DailyCollegian.comTuesday, September 9, 2014

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Students feel impact of debt

By Brendan deadyCollegian Correspondent

In Massachusetts alone, nearly one million resi-dents owe close to $24 bil-lion in outstanding stu-dent loan debt, and that number is poised to rise, according to new data from Generation Progress. According the Congressional Budget Office, the national stu-dent loan debt has reached nearly $1.2 trillion, a fig-ure that has caused econo-mists to warn of the poten-tial negative economic consequences caused by such a financial burden placed upon college gradu-ates. The CBO predicts that the Department of Education will receive $127 million in profit from stu-dent loans over the next 10 years as more college stu-dents are forced to borrow from the government in response to the rising cost of education. The national average amount of debt owed by individuals with student loans stands at $29,400, according to the Project on Student Debt. Massachusetts is ranked 12th in the nation for average debt owed by college graduates who took out loans, accord-ing to a report published by the Massachusetts Subcommittee on Student Debt and Loans. The same report states, “The overall cost for a stu-dent to attain a higher edu-cation in Massachusetts has grown over the past decade. … This increase is

likely happening because there has been a shift in the cost of attendance from the state to the stu-dents. Over the past 10 years, UMass students have seen a 110 percent increase in fees.” While Congress is pro-jected to profit from stu-dent loans, federal fund-ing for higher public education has been on the decline. This trend reveals a poor placement of priorities, according to Anastasia Wilson, a Ph.D. candidate in econom-ics at the University of Massachusetts. “Based on the federal government’s approach to public education, short-sighted greed and profiting on the backs of students is somehow more impor-tant than investing in the future of the economy,” Wilson said. Wilson works with the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM), a grassroots organization that began as a coalition of UMass stu-dents and faculty in 2007 to promote principals for bet-ter public higher educa-tion through lobbying and civic action. PHENOM held a rally Friday in front of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office in Boston to thank her for proposing the Bank on Students Emergency Loan Ref inancing Act this past June. Had the bill passed, nearly 581,000 students would have been eligible to refinance government and private loans issued before 2010 to a fixed inter-est rate of 3.86 percent,

Mass. residents owe $24 billion

Goodell Hall and South College next for changes

By nicole dotzenrodCollegian Correspondent

Goodell Hall and South College Academic Building are next in line to go through substantial reno-vations at the University of Massachusetts. According to Henry Merriman, Design and Construction Management projects manager, the first phase of work on South College began this past week and is scheduled to be com-pleted by mid-November. The construction on South College is an enabling project to allow for a new building to be built behind it and Thompson Hall. This new building will be the home to the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, and will house a number of departments. A major steam line must be relocated in order for the new building to be built, according to Merriman.

“We have to build a tem-porary roadway, totally excavate Hicks Way west of South College, and put the new steam tunnel along Thompson low-rise to run down Hicks Way to in front of Dickinson Hall,” he said. All pedestrian traffic will be directed around Hicks Way, which runs behind Thompson Hall and South College. “Students will be forced to cross Hicks at the pedes-trian intersection and travel a temporary pathway clos-er to the band building,” Merriman said. “There’s going to be a pinch-point with campus police for the next two-and-a-half months to direct traffic and elimi-nate hazards. There is going to be a lot of traffic, there’s no way around it.” Phase two of the South College project is construct-ing a new loading dock tun-nel to Hicks Way. At the moment, South College is the only loading dock with access to the library. This phase will begin in the win-ter 2015.

“Meanwhile, the new building is in schematic design which should be com-pleted today,” Merriman said in an interview Friday. “It will be four stories in height, so it will not pro-trude the current roofline of South College. In addition to the steam line and loading dock work, older mechanical and elec-trical systems—which have been in place since South College was built in the 1885—will be replaced. “South College, being a historic building, we’re treating it with the best respect we can to renovate and restore it,” Merriman said. Merriman added that ser-vices will be fed from the new building into South College. “We’re allowing the new building to work for South College,” he said. The entirety of this proj-ect is expected to be complet-ed around November 2016. Construction on the new

Construction to affect fall semester

By daniel changThe Miami Herald

MIAMI — A Miami hos-pital patient showing symp-toms of Ebola was tested for the deadly virus last week, but the results were negative, Miami–Dade health officials said Monday. The patient, who was not identified, had been admitted to the county–owned Jackson Health System last week, said Matthew Pinzur, a Jackson

spokesman, who declined to describe the patient’s symp-toms. “Last week, a Jackson Health System patient tested negative for the Ebola virus,” Pinzur said in a written statement. “The patient had shown some symptoms asso-ciated with the disease and was tested in an abundance of caution. All of our com-munity’s precautionary mea-sures were taken, multiple agencies worked effectively in partnership, and we dem-onstrated that we are ready in the unlikely event that this disease is detected in Miami-

Dade County.” CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said in a conference call with reporters Monday there was a patient consid-ered “at low risk for Ebola” who was tested in Miami, but the results came back nega-tive. The lab specimen is being sent to CDC to confirm the finding, Skinner said, and the Florida Department of Health will release that infor-mation. WTVJ NBC–6, a Miami television station, had report-ed Monday that a potential case of Ebola was being

treated at a Miami–area hos-pital, citing officials with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who would have been contacted as part of the response protocol. According to the CDC, symptoms of Ebola typically include a fever greater than 101.5 degrees, severe head-ache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdomi-nal pain and lack of appetite. Symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure to the virus, although eight to 10 days is most common, according to the CDC.

Virus scare has person observed

Iraqi government named, but parliament delays vote

By roy gutmanMcClatchy Foreign Staff

B A G H D A D — I r a q ’ s parliament approved a new government Monday headed by Prime Minister Haider al–Abadi, but it put off until next week a vote on who will head two of the country’s most powerful ministries: inte-rior, which controls Iraq’s police forces, and defense, which oversees the mili-tary. The candidate to run the Interior Ministry is the head of a Shiite Muslim militia with close ties to Iran whose appointment is likely to be viewed with suspicion by Iraq’s Sunni Muslims. The delay in approv-ing al–Abadi’s candidates for interior and defense dampened what should have been a triumphant accomplishment, the for-mation of a government

after three chaotic months that saw Islamist extrem-ists take over as much as half of the country. The approval of the other Cabinet positions brought to an end the time in office of Nouri al–Maliki, a Shiite whose eight years as prime min-ister badly divided Iraq along sectarian and eth-nic lines and whose outgo-ing government was dis-credited by the collapse of the army in the face of advances by Islamic State militants. Both al–Maliki and al–Abadi hail from the Shiite Dawa party. Al–Maliki had claimed the right to continue in his post after his Shiite coalition won a plural-ity of votes in the May elections. But the Obama administration, blaming him for the ineffectiveness of the Iraqi military and the country’s sectarian divide, demanded that he step down. With his inter-nal base eroding, al-Mali-ki did so last month. In Washington,

Secretary of State John Kerry praised the parlia-ment’s approval of most of al–Abadi’s Cabinet as “a major milestone.” He called the new Cabinet a unity government, but he made no mention of the delay in naming the interi-or and defense ministers. Kerry said the United States now wanted to see Iraq’s leaders govern with the same vision and sense of purpose that had allowed the political pro-cess to reach this stage; post–election wrangling in Iraq typically drags on for months with bitter feuds and walkouts. Kerry also defended the embryonic U.S.–led coali-tion to battle the Islamic State, calling out part-ners by name – Estonia, Albania, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and so on –and listing their contributions. So far, most of the outside help has been humanitarian, though Kerry is expected

Security posts to be voted on next week

Artists prepare to rock the fall

PAGE 5 PAGE 8

FamiliarSurroundingsUMass Men’s soccer returns home

Miami patient tested for ebola

ELAINE ZHANG/COLLEGIAN

Interested students speak with a sorority sister of Alpha Chi Omega at the fall Greek Life Expo Monday.

Greek recruitment kicks off

see IRAQ on page 2

see DEBT on page 3

see CONSTRUCTION on page 3

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN2 Tuesday, September 9, 2014 DailyCollegian.com

T H E R U N D OW N

ON THIS DAY...In 1944, the Fatherland Front took power in Bulgaria through a mili-tary coup in the capital and armed rebellion in the country. A new pro-Soviet government was established.

Rescue effort expands in India, Pakistan as flood death toll tops 350 MUMBAI, India—The death toll from nearly one week of heavy monsoon rains in India and Pakistan has surpassed 350, officials said Monday, as elite Indian troops joined an urgent rescue effort to reach resi-dents marooned on rooftops and stranded in submerged homes. The floods in the Himalayan region of Kashmir and eastern Pakistan, described as the worst in decades, have left thousands without food and water and destroyed homes across a wide swath of both countries. Indian naval commandos deployed in the mountain-ous northern province of Jammu and Kashmir as military officials said that 22,000 people had been evacuated, many from the provincial capital Srinagar, parts of which were 12 feet under water. “In the next 48 hours, our focus will be Srinagar and south Kashmir,” Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda, an army spokesman, told reporters. “Many people are stranded without food and water. We are going to continue the operation until everyone is pulled out and rescued.” Indian authorities set up 16 relief camps and airlifted nearly 100 tons of medicine for flood victims, officials said, but the emergency response was hampered by telephone communication failures. More than 150 people have died in India, officials said; at least 205 people were reported killed in Pakistan. The rains have largely subsided, but Pakistani meteorological officials said that flooding was likely to continue for one to two more days as accumulated rainwater continued to overwhelm dams, par-ticularly in the hard-hit state of Punjab, where 131 people died, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. Pakistani rescue workers fanned out across the area in small boats as families picked through the wreck-age of homes leveled by flood waters and mudslides. The scale of the devasta-tion has, for now, brought a sense of solidarity between India and Pakistan, nucle-ar–armed neighbors whose relations suffered a setback last month when a diplo-matic summit was abruptly canceled. Both countries claim the disputed territory of Kashmir in its entirety; it is currently divided between them along a heavily militarized Line of Control. Although the countries are not collaborating in relief efforts, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, on Sunday offering New Delhi’s assistance. Sharif replied on Monday, express-ing gratitude for the “thoughtful” gesture.

-Los Angeles Times

A RO U N D T H E W O R L D

Many alcohol-related arrests over weekend

By Marleigh FelsensteinCollegian Staff

Friday, Sept. 5

There was a breaking and entering at Phi Sigma Kappa on North Pleasant Street. Two doors were taken and possibly some windows.

9:26 a.m.: Medical assistance was needed on Greenwich Road for a 56-year-old male who had difficulty breath-ing. He was transported to Cooley Dickinson Hospital by the Amherst Fire Department.

1:04 p.m.: An unknown per-son entered an unlocked garage at a residence on Montague Road and placed an old desk chair inside. The owner found no other signs of breaking and entering besides the chair.

4:45 p.m.: Irritating phone calls from Florida were directed at an elderly woman on Lincoln Avenue.

4:49 p.m.: Irritating phone calls were directed at Chez Albert on North Pleasant Street from a potentially fake Western Massachusetts Electric Company.

5:08 p.m.: A male on a bus on Belchertown Road refused to get off the bus and caused a disturbance.

6:16 p.m.: A woman on Blackberry Lane received a spam check in the mail from GCDW Global Services in London, England, claiming that she had won a prize. The woman was advised not to cash the check.

8:16 p.m.: Vandalism was reported on North Pleasant Street on a brown 2004 Ford Taurus with a bent license plate.

8:34 p.m.: Medical assistance

was needed for a 31-year-old female who fell and hit her head. Prior to her injury, she was aggressive toward others and was trying to bite them. She was taken to Cooley Dickinson Hospital for further evaluation.

9:01 p.m.: The Amherst Police Department assist-ed AFD with a car fire at the Amherst Motel on Northampton Road.

10:53 p.m.: A person was observed urinating over a residence fence on Fearing Street. They were advised to use the proper facilities.

Saturday, Sept. 6

12:39 a.m.: Medical assis-tance was needed for a male on North Pleasant Street who fell off of his bike and hit his head. He was unre-sponsive.

12:44 a.m.: There was a noise complaint filed on Belchertown Road because of a party that had people jumping off of the roof. The party was issued a warning.

2:47 a.m.: A dark Jeep Cherokee drove on the wrong side of the road on Grantwood Drive.

6:39 a.m.: An ambulance was called for a 66-year-old female that had difficulty breathing on Berkshire Terrace.

7:23 a.m.: A party called from Belchertown Road and informed police that his cousin was reportedly going to harm herself with a knife and had taken her prescrip-tion pills with her to this location.

7:12 p.m.: A red traffic light remained on for 15 minutes on Meadow Street, causing traffic.

7:21 p.m.: There was a reported larceny of a bicycle at Cumberland Farms on Montague Road. The owner

later recovered the bicycle.

7:51 p.m.: Male parties wear-ing shorts and tie-dyed t-shirts were seen hopping the fence at Ernie’s Towing on Montague Road.

11:29 p.m.: Medical assis-tance was needed at Puffton Village on North Pleasant Street for a female that had cut her wrist because she was angry at her boyfriend.. She was transported to Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

11:34 p.m.: Edson Souza, 19, was arrested on East Pleasant Street for posses-sion of alcohol under the age of 21.

Sunday, Sept. 7

12:41 a.m.: Christine DeSocio, 22, of Auburn, New York, was arrested for OUI liquor, failure to stop/yield and negligent operation of a motor vehicle to endanger.

1:08 a.m.: Justin Marshor, 20, of Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania, was arrested on North Pleasant Street for possession of alcohol while under the age of 21.

12:19 p.m.: Fraud was report-ed on Spencer Drive from a woman who reportedly wired money to Western Union Bank to an unknown party.

5:01 p.m.: There was a forced entry on Paige Street, and the thief stole $300 in cash.

A student ordered deliv-ery from Miss Saigon res-taurant on North Pleasant Street, and reported the driver to the police because of an intoxication suspi-cion. There was apparently an argument between the driver and the student over the amount of the tip money given. The driver had no actual signs of intoxication.

Marleigh Felsenstein can be reached at mfelsenstein@umass.edu.

Police log for Sept. 5 to Sept. 7

Gay marriage ban to be challenged

By Maura DolanLos Angeles Times

Three federal appeals court judges who have ruled in favor of gay rights in the past are to hear arguments Monday on whether to uphold same–sex marriage bans in Western states. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judg-es, randomly selected to consider the appeals, are Stephen Reinhardt, appointed to the court by President Carter, and Marsha S. Berzon and Ronald M. Gould, appoin-tees of President Clinton. They are to hear argu-ments starting at 1 p.m. PDT on same–sex-mar-riage cases from Idaho, Nevada and Hawaii. The court is to video stream the proceedings live over the Internet at www.ca9.uscourts.gov. Access can be obtained by clicking the website’s link, “Live Oral Arguments.” Jon W. Davidson, legal director of Lambda Legal, a gay–rights group, said a parade of court decisions this year in favor of same–sex marriage makes the issue “an easy case for the 9th Circuit to decide.” “I don’t know of any other civil rights issue in America that has seen as rapid a change as this, both in the courts and in public opinion,” Davidson said. Reinhardt, one of the circuit’s most liberal judg-es, has written major rul-ings in favor of gay rights, including one striking down California’s former ban on gay marriage. Berzon joined Reinhardt in a January decision that said gays could not be excluded from juries because of their sexual orienta-tion. That ruling made it more difficult for govern-

ments in Western states to defend laws that discrimi-nate on the basis of sexual orientation. Gould, the third panel-ist, wrote a ruling in 2008 that reinstated a lawsuit by a military nurse who was fired under the for-mer “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The court has sched-uled an hourlong hearing to review a decision by a federal magistrate in Idaho ordering the state to marry same-sex couples and to recognize out-of-state gay marriages. That ruling was placed on hold pending the 9th Circuit’s decision. The Idaho arguments will be followed by a 30–minute hearing on a Nevada federal judge’s decision to uphold that state’s ban on same–sex marriage. Nevada officials decid-ed not to defend the ban on appeal, leaving argu-ments to a coalition that sponsored the state consti-tutional amendment insti-tuting the ban. The 9th Circuit has ordered the parties to argue whether the coalition has the legal right to defend the mar-riage law. The panel has set aside 20 minutes for a challenge involving a 2012 ruling in Hawaii that upheld the state’s ban on gay mar-riage. Hawaii lawmakers later passed a measure giving gays the right to marry, but opponents of the court ruling upholding the ban want it removed from the books so it can-not be cited in other cases. So far, three feder-al appeals courts have struck down bans in other parts of the country. A ruling by the 9th Circuit usually takes months, but a decision could come any day. An attorney repre-senting foes of same-sex marriage declined to com-ment.

3 states began hearings Monday

to broach the possibil-ity of military assistance when he travels to the Middle East on Tuesday. “Tonight, Iraq has a unity government,” Kerry said. “Tomorrow, I will travel to the Middle East to build the broadest pos-sible coalition of partners around the globe.” Al-Maliki had kept the interior and defense port-folios for himself in the previous government, a decision that many saw as a dictatorial accumu-lation of power. In al–Abadi’s Cabinet, the posts also are likely to be con-troversial.Al–Abadi’s candidate for interior minister is Hadi al–Ameri, who heads the Badr Organization, a Shiite militia with close ties to Iran that as the Badr Brigades fought on Iran’s side during the Iran–Iraq war of the 1980s. Named to become defense minister was Khalid al–Ubaidi, a Sunni who is a former Iraqi army officer but about whom little else is known. Some members of parlia-ment said they needed the delay in voting on the position to learn more about al–Ubaidi’s creden-tials. Al–Abadi named a former prime minister, Ibrahim al–Jaafari, to be the new foreign minis-ter. Al–Jaafari, a Shiite, served as prime minister after Iraq’s first post–Saddam Hussein elec-

tions, in 2005. Iraq’s other two post-Saddam prime ministers, al-Maliki, who is still a member of parliament, and Ayad Allawi, a Shiite with strong Sunni con-nections who served as prime minister during the U.S.–appointed transi-tional government, were named vice presidents, as was Osama Nujaifi, a Sunni who was the former parliamentary speaker. Parliament also elected three deputy prime min-isters: Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd who had previ-ously served as foreign minister, Bahaa al–Arajii, a follower of Shiite cleric Muqtada al–Sadr, and Sali Mutliq, a Sunni. Parliament approved nearly all the posts by a show of hands, and after the voting was completed, the new Cabinet members were sworn in.

“Tonight, Iraq has a unity government.

Tomorrow, I will travel to the Middle

East to build the broadest possible

coalition of partners around the globe.”John Kerry, Secretary of

State

UM receives 2-year grant from Nat’l Cancer Institute

By Marleigh FelsensteinCollegian Staff

Breast cancer is one of the most studied can-cers, and the University of Massachusetts now has a hand in some research. The UMass School of Public Health and Health Sciences has received a two-year, $177,373 grant from the National Cancer Institute to investigate a possible correlation between antidepressant use and breast cancer in women. The researchers, led by epidemiologist and Assistant Professor Katherine Reeves, will look into whether women taking antidepressants are more likely to get breast cancer based on a hor-mone known as prolac-tin, according to a UMass press release. Prolactin, which is secreted by the pituitary gland, has been implicated in the increased risk of breast cancer, and levels in the body may be increased by certain types of antidepressants, known as selective serotonin reup-take inhibitors, according to the release. “Fifty years ago, anti-depressants were uncom-mon,” Reeves said, noting

that antidepressants are now one of the leading drugs. “Our hope is that the information from this study will help women make informed decisions about treating depression, especially for those already at increased risk of breast cancer for reasons such as family history,” Reeves said in the release. Besides the possible relationship between breast cancer and antide-pressants, there are other factors that go into breast cancer diagnosis, includ-ing obesity and lack of physical activity, Reeves said Different women have different risk factors based on where they are in the stages of their lives. Reeves has a personal interest in cancer. Her grandmother had the dis-ease when Reeves was a young girl. “(Cancer) is normal

body processes gone awry,” she said. Along with Reeves, epi-demiologist Sue Hankinson and biostatistician Jin Qian, with geriatric psy-chiatrist Olivia Okereke at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital will be studying 200,000 women enrolled in the Harvard Nurses Health Study. Some participants have already been diagnosed with breast cancer. Men can also be diag-nosed with breast cancer, but this study will look only at women and their unique risk factors. “The goal of the study is to look at all things together and find out ‘does it matter?’ We don’t know. We’re hoping our study will help,” Reeves said.

Marleigh Felsenstein can be reached at mfelsenstein@umass.edu.

Researchers will study breast cancer

“Our hope is that the information from thi study will help women make informed

decisions about treating depression, especially for those already at increased risk of breast cancer for reasons such as

family history.”Katherine Reeves, epidemiologist and

assistant professor at UMass

IRAQ continued from page 1

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN Tuesday, September 9, 2014 3DailyCollegian.com

according to PHENOM’s website. It is estimated that the bill would have saved Massachusetts residents with loans nearly $1 billion in the first year alone. While the bill failed to receive enough votes to be presented to the Senate floor for debate, Wilson and PHENOM associate Ferd Wulkan are opti-mistic about the atten-tion received to an issue that affects millions of Americans and their fami-lies. “Sen. Warren’s pro-posal is evidence that the efforts of PHENOM and similar organizations which represent the opin-ions of all those affected by the debt crisis have not fallen on deaf ears,” Wilson said during a joint interview with Wulkan. “Student debt is a unify-

ing issue amongst cam-puses across the nation.” While the amount of stu-dent loan debt has been on a steady incline, wages for graduates that borrowed almost 70 percent more than their counterparts ten years ago have been relatively stagnant, accord-ing to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The unprecedented amount of debt and the absence of wage raise to accommodate could negatively affect the economy on a state and national level by limiting the debt capacity of new graduates. “Recent studies have shown that for every $1 of student debt, $4 of positive spending are drained from the economy,” Wilson said. “Student debt drains per-sonal savings and deters any additional accumu-

lation of debt to be put toward mortgages, car purchases or loans to start up small businesses. It has a negative domino effect on the economy.” In an editorial piece for the New York Times, Joseph Stiglitz, a for-mer chief economist for the World Bank, stated, “Student debt is also a drag on the slow recovery that began in 2009. By damp-ening consumption, it impacts economic growth.” Along with hindering overall economic growth and limiting the future financial decisions of col-lege graduates, the cost of education and the rise of student debt places an added burden on fami-lies of borrowers. Daniel O’Connell, a sophomore business major from Boston, like millions of

others, has experienced this burden firsthand. “Personally, I guess my family’s little better off than others, but it’s still a strug-gle,” he said. “I worked construction the past two summers almost 50 hours a week to save money for school. And that’s just to cover the basics like books, a meal plan. It’s hard to really grasp taking out so much money against your name at the time, it’s like this abstract thing that’s looming in the future.” O’Connell comes from a middle-class family of Boston’s Brighton neigh-borhood. His father is a paramedic for the city and has tried to save as much money as possible to pre-vent O’Connell from hav-ing to take out private loans in addition to federal loans. But with one brother

attending Boston College and a younger brother set to enroll in college next year, O’Connell has been forced to borrow from pri-vate loan companies. His mother has also returned to work to help prepare for having three sons enrolled in school at the same time. “When you think of it, it’s kind of crazy how much the cost of an edu-cation is, especially when families are expected to assume much of the financial responsibility. I’ll probably have around $30,000 in debt by the time I graduate, and that doesn’t even account for grad school,” O’Connell said. Attending college is still a smart financial invest-ment. Those with a bach-elor’s degree earn an aver-age of more than $1 mil-lion more than high school

graduates over the course of their lifetime, according to the American Student Assistance organization. But with an increasing level of competition in the American job market and an economy still recover-ing from the 2008 finan-cial crisis, the prospect of signing such a large finan-cial commitment is all the more harrowing for many. “But you need a degree now if you want to get a job, so what other choice do I have, you know? I don’t know. I try not to think about it too often, because there really aren’t many alternatives if you want to be suc-cessful,” O’Connell said.

Brendan Deady can be reached bdeady@umass.edu.

DEBT continued from page 1

building is expected to begin in March 2015. There are no remaining offices in South College this semester. Operations in Goodell, however, will not change dur-ing the construction on the building. The project in Goodell includes replacing the build-ing’s air handlers located on the rooftop of the addition. The new air handlers are expected to improve both the air conditioning and heating system in the building. “There will be possible temperature inconveniences, but it’s being phased so only one air handler is down at a

time,” Merriman said. “That should greatly improve the air conditioning and the heat-ing comfort of the building.” As a part of replacing the air handlers, the electrical service also must be updated. The immediate impact of this work will be congestion on Hicks Way. This is expect-ed to be minor in comparison to the South College project and will be easing up as the electrical service construc-tion is completed, according to Merriman. The work being done on Goodell is expected to run through late spring 2015.

Nicole Dotzenrod can be reached at ndotzenr@umass.edu.

CONSTRUCTION continued from page 1

Lawmakers unsure about ISIS strategy

By Lisa Mascaro and MichaeL a. MeMoLiTribune Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — As President Barack Obama prepares an offensive strat-egy against Islamic militants, some on Capitol Hill are downplaying expectations of sweeping new military actions in Iraq or Syria. For lawmakers, the tough politics of war may limit how much support the White House will receive in Congress as the presi-dent addresses the nation Wednesday. The understanding on Capitol Hill is that the admin-istration will not launch a military offensive that would require new congressional authorization. More likely, the adminis-tration will continue the aer-ial military strikes already underway on key strongholds in Iraq, and could begin simi-lar bombing in Syria, some on the Hill believe. Congressional leaders are scheduled to meet with the president for a briefing at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. While members of Congress are eager to debate the White House’s strategy against the militant group Islamic State, most are loathe to put their names to a vote - especially weeks before a very tight midterm election that will determine which party controls Congress. After conversations over the last week, “the White House is aware there real-ly is no appetite for a vote,” said one senior congressional aide, who was not authorized to discuss the deliberations. Without new authority from Congress, the question becomes how far the admin-istration can take the cam-paign against the militants also known as ISIS, the acro-nym for its former name, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Bolder action in Syria would be welcome by Republican defense hawks, and some moderate-leaning Democrats, including Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, the home state of the slain jour-nalist Steven J. Sotloff, who was held captive by the mili-tants. “We’re going to have to deal with them, not only in Iraq, where we are now, but elsewhere,” Nelson said Monday in the Senate. “As the president has already indicated, this is going to be a long-term kind of operation.” A protracted battle is far from what many Americans say they want. Even if the president decides to seek congressional approval for a robust military campaign, it is not clear that reluctant lawmakers would give it. “Here’s the dilemma: What if he comes over here and you can’t pass it?” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “That’d be a disaster. And what if you put so many con-ditions on it that it makes any military operation inef-fective? That’s what I worry about.” A coalition of liberal Democrats and libertar-ian Republicans would likely block such a vote, and those in difficult reelection battles would prefer not to be boxed into a complicated foreign policy issue before the elec-tion. But some are still pushing Obama to seek congressional approval. “The Constitution is clear: It is the Congress and Congress only that has the constitutional authority to declare war,” said tea party Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who called it “inconsistent” for the president to pursue action without legislative support.

Fire breaks out on Six Flags coaster

By Veronica rocha and Lauren raaB

Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Firefighters are monitoring damage caused to the classic wooden coaster Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain after fire consumed a por-tion of it, causing a portion of the structure to collapse. Although the raging flames tore through the top of a lift hill, Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Scott Miller said Monday there appeared to be no imme-diate threat of the coaster further collapsing. But firefighters plan to work with Six Flags offi-cials to determine the next steps. No injuries were report-ed as a result of the fire,

which Miller said was reported at 1:32 p.m. Aerial television news footage shows fire crews extinguishing the blaze around 1:50 p.m. as a por-tion of the structure col-lapsed, opening a hole in the track. Firefighters often train at the park, but mostly for rescues, Miller said. “It’s not something you see every day,” he said of the fire. Sheriff’s officials said the fire was sparked by welders working on the ride, which is under reconstruction. No park visitors were riding Colossus at the time the blaze broke out – the 36–year–old roller coaster closed in mid-August. Less than two weeks ago, the Valencia, Calif., theme park announced plans to revamp the ride it into a hybrid wood–and–steel coaster named Twisted Colossus, scheduled to

open next year. Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Construction, which has converted a number of wooden coasters into hybrid rides with looping inver-sions, landed the makeover job. Construction crews were slated to remove the upper level of track from the

horseshoe turnaround seg-ment of the ride. Similarly, the right spur of track departing from the station is also to be demolished. In all, more than 3,000 feet of track will be removed from the structure as it transforms into Twisted Colossus.

Part of Colossus structure collapses

MCT

Trucks work together to put out the flames on the roller coaster, Colossus, that caught fire.

Royal baby No. 2 on the way

By christie d’ZuriLLaLos Angeles Times

Yes, Prince George is going to be a big broth-er: There’s a second royal baby on the way for Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. “Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their second child,” according to a state-ment from Clarence House on Monday. “The Queen and members of both fami-lies are delighted with the news.” Alas, Catherine, the former Kate Middleton, is suffering once again from severe morning sickness, which may have prompted the announcement Monday even though, according to World Now, she’s still in her first trimester.

In December 2012, the announcement of Prince George’s pending per-sonhood was prompted by Catherine’s hospital-ization for hyperemesis gravidarum so she could receive fluids and intrave-nous nutrition while expe-riencing extreme, persis-tent vomiting. At the time, she couldn’t attend public events as scheduled, so an explanation was needed. This time around she’s being treated by doctors at Kensington Palace, not at a hospital, Clarence House said, but she still won’t be making it to an engage-ment in Oxford Monday with her husband. Kate and William mar-ried in April 2011. George was born July 22, 2013, and is third in line to the British throne behind his grandfa-ther Prince Charles and his dad, Prince William. Rumors of a second pregnancy have, inciden-tally, been in the air for months. This time, howev-er, they’re true.

That said, Royal Baby No. 2 might already have more political sway than his or her older brother. At least when it comes to the outcome of an upcoming decision on Scottish inde-pendence from the United Kingdom. With the number of breakaway supporters pulling close recently with those who would keep Scotland’s governance as is, there are some who see the announcement of a new and presumably cute-as-heck British royal on the way as a plus - and pos-sibly a scale-tipper - for the “no” movement. Because who doesn’t love a royal baby and want a piece of that for their own? Then again, according to the Telegraph, Scottish love of the royal family might not be overwhelm-

ing. Of those who support independence, almost 60 percent wouldn’t want to keep the queen as mon-arch. If an independent Scotland wanted to keep royal ties, it could in theory stay in the Commonwealth of Nations even as it sepa-rated from Britain So hav-ing it both ways - indepen-dence paired with a royal family – might be possible. “Congratulations & best wishes to the Earl & Countess of Strathearn,” Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, an indepen-dence supporter, tweeted Monday, using the cou-ple’s traditional and rare-ly acknowledged Scottish titles. “Wonderful to hear they’re expecting their second baby – very happy news!”

Prince and Princess announce the news

“Wonderful to hear they’re expecting their second baby - very happy news!”

Alex Salmond, Scottish First Minister

With major crises persisting throughout the summer in Syria, Ukraine, Libya, Israel and the Gaza strip, it has been a rough few months for the United States. The brutal tactics of Syrian

president Bashar al-Assad against opposition groups contin-ued, leading to thousands more civilian casualties as the num-ber of displaced Syrians climbed into the millions. Growing from this civil war, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has become the post-9/11 fear of the U.S., rec-ognized as a hard-line state run by Islamist militants. A shaky truce over the Ukraine conflict between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko is already on the verge of collapsing in the face of recent shells in Eastern Ukraine. Libya, now free from the rule of Muammar al-Gad-dafi, is being torn to shreds by rival militias including the Libya Dawn, a fundamental-ist Islamic group which cap-tured Tripoli International Airport this month. In Gaza, the U.S. learned that it was utterly unable to medi-ate a peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians as upward of 2,000 civilian casual-ties in Gaza were highly tele-vised to the public. Although the Israeli government and Hamas have come to an armistice, medi-ated by Egypt, the question of how a Hamas-dominated Gaza can continue to exist in the face of Israeli military force contin-ues to fester under the surface. For its part, the U.S. has gathered a group of NATO allies, which President Barack Obama said will “systematically degrade” the capabilities of ISIS. After a long summer of watching civilians across the world perish, one is left to wonder whether the U.S. and its NATO allies are up to the task. The Middle East has become the exact kind of volatile breed-ing ground for extremism which the war on terror was designed

to prevent. The Islamic State has proven a fearsome enemy to those who have encountered it, with the Syrian and Iraqi armies, along with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, facing defeats at their hands. U.S. airstrikes have proven effective at contain-ing the Islamic State, but the extremists are still able to make gains on the battlefield of the Syrian Civil War. As the death toll in that war tops 191,000, according to the New York Times, with millions displaced, the United Nations-sanctioned removal of Asaad’s chemical weapons stands as a small glimmer of hope, but also a bleak reminder that the killings have only escalated since then. Ultimately, the standoff between Putin and Obama over the “red line,” which symbolized the use

of chemical weapons, proved to be as far as the international community was willing to go for the people of Syria. Had ISIS not become its own state in the middle of Iraq, I very much doubt that any nation in the West would consider the Syrian Civil War worth its time and effort. Even issues in the Middle East which are close to the American public went unaf-fected by the U.S., as we saw in the Gaza strip. John Kerry’s already strained ties with the Israeli government were further frayed when he proposed a peace mediated and designed by Turkey and Qatar, both seen as backers of Hamas by Israel. Furthermore, the Israeli cam-paign in Gaza sparked severe tensions between Israel and the U.N. when it was discovered that U.N.-designated sites, which were found to have been used for weapons storage, were attacked by Israeli artillery.

Since the taking of Tripoli International Airport by Islamic extremists under Libya Dawn, the decision by the U.S. to go above and beyond U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 by forc-ibly removing Gaddafi is look-ing increasingly dubious in the face of heavy civilian casual-ties. This decision did a serious number to Russia-U.S. relations, as Russia abstained from the Security Council vote under the assumption that NATO wouldn’t take over the operation later and dethrone Gaddafi. Today, NATO is discussing a “spearhead” attack force which can be mobilized quickly in the event of a severe military crisis in the East. This is, of course, in response to Russian incursions in Ukraine, where more than 2,600 people have now died in

the fighting (to say noth-ing of the hundreds of thousands displaced). With increasingly heavy sanctions on Russia, and talks of more to come, the situation in Eastern Europe will only contin-ue to intensify without more direct talks. With Britain, Australia,

Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Turkey ready to take joint action against ISIS, and the leader of the terrorist group Al-Shabab in Somalia having been recently assassinated by the U.S. military, it would appear that the reeling Western nations are now pre-paring their response to a world which is increasingly portrayed as falling apart in the media and online. Ultimately, the conflict between Russian and Western interests appears to have cre-ated an impasse which will need to be addressed. Depending on how effectively NATO can han-dle ISIS and the threats in the Middle East, which member countries have described as a paramount priority, the answer to the Russian question will either come sooner or later.

Julian del Prado is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at jdelprad@umass.edu.

Opinion EditorialEditorial@DailyCollegiancomTuesday, September 9, 2014

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

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t h e m a s s a c h u s e t t s D a i ly C o l l e g i a n

Kate Leddy

The need for moral and ethical clarity

Most of us can agree that terrorism is a gruesome and terrible enterprise that needs to be dealt with in one way or another, with one relatively recent example being the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), a religious

terrorist group whose mission is to continue the spread of global jihad. But the purpose of my column this week is not to explain ISIS and why it must be brought to justice. It is about the need for clarity when reporting at the collegiate level. As a practicing Jew born and raised in New York City, I became aware at a very early age of what it meant to be hated. Hate is a very strong word that should be used seldom and only within its proper context. But despite the fact that there are more individuals who identify as Jewish in New York than in any other state in the country, it does not mean that the city, or any place else for that matter, is protected from hatred.

Now, it is important to be wary of how cavalierly the term anti-Semite is used, for it is most often the case that when any word saturates the media, it, at a certain point, loses its validity. This especially applies to the term anti-Semite. With that being said, there is a fundamental difference between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. To be in opposition to Zionism is to disagree with the fundamental principal that the Jewish people should be allowed to have their homeland—Israel. To be an anti-Semite is to have immense contempt and hatred for Jews. It has never been and never will be my job to police specific aspects of the media, regardless of its angle. It would be inappropriate. But at the end of the day, as the late United States sena-tor Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, “You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.” In this case, a fringe international socialist newspaper has over stepped the line. I refuse to name this paper in an effort not to give it any more attention, which clearly seems to be its goal. But its agenda is beyond radi-cal, and it was distributed on college campuses. The banner headline of its most recent column discusses the need to defend the Palestinians. The front page of the newspaper has an incred-ibly misleading and misinformed ban-ner headline which reads, “Zionist Bloodbath in Gaza.” Now, it is one thing to label it “Israeli Bloodbath in

Gaza,” which in my opinion would still be terribly inaccurate. But to use the word “Zionist” crosses the line. First of all, it’s offensive. All Zionists are being lumped together and therefore deemed responsible for the conflict in the “occupied” terri-tories. I am a Zionist, and I come from a family of Zionists. My great grandparents raised money for Zionist organizations in the early years of the 20th century. My family is not respon-sible for the innocent lives lost in the Gaza Strip. The U.S. is full of Zionists, especially liberal Zionists (a topic of conversation that has received much attention in news outlets such as the New York Times and the New York Review of Books—in other words, respectable news outlets). A liber-al Zionist is someone who is a full-fledged supporter of a homeland for the Jewish people, while at the same time critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies. But in some ways, to be a sup-porter of anti-Zionism seems worse than anti-Semitism. To say the Jewish

people are not entitled to a homeland is wrong, especially when they have had a home for more than 60 years. The newspaper’s column specifi-cally compares Israeli policy with that of Joseph Goebbels, minister of Nazi propaganda. It is clear that whatever the agenda of this news organization may be, it is not one which cares for the respect of rational, independently thinking individuals. It is no surprise that this newspaper barely has a fol-lowing to begin with. The reason for this is because it supports terrorist organizations like Hamas. On the front page of the paper, it says, “We take a side militarily in defense of Hamas against Israel.” Some would argue that Hamas is not a terrorist enterprise, but I think differ-ently. So does the State Department, which on Oct. 8, 1997, officially declared Hamas a terrorist organization. Finally, it is not surprising that there is no author to this piece. Who would want to associate themselves with a piece so radical? So while you have certain radical writers spewing rhetoric and sensationalism in an effort to pass it off as news, the power lies in the eyes of the reader. Should college students partake in and pay for this type of “journalism,” or should we turn our heads and look the other way in an effort for the noise to die down? The choice is yours.

Isaac Simon is the media critique for the Collegian and can be reached at isimon@umass.edu.

“Should college students partake in and pay for this type of ‘journalism’ or should we turn our heads and look the other

way in an effort for the noise to die down?”

Isaac Simon

Julian del Prado

“The Middle East has become the exact kind of volatile

breeding ground for extremism which the war on terror was

designed to prevent.”

A rough summer for foreign relations

Arts Living“Give me all the eggs and bacon you have.”- Ron Swanson Arts@DailyCollegian.comTuesday, September 9, 2014

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

The Antlers evolve beautifully and confidently on ‘Familiars’

Nate FroNtieroCollegian Staff

Seven years ago, The Antlers’ front man Peter Silberman had his heart broken. From that deep anguish came “Hospice,” The Antlers’ third album that transformed the group from Silberman’s lo-fi solo project into a fully realized band. The album saw the songwriter dealing directly with the throes of an emo-tionally abusive relation-ship, and “Burst Apart” followed with an equally heavy collection of songs centered on sexual frustra-tion and uncertainty. On “Familiars,” the band’s fifth album, released June 16, it seems Silberman has finally found a sense of peace. Emotional storytell-ing persists throughout The Antlers’ catalog. The band’s music strikes the seemingly paradoxical bal-

ance between lyrical mel-ancholy and sonic uplift. Even amongst the most despondent subjects, the band constructs lush, gor-geously intricate sound-scapes that surround lis-teners. The eerie warmth of “Burst Apart” succeeded the chilling intimacy of “Hospice,” and “Familiars” marks yet another palette shift. Here the aural col-ors are soft and bright, a fitting accompaniment to songwriting that recon-ciles with persistent ten-sions and meditates ques-tions of identity. While the band’s previ-ous two releases certainly contained personal music, “Familiars” is an album that makes a refreshing effort to explore the self. Silberman makes more frequent use of his lower register and even more devastatingly beautiful use of his stunning falsetto. His vocals are also per-haps the clearest they’ve ever been on an Antlers record. Past albums often buried his voice and lyri-

cal comprehensibility, but “Familiars” lays it bare with only a touch of reverb. It’s a fitting change for an album that so delicately and abstractly deals with its themes. Duality is the motif here, recurring throughout tracks such as “Intruders,” “Director,” and of course, “Doppelgänger.” These songs carry a sinister undercurrent. Silberman explores the darker sides of people as “ugly creatures,” monstrous or malicious

twins that both lurk within and haunt from alongside a person. On “Director,” he asserts, “You will hate who you are ’til you overthrow who you’ve been.” There is darkness on “Familiars,” but as Michael Lerner’s even, pensive drumming drives the songs forward, the heavy intro-spection actually becomes comforting. Silberman even returns to that long-broken rela-tionship on the aptly named “Revisited,” a

nearly eight-minute epic whose pace most direct-ly embodies that of the album itself. Each track is at least five minutes long, and the tempo is uniform-ly relaxed and ruminative throughout. The runtime lends these larger lyrical and instrumental conceits ample breath, showing that The Antlers are at last fully comfortable with its own canvas. The result is an album that is simultane-ously a refreshing change in direction and the best summation of everything about The Antlers’ sound. “Familiars” is both somber and soothing. Silberman takes the listen-er deep into the trenches with him as he comes to terms. And when he begins to see the light, most clear-ly on the album’s final third, a weight is very audibly lifted. The bliss-ful “Parade” glows with a gleeful energy as a simple guitar riff becomes the sound of shackles finally loosened. Silberman’s voice lilts higher and high-er until he sounds utterly

triumphant. Darby Cicci’s electronic textures offer a hand to join the proces-sion. As the guitar sparks on album-closer, “Refuge,” give way to Cicci’s hopeful trumpeting, we can practi-cally see the sun break-ing over the horizon. When Silberman reveals, “You’re already home and you don’t even know it,” all traces of burden have left his voice. On the opening track, “Palace,” Silberman’s answer to heaven was searching one’s own soul. The opening and closing tracks thus become book-ends to the album’s larger theme of finding peace within. In life’s bleak-est moments, Silberman recalls, we are both our own biggest obstacle and best chance for salvation. “Familiars” is an album of progression, a palpable catharsis, and Silberman has carved an artful, mov-ing path to come to terms with the demons that haunt him.

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

The band’s fifth LP marks creative leap

A L BU M R E V I E W

eleNa lopezCollegian Staff

While students have been busy moving in, musicians across a myriad of genres have been finishing up the final touches on their new records. Beginning on the mainstream side of things, Chris Brown’s long-post-poned sixth studio album, “X,” is set to be released Sept. 16. The album boasts a long and impressive list of guests, including Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross and Ariana Grande. “X” has been in the works for two years, with a lapse in productivity due to Brown’s various legal issues. The album features notable tracks such as “Put It Up,” an eyebrow-raising, tabloid rumor-inducing col-laboration with Brown’s ex-girlfriend Rihanna. Sept. 16 is a popular release date for much of the music industry, with new releases from hip-hop veteran 50 Cent, Train and country star Tim McGraw all slated to drop that day. McGraw is looking to build on the success he experienced with his hit, “Meanwhile Back at Mama’s,” with his new album, “Sundown Heaven Town.” In rock, Foo Fighters are slated to return to the scene with their eighth album, “Sonic Highways.” It will be accompanied by an HBO miniseries of the same name about the making of the album. The album’s release

date is set for Nov. 10, while the television miniseries will premiere Oct. 17. Pop superstar Nicki Minaj has guaranteed the release of a new record by the end of the year called “The Pink Print,” a name inspired by Jay-Z’s iconic trilogy, “The Blueprint.” In mid-August, Minaj caused a media frenzy with the release of the music video to her new single, “Anaconda.” The video has been viewed almost 140 mil-lion on YouTube times since it was posted Aug. 19. From recent interviews, it would seem that rap icon Kanye West is look-ing to follow up his show-stopping, highly acclaimed 2013 album, “Yeezus,” with another by the end of the year. West likes to call him-self a “pendulum,” an artist who changes his sound with every album, so it is likely that if West does deliver on his promise, listeners will experience a new side of West’s talents yet again. In an interview with Complex Magazine, West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar also hinted at a new album. Two years after catapulting himself into the upper echelon of rap with his critically and com-mercially successful album, “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,” Lamar said he had over three dozen songs in the works. After such a wait, Lamar could be poised to surprise the music industry, just as he did two years ago.

Elena Lopez can be reached at aelopez@umass.edu.

The most exciting sounds of the fallNumerous stars prepare new albums

FA L L M U S I C P R E V I E W

Ab-Soul shifts direction on third LP

eleNa lopezCollegian Staff

One of the summer’s best albums came from a wordsmith by the name of Herbert Anthony Stevens IV. Stevens—known by his stage name Ab-Soul—released his third album, “These Days..,” June 24 on the Top Dawg Entertainment label. Stevens is one of the more high-profile artists from TDE, a Compton-based record label that boasts a roster that includes Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Isaiah Rashad and SZA. “These Days…” is defined by Stevens’ stunning word-play, a trait that makes the listener to hold onto every line of the album. TDE’s unique environ-ment is a catalyst for the numerous phenomenal collaborations on “These Days…,” which includes songs featuring artists such as Lamar, Schoolboy Q and several others. A self-proclaimed righteous man, Stevens stands out against the analytical Lamar, but no topic has ever been off limits for Stevens—even prophetic imagery of himself against a wooden cross serves as the album art. Stevens delves into his inner psyche and tack-les religious ideals in the track “God’s Reign,” invit-ing SZA’s ethereal voice to heighten the song’s angelic undertones. Stevens’ poi-gnant lines resonate espe-cially on tracks like “Tree of Life,” where he uses his seemingly bottomless sup-ply of witty rhymes to his

advantage. The album’s lead single, “Stigmata,” created a large buzz on the internet as fans fawned over to the insight-ful track. The song embod-ies Stevens’ strange self-confidence, and juxtaposes eerily-layered harmonies with his unusual raps. In contrast to his previ-ous albums, “Long Term Mentality” and “Control System,” it seems that on “These Days...,” Stevens trades in some of his artistic trademarks in lieu of sounds meant for a wider audience. Tracks like “Twact” fit more into the mainstream concept of rap, where many fans think Stevens doesn’t belong. Stevens has yet to meet the same massive critical and commercial success that TDE label-mates Lamar and Schoolboy Q have expe-rienced, but that seems to

stem more from his interest in exploring his own brain as opposed to reaching out to a commercial audience. The guest artists featured on “These Days…” leave little to be desired, with collaborations from every TDE member, Jhene Aiko and Action Bronson. These tracks show the diversity of sound Stevens is able to excel in.One such track, “Kendrick Lamar’s Interlude,” is a raw piece of rap, possibly illuminating what to expect from Lamar’s long await-ed follow-up to “Good Kid M.A.A.D City.” It is layered over a jazzy instrumen-tal that deeply contrasts the rage heard in Lamar’s words. Following suit, Stevens and Schoolboy Q join forces on “Hunnid Stax,” reig-niting the chemistry they displayed in past collabo-

rations like “Druggys Wit Hoes Again.” Jhene Aiko performs with Stevens on “Closure,” harmonizing on the topic of the strains of a relationship.A chameleon of music, Stevens can act as a stand-alone and malleable rapper, fitting in where he wants and stretching the limits of each of the album’s tracks. He spans the width of sub-jects a listener would find in an almanac, and although the various elements of his music do not always flow together, the tracks on which they do are strong pieces that prove Stevens is worthy of being more than just a featured artist for his more successful label-mates.

Elena Lopez can be reached at aelopez@umass.edu

Rapper is still going strong ‘These Days’

A L BU M R E V I E W

VINCEWILCOX/FLICKR

Ab-Soul, who released his third album on June 24, performing live at the Ace of Spades in March 2013.

JOSELITO TAGARAO/FLICKR

Peter Silberman of The Antlers performing live in 2012.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN6 Tuesday, September 9, 2014 DailyCollegian.com

WE WANT YOUR COMICS!Put your comics in front of thousands of readers.

Questions? Comments? Email us: comics@dailycollegian.comComics

May I offer you a pie crust?

Your thirsty is making me pretzels.

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

The fact that someone took the time to make a special breakfast cookie should imply to you that it’s not a cookie at all.

pisces Feb. 19 - Mar. 20

Little kid you would be really upset with how few slumber parties you have had since coming to college.

aries Mar. 21 - apr. 19

Who knew all these college students had HBO!

taurus apr. 20 - May. 20

Hooray! You went to all your classes today! Who says you can only eat all the ice cream you want when your tonsils are removed?

gemini May. 21 - Jun. 21

You can’t be more “on time” than someone to class, but you can be more “present” during attendance.

cancer Jun. 22 - Jul. 22

Just be you “can’t see” your pop quiz, doesn’t mean it’s “not there.”

leo Jul. 23 - aug. 22

Looking for a new club to join this semester? Three words. Library. Falcon. Cam.

virgo aug. 23 - Sept. 22

The koi fish in Durfee Convservatory do not want dining hall food. At least, they definitely do not want to eat chicken.

libra Sept. 23 - Oct. 22

Unlike Libra, the campus ducks absolutely want your white bread, and chicken, and dining hall food and…

scorpio Oct. 23 - nOv. 21

Show whose the alpha gym goer tomorrow by leaving your scent all over every machine without spraying it down.

sagittarius nOv. 22 - Dec. 21

I hear dining services is going to open up the UPub for breakfast, but they have to receive enough e–mails about it first.

capricorn Dec. 22 - Jan. 19

Poorly Drawn lines By reza FarazmanD

XKCD By ranDall munroe

Lemon Lipstick

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN Tuesday, September 9, 2014 7DailyCollegian.com

By Lori FaLceCentre Daily Times (State College,

Pa.)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. —The Nittany Lions scored big Monday as the NCAA accepted recommendations from George Mitchell’s latest report on Penn State’s prog-ress, restoring postseason play this year and scholar-ships next year. In his second annual report, issued Monday, Mitchell, the former U.S. senator who was named independent monitor to oversee Penn State’s reha-bilitation in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, lauded the uni-versity’s progress and made recommendations to further roll back the unprecedented sanctions levied by the NCAA. “Penn State has contin-ued to fully comply with the AIA (Athletics Integrity Agreement) and has con-tinued its commitment to reform,” Mitchell said. “I am therefore once again recom-mending reductions in the Consent Decree’s sanctions affecting student-athletes. First, I recommend that the NCAA restore Penn State’s bowl eligibility for the 2014-15 football season. Second, I recommend that the NCAA

restore Penn State’s football grants-in-aid to the maximum number permitted under NCAA regulations for the 2015-16 football season.” Mitchell and his law firm, DLA Piper, made the announcement Monday, releasing a report describing Penn State’s efforts to con-tinue work on its obligations under the athletic integrity agreement and the consent decree. “Through the second year of the Consent Decree, Penn State has not wavered in its commitment to fulfilling the requirements of the AIA and to implementing the rec-ommendations made in the Freeh Report.” Mitchell said. “The initiatives undertaken in the first year have begun to take root as a result of Penn State’s continuing focus on these reforms.” He pointed to accomplish-ments, including “a wholly new and comprehensive com-pliance program that places oversight of athletics com-pliance outside of the athlet-ics department and ensures direct access to the univer-sity’s senior leadership and board of trustees.” The hiring of Sandy Barbour as athletic director was noted, as well as training of “covered persons” in com-pliance and certification of the department’s “efforts to comply” with NCAA and Big

Ten regulations. Mitchell also singled out new President Eric Barron’s Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Task Force and a commitment to creating 12 ethics-related appointments in multiple disciples over the next three years.” Mitchell also pointed toward recommending an end to the oversight in the near future. “Should Penn State con-tinue its current course of progress during this upcom-ing third year, I will in my next annual report consider recommending that the NCAA and Big Ten conclude the monitorship substantially earlier than scheduled,” he said. The babysitting period was set at five years origi-nally, with the understanding that it could be shortened if successful. “Earlier today, I present-ed my report and recom-mendations to the Big Ten Conference and the NCAA executive committee and Division I board of directors. I am pleased that they accepted my report and adopted my recommendations,” Mitchell concluded. One penalty not addressed were the 111 victories vacated from former head coach Joe Paterno’s tenure. The NCAA wasted no time in announcing its acceptance. Last year, it took three weeks

to announce the rollbacks of scholarships. “Due to Penn State University’s significant prog-ress toward ensuring its ath-letics department functions with integrity, the NCAA Executive Committee today eliminated the school’s post-season ban, effective imme-diately, and will return the

full complement of football scholarships in 2015-16,” the organization said in a state-ment. “Penn State’s commit-ment to the integrity of its athletics department and its progress toward meeting the requirements of the Consent Decree are clear,” said Northern Arizona President

Rita Hartung Cheng. She chaired the executive com-mittee meeting Monday. “We thank Senator Mitchell for his meticulous and exhaus-tive work over the past two years. Mitchell’s efforts and the dedication of Penn State officials made today’s deci-sions possible.”

Playoff eligibility, scholarships return

NCAA lifts unprecedented sanctions on PSUC O L L E G E F O O T BA L L

MCT

The NCAA will restore Penn State’s playoff eligibility this year and all scholarships next year per the advice of former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell.

UMass blanked by Cal-Poly 1-0

By anthony chiusano Collegian Staff

The Massachusetts men’s soccer team will return from their four-game west coast trip to start the season win-less after falling 1-0 to Cal Poly on Sunday. The game was decided in the 39th minute when sophomore forward John Chronopoulos was taken down inside UMass’ 18-yard box by junior Danny Belza. On the ensuing penalty kick, Chronopoulos placed his kick to the far right cor-ner as freshman goalkeeper Ryan Buckingham guessed wrong and dove left to give the Mustangs the upholding lead. The Minutemen’s bench was visibly upset with the referees’ decision to reward the penalty kick. However, following the game, UMass coach Devin O’Neill said that the team must look past the questionable call.“Ultimately, the refs have to ref and we have to coach, so I’ll leave it at that,” O’Neill said. “We could have done better to prevent the situa-tion, so I think it would be misguided of us to place it on the referee.” Although Sunday’s game ended in losing fashion, O’Neill said that his team showed significant improve-ment on defense. After los-ing its first three games by a combined 11-2 margin, he said that only conceding one goal and four shots on goal for the game was encourag-ing. “There was definitely a difference between today and the first few games,” senior defender Matt Keys said. “We’re starting to develop a little bit more chemistry and it’s just a good sign going for-ward.” Despite getting shut out on the offensive side for the sec-ond straight game on Sunday, O’Neill also said that he saw positive signs from the team’s attack, which registered six shots on goal led by junior midfielder Peter Alvarenga. “I thought our speed of

play in transition was better and we were able to connect on a couple of passes early on, on the weak side,” O’Neill said. “[Alvarenga] did a great job out front holding the ball for us and that helped us get out and get into the attack on a more consistent basis.” Keys said that there is still work to be done in order to get UMass (0-4-0) over its los-ing streak despite the recent improvements. Keys noted the need to limit turnovers and increase the time of pos-session on attack.

Déjà vu? The 2014 regular season has started off in a similar fashion for the Minutemen, who began last year 0-8-1 before picking up their first win on Sept. 28 against Siena. However, despite the four-game losing streak to begin this season, O’Neill said that there are no parallels between the past two opening struggles. “We are far more competi-tive, the team is upbeat, and I think that they, themselves, can see their progress,” O’Neill said. Keys agreed and said that the Minutemen have main-tained a more uplifting atti-tude through their initial struggles in nonconference play. “Last year, at times, we were down on ourselves,” Keys said. “I think this year we are a little more positive.” Keys added that last year’s winless run, which was fol-lowed by an eighth place fin-ish in the Atlantic 10 – good enough to make the A-10 tournament – has helped the team’s present mindset. “We have the confidence that we can come back, even though we’ve started 0-4, we can still play great in confer-ence games and still make the playoffs,” Keys said.

Anthony Chiusano can be reached at achiusano@umass.edu and can be followed on Twitter @a_chiusano24.

M E N ’ S S O C C E R

“Vanderbilt’s more tal-ented than the last two teams we’ve played,” Whipple said. “They’ve got people who can make plays and their run-ning backs are really, really special…what I see on tape is that they’re going in the right direction. Maybe we’re lucky to play them earlier instead of later in the year.”

The college football sea-son is still in self-evalua-tion mode after two games. That’s no different with the Minutemen, who have yet to travel on the road and are still learning on both sides of the ball. The offense jumped from scoring just seven points in the opener to 38 this past Saturday and

there’s a general feeling of improvement across all fac-ets of UMass’ game. Now, the Minutemen pre-pare to go on the road for the first time as the team searches for more con-sistent success. And for a young team, that can be a challenge. “I’m more concerned

about our guys,” Whipple said. “We’ve been on the road with a two-hour bus ride, but this team has never been on a plane, half these kids. That’s more of my con-cern.”

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

VANDERBILT continued from page 8

punishment in July. The new penalties include six games for a first offense and a potential lifetime ban for a second offense. “My disciplinary decision led the public to question our sincerity, our commitment, and whether we understood the toll that domestic vio-lence inflicts on so many families. I take responsibil-ity both for the decision and for ensuring that our actions in the future properly reflect our values. I didn’t get it right,” Goodell wrote. Rice was charged with felony aggravated assault in the case, but in May he was accepted into a pre-trial intervention program that allowed him to avoid jail time and could lead to the charge being eliminated from his record. Selected by the Ravens in the second round of the 2008 draft out of Rutgers, Rice rushed for 6,180 yards and 37 touchdowns, and caught 369 balls for 3,034 yards and six touchdowns over six NFL seasons. Rice is the Ravens’ all-time leader in total yards from scrimmage (9,214) and he ranks first in the NFL in that category dating back to the 2009 season. He also is the first player in fran-chise history to rush for 1,000 yards in four consecu-tive seasons and he ranks

second in franchise history behind Jamal Lewis in rush-ing yards and rushing touch-downs. Anne C. Osborne, co-author of the forthcoming book “Female Fans of the NFL: Taking Their Place in the Stands,” said the Ravens’ decision to cut Rice is good for the team, good for the league and good for women. “They are taking a stand and he is a valuable player to lose,” said Osborne, who teaches communications at

Syracuse University. “That is good news for everybody. It’s not just good news for women. That culture of vio-lence, everyone loses. Good for them.” Marty Conway, a for-mer vice president of mar-keting with the Baltimore Orioles who teaches sports management at Georgetown University, said the NFL has a big job ahead to satisfy the concerns the video will raise in the minds of fans. “It’s definitely not behind

them,” Conway said before the news of Rice’s release and increased suspension was announced. “The larg-er issue is the credibility of the league in these types of investigations.” Conway also noted the timing of TMZ’s posting of the second video. Its release at the start of the NFL sea-son was intended to have an impact, he said. If it had been released two weeks ago, it would have drawn less attention, he said.

RAY RICE continued from page 8

This season, UMass has a chance to avoid that kind of hole all together. Rounding out the stretch of home games are three games against familiar

A-10 foes Saint Joseph’s, Virginia Commonwealth and Dayton. “It’s imperative we get off to a good start in the A-10 this year,” Keys said.

“We want to put the begin-ning of the season behind us and play our game.” The West Coast road trip is over. The 2014 season is well underway. Now, it’s

time for the Minutemen to prey on the weary travel-ers arriving at Rudd Field.

Ross Gienieczko can be reached at rgieniec@umass.edu and followed on twitter @RossGien.

ROAD WOES continued from page 8

MCT

The Baltimore Ravens released running back Ray Rice Monday.

“It was a long trip. We were gone for about 10 days. At some point, you start to think, ‘Wow, we’ve been on

the road for a while.’” Josh Schwartz,UMass forward

@MDC_SPORTS Sports@DailyCollegian.comTuesday, September 9, 2014

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

M E N ’ S S O C C E R

FRIENDLY TURF Ravens ax Rice after video leak

By Jeff ZreBiecThe Baltimore Sun

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Ravens are standing by Ray Rice no longer. The team announced Monday afternoon that it has terminated the contract of the 27-year-old running back on the same day a new video surfaced showing him striking his then-fiancee. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Rice has now been suspended indefinite-ly. Those decisions come about seven months after the running back was arrested and initially charged with simple assault fol-lowing an altercation with Janay Palmer, now his wife, in an Atlantic City, N.J., casino. It caps a stunning fall for Rice, who had been suspended two games by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Coach John Harbaugh and Ravens players are expected to speak to the media Monday night. The video released Monday by TMZ Sports appears to show that after Rice and Palmer hit each other in a Revel casino eleva-tor, Rice threw a punch with his left fist, knocking Palmer off her feet and into a railing. A previ-ously released video showed the aftermath, with Rice dragging his now-wife out of the elevator. The release of the new video comes less than 24 hours after the Ravens lost 23-16 to the Cincinnati Bengals with Rice serving the first game of his suspension, and 10 days after the NFL announced more severe punishment for domestic violence. An NFL spokesman said league officials had not seen the video from inside the elevator until Monday. “We requested from law enforcement any and all informa-tion about the incident, including the video from inside the ele-vator,” league spokesman Greg Aiello said. “That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today.” In announcing the new domes-tic violence penalties on Aug. 28 after public backlash to Rice’s two-game suspension, Goodell said in a letter to all 32 NFL own-ers that he “didn’t get it right” when he handed down Rice’s

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CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN

UMass is eager to return to New England and face more familiar competition following a difficult West Coast road trip.

UM returns to campus following West Coast tripBy ross GieniecZko

Collegian Staff

There are few things worse for East Coast sports teams than the West Coast road trip. For play-ers, it means long stretches away from their homes and families. For coaches, it often means tired players, sloppy performances and ultimately a losing trip. The Massachusetts men’s soc-cer team can tell you as much. On its four-game swing— which included one game in Utah and three in California– the Minutemen lost four times and were outscored 12-2. “It was a long trip,” senior forward Josh Schwartz said. “We were gone for about 10 days. At some point, you start to think, ‘Wow, we’ve been on the road for a while.’” There’s light at the end of

the tunnel, though. After a red-eye flight back to the Bay State, UMass finally arrived home Monday morning at 9 a.m. Even better news, UMass will play its next eight games within the bor-ders of New England, with six of those coming at home in the friendly confines of Rudd Field. The Minutemen look forward to settling into their home sched-ule, and for good reason. In their last three seasons, UMass has won nine games at home, com-pared to just two wins on the road. Looking even further back, the Minutemen boast a record

of 79-39-18 (.647 winning percent-age) at Rudd Field in  the last 13 seasons. “We know the field better than anyone,” said senior Matt Keys. “It’s a huge advantage.” Home games mean no long bus trips, long flights home or stress from missing days of school. As Keys said, “You’re not living out of a bag in a hotel.” On the field, it usually means playing a team that’s a little more familiar. “It’s definitely comforting to be home,” Schwartz said. “Most of these teams coming up we’ve played before… and know a little

bit more about.”   These teams coming up include non-conference oppo-nents Fairfield, New Hampshire, and Harvard, all of whom UMass played last season. The Minutemen lost all three con-tests, but the games against the Wildcats and the Crimson were close, with both losses coming by only one goal apiece. It’s a crucial stretch of games, as UMass has started slow but hopes to avoid a repeat of last year, when it started the season 0-8-1 before earning its first win. The Minutemen rallied to earn a berth in the Atlantic 10 tourna-ment and Keys believes that expe-rience will help this year’s team. “Because of that, you know, even though we started the sea-son 0-4, we know we can still do this,” he said.

By Mark chiarelliCollegian Staff

When Massachusetts football coach Mark Whipple looked out into rows of media following his team’s 41-38 loss to Colorado on Saturday, he solemnly noted his team doesn’t understand how to handle success. The Minutemen allowed an 11-point lead to evaporate in the third quarter en route to their sec-ond loss of the season. They failed to capitalize on a wave of momen-tum early in the second half and ultimately walked away with their 24th loss of the FBS era. It was another learning experi-ence for a youthful UMass squad, which must now turn the page to its week three opponent, Vanderbilt. “We finally got ahead of some-body and it was a new experience for our team,” Whipple said during his Monday teleconference. “They didn’t handle being ahead by 11 points very well. Hopefully we’ll

get another chance to do that again down the road.” UMass travels a rocky road to begin the season, and this week’s matchup against the Commodores is no different. The Minutemen are power conference battle tested – Colorado is a member of the Pac-12 while week one opponent Boston College is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference – and will now try to take a chunk out of the Southeastern Conference. “We proved we can’t play in the ACC and proved we can’t play in the Pac-12,” Whipple said. “So we’ll see if we can make a dent in the SEC this weekend.” Vanderbilt is a team that UMass almost dented in 2013. The Minutemen faced a similarly ardu-ous out-of-conference schedule to start last season and hosted the

Commodores at Gillette Stadium. UMass trailed just 10-7 after three quarters and played stingy defense against Vanderbilt, debut-ing a 4-3 base defense which caught the Commodores by surprise. The Minutemen eventually lost 24-7 – they gave up the final 17 points of the game – but walked away with a renewed confidence in what was one of the most impressive perfor-mances of the season. Now, UMass faces a Vanderbilt squad which is also 0-2 and has scored just 10 points this season. “I thought the guys last (year), they competed and played well,” Whipple said. “Some of our guys have been to Vanderbilt, so maybe that’s one thing that’s a plus.” Whipple was quick to point out that both teams have endured major change – former Commodores

coach James Franklin left for a job at Penn State while UMass has a new coaching staff and brand new offensive and defense schemes – and the focus was more internal than prior performances. “We’re just more concerned about our guys,” he said. “We’re still correcting a lot of the mis-takes (from the Colorado game).

… We have nine or 10 guys run-ning the defense right, running the offense right. We’re working on getting 11 guys.” One of the stronger facets of Vanderbilt’s – and any team in the SEC’s – game is the speed. It’s an uptick in skill and ability over the Minutemen’s first two opponents.

Lack of road experience ‘concerns’ Whipple

Minutemen must learn how to win, travel F O O T BA L L

see RAY RICE on page 7

CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN

Mark Whipple said Monday that Vanderbilt is UMass’ most talented opponent to date.

see VANDERBILT on page 7

“They didn’t hjandle being ahead by 11 points very well. Hopefully we’ll get another chance to do that

again down the road.”Mark Whipple,UMass coach

see ROAD WOES on page 7