The document provides information about an upcoming meeting for The Torch campus newspaper at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. The meeting will be held on Mondays at 6:30pm in room 116 of the Liberal Arts building. It advertises free pizza from Papa Gino's for meeting attendees and details Papa Gino's special deal for UMass Dartmouth students. It encourages students to get involved with The Torch newspaper.

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Mondays at 6:30pm in Liberal Arts 116
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February 26–March 4, 2015 — Volume 32, Issue 18www.umasstorch.comServing the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
THE TORCH UMass D Torch
@UMassDTorch
UMD_Torch
UMass Amherst
Iranian student
policy discriminatory
By MOLLY HILLIS
MHILLIS@UMASSD.EDU
Managing Editor
In a recent decision, UMass Am-
herst has decided to revise its
policy barring Iranian national
students from entering specific
graduate classes in the sciences.
As a result of student protest
and online activism, the univer-
sity has determined that the pol-
icy could not stand in its original
form. However, objections con-
tinue as university officials work
to adjust, rather than overturn,
this ruling.
The policy, which was an-
nounced on February 6, was
meant to exclude Iranian national
students from studying in chem-
ical, mechanical, and comput-
er engineering programs at the
graduate level.
Continued on Pg. 2
Senator Elizabeth Warren and
Congressman Bill Keating attend-
ed a roundtable discussion about
the rising cost of a college edu-
cation at UMass Dartmouth last
Friday.
After taking a tour of the UMa-
ss Dartmouth campus, Warren
opened the discussion in the Li-
brary Living Room with her ex-
perience growing up “at the rag-
ged edge of the middle class.”
The daughter of a janitor, Warren
worked and put herself through
a commuter college, which at the
time only cost $50 a semester.
Over 20 UMass Dartmouth stu-
dents participated in the round-
table discussion. Student Trustee
Jacob Miller began the round of
back-and-forth dialog by asking
the senator and congressman
what they think states can do to
improve college education.
Warren noted that for students
in public universities, taxpayers
only pick up about 25 percent of
the costs, leaving the rest up to
students, their families, and loans.
She stressed that more public
funding for public universities is
a must to fight the souring cost
of attending college and the debt
students must accrue for an edu-
cation.
“A university costs $50 a semes-
ter when American taxpayers are
willing to support that universi-
ty,” Warren said.
Carlos Palacio, a first-gener-
ation college student who im-
migrated to the United States
with his parents 10 years ago, ex-
plained his struggle with staying
in school. His financial aid was re-
duced when he began his second
year, because financial aid places
more priority on helping first-year
students. He asked what the feder-
al government should do to help
keep students in school.
“We need to provide more flexi-
bility at the federal level,” Warren
said. “Sometimes a small amount
of money makes a big difference
for someone on the verge of drop-
ping out.”
She also suggested improving
the accountability of the financial
aid dollars given to colleges by
creating a ranking system to track
how many people graduate from
colleges on time.
Jessica Noiseux, a political sci-
ence major, works most nights and
was not able to take a required
class for her major because it was
only offered at night. An online
class was her only hope, but fi-
nancial aid would not cover it. She
was eventually able to get a waiv-
er to take the online class, but she
asked Warren what she could do
to help ensure students can use
their financial aid money for on-
line classes.
Warren stressed that more
flexibility is needed with student
financial aid, which could allow
schools to accept financial aid for
online classes.
Michael Claveau, a senior fi-
nance major, asked the senator
how she would help middle-class
families struggling to pay for
college. His family is in the mid-
dle class, but his parents did not
put anything away to help pay
for college. He filed a FAFSA but
received little financial aid, and
his job as a senior resident assis-
tant does not cover enough of his
college costs so he must resort to
loans.
Warren stressed that more sup-
port is needed in Congress to help
bring down college costs. She not-
ed that student loans distribut-
ed between 2007 and 2012 are on
track to make $66 billion in profit,
while at the same time Congress
gives tax breaks to oil companies
and corporate executives.
“We have a student loan prob-
lem right now that has spread
completely out of control,” War-
ren said. “The federal government
is making a profit off the backs of
students.”
Warren promised to re-intro-
duce her Bank on Students Emer-
gency Loan Refinancing Act in
the Senate this year, which was
blocked in the Senate last year.
The bill would allow students
with outstanding student loan
debt to refinance their loans at
lower interest rates established
several years ago.
According to a press release
from Warren’s office, the bill
would allow students to bring
their student loan interest rates
from 7% or higher down to 3.86%,
a rate established by Congressio-
nal legislature in the summer of
2013. She called on UMass Dart-
mouth students to help get the bill
passed by signing a petition.
“I plan to get out there and
fight for [the bill]. And I plan to
start with the students right here
at UMass Dartmouth. If we get
enough voices, that’s how we’re
heard.”
The visit at UMass Dartmouth
was one of several stops Warren
made on the South Coast last Fri-
day. She also met with the mayors
of Fall River and New Bedford.
COMMUTING IN THE SNOW THE DAILY SHOW CORSAIR MENS BASKETBALLPAGE 4 PAGE 7 PAGE 12
Debt, high tuition costs highlight of
Senator Warren’s UMass Dartmouth visit
PHOTO COURTESY // UMASSD FACEBOOKSenator Warren speaking at a roundtable discussion with students and administrators.
By DOUGLAS McCULLOCH
DMCCULLOCH@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
Evan Foster, the marketing project
leader for Campus Sustainability
& Residential Initiatives (CSRI),
recently spoke to The Torch about
their recent and upcoming mov-
ie events to educate the UMass
Dartmouth community.
The CSRI team has recent-
ly finished Project Clean Plate,
which aimed to create awareness
amongst students about food
waste. Food waste accounts for
the highest amount of on-campus
waste. This initiative measured
food waste by posting the pound-
age of wasted food weekly to im-
prove student eating habits and
establish an impact on the envi-
ronment.
According to Evan, “Sustain-
ability is not just about recycling.
It encompasses social, econom-
ic and environmental issues that
should be understood and ad-
dressed in our long-term plans.”
The first movie in the sustain-
ability series, A Place at the Table
focuses on the economic situation
in the US and its effect on the
health of citizens. According to
the movie, 50 million Americans
don’t know where their next meal
is coming from.
In order to be eligible for gov-
ernment assistance, a family’s in-
come must be less than $20,000.
Food assistance comes to roughly
three dollars a day.
Families like the one featured
in the film are severely malnour-
ished because they cannot afford
healthy food items like vegetables
and fruits, and instead must rely
on food that is cheap but full of
carbs and sugar.
Sometimes, people go to a lo-
cal store and they cannot find
affordable fruits and vegetables.
According to a 2014 Washington
Post article, “Why don’t taxpayers
subsidize food products that are
better for us?” Taxpayers heavily
subsidize corn and soy while do-
ing nothing for fruits and vegeta-
ble farmers.
These two crops account for 150
million acres of planted food with
only 14 million devoted to fruits
and vegetables. Soy crops are
heavily used in processed food,
which should be consumed min-
imally, whereas fruits and vege-
tables provide higher nutritional
value.
Snowballing the effect, trans-
portation companies find it too
expensive to ship fruits and veg-
etables to local stores while the
cost of soy, corn and rice goes
down.
A report from the World Bank
states that good nutrition is the
first line of defense against sever-
al diseases in childhood. The re-
port also notes that the impact of
malnourishment on a child in the
developing years (age 0-8) can be
devastating.
It can severely hamper cogni-
tive and behavioral development.
Further, declines in reproduc-
tive health can also undermine
the people’s capability to grow to
their full potential.
Lao Tzu once said: “The jour-
ney of a thousand miles begins
with a simple step.” The office
of Campus Sustainability & Resi-
dential Initiatives have taken that
step towards educating the mem-
bers of UMass Dartmouth on the
topic of sustainability.
Foster says that “we want stu-
dents to understand the impact of
every day decisions which affect
us all on a macro level. Our aim
is to open debate on sustainability
issues by highlighting important
information so that everyone can
start thinking and asking the right
questions”.
Their next movie event will be
a showing of Dear White People
on March 4th at 7 p.m. in Liberal
Arts 116. The satirical documenta-
ry film highlights race relations in
American society.
Update on Campus Sustainability and Residential Initiatives
By RABEYA ROPANI
RROPANI@UMASSD.EDU
Contributing Writer

2. President Obama is taking strides
to get people outdoors once these
record amounts of snow melt
away.
Last week, the president desig-
nated three new national monu-
ments, making it a total of 16 na-
tional monuments he has put in
place since taking office.
According to the Huffington
Post, the Antiquities Act of 1906
gives presidents the power to set
aside areas as national monu-
ments if they have historical or
natural significance. These mon-
uments are managed by the Na-
tional Park Service.
That is why it was announced
in Chicago on a cold day this Feb-
ruary that with the upcoming
100th birthday of the National
Park Service, there will be new
monuments in Hawaii, Colorado,
and Chicago.
In the president’s home state
of Hawaii, there was a Japa-
nese-American internment camp
called Honouliuli from World
War II. Obama’s comments were
recorded by WhiteHouse.gov,
where he said, “Going forward,
it’s going to be a monument to a
painful part of our history so that
we don’t repeat the mistakes of
the past.”
The second new national mon-
ument is Colorado’s Browns
Canyon. This became Colora-
do’s eighth national monument.
Browns Canyon is 22,000 acres of
natural landscapes used for out-
door sports, recreation and agri-
culture.
The Friends of Browns Canyon
(FOBC) is a group that has been
pushing for this land to become
a national monument for over 30
years. The group’s director, Keith
Baker, spoke to 9News with ex-
citement: “It’s tremendous! It’s
finally here! It’s finally a national
monument.”
The dedication and recognition
that Browns Canyon has recent-
ly received has meant a lot to the
surrounding community and the
state of Colorado.
Finally, Obama made the an-
nouncement of his third national
monument to be dedicated in Chi-
cago, Illinois.
In his speech as he stood by the
Pullman neighborhood, he stated,
“It’s not as warm as it is in Ha-
waii, and the views aren’t as spec-
tacular as in Colorado. But what
makes Pullman special is the role
it’s played in our history.”
He went on to tell of George
Pullman—a carpenter turned
entrepreneur—who made an ex-
traordinary living by building a
railway company in Chicago and
turning it into one of the biggest
around.
The town of Pullman was also
the site of a strike that took place
during a period of depression bet-
ter known as the Panic of 1893. It
helped to bring about the labor
movement in America which gave
better rights and pay to workers.
President Obama continued to
tell of how the city of Chicago has
had such an impact on his own
life. It was where his wife is from
and where he went to college.
All of the history in this area is
the main reason Obama chose to
make it a national monument.
This led to Obama’s introduc-
tion of his plan called “Every Kid
in a Park.” With this, he has stated
that every fourth-grader in Amer-
ica along with their families are
being given a pass—“a pass good
for free admission to all public
lands…for an entire year.”
These national monuments
have been dedicated as a symbol
of America’s beauty, history and
grandeur, and also to let people
know that the world outside is
beautiful. It aims to get people out
there and discover it.
Members of the university com-
munity, as well as many people
and activist groups outside of
UMass Amherst, protested the
policy, claiming that excluding
Iranian students was baseless and
discriminatory.
Much of the objection came
from online efforts by those
against the new policy. Within
hours of the statement explain-
ing the changes to admissions
standards, the hashtag #WeAr-
eAllUMass began appearing on
Twitter.
This use of social media was
designed for Iranian students and
their allies on campus to call for
equal treatment of and opportuni-
ties for all students.
After personal accounts, blogs,
and posts began appearing on
various websites from Iranian na-
tional students who ranged from
confused to outraged, the topic
began trending on Facebook, in-
creasing awareness of the new
policy throughout the country.
UMass Amherst, in its original
statement explaining the imple-
mentation of the new regulations,
cited the need for this policy as
“unfortunate.”
Justifying the new rule as being
a necessary complement to feder-
al laws regarding Iranian student
visas, the university explained
that “…the exclusion of a class of
students from admission directly
conflicts with our institutional
values and principles. However,
we must adhere to the law and
hence have instituted this policy
to ensure that we are in compli-
ance.”
According to NBC News, an
unnamed official from the State
Department explained that this
policy reached further than feder-
al regulations determined neces-
sary: “U.S. law does not prohibit
qualified Iranian nationals com-
ing to the United States for edu-
cation in science and engineering.
Each application is reviewed on a
case-by-case basis.”
After discussions with the State
Department, Vice Chancellor for
Research and Development at
UMass Amherst Michael Malone
noted, “We have always believed
that excluding students from ad-
mission conflicts with our institu-
tional values and principles. It is
now clear, after further consulta-
tion and deliberation, that we can
adopt a less restrictive policy.”
The day before the announce-
ment of the policy reversal, Ira-
nian-American student Alisina
Saee-Nazari wrote an article enti-
tled “Our lives matter: Iranian ad-
mission policy shows UMass isn’t
working in good faith on diversi-
ty” for the UMass Amherst paper
The Daily Collegian.
Explaining that this policy
justified discrimination while
still attempting to promote an
equal-opportunity atmosphere,
Saee-Nazari wrote, “Instead of
protecting their students, an ad-
ministration that held a town
meeting on diversity, equity and
inclusion just last semester was
more concerned with protecting
the University on its brochures.”
On February 18, UMass Am-
herst released another statement,
saying that university admissions
will continue to allow Iranian
nationals into these science pro-
grams, and will be “developing in-
dividualized study plans to meet
the requirements of federal sanc-
tions law and address the impact
on students.”
EDITOR: MATT LITCHFIELD
MLITCHFIELD1@UMASSD.EDU
PAGE 2
V. 32, ISSUE 18NEWS
PHOTO COURTESY // CPR.ORGBrowns Canyon, Colorado, is one of three new National Parks added by the President Obama last week.
UMass
Amherst
Continued from Pg. 1
Often times I find that fellow stu-
dents are unsure of what the Stu-
dent Government does. Lately we
have been working as a group on
being more transparent, so that
what we are doing is clearer.
One way of doing this has been
to have a weekly Torch article
from the perspective of a differ-
ent member each week; this week
I will give you a brief insider is-
sue of what being a senator entails
and what we do.
We are the voice of the students.
We are the people who represent
you! We hold our meetings each
Monday at 6 p.m. in Library 205.
This meeting is open to public
and does not have the attendance
of nonmembers that we would
like to see.
In the beginning of the meet-
ing there is a section called open
forum where anyone can come in
and speak; the rest of the meeting
is structured based on our agenda.
These meetings typically last two
hours depending on the itinerary
for the night.
Each senator is required to hold
one office hour and attend two
committee meetings throughout
the week. The office hour consists
of spending at least an hour in the
Student Government office to be
available in case anyone stops by
with questions. Our office is lo-
cated on the second floor on the
campus center, past the SAIL of-
fice and to the right of Student
Affairs.
The committee meetings that
happen throughout the week are
where the magic really happens.
They focus on concerns, issues,
and suggestions pertaining to the
particular group.
Resulting from the commit-
tees have been charging stations,
food tablets with ingredients and
nutrition information, a better lit
campus, appropriate allocation
of funds, more concrete consti-
tutions, academic improvements,
open forums, and a more well-rep-
resented campus.
There is a common miscon-
ception that you have to be SGA
member in order to be involved.
This is not true, you don’t have to
be a member to be help us make
a difference! Committees meet
weekly: they cover every element
of campus from Academic Affairs,
Campus Services, Policy, Finance,
Infrastructure, and Public Rela-
tions.
In fact, we are currently add-
ing a Student Affairs committee
to cover one element that we as
group felt we were missing. If you
are interested in any of our com-
mittees please visit the link for
the Student Government Associ-
ation located on the UMass Dart-
mouth website. There you can
find the chair of the committee
and the time that they meet. I urge
you to step outside your comfort
zone and make a difference.
Most groups know us based on
a financial aspect. Once you get
recognized by SAIL as an official
organization you will go through
a process in order to get your con-
stitution approved and have the
opportunity to become senate
recognized.
Becoming senate recognized
allows your group to apply for a
budget in the spring which can
be used for the upcoming year.
Throughout the year anyone can
also request an SFP (Special Fund-
ed Program) for additional funds.
More information regarding bud-
gets and SFP’s will be in our arti-
cle next week from our Treasurer
Connor Joyce.
As an active member of Stu-
dent Government, I know that
every single member gives 100%
to make a difference on this cam-
pus and best represent their con-
stituents. With that being said, a
campus filled with over 9,000 stu-
dents I am sure we can definitely
be enlightened with an outsider’s
perspective.
I extend an invitation for you to
join us at either our weekly SGA
meeting or any of our committee
meetings. This campus is some-
place where we should all strive
to see it continue to grow as the
world advances. I request that
you, as a student, be a part of that!
By SOFIA REPPUCCI
SREPPUCCI@UMASSD.EDU
Contributing Writer
SGA Update: What we actually do
By MACKENZIE BENJAMIN
MBENJAMIN1@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
Three new national parks initiated by President Obama
PHOTO COURTESY // UMASS.EDUUMass Amherst has reversed their policy barring Iranian nationals from admission.

3. PAGE 3
V. 32, ISSUE 18NEWS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Amanda Butcher
MANAGING EDITOR
Molly Hillis
HEAD DESIGN EDITOR
Joseph Tavares
NEWS EDITOR
Matt Litchfield
OPINIONS EDITOR
Pamela Garnett
A&E EDITOR
T.J. Sprague
SPORTS EDITOR
Mark Ogle
STAFF WRITERS
Mackenzie Benjamin
Danaile S. Bennett
Steve Ciotti
Jacob Condo
Kassandra Edouard
Justin McKinney
Brett McLeod
Douglas McCulloch
Leah O’Keefe
ASSISTANT DESIGN
EDITORS
Honey Apale
Liana DePillo
James Ferguson
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Kevin Cutler
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Nicholas Leverone
DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS
Saulo Gomes
Deasia Gresham
Jessica Flowers
Kaylie Leite
Eduard Trirog
ADVISOR
Chris Laib
The UMass Dartmouth Torch
is the student-run university
newspaper. The Torch is
published every Thursday
during the academic year.
The Torch’s Editorial Board
is comprised of the Editor-in-
Chief, Managing Editor, News
Editor, Opinion Editor, A&E
Editor, Sports Editor and the
Design and Business staffs.
The Editorial Board is
responsible for all content
except for the Opinion section
pieces and “Letters to the
Editor.”
The opinion pieces are
defined as editorials written
by any member or group of
the university or community.
“Letters to the Editor” are
defined as letters written by
any member or group of the
university or surrounding
community. “Letters to the
Editor” do not express any
views held by The Torch staff
and are strictly those of their
authors.
Any articles printed under
the “Editorial” header are
edited by the Opinion section
editor, Pamela Garnett.
Both pieces from the Opinion
section and “Letters to the
Editor” are subject to editing
for space and clarity. The
Torch is not obligated to print
any of the Opinion section
pieces or “Letters to the
Editor.”
No Torch article may be
reprinted without the written
consent of the Editor-in-Chief.
The Torch office is located
in Room 204 on the second
floor of the Campus Center.
Any member of the Editorial
Board may be reached at
x8158 or at torch@umassd.
edu or their appropriate
section e-mail.
Advertising depicted in the
paper does not necessarily
express the views of The
Torch and its staff.
The Torch Staff About The Torch
EDITOR: MATT LITCHFIELD
MLITCHFIELD1@UMASSD.EDU
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BE IN DEMAND.
This Tuesday, House Republi-
cans decided to allow the Senate
to vote on the Homeland Securi-
ty funding, which has been going
back and forth between Republi-
cans and Democrats for a couple
weeks.
This comes in the shadow of
gridlock between the two parties,
neither wanting the DHS to be
funded with provisions set by the
other party.
The majority house is hoping
to allow funding for DHS without
President Obama’s immigration
directive, though one order will
still stand: if immigrants were
brought here illegally by their
parents when they were younger,
they will be shielded from depor-
tation.
If no accord is reached by Fri-
day, the DHS may be partially shut
down, causing some employees to
be unable to work and others to
have to work without pay.
For the third time in his presi-
dency, President Obama has ve-
toed the construction of the Key-
stone XL pipeline, a bill that was
passed by the House and Senate,
but with margins too short to
override the veto.
The Keystone XL pipeline
would be more than one thousand
miles of pipeline that would run
from Alberta, Canada to Nebras-
ka, which would allow the energy
company TransCanada to pro-
vide United States refineries with
830,000 barrels of oil a day.
On one side, there are environ-
mental concerns, but on the other,
it will provide hundreds of jobs.
In his veto notice, the president
said, “The presidential power to
veto legislation is one I take se-
riously… But I also take seriously
my responsibility to the Ameri-
can people. And because this act
of Congress conflicts with es-
tablished executive branch pro-
cedures and cuts short thorough
consideration of issues that could
bear on our national interest —
including our security, safety, and
environment — it has earned my
veto.”
In 2012, a young 17-year-old,
Trayvon Martin, was shot fatally
by George Zimmerman. Thurs-
day, the day this paper prints, will
have been three years since he
was killed.
Prosecutors decided Tuesday
that there was “not sufficient ev-
idence,” according to ABC News,
to indict Zimmerman, even
though “in our hearts we felt he
was guilty,” said one of the jurors.
“We had to grab our hearts and
put it aside and look at the evi-
dence.”
A sexual assault at University
of Illinois at Chicago was alleged-
ly spurred when the student got
ideas from Fifty Shades of Grey.
The defendant had had relations
with the female in question be-
fore. This time, he tied her to
the bed, stuffed a necktie in her
mouth, covered her eyes with a
knit cap and proceeded to beat her
with his belt and fists.
The prosecutor, Assistant
State’s Attorney Sarah Karr, sug-
gested that the issue in the case is
that he did not ask of the female.
The student has been held un-
der $500,000 bail.
On Tuesday, the Eurozone ap-
proved Greece’s bailout plan to
continue its loan program for
four more months. Greece is cur-
rently in €320 billion (almost $363
billion) of debt, and its bailout
plan for €240 billion ($272 billion)
would have expired on Saturday.
The Eurogroup finance min-
isters said in a statement, “We
call on the Greek authorities to
further develop and broaden the
list of reform measres, based on
the current arrangement, in close
co-ordination with the institu-
tions.”
Among other provisions,
Greece is going to try to combat
tax evasion, tackle corruption,
and tackle Greece’s “humani-
tarian crisis,” according to BBC.
Fixing this humanitarian crisis
will guarantee housing and free
healthcare for the uninsured un-
employed.
For the second night in a row,
drones have been spotted flying
over Paris’s landmarks.
It is unclear what the drones’
mission is and who is behind it,
but officials are investigating
“overflights by aircraft in a for-
bidden area.”
Unauthorized drones are illegal
in Paris.
Eddie Ray Routh was sentenced
to life in prison without parole.
Routh was a veteran that fatally
killed Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL
and one of the “deadliest snipers”
in the country, and Chad Little-
field, Kyle’s friend.
Routh and the defense lawyers
argued that he was “not guilty by
reason of insanity,” according to
the New York Times, due to his de-
lusions and drug use.
The two-week trial came after
American Sniper, a movie based on
Kyle’s autobiography, came out in
theaters. The jurors deliberated
for about two and a half hours.
Scientists have discovered that
the Black Death of the 14th centu-
ry may have not been caused by
rats, as previously suggested, but
instead by gerbils.
This hypothesis came up when
analysis of 15 tree-ring records,
which naturally document weath-
er conditions, showed that central
Asia had a wet spring and warm
summer, which would have been
bad conditions for rats but very
good conditions for gerbils.
The rodents would have then
come with merchants on the Silk
Road to Europe, wreaking havoc
and causing the Black Death.
Nils Christian Stenseth, who
co-authored the study, said, “If
we’re right, we’ll have to rewrite
that part of history.”
By AMANDA BUTCHER
ABUTCHER@UMASSD.EDU
Editor-in-Chief
World news brief

4. As the state gets a break from wild
winter weather, the political blame-
game over the disastrous failure of the
MBTA has taken center stage.
During the wave of winter weather
over the past few weeks, which
included two blizzards and a host
of snowstorms, the MBTA was left
effectively frozen in place for weeks.
Amid the closure of nearly every
above-ground line due to snow, and
significant commuter rail delays and
cancellations, political leaders were
quick to assign blame and
take immediate action.
MBTA General
Manager Beverly Scott
resigned from her post
with just two years on the
job, facing pressure from
the governor’s office and
the general public.
This political blame-
game ignores the
fundamental problems
with the agency that
lead to this mess in the
first place. The MBTA
has historically been underfunded,
undervalued, and underdeveloped.
Political leaders simply do not see the
enormous economic benefits good
transportation infrastructure can
create. Everything from the region’s
thriving tourism industry to the
availability and location of jobs relies
on a well-funded and healthy public
transit system.
If the region’s success relies on its
ability to operate a successful, up-to-
date transit system, why is the state
so reluctant to invest money into the
system for basic maintenance? On
February 3, Governor Charlie Baker,
while speaking about massive delays
on the Red Line, acknowledged
that some Red Line trains are over
40 years old and are in dire need of
replacement.
In an interview with WBZ
NewsRadio 1030, Geoff Slater, a
former planning director for the
MBTA during the 1990s, noted that
even the MBTA’s bus fleet is old and
out-of-date. He called the busses
something one would associate with
Detroit as opposed to Boston.
In an attempt to answer this
question, some have claimed the
answer lies in the MBTA’s supposed
history of overexpansion, placing the
future of expansion projects already in
the works up in the air. They include a
proposed expansion of the Green Line
into Somerville and Medford, and the
South Coast Rail project, which would
extend commuter rail service through
Taunton to Fall River and New
Bedford. These projects represent
the largest and most ambitious of the
MBTA’s current expansion proposals.
ThePioneerInstitute,aconservative
think-tank, urged the state to place the
MBTA into receivership, abandon all
long-term expansion projects, and
concentrate exclusively on funding
basic maintenance tasks to keep the
core network operational. The report
directly attacks South Coast Rail,
saying the project is not worth the
cost because of low initial ridership
projections.
This line of thinking ignores the
fundamental lack of investment in
transit infrastructure that lead to this
mess in the first place. Abandoning
these projects and funneling all that
money into maintenance still leaves
the state with an underdeveloped
and underfunded transit system. It is
a temporary band-aid that does little
to address the systemic problems that
plagues the system. It also ignores
the enormous economic benefits
extending public transit into new
communities brings.
Getting elected leaders to
understand this will likely be an uphill
battle. Governor Charlie
Baker ran on a platform
of no new taxes and
no tax hikes during the
gubernatorial campaign.
He has time and time
again reinforced this
position even after his
inauguration in January.
In fact, while the snow
was still falling and the
T was effectively shut
down, Baker cut an
additional $15 million
from the transit agency’s
budget.
It seems that Baker will likely take
the anti-expansion route. On February
12, Baker put the brakes on a proposal
to extend commuter rail service
to Gillette Stadium. He criticized
the MBTA’s planned purchase of a
freight line to use for commuter rail
service and insisted the MBTA should
concentrate on rail it already owns.
If the state is serious about fixing
the MBTA, they will need to look
at expanding funding, not cutting
expansion, to fix the system.
EDITOR: PAM GARNETT
PAMELAMGARNETT@GMAIL.COM
PAGE 4
V. 32, ISSUE 18OPINIONS & EDITORIALS
By JACOB CONDO
JCONDO@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
Political leaders simply
do not see the enormous
economic benefits
good transportation
infrastructure can ][
"That's one small step for man;
one giant leap for mankind." –Neil
Armstrong
Many people say it is humanity’s
destiny to venture out into the wild
unknown of the universe and become
a space-faring species, and the Mars
One mission aims to do just that.
I, like many, felt the death of a
dream when NASA fell on hard times
and became the victim of budget
cuts. I didn’t kid myself that I was
going to become an astronaut, but I
still dreamed of new worlds and new
horizons like so many others. But, that
may have meant that humanity would
be grounded as a result of its own
short-sightedness.
Where is our species to go if not
to the stars? Earth will always be our
home, but it cannot sustain us even
as we are at 7 billion-strong today,
much less future generations. So
why shouldn’t we go up there? Why
must we wait until we expend all our
resources here on Earth before we
venture out?
Some may still think that we aren’t
ready, or that our technology isn’t
there yet, but a Dutch non-profit
organization feels otherwise.
In 2011 Mars One laid the
groundwork for what could be
mankind’s next “great leap,” a
colonization mission set for Mars
using currently available technologies.
With the help of crowd-funding
(donations from corporations, the
super-rich, and everyday people like
you and I) Mars One could build the
first Martian settlement a decade
from now.
The plan is to create a permanent
settlement on Mars. That’s right;
permanent. Four people will be
chosen after several trials of selection
to become the first inhabitants of
Mars. While other astronauts will be
in rotation for supply runs and things
like that, this will be a one-way trip for
the winners.
These chosen few will be
voluntarily spending the rest of their
lives establishing a settlement on the
red planet. They will live and die
making history, not only for being
the first people on Mars, but the first
colonists as well.
It will be an existence of isolation.
Of course satellites are being brought
in to assist the flow of communication
between the two worlds, but these
people will be alone out there, so
far from this planet they’ve always
known.
Many of you might be wondering
who would be brave (or crazy)
enough to volunteer to leave their
lives behind to live and die millions
of miles from everything they’d ever
known. Well, apparently over 200,000
people eagerly volunteered for this
opportunity and sacrifice.
And recently, Mars One has
revealed that they have narrowed
their selection pool to one-hundred
potential Martians. Now begins
extensive tests and training that will
see if they are physically and mentally
prepared for this one-way trip.
Mar isn’t like the moon or a space
station where Earth is right out the
porthole and you know that in a few
months you’ll be going back. Not only
will these pioneers be carving out a
life in a harsh and unforgiving alien
planet, but for the rest of their lives
the will only have each other.
This isolation may be the colonists’
greatest challenge in truth, and it’s a
major focus in the tests for the final
rounds. They also need to make sure
that the astronauts know how to
handle any issues they may have with
each other, as they will be forced to be
around each other for the rest of their
lives.
Who are these 100 hopefuls? Why
had they chosen to do this? Why on
Earth would anyone do this? Well
a documentary aimed at increasing
public interest in the project aims to
answer these questions. Later this
year, Mars One announced that they
plan to introduce their faces to the
public in a documentary called The
Mars 100.
This documentary will take us
along and introduce us to these
intrepid souls who would bravely give
up everything they’ve ever known; in
order to help all of us take the next
“giant leap”.
By DOUGLAS McCULLOCH
DMCCULLOCH@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
By MOLLY HILLIS
MHILLIS@UMASSD.EDU
Managing Editor
MBTA needs more funding to fix
its winter woes
Preparing to leap
I love my commute to school.
It’s a good time to think.
I come from Swansea, just a short
25-minute drive over the Braga Bridge.
It’s a good time to think to myself.
Usually, I will put on a good album on
Spotify, or maybe a podcast, and just
coast all the way to school.
This snow has put a personal
damper on my me-time on the road.
I’m losing my precious moments of
serene solitude before arriving to the
confines of our concrete playground.
The walls that surround me in class
now surround the roads. Mountains of
snow cascade the roads, making the
roads feel even more narrow.
It’s also much more difficult to see,
since the snow reflects the sun an
absurd amount. It feels like my eyes
are exhausted from squinting by the
time I get to school.
Personally, I get pretty anxious
driving through the snow as well. It’s
nerve-wracking knowing that at any
moment you can have no control of
your car.
The roads in my area are pretty
busy, and rarely plowed. Sometimes
when I press on my brakes, I wonder
if I’ll stop. I’ve missed classes due to
poor conditions in my area because I
don’t feel like risking getting into an
accident just to get to class.
This weather does a number on my
anxiety.
There are more factors to driving
in the snow outside of just slippery
roads. The other day I had been
getting snow off the back of my car,
and I noticed my tail pipe was clogged
with snow. If I hadn’t noticed, who
knows if I’d be writing this right now?
So one day I happened to not check,
and while I was driving, I noticed a
faint smell of exhaust. The entire ride
up to school I was in a panic, and I
had my windows rolled down with
freezing cold air blowing in my face.
I checked, and the tail pipe was
fine, and unclogged. I just got lost in
a stupor of unneeded panic, per usual.
These walls I mentioned that the
snow has naturally built around the
roads has caused major issues with
turning safely. I’m not looking for cars
around corners anymore, but small
moving metallic-looking pieces that
are moving towards me just above the
six-foot high banks.
Merging onto the highway is also
affected by this, making squeezing to
the right while you safely merge near
impossible due to a lack of plowing all
the way to the right. Not to mention
the difficulty in seeing over the banks
for oncoming cars.
And then we get to school after the
tumultuous, stressful drive, and – oh
there’s cars trapped because nobody
could see the lines this morning. Oh,
the mountains of snow in the parking
lots are so big that it caused a tidal
wave of people parking in between
lines.
The snow has also halted that
education we have been paying for
this semester. I think Mondays are just
deleted.
I could go on and complain for
much longer, but I hope that my
venting makes some feel not so alone
in their grievances about this horrible
winter season. It’s okay to feel anxious
about driving in the snow, or to hate
how bright it is, or to despise the
parking situation at school.
We can hope Mother Nature will be
kind to us. It’s been a cruel winter, but
there’s always spring.
By BRETT McLEOD
BMCLEOD@UMASSD.EDU
Assistant A&E Editor
Recently, in a Women’s and Gender
Studies lecture, my class was asked
to think of words that they either
naturally associate with feminists, or
describe how members of this group
are represented in the media.
“Hippie.” “Angry.” “Opinionated.”
“Judgmental.” “Lesbians.” We even
reached a point where “hairy” and
“smelly” made the list.
Then came the descriptions.
“Dresses in a masculine way,”
proclaimed the board. “Refuses to
wear makeup” soon became a sort of
sub-category.
As a feminist myself, I’ve often
heard terms like these thrown around,
usually in a kidding-but-really-tell-me-
is-it-true way. Often, I’ll try to laugh
it off, or sidestep questions about my
sexuality and shaving rituals in an
attempt to show that these questions
are invasive and not really important
in the grand scheme of things.
But what really got my attention
was the collection of students who
were providing these answers.
In a class of about 40 people, 6
students identified themselves as
feminists. However, when asked if
men and women should be treated
equally, the room was filled with
raised hands.
The great divide between the
meaning of the movement and the
term ‘feminist’ is more than a little
troubling.
This lecture made me realize that
these labels, despite being often
unfounded, generally exaggerated,
and intentionally used to put women
in a submissive place, still keep people
from identifying as feminists.
We’re letting stereotypes stop the
progression of a movement that, in
the simplest terms, attempts to give
women freedoms that are equal to
those afforded to men.
Let’s take a moment to break down
the feminist barriers.
First of all, this group is not
selective: all races, sexual orientations,
classes, Hogwarts Houses, and even
genders (yes men, we really mean it)
are represented, and therefore can
and should be part of the movement.
Feminists can range from those
actively participating in rallies to a
person who just refuses to “let it slide”
when others make rape jokes. There
is no quota to meet, and no organized
list of rules: to me, feminists need
only act in a way that promotes equal
opportunities between the sexes.
As for the shaving thing, I can
tell you that there’s no swearing-in
ceremony where you pledge to never
touch a razor again. One of the general
ideas of feminism is that a woman has
the right to set her own standards, and
be free in her choices. If you want to
shave, hooray! If you don’t, hooray to
that too!
And frankly, if we as a society are
floored by the concept of a woman
with hair that isn’t on her head, then
we have bigger issues to tackle.
This goes along with the
misconception that feminists look
down upon those who wear makeup.
While this is a topic that is debated
quite often, as a feminist, I have
absolutely no problem with anyone
(woman or man) using makeup
products.
While I believe that makeup should
be used in the way that person wants
to use it, and not because societal
standards dictate that a person has to
wear it, I would never tell someone
that their choice to use make-up is
anti-feminist. Telling women how
they must present themselves is
ridiculous, and the opposite of what I
believe feminism values.
As for the “anger” perceptions, this
stereotype also misses the mark. To
be completely honest, I think the most
aggressive thing I’ve ever done is tell
someone not to call me a “bitch.” A
two-minute talk (not shout, talk)
where we both got to express our
opinions, and we were done. But
maybe I should dial that back; I don’t
want to be seen as an extremist.
Maybe I missed a meeting, but I
was never given a sandwich board
that proclaims “I am woman, hear me
roar!” to shove in someone’s face. As
a feminist, I use words, not outright
antagonism, to make a point when the
moment is right. I know that change
takes time, and challenging systems
that have been in place for generations
is not always easy for others to accept.
I feel that anyone who believes
in equality must be, on some level,
a feminist. Feminists, in return, act
as members of society who push for
equality for all, not just those who
identify as women. To me, and to
many feminists, you can’t possibly
advocate for the rights of one group
while ignoring the plight of others.
Oh, and no, I’ve never actually
burned my bras – do you know how
expensive that would be?
Commuting in the snow
‘Feminist’
isn’t a dirty word
Supermodel Cindy Crawford has been
regarded as one of the most beautiful
women in entertainment, and still
continues to get better with age.
After the untouched photo from
Crawford’s photo shoot with Marie
Claire magazine was leaked, it goes
without saying that she remains a
classic icon for women and girls
everywhere.
In the photo, Cindy Crawford
is wearing a lacy black bra and
underwear, while holding open a fur
coat exposing her chest, stomach, and
thighs. Despite how flawless Crawford
is always made out to be, she is still
a forty-eight year old woman and
is bound to have wrinkles in areas
mostly unseen by the public.
Girls are always being reminded
to keep in mind that models are not
perfect – they are photo shopped and
do not always look perfect. No matter
how many times we are told this,
though, there is a constant worry that
we are not physically good enough,
further increasing our desire to be
model-skinny.
Crawford’s untouched photo,
however, is the type of material young
and mature women need to be seeing
in order for females to be able to move
toward embracing their bodies for
what they are.
Is Cindy Crawford’s stomach
toned and smooth? No. Does she
have a thigh gap wide enough to fit a
hamburger between? No. Her stomach
has wrinkles and slightly hangs over
her panty line, while her thighs show
beautiful traces of stretch marks.
What really solidifies the beauty
of the photo is not just her figure,
however, but the pose that she is in.
She is standing confidently with her
legs hip-width apart, her head turned
to the right while she looks casually
over her right shoulder.
There is an air of relaxation and
openness in her body language that
makes the viewer feel comfortable
with the uncensored features she is
showing off. My first thought had
been, “If Cindy Crawford can entirely
embrace her figure and not be afraid
to admit that she is not perfect,
why should we care so much about
perfection?”
Crawford’s photo - along with an
untouched photo of Beyonce that has
been leaked – is a great role model
for all females, and should look to
becoming a more popular trend in the
future. There are constant messages
being relayed to women in the media
about what they need to do to look
better and be a better version of
themselves.
Instead of looking in a magazine
and getting discouraged about our
own self-worth, we should be able
to look at women who represent the
females that we see every day – our
mothers, our sisters, best friends,
and more importantly, people like
ourselves.
The photo shopped pictures that
we are bombarded with in every
supermarket and bookstore give us a
false perception of what true beauty
really is. Feminine morale would
be considerably boosted if we were
seeing more photos like that of Cindy
Crawford. Even she admitted in an
interview that she does not focus too
much on her body, for her sake and
that of her daughter’s as well:
“I was never one of the skinny girls
who could eat whatever they wanted,
so I certainly exercise and try to eat
right. But at the same time, I try to be
a good role model for my daughter
in terms of just accepting myself, not
saying ‘Does this make me look fat?’ or
‘I can’t eat that’…I just try to lead by
example.”
This mindset that Crawford has is
what we all need to share – men and
women alike. The focus should be less
on looking hot, and be set toward being
healthy. The sooner you embrace the
person you are and the body you have,
the happier you will come to be.
By LEAH O’KEEFE
LOKEEFE@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
Unretouched photo
brings hope
to females

5. Every year is the same old bull.
11 months out of a year there is
pure silence from America, especially
within the black community. But once
February hits, people become enraged,
their silence turns into reverence and
celebration. The pretence settles in,
united they become for a month that
they barely care for.
Crystal Wright from The Guardian
stated, “As many have said, black
history month should be part of our
national conversation 365 days a year,
not just jammed into a single month.”
This is where our pretenders snake
through. People who are quick to turn
to social media once February begins
do not understand that all that pride,
all that typing should be done on a day
to day basis.
Being a daily advocate for your
community regarding equality for
African-Americans should essential
but yet, it is left to a single month
that has the shortest number of days
within it.
Not only do others leave it to
February to air out their pride or
feelings of celebration, they stick to
the same old activists or leaders which
are Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X,
Frederick Douglass, and Rosa Parks.
They are not cries overheard about
Nina Simone, Carter G. Woodson,
Barbara Jordan, and Angela Davis. The
list is endless but yet it ends with such
a select few of historical figures.
Education is important during
this month. Thorough knowledge is
important during this month. Reciting
names that have only been seen
through a history book is wonderful
and all but the extent of our history
does not stop there. Understanding
the depth of each struggle and
triumph is not for our sakes as
African-Americans, it is for the sake of
everyone in this world.
The biggest problem of not
educating oneself on everything
concerning Black History Month is
that the mission of those leaders are
not understood, or they have been
misconstrued through what was given
to us from textbooks.
King’s dream was inclusion, for
blacks to achieve and be recognized
as citizens and equals along with
their white counterparts. For my
generation, when a black girl is going
out with a white boy – it is screeched
from the high heavens that “MARTIN
LUTHER KING JR. DIED FOR THIS!”
He did not die for interracial
couples to be seen in public, he died
for equality, and he spoke for equality.
There was so much to this man then
just his dream and by constantly using
his name as a backdrop for Black
History Month. It is annoying when
research is not done to understand the
extent of his dream and the extent of
which he died for.
If it is not society being careless
towards Black History Month, it is
the institutions. Colleges, schools, and
companies continue the trend where
once this month comes they pretend
to care. Banners are set high, posters
are plastered on walls and activities
or announcements are sent through
emails.
The awareness is nice but it feels
misplaced, the purpose feels as
though it is for their benefit not to
look racist or uncaring towards the
minorities that attend or work for
their institution.
Even when they raise “awareness”
or decide to celebrate, it is not enough.
The African-Americans working for
them still see so little representation
of their kind.
Wright continues to say, “It’s
hypocritical for businesses to honor
Black History Month when the rest
of the year they do little or nothing
to mitigate the chronic double digit
unemployment of blacks and address
the woefully low number of blacks in
board rooms and executive positions.”
It still stands that blacks are not
paid their due of equality especially
when a company decides to celebrate
a month such as this. If there is time
spared on honoring those historical
figures during black history month
then there should be time spared on
understanding their message and
incorporating that into their working
force.
It is easy to be a follower then a
true leader. Black History Month
has shown that countless times. It is
easy to make sure there is no unrest
by pretending to care about a month
that clearly shows so little care about.
It is easy to go onto social media
and preach about this month when
again so little is understood. If the
celebration of this month wants to see
true success all that needs to change.
Society needs to stop being a
follower. Daily advocacy needs to
make an appearance once again,
for equality, the true reason for the
struggle that those beautiful and
courageous leaders strived for, has yet
to see the light of day.
Instead of being complacent with all
that done 50 to 60 years ago regarding
protests and marches and thinking the
job is over, there should be outrage
because nothing has changed. We
should change to see a different and a
better tomorrow.
EDITOR: PAM GARNETT
PAMELAMGARNETT@GMAIL.COM
PAGE 5
V. 32, ISSUE 18OPINIONS & EDITORIALS
BY KASSANDRA EDOUARD
KEDOUARD@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
It does not end with February
When it comes to the media, people
are often either extremely trusting or
extremely distrusting.
This is the Opinions section, so
here is where you take my information
with a grain of salt. Reviews are chock
full with opinions, and sometimes,
sports articles include the writer’s
opinion about the game or the team.
In the news section, though, you
should find articles that are generally
truthful. Direct quotes might be
biased, but in general, journalists
writing for the news section should be
keeping their opinions to themselves.
Brian Williams, former anchor
of NBC Nightly News has been
suspended because he didn’t uphold
that tradition. He bent the truth
multiple times, and this tainted the
reputation of NBC a little bit.
But people will still pay attention
to the musings of the news, no matter
whether what they say sounds factual
or not. I remember a few months ago,
The Onion published an article on
how McDonald’s was going to get rid
of the Big Mac, and there was a huge
shebang about it.
The Onion is a satire source. You
can’t go by it unless you’re looking for
a good laugh. For example, the front
page news is “Barbara Bush Reverses
Stance On ‘Enough Bushes’ In White
House.”
It’s not true. Check your sources.
One of my biggest issues lately
has been the male-female wage gap. I
recently read an article that said the
fact that a woman makes 77 cents on a
man’s dollar is a skewed statistic.
What?
We’ve been hearing that statistic
from the White House. How can that
be untrue?
So I Googled. I searched. I found
some articles agreeing and some
disagreeing, so I wondered: where are
people getting this statistic? Who is it
from?
I ended up finding a Bureau of
Labor Statistics report published in
December 2014 that was a compilation
of results found in 2013. The new
statistic might be 82 cents: “On average
in 2013, women made 82 percent of the
median weekly earnings of male full-
time wage and salary workers.”
But who does that include? Turns
out, that survey included about 60,000
households in the United States, no
matter what position the male or
female held.
That sounds pretty bad when you
look at it like that, but when you look a
little closer, break up the stats a little,
you see that for separate occupations
and often for different age groups, that
82 percent is sometimes less, but also
sometimes more.
I was most interested in the
position I’m going to be holding
when I graduate: I’m going to work
in information technology, probably
as a systems analyst, a.k.a. a liaison
between the business side of a
company and the technology side.
According to the BLS survey, the
median female salary is 83.6 percent
of the male median salary, which is
greater than the general average, but
still less. But when I scrolled down
a little to “computer occupations,
all other” (so not including web
developers, architects, database
administrators, and a few others), the
median female salary is 103.5 percent
of the median male.
It should be noted that there were
158 females listed in the survey and 285
males in the systems analyst category.
It’s a very interesting survey, but
by no means am I going to take it at
face value. Okay, so I’m a woman and
the median woman in the position
I’m going to have in a couple months
doesn’t make as much as the man, but
that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s
the case all the time.
I can’t assume that every man makes
almost twenty cents more than I do
because of a humongous survey that
doesn’t account for all the variables.
Does it account for overtime hours?
Unpaid vacation time? Maternity
leave? Bonuses? Do they tell you
whether the woman went to her boss
to ask for a raise? Did the man?
And that’s the way it is with most
surveys. You can’t trust them because
they are always trying to prove
something, whether it’s some idiot
saying these kids were autistic after
they got vaccinated or half of the
media trying to tell you women don’t
make as much as men. Each is trying
to prove something.
I believe that women, if you’re
only comparing salaries and work
ethics, can make as much as men. We
work just as hard, and nowadays, a
lot of women are the breadwinners.
My boyfriend isn’t shy about telling
people I’m going to be his sugar mama
for a couple years.
So next time someone tells you
women don’t make as much as men,
look it up. Check out some legitimate
statistics. Look for the numbers. You’ll
find a huge, hundred page study, but
you can just browse through it.
It’s against the law for bosses to pay
people according to race or gender,
but obviously, it happens sometimes.
But sometimes, it might just take a
woman with guts in a business suit to
make sure she’s being paid what she
deserves. It might not be what her
male colleagues are getting because
maybe they can program in Java and
she can’t, but the world is getting
more equal, more open-minded.
I’m not saying it doesn’t happen.
Sometimes, women aren’t paid as
much as men. The overall statistic
is that women make 82% of a man’s
salary.
But when we get our jobs, I hope
we are able to bring those numbers
up. We deserve just as much as a man
that has our same talents.
Keep calm and
check your sources
BY AMANDA BUTCHER
ABUTCHER@UMASSD.EDU
Editor-in-Chief
There is one thing that really, really
bothers me about colleges: their
lifeguards don’t really do their job.
Let me describe my typical night at
the pool here: I walk in from the locker
room, present the guards on duty with
my UMass Pass (if they don’t wave me
off), get in the pool and swim two or
three thousand yards. And this is all
well and good, because I swam in high
school, I swim for a U.S. Masters team
in Attleboro, and I’ve been a lifeguard
for four years.
There is very little risk to me in the
water – but that doesn’t mean there’s
no risk. Between choking on water
and hitting my head on the wall or
the bottom of the pool to slipping on
the deck, it’s easy to get hurt around
the water even when you know what
you’re doing.
For those who don’t know what
they’re doing, the water is probably the
worst place in the world for them. One
of my most harrowing experiences as
a lifeguard was when a seven year
old lied to me about knowing how to
swim. I wound up in the water with
him five minutes later with a baffled
mother asking me why I didn’t put a
bubble on her baby.
And that’s why pools have
lifeguards. They are the people
who are prepared to do whatever is
necessary to ensure the safety of their
swimmers and guests. For the most
part, I think the guards here do that.
Molly, our Managing Editor, worked
as a counselor for the Upward Bound
program last summer. She recently
told me the story of the time they
brought their students to the pool to
swim. One of their students decided to
get in the water, despite not knowing
how to swim.
The guard on duty noticed him
struggling immediately and responded
appropriately.
What bothers me, though, is that
they don’t pay attention to their pool
all the time. Almost every time I’m
holding on to the wall between sets I
can see a lifeguard looking down at his
or her phone, or laptop, or homework.
I don’t want to be harsh on our
guards. There is literally nothing more
frustrating or boring than sitting in a
chair watching people screw around
in the water knowing full well that you
have important work to be doing.
It doesn’t even have to be important
– it just has to be more interesting
than the same repetitive actions
continually unfolding in front of you.
I’m not just talking about UMass
Dartmouth. My high school swim
team was lucky enough to practice in
Wheaton College’s beautiful pool for
the majority of our seasons, and we
had a couple of meets at Bridgewater
State University.
Whether we were practicing or
hosting a huge meet, I would regularly
see all the lifeguards on duty on
the sidelines, disregarding their
swimmers. My teammates reasoned
that it’s rather difficult to drown when
you’re surrounded by swimmers and
spectators, but I don’t think this really
excuses the people who signed up to
work on the front line when none of
their colleagues are holding it in the
first place.
The degree to which a guard has
to pay attention to the water, as well
as their placement around a pool,
is dependent on the insurance the
pool’s operator has. A fully certified
lifeguard can be called a simple ‘pool
attendant’ at some pools to remove
liability from the operator or owner of
the pool.
But the people sitting at our pool are
not called ‘pool attendants’. They’re
called lifeguards, and they should act
the part. If I acted the way they did at
the Y, I could easily be fired.
I don't know what insurance UMass
Dartmouth has, and I don't know
the aquatic department's policies on
lifeguard duties. I just know that as
a somewhat experienced lifeguard
I am disappointed in what I see on
a regular basis, and what I've seen
at other schools. We should aim for
uncommon and higher standards if
it's common practice among college
pools to have guards sit as attendants
instead of the active monitors they
should be.
According to The Boston
Globe, as of October 2014
the homeless population of
Massachusetts has risen by
40% since 2007. Nearly 2,100
people are living temporarily
in motels because of the
winter, and about the same
amount in emergency shelters.
Dartmouth and the
surrounding area of New
Bedford have not been spared.
While Dartmouth doesn't have
the poverty rates of big cities
like Boston, the number of
disabled persons in poverty
is a staggering 24% among
males and 34% among females,
compares to the state averages
of 13 and 18%, respectively. In
the poor economy of today,
it is no wonder people have
been forced into motels, and
digging their way out can
often lead to a struggle against
homelessness.
How you can help: get
involved to help raise
awareness and money for
people who have no option
but to decide between a meal
and shelter. No commitment is
necessary; a half an hour of on-
campus volunteer work with
the organization MASSPIRG
will make the difference.
MASSPIRG is a statewide
student directed, student
funded advocacy organization
here at UMass Dartmouth. We
have a goal of raising $1,500
for various food banks and
homeless shelters in the area,
and doing 100 hours of service
work.
MASSPIRG utilizes
grassroots organizing as a way
to run successful campaigns.
Other topics of interest
include cheaper textbooks,
a solar power campaign, and
the lobbying to get rid of the
unnecessary use of antibiotics
by meat farms.
To get involved, or for more
information, contact Tess at:
tess@masspirgstudents.org
Just think, if every student
donated $5 dollars, UMASSD
could feed 30 homeless people
for an entire year!*
*based off an average meal
cost of about $3.50 and with
consideration to the 9,000
student population.
Education should never be limited to a
certain race or group of people.
Since Brown vs. Board of Education,
trying to give the minority a lesser
chance at a better education has
never been right in the eyes of many.
That was said and done, until UMass
Amherst decided to jump the gun on a
recent decision.
UMass Amherst faced backlash on
February 12th after it was announced
that Iranian nationals could not enroll
in specific graduate programs for
chemical, computer and mechanical
engineering.
According to CNN, UMass
Amherst based its decision on a law
Congress enacted in 2012. “The Iran
Threat Reduction Syria Human Rights
Act restricts Iranian citizens from
education in United States if they were
preparing for a career in the energy
sector or nuclear science in Iran.”
After receiving backlash from all
fronts, it was announced on February
19th that the university would reverse
its ban after consulting with the State
Department and outside counsel.
Michael Malone, vice chancellor
of research and engagement at the
university, said, “We have always
believed that excluding students
from admission conflicts with our
institutional values and principles. It
is now clear, after further consultation
and deliberation, that we can adopt a
less restrictive policy.”
Aw, that’s super cute. It was after
seeing that not only was it bad press
for the prestigious flagship of the
universities of Massachusetts, it
was after further consultation and
deliberation which was code for the
head honchos still want their money’s
worth that they cut the bull. It did
not take a rocket scientist to see the
unethical sadness of it all. It was
completely understandable when
outrage was heard from all over.
The law enacted by Congress
makes sense, education regarding
science or engineering from United
States cannot be given to Iranians
if once a degree is attained they will
use it for wrongdoings. Going back
to help Iran’s nuclear dreams would
only cause distress for the countries
around them but it will also start a war
that nobody needs especially in this
economy.
At the same time, it is hard to tell
someone that they cannot receive an
education based on their race. It would
take us back to the time of segregation
and all things hectic that no one wants
to relive. Precautions are fair to take
but not every Iranian has the same
agenda and probing each and every
one of them that comes through the
gates of the school would look crass.
The real shock for me with
this news was that it came from a
university close to home. There is a lot
of pride knowing that UMass Amherst,
Dartmouth, Lowell and Boston are all
connected and just because I am not
attending the flagship, I am still getting
the best education there is in this
state. Just because UMass Amherst
started the restriction does not mean
it is only felt over there. The blow goes
to all the schools connected.
I started to question whether
UMass Dartmouth would do the same
and what could be done if that was to
occur. The more I questioned it, the
more I become enraged.
Decisions like that should not
be made behind closed doors with
chancellors and vice chancellors; it
should be made as a community.
A university such as ours does not
function with only a few people in
power, it functions with all of us. To
know that UMass Amherst made a
grave decisions like that and only to
take it back means that they did not
care about consulting the community,
they consulted the ones they believed
only mattered.
It does not matter whether an
Iranian wants to study any of those
programs mentioned before, they are
entitled to an education that will help
them succeed when in their country
they could not.
Everyone is capable of using
their degree for bad things but not
everyone is singled out. Education
should be race blind, all that matters
is whether or not you are willing to
make a difference with your degree
and how will that difference impact a
generation for the better.
Restrictions not needed:
The revision of an unfair decision
BY KASSANDRA EDOUARD
KEDOUARD@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
BY DAN WESTGATE
DWESTGATE@UMASSD.EDU
Contributing Writer
Lifeguarding without guarding
BY MATTHEW LITCHFIELD
MLITCHFIELD1@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
Letter to the Editor:
The Perpetuating
Poverty of Dartmouth

6. EDITOR: PAM GARNETT
PAMELAMGARNETT@GMAIL.COM
PAGE 6
V. 32, ISSUE 18OPINIONS & EDITORIALS
Since I talked about my qualms with
Monsanto last week, I’m going to
regale you with my opinion on GMOs
this week.
Monsanto is one thing. I don’t
like how the company is run, I don’t
like their tactics, it’s just all sorts of
messed up.
But GMOs…
GMO stands for genetically
modified organism, and I don’t just
mean genetically modified through
evolution. This kind of genetic
modification is done through genetic
engineering and biotechnology.
Laughably, one of the first
genetically manufactured foods
was broccoli, my absolute favorite
vegetable. As far back as 2,500 years
ago, the Greeks may have developed
the first broccoli ancestor, and,
according to Springer, the present-
day variety arose in Italy within the
last 2000 years.
How, you ask, did the ancients
genetically modify food?
Well, in the same way that farmers
genetically modified food for
centuries before biotechnology came
along. Artificial selection.
In the case of broccoli, kale has
small flower buds, so when you find
a kale with bigger flower buds, pick it
and throw away the others. Only allow
this kale to reproduce with itself.
Then, eventually, the kale buds will
get bigger and more prolific, and the
farmers will take that kale, throw the
rest away, and only produce that one.
Thus, you get broccoli. Farmers also
produced cauliflower and Brussels
sprouts from wild kale.
This kind of genetic modification
isn’t what we use today, but it’s still
interesting to know that humans have
always been tweaking nature for our
own ends.
Artificial selection has been used
for years until the field of genetic
engineering appeared. According
to Nature, “We can incorporate
new genes from one species into a
completely unrelated species through
genetic engineering, optimizing
agricultural performance or
facilitating the production of valuable
pharmaceutical substances.”
Currently, we have a few crops that
are genetically modified, chief among
them Roundup Ready corn and soy.
These I talked about in my article last
week. They resist herbicides made
with glyphosate with genes from a soil
bacterium.
But corn resists insect pests, like
the European corn borer, which
cost the United States $1 billion per
year. The gene for the insecticide
comes from another bacterium and is
inserted into the corn.
The issue with GM crops is that we
don’t know whether they have adverse
effects because some believe that
insufficient studies have been done
on them. Europe’s GMOs are strictly
regulated, but as of September 2014,
49 GMOs are authorized.
One of the biggest reasons
people want to oppose GMOs is
Monsanto, just because of their
questionable business tactics. We
can’t forget, though, that Monsanto is
a corporation. They are trying to make
money.
Another reason people don’t
like GMOs is that having herbicide
resistant crops may mean that there
will be herbicide resistant weeds,
which completely negates the reason
we have herbicide resistance.
The Non-GMO Project cites
many of Monsanto’s questionable
techniques as reasons GMOs should
be at least labeled, such as the fact that
“companies that make GMOs now
have the power to sue farmers whose
fields are contaminated with GMOs,
even when it is the result of inevitable
drift from neighboring fields.”
The biggest issue is that people
want to know whether their food is
GMO free, and corporations aren’t
giving that to people. Are people
actually against GMOs, or are
they against GMOs because of the
corporations?
There are certain downsides to
genetically modifying our foods, yes.
But can we draw a line between the
corporations and the food that’s being
produced?
According to IFLScience, one of
the reasons we need GMOs is because
of the increasing world population.
As of 2014, the statistics from the
United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization were horrific.
About 805 million people were
suffering from undernourishment at
some point in 2012-2014. That’s about
one-ninth of the population.
791 million of those lived in
developing countries.
11 million lived in developed
countries.
So how would GMOs help us
attempt to assuage that problem?
We have a couple choices. We can
cut down rainforests to make room
for agricultural land. We can try
to grow crops indoors without soil
(hydroponics, look it up – it looks
pretty cool.) We could stop eating
meat, which would transfer the
calories we feed to animals to people.
Or we could cultivate GM crops.
There was a study outlined in GMO
OMG, a documentary you can find
on Netflix, about whether GM crops
produce more than non-GM crops,
and the results were that no: in forty
years, the one produces as much as
the other.
But is production really the issue?
We throw away so much food at the
end of the day. “Golden rice,” which
was produced a few years ago and
has Vitamin A, was supposed to be a
lifesaver, but what’s happened since
then? We’ve discovered that this rice
can’t grow in the areas that need it
most.
It’s a huge disappointment, so we
don’t actually know whether GMOs
will solve world hunger. But are they
necessarily bad?
I vote no, and here’s why. There
are many cases where GMOs are
made by scientists not affiliated with
corporations, such as the Florida
orange.
National Geographic came out with
the article a few months ago. Florida
oranges have been affected by citrus
greening, a plague that could destroy
them that is spread by Asian citrus
psyllids.
The disease causes nutrient flows
in the trees to seize up, destroying
the trees and moving quickly and
contagiously through an orchard. It
affects all types of citrus: lemons,
grapefruits, oranges, all dead.
It’s been a growing problem, so
much so that the industry directed
about $90 million to research last year.
There has been talk of releasing
wasps from Pakistan that attack the
psyllids, chemical tree coatings that
target the psyllids’ body, engineering
a citrus virus that attacks the greening
bacterium, and multiple others.
I don’t much like these ideas,
particularly the one about the wasps.
But wait! There is hope, that is,
if Americans would be okay with
drinking orange juice from GM
oranges, whose genes include some
spinach genetics.
In 2000, the same scientist that is
trying to save the oranges in this way
planted the first GM citrus trees: a
version of the Ruby Red grapefruit
resists tristeza, a virus that was
attacking grapefruits.
He can’t sell these grapefruits,
but Erik Mirkov still grows them on
his research plot. Now, he’s using a
similar tactic to try to save the citrus
industry with spinach genes inserted
into oranges.
GMOs shouldn’t be considered
a problem. A lot of scientists like
Mirkov are just trying to save the
crops. One of my favorite articles
is “The Next Green Revolution” in
National Geographic. It talks about
flood tolerant rice and disease
resistant cassava – thanks to biotech.
It would be nice to know whether
the food I’m eating is genetically
modified, but it would be also nice
to know why. Which part of my food
was genetically modified? Is my food
classified a pesticide? Or does it have
genes that we normally eat anyway?
The issue with GMOs is that no one
is informed.
Corporations try to keep
information from us, and the research
that other scientists do for other GM
foods is hidden unless you know
about it.
GMOs are very controversial, but I
think if the general public knew more
about them, we’d be able to make
informed decisions over whether the
plants themselves should be fought or
whether the corporations should be
fought.
BY AMANDA BUTCHER
ABUTCHER@UMASSD.EDU
Editor-in-Chief
The issue with GMOs
Midday. I don’t really want to go,
but Lucia does. She says, “There are
charms I can cast! We have to go there,
come on, Amanda!”
I look around, see the bustle of
the crowds, the smiles of the little
kids waving around sticks of plastic,
hoping that something will move.
They don’t see the video cameras,
waiting to register the right hand
motion. They won’t see them because
they don’t question, they don’t ask,
“How?” I feel defeated. This was the
place I’d always dreamed of going,
the place I never thought I’d see, but
disappointment claws at my belly.
Kids run around and tangle in
people’s cloaks. All the cloaks are
black, but they all have different
colors in the hoods and on the insides:
maroon, gold, emerald, navy. They
cost 139 dollars.
It’s a tourist spot without many
places to sit. It’s a place for nerds,
but only if those nerds have money.
It’s a place for spoiled kids who have
only seen the movies. I’ve become
disillusioned. I’m at odds with the
little kid in me. I want to love this
place, but it’s so commercial that it’s
not what I hoped.
But Lucia’s little kid in her
is standing out. The 21-year-old
photographer and one of my best
friends can’t seem to get enough.
She’s like a little cousin or something:
she wants to do things over and over
again, not tiring of it even if she’s done
it fifty times.
So I stare at the sign: it’s a cardboard
cutout meant to look like someone’s
arm, someone wearing a business suit
and with thick fingers, with the words
“Knockturn Alley” written on the
sleeve in Gothic letters.
I bite my lip, hide my Gryffindor pin
(even though I know it isn’t real), and
nod at her. Fine. Take the Gryffindor
down to Borgin and Burke’s. Maybe
we’ll run into a Death Eater. I’m not
thinking straight.
Midday turns into twilight as the
sun disappears above dank darkness
in Knockturn Alley. A window teems
with shadows of spiders larger than
my face. I step too close to one of the
shops, and something hisses loudly at
my feet. I jump.
Lucia points her plastic stick at
a door and says, “Alohomora.” Eyes
appear all over the door and look at
her, no matter how she tries to escape
their gaze. She tries the doorknob, but
it hisses and blows air at her. Workers
in dark cloaks skulk in corners,
flourishing their plastic sticks. Most of
them smile at the children’s gasps of
admiration. Even though this isn’t real,
this is a tourist trap, I am cautious. I
am creeping, tiptoeing in the twilight
at midday.
We reach Borgin and Burke’s. She
wants to buy something overpriced,
so I decide I’ll go in with her. It’s a
skulking building on a kitty corner
with eyes in glass jars sitting on
cluttered shelves in the shop windows,
eyes that stare at passers-by. I take a
deep breath. I cross the threshold.
It’s only slightly brighter than
outside, and we’re greeted by a myriad
of scary, dark objects – a necklace
that’s marked “CURSED” and a hand
in an upright position inside a glass
box, a hand too big and with fingers
too long and thin to belong to a human,
labeled “For thieves and plunderers.”
I raise my hand up to the glass and
touch it. Almost immediately, the
hand flies downward, and I realize
with a jolt why the strange looking
hand is in a glass box.
A gaunt, blonde woman in a long,
black dress comes up to me and
nods. I make sure my Gryffindor pin
is hidden (it is: I’ve zipped up my
magenta sweatshirt) and smile at her.
Her name is Paula, and she’s from
Chicago. She’s the oldest person I’ve
seen working here, but she’s probably
only in her mid-forties. I ask her why
she moved down here.
She shrugs and straightens the
thing in her hair that reminds me of
those hats the princesses wore for
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s
wedding. “This job, I guess,” she says.
“I’ve always wanted this kind of job.
I get to work at Borgin and Burke’s
and dress like a witch. How surreal is
that?”
Lucia finds what she wants to buy
and calls me over. She has a list. “I
want this and this and this,” she says,
“but I don’t have enough money for all
of it.”
I know she’s going to buy it all
anyway, so I look up at the high ceiling,
the rickety shelves that are evidently
stronger than they look because
they’re piled up with merchandise and
ancient-looking books and jars filled
with body parts, probably. I don’t look
at these jars too closely. I tell her I
would just buy Tom Riddle’s diary.
She doesn’t buy anything, deciding
to instead figure out how much money
she has tomorrow when we come back
and buy stuff then, but she makes sure
to take pictures of each thirty-dollar
shirt and each fifteen-dollar coffee
mug, as well as the price tags.
I’m kind of loitering, so Paula
comes back. She points in the corner,
where stands an ornate cabinet with
doors that converge outward in a
point, doors that look too big for the
dimensions of the cabinet. I gasp.
“Have you seen our vanishing
cabinet?” she asks. “Come here, I’ll
show you.”
I float over as if in a dream. She puts
her hands on one side and presses
her ear to the cabinet. “Listen,” she
says. I mirror her pose on the other
side of the cabinet. A bird chirps on
the inside, and I can feel fluttering
beneath my fingertips.
This is a vanishing cabinet. This is
how the Death Eaters got to Hogwarts
during the Second Wizarding War.
I don’t believe it. I feel myself being
dragged into this world where
everything costs too much.
I tell Lucia I’m going outside, and
a man with pale skin, black eyeliner,
a sleeveless cloak, bright orange hair,
and an obviously recent TARDIS
tattoo on his bare shoulder grins at
me. I say, “Nice tattoo.”
He grins wider. “I got it yesterday,”
he drawls, coming closer and folding
his arms. “Look at this one.” He shows
me his forearm. It’s a dark mark, and
I try my hardest not to roll my eyes.
How is he going to get a job at a
decent place with a dark mark on his
forearm? But then, I remember most
places won’t care if you’re a Slytherin
or a Gryffindor or a Ravenclaw or
Hufflepuff. This is the only place
where it’ll matter.
He tells me about his fiancée, a
writer named C. L. Stone who wrote
the Academy series, and about
how they keep extending their stay.
They’ve been here every month
since she started selling her books
in earnest. I try to tell him I love to
write too, but he just keeps talking
about how many wands he has. He has
Sirius’s wand and Luna’s and Ginny’s
and his fiancée, the writer C. L. Stone,
she wrote the Academy series, you
know, has…
Lucia comes out of Borgin and
Burke’s, and the guy whose name
I don’t know starts talking to her
because she has a Sharpie dark mark
on her forearm as well. It’s like I’m not
even there. I find myself wanting to
cast a spell.
I take Lucia’s wand because I want
to try a spell on the talking shrunken
heads in the window across from
Borgin and Burke’s. “Mimblewimble,”
I say, and the talking shrunken heads
fall silent. A short, dark-skinned man
dissolves from out of the shadows and
frowns at me.
“That wasn’t very nice,” he says.
I shrug. “They’re being rude.”
“I know where you can stick that
wand,” shouts one. “Where the sun
don’t…”
“…shiiiiiiine!” sing all the shrunken
heads in unison.
I gesture at the shrunken heads,
who are laughing and singing, and the
man quirks his eyebrows. He purses
his lips and makes a strange face at me,
like he’s brooding about something. I
notice that pinned on his green robe
is a nametag: he works here. He makes
a steeple out of his fingertips, holds
them in front of his chest, and glides
toward Lucia and the man whose
name I don’t know. I follow. I like this
strange sorcerer.
We probably talk for almost
an hour and a half, the four of us.
Eventually, the man (his name is
Ronald) drops his brooding guise and
tells us he’s from Orlando. He likes his
job, but when Lucia says it must be a
dream, he shrugs. “It’s cool,” he says.
“I met Dumbledore!” He smiles at the
memory.
He tells us he thinks working at the
park kind of ruins the magic for him.
He sees the magic done every day.
“But talking to people like you,”
he says, “I remember how much this
place means to people like us, people
who grew up on the boy who lived…
and I love my job again.”
The man whose name I don’t know
leaves. He tells me to contact his
fiancée anytime. I can just Google
her, and I can easily find her contact
information. They love talking to
fellow nerds, and they’re moving to
London next year.
We talk to Ronald some more. The
first day at his job, his superiors told
him to come up with a persona, and
he’s been perfecting it ever since.
He’s a dark wizard who’s interested
in alchemy; that’s why he seemed so
broody. He has a really nice smile
when he’s not trying to be that
persona.
We walk with him out of Knockturn
Alley, and midday has turned to dusk.
The park is closing, but Lucia and I
have one more place we need to go.
We say goodbye to Ronald (he tells
us he hopes to see us tomorrow) and
run through Diagon Alley, through the
brick wall and out to fake London, as
she calls it.
Step forward. There is a woman
shouting, “Welcome to London!”
She’s waving a British flag, and she’s
standing by a cart with Union Jack
merchandise, completely oblivious
to the purple triple-decker bus only
twenty strides away from her. A
nerdy-looking redhead with a purple
uniform and a purple conductor’s hat
is lounging near the door, laughing and
chattering to the next girl in line, a girl
who’s super pretty and wouldn’t be
going for his type if it weren’t for his
Cockney accent. A shrunken head just
inside the bus is eavesdropping. He
has black dreadlocks and a Jamaican
accent. “Dat girl’s a Slytherin? I don’
trust dem,” he says.
“Don’t tell anyone,” he tells her,
just loud enough for her and the
next person in line to hear, “but I like
Slytherins best.”
The music soars. It’s haunting and
familiar. I glance at the woman at
the cart, at Grimmauld Place, where
a house elf peers out a window, and
back at the Knight Bus. This is the
place I’d always dreamed of going, the
place I never thought I’d see.
So I’m skeptical and trying to find
the cameras, trying to figure out the
mechanics of it all, but this is the place
I see when I reread the Harry Potter
books every summer. I’m here, and all
is well.
BY AMANDA BUTCHER
ABUTCHER@UMASSD.EDU
Editor-in-Chief
The night in Knockturn

7. Comedy Central will be losing an-
other iconic comedic figure later this
year.
Late last year, the final episode
of The Colbert Report aired so that
Stephen Colbert could host The Late
Show. However the man starting it
all will soon surrender his throne of
the late night talk show comedy king-
dom, Jon Stewart.
Stewart began hosting The Daily
Show on Comedy Central in 1999 and
has remained hilarious for the past
seventeen years. The Daily Show of-
fers political and social commentary
that has kept a sharp wit four days a
week.
Last week Stewart announced that
he will soon be leaving The Daily
Show.
“I don’t have any specific plans. I
got a lot of ideas. I got a lot of things
in my head,” said Stewart while an-
nouncing his leave. “I’m going to
have dinner on a school night with
my family, who I have heard from
multiple sources are lovely people.”
As of now details are scarce about
Stewart leaving. His last day on the
show has yet to be announced but he
did make it clear that The Daily Show
would live on without him. He has
also yet to state what he will be doing
after he leaves the show.
The limited details have left the
internet speculating to what will
happen to the show and Stewart. Ac-
cording to NewsWeek.com the rumor
that The Daily Show correspondent
Jessica Williams would become the
new host.
However these myths were quick-
ly debunked when Williams tweeted,
“Fact 1: I’m not hosting. Thank you
but I’m extremely under-qualified for
the job!”
While I was hopeful that Williams
would become the new host, it seems
unlikely. While being, in my opinion,
the funniest correspondent on the
show, she is also one of the newest,
joining the show just three years ago.
Others speculated John Oliver
would return to The Daily Show to
host. This is another extremely un-
likely possible. Oliver currently hosts
the show Last Week Tonight on HBO.
The show is currently on its second
season and according to IGN.com
the show was recently renewed for at
least two more seasons.
Oliver proved his hosting skills a
couple years ago when he filled in as
host of the show for a few weeks, as
Stewart filmed his movie. As of now,
Oliver’s new show is great in its own
right and I don’t see him leaving it
anytime soon.
I think it is likely that we will see
current correspondents Samantha
Bee or Jason Jones replace Stewart.
Both are hilarious when they appear
on the show and have been associat-
ed with it for roughly a decade each.
I think either one would be a great
choice.
On the other hand I cannot help
but speculate what is in Jon Stewart’s
future. In his speech he indicated
that he was not exactly sure what is
next for him but he also clearly has
something in the works.
I think it is possible and likely that
Stewart will become a film director
full-time. Late last year Stewart made
his directorial debut with the movie
Rosewater. The movie is a bio-pic
about Maziar Bahari, an Iranian-Ca-
nadian journalist who was interro-
gated in Iran when he was believed to
be a spy.
According to IMDB.com Rosewa-
ter received slightly mixed but most-
ly positive reviews. I would not be
surprised if Stewart left the show to
continue to pursue his career in the
film industry.
Other than that I’m not sure what
could possibly be next for Jon Stew-
art. While I will miss his presence on
The Daily Show I am both excited to
see what he will do next and to see
what is next for the show. In the com-
ing months we will see what’s next.
In the past few years Boston has
quickly become a hotspot for pre-
mier conventions such as Trek Con
Boston, Pax East, Anime Boston, and
Boston Comic Con.
It’s no surprise the city has quick-
ly become an entertainment conven-
tion hub as Boston has been voted the
third best city in the country to live
in during your twenties by Greatist.
com. Also the organizers of these
conventions have done a fantastic
job getting some of the biggest names
in entertainment to the conventions
and creating fan friendly environ-
ments that anyone can enjoy.
Having a city with a large popu-
lation of young people has played a
key part in Boston’s emergence in the
entertainment convention industry. I
attended Trek Con Boston and Boston
Comic Con and it was astonishing to
see the amount of young people in at-
tendance. Up until those conventions
I had assumed most conventions (ex-
cluding larger ones in NYC and San
Diego) were only for hardcore fans
that tend to be on the older side of the
spectrum.
However I was completely wrong.
Almost everyone in the convention
was under 30 and the energy was
spectacular. The crowd consisted of
college aged fans experiencing the
hobbies and communities they love.
Boston conventions have come alive
so quickly and the city’s youth bring
an energy to the conventions that you
cannot find anywhere else.
Along with the unparalleled ener-
gy, these conventions have done an
amazing job bringing in big name ce-
lebrities to these events while keep-
ing tickets at a reasonable price. At
Trek Con, where a ticket for entry
only costs $45, I had the opportunity
to meet over fifteen stars associated
with Star Trek. I also go the added
benefit to glance at some of the most
valuable merchandise in the Star
Trek universe.
At Comic Con it’s pretty much the
same story. I paid $35 and met some
of the industry’s most famous writers
and artists. I actually had an exten-
sive conversation with Neil Adams,
who created the Batman villain Ra’s
Al Ghul. I also met Scott Snyder and
Greg Capullo who write the current
Batman comics.
For the most part the celebrities
are friendly and happy to be ap-
proached by fans. They feed into
the atmosphere that the attendees
create and help build the excitement
throughout the con.
According to Boston Comic Con’s
website, Robin Lord Taylor, an actor
from Fox’s Gotham, will be making
an appearance at the con this sum-
mer. He is the first celebrity who
has confirmed their appearance at
the upcoming convention thus far
but there will be a handful more an-
nounce in the coming months.
Boston is quickly growing as a hub
for entertainment conventions. With
a young and passionate crowd and
approachable celebrities they are a
fun and exciting place to be.
Have you ever made a mistake or em-
barrassed yourself?
Ever wish you could just rewind
time for a couple of minutes and keep
yourself from screwing something
up?
Welln for photography student
Maxine Caulfield, that wish came
true.
This is the reality of Life is Strange,
a video game which takes place in
the quiet town of Arcadia nestled up
against the ocean and the cedars of
the Pacific Northwest. It looks into
the concept of regret and nostalgia in
a way that’s unlike any other episodic
game released thus far.
The first episode of the five-part
Life is Strange series was released last
month. It is the newest addition to
the growing repertoire of story-driv-
en point and click adventure games,
joining the ranks of other episodic
titles like the Walking Dead and The
Wolf Among Us. However, a few as-
pects set this game apart.
Most noticeably this game is not
the product of Telltale Games, the
most well-known developer in the
genre. This game was developed by
Dontnod Entertainment and pub-
lished by Square Enix. Now everyone
is wondering just how well Dontnod
measures up against a company that
has left such a big mark on the genre.
The game tells its story through
gameplay. The character Maxine
discovers that she can rewind time
to the recent past. It’s an interesting
gameplay mechanic that has pro-
found impact on the story, as well as
on the way you play.
It’s not too outrageous to be wary
of this kind of mechanic. After all,
what’s the risk if you can rewind ev-
ery decision? Well, you can only go
back so far in the game. Once you’ve
decided your option and moved on,
there’s no going back. When every
decision has side-effects, you must
still choose wisely. Once you’ve hit
a checkpoint, your fate (or somebody
else’s) is sealed.
This mechanic makes for
nerve-wracking gameplay, especially
when you have no idea if your choic-
es will help you or hinder you. This
is what makes this ability as much a
danger as it is helpful. Aside from the
choices you have to make, time-trav-
eling helps you overcome obstacles.
Say that as you walk up a path a
rock tumbles your way and is about
to crush you. While standing in place,
you can rewind time and go back to a
time before the rock fell, giving you
enough time to move out of the way
while continuing on your way. This
responsive gameplay punishes the
unobservant and rewards the atten-
tive, much in the way that life does.
However, this game teaches you
that even if you get your way in one
moment, it comes back to bite you the
next. Those wishing not to make en-
emies would do best not to make en-
emies for the sake of petty vendettas.
This game has a nostalgic vibe
that will cause the player to sympa-
thize for the protagonist. She wishes
to go back to simpler times. From her
analog camera to her acoustic guitar
to her quirky teenage expressions,
Maxine is a truly charming protag-
onist for an equally charming game.
Without a doubt it is worth a play
through, but some may want to wait
until the entire season is released.
EDITOR: T.J.SPRAGUE
TSPRAGUE@UMASSD.EDU
PAGE 7
V. 32, ISSUE 18ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Life is Strange
Entertainment conventions
shine bright in Boston
The Daily Show: Who will be the new host?
PHOTO COURTESY //BEACONINN.COM
By JACOB CONDO
JCONDO@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
By T.J. SPRAGUE
TSPRAGUE@UMASSD.EDU
A&E Editor
PHOTO COURTESY //DAILYSTAR-UK.CO.UK
PHOTO COURTESY //USNEWS.COM
By JUSTIN McKINNEY
JMCKINNEY@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer

8. EDITOR: T.J.SPRAGUE
TSPRAGUE@UMASSD.EDU
PAGE 8
V. 32, ISSUE 18ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
PHOTO COURTESY//DRAKENEWALBUM.BLOGSPOT.COM
Freedom Wars: Portable bliss
Nintendo 3DS XL review The fall of an empire and
the rise of a new Drake
In the hip-hop industry there are
so little artists that truly deliver
an album worth noting.
The competition is fierce and
only a select few get to be called
legends amongst their colleagues.
If there is one artist that comes to
mind that fits these criteria, it is
Drake. He no longer wants to be
great; he wants to take the throne
away from the so called competi-
tion. It seemed like the world was
going to continue with hearing
the same radio silence from Drake
since Nothing Was the Same in
2013. We wanted an album so bad
that once Drake announced an
upcoming album Views from the 6
was going to be released in 2015,
anticipation started to buzz ev-
erywhere.
However no one predicted that
Drake would pull a Beyonce. On
February 13th 2015 Drake sur-
prised everyone by releasing an
album/mixtape named If You’re
Reading This It’s Too Late through
iTunes.
Is it an album or is it a mixtape?
Being titled as both has caused
some confusion for those who
have listening to IYRTITL. It is
considered a mixtape to Drake
and OVO Sound, a record label
founded by Drake and long-time
friend Noah “40” Shebib.
It has some of well-known
names in the hip-hop industry
such as PARTYNEXTDOOR, Ma-
jid Jordan, ILoveMakonnen, and
Drake himself.
It seemed Drake put his sensi-
tive and personal persona aside
on the new album until the track
“You & the 6.” The song is a con-
versation with his mother in the
only way he knows how by try-
ing to wash away her worries,
prompting her to forgive his dad
and his past actions, and his exes
that she never liked.
“Jungle” continues the vulnera-
ble theme with lyrics about a past
or recent relationship that has
been on his mind.
Tracks like “Energy” talks
about how people are willing to
bring him down with negativity.
“6PM in New York” takes a jab at
former label mate Tyga and his re-
cent personal indiscretions with
Kylie Jenner. For Drake, this has
become personal. He doesn’t want
to play nice with his enemies.
With this album/mixtape, it
seemed like more of a hasty yet
well thought out goodbye to Cash
Money Records. Much like his
mentor Lil’ Wayne, it looks like
Drake is equally fed up with the
direction that his label is going in.
According to Hiphopwired.
com, in January, Lil’ Wayne filed
a $51 million dollar lawsuit against
Cash Money stating that they are
“stiffing him out of royalties, in-
cluding from Drake and other
artists tunes.” In December via
Twitter, Lil Wayne wrote “I am a
prisoner and so is my creativity,”
accusing Birdman and Cash Mon-
ey Records as a whole for refusing
to release Tha Carter V.
This comes as a complete shock
to me. Seeing that both Drake and
Lil’ Wayne want out of a company
that they called family makes fans
wonder what will happen next. It
seems that Birdman is going to
have no problems seeing his big-
gest money makers go away with
his current position as honing
the skills of up and coming art-
ists such as Young Thug and Rich
Homie Quan.
The fall of an empire is ap-
proaching and though each art-
ist can take the fall, will it really
be that easy? In If You’re Reading
This It’s Too Late, Drake address-
es those worries subtlety through
“Now & Forever.”
He is talking about a smother-
ing relationship with a girl but for
those who understand the recent
events, it is definitely about Bird-
man and Cash Money Records.
The beef between everyone under
the same roof has some potential
to shake up hip-hop, the industry
of our generation.
With this album and the next
one that is coming up later this
year, Drake will be no longer have
a contractual agreement with
Cash Money. His future may seem
undecided but if he continues
with the direction of kicking ass
and taking names, he will always
have his fan base beside him and
the throne behind him.
Nintendo’s newest reiteration of
the 3DS has finally come to Amer-
ica with the New Nintendo 3DS
XL.
This isn’t the first time the 3DS
has been redesigned.
The 2DS boasted everything
the 3DS had to offer sans the 3D
feature, and was in a more com-
pact and affordable package. It
was geared more towards the
younger crowds.
Later came the 3DS XL, boast-
ing a much larger set of screens.
Aside from the size, internally the
3DS and the XL were identical.
With the New 3DS, Nintendo
clearly wanted to reinvent the
design of their already successful
handheld.
Upon pulling it out of the box,
I immediately noticed the quality
of the build was much more sol-
id. The glossy finish of the “new
Black” design felt heavier than the
previous XL, and lacked the plas-
tic, loose feeling it had. It just felt
like a better-made system.
Unfortunately, the New XL’s
screens are identical to that of the
original XL. There is no size dif-
ference.
Where it lacks in size, it makes
up for it with new features that
make the handheld experience
even more comfortable, easy, and
fun.
Though its name suggested ex-
pertise, the 3DS was never all that
good at producing 3D images. You
had to see it in a specific position,
and often that sweet spot wasn’t
one that was comfortable in a por-
table environment.
The new 3DS includes a sec-
ond camera, which is able to track
your face, adjusting the screen’s
3D feature to suit the position.
I am a natural skeptic, but this
is downright the most radical
change to the 3DS. It’s amazing
how well it works, and from now
on I will always play with 3D on.
Games look crisper, deeper, and
really appear to be a window look-
ing into a whole new world.
One of the biggest additions to
the New 3DS is the C stick. The C
stick has been a staple Nintendo’s
more recent controllers, and the
lack of one on the 3DS was always
a challenge.
I chose to do a Wi-Fi system
transfer, and it all happened with
no hiccups. I can recommend you
choose the option to simply move
all saves and profile data, and
choose to download your eShop
titles later, making the transfer
process much quicker.
I’ve been on board with the 3DS
since its launch. The New 3DS has
really impressed me. It’s a subtle
upgrade, and one that you should
do your own personal research on
before deciding to purchase it. If
you’re content with your current
3DS, this upgrade may seem insig-
nificant.
Nintendo clearly hoped to put
out a quality version of one of its
greatest handhelds, and I believe
they have achieved so. For me, the
upgrade was well worth it.
By T.J. SPRAGUE
TSPRAGUE@UMASSD.EDU
A&E Editor
By KASSANDRA EDOUARD
KEDOUARD@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
By BRETT McLEOD
BMCLEOD@UMASSD.EDU
A&E Assistant Editor
PHOTO COURTESY//NINTENDO.COM
It is no secret that the Sony’s Play-
Station Vita is a struggling hand-
held system.
According to VGChartz.com
the Vita has sold less than 10
million units worldwide since its
world-wide launch in 2012. Com-
pared to the rival Nintendo’s 3DS
handheld system which sold over
50 million units world-side since
its release in 2011, it is looking
somewhat grim for Sony in the
handheld department.
With abysmal sales support for
the system is also slipping out of
Sony’s hands. Most developers
do not want to invest much mon-
ey into a game for a system with
a small install base. However
the studios Shift and Dimps are
braver than most and recently re-
leased the game Freedom Wars on
the PlayStation Vita.
The outcome of this collabora-
tion is an immersive and fun game
that is rough around the edges.
The concept of Freedom Wars
is what initially grabbed my at-
tention. The game is a Japanese
role-playing game set in a distant,
dystopian future where most peo-
ple are imprisoned in societies
known as Panopticons. These
Panopticons are at war with each
and force their prisoners to fight
in order to lower their sentence.
You fill the shoes of a prisoner
who has a million year sentence
who is forced into battle. The
game captures the atmosphere of
this interesting premise extreme-
ly well. The prison works towards
shortening their sentence but the
slightest actions can sentence the
player to another handful of de-
cades.
For example at the start of the
game taking ten or more steps
in your cell lands your character
another ten years in prison. Run-
ning for more than five seconds in
the Panopticon? That’s another 20
years.
These laws build the world.
Your character is oppressed and
there is little they can do about
it. You essentially play as a slave
soldier who is vainly working to-
wards their freedom.
With such a great and atmo-
spheric world, it is a shame that
actually diving into the story gets
dull quickly. It starts as a mys-
tery the protaginst must solve but
it just never grabbed me. What
makes the problem worse is that
there are long stretches of dia-
logue with almost no gameplay. I
found myself itching to return to
the battlefield but I had to sludge
through boring dialogue.
Getting through the story sec-
tions was well worth the wait
though. When you are thrown
into the battlefield it is one of the
most fun experiences on the Vita.
You can freely switch between
melee weapons and guns while
also being equipped with a weap-
on referred to as thorns.
Thorns a long vines with (as
the name implies) thorns around
them. They offer a handful of
benefits you can give to team-
mates and they can also be used
as transportations. Throwing the
thorns to a wall will cause them
to stick to it and you can jump to
where ever it lands. It allows for
a fun way to hop around the bat-
tlefield.
However the game is at its best
when you are faced against an
Abductor. Abductors are giant
robots that take kidnap citizens.
They are hulking and challenging
beasts and can take upwards of
twenty minutes to defeat.
There are multiple approaches
you can take against these com-
puterized monstrosities. Do you
go all out and try to quickly shoot
down the abductor? Or should you
try to mount the beast and sever
its weapon off to weaken it? You
can even pull the robot to the
floor with your thorns. The mul-
tiple choices are what make these
battles so exciting and dynamic.
It is all about quick combat and
exposing the weakness of the ab-
ductors.
However when there are multi-
ple enemies on screen combat can
become frustrating. You can press
the L button to lock on targets
and switch through targets with
the right joystick. Targeting the
correct enemy can be unneces-
sarily difficult. It is jarring when
I flicked the joystick to the right
and it switched to an adversary
in the opposite direction. In some
cases you have to guess who will
be locked onto next.
While Freedom Wars cannot
deliver a solid story, it more than
makes up for it with its immersive
atmosphere and fast paced and
exciting gameplay. The game has
slightly unreliable control but it
didn’t take me out of the experi-
ence too much.
Freedom Wars is one of the best
high-budget games on the Play-
Station Vita and might be the last
unless the system’s sales jump. I
highly recommend this game to
any Vita owner.
PHOTO COURTESY//N-GAMZ.COM

9. PAGE 9
V. 32, ISSUE 18
Activities Calender
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
EDITOR: T.J.SPRAGUE
TSPRAGUE@UMASSD.EDU
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
THURSDAY
26
FRIDAY
27
SATURDAY
28
SUNDAY
01
MONDAY
02
TUESDAY
03
WEDNESDAY
04
THE BUDDHA’S FOOTPRINT
LIBRARY ROOM 314
12:00 - 1:00 P.M.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND
FIELD OPEN NEW ENGLAND
CHAMPIONSHIPS AT
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
ALL DAY
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND
FIELD OPEN NEW ENGLAND
CHAMPIONSHIPS AT
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
ALL DAY
CATHOLIC MASS
MACLEAN CAMPUS CENTER
REFECTION ROOM 233
1:00 P.M.- 2:00 P.M.
THE UNCOMMON OBJECT
CVPA GALLERY THRU
MARCH 26, 2015
CATHOLIC MASS
MACLEAN CAMPUS CENTER
BLUE AND GOLD WELCOME
CENTER 5:00 - 6:00 P.M.
INTRODUCTION TO ACCESS
LIBRARY ROOM 226
10:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
STUDENT HEALTH SURVEY
ONLINE THRU MARCH 22,
2015
INTRO TO PHOTOSHOP PART
3 LIBRARY ROOM 226 2:00 -
4:00 P.M.
SUSTAINABILITY MOVIE
SERIES PART 2: DEAR WHITE
PEOPLE LARTS ROOM 116
7:00 - 9:00 P.M.
Horoscopes
FUNDAMENTALS OF FLIPPING
LIBRARY ROOM 128
1:00 - 2:30 P.M.
INTERNATIONAL FILM SERIES
CVPA AUDITORIUM ROOM 153
7:30 - 9:30 P.M.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
SHOW ANGUS BAILEY
AUDITORIUM 6:00 - 7:00 P.M.
ONLINE TEACHING AND LEARNING
STRATEGIES ONLINE 9:00 A.M.
THRU MARCH 11, 2015
You ran away from something recently. I don’t mean
metaphorically either; I mean you sprinted away from
something. Well wear good running shoes over the
course of the week because it may come back. Be
ready when it does.
Chin up! I know you think you didn’t do well on that
test recently but I think you will be surprised with the
results. Maybe the professor will scale the grades up
or maybe you got an A but you’re nervous anyway.
Don’t stress about it. You know you did your best and
that is all that matters.
In the words of Woody the cowboy, “Reach for the
sky!” I don’t mean put your hands up to surrender but
to reach for your goals that may seem far off. You have
something you want to do and you just need to pursue
it. No more excuses and do it!
Today you will be presented with a decision that
you must make that consists of two choices. Choose
whichever one will make your life easier. It is hard
enough as it is, just do something to make life easier
for you.
Stop procrastinating and do your work! Well you
can procrastinate a little bit longer because you still
need to finish reading this issue of The Torch. We
work really hard on this so you can’t put it down now!
The sports section is next and it’s a good one this
issue. Check it out!
Do you ever lay in bed with a million thoughts
running through your head to the point where you
cannot fall asleep? Yea me either. Stay chill and just
relax a bit. You don’t want to start stressing and getting
gray hair! Hakuna Matata.
Something very lucky is going to happen to you
today. You might win a lot of money on a scratch ticket
or you might just not get charged extra for guacamole
at Chipotle. Either way you are going to feel like a
winner today.
In the words of the famous Ricky Bobby “if you’re
not first, you’re last.” Live by these words. Be the best
you can be and rise above everyone else. Getting a job
out of college is extremely competitive so you need to
stand. Be in first!
The most important thing you can do now is
nothing. You work way too much and you need to
reward yourself and take a breather. If you keep on
going without a break you will burn out just a few
weeks into the semester. Remember that school is a
long-distance run and not a short sprint.
You are going to do something today that no one
else in the world has done before. What is that? Well if
I thought of it then somebody has probably done it at
one point. Go think of whatever that thing is and do it!
The Oscars recently happened and one day you are
going to win one! The chance of that happening is
close to zero percent but listen to me and not logic.
Just remember to thank me in your acceptance speech.
I think you need to chill a little bit. Something
happened recently that made you really mad but if
you think about it, it’s not a big deal. So what? Stuff
happens and you will get over it. In fact, the sooner
the better.
Virgo
August 23 – September 22
Libra
September 23 – October 22
Scorpio
October 23 – November 21
Sagittarius
November 22 – December 21
Capricorn
December 22 – January 19
Aquarius
January 20 – February 18
Pisces
February 19 – March 20
Aries
March 21 – April 19
Taurus
April 20 – May 20
Gemini
May 21 – June 20
Cancer
June 21 – July 22
Leo
July 23 – August 22
POLL OF THE WEEK
How do you feel about all of the snow storms?
Great! No classes!I’m sick of it now
I don’t care either way
38%
28%
34%

10. PAGE 10
V. 32, ISSUE 18ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
EDITOR: T.J.SPRAGUE
TSPRAGUE@UMASSD.EDU
Humans of UMassD is a group of photographers that take portraits of campus life.
It was inspired by a photographer, Brandon Stanton who takes portraits in New
York. We are human and have voices to be heard and stories to be told.
HUMANSOFUMASSDARTMOUTH TOP10PLAYLIST
Bass, Dub, Sweat and Tears
Gaudi
Una Cartina
Intended Immigration
Mariachi El Bronx (III)
Mariachi El Bronx
Beware The Fetish
Kasai Allstars
Ocean View
Silva
Burnt Offering
Budos Band
Live
Palo!
The Island of Dr. Electrico
Bombay Royale
Kirike
Kasse Mady Diabate
The Original Essence
Peruquois
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
WHAT’SONYOURIPOD?
CORSAIRCUISINE
“‘Ceremonials’ by Florence + the Machine.”
“I love it here but the stairs are just too small.
I’d skip two but then it’d be too much.”
“Take a deep breath. You know it’s all going to come together somehow.”
PHOTO COURTESY // MARIA AMELL
PHOTO COURTESY // MARIA AMELL
-Amanda Butcher
“I gotta go with my Marilyn Manson
fanboy-ness and say ‘The Pale Emperor.’”
-Mark Ogle
Ingredients (Makes 8 servings)
½ pound thick sliced bacon,
cut into ½ inch pieces
2 carrots diced
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter (or non-
dairy equivalent)
2 tablespoons flour (or gluten-
free equivalent)
4 cups milk (almond milk may
suffice)
2 large potatoes, peeled and
diced
1canwholekernelcorn,drained
Asanever-endingwinterseems
totightenitsgrasponourcampus,
why not take this time to prepare
amealthatwillhelpdriveawaythe
cold?
Total preparation should take
abouttwentyminutes,andshould
give you everything you need to
begin.
Start by cooking the bacon for
eight minutes on a medium heat.
Thisshouldrenderthefatandgive
you nice crispy bacon. Don’t get
ridofthatgreasewhenyouremove
the bacon! We need it for the next
step!Stirallofyourcarrots,celery,
and bay leaf into the grease and
cook them for about five minutes.
Meanwhile melt the butter in a
large pot over a medium-low heat
and whisk-in the flour for five
minutes,stirringconstantly.Then
slowly whisk-in the milk and
simmer the mixture at a medium-
high heat. Once it’s simmering,
cook the mix for another five
minutes, stirring frequently.
Addintherestoftheingredients,
including the potatoes and corn.
Oncethechowderisreturnedtoa
simmer, reduce the heat to
medium-low and cook until the
potatoes are tender. That should
take about twenty minutes. Use
additional milk until you’ve
achievedthedesiredconsistency.
That’s it! You’re done! You are
now ready to serve this delicious
chowder made from scratch. And
another cool fact is that this meal
is gluten-free!
As always, feel free to email me
withcomments,reviews,questions
or suggestions.
What's up
NEW BEDFORD
By JACOB CONDO
BACON CORN CHOWDER
PHOTO COURTESY // TUMBLR.COM
PHOTO COURTESY // DESTINATIONNEWBEDFORD.ORG
PHOTO COURTESY // SDGLN.COM
By DANAILE BENNETT
DBENNETT2@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
In The Heat Of The Night
Staying in and not doing anything tonight? How about
heading over to the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center
to see” In the Heat of the Night.” The nationally
acclaimed L.A Theatre works return to the Zeiterion
Performing Arts Center with a similar adaptation of
the John Ball’s novel. ”In the heat of the Night” follows
the story of a small Southern town shakened by the
murder of a wealthy white man. A black man is
arrested as a suspect in the case and he must work
alongside the white chief of police to solve this case.
In this time, more than ever, the gripping story echoes
sentiments progress, regression and fear in our
modern society. Tickets for this show range from
$27.00 to $ 37.00.
Dine New Bedford
Whether you’re looking to experience rich cultural
heritage through the taste of local favorite Portuguese
salted cod or wanting to relax in a laid-back Irish pub,
they have a culinary adventure for you and here’s
what’s tempting you. They have tasty dishes from
international cuisine or American cuisine and diners.
Just in case you want to relax and unwind with a group
of friends or a love one, there are bars and pubs to
satisfy each and every need.
1.
CHRISSYSIEBEN
EMILYMARTEL

11. With the Red Sox coming off a
disappointing season, finishing with a
last place record of 71-91, they looked
to improve the team as much as they
could during the off-season.
At the end of the 2014 season, the
Red Sox found themselves in last place
in the AL East division. Posting a team
batting average of .244, they were also
at the bottom of the pack when it came
to hitting. With a team ERA of 4.01,
they also garnered the highest average
ERA in the division.
So, what have the Red Sox been up
to in the last few weeks?
One major deal that is being worked
out is that of 19-year-old prospect
Yoan Moncada. Coming from Cuba,
he played two seasons in the Serie
Nacional, which is the island’s top
league. Through those two seasons, he
posted a batting average of .277 with
four home runs and 21 stolen bases.
The young Moncada is a switch-
hitting infielder, and the Red Sox had
brought him in for a private workout
roughly two weeks ago. Other teams
that were interested in the prospect
include the Dodgers, Yankees,
Rangers, and Padres.
On Monday, the Red Sox agreed to
a deal with Moncada. It is said that the
deal includes a $31.5 million signing
bonus, and that the total investment
from the Red Sox is about $62 million.
While the contract hasn’t been
finalized, it is believed that Moncada
will be sporting a Red Sox jersey in the
very near future.
In September 2014, Rusney Castillo
debuted as the Red Sox starting center
fielder. Through 10 games and 36
at-bats, Castillo achieved a batting
average of .333, as well as two home
runs and six RBIs.
Winter league coach for the Boston
Red Sox, Alex Cora, had a lot of good
things to say about Castillo. Castillo
played 10 games in the Puerto Rican
winter league, and hit a .405 batting
average. Cora mentioned that all of
Castillo’s hits were either back up the
middle or to right center, which he
usually doesn’t see with Cuban hitters.
While the Red Sox have a crowded
outfield situation, Cora believes that
Castillo deserves a starting role.
Talking about his great athleticism,
we may be seeing Castillo secure
a starting role in the outfield this
coming season.
On February 13th, Hanley Ramirez
was already seen at the team’s spring
training complex in Florida. Players
were not required to show up for
spring training until mid-March, but
Hanley chose to participate early.
Since he will be making a transition
from the infield to outfield, first base
and outfield coach Arnie Beyeler was
incredibly pleased with Ramirez’s
effort and performance.
Beyeler reported that Ramirez was
“awesome”, and that he was very
impressed with what he saw. He added
that Ramirez had caught every ball
that came his way, and that he didn’t
have problems with anything the
coaches challenged him with.
Knowing this, it should be
interesting to see how Ramirez
performs in the 2015 season. Given his
exceptional talent, it appears as though
he is only working to get better.
Hanley also commented that “I
belong here,” referencing his current
standing with the Boston Red Sox
when asked if he would move to any
other team. Ramirez had played in
the Red Sox farm league before being
traded and making his professional
debut. He also stated that he enjoyed
playing in front of the fans that saw
him grow up.
Newly acquired pitcher Joe Kelly
has made some bold statements during
the off-season. Kelly went to the Red
Sox from the St. Louis Cardinals in
the summer of 2014 along with Allen
Craig. He says that he plans to win
the AL Cy Young award in 2015. This
award is handed to the best pitcher
for both the AL and NL teams each
season.
While manager John Farrell
appreciated his optimism and
confidence, he would like Kelly to
focus on simpler goals. Farrell believes
that Kelly can be a huge key to the
pitching rotation’s success in this
coming season. Kelly’s fastball is able
to reach triple digits, and it should be
interesting to see how he performs in
the upcoming season.
Shane Victorino had announced
that he plans to be “more motivated,
more determined to prove something”
during this upcoming season. The
34-year old reported to team camp
earlier than ever, and plans to prove
the doubters wrong. He had recently
undergone back surgery, and wants it
to be known that it will not be a reason
why his career ends.
John Farrell also announced that
Victorino will be the starting right
fielder if healthy, with Mookie Betts
as a back-up. As long as Victorino is
healthy and ready to go during the
season opener, we will see him in right
field throughout the season.
Finally, the Boston Red Sox have
agreed to extend manager John
Farrell’s contract through 2017,
and with an option for 2018. Farrell
has a 51.9 win percentage as the
manager of the Red Sox, with a
record of 168-156.
With a not much more than a
month remaining in the off-season,
there are still a lot of moves that
can be made. However, the Red
Sox appear to be highly optimistic
coming into the new season.
Coming off of two last-place
finishes in three years, the team
looks to have a year more like the
2013 season in which they won it
all. I think all that fans are asking
for at this point is a nice playoff
run.
Last week, Celtics’ General Manager
Danny Ainge commented that he
was content staying put at the trade
deadline. As the 4 p.m. deadline on
Thursday, February 19th arrived, it
appeared as though he did just that.
Suddenly, reports came out that
Ainge had in fact made another move.
Ainge sent a 2016 first round pick that
the Celtics acquired from Cleveland,
as well as guard Marcus Thornton to
Phoenix in exchange for guard Isaiah
Thomas.
At first glance, the move appeared
to be a victory for the Celtics. But
once you dig deeper, you can see what
a massive victory it was.
The first round pick from Cleveland
that Ainge sent to Phoenix was part of
a deal made this past offseason. Ainge
traded a Celtics’ second round pick
in exchange for Tyler Zeller, Marcus
Thornton, and the first round pick.
Considering that as long as LeBron,
Love, and Irving remain in Cleveland
the pick will likely be 27th or higher, it
is not a very valuable pick.
So this essentially means that the
Celtics traded that second round pick
to Cleveland, and have come away
with Tyler Zeller and Isaiah Thomas
for it. Zeller has had an up and down
season, but is not a regular starter
when Sullinger and Olynyk are healthy.
Regardless, Zeller is a valuable backup
center to keep on your team for the
future.
Isaiah Thomas is clearly the more
exciting pickup. Very early into his
Celtics’ career, he has already proven
to be the most electric offensive player
on the team. Coming off the bench, he
is averaging over 20 points per game.
The unfortunate news coming
around the same time as the
acquisition of Thomas, is the news
that power forward Jared Sullinger is
done for the season with a foot injury.
Sullinger, who was leading the team
in points and rebounds, was arguably
the most excitement-inducing young
player on the team.
There is no doubt in my mind
that the Celtics would have ended
the regular season with a seven or
eight seed playoff berth had Sullinger
not gone down. They still may have
a chance to make one of those seeds
in the pitiful Eastern Conference, but
it won’t be easy with the injuries to
their big men. With Sullinger done
and Olynyk still nursing his injury,
the Celtics are left with Zeller and
Brandon Bass, which puts their lineup
on the small side.
Boston is two games out of the
eighth and final playoff spot in the
east (as this is being written), with 28
games remaining on their schedule.
Realistically, the Celtics will likely
have to go 13-15 or better in that span
to make the cut.
Some fans may be thinking tank
mode, but that is stupid logic. At 21-
33 (as this is being written) the Celtics
would have the 9th worst record in the
league if the season ended today. Even
if they lost every game for the rest of
the season, which could never happen,
the Knicks, 76ers, Timberwolves, and
Lakers would all likely finish with
worse records. That would leave them
with the fifth worst record, same as
last year, which landed them the sixth
overall pick. This upcoming draft is
not projected to be as talented as last
year’s draft, so that only gives less
incentive to tank.
The point is, the Celtics are in
a better place right now. They’ve
acquired Thomas, and have also
traded away pieces to allow rookies
Marcus Smart and James Young to
have plenty of playing time. The team
is playing close, exciting, hard-fought
games that are sure to help develop
the young talent on this team. With
plenty of future draft picks coming
up and the new addition of the highly
talented Thomas, making a run for a
playoff berth in 2015 is the way to go.
Boston will have another chance
to lure free agents this off-season, as
well as another chance in the draft.
Regardless, as long as Thomas, Smart,
Evan Turner, Avery Bradley, and
Sullinger are on the team and healthy
in 2015, that’s going to get them in
the playoffs in 2016. They won’t be a
contender, but they’ll be there.
PAGE 11
V. 32, ISSUE 18SPORTS
EDITOR: MARK OGLE
MOGLE@UMASSD.EDU
Red Sox spring training projections
PHOTO COURTESY // SI.COM
By STEVE CIOTTI
SCIOTTI@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
By MARK OGLE
MOGLE@UMASSD.EDU
Sports Editor
Isaiah Thomas’ impact on immediate future
PHOTO COURTESY // THEBOSTONBLOGGER.BLOGSPOT.COM

12. UMass Dartmouth entered the
contest against Keene State this
past Saturday with a record of 12-
12. With the opponents having a
record of 17-7, the Corsairs knew
they would be in for a tough
matchup.
In an amazing show of
athleticism, Corsairs’ junior Jordan
Rezendes scored 51 points. This
would prove to set a new record for
the division, the previous record
being held by Bevin Ingram with
42 for Assumption College in 1988.
33 of Rezendes’ points came
during the second half of play.
Along with Rezendes’ amazing
achievement, Jake Laga of the
Corsairs also collected his 1,000th
career point during the same game.
He became the 46th Corsairs player
to gain such an achievement, and is
the first player since 2011 to do so
on the men’s side.
Laga hit his milestone with a
little more than three minutes left
in the first half, and went on to
score eight additional points later
in the game. His career scoring
total stands at 1,008 points.
At the start of the game, Keene
State scored seven unanswered
points, and eventually made
the score 10-1 in their favor. Not
looking to be counted out early, the
Corsairs went on a 15-2 run to retake
the lead. Rezendes was responsible
for 10 of those 15 points.
By intermission, the visitors
were looking at a 39-36 lead
heading into the second half.
With 13 minutes left in the
second half, Rezendes began to
turn up the heat. Behind by a score
of 50-46, Rezendes hit a 3-point
shot, followed by a jump shot from
Jon Robinson to take the lead back
from the Owls.
Eventually, the score was 56-55
for the home team. Rezendes then
produced 18 straight points for the
Corsairs, extending the lead to 11
points.
The score was 85-74 with a
little under two minutes left on
the clock. The team held the lead
with confidence, and never let
the opponents within 9 points of
them throughout the last minute.
After receiving a technical foul,
Rezendes hit both of his free
throws to eclipse 50 points on the
day.
With a final score of 92-80, the
Corsairs sealed the win to improve
to 13-12, with a 9-5 record in the
Little East Conference. UMass
Dartmouth shot at a 45.7% field goal
percentage, as well as collecting 42
rebounds.
Wale Abraham, last year’s NCAA
Division III Defensive Player of the
Year, was dominant defensively,
gathering 11 rebounds and nine
blocks. He added a steal and seven
points as well.
With the end of the regular
season, the team’s four seniors
were honored. The seniors
consisted of Josh Castillo from
Lynn, MA, Alex Rodrigues from
Fall River, MA, Josh Genkos from
Worcester, MA, and Jake Laga from
Northhampton, MA.
The record-setting final regular
season game had Rezendes and
the Corsairs feeling good as they
entered their home game for the
quarterfinal round against UMass
Boston.
It was a back-and-forth close
game through the majority of the
first half. UMass Boston took a
32-30 lead with under five minutes
remaining in the first half when the
Corsairs put together a crucial 14-0
run to close out the half with a 44-
32 lead.
A relatively high scoring game
in the first half exploded into an
offensive showcase in the second
half. The Corsairs outscored
UMass Boston 54-50 in the second
half for a 98-82 victory.
Jordan Rezendes once again
led UMass Dartmouth in scoring
with 35 points on 11-19 shooting.
Rezendes added six rebounds, two
assists, and two steals.
Behind Rezendes in scoring
were John Genkos and Jake Laga
with 20 and 16 points, respectively.
Wale Abraham also contributed
heavily with a near-double-double,
finishing with 9 points and 9
rebounds.
Coming up for the men’s
basketball team is a matchup
tomorrow night versus #2
seed Rhode Island College in
Willamantic, Connecticut. The
Corsairs will hope to keep their hot
hand in this game, which helped
them shoot 16-30 from downtown
against UMass Boston.
PAGE 12
V. 32, ISSUE 18SPORTS
EDITOR: MARK OGLE
MOGLE@UMASSD.EDU
Men’s basketball wins final game, first postseason game
By STEVE CIOTTI
& MARK OGLE
SCIOTTI@UMASSD.EDU
MOGLE@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer and Sports Editor
PHOTO COURTESY // CORSAIRATHLETICS.COM
After snow days and the
championship meet getting pushed
back, the UMass Dartmouth
swimming and diving season
finally came to an end.
The Corsairs finished off their
regular season with a defeat of
Colby Sawyer College 149-138.
UMass Dartmouth won seven
races. Six individual races were
won by sophomore Kaya Flanagan
and freshman Chrissy Deveaux.
Sophomore Yulyssa Diaz also
won her individual race in the
500-freestyle. For the divers, senior
Brooke Garvey and sophomore
Kendra Hebert brought home
victories for the team in both
events.
Following this came day one of
the New England Intercollegiate
Swimming and Diving
Championships (NEISDA) which
took place at the University of
Rhode Island and was a big day
for the Corsairs, and in particular,
Kaya Flanagan.
She swam her specialty stroke—
the 200-yard backstroke—and set a
school record coming in at 2:15.03.
With this time, Flanagan broke
the school record that she set in
this same event on day one of the
NEISDA Championships one year
ago. She beat her previous record
by 3.09 seconds. This earned
Kaya Flanagan the title of UMass
Dartmouth’s Domino’s Athlete of
the Week.
At the end of day one of the
championships, UMass Dartmouth
sat in eighth place out of the
twenty competing teams with a
total of 189 points. Throughout the
competition, divers Garvey and
Hebert gathered a combined 55
points for the team and captured
second and third place from the
diving well.
The 400-medley relay team
of Jeanna Leanues, Deveaux,
Flanagan, and Diaz touched in at
12th place and earned 30 points for
the Corsairs.
In the second day of the NEISDA
Championships, the Corsairs
finished 306 points strong. They
trailed just two points behind
Regis College and came in 11th
place overall—a great feat against
the 19 other competing teams.
Flanagan again made her name
known in this second day of races.
She came in ninth in the 100-yard
backstroke with a time of 1:01.76.
In the preliminary round of the
400 individual medley, Deveaux
had the third fastest time, coming
in at 4:49.63.
Coming in 13th place was the
800-yard freestyle team of Diaz,
freshman Jillian Boyle, senior Ally
McCarville, and sophomore Cara
Butcher. Their final time was
recorded at 9:07.86.
The Corsairs fought hard
throughout these two days of races
and earned every point scored for
the team.
This was also an unexpected last
day for the seniors on the team.
There was originally one final meet
day planned that went amiss due to
the snowfall and poor weather and
had to be cancelled.
Senior and co-captain of
the UMassD swim team; Ally
McCarville has been swimming for
13 years and felt that this was such
a bittersweet ending to her college
swimming days.
“I cannot believe that my days
of being a full fledged athlete are
over! There is nothing that quite
equals the feeling of adrenaline
when you are racing down the
pool and your teammates are at the
other end screaming your name as
loud as they can,” said McCarville,
who is already eager to begin her
next swimming career in a master’s
program.
Although McCarville did miss
swimming her main event—the
1650-yard freestyle—due to the
cancellation of the final meet, she
will not miss the “painful soreness
in every muscle…ibuprofen and
ice!”
Of course the swim team would
never have come as far as they did
this season without head coach
Cathy Motta, assistant coach Owen
Worden, and diving coach Jerry
Jennings.
The coaches pushed these
athletes to their limits each
and every day at practice so
the swimmers could prove to
themselves in these final few days
what all of their hard work meant.
Now until next season, the
swimmers can attempt to wash the
chlorine cologne from their skin
before it all begins again.
The UMass Dartmouth women’s
basketball team got the job done
on their home court Tuesday
night as they hosted Rhode Island
College in the quarterfinal round
of the Little East Conference
Tournament.
UMass Dartmouth entered
the tournament as the number
two seed after an impressive 18-7
regular season. Though they
dropped their final regular season
game at home to Keene State, it did
not phase them in the slightest.
Dominance at home was a theme
this season, and the Lady Corsairs
poured it on early. Possessing
a 22-16 lead with just over eight
minutes remaining in the first half,
UMass Dartmouth put together a
statement-making 16-7 run to close
the half. This run was due largely
in part to nine points from senior
Kelsey Garrity.
Trailing 38-23 at the beginning
of the second half, Rhode Island
College began with a three-pointer
from Alex Moore on the first
possession of the half.
However, the Corsairs answered
with back to back trips to the free
throw line and converted all four
attempts. The quick response
was crucial to make sure that the
visitors did not get a run going
early in the second half.
In fact, the 12-point deficit of
38-26 after Moore’s three was
the closest Rhode Island College
would get in this half.
UMass Dartmouth stayed afloat
and slowly extended their lead
in the second half until the game
went final with a 67-49 victory for
the Corsairs.
Although the high-scorer in
this game was Moore of Rhode
Island College with 24 points,
the Corsairs earned their victory
with steady team play. While the
visitors totaled 49 points, 39 came
from Moore and Devin Hill. The
two combined for 35 of the team’s
56 field goal attempts.
The Corsairs, on the other hand,
had three players in double-figures.
Garrity led the team with 16 points,
and added seven rebounds, three
assists, and three steals.
Megan Ronaghan contributed 13
points as well as seven boards and
three blocks. Erin Fahey had 12
points, six rebounds, three assists,
and a block of her own.
Even though the home team
committed 22 turnovers, their
46% field goal percentage and 50
rebounds were largely responsible
for th e win. Rhode Island
College shot just 29% from the
field and had only 23 rebounds.
The Corsairs also shot a highly
efficient 14-15 at the free throw line.
The Lady Corsairs will now
take on the #3 seed UMass
Boston tomorrow afternoon in
Willamantic, Connecticut.
The two teams have matched up
twice this season and have split the
series. UMass Dartmouth defeated
UMass Boston at home 85-75 on
January 20, and fell to them at
UMass Boston 63-61 on February 11.
By MACKENZIE BENJAMIN
MBENJAMIN1@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
Swimming and diving season
comes to an end
PHOTO COURTESY // CORSAIRATHLETICS.COMPHOTO COURTESY // CORSAIRATHLETICS.COM
By MARK OGLE
MOGLE@UMASSD.EDU
Sports Editor
Women’s basketball
advances to semifinals