A Snowy Halloween - Chelsea Cote

A freak October snowstorm hit the northeast on Saturday, October 29^th and caused more destruction than many could have predicted.

According to the National Weather Service “More than 3 million customers lost power at some point from Maryland to Maine”

The University of Massachusetts Amherst was greatly affected by the storm and an estimated six inches of snow knocked out power at the university as well as 68 percent of the town of Amherst. Many students experienced frequent but brief power outages, and then eventually, the power went out at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday for about 11 hours. Internet and cell phone services were also greatly restricted off and on even 4 days after the storm.

There were also many trees that had their branches broken off by the heavy and wet snow. By Monday, most of the walking paths were cleared, but the debris was still scattered around all of campus.

The dorms were without heat, making it a very cold night for all students, but generators kept essential lights in hallways and entrances on and cold water flowing.

Dining halls were having a hard time accommodating the regular number of students. They were understaffed and unable to use a lot of the equipment that they would use on a normal basis such as the dishwashers.

“We didn’t have power for a really long time and all up the hill there were trees and branches everywhere that didn’t really get cleaned up for a while,” Said Beth Codey, a student that lives in the Orchard Hill residential area. “We were coming back from a comedy show (when the power went out). When we were walking back, the sky started lighting up with bright colors of yellow and green. Apparently it was transformers blowing up. When we were back in O-Hill, we saw it again like five or seven times.”

Because of all of the power outages and dangerous roads, many students and faculty members questioned the university’s decision to continue classes on the Tuesday after the storm.

The university had decided to cancel classes the following Monday after the storm had hit. The statement read; “Following last night's snowstorm, the campus has substantially restored power and cleared roads. However, the Commonwealth remains in a state of emergency due to widespread power outages.”

On the official UMass website for campus closing, it was originally posted that the campus will be closed for two days following the storm. This obviously made students very excited, and it also calmed the minds of some that knew of commuters that would have to drive to the university.

But this statement was quickly removed from the website. Students had already spread the word that the campus would be closed on Tuesday, and when it was settled that it would only be Monday, many were disappointed. “Could you imagine how epic that would have been?” Said sophomore, Matt Hinrichs.

The town of Amherst reported that full power was restored to Massachusetts Avenue, College Street, and University Drive on the morning preceding the storm. These are the three main roads that run directly through campus. The power was restored to the dormitories very quickly compared to the time that it took to get power back to the rest of town. The Southwest residential area being one of the most populated areas in the entire state of Massachusetts, it was clear that power needed to be restored to the area as quickly as possible.

But it was not only town residents that were affected by delayed power restoration. Many of the off campus apartment complexes and houses in which students live in still did not have power even three days after the storm.

Derek Johnson, a senior who has been living off campus for two years was asked what his thoughts were about the university holding classes on Tuesday and he said; “I can understand why the university doesn't want to close the school down seeing as it itself is functioning fine and that power is being restored in great numbers each day; however, I am lucky enough to have friends that live near me that have power and I am lucky to have a car to transport myself. I couldn't imagine being stuck in a cold house relying on the bus system that wasn't working properly Sunday and trusting that your cell phone and laptop batteries will last a long as they can.”

Bus routes were running as scheduled but the PVTA reported that there would be many routes that would use detours. But still, many students found themselves in the exact situation that Johnson did.

Some students had classes canceled on Tuesday despite the university being open. Dayna Fisk, a sophomore, said “I noticed in my class there were a lot of people missing.” There are many people at the university besides students, and everyone was affected differently. “Three of my professors don’t have power, one canceled class because she has two kids and one was taking showers at a gym. He lives in Amherst center.”

Student, Elliot Bruce has a different view however. He says; “I don’t even think they should have canceled class on Monday, I’m not saying I don’t appreciate it, but I don’t think it was necessary.” Although, his behavioral Neuroscience class was canceled on Tuesday because of the power outages.

Bruce also said; “I just thought it was fun, I wish we would have more power outages!”

But even with classes running, UMass decided to leave the Campus Center open 24 hours a day in order to provide shelter and hot meals to off campus students, even if they do not have a meal plan. The Mullin’s Center gym was also opened to the public so that they could use the locker room showers.

Fisk says; “I know they are doing their best to accommodate everyone,”

And with a snow storm that hit much earlier than usual and in a very rough way, UMass and the surrounding community can only try and fix what has already happened.

Film Review: "Without Bias"

(image courtesy of Google)

“Without Bias"
Directed by Kirk Fraser

Kirk Fraser’s film, “Without Bias,” portrays the story of Len Bias, a rising basketball legend who was meant to leave a legacy with National Basketball Association’s Boston Celtics, but unfortunately was remembered for leaving this world through a heartbreaking death.

Bias, a 6’ 8’’ basketball player of the University of Maryland had always dreamed of making it big, and told everyone he knew that one day he would make it to ‘the pros.’ Although he had a slow start in his high school years the late bloomer, soon became very serious about the game and knew one day he would achieve his life goal. When the time finally came for him to be drafted to the Boston Celtics, Bias tragically died of cocaine intoxication in June of 1986. The basketball player was 22 years old.

This film, part of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series, indulges into Bias’ amazing rise to the top and how instantly it can all be taken away. Several sports journalists’ that grew close to Bias over the years such as Michael Wilbon say, “Lenny’s legacy is that he saved a lot of our lives.”

Although populations of thousands were hurting inside, many took his death as a wakeup call for young athletes to avoid drug abuse. Advocates such as Bias’ mother, Lonise, used her son’s death to speak out to several youth organization just how in a few hours of fun with friends can put an end to years of hard work, and suffering to many.

Throughout this film, Fraser takes an interesting approach in showing Bias’ death through the eyes of the media and how greatly journalists were affected by the tragedy. Wilbon along with other sports journalists saw two defining players of this time in the 1980s, they were Michael Jordan and Len Bias.

As Bias and several others could predict during that itching moment of the NBA draft, Wilbon says, “He knew that he couldn’t be stopped, he knew he was one of the greatest players of the country, he knew he was going to be one of the top draft picks.”

Through interviews with icons such as Red Auerbach, the Boston Celtics President, Auerbach says that he could just see how happy Bias was to finally reach his goals.

Director Fraser makes note of the several interviews to include in this documentary, ones that entailed everyone’s utter shock of Bias’s use of cocaine. Bias is seen talking about how a lot of players easily get caught up in drugs and you need to be smart and use your time wisely.

There were no other substances found in Bias’s body other than cocaine. Several friends and family members could not recall any other time that Bias had used the substance.

During this time of the 1980s, Fraser makes it clear that no one understood just how powerful drugs could be, and underestimated what misfortunes could come from them.

Former teammate David Gregg of the University of Maryland says, “The enormity of that loss at that time was something I could not fathom.”

Fraser’s main objective of this film was to show that, with every tragedy also comes a time to teach. Although Bias was always sought to be a person of tenacity and hunger for the game of basketball and a role model to athletes of all ages, the death of Len Bias escalated this player to a new form of recognition.

Halloween From Hell by Brittney Figueira

(image courtesy of Google)
Mayhem breaks out along the Berkshire Mountains, in the streets of Belchertown and throughout the halls of UMass Amherst this Halloween weekend.

The slippery slopes and snowy terrains made it very difficult for UMass students to travel outside the dorms Saturday evening to enjoy the holiday. Many found themselves safe and warm in the residential halls over the weekend while several off-campus students are still without power.

Sophomore Catherine Kelly managed to stay dry and warm in MacKimmie hall Saturday night, and explains how the weekend went for her. “My weekend was not that interesting,” says Kelly.

Between studying for exams and finding parties that weren’t already broken up by the police, Halloween could have gone a lot smoother for many UMass students. She says, “It was okay, the best part was seeing my friends from home but the snow and loss of power ruined my Saturday."

However before the storm, Kelly found herself waiting outside the Studio Arts Building bus stop dressed as a rocker-chick along with many other inspired costumes.

Kelly diligently stared at two girls with plastic shark hats covering themselves from head to shoulders, with blue shirts that read the days of the week.

After about a minute or so, she came to realize the two girls were dressed as shark-week, a Discovery Channel favorite where for one week in the summer the channel airs programs solely dedicated to sharks. “It was easily the most creative costume I’ve seen in a while,” says Kelly.

At most college campuses, the trend seems to be for Halloween to last three nights or more of crazy parties. Students such as Kelly were hoping for Saturday night to be the best of the three, but were brought down by patrolling Residential Assistants in the halls rather than police officers on the street.

Kelly claims she knows of at least thirty students that were written up on the second floor of MacKimmie hall for loud noise and alcohol consumption in the rooms. She says, “I found it really unfair for the R.A’s to be cracking down so hard on us when they know we have nowhere else to go during the storm. Come on.”

“Staying in the dorms was our best bet of staying safe, but not the way I planned on spending my Halloween,” says Kelly. “I was so bummed because I wanted to see more costumes! That’s the best part.”

Kelly’s Halloween weekend was not the only one with a dimmer; several off-campus students were more concerned with getting their electricity and heat back in motion than finding the best Halloween ragers.

Jessica Thompson, a UMass ‘super-senior’ lives in Squire Village, about two miles away from campus. When asked how her Halloween was, she responded, “Cold. I haven’t had any hot water, heat or power of any kind. I spent my Halloween at my parents’ place in South Hampton, where luckily they have a generator.”

Thompson just had her first shower in three days. “I walked into the ‘rec-center’ praying for hot water,” she says. For food, she has mainly been eating out but has had too many peanut sandwiches to count.

Most off-campus students have found it easier to just go home for the week until they can resume their electricity. Of Thompson’s three roommates, two went home and one stayed back with Thompson to tag along in front of her parents’ warm fireplace drinking hot chocolate.

For several days now, firefighters have been knocking on the doors of Squire Village, explaining to the residents what exactly is going on and where they can go for shelter.

Firefighter, paramedic and staff member of the environmental health and safety on campus, John Hawley of Belchertown describes how the storm has been seen through his eyes. Hawley’s first words were, “It’s been a very interesting weekend.”

On his way home from Boston, Mass., Hawley entered a rude awakening when he arrived on campus Sunday morning at 8 a.m. to find the UMass campus out of power.

He says, “I haven’t been able to get home since Saturday. Trees are blocking every road I need to get there.” Belchertown is said to be out of power until about November fourth or fifth. Hawley has been working and staying on campus all weekend and early into this week.

Hawley’s main focus has been dealing with the power outages and fire alarm systems on campus. At 2 a.m Tuesday morning, laughs were on the Southwest towers when five fire alarms were pulled. “Pranks are the last thing I need during this time,” says Hawley. “But you can’t fix stupid.”

Behind the Mullins Center, a central heating plant was put in to generate power throughout the campus. Hawley describes that if this generator were not installed two years ago, all students would have to be brought into shelters, and classes would have been prolonged a lot longer.

On UMass grounds alone, there are two shelters available with 300 cots per shelter. Over the course of two days all 300 of those cots have been emptied. Hawley says, “260 of those cots have been brought to Chicopee High School, South Hadley, Monson and Belchertown.

He mentions that over the TV yesterday morning, he heard that National Grid has 750,000 homes out of power in the state of Massachusetts.

Reasons as to why the snow is much worse out in Western Mass. than in Eastern is due to the un-fallen foliage. Because the leaves are still on the thousands of trees in this Berkshire area, that when snow comes down they remain on the leaves, making the trees heavier, thus falling into the roads. Hawley has seen several trees being removed off of cars around campus.

For him, there hasn’t been too much trick or treating or Halloween fun over this grueling long weekend. Hopefully, the power for surrounding cities will come back earlier than expected, and students will stop pulling fire alarms in the largest residential buildings possible.

UMass Police

(image courtesy of Google)
Students exiting and entering the busy Berkshire Dining Commons can’t help but wonder if they are doing something wrong as they quietly shuffle by a police officer on a 7-foot, 2,000-pound horse.

When students returned back to the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst this fall, they noticed more police officers being visible than ever before. Many students feel that this increase in police visibility has been unnecessary and has been interfering with their weekend festivities, but the UMass Police Department disagrees and says that they are simply reaching out to make the campus safer. They no longer want the university to be attached to it’s party school nickname of “Zoomass” and so far their efforts have been successful.

Students such as Jeremy Butler, a sophomore at the university feels that the police are trying to intimidate the students and instill fear. When walking in and out of the Berkshire Dining Commons, he says, “I start thinking, what are they looking for? I feel like they are always searching for mischief.”

Butler sees police officers up on their horses to be condescending to the students, as if the police officers are looking down on them.

However on the contrary to how students such as Butler may be feeling, the UMass police are trying to do the exact opposite.

The UMass Police Department’s main goal this year is to make their staff much more visible and approachable to students. This year, the UMass police decided that it would be better for the officers to get out of their cars and be more engaged with the students.

Of the 62 sworn UMass police officers, there is always someone out in the field. There are police officers that can be seen walking through the campus center and biking on the streets, at hours when most students are too stressed with class work to even think about disturbing the peace.

Chief of police since 2009, John C. Whitehead says, “It’s amazing how approachable a police officer with a horse is.”

Butler’s response to the mounted units is, “A cop’s a cop. A mode of transportation isn’t going to sway my opinion of them.”

Other students such as sophomore James Matthews notices the police to be much more visible on the weekend scene. They are breaking up parties and enforcing the laws of underage drinking and noise infractions. Matthews says, “I don’t think that I have been to one party this year that hasn’t been broken up.”

However, the number of 62 sworn officers has not increased over the past few years. Some positions have even been terminated due to budget cuts, according to Whitehead.

Deputy Chief of Police Patrick T. Archbald, who has been with the UMass police department for 25 years, discusses how the cost to construct the new police station is very small in comparison to other facilities on campus such as the $50 million Recreation Center.

The new police station located at 585 East Pleasant Street is a $12 million facility that was funded by the building authority, having no affect on student’s cost to come to UMass Amherst.

He says, “Nobody’s budget it where they want it to be, but we have a healthy budget. The cost of this building is very small in the whole spectrum of the University.”

The amount of arrests per year has not gone up, it has been roughly the same, averaging out to be about 1,000 arrests per year. Out of those around 400 people that are arrested are not even put in handcuffs; they were simply summonsed to court, according to Archbald.

Not all UMass residents are opposed to the actions of UMass police officers. Sophomore Kevin Kimiadi in fact agrees with what the police are trying to do.

He says, “I wouldn’t say that I’m intimidated, I would say that I am more aware of what I could get myself into.”

The officers are trying to reach out to students and stress that they are not trying to trick anyone. There are several discussions held often around campus, sometimes even in the residential halls discussing police and student interactions.

Officers can be seen handing out pamphlets to students participating in the football tailgates which advise them on how to follow the law and not get themselves in trouble, and they also try to inform students with emails before there is a cause for celebration such as a highly anticipated sporting event.

Whitehead says “We do a lot of enforcement and a lot of education to tell you right upfront how things work.” Educational talks such as the “Know Your Rights” discussion fully explain what to do when someone is approached by a police officer and what their options are when they are approached.

The police department also runs educational programs such as their “Safe Celebration” program, which lets students know what is acceptable behavior at tailgates and other campus celebrations.

Officers can be seen handing out pamphlets to students participating in the football tailgates which advise them on how to follow the law and not get themselves in trouble, and they also try to inform students with emails before there is a cause for celebration such as a highly anticipated sporting event.

Police have also been utilizing Facebook and Twitter to reach out to students and protesters to let them know how they should do it but still keep it legal.

All of these programs have been put into effect in order to protect the university’s credibility, and to get rid of it’s reputation as a major party school, according to Whitehead. In fact, UMass was ranked number nine on the Princeton Review’s list of the top party schools just two years ago, but this year, it failed to even make the list of the top 20.

For many years, UMass Amherst has had the popular title of “Zoomass.”

This nickname was previously upheld by many rowdy parties, riots, and destructive actions such as the burning of police cars and other forms of violence.

All of these events happened before Chief Whitehead was at UMass but he noticed complaints even by students. He said he knew that a different approach was needed when he became the chief of police.

Major events such as the “Hobart Hoedown,” which according to the UMass Wiki is, “…a yearly informally scheduled mega-party centered on Hobart Lane,” have not been as rowdy in the past few years. Some students may remember that it was shut down before it was even started and did not live up to its expectations last spring.

Sophomore Katlynn Ferreira says, “Hobart Hoedown is supposed to be the one thing the students look forward to all year, and it just didn’t happen. It was a huge disappointment.”

This disappointment to the students was not what the UMass Police were aiming for in their attempt to shutdown the hoedown, but they did what they had to in order to keep everyone safe.

Deputy Chief Archbald says, “I’ve seen a lot of protests, I’ve seen all the riots in southwest.” But he also adds, “I think we can take responsibility for some of the change in the culture, but it certainly is the students.”

Chief Whitehead also says, “We have some great students,” at graduation he didn’t recognize the majority of them because they were smart and didn’t get themselves into trouble. The students that attend school here are graduating with a degree, and they do not want it to be tainted with the reputation of ‘Zoomass’.”

UMass Student Has International Goals

(Shailee Shah, courtesy of Facebook)
On a normal day in Hadley, Mass, 18-year-old University of Massachusetts Amherst student, Shailee Shah walked into Taco Bell and did not expect to meet two people that knew of her family all the way from India.

Shah’s parents hail from Bombay, India and moved to the United States in 1983, right after they were married. Although Shah was born in the U.S. and lives in the small town of Reading, Mass, she has a very strong connection to the country of India that most people cannot relate to. Most of her family still lives there and she tries to visit the country at least once a year.

On that typical day in Taco Bell, Shah met an Indain couple that was from Ahemdabad, Gujrat which is the area of India that her family is from. Shah asked them if they had ever heard of her grandfather, Taarak Mehta, who writes one of the most famous television shows in India. The couple immediately recognized the name and said they were just about to drive home and watch his show.

Shah’s grandfather, Taarak Mehta’s greatest achievement is writing the hit show “Taarak Metha Ka Ooltah Chashmah.” The title translates literally into “Flipped Glasses” which is interpreted by Shah as “looking at the world in a different, and more comical perspective.” The show was named the most watched TV series in India in August 2010, and it is, by far, the longest running daily comedy show on Indian television.

One Indian television review website describes watching the show as “The moment you enter it, your head goes into a spin deciding who is funnier than whom."

Shah is following in her family’s footsteps and pursuing a theater degree at UMass. Because Shah has such strong connections to people in the entertainment business and Bollywood, India’s more theatrical and exaggerated version of Hollywood, she is confident that her degree will take her far.

Unlike many of her classmates, Shah does not plan on making it big on Broadway, or staring in the future blockbusters of the century. She says “Because of the connections I have within my family, I feel like I would have a better chance in India.” She is making plans early because just last year, she was given a dual overseas citizenship to both India and the United States. “I plan on living there for at least a year, if not more, after graduation,” she says.

She also says that she is more interested in Bollywood than Hollywood because the productions are much different. The typical Bollywood production includes a large amount of dancing as well as acting and large musical numbers that are usually drawn out and contain many spectacular costumes and props. These types of musical numbers would be considered too over-the-top for even some of Broadway’s most gaudy musicals.

Shah has been dancing for all of her life, but she is not trained in the typical styles of ballet or tap. She has been trained in classical Indian dancing and still continues it in College through Dadak, which is an Indian fusion dance team on the UMass campus.

Shah recently flew to India for yet another visit, but this time it was for work and not play. She secured a role of the main character’s daughter named Shreya, in the film “Saptapadi”. It is a part-time role because her character is a student who is studying abroad and just coming home for a short visit.

Shah stayed for a week of filming, while making the sacrifice of missing classes here in the U.S. She explained “There were so many camera men, and people were doing my hair and makeup for me. It didn’t feel real!”

The main actress in this movie is a family friend who lives in India, and she suggested that Shah would be perfect for the role. Shah says that she hopes to build up her resume of productions, and this will certainly help.

But because Shah is working towards a degree in theater, there are always many critics. Because the theater and acting industry is such a difficult business to get started in, and even stay in, there are many people that question her goals in life. Shah says “’I’m going to go for it and always think of a backup because it’s never guaranteed.”

When asked what she said to people who question her goals Shah said “I say that it’s something I really want to do, and I feel that it’s in the realm of possibility for me.”

The Pawn Shop - Fox Proprietors by Chelsea Cote

The Hampden Gallery at The University of Massachusetts Amherst offers students a touch of culture and creative thinking in an area of campus one might not usually expect to find it - the Southwest residential area.

Currently at the gallery there is a showing of “The Pawn Shop - Fox Proprietors” by the Provincetown-based artists Tim Winn and Zehra Khan. The interactive exhibit will be displayed at the gallery from now and until Oct. 6.

As you walk into the gallery it is clear that the artists have created their own small world. The main focus point is a pawn shop constructed from paper and paint that visitors can walk through and interact with. Every piece is life-size and even available for purchase.

They have created a space where children can feel just as comfortable as adults, but there is also some creative and critical thinking that needs to be done when one views this seemingly lighthearted take on a pawn shop managed by foxes. “It can reveal a lot more than what one can just see with their eyes,” said Anne LaPrade, the gallery's director, “It would be wrong to look at the work as just casual or playful.”

The story behind the pawn shop is that a visitor walks in and notices that the proprietors, the foxes, are not there. Anything can happen inside the store, LaPrade explained, and the artists are trying to ask “when nobody is around, do your values change?”

But this exhibit is not just about social and moral values. “I would say that it is a fitting exhibit for the time… because people are looking at their pocket books. It is useful for people to look at an exhibit like this and exercise their thoughts about the situation” LaPrade said, adding that the work of art also hints towards the current economic situation.

“Visitors to pawn shops are often not wealthy people,” LaPrade said, A pawn shop "is a place that you go when things are pretty hard. There is an element of desperation.”

In contrast to this element of desperation, there is a video playing in a two minute loop in the back of the gallery showing the artists dressed in colorful body paint acting as the fox proprietors making it clear that they are not experiencing any monetary hardship at all. In fact, there is also a “Secret Tunnel” that visitors can walk through to gain entrance to a secret vault that contains piles of “Fox Money.”

The two artists drew all the items that are in the shop with a kind of makeshift feel to them. They were all hand painted as small pictures then copied and enlarged to make them life-sized. Also, everything comes with a price tag. Visitors have the option of buying any copy of the art.

Artists Winn and Khan both hold MFA’s from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and they say that they would like to take their work as far as they can go.

Thom Konan who works for the gallery says “I really appreciate folk art. I look forward to seeing more from these artists… it’s got an interesting sort of edge to it.”

Journalism major, and one of the gallery visitors Patrick Strohecker, said of the exhibit that “It can relate to the college kids because we are always strapped for cash… and it’s different because it’s not just pretty paintings.”

A limited, digital copy of the artists’ book about their exhibit can be found at http://www.blurb.com/books/2437713