagittarius nOv. 22 - Dec. 21

I actually control the course of your academic career so keep reading periodically to keep up with what’s going to happen next.

capricorn Dec. 22 - Jan. 19

Good morning campers!

Dinosaur ComiCs By ryan north

Poorly Drawn lines By reza FarazmanD

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN Orientation Issue 2014 7DailyCollegian.com

But Gordon is in the right place to come out. Massachusetts is widely considered one of the most liberal and progressive states in the country, with UMass living up to that bill-ing. There is a huge LGBT support system on campus, which can make it easier for a person like Gordon, who is constantly in the public eye, to come out and know that he has a strong support group. “In a lot of schools, even if it’s a really progressive school, sometimes the ath-letic department is not so progressive,” Pat Griffin said, who focuses on LGBT issues in sports and is a UMass professor emeri-tus. “That’s the anomaly in the college campus. I don’t think that’s the case here, as evidenced by the great sup-portive response that he’s getting from the athletic department.” It’s been hard for Gordon to pick the exact time to come out as gay. He was nearly outed last summer when a photo of him stand-ing outside a gay bar with his then-boyfriend surfaced. Members of the Minutemen caught sight of it and began harassing him and ques-tioning his sexuality. Gordon denied those accusations at first, always saying that he was straight. But he was lying to him-self. He was pretending to be something that he truly wasn’t. Still, Gordon went out and continued to play the sport he grew up loving and at an extremely high level. He was a major contributor to getting UMass back to the NCAA Tournament, all the while keeping this secret in the back of his mind. The idea for him to wait to reveal this news to his team until after the season ended “says a great deal about the young man,” according to UMass Athletic Director John McCutcheon. “That he didn’t just think about himself. He thought about his teammates. He thought about the coaches. He thought about the pro-gram in conjunction and really thought through the timing of when would be the right time to do this and

knowing that he has to do what’s in his best interest, as well,” he said. With this announce-ment, Gordon will forever be linked to the likes of Collins and Sam. He’ll be a role model for not just gay athletes, but for the gay community as a whole, as someone who did what he knew was right. “It’s a scary situation,” he said. “Just to have to tell your parents and everything and shaking. I’ve never shaken like that in my life and just to be shaking the way I did, I came to realize that it’s not an easy topic to discuss, so to be in the mix with (Collins and Sam), hopefully it’s not just us three. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot more people, it’s just a matter of time.” It is just a matter of time for the next gay athlete to come out and it’s also a mat-ter of time until this type of announcement is seen as normal. “That’s going to take time,” Gordon said. “In cer-tain places in our society, it’s just not acceptable. It shouldn’t matter at the end of the day.” The process hasn’t been easy for Gordon and there will only be more hurdles to jump over, not just for him, but for the entire UMass team. Bergantino, who was Gordon’s roommate, is fearful for what’s going to be said by “keyboard war-riors,” who will hide behind their computer screens and criticize him for being who he is. And then there are the road games next season that will surely bring out remarks about his sexuality. But for Gordon, he’s not worried about those moments. He’ll deal with them when they happen. As for right now, it feels like the weight of the world has been lifted off his shoulders. “I couldn’t be more hap-pier in my 22 years of liv-ing,” he said. “Just hiding something that I’ve been hiding for the longest time, it’s like I’m taking my mask off.”

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

game,” Kellogg said. “Now we have an extra game to scout, or an extra team.” As for the three seniors — Williams, Raphiael Putney and Sampson Carter — this is what they’ve worked for their entire career at UMass. So many notable players before them failed to end the Minutemen’s drought, but this opportunity is some-thing Kellogg sold to them when they were recruited to the program. Now, it’s all come to frui-tion. “It came at the perfect time,” Carter said. “We grinded for four years and now we’re in our last year and we’re finally here, so it’s perfect to come at the last year. It’s perfect timing.” For Kellogg, this was not only his selling-point to recruits. It’s also what he had to sell administra-tion on when they hired him back in 2008. He was a player during the program’s hey-day, making it to the NCAA Tournament all four years he was with the Minutemen and going as far as the Elite Eight in his senior year. For him to be the leader in resurrecting the program makes it that much more special. “We got a little work to do to be compared to what (former UMass coach John Calipari) was doing here a long time ago,” he said. “But just to be mentioned with that and having played here, to me, we’re back where we belong.”

This dream moment for UMass didn’t quite go per-fectly, however. CBS made a mistake when revealing the Minutemen’s portion of the draw, accidentally putting their name up on the screen and then quickly taking it down to reveal the Duke-Mercer matchup, leaving everyone in attendance a little confused. “We were cheering and yelling and screaming and then they had to do it again,” Kellogg said. “We got a double whammy from the crowd here, which was great because I had to ask our guys, ‘who are we play-ing?,’ and then it came back up again.” Now that UMass is in the Tournament, it must pre-pare for the biggest stage that any of these players have ever played on. With the bright lights and big stage comes high emo-tions, something that the Minutemen are going to need to keep in check if they want to make a run, rather than be one and done. “I know my emotions are going to be high and there’s going to be a lot of energy and passion coming from me,” Maxie Esho said. That’s to be expected. Because for the first time in 16 years, UMass is going dancing.

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

UMass trounced by TennesseeBy Mark Chiarelli

Collegian Staff

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on March 24, 2014

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Massachusetts men’s bas-ketball team collectively took on the appearance of a boxer sensing a fight slipping away, staggered against the ropes. At first, the Minutemen appeared shell-shocked, unable to plug multi-ple deficiencies which Tennessee exploited. And as the Volunteers contin-ued to expand on their lead – it grew from six points to double-digits to as high as 24 points – UMass con-tinued to seek answers it ultimately did not have. By the end of their 86-67 loss to Tennessee on Friday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, many of the emotionally-drained Minutemen could do little more than drape towels over their heads. From start to finish, the game was never in hand. “I guess we got on the ropes for a little bit and a couple people had a couple jitters and everything,” UMass forward Sampson Carter said.

UMass trailed by 19 points at halftime, but opened the second half with a mini-resurgence. The Minutemen sparked a 14-4 run to cut the Volunteers deficit to 46-36. For a team notorious for slow starts and second half charges, it felt as if UMass had one last trick up its sleeve. Tennessee shut that

door quickly. The Volunteers surged back, using a Josh Richardson tomahawked chase down block on a Derrick Gordon layup to gain energy and push the lead to 17 points. As quick-ly as the Minutemen had gained momentum, it had slipped away. “We definitely felt like it was going to be a turning

point. I can’t even tell you what went wrong,” UMass forward Sampson Carter said of the second half comeback attempt.Kellogg cited the Richardson block as a major turning point in the game. “I thought our guys fought in the second half, cut (the lead) to 10 or 12,” Kellogg said. “A few bounce plays didn’t go our way. We couldn’t get over the hump.” UMass opened the game with back-to-back missed layups. By the end of the first half, point guard Chaz Williams said the team was told they had missed nine. The Minutemen found opportunities to score but couldn’t con-vert as the game quickly slipped away, shooting just 30 percent in the first half. “I felt like we were get-ting whatever we wanted on the floor, honestly,” Williams said. “We just weren’t finishing baskets. … I feel like it was more so us, you know. I turned the ball over early. I wasn’t really making layups. There was nothing they really did.” Mark Chiarelli can be reached at mchiarel@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli.

M E N ’ S BA S K E T BA L L

TAYLOR C. SNOW/COLLEGIAN

UMass was dealt an early exit by Tennessee, falling 86-67 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

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GORDON continued from page 8

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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

UMass makes NCAA Tournament as 6-seed

M E N ’ S BA S K E T BA L L

BREAKING THE MOLD UM snaps 16 year NCAA skid

By Patrick StroheckerCollegian Staff

Editor’s Note: This story origi-nally ran on March 16, 2014.

It doesn’t matter that the Massachusetts men’s basketball team got put in Raleigh, N.C. It doesn’t matter that it is the No. 6 seed, or that it doesn’t quite know its opponent for Friday’s second-round matchup. All that matters is that UMass is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 years. “That was an emotional, great feeling,” UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. “To see UMass pop up on the screen, it’s just a lot of hard work, a lot of dedica-tion from our coaching staff and families. … It’s been an emo-tional time and we’re excited to be where we are.” Since the Minutemen were eliminated from the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Friday night, they’ve been projected to be about an eight or nine seed. But, to be a No. 6 seed shows that UMass earned the respect that it sought from Day 1. “We felt that (the committee) hasn’t been respecting us all year,” senior Chaz Williams said. “For them to give us a six seed, we felt like, ‘Wow, now they’re showing us a little bit of respect.’ But still, we have work to go out there and do.” Despite entering Friday’s game as the higher seed, UMass is faced with one of the tougher challenges in the tournament: not knowing its first opponent. The Minutemen will play the winner of the first-round game between Iowa and Tennessee, meaning that, unlike the major-ity of the teams in the field, they will only have two days to pre-pare for their second-round foe. “We already had talked about who was going to scout each

COURTESY TEDXUMASSAMHERST

Derrick Gordon became the first openly gay Division I men’s college basketball player after publicly coming out in April.

By Patrick StroheckerCollegian Staff

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on April 10, 2014.

On Sunday, March 30, Massachusetts men’s basketball coach Derek Kellogg received a phone call from sophomore shoot-ing guard Derrick Gordon. On the other end was a trem-bling Gordon, who had a big secret to let out: he was gay. “He called me late Sunday night and said he had met with his parents,” Kellogg said. “And he sounded kind of nervous. He was stumbling on the phone some and I said, ‘listen, just tell me what’s going on. You can tell me anything, you don’t have to beat around the bush,’ and he came out and said ‘I’m gay, coach.’” Three days later, on April 2, Kellogg called a team meeting for Gordon to address the rest of

the team. The result was Kellogg showing his support for Gordon by breaking the ice to his team. “I said, ‘I want to make an important announcement to you guys. Just want to let you know that I’m gay,’” Kellogg said. “(The team) knows me, they’ve been to my house, hung out with my wife and my son and thought it was kind of funny … he kind of broke the ice and (Gordon) said, ‘you know coach ain’t (gay), but I am.’” With the announcement, Gordon becomes the first open-ly gay athlete in men’s Division I basketball, coming out just two months after former Missouri football player Michael Sam came out as gay months before the NFL Draft. Gordon sat down with Outsports’ Cyd Zeigler and ESPN’s Kate Fagan to tell his story, which both became public on Wednesday morning. Gordon said he felt like

he was hiding something and that “he didn’t want to hide it anymore,” in the interview with Fagan. With immense support from fel-low gay athlete Jason Collins – who became the first openly gay athlete to play in the NBA when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets in February – and Wade Davis, Gordon finally worked up the cour-age to tell his family. Gordon said his brother Darryl, who is currently serving four years in jail for shooting a man in the chest, took the news the hardest. The brothers have a very strong bond and Gordon, who’s always been open about doing everything in life for his brother, told him that it wasn’t his fault and it could’ve just as easily been him. “I had to have a good, long talk with him to let him know that it wasn’t his fault,” Gordon said. “This is who I am and I told him too, it’s not like I woke up one day

and said ‘OK, I’m gay.’ You can’t do that. Just support me for who I am and he got it. It took him longer than my father did. “Well you tell people these types of things, you can’t just expect them to know right away and know right away.” Despite the fact that it took his family some time to understand the news that Gordon revealed to them, his teammates all supported him. In fact, they knew something was bothering him throughout the season because Gordon tended to go off on his own and, at times, didn’t seem part of the team. “This past year, he got a lot more isolated,” sophomore Tyler Bergantino said. “You could tell that there was something bother-ing him. Wasn’t really quite like himself like how I saw him the year before. You could tell there was like a fog about him.”

Derrick Gordon announces he is gay

see GORDON on page 7 see DANCING on page 7

UMass introduces Mark Whipple as new head coach By StePhen hewitt

Collegian Staff

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on Jan. 21, 2014.

Mark Whipple stood in front of the assembled crowd, looked out among the plenty of familiar faces in the audi-ence and held back tears as he ushered in the University of Massachusetts football program’s next chapter. “Sometimes you need to go away to find out where your home is,” Whipple said. Whipple, the director of one of the greatest eras of Minutemen football from 1998 to 2003, was introduced as UMass’ newest head coach for his second stint as the program’s leader on Tuesday at Mullins Center. Distinguished UMass leaders were on hand to deliver addresses, includ-ing UMass president Robert Caret, Vice Chancellor for University Relations John Kennedy and UMass Board of Trustees Chairman Henry

Thomas. UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy was on a trip to India and unable to attend. “We are thrilled to wel-come back one of the great-est coaches in the 135-year history of UMass football,” Kennedy said in a pre-pared statement on behalf of Subbaswamy. “Coach Whipple is committed to fos-tering a positive environment in which our student-athletes will thrive both athletically and academically. “I am confident that, under coach Whipple’s lead-ership, Minuteman football will continue to improve and will excel at the (Football Bowl Subdivision) level.” UMass Athletic Director John McCutcheon said that he, along with his advisory committee and Carr Sports Consulting – which he hired for this process – sifted through about 70 candidates for the post, which was open since Dec. 26, when Charley Molnar was fired after guid-ing the Minutemen to two

one-win seasons as a mem-ber of the FBS, the top divi-sion of college football. In the end, Whipple, who became a fan favorite dur-ing his six-year tenure with UMass, which included a Division I-AA national cham-pionship in his first season, was the man for the job, to move the program forward and out of its recent spell of mediocrity and controversy. “We wanted to make sure the process was that we threw the net wide and far, so that if Mark did end up being the right guy, that we tested all the waters and it wasn’t just a marriage of conve-nience,” McCutcheon said. “It was that we really felt that he was the most quali-fied and best person for this job.” Whipple returns following several coaching stints after leaving Amherst a decade ago. Immediately after his stint at UMass, Whipple became the quarterbacks coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers from

2004 to 2006, helping signal-caller Ben Roethlisberger guide the Steelers to a Super Bowl title in 2005. From there, it was on to the Philadelphia Eagles as an offensive assistant in 2008, the University of Miami (Fla.) as an assistant head coach and offensive coordi-nator/quarterbacks coach in 2009 and 2010, and finally the quarterbacks coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2011 and 2012. Whipple didn’t coach in 2013. Whipple said becoming a coach in the NFL was a nec-essary step in his career and he can take the lessons he’s learned from the last 10 years and use them at UMass. “People ask me, ‘Why would you leave the NFL?’” Whipple said. “They hadn’t been to UMass. “I needed to do that. I needed to broaden my hori-zons. I needed to compete at the highest level.” Whipple will take over a fledgling UMass football

program that has struggled mightily to get off the ground running in its first two sea-sons in the FBS and Mid-American Conference. The Minutemen have suf-fered through two years of lopsided defeats and major inconsistency on both sides of the ball, especially the offense, which ranked sec-ond-to-last in the country in 2013 with 11.7 points per game. With constant ques-tions on who would be the quarterback seemingly every week, UMass never found any rhythm. Off the field, the program experienced more setbacks. There were rifts between Molnar and the program’s alumni base, which were intensified in September when the alumni created a petition to oust Molnar after a video leaked online of his team boxing and fighting each other during winter workouts. Whipple wants to leave all of that in the past. “Where do we go from

here? What am I going to tell the players in the meeting on Monday night?” Whipple said. “We don’t look back. Everything’s forward.” During his first UMass coaching tenure, Whipple expressed his desire for the school to move up to Division I football. At the time, admin-istration was hesitant about making that move, which was part of the reason why he left for the NFL. In 2011, as the Minutemen prepared to make the move up, Whipple was a name that was often brought up, but the school ultimately decided to hire Molnar, then an offensive coordinator at Notre Dame. “Mark’s name has always been out there,” McCutcheon said. “When we talked two years ago, it just wasn’t the right time for him.” Fast forward roughly two years later, and the belief is that this is the right time.

Stephen Hewitt can be reached at shewitt@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @steve_hewitt.

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